3 guys Before The Game - President Michael Benson and Wren Baker Visit (Episode 650)

New is the theme for West Virginia University as the school year begins.

Not only will the Mountaineers have a new football and basketball coach, but a new school president is occupying Stewart Hall.  Michael Benson has been moving non-stop since taking over last month.
 
In this episode, Benson joins the “Guys” with Vice President and Athletic Director Wren Baker to discuss the relationship between administration and athletics.  How will WVU navigate the new world of college sports as it continues to redefine itself.
 
Both Benson and Baker share their philosophy and thoughts on where West Virginia University stands in the new world of college athletics. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
This is unprecedented, six hundred and fifty shows, and never ever, ever, ever, ever,
have we had five people on set at the same time.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Fole up before the game.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
Five before the.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Game, I have some bad news.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
What's what's the bad news?

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Five Guys is already trademarked and known by another another operation.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
You got to monetize.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
That, all right, So we're renaming it three Guys plus
two on this six hundred and fifty episode of Three
Guys Before the Game. It's brought to us by Go March.
Get yourself a Gomart rewards card immediately begins saving on
food and fuel. By lou Wendell Marine Sales in Saint Albans.
They well, they sell family fun. Visit lou Wendelmarne Sales
dot com. Ren in fact, just took a Lou Wendell

(00:55):
pontoon up the Mondriver to get here. Amazing. My Tutors
Biscuit World, Start your day the homemade way with a
Tutor's biscuit. By Comac's Business Systems, keeping West Virginia's business
data safe, secure and efficient for twenty five years, and
by Jan Dill's attorneys at Law. They won't take no
for an answer. Absolutely will not do it, and by

(01:15):
Conley's CPA group providing value beyond numbers. Let's jump in.
As I said, this is the very first time that
we've had five people at the same time. We're delighted,
we're honored to be joined in studio by new WVU
president Michael Benson joins us as we are just a
day away, a couple days away from the start of

(01:36):
the school year here on campus, so why not talk
before things get a little busy, and also joining us
for the seventy third time in three guys, this street
just broke Garrett Greene, director, the vice president and the
athletic director of West Virginia University, Mister Ren Baker.

Speaker 3 (01:53):
Is this like, sorry not live? I am a four timer?
Can I get a four timer's jacket?

Speaker 1 (01:57):
I thank you?

Speaker 4 (01:58):
There is something that you think he has moved into
first place and guests, I think that didn't Nate?

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Yeah, I think Nate.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Yeah, noh, well no, Nate's kind of co host.

Speaker 4 (02:09):
Nate was co hosting.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
It's not running it.

Speaker 5 (02:10):
I'm coming for you, man.

Speaker 6 (02:12):
I don't know if I get inbody to back mister Brett,
I hope you want to come back.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, that's probably not broke. True.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
Ward, before we start talking about cool or he or
being I take that back, that's true.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
No, we're we're yeah, we're fine.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
We're good. We're good. It's good to have you here.

Speaker 5 (02:26):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
You're busy. Uh last night you were busy, both of you, guys.
This was crazy. Like I turned on YouTube last night
on the youtubes, turned onto youtubes last night and just
not YouTube TV, but YouTube and there was a live
up live and they had outline of state of West
Virginia and the event was taking place at the stadium

(02:47):
where you bring all the freshmen in. And right when
I turned it on is when everyone was in the
state and they were singing country roads and there was
fifteen hundred people watching that thing, and I were like, wow,
kind of neat. So there's your first introduction into the kickoff,
so speak the kickoff at the school just kind of hey,
wasn't it It was.

Speaker 7 (03:06):
That's the first time I've heard the Pride of West
Virginia play in person. I've heard them on TV broadcast
on YouTube, but they were even more impressive. And I
love a good drum line. And they came out of
that end zone and it.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Was pretty cool.

Speaker 7 (03:18):
And then yeah, that's nearly forty five one hundred students
that were inside the outline of the state. So it's
one of our biggest freshman classes. You certainly hope they'll
they'll retain and persist. Sure, so we'll have that number
here pretty soon. But I believe we've staunched finally that
persistent decline that we've had the last several years. So
it was really fun to see them out there and
they rinking back me up. They were very well behaved

(03:39):
in between kind of the directors we gave them, but
they sat there until this time to come on the field.
But Caleb or Mountaineer led every kay, led cheers and
taught them a few things. We did Let's go Mountaineers
probably fifteen sixteen times, didn't we.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah. Oh they got a lot of Let's go Mountaineer.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yeah they did, and it was a big one though, Yeah, yeah, yeah,
And every speaker encouraged them to go to Glass and
I encourage them to go to High Street, so.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
Oh man, not run on point in there at some point. Yeah, well,
I mean, you know it's all covered, that's not the
other speaker. WELLID go to class as well.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah, so you mentioned forty five potential, approximately forty five hundred.
So I would assume one of the biggest things for
you to accomplish, like year one, day one, you want retention, right,
that's the biggest thing. What's the key to successful retention
of students.

Speaker 5 (04:26):
I think it's the first year.

Speaker 7 (04:28):
And that's the reason we have a freshman residency requirement,
because you want students to have this immediate tie to campus.
They meet the roommates, they feel a part of a community. Right,
And then of course academic classes launch on Wednesday, but
all the lead up to it, all the kind of
pre semester, the orientation.

Speaker 5 (04:46):
Tonight's the concert tomorrow night.

Speaker 7 (04:48):
It will be our first ever movie night for the
entire community to watch Thunderbolts in the stadium. But once
they have those really good orientation sessions, to kind of
hunker down, do well those first few weeks. Because I
told this group last night, it is really difficult to
dig out of a bad first year message hole, and
your GPA cannot just bounce back. So we are really

(05:12):
focused in on persistence toward that graduation rate, which is
the ultimate Brahmer.

Speaker 2 (05:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
Absolutely, Adventure West Virginia when they take those kids out
before they enroll here. That thing's invaluable.

Speaker 7 (05:23):
I went up to the Coopers run we have an
outdoor education center and met them. I mean, and these
are freshmen from all over that make ties three weeks
before school starts, and they had come that day from
Whitewater rafting up in Ohio Pile. And that's yet another
thing that we do extraordinarily.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
Well, yeah, my two boys did that and they were
born and raised here. But like that was a changer
for them. Yeah, Like immediately they're going, let me ask
you this, what have you heard about Kerchiable since you've
been geez, have you heard? I mean, he'll fire off
a missile or two? Are you ready?

Speaker 2 (05:54):
I hope so.

Speaker 1 (05:56):
I didn't know.

Speaker 7 (05:56):
He broke the news of my appointment and scooped several people,
be Audy, the one you.

Speaker 6 (06:03):
Know, as we stay in West Virginia's president, even a
blind hog friends in a corps.

Speaker 5 (06:07):
Now and then now.

Speaker 7 (06:09):
Your reputation preceidd you Hoppy and as a family of journalists,
I have enormous.

Speaker 5 (06:13):
Respect for the work you all do. I mean that.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
Thank you.

Speaker 5 (06:16):
It's Ben. I look forward to getting to know you better.

Speaker 6 (06:18):
Well, your brother, your late brother, who passed recently, was
a we were talking before the show, a poetry prize
winning cartoonist. Was not only five times and won a
pulletry prize. So we appreciate your respect for the journalism.
So thank you very much.

Speaker 7 (06:30):
And my son rerister Politico. Oh that's right, Yeah, my
daughter is a TV reporter.

Speaker 1 (06:35):
How about that. So you're in this business, you're in
this world.

Speaker 7 (06:39):
Well, I was surrounded by I mean Steve growing up.
He'd draw everything. We'd sit down and watch cartoons and
he could sketch anything, and then to twin that with
a really a cerbic wit and kind of this razor
sharp knife that he would use up people.

Speaker 5 (06:52):
Was really a talent.

Speaker 7 (06:53):
And I missed those cartoons because back of the day,
you know, Jeffitely an ally oliphant, Uh, you know, Mike Peters,
people went to the toilet page before they read the newspaper.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
Tell me to tell these folks the story about the
picture that your brother brother was a cartoonis stays Hobby
just said, the John Denver cartoon that he made and
how it kind of came full circle.

Speaker 7 (07:13):
So when John Denver died in nineteen ninety seven, Steve
loved his music. My brother and he did this this
image of John Denver walking down the tree Line Street.
It said take me home, Country Road. And Steve never
gave away originals. Once in a while he'd frame a
few and they'd put him on the wall. He had
three in his home. And when I went down for
the funeral service, I mentioned to his wife, Claire Man,

(07:36):
that's so neat, and she had decided before I got
there that she.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
Was going to give it to me, and I didn't
know that.

Speaker 7 (07:42):
And it means a great deal because now there's a
piece of Steve in my office.

Speaker 1 (07:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (07:45):
Absolutely, and it's a beautiful rendition. Y'all are welcome to
come over and see it because it's pretty neat.

Speaker 1 (07:50):
That's super neat. Mister director of Athletics, you've been busy
big twelve meetings recently. School you're getting ready to begin
what is the in a perfect world, you've been around
a long time. In a perfect world, how does the
marriage of administration and athletics work?

Speaker 3 (08:08):
Yeah, I think for an athletic director and really anybody
in our department, you want to understand what the mission
of the institution is, and then you're really working to
advance that mission and the integrity of the institution, and
you know, that's one of the things. So we just
came from I'm actually taking a little recess. We're having
an all day strategic planning process today with our senior

(08:32):
leadership team and athletics, and President Benson spent an hour
with us this morning. We thought that was really important
that they understand is he on boards, what he is
seeing is the mission of the institution, and so that
we can plug into that. But I've said this before,
intercollegiate athletics is not the most important thing that happens

(08:52):
on a campus by long stretch, but it is the
most visible thing. And we are the primary marketing and
visibility on arm of the institution and in the state
of West Virginia, probably the primary marketing and visibility vehicle
for the entire state. And so it's our job to
go out there in terms of wins losses, but also

(09:13):
in terms of the way that we represent and carry
ourselves to represent the values, the mission.

Speaker 2 (09:20):
Integrity of the institution as well as the state.

Speaker 4 (09:23):
Let's flip that around for you, President Benson, how do
you view your role as president as it relates to athletics.

Speaker 7 (09:29):
Nsent very well. It may not be the most important,
certainly the most visible. If I were to go out
and kind of curate the newspaper articles about the university,
probably north of seventy eight percent would be about athletics.
So number one, it's really important that it's done well.
As I told the group today, in all the talk
of nil and revshare and payroll for a football team

(09:50):
versus just unheard of, we've lost sight of that kind
of the acronym used APR Academic progress rate. And I
our student athletes, and I love how they compete and
represent us so well, but our job is to get
them in education and get them graduated. So working hand
in hand with men and his staff, his coaches, all

(10:11):
of his advisors, you know, the counselors he has in
athletics is absolutely critical, critical, and I.

Speaker 5 (10:18):
Love when on Saturdays as much as anybody.

Speaker 7 (10:21):
But we have to not lose our laser focus on
why we're here, and that's to get these young people
in education.

Speaker 6 (10:27):
Let me mispressent, let me follow up on that, because,
as you've concurred with, Rahn Wren said, athletes not the
most important thing, but the most visible. And I would
agree with that, I think everybody would. But at the
same time, with the dramatic changes that have taken place,
take the term student athlete, which is tossed around and
I would argue is almost obsolete. Now would you agree
that the student and the athlete that the vide is

(10:49):
greater now than it's ever been, And if in fact
it is, what does that mean for the mission of
the university, which is primary to educate people? Because now
you almost have a professional model with these athletes.

Speaker 7 (11:03):
Nothing you said is anything I disagree with. I will
tell you this. I've heard the argument that like, if
I want to be a professional musician, I can go
to the university and study music, So the same should
be for someone who wants to study football or basketball
or swimming or whatever. That divide, that chasm is growing.
I think we have to make sure we emphasize it.

(11:24):
And yes, the professional model probably is coming for particularly
for football. And ree can speak more to that because
I know the athlete drivers of the Big twelve and
the presidence and chancellors talk about all the time, and
that in the next thousand days I think are.

Speaker 5 (11:37):
Really going to be critical.

Speaker 7 (11:38):
Why as to where that divide If it happens that.

Speaker 5 (11:41):
Breaking is away if you will, of the two conferences.

Speaker 7 (11:44):
If that comes, you know where's West Virginia in the
in the calculus.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
So just to follow up on that and back to that,
I ecademic sight.

Speaker 6 (11:52):
So how concerned are you as an academic but also
a fan and an athlete former athlete Marathon Runner? I
believe yes, sir, So how concerned are you you that that?

Speaker 2 (12:00):
Again?

Speaker 6 (12:01):
These athletes are probably getting at that when you think
football and basketball are getting farther away farther away.

Speaker 3 (12:08):
First of all, do you see how serious he gets
when he gets this the legal pad out and I
warned you about them.

Speaker 1 (12:12):
When he props it up on the computer, that's when
you know.

Speaker 3 (12:14):
It's like in pro wrestling, like they let the easier
guys start to match, and then and then the and
then the real all you kick in the comes in
and he gets.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
Tagged out and ended up go up.

Speaker 6 (12:24):
Everybody just the president has a journalism background. He knows
there's going to be tough questions. And all I do
is ask questions everybody else wants to know. That's all
I do.

Speaker 3 (12:33):
Just one more before he gets back to answer this question,
I have not watched how many episodes? Six fifty today,
So I haven't watched six hundred and fifty. I've caught
parts and pieces of a few. Has ever has ever
worn a tie before?

Speaker 1 (12:48):
I thinks it's unprecedented, he's sucking up to.

Speaker 4 (12:50):
Well, it's certain since retirement, ren since retirement, it's the
first time he's wont to tie. I'll say that that's for.

Speaker 2 (12:56):
Sure, very serious, very studious.

Speaker 1 (13:00):
The economic express' that's trying to he's the only guy
that retired that works more now that he's retired.

Speaker 5 (13:04):
Yeah, I.

Speaker 6 (13:07):
Semi retired, and it's a wonderful formula. I work more
and get paid less.

Speaker 2 (13:11):
So it's it.

Speaker 6 (13:12):
But anyway, but I'm sorry, I I well, I just
I think I think I kind of restated the original question.
Is that I think it's fair to say that that
athletes football and basketball and women's basketball, maybe not women's
but other primary sports are getting farther away from the
academic mission, which you guys talk about all the time.
And is it going to continue to get just farther

(13:34):
away until there really is just only a tangential connection
between the two.

Speaker 7 (13:38):
Well, I cannot divine the future, but I think that
divide is going to widen. I will also say that
oftentimes your best student athletes are those ones in Olympic sports.
Tenants is all gymnastics, cross country. Uh, and that will
probably that Rob will probably continue as well.

Speaker 2 (13:54):
Okay, all right, just a thought, Wren, you want to
weigh in on them.

Speaker 3 (13:58):
Well, listen, I've said this before. Does it look different? Yeah,
it looks different, but not only look, No, it is different.

Speaker 2 (14:07):
It is different.

Speaker 3 (14:07):
It is I mean, and and you see rich. You
know when coach Rod talks in his press conference, these
guys are getting paid now money and free ice creams.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
Apparently I've not got the ice.

Speaker 1 (14:17):
Cream, so you were not all in on the machine.
They generally is that without you knowing?

Speaker 2 (14:21):
I told him.

Speaker 3 (14:22):
I think I think it's a little scandalist that I
believe he ordered the ice cream machine and then chastises
the players.

Speaker 2 (14:28):
But I think that was a set up. Probably.

Speaker 3 (14:30):
I think he put this ice cream machine in here.
I need something to rail on. But no, it is different.
But I I believe that that tethering the education should
and hopefully will continue to exist. I think that's an
important piece, important component, and so there's no question we're

(14:51):
going to become more professionalized, and that gap is going
to widen some What I hope doesn't happen is that
it gets severed because I think that that that tie
to education is still really important and really critical, and
I think it's critical to people at home. I think people,
I think alumni want to know that the young men

(15:11):
young women that are in the program are representing not
just their sport but their institution. And then they're going
to class in the same buildings they went to class in.
They're staying in the same dorms there. You know, they
want to feel a connection. That connection is different than
it used to be. We don't have near as many
for three, four or five years like we used to,

(15:32):
but but hopefully that tether stays there.

Speaker 1 (15:35):
Well when you think about the big picture, like I
always big advocate of use the system rather than let
the system use you. Like if you're a student athlete
right now and you can come in and you can
make a little bit in rev share whatever that number
may be, at the same time get an education, right
you talk about beating and winning the system. It's it's

(15:56):
it's it's phenomenal. To your point, you know, no one's
going crazy. In the past A student on a music
scholarship here at WV you could be at the CAC
and practice whatever an instrument is, and on Fridays and
Saturdays they could go be in a band and they
could make money playing in a band and no one
would stop them. You couldn't do that if you were
a student athlete because of the NCAA rules we're just
getting I mean, there's no harm in it, but people,

(16:18):
I think because of this, the way that we grew
up and knew the system, people are having some issues
and struggling with it. I personally don't it makes all
the sense in the world to me, it really does.

Speaker 2 (16:29):
I have a counter to that, but we can move on.

Speaker 1 (16:32):
Why do you have a what.

Speaker 2 (16:34):
You have a counter to that? What do you mean?

Speaker 1 (16:35):
What do you mean to say?

Speaker 6 (16:36):
Just that I would argue that I don't want to
exclude these guys and you and I argue, I'm just
going to say that if you have a student who
is here studying music on a weekend they playing a band,
I would argue that they are primarily here for the
music education. And I would argue that many of the students,
many of the athletes today at the college level, on

(16:57):
like football and big time basketball are going from school
to school to school, which is their right now, and
they get paid for it, and there is not an
academic component. They're not transferring for academic reasons. They're transferring
financial and financial reasons.

Speaker 3 (17:15):
So I would I think there's some Yes, there's definitely
for popular a strong percentage of the revenue sports that
is true, but it's still incumbent upon us. I mean,
they're making the money from a rev share standpoint for
a very finite, very short amount of time.

Speaker 2 (17:33):
And so here's where I go back to how important
it is to remain tethered education. First of all.

Speaker 3 (17:38):
In the non revenue sports, I think for the most
part they are still transferring in. But for most of
those young men and women, they are not going to
play pro sports. They're not going to make money beyond
their collegiate eligibility for sports, and so it is important
that they have Plan B. Whether they're thinking of out

(18:00):
it or they want it or not. I think it's
important and incumbing up on us to make sure that
they have it.

Speaker 2 (18:05):
I'm putting my legal pad down.

Speaker 4 (18:07):
Guys can get a little softer older, Okay, this can
be both of you at separate times. Do you feel
we're in a better spot in college athletics over the
last year than where we were three four years ago?

Speaker 5 (18:21):
I'll go first.

Speaker 7 (18:22):
It depends how you to find better. It certainly has
more opportunities for student athletes to make money, to have
their name, image of likeness kind of splattered everywhere. The
educational opportunities are always there. So it seems like college
sports has this. People have this insatiable desire to consume
collegiate athletics and so that every year it seems like

(18:44):
that increases. So that what does that mean? That means
greater exposure for university, potentially greater enrollment. So I would
argue from our perspective now, Coastal Carolina University going to
the World Series this year in June one of two
schools left in the finals. That was unbelievable, a new
for us. Someday, W I promise we'll be there and
I can't wait until Mountaineer Nation takes over Omaha, Nebraska.

Speaker 2 (19:07):
Yeah, that will be fun.

Speaker 7 (19:08):
So there is a kind of collateral benefit that comes
to institution when your teams do well. And I would
argue that given media the way people consume meetia now
your school could be everywhere.

Speaker 5 (19:17):
I mean it.

Speaker 7 (19:18):
Can, and people know more about you and your product
and your programs, and that's a good thing.

Speaker 4 (19:22):
Agree, how about rent from the standpoint of the recent guardrails.

Speaker 3 (19:26):
That have been put in place, Yeah, you know, I
think we've taken a step forward, but it's a journey
that's certainly not complete and is going to face a
litany of challenges. I suspect I use this reference a lot.
If you start falling down a staircase, before you get

(19:47):
up climb back up the stairs, you want to make
sure you're through falling. I don't know that we're through falling,
and so I'm hesitant to say we're in a better place.
But I do think that the settlement is a is
a good first step. We just need to not fall
down some more steps on our on our climb back
up the staircase.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
I do believe.

Speaker 3 (20:08):
There's more attention being paid to this on a national level,
certainly in DC, you know, and and but we're going
to have to have uh still, I think some more.
There's gonna be some more storms on the horizon that
we're gonna have to fight through before we get to
a system that sustainable long term.

Speaker 1 (20:25):
Yeah, I want to touch on that in a second.
In other words, what I'm want to say is where
is West Virginia in regard to being competitive going forward?
I want to talk about these leagues that are in
this tug of power. We'll talk about that in a second.
With the Mountaineer season about to start, Go Mart wants
you to register and try to walk in win the
Mountaineer Man Trip. Aren's done the Man Trip. Before you

(20:47):
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their way in. Got to do that pretty.

Speaker 2 (20:58):
Soon, real quick.

Speaker 1 (21:00):
First game's coming, So go inside of a Gomart and
scan the QR code three guys before the game is
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take no for an answer. Over the weekend, pretty wild,
and you guys have probably heard the mumb lea. But
like Big ten comes out and says, forget about twelve
or sixteen teams in the college football flaf. Let's go

(21:44):
two dozen or let's go twenty eight four yeah, hundreds,
twelve yeah, So everybody, So everyone is kind of like saying, Okay,
we're pulling the taffy here, which way is this thing
going to go? You made a good point earlier. The
only thing we care about going four it is West
Virginia University's viability in this world of collegiate athletics today.

(22:04):
It's power for who knows what what we'll call in
the future. I ran in, mister president, what are we doing?
How are you making sure the WV is in the
party the next time this thing gets shuffled up?

Speaker 3 (22:20):
I think from a first high level, the the board,
the president in our and our athletic de partner working
in concert in unison, and that alignment is is really
critical and it's the best anywhere I've ever been, and.

Speaker 2 (22:37):
It's it's the best that since.

Speaker 3 (22:39):
I've been here, everybody understanding that you know there's likely
some kind of changes on the horizon, and what can
we do to.

Speaker 2 (22:46):
Best position ourselves.

Speaker 3 (22:47):
Unfortunately, you know, there's not an exact rubric right there
at Metric where you can just look at and Okay,
we checked this box, we checked that box.

Speaker 2 (22:54):
But I've said this before. We have a lot of
things that work into our favor.

Speaker 3 (22:58):
Very strong brand, do very good, viewership, do very good
from a licensing marketing standpoint. We've got to continue to
grow revenues and improve our budget, and we need to
make sure that we're seeing as a valuable chip in
the game. And so I like where our position is.

(23:20):
I like our positioning within the Big twelve, and I
like our positioning amongst Power Conference schools. But I do
think as we head into twenty nine thirty thirty one
that we're going to see some changes. What those are,
I don't know. Our senior staff had a chance to
ask me questions earlier, and somebody asked me this, and
I said, no offense to you guys. If I had
the answer, I'd go consult with three or four schools.

(23:41):
Make about a half million dollars each and spend the
rest of the day side by side, and they're krabbie
fishing somewhere.

Speaker 2 (23:48):
And so you know, I don't know the exact formula
and exact answer.

Speaker 3 (23:52):
What I do know is we've got to put ourselves
in the best position that we can for the state
and the university.

Speaker 6 (24:01):
Do either of you, and miss President go to you.
But what we do know, or what seems obvious, is
that the leadership in the schools in the big ten
in the SEC don't care. That's fair to say they
don't care about everybody else, or that too pejorative.

Speaker 7 (24:17):
I can't speak for them, and I know many of
the presidents, okay, but it's true that they're very insolent
when it comes to what's best for our conference. And
my association was best for our schools. So the proposal
attorney's talking about it was guaranteed spots for those conferences.
I think five spots for the age Yeah, I have
five to five and this am at large. So they're
banking on a whole bunch a large And when you

(24:38):
have a conference of what fourteen sixty and eighteen teams,
you have a bunch of your teams in the playoffs,
So yeah, they are looking at for themselves.

Speaker 5 (24:47):
I would concur with what Ren said.

Speaker 7 (24:49):
We are aligned at the university, with our board, with
our administration, with Ren and his team, and the Big Twelve.
I mean, the Big twelve. Is it a pretty good
spot right now? I would argue that competitive, we're up there.
We have to do better in football this year, but
look at baseball last year, look at women's basketball, men's basketball.
I'm really I'm very optimist. I'm very saying what about

(25:11):
the future, But.

Speaker 2 (25:13):
Been on that same question.

Speaker 6 (25:14):
I mean, you know, these guys, I just can't imagine
that the leadership of the SEC and the Big Ten
sit around go, Okay, we could do this, but what's
in the best interest of college football as a whole?
I don't see them saying that, do you.

Speaker 3 (25:26):
I think there's some individuals who do care about the
greater good. But but I but I think as a whole,
You're probably correct, and that competitiveness goes beyond just one
conference to the next. They try to cannibalize and eat
each other too, and it's I mean I.

Speaker 2 (25:43):
Said this before.

Speaker 3 (25:44):
I think you know the difference between our system and
the pros is is there's a lot of incentive in
the pros to grow for the greater good. We're kind
of all pirate ships sailing under our own flag, just
trying to just trying to find another ship to raid.
And so you know, that's that's just the reality of
the system that we're in. I'm not too panicked right

(26:07):
now about this proposal. It has not been socialized with
anybody outside of the Big Ten.

Speaker 2 (26:13):
I think that's happening right now.

Speaker 3 (26:16):
I don't know for sure because I'm not in the
Big Ten, but I think you have a network that's
that's the primary partner for the Big Ten, that doesn't
really have a piece of CFP. And you know, our
primary partner, even though we have a secondary partner in Fox,
but our our primary partner does.

Speaker 2 (26:36):
Have CFP rights.

Speaker 3 (26:39):
That's the SEC's partner. And so my guess is having
these aqs, as I've said on this show before, presents
an opportunity to create your own playing game, and and
your network that you have a tie too, is going
to have access to to those games. So my guess
is that's part of this continued conversation around the aqs.
I'm not yet seen how that would work to have

(27:02):
an opinion. You know, we should be having conversations in
our in our conference with amongst our our our colleagues
here over the next few days to socialize it and
get a sense.

Speaker 2 (27:13):
So so that's real information.

Speaker 3 (27:15):
When you guys saw that break, that was news to
everybody I think in the Big twelve, and so I
hadn't really had a chance to dig into the details
to have an opinion yet. But listen, we know that
postseason college football is very very valuable inventory, uh, and
people want to try to get a hold of it,
both networks and also conferences.

Speaker 2 (27:37):
Because that's that's who benefits from the from the networks viewership.

Speaker 4 (27:40):
Speaking of valuable postseasons, let's talk hoops a little bit.
Where'd you love for hoops come from?

Speaker 7 (27:47):
Oh, I've well, football was kind of my first love
until I broke my leg prison really in Texas and
then gravitated basketball. But as a BYU fan, watched to
Danny Ainge and you know that lay up against not
today even though I went to both schools.

Speaker 5 (28:02):
The Irish will never forgive them for that.

Speaker 7 (28:04):
And then I just you know in Utah how Rod
Huntley was the voice of Utah Jazz and when I
was a kid going up in high school.

Speaker 5 (28:10):
I mean, everybody knew how Rod.

Speaker 7 (28:11):
And I've watched the documentary and the kind of the
interesting parallels of the kind of two different lives and
two different popular Yeah, exactly, the kind of came together
at the end there. But the Jazz would stock him alone.
I mean, how can you not love that team? And
then when I played at BYU, they were actually pretty
good that one year I played on the JB team
and until Tony watching Tim Hardaway during the Whack Tournament,

(28:36):
I mean, that was a brand of basketball nobody ever
seen before.

Speaker 5 (28:38):
And so I love watching basketball.

Speaker 7 (28:41):
I think the NBA has way too many games, but
I would argue March Madness and I love both season.
But College World Series and March Madness have that same
kind of kind of bracket and the kind of pace
to it, and I absolutely love both of them.

Speaker 3 (28:54):
You know, there's a great hot Rod Hunley story that
Matt welsto when they did this at you here they go.

Speaker 2 (29:03):
They might have been at Jeans with hot right Iff.

Speaker 1 (29:05):
Selected No, I think it was at the bar at
the Marrio.

Speaker 2 (29:08):
Oh is that where it was?

Speaker 4 (29:09):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (29:09):
It was bart to Marrio, Yeah, Yeah, And so I
so hot Rod was was you know, we brought him
in to honor him, and so he was on our
tab and so he asked Matt Wells, he said, Hey,
I just want to be clear.

Speaker 2 (29:22):
My tab tonight is on the athletic Department. Is that right? Man?

Speaker 3 (29:26):
It's like, yeah, we got you covered whatever you need.
And he stands up in the bar and says, I'm
gonna buy everybody around the drinks here.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
Legendary.

Speaker 3 (29:38):
There's lots of hot Rod stories around US wide, around
lesber Towns and.

Speaker 2 (29:42):
A week ago.

Speaker 3 (29:42):
That's been one of my favorite discoveries is here in
the hot Rod stories.

Speaker 2 (29:46):
Quite the character.

Speaker 1 (29:48):
Mister president. When you you've begun your fifty five county tour,
you knew about West Virginia, you know, from a peripheral
standpoint before you got here. What intrigued you about this
opportunity to be the president?

Speaker 7 (30:03):
Number one, it's a relatively small state with a relatively
small population. So when you have a flagship R one
Langering institution that's the only one of it's kind of
in the stale, you can really make a difference. And
the university continues to make a difference. So what I
saw during our first swing when we started up north
in Hancock and made our march south, I said it

(30:25):
was like Shrman's marsh the sea, but we didn't.

Speaker 2 (30:27):
Burn anything, not even couches, So yeah.

Speaker 5 (30:31):
We I was just.

Speaker 7 (30:35):
I was so taken by every community where we went,
the pride that people have in their university, and that
really isn't that that only is not intriguing. It's incredibly inspiring.
And it's also a little daunting when you can see
the responsibility that I have as the face. The university
doesn't belong to this, The university belongs to people to state,
but I feel this tremendous responsibility to make sure they're

(30:56):
proud of it, that we, through our extension services, offer
every single opportunity to every person that wants it. Through
those services, you see the w Medicine flying WV on
the side of all those hospitals, and the people that
have confidence in the care they're getting if they're in
Ripley or if in they're Beckley, or they're.

Speaker 5 (31:16):
On the Panandle.

Speaker 2 (31:17):
And I'm starting to learn.

Speaker 7 (31:18):
The geography and we're twenty out of fifty five and
I can't wait to get on the road again and
get to the rest of the counties.

Speaker 5 (31:24):
But people love this place and that's not lost on me.

Speaker 1 (31:27):
Yeah, so it is so true. So the last time
we talked fifty five kuinds you'll find that flying WV
in all fifty five guys. And you've been in other states,
and you know when you go ninety minutes or two
hours outside of the where the campus is, is like,
you're not an impact. There's not a factor. It's not
not in people's mind. This is the difference. That's what
makes us place so unique.

Speaker 7 (31:47):
Yeah, I remember the governor of the Kentucky had the jacket,
you know, one side blew. Once I read Phyllis George's
husband John Y Brown.

Speaker 2 (31:55):
Why Brown?

Speaker 5 (31:56):
Yeah, money in Kentucky fried chicken.

Speaker 1 (31:58):
He took the buffalo braves and moved them to San Diego.

Speaker 5 (32:01):
Has still never never forgave him for that. But anyway,
I didn't tell you have feelings about that.

Speaker 2 (32:05):
Yeah, all due respect to San Diego.

Speaker 1 (32:07):
Bum me out here.

Speaker 7 (32:08):
So I mean in Kentucky, was Louisville or or Kentucky.
In South Carolina was Clemson, USC right here as West Virginia.

Speaker 5 (32:16):
Hill And I love that, yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 6 (32:20):
So as you've as you've traveled and met folks, and
obviously you've learned that be careful what you say, because
everybody knows somebody in the next County's only one degree
of separation, so you figured figure that out. Somebody once
told me in an official university, and I hope that
you follow this. It's more of a statement of question
that if you're a high school graduate in West Virginia

(32:41):
and you want to come to WVU, that this university
should find a way for that to happen, because there's
a larger mission here. It's not just about making the money.
I mean, idea have butchery can I get that, But this,
this university is so important. There's still many first time
students who are first time of their family going to
college for generation.

Speaker 2 (33:02):
Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 6 (33:03):
So it's real important that the university helps find a
way for that student to go here.

Speaker 2 (33:09):
And some frankly, some.

Speaker 6 (33:11):
State schools have gotten away from that across the country,
and I think that West Virginia stays true to that mission.

Speaker 2 (33:16):
So that's an observation more than anything else.

Speaker 7 (33:18):
No, and I can I wholeheartly agree if a student
from a West Virginia high school once they come to
w they are prepared academically, or even if they need
kind of a little time to get their academic sea
legs done on them. You know, some places have bridge
programs they let people kind of admitted provisionally so they
can kind of get used to it. But I do
not want to deny access to education to anybody from

(33:41):
West Virginia.

Speaker 5 (33:42):
This is their school now.

Speaker 7 (33:43):
That said, to give you a kind of perspective, the
state of Pennsylvania last year graduated one hundred and sixteen
thousand high school kids. We graduated almost sixteen thousand, So
just by sheer volume, we're surrounded by states that have
a lot more kids, many of whom are going to
find their way here. But I do not want to
give up seats to West Virginia kids that want to

(34:03):
come here.

Speaker 6 (34:04):
Well, and that's you mentioned that that that's the famous
demographic cliff too. I mean, you know, you say the
enrollment's pretty good for this freshman class. I heard Seanna
Johnson on the radio the other day talk about I
think it's like forty four hundred or something, almost forty five,
forty five hundred, and you got to find a way.
The big thing there. I think you can get them
to come here. But retention is huge, and at first
semester is very tough on some of these kids.

Speaker 7 (34:25):
Away from home, no experience really in terms of maybe
time management or finances. Right, we're getting around with a roommate,
so they were used to their own room at home
or living with their family or friends.

Speaker 5 (34:35):
So it is there's a big.

Speaker 7 (34:36):
Adjustment, and you spend so much time and effort getting
the kids through the door, students through that door. You've
got to keep them here because it's like, you know,
it's starting a degree and not finishing it. There's no
there's yes, there's the value in the education, but the
value is in that diploma, sure, and being a graduate.
And that's our ultimate barometer, is that graduation.

Speaker 4 (34:54):
Right Okay, n that's way up the list in athletics
right now too. Retention all right, We talked so much
about the ni all part of it, but retention of
those athletes to try and calm some of the waters
of the transfer portal's got to be way up the
athletics wish list as well, for sure.

Speaker 3 (35:08):
I mean you you know, this year in football, for instance,
people like people ask me, how are we going to be?
I said, well, I think we're athletic. I think we're quick.
I think I think we're going to play hard and
have an edge about us. But we have seventy five
new players. I mean we picked up too last week.
I think, so.

Speaker 2 (35:25):
You know, like I'm another school, I mean, it's amazing.

Speaker 3 (35:29):
And so I do think as we get again, as
we normalize and we settle into this new era with
revshare and and all of that, I think it is
really important that that retention piece is there and we're
never going to go back to where it is. But
I think the schools who can keep their nucleus of
talent in place are going to have an advantage for sure,

(35:50):
like anything else, right, And also coaches, honestly that can adapt,
and we talked about this in the Basketball search adapt
Teaching culture quicker. A lot of coaches who traditionally have
done well have done really good job of taking their freshmen,
developing them and as they become juniors and seniors and
the leaders on the team who are ambassadors and carry
out the culture. Right now, you don't have very many

(36:12):
fourth and fifth year players to teach the young guys,
and so it's really more incumbent upon the coaches to
teach that culture quicker.

Speaker 1 (36:20):
Yeah, I think you could submit make a pretty strong case.
And this goes back to a point that Hopey made
earlier about like are we better? Are we worse? Or
like where are we at? Like this is we're in
right now, this moment. This is unprecedented. This isn't going
to happen again. I mean, we're not. This is the
second year in a row that men's basketball does not
return a single point. The last time it happened prior
to to last year, when it happens nineteen forty four

(36:42):
after the war, It's not going to happen again. You're
gonna at least get threes and fours and five guys staying.
And then football, Why are there seventy plus new players?

Speaker 2 (36:49):
There was a coaching change.

Speaker 1 (36:51):
And the portal is still the portal, and there's going
to be more restrictions. I think this is unprecedented. I
truly do. This won't happen again. And the thing that
excites me is because rules have changed, basketball has been
able to already practice like real practices. And if you
had to start October the fifteenth like it was, I'm
sure when you played like it would be way too

(37:13):
late to get those guys together. But basketball is going
to be just fine this year and then going down
the road and Rich is rich. Rich is going to win.
It's just a matter of when he's going to win.
Like this, things set Baseball set, women's basketball is set.
Men and women's soccer are set like rifle national champion.
Like this is good for as crazy as it is,

(37:35):
it's still very good. Right, you got two first year,
which is in your two main revenue sports. Most times
you are going like you going like here.

Speaker 4 (37:43):
Well, pre portal, you would not have been able to
know how the success basketball had like three.

Speaker 1 (37:47):
And four years behind.

Speaker 3 (37:48):
And you want to be able to walk on tryouts,
like as as students file in after after Sunday night lights,
you'd probably be have an open gym trying.

Speaker 4 (37:56):
To set the instant tran for portal of putting somebody
in a week after they were in high school. If
we can take advantage that, we'll do one of those.
So if that comes along somewhere along, I will take
that to retention important he carries that's important.

Speaker 1 (38:10):
He carries a burden. Let me just give it a little
background because in West Virginia, West Virginia, when it comes
to sports, everyone has the memory of an elephant. Never
forget we had to fight nineteen ninety two against Syracuse.
You'd walk down the street today and people were still upset.
But so here's what happened. So is Kansas gets Sylvia
de Sosa eligible. He's playing high school basketball in December.

(38:32):
In December, and in January, like four days later, he's
playing for Kansas. We make it to the Big twelve
championship game that year mark he double doubles against US,
and then afterwards he's ruled ineligible. We would have had
a Big twelve conference champion.

Speaker 2 (38:49):
So he has a So we played the tournament championship.

Speaker 1 (38:51):
He wants to hang a banner.

Speaker 2 (38:52):
I want to hang a banner. If you haven't prayed,
I want to hang it.

Speaker 4 (38:54):
We should should go back and apparade, hang the banner,
get rings whole thing.

Speaker 1 (38:58):
What's uh?

Speaker 2 (38:59):
We digress in the office.

Speaker 1 (39:01):
You're a water guy. Drink Okay, that's great. You know
why Comac's business systems right now refreshing upgrade just what
they're doing. They have the answer the I twelve water cooler.
Sleek design meets cutting edge technology, separate water delivery hot
or cold, forty four pounds of ice plus eight pounds
of additional story tomorrow. Ren's hydrating right now, he's drinking water.

(39:25):
We we think that, hey, Komax put an I twelve
in Stewart Hall, that would be just fantastic. And then
if you really want to get into the water. Lou
Wendel Marine Sales largest pontoon boat dealer in the state
of West Virginia. Family owned for four decades. They sell
Avalon pontoon votes made one hundred percent here in the
United States of America in Avalon Michigan forty years. Check

(39:46):
them out at Lou Wendelmarne Sales dot com. What go ahead, no, betser,
you have some face cream you'd like to sell?

Speaker 2 (39:53):
No right out?

Speaker 1 (39:54):
A good sponsor here.

Speaker 6 (39:55):
Since we have both these guys here, ask them an
awkward question. What do you expect your all's relationship to
be in the long term? By that, I mean Wren.
If there's something going on in the athletic department, you
think or to call Mike they're cool him in on that,
and mister president, if you see something in sports like
this team is not doing, are you gonna you're gonna

(40:17):
ring up?

Speaker 5 (40:17):
Wren?

Speaker 6 (40:17):
And go what's going on there? I mean, how do
you anticipate this relationship going forward?

Speaker 2 (40:22):
Mister president. Let me start with you and then we'll
go to Wren.

Speaker 7 (40:25):
First off, I really like Wren. I mean I just like, wow,
there's okay, well, there's that's that's a small great.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
You don't like me, I like you. Gosh.

Speaker 7 (40:33):
He's got a wonderful reputation. He's chair of the athletic
directors in the Big twelve. People know him, they respect him,
and I put myself in that category. The relationship that
we develop is going to be really important. I'm very
encouraged the way it started. It's progressing now. There was
an issue that came up before I started where I
wanted to have a conversation with one of our head coaches,

(40:54):
but out of currazy because I've always done this, I
never talked to head coaches unless I tell Run first,
because those are his coaches. Yes, they coached the university,
but their direct reporting line is to Wren. So that
relationship between us and openness and the fact that I'm
here to support him and the staff. I told him today,
I want to see every one of those people be

(41:15):
successful because by association it makes the university successful. And
I'm really encouraged about where we're headed. And Wren's this
top door Wren.

Speaker 2 (41:24):
I mean, the relationship is going to be whatever he
tells me, it's going to be. He's the boss over there.

Speaker 3 (41:29):
No, Listen, I was fortunate to be able to be
a part of the process, and not a not a
huge influential part, but a small part of the process
of the presidential search, and so was able to do
research on President Benson and everybody just that's worked around
him with him for him just loves loves, not just

(41:52):
not just the leader he is, but the person he is.
And so we developed a great relationship. And Listen, I
don't view myself is the czar of athletics. It's the
people's program. Much like Mike said to you, this the
people's university. I'm a caretaker of the people's athletic program.

Speaker 2 (42:09):
Man.

Speaker 3 (42:10):
I'm trying to do the best job that I can
to advise the president and the board on where we're at, where.

Speaker 2 (42:16):
We can go, what it's going to take to get
to those places.

Speaker 3 (42:20):
But I think my relationship with him is one that
just is going to be a constant and fluid communication
so that he doesn't get surprised by anything and that
we're aligned as we deal with issues and problems and
potential opportunities.

Speaker 2 (42:36):
Just a quick follow upon it.

Speaker 6 (42:37):
As President Ren has put forward a very aggressive approach
to try to keep the athletic Department solvent and relevant
in this new environment, talking about upgrades to the Collis Cum,
upgrades to the stadium, naming rights, all kinds of things.
There's about a dozen things he's put forward. Are you

(42:58):
familiar with all those things? And if you signed off
on all the things that Wren wants to.

Speaker 7 (43:02):
Do, well, some of them were signed off before I
got here because they were already in motion.

Speaker 2 (43:07):
But we will be have everage. I'm sorry, Just stay on, mic, Yeah.

Speaker 7 (43:09):
Yeah, And everything that you're talking about, yes, has to
go through all the proper approval processes, so Board of
Governors we certainly have to be able to afford everything.
But there is nothing that Wren has talked about that
I don't support one hundred and ten percent, because, yes,
their some of our facilities are beautiful, many of them,
most of them are Some do need upgrades and they

(43:30):
need a little bit of a facelift. And I have
full confidence in rent and staff that they'll do it.
They'll do it in the budget, and we'll do it
on time.

Speaker 1 (43:38):
Along that line, and I'll just we'll end this on this.
You guys have been in this business a long time.
When a president and an athletic director don't get along, man,
is that a mess. You get these you get these
power plays, you get people on boards. We see it
all the time at other schools. That's a mess. I

(43:58):
mean when boards try to take too much power, they
try to pull it from the ad. The president sometimes
gets involved. That can be ugly. And it's good to
hear that you guys are singing Kumba yah and it
will and it will continue to do that.

Speaker 3 (44:09):
Yeah, Listen, Mike already knows this. Within the things that
we've talked about. I'm not one to share when I
feel passionate or withhold when I feel passionately about something.

Speaker 2 (44:21):
It's just not in my DNA.

Speaker 3 (44:23):
But but I think as long as you communicate respectfully
and I can accept that there are decisions that are
not mine to make, that there that there are decisions
or even decisions that are that are above my head,
whether that's his or the boards or whoever, I respect
chain of command. And what I want is a chance
to to uh speak on issues that I feel passionately

(44:46):
about and and make make an opinion known. But I
also I think it's communications of two way street. I
want his thoughts on those same issues. He has a
different viewpoint, different experiences than I do, and and the
same with our board.

Speaker 2 (45:00):
We've got some.

Speaker 3 (45:01):
Very very capable and very accomplished board members in fields
that are different than where Mike and have come from.
You arrive at the best decision when you have a
shared communication process, and so I think that's incumbent on
every participant to actively try to make that happen.

Speaker 7 (45:22):
Thirty second story. I brought my family here for the
first time that Easter weekend. The kids hadn't been here before,
so trumantinum Talmage and one of our meetings was with
Wren in his office and he had us and Stitches
for about thirty minutes. And after we're out in the
hall walking back to our call and I said, I
said to the kids, I said, what do you think
they go?

Speaker 2 (45:41):
Man?

Speaker 5 (45:43):
Rent is really cool.

Speaker 2 (45:44):
I mean, we really like.

Speaker 5 (45:45):
Him, and you know, you can fool a lot of people,
but kids are hard to impress.

Speaker 7 (45:48):
Yeah, they are an eighteen, seventeen and fourteen year old,
so he won them over.

Speaker 5 (45:53):
He did well done right, I'm a.

Speaker 2 (45:55):
Kid at heart.

Speaker 1 (45:56):
Now he's cool. I mean, got the whole sneaker. You
got the whole sneaker thing going like that. He is
so cool by that way.

Speaker 2 (46:01):
Good quarters up today, Thank you by you.

Speaker 4 (46:03):
Oh yeah, how's that teal turquoise where we land on
there like.

Speaker 2 (46:09):
A shade of light, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (46:10):
Turkchoisely, a bluish, bluish shade.

Speaker 2 (46:13):
It looks good, like that does look good? Yeah? Yeah,
And you wore something last night that's got like this
is the Daniels always actually here. I know Daniels is
a friend of the program.

Speaker 1 (46:21):
Sure, you wore something last night that's got like the
French fashion people like going up and down today trying
to find it right what it was?

Speaker 2 (46:29):
Yeah, I had on a sweatshirt. So here's the thing.

Speaker 3 (46:31):
Everybody assumes that I have a stock of everything I
wear in the office.

Speaker 2 (46:35):
I got it for free. I spend an inordinate amount
of money on the year, like.

Speaker 3 (46:39):
I do get free stuff. And if it's got a
swoosh on it, chance, I got that free. But if
it doesn't have a swoosh on it. I paid for it.
So I wore a sweatshirt last night, little crew neck
out to uh one not lights. Yeah, and uh, you
know it's a little cool last night.

Speaker 2 (46:53):
Human.

Speaker 3 (46:53):
Yeah, it's hot during the day, but we had a
storm blow through a little cooler temperatures mid mid sixties
and I had like thirty people asked me where to
buy it or where to get it, and I was like,
I don't even know where I bought this, So I
had to go and see where I bought it from.

Speaker 2 (47:06):
I tweeted that out. If you want to see the shirt,
you want to get a leak. I won't.

Speaker 3 (47:10):
I won't sit on this program because I don't think
it's you know, a paying sponsor. Uh but uh yeah,
so I I do.

Speaker 2 (47:17):
I'm working on a career as an influencer. Is this
athletic director thing that we're now career?

Speaker 1 (47:21):
You know you're an influence. Didn't you stay at tourism
this summer? I mean, my gosh, you got people running
from all over the country to come to West Virginia.

Speaker 2 (47:27):
Didn't think of some of that stuff from Devi's yard sale.
Hoppy man, why do you got to do like this? Guy.

Speaker 3 (47:35):
You know, I walked in today in one of your
interns was at the store where I told people jumping
out yeah his mother Jack, His mother was at the
store where you can buy this shirt and said, hey,
your tweet has them on fire. They're sending out boxes
left and right.

Speaker 2 (47:49):
So I'll be looking for the four influences on this program.
So well.

Speaker 1 (47:53):
For Borg, speaking of that, are you are you you
eat biscuits?

Speaker 5 (47:56):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (47:56):
You heard you heard of the tutors business.

Speaker 7 (47:58):
I have all we're talking the other day about it.
Is one enough for two?

Speaker 2 (48:01):
Thank you? Very good?

Speaker 5 (48:02):
Right off?

Speaker 1 (48:02):
Hillary, good by the way, Since like you're a three
tutor biscuit, I think he's a one, I'm gonna keep
him at one because he's this is in good shape.

Speaker 4 (48:10):
Former runner yoga into Yoga.

Speaker 1 (48:12):
Shout saying, troll is what he has.

Speaker 7 (48:14):
He starts his day off at Orange Steers two thousand
meters benchmark row today. Oh REALLYX minison and fifty three seconds.

Speaker 2 (48:22):
You know what I do?

Speaker 1 (48:23):
You know what Hoppy just did? He went four hundred
and seven miles across the state. I want a bike?
Is that that bike?

Speaker 2 (48:28):
Right? All right?

Speaker 1 (48:29):
My word?

Speaker 6 (48:29):
I've heard all about that, right right, Yeah, it was, I.

Speaker 1 (48:33):
Mean at his age, it was.

Speaker 2 (48:35):
It was absolutely terrible. Yeah, it was enough, it was wonderful.
It was terrible. Now what did you what did you
say you did today? Eric? What is it? He's running?
You know? Train me.

Speaker 5 (48:45):
I don't do because my knee surgery.

Speaker 7 (48:47):
Elliptical and body weight exercises and weights and then rowing
growing is very exercise.

Speaker 3 (48:53):
You had me in conversation talking about tutors. I was
laying we need Yeah, hey.

Speaker 2 (48:58):
They took a bad turn. They're rowing, they're rowing.

Speaker 1 (49:01):
Let's uh, let's show those three new sauces that they're
today vieting versus fall tutors. So when you do go in,
mister President, you can go the new Honey Saracha, the
Carolina Gold or the Sweet Teriaki or the original. So
those three new flavors, awesome sauce tutors, Biscuit World, check
them out. Uh, they're available this coming fall now fall
just uh now they're up now probably go now right now,

(49:25):
they're now, they're now, they're now go get them as listened.
Before we let you go, we have gifts because it's warming. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (49:32):
No, did I get to reach reach in there and
get Renty, rent you know they've ran in the limit
there before you get go ahead, just got rid other president,
So bag of coffee.

Speaker 1 (49:42):
That's our coffee game day grind like the Mountaineer roasting.

Speaker 5 (49:45):
It looks like a snack of something.

Speaker 1 (49:46):
Now that now let me no, no, no, no, no, no no
no so that now, let me tell you something about this.
All the businesses that we promote, our West Virginia businesses,
we try to stop, help slow. That popcorn is literally
grown in the Eastern Panhandle, and that company is in
the Eastern Panhandle, and that stuff is called Mountaineer munch.
You're gonna love it.

Speaker 2 (50:05):
You're a treat guy.

Speaker 5 (50:06):
Yes, oh yeah, yeah, eminem is in here, so you
had that that Yeah.

Speaker 3 (50:09):
That popcorn grown here, much like the strawberries at the
Strawberry Festival and be canned.

Speaker 7 (50:14):
Why, surely I did go to the state fair last week,
by the way, how you would you think?

Speaker 5 (50:18):
I loved it.

Speaker 7 (50:18):
I hadn't been a state fair for a while, and
it was so well done and it's manageable. I mean
you walk everywhere, and we were hosted by the Farm
Bureau and we saw some show, some of the show animals. Yeah,
I didn't have a chance to ride in the ferris wheeling,
which I really wanted to do.

Speaker 2 (50:32):
You would have Oh yeah, Baker girls. Baker Girls got
the ferris wheel in they did the ferris wheel. Yeah,
State Fair. Oh yeah, oh yeah you were they were there?
Oh yeah?

Speaker 1 (50:41):
Did you did you have one of these centimon rolls?
Did you see how much that won big went?

Speaker 2 (50:45):
Now? I had two corn dogs? Did you say, one
regular and one foot long? Oh my gosh, can we
gotta go back around the way.

Speaker 1 (50:53):
Did you see how much that one pig went?

Speaker 2 (50:55):
Four seven roll? The line was too long?

Speaker 1 (50:57):
The pig was incredible? You so much? The pig went
for last week. Okay, I'm gonna tell you this pig,
hang on, hang on, hang this week.

Speaker 2 (51:03):
That pig's available at tutors business.

Speaker 1 (51:07):
Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, it's okay. Look
look like what so the kid?

Speaker 2 (51:12):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (51:13):
We can say this because it's not a university show.
There's a young man that verbaled in baseball to us
the picture. He's an underclassman now, but he also he's
the best state prospect in state. He had his his pig.
It was two hundred and fifty two pounds and it
went for twenty dollars a pound. That thing sold for
five thousand and forty dollars for that hog. And there

(51:35):
he is at the state fair carrying it with that pig,
and he's one of our pictures and they're going to
be He's a rising high school kid.

Speaker 2 (51:41):
I think that saws school really there the night of
zach Top concert. Sure? Did I say that? Right? No, Brad,
you don't know a kid win.

Speaker 5 (51:51):
I'm out in near resition anyway.

Speaker 2 (51:53):
Not Moran.

Speaker 3 (51:54):
This young man and introduced himself to me and we
and we took a picture together, So I didn't He
did not bring up didn't bring up his pig.

Speaker 2 (52:00):
No, he just brought up the baseball part of it. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (52:02):
Yeah, you're gonna be a good one.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (52:03):
Now the last thing. There's a micro bakery here in
in Morgantown called Grateful Bread like Grateful Dead. She makes
sour toe treats that are absolutely they should be illegal.
They're so dog gone. Look at this thing. There's scones
in there, there's chocolate chip cookie.

Speaker 2 (52:20):
Wait wait, wait, we got we're having all kinds run over.

Speaker 1 (52:22):
We're gonna turnover sis, hobby. Can you get it back
over there? What happened. What happened?

Speaker 4 (52:27):
The box was broken inside?

Speaker 1 (52:30):
Okay, just push the big Hey, mister president, just great,
you're a major issy here.

Speaker 2 (52:34):
Oh geez hey, look we got stuff falling there.

Speaker 1 (52:36):
Are you gonna handle it?

Speaker 5 (52:38):
Like there was a lot of background.

Speaker 2 (52:40):
The page's being compromised. We're gonna have to just to
eat this now.

Speaker 1 (52:44):
Like those are really good. You'll enjoy those. Uh, you've
got some folks from the Stewarts bread grateful bread, good name,
she's really fantastic to sour dough stuff. It's really really good.
You don't like those two?

Speaker 2 (52:56):
You know, Dustin took that back to football and they
were bragging on it. Oh did you bring some by?

Speaker 3 (53:00):
Well I don't know how much of what you gave
me me brought in, but there was some You just
can't get.

Speaker 2 (53:06):
To our house. That's the thing.

Speaker 1 (53:07):
Listen, Well, look, I know you need to run because
it's like busy, busy time for you. Can't thank you
enough for spending some time with us. And we look
forward and we encourage folks to get to know you
as they make their way up here to the stadium
and for basketball, it goes by so dog going quick
as you know, just it goes. Soccer is already underway.
Women's soccer, Men's soccer starts on Thursday, and we're like,

(53:31):
next week all be here for you know it, volleyball.
Next week is game week. Ye wait to see this
thing pretty good.

Speaker 7 (53:37):
Well, if people I'm out and about and people see me,
please stop, I will stop them introduce themselves. I hope
I'm approachable. I think I am. But I'm so eager
to meet as many people as possible. And thank you
again for the opportunity to be here, but thank you
for the chance to be at West Virginia University.

Speaker 1 (53:54):
Absolutely, it's our pleasure. Start the band, let's get the
music going. It's time to go away. Three guys before
the Game, episode six fifty, the first ever with five
cats at the same time. Three plus two is three
plus two. We don't want to infringe on anyone's rights.
Three guys brought to us by Gomart. Get that Gomart
rewards card, immediately begins saving on food and fueled, and
sign up for the Mountaineer Man trip. Lou Wendell Marine

(54:16):
Sales and Saint Albans. They sell family fun. Visit lou
Wendel Marine Sales dot Com. I think every James Bond
movie that has had a scene with a pontoon, the
pontoon has been provided by Lou Wendell.

Speaker 4 (54:27):
We're trying to get that con not confirmed as of
its still looking at We're hanging on it.

Speaker 1 (54:30):
Three guys brought to us by Tutor's Biscuit World Starts
your Day, the Homemade Wade check out the three new
sauces Comac's business Systems keeping West Virginia's business data safe,
secure and efficient for twenty five years, and Great Water
And by Jan Dill's attorneys at Law.

Speaker 2 (54:44):
They have take no for an arena soever circumstance where
they take no for an answer. Never no. She does
not ban no for an answer. She will not.

Speaker 1 (54:52):
She's tough. She tough shenangled me. She's representing you when
it comes to VA benefits, social Security benefits. No, she
just tells a goo government like, Hi, what are not
doing that out here? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (55:02):
I feel like he was looking at you when he
talked about Social Security.

Speaker 2 (55:05):
VI I am. I am a proud recipient of Social Security.

Speaker 1 (55:08):
There you go, you made it.

Speaker 2 (55:10):
We're out.

Speaker 1 (55:11):
Thanks for being with us. Three guys before the game.
See you h