Final Rose Bowl preview + Pacers on NYE

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's query in company.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
I'm going to be keeping your company for the next
few hours.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
You are not going to believe the company, this company.

Speaker 3 (00:07):
You're going to bankrupt your mama's company.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
At least I have the radio to keep me company.

Speaker 4 (00:10):
On ninety three five and one oh seven five the fan.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
So here it is the conclusion the white flag. I
guess technically speaking, we would be right smack dab in
the middle of the backstretch on this the final lap
of two thousand and twenty five, which means that twenty

(00:40):
twenty five is coming roaring into view, in to my
view at turn number three and given about another nine
and a half hours, and Michael Young will eventually drop
them to me on the call of this the final
lap of twenty twenty five, I kid, I just got
off the phone with Michael, which there's no better way

(01:00):
to end the year than to be able to talk
to people, have fun, laugh and look back at the
year that was. And so we will do exactly that
over the course of today in getting set for a
couple of big time things when it comes to sports
here in Central Indiatica. Afterning to you, my name is
Jay Quarry. Eddie Garrison is off today, Nathaniel, don't call

(01:21):
me Atticas. Finch is in the seat as a result,
And Atticus, I gotta say, I came in here, you
got everything lockloaded, ready to go, right, I mean, we're
you're stocking the cupboard. You're like a doomsday prepper. I
came in you had an entire room here full of
canned goods and all kinds of stuff.

Speaker 5 (01:38):
Right, got to make sure that we don't miss Eddie.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
Well, that was done before we even began the day, right,
that was decided upon. There is plenty to get to
over the course of today. Let me begin by saying
this happy new year to all of you. You know
you have heard me say, but I will say it
again that the reality is this and maybe as I've
gotten older, I've become more reflective or more appreciative. Probably

(02:08):
is a fair word. Sentimental, Maybe is fair if that's
if you want to use that as a critique. But
like anybody in any line of work, for all of you,
whether you are an accountant, an engineer, a doctor, a teacher,
a first responder, whatever it might be, Jeremiah, our official

(02:29):
firefighter of the show. You know, whatever it might be,
you have days at work where you think, man, I
just love my job, and you have days at work
where you're like, man, my job is a struggle. And
more often than not in this line of work, in
this job, there really is not a lot to complain about,
and it is still a job. But at the end

(02:51):
of the day, I often think about and sometimes I
think this is cathartic and this is a good time
of year to do it. You know, when you when
you get set to turn the page on a new year,
and as I call it, resume padfiller day, because listen,
I've had jobs before where I was laid off on
January third, and I'm like, you know what, the resume
boom put it right there at the top till twenty

(03:12):
twenty six. No, he needs to know it was the
first three days in. But when you turn the page
on a new year, you look back on a lot
of things, and sometimes I think about, especially on New
Year's Eve, I do think about just where you are
in life versus past New Year's eves. You know, when
I was a kid, we would on New Year's Eve

(03:34):
watch Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve that later became
the fun tradition of watching him arm rustle Ryan Seacrest
for a microphone at eleven fifty, which was always fun.
But I would spend the night at Matt Jacklin's house
for what that's worth, and every year it was a tradition.
I mean, a bunch of us, all of our buddies,
would spend the night. And when I think about today

(03:55):
and sometimes I think this is a good thing to do,
I will think about, like if there are times where
we just don't do a good show one day, or
it just felt like we were off and what we
were talking about, or you know, whatever it might be.
Or I think, and this does happen where I think
to myself, like, man, nobody is listening right now, and
I get that self conscious aspect a lot. Then I

(04:17):
look back and I think about those years and those
times when I was a kid and how this is
all I wanted to do. And I know I speak
for John JMV. I know I speak for Kevin James, Jeff.

(04:37):
I mean, I think all of us realize, and I
hope it comes off and conveys that we realize that
even in the times when we might get frustrated or
chippy or whatever, else that there is a level of
gratitude of what we're able to do, and that if
you folks were not part of that ride, if you
were not part of the company, if you were not
here each day, we wouldn't be able to do that.
So for that, I say thank you to everybody. And

(05:00):
as we kind of wrap up the holiday season now
and get set for New Year's where we will not
be on the air tomorrow, I hope everybody knows the
appreciation level of that, and I hope tonight, while you
are looking forward to a prosperous, a healthy, a rewarding
twenty twenty six, that you're also able to look back
on the things that were of positive glow for you

(05:22):
in twenty twenty five or things that you want to
build upon from there. And certainly when I think about
those times in Matt Jacklin's basement with my buddies on
New Year's and looking over the college football season, you know,
I remember being elated because Indiana had made the All

(05:44):
American Bowl. I mean, under Bill Mallory, for Indiana to
be in a bowl game was just unbelievable. And then
the year after that, Indiana being in the Peach Bowl,
going to Kay Stephie's house watching the Peach Bowl. Couldn't
believe it. They'd beaten Missigan and Ohio State in the
same season, and then the year after that, Rob Turner,
the pride of Shatar. Rob Turner, who by the way,

(06:06):
now a well one of the Harley riters for the
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. He's the one that when the
President was here a couple of years ago during the motorcade,
scraped his knee while taking a corner. Thankfully, okay, but
Rob Turner had an unbelievable game against South Carolina in
the Liberty Bowl in nineteen eighty eight, set the all

(06:27):
time record in the Liberty Bowl for receiving yards in
a game as Indiana knocked off South Carolina. And then
it was back again to the Peach Bowl, and then
eventually the poll On Weed Eater Independence Bowl, and before that,
of course, the last Bowl win, the Insight dot Com
then known as the Copper Bowl, and a return So
the history of Indiana football. I look back on those

(06:47):
years and I think about those plateaus and what it
meant and what a thrill it was. And it was
inconceivable to think that when you were watching Sammy Smith,
the floor to state run run all over Indiana and
the All American Bowl. It didn't matter because Indiana was
in a bowl game, and that's what you were excited about.

(07:08):
You found the positive in it. But even in those times,
I never would have grasped two things I never would
have at that age. Grasp A that I would be
doing what I'm doing for a living now and I'm
so grateful for that. And b that the time would
come when I would be talking about on New Year's

(07:28):
Eve Indiana. And I know I've made this point every
day for the last five days, but you could make
it every day for the next five years and it's
still you would have the same level of disbelief and
the same level of let me hear that again. Indiana

(07:49):
is the number one team in college football. Indiana is
going to be playing and right now, listen, everybody I
know seemingly is in Pasadena, and it looks like this
in Pasadena right now, except for that it's sixty five degrees.
But Indiana and Alabama and the Rose Bowl for the
right to advance and take on Oregon or Texas Tech,
and then if you win that, the right to go

(08:11):
into the national championship game. Indiana is two wins away.
They have the best two wins in college football this year,
and Indiana is two wins away from playing for a
national championship. Indiana is two wins away from playing for
a national championship. This is again football we're talking about, right,

(08:37):
and there was There's so much. The one thing to
me that I'm now becoming curious. I'm not going to
say concerned. That would be selling Indiana short. But the
thing about Indiana that is so interesting and impressed. I

(09:02):
just spent nine minutes talking about the past. And I
talk a lot about the past. I dwell too much,
perhaps in the past, But I just spent nine minutes
in talking about Indiana talking about the past, the Bill
Mallory teams, the hope and fortune before that of the

(09:23):
Sam whitch Hire, the hope and fortune of Cam Cameron
and Antoine Randelel and those black helmets with the red
oval on them, and Kevin Wilson's offensive innovation and gruff
personality and Bill Lynch as one of the nice guys
that's coached everywhere in the state of Indiana, and on

(09:46):
and on and on, and Jerry DeNardo and Matt Levechio
coming in from Notre Dame and all the promise and
the hope and all of that, and yet the past
seems to be something that is only held by people
that were around for for Indiana football. Because what Kurt
Signetti has done that is remarkably impressive is brand within

(10:09):
this program, and I mean the players, brand within them,
the focus on the now and not getting caught up
on where they've been because the reality is for Indiana
football and the doldrooms of Indiana football and the depths
of despair of Indiana football. Kurt Signetti wasn't around for that.

(10:31):
Bernanda Mendoza wasn't around for that. Omar Cooper Junior wasn't
around for that. I mean he grew up in Indiana,
I guess, but you get what I'm saying. Aiden Fisher
wasn't around for that. And they're focused right now on
the now and the only thing they know is elite,
top tier competitiveness because this has been from the time

(10:51):
of entry. This has not been. Has has Kurt Signetti
built Indiana football? I don't know that you'd say he
built Indiana football. It's like when you're on the interstate
and you see that wide load semi with cops all
around it, and you're like, what's going on? And you
drive up and you realize they're moving a house. He

(11:12):
moved a house to Bloomington. He didn't build it. He
didn't build it. He literally brought it with him. He
brought like this entire culture. He brought this cast of misfits.
And this is just like the Indiana Pacers. What did
I say about the Pacers when they were in the
NBA Finals that was so appealing to people of Indiana.

(11:33):
The thing that was appealing about the Indiana Pacers to
people of Indiana was simple, and that was the fact
that we in Indiana have kind of this chip on
our shoulder, right, We in Indiana have kind of this
inferiority complex, but at the same time superiority complex, because
we get tired of hearing about how the weather's better
in California, the skylines better in Chicago, the restaurants are

(11:56):
better in New York, the beaches are better in Miami,
is more pure in Kentucky. We get tired of hearing
all those things because we say, why not Indiana. We
like Indiana. We literally the state of Indiana. We are
John candy and planes, trains and automobiles. We're like, we
like us, we like us. We're okay, we got good

(12:18):
things here, and so we can appreciate when people who
have come to Indiana have found it as the place
where they can be them and they can be proud
of it. And the Indiana Pacers were made up of
a roster. As I told you during the finals. What
were the Indiana Pacers made up of? Obi Toppen who'd
been a lottery pick in New York and kind of
gotten buried with the Knicks, came here and flourished. Tyrese Haliburton,

(12:41):
who'd been to Sacramento, thought he was going to be
the face of the franchise. They traded him unexpectedly, surprised him.
Came here, could have sulked instead, flourished. Aaron Nesmith lottery
pick in Boston, got buried, never got a chance, came
to Indiana, got his opportunity, flourished. TJ. McConnell, dispatched by Philadelphia,
wasn't playing a lot of minutes, thought to be a

(13:02):
twelfth guy, came to Indiana, flourished on and on and on.
And that's what we loved about that Pacers team is.
It was this band of second chance opportunity that came
together and they did it in the place where we
have been saying forever as a people and as a
culture here, we're pretty darn good. And that's what this

(13:26):
Indiana football team is. I understand that if you are
a graduate or a fan of Purdue, you're listening to
my voice and you're like, bro, enough, we have the
number one college basketball team in the country. And I
know they're not ranked number one right now, but I
do think they're the best team in the country. Totally
get it. And there's going to be plenty of time
to celebrate, perdue, and believe me, they're going to be
a focal point of conversation on this radio station, in
this show coming up for the better part of late

(13:48):
winter and early spring. I guarantee it plenty of time
to celebrate as I have what Matt Painter's done in
his culture, his identity, and his team, all of it.
But for right now, it's about that same mantra. It's
about that same celebration of a football team. And I'm
not trying to overhype it, over a romanticize it, oversell it.

(14:10):
I don't even know that I can. It's the greatest
Disney thirty for thirty ever. This band of midsfits, as
they call themselves. And yes, Mendoza has the hardware of
the most coveted trophy and perhaps all of sports from
an individual standpoint, the Heisman Trophy. He is awarded as
the best player in college football. It's not like this

(14:32):
guy is, and he came in from cal highly acclaimed.
But the rest of the roster are players that, as
Aiden Fisher said, there's not a team left we will
play that recruited a single player on this roster. This
isn't even for Indiana a revenge tour. This isn't for

(14:55):
this is for Indiana an introductory tour. This is Indiana
US saying here we are. We've been trying to tell you,
We've been trying to tell you. We went in to Eugene, Oregon,
where everybody said, like, yeah, it's a good story, it's
a fun story. But now's the real test. You got
to go into Oregon and they controlled the latter part

(15:18):
of that game. In one. It's about them going into
the Big Ten title game and people saying, what's Indiana
ever won? Give me a break. They're a cute little story,
but wait until they get out there with the big
boys and making plays and being in the right spot
at the right time. And we can sit here and

(15:40):
dwell about where the program has been. We can sit
here and dwell about what the history and the record
books say about Indiana. But Kurt Signettes having none of it.
Chris Hagen yesterday, I don't know if you happen to
have Nathaniel, I'll let you look on Chris Hagen's expost

(16:01):
Twitter account. Chris Hagen is the one that asked the
question yesterday. There was a question asked of Kurt Signetti,
and in Kurt Signetti fashion, it's not a long answer.
It's not a long answer, but it unveils and reveals
the secret Formulas's success about Indiana football and the approach

(16:23):
of Indiana football and the mindset of Indiana football. And
in addition to that, the again, we're going to sit
here today and we can talk about twenty twenty five,
and we could talk about the All American Bowl, but
Indiana Football is having none of it because Kurt Signetti
has his team so focused on who they are and

(16:46):
where they are right now in living in the now,
and he was asked by Chris Hagen, Hagen an Alabama
native friend of this station obviously, and Hagen who grew
up in now Chris Hagen, if you didn't know this
or not, and I listen, this is pot calling the
kettle black here. Hagen went to sixteen colleges. I don't
know if you know that. You name us like any

(17:06):
of the schools in the College Football Playoff, and Hagen's
spent a semester there, but he primarily grew up in
Mississippi and then also in Birmingham, Alabama, and is very
entrenched and and rooted in understanding the history the heritage
of Alabama football. And it's a deep one. I mean
a deep one Bear Bryan obviously, but even you know,

(17:26):
great names of players, Ken Stabler, Joe Namath. They've had
great players that have come through Alabama above and beyond
before even Nick Saban then was just churning them out
year after year after year. Okay, But Chris Hagen, aware
of that heritage of Alabama, wanted to know if whether
or not to Kurt Signetti that scene as advantage Bama

(17:50):
and maybe even intimidation factor to Indiana. You know about
the Bama of the steak.

Speaker 2 (17:55):
How do you convince the players that you're playing this team,
You're not playing all that tradition.

Speaker 1 (18:00):
You probably know more about the mistake than they do.
I mean, guys just know what they see on tape. Now.
Signette's got no filter, man, none. Is that a swipe
at Alabama? Is that his way of saying that mistique
in on tape? You can take it that way. Alabama

(18:21):
will probably try to turn it that way. But I
think rather what Kurt Signetti is saying is this success
in life is oftentimes found in being aware of the now.
You need to be aware of the past as to
not repeat the mistakes of it and to continue the

(18:43):
positives of it. And you need to be aware of
the present or excuse me, or of the future because
you want to know where it is that you're going
and set goals for yourself. But this Indiana football team,
this Indiana football team has the perfect mix, the perfect

(19:03):
ingredient list of understanding of where they individually have been
not highly recruited, playing at James Madison, playing at Kent State,
playing at cal Berkeley, Knowing your past and being aware

(19:26):
of it, but more so being keenly tuned in to
what is available to you in the present, and that's
where Indiana is unique. And that's where Kurt Signetti is
different than any coach I've seen, and any coach that
we've covered or talked about. I'm not saying that we

(19:47):
don't cover and talk about great coaches in this market.
We do, and we have, I mean one of the greatest,
two of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time
right here in our three, Bob Knight Katie brad Stevens.
That mode is a hell of a coach. Goes without
saying Matt Painter is as good as there is right
now in college basketball. And there have been great coaches

(20:10):
endless that have come through here at the professional level
as well. But there's this perfect mix and concoction with
Kurt Signetti of being aware of the present, being motivated
a little bit by the past, but letting it all
keep your eyes on the future. And it is amazing
to me that that present right now is Indiana preparing

(20:33):
itself for the Rose Bowl, two wins away from a
national championship, well from playing for a national championship.

Speaker 6 (20:41):
And.

Speaker 1 (20:42):
Sometimes I wonder if that moment's not going to be
too big for Indiana. I watched the video of the
Indiana team walking into their hotel and I saw the
Hoosier hysterics. Guys, I mean, what are we doing here? Right?
But you know, there are so many Indiana fans out there,
and there are going to be so many activities and
so many media obligations. And this is different than going

(21:05):
to Iowa City. This is different than going into Madison
or College Park. It is, obviously, and for all of
these guys, it's a new experience. And for Alabama, it's
why you go to Alabama. Alabama. The one thing that
you've got to consider is that if you are a

(21:25):
player at Alabama, you are two wins away from the
game that you signed up to play for at Alabama.
You go to Alabama, You're like, I'm going there to
play for national championships. So you haven't even gotten to
the point yet where I mean, think about that pressure.
You think there's pressure on Indiana. You think there's pressure
on Indiana because they haven't been there before. I'll tell

(21:47):
you there's pressure on Alabama because they're supposed to be there.
Alabama's got three losses right now, and that's two more
than most people in the heart of Dixie ever expect
and will tolerate. And yes, maybe Alabama, by beating Oklahoma
and doing so in resounding fashion in that second half,

(22:07):
maybe that silence some of the critics. Maybe that muted
some of the noise of the wondering who they are
and where they are and where they're going. But you
can bet that Alabama, the pressure to those guys is
somewhat on because they are still two wins away from

(22:27):
where they thought they should. They are inherently supposed to be.
The Bama mystique is a far bigger, far bigger albatross
for a player from Alabama than it is a player
for Indiana. A player from Alabama is asked about something
from ten years ago, and what they most likely are

(22:48):
talking about is the fact that they were getting ready
to go into middle school or whatever and watching at
that point a program that is winning national titles every
single year and dreaming of playing at Alabama because that's
the norm and the expectation, and that player is fueled
by what the drive to. Yes, and I'm not knocking

(23:10):
Alabama at all. I think the world of their program
and the way and I've always said with Nick Saban
in particular. I know he's not there now, but with
Nick Saban's teams, and I was a Clemson fan. You
think I liked watching Alabama in national titles. You think
I liked third and eight flares to a tight end
down the sideline or a kick return for a touchdown
to put a game away against Clemson in the National

(23:33):
title game. Of course not. But the thing I always
said was, I've always been highly impressed with their young
people and the way that they conduct Carrie and speak
about themselves or for themselves or for their program. It's
a program that has players that are very admirable and
the way they go about their business. I have a
ton of respect for Alabama. But the reality is, if
you were a player at Alabama, you might be dwelling

(23:57):
a little bit on the pass because it creates a
pressure for what it is that's expected for you. If
you're a player at Indiana, you look back on the
past a little bit just to remind yourself, like me
thinking about the basement of Matt Jacklin's house in New
Year's and where I am now and where I wanted
to be. And for Indiana players, it's about looking back

(24:20):
to realize where they were and now they are where
they want to be. But the things they had to
do to get to this point not because it was
set up in the table was set for them, but
because the opportunity is here because of the focus they
have and knowing their opponent as one thing, what they
see on tape, They're not going in there and they're

(24:41):
not playing against Trent Richardson. They're not playing against Mark Ingram,
They're not playing against aj mccheron. They're not playing against
Jay Barker. They're not playing against Gene Stallings and George
Tige and Bear Bryant playing in Cornelius Bennett. They're playing
against this version of Alabama. And that's what they've been

(25:03):
seeing and that's what they're focused in on. And I
think there are several things that could come into play
for Indiana, mother nature being one, and we talked about that.
Pacers and action time. We're going to throw it out there.
We have an early day today, correct Atticus.

Speaker 5 (25:21):
That's right, We get out of here at two thirty.

Speaker 1 (25:23):
Two thirty. We will throw it out to the Pacers
broadcast tonight. Pat Boyler will join us at two point
fifteen today as the Pacers have the new year's matt
name now. Rick Carlile joined the guys this morning and
talked about a number of things, including Pascal Siakam. I
think that's one of the things to watch for the
Pacers is just Siakam in general and whether or not

(25:48):
this is taking a toll on him. And we talked
about it yesterday from a minute standpoint, but from an
emotional standpoint as well, and the Pacers still trying to
find career win number one thousand for Rick Carlile. Their
next chance will come today against the Orlando Magic in
this the final game of twenty twenty five and what
has been a miracle calendar year for Indiana. But again,

(26:11):
you look at the sports teams in this market, it's
a reminder of you of where one you know year,
every year things can change, new beginnings, lesson for all
of us perhaps in that a lesson for all of
us perhaps in that. But Pacers in action today three
o'clock will throw you out. Pregame at two thirty. Also

(26:33):
Colt's discussion to get to will continue getting set up
for the Houston Texans. We do have a show on Friday,
So a reminder today off at two thirty. No JMB
today because Pacers and Magic today. Then tomorrow we will
be off for New Year's Day, and of course all
of us will be watching Indiana and Alabama as I

(26:55):
mentioned in the Rose Bowl, then finding out whether or
not they play Oregon Texas Tech if they were to
win that game, and then we will be back with
you on Friday, but we will talk a little bit
more about the Rose Bull coming up. Aeron Torres going
to join us one o'clock today. Joel a Ericson, I think,
is schedule to join us at one thirty. And as well,
you're you're jumping on the mic Atticus like you had
something to jump in there with.

Speaker 5 (27:15):
Let's slip that around. Let's do Joel at one and
Torres at one thirty.

Speaker 1 (27:18):
Okay, so there we go, Joel at one o'clock, now right.

Speaker 5 (27:22):
That's right, Aaron Torres and Gymnastics.

Speaker 1 (27:23):
Aeron Torres at one thirty, and then we'll have Pat
boyle in joining us in the two o'clock hour. All right,
when we come back. I had mentioned the Rose Bowl,
and I mentioned the Colts. There is something about the
Colts that I'm also curious about that I think is
something we can keep an eye on for Houston. I'll
let you know what that is when we come back

(27:44):
here on this New Year's Eve edition. It is Querying
Company on the fan.

Speaker 4 (27:48):
Query In Company on ninety three five and one oh
seven five the fan.

Speaker 1 (27:53):
This from my buddy, Quincy Clark, Quincy one of the
North Side OG's. Good dude, Jake, I love it. Rob
Turner's my guy. Taught me how to juggle to improve
hand eye coordination. Rob Turner was a beast at I
you man, absolute beast at Indiana. Good afternoon too, you

(28:13):
New Year's Eve, hope you are set for a prosperous
twenty twenty six. One thing to keep an eye on
for the Colts against the Houston Texans that I think
could be a storyline that could pay dividends for them.
I'll get to that in just a second. Before we
do that, Nathaniel, I am curious from your standpoint, your
plans for New Year's Eve and or your resolutions for
twenty twenty six. I don't think your mic is on

(28:39):
unless that's go ahead up. Maybe I had Yeah, No,
I hit the wrong button. You're right, plans for tonight, So.

Speaker 5 (28:46):
Tonight I've got family in town from out of state,
So going to go over to the folks house and
hang out there. Usually we hang out with some friends
and you know, do the normal twenty four year old
New Year's Eve stuff.

Speaker 1 (28:56):
But tonight we'll just be a family, okay. And then
you now, when you do the typical New Year's Eve stuff,
obviously you stay up till midnight, right? Oh?

Speaker 2 (29:03):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (29:04):
And is it like a big, huge celebration or is
it just kind of like, oh gosh, guys, I forgot
it's midnight here? And which on which channel or network
do you choose to watch the Turn of the New Year?

Speaker 5 (29:14):
We kind of bounce around. There's not really one that
we keep an eye on, so we just you know,
flip through see which one catches our eye. And yeah,
I mean it's a little to do, maybe more than
i'd like. But you know, when the ladies have control
of the remote, we can't necessarily put on the Ohio
State Miami game.

Speaker 1 (29:27):
So what time does that game get underway? Seven?

Speaker 5 (29:30):
Is it seven thirty tonight something like that?

Speaker 1 (29:32):
The game be over by eight, right eight after midnight?
I mean, no, I'm worried that Ohio State's going to
jump out to a huge lead. It's over now.

Speaker 5 (29:41):
I think Miami can hang with it.

Speaker 1 (29:42):
You think so. I hope you're right. I hope you're right.
The I have for several years, and Uber's put a
serious dent in this, and I don't know. I always
play it by ear, but for years I ran Uncle
jake taxi on New Year's Eve? Are you familiar with

(30:02):
Uncle Jake's tax about this? This is awesome? Oh yeah,
Uncle Jake's taxi. I've done it for years on Twitter,
where I send out the things saying I will run
Uncle Jake's taxi from usually it's like one am to
about four and if someone needs a ride Indianapolis or I.
Last year I did go Donut County. I went out

(30:27):
to Greenfield. I think I think it was Greenfield. I
did a ride last year. Maybe that was two years ago,
but either way, only rules I will give you. If
you are in need of a ride, I'll give you
a safe ride home, but no puking in the jeep.
Nobody's ever done that. My favorite ride that I've ever
done to this day was when I picked up a

(30:48):
guy at the Bulldog, which is one of my favorite places.
But I picked up a guy at the Bulldog, which
is at fifty fourth in college. And he hopped into
and he was a super happy, go lucky dude. And
he gets in my car and looks at me and says,
I need to go to fifty seventh in college. And
I said fifty seventh in college and he said, yeah,

(31:09):
blocks I go. Isn't that three blocks? And one of
the great lines of all time. He looked right at
me with a huge ground on his face and literally
said did look at me? And I said, okay, you're right,
you probably need a ride three blocks, that's cool. So
I gave him a ride home and he was as
happy to go lucky as can be, and hopped out
of the car. I had one guy that as I

(31:33):
was taking him home, he's like, take a left here,
take it right there. He was going down to the
southeast side and he he's like, all right here here
it is. This is where I'm going. And it was
to a bar, and I'm like, man, I told you
the rules of Uncle Jake's taxi. No rides to a
bar or another party has to be ride home. And

(31:53):
he said, well, I can't go home because my wife
didn't know that I was going to this party. And
so she's going to be too much like I'm going
to be in too much trouble. So I said, well,
I got to take you home. So I took him home.
He refused to get out of the car, not like
in a belligerent way, but he was terrified, and so
I said, well, you just wait here. So he waited.

(32:15):
I went up to the door, knocked on the door.
An adult answered the door and said, no you're talking
about that's my stepdad and my mom. And he said, dude,
it's all good. My mom went to bed at like
ten thirty. She threw in the towel. She realized he
was pie out, like at a party or whatever. So
I went out, got the guy out of the car,
and he hopped out of the car and high fived me.
He was like, yes, walked in the house all proud

(32:35):
of himself. So I don't know if I'll do Uncle
Jake's taxi tonight or not. But it always just depends
on how I feel, how tired I am. But we're
going out to dinner, and then, you know, we flip
around for years. It was the ABC, you know that
Dick Clark, which became Ryan Seacrest, you know, the Times
Square drop of the ball and then you know for years. Also,

(33:02):
I got compelled by watching the train wreck that became
the CNN New Year's Eve, But then that just became
too much because they were drunk on there and it
was I mean, it was like what are we doing?
It was just too much. Shannon likes that Andy Cohne guy,
and I'm like, I get it off. It drives me nuts.
I can't do it. When the Colts take the field

(33:24):
against the Houston Texans coming up on Sunday, and we'll
talk about this plenty on Friday, but one of the
storylines that or that, and maybe it's not a storyline,
maybe maybe this isn't even something that would come to fruition,

(33:44):
but it feels to me and it really is a
testament to how good a year he has had, because
it feels to me like Tyler Warren, you know, he
got out to such a big start and they used
him in so many different ways, did the Colts that
it was it's very clear like, Okay, this guy is
a different level tight end and is going to be

(34:05):
and I I you know, obviously we know he's going
to be a great player for them for a long time,
and there were times when I'd watch the Bears, for example,
and I thought to myself, I wonder if the Bears
ever wonder if they took the wrong guy. Certainly we
thought that on draft night. As the year has gone on,
that seems to have kind of balanced itself out. Because

(34:28):
Lovelin is, how much of the Bears do you watch?
Atticus quite a bit. I've probably seen to have their games.
What is your assessment of the play they've gotten at
that tight end position.

Speaker 5 (34:43):
Lately it's been a lot better. Correct, That's kind of
how tight ends usually go.

Speaker 1 (34:46):
Right.

Speaker 5 (34:46):
It's a slow start, and then they figured out Warren
was the aberration. But I think they're pretty happy with
what they've gotten.

Speaker 1 (34:52):
And here's the thing, and it's not it's totally unfair
to sit here and say that it's some sort of
a competition between the two. But naturally speaking, because they
were in Indianapolis, excuse me, in Indy, we're going to
have a more concentrated look at this for the reasons
of that with Tyler Warren. But when you analyze and

(35:15):
assessin really watch the Bears at the beginning of the year,
because we knew everyone knew the Colts. Going into the draft,
everyone knew that the Colts were going to have to
take a tight end. Everyone knew that, and so then
you're watching during the draft on what tight end it's
going to be. And I think most people, because they
had seen so much of Warren, even though Loveland was

(35:38):
coming out of Michigan and Warren and Penn State, both
of them teams with which we should be pretty familiar.
The postseason war and stuff really jumped out and it's like,
oh my gosh, and he looks more like a Dallas
Clark type yard after catch guy that we're familiar with.
So there was this big focus in Indianapolis in general

(35:59):
on getting Warren, and holy Calf, they can get him.
So when the Bears selected Colston Lovelin, it kind of
made you a snicker because it's like, Wow, they had
the first choice and they went against the one that
was seemingly the presumptive first choice from everybody in Indianapolis.
And it looked at the beginning like that was it

(36:20):
is not a disastrous, but that they made the wrong pick.
And I have not watched enough of and when Joel
joins us here, Joeli Erickson coming up in about fifteen minutes.
We'll discuss this perhaps, I you know, the blocking aspect.
I think Lovelin is a really good blocker, and Caleb
Williams because of the fact that he becomes so dangerous

(36:42):
when you know Daniel Jones can run. But I don't
know with Daniel Jones that you do like design draws
or things to take advantage of that schematically by design
and by intent, and with Caleb Williams you kind of do.
And Loveland is such an import piece of that because
I think he is at this point and certainly at

(37:03):
the first part of the year his blocking looks to
and then he now has become kind of a long
ball receiving threat for them as well. So I'm not
saying that it's a one versus the other type thing,
except for that it looks as though like both teams
kind of are getting what they needed or what they wanted.
But in the Colts case, for Warren, it does feel

(37:25):
like the impact I'm not saying the stats, but the
impact of Tyler Warren has simmered down a little bit
now that you have Riley Leonard in there. Does that
mean two fold Number one that you utilize Warren a
little more and get him again involved in terms of

(37:46):
the blocking aspect of it, because Leonard is a guy
that can use his legs, but also does Warren become
again kind of that dump off safety net guy, if
you will, for a Riley Leonard like we saw with
Daniel Jones admittedly right, but I don't know really with Rivers,
he kind of got away from that a little bit
because Rivers, you know, Rivers was more like a slot guy.

(38:08):
You know, just looked basically probably the first guy that
he sees type guy. But you get my point, And
I wonder if they're going to lean in on Warren
a little bit to make comfortable Leonard. But as a
result of that, what you're doing is making comfortable also
Warren himself when he maybe got away from that a

(38:28):
little bit. And that's one of the things I think
it's going to be interesting. You know. The Moley Cox
is another one. I mean, they've got the tight ends
in general for the Colts, I think we've seen the
up and down no matter which one you're talking about,
Ogle Tree, any of them. I mean I'm talking over
the course of their time in Indy. You want to
find the one that is going to be of the

(38:49):
consistence and perhaps of the consistency you're looking for, and
Warren is going to be that guy over the course
of his career, but it just seemed like it's simmered
down a little bit, and maybe this is the introduction
to bring him back into the area that he would
most be familiar, would most be familiar Joela Ericsim will

(39:10):
join us coming up about ten minutes now. J and
V's in the house, by the way. I think that's
because Jav's got the takeover tonight, right, and he brought pizza. Really,
I hope it's from Chicago's. He's got to know, you know,
what makes for good pizza, right in terms of Chicago's pizza.
But nonetheless Joela ericson sixteen minutes from now, Query.

Speaker 4 (39:29):
In company on ninety three five and one oh seven
five the fan.

Speaker 1 (39:33):
The assignment for you, excuse me, the listener, over the
course of today is simple. There is no quiz, there
is no test. There are no people nor animals that
are harmed during the process of said assignment and experiment.
But the assignment is if you can find out the

(39:56):
subtlety inside the de of the medulla oblongata of one Nathaniel,
don't call me Atticus Finch. And the music that we
are playing over the course of today somehow relating to
either the events of the holiday or the sports calendar
of the weekend. Each song will have some subtlety there within,

(40:19):
or both in this case, or both in that case.
What was the name of that song?

Speaker 5 (40:24):
She bangs the drum by the Stone Roses And the
first lyric that you heard the past was yours the
Future's Mind.

Speaker 1 (40:30):
So you take your pick. Do you like the Stone Roses?
I'm going to guess that you are, And I say
this as a confession of my own self, I'm going
to guess that, relatively speaking, you were unfamiliar with the
Stone Roses, never heard of them. They had a brief

(40:51):
you know. JV would be able to tell you, probably
the total history, but they had kind of a mainstream
breakthrough like mid to late nineties. But one of the
things that I've left, and they were always kind of around.
I was aware of them, but I didn't realize the
level and the depth of their popularity in England until

(41:13):
and again, all of you, I hope that whatever it
was that was your signature moment of twenty twenty five.
Whatever your happy place was of twenty twenty five, I
think for so many of us it was from a
sports standpoint, but in the non sport division, in the
life division, an activity that you did in twenty twenty
five that you will forever look upon for years to

(41:34):
come favorably. And for me it was when I went
to England to see Oasis in Manchester. It was literally
the most perfect weekend ever. But the Stone Roses they
played to the crowd while everybody was waiting, and it
was amazing. I mean, like one hundred thousand people singing
every single word to songs and I'm like, okay, I

(41:57):
knew of them, but I didn't know they were this
big and they were assive over there. PACER's an action
today taking on the Orlando Magic. That is a three
o'clock tip two thirty pre game. We will throw it
out to Mark and Pat Boyle, but Pat's going to
join us a little before that, just to talk about really,
I guess for Indiana it's about what we've been talking about,

(42:20):
and that is being aware of the past in the
last year, but also being able to look forward and
learn and build off of that into what you want
for twenty twenty six. And for the Pacers that's a
challenging one because they have been you know, clearly, when

(42:41):
Halliburton went down, we knew that this was an unfortunate
possibility that they were going to struggle. I am, you know,
I was adamant. I kept saying, you push the over
times ten. And I'm not like some huge gambling advice guy.

(43:01):
But when the Pacers season began and the over under
was I think thirty nine was the over under, and
I was like, you got to go over. I mean,
Haliburton's a great player and is their engine for certain,
but they're going to win forty to forty one games.
I mean, you still have Siakam, you still have Topping,
you still have Nie Smith, you still have Nim Hard
I mean, and of course, and I mean I know

(43:23):
Turner was gone. The other injuries have just been devastating.
And I know people have asked me, are the Pacers tanking?
I don't know that the Pacers like have come out
and said, okay, guys, here's the game plan, but I
don't know that they're overly. Yes, you want to win

(43:44):
and be competitive, but at the same time, once you
missed Nim hard to begin Nie Smith extensively and notably
topping as well. We forget about the top and injury.
There's not a central piece for them that has not
had missed time. And I think when you add all
that up, then at some point they just said, look,

(44:05):
we're just gonna get through this and then take from
it what comes. What roses come through the stones, and
that's where they are. Joel Ericson covers the Colts joins.

Speaker 4 (44:13):
Next, you're listening to Query and Company on ninety three
five and one oh seven five the Fan the.

Speaker 1 (44:20):
Colts and Texans Sunday down in Houston, Texas. Of course
we will be on there on Friday. It's at that
point that I can tell everybody my annual tip of
trying to walk across the street from NRG Stadium to
go to Fiesta, which is like this massive grocery store
and I've never been in it, but it's called Fiesta,

(44:41):
so I just assume it's a happening place. Joela Ericson
joins me now on the Java House Peele Andport guest line.
Java house dot com is the website. What a better way?
Think of a better way you can to start twenty
twenty six, then going to java house dot com and
using Jake twenty five. And that's not for the that
we're turning. That's twenty five percent off you get with

(45:02):
your bundle order at the Peel and Poor Pods of
Java House, Java house dot com, the website. Joel a
Ericson joins us. Now speaking of refreshments and beverages. I
think we went over this already, Joel, did we not?
You had mentioned that, and I want to know where
things stand on the stock of the last delivery from
the beer faery.

Speaker 2 (45:21):
Uh, it's it's uh, you know, it's it's taken some hits.
It's taken some. Okay, the amber, the Tailwager Amber, that's
a newer one that I haven't had yet. That one's
pretty darn good. That one's really darn good. But yeah,
it's it's taken some, taking some it's taking some lumps
over the over the holiday season.

Speaker 1 (45:39):
Well, my understanding is ration is the keyword, because my
local connection to the beer faery, the Wisconsin Beer Faery,
tells me that they're going to be a while before
the beer faery is back up in that area. So
got a ration, gotta be uh, gotta be careful. All right,
let's get to this. Shane Steichen has said what that

(46:00):
was of note if anything today in regards to the
Colts preparations in the most meaningless of meaningless games.

Speaker 2 (46:09):
Riley Leonard will be your starter. It sounds like barring
something ridiculous, Seth Hennigan will be your backup. Philip Rivers
is going to hang around and you know, be a
mentor of the Riley Leonard this week as he either
goes through his first start and Anthony Richardson will.

Speaker 1 (46:26):
Not be activated.

Speaker 2 (46:26):
He still has visual limitations. That's all of it. Real fast, Okay,
lots of quarterback stuff.

Speaker 1 (46:34):
Joel, I want you to think we're gonna do a
little game here. Okay, this time one year ago, in
twenty twenty four, you were still living in the same
house that you currently reside. Correct. Sure, you were working
for the same place of employment that you work today. Correct,

(46:56):
that's true. So twenty twenty five to you represented stability
to an extent, I mean, just in terms of your
job and where you went to bed each night. Correct.

Speaker 2 (47:07):
Yeah, that's that's that's fair. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (47:09):
One year from now, on New Year's Eve, getting ready
to turn twenty twenty seven. If someone were to talk
to Anthony Richardson, would he be able to say the
same about the twenty twenty six calendar year that you
were able to say about the twenty twenty five calendar years.

Speaker 2 (47:27):
No, I do not believe. So I think I think
twenty twenty six for Anthony Richardson's going to be a
year change. I think he's he probably ends up in
a different city and in trying to say, figure get
things back on track there, that's my that's my best guess.

Speaker 1 (47:45):
The reason I ask, and I'll just say it this directly,
and I'm not saying it is anything that is rooted
in any negative intention or anything like that. But it
seems to me now that I have enough and maybe
I'm stating the obvious. And I don't know that Shane

(48:06):
Stikeen is the head coach next year. I think he
will be, but assuming that he is, the one thing
about Shane Stikeen that I am more confident saying than
anything else is I believe that Shane Stikeen is completely
over Anthony Richardson, and so long as Shane Stikeen is
the coach, unless there is absolute catastrophe in the quarterback room,

(48:28):
and Richardson is the only available. He has taken his
last snap as an Indianapolis cult I.

Speaker 2 (48:34):
Think I think that's fair. If Stikeen is back, if
Syken is back, I think. I think the other part
of it is that they're all in on Daniel Jones.
And I understand. Trust me, I understand the Achilles concerns.
I have the same concerns. There's been a lot of
guys that they've bet on with Achilles concerns of this franchise,
and they have not been themselves the next year. But

(48:56):
I think from their perspective, if you tell me, if
I'm trying to tell you what they're thinking, I think
it's probably Daniel Jones. I think if Daniel is back,
then it makes it hard to keep Anthony Richardson around.

Speaker 1 (49:05):
Okay, which leads to this other point. And I brought
this up yesterday. Joel follow me here, which I know
can be a difficult thing to do sometimes right, Sometimes
when I ask people to follow along with my train
of thought, someone pukes that you know what I mean.
But having said that, let's just say for the sake

(49:27):
of discussion, and I think this is a Joel, you
take stop me when I start to say something that
you think is outlandish or or does not have possibility
to it. Okay, if Daniel Jones is brought back to
be the Colts quarterback next season, and if there is
still some uncertainty as to whether or not Daniel Jones
is going to be one hundred percent ready to go

(49:49):
for the first game or two, I would say three.
Three would be the max based on timeline. But let's
say that throughout training camp or whatever, there's a soreness
with the the tent, you know, whatever it might be,
and they say, we don't want to push it just yet.
If Chris Ballad and Shane Steichen are both still in
their respective positions, they're going to know how big a

(50:11):
year it is, and they're going to know, with that
being a huge year for them and for the franchise,
they need to win each in every game, regardless of
who the starting quarterback is. So if they need to
have a quarterback that is going to keep the seat
warm until Daniel Jones takes over, it has to be
one that allows for a seamless transition of power at

(50:34):
the quarterback spot. And Richardson would get a little bit
messy there, and I don't know that they at this
point trust Riley Leonard in that spot. Therefore, the question becomes,
who do you think is the best option for them
to be a short gap donut tire starter to keep
them and the point where they then at the end
of the year, once Jones is clicking on all cylinders,

(50:56):
they did not lose ground and get behind the eight
ball in.

Speaker 2 (50:59):
The Yeah, the answer there, I think is some version
of Mac Jones, what Mac Jones was for the Niners
this year, where it's a guy who has started somewhere
else enough that he's got the experience, but you know,
for whatever reason is and you kind of try to

(51:20):
do like a lower level of what you did with
Daniel Jones, where you're bringing somebody in that you think
can be better with you than he was somewhere else.
Or what the Packers are done with Malik Willis.

Speaker 1 (51:32):
Malik Willis actually has done all right, right, you know
what I mean?

Speaker 2 (51:35):
Yes, yes, yeah, what they've done with What the Packers
have done with Malik Willis is shocking that any of
us who covered any games that involved Malik Willis with
the Titans.

Speaker 1 (51:44):
Okay, I'm going to give you a couple of those
names that would be a possibility. And I'm saying this
just so that people have an idea of where we
are here, right Uh, this is the quarterback free agency list.
Obviously Daniel Jones is one of them, and we're going
to assume that he says, look this where I want
to be Gino Smith, Russell Wilson, Marcus Mariota, Tyrod Taylor,

(52:07):
Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Trey Lance, Mitchell Trubisky. You start
getting into the graveyard of the Anthony Richardsons of quarterbacks past,
don't you.

Speaker 2 (52:17):
Yeah, I mean, especially when you get to especially when
you get to Trey Lance.

Speaker 1 (52:21):
I would think of that, of that list, Mariota's probably
your best option, would you agree.

Speaker 2 (52:28):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, And he's you know, he's starting this year,
He's got some you know, he started several games this year.
I think, yeah, I think it's probably Mariota. And he
can also do the movement stuff that you need. Some
of those guys on there can't do that movement stuff anymore,
and that's that's a pretty big part of the offense.
When you think about like Tyler Warren and some of
the stuff they did earlier in the season.

Speaker 1 (52:49):
Does Tyler Warren become and I was mentioning this earlier
Joel Joel A. Erickson is my guest Java House Peel
and poor guest line. Tyler Warren was so dynamic right
out of the box, right. I mean it's like, Man,
put this guy anywhere, and he's making plays and he's
yard after catch guy, and he's had you pointed this
out on the expost Twitter yesterday. You know, his numbers
are still all nearly historic for a rookie tied end,

(53:12):
but it does feel like there has been rookie walls
maybe the wrong word, but that things have slowed down
a little bit for him. Now you correct me if
I'm wrong there. Then I look at a Riley Leonard
and what you're going to need out of the tight
end perhaps in that position, and it feels like at
the end of the year this might be kind of
a shot in the arm again of that for him
at that position and the necessity of him.

Speaker 2 (53:35):
I think with Warren, I think the biggest thing is
if you look at his his production, it really the
dividing line is when they stopped being able to be
mobile in the in the in the pocket and once
and I'm taking that back to before Jones was out,
when Jones was dealing with the fibula, and you know,
he was kind of moving around, but not really moving

(53:56):
around like that's the kind of stuff that they built
a lot of Warren's plays around early in the season
and once they lost that because obviously you don't have
that with Philip Rivers. Daniel had two games there where
he was much more stationary than we've ever seen him.
That's that's kind of what hurt Warren, I think more
than anything.

Speaker 1 (54:18):
Joel, just out of curiosity tonight for midnight, which network
do you go with? What are you tuned in? Like
at the ericson house when you're rationing things off from
the beer ferry at about eleven forty five, what channel
are you watching this midnight's about to roll around?

Speaker 2 (54:36):
I mean, I assume that I'll be on is the
playoff game on ESPN? I assume that's where I'll be is.
I believe it's Miami in Ohio state because it probably
starts at eight and college football games takes six and
a half or seven and a half hours.

Speaker 1 (54:52):
It feels like, who are you rooting for in that game?

Speaker 2 (54:56):
Miami?

Speaker 1 (54:58):
You know how I knew that definitely Miami, because no,
you're not from Ohio, You're from Wisconsin. There's no one
that's not from Ohio rooting for Ohio State, right, is
that right?

Speaker 2 (55:08):
I don't. I don't think so. There's a lot of
Ohio State fans around us, but I always just assume
they have some tie to Ohio somewhere. I stopped. I
gave up on any Ohio State thing. Do you remember
when they had a linebacker in the Big Ten?

Speaker 1 (55:24):
I can't remember.

Speaker 2 (55:25):
It's a Big Ten championship game. He was just a
normal game against Wisconsin, but he leaned on I think
it was Jim Sorgie's larynx and he had to leave
the game because he couldn't talk anymore.

Speaker 1 (55:38):
Yeah, I don't remember Sorgie having to leave a game
because he couldn't talk anymore. Clearly, that was taken care
of by the time he got on the Colts Radio network, right, Yes, yes,
there were actually times on the Colts Radio Network where
that people wanted them to lean on his larynx. I
love Jim Sorgie, great dude, and his son's a really
good player, by the way, really good player. The reason

(56:02):
I ask the reason I ask where you're what you're
going to be watching at midnight tonight is because it
is now. We are still ten and a half hours away,
but we're already focusing on as a culture on New
Year's Eve, what's going to happen at midnight? This is
New Year's Eve, We're turning to twenty twenty six, and

(56:22):
it feels like that's the way this cold season is.
You forget that there is still a game to be played.
You forget that there are still ten hours to go here, right,
I mean literally, it feels as meaningless as meaningless can get.
But are there still positions be it players or front office?
Are there still positions that you believe could be in

(56:45):
flux or influenced by what happens on Sunday? Well?

Speaker 2 (56:49):
I think the biggest one is Riley Leonard. I think
is what does what Riley Leonard looks like? I think
informs the discussion we were just having about who your
backup is going into next year, Because if Leonard gives
you a reason to believe that he can he can
be a full fledged backup, maybe we're talking about you know,

(57:09):
not Mariota, but some of the other guys on that
list as a as a veteran, you know, kind of
number three emergency option as opposed to having a true
number two. And obviously Leonard played against Jacksonville. But this
is this is a chance for him the start. You
get a chance to see him against a really good defense,
and if he surprises you, I think there's a chance

(57:30):
that that maybe you go, well, you know, maybe we
feel good about right Leonard everybody else I think in
this game coming up on Sunday, I think it would
probably be a mistake to base any decision making on
what they see.

Speaker 1 (57:45):
Do you think there was any discussion at all about
whether or not rather than Leonard would start Sunday?

Speaker 2 (57:52):
I think there was. There was probably a little bit
just sort of out of the feeling of, you know,
we've got Philip here. He came here to play, you know,
do we let him go out for one last ride?
But I don't think just from talking to people today,
I don't think that lasts very long.

Speaker 1 (58:09):
Let me give you my a and we should come
up with a name of this on the program, mostly
as a warning to people the depth of the query
brain overthinking it okay to me, there was never an option,
and the reason being and maybe and I want to
give you this scenario, and then I want you Joel

(58:31):
Erickson at the Indianapolis Star, to tell me whether you
whether you think it's even remotely possible that this was
in play. Okay, if I'm Chris Ballad or I'm Shane Steiken,
I am saying to myself, Okay, I am here in
this position because the ownership trusts that I can pick

(58:53):
talent and get players to develop, or in the case
of Shane Steiken, that would be about In the case
of Shane Steiken, I Shane Steikem, I am here because I'm
thought of as a coach that can develop quarterbacks and
come up with schemes that allow them to flourish. And
if I'm either of those two men, I'm looking at

(59:15):
it and saying, if I start anybody other than Riyley
Leonard on Sunday, then, knowing that I'm going to have
to go in for a postseason interview on Monday with
the person who's going to decide my fate, I would
expect them to then say, if I'm trusting you to
pick talent, or if I'm trusting you to grow quarterbacks,
and you have a guy that you didn't feel comfortable

(59:38):
enough to put out on the field and the most
meaningless of games that has nothing to do with our
season in Week seventeen, and instead went with the guy
that's the former high school coach. Novelty act for another round.
That tells me everything I need to know about your
incompetence at your position that you're trusted to do.

Speaker 2 (59:56):
I think that that definitely could have come into play.
But I also think that this team does like Riley Leonard.
I do think they like what they've seen from him
so far this season and wanted to give him a chance.
But at the same time, you know, realistically what they're
what they're going into, the games they were going into
before this, because I know a lot of people are

(01:00:17):
still wondering why why Rivers over Leonard? They felt like
they had a better chance with the veteran, But obviously,
like you said, now, this game doesn't mean anything from
a standing standpoint, So yes, then you go with the
guy you like.

Speaker 1 (01:00:32):
Okay, is there any chance Joel one thing that? And
I can't speak for Daniel Jones here. I thought Daniel
Jones did a pretty nice job of going through his
progressions and making the right certainly through the first eight games,
he was making the right decisions. I thought Pittsburgh rushed
him a little bit and that maybe throughout a blueprint.

(01:00:54):
And then of course the injury comes into play. But
Philip Rivers, who was out there? You know? I mean
you could tell when Philip Rivers walked out of the
huddle that he was an aged guy. But his ability
to walk up to the line and recognize things defensively
and process was very impressive and it's something that young

(01:01:17):
quarterbacks can learn from, even a Daniel Jones. Any chance
that Philip Rivers has a future place within the franchise
simply as a liaison that can teach and pass along
that of which he's able to so quickly process.

Speaker 2 (01:01:33):
Within the franchise, I don't think so. Because Philip has
always had this desire to coach his sons in high
school football the way his dad coached him. And as
we all know, Philip's youngest son is actually quite young.
He will be in high school for a little while.
So I do think that that keeps him, you know,

(01:01:54):
as the head coach of Saint Michael Katholic, because I
have seen a lot of people going you know, could
he coach at this level. Obviously, I think he could
coach at this level. He's very, very smart, but he
is at least My understanding was always that his sort
of vision for what he would do is he was
going to coach his sons. Now the flip side of that, though,
is that Riley Leonard has already worked with Philip Rivers

(01:02:16):
in the off season the last two I believe, the
last two off seasons, and.

Speaker 1 (01:02:23):
Just by going to fair Hope.

Speaker 2 (01:02:24):
And so if you wanted to say to Daniel Jones
or whoever is going to be your quarterback, Hey, if
you're looking for someone to go go talk to and
train with or whatever, I bet Philip would love to
talk ball for however long you want to. So I
think it would be more informal than formal. But yes,
obviously I also wonder there's a piece of me that

(01:02:46):
also wonders if it's got to help hearing from Philip Rivers.
But there's a piece of me that this wonders, you know,
given his physical limitations and given the fact that he
was able to play reasonable football those physical limitations, like,
is this is this something that like, no matter how
much he talks about it, he can only impart so much.

(01:03:09):
I don't know if the more the more we watch him,
the more I think that maybe a handful of people
have ever seen the game the way he sees it
pre snap.

Speaker 1 (01:03:17):
Now, there are a couple of questions I have for you,
Joel in terms of future if you will predictions. Okay, Now,
do you recall a while ago, I believe I asked
you It might have been this time a year ago?
I asked you who would be the starting quarterback Week
one of the twenty twenty five NFL season for the Colts,

(01:03:40):
And you said, Daniel Jones. Do you remember this?

Speaker 2 (01:03:44):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (01:03:44):
I do. I think Actually it wasn't even me. I
believe it was Robin the Genie. Who was it? Not?
It was?

Speaker 7 (01:03:53):
It was?

Speaker 2 (01:03:53):
And Robin is still holding out of my million dollar problems.

Speaker 1 (01:03:56):
Well here's what's interesting, okay. Standing is Robin the Genie
offers one million dollars to people, right, and my understanding
is he's he's up to his rear in arrears. And
while other the beer fairy brings you beer, my understanding
is Robin the Genie, when he comes to parties, brings
grape soda because he welches on everything. That that's what

(01:04:18):
That's what I've been told. Now I don't know if
that's true or not. You have not gotten payment from
Robin the genie, Is that correct?

Speaker 2 (01:04:24):
I have not. I have not in dollars or in
grape soda.

Speaker 1 (01:04:27):
Okay, well, you know what funny you mentioned. It appears
as though he might actually want to be here to
defend himself.

Speaker 6 (01:04:35):
It would appear I'm not even positive on this, he said,
He's corect. My friend the beer ferry from Wisconsint called
me on our remetrical phone to let me know that
Joel has been talking under the trash about my eenie
bit TIF you pay my biers, Robin. You know I
appreciate that. Does that mean that you would like to

(01:04:57):
do a I would like to offer for Joe the
opportunity of a double or nothing proposition for twenty six
oh two.

Speaker 1 (01:05:04):
Million bucks on the line. Joe, you down for it?

Speaker 2 (01:05:08):
I am?

Speaker 8 (01:05:08):
This is this is This is definitely a favorite Jennie though,
because we have such an unknown coming on and what
they're gonna do here in a week.

Speaker 6 (01:05:16):
Well, the other thing that makes this fun is that
the helium has gotten into the phone line, and so
it now sounds like I'm dealing with a child.

Speaker 1 (01:05:24):
Yeah, that is true, Robin. Okay.

Speaker 6 (01:05:25):
So, Robin, did you have a question. I do have
one question for Joela Ericson. I'm going to mention a
player and Joe needs to tell me if Sunday is
the last time we will see him in a coach you.

Speaker 1 (01:05:35):
In the form Oh, I would think Anthony Richardson, he
is an ir pay attention. Please sorry, Robin. Okay, Robin,
the genie has go ahead, Robin. Then what I'd like
to know from you, Joela Ericson? Do you believe.

Speaker 6 (01:05:50):
Sunday is the fine opportunity I will have to wear
my Alec Pierce coach jersey while watching my team play.

Speaker 1 (01:05:59):
Very good question, Joel. Two million bucks on the line
for you.

Speaker 2 (01:06:06):
I think he's back.

Speaker 1 (01:06:10):
Do you mean Robin or Attic Piers.

Speaker 8 (01:06:13):
I don't feel confident in that one, but I think
Alec Pierce is back.

Speaker 1 (01:06:17):
Do you believe that's? Because?

Speaker 3 (01:06:19):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (01:06:20):
And thank you Robin by the way, happy he is,
Happy New Year to you. Yes, do you believe that
Alec Pierce is back? Joel? Because just the fact that
you know, obviously the incumbent, you know it's your safest
bet as always that of familiarity, and he's been within
the roster and you know with the locker room, and
you know he has flourished this year or because of

(01:06:43):
the fact, do you think that he comes back, because
even though he has played well for them, he is
not going to get on the market what he could
get out of Indianapolis because it would appear to me
he's played himself into a pretty big contract.

Speaker 8 (01:06:55):
My my understanding is that Pierce wants to be back,
and not in the way that everyone says they want
to be back and they kind of mean it, but
it depends on what the dollar figure is.

Speaker 2 (01:07:05):
My understanding is that.

Speaker 8 (01:07:06):
Pierce really really wants to be back here. Uh and so,
and I also know that him and Daniel Jones are
pretty close. So if I'm kind of basing that guess
and that bet on on if Jones is back, Pierce
is going to want to be back with with the organization.
Now you know.

Speaker 2 (01:07:23):
This, this is where this is where the genie might
get me.

Speaker 8 (01:07:26):
If if they tried to move on from everybody, then all.

Speaker 9 (01:07:30):
That goes out the window.

Speaker 8 (01:07:31):
So but but based on what we know, I think
he's probably gonna be want to be back with Jones
and with this organization.

Speaker 1 (01:07:39):
Okay. Lastly, Joel, because the helium Fairy has arrived, kick
the beer ferry out of the way. Uh yeah, So
can we just get you real quick if we could
on the air, and you've been a good sport about
this in the past, can you say to me with
using the and you don't even need to doctor your voice.
The helium Fairy does it for us. Can you simply
say I'm Joel a Ericksson and I'm all so the

(01:08:00):
beer Fairy. Can we get you to say that.

Speaker 8 (01:08:04):
I'm Joela Erickson and I'm also the beer Faery?

Speaker 1 (01:08:08):
Okay, well there you go. All right, Joe, Happy New
Year to your ration yourself. All right, I'll do my best.

Speaker 2 (01:08:16):
It's tough to ration. It's tough.

Speaker 1 (01:08:18):
It is tough. The rashing, yes, Joel a Erickson joining
us on the Java House feeling poor guest line and
again when it comes and we've had fun with it,
it's and my understanding is that once we get kind
of everything, because we've moved buildings and they're working on
you know, they've got a couple other things to install
that will take care of the helium factor on the

(01:08:40):
phone lines. I promise you folks. This is not people
that are suddenly getting that they themselves are not being
like with that extra pep. The machine does it. Now,
we do have a machine that can give you a
little extra pep in your day for those times when
you're dragging. What about the Wrangler Energy from Java House
Java house dot com. You can go on you get
the When I say that the bundle, the peel and

(01:09:01):
port pods literally you peel them off. You put them
in eight ounces of water. Sometimes with the hydration I'll
put I'll use sixteen ounces of water because it's you know,
the concentrate on it. The flavor is pretty rich, but
the in a good way. But the Wrangler Energy Columbia
House coffee, which is amazingly smooth and fabulous. I have
never been a coffee drinker, and I love the Colombian

(01:09:23):
coffee from Java House. And then the two Liquid Science
hydration drinks, so your post workout drink right there in water.
You get all of those in the peel and poor
in terms of the bundle ship to you very easy
Java House dot com. And then you put in my
name Jake twenty five and you're gonna get twenty five
percent off and if you put in the fan in
the search bar or my name, then it's going to

(01:09:45):
take you to the bundle itself and you're going to
see everything that I'm talking about. Uh, did you say, Nathaniel,
that we do or do not have Aaron from Fox
Sports Radio to talk a little Rose Bowl?

Speaker 3 (01:09:55):
Do not?

Speaker 1 (01:09:56):
Okay, because I know that that was in flux. But
speaking of the Rose Bowl, that's not to say that
we are not going to get into that. We'll get
into that and some New Year's resolutions, if you will,
of what you'd like to see from local teams that
on the other side here acquiring company on the fan, you're.

Speaker 4 (01:10:16):
Listening to Query and Company on ninety three five and
one oh seven five the Fan.

Speaker 1 (01:10:21):
Happy New Year to everyone. I'm curious of this, and
anybody can send me a text at five two three
ninety two eighty eight, which is my cell phone number.
You can also obviously text the station at two three

(01:10:42):
nine ten seventy, but admittedly the five two three nine
two eight eight is a little bit easier for me
because it's my phone right there and I don't have
to log into a number of things to get to it.
I probably shouldn't say that, but that's that is true.
But of course I know in the Morning show they're
very active on the text line at two, three, nine,
ten seventy. Both work tonight with Uncle Jake's Taxi. Several

(01:11:08):
people have asked on the fel I played that by ear.
I was at an event last night until fairly late,
a wonderful event that takes place every year. That I
was at last night, not raucous by any stretch, but
was out fairly late and so a little bit tired.
You know, I always play that by ear. It's it's
always a game time decision on Uncle Jake's Taxi where

(01:11:30):
you can send me a text between one and four
am if you would like a ride home, but has
to be two home, not to a bar, not to
another party. And you know, Uber's only put a dent
in the Uncle Jake's Taxi business model. No puking in
the jeep. That's the only rule. But I've had fun
with that over the years. We'll see if I run

(01:11:53):
it tonight. But I'm curious of this. What's the is
New Year's now, Nathaniel Atticus, I will let you chime
in on this as well. What's the deadline on when
it's no longer acceptable and or like anything other than
odd to say Merry Christmas when you see people, or

(01:12:14):
Happy Holidays either one like you run into somebody at
the gas station that you know right now, do you
still say, like, hey man, merry Christmas to you.

Speaker 5 (01:12:24):
I think it's too late for Merry Christmas, but happy
Holidays works maybe for a couple more days.

Speaker 1 (01:12:29):
Okay? Then what about this? What is the age? What
is the maximum age in which today like, if someone
says the following to you, what is the oldest age
that they can be where you find it acceptable as
opposed to like, you've got to be kidding me. And

(01:12:50):
that is if someone says to you see you next
year ten, it's a dad joke.

Speaker 5 (01:12:59):
I'll allow it for anybody.

Speaker 1 (01:13:02):
Really, Yeah, I'll allow that one.

Speaker 5 (01:13:04):
Okay, you kind of give them a half a chuckle
and you walk away, but I'll allow it.

Speaker 1 (01:13:11):
Merry Christmas. I feel like you can say the day after, I.

Speaker 5 (01:13:15):
Think you're good on the twenty sixth, the twenty seventh,
we're done.

Speaker 1 (01:13:18):
Yeah. I would tend to agree with that. And there's
a weird thing about Christmas to me. Two things about
this time of year to me that I've and I'm
curious if I'm the only one that feels this way. Okay,
the first is I love everything about Christmas. I love

(01:13:41):
everything about it. I love the goodwill, I love the
the reason for the season. I love the reminders of
the camaraderie of people. I love the family traditions, I
love the chilling in the air. I love everything about it.
And I was never into the Christmas markets, and that's

(01:14:05):
something that was almost unfamiliar to me until Carmel started
doing it just a couple of years ago. And I
typically don't go up into Carmel a lot, just because
the next thing I know, I've gone around three roundabouts
the wrong way and there was a construction zone here
and then a crane there, and then another building of
a palladium on the left, and I thought I was

(01:14:26):
going around this and I'm very good with directions, and
I grew up on the north side. But the last
time that I got turned around in the dark and
Carmel because there wasn't enough lighting due to construction and roundabouts, like,
I turned left and then I was in Peoria and
so those things to me. But the Christmas kendallmart was

(01:14:52):
a couple of years ago the first time I've been
to the one in Carmel, and I thought, Okay, this
is cool. And then I think I mentioned this past
year when we went on vacation in Vienna, Austria. It
was the opening weekend of their Christmas market, which is
translates into Chris kendlmart on their signs, which is what's

(01:15:12):
replicated in Carmel, and I mean it is there. It
was huge, and that it was magical. The Christmas thing
was magical, and that made me then come back and
I went back to the one in Carmel, and I've
got to give them credit. I mean, it really is.
They do a remarkable job. I realized the authenticity of
the Caramel one after having been to and then I

(01:15:35):
went to ones in Munich also and it was magical.
And I love everything about Christmas. But there's also like
this letdown that happens. By the twenty seventh, the twenty sixth,
you're still kind of in the mode of it because
you're you're putting stuff away and whatever else. And then
by the twenty seventh year, it's almost like there's a
resentment of it's over. So I don't want to be
reminded of it because it's so wonderful. But now it's done.

(01:16:00):
Oh but this is gonna be nice because next week
I've got days off again because New Year's is coming.
And so then you go into the new year, and
then the thing there is no more. The thing that's
hard about it is you have this month long anticipation
of this magical time, and it feels like you're really
making headway and clicking off days and days off and
everything else. And then you come back off of that

(01:16:22):
on Monday, January second or January third, or whatever that
Monday falls on. But you come back to work even
after New Year's Day, and then the next Monday and
you look outside and it's gray and it's frigid, and
it looks like the Rusho where Rocky Balboa was going
through the snow. And you look at the calendar and

(01:16:43):
you're like, oh my gosh, we now have seventy eight
days till anything matters, and it it feels like you've
been stuck in the mud for like three weeks. Now
just turn It feels like the Colts last seven weeks.
It feels like the Pacers last three months, where you're

(01:17:04):
just turning over and over and like the same thing
you're not getting anywhere, and it becomes almost depressing. But
we're not worrying about that right now. We're worrying about
the fact that it's New Year's and the fact that
tomorrow it's Indiana and Alabama and right now you've got
bowl games going on, and I was representing the Big Ten. Well,
they're up fourteen to three on Vanderbilt. I don't know.

(01:17:26):
Is that fellow with the gold chains and that's flipping
everybody off? Is he playing? Did he opt out? Do
we know Pavla? Is he playing for Vanderbilt? Playing or Pavia?
He is playing Diego Pavia who did not help himself
and maybe he needs to go out in the bowl
game and play well to resurrect whatever stock damage he

(01:17:47):
did with his behavior after the Heisman. Two nine ten
seventy is the telephone number, Darnell. What's up?

Speaker 7 (01:17:55):
No One? Thanks for taking my call? Hey, real quick,
I just want to if your heads up and I'll
get back with you. I may know your schedule better
than you. Can you hear me because I'm on my
head set? Can you hear me? Okay?

Speaker 1 (01:18:07):
I hear you? A lout and clear, Darnell. Okay, Happy
new Year, by the way, Darnell, Happy.

Speaker 9 (01:18:12):
Happy New Year, Jake.

Speaker 7 (01:18:13):
So this will be our twenty fifth season of inde
thunder beat Baseball. All right, So we know you're you've
been a part of it and when you work at
ten o six. So we have a couple of things
coming up, and I want to deal with you off
the air, but I know we're sort of a Knicks
sport and I get it with the ratings in college, high.

Speaker 1 (01:18:31):
School with Darnell, it's listen, it's like negative nine outside.
You guys are already gearing up for the year. When
does the year get underway January eleventh or really?

Speaker 7 (01:18:43):
So we have our organization. We have an organizational meeting
next week on the tenth. But we have some big
things coming up to This year will be our twenty
fifth season of Beat Baseball as far as the indefenders
can turn for.

Speaker 1 (01:18:56):
Are you at practice right now or are you grocery
shopping or you on the bottom of the ocean grocery store.

Speaker 7 (01:19:02):
I'm at a grocery store almost getting rung. I'm not
I'm next in line.

Speaker 1 (01:19:06):
Can we play what happened? Can we play prices right?
I want to know what you're buying.

Speaker 2 (01:19:11):
Some fruit, some bananas okay, some lemon okay, some oranges okay?

Speaker 7 (01:19:21):
Half a look for parade, which I like. I remember
back in the day when I.

Speaker 1 (01:19:25):
Grew Are you making Harry? Are you making Harry Buffalo's tonight?

Speaker 6 (01:19:28):
Like?

Speaker 1 (01:19:28):
What are we doing with all the fruit here? No?

Speaker 7 (01:19:31):
I like fruit, fruity, good for you?

Speaker 1 (01:19:33):
Okay, fair enough, Okay, So wait a minute. January tenth
Meetings for the Indie Thunder beat Ball. I do love
the Beatball. I was just talking about it last night.
As a matter of fact, when does the season get underway? Darnell?

Speaker 3 (01:19:43):
Like?

Speaker 1 (01:19:43):
When are you actually playing games? Look?

Speaker 7 (01:19:45):
Our first game is at North Central Hospital. Matter of fact,
May May twenty nine, May thirty through the.

Speaker 1 (01:19:51):
Thirty first, May thirty through the thirty first. All right,
I'm going to be in Detroit. I can tell you
that for Indy car but beatball I was just talking
about last night. Visually impaired baseball. The Indie Thunder has
won multiple world championships representing Indie well and it is
fascinating to It's a fun sport to watch and they

(01:20:12):
usually do it at brought a Book Park or around
the north side of Indianapolis. So get with me, Darnell,
Happy to help you out in Happy New Year. Darnell,
by the way, a forty nine Ers fan. I did
not get into his thoughts on the game and whether
or not he went against the Colts. Colts and Texans
coming up Sunday, Pacers in action taking on the Orlando
Magic that game three o'clock tip two thirty. Will send

(01:20:34):
it out to Gambridge Fieldhouse for Mark Pat and the boys.
Pat Boiler, I'm going to join us about thirty minutes
from now. We will talk about that. But I am
going to get back into the granddaddy of them all,
the Rose Bowl and the one element of it. As
I've looked over this and looked over Alabama and Indiana,

(01:20:57):
one of the advantages for Indiana. Perhaps that has nothing
to do with what's going to take place on the field.
I'll explain next.

Speaker 4 (01:21:06):
This is Querry in Company on ninety three five and
one oh seven five.

Speaker 1 (01:21:10):
The Fan Indiana Alabama Rose Bowl. I've got a theory
that I thought of earlier about this game and what
it might mean advantage Indiana and has nothing to do
with breaking down the x's and o's of the game.
Get into that in just second game, four o'clock tomorrow.
But let's go to the phone lines where Leon has

(01:21:31):
chimed in, I believe, regarding the Colts and their games
with the Texans. Hi, Leon, how are you? I'm doing
pretty good?

Speaker 3 (01:21:37):
How you doing, James?

Speaker 1 (01:21:38):
I can't complain? Leon? Are you said for the big
New Year? What's your big plan for tonight?

Speaker 9 (01:21:43):
Actually?

Speaker 3 (01:21:44):
I'm hosting a little get together tonight?

Speaker 1 (01:21:46):
So really it seems as though the invite was lost
in the mail. How many people are coming over? Leon?
About it?

Speaker 3 (01:21:54):
A dozen?

Speaker 1 (01:21:54):
Okay? Food? Drink? What's what's the specialty at Leon's New
Year's e back? Christopher Cross going to be playing? What
do you got? Well?

Speaker 3 (01:22:06):
I was just gonna be a variety of things from
karaoke to trivia games and card games.

Speaker 1 (01:22:13):
That's cool, all right, fair enough? All right? Culture on
your mind? And happy New York again to you. Culture
on your mind? What's up? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (01:22:21):
I just think that it's time for the coast to
turn the page on Ballad. There's no reason to justify
keeping him here. He has been here with eight or
nine years. He is not produced. He still hasn't solved
a quarterback issue. If you think he solved it with
Daniel Jones, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like

(01:22:42):
to sell you. You know, was he great at first
eight games? Yes he was, but for four games in
a row he was vintaged Daniel Jones from New York.
And you know after he performed miserably for four a year,
they said, well he was hurt. Well, he wasn't on
the injury report those four weeks, and so if that
was true, then they violate the NFL policy by not

(01:23:02):
putting them on the injury report. So I think it's
time to move past ballance and then whatever happens after that,
which the other personnel should happen.

Speaker 1 (01:23:12):
Uh I listen, I think Leon, And by the way, Leon,
before I answered your comments there, which I think are
are salient and well said, I might have asked you this.
You've called the program before, correct ly on that's correct,
And unfortunately you wouldn't be able to see it because
we're on the phone, but I could put it on
for our fabulous YouTube audience today. I am wearing my

(01:23:34):
have I did I ask you? And have I asked
you every single time you've ever called in? If you
ever went to Leon's Tailoring.

Speaker 3 (01:23:41):
Yes, yes you have, but I have been there before.
In fact, I remember I got my prom tups from there.

Speaker 1 (01:23:53):
Really listen, I mean what school would what school was
having people wearing time? I mean, you know my problem.
It was like we went up to the place in
Castle Till next to Hot sand Pretzel and rented some
bad boy and had to have it back by what place?
What high school did you go to? Short Reach, short Ridge?
The Blue Devil's Baby? All right, So I think I
mentioned when Leon's was closing Leon's Tailoring, which had been

(01:24:15):
there forever one hundred years. I think when they closed,
I thought, I need It's an Indianapolis staple. It's an
Indianapolis landmark. I've seen it every time I've driven home
from a Pacer game up Delaware. I need to get
something from Leon's Tailoring. So I went in on the
day that they were closing, going out of business. You
get a good deal here. And I put on a
beautiful jacket. I mean, leon it was a BEAUTIFU Yeah,
I look good in it, right, It was a beautiful jacket.

(01:24:37):
And I put it on. I thought, this thing's great,
and the guy said, an it's on sale. It's your
lucky day and we're closing the shop to end the
day today. And I said, yeah, I know. He said's
only eight seventy five, So all I got a twenty
I mean, you know, no, no, no, eight hundred and
twenty five bucks. So opted against that. Leon opted against that.
But I did get a winter coat and I'm wearing
it today with the Leons tailoring ads on the inside,

(01:25:00):
and I'm as proud as a peacock about it because
I love the fact that I've got a place that
is an Indianapolis landmark that I wear when it gets
cold outside. So each time that I grab the code,
I will think of Leon of Shortridge as well, and
as fabulous New Year's Eve twenty five party. As for
your point, which is a very good one in regards
to Chris Ballard, I don't think you're in the minority.

(01:25:22):
I think that there is And again I've said the
thing that is the most intriguing about this storyline is
that you can make a very legitimate case in argument
from both sides of it about which player, or which
side of it that you would want Chris Ballard to
return or Chris Ballard to leave. I mean both of them.
You could make very very solid cases with evidence both ways.

(01:25:43):
It is my belief, as I mentioned at the beginning
of the week, there is no perfect time for change.
Change is hard, and you don't want to impact people's livelihood.
I get it, Chris Ballard will be fine, He'll find
another job somewhere. But I believe that it is time
to move on from it because doing the same thing
over and expecting the different results is the definition of insanity.

(01:26:05):
And I think it's time to make that move. I
think it's time for fresh blood, fresh ideas, fresh scouting,
all of it. I don't think that's going to happen,
and I think that there are cases to be made
on why it shouldn't. But if it were up to me,
you would make that change. But it's not up to me.
And I certainly understand both sides of it, understand both

(01:26:27):
sides of it, but I appreciate the point certainly on it.
Leon J ANDB is in the building by the way
crossover we usually do this time of day. I might
rope him in here just to find out what he's
got lined up. And I also want to mention since
I had mentioned Leon's tailoring and I know John was
there earlier. Today Manly's Irish Mutt over on the East Side,

(01:26:50):
they are in their last just over four hours of
business on the east Side, and that has been a
just a fabulous, fabulous place. I've been there before. I
know John's done numerous shows there. I have such a
love and appreciation for neighborhood establishments that allow people to
go and celebrate and commiserate and commiserates the wrong word,

(01:27:17):
find camaraderie with those that have the same footprint, the
same pillars, the same identity of their neighborhood, their heritage,
and you know, their friends and family and oftentimes in
areas of Indianapolis, friends become family. And that's what makes
the city so great in the different pockets within it,
and on the east Side, when you're talking about somebody

(01:27:38):
that was or is a member of the fire department,
a first responder, a hero in that regard, that opens
up a place that has allowed for so many people
to have great food, great drinks, great memories, and great
fellowship and just you know, the friendship throughout Manly's Irish Mutt.
Absolutely a salute to them and a thank you for

(01:27:59):
what they have done for those on the east side
and near east side of Indianapolis. All right, John's in
the building. I might grab him, see what he's got cooking,
and then Pat Boil I'm going to join us about
fifteen minutes from now. We'll get into Pacers magic. And
I still need to tell you which I will do.
Right on the other side, Alabama in terms of one
thing that it brings to the Rose Bowl that Indiana

(01:28:22):
does not that might work against it and help Indiana,
I'll tell you right off the top.

Speaker 4 (01:28:26):
Next this is Querry in Company on ninety three five
and one oh seven five the fan Okay Rose Bowl
tomorrow four o'clock Indiana and Alabama.

Speaker 1 (01:28:38):
And with all the discussion we've had about this, and
I talked a lot earlier about this Indiana team and
the Indiana you know all about the aura of Indiana,
the past of Indiana. This Indiana team is coming in
and they have you could say, if you wanted to,

(01:28:59):
I'm not saying, you be correct, the weight of the
world on their shoulders. They represent a school that has
not won a bowl game since the nineteen ninety one
season when Von Dunbar was their running back and they
defeated Baylor and the Copper Bowl later known as the
Insight dot Com Bowl, and the Indiana football program going

(01:29:27):
into this season more losses than anybody in the history
Division one. And there was a time where the upper
echelon was the All American Bowl and getting excited about
the Liberty Bowl and other such things. And now here
they are and you can go into it and you

(01:29:48):
can say, this moment is really big for Indiana. All
of the hype, the promise, all the expectation, the media obligations,
the parade, everything that goes in I'm not saying they're
in the prey, but you know what I'm saying, everything
that goes into the Rose Bowl. And the fact that
with each game the stakes get bigger and each one
of them. It is a moment and a place that

(01:30:10):
most never thought they would see for Indiana. And you
could say that that is advantage Alabama, because Indiana is
going to look like the Hickory Huskers when they walk
into Hinklefield House before Ali gets on the shoulders and
measures the rim. Except for this, this Indiana team, as

(01:30:33):
I spelled out earlier, is a band of misfits by
their own definition, but it is true. Aiden Fisher points
out this team is not going to see there's not
a player on the roster that is going to face
a program that recruited them the rest of the way.
It's chip on the shoulder time. And Indiana's entire mantra

(01:30:54):
this year has been about proving people wrong, and I
don't think they feel like they've done that just by
being Oregon and Ohio State. They feel there's more there.
And you could say that the moment is too big
for Indiana, but I would tell you that maybe the
bigger pressure is on Alabama, where the moment is not
big enough for what was expected for their roster coming in.

(01:31:19):
Because every player on Indiana's roster when they were in
high school were getting recruited by James Madison or Kent
State or California or Indiana, none of them prominent, big time,
historic football programs. They all just had a dream of

(01:31:39):
going somewhere and getting the chance to play college football
at a high level. Alabama's players were getting recruited by
Alabama and Georgia and Florida and USC and they were
coming out of IMG Academy and places like that, and
they were dreaming of because Alabama's the kind of school

(01:32:00):
where Alabama doesn't recruit you. You almost recruit Alabama. You're like, Okay,
I've arrived now because Alabama's after me. That means I
am in the top one percent of my class athletically
and a football standpoint. And when you sign up to
go to Alabama, especially players that are there right now,
they virtually know nothing other than the Nick saban Era

(01:32:23):
and Alabama players going into it. They know they are
in a program where the expectation is the National Championship game,
the floor is the National Championship game, and they know
of the history does the Alabama roster all the way
back to Bear Bryant and Joe Namath and Ken Stabler

(01:32:46):
and George Tige and AJ mccerron and Cornelius Bennett and
Sean Alexander and mark Ingram and Trent Richardson and all
of the great players and Heisman winners of late that
have come out of Alabama and everything that goes in
with the mystique of the Nick saban and year after
year after year national championships and wide open space players

(01:33:09):
and all of that. That's the expectation, that's the entry
level at Alabama. And you wonder if that mistique Chris Hagen,
who himself grew up in Alabama, knows about Alabama, grew
up with Mississippi State, but certainly knows about Bama. Spent
time in Birmingham, has family down there. Chris Hagen, being

(01:33:32):
out in Pasadena, asked Kurt Signetti the exact question of
is that what does that mean for your band of
misfits to go up against this program that has guys
that are the upper elite of the upper elite. And
Signetti had a great answer, you probably.

Speaker 6 (01:33:49):
Know more about the mistique than they do.

Speaker 9 (01:33:51):
I mean, our guys just know what they see on tape.

Speaker 1 (01:33:55):
And I think that's the point being Indiana is locked
in and laser focused on the now, and Indiana's not
worried about Joe Namath. They're not playing Joe Namath. They're
not playing Set Alexander. It's like aj Moye said when
Indiana was playing Duke in the two thousand and two
Sweet sixteen, and he said, are we playing Jesus Christ

(01:34:17):
and the Disciples? Because the jersey says Duke. The players
they're playing right now are this year's version of Alabama,
and Alabama's the one that has that legacy that might
even be working against it because of the expectation that's
tough to live up to. Now I'm thrilled for everybody
in Indiana. I'm thrilled for Don Fisher. I'm thrilled for

(01:34:41):
Trent Green. I'm thrilled for guys that had been Chris Diddo,
that had been through the thick and thin of Indiana football.
Dan Byron, my buddy, Mike Byron's dad who had season
tickets back when no one did. No one had season
tickets to Indiana. And Dan Byron's up there in the
crowd doing the all right, all right, all right, okay, okay, okay,

(01:35:01):
go hoo's yours go back before who's yours back? Before
all that? And the people Andy Burt that took me
when I was ten years old to go see Sam
White's dre near winless teams and Bill Mallory's winless teams
and his late grandfather who was on the board of trustees.

(01:35:23):
I'm thrilled for all those people that Now the time
is here Indiana in the Rose Bowl, the granddaddy of
them all, not the traditional sense, but still the football
gods aligned it. Where when Indiana got itself as a
number one seed. The Rose Bowl is the ball in
which they go in Pasadena, And yeah, it might not
be Sonny in Pasadena, but it's Sonny in Hoo's your land.

(01:35:45):
And it might not be hot in Indiana right now,
but it's warm in terms of the feeling of what
we're seeing unfolding before us. A chance three wins away
from a national championship and the only team in Division
One without a loss, for a team it had more
of him than anybody in the history of college football
going into the year now, a team without one going

(01:36:06):
in and trying to defend themselves and be this band
of misfits saying why not Indiana? And one of the
guys that I'm thrilled for because I know what it
means to him is Turnbuckle Bill. Turnbuckle Bill has been
as loyal and is in deep and is in love
with Indiana football. Is anybody you're ever going to meet?

(01:36:27):
And I'm betting he's sitting around right now with candy
stripe pants and a tank top bond, sitting there on
his couch and he ain't moving till four o'clock tomorrow.
Is that about, right? TB?

Speaker 9 (01:36:37):
That is pretty dog gone close except for I am
going to go to the Mutt a little bit later
on to uh to help him close out to love
it and your your kind words, I'm sure are very
well appreciated. With Mike Manley and Jennifer Manley and I
said this yesterday, They're gonna be like MacArthur and the Philippines.
They will return, they get they will get back. But

(01:37:02):
for right now and everything, Uh, it's going to be
an empty building there at the UH at the corner
of Tampon Shaven. But yeah, I wanted to talk about uh,
talk about the Hoosiers. I mean, the first time I
went to go see him was in nineteen sixty seven. Uh,
I was at the Purdue game where they beat Purdue
and ended up going to the Rose Bowls just for me.

(01:37:23):
I was just a little kid, and uh my mom
was on the faculty, and uh, we just fell in
love with the team. And my dad was was the
kind of guy who once you get behind the team,
once you declare for them, you stick with him through
thick and thin. Don't be one of these people that
is a is a bandwagon jumper and everything. And those
were a couple of great lessons that my parents left

(01:37:44):
for me, especially with IU football. So uh yeah, it's
going to be a great moment tomorrow. I don't I've
been hearing a lot of analysis and everything about how
Alabama cannot run the ball, that they don't have running
backs that can they can do that. Their quarterback when
he gets outside the pocket usually ends up being their
leading rusher. But the thing is they're running backs. They've

(01:38:07):
got three running backs that have got over three hundred
and fifty yards a piece in the passing game. So
the whole key is I see it for IU on
defense is going to be how they stop those short
intermediate dick and dunk type passes and everything that they're
going to extend drives because Alabama, from what I saw

(01:38:28):
and everything in the research I did, they're not a
very good third and long team. They have they have
to have it, you know, like a third and three
or third and two or like that.

Speaker 1 (01:38:37):
Listen. I do think and I don't know the latest
four gut. I don't think it's going to be raining
during the game. I think it's going to be wet
and sloppy, but I don't think it's going to be
rained during the game. But Bill, I mean it when
I say it, man, and I appreciate you going to
the Mutt. They close it six to Billy Love Bill.
Bill's the best, Yeah, and he's one of those that
you know, man, I'm just happy for the guy. And
Bill's been one of those he talks about loyalty to Indiana.

(01:38:59):
He's been loyalty, loyal certainly from a radio standpoint, to
both of John Gray dude. So I am thrilled that
Bill's able to enjoy it. All right. So it's the
crossover brought to you by the good guys that love
heating and air Love dash HBAC dot com is the
website three one seven, three five three twenty one forty one.
John is here, but it's not because we're handing it
off to him. As a matter of fact, pacers getting
underway with the Orlando Magic coming up three o'clock. We'll

(01:39:21):
talk to Pat Boyle in just a couple of minutes
from now. But John, you are getting set over. I
can hear you, like doctor Frankenstein over in the music lab.

Speaker 10 (01:39:28):
Right I'm in the music lab right now, hoping and
praying I know what I'm doing at six o'clock because
I have very little idea right here real. I'm paying
everybody off with Manly's Irish Mutt, great pizza today to
help me out with this because I'm freaked out a
little bit.

Speaker 1 (01:39:44):
No, why are you freaked out? Because I have no
idea what I'm doing. That's all right, that's the fun
of it.

Speaker 10 (01:39:49):
Yeah, I mean I have kind of set New Year's Eve, man,
you got that phone with it, right, Yeah, I've set
the table for people to understand if there's a huge
food bar mess that it's just me.

Speaker 1 (01:40:00):
And that's just kind of coming with a territory.

Speaker 10 (01:40:02):
So and get a shout out as you mentioned, and
I know Bill said this as well with that call
Mike Manly and Manly's Irish Mutt the last day as
they are done after today. And Mike is a great guy.
I've done many shows over there. He has been a
great supporter of my show, our shows, this station for

(01:40:22):
a number of years and a tenth and Shadel and Jake.
That place is going to be missed. It is an
indie original to its core.

Speaker 1 (01:40:30):
Great. It's a great place, no question. Circle Center also
today the last day, right it is? I think they
close that up all right, so you get underwey on
b one oh five at what time six o'clock and
we'll go until whenever I'm done. So if I jack
around and can't work the equipment, and maybe six oh
five if I'm good with it, it may it may
be one in the morning, are you Yeah, well, I'm

(01:40:50):
going to take you. Give me a request when you're
riding people home later off you may have to take
me home, but I'll just be dead sober I'm tired.
Sor right, John Man, I fund with that Ja. That
is Jamie. By the way, This from Chiefs Fan Steve,
who spent his time yesterday reuniting a lost to own
a dog with the owner. Said they both were crying
and Steve's got a heart of gold, Chiefs Fan Steve,

(01:41:13):
and he said, happy New Year. Just to inform you,
I'm sixty three and I've said I'll see you next
year four times already today. All right, fair enough, Steve.
Pat Boylan joining us on the Java House Peel and
Poor Guest line kind of it's actually the direct line
over to Gambridge Field House Pacers Magic tonight and the
lineup continue to kind of be shuffled around, Pat, who's

(01:41:34):
in or who's out? Give me the familiarity of what
we see here in the last lineup for twenty twenty
five for the Pacers.

Speaker 11 (01:41:40):
Well, the good news, Jake is that's trending in the
right direction. The Pacers are healthier than they've been in
quite some time. Ben Sheppard questionable, he's going to play.
TJ McConnell probable, he's available. So the Pacers right now
are really just missing Tyre Saliburt and Isaiah Jackson and
Obie Tompin. And I shouldn't say just with that, because
those are three very very important players, including your best player,

(01:42:02):
of course, but considering what the injury report has been
for a lot of the year, that is a much
slimmer list than most of the season.

Speaker 1 (01:42:10):
Pat, do you get the impression. I've talked about this
with Scott Agnes a couple of others, but I'll get
your thought on it. You know, the Pacers have gotten
points from twenty four players this year. They have had
to do ten day contracts, they've had to do hardships
Tony East, and I've talked about this as well. Do
you get the impression that even though there are times
that are having to go out of roster necessity to

(01:42:32):
put players out that they're also always looking at potential
pieces that could be players next year that are in
the mix for them, that could work their way into
say a two way or some sort of an end
of roster deal. Are they constantly auditioning that or is
this more just out of literally necessity.

Speaker 11 (01:42:53):
Well, I think both of those things are probably true.
If you look at the recent example Micah Potter, he
was brought in in large part because Isaiah Jackson went
down and Tony Bradley broke his thumb in a short
period of time and they needed some frontcre depth. But
I think the other part of your question, or perhaps point,
if you are making it, is valid. I think everything
is under review this year. I think you're seeing a

(01:43:14):
lot of players that are perhaps auditioning for future roles
as this team hopefully gets healthier and brings Tyreee Haliburton
back next year. You know that includes guys like Andrew
Nemhart I think who are established very good players in
this league. Guys like Jeris Walker are obvious. But I
think it's accurate all the way down the roster. This
is a really good opportunity and a really good audition

(01:43:35):
for a lot of different players. And as you say, now,
with the two ways, you know you can carry eighteen guys,
and the amount of players the Pacers have had on
this roster has been substantial. I think Rick Carlisle is
evaluating everything.

Speaker 1 (01:43:46):
Has Ben nick Maden been playing hurt?

Speaker 11 (01:43:52):
He has been playing not one hundred percent. He's referenced
it a few times that the toe is just not
back to one hundred percent and that it's still but
not to the level where he or the team views
he should be sitting out. So is that, you know,
part of what's happened here in his last handful of games,
I don't know. You know, when he came back, he
was actually playing really well into early mid December. His

(01:44:16):
numbers were great, and a lot of that you would
assume was with that toe bothering him as well. So
he had a pretty good game in Miami. But otherwise
the last three weeks or so for him have been
a challenge. He's not one hundred percent though, and I
think that probably should be taken into the calculus of
any sort of evaluation on Mathron right now.

Speaker 1 (01:44:35):
Pat, when I was a younger guy, late nineties, early
two thousands, I'll use the Indy five hundred as my
example here, there was a changing of the guard, and
Rick Mears and Emerson Fitipaldi and al on. So all
these names that we'd known forever all retired within about
a three to five year span, and then you had
new names that we were unfamiliar with that we had

(01:44:55):
to get to know Lio kastraevs Ton Kanaan, Scott Dixon.
The same is true in virtually all sports. Right have
we seen that in the last year? It seems to
me that we've seen this changing of the guard and
this kind of shift with halftime shows, Like some of
the halftime shows we've gotten to know and love seemed
to be phased out or retired or moved on to

(01:45:18):
other things or on the IR And now sometimes you
and I have commented on this. Some of them are okay,
and some of them feel like TIMU, but it feels
like there's a new we have a new era of
halftime shows. You see all of them? Am I correct?

Speaker 11 (01:45:31):
I'm sitting here gearing up to have the debate with
you on whether it's no longer Lebron jeans and Steph
Curry's league, and then we go halftime here. So yeah,
I think that's probably accurate, although the gold standard to
me is Red Panda, who is the Lebron James of
halftime Act. She just goes and goes and goes and

(01:45:52):
shows slot no sign of slowing down, including how impressive
was it that she did it on the turf for
at least I assume that's impressive, I would image, And
it's harder to do that on the turf at Lucas
Oil Stadium. And frankly was a little jealous that I
wasn't there to witness it as many times as we've
gotten to see it. That was a first for her.
So she's still the gold standard and she's still going strong.

(01:46:13):
But yeah, it does feel like we're seeing a little
bit of a changing of the guard there.

Speaker 9 (01:46:18):
I would agree with that.

Speaker 1 (01:46:18):
I'm a little played out with the guy that balances
the ladder on the chin. I mean, it's you know
what I mean, like, Okay, it's impressive, but then after
like by the time he gets a bicycle on there,
you're just kind of like, okay, which is ridiculous because
it's hard to do, right, I mean, but it just
you know, you start to feel bad for him because
you wonder how much he's driven off friends.

Speaker 11 (01:46:42):
Well, we've had this discussion before. To me, the number
one question I would always ask any of these guys,
including that guy, is how did you learn that you
had a skill for this? I do now on once
you started learning you have a skill, anybody can practice it.
But it's almost like a chicken and an egg thing
to me, because a did you did you realize that
you could start balancing large objects on your chin just

(01:47:04):
kind of out of the blue, or did you come
to this realization that that would be a really cool
thing to do and worked at it. I wish we
could sit down with the ones that are regularly on
tour and ask them.

Speaker 1 (01:47:15):
I'm not saying specifically which cases I'm talking about because
I want to protect myself from a legal standpoint here, pat,
But in some of the cases of the question you ask,
I believe the answer goes as simple as this alcohol
may have been a factor.

Speaker 11 (01:47:27):
Well, with any question, you can never totally take that
out of it, I mean out of the equation. Although,
although if that guy, if that guy could balance ladders
and bikes with any sort of alcohol consumption, then that
would be extremely impressive.

Speaker 1 (01:47:41):
Listen, I mean, it's cool to watch him balance the
ladder until the one guy that looks like he might
be some sort of an Eastern European wrestler comes out,
puts a pole on his chin, and then a girl
gets up and starts swinging off of it, and I think, okay,
well that kind of trumps the ladder guy. The subtle
competition of these folks is always entertaining, all right, Pat
would be entertaining as well, along with the competition of

(01:48:02):
the pacers and Magic. Mark Boyle will be there Eddie
Gill as well. Pat. Happy New Year to you.

Speaker 11 (01:48:06):
Man, Hey, same to you, and thanks for allowing us
to take a half hour out of your show today.

Speaker 1 (01:48:11):
Of course, of course my pleasure on a holiday, right
on New Year's Eve, So Pat boy then we will
send it out there just a couple of minutes, all right,
a couple of other notes. Again, we will be back
with you coming up on Friday, back to our normally
scheduled programming. We will not be on the air tomorrow

(01:48:31):
Rose Bowl four o'clock. That is obviously of the main
importance and something we will talk a lot about coming
up on Friday. And hopes that Indiana is on their
way to the Peach Bowl and to Atlanta. J and
B will we'll be with you after the game tonight,
starting at six o'clock over on B for the J
ANDB take over there, taking all of your requests heading

(01:48:52):
up to New Year's and most importantly to all of
you for twenty twenty five and into twenty twenty six.
We had a lot of great times in two thousand
twenty five, a lot of them. You know, obviously, the
month of May is always great. The Pacers ride was unbelievable.
The you know, Purdue and what they were able to
do and getting back now is the number one team
and still one of the best teams in college basketball.

(01:49:14):
Goes without saying the Colts in their unbelievable start and
then the ride that it's been with them to seeing
where they are now. There has been so much to
talk about, and I think we had a lot of
fun in particular over the course of the summer when
oftentimes it's kind of the doldrum time from a sports
talk radio standpoint of figuring out what you're going to

(01:49:34):
talk about, and just the collective camaraderie and the unison
in which we celebrated what was a great sports calendar
year in twenty twenty five was special. And I know
I speak for Eddie, I know I speak for Nathaniel.
I know I speak for Jeff James, for Kevin, for John,
and you know myself certainly, and thanking all of you
for making it possible for us to do that each

(01:49:57):
and every day. I will figure out tonight game time
decision whether or not I in fact do do Uncle
Jake's taxi and give rides home. But either way, I
hope that you are surrounded tonight by your friends, by
your family, by the people that are the closest to
you and the most rewarding as you celebrate in what
is hopefully a healthy and prosperous, happy new year for
all of us in twenty twenty six. I thank you

(01:50:18):
for listening to a querying company.

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The Burden

All Episodes

Final Rose Bowl preview + Pacers on NYE

Stuff You Should Know