Best of 'The Fellas' LIVE From Fanatics Fest in NYC!

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Welcome, Welcome. We are live at the Javit Center, Jason Fitz.
I'm Anthony Gargato fanatics. What a festival. This is sports Mecca,
my brother.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Can I ask you the nerdiest question of all time?
Have you ever been to a comic con?

Speaker 3 (00:21):
So I have not?

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Okay, that doesn't surprise me because I'm a nerd and
you're not. I'm just saying this is like the ultimate
sports fanatic comic con, because like I went to one
last year in Denver where like I'm a big horror
movie fanatic, you and like the entire cast Scream was there, right,
So I got to see like a panel where they
talked about the movie and then you call on and
then like you can get stuff signed and it's this

(00:43):
cool experience. And then I walk in here and I'm like,
this is exactly that for sports fans. The WWE fans,
by the way, have like overtaken half of this place.
I get as wild.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
It's smart.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Listen, we are listen, we talk about nerd them.

Speaker 3 (00:57):
I'm a king nerd, right, Like.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
I mean sports, well, sports.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
When I was a kid.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Like so if I go back and you'll relate to this, right, Like,
So I didn't wasn't a superhero guy, tell either, right either.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
So athletes were my superheroes.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
So you know I would watched Dan Marito play quarterback
and you know that he was his own superhero. And
you watch Lawrence Taylor and you watch these players all
through the NBA and Michael Jordan. I mean, these guys
could walk on air, they could do things that were
so you know, super human.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
That's brilliant by you. And also it speaks to the
difference in society now, like because we have so much
accessibility to athletes and almost humanizes them too much. When
we were all kids, like Michael Jordan just you could
never conceptualize having access to him now, right, you can
conceptualize access to KD for example, because you know if
you tweet the wrong thing, he might tweet you back.
So there is an element of that though that you know,

(01:56):
you look at it and you think about there's a
beautiful part of that where you can actually meet some
of your heroes you feel like you relate to them,
But also it takes some of the superhero element away
because it felt like guys in that era were just
larger than life.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
Like both.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Jackson was larger than life for a kid, Yes, let
me think about it.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Who played both football and baseball, Who could break a
bat over his knee, who could hit the ball country mile,
who could on Monday night football put his foot on
Brian Bosworth's I couldn't Like, that's a guy that could
do everything. I mean, that's kind of why we sit
here and I look around and I go, this is

(02:35):
freaking awesome, man, because we're Anybody here who loves sports
can't relate to what we talk about.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
I think for me, you know, I've been lucky. Every
real job I've had in my life has been fans supported,
right like sports now, music before. And the crazy thing
about that is you think about what it means to
have that relationship. That's what you see here when you
walk around and you see people having access to getting
autographs from their favorite people. The it's athletes or whether
it's you know, WWE superstars, whatever it is. Here, you

(03:03):
see the access to different memorabilia that ties into your life.
It's really cool because you think about that's such a key,
like one of the things you have to do in
our business or in the music business. You got to
take fans and make them super fans, and how do
you do that? How do you make people really connect
to you? And these sorts of experiences do that.

Speaker 3 (03:21):
So it's done.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
And you talk about the collectible thing, right basically what
they are are, it's it's a timeline of your own life, right,
like you get these objects.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
But let's face why, I'll go to the music. I
love museums.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
You're a museum, did the Argano?

Speaker 3 (03:39):
I wouldn't appeg that.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
I would not appeg that I'm gonna.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
I didn't know.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
I love them like I'll I've been to you know.

Speaker 3 (03:47):
The Loom.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
But yeah, that's because you travel the world. Like when
I went to the museums in Rome, it was like,
oh my god, this is the first painting they ever
had three D like dimension, like you never never see
depth and painting. I didn't. I didn't that was ever
a thing.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
You know, it's no, but it's amazing, right And and
with sports all that stuff.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
I used to travel.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
I was a writer, so I came from that world
and go from stadium to ballpark, the stadium and I
remember going this isn't like this is incredible. I used
to see these mythical places on television. And now I'm
looking up and this is Soldier Field right, and this

(04:28):
is Mile High and Coors Field and all these.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Is there one that still gives you goosebumps?

Speaker 3 (04:33):
Yeah, actually a bunch of them.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
Lambeau Okay, Lambeau to me exudes football. Like when you're
at Lambeau Field, you feel like, oh my God, like
this is football. You know, in this whole building you
can look at it and see it. Dodger Stadium I
love for baseball, Wrigley Field, Notre Dame. I mean, the

(04:57):
college stadiums are really awesome. I don't know about you,
but you've been to a lot of them.

Speaker 3 (05:04):
Like, give me the ones that stand out, I.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
Would say, today getting off the train station, and right
right there's Madison Square, Like my right arm is everywhere
I've lived in the moment. I'm proud of stuff in
my life, and one of those is the logo to
Madison Square Garden. Because when I was a kid at Julliard,
humble brag. I would come in and I like, we
didn't have anything as a kid, so I would save
my lunch money and at the end of the like

(05:28):
the weekend, I would just walk up to scalpers on
the street in the early nineties and be like, I
got four bucks, can I get in? So I went
to Rangers and Knicks games a bunch as of kids.
Did you real like that?

Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (05:37):
Because I love sports as a kid, so like that
was my release, right, So when we played, when the
band played Madison Square Garden, it was the sold out show,
like that was one of those eminent Like but today
I got off the train station and I just sat
there and I took a picture of it. I'm like,
I'm never gonna not be in love with certain places.
So the garden stands out.

Speaker 3 (05:55):
Oh my god, I'm so glack this.

Speaker 2 (05:57):
I worked for the New York Post and Madison Square
Garden and I watched in Jordan scored sixty three against
the Knicks on a Saturday afternoon in late April, right
like these these moments and that place the blue seats
for Rangers games, and I got to include the old

(06:18):
Yakee Stadium. Oh yeah, not the new one, but the
old Yankee Stadium, not the new one. No, the old
Yaki Stadium was the greatest. Like I'll never forget being there.
And it was like that late nineties when they had
the big run and it was Mariano and it was Jeter,
and it was Bernie Williams and it was you know

(06:39):
that Tory group. And looking out on Easter Sunday at
this seventy two degrees sun splash the field, the way
it was perfectly manicured, it was just beautiful.

Speaker 1 (06:53):
Can we acknowledge to you're such a writer. You just
said sun splashed, which is so beautiful. Like I would
never say the phrase sun splash, but when you said it,
I was like, God, you're painting a picture right now.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
I close, I was, I can just see it, Like,
and how do you do? You close your eyes and
you describe what you see in your mind's eye.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
But the funny thing for me is so when we
played the Garden, I was so excited, right, oh my god.
But I was older than everybody else in the band. Like,
I'm an old guy, right, so everybody else walks into.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
The arth, You're going backwards.

Speaker 1 (07:21):
Yeah, yeah, this point, I'm a vampire. I'll admit that.
But we go backstage and some of the band guys
are like, this place is a dump. Nobody liked it.
The next night we played Barclays for like a Victoria's
Secret Fashion Show event and they were like, now this
is an arena and I'm like, oh god, I hate
you all, Like I just I can't.

Speaker 3 (07:37):
I can't.

Speaker 1 (07:39):
Freaking it's the worst. It's the worst. We played Wrigley
twice too, so like, Wriggly did you I took ivy
off the wall? You're not supposed to take the ivy
off the wall? And I was like, what do you really?
So like somewhere in my house side pieces of ivy
that I stole.

Speaker 3 (07:52):
Off the wall. Cool is that.

Speaker 1 (07:53):
I'm like, I'm doing that. I'm doing that thing.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
And when you're that norse, like that neighborhood, it's amazing, right,
Like you're there in the middle of It's Wrigley Field,
And this is kind of this conversation is embodies what
this is supposed to be all about, Yeah, which is
the celebration of sports, of what we love.

Speaker 3 (08:11):
Man, you know, we're.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
About to embark on college football in the NFL. I mean,
is there any big what NFL stadiums? Have you been too?

Speaker 1 (08:20):
A bunch of them? I mean, look, I'm a Homer.
I love a llegiance because I'm from Vegas. Of course
it's a beautiful stadium. But you're right Lambo, Like Lambo's
cool if anybody's never been there. It's open year round
and you can pay whatever, like twelve bucks and go
in into the Lambeau Leap stadiums to do that and
invest year round. Like there's a stadium store inside Lambo
that is priced the same as every other store in

(08:42):
Green Bay. Like they're not they want people to come
into the stadium experience the stadium. I think that stuff
is absolutely like it's just it hits different, right, But
I will say college football stadiums have so much more
off like LSU being at Atbama LSU a few years
ago when they were both top top ranked teams sort
of like the floor is shaking. Yeah, there's just something

(09:03):
about you're not sure if the building is gonna stand out,
Like there's something beautiful about that.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
Yeah. And we we we've talked about this on our show.

Speaker 1 (09:11):
But the culture the fellows on Fox Sports Radio make
sure you're with us Saturday mornings.

Speaker 2 (09:16):
But those the culture of football, like when you're down
in LSU Bama, I mean that CC what kind of
rich culture, like we're at the Guarden like that New York,
the New York basketball, baseball, every way, it's celebrated. Every
sport in New York has a New York flare to it.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
I think when you say that, it really reminds me
how important it is that a stadium, a team, a coach,
a franchise embody the place that they are right. Like
so whether we're talking about LSU or Bama, or we're
talking about USC, or we're talking about Philly, like you
know Philly better than anybody. And I think the best,
the best sort of moment is when you find a

(10:00):
coach and an organization and a stadium and a fan
base and a quarterback in these situations that all relate
to the city that they're part of, and it just
it hits differently when that happens, you.

Speaker 3 (10:10):
Know, and you know, it's funny.

Speaker 2 (10:12):
I remember going back into the late nineties when I
was at the Post, and that was always a thing
before they traded and the Yankees right a lot of teams,
but both the Jets and the Giants.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
They had to make sure that they could understand New York.

Speaker 2 (10:29):
Like that you understood if I want to play in
front of these people, like you've got to have thick skin.
It's got to matter, like you've got to care careing
about it. You know, you've been around athletes, you know, forever,
you understand not all of them care the way these
people here cam.

Speaker 1 (10:48):
Yeah, and it's such a different approach, right, Like every
city has a different set of expectations. I lived in
Nashville for twenty plus years. I would argue that Nashville
is a more insulated, small market area that allows was
right for if a quarterback wants to go out, he
can go out. Like Will Lewis is not going to
get bombarded on Lower Broadway. It's just not gonna happen, right,
But if you're the quarterback of the Jets or the Giant,

(11:09):
Daniel Jones is gonna get bombarded if he goes out, right.
And I used to always say that about players wanting
to play for the Knicks. You got to understand, if
you play for the Knicks and you have a bad game,
you go get a slice. The next day, the guy
giving you the slice is going to talk to you
about the at that you gotta do better on the boards.
That's just gonna happen, right, Yeah, that doesn't happen in Indy.
Like you played for the pacers. Nobody at the local
pizza stop is going to like stop you in Indiana

(11:30):
and be like I got a baby, right, So you
do have to adjust I think your mentality for wherever
you play.

Speaker 2 (11:36):
And even that, it's funny the Midwest thing, because the
Midwest thing is interesting. They're almost saccering in how they
you know, that culture, which is cool because I worked
at Chicago and it was we're not going to crush guys.

Speaker 3 (11:54):
We're not going to cast the gate them.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
We're gonna just love them up, win or lose, which
I always thought was an interesting mentality that you know,
we got your back in the good times in the
bad times. But is it Pollyanna or is it beautiful?

Speaker 1 (12:12):
But that's where you got to decide how you thrive too.
Like every athlete requires a different kind of coaching, right,
and I think communication becomes so key, like some guys
need love like there. I'll use Will Levis as an example.
Will when he was coming out of college. I talked
to some people that covered that program extensively, and one
of the things that I heard about Will over and
over again is it when from a state, Yeah, when

(12:34):
he makes little mistakes, they stick with him. And so
he needs a coach that's going to come in and
support and say, hey, I love you, don't worry about it,
like we're going to get through this, because otherwise that
stuff just sticks in the back of his head. Even
in Kentucky, he for weeks he would remember bad throws.
There are certain guys that are like that. There are
also certain guys that you know they want you to
get right, like Rich Cann and my beloved Raiders. When
he went to the sideline, he wanted to have that

(12:56):
sparring match with John Gruden, right like that. So you
got to figure out how your response is, Like I
respond really well to tough coaching. I always have, Like I
respond well to tough teachers.

Speaker 3 (13:05):
Now is that why? From julliart Oh.

Speaker 1 (13:07):
Got yeah, yeah, Like I had one Russian teacher, no exaggeration,
barely spoke any English, and he would grab whatever it
was on his desk and just throw it. So like
if you didn't like the way I was plowing playing,
he would grab like a snow globe and just chuck
it at me. If I was playing at Tony, come
up and hit my I had a teacher when I
was really little in Las Vegas. I had a teacher
that had a prosthetic leg, and he would take it
off and threaten to hit me with it if I
was playing poorly, which now is hysterical, but when you're

(13:30):
like nine years old.

Speaker 3 (13:31):
No, man's I'm crying, right, I mean that's traumatic.

Speaker 1 (13:34):
But now, like for what we do, people don't realize,
Like you have coaching sessions, right, It's like that. If
I go into a coaching session and somebody starts with like,
let me tell you everything was good, I'm like, don't
waste my time. I want to hear what was bad.
Like I would want Nick Saban as a coach, I
would not want Dabbo Like. I don't respond well to
I'm gonna love you all, buddy, like I respond well
to get your head out of your rear end.

Speaker 3 (13:53):
Right, right.

Speaker 2 (13:54):
You know what's interesting. I like the other aspect of it.
I like the hey, I want to love y'all like.

Speaker 3 (14:02):
I I like that.

Speaker 2 (14:03):
I like the team aspect, even if it's coach player,
Like I think you.

Speaker 1 (14:13):
Your dad, right, and you're not only are you coach,
but you're you're I say this lovingly. You are a
beautiful dad, Like you are very invested in your kids,
and you want your kids to come up a certain way, right,
So it makes sense to me as somebody that's like, hey,
I want to be an example to my kids. I
want to communicate correctly to my kids. I want my
kids to grow up a certain way. I don't have kids,

(14:33):
So I think there's a huge difference.

Speaker 3 (14:35):
Like the.

Speaker 1 (14:37):
Softness of that in a really beautiful way is in
part I think because you're a great dad.

Speaker 3 (14:42):
Yeah, that's that's so interesting.

Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah, I think back going to coach these kids, you
know what's I mean, they're kind of like I can't
imagine like young fitsie and throwing a snow globe at
I'm like, like you want to talk about I mean
the what were they?

Speaker 3 (15:01):
Just insane?

Speaker 1 (15:03):
My mom? My mom was insane too. Like when I
was really little, she would walk in the room I
was practice. I practiced violin eight hours a day by
the time I was eight. My mom would walk in
the room and she would say, if that's the best
you can play the bleep leap thing, then put it away.
Like my mom was very much like you're gonna you're
gonna be the best you could be today. You don't
have to be the best. You need to be the
best you can be every single day.

Speaker 3 (15:23):
Did she have a trained ear that she could No.

Speaker 1 (15:25):
No, she just knew what was good and bad. She
had to listen to me practice eight hours a day.
She knew good and bad from that, like nobody in
my family's musical, but she would. My mom was always
a like never cared if I want a competition. What
she cared about when I competed was was it the
best she'd ever heard me play that piece? And if
it was, take the result however it is. If it wasn't,
then the result didn't matter.

Speaker 3 (15:46):
How did how did you? How did you discover your talent?

Speaker 1 (15:49):
My mom wanted to take piano lessons And when I
was four, and so the neighbor came over to give
her lessons and she's toned deaf and couldn't do it.
But I would crawl up on the bench after a
lesson and I would start playing. And so I had
like an ear fort and they so they took me
to UNLV. UNLV didn't have any panel teachers, so UNLV said,
why don't we start them on violin for six months
and see where it goes? And so that changed my life.

(16:11):
So Wow, it was just an.

Speaker 3 (16:13):
Apter you crawled up on a piano.

Speaker 1 (16:16):
Got to start your kids early. Not that you guys
are really interested in music one on one, but you
gotta start your kids early if you want to play violin,
because it's an abit extras instrument. So the older you get,
the more you understand, like your left hand doesn't work,
your right hand doesn't work. You can't play that way.
So I started playing when I was four. I practiced
eight hours the day. By the time I was eight.
I got into Juliard when I was ten.

Speaker 4 (16:35):
Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in
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listen live.

Speaker 5 (16:46):
Hey, it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller.
Would mean a lot to have you join us on
our weekly auditory journey dressed.

Speaker 3 (16:54):
What in God's name is the Fifth Hour?

Speaker 5 (16:56):
I'll tell you it's a spin off of the Ben
Mahler Show, A Colt hit Overnights ONSR.

Speaker 3 (17:01):
Why should you listen? Picture if you will a world will?

Speaker 5 (17:03):
We chat with captains of industry in media, sports, and
more every week explore some amazing facts about human nature
and more. Listen to the Fifth Hour with Ben Maller
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get
your podcast.

Speaker 1 (17:16):
We got legends coming in. Legends Man, Warren Moon, good
to meet you.

Speaker 6 (17:23):
Man.

Speaker 1 (17:23):
Oh you look good. We're gonna start with the most
important part of this. Warren Moon looks really good. I mean,
you look like you've been taking care of yourself. How
do you feel, buddy?

Speaker 3 (17:33):
I feel great.

Speaker 7 (17:36):
I can still throw the out route, but I can't
throw it on the run like I used. Legs don't
move like they use. Other than that, I feel great.

Speaker 1 (17:44):
Flat footed long ball, how far can you throw them today?

Speaker 3 (17:49):
Seventy? I love it.

Speaker 1 (17:51):
I'm talking about.

Speaker 3 (17:53):
Never a seventhy, never a doubt.

Speaker 2 (17:56):
Now the way you nobody can spit it like you. No,
let me ask you a question. Arm throwing, leg throwing,
wrisk throwing is did you just fall into one of
those in your mind?

Speaker 3 (18:14):
Is that the way to look at quarterbacks style? It's
accumulation of it all.

Speaker 7 (18:18):
You have to incorporate your legs, your core, and your
arm into every throw. And if you don't do that,
you're not going to get what you want out of
the throw. So it's mechanics that go along with a
lot of it. Everybody thinks it's all about having a
strong arm. It's just like pitching. I've read a lot
of pictures books like Nolan Ryan, I read, or Hersheires

(18:39):
or different guys, and they always talked about their legs.
So I focused on my legs a lot when I
was training. I did a lot of squads, a lot
of lunges, things like that, because that's where your power
comes from. When you have your feet in the proper
position and you get that torque behind it with your
with the core of your body, you're going to get
velocity on You always had step like it was amazing
Fitzy that war would always perfectly feet.

Speaker 2 (19:02):
We're always perfect. It's almost like a dance. And then
you would always step, and.

Speaker 7 (19:09):
You want it as short at step as possible because
you're in a pocket. You know where all these collisions
are going on around you, and you don't have a
whole lot of room to take a long stride. So
the shorter your stride the better because you didn't have
a lot of room to work with. And if you
can have a shorter stride to go along with all
that incorporation I talked about, that's when you're gonna get
velocity and hopefully accuracy on your throat.

Speaker 1 (19:29):
But then what happens for a young generation that's watching
the homes right now, right, and so they're all trying
to do behind the back and side like, so, what
happens to your fundamentals when you're watching the best quarterback
in the game right now? Do things that fundamentally aren't
what we're used to.

Speaker 3 (19:42):
Yeah, everybody doesn't have those gifts.

Speaker 7 (19:44):
That's when you start calling a person special, you know,
and he's special. And I had some of that as well.
I didn't always have to be in perfect position to throw.
I could make some of those throws on the move,
But you don't want to make a living doing that, right,
But as long as you can get the same accuracy
out of those type of throws, that's what you were
looking for.

Speaker 2 (20:03):
If you look at So I have an eleven year
old who plays quarterback, and so you know, we're constantly
working on the whole thing. Yeah, streaking a footwork or
his feet, everything all about your feet, old baby, and
he watches mahomes and he'll watch you know, those mobile
quarterbacks today and right off the bat. He's looking to

(20:24):
throw off throw off the run. And what do you
say to kids about, you know, setting yourself, gathering yourself,
and the mechanics. Because you were so mechanically sound, you
could do a million different things. That's why you're a
great athlete. But you were mechanically sound. Yeah, and that
makes that's the most important.

Speaker 7 (20:41):
You have to start with the framework of knowing the
mechanics and knowing the basics, and then all the other
extra stuff comes after that. The position is being so
much better coach now than it ever has before. When
I was a young kid, we didn't have quarterback coaches.
They didn't teach you how to throw the football. They
just said throw it in and follow through and something
as simple as that. But now you have all these

(21:02):
quarterback coaches and gurus that are coaching kids now from seven,
eight nine years old, all the way up through high school,
all the way up through college. Some of these kids
have the same quarterback coach all the way up to
the pros. So you get much better coaching as far
as the fundamentals, and not only the fundamentals of the game,
the physical part, but the mental part. The grease board

(21:25):
going up and talking about coverages, talking about defenses in
that so kids are much more prepared to play college
football and they're much better prepared to play pro football
because of how they've been coached at a very young age.

Speaker 1 (21:37):
Yeah, but let's go back to the history books here
for a minute, and let's remember that when you played,
everybody was under center, and then you guys came out
with an offense and nobody wanted to face right, nobody could.
Now we watch college football and it looks like I'm
watching your team. So yeah, when you look at the
influencer your career and your team's had, how does that
sort of translate.

Speaker 7 (21:55):
To what I like to say, I was a trendsetter
when it comes to this wide open package of football
that you see now, the four wide out offenses, the
empty backfields, the way the past concepts go, as far
as the adjustable routes and everything that we did. And
then you know, the back shoulder throws. We used to
call it a fade stop. They called it a back

(22:16):
shoulder to me now, but we did. We were doing
that back in nineteen ninety. So yeah, all these things
that I see in the game today that are being
I watched on TV.

Speaker 3 (22:24):
I'll go, oh, yeah, that's a switch route right there.

Speaker 7 (22:26):
Oh yeah, that's a that's a fade route right there,
or that's a go.

Speaker 3 (22:31):
Route or whatever it might be. So I can visualize
and I can see all these.

Speaker 7 (22:35):
Different plays being run today that I was running way back,
what twenty five thirty years ago.

Speaker 2 (22:40):
It's even funny, like the lexicon just it's the same stop,
like I'm gonna run at nine or who's gonna run Hey.
It's almost like coaches do that to keep ahead of
the language, so it makes time seems smarter.

Speaker 7 (22:55):
Yeah, well you change the terminology, it's the same plays. Yeah,
But you know, the West Coast offense dominated football when
I was playing the most until we started with the
running shooting that.

Speaker 3 (23:06):
So that's what everybody wanted to know.

Speaker 7 (23:08):
What was the West Coast offense because the forty nine
ers were so successful.

Speaker 3 (23:12):
Bill Walsh ran the West Coast.

Speaker 7 (23:13):
She had Joe Montana in that offense, she had Steve
Young in that offense. Everybody that came through that offense
was very, very successful. And then it just spread throughout
the league and I ran some of that offense. It's
a very difficult offense to learn, but once you get it,
and once you learn it, you're going to be pretty
pretty efficient at it. But I was more of a
downfield thrower, so I like to push the ball down
the field a little bit more so.

Speaker 3 (23:34):
I tended to like the running shoot and.

Speaker 7 (23:37):
Some of the other things that I did offensively more
so than the West Coast.

Speaker 2 (23:40):
You could about where you were twenty yards twenty five yards.

Speaker 3 (23:45):
I wanted to push it.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
That was like, that was an era where you know,
watching as a fan, this kid, I'm turning around, I'm like, man,
the one team you don't want third and fifteen. Usually
you're like that, very fine taking no problem.

Speaker 3 (23:58):
It's my first down throw.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
So I want to talk a little bit about context, Okay,
because today in a new cycle world twenty four to
seven debate shows every day we have essentially assigned as
a society that a lack of a Super Bowl ring
suddenly means you're not good at right. And I use
your era a lot as examples off. There are great
quarterbacks that are Hall of famers that didn't win.

Speaker 3 (24:21):
A Super Bowl.

Speaker 1 (24:22):
So my question to you is, like, how are we
supposed to put context to championships in the conversation around quarterbacks.

Speaker 3 (24:27):
Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 7 (24:28):
They've just become so much more important now in the
context of the game than it was back when I played.
When I played, we didn't talk about who had the
most Super Bowls back then, but it seemed like when
he got to the two thousands, that's when it became
more of a subject, and especially with Brady.

Speaker 3 (24:45):
Winning all the ones that started winning, and everything started
to be compared to what Brady was doing.

Speaker 7 (24:50):
And even as great as Pat Mahomes is right now,
you know, he's won what three, has a chance to
win three in a row now, still he's only halfway
with Brady. So I think the kid is one of
the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.

Speaker 3 (25:06):
But because he.

Speaker 7 (25:06):
Doesn't have seven Super Bowls, he's not considered one of
the great And it's ridiculous because to follow up with
the Fitzi's context the Super Bowl, he loses, he has
no tackles.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
Both his tackles go down, and he's under constant duress,
and yet we expect him to win a game without
his tackle. But there's something inherently wrong about that.

Speaker 7 (25:30):
And then there's certain guys just like Josh Allen, I mean,
as great as he is.

Speaker 3 (25:35):
Look who he's losing to. He loses to Pat Mahomes.

Speaker 7 (25:38):
I mean, Lamar Jackson wins the MVP last year, but
who does he lose to in the final?

Speaker 3 (25:43):
Pat Mahomes. So it was the same thing with me.

Speaker 7 (25:45):
I lost to Joe Montana once, I lost to John
Elway twice. They went to nine Super Bowls during the
time that they played. So there's guys that some guys
just don't beat because they don't have the team to
beat that guy.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
That day, with the greatness of your career, when you
look back on it, what's the moment, like, what's your
favorite moment did you look back on and say, I'm
the proudest of this.

Speaker 7 (26:08):
Well, when I first went to Houston, it was a
very losing organization. You know, they were two and fourteen
the year before we got there, and we knew we
were going to build through the draft and had a
very young team. In our third year, we finally made
the playoffs. We won our division. We won a playoff
game at home against the Seattle Seahawks's. That was proud
for me because that organization and that fan base deserved

(26:29):
a lot better than what they had, and we finally
got them to that point. So that was one of
the proudest times for me, is when we got through
those those building losing days to finally get to the
playoffs and we became a perennial playoff team. Never won
the Super Bowl, but we were always in contention. Yeah,
always good.

Speaker 2 (26:45):
You know, it's interesting because we get back to that
context thing. Your offense was so good, right, but you
know if you don't have the defense that the Broncos have, Yeah,
you know, it changes the scope and it changed He's
like this reality which he's not really there.

Speaker 3 (27:02):
So who do you like today? Like, who do you
like to watch today?

Speaker 7 (27:06):
Well, definitely like to watch fifteen Mahomes. He saw what
he did yesterday behind the back of path. Who tries
that in a game? But he does it in practice
all the time, so it's not like there's something that
we're seeing new. He throws the ball left hand that
in practice, he throws it underhand in practice sometimes, and
he's done that in the games.

Speaker 3 (27:25):
So he's very entertaining to watch.

Speaker 7 (27:27):
I love watching Lamar Jackson because you just never know
what he's gonna do when he when he takes off
out of the pocket.

Speaker 3 (27:32):
Love Josh Allen.

Speaker 7 (27:33):
I just love his tenacity, the way he plays the game,
with his aggression and he just goes after it.

Speaker 3 (27:38):
He doesn't play the game like a quarterback.

Speaker 7 (27:40):
He plays it like a I don't know, like a
running back that can throw the football.

Speaker 3 (27:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (27:46):
And then Joe Burrow when he's healthy, he's one of
the smoothest guys you know, to throw the football right now.
So there's so many good young quarterbacks in this league
right now. The league is in very good shape as
far as the quarterback position. For a long time, you knows.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
Issue about Mahomes is that he plays a position like
a point guard right like it's however, I can get
the ball down the field, whether it's a flip, and
he's so quick and it kind of because you had this.

Speaker 3 (28:12):
Well, that was the way I That's the way I
looked at myself.

Speaker 7 (28:16):
My favorite sport is basketball, and I played point guard
when I played. But my job, I felt as a
quarterback was distributed to the ball, to the to the
playmakers and let them make the plays. And I remember
one year I had three on my receivers to make
the Pro Bowl because because you know, I'm delivering it
to all the different guys, trying to keep them all happy.
The kind I have to know as a quarterback what

(28:37):
the personalities are of all your guys that you play with. Okay,
I need to get the ball to this guy early
in the game because if I don't, I'll lose him.
He won't be running his routes hard. After that, he'll
start to sull. Kicker's another guy that I don't have
to worry about getting him the ball early because he's
gonna run his routes hard all the time. So you
have to know all those things about these guys and
what buttons to push on all your guys.

Speaker 3 (28:58):
On you on your football team. And I was able
to do that.

Speaker 7 (29:02):
I knew, hey, with Jefferies want the ball now, but
if I didn't get it to him, he might be
sulking for a while because he hadn't gotten the ball.

Speaker 3 (29:10):
Just little things like that.

Speaker 1 (29:11):
So uh jabbering in the huddle, you're hitting in the
huddle and get.

Speaker 3 (29:14):
Definitely a psychologist playing quarterback.

Speaker 1 (29:17):
I love it. So you talked about a lot of
the great quarterbacks and it raises his conversation because we
talk about Dak on our show. I feel like every week, right,
But there's this weird dynamic for me. I don't think
you can win in the current NFL without a great quarterback.

Speaker 3 (29:31):
You'd have to have.

Speaker 1 (29:32):
Somebody that competes with mahomes. What do you do if
you're a team that has a really good quarterback, but
now you're gonna have to pay him like a great
quarterback and if you don't, you might have to go
back into the trackt like. It's such a weird spot
to be.

Speaker 7 (29:42):
I know that's that's a Jerry Jones problem, and I
think he created that problem a while back when he
got his first deal where he had already franchised him.
So he loses that now on the next deal because
that's what he negotiated. So now that he can't franchise
him or anything like that, he's got to pretty much
pay the top of the market or go another direction.

(30:02):
And when you go another direction, who is that guy
who's going to be your next quarterback? When you give
up a good even a really good quarterback, if you
give up one, what are you going to replace him with?
And that position right now is so important to an
organization being successful.

Speaker 3 (30:17):
If you don't have a good win, you're not going
to be very good.

Speaker 7 (30:19):
So at least what Dak Prescott gives you is you're
going to always be in contention. You're gonna always have
a chance, and that's all you can really ask for.

Speaker 3 (30:29):
And once you get to the dance to the playoffs, now.

Speaker 7 (30:32):
You got to get hot and you got to win
three games or whatever it is to get to the
to the to the finals. So that's Dallas's next step.
They've got to do what it takes to get there,
which they've been able to do the last three years consistently.

Speaker 3 (30:44):
Now they got to get hot at the.

Speaker 7 (30:46):
Right time and get on a roll and win those
three games in the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (30:49):
I love the way you said that, just because my buddy,
Harry Douglas is it's ingrained in my head. Getting the dance,
you got a chance, like get the dance.

Speaker 3 (30:57):
A chance. If you don't.

Speaker 7 (30:57):
If you don't get in the dance, it doesn't even matter.
You go home and everybody else keeps playing. But at
least if you get there, you've got a chance. Now
it's up to your whole football team. You know, Dak
didn't give up forty one points last year against Green Bay,
But you're gonna get the blame because you're the quarterback.
That's what happens at our position. We take the credit
when we don't always deserve it, and we take the

(31:19):
blame when we don't always deserve it. And that's just
kind of part of the deal. And that's why you
sign up for that position.

Speaker 1 (31:24):
Yeah, but I also tell everybody real quick, I always
say the same thing. You know, it's worse than losing
in the playoffs, not making the playoffs at all.

Speaker 3 (31:32):
Right, Right, at least you can say you had a chance.
I got to ask you about to Texas because Houston. Yeah,
I love that. CJ. Stroud, Man, my god, he's special.

Speaker 7 (31:42):
Right, He's another one of those guys that's special, because,
first of all, I thought, I like what Houston did
with him when they brought him in from Ohio State.
They saw what he did at Ohio State, what he
was successful with the type of offense that they ran.
You got him some guys that you can make plays
for him, and you noticed that he ran from under
the center a lot like he did in Yeah, he

(32:04):
did in college. Yeah, he huddled up and called plays
in the huddle. That's what he did in college. So
it wasn't anything new for him. When he got to
the pros. A lot of these quarterbacks that come out
of college never call plays. They're always looking to the
sideline and somebody's given him a card or some type
of signal. That's where they get their place from. Never
huddle up or anything like that. So Ohio State ran

(32:25):
more of a pro style system, so when he came
to the pros, it wasn't a big u a big
learning curve for him when he got to the Texans,
And that's why I think he had a lot of
success to go along with the fact that he's a
very very talented thrower of the football, very very accurate,
very quick release, makes decisions very quickly as far as
thro field man.

Speaker 1 (32:44):
I love the way he sees to feel as a
legendary oiler. Though I've always wondered this, like a legendary oiler, right,
I lived in Nashville for twenty years. The Titans took
a long time to embrace the e oilers as part
of there, and then you wake up when they they're like, no, no, no, no,
the oilers are in this. So like as a legendary
oil do you feel an allegiance to the Titans?

Speaker 3 (33:02):
I do.

Speaker 7 (33:03):
I feel a strong Allegiance, and it's mainly because of
Amy Adam Shrunk, who's the owner of the Oilers now,
but Adam's daughter. She really made a conscious effort to
bring all the former Oilers into the organization and make
it one big, happy family. And we have a reunion
every year now for the last four or five years,
and she.

Speaker 3 (33:22):
Brings everybody in.

Speaker 7 (33:23):
You're able to bring a spouse or significant other, puts
you up at a hotel. We have all these nice events,
go to the game, sit in the box, we're all
introduced before the game.

Speaker 3 (33:33):
They really do it up great.

Speaker 7 (33:34):
And I'm, you know, alumni of a couple of other teams,
and I know how they do it. Nobody does it
as well as Tennessee does. She really really takes care
of us. And I think that's why the guys have
really embraced the Titans, and that's why the Titans have
embraced the Oilers.

Speaker 1 (33:48):
Have you gotten to do this sword? So for anyone
that doesn't know where the Titans, the Titans have a
big sword and you just drive it into And I
talked to Keith Urban Hummelbrack once about it, and Keith
was like, man, that that dang sword was heavy and
that a.

Speaker 3 (34:00):
Cool thing to do.

Speaker 7 (34:01):
I was able to do that, and uh, I had
seen other people do it before.

Speaker 3 (34:05):
But you get a rush when you actually are.

Speaker 7 (34:07):
Doing it, and all of a sudden, spiralworks start flashing
just as soon as you.

Speaker 3 (34:13):
Pick the sword in there.

Speaker 7 (34:15):
You feel like you're thor or somebody like that, like
you're a superhero.

Speaker 3 (34:20):
That's very cool experience if you if you can.

Speaker 2 (34:23):
Go back and relive one game, one game that you
want to relive, and you can either change the alcohol
or relive the whole thing.

Speaker 7 (34:31):
Over every playoff loss, because you hate to lose your
last game because if you lose your last.

Speaker 3 (34:38):
Game, you know your season is over.

Speaker 7 (34:39):
The only is only one team every year that doesn't
lose their last game and wins it all. So whatever
your last game was that you lost, that's what I
would always want to have back. And it doesn't matter
if we lost by one point, it doesn't matter if
we lost by fifty points. You want to you want
to get that last game back.

Speaker 2 (34:56):
Which there one that you would want to go back
and just feel again that it was so special that
just to relive those moments it felt really good.

Speaker 3 (35:08):
Wow, a playoff game or just a randy thing.

Speaker 2 (35:10):
I goes, you can go back. I give you the superpower.
I ready go back and relive it.

Speaker 7 (35:14):
You know, there was a game in Kansas City in
the regular season. I played against the Chiefs and I
threw for five hundred and I want to say twenty
something yards.

Speaker 3 (35:25):
Wow.

Speaker 7 (35:25):
Well, I had one play called back and the all
time record is five hundred and thirty nine yards in
a game, right, so I missed it by twelve yards.
But I had one play that was called back, a
thirty three yard corner route to Haywood Jeffers that they
said he stepped out a bound and he didn't. But
they didn't have replay like they have now back then,
and they showed it after the game was over that

(35:48):
if they would have called it that catch, I would
have the all time single game record. So that would
be probably one game one play I'd love to have back.

Speaker 3 (35:55):
That's awesome.

Speaker 1 (35:56):
Yeah, I always I'm interested in the legends that influenced
the legends. So I'm gonna ask you two part questions.
Who did you lean on when you got into the
league to help you be a pro And is there
somebody in the league right now that's leaning on you.

Speaker 7 (36:08):
You know, Unfortunately, when I came in the league, I
didn't really have any guys to lean on. I didn't
know any of the guys because you got to remember,
I came in from Canada. A lot of the guys
that were in the league were already there. Even the
African American quarterbacks that I thought I could have leaned
on were in the USFL at that time. Doug Williams
was in the USFL, Vince Evans was in the USFL.

Speaker 3 (36:30):
So I really.

Speaker 7 (36:31):
Didn't have a lot of mentor type guys, and that's
something I felt like I needed to do when it
was my turn to do that.

Speaker 3 (36:37):
So I've had a lot of young guys, you know, to.

Speaker 7 (36:42):
Mentor when I came into the league, whether it was
you know, Ben Roethlisberger, I helped train him when he
came out of college, or Andrew Luck I helped train
him when he was coming out of Stanford, or cam
Newton I helped train him when he was coming out
of out of Auburn. So you know, young guys like that,

(37:02):
So a lot of different relationships. Donovan McNabb, Rodney Pete,
all those guys I had, you know, their phone numbers,
I would text them from time to time just to
keep up with them, let them know I'm thinking about them.
They could always turn to me if there was some
situation they were dealing with that that.

Speaker 3 (37:19):
They needed an answer for or some help with.

Speaker 7 (37:21):
So, yeah, I had a lot of different guys that
I was mentoring when I was just out of the
league or still in the league.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
Well, you bring up McNabb and I'm curious of he
went through some difficult spots that really weren't his doing.
Rush Limbaugh, right, all this stuff you as a pioneer
of you having to deal with this stuff.

Speaker 3 (37:44):
Did you talk to him about this?

Speaker 2 (37:46):
I remember it was such undue and it's not a
long time ago, like it's he was called through this
in nineteen ninety nine.

Speaker 3 (37:54):
Yeah, it was.

Speaker 7 (37:56):
I wrote a book and finally kind of talked a
lot about some of the things that I dealt with
when I was playing that I never addressed to anybody
during the time that had happened.

Speaker 3 (38:03):
He not even my family. But yeah, it.

Speaker 7 (38:07):
Was a difficult time playing quarterback when I played it,
and it was even more difficult before that because I
got to be really good friends with.

Speaker 3 (38:15):
James Shaq Harris, with.

Speaker 7 (38:18):
Marlon Briscoe before he passed away, with Joe Gilliam before
he passed away, and they told me stories that I
couldn't believe as well. So, yeah, that's one of the
reasons why I wanted to make sure I was available
to those younger, especially African American guys, because we deal
with the position that the position gives you.

Speaker 3 (38:37):
First, there's enough pressures.

Speaker 7 (38:39):
Just playing the position no matter what color you right,
and then if you're African American, there's another pressure out
there that a lot of people weren't aware of that
only you get you as an African American could identify with.

Speaker 1 (38:50):
And I think it's important context for the kids that
may not know this. There was a stigma at the time.
Was being polite in saying there was a stigma that
African American quarterbacks could not win in the NFL. That
is a very real thing. We heard it on TV,
we heard it on radio, I heard it in broadcast,
we heard it from analysis. I know we got to
let you go, But what does it mean for you
as a pioneer that that stigma is now in many

(39:11):
ways broken.

Speaker 7 (39:12):
Yeah, that's one of the things I'm most proud of
that I was able to do play in the game
that I was able to.

Speaker 3 (39:19):
Change some of that stigma, change some of.

Speaker 7 (39:21):
That stereotype about whether we could be top like quarterbacks, whether.

Speaker 3 (39:25):
We could lead teams.

Speaker 7 (39:27):
You know, Doug winning a Super Bowl in eighty eight
kind of dispelled any of that, whether we could win
the big, big game or not. The consistency of my
career I had a whole lot to do with being
at the top for a long time. So yeah, there
were a lot of things we did to kind of
blow that stuff out of the water. And now you
look what's happening in the game today, with you know,

(39:49):
with Lamar winning two MVPs, with you know, Patrick winning
three Super Bowls. I can go on and on with
all the accomplishments of African Americans. I kind of stick
my chest out just a little bit every time I
see these guys excel because I feel like I had
a little a little part in making that happen.

Speaker 3 (40:05):
You did.

Speaker 1 (40:06):
I say this every time I get the chance interview.
I'm sorry for all the things I yelled at you.
When you beat the Rams, y'all make some new noise
for war Moon winning us. Absolutely appreciation.

Speaker 7 (40:15):
Great to talk to you, guys, thank you.

Speaker 1 (40:19):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio Radio and we're back
just like that. There's no break, there will be no break.

Speaker 3 (40:25):
We're going.

Speaker 1 (40:26):
He's like, I got I'm Jason Fitzi's Marvin Prince's part
of Dan Patrick. You see him all the time. Do
I call you a Danett?

Speaker 8 (40:31):
Then?

Speaker 1 (40:31):
Is that like your official Damn?

Speaker 3 (40:33):
All right, we'll go with the worst Dante. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (40:35):
I mean I don't know if i'd say the word, like, so, like,
what's the orientation? Like this is because you're the newest
dan right, so like when you're a new Danet, like
do you have to go through there's some hazing? Is
there dan edding that goes on?

Speaker 3 (40:48):
Dan Eddy.

Speaker 1 (40:48):
We're making no new words.

Speaker 9 (40:49):
I don't know if there's hazing per se, but it
is like, uh, random pies in the face and stuff
like that. So at first it was a little weird,
but you know, I'm completely used to it now and
uh it's like, yeah, there's there's some small hazing, but
you know, nothing too crazy.

Speaker 3 (41:07):
Did Dave have a test for you?

Speaker 2 (41:09):
Was it like, yeah, did he did you have to pass?

Speaker 3 (41:12):
You know, just the just the thing, you.

Speaker 9 (41:15):
Know, I became an official Danette when I got my
first pie in the face, and so he's like, all right,
now you're an official Danette. I lost in the family
and got a pie to the face, and I was
I was in.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
At what point can you reciprocate the pie to the
face to Dan?

Speaker 9 (41:32):
So if you bet on you know whatever, the super
Bowl or whatever, yes you win, you get to hit him.

Speaker 1 (41:39):
Yeah, but when you're the new guy, are you hitting
the guy that pays your bills in the face for
the pie? I just say it like i'd be a
little uncomfortable.

Speaker 2 (41:45):
Oh no, normally not me. It's gonna be somebody else. No, no,
I said, look, I just got this job.

Speaker 3 (41:50):
I just got here.

Speaker 9 (41:51):
No, no, no, save that for you know, Paul Yer
seeing one of those guys that's been there from from
the attic days.

Speaker 1 (41:56):
See, this is a smart move. If he wins a bet,
heke sit over to somebody who's reverences. I'm just gonna
need you to handle this, right.

Speaker 2 (42:04):
He hates it perfect, Yeah, like I just got here.
Let me you know, I just got used to this
new lifestyle. No, no, no, I don't want to mess it up.
What's the best Dan Patrick movie?

Speaker 3 (42:15):
His performance in it? Yes, just go with it. He
has he has a.

Speaker 9 (42:19):
Really big part in it, and he's really good and
he's really sharp.

Speaker 1 (42:24):
So are we gonna say it was did he do
a good job? Oh yeah, he's got to say yes,
this iss worthy.

Speaker 2 (42:30):
I know who pays the bills.

Speaker 3 (42:33):
Just go with it.

Speaker 2 (42:34):
That is okay, no pun attending the irony?

Speaker 3 (42:39):
All right?

Speaker 1 (42:39):
So what's the one he hypes too much? Like, what's
the one that you're like, Ah, it's okay.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
Does he hype one? I don't if he hypes one?

Speaker 9 (42:48):
He talks about, uh, his appearance in the grown Ups,
and I've never seen it so strong?

Speaker 1 (42:56):
Does he know? You've never seen it until now now, but.

Speaker 9 (42:59):
Now we know who knows. I've never seen grimes. So
what where did you grow up?

Speaker 2 (43:08):
And your whole child I want to go into your
childhood because that's what led you to hear. People don't
realize they go, well, did you did you study for?

Speaker 3 (43:18):
No?

Speaker 2 (43:18):
You lived for this moment. You were always supposed to be.
He was supposed to be an incredible musician and an
incredible sportsman.

Speaker 3 (43:29):
So it was in the cards. Tell us about yours?

Speaker 9 (43:32):
Yes, So I grew up in a small town right
outside of Hartford, Connecticut.

Speaker 1 (43:37):
Which one, which one East Harford?

Speaker 8 (43:39):
Okay, I in Britain, That's okay, all right, So grew
up outside of there in sports was everything to me
and playing it, and you know, I had like an
sports encyclopedia.

Speaker 9 (43:55):
And I was one of those guys where like I
was raised by my mom and my grandmother, and my
grandmother would be like Marvin, come over here and show
them all that sport, you know, and be stuff like that, right,
like she didn't know anything about sports. I'll tell about
the football that, you know, and it'd be you know,
who won the ninety won MVP Award, Therma Thomas or
something like that. Yeah, yeah, you know, so I knew

(44:17):
all that stuff coming up, and I was like basically
like a human encyclopedia. And you know, it's crazy being
on the show with Dan because I would watch Dan
at a VHS of him what Isaiah Thomas when he
used to do a show called the NBA's Greatest Game
and it was talking about Isaiah Thomas in the eighty
eight finals on a sprained ankle, and like I have

(44:38):
that on VHS and to be with him, you know,
and you know, you guys know this.

Speaker 3 (44:43):
You try not to get jaded, like, look at what
we do exactly. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (44:47):
I never want to be like, oh I gotta go
to work.

Speaker 3 (44:49):
Look at what I do. I saw my check. I
was like, oh, this is what I do. Man, this
is crazy.

Speaker 2 (44:56):
And it's every every these moments, right like we just
sat with one and move right crazy.

Speaker 3 (45:01):
Yeah, to do us. I'm ensure you.

Speaker 2 (45:04):
You've interviewed the greats of the greats, and it never
gets old. It's always exciting. It's always interesting because you
love it, man, right, and it happens. Uh seen always
says what a world.

Speaker 9 (45:18):
Because we had an argument once in an argument, a
heated debate on the show about like Reggie Miller and
Reggie Miller was coming on the show in an hour.
That's like, it's crazy the fact that we're talking about
Reggie Miller.

Speaker 3 (45:33):
What was the argument and having it back and forth.

Speaker 2 (45:35):
Well, I was saying that he's kind of underrated in
a sense because he is right. Yet he had five
All Star Games, dude, but lay underrated. The All Star
Games were spread out over a ten year stretch. You
all start getting nothing to do with it either, Nobody listen.
He got I covered for the post. I covered those
those series between Indiana Nick's Indiana.

Speaker 1 (45:58):
Bulls, and it was only because of.

Speaker 2 (46:01):
Mic that he never got his due. Yeah, no, and like,
so that's what I was saying.

Speaker 9 (46:06):
I was like, guys, and I know people were, oh,
he what he only did against the Knicks and those
two you know, I was like, no, I was like
a lot of people forget Reggie's Pacers took Mike's Bulls
the seven games and they were up in the fourth
quarter three minutes ago. Even we looked and Larry Bird
Bench Jalen Rose and never.

Speaker 1 (46:28):
But this is the exact conversation we were just having
them born about how context matters if you want to
make everything about wins and losses, right, and like, life
is not that simple. It's a team game. And sometimes
you can be amazing at this team game and your
team still loses. So like, as the society, we've become
so obsessed with whether or not it's in the win
loss or the win column or the loss column, and

(46:48):
they're just that eliminates all contexts. And I'll go back
to music, like I remember we put out a song
with the Vamperry at one point that peaked at number two,
And I'll never forget. We were on the bus and
it was the number two song of the country charts,
and we were so angry because we didn't hit number one.
And there was this moment where it felt like that
single was an epic fail because it didn't.

Speaker 3 (47:08):
Go number one.

Speaker 1 (47:09):
Now I'm older and I look back and I'm like, mother, God,
we had the number two songs in the country and
we treated it that way. Yeah, that's what we're doing.
The sports. It's so stupid to turn around and be like, well,
you either won the chip or you're useless. There has
to be some in between on.

Speaker 9 (47:21):
All Oh, I always say that, And when people say, oh,
Lebron's four and six in the finals, I said four
to six and the what no, keep going four six?

Speaker 3 (47:28):
And the what you say? First round?

Speaker 9 (47:30):
Because people forget, oh he got swept. I said, look,
and I don't want to be this guy. I was like, look,
Kobe got swept in the second round. You don't say
anything about that.

Speaker 2 (47:39):
So I was like, it's all context, right, and it's
a whole different animal. So I give exactly what you got.
Go back to Reggie. Could you name Reggie's five? I mean,
look who we had, right, Mark Jackson was the point
guard Antonio Davis Dale Davis Rick Smith's amazing, right, Like,
look look at that team.

Speaker 3 (47:58):
Is that a great team?

Speaker 2 (48:00):
We're Scottie Pippen, I'm missing them right, right, Like you
look at they were all good Plyers and they played
as a cohesive five. But give me a break. Like
that's where Reggie gets lost in context. We were just
talking to Warrem Moon, right, Warren Moon's defense. We were
told about the Oilers defense.

Speaker 3 (48:17):
No, the Oiler's.

Speaker 9 (48:18):
Defense was horrible, right, and they were so the Oilers
were so close so many times the Buffalo Bills come
back against them. It was against the Oilers, and warn't
they were slinging it and the three.

Speaker 3 (48:32):
Frank like that sounds.

Speaker 9 (48:34):
People always say twenty eight three, which is impressive, but
thirty five. I'm was just like, I can't even believe this.
I remember that's one of the first seasons like I
was watching football with like regularity, and I just couldn't
even believe it. I thought I was all right, Houston,
I like, you know, war Moon, I like the uniforms.

Speaker 1 (48:50):
So I was in So let's talk about working for
a legend, right, And I'll go back to my beginning
days of ESPN. My first show is this small college
football show on ESPN with Mike Gola Junior, who's still
like a brother to me. And I'll never forget my
first time on campus Mike Golic Senior came up. Didn't
know him. I didn't know him at all, and Senior
came up. He was like, hey, man, I really love
your work. They're doing a great job. And then about

(49:11):
a month later, they're like, hey, Mike and Mike are
taking the day off, do you want to come up
and host with Junior? And that all came because Senior
embraced me. Before you know it, I'm on the morning
show with the mics, right. It was surreal for me,
and it was difficult, if we're being honest, it was
difficult for me at times to push back to Senior
if I didn't like his opinion, because I'm sitting there
and I'm like, how do I push back to this
person that's a broadcast Hall of Famer that is changing

(49:33):
my life? You know, Like I really struggled that first
six months on that show to get my footing. How
has it been for you to try and find your
footing with an established show where you're the new Guy,
but you also grew up watching it.

Speaker 3 (49:44):
Oh. I felt the exact same way.

Speaker 9 (49:46):
Where there's certain topics where I was like, man, I
really want to push back on this, and I just
kind of wanted just to stay back, right. I just
want to you know, quote unquot like stay in my lane.
And later, you know, DP he welcomes the back and forth.

Speaker 2 (50:02):
He's like, no, because if you have something to say
that's different than me, Like, that's what makes that's the show.
That's the show, right, and it doesn't want to be
you know a ton of Oh, I agree with everything
you say. Dan, that's not interesting, that's not that's not
good TV. And so we got into it. I was
I'm a big Kevin Durant fan.

Speaker 9 (50:21):
Like offensively, I was like, man, he's the greatest offensive
weapon ever. And Dan's like, are you crazy. He's like
Kareem ab dudes, Jubar And we got into like a
good bad but it was a great discussion. And I
was just talking about, you know, Katie's versatility as far
as he doesn't need somebody to set a screen for him.

(50:42):
He could just pull up, you know, he's a seven
foot two guard. Three over every shoot over everybody you know,
crossover pull up off the dribble, right, So we got
into that back and forth and Dan was like, look,
the skyhook is just onside.

Speaker 2 (50:54):
I was like, you'll get no argument for me. That
is unstopped.

Speaker 9 (50:57):
But I was just saying as far as the entire
eight yeah, yeah, it was like it's automatic, it's unbelievable.
So you know, that's what we've gotten into it. And
because it's never anything like disrespectful, Yeah, but it's still like,
you're going back and forth with this guy that you
grew up watching.

Speaker 1 (51:17):
So has there been a moment that he's like, again,
I'll go back to Goli Senior. We have teases in
this business. So we're going into a break and the guy,
the producer, written an awful tease and I botched the
reading of it. It was awful, and I remember going
to break and I was like, man, that was just
a bad tease on the screen. I read it and
Senior stopped me in the middle of it. He's like, Nope,
came out of your mouth. And it came out of
your mouth and you didn't like it, then you should

(51:39):
have written something. You got to be prepared. Never let
somebody else impact your future. One of the best lessons
I ever learned. Like after that, I wrote my own everything, right, Like,
has there been a moment that DP has taught you
something that you really feel like you'll take with you
the rest of your career?

Speaker 2 (51:52):
Oh yeah, definitely. So a lot of times.

Speaker 9 (51:55):
So I run the board on the show, right, it's
you know, other than giving opinions and so, like you're
the last line of defense, right, So if something's still
playing or the commercial log isn't right, like, it's on you,
right and so and also like small like double checking,

(52:16):
like make sure this is the right sound. Hey, so
grab that sound from Lebron on such and such for.

Speaker 1 (52:22):
Anyone that doesn't know. Sound is kept in a computer
and they're all numbered. So you press one number that's wrong,
and if you're pulling out and it's a long number,
it'll be like four four four one five one yes.
And so if you type one number wrong four four
four one five two, all of a sudden and its
butt and like instead of hearing Lebron, you're getting somebody
going in the back. Sorry, I just screwed up this
whole segment.

Speaker 9 (52:41):
Yep, Like you're getting Anthony Davis, Like oh no, that
wasn't it. And you guys know this, like if you
mess up on something like sometimes for me, like it's
hard to sleep that because.

Speaker 3 (52:53):
Like you're always figured about that.

Speaker 2 (52:57):
We are, Like you liked sports, so we all played
or did whatever competitively. You're nobody's more competitive than you
and you want to win.

Speaker 9 (53:07):
Yeah, and that wins meets perfection, right, and then I
don't want to like mess up what he's built, right,
I just want to I just want to come in
and you know, play my position and do the best
I possibly can. And so and luckily he's kept me
around and he likes me for now. So you know,
things have been things have been really good.

Speaker 3 (53:28):
So good.

Speaker 9 (53:29):
Congratulations, Yeah, man, thank you guys who were your squads?
So I'm a forty nine Ers fan and I grew
up in Connecticut and so growing up in.

Speaker 3 (53:39):
Connectic for violation, violation, So growing up, so grow up
in Connecticut. It's funny.

Speaker 9 (53:44):
My grandmother was like, you should like the New England Patriots. Yeah,
and this is nineteen ninety four. I was like, they're
never gonna be good.

Speaker 2 (53:50):
Yeah, they sucked, I was, And so nineteen eighty four
it's Steve Young it's Sherry Rice, And it's either Cowboys
forty nine ers Row on TV every week and pre
NFL s Steve Young and your grandmam was right, but
in hindsight, yeah, you're right.

Speaker 3 (54:06):
Graham was usually right.

Speaker 2 (54:07):
Yeah, and so but it's either of that, and like
and I I was like, oh, Drew bledsoel, I like
ben Cots, you gotta persevere. Yeah, grandma was trying to
push away, like, listen, we get no choice of who
we root for. Because if you're born in a place,

(54:27):
you're you're connected to the soil. It's the soil. It's
not like he'll go it's free country. Yeah, of course
it is. But if you're gonna be true to the soil,
that sponge you.

Speaker 1 (54:37):
Yeah. But here's my pushback. The soil in Connecticut is
not the same as the soil in Boston, right, So,
like I'm just saying, like, even though the Patriots are on.

Speaker 2 (54:45):
TV, but like Connecticut's cutting half right if you.

Speaker 1 (54:51):
Could so, he could have picked the Giants or the
Jets also, but.

Speaker 2 (54:54):
He's you were more central North, so the central central
Connecticut you're kind of in that.

Speaker 3 (55:00):
It's like Jersey so very much.

Speaker 9 (55:02):
It's like in the Middle sojer like past hard Jersey
is Giants, Jets and the Eagles. Yes, it's cut off
by the exit at the and it's sometimes like you
know this Foxborough.

Speaker 3 (55:14):
Remember Foxboro is not near Boston. No, it's not. It's
not near anything.

Speaker 1 (55:18):
Foxborough is not near anything, and it's right to get
in it.

Speaker 2 (55:21):
So a lot of people you fly into Rhode Island,
yeah to go to Foxborough.

Speaker 3 (55:26):
Like you don't even fly into Massachusetts. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (55:28):
So my humble brag. My buddy is the drummer for
Taylor Swift, and he was like, you should come to
the Foxborough show. And I was like, over my dead body,
there's never a reason I will go to Foxborough.

Speaker 3 (55:39):
Getting in. Getting out is the worst.

Speaker 1 (55:41):
Even if the Raiders playing Foxboro, I'll be like, I'll
watch it on TV. Thank you, I'm out.

Speaker 3 (55:44):
I'm out. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (55:45):
My number one team is Yukon men's basketball.

Speaker 3 (55:48):
I went there. You know that's my squad. It's awesome.
I was there in four. It's going to school there
back to back to back.

Speaker 1 (55:53):
Now we're gonna go back to back to back.

Speaker 3 (55:55):
They got there, they got a squad.

Speaker 1 (55:58):
I'm is the school hitting you up yet? For money?
Let's be real like you got you're on Dan Patrick,
like you you graduated from there. So they got that
they got to pay for Hurley somehow.

Speaker 9 (56:06):
So so they did an article on me in the
magazine a few months back. You know, since I've been
on the show and somebody that writes.

Speaker 3 (56:16):
On the show.

Speaker 2 (56:16):
They were like, oh, you should be able to be
in the magazine. I mean all right, I mean I'll
have the extra money to give you for you know,
they think I'm they think I'm distinguished.

Speaker 3 (56:25):
Alan I was like, no, I relax, I just got here.

Speaker 1 (56:28):
Are we convinced that dani Orlowski single handedly is paying
for the Connecticut football program?

Speaker 2 (56:32):
He's not reading, then he's got to pay more.

Speaker 3 (56:35):
Yeah, I mean.

Speaker 2 (56:39):
Dan, he's got to pay more because nah, he's.

Speaker 1 (56:43):
The easiest ticket you'll ever find a college football is
a Connecticut football game?

Speaker 9 (56:47):
Oh oh they're giving it away, yes, and still you
don't want it.

Speaker 1 (56:51):
I've lived around Bandy and I've lived around Connecticut. I'm
not sure which is the worst spot that on a Saturday.

Speaker 2 (56:58):
That's a toss up because ukon football.

Speaker 1 (57:00):
But you got basketball, you got Menza?

Speaker 3 (57:02):
Are you do a Celtics guy? No?

Speaker 9 (57:05):
Actually, I'm not my son's right there, Lakers.

Speaker 1 (57:12):
So the Connecticut guy, to recap him, is a forty
nine Ers fan and a Lakers fan, not even Golden State.
Like you're just picking and choosing dominant franchises.

Speaker 3 (57:22):
So that's amazing.

Speaker 1 (57:22):
You're like, hey, who's got a bunch of rings? That's
where we're going.

Speaker 3 (57:26):
I'm I mean.

Speaker 9 (57:27):
The only thing is yu count wasn't good when I
was growing up, and so my aunt went there in
the late eighties and so we were always going there
at to gamble when they weren't good.

Speaker 3 (57:39):
So I always feel good about that.

Speaker 2 (57:40):
But may like I was like, I like Shack, I'll
take the Lakers and stuff like that, but the Celtics were.

Speaker 1 (57:48):
Yeah, that's still not an era, like the Celtics being
bad Toofer.

Speaker 2 (57:52):
Like Kevin gamble and I don't know we're doing.

Speaker 3 (57:54):
Here like this.

Speaker 1 (57:56):
And I've talked to Dan about this, like there are rules?

Speaker 3 (57:59):
Are us?

Speaker 1 (58:01):
What is losing sleep tonight?

Speaker 3 (58:04):
He's gonna be.

Speaker 9 (58:06):
I'm really, But the thing is as long as I
prefer like Connecticut, because Connecticut for us is like that's
that's the Celtics.

Speaker 3 (58:15):
That's not Connecticut though, if.

Speaker 1 (58:17):
You were for Yukon, yeah, no, no, no, I get think
you got like, yes, we all understand this, we just
don't just we don't agree.

Speaker 2 (58:24):
You're trying to go loopholes. You gotta see that, you
guys call that all right?

Speaker 1 (58:28):
Sorry Gogana, we'll catch a loophole to an infraction.

Speaker 3 (58:31):
No, I was I was trying.

Speaker 1 (58:32):
But nah, wait man, we appreciate, we appreciate you stopping by,
even though we don't appreciate your your fantom and if
you like, if you're gonna wear this shirt, you gotta
say it once like oh I.

Speaker 2 (58:44):
Could feel it in my plums.

Speaker 3 (58:45):
I did.

Speaker 1 (58:47):
Thanks for had out, but hey, I appreciate.

Speaker 3 (58:48):
Hey, you guys so much, really appreciate it. It's great bar.

Speaker 2 (58:52):
This man has played in over a thousand NBA games,
all right, one thousand and thirty nine.

Speaker 3 (59:01):
I think something like that.

Speaker 2 (59:04):
We were told about a consummate pro, a guy that
those every NBA looking cranny, former number one overall pick Turp.

Speaker 3 (59:16):
He is the great Joe Smith. What's up?

Speaker 6 (59:18):
Joe nothing mice? Thank you guys for having me.

Speaker 1 (59:21):
So I'm gonna start by taking us off the rails
with this story. But yes you don't know, okay, So
I'm PG County throw and through. People don't know that
I went to high school in Pooey, Maryland, so in
ninety five, graduated class in ninety five. But I was
telling Joe a minute ago. We used to like to
raise money for the high schools. You could do concession
sales at the old Colefield House, like the old Turp
Stadium or Terps Arena. So what we used to do

(59:44):
is we used to like say we were gonna do that.
We had no interest. And that was back when like
Maryland Douke cames like right, couldn't get a ticket, so
that was almost the one we would fight for him,
were like yep, and then we would show me like no,
we're not selling anything, and we would just gonna stand
by the side and like so no concessions came out.
Like we got so mad at us, Like I think
we did it four or five times in not even
you know, like we're like, no, we're going to watch

(01:00:06):
the games because like you got the number one overall pick,
you got and dominate basketball team like that was such
a special era. So I gotta tell you man straight out,
it's an honor to get to talk to you because
I have, like I watched you play.

Speaker 3 (01:00:17):
So much I appreciate that means a lot. That means
a lot.

Speaker 6 (01:00:19):
I mean, it was some fun times up at cole
field House, and you know cole Fieldhouse was. People gave
Cameron Indoor a lot of credit for how active and
how loud they were, but cole Fieldhouse was just as loud.
I mean students section we held fourteen to five, fourteen
thousand and five hundred students. And then when we come
back from the road, just to see how the students

(01:00:40):
were camping out waiting for game tickets, like you say,
wait for game tickets.

Speaker 3 (01:00:44):
And and and and.

Speaker 6 (01:00:47):
Meeting us as we come in off the road from
wins on the road. It was tremendous up on campus
and it was a fun time.

Speaker 1 (01:00:53):
I think people realize how special Maryland basketball god in
that moment. And that's one of the reasons why I
was bummed when Realignment started to take him out of
the conference, because I looked at her and it's like, man,
I don't think you understand how much basketball. Like I
live in Connecticut now, I know how much Yukon means
to Connecticut. That's how much that Terps basketball team meant
to Maryland, and that in.

Speaker 6 (01:01:12):
That era exactly, and it was I mean, it was
a lot of fun. I mean, the thing about it
is a couple of years before I got there, Maryland
was on probation. So when I signed and chose to
go to Maryland, that was like the biggest question I
was getting, like why.

Speaker 3 (01:01:24):
They just got a probation.

Speaker 6 (01:01:26):
But what I saw was I saw it was a
perfect fit for myself to go in with Johnny Rose,
extry Boot extray Hip and Dwayne Simpkins who was all
freshman the year before I got there, So there were
sophomores when I was going in, and then myself and
Keith Booth was able to come in and kind of
fit right in and filled the mode and and made
that team what it was. And it was a lot
of fun, and it was it was college basketball. It

(01:01:49):
was the best I mean you would have told about
back then. Was it was the rivals you bring up
obviously Duke you guys and Duke and she State kind
of line like up and down. Georgetown's not far like
that was like the mecca of college basketball exactly. And
h That's something I always like growing up. I always

(01:02:11):
wanted to play in the A SEC because you always
I'm from Virginia. Yeah, and you always see those ACC battles,
you know what I'm saying. You see the Maryland, you
see Carolina's and duke battles and Wake Forest and Georgia
Tech and all those guys included you know in Virginia.
You know, those battles were epic and that's why I
chose to go to That's another reason why I chose
to go to Maryland because they were in the a

(01:02:32):
CEC and that was a conference that I always wanted
to play with play in.

Speaker 2 (01:02:36):
If you know, I mean it was the East were
the best comedy. Oh yeah, exactly. The ACC was the
great See Big East, which the greatest.

Speaker 6 (01:02:44):
My first game you bring up Georgetown. My first game
in Maryland was against Georgetown.

Speaker 3 (01:02:49):
Yeah. Yeah, that was like a play add all right,
twenty six and ten.

Speaker 6 (01:02:59):
You know, that was the first game as a freshman,
and you know, that was a big rivalry and that
that's something that that hadn't been played in years. So
when they bought that rivalry back together, it was Gary
Williams against John Thompson. Yeah, and you know it was
a rivalry that that really intensive. No, he wasn't on
that team. Yet it was my freshman year front freshman year,

(01:03:20):
so I wasn't at George Sound yet a year at
o'dello Harrington. Yeah, the point guard was brown.

Speaker 3 (01:03:30):
And read uh. Yes, they had red squad.

Speaker 6 (01:03:36):
Herrnson just came off of a big East Rookie of
the Year year before.

Speaker 3 (01:03:40):
So it was it was it was quite a quite
a battle brought into it.

Speaker 2 (01:03:44):
And then did you actually play with Ai when you
were in Philadelphia? Right?

Speaker 3 (01:03:48):
I played with Ai.

Speaker 6 (01:03:49):
Actually we grew up playing together, and you guys know
what you bought together. Actually, my one of the biggest
high school games was my high school against his high
school and the regionals.

Speaker 3 (01:04:01):
Yeah, and it was like, I.

Speaker 1 (01:04:02):
Mean, wait, wait, wait, what the heck is that? Like,
you show up the high school basketball game, You're like
it's gonna be fine. You're like, never mind, I quit,
I can't handle that.

Speaker 6 (01:04:11):
Yeah, two future number one picks out there, and that's why,
you know, I mean, it were wasesome.

Speaker 3 (01:04:16):
It was like standing room only. Man.

Speaker 6 (01:04:19):
The crowd was intense. His school was intense. My school
was intense. And it was actually the regionals games, so
whoever won that game was going to state. They ended
up beating us by two but yeah, they end up
it went in by two. But it was it was
great competition. I'm telling you right now.

Speaker 3 (01:04:32):
There were some thirty for thirty that's stoney. There's some
age Oh yeah, for sure. Sure.

Speaker 6 (01:04:41):
And then a few years later I became the number
one pick in nineteen ninety five and he became the
number one pick in ninety six.

Speaker 3 (01:04:47):
So yeah, so it was awesome. I'm telling you.

Speaker 1 (01:04:49):
There was some kid there that was looking at I
was like, now, I'm not gonna play no. Fine, So
let me ask you though about college basketball as a whole,
all right, because while we're talking about this, it is
a little kid. I was in Vegas during the Larry
Johnson Stacey Augman be this right then in high school.
I'm in Maryland. Things were different then, right, Like you
had time to build, you had time to construct, Fans
fell in love with players. Now in the one and

(01:05:11):
done to to and done society, like it just feels
like everything's churning burn How does college basketball figure out
how to get the relationship back with the fans and
the players when the players cycle out so quickly.

Speaker 6 (01:05:23):
I think they're they're kind of figuring it out now
with like the N I L deals and stuff like that,
because most of the time players leaving because of financial reasons,
you know. So I think now, you know about bringing
the N I L deals and having guys be able
to you know, get some get some type of insurance
will allow them to stick around and you know, get that,
get that degree and you know, further the education.

Speaker 3 (01:05:44):
But a lot.

Speaker 6 (01:05:46):
Of during my time, I came out as a sophomore,
and it was because of financial reasons for my family
and reasons like that.

Speaker 1 (01:05:52):
But you're on a risk, I mean, I mean, you
set up now, maybe you had to.

Speaker 6 (01:05:57):
Yeah, I had to, by mean, and it was it
was I still think I could have played another year
or two, and then you still you'd got in the bag,
like yeah, real, to be real, I tried to beat
the rookie salary way salary scale.

Speaker 3 (01:06:14):
Yeah yeah, yeah. My FuMB year was a year that they.

Speaker 6 (01:06:16):
Put that salary scale there, and I tried to jump
out ahead of that and beat that.

Speaker 3 (01:06:21):
You know, that was the reason why I left after
the sophomore year.

Speaker 6 (01:06:23):
But unfortunately they still hit me with it, and you know,
I still got caught with it.

Speaker 1 (01:06:28):
You guys were also the exception to the rule then,
like it was rare for a player to be able
to just pop out. Now it feels like everybody pops out.
Are kids ready, though, in your mind to make the
transition from like, cause I think like I grew up
in the music world, Right, there's a much different beast
when you're a sixteen year old kid that's like, I'm
going to be a musician, and then all of a
sudden you're trying to earn against grown ass men. Right,
there's a difference of that. So are kids ready to

(01:06:50):
take that step in your mind when they go into
the league.

Speaker 6 (01:06:54):
I wasn't ready. I mean, you know, I don't think nobody.
Nobody's ready. That's it's something that you have to learn
off experience, you know. And I was nineteen when I
got drafted, twenty years old when I first played my
first game. But it's something that you really have to
learn off, learn from experience. I mean, I won't tell
anybody that has the talent to take it to that
next level not to.

Speaker 3 (01:07:13):
Do it right.

Speaker 6 (01:07:14):
You know, I'll always you know, give guys inspiration and
motivation and want to fulfill that dream. But you know,
it's learning off experience, and you have to surround yourself,
you know, with with good people people that's not just
willing just just trying to take and take and take,
but willing to see you grow and progress as not
just as a basketball player, but as a great individual
off the court as well.

Speaker 2 (01:07:34):
Even your game right, Like, think about it, you're like
a half baked pie coming out exactly exactly, maturity level,
you're breat the understanding the game, like when you're staying like,
I can only imagine your game would have been even more.

Speaker 3 (01:07:49):
Pop polished, exactly exactly.

Speaker 6 (01:07:51):
And that's that's the thing that we all have to
learn when we're trying to make that decision.

Speaker 3 (01:07:56):
You know, do we want.

Speaker 6 (01:07:58):
To stick around and you know, try to polish ourselves
up a little bit more? Or is it that we're
chasing chasing his dream? But as as a player, that's
something you just have to process and go through as
an individual player.

Speaker 2 (01:08:11):
Let's walk NBA. I mean, you played the thousand NBA games.
I mean that's an amazing feat. So of all the stops,
I mean the stories that you must have, like and
I love I love this, I love all here, all
the stories.

Speaker 3 (01:08:27):
So take take me through your career right.

Speaker 10 (01:08:30):
And through each city and what kind of you remember,
because she's like, it's it really is a treasure trove
of stuff that I just want to hear you talk
about them.

Speaker 6 (01:08:42):
I mean, obviously, first being drafted number one to the Warriors,
it was a great experience. I mean, I was on
the team with Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullen, you know, got yeah, yeah, exactly.
So the veterans I had on that team to the
Trail s Freewell, the guys. The veterans I had on
that team were experienced veterans and guys that's been been
through all the battles, you know, So me coming in,

(01:09:05):
they can tell me how to prepare for back to backs,
you know, they can help me prepare for practice and
and how to get myself mentally ready for games and
things like that. And then from there I went on
to Philadelphia for the first time for the first time.

Speaker 3 (01:09:21):
Man.

Speaker 6 (01:09:21):
You know, the thing about that is, like I said,
Alan and I we grew up playing together, and that's
something that we talked about as kids playing AAU basketball together.
What did we both make it to the NBA and
we play on the same team. When that happened, you know,
in my third year in the NBA, Man, that was.

Speaker 3 (01:09:40):
It was like.

Speaker 6 (01:09:40):
Fulfilling at that time. I was like, we did when
I got into that because I got traded there. So
when I got there from the trade, I go into
the locker room, he was like, here we go.

Speaker 3 (01:09:48):
We didn't.

Speaker 6 (01:09:51):
Yo, we did it, you know. So we're on the
same team now. And even though it was just and
it was just for the remainder of that scene. So
maybe made thirty games or so, and from that point on,
I signed with Minnesota as a free agent.

Speaker 3 (01:10:06):
That's right side.

Speaker 6 (01:10:07):
I became a free agent side with Minnesota. And that
experience playing alongside Kevin Garnett was awesome.

Speaker 4 (01:10:13):
Man.

Speaker 2 (01:10:14):
It was like, uh when you might float together too,
like when you you got you play well off in him.

Speaker 6 (01:10:19):
Oh yeah, yeah, we I mean we had a great
chemistry out there on the floor. He would play play
the three, I would play the four, and you know,
people would call us a twin town. And the things
that we had, the things that we would always you know,
tell each other, whether in practice and and and the games,
is this is for life, you know that, you know,

(01:10:40):
So not just what we're doing on the court right
now it's special, but the bond that we're creating right
now is for life. And that's something like I don't
know if you guys saw when I saw him the
other day, you know, on the Instagram on Instagram or whatever.
You know, just the connection that we had, the husband
and love that we showed each other is awesome.

Speaker 3 (01:10:57):
Is awesome.

Speaker 6 (01:10:57):
Man, Having guys like that at a part of you know,
my my career has been the Hall of Famer God
that I was able to learn, learn how to prepare
for from just watching them out there in practice before practice,
after practice, seeing how many shots he got up, seeing
how you prepared, and his attitude and practice is the
same as you get in the game, Like he's cussing

(01:11:19):
people out all throughout practice. So that's that same attitude
you get in the game.

Speaker 3 (01:11:25):
A little different than AI, a little different approach.

Speaker 6 (01:11:32):
So from there where did I go? I think from Minnesota.
I went to Milwaukee, so I had to. I'm sorry.
I had that contract issue with Minnesota and my agent's
splitting up and breaking up, so I had to deal
with that as far as I had to. I was
forced by the NBA because of things that they thought

(01:11:54):
went under the table with Minnesota. I was forced with
the NBA tea either one take the whole year year off,
or two I will have to go play for another
team and then I was able to come back to
Minnesota Wyeah.

Speaker 1 (01:12:06):
So yeah, so walk me through that, Walk me through
that moment, right, because like, here you are and now
you're in a situation. I think we can all speak
to this. I sometimes you got agents that or doing
exactly you don't even know what's going on. That's a
very real like fancy or that, and they're like, ah no, no, no,
Like I got an agent that handles my contracts. I
don't deal with that, right, So, so what's that moment

(01:12:26):
like for you where now all of a sudden you're
in trouble of some sort and you're looking at it
and saying, man, this is the game I love. This
is a game that made me, and now you're telling
me I got to do this.

Speaker 6 (01:12:34):
I mean, that's probably the worst moment in my career
because that not just that, but at the same time,
everybody's looking at you like it's your fault. Everybody's blaming you,
pointing a finger. And some of the things that Minnesota
had to deal with afterwards, like losing draft picks and
things like that, you know, they automatically assumed that it
was me that had, you know, had hands on dealings

(01:12:56):
with that. But it was, like you say, it was
the agents had to agents that work for partners and
the partnership broke apart. Some players were with one agent,
some players went with the other agent, and because they
had that deal under the table whatever with my contract,
that they came to the forefront somehow in court and

(01:13:19):
their court and their court litigations, and then all of
a sudden, you know, if it falls back on me
and the NBA is making me make a decision on
whether I want to sit the entire year route or
if I have to go somewhere else in place. I
went and played with the Pistons for a year four year.
At the end of that year, I signed back with Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (01:13:40):
That was wild, Yeah, it was.

Speaker 1 (01:13:41):
I can't imagine, like cauld you work your whole life
correct for reputation, correct for respect for legacy. These are
things that I think fans don't realize how important it is.
Sometimes like it's like the only the only calling card
you have is like I want people to know that
this is what I poured my life into life into
so then to have perception change and you're looking around

(01:14:03):
and saying, what the heck? Man, Like, that's just I
can't imagine. I'm sorry you would through that like human moment.
That sucks.

Speaker 6 (01:14:08):
Yeah, I mean I lived and learned learned from it.
After that, my career, you know kind of you know,
became a role player with different teams that I played for,
But I was still able to go out and be
as productive as I could. Did you did you you
love the game?

Speaker 3 (01:14:27):
It was?

Speaker 2 (01:14:28):
Was it just chasing? I just want to play. I
just want to I just want to bull.

Speaker 6 (01:14:33):
Like the business side of it can affect you. Like
the business side of the game of basketball can't affect you, uh,
you know, as far as your approach to games and
things like that, because you know, after being traded or
you know, after being moved around for so much, or
I say things like what I went through with my
contract in Minnesota.

Speaker 3 (01:14:52):
You know, things like that can't affect you.

Speaker 6 (01:14:53):
You know, mentally and how you how you prepare for
the game and how you even go out there and
play the game that because you realize that is not
just a game anymore. You realize that it is you know,
it's a business behind it and that really is what
steeling the league at that time, So you kind of
kind of have to put the game to the side
and realize how much of a business it is and

(01:15:15):
start thinking with that mentality.

Speaker 1 (01:15:16):
When was the moment that you were able in your
career to forget the number like drafted first overall, because
I think that that's a heavy weight on a lot
of athletes. So like, when were you able just to
be like, that doesn't matter. I'm me and I love
what I do.

Speaker 6 (01:15:32):
I would say after that situation with Minnesota, because even
before I think that might have been my fourth or
fifth year in the league. So even after that, before that,
you know, you're still dealing with the number one pick,
and you know having you.

Speaker 3 (01:15:46):
Know, teams treat you like, God, he's the number one pick.

Speaker 6 (01:15:48):
We're going at this guy, you know, because that's the
mentality that players have you you're the number one pick,
especially veteran guys that's been around for years. You know
that if you're the number one pick, you got to
come in and prove yourself. So that's the you know,
the first four or five years of my career, I
felt like I had to go out there and prove
myself after that thing in Minnesota, man, and I realized
how much of a business it was. Then I realized,

(01:16:09):
it's just focusing on being being as becoming as good
of a player as I can, but as much of
a more important, even better person, because at the end
of the day, once the game is, once the bass
house bouncing and you know, you stop making shots, you
know you still have to you know, be able to

(01:16:30):
relate and interact with people. So I just realized that
at that point the business side of it. Me realized
that I have to be able to when the game
is over, be able to carry myself in a whole
different manner and a whole another way where I'm able
to interact and be able to talk to people.

Speaker 3 (01:16:46):
You know, the nuts too.

Speaker 2 (01:16:47):
It's like you look at the game the league now
and how big the figure is unbelievable, right like right
like the week you pleading was rough, man, I mean
it was Abody's world, believe Yeah, the game itself, the
way it was called, the life inside it, I mean

(01:17:09):
it was different. That would listen. You know, it's a
different world completely today, but that ten year period like
that way different.

Speaker 6 (01:17:19):
Oh yeah, definitely. I mean from from the time I
got drafted. I mean I can see that. You know,
I played sixteen years, so I played. I went through
the process of how the NBA changed from ninety five
to I retired twenty twelve, you know, so I witnessed
the process and seeing how it went from as physical
as you said was so you know, they.

Speaker 3 (01:17:41):
Changed the rules one year where you can't handcheck.

Speaker 6 (01:17:43):
Then you change the rule the next year where you
can't bump, and then it changed, you know. So watching
the game developing, I really loved it though. I mean
I really love to see the development of the game
and people asking me all the time what's the best
part of it that I love?

Speaker 3 (01:17:56):
Is?

Speaker 6 (01:17:57):
I love saying how big men are now able to
get the ball off the reels and take the ball
down court themselves and I have to, you know, worry
about out letting it to a guard and then getting
out court and have to worry about getting positioned.

Speaker 3 (01:18:09):
Now that was you, That was me.

Speaker 1 (01:18:11):
I mean, I mean that skill you can shoot it?

Speaker 6 (01:18:16):
Yes, yes, cause I'd like to see the game it
is now, because you know, if people all the time
post all the time, yeah, people always people ask me
if I was you know, boring ten years later, would
I be able to fit into this game today's game?
And I'm like, with no problem, because that's the way
I played, you know, and that's the way I approached
the game.

Speaker 1 (01:18:34):
You've played sixteen years, one thousan thirty nine games. What
does longevity mean to you?

Speaker 3 (01:18:39):
I mean, it means a lot. It means a lot.

Speaker 6 (01:18:42):
And we have a conversation about this low managing stuff,
you know all the time, and people always ask me
what I load manage.

Speaker 3 (01:18:49):
I'm like, now, would never load manage?

Speaker 6 (01:18:50):
I mean, And that planning over a thousand games is
proofd that that you know, I love the game. I
love to play, I love the competition. And in order
to keep me off that court, and this is this
is the mentality of a lot of guys in the nineties.
In order to get us off that court, we have
to be, you know, falling apart. You know, leg you
can't drag. You know leg is dragged. You know you

(01:19:12):
have we you know, can't even get up and down
the court. You know, that was just our mentality in
the nineties. And you know when you see guys taking
games off, that's really not dealing with serious injuries. You know,
I hate to see it, and I think it affects,
you know, the support that we get from the fans,
you know, speaking that we had fanatics, But I think
it really helps, you know, the support from the fans
because you know, you got guys in different cities, different places,

(01:19:36):
and that may only get to see you one time,
one time that season, and if you go there and
you're not even hurting and you're missing games, and I
think that that affects the fandom as well.

Speaker 2 (01:19:45):
All right, Jo, I wouldn't ask it a couple of things.
What did you learn? I want to go through a
couple of players. Okay, what did you learn from Mike?
What did he teach you from m J.

Speaker 6 (01:20:01):
It's funny because I have I have a blown up
picture from my rookie year of after we placed Chicago,
Mike and I walking off the court. He got his
arm around me and he's sitting there. He's telling talking
to me. And I've never told anyone, you know what
he what he what he was saying, because I was
you know, kept it, kept in the secret and kept
it close to heart. But I made uh just he

(01:20:24):
he told me at that time. You know that you
know he admired what I you know what I bring
to the table. And you know that just to keep
continue to put the work in, continue to grind and
and you know that the.

Speaker 3 (01:20:35):
Guy was the limit for me.

Speaker 6 (01:20:36):
And you know, hearing things like that from a guy
like Michael Jordan Man that that that the greatest player
of all time, you know that that's that's something special,
that's something.

Speaker 3 (01:20:45):
That you hold a heart.

Speaker 6 (01:20:46):
And you know when you that's a little lesson, you know,
from from from somebody major like that, But it goes
a long ways, man, And you know I learned that.

Speaker 3 (01:20:55):
I learned that from Mike.

Speaker 6 (01:20:56):
Just keep pushing, man, and and and put that work in,
and you know, the skids are limit for you. Kobe
Kobe work ethic, work ethic. He was one of the
guys that they where they say Jim Rat. You know,
he takes that to another level, right, you know, as
far as his work ethic, as far as how many

(01:21:19):
shots he get up, as far as you know, his
footwork and working on different moves and drills and drills
that he do. He was a complete gym rat. And
he would you know, four or five in the morning.
You hear you guys, hear the stories, you know, but
to actually see it and witness it.

Speaker 3 (01:21:34):
You know, it's something special.

Speaker 6 (01:21:35):
Four or five in the morning, he's working out, then
he codes to practice, then you know, maybe get another
work out later that evening or that afternoon, and you know,
you see, just seeing that and seeing the results of it,
you know you can't help but to be like, man,
I need to try to figure out how to get
on the same page, you know, the same page as Kobe.
So it's hard. You know, it's something that not all

(01:21:57):
players want to do. But to see him and understand
what he what he does to become the player that
he became, you know, that was awesome. Kg KG an animal.
You know, KG was a guy that hated to be denied,
you know, regardless of who we were playing, regardless who

(01:22:17):
who they thought was better than him, or what teams
they thought was better than us in Minnesota at the time,
he refused to believe it. And that's something that carried
on to us, Like as a team, when your leader
refused to believe that anybody's better, you know that nobody's
better than You're going to feed off of that and
you're going to go out there and approach the game like, oh,
we're going to take care of business tonight because our

(01:22:39):
leader says they're not better than us, and he goes
out there and prove it. And he went out there
with the attitude every night, with that attitude every night,
regardless of who we're playing. We're playing the Lakers in
Shaq and Kobe and all those guys in the playoffs.
One year, and he's still out there, he's still going,
you know, we got this.

Speaker 3 (01:22:56):
We go we're not losing tonight. We're not losing to night,
you know.

Speaker 6 (01:22:59):
And then when you hear that we're going out there
and we're going to they might beat us, but at
the end of the night, we're going to go out
there and give them a hell of a hell of
a fight, and we're going to go out there and
prove that we deserve to be there.

Speaker 1 (01:23:11):
What if I asked somebody the same question about.

Speaker 3 (01:23:13):
You, about me?

Speaker 1 (01:23:15):
Yeah, what does somebody learn from you? What did they
take away from your career?

Speaker 6 (01:23:24):
I'm more of a leader by example, that type of
guy like I wasn't that vocal, up in your face type.
God more, take no drills off, go hard every drill,
go hard every practice. A guy that has my career
went on that was able to pull younger guys in
and and kind of teach them some of the ropes

(01:23:45):
that I learned coming up from the veterans that I
learned from. And a guy that's you know, well liked,
well liked in the locker room. All the players I
played with, all the players I played against, show respect,
show the same respect that I give them, and uh,
you know, it's all it's all love until well, you know,

(01:24:06):
until we get out on that.

Speaker 3 (01:24:07):
Court, go to battle. But it's all love at the
end of the day.

Speaker 1 (01:24:09):
So what's your proudest moment from your career.

Speaker 6 (01:24:12):
My proudest moment being drafted is number one. Being the
number one draft pick in the NBA was number one
that draft class could have. It was myself, Antonio mcdi's,
Kevin Garnet, Rashie Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse, either one all anybody
could have gone number one out of that draft. So
being drafted number one in that draft was was totally,

(01:24:32):
uh a surprise. But at the same time, you know,
probably the most fulfilling thing in my career.

Speaker 2 (01:24:38):
It's fantastic, our last thing the players you played with
and against. Yes, give me starting five six man and
a coach.

Speaker 6 (01:24:51):
That I played with and against what you know I
can give you. I can give you all I played with.
You got six, That's what I awesome. I got uh
a I he could be the point Kobe at the
two Lebron at the three. Oh no, kd add the three,
Durance at the three lebron at the four. Wow, and

(01:25:15):
West center that I played with, Wow, I didn't play.

Speaker 3 (01:25:19):
I don't even know.

Speaker 1 (01:25:19):
If you need a center, you.

Speaker 3 (01:25:24):
Can be the five.

Speaker 6 (01:25:25):
That's the guy. All the guys that I played with.
I mean this, who's the coach?

Speaker 3 (01:25:30):
Coach? Best coach you were around?

Speaker 6 (01:25:34):
You know, Larry Brown of Phil Phil Jackson, Yeah, yeah,
would be that coach.

Speaker 3 (01:25:40):
Phil was so interesting.

Speaker 2 (01:25:42):
I covered the bulls and during that yeah, later you
know it was like towards the end of he was
so he was so interesting, Like who's just an interesting dude?

Speaker 3 (01:25:53):
He is? He is' I'm like I did.

Speaker 6 (01:25:56):
Before I got to the Lakers, I hadn't spent too
much time around Phil, so I really didn't know what
to expect. But when I got there and then you know,
saw the type of coach that he is and then
the type of person he is. He's like you said,
he's very interesting almost second text was still with Still
with Them. Brian Shaw was one of my sisters. Well,

(01:26:16):
and the first day I got there, he gave me
a book. Yeah, he gave me a book to read.

Speaker 3 (01:26:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (01:26:23):
I mean because, like I said, you hear the stories
about him giving players different books, but you know you won't.
You don't know until you actually go through it. So, uh,
first day I got there, he gave me a book
to read. And oh yeah, of course he had to.
I had to because he gets you question and answer. Yeah,
it's like a teacher. You get question and answer. So

(01:26:45):
you have to read it and you have to understand
what you read and at the end of the day
he's gonna he's going to ask you about it.

Speaker 3 (01:26:51):
LB was interesting too because he was he is.

Speaker 6 (01:26:55):
Smart due LB was a funnelmental, the mental hound. Like
our practice all fundamental drills since layups, reverse layups, said, dribbling,
dribble moves, like everything was fundamental.

Speaker 3 (01:27:10):
And it was like, I thought this was the NBA
at the end of.

Speaker 6 (01:27:13):
The day, exactly exactly. But that's what I loved about it,
because if you don't continue to work on those those drills, then.

Speaker 3 (01:27:22):
You can you'll lose them. You know you're losing.

Speaker 6 (01:27:24):
So that's what I loved about. Would like, yes, how
to defend properly? How to defend properly? How did you know, uh,
defend picking rolls? How to defend your guys one on one?
How to defend the polls? How did you know? And offensively?
Like I said, we were doing reverse layups, layups one
dribble pull ups to dribble pull up, like taking it

(01:27:46):
back to it like it's a high school. But it
was a lot of fun. It's funny about him.

Speaker 2 (01:27:52):
The only guy that could get away with anything was
Derrek Coleman.

Speaker 3 (01:27:56):
D Remember d C could get away with he was
so old school. DC didn't like the paper like this.
He got away with these.

Speaker 6 (01:28:06):
He used to come and steel on the side line
across his legs and hood on it. Let's go, fellow,
that's my guy. But DC, he used to come in
and let's go. He's a cheer us on. Now he's
a cheeru saw.

Speaker 1 (01:28:21):
But he wouldn't great play like he could do anything
on the floor.

Speaker 3 (01:28:25):
Oh yeah, no question, you know. No. He was a
tough father. Yeah, he was tough.

Speaker 6 (01:28:29):
Skill skills that had every every skill as a big
man and like like I was talking about now as
big man being able to put the ball on the
floor and bring it up. Darrek Kober was one of
those big men back then that was able to do
that as well.

Speaker 1 (01:28:42):
Thanks for hanging out with us, Thanks for years of
enjoyment watching you play. Man like your to hang out
but we appreciate your time. But seriously, congrats on to
kill a career.

Speaker 3 (01:28:50):
Thank you that. I appreciate you guys,

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Jonas Knox

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