April 8, 2024 • 47 mins
Pat Micheletti in studio on the upcoming Frozen Four, why Brock Faber should be the NHL's top rookie this year, end of the line for the Wild this season and more! News follows, in which we discuss Caitlin Clark & the Women's national title game!
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(00:26):
Frozen four Xcel Energy Center. NoMinnesota team, no Minnesota team, team
ZA TEAMSZA. That's Pat mcalletty atpap MAC two six two six Frozen four
at Excel Energy Center. When whenwe last chatted with you about college hockey,
you were preparing for a trip toSioux Falls, yes, where they
(00:48):
would win a game and they wouldlose a game. And now we got
the Frozen four without a Minnesota teamor team ZA. Are you feeling about
that in good morning? Well,twenty seven on the seven draft picks were
on the ice that night when bubMinnesota. Yeah, and one is good,
so twenty seven and we're not coningthe guy who's going to go number
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one in the draft this year inMaclan Celebrini. So it was. It
was enjoyable, enjoyable to watch it. It's virtually impossible because of the team
game. That hockey is the thecat you just mentioned from Bu Celebrini.
Thank you for somebody to capture theimagination of the nation like Caitlin Clark did.
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No, you're right in the inthe women's basketball game, you know
what I mean. I mean Celebrinicould be Tavarus, could be Austin Matthews
could be Wayne Gretzky reincarnate. Thegames just are not constructed that way.
They really aren't, you know,because you need not that you don't need
team basketball or whatever. But whenwhen one person can literally take over a
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game and do what she has donefor women's basketball, it is, it's
phenomenal. Did you watch yesterday?I did. How about in first quarterish
whatever? How about when she pulledup from thirty eight, I thought it
was double T for a second.It was unbelievable that that's what double T
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used. That was his It's notthe first time she's done it, you
know, maybe from that far itis. But she had no just no
fear. It's worst point snaps man, And did you see her Okay after
her release, she just stepped backand yeah, she knew what was going
in. Worse sports snobs we areand what no matter what your proclivities are,
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your preferences are for what you likeand what you don't like, if
you are a sports snob, therewere parts to that game yesterday, the
Yukon game on Friday night, thatwas sports immortality. The whole thing was
even with a he call it theend. How can you not love it.
I know, right, I mean, it's just you. It's it's
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beautiful to watch. It's it's beautifulto watch great players make great place right.
Longtime voice of Golden Gophers hockey FrankGazaco retired. When a distinct voice
of people's childhoods retires, it,I would imagine definitely can hit hard.
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Frank was Minnesota boxing immortality. DidDid he get emotional on Saturdays Beyond the
Pond? Uh? You know,he did a little bit, and it
just goes to show you the typeof person that he is and the number
of people that he touched with hisvoice throughout the years that he's done go
for hockey. And you know,one thing you take away from it is
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that you you really genuinely get tounderstand the person that he is and why
everybody loved him because he's such aone for human being and you know that's
what all missed the most. Whywhy does the college transfer portal? Have
you all wound up? Well?I mean I saw it via Twitter,
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Yeah, before Beyond the Pond.I caught some of it on Saturday.
Your ghosts landed a stud they didin Matthew Wood from from the University of
Connecticut. Right, So, sookay, and I'm not saying you're going
to homarrific this thing and be like, oh, the transfer portals elite because
this guy who was he was ahigh pick in the twenty twenty three draft,
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right, yes, yeah, numberone in Nashville. Oh okay,
number one overall. No, no, a first round pick. Yeah,
Okay, there we go. SoI mean you could you could homer it
up and be like, now,the transfer portals elite because I'm on the
mural in a building for a teamthat is of the blue blood variety,
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and when good players are looking totransfer, we have a better shot than
MO to get them. But that'snot the case with you. It really
isn't. First of all, theall the athletes and all the intercollegiate sports
fall under one umbrella. Okay,and right now there's thirty thousand student athletes
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in the portal. Oh so youhave to ask yourself why. Yeah.
But and I'm glad you said thatbecause I started to look at the college
Hockey frenchburd portal with names entering Ithink as recently as maybe three four or
five days ago. Yes, well, that sucker just keeps going. It
just keeps going and it'll grow alittle bit more. I think it'll slow
down a little bit now. Idon't account but nonetheless, here's what I
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don't like about the port I think, you know, we we have sixty
four teams right in college hockey.Okay, we're not college football, we're
not college basketball or women's basketball oryou know, any of those sports,
so you have it. It isa small sliver that it happens to in
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college hockey. There's only probably fivesix, let's call it ten that enter
the portal and have on their portalonce they enter, do not contact,
Okay, so they already know wherethey're going before they even enter the portal.
And that's dicey, and that's verydicey. And I've listen. I
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I've talked to ten fifteen college coaches. They all hate it. They all
hate it, okay, but theyplay by the rules that are presented.
But college hockey now, and I'mprobably gonna upset some people, but it's
being run by family advisors, andI don't like that. College hockey,
college hockey. So yeah, Imean, you're not happy because you're not
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playing the power play or you're youknow, you're playing on the third line.
You think you should be on thesecond line or second line, first
whatever. Well, okay, I'mI'm, I'm that's it. I'm I'm
leaving. And so the advisor getson the phone, so they would you
be interested if my guy blah blahblah. So there's all and it's happened.
And I know what's happened because Iknow coaches who have told me that
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it's happened to them, right,And I don't like the poaching part of
it, And that's what's happening.Now. I'm okay with the portal.
If you know a coach and aplayer, they sit down, it's not
working out. I'm going to helpyou find a new place to play.
That's fine, you know, givethem that right to move on. It
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wasn't working out for whatever reason academicallyon the ice, you know, on
the field, whatever the case maybe. That's fine. But I just
we're getting to the point where it'sthe wild, wild West now, and
oh I need this. I'm goingto go get that and you know,
or get get a bunch of guys. We saw it happened with Minnesota State
a year ago. Three of theirtop players, once a coach left followed
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him to where he went, andyou know, I just I think we
need a little bit more oversight andI hope that we can get to that
point, you know, speaking ofthat, and speaking of Hastings goes to
Wisconsin. Now, Charlie Strammel isthe draft pick gone? Was that last
year? Last June? I thinktwenty first overall? Yep. So he
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enters the portal and leaves, andI just, you know, kind of
a Minnesota Wild bent to it.But is Charlie Strammel's case a case of
family advisors, as you say,and I'm with you in that philosophy,
But or is it just simply thatit wasn't working out and it's a handshake
and it's a move on. Okay, I'm not there, so I don't
know, but you know, hehad three goals in five assists on the
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year. He played on their thirdline, fourth line, sometimes not even
in the lineup. How much influenceof the Minnesota Wild have on him moving
I don't know, you know,I don't know, but I'm sure and
so I don't want to speak andI don't want to blame the advisor for
that. He's moved on he's goingto Michigan State. He's going to a
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coach that he played under at theNational Development program in Adam Nightingale. And
you know, listen, I don'tknow all of Charlie's situation. But here
we are, I mean, isNorthern Michigan. Oh, we're going to
have a team. And this iswhat triggered me texting you, yes before
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beyond the pond and the whole thing. And I have not talked to Grant
Potoma. Grant Okay, who's coachof the team, and we both have
access to him. We both cantalk to him anytime about this. I
chose not to, yep, becauseI wanted your raw emotion off. I
think they've lost nineteen players. Idon't know the number. Last number I
saw I was thirteen. Maybe maybemaybe they have. Yeah, that's why.
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That's why when I was going throughthat college hockey portal thing that you're
ready for today, I mean,I stop counting Northern Michigan at eleven now.
So it's the current state of NorthernMichigan as a result of the transfer
portal. It's unbelievable. Seventy fiveto eighty percent of a team could be
leaving. Yes, and you know, I will say this, he had
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some players that were fifty year guysand seniors that could move on. Okay,
okay, but the other ones yougot you kind of question a little
bit. He's got a good recruitingclass coming in. They say second best
in the country or something like that, or top five whatever. But still
but but but it's you know,and I think we've we've gotten to the
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wint Here's what what hurts me toAnd I call me old school, call
me old school. But as anathlete, you have to go through some
humility. It's not always going tobe good. You have to fight through
things and and there and have somepride about to the school that you picked.
And you know, listen, ultimately, as I mentioned before, if
it's not working out, you know, that's a conversation with the coach.
(11:03):
Yeah, I get it, youknow, let's let's help you out and
move you along. Yeah. Thesethey're students, they're student athletes, and
I just I think it hurts.I think it hurts everybody in the end.
To say the spirit of competition iseliminated would be fatalistic and too far.
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However, if I'm third line centerguy for Patolney, and I'm a
sophomore, and you know I'm onI'm on a scholarship, and I was
recruited in the whole thing, right, And I catch wind that from out
hitting way, this hot shot centermanwho's recruited and is going to come to
Northern Michigan Pat mcalletty Well Center Centersone and two aren't going anywhere. So
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now all of a sudden, Igot myself in a handful of others got
to battle this this valleyhooed kid cominghere. So instead of I'm just going
to leave, the spirit of competitionis dwindling. No, it's a metaphor
for society. I'm not going tolet this young punk come in here and
take my job. Is what haslost. Now, let's let's also not
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forget sometimes. And this is whereI bring the coaches back into it,
because who's that fault here. I'mnot going to blame the family advisors completely.
I'm not going to blame the coachescompletely. I'm not going to blame
the kid. It's a combination andunless we do something to not let it
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get out of control. Because Itell you what, there are going to
be coaches at the coaches meeting inFlorida coming up in the in the next
month or so. That and ithappened last year there was an altercation between
two assistant coaches. I'm not gonnaeat punches. I don't know if they
were puny. Well they had.They had to be broken up coaches me
because because a player was a playerX and went to you know, to
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team Y, coach of my guysexactly. And uh and so, yeah,
that's what happened between Barrero and Iwhen he took guardsy. It was
an altercation. I was here towitness that. But no, and and
so and and all these guys areour friends. You know, a lot
of them are really good friends.But hey, it's happening, and you
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know, you hate to see thatin our sport when we only have sixty
four Well, Ted, tell me, tell me this statement with hockey,
football or basketball is wrong. Finda good player, they get even the
slightest disgruntled, and boom they leave. Yeah, yeah, I mean find
and and well how about how aboutthis example with with the South Carolina basketball
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team that just won. I meanit all plays into the to the college
sports transfer portal. I'm not madat this young lady because it's the op
opportunity was there to do this.However, on the other side, like
look at the champions from yesterday.I think her name is Tahina Pow Pow.
Yes, she commits to Oregon outof southern California. She's a star,
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she's all packed, ten, twelvewhatever stars for Oregon for three years.
And then the way it was sharedyesterday, she looked at South Carolina
and is like, you need meto get over the hump. So she
leaves Oregon in college free agency,goes to South Carolina, wins a championship.
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She played into it. It's herright per the rules, Yes,
but I still can't warm up toit. At the collegiate level, No,
no, right. And what ishappening is the lower tier conferences have
star players and they are the feedersystem to the blue bloodz right, And
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that's what bothers me a little bit. It really does, because you know,
I am one of the volition ofwell, screw that, let's show,
you know, let's let's go andbeat the blue blood right. You
know, I'm with my buddies,and like Jimmy Rowling into a practice,
I'm with my teammates. Right,yeah, and I'm leaving Sea. You're
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like Jimmy Rowling into a practice saying, that guy over there from Kentucky,
that guy over there from Kansas.Everybody always talks about them. Give me
the four worst in the gym,and I'll show you exactly what hard work
and commitment to competition that leads toYes. Yes, and he beat them.
Pat mcletty, pat mc two six. They well, I mean,
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the Gophers, as I mentioned earlier, are a blue blood program. They
are so, don't you think eventuallyas it moves on, this Matthew woodcat
and as they're going to benefit fromthis situation, they are. There's no
question about it. I will saythis about the University of Minnesota and what
they've done with their program. Theportal's been what in three years now,
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four years Minnesota something like that,whatever, I mean, it's always been
there. But the ability to comeright in the next year, Yes,
and that's it. Out one.They developed their players. They've gotten two
players now and one. Uh.They weren't able to replace the Logan Cooley
last year, and because it happenedso late in the year this year they
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needed one player. He was available. They didn't poach him. It came
down to North Dakota, I believe, Wisconsin or Michigan. Michigan, Yes,
in Michigan. And so how thatall transparted, I don't. I
don't know. I and I andI will and ill and and there that's
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another can of worms. Right,So we talking and al and portal being
aligned. And that's where it getsdicey. Also, because why are guys
leaving? Am I just going therebecause I got offered more money? You
know? Yeah? I want guyson my team that want to play right,
you know, for me, forthe for the team. So I
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mean, I don't know about that. I have not heard of any money
and any nil deals, you know, I particularly have not. Maybe they're
out there. Maybe I'm naive.Maybe that's why Jimmy Snuggrood stayed. Also,
I don't think that's the case.But I don't know, and I
can't answer that, and I wouldn'twant to say that. Is is the
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whether whether it's hockey, basketball,or football, your opinion is this transfer
portal is the portal leading to thebest of the best, getting stronger or
perhaps providing more parody in college sports? It is, Yeah, it is
especially in I mean going to beyes, it is in hockey right now.
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I mean you're talking, uh,in this year's Frozen four you have
b U BC, Denver, Michigan, and Michigan. And guess what And
with those four teams and add anotherfour, you know those eight are going
to be in the hunt to winthe title again next year. Why because
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they have the ability to get theseplayers to come to come to flip.
Yes, you know Eric Polkamp fromMidgie state draft pick of the San Jose
Sharts on the junior team that wongoal, didn't play a lot, but
was on their team, highly regardedplayer. Guess where he's going. He's
going to Denver, you know.And uh, I don't know all of
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the particulars again behind that one.And the Gophers aren't a team that kids
are looking at that they'll they'll jumpfrom a sure Midgie state to a Minnesota
or anything like that. Or arethey in the b U because you mentioned
Denver and it's kind of Denver islike this weird thing that exists to the
west. And Denver's won like sevenor eight titles, right, It's insane,
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how good that and historic? Thatprogram is No one thinks about it,
right, But but is is Minnesotain that Denver that Boston b category
in terms of kids moving? Yeah? Absolutely? In North Dakota North Dakota,
right yeah, I mean they've they'velong history and a beautiful building and
they're I mean, you want totalk about a program that treats their kids
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like they're in the National Hockey League. That is the program, you know,
along with you know, the theother blue bloods, and it's it's
there. And I just but likeSouth South Saint Cloud State, yes,
okay, now Samblin's team and delutOkay off off this year, but we
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have title winning crad Man Cato Iwould look at would be closer to the
Saint Cloud State aura along with Bimidgi. Yes. So like I mean,
if it's what you said earlier,is you make a commitment to somebody they
believe in you. Yep, youagree, you make a commitment. Times
get tough, you leave, right. It's just I just don't I I
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am that philosophy or or the convenienceof that, and mass the pressure to
win in college athletics now is greaterthan it was twenty five years ago.
It just is the coaches make anexorbitant amount of money. There's pressure on
them to win, there's pressure onYouTube to fill your buildings and all of
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that. That all comes into play. And as long as these as long
as the rules are what they are, well, you know you can't begrudge
said team from participating in those rules. Pat mclety I Pat mac two six
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two six quick break here coming upmomentarily, but landing the plane on this
that BU team the beat your Gophers. Yes, you were on the soup
falls scene for the call. Isthat team gonna win the title? No?
I think I think Boston College isis the team to beat. They've
been the best team I think allyear, although I was on Michigan because
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when I look at their talent andthe experience that they have from the freshmen
that they had a year ago,I think they are awfully offully good when
they stay disciplined. They have tostay disciplined. If not, they can
be a train wreck. So listen, both games are going to be great.
There's a case that all four teamscould win. Denver scores a ton
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a ton and they were getting poorgoaltending. Now they're getting great goaltending.
BU as the best player in collegehockey and arguably the best defenseman and the
most dynamic it's been in college hockey. It's gonna be it's gonna be a
really good frozen four mix. Wildblanked the black Hawks or blacked the blank
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Hawks yesterday, and we'll discuss thatand a state of the Wild when None
to Noon continues. Courtesy of clearCut Exteriors, he comes the clear cut
(23:00):
clip from the weekend, The Wildcounter with Favor and Caprice. Saw Favor
leading the charge in right circle,dropped off Caprice off wide open sco corrinal
capricesoft what another two goal game isforty first of the year laser at short
side, beautiful pass by Favor andit's four nothing Minnesota. That that's courtesy
(23:22):
of clearcut Exteriors. Clearcut exteriors dotcom for them to inspect or fix your
roof, but inspected at no charge, clearcut Exteriors dot Com. That's the
clip of the weekend. How awfulare the Blackhawks? I mean this we're
not breaking news here, but likewith the Center Ice bit which I canceled
like three weeks now, I'm watchingthem badard cool, but they are an
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American League team Connor Berdard cool.I mean it's state of hockey and hot
you know, puckheads or whatever.They're gonna go another way to watch Badard
because he's Connor Bandard. Yes,But when it comes to watching a singular
play in a game, dominate andlike draw you in for appointment viewing,
like Caitlin Clark, Hockey's just it'sjust not that bit. And that's fine
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because it's it's more of a teamgame than an individual game. But I
mean, trying to watch that thinglast night a little bit, it was
just a snooze, it was.And and they've played that way against the
Wild all year long, all thegames we beat them, like thirteen in
Ronow. Yeah, it's it's it'snot good. Are you in on the
on the Calder debate that is therookie I'm not here. Yeah, I'm
(24:32):
not in on it. Yeah,but I follow it from afar uh,
But clearly you are, so Iam. Well, no, And it's
money. It is because it hasto be. It's Billard's money, because
it has to be. I thinknow, if you're asking me my opinion,
I think brock favorite deserves it.When you're looking at what he did
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as a rookie. Was he thebest rookie this year? And my question,
no doubt about it. Luke Huesfor the New Jersey Devils another guy
we don't talk about because he playsfor New Jersey and he's out on the
East Coast. He has as manyassa says Brock Favorite Wow. Okay,
and he's a fabulous player. ButI think Favorite deserves it. Do I
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think Badard will be the MVP ofthe league some year, no doubt about
it. But when we're just talkingabout the rookie of the year, we
don't have to pick Connor Badard becausehe went number one overall. We don't.
We have to judge him by whathe did this season. Had a
nice season, but he didn't havethe year that Brock Favor had. Okay,
Well, help me here. Whovotes for the Calder good question?
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Probably all the national writers, Okay, and you know, I mean you're
going to get your East Coast body. If it's writers and or the media,
then it's markedly easier to figure out, Yes, what Badard does well
compared to what Favor does well,and that's going to hamstring a defenseman,
no doubt. Out of ten timesfor every award, a favor would have
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had to have gotten sixty to seventypoints, right, you know, and
then you say wow wow. Butso this season and last time we chatted,
I meant to bring this up withyou, but I mean it's still
Chipchair Chance whatever. Yep. Itjust it feels like you never got going.
It just it was it was rudderlists with the injuries, and then
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there goes Dino and then they're superhot. It's unbelievably hot. I can't
believe. I'm offended that people wouldbe like thirty games to go five points
out whatever, Chipchair Chance, eventhough you got three to jump. I'm
like, that's when you talking whenyou said that, Yeah, I mean
I wanted to say you're colling there. I mean, that's not I love
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you. And that's not only that, that's not only potentially going to be
wrong, it's just foolish to lookat it that way. And then all
of a sudden they get within apoint and they're jumping a bunch of teams
and and you know that that wasit. They hit that metaphorical wall and
went back and it's just it's rudderList, even with Caprice hop score or
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getting to forty. You know,how about him getting to forty number one,
he just he, I mean hemade plays last night that we're yeah,
they it was from the beginning,you know, Spurgeon gets hurt and
then you have all these injuries andthe biggest thing, and John Hines said
it the other day, our bottomsix is not contributing like it has to.
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When your stars have an off gameand they're not going to be great
every game, you know you expectthem. Hey, you want if you
said at the beginning of the year, Capriceo's getting forty, you know,
you know, mark it down.But and guys were given that opportunity,
if you and and we looked atthe at the team at the beginning of
the year and you said, yeah, not a Stanley Cup champ, but
(27:56):
certainly a playoff team. And attimes they played like that. But playoff
teams are consistent. They don't goup and down and up and down and
go on in droughts like like thisteam has. And when guys were asked
to step up, when guys whoalways beg for bigger roles on the team
(28:17):
get them and don't produce, youknow, why was Dohane traded? Why
was due. We're traded, right, you know, I'm sorry they didn't
produce and they needed to produce whenwhen they obviously were down Ericson act Well,
that's problematic, that's very problematic.When I was looking back at at
game logs for certain players yesterday justto see like how long they missed and
(28:44):
what happened during that time. Promthe Felino omission was catastrop Yes, you
know, and is he gonna winyou games like Juel Ericson eck? No?
But what but a piece he's theenforcer, yes, for for for
for Caprisa. I mean it's likeyou lost an edge that note should not
(29:06):
have been that difficult overcome. Andyou don't understand any Some people understand.
Some people don't understand. Having aguy like that just on your bench all
of a sudden makes you a littlebit tougher, makes you a little bit
more, have that ability to youknow, make a hit, you know,
gets get in somebody's face and anduh and he's gone. You know,
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they got pushed around in some gamesthis year or didn't have the fight
the game, and Michael Russell broughtit up, you know quite clear,
Uh, when they needed points inNashville and when they got killed, when
they got killed since the one andit was like, are you kidding me?
You know, where's where's the fight? Right? But see they're they're
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I mean, you know this manhuman nature gets to win occasionally too,
no doubt, because you you havethese games against Saint louis not as good
as Bruno's team, No, Imean it is separated by inches at the
wire. It's close to grabbing two? Is that one at Colorado? I
mean they had so many of thoseand didn't get over the hum right,
(30:11):
Yeah, and that's where those guysyou need, those those guys that I
talked about, Yeah, need tohelp a little bit more. And wasn't
there no doubt? Do you lastlyjust vibe it? Yes? Do you
think Marc Andre Fleury should not willshould return next season? One hundred percent?
And I'll tell you why. Youlook at you look at him and
(30:33):
his demeanor and the way he's played. I just I think I think he
can. He's not going to giveyou fifty games, but he's going to
give you thirty. And then thatgives you options. Is you know you're
gonna play Wallstead down the stretch.He gets a shadow yesterday? Was it
really tested? But he's your numberone draft pick and he's been in the
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you know, let's get him acclimatedto North America. Well two years he's
been. That was a moment gettingacclimated to North America. Are you gonna
you know, do you have theconfidence to say, huh, we need
to fix our bottom six. Wehave a goaltender that we can probably you
know, trade and get some assetsback in Gustafsen. Uh and get rid
(31:17):
of a three million dollar contract andyou know, uh, Walstead's making a
little less. We get assets flurrymentors, Walstead, you don't you know
you're probably not going to win theStanley Cup next year. You will have
all that money the following year.That is the kind of the way I'm
looking at things for this organization.But we'll see who Yukon and Purdue,
(31:42):
Oh boy, who do you like? And why the the it opened Yukon
minus six YEP went up to sixand a half in about two seconds.
Now I believe it's at seven.Yukon covers the point spread in every single
game. I would take Yukon minustwelve. I do. Here's the deal.
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Due turns the ball over too much, okay, and I think the
big guy for Yukon can't handle Leady. Yeah, he's he's agile. What's
his name sing? I don't know. Couldn't pick him out of a two
person line up standing next to ballball. I'm disappointed. All I know
is he's very agile. You know. I just think you know, Yukon
is just heads and tails above everybodyelse in college basketball. Good seeing your
(32:29):
brother, Thank you you two Thankspet Mclet make two six to six on
the state of the state of hockeyback after that. Yeah, news Denard
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(32:50):
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And I'm gonna start PA with thisas we open the show. I'll open
NDN with it at South Carolina nationalchampions and women's basketball. It is perfected
for South Carolina thirty eight games,thirty eight wins, and their third national
championship. South Carolina eighty seven,IOWA seventy five, eighty seven to seventy
(33:36):
five. You heard it there,and that's what's kind of impressive about Caitlin
Clark's or or her stardom in women'scollege hoops PA and in fairness, I
haven't looked back at previous women's nationalchampions Maybe undefeated seasons are a regular thing.
I think they're about five something likethat. They're remote can I thought,
well, see, then maybe thispoint is ill conceived just from the
(33:57):
standpoint I in a normal year,wouldn't that be kind of an a talker?
At March Madness like Kentucky, Ithink Cat's team was on the verge
of potentially maybe the Scannies beat him, but they were undefeated and what that
potentially meant to cut down the nets? But they handled business eighty seven seventy
five. Some local love Saint MichaelAlbertville's Tessa Johnson as a freshman for the
(34:21):
game Cocks, and she didn't averagea ton of minutes during the season,
but she came on in the tournament. She went from beating Hopkins in the
Class four A title a year agoto lead in South Carolina in points.
Yesterday she led with nineteen, Socongratulations to Tessa Johnson. But Clark,
Caitlin Clark eighteen points in the firstquarter, so you're thinking, maybe this
(34:42):
is a fifty piece type game.She only had twelve rest of the game
and that was that was a strugglefor us. It still makes me giggle
at like it made as a gigglein the vestibule before you went into that
studio and I came in here.The thirty eight foot shot in the first
quarterd it just makes me giggle.It's unbelievable how cool that is. It's
(35:04):
so cool, and it sounds like, as of now after four years that
her time at iowa's done, she'sgonna go pro. I mean, if
we're gonna break down the game,size was the issue right to Cardoso Frat
they also have I think it's isit. I think it's Ashlyn Watkins.
But they were just massive inside.There was no chance for Iowa to grab
a rebound to save their lives,and they needed Caitlin to hit every single
(35:25):
shot and she didn't do it.So second year in a row, Iowa
falls short of a national title,but third title and an undefeated season for
South Carolina. Do you think isCaitlin with the thirty eight footer? Is
this like the Steph Curry effect?No, it's because it is, I
think for the next But I wasafraid to bring it up with Brunson.
I mean because like I've read itand seen and heard it, and the
(35:49):
way she stops and goes and isthe she plays like Steph Curry. That's
the only way to put it.And for the next ten or fifteen years,
girls all over the country, likemy kids were watching the game with
me yesterday loving Caitlyn Clark. Yeah, they're gonna spend the next girls are
across the country gonna spent ten orfifteen years trying to shoot from the logo,
Like I tat to watch avans tellto play basketball next year and ain't
(36:13):
gonna be like God, but they'regonna play. I mean, yeah,
it's it's I see what you're saying, and I understand the Rebecca Brunton started
nine to noon nearly two hours ago. She was terrific. She was fantastic.
Can't wait to have her on again. But she's talking about the polarizing
of what it did for women's basketballperiod with Kitlyn Clark. Okay, it's
(36:38):
Caitlyn Clark. It's not the IowaHawk guys, it's not the undefeated Stay
team. It's Caitlyn Clark, itis Okay. I watched every minute of
Iowa LSU, Iowa Yukon, IowaSouth Carolina. I watched all three games
as well, every minute. Yeah, well, because we would never do
(36:58):
that otherwise, we watched on inby something unique in the world of sports.
Caitlin Clark is unique. Okay.And then you know, subsequently off
of bit man ahead in front ofme. But now I lost it.
They're like, I brought up aquestion with Rebecca Brunson, you know,
because Caitlin, you know, shegets a full ride to Iowa. Don't
(37:21):
know what that costs, but it'sa full ride, and she ends up,
you know, scooping like three pointone million dollars in endorsements. Yep,
three million in endorsements. I meanwe got State Farming there, we
got Nike, I mean, wegot big companies in here. Absolutely,
and the same thing is going tohappen to a certain extent at the next
level, but getting twelve to fourteenmillion people to watch in Indiana, is
(37:45):
it fever Indiana one? A Yeah, a fever game on a Friday night
at seven o'clock against the Aces,probably ain't gonna happen. Maybe it will,
maybe it won't. I'm not goingto rule it off. But this
was the rare occasion of something livingup to the hype. Indeed, it's
(38:07):
you know, it's okay, Yeah, we've heard it ver since last year.
We remember the face thing, weremember Angel Reese with the ring.
I got it, you didn't.And then it was further magnified and doubled
or tripled in popularity at least thisyear. So when when you hear about
(38:27):
or see something and the sporting nationor world has picked up on it,
and then you get to the pinnaclewhere all right, well these are the
guys at beach you last year hereis here is a blue blood an immortality
type program in the Yukon Huskies,whether they're tenth overall in the country,
(38:50):
whatever seed they were, that theguy knows how to beat anybody anytime in
a spot like that ori Ema.He's phenomenal. They're phenomenal, matter matter
the no matter the portal, nomatter the whatever, he knows how to
win those games. So he's goingto push you. I mean, that
was an unbelievably incredible game. Andthen you get the standalone game on Sunday
(39:13):
at two o'clock. Okay, it'sa Sunday at two o'clock, and you
know it's you had in the LSUgame, twelve and a half million watched,
and then fourteen million in change watchedthe Yukon game. I have no
idea what yesterday was. Betch it'sbigger than fourteen because it was a weekend
yep, and we were two ofthem. Because it was so hyped and
(39:35):
you almost had to be there justto like give it a cursory look,
and you were getting paid off alongthe way. That's the key is that
it wasn't hyped and you were notlet down at any point for at a
tournament. But whether it's boxing,when boxing used to matter and people used
to care about this huge fight,mam and Ali and Joe Premo, who
a Mitch blood Green, Mike Tyson, whomever fights rarely have lived up to
(40:01):
the prize. Fights have rarely livedup to the hype the last tex amount
of years. True, it's light. Things in light or sporting events rarely
live up to this type of height. How about two weeks from Thursday,
how about the Purple trading up inthe draft and the hype with that.
(40:21):
Now, it's not they traded upand took the one you didn't want,
or they traded up and took theone this guy didn't want. It's if
they don't trade up period. Yeah, well then the hype machine is derailed
and it's off the tracks. Andthat's generally how overly hyped things work.
(40:43):
Not this lived up to the hypefor sports snobs, Ava's and Stella's watching
a woman succeed at what looks tobe the highest level and you're unbelievably good
at what you do. You handleyou handle the attention and the accolades with
humility, You handle it with classand a plum. It was just all
(41:08):
the right messages, whether she winsthe championship or not. Yeah, it
lived up to the hype. Man. I just loved it. I loved
it too, and I was justamazed. You know, you mentioned it
a bit briefly with Rebecca, butyou know, I kind of wrote a
few of these instances down like womenhave just been absolutely piling on Caitlin with
(41:29):
negativity over this stretch. Though,like Cheryl Swoops, I was watching a
video of her on a podcast,she was downgrading her in comparison to Kelsey
Plum. I think she went toWashington while inaccurately thinking Caitlyn's in her fifth
season instead of her fourth. Andshe was talking about Caitlin as if she's
twenty five, she's twenty two.Lynette Woodard, who had the scoring record,
(41:51):
most of us maybe did not knowof Lynette Woodard until Caitlyn was crushing
the record. Thank You says thatCaitlyn didn't really break the scoring record because
she didn't use a men's all,and she was aided by the three point
line and Diana Tarassi on the broadcastbasically doing the verbal version of yawning at
all of her accomplishments. Little bitlike I, I and and I'm glad
you asked Rebecca that, and andI thought her answer was was interesting and
(42:15):
valuable, But I do feel Iwould disagree as an outsider to it all.
I didn't play. I didn't wintitles like Rebecca and you and all
of that it sounds to me likethere is a ton of bitterness about it,
that there is a ton of resentmentin some ways of this gal in
Caitlin getting these national endorsements and gettingall of this fanfare, filling up field
(42:37):
houses where some w NBA games area quarterfall, those sorts of situations,
right, And it's and and then, and they were all great female players
on their own, and they're allthinking, you haven't been to the w
NBA yet, Like you didn't grind, like we grinded, wait till you
get here, that type of thing, and that that kind of disappointed me
in a way, to be honest. But but in the end, I
(42:58):
also to your point, the Inever went away. We definitely got paid
off. And it's a cool she'sgot another year of eligibility. Would go
back to Iowa, run it backone more time, Caitlin. Yeah,
Well she's gonna get she'll get onehundred grand or right around there as a
salary for her first year and she'llget paid. Then the endorsements will be
the lion's share of that boom.But see that plays into it is like
(43:22):
I saw what you saw after theYukon victory with Diana Trazzi and Sue Berby,
Okay, and A soon never talkedbecause Diana wouldn't let her talk because
Diana would just come over the topwith the metaphorical yawn of what we're seeing.
Been there, done that, andshe's right. I mean Diana Tarassi
(43:44):
along with Chira Miller when I livedin southern California and she went to Riverside
Polly High School, Reggie's younger sister. I think she's about my age.
Reggie was two or three years olderthan me. Cheryl Miller captured the imagination
of the nation as a women's highschool and college basketball player at USC but
before social media and before right aroundwhen ESPN was popping and stuff like that,
(44:07):
nothing like this. Tarassi was adog. I mean TARASSEI was phenomenal
in college basketball. But you knowwhat, with all due respect, the
State Farm, Nike and these othertwenty who opted to give Caitlin Clark money
opted to not give you money.And eyeballs that opted to watch per play
(44:29):
game after game after game after gameafter game did not opt to watch you
play. Don't pin that. Don'tbe bitter here, you know, because
somebody did something and you may bebetter than her as an overall player.
Diana Tarossi is a dog. EvenI know that, not following the game
super closely, you played differently.For whatever the reason, the eyeballs and
(44:52):
emotions and hearts opted to go thatway. Now, tarasse I had this
quote out, this quote and Ican't find it now. It's basically kind
of a different version of what shesaid Friday, Welcome in the water's warm.
Here comes the reality check. Theseare women, well, first and
foremost, Caitlin Clark is a woman. Okay, so she's like you,
(45:14):
she's a woman. It's these aregrown women you're going to be playing against,
and the reality of the defenses you'regonna face are going to be a
prompt. If she's hitting from thirtyeight, I don't care who you put
on her. If you're gonna havesomebody check her thirty eight feet away,
she's gonna beat them off the dribbleand I don't care who you are.
And her passing equalizes all of them. Oh we'll see about this, yeah,
(45:36):
now, see, Like little thingslike that kind of draw me in
a little bit. You know,they own arm being like welcome in the
water's warm, Women's okay, Women'llshoot over the freaking ocean. Seriously,
women's basketball is so healthy right now, I will and we're out of time.
I do. I do look atthis as an interesting social experiment moving
forward though, because anybody that wasattached to Iowa, people that never watch
(46:00):
women's basketball, but they were footballfans, you had that built in audience.
You had casual fans, You haddads like me that wanted his girls
to see women being great. Nowto the WNBA, she's taken a step
up in competition. I'd agree withTarasi on that. I do think she's
taken a step down at least inthe now time in platform, and so
(46:20):
from an exposure standpoint, all ofthose things, Oh yeah, Indiana Fever
versus New York Liberty and the fifteenmillion by the way, the viewership numbers
this weekend, that's outlier of outliers. That's beating the NBA Finals, that's
beating the World Series and all ofthat. But the WNBA had seven hundred
and thirty thousand average viewers for theirfinals. So again it's step up in
(46:42):
competition, but for now, stepdown and platform. And we'll see as
there's more Caitlin Clark types if theycan galvanize and manifest something out of that
well stayed at eleven o'clock here comesAlec Lewis with the athletic that you have
Bikings football and much more on thenine to noon or at FM one one
hundred point three k T a n
Frozen four Xcel Energy Center. NoMinnesota team, no Minnesota team, team
ZA TEAMSZA. That's Pat mcalletty atpap MAC two six two six Frozen four
at Excel Energy Center. When whenwe last chatted with you about college hockey,
you were preparing for a trip toSioux Falls, yes, where they
(00:48):
would win a game and they wouldlose a game. And now we got
the Frozen four without a Minnesota teamor team ZA. Are you feeling about
that in good morning? Well,twenty seven on the seven draft picks were
on the ice that night when bubMinnesota. Yeah, and one is good,
so twenty seven and we're not coningthe guy who's going to go number
(01:11):
one in the draft this year inMaclan Celebrini. So it was. It
was enjoyable, enjoyable to watch it. It's virtually impossible because of the team
game. That hockey is the thecat you just mentioned from Bu Celebrini.
Thank you for somebody to capture theimagination of the nation like Caitlin Clark did.
(01:38):
No, you're right in the inthe women's basketball game, you know
what I mean. I mean Celebrinicould be Tavarus, could be Austin Matthews
could be Wayne Gretzky reincarnate. Thegames just are not constructed that way.
They really aren't, you know,because you need not that you don't need
team basketball or whatever. But whenwhen one person can literally take over a
(02:01):
game and do what she has donefor women's basketball, it is, it's
phenomenal. Did you watch yesterday?I did. How about in first quarterish
whatever? How about when she pulledup from thirty eight, I thought it
was double T for a second.It was unbelievable that that's what double T
(02:21):
used. That was his It's notthe first time she's done it, you
know, maybe from that far itis. But she had no just no
fear. It's worst point snaps man, And did you see her Okay after
her release, she just stepped backand yeah, she knew what was going
in. Worse sports snobs we areand what no matter what your proclivities are,
(02:42):
your preferences are for what you likeand what you don't like, if
you are a sports snob, therewere parts to that game yesterday, the
Yukon game on Friday night, thatwas sports immortality. The whole thing was
even with a he call it theend. How can you not love it.
I know, right, I mean, it's just you. It's it's
(03:07):
beautiful to watch. It's it's beautifulto watch great players make great place right.
Longtime voice of Golden Gophers hockey FrankGazaco retired. When a distinct voice
of people's childhoods retires, it,I would imagine definitely can hit hard.
(03:28):
Frank was Minnesota boxing immortality. DidDid he get emotional on Saturdays Beyond the
Pond? Uh? You know,he did a little bit, and it
just goes to show you the typeof person that he is and the number
of people that he touched with hisvoice throughout the years that he's done go
for hockey. And you know,one thing you take away from it is
(03:51):
that you you really genuinely get tounderstand the person that he is and why
everybody loved him because he's such aone for human being and you know that's
what all missed the most. Whywhy does the college transfer portal? Have
you all wound up? Well?I mean I saw it via Twitter,
(04:12):
Yeah, before Beyond the Pond.I caught some of it on Saturday.
Your ghosts landed a stud they didin Matthew Wood from from the University of
Connecticut. Right, So, sookay, and I'm not saying you're going
to homarrific this thing and be like, oh, the transfer portals elite because
this guy who was he was ahigh pick in the twenty twenty three draft,
(04:32):
right, yes, yeah, numberone in Nashville. Oh okay,
number one overall. No, no, a first round pick. Yeah,
Okay, there we go. SoI mean you could you could homer it
up and be like, now,the transfer portals elite because I'm on the
mural in a building for a teamthat is of the blue blood variety,
(04:54):
and when good players are looking totransfer, we have a better shot than
MO to get them. But that'snot the case with you. It really
isn't. First of all, theall the athletes and all the intercollegiate sports
fall under one umbrella. Okay,and right now there's thirty thousand student athletes
(05:15):
in the portal. Oh so youhave to ask yourself why. Yeah.
But and I'm glad you said thatbecause I started to look at the college
Hockey frenchburd portal with names entering Ithink as recently as maybe three four or
five days ago. Yes, well, that sucker just keeps going. It
just keeps going and it'll grow alittle bit more. I think it'll slow
down a little bit now. Idon't account but nonetheless, here's what I
(05:39):
don't like about the port I think, you know, we we have sixty
four teams right in college hockey.Okay, we're not college football, we're
not college basketball or women's basketball oryou know, any of those sports,
so you have it. It isa small sliver that it happens to in
(06:01):
college hockey. There's only probably fivesix, let's call it ten that enter
the portal and have on their portalonce they enter, do not contact,
Okay, so they already know wherethey're going before they even enter the portal.
And that's dicey, and that's verydicey. And I've listen. I
(06:27):
I've talked to ten fifteen college coaches. They all hate it. They all
hate it, okay, but theyplay by the rules that are presented.
But college hockey now, and I'mprobably gonna upset some people, but it's
being run by family advisors, andI don't like that. College hockey,
college hockey. So yeah, Imean, you're not happy because you're not
(06:53):
playing the power play or you're youknow, you're playing on the third line.
You think you should be on thesecond line or second line, first
whatever. Well, okay, I'mI'm, I'm that's it. I'm I'm
leaving. And so the advisor getson the phone, so they would you
be interested if my guy blah blahblah. So there's all and it's happened.
And I know what's happened because Iknow coaches who have told me that
(07:15):
it's happened to them, right,And I don't like the poaching part of
it, And that's what's happening.Now. I'm okay with the portal.
If you know a coach and aplayer, they sit down, it's not
working out. I'm going to helpyou find a new place to play.
That's fine, you know, givethem that right to move on. It
(07:38):
wasn't working out for whatever reason academicallyon the ice, you know, on
the field, whatever the case maybe. That's fine. But I just
we're getting to the point where it'sthe wild, wild West now, and
oh I need this. I'm goingto go get that and you know,
or get get a bunch of guys. We saw it happened with Minnesota State
a year ago. Three of theirtop players, once a coach left followed
(08:00):
him to where he went, andyou know, I just I think we
need a little bit more oversight andI hope that we can get to that
point, you know, speaking ofthat, and speaking of Hastings goes to
Wisconsin. Now, Charlie Strammel isthe draft pick gone? Was that last
year? Last June? I thinktwenty first overall? Yep. So he
(08:24):
enters the portal and leaves, andI just, you know, kind of
a Minnesota Wild bent to it.But is Charlie Strammel's case a case of
family advisors, as you say,and I'm with you in that philosophy,
But or is it just simply thatit wasn't working out and it's a handshake
and it's a move on. Okay, I'm not there, so I don't
know, but you know, hehad three goals in five assists on the
(08:48):
year. He played on their thirdline, fourth line, sometimes not even
in the lineup. How much influenceof the Minnesota Wild have on him moving
I don't know, you know,I don't know, but I'm sure and
so I don't want to speak andI don't want to blame the advisor for
that. He's moved on he's goingto Michigan State. He's going to a
(09:11):
coach that he played under at theNational Development program in Adam Nightingale. And
you know, listen, I don'tknow all of Charlie's situation. But here
we are, I mean, isNorthern Michigan. Oh, we're going to
have a team. And this iswhat triggered me texting you, yes before
(09:33):
beyond the pond and the whole thing. And I have not talked to Grant
Potoma. Grant Okay, who's coachof the team, and we both have
access to him. We both cantalk to him anytime about this. I
chose not to, yep, becauseI wanted your raw emotion off. I
think they've lost nineteen players. Idon't know the number. Last number I
saw I was thirteen. Maybe maybemaybe they have. Yeah, that's why.
(09:54):
That's why when I was going throughthat college hockey portal thing that you're
ready for today, I mean,I stop counting Northern Michigan at eleven now.
So it's the current state of NorthernMichigan as a result of the transfer
portal. It's unbelievable. Seventy fiveto eighty percent of a team could be
leaving. Yes, and you know, I will say this, he had
(10:20):
some players that were fifty year guysand seniors that could move on. Okay,
okay, but the other ones yougot you kind of question a little
bit. He's got a good recruitingclass coming in. They say second best
in the country or something like that, or top five whatever. But still
but but but it's you know,and I think we've we've gotten to the
(10:41):
wint Here's what what hurts me toAnd I call me old school, call
me old school. But as anathlete, you have to go through some
humility. It's not always going tobe good. You have to fight through
things and and there and have somepride about to the school that you picked.
And you know, listen, ultimately, as I mentioned before, if
it's not working out, you know, that's a conversation with the coach.
(11:03):
Yeah, I get it, youknow, let's let's help you out and
move you along. Yeah. Thesethey're students, they're student athletes, and
I just I think it hurts.I think it hurts everybody in the end.
To say the spirit of competition iseliminated would be fatalistic and too far.
(11:26):
However, if I'm third line centerguy for Patolney, and I'm a
sophomore, and you know I'm onI'm on a scholarship, and I was
recruited in the whole thing, right, And I catch wind that from out
hitting way, this hot shot centermanwho's recruited and is going to come to
Northern Michigan Pat mcalletty Well Center Centersone and two aren't going anywhere. So
(11:52):
now all of a sudden, Igot myself in a handful of others got
to battle this this valleyhooed kid cominghere. So instead of I'm just going
to leave, the spirit of competitionis dwindling. No, it's a metaphor
for society. I'm not going tolet this young punk come in here and
take my job. Is what haslost. Now, let's let's also not
(12:18):
forget sometimes. And this is whereI bring the coaches back into it,
because who's that fault here. I'mnot going to blame the family advisors completely.
I'm not going to blame the coachescompletely. I'm not going to blame
the kid. It's a combination andunless we do something to not let it
(12:41):
get out of control. Because Itell you what, there are going to
be coaches at the coaches meeting inFlorida coming up in the in the next
month or so. That and ithappened last year there was an altercation between
two assistant coaches. I'm not gonnaeat punches. I don't know if they
were puny. Well they had.They had to be broken up coaches me
because because a player was a playerX and went to you know, to
(13:05):
team Y, coach of my guysexactly. And uh and so, yeah,
that's what happened between Barrero and Iwhen he took guardsy. It was
an altercation. I was here towitness that. But no, and and
so and and all these guys areour friends. You know, a lot
of them are really good friends.But hey, it's happening, and you
(13:28):
know, you hate to see thatin our sport when we only have sixty
four Well, Ted, tell me, tell me this statement with hockey,
football or basketball is wrong. Finda good player, they get even the
slightest disgruntled, and boom they leave. Yeah, yeah, I mean find
and and well how about how aboutthis example with with the South Carolina basketball
(13:50):
team that just won. I meanit all plays into the to the college
sports transfer portal. I'm not madat this young lady because it's the op
opportunity was there to do this.However, on the other side, like
look at the champions from yesterday.I think her name is Tahina Pow Pow.
Yes, she commits to Oregon outof southern California. She's a star,
(14:13):
she's all packed, ten, twelvewhatever stars for Oregon for three years.
And then the way it was sharedyesterday, she looked at South Carolina
and is like, you need meto get over the hump. So she
leaves Oregon in college free agency,goes to South Carolina, wins a championship.
(14:35):
She played into it. It's herright per the rules, Yes,
but I still can't warm up toit. At the collegiate level, No,
no, right. And what ishappening is the lower tier conferences have
star players and they are the feedersystem to the blue bloodz right, And
(15:00):
that's what bothers me a little bit. It really does, because you know,
I am one of the volition ofwell, screw that, let's show,
you know, let's let's go andbeat the blue blood right. You
know, I'm with my buddies,and like Jimmy Rowling into a practice,
I'm with my teammates. Right,yeah, and I'm leaving Sea. You're
(15:20):
like Jimmy Rowling into a practice saying, that guy over there from Kentucky,
that guy over there from Kansas.Everybody always talks about them. Give me
the four worst in the gym,and I'll show you exactly what hard work
and commitment to competition that leads toYes. Yes, and he beat them.
Pat mcletty, pat mc two six. They well, I mean,
(15:43):
the Gophers, as I mentioned earlier, are a blue blood program. They
are so, don't you think eventuallyas it moves on, this Matthew woodcat
and as they're going to benefit fromthis situation, they are. There's no
question about it. I will saythis about the University of Minnesota and what
they've done with their program. Theportal's been what in three years now,
(16:03):
four years Minnesota something like that,whatever, I mean, it's always been
there. But the ability to comeright in the next year, Yes,
and that's it. Out one.They developed their players. They've gotten two
players now and one. Uh.They weren't able to replace the Logan Cooley
last year, and because it happenedso late in the year this year they
(16:30):
needed one player. He was available. They didn't poach him. It came
down to North Dakota, I believe, Wisconsin or Michigan. Michigan, Yes,
in Michigan. And so how thatall transparted, I don't. I
don't know. I and I andI will and ill and and there that's
(16:56):
another can of worms. Right,So we talking and al and portal being
aligned. And that's where it getsdicey. Also, because why are guys
leaving? Am I just going therebecause I got offered more money? You
know? Yeah? I want guyson my team that want to play right,
you know, for me, forthe for the team. So I
(17:17):
mean, I don't know about that. I have not heard of any money
and any nil deals, you know, I particularly have not. Maybe they're
out there. Maybe I'm naive.Maybe that's why Jimmy Snuggrood stayed. Also,
I don't think that's the case.But I don't know, and I
can't answer that, and I wouldn'twant to say that. Is is the
(17:40):
whether whether it's hockey, basketball,or football, your opinion is this transfer
portal is the portal leading to thebest of the best, getting stronger or
perhaps providing more parody in college sports? It is, Yeah, it is
especially in I mean going to beyes, it is in hockey right now.
(18:03):
I mean you're talking, uh,in this year's Frozen four you have
b U BC, Denver, Michigan, and Michigan. And guess what And
with those four teams and add anotherfour, you know those eight are going
to be in the hunt to winthe title again next year. Why because
(18:23):
they have the ability to get theseplayers to come to come to flip.
Yes, you know Eric Polkamp fromMidgie state draft pick of the San Jose
Sharts on the junior team that wongoal, didn't play a lot, but
was on their team, highly regardedplayer. Guess where he's going. He's
going to Denver, you know.And uh, I don't know all of
(18:48):
the particulars again behind that one.And the Gophers aren't a team that kids
are looking at that they'll they'll jumpfrom a sure Midgie state to a Minnesota
or anything like that. Or arethey in the b U because you mentioned
Denver and it's kind of Denver islike this weird thing that exists to the
west. And Denver's won like sevenor eight titles, right, It's insane,
(19:10):
how good that and historic? Thatprogram is No one thinks about it,
right, But but is is Minnesotain that Denver that Boston b category
in terms of kids moving? Yeah? Absolutely? In North Dakota North Dakota,
right yeah, I mean they've they'velong history and a beautiful building and
they're I mean, you want totalk about a program that treats their kids
(19:30):
like they're in the National Hockey League. That is the program, you know,
along with you know, the theother blue bloods, and it's it's
there. And I just but likeSouth South Saint Cloud State, yes,
okay, now Samblin's team and delutOkay off off this year, but we
(19:51):
have title winning crad Man Cato Iwould look at would be closer to the
Saint Cloud State aura along with Bimidgi. Yes. So like I mean,
if it's what you said earlier,is you make a commitment to somebody they
believe in you. Yep, youagree, you make a commitment. Times
get tough, you leave, right. It's just I just don't I I
(20:17):
am that philosophy or or the convenienceof that, and mass the pressure to
win in college athletics now is greaterthan it was twenty five years ago.
It just is the coaches make anexorbitant amount of money. There's pressure on
them to win, there's pressure onYouTube to fill your buildings and all of
(20:38):
that. That all comes into play. And as long as these as long
as the rules are what they are, well, you know you can't begrudge
said team from participating in those rules. Pat mclety I Pat mac two six
(21:00):
two six quick break here coming upmomentarily, but landing the plane on this
that BU team the beat your Gophers. Yes, you were on the soup
falls scene for the call. Isthat team gonna win the title? No?
I think I think Boston College isis the team to beat. They've
been the best team I think allyear, although I was on Michigan because
(21:26):
when I look at their talent andthe experience that they have from the freshmen
that they had a year ago,I think they are awfully offully good when
they stay disciplined. They have tostay disciplined. If not, they can
be a train wreck. So listen, both games are going to be great.
There's a case that all four teamscould win. Denver scores a ton
(21:48):
a ton and they were getting poorgoaltending. Now they're getting great goaltending.
BU as the best player in collegehockey and arguably the best defenseman and the
most dynamic it's been in college hockey. It's gonna be it's gonna be a
really good frozen four mix. Wildblanked the black Hawks or blacked the blank
(22:08):
Hawks yesterday, and we'll discuss thatand a state of the Wild when None
to Noon continues. Courtesy of clearCut Exteriors, he comes the clear cut
(23:00):
clip from the weekend, The Wildcounter with Favor and Caprice. Saw Favor
leading the charge in right circle,dropped off Caprice off wide open sco corrinal
capricesoft what another two goal game isforty first of the year laser at short
side, beautiful pass by Favor andit's four nothing Minnesota. That that's courtesy
(23:22):
of clearcut Exteriors. Clearcut exteriors dotcom for them to inspect or fix your
roof, but inspected at no charge, clearcut Exteriors dot Com. That's the
clip of the weekend. How awfulare the Blackhawks? I mean this we're
not breaking news here, but likewith the Center Ice bit which I canceled
like three weeks now, I'm watchingthem badard cool, but they are an
(23:45):
American League team Connor Berdard cool.I mean it's state of hockey and hot
you know, puckheads or whatever.They're gonna go another way to watch Badard
because he's Connor Bandard. Yes,But when it comes to watching a singular
play in a game, dominate andlike draw you in for appointment viewing,
like Caitlin Clark, Hockey's just it'sjust not that bit. And that's fine
(24:07):
because it's it's more of a teamgame than an individual game. But I
mean, trying to watch that thinglast night a little bit, it was
just a snooze, it was.And and they've played that way against the
Wild all year long, all thegames we beat them, like thirteen in
Ronow. Yeah, it's it's it'snot good. Are you in on the
on the Calder debate that is therookie I'm not here. Yeah, I'm
(24:32):
not in on it. Yeah,but I follow it from afar uh,
But clearly you are, so Iam. Well, no, And it's
money. It is because it hasto be. It's Billard's money, because
it has to be. I thinknow, if you're asking me my opinion,
I think brock favorite deserves it.When you're looking at what he did
(24:56):
as a rookie. Was he thebest rookie this year? And my question,
no doubt about it. Luke Huesfor the New Jersey Devils another guy
we don't talk about because he playsfor New Jersey and he's out on the
East Coast. He has as manyassa says Brock Favorite Wow. Okay,
and he's a fabulous player. ButI think Favorite deserves it. Do I
(25:17):
think Badard will be the MVP ofthe league some year, no doubt about
it. But when we're just talkingabout the rookie of the year, we
don't have to pick Connor Badard becausehe went number one overall. We don't.
We have to judge him by whathe did this season. Had a
nice season, but he didn't havethe year that Brock Favor had. Okay,
Well, help me here. Whovotes for the Calder good question?
(25:40):
Probably all the national writers, Okay, and you know, I mean you're
going to get your East Coast body. If it's writers and or the media,
then it's markedly easier to figure out, Yes, what Badard does well
compared to what Favor does well,and that's going to hamstring a defenseman,
no doubt. Out of ten timesfor every award, a favor would have
(26:03):
had to have gotten sixty to seventypoints, right, you know, and
then you say wow wow. Butso this season and last time we chatted,
I meant to bring this up withyou, but I mean it's still
Chipchair Chance whatever. Yep. Itjust it feels like you never got going.
It just it was it was rudderlists with the injuries, and then
(26:26):
there goes Dino and then they're superhot. It's unbelievably hot. I can't
believe. I'm offended that people wouldbe like thirty games to go five points
out whatever, Chipchair Chance, eventhough you got three to jump. I'm
like, that's when you talking whenyou said that, Yeah, I mean
I wanted to say you're colling there. I mean, that's not I love
(26:48):
you. And that's not only that, that's not only potentially going to be
wrong, it's just foolish to lookat it that way. And then all
of a sudden they get within apoint and they're jumping a bunch of teams
and and you know that that wasit. They hit that metaphorical wall and
went back and it's just it's rudderList, even with Caprice hop score or
(27:11):
getting to forty. You know,how about him getting to forty number one,
he just he, I mean hemade plays last night that we're yeah,
they it was from the beginning,you know, Spurgeon gets hurt and
then you have all these injuries andthe biggest thing, and John Hines said
it the other day, our bottomsix is not contributing like it has to.
(27:33):
When your stars have an off gameand they're not going to be great
every game, you know you expectthem. Hey, you want if you
said at the beginning of the year, Capriceo's getting forty, you know,
you know, mark it down.But and guys were given that opportunity,
if you and and we looked atthe at the team at the beginning of
the year and you said, yeah, not a Stanley Cup champ, but
(27:56):
certainly a playoff team. And attimes they played like that. But playoff
teams are consistent. They don't goup and down and up and down and
go on in droughts like like thisteam has. And when guys were asked
to step up, when guys whoalways beg for bigger roles on the team
(28:17):
get them and don't produce, youknow, why was Dohane traded? Why
was due. We're traded, right, you know, I'm sorry they didn't
produce and they needed to produce whenwhen they obviously were down Ericson act Well,
that's problematic, that's very problematic.When I was looking back at at
game logs for certain players yesterday justto see like how long they missed and
(28:44):
what happened during that time. Promthe Felino omission was catastrop Yes, you
know, and is he gonna winyou games like Juel Ericson eck? No?
But what but a piece he's theenforcer, yes, for for for
for Caprisa. I mean it's likeyou lost an edge that note should not
(29:06):
have been that difficult overcome. Andyou don't understand any Some people understand.
Some people don't understand. Having aguy like that just on your bench all
of a sudden makes you a littlebit tougher, makes you a little bit
more, have that ability to youknow, make a hit, you know,
gets get in somebody's face and anduh and he's gone. You know,
(29:29):
they got pushed around in some gamesthis year or didn't have the fight
the game, and Michael Russell broughtit up, you know quite clear,
Uh, when they needed points inNashville and when they got killed, when
they got killed since the one andit was like, are you kidding me?
You know, where's where's the fight? Right? But see they're they're
(29:49):
I mean, you know this manhuman nature gets to win occasionally too,
no doubt, because you you havethese games against Saint louis not as good
as Bruno's team, No, Imean it is separated by inches at the
wire. It's close to grabbing two? Is that one at Colorado? I
mean they had so many of thoseand didn't get over the hum right,
(30:11):
Yeah, and that's where those guysyou need, those those guys that I
talked about, Yeah, need tohelp a little bit more. And wasn't
there no doubt? Do you lastlyjust vibe it? Yes? Do you
think Marc Andre Fleury should not willshould return next season? One hundred percent?
And I'll tell you why. Youlook at you look at him and
(30:33):
his demeanor and the way he's played. I just I think I think he
can. He's not going to giveyou fifty games, but he's going to
give you thirty. And then thatgives you options. Is you know you're
gonna play Wallstead down the stretch.He gets a shadow yesterday? Was it
really tested? But he's your numberone draft pick and he's been in the
(30:56):
you know, let's get him acclimatedto North America. Well two years he's
been. That was a moment gettingacclimated to North America. Are you gonna
you know, do you have theconfidence to say, huh, we need
to fix our bottom six. Wehave a goaltender that we can probably you
know, trade and get some assetsback in Gustafsen. Uh and get rid
(31:17):
of a three million dollar contract andyou know, uh, Walstead's making a
little less. We get assets flurrymentors, Walstead, you don't you know
you're probably not going to win theStanley Cup next year. You will have
all that money the following year.That is the kind of the way I'm
looking at things for this organization.But we'll see who Yukon and Purdue,
(31:42):
Oh boy, who do you like? And why the the it opened Yukon
minus six YEP went up to sixand a half in about two seconds.
Now I believe it's at seven.Yukon covers the point spread in every single
game. I would take Yukon minustwelve. I do. Here's the deal.
(32:05):
Due turns the ball over too much, okay, and I think the
big guy for Yukon can't handle Leady. Yeah, he's he's agile. What's
his name sing? I don't know. Couldn't pick him out of a two
person line up standing next to ballball. I'm disappointed. All I know
is he's very agile. You know. I just think you know, Yukon
is just heads and tails above everybodyelse in college basketball. Good seeing your
(32:29):
brother, Thank you you two Thankspet Mclet make two six to six on
the state of the state of hockeyback after that. Yeah, news Denard
brought to you by the casino atCanterbury Park Canterbury Park dot com. The
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(33:12):
And I'm gonna start PA with thisas we open the show. I'll open
NDN with it at South Carolina nationalchampions and women's basketball. It is perfected
for South Carolina thirty eight games,thirty eight wins, and their third national
championship. South Carolina eighty seven,IOWA seventy five, eighty seven to seventy
(33:36):
five. You heard it there,and that's what's kind of impressive about Caitlin
Clark's or or her stardom in women'scollege hoops PA and in fairness, I
haven't looked back at previous women's nationalchampions Maybe undefeated seasons are a regular thing.
I think they're about five something likethat. They're remote can I thought,
well, see, then maybe thispoint is ill conceived just from the
(33:57):
standpoint I in a normal year,wouldn't that be kind of an a talker?
At March Madness like Kentucky, Ithink Cat's team was on the verge
of potentially maybe the Scannies beat him, but they were undefeated and what that
potentially meant to cut down the nets? But they handled business eighty seven seventy
five. Some local love Saint MichaelAlbertville's Tessa Johnson as a freshman for the
(34:21):
game Cocks, and she didn't averagea ton of minutes during the season,
but she came on in the tournament. She went from beating Hopkins in the
Class four A title a year agoto lead in South Carolina in points.
Yesterday she led with nineteen, Socongratulations to Tessa Johnson. But Clark,
Caitlin Clark eighteen points in the firstquarter, so you're thinking, maybe this
(34:42):
is a fifty piece type game.She only had twelve rest of the game
and that was that was a strugglefor us. It still makes me giggle
at like it made as a gigglein the vestibule before you went into that
studio and I came in here.The thirty eight foot shot in the first
quarterd it just makes me giggle.It's unbelievable how cool that is. It's
(35:04):
so cool, and it sounds like, as of now after four years that
her time at iowa's done, she'sgonna go pro. I mean, if
we're gonna break down the game,size was the issue right to Cardoso Frat
they also have I think it's isit. I think it's Ashlyn Watkins.
But they were just massive inside.There was no chance for Iowa to grab
a rebound to save their lives,and they needed Caitlin to hit every single
(35:25):
shot and she didn't do it.So second year in a row, Iowa
falls short of a national title,but third title and an undefeated season for
South Carolina. Do you think isCaitlin with the thirty eight footer? Is
this like the Steph Curry effect?No, it's because it is, I
think for the next But I wasafraid to bring it up with Brunson.
I mean because like I've read itand seen and heard it, and the
(35:49):
way she stops and goes and isthe she plays like Steph Curry. That's
the only way to put it.And for the next ten or fifteen years,
girls all over the country, likemy kids were watching the game with
me yesterday loving Caitlyn Clark. Yeah, they're gonna spend the next girls are
across the country gonna spent ten orfifteen years trying to shoot from the logo,
Like I tat to watch avans tellto play basketball next year and ain't
(36:13):
gonna be like God, but they'regonna play. I mean, yeah,
it's it's I see what you're saying, and I understand the Rebecca Brunton started
nine to noon nearly two hours ago. She was terrific. She was fantastic.
Can't wait to have her on again. But she's talking about the polarizing
of what it did for women's basketballperiod with Kitlyn Clark. Okay, it's
(36:38):
Caitlyn Clark. It's not the IowaHawk guys, it's not the undefeated Stay
team. It's Caitlyn Clark, itis Okay. I watched every minute of
Iowa LSU, Iowa Yukon, IowaSouth Carolina. I watched all three games
as well, every minute. Yeah, well, because we would never do
(36:58):
that otherwise, we watched on inby something unique in the world of sports.
Caitlin Clark is unique. Okay.And then you know, subsequently off
of bit man ahead in front ofme. But now I lost it.
They're like, I brought up aquestion with Rebecca Brunson, you know,
because Caitlin, you know, shegets a full ride to Iowa. Don't
(37:21):
know what that costs, but it'sa full ride, and she ends up,
you know, scooping like three pointone million dollars in endorsements. Yep,
three million in endorsements. I meanwe got State Farming there, we
got Nike, I mean, wegot big companies in here. Absolutely,
and the same thing is going tohappen to a certain extent at the next
level, but getting twelve to fourteenmillion people to watch in Indiana, is
(37:45):
it fever Indiana one? A Yeah, a fever game on a Friday night
at seven o'clock against the Aces,probably ain't gonna happen. Maybe it will,
maybe it won't. I'm not goingto rule it off. But this
was the rare occasion of something livingup to the hype. Indeed, it's
(38:07):
you know, it's okay, Yeah, we've heard it ver since last year.
We remember the face thing, weremember Angel Reese with the ring.
I got it, you didn't.And then it was further magnified and doubled
or tripled in popularity at least thisyear. So when when you hear about
(38:27):
or see something and the sporting nationor world has picked up on it,
and then you get to the pinnaclewhere all right, well these are the
guys at beach you last year hereis here is a blue blood an immortality
type program in the Yukon Huskies,whether they're tenth overall in the country,
(38:50):
whatever seed they were, that theguy knows how to beat anybody anytime in
a spot like that ori Ema.He's phenomenal. They're phenomenal, matter matter
the no matter the portal, nomatter the whatever, he knows how to
win those games. So he's goingto push you. I mean, that
was an unbelievably incredible game. Andthen you get the standalone game on Sunday
(39:13):
at two o'clock. Okay, it'sa Sunday at two o'clock, and you
know it's you had in the LSUgame, twelve and a half million watched,
and then fourteen million in change watchedthe Yukon game. I have no
idea what yesterday was. Betch it'sbigger than fourteen because it was a weekend
yep, and we were two ofthem. Because it was so hyped and
(39:35):
you almost had to be there justto like give it a cursory look,
and you were getting paid off alongthe way. That's the key is that
it wasn't hyped and you were notlet down at any point for at a
tournament. But whether it's boxing,when boxing used to matter and people used
to care about this huge fight,mam and Ali and Joe Premo, who
a Mitch blood Green, Mike Tyson, whomever fights rarely have lived up to
(40:01):
the prize. Fights have rarely livedup to the hype the last tex amount
of years. True, it's light. Things in light or sporting events rarely
live up to this type of height. How about two weeks from Thursday,
how about the Purple trading up inthe draft and the hype with that.
(40:21):
Now, it's not they traded upand took the one you didn't want,
or they traded up and took theone this guy didn't want. It's if
they don't trade up period. Yeah, well then the hype machine is derailed
and it's off the tracks. Andthat's generally how overly hyped things work.
(40:43):
Not this lived up to the hypefor sports snobs, Ava's and Stella's watching
a woman succeed at what looks tobe the highest level and you're unbelievably good
at what you do. You handleyou handle the attention and the accolades with
humility, You handle it with classand a plum. It was just all
(41:08):
the right messages, whether she winsthe championship or not. Yeah, it
lived up to the hype. Man. I just loved it. I loved
it too, and I was justamazed. You know, you mentioned it
a bit briefly with Rebecca, butyou know, I kind of wrote a
few of these instances down like womenhave just been absolutely piling on Caitlin with
(41:29):
negativity over this stretch. Though,like Cheryl Swoops, I was watching a
video of her on a podcast,she was downgrading her in comparison to Kelsey
Plum. I think she went toWashington while inaccurately thinking Caitlyn's in her fifth
season instead of her fourth. Andshe was talking about Caitlin as if she's
twenty five, she's twenty two.Lynette Woodard, who had the scoring record,
(41:51):
most of us maybe did not knowof Lynette Woodard until Caitlyn was crushing
the record. Thank You says thatCaitlyn didn't really break the scoring record because
she didn't use a men's all,and she was aided by the three point
line and Diana Tarassi on the broadcastbasically doing the verbal version of yawning at
all of her accomplishments. Little bitlike I, I and and I'm glad
you asked Rebecca that, and andI thought her answer was was interesting and
(42:15):
valuable, But I do feel Iwould disagree as an outsider to it all.
I didn't play. I didn't wintitles like Rebecca and you and all
of that it sounds to me likethere is a ton of bitterness about it,
that there is a ton of resentmentin some ways of this gal in
Caitlin getting these national endorsements and gettingall of this fanfare, filling up field
(42:37):
houses where some w NBA games area quarterfall, those sorts of situations,
right, And it's and and then, and they were all great female players
on their own, and they're allthinking, you haven't been to the w
NBA yet, Like you didn't grind, like we grinded, wait till you
get here, that type of thing, and that that kind of disappointed me
in a way, to be honest. But but in the end, I
(42:58):
also to your point, the Inever went away. We definitely got paid
off. And it's a cool she'sgot another year of eligibility. Would go
back to Iowa, run it backone more time, Caitlin. Yeah,
Well she's gonna get she'll get onehundred grand or right around there as a
salary for her first year and she'llget paid. Then the endorsements will be
the lion's share of that boom.But see that plays into it is like
(43:22):
I saw what you saw after theYukon victory with Diana Trazzi and Sue Berby,
Okay, and A soon never talkedbecause Diana wouldn't let her talk because
Diana would just come over the topwith the metaphorical yawn of what we're seeing.
Been there, done that, andshe's right. I mean Diana Tarassi
(43:44):
along with Chira Miller when I livedin southern California and she went to Riverside
Polly High School, Reggie's younger sister. I think she's about my age.
Reggie was two or three years olderthan me. Cheryl Miller captured the imagination
of the nation as a women's highschool and college basketball player at USC but
before social media and before right aroundwhen ESPN was popping and stuff like that,
(44:07):
nothing like this. Tarassi was adog. I mean TARASSEI was phenomenal
in college basketball. But you knowwhat, with all due respect, the
State Farm, Nike and these othertwenty who opted to give Caitlin Clark money
opted to not give you money.And eyeballs that opted to watch per play
(44:29):
game after game after game after gameafter game did not opt to watch you
play. Don't pin that. Don'tbe bitter here, you know, because
somebody did something and you may bebetter than her as an overall player.
Diana Tarossi is a dog. EvenI know that, not following the game
super closely, you played differently.For whatever the reason, the eyeballs and
(44:52):
emotions and hearts opted to go thatway. Now, tarasse I had this
quote out, this quote and Ican't find it now. It's basically kind
of a different version of what shesaid Friday, Welcome in the water's warm.
Here comes the reality check. Theseare women, well, first and
foremost, Caitlin Clark is a woman. Okay, so she's like you,
(45:14):
she's a woman. It's these aregrown women you're going to be playing against,
and the reality of the defenses you'regonna face are going to be a
prompt. If she's hitting from thirtyeight, I don't care who you put
on her. If you're gonna havesomebody check her thirty eight feet away,
she's gonna beat them off the dribbleand I don't care who you are.
And her passing equalizes all of them. Oh we'll see about this, yeah,
(45:36):
now, see, Like little thingslike that kind of draw me in
a little bit. You know,they own arm being like welcome in the
water's warm, Women's okay, Women'llshoot over the freaking ocean. Seriously,
women's basketball is so healthy right now, I will and we're out of time.
I do. I do look atthis as an interesting social experiment moving
forward though, because anybody that wasattached to Iowa, people that never watch
(46:00):
women's basketball, but they were footballfans, you had that built in audience.
You had casual fans, You haddads like me that wanted his girls
to see women being great. Nowto the WNBA, she's taken a step
up in competition. I'd agree withTarasi on that. I do think she's
taken a step down at least inthe now time in platform, and so
(46:20):
from an exposure standpoint, all ofthose things, Oh yeah, Indiana Fever
versus New York Liberty and the fifteenmillion by the way, the viewership numbers
this weekend, that's outlier of outliers. That's beating the NBA Finals, that's
beating the World Series and all ofthat. But the WNBA had seven hundred
and thirty thousand average viewers for theirfinals. So again it's step up in
(46:42):
competition, but for now, stepdown and platform. And we'll see as
there's more Caitlin Clark types if theycan galvanize and manifest something out of that
well stayed at eleven o'clock here comesAlec Lewis with the athletic that you have
Bikings football and much more on thenine to noon or at FM one one
hundred point three k T a n
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