Chandler Rome Stops By: Rockets vs. Pelicans Tonight & Texans Getting National Love

Chandler Rome Stops By: Rockets vs. Pelicans Tonight & Texans Getting National Lo

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is The Matt Thomas Show with Ross tell One an
age down.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Good morning, and welcome to a Thursday morning edition of
The Matt Thomas Show with Ross here from New Orleans, Louisiana,
where tonight the sporting world will have their eyes set
on the Houston Rockets against the New Orleans Pelicans, and
a man that brought great insight and analysis to all

(00:31):
things Pelicans basketball is back with us today Channel Roma.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Hoave, Hell are you you're uh? Your dinner looked a
lot better last night in New Orleans than the original,
and that looked I don't know where you guys went.
I guess to look at the plate and really looked
pos but it looked very good.

Speaker 4 (00:46):
I mean, I've I'm so fat, Chandler so so fat.
It's that's that's just part of the deal. And you
get in New Orleans though.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Yeah. Yeah, there is actually a scale in my hotel
and I've been on it twice. It in I'm not
problem my result. So I think I'm gonna walk to
the Smoothie king Center today. It's just to get to
make exercise, going get a smoothie. Yeah, Hey, I'm stunned
that you've not like man I gotta go. Big story
brewing and something's going down. Are you even a little

(01:16):
surprised at how things quiet? How quiet things are on
the ASTROS front.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
I sent a text message to someone within the organization
yesterday and all I said is can y'all do something
on board? That's basically where I am right now? Yeah,
like it's I mean, am I surprised?

Speaker 5 (01:33):
No?

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Because this is what happens when you don't have deadlines
right like I think if you have it. I think
if there's a valid criticism of baseball in its off
season is that there is no incentive for teams to
act right like. It's deadlines drive decisions, deadlines drive action,
deadline spur action, and there is no deadline, so these

(01:56):
teams can operate as slow and as methodical as they want.
It's not great for the consumer, I guess, but it
also does keep it like I mean, we're talking about it,
so it keeps it in the news a little bit.
But yeah, I I think if I was commissioner, I
would find a way to make a deadline of some
sort or you know, I have this idea floated to me,

(02:17):
not by anyone, not by anyone in baseball that has
any power to do so. But like, what about a
transaction freeze like after the winter meetings, Like from the
Winter meetings till like January fifteenth, it's a transaction freeze,
So that would at least create some some fun and
some you know, drama around the winter meetings when you

(02:37):
know you have a freeze coming up, and maybe that
would spur some action. I don't know, but they need
to do something because it as long as it's like this,
teams are just going to take their time and weigh
out the best value and wait out, you know, what
they want before doing anything.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
I mean, there is a term that has been brought up.
It's called hot stove. You don't hear hot stoven NBA.
You don't hear hot stoven NFL. You hear a hot
stoven baseball. And I you know, I think the off
season and the trade deadlines in football are okay. I
think the basketball NBA trade deadline and the startup for
agency is amazing. I think baseball's trade deadline is really

(03:14):
amazing because we're sitting there staring and looking at our
phones and watching the clock and waiting to see what
you're tweeting them or tags or something but I think
the off season, again historically, is better in baseball than
the other two sports. But I don't know if it's
a transaction freeze, if it's a hey, we'll give you
bonus points if you do something. But it feels like
to me the last two or three years in particular,

(03:36):
we're seeing more like mid February signings. I mean, when
did Bregman sign with the Red Sox. It was very late,
wasn't it.

Speaker 4 (03:42):
I was in spring training.

Speaker 3 (03:43):
It was like it was the day I think it
was the day position players reported to Astros camp like
it was. Yeah, it was in spring training. So and
I mean you could see a lot of guys like
that this coming year.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Now.

Speaker 3 (03:54):
I think next off season will be a little more
interesting because the CBA expires on December first. I think
there's gonna be a lot of players that want to
know where they're going to be playing before a potential lockout,
So you could see a lot of deals getting done
a lot earlier next offseason.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
All Right, we've got to channel with you, so from
ten o'clock until noon, obviously we'll get a lot of
baseball chatter going, but that's an exclusive to our visit
with him. So if you want to get into anything
sports related, whether it be Rockets, NBA, the Texans getting
ready for the Raiders on Sunday, we will have coming
up this morning at eleven thirty. You lost your shut
your bab ass up Virginity yesterday. Now you're gonna get

(04:30):
the I just don't get it today. This is also
a fun little segment that we do once a week
because we're looking to fill twenty hours. There are things
in life channel we just don't get and we have
three different generations. You myself, Jonathan, we try to figure
these things out. We have our listeners calling in. So
if there's anything that perplexes you, Jonathan, or in for
you Channeler in your life, we're here to solve it

(04:52):
between eleven and thirty and noon.

Speaker 4 (04:54):
A lot of things perplex me, A lot of things
please me.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
I thought they do, John. They give him a what four,
give him a little tutoring session, and I just don't
get it. I'll do it today at twelve thirty, We're
gonna have Ema a Doka. He's a janner. He's twenty
five thousand dollars lighter in the pocket today after the
NBA find him yesterday, which, by the way, Jonathan, you
had him in one hundred and ten thousand dollars.

Speaker 6 (05:15):
Oh yeah, I'm really surprised how low the fine was.
I'm not I said fifty. So you know he's a
he's a repeat offender.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
Boys, I presume whichever for Tita's son is running the
team can just pay the fine for him, right.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
You know, I don't know that. I don't know. And
uh again, you have to kind of walk up and
tread line. You know, you don't want to be doing
anything that would be in theory against league rules. But
I mean, does e may you know, does he set
aside like a little hush fund of money that he's
gonna eventually pay the NBA for fines? I mean, look,
you make several million dollars a year. He just got

(05:49):
a new Countray extension twenty five thousand dollars to him.
Is you know a blip on the radar?

Speaker 3 (05:54):
Well, it happened a lot and with many astros. When
I mean it happened a lot with Alex Central. When
Alex Central, we're getting rejected from a game for argument
balls and strikes. When he was a hitting coach, like
a lot of times, the players would pay his fine
because like it was a it was a thank you
for sticking up for him, for putting his neck on
the line. And I mean, obviously this is a whole
nother discussion, but major League Baseball coaches do not get paid,

(06:17):
which you think they get paid. It's a it's a
more meager salary than I think a lot of the
general public thinks so, and baseball players get paid a
lot more.

Speaker 5 (06:25):
So.

Speaker 3 (06:25):
Yeah, that was a lot a lot of times in
the Astros clubhouse, there every players that would pay fines
if coaches got ejected things like that, if it was
a sticking up for sticking up for the guys. I
wonder you know Kd's got I think Kd's got an
extra twenty five grand laying around. I think he'd be
able to help.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
I think Jay Sean Tate's got an extra twenty five
thousand dollars give men. You know, even the low end
guys are doing well. So we'll talk to emay coming
up at twelve thirty today, Koubak is going to join
us from the SEC Network at ESPN at one thirty
today for the Aggs game against the Miami Hurricanes. Will
also get a thought or two for me on Alabama

(07:01):
versus Oklahoma. I'm also going to ask him this and
I really don't know the answer to this, and I
brought this up a couple of times this week in Channel.
I want to get your thoughts on this as well.
You know, the twenty years ago, when there was no
such thing as nil and no such thing as directly
the schools paying players. You had the haves and the
have nots. You had the big facilities, you had the

(07:22):
big money, the big donors. For instance, case in Point
Texas and Texas A and M can cash whip anybody
else in the state. Then that goes without saying. But
we have seen in college football the last handful of years,
and particularly in the state of Texas, schools that you
wouldn't expect to come in and start playing around with
the big money ie Texas Tech into a lesser extend SMU.

(07:44):
They're now considered potential for powerhouses or be able to
sustain success. I wonder how the SEC handles all that,
because for a lot of time, it's been Alabama, it's
been Auburn, it's been Floored, it's been LSU and other
schools in the conference, to like oh Man we'll take
the table scraps. Vanderbilt being good in football. I mean,
how many times was Vanderbilt good in football when you

(08:05):
were in college at LSU?

Speaker 4 (08:06):
Zero? That would be zero, yes, zero.

Speaker 3 (08:09):
Actually, actually, I think my college tenure coincided with James
Franklin at Vanderbilt, and they were actually like, they were respectable,
Like I would not say they were good, but he
got them to a bowl game and they were not
a complete laughing stock.

Speaker 2 (08:21):
Yeah, they actually played Houston in a bowl game and loss.
But that's another neither here nor there. But I wonder,
and maybe Cole have a perspective on this, are we
missing out on some schools that maybe we think have
more money than they really do, Because it feels like
to me, and I don't know this for a fact,
that LSU clearly has it because they're gonna pay Lane
kiff and crazy amounts of money, and he'll obviously need

(08:42):
a lot of money to bring players in. But I
wondered if Alabama needs a little economic boost the strangers
that may to say.

Speaker 4 (08:48):
Well, it used to be.

Speaker 3 (08:50):
It used to be all about geography, right, Like, if
you were in the right part of the country, you
could recruit whoever you wanted, because just in general, there
are certain parts of the country that develop better football players.
It's just it's just been like that forever, Like per capita,
like if you're in Florida, if you're in Louisiana, like
those states, per capita produced some most NFL players really

(09:12):
of anyone. And it's become less geography based now because
like when you're geography based, you're you're you have.

Speaker 4 (09:19):
Allegiances to your local schools. Right.

Speaker 3 (09:21):
They are people that grew up in Louisiana that want
to go to LSU. There are people that grew up
in Florida that want to go to Florida, Florida State,
Miami wherever. Now it's like they could all want to
go there. Great, But if this school dumps a two
and a half million dollar offer on you like that,
like allegiances is great, Like you can root for LSU
like privately in your spare time, you're gonna go take

(09:41):
the two and a half million dollars and go to
Texas Tech or SMU or something like that.

Speaker 2 (09:45):
Well, Texas Tech's the greatest example of that. I mean,
you know, people have said over and over again it
takes more money to get kids to Lubbock because it's
West Texas.

Speaker 4 (09:54):
It's not close anywhere.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
But I you know, I'm not looking at their roster letly,
but I would probably assume that this roster of twenty
twenty five is much more geographically spread out than say
the nineteen ninety nine or two thousand and three Texas
Tech roster. And you know, for the first time in
I mean, there's probably been two or three defenses in
my entire life that Texas Tech have been bragg on.

(10:16):
You know, the Zach Thomas led teams of years ago.
But Texas Tech typically known was for this score sixty
points a game, have a bunch of great quarterbacks, but
not stop anybody. And they finished the.

Speaker 4 (10:26):
Year at seven and five, eight and four, and you
call it a day.

Speaker 2 (10:28):
Now you've got Texas Tech not only going to the
College Football Playoff, but they have a buy into the
second round. I mean, that's why I'm curious where the
SEC is and that, you know, can Auburn and Alabama
have enough boosters to stay with the lsues, will Florida
be able to stay with it? And there's there somebody
we're forgetting about that All of a sudden, a cash

(10:50):
infusion goes into say South Carolina or to Arkansas or Kentucky,
that maybe two or three years from now those schools
are talked about as legitimate SEC title contenders.

Speaker 3 (10:59):
Yeah, it's I like that it has leveled of playing field,
that we're talking about Indiana as the number one team
in the country, that we're talking about Vandy as a
legit snub. Now do I love that we have to
watch James Madison and Tulane play football like meaningful football
games this week? I don't love that, to be honest
with you, Like I would rather watch, you know, I'd

(11:20):
rather watch a three lost Texas team try to go
beat one of these teams and watch, you know, James Madison,
like give it the old college try for fifteen minutes,
because that's what it's gonna be. Like I mean, Tulane,
they are playing. Tulane is playing a team that already
beat them forty five to ten this season.

Speaker 4 (11:35):
That's right, Like it's and again and again.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
I don't want to I don't want to disparage like
these these guys are trying hard, like they they do
what they can with what they have. But it's just
I would maybe I'm in the minority like I'd rather
try to watch a loaded team like Texas, a team
that maybe didn't get off to the greatest start in
the world but found itself late in the season art
started playing better. I'd watch that team try to go

(12:01):
play Oregon or try to go play Ole Miss.

Speaker 4 (12:04):
Then what this is gonna be? What's which?

Speaker 3 (12:07):
Like, They'll hang around for a quarter, a quarter and
a half and it'll be fun, and then by the
third quarter everyone's gonna tune out because it's just I
don't know what the right solution is. I'm sure they're
gonna expand it more going forward, but it just it
doesn't feel right to me that that we have to
watch James Madison and Tulane play these games.

Speaker 2 (12:26):
I'll just say this, I have zero problem with nonpower
for schools getting in. I just think this year probably
discussed it more thanything else. That if you if you're
gonna you're gonna keep the group of five in, you
gotta add to make it sixteen teams just so it
doesn't come across as they're just being put in. Either
that or we need James Madison and or Tulane to

(12:49):
pull off the episode of the century. This weekend, because
I guarantee you if James Madison gets blown out against
Oregon or Till Lane gets blown up by Ole Miss,
you're everybody on their Monday TV talk shows in ESPN
coach just so I told you so they shouldn't had
him in there. I think you're gonna be able to
You can't avoid anti trust unless you have group of
five or at some point John, you know, guys Chandler,

(13:11):
maybe they're thinking, maybe we just need to separate and
just create this power Forward League of forty eight sixty
two really good teams and those other teams, those other
schools that aren't the power to power for create their
own national championship. It's gonna be one way or other.
And I think they don't want to do that. So
I think we're gonna get the sixteen teams and allow
those two group of fives in.

Speaker 4 (13:30):
I agree. I think that's how it should be.

Speaker 3 (13:32):
I think, you know, I think expanding it like as
as long as you keep expanding it, there's going to
be the debate. Like we debated about the thirteenth and
fourteenth best teams this time around.

Speaker 4 (13:43):
If they expand the sixteen, we're gonna.

Speaker 3 (13:45):
Debate about the seventeenth and the eighteen, Like the debate
is never going away, like they debate the NCAA tournament
every year. Why why team number seventy or seventy one
didn't get into a sixty eighteen field?

Speaker 4 (13:55):
Like that's never going away. But I just I don't know.

Speaker 3 (13:58):
I it just feels kind of weird to me to
let so automatically let these two teams in when there
are probably other teams that would create a better product,
create better games.

Speaker 2 (14:10):
And what we're going to see this weekend, well case
in point. I mean, you know that SMU will not SMU.
You know that BYU. Would you know that? Uh, Notre
Dame would. I mean there's two right off the top,
Vanderbilt would, probably Texas. I mean there's four right there. So,
like I said, I think it gets to sixteen. Yeah,
we're gonna argue about seventeen and eighteen, but I think
at that point that's gonna be a much shorter conversation

(14:32):
than we had this past week. All right, that's Channel Rome.
He is in our Houston studios. I'm here in New Orleans.
If you want to chime in. I think we've talked
about so far and We've got a lot to get
to over the next four hours. Seven one three, two,
one two, five, seven ninety seven one three, two, one two, five, seven,
nine and zero five. All right, ten o'clockers, wake up.
I think you're out there. I hope you're out there.

(14:56):
Matt with you in New Orleans. Ross is off and
the channel room is gonna have out with us for
a couple hours. I didn't realize you had tonight's game
between the Rams and the Seahawks. That's battle of eleven
win teams. I hope Taylor that al Michael's cares about
the game. I mean, because lord knows, you hadn't cared
much about the games he's called this year.

Speaker 3 (15:12):
He's uh, he's coasting what him. Uh, he's he's earned
the right to not care. He's uh, he's been around
doing it for a while. It's okay, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (15:21):
We finally got Bob Costas of the play by play
last year, and look, these are guys that grow up
and admired and but just tell me if I lose
my fastball, Chandler, you just gotta come tell me. Okay, Oh,
don't worry, don't worry.

Speaker 4 (15:33):
I'll let you know.

Speaker 2 (15:35):
Seven one three two one two five seven ninety seven
one three two one two five seven nine zero. And
again with Chandler here, we're gonna focus a lot on
baseball the next couple hours. We got other things to
get to But I wanna go back to the Stros
for a second. Any talk about the lame duck contract
status with Dana and Joe being a factor with potential

(15:56):
for agent acquisitions and or trades.

Speaker 3 (15:58):
You know, I don't think it's a fact in terms
of like our teams going, are players going to decide
to come here, or are other teams going side to
trade with the Astros like that? That doesn't matter to me,
just in my opinion, it doesn't matter if those two
are lamee ducks. But I mean, it's certainly a storyline
that I think needs to be talked about a little
bit more. You know, it was interesting at the Winter meetings.

(16:22):
Philly's manager Rob Thompson got an extension on Tuesday, the
team announced it and everything, and he got he got
a one year deal. He got a one year extension
into the UH that covers next season, and so on
that day it seemed prudent to ask Dana whether you
know there had been any talks with Joe or anything
like that. And the weird thing was Joe was sitting

(16:43):
in the room when we were interviewing Dana, So having
to ask that with Joe sitting fifteen feet away was
a little awkward. But the response, if you read between
the lines and the response, and I don't have it
in front of me, but i'll paraphrase, Dana basically tied
himself into it. He said, Joe and I have said
that we want to retire here, that our goal is

(17:04):
to retire here, and daneup also in the last year
of its deal, talked about, you know, the way we
retire here is that we put together a playoff team
and we get deep into the playoffs, and that's how
we're going to retire here. My read on that, my opinion,
my read between the lines on that is it's not
Dana's call. It's not Dana's call whether Joe Spotty gets

(17:25):
an extension, because Dana himself is in the same predicament.
I think it's Jim Crane's call. And you know, Jim
hasn't hasn't conducted a news conference since opening day, so
we haven't had the chance to ask him outright. So
you know this is there is precedent here. Dusty Baker
worked as a lame duck very famously. He would make

(17:48):
it known that he worked as a lame duck for
I think two of the four years he was manager here.
James Klick worked as a lame duck in twenty twenty
two and then we saw how that ended. So there's
precedent for Jim allowing his employees to work or the
head of his baseball operations to work on a lam
ed uck situation. It'll be fascinating. It'll be fascinating to

(18:13):
see if they get into July, if they get toward
the deadline and maybe they're not performing, or maybe they've underperformed,
or a lot of interesting consequential decisions could be could
be have to haved at that time.

Speaker 2 (18:27):
You know, I'll say this about Jim. You know, he's
remarkably consistent on handle how he handles things. He doesn't
give out super long contracts. He does pay fair market value.
But no one's ever gone, wow, how about that eight
year deal coming from the astros or how about that
five year contract extension for said manager or general manager.

(18:50):
And look, I don't I don't know how Crane Logistics
handles their business, but clearly Jim Crane went to a
business school that said I'm going to keep my guys
on a short leash, and I feel like if I
need to make a change of going to do so,
and I don't want to be stuck with contracts that
hurt me if I have to pay out. I mean,
there are some teams in sports that have you know,
college football coaches being one. We see that more often

(19:13):
than anything else where. They get these huge guaranteed deals
and these schools got to pay him out. Jim Crane
hasn't had to do a lot of that, and maybe
that's just he got some advice, maybe he watched other
baseball team to do it that way, but it's consistent.
I don't think he would buck the trend, even for
a guy like one of his buddies, Justin Verlander. Even

(19:34):
back in the heyday when when Justin was signed the
second time around, well we know that.

Speaker 3 (19:40):
I mean Justin told us that. He told us that
in April when the Giants came for that first series
of the season, and he told us that when the
Giants offered him the one year, fifteen million dollars like
he called Jim, He called Crane then asked, you know, basically,
can you guys match this, like here's what I got,
and Jim told him we're not in a position to

(20:00):
do that right now, and which to me spoke volumes
because again, like you just intimated, like Jim and Justin
are very very close, and if there was going to
be anyone in my thought process that maybe Jim would
eschew some of his you know, precedents for it, it'd
be him, And the fact that he didn't was was interesting.
So yeah, I mean we've seen that, like Jim is

(20:23):
Jim is consistent. Like you said, I do think the
one maybe the one difference and when we're talking about
maybe as opposed to like player contracts is like in
the grand scheme of things, managers and gms don't make
that much money in the grand scheme. Like look, Joe
Spot and Dana Brown are well compensated, don't get me wrong,

(20:44):
but we're not talking about tens of millions of dollars.

Speaker 4 (20:48):
Like.

Speaker 3 (20:48):
There are only a select few managers in baseball, one
of whom used to manage here, that are in that
upper echelon of compensated manager, Like I'm talking like in
the five to eight million dollar range in terms of
yearly salaries.

Speaker 2 (21:05):
That's like at Council got good money to leave Milwaukee
to go to Chicago.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
People talking about that.

Speaker 3 (21:09):
Alex korra redid his contract after that and he got
a good bit of money. Aj Hinch got a nice
raise and a nice new contract after what he's done
in Detroit. So you've got that upper echelon. Other than that,
it's not as lucrative of a position as maybe.

Speaker 4 (21:26):
You would think.

Speaker 3 (21:27):
And again I'm not trying to sit here saying like
Joe and Dane are making minimum wage. That is certainly
not the case, but it's maybe just like when you
see what the players make, when you see what the
guys on the field make, it really isn't what you
think as far as what the managers and the coaches
are making.

Speaker 2 (21:43):
So the good thing is is that if you get
a player who doesn't perform well, and you can argue
about the Jose Buru situation and there was no general
manager there, but it works. It was only a three
year deal. I mean, I know it sounds painful, but
it was three Christian Walker three Josh Hater's got a
lengthy contract with that, but Josh, it felt like to

(22:05):
me was on Jim's radar for a long time. So
that was like, I'm gonna go buck the trend on that.
But it does give you some flexibility to say, hey,
if we got a bad deal, we can either trade
out of that deal or we can have to suck
it up and think about going to the next direction
where I mean, look, think about the Angels and I go,
I go back to Albert Poolhols's contract many many years ago.
I think that Albert pooh Hol's contract with Anthony ren

(22:27):
Don's contract shortly after that paralyze that franchise. You get
stuck behind those super long term deals for guys who
can't play or on the downside of their career, and
it can happ for your entire twenty six man roster.

Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, and that's why, like, and look, I sort of
agree with Jim's stance on that, right, Like, I agree
with the stance that those things rarely ever age. Well, now,
every so often you get an Otani, you get a Soto,
you get these guys that are just kind of unicorns
that you give them nine, ten, eleven years and you

(22:58):
don't really have to worry, like the bad into the
back end of the Ottani contract will be okay, like
the back end of the Sodo contract will be well,
he'd be the player he is now. Probably not, but
he'll still be pretty good. But by and large, like
I get where Jim is coming from, and I agree
with that that you don't want to have like the
Angels are doing with and like have the rendoon albatross

(23:21):
on your on your payroll because it constricts everything else
you can do along with you know, they have the
Mike Trout contract on their books, which I think at
the time everyone looked at the Mike Trout contract of
twelve years and four hundred million, four and sixty million
and was like, this is a bargain, Like this is
the best player on Earth, and at the time he was,
and injuries have just completely sabotaged him, and that contract's

(23:44):
not looking great right now. So yeah, it's a lot
easier to wiggle out of a two or a three
year commitment than it is a seven or an eight
year commitment.

Speaker 2 (23:53):
All right, that's channel rov ma Aleck and we could
talk to Baseball with Hugh Folks. We can get into
the Texas. If you want to getting ready for Sunday's
game with the Raiders. We have the Rockets against the
Pelicans tonight. We got email I don't and getting twenty
five thousand dollars in fines. We have Joe Klatt apologizing
for his acidine take earlier this week. We can get
to that as well. Plus I just don't get it
at eleventh th this morning here on Sports Talk seven

(24:15):
ninety seven one three two one two five seven ninety
if you want to ask any questions to get a
thought in or two about the Astros hot stove, which
has been on simmer for most of this offseason. Seven
one three two one two five seven ninety seven one
three two one two five seven ninety ten thirty two
here on seven ninety with.

Speaker 4 (24:36):
Matt at Jenner.

Speaker 2 (24:37):
With you here until twelve noon on Sports Talk seven
ninety Jenner sadly not a lot of piping cons Houston
sports stuff.

Speaker 4 (24:44):
Going on in the last handful of days. I mean,
we could break down the Texans three deep if you'd like.

Speaker 2 (24:51):
I'm gonna save that for after you get off the show,
because I know that you want to save it for
your own private podcast.

Speaker 3 (24:56):
Yeah, we are recording. We are recording the pod tonight,
so I gotta I gotta say some stuff.

Speaker 2 (25:01):
How are you killing time on this? I mean, we
got nothing going on.

Speaker 3 (25:04):
That's literally literally, Like I texted Tyler, my co host,
I was like, I guess we have to do a podcast,
Like I don't know what we're going to talk about, honestly,
So please tune in.

Speaker 2 (25:14):
Yeah, Well, by the way, do not meant go ahead
mention the name of the podcast.

Speaker 3 (25:17):
It Crush City Territory presented by the Foul Territory Network.
Please subscribe like.

Speaker 2 (25:23):
It's really good. I just hate don't like the name.
But that's a different issue for a different time, all right,
So let's get to those twenty twenty seven season. Get
your Crystal Ball out channel, roam. Are we playing baseball
at any point in twenty twenty seven?

Speaker 3 (25:37):
Yeah, I don't think we miss a season. You gotta remember,
like even when even when the threat to even when
it looked as bleak as it did the last time
we did one of these things, like we still played
one hundred and sixty two games. It just cut into
like the first week or so of spring training and
they had to they had to basically backfill the games

(25:59):
toward the end of the schedule. I there will be
a lockout. Don't get me wrong, I think there will be.
I think it'll be a lot like last time, where
I don't think teams will report to spring training when
they normally do. I think there will be a lot
of posturing. I think there will be a lot of
doom and gloom, because that's how some negotiations work, That's

(26:20):
how both sides, you know, just both sides are going
to be entrenched in their points. And but I but
I think both sides also understand or if they don't,
they should understand that. And you can disagree with me
on this, Matt, like, I think baseball is probably at
one of its healthiest points just all around, that we've
seen in a while, just given given how prevalent Otani's

(26:44):
been and what he's done to kind of take over,
given the given the star power in the sport, given
everything about it, given you know, the conversation around it,
Baseball has probably never been at a healthier place publicly. You
look at the World Series this year, it was incredible.
People were talking about the World Series every game. And
that wasn't just the World Series, it was the playoffs.

(27:06):
It was the playoffs this year, and maybe this whole
season kind of showed that, like baseball is in a
really good spot, Like it's in a good spot health
wise and a good spot in the perception game. I
just I don't know, at least for me, as like
a baseball fan, I hope that both sides don't undo
all that good will, don't undo all the good that's

(27:28):
been done by you know, a work stoppage or something
that's gonna get really ugly.

Speaker 2 (27:33):
Well, I will say this about fans, and that includes
people that I talked to on this radio show. It
includes my barber. It includes people that I have my Neah,
you have a barber, Well, I go get my I
get shaves.

Speaker 4 (27:44):
It's my diva thing I do. Interesting I know which.

Speaker 2 (27:48):
By the way, I'm in this thirteen day trip.

Speaker 4 (27:50):
I got to find a barber, probably owning it to
a Denver tomorrow. But that's a different issuere at a
different time.

Speaker 2 (27:54):
So my point is this, We fans tend to tell
me how they don't want things and don't go to things.
Yet baseball is thriving. Baseball's attendance is amazing. The World Series,
which featured a Canadian team had astronomically successful numbers because
the games were super compelling. Stadiums are full. They just

(28:16):
signed brand new television deals, and you know, this World
Baseball Classic is add an extra layer of excitement to
an otherwise mundane part of a baseball calendar. Basketball all
I hear about is Matt, I don't watch the NBA.
All they do is dunk the ball and shoot three pointers.
They don't play any defense, take time off. Adam Silver
just signed a mega, mega television deal with multiple networks.

(28:40):
Buildings are full, ticket prices are high. People go, so
it's not for everybody. And people like to tend to
paint with a broad brush on this. You know, I
remember going back, you know, the strike. I'll never go
to an Astros game again. After the strike of ninety four,
I'll never do this and this, I'll never go to
an Astros game again when the Astros moved from the
National League American. We're a finity bunch of people. Sports

(29:02):
fans are, and maybe we are if we were talking
about our politics too. We met finically, but generally speaking,
it would take basically, and this is my thought on this,
it would take a seismic Chandler cheating scandal of epic proportions.
For people to officially turn off baseball or basketball or football,
it would have to take multiple teams fixing games for

(29:25):
a long period of time to challenge the direct integrity
of a sport for people to say, you know what,
you're pro wrestling, I don't want to go do it.
Other than that, everything that these sports leagues do, from
new TV deals to streaming, to higher ticket prices to
lockouts and strikes, these sports are muming because we love sports.

(29:47):
That's it. We just do well.

Speaker 3 (29:49):
I fear what you're gonna get is kind of what
you The rhetoric and the narratives you got last time
was yeah, billionaires versus millionaires. Like a lot of people,
just a lot of normal, average Joe people mad that
a bunch of millionaire baseball players are complaining and there's
a bunch of billionaire owners that are also complaining. Just

(30:11):
I think that is a turnoff. Just this is my opinion.
I think that's a turnoff to a lot of you know,
casual people that are just like you, get paid a
lot of money to play a sport, like just go
do it. I don't agree with that line of thinking.
But but I think that's I think that's what you risk, right,
you risk just in the court of public perceptions, people
like you know what, like like it's not worth it,

(30:31):
Like it's not worth like this if this is how
they're going to act, this how they're going to behave
when you know, this happens every day, right, Like there's
unions around the country, around the world, like every like
most industries have unions where like they have a they
have a the union has a side and management has
a side, and they negotiate new agreements, new new new contracts,

(30:53):
new things. But we just never hear about it. We
know it's all done privately. It's all done you know,
within the workspace, within that insular place, and we never
hear about it publicly. When you know, you get to
see how the sausage is made. From that standpoint, it
can be off putting real quick. And I want to
get to something else, NFL let it next. But do

(31:14):
you think the owners will be unified a here from now?
Because honestly, I've talked about this before the audience. How
in the world is Kansas City's ownership group aligned with.

Speaker 4 (31:22):
LA and the Yankees and the Mets.

Speaker 3 (31:24):
Yeah, I don't think. I don't think it'll be unanimous.
I certainly don't think all thirty will be going for
the same thing. And I think, but you know, Rob Manfred,
as much hate as he gets, as polarizing as he is,
his job is he worked for them, He works for
the owners, and he's got to make thirty very very
rich people, very very convicted people. He's got to make

(31:48):
them all kind of get on the same page. And
that's difficult. And so no, I don't think you know,
the dogs, Like you said, the Dodgers ownership group isn't
in the same level as the Pirates ownership group, but
the race ownership group. So like, no, I don't think
they'll all be unified, but I think they will find
a way to come to common ground.

Speaker 2 (32:07):
All right, how does this sound, ladies and gentlemen, the
Northwest Indiana Bears. We'll discuss that in a minute ten
forty five on Sports Talk seven ninety seven one three
two one two five seven ninety. If you want to
chime in seven one three two one two five seven ninety,
I just don't get it. Come up at eleven.

Speaker 4 (32:24):
Thirty today here on Sports Talk seven ninety.

Speaker 2 (32:27):
Ten fifty one on The Matt Thomas Show with Ross Channel.
Rome is hanging out with us until twelve Today, we've
got to just don't get it. Come out up at
eleven thirty we'll have em aed Okay, twelve thirty on
the show, and at one thirty Kol Kubalik from ESPN
and the SEC Network's going to join us to discuss
a lot about the Aggies and the Hurricanes. Saturday eleven

(32:48):
a m. In College Station Boy, the College Football ESPN
folks like you, you know what, We're gonna put James
Madison into laying on those lague games because there's NFL
football on Saturday. We can get our ass kicked. Yeah,
that's crazy.

Speaker 3 (33:02):
How mad are the Aggies that they have an eleven
am playoff game?

Speaker 2 (33:07):
I don't think they're overly pleased, but you get to
get home in a decent time. I mean, you know,
how do LSU fans hand eleven o'clock games? They don't
handle those well, do they?

Speaker 4 (33:17):
They never have them?

Speaker 3 (33:19):
Like that was like Actually one of the things Lane Kiffin,
one of his like crusades at Ole Miss and he's
not necessarily wrong, is that like LSU could be four
and eight and they will somehow find a way to
have all night games. It just it's more of just
like LSU has created this mystique about Saturday night in

(33:42):
Tiger State.

Speaker 4 (33:42):
I mean it's warranted.

Speaker 3 (33:43):
Don't get me wrong, as someone that's been in there
many and many of nights, like it's not it's warranted.
But I see why other teams get a little miffed,
if you will, because like ole Miss the last couple
of years, they've won fifty games in the last five years.
They're playing like every other game at eleven am. And
it's just because Olemists doesn't carry the cachet. It's like

(34:04):
the Cowboys.

Speaker 2 (34:05):
I mean, the last Sunday Night was the Cowboys against
the Vikings, two teams that probably have about a two
percent chance of making the playoffs. Nbc' is like, oh, well,
happy hit, We'll carry every one of your games.

Speaker 4 (34:14):
It's fine. Yeah, well time it's about eyeballs. Yeah, that's
how I get it. I get.

Speaker 3 (34:19):
I get both sides, Like I get why ESPN, I
get why the TV networks do it like that, and
I also get why coaches at other schools get miffed.

Speaker 2 (34:27):
All right, I teased this a minute ago, and uh,
not that we spent a lot of time talking about
Bears stadium conversation, but I do think it has an
indirect effect on what's going to happen here in Houston
and the eventually. So the Chicago Bears thought they had
a deal in for Arlington Heights, which is a suburb
of Chicago. You know, they've been asking for a new stadium,

(34:48):
uh in downtown forever. They think the REFURBERSH Soldier Field
is outweighed, it's you know, it's just it's old again.
They need to go get into the nicer because everybody
wants bigger, brighter, beautiful. They want what they get in Vegas,
they won't want they in Los Angeles. They won't what
they get in Dallas with those stadiums. So they thought
they had this entertainment complex knocked out in Arlington Heights,
big plot of land, build the stadium, put hotels, restaurants, clubs, YadA, YadA, YadA. Well,

(35:12):
apparently that has fallen through or it has not been
passed through. So the ownership group with the Chicago Bears
yesterday and if you saw this, Jonathan said and Chandler
that they're going to explore Northwest Indiana instead, which would
be Gary, Indiana. That's the biggest, relatively speaking, biggest town

(35:32):
outside of the metropolitan Chicago area. Now that's not unheard of, because,
let's be brutally honest, the New York Giants and the
New York Jets have not put in New York. Well,
the Jets haven't played ever since Shay Stadium back in
the early eighties. And I don't even know when the
Giants were last in New York. So it's not crazy,
but it's really weird, don't you think, Chandler Gary Indiana

(35:55):
for your Chicago Bears.

Speaker 3 (35:58):
The only thing I know about Gary and that were
Michael Jackson's from Yeah, yeah, you're right.

Speaker 4 (36:02):
The only thing I know about that.

Speaker 2 (36:03):
Today's edition of Believe or Not Today is all things
Geary and Deana. So maybe you will find out.

Speaker 4 (36:08):
Does this mean we're getting the Woodlands Texans?

Speaker 2 (36:11):
Well, the reason why I bring it up it's, look,
the Texans made a change in their front office, not
you know, not Nick Cassaria. I'm talking about their business side.
And they brought a guy in from the Dallas area
who helped build facilities and worked for a company that
did so and I clearly believe we've talked about this

(36:32):
a little bit before the start of the season, and
obviously when you get into the heart of the NFL season,
you don't need to spend much time talking about this stuff.
But look, they want to refurbish NRG Stadium or if
they don't get into their liking, my guess is they
will kick the tires on looking for new property for
a brand new stadium. With all the bells and whistles
and Jonathan and Channan, this is more to you. You've

(36:55):
got you've gone to Atlanta before. Look at what the
district has done to the Atlanta Braves community up thereattery.
It's nuts.

Speaker 3 (37:00):
Yeah, the battery, yeah even and I no one wants
to hear this, but like it's kind of the same
thing in Arlington, Like the area around Globe Life, like
they've got it's like a I don't want to spend
most of my night there, but like I can see
why it's attracted to a lot of people to go there,
because like you've got Jerry World's right there, You've got

(37:22):
Globe Life about a block away, and then you've got
every type of bar in restaurant and gathering place. You
can think around it, and that's something that need neither
energy nor Dyke in Park has and I know Jim
Crane has has talked a lot about wanting to get
something like that, wanting to either mimic the Battery or

(37:43):
Ballpark Village in.

Speaker 4 (37:46):
Saint Louis.

Speaker 3 (37:47):
Like it's needed, like you need like I don't think
and correct me if I'm wrong here, Matt, Like I
don't think you need to make this. You need to
make going to a sporting event like an all encompassing experience. Right,
I'm not either, Yeah, I'm not sure. We're at the
point now where like just going to watch the Astros

(38:10):
and the Royals on a Tuesday night at seven ten
is enough of a draw for people, Like if you
can go down there and like you can go to dinner,
or you can get you can get drinks after night,
and it's all in one, Like you don't have to
walk very far. You part one place, you go get
dinner here, you go to get a drink here, and
then you walk into the game like it's got there's

(38:31):
got to be more drawing you there than just.

Speaker 4 (38:35):
The baseball game or the football game.

Speaker 3 (38:37):
And then that's how that's how I think as a consumer,
like like I I'm maybe because I work in sports
a little bit differently, but like just me going to
a game isn't gonna move my needle. But if there's
things around it, if there's other things to do, if
there's ways to make a whole experience and a whole

(38:57):
day out of it, I think it's a little bit different.

Speaker 2 (38:59):
Well, we have been and I've lived here, you know,
eighty percent of my life, maybe ninety We have been
conditioned to go to our sporting event, get in the building,
and get out and go home. And I don't know
Chandler at this point if we're ever going to change.
I think we are wildly spread out. I think our

(39:22):
traffic situation wildly hurts the situation. And you're saying, well, okay,
Well they're big cities, haven't Yeah, But they are also
cities that have generations of fans that grew up going
to Bush Stadium in downtown Saint Louis and doing the
things around it. You said people have been accustomed to
being in midtown Manhattan and having dinner before going to
see a Knicks game at MSG. My gut and I

(39:45):
brought this up several times in the last year. My
gut tells me if the sports owners of this town,
in particular the Texans is I think they're the ones
that are more antsy to get a facility, have either
refurbished or a new one. They're gonna to go outside
of Harris County. I don't think Harris County is going
to want to give him a dime. And if your
col and you're Hannah, and you have seen your fellow

(40:08):
NFL owners get these palaces built, you know Chicago's gonna
eventually get theirs, Buffalo's got theirs coming up. You've seen
Las Vegas, You've seen what's going on at so far
in Los Angeles. You've seen the Phoenix operation that's out
and that's in the suburbs. It to me, the city life,
the city, Let's all go downtown and hang out all
day on Friday or a Thursday night, or even a

(40:29):
Saturday Sunday. I think the thought of that is long gone.
The question is going to be, is there a part
of Houston that will step up like maybe Gary, Indiana
is trying to do with the Chicago Bears. It's a really,
really difficult question. Every community is built differently. But I
just think the thought of adding one hundreds of millions

(40:49):
of dollars Chandler to go add restaurants and bars around
Energy would be a diet, would be a tremendous mistake.
That's a bad part of town that just never could
sustain a an extra life beyond the events of either
the Astrodome or Energy Stadium.

Speaker 3 (41:05):
Again, you've you've been around here longer than I have,
Like I moved here in twenty eighteen, so you have
more institutional knowledge of this. You have obviously like you've
seen more than I have. So I will defer to
you in this conversation, but I would tend to agree.

Speaker 4 (41:20):
I would tend to.

Speaker 3 (41:20):
Agree, especially if, like the Astros have been so good
since twenty sixteen, twenty fifteen, like they have just become
a draw in, like you want to go because this
is the greatest era that this franchise has ever had,
Like that helps to offset a little bit of, you know,
the lack of stuff to do around it. The Texans

(41:43):
are not there yet. They they haven't done anything.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
It's the Matt Thomas Show.

Speaker 4 (41:50):
With Ross.

Speaker 2 (41:55):
Love No. Four Sports Talk seven ninety coming up at
about ninety minutes from now. We will hear from the
head basketball coach for Houston Rockets, Emey Adoka, world the
news at noon before then at twelve before that, coming
up at eleven thirty. I just don't get it where H. Chandler,
Jonathan and myself will go over things in life we
just don't get and we need you guys come in
as well. It's seven one three two one two five,

(42:16):
seven and eight. There's something in life you just don't get.
You don't understand. We're here to help you. Seven one
three two one two five seven ninety. So Emy Adoka,
real quick, for go the phones. H Chandler got fined
twenty five thousand dollars. The same official who worked the
game the other night for the Rockets Nuggets. His name
is Zach Zarber. He's considered one of the best. There

(42:36):
is a clip going virally with Chris Finch, who was
the coach of the Timberwolves, and I've seen it like
five hundred times on my FORO you tab. I'm going
to clean this out because I can't play the audio.
This is Chris Finch directly to Zach Zarba during the
game last night where Minnesota lost to Memphis. Shut the
f up man you just blew two calls. You did,

(42:57):
so you effing know it. Effing know it dashed Chris Finch.

Speaker 4 (43:03):
And you said he's considered one of the better officials.

Speaker 2 (43:05):
One of the best. He's worked multiple NBA finals, he's
a routinely a crew chief on an NBA cruise.

Speaker 3 (43:12):
I wonder well, because the one thing about Emey's rant
that I noticed like he very much like just completely
eviscerated the other two officials that are on the crew.
Is that a situation where all these coaches know that
this guy's pretty good and they're taking it out on
him because these other two members of his crew are

(43:34):
not good.

Speaker 6 (43:35):
Well, I'll say this, Uh he said he was starstruck.
I mean, I in my grab bag of things to
say to insult somebody, I don't know if I'd have
gone for that.

Speaker 4 (43:47):
But damn that hits Chandler. I mean, you know how
sometimes you.

Speaker 2 (43:51):
Hear quotes from from players and you do a double
take on what they've said, Like did you really say that?
When he Ema said that, it was like, oh my god,
you just went after a guy that has been a
multiple NBA Finals official. Why they respected and while he
liked because he's a very reasonable guy. He just called
him starstruck. And this is the guy that's done like
maybe twenty five NBA Finals game is in his NBA

(44:13):
career as a beneficial.

Speaker 3 (44:14):
I feel like, I mean, I have no reason to
doubt what or how he may feels. But I also
think he was talking about he's maybe talking about the
other two because again I'm going off of what you're
saying that this guy is considered one of the better
the better officials in the NBA. Like, at the end
of the day, it's a crew, right, Like the crew

(44:35):
is making the call, and like you can have one
excellent person, but if the other two people aren't good,
and the whole crew suffers. So But one thing I
appreciate about Emyo Dooka is he he doesn't sugarcoat things.
I know, I really really appreciate his candor. I've told
you this privately. Like the thing I love the most
about watching the Rockets when I go to a game

(44:56):
or something is watching him just take a time out
and dress these dudes down, Like he'll get to mid
court just dressing these dudes down, and like you don't
see that often in pro sports anymore, and I miss
that like, I think it takes an incredible amount of
self awareness, and it takes an incredible amount of just

(45:17):
security within oneself to do that, especially to people that
are you know, that highly paid and that mercurial mood
wise that professional athletes are. I give him a ton
of credit for that, because I think that should be
done more often.

Speaker 2 (45:31):
Well, the thing of it is is that you know,
Channer e May had to fight scratching claw to play
in the NBA, I mean, bounce around from team. The
team was always the eleventh, twelve, thirteenth guy on the roster,
didn't have spectacular numbers. It was able to carve out
a decent NBA career. But so he looks at these
guys around him that he's coaching, that are megastars that make,

(45:54):
you know, seven hundred times what he made when he
was a player, that have seven hundred times the ability,
and he's like, all I'm asking you to do is
some of the same things that I did. Just keep
my ass alive in the NBA. And if you can't
do it, and look, I may look. The Rockets have
Alprin Shangoun, who is a phenomenal basketball player, but there
are times where he will take some defensive lapses, and
I think to your point you were bringing up a

(46:15):
minute ago, I have seen no lesson about seven or
eight times in my broadcast career calling games with the May.
He will take a time out and walk to Alpi
directly and let him know how he feels about life.
He's even did it to k D wants to so
far this year, he's done it to a men. And
that's the thing I appreciate about him about him so much,
is that he is an equal opportunity. You know, Phil

(46:35):
Jackson Channer said many many years ago that you have
to treat the way you treat Michael Jordan was a
different way they're treating Steve Kerr. That you have to
treat your superstars differently, and I think that's by and
large the truth. Joseale Tubay is going to get a
longer leash about things in life than Taylor Tremmell for
an astro, just using an example. But if there's anybody

(46:56):
that narrows that gap a little bit, it's e May.
I think he would go after the Aaron Holliday for
defensive laps or a silly turnover with the same veracity.
If Amn Thompson did in a crucial part of the game.
And that's why I have such a perspect for the
guy for at least for as a basketball coach.

Speaker 3 (47:11):
Yeah, and to me, it speaks about like the culture
he's instilled too, that that's okay, that these dudes And again.

Speaker 4 (47:17):
Like I don't know what goes on.

Speaker 3 (47:18):
I mean, you probably have a better idea than me
about what goes on like in the locker room, on planes,
things like that. But the fact that they the fact
that that is that that happens, that is that does
he does dress like there's no there's no discrimination, there's
no like everyone's treated equally and like he'll dress you
down if you deserve it. The fact that that happens
and there is still that much joy that they play with,

(47:41):
there is that much you know, resolve, and the fact
that they keep winning, that to me just speaks to
a culture that has been set. And I think that's
full credit to him.

Speaker 2 (47:49):
Well, I'll say this, and I'm not the biggest Greg
Popovich fan out there for many reasons, largely because he
beat the Rockets for a long period of time. But
you know, Adoka worked with with pop for a long
time in sant Antonio, and Pop would dress down Mono
Jenobili and Tony Pucker as much as he would a
fringe backup center. So you kind of learn from the
people that you're around. And so to Pop's credit, and

(48:12):
I've seen it first time when I was doing the
PA many years ago, he took he called the time
out and went over to Mountogenobil and tore a new
one and Mono just stood there and took it because
he knew he was being genuine about it. And I
think that's the thing, is that, Uh, And you've been
around a lot of major league clubhouses in your life.
There are probably guys that you've been around. I mean,
you tell me, I don't want to put words in

(48:33):
your mouth. Have there been astro players and you don't
have to, I certainly don't want you to name them.
But how many rolling of the eyes have you had
since being an astros beat reporter about when got when
managers and or coaches of the company and those guys
and said, hey, you need to do this, you need
to do this, And how much of that is because
they don't respect him? Because that seems like to me
that would be the number one reason why.

Speaker 3 (48:53):
You know, I don't think I've ever and this is
like as candid as I can be, I don't think
I've ever had I don't think I ever seen or
heard from a player that just straight out said like
I do not respect whome average manager was, whether it
was Aj, whether it was Dusty, whether it's now Joe. Like,
I don't think I've ever had a player, just on
the record or off the record say like, yeah, I

(49:14):
don't respect this guy.

Speaker 4 (49:16):
Now do they do? Are there players that?

Speaker 3 (49:19):
And since I've covered the team that you know feel
that because I think baseball more than any other sport
just they value service time, they value like the hierarchical
nature of the sport. Baseball is so a little bit
antiquated in that way where like you can't do certain

(49:40):
things if you haven't been in.

Speaker 4 (49:41):
The league for a while.

Speaker 3 (49:42):
Like it's a very deferential sport of like, oh, this
guy's been around for a while, like he's gonna get
a little he's gonna get treated like this, while the
guy that just came up last week is gonna get
treated like this. Like I think that happens in the
NBA and in the NFL, but it's nowhere nearest prevalent
in my opinion, as it isn't baseball. So you do

(50:02):
see a little bit like look like Showhyotani gets different
treatment with the Dodgers than I don't know, Emmit Sheehan
who was one of their starters. She's like a young
kid like like yeah, you're right, Like jose Al Tuvey
is viewed a little like the way that people the
way that they approach jose Al Tuove with certain things
that they want him to do or certain ideas they

(50:24):
have for him. The way that they approach that and
they attack that is different than you know with I'm
just Cam Smith who rookie last year, Like no, like
just pulling his name out like it's a little like
with Cam Smith it was, I mean, this is a
perfect example. With Cam Smith that was okay, hey, you're
gonna go start playing right field now, Like there was
no like sit down like hey, like would you want

(50:46):
to do this? Like are you like no, no, no, We're
gonna start hitting you fly balls in right field. With
jose Al Tuvay, it was there were meetings and it
was like is this something that you want to do?
Like is this like we think this could be helpful,
but we don't want to do it unless like you're
you're on board with it. NOSEL two F was obviously
on board with it, So like it's just different maybe
in the way you approach guys, in the way that

(51:07):
like these things are tackled. But but I I I
just think that's the nature of baseball though, because baseball
is such so much more of a hierarchical sport, where
the hierarchy matters, where service time matters, where an experience matters.
Like I just don't I'm not saying experience and service
time don't matter in the other two leagues, but it's

(51:28):
just more prevalent in in MLB than it is and
the other ones.

Speaker 2 (51:32):
All Right, that's Channel Rome for men Athletic. We've got
phone calls to get to one. I'm involving what to
do with future stadiums in Houston, Texas. We'll get those
those who be on the line in the moment seven
one three two, one two five seven ninety seven one
three two one two five seven ninety channels with us
till twelve noon, emado Oka twelve thirty and at one
thirty today we'll hear from cold Kubli from ESPN and

(51:54):
the SEC Network plus believe it or not as all
things about maybe the future home in the Chicago Bear,
there's Gary Indiana seven one three two one two five
seven nine zero Shander rosm on it because with this
I just don't get it. Coming up at the bottom
of the hour. That's where you simply call our show
and say, hey, this happened to me in my life

(52:15):
or I don't get this. I don't get that, and
we're gonna try to help you. Seven one three two
one two five seven ninety seven one three two one
two five seven Iety. Let's go to uh Greg with
us online at number two. Greg. You're on seven ninety.
Good morning to you.

Speaker 4 (52:29):
Thanks for holding well.

Speaker 7 (52:31):
Thanks man, I appreciate it. Hey, I'm a matter of fact, I'm.

Speaker 8 (52:34):
Traveling from Cypress up to Magnolia right now, and I
was right when I got in the car, y'all were
talking about what would be the possibility of building a
new stadium up in the Woodlands. And you know, I
grew up in Houston on the northwest side, and I mean,
I can't tell a lie. I mean I moved up
to Cypress to kind of help get away from the
congestion of the city, but also as a kid, I

(52:55):
remember it was kind of fun to travel outside the
city on the weekend to do something in areas that
I normally wouldn't And you know, that wouldn't actually be
that bad of an idea. The Woodlands, because it's right
off of forty five in the airport. It'd be a
lot easier for people if they were coming from out
of town to go into a facility up in the Woodlands.

(53:17):
It's a lot easier to come go up to up
that up north, and it would be coming south into Houston.
Not that I would want to see the Houston Texans
move out of Houston per se, but there's also tax
advantages with that. I used to work for the Harris
County Appraisal District and a lot of the appraisers actually
moved up to Montgomery County because it's growing so fast

(53:42):
that they needed good appraisers and they were literally stealing
them from Harris County. And this is an example of
where it might actually be a win win for everybody,
because you know, people can get out in the city
first of all. Secondly, they can also for mister McNair
and owning the club, he's closer to Dallas, so he

(54:04):
might be able to steal some of the paper from
Dallas to come in on on a weekend to come
see a Texans gang. Just kind of an idea there
what you're feeling.

Speaker 2 (54:14):
Greg, Respectfully, I disagree with almost everything you said. First
of all, Dallas fans are not going to come to
Houston because the stadiums in Montgomery County, north of Houston. Secondly, Greg,
I don't think the airport proximity has anything to do
with it. Third I think Montgomery County would be very
very much against spending any money towards a facility and

(54:35):
helping him out. The McNair family is going to find
a deal where a county is going to give them
an extraordinarily awesome rate on land and or tax benefits
and or funding for the facility. I do believe suburbs
are going to be an option. I don't know if
it's the preferred option by the team. I just don't.

(54:55):
I would be stunned if the Woodlands even entertained and
offer and think about this, And thank you for the
phone called Greg. I saw a story on I think
it was Culture Map a Chandler. There's gonna be a
new twelve thousand seed Amphitheater in Webster. I mean, we're
going and this is not just Houston, It's we're all
going to the suburbs.

Speaker 4 (55:15):
It's just it's just happening. Is it bad that I
don't know where Webster is?

Speaker 2 (55:21):
If you know who, Brian McTaggart would crush you for that.

Speaker 4 (55:24):
Yeah, he crushes me for a lot.

Speaker 2 (55:26):
So that's his neighbors city next to the League City.

Speaker 5 (55:28):
I know.

Speaker 3 (55:28):
Okay, I do know where League City is because because
Tags lives there.

Speaker 4 (55:31):
I do know that.

Speaker 2 (55:32):
Yeah, so you need a puppet, you know what? You
just say You're sorry on Friday. You used to Callage.
You want me to come back in but Webster, yeah
you can't. Webster is forty five on its way towards Galvestone. Okay, okay,
there is a restaurant with heavy chests and women.

Speaker 4 (55:48):
That's I have been there a few times in a
Webster Booters.

Speaker 2 (55:54):
Rin Beaks. Ah. Okay, yeah, I don't think. Hey, we're
up here in the wood of Dallas, Cowboy fans, come
on down.

Speaker 4 (56:06):
You're only three hours from here.

Speaker 2 (56:07):
Now. I don't think that's gonna be an option. But
that was not a bad try.

Speaker 3 (56:12):
Yeah, I again, like I I'm leaving this to you
because like you far more institutional.

Speaker 4 (56:18):
Knowledge of this than I do, and I don't want to.
I just told you.

Speaker 2 (56:21):
I just told you.

Speaker 4 (56:22):
I don't know where Webster is.

Speaker 2 (56:23):
So but see, you're you and I know each other
personally beyond the show. You are a let's I want
to go out and have a couple of pops.

Speaker 5 (56:29):
Guy.

Speaker 2 (56:29):
You want to be in the city kind of thing,
and and sadly challenged. They're just not enough of you.

Speaker 3 (56:36):
I don't think, Oh, there's there's enough. You just gotta
you gotta look, You gotta look for him, you gotta
gotta search. But there's enough, all right?

Speaker 2 (56:45):
Are there enough that want to spend big money and
building a stadium and going hanging out? Right again, I
think I'm sad that downtown hasn't done much.

Speaker 3 (56:54):
I mean, but you get you get cal in front
of people, then I'm sure, I'm sure that people will
be throwing money at him.

Speaker 2 (57:07):
No, you get on Hannah's podcast and may give you
a better shot.

Speaker 4 (57:11):
Oh she has a podcast.

Speaker 2 (57:12):
Oh I have competition now, Oh yes, And if she
calls it crush city something else, I'm gonna I'm definitely
gonna sue her for that because she got the money
to pay for that.

Speaker 4 (57:21):
Oh yeah, you'll be fine.

Speaker 2 (57:23):
All right, Let's go to our buddy, Yankees Keith at
eleven twenty six on seven out of Yankees, Keith, good
morning to you.

Speaker 9 (57:31):
How are you, Mathew?

Speaker 2 (57:32):
Amazing? Thank you for asking.

Speaker 9 (57:35):
Okay, so I got two questions and one and one comment,
and the comment means you're going to have to issue
me and several of your listeners an apology tomorrow only
I'm sorry, del So they just start out on the
easy side. I'm seventy three. I've been shaved my head

(57:56):
since I was thirty four. When did you start.

Speaker 4 (58:00):
Yours full shape for me?

Speaker 2 (58:04):
I was living in Minneapolis, so that's gotta be two
thousand and seven, so that's gotta be I was thirty five.
Oh okay, but I went with the look for a
while and it was horrific. I embarrassed myself for about
a decade.

Speaker 9 (58:24):
So yes, uh, I think Friday, you and Ross calf
a bunch of experiting comments towards smokers. You pretty much
said we shouldn't even be on the planet. I got.
I'm gonna guess at least ten percent of your audience

(58:45):
are smokers. So I think that you should issue an
apology tomorrow on your arm. I'm sorry show.

Speaker 2 (58:54):
Okay, I'm sorry for having I'm sorry about worrying about
you putting cancer in your into your body.

Speaker 9 (59:00):
Okay. So that's it's called an addiction, man. So let
me tell you, let me ask you one last question,
and I'll hang up and listen.

Speaker 2 (59:07):
All right.

Speaker 9 (59:08):
So I'm seventy three and before the internet came out.
That came out about forty years ago, the internet and
cell phones. The question is what would you do? Since
I know you're addicted to the cell phones and the internet,

(59:31):
that's the question for you, because you have an addiction.

Speaker 2 (59:36):
Yeah, but using my phone is not causing me harm
to my body. Now, I may, I may paying attention
to my family as much as I should be, But
equating cell phone and internet used to smoking cigarettes is ridiculous.

Speaker 3 (59:56):
I agree, But I'm I'm also addicted to my phone,
so I can't I can't say much. But also, like,
like we have to be on our phones for work purposes. Yeah,
like you don't have to smoke.

Speaker 2 (01:00:09):
Nope, And no one's ever gotten you know, you never
go to your doctor, And.

Speaker 4 (01:00:13):
Said I got some terrible news for you.

Speaker 2 (01:00:16):
I've been looking at your phone time and it's going
to curb your chance for a longer life.

Speaker 4 (01:00:22):
Thanks, Doc, appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:00:24):
I mean you could they could tell you like you're
wasting your life just staring at your phone, which I
I don't disagree with, but it's not going to shorten
your life.

Speaker 2 (01:00:32):
Well, I mean put it this way. Uh, my daughter
doesn't ever want to talk to me. I can only
speak to her through text. Because you sure that's ah?

Speaker 4 (01:00:43):
I know you're going with this? You should?

Speaker 3 (01:00:46):
You sure that's a phone problem, Johnathan?

Speaker 2 (01:00:49):
Go ahead him? Please, I can't do it from here.

Speaker 4 (01:00:52):
He's making a good flight out of nose.

Speaker 2 (01:00:54):
You want that Wait a minute, you walked into this.

Speaker 4 (01:00:57):
You know I'm gonna do.

Speaker 2 (01:00:58):
I'm gonna video call her rider for the show that here.
She'll talk to me.

Speaker 4 (01:01:02):
Shouldn't you be in school?

Speaker 2 (01:01:03):
You know if she's in finals week, so she's only
got a couple of finals a day. So you're ready
for this. Oh, I gotta just don't get it about education.
Coming back here for a minute. Well, I'm glad this
is a nice segue. A nice job by you, channeler.
That's Channer Rome I just don't get it. Coming up next,
if you got something in your life you just don't get,
let us know.

Speaker 10 (01:01:23):
Do you have something in your life that you just
don't get.

Speaker 11 (01:01:26):
No need to worry, no need to press.

Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
We will disus for something to see if we comprehend
the things that they can use our friends.

Speaker 10 (01:01:35):
It's time to say, I just don't get it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:44):
All right, this is the most cathartic twenty five minutes
of your week.

Speaker 4 (01:01:50):
I just don't get it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:52):
Seven one three two one two five seven ninety seven
one three two one two five seven Onty, I'll go first, Jonathan,
you go second, and Channel or Newbie will go third.
Here's what I was talking about with my daughter. When
I was going to school, we had to take all
of our exams, our end of semester exams, and we
used to do it in six week time spans. We

(01:02:13):
had three six week periods, then we would have a
final right after this end of the six weeks. Each
one of those six of those six weeks plus the
final exam each count for twenty five percent of our
overall grade. So if you had a ninety ninety and
eighty and then you scored a ninety five on your
exam you count as much as a whole six weeks,
so it was a pretty big deal to have it

(01:02:34):
in final exam. Now, now this is just humble as
d Where my daughter goes to Kingwnd High School in
twenty twenty five, they go too nine week periods, which
is fine. I don't care how they do it. But
she gets the chance to choose two exams to exempt
herself from not even take it. So I would ask

(01:02:57):
all of you educators out there to listen to this
the show and ask you Jonathan and ask you Channeler,
why is my daughter getting away with taking getting off
of two exams? I just don't get it. You don't
get how she got exempt from. Yes, you just got
to choose.

Speaker 3 (01:03:13):
When when I was in school, it was if you
had an A in the class at the end of
the nine weeks or the semester, then you didn't have
to Then you didn't have to take the exam, which
that was a fair trade off. Like if you if
the nine weeks proceeding, if you did enough to get
an A, like why should you have to take the exam?

Speaker 6 (01:03:29):
Yeah, because then at that point I hurt, you said,
I'm the same way That's how it was when I
was in high school as well. Like you, if you
got like say you had an A eight and above,
and you can opt out of taking an exam something
law school, you can do it as well.

Speaker 2 (01:03:40):
You can still take if you wanted to. My daughter
is an excellent student, but I believe one of the
two classes that she is exempting herself from she does
not have an AA. So she chose the two exams
which are tomorrow, so she's getting an extra day off
during the Christmas break. She timed this perfectly to pick

(01:04:03):
the classes on the Friday before the Christmas holidays.

Speaker 4 (01:04:06):
She sounds very savvy.

Speaker 2 (01:04:07):
Man, she sinisters what she is. That's what she is.
She's sinister, and I love her, but she's sinister. So
I just said, I mean, look, I understand channel your point.
You get all age, you deserve to take a break,
and I have to worry about the exam.

Speaker 4 (01:04:19):
But damn, just like.

Speaker 2 (01:04:21):
Oh, I think I'll pass on algebra, I'll pass on
English four. That's crazy these kids, And I wonder our
education systems all screwed up.

Speaker 6 (01:04:29):
That's mine, Jonathan, You're next. I guess I've been thinking
about this a little bit and I've been seeing. I
saw a baby Gronk video the other day, and how
you know, y'all know what I'm talking about. That dad
that was over hyping his child, saying all these offers
when he was like fourth grade or.

Speaker 2 (01:04:44):
Something like that.

Speaker 6 (01:04:45):
And maybe to the point, I don't understand why parents
like almost live through their child. And then that's a
broad topic, but I'm just saying, like, specifically for football,
making him do the lift weights early and like overhammer
like fundamentals, as if it's going to really retain when
they get to when I get puberty, they get older

(01:05:06):
and they like they grow into their bids and everything.

Speaker 2 (01:05:08):
I think it's pointless.

Speaker 6 (01:05:09):
And I really don't understand why parents do that in general,
Like it's different than putting.

Speaker 2 (01:05:14):
Your daughter ball club.

Speaker 6 (01:05:16):
But I'm saying this as I've grown up with round
afters that did this. But and I'm just being honest
with y'all, half the kids that did that and their
parents made them do that, especially in baseball, they didn't
go anywhere, they were burnt out, they had all these
injuriescause they were lifting weights early, they didn't grow.

Speaker 2 (01:05:31):
I just think it's pointless. I think it's your I
don't know. I don't get it. It's funny because LaVar
Ball just texted me Jonathan and said, tell your producer
shut his momb mass up. He gets it now.

Speaker 6 (01:05:42):
See that's you know, that's that's an exception because he
was a professional athlete.

Speaker 2 (01:05:46):
You get what I'm saying.

Speaker 6 (01:05:47):
Like LaVar was already he already knew the ins and out,
and he had the genetics for his kids, you know
what I'm saying. He wasn't making them lift that early.

Speaker 3 (01:05:54):
The one that's a little more palable to me is
the Saint Brown family. Did you ever watch Like they're
like their backstory like aman Rah and the other I
don't know his that dad is, he's something, but they're
all legit. Like they're all really good. I think that's
the thing. Like where I kind of agree with you

(01:06:15):
is like I think the parents at some point have
to like step in and like have like be real
about what their child's limitations are. Like if you have
a if you have a child that's a freak athlete,
and like you can see that, then like sure like
devote all your time to that. But if you have
a kid that like would probably be better off, just
like enjoying life like a normal kid. Like, like, I

(01:06:39):
think that's where you get into the living life vicariously
through your kid, because like you push kids to do
something they don't want to do.

Speaker 4 (01:06:48):
Tell that.

Speaker 2 (01:06:49):
Do you guys know who Tomarinovich is.

Speaker 4 (01:06:51):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (01:06:52):
Yes, his dad uh clearly pushed him to the point
that Marinovitch literally burned out and playing football and want
to being a nudist painter, eating Big Max on a regular.

Speaker 4 (01:07:03):
I mean, I'm fine with that life outcome.

Speaker 6 (01:07:07):
A Snoop Dogg's son as well, was supposed to be
a really good footlayer, and he said he did all
that just to please his dad. Like, I don't know,
like I get Channa to your point, Like it actually
makes a lot of sense, but it's just you never
know if your child's gonna really be that until what
twelve eleven thirteen, maybe you know.

Speaker 2 (01:07:26):
Well, I'll say this, and look, I clearly couldn't push
my daughter because I'm not an athlete. I mean, if
you've ever seen me, that's not a possibility. But I
never pushed her. She pushed herself. And that's the great
benefit for me is that I didn't have to and
I still day don't have to push her. She works
out all the time, she's in club team. She's probably
I think if you're going to be at that level

(01:07:47):
where you're either a collegiate athlete or a professional athlete,
if you have to rely on mom and dad to
motivate you, then you're probably not gonna get there, or
you're gonna burn out pretty quickly. All right, Channa of
the floor is yours? What in life don't you get?
You're a complex man yourself. Don't don't kid the folks.

Speaker 3 (01:08:03):
Oh man, I don't get why we're still treating college
athletes like they're playing for the old state school and
just trying their best and they've got all this coursework,
like it's okay to criticize college athletes like they're getting paid.
Most of them are getting paid an exorbitant amount of money.

(01:08:25):
And this is as close to professional sports as we
can have. The one thing I hated about covering college
sports before I got in the professional, before I got
into covering pro ball, was you were always told you
can never criticize a college athlete because they're amateurs and
they've got classes and they're just here for this guy.
And at the time, there was no nil there was
no pay for play. There was no legal pay for play.

(01:08:47):
They were getting paid just under the table. Now that
it's legal. I don't get this media obsession with treating
these kids like patting them on the head like I'll
like like Garrett Nessmayer had to go to a physics
class to day, so we should we should.

Speaker 4 (01:09:01):
It's like, no, he's making four million dollars in these states,
these states. I don't get it either.

Speaker 2 (01:09:07):
The reality is this, Chandler, when when you first got
in the business, and I did myself, you just you
were told leave these kids alone. If you're going to
criticize a program, you're going to criticize the coaching, you're
going to criticize maybe the administration. You're going to criticize
the overall performance of a football or basketball team. Those
days are long gone. If Connor Wegman sucks for the

(01:09:30):
Houston Cougars and the Texas Bowl against LSU, we're gonna
say Connor Wegman sucks, as she's going to. But yeah,
we we can now individualize our criticisms of our of
our collegiate players now because they are not collegian players,
period oft of story.

Speaker 3 (01:09:47):
And you're seeing it like I think USC right now
is doing like a run of like they're tweeting out
like pictures of like their current guys that are signing
new contracts and it's like re signed extended, Like this
is professional sports. And so if they perform poorly, again,
like you're not gonna personally, like you don't need to

(01:10:08):
make it personal, but you can sit here and say,
like this USC, this USC quarterback that just re signed
an extension. If he throws four picks, it's okay to
say this USC quarterback is not any good, Like it's
not not and against him as a person. I'm sure
he's trying his best, but it's it's okay to criticize
what are now professional athletes.

Speaker 2 (01:10:29):
Yeah, Paul Finebomb Show disagrees about taking it personally. We
can talk about it professionally. But those people that I mean,
there are there are sections of the country that will
go to great extremes to insult the family and whatnot
because they're just ridiculously crazy college football fans.

Speaker 4 (01:10:44):
All right, more on the phones.

Speaker 2 (01:10:45):
Next we come back seven one three, two one two five,
seven ninety For something in life you just don't get,
We're here to help you. Seven one three two one
two five seven ninety. All Right, we got folks that
need our advice, Channer. That's the final ten minutes of
your show with me this week is giving out great
advice to the great Houstonians. Come to you for baseball

(01:11:07):
information at the Athletic and just a little bit about
how to handle life in general. Seven one three two
one two five seven ninety. Ryan, what don't you get? Ryan?

Speaker 12 (01:11:19):
I good at morning, guys, Chandler, if you're doing well.
So as someone who is from Montgomery, I was driving
to Wendy's at an unfortunately early time and I heard
Greg talk about putting the team, the Texans, out in
the woodlands.

Speaker 7 (01:11:39):
I just don't get why anybody would think that's a
good idea. The fourteen eighty eight is already horrible. The
traffic is god awful because it was never meant to
have that many people in it. And where would you
put it? You put it out in like New Waverley,
which is even further and I don't even want Dallas
people to come that.

Speaker 9 (01:11:56):
I don't get that.

Speaker 7 (01:11:57):
And then as a second Yankee key here, I work
in construction on fuel by caffeine and nicotine, and your
take my friend is wild. It makes you want to
play on forty five? What are you talking about? I
don't get that remark either. And on that note, I'll
leave these guys to it. I'll talk to y'all.

Speaker 2 (01:12:16):
Later, Thank you very much. Yeah, if I was to
pick my areas of town where the Texans might ask
for a new stadium, I would put Montgomery count Here's
less than one percent just I could see. I mean,
how often do you go to Smart Financial? Do you
ever go there?

Speaker 4 (01:12:34):
Channeler? I don't know. Maybe I should then I don't.

Speaker 2 (01:12:38):
Well, you know what you could also you could also
probably maybe find some real buy a home in Webster.
You and Brian retire can drive to the stadium together
on the game game on game days.

Speaker 4 (01:12:46):
I'm always looking for a carpool buddy.

Speaker 2 (01:12:48):
I know you are Alan on seven ninety Allen, what
don't you get?

Speaker 10 (01:12:53):
First of all, guys, I want to wish all happy holidays.
Is a very Christmas. I'll let y'all show to believe me.

Speaker 5 (01:12:59):
Thank you.

Speaker 10 (01:13:00):
What I don't get is if like Jerry Jones, I
give him credit because he's an America's team, because he
promotes his team all around the world, A very smart move.
I believe, But I'm I'm a baseball fan at Hart
first Astros fans it's birth. But if I want to
watch the Yankees and the Red Sox or even hear

(01:13:20):
them on the radio, it just seems that it's impossible.
And I don't get. If I'm a owner of a team,
I want anybody in the world that wants the access
to my team because I know they're going to spend
money on my jerseys to have access. And I don't
get why that that just seems that work. That's it.

Speaker 3 (01:13:45):
Are you talking about You're talking about not being able
to watch the team, or.

Speaker 10 (01:13:51):
Like I want to hear the Yankees on the radio,
I cannot hear him because the broadcast is cut off.
It's blacked out.

Speaker 3 (01:13:58):
Oh okay, so you want us blackouts from Major League Baseball.

Speaker 10 (01:14:03):
Exactly on any team I want to watch?

Speaker 2 (01:14:06):
Yeah, well, I mean, well, you can get the Yankees
radio on Serious XM. Do you have Serious XM in
your house or your car?

Speaker 1 (01:14:16):
Uh?

Speaker 10 (01:14:17):
No, no I do. I don't, but I could get
it on my phone. But every time I've tried it,
it's said, you know, your area is not able to
receive this broadcast. But I'm making why not it's radio.

Speaker 4 (01:14:29):
Well, I'll put it this way.

Speaker 2 (01:14:30):
If it's the Yankees and the Astros plan, I wonder
if Major League Baseball does not allow you to get
the Yankee version when they're playing the Astros, because look
in the I have serious XM on my phone, and
I've got a lot of buddies of mine around the
league that I listened to their game broadcast. I never
have any issues, so I can listen to like For instance,
I was listening to Memphis Minnesota last night because one
of the Grizzes announcement was got friend of mine. I

(01:14:52):
had no problem with it. So I don't know how.
I know there are some territorial restrictions when you're playing
a local team, but if you're a Yankee fan you
want to hear them play the Mariners, that you should
have zero issues with that, you would think.

Speaker 10 (01:15:06):
So yeah, my poor daughter she ordered the MLB app
think that she could watch all the Astros games, and
I had to tell her, sweetie, it don't work like
the because you have to have a TV provider as well,
which there is another story for another time.

Speaker 2 (01:15:22):
Well, now do you know about do you know about
Space City Home Plus?

Speaker 5 (01:15:26):
Now?

Speaker 2 (01:15:26):
And there's an app now you can buy Space City
on your phone.

Speaker 10 (01:15:31):
Oh oh you can't. Okay, I haven't heard that.

Speaker 4 (01:15:34):
Does she live in Houston.

Speaker 2 (01:15:37):
As hmm, Now that's interesting. I think she'd be able
to do that there, Thanks for the phone call. Yeah,
I have no expertise on this.

Speaker 5 (01:15:50):
There is.

Speaker 2 (01:15:50):
Yeah, space City Home Network has an app where you
can now buy the games and buy the channel without
having to go through a subscriber. Yes, and that's Austin's
involved with that. I would think not.

Speaker 4 (01:16:02):
I wouldn't think so either, But again you're asking the
wrong person. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:16:08):
Yeah, I'm not a TV guru. I'm a radio group
and a TV guru. Dave on seven ninety day, What
don't you get.

Speaker 13 (01:16:17):
What I don't get about the NFL stadiums and these
thirty two NFL billionaires, about the Texans and the mcnaires.
Either we we we're gonna be able to pay for
the mcnaire's new stadium, either fifty percent out of our

(01:16:41):
out of our pockets and fifty percent from the mcnails
mcnaire's pockets to build either a new stadium or renovate
NRG NRG stadium or basically, uh, the mcnails are going
to pay for get one percent. I don't see them
paying on a new stadium.

Speaker 2 (01:17:06):
I like my tex I know, don't worry about They're
not leaving, don't worry about that. But they're gonna find
this sweetheart deal. My assumption is that that Hannah's not
gonna want to spend as you know, Hannah wants Chandler
what the Rams got and the Chargers got, and the
Raiders got, and what Buffalo got. I mean, you know,
they're they're all they're all taking notes of what everybody

(01:17:27):
else is getting.

Speaker 3 (01:17:28):
And also, let's let's be fourth it, they can afford it,
like this isn't a situation where like they they're crying poor,
like they can afford to if they want to, if
they really want to, they can afford it.

Speaker 4 (01:17:39):
It's just they don't want to.

Speaker 3 (01:17:41):
They don't want to pay the whole thing, which I
guess I don't blame them, but it's not as if
they've got no money.

Speaker 2 (01:17:46):
No, no, I mean, the NFL is a what's the
last time is it? A fifteen billion dollar industry? Basically,
if even more.

Speaker 3 (01:17:53):
That sounds I don't even that sounds that sounds right,
and it's probably more.

Speaker 2 (01:17:58):
Yeah, all right, last one. Let's go to James on
seven and eight. James, what don't you get?

Speaker 14 (01:18:03):
Yeah, I don't get why anybody would even entertain the
idea of building them in the stadium. There's nothing wrong
with NRG. We already got one stadium. We can't tear
it down next to it. So what are we gonna
do with NRG? Tear it down and once the left
deal and sit there. It's ridiculous. They don't need a
new stadium. They need to stay where their air.

Speaker 2 (01:18:20):
There, the rodeum is going. What's going to keep energy
where it's at? They would make it a rodeo. Hell,
I don't know. I don't know how you can sustend
to a stadium for twenty days a year plus a
concerts here and there, well with all things about my
pay ground.

Speaker 3 (01:18:33):
But that's a good thought, Like is NRG, Like do
you like energy? Like is it? Is it satisfactory? Like
could they do more to Like when every time I
go in there, I'm just kind of like it's very
mad at me.

Speaker 4 (01:18:45):
Like it's not bad by any stretch, But there's nothing.

Speaker 2 (01:18:47):
Yeah, there's there's much. There's a lot of a lot
more facilities around stadiums in the country that have more
bells and whistles, and that's what and that's what the
McNair's want. They want more bells and whistles. Now, the
question is is it worth the not demolition, but the
adding all those enhancements to an area of town that

(01:19:07):
cannot sustain an entertainment district. How bad do the McNair's
want to entertainment district around their stadium? That's the question.
I think, can you just have this really nice stadium
that people go to at twelve noon and leave at
three o'clock.

Speaker 3 (01:19:22):
Well, the other thing is like would would what they
want to do with that sabotage? Like what the Rodeo
does with that sabotage like concerts, things like that, Like
how much are they looking to just completely bells and
whistles this thing? Because they have to think because they
have to think about it from that aspect too, that
like the Rodeo is a NRG every and the Rodeo
is a massive deal. Like you can't just like you

(01:19:44):
can't just gloss over that.

Speaker 2 (01:19:46):
Yeah, I don't think the Rodeo wants the Texans to
go away, but I think the Rodeo's power basically says
we can sustain our existence of a facility even if
the Texans leave, because think about the Texans are only
there ten times a year.

Speaker 4 (01:20:02):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (01:20:03):
Now it's a lot of seats, and it's a lot
of revenue, and maybe the Rodeo could add more concerts. Again,
I'm speaking out of turn on this, but point being
is that it's in the best interest to fix what's
currently there. And that's the reason why to James's point, Chandler,

(01:20:23):
Harris County is not gonna let They're not gonna contribute again.

Speaker 4 (01:20:26):
They're already on.

Speaker 2 (01:20:26):
The hook for the energy, they're still in the hook
for the astrodome. They're like, you've come to us twice,
We're plenty good. If you want to go build your
own palace, I invite you to go to Fort Bank County.
Maybe Magnolia that seems too far out. Maybe there's a
pocket around Jersey Village. I'm just you know, same Houston
Race Park area, something around there. But Harris County, we're

(01:20:48):
not gonna build anything for you downtown or in the
city because it's just not We've already done it for
you twice and we're down doing it.

Speaker 4 (01:20:53):
I agree, No, I agree, all right, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:20:56):
Would you go please break a story of some sort.

Speaker 4 (01:20:58):
I'm trying, man.

Speaker 2 (01:20:59):
I mean, I don't want a utility infielder. I don't
need a guy that was in the Japanese League five
or six years ago. I need something a little steam,
you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (01:21:09):
I mean, it's not for lack of effort. No one
wants to hear this, but like they're trying. It's just
again like and it's not as if like other teams
are making a ton of moves around them and they're
just kind of sitting idly vibe.

Speaker 4 (01:21:21):
It's just.

Speaker 3 (01:21:22):
They need a deadline, they need a they need something
to spur action. This is a baseball problem. This is
not an astrois problem.

Speaker 2 (01:21:31):
Yeah, but Jake Myers, is he with us in thirty days,
not like living but playing on the astrosk.

Speaker 4 (01:21:38):
I do not think so. I do not think Jake Myer.

Speaker 2 (01:21:41):
No, thank you for ever coming. The last couple of
days been fun things.

Speaker 4 (01:21:44):
It's been fun.

Speaker 2 (01:21:44):
Thanks all right, Channa Rome Athletic with us here on
Sports Talk seventy ema. I do in one half hour
kublik to talk all things about the SEC involvement in
the college Football Playoff and at one p. Fifty it's
all things about Gary Indiana Today's edition, I believe or
not because Gary is being used as a potential pawn
to move the Chicago Bears out of downtown Chicago. Twelve

(01:22:07):
noon on Sports Talk seven ninety is.

Speaker 1 (01:22:10):
The Matt Thomas Show with Ross.

Speaker 2 (01:22:16):
Spot It is twelve oh six on Sports Talk seven
ninety hour number three other way of the Matt Thomas
Show with Ross. Thanks again to Channing Room for hanging
out with us for a couple of hours. Ross is
off today and tomorrow. Back with us on Monday, and
we look forward to talking with you at seven one
three two one two five seven ninety seven one three
two one two five seven ninety We've got emailed, okay,

(01:22:39):
twelve thirty we have one thirty kol Kubelek from ESPN
and the SEC Network. But right now we do a
quick check o what's happening on the news headlines at
twelve oh seven. Rockets Tonight sixteen and seven there Mark
on this season take.

Speaker 4 (01:22:52):
On the New Orleans Pelicans.

Speaker 2 (01:22:54):
We'll get an update on how Tari Easan if he's
available for tonight's game. That'll be coming up in about
twenty minutes with coach at dok Rocket's trying to come
off that difficult loss Monday to the Nuggets in Denver.
The Rockets will take on the Nuggets again Saturday in Denver,
then Sunday back to back with the Sacramento Kings. Of
Rockets so far zero and two on the second half
of back to backs elsewhere in sports. You mentioned this

(01:23:17):
a little bit earlier today. The Chicago Bears are expanding
their stadium search to include the state of Indiana. Gary,
Indiana is a Northwest Indiana town closest to Chicago, and
they are thinking about using that area for entertainment district
and or new stadium of Gary, Indiana is being used Upawn,
but the initial thought of going outside of the Chicago

(01:23:37):
downtown area to Arlington Heights has been slowed a little bit.
Kevin Garnett is back with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In an
off the court roll. He had a long time but
hurt feeling with the owner of the previous owner of
the Timberwolves, Glenn Taylor. A lot of resentment, a lot
of anger, a lot of disgust. That's all been will
be gone because Alex Rodriguez and his new partner one

(01:24:00):
of the Wolves, and he is back with open arms.
So Kevin Garnett is back with the t Wolves in
a non coaching orle non player role. Also, Tarrek Scooble
of the Detroit Tigers says he will be on the
WBC team and represent Team USA. And the Texans are

(01:24:20):
back on the practice field getting ready for the Raiders
on Sunday. I will check right now because I know
some of you are curious about how the point spread
looks on that game. The Texans opened up as a
thirteen and a half point favorite against the Raiders, and
I can tell you right now as we speak here
on this Thursday, the Texans are favored by fourteen and

(01:24:41):
a half. Today NFL Football features the Rams and the Seahawks,
the battle for first place in the NFC West. Both
the Rams and Seahawks are eleven and three. And that
is your news at noon. We've got some comments that
I want you're gonna hear from Joel Klack coming up
in the next segment. Former friend of the show and
me still a friend of line. But it just used
to do weekly appearances with this until the asked for

(01:25:02):
too much money. But that's a different issue for a
different time. He backtracked on some things he said earlier
this week, and we'll tell you about that coming up
a little bit. But right now, let's talk to Matt
at twelve ten on seven. I need Matt. Good afternoon
to you.

Speaker 15 (01:25:15):
Hey, Matt, let me show thank you. Tim In on
the Rodeo and the energy situation. Okay, rodeo has kind
of been there's a contentious issue that lack of upkeeap
that I think the county is responsible for.

Speaker 4 (01:25:28):
It hasn't been performing, and.

Speaker 16 (01:25:30):
There was an incident during I don't know one of
the concerts last maybe a bit Journey whatever, one of
the power out.

Speaker 2 (01:25:36):
Of the power grid one out right basically or something
explosion or something.

Speaker 16 (01:25:40):
I don't know, I don't electrically, but they had a
plumbing issue or some pipes burst and sprayed some raw
sewage on some people in a bar area, and it
basically created an instant has Matt scenario. So that's that's
just one of the things that I think they've been
talking about for a while now. And the Rodeo does
own several hundred, maybe one hundred acres down to eighty

(01:26:01):
eight and uh, I mean they're I'm sure they're they're
lobbying for that. They already we already do some stuff
down there. But yeah, there's there's issues with the with
the county over the energy thing.

Speaker 2 (01:26:16):
So yeah, thank you for the phone call. And like
I said, I I am not privy to those conversations.
And it sounds like the previous met is a little
bit in terms of what's going on. Yeah, I think
we're going to have contentious would be too strong of
a term, but I have a feeling, and it's just
a small, minor gut.

Speaker 4 (01:26:36):
Feeling they would normally use on Tuesdays, but.

Speaker 2 (01:26:38):
I have a small gut feeling that we're going to
be hearing a lot of different things from a lot
of different people about how the Rodeo feels about Energy Stadium,
how the Texans feel about Energy Stadium, how the county
feels about Energy Stadium, and you as constituents feel about
the stadium. I am of the belief and I mentioned

(01:27:02):
this many months ago when we were kind of in
the summer. The next new facility should be if it
needs to be built, if at all, meaning let's say
the Rockets said, I gotta get out of Toyta Center
and they're going to be refurbishing Tota Center. If Jim
Crane and the astro said I want to get out
of a dyking park, which they're always up keeping that thing,

(01:27:26):
and the Texans knee and the county and the Roordy
need to upgrade energy because it's just not doznet of
the bells and whistles that other NFL cities have. You
may be comfortable going to the games, but these owners,
all they want is more, and they get jealous because
other other cities get other things that the city Houston
is not getting the Texans don't get. I will say this,

(01:27:47):
and I will I don't think I'm going to be
wrong about this. I think the next stadium that is
gets built in this town will not be in the
downtown areas. Matter of fact, I may even say I'm
even go a little bit further and say it may
not even be in the greater city limits. We're just
seeing too many things being built in other cities outside

(01:28:13):
of the metropolitan areas. Chicago, I think is not going
to go to Gary, Indiana. I think this is just
a political ploy to get Arlington Heights going.

Speaker 4 (01:28:22):
A little bit.

Speaker 2 (01:28:23):
We saw the Atlanta Braves go out of the city
and they love their area. You know, look at and
T Stadium with the Cowboys play. It's a Irving. It's
not downtown Dallas, not Downtown for Worth.

Speaker 4 (01:28:40):
It's its own little world.

Speaker 2 (01:28:41):
And it's Arlington, not Irving Arlington. And I think we
have proven, rightly or wrongly, that we are not a
down a city that embraces its downtown. We have by
far one of the worst downtowns in the country. Doesn't
mean it's disgusting, doesn't mean it's not safe, doesn't mean
there's not options for restaurants and bars that to go

(01:29:02):
dough to nice hotels. Not that we're void of things
to do, but we're We're just built differently. You have
to sometimes look self evaluate and say, who's buying our tickets,
where do they live, and what do they do before
and after games? And we have been trained or just

(01:29:25):
because of experience, we know that we go in and
we go out. You know, my son, my oldest is
twenty five. Now he will go to a bar before
a game or a bar after. So maybe more of
that twenty five year old crowd that in ten years
will be thirty five and in twenty years will be
forty five when we're looking for new facilities. Maybe that

(01:29:47):
next generation will do that. But maybe we were saying
the same thing about the forty five year olds of today.

Speaker 4 (01:29:53):
Twenty years ago.

Speaker 2 (01:29:55):
Downtown just never was able to take the sports facilities
meaning can Park and meaning the Tota Center, and turn
it into a vibrant area. And I don't think that's
a bad thing. It's just who you are. The most
important thing is you go to the games. That's, to me,
is the most I mean, the most important thing is
you go to the games, you get there on time,
and you cheer loud. But it's not coincidental. It's not

(01:30:19):
ironic that the area next to dyke In Park has
not been built for other things because that land is
owned by Jim Craney. He knows.

Speaker 4 (01:30:27):
He's like, I don't. I'm not ready to do this yet.

Speaker 2 (01:30:29):
I don't have enough evidence to prove that the city
of Houston wants to get down for an Astros game
at four thirty or wants to stick around eleven thirty
out a night game. There's no evidence of it. And
we're not in New York, New York. We're not Boston,
we're not Chicago, where those are just different cities, different heritage,
different history. Doesn't make him better than we are, doesn't

(01:30:50):
make it worse, but it's just you have to understand,
and so you'd love to have. I mean, Dallas is
the same thing. People go to American Airlines Center and
downtown Dallas and that's not even really downtown. It's more uptown.
Their games are going, and they get their car and
they go back. Are they going their train and go out.
Santurna is a little bit different because San Antonio built

(01:31:10):
the River Walk and is much more vitorious city than
either Houston or Dallas is. But this is who we are,
and so I think you have to be very practical
about when you go to ask for tax payer money
what you're going to do with it. And if there's
no evidence that we are as a community want to
build an entertainment district around Energy Stadium, then that cannot,

(01:31:30):
under any circumstance, be a part of the future. Because
I can tell you, for one, I hate going over
to Energy Stadium. It's not because I don't think the
stadium is nice enough, but the traffic sucks. It's not
an easy part of town for me to get to
and you know, I've been going there long enough to
know there's nothing to do before after the game, he's

(01:31:51):
going to go out. And I don't know if all
of a sudden you put up fifteen different bars and
restaurants around Energy that Texans fans who have a difficult
time getting in the stadium in a twelve noon are
gonna be wanting to get down there at nine o'clock
to go to those places or hang out at three
or four o'clock in the afternoon for those games. Other
cities can do it. We're just not one of those things.
Doesn't make us bad, it just makes us be You
gotta be realistic. Twelve sixteen of The Matt Thomas Show

(01:32:13):
with Ross You may dooka coming up at the bottom
of the hour. Up next, Joel Klatt says he's sorry,
it's about Thomas Show with Ross.

Speaker 4 (01:32:23):
Ross.

Speaker 2 (01:32:23):
He's off today and tomorrow Chris Cory's gonna hang out
with us for a couple of hours between ten and noon.
We got Doctor Rodeo on the show tomorrow and I
just don't and uh, let's say, I'm sorry to get
to and now I'm for the story. So well, busy Friday.
I'll be in Denver tomorrow Rockets against the New Orleans
Pelicans tonight the Nuggets on Saturday afternoon. But tomorrow show
will come to you from Denver, Colorado. All Right, A

(01:32:45):
couple of days ago, Jonathan, you and I were doing
a are you kidding me? Moment with Joel Klatt saying
I'm gonna just take a couple of quotes from what
he said. We just talking about the NCAA basketball tournament.
We don't want Cinderella's, we want the best teams playing
each other at the end. The NCAA Basketball Tournament is
a joke. It's the dumbest tournament and the least fair

(01:33:06):
tournament in all of sports. Well, Joel went to social
media and hit the four U tab and hit looked
at the replies, don't you think Jonathan, Yeah too, There's
no way had to have he said this this morning.
I had an interesting take.

Speaker 4 (01:33:28):
It was a bad take. It was a terrible take.

Speaker 17 (01:33:30):
To be fair, what I said on their show on
Monday morning early was sloppy and worded wrong, and so
it was kind of like I landed the plane but
it was in a cornfield, and so like we had
to hit the eject and it was like we kind
of like the plane didn't crash necessarily. Here's the deal
the NCAA Basketball Tournament. If the objective was to crown

(01:33:52):
the best basketball team of the college basketball season, then
it's a bad format. And because of that then it's
not fair, is what I said. And I said is
a joke. It's the dumbest and that's obviously going to
grab headlines and again that's stupid of me to use
those terms. But the structure of the NCAA Basketball Tournament,
it's objective is entertainment.

Speaker 4 (01:34:14):
It's meant to be a gauntlet.

Speaker 17 (01:34:16):
So the point is the best college basketball team for
the year doesn't always win the NCAA Basketball Tournament. That
tournament is set up to just crown its own champion.
It's a made for TV entertainment event and it's great.
And by the way, I do love the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
But if you're asking me, is it structured properly to

(01:34:37):
crown the best team of the season, then the answer
is no.

Speaker 4 (01:34:40):
It's a hot take.

Speaker 2 (01:34:41):
It's a bad take.

Speaker 17 (01:34:41):
Not everyone's going to share that with me because everyone
loves the entertainment value of Cinderellas in the NCAA basketball tournament.
But here's the thing, if you're actually honest with yourself,
you love the Cinderellas early, but late you want to
see the best teams playing against each other. You want
to see incredible regional finals. You want to see Kentucky

(01:35:02):
and Duke with Latner hitting it at the buzzer. Why
because that's greatness. Yes, you love Cinderellas in the tournament
because you have sixty eight teams. But in college football,
ours is much more selective. We have twelve teams of
one hundred and thirty whatever teams in college football, and
so once we're down to twelve, well, now we don't

(01:35:22):
really want Cinderellas. And I will maintain that opinion. That
is my opinion. You can disagree, and more power to you.

Speaker 4 (01:35:33):
You know.

Speaker 2 (01:35:34):
First of all, I give him kudos for coming up
and saying I had an ass and I take so
I'll give him credit for that. But to wrap this up,
worry quickly. That's why you never should have compared the
INTABA Tournament basketball to the CFP. They're two completely different things.
He's right, we don't love we want the heavyweights. Playing

(01:35:55):
for college footballs and national championship. We want the heavyweights
playing for college basketball national championship. But part of the
charm of the tournament, the basketball tournament, is having the
Cinderellas pull off the upsets. Not having that perfect bracket.
That's never gonna change. Because we look for two different
things in two different events doesn't make either event bad.

(01:36:18):
And that's what I think he did. He made an
ass of himself by saying, well, because I don't like it,
it means the other thing that I'm not involved with
is garbage. Made a mistake and he owned up to it.
Good for him, But the cop between basketball and football
just doesn't make any sense. If you had sixty eight

(01:36:41):
teams playing in a college football playoff, you'd want the upsets.
It's part of the charm of the bracket. You don't.
You've got twelve, You're gonna have sixteen. And my guess is, Joe,
when you get sixteen, you might want an upset or two.
Let's talk to our friend Ema A.

Speaker 4 (01:36:56):
Doka.

Speaker 2 (01:36:56):
Next twelve to twenty nine of The Mount Thomas Show
with Ross here from New Orleans. It's here on seven
ninety twelve thirty Ross is off today. I'm at here
in New Orleans tonight the Rocket to take on the
New Orleans Pelicans Houston at sixteen and seven on the season,
taking on a Pelicans team that is struggling here and
part of a long road trip the Pels five and

(01:37:18):
twenty two. Let's spend ten minutes right now with the
head basketball coach of your Houston Rockets, Emai Doka. Coach,
thank you for the time as always, And I don't
know how long much you can get into details. We'll
just get it knocked out of the way quickly. So
you get the phone call or the email from the
league and he says, hey, coach, howary And you say,
I'm fine, what do you need? And he says you're
gonna find twenty five thousand dollars. Is that how it goes?

Speaker 4 (01:37:39):
Or do you have a chance to explain yourself a
little bit? No, they ask you what happened?

Speaker 18 (01:37:46):
You say, evident, it's in the press conference afterwards, and
so why'd you say? Do you know the rules? And yes, yes, yes,
and they do what they do from there.

Speaker 2 (01:37:58):
If you got a Vemo account, I get some Rocket
fans to help you out. If you need this to
I mean, my goodness.

Speaker 4 (01:38:05):
No, I'm good. It's money well spent. But you know what,
I'll agree with you and just go on from there.

Speaker 2 (01:38:12):
What a game though, And look, two really difficult losses,
three points to Denver on the boat two times we've
played them. Uh, is there a little bit of we
got to get over the hump on this or was
it situational to you? And we'll get a chance to
get them again Saturday in Denver. So I thought about
both of the games and what needs to happen to
kind of get that first victory against a team that,

(01:38:33):
frankly you may be battling for when it comes to
seating in the Western Conference in terms of tiburgers and whatnot.

Speaker 18 (01:38:41):
Yeah, there's a lot of minor details. Of course, it's
not just the end of the game. You know, the
foul against some men stands out there, but there's plenty
that goes on within the game that we can control things.
You know, had a nine point lead, so we battled
back after you know, deficittings, got to lead ourselves and
then they came back. And so you look at the
game of seventeen league changes sixteen times and came down

(01:39:04):
to the wire and goes to overtime and plenty of
better and and in both games it came down to
one possession game at the end. We had to get
to stop once and then turn over at our place.
So very game, both teams are doing a lot of
good things with high level players, and that's kind of
what you expect when you go against that team.

Speaker 2 (01:39:24):
You know, it feels like to me that Jokic wakes
up with a triple double, and honestly, Jamal Murray has
really stepped up his game as well. It's almost like,
do you go in going, guys, they're gonna get their point.
Let's let let somebody else, you know, I'll just use
Spencer Jones an example, had a couple of big threes
for them late in the contest. And then do you
do you sometimes think about that or do you go,

(01:39:45):
we need to do a better job. We are good
enough defensively to make Jamal Murray in Nicola Jokic's life
as miserable as possible.

Speaker 18 (01:39:54):
Yeah, I think, you know, it's been the approach with
that team, specifically Jokis forever. You know, team either decided
to go after him and let him kind of pick
everything apart or let him score and lock everything else up.

Speaker 4 (01:40:06):
And so we've done decent job overall.

Speaker 18 (01:40:08):
Among others, I think he's too comfortable. You know the
fact that they shot you know, five for nine threes
against us in four for eight in game one, that's
just too too many looks for him. And so then
then then you take Jamal Murray, decent job nine for
seventeen overall, but you know, he gets fifteen free throws
and so you know, fourteen for fifteen from the line,
that's a huge part of his thirty five points. And
so we can definitely be better one on one. We've

(01:40:30):
you know, taken pride in guarding our masters this year
and holding teams, and they're gone to their average, and
those especially.

Speaker 4 (01:40:39):
Up just got away from us in the two games.

Speaker 11 (01:40:41):
Yes both we obviously.

Speaker 18 (01:40:43):
We're gonna talk to him and watch the film with
him and ask him what he saw in.

Speaker 4 (01:40:46):
The certain situations. But stands, when he's a really big game,
you turn unders down. It's a big part of it.

Speaker 18 (01:40:52):
And so some of them, you know, just dribbling in
the crowd, being a little bit here and there, and
so your boyd those it's not like their pressure situations
that they're forced in the turnover some events kind of
self inflicted, and so he understands that we want to.

Speaker 4 (01:41:05):
Get our numbers down.

Speaker 18 (01:41:06):
And you know him, Kevin and Oppurn handling the ball
the most. You know, those guys will probably have the
highest numbers. But if they can just cut those in
half and we get shots up, we're shooting great percentage
and if we miss those shots, we'll probably get offensive rebounds.
So our main thing is don't turn it over, get
shots up, and we'll be in good shape.

Speaker 2 (01:41:23):
Great stuff, as always, coach, Thank you for the time.
We'll see you later on tonight.

Speaker 4 (01:41:26):
All right, thank you guys, All right, thank you.

Speaker 2 (01:41:28):
You maya dooka with us here on Sports Talk seven outy.
It's twelve forty two. It is the Matt Thomas Show
with Ross coming up at one thirty this afternoon. We'll
be visiting with cool coople, like a thought or two
about what's happening with the SEC teams involved in the
college football playoff. We'll obviously spend a lot of time
talking about A and M against Miami, and a thought

(01:41:50):
or two about Oklahoma and Alabama if you want to
chime in. Sorry that the connection was not great with
the coach, but we were able to try at least
squeeze a few questions out of him. Three two one
two five seven ninety seven one three two one two
five seven NINETI it's twelve forty two. It's a Matt
Thomas show with Ross. Ross is off. I'm here in
New Orleans. Come on and it's me and you for
the next few minutes. Join us here and you want

(01:42:12):
to get to from Astros offseason, the Texans versus the
Raiders coming up on Sunday three twenty five to where
should we put a new stadium? If so inclined because
the folks in Chicago, at least with the Bears, are
thinking about Gary, Indiana.

Speaker 4 (01:42:26):
How weird is that? Twelve forty three on seven.

Speaker 2 (01:42:28):
Ninety, twelve forty nine, here from New Orleans. Seven one
three two one two five seven ninety If you want
to come in and say hello, seven one three two
one two five seven, nintie, this is a strange little
segment we're going to do here, and it involves a

(01:42:49):
football player and his brother. You know, there has always
been the Texans have never had to really worry about
a whole lot of character issues both on and off
the field, which is really good. Some people say, well,
you know what, you need to get a little bit
of that bad boy image in the Texans locker room,

(01:43:10):
and more times than that it winds up hurting you.
I gotta tell you, what's going on in.

Speaker 4 (01:43:17):
Los Angeles is really weird.

Speaker 2 (01:43:19):
So Pokin Nakua, who you guys saw terrorized the Texans
in the first week at the season, is one of
the two or three most dynamic receivers in the National
Football League right now. So story number one about Pokin
Akua is very odd and very alarming. Apparently, he performed

(01:43:41):
an anti Semitic touchdown celebration on a adnine Ross or
AD nine Ross live stream on Wednesday. So, during this
live stream, Ross guided the wide receiver through the anti
Semitic touchdown celebration, which ended with Nakuah looking into the
case and rubbing his hands together, a stereotypical gesture indicating

(01:44:04):
the greed that Ross fans calls quote iconic Jewish dance.
Ross on this live stream then asked Nakua to perform
the celebration during the Rams game against the Seahawks tonight,
and Nikua during this live stream promised that he would
basically after he said that and did it on this

(01:44:26):
quote unquote live stream, he has received a lot of
backlash for it. In fact, a representative from California by
the name of Eric Swalwell says the following, The Los
Angeles Jewish community is on edge after the Baunch Beach
massacre that of course was in Australia this past weekend.
And what does this a hole? And he goes at

(01:44:49):
asap pooka do he calls it it a hole? First
of all, that's pretty tough. He promises an anti Semitic
touchdown dance for his Thursday night game. He should have
apologized or be dropped NBC News, who wrote the original story.
He went to go talk to Nikoua's representatives and they

(01:45:11):
of course declined to comment. We got too many athletes
and too many athletes friends that want to host radio
and TV podcast and they're all trying to seek attention.
Now I've not seen this live stream. I don't, I don't.
I don't even know. Am I supposed to know? Jonathan

(01:45:32):
who at nine Rosso It's Ross and Aiden Ross.

Speaker 6 (01:45:36):
He's a very controversial streamer going like aroun the gen
Z area, Like you know, Okay, yeah, thank you. So
it's he's he's known to get into doom like this.

Speaker 2 (01:45:52):
That's embarrassing, it's insensitive, it's stupid, and we I hate
the term. We got to be better than that, but
we got to be better than that. Okay, So this
is it Aden and ross that you say it. This
is aid aids Aiden. Excuse me, Aiden. But by the way,

(01:46:13):
spell aiden properly, a d I n should be Aiden,
should be a d ean right or a I d ian.
I've got a hard time pronouncing your name because I
don't know how your mom and dad spelled. That's that's
on you. But why would you man the puking to
coo as an adult? Why would you want to do

(01:46:37):
that to be disrespectful to a group of people, because
I guarantee you pooko Akua wouldn't want that done to
his the people that he's with and his family, his
his generation. So that's I guess one of the things
we have to I mean, I'm gonna be busy with
call him a basketball game, so I won't have time
to watch the uh Seattle Los Angeles game. And I
hope that pookin Akua is going to learn from this

(01:46:59):
and go, what am I doing here? It's stupid. I'm
not going to do that.

Speaker 6 (01:47:01):
And it's all kind of weird because the streamer himself
is Jewish, he comes from Jewish assent, so it's kind
of like, what's going on?

Speaker 2 (01:47:07):
I was making fun of his own stereotype. Yeah, you know,
I don't.

Speaker 6 (01:47:10):
I didn't read so much into it, but I that's
that's why I kind of just blew this off. I'm like,
this is kind of yeah, I don't. I don't equate
a dance. Again, I don't know if it's anti Semitic
or not. The interpretation of the story I'm reading is
it's an anti Semitic dance. But that's the eye of

(01:47:32):
the beholder, I guess. But to your point, you're right,
like these these are adults that you guys have a
brand behind your name, you know, And I get what
you're saying, like you can't be going onto these streamers
or these friends of friends that you think are cool
and they could be tarnishing your name or what.

Speaker 15 (01:47:48):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:47:48):
And that's another thing is that I, you know, as
a radio host, whether I was doing it for just
this radio station or if I had a national show
on a ESPN or c A and or Fox or
miss and whatever they're calling it now or if one.
We are held to certain standards, and these drabbronis that
are out there, I'm talking about current athletes, former athletes, influencers.

(01:48:14):
They don't have to play by those rules because they
go on they go on their YouTube, or they go
on their live stream or their Instagram and they dose presentations.
I'm personally resentful of that that they get to do
whatever they want and get away with it. Now, I
wouldn't want to do I wouldn't want to conduct a
radio show that way. By saying off putting things, or

(01:48:34):
sexual harassment things, or or sensitive things towards a group
of people, or racist things. That's not who I am
and what I believe in. But even if I have
the opportunity to say those things, I can't because I'm regulated.
But I'm regulated as a human being. Forgeting about what
the FCC would say, I'm regulated by you and regularly
by myself, my own internal soul, my friends, my family.

(01:48:58):
That's just embarrassing. So that's that's the first weird issue.
The second thing that has come up that is so
weird is that Poka Nakua has a brother who was
arrested over the weekend for allegedly stealing a vehicle that
belonged to lakers A due theerro, I believe he's a

(01:49:18):
g leaguer or a two way player. He's un theclayer
that makes the regular rotation. Samson Nicoua who is the
brother of Puka Nakua, and this other dude named Trey
rose Or arrested Saturday by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.
The vehicle they stole was a new newer model BMW

(01:49:41):
that the TV station in Los Angeles reported belonged to Thierro.
In a release, the Los Angeles Sriff's Department said its
deputies were able to track the vehicle to the eighty
four hundred block of Sunset Boulevard and West Hollywood. The
two men were arrested Saturday for legenly taking a vehicle
without the owner's can and we're released that night. The

(01:50:04):
Sheriff's Department says an investigation is ongoing and offer no
further comment. So if you're a part of the Nu
the Nikua family, you've had a better thirty six hours right. Honestly,
to me, this this is a receiver, is so amazingly good.
He's good enough to help the Rams go to the
super Bowl. That's how good he is. But all I'm

(01:50:29):
gonna be thinking about is his bro who stole a
car of a Laker and going on some Jabroni's live
stream to do allegedly anti Semitic celebrations. And he has
no comment so he could still do it too. This
is gonna be a big.

Speaker 4 (01:50:45):
Oh, he said. I guess when he said he was
gonna do it now.

Speaker 2 (01:50:49):
I would be stunned if he did it, because look
at the backlash. That would be insane. It would be
professional suicide if he did it. Maybe Poking doesn't care.
I know that social media is wonderful for many things,

(01:51:11):
but man, it's like it's like nil and the portal.
We need some regulation or something you just can't scrape up.
I mean, I look at these NBA players and these
former NFL players. All they do is drop f bombs
for three hours on their podcast, talking about players and
talking about their girlfriends and things they've done in the past.

(01:51:31):
I can't get away with that. I wouldn't want to
do it that way, but I can't do it if
I even wanted to the one thing I have going
for me, I'm not trying to bring them Trying to
be real with y'all, is that you know I've had
staying power. These podcasts that are popping up all over
the place, they don't have staying power. The Kelsey podcast
will go away eventually. The Matt Barnes podcast will go

(01:51:56):
away eventually, because you know what, when you want when
you do it podcast, it takes work. You do a
radio show, you have a microphone in front of you,
It takes work. You have to have a desire to
do it. You can go in your on your your
couch and talk about stories for sixty minutes at a
time once a month. I guess it's fun. It gets clicks,
that gets mentioned.

Speaker 4 (01:52:14):
I get it.

Speaker 2 (01:52:16):
But the guys that really want to be good at
it have to do it a lot, meaning radio host,
TV host, podcasters, and you gotta have some sort of rules.
It's over this aiden, dude, is I mean way to
get things going for Puka Nakua as he's trying to
help the rams in the NFC West and maybe whin
the whole NFC. I'm getting off my lawn.

Speaker 4 (01:52:38):
Sorry I didn't do that.

Speaker 2 (01:52:40):
Seven one three two one two five SEVENATI seven one
three two one two five SEVENATI final hour of The
Matt Thomas Show features with Ross. I've visited with Cool
Kubelik of ESPN and the SEC Network that's coming up
in thirty minutes, and we have, believe it or not,
all things about Gary, Indiana in fifty here on Steven.

Speaker 1 (01:52:56):
Ninety's The Matt Thomas Show with Raw.

Speaker 2 (01:53:04):
One oh five on Sports Talk seven at ey Cole
you were like SPN, the SEC Network will be whether
it's at twenty five minutes, believe or not today coming
up at one fifty all things about Gary, Indiana. Rockets
here in New Orleans taking on the Pelicans. Will have
it for you at seven o'clock right here on Sports
Talk seven NUINTI we got Thursday night football tonight between
the Rams and the Seahawks. First place on the line

(01:53:28):
in the NFC West. Texans back on the practice field,
fourteen and a half point favorites for the game against
the Raiders. I'm sorry, folks, I don't mind previewing stuff
when it's important. Texans should destroy the Raiders. I know
that Gino Smith was a full participant yesterday at Raiders
practice in Las Vegas. Doesn't really matter. They're terrible. They
are in score a single point last week in Philadelphia.

Speaker 1 (01:53:51):
So.

Speaker 4 (01:53:54):
They win the game and Jacksonville.

Speaker 2 (01:53:58):
If they lose to Denver, which is very much a possibility.
The game is in Denver this week, the Texans would
inherit first place in the AFC South because of a
type breaker seven one three two one two five seven
ninety seven one three two one two five Sevenati easy
whether us at one o six on seven? Honty easy?
What do you got today?

Speaker 19 (01:54:19):
As the time is, I'm going to make a quick
statement and maybe you could chime in in the middle
of it. But we're close to now. I'm forty seven,
you're in your fifties. Right, Let's leave Let's leave sports
at sports. Let's leave politics any other kind of controversy

(01:54:39):
out of it. You jumped into this business there because
you love sports and you love talking about sports. And uh.
We live in a hyper sensitive, hyper critical, uh part
of our society now, and I think we should leave
it at that. I mean, if these people make these statements,
they're trying to get attention. We we all love sports. Because

(01:55:02):
of the love of sports, it brings us together and
it builds camaraderie. I mean, we've had certain situations where
you know, the the when Ezekiel Elliot jumped in the
the whatever and then what was the other one when
the bird and magic thing? It wasn't as to publicized

(01:55:25):
as it is now. I think we should just kind
of how can I say it?

Speaker 14 (01:55:32):
Man?

Speaker 19 (01:55:32):
Just hey, just let's stake to the sport and leave
that alone. What's your opinion on that?

Speaker 4 (01:55:38):
Sir?

Speaker 10 (01:55:40):
Uh?

Speaker 2 (01:55:40):
Well, First of all, easy, I do not want you
to hang up under any circumstance this radio show, in particular,
mind that I've held on for decades, I don't I
don't get.

Speaker 4 (01:55:54):
Into politics at all.

Speaker 2 (01:55:55):
I have not brought up the president's races, the governor's race,
the mayor race, anything about how to raise your children,
how to religion, economic policies. It's just it's a very
private thing to me. I don't think you care about
my political beliefs, and with complete respect to usy, I
don't care about yours because it's it's an individual thing.

(01:56:16):
This is not about politics. This is about sensibility. This
is about saying and doing the right things. And easy,
if there was a white athlete that went on a
live stream and started talking about using racist slurs and

(01:56:36):
racist dances to celebrate things. It would be a talking
point on the show because it's not about politics, it's
about being a decent human being. And again, I don't
know what exactly he did during this little live stream
and what this dance is and whether or not he's
going to do it, but clearly a member of the

(01:56:59):
political community in Los Angeles who sounds like to me
he is of Jewish descent and faith thought it was offensive.
And so I'm only reporting it to you Alan to
say is it may or may not be.

Speaker 4 (01:57:12):
It's in the eye of the beholder.

Speaker 2 (01:57:14):
But with all of the things that are going on
right with puking Nakua's life and how good it is,
why would you tempt to tarnish your reputation to do
something like that and that and there's no answer for it.

Speaker 19 (01:57:27):
And then I agree, and that's that's on his perspective.
But again, if we if we give we gaslight these
kind of things, then then it comes up to a
certain thing where they get the recognition quote unquote, you
know they they now they're on you know, a national
radio station talking about it. So if we bury this

(01:57:47):
and just focus on sports, not not saying you, but
if we focus on the people are doing this kind
of stuff, let's let's focus on the purity of sports,
because this is a sports show in.

Speaker 2 (01:57:59):
That love, I know, but we're also we're also human beings.
Too Easy, I mean again, I'm not going to allow
put it this way. I'm not going to allow X
Y Z athlete to mimic anything that would be racist
towards a segment of the population Black, Hispanic, Chinese and

(01:58:21):
fail to address it. Doesn't mean it's going to encompass
the four hours of this radio show, doesn't mean it's
going to encompass my life as a sports fan. Doesn't
mean the next time you and Easy, you and I
talk about anything, it's going to bring it be brought
up in conversation. But it's something that's happened, and it's
something that probably would be poor taste at the very

(01:58:42):
minimum and racist at the second time. And you know what,
we we we find racism in sports, and sometimes, unfortunately,
as lighthearted as this showed, it likes to be for
a nine to nine percent of a time, the one
percent we kind of go, you know, what are you doing?
And that's what I'm saying. I'm saying to pukinakoua easy
not to tarnish his life, not to say that he

(01:59:04):
what he's done for his for his family and his
life and how he's represented himself is not of good
of good faith and good things. People make mistakes, but
it's just you gotta you know. I'm not trying to
bear the kid. I'm not looking for him to be
suspended or released or tired and feathered and you know,
an embarrassed the rest of his life. But somebody's got
to I'm gonna call out when something's done that's stupid,
and that's something that stupid doesn't mean he can't come

(01:59:27):
back from. It doesn't mean he can't come out tonight
after the game and say, you know what, I went
on a live stream, easy, and I went on and
he's in Seattle, and I did a stupid thing and
I feel bad about doing it. And guess what I
would do, Easy, I'd say, Oh, I took him.

Speaker 4 (01:59:38):
I get it.

Speaker 2 (01:59:39):
Thank you very much for saying it. We're moving on,
so I'm not.

Speaker 4 (01:59:43):
It's not it's not the it's not the folks in
the show.

Speaker 2 (01:59:45):
But it's certainly worth a note.

Speaker 19 (01:59:47):
Yeah, I understand, and I'm not defending it. And uh
one more on a light note, where the hell is
the wrong.

Speaker 2 (01:59:53):
He's on vacation.

Speaker 5 (01:59:56):
Did he go back to Big Ben?

Speaker 4 (01:59:58):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:59:59):
He was in Late Charles and then he's going to
Dallas to do something, to go to some some movie
theaters within like the four K or whatever, and then
I don't know what the hell else is doing. Hopefully
not getting any trouble.

Speaker 19 (02:00:09):
Y'all pay well, Hey go Rockets tonight, man, I hope
we will, Jill.

Speaker 2 (02:00:12):
Rockets, baby, thank you easy for the phone call. I mean,
y'all know that y'all know this show. We don't. We don't.
We don't get into the sad stuff. We just don't.
But it's a story. So we're gonna talk about the
stories today. Let's get to a quick time out. We'll
talk to kJ next. We want to talk about what
he marks and Nick Chubb, hmmm, your one two combination?

(02:00:34):
What a bunch of one. Jordan, what we're gonna do
with him? He's on the full roster now, he's off
the practice squad. Good for him. Seven one three two
one two five seven Nati seven one three, two, one
two five, seven nine zero's Matt Thomas Show with Ross
Ross's gambling somewhere. I don't know what the hell's doing.
I went gamble a little bit yesterday after the show.
Not good, after dinner A little bit better seven one

(02:00:58):
three two one two five Sabinnati, Johnathan, we got this
show is very powerful.

Speaker 4 (02:01:04):
You say to yourself, how powerful is this show? Hooking?

Speaker 2 (02:01:10):
Akoupat Is offered an apology right now he is seven
minutes ago. I'd like to take credit, but I'm not
going to do that. When I appeared the other day
on a social media live stream, it was suggested to
me to perform a specific movement as part of my
next touchdown celebration. At the time, I had no idea
this act was antisemitic in nature and perpetually harmful, stereotyped

(02:01:34):
against Jewish people. And then he goes into bold I
deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions,
as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry,
or hate of another group of people. There you go,
look that you're just saying that good apology accepted, and
I think he was looking I was looking for one.

Speaker 4 (02:01:52):
But yeah, good for him.

Speaker 2 (02:01:58):
I don't you know, I don't Yeah, and I want
to the audience again.

Speaker 6 (02:02:01):
This streamer is known to put his guest that goes
on the streams in controversial like.

Speaker 4 (02:02:07):
That's not good. Then you know what you get for
the future.

Speaker 2 (02:02:10):
If you want to go on a stream, you know
that he's going to make you, put you in a
bad spot. I wouldn't do it. So Jonathan when he
wants to talk to Washing Kentucky track, you don't let
him go on. You don't go on there. Let's go
to kJ and Cyprus. Reverend kJ. What's going on at
one twenty?

Speaker 5 (02:02:27):
What's going on?

Speaker 10 (02:02:28):
My man?

Speaker 5 (02:02:30):
I was just I was a good day when I
just started out photography.

Speaker 2 (02:02:33):
I just got to thank you, sir.

Speaker 4 (02:02:33):
I appreciate that work.

Speaker 5 (02:02:36):
Quick question, well, not necessarily a question, the primarily a comment.
I see a lot on different podcasts, uh, the praise
that Woody Marx is getting. And I'm not I'm not
pessimistic when it comes to Woody Marks. I think he's

(02:02:56):
a decent. I think I'm most of the James Woody
Mars will be a third, third best.

Speaker 4 (02:03:03):
But I.

Speaker 5 (02:03:05):
Look at the numbers and the numbers support my sentiment.
But I all of a sudden go by the on test
and I don't see Woody Mark breaking off big runs.
I mean, Woodie Mark is based is thirty two. He
gets his three yards on the first down. That's that's
the extent of what he marks effectedness. And I see

(02:03:25):
a lot of people saying that he's better than Chubb
and Jane Chubb. I don't see Chubb routine to get
the tackle in the backfield as much as Woody Marks.
I don't see Chubb typically being as hesitant when it
comes to hitting the hole. Now, he may not break
off big runs, but he's at least hitting the hole
and falling forward. I don't consist. I don't see that

(02:03:46):
as much with Woody Marsh. And one more thing before
I let you go, I'm talking to you on your show,
but I'm saying this to all the Woody Marks supporters
out there. If the bar is this low and we're
praising what he marks as a good running back, then
he definitely needs to be looking at Jeremiah Love in
the draft. But looking at the numbers, Woody Marks and
more carries has the lower yards per carry average the

(02:04:08):
Nick Chubb has fewer touchdowns in Nickjubb. Nick Chubb has
fewer carries and has the longer run over the course
of the season than than Woody Marks and also the
longest run of the season for the two. I think
I've just said there. But bottom line again, for all
you Wodi Marks s importers, we need to stop. Winnie

(02:04:29):
Mars is not a good running back. Winnie Marx is
not an effective running back. The only thing that Windy
Marks has over Nick Chubb is he's appears to be
a better pass catch drive the backfield. The fact that
they're possibly gonna have Woody I mean, Nick Chubb and
jar Jordan's this weekend, to me is an upgrade to
compare to what we've been doing the past handful of weeks.
Because bottom line, Winnie Marks is not here, dude, Now

(02:04:51):
take that change at some point all season of condition
and better preparation for the rhythms of the NFL season
next year. Properly, but as a resimberate.

Speaker 2 (02:05:04):
Thank you, kJ appreciate you know what what He Marx
is a mid round rookie playing probably more than he should.
I don't think what he's doing so much more that
he's deep getting this extra playing time. He's getting this
playing playing time because Damian Pierce moved on and the
Nie Chubb got hurt, and there's something there's no better alternative. Look,

(02:05:27):
I'm not anti Woody Marx, and I don't think kJ
is really that anti Woody Marks. I just think that
there may be some Woody Marks truthers out there that
are saying this is a better running back than it is.
There is no doubt in my mind that Woody Marx
will not be the primarily ball count carrier for the
Houston Texas any point in his NFL career. The Texans
are going to have to go get a legitimate running back,

(02:05:48):
whether they're going to go and free agency, trade for one,
or draft one. But he's the best that they've got
right now. He is a good pass catcher. He get
you those three yards and you need three, but I'm
gonna get you nine when you need four, and that's stupid.
He's not gonna get you the big burst, That's what
I'm trying meant to say.

Speaker 4 (02:06:09):
And he's gonna be a good.

Speaker 2 (02:06:11):
Pass blocker, which has value. It just does. But no,
he is a young NFL player in his first year
who hopefully will get better, but I don't think it's
at any point we're gonna be going man. Woody Marks
twenty three carries, one hundred and fourteen yards, two touchdowns.
I don't see it, And frankly, I don't think the
NFL say I saw it that way. I don't think

(02:06:33):
the Texans sought that way mid round draft pick. But
he's an NFL player, you can help this team. I'm
not saying he's guaranteed for the next eight years and
gonn think about putting him in the Ring of Honor,
but I think he's gonna have a spot. But he
would be at best, to me, a number two running back.
And the reason why Woody Marks is getting run it's

(02:06:56):
because Nick Chub's been hurt a lot of this season.

Speaker 4 (02:07:00):
They have the one.

Speaker 2 (02:07:02):
I think any Texan fan, even the biggest Homers, would
have to admit they have to address the running back
position as they're one or one A to the to
the offensive line, one or one A. It's very very important.
Rays whether us before we talked to Cole Cuba, like
Killo Ray, all right, some.

Speaker 20 (02:07:24):
Of the Texans real quick in your hoss caller, I
saw what he Mark's scoop of fumble and diving an
end zone. You know, he's not horrible, and I'd rather
have him in than Nick Chubb. And it is not
his fault if he's so bad, it's the Texans fault
for evaluation. There's no way Chubb is badly Mars right now,

(02:07:46):
no way. And we have a guy that just touched
the ball. Just snap the hundred off real quick. We
need to be talking about Jordan's. Watch what this kid
do Sunday and then everybody's going to be saying Marx
and Jordan's it ain't no more Chub, He's out of
here now.

Speaker 13 (02:08:00):
The the Puka.

Speaker 20 (02:08:03):
Because I know about Aiden, just like Jonathan does. You
have to be conscients of content creators if you're worth
that lot of money or if you know professional limelight,
because content creators they're not asking you for your autograph
like the eighties. They're live streaming and filming you, trying
to get you caught up in some craps so they

(02:08:24):
can get streams and adsents and monetization and paid. They're
getting paid off these guys. And because right now people
are searching that video and he's getting monetization on it.
It's all a setup. You should stay away from content
creators and be smart. I know he did the apology
ten minutes ago, but it's probably too late because of
such a large Jewish community. You just got to be

(02:08:46):
careful and watchful of all content creators. If you want
to go live, go live yourself. That's all I got, all.

Speaker 2 (02:08:54):
Right, thank you, Ray. Yeah, I just would say, be careful.
What appearance did you make on podcasts? Do a little
bit of research of who this podcaster is and what
he's looking for. And when they're wanting you to do
stuff that you have never done before, are unfamiliar with,
say I'll get back to you. Cole Kublick joins us
next one twenty seven and it's a Matt Thomas Show

(02:09:16):
with Ross seven one three, two, one two five seven nine.
If you want to join our show today, Matt Thomas
Show with Ross here from New Orleans one thirty three
is our time. And a very busy man who is
gonna be greace enough to spend a few minutes with
us here on ESPN Radio. Will be on the Alabama
Oklahoma game tomorrow. You've seen him on television. You see

(02:09:37):
him on the SEC network also as a show in
Birmingham Cole Kubolik with us on the program. Colet's Matt,
I appreciate you squeezing a few minutes of your time
with this real big picture question because you follow that
SEC very tightly. Uh, give me the group of schools.
If there's three or four among the SEC that are
NIO rich, that are really doing well, and then give

(02:09:58):
me three or four that our audience used to would
would know about that. You're worried about the future of
the NIL that may be concerned about the dollars coming in.

Speaker 11 (02:10:07):
I mean, obviously you go Texas, Texas, A and m
are doing really well.

Speaker 21 (02:10:10):
I think Missouri is a team that does better than
people think Tennessee does well. I think people would be
surprised where Alabama is. I think they're a little behind
most other teams in the league. Old miss probably ahead
of schedule. I don't know if that changes without laying there.
And then I think Mississippi State probably a team you're
concerned about, believe it or not. And I know with

(02:10:31):
what we've seen in the public recently, it's not going
to appear that way. But from an NIL perspective, Old
miss is not screwge mcducking and you know, swimming in
their giant vault of coins every day.

Speaker 11 (02:10:41):
So that's an interesting to watch. That's one interesting to
watch moving.

Speaker 2 (02:10:45):
Forward, Cole, You've got a lot of ties to all
the old miss connections in the LSU. As you were
doing the Daily Show and talking about in the SEC network,
a thought or two about your relationship with Lane Kiffin
the movement and what do you expect LSU to do
right away once he settles in.

Speaker 21 (02:11:05):
I mean, my relationship with Lane is pretty much as
professional and it's been great. He's been really good to
me when we've needed to interview and we needed to talk.
He's never really short for words, always entertaining. He's great
to us in meetings, always good at giving us information,
always helpful. I don't really he and I don't communicate
much outside of that, which is fine. Some coaches I

(02:11:27):
talked to multiple times a week.

Speaker 11 (02:11:29):
Other coaches I.

Speaker 21 (02:11:29):
Talked to once or twice during football season. So I
think it just depends. I think he's gonna win at LSU.
Is he gonna ultimately win to the extent that everyone
expects or just thinks that he is.

Speaker 11 (02:11:41):
I don't know.

Speaker 21 (02:11:42):
Nowadays, I think it's impossible to just say, oh, coach
A is going to place B and that equals championship.

Speaker 11 (02:11:51):
There are too many things that have to happen nowadays.

Speaker 21 (02:11:53):
You mentioned nil just a little bit earlier, being able
to navigate the transfer portal, and not so much who
you get and how much they help help you, but
who you lose to the transfer portal. That might not
be a starter. That might be somebody who could fill
in three four weeks in the middle of the season,
or come in and play at a higher level than
anticipated for the last four weeks of the season, and

(02:12:14):
that doesn't allow you to be run out of the playoffs.

Speaker 11 (02:12:17):
We're seeing guys go out and teams are changing ego.

Speaker 21 (02:12:20):
Two years ago, Tate Ratletz gets injured, that entire Georgia
team was different, not just the offensive line.

Speaker 11 (02:12:26):
So it's not just quarterbacks.

Speaker 21 (02:12:27):
That are leaving the lineups or getting injured banged up
that are changing the makeup of teams.

Speaker 11 (02:12:32):
And it's not just a wide receiver.

Speaker 21 (02:12:34):
I mean, it can be a guard, it can be
an inside linebacker, it can be one corner, And all
of a sudden, you have to shift the way that
you operate, the way that you play, and teams know
what to take advantage of. So I think all of
that is a part of how it's gonna happen. You
think about what team unity is, chemistry, leadership. Those things
are tough nowadays to be able to fingerpoint, put your

(02:12:54):
finger on develop like. We had a long conversation with
Clark Lee in the middle of last season, and he
talked about how he had reshifted.

Speaker 11 (02:13:02):
His mindset inside his program.

Speaker 21 (02:13:03):
He said, I was developing these young men for later
in life to be better husbands and professionals and go
on to do great things. And they were spending their
last two or three years at Alabama beating US or
Kentucky beating US.

Speaker 11 (02:13:14):
So he got back to football, and he got back to.

Speaker 21 (02:13:17):
I mean, I hate to say this, but a little
bit more of a mercenary lifestyle, you know, more of
the assassin's creed. I guess of, Hey, come in here,
get what you need to get done. And you know,
we're gonna probably not have as much of a relationship
after that because we're gonna focus more on football.

Speaker 2 (02:13:32):
Cole Coople at ESPN SEC Network joining us here on
the Matt Thomas Show. Here from New Orleans, A couple
more minutes, Cole Which Carson Beck's gonna show up the
one that can throw multiple touchdowns in a game or
multiple I t's in a game Saturday in College Station.

Speaker 21 (02:13:46):
Depends on if they live in third down or not.
As you see fifteen to seventeen third down attempts for
A and M. It's gonna be a bad one because
that's been pretty much every quarterback it's played. A and
then this year they have not been able to survive
on third down. And that's not something that's gonna go
well for a lot of guys their age. They're gonna
get looks with guys that are gonna be playing on Sundays,

(02:14:08):
and it's I mean not A and M defense on
third downs hell on wheels.

Speaker 11 (02:14:13):
And there's not.

Speaker 21 (02:14:13):
Many I don't know there's many pro quarterbacks that could
manage it effectively with what they give you and how
they give it to you, and who they have to
utilize doing it. So if it's a lot of third downs,
more than average third downs, you'll get the bad Carson back.

Speaker 11 (02:14:26):
But I think that decides this game.

Speaker 21 (02:14:28):
Honestly, I think the quarterback that makes the least mount
of mistakes that plays the cleanest football is gonna win
this game. And some of that might come down to
the coordinators, might come down to Shannon Dawson, might come
down to Colin Kline. You know, who calls a game
that is efficient enough or has the potential to be
efficient enough for them to go out and execute that
way and win that game. Because both these teams have

(02:14:48):
good ground games, both these teams have good offensive lines.
Both these teams have enough skill to be able to
help around them. But there are parts of these two teams.
I don't think Miami has seen a pass rush like this.
I don't think A and M has played a secondary
top to bottom that can run like this one can.
So those will be interesting factors to watch in that
game as well.

Speaker 2 (02:15:08):
Did Texas open up any A and M wounds in
that game in Austin?

Speaker 21 (02:15:14):
No, I think arts Manning just played extremely well. That
pass rush and those looks that I mentioned, if you
go back and dissect it, I mean I counted about
one hundred and ten yards that he saved that offense
where it could have been a sack, could have been tackled.

Speaker 11 (02:15:27):
For loss, and he was able to escape and either.

Speaker 21 (02:15:30):
Throw the ball away, complete the pass or leave the
pocket and pick up positive grounds. So a seven yard
loss would it appeared to be turned into a three
yard game.

Speaker 11 (02:15:39):
Or even an incompletion.

Speaker 21 (02:15:41):
Those are the kind of yards he saved that team
consistently with what he was doing and how he was
operating the things the way that he did it. Those
things have been there, It's just not a lot of
teams had the personnel to be able to take advantage
of it. And you get some of the guys around
and that's one of the better games that Texas offensive
line played this year. They have not been great the
majority of this season, and they did a nice job

(02:16:02):
sorting some things out, getting a hat on a hat,
playing physical football and picking some things up.

Speaker 2 (02:16:06):
Col Cube look with us here on e F from
ESPN on the Matt Thomas Show at ross the game
that you'll be calling on radio on the sidelines Oklahoma
Alabama feels like to me, you've got one hundred different
opinions about this thing. It's the tightest of all the
Vegas board at this point. What is the fourth quarter
going to look like in that football game? Do you
think if you were to get your crystal ball out?

Speaker 11 (02:16:27):
Well?

Speaker 21 (02:16:28):
Probably, And this is just like my assumption based on
how I think this game is gonna go, I think
probably middle of the fourth and on, you're gonna get
a couple, well at least.

Speaker 11 (02:16:39):
One, if not two desperate offenses.

Speaker 21 (02:16:42):
Now there's a chance that this thing could be fourteen
fourteen or held three to three, and you know we're
looking at all we're just gonna settle things down and
play for overtime, and both offenses just shut it down,
try to take advantage a better field position, feel like
their defense can get a stop, you know, kind of
a one off stop, you.

Speaker 11 (02:16:59):
Know, over time, help get a win.

Speaker 21 (02:17:01):
Or I think you're gonna have two offenses that are
really pushing and really kind of going past their comfort
zones to try to generate yards and points because they
haven't been able to do anything the entire game.

Speaker 2 (02:17:12):
Very last question, could Tulane and or James Madison stay
competitive on Saturday?

Speaker 11 (02:17:19):
Say competitive?

Speaker 9 (02:17:20):
Yes?

Speaker 21 (02:17:21):
I mean Jmu has a Lonza Bear to quarterback. He's
a mobile kid, can move around good on the run,
can push the ball down the field. That offensive line
plays a more physical brand of football than people give
them credit for. You know, it's just overall, size is
what's going to be the difference the I mean, this
is almost they're almost the organ of twenty years ago,
where you know, speed, athleticism, offense, scheme, had everything, and

(02:17:43):
then you get in this setting and it's like, Okay,
everybody's twenty pounds heavier and a little bit faster, Like
this doesn't make sense Now.

Speaker 11 (02:17:49):
Tulane's a little bit different.

Speaker 21 (02:17:50):
Tulane had three dbs that ended up in NFL camps
run NFL rosters, had another one transferred to Auburn and
started this year.

Speaker 11 (02:17:58):
That weren't there early in the season.

Speaker 21 (02:18:00):
That secondary wasn't really ready for an old miss passing
attack at that point. Also, you go back to Jake
Rehetzlaff what he was at that point in the season.

Speaker 11 (02:18:08):
He wasn't really a balanced quarterback. It was very run heavy.

Speaker 21 (02:18:11):
He hadn't really found his way through the air, didn't
have that comfort level in the offense at that point.
He's gotten there to an extent, and I think because
of that, that offense, being a little bit more balanced,
could potentially find more yards this time around. And I
think reds laugh also just his playmaking ability with a
defensive line that's better than people give it credit for.

(02:18:32):
But I will say can be a little undisciplined at times.
They can find their way a little too far upfield.
They can find their way out of their gaps, and
that's something that Tulane may be able to take advantage of.
I just the secondary's gotta be great, not good great.
They gotta bat some passes down. They can't give up
free releases. They can't give big jar aftretches. That's where

(02:18:52):
old miss kills you his high percentage throws five eight
yards in the air that go for you know, eighty
five seventy five yards on the ground.

Speaker 2 (02:19:01):
Cole squeeze in ten minutes from me man a lot.
Thank you friends, Safe travels to Oklahoma and we'll see you,
I guess with the Texas Bowl down the road as well.
Thank you for the time as always.

Speaker 11 (02:19:08):
Absolutely look forward to seeing you. Thank you so much.

Speaker 2 (02:19:10):
Think you got a cool kuplick with us here from
ESPN and the SEC Network. I mean he knows his
SEC football, not like Gordy, but he knows it too. Uh.
One forty three on the Mat Thomas Show with Ross
All things about Gary, Indiana. I'm believing or not, it's
up next. If you want to play seven one three
two one two five seven euty seven one three two
one two five is seven ninety John that we've had

(02:19:34):
a good week so far. We've missed Ross, but we'd
give you a little bit everything, a little football this CBS.

Speaker 4 (02:19:41):
How about you? So what's it has gone by fast?

Speaker 2 (02:19:44):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (02:19:45):
Now I'm gonna be honest. We feel the curtain back
for one minute. Of course, your buddy is gonna be
really tired tomorrow morning.

Speaker 2 (02:19:51):
Okay, yeah, and how long is that flight? About two
and a half in an ours?

Speaker 6 (02:19:56):
The time change too, time change.

Speaker 2 (02:20:01):
Gordy's gonna be in with me ten the noon. Make
sure he's on his best behavior. Hey, if he's late,
I don't know. He's a busy man. Ill He'll come
up with some excuse.

Speaker 4 (02:20:12):
I had to go to.

Speaker 2 (02:20:14):
I had to go to a meeting greed at the
in the office building. They were handing on danishes or
stuff like that. I had another disappointment. I wanted to
get one of my one of my teeth cleaned, and
I wanted to get some extra dental flaws. Will Gordy
be around at ten o'clock tomorrow morning? That's to be

(02:20:35):
an instable, all right, So yes, I will be tired tomorrow,
but the show must go on. We're gonna be on
for four hours tomorrow again, ten o'clock until two, hopefully
discussing a Rocket win over the Pelicans the four Game
for You, beginning at six thirty on the network. Before
that six o'clock the launch panel of a seven o'clock
tip time here from the Smoothie King Center. Tomorrow, we've

(02:20:56):
got doctor Rot. It is playoff week number one or two,
depending on what kind of league you're in, So we'll
talk to him. We have non Florida stories, and I
make another guest or show so in the later portion
of the show. Plus we if I'm Sorries at eleven
thirty on No Friday, which we should probably get Gordon
to apologize for being so late theater day because he

(02:21:17):
was at that White Elephant party.

Speaker 4 (02:21:18):
I think the food was probably too good. He didn't
want to get away from that.

Speaker 6 (02:21:20):
Oh you missed They had some They had they they
brought the big guns over there.

Speaker 4 (02:21:25):
Really, Oh it.

Speaker 2 (02:21:26):
Was it was.

Speaker 6 (02:21:26):
It was a party. It has like be like real
bee fahitas and everything. I'm telling you like that you
missed out. They were fun.

Speaker 4 (02:21:34):
Okay, our group can party. I used to know those
girls and weren't married. Jonathan just saying.

Speaker 2 (02:21:43):
To go the show.

Speaker 4 (02:21:45):
What should we do?

Speaker 2 (02:21:49):
We should play America's fast growing gorgeous texted me as
I'm thrown off, I'll be there, Love you, Gordy, America's
fast growing sports radio game show. We simply called it
b leaving it out at Here's how it works. You'll
call seven one three two one two five seven NATI
seven one three two one two five SEVENATI. Today's edition

(02:22:09):
to Believe or Not is all things about the city
of Gary, Indiana, which might be the future home of
the Chicago Bears. You never know. I'll read your statement
about Gary, statements completely netterly accurate. You'll say this, believe it. Yeah,
the staments he Rounni's football come made up. You'll say
this not two correct. The answers in a row gets
you either a pair of tickets to see Nat Bargazi
and the Big Dumb Eyes World Tour at the show

(02:22:32):
June eighteenth at Tota Center.

Speaker 4 (02:22:34):
Tickets go on sale tomorrow at.

Speaker 2 (02:22:35):
Ten am at todecenter dot com, or you can win
a pair of tickets to see the Monitra Jam with
pit passes. February fifteenth Energy Stadium, or a pair of
tickets to see the Todies live December the twenty ninth
at the House of Blues. Those tickets those two events
are available at ticketmaster dot com. Let's play Believe It
or Not? Seven one three, two, one two five seven

(02:22:58):
ninety Let's go to get well on seveninety Gil.

Speaker 4 (02:23:01):
You're ready to play Believe it or not?

Speaker 2 (02:23:03):
Believe it Gil? Gary, Indiana has an estimated population of
one hundred and six thousand. Believe it or not not?
That is correct, Just sixty eight thousand. Stayma number two
for the win. Gary was named after lawyer Elbert Gary,
who was the founding chairman of the United States Steel Corporation.

(02:23:23):
Believe it or not?

Speaker 5 (02:23:27):
I know the guy from Steel, but I'll say believe it.

Speaker 2 (02:23:30):
Belliod can Dride Tolson, Bill nice dam? Is that ay
online too?

Speaker 4 (02:23:36):
Is that right? Jonathan? Or is it I? You know
what I? Or ay?

Speaker 2 (02:23:43):
You're on seven? Are you ready to play Believe.

Speaker 9 (02:23:44):
It or not?

Speaker 10 (02:23:46):
Believe it?

Speaker 2 (02:23:48):
All right? Downtown Gary to Downtown Chicago is sixty one miles.
Believe it or not anyway, believe Greg, stay of a
number two for the win. The song Gary, Indiana can
be found in the musical The Music Man. Believe it
or not.

Speaker 4 (02:24:07):
Loves, I'm sorry, why.

Speaker 2 (02:24:12):
Appreciate it? Greg on seven ninety Greg, who was your
favorite part of today's ten to two radio show.

Speaker 10 (02:24:20):
Mikaa Doku?

Speaker 19 (02:24:21):
Of course the Rocket Talk.

Speaker 2 (02:24:23):
All right. The Jackson family is led by Michael and Janet.
Were all born in Gary, Indiana, and they lived at
twenty three hundred Jackson Street. Believe it or not, Believe
it believe Statement number two for the win. You cannot
find a Burger King in Gary, Indiana, Believe it or
not not. Yeah, there's actually one in Gary, Indiana.

Speaker 4 (02:24:46):
Congratulation. All right, let's continue.

Speaker 2 (02:24:51):
David on seven ninety David, you're ready to play.

Speaker 4 (02:24:53):
Believe it or not?

Speaker 10 (02:24:55):
Believe it.

Speaker 2 (02:24:56):
Former Oilers and Titans quarterback Steve McNairy rest grew up
in Gary, Indiana, Believe it or not not, he grew
up in Memphis. Statement number two for the way in Gary,
Indiana is the murder capital of the United States, with
more murders per capita than any other city. Believe it
or not.

Speaker 10 (02:25:21):
Believe it.

Speaker 4 (02:25:22):
No, it's New Orleans.

Speaker 2 (02:25:23):
I'm sorry. Sorry for New Orleans too. That's one of
those stats you don't want to be a part of Gerry,
Indiana maybe the home of the Chicago Bears. How crazy
is that?

Speaker 4 (02:25:38):
All right?

Speaker 2 (02:25:38):
That was bliving on today? Nice job, are you guys?
A couple winners and appreciate that. We'll have some more
tomorrow during hell yeare or not? I'll be again. I'll
be in Denver tomorrow, hopefully with celebrating a Rockets victory. Also,
we got Thursday night football tonight between the Rams and
the Seahawks. If you've not heard poking a Coupa, I
had to apologize for his little live stream that he
was on, not realizing what he had said and or

(02:26:00):
so that's good on him. His brother, meanwhile, is in
trouble for stealing a car. I'm sure that'll be among
the topics of conversation. Plus what's happening at Texans practice
and a rundown of tonight's game between the Rockets and
the New Orleans Pelicans, all with my two good friends Adam.

Speaker 4 (02:26:15):
Wexer and Adam Clinton.

Speaker 2 (02:26:16):
They are the team and they're going to entertain the
hell out of you between now and six o'clock right
here our Sports Talk seven nineteen Now