April 1, 2025 • 51 mins
On this pod: Dave Steinwedel, Brandon Stephens, Payton Girod, and David Miles are back to talk about how its going for Brandon in the government (1:10-4:50)
The guys discuss the Grizzles firing their head coach with nine game left, when might Ovi break the record and should the Tush Push be pushed out. (4:51-24:30)
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report stops by to discuss the week for Maryland Basketball, the portal and the coaching cycle, the chalk final four, who can beat Duke, Torpedo bats in baseball, the Braves sturggles and more. (24:31-END)
The guys discuss the Grizzles firing their head coach with nine game left, when might Ovi break the record and should the Tush Push be pushed out. (4:51-24:30)
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report stops by to discuss the week for Maryland Basketball, the portal and the coaching cycle, the chalk final four, who can beat Duke, Torpedo bats in baseball, the Braves sturggles and more. (24:31-END)
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This week's Opening Kickoff Podcast is presented to you by
our friends at cegee and use promo code Opening Kickoff
All one word to get twenty dollars off your first
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(00:23):
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(00:43):
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first order at sea geek dot com. Don't miss the
next event. Hello and welcome to this week's edition of
(01:15):
the Opening Kickoff Podcast. And for the first time in
a while, We're all here. The gang is all here.
I am your host, Dave Steinweedeld. The gang is here.
I'm so excited for this. First up, my guy Peyton
Gerrod with the hat backwards? How you doing, buddy?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Doing well? Brackets are done since we last talked. Probably
everyone's is Yeah, for the most part, I don't know
what everyone had uh doing all though? Doing well?
Speaker 1 (01:46):
David Miles, who is a new fatherhood not gonna lie
kicking his ass right now.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Oh that's that's an understatement. Me, me and my lovely
wife are fighting for our lives over here. We no
longer have control of the household. It's ran by a
two sixth weeker seven weeker, seven weeker today?
Speaker 4 (02:09):
So uh?
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Is that a bad omen that you can't even remember?
How long I could remember?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I couldn't remember we talked about last week. I'm lucky
if I remember what I talked about at work today.
I have hope on my shirt as we speak.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
You can't see it.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Let's let's just be let's just let's just power it
through because you know, let's just do this.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Let's do this, and he's back, Our guy, Brandon Stevens
is back with us. Did this get approved by Elon
Musk and Doze and all those people?
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Don't even get me started.
Speaker 5 (02:48):
Don't even get how many bullet points we got done
already that one at least.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Listen, let's just say you don't have to worry about that.
Speaker 6 (02:57):
He might get done all the time, sometimes sometimes the
day events.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Oh, okay, already ahead of the game.
Speaker 6 (03:06):
That the real trick is is nothing changes. Yes, that's
the real trick.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Okay, all right, I look glad you're on top of it.
Glad my dollars are working for men.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
My dollars are working.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
Yeah. I mean my investment in this country, I'm gonna
make sure make sure it's protected.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I might be a small investor, but you know I'm
still invested.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
This is true. He did not tell one lie. Is
this is true?
Speaker 6 (03:45):
Oh, it's it's really all just it's so funny, man,
it's so funny, just like being in it, and then
just like hearing people talk about it. It's like, bro,
you don't even really know, you know, you.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
Don't even know.
Speaker 6 (04:03):
It's behind the scenes. It's really just that it's not
like nothing crazy. It's just people were dumb, just a
lot of stupid.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
He said.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
People don't know how to do the bullet point and word, goddamn.
Speaker 7 (04:21):
The hell, it's so bad, man, it's so bad, so bad.
Speaker 6 (04:26):
Like we gotta shape the stigma of like every people.
If you know somebody who works for the government, just
understand that they are the most like normal person ever.
They're not this like super cool.
Speaker 7 (04:39):
They're probably just they just looked up this guy like yeah,
that's really all.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Like I said, all right, well that was government. That
was the government.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Doing great, doing great.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
We got some plenty of sports talk about. We'll dive
into some of the headlines in sports here in a moment.
Carry Miller a Bleacher Reports going to join us later
to dive into all the things college basketball, including Maryland's
tumultuous week of a coaching search after a wild, really
sweet sixteen with Kevin Willard and now Buzz Williams. We'll
(05:22):
talk about that. We will look ahead to the final four.
It's an all chalk final four. If anyone had all
one seeds, you are probably doing very well in all
your bracket pools right now. And then we'll dive into
a very interesting topic in baseball, which is the Torpedo Bat.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
Torpedo Bat.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
They's a team in northern New York that's really loving them.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
So you know, now there is one thing I will
say about that as we dive into this stuff. The
Brewers pitching staff sucks. Let's keep that in mind when
we have this discussion. Because they give up ten runs
yesterday to the Royals, like it wasn't just the Yankees. Yeah,
(06:09):
Royals don't have a great offense. Part of that is
because Jonathan India got ear holed Sunday afternoon. But yeah, like, okay,
the New Bats or something.
Speaker 6 (06:19):
Yeah, if you want to really know how effective these
bets are, Alec Bohm has one of these bets. So
how much better does this make you as a baseball player?
But we'll talk about a four hundred ops in two months.
I don't want to hear anything about these torpedo bits anymore.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
But we'll talk about that with Kerry Miller, our good friend,
and a whole heck of a lot more. But I
want to start with the NBA, And because Brandon is ear,
I'm gonna throw this to him first. Usually the shocking
firings of head coaches during seasons usually come from the NHL.
Because the NHL fires coaches like name even some analogy
(07:01):
you can think of off top of your head. They
get rid of head coaches like they're trading trading cards
with their buddies. There you go, but welcome. The NBA
ended a fray with the Memphis Grizzlies firing Taylor Jenkins
with nine games to go, Brandon, what did you make
(07:21):
of that move?
Speaker 6 (07:24):
So, from what I understand is like, if anybody's been
truly paying attention that this is not the most like
surprising thing ever. I think the timing is what everybody's
kind of like questioning, But the fact that this happened
is not like surprising to anybody. I think the Grizzlies
organization just kind of figure. You don't want to have
(07:48):
your star player because the word in the streets is
him a Jammaran or.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Button heads about how to run the offense. So the
last thing you.
Speaker 6 (07:57):
Want is your star player and your head coach arguing
about how to run this offense come playoff time, Right,
you want to make sure everybody's on the same page.
And if you think that, like, if the way for
you to do that is to get this guy out
of the building and then just have the assistant coach
(08:19):
just be the yes man until the end of year season,
then that's the decision that you that you have to make.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
But the issue with that is we're talking like they're
not the fifth seed.
Speaker 8 (08:34):
Yeah, I mean it's not a it's not a So
from what I understand, this is not a point of
how good they are or like how the teams perform.
Speaker 7 (08:45):
It's just how how does this how is this.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Thing going to look like come the playoffs? Right?
Speaker 6 (08:52):
Like, his thing was, we've been doing it your way
all season and while the stats are good, right, like,
it's nice that we're in the fifth place in the West,
but he feels like they could have been top three,
they could have been one had you know, had you
done it my way.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Sort of thing.
Speaker 6 (09:14):
Man, I mean, when you're in this is the NBA
we're talking about, so like, at the end of the day,
the players are gonna rule, like, you know, whatever is
going on in this situation. I think Taylor Jenkins was
probably gonna be on his way out anyway.
Speaker 7 (09:33):
I think he should have been gone last year.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
That's just me.
Speaker 6 (09:39):
But yeah, I think the timing is really the only
thing that's like popping off the page.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah, I think that there are other coaches that need
to have a tough conversation before him, because even if
I democrctly. Last year, they weren't in that bad of
a spot either. I think John Moran was out the
majority year for being a kid, but it wasn't it
wasn't a matter of you know, bad coaching. It wasn't
a matter of anything against anybody. So I think that
(10:07):
for the I think there has to be a lot
more under the surface for them to fire him when
you still have at minimum, I mean, you have the
regular season, and you have at least what they're in
the play. They're not in the play, and so you
don't you don't have to worry about the plane, so
like you have extra two weeks to hang out and
just you know, prepare yourself. So I think that there's
a lot more behind this. I hate to turn behind
(10:30):
the scenes, but there's a lot more under the surface
that really was going on besides you know, Joe and
him butting your heads. But I mean, hey there, I
think there are other coaches that need to have a
tough conversation before him for him to have gotten fired.
But at this point of the season, like just let
him fancy the season. Now, let him get you through
the playoffs, because of in all reality, if they even
(10:50):
get past the first round, he buys himself another year theoretically.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
But yeah, but I think that that's kind of where
that's where I run it an issue with it because
I don't think that you going out in the first
round should buy you another year him specifically, I don't
think that should buy you another year in this case.
I think that they should have moved on at this
point anyway.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
But even to your point earlier of them feeling like
they could be playing better to be in a higher seed,
the best you're gonna get is that most two higher
seeds you're not gonna be You're You're not better than Okase,
You're not better than Denver. I mean, Houston is arguably
Houston's just actually playing out outstanding Medbrideoka is having it.
(11:37):
He's a great coach, so he's gonna have them in painting.
I'm the second seed. That's surprising. But like you're like,
and you're gonna be better. You're gonna move up about
the Lakers. That's moves you one seed, so you're gonna
go from five to four. I I don't see why that.
I don't see why I think that's an appropriate spot
for who your organization is for the talent you have
(11:59):
and for the people or behind. How they perform in
the in the postseason is a different story. We all
know how that goes. But I mean, like I said,
I think that for him to have gotten the boot,
I think that there has to be more than just
I feel like we could have been doing better.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
I mean, we'll see. I'm sure it all will come
to late in the off season.
Speaker 7 (12:22):
You know, we're gonna do a lot of speculation as
to what's going on. I'm sure the exit.
Speaker 6 (12:27):
Interviews and yeah, everything when their season is over.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
At some point we'll get the entire We'll.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Get the whole story club and let it all out.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (12:38):
At this point, I mean honestly, at this point, it's like,
would you be surprised?
Speaker 4 (12:43):
That's fair?
Speaker 2 (12:44):
What's Mike Brown up to? It sounds like Tom, I'll
tell you what.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
It seems.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
That's that's the move, Just do it.
Speaker 6 (12:52):
But I feel like I feel like he's really he's
really a guy is down.
Speaker 5 (12:59):
Yeah, nah, nah, dude, you give me one more try.
Come on, he can help him out. What's what's he doing?
He's gotta need a job. Let's start the Jeff van Gundy.
(13:19):
If he is god blossom. That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Yeah, we'll be.
Speaker 6 (13:27):
We'll be fine to though. I'm sure listen, once the
summer gets thirty for a lot of these teams, there's
gonna be a lot of discussion. We're gonna get a
lot of discussions. Well, who's gonna be coaching the Grizzlies next.
I'm sure they're gonna they're gonna jump on that. Whenever
the time presents itself, whenever we get some downtime, either
(13:47):
before the playoffs at some point during the playoffs afterwards,
we're gonna get to We're gonna get to this.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
By the way, update Ali four goals away from breaking
Wayne Gretzky's record.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Bands of Maker Dance, Bands of Maker Dance.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
That is, honestly one of my favorite things to watch.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Is I don't know if you saw.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
He went to a bar last night and he was
celebrating the guy they signed, and he they just started
playing it and he.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Just started going nuts. I love that he loved it.
Speaker 5 (14:25):
That's like the most the most random song that Ovechkin
would like. But it you know, it's like it makes
sense how many games they got left.
Speaker 6 (14:35):
Yeah, that's the biggest thing is so many games he's
gonna break it.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
It's gotta be.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
There's a good chance right down break it. There's a
good chance, honestly, he breaks it. He could break it
by the weekend. Like if he scores two goals tonight,
he scores another goal tonight, they play the Hurricanes on Wednesday. Yeah,
(15:04):
and then I believe have the Islanders. I know they
play the Islanders for sure Sunday.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
Checking the seat Carolina, Chicago Islanders, Carolina Columbus, Columbus, Damn
Columbus might be in trouble.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
They might be an absolute bad territory.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
I'm going he breaks it break on Sunday they play
the Blackhawks.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I get that. But Sunday, so you think he's five away, right.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Four away from breaking three from time. I mean it's possible, dude.
Speaker 5 (15:42):
If he goes for a hat trick, that'd be sick.
That'd be the coolest way to ever break. This an
unbreakable record broken. Either way, it's gonna get broken, and
it's awesome now it's gonna happen now because as a kid,
or as a hockey fen in general, I just thought
it was unattainable. I just thought it was unrealistic. I mean,
(16:03):
he's still so far away in points I think I don't.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Think he'll have a chance to catch gret Ski for
the points, but he's got the goals.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Yeah, I don't think.
Speaker 5 (16:13):
Gretzky still has some ridiculous records that are just I mean,
they're never gonna be caught.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Jesus beast. Let's see Wayne Gretzky all time points two
thousand and eight and fifty seven. Ovechkin is at sixteen
hundred right now. I think he might be good. That's insane.
I've been fucking crazy.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
I got it.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
Somebody.
Speaker 6 (16:38):
I'm sure somebody's done the math of like what kind
of pace you have to be on in order to
even like consider it?
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Well, what is really cool? I just saw this.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
So for the Wayne Gretzky for his whole career played
fourteen eighty seven games. Ovechkin's at fourteen eighty three right now,
Like that's kind of that's kind of fun cool if
they did it like within that span, that like doesn't
doesn't discredit no room for that.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Let me see assists He's it's still ridiculous.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
I mean, it's just yeah, that's why is the great
the great one?
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Before we step aside and take a break.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Though.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
The other conversation comes from the NFL and the Competition Committee.
That sparked a little bit of conversation amongst us and
particularly the Eagle fan among us, the tush push. There
has been some leverage here the last two years, and
(17:41):
there's a little bit one It was tabled this year,
but there was a little bit more of a dialogue
about whether the tush push should be illegal. David Miles
feels very strongly that it's a play that you just should.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Be learned to stop it.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
There's a lot of bitching here.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Learn learn how to stop it in a sport that
is a contact sport where my main goal is to
knock your head clean off. Stop complaining because you can't
stop a one yard QB sneak. Come on, people, let's
be real. I understand that you're also worried about concussions,
so worried about concussions than in all reality, there will
be no sport of football. Let's stop worrying about concussions
(18:23):
when you people trying to jump over the top to
stop it, because in all reality that's gonna cause it.
That's more like the CAUs of concussion because he's going
to hit someone on the head jumping over than us
pushing you forward because we have the lower center of gravity.
Low man wins in the game of football, right, So
stop crying, stop complaining. If Tampa Bay can stop it,
(18:43):
so can everyone learn us learn how to get better
personnel to man up Let's I mean, yes, yes, not
everyone has that guy, but there's And it's so ironic
that the team that really put forward the motion is
a team that tried and failed so miserably to run
(19:05):
it to his push of their own. So let's stop
with Let's stop with the false anger, with the false
with the false sense of caring about people's safety. Y'all
don't care about people's safety, y'all doesn't y'all just want
to play to stop because no one has successfully stopped
it on a consistent basis, Get out of here with that.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
I think it was fucked up that they did all
these tweets though on April Fool's that not gonna lie
thought that immediately. I thought every tweet was a lie.
But everything I saw today was a lie. I like
Sean mcvay's talk about it. It was basically like, yeah,
like you know, I like think things that you're good at,
but like now that we're like if they said we're
(19:47):
not good at it, so we should probably ban it
or relook at it. And it was like one of
the funniest things because he ultimately was probably him and
Tampabay are probably the only two that were close to
even like stopping it at any p point, which was
funny because like he probably had like he has the
closive path to like stopping it.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
But yeah, I mean, I don't.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Here's here's what I will say. Here's what I will say.
There is one part that I give a little legitimacy to.
A couple of the team's representatives said about about the
tush push itself, I don't think you outlawed the play.
I think what you do have to cut away from,
(20:33):
because it's already language in the rule book, is that
you cannot aid and push from behind. That makes I
know we're I know we're way past that, but that
there is legitimacy to that point. Though there is legitimacy
to that point.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Dames been prying about that since the bush push.
Speaker 5 (20:55):
I mean, honestly, they're the first if anyone got a
gripe that should be Notre Dame and Brady Quinn and
Charlie Weiss and you know whoever else could have.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Whoever could have lead prog USC to that national champion ship.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
You know, but I are we discrediting Are we discrediting
the ability the ability that Jalen Hurts is able to
do that without getting pushed?
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Is this what we're saying?
Speaker 1 (21:21):
No, no, no, no, no no, that's not what I'm saying. No, no, no, no, that's.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Not what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
I just wanted to make sure. I want to make
sure because.
Speaker 5 (21:28):
I think it's just the optics of it that people shoving. Again,
could Jalen Hurts get it? Yes, there's no question, but
guy the time, Yeah, well, I mean the problem I'm
saying is it's the optics thing of you see him
push and then you see.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Three guys behind him shoving him forward.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Like that's what people don't like, Like, can Jalen Hurts
get out of himself?
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Absolutely?
Speaker 5 (21:51):
I would never doubt if Jalen Hurts got stuffed on
a QB sneak, I would want to shake the guy's
hand that did it. I'd be like, you are a
goddamn hero. But that's not possible the people pushing that.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
So then well, and that's that's my only point. Yeah,
that's my only point about this, is you is the
pushing is the guys from behind. If this is just
the push push with QB sneak part of it, then
then I'm fine. It's when you have the language and
(22:25):
the rule book that says you can't have guys coming
in pushing, pushing the pile, things like that. Okay, that's
where I I understand the argument. I'm also on the
side of if you can't stop the play, quit whining
about it. But there is fairness to that point though
about that. There is already language in the rule book
(22:48):
that says that part of that play should not be allowed.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
So then to your guys point those plays, when you
have the running back or whatever, who has the ball
carrier writing friction yards and you have the lineman or
whoever pushing him forward or piling on against the defenses,
who is going to say in the opposite direction that
should be illegal? To think, correct by by your logic,
because that's the same as that play. The difference is
(23:13):
that none of them were in a in a three
point stands prior to It's the same people.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
The big difference, that's the big difference. It's just not
the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
So if that so once again, so you're you are
in agreements, then that that also should be banned by
because biologic that's the same thing. Only difference is one
and three point stands. The other one is not.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Oh yeah, but yeah yeah when you put it that way,
but that's not that's not at all. No, I don't
think that you're trying. You're trying right now.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
To different absolutely one thing to another, but the second one,
but hold on the one.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
You're trying to make an argument out of the defense.
Does the whistles are pulling the minute the guy starts
going backwards and their guys pushing on the pile, what happens,
whistles are blown.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Play is dead now times. Whether whether if there's for progress,
they don't blow it dead, we've all.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Seen we've seen all yeah, yeah, so we've seen pushes
where they don't push the pile either.
Speaker 6 (24:19):
I'm gonna say we're not gonna sit here and act
like we believe the NFL official eating.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
That's fair.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
That's when I well agree, and that's it's subjective. I
get that I'm just saying there's a lot of complaining
from teams who can't stop it.
Speaker 7 (24:35):
That's all I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
That's all.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
I know what you're saying.
Speaker 7 (24:38):
And you agree that.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
You put the Super Bowl in the big bro, you
got it already Manyeah, you just.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Like that.
Speaker 5 (24:52):
It's it's basically like the way I look at it
like this, Eventually people get mad enough and they don't
like what's happening. Like look at the melt blunt Roll.
Way back in the day, defensive holding was never a
thing because he would grab people and they're not getting off.
So they changed the rule because that like they didn't
like that people were able to do that. Like did
it change the game of football forever?
Speaker 4 (25:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (25:10):
Absolutely, But you know people learn how to go around
it and figure out other ways to play football.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
It's just I mean, it's it's someone got so good
at something they have to change it.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Has we have We have our guests joining us. He
is a national baseball and college basketball writer for Bleacher Report.
Kind enough to give us some time. Carry Miller is
here with us. Carrie, how you doing.
Speaker 9 (25:35):
I am I'm doing well. I don't know what what debate?
I just sauntered into but I'm looking forward to getting
in on it.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
It's the push.
Speaker 10 (25:44):
Oh yeah, get rid of that.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
This is where we're going.
Speaker 10 (25:50):
This is where we're going.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Y'all, y'all did this, y'all did this. There we go,
y'all did this.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Whatever. Yeah, Bannon, see he was our deciding vote. There
we go, it's gone. Thank you.
Speaker 9 (26:04):
Carry happy to be a part of it.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Let's dive right in and let's start with the tumultuous
week of the University of Maryland basketball. They hired Buzz
Williams today, But I want to start with the Kevin
Willard stuff because I mean, it's open season for coaches.
We know this as a fact. Did you have any
issue with the way Kevin Willard handled the lead up
(26:30):
to leaving to go to Villanova?
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Uh?
Speaker 10 (26:34):
Yes, Uh, he could have.
Speaker 9 (26:37):
Handled it so much better. It just feels like he
learned absolutely nothing from the blowback to the way he
left Seaton Hall three years ago. You know, and we
saw we saw will Wade right embrace it. He's like, yeah,
I'm going to NC State. We're going to have one
(26:57):
hell of a final ride here at McNee. And they
upset Clemson. They put a put up a decent effort
against Purdue, and once the once the Wizard thing became
what it was like. Once that was the story, we
knew Maryland was screwed against Florida, like they had no
chance in that game, like a great team. Story became
(27:19):
about the coach who doesn't know how to handle a
coaching search, and it's a shame it came to that.
I don't know that Buzz Williams is the right direction
they want to go.
Speaker 8 (27:30):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (27:30):
Right, you had len Elmore out there saying we want
to get internal people, uh and they go make the
exact same train external splash hire with Buzz Williams.
Speaker 10 (27:42):
It's Buzz.
Speaker 9 (27:43):
We know he'll be gone in five years for another job.
So what's Maryland going to do?
Speaker 10 (27:47):
Then?
Speaker 7 (27:47):
Yeah, let's get another revolving door head coach.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I want to have.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
So one of the things that we've talked about is
the transfer portal and correlating it to you know, players
leaving versus coaches leaving. Put it in this situation kind
of in a scope of that whole I guess conversation
of having players leave all of a sudden versus coaches
leaving all of a sudden. Do you think it's still
(28:22):
a fair conversation to have comparing that, comparing the players
and their ability to leave whenever versus the coaches and
their ability to leave whenever.
Speaker 9 (28:31):
I do think it's crazy that the portal opened when
it did, and I know some people were saying that,
like maybe that's the only way that we can balance
the power, right Like if you're still in the sweet
sixteen and you're crying that you can't get kids from
the portal because you're busy focusing on that season, Like, oh, well,
if you were good this year, that's your penalty for
(28:52):
being so good in the future.
Speaker 10 (28:54):
But it does it's now balanced out.
Speaker 9 (28:58):
A little bit like it used to be, you know,
before we had the unlimited transferring, and you know, now
it is more like the coaches where you know, the
coaches have always been able to just up and leave
whenever they want, But the coaches also have contracts, and
if they do leave, you know, either their new school
or they have to pay a penalty. Whereas we don't
(29:19):
really know what's going on with NIL and you know
who who has to pay what. We don't even know
if the guys are getting the NIL. That all those
stories are coming out these days of guys who were
promised money and it's never coming, and it's the.
Speaker 10 (29:32):
Whole thing is ridiculous.
Speaker 9 (29:33):
Like we've just gone from these transactions happening via McDonald's
bags to now the irs can get their hands on it.
It's always been dirty, but now it's just kind of
a little more out in the open. But I think
to your point, yeah, it is getting a little bit
closer with the portal to basically what coaching moves have
(29:54):
been all along.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
Yeah, I mean I could.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
I mean you could say for football where I mean
you look at Penn State's backup quarterback last year.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
He had to leave before the playoffs start.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
I mean he and he could have I mean, he
was an absolute asset to the offense and I guarantee
they would have liked to have him for the Notre
Dame game several other games going forward, and he was
forced to make a decision to go make a million
dollars playing for Missouri because he's like, I can't wait
on this Drew Allers coming back.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
What a dick this guy is. I thought he would
just leave, you know, but no, I completely agree with you, Kerry.
Speaker 5 (30:29):
I've been waiting to bring this up to you because
of our last conversation when we talked last.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
No, no, no, this is not not a bad thing.
It's kind of like a holy shit, this happened.
Speaker 5 (30:39):
We talked about Arkansas and they were going to play
Kentucky for the very first time in the season. Arkansas won,
and then we said, I think you had mentioned that
you thought it'd be slim tonight chance that you know,
Arkansas would go on a run and make it. Well,
they went on to run, and they went a lot
further than people probably thought. What do you think about
that and what do you think that can do for
(30:59):
Calvin going forward to year two?
Speaker 9 (31:02):
Yeah, so I actually had Arkansas in the sweet sixteen
in my bracket. I mean they were they were a
completely different team once uh, Trevon Brazil and Jonas Adu
started playing well. Like I was looking at their numbers
like heading into the tournament, right, there was like a
thirteen game stretch in January and February where they were
like averaging a combined something like seven points and six rebounds,
(31:24):
and then their last five games hitting in the tournament,
it was like thirty and fifteen or something absurd, Like
they just blew up, like It was weird when when
they lost Boogie Flann, which was I think was right
before that Kentucky game. We were like, oh, they're they're
screwed that. You can't lose your best player. And then
they lose, you know, they lose planned and then John L.
Speaker 10 (31:42):
Davis steps up.
Speaker 9 (31:43):
Then they lose a Duierrow and all of a sudden,
like Adu and Brazil like okay, we're dudes. Now let's
let's take over. And they just just ran out of
gas there for final six minutes or whatever against Texas Tech.
I thought they would have if they could have won
that game, they could have given Florida certainly a run
for their money in the Elite eight, like they were
(32:04):
a completely different team from the one that started out
whatever it was one in six in SEC play.
Speaker 5 (32:09):
Yeah, yeah, I think I heard that Coach Kyle played
this podcast and what you said about them actually before.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
They started the tournament and they went on a run.
So it's all about us, it's all about everything year now.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
I was with you, though, I couldn't believe they made
the adjustments and everything they did. I said the first game,
I was watching it with my dad and I thought
that Brazil guy was the hardest hustling guy I've ever
seen my basketball in the twenty twenty era, Like it
was amazing.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
So yeah, I agree completely.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
They've Are you shocked at all, Carrie about the fact
that we have an all number one final four?
Speaker 10 (32:48):
No, not at all.
Speaker 9 (32:50):
And when I filled out my you know, I could
do my bracket like five minutes after the field is announced,
because then they have to like make the ground picked
four and then you know, I go and write about it.
But like I spent four hours writing about what I
spent like forty five seconds picking. But like, yeah, I
blazed through it region by region, and I had three
(33:14):
of the four ones, Auburn, Houston, and Duke. And then
I got to the end, I was like, I can't,
I can't have all four, and so then I just
like I didn't even feel great about it. But I
picked Yukon to knock off Florida. And that's also why
I ended up having Arkansas beat in Saint John's because
I think I had the one in the two, not
(33:35):
the elite eight, but definitely I had them all. Reaching
the sweet sixteen, I was like, well, this never happens.
I got to shake things up here. But they were
all good, Like heading into selection Sunday, like I was
all in on Florida. It's just that it was the
last region announced, and I had already convinced myself that
the other three ones were going to make.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
It a fair point, I.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
Would say, I mean, the four teams we have in
the final four, I think we can agree. Maybe Auburn
not so, but the other three were definitively the three
most impressive teams in leading up to the Final four.
I don't think there was any question. We know Duke
was dominant, Houston was under radar dominant. Outside of that
(34:21):
Purdue game, they handled everybody. Florida when Florida wanted to
take over, could take over. And then you had Auburn,
which again sort of same deal. When they wanted to
take over, they could take over a basketball game.
Speaker 9 (34:36):
Yeah, that's been It's been interesting with Auburn, right, Like,
in each game thus far, there's been like a five
to eight minute stretch where they were just oh, that's right.
This team was at one point twenty seven to two
and running away with the sec like they reminded you
every now and then.
Speaker 10 (34:55):
But I don't think we've seen enough of that.
Speaker 9 (34:57):
Consistency to believe that they're about to go be Florida
and then beat probably Duke in the championship.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
I think they do.
Speaker 9 (35:04):
Have the worst odds, and part of that is people
aren't sure about Jenni Broom's health. But yeah, they have
not been the same team since whatever that is, like
March fourth, that they were through the first four months
of the season, and a lot of it's just done
luck with three point shooting, to be honest, like they've
got four guys who shoot thirty seven percent or better
(35:26):
and none of them are shooting well lately. So they
could you know, flip the switch and just be incredible
in San Antonio again because they were. You know, if
you look at the history of Ken Palm, these are
four of the ten best teams. Ever, Yeah, I don't
know if you're able to really compare seasons like that,
(35:48):
like you're supposed to people to do that with wins
above replacement baseball. I don't know if that's supposed to
be the case with ten Palm data or if that's
just like the floor was lower so than the ceiling
looks higher or what it is. But yeah, as far
as efficiency margin for the ten best ever, I.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
Asked this question to the team last to the group
that's the team last week, and I wanted to extend
it to you this week. We and every other college
sport or whatever tournament, we always expect the number one
seeds to get to the final four where we are now.
But why is it that when it comes to college
basketball we don't want the number ones together. We want
(36:27):
to have the upstets, We want to have the we
want to have the eight or the twelve make Like,
why is it that college basketball is the one sport
where we don't want the number ones to get there?
Speaker 9 (36:38):
I have no idea, to be honest, Like, well, you
Cinderella is just like the thing with basketball, Like I
get that you want one in there. I think it's
great if you have fifteen really good teams and one
Cinderella in the sweet sixteen, Like that's kind of the dream.
If that Cinderella then makes the final four, that's cool too.
(36:59):
I mean, it's nice to see that every now and then.
But just to act like it sucks that we have
four to one seeds is crazy, Like I don't get
why people are on that, and I think it's pretty
clear that it's just people pushing some sort of agenda,
like with two years ago, right the final four was
A four, A five, A five, and a nine, and
(37:21):
everybody was like, oh is this this is the new
normal now, this is how it's going to be in
Nil and transfer Portal ARAA and now we have four
ones and it's like, oh, this is a new normal now, Like, well,
it can't be both. Maybe it's just a little random people.
Speaker 6 (37:36):
And I think that I think that kind of gives uh,
that kind of gives like you a boost to carry
you get a little.
Speaker 4 (37:41):
Cinderella in there.
Speaker 6 (37:42):
Now you got something to write about for the next
you know, a couple of weeks, you can you can
get that, get some stories in.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
That's what I think people really like the most about it.
Speaker 7 (37:50):
It's like it gives you something else to talk.
Speaker 6 (37:53):
About, cause it's like, yeah, you can report about these
four teams you've been reporting about all season that have
been and great and dominant, but like what about this
one team that wasn't supposed to be here that just
like kind of looked up like and it's a fun
thing to watch. And I feel like you get that
and you get it in every sport to a certain point,
(38:14):
like I don't think you want to watch like college football,
for example, right, like nobody we did all that fuscating
fight in a couple of years ago with Cincinnati, Like
did anybody really watch Cincinnati and the college football playoffs
at the end of the day, Like, I think football
is a little different because you're just so used to
like these certain teams being here and like here's who
(38:36):
should be playing, and it's like and if these guys
are gonna have the ability to play, we want to
see them play. We don't want to see anybody different.
But in basketball, it's just like I think, because there's
so many, uh, there's so many more teams, and you
just figure that, like the the variants, it should just
be like a lot higher. It's just cool to find
(38:57):
the team sometimes that like you just didn't think was
gonna make.
Speaker 4 (39:01):
It to this point.
Speaker 9 (39:02):
Yeah, I mean when right when Saint Peter's made their
run and Doug Alert became this name, Jack Goldkie last
year beat in Kentucky, Max Max asmis Rural Roberts, Like
these guys pop up and it is fun and it'd
be great if we could highlight some of these teams
before the tournament even starts. But then half of the
(39:23):
teams that you expect to be potential Cinderella teams losing
their conference tournaments. Anyways, It's like, well, we just wasted
our time talking about whoever. And then this year, God,
what little publicity's space there was for the mid majors
all went to everybody talking about freaking Doug Gottlieb at
Green Bay. Nobody would shut up about that, Like, go
(39:44):
tell an actual story about a not two and thirty three.
Speaker 10 (39:48):
That even I digress.
Speaker 9 (39:49):
But to your football point, like, you know, obviously football
and basketball are entirely Basketball is very you know, three
point variants. A team can just get hot and they're
gonna going to run. You're never going to see that foot,
Like there is no world in which the sixty fifth
best team is going to go out there and beat
Alabama or Georgia. But in basketball it can happen, and
(40:10):
we almost you know, some people demand that it happened.
We do somewhat expect that it will on somewhat of
a regular basis.
Speaker 4 (40:17):
But I don't.
Speaker 9 (40:19):
I'm fine with these four to one seeds Final four.
I'm more than content to go watch these two games
on Statur.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
I do want to ask you, Carrie, who, out of
the three teams left stand the best chance to knock
off Duke because Duke is and has been the best
team pretty much all season.
Speaker 9 (40:45):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think it's Florida, even though
they've been you know, they have the second best odds,
they've been the red hot team.
Speaker 10 (40:53):
I think just the way they.
Speaker 9 (40:56):
Almost just banked on Walter Clayton Junior bailing them out
again both Yukon and against Texas Tech, I think I
was a little concerned about their defense heading into the tournament.
I think we've seen that thus far. I think if
Auburn can just lock in for more than five to
six minutes, I think that's the team. Like, I don't
think Houston has the offense to beat Duke. I don't
(41:18):
think Florida has the defense. But when when Auburn was
firing on all cylinders, like they almost won at Cameron Door,
and that was without I think Denver Jones or Dylan
Cardwell scoring a single point. They they kind of had
a bad game and still hung with the Blue Devils
at Cameronon. So if Thatt Auburn shows up again. Now, granted,
Duke is a better team than they were four months ago.
(41:41):
I think Kaman Mahlawaf had like two points and two
rebounds in that game. That's not going to happen if
they meet the championship. But I think Auburn probably has
the best chance, even though I did just two minutes
ago say that they are the I think they have
the worst odds to win it all to day on
how they've been playing for the last four weeks.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
All right, I want to I want to shift gears
because you do write about baseball, and baseball as the
first week gets going, has a brand new story that
everybody is talking about. M and it's not how bad
the White Sox and Angels series was to watch. It's
(42:21):
about the torpedo bat, and particularly a team in New
York that uses the torpedo bats. So kind of help
us understand what this torpedo bat is and do you
have an issue with this bat like everybody else in America.
Speaker 10 (42:42):
I think it was.
Speaker 9 (42:44):
Trevor McGill for the Brewers, right, Tyler McGill is the
mess Trevor McGill's Brewers, But he was the one who
said it. It's like they're using some slow pitch softball
thing and like that was my first thought. Like on
my slow pitch softball team, we have a we have
two different bats that we used. One is like end
loaded that you're supposed to be able to you know,
mash homers with, and the other ones more you know,
(43:06):
papered out or whatever it's supposed to you know, hit
opposite field singles. It's built in a certain way. And
that's what they've done with these you know, bowling pin,
torpedo bats, whatever we're calling them. They've just loaded the mass,
you know, six inches from the end of the you know,
the end of the barrel. And obviously we're we're seeing
(43:27):
the results so far. I mean, I'm still trying to
read up on the physics.
Speaker 10 (43:31):
Of it myself.
Speaker 9 (43:32):
I know they're they're saying, if right, if you hit
it off the end of the bat, now, like you're
gonna get way less velocity on it, like a seventy
five mile per hour exit velocity will now be like
sixty five. But the trade off is if you hit
it on the sweet spot, you're going to get those
two to three extra miles per hour and you're seeing
these balls flying out of the park. But I saw
(43:55):
it in in Jeff the Song's story on it for ESPN.
Apparently John Carr was using this bat in the playoffs
last year. Nobody knew about it until now. I don't
think anybody realized it, and he was mashing in October.
So does that call into question their run If we
are eventually going to you know, outlaw these bats. I'm
(44:16):
not saying we should, but certainly a lot of people
are calling for her.
Speaker 4 (44:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (44:20):
I think it's just like the new you know, it's
the new hot thing. It's got a little bit of uh,
you know, it's got a little bit of buzz in
the media right now. And then you watched We talked
about this a little before we started taping about how,
you know, the Yankees just got the opportunity to play
a bad pitching staff. And I think that that was like,
you know, that coupled with the you know, the revelation
(44:44):
of these new bets to everybody, because clearly somebody else
was paying attention if somebody knew that Stanton was using
one of these bets in October. But it's just like
the new thing that everybody's kind of like laser focused
on right now. I don't really know if it'll change anything.
(45:05):
We have like a list, a running list of players
that are using these bats right now, so it'd be
interested to like keep an eye on what their seasons
sort of look like. And I'm sure everybody will not everybody,
but I'm sure like a majority of people will end
up using this bat at some point throughout the season.
So it'll be interesting to like compare people's numbers between
(45:27):
last year and this year. But I'm also just convinced that,
like there are some players who are gonna be using
these bets that just it's just not gonna help.
Speaker 7 (45:34):
I think you need more of than a new bet
to get better.
Speaker 10 (45:38):
Yeah, that's true. I mean we did what Ellie de.
Speaker 9 (45:40):
La Cruz had, like what a twelve total basis day
the other day. I think that was his first time
using the torpedo bat. But I mean Aaron Judge isn't
using it and he still destroyed the Brewers. To your
point there, it does help when you have a fun
new bat going up against a great pitching staff. But yeah,
(46:02):
I think we have our running list of who's using it.
That list is only.
Speaker 10 (46:06):
Going to grow and grow and grow if.
Speaker 9 (46:09):
The guys who are on that list continue to hit
as well as they have thus far.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
I was gonna say, when the Brewers are trotting out
Nestra Cortes against the Yankees and Yankee Stadium for the
second game of the season sort of tells me right
now where the Brewers are. And it's a shame because
the Brewers at one point had a really great pitching
staff that has just gone such in the opposite direction.
They traded their closer to the Yankees. That's how Quartez
(46:38):
got there. They're just a little bit of a mess.
If you don't believe that they gave up ten nine
runs to the Royals yesterday, who don't have Jonathan India
after he got your old Sunday, that's a little bit
of a telling sign to me. I want to ask
about the Braves though, because the Braves are zero to five,
which makes the two resident Philly fans and yourself a
Nats fan very happy so far. I know it's five games,
(47:03):
but this does not feel like a good omen for
Atlanta this year.
Speaker 9 (47:07):
No, it doesn't, and we were yeah to be fair
as a national stand up, The Braves don't matter to
me this year.
Speaker 10 (47:16):
We're gonna win like seventy games.
Speaker 9 (47:18):
But yeah, we and our Bleacher report our little slack
chat group. When the Jerks and profar news broke, I
was like, oh, man, I wish I had stuck by
my guns that like they were the team that I
thought was going to struggle, you know, things aren't going well.
And the one other guy was like, ah, they'll be
(47:38):
all right. And I was like, I'll bet you within
the next ten days, either Chris Sale or Rodrigo Lopez
is going to leave a start early. And like literally
thirty minutes later, the Lopez to the IL News broke,
I was like, I promise I didn't go break his
arm or anything, but look at that. And as soon
as that happened, it was like all just you know,
(47:59):
five a long fire going off. It seems like for
the Braves, I mean, at this point, you seriously do
have to question if they're.
Speaker 10 (48:07):
Gonna be able to turn out.
Speaker 9 (48:07):
And it was already a bit of a concern because
they have a front loaded schedule right they started against
the padres of the Dodgers. I think they played the
Diamondbacks that like eighteen of their first thirty games are
against teams that are supposed to win their division, and
they're they all were already doing it without Strider and Accouty,
So it was already a bit of a question mark
and how they could be just like dead in the water.
Speaker 10 (48:29):
But by the time those guys.
Speaker 6 (48:31):
Get back, and I guess we do have to say
that they were like when they like won in six,
when they won the World Series the last time.
Speaker 3 (48:40):
Some I'm wondering, it's like, I know, they weren't.
Speaker 9 (48:44):
I think they were what fifty one and fifty two.
It was over one hundred games into the season before
they finally broke five hundred and then obviously, as as
the resident Nats guy, they were nineteen and thirty one
to start their season in twenty nineteen. So yeah, we
we can't go, you know, fucking too much dirt on
their grave on April first. But it's not a great start,
(49:05):
let's put it that way.
Speaker 1 (49:06):
Yeah, no, it is not. All right, Carrie, I want
to get you out of here on this. What is
your World Series prediction for this year? Uh?
Speaker 9 (49:17):
Well, the Dodgers are going to win it, because that's
the way things are going.
Speaker 10 (49:22):
The American League is where it's interesting.
Speaker 9 (49:25):
I before the season, my pick was Boston against Texas
in the ALCS, with the Rangers taking it. I don't
know that I feel great about that already, but I'll
stand by it for now.
Speaker 1 (49:41):
I was hoping you'd have the Orioles, but it's okay.
I understand not having the Orioles there. The pitching is
just not trustworthy.
Speaker 9 (49:49):
Yeah, If Rodrigo Lopez going down was a concern, Grayson
Rodriguez going down before the season started was even more
so concerned.
Speaker 1 (49:58):
Well, hey, every other day the Oriols put up almost
nine runs and pitched well. So it's just got to
be in even or odd day like that's every other day.
So there'll be eighty one and eighty one and then
they'll go win the World Series because it'll all fall
on opposite days. That's just how it will go for
the Orioles. Carrie, thank you for taking some time with us.
(50:21):
We always enjoy having you on the show.
Speaker 4 (50:24):
You got it.
Speaker 10 (50:24):
Take care of guys, all.
Speaker 1 (50:26):
Right, Carrie Miller of Bleacher Report, And that is actually
gonna do it for us this week. For Peyton Gerard,
who I think is not even on here anymore.
Speaker 3 (50:40):
He just disappeared.
Speaker 1 (50:41):
Yeah, he dipped the wallago. Ironically, he didn't even say
anything in the group chat.
Speaker 2 (50:45):
Man.
Speaker 5 (50:46):
I ran back upstairs but I didn't want to be
rude to our friend Carrie here and just jump back in.
Something fell upstairs, something bad happened.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
Well hold on, now we gotta know.
Speaker 5 (50:56):
A bunch of glass everywhere, loud loud thud.
Speaker 7 (51:01):
That sounds.
Speaker 2 (51:04):
I haven't gotten to that far far yet. I had
to do a lot. I have to do a formal
investigation when I get back up there.
Speaker 5 (51:10):
Just was up there to to kind of secure the scene,
but I didn't want to jump back and felt that
it was super rude of me to do.
Speaker 1 (51:17):
That is great podcasting one on one right there, Peyton just.
Speaker 2 (51:24):
Trying trying to do do my part.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
All right, So now for Peyton Rod, for Brandon Stevens,
for David Maleser. Thanks to Carry Miller or Bleacher Report,
I am Dave stomwill. Hopefully nothing breaks and we'll talk
to you next week
This week's Opening Kickoff Podcast is presented to you by
our friends at cegee and use promo code Opening Kickoff
All one word to get twenty dollars off your first
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(00:23):
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next event. Hello and welcome to this week's edition of
(01:15):
the Opening Kickoff Podcast. And for the first time in
a while, We're all here. The gang is all here.
I am your host, Dave Steinweedeld. The gang is here.
I'm so excited for this. First up, my guy Peyton
Gerrod with the hat backwards? How you doing, buddy?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Doing well? Brackets are done since we last talked. Probably
everyone's is Yeah, for the most part, I don't know
what everyone had uh doing all though? Doing well?
Speaker 1 (01:46):
David Miles, who is a new fatherhood not gonna lie
kicking his ass right now.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Oh that's that's an understatement. Me, me and my lovely
wife are fighting for our lives over here. We no
longer have control of the household. It's ran by a
two sixth weeker seven weeker, seven weeker today?
Speaker 4 (02:09):
So uh?
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Is that a bad omen that you can't even remember?
How long I could remember?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I couldn't remember we talked about last week. I'm lucky
if I remember what I talked about at work today.
I have hope on my shirt as we speak.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
You can't see it.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Let's let's just be let's just let's just power it
through because you know, let's just do this.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Let's do this, and he's back, Our guy, Brandon Stevens
is back with us. Did this get approved by Elon
Musk and Doze and all those people?
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Don't even get me started.
Speaker 5 (02:48):
Don't even get how many bullet points we got done
already that one at least.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Listen, let's just say you don't have to worry about that.
Speaker 6 (02:57):
He might get done all the time, sometimes sometimes the
day events.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Oh, okay, already ahead of the game.
Speaker 6 (03:06):
That the real trick is is nothing changes. Yes, that's
the real trick.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Okay, all right, I look glad you're on top of it.
Glad my dollars are working for men.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
My dollars are working.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
Yeah. I mean my investment in this country, I'm gonna
make sure make sure it's protected.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I might be a small investor, but you know I'm
still invested.
Speaker 4 (03:40):
This is true. He did not tell one lie. Is
this is true?
Speaker 6 (03:45):
Oh, it's it's really all just it's so funny, man,
it's so funny, just like being in it, and then
just like hearing people talk about it. It's like, bro,
you don't even really know, you know, you.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
Don't even know.
Speaker 6 (04:03):
It's behind the scenes. It's really just that it's not
like nothing crazy. It's just people were dumb, just a
lot of stupid.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
He said.
Speaker 5 (04:14):
People don't know how to do the bullet point and word, goddamn.
Speaker 7 (04:21):
The hell, it's so bad, man, it's so bad, so bad.
Speaker 6 (04:26):
Like we gotta shape the stigma of like every people.
If you know somebody who works for the government, just
understand that they are the most like normal person ever.
They're not this like super cool.
Speaker 7 (04:39):
They're probably just they just looked up this guy like yeah,
that's really all.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Like I said, all right, well that was government. That
was the government.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Doing great, doing great.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
We got some plenty of sports talk about. We'll dive
into some of the headlines in sports here in a moment.
Carry Miller a Bleacher Reports going to join us later
to dive into all the things college basketball, including Maryland's
tumultuous week of a coaching search after a wild, really
sweet sixteen with Kevin Willard and now Buzz Williams. We'll
(05:22):
talk about that. We will look ahead to the final four.
It's an all chalk final four. If anyone had all
one seeds, you are probably doing very well in all
your bracket pools right now. And then we'll dive into
a very interesting topic in baseball, which is the Torpedo Bat.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
Torpedo Bat.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
They's a team in northern New York that's really loving them.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
So you know, now there is one thing I will
say about that as we dive into this stuff. The
Brewers pitching staff sucks. Let's keep that in mind when
we have this discussion. Because they give up ten runs
yesterday to the Royals, like it wasn't just the Yankees. Yeah,
(06:09):
Royals don't have a great offense. Part of that is
because Jonathan India got ear holed Sunday afternoon. But yeah, like, okay,
the New Bats or something.
Speaker 6 (06:19):
Yeah, if you want to really know how effective these
bets are, Alec Bohm has one of these bets. So
how much better does this make you as a baseball player?
But we'll talk about a four hundred ops in two months.
I don't want to hear anything about these torpedo bits anymore.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
But we'll talk about that with Kerry Miller, our good friend,
and a whole heck of a lot more. But I
want to start with the NBA, And because Brandon is ear,
I'm gonna throw this to him first. Usually the shocking
firings of head coaches during seasons usually come from the NHL.
Because the NHL fires coaches like name even some analogy
(07:01):
you can think of off top of your head. They
get rid of head coaches like they're trading trading cards
with their buddies. There you go, but welcome. The NBA
ended a fray with the Memphis Grizzlies firing Taylor Jenkins
with nine games to go, Brandon, what did you make
(07:21):
of that move?
Speaker 6 (07:24):
So, from what I understand is like, if anybody's been
truly paying attention that this is not the most like
surprising thing ever. I think the timing is what everybody's
kind of like questioning, But the fact that this happened
is not like surprising to anybody. I think the Grizzlies
organization just kind of figure. You don't want to have
(07:48):
your star player because the word in the streets is
him a Jammaran or.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Button heads about how to run the offense. So the
last thing you.
Speaker 6 (07:57):
Want is your star player and your head coach arguing
about how to run this offense come playoff time, Right,
you want to make sure everybody's on the same page.
And if you think that, like, if the way for
you to do that is to get this guy out
of the building and then just have the assistant coach
(08:19):
just be the yes man until the end of year season,
then that's the decision that you that you have to make.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
But the issue with that is we're talking like they're
not the fifth seed.
Speaker 8 (08:34):
Yeah, I mean it's not a it's not a So
from what I understand, this is not a point of
how good they are or like how the teams perform.
Speaker 7 (08:45):
It's just how how does this how is this.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Thing going to look like come the playoffs? Right?
Speaker 6 (08:52):
Like, his thing was, we've been doing it your way
all season and while the stats are good, right, like,
it's nice that we're in the fifth place in the West,
but he feels like they could have been top three,
they could have been one had you know, had you
done it my way.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Sort of thing.
Speaker 6 (09:14):
Man, I mean, when you're in this is the NBA
we're talking about, so like, at the end of the day,
the players are gonna rule, like, you know, whatever is
going on in this situation. I think Taylor Jenkins was
probably gonna be on his way out anyway.
Speaker 7 (09:33):
I think he should have been gone last year.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
That's just me.
Speaker 6 (09:39):
But yeah, I think the timing is really the only
thing that's like popping off the page.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah, I think that there are other coaches that need
to have a tough conversation before him, because even if
I democrctly. Last year, they weren't in that bad of
a spot either. I think John Moran was out the
majority year for being a kid, but it wasn't it
wasn't a matter of you know, bad coaching. It wasn't
a matter of anything against anybody. So I think that
(10:07):
for the I think there has to be a lot
more under the surface for them to fire him when
you still have at minimum, I mean, you have the
regular season, and you have at least what they're in
the play. They're not in the play, and so you
don't you don't have to worry about the plane, so
like you have extra two weeks to hang out and
just you know, prepare yourself. So I think that there's
a lot more behind this. I hate to turn behind
(10:30):
the scenes, but there's a lot more under the surface
that really was going on besides you know, Joe and
him butting your heads. But I mean, hey there, I
think there are other coaches that need to have a
tough conversation before him for him to have gotten fired.
But at this point of the season, like just let
him fancy the season. Now, let him get you through
the playoffs, because of in all reality, if they even
(10:50):
get past the first round, he buys himself another year theoretically.
Speaker 6 (10:56):
But yeah, but I think that that's kind of where
that's where I run it an issue with it because
I don't think that you going out in the first
round should buy you another year him specifically, I don't
think that should buy you another year in this case.
I think that they should have moved on at this
point anyway.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
But even to your point earlier of them feeling like
they could be playing better to be in a higher seed,
the best you're gonna get is that most two higher
seeds you're not gonna be You're You're not better than Okase,
You're not better than Denver. I mean, Houston is arguably
Houston's just actually playing out outstanding Medbrideoka is having it.
(11:37):
He's a great coach, so he's gonna have them in painting.
I'm the second seed. That's surprising. But like you're like,
and you're gonna be better. You're gonna move up about
the Lakers. That's moves you one seed, so you're gonna
go from five to four. I I don't see why that.
I don't see why I think that's an appropriate spot
for who your organization is for the talent you have
(11:59):
and for the people or behind. How they perform in
the in the postseason is a different story. We all
know how that goes. But I mean, like I said,
I think that for him to have gotten the boot,
I think that there has to be more than just
I feel like we could have been doing better.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
I mean, we'll see. I'm sure it all will come
to late in the off season.
Speaker 7 (12:22):
You know, we're gonna do a lot of speculation as
to what's going on. I'm sure the exit.
Speaker 6 (12:27):
Interviews and yeah, everything when their season is over.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
At some point we'll get the entire We'll.
Speaker 3 (12:34):
Get the whole story club and let it all out.
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (12:38):
At this point, I mean honestly, at this point, it's like,
would you be surprised?
Speaker 4 (12:43):
That's fair?
Speaker 2 (12:44):
What's Mike Brown up to? It sounds like Tom, I'll
tell you what.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
It seems.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
That's that's the move, Just do it.
Speaker 6 (12:52):
But I feel like I feel like he's really he's
really a guy is down.
Speaker 5 (12:59):
Yeah, nah, nah, dude, you give me one more try.
Come on, he can help him out. What's what's he doing?
He's gotta need a job. Let's start the Jeff van Gundy.
(13:19):
If he is god blossom. That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Yeah, we'll be.
Speaker 6 (13:27):
We'll be fine to though. I'm sure listen, once the
summer gets thirty for a lot of these teams, there's
gonna be a lot of discussion. We're gonna get a
lot of discussions. Well, who's gonna be coaching the Grizzlies next.
I'm sure they're gonna they're gonna jump on that. Whenever
the time presents itself, whenever we get some downtime, either
(13:47):
before the playoffs at some point during the playoffs afterwards,
we're gonna get to We're gonna get to this.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
By the way, update Ali four goals away from breaking
Wayne Gretzky's record.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Bands of Maker Dance, Bands of Maker Dance.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
That is, honestly one of my favorite things to watch.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
Is I don't know if you saw.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
He went to a bar last night and he was
celebrating the guy they signed, and he they just started
playing it and he.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Just started going nuts. I love that he loved it.
Speaker 5 (14:25):
That's like the most the most random song that Ovechkin
would like. But it you know, it's like it makes
sense how many games they got left.
Speaker 6 (14:35):
Yeah, that's the biggest thing is so many games he's
gonna break it.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
It's gotta be.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
There's a good chance right down break it. There's a
good chance, honestly, he breaks it. He could break it
by the weekend. Like if he scores two goals tonight,
he scores another goal tonight, they play the Hurricanes on Wednesday. Yeah,
(15:04):
and then I believe have the Islanders. I know they
play the Islanders for sure Sunday.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
Checking the seat Carolina, Chicago Islanders, Carolina Columbus, Columbus, Damn
Columbus might be in trouble.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
They might be an absolute bad territory.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
I'm going he breaks it break on Sunday they play
the Blackhawks.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I get that. But Sunday, so you think he's five away, right.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Four away from breaking three from time. I mean it's possible, dude.
Speaker 5 (15:42):
If he goes for a hat trick, that'd be sick.
That'd be the coolest way to ever break. This an
unbreakable record broken. Either way, it's gonna get broken, and
it's awesome now it's gonna happen now because as a kid,
or as a hockey fen in general, I just thought
it was unattainable. I just thought it was unrealistic. I mean,
(16:03):
he's still so far away in points I think I don't.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Think he'll have a chance to catch gret Ski for
the points, but he's got the goals.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Yeah, I don't think.
Speaker 5 (16:13):
Gretzky still has some ridiculous records that are just I mean,
they're never gonna be caught.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Jesus beast. Let's see Wayne Gretzky all time points two
thousand and eight and fifty seven. Ovechkin is at sixteen
hundred right now. I think he might be good. That's insane.
I've been fucking crazy.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
I got it.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
Somebody.
Speaker 6 (16:38):
I'm sure somebody's done the math of like what kind
of pace you have to be on in order to
even like consider it?
Speaker 2 (16:46):
Well, what is really cool? I just saw this.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
So for the Wayne Gretzky for his whole career played
fourteen eighty seven games. Ovechkin's at fourteen eighty three right now,
Like that's kind of that's kind of fun cool if
they did it like within that span, that like doesn't
doesn't discredit no room for that.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Let me see assists He's it's still ridiculous.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
I mean, it's just yeah, that's why is the great
the great one?
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Before we step aside and take a break.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Though.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
The other conversation comes from the NFL and the Competition Committee.
That sparked a little bit of conversation amongst us and
particularly the Eagle fan among us, the tush push. There
has been some leverage here the last two years, and
(17:41):
there's a little bit one It was tabled this year,
but there was a little bit more of a dialogue
about whether the tush push should be illegal. David Miles
feels very strongly that it's a play that you just should.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Be learned to stop it.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
There's a lot of bitching here.
Speaker 3 (17:59):
Learn learn how to stop it in a sport that
is a contact sport where my main goal is to
knock your head clean off. Stop complaining because you can't
stop a one yard QB sneak. Come on, people, let's
be real. I understand that you're also worried about concussions,
so worried about concussions than in all reality, there will
be no sport of football. Let's stop worrying about concussions
(18:23):
when you people trying to jump over the top to
stop it, because in all reality that's gonna cause it.
That's more like the CAUs of concussion because he's going
to hit someone on the head jumping over than us
pushing you forward because we have the lower center of gravity.
Low man wins in the game of football, right, So
stop crying, stop complaining. If Tampa Bay can stop it,
(18:43):
so can everyone learn us learn how to get better
personnel to man up Let's I mean, yes, yes, not
everyone has that guy, but there's And it's so ironic
that the team that really put forward the motion is
a team that tried and failed so miserably to run
(19:05):
it to his push of their own. So let's stop
with Let's stop with the false anger, with the false
with the false sense of caring about people's safety. Y'all
don't care about people's safety, y'all doesn't y'all just want
to play to stop because no one has successfully stopped
it on a consistent basis, Get out of here with that.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
I think it was fucked up that they did all
these tweets though on April Fool's that not gonna lie
thought that immediately. I thought every tweet was a lie.
But everything I saw today was a lie. I like
Sean mcvay's talk about it. It was basically like, yeah,
like you know, I like think things that you're good at,
but like now that we're like if they said we're
(19:47):
not good at it, so we should probably ban it
or relook at it. And it was like one of
the funniest things because he ultimately was probably him and
Tampabay are probably the only two that were close to
even like stopping it at any p point, which was
funny because like he probably had like he has the
closive path to like stopping it.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
But yeah, I mean, I don't.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
Here's here's what I will say. Here's what I will say.
There is one part that I give a little legitimacy to.
A couple of the team's representatives said about about the
tush push itself, I don't think you outlawed the play.
I think what you do have to cut away from,
(20:33):
because it's already language in the rule book, is that
you cannot aid and push from behind. That makes I
know we're I know we're way past that, but that
there is legitimacy to that point. Though there is legitimacy
to that point.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Dames been prying about that since the bush push.
Speaker 5 (20:55):
I mean, honestly, they're the first if anyone got a
gripe that should be Notre Dame and Brady Quinn and
Charlie Weiss and you know whoever else could have.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Whoever could have lead prog USC to that national champion ship.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
You know, but I are we discrediting Are we discrediting
the ability the ability that Jalen Hurts is able to
do that without getting pushed?
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Is this what we're saying?
Speaker 1 (21:21):
No, no, no, no, no no, that's not what I'm saying. No, no, no, no, that's.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
Not what I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
I just wanted to make sure. I want to make
sure because.
Speaker 5 (21:28):
I think it's just the optics of it that people shoving. Again,
could Jalen Hurts get it? Yes, there's no question, but
guy the time, Yeah, well, I mean the problem I'm
saying is it's the optics thing of you see him
push and then you see.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Three guys behind him shoving him forward.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Like that's what people don't like, Like, can Jalen Hurts
get out of himself?
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Absolutely?
Speaker 5 (21:51):
I would never doubt if Jalen Hurts got stuffed on
a QB sneak, I would want to shake the guy's
hand that did it. I'd be like, you are a
goddamn hero. But that's not possible the people pushing that.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
So then well, and that's that's my only point. Yeah,
that's my only point about this, is you is the
pushing is the guys from behind. If this is just
the push push with QB sneak part of it, then
then I'm fine. It's when you have the language and
(22:25):
the rule book that says you can't have guys coming
in pushing, pushing the pile, things like that. Okay, that's
where I I understand the argument. I'm also on the
side of if you can't stop the play, quit whining
about it. But there is fairness to that point though
about that. There is already language in the rule book
(22:48):
that says that part of that play should not be allowed.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
So then to your guys point those plays, when you
have the running back or whatever, who has the ball
carrier writing friction yards and you have the lineman or
whoever pushing him forward or piling on against the defenses,
who is going to say in the opposite direction that
should be illegal? To think, correct by by your logic,
because that's the same as that play. The difference is
(23:13):
that none of them were in a in a three
point stands prior to It's the same people.
Speaker 6 (23:19):
The big difference, that's the big difference. It's just not
the line of scrimmage.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
So if that so once again, so you're you are
in agreements, then that that also should be banned by
because biologic that's the same thing. Only difference is one
and three point stands. The other one is not.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Oh yeah, but yeah yeah when you put it that way,
but that's not that's not at all. No, I don't
think that you're trying. You're trying right now.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
To different absolutely one thing to another, but the second one,
but hold on the one.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
You're trying to make an argument out of the defense.
Does the whistles are pulling the minute the guy starts
going backwards and their guys pushing on the pile, what happens,
whistles are blown.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Play is dead now times. Whether whether if there's for progress,
they don't blow it dead, we've all.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Seen we've seen all yeah, yeah, so we've seen pushes
where they don't push the pile either.
Speaker 6 (24:19):
I'm gonna say we're not gonna sit here and act
like we believe the NFL official eating.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
That's fair.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
That's when I well agree, and that's it's subjective. I
get that I'm just saying there's a lot of complaining
from teams who can't stop it.
Speaker 7 (24:35):
That's all I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
That's all.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
I know what you're saying.
Speaker 7 (24:38):
And you agree that.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
You put the Super Bowl in the big bro, you
got it already Manyeah, you just.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Like that.
Speaker 5 (24:52):
It's it's basically like the way I look at it
like this, Eventually people get mad enough and they don't
like what's happening. Like look at the melt blunt Roll.
Way back in the day, defensive holding was never a
thing because he would grab people and they're not getting off.
So they changed the rule because that like they didn't
like that people were able to do that. Like did
it change the game of football forever?
Speaker 4 (25:10):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (25:10):
Absolutely, But you know people learn how to go around
it and figure out other ways to play football.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
It's just I mean, it's it's someone got so good
at something they have to change it.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Has we have We have our guests joining us. He
is a national baseball and college basketball writer for Bleacher Report.
Kind enough to give us some time. Carry Miller is
here with us. Carrie, how you doing.
Speaker 9 (25:35):
I am I'm doing well. I don't know what what debate?
I just sauntered into but I'm looking forward to getting
in on it.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
It's the push.
Speaker 10 (25:44):
Oh yeah, get rid of that.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
This is where we're going.
Speaker 10 (25:50):
This is where we're going.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
Y'all, y'all did this, y'all did this. There we go,
y'all did this.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Whatever. Yeah, Bannon, see he was our deciding vote. There
we go, it's gone. Thank you.
Speaker 9 (26:04):
Carry happy to be a part of it.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
Let's dive right in and let's start with the tumultuous
week of the University of Maryland basketball. They hired Buzz
Williams today, But I want to start with the Kevin
Willard stuff because I mean, it's open season for coaches.
We know this as a fact. Did you have any
issue with the way Kevin Willard handled the lead up
(26:30):
to leaving to go to Villanova?
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Uh?
Speaker 10 (26:34):
Yes, Uh, he could have.
Speaker 9 (26:37):
Handled it so much better. It just feels like he
learned absolutely nothing from the blowback to the way he
left Seaton Hall three years ago. You know, and we
saw we saw will Wade right embrace it. He's like, yeah,
I'm going to NC State. We're going to have one
(26:57):
hell of a final ride here at McNee. And they
upset Clemson. They put a put up a decent effort
against Purdue, and once the once the Wizard thing became
what it was like. Once that was the story, we
knew Maryland was screwed against Florida, like they had no
chance in that game, like a great team. Story became
(27:19):
about the coach who doesn't know how to handle a
coaching search, and it's a shame it came to that.
I don't know that Buzz Williams is the right direction
they want to go.
Speaker 8 (27:30):
Uh.
Speaker 9 (27:30):
Right, you had len Elmore out there saying we want
to get internal people, uh and they go make the
exact same train external splash hire with Buzz Williams.
Speaker 10 (27:42):
It's Buzz.
Speaker 9 (27:43):
We know he'll be gone in five years for another job.
So what's Maryland going to do?
Speaker 10 (27:47):
Then?
Speaker 7 (27:47):
Yeah, let's get another revolving door head coach.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
I want to have.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
So one of the things that we've talked about is
the transfer portal and correlating it to you know, players
leaving versus coaches leaving. Put it in this situation kind
of in a scope of that whole I guess conversation
of having players leave all of a sudden versus coaches
leaving all of a sudden. Do you think it's still
(28:22):
a fair conversation to have comparing that, comparing the players
and their ability to leave whenever versus the coaches and
their ability to leave whenever.
Speaker 9 (28:31):
I do think it's crazy that the portal opened when
it did, and I know some people were saying that,
like maybe that's the only way that we can balance
the power, right Like if you're still in the sweet
sixteen and you're crying that you can't get kids from
the portal because you're busy focusing on that season, Like, oh, well,
if you were good this year, that's your penalty for
(28:52):
being so good in the future.
Speaker 10 (28:54):
But it does it's now balanced out.
Speaker 9 (28:58):
A little bit like it used to be, you know,
before we had the unlimited transferring, and you know, now
it is more like the coaches where you know, the
coaches have always been able to just up and leave
whenever they want, But the coaches also have contracts, and
if they do leave, you know, either their new school
or they have to pay a penalty. Whereas we don't
(29:19):
really know what's going on with NIL and you know
who who has to pay what. We don't even know
if the guys are getting the NIL. That all those
stories are coming out these days of guys who were
promised money and it's never coming, and it's the.
Speaker 10 (29:32):
Whole thing is ridiculous.
Speaker 9 (29:33):
Like we've just gone from these transactions happening via McDonald's
bags to now the irs can get their hands on it.
It's always been dirty, but now it's just kind of
a little more out in the open. But I think
to your point, yeah, it is getting a little bit
closer with the portal to basically what coaching moves have
(29:54):
been all along.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
Yeah, I mean I could.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
I mean you could say for football where I mean
you look at Penn State's backup quarterback last year.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
He had to leave before the playoffs start.
Speaker 5 (30:07):
I mean he and he could have I mean, he
was an absolute asset to the offense and I guarantee
they would have liked to have him for the Notre
Dame game several other games going forward, and he was
forced to make a decision to go make a million
dollars playing for Missouri because he's like, I can't wait
on this Drew Allers coming back.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
What a dick this guy is. I thought he would
just leave, you know, but no, I completely agree with you, Kerry.
Speaker 5 (30:29):
I've been waiting to bring this up to you because
of our last conversation when we talked last.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
No, no, no, this is not not a bad thing.
It's kind of like a holy shit, this happened.
Speaker 5 (30:39):
We talked about Arkansas and they were going to play
Kentucky for the very first time in the season. Arkansas won,
and then we said, I think you had mentioned that
you thought it'd be slim tonight chance that you know,
Arkansas would go on a run and make it. Well,
they went on to run, and they went a lot
further than people probably thought. What do you think about
that and what do you think that can do for
(30:59):
Calvin going forward to year two?
Speaker 9 (31:02):
Yeah, so I actually had Arkansas in the sweet sixteen
in my bracket. I mean they were they were a
completely different team once uh, Trevon Brazil and Jonas Adu
started playing well. Like I was looking at their numbers
like heading into the tournament, right, there was like a
thirteen game stretch in January and February where they were
like averaging a combined something like seven points and six rebounds,
(31:24):
and then their last five games hitting in the tournament,
it was like thirty and fifteen or something absurd, Like
they just blew up, like It was weird when when
they lost Boogie Flann, which was I think was right
before that Kentucky game. We were like, oh, they're they're
screwed that. You can't lose your best player. And then
they lose, you know, they lose planned and then John L.
Speaker 10 (31:42):
Davis steps up.
Speaker 9 (31:43):
Then they lose a Duierrow and all of a sudden,
like Adu and Brazil like okay, we're dudes. Now let's
let's take over. And they just just ran out of
gas there for final six minutes or whatever against Texas Tech.
I thought they would have if they could have won
that game, they could have given Florida certainly a run
for their money in the Elite eight, like they were
(32:04):
a completely different team from the one that started out
whatever it was one in six in SEC play.
Speaker 5 (32:09):
Yeah, yeah, I think I heard that Coach Kyle played
this podcast and what you said about them actually before.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
They started the tournament and they went on a run.
So it's all about us, it's all about everything year now.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
I was with you, though, I couldn't believe they made
the adjustments and everything they did. I said the first game,
I was watching it with my dad and I thought
that Brazil guy was the hardest hustling guy I've ever
seen my basketball in the twenty twenty era, Like it
was amazing.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
So yeah, I agree completely.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
They've Are you shocked at all, Carrie about the fact
that we have an all number one final four?
Speaker 10 (32:48):
No, not at all.
Speaker 9 (32:50):
And when I filled out my you know, I could
do my bracket like five minutes after the field is announced,
because then they have to like make the ground picked
four and then you know, I go and write about it.
But like I spent four hours writing about what I
spent like forty five seconds picking. But like, yeah, I
blazed through it region by region, and I had three
(33:14):
of the four ones, Auburn, Houston, and Duke. And then
I got to the end, I was like, I can't,
I can't have all four, and so then I just
like I didn't even feel great about it. But I
picked Yukon to knock off Florida. And that's also why
I ended up having Arkansas beat in Saint John's because
I think I had the one in the two, not
(33:35):
the elite eight, but definitely I had them all. Reaching
the sweet sixteen, I was like, well, this never happens.
I got to shake things up here. But they were
all good, Like heading into selection Sunday, like I was
all in on Florida. It's just that it was the
last region announced, and I had already convinced myself that
the other three ones were going to make.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
It a fair point, I.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
Would say, I mean, the four teams we have in
the final four, I think we can agree. Maybe Auburn
not so, but the other three were definitively the three
most impressive teams in leading up to the Final four.
I don't think there was any question. We know Duke
was dominant, Houston was under radar dominant. Outside of that
(34:21):
Purdue game, they handled everybody. Florida when Florida wanted to
take over, could take over. And then you had Auburn,
which again sort of same deal. When they wanted to
take over, they could take over a basketball game.
Speaker 9 (34:36):
Yeah, that's been It's been interesting with Auburn, right, Like,
in each game thus far, there's been like a five
to eight minute stretch where they were just oh, that's right.
This team was at one point twenty seven to two
and running away with the sec like they reminded you
every now and then.
Speaker 10 (34:55):
But I don't think we've seen enough of that.
Speaker 9 (34:57):
Consistency to believe that they're about to go be Florida
and then beat probably Duke in the championship.
Speaker 4 (35:04):
I think they do.
Speaker 9 (35:04):
Have the worst odds, and part of that is people
aren't sure about Jenni Broom's health. But yeah, they have
not been the same team since whatever that is, like
March fourth, that they were through the first four months
of the season, and a lot of it's just done
luck with three point shooting, to be honest, like they've
got four guys who shoot thirty seven percent or better
(35:26):
and none of them are shooting well lately. So they
could you know, flip the switch and just be incredible
in San Antonio again because they were. You know, if
you look at the history of Ken Palm, these are
four of the ten best teams. Ever, Yeah, I don't
know if you're able to really compare seasons like that,
(35:48):
like you're supposed to people to do that with wins
above replacement baseball. I don't know if that's supposed to
be the case with ten Palm data or if that's
just like the floor was lower so than the ceiling
looks higher or what it is. But yeah, as far
as efficiency margin for the ten best ever, I.
Speaker 3 (36:06):
Asked this question to the team last to the group
that's the team last week, and I wanted to extend
it to you this week. We and every other college
sport or whatever tournament, we always expect the number one
seeds to get to the final four where we are now.
But why is it that when it comes to college
basketball we don't want the number ones together. We want
(36:27):
to have the upstets, We want to have the we
want to have the eight or the twelve make Like,
why is it that college basketball is the one sport
where we don't want the number ones to get there?
Speaker 9 (36:38):
I have no idea, to be honest, Like, well, you
Cinderella is just like the thing with basketball, Like I
get that you want one in there. I think it's
great if you have fifteen really good teams and one
Cinderella in the sweet sixteen, Like that's kind of the dream.
If that Cinderella then makes the final four, that's cool too.
(36:59):
I mean, it's nice to see that every now and then.
But just to act like it sucks that we have
four to one seeds is crazy, Like I don't get
why people are on that, and I think it's pretty
clear that it's just people pushing some sort of agenda,
like with two years ago, right the final four was
A four, A five, A five, and a nine, and
(37:21):
everybody was like, oh is this this is the new
normal now, this is how it's going to be in
Nil and transfer Portal ARAA and now we have four
ones and it's like, oh, this is a new normal now, Like, well,
it can't be both. Maybe it's just a little random people.
Speaker 6 (37:36):
And I think that I think that kind of gives uh,
that kind of gives like you a boost to carry
you get a little.
Speaker 4 (37:41):
Cinderella in there.
Speaker 6 (37:42):
Now you got something to write about for the next
you know, a couple of weeks, you can you can
get that, get some stories in.
Speaker 4 (37:48):
That's what I think people really like the most about it.
Speaker 7 (37:50):
It's like it gives you something else to talk.
Speaker 6 (37:53):
About, cause it's like, yeah, you can report about these
four teams you've been reporting about all season that have
been and great and dominant, but like what about this
one team that wasn't supposed to be here that just
like kind of looked up like and it's a fun
thing to watch. And I feel like you get that
and you get it in every sport to a certain point,
(38:14):
like I don't think you want to watch like college football,
for example, right, like nobody we did all that fuscating
fight in a couple of years ago with Cincinnati, Like
did anybody really watch Cincinnati and the college football playoffs
at the end of the day, Like, I think football
is a little different because you're just so used to
like these certain teams being here and like here's who
(38:36):
should be playing, and it's like and if these guys
are gonna have the ability to play, we want to
see them play. We don't want to see anybody different.
But in basketball, it's just like I think, because there's
so many, uh, there's so many more teams, and you
just figure that, like the the variants, it should just
be like a lot higher. It's just cool to find
(38:57):
the team sometimes that like you just didn't think was
gonna make.
Speaker 4 (39:01):
It to this point.
Speaker 9 (39:02):
Yeah, I mean when right when Saint Peter's made their
run and Doug Alert became this name, Jack Goldkie last
year beat in Kentucky, Max Max asmis Rural Roberts, Like
these guys pop up and it is fun and it'd
be great if we could highlight some of these teams
before the tournament even starts. But then half of the
(39:23):
teams that you expect to be potential Cinderella teams losing
their conference tournaments. Anyways, It's like, well, we just wasted
our time talking about whoever. And then this year, God,
what little publicity's space there was for the mid majors
all went to everybody talking about freaking Doug Gottlieb at
Green Bay. Nobody would shut up about that, Like, go
(39:44):
tell an actual story about a not two and thirty three.
Speaker 10 (39:48):
That even I digress.
Speaker 9 (39:49):
But to your football point, like, you know, obviously football
and basketball are entirely Basketball is very you know, three
point variants. A team can just get hot and they're
gonna going to run. You're never going to see that foot,
Like there is no world in which the sixty fifth
best team is going to go out there and beat
Alabama or Georgia. But in basketball it can happen, and
(40:10):
we almost you know, some people demand that it happened.
We do somewhat expect that it will on somewhat of
a regular basis.
Speaker 4 (40:17):
But I don't.
Speaker 9 (40:19):
I'm fine with these four to one seeds Final four.
I'm more than content to go watch these two games
on Statur.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
I do want to ask you, Carrie, who, out of
the three teams left stand the best chance to knock
off Duke because Duke is and has been the best
team pretty much all season.
Speaker 9 (40:45):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think it's Florida, even though
they've been you know, they have the second best odds,
they've been the red hot team.
Speaker 10 (40:53):
I think just the way they.
Speaker 9 (40:56):
Almost just banked on Walter Clayton Junior bailing them out
again both Yukon and against Texas Tech, I think I
was a little concerned about their defense heading into the tournament.
I think we've seen that thus far. I think if
Auburn can just lock in for more than five to
six minutes, I think that's the team. Like, I don't
think Houston has the offense to beat Duke. I don't
(41:18):
think Florida has the defense. But when when Auburn was
firing on all cylinders, like they almost won at Cameron Door,
and that was without I think Denver Jones or Dylan
Cardwell scoring a single point. They they kind of had
a bad game and still hung with the Blue Devils
at Cameronon. So if Thatt Auburn shows up again. Now, granted,
Duke is a better team than they were four months ago.
(41:41):
I think Kaman Mahlawaf had like two points and two
rebounds in that game. That's not going to happen if
they meet the championship. But I think Auburn probably has
the best chance, even though I did just two minutes
ago say that they are the I think they have
the worst odds to win it all to day on
how they've been playing for the last four weeks.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
All right, I want to I want to shift gears
because you do write about baseball, and baseball as the
first week gets going, has a brand new story that
everybody is talking about. M and it's not how bad
the White Sox and Angels series was to watch. It's
(42:21):
about the torpedo bat, and particularly a team in New
York that uses the torpedo bats. So kind of help
us understand what this torpedo bat is and do you
have an issue with this bat like everybody else in America.
Speaker 10 (42:42):
I think it was.
Speaker 9 (42:44):
Trevor McGill for the Brewers, right, Tyler McGill is the
mess Trevor McGill's Brewers, But he was the one who
said it. It's like they're using some slow pitch softball
thing and like that was my first thought. Like on
my slow pitch softball team, we have a we have
two different bats that we used. One is like end
loaded that you're supposed to be able to you know,
mash homers with, and the other ones more you know,
(43:06):
papered out or whatever it's supposed to you know, hit
opposite field singles. It's built in a certain way. And
that's what they've done with these you know, bowling pin,
torpedo bats, whatever we're calling them. They've just loaded the mass,
you know, six inches from the end of the you know,
the end of the barrel. And obviously we're we're seeing
(43:27):
the results so far. I mean, I'm still trying to
read up on the physics.
Speaker 10 (43:31):
Of it myself.
Speaker 9 (43:32):
I know they're they're saying, if right, if you hit
it off the end of the bat, now, like you're
gonna get way less velocity on it, like a seventy
five mile per hour exit velocity will now be like
sixty five. But the trade off is if you hit
it on the sweet spot, you're going to get those
two to three extra miles per hour and you're seeing
these balls flying out of the park. But I saw
(43:55):
it in in Jeff the Song's story on it for ESPN.
Apparently John Carr was using this bat in the playoffs
last year. Nobody knew about it until now. I don't
think anybody realized it, and he was mashing in October.
So does that call into question their run If we
are eventually going to you know, outlaw these bats. I'm
(44:16):
not saying we should, but certainly a lot of people
are calling for her.
Speaker 4 (44:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (44:20):
I think it's just like the new you know, it's
the new hot thing. It's got a little bit of uh,
you know, it's got a little bit of buzz in
the media right now. And then you watched We talked
about this a little before we started taping about how,
you know, the Yankees just got the opportunity to play
a bad pitching staff. And I think that that was like,
you know, that coupled with the you know, the revelation
(44:44):
of these new bets to everybody, because clearly somebody else
was paying attention if somebody knew that Stanton was using
one of these bets in October. But it's just like
the new thing that everybody's kind of like laser focused
on right now. I don't really know if it'll change anything.
(45:05):
We have like a list, a running list of players
that are using these bats right now, so it'd be
interested to like keep an eye on what their seasons
sort of look like. And I'm sure everybody will not everybody,
but I'm sure like a majority of people will end
up using this bat at some point throughout the season.
So it'll be interesting to like compare people's numbers between
(45:27):
last year and this year. But I'm also just convinced that,
like there are some players who are gonna be using
these bets that just it's just not gonna help.
Speaker 7 (45:34):
I think you need more of than a new bet
to get better.
Speaker 10 (45:38):
Yeah, that's true. I mean we did what Ellie de.
Speaker 9 (45:40):
La Cruz had, like what a twelve total basis day
the other day. I think that was his first time
using the torpedo bat. But I mean Aaron Judge isn't
using it and he still destroyed the Brewers. To your
point there, it does help when you have a fun
new bat going up against a great pitching staff. But yeah,
(46:02):
I think we have our running list of who's using it.
That list is only.
Speaker 10 (46:06):
Going to grow and grow and grow if.
Speaker 9 (46:09):
The guys who are on that list continue to hit
as well as they have thus far.
Speaker 1 (46:15):
I was gonna say, when the Brewers are trotting out
Nestra Cortes against the Yankees and Yankee Stadium for the
second game of the season sort of tells me right
now where the Brewers are. And it's a shame because
the Brewers at one point had a really great pitching
staff that has just gone such in the opposite direction.
They traded their closer to the Yankees. That's how Quartez
(46:38):
got there. They're just a little bit of a mess.
If you don't believe that they gave up ten nine
runs to the Royals yesterday, who don't have Jonathan India
after he got your old Sunday, that's a little bit
of a telling sign to me. I want to ask
about the Braves though, because the Braves are zero to five,
which makes the two resident Philly fans and yourself a
Nats fan very happy so far. I know it's five games,
(47:03):
but this does not feel like a good omen for
Atlanta this year.
Speaker 9 (47:07):
No, it doesn't, and we were yeah to be fair
as a national stand up, The Braves don't matter to
me this year.
Speaker 10 (47:16):
We're gonna win like seventy games.
Speaker 9 (47:18):
But yeah, we and our Bleacher report our little slack
chat group. When the Jerks and profar news broke, I
was like, oh, man, I wish I had stuck by
my guns that like they were the team that I
thought was going to struggle, you know, things aren't going well.
And the one other guy was like, ah, they'll be
(47:38):
all right. And I was like, I'll bet you within
the next ten days, either Chris Sale or Rodrigo Lopez
is going to leave a start early. And like literally
thirty minutes later, the Lopez to the IL News broke,
I was like, I promise I didn't go break his
arm or anything, but look at that. And as soon
as that happened, it was like all just you know,
(47:59):
five a long fire going off. It seems like for
the Braves, I mean, at this point, you seriously do
have to question if they're.
Speaker 10 (48:07):
Gonna be able to turn out.
Speaker 9 (48:07):
And it was already a bit of a concern because
they have a front loaded schedule right they started against
the padres of the Dodgers. I think they played the
Diamondbacks that like eighteen of their first thirty games are
against teams that are supposed to win their division, and
they're they all were already doing it without Strider and Accouty,
So it was already a bit of a question mark
and how they could be just like dead in the water.
Speaker 10 (48:29):
But by the time those guys.
Speaker 6 (48:31):
Get back, and I guess we do have to say
that they were like when they like won in six,
when they won the World Series the last time.
Speaker 3 (48:40):
Some I'm wondering, it's like, I know, they weren't.
Speaker 9 (48:44):
I think they were what fifty one and fifty two.
It was over one hundred games into the season before
they finally broke five hundred and then obviously, as as
the resident Nats guy, they were nineteen and thirty one
to start their season in twenty nineteen. So yeah, we
we can't go, you know, fucking too much dirt on
their grave on April first. But it's not a great start,
(49:05):
let's put it that way.
Speaker 1 (49:06):
Yeah, no, it is not. All right, Carrie, I want
to get you out of here on this. What is
your World Series prediction for this year? Uh?
Speaker 9 (49:17):
Well, the Dodgers are going to win it, because that's
the way things are going.
Speaker 10 (49:22):
The American League is where it's interesting.
Speaker 9 (49:25):
I before the season, my pick was Boston against Texas
in the ALCS, with the Rangers taking it. I don't
know that I feel great about that already, but I'll
stand by it for now.
Speaker 1 (49:41):
I was hoping you'd have the Orioles, but it's okay.
I understand not having the Orioles there. The pitching is
just not trustworthy.
Speaker 9 (49:49):
Yeah, If Rodrigo Lopez going down was a concern, Grayson
Rodriguez going down before the season started was even more
so concerned.
Speaker 1 (49:58):
Well, hey, every other day the Oriols put up almost
nine runs and pitched well. So it's just got to
be in even or odd day like that's every other day.
So there'll be eighty one and eighty one and then
they'll go win the World Series because it'll all fall
on opposite days. That's just how it will go for
the Orioles. Carrie, thank you for taking some time with us.
(50:21):
We always enjoy having you on the show.
Speaker 4 (50:24):
You got it.
Speaker 10 (50:24):
Take care of guys, all.
Speaker 1 (50:26):
Right, Carrie Miller of Bleacher Report, And that is actually
gonna do it for us this week. For Peyton Gerard,
who I think is not even on here anymore.
Speaker 3 (50:40):
He just disappeared.
Speaker 1 (50:41):
Yeah, he dipped the wallago. Ironically, he didn't even say
anything in the group chat.
Speaker 2 (50:45):
Man.
Speaker 5 (50:46):
I ran back upstairs but I didn't want to be
rude to our friend Carrie here and just jump back in.
Something fell upstairs, something bad happened.
Speaker 1 (50:54):
Well hold on, now we gotta know.
Speaker 5 (50:56):
A bunch of glass everywhere, loud loud thud.
Speaker 7 (51:01):
That sounds.
Speaker 2 (51:04):
I haven't gotten to that far far yet. I had
to do a lot. I have to do a formal
investigation when I get back up there.
Speaker 5 (51:10):
Just was up there to to kind of secure the scene,
but I didn't want to jump back and felt that
it was super rude of me to do.
Speaker 1 (51:17):
That is great podcasting one on one right there, Peyton just.
Speaker 2 (51:24):
Trying trying to do do my part.
Speaker 1 (51:29):
All right, So now for Peyton Rod, for Brandon Stevens,
for David Maleser. Thanks to Carry Miller or Bleacher Report,
I am Dave stomwill. Hopefully nothing breaks and we'll talk
to you next week
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