TM - Episode 05 - Rudy

Football season is here! Lance and Mike celebrate with the classic Notre Dame football movie, Rudy. The discuss the difference between college football and the NFL, America’s love for Notre Dame, and whether or not the movie is as good as its reputation.

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Welcome to the Nerd Polty, Welcometo Training Montage, the show on the
Nerd Party where we talk about sportsmovie sports ball movies. I'm Lance,

(00:27):
I'm Mike, and today this moviehas one name and one name only and
we can need to chant it.Rudy, Rudy, Rudy, Rudy,
rude Rudy. I think there's adelay, so our chance, but you
know whatever, it's all good.It was like that in the movie too.

(00:53):
Yeah. It's the start of footballseason, right, Yeah. So
I don't like I'm a I'm notgonna say that I'm a big NFL fan
because I know there's people who arelike super crazy in love with the NFL.
But like, I'm someone who willturn on a game if it's on,
you know, I will watch allthe Bears games and everything like that.

(01:14):
I usually go to like one Packersgame a year, just because of
family commitments and Whatnotum, but collegefootball is something which I never really get
into, aside from maybe watching somebowls. So college starts before yeah the
NFL. Yeah, one week before, just one week before okay, typically,

(01:37):
And you I take it are acollege football fan, Well I'm a
football fan. Well, sure,sure. I mean, I mean,
I am from Texas, Mike,You're right, You're right, clear eyes,
full hearts can't yes. So whichwhich do you prefer? That is
a tough, tough question, um, because there's aspects of both games that

(02:02):
I really really love. But Iguess yeah, I don't know. It's
it's a hard one to answer becauseand because while there's things that in both
that I really really love, there'salso things in both that really pissed me
off. So uh, Like withcollege for example, it's like, you
know, the way that they dothe bowl system and the way they decide
a national champion is so fraudulent andit's so dumb and it's unfair and it's

(02:28):
like this monopolized thing. Like Ican't stand it. There's no true champion
in college football. Like I don'tcare what you say. UM, used
to be yes, and that's andthat's the thing. It's just like it's
it's it's like we're we are sodepraved of having like an actual thing that
we take like something that's we're happywith, something that's not the BCS.
Finally, it's just like, oh, it drives me nuts. And then

(02:50):
the NFL with like you know thefact that it's you know, often referred
to as the no fun league,and you know, you got players doing
really dumb stuff all the time,and um, you know, you have
you know, players in trouble forlike for stuff, and they keep getting
back in the league. It's justlike, I there's things about both that
I really both love and hate.But I guess, you know, I'll
give that the edge to college footballbecause more passionate fan bases by a broader

(03:17):
stretch, And also just like thepageantry of it is just so engaging and
it's so much fun and it's somuch fun to get into. I definitely
see what you're saying. Um,you know, I'm I'm definitely all NFL
all the time. Not because Ilike the NFL so much or anything like

(03:39):
that, but I think, well, it's two factors. One growing up
in Chicago, even though I meanthis is a movie about people growing up
in Chicago who are fans of collegefootball. You know, like I did
not have a connection to Notre Dameor anything like that. You know,
like I didn't have like a collegefootball team really because if there was any

(04:01):
team, it was you have I, and you have I University of Illinois
is not. I mean they don't. They don't have a football team.
I mean, what is hey holdon? As as of this recording,
they beat Nebraska week one and likeblew the breaks off of them, and
it's it's it's hilarious for lots ofreasons. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
but that was not happening when Iwas growing up. I stress the imagination.

(04:26):
And yet we had the Bears.Who you know, we're doing the
Super Bowl Shuffle, you know whatI mean, So of course I'm yeah,
yeah, so you know, itmakes sense that I'm I'm a Bears
fan and by extension, an NFLfan. But I mean beyond that,
I mean, even like with withbasketball and everything, and this is what

(04:49):
boggles my mind. And maybe youcan explain this to me, Like college
football really is like the equivalent oflike the minor leagues, right, yes,
I mean it just it just is. It just is for football,
it is. And that's again that'sanother one of the problems with college trouble
because like, you know, thewhole like you know, pay the players
type of deal is a hot buttonissue and it's just like, well,

(05:13):
I mean they should I mean,they should be getting paid if they're generating
billions for the universities, and it'snot like they can get it's not like
they can go work because of theschedule that they put those those athletes through,
those kids through is like a proschedule like they had like they go
to class, like they schedule allof their classes to be like in the
morning, so that way in theafternoon they could do film study and have

(05:34):
practice and have like basically football trainingcamp type of schedule like all year round.
Right, it's like a year roundthing. Like so it's like when
can they go work at McDonald's,Like they can't, And it's the biggest
scam in in you know, insports. I mean it seems like right,
yeah, but yeah, I meanthey should totally be getting paid.

(05:56):
But you know, at the sametime, it's like these are this is
like the lesser team. He's like, you know, if you want to
see the best of the best,you watch the NFL. Yes, And
yet it's weird, like and maybethis is just my perception from you know,
not really having much exposure to collegefootball, but whenever I see it,

(06:17):
it seems like a lot not noteven in terms of like just the
the like antics or whatever, butit seems like a lot more fun because
it's a much looser there's a lotof like a lot more like trick plays
and stuff like that. And andyeah, it's it's it's more gadget plays

(06:39):
there. You see more uh youknow, you see more going forward on
fourth down, going forward on thelong third down. You see more long
passes, you see more long runs, you see more exciting plays, and
a lot of that is because likeyou know, the big schools that the
ones that get all the talent,have all the best players, right,
and they just kind of run overteams that have lesser talent. It's not
like where the NFL, where everybody'spro and it's pretty much equalized in a

(07:00):
lot of ways. Yeah. Um, and the same thing happens like with
defenses and offenses, where you cansee one side dominating the other. But
at the same time it's still funto watch. Yeah, it's it's sloppier,
but it's more there's more flash toit, yes, yeah, And
whereas whereas like the NFL is muchmore sort of like technical and precise correct.

(07:24):
Yeah, So I mean I seethe appeal and and also like with
the pageantry, you know, allthe stuff all though, whatever I mean,
I have to say somehow I alwaysend up at the at the Packers
game when the Wisconsin Marching band isthere, and you know, we always
we always stay for the fifth quarterbecause you know, my aunt and uncle

(07:47):
are like really into it, andand you know, I get it.
I totally get it. Like butat the same time, it's like,
okay, I get it, youknow, like I don't. I don't
need to see this marching band.And then when they start are you talking
to right now, Mike, I'mjust saying. And then when they march.
I was in a marching band forten years, sir, No,

(08:11):
I know what you mean. Andit looks like they're having a lot of
fun. You know, do havefun. We worked hard, we we
do well, we performed, butrespect marching band name. Okay, Okay.
Maybe maybe it's it's it's like whenthey're doing the thing, like when
they're playing like the thing from twothousand and one and the you know,

(08:31):
fancy thing or they're doing you know, the formations and everything, I'm like,
wow, that's so cool. Butthen I think when it's when they
slow it down and they start likesinging the alma mater and they get all
like sincere about it. Yeah,that's when I'm like, this is a
little cheesy, right, It ischeesy, but it's it's supposed to be
right, like because again, likeyou I mean, it's kind of like

(08:54):
high school. Like a lot ofthe things that like, you know,
we were into in high school,things that really meant a whole lot to
us in high school, were cheesyand like you know, it's like you
know when I like, I stillknow the words to my high school fights
on because like we learned it inbanned right, and it was like a
big deal for us to do that. Uh, and the same thing in
college at both both of the placesthat I was at for my both undergrad
and my my masters, since Iwas part of the band program, learning

(09:16):
those things was an important thing thatwe did, and it became an important
thing to us. So at thetime, it's like, yeah, this
is this is it? Like weare sincere about like the words that we
are saying right now when we say, you know, all all hail to
thee our Houston University, or whenwe start singing Onward with Temple, like
we mean that thing. So soyou you you went to Houston, right,

(09:39):
go coogs my undergrad. Yeah.Were you in the marching band for
that? Absolutely? Okay? Soyou went to like all the football games,
every single one is best, bestseats in the house man, that
that volleyball, soccer, softball,baseball. We did everything, or at
least I did. Me and myfriends did shout out the team. It

(10:00):
sounds like a pretty good gig.I have to say, yeah, yeah,
And then I was and then atTemple I did the exact same thing
when I was the uh the graduateassistant there for the marching band. So
goals, man, did you getto go on the road at all with
every now and again? Every nowand then? Yeah, like when they
when they decided to give some moneyto the band, when they weren't disrespecting
us, uh, and when theygave us money to travel. Yes,

(10:22):
that's cool. And one of theplaces that I did go to on a
band trip was South Bend, Indiana, to the University of Notre Dame.
All right, so I guess weshould we should get into this uh this
year movie. Oh yeah, RudyRudy, Yes, Daniel E. Rudiger
Junior. That's the full government name. And this movie uh I came out

(10:46):
in like nineteen ninety two something likethat, ninety three. Do you remember
when it came out? No?Didn't you? So you saw it later
on? I saw it later on. Yeah, okay, I saw it.
Like I remember, it was ahuge deal. I mean I was
thirteen when it came out. Youknow, everyone, I think, especially
in Chicago. I mean, likejust to put it in perspective with the

(11:07):
sort of like local whatever, likethe the place where they shot the high
school stuff. Yeah, that's SaintRita High School. That's where my uncle,
who probably showed me the movie went, That's where he went to high
school, you know, I meanJoliet, you know. I mean that's
you know, right down the streetfrom where I work, you know,

(11:30):
and everything like that. He's thisguy is about the same age as my
dad, and they might my dadlike him. You know, he grew
up on the South Side and thewhole thing with like working in the steel
mills. That's like what everybody mydad's age did, you know. I
mean, my dad worked in thosesame steel mills, just like this guy.

(11:50):
You know, so there is that. I mean, it's very authentic.
Like from the very first shot ofthe movie. I'm like that's Chicago.
That is one Chicago, even thoughit's just like a neighborhood block like
you can tell. So I thinkthere was a lot of that going on.
There are a lot of Notre Damefans in the area, yes,
and because of that, I mean, I'm sure this movie was big everywhere,

(12:11):
but it was like really big here. And we watched it in my
first year of high school. Mymom, like right as it was graduating
from eighth grade. My mom thoughtit would be a good idea for me
to get like acclimated to the highschool and I should take a health class
over the summer. Thanks, thanksmom. And for some reason, in

(12:35):
that health class, we watched Rudy. Yeah, and I saw it and
I liked it. You know,you know why you watched that movie in
health class? Right? I haveno idea, Because it's health class.
I guess that's what it is.That's why you watched it there, because
I think because I think I watchedRudy and a health class at some point,
it makes sense, it makes sense. But I watched it in health

(12:58):
class like a year after came out, and I haven't seen it since.
Okay, but are you're a bigfan of Rudy. Not really health class
but no, hell not definitely,not that, but Rudy. Not really.
It's just it's something that like ifit's on, I'll be like,

(13:22):
oh, I'll watch a few minutesof this and then I'll just kind of
move on. I haven't up.Prior to watching it for you know,
this podcast, I hadn't seen itin years. I think the first time
I saw it was at you know, school for you know, for some
whatever reason it was on, andthen again probably in a health class when
I was in high school, likeand maybe a band trip, and then

(13:43):
that's pretty much those are the timesthat I've seen it. When he went
to Notre Dame. No no,actually all right, so yeah, so
so what are your thoughts on onRudy. I mean, it's a movie
that I like. Um, there'ssome interesting things in it. Whyching it
again with U with older eyes?Uh, there's some things into the kind

(14:05):
of like hit me kind of hardand I kind of like kind of felt
called out by like it's just likeoh well dang, uh yeah, it
do be like that sometimes. Yeah. Yeah, I guess I had always
you know, I think as akid I was I liked it just because
it was like a football movie andeverything like that, you know. And

(14:26):
I think maybe I had heard peopletalking about the story and how amazing the
story was, and I sort oflike associated how great the story is with
how great the movie the movie is. Yeah, because like watching it this
time, I'm like, I'm it'sfine, you know, like, uh,

(14:46):
it's I think it's slow to getgoing. Yeah, I forgot about
all the stuff at the beginning.Honestly watching it again this I was like,
oh, yeah, that's right.Yeah yeah, And and you know
when it gets going, it's like, oh, that's that's a cool story
and everything. Um but like Imean related, uh, this weekend,

(15:07):
my wife and I went to seeTwelve Mighty Orphans, which is a new
football movie h with Luke Wilson,and it's about, um, the well,
this guy who comes to coach ahigh school football team in pretty sure
it's in Texas, um, andit's it's at an orphanage, you know,

(15:28):
and they're like, I mean thatthey did not have a football team.
They only got twelve people who couldactually play and everything like that,
and they you know, won thestate championship or whatever it was, or
they lost in the spoilers for thiswhat it doesn't matter. The point is
it is a you know, inspirationalfootball movie and everything like that, and

(15:50):
it's really good. And you know, my wife is like, man,
that movie is so good. AndI'm like, oh, man, if
you like that, you gotta yougotta watch Rudy with me. It's going
to knock your socks off. Andshe's sitting there watching Rudy and she's like,
this movie is terrible, and likehalfway through she like gets up and
leaves. You know, she's like, this is all about just like you

(16:10):
know, people who are entitled andwhatever. You know, he's not.
Actually she didn't like it as muchas I did, but yeah, there
is some of that in there aswell, like again like looking at it,
looking at it with older eyes,just like huh, like you gotta
look sideways and some of the thingsthat Rudy does. Um, and uh
it just like the circumstances of it. It was like, well, if

(16:32):
this was a different person, wouldthis be the story? And Nan there's
no, so yes, yes,um, but I still think, I
mean, I don't know how wellit works dramatically speaking, right, Like
it's like is this does this countas a movie really, because I don't
I feel like it's not really hittingthe beats the way it should. You

(16:56):
know, It's like, oh,well, this is what happened like this
guy. I mean, this ishow his life went. But it doesn't
really have like any sort of likenarrative structure to it. I don't know.
Um, it's almost like, youknow, I don't know, it's
weird. It's like the coach islike, yeah, you're going to get
to dress next year. Yeah,and then the coach leaves yeah, and
then he does get to dress nextyear. Yeah. Well the well,

(17:18):
the funny thing about it is solike, you know Dan Devine, the
guy that replaced Procegion that season,Yeah, it was his idea to dress
him and put him in and youknow, and and have him in the
game. So but like in themovie, they kind of like I guess
they needed a villain or something orhave a rallying point. So yeah,
that's why they did that. It'sinteresting like when you look at like the

(17:40):
facts of his actual story because likethe actual story, while it's great,
it's not as eventful as like themovie makes it seem. It's just like
he goes to Holy Cross, right, and he like in real life,
he goes to Holy Cross, hetransfers a Notre Dame, he walks on
and then he's just on the practicesquad and then people really like the dude.
He's tried, like he's doing allthe things you see in the movie.
He's trying. He's getting his buttkicked at practice. And then just

(18:03):
like you know what, you're asenior. You know, let's let's let's
have you addressed for the last game. I don't think the intention was to
necessarily play him, but they did, and he played in the last three
plays of the game because I wentand looked it up and it was like,
uh, like a penalty so thatnothing happened, like a pre snap
penalty, and then an incomplete passand then he did sack that quarterback on
the last play. So impressive.So there is that, right and so

(18:26):
but it's just interesting that, like, you know, Dan Devine is not
the villain that he is in themovie. Yeah, he really got the
short end of the stick. Theydid. It was He's like, come
on, man, like, youknow, put put some put some respect
on my my man Chelsea Ross's name. This is one of my favorite dudes.
We'll talk about him more when weget to major league because he has
one of my favorite quotes in allof cinema in that movie. Well,

(18:47):
let me ask you something about DanDivine because this is the other thing which
is sort of like boggles my mindwhen it comes to college football in college
sports in general. And I getthat it's it's all about money, and
yet still I'm impressed by this.So, you know, they say in
the thing like, oh, they'regetting Dan Devine. He was the coach

(19:07):
of the Packers, right, Andyou know, every time we're talking about
like American sports, I keep onthinking about, you know, potentially Lee
listening and being like, I don'tknow what they're talking about. The Packers
are like the you know, they'rethe Yankees of football in a lot of
ways. You so maybe they're morelike the Red Sox of football. I

(19:30):
don't know, it doesn't matter oneof the two. You could pick either
one. Yeah, But the ideaof like, I mean, let's just
say, in baseball, the ideaof the coach of the Yankees leaving the
Yankees to take a job coaching aminor league team would never happen in a
million years. Yes, And yetthere is this weird sort of like equality

(19:55):
between like college football and basketball andthe pros, where like it's not a
step down, you know, youcould be getting a huge pay increase even
by going to a college team tocoach players who are not as good.

(20:15):
You know, Yes, Nick Sabanis the highest Nick Saban is the highest
paid football coach in in in Americaand he coaches Alabama. Right and Nick
was also the highest paid paid personin the state of Alabama. By the
way, Okay, can you canyou imagine him on yeah, because I've

(20:38):
seen it. He go to theDolphins for a hot second. Okay,
okay, I guess, but hecame back to college. It's just weird,
right, Not really, it's it'sit's all about what these football coaches.
The reason why they you know,an NFL coach would come down to
college. It's a control thing.It's an ego in power and control type

(20:59):
of thing. And as a ifyou're the head coach of a college football
team, especially like a high profileone, right you are, as Nick
Saban is the probably the most importantperson in your jurisdiction. Right, you
are the law, you are thepresident, you are the emperor, king,
whatever, you want to call yourself, right, And a lot of
these football coaches act that way,and being the head football coach is essentially

(21:21):
like being ahead of state. That'sthe way that they are viewed, that's
the way that they act. Andand frankly, a lot of these people
don't get the same type of controlin the pros over their programs that they
would in college. Because if if, like Nick Saban has told, control
about everything that happens at Alabama.When he was on the Dolphins, he
had somebody in the answer to hehad the owner of the team and the

(21:41):
GM's to work with and all ofother stuff, which is why, like,
you know, the Houston Texans arein such a shamble because they gave
a lot of power and controlled stupidBill O'Brien and he just you know,
you know, took a big goldcrap over everything, and that's why the
Texans are, you know, godawful and in the predicament they're in that
plus Deshaun Watson you know, asan idiot, so you have all that

(22:02):
going on, right, So that'sjust an example, right, So Nick
Saban when he was with Miami couldn'tdo what he's doing at Alabama and certain
coaches in the NFL who are giventhat amount of control will either rise to
the occasion like a Bill Belichick,or they will you know, they will
you know, burn to the ground. Whatever organization did is like you know,
Bill O'Brien. So that's what itis. It's a it's a power

(22:23):
and control thing. Okay, Imean it does make sense like when you
I mean, because obviously college footballis a huge business, right, but
it's I don't know. Maybe maybeit's because like you know, my college
had an ultimate frisbee team. Yeah, yeah, it didn't have a football

(22:45):
team. You've got to like partof my football team. See. Part
of it is you've got to belike in it to understand it, right,
Like because again me you know,being you know, being from the
South, Like, it is notodd for me to see a thousand people
at a high school football game,right, It's not It's it's not odd
for other people around them, youknow, around the world. It is

(23:07):
odd when they look down at Texasand they see there are a million dollar
facilities for high school kids to playfootball. But it's just what it is
down here, and it's and we'renot you know, this South takes football
very seriously, so nights. Yeah, all that stuff is real. By
the way, those people in there, like those those types of people that

(23:27):
are depicted are very very real.So uh, that's that's another part of
it. Like when you wonder itwas like why would you give this much
you know, control to somebody justto coach football, It's like, well,
they it's because they really like football, that's why. And they want
that product to be good. Andso they if they believe that, you
know, you know, like asthey did in Friday Night Lights that coach

(23:48):
Taylor was was was that dude?Then he was that dude. People in
Alabama think Nick Saban's that dude.So he's that dude. People in Clemson
think Dabbo Sween's that dudes. That'swhy he's what he is. All these
top top head coaches aren't going tothe NFL like when there's like like whenever
there's a you know, a anopening, right like all like the top
coaches always get like, you know, they're always rumored, but most of

(24:11):
them are just like they're not leavingtheir situation. Why would they They're making
too much money as it is,and they have too much control where they
are right now, with a fewexceptions like you know that do try it
out. It's like more of anego thing again, because it's like,
oh, I conquered this, I'mgoing to conquer this. But then if
they don't, then it's kind ofcome back to where they were. Yeah.
Yeah, and I guess yeah.And it makes sense that you Urban

(24:32):
Meyer. It makes sense too thatthere would be that loyalty to it and
everything. I mean, it makesactually a lot more sense than it does
for professional sports in a lot ofways, because like you went to Houston,
so yes, you know. Yeah, I mean, and maybe it's
just because I didn't have that thatI have trouble wrapping my head around it.

(24:52):
But I think also by extension,that's why I have so much trouble
with college sports is because it's sobig. There's so I mean, how
many teams are in Division one A, you know, a lot, and
you're not going to get I mean, like you're saying, with the playoffs
and everything, you're not going toget like a true anything in terms of
like who's the champion or anything likethat. I mean, oh, they

(25:15):
could, there's a way to doit. I've I've I've solved this problem
several times with the friends after havinga few pops. You know, everything
I've solved, we've sold, we'vewe have solved this issue. They're just
not going to do it. Yeah, yeah, okay, all right,
well you'll have to. I'll haveto share that with us at some point
maybe maybe maybe when we get time, you know, to to the to

(25:36):
the end of the season. Yeah. Yeah, all right. So with
this movie, right, the otherthing that really struck me, and I
guess this happens with move with allmovies, but in particular this one is
how many people you see in itthat have gone on to become really big

(25:56):
stars. Yes, and here they'rejust you know whatever. Yes, I
mean obviously you know Sean Aston,you know he became a hobbit. Yeah.
And did you did you chant Rudywhen he was helping mister Frodo up
Mountain Doom? Because I did no. At that point, I was just
you know, hoping that get thisover with. Yeah, I'm like,

(26:17):
you still had another forty five minutes. Oh yeah, at least at least
but you know, Jon Favreau,right, And I keep thinking like if
I was, you know, goingback to that that you know, high
school health class watching this movie whenI was fourteen, and someone's you know,
leans over to me and says like, that guy's gonna make a boat
a fat TV show one day.I'd be like, what what are you

(26:41):
kidding me? That's so crazy,you know, And then little little baby
Vince Vaughn shows. I was aboutto say, what about what about Vince
Vaughn a throwaway in this, Likehe's the he's the dude that gets a
bad attitude, gets demoted from thirdteam, and he's the guy that's like
that was for you there you go, there you go, I mean,

(27:03):
hey, pretty cool. Yeah yeah, and ned baby still was you know,
it was throwing some heat. Yeahyeah. And then there's that that
seat. I love that one scenewith him where he's like, you know,
this is the most beautiful sight theseold guys have ever seen when he
walks out on the field and youcan I mean the way that they shot
it, it's like that is whatit feels like, right well, you

(27:25):
know what like as somebody who's beenthere legit, Yeah, I thought I
was like, it's not gonna bethat Like this is cool, but it's
not gonna be that cool. AndI walked out, and I think I
was like, oh no, thisis that cool? Yeah, yeah,
that is kind of like what Imean, as much as I give it
crap, you know that that reallyis what it's like at Brigley Field,

(27:45):
you know, terrible place to actuallywatch a baseball game, but you know,
visiting it as like a historical landmark, it's yeah cool, it's a
pretty cool. Yeah. Yeah,if if if, if you come up
here for the Star Trek convention,White Sox are not in town, the
Cubs are in town. We'll haveto make a trip directly, and we
got to do that. Yeah,friendly confines. Yeah sounds good. Yeah.

(28:07):
Um. So the other thing aboutthat though, right, like this
movie was made in the nineties,but it takes place in the seventies,
and you know, you really dohave that like they do a good job
of you know, like whatever,like getting that retro vibe, but there's
sometimes where like you could tell theywere just like so excited that they were
like shooting at Notre Dame and theyhave like crowd shots and stuff, which

(28:33):
they must have done during like someone game. Yeah, and there's times
in there where you're like, that'snot the seventies. That car is,
you know, like a nineteen eightysix Civic or something like that. You
know, they I don't know.It's like they were almost like, nah,

(28:55):
close enough. Yeah, you know, but you don't really see in
movies too often. That's true,but I guess it did lend that authenticity
to it too. How did thatbother you at all? Or not?
Really? Yeah, it's just somethingfunny to kind of see. Yeah,
yeah, I don't know. Whatelse is there to say about this movie?

(29:17):
Um? Is this the Charles S. Dutton's character in this Oh yes,
yes, yes, yes, sothis movie. Like his speech to
Rudy at the end when he convinceshim to go back to practice, it's
like, you know, when hewas just like, yeah, you know,
I thought I wasn't getting played becauseof my color, but it turns

(29:38):
out it was my bad attitude.I was like, bro, like,
who wrote this for you? Likeobviously a white guy did, because if
you played it Notre Dame. Whenyou played it Notre Dame, you weren't
getting played because of your color.Period. Come on, Charles. I
had that exact same conversation with lastnight, because after she walked out of
the movie, I came to bedand she's like, how did it end?

(30:00):
And I'm like, well, andI told her like the whole thing.
And then I'm like, oh,yeah, well, you know Charles
has done blah blah blah. Hesaid blah blah blah, and you know,
I thought they weren't playing me becauseof the color of my skin.
And she's like, well he thoughtthat, Like what was it? What
was the real reason? And I'mlike noah. He's like what else?

(30:22):
What does that mean? And I'mlike I think it means it was written
by a white guy. Yep,so ye, yes, yes, that's
definitely true exactly. And then alsolike you know, Rudy being as buddy
buddy as he was and so likehappy to hang around, Charles has done

(30:42):
that entire time. I was justlike, like gay even though he's not,
you know, he's not like theway Will Smith was and led himTo
bag of vance, right, butit is dangerously dangerously walking that thin line
of the miss stick Negro territory,you know what I mean. And that

(31:03):
is something that unfortunately is something thatlike is a well that Hollywood goes to
way too often, and they didit here and it's just like, oh,
I forgot like because like I firstthought, like I when remembering the
movie, I was like, oh, I knew he worked with Charles as
Dutton. I know he was kindof like a mentor. But then watching
it was like, oh, theyreally did M and him like in this
like dang, I because this issupposed to be what like he's because Rudy

(31:27):
gets there in what nineteen seventy three, seventy four? Yeah, I had
to look that up because I waslike, is this the fifties? Is
this the sixth what is this becauseit's like nineteen seventy so like the Final
Game is like nineteen seventy five orsomething like that. Yeah, so he
was in there, and he wasthere in the early seventies working with him
on the fields and everything. It'slike like we know what happened a couple

(31:49):
of years earlier, right, Solike and it's like why is why is
he so keen on helping this,like this small little white boy try to
go play for Notre Dame? Likewhy is he like encouraging it? And
it's like and the other fundy,I guess the you know, you know,
a joke you can make out ofthis is like, well, I
mean, this kind of proves thateverybody needs, you know, a wise
black man in their life. I'mnot going to dispute that, but you

(32:13):
know, yeah, I will sayI'm glad that I finally know where that
Charles Stutton Jiff come differently, becauseI always see it and I'm always like,
where's that from? It's a greatone to use, So it's multi
purpose. And as soon as theysaw that, as soon as I saw

(32:34):
that first shot, you know,it's not even what the jiff is actually
taken from, but you see thefirst shot of him on that background with
that you know hat and everything,and I'm like, oh, it's from
here. Okay, well that's good. Yeah, ah, yes, Rudy,
what a movie. Yeah. Soany final thoughts, Um, you

(33:01):
know, I think, I mean, I guess the theme throughout the movie,
you know, is you know,if you if you want something you
know hard enough, you will workhard enough to try and get it right.
They make a couple of points inhere about like, you know,
dreams and people who are dreamers.Right. They try to want to say
something about that, but they kindof don't really delve into it too much.

(33:24):
Um, but you know, thepremise is there and the and the
you know, the thesis of allof that is there, and you know,
and like and a lot of thatI get because I'm you know,
trying to do a similar thing inmy own life, So I get it.
Um. But at the same time, it's just like, you know,
you know some of the people whoare talking to Rudy, but like
it's like, why do you thinkyou could play it? Notre dame.

(33:46):
It's like he's as Charles has Duntonsays, your five foot nothing, one
hundred and nothing. It's like,like, I mean, you got to
be at some point you got torealize when you're not gonna go pro right,
And it's a hard thing to do, trust me. Like I'm I'm
living proof of of you know howhard that statement is, right, Um,
but it does you know, itis important to you know, take

(34:10):
from this some of the values oflike, if you want something, work
for it, right. Yeah,And he does do that, to his
credit, regardless of some of thethings and some of the breaks he got
while on the way. Uh,he did work hard to achieve the goal
that he had set forth in hishead. So that is that is commendable.
Yeah, And now he has becomelike part of like football legend,

(34:34):
right, which I mean, Iguess you knew because of the fact that
there is a movie here. Butlike I think the thing that really like
drilled it home for me is whenI'm like, let me look up this
guy on Wikipedia, right, andthe picture that they have on them is
like here's Rudy at a card andautograph convention in twenty ten. And I'm

(34:54):
like, oh, yeah, thatmakes sense. Yep, you know,
yeah, yeah, because he's becomea celebrity he has and you know,
good, you know what good forhim? Like do you think? Man
um? I guess and and Iguess. My final thought on this is
this is as a result of thismovie and a lot of other things.

(35:15):
And then like you know, theTV rights that Notre Dame acquired way back
when to broadcast their games, Uh, is why people still think that currently
Notre Dame football is like great andit's they're not. By the way,
I live in Chicago. You know, the reason why the Cubs are the
number one team here is because theywere the ones on WGNY for years and

(35:37):
years and years when the White Soxcould only be seen on cable. That's
the way it works. Yeah,no it's not fair, No it's not.
But it's just it's just interesting howthat how that works. But as
a propaganda piece for for for NotreDame and that that you know, that
tradition and that school has worked.I mean, I'm pretty sure enrollment went

(35:58):
through the roof in the early es. They're actually kind of good in their
early nineties. They haven't really beengood since. Yeah, yeah, no,
good for them, yeah, goodfor them, and good for Rudy
indeed. Yeah, all right,I guess that's pretty much it for this
week, I think, so allright, it's a lancefer. Can people

(36:20):
find you on the Internet. Theycan find me at Sir Lance Laster on
all of my social media's and youcould also find me on the United Federation
of podcast talking about all the thingsthat make Arrow Arrow on Always Hold on
to Arrow. And you can findus on Twitter at Do Not Fail Our
Pod, and you can find meon Twitter and letterbox at Mumbles three K.
And you can also find me onmy website film damagepod dot com doing

(36:43):
a show called film Damage. Weare behind on our Star Trek Lower Decks
audio commentaries, but we will getcaught up. I have been watching the
show. It is amazing. Soyes, yeah, it's about it.
Alright. So football season is starting. It's like all of the major sports

(37:04):
except for baseball are starting like nowin America, football first, Basketball is
coming up with a little bit,but in between we have hockey. Yeah.
So next time, miracle Yeah.So until then, cheer cheer for
old Notre Dame. Join the Revolution, Join the nerd Party.