Jim Miller on ESPN, Pat McAfee & Aaron Rodgers

Episode 478 of "SI Media with Jimmy Traina" features a conversation with author, reporter and journalist, James Andrew Miller.
Miller, who literally wrote the book on ESPN, pulls back the curtain on Pat McAfee's on-air claim that executive Norby Williamson is trying to sabotage his show and leaking information to the press.
Miller also weighs in on the Aaron Rodgers-Jimmy Kimmel feud and the "Pat McAfee Show's" role in the drama and who made the decision to discontinue Rodgers' appearances on the show during the NFL playoffs.
In addition, Miller also discusses the return (and series end) of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on Feb. 4 as well as the 25th anniversary of "The Sopranos."
Following Miller, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins Jimmy for their weekly "Traina Thoughts" segment. This week, Jimmy and Sal talk about wild-card weekend, the Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game only being available on Peacock and much more

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome everyone to SI Media with Jimmy traina. Thank you
so much for listening. We have one of our regulars,
James Andrew Miller on the show this week. He of
course wrote the book on ESPN and wrote a book
about HBO. So Jim is going to come on and
discuss the entire insanity of the week at ESPN, with

(00:27):
Pat McAfee calling out executive Norby Williamson for leaking things
and sabotaging a show. Then we have the whole Pat
McAfee Aaron Rodgers situation at ESPN. It's the twenty fifth
anniversary of the Sopranos this week. Kurby Your Enthusiasm comes
back February fourth, So that is the entire conversation with
Jim Miller, who knows all of those topics better than anyone.

(00:50):
And then following, Jim Salakota joins me for our weekly
Train of Thoughts segment. I know a lot of you
are into Sal's house hunting, so he gives us a
big update and then we go through the NFL play
games and discuss some other things. So that is this
week's show, and we'll get to it in a sec.
Before do get to it, just a reminder if you
missed any past episodes of SI Media with Jimmy Train
and going to the archives check them out, subscribe to

(01:12):
the podcast, leave a review on Apple. Subscribing and leaving
a review helps tremendously And if you guys can do that,
I would appreciate it. All right, let's get to this
week's show now, Jim Miller followed by train of thoughts
in Salakata, all right here, right now on SI Media
with Jimmy Trent all right joining me. Now. Not a

(01:32):
better guest to have on this week, given the drama
at ESPN, the anniversary of the Sopranos, and the upcoming
final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. He wrote books on
ESPN and wrote books on HBO, and he's a regular
on this podcast. Author writer, journalist Jim Andrew Miller Jim,

(01:53):
how are you good man?

Speaker 2 (01:54):
How you doing? Thanks for having me good?

Speaker 1 (01:56):
And I won't say Happy New Year because Larry said
this January that's the deadline, dude, January third, according to Larry. Yeah, Now,
I'd love to just talk about the Sopranos and Curb,
but all hell has broken loose at the Worldwide Leader.
So let's uh. Let's discuss that first.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
In the the morning after the National Championship, two days
after Week eighteen, and in the days leading up to
the NFL playoffs. The two words you don't want to
hear on your ESPN show are doctor Fauci.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
I haven't heard that name in ages too. Let me, well,
let me start by saying this, because maybe you can
appreciate this. Let me start at the top by giving
a shout out to Josh Krulowitz, because Josh is a
PR person at ESPN, who right right, I guess mid

(02:56):
to late December got a promotion Lapaca, who's there forever
a very nice guy. Dealt with him, great guy, he's
no longer at ESPN. Josh Krulowitz, who's been at ESPN
a long time. And I've had no problems with either
of those guys. I know there's a lot of you know,
theories out there that like people who do what I
do and PR people battle and there are some who

(03:16):
are not great, But those two guys are both great.
And Josh Krulowitz got a promotion, like I said, mid
or late December to become like the top PR person yep.
And the look at his first couple of weeks on
the job. Can you believe it?

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Poor Josh, Well, you might as well get used to
it because its history always has this way of you know,
when things are too calm, you just turn the egg
timer over and something's bound to happen.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
But this seems a little This seems even more intense
than you.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
I mean.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
And here's the funny thing that ESPN's getting great ratings
for the NFL and Monday Night Football, great ratings for
college football, and then there's all this side drama, which
I think is overblown. But let me start with this
on that before we get into what happened and all that.
What are you hearing You're plugged in, you have a
million sources, you know, people inside of Bristol. What are

(04:16):
you hearing from the rank and file at ESPN about this?
Are people embarrassed? Are people jealous that McAfee could get
away with calling out an executive in Norby Williamson. I
know there's a lot of people who are happy that
McAfee called out Norby Williamson. What are you hearing from
the people at ESPN about the past week?

Speaker 2 (04:35):
I mean, look, I think first of all, ESPN is
a big place, right and so anytime, I mean, you
can go back to playmakers, you can go back to
barstool sports. I mean, there's always stuff that's happening in
ESPN where there's a group inside that thinks that this
is ridiculous or it shouldn't be done in there against it.

(04:56):
I think that you have to realize that a lot
of people inside, even if they disagree with what ultimately
is decided by the company, they either shut their mouths
or they just bitch about it at the cafeteria. They
don't go public with it. They don't leak things, although
that's happened in the best right. So I think that

(05:17):
right now what people are saying inside is it's kind
of like what you just suggested, which is that there's
so much good news and there's so much disruption going
on in their core business approach or whatever. That to
be sitting around talking about Jeffrey Epstein and doctor Fauci

(05:38):
and Aaron Rodgers at this point is like, Wow, how
did this happen? But it happened because they got a
great property in PAT. And whether or not you're a
fan of PAT or not, you have to understand you
can appreciate the fact that he's been enormously successful, he's
got a big following, they paid him a lot of money,
and you know, this is what happened, and you know,

(06:01):
it's like you got to take the bad with the good.
And I think everybody's kind of like, right now, it's
over it, over it. I think this morning at announced
Aaron's not going to be coming on the show for
the rest of the NFL and that's not surprising given
yesterday's unfortunate sequence, you know. I mean, one of the

(06:23):
things that you've got to realize also is that people
inside ESPN are like, when you're planning a show, even
if you're going to give Aaron Rodgers carte blanche to
say whatever he wants, you got to like, dude, we
don't want to do half an hour of that, and
we don't want to go deep into immunization and virology

(06:43):
and everything else. Let's let's try and you know, strategize
about what this appearance is going to be like. But
evidently that wasn't That wasn't either the nature of the
agreement or that's not how they handle it. But I
don't think anybody walked away from yesterday appearance by Aaron
thinking Okay, this is great, this is what this show

(07:05):
and this is what ESPN needs. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
See, I don't know if I always believe that just
because I mean, listen, people are pissed off if they're
anti Aaron Rodgers about what he said and did it,
you know, like you said, fauci in the core. But
like the attention that that McAfee spot gets is off
the charts. I mean, I think a lot of places
would kill for that. They maybe Espana. I don't know.

(07:31):
I'm so cynical. I have a hard time believing that
deep down at the end of the day they're that upset.
That's just me. But you can educate me on that,
I guess.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
I mean, look, I think I don't know. I think
Pat wants to do the work that he wants to
that he's been doing, and I don't think he wants
to get trapped down a rabbit hole. We're twenty five
minutes or whatever it is of a show is being
talked about vaccines, and it just doesn't you know, especially

(08:00):
on the day after the National Championship. I mean, maybe
I'm brock and but that would be a very sinister
short term strategy.

Speaker 1 (08:11):
Well, I don't think he necessarily wants to talk about vaccines.
I think the Aaron Rodgers spot is what it is.
It it's become a thing that every aggregator, every website,
every blog tunes in they write about every single word
Aaron Rodgers said. Anan Rodgers is playing the game. He

(08:31):
throws out all this stuff that he knows is going
to get attention, and then he does his word salad, wordplay, semantics. Oh,
I didn't say this. I didn't mean this. I didn't
you know. I mean, there is no better person I've
seen in my I don't think in my life better
at playing the word game than Aaron Rodgers. He's a
master at it. Just puts stuff out, says things, and

(08:52):
then it's I didn't say this, I didn't mean this.
The media is twisting, you know, and it's all semantics
and word salads. But he you know, and wants to
act like the victim. He plays the game perfectly.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
But yeah, maybe I just think it gets first of all,
gets exhausting for everybody else who has to then shot
the toothpaste back in the tube, right and like deconstruct
the words and well he didn't actually accuse Jimmy of this,
but he did say this or or whatever. I don't know.
That seems like it doesn't seem.

Speaker 1 (09:26):
Like a lot of fun, right, I agree something you know.

Speaker 2 (09:31):
A sports fan, you know, wants to spend their time doing.
That's all.

Speaker 1 (09:38):
I can tell you, though, from the numbers people click
on all that stuff.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
Oh yeah, no, no, no. Look through the majority of
the season it worked. I think that this last bit,
I think that I'm just talking about yesterday. Really okay,
talking about yesterday.

Speaker 1 (09:55):
That's all I got you. Well, let me I want to.
I wanted to get into the Norby Williamson stuff more
than the Aaron Rodgers stuff, because to me, the Aaron
Rodgers stuff is what it is. He's going to do
the show and ESPN really doesn't have the control over it.
It's Pat's show. They licensed the show. It's not an
ESPN show. I think a lot of people don't realize that.

(10:15):
But the fact that Pat would call out Norby Williamson,
a top executive at ESPN, Well, let me first do
this for the people listening who may not be in
the weeds as we are. Jimmy Petaro is the head
guy at ESPN. He runs everything, and Pat mentioned two
men he mentioned Norby Williamson for sabotaging a show and

(10:36):
leaking stuff to the press, and he mentioned that he
loves and has a good relationship with Burke Magnus. What
is the Norby Burke Magnus power structure at ESPN Because
it's Jimmy Petar at the top, so it doesn't matter
about anyone else really, but give me the Magnus Norby
dynamic there.

Speaker 2 (10:56):
I mean, the most constructive thing to know is that
Norby works for Burke is Burke is the number of
Burke is Jimmy Petar's number two. And he has been
there for over two decades. He's incredibly good at his
job and I think that he has, you know, the

(11:17):
respect of virtually everyone in the ESPN. And so Norby
for those who don't know, I mean, has been there
since the eighties, has been I used to joke that
if God forbid there was an atomic blest in Bristol,
the only two things that we left would be Norby
and the crickets.

Speaker 4 (11:39):
You know.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
But he's a survivor, there's no doubt about it. He's
at a multitude of jobs. He's been very very effective
for people like Keith Oberman and others. You know, look,
if Norby, if your talent in Bristol and Norby likes you,
it is the gift that keeps giving because he protects

(12:00):
his people and he knows how to real power, and
he knows all his secret places in that on that campus,
and he's very good at it. He's very agenda driven.
But if you're like Jamel Hill and you're not someone
who he appreciates, good luck with that. Right.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
So I found it fascinating that Pat said what he
said and said that Norby was sabotaging a show and
leaking ratings. And there was at least that we know of,
zero discipline for Pat because it just seems.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
Like he's not any ESPN employee.

Speaker 1 (12:42):
I understand that, but so do you think there was
no discipline because ESPN can't do anything or ESPN didn't
want to do anything.

Speaker 2 (12:50):
I mean, look, he's not an ESPN employee, and I
think that's the big dividing line. If you had been
an ESPN employee, they might have I don't know what
they would have done, but they probably would have done
something because they don't want talent trashing executives. What a surprise,
you know, on their air or they could have decided. Look,

(13:12):
the biggest leverage ESPN has ever Pat McAfee is they
could just decide they don't want to put it on
their platforms. I mean that sounds extreme, but that's always
their their option. They could also try and get out
of the deal. But I don't think you know, the
punishment has to fit the crime.

Speaker 1 (13:29):
Okay, So if ESPN can't do anything to Pat because
he's not an ESPN employee, then Pat can say whatever
he wants about Norby every single day if he wanted to.
I mean, at some point, so it's either pulled the
plug on Pat's show or we can't do anything.

Speaker 2 (13:45):
Is that no, no, no, no no, because you're forgetting
about something, which I think Pat has showed in several
appearances now that I.

Speaker 5 (13:54):
Mean he is He is a team player. I mean,
he's a former. He understands what a locker room is.
He understands that he I mean, I think he actually
likes being at ESPN. He did mention his support for
Burke and for Jimmy.

Speaker 2 (14:09):
I think that he doesn't want He's not coming there
to blow the place up or to take advantage of
the fact that he's not an employee, So he's going to,
you know, use every occasion he can to trash the
place or cause disruption. I think he'd rather be known
right now as somebody who's got a great show and
who's doing an excellent job, rather than somebody who's poking

(14:31):
his finger in the eye of management. And I don't
think I also don't believe that Pat when he mentioned Worthy,
fully understood just how much of an outlier of that
kind of statement is and the fact that it would
get it would get picked up to the degree and
become the kind of thing that it did.

Speaker 3 (14:51):
Well.

Speaker 1 (14:52):
I thought it was very calculated. I mean, he made
sure to say it when the ESPN portion of his
show was over and it was just on YouTube and
ESPN and Plus not on linear. He knew he was
going to be on Game Day on Monday, he knew
he was doing a alternate telecast of the National title
game on Monday. I think it was very smart that

(15:14):
he did it when he did it, because what was
he I mean, ESPN wasn't gonna do anything that weekend,
and then by now it's too late. Now Rogers thing superseded.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
It, you know, I get it. I just think that
look he doesn't need me to be an apologist for him.
But let's remember something. He was totally pissed off about
what he perceived to be a leak, and not only
the leak of the numbers, but the narrative attached to
the numbers, right, I mean, that was an agenda driven leak.
If you look at those ratings, you can convict or

(15:46):
acquit the pack McAfee show. There's some bad news or
there's some good news attached to it. And it was
clear that that was leaked to damage the show and
to damage the narrative surrounding the show. So if you
or I were hosting that show and that happened, we'd
be pissed off too, you know. And so I think

(16:09):
that you know, he wanted to send a strong signal,
and I think, you know, look, one of the things
that has been funny to hear from people on Bristol
is so many, so many talent talent and former talent
individuals were like thrilled by because they could never do that,

(16:29):
they could never call out norby.

Speaker 1 (16:32):
Well, I want to be clear, I am one hundred
percent team McAfee on this. I'm just listen, I'm one
hundred percent team McAfee on this, And I think if
you know he thought Norby was leaking this and trying
to hurt his show, I give him a massive amount
of credit for doing what he did. I also think,
no matter who you are, it's always a risk mentioning
executives publicly by name and saying they're trying to sabotage

(16:55):
your show. So I give him a you know so.
But and I also think, and I wrote a whole
column about this Monday, I'm glad Pat did it because
I think it's incredibly short sighted for anyone to evaluate
Pat's show based on TV ratings in twenty twenty four,
to ignore the digital aspect of it. I had someone,

(17:16):
you know, someone on Twitter said to me about, like,
what's his name on Fox? Colin Coward was like closing
the ratings gap or something Pat's youtubs do more than
Colin coward show on FS one. I mean, to just
ignore what he does on social media and YouTube, I
think is very ignorant. So I don't show though right exactly.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
It was like an old school old guard agenda, which
Norby is always associating with. Look ESPN is doing Pat McAfee,
and because they have to figure out a new way
of doing business in the next for you know, for
the next five ten years, and so they're trying things

(18:01):
and that means that some people inside don't like it,
but that the emphasis on linear numbers was.

Speaker 1 (18:08):
Kind of a toll, right, I agree, And I think
that's why pack got pissed and I don't play them.
I also think, you know, if Jimmy Pittarro and Burke
Magnus want Pat and wanted Pat brought Pat on, I
know that they love Pat on game day nor we
really like what's his position here? I mean he can

(18:30):
leak numbers and try to sabotage, but what is that
going to do.

Speaker 2 (18:35):
Well? I mean, it's going to make it more difficult
and I create, you know, I mean, like god knows
what whoever leaked that was thinking and what their agent is.
The problem is that when you're cashing the paycheck from
the place, you know, even if you don't agree with it,
to actively try and thwart the success and to and

(19:00):
to create speed bumps where they aren't there, I mean,
what's what's the point? I mean, you know, and it
really pisses me off. And I'm not going to attach
any names but you know people who say sometimes to me, oh, well,
I'm trying to do this because I really love the place. Well,
if you really love the place, I mean, I'm not
trying to sing kumba ya here, but just shut your

(19:22):
fucking mouth when it comes to like being public, because
that's the company. That's It's just it's ridiculous. Keep it inside,
do whatever you want to do inside. But I mean,
I don't know that that.

Speaker 1 (19:36):
Duality you're talking about, you're talking about the leaking.

Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, yeah, by the way, I mean, look, I've had
people leak to me. You've had people lead to do
leaking is you know, one of the favorite indoor sports
at ESPN. But to the degree that they have a
nearly one hundred million dollar deal with that, and he's
visible and it's arguably one of the most most expensive

(20:01):
important experiments going on on, you know, in ESPN right now,
to try and create a negative narrative about it, I mean,
what the hell.

Speaker 1 (20:16):
There are times I feel like I'm in bizarre world
and just the dumbest person on the face of youth,
because I'll see things about Pat Show is a problem.
Pat Show isn't doing well. Pat Show is a head
Pat Show on ESPN doesn't worry And I'm like, from
what I see as someone who observes this stuff, I
think it's doing exactly what ESPN wants. I think the

(20:37):
numbers on digital are tremendous. The cachet the show has.
This is a show that has and whatever you think
of him, you have to put that sick. He has
Aaron Rodgers, JJ Watt, and Nick Saban on that show.
Every single week, every top person in sports media, athlete,

(20:58):
coach goes on that show. That show has a tremendous
amount of cachet. So it's always bizarre to me whenever
I see like a negative spin on it. And I guess,
outside of saying oh Pat show loses this much of
the first take audience, I'm not sure what negative spin
makes sense.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
Look, there were people inside ESPN and were trashing thirty
for thirty when it started, right there were people who
I mean, I can't even begin to tell you what
happened when PTI went on the air. You know, there
was basically a revolt because they so many people hated it.
I think that, I mean, look, that's what this is, right,

(21:38):
I mean, it's not a mathematical equation, so it's easy
for people to argue about it. I sometimes get tipped
that people inside Bristol are negative about shows that they
either didn't invent, develop or are connected to. So then'
like then there's like an us versus them and they're

(22:00):
like so supportive of things that are on they're you know,
manifest and that are part of their playbook. And then
it's like it's a competitive thing and it's it shouldn't
be that way. There's eight thousand and seven and sixty
hours that eSPI has to put on every year, so

(22:21):
why in hell do you have to make it binary?

Speaker 1 (22:25):
So is there anything you can tell us that you've
heard about like where like today Wednesday, January tenth, where
it stands with Pat and Norby? Like are they good?
I know what the public statements were, We're going to
move forward and we're blah blah blah. But like, do
you think they will try to get on the same page?
You think it's leave us alone, We'll leave you alone.

Speaker 2 (22:46):
Where do you think that the biggest mistake that people
make and situations like this is that they expect people
to change, especially when they're powerful personalities like Pat and
I mean Norby isn't a public figure. Norby isn't on
the air, But in Bristol, Norby's like a pat. He

(23:09):
takes up a lot of oxygen he's got. He sits
there at you know, very high in the ORG chart,
and he's got minions underneath him on every level that
would take a bullet for him. And by the way,
that's how they got their job, or that's how they
keep their job. That's all right. Norwy knows how to
wheel power. And so I think that if I'm Burke

(23:34):
or Jimmy, am I sitting here thinking that all of
a sudden Norby is going to become a huge supporter
of Pat show. No, I don't think so. I mean,
in fact, you know, so many people have not so many,
but you know, look, more than several people have called
me through since Pad arrived at ESPN and saying, well,

(23:55):
you know, Norwy's been saying such negative thing about you know,
he's not a fan, and like we all know how
that's going to turn out. So he hasn't made it
a secret that he's not a fan of Pats. And
I just I think that if you're Burker Jimmy, you
just you just want them to both both to coexist.

(24:20):
They don't have to be best friends and they don't
have to you know, it's not like Norby's going to
come on Pat's show and and talk about how great
he is.

Speaker 1 (24:27):
Right, Yeah, I don't know Norby. Is he the type
of guy like when that was going down Friday and
Saturday and the former ESPN people were coming out basically saying, Oh, yeah,
this is his playbook. He leaks stuff, this is what
he does. Does that bother him or he doesn't give
a shit?

Speaker 2 (24:45):
If you put an EKG, I'm just guessing, but I'm
telling you, I think this is a window in to Norby.
If you put an EKG monitor on Norby Williamson from
the day before all the columns leaked or whatever. And
I'm not saying he's the one who leaked it, but
before the colump here all the way he threw up yesterday,

(25:05):
I don't I don't think there would have been anything
that would have changed. I don't think his pulse ever
got a high. I don't think he had any inverted
tea waves or whatever you want to say about it.
But he is No, it's not gonna He's not woe
as me he's not going to second guess himself. He's

(25:27):
not going to do any of that stuff.

Speaker 1 (25:31):
Last thing on this I know Marshan has said several
times that he doesn't think there's any way Pat last
five years at ESPN. He as the five year, eighty
five million dollar deal. Reportedly, you think he lasts five
years there?

Speaker 2 (25:50):
Well, Look, a lot of people make a big deal
of the fact that Pat hasn't he lived the life
of his contracts at previous places. I think part of
that is to be explained that he was getting incredibly popular,
and he's growing his brand, and there were other opportunities
and let's just keep taking advantage of them. I don't

(26:12):
know if he's going to last five years. I don't
know what ESPN's going to look like in five years.
I don't know he's going to own the Buddy thing.
Who knows?

Speaker 4 (26:19):
You know?

Speaker 2 (26:20):
I always think I do know that As we sit
here on January test twenty twenty four, Pat McAfee doesn't
wake up in the morning thinking how can I how
can I get out of this thing, or how can
I be how can I screw myself for screw management
to the point where I can be let out and
go someplace else. I would be very, very surprised if

(26:41):
that was the case.

Speaker 1 (26:42):
And I think an aspect of this that doesn't get
discussed enough is, you know, Okay, he left other jobs early,
but at this job, he also has game Day. Pat
loves doing college game Day. I think that, you know,
That's why I don't think Pat would ever just want
to like you said, I'm in agreement with you here.
I don't think he wants to just blow up the
ESPN deal a year like he loves doing GAB, They
loves Herbstreet loves Corso. I don't think that gets talked

(27:06):
about enough in the narrative about Pat and ESPN.

Speaker 2 (27:10):
Yeah, I think that's absolutely right. I think that's absolutely right.
And I think that, you know, aside from this latest chapter,
I think that the I think that his transition to ESPN,
which could have been a lot more difficult, basically from
a viewer perspective, it's been pretty damn good.

Speaker 1 (27:30):
All right, let's circle back to the Rogers Kimmel situation,
and then we can do Sopranos and curb. If Aaron
Rodgers would have implied or tried to connect Jimmy Fallon
to Jeffrey Epstein, Wold ESPN if cared.

Speaker 2 (27:55):
I think you're still dealing with a huge now, a
huge statement.

Speaker 3 (28:00):
Now.

Speaker 2 (28:02):
A lot of effort has been paid to say that
Aaron did not accuse Jimmy.

Speaker 1 (28:08):
No, he tried to make a connection. Everyone knows what
he was doing. It was the vintage Rogers.

Speaker 2 (28:14):
I mean, look, if it's a public person, who the
hell wants to be even mentioned in the same sentence
as that, it's a highly provocative.

Speaker 3 (28:24):
You know.

Speaker 2 (28:24):
Look, I mean not to sound corny, but we all
know that Aaron can throw from the hip, and when
he shoots from the hip, it's you know, it can
be deleterious to people who he mentions. And I think
that you know, he probably likes it, and that's fine,
but I think anybody would have had a problem with it.

(28:45):
I think, look, Jimmy had his monologue and took advantage
of it for seven and a half minutes Monday night.
But I think that the real story here is that
Kimmel didn't go to def Con One didn't say to
Bob Ager, look, next week, it's either bat show or
My show, which you know he could have done, which

(29:08):
would have been a real mess. I think Jimmy Patar
was very effective in dealing with Jimmy Kimmel. And I
think that, you know, I don't think Jimmy wants to
stand around and talk about this much longer either. So
it had its moment, and I don't think it was
great for anyone. And but I think that Jimmy, you know,

(29:32):
finding back the way he did with that tweet saying,
you know, shut up, We're going to see you. Basically
he was allowed to do that, and you know, obviously
and he stood up for himself.

Speaker 1 (29:43):
Now, what did you hear from your sources about like
how big of a deal this was inside Disney? Did
did Petarro get involved, did kim Will go to higher ups?

Speaker 2 (29:52):
Or was it just Jimmy Patar called Jimmy Kimmel and
did I think a very good job of the with it. Look,
you don't if you're Bob Iger, even if you're you
don't want this going on. This is there's there's no
good news, there's no there's no upside to this. So

(30:14):
I think that everybody kind of did what they had
to do. And I think a lot of people, particularly
after yesterday's appearance by Andrew Andrew Aaron thinks it's in
the rearview mirror. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (30:32):
I again, I do think it's you know, it's our world,
so it's we're so in it. I do think though,
if you if you just try to like take a
step back, like I do think like people are trying
to use this now as like a going forward thing
for those Rogers segments, Like I don't think anything's going
to change, Like I think Rogers is gonna go on

(30:52):
McAfee every week when the season starts, and it's going
to be the same thing.

Speaker 2 (30:55):
Like you said at the beginning, one thing has changed.
If Pad announces today that Andrew that Aaron is not
going to be on the show during the NFL playoffs.

Speaker 1 (31:05):
Who do you think. Who do you think made that decision?

Speaker 2 (31:10):
I think Pat did. I think Pat did, because look
if ESPN said you can't have him on, and if
Pat really wanted him to be on, then Pat, I mean,
Pat can listen to them, but he's not going to
roll over for them. I mean maybe he took one
for the team. I'm not sure.

Speaker 1 (31:30):
So this is all speculations, but so do you think
Aaron on Tuesday doing a half hour on Fauci and
vaccines and conspiracy theories prompted Pat to say, let's let's
put a lid on this till September.

Speaker 3 (31:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:44):
I mean, look, maybe Aaron was exhausted about I'm not sure,
you know, maybe he can, but he was like, oh man,
I just this is not fun for me anymore.

Speaker 1 (31:52):
And oh see, I think he loves it. I think
he loves it maybe.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
But I don't think. Look, I don't think anybody ESPN
would call up Pat and say you've got to take
him off because they know that ultimately he doesn't need to,
so it doesn't happen without that right ultimately, And you know,
but my only point is that something has changed because

(32:19):
if you had said to we had said to each
other ten days ago, like who do you think is
going to be one of the most important guests on
PAT during the NFL playoffs, He's like, well, like the
four time MVV, Like you know, Aaron will have is
you know, perspective out there and god knows what he's
going to say, but it's going to be, you know,

(32:39):
important for the show. So I think things have changed.

Speaker 1 (32:43):
Yeah, I don't know. Someone has to prove me wrong.
But I think Rogers loves all this, like he got
thirty minutes to speak about vaccines and conspiracy theories. He
loves every week he goes on there and goes, well,
I know ESPN is gonna pull us off the air.
Now they've never once pulled him off the air, but
he says that every week, like, I think this is
all a game. I think he loves it. I think

(33:04):
the mentioning of Mike Foss was I think maybe that
could have prompted Pat to say, like, Okay, it's one
thing of Pat's out there killing Norby for leaking, which
Pat feels strongly about. But now you have Rogers, who's
not who's a guest on the show calling out ESPN executives.
Maybe yeh, I'm sure listen if Pat pulled the plug

(33:26):
on Rogers for the playoffs, it's not one reason, but
I would be willing to bet that was a factor
as well.

Speaker 2 (33:33):
I mean, look, at the end of the day, there's
just two levels to it. Is it fun? Like remember Howard?
You're a Howard fan? Howard Stern first started It's people
who loved to listen for X and people hated and
listened even longer. I mean, so, is it a cool
thing to watch Aaron Rodgers, and god knows what he's
gonna say and say, you know, you're sitting around anything.

(33:54):
I can't believe he said that. I can't believe he
said that. So it gets picked up where that's cool.
But I think on another level, particularly again after the
dynamic the morning after the National Championship, well, you know,
leading up to the NFL playoffs, you just want to
do a freaking good show. You just want to be
you know, really value added. You don't want to it's

(34:15):
not just about saying crazy shit.

Speaker 1 (34:17):
And this is why, and this is why I say
Rogers loves it, because the day before Rogers met with
the New York Media and why they asked him about
the Kimmel stuff. He said, well, you have to tune
in tomorrow to Pat mcafeey here. Yeah, you could have
talked about it with when he had a press conference
on Monday with the with the New York Media.

Speaker 2 (34:35):
Well, I think he's being loyal to a show that
you know, he likes Pat, and they're paying him a
million dollars a year, and that's that's a smart move.
My only point is, though, like it should be at
some point about the viewer and I don't think anybody.
I don't think any viewer wanted to hear what they
heard yesterday, right.

Speaker 1 (34:52):
I don't want to make this an Aaron Rodgers thing,
but I'll just say this and you don't even have
to respond. But I also think that's a fascinating aspect
in this is that Rodgers uses Pat to put all
this stuff out there. Why is he doing on his
Twitter account? Why is he doing on Instagram? Like? I
think he is using Pat as almost a shield, like

(35:13):
doing it on Pat show. Like if you think doctor
Fauci intentionally lied to people because he wanted to make money,
which is what he said on McAfee, why did he
say that on his Twitter account? He likes to say
it on Pat like because then it's like a layer
of protection there, I feel. And then it's also then
you can go, oh, ESPN's going to pull me off
the air, which they've never done. Like it's I think

(35:34):
it's all a calculated game for Rogers.

Speaker 2 (35:37):
That's why I don't know if he gets much protection
given the fact that nobody's thinking Pat said it or
ESPN said it. It's very clear that Aaron said that
ab al Fauci. But I have no idea what Aaron
Rodgers playbook is for, you know, for his brand.

Speaker 1 (35:52):
At this point, I think it's just get any attention
you can and then play the victim. I think it's
so obvious. But that's just my own take on it,
all right. Yeah, So the so he was supposed to
be on the show during the playoffs and Pat said, no,

(36:12):
that's interesting. That's an interesting one to me because that
doesn't seem like Pat's m O. But like you said,
I guess Tuesday was so bad that change had to come.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
Yeah, I mean, I just I just don't believe ESPN
forced Pat.

Speaker 1 (36:30):
Into it, right, No, I agree, right, all right. I'm
just trying to think if there's any sort of ESPN
or media stuff I want to do with you. Do
you have any take? It's not ESPN related. But this
week we're gonna have an NFL game on Peacock only.

Speaker 3 (36:53):
Do you know what the.

Speaker 1 (36:56):
Is Peacock NBC just looking to get subs out of this?
Does the rating matter? Do you know that or not?

Speaker 2 (37:03):
I don't really all right, Look, uh, when ESPN two
is starting, Bornstein put unc Duke.

Speaker 1 (37:11):
I remember that anarchy.

Speaker 2 (37:14):
It's a great way of getting yourself known. You know,
So I'm sure, you know, I'm sure they're they're looking
forward to it.

Speaker 1 (37:23):
Yeah, I think it's going to do better than people think.
The NFL ratings this year have been great, the you know,
Amazon had strung you with the streaming. I think people
are expecting nobody to watch that game, and I just
don't think that's going to be the case. I think
it's going to do just fine.

Speaker 2 (37:40):
But that's a great game, and I think I think
we're all getting used to the fact that more than
getting used to the fact that we know where to
go and find things and we're able to you know,
it's not like we're got to call your cable operator
and wait for the guy to come and put a
box on and all this other stuff. You can just

(38:01):
do everything pretty easy. So I think it's going to
be pretty important weekend it for streamers.

Speaker 1 (38:10):
Let me ask you these two quick ESPN questions and
then we'll go to the other things inside of Bristol.
What do you hear about the feeling about Chris Fowler
as the lead college football announcer. It seems that fans
don't love it, but I know he's you know, he
does a phenomenal job. On tennis, college football, maybe not

(38:32):
so much. Is there any do you think like he's
entrenched in that job forever and there's no issues there,
or do you think there are people inside Bristol's maybe
sometimes say I don't know.

Speaker 2 (38:44):
I mean, look, Chris just had a new deal recently.
I don't whenever I hear well, there are some people
who don't think, you know, I mean, people say that
about Chris Berman, people said that shit, people said that
about Walter Cronkite when you know, I mean, like, I
don't know, It's like, who are these people? And whatever.
I don't think anybody can discount the fact that Chris

(39:08):
Faller has done, you know, a hell of a job.
I mean, maybe they don't like him as much as
so and so, But really we talk about Joe Buck,
we talk about Troy, we talk about Tony, we talk
about every al. Like, I mean, doesn't it just come
with this jobs that? I mean, Bob Costas, I mean,
there are people who, you know, I mean they hated

(39:31):
Bob Costas. There are people think he's the most important,
you know, anchor or empty or whatever role he's playing
of the generation. It's very, very hard to get people
to disagree on that, but I mean, you look at
the Heismans over the last what fifteen sixteen years ceremonies.
I mean, Chris just I think he just comes and delivers. Yeah,

(39:54):
people say it about Herbie. I mean, like, I don't know,
what more do you want from the guy?

Speaker 1 (39:58):
I yeah, I don't think Herb he's the issue in
that booth. But well, in ESPN, they I would I
would hope they're completely over the moon with the coup
they pulled to get Buckan Aikman, because that is the
best booth, and that booth struggled for a long time.

Speaker 2 (40:15):
It's a great booth. It's an expensive booth, but you
know what what you pay for. Yeah, but you know what,
they finally don't have to think about it every year. Yeah,
I mean, you know, and uh, I mean you talk
about hail Mary Passes. Rush Limbaugh was in the Monday
Night both.

Speaker 1 (40:36):
You know, he did studio, He did the studio, but
like I'm studio.

Speaker 2 (40:39):
But I'm just saying that he was doing Monday Night
And you think there's nothing that Pat has done that
compared to some of the things that Rush said. So
I was thinking Tony was in the booth too, which.

Speaker 1 (40:53):
And Dennis Miller and Dennis Miller.

Speaker 2 (40:56):
So you know, look, sometimes if you're in those jobs,
you want to you want to try things. Unfortunately, there's
no a lot of margin for error, and so if
it screws up, and I particularly if somebody says something
really bad, then it takes on a life of its own.
It just just goes with the territory.

Speaker 1 (41:15):
Man, All right, let's get to the good stuff. Kerb
comes back February fourth, it's the final season, and he
do you know why Larry has decided to hang it up?

Speaker 2 (41:31):
I mean, look, he he disappeared for several years at
a time. I think that if you're Larry David, you
get to live your life the way you want to
live it.

Speaker 3 (41:42):
I think that.

Speaker 2 (41:44):
Look, the last time I spoke to him about it,
he said he was going to keep on doing it
until it wasn't fun anymore, until he didn't have any
ideas about it. He certainly you can tell that they
all enjoy doing it. You can. You and I could
probably argue about whether or not the last couple of
seasons is they're as strong as you know some of

(42:06):
the seasons beforehand. But I do think that it's amazing
to think that we're in twenty twenty four and a
new season's coming out and people are looking forward to it,
you know, and I think the cast has been very
It's kind of bittersweet to know that this really is
the end, because they were many years they would finish

(42:27):
a season and they never knew, you know, even if
it was like three, four or five years ago and
they hadn't done another one, they thought, well, you never know,
Larry could wake up and want to do another one.

Speaker 1 (42:38):
Sure enough, he did, right, so that there was one
time where the gap was like a ten year gap,
right or something nine. So Jerry Seinfeld at a at
one of his stand up shows, this was maybe a
month ago, six weeks ago, got a question from someone

(42:59):
in the audience asking him about the Seinfeld finale, which
underwhelmed a lot of people. I actually liked it, but
the majority of people didn't love the Seinfeld finale. And
Jerry probably didn't think he was being recorded because you
usually not allowed to record it these things said Larry

(43:19):
and I are going to do something about the Seinfeld finale,
but it's top secret, not allowed to say anything. Cut
to the show's coming back February fourth for the final season.
I have to believe that's what Jerry was referring to.

Speaker 2 (43:38):
And I don't know if even within the context occur. Yes, well,
remember something though, I think it was stupendous that Larry
already did a Seinfeld reunion show.

Speaker 1 (43:53):
Brit Brilliant, which was beyond brilliant, beyond brilliant, so well died.

Speaker 2 (44:00):
And my gosh, I mean the funk Houser joke alone
while they're getting their food before the readthrough was was
worth that, uh you know, and uh so they don't
know that would be interesting.

Speaker 1 (44:14):
I hadn't because because what Jerry said it was specifically
about the Seinfeld finale. So listen, it could be it
could be Larry spends this season trying to fix the
Seinfeld finale. He could spend this season, maybe something happens
where someone but rates him about the you know, it
could be anything. But I'm just putting two and two

(44:36):
together here, and you know, so I'm just thinking.

Speaker 2 (44:38):
About the two lines of Larry's you know, these two
major shows in Larry's life, right, Yeah, So Kerr and
Seindfeld and Kerk they've already kind of crossed before because
there were like five six episodes. It wasn't just an episode, right,
I mean, there was like the whole idea and then

(44:58):
getting the cast.

Speaker 1 (44:59):
Back together, table reads.

Speaker 2 (45:03):
Everything. So he's already done that. So if you're Larry,
you're thinking for the final season of Curb, do I
want to conflate Seinfeld again with Curb? Maybe that could
be the ultimate.

Speaker 1 (45:19):
And it could just be a one episode. It doesn't
have to be the theme of the season. It could
just be maybe an episode where him and Larry are
getting coffee talking about the Seinfeld fit. It just seemed like, Yeah,
there's gonna be something. Could be little, could be big.
You don't know.

Speaker 2 (45:32):
I know, I will say that Larry and Jerry don't
need Curb. If they want to do something, they could.
I mean, you could have like a one hour special
on Netflix. You could have You could do whatever you
wanted to do. It's not like you're you know, short

(45:52):
on places to uh to do it. But that might
be a hell of a way of going out with
Curb as well.

Speaker 1 (45:59):
Now we're taping this on January tenth. It is the
Today is the actual twenty fifth anniversary of the first
episode of The Sopranos on HBO when Aj famously said
to Tony and Carmela, so what now, no fucking ZD
when Olivia couldn't make it to the house. It's gonna

(46:22):
be a weird, more big question to start with. But
if James Gandolfini were still alive, do you think there
would have been a reboot? Do you think there would
have been a movie? Do you think they would have
brought the showback in some way, shape or form, or
do you think even if Gandelfini was still with us,
David Chase isn't that type of person.

Speaker 2 (46:43):
Well, it's a tough question. I think that in the
years after Soprano went off the air, James Gandilfini was
doing features, He did a brilliant documentary. He was certainly
in no hurry to go back to Tony Soprano. Might
there have been something maybe? I mean, look, David wound
up doing a prequel movie. But I think look, I

(47:08):
started my HBO book The Prologue with the Sopranos and
an effort that was me too help Jimmy Gandelpini at
the time with you know, with his with his problems there,
and I just think that it's it's the it's I

(47:29):
think it's the greatest drama. I think it was the
most important show that in that HBO ever produced. And
I think that when you watch it now, you know, uh,
you can't help but be caught up in the same
way as you did when you watched it then. I mean,
it just I'm sorry, but everything.

Speaker 1 (47:49):
Holds up everything. It's amazing because HBO has been rerunning
it on one of the HBO two. They've been rerunning
it the entire weekend. Yeah, and I was kind of pissed,
like on Sunday was watching football and I was like,
I want to go to the But outside of some day,
I've been watching it every single day all day, just
leaving it on the TV. And it's just I've seen

(48:09):
it so many times. It's twenty five years old. You
cannot help but be completely riveted.

Speaker 2 (48:18):
In fact, one of the things that happens, By the way,
isn't it funny that I'm sure you like me, I
have the complete Sopranos DVD set with all the extraras.
You know, you can turn it on any time and
it's on mass But the fact that they're running on
HBO two is like.

Speaker 1 (48:33):
It's a gift. It's like a surprise. It's like a gift.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
It's it's so ridiculous. But I think that one of
the things that's happening for me, and this has happened
in the ensuing years, because I don't think there's ever
been a period of I don't even think I go
a year without at least going back and watching White
Caps or going on Marfu, like I don't know some
of my favorite episodes. I think that one of the
things that's happening right now is you go back and

(48:58):
you watch it and you think, now, he does a
whole up, but you get a chance to like pay
attention to things that they did and how well it was,
and you think, of course, look the Wire and mad
Men and Breaking Bad, and of course you know, there's
and shows before Sopranos, so it's not like this is
the only quality one hour of drama. But I think

(49:19):
that if you watch Sopranos now, particularly if you get
a chance since you you're kind of familiar with, you know,
that episode, you get a chance to pay more attention
to like even like the music cues or the framing
of a shot or you know. I mean, it's just
like you start to see things in deeper and deeper levels,

(49:42):
and you realize just how phenomenal it was.

Speaker 1 (49:46):
Yeah, Yeah, I was picking up on things I never
picked up on even watching it this weekend, and I've
seen it so many times.

Speaker 2 (49:54):
You know, there's a scene a season ender where Tony
goes to Johnny Sack's house. There's snow, and they're making
they're kind of making up and they're trying to talk about,
you know, pushing Phil into the background, and when they
come down the steps, the way that the scene is framed,
you have Johnny Sachs's backyard and that big expanse of

(50:17):
snow and you're not thinking about it. It's just perfect
because you're just thinking that's where it is. But you
can tell afterwards, knowing what's going to happen. Look at
the depth of field, look at the way they focus,
they focus things. Look at the way that the framing
of that scene is telling the story. It's like, I mean,

(50:40):
it's part of the script obviously, and then all of
a sudden, there's this beautiful hug between them, and Tony
sees the FBI agents running the snow with rifles and
their FBI jackets. I mean, it's just I mean it's incredible.
And I think the stuff between Bony and Melfie, you know, look,

(51:01):
the scene where Melfie is raped in that stairwell is
still I think one of the most horrific, disturbing, you
know scenes of that kind ever captured on television. And man,
oh man, I just you know, if you watch something
over and over again and every time you see it

(51:23):
it still acts, you know, it's still as still as
powerful as you first saw it. I mean, that's that's saying.

Speaker 1 (51:30):
Something and to this day you know what's going to happen.
But when you watch that episode with that final scene
where she's debating whether or not to tell Tony that
she was raped, oh, and she doesn't, and it just
cuts abruptly like you're still thinking like there's a chance
like it. It gets into you so you think, oh,
she's gonna tell and you know she's not telling him.
You've seen it, and you still think. And the way

(51:51):
it just ends there, the way she says no, right right,
the way she says no.

Speaker 2 (51:57):
I mean, it's incredible.

Speaker 1 (51:58):
Yep, absolutely well, I've enjoyed it. I mean, I HBO
should just have a channel where they run it. Twenty
four seven three sixty five. Just keep running it because
if it's there, it's a night you know, like you said,
you can put on any time. But I love that
it's just there, flipping on in between games this that.

Speaker 2 (52:14):
So, I mean for people who may not I'm sure
that there are people out there who haven't watched the show, or.

Speaker 1 (52:19):
You know, so many people watched it when COVID started
who had not like COVID. I know it got that.
I saw the articles where it got this massive bump
during COVID where people's people binged it. I'm sorry, guys.

Speaker 2 (52:30):
I mean for people who may not have seen it
in a long time, or don't like the violence or whatever,
if they just want to put on white caps, which
I believe was the end of season four.

Speaker 1 (52:41):
Yeah whatever, You.

Speaker 2 (52:44):
Watched that one episode and you were going to see
two of the best performances in an episodic show on
television all time. I'm not I mean what Edie and
Edie Falco and James Calfini did in that show, not
to mention the brilliant writing and the incredible, incredible roller

(53:05):
coaster that their marriage goes through in the context of
that one episode. That that's just I don't know that's
just otherworldly. It is absolutely But there's the best of
There's a dinner tonight, HBr dinner tonight. There are a
bunch of things going on. And for people who are

(53:26):
going to be watching the Emmys, the Emmys are going
to be doing something special.

Speaker 1 (53:31):
Oh nice for the twenty fifth, for the twenty fifth.

Speaker 4 (53:35):
Say that or not?

Speaker 2 (53:36):
Maybe it's been out, I don't know whatever.

Speaker 1 (53:37):
But well it's the twenty fifth anniversary. You think the
Emmys would acknowledge it, So I'm glad you can confirm that. Yeah,
all right, Jim, appreciate it. Thanks for all the info
on ESPN, and enjoy the final season of Curb February
is that? This is it coming back the night of
the Super Bowl? Is it the fourth? Do I have
that right?

Speaker 2 (53:57):
Yeah? I think it's every fourth.

Speaker 1 (53:59):
That's interesting. That's a super Bowl What a what a
post super Bowl gift?

Speaker 2 (54:06):
It's either counter programming or HBO realizing you know what,
people are going to watch it on people watch it. Yeah,
we're gonna do it when we you know when we
want to do it.

Speaker 1 (54:15):
February fourth. Yeah, I hope the super Bowl is not close.
It's gonna Niners blow out of whoever, and I'm off
to Max.

Speaker 2 (54:25):
No, Who's Niners aren't going to If it's the Niners
in the Ravens. I don't think the Niners are going
to blow out the Ravens.

Speaker 1 (54:32):
We'll see.

Speaker 2 (54:34):
Everyone. All I care about is keeping everyone healthy, because
there's nothing worse than a postseason where being great incredible
individuals that they need to you know, like you know,
count on.

Speaker 1 (54:47):
So yeah, all right, Jim, thanks a lot, appreciate it. Man, Well,
all right, take care you too. All right, Joining me
now as he does every week from w fan or
radio as and why in New York, my buddy Salakata
for our train of thoughts segment. Sal how's it going.

Speaker 3 (55:06):
Looking forward to the postseason this weekend?

Speaker 1 (55:09):
How do you feel about a game being on Peacock Only? Uh?

Speaker 3 (55:14):
Look, do I love it?

Speaker 2 (55:16):
No?

Speaker 3 (55:16):
But ultimately, like, suck it up.

Speaker 4 (55:19):
If you're a football fan, either go to a bar,
go to your friend's house, or pay the six bucks.
It's not the six dollars, it's the hassle of downloading
the app, the passwords, signing in, you know, the finding
out which input it is.

Speaker 3 (55:33):
I get it. I understand the pain of the ads. However,
suck it up.

Speaker 4 (55:36):
It's twenty twenty four. Pay the six bucks. I've already
canceled my subscription. It will end after the end of January,
so I'll get to watch the game, so it's.

Speaker 3 (55:44):
Not that big of a deal.

Speaker 1 (55:45):
Okay. So I so I texted sal a few days
ago and said, do you have Peacock and he said yes.
I was gonna say come over and watch the game
if you don't, and I was surprised you said yes
because I remember you saying like you cancel WW network,
which is on Peacock. So I was when did you
edit back?

Speaker 3 (56:05):
So I did cancel it.

Speaker 4 (56:07):
It was going to expire I think at the end
of December, and then after you had alerted me to
the streaming only playoff game, I was like, fuck, I
gotta do this for at least one more month. So
I saw him back on for one more month, and
then I just went back and canceled it last night,
so it'll be good through the end of January.

Speaker 1 (56:26):
Okay. So you know how you get crazy about Twitter sometimes?

Speaker 3 (56:31):
Yeah, all the time.

Speaker 1 (56:33):
I feel like I feel like you anytime I tweet
about the streaming nonsense, because like it really makes me
want to delete my account, because all I get is
people about like, just pay the money or how do
you not have this.

Speaker 3 (56:52):
Or what?

Speaker 2 (56:53):
And I just I just have.

Speaker 1 (56:54):
This is gonna be very boring for everyone out there listening,
but I just want to say this for clarification, and
I'm going to cut this video. I'm gonna post it
every time someone says that to me. I pay for Netflix, Peacock, Hulu,
ESPN Plus, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Apple Music, Max, Apple TV,

(57:21):
So go fuck yourselves. I get it all. My issue
is not that I don't have it or that I
have to pay for it. I have it, and I
pay for it. My issue is I do not want
to watch a game on streaming. Jesus Christ. Now, yes,
here's my other problem, and it's a big problem. I

(57:45):
don't love the games this weekend. From a betting standpoint,
I don't love the game. I can't like I don't
have a game where I'm like, I'm definitely I'm betting
that I'm betting that I don't have. I can't. I
don't love the board. And it's a problem I have.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
Yeah, but you're gonna bet them anyway. You'll figure your
way out.

Speaker 1 (58:02):
Right. This one game, I know I'm gonna bet. I
will bet the over fifty one and a half in
the Rams Lions game.

Speaker 3 (58:10):
What's the spread in that game?

Speaker 1 (58:12):
I believe it's three, but I'll double check because I
don't want to be wrong because if you're wrong, there's I.

Speaker 4 (58:17):
Have not as you can tell, I have not gone
into detail yet as far as looking at the games
and looking at the Lions.

Speaker 1 (58:22):
I'm more the lion about the Lions are minus three?

Speaker 3 (58:25):
Go ahead, Yeah, I'm.

Speaker 4 (58:26):
More concerned about logistics of making sure I watch these games.
So you going to get the house hunting stuff?

Speaker 1 (58:31):
I mean it, just so do we want to go?
Do we want to discuss the house hunting and then
get into the games?

Speaker 4 (58:36):
You have no idea what I'm dealing with today during
the radio show and right before taping this podcast, you
have no idea.

Speaker 1 (58:44):
Break down for me the house hunting situation, and then
we'll figure out how it ties into the games. Then
we'll talk about the games.

Speaker 4 (58:51):
So we haven't looked at houses in a few weeks
because of Christmas and New Year's and all that stuff,
and there hasn't been much on the market.

Speaker 3 (58:59):
So I forget the last that I told you.

Speaker 4 (59:01):
But we've we've did I tell you that we did
the house that we I said, no way too. They
came back to us and we're like under contract for that.
Did I tell you that part? I might have told
you that all the year. No, whatever, I don't need
to get onto that here. But there's nothing set right now.
We still need to look for We're still to look
for a house. Some houses became available this week, so

(59:23):
we're planning on going Saturday morning.

Speaker 3 (59:25):
Now, this is New Jersey, okay, so it takes two
hours back.

Speaker 4 (59:30):
My wife is already staying, I don't want to do
it first thing in the morning, maybe ten o'clock. So
I'm like, all right, but you know, I get playoffs
going on.

Speaker 1 (59:37):
Let me just interrupt you. Brown's Texans four thirty PM.
Go ahead, continue right, So, and then.

Speaker 3 (59:46):
I'm trying to justify.

Speaker 4 (59:48):
I battle with myself back and forth, and I'm like, well,
I don't really need to I'm talking with my my
radio show partner BT. I'm like, I don't really need
to watch Browns Texans do what I like? We you know,
we did our work with the Jetsons Giants. I love
the playoffs and I'll watch it, but like I don't
need to be locked in, but I do want to
be locked in.

Speaker 3 (01:00:05):
I want to bet the game. I want to sit
there and watch.

Speaker 4 (01:00:07):
It's my two favorite weekends in all of sports, Wildcard
Weekend and Division A Round.

Speaker 3 (01:00:11):
But I have to look at these houses now. There
was a wrench thrown in to the plans. Are you
ready for this?

Speaker 4 (01:00:18):
I don't even like this is such like I can't
even believe this happening. I love how listed the house
is listed that we want to see. Looks great on paper,
it looks great in picks.

Speaker 3 (01:00:28):
We want to see it.

Speaker 4 (01:00:29):
Set it up, trying to set it up for early
Saturday morning. It's not even officially like on the market yet,
and our agent trying to set up a time to
go view this fucking house, is saying that they may
not even have a showing because they're already getting blind
offers on the house.

Speaker 3 (01:00:49):
Blind offers people are going to pay for a house.
You know what that costs without going to see it,
So why.

Speaker 1 (01:00:56):
Don't you then just eliminate that? Then why are even
get involve than that.

Speaker 4 (01:01:00):
Because it looks great and because there are no other options,
because we need a house. So I'm at their mercy
believe me. I don't like not being in control. I
would like to tell them, fuck you, I'm not gonna
pay for a house or bid for a house. So
what we did was they're trying to move up the process.
We actually are putting in an offer contingent on us

(01:01:22):
being able to see it, and we have to see
it tomorrow. As we take this Wednesday, we have to
now go see it Thursday. So I'm on the radio
from ten am to two pm. I have to be
there in Jersey at three meet my wife, who's gonna
drive from Long Island. My mother's gonna have to watch
the kid. My wife's gonna come meet me at three o'clock.

(01:01:43):
I see this house for a half hour, then go
back into the city so I could go to smy
and my wife goes home just to see the house.
They can't wait two days to show it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:55):
Oh, so why can't you see this house on Saturday.

Speaker 3 (01:01:58):
Because it might not be around by Saturday. Okay, they
didn't even want to show it in general. I guess
now they're showing it. I don't know what's going on,
but like, see.

Speaker 1 (01:02:08):
This is where I feel like sometimes I'm not a
good friend because I want to say to you, like
when you tell me this, all that's in my head
is there's no way this is gonna work. There's no
way you're gonna be able to leave the fan at two,
get to the house showing at three, and then get back.
What time do you have to say, back in the
city for SNY.

Speaker 3 (01:02:26):
Or four thirty?

Speaker 1 (01:02:27):
Yeah, I mean, I don't know. There's no way.

Speaker 3 (01:02:31):
Well, it's not like seeing a house takes an hour.
We should I should be able to if map quest.

Speaker 4 (01:02:36):
Is somewhat or Google Map somewhat accurate, I should be
able to get there before three. I get all three
Radio two out of the city before three, I should.

Speaker 3 (01:02:44):
Be there and then I probably have to leave there
no later than three thirty.

Speaker 1 (01:02:48):
Did you just say you still use map quests?

Speaker 3 (01:02:50):
No, No, I don't know where that came from. I
use Google map quests, all.

Speaker 1 (01:02:53):
Right, because that would have been a whole other subject.
All right, So if you're going to see this house tomorrow,
what's going on Saturday?

Speaker 3 (01:03:01):
Well, that's the thing. We have one other house scheduled.

Speaker 4 (01:03:04):
But I'm not going there on Super wild Card Saturday
to see one house, I don't think.

Speaker 1 (01:03:11):
And can you go like ten in the morning, ten
and eleven in the morning, we.

Speaker 4 (01:03:14):
Could, but now, like we're driving all the way there
for to see one house, you know what I mean?
Like it just I think right now the focus is
this current house and then we got to make a
decision come Saturday.

Speaker 1 (01:03:26):
Let me ask you this question. I'm just curious when
you have to drive to Jersey to look at a
house from where you currently reside Long Island, it's a
two two and a half hour drive.

Speaker 3 (01:03:38):
Two hours.

Speaker 1 (01:03:41):
What I want to what do you and the wife
do in the car in terms of music radio, preset
music on the phone? Like what is there an argument?
Do you like different? Like two hours in the car
with a person is rough if you don't like the
same music where you can't agree. I mean, I'm sure
you're not listening to the SI Media podcast. What goes

(01:04:03):
on for the music situation?

Speaker 4 (01:04:07):
Uh, that largely depends on the mood of my two
and a half year old daughter, because when daddy wants
to play something, to listen to something.

Speaker 3 (01:04:16):
She sometimes can be okay, and then there's other times
it starts to.

Speaker 4 (01:04:20):
And then my wife starts with the shut that off,
and I'm like, but I'm listening to it, and she
goes to babies.

Speaker 3 (01:04:26):
So now I get the daughter with the.

Speaker 4 (01:04:28):
Fussing in the back, and my wife's telling me to
shut it off, so then I shut off. So it's
a it's a combination of some great conversation. It's a conversation.
It's a combination of delightful conversation with my lovely wife
for two hour car ride.

Speaker 2 (01:04:41):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (01:04:42):
Sometimes little music sometimes, you know, if I need to
listen to sports talk, I do that now.

Speaker 3 (01:04:47):
Game.

Speaker 1 (01:04:48):
Will you see a house on Sunday or Saturday? The
only day you'll do this?

Speaker 3 (01:04:53):
No? No, I refuse to go on and Sunday's one
o'clock start? No's why? Yeah, there's no way. It would
have to be like an emergency of all emergencies.

Speaker 4 (01:05:03):
And even then, what's the one o'clock games Sunday Bill Buffalo?

Speaker 3 (01:05:08):
Yeah, yeah, that game.

Speaker 1 (01:05:11):
Let me ask you this. Let's say you could only
watch one of the six games this weekend for whatever reason. Yep,
what's the game you would pick?

Speaker 2 (01:05:23):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (01:05:24):
I think it's Miami Kansas City and it's I think
Miami is gonna win the game. I really feel like
the Dolphins are gonna win. The Chiefs are there for
the taking. Everybody's done with the Dolphins now because they
blew the division and choked it away. And degree whether
what's the spread in that game? I haven't even seen it.

Speaker 1 (01:05:43):
Chiefs minus four.

Speaker 4 (01:05:45):
See that's telling to me because if it were as bad,
if it were vintage Kansas City, bad Weather Miami, it
should be seven. I think the Dolphins are gonna win
that game. So that's probably the one I'm looking forward
to seeing most.

Speaker 1 (01:05:57):
The one I'm looking forward to the most is Rams Lions.

Speaker 3 (01:06:01):
Yep, that's the late Sunday Sunday night. Yeah, I love it.

Speaker 1 (01:06:08):
Now, Chiefs Dolphins. What I like about that? Of course?
That's the Peacock only soever I cannot wait, Oh my god,
I cannot wait for everyone to flip out on Saturday night.
So many people still don't realize what the deal is
at that game. I can't wait. Anyway, they're saying it's
going to be like below zero for that game, right,

(01:06:30):
I love that.

Speaker 3 (01:06:31):
I love watching bad weather games.

Speaker 1 (01:06:33):
Here's something else people need to know about this peacock
situation at NBC so NBC slash Peacock. They have three
games this weekend. So the first game of the entire
playoff weekend on Saturday at four point thirty, Browns Texans
is going to be on NBC and that's gonna be
Noah Eagle and Todd Blacklice. This is where they screwed

(01:06:57):
Al Michaels out of a game on that one. The
Peacock game at eight o'clock Chiefs Dolphins Peacock Only is
gonna be Turrico with Jason Garrett.

Speaker 3 (01:07:07):
Why why Garrett?

Speaker 1 (01:07:10):
Because the next night Rams Lions Sunday at eight o'clock
is Turrico and Collinsworth. So I guess they don't want
Collinsworth working two nights in a row. Somehow. It's okay
though for Toerico to work.

Speaker 2 (01:07:22):
Two nights in a row.

Speaker 3 (01:07:23):
But yeah, why it makes no sense.

Speaker 1 (01:07:25):
So you're gonna have a game, Think about this. You're
gonna have a game that's on Peacock Only, and then
the analyst of that game is gonna be Jason Garrett.
There's gonna be a ship storm coming NBC slash Peacock's
way that night.

Speaker 3 (01:07:39):
I can I think. I think that's a huge mistake.
They should have just figured it out without you.

Speaker 1 (01:07:46):
Know, they screwed out big time. You know what I
was thinking about or just just.

Speaker 3 (01:07:52):
Go with to Rico and Collinsworth like no offense.

Speaker 1 (01:07:55):
They don't want to do it too, No, no one does.
And they don't want to do two nights in a row.
Oh I guess of Collin's Worth. That's so I was
thinking on Sunday, Week eighteen, the final week of the season.
I was thinking when I was watching the Titans Jaguars game,
it really is a travesty that Kevin Harlan doesn't get
an NFL playoff game. Now, like there's nothing they can do.

(01:08:16):
He works for CBS, CBS has nance, CBS is I in,
so it's not like you can quibble and say, oh,
well one of those guys shouldn't do it. It's just
a shame that Harland doesn't get an NFL playoff game
because when you hear that voice, that game feels.

Speaker 4 (01:08:33):
Big, agreed and I love that in the And I'm
not even the biggest Coraland fan, but he does have
that feel that playoff yes, yes, or special game whatever,
big game field.

Speaker 1 (01:08:47):
So the Browns are given two and a half at
the Texans. The total is forty four and a half.

Speaker 3 (01:08:54):
Do we.

Speaker 1 (01:08:56):
You don't love that?

Speaker 3 (01:08:57):
I can tell no if I have to. I'm taking
the Browns. I think I like their defense.

Speaker 1 (01:09:04):
Right, you love the Chiefs minus four against the Dolphins.

Speaker 3 (01:09:07):
No, I love the Dolphins.

Speaker 1 (01:09:08):
Oh you love the Dolphins.

Speaker 2 (01:09:10):
Wait?

Speaker 3 (01:09:10):
Why do you?

Speaker 1 (01:09:12):
I thought you said oh, I was not paying attention earlier.

Speaker 3 (01:09:15):
Why do you like the Dolphins.

Speaker 4 (01:09:16):
I think Miami is gonna win the game. Chiefs are
there for the taking. I don't think Chiefs are as
good as they've been in recent years.

Speaker 3 (01:09:22):
They're different.

Speaker 4 (01:09:23):
They're more physical with Pacheco. They have major issues all
year long throwing the football. I think it's an obvious.

Speaker 1 (01:09:32):
A million injuries on defense.

Speaker 3 (01:09:33):
I understand that Miami's banged.

Speaker 4 (01:09:35):
Well, that's exactly the reason everybody's off of the Miami bandwagon.

Speaker 3 (01:09:38):
Now.

Speaker 4 (01:09:39):
They choked the division away. They've lost the game into
the Bills. It's frigid weather in Kansas City. There's no
way Miami could win. I think Miami, whoever, if it
was Miami, if it was Pittsburgh, whoever was playing in
Kansas City. This is more anti Chiefs than it is
pro Dolphins. But I still believe in the Dolphins superstars
on offense. There assuming that Hill and Watta will be healthy,

(01:10:00):
uh and would the Shane run in the football.

Speaker 3 (01:10:02):
I think Miami is.

Speaker 4 (01:10:03):
Gonna win that game, win it not even with the
spread their beating the Chiefs are going down all right,
So I.

Speaker 1 (01:10:09):
Got the money line now this but Bills are giving
ten to the Steelers. The total is thirty six and
a half.

Speaker 3 (01:10:16):
Isn't that supposed to be bad weather too? I'll probably
take the points in that.

Speaker 1 (01:10:19):
Well, it's Buffalo. I mean it's gonna be bad weather.

Speaker 3 (01:10:22):
Give me the give me the points with the Steelers there.

Speaker 1 (01:10:25):
Mason Rudolph Okay, and No.

Speaker 2 (01:10:28):
T J.

Speaker 1 (01:10:29):
Watt Cowboys seven and a half against the Packers.

Speaker 3 (01:10:34):
I mean that's a lot of points. I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:10:38):
Total is fifty and a half? One part?

Speaker 3 (01:10:41):
What do you think you have? Any of these pit
you like? You said you don't run?

Speaker 1 (01:10:44):
I would love, I would love to be able to
tease the Cowboys with something, but I can't even find
a game to tease them with.

Speaker 3 (01:10:52):
Now, would you tease them with the over? Like, say,
tease the take the Cowboys and the over?

Speaker 1 (01:10:58):
I don't do same game.

Speaker 3 (01:11:00):
I don'ing like that.

Speaker 1 (01:11:01):
Maybe you know what I would tease, I would tease.
What I'll probably do is I'll tease the Cowboys with
the under in the Pittsburgh Buffalo game because I don't
think the Steelers are going to score.

Speaker 3 (01:11:11):
Okay, right is gonna win, but it's too many points.

Speaker 1 (01:11:16):
I'm with you on that Rams. Lions are minus three
against the Rams fifty one and a half. I'll bet
the over in that game.

Speaker 3 (01:11:24):
I think the Rams are better.

Speaker 2 (01:11:27):
Uh, but I don't.

Speaker 4 (01:11:29):
I don't want to. I don't want to bet against
Like I'm all for the underdog Lions at home finally
won a division. I want to root for the Lions.
I don't like the Rams, but I think the Rams
are better.

Speaker 1 (01:11:41):
Right. And then Monday night is the Pig game, Eagles
at Bucks Gross and the line is Philly minus three.

Speaker 3 (01:11:51):
I don't know which way to go in. I can
probably Philly. I probably have to. I can't take the Bucks.

Speaker 1 (01:11:55):
The Bucks stakings, that's the thing. So, so everyone is
completely off the Eagles bandwagon, and rightfully so, because they
just completely If anyone has watched the Bucks the last
couple of weeks, as I have, unfortunately, the Bucks are terrible.

Speaker 4 (01:12:10):
Yeah, they think you can't bet that. If I lose
that game, I cannot lose it. Signing with the Bucks
I'm sorry. I'll go down to Philadelphia.

Speaker 1 (01:12:17):
They beat the Panthers nine to nothing.

Speaker 3 (01:12:20):
Yeah, I saw, I watched they lost the week before.

Speaker 1 (01:12:23):
To the Saints, and I have just completely gone in
the tank. I mean, they won the week before against
the Jaguars, but they sink that they're any good.

Speaker 3 (01:12:32):
They have good receivers, Baker Mayfield.

Speaker 1 (01:12:35):
I have to think. I have to think just Jalen
Hurts alone.

Speaker 3 (01:12:40):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (01:12:42):
But the question is all the Eagles toast, like, is
it broken so badly that they can't be fixed?

Speaker 1 (01:12:48):
I think they are, But I think they're playing the
one team where they can squeak by it with like
a you know, twenty three twenty win or something like that.

Speaker 3 (01:12:56):
Agreed, agreed, all right.

Speaker 1 (01:12:59):
I don't think I really have anything else. It's been
a quiet week. I don't really have any Uh we
did olypics. Yeah we did a lot there.

Speaker 3 (01:13:06):
All right.

Speaker 1 (01:13:08):
Yeah, that's it.

Speaker 3 (01:13:08):
Happy, all right. Good luck for a walk card weekend.
Thank you, I need it.

Speaker 1 (01:13:12):
Good luck so house hunting Thursday, playoffs over the weekend,
all right, take it easy, So all right, feeler, all right,
my many thanks to Jim Miller and Salakata. Hope you
enjoyed the episode. If you did, make sure you subscribe
test I Media with Jimmy Traina. If you are not
a subscriber, and if you enjoyed it, leave a review
on Apple. It is greatly appreciated. The subscription and the

(01:13:34):
review help us tremendously, so please please please do that.
All right, that wraps it up. We'll see you next week.
Stay safe and take care.