Plays of Principle: The Veteran's Journey in Sports and Service

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
War is a paradox.
It is the power to bringnations together, to inspire
heroism and sacrifice and toforge bonds of camaraderie that
will span a lifetime, but italso has the power to tear
families apart, to shattercommunities and to leave scars
that will never fully heal.
And, for those who have served,the transition back to civilian

(00:25):
life can be one of the greatestchallenges they will ever face.
This is the typical life ofmilitary veterans, a world that
is both familiar and foreign tomost of us.
It is a world that is shaped byunique experiences, values and
traditions of the military, andby the sacrifices and struggles
of those who have served, butit's also a world that is

(00:46):
constantly changing, as newgenerations of veterans confront
new challenges and newopportunities.
Thank you for joining us atSoup Sandwich.
Dig your foxhole, heat up yourMRE and spend some time with us.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
We want to welcome everybody back to the next
episode of Soup Sandwich.
My name is Charlie Klein, ryersGroup President, post 3033,
mount Pleasant, vfw.
Tonight we have with us.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
No pain, Pass district commander, pass post
commander, pass Ryers.
Group President.
And I think I covered all thebases on that one.

Speaker 4 (01:30):
Yep.
And then you have the jewelerSergeant Arms of Ryers Group,
also the post commander,district commander, director of
Ryers Group and a lover waylover of the Mount Pleasant VFW.

(01:51):
It is my life, unfortunately.
And now, with that being said,we have to throw something out
there and I have to find it onmy phone because we're getting
ready to do it on the intro, butright now we can't do it we're
still working on that becausethe nerds aren't around, so it

(02:13):
is a disclaimer.
It is a disclaimer because weare veterans and we are colorful
in everything that we doDefinitely with the language
right.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
Definitely with the language right, Especially to no
, shut the front door.

Speaker 4 (02:30):
Okay.
This podcast is designed solelyfor entertainment and,
occasionally, informationalpurposes only, and is to be
regarded strictly as satire.
It's compromising of veterans.
It delves into their thoughtsand experience and combat as

(02:51):
well as their perspectives onvarious aspects of daily life
that may be unsettling tocertain listeners.
This podcast is not suitablefor individuals under the age of
18.
Definitely not, definitely, not, definitely not the views

(03:11):
articulated.
This is too.
This isn't me talking.
An attorney wrote this.
The views articulated in thispodcast may not necessarily
align with those of the nationalVFW, because I'm sure it
doesn't.
The VFW Department of Michigan.

Speaker 2 (03:31):
Department of Michigan's what?

Speaker 4 (03:34):
it is, or the VFW Post-2033.
I'm sure it doesn't.
Additionally, we kindly requestthat listeners refrain from
pursuing legal action againstthe creators or contributors.
What the fuck is this?
Hey, don't sue us.
Okay, we are who we are, man.

(03:55):
This is Veterans, all the way.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Well, this is solely explicit content not suitable
for your workplace, not suitablefor those ears under the age of
18, and or if you are the typeof person that takes offense to
everything.
Something someone says pleaseturn this podcast off, Go away.

(04:19):
Do not listen to any previousepisodes.
What this is is satire.
Just veterans sitting aroundtalking about veterans shit.

Speaker 4 (04:30):
Just go away.
Go away If you're offended goaway, go away this is not for
you.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
So once again I have to throw the plug.
I'll do it every time.
Aj Sky Lounge hosting thepodcast again tonight.

Speaker 4 (04:48):
AJ Sky.

Speaker 2 (04:50):
Lounge.
It's about 85 degrees in thisfucking place and, Tim, if you
take your sweatshirt off, I'mthrowing you out.
I have 100% authority.

Speaker 4 (04:59):
I'm telling you do not do it.
I'm too sexy for my shirt Willabsolutely not allow that.
So I can take my pants off andI can't take my shirt off.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
You definitely cannot take your shirt off, because I
will pop the shop door and youwill walk down the stairs and
get the fuck out of here.

Speaker 4 (05:22):
Whoa, he's send that fire truck.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
Because I can.
It's not you Right, right,right and like that to the tech
that's not here tonight.
I know he's listening because Isee his comments popping up, so
like that would that be inside.

Speaker 4 (05:40):
Unfortunately, we're missing a couple couple people
tonight.
We're missing our nerds twoparts, two parts and tech and
tech and we're missing 11typewriter.
He had a he had a daughter,thing that he had to do T bone.

Speaker 2 (05:55):
T bone was taking his daughter to training which is
huge right Like I mean.
I get it because my son justturned 18 on the 25th, which is
crazy because that's thebirthday of my buddy, david
Cannelly, that I served with theMarines.
Same birthday, that's the daythat I went to bootcamp was 25th
of January, turned 18.

(06:17):
Awesome, I get it when thosekids get the freedom.
The parents get the freedom.
You're no longer dragging themaround, you no longer picking
them up, you no longer droppingthem off and doing the thing.
So that's awesome for him.

Speaker 4 (06:29):
I but the crazy, so happy for the crazy thing is 11
typewriter can't drive either.
He run into T bone, the fuckingvan.
So 11 typewriter can't driveeither.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
But you know he had the insurance on the bike and
that was in his fault becausethe road was under construction.
So let somebody in.
Yeah, he was in the turn lane.

Speaker 4 (06:50):
Bullshit, t bone bullshit.

Speaker 2 (06:55):
I wish we were going to know Well when he, when he
got his new Harley I'm notfucking burning clutches up.
I wish we were named before youT bone the car because he's
like 1000.

Speaker 4 (07:09):
He's like wow, he's like 6,000.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
I'm letting the clutch out.
I wouldn't even clutch.
Let's make a name clutch welove you, billy.
That is your dark name, clutch.
Why could you come in?

Speaker 4 (07:22):
clutch.
He's not quite the game, I tellyou dude, you started.

Speaker 2 (07:26):
you started the Friday night Dark team right at
the post no.
Terry and sense oh okay, butyou got kicked off the team as
the post commander becauseeverybody that subs for you was
so much better.

Speaker 4 (07:42):
You can't kick me off you can't kick me off my own
team.

Speaker 1 (07:46):
Don't tell me your, your, I.

Speaker 2 (07:49):
Something like twice this year in your own teammates
were like are you playing forTim next week?
I'm like no, you didn't ask me.
He's like no, you are playing.
You are playing for Tim Welland then and then on your
bowling team that Terry andsense, feel started.
I roll out and I throw like a680.
I'm averaging 230 a fuckinggame.
A month ago when I bold, and Ibold twice this year, brother, I

(08:14):
twice, and I'm averaging like230 a fucking game.

Speaker 4 (08:18):
I rolled a 301.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
Seriously seriously, yeah like 72 fucking points.

Speaker 4 (08:28):
Hey, I'm a killer, I'm not a bowler.

Speaker 2 (08:30):
Okay, you know that's that's.
That's one thing I've beenblessed with.
I think it actually comes frommy dad.
My mom zero sports.
As far as I know, my mom'swhatever 75, never played sport
in life.
My dad pretty athletic.
I think he was on the golf teamin high school and you know he
might have played basketball.
He's like 62.
You know what I mean.
But neither one of them crazylike my sister.

(08:53):
Pretty athletic, shoot starts,plays volley like sand
volleyball in the recreationleague.
You know there's has fun.
You know their husband, mybrother in law, but I would come
on man.

Speaker 4 (09:05):
I don't even know who you are.
I do.
Yes, she's a beautiful lady.
She's beautiful.

Speaker 3 (09:10):
She's very impressive , I know but she's beautiful.

Speaker 2 (09:14):
She's older than me, but I always say, whenever we
introduce each other, I was this, my younger sister, because
she's she's like seven yearsolder me, but she looks like
she's 12 years younger than me.

Speaker 4 (09:25):
Yes, she's gorgeous.
She's a beautiful, oh, I know,and you?

Speaker 2 (09:28):
know how many times I wanted to punch my brother in
law in the face over her Becausehe'll say some smart ass remark
I'm like dude, that's my sister.
Or we be at bowling and I usedto bowl with my brother in law
on a team and people would belike, oh man, I would build your
, your wife or whatever, and I'dbe like dude.
And my brother would be likethat's his sister and they'd be
like, oh, sorry man, sorry man,I'll fucking knock your teeth

(09:51):
out.
You know like I mean?
Because she, she is, she'sbeautiful, she got all the looks
.
It's like you've ever seen thatmovie Danny Vito, arnold
Schwarzenegger.

Speaker 4 (10:02):
Yep twins twins.

Speaker 2 (10:04):
I'm Danny Vito, right Like I got all the leftovers.
My sister got all the good shitright, because she is
absolutely 100% agree with you.
Looks like she's 12 yearsyounger than me.

Speaker 4 (10:15):
She's seven years older than you didn't get any
looks, that's for sure.
Definitely not.

Speaker 3 (10:19):
You guys look a lot of like you do.

Speaker 4 (10:22):
You can, you can tell , you can tell that.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yeah, well, guys guys , you got it.
The eyes, yeah, all the thingsI get, I get.

Speaker 3 (10:31):
I'm gonna say you got it.
Her ass, she's got.

Speaker 4 (10:33):
She's got better moves than he does.

Speaker 2 (10:35):
But now I don't know, I'm a solid B cup.
She might be the.

Speaker 3 (10:45):
C of a solid B, yeah Well no, I love my sister.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
death and I will bury a dude in the back.
Yeah, I know her for sureShe'll bury.

Speaker 4 (10:53):
And.

Speaker 2 (10:53):
I told my brother in law to.
I said you know what?
I got fortunate with my brotherin law, john.
I said, hey, man, of all thedudes she could have picked,
seriously, because it's that'sthe way it works, they marry us.
We don't we asked them, butthey marry us what did we talk
about.
We all know it.
Yeah, we got, they can.
They can get it when they wantto get it.

(11:15):
We're hoping to get it when wego to the bar, when we get ready
to go out, and totally get itgo to the bar.

Speaker 4 (11:19):
We go, man, I hope I get laid tonight.
They look at the mirror and goI'm getting.
I'm getting laid tonight.

Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yep, 100%, 100%, I get it.

Speaker 4 (11:28):
They got a half the money and all the pussy and I
told my brother.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
I said man, of all the guys, she, she, she picked a
good one.
I love my brother on death,been married like damn your 30
years.
My wife and I are 25.
They're probably 30, 31, 32years married.
I said she, she, she did well,yep, right, love my brother on
death, great guy.
But he's always known, if youever fucks over my sister, I'm

(11:54):
burying him in the backyardPeriod.
That's just the way it's gonnabe.

Speaker 4 (11:59):
Okay.
So now that we're done buryingpeople in the backyard, let's,
let's.
What do we want to talk about?
Do we want to we want to startout with the lions?
Let's get it.
Or do we want to start out withthe?
The VOD.

Speaker 2 (12:16):
Let's just get ready to the lions.
Let's just get out of the way,because the game's still raw.

Speaker 3 (12:22):
I want to say something that was, that was my
damn birthday, yep.

Speaker 4 (12:29):
It was your birthday.

Speaker 3 (12:30):
How often can you say the lions played on your
birthday?

Speaker 2 (12:36):
In a playoff game of all things, how?

Speaker 4 (12:38):
often can you say the lions lost on your birthday.

Speaker 3 (12:41):
I can say it right now.
I can't because minds inSeptember.

Speaker 2 (12:45):
They always win the fucking bullshit.
I'll tell you what.

Speaker 3 (12:48):
Tell you what I'm glad they went as far as they
did.

Speaker 4 (12:54):
They rock, they fucking, they look at you.

Speaker 3 (12:58):
I wasn't on the bandwagon and did that whole.
The lion showed up again.
I wasn't that guy.
I wasn't that guy because theyfucking played.
They earned a place to playfucking right.

Speaker 4 (13:12):
They kicked and everyone's throwing clubs at
damn Campbell.
Why did you do this?
Why did you do this?
He did what he did all fuckingyear to get up there.
Yeah, all year to get him there.
And then people are like, well,take the points.
He didn't take the points allyear because his, his mindset,

(13:33):
is an infantry mindset.
Right, charlie Yep, we ain'tgonna go halfway.
We're gonna stop your fuckingguts out.

Speaker 2 (13:43):
Well, the one thing I will tell you, right At the end
of the day, they threw a passto Sue Panay.
So to win a game last year lastyear.
Yep Right, so you want to talkabout a guy that's got some guts
to win a game?

Speaker 4 (14:03):
Do it to Taylor Decker.

Speaker 2 (14:05):
They should have won a game if, if he would have got
a first down on a, on a fourthand four, fourth and two, fourth
and one on whatever they wouldhave been like, that was the
guchiest call that was such agreat thing to do.
He did everything to win thegame.
He would either.
You're the hero, you're thegoal.
You're like the kicker rightKicking the 55 yard.

(14:28):
You make it, You're the hero.
You miss it, you're the go andgo.

Speaker 4 (14:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (14:33):
I mean you're the guy who's hit him in the fucking
hands.
Hit him in the hands of him, inthe fucking chest Reynolds.

Speaker 4 (14:39):
Reynolds has to catch that.

Speaker 2 (14:41):
Jamar.
Jamar Gibbs fumbles a ball.
You have the defensive or thesafety.
That takes one off the facemask and the motherfucker
catches it.

Speaker 4 (14:50):
He's got to get his hand up there.

Speaker 2 (14:52):
He catches on the two for a touchdown.
So there are so many things inthat game that could have gone
100% differently and the outcomeof the game could have been the
Lions are in the Super Bowl,but here's the deal.
I'm 45 years old.
I've seen one one time they'vemade the playoffs that I can
remember 91.

(15:13):
Right.
So I would have been I don'tknow eight years old, no, 13
years old One time.
They made the playoffs.
They won the NFC North.
They won two fucking playoffthis year, right.
So what they've done this yearis mad, as I was during the game

(15:38):
doing the same thing everyLions fans out there doing, and
I've got brothers in the MarineCorps that reach out to me like
dude, we wish you were the one.
We wish you were the one wewere rooting for you.
Right, you got to be devastated.
I'm like look man, we were on16.
Two years ago we were likethree and 13.
Last year we were in 98.
Like, things are getting better.

(15:59):
You look at, like Michiganfootball right, you make the
semifinals two years from now,you lose.
So you don't make the nationalchampionship game.
30 year you come back and youwin the right, you rock, so it's
like you have to think aboutwhat's actually happening,
what's going on, and when youhave the Lions fans bitching and

(16:21):
pissing and moaning andcomplaining, they shouldn't be
doing that this year.
They should be bitching,pissing and moaning that we
didn't make the playoffs.

Speaker 4 (16:29):
They should shut the fuck up, because three years ago
we were three and 13.
Yeah, this year they should begoing like, yeah, baby Next year
, ben Johnson is back, benJohnson is fucking back and that
was crazy, because that cameout yesterday.
Yesterday.

Speaker 2 (16:47):
That was all over the Pat McAfee show.
That was all over the ESPNtickets and everything else that
he turned down Seattle andWashington.

Speaker 4 (16:56):
I said, no, I'm gonna stay with the fucking Lions, so
I'm gonna take him to thefucking Super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (17:01):
So let me ask you this question, though so is that
the fact that maybe he didn't,they didn't even want to give
him the money that he wanted?
One Probably.
So I'm going to do a three partfor two parts.

Speaker 4 (17:15):
Okay, hey, two parts.
If you're listening.
This is for you, but we'regonna call it three parts.

Speaker 2 (17:20):
So this, these aren't the questions, but going on to
it.
So either he was wanting youknow some astronomical number
that they didn't want to givehim, or two, did he not get off
the job, and or three, is it theleadership of Dan Campbell as
the head coach that he wouldgive up all that to come back

(17:42):
for Dan Campbell's leadership?
It's, either it's either likeone, one, two or three, and
maybe he was asking some crazynumber that somebody wasn't
willing to pay.
Maybe two, he was never evenoffered the job, he was just in
the running for it because theyalready had somebody else they
wanted, which nobody's beenannounced for either one of
those teams.

Speaker 4 (18:02):
Oh, you know no, john McDonald.
John McDonald from Baltimore,defensive coordinator, took the
Seattle job.

Speaker 2 (18:09):
Okay, so maybe they already had a guy that that team
wanted, but the commanders, somaybe they haven't announced
anybody yet then.
So maybe he either wanted toomuch money and or, two, maybe
they still got somebody layingin wait that they want to hire
Aaron.

Speaker 3 (18:24):
Glenn is still in the running for that kind of job.
I think you want to stay withthe line I would read.

Speaker 2 (18:30):
I would.
I would almost think in nooffense he could get his
contract restructured.
It hasn't been done yet and anycoach's contract doesn't come.
It's not a player's contract,so it doesn't come with salary
cap right.
So if they wanted to offer DanCampbell 300 million over 10
years, they could do it.

Speaker 4 (18:50):
It's not going to affect the team at all Kind of
like Mel Tucker until he?

Speaker 2 (18:55):
Jesus Christ.
We'll dive into that because Igot my brother-in-law, sean, is
he?
Yeah, we could dive into thatone later, but anyways.
So it's not going to affect anytype of salary cap how much
you're paying a guy or anythingelse.
So my thought is Dan care, danCampbell's leadership got him

(19:21):
back to Detroit.
I agree, I think so.
I think if if you're going togo to war with a guy and that
guy's got your back regardlessof how you call the game or what
your scheme was or anythingelse, because they were lights
out first half and I'm not goingto blame the offense, I'm going
to blame the defense a lot andwe can get into players if we

(19:43):
want to go players, becausethere's guys I see all year that
I'm not happy with.
But I'm not a coach either, noram I an NFL player, so it's
easy to be the armchairquarterback, right.
Looking back at things going.
I would, I could, I should.
This guy, that guy, the otherguy you know what I mean.
It's easy to do, but I have thesame feeling that maybe you

(20:05):
guys have, that Dan Campbell isa dude that you will go to
fucking war for.
Because that guy, if he tellsyou we got to take Hill one and
we're going to take masscasualties, I'm running up that
fucking hill screaming andfiring my fucking rounds down
range.
Yeah, yeah, no matter what theoutcome, is that dude I so kind

(20:28):
of guy he is and you got to lookat.
I honestly think he's that guy.
Yeah, I do too.

Speaker 4 (20:33):
People run through walls for him.
I think it's just Jared golf.
They went up and said what didyou think about his, his calls
on fourth and four?
Nothing wrong with it, I'dfollow him anywhere.
Okay, because it wasn't thecall, it was the player not
executing.

Speaker 2 (20:53):
And those passes were open round drop to your.
That continues again rightthere.

Speaker 4 (20:59):
Grop Jared golf puts that on and he catches that
fourth and four Motherfucker.
Guess what now?
Now motherfuckers are rolling,now we're rolling, now we're
rolling.
And then all of a sudden, bam,bam.
I'm on.
Saint Brown, drop to pass thathe normally doesn't drop.

Speaker 2 (21:18):
Well, we're all, we're all military.
Yeah right, no.
Well you're in the army, somaybe no.
No, he was in the.

Speaker 4 (21:25):
he was MP, so he wasn't really.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
Anyways, what I'm, what I'm saying is when you have
a leader and there's difference, right, there's.
I call them screamers andleaders.
Screamer and a leader We've allworked for a guy.
All he does is scream at you,tell you where you're doing
wrong, tell you what you need todo.
Those are the screamers.
Yeah, I want the leader, wantthe guy that's digging the hole,

(21:49):
humping the shit, picking upthe slack, doing the stuff Right
.
So you're screamers and leaderssaying hey good job when you see
Dan Campbell on the preseasondoing up, downs or guys.
We have a mission, I have agoal.
I need you to get into this.
If we get into, this will besuccessful and he gets those

(22:11):
guys.
They're there to make apaycheck Right.
They got a contract, they'regoing to make their millions,
are going to do the things,regardless of what team they
play for.

Speaker 4 (22:20):
Yeah, they don't care .

Speaker 2 (22:22):
They buy into that mission that he's selling bingo
and they, they believe in it,they live it, they taste it,
they die by it.

Speaker 4 (22:32):
They die by it, they drive.

Speaker 2 (22:34):
Yeah, they die by it.
And you look at the way thattheir season's gone From two
years ago when he got hired,right.
Everybody makes fun of thebiting the kneecaps thing.
Right, you know, I can stop andwe'll take the other kneecap.
We get up, we'll take anotherhonk, we'll do this, we'll do
that.
Detroit's been beat down.
Anybody that watches news orreads an article can tell city

(22:56):
Detroit what.
What do they need?
They need hope.
City needs hope.
And you look at that last game.
They opened up Ford field andthey were selling tickets to
watch the game on the big screenin Ford field.
They kept out.
Yeah, they kept showing.
They kept showing 15 minutes.
They sold every fucking ticket.

(23:16):
I had friends up here in MountPleasant Drive, two and a half
fucking hours to Detroit, towatch the game in Ford field.
So it just goes to show you.
Like, sheila, let's run to theteam now for Martha.

Speaker 4 (23:33):
Yeah, she's doing the right thing.
Oh, absolutely she's doing theright thing 100% right thing.

Speaker 2 (23:39):
That team can make so much money.
The city of Detroit can make somuch more money If that team is
doing the right thing.
You think of how many jerseys,shirts, sweatshirts, hats,
parking, food tickets.
I mean it's insane, like youlook at what an average cost of

(24:00):
a ticket toward the end of theseason cost.
When Detroit was in theplayoffs it was like $600 a
ticket.
You could have gone to threeother NFL games playoff games
and still not have equaled whatone Detroit Lions playoff game
ticket cost.

Speaker 4 (24:20):
Fucking crazy and here and I'm not going to go
back and be a crybaby oranything like that, but guess
what?
I'm going to go back and be afucking crybaby.
San Francisco should have beenin Detroit.
That fucking bullshit in Dallas.
That bullshit in Dallas wasbullshit that clearly clearly

(24:49):
fucking.
Dan Skipper did not report aseligible, taylor Decker did.
Clearly that's a two pointconversion.
They win that, san Franciscoloses it.
Now Detroit's got three fuckinghome playoff games.
They go to number one.

Speaker 2 (25:08):
Hey, tell you, and I in these you said back right,
we're talking about the armchair quarterbacks.
I honestly hate to go to this.
I don't think.
I don't think it would havemade a difference if they're at
home or away.
Josh Reynolds caught a ball,didn't catch a ball.
Jermere didn't fumble the face.

(25:30):
Max, you know, pass play 60yards, right With a score of the
next play.
I mean, I don't think it wouldhave made a difference if they
were at home or away.

Speaker 4 (25:40):
Well, but I believe the energy would have been
different because the energy andmomentum is real.
Momentum is real.
If you ever played any sports,you know when you get out there
and things are going well foryou, everything's pumping.

(26:01):
You're like chakaboo momentumis a big bitch.
I know, but momentum is a bigbitch.
And then all of a sudden, bam,you get stopped on fourth and
four because the dude drops theball and the other team goes.
Wow.

Speaker 2 (26:22):
No, I get where you're going, because when
you're on offense, everybody'squiet, when you're on defense,
everybody's loud.
Ford Fordfield sets somerecords for decibel levels.
Yeah, there was like 133 to 140or 137 or whatever it was for
their second playoff game.
You've got the enclosed stadiumright.

(26:43):
You're in a big ball.
It's loud.
I get it can throw the other,the opposing team, off, and I'm
sure it happened out there inthe Bay, but I don't necessarily
say they don't necessarily knowthat that's.

(27:04):
That was going to be enough toswing the game.
I think it would have aninfluence on it because that guy
takes that, takes that catchoff the face mask, crowds into
it.
No, no, no, the defense feelslike shit.

Speaker 3 (27:17):
Yeah, the whole third quarter just stopped.

Speaker 4 (27:19):
No, I did.
No, it was terrible.
It's the worst third quarter.
They've always struggled in thethird quarter, and to me,
offensively and defensivelythat's, that's never, never
clicking.
Not in the third quarter.
They come out in the thirdquarter and they couldn't do
shit.
So, ben Ben Johnson, if you'relistening to us and you know

(27:43):
what dude, maybe you shouldsubscribe, because I've got some
ideas for some place.
Ben Johnson, figure out why itseems like the whole year,
detroit always came out flatafter half time.
I got a, they always came, Igot a.

Speaker 2 (28:01):
I got a great story.
So Jason Mac and Tyre, coachMac for Mount Pleasant High
School junior, his dad was acoach, but junior he's the what
is he?
The athletic director now?
He was a science teacher,graduated or had a me
quarterback.
High school, I mean, playedfootball.

(28:22):
Jen worked at a chiropracticpain management place 20 years
ago.
I met Sean Beal His wife workedthere to ex wife work there.
So we they did like a Texas holdthem type night when in there
was like a benefit, everybodypays in and the money goes to a

(28:45):
charity, all this kind of shit.
You know, food, drinks,whatever.
They get down to the finaltable playing Texas hold them.
Jason Mac and Tyre said theywere bullshitting.
We knew each other from highschool.
We're friends but not like bestfriends.
You know like I see him.
Hey, charlie, I was going, heyJason, I was going, kind of kind
of thing, right, and at thetime I was just in my

(29:08):
apprenticeship for local 85plumbers, steamfitters, right,
and we're at this charity night.
You know they were hosting orwhatever.
And at the final table it's meand him and he was like oh, you
know, you ever think aboutcoaching football, blah, blah,
blah, blah.
Because I played in high schooland I'm like, yeah, I thought

(29:30):
about you.
He's like Well, let me ask youa question.
You know we're just kind ofbullshit.
And he goes if you're onoffense, right, we get the kick
return, right, kick off.
What's the first play you run?
Fucking hell, mary.
I throw that motherfucker asdeep as the my fucking
quarterback and throw it.
He goes how do you feel aboutdefense?
Hey, never coach a lick in mylife.

(29:51):
And he didn't ask me to, hedidn't ask me to be on the team.
You know, as a coach, whatwould you do?
Everybody's thinking run, yeah,throw a short dump, pass or
something Fucking throw thatfucking throw the fucker down
that fucker right Like just giveher hell.
You know, but I was, you know,this is like 2005,.

(30:11):
Six, you know, a couple yearsout of the reason.
I'm like fucking throw thatball deep, start the game out,
man, get them on their heels,right, like that's the way I'm
thinking.
And he was like, how do youfeel about defense?
And I'm like, yep, I know, I'mjust not gonna ask me to coach
on the team Because he was justkind of starting out back then.
And I tell you what he's done agreat job here in my pleasant,

(30:31):
always making the playoffs there, undefeated seasons, just great
, great quarterback kids lovethem.
My kid, andy played for him,loved him.
Yeah, absolutely spectacular,but so easy to sit back here and
we're talking about lions and Ihate it.
I hate it because it's so easyto go.

(30:53):
We should have we could haveyou know the whole, the whole
bullshit and you can even goback to.
You can even go back to theMichigan games.
Even though you won thenational championship, you can
still go back there and say Well, this team we could have, this
team we should have.

Speaker 3 (31:09):
Yeah, the thing you got to take away from the season
is where did we come from lastseason or the season before that
?
You know we we built a team 98lines last year.
That's what I'm saying We've.
We build a team from nothing toalmost going to the Super Bowl.

Speaker 2 (31:31):
But you built that team on the leadership of the.
Dan Campbell.
Dan Campbell right yeah, headcoach, and everybody belong from
the offensive coordinators,defensive coordinators,
linebackers, line coaches, allthose people.
They've got some work to do andI think they got the work to do
in the secondary.
I think it'd be great if theypicked up another another

(31:52):
defensive end to help out tohelp out with Hutch, some hutch,
because if if they're doubleteam and triple team and him
he's not going to get out ofthere and yeah, and you can only
do so.
The 49ers did did a great job,because he didn't get any sacks.
They got pretty much threerushes on Purdy to make him

(32:16):
scramble, so the pocket wascollapsing the way I've
scrambled.
But then you had nobody as alinebacker scout.
Yeah, because he could run andthen he could take off.
And he got how many first downs?

Speaker 3 (32:28):
Scramble out of the pocket.
You need more.
Yeah, you need more.

Speaker 2 (32:32):
And I'm gonna I'm gonna throw a player out.
And there was a guy on FacebookYouTube years ago talking about
Darius sleigh and my dadlistened to the podcast.
My dad will laugh.
This guy was like Dariusfucking sleigh and this guy was

(32:53):
a diet lion's fan.
Season ticket holdings.
Like we spend $6,000 my groupon $6,000 on fucking season
tickets.
And I get so pissed off.
I get more worked up than thefucking players do and I'm
sitting there in the stands andI pay all this fucking money.
I'm watching you shake handsand fucking glad hand after

(33:15):
getting your asses kicked, andDarius fucking sleigh gets burnt
.
Every fucking time this guy'sgoing nuts.
You know he's like.
You know it was like a paintmanning thing.
You know like.
I'm gonna get paint mannings outof the graph.
He was a UPS.
That fucking shit.
I don't want to fucking see it.
I'm paying for the fuckingtickets and I've been more
worked up about the game thanyou are and you're getting paid

(33:37):
to play.
I'm paying your fucking tickets.
This guy was going nuts.
I mean, absolutely get it.
And that's where the lions wereshit.
And I agree, Cam sun.
I was messaged in with mybuddies and we're talking on the
phone watching the fucking gameand camsut is good enough and

(33:58):
I'm not trying to bag on the guy.
He's an NFL quality player.
That's why he's playing Right.
He's good, he's good enough toplay in the NFL Right, and
that's saying something.
You got like 9,000 fuckingfootball players in college and
he's you know 100, 100 out ofthat that are playing right,

(34:21):
that are playing defense in theNFL.
So he's he's good.
He's good.
I'm not trying to bag on theguy, but the same extent he gets
fucking burned every goddamntime, you know.
I mean he gets frustrating whenyou're watching it.
So he used to be the fuck.
I didn't play college ball,right, he played college.
He plays NFL.
He's a million times betterthan me, so I'm trying that.

(34:45):
It's supposed to be the dude.
I'm not trying to be theasshole sitting here going
second guess and something Someguys get paid millions of
dollars to do, but I getfrustrated to watch it, to watch
it.
And I just hate bagging onsomebody when I'm not to his
level, not even remotely on hislevel, and I'm bagging on the

(35:10):
guy.
That's.
That's his shitty for me to do.
Ok, so here we go.
I feel I feel shitty to do it.
It's like I was banging onJared Goff.
Oh, he missed the pass.
I couldn't throw the ballfucking 40 yards right, much
less throw it 50 yards on a dime, and I'm expecting him to do it
.
I can't do it.
That's that's shitty.
Me to say that Well.
Well, let's look at this righthe gets Ben Johnson.

Speaker 4 (35:34):
Ben Johnson right, coming back to the Lions, coming
back to the Lions, he's gonnabe there.
Oh see, he's got a, he's got agig.
He's got a gig with Jared Goff.
They see, they see things thesame way.
Aaron Glenn OK, what's been thesuspect program with the?

Speaker 2 (35:56):
Lions.
How much is that his fault?
Because he doesn't have achoice as defense coordinator.
Who gets drafted?
Right, that's also the nextcamel.
Yep, now do you not thinkeither?
One of those two sit down andthey start looking at the draft,
going hey, we need this, weneed this.
Oh yeah absolutely Off offenseis good.

(36:17):
Yeah, absolutely, Offense isclicking.
I mean they're they're.
They're a top 10 offense in thenational football.

Speaker 4 (36:24):
So if Aaron Glenn gets hired at the commanders
because he's in the running forthe commander's job, are we
really losing anything?
Yes, ok, I, I would kind ofdisagree because because it's
his job to find out what hispeople are good at and make them

(36:49):
and sell.
And until the last four gamesof the season we couldn't put
any pressure on a quarterbackman because he didn't blitz, he
didn't do this, he didn't dothat, and I and I get it because
his secondaries Right, hissecondaries like Fat Charlie,
fat Bill, Fat Tim Bouter, tryingto fucking guard.

Speaker 2 (37:12):
You know, I agree with you but you have to play
the cards that you're dealt.
Yes, so if these are theplayers he has, he's got to
figure it out.
He has to try to play with whathe's got.

Speaker 4 (37:26):
Yes, and he's got to figure it out away because an
NFL quarterback it doesn'tmatter if you're Teddy
Bridgewater, it doesn't matterwho you are If you're a second
stringer.
If you give him nine seconds torun around in the pocket, the
dude's the dude's going to findsomebody to throw the ball to

(37:48):
because the defensive backscan't cover for nine seconds.
There's just no way.
And that was my gig early whenI was like dude Aaron, you're
doing this four man rush and youonly got one stud and they put

(38:08):
three blockers on him.

Speaker 2 (38:10):
You got more than one stud because you got McNeil.

Speaker 4 (38:13):
Well, he was you know you could tear it up, so but
everybody would, everybody wouldgo to hutch and they would
block him and there was nopressure.

Speaker 2 (38:23):
No, they were, because this is this is the
issue.
Right, you had to drop back ashe had to worry about the pass.
So you're dropping all yourlinebackers back into coverage.
And then, when they gotpressure, what would pretty do?
You ran the ball.
You had nobody there becauseyou had to have everybody back
in order to give everybody elsetime to rush the quarterback,

(38:46):
and then pretty had theopportunity to scramble.

Speaker 3 (38:49):
They run for a first down every fucking time.

Speaker 2 (38:51):
So so here's the issue.
So so you know where theweakness is right.
You got to pick up offensivelinemen, ends, safeties or
quarterbacks.

Speaker 4 (39:02):
You got to pick up another edge rusher to go I
would agree with a Hutchinson.

Speaker 2 (39:07):
Because they can't matter what.
You can't double, team bothsides.

Speaker 4 (39:11):
You can't double team both of them, because you're
right or you have to leave a.

Speaker 2 (39:15):
you have to leave a, leave a running back in as an
extra block.

Speaker 4 (39:19):
Yes, and a kill a team McNeil.
He proved that he can.
He can get that push in themiddle.
He can get that push in themiddle, but the but the scheme
has to be where you don't getout of your lanes.
Because that's what happenedwith Brock Brock's not a runner,

(39:39):
lamar Jackson's a runner,brock's not a runner.
But we got out of.

Speaker 2 (39:45):
We got out of our lanes, we got over here and then
he dipped Um oh, we're nevergoing to say it's perfect, but
you're trying to build a team,so you have to find out what
your weakness is.

Speaker 5 (39:58):
I don't know what your weaknesses are until
they're exposed, yeah.

Speaker 2 (40:02):
And I think we all agree, the offense is clicking.
Yeah, I think offense isclicking.
There's a few things that needto be changed Very few.

Speaker 4 (40:12):
Somebody needs to spray.
Fucking stick them on JoshReynolds.

Speaker 2 (40:17):
So so you ever see, I don't know what was the, what
was the?
Replacement with thereplacements and you guys like
it looked like a jacked off anelephant, because he's got the
stick of just dripping off hisgloves.

Speaker 4 (40:31):
Yeah, they make a catch, you know.
But and then he's drinking thewater out there and he can't.
He can't get rid of the waterbecause it's stuck to his
fucking hand.
I looked like I just jumped offan elephant Once again.

Speaker 2 (40:44):
Once again, we're going to back on Josh Reynolds,
who's been solid all year solidall year.

Speaker 4 (40:49):
You know he missed the catch to okay, he missed.
So I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm,
I'm, I'm.
They did not.
They didn't throw a lot to doit and say no, but the one time
they did when they needed ityeah, it's a catch that he
usually makes Yep, and hedropped it.

(41:11):
He dropped it.
But that's where the mole yes,I said mole, that's where the
momentum was going all SanFrancisco, because it was like
the receivers and the offense.
They got a lot of out of sortskind of thing.

Speaker 2 (41:27):
Well, and that and this is where I will agree with
you.
I think sometimes the wholehome field advantage they
wouldn't want the Dallas game,this was played Detroit rather
than playing out there, it'svery well could have made the
difference.
I'm not saying it's going tomake the difference, but it
could have.
I mean, temperature wise wasthe same difference.

(41:49):
You know, 75 in the 75 and fourfield 75.
So you're playing in Green Bayand it's 10 degrees out of
Buffalo.
It's Kansas City is negative 10.
Yeah yeah, some bullshit.
Because, I think all thosegames should get moved like you
play in Buffalo.
Fuck that.
If you got nine feet of fuckingsnow, you're going to move the

(42:10):
game.

Speaker 4 (42:11):
I believe that the NFL absolutely ridiculous.
I believe the NFL needs to sayhey, if you're going to build a
new stadium, it's got to be done, it's got to be done.

Speaker 2 (42:20):
I don't.
I don't care if you have aretractable roof for the
summertime, fall time, whatever,but it's got to be done, you
got to have, you got to maintainat least 50 degrees.
Yeah, it's got to be done,minus 50 because it's not fair
for Miami, which I think isbetter than Buffalo as a team
but they have to go to Buffalo.
They go from 75 degrees inMiami to 30 to negative 20.

(42:43):
You're talking almost 100degrees swing.

Speaker 3 (42:47):
Yeah, difference.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
Yeah, it could be a foot of snow and a foot of dude,
they were fucking shovelingsnow in fucking Buffalo for like
four days ahead of the game.
Yeah, last year, I think it waslast year.

Speaker 4 (43:00):
They actually they went to.

Speaker 2 (43:01):
Detroit.
They moved the game to fuckingDetroit because of fucking snow,
but because Detroit had a homegame, they didn't move it.

Speaker 4 (43:08):
Right.

Speaker 2 (43:09):
And they're the only other fucking domed close enough
up north, yeah, close enough tobe able to play.
So and I I never said agree, Ithink it's an unfair advantage,
but at the same extent, you knowwhere it becomes an unfair
advantage.
The other way, if you're agreen bag, you're practicing

(43:30):
indoors and now you go down toMiami, it's no big deal, play
the game because you'repracticing all week indoors, or
Buffalo, your indoors practicing.
They're not on that fieldpracticing Right.

Speaker 4 (43:44):
Unless you go to mind , you go to my body, and it's
raining and it's 13 inches ofrain and the fucking field is
just mud.

Speaker 2 (43:55):
Nobody plays on grass anymore, it's all it's all.
It's all turf.
It's all turf, it's all gotdrainage right.
All I'm saying is you could?
You could practice indoors that, even if you turn the facility
up to 90.
So you're used to thetemperature down there.
You could do that.
Yes, you can't go down to Miami.
They're going to turn the airconditioning down to negative 10

(44:16):
.
So they're practicing in thefucking cold.

Speaker 4 (44:18):
Yeah right.

Speaker 2 (44:20):
They're not going to do that, so it's an unfair
advantage.
If you're an up north team andyou're used to playing in the
cold, maybe they'll do half aday indoors and half a day
outdoors to get used to it.
You're living up there, so yourblood's thicker.

Speaker 3 (44:35):
How many teams?
How many?
Stadiums are come on, how manystadiums don't have a dome on
them anymore?
A lot.

Speaker 2 (44:41):
A lot.
You're talking Buffalo,pittsburgh.
You're talking Patriots, greenBay, minnesota, minnesota, no,
minnesota, do they?

Speaker 4 (44:53):
do they?
Yeah, yeah, after.

Speaker 2 (44:55):
the after the dome fell in.
Yeah, they had the.
Whatever they were, they wereplaying.

Speaker 4 (44:59):
It was a super dark.
I don't know.
I don't know what you'retalking about.
Yeah, I think now they'refucking.

Speaker 2 (45:05):
dome fell in or something, so they were, they
were playing, were not?

Speaker 4 (45:08):
sure, the metro dome.
So how I think there's, I don't, I don't know if there's a
retraction.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
You're, I'm just gonna spec.
Jersey.
I'm just gonna speculatethere's work out the out of 32
teams, there's probably 10.
They're probably at least playoutdoors up north, up north.

Speaker 4 (45:28):
Yeah, up north yeah.

Speaker 2 (45:30):
I think Seattle's still outdoors.

Speaker 4 (45:34):
No I think they got, why, I don't know.
I think they are.
I think they're.

Speaker 2 (45:38):
I mean obviously Kansas City, that's like in the
middle of the fucking country.

Speaker 4 (45:41):
Kansas City's open.
So would that be insane.
And we're talking about sportsnow, that soon.
We're talking about sports now,but soon we're gonna.
We're gonna hit on mine andCharlie's baby the VOD, but
right now the same thing withthe college football playoff.

(46:03):
Do you think the GeorgiaBulldogs could go to Ann Arbor
in January one and beat them?

Speaker 2 (46:14):
No, that's the reason why the NCAA doesn't allow it.
It's always in Texas, orCalifornia or Florida.

Speaker 4 (46:22):
It's Southern, it's Southern.

Speaker 2 (46:24):
Yeah, there's a reason why, because it's a fair
fight.
You know, michigan or or HalState, they're practicing
indoors.
They're gonna go to Texas,they're gonna go to California
or Florida Orange Bowl, peachBowl, whatever the fuck and
they're gonna play indoors.

Speaker 4 (46:41):
But my thing is Ohio State plays outside.

Speaker 2 (46:45):
Michigan does too.
There's not very many collegesthat have a dumb stadium, penn
State.

Speaker 4 (46:50):
Okay, so you get.
You get these Southern schoolsthat get to enjoy all the warmth
.
Make them make the nationalchampionship game in Ann Arbor.

Speaker 3 (47:00):
Yeah, I'm sure.

Speaker 4 (47:02):
Never, well, we'll never happen.

Speaker 2 (47:04):
Ncaa will never do it .
No, they will never do it.
Make it in.

Speaker 4 (47:07):
Ohio.

Speaker 5 (47:07):
Make it in the shoe, make it in the Happy Valley
Never.

Speaker 4 (47:11):
Never, no, they won't never do it.
But again we're talking about,uh, unfair bench, okay, and I'm
not saying if Michigan's in itor Ohio State or Penn State, I'm
talking about let's say it's uh, well, there's USC and fucking
Florida.

Speaker 2 (47:29):
Yeah, usc, they'll never do it Florida State.
You're making play in Ann Arbor.
No, they won't ever do it.
No, they won't ever do it.

Speaker 4 (47:37):
Because it's time of year, because it's cold, yeah,
we don't want the weather Well,to make a difference.

Speaker 2 (47:43):
So who wins?
So once again the NCAA has gotto write the NFL's got it wrong.

Speaker 4 (47:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (47:51):
So the the NCAA is all about making sure that
things are correct, Just like todo with her overtime.
I hate the NFL overtime.
I love college footballovertime.

Speaker 4 (48:03):
I like it.

Speaker 2 (48:04):
I like the NFL.
No, line her up on the 25 orthe 30.
Runner in.
The other team's got the sameadvantage coming in.
Flip it the next overtime.
If you tie it same thing, Ihate the fact.
You know, was it Wayne Fonch?
Or was it high rod Marinelli?

(48:24):
Who the fuck was it for theLions?
I was the head coach that tookthe wind over taking the ball.
They kick like a fuckingMarralli and they Marralli and
they kick like a fucking 60yards to win the game.
And now they change it to where, if you don't score a touchdown
, you know the other team.
Now you have to get a fieldgoal.
The other team.
You have to kick off.

Speaker 4 (48:44):
Yeah that's Brady rule.

Speaker 2 (48:46):
That's a Brady rule because they would take the ball
and then Brady would go down 30yards and then score kick a
field goal, they win andeveryone's like, oh I don't, I
don't, I don't think it was theBrady rule, but it was.
Yeah, it was stupid because youonly had to go like 40 yards to
kick a field and be done with agame.

Speaker 4 (49:06):
And then they went and said, okay, so if you kick a
field goal they get, becauseback then one possession, first
points.
Right, that's, that's, that's.
It was because it was uh, itwas a playoff game against
Kansas City that Brady went down.
They got the ball at theovertime, brady went down, pass,

(49:27):
pass, pass, kick the Benetiri,kick the fucking field goal.
It was like well, that's notfair, because they should have
got a chance to have the ball.
And then they changed the ruleto where every ball team gets a
possess the ball.

Speaker 2 (49:44):
Well, it should be, because it got to a man I
thought kicker fiend kicking 50yards, yeah.
So all you gotta do is get downto like the 35.

Speaker 4 (49:53):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 (49:54):
Right, you, you're spotting them five, six yards
behind that, seven, usuallyseven, and then you got the ten
yards of the end zone.
Yeah, so, I mean so really youdon't even have to hardly go but
30, 40 yards and guy your guycould probably kick the field
goal, especially depending on ifyou're open air and you got
wind or anything else.

(50:15):
I mean it's just that's whythey college has a right.
You get the ball to 25.
You get your first downs, youget a timeout, you score, you
kick the field goal, flip thecoin, so you go first.
You both tie, it flips.
The team that went first orwent seconds now going first.
I think that's so much moreexciting, especially for the

(50:37):
fans, and it's and it's morefair.
No yeah, it gives everybody theopportunity to have, because all
you're doing the NFL is you'redropping 94 motherfuckers into
coverage so you don't give up abig play and it's chunk, chunk,
chunk, chunk, chunk all the waydown the fucking field, because
all you're worried about ismaking sure they kick a field

(50:58):
goal rather than score atouchdown.
Right, you know what I mean?
I just I think I think the NCAAhas it right there.
I love the fact that they'regoing to a bigger playoff next
year.
Oh yeah.
I do too, you know you're gonnaget 12 teams in there rather
than fucking four.

Speaker 4 (51:16):
Who knows?
Who knows, somebody's got eyes,somebody gets hot and all of a
sudden bam bam, bam.

Speaker 2 (51:23):
The issue is is you're always gonna have the big
10, the Pac 10, sec, acc.
You're always gonna have thesebig schools getting in.
And now maybe you can get in aMac team, maybe you can get in
the Mountain West team, maybeyou can get in somebody else.
Right, because we, we, we watchlike I do.
I don't watch the NBA.

(51:43):
It's, it's garbage basketball.
I don't care if they're playinganymore.
It's like you to get nine stepsbefore you call travel If you
look at the guy wrong.
It's a fucking foul.
It's just fucking garbage.
We watch the ticker today.
Fucking LA scored like fourgames in a row with 130 points.
Back in the eight late 80s or90s, you scored 130 points in

(52:08):
two games, two games.
You were killing it.
Motherfuckers are hacking you.
It's all about defense.

Speaker 4 (52:15):
You know, turning upside down on your fucking.
Yeah, I mean you didn't.

Speaker 2 (52:19):
You didn't take nine steps before they called a
fucking travel it's.
It's garbage.
Basketball and NCAA it's drama.
No, it's not basketball andNCAA now is where it's at,
because I still call the gamethe way it's gonna be and you
get the Cinderella teams in thetournament, right.
You put 64 teams in atournament.

Speaker 3 (52:40):
Why are we talking about basketball?
Where are we talking?

Speaker 2 (52:42):
about hockey.
We're talking about football.

Speaker 3 (52:45):
Let's talk about hockey.
The Red Wings are fucking doingphenomenal yeah they are
Patrick, kane Patrick.

Speaker 1 (52:55):
Kane, come on.

Speaker 4 (52:56):
That hip replacement surgery that everyone, everyone
says, uh, the motherfucker, he'snever gonna be able to do that.
And the motherfucker, he cameback and he's scoring goals and
he's looking like a champ.

Speaker 3 (53:11):
He said the Red Wings are looking fucking impressive
coming back from his fuckingyeah.
Recovery.

Speaker 2 (53:21):
Who's Patrick Kane?

Speaker 3 (53:23):
The newest member to the Red Wing.

Speaker 2 (53:27):
We actually went down to Red Wings game last year.
We took uh business partner andI took wives down and they have
this Molson like you know, thebear Molson Canadian.
Yeah, they got this like SkyLounge.
Of course we're at the AJ SkyLounge.
They have the Molson Sky Loungeat the new arena, wouldn't?

Speaker 4 (53:48):
I hear you're talking about the AJ Sky Lounge.

Speaker 2 (53:50):
Never, never been, never been to LCA.
So we went down there rightLittle Caesars Arena, I don't
know.
You go up to like the fucking18th floor and they got this
wrap around shit.
That's all like.
You know, the, the guys callingthe game, where the the press
box is, the whole shit.

(54:11):
We're looking down.
I think it's on my Facebook.
I got some pictures from there.
Amazing, you get your own buyer, the guy that plays the Oregon,
the Oregon's, up there.
We got pictures of the guyplaying and shit.
It's cool as fuck.
You can see the entire game, ohyeah, entire game.

(54:34):
And I tell you what, what abeautiful arena.
I think you're beautiful.

Speaker 3 (54:39):
Oh, yeah, last year you see the Detroit's rocking
man.
I mean they're, they're doingit right, amy took me last year
for my birthday and uh got me in.
Recognizes a veteran.

Speaker 1 (54:55):
Oh, that's cool.

Speaker 3 (54:56):
And they took me up where you're talking.
Oh, they gave me a Detroit RedWings coin, like a military
challenge coin, right, the bestseats in the house.
And it's amazing because theseats where we were we were like
six rows from the glass, butwhen we went up, to the sound of

(55:19):
freedom sound of freedom baby,but when we went up to get that
coin, it was the best seats inthe home oh yeah, because you
can see everything.

Speaker 2 (55:28):
Were you at the?
Were you at the Moulson's SkyLounge thing?
Yeah, I'm talking about.
Yeah, it's amazing, we were the, the Oregon player.
Yeah, yeah, and his wife hiswife comes to every game.
She was up there.
She's like oh, he loves this.
You know he loves takingpictures of the people.

Speaker 3 (55:43):
It was awesome See the whole arena.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
Looking straight down .

Speaker 3 (55:48):
You can see, and it was perfect.
I mean, it's not too high upthat you can't see.
You can see the players.
You can see their names intheir jersey.
Still, yeah, best seats in thehouse.

Speaker 2 (56:00):
I just, I just love the fact that when you go to LCA
and you're walking aroundindoors, it feels like you're
outdoors and the crazy thing isWell yeah, because it's a cold
news.
Well, no, but I mean they makeall the buildings look like
they're the face of a buildingthat you see on the street.

Speaker 1 (56:18):
Oh, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (56:19):
So like when you you walk around, it doesn't look
like you're in the mall.
It looks like a storefront oh,it looks like the front of a
independent building, rightRight In whatever.
But it's so cool because whenyou're walking around there
you'll see, like you know Tom'sRealty or you know Jim's

(56:39):
accounting business or whatever.
So there's independentbusinesses that rent the spaces
inside there.
So when you walk by, it's notjust you know a t-shirt shop, a
jersey shop, a hot dog stand orwhatever.
There's actually businessesthat rent space in there and

(57:00):
actually have their offices.
So it really feels like, asyou're walking around, it
actually feels like you're justwalking down the street in
downtown America.
It was cool, you know what Imean.
Like the way they, the way theyhave that building and we have.
I've only gone to one Red Wingsgame there.
I used to go to the Joe lot.
My sister and brother-in-law hadhad season tickets there.

Speaker 3 (57:23):
I think I've been in there In LCA.

Speaker 2 (57:26):
Yeah, yeah, we went down to one where they did like
a first responders policeofficer kind of night.
If you signed up with thetickets you could get like a
special jersey.
Yeah, you know where it waseither blue if you supported
police, or red if you fire me amask or whatever.
Yeah.
Yeah, that was.

(57:46):
That was a game we went to soyou could get this jersey I got.
The hell is wrong with you, man, you should have.

Speaker 3 (57:58):
I got to go in the box.
Did you stay in my?

Speaker 2 (58:00):
chair Did you share yourself?

Speaker 4 (58:02):
I stayed your chair.

Speaker 2 (58:04):
Somebody take it with you and leave a hundred dollars
at the door.

Speaker 4 (58:07):
Somebody just shared.
Myself I got to go.

Speaker 3 (58:10):
One time I got to go in the box sweet.
And.
Lca.
Yeah, no, I was in the Joel.
The Joel, oh, okay, never evenbeen in that either, the Joel.
And it was amazing becauseevery period they catered
something different.

(58:30):
It was like it was a adifferent meal every time.
Befe yeah.
It's like like one time theybrought in like like a pizza
buffet, and the next time theybrought in like I don't know,
like hot dogs and hamburgers,and then the next time they
brought in another thing andthen they had TVs that you could

(58:55):
watch it right there in thesuite.
But you could walk right outinto the and watch it from there
, from the front.

Speaker 2 (59:03):
But yeah, so the only , the only suite besides, like
central michigan I was the foxnews suite at the time I've ever
been in was down at tiger ornot tiger stadium, but uh
america.
So there's uh another businessowner here in town.
She had a big, you know youtake the bus down.

(59:25):
You had uh had a big suite camewith the buffet and all that.
So we were down to a comaricawatching the tigers play and
that was.
That was pretty cool and I meanI've done it, like lune stadium
and a couple other places.
I got mixed feeling on thesuites.
I don't think you technicallyget the fan experience when

(59:49):
you're not sitting with the fans.
I agree, I like the fact that Ican walk around and I've got
space to sit and talk to people,but I'm there to watch the game
, yeah so I don't want to sit,you know, way back in the suite,
just bullshit with my friends.
I don't mind doing it before orafter the game, while the crowds
either getting there orclearing out.
That's cool games on.
I want to be watching the game,that's why I'm there that's

(01:00:10):
what I did when I was there.

Speaker 3 (01:00:12):
I still did that, but I was in the suite when I was
watching the game yeah, and Ithink I think that's that's kind
of part of it.
You know, is the is the fanexperience but, I was there with
a group of people that I stillhad the fan experience.

Speaker 2 (01:00:34):
Yeah well, that's different if you're going with a
, with a slight group of friends.
I went with like 40 otherpeople, right, jenn and I went
bunch of people from town.
We went down.
I knew some of them.
I didn't know all of them, sowe kind of clicked up in our
little groups and you watch thegame or whatever.
But yeah, I think you know whenyou, when you go to it it's.
It's a good experience to beable to do it one time.

(01:00:56):
I think it's better if it's allyour friends.
Oh, yeah what then they're going, which is, which is huge.
So my experience at comaricawasn't that way.
It was more just this big groupfrom town that went down, you
know, and it was you knowwhatever a hundred bucks a
person, you know, and theypacked the bus with 80 people to
pay for the suite, the bus tripand all the shit.

(01:01:18):
It was still.

Speaker 3 (01:01:20):
It was still good, don't get me wrong I did get box
seats at the cmu football gameone year, the year I got back
from iraq.
It was a year cmu played thearmy.
Oh really, somebody gave me me,somebody bought me tickets to
that game anyway, and then whenthey found out I was going to

(01:01:42):
the game, they were like uh noyou can go sit in the box, and
it was it was the day.

Speaker 1 (01:01:52):
It was the day of my homecoming party at the vfw.

Speaker 3 (01:01:55):
Oh cool.
So I put my army uniform on andwent up, sat in the box and
they were like who you'rerooting for?

Speaker 2 (01:02:04):
I was like, uh, yeah, they should have thrown your
ass out of the stadium bingothat's what I'm talking about
why I'm rooting for cmu I can't,I can't believe he got his army
uniform.

Speaker 4 (01:02:15):
That's beside the point oh yeah, he had to get it.
He had to get it tailored out.

Speaker 3 (01:02:20):
I just got back from iraq it was baggy, I mean sure,
okay, your story.
I was only 170 pounds.
He's just graceful.
Happened to you, brother, Ijust got back from my right hot
beef injections, yeah hot beef.

Speaker 2 (01:02:38):
Uh, that captain was looking good, even though his
name was tim.
All right, well, let's get onthe vod, so vod baby so for
those listening and voices ofdemocracy.
We have the patriot's band.
We talked about this not toolong ago last week yeah, so

(01:03:00):
these are, uh, these arescholarships that we give out.
So voice democracies, highschool age kids and junior high
nope, junior high and below area patriot's band.
Yeah, yeah, so they earnscholarship money, or just money
.
They write uh the right essays,yeah, based on a theme from the

(01:03:21):
national commander chief.
He'd be puts those out everyyear yeah and basically what
these students do is they.
They get it through their school.
They ran an essay.
They have to do a voicerecording of their essay yep
they submit them yep they getjudged at the local level, so
the post level.
So if we're in mount pleasant,all those students that submit

(01:03:42):
those to our level, they getvoted on, ranked or whatever,
and we give them an award, whichis money, a money award, yep,
first, second, third, so on andso forth.
Then the winners, the firstplace winners of both those
events, move on to the districtlevel, which would be a regional
.
So, yep, like, for ours iscalled district 11.

(01:04:03):
That's going to probably cover10 counties.
Yeah, pretty much basically innorthern michigan, east side,
northern michigan, yep.
So all the way from alpinashepherd alpina, and I don't
know what all the counties areso basically, if you're looking
at the map, it's going to beyour index finger, second finger

(01:04:24):
, almost to the middle finger.
Yep, right, if you hold yourhand up as a map, yep, which is
awesome for being michigan,right?
People ask where you're from.
You just hold your fucking handup and point to somewhere where
you from right yep, basicallyright I've never lost everybody
knows everybody knows he tried,nobody knows anything else, so

(01:04:45):
he just point point out the handwhere you're from.

Speaker 4 (01:04:48):
I'm from here, yep.

Speaker 2 (01:04:50):
Oh, you're from mid michigan yep, that's what I
pointed to pretty much yeah goodold rosie palm, you know if
you're looking at that tim'sdate you're looking by hand I
got 46 running right all the wayacross the fucking and you
pretty much do, yeah, creasingyour hand yeah, and then uh, and
then the winners of thosedistricts move on to the

(01:05:12):
department level, or we wouldsay the state level.
Yep, and those kids on the, thepatriot pen level, when up to a
thousand, well right, but Ithink the minimum is 500 yeah,
500, 500, 500, 500, and then thewinner and then the winner gets
right.
So there's, there's all bunch ofscholarships, so there's 12, 12

(01:05:34):
people.
They get to make it yep,because we have 12 districts.
There's, like you know, whateversix or seven that are going to
be a $500 scholarships one seventhat are 750, some that are 800
, couple 900, then the winnergets a thousand and then the
voice democracy, it's like 1500.
Those are the high school kids1500, there's like six of those.

(01:05:56):
And then they go up from thereall the way to six thousand
dollars and the winner of that?
They get a trip to national,which would be the national
level at washington dc.
So they'll get, they'll getpaid trip to go out there to win
35 thousand dollars so not onlyat the post level did they

(01:06:19):
probably win 500 bucks.
Then at district they win sixthousand or they might win two
thousand.
That district, yeah, department, they win another six thousand.
Then if they go to nationalthey could win another 35.
So total, I mean you're talking40, 45 thousand dollars a ton of

(01:06:40):
money to go to school, thatthat kid could win, that student
could win.
Patriot spends, the youngerkids and middle school kids.
If they get all the way, theycould, you know, maybe make six
or seven thousand right.
And not only does the voice ofdemocracy winner, which is high
school kids, they're only dothey get a all expense paid trip

(01:07:01):
for the student, the guardians,parents, whatever, out to
washington dc.
But they also.
This year they won.
Uh, what was the trip toTennessee?

Speaker 4 (01:07:13):
oh there was a trip to valley forge valley forge.

Speaker 2 (01:07:17):
Yeah, well, what was what was thinking?

Speaker 4 (01:07:19):
valley forge the valley forge was.
It was add on to the trip tonational that they would take
them to valley forge so theycould see where we're custer,
get the fuck out of the fucking,fucking brits and, uh, they

(01:07:41):
take them there to thebattlegrounds and the museums
and and all that bullshit.
That was like an add-on trip.

Speaker 2 (01:07:47):
It was the first time I've ever heard of it yeah, it
was me too, which I think is isis pretty cool for the students
that that have the opportunityto do that.
But so here in the departmentof michigan or the state of
michigan, we had our voice,democracy, patriot pen.
Uh, we called the mid-winterconference for the vfw and our

(01:08:10):
auxiliary members to go to um.
So on saturday, during the dayfor the general membership, we
have our cfa, which is uhcouncil of administration.

Speaker 4 (01:08:26):
So essentially, that is that's when we make rules, of
regulations and we vote onthings and we make bylaws and
and the membership get to hearus, uh, but we on the cfa we
vote, we actually which is the.
So the cfa is all the districtcommanders, yep all the post

(01:08:49):
commanders, so you have to be adistrict commander in order to
be able to sit at the table andhave a voter voice and we voted
in our very own chaplain frompost 3033, terry coons, is now
the department chaplain becausethe cfa voted on him and he won

(01:09:12):
the election.

Speaker 2 (01:09:13):
Yep, and, and I'm not gonna like it's okay, you can
have a woody right now.
Okay, I'm gonna have a woody,because we have a table, so I
can't see it he, he fuckinglandslide well, the guy that, so
I, so I talked to terry afterafter the dinner, so we'll get

(01:09:35):
to you later.
And I said to him and he goes,the guy that ran against him,
because I didn't, I didn't evenknow anybody else was running
for me.
I didn't either or I wouldn'thave thrown my name on the hat
yeah, but he landslide, I'mtalking I'm talking everybody,
we are 25, 24 votes, uh, I think.

Speaker 4 (01:09:55):
The cfa, there's 12 district commanders and you have
a the commander, junior senior,junior senior, uh, chief of
staff chief of staff, pass thedepartment commander you blah,
blah, blah blah and I think hehad to get like 18 or 19 at
least yeah, he got.

(01:10:15):
He got all but like three votes.
Yeah, and it was a lands, assteve nix says landslide because
malvaga rocked, oh, but he ismore than well deserving, so so
past district commander, so pastdistrict commander, but he's

(01:10:36):
also, he's been a member of ourpolls forever.

Speaker 3 (01:10:41):
Vietnam veteran for godnegals president.

Speaker 2 (01:10:44):
He's got neagles, which is another riot group
veteran service organizationrioters group.
Uh, he's been the presidentthere forever does a great job.
Huge support of anything in thecommunity doesn't he own that
insurance company?

Speaker 4 (01:10:59):
that is yes, our insurance policies come through
him.
Uh, and most of the departmentmichigan's insurance policies
come through him.
Yeah, um, also, he is a bigfounder, the, the, the.
When I say that the, I'm sayingthe first vietnam war memorial.

(01:11:27):
That's in mount pleasant,michigan right now because
there's been others that came up, but mount pleasant was the
first.
It is the number one, first onethat they ever did so well and
he was he was a huge supporterof that.

Speaker 2 (01:11:46):
But that's in.
That's an individual states,the national no, I'm talking
about.

Speaker 4 (01:11:51):
No, I'm talking about in mission, yeah, yeah because
other people, other people inmichigan will say well, we have
one in beldy we have one inlansing, not the same but the
number one, the first one thatwas ever in the state of
michigan.

Speaker 2 (01:12:05):
That's, that's right.
That's what I wanted to clarifyin the state of michigan.

Speaker 4 (01:12:09):
Right was in mount pleasant michigan and he had a
huge he he, he run that I meanhe, he lost a brother in vietnam
and that's that's his baby.

Speaker 2 (01:12:22):
Yeah, that's his baby well, that's, that's the reason
why he's with the forgotteneagles and but their district or
regional or whatever chapterpresident, chapter president,
however they, however they, theydetermine their riders group,
but and we've always beenexcited for our riders group at
our post to be able to join intheir events when, when possible

(01:12:45):
right to help support thoseguys.
I think it's it's always been ait's always been a good thing
and it was great to see himrecognize and be voted in as the
chaplain.
He's done a great job at ourpost forever and he's a district
chaplain so he could get upthere in front of a group of 300

(01:13:07):
people and give an invocationor anything else bow your heads
bitches and I do an absoluteyeah he does a great job.

Speaker 4 (01:13:18):
So this great man great man.

Speaker 2 (01:13:20):
So this, this vod and patriot span was down to cal
mizu this last weekend and I'llstand up here at our our next
post meeting.
Do the same thing it did lastyear shame and I will.
If you are a member, no matterwhere you're at, whatever state,

(01:13:40):
they all do them.
And if you're a member, don'tcare.
If you're a auxiliary member,don't care.
If you're a post member, you'renot going to these things.
Shame on you.
These things are so great andout of all the conventions,
conferences or anything youcould go to, this is by far my

(01:14:04):
favorite and one you know.
Being able to meet other peoplefrom around your state,
department, district, whatever,it's always fun.
As well as hanging out withyour auxiliary brothers and
sisters, your post brothers andsisters, whoever.
That goes great.
But to shake the hands of whenyou go down the next year.

(01:14:27):
It's the same people you knowand you become friends with
people.
But to see these students thatlove our country because more
than likely they don't have toturn anything in, much less care
this much to see them berecognized, to see their faces,

(01:14:49):
to watch their parents and thepride that they have in their
kids, and when you walk up to amom and dad say I really
appreciate your, your son, yourdaughter being here, blah, blah,
blah, blah.
And to see the love that theygive back to us for putting this
on for their kid, that's sohuge, right.
And then we have a student at adistrict 11 on the Patriot Pan.

(01:15:14):
He was seventh grade or sixthgrader.

Speaker 4 (01:15:18):
That's that one seventh grader mr Dary, mr Dary,
mr Dary well, his post was outof far wall, far wall 30 39 and
I tell you what we'll see.

Speaker 2 (01:15:30):
This kid, as you get like a, you get like a roster in
here, at least in michigan, andyou're kind of checking the box
and you're right now, okay,this kid got eighth place and
your, your kid's still in it,and the seventh place, oh shit,
our kids are gonna get 700 bucks, you know.
And then, okay, his name wasn'tcalled, okay, he's gonna get
$900 this time, you know, andyou're like you're so excited to

(01:15:53):
see your student climb theladder because they start at
12th place and they finish atfirst place, right, and then you
get down to the last two andyour student's still in it from
your district, you know, like weget excited.

Speaker 4 (01:16:08):
Your dicks are enough to cut diamonds, man.
We get excited because our kid.

Speaker 2 (01:16:12):
That might be out of your post, might not be, but
they're in your district.
That's you're, that's stillyour kid, it's our kid.
We get excited for that.
And then to see him win, or youknow, you they're at like a
head table kind of thing andyou're sitting there watching
them and you can see likethey're looking around like holy
shit, I'm still in it, holyshit, I'm still going.

(01:16:34):
Like they get crazy excited.
So you get more excited.
And then wherever they place itdoesn't matter if they place
12th or they place first you'restanding up, you're clapping,
you're showing them supportbecause that kid's got america
first.
Yep, you know, whatever that,whatever that thing they wrote
about, you know they're there,they're at the show.

(01:16:55):
So it's no different.
If you make the nfcchampionship and you lose the
game, you're in the show you'rein so he's in the show or she's
in the show.
You're so excited for that kid.
You don't even know him, butyou're excited for him.

Speaker 4 (01:17:09):
It was crazy because, mr darryk, okay, I'm the
district commander, so I walkthe uh vod uh winner down
participant and her name wasisabel walton and she won a
thousand bucks.
Oh, she was from out, plusshe's from out, plus she's
sponsored from our post.

(01:17:30):
And then kathy sass, who is thedistrict 11 president, walked
darryk.
I mean we were four abreast,but basically she walked the
patris, she walked the patriotand I walked the vod.
You can't have him hold yourarm anymore because people are

(01:17:53):
uncomfortable with with thatwhole touching a stranger.

Speaker 2 (01:17:57):
Yeah, touching the stranger, and you're kind of
creepy, I, I'm creepy.

Speaker 4 (01:18:02):
But but isabel is about like when I, when I want
to walk, she reached up and shewas like okay, because she
understands, because she's she'staught, well, she understands
that, hey, you're being escortedin.
What do you do when you'rebeing escorted in you?
You are mo, the are mo.

(01:18:23):
And I was like oh, sorry, dear,can't do that.
And she's like well, that'sstupid.
I'm like yep, I agree with you,but rules are there are people
that never had an issue with it,so they threw a fit about it.
So now we can't do it.
And and she even said she goeswell, that's dumb.

(01:18:44):
I'm like that.
It is dumb, but it is rules andrules.
So we come up to the door andI'm a big person.
No, shut up, you whores.
Shut up, don't I?
I didn't say fat, I said big,I'm six, I'm six, two, two

(01:19:07):
hundred and seventy pounds.
Okay, brought at the shoulders,narrow at the hips.
I got a bat at the head, yeah.
And then cathy sass says she'sa big lady.
So we were trying to get intothe door where we could get for

(01:19:27):
a breast.
Well, that wasn't happening.
Sports fans wasn't happening.
So I went in kind of at anangle and we angled and we went
up and come up and we got thepictures and we took them down.
They said but the whole way,derrick, mr, there you go, mr

(01:19:48):
derrick, sorry, sorry, mrderrick, mr derrick's like he's
under 18, he can't listen.

Speaker 3 (01:19:54):
Yeah, he's like hey, I I ain't reading.

Speaker 4 (01:19:58):
I, I ain't gonna read this, I'm not reading my.
I don't want to read.
And he's just going on andkathy's like you know, mr
derrick?
She didn't say mr derrick, shesaid hey, just you know, if you
win, just look above them, don'tthink about them.
And I looked at him and I waslike, hey, when you read your

(01:20:19):
thing, when you win and helooked at me, goes, am I gonna
win?
I'm like, hey, your district 11, you're gonna win.
I said, when you win, justpretend like we're all standing
there in our underwear and he helaughed, yeah, he laughed.
I said so, so don't worry aboutit.
I said, just get up there anddo your gig.

(01:20:40):
And he's like okay, okay, Idon't like this, I don't like
this, because he's kind of kindof 80, 80 hd kind of thing.
And he was like no, I don't who.
And then I got to set at thetable with his mom and dad and
with isabel's mom and dad andwith the director for the vio

(01:21:04):
vod, john wanington, and my Idon't know how I want to call
this my mentor, terry andsensual.
So we sat with the parents theeagle, the eagle.
So we sat with the parents andthey were asking us all these
questions about whoa well, theydon't know.

(01:21:27):
Yeah, yeah, they were.
They were asking all this shitand john did a great job because
I was gonna I was gonna kind ofjump in because I'm in a
district commander for two and ahalf years and, uh, john's been
my vod guy.
But I was like no, john, this isyour baby, not my baby you be

(01:21:50):
the man okay, and then, beforethis all fucking started, I
don't know how charlie feelsabout it, but they had a uh,
retired master sergeant no sir,major sergeant, major sergeant,

(01:22:10):
major major like yep army 29, 2930.

Speaker 2 (01:22:15):
You're saying 30 something years 30 something
years.

Speaker 4 (01:22:17):
He was salty.
Oh, they had him come up.
They put the lights down, theyturn on a thing with a flag
behind the thing there was a,basically a light behind the
american flag yeah and he didthe old, glory, old glory speech
and he, he didn't read it.

Speaker 2 (01:22:36):
It was all memory.
He didn't read it.

Speaker 4 (01:22:38):
He fucking felt it.
He didn't read it and he feltit, he walked around and he
walked around and he bellowedand I'm thinking he had like a
speaker thing no, he did.

Speaker 2 (01:22:50):
Yeah, because he didn't have microphones.

Speaker 4 (01:22:52):
Yeah, and he bellowed and he fucking did this fucking
thing and I've never heard ofit before, of you, old glory,
yeah I've never heard this.

Speaker 2 (01:23:02):
I've never.
I've never heard it live likethat.
But yeah, I know the old gloryspeech because that's, that's a
written thing.
Yeah, I've never heard it livelike that.
But he did it without anyreading anything, yet he was
mic'd up just through the formand he absolutely passionate,
killed it and and whoever linedhim up, which I've heard, barry

(01:23:23):
walter- very heard ray commander, ray low bar's department
commander and had you lined himup and then barry walters
absolutely he killed it and Isaw people peeling their their
glasses out their face cryingbarry walters, he did, he did an
absolutely great job.
And I tell you what I was therelast year and there was nothing

(01:23:43):
like that.
And to have that this year wascrazy, impressive and I know
that one.

Speaker 4 (01:23:50):
The students felt it, but us in the audience felt it
yeah because then, and it was, ait was a it was a cool thing to
do then he walked back, barrywalter, called up a young lady
that's a gold star, mother, andfor you, they don't use theirs,
theirs, theirs.

(01:24:11):
I want to, I want to throw thisuse, use, because our national
commander, commander, commanderin chief commander in chief.
It's from jersey, so everythingis used.
So you means out there, itmeans you, that means everybody,
right, it's like y'all, y'all,what do you?

(01:24:31):
What do you say?
Use y'all what up, what I don'tknow?
Yeah, he doesn't know but, they.
They call her up gold starmother bear gold star mother.

Speaker 2 (01:24:43):
I want to just cut you off real quick so the people
that out there that might notknow.
So there's a blue star motherand gold star mother.
So if you're a blue star mother, that means you have son,
daughter, husband, whoeverthat's deployed right, actually
serving the gold star mothersare those mothers that have
deceased children.

(01:25:04):
So I want to make sure thedistinction, because you might
drive by and you'll see a flaghanging in a window with a blue,
with a, with a blue.
That just means that their son,daughter, whoever is actually
serving a deployed maybe see thegold star on the flag.
That means they've lost son,daughter, whatever, yep, right.

(01:25:24):
So there's.
I just want to make sure youmade that distinction for no, I
because because people might notknow so barry walter.

Speaker 4 (01:25:33):
He's here in vietnam that he's our uh department
quarter master adjutant,adjutant service officer for 100
years.
I mean, he, he does such agreat job with veterans.
So he's setting up here andhe's talking and he's crying.
He's crying.
He takes his hanky out, hemoves his glasses, he wipes his

(01:25:57):
fucking tears away.
Right, I'm sitting here at thetable with these parents going
not gonna cry, not gonna fuckingcry, not gonna fucking cry, not
gonna fucking cry.
Right, I was, yeah, I'm proudto admit it.
Well, I'll tell you what.
And then he said we're gonnabring this young lady up who is

(01:26:21):
an auxiliary member and I'veseen her several times but I
never knew, and she's a goldstar mother.
And they had the serge majorcome down and give her a flag
that flew over our capital, thepentagon.
The pentagon, pentagon flewover the fucking pentagon.

(01:26:44):
And he had it all wrapped upand he said please accept this
on behalf of a grateful nation.
This, this flag, flew over thepentagon on what it was it was
like january 14th of this year,yeah and I'm crying like a
little bitch.
Yeah, I'm crying like a littlebitch, and so I you know.

(01:27:04):
But luckily I was trying tohide it.
And then I went back to theback where the, the water was
and the coke was and berry wasthere.
And I looked at berry and Isaid, if you and ray ever do
this again to me, I'm gonnafucking kill you.
Well, the good thing, this raywon't be there next year.

Speaker 2 (01:27:22):
It's campere's turn, but she's got some big shoes to
fill, yeah and berry looked atme and goes what do you mean?

Speaker 4 (01:27:28):
I said look it, if you're gonna make me cry, tell
me ahead of time.
So I know I'm gonna cry.
Don't.
Don't sneak up on me,motherfucker berry.
Berry just laughed.
He's like, hey, he goes.
You know me.
And ray just thought this wasfitting and I was like it was.

Speaker 2 (01:27:46):
I was like it was very fitting and the and and the
best part of it that I I loveis you have 24 students patriot
pen vod kids plus their parents,plus the teacher of the year,
which we do a high schoolteacher of the year, we do an
elementary school teacher of theyear, so on and so forth, and

(01:28:06):
you have these students that arepatriot pens, plus the vod's,
the voice democracy kids.
Watching this and seeing howmuch all of us in the audience
love the country and care aboutthe country and and everything
else, and they get to see it andwatch it and feel it too, like
we do.

(01:28:27):
You know, just like ourcommander chief stood there and
said all these students, you arethe future leaders of america,
yeah right and, and the thing isand how important is that yeah,
like when bill was the districtcommander.

Speaker 4 (01:28:40):
Okay, because I followed bill, we didn't have
that when, when you were thedistrict commander, I mean we,
we walked them down and that wasit.
But but I'm telling you, thiswas uh, I, I don't know how they

(01:29:02):
they will ever redo it.

Speaker 2 (01:29:04):
I, I don't, I don't like I say, like I say,
kimberley has got some big shoesto fill in my chair and I feel
bad for her because how do youfollow that?
I know, how do you.
I mean, you can only go so high.
And I'm not saying she can'tfigure something out, that's.

Speaker 4 (01:29:19):
That's her job to figure something out, but that's
our major and and we had ahundred and five year old war
war two lieutenant nurse nursein the audience she's gonna be a
hundred and six years old infebruary april.

(01:29:40):
Oh, that's february.
I thought it was april.
Okay, we're, we're gonnawhatever either.

Speaker 2 (01:29:45):
Okay, let's just call it march, we'll split the
difference.
Call it bingo, bingo, I'm allabout it, but she's up there.

Speaker 4 (01:29:52):
Yeah, I mean she was there and she has her, her
faculties.
She can't get around much ifshe was her body's old.
Well, in six, I hope so.
Yeah, but she's got, she's gother mind.
Yeah, she hundred and fuckingfive years old.

Speaker 3 (01:30:10):
I'll be lucky if I'm alive at 70 man you'll be lucky
if you make it to next year.

Speaker 2 (01:30:17):
You're lucky if you get out of here, we might.
I got the shovel still I'llbury you.
Say something else about mysister.

Speaker 4 (01:30:24):
I'm buried your ass on back under the snow you're
gonna go on the ship on a riverby the end of the night, but
it's, that's what.

Speaker 2 (01:30:40):
That's what the VOD is about, that's what that
conference is about, and it'sand that's the reason why I will
stand up at the membership andI'll say if you're not going to
this thing, shame on you.
Because I used to sit there inthe membership and I listened to
colon, which is our VFW, rapidthe pulse then then and he would

(01:31:05):
sit there and say you know allthis that the other you give us
report every month and I'mthinking to myself fuck off, why
are you wasting my time likethis means nothing to me.
We went, jen, I went down lastyear and my wife's lifetime.
I can remember VFW.
We go down and out of everyconference that we could go to,

(01:31:28):
if I had to miss convention andfall conference, we would, which
we did, fall conference but ifthere was one out of the three
we had to make this is the one.
It's business formal.
It's so important for thesekids to have the support.
It's such a good time andunfortunately the the Radisson

(01:31:53):
to Kalamazoo here in Michiganwas under renovation, so the
normal room that we'd have forthe hospitality room wasn't
available they were there inMilan, the top floor, so that
that that changed things thisyear.
Yeah, a lot, a lot it did,because I think that kind of
separate a lot of people yep asyou went to the, the hospitality

(01:32:16):
room that the department hadand just was too loud or too
small or too crowded people inthe hallway and just didn't
quite work.
And it's not the hotel's fault,right, they have to do this,
they have to do their shit andas a plumbing mechanical
contractor, I get it.
Things take time, so it just,it just didn't work out so

(01:32:37):
hopefully next year it's gonnabe better to be back to normal
district 11 still rocked.

Speaker 4 (01:32:43):
We had like at one time, we had like 15 people with
the auxiliary and the post.
Yeah, and, and that wasn't evenwith you and Jeff?

Speaker 2 (01:32:54):
no, because I just throw messages out like hey,
when's people gonna be there,and anything back yeah.
I'm not naming names, tim, butyou didn't mess with me back two
days later, but school well,you know we did our own thing,
I'm sure me and there beingchicken man, chicken me and lady
, gentlemen, a hotel room byourselves without a chicken, 18

(01:33:17):
year old at that point, at home,chicken bow yeah, I was going
down there.
That going down there, maybeyou know it was part of the gig
but it was fucking.
It's a great weekend, it's agreat weekend, and that's that's

(01:33:38):
.
That's what the VFW, theAmerican Legion they have bats,
all these other things should bedoing, and that's your
important, these kids that areout there, that are America
first.
They get it, they understand itnext year parents are great,
the teachers are great next year.

Speaker 4 (01:33:55):
We're gonna do this, whether he likes it or not.
Bill and Amy's going.
We are gonna push Billy and Amyto go because you need to get
back in the fold.
I agree you can't be number.

Speaker 3 (01:34:16):
You're out of here yeah, I'm getting ready to roll,
okay well, you get where yougoing home for what chicken bone
?

Speaker 2 (01:34:25):
she's already sleeping I you can leave your
beer.
We're good.
Yeah, we'll drink that.
Don't take that.
It'll be here for the next timewe show up to a podcast okay,
so everybody say goodbye to pastdistrict commander Bill Payne.

Speaker 4 (01:34:43):
Past department riders group rep director
director, past post commander,and Billy, you take care, and
nobody likes you anyway.
So peace out, fuck off.
See you later, brother, I loveyou love you guys catch you
later.

Speaker 2 (01:35:10):
For some odd reason, we lost the Facebook live volume
wise, but I don't evenunderstand why.

Speaker 4 (01:35:18):
Well, we're just gonna have to fire the nerds.

Speaker 2 (01:35:23):
I don't know why the nerds aren't, so let me just
throw something out there, seeif he hears me yeah, cuz I gotta
go through freaking microphoneson oh, I'm sorry no, you're all
good, we're still.

(01:35:44):
We're still rolling the SpotifyI heart radio, all the other
things, but you know, is as faras anybody out there listening,
you know, these, these thingsthat we do, they might sound
like they're all about us, butthey're really not.
You know it's.

(01:36:05):
We're out there to support thecommunity or out there to drive
the VFW mission, which iscommunity, which is service, and
it's definitely about the kids.
So you know, we spend a lot oftime and effort.
Everything that we do at theVFW is all voluntary.
Nobody gets paid, nobody getsreally compensated for their

(01:36:29):
time, their efforts, theirtravel, their hotels, their
dinner tickets.
We donate tons of money toevents.
We donate, you know, just tonof money in donations.
You know these, these kids thatwin money at your post level,
your district level, departmentlevel.
They've all been fundraised andit's fitting to see you have

(01:36:56):
adults out there to help supportthe kids.
All too often, as adults,especially if you have kids, you
know they're not doing theirchores at home and we're we're
getting on them, we're baggingon them, we're doing something.
The point is we're there toteach kids.
And when you have great parents, especially when it comes to

(01:37:17):
voice democracy or comes to thePatriot pen.
You have these parents thatunderstand as veterans we have
concerns, we have things we've,we've served a bigger purpose
and now they're instilling thosesame things to their children,
where they're writing theseessays with the direction or

(01:37:41):
theme that ourcommander-in-chief, which is the
commander of all the VFWs inthe world, which Dwayne said
this year, which I actually methim as the national junior a few
years ago in Flint, he came,absolute gray guy, he was giving

(01:38:03):
a speech and he's makingeverybody laugh and he's from
New Jersey and you know I gotthe New Jersey you know,
education, you know from publicpublic education in New Jersey
you know you're such a greatspeaker, you can easily connect
with them.
But when you have the parents,jerry, Geri actually always

(01:38:27):
called the VFW the geriatricgenjoint which which which falls
back to, you know, the old time.
Yeah, you know, and, and I was,I was on it because, like I
thought of my grandfather,certain World War two and I'm
gonna walk in there and they'reall sitting around telling their

(01:38:47):
stories and doing theirbullshit your local VFW,
american Legion and vets,whoever isn't like that anymore.
Right, they're just not.
We're about community, it'sabout community.
So you know, when we raisethese funds, or we, we take our
time.
You know me that it probablycost, you know myself, three,

(01:39:07):
four hundred dollars just to goto this thing, and that's hotel
rooms, gas, travel, food, allthe other things that we had to
pay beer.
Charlie doesn't drink a lot ofnon-drinking Miller lights
tonight cuz that's a union madebeer and has a United
Association local 85.
Steve Finner, that served myapprenticeship as a union

(01:39:29):
tradesmen.
Now I might be in themanagement side now as a company
, but Malamutha unions, I stilldrink Union beer trust me 100%,
I'm gonna drink Union beer.
Now there was a union madeliquor out there.
I don't know about sponsor thispodcast.
I'll drink your shit and I'lldefinitely give you the promo on
this.
You let me know and send me acouple samples and if it's any

(01:39:50):
good.
I like whiskey and bourbons tous don't feel bad if you want to
he's an equal opportunitydrinker, absolutely.
But you know so it costs us allmoney, it costs us all time
because we can away from familyor kids or whatever else going
on.
But we're there to support thepeople that support us and
that's huge because all toooften, you know, nowadays it's,

(01:40:15):
you know, police, fire, ems.
We're not fighting really warsanymore, you know.
You look at 9-11, not not warsthat we know about well for sure
.
You know, I wish Trey was herebecause he would tell some more
stories about stuff that he wasdoing, because there's a lot of
behind-the-scenes things youknow even you and I.

Speaker 4 (01:40:35):
You and I did this company.

Speaker 2 (01:40:36):
I didn't met fast company.
You know I was behind thescenes thing where you know
where it's not a war but we'restill there.
Well, we're still doing.
There's a lot of things thatyou know about, a lot of things
you don't know about some of thepeople.
A lot of things you shouldn'tknow about well, but general
public doesn't need to know,right, but you don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:40:56):
It's good for you well, hold it right, fuck, and
that there you go.
Did I say it the right way?
No, it's fun and like that.
Oh, it's fuck and like that,right, okay, there you gotta
make sure that.

Speaker 2 (01:41:12):
I gotta get this down we gotta make sure techie gets
his plug.
You know he's not here, he'ssitting at home one or whatever
probably say let's just say arubbing one.

Speaker 4 (01:41:26):
Okay, we won't say masturbation.

Speaker 2 (01:41:28):
Well, you just did and he's probably probably
rubbing.

Speaker 4 (01:41:33):
Okay, never mind, I didn't know if he's like rubbing
his knee, cuz he heard his kneework.

Speaker 2 (01:41:38):
He's probably stand at your picture on Facebook
downloaded.
Yeah, I'm guessing tech.
Stop that, you son bitchsomehow we lost lost the
Facebook live volume at somepoint.

(01:42:00):
He said he can't hear us again,but I think now they can.
Maybe it was me answering thetext message, or but we'll
figure it out.
I'm sure I screwed it up.
Well, I'm on an island withoutthe two nerds here, yeah, and
that's gonna have to be a rule.

(01:42:21):
Both nerds can't take the sameno, definitely not allowed to
have the same night off,especially we have some
important talk about.
Yeah, once again, this timeSpotify, I heart and all the
other things, so I'll make sureone of the nerds gets this SD
card and they can get it.
They can get it uploaded.
We keep going, but we're tryingto do the Facebook thing cuz I

(01:42:42):
think there's a lot of peopleout there that you know might
want to listen in or comment ordo something so lately lately
we've had people that try tocomment, that try to try to get
in there, like hey, we can'thear you, whatever I mean lately
.
So so we're like nine of us inhere or that typically are here.

(01:43:07):
We're all infantry guys.
Yeah, we pull triggers.
Yeah, there's like two guysthat have any idea how to use
technology yeah, we could.

Speaker 4 (01:43:16):
We kick doors in, put two in their chest, one on the
head, and look for somethingelse to kill.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:43:23):
I'm, I'm at the age where I'm dangerous for
technology.
These guys are like oh, if we,you know, convert this to this
and we do this and we do that,we could have this ticker and we
could, you know, like yeah, andI'm thinking about what's going
on.

Speaker 4 (01:43:38):
I'm thinking about well, whatever you said, I might
as well just jump upside down,stand on my head with my thumb
in my ass, because I have nofucking clue you just talked
about, okay so, tim, that's heretonight.

Speaker 2 (01:43:56):
It's post matter of our post here at 333 Mount
Pleasant.
I'm president right here.
We actually went out for a ridetoday yes, we did what was the
temperature here in Michigan?

Speaker 4 (01:44:06):
Central.

Speaker 2 (01:44:06):
Michigan 34 fucking degrees today wasn't 34 34
didn't even make 35.
I left here at the office,jumped on the bike it's like
drinking we got rolling.

Speaker 4 (01:44:19):
You can't drink all day if you don't start in the
morning.
So we always say you can'tfucking ride in January unless
you fucking ride in January,that's it that's it, so we had
Trey who's pussy.
The vice president right he's apussy.

Speaker 2 (01:44:36):
He's the vice president right well, he bailed
out us.

Speaker 4 (01:44:39):
Oh no, he had his daughter's thing.

Speaker 5 (01:44:41):
So I'm gonna do the thing tonight don't, don't,
don't be cutting on him.

Speaker 4 (01:44:46):
I'll give you family, brother, I'll give him a break.

Speaker 2 (01:44:49):
I'm gonna come across this table smack in the mouth.
Don't bag, I do I'll give him abreak because he had his
daughter.
I will smack in the mouth.
What I'm saying is if you gotfamily stuff going on, yeah,
absolutely get it.
There's, there's other, there'sother brothers and sisters that
will fill your shoes for you.
It's cool, I get it, trust me,I get it and Joker and Joker had

(01:45:12):
the dad thing.

Speaker 4 (01:45:13):
I get it.
Yep, so we're probably gonnaMonday.
Probably Monday next week'sgonna be beautiful, next week's,
yeah, beautiful.
I like 44, yeah, beautiful, and44 degrees.
We ain't no pussy.

Speaker 2 (01:45:29):
So you dress for negative 20.
Yeah, pretty simple to dressfor 35 as long as the roads are
dry that's half the battle andyou're cold we're out there and
we were.
We were having lunch.
I'm gonna say at lunch it mighthave been lunch out of a can

(01:45:52):
glass we had food.
Well, we did have food earlier,but last stop we made we were
having our second lunch out of aglass and we actually had a guy
come up to us and go is, arethose your bikes?
Out there?
Well, we're the only dude twodudes sitting in here with our
vests on yeah right, it's goodvests on and we're like, yeah,

(01:46:13):
those are our bikes.
He's like man, it's awesome,glad to see you guys out.
Yeah that's kick ass yeah like,and he was like it's too cold
for me.
Well, the fuckers like 80 yearsold, yeah 80s, 80s too cold for
you, right?
The guy in the degree where Istill have a sweater, I get it,
but it was this is the wholebiker dude.
He was like yeah, that's badass, you guys are out there right.

Speaker 4 (01:46:35):
He told me he's like yeah, I used to do that shit oh
yeah it's just.
It's too cold for me now I getit.

Speaker 2 (01:46:41):
That's.
That's cool.
You gotta know your limitations.
And I'm not saying we're badassguys, no, or anything else, but
when you put your hands on thehandlebars and you start riding,
and especially when you canthrow our back batch for the VFW
on it we're like.

Speaker 4 (01:47:01):
We're like a fucking rolling billboard billboard.

Speaker 2 (01:47:04):
That's exactly what it's supposed to be about.
So when we go out there and wego to bike nights or you go to
events or you do this, you knowyou'd be surprised at how many
veterans that are out there thatare riding independently that
could qualify to be the VFW,american Legion or anything else
.
I don't care, you don't have tobe a VFW member.
If I can help you get into ariders group for American Legion

(01:47:27):
riders or AmVet riders orwhoever?
what it's about is linkingbrothers and sisters up with
other brothers and sisters.
That can be your support systemyeah, I don't care that's.
It's not our mission all thetime to.
If you're not a VFW, you're not.
I'm a fucking American Legionmember myself, right?
So you know, I get tired ofhearing people like, oh, you

(01:47:52):
think you're just better than us, or you're the varsity team and
we're only the JV team.
No, what it's, it's aboutveterans serving veterans.
Yes, regardless of what type ofveteran you are, it doesn't
matter.
You served, you did your time,you got out at, whatever your
situation was.
I'm all about it.

(01:48:12):
All about it, because if we'renot taking care of ourselves no
one else was getting on theseries of why we lobby Congress
as, like veterans groups, right,if we don't stand together, we
stand divided, and my, mythought that's a unit thing.

Speaker 4 (01:48:27):
Yes, my thought process, process with veterans,
is this doesn't matter of youand I don't know how to say this
doesn't matter if you had theopportunity to go to combat,
which I'm not gonna say that's agood kid or not, or whatever

(01:48:51):
it's, it's all good.
It's all good.
All the matters is that you, ohCharlie, I hello, hello, hello.
All the matters is that you, asa veteran of the United States

(01:49:19):
of America, you at one pointsigns your name on the dotted
line up to and including yourlife.
You did that.

(01:49:41):
You were the dude or the chickor however you want.
I mean, I don't want to, Idon't want to, you know, offend
anybody by calling the chick,but but you did it.
You said, hey, I'm gonna signon the dotted line and if my

(01:50:04):
country asked me to go to war,wherever that may be, I'm gonna
go.
A lot of people don't get thatopportunity and again, I'm not
gonna say it's an opportunity.
Some people don't get thatopportunity, but but they were

(01:50:27):
ready to do it.
They were ready to say I willgo and support my country from
all enemies foreign, domestic,and I will go, kick ass and take
names, and that's what aveteran is.
The veteran is is that personthat is more about the country

(01:50:57):
than they are about themselves?

Speaker 2 (01:50:59):
well, it's all about the greater good great right,
you know so you know it comesdown to the south yeah, yeah so
it's not always you have to getrecognition for doing good right
or doing bad, but it's doingwhat's best for everybody.

(01:51:19):
And you know, you look at anytype of first responder as a
matter of CMS firefighters,police, yeah, nurses, doctors,
whoever we all get paid in someaspect, right?
Some better than others.
Yep, some of us have biggerdangers than others, right?

(01:51:40):
It's like you know, typicallywhen there's a gun fight or a
shooting or something, ems firewill sit back until the police
go in and they make sure thatit's safe for them to come in.
Yep, or you know you're sittingin Afghanistan, iraq, syria,
wherever you know you're gonna.

(01:52:04):
You get paid differently to dodifferent things and one's not
any better than the other.
We all serve a purpose right.
We all realize that the personpurpose is better than our own
well-being yep some people areup to it, some people are like.

Speaker 4 (01:52:21):
I know if there's any more pleasant Isabella County
police officers here.
Hey, if you get in a firefight,let me know like I'll roll in
with you.
I'll roll in with you and takecare of business.

Speaker 2 (01:52:37):
I could probably guarantee you that if there is a
veteran that sees a policeofficer struggling with somebody
on the side of the road and wedrive by, what we're gonna, I
guarantee you that we'llprobably stop by, let you know
that we're a friendly and helpyou in the situation if it's
justified.
Maybe you're gonna say I don'tknow who you are and get away

(01:52:58):
get away.
A veteran will probablyunderstand that.
Get out, I'll get away.

Speaker 4 (01:53:04):
I'll be like hey, dude, I just want to kick his
teeth in, cuz I mean I do well,but no.

Speaker 2 (01:53:11):
But the crazy thing is, as a combat veteran, what do
you?
What do you miss?
Adrenaline.
And when you get the adrenalinefrom the fight, you get it from
the fight.
So I might be out to a bar andI hear a couple people getting

(01:53:34):
loud.
Course my course, my headsturning you start getting ramped
up, course my heads turning.
Yep, I hadn't seen it andunfortunately, with Jen, I mean
it's happening at our postabsolutely, that's what I'm
talking about, and no matterwhat I can't go on, it stops yes
, everything stops and you'regoing and well, but it stops.

(01:53:59):
I happened a couple years agoand I'm like look man, this is
my house, mm-hmm, you take yourgarbage out to the out to the
park, a lot out to the street,you're just not doing it my
house?
Yep yeah, and the guy wanted toswing.
I mean I'm like, do what yougotta do well, not gonna get my
ass kicked, well not gonna sayI'm some badass fighter well, no

(01:54:23):
, you're not gonna get your asskicked, but you think?
You think I was afraid.
No, you're gonna have 13 othermotherfucking veterans of
watching you, I get you can bejumping over you and I get you,
but it was like I was, yeah, andI used to get itchy, itchy, and
that's before I even became amember of the post.

(01:54:45):
We'd be out anywhere and I wasitchy for it, because that's
what we miss.
We miss that it was allpheromones or not pheromones.
That's like tracking othersexes or whatever.
But I mean, you get you missthat adrenaline rush right with
you Marines.
I understand that, cuz you'retrying to attract the baby so

(01:55:06):
wait a minute, how did you get,how did you get your road name?
You get that road name from aMarine kind of it's not it's
make sure we tell the truth.
My man kind of, but I'm notgonna.

Speaker 4 (01:55:23):
But you guys don't get that.
You guys don't get the pleasureof hearing how I got my road
name.
My dogs do, but I'm the jeweler.
I'm the jeweler because I cutdiamonds.
I'm not gonna tell you how Icut down just 10 minutes.

Speaker 2 (01:55:48):
You can't hear anything.
Who just a?
We gotta get the nerds in hereyou gotta get the nerds in here.

Speaker 4 (01:56:02):
You will have to put them on the payroll tell me
we're on.

Speaker 2 (01:56:09):
I don't know why speaker's not working.
I'm gonna kill the live, sothat we're now no longer live.

Speaker 4 (01:56:20):
I have no idea.
We're no longer live becausewe're.
We're still working on bugs andthe nerds are here.

Speaker 2 (01:56:30):
The nerds not here it is what it is, but that's all
right, we'll still roll withwhat we got hey, you're running
like a bride.

Speaker 4 (01:56:39):
That's right, we'll rock out.
First thing that goes to hellin combat is the plan.
When the bullets are flying,people are dying, the plan goes
down.

Speaker 2 (01:56:50):
I'm gonna try to go live again real quick okay but
we go to plan B and the onlyreason I might do it?
Because I want to see if itactually works right right.

Speaker 4 (01:57:00):
I got you.

Speaker 2 (01:57:01):
I got.
I'm all love brother, I loveeverybody, I'm turned over.
I've turned over a new leaf letme see and maybe this guy stay
off my phone that could be.

Speaker 4 (01:57:18):
No man.
No more angry, angry Tim.

Speaker 2 (01:57:23):
I have no idea.
Why don't you text people?
Text all right says we're liveright now.
Why don't you get a hold oftech or message Krista, see if
we're back live, krista.
So for those maybe catching upto the live right now.

(01:57:45):
We apologize, we're trying todo this thing on Facebook.
We're not sure if we got it.
We just went live again andsome people comment on our last
one.
They couldn't hear us still notsure what we're doing,
apologize.
We're trying to get things out.
So people want to comment onsomething, do whatever.

(01:58:06):
I want to make sure that ifsomeone wants to comment, come
up with something, join us, dowhatever.
They're more than welcome to doit, but if we're not, we're not
getting it.
We're not getting it right andunfortunately we're.

(01:58:28):
We're door kickers, not techguys, so but yeah, so there's
just a lot of a lot of crazythings going on right now.
You know, we're still stillgloating in the Michigan
Wolverines winning nationalchampionship, but now we got a

(01:58:48):
coach change, jim Harbaugh headinto the Chargers, which is a
surprise, but not really asurprise.
I thought he might hang for alittle bit but, it's tough to
follow up a nationalchampionship season and you know
he lost a lot of four year,five year guys.

(01:59:11):
He teams gonna change he want?
he wants a fucking Super Bowlman well, I think he's gonna
upstage his dad and his brothergotta have it because he can
have the nanny and then he canhave a Super Bowl to it.
I don't know how quick it'sgonna happen with the Chargers,

(01:59:31):
but he's back on the West Coast.
He came out of the 40 andIersford came to Michigan.
Might take him four or five,six years to get there.
I'm just surprised he's gonnatry to hang around the league
that long.
I think that's probably whatit's gonna take to build a team
out there.
Not saying it's not possible,but you know, sure one more.

(01:59:58):
I'm happy with him as the headcoach coach six games this year
when Jim was on suspension.
And what do you do wheneverything?

Speaker 4 (02:00:07):
he fucking beat Penn State.
Yeah, he beat fucking Maryland,maryland the only the only one.

Speaker 2 (02:00:17):
They're really well, there's two that matter, penn
State matters, and well, I'llsay thank you and he beat him
well, but I think the team's agood hands because he's grown up
in the system.
He's a mission, he's a fuckingMichigan man he was literally
balling his eyes out oh yeah,for you, I love you, like I mean

(02:00:40):
he's.
He's got it.
I think the players that arestaying you know know him,
bought in with him were coachedunder him offense alignment,
because that's that's where it'sat offense and defense
alignment.

Speaker 4 (02:00:58):
If they, if they lose that, yeah, but it's.

Speaker 2 (02:01:04):
It's tough because we talked about this previously.
Right, and I out who pays acollege player more.
It's not necessarily alwaysabout exposure, but I think if
someone's got the purse stringsthey're gonna go there.
You know, you might be asophomore and if you can make a

(02:01:26):
hundred grand going somewhere,you make 50 where you're at or
10 where you're at, no differentthan an NFL player, no
different than you and I.
If somebody came in right nowand said, right, I know you're a
company owner, but I'm gonnapay you X to go, I might walk
out the office tomorrow.
The deals, the deal, you know.

(02:01:49):
I mean, I don't, I don't blamea kid, want to make money, I
wouldn't blame you or a guy thatworks for me.
I doubt he's gonna make anymore money anywhere else.
Or a union.
They make a good living,pension, 401ks, insurance and
they make good money on thecheck every week.
Do they pay dues?

(02:02:11):
Yeah, but they're dues moniesfor a reason.
You got the representation thatdeals with our contractors
association and we come to anagreement.
Right, you know, they know whatthey're making.
A lot of the guys that arecoming non-union, you know they
might be making 30 bucks an hourand they got to pay into their

(02:02:33):
health insurance.
No pension, no 401k, notraining, no, this and all that.
They come to us making 42 andsome change, plus a pension plus
401k, plus insurance, plus plusplus.
They know where they're comingfrom and I wouldn't blame you if
you decided tomorrow some othercompany coming offered you 50
bucks an hour.
You probably walk out the doortoo and I wouldn't blame you one

(02:02:57):
bit.
Get away, you can get it.
I don't blame Jim Harbaugh forleaving at the charges.
I made him a deal.
I haven't heard what it is.
Fuck Jim.

Speaker 4 (02:03:11):
Harbaugh, I am just because I wanted to repeat.
I wanted to them to fuckingrepeat when you're trying to
build the dynasty.

Speaker 2 (02:03:19):
You win one and you're gone.

Speaker 4 (02:03:21):
I wanted him to stay to build a dynasty it's.

Speaker 2 (02:03:25):
It's kind of a shitty thing.
You build one and you're gone.

Speaker 4 (02:03:28):
Jim, why did you do this to me?

Speaker 2 (02:03:31):
but I get it.
It's under your belt.
You hosted the trophy, you knowtime to move on sometimes fuck
you, jim Harbaugh it's.
It's rare and I think that'sthe reason why Sabin left,
because Sabin was the biggestproponent of the NIL.
He goes.

Speaker 4 (02:03:51):
This is gonna change he was against it and he was
against.

Speaker 2 (02:03:55):
Yeah, he was the biggest proponent of it because
he was against it you useagainst it.
I guess I can't can't be aproponent and be against it, but
he was the biggest guy againstit.

Speaker 4 (02:04:03):
Yeah, he was against it because he was like you're
paying college athletes, no, butit was.

Speaker 2 (02:04:10):
It has no loyalty anymore.
Right, it used to be.
What can the team do for me?
What can the university do forme?
And now it's doing everythingagainst me and my brother-in-law
.
Sean is at Michigan State.
He works in the ElectricDepartment now.
He's an accountant kind of guy,right, so he deals with

(02:04:32):
scholarship money, blah, blah,blah blah.
Whatever his fucking job is, Iused to know, we used to be able
to have like family.
You know, bull pick them and wewould bet for the winner.
We can't do it anymore becauseit violates the NCAA policies.
Most just for fun, you knowused to be like a six pack of

(02:04:52):
beer or whatever the kids weredoing it, they get a six pack
amount do.
We can't even do that anymorenow.
It's just for bragging rightsbecause that would violate the
NCAA policy.
So we just do it for fuckingfun but the whole thing is there
.

Speaker 4 (02:05:06):
They're paying well right, so now how can they're
paying kids to come play for you?

Speaker 2 (02:05:11):
so now kids can go out there and make a hundred
grand, 200 grand, whatever it is.
Yeah, but he's in the officejust at the university, you know
, dealing with scholarship money, you're dealing with payments
or whatever the hell he'sdealing with and he can't do it.
But these kids can get paid toplay.

Speaker 4 (02:05:29):
Well, it's like it's fine, I get it.
It's like Hunter Dickinson okay, stud center for Michigan.
He left Michigan and went toKansas City.
Or I was Iowa no, he's Kansas.
Iowa no, it's Iowa.

Speaker 2 (02:05:49):
No, it's Kansas how much you want to bet.
How about we bet nexttomorrow's lunch and beers?

Speaker 4 (02:05:57):
okay, because I'm thirsty and I'm hungry, I'm not
gonna take your money, but why?

Speaker 2 (02:06:03):
not.

Speaker 4 (02:06:03):
You want to make the bet, make the better right here,
right here right now, cuz Iknow Iowa, kansas, iowa, okay,
so here we go, here we go andman you better, where does?
Hunter Dickinson play.
Now you do this talk, I know.

Speaker 2 (02:06:25):
I do Iowa Hawkeyes yeah.
Kansas J-hawks.
I'm hungry tomorrow already buthe left.

Speaker 4 (02:06:40):
He left because they could give him more.
No money, but you're missing itcould you want to?

Speaker 2 (02:06:46):
I have a first no he did not.

Speaker 4 (02:06:50):
He left Michigan, went to Kansas, but now he's on
a top four team in the nation.
You know I'm saying well, buthe left Michigan because he
couldn't make the no money thathe could at Kansas yeah, under
basketball but this is why NickSaban said yes, and I was gonna

(02:07:12):
kill a car sports and you knowwhere it all started
Northwestern.

Speaker 2 (02:07:22):
Well, northwestern basketball players sued the NCAA
because here the University ismaking millions and millions and
millions dollars on our nameand that's likeness yep, that's
how that all came about.
Yeah, they did that ten yearsago.
Yeah, they sued, yep you knowout.

(02:07:44):
Why are you able to make moneyon us?
Well, I've got mixed feelingsbecause I think now college
players should have to sign acontract.
I think the universities wouldin the NCAA would be smart.
No different than any NFLplayer, nba player, you sign a

(02:08:05):
contract with the university ifyou're gonna get brought in.
You sign a contract.
You leave, there's a penalty.
If you leave before yourcontract, there's a penalty, or
the team that picks you up hasto pay you out to get you man,
I'll tell you what, charlie.

Speaker 4 (02:08:24):
Right now I'm, by the way, I'm drinking one of Bell's
beers.
Oh no, I'm not drinking it off,you're not.
You'll have this fight, I will.
I will tell you this I so wantto kiss you right on the mouth
right now.
That's not, it's just you.

Speaker 1 (02:08:41):
I know I know.

Speaker 4 (02:08:42):
But here's deal.
You are exactly fucking right.
If you want to be paid like aprofessional athlete, sign the
contract.
I knew you are gonna play at myuniversity for four years.
You are gonna and we'll do thenil, but you are gonna be.

(02:09:04):
You're gonna play at myuniversity, my football team and
if you want to leave foranother team.

Speaker 2 (02:09:10):
They gotta pay you up .
Yes, absolutely well becausehere's the issue.
You have all these otherstudents that go to these
colleges or universities thataren't playing sports, but they
they're paying for the athletes.
They're getting free housing,free education, free everything,

(02:09:31):
food, books, training, coaching, blah, blah, blah, blah.
I understand they're bringingmoney in by selling tickets.
People are showing up thestands, not show up the stands
to watch a lecture.
Right right, here's an averagestudent.
They're showing up thebasketball games, football games

(02:09:51):
, softball, soccer, whateverright.
I understand that.
So they're bringing revenue into help support them.
It's not a hundred percent.
We all know that the footballprograms typically make all the
money for the ball here at hereat Central Michigan, same thing

(02:10:12):
football team or basketball isbringing all the money in for
the women's sports, the field,hockey's, the soccer is, the
softballs, the baseball's,whatever, right, I get it, I get
it, but the same extent.
If you come to see a new to playand you're getting top tier or
second tier, third tier,whatever, coaching, training,

(02:10:34):
nutrition, blah, blah, blah,right, you sign a contract two
years, four years, three years,ten years, whatever it is, you
sign a contract if you decide totransfer and go, like Hunter,
you're at Michigan, you said youwant to go to Kansas, iowa, usc
, florida, whatever, okay, bythe contract out, you can get

(02:10:57):
them.
If not, you start to thecontractor.
You don't play right, becauseit's not fair to the average
student that's paying ridiculousamount of money, absolutely to
go to college, absolutely andhave these guys bouncing because
now he gets a little bit moreexposure and he can make more
cash.
But I'm the kid that's justgoing to college to be a math

(02:11:18):
teacher or science teacher oraccountant or whatever and I'm
paying an exorbitant amount Tofund you.
You're getting paid on the side,plus all these free things that
I'm paying for, right.
It's just not right and I thinkit's too hard and the reason why
probably hardball left Michigan.
It's too hard being a collegecoach.

(02:11:41):
There's too many regulations,too many things.
You bought the bottle kid ofcheeseburger and he gets benched
for three games on suspensionunder investigation.
And you know we talked to a kidwhen it wasn't recruiting time
and now he can't coach anotherthree games and it's too
restrictive.
It's only Universities.

(02:12:01):
It's not restrictive on thestudents, right, and that's not
right if you're gonna get paidor you're gonna get something
for free.
Those universities, even backin the day, before the NIL, they
were still paying thesestudents to come play football
or basketball or baseball,because we're gonna give you a
hundred thousand dollarsscholarship a year, and when I

(02:12:23):
mean that it's not only thecredit hours, the housing, the
food, the coaching.

Speaker 4 (02:12:27):
Yeah, you're not playing anything got paid
nothing.

Speaker 2 (02:12:30):
Oh, you gotta do is come play football.
So they're still getting paidbecause they're getting
everything for free.
Yeah, so free is still gettingpaid.
Yeah, you know what I mean.
Now, if you had these footballplayers coming in say, okay, you
can play on the team, but it'sgonna cost you a hundred
thousand dollars this yearbecause you gotta pay all this
shit.
They're gonna come play, butwe're gonna do it for free.

(02:12:52):
Come play for us and we'regonna make a bunch of money off
you because you got a beautifulamount.
They're getting paid to play.

Speaker 4 (02:13:00):
Absolutely, and that's what I said.
They, they, they get paid toplay Because the free tuition,
free food, free housing just thecoaching, free training free
everything, yeah.
And then they were like well,no, the no thing, you know,
you're using our stuff.
Shut the fuck up.

Speaker 2 (02:13:23):
Well, I actually think it was Lou Holtz.
Might have been Lou Holtz backin the day.
I saw a quote that basicallysaid the way that the students
look, or the players looknowadays neat.
Might have been at Notre Dame Idon't know who's that before
Notre Dame, but it used to be.

(02:13:44):
Basically, what can I do forthe university?
You know, it's like the old,whatever the old school.

Speaker 4 (02:13:54):
Well, it was.
What can I do to make theuniversity great?
Yeah, you know.

Speaker 2 (02:14:07):
What can I do for my country now what my country
could do for me?
It was kind of the same concept, but it was basically based on
there's no loyalty anymore.
It's like who's got the biggestdollars, I'm gone.
Yeah, you know and and I knowSaban said it I think that's
probably the reason why heretired, because he realized he
was done.

Speaker 4 (02:14:26):
He was done.
He's done with a nail no longer.
And he said that.
He said I don't like if.

Speaker 2 (02:14:32):
If there was a third string in Alabama, they'd start
a central Michigan.
They'd be a starters.
Third string in Alabama, they'dbe a starter at Michigan.

Speaker 4 (02:14:40):
Probably be a starter at Kentucky.

Speaker 2 (02:14:44):
Tennessee, definitely Michigan State because they saw
Michigan's no, but yes, I'mjust picking up.

Speaker 4 (02:14:52):
All the great.
All the great, I mean, they go,you know, they, they might set
behind a dude for two years, butthey're learning.
And then when they get theirshot in the sun, they're,
they're, they're to a town, tocala la la, their jail in Hertz,
they're.
I mean Absolutely, you're right.

Speaker 2 (02:15:13):
Well, I'm not stringer in Alabama Could
probably start for anywhere 90%,90 more, because that third
stringer could go to a packedand mad Yep Somewhere else, acc
team or whatever he could justget out and they'd be a.
They could be a starter and getpaid.

(02:15:33):
So what do I want?
To sit third string in Alabama,not get paid, and I can go to
Virginia Tech, or I could go upto Maryland or I could go to
Whatever yeah and get NorthDakota State get paid and not
play per se, right, but I could.

(02:15:53):
So it's totally changed thelandscape.
The college football, yeah,absolutely to the to the good,
to the bad, depends on how youlook at it.
But I think, and I would besurprised in the next four or
five years you don't see theanswer late.

Speaker 4 (02:16:10):
The NCAA come up with contracts for players Now that
they're getting paid my, mypersonal, my personal Thing is
if you sign up, if you say, hey,I'm going to college, you have
to play four years for me, yeah,but you'll never be able to
hold the player unless you havea contract.

Speaker 2 (02:16:31):
Well, and why would I want to sign a contract with
you at CMU, but I don't atNorthern Illinois, or I don't at
this college or that college,unless the NCAA actually makes
it a regulation or a protocolthat you have to do that?
Well it just will never happen.
Because you could say you couldbe the university that says you

(02:16:53):
got to sign a contract.
They wouldn't do it.
I, I can't do that with my guys.
I can't say you guys sign acontract saying you're gonna
work for me for the next fouryears and I'm gonna pay you X, y
, z.
They're not gonna sign it.
I'll go down the road to thenext guy that pays them $4 an
hour less, right, and they havethe freedom to do whatever the

(02:17:14):
fuck they want.
Yeah, I just want to be here.

Speaker 4 (02:17:17):
Well, I just, I just think that that my thought
process with with football, atbasketball, the one and done,
the one and done.
No, I don't know.
No, you, you're happy ass,we're paying you to come to play
ball for us.
You should give us a little bitof time.

Speaker 2 (02:17:37):
I understand it.
I think you know when it.
When it comes down to it, it'sunfortunate for the normal
students that will never see Anytype of sport and they're.
They're right in the check orbar on the money for their
credit hour, their housing there, they're working at the Texas

(02:17:59):
Road Houses, the Applebee's,trying to scrape by.
And you have athletes out therethat have the world given to
them by the universities, by thecoaches.
They get tutors, they get this,they get that and the average
students don't get it.
It's almost a disservice tothose students and it's a

(02:18:26):
benefit to others.
And once again, I agree,they're bringing money in To the
universities because they'reselling the basketball tickets,
the baseball tickets, thefootball tickets.
People are buying their jerseysor they're, you know, donating
to the Athletic fund or whatever, and I'm not saying there's

(02:18:47):
none of their compensation.
Or maybe those studentstechnically aren't, especially
with boosters or whatever atBayer universities, and it's
unfortunate here in my pleasantwe deal with Central Michigan
University and there's all kindsof you know, different funds
and golf outings and things theydo to raise money for those

(02:19:07):
athletes.
There's some sort of offset tothat cost, but the average
students more.
When I'm, because my daughterwent to northern Michigan
University, born and pretty muchraised here in Mount Pleasant.
Couple years I was gone inReans.
She traveled around with usVirginia, california.

(02:19:27):
But For the average kid here inthe air in Mount Pleasant,
michigan, you know, unless yourmom or dad work at the
university or you get some sortof credit hours which I got
because my mom Was at theuniversity, I got the free
credit hours or whatever butMost kids here in town when they

(02:19:48):
go to college if their parentis not affiliated with the
university, they leave MountPleasant and they're gonna go to
college in Alma or MichiganState or Michigan or Wayne or
Western or Northern or whatever.

Speaker 4 (02:20:04):
Yeah, they're gonna want to get the hell out of town
.
Yeah they're gonna do that.

Speaker 2 (02:20:07):
So I did the right.
You know right in the checksfor tuition.
You know I get how much itcosts.
It was fourteen thousanddollars a year, right rain
checks, for you know it'sexpensive.
You know it was great when shegot a fresh one year, got out
the dorms and got an apartment,had a job and yeah, cuz the

(02:20:29):
dorms are probably like so muchmore expensive, but it comes
with food and comes with all thedorms.

Speaker 4 (02:20:35):
Yeah, oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:20:37):
Yeah, so there's all kinds of different things that I
know.
Every university can bedifferent and I was.
I was glad she got out of mypleasant kind of spread her
wings and did her own thing andit was great cuz she met her
husband up there, great guy thatloved him to death and I
probably buried my daughter overhim.

Speaker 4 (02:20:54):
He's Bends a good dude.

Speaker 2 (02:20:57):
He's a great dude, bends a good dude.
So once again, just like mysister made my brother long, my
daughter did a great job withshe.
She picked him.
He was lucky.
She picked him.
Oh yeah, and I know who rulesthe house Up in our school to
see.
Lenny she does guarantee Idon't.
Who wears pants?

(02:21:17):
Yeah, he likes to pretend, justlike I like to pretend she
might weigh 120 pounds.
I might be like 210, but LadyJen wears the pants in my house
and that's a good.

Speaker 4 (02:21:37):
That's a great thing about me is I'm 270, you wear
the pants in the house and Iwear the pants cuz I ain't got
no woman, so but that's funnyshit right there.
But but when I was married,when I was married the three
times before, One strike, twostrikes, three strikes.

(02:21:59):
Yeah, no foul balls here.
But when I was married no,you're, you're exactly right,
man, you're, you're just a dudethey were in the house.
They got a half the money andall the pussy.

Speaker 2 (02:22:18):
It's true statement she only gets it when I give it
to me.
You call an, ask her, she'lltell you.

Speaker 4 (02:22:25):
They.
We fought all our lives to getout of it, and then we fight.

Speaker 2 (02:22:30):
Our life to get back.
But you know, I just I justfeel bad because, I'm right, the
tuition checks up north andthey got a football team.
That's terrible.
At northern I have a greathockey team.
That's.
That's what they're known forup at up at northern.

Speaker 4 (02:22:49):
We had, because they're division one, aren't
they?

Speaker 2 (02:22:53):
I don't know he's Subscribed to their.
You can watch one line.

Speaker 4 (02:23:00):
Seaboard because he's a he's a equipment guy Polish
member, brother, I serve withhim.
He's a equipment guy at Ferris,oh, and I believe that that
they might.
I believe their division oneteam there might be their

(02:23:21):
biggest rivals.

Speaker 2 (02:23:21):
Obviously Michigan Tech up there, up in Hold oh,
yeah, up there, yep, whichthey're a whole bunch of
Scientist crazy nerds like ifyou don't have a 4.0, you're not
definitely getting in thatplace and that's out of 4.0,
like in others high schools that, like five, you could be like a
genius at a 5.0.
Here, your genius at 4.0because the scale only goes to

(02:23:46):
four.

Speaker 4 (02:23:46):
Why are we calling them and figuring out our
fucking podcast?

Speaker 2 (02:23:50):
well, shit, my, my niece actually went to Michigan
Tech and she's Chemical engineerFancy word for chemical
scientist.

Speaker 4 (02:24:02):
Yeah, so she can work for like 3m or work, so she can
make up chemicals that can killeverybody.

Speaker 2 (02:24:08):
Yeah, so she kind of got into nice.

Speaker 1 (02:24:10):
I'm not quite sure what she does her husband same
thing or fiance same thing.

Speaker 2 (02:24:16):
You went up to that's where they met.
Was that Michigan Tech Crazynerds right there all in the
science and that's that's whatthat universities know for.
They live in the Ann Arbor isharea, you know somewhere down
that way, and they work for bigchemical companies or Startups,

(02:24:36):
that kind of stuff.
They kind of as they grow theircareer.
They're kind of bouncing aroundand some other friends that
went up there.
Friends of the family, work for3m Chemical engineer.
Another one became a mechanicalengineer, so he's working for a
firm out of New York in NewYork.
But yeah, so mash and went to,went to northern and yeah, the

(02:25:00):
big sport up there is hockey,hockey.
I mean they they're footballteam.
I don't think they even have abaseball team.
Never heard they did.
She was up there four years,got her bachelor's Think.
I don't even know if they evengot a baseball team or soccer
team or anything else.
It was like hockey, footballand football.
Like yeah, we don't really goto.
The games are terrible, it'sall about the hockey up there

(02:25:22):
but think about that.

Speaker 4 (02:25:24):
You get, you get a dude.
You get a dude that's six footfour, 230 pounds, and then you
put him on nine inches of skates, right, and he's going Mach
seven with his hair on fire andhe drives you into the boards,

(02:25:45):
right.
Holy fuck man.
That that is just Unfucking.
First of all, how in the fuckcan a dude do that Skates?

Speaker 2 (02:25:56):
let me ask you a question Do you like hockey?
I love hockey go, go, red wings.
So have you ever been down toMichigan?
I've been down to Joe.
Never miss that's.
I'm not talking about the Joe,that's red wings.
I'm talking about Michigan,mm-hmm.
So it's Yoast arena.

Speaker 4 (02:26:13):
Yoast arena.

Speaker 2 (02:26:14):
Yep.
So Jen and I used to go downand have a friend Tim and see
him.
They're not together anymore,but Tim was actually one of my
first foremen when I joined thelocal here in this building
Working for the in-laws.
He was one of my first foremenhim and his ex-wife he's.
He played like amateur hockey,played adult leagues like you

(02:26:39):
know.
He'd be at the ice arenamidnight playing hockey because
that's when they get ice timetill 1 am or whatever.

Speaker 4 (02:26:44):
We're at.

Speaker 2 (02:26:45):
Well, they're actually from the Beaverton area
.
Okay, but you played out ofMidland.
I don't know if you played himup, I was.
But anyways, jen and I wouldbuy Michigan hockey tickets.
And I'm talking Fuck, it was 20years ago.
He was my foreman and we did itfor years and years and years.
Jen and I would buy ticketsdown to Michigan.

(02:27:07):
They're both Michigan fans.
We'd buy tickets and say, okay,hey, I just text them.
Hey, man, we got a game,whatever, february 27th, you
guys are coming.
We got tickets, sweet.
So it was like kind of our onceor twice a year we do that by
these tickets.
We'd go down early, have dinnertogether, walk around Ann Arbor

(02:27:29):
, we tailgate In the parking lotoutside of Yost.
Arena, and that's before theydid their big remodeling.
Actually, one of the last gameswe went to was when the Tigers
Went to the series.
Right, wasn't the series onwhat they do?
They won the division.
It had been like eight nine,two thousand eight, nine, maglio

(02:27:50):
, or don't?
Yes, hit a walk off against theace and did that send him to
the?
That's time of the world series.
Yes, that's some of the series.
What was that?
Oh, eight nine, um 12.

Speaker 4 (02:28:04):
I'm gonna say, okay, you Google it.
Hey, we got ghouls.

Speaker 2 (02:28:15):
I'm just saying.
So, whatever that was, it wasprobably like two or three years
after that we kind of quitgoing.
So I don't know if it was 10,12, whatever it was.

Speaker 4 (02:28:25):
So because anyways, I Will tell you what, if you go
to a London Maglio Ardonias hitthe walk off against the A's.
What year is that?

Speaker 2 (02:28:39):
This is the reason why your phone doesn't
understand.
You ask a fucked up question.
2006, so it probably would havebeen like 10, 2010, probably
last time that we went as like afour-some to a game, right,
right, and we've taken, you know, our daughters, boyfriends or
whatever you know, kids we tookto games.

(02:29:00):
Joe says he can hear us nowyeah, he just message to on the
Facebook lab, but anyways, so wewould go out of these games.
So we're still gay, jesus, dude, text that don't say it over
the mic.
Anyways, so we were good onthese matches, whatever, nothing
fucking better.

(02:29:22):
I love, I hate professionalsports.
I think they're born Comparedto college.
You go down to Yolst arena and Iwere watch a hockey game.
Every time there's anintermission, every time there
was like a stop-and-play, thebands playing.
There was something going on inthe ice.

(02:29:44):
Oh, it's crazy.
Something's going on like thestudents have a chant.
They call the sea a chant.
Every year, the senior classadd something to it.
It's like fuck you, you pieceof shit.
Blah, blah, blah and it's it's.
I got 90 fucking words and atthis point, because every year
the senior class had somethingelse, michigan was actually

(02:30:04):
getting fined every time theysay it by the NCAA, because how
many swear words were in it,right, and the students kept
doing it.
Michigan would just pay thefucking fine.
And you know it's like.
It's like going to the GreatLakes loons, our minor league
team here in Menden.
Yep, there's always somethinggoing on all the time you go
down to watch the Tigers Betweeninnings it's like you're

(02:30:27):
sitting there watching guys warmup again.
Yeah yeah you go to the GreatLakes loons they're throwing
t-shirts.
They're doing you know races.
They're doing whatever.
Something's always going on,yeah same thing.
Couch hockey down there at YoastAwesome fucking time.
Loved every fucking second ofit.
And my buddy Tim and I.
He's Enter at my union.

(02:30:48):
He's now in the front office, alocal 85.
He's a what they call abusiness agent and I'm on the
management side as an order of acompany now.
So we sit together at a jointtrust For the apprenticeship.
So you have labor side,management side.
We jointly manage what ourapprentices do Schools that we

(02:31:12):
have.
We have two schools, one secondone traffic city, anyway.
So we're still good friends,even though we sit across the
table from each other, mightdifferent, like you and I might
different sitting across table,and one of the best things ever
we're at this game.
Now there are, you know,they're doing the Zamboni thing
and they put little kids out onit.

(02:31:32):
Right so you could put your kidin.
You know, hey, do the Zamboniride whatever so during the air
mission.
So I don't know if this firstsecond air mission there's this
little kid Right around one ofthe two Zambonis they got out
there.
You know they got kids on right.
So we're sitting at our seatsand Tim and I grab our shoes off

(02:31:53):
our feet, grab one of the shoeswe're waving around and we're
like throw it, throw it.
So this little kids ridingaround the Zamboni, the moms
banging on the glass kid pullshis shoe off, starts waving
around because he sees me andTim.
Throws his fucking shoe and meand him are sitting at our seats

(02:32:15):
like no, we're pumping this kidup and the kid throws his shoe
on the ice.
Somebody, come on, get it.
It was like Some.
I'll never forget, you know,because I'm out there with my
buddy and you know his old ladyand my old lady and we're just
having a great time and nomatter where you buy a seat At
those small arenas and I used toput a put together a big crew

(02:32:39):
of Michigan fans so we'dactually go to Big Rapids when
they play fair estate.
Oh yeah, and I had a buddy Kyle.
His mom and dad lived just onthe road.
He had a 15 passenger van.
He was a scout master Back inthe day say this huge ass
fucking van, we throw coolers inthe back and I throw 15
motherfuckers in there.

(02:32:59):
Maybe and I wouldn't drink we'dbe road tripping all the way to
Big Rapids.

Speaker 4 (02:33:03):
I'm guessing the coolers were all water and
waters and Gatorade, right, no?

Speaker 2 (02:33:12):
So, anyways, we would road trip all the way over to
Big Rapids and I'd buy, you know, 15 tickets at the game, so
we're all sitting by each otherand I'd get, you know, you get
like seven people in row two andseven people in row three, so
we're sitting behind each other,not all strung out the same
right, so we could talk orwhatever.
We'd go over there and Michiganplayed them.
We'd go over to Big Rapids, theFerris State University, and

(02:33:35):
watch the watch the hockey match.
So that was kind of like athing like we do, or derv's and
food at the house, and everybodymeet there.
They have the van, we'd allload up and then car pull over
and it was like a party night,you know.
So, yeah, yeah, jen, and I didthat, you know.
So I mean, it was just funhanging out friends and you
cannot get a bad seat at thosesmall arenas.

(02:33:58):
No, he can't.
So but you.
But you could go to a tiger'sgame.
You could go to a lion's game.
You could go to the fucking RedWings game.
You could be in a nosebleedwhich behind the fucking which
really aren't Terrible seats.
No, not but the worst seat thatyou could get at a collegiate
arena Would be like the upperlower bowl at a professional

(02:34:21):
game.
You know what I mean, becausethey don't have the second tier
oh okay, third tier or fourthtier right in the stadium.
If you went to LCA littleCaesar's arena to watch the Red
Wings, what's what?
You bought the worst do it.
You bought the worst seat atYost, your upper deck of the

(02:34:42):
lower.
You're still upper deck of thelower bowl at LCA, so you're
still in the 100 level.
You're not in the 300 level,the 400 level.
Right way.
The fuck up there, like you know, 105 rows up, you're like at
roll 40 and that's the upperbowl of these arenas.

(02:35:03):
See, had great seats, man.
You could smell the sweat, youcould.
You could hear the jaw jackingand it was like 25 bucks.
Fuck, I'd be 125 bucks to havethat seat at LCA.
Yeah, oh absolutely Absolutelyabsolutely.

(02:35:23):
But you don't have the band, youdon't have the students
chatting, you don't have theexperience that you get at
collegiate level, right then youdo so.
My sister and brother-in-lawprobably will hear this podcast
because they know about it andthey're Michigan State people.
She went to Grand Valley, hewent to Michigan State.
They live in East Lansing.

Speaker 4 (02:35:45):
Sorry, you want the Michigan State, but that's okay.

Speaker 2 (02:35:48):
He works for the university.
Still, mm-hmm, 20 years aftergraduating, he's still part of
the university.
They go to everything, michiganState, right.
So you know, we, we talkfootball, we talk basketball, we
talk different sports, monarena they have.
They take their kids, brennanDecklin, little kids, still,

(02:36:10):
she's Probably 10, he's should,I know seven, eight.
You know they go to everythingbecause he's with the athletic
department.
So you.

Speaker 5 (02:36:20):
So he gets tickets or he gets discounts as being an
employee or whatever you know.

Speaker 2 (02:36:25):
So they, they go and it's.
It's great.
I'm I'm so happy that they areable to take their kids to those
things, because I think thatinstills a sense of belonging Is
misguided, as it is beingMichigan State, but still they,
they, they love Sparta.

Speaker 4 (02:36:42):
I mean they had absolutely, they had a lot of
kids.
Absolutely it's great.

Speaker 2 (02:36:45):
Yeah, and if that's what, they're into, even though
it's wrong.

Speaker 4 (02:36:50):
I'm okay with it.
Wrong is six guys blowing sevenbecause someone's got two dicks
in their mouth.
But you know you're, you'recorrect.
If that's that, if that's whattastes them, I'm gonna call them
critters, even though they'rethey're not, they're not little.

Speaker 2 (02:37:05):
They're not Amelia, they're not Amelia.
Yeah, my four-year-old crittermy granddaughter.

Speaker 4 (02:37:11):
But them critters, they take them to this.
They are gonna be lifelong,life long Spartan fans.
Which is they?

Speaker 2 (02:37:24):
are, which is unfortunate, but it's cool they
don't have a choice.

Speaker 4 (02:37:28):
Yes, they don't have a choice because their dad Wards
there, but but they're gonna be.
They're gonna be lifelongcollege foot college College
sports.

Speaker 2 (02:37:40):
I'm gonna say absolutely I rather it's
Michigan State.
I'm not.
I'm not back out of the kids,I'm not back out of the like I
get it, just like.
My kids grew up loving Michigan, yeah, and they were terrible
forever.
And I have no, no affiliationwith the University.
Right right, no affiliationother than I.
Just I don't have affiliationwith CMU other than my mom

(02:38:02):
working there.
Mm-hmm, right, my sister wentthere, parents went there, or
whatever.
I don't have an affiliationother than my parents being
there.
So if there are kids like that,stuff, that's, that's great.

Speaker 4 (02:38:13):
No, it's cool.

Speaker 2 (02:38:14):
Just like I've never played for the Lions, but I'm a
Lions fan, yeah, tigers fan orwhatever.
That's your team.
That's great.
I know problem with it.

Speaker 4 (02:38:22):
My son, andy, came up to me like seven years old and
I'm a I'm a Michigan guy man,I'm just gonna say and he come
up to me and goes Give me thehookup horns Texas.
He goes, go Texas.
I said what he said go Texas.

(02:38:44):
I said I'm gonna beat your ass.
You're either gonna be aMichigan fan or I'm gonna kill
you do.

Speaker 2 (02:38:55):
Lady Jen, lady Jen, texas fan you shut up.
So let me, let me.
Let me explain the backstory.
Her grandmother, kate if Kate'slistening to this, she'll
she'll understand theirgrandfather and grandmother.
Blanchard, michigan.

(02:39:16):
He worked for total refinery.
She was a librarian at winelementary for shepherd school.

Speaker 4 (02:39:21):
Finally, man that's a blast from the past.

Speaker 2 (02:39:24):
Well, bill just passed away a couple years ago.
He was 95, 96 years old.

Speaker 4 (02:39:29):
Yeah, but totally fine, he's a blast Well.

Speaker 2 (02:39:32):
I'm fine, he's been gone for 35 years.
I know, I know you were tiredout of there.
You know they made the gasdiesel, but they had a.
They have a.
They had a place down inMcAllen, texas, in the Callen
Texas, which is like fiveseconds from the border.
Yeah, now my father-in-law, mymother-in-law, just bought a

(02:39:56):
place.
They've been big, they've beenwintering.
It's called those Fresnos, soif you know where South Padre
Island is in Texas, they're likewe're all the girls hang on,
show their boobs.
So that's like a huge, that'slike a huge spring break place.
Yeah, padre, yeah, they're like15, 20 minutes from South Padre

(02:40:18):
.
Those Fresnos they've been,they've been on their camper
down there forever fifth wheels,whatever they got.
They just bought a place there,mm-hmm natural place to live in
.
You know, just bought about twoweeks ago.
Anyways, my Father-in-lawmother-in-law been.

(02:40:43):
You know the parents had a placeso they were going down there.
The girls went down there whenthey were young, you know, to
visit grandma, grandpa, thewinner, or whatever.
So somehow I Don't know how mywife became a huge Texas fan.
I have a feeling it comes fromGrandparents being down there.
You know I'll win her long orwhatever.

(02:41:03):
So somehow she became a Texasfan, I don't know.
We see, and she does thishook-up horn shit to me all the
damn time.
Okay, so you like the team youlike, I don't care.

Speaker 4 (02:41:17):
So I guess I'm gonna have to ask you when I see her
Is it because she went to SouthPadre Island and showed her
boobs?
Everybody too?

Speaker 2 (02:41:28):
Probably not.
I was on South Padre Island,which I was with everybody,
living in a big house yeah.
We were on vacation.
I didn't even get to see him,so I doubt it was.
I doubt it was way back when.
Damn it, jim damn it.
But I'm saying is she became aTexas fan.

(02:41:49):
I still get those.
You'll still.
Yeah it doesn't matter if we'redoing you know, college Bowl,
pick them, yeah, you know, forfun, or we're doing yes you
definitely Pick them stuff.
As a family.
For fun.
She'll pick Texas like isliterally as long as she did
pick Texas, until she knowswe're not gonna win.

(02:42:12):
And even then she'll probablytake them one more time Just
because, just because and Ithink you know, now that her
parents have a place down there,she'll probably even be more of
a ridiculous Texas.
And my father-in-law I love theguy to death, casey Love the guy
to death.
But he is such as wish you washyour mother fucker, because If

(02:42:36):
I'm around him he'll wantMichigan shit.
My brother-in-law's around him.
He'll wear a Michigan Stateship.
My sister-in-law's around him.
He'll wear Grand Valley ship,where his daughter went, which
is understandable, right, hegets around his father-in-law,
bill, who's passed away.
Now His wife passed away.
They literally, like the daybefore I went in the Marines in

(02:42:58):
98, my grandmother-in-law, Iguess, end up getting remarried
again to a lady he met in Texas.
Jesus, she lived in Illinois,so he sold his place on Lake
Cadillac and moved down toIllinois with her.
Then he became the biggestIllinois fucking fan on the
planet shut up.

Speaker 4 (02:43:18):
Come on, dude.
No, make a call, I know she wasall about everything in
Illinois.

Speaker 2 (02:43:24):
Don't matter, it's Calcutta cops in there for the
Bears didn't matter.
The final line I champagne,yeah, and this motherfucker
started wearing Illinois shit.
So you're like, it depends onwho he's around, depends on the
team he likes, you know I mean.
I don't know.
I don't know if if that'srubbed off on my wife.
So I'm thinking maybe likethere was some sort of

(02:43:47):
transition she picked up on.
She likes.
Texas as a kid.

Speaker 4 (02:43:53):
Yeah, the whole thing .
Maybe not make a call manpicking team, but but it's funny
.

Speaker 2 (02:44:00):
No, he, literally you .
Hopefully they would maybelisten to this and come out of
the next life or something.
Yeah, they'd be like no, my dadis like that.
Or yeah, my father-in-law isdefinitely like that, because
he's serious to God.
You know, he comes to my house.
He's wearing Michigan shit.
He goes down to Lansing.
He's wearing state shit.
He goes down to visit hisfather-in-law.

(02:44:20):
He was wearing Illinois shit andhe'd watch every Cubs game.
I mean, they would, they wouldsit in the house, didn't matter
if they were there for a day ora week.
And he's, he knows every guy onthe Cubs team when they won the
World Series or he knew.
I mean, he knew everything.
He was.
He was good at no in the crowd,he was around, right who he

(02:44:42):
needed to be, he read the roomand I don't I don't blame him,
he read the room, I don't blamehim.
There's nothing wrong with that.
But I'm just saying like henever really picked the team,
you only picked the teamdependent upon who he was around
, kind of right, which is coolbecause I always Appreciate it.
You know, if we're watching thegame where we're talking about

(02:45:03):
something, he was knowledgeable,you know.
He knew the people playing.
He knew if they had a good game, a bad game or whatever was
going on.
So I get it.
It was.
It was nice to know you couldtalk to my brother lot, michigan
State and he knew what wasgoing on.
He talked to me, knew what wasgoing on, talked to them.
He knew what was going on soyou didn't feel lost in the

(02:45:24):
conversation, right?
You know, I mean, and I and Ialways appreciated that he was
very Like bill and Margaret comeup to Michigan for Christmas.
He's didn't matter, sean and Ilived or died, married his
daughters.
He's wearing a lion eyes shitor a cubs shit or whatever,

(02:45:44):
because it was all about hisfather-in-law which was great.
Like his wife.
He made that feel more thanwelcome and everything else, but
it was just kind of a crazy andI'm wondering if that's where
Jen gets her hook of morn's,because if you walked up to her
and did that, she'd do itstraight back to you.

Speaker 4 (02:46:00):
She'd be like you like Texas too, I'll do that.
He's so geeked, I will do that.
I won't come to her and say hey, monday night I'll say hey,
girlfriend.

Speaker 2 (02:46:09):
Monday night when we're playing in the fire for
the trip to.
Vegas.
I'll be like, hey, girlfriend,throw him out, she'll, she'll
love it.
Just just give her the hook ofmorn's, she'll straight up love
you to death.
Which I don't know if that's agood thing or a bad thing, but

(02:46:30):
here's what it is.
Well, we're getting close tothree hours.
Yeah, you got about 12 minutes.
You want to keep going till weget to three hours.

Speaker 4 (02:46:39):
What else we want to talk about.

Speaker 2 (02:46:41):
Well, we got the VOD stuff out of the way.
We got coming up to the post.

Speaker 4 (02:46:45):
Well, what we got coming up post is Not a lot
really.
What the fuck was that?

Speaker 2 (02:47:00):
It's a it's a break of the silence, cuz you don't
know what's going on.
Um, we have district meetingcoming up Sunday, got a district
meeting coming up on Sunday.

Speaker 4 (02:47:12):
At the district meeting we're gonna have to
figure out how the district'sgonna move forward.
Because I am stepping down.
I will not seek re-election asa district commander.

Speaker 2 (02:47:31):
Which is good, because I've always said there's
there's a good thing with achange in leadership.
I'm Gonna be doing that withthe riders group.
I've been the president for afew years, you know, I think,
fresh ideas, new leadership,tray coming in as the VP right
now.
I think Tray is killing it.
I think he's gonna continue todo a great job as a president.

(02:47:51):
You know my job is to make surehe's up to speed on what the
membership wants, to make surehe's a leader for the membership
To continue the mission that wedo.
I think district level, or evenpost level, is a good thing for
you to kind of Step back.
You've got bigger ambitions atthe department level, the state
level for stuff which is goodWell for the district level.

Speaker 4 (02:48:17):
I'm gonna talk to a couple of guys, because my
senior vice Struggling, he'sstruggling.
Well, talk to him a little bitat the VOD mid-winter conference
.

Speaker 2 (02:48:31):
Yeah, he's struggling , he's struggling, which is okay
.
Um, you know I'm gonna be goingto the.

Speaker 4 (02:48:37):
He said he he would run for a quarter master, which
is good because, because,because, we need a new quarter
master and this dude does thequarter master work.
But that leaves.
That leaves three openpositions from junior senior.

Speaker 2 (02:48:59):
Well, you have it.
You have a junior that's gonnapop up, yep, and I'm for
hopefully hopefully.

Speaker 4 (02:49:06):
I mean I'm hoping Scott's not gonna tell me, no, I
can't do it.

Speaker 2 (02:49:11):
But it's understandable if you can't.
But here's, here's thedifference.
You're not moving to Alaska,right, you're still gonna attend
meetings.
You're still gonna attendmeetings, so there's still
opportunity to get training inor get guys up to speed on
what's going on District level.

(02:49:32):
Why the stuff's not crazy likeit is at the post level.
It's more day-to-day stuff.
It's not gonna fail.
No, you see both right, so Foryou, don't ever limit yourself
on what you want to do and makesure the guys that want to stop

(02:49:53):
up which is it gonna be a greatthing.
We have a meeting coming up onSunday, so you'll be able to put
it out there ahead of time andget get the thoughts that hey,
get the guys fuckers.

Speaker 4 (02:50:04):
This is what's going on right week.
Just these are the position weneed to fill and in May we need
to fill.

Speaker 2 (02:50:15):
Well, they will be.
They will be.
And you know, I tried to do thesame thing with the riders
group, because the mission thatour Membership does and the
riders group so important and ittakes a team, it's not one guy
at the front.
The only thing the guy at thefront does is make sure that

(02:50:37):
those that are out there doingwhat they're supposed to do,
that's, that's the easy part.
If you get which we have, anabsolutely phenomenal membership
they bottom of the mission, ofpushing the VFW mission forward.
It's always nice when I get tostand out there and you know, I
hear the accolades and I get tobe the guy in the front.

(02:50:58):
But I, what do I say?
I've said the departmentcommander, I've said it
everywhere.
It's not me.
I get to be the lucky guy inthe front, say thanks, I
appreciate it, but it's themembership, some membership
doing the work.
And I go back to the membershipat our next meeting and say,
look guys, we got the accolades.
But don't ever, don't everdon't ever forget.
When these guys gave us theaccolade, what did I say?

(02:51:20):
It's not me, the membershipthat did it.
Yep, it's everybody else.
That's, that's always done.
It's not me, right?
They bought into the mission.
They understand what thepriorities are.
They get it.
The district's gonna be nodifferent.
Who's at the front?
The district's gonna survive.
Push it out there.

(02:51:41):
Get people to step up andactually take accountability.
And why?
The CXC?

Speaker 4 (02:51:47):
it's not gonna die Well they don't have a choice
because I'm I'm gone, I'm gonnarun, I'm gonna run for
Department judge advocate andyou can't hold to and I can't
hold two positions on the C of Aand I'm not saying that I want

(02:52:09):
to run for through the chairs tobe the department commander,
but I can't say that maybe, whynot?
Well, right now, I don't wantto Right now, I don't want to
Now.
If I do a couple years at judgeadvocate and I do okay at that,
and then I I feel the flow andEvan flow and I throw my name in

(02:52:37):
the half for department juniorand Okay, but right now, right
now.

Speaker 2 (02:52:46):
You have to stick your toes in the water first,
yep, figure out if you want itor not.
Yeah, you know it's it's noteasy to to level up.
Yeah, but you've got a lot ofyears of experience as a post
commander.
You got a lot of yearsexperience as a district
commander, so it's not a leapfor you to bump up to the
department level, right.

(02:53:08):
Right, and maybe it's not rightfor you right now.
You know the Goal year as judge, advocate and then move.
Try to make a run for thechairs as a junior.
Maybe it's gonna take you twoor three years.
Yeah, maybe two years and andthat's not saying you can't move
from that or stay in that or goto chief of staff.

Speaker 4 (02:53:31):
Right or do something different yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:53:34):
Yeah, but you never want to limit yourself where you
want to go and you can neverfeel you have to worry about the
cheer that you're leaving,because our job is just like
with me as the president of RedGroup is to make sure that the
junior or the vice or the seniorhas the opportunities to grow

(02:53:59):
or learn.

Speaker 4 (02:54:01):
But you didn't leave.
You didn't leave because youdidn't trust the people coming
Well.

Speaker 2 (02:54:06):
I got.
I got asked by a lot of peopleright to stay.

Speaker 4 (02:54:12):
Because they didn't trust and coming behind you.

Speaker 2 (02:54:14):
Well, but my condition is staying.
Was the guy that's gonna takethe vice president of the Red
Group?
I gotta have something.
That's all in Yep, oh yeah.
There's a lot to it.
It's not as simple as justrunning a meeting.
There's a lot of rides, a lotof obligations, a lot of
weekends, a lot of Conferences,a lot of conventions, a lot of

(02:54:36):
different things you got to goto.
You have to yeah.
Because, we this group.
Our group cannot be the shiningstar in the state of Michigan If
we're not the shining star inour membership deserves that.
We donated over $9,000.
Right, our membership worktheir asses off To raise the

(02:55:02):
money and then give it away$9,000 for a bunch of people
that just like to grabhandlebars and ride motorcycles.
And it was to various thingscancer, kids, national home camp
, trotters, I mean, it was allkinds of shit we raise money for
.

Speaker 4 (02:55:20):
Aaron's helping hand or whatever.

Speaker 2 (02:55:23):
It was deployed, deployed service members right,
care packages, I mean it was allkinds of things we did and we
get.
We get that membership getsrecognized for and I don't want
to see it left in shambles.
But and the personal sacrificeto me, you know, I just couldn't
sustain it without having theguy behind me Right, get it and

(02:55:48):
understand it, because we do somuch and the post gets credit
for it, the district gets creditfor it.
Yeah, we get that, we get thepad on the back.
That only goes so far, you know.
I mean it really does.
So for me it was tough.
It was easy for me to leavebecause I knew I'm not moving to

(02:56:11):
Africa, so I could sit thereand help the next guy.

Speaker 4 (02:56:15):
I thought you were going to.

Speaker 2 (02:56:17):
Africa Depends on the government's looking for me or
not.
What I'm saying is you know, Imean it's it's one of those
things where it wasn't gonnafail Because I would still be
there to help make sure thingsmove forward.
But People probably didn'tunderstand everything I had to

(02:56:38):
do and You're throwing somebodyinto something that they don't
understand what's all involved,and they didn't want to set
somebody else up for failure.
So I got asked to stay again,almost begged to stay again by a
lot of people.
Yep, okay, I'll do it.
But my condition was the guybehind me has to be all in and I

(02:57:03):
had the conversation with Treyand he was all in and he's
proved every step of the way.
I know the group's gonna moveforward.
I know the group's in goodhands.

Speaker 4 (02:57:11):
So if you guys are confused about Trey, he's a
lemon typewriter, just so youknow From a previous podcast.
Yeah, a lemon typewriter.

Speaker 2 (02:57:19):
Yeah, for sure, but he gets it, he understands it,
does a great job.
He's immersed himself in it.

Speaker 4 (02:57:26):
Does a great job.

Speaker 2 (02:57:27):
I have absolutely zero qualms If I died tomorrow.
The group wouldn't even skip abeat If, like today no,
seriously like today we were outriding.
And if I got smoked by a semiand he had to take my spot, zero
problems, zero problems.

Speaker 4 (02:57:48):
We're not saying zero problems, but we would miss you
.

Speaker 2 (02:57:52):
Well, I'm not saying that.
What I'm saying is I don't feelthat because the group would be
.
Yeah, I don't feel the groupwould be at a detriment at all.
He's right.
You know, and the mission thatwe do, that membership does,
would not skip a beat.
You would still continue on.
I mean, I'm not saying therewouldn't be a lag because you

(02:58:12):
know morning or whatever, blah,blah, blah Bullshit.
What I'm saying is he wouldcontinue to move the group
forward, no different than I'mmoving the group forward.
He understands.

Speaker 4 (02:58:23):
Agreed.

Speaker 2 (02:58:24):
What we've been doing and where we need to go.
Agreed, he's all into it, butthe same extent.
You know, we're kind of ananomaly as far as an activity of
a VFW, as a riders group,because a lot of the riders
groups out there we have sevenin the department of Michigan,

(02:58:44):
oh yeah, seven right, and we'reprobably besides District Four
the ones that report theiractivities.
We're probably besides DistrictFour, which is made up of, you
know, 12 posts or whatever.
I'm an Ashery of guys fromdifferent places.
We're a single post.

(02:59:05):
We probably do more thanDistrict Four does or equal to
what District Four does.
We do a lot more things thathelp the VFW, not necessarily
monetarily but voluntarily.
We do like taking care of camptrotter, dock in, dock out,
cleanups, all these differentthings which are just as

(02:59:29):
important as throwing money atsomething, and to get from an
auxiliary member to a supportrider, which is not affiliated
with the VFW.
They're just people that loveto ride motorcycles.

Speaker 4 (02:59:44):
And they don't own, they don't have any affiliation,
they don't have any like.
I have to do that other thanthey ride motorcycles and they
love the VFW what Period?
And they show up in droves.

Speaker 2 (03:00:01):
And they show up in droves Drones to help out.
And they don't even need toAlways help out.
We almost get more support andI really hate to say this we
almost get more support out ofour support riders than we do
auxiliary VFW riders.
Absolutely, I agree with you andif you added the VFW membership
and the auxiliary membership,compared to the support it's

(03:00:24):
almost two to one.
You might have like 15 supportriders.
We have 30 VFW and pulsemembership.
We almost get as much supportout of the 15 support people
that have no affiliation otherthan the VFW, other than the
riders group.
Then we do a lot of Becausewhen we're doing something that
I called.

Speaker 4 (03:00:44):
I called a viper.
Yeah, I called a viper and say,hey, dude, can you do this?
Can you grab ice?
Can you do this?
Yep, not a problem, I'm on theway.
Grab 10 bags of ice.
We pay him out, obviously.

Speaker 2 (03:01:01):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 (03:01:03):
But he's like hey, viper, we got a bike broke down
because he's a mechanic Nowworld class, World.
I was gonna say Jam world classJeff.

Speaker 2 (03:01:16):
Lamar's world class.

Speaker 4 (03:01:18):
Not a mechanic, world class fucking mechanic.
This dude is the dog.
We have something going on atthe post where somebody's
vehicle breaks down.
Hey, viper, can you hook us up?
Yep, I'll be up, boom.

Speaker 2 (03:01:36):
And he no questions asked.
No question asked, right, noquestion asked.
Well, where I was trying to gois I don't feel like if I had to
step down tomorrow, the groupwould fail, and I want you to
feel the same way at district.
Don't feel bad that you wannabump yourself up and do
something more.

(03:01:57):
There'll be guys that will stepup to fill the shoes.
They haven't had the need to doit so that some people just
don't wanna do it because Idon't need to do it.
Now they have a need to do it.
They'll step up to do it, andit's not that they're not
capable of doing it.
They've never had the need todo it.

(03:02:18):
Now they're gonna have the needto do it, and you'll be
surprised that the guys that'llcome out of the woodwork to step
up to do it.

Speaker 4 (03:02:29):
I hope so.

Speaker 2 (03:02:30):
You will, because you have 12, 13 posts in your
district.
You'll get guys that'll get ohshit, he's gone and we have to
fill these spots up.
I'll throw my name in and I'llmake sure it happens Right.
They don't wanna see it faileither, just like the RIS group.
They don't wanna see it fail.
There's guys that will step up.
You know, when I said I'm done,step of the meeting, I'm done,

(03:02:52):
not doing it no more.
This year was terrible on me.
Blah, blah, blah, blah.
I gotta be done.
And how many people came out ofthe woodwork.
So if you need me, I'm there.
If you need me, what would Igotta do?
And it's a little bit differentbecause it's a lot more
commitment.
All the different rides and allthe different events and all
the different shit.
I mean it's a lot of shit.

(03:03:13):
I'm gonna get half of it takenoff my plate and that's huge for
me.
I mean I'm talking 30 eventsand I'm now down to 15.
That's huge.
You know it's huge.
And Tray's all in and you'llget the guys in the district
level.
That'll be all in.
You will be.
You'll be surprised.

(03:03:34):
I hope so.
And you know, you know me.
I told you last year, you knowand Scott Taylor decided to run
for junior.
I submitted a letter.
I couldn't be at the meetingand submit a letter.
I said I'll do it if it's gottabe done.
We're not gonna see it fail,especially younger guys.
Right, it's not gonna fail onmy watch.
It's not gonna fail with mygeneration.
This shit's been going on for125 fucking years.

Speaker 4 (03:03:55):
Pretty much, it ain't , it ain't, it ain't.

Speaker 2 (03:03:57):
Right, it's not gonna be my generation that ruins it.
We're just not gonna do it Justlike it's been that way.
50 years ago they went throughthe same turmoil, you know, a
guy wanted to bump up andanother guy you know no one
wanted to really do it becausethey had something going on.
But guess what?
They were still here becausethere was guys or women that
stepped up and said you knowwhat?
I might have sacrificed alittle bit, but it's not gonna

(03:04:21):
be my generation that ruins it.
Right, and they'll step up andmake it happen.
So you need to do what's bestfor you.
Let us worry about picking upthe sticks.
We're gonna.
We're gonna push it forward.
Don't, don't worry about it.
I'm glad to see that you're,you're improving yourself,
because that's what we need.

(03:04:41):
We need younger guys to step up, because I've had this
conversation, you know, as ayounger guy, and it sucks
because we're sitting down thereat midwinter.
I'm looking around at themeeting and I'm like I'm 45 and
I'm probably the youngest guy inthe room.
Yep, you know what I mean.
That's terrible to thinkthere's and I was like before

(03:05:06):
fucking Iraq and fuckingAfghanistan war.
I'm early 2000s that I got in,yeah, and I'm looking around
going how many youngermotherfuckers could be in this
room other than me?
And ain't nobody here.
And I'm the youngest guy, at 45.
Thinking to myself no offense, Ireally don't want another
Vietnam guy running the fuckingdepartment of Michigan.

(03:05:27):
That's not a knock on yak, it'snot gonna be a knock on
Kimberly as a golf war person.
Or knock on Ray as a golf warperson, not knocking on him.
Somebody has to step up.
And I get.
There's a shift in the way ourwomen are because, like my dad,
you get out of work, you go tothe moose and have a beer, go to
the Legion have a beer, go tothe post, have a beer before he

(03:05:51):
went home and dinner was readyat seven, because that's what it
was back then.
Nowadays I can remember I kindof my hand how many baseball
games my dad made.

Speaker 4 (03:06:03):
Right, mine too, because he was off doing all
that shit right.

Speaker 2 (03:06:07):
But if I were to miss my kid's game, or damned if I
wasn't home to cook dinner for anight, you know?

Speaker 1 (03:06:12):
when James was working and getting nails done
and doing whatever.

Speaker 2 (03:06:15):
like I get it, we're under a different set of rules
nowadays than it was 30 yearsago, 40 years ago, 50 years ago,
when the young guys at 30 or 20could stop up and do shit.
Now they've got familyobligations that if they're not
there, they're an asshole Right.
Or you know, mom's the veteran,but she's got to be home to

(03:06:35):
take care of the kids becausedad's doing whatever.
Like I get it.
We have different obligationsnowadays.
Not knocking on anybody oranything, it's just different
and it's hard to get youngpeople involved when there's a
culture shift.

Speaker 4 (03:06:55):
No, it is.
You're exactly right.

Speaker 2 (03:06:59):
I don't know what the fucking fix is.
I fucking don't you know.

Speaker 4 (03:07:06):
Arnold is the ROTC commander.
He is a senior vice in our post.
He is an Iraq veteran.
He's 50, 54.
He works every five years,fucking day, with combat
veterans.
There are the senior leaders ofthe ROTC, but they're not VFW

(03:07:33):
members.
Why is that?
And I've asked Arnold, why isthat?
Well, they don't want to join.
Okay, I can't argue with that,but you know, they're a
commander.

Speaker 1 (03:07:53):
They're a light commander.

Speaker 4 (03:07:55):
They're a staff sergeant.
They're a fucking sergeantmajor.
They're E7.
They all served in Iraq andthen they come back, and now
they're being ROTC instructors.
Yeah.

(03:08:16):
Why do you want to join?
Well, they don't want to join.
Student veterans of America howmany, charlie, I'm gonna throw
this how many fucking people inCMU that are student veterans of

(03:08:38):
America?
That has served in fuckingcombat?
How many?
You don't know that, but I'mguessing.
I'm guessing a whole fuckinglot 20?
.

Speaker 2 (03:08:54):
I have no idea if their membership's 100 or their
membership's 20, I don't know.

Speaker 4 (03:08:58):
Okay, if their membership is 500, I'm guessing
200 of them served in combat.

Speaker 2 (03:09:05):
Probably, or at least in theater.

Speaker 4 (03:09:08):
Yeah, and we can't get them to join.

Speaker 2 (03:09:14):
Right, but we're our own best kept secret.
True, and I was the same way,like I joined online.
That's the way we do thingsnowadays.
The younger generations right.
I joined online VFW Nationalbecause, one at mid-30s, I felt

(03:09:38):
that was something I should do.
Mm-hmm.
But I was afraid of walkinginto the pulse because I was
thinking it's my grandfather'sgeriatric gin joint.

Speaker 4 (03:09:48):
They're sitting around telling worst of me the
geriatric gin joint.
Yep, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (03:09:53):
Yep, yep.
So I understand it, I get it,and I don't know how we market
the service organizations anybetter.
Because here's the other issueTech in two parts.
A great example A new young guywalks in.

(03:10:15):
What's the first thing we do?
Put him to work, do this, dothat?
I'm gonna put you in charge ofthis, I'm gonna make you do that
.
I'm gonna make you do this orthat.
Right, right, right, right.
And you work them to fuckingdeath and they end up walking
out the door and never comingback Because it's fresh blood.
That ain't right.

Speaker 4 (03:10:36):
Absolutely so.

Speaker 2 (03:10:37):
Okay, so, and if you don't think young guys talk to
young guys and went in there,the first thing they do is put
me to fucking work.
I didn't even know what thefuck's going on.
I've been there fucking fourmonths and I'm the quartermaster
now.
What the fuck?
Yeah, you know, and I'm in myfucking elbows deep in bullshit.
And the second they can get outof it.

(03:10:57):
They get out of it.
They never walk through the dooragain and you never hear from
them again, because the secondthey walk through, you piled a
bunch of bullshit on thembecause you were tired of doing
it Right Rather than doing itthe right way.
You know what I mean, and Ihonestly think that's part of
the problem.
Probably no, I get you Okaywell, I just wanna make sure you

(03:11:22):
understand what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (03:11:24):
What I want everybody to understand is was it
clipping?

Speaker 2 (03:11:33):
No, it's not going.
Okay, when my formerquartermaster I'm gonna do that
when you say the name.

Speaker 4 (03:11:42):
Okay, former quartermaster decided to be done
.
I went with two parts becausehe was interested and he came up
and said how can I help?
I was like, hey, dude, I need aquartermaster.

Speaker 2 (03:12:04):
Did he even know, what that even meant?

Speaker 4 (03:12:06):
Well, I told him, I said you know you're gonna run
the books, it's gonna.
It's very time consuming, but Ibelieve that the quartermaster
we have right now has everythingin order.

(03:12:26):
So it's just, it's gonna be aneasy pass off.
He's like okay, I'll do it.
Okay, well, that didn't workfor him.
That didn't work for him itwasn't an easy pass off.
So now my quartermaster has aproblem Now with the other nerd

(03:12:48):
Tech.
He is a he's a typey guy, myadjutant, which basically is the
guy that takes minutes at themeetings Secretary.

Speaker 2 (03:13:00):
yeah.

Speaker 4 (03:13:00):
Secretary.
Yeah, you can call him whateveryou want.

Speaker 2 (03:13:04):
Pretty much what it is.

Speaker 4 (03:13:05):
Yep, pretty much what it is my old secretary.
I said Terry, terry, russell,how you doing he goes, I'm done,
I want, I want somebody else todo the adjutant job, okay, and
then Joe got involved and I waslike Joe, would you like to be

(03:13:28):
the adjutant, cause he'scomputer, he can do all this
bullshit by computer.

Speaker 2 (03:13:34):
That's the reason why our Facebook live is fucked up.

Speaker 4 (03:13:36):
Yeah, because of Joe because of Joe, but he, he did
it, I mean, and he jumped on itand he's relatively new.

Speaker 2 (03:13:47):
Straight away our website.

Speaker 4 (03:13:50):
He had squared away.
Our website, joe Joe rocks.

Speaker 2 (03:13:56):
There's no no, no, no complaints on either side, I'll
.
I'll make.
I was trying to get at it andyou guys walk son.

Speaker 4 (03:14:04):
And then you throw.
First thing we do is put themto work.
You throw a bunch of bullshitout.
That's not that's not the wayit should be.

Speaker 2 (03:14:11):
And then what they do is they get overwhelmed and
they walk out the door and theycome back and they say, fuck
this, I'm done.
And that's the unfortunate part, yep, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (03:14:21):
Thankfully, we have two dudes yes, and I don't call
people dudes unless you're JasonNickerson.
You're my point man, you'regoing to lead me through combat.
We have two dudes right nowthat are rocking out, and that's
Bretton and that is.

Speaker 1 (03:14:41):
Joe.

Speaker 4 (03:14:41):
Gates, yep, two dudes , I agree.

Speaker 2 (03:14:44):
They're my dudes, so I agree.

Speaker 4 (03:14:48):
But anyway.

Speaker 2 (03:14:50):
Wow, we, we struggle with the same thing.
Every post struggles with Yep.
You know you're looking at.
You know, claire, they got aquarter master and a post
grander that rotate every otheryear.
They don't have anybody else tostep up.
Right.
You know, and they're alwaysgood with membership, they
always have lots of people, butit's always a tough thing to get

(03:15:12):
somebody else to volunteer abunch of personal time to deal
with stuff.
Yeah, and that's that's.
The unfortunate part is, thesepositions are never paid, you
know.
So if you're the postman andyou have to attend quarterly
meetings on a Sunday, and youknow, or you got to make a
convention or a conferencebecause that's your job, and now

(03:15:35):
you got hotels and travelexpenses and food and all kinds
of things.
I mean you know we go down tothe VOD and it's a four or $500
a weekend Right Can be, andthat's just one thing.
And now I got to do it threetimes a year.
It's 1500 bucks.
And now I got to make theseother things and it's another
you know day and another bunchof money and a bunch of you know

(03:15:55):
.
So it's.
It's tough when you're avolunteer organization.
I have no idea what thesolution always is either.
You know, I mean I couldn'ttell you how much money I spent
in fuel and time and indonations to rides or anything
else that I did over the summer.
You know, I mean I would betyou, if you're going to be the

(03:16:17):
president of our riders group,you better expect two grand
coming out of your pocket.
Oh yeah, and you should probablyexpect 100 hours worth of your
time.
Yeah, pretty easy, pretty easy.
So about, once again it's avolunteer organization that does
a lot of good, so the time, themoney, is well spent because

(03:16:42):
it's serving a bigger purpose,and that's what we did when we
were serving in the militaryit's the bigger purpose, doesn't
matter if you're a police fireor you're a police officer.

Speaker 4 (03:16:52):
Not about us.

Speaker 2 (03:16:53):
No, but once again, some people are more fortunate
than other people when you havethe time or the resources to be
able to spend or do.
Retired.
Well, right, but once again,though, here's the issue with me
being a younger member.

Speaker 4 (03:17:11):
A sexy younger member .

Speaker 2 (03:17:13):
It's nice to see.
It's nice to see younger peoplein leadership positions,
leading you.
And that's not a knock on theolder membership.
Everybody's had a time and aplace and everybody's got their
ideas.
Nobody's knocking on thosethings.
But you know, I said thisbefore, especially at our posts

(03:17:36):
to the older members we don'tpick the phone up off the
kitchen wall with the curly cordanymore.
We're not saying answering thephone is wrong, we just do it
differently.
Nowadays it's the cell phone inour pocket, back pocket,

(03:17:58):
whatever.
We're still answering the phone, we're still talking to
somebody.
Live the phone calls.
Not wrong, we just do thingsdifferently.
We're not.
Because I think all too oftenand Tim will agree that if a
younger guy comes in or ayounger woman comes in with a

(03:18:22):
different idea, it's well,you're just telling me I'm doing
things or we've been doingthings wrong all these years.
No, that's not it.
We do things different.
I mean we have quartermastersout there which is like the
accountant for the post.
They still have a ledger wherethey write every check or every
deposit or every withdrawal,like in a checkbook register.

(03:18:44):
Nowadays we do things on thecomputer, you know.
So you're using QuickBooks orusing whatever to do your
accounting stuff.
We're not saying that keepingthe track of the money is wrong,
obviously it's right, we justdo it different.
Just like the telephone.
We don't answer it on thekitchen wall anymore, with the
curly queue, you know.

(03:19:05):
And if you were high speed backin the day, right, you had the
cordless phone, but we don'tanswer the phone that way
anymore.
We all have cell phones.
So we still talk on the phone,we still do the things we have
to do, we just do it differently, right, and sometimes it's hard
to get through to the olderguys.
We've done it this way for ahundred years.
Well, we're still doing it.

(03:19:26):
We're just doing it different.
We're still doing the samething, we just do it different.
And it's hard sometimes to getthat across to people.
I mean, I'm not saying I'mright, wrong, but you know, if
you want to get younger peopleinvolved, we have to get up with
technology, right.
You have to get the creators,you have to get the internet,
you have to get things different.
You know, and we're blessed atour post, we're able to do that

(03:19:51):
stuff right.
We have canteen, we have darts,we have events, we have stuff
going on all the time.
We're not as blessed as theDetroiters but have a million
members sitting five miles away.
We're in the middle of Michigan, you know.
So we have to be creative onhow we make our money and how we
pay our bills.
They don't have to get creativeright.

(03:20:13):
They do a burger night.
They get 600 people off thedoor.
We do a burger night we get sixpeople off the door.
So what they do down theredoesn't work for us.
You know they're blessed, theycan do anything and make money.
We have to be creative with it.
But same extent.
You know, answer the phone's.
Answer the phone and sometimesthe older generation is a little

(03:20:35):
bit tougher, but we've got alot of, we have a lot of good
ones in our posts.
They buy into what the youngerhas got.
Young guys want to do yeah, andthey even say my time has
passed, it's your turn the eaglethe eagle.
My time has passed, it's yourturn.

Speaker 4 (03:20:50):
Eagle, that's great.
Terry and Satsio.
He tells me all the time mytime has came and gone and I'm
going to support you guysbecause now it's your time.
Yep, and you got to love him,but the one thing's that doesn't

(03:21:10):
happen very often.
No, because normally the oldguys they don't want to hold on
to it and fucking die.
Yeah, they don't want to donothing.

Speaker 2 (03:21:19):
Well, but they don't want to change.

Speaker 4 (03:21:20):
Yes, they don't want to change.

Speaker 2 (03:21:21):
Just, typically, older people don't like my dad.
My dad's a creature habit, dude.
He gets up at six o'clock, hehas a cup of coffee, he has
breakfast, he walks the dog, hecomes home for lunch.

Speaker 4 (03:21:31):
He does this.
He does this.

Speaker 2 (03:21:32):
He's a creature, like if he has a doctor's
appointment and it's time towalk the dog, he freaks out.
I walk the dog from eight tonine.
I have an eight.
I have a doctor's appointment.
He'll fucking tell the doctorno, no, no, I can't be here till
9.30.
I walk the dog from eight tonine.
Yeah.
I can be here at 9.30.
He'll fuck his whole day up.
Yeah, if you change somethingand that's honest to God.

Speaker 4 (03:21:55):
Yep and, like Charlie said, with the leadership you
know you want to see younger.
You got Ray Lopez.
Sorry, who's younger?
Sorry, commander Lopez, 55years old.
You got Junior Vice or SeniorVice, kimberly Napoleon say

(03:22:19):
they've been 50, 50, 55, 56.
Then you got Yonka Yonka, juniorVice, yonka Vietnam era, 60, 63
, 64, 65, whatever.
Okay, but a lot of this is RayLopez still works.

(03:22:44):
He works at GM or Ford Ford.
He still works.
So he works and he's trying to.
He's trying to shuffle hisfamily because he's got a little
two year old little boy andBenny Benjamin.
Benjamin, I love you, youlittle critter he was he was so

(03:23:06):
great.
Yeah, yeah, he's got abeautiful wife, natalie.

Speaker 2 (03:23:11):
He was the same.
Natalie Put up with him.
Yeah, as a jarhead.

Speaker 4 (03:23:15):
Yep, if you can put up with a jarhead, natalie, I
love you.
So so they have.
They have this.
But he's working.
Kimberly, I don't he retires.

Speaker 2 (03:23:29):
He actually retired.
He told me commander Lopez toldme he's retiring in April or
May, april, april, may.

Speaker 4 (03:23:37):
But that's hard to do , that's hard to be the
department commander, and that'shard to be the department
commander and work and be ahusband, and be a husband and a
father, yeah, okay.
So then you get Kimberly.
I don't know what Kimberly'ssituation is, but Yacca is a
retired dude.

(03:23:58):
He's a Vietnam vet, so he hasall the time in the world.
And with what Charlie's sayingis, there's not a lot of 55 year
old men, women or otherwise,that are retired at 55.

(03:24:19):
Like I am, I am because I get100% disability from the VA.
I'm 57, okay, so most peoplecan't even try to run through
the chairs until they're retired, which is 62, 63.

(03:24:42):
Depends, yeah.
However, that works, yeah.
So the younger people arelooking at, okay, who am I gonna
follow, like Kimberly and RayGulf War or Desert Storm, desert

(03:25:02):
Storm, yacca.

Speaker 2 (03:25:05):
Vietnam, the only thing I will tell you as a
younger member, so I will speakfor every motherfucker out there
.
Please do, because that's whatI'm gonna do.

Speaker 4 (03:25:18):
Okay, please do.

Speaker 2 (03:25:19):
The difference is that we're blessed at our post
If the senior leadership for theDepartment of Michigan District
your post accepts, understandsand talks to you about your
opinion and takes it at leastinto consideration.

(03:25:39):
I'm not saying you have to gowith it, but you have to
understand what we're talkingabout the lower level.
Yeah.
So if I'm a post member and Icome to whatever, or I'm at the
department, if I decide to moveup whatever, I say, hey, guys,
we need to do this.
This is what's gonna bring themembership up.

(03:26:01):
This is what we need to doBecause this is what the younger
veterans that are eligible forus need or want.
At least listen to it, right,absolutely, because I'm talking
from my generation, yourgeneration's.
Good, you know what I mean.

(03:26:22):
You guys, you understand whereyou're coming from.
At least understand where I'mcoming from, because I'm that
person, Right.
So I'll speak for my generationof veterans at the VFW.
You speak for yours.
That's great, right, I'm notgonna knock on you, but if

(03:26:43):
there's a way to go get us orget us involved or get us to
join or anything else, Moremembers, at least listen to what
I'm saying, because why would Ibullshit you, why would I tell
you something that's wrong?
Right, if this is what got mehere, and this is what I know I
would want to get here, take itas almost gospel, because if you

(03:27:06):
don't, you're only hurtingourselves.

Speaker 4 (03:27:09):
You're hurting our organization because we're
losing membership.

Speaker 2 (03:27:13):
But some of it is, and I 100% agree with you, Rat.
It's tough.
There's very few of us thatcould sit in a spot, Work wise,
family wise, like my youngestjust turned 18, he's shipping
out my five months to boot camp.
Jen and I are just about emptynesters, Right.

(03:27:34):
He has a job, he goes to school, he hangs out with his buddies.
We hardly see him.
He's at that age, he's 18.
Just not even graduate highschool yet just turned 18.
So we're at that stage whereit's easier for me now to step
up and do things, because Idon't have the littles at home
where I'm doing the baseballgames, the football games, the

(03:27:56):
soccer matches, the swim meetsor whatever.

Speaker 3 (03:27:58):
Right.

Speaker 2 (03:27:59):
But at the same extent I'm getting my freedom.
So where do I want to spend myfreedom time?
For sure it's taking my wife onvacation or going out date
night or doing whatever.
Probably the VFW is gonna be avery close second to that,
because she understands where mypassion's at and I get lucky

(03:28:24):
because she's crazy supportive.
She's awesome.
Why are we on the podcasttonight?

Speaker 4 (03:28:28):
Hey, jen, you are awesome, I love you.
And three and a half hours,yeah, jen is awesome.
Your wife is awesome.
She's an awesome woman and I'mblessed.
You are blessed.

Speaker 2 (03:28:39):
I'm just like Commander Lopez is blessed with
Natalie, with.
Natalie yes, how much shit doesshe have to deal with with him
on the phone and travelingweekends and doing this and
going to this event.

Speaker 4 (03:28:50):
Past past department commander John Griffin with
Chris, With Chris, yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:28:54):
With Chris, but she's also she's also crazy active
with the Agilers.

Speaker 4 (03:28:58):
Yes, One for garden.
All the different things You'reblessed you gotta have the
families to support.

Speaker 2 (03:29:03):
You have to have it.
So it's tough for the young guy, right, if they're, if they're
spouse, man, women, whatever itis, it's a spouse.
Well, because you could have wehave a lot of female
post-members.
I get it.
I get it.
And if their spouse isn't, theyhave to understand.

(03:29:25):
Yeah, if this is her passion,this is what she wants to do and
it's not the husband's passion,yeah, but my sister did it
Cause my, my brother-in-law, wasso involved in the city of
Mount Pleasant.
He was on like city commissionfor like 20 years, he was mayor
for like five.
So it's meetings and it's thisand it's that he was marrying

(03:29:47):
people and he was doing allkinds of shit all the time and
my sister had to realize, hey,this is my husband's passion.
I'm gonna support him, yep.
However, I had to, even if he'sgone, or we have to go do this
or we have to go do that.
She was supportive of himbecause that was his passion.
Same thing with me, right?

(03:30:07):
So VFW American Legion,remember both.
If this is what we need to do,you know I'm taking days off
work.
I'm Blasquez, my businesspartners like never complains.
Well.
I'm a fuck.
Resistant Florida for four days.
Just got back today in theoffice.
But guess what you think I'mgonna say nothing?
No, because we had to go movethe war memorials.

Speaker 4 (03:30:29):
That's right.
On Friday we're going on.
That's right.
We rocked that shit and hedidn't say a word.
Who do you think he said a wordafter and out?
He didn't say a fucking word.

Speaker 2 (03:30:35):
He didn't say a word today.
He didn't say nothing.
You know we're out having lunchand we're hanging out, we're
talking about stuff coming uptonight, right right, he doesn't
say a word.
But you know what?
He supports it because heunderstands what's passionate to
me.
As long as the business getsdone Same thing with Jen.
As long as things are gettingdone at home, the kids are
taking care of business andbeing taken care of, she'll

(03:30:58):
support me 100%.
Yep, that's the partnership,that's the team we tried to
build.
The same thing in the writers'group.
It's about the team.
Our small team supports thepost, which our small team
supports.
The post supports the district.
Our small team supports thepost, the district, the
department.

(03:31:18):
Our small team supports thepost, the district, department
and national.
Yeah.
Right.
So it all flows uphill and youhave to have the support at home
because these are your passionsand if it's something that
makes you happy to do, do it.
But it's tough because there'svery few of us younger guys that

(03:31:39):
have the freedoms.
That's right.

Speaker 4 (03:31:43):
I'm very blessed with it.
You are blessed because thereare a lot of younger guys.
I get it.
They gotta be with the kids,they gotta be.

Speaker 2 (03:31:52):
Well.
This is why, before I go back,I can count on one hand how many
I was an all-star team baseball, played football.
I can count on one hand howmany games my dad made Me too,
Because he was off running withthe moose and all these other
things that he was involved inbusiness-wise.
Right, he did a deal where itwas like a speech club Yep, the

(03:32:13):
thing I get.
I'm a toast master, so I thinkit was called back in the day
You'd have to write a speech andthey travel all over the place
and give speeches and get gradedand all these things.
Because he wasn't a greatpublic speaker.
I'm not either.
Like, if I get up, like no waycould I be Mr Derek, get up
there and read my essay Mr Derek.
No way could I do that.

Speaker 4 (03:32:34):
Mr Derek, we love you .
You did a great job, man yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:32:39):
And this kid's like 12.
And I'm 45.
I couldn't do Seven great sevengreater, I couldn't do what he
did.
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (03:32:48):
And he didn't miss a beat he did not miss a beat.

Speaker 2 (03:32:52):
No in front of 300 people.
I couldn't do that I don't likedoing it Me either, like
getting up in front of thedistrict and getting on the
Ryder's Group.
These are all my brothers, youknow what I mean.
And this kid's getting up infront of 300 strangers.

Speaker 4 (03:33:04):
That he doesn't even fucking know, that's why they're
strangers to him.

Speaker 2 (03:33:08):
Yeah, because he doesn't know them.
Oh, that's true.
So there you go.
So you hear what I'm saying.
So, like, so my dad was doingall these things to better
himself, you know, and it wasall good.
We went on the trips and didstuff with him too, you know.
Yeah, my mom was crazysupportive of it.
But it takes that, and I thinkthere's a culture shift between

(03:33:30):
you know, my parents, theVietnam era people, and then me
and my wife.
And then the new.
Nowadays, you know if you missedyour kid's basketball game,
your shitty dad or your shittymom or whatever you know.
So there's differences nowadays.
You know, where you know my dadwould go out and do whatever

(03:33:51):
and mom was cool with it, andmom and I would do shit with her
girlfriends.
Dad was cool with it.
Nowadays it's like who are youwith and what are you doing and
why aren't you home and why is?

Speaker 4 (03:34:00):
my dad and why are you watching Charlie?
Why are you watching Charliedribble the ball off his foot?

Speaker 2 (03:34:06):
I don't play basketball by any means, but you
understand what I'm saying.
So there's just a differentculture shift.
Yeah.
Nowadays to back in the 50s,60s, 70s, when we have a lot of
our leadership doing things, andI 100% agree.
You need to be retired, youneed to have the opportunity of
the time to do things and it'stough on a young member nowadays

(03:34:31):
to have that freedom to do itLike I could 100%.

Speaker 4 (03:34:38):
If I wanted to, I could throw my hat in to be
Department of Junior Vice.
Could, because I am retired.
Um, I've worked at the VFW as abar manager, but I can.
My schedule is floating orwhatever you want to call it.

(03:35:02):
I could 100% do that, but I100% don't want to do that right
now.

Speaker 2 (03:35:12):
So we're using my phone as live right now and I
could pull up four differentcalendars and I can't hardly
tell you what I'm doing tomorrow, because I have my work
calendar.
I have a family calendar that'sgot both kids in it.
The white calendar, I have theone with just me and Janet.

(03:35:32):
I got a personal calendar formy personal shit, like when I
get a haircut or do whatever.
I go down to get my pedicure.
I got my personal shit I do init.

Speaker 4 (03:35:42):
I can take care of your toes.

Speaker 2 (03:35:44):
And when you want to clip them.
I will chop them, motherfuckers.
How's your foot massages?

Speaker 4 (03:35:50):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:35:51):
Well, I don't know.
Then you're not doing it.
All I'm saying is at the end ofthe day, when someone's like
hey, what are you doing nextTuesday?

Speaker 4 (03:35:59):
I don't know, Let me check my calendar, because I
have no idea, you have no idea.

Speaker 2 (03:36:04):
You know, and then sometimes I'm like, well, it's
free, but let me check with thewife to make sure she doesn't
have something she just didn'tput in the calendar yet.
And we make, you know like ourson pretty much runs his own
life and the only thing we tellhim is put when you work in the
calendar so we know you'reworking and when we do that we

(03:36:25):
know you're kind of free, yeah,you know what I mean.
So if you want to go out todinner with you or you know like
, I know like when I get homes,I get home a lot of times before
Jen, so I make dinner, am Imaking for two or three mistakes
?
So I need to get out tomorrow,or how many pork chops or
whatever I'm making?
You know what I mean, becausewe're all.
I mean I'm lucky to get onenight a week at home Because,

(03:36:51):
let me put it this way, I hadDart League Monday.
Tuesday I was home, so we didstakes last night, tonight
podcast.
Tomorrow night Andy's got hisNational Technical Honor Society
Award ceremony at high school.
Friday I got the 50-50 fordarts.

(03:37:11):
So Monday through Friday, howmany days did I get home?
One One.
So I have no idea how otherparents do it too.
We're running and I'm my freenight she's shooting darts
tonight for my sister with ElisaBeale tonight and here I am

(03:37:33):
doing the podcast stuff.
So like we start setting stuffup and I'm like, well, I'm good
this day or this night orwhatever.
It's tough.
And then on the weekends it'slike there's always something
that's going to go on that wedon't know about, whereas we're
doing laundry all day Saturdaycleaning the house, and Sunday
we're going to try and do afamily dinner or something,

(03:37:53):
because we're all togetherfinally for one night.
It's just crazy tough and I'veonly got one kid at 18 years old
, but our nights are packed fullof stuff.

Speaker 4 (03:38:04):
And my nights are like Sunday Fuck this, I don't
want to be home.
Go to the bar, because I hatebeing home alone.
Monday, I'm going to go to thepost for a little while and
we'll watch Charlie throw darts,and then I'm going to the

(03:38:26):
fucking bar.

Speaker 2 (03:38:27):
We're in the finals.
Monday for the Vegas trip.
Baby, we're back again.

Speaker 4 (03:38:31):
Tuesday is kind of my day off, but I got to go to the
post and I hate it because Igot to get a couple of things
done.
And then I surprise, surprise,I am going to the fucking bar
because I hate being home alone.
Wednesday, wednesday, myfucking Charlie calls me up and

(03:38:54):
says we're getting your Januaryride.
So now I have to be a bulldozerand I have to un fucking shovel
the fucking thing so I can get,so I can liberate my bike from
the backyard of the post, andthen we go and we always got the
podcast.

Speaker 2 (03:39:15):
Well, that's what I'm trying to say.
We're all busy this is wherethe struggle is with the
leadership of the VFW medicallegion Zambia.
Anywhere else, we're volunteerorganizations.
Nobody's getting paid to dopost commander, down to Sergeant
Ironfield.

Speaker 4 (03:39:34):
Anybody.

Speaker 2 (03:39:37):
So how much time can you give Consistently?
It's a struggle and as whenyoung guys come in and they see
everything being ran by the oldguys, they're like, oh, I'm
going to change.
Well, it's a tough mindset tochange is Okay.
If you want to run the show,how much time do you have to

(03:39:58):
give?
Well, I can only do this.
Like me, I have to check myschedule to see what I have for
time.
They're all the same, same boatand it's hard to change their
mindset to of.
You only got so much time, andthe time that you can give
consistently is not enough to dothe job Right.

(03:40:18):
So you know, when we have anevent going on at the poster in
the weekend and I don't show upto it, it's not because I don't
want to be there or gender to bethere.

Speaker 4 (03:40:29):
You have other things to do.

Speaker 2 (03:40:31):
We're trying to do shit on the weekend, if we have
a day to get ready for the nextweek, because we don't have a
free night.

Speaker 4 (03:40:38):
Right?
No, absolutely.

Speaker 2 (03:40:41):
I'm lucky to have one free night at home a week,
absolutely.

Speaker 4 (03:40:44):
Like, when I go to these conferences went to the
conference, right.
You know how many phone calls Igot.
Hey, what's up?
I'm like I'm in conference,what's up?
Well, we're out of this.
Well then, go to the store andget it.
Oh well, this happened.

(03:41:04):
Well, fix it.

Speaker 2 (03:41:07):
I'm how many times are you and I out Having lunch
or riding?
What am I doing all day?
Checking emails.
Yeah, because you're takingbusiness calls your dudes is
yeah, I'm taking business callsconstantly.
Yeah, all the time.
Yeah, and that's okay.
My job affords me to workremote, but if I'm having fun

(03:41:31):
I'm still working, right, ladyJen had to figure it out the
hard way.
First couple of three years I'mbeing an owner, mm.
Hmm, we're on vacation, thelaptop's going.

Speaker 4 (03:41:42):
Oh yeah, my bag's going.
She's like, well, what the fuckis this?
And you're like, hey.

Speaker 2 (03:41:48):
She might have to take the kids to the beach, and
I'm bidding the job or I'mmanaging the job.

Speaker 4 (03:41:53):
And.

Speaker 2 (03:41:54):
I'm, you know, covid.
I'm down there with a laptopand I'm on a Zoom meeting for a
project we had still goingbecause it was deemed essential,
yeah, and they're like, I seepalm trees, what the fuck?
I'm like we're at a condo inSouth Carolina, right, you're
like what the fuck?
I'm like, well, we own themotherfucker.
So we came down here.

(03:42:14):
It's 75 degrees down here.
It's 30 in Michigan.
Yeah, you're like what the fuck.
And I'm like, well, guess what?
It's 11 o'clock.
I'm not on the golf course,right, I'm in the meeting, right
, that's what we do.
Well, my vacations have neverreally been vacations.
They're always workingvacations.

Speaker 4 (03:42:32):
That's what you get for being an owner.

Speaker 2 (03:42:35):
And we were in Vegas for Darts last year when John
and I won the trip and Alisaunfortunately they're three
Vegas is like three hours behindhere, so she's getting up at
like four in the fucking morningin the bathroom working,
working, Shut up, Like four amVegas time, seven am back here

(03:42:58):
in Michigan and she's working.
Yeah, she's sitting in thebathroom on the floor with her
laptop and her earphones on anda microphone working, while
we're all still sleeping in theroom because we had to share a
room, right, right?

Speaker 4 (03:43:13):
Shut the fuck up.

Speaker 2 (03:43:14):
Seriously, she did it like four days in a row she had
to work, usually the other shetakes a bunch of PTO, you know,
or whatever.
So it was like we're not doinganything till noon anyway.
So she might as well get herwhole day in, you know, from
four am to noon.
She just worked through herlunch hour or whatever and be
done, and then we could go outat noon and do whatever.

(03:43:37):
Yeah, she's sitting in thefucking bathroom working, you
know, or we'd be down in thedark room shooting in the
tournament.
She might be kind of finishingup her day or whatever.
But yeah, so those are just theresponsibilities we have to do.
Even if you're on vacation,you're still working.
And it was impressive that shecould do it because, you know,

(03:43:59):
when you're three hours behind,it's midnight.
Out there it's 9 am or 9 pm.
Back here it's 3 am.
We're still going.
It's midnight.
I'm in bed, dude.
I'm 45 years old.
I'm in the office at five.

Speaker 4 (03:44:11):
Because you're old fucker.

Speaker 2 (03:44:12):
I'm in the office at 5 30 am.
If my guys are on the roadgoing to a job site or doing
something, I'm up.
If they've got something, theyneed something, I'm on.
I'm up or I roll in here to theshop.
They see me rolling in rightbehind them.
Right, I don't have to be heretill 8 am.
I'm here at 5 30.
Right, because you're you'rethere working.

Speaker 4 (03:44:34):
I'm working, you're making it.
It's an example to the guys.
You're absolutely it's.
You're setting the example.
Well, if they're working, I'mworking.

Speaker 2 (03:44:44):
It's always what I try to instill which is, I think
, a positive, but at the sameextent, yeah, it's tough.
You know what I mean, becausewhen I travel, these guys go on
vacation, they take two weeksand they go somewhere Cancun,
jamaica, whatever the fuck theydon't, they don't have to work,

(03:45:05):
okay.

Speaker 4 (03:45:07):
So, charlie for this, because it's that time.

Speaker 2 (03:45:14):
It's done, that time it's time.

Speaker 4 (03:45:16):
Oh man, I was trying to find, Trying to find.
Oh glory, because I was goingto say it.

Speaker 2 (03:45:24):
Don't say it, we'll do it on the next one, okay.

Speaker 4 (03:45:27):
So, hey, sports fans, it's awesome to have you, it's
always awesome to have you.
Okay, keep listening, keepenjoying us, keep giving us some
feedback, keep giving us somestuff, because we're always

(03:45:49):
going to, we're going to gothere, we're going to go in the
deep, dark places that you don'ttalk about at parties.
That's it, because that's whatwe do.
But we love you and we want youto keep listening to us, and
this went a little longer thanwe thought it was going to be,

(03:46:11):
because we thought it was goingto be a shorty.
We're going to talk about thelions and we're going to talk
about the VOD, and then,obviously, me and Charlie can't
shut up, so we just continue tomarch.
But you guys have a nice night,sleep well and we're out.

Speaker 1 (03:46:42):
Thank you for joining us at Soup Sandwich, a podcast
that explores the complex andcompelling world of veterans in
the United States.
Through interviews withveterans themselves, military
experts and advocates, we'lldive deep into the issues that
matter most to this community,from mental health and
employment to the history of theUS military, the future of
military service and everythingin between.

(03:47:03):
Whether you're a veteranyourself, a spouse or family
member of a veteran, or simplyinterested in learning more
about this community, thispodcast is for you.
So come with us on a journeyinto the heart of the veteran
experience and discover thestories, struggles and triumphs
that have shaped our nation'sbrave after they've returned
home.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

The Breakfast Club

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Plays of Principle: The Veteran's Journey in Sports and Service

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Stuff You Should Know

Dateline NBC

The Breakfast Club

All Episodes

Plays of Principle: The Veteran's Journey in Sports and Service

Stuff You Should Know