July 2023: Fitz Fired, Gopher Media Day, Chip Stays Off The Grid

Chip Scoggins, Ryan Burns and Justin Gaard are back for a July catchup episode and give their reaction to the stunning Northwestern situation and the end of the Pat Fitzgerald era before Burnsie gives a few headlines from the Gophers internal media day this week. We also learn (another) INCREDIBLE quirk of Chip Scoggins that has Burnsie physically rattled.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Glenn Mason sent a long time agoat the University of Minnesota. You need
a pair and a spare. Thankyou, PJ the second longest tenured head
coach in the Big Ten West,I think fourth in the Big Ten.
We'll figure all of that out.Welcome back. It's the Pair and a
Spare podcast. Justin guard from theFan, Chips Scoggins from The Star Tribune,
Ryan Burns Gopher Illustrated dot Com.How are we doing, guys.

(00:22):
It's great to see you, Chip. You're back from Maui. We'll get
to that at the end of theepisode because we could go deep and we'll
get to people tweeting at us likeno one cares about Chip. We want
to talk Fitzgerald. We want totalk to football. But you did make
it back from Maui, which isgood. I'm here the re entry into
Central time zones. Wayne heavy onme in real life, in real life
and real life because the Maui lifeis a good life, Ferns, it's

(00:43):
a girl life, and I'm kindof envious, like you aren't guardsy that
he was able to be there.I know, I know it never leaves
you, but I told him,you can get the Maui Brewing Company beer
here, which I've done. Holyperson who goes to Hawaii and drinks an
IPA and not some kind of fruityexcuse me, your hands down stopped.
Mollie Brewing Company or Bikini Book alsodrink a fruity type of mixed cocktail.

(01:08):
You're going to do it in Hawaiiand Florida. And I did have a
couple of those. Yeah, Idid a few ties on my tip there,
but I got to try the localipa. Yeah. The Maui Brewing
Company is outstanding. They've got acouple of locations. The IPA is great,
and I think I'm gonna have sometonight. I'm going to Texas.

(01:29):
It's a burns. He also hada tough reentry process today because he got
to stand through sixteen interviews at GopherFootball Media Day. Yeah, how are
your calves holding up? In yourknees and your joints? Man, My
calves are taught, is the wayI would say. My knees hurt.
I've got a lot of force onmy hands on this desk. Seriously,
it uh, I don't know.It's it's the unofficial start of kind of

(01:53):
college football fifty days until the seasonnow until they kickoff against Nebraska Big Ten
media Days, which you're gonna bein an RV and you're still going to
be reacclimating to Central Time. Yeah, but it's just so you're the lone
rep from the parent of spare pod. Someone has to go in things,
and as the youngest of the three, I understand my role and I played

(02:13):
in my strengths. Yeah. Well, we look forward to that. And
it's funny going back to July.You think that nothing happens in the college
football world. It was a yearago that USC and UCLA joined the Big
Ten, or at least the newsbroke. It was two years ago the
Texas and Oklahoma on the morning ofBig Ten Media Day, Yeah, jumped
to the SEC. I was itthe same year or the year before that?

(02:37):
All the urban Meyer who is theZach Smith? Yea domestic assault stuff?
Or was it Earl Bruce's grandson thatstory broke? I mean, crap
flies around in mid July, andthe biggest bombshell of them all is that
of all things. If you wouldhave asked me two weeks ago which Big

(02:59):
Ten coaches least likely to not bethere, I'd say I would have gone
through if you're count in USC andUCLA, even though they're not here yet.
I would have gone through all sixteencoaches before I said, if one
coach gets fired before the season,who's it going to be. I don't
even think I would have thought ofPat Fitzgerald. But because of if you're
listening to this podcast, you knowyou're a college football fan. The hazing

(03:19):
allegations, the hazing reports from thedaily Northwestern student paper, the waffle housing
from the new school president who onFriday suspended Pat Fitzgerald very meaningful suspension in
mid July for two weeks because trainingcamp starts in three. Couldn't be three.
It could have been unsuspended right beforethe startup media days too. He
would have walked right in. Hisfirst official act would have been gocats at

(03:40):
the podium at Lucas Oil Stadium.Seventy two hours later, Pat Fitzgerald is
fired and the man who literally isNorthwestern is no longer the head football coach.
He's got some things to say aboutit, which we'll get to,
but let's start with other reactions,just the general reactions that our guy fits
who everybody loved. Coaches, mediaeverybody is no longer the head coach.

(04:03):
Yeah, it's it's you never know. That's that's the takeaway from this.
I mean we all had an imageof the way he ran a program.
Um. I think to me thebiggest, biggest takeaway is just disappointment that
in the year twenty twenty three,this nonsense is still going on, right,
Like, this is a stuff,whatever the level it is, because

(04:25):
there's different accounts of what the levelis and was, but there's been enough
of players, either on the recordanonymously, that has said, yes,
there's a hazing incident going on,there's some ritual that takes place at this
camp that they go through. Um, this is nineteen seventies tough guy,
macho locker room. That's not teambonding, right. I think it's well

(04:49):
established that that stuff is not okayanymore, and for it's still be going
on. It's like, I don'tbuy for a second that the coaching staff
did not know this was going on. Somebody you can have if reports are
true, and everybody's pretty much corroboratingit. A whiteboard in the locker room

(05:11):
with a tally of who has toyou know, the number of whatever runs
or whatever they call this hazing thing. There's no way on earth that somebody
on that coach and staff did notknow this was going on. Well,
that's what I've been talking with peopleover at the University of Minnesota about,
is there's just between trainers to assistantcoaches, to gas to whatever it may
be. You can't tell me PatFitzgerald didn't have an inkling. And if

(05:35):
he truly didn't, which I firmlydon't believe, likes worse. It's it's
it makes it exponentially worse for himthat he truly had no idea what was
happening for years inside of the Well, how long has he been there?
For seventeen years and this is along time thing that I'd been passed on.
You can't tell me, like ifit's one year five percent chance he

(05:58):
doesn't know year after year after yearafter year that no one has ever brought
this to his attention. Stop it. That's the part that I'm still stuck
on because let's just say he didn'tknow, even though it's strains could credulity
that he didn't know because Kirk Fernstalked about this, and we're gonna get
to the Ferns angle on how oneguy can kind of weather a storm and
one guy can't. But Ferns talkedabout having a blind spot to the stuff,

(06:24):
the racism allegations that came out intwenty twenty, and essentially, you
know, I clearly didn't have aclimate that allowed people to come to me
or somebody to come to me totell me that this was going on.
That's my biggest thing with the Fitzgeralddeal is even if you didn't know,
even if, as people have said, the locker room is a place that
the coaches don't go. It's avery safe spot for the players. It's

(06:46):
there they get enough time with thecoaches, all of that that in however
many years this has been going on, there wasn't one person that felt comfortable
enough in the program, whether it'sa player, someone in an exit interview,
you, an assistant coach, astudent manager, a graduate assistant.
The weird strength coach who got allthe pub a few years ago is stopping
around still there, mister Schmidium.And that's standing way too. That could

(07:12):
go a pat I want to lookinto this. This doesn't seem right that
one person couldn't get over the bridgeover the moat to the head coach's office
to say this stuff is going on. That's what I can't get past that
you either condoned it, which isone thing, or you didn't have a
good enough relationship with people in yourown program that could come to you and
say, we can't do this.This is terrible and we've got to stop

(07:35):
it. I think it's one ortwo things, or maybe both. One
that is still within the culture insome football programs that this is kind of
the the process you have to gothrough. Right, there's you gotta build
guys up. You gotta have thistough guy you gotta have right you know,
um, you know the younger yougotta show him how it's done.

(07:56):
What you call it the wildcat way. Yeah, which we can get it.
That the racist part, or there'sjust a fear of being a whistleblower,
right peer pressure. Yeah, Likeyou know, I'll just internalize it
because I don't want to be theone that's viewed as not being part of
the programs like everybody else has gonealong with. And it happens a lot

(08:16):
or guys are afraid, either spokenor unspoken, to step out of line
and come to say this is aproblem or this isn't right. You want
to fall in line and just youknow, except that this is the way
it is, which is both ofthose are terrible, and it can happen
at a Northwestern. We were talkingabout this on Bumper to Bumper because it's
Chicago's Big ten team, but itmay as well be a different planet from

(08:39):
Chicago when it comes to you know, how important the program is there?
Right, the coverage that the prolike I was thinking about this, like
if this happened in Minneapolis, likeMinneapolis is much different for the University of
Minnesota because all the dailies, allthe TV stations, I mean, you
were there. I'm sure they wereall there today at media day and Northwestern
I think it's, oh, that'scool, and hey, Fitz is doing

(09:01):
a great job, and we don'treally care. They don't really care.
So there's I mean, that's whythe Daily Northwestern, let's give them.
Let's give that student paper. Ina day and age where everything's getting cut
like we've seen with the New YorkTimes and stuff going on. Chat GPT
can't do that. Chat GPT can'tdo what those kids did and essentially blew
the whole story up. But they'rekind of in their own little pocket there,

(09:24):
you know, northwest of Chicago.And because fits had built, you
know, such a great identity andsuch a great program. I don't think
anybody's asking a lot of questions aboutwhat's going on, And that probably fits
into your deal, Like, amI really going to be the guy that
goes up against this legend here firstas a player, now as a coach
that just signed a ten year contracta couple of years ago that essentially can

(09:45):
do whatever he wants just because he'searned that credibility. I'm sure it is
very intimidating to um to go upagainst all that if you're a player.
Yeah, and it's yeah, Imean because it's what, are you gonna
be taken? Seriously? Are theygonna believe you? Are they gonna you
know, stand up for you?M because you're this this happens every year,
right, it seems like it wasjust part of the program. I
saw a couple of posts from acheerleader like ten fifteen years ago that said,

(10:09):
yeah, we knew about this backin the day. Yeah, this
has been going on for a while, and you just they know that,
and so you're gonna be the onethat comes out, you know, and
and says, hey, this isn'tright, or you've even seen like the
players statements, the current ones wherethey signed it Northwestern players what a great
guy fits is. But from whatI saw, the thing they didn't say,

(10:31):
what doesn't happen exactly? They saidhe didn't know, which again,
that's what everybody, and even thispresident. Who does anyone believe that statement
that Pat didn't know, he trulydidn't know that this had been happening for
likely over a decade. I wouldsay if he didn't know, he didn't
want to know, didn't want toknow, and probably didn't know exactly what

(10:52):
was going on. I don't know. I I tend to believe it's all
nonsense. We know college coaches aretroll freaks. They know that's happening inside
their program. There's no way hedidn't know this was going on. No
way. Um. The Daily cameout, which I think is uh,

(11:15):
and they quoted they talked to threeplayers quoted one by name, who talked
about the racist component in the programwhere coaches were literally telling players black players
if they had dreadlocks, to cuttheir hair because it's not the wildcat way.
But if white players had long hair, they were allowed to do that.
Right. If it sounds like twentyit is Iowa City. These are

(11:39):
coaches. Ye. This is aculture, right, yep. And so
you know, we a lot oftimes, I think we roll our eyes
when people talk about when sports isthey could have talked about culture. There's
something it's not just the word that. There's a reason why. Yeah,
they talk about it. Yeah,all right. Let me ask you this
question. If him Phillips is stillthe athletic director at Northwestern and not the

(12:03):
commissioner of the ACC, does hehandle this better or does he smooth this
thing over like a Gary Barta didwith Kirk Ferrens a few years ago,
who's been there forever. He's aboutto retire because I was one of the
theories I had. He's got anew ad that didn't hire him. He's
got a president that obviously doesn't knowcompletely and is probably thinking, well,

(12:24):
this is fits. I mean,if it's the saying he didn't know,
I'm guessing he didn't know and obviouslyhas no idea Once a story hits like
this, what the reaction is goingto be. Because I'm just thinking about
and the Iowa situation is not thesame because it's not hazy and it's more
of racism. Chris Doyle lost hisjob, you know, Brian Ferns was
subpoenaed. He's still the offensive coordinatormuch too shocking, much to Ryan Burns's

(12:48):
chagrin, But those guys basically said, hey, you know, Kirk had
a blind spot to this. Whateveryou think of it, it's also the
tone that he probably set and hewants to be part of the LU.
Could they have played it a littlebit if you have a guy like Jim
Hillips, who who's been with himevery step of the way and also has
some credibility in of itself. Yeah, I mean it's a good point.

(13:09):
And maybe because you know, JimPhillips is a power a d I mean
it very or was, you know, one of the most respected ads scandals.
Yeah, Um, I don't know. It's a good point. I
mean it might, but I justthink, um, there's so much there
that I don't know that Jim Phillipswould have been able to repair. Um.

(13:33):
I think part of the problem isthe whole way the university handled it
was like as two two weeks suspensionduring July, which right ridiculous vacation.
Vacation. We'll get to that,and then when you know, the student
paper comes out with the next youknow, with the story, and we
can get into the legal things,because Fitz is gonna fight back legally,

(13:54):
and I would love to hear fromour legal minds to find out he might.
What is the only thing the changein those three days between the two
weeks suspension the firing, We foundthe court of public opinion same exactly,
and the AD and the president yeahholden, and nothing that the and the
everything we know they knew when theydecided the two weeks suspectly they knew.

(14:15):
Yeah, from everything I've listened toand read the last few days, there
was nothing new in that report orin the Northwest, which is again the
only thing to change is the courtof public opinion, especially if you did
what was a six months and youbring in these high, high powered law
firm to conduct it and you say, we listen, this is what they
found. We don't think fifty yearold knew two weeks suspension. It's a

(14:37):
forty five million dollar mistakes. Here'swhat I wanted to and he's going to
get I got imagine because you can'tcome back and say, well, after
sleeping on it, we're gonna fireyou would for cause. I mean,
that's not how this was. Sowhen my thing and I don't know if
if you guys know the answer tothis is in that initial agreement of a
two week suspension, was it writtendown and said here's our resolution, two

(15:00):
weeks promise? I would have tothink, because that's the case, and
then Fitz gets fired three days later, I think, what did he have
remaining forty two million left on hisdeal right about that? Yeah, and
they're trying to claim that he wasfired for cause, Well, if they
have true. Now I don't pretendto be a lawyer or anything, but
it's looking pretty good for fits inmy mind that he's going to be able

(15:22):
to get at least some of thatback. I would think in any profession,
if you're being punished, there's gonnabe a you know, a record
of it that goes in your humanresource file. So, I mean,
they're not just gonna tell you aword I'm out. I mean, it's
gonna be in writing to him andis There's gonna be a lot more of
the kind of I think nitty grittystuff because now we got forty two million
on the line path Fitzgerald and Northwesternwho's trying to build an eight hundred million

(15:48):
dollars athletic. Yeah, whether whetherhe gets all of it, I mean,
there'll be a settlement. That's howthese things always work. Usually he's
gonna get Well, maybe the Idon't know, that's funny that money.
Funny is the right word here.But now the ad came back and he
actually met with him or the teamand the staff back from after he didn't
Yeah, didn't think by and thetime to do it didn't initially over zoom,

(16:10):
which is ridiculous. But he keepsthe entire assistant coaching staff, which
I get it. You have toplay. You got to play the games.
But if you're telling me that youdon't think if you think, say
you think fitz didn't though, Ican assure you, yeah, that's someone
on that assistant coaching staff new yetthink it to keep their jobs. Well,

(16:32):
yeah, but they're not bothered bythat. I just think I'm not
bothered by that because they're gonna begone in a year. They're not making
the money physically, they're not response. They're responsible, but they're not the
head coach, like, and youstill have to have a team in a
season. I mean, they're stillgonna play the season. Here in twenty
twenty, named David Broun the interimwho is local Angle DSU. But the
funny part to me is he's likethe least tenured of all the people on

(16:53):
the staff there. Yeah, soit's like, well, we're gonna name
this guy interim because he probably wasn'tinvolved and he's probably not even unpacked yet.
That's and the thing is is likethese guys know, I mean,
you're so close to camp, yougot to have coaches, and yeah,
they're all gonna be blown out nextyear and you can't just go find ten
coaches in the next couple of weeks. Yeah, Fitz has also been fired.

(17:15):
That opens the window for these playershave thirty days of transfer if they
want. Yes. Now, ifyou're a player, boy, I don't
know that I'd be wanting to finda new home right now. Which is
a tough spot for you because thiswould have happened in November. There would
have been some guys would have beenhot commodities, been trying to find a
new team potentially seven weeks before theseason. It's doesn't it make you wonder

(17:37):
though, how much is this stillpart of the culture in the sport?
Well, didn't you just make thepoint justin that like in twenty twenty three.
I still don't know how this wasburied for so long because Northwestern is
first private school, so we didn'thave to know. We don't know what
kirk, what his kirk, whatfits his contract is. It's been reported.

(18:02):
We can't fo ai it and getit right. And I think it's
just because Northwestern's I guess stance orplace in the college football continuum in the
Chicago marketplace. They're just kind ofthe school doesn't pay much attention to it,
right the students like you go there. We've talked about it a million
times. If you get off thepurple line in Evanston, if you're going

(18:22):
to the game September twenty third GophersNorthwestern and you take the purple line,
make sure your GPS, make sureyou start your day at one hundred percent,
your phone has charged and your GPSworks, because if you want to
ask somebody in Evanston off the train, which way is the football field?
Been there? Twice? Yeah,they have no idea. Yeah, so
they are completely sequestered from almost therest of the college town reality there,

(18:47):
and so that's how it happens,and it's fits and it's the lovable sun
and the guy who's been the identityfor thirty years and nobody wants to question
him, and it's just that's howit happens. It's bizarre, but it's
kind of the same thing. Youknow, the internal stuff in state college.
You're away from everybody. Yeah,in that case, you're just you're
the town. You're you do whateveryou want. Joe Paterno, nobody questions

(19:10):
him, Like that's how that kindof stuff. He makes the rules and
there's no one there to check it. It is interesting that it went on
this long and there wasn't somebody previously. As far as we know, there
might have been people that came forwardand said, yeah, they kept it
quiet or whatever. Yeah, verypossible. But you just if it is
still happening in twenty twenty three elsewhereafter this, I would be very shocked

(19:33):
because I would imagine the players wouldhopefully be smart enough to look and see,
we got to stop this right now. It doesn't go over. I
just think there's there should be moreawareness in the world and life in sports,
that this is not how you createa good culture that's productive. You're
right, it's not. I've alwaysthought that. It blows my mind,

(19:55):
and it's you know, football tendsto have that yep ingrained in it,
and I think I think most ofus out of the sport now, But
I mean we used to hear thesethings all times in seventies and eighties,
and occasionally still things pop up.You know, und sure in high school
that this, you know, thehazing is just I never you said the

(20:18):
right word counterproductive. I never reallyfound how that's gonna have hit. How
does it build camaraderie or build trustor build it just all it does is
rapport and straight chemistry. I justdon't get where you're humiliating people. And
that's it given him anxiety the wholedeal. I'm the legal part of it.
His lawyer has talked fitz His lawyerhas talked to ESPN, I assume
others. In addition to Fitzgerald's employmentcontract, he claims Northwestern violated an oral

(20:45):
agreement reached between the coach, Shillwho's the president, and the university's general
counsel. Last week. You knowabout the two week unpaid suspension, blah
blah blah blah blah. The investigationby attorney Maggie Hickey and the Shift firm
did not find evidence of Fitzgerald orNorthwestern's other coaches knew about the hazy and
activities, but that they had opportunitiesto discover he didn't put it in writing

(21:06):
and report the behavior according to thisoral agreement, Well, that's gonna make
it a lot tougher for him toreclaim any maybe maybe, but it was
public that he they announced he wassuspended for two weeks, so in essence,
that's a written agreement. Yeah.I just think there's going to be
a lot more dirty laundry that's goingto be aired now, Yes, especially
aside because I think he's gonna goscorched earth trying to reclaim some things.

(21:27):
Well, that's why I think he'llthere'll be a settlement for you. Yeah,
and he'll probably coach again either.If we've learned anything about college football,
he's not going to coach he wantsto, maybe not in twenty four,
but if he wants back in,there will be a Power five program
in twenty twenty five. That says, yep, Lets you know, I
wasn't aware of it, Yep,learned I've changed safeguards, you know,

(21:49):
Yep. Though it's pretty easy toget around that if you want to.
I mean, the best example ofthat is you know, Will Wade,
the LSU basketball coach who was partof the whole payment for player. He's
on tape basically saying we gave hima strong ass offer before you could do
it. You can kind of doit now. He was hired by some
school. He hasn't coached a gameyet, he's already been suspended by his

(22:11):
new school for like three or fourgames because of whatever happened at LSU.
I mean, that tells you whata cesspool college athletics still is. And
that's why if you're a romantic aboutcollege sports, like all of us are
the hazing stuff aside. That's thereal tragedy of it that so many kids
went through all of this. Butif you just want to separate it to
the football stuff of it, Imean, that's pet Fitzgerald is what I

(22:33):
think, what he represents is whatmakes college football the best and so unique
and so great that this kid fromChicago can go to a program that's awful,
can be two time a Defensive Playerof the Year All American, take
Northwestern to the Rose Bowl that isCitrus Bowl the next year with no advantages,

(22:53):
going up against a high estate Michigan, the whole deal, and then
come back coach take over when RandyWalker, you know, tragically dies of
a heart attack, I think intwo thousand and six, he takes over
as a thirty year old and establishesNorthwestern not the last two years, but
as a major factor in their division, in their conference. They have college

(23:15):
game Day there, what seven eightyears ago, I mean they that's a
side tragedy that the Fits story wassuch a good one. And now because
of his own ineptitude in managing hisprogram, this is his legacy at the
place that he literally put on themap. And there has been no Northwestern
football success without Pat Fitzgerald ever.Well, and that's why it started with,

(23:40):
is like we had this perception ofhim in his program and they did
the right way and all the Wildcatway, the Wildcat way, and we
know what that means. And nowyou just feel completely different about it,
yeah, about him, and itfeels gross. You feel cheated, Yeah,
I mean, and there's a Imean one of the players that was
quoted in one of the daily stories. I read that kids said he's been

(24:03):
in therapy since he left there,right, that he has such negative field.
He didn't watch college football for fiveyears. Right, one guy became
a therapist. Yeah. I thinkit was the same, yeah, the
same, yeah, yeah, becausehe had such a traumatic experience, Like
it takes some of the romancism outof this. It does the story.
I mean, it's just I'm sorry, it's it's and there was nobody that
was more respected by old coaches,young con media. I mean, everybody

(24:27):
loved him. Everybody thought he wasabout the right stuff. Everybody thought,
you know, they marveled and everytime. And we've all been there.
I mean they're trying to build thiseight hundred million dollars Ryan Field, which
will be fine, it'll be nice. We've all been to the current one.
It's a disaster. And you sitthere and you go, how in
the hell is winning here? Whatis what is everybody else's excuse? When

(24:48):
you look at there's ten people there, they play that stupid wildcat roar fifty
five times. It's super loud.Um, They've got no advantages whatsoever.
We've got the academ I'm stuff that. Obviously he's a part of it too.
And yet somehow you look up andin the fifth era, they're handful
of bowl games, handful of bullwins, all by the way, a
Rose Bowl. Well, and they'vesay they've been so bad the last couple

(25:10):
of years, and and people werelike, you know, his fifth in
trouble. No, he was nevergonna get fired there for wins and losses.
He wasn't. But when you findout this other stuff is like,
come on, man, Yeah,now let's say, if he's coming off
a big ten West, if thiswas twenty twenty, can't have it.
Do you think he still gets fired? Yes, I might be a longer

(25:32):
discussion I won't have I was aboutto say, I bet you it's a
lot longer discussion amongst Northwest if you'relegitimately worried about student athlete experience and the
person. Yeah, I don't careif he's won. What I mean,
I agree with you? Yeah,I'm just I'm a I'm a cynical.
No, clearly the president was enamoredwith the coach. It was just gonna
get him a slap on the risk, or just didn't know what to do

(25:56):
because he just got there and itwas really gonna fire fit right now?
Yeah? Yeah, I mean that'sthat was in a weird way. What
was working for him event if fitsoriginally and now working against him. Yeah.
And now this president, I mean, good god, bless you,
buddy, good luck. I mean, this is probably never thought this would
you know, landed at this placeof Pat fish Gerald, right, and

(26:17):
then all of a sudden, youknow, like you said, nothing changed
except the public reaction, Yeah,and his reconsidering what should Pat have known?
So two weeks from today big tenmedia days, does Northwestern even send
anyone? Yes, they'll send thecoach. I don't know if they'll bring
players, do you? That wasmy question to you, is that do

(26:37):
you send players? If I'm theschool, who would they send? I
mean, who do they have?I don't know that it's been released yet,
who, like like if Dan Pursowas still there, you know what
I mean, like a guy that'sbeen around and established, because don't they
have another transfer quarterback this year?If they do, like they would,
there's no like established dudes at NorthwestPattie Fishers. So are you're just gonna

(26:59):
throw David Broun to the Wolves intwo weeks and then just say he can't
bring nobody. I mean, somebodyhas to speak to it. I just
don't know what the right answer tosay that it'll be one of the most
attended Northwestern podium sessions that we've everhad at Big ten media days. And
after they get off the TV portionand he's doing the side portion. Yeah,
I think it's not gonna be enoughchairs and the podium, the little

(27:21):
roundtable that they do well. Imean, the thing is, these players
are somebody, your senior captain whoeveris gonna have to dress. You can't
go an entire season. And Ihad players asked about it right right now.
You can't just shield him for theentire mean, they're gonna get asked
about it. Though. What aboutthis idea that I just heard on a
college radio show last night. Whatif they call former Stanford coach David Shawn,

(27:45):
Hey, we need a steady handhere, We need a guy who
kind of understands the mission they playlike every other year, Um, why
don't you come up and help ourthirty five year old wonder keen who just
got here ten minutes ago. Ithink if I'm school, i'd made the
call yesterday yeah, if you.I mean that depends on what he say.

(28:06):
Yeah, I'll do it for ayear. I mean, I don't
know if he's working for the PACtwelve network. I don't think to have
one anywhere. What is he doingright? And he I don't oftially retired
here. I don't think he's retired. I mean he's young enough guy,
he could go into coaching. Ijust it. But it's crazy fired into
a conversation the bucket of I neverthought we'd be having that discussion. Well,
also, if you want to lookto like November December, who does
Northwestern hire? Who would want togo inherit? All of that? Well,

(28:30):
it's an interesting discussion because they're historicallyso bad. Yeah, the academics
and I know people try to portrayit as a positive for them. I
as someone who is entrenched in therecruiting world and the people I talk to,
this isn't viewed the same way itis like Stanford, Yes, where
if a kid gets to Stanford offeryeah out of the South, there's a

(28:52):
chance he's probably gonna take it.Yeah, But that's not the way it's
viewed Norton nationally, with Northwestern,it's going to be a very because is
it Mike Kafka, Well he mightget an NFL job. Yeah, like
because he's an offensive coordinator right now, I can't see your guy Chip Jim
Leonard taking that. Oh Jim Leonard. Interesting. But here's what it has

(29:14):
going for it is it's in thebiggest. They'll pay you. They'll pay
a lot of money, so he'sgonna be nice. There's not a lot
of expectation. I mean, itcould be almost like a Tubby Smith type
guy, a guy who's been successfulelsewhere. Maybe not the Jim Leonard thirty
five year old guy, but aguy who's fifty who it will be very
Maybe he's had a big, abig job already, has been on the

(29:34):
sidelines, is doing something else.I mean, could Paul christ want it?
I've seen that. To me,it's gonna be is are they gonna
go after the thirty five year oldor the fifty five year old? Because
I feel like there's gonna be noone between and the higher I almost think
they need to go older. WouldI would steadying hand and it just wants
that will stay there for five sixyears without looking for the next one.

(29:56):
You know, Tennessee basketball was adisaster and they said they brought in Rick
Barnes. Calm the waters worked outpretty good. Help us here. You
know that thing has been you know, so much turmal and upevil. Here,
get a veteran coach who's who's runa program. And I thought Rick
Barnes would be there a couple ofyears. Yeah, you know he's been.
He was, you know, exceededI expected. I think they need

(30:18):
that. They need a veteran coachwho's been around a block, who knows
how to run it, and youand then even if it's just five years,
right to get the calm because thisis gonna be I don't know what
the transfer situation is gonna be like, but you think recruiting is was tougher
before, imagine what it's gonna belike now. Well, I like team,
they're in the teens for commits rightnow. I can't imagine. Now

(30:40):
you guys are parents, I'm notright. Can you imagine being the parents
and one of those commits right now? I would say I would not.
I would say open up, wellunless unless the Northwestern degree matters to you,
which is why people go there inthe first place. But if you
if you're telling me my kid's gonnago there and have that nonsense happened to
them, and they're gonna YEA,I would say, you can get Well,

(31:00):
you're certainly if it's not about thehazing, you're certainly committing right now
to a head coach that you don'tknow who is going to be until five
months from now. Right. Ilook, I ain't gonna tell you guys
what to do with your kids,but if that was my kid, I'm
telling you you open it up immediatelybecause you don't even know if you're going
to have a spot when that newcoach comes in. Now there's the ad

(31:21):
would say we'll honor it in thecount, but there's still a lot of
time left in recruiting right now.I just that thing is that I think
it's the big ten. It's alot of money. Yeah, there will
be coaches that want it, butthis is going to be one of those
jobs where it's like you're taking itfor the check. Yes, yeah,
you're not taking it. This islike a Rutgers type of gig where you

(31:42):
know you're gonna probably win four orfive games. Well, you said,
there's like there's gonna be no expectations. So if you do anything, you
know. I mean Dennis Green,that's the famous deal. He won Big
Ten Coach of the Year at Northwestern. I think he won three games that
season. Yeah, but that showsyou how relevant it was before Fitzgerald got
there as a player. And thenyou know, thirty years later, that's

(32:06):
where we are now, right,I mean about thirty years later. He's
only forty seven years old. That'sthe hilarious part. He's been there seventeen
years. He got the job ortries to do the NFL. Now,
that's a great question. I meanwe always do you think he takes like
a twenty four NFL job? Doeshe do the Bilma where he just bops
around a couple of NFL spots?I mean Bilmo is a d line.

(32:28):
The Nick Saban reclamation Project, Yeah, I bet I bet Saban would bring
him in. I bet you hewould too. Yeah. Yeah, the
rehab coaches can make a couple hundredgrand and then be a head coach and
ten minutes after we lose or winin the College Football playoff. Yeah,
I'm it's gonna be interesting. Butit's what's so funny is this is the

(32:50):
last year's a Big Ten West andout of nowhere now. PJ. Fleck
is the second longest tenured guy.Shows you how the days are long,
the years are short. PJ Entersyears even he's behind Kirk ference and then
it's who is it? I mean, because Fickles knew, Walters is new,
Bilma was probably rules new, andnow Northwestern that's everybody right. Bat

(33:14):
the other day, by the way, I'm so glad he's in the Big
Ten. I'm so glad he's inthe Big Ten. At Illinois. Somebody
tweeted out, you know, it'sJuly, like we said, not a
lot going on in the college footballspace, so you get a lot of
rankings, and we're going to talkabout some rankings here in a second maybe,
and it was who's the best coachin the Big Ten? And the
four that were pictured were Fickle whojust got here? Harbaugh Day and James

(33:39):
Franklin and our guy Brett retweeted itand said, who's one of the most
Big Ten titles? Asking for afriend. I just love it. I
can just I can just picture himin champagne, beat up on the table
and beat up, wearing flip flopsand Illinois, you know, sweats,
probably drinking imported spotted al from Wisconsin. You know he's probably twittering come on,

(34:04):
yeah, number four or five onthe he's probably grilling in the back.
His wife and daughters are playing bythe pool, and Bim is just
out there like, hey, Jen, let's have a little fun this afternoon
and just start because he's had acouple where he just fires off and that.
Yeah, because he's always been kindof a bleep and I don't care
kind of guy. Im and LaneKiffin have that in where they like to
throw the pot. Yeah, andnow that he's you know, he's kind
of run his race. He's youknow, been great at Wisconsin. We

(34:27):
know the Arkansas thing went pair shaped, Like he's got a great thing going
to Illinois. Like he's a guywho's obviously secure with his lot in life.
And what are they going to doto me? Yeah, my a
d loves me and Brett bielm like, let's just personality. Yeah, let's
just fine, let's just have somefun. But I just loved it.
How about who's the guy that's wonthe most Big ten titles? Asking for

(34:49):
a friend? Anything else we wantto cover on fitzgerald Sad Week for college
football for a million different reasons,Like you said, Chip, that the
hazy stuff is still going on intwenty twenty three, and one of the
stories really of our lifetime, thePat Fitzgerald Northwestern love affair um ends in
ridiculous scandal. Anything else we haven'tcovered and need to cover. I mean,

(35:10):
everybody thought they were going to bedreadful going end of the year.
Yeah, the win total was likethree and a half in Vegas, right,
and it's just like now, Ijust I have no expectations for that
team, just none. I wonderhow many people will be there for the
September twenty third game. I alreadythought there was gonna be about five thousand.
It might be and all thirty Anice day late September in Chicago or

(35:35):
in Evanston. Well, it's eithergoing to be sixty degrees or forty five
and sneat with like a north windcoming off of Lake Michigan. There.
Yeah, I'm so glad we're goingthere in September for a change. That's
extremely helpful. All I can thinkof as like the demri Croft game,
Yeah, October, that is theone I tell that people all the time.
Pj's first year Gophers are not tryingto win. They just aren't.

(35:57):
They're they're literally trying to go fiveand seven so that they can, you
know, flip it. The nextyear it's snowing, raining, windy,
twelve degrees. I had a glove. They're they're running, you know,
m r PO with no p it'sjust our it's just handing it off to
whoever. The poor running back wasSmith thirty seven. Nothing, I think

(36:21):
was the final. I say thisall the time with people, as go,
man, you must have the greatestjob. And I'm like Ernie Johnson,
you get to get two job likeI get. We all get to
do our jobs. We don't haveto. But I always bring that game
up, he goes. There's everyonce in a while there's a game where
you make sure you invoice on time, like you earned it that day.
There's some games you're like, youknow what, Penn State twenty nineteen,

(36:42):
I would have done that for free. Yeah. I just can't even believe
my next year when we go tothe Rose Bowl. Next year, when
we're at the Rose Bowl UCLA oursecond trip there after we you know,
go to the College Football Playoff thisyear. There's so many days where you
just like I can't believe this ismy life. And then that day I'm
like, I can't believe this ismy life. I am at halftime if
my hands work because they're frozen.I took it my glove and squeezed it

(37:06):
and just water just poured out ofit. And that was a tough day.
That was one where we I definitelymade sure the check cleared for that
one because I felt like I earnedit. There's some days I feel like
I'm stealing. That was not oneof them. You're reminded me of a
lot of times when I was akid. I would do that when I
was out in the duck blind,but I was doing that for fun.
You weren't doing that for fun?Well, and then what do you talk
to the head coach about after thatgame? I don't even know. All

(37:29):
right, thanks Grimmer, PJ.Didn't look like you were trying to win.
Kind of sucked out there today.Your thoughts, I mean, it's
it's bad um, not a lotof love for the Gophers. Well,
let's let's hold that for a minute. Your stamina is unbelievable. You must
be working out because you got tostand today. What time did media day
start for Gopher football today? Waseight am. Sixteen interviews later. I

(37:53):
left there about twelve fifteen, twelvethirty, and they didn't provide chairs.
I don't think for you. Therewere chairs for select media members like Mike
Grimm's grammer put his bag on oneof the chairs. Well it's funny even,
Yeah, Randy Johnson, he broughta like a lawn chair in a
bag because he was ready. Hewas ready. But so what did we

(38:15):
learn anything today? Ethan Kelly ickmanusQB one. He's speaking of Nils.
He's off of the Otter County fishingtrip. Brought his dad and his brother
and everything. And think town athletesand him. I got a good thing
going right now, as they should, as as they should, as I
think you would. Anything in particularor just the sign that here we are
football season, as you said,is fifty days away. I mean you

(38:36):
you talked to the leaders like TylerNubin, Cody Lindenberg, Chris Ottmanbell,
Chris Ottmanbell. I guess that wouldbe the most noteworthy thing. He's still
not fully cleared there, sound hethe way he put it today, he's
got one final hurdle. He's gota clear but the goal he said is
for him to be ready for Gameone and be able to participate. Now,

(38:57):
I think that might be a littlelofty, especially with the receiver depth
that they have. I don't thinkthey need to push it. Well,
in listening to you on the GoldenGopher podcast, No, on the Gopher
Gridiron podcast, you're not high onChris Ottman Bell's steam. I really I
don't have a lot of expectations forhim, just because because of the injury.
Yeah, and I just I alsojust want to know is he I

(39:22):
just want to know what percent he'sgoing to be at because if he's only
eighty five percent Chris Ottman Bell,I think one hundred percent, Daniel Jackson
one hundred percent, Elijah Spencer.There's a lot of talk today amongst the
players about Lemcky Brockington's progress, thehero of the Wisconsin game. I mean,
you got Corey Crumb's there. Soit's just there's a lot of miles

(39:43):
defeed potentially in that passing offense,and I just it makes you think they
don't have to rush him. Wellthey shouldn't would anyways, but it's right
take your time, Bud, Yeah, especially now that we're in mid July,
and he's still not fully cleared.I just have I have doubts that
he's ready even weeks from now now, could he be? Certainly do I
think he should be going out theirfull steam against Nebraska. I don't know

(40:07):
that I would I would say that, But um, Brevin Spann forward is
fully back. He had offseason shouldersurgery, so that's good. Cody Lendenberg's
fully back, Ethan's healthy. ButI guess the two things I would take
away is there was a lot oftalk amongst the receivers and just the guys
on offense about the maturation of Athansince the end of spring ball, just

(40:30):
about he's figured out that he's QBone now and he needs to be acting
like it, and so a lotof talk about that, and you know,
speaking of culture, on this episode, I think all sixteen of the
guys all said this is the mostconnected team we've ever been a part of.
And oh, by the way,we know we say that every year.
Yeah, but truly we think thatman the connect that they just keep

(40:51):
changing their best when it comes toconnect it. It's certainly not the Wildcat
way in terms of connective but wehear that every year, you know,
what it is interesting talked about.The maturation is one of my favorite things
about covering college football, and Ithink about guys that we talked to every
week. I think about like AdamWebber or Brian Kupido. Yeah, their

(41:13):
first year as starters versus when theybecome seniors. I mean, you get
the track that that evolution to whereit's almost like they're little unsure of what
to say, and you know,they're they're supposed to be the voice of
the program, and they're a littlebit nervous, and by the senior by
their senior year when they've done this. And even Tanner too, he came

(41:34):
in very mature. I always saidhe's maybe the most mature college. He's
got a kid. Yeah, buteven by the time he got to,
you know, his third year,I remember talking to Paul Rovnick saying,
he just seems so different now,you know, It's it's kind of cool
to see them adults grow into theirown skin and just feel comfortable in that
role and seeing a lot of livebullets and they don't get phased anymore.

(41:55):
Yeah, it's like anything. It'sprobably just raps, you know, and
just mature and more comfortable as theface of the programs, so the face
of the team, and you thinkbut as the player wise, really the
last ten years, and I meaneven before that was Webber because he was
a starter forever. Yeah. Um, and there's been you know, you
mentioned the Demri Croft era kind ofwrote it era good time. You've had

(42:19):
some gaps in there, but youget, you know, coop it over
the same thing Webber. Yeah,I mean multiple years with those guys,
especially if it's three, you're talkingto him every week, every week and
right now the way that you knowthe PJ. You know, he trusts
like eight guys to talk as weknow. No comment on so you got

(42:40):
you know, Tanner, Chris,Marian Moe when he wanted to, like
Tyler Nuben like they're they're the sameguys, are kind of showing up every
single like twice in five years.No no comment about that one, but
it is you're right, it isfun to see him go through it and
you think about I mean that's alot, yeah, I mean a lot.

(43:00):
That's a lot of stuff for them, especially when things go sideways.
Yes, yeah, you know,to keep showing up. Yeah, and
always said it about Mike Cheryls yep. Um, I would I covered the
first Brewster year and there's a bookyeah there back to blocking people by the
block by Brewster. Yeah, butMike Cheryls showed up every week when it

(43:29):
couldn't have been fun getting asked thosequestions one and eleven. It was just,
you know, just everything could havegone wrong went wrong. And I
give those guys a lot of creditthat you know, are able to stand
up and when things are not goingwell, and every week at the press
conference. Yeah, so it is. I mean, I think we're gonna
see that from from Athan this yearwhere and we didn't talk to him a

(43:53):
lot last year, right, butI think by the end of the year,
you're gonna see a guy who reallyI don't know if he's in the
shell, but really his personality comesout in a in a way that you
see his maturity. There's no playerI'm probably more excited to watch and to
see kind of hopefully grow the Nathanfrom game one to Game thirteen. I
just the amount of expectations for himinternally, I don't even know for a

(44:17):
player is probably the highest in theFleck era. I would say, yeah,
I in my time um watching himand that offense modern offense put it
on a shirt ye against Wisconsin.I remember thinking, my gosh, this
is what you want to see.You want to see a big, strong

(44:37):
quarterback who throws the ball down ahill, who's athletic, who's they're taking
deep shots with. Physically, he'severything you'd want in a quarterback. I'm
as excited and intrigued to see hisdevelopment is probably anybody else you know covered
a long time there. Fifty daysfrom right this moment, right yeah,

(44:58):
is the Nebraska game. However you'relistening to will be inside fifty days before
that first Thursday, and tickets arelike over one hundred bucks right now,
are they really? Yeah? Fromthe school, third third party. Really,
it's gonna be interesting because it's Nebraska'syou know, kick off of the
new coach. You know they're gonnawant to travel like test. It's a

(45:19):
good test for go for fans.Are you gonna sell them? It's supposed
to be a gold out for thatgame, right yeah, it's one of
the special games. Yeah, exactly. Um, in our final couple of
minutes and we'll start ramping up withmore podcasts here because it's mid July.
It is crazy, so maybe stilla media day and we'll do it maybe
a media day recap episode when youget that first press conference at the unofficial

(45:39):
official start of Fall Camp is Julythirty first, and I think the first
open practice will be that first weekendof August. We'll look forward to you
bemoaning how few we get to goto It's part of the gig, and
yeah, it's part of your brand. Yeah. Speaking of brand, we
mentioned the shirts. Um hit theparent of spare pod twitter handle if you

(46:01):
want to jump in on start yourday at one hundred percent shirts or got
mulk for Burns. I haven't saidanything clever enough in the two plus years
that we've done the podcast to geta shirt named after me. There's a
lot of time left, there's stilltime. It's maybe that's my motivation,
but that's the parent of spare Away. Chip and Burns have inspired some shirts.
We've had good we've had good earlyreaction, good early reaction to the

(46:23):
shirts. We'd love to have moreat the Huntington meg Stadium on that Thursday.
I'd go to the parent of sparepod twitter handle and it's just that
parent a spare pod right and veryeasy to find it and to order your
shirts. They're very nice, they'revery cool, and if you order them
online, you will already have donesomething that Chip Scoggins has never done and

(46:43):
will never do. This is therevelation that we have to discuss Burns wrap
up the show. Well, we'lllet Chip just explain him. We give
context here of how we even discoveredthis lovely lit nugget. I can't remember,
so go ahead. Well, wewere talking about the shirts, that's
right, yes, and my momwanted me to order her one. Thanks
mom. Yeah, So in ourgroup text, and then Chip goes,

(47:04):
well, I had my wife doit, and I was like okay,
and Chips like, yeah, Idon't order anything online. And I went
and I looked at that. Iremember where I was and I looked it
and I was like, is hejoking? Yeah? So I asked,
Chip, are you seriously goes yeah, I don't order anything online. I
don't. You never ordered anything online. I don't think I have. I
may have done once or twice,but I don't. So then I ask

(47:25):
you in the group text, noteven Amazon? And you say, I
called it. Oh my goodness.This is Friday, June twenty third text
from my mom? Can you getme a start your Day medium shirt.
I'll VENMO you and so. Chipresponds, I had my wife order me
one two. I don't order stuffonline. How many minutes later? Eight

(47:46):
minutes later, Burnsey, what doyou mean I don't order stuff online?
Then I write, this is thenext shirt, Chip, I literally don't
buy anything online. If I haveto put my credit card on it makes
me anxious. My wife handles allof that. I write, You're incredible,
Ship. I'm convinced that my worldis nineteen sixties and I'm happy with

(48:07):
that. Burns then tweets out thejeff of Michael Scott just rubbing his temples.
I'm still doing that to this moment. Do you not even buy things
off Amazon? Burns ass Chip says, I wouldn't even begin to know how
to do that. Think about thatstatement. I'm being serious. The final
text of this that we need toread was Ryan just writing justin I just

(48:32):
Chip, I, how do youIf I want something, I'll go to
the store. We're twenty I won'tget it twenty years apart. I don't
business. You're perfectly fine with throwingyour wife out there. Oh, she
she does it. She loves it, like you know, well, I
mean, yeah, most of usdo. She's proficient. I mean,
you know she can do all theChristmas shopping on her phone. Like I

(48:54):
don't like putting my credit card,So you think the internet is just gonna
take your credit carn't? Like,who are the people you're a braid up
here? If you d right now? If there's a Nigerian prince telling you
something, don't listen to them.Okay, so you want everybody to order

(49:15):
our shirts, but you won't doit yourself. Yeah, I couldn't do
it. You wouldn't put talking youexpect aren't great loyal audience to risk their
identity. Start your day at onehundred percent shirt, which is great,
but you wouldn't do it yourself.Like I don't, Venmo, I don't
you don't venmo. I know howmuch cash do you have on you right

(49:37):
now? Well? I paid thekid next door thirty bucks to get my
mail when we're in Hawaii, I'mthirty. Well he wandered our flowers and
he got my mail and put mytrash iNTS like game thirty, So like
five dollars a day basically seven Yeahless than that, Z cheez tight,
You've got plenty, as he wastelling us you might heard in the lobby

(50:00):
I used stay at the Ritz outthere. Yeah yeah, I just I
don't. I don't. Never couldwe convince you. So when you visited
your friends in Tennessee, the flowyour wife paid for that, or your
your wife's credit card. So ifyou delta, I mean my stuff on

(50:21):
the error. But like I don'tgo on Amazon, and I don't go
on So if I told you toorder a Rocky Top shirt right now off
of your phone, you wouldn't doit because you got to put in your
credit card information. Probably home FieldApparel. Yeah right, yeah, you
got some great stuff they do.I'm sure I have, but it's not
like a routine thing. It makesme nervous, Like, I don't what

(50:42):
makes you more nervous? Waking upwith the phone at that would be enough
to send me off the cliff,or typing in your credit card number and
the secret code, or the thoughtof getting to the airport only. So
my kids were complaining because we're comeback from Hawaii. Yeah, how did
you get there? It was ourflight was at twelve thirty and they're like,

(51:07):
let's leave it at nine. I'mlike, no, no, we're
not leaving it nine. He's alittle tricky because you got to put your
stuff through that. You never know. I sit and then they said eight
thirty. I said eight fifteen.Ye, And then I was like,
you never know, right, that'smy thing. You never know. I
mean it's two lane roads. Sowe get out there on thirty there's a
wreck, dog on things saying hekeeps going up? How many times do

(51:28):
you think He to his children saidthis is why we leave it early.
It was a it was a teachingmoment. I said, this is why
you do it. Then they're like, let's stop at Chick fil a.
Took twenty minutes to get it,or they forgot about it. All this
stuff added up. I said,you never know. See, I was
proving correct. I agree with youon the airport thing, especially Mary,
Like you know you have a wreckon one of those roads. You're yeah,

(51:49):
it's not like there's an alternative.No, it's a two they've got
three roads. Yeah, they justgo around mountains. Yeah, two lanes.
So you know, I'm just likesweating. And so when did you
get to the airport? Plenty times? Yeah, because built in built it
in. Yeah, No, Iyou and I are in alignment to use
a buzzword. There, we're inalignment on that one. You know,
we gotta get chipped for this secretSanta for pareness beare them all account No?

(52:10):
TSA pre check? So I gotit. I wouldn't, did it.
You're getting right through? You leftfour you leave your family. Well,
my youngest hat I don't know.He got it somehow. Yeah,
the kids, if they're on yourreservation, will get it. The old
or two didn't. He didn't,So me and him cruise through and then
yeah, he's good. In thelong line, I'm like, I don't
even like telling people about it.TSA pre and clear because I just want

(52:31):
because I have both. And it'slike it's essentially or from the airport were
you it's about forty five minutes.Yeah, almost an hour if you're staying
where. Yeah, yeah, thatan hour. If I would have told
my wife that we have to leavefour hours early for the airports, you
would have looked at me and said, I'm gonna be sitting right here until
about like two hours before. That'sa Hawaii is different. Every thing is

(52:54):
like you miss that right, sorry, buddy? Yeah, And you never
know because it's not a very bigairport and a lot of um. Like
you said, the line was probablyreally long in security, and you don't
know about bags and all that.Everybody's checking bags. Not crazy, it's
not really. I'm guessing there's nota lot of carry on only going to
it from Hawaii. Yeah, becauseyou're not you're not doing a quick overnight

(53:15):
in Maui. I'm guessing the linesare super long for all of that stuff.
So I support you on that,Thank you. The rest of the
stuff is crazy, as I don'tunderstand. I like my I like my
life. Yeah, in the ninesixties, I like the world, you
know. I like to write checks. Chip, please know who accepts them?

(53:36):
Chip? Who's asking? No?He did? He even know what
that was. We did give afor at a grad party. We wrote
a check. I could see thatthat still works. See how many checks
justin have you written in the pastfive years? I want to say,

(53:57):
I'd say I average about three ayear. I'd say about fifteen, maybe
twenty a check a year. Yeah, it's it's less than five a year.
Just when something randomly pops up thatthey need a check or they prefer
a check or whatever it is.But yeah, mostly now it's Venmo.
Oh god, you got me stressingthe checks. Yeah, I don't.

(54:20):
I don't know. I don't dothe Venmo or was it PayPal? PayPal?
It's another one. Uh what's zeZe? Yeah, Zell's the other
one. Yeah, heard of it. It's very slick. I mean my
mom's doing it now, she's Ihave to send her a request. I'm
not going to charge her for theshirt. I'm gonna buy my mom a
shirt. You know, she's supportedme enough. We don't whatever. Can
you order me one? No,we are. If you're buying lying in

(54:43):
the sand here on this podcast,write me a check, bring it next
week and we'll do it. Weneed to have like a tech tuesdays with
you and your children, and theyneed to just teach your kids think they
just laugh at me. Yeah.How was the phone you se in Hawaii?
I was charged up every morning andI didn't bring it out of the
bag too often. Yeah. Youjust want to be present, Yeah,

(55:07):
like not doing pictures and some pictures. Yeah, you have to take a
certain like pictures don't do it justice. No, I know we went up
to do the Sunset's like just watchingpeople are doing the videos, like just
watching absorber having your mind to thatwas like me at Taylor Swift. Yeah,
I didn't take a lot of pictures. I just said, now,
I kind of wish I did acouple more videos. Yeah, my wife

(55:30):
did. But I just wanted toabsorb this, yes and be present for
it and not worry about getting theperfect angle and present my youngest he went
to bed one night, and we'relike, he went to bed early.
He's like, guys at two percent. I was like, how do you
get to two percent? I phonedthat the other day, Jim a lot
of apps. I mean, you'rerunning a lot of apps. You're out

(55:52):
of the house, you're doing stuff. I get the shakes. If I
get below seventy, you can probablybuy something on line that will help you
with that. Yeah, some medicationyou'd have to put your credit card in
though. Yeah. Well, I'mI don't know if I envy you or
I pity you. I'm just gladyou were present. But I also am
trying to figure out which which sideI like. When he told me to

(56:14):
stay off the grid, Yeah,if you want to find anything about about
Chips gygins, you can't except listeningto this podcast. Yeah. But and
he goes back and he lives inthe Appleachians in Tennessee. I want a
front port swing you know my boomboxwith Here's how you're gonna find Chip in

(56:36):
like ten years. You have togo to Tennessee getting the Appalachians and you
just get a band on, justplay like five chords. Yeah, and
then you'll hear Chips say I'm overhere. No, you're gonna it'll be
like you gotta like um, You'llhave to go to like the corner market
where they sell Ipasah, Hey,is there a guy named Chip that comes
in here? Yeah, he's alwayswearing Rocky Top. Yeah, comes in
on Tuesdays, comes in on Tuesdays, and it's always got a phone charger

(57:00):
with him. Um yeah, wheredoes he live? And then we'll figure
it out? Yeah you Yeah.Burnsley's incredulousness he was getting more like I
was amused by. Burns is affectedby it physically, He's absolutely affected by
it. Chip. It's just like, here's where I draw the line in
my mind. My parents are intheir in their like mid sixties, early

(57:20):
sixties. They even know and trustthe Internet enough to put in their credit
card. Yeah, I'll get there. Never did well at some point they
might make you. I mean,they might just say, hey, we
we're doing it this way. It'syeah, it's one of the deals.
Imagine him on Apple pay or GooglePay. I can't where you can tap

(57:42):
your phone and pay at the grocerystore. Your kids do that, yeah,
yeah, I bet they do.Yeah, most people's kids do that.
I don't do that quite yet.I haven't advanced. I still need
debit cards. So every Sunday nightyou sit there with the glasses you're wearing
now and balance the checkbook. Youknow, I bought too many eyes years
of Mallie. Yeah, that's bigSwell fourteen ninety nine. You do the

(58:06):
math, you carry the one,you do all of that. On that
note, m we'd love Chip won'tdo it, his wife will, my
mom will? Please buy our shirts. They are available parent to spare pod.
The link is right there on Twitter. Very easy to do it.
We've got a couple of options foryou. Might have a couple more as
the season continues, and we'll beback in a couple of weeks. We'll
review Burnsey's trip to Indianapolis. Sorry, I will not be there to let

(58:29):
you in the Delta club this timearound. Speaking of IPAs, But I'm
gonna miss you. Keep grimmer inDT in line for me and we will.
We'll catch up with you in acouple of weeks. Anything at Gopher
Illustrated dot com we need to knowabout, well, we'll have more actual
quotes from the kids today. We'llhave more stuff going in a big ten
me to days again, only fiftydays from the season, so now it
starts to ramp up and see justfinally the year that can get over the

(58:52):
hump in the West. It's thelast time in the West, last one.
If not now win. Start yourday at one hundred percent everybody,
and we will walk to you ina couple of weeks. On the parent Aspare podcast