Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Sean O'Connell Show. O C's off today,
so we're bringing in our lefty specialist Meg for.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Find to the bullpend hear me the live call guy.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Here's Utah football legend and longside NFL quarterback Scott Mitchell.
Oh at the let's handles on Utah's number one sports
talk ESPN seven hundred yes ninety two one AFM.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Alrighty sports fans, welcome on it.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
It is the Sean O'Connell Show here on ESPN seven
hundred ninety two one FM. Proud to be a part
of Utah's ESPN Radio Sports Network. I'm Scott Mitchell filling
in for Sean today. I've been here Monday, Tuesday, and
now it's Wednesday. So glad to be here. So glad
that you're a part of things. Forty five days until
Utah plays It's opener. Can't wait to go see that
(00:49):
and be a part of that. It'll be a lot
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You can listen live on ESPN seven hundred sports dot com.
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ESPN seven hundred sports dot com or on the ESPN
(01:09):
seven hundred app So so great to have you here.
We're gonna have a lot of fun today. It's a
hump day and that means the little engine that could
got to the top of the hill. So we're riding
it right down to the weekend. Here on the Sean
O'Connell show. Coming up right now, we have a fun interview.
It's a coaches roundtable which features coach Kyle Whittingham and
(01:30):
Dion Sanders from Big twelve Media Days.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Okay, welcome in day two of our coaches panel.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
For the eight coaches represented here today, Matt Barry from ESPN.
Kind of a fun conversation we have with all the
coaches because it's the one time they can all get together.
We can discuss college football, the health of the conference,
the health of the game. Two coaches up here and
now I've been there their respective schools for twenty one years.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
You've been at Utah for twenty one years.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Mike Gundy's been in Oklahoma State for twenty one, and
you've been in the league the longest since the realignment,
and I just want to know from you how this
league has evolved over the years since you've been in it.
Speaker 5 (02:04):
Well, there's a lot of change with the new schools
that are coming in. And I said this earlier. I
think it's drawn a lot of interest across the country
and there's still some newness to it, which is good
for viewership. We have very recognizable head coaches, and the
good thing about this league is and or the bad
thing for coaches is there's so much parody. Gosh, I
(02:25):
don't know if anybody can sit here and think this
is going to be a win or this is going
to be a loss.
Speaker 6 (02:29):
And I think that's great.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
I feel like that we have the best commissioner in
all of sports, and he gives us a chance to
continue to grow and develop this league every year.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Yeah, and Rich right, coming back in now West Virginia,
you've been outside looking at How would you assess what
you've seen on the outside of the Big twelve.
Speaker 7 (02:47):
The past few years.
Speaker 8 (02:48):
Well, first off, what's changed is that we get paid
pretty good too. Now, you know, a couple of guys
sitting right there at guy are starting small colleges, and
so I don't think any of us got into profession
for the money.
Speaker 9 (03:00):
But there's a responsibility.
Speaker 8 (03:01):
When you're getting that much money getting spent on coaches
and on players now and on programs, you have a
responsibility to have a good product out there for your
fans and for college football. And you know, I'm you
know again, I've been in the league just for a
couple of months now, and there's no question if you
look at the quarterbacks coming back in the Big Twelve,
look at the staffs that are in the Big Twelve,
and the players and talents in the Big Twelve, you
(03:23):
know that we have one of the best leagues in
the country and it's probably going to be the most
exciting league to watch every weekend.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah, and coach Brice, you touched on it a minute ago.
Brett or Mark and what he's done for this conference.
What does this league, in your minds, need to do
to sustain itself among the elite. In terms of talking
about elite leagues in college, we just got.
Speaker 6 (03:43):
To keep kicking each other's butt. And that's the problem.
Speaker 10 (03:45):
Everybody's still during good up parent you can't just think
you're going to go into any any cities and or.
Speaker 6 (03:51):
Have them come to you and have a win. You
just got to keep evolving.
Speaker 10 (03:54):
And that's tough, especially with NILS, tough with with just
a retention of some players that you're trying to keep.
Speaker 6 (04:04):
It's it's tremendous.
Speaker 10 (04:05):
I think everybody now has learned tremendously about the portal.
You've learned about the finances, and you're.
Speaker 11 (04:10):
Not just coaches anymore.
Speaker 6 (04:11):
Now.
Speaker 10 (04:12):
You got to understand this a business and you got
to conduct this like it's a business.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
It's a good jumping off point for the next question.
Speaker 9 (04:17):
Win.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
I want to ask you about that because you've been
around a long time. You've been around the sport. You've
seen it change year in a year out. Brian was
talking about it a minute ago, the windows, the ni L,
the transfer portal. In your mind, what needs to happen
to make this whole sport cohesive?
Speaker 12 (04:31):
Again, great question. I think everyone's searching for that answer.
You know, it's just it's all boiling down to try
to create a level playing field if that's possible. You know,
there's never really been a level playing field in college football.
But but you know, I just think that you know,
as far as our conference, uh, you know, first of all,
to piggyback off Coach Prime, we got to win the
(04:52):
you know, the out of conference games. As far as
strengthening the conference, that was you know what you asked,
coach and and I think that will help it. But
you know, the revshare thing is going to be somewhat
of a I don't want to say equalizer, but that'll
that'll be something that at least puts some guardrails on
things and gets things more in line for each school
and not to not have it just be completely the
(05:14):
wild wild West.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Yeah, and Coach Brandon and Coach Fritz, we were just
talking about this on ESPN and the Cent a moment ago,
about the challenges of coming in as a first year coach,
the portal windows, rosters, getting rated. Is there a way
to stabilize that so in your first couple.
Speaker 7 (05:30):
Of years you're not running around trying to.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Figure out who you have, what you have, who's talking
to your players, and who's on your roster.
Speaker 13 (05:37):
I would say for us, the biggest thing about creating
some stability, some consistency of your coaching staff. I think
the leadership of any organization, the more consistent. The more
continuity you can have there gives you a chance to
have a little bit more stability in the program.
Speaker 7 (05:50):
And then the roster overhaul.
Speaker 13 (05:51):
I think that's also in that first couple of years,
you're also figuring out there's always some sense of like
the previous coaches guys and then your guys right, and
trying to get all those people either on the same
page or getting those guys to either stay or go.
And so I think that part of it is, you
know how with the staff continuity and then building a
roster that is all moving forward together is the critical
(06:12):
piece of it, and that's what we've been fighting to
do this offseason.
Speaker 7 (06:15):
Coach rich No, I agree with.
Speaker 6 (06:16):
All that the coach was talking about for sure.
Speaker 14 (06:18):
And the other thing I'd just add I heard Coach
Prime talking about it is, you know, the tampering also
and you're in a program and other people contacting your
current roster. You know, we got to you know, got
to figure that out and get that to not happen
anymore in our great sport.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
And coach like, what how would that go go about happening?
Speaker 15 (06:38):
Well, we got to continue to find the guardrails of
enforcement as well. Because everybody knows there's there's a lot
of creative people out there that are trying to find
their way around the system, getting the players, getting the agents,
third party high school coaches, whatever it is, put the
feeler out, and then next thing you know, they're talking
a dollar figure with a young man. That's that's not
the way to do business. I think we as coaches
(07:00):
and leaders have to have to set the example of
doing this with integrity once we get everything set and Sonny.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
How much do the coaches in the conference talk amongst
each other about things in the league. Are there issues
we're discussing up here of the tampering and the portal
and everything that goes with it.
Speaker 16 (07:17):
You know, probably not as much as we should, honestly.
You know, there's obviously conversations that take place, and guys
have known each other for a long time. But I
do think that's one thing that we probably could do
a better job of, is just making sure that we're
willing to communicate with each other. You know, you should
be able to call anybody up here and say, hey, man,
I got a question about this.
Speaker 9 (07:35):
This happened, I'm not comfortable with this.
Speaker 16 (07:38):
You know, what can we do to make sure it
doesn't happen again, because I mean, look, at the end
of the day, this game is about the kids. It's
about the players that play the game. We want to
make sure that those guys are taken care of and
we want them to have the best opportunity to do that.
But at the same time, we're trying to build programs
and we're trying to keep our jobs, and.
Speaker 9 (07:56):
It's a fight.
Speaker 11 (07:56):
Man.
Speaker 16 (07:56):
There's a lot of good football coaches up here at
great schools that had a tremendous amount of success.
Speaker 9 (08:01):
It's incredibly competitive.
Speaker 16 (08:03):
But at the same time, we got to make sure
that we're we can lay our head down to it
at night and feel good about what we're doing and
how we're doing it. And it all begins with communication,
and I do think we've got to got to improve
that and continue to do a good job of developing
that communication amongst each other.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
And brim you were talking about it during your press
or about NIL and what these players deserve and how
the game is modified to that point. From where you
sit doing it at the highest level in the NFL,
how do you believe NIL should be guard railed now,
especially with the revenue sharing era.
Speaker 10 (08:35):
I wish it was a cat, you know, like the
top of the line player makes this, and if you're
not that type of guy, you know you're not gonna
make that.
Speaker 6 (08:41):
That's what the NFL does.
Speaker 10 (08:43):
So the problem is you got a guy that's not
that durn good, but he could go to another school
and they give him a half a million dollars and
you can't.
Speaker 6 (08:51):
You can't compete with that. It don't make sense.
Speaker 10 (08:53):
And you're talking about equality, not equality like equal I
think to equality. And all you have to do is
look at the playoffs and see what those teams spent,
and you understand during their white end playoffs, it's kind
of hard to compete with somebody who's giving twenty five
thirty million dollars during freshman class.
Speaker 6 (09:11):
It's crazy.
Speaker 10 (09:14):
We're not complaining because all these coaches up here can
coach at butts off and given the right opportunity, with
the right players and the play here and there, you'll
be there.
Speaker 6 (09:21):
But it's what's going on.
Speaker 10 (09:23):
Right now don't make sense, and we want to say stuff,
but we're trying to be professional. But you're going to
see the same teams during that at the end, and
with somebody who sneaks up in there.
Speaker 6 (09:34):
But the team that pays the more, pays the most,
is going.
Speaker 17 (09:36):
To be that end.
Speaker 4 (09:38):
So why not say something, get together, unify, Coach Gotti,
why not say something about it?
Speaker 5 (09:46):
Well, I think what the coach said is right, and
we're all wanting to prepare and instill quality information and
confidence in our team.
Speaker 6 (09:55):
And I don't think that any.
Speaker 5 (09:56):
Coach wants to say, well, our players aren't good enough
and we need to give more money and we need
to swap them out for other players. But I will
say this, I've been in the league a long time
and this group, in my opinion, is as strong as
it's been and has the best opportunity to come together
and make decisions. For what coach Dyke said, this is
(10:17):
all about the players. A lot of times they talk
about us and that, and we don't want it to
be about us. We want it to be about the players.
And we really need to get some guardrails to eliminate
the things that are going on from a tampering standpoint,
and players that are coming out of high school that
are getting way too much money before they've ever made
(10:39):
a play on game day. That's how I feel personally
about it. I'm okay with paying the players that are producing,
and that's the NFL model that I believe that some
of what we pattern ourselves out of needs to be that.
Now we're not going to be the NFL, but that's
been a very successful business model for fifty plus years.
Speaker 6 (11:00):
There's a lot of ways we can look at that.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
But again, we're gonna head back into collective bargaining and
nobody wants to go in that direction at this time.
Speaker 6 (11:07):
Yeah, and it's.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Come up, maybe if the players are gonna get paid,
they signed contracts and at that point then they technically
become a professional add and to get they're getting paid
in their side of the contract. With something like that
in your mind, Coach Rodriguez, help if you see you know,
we're gonna pay this money, but you're gonna you're gonna
be here for three years because you signed for the money.
Speaker 9 (11:24):
That's where you're gonna be. Yeah, I'm it's just my
personal opinion.
Speaker 8 (11:27):
I don't know how you guy can make five hundred
thousand dollars a year and have a contract and not
be an employee, you know.
Speaker 9 (11:33):
What I mean.
Speaker 8 (11:34):
So, you know, the CBA thing has probably got to
get that way. I think it's a little bit of
a it's a little better than it was a month ago,
but it's still a fix that has to happen. My
biggest beef is that all these coaches up here are
good coaches that understand the profession.
Speaker 9 (11:49):
They wouldn't have got to this position right.
Speaker 8 (11:51):
So my hope and wish would be that the coaches
and the athletic directors and the commissioners are at the
forefront of making decision what's best for college sports and
college football than somebody that's not done this for a lifetime.
And I'm speaking just to my personal opinion. You know,
somebody ask one of our opinions, or ask our ads,
or ask our commissioners, what do you think is best
(12:12):
for college sports?
Speaker 9 (12:13):
How do we fix it right now?
Speaker 18 (12:14):
Now?
Speaker 8 (12:15):
I know we got to get congressional help, and I'm
going on my soapbox here, but there's not anything we
can that we can't fix. But you got to talk
to the right people and have the right people making
the decision to fix it. Because if you don't think
we don't have our players best interests at heart, you
don't understand the profession either, and what we got into
it for so you know, none of us, like I said,
(12:35):
I know we're talking to some of us kind of
came up, you know, the small school way and then
earned success. And our players are getting the same message.
Speaker 9 (12:43):
We don't want entitled me. We want to earn success.
Speaker 8 (12:45):
But I think the powers to be whoever that is,
maybe needs to give these coaches and these athletic directors
and these commissioners a little bit more control over how
the college athletes.
Speaker 4 (12:58):
Is going to go in the future. And thank you
for your soapbox. I think it was for everybody to
listen to because that's what we want.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
We want your opinions.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
We want to know how you feel about the state
of the game and where it's headed, because we all
love college football more than any other sport.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
And so now we sit here in a crossroads.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
There's going to be playoff, there's going to be expansion,
there's going to be everything because a sport continues to grow.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
Five plus eleven is.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
One of the topics of conversation throughout the week. Coach Witningham,
where do you stand on playoff expansion in the five plus.
Speaker 12 (13:27):
Eleven Well, I'm all for and I think that's the
right way to go, particularly for our conference, sixteen teams
is definitely the answer, in my opinion is well, more
access for more teams. But to me, and through conversation
with Commissioner your Mark, I don't see anything that even
approaches for the Big twelve that makes sense like the
(13:48):
five plus eleven Coach.
Speaker 15 (13:49):
Lee Bolt, I agree with that a lot, and I
think the other dilemma they're starting to hear about is
what is the conference championship games going to really be
worth in some of these other proposals that are out there,
I think sixteen teams is the great to do it
because being at smaller levels and you're looking at playoffs,
when when when you're competing, you need to play out
the season and win your games and win your conference
(14:11):
championship to get a home game, And if home games
are going to be at stake, then all games are
meaningful all the way until the playoffs start. And I
think when you when you get to a playoff format
that has sixteen teams and no buys, that puts more
weight into those games.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Coach Brandon would would uniform schedule work with all the leagues.
I think everyone should get out there play the same
amount of conference games and perhaps schedule another power for
game or two within that schedule with a different league,
because then when we're looking at resumes, now you're really
talking about a resume, because all records aren't created equal.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
So how might scheduling fix that?
Speaker 13 (14:42):
No, I think that would be incredibly impactful. Actually got
question asked this question earlier. You know, I think that's
one of the things that's challenging when you're looking at it,
where different conferences play a different amount of conference games.
You know, the one of the challenges I would assume
it's just like so many of these games are scheduled
so far in advance, and so there's like all these
you know, game that are contracted out over the next six, eight,
ten years, and you know, how do you readjust all
(15:05):
those games.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
But I'm all for anything that.
Speaker 13 (15:08):
Gets college football on an even or more level playing field,
whether that's how we schedule, what the guardrails are, what
the salary cap is, anything that gives us a chance
for some consistency of the game and the parody that
has made this game the best sport in America.
Speaker 7 (15:22):
How do we find a way to get back to that?
Speaker 4 (15:24):
And Coach bro I'm gonna I'm gonna make you the
commissioner of college football right here, right now, and you
get I like that, all right, So like that.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Congratulations, you've been hired.
Speaker 4 (15:31):
You get to step in front of everyone in college
football to tell us how.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
You would fix it. What would your decision?
Speaker 6 (15:38):
Equality? Man, I mean equality.
Speaker 10 (15:39):
We we have alumni, we have boosters that's doing the
best they darn could. But sometimes they just can't compete
with some of the other powers.
Speaker 6 (15:48):
And I wish it was truly equality.
Speaker 10 (15:50):
They're trying to say, yeah, with a camp and all that,
collect the bargain or whatever they call.
Speaker 6 (15:55):
It, it's equality.
Speaker 17 (15:58):
But it's not.
Speaker 10 (15:59):
Now they go back to doing stuff under the table.
They go back to the age. And now you got
parents trying to be agent. You got the homeboys trying
to be aged, you got the friends trying to be age.
You got a lot of bullge I'm going on, and
quite frankly, we sick of it. Nobody's saying I'll say
it for everybody, Okay, were sick of it. And you're
not going to fix it unless you listen to these
men with all this experience. You're not going to fix
it unless you hear these guys with all this experience.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Really on the field this year, this conference is so
exciting because of the quarterbacks. From your seat, how would
you assess what the Big twelve is coming into this year?
Speaker 14 (16:31):
Well, a couple of people touched on it. I just
think there's so much parody in our league. It's you know,
I've been in it's my sixth different league, and there's
been some leagues where you know, maybe you had a
couple of games where you know, you brought your B
or C game and you.
Speaker 6 (16:45):
Still win it.
Speaker 14 (16:46):
Yeah, in this league, you got to be ready to
play every single week. And we've got great coaches. I
think you know, you study film, you watch what they
did from week to week. It's it's a very very
well coached league also, and you just got be ready
to play week in and week out.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
And stud of the health of the league here Brett
or Mark talk about it yesterday. Top to bottom competitive
balance again is kind of the buzz term.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
You've been around this area for a while. How would
you assess the health?
Speaker 16 (17:13):
Yeah, I think, I mean, look what other league in
college football history? You know, we did preseason polls last year.
The team that finished last in the preseason poll won
the league championship. I mean, seriously, in the in the
history at college football, how many times has that happened?
Not very often, And so it speaks to the quality
of this league. I mean this parody as well, he said,
(17:33):
I mean, you better play well every single week. Are
you gonna lose? It's just the way it is. And
that's what makes this so much fun to watch, you know.
And I think as a conference we have to do
a great job of selling that because quite frankly, that
does not happen in some of the other leagues.
Speaker 9 (17:50):
Those are very top heavy leagues.
Speaker 16 (17:52):
The same teams represent those leagues year in year out
as champions and this is unique, and this is different,
This is exciting. This is a brand of football that
really not too many people have seen in the past.
So we got to do a great job as a
league of selling that because it's true.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Coach Kindie, do you believe nationally this league is a
bit overlooked.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
Well, I don't know about overlooked, but the discussion with
the playoffs and such and the teams, and I believe
you should have to earn your way in into that.
But one thing that I mentioned a few years ago
and have followed up with this is as you watch
this league, there's a lot of similarities in the NFL.
You're going to beat each other up. Yeah, this is
(18:34):
what we're all talking about. And the coach is up here,
and I'm sure the eight that were up here yesterday,
I was with them in Orlando, and I think everybody
believes that that's going to be the real challenge now
because of like what coach said. You know, we're not
in a league where there's two or three teams, and
we're in a league where you better be ready to
play every Saturday, and whether people want to hear it
(18:56):
or not, you might play your butt off and have
a great year and you might only win seven games.
Speaker 17 (19:00):
Yeah, in a.
Speaker 5 (19:01):
League it's extremely difficult, and you might have two or
three games, four games you lose you know, two or
three points or at the end of the game, and
that's what can happen. But I think that's going to
draw a lot of years to this league.
Speaker 4 (19:12):
And any of you can answer this because look, all records,
like I said earlier, aren't created equal. You could have
a couple that's heading two teams in a nine and
three team that just went through a gauntlet of a
schedule that may not be as good as an eleven
and one team's record says, but at nineteen three, you
probably do serve a shot.
Speaker 9 (19:26):
At the postseason. Yeah, just just speaking for myself.
Speaker 8 (19:29):
I know you always kind of take a look at
your conference games, but I don't have one thought when
I will go to bed at night what Oklahoma State's
doing or Kansas is doing. I'm worried about West Virginia,
you know what I mean. And I think every coach
up here will tell you the same thing. You got
so much to do with your own programs that you're
doing everything you can so your program does well, and
every coach has that same mentality. I think that's why
(19:51):
this league is probably in the best position that's been
and I'm new to it that it's ever before, because
you have that kind of singular focus on the stage.
Speaker 17 (20:00):
Yeah, and look.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
Again, we've had the eight coaches here yesterday. We have
you eight here today.
Speaker 4 (20:04):
We could legitimately make an argument for the entire league
to win and play in the conference championship. We appreciate
your candor, we appreciate your time our coaches round table
here at the Big Twelve Media Days.
Speaker 17 (20:16):
All Right, there you have it.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
A fun roundtable, interesting insights and takes from some of
the top college football coaches in America period. And you know,
there's a couple of things that stood out to me
one and one of them actually wasn't even from Big
twelve Media days, is actually from Kirby Smart in SEC
and I'll get to that in a minute.
Speaker 19 (20:37):
But the.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Think there was a statement that was said about the
parody in the league, and there's part of me that says,
and I agree with it, that it's competitive and so
competitive means good spirited games. You're always in it. You know,
teams are going to be in the conference conversation for
a good part of the season. Most of the teams
(21:03):
will be just because of the competitive balance and and
you you really do.
Speaker 17 (21:12):
Have to spin it the right way.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
And that that was the thing that really jumped out
at me, was you can you get because people will say, well, yeah,
it's competitive, you're just a bunch of average teams like
you and and so that's not very good, right and
and other people say, you know, hey, that's that makes
us better as a league across the board because someone
said the other leagues are top heavy and oh boys,
(21:35):
that's so true. Yes, there is a difference between the
top teams in the SEC and the Big ten. Uh
then then probably most of the teams in the Big twelve.
But aside from a few teams, then now it's it's
it's it's pretty on par and probably maybe even subpar
in some degrees. I don't think there's a lot of
(21:56):
schools like the Produce and the Indiana's and the Illinois
and you know, you could say the Nebraska's, Wisconsin you know,
rears its head every once in a while, but most
of the time, they're not like, oh, yeah, we're going
to win in the conference. They're secondary citizens and in
the Big Twelve, you're not necessarily getting this. Now it's
(22:18):
all new, it's a new conference. No one's really established
itself as that consistent winner. But I just like the idea,
and I think Brett your Mark is such a good promoter.
Speaker 17 (22:30):
That's what they really need to promote. In this conference.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
We are top to bottom, the most competitive conference in
the country, the conference you want to tune into pretty
much every game every week all season long and really
really lean into this.
Speaker 17 (22:48):
And I don't think people do.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
They just kind of go ah, you know, the Big
Twelve is like the third or fourth best conference in
the country, and that's not necessarily true. I mean, if
you're just talking about the top couple of teams, fine,
but top to bottom in the conference. If you really
want to watch college football, man tune into the Big Twelve. Now,
Kirby Smart, he brought up a comment that I found
(23:12):
rather interesting, and that was why in the world would
we play nine conference games? And he goes, that's just
nine more losses for our conference. And the whole point
of this is, like, you shouldn't get into the college
football playoffs because you play a week schedule. Like it's
(23:34):
the most lame, uncompetitive, whimpiest comment I think I've ever
heard from a coach. Now, we don't want to play
competitive games because if we play competitive games in our conference,
that means we're not going to get more teams in
the playoffs. And it's like, well, yeah, you get more
teams in the conference if they win, Like that's the
(23:54):
whole freaking point of this is that you want the
teams that win to get into the playoffs. Huh. It's like, no,
we just need to have Georgia and Alabama always in
the college football playoffs. That's what they really want regardless,
Like they can't accept that Alabama had three losses last year.
Big freaking deal, they had an off year, get better
(24:15):
next year like everybody else. No, no, no, we gotta
play less games. Oh no, no, no, we don't. We don't.
We don't want to be competitive. We just want it
handed to us. That's lame, that's beyond Like when I
saw this today, I'm just like, give me a freaking break.
Speaker 20 (24:34):
Oh and by the way, Scott nine and three season
is great for a lot of programs. So yeah, if
that's your worst year, of course, keep your standard. Like,
don't be don't be celebrating that you that he only
won nine games. If you're Alabama and you're you want
to go undefeed and win national championships every year. But like,
(24:55):
don't get too down about it either, like that, if
that's your floor, then you gotta pretty good programs still,
I think.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
So anyways, just look, the teams that should get in
the college football playoffs are the teams that win the
most during the season. And if you and if everyone
will play their best games, you're gonna have that. And
you know what, you might have an se t C
team or two or Big ten with with three losses,
(25:22):
and and and you know what if they if they
played a nine game schedule and they did that or
a regular you know, conference.
Speaker 17 (25:28):
Schedule, may I'd be all over it.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
And if their non conference was actually competitive, I'd be
all over it. Well, I'm gonna be all over a break.
Let's take a break right now. The Sean O'Connell Show
is UH now brought to you proudly by Big Willie's
Sports Bar in Salt Lake. From Kraft Food to Kraft Cocktails.
They are the sports bar. Check them out today. All right,
(25:52):
we come back. Sam uh brook House sumer sports NFL analysts.
He's fun to talk to. The numbers are just fun
as I like to get into numbers with Sam. Nfls
right around the corner. We'll chat about some of the
big deals, some of the big things happening in the
NFL when we return here on the Shan O'Connell Show
ESPN seven hundred niney two NFM.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
You two a Sean O'Connell show for the Murdoch Chevrolet
Studio of ESPN seven hundred and ninety two one AFM.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Hello, Sportsman's Welcome back, It is the Sean O'Connell Show
here on the ESPN seven hundred ninety two one FM.
Scott Mitchell Filly in for Sean. He is in South Africa,
Cape Town to be exact, doing a little PFL. So
glad to be a part of your day. Glad to
help Sean out. We are Utah's number one sports talk
(26:52):
if you wanted to know that, if you didn't know
we are. We'd love to talk about sports. We'd love
to talk about all sports, but we really, really really
love to talk about football because football is life. And
we have Sam Bruckhouse from Sumer Sports joining us. He's
an NFL data analyst. Sam, Welcome to the program. What
(27:16):
are the numbers telling us today?
Speaker 7 (27:20):
Man?
Speaker 19 (27:21):
Thank you for queing me in as an NFL data analyst.
But I got to say I'm iss for football just
like you are. And I got some Utah football circle.
I'm so interested in how Devin damp here, who is
one of the best sacavoidant quarterbacks in the NCAA, if
not in the history of college. Wow, dude does not
(27:41):
get sacked.
Speaker 17 (27:42):
Wow?
Speaker 19 (27:42):
Going to do behind the two tackles Fanu and Lomu.
You know guys that are first round players, and at
least as it's slated now, we haven't seen a combination
like that, particularly with a player who's transferring up in
a long time. I think there's going to be a
lot of designed runs and I'm excited to see what
this Utah offense is going to look like. So jumping
(28:04):
the gun a little bit on the NFL, but I'm
ready for some football, and college football is coming first,
so I'm looking at that.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Well, we can we can certainly talk, we can talk
about it all, but uh uh, that's a you actually
gave me chills, like like literally the hair just stood
up on the back of my neck when you mentioned
Devin damp here is the least sacked quarterback maybe ever,
which is which a great statement. And you know watching
(28:30):
him and watched a lot of him in spring football
and there's a lot to like, uh you really, you know,
and and he's done it right. So this isn't a
guy who well, you know, maybe there's a lot of potential,
but uh, folks are really high on him. They're high
on him at the Big twelve media Day, I mean
(28:52):
they named him Newcomer of the Year. Uh, where do
you think this Utah football team will end up because
quarterback position has been a tough one. And I guess what,
I'm having a hard time with Sam having a hard
time eloquating my thoughts here. The quarterback position has just
killed Utah the last couple of years. We've had our
(29:14):
hearts broken. And when we hear this about Devin Dampier,
can we have, I guess cause for lots of hope
and an opportunity to compete for a championship.
Speaker 19 (29:26):
So I think you got to look at the situation
first in the Big twelve, where there's a toss up
and there's a lot of good teams, and moreover, there's
a lot of teams with a lot of turnover. You
look at a team like Colorado losing their two best
players but bringing in a Cadence Salter and a bunch
of young players as well. They could be a contender
as they were last year. You look at the bigger
(29:47):
teams that had Mark last year, Arizona State, YU, They're
all going to play. I think the big difference from
last year in terms of Utah's status is basically exactly
what you just said, lack of heartbreak when it comes
to the quarterback position. Devin Dampier will not give up
negative plays. Will he be the best passer of all time?
We don't necessarily have the data to make a decision
(30:11):
on that.
Speaker 2 (30:12):
Sam, I'm the best passer of all time. Just so
you know, let me we'll just leave it at that.
Speaker 17 (30:17):
I don't know. I'm just kidding anyways, go ahead.
Speaker 19 (30:19):
So it.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
I love it.
Speaker 21 (30:21):
I love it.
Speaker 19 (30:22):
The confidence is great, and hopefully we can have that
level of confidence in Utah now that they have someone
at the quarterback position who's not going to negatively affect
the team as they did last year rolling through multiple guys.
I think the difference is going to be physicality. I
think the difference is going to be winning up front,
much like many of the NFL teams that are very
(30:43):
successful do, and as we've seen powerhouses do time and
time again. And I think if they're able to maintain
the level of consistency that damp Pier seems to bring,
as well as the defensive success and the success upfront
that they've had in previous years, they will definitely be
contending with the Iowa States and with the Arizona States
and the other groups. That could be interesting. Another you know,
(31:06):
if you're saying you're a little biased as the best
passer of all time, then I'm going to be a
little biased towards my head coach in college, Willie Fritz.
Keep an eye out on Houston. Really, Fritz has been
able to turn these teams over extremely quickly. He did
it with US at TWU Lane, where all of a sudden,
one of the worst programs in the history of college
football is going to three straight bowl games and then
(31:27):
winning a Cotton Bowl after that. I suspect that the
Tides will start turning quicker given the transfer portal. Even
next year, he has what top ten recruit coming in.
I wouldn't be shocked if Houston is a head of
schedule this year and gets into the seven or eight
game win territory. That could spell a little bit of
weirdness for Utah as well. I got some of those
games circled, but the Big twelve is a toss up.
(31:50):
But I think Utah probably has the most hour and
the most experienced out of all the teams except for
maybe Arizona State in Iowa State.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
So it's interesting you mentioned Houston and someone had asked me,
I think of the teams that were near the bottom
a year ago, which one you think will have the
biggest movement, And I think I think Houston was one
of the teams.
Speaker 17 (32:12):
But I agree with you.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Utah played Houston last year, very impressed with a lot
of things they were doing. They weren't far a year ago.
They were, they were very close, very athletic, played really
really good defense, and uh, you know, I I I
think they're one of those sleeper teams that you go
not a lot of people paying attention to them. And
I totally totally agree with that, which, uh, which is interesting.
Speaker 17 (32:38):
So I like, I like, I like your thought process.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
So you know, as we as we talked about Devin
Dampier and how he's a newcomer and you know there's
a lot of buzz about him and a lot of excitement.
Uh how what kind of analytics do you guys run on,
like the success of guys changing from one program to another.
Speaker 17 (32:59):
So I think of some guys like Dylan.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
Gabriel did a really good job at Oregon, and you
think of Michael Pennix and of course Bo Nicks a
few years ago, Will Howard, you know cam Ward who
won the Heisman Trophy and he was a transfer guy,
But there's also a lot of guys that don't, you know,
And I'm just curious where where did the analytics fall
on what I guess anticipated success you can expect from
(33:25):
a transfer, And maybe maybe you can talk about just
transfers in general and maybe specifically quarterbacks.
Speaker 19 (33:32):
So there's a couple items in there. The first is
the transfer port portal itself, and given that you know,
it's only been four or five years that the transfer
portal has been extremely relevant. Basically in the post COVID era,
we really have a limited subset of data, and when
it comes to football, it's a small sample set anyway,
(33:53):
and so we can't, you know, necessarily parse out exactly
what to expect. But here's a couple of items that
I think are very interesting. The first is number one.
As you mentioned that long list of guys that have
transferred and seen success. The quarterback position is the most
important and people typically do carry a few things over.
Luckily for Utah fans, sack avoidance is one of those
(34:14):
things that carries over not only from college to college,
but from college to pro and from pro team to
pro team. Sacks are a quarterback stat the offensive line
can protect they can do everything, but if the quarterback
is going to hold on to the ball or the
quarterback is going to scramble, and you'd probably know this
very well, you're gonna get hit. And so as a result,
(34:34):
we see things like pressure to sack ratios pressure rates,
sack rates be amongst the most stable statistics. Me and
Lindsay Rhodes on our podcast, The Super Sports Show did
a discussion about this over the summer with regards to
the NFL in particular, but it folds in college as well.
So as we've been talking about, expect Devin Dampier to
(34:55):
not take negative plays. Also in terms of the running game,
it's a little bit more variable so that running attack,
even though Jason Beck is also coming from New Mexico
at the offensive coordinator position, I think it's a little
bit going to be more dependent on Jason Beck to
get that rushing game going with Devin Dampier around it,
more so than Dampier himself. Obviously, an improved offensive line
(35:19):
is very interesting, but he's going to be an interesting
test case when it comes to moving from a school
like New Mexico who is not playing the best talent
into a program like Utah who is playing some high
level Big twelve talent. If you want an example of
a success story of this, go look at Diego Pavia
at Vanderbilt. I'd expect a similar kind of ascendance for
(35:41):
Dan Pier, probably on a substantially better team, playing more
comparable talent than that Vandy team was playing SEC talent.
And I think that's the type of success we can
probably expect to see from Devin Dampier.
Speaker 17 (35:53):
Yeah, it's a real fascinating dynamic.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
You know that happens in college football because I just
think of a few years ago before Cam Rising was playing, Uh,
they had Charlie Brewer who came from Baylor, who Charlie
Brewer was phenomenal at Baylor, and watching him through through
spring ball, You're like, now, this kid can make every throw.
Speaker 17 (36:14):
You know, he's he's a guy that's very accomplished.
Speaker 2 (36:17):
And and and we got kind of fooled in that
one because he what for whatever reason, it didn't translate
to Utah. And and so I've just been curious because
then Cam Rising comes in and it's almost immediate. He
just has success. He was technically a transfer from Texas.
He of course he sat out a year. I was
back when you had to do things like that, and uh,
(36:39):
but he was. He was so successful. It's been a
fascinating thing for me. You know, where do you find
the guy? How do you know if he's if he's
going to pan out for you when you when you
bring him in? And it kind of how soon? I think,
you know, when you look at the the Big Twelve,
you see Texas Tech made a big push in in
the in the transfer portal and and I il players
(37:01):
and talent. Do you have any information about that, like
just on teams, like you know, I know Colorado a
few years ago, I mean they overhauled almost their entire
team and they really only got to be an average
team in the Big Twelve. I mean, there was a
lot of hype they had a Heisman Trophy winner, but
as far as wins and losses, they certainly weren't competing
(37:23):
for a championship.
Speaker 17 (37:24):
How soon or how.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
Do you predict or how can you analyze when when
you have big turnovers with your team and the transfer portal?
Speaker 19 (37:34):
So I think there's a couple of different examples of this,
But let's talk about it at the position group level,
because that's where we can really kind of suspect how
things are going to go. At the offensive line position,
it's going to be very, very difficult to maintain through
the transfer portal. And obviously that's not going to be
a problem with Utah football given that they have some
(37:56):
studs upfront that are coming back. But that's very difficult
to build through the transfer portal, much as it is
particularly at the tackle position in free agency in the NFL.
And a lot of these things actually mirror to the NFL.
The places where they don't is you're able to get
that skill level talent, that quarterback talent, at running back
talent through the transfer portal because you have guys jumping
(38:19):
up and for example, there was one of the best
running backs last year was out of ul Monroe. I
suspect he will also have a good year given that
he transferred up. And so's those kind of items. Another
thing you want to look at is typically the star
system does work pretty well when it comes to evaluating
(38:40):
these players out of high school, and maybe just the
opportunity isn't there. So a team like Tulane, for example,
who has been very successful in the past two years,
has been able to collect wide receiver four and five
star talent, particularly out of the New Orleans area, get
them back and they've eventually ended up being NFL level
practice squad level guys, which at that makes a huge difference.
(39:01):
And so on the defensive side of the ball, we've
seen some real success in turning over defenses quickly. That
Florida State team from two years ago who now basically
comprised the key pieces of the Los Angeles Rams defense,
Braden Fisk, Jared Versk both transfers up and so defense,
you can pretty much rebuild a team, you can pick
(39:22):
guys up from different places, but on offense, particularly on
the offensive line, it's a little bit harder.
Speaker 2 (39:28):
The college football looks like the playoffs are expanding to
sixteen teams. There was a comment from Kirby Smart just
kind of I don't know, I just got MyD my
blood boiling. And they were asked about playing more conference games,
and he's like, why do we want to have nine
(39:49):
more losses in our conference against you know, our chances
of getting to the.
Speaker 17 (39:54):
College football playoffs.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
And it just was really annoying to me because it's like, well,
what you're saying, then you want an easier schedule, you
want Cupcape games to ensure that you have an inflated
win total so that you get more teams in the playoffs,
and that that to me just kind of flies in
the face of what like competition's all about. So that
being said, do you like where this is headed with
(40:19):
the college football playoffs? Does it help a conference like
the Big twelve? You know, is there a likelihood that
the Big twelve can get more teams into the playoffs?
I guess it really is the one thing I'm curious about,
or maybe how is the best strategy for the Big
twelve to get multiple teams into the playoffs.
Speaker 19 (40:40):
I think it's a very interesting question, especially given the
discussions between the SEC and the Big Ten basically talking
as if they run college football now. I am a
big believer that the ACC and Big twelve are also
very good, and frankly, I think in certain cases they
may be deeper, even though they may not have the
ultra top tier Clemson talent Clemson, Alabama, Florida, Florida State,
(41:05):
et cetera, whatever talent that some of the other programs have,
excuse me, other conferences have. I like the twelve team playoff.
I think if it ain't broke don't fix it. I
think perhaps this is just another money run from college football. Specifically,
as these teams start to think about having to share
more revenue, generate more money, increase donations, and thus the
(41:27):
television rights go up, you're able to do that a
little bit more. I like the twelve team though. I
think it's the perfect middle ground. You get those teams
in like Boise and SMU last year, who had excellent
years and deserve their shot at a program defining win
in the first or second round, but you also end
up with two of the best teams. I think Ohio
State and Notre Dame last year were certified the best
(41:49):
two teams. Did they look a little tired going into
the National Championship game? Yes? Did Riley Leonard look specifically
tired after they ran him like fifteen times on the
first drive? Yeah, I gotta love it, but you never
know how it affects those players' bodies. So I think
the sixteen team may just be too much of an
expansion at this point. I think they're doing the same
(42:11):
thing in basketball as well, where they're trying to expand again,
and what I want to stay away from is getting
in those teams who basically are going five hundred or
slightly above it, and then they get in because of
Strinth's schedule, they end up playing another power team and
just get smoked. I don't really want to see that.
I don't think that's good football. I'd personally rather see
a good football team who has won a lot of games,
(42:33):
maybe get beat by two touchdowns, but compete given that
they earned it. And I think there's just a different
level of earning it over a twelve game season in
college football. Having had to do it four times, I mean,
overcoming by week six, week seven, week eight, and continue
to push forward in a week twelve makes a huge difference.
(42:53):
If you're able to win eleven or twelve games, I
think you should have a shot at least to show
yourself against the best in the nation.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
Yeah, it's it's an interesting conversation about you know, kind
of the number, and I agree with a lot of
what you said as far as the you know the
number of teams and are you are you just you know,
you're just patting it or you're just on a money run,
which brings me to a comment you said about it
feels like the SEC and the Big ten run college
(43:22):
football and with with this House settlement, Uh, clearly it's
gonna spur on more lawsuits. Does anyone ever just stand
up to the big bullies and say, hey, you guys
are colluding, You guys are are freezing us all out
with this is a free enterprise world we live in
and you guys, you guys, maybe you're violating anti trust
(43:43):
laws in your conference with your domination of things. Do
you ever see anyone standing up to the to the
big the Big Ten and the SEC and actually suing them,
because it seems like people think that they might have
a voice now that they didn't before.
Speaker 19 (43:58):
I mean, I think it's very powerful, whether that's on
the labor side with the players. Obviously, there's some pretty
staunch disagreements about what that House settlement actually says. As expected,
I was a huge skeptic about what this House settlement
could potentially be going in. I think it's very difficult
to limit nil rights when name, image and likeness by
(44:23):
definition or the athlete individuals themselves, very difficult to keep
people from compensating them for that, especially if they're not employees.
So there's that threat to the SEC and the Big
Ten in particular, especially if you are thus depressing the
nil rights of players at excellent programs like Utah, Colorado, Baylor, SMU, Clemson,
(44:46):
et cetera, particularly Clemson, Florida State some of those programs.
And then moreover, you look at the interaction between all
the conferences and the fact that big the Big twelve,
for the most part, has a pretty you know West
Coast or Midwest, you know Texas, it has a pretty
close geographic phase with a lot of good rivalries and
(45:08):
a lot of things that people want to watch. And
then as that continues to get watered down by the
Big ten, adding Oregon and all these other people, that
that causes problems as well, particularly for travel, particularly for
schools having to outlay budgets that are quite intense. There's
Title nine issues as well as these teams and as
it's begun to happen in fcs have to just cut
(45:30):
women's programs or men's programs as well golf programs. There's
a bunch of problems. I think the NCAA is kind
of moving all over the place, shaken up, and I
think at some point someone's going to have to step in,
whether that is through a settlement or through a lawsuit,
and figure this all out.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
It seems like it's a mess, but it seems like
it's a hot mess that might get fixed at some point.
We'll see what happens. But it's fascinating. College football is
always great, still great. Okay, what are some what are
some things you guys have been studying that I think
it's maybe something we don't know about, something that's really
compelling about this year's college football season.
Speaker 19 (46:12):
So I think you got a look at Florida State.
I think they're a fascinating business We were talking a
little bit about the business college football. They're a fascinating
business element. Given there the biggest school in the ACC,
probably the alongside Clemson, the most likely to jump to
one of those power conferences if they were so released
or something like that. But let's just focus on the
(46:33):
football right now. A lot of trash talk going in
between them and Alabama SEC media days going on today.
They were responding to quarterback Thomas Castianos, who just transferred
from Boston College to Florida State. I got that week
one circled, and I think Thomas Cassianas is very interesting.
You look at what we call expected points added per
(46:55):
drop back, basically just puts yards in context and tell
us tells us how successful that player is per drop
back and if he's hitting the correct big plays, so
forth and so on. He was a top twenty five
guy in that statistic, but he was very, very hurtful
to the Boston College team in the running game despite
having quite a few carries. I think he had something
(47:16):
like sixty seventy carries last year, which typically a non
running quarterback will have between thirty and fifty. So he
was getting some action in the running game, particularly when
he was scrambling around. When you were that far down
the list in the hundreds on running and what you
are doing for your team. It's going to be interesting
(47:36):
how Florida State manages that given the lack of success
they saw last year and their ability, as I said,
to kind of try to build through the transfer portal.
It worked out for him two years ago, fell flat
on its face. I have that circled for Week one
and then those other marquee matchups man Ohio State, Texas, Clemson, LSU.
I think those are potentially four of the best teams
(47:59):
this year. Ye Ohio State's going to come in with
a rookie quarterback freshman quarterback playing his first game. But
I want to understand, particularly as it affects the NFL,
how much Jeremiah Smith, who the data shows is one
of the best wide receivers probably in modern college football history,
especially through his first year, how much he can open
things up for Julians, saying, the rookie quarterback for Ohio
(48:23):
State against an excellent and experienced Texas defense, one of
the best defenses in the nation last year. They're bringing
back a ton of young talent. That's a matchup on
one to note than last one. On that week one,
Garrett Nussmeyer a very efficient quarterback. He's not going to
move a whole bunch. I'm really interested to see what
he does against a Clemson defensive line who is full
(48:46):
of first round talent. Now, Dabo Sweeney did note that
that first round projections. He says he hasn't necessarily seen
the numbers. All those guys, including Peter Woods some other
defensive linemen and do have good metrics when it comes
down to what we were seeing on a frame by frame,
play by play basis. That being said, the production wasn't
(49:07):
necessarily top tier last year. I want to be interested
if they will be able to sack Nussmeyer consistently. That
is something that he was good at avoiding last year.
That Clemson team is able to get after him. I'm
really excited for that Week on one matchup as well.
Speaker 2 (49:22):
Always appreciate the conversation. Great stuff, love your passion, love
what you do. Have a great day, Sam.
Speaker 19 (49:27):
Thank you, Thank y'all so much.
Speaker 2 (49:30):
All right, there you have at Sam Brookhouse from Sumer Sports.
He is a football analyst, data analyst. They dive deep
in the numbers and man the numbers. The numbers never lie,
so we love that. Sports Center will be live at
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Join us.
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to the athletes. Unlimited Softball games coming up around the corner,
so much more. Major League Baseball apparently had a home
run derby to finish its All Star Game. This is
the Sean O'Connell Show Here on ESPN seven hundred ninety two.
Speaker 1 (50:27):
Sean O'Connell Show for the Murdoch Hundai Studio of ESPN
seven hundred and ninety two one FM show.
Speaker 17 (50:43):
Hello, sports fans, welcome back.
Speaker 2 (50:45):
It is the Sean O'Connell Show here on ESPN seven
hundred ninety two NFM. I'm not Sean O'Connell. I'm Scott
Mitchell here filling in for Sean. This will be my
last day. It's Wednesday, by the way, and that little
engine that could got to the top of the hill
and we are now out on the downhill slide for
the weekend. It's hump day and we're cruising right through
(51:07):
the hump day of sports right here on Utah's number
one sports Talk. Major League Baseball had its All Star
Game and it was a It was a very competitive,
spirited game. They had to decide it by a home
run derby instead of extra innings. Kyle Schwarber won the
(51:29):
MVP after hitting the game winning home runs. Did you
see this, Scott? Did you tune in?
Speaker 17 (51:36):
Okay, here's the thing about me. I don't know what
it is. I think I get really tired from doing
the show all day and talking.
Speaker 2 (51:43):
I was like out out, so yeah, and I really
wanted to win it, but I thought it's a fascinating
way to win or I guess to do you think
they they kind of did it on purpose, like they go, hey,
let's let's figure out a way to tie up this game,
and then we'll do some kind of unique Uh, I'm
(52:04):
sure you watched it. I don't think they did that.
Speaker 20 (52:06):
Because the the NL was up six to nothing after
like four innings or was it five innings, and then
the al had to really grind to get that back
they had, they had a three.
Speaker 17 (52:17):
Run They all know that that was the way that
they were going to decide to tie.
Speaker 20 (52:21):
Yeah, I don't remember. I don't remember seeing the announcement
about this, but this was definitely decided before the season.
Speaker 17 (52:27):
Well, baseball is is fixed anyway, so they fixed all
the all.
Speaker 21 (52:33):
I mean all the game. I've had the most gambling scandals, right,
So yeah, and and so they probably go, we need
to tie. So however, someone's calling down going, let's tie
this up so we can make this really interesting.
Speaker 20 (52:46):
I'll say this, Scott. It was a fun game because
of the comeback they they ended up. AL ended up
tying it with two outs in the ninth innings, so
it got it got that dramatic, and then I thought
the home run they I think they officially called it
a home run swing off, but it was basically home
(53:06):
run Derby that each team picked three guys, each of
them got three swings and it was like a head
to head style thing.
Speaker 2 (53:12):
Was it like batting practice type of speed or or
did they have their own pitchers?
Speaker 20 (53:16):
I mean it wasn't the No, it was a bench
coach is one of the bench coaches for the All
Star teams.
Speaker 17 (53:23):
Very similar to like the home run Derby.
Speaker 2 (53:25):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 20 (53:25):
It was home run Derby style and you just but
you only get three swings. So even if you unlike
home run Derby, even if you keep hitting home runs,
you don't get to keep going.
Speaker 2 (53:37):
Schworber.
Speaker 20 (53:38):
The AL was up three to one in the swing
off when Schwarber got up and then he hit a
home run on all three swings.
Speaker 2 (53:45):
It was amazing. It was amazing, So I thought it
was a great way to end it.
Speaker 20 (53:51):
It's a lot better than putting the second basement on
or someone on second base.
Speaker 2 (53:55):
I think in extra innings if they wanted to.
Speaker 20 (53:57):
I mean, I'm not in favor of doing this in
real games, but if they wanted to come up with
a way to end it quick like regular season games, quicker,
I'd like this better than putting a guy on second
at like they've been doing the last few years.
Speaker 2 (54:11):
Yeah, but it's it's it's ideal for like spring training
or All Star game.
Speaker 17 (54:16):
I love that they do.
Speaker 2 (54:16):
We are desperate as a sports world to get our
All Star Games and our Pro Bowls and everything relevant.
And I'm just telling you there's just one simple way.
It's a very simple way. You just get the president
to piss off somebody, piss off another another country to
do something, and then and then you have you have
great and.
Speaker 20 (54:35):
You let them and then you let the players fight,
like right the examinations actually absolutely all right.
Speaker 17 (54:41):
Love it.
Speaker 2 (54:42):
Hey, if you are in Orum this week, make sure
you stop by Orum Toyota for a chance to win
five thousand dollars in cash. Next giveaways are July seventeenth
and July twenty fourth.
Speaker 17 (54:55):
Seventeenth is tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (54:57):
Take a selfie with the red tag VA tag yourself
and the dealership. Then register on ESPN seven hundred sports
dot com don't mess your chance to win five thousand
dollars in cash.
Speaker 17 (55:08):
Are you kidding me? Ah? People go do this.
Speaker 2 (55:11):
All right, We're gonna take a break. We come back
none other than Adrian Denny. Of course, he's the host
of Utah Mammoth Radio Between the Pipes. He's gonna join
us here at the top of the hour on the
Shan O'Connell Show here on ESPN seven hundred ninety two
one FMLA.
Speaker 1 (55:33):
Past by Sean O'Connell show, you were home of the
best inside of your Yes, let's get back to WOC
from the Murdoch Chevrolet Studio of ESPN seven hundred and
ninety two one FM.
Speaker 17 (55:50):
Hello, sports fans, welcome back.
Speaker 2 (55:52):
It is the Shan O'Connell Show here on ESPN seven
hundred ninety two to one FM, Proud to be a
part of Utah's ESPN Radio Sports Network. All Right, we
have a lot going on today, a lot of fun stuff.
Speaker 8 (56:08):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (56:08):
If you miss any of it, don't worry, just go
to the ESPN seven or sports dot Com you can
listen live. You can also go to the ESPN seven
hundred app and do that as well, or you can
listen in to down the podcast version, either one live
or podcast, and you can also get on your smart
speaker because it's smart and if you tell it, it
(56:28):
will play ESPN seven hundred. Yes, all you got to
do is just say, hey, just do this. We're also
on YouTube at ESPN seven or Sports Utah. So don't
fear if you just missed part of this, but you
don't want to. You don't want to miss what we're
going to talk about now, because we're going to talk
about the Utah Mammoth with none other than Adrian Denny.
He's the studio host for Utah Mammoth Radio Between the Pipes,
(56:53):
Love It welk.
Speaker 17 (56:54):
He's in studio today. Adrian, how are you doing today's
appreciate you being part of the show.
Speaker 2 (56:58):
Yeah, thanks for having me. Great to be here. Yes,
of course. Adrian is brought to you by Angora and
Aladdin Industries. Okay, a lot of a lot of hockey news,
a lot to talk about. But first, I'm really fascinated
about this retrofitting conversion of the Delta Center to kind
(57:19):
of I guess, get the best of both worlds. Can
you talk me through, like what's going to happen for
hockey fans why this is so good for hockey fans?
What's what's going to make a difference? And really, is
this type of thing going to bring a Stanley Cup
championship to Utah? That's what I want to know. It's
going to help.
Speaker 17 (57:38):
Okay, good, it's telling me a why please?
Speaker 22 (57:41):
So last year eleven thousand and thirty one, that was
the number of seats that could see everything. We could
get over sixteen thousand, but there was some extructed view areas.
But you're still in the area. You're at the Rock Show,
you were still feeling it. You were NHL game in Utah.
So this is going to add more seats where you
(58:06):
can see the action better. And it's also not going
to take away from the NBA experience. Right, It's easy
to go in, you move some stuff around, but as
we all know, Della Center in the NBA doesn't get
any better as far as fans being on top of
the action, the way they can see the game, the
(58:26):
acoustics in the building, the way it rocks. So you
want that to stay the same. You want more people
for hockey that can also get a good vision of it,
and folks that are a lot smarter than me.
Speaker 2 (58:41):
Have figured out a.
Speaker 22 (58:42):
Way to make it so they can adjust the configuration
so that it's going to be perfect for the NHL
and stay perfect for the Jazz And it's part of
a multi year project. And if you've been down there
Della Center, there's a big old construction zone right now.
Speaker 2 (59:03):
You've seen the pictures.
Speaker 22 (59:05):
You know it's the Arena Bowl because they tell you
on social media, but you can't necessarily tell that it's
the Arena Bowl right now with all the movement and shaking.
Speaker 2 (59:14):
So what does it do this year? Like, like what
kind of impact? And you go it it goes from
eleven to sixteen?
Speaker 19 (59:21):
Is that?
Speaker 2 (59:22):
What is that? Is that the number that or or
what will be the final number of people that can
actually comfortably and effectively watch a hockey game.
Speaker 22 (59:31):
It's going to be over seventeen, over seventeen, over seventeen
by the time everything gets done over the next couple summers,
And it's going to be a step by step process.
And when you get into Delta Center in October, you're
not even gonna be able to tell that, uh, anything's happened.
Speaker 2 (59:50):
And then we'll play another season and then uh do
it again back to our so uh how does it
how does it help the team? Like what I was
I was kind of joking little tongue in cheek on
the standard A Cup. But what does it mean to
have an arena that you know is is a is
a formidable place? What kind of impact does it actually
have on the team and their success on the ice?
Speaker 22 (01:00:11):
We saw it last year after the first phase last
summer was event level right, locker rooms, training areas, conditioning, dining,
that stuff. So the Mammoth, the Hockey Club, the Utah
Hockey Club last year and the visiting teams are coming
(01:00:31):
in to a first year arena like, holy cow, this
is amazing. And we heard it from the visiting teams too,
looking at, you know, the visiting locker rooms, the space
that they had, and the players coming into Delta Center
last year in a brand new locker room. First time
I went into the locker room during training camp, I'm like,
(01:00:53):
I know that I've been in here before, but it
wasn't a locker room.
Speaker 2 (01:00:57):
And I couldn't even tell.
Speaker 22 (01:00:59):
And you you're looking at the ceiling and you're looking
at the way they they did the the stalls and
and the changing areas, and it was it was really amazing.
It's it's the best, and that's that's that's the goal
for everything is to be the the best in the NHL.
And the training facility, the practice facility at Southtown right
(01:01:21):
where is that. It's going to be ready to go
for training camp in September. And we got we had
a tour of that in March, and uh, Ryan Smith,
Lurn Governor, Ashley Smith, President of Hockey Operations, Chris Armstrong,
they're they're showing us around and they're like, I want
this to be top five, and I'm like, top five,
(01:01:43):
this is going to be the best, Like, right, come
on there, there's absolutely no doubt that this is is
going to be the best in the NHL. And and
we've heard it from you know, the free agents that
have been signed so far, Brandon tannev Nate Schmidt, we've
heard from them so far. J Turka acquired in the
trade that they brought up. Like facilities, uh arena, we
(01:02:05):
were at Dela Center, so the place was rocking.
Speaker 17 (01:02:08):
This kind of stuff matters to the players. It has
an impact.
Speaker 2 (01:02:11):
Yeah, it has an impact on bringing players here. Uh,
maybe being happy here. I mean I would imagine all
of that.
Speaker 22 (01:02:18):
The practice facility is we're going they're gonna spend all
day every day. Yeah, we're even gonna skate there in
the in the morning on game days before coming downtown.
And what you see in a lot of NHL markets
is the players kind of gravitate around the practice facility.
They they live closer to that, maybe on the on
(01:02:39):
the outskirts of town, the outskirts of downtown. And and
so you have that as you know, home base. You
go in, get settled, you practice, you are there to
work out. You've got the dining, the catering, three meals
a day, and uh, you know, it's it's it's your home.
(01:03:00):
And we had that this year at the Oval, the
out in Currents, and that was a facility that was
put together basically overnight, put in uh just to the
the Olympic sized ice sheet to be standard NHL build out,
the locker rooms, build in office space, training space, and
(01:03:21):
and that was kind of the first, uh, you know,
our first experience of of Utah on the NHL was
that facility and knowing we were going to be going
to this one, but that one was pretty good too.
Speaker 2 (01:03:31):
It wasn't bad for yeah, make shift and just put
together in a summer. So just just kind of a
side note this this new facility, the practice facility, is
it going to have any uh any significance in the
in the Olympics, you know, because you talk about venues
UH and and even UH I know this kind of
(01:03:53):
growing hockey from the ground roots up and and Ryan
talked about UH cities who are willing to build facilities
uh for youth programs and for or is this just
solely strictly this is Utah Mammoth facility, it's off limits
to people or what kind of what kind of impact
does that have on on our community in general?
Speaker 22 (01:04:14):
The vision from se G is for it to be
Utah's home for hockey. It's gonna start with two ranks,
there's gonna be a third, there's eight locker rooms, and
it's it's gonna be hustling and bustling. There's gonna be
seats for fans to go watch practice. That's that's something
(01:04:37):
that that we want is for for fans to be
able to watch practice.
Speaker 17 (01:04:41):
Can you watch practice during a season or is it
just like in training camp or whatever.
Speaker 22 (01:04:45):
Ultimately you'll be able to watch the Mammoth practice in
the morning for for year one, it's gonna be another
one of those things that you know, there's still gonna
be some some ongoing work and and still going to
be working on a third sheet. But ultimately the vision
is for fans to go go down to South Down
(01:05:06):
and be able to watch practice, and for youth to
practice there, and for it to be the community's home
for everything hockey.
Speaker 2 (01:05:17):
I remember in the NFL when we'd have training camp
in the summer and we would be either at a
practice facility depending on what team it was, or we
went to some college, you know, and we'd have thousands
of people show up and watch practice every day.
Speaker 17 (01:05:34):
And I was always like, what do these people do
for a living?
Speaker 2 (01:05:36):
Because there's a lot of people out here practicing and
I never really thought about it in the sense of hockey.
But that would be fun. I'd love to go out
and watch watch some practice. That would be a fun thing.
So it sounds it sounds amazing.
Speaker 22 (01:05:48):
We were up in Park City two weeks ago at
our Prospect and Development camp right after the draft at
the Park City Ice Arena Monday Tuesday, during the day
middle of the summer, Monday Day, Great Crowd. Tuesday was
packed of people watching our draft picks at a summer camp.
It's kind of it was. It was the forwards were
(01:06:10):
on the first session and the d were on in
the second session. And then two weeks ago tomorrow at
at the Utah Olympic Oval, we had our season ticket
members and youth hockey out watching a scrimmage.
Speaker 17 (01:06:23):
So oh wow, that's awesome. I love it.
Speaker 2 (01:06:25):
You have to do that though, You gotta you got
to bring people along, You got to educate him, you
got to get them excited, you got to have it
accessible to people.
Speaker 22 (01:06:32):
One of those it's one of those things. Why wouldn't
you right, Yeah, you do it because you can.
Speaker 17 (01:06:36):
Yeah, yeah, I love uh.
Speaker 2 (01:06:39):
When I when I played with the Lions in Detroit,
you know, the Red Wings big deal there. In fact,
I remember the first the first week I was there
and and they have the news there's sports, you know,
and and it's it's all about the Red Wings. And
I'm like, oh, this is a big deal, you know,
because I had never really lived anywhere where hockey would
(01:07:00):
you know, king And and they were great. They they
love to have players come, you know, they invited us.
I went to practices, they invited me out on the ice.
You know, and and this is when they were Scotty
Bowman and Steve Eiserman and Sergei feder Off and all
those guys, and and I was like, no, you guys
(01:07:22):
like I'm you know, I'm not a great skater or anything.
And I was like, you guys will embarrass the heck
out of me if I get out on this ice.
Speaker 17 (01:07:28):
But they were.
Speaker 2 (01:07:29):
They were just so accommodating and so open, and it
was just a it's kind of a refreshing. It feels
like to me, hockey as a professional sports, it's still
kind of the people's sport, you know.
Speaker 17 (01:07:40):
It's it's not it's not so.
Speaker 2 (01:07:43):
Hoity toity about itself that you know, it can take
itself too seriously.
Speaker 17 (01:07:47):
And it just seems accessible to me.
Speaker 22 (01:07:49):
The guys love sports, right, I've ridden the bus and
the miners doing watching them do like their master's pools
and their NCAA pools. And I'm I'm turning around one
year and I'm like, these guys are having an in
depth conversation about the NBA. And I look at last
year guys were at rice Ecles watching the youths or
(01:08:11):
early September the Baylor game. We had a bunch of
players out there, and and every night it seemed like
you looked front row and you had you tell Mammoth
players at the Jazz Games and and Lorie marketing.
Speaker 2 (01:08:26):
Out of Finland.
Speaker 22 (01:08:27):
Finisher right, Uh, big big hockey fan has skates skated
out an opening night and dropped the puck, and so
you know, we've we've got a couple of couple of
fins on our team and able to integrate him. And
there's sports fans and it was it was fun to
to have the team come in and instantly become fans
(01:08:47):
of our teams that we've been rooting for for years.
Speaker 2 (01:08:51):
Here all right, So, uh, there's so much want I
get to, but I'm just gonna start with schedule here.
Speaker 19 (01:08:56):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (01:08:56):
So it came out today, Uh what what do you
look for in a in the regular season schedule for
NHA Hockey?
Speaker 17 (01:09:03):
You know, what is it?
Speaker 2 (01:09:04):
Matchups through the year. What are the things? What are
the things we need to know about this year's schedule
that are important that have meaning?
Speaker 22 (01:09:12):
So schedule regular season commences October ninth at Colorado three
game road triple start the season at the Avs at
the National Preditors Saturday, October eleventh at Chicago Monday, October thirteenth,
then home for a four game home stand, opening on
October fifteenth against Calgary, went three and ozero against them.
(01:09:32):
Last year, there's not gonna be a lot of home
games early. Eighteen of twenty nine games to start the
year gonna be on the road. Twenty four of the
final forty gonna be at home. Last year, Utah is
really good early on the road. I don't mind it.
I don't know how you felt in football, but early on,
I think you put a hockey team on the road,
(01:09:54):
it's never a bad thing. You come out of camp
and you go straight to the road and you stay together.
It kind of stays like training can you're in your routine.
Last year, Utah went three to zho to one against
teams on their opening nights, started off on the road
two to one and one first road trip, had a
seven game on beaten streak on the road after Thanksgiving
(01:10:14):
and right before Christmas. So I don't think eighteen and
twenty nine on the road is anything that that's that bad.
And then you finish strong going to the playoff run.
Twenty four of the final forty at home. That's what
I kind of look at where are the stretches of
heavy road, heavy home, uh, seven game homestand is going
to start that twenty four of the final forty at
(01:10:34):
home in in January, and you look at it, there's
a three week Olympic break.
Speaker 17 (01:10:41):
Eax.
Speaker 22 (01:10:41):
The NHL player is gonna be the Olympics again in February.
Doesn't really affect, you know, the the dressing of the schedule.
Eleven back to backs this year, eleven back to backs
last year. But for the fans at home, I think
last year we only saw Vegas once. That's a you know,
kind of a regional rival. Everybody knows about the Gold Nights.
Only saw Edmonton once. Connor McDavid, Leon Dry Sidle Western
(01:11:03):
Conference champions. They both come to town twice this year
in Vegas and Edmonton. And then I think the other
thing you look at is your division schedule, because the
way this year's schedule is, next year it's gonna be
different because we're adding two more games. There's gonna be
eighty four games. And the collective bargaining kareement that starts
in twenty six twenty seven, so you play every team
in the division four times. That there's two teams you
(01:11:25):
want play three times, and this year it's Winnipeg and Minnesota.
You only played three times. So Winnipeg won the division
last year, and then we had to go play them
last year twice up up there, which is even on
charters is a long long trip, and then only played
Minnesota three times as well. So that's that's kind of
my casual breakdown after getting the email at eleven am
(01:11:47):
and just kind of perusing the thing.
Speaker 2 (01:11:49):
Winnipeg is it's where they do all the testing for
harshness for the automobibile industry.
Speaker 17 (01:11:56):
I don't know if you know that.
Speaker 2 (01:11:57):
And so they because it has the it has the
most the harshest extremes. It'll get really warm, but it
also get brutally cold, and so they test paint I
guess for the for cars. But you speak of the
division and and you know the Mammoth are relatively new.
I mean, does it do you carry old rivals? Is
(01:12:21):
this team developing rivals? Who are the rivals? And how
meaningful are those and and and what what what will
those games look like?
Speaker 22 (01:12:29):
I look, I look at Colorado and Vegas, you know,
just just because of the just because of the regional proximity. Right,
We've had AVS games on TV here for years, right,
thirty years if they got here, they were on TV
before before the the NHL came to Utah. Vegas came
in in twenty seventeen and a lot of Utah hockey
(01:12:49):
fans started gravitating and becoming Vegas Golden Night fans. And
they made the Stanley Cup Final their first year, and
they've they've been pretty good. So so I look at
Colorado and and Vegas is the the two teams that
I think, you know, get get get the most excitement going.
But I mean you look at at the NHL, and
(01:13:10):
I know a lot of our fans. I've seen a
lot on social day of our fans looking at the
schedule day and instantly booking trips to go watch games.
And one thing I think you see a lot of
in the NHL that I that I haven't noticed as
much in other sports is the amount of NHL fans
that will plan a winter trip to go watch their teams.
(01:13:31):
And you know, we're in a cold weather place there,
but it's at Salt Lake. We hosted Olympics. It's a
it's a destination spot and it was a first year
NHL team last year. We saw a lot of visiting
fans last year here in Utah taking it all in.
And I know they were all pretty impressed with with
what they saw, so that that that might be another
(01:13:51):
thing that maybe it's uh, you know, from from night
to night you're playing the Rangers, you're gonna have a
chunk of chunk of their fans.
Speaker 2 (01:13:58):
Yeah, And I remember, where do Mammoth fans go? Where
do they want to go? Is it to Vegas?
Speaker 19 (01:14:04):
Is it?
Speaker 17 (01:14:05):
Is it in New York.
Speaker 22 (01:14:07):
That's the great part about it. We're so close to Vegas,
so close to Colorado. You can take quick drive to Vegas.
You could take an hour flight to Denver. Or you
can be like, well, what about some fun of the
sun filled in some Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay, some Dallas
or you're like, huh, it's uh, you know Christmas time,
(01:14:31):
it's the holidays. What what what a better time to
jump over to New York City, Boston? Check that out.
And so I think we're so new. I think there's
you can go start to figure out, hey, this could
be kind of fun.
Speaker 2 (01:14:44):
You know, you got Seattle and Vancouver and those are
two other cities fun to go to for thought that
much about that, but yeah, that'd be kind of a
cool thing.
Speaker 6 (01:14:53):
This team was.
Speaker 2 (01:14:56):
On the verge of the playoffs a year ago. Uh,
that feels like that's kind of what, you know, the
progression of where this is going. Why wasn't the Mammoth
in the playoffs last year? Where were they deficient?
Speaker 17 (01:15:07):
Have they?
Speaker 2 (01:15:08):
Have they filled some of those holes? Are they ready
to make a significant run in the playoffs here this year?
Speaker 17 (01:15:14):
What's what's that's that?
Speaker 23 (01:15:16):
I think?
Speaker 22 (01:15:16):
So I looked at last year and a couple of components.
Going into last year, we thought we're going to score
a lot of goals here. The question is how do
we keep the puck out of the net? And then
we had some injuries early to some key defenseman. John
Marino started the year injured. Seohn Dursey got hurt fourth game,
and all of a sudden, we are really really thin
(01:15:36):
and kind of had to adjust them to fly and
become a defense first team just to not give up
twenty great a scoring chances the night and by doing
so kind of affected are scoring. So you know, you
you make a positive out of it. We got much
better defensively during the course of the year which affected
our goal scoring when we did have our full team back.
(01:16:00):
So I think going into this year are gonna be
much better defensively, but wanted to add some more scoring
at the same time.
Speaker 2 (01:16:05):
So that's that's how I look at it.
Speaker 22 (01:16:08):
And last year we had we had Connor Ingram away
from the team for some big gaps in time, and
Carl Lamelka at one point started twenty plus games, gets
to five year contract, all of a sudden, he's your
starting goalie. So I think we had a lot of
situations last year that were unexpected that you can say, well,
the injuries on d Mamelica is starting twenty plus straight
(01:16:32):
games without Connor Ingram. But I think now you can
look at it as a positive that maybe showed us
all right, so we can do this. And now you
go out and you add jj Pittirker from Buffalo fifty
five goals in the last two years, had twenty seven
last year, twenty eighth the year before that, top four
(01:16:52):
score in the NHL underplayer in players under twenty three
the last three years. We got him in that big
trade and then I think, oh gosh, we need some
more size in the NHL. Now our pipeline is loaded.
We're huge the way that general manager Bill Armstrong is drafted.
We need a little more size, we need to be
a little more physical. Went out and got Brandon Tannev
(01:17:15):
who was in Winnipeg for the first couple of rounds
of the playoffs last year after trade from Seattle. So
so went out and got him. I think that addresses
the size that the want for a little more grit.
And then got Nate Schmidt, who won a Stanley Cup
with Florida defencemen. We're really deep on demon but good
(01:17:38):
problem to have, Bill Armstrong said last week, like you
dress six, but your seventh defenseman's gonna play in sixty
five percent of your game, So you gotta be deep.
Just the way things go. So I think i OC
and I talked about it last week. Utah got was
one of four teams to get an A from the
athletic in a grade and agency. Yeah, And it was
(01:18:01):
something that I felt they should have and it was
impressed to see that they agreed because I think that
was it. So last year was close, and going into
last year, I think you're thinking, Okay, we're gonna be
in the hunt.
Speaker 17 (01:18:16):
Can we.
Speaker 22 (01:18:18):
Be that team that makes the playoffs out of the
three four teams that are going for that last spot.
We were there and in going into the final couple
of weeks, had a chance and just all a little short.
So so I think some good lessons where we thought
we were going to be. And now this year, adding
those pieces a year older and going through the the unexpected,
(01:18:42):
I think made everybody better.
Speaker 17 (01:18:45):
All Right, before I let you go, is there something
that we all need to know that we don't know?
Speaker 9 (01:18:50):
What?
Speaker 2 (01:18:50):
Is there something you can enlighten us about that's going
on with the Mammoth that should get us excited? Maybe
it's something we don't know, something that you want, the thing.
Speaker 22 (01:19:00):
You want to talk some more hockey in the summer
about that. We have got Mammoth Week coming up, starts
a week from Saturday, and it's a statewide tour. We're
gonna be in Logan, We're gonna be in Provo, Park City,
Cottonwood Heights, Ogden, Enoch, which is just north of Cedar City.
(01:19:22):
I've lived here since I was eight. I had no
idea where Enoch was until I on this this itinerary
and looked it up. But it's just north of Cedar City. Yeah,
kj's ice Barn Baby Friday August first, and uh Saint George.
So we're gonna be all throughout the state with with
(01:19:44):
uh lots of fun at the local at the local rink. So,
so come find us Utah Mammoth dot com. You can
find the rink uh and date where we're going to
be in your area. We'll have pop up merchandise stands
and get your new Mammoth gear, some some hockey and instruction.
We'll have some more advanced hockey instruction too. You can
sign up for so, I'd say, uh, check out, check
(01:20:07):
out Mammoth Week.
Speaker 17 (01:20:08):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (01:20:08):
Mammoth Week should be a Mammoth year. It's gonna be
the year. I can feel it. Just a lot of
good stuff, a lot of great energy, exciting things happening.
Speaker 17 (01:20:16):
Really appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (01:20:17):
Thank you for coming in, Adrian, and have a great
rest of your day and have a great Mammoth Week. Yeah,
thank you, Scott. Thanks for having me. Man, you got
it all right there, you have it, folks between the pipes.
Adrian Denny Studio hosts for the Utah Mammoth. Of course,
it's brought to you by Angorra and Aladdin Industries. Live
Night Events presents the twenty twenty five Granary Live Concert
(01:20:38):
Series powered by Nightingale College and Murdoch Hynde. Utah is
number one high enda dealer experience outdoor concerts in the
heart of downtown Salt Lakes Granary District. Find more details
on ESPN seven hundred sports dot com. Amy Hoague is
around the corner. She's, of course, the head softball coach
at the University of Utah. On the Sean O'Connell Show
(01:20:58):
here on ESPN seven hundred nin to one FM.
Speaker 24 (01:21:02):
Tell it belong with me, Jamy, and I can tell
it belong.
Speaker 1 (01:21:10):
You were listening to about Sean O'Connell's show, your source
for the best use football comedy. Here's hoc from the
Murdoch Hyundai Studio of ESPN seven hundred and ninety two
one AFM.
Speaker 3 (01:21:24):
Wow, so got up his name?
Speaker 17 (01:21:33):
All righty sports fans, welcome back.
Speaker 2 (01:21:35):
It is the Sean O'Connell Show here on the ESPN
seven hundred and ninety two one FM. You tas number
one sports talk. Sean is out he's in another continent.
Uh and for that reason, I am your host today
Scott Mitchell here, so glad you could be a part
of our show.
Speaker 17 (01:21:52):
Uh man, this is fine. Bye again.
Speaker 2 (01:21:54):
I've had so much fun all week doing this, so
I really hope that you have enjoyed it as well.
We are spanning the globe. We are covering all aspects
of the sports. It is hump day and the little
engine that could has gotten to the top of the hill.
He did it, and we're sliding down the hill on
hump Day here into the weekend. And of course joining
(01:22:14):
us right now is they head softball coach at the
University of Utah, Amy Hoague, Amy, how you doing?
Speaker 25 (01:22:22):
I'm so great? How are you?
Speaker 9 (01:22:24):
Oh?
Speaker 17 (01:22:24):
Live in the.
Speaker 2 (01:22:25):
Dream and it is not a nightmare, not a nightmare
at all, all right, So yes, yes, at least that's
what they tell me.
Speaker 17 (01:22:34):
I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (01:22:34):
I've been hitting the head so much that you know,
I don't know if I'm coming or going. But it's
all a good thing. Actually, here's the sad thing, not
to kind of, you know, segue into my life because
it's not that interesting. I actually had my brain tested.
So part of the NFL concussion settlement, you had to
have your brain tested. I went for two days, ten
(01:22:56):
hour long, grueling days, and they found out my brain
was normal, which was in some ways disappointing to me
because I had no excuse. It would be, Yeah, it's
I'm a I'm a perfectly normal human being doing a
very imperfect, abnormal thing.
Speaker 17 (01:23:11):
So it's a funk.
Speaker 25 (01:23:13):
On that note, I have to tell you they had
some meetings with the athletic department. Coaches are invited to
learn some more things about this age of student athletes,
and they talked to us one day for about thirty
minutes about their brain not being fully developed, and I'm like, yes,
we know that, so what do we do about that?
(01:23:36):
So yeah, we're all in the same boat, but trying
to figure out what we can blame everything on.
Speaker 2 (01:23:42):
Okay, so I coached high school football and someone told
me that and it helped me. I was losing my
mind until I found that out, and then it's like, oh,
that explains all of these like bizarre things that these
kids are actually doing and not doing. So that's how
do you combat that? You just kind of shrug it
off and just go, yeah, their brains aren't developed. Are
(01:24:03):
there ways that you can kind of minimize the lack
of brain development.
Speaker 26 (01:24:08):
I'm sure there's a lot of ways.
Speaker 25 (01:24:09):
I think, if anything, just allowed us to take a
breath and have a little more patience because of just
the science and the fact that, yes, these kids can
do these things physically with their bodies a little more
than even back when maybe you and me were playing
ball up there on the hill. But the fact is
(01:24:31):
their brains still aren't developed, and so they're performing in
a way that you want to treat them like professionals,
but we probably need to understand where they're coming from
when it comes to their brains. Anyway, I thought it
was it was useful and a little more grace is required.
Speaker 26 (01:24:49):
I think that's all I've really done.
Speaker 17 (01:24:51):
Amen on that one.
Speaker 2 (01:24:53):
You speaking of, you know, kind of treating athletes a
certain way, this new age of college sports and NIL
and transfer portal and all those great things. What kind
of impact have you seen on your program? Do you
have to treat the players differently? Do you have issues?
Do you have do you have challenges? Where do you
(01:25:14):
where do you fit in.
Speaker 17 (01:25:15):
All of this?
Speaker 14 (01:25:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 26 (01:25:17):
No issues ever, no challenge is ever.
Speaker 25 (01:25:19):
Yeah, it's all easy. I think I'm someone that tends
to look at what all these new things are bringing
in in the positive.
Speaker 19 (01:25:29):
You know.
Speaker 25 (01:25:29):
I think a lot of times you can look at
what you don't have and it'll just make you crazy.
I want to talk about what we do have and
how the changes are positive, especially for women's sports, because
that's what I do day in and day out, and
instead of what we don't.
Speaker 26 (01:25:46):
Have compared to the football guys or whatnot.
Speaker 25 (01:25:48):
I feel extremely blessed in this day and age with
the ability to now extend more scholarships to these young
fees em all student athletes who are getting their school
paid for, and as long as the focus is there,
it's not different.
Speaker 26 (01:26:06):
That's how it used to be.
Speaker 25 (01:26:07):
The numbers are growing, the opportunities are growing, the exposure
on TV is growing, and in my mind, it's all good.
And there are challenges if you want to stare at
those all the time, and you have to enough to
make change and continue to push. But if you live there,
it's dark place and you're not noticing all the wonderful
(01:26:29):
things that are happening. So I choose to live in
the other place quite a bit of the time and
feel really blessed. And it's a great time to be
a student athlete and a coach in this land.
Speaker 2 (01:26:39):
The University of Utah is hosting the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
The games start today. Of course, we're going to be
up there tomorrow. ESPN doing It's fifty for fifty has
specifically designated this event to highlight we're going to broadcast
all our shows. ESPN Sports Center is going to be
there tomorrow. It's a big deal. Tell me what your
(01:27:00):
thoughts are on this inaugural season and this league in general.
Speaker 25 (01:27:04):
Oh, this league is phenomenal. So I've been following them
since the beginning. I've had former student athletes of mine
playing in this league since the beginning, and it gets
better every year. The new commissioner that is taken over,
Kim Ing, came over from Major League Baseball and she
is going to make this thing fly her alongside of
(01:27:26):
a million others. I was just up at the stadium
and people are running around like crazy excited about hosting
this and it's going to be great. I mean, it
really shows well because our game is phenomenal to watch.
So at the end of the day, it's.
Speaker 26 (01:27:40):
Really about the sport is enjoyable and.
Speaker 25 (01:27:43):
We're just putting it out on TV. It's something I've
known all along when nobody was showing up, and the
athletes are getting better and the exposure is getting better
and the game.
Speaker 26 (01:27:52):
Is growing all the time.
Speaker 25 (01:27:53):
So this league is one of many that have started,
but this one's going to fly. I think the support
and the former athletes like the jeffs co Mendozo's and
the Jenny Finches and the cat Asterants that I mean.
Speaker 26 (01:28:07):
I can go on and on.
Speaker 25 (01:28:08):
The names that are involved this time with this group
is the reason why this one's going to stick. So
it's pretty exciting.
Speaker 17 (01:28:15):
So how did you get the honor to actually host
this event? What went into all that?
Speaker 25 (01:28:21):
I paid them a lot of money, you know, I
they did a research. There was a woman that helped
pick the sites that was involved early on, and she
contacted me actually last fall and said, we'd like the
tour your place. And you know, we're picking about twelve
cities for this tour that we're doing and they're the
(01:28:43):
inaugural year of the league, and out of those twelve
sites that we maybe pick, you have a good shot to.
Speaker 26 (01:28:50):
Maybe be one of the six that we're going to
pick the following year. And at the end of the day,
there's just a whole lot of.
Speaker 25 (01:28:58):
Things that go into picking a city.
Speaker 26 (01:29:00):
So I'd love to say it was all about us.
Speaker 25 (01:29:01):
And our stadium, but really it's about Salt Lake and
it's a place that hosts a lot of conventions, a
lot of you know, our everything is set up for
this to work in the summer, not as much in
the winter, but in the summer for a spring sport
and its it checked all the boxes. And when she
(01:29:22):
came to visit, I was like, we got to get
this done. And I was playing and enrolling everything out
for her to the tea and come to find out,
all three of her daughters had already come to school here.
She lived here for usually two months out of the
year in a VRBO because she can work remotely. So
I didn't have to talk her into anything. She just
wanted to meet me in the field because she knew
(01:29:42):
Salt Lake was going to be on the list of choices.
So really, Salt Lake City sells itself. So we just
opened the doors of.
Speaker 2 (01:29:48):
The stadium last year, first year in the Big twelve.
Just some thoughts, what was it like, how was it
different from the Pac twelve, Just kind of how did
you feel about your first year Yeah.
Speaker 25 (01:30:03):
Well, let's not talk about how we did because that
was crummy. But we entering the Big twelve are really
excited me especially you know, I'm in the point of
my career where I want to go to new places
and I hadn't been to Lubbock, I haven't been over
to see KU's Field and over in Ains, Iowa. I
mean those are on the list for next year, both
of those and so it's exciting time to you know,
(01:30:27):
grow our program and our footprint. You know, there's a
lot of great softball in the state of Texas and
we haven't really tapped into some of those areas for recruiting. So,
if anything, just kind of grew that. So, yeah, we're
going to see more of the country, recruit a little wider,
and have some fun in this league. It's a good
one and it's run by some great people, so it's
different than the Pack in.
Speaker 26 (01:30:48):
A few ways.
Speaker 25 (01:30:49):
I find that they grow them a little bigger in
the Midwest, work on run a lot less run game,
so you know, it's it's uh, we're cracking into a
little bit of that kind of game, but our styles
game won't completely change. But there wasn't a lot of
stealing and all the trick trick stuff, drag bunts and
squeeze bunts, whereas the pack used.
Speaker 26 (01:31:09):
To be a lot of a running gun kind of thing.
So uh yeah, it's different, but we'll keep taught what
worked for us and keep recruiting that way.
Speaker 2 (01:31:19):
Uh, this event happening with this athlete's unlimited softball league,
what kind of impact does that have on your program
on recruiting, on on just the profile of your of
your of your team.
Speaker 25 (01:31:34):
Yeah, all of it impacts recruiting. I mean everything does
any good exposure, and everything about this league right now
is good exposure, so that the fact that you know,
Sports Center's coming out tomorrow and we're on ESPN to
Today and MLB dot Com and and those networks is
carrying everything that ESPN doesn't pick up. I mean our state,
(01:31:56):
like I said, you know.
Speaker 26 (01:31:58):
It's getting a little crowded here.
Speaker 25 (01:32:00):
So I do like hiding it mostly, but when I'm
trying to get recruits, I want everyone to know about it.
But it's, uh, it's a beautiful place and I love
sharing it, especially if they just come in and visit
and then and leave instead.
Speaker 26 (01:32:12):
Of buying the house and causing more traffic.
Speaker 25 (01:32:14):
But I do, uh, I do think that everyone's going
to enjoy their time here and the impact is just
more visibility for the youths.
Speaker 19 (01:32:22):
So I love it.
Speaker 2 (01:32:23):
Next year, what what can we expect from your team? What?
Speaker 27 (01:32:26):
What?
Speaker 17 (01:32:27):
What are you excited about?
Speaker 25 (01:32:29):
Yeah, we have a lot of young players. Last year
we had like I think a dozen or less combined
innings in the circle returning. So last year was a
new year, not just in the circle but on the field.
We only had one returning starter. So a lot of
kids got a lot of innings last year and learned
(01:32:49):
a lot. And then this year we're having eight freshmen,
a couple of you know, a couple of grad students
that are transferring that we're going to have throwing for us.
And yeah, it's a fun time to be a coach
when you have quite a bit of a new team.
So and I like it still, So I'm excited to
get you know, roll up my sleeves and get my
(01:33:10):
hands dirty and see what we can make out of
this group.
Speaker 26 (01:33:13):
They're an excited.
Speaker 25 (01:33:14):
Bunch and they have a lot to prove and we
have a long way to go compare to you know,
what we did last year.
Speaker 26 (01:33:19):
So excited about it.
Speaker 2 (01:33:21):
Well, I'm excited as well. It's really nice to chat
with you, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
I'm really excited. I'm going to spend the whole day
up there tomorrow, so be a lot of fun to
check out this whole experience and what's going on. And
I hope you have a great rest of your day
and best of luck with everything.
Speaker 26 (01:33:37):
Yeah. Can we put a bat in your hands so
we get a picture lined up?
Speaker 23 (01:33:41):
Oh?
Speaker 17 (01:33:41):
Yes? Are you? Are you serious about this? Okay?
Speaker 2 (01:33:46):
I have a break in the middle of the day.
I have a break in the middle of the day
from eleven to two, eleven to one eleven to one noon.
Speaker 17 (01:33:55):
I'll do batting practice at noon.
Speaker 19 (01:33:57):
Do it.
Speaker 25 (01:33:58):
I'll be there and i'll set it up.
Speaker 10 (01:34:00):
Text me.
Speaker 17 (01:34:00):
Oh man, I'm gonna bring my cleats tomorrow. Yeah, put
my sweat bands on.
Speaker 25 (01:34:05):
If you do that, we're gonna expect you to actually
hit it, so you might want to downplay it a.
Speaker 17 (01:34:10):
Little, Okay, I will. I'll do it left handed.
Speaker 19 (01:34:14):
How's that there?
Speaker 6 (01:34:15):
You go?
Speaker 26 (01:34:15):
Even better?
Speaker 17 (01:34:17):
All right? Thanks? Amy, take care?
Speaker 23 (01:34:20):
Bye.
Speaker 2 (01:34:21):
Hey, I'm gonna be doing batting practice. I'm excited about this.
I cannot wait. Maybe maybe I can wait. We'll see. Uh.
I used to be a pretty darn good baseball player,
but it's not softball, and so this will be fun. Uh.
Speaker 17 (01:34:37):
There you have it.
Speaker 2 (01:34:38):
Of course, head coach for women's Utah softball Amy Hog
has just joined us.
Speaker 17 (01:34:43):
We're going to be up there tomorrow, so it'd be
a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (01:34:45):
The Athletes Unlimited Softball League is coming to Salt Lake
July sixteenth, which is today through the nineteenth, at the
dumb Key Family Softball Stadium at the University of Utah.
Watch these legendary au SL Pro softball players on the
blaze and talents battle it out, including bri Elis Aliah Andrews,
Utah's own Hannah Flippin, and many more. To learn more,
(01:35:08):
go to the AUSL dot com and you get your
tickets today. A USL this is legendary. We're giving away
a pair of tickets to Saturday's game during topical trivia
around one today.
Speaker 17 (01:35:22):
All right, we come back.
Speaker 2 (01:35:23):
More to come from the Shawan O'Connell show here on
ESPN seven hundred ninety two NFM.
Speaker 1 (01:35:45):
You're Tune is a Sean O'Connell show for the Murdoch
Chevrolet Studio of ESPN seven hundred and ninety.
Speaker 2 (01:35:52):
Two one a half Am, Hey sports fans, welcome back.
It's Sean O'Connell show here on ESPN seven hundred ninety
two one FM. I'm Scott Mitchell filling in for Sean today.
Of course tomorrow will be up on the Hill. A
really fun conversation with Amy Hogue, and I loved. I
(01:36:16):
was so glad to hear that, Like, I didn't feel
so alone as a football coach when I was told that,
you know, young people's brain's just not fully developed, And
it was fun to hear that. And I always thought
it was just boys, but it's it's actually girls too.
Speaker 20 (01:36:32):
No, yeah, it's uh, it's everybody. And I think in
a lot of cases, girls just like they do in
a lot of other ways, they develop a lot a
lot sooner than can develop a lot sooner than boys. Yeah,
but it's still I mean, there's still like, tell you're
(01:36:53):
about twenty five at the earliest. If I'm not mistaken,
you're walking around with underdeveloped brain.
Speaker 17 (01:36:59):
Now I have.
Speaker 2 (01:37:02):
I have had experience coaching both boys and girls and
there and it's different. Yeah, it's very different in fact
Mitch Smith, who was a really good basketball player at
the University of Utah when we were at you at
the same time, and he was coaching girls basketball, and
he gave me some pointers and he he he I
(01:37:24):
think he had three girls and and he coached them,
loved coaching them.
Speaker 17 (01:37:29):
And he said what he said.
Speaker 2 (01:37:30):
I I was coaching my girls, and they were doing
such a great job, and I just felt like they
needed they needed a break, no other reason than I
was just rewarding them for doing such a great job.
And so I said, girls, you know you've done great.
I'm going to give you today off. And they all
(01:37:52):
came up to him and said, well, what did we
do wrong? What's wrong with us?
Speaker 21 (01:37:56):
Why?
Speaker 17 (01:37:56):
Why are you giving us society? Did we do something
that wasn't here?
Speaker 2 (01:38:00):
Not happy about what was what was going on here?
Why are you Why are you punishing us by letting
us have a day off? Right, And and and so
he said, he said, boys, you kind of have to
like get on them, you know, and you got to
get emotional and you guys need to be tough and
you need to hear you and girls if you do that,
they'll cry, right, But girls will they want they want
(01:38:22):
to be coached, and they listen to every last thing
you say, and they like and they and they try
to do it.
Speaker 20 (01:38:28):
The good the good athletes and and and and girls
and women that are there that really try to apply
themselves tend to be a lot more of rule followers
than than the boys, say in the same way. That's
like I found that too, and and I've seen that
with with the women athletes and and and girl girls
(01:38:49):
who are athletes too, And so it is interesting the
difference there, very very interesting of course of course conceptions,
but that does just how it is.
Speaker 2 (01:39:00):
Yeah, and it's it's not a it's not a it's
not a knock on one sick over the other one.
Speaker 20 (01:39:06):
They're just they're just different. It's interesting. I mean, I
I would bet that it's a lot of it, as
most things are. It's a socialization thing. That's just how
culturally we are as as boys and as we turn
into men as men and then girls and women. But
it you would think that it'd be a lot similar
with with they're both athletes, right.
Speaker 2 (01:39:27):
But so my daughter I coached my daughter, she was
high school girls sophomore basketball. Okay, and were you a
head coach I was, of course, yes, that's what I'm
assistant sophomore girls basketball. I didn't know. I didn't know
if you were volunteer. They asked me to coach the
sophomore as I said, I'd love to do it. So
(01:39:49):
I talked to my daughter, say, I'm going to be
your coach. You know I'm not your dad, I'm your coach.
Are you going to be okay with that? So I
don't want this. You know what, we're gonna call me
sir a practice. Well, you're just not going to get
away with the normal dad stuff because because let's face,
if my daughter asked me for anything, I give it
to her. Like it's just like she's got me wrapped
hard as her coach.
Speaker 17 (01:40:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (01:40:11):
So they we got we got late into the season
and they were doing really well and and but they
showed up late to practice one day, like way late,
and they were giggling, they're having a good time, and
they just got lost in time. They and and so
I didn't say a word to them. I got them
on the line as soon as they all got their
shoes on, and they're late to practice, and I just
I said, we're gonna run this suicide. You know, like
(01:40:34):
foul line, half court, three quarter and if and if
you don't make it under thirty three seconds whatever it was,
we'll run it again. And I knew I had two
girls that would never make it, and I purposely was like,
you know, you're not going to be late to practice.
So they ran about eight of these and I and
I said, now, look, you guys are playing well, and
you can't get complacent. And complacency is when you just
(01:40:57):
don't show up on practice. You got to do the
little things right all the time. And I said, do
you understand, you know, and do you understand this isn't
a punishment, it's just a reminder get your butts to
practice on time. Then I then they're all huffing and puffing,
and I gave him. I said, all right, now go
shoot ten foul shots because you're tired. Yeah, and two
at a time. So so they all go to the baskets,
(01:41:19):
they get a partner, they're shooting shots. I go over
to where my daughter is and she's just breathing hard
and she's mad, right, and I and I go over
to I say, it's gonna be all right. I said,
give me a hug, and she says, no, you're my coach,
You're not my dad. She just get out of here.
Speaker 17 (01:41:39):
But I loved it. It was awesome.
Speaker 2 (01:41:42):
Yeah, so I know how that is.
Speaker 18 (01:41:43):
You know.
Speaker 2 (01:41:44):
It's interesting that the big the SEC speaking of coaches, yes,
and they got their media days going on, and I
just I see, uh, Caitlin de Boor, who I really
think a lot of I think he's a great football coach.
And I don't know what it is, but it just
doesn't feel like it's a right fit at Alabama. I
(01:42:04):
don't know, and it feels way too early to judge.
Speaker 20 (01:42:08):
But at the same time, just just by appearances, it's
just maybe that's not the place for Kalyn de Bor.
Speaker 2 (01:42:15):
But it's really hard to go in after a legend
and Nick Saban, you know, was a legend there, and
oh boy, I just I don't know. And then you
hear these rumors that Saban's going to be back coaching again,
and and that's just just any like, any little thing
that goes wrong is not a little thing. It's just
it's magnified times twenty when you're in a program like Alabama.
(01:42:37):
And I I salute Kaitlin de Bor, you know, for
taking on that challenge and not being afraid of it.
Speaker 17 (01:42:43):
But boy, that's a tough one.
Speaker 2 (01:42:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 20 (01:42:45):
I would hope that Nick Saban would have enough respect
for the program at Alabama and for the idea that, hey,
I've decided to step away. No one told me to
step away to if he does come back to, you know,
coach somewhere else. But we've seen it before guys. Guys
(01:43:06):
decide to retire and they come back to the same
team sometimes and could if these room, if there's anything
to some of these rumors that are popping up that
you're talking about. Scott, who knows Alabama might think about
moving moving on from a great, really good coach at
times been a great coach Calin de borr.
Speaker 2 (01:43:26):
And and he might be and you know, he'll be
a great coach somewhere, it just might not be at Alabama.
Speaker 17 (01:43:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:43:32):
Hey, if you're in Orum this week, make sure you
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(01:43:52):
win five thousand dollars in cash.
Speaker 23 (01:43:55):
Just go do it?
Speaker 2 (01:43:55):
I mean, why not? All right, we come back. We
got Paul Pugmyer. Of course, the Open Championship is starting tomorrow.
We have great conversation on tap with Paul here on
the Shaan O'Connell Show on ESPN seven hundred ninety TWOEFM.
Speaker 1 (01:44:15):
You were listening to a Sean O'Connell show from a
murder Hundi studio of ESPN seven hundred and.
Speaker 17 (01:44:22):
Ninety two one AM. All right, sports fans, welcome back.
Speaker 2 (01:44:25):
It is the Seawan O'Connell Show here on the ESPN
seven hundred ninety two one FM. Scott Mitchell filling in
for Sean today we are on the cusp of one
of my favorite.
Speaker 17 (01:44:33):
Sporting events in the world.
Speaker 2 (01:44:35):
And to join us in this discussion about the greatness
that is the Open Championship, it's.
Speaker 17 (01:44:42):
Paul pug pug Meyer.
Speaker 2 (01:44:44):
Paul pug Meyer, who is of course the host of
Utah Golf Radio here on ESPN seven hundred every Saturday
from eight to ten in the morning.
Speaker 17 (01:44:54):
Paul, welcome to the show. How you doing today? How
is life doing?
Speaker 19 (01:44:58):
Great? Doing it? Life is good.
Speaker 23 (01:45:00):
It's Open Championship Week.
Speaker 2 (01:45:02):
It is Oh, I know it's it's it's fabulous. Are
you are you at the venue? Are you going at all?
Or what's what's the status of where you are in
your life.
Speaker 23 (01:45:12):
I'm so thrilled that you would even ask if I
was there, but no, I'm not. I'm home in Utah.
And but that that doesn't reduce the vibration factor very much.
It's still Open Championship Week and you are so right,
one of the best events of the year, one of
the best weeks of the year.
Speaker 2 (01:45:31):
So earlier in the week while I was I think
I did it on my show, but I talked about
the Open Championship and why I just absolutely love it
and I just think it's just such an incredible thing.
I've had the opportunity to play several of the rotation
courses over in Scotland and and it just it was
(01:45:51):
just a life changing experience for me. I birdied the
road hole at the Old Course, I shot its set me.
Speaker 17 (01:45:58):
I was just it was crazy.
Speaker 2 (01:45:59):
It was there were actually people watching from the the
jigger in who who actually gave me a standing ovation
as I walked around the corner from the hotel, and
they were like, you're the only You're the only.
Speaker 17 (01:46:12):
Person today who's actually hit the fairway. So I hit.
I hit my ball over the over the whole of
the hotel and then.
Speaker 2 (01:46:18):
I burdied it. It was just incredible. I think I
could have died in that moment, Paul, and my life
would be complete. But why is it so special? Why
why do you think people love this so much? Because
I do, and I know why I do, but I'm
curious what other people think.
Speaker 23 (01:46:32):
It's about the history, uh, the history of the game itself.
You know, you played at Saint Andrews, you birdy the
road hole. This is the original golf course. This is
where golf was invented or developed or kind of pulled
from the ground by enterprising gaming, sporty people, and and
(01:46:54):
they developed this game that has grown to be so
engrossing and so so mind bending, and just it captures
our mind and our heart and our soul. And Saint
Andrew's Scotland and then after that, Ireland is where this
game developed. And so the Open Championship ties into that
(01:47:19):
history more and better than any other event in the game.
And I think that's why the Open Championship is such
a is an event that speaks across generations, across cultures,
across any sort of divide that you can come up with.
(01:47:39):
The Open Championship really reaches over every single one of
those and connects with people.
Speaker 2 (01:47:45):
This year's event is being held in Northern Ireland, and
tell me a little bit about the course and who
it favors, who has a good shot at actually winning
based on the golf course.
Speaker 23 (01:48:00):
First of all, Royal port Rush is one of the
greatest golf courses in the world.
Speaker 19 (01:48:06):
In an area of the world, in.
Speaker 23 (01:48:08):
Ireland and Northern Ireland, where there are so many great
golf courses, it is widely accepted that Royal port Rush
is the best of those. It's one of the top
ten courses in the world by every measure all around
the planet. Port Rush demands shot making. You cannot sneak
(01:48:30):
by with less than absolutely precise shot making all week
long port Rush. Port Rush just simply is unforgiving and
it has a couple of characteristics in the design of
the course. In addition to its location on the very
northern tip of Northern Ireland and looking out into the
(01:48:55):
ocean there, the course is perched on cliffs that overlook
the the ocean, and so it's exposed to all kinds
of weather north sea weather there. But the course is
carved out of sand dunes, and so the holes generally
snake among the bigger of the dunes. The greens tend
(01:49:19):
to be built on what we're smaller dunes, which means
they are crowned with a lot of false fronts and
false sides. That is one of the real defining characteristics
of port Rush is all the false fault slopes on
the greens. And then it no three holes on the
(01:49:43):
routing of the course will have the same wind profile.
No three holes in a row face in the same direction.
So you simply must be able to move the ball
right to left, left to right, keep it low, play
it high. You have to have have control of your
golf ball. You asked who it favors. It favors exquisite
(01:50:05):
shot makers. Who can be an exquisite shot maker all
four days?
Speaker 2 (01:50:14):
So when you say that the wind blows different directions,
does that does that slow play down a little bit?
Because you're constantly trying to figure out, Okay, what where
where is the wind blowing on this whole How how
big of a of an impact does that play on
on the pace of play in this championship?
Speaker 23 (01:50:34):
Yeah, well, it isn't that the wind is blowing different directions.
It's it's that the course doesn't follow a directional pattern.
The holes are moving all over the place, and and
so they they they are going into or with or
against or sideways to the wind. Hole after hole is
a bit different lamp. And and but what a good
question about how does it affect pace of play? It
(01:50:56):
really puts a demand on the player and the caddy
both to get other to plan their shots well. And
part of the thing is exposure to the wind. Sometimes
because the holes follow the valleys between dunes, sometimes the
players are protected from the wind and the ball gets
up in the air above the profile of the dune
(01:51:18):
and you realize, oh my, it's coming from a different
direction or stronger than I thought, or less than I thought.
Speaker 19 (01:51:24):
And you're done.
Speaker 2 (01:51:26):
Speaking of your caddy and the importance of your caddy.
Harrison English, his caddy was not allowed to enter the
United Kingdom. Are you are you familiar with this story?
Speaker 19 (01:51:37):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (01:51:38):
Generally yes. He was a drug dealer about twenty years
ago apparently, and smuggled drugs into I think anyways, he
was convicted, and so he's a convicted felon and kind
of got his life turned around and really was about
being a caddy, which really kind of changed everything. They've
sent letters to the last I heard to everyone is
(01:52:00):
there any you know? And even the Royal and Ancient
actually gave sent a letter to the British government. I actually,
shockling maybe passed my visa because I was just over
in England actually a couple of weeks ago, and I
had to file and it took me all of five minutes.
(01:52:22):
It wasn't a hard procedure. But they don't know about
my past, so so I snuck through. But has anything
changed in this and what what kind of if he's
not if his cat he's not there?
Speaker 22 (01:52:35):
You know?
Speaker 2 (01:52:35):
Does does he have a legitimate shot at winning? Or
does he really need his guy on the bag in
order to have a chance.
Speaker 23 (01:52:43):
This is a really interesting little drama that's unfolding here.
First of all, I sure believe in second chances, and
it looks to me like this guy's turned his life around.
But who am I to cast judgment on on the
laws and procedures of another country. The thing about this
that's funny to me is this is no surprise we
(01:53:07):
this this event has been on the schedule for six
years that there's been time to deal with outstanding questions
on this particular item. I'm the part that surprises me
is that it's happening now and not last year or
two years ago. Anyway. You know, I haven't heard anything
(01:53:27):
in the last couple of days about how it all
works out. There are local caddies available who will know
the course. What they won't know is Harris English's game.
And so it's the kind of thing very definitely would
have an impact and you know, be an issue.
Speaker 2 (01:53:44):
So when when I went to Scotland to play golf,
you would get a you go to a new course
every day and they just there'd be a.
Speaker 17 (01:53:51):
Caddy there and you just had a new one.
Speaker 2 (01:53:54):
And we were playing at Prestwick, which is where they
had I think the first Open, and and Mike Caddy
wouldn't speak to me, like for the first I don't
know five or six six holes And I'm like, you know,
did I offend you in some way? And he said,
now when you showed up to day I bet against
(01:54:15):
you and so you're playing too good and so and
I said, look, I'll give you extra money, just give
me some tips here and anyways. But so I wonder
if Harris English is a caddy he gets, if he'll
feel bet for him or against him.
Speaker 17 (01:54:31):
Who knows. We'll have to see.
Speaker 2 (01:54:34):
There's a couple of interesting, interesting things that recently showed up,
and they're not necessarily they kind of kind of do
relate to the Open Championship, but one is about the
Ryder Cup. But Scottie Scheffler came out yesterday and he
had these comments. I talked about it on Sean's show
(01:54:54):
yesterday about you know, winning is not a satisfying part
of golf, Like I don't find satisfaction or accomplishment in
actually winning. And he said, he said, there's other things
that are much more important and deeper in my heart.
He goes, what happens is you win and then it's
like on the next week, you know, And he says,
(01:55:16):
so it's really hard to put a lot of stock
and value into winning. He says, I'm very competitive. Uh,
you know, I want to win every week. I want
to win the Open Championship. You know, I go to
the Masters, I want to win it every year. I
love the practice. I love the preparation, he says, but
I just don't find a lot of satisfaction in actually winning.
(01:55:37):
I don't know if you followed this at all, but
I'll be curious to get your takes on maybe his
his perspective on you know, here's here's the best player
in the world, and he's like, yeah, winning's kind of whatever.
Speaker 23 (01:55:48):
I am following it, and it it actually doesn't surprise
me much. He has said for years that what he
loves is the pursuit. He loves the grind, he loves
the practice and the preparation. And the search for perfection
(01:56:10):
is too big of a word, but the search for
constant excellence which is so elusive at the very top
top levels of every sport but golf especially, and for
the large the primary reason that golf does not allow specialization.
(01:56:31):
Most every other sport not only allows, but requires people
to specialize in certain skill sets. You were a great
thrower of the football, and you did not did not
ask your linemen to do that, and conversely, they didn't
ask you to stop the big bad dudes. And but
(01:56:52):
in golf you have to do everything. So the pursuit
of sustained excellence is so elusive and that actual chase
is what really drives a lot of the top top performers.
I've heard Tiger Woods speak in similar terms, not saying
that winning isn't satisfying, but about how the great joy
(01:57:13):
is found in pursuit. I've heard Jack Nicholas talk about it.
Scotty seems to have taken it to the next step
for him to say, and then you win, and you go,
what that's it? And we're teeing it up next week
and he's kind of he's what he's talking about is
coming to realize that it really is the pursuit where
(01:57:34):
the joy is found.
Speaker 2 (01:57:36):
Yeah, he you know, he mentioned he goes it's it's
a curse to feel this way, but it's also a
blessing in it. I can finish last, you know, I
can have a terrible week and then it's like okay,
now on the next week, you know, and you have
an opportunity to turn that around.
Speaker 17 (01:57:49):
And I know in my time in.
Speaker 2 (01:57:52):
Professional sports, you know, that was the hard part about
the fact that she only played once a week, at
least for me. You know, golf they get they get
four rounds in a week. You know, they there's a
lot of opportunity, and so you're just you're just you're
just beating yourself up over you know, the loss or
if you played poorly, and you just can't wait for
(01:58:13):
the opportunity to get back on the on the field.
And you know, these baseball players as the hockey players,
basketball player, you know, they're they're they're every other night,
you know, to a new game and so, which which
would probably drive me nuts because you know they lose
so many games in a season, and you know, in
the NFL, it's just like it's every event is so important.
(01:58:34):
And I think that's to some degree how it is
in golf, because you know, these guys play what eighteen
events a year, somewhere around their eighteen twenty ish events
and mid.
Speaker 23 (01:58:43):
Mid most of the top players are played mid twenty.
There's there's forty forty three events on the schedule, and
they'll they'll get into into the mid twenties, low twenties
to mid twenties.
Speaker 2 (01:58:53):
Yeah, I just I just found his comments fascinating. And
you know this from the one in the at the
very top, but I understand that whole process. I loved practice,
I loved the grind, I love the whole part of it.
I get it, and it's a fun thing. I think
it's one of the things I probably miss most is
just that going to practice every day, being in that locker.
Speaker 17 (01:59:13):
It's just just really special.
Speaker 2 (01:59:16):
Okay, there's another thing that came out as well, and
this is Xander Shaffley's father. It looks like it looks
like Xander's going to be in the you know, he's
automatically set up to be on the Ryder Cup team
as it stands today, probably be there at the end
of the day.
Speaker 17 (01:59:35):
But his dad says, I'm not showing up to that event.
Speaker 2 (01:59:37):
He goes, it's gotten so hostile in the crowd, and
he goes, I can only imagine play Bethpage Black New York,
you know, with the New York kind of attitude. You
can't imagine the things that are that are coming out
of these players' mouths and uh, you know, are not
the players but the participants, And it's gotten a little chippy,
(01:59:58):
I think with the players as well.
Speaker 17 (02:00:00):
Well. Is that is that a real thing or is
it a.
Speaker 2 (02:00:02):
Little bit overblown that his dad would actually not attend
the event because I think, you know, I'd love the
Ryder Cup and love to to go witness it, and
I guess I was a little shocked by his comments.
Speaker 23 (02:00:14):
Yeah, the part about it that shocked me. First of all,
his analysis is not wrong. It has got chippy and
and the crowds are raucous, and it's taken on an
an attitude a persona similar to what you see in
in British soccer, where there's there's just such animists from
(02:00:40):
one team's supporters to the other. And then you throw
in there the New York City stuff at death Page
Black and yeah, it's got high potential to be a
real uncool environment for some people, and especially the people
closest to it. The part about about what Stefan Schoffley
(02:01:04):
was saying that that was surprising to me is he's
in a privileged position. He gets access to places where
he can protect himself and get away from it. But
still the basic analysis I don't disagree with, and it
does raise the question and raise the issue of Okay,
(02:01:25):
come on, folks, this is a sporting event and the
reality is we don't hate these European tour players. We
just want to beat them this one event every two years.
But Xander Schoffley is currently number two in the Ryder
Cup points list, and he seems to be crawling back from.
Speaker 19 (02:01:45):
His rib injury.
Speaker 23 (02:01:46):
Although he hasn't performed very well. He accumulated most of
his points prior to the rib injury, and of course
those came last year when he won two majors. But
he you know you, unless he withdraws because of the
rib injury, he will be there. So it'll be interesting
(02:02:07):
to see if his dad actually goes.
Speaker 2 (02:02:09):
Huh, yeah, I still think I would go. It's a
Ryder Cup comes, I would go.
Speaker 23 (02:02:13):
Heck yeah, I'll go.
Speaker 17 (02:02:15):
All right, Just one last question for I let you
go here. The weather.
Speaker 2 (02:02:21):
It's always a factor over there, more so I think
than most regular PGA Tour events. What is it scheduled
to be like and forecast to be like? And what
can we expect?
Speaker 23 (02:02:34):
Yeah, you can expect it to change. You can expect
every kind of weather that you can think of to happen,
and you can expect it to be very very quick
going from one kind of weather to the next. That's
the nature of that part of the world. There was
a really interesting little fifteen minutes that went on yesterday,
(02:02:56):
maybe the day before, on a golf channel, so on
live from where there was a dangerous weather warning and
the RNA moved people off the course, and then fifteen
minutes later they cut to Johnson Wagner and he's out
there in at sunshine.
Speaker 19 (02:03:14):
That's the nature of what you'll find.
Speaker 23 (02:03:16):
At Royal Port Rush. You have to go there prepared
for everything because it could happen in the same day
and it can turn around very very quickly.
Speaker 2 (02:03:29):
Well, I know I'll be tuned in weather, whatever it
might be, and whoever shows up, whoever participates, I will
be there. I really appreciate your time, Paul, and always
insightful and always enjoyable. I hope you have a nice
rest of your day and thanks for your insight and
the conversation.
Speaker 23 (02:03:45):
Absolutely, thank you so much, Scott.
Speaker 2 (02:03:47):
All right, there you have it, Paul, Pugmyer Utah Golf Radio.
Every Saturday eight to ten. This is the Sean O'Connell
Show here on the ESPN seven hundred and ninety two ONEFM.
Speaker 17 (02:04:02):
This is by Sean O'Connell show.
Speaker 1 (02:04:05):
You were home of the best inside of your zoos.
Let's get back to WOC from the Murdoch Chevrolet Studio
of ESPN seven hundred ninety AMS.
Speaker 2 (02:04:19):
Hello, sports fans, Welcome back. It is a Sean O'Connell
show here on ESPN seven hundred ninety two one FM,
Utah's number one sports talk Scott Mitchell filling in for
Sean today hump Day, the l engine could did it.
Speaker 17 (02:04:32):
He got over the top of the hill.
Speaker 19 (02:04:33):
Boom.
Speaker 17 (02:04:33):
We're flying into the weekend.
Speaker 14 (02:04:35):
Here.
Speaker 17 (02:04:36):
We've done it.
Speaker 2 (02:04:37):
We've gotten over the hump day, uh Utah County listeners,
Can you help children at the road home start school
in style? Stop by the advocates in American fork pick
up an apple from the tree, and you can supply
clothing and backpack for a child at the road home.
Every child deserves an advocate. Stop by today. See ES
(02:05:00):
seven hundred sports dot com for more details. Come on,
Utah County, get with it. Go help these kids out.
They could really use it. It's amazing what happens at
the road home. These kids, I can I can tell
you you will be doing a great service and they
need it, so do it.
Speaker 17 (02:05:19):
Apparently.
Speaker 2 (02:05:19):
At Big twelve Media Day, we have another roundtable with
some of the top coaches. It's so fun to hear
their perspective and hear them talk interactive and together.
Speaker 17 (02:05:29):
We're gonna go out to that right now.
Speaker 2 (02:05:31):
Of course, I believe we have Kalani Sataki, we have
Kenny Dillingham, and I think Dave Randas, so this should
be very interesting.
Speaker 9 (02:05:40):
All right, Good afternoon.
Speaker 4 (02:05:41):
Midia Days continues here in Frisco, Texas on Matt Barry
from ESPN with the eight coaches represented.
Speaker 3 (02:05:48):
Their schools today.
Speaker 4 (02:05:49):
I've already talked to all of you on TV, so
this shouldn't be too difficult. And I want to start
and kind of frame the conversation like this, and Coach Frost,
I'm going to start with you.
Speaker 3 (02:05:58):
As the newcomer in the Big Twelve this year.
Speaker 4 (02:06:01):
You've had an opportunity to watch this league from a
far How would you describe the competitive balance the Big Twelve?
Speaker 11 (02:06:09):
Yeah, I mentioned that talking to year. Just like the
watching from the outside.
Speaker 28 (02:06:14):
This is the one league where I feel like there's
so many good schools in this league and everybody plays well,
but you can make an argument anybody in this league
could win the league if they do things the right way.
I think that makes for a competitive league that's a
lot of fun to play in. Coach in and watch.
Speaker 3 (02:06:28):
Yeah, Coach Campbell, we were talking about that this morning
as well. We could list.
Speaker 4 (02:06:32):
I mean, all eight schools represented here today could win
this conference. When you have a conference that deep, with
that much talent and so many teams that can win it,
how does that speak to the health of this league
nationally with.
Speaker 7 (02:06:44):
The other power forwards.
Speaker 11 (02:06:46):
Yeah, I just think it makes it really special.
Speaker 27 (02:06:47):
I think you look at the coaching staffs up here,
you see the players that came with each of these staffs,
and you've got eight great teams coming tomorrow.
Speaker 9 (02:06:55):
I think top to bottom, you.
Speaker 27 (02:06:56):
Turn into you tune into a big twelve game on
a Saturday, It's to be a really great experience. And
I think it's a credit to the coaches up here
and what they built. Tune into a big twelve game
on a Saturday, It's going to be a really great experience,
And I think it's a credit to the coaches up
here and what they've built, and the coaches coming tomorrow
and what they've built.
Speaker 4 (02:07:15):
Kenny College football is in an era completely different than
two three years ago. It seems like it's changing every minute.
Is the conference champion from a year ago? And where
you sit now, what do you want to see happen?
Not only in this conference, but in college football big picture,
to ensure the.
Speaker 3 (02:07:33):
Health of it moving forward.
Speaker 29 (02:07:35):
Yeah, just to create some standards, whatever it is. I
don't think anybody cares what the rules are. As one
of the rules, right, tell us where the sandbox is
and we'll play in it. At the end of the day,
this is a game. I know this is a business.
I know it's a profession to everybody. But if anybody
who's not in this to see a kid go for
an eighteen year old kid to a twenty two year
old man and enter the real world, is in it
(02:07:57):
for the wrong reasons. So I think people always folks
on the negative and the changing of college football. The
reality is we get to impact a lot of young
people every single day, and we should do it with
every single power that we have in our body to
help these kids achieve success in life.
Speaker 4 (02:08:12):
And when you mentioned rules, does that include knowing what
targeting looks like?
Speaker 3 (02:08:15):
Or is that a whole No?
Speaker 9 (02:08:16):
No, no, I've heard more positive things about losing in.
Speaker 3 (02:08:22):
My entire life that we lost the football game.
Speaker 29 (02:08:25):
Unfortunately, there's no excuses if I have better scheme on
fourth down, nobody talks about targeting.
Speaker 4 (02:08:31):
Coach Randa similar question in college football. We need to
put the smart people in a room to get this
thing figured out. What do you want to see out
of the sport now moving forward?
Speaker 30 (02:08:41):
Well, just now that we're in revenue share mode, just
the enforcement I think is going to be the strongest thing.
I think if there's rules that everyone's following the rules,
I know it would help, you know, the programs that
are represented here. If there was if everyone's playing by
those rules, and if there's people that are not and
they're trying to get this advantage or that advantage and
try to go around the system that there's some type
(02:09:04):
of repercussions for that, I think that would be way
helpful for us to move the game forward.
Speaker 9 (02:09:09):
Coach Shaderfield, Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 31 (02:09:12):
I think certainly to echo off what both of the
coaches said, they are having some boundaries about what we
have to do when we can't do I think sometimes,
you know, we sit here and talk and like.
Speaker 7 (02:09:23):
We're in the profession, we don't even know the rules.
I mean, it's difficult.
Speaker 31 (02:09:26):
Yeah, And it's ever changing, and there's not anything that's
been very stable over the last since really since twenty twenty.
The things have changed so much and so fast so
hopefully we can you know, garner this and set some boundaries,
some rules, and then there are gonna be some you know,
ramifications if someone does break the rules.
Speaker 4 (02:09:42):
Yeah, coach climbing from your seat when you look at
the challenges that's presented, I mean really with everyone. There's
schools that don't have the same issues as others. But
what do you think would fix and keep the sport
and make it healthy?
Speaker 19 (02:09:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (02:09:53):
I think these guys have hit it on the head.
Speaker 24 (02:09:54):
We all want to play play by a set of rules,
whatever those rules are. The other thing I think that
would in between the lines help our game, And we
as a coaching staff decided this in May. We didn't
do a coach's poll this year, and the narrative really
hurt the Big twelve last year. Heard it with Kilanie,
and it hurt it with Kenny for a while. And
(02:10:17):
I'd like to see the first polls come out when
the CFP comes out, right, because then you've got seven
or eight games rather than this team's supposed to be good.
We'll keep them up there and all of a sudden
they start off one in three and they're still ranked fifteenth,
and somebody like Kenny could be four and own, not
even in the ballpark. We've got to change that narrative
and give everybody a level playing field now that we're
(02:10:39):
in the revenue sharing in an era.
Speaker 3 (02:10:40):
Coach McGuire, Yeah.
Speaker 18 (02:10:42):
I totally agree, and then Kalanie brought it up. I mean,
let's decide it on the field. You know, if we're
sitting here talking about the playoffs, if you win the conference.
Speaker 9 (02:10:52):
Champion, you should be in the playoff.
Speaker 21 (02:10:53):
And then.
Speaker 7 (02:10:55):
It's one of the deals.
Speaker 18 (02:10:56):
I know you said it a couple of years ago,
to where we all of a sudden now have cross
conference games that we're playing each other. I think that'd
be a great way to do it. You know, I
saw Brian Kelly say he'd love to play Big ten team.
Speaker 6 (02:11:09):
Hey man, I would love to.
Speaker 18 (02:11:10):
Play LSU, you know, a home and home series and
whoever plays that. Then you know, we look at the
rankings and everything like that.
Speaker 32 (02:11:19):
Yeah, I think we got three non conference games, and
so why don't we just play the other three conferences
with the three conference games?
Speaker 11 (02:11:28):
Pretty simple, and to.
Speaker 32 (02:11:30):
Echo what all the men have said up here, the
game of college football will be even better the more
you include coaches in the rules and then making the legislation.
All that stuff needs include more coaches, because these men
have done a great job of protecting the game of
football together. And the one thing I do love about
all of them is that they do care about the
student athletes and they're focused on getting them their degree.
(02:11:52):
So the character of the men in the coaching staff
in this conference are amazing. So with overall, a Big
twelve conference is a great conference. Back to the question,
I'm all about playing the game on the field. So
let's with the flexibility. Let's try to figure out a
way to get that done.
Speaker 4 (02:12:10):
And is that an agreement amongst all of you and
that we're in a spot where we kind of don't
know the criteria of getting to the college football playoff
other van we know if you in your conference you
get an automatic bit and then there's the.
Speaker 3 (02:12:21):
At large bids. Is there something that you believe when
you look at.
Speaker 4 (02:12:27):
Some of the other ideas being pitched around the five
and eleven You heard bretty Ormark talk about that today, is.
Speaker 3 (02:12:33):
That the best for college football in addition to this league.
Speaker 11 (02:12:36):
I think it is right now.
Speaker 24 (02:12:37):
I'm on a couple of committees and I think it
is definitely right now until we.
Speaker 11 (02:12:41):
Can get uniformity and scheduling.
Speaker 24 (02:12:43):
You can't have some leagues playing nine conference games and
some leagues playing eight conference games. So we've got to
get on the same page there. And if we can
do that, I still think if you have the five
aqs and have eleven at large teams, you go back
to what these guys say, then you have some head
to head matt and those head to head matchups P
four versus P four is going to matter.
Speaker 3 (02:13:04):
Let me ask you this, Coach Frost, you were in
the NFL a year ago.
Speaker 4 (02:13:08):
I mean, that's the professional sports lead, that's the professional
level of football.
Speaker 3 (02:13:12):
College seems to be trending that way. Is there anything
that concerns you about where.
Speaker 11 (02:13:19):
You believe the sport is headed. Yeah, I think there's
things that concern a lot of us. You know, Coach
talked about.
Speaker 28 (02:13:28):
The fairness right now, and Coach talked about wanting things
to be decided on the field, at least in the NFL.
Speaker 11 (02:13:34):
You know what the rules are, you know what the
salary cap is.
Speaker 28 (02:13:38):
Right now, at the end of the day, things are
decided on the field, but way before that, they're decided
in bank accounts.
Speaker 11 (02:13:44):
And that needs to be leveled out.
Speaker 28 (02:13:46):
Like coach said, if there's some enforcement and everybody's playing
by the same rules, I think it's a better game.
It's a sad state of affairs in college football if
he has the richest boosters wins, and I don't think
that's where anybody wants it or where it was intended
to me.
Speaker 4 (02:14:00):
Coach Campbell and Satak, you've been at both your programs
now for ten years, kind of the dean of the
coaches here on set in this league.
Speaker 3 (02:14:07):
How have you seen the Big tive? I mean, it
was a few years.
Speaker 4 (02:14:09):
Ago and we're sitting here thinking the Big twelve could
be in trouble in Oklahoma and Texas departed.
Speaker 11 (02:14:13):
To the SEC.
Speaker 4 (02:14:15):
Seemed to be expansion and realignment every three days. But
in your ten years, how have you seen the Big
twelve position itself to where we are today.
Speaker 27 (02:14:23):
Well, I think that some foresight, a little bit on,
you know, even though those rocky times have come, the
foresight to be aggressive in adding the right teams into
this conference. And I think, you know, the additions that
we made over the last four to five years have
helped us steady the ship during a really rocky time
and not even just the quality of football program, but
(02:14:43):
the quality of universities that have come into the Big
Twelve over the last three years. I think not only
has it added great value in football, but it's also
added great value in terms of the integrity of the
Big Twelve.
Speaker 17 (02:14:54):
Right now.
Speaker 32 (02:14:55):
I think the level of leadership we're seeing from the
Big Twelve, specifically from commiss Or your Mark, has been amazing.
Speaker 11 (02:15:02):
The innovation and.
Speaker 32 (02:15:02):
Creativity, so it fits along with what we're trying to
get done on the field, and it's an easy thing
for us to do. I mean, we're going into our
third year in the conference, but it's the it's what
our fans basely been waiting for this entire time, and
I feel like we've been here the entire time and
we're loving it. So we're honored to be in this
(02:15:23):
position and to be partnered up with such great coaches
and universities, and we're excited about the season.
Speaker 4 (02:15:29):
In a candid roundtable, and maybe you were asked this
question this morning, maybe you weren't, but I want each
of you to go down the line, and Kenny, we'll
start with you with where we are now in player movement,
what candid conversations do you need to have with a
player who might consider leaving or who might try to
do something else. What conversations are you having with your
(02:15:51):
players now that you weren't having two three years ago.
Speaker 6 (02:15:54):
Yeah, ought to be honest, not a lot.
Speaker 9 (02:15:56):
We don't.
Speaker 29 (02:15:57):
I mean we returned almost everybody. How many people wanted
to leave the program. I think if you pour into people,
you know they feel obligated to pour back into you.
So I think our program's built on retention, not acquisition.
I don't want to win recruiting ranking rankings. I don't
want to win social media. I don't want to be
the number one team in the recruiting I want to
be number one retention. I want our players to know,
(02:16:19):
if you come to our school, we are going to
take care of you.
Speaker 6 (02:16:23):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (02:16:24):
So what conversation do I have If you come here,
I'm going to take care of you.
Speaker 9 (02:16:27):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (02:16:28):
And that's the conversation we have.
Speaker 7 (02:16:30):
But we don't have much movement.
Speaker 29 (02:16:31):
Unless somebody is a senior junior and wants to start,
and he's maybe second or third on the depth chart,
and I say, listen, you're not going to start for us.
Speaker 3 (02:16:39):
We have a guy returning.
Speaker 29 (02:16:40):
If you want to play college football, let me help
you get you to Memphis, where my guy I worked
with is the head coach. We have two guys in
our two deep believe leave both of them when to
go play for people I coached with that I consider
mentors Florida State and Memphis.
Speaker 11 (02:16:54):
I help them get there. Coach Randa.
Speaker 30 (02:16:57):
You know, I thought the first portal window this past year,
I felt like, Hey, we've got some opportunities for guys
to come in and contribute. And I felt that throughout
just everyone was kind of in, uh, hey, we're kind
of the hunter mode.
Speaker 11 (02:17:14):
We're trying to fill some spots.
Speaker 30 (02:17:16):
We're losing, Guys are declaring, or guys are or are
stepping away from football, whatever it may be.
Speaker 17 (02:17:23):
I thought.
Speaker 30 (02:17:23):
In the second portal window, I felt very much like
we were the hunted, you know. I just there's so
many of our players that were coming to me or
to us and saying, hey, there's this much money being.
Speaker 11 (02:17:36):
Offered to me, and it's I'm gonna go.
Speaker 30 (02:17:38):
They're talking about me going to this league or that league,
and it was almost it was a consistent thing just
about every day. And so to be able to kind
of get through that I think we had one departure
I think speaks to what what what was just spoke about.
I think that you have to have relationships, and you
have to it has to be bigger than football because
(02:17:59):
when it when the get tough and you know, the
storms come and everyone up here has been through all
of that, it's the people are the only thing that
are left, and they're the only thing that are real.
You know, when all that stuff happens, the money that
you're making doesn't even enter in the equation. And so
I think to have it where it's relationships and it's
(02:18:19):
truth telling and it's transparency, and I think that people
can feel when it's just transactions that are happening.
Speaker 28 (02:18:27):
Coach rust I agree with everything they said, but there's
a limit to everything. If some other network offered you
four times.
Speaker 6 (02:18:34):
As much to go work for them, I'm out sorry.
Speaker 11 (02:18:36):
ESP exactly.
Speaker 28 (02:18:38):
And that's where if we know what the limit everybody
can spend and everybody's working with the same resources, I
think you'll see a lot less transferring in a lot
less movement, and that'll be good for not just college football,
but for the young men themselves.
Speaker 6 (02:18:53):
Coachhatderfield, Yeah, I.
Speaker 7 (02:18:55):
Mean very similar.
Speaker 31 (02:18:56):
I think, obviously we want to retain our best players
and the players that are doing the right things.
Speaker 7 (02:19:00):
But I do think honesty's comes into play.
Speaker 31 (02:19:03):
I do think the way you treat your guys, hold
them accountable, be disciplined with them, and but be honest
with them.
Speaker 7 (02:19:10):
And you know, the players that I've left are guys.
Speaker 31 (02:19:12):
That want to start, you know, second third year guys
that want to go play somewhere and start.
Speaker 7 (02:19:16):
And I think that's that's what you want. That's a
healthy program in my opinion.
Speaker 31 (02:19:20):
But it's mainly taking care of your guys that have
you know, done all the things that correctly for your program.
Speaker 14 (02:19:25):
You know.
Speaker 4 (02:19:26):
And coach Randa said some interesting coach gamble about the
portal window. It seems to me that that opens a
lot for interpretation for getting your roster set allowing these
players to leave. I think it's absolutely insane that there
was a team in the college football Playoff that they're
backup quarterback hopped to the portal to get there from
time for the new semester. What needs to happen in
(02:19:48):
these portal windows to make it uniforms where we're not
having players leave during the playoff or during big Bowl games.
Speaker 27 (02:19:54):
Yeah, and I know Chris is on these committees that
works really hard to kind of, you know, help our
help coaches and help programs kind of align the calendar
the correct way. And I know I think we've talked
about this as a big twelve coaches. Obviously you'd love
to have one portal window. I think every coach in
America would want that. I think the reality becomes is
our ability to get this calendar right. I don't think
(02:20:16):
it's fair for college student athletes. I think Notre Dame
in Ohio State, both their players playing the championship game
in Ohio State's already three weeks into the second semester.
Notre Dame flies home and their kids are going right
back to campus. I think the reality of our getting
our calendar correct, helping one calendar window, finding in the
right time for the transfer portal to be open, probably
(02:20:37):
some point in January, and then helping us have that
opportunity then to build our football teams from there. So
I think we still have a lot of work to
do in college football. Get the calendar right in terms
of the season, get the aligning the player acquisition correct
for everybody involved, and then getting the time to prepare
our teams to get ready to play, and getting those
three things right I think is critical for college football
(02:20:59):
to be successful.
Speaker 3 (02:21:00):
You know, coach climates that you are and on those committees.
Speaker 4 (02:21:03):
What's the biggest prevailing question concern that I think comes
up of some of the things we've talked about of.
Speaker 24 (02:21:10):
Here, I think the number one thing, and Matt said it,
we have to have one portal window. We have to
have only one portal window. We got to find the
right time for it. There's a lot of arguments on
when that right time is, but there's got to be
just one portal window, and it's got to be built
around the entire calendar and whenever that portal window is
(02:21:30):
and unfortunately we're not going to decide that it's going
to be other people. But when that is decided, we're
going to try to open up a calendar so that
you're not locked into springball. Springball needs to be OTA's
And if I've got everybody back and I want to
do everything in March and April for fifteen practices or
twenty practices, let me have it. If Joey loses a
(02:21:52):
bunch of guys, he gets all those guys in whenever
that portal wind is May or June, and he wants
to do those things in June, let them do that.
We're not gonna We're I'm all smart enough here, We're
not going to go bang heads and go full padded
practices in the month of June.
Speaker 11 (02:22:06):
But that's something we don't get.
Speaker 24 (02:22:07):
Right now, is on field practicing of coaching in the summer,
and we think it needs to change. And that's something
that's part of the portal window. It's we just need
to have more of us coaches involved on these committees.
Speaker 9 (02:22:20):
Cos maguire, Yeah, I totally agree.
Speaker 18 (02:22:22):
I mean I think whenever you start asking, you know,
I haven't been in college football as long as these
guys have, and you start.
Speaker 9 (02:22:30):
Asking, well, who came up with this rule?
Speaker 18 (02:22:32):
And you go, well, you have this one coach on
this one subcommittee and you call him and he's got
one vote, and everything else's administrators or anything like that
aren't operating in this daily world that we operate.
Speaker 6 (02:22:45):
And so I think that's really important that.
Speaker 7 (02:22:47):
We have more of a voice.
Speaker 18 (02:22:49):
And then with that again, like somebody asked me today,
who knew that the National letter of Intent? Whenever you
sign that didn't mean anything anymore, Like we need to
have rules they're enforced, but we also need to have
real contracts that have teeth in them to where you
can sign a kid and have a multi year contract
(02:23:12):
and they're feel good about that. There has to be
a blanket, the blanket rules that are enforced, and I
think if coaches are more involved in that, then you're
going to have something that you can operate because that's
the world that we live in every day.
Speaker 32 (02:23:28):
When it's all said and done, there's still amateurs is
an amateur sport. I know, rev Share, there's some things
that we're doing that it's a professional model, but there's
still young people that are growing to become adults, and
the focus of the development is academic, not just only football.
Speaker 11 (02:23:45):
Getting the degree is a key, but also allowing them
to develop.
Speaker 32 (02:23:48):
And I think sometimes when money enters, they're forced to
grow up a lot faster than what they're ready for.
Speaker 4 (02:23:54):
Yeah, look, it's going to be an ongoing conversation and
we do we need to get the adults in the
room that are there day a day to get it fixed,
to get the sport we all know and love.
Speaker 3 (02:24:03):
Back to health. I think you guys done with media.
What's next for you? Breakout sessions?
Speaker 19 (02:24:07):
What do you have?
Speaker 3 (02:24:09):
You all look thrilled to do it. I can't wait.
Speaker 4 (02:24:11):
Gentlemen, Thank you for your honesty in the round table today.
It's been a pleasure talking with each of you on ESPN.
Speaker 3 (02:24:16):
And we'll do this again tomorrow with the eight representing
coaches tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (02:24:19):
Back all right, there you have it, fascinating roundtable with
half of the head coaches from the Big Twelve. You know,
it's just the whole thing about no one knows some rules.
I mean, how insane is that to have a sports league,
to have a sport and you don't know what the
rules are. Some great ideas though, and I agree with
(02:24:42):
kelone and saying they should listen more to these coaches
when they're developing all of these issues. And you know,
you have you have the Big Twelve, and you got
these coaches saying, look, we want we want nine conference games.
We want our non conference games to be against the
other power for conference opponents, which I think is an
awesome idea. Not having a poll come out until you know,
(02:25:06):
week seven or or you know, or when the college
football playoff polls come out. What like it just all
makes sense. And look, the Big ten, the SEC are
gaming the system, all right. They are the gaming the
system in their favor. And you when you hear common
sense and you hear something that's really good for all
of college football and you hear the SEC pooh pooing it,
(02:25:30):
then you clearly you start to see the spots on
the leopard.
Speaker 17 (02:25:35):
Its spots do not change.
Speaker 2 (02:25:36):
And so they're all about controlling and u and driving
the narrative as opposed to what's best for college football.
And so fascinating to hear these coaches and what they
have to say, and you get it. You get a
little insight into why they're so good, you know, well,
and just listening to Kennick Dillingham, you can just see
why he's been successful at Arizona State and where he was.
Speaker 17 (02:26:00):
For at Oregon.
Speaker 20 (02:26:01):
Yeah, they back to what you said about SEC Big
ten gaming the system. They don't care. They have no
interest in what's best for all of college football. They
have they have interest in what's best for the SEC.
If you're the if they're Greg Sanki and the and
the SEC presidents and head coaches and everybody, they're Big ten,
(02:26:21):
they have their best interest is the best interest for
the Big Ten, not for all of college football. And
that's I mean, I think these coaches they didn't they
didn't they they didn't talk about that the other conferences.
But these coaches talked in a way that that they
want what's best for college football in the Big twelve.
(02:26:43):
It's just too bad that the two conferences that are
the most powerful, the voices of their most powerful don't
seem to agree on that.
Speaker 2 (02:26:50):
Yeah, I'm telling you gotta sue them. Sue them into submission.
That's what that's how you get it even. All right,
let's take a break. We'll come back for topical trivia.
Right around the corner. This is the Sean o'connells Show
here on the seven hundred ninety two one FM.
Speaker 17 (02:27:01):
I'm Scott Mitchell. We'll see in a minute.
Speaker 1 (02:27:10):
You were listening to about Sean O'Connell show, your source
for the best huge football copyreach. Here's oc from the
Murdoch Hyundai Studio of ESPN seven hundred at ninety two
to one AFM.
Speaker 2 (02:27:24):
Alrighty, sports fans, welcome back. It is the Sean O'Connell
Show here on ESPN seven hundred ninety two one FM.
I'm Scott Mitchell filling in for Sean today. Had a
just a fun three days. Really enjoyed all of this.
The conversations have been plentiful, insightful, and just a lot
of fun having conversations about all the sports that we love.
(02:27:47):
Do a little topical trivia here. Of course, you're gonna
win four tickets to the athletes unlimited softball game Saturday
at Donkey Family Stadium.
Speaker 17 (02:27:55):
So here is the question.
Speaker 2 (02:27:57):
It's from something that happened earlier in the show.
Speaker 17 (02:28:00):
So I was on the.
Speaker 2 (02:28:05):
Show with Amy Hoague, who is the women's head softball
coach at the University of Uta, having a great conversation,
and she said that tell me what the body part
is that's not fully developed in young college athletes. That
is a trivia question texted at eight seven seven three
five three zero seven hundred. Hey, let's keep it clean
(02:28:28):
out there, all right. Joining us on the program right
now is Spence check Its. Of course, the drive with
Spence Checkets is coming up in a minute. I did
something today, Spence. I wanted to get your take on this,
if you've ever done this.
Speaker 17 (02:28:42):
Oh dear.
Speaker 2 (02:28:43):
So I was talking to Amy and I told her, hey,
we're going to be up there tomorrow. You know, it
would be a really fun day. And she says, well
you should, you should come to batting practice. Okay, So
I go, okay, I'm in.
Speaker 17 (02:28:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:28:55):
Yeah, So I'm going to go to batting practice tomorrow.
And here's here, here's the question. Uh, in the moment,
you know, I was all caught up in you know,
thinking I'm a young athlete again. You know, I'm fifty
seven years old, haven't swung a bat in a long
long time, and I was and at the beginning it
sounded like a really good idea. And as I've gone
through the show, I'm like, did I get into something
(02:29:19):
that I probably shouldn't have gotten into because because the ultimately,
ultimately I'm probably gonna embarrass myself. I mean, that's probably
what's going to happen tomorrow. And so the question is,
have you ever committed to something and got into something
that you regretted doing and wish you would have maybe
not chose to do that, and you got caught up
in the moment, you got talked into something you wished
(02:29:40):
your head. Yeah, just officiated a wedding over there. Oh
oh hey, that's right.
Speaker 33 (02:29:44):
I mean it went fine, It went fine, but whold
on second? Don't you have a don't you have some
knee issues that the way you swing a golf? Oh,
it's like it's just gonna be it's gonna be horrendous.
You have ever seen those girls throw softball?
Speaker 17 (02:29:56):
I didn't think of that one. I was like, that's softball, yes, oh.
Speaker 33 (02:30:00):
No, no, no, I I know you might have to
mandate that they just lob it over home play as
opposed to try to strike you out. Those girls can
throw it fast, man, and they put spin on it
like it's not as easy as a look.
Speaker 2 (02:30:11):
See, that's what I want to see. I want to
see the movement on you know, it's like it's and
and I'm like, could we go slope? She's not gonna
go James.
Speaker 33 (02:30:18):
Can we get a camera crew following Scott up at
batting practice with the Utah?
Speaker 2 (02:30:23):
That's what I was gonna say.
Speaker 20 (02:30:24):
We're gonna have plenty of people from promotions department, our guys, Spencer.
I mean, I'm I think I'm gonna have to have
him follow him and keep his phone on him so
we can put out on a document. This is not
gonna go well for you.
Speaker 17 (02:30:37):
No, it's not And I'm okay.
Speaker 2 (02:30:38):
I get you get to a point in your life
when you're like, yeah, I've had everything happen to me,
so you don't care. Like you can laugh at Yeah,
you can laugh at yourself and it's and so I
know it's gonna be bad. But I as I've been
sitting here, I'm just like, what did I get myself into?
Speaker 33 (02:30:52):
No, it's a good quality to be a little self
effacing and laugh at yourself a little bit. There's nothing
worse than somebody that takes themselselves too seriously.
Speaker 17 (02:30:59):
But you're screwed. Let's fee let's be honest.
Speaker 33 (02:31:01):
If they if they bring the heat, if you step
up and the Utah Softball pitchers and whoever's there is
actually trying to strike you out, It's different if it's
like a beer got softball league that you're playing with
with your bros from the company. Did you ever play
I would imagine you played in softball leagues.
Speaker 2 (02:31:19):
I played with the Utah Jazz when I was at
the youth. Oh that's right, you told me that they
joined You talked about Frank, Yeah, a lot of a
lot of fun. Uh and and uh bark kofed he
oh Man. He was a he was a heck of
a He went to Kearney, Kearney State.
Speaker 33 (02:31:35):
I think or bark Kofed is part of one of
the like whoever writes the comprehensive history of the Utah Jazz.
Do you know the bark kofed uh oh Man? Hold
on second, I can't believe I'm forgeting Bobby Hanson. Do
you know the bark covid Bobby Hanson story?
Speaker 2 (02:31:54):
I do not.
Speaker 33 (02:31:56):
I wonder if I should tell this, allowed to even
talk about this story? Really not very many people know.
Speaker 17 (02:32:02):
Well, then I think you should.
Speaker 2 (02:32:03):
It's uh, it's one of the very few things.
Speaker 33 (02:32:07):
It's like when d will It's like when Darren Williams
in I can't remember the big kid who got arrested
in Park City and gave the cops the wrong name
back in the day, Like the Jazz have had very
few like public incidents surrounding you know, athletes or coaches.
Speaker 2 (02:32:22):
But they've had a few.
Speaker 33 (02:32:23):
Excuse me, they've had a few that no one really
knows about because this is a small town and a
cop calls, you know, the general manager of the team.
Speaker 2 (02:32:31):
The cop calls Frank Laydon says, I've got a player here.
Speaker 17 (02:32:33):
What do you want me to do?
Speaker 33 (02:32:34):
He's like, Okay, I'll come down and grab him. Don't
tell anybody. I believe it was a New Year's Eve party.
And the only reason I know this is because my
father at the time was the president.
Speaker 2 (02:32:43):
Of the team.
Speaker 33 (02:32:45):
And I wake up New Year's Day and Bobby Hanson
is sitting in our front room with a black eye.
Speaker 2 (02:32:54):
Oh his eyes like blown. I mean, somebody had cole
cocked him.
Speaker 33 (02:32:58):
And it turns out at a New year party, like
Bobby Hanson and bark Kofed were arguing over a woman
that they both wanted to date. They lived, There's something
like that, and bar Kofed cracked him and nearly broke
his jaw. Now, Bobby was a better player, so that's
why they released part they had. They let him go
after that. Yeah, so it was like a jazz New
(02:33:19):
Year's Eve party and bark Kofed nearly broke Bobby Hanson's
job over a woman.
Speaker 17 (02:33:23):
Ah, it doesn't surprise me.
Speaker 33 (02:33:24):
Like, yeah, you probably have stories athletes wanting to date
the same woman or what have you.
Speaker 2 (02:33:29):
Well, I think that I think the worst one was
when because you get tickets for the games and all
all of the family sit together, right right.
Speaker 17 (02:33:38):
So apparently this one of the.
Speaker 2 (02:33:40):
Players had a girlfriend and a wife and got their
tickets and sat them together. Kind of an idiot would
do that. Who's the player?
Speaker 17 (02:33:47):
Yeah, I can't say.
Speaker 2 (02:33:49):
No, I just told a story about bar Kofed and
Bobby Hanson. I'm trying to remember. He's not listening, Scott, No,
he's not. I'm trying. It was it a It was
a linebacker. Is this in Detroit? It was in Detroit? Okay,
I can't remember who was. Don't sit them together? No,
And what happened is the equipment manager said, Hey, your
(02:34:09):
wife and your girlfriend are waiting outside the locker room together.
Speaker 17 (02:34:12):
You might want to go out the back door.
Speaker 2 (02:34:14):
I will tell you what.
Speaker 33 (02:34:14):
I was a ball boy at Madison Square Garden for
two years and then I was an intern for the
Jazz and got to know the ball boys pretty well. Yeah,
the ball boys know everything, right, because the players will
use the ball boys to send messages, especially back in
the day before like cell phones and texting and social media.
YEA like the head ball boy, and I think he's
(02:34:35):
still the head trainer of the nixt His name is
Mike Martinez, great dude. I believe he's like the only
holdover from the nineties. Oh you know what, he actually
left two years ago. Oh sorry to hear that, but no, I.
Speaker 2 (02:34:45):
Mean he had like a twenty five year run. But
Mike was that ball boy.
Speaker 33 (02:34:49):
And so Mike had all these relationships with like Ewen
and Starks and Mason and Oakley and that whole crew,
and he was constantly running hotel keys wrapped in notes
into the stands. You know, you know, a player would
see a woman in the stands and call Mic over
and a hand a note like hey, I'll be at
the Ritz tonight room three forty seven.
Speaker 2 (02:35:08):
You know, show up or whatever.
Speaker 33 (02:35:10):
If you want to really know the down and dirty
with Scott Mitchell every day for an hour, if you
really want to know what goes down behind the scenes,
the ball boys and boys, they know it all.
Speaker 2 (02:35:20):
It's like the team checks into a hotel and the
player that they go, how many keys you need seven?
Speaker 17 (02:35:25):
I need seven. We're going to be here a couple
of nights.
Speaker 33 (02:35:28):
And now with like social media and the ability to
send dms or whatever, like, it's different.
Speaker 17 (02:35:33):
I think it was.
Speaker 33 (02:35:34):
Wickerstrom did a really interesting piece a couple of years
ago about the tenderfication of the NBA, how you know
being And I saw this firsthand because for seven years
I did pref and post for the Jazz Right, so
I was doing their post game coverage and almost inevitably
I'd be with Britton Johnson, Spencer Nelson, you know, the
guys that I used to do show with, and we
(02:35:55):
looked down. I remember one night the Warriors were in
town and after the game, Clayton so after the game,
there are like four just beautiful girls, just dimes, just
kind of sitting there after the game, hanging out and
we're like, wait, what's going on here. All of a sudden,
Klay Thompson walks out back from the locker room and
all four of them follow him back into the locker room.
Speaker 17 (02:36:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 33 (02:36:14):
So now the players they can cut out the middleman
because they have the ability to you know, hit up
these girls as they're traveling into town.
Speaker 17 (02:36:21):
Yeah. I had a buddy who was actually.
Speaker 2 (02:36:25):
I think his front desk manager at the Marriott that
was across the street from the Salt Palace.
Speaker 17 (02:36:30):
Okay, and he knew, he knew all the time. Yeah, yeah,
what you got on the show today.
Speaker 33 (02:36:36):
More of this this gossip about hook ups. We are
going to bring in Andy Larson today. The Jazz have
a Summer League game tonight kind of Noa's Bailey, No
Walt Clayton Junior. They just shut down Kyle Philapowski. Uh,
set your alarms for three o'clock because live and studio
for an entire hour is Trevor Riley.
Speaker 2 (02:36:57):
And when that happens, no clue where we'll go, zero idea.
Speaker 17 (02:37:01):
I think you should go with this conversation.
Speaker 33 (02:37:03):
Trevor will And the great thing about Trevor is he'll
just tell us everything.
Speaker 2 (02:37:07):
Trevor has a new gig. I'll let him tell us
about it.
Speaker 17 (02:37:10):
Good.
Speaker 2 (02:37:10):
But he's gonna hang out for an hour.
Speaker 33 (02:37:12):
Rsl is in Portland tonight's taking on the timbers of
Providence Park. Jason Christ stops by. Then we'll do a
little more NBA with Zach Harper. So bounce around a
little bit today.
Speaker 2 (02:37:20):
Love it all right? A great conversation. Yep, this show
is over, so thank you for tuning in. This has
been the Sean O'Connell Show here on ESPN seven hundred
ninety one FM.
Speaker 17 (02:37:31):
I'm Scott Mitchell. Until then we'll see you then