On today's pardon my take, we're sending everyone off for the rest of the week. There's no show on Friday that is Christmas, but we have an extra long show today.

We have Jeff Monken, Army head football coach of Army, trying to get him a bowl game, which they got. But we talked to him about basically being the toughest guy alive.

We have Rachel Nichols on to preview the Western Conference in the NBA and Richard Jefferson on to preview the Eastern Conference of the NBA. So the NBA is officially back and we have a full preview for everyone.

And then we have a quick Monday Night Football recap.

Hotsy cool thrown guys on ChiX send you off for the last couple of weeks of 2020.

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Now, in the street, that violence I'm not laughing, not not having an abortion, I'm getting all the way out to L.A. and you and I are down to L.A.. Welcome to part of my take presented by the cash app. Go Download right now. Use code, bar stool. You get ten dollars for free, ten dollars to the ASPCA. Today is Wednesday, December twenty third. And the Pittsburgh Steelers are. Jack, the worst 11 a.

team of all time dead dish fetish.

Ben Roethlisberger is not health good anymore. This is tricky because now we're biased. We do like, you know, the Steelers and Pittsburgh, the city of Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger. So it's hard, but in fair in fairness to every other team that we bash, the Pittsburgh Steelers are fraud's straight up frauds, 11 and zero to 11 and three, losing his 14 point favorites to the Bengals.

They are broken, they are hurt, they are damaged.

And I don't know, like, has there ever been a team that's gonna go and finish eleven and five and still going to the playoffs? It would be very funny if they ended up with five straight losses and then limped into the year in the playoffs. Yes, it's crazy. So they're going to get into playoffs. There's a chance. And like we talked about the Browns chances, even though, listen, it's still extremely likely that the Browns get in.

But if the dominoes fall the wrong way, they might not. But there's still a very good chance that depending on how that weeks are, week 17 game goes, the Browns and the Steelers, they could play each other back to back weeks. Not only that, but the Browns. And I think that there's I think most Browns fans know this, but there are still a certain amount of Browns fans out there that haven't fully realized it because they think and understandably so, they think, well, we beat the Titans and we beat the Colts.

So we have the tiebreaker. If there's a four or five way tie at eleven and five, the head to heads don't matter. That's the problem. And the Browns get basically booted from the playoffs. So week 17, there could be there's a potential for week 17 and this would be like hell freezing over. The Cleveland Browns could be playing for the AFC North title, and if they lose, it could potentially be kicked out of the playoffs.

Yeah, but the crazy is that there's a lot of weird stuff that is so fucking it could work out where if they lose that game, then that means that they have to go to Pittsburgh the next week. It could work out that if they win the game, Pittsburgh has to go to Cleveland the next week. It's it's going to be weird. It's gonna be very strange ending of the season for sure.

Either way, I think the big takeaway for Monday Night Football was I I don't remember big band ever playing that bad and like it's bad. Oh, it is very, very bad.

So the first thing I noticed besides him, just like doing a two year old protest and saying, I never want to play under center, so I'm going to fumbled. The first snap that I get there was when he was when they were setting him up for handoffs, he they were calling handoff plays where he would not have to take more than one step. In fact, like most of the handoffs Big Ben was doing was just like turning his fat belly to the side and putting the ball out.

Just rotate. There was one in the first half in particular where he had to take like maybe maybe a step in half to his right. And he took like half the step and then stretched his arm way out. And I we joke about like, is Big Ben hurt? Because Big Ben's always hurt and some actually know this way he wasn't hurt. He was coming back from the world's shortest retirement of all time because he made Adam Schefter announced on Saturday or Sunday that Big Ben will return for next year.

Right. Thanks, Adam. Yeah, no one was OK. Thank you, Ben, for letting us know.

But I don't know if he's actually, like, injured or hurt or if he's just lazy. He's just old. He just might be OK.

I think we're seeing this and it's and it's happening like this is the end of. Of all the things that have happened in the last couple of years, you know who actually is coming out? The biggest winner? Philip Rivers. Eli Manning.

Oh, yes, Eli Manning retired first. He was the first to leave the party. Now, he was obviously when he got bad at the end, it was bad. But our lasting memories are now going to be back. Bad Big Ben, bad Phil Rivers, if he plays for a year or two, Tom Brady's going play for ten more years. So he'll be back at the end. Drew Brees, like all these guys, getting old and trying to hold on as long as they can, Eli, just sitting, eating whatever, like sloppy Joes that aren't sloppy Joes that I guess New Jersey has its own sloppy Joes, even though everyone else eats a different kind of sloppy Joes and loving life.

And he's going to end up being like, oh, remember, Eli? He was awesome. He never got bad. Yeah. He's like, yeah, it is a great lesson. Like leave the party, be the first to leave instead of the last.

Right. He's like, if when Tiger Woods retire from golf, he's not going to go play on the seniors tour. Right. Right. But there should be a seniors tour for quarterbacks. Yes. Shinta, how awesome would that be? So we could still have these guys, these guys like swinging around until they die.

It's over. It's it's so I don't know where Steelers fans I think most Steeler fans and I'm going to give them credit because I think they are some of the best fans in football. I think most of them realize it like from judging from social media, they all know what's going on here. No one is making the illusions that the Steelers and a lot of it is because of injuries. They've they've really like been ravaged by injury on the defensive side of the ball.

And a lot of it is because they cannot run the ball whatsoever. And their offense is essentially Big Ben trying to throw short passes and sailing all of them over everyone's heads and throwing bad picks.

And then he even like the picks are one thing. He was getting guys killed.

They were hospital passes last night and left and right, Ebron got killed like the Juju Smith Schuster, who was doing a ticktock before the game. He got killed like so I don't know, the Steelers team. It feels like they're going to limp in and probably sputter out. And, you know, the first or second round.

Yeah, I don't see them unless I mean, obviously, like, Mike Tomlin is never out of it because he's you know, he's been there a few times and he knows exactly which buttons to press on Big Ben, who, by the way, speaking of buttons to press, Big Ben has sucked at quarterback since he unblocked everybody on Twitter. Drew, I think maybe he's reading, like, good points. All the negative stuff might be the toxicity of the Internet.

Good might be affecting Ben, who, as we know, is dealing with porn recovery. Yeah. So maybe he should go back to blocking most of the Internet.

What did Mike Tomlin say? We got to run into the kitchen or something. We got it. Yeah.

We got start running into the kitchen instead of running out of it. OK, so your guess is good. That's where the heat is. That's where the flames are.

Yeah. I don't know. That's where you eat because there are fire in the kitchen. Big Ben's just going to interpret that as like I need to eat more, more. I need to be heavier.

Also credit to the Bengals.

That was nice when they played like there is something about playing your rival at the end of the season in a lost season and winning a game like that. Like if you're a Bengals fan, you can kind of put your hat on it. Like, yeah, we fucking we fucked up there, there maybe the AFC North for that. Well, it is something to build on because you do have like a franchise that you're trying to build. You're no longer in tank mode.

You've got like the initial pieces. So yeah, winning a game like this is pretty important. We did get an overload of throughout the record books. The record books were thrown out by Lewis, totally thrown out within 30 seconds of Kermit the Frog dropping the mic like this was.

I thought it was so high when I was like, wait, did I smoke today? Because what is going on? I was not ready for that. Oh, I didn't know that that was happening. I was bits were just fucking talking.

I tuned in. It worked on me because I tuned in like ten minutes early to see the Muppets.

Oh, see, I just had the game I like to my Monday nights. I like to sit down on the couch like around seven forty five and have the pregame on because I don't really watch pre games otherwise and really kind of feel in the moment. And then they're like, all right. And Cincinnati. And then all of a sudden it's Kermit. I'm like, wait what what, what, what's going on. Yeah. Did I change the channel?

What happened here?

Oh, that's what I was looking forward to. I was hoping they'd have be here giving an injury, run down, wearing the lab coat, not being able to understand anything.

But yeah, Mike Tomlin, Mike Tomlin actually made more sense with his, like, run into the kitchen than the Swedish chef would have.

Yeah, Ryan Finley looks exactly like me from the yes side, smiling way too much. He might have been concussed. You might have been because you get hit hard a couple times.

But that's that's a game where, like that's he's going to tell his kids about, oh, he gets a contract from this.

He gets a backup contract. Yes. Like he will he will be able to stay in the league for a few more years because it was also good seeing a few Bengals fans there always dressed up.

Yeah, I missed that one Bengals fan, though. That dress is half as a Bengal half as Miami Dolphin for a very specific rivalry. The guy with the beard.

Yup, that guy. And then the stormtrooper, Bengals guys, the Bengals in the store. They also have storm troopers. Yeah. Yeah. Soopers. So it was.

Yeah. Interesting. Monday Night Football game. All right. So here's the deal for this week. We have no show Friday because it is Christmas Day. We're going to do a mega NBA preview in a. So we're going to talk to Rachel Nichols and Richard Jefferson in a minute, we have we are back on Monday for week 16. We're not going to miss a week of football and then the following Wednesday. So whatever day that is, the 30th will be our best stuff.

So that's the schedule. No, no. Sundays are going to be missed. No Mondays are going to be missed. But we will not have a show on Friday so quickly. Let's do a quick, like, very abbreviated version of a Sunday preview. So we have a Friday game, Thanksgiving or sorry, Christmas Day games, which is great. NFL should absolutely try to steal Christmas Day from the NBA because from Jesus. Yeah. To NBA stole from Jesus.

NBA has it. NFL's got it usually. And then give it back to Jesus. Yeah.

So Vikings, Saints I that game, I mean in week sixteen we have a lot of playoff implication games, but not a lot of head to head playoff implication games because like the Vikings are essentially out of it.

I guess it's really just the Saints look trying to look good. I mean, you can't bet against the Saints on Christmas. No.

And then Saturday Games, the Dolphins Raiders game on Saturday night will be very important for the AFC playoff picture and whether the Dolphins like essentially all the Browns doomsday scenarios, they end if if the Vikings or the Raiders beat the Dolphins, the Dolphins winning out is like the most unlikely of the doomsday scenarios.

So if the Dolphins win this game, Browns fans get ready for it.

It's just I don't want to I don't want to keep bringing it up. But I do think there's a lot of browns.

I think there's a decent amount of Browns fans that still don't realize it, like they still have not fully comprehended because they think rightfully so. We'd be eleven and five. We've beaten the Titans in the Colts. How could we not be?

Yep. It's so criminally it's very stupid. But again, it's like a five percent chance that the doomsday scenario actually happens. Yeah. So it's probably not going to go down.

Yes. What other big games are you looking forward to on, say, the Colts Steelers like are the Steelers just going to die? Can the Steelers opt out from the playoffs? You know what? I'm so they look so very bad prime time. Yeah. I'm going to bet on the Steelers. I'm going to bet on the Steelers. I can already feel it right now because you said these are the two old dogs of the NFL. I know.

I feel it forever.

So, like, if you think you're going to bet against Ben Roethlisberger because he doesn't look healthy, what is Philip Rivers look like? It's true how old he looks. So, yeah, I'm going to bet. I'm going to bet on the Steelers on Sunday. That's how that's how bad they looked the game, I think the line the Steelers look so bad. It was Steelers minus two and a half yesterday before the game, and now it's Colts minus one.

And so that's how bad they've looked at other games that are of note. I mean, we're obviously looking at our teams. Bears have to win. They will win. They better win. If they don't win, I'm going to cry. And then Washington football team, which will get to Dwayne Haskins in a minute, football team wins and they're in officially.

Yeah, they went in their end. Is that true? I believe so.

I thought that there was still a way for the Eagles. I guess not. Maybe not.

No, I don't think so. The Eagles after that loss.

So he goes, oh, yeah, because what about the Cowboys? Can the Cowboys get in with seven and nine?

Let's see. No, because I think the football team beat the Cowboys. So let's see. We win and we're in. If I just keep saying it enough.

Wait, but if the Giants know if the Giants win out, I think they they can finish seven and nine and they have the tiebreaker. So that's not advancing to week seventeen right now.

You know who's definitely not in who? Billy Patriots. Oh, damn. Burns you, Hank, you got you again.

He's really proud of that one. Oh, yeah, that's OK. So by winning we're in I had baked into that assumption that the that the Ravens would beat the Giants. Right. Which I think is a fair assumption. Well, no thanks.

Probably going to benefit the Giants. The NFC East is too crazy for their for their for not to come down two weeks. So, yeah, it's if the football team wins and the Giants lose, then the football team's in. Yes.

And then the big the two big games in the afternoon night. Rams, Seahawks, Titans, Packers, Rams, Seahawks, like, I don't know, the Rams have to look.

At least the Rams are kind of they're not like the Steelers in that they haven't lost three in a row and they haven't looked as bad as the Steelers. But when you lose to the Jets, kind of all everything's out the window like you, you immediately might be in fraud territory.

That's bullet point number one on your resume. Regardless of, like, what your best win was, you don't get to go to college football playoff. When you lose that, you lose to the Jets. That's that would be like if Ohio State lost to Rutgers and they won the rest of their games.

It's like, sorry, that's really mean to Rutgers by the well, I mean, the people know I think they get far better than the Jets. I was saying that Rutgers could beat the Jets. Francis Rand wise. I would take Rutgers over the Jets.

Absolutely. You got Greg Schiano that everything she does better, I guess Nunzio can the legacy there. But yeah. So if if I look at this game, the Rams and the Seahawks, the Rams may have actually done themselves a favor by oh, the Jets.

Oh, OK. Little wake up call, little wake up, little little salt's way better that had happened to the Jets than it happened in the division.

Yeah. That's number one. Yeah. Number two is there is a possibility that that would make the Rams play against the NFC East winner in the playoffs. They've beaten every team in the NFC East. Yeah. For no NFC fun fact factor one in three against AFC South, which is kind of weird.

That is weird. Yeah. They've lost the dolphins. The bills in the Jets. That's by the Patriots. Wow. Well, they beat the Patriots and lost to everyone else in the division, the Jets. Yikes. And then Titans.

Packers, which is going to be this game to me is everything. Unfortunately, it is everything.

Because if the if the Titans can't run the ball down the Packers throat and score, it will I'm going to start having very bad feelings about the Packers being frauds.

Yeah, well, I think either, you know what? Whichever team loses this, I'm going to I'm called officially a fraud.

Yes. This is the fraud bowl. Yeah. Football because the Titans, I can handle that. They've flirted with fraudulence. Yes. They're third down there. Third down. Defense is quite fraudulent. Yes. Well, actually, isn't it just bad? Well, unless they got the boy out there doing boy things. That's right. For the week. Boy of the week. Yeah. Loser. This game's a front. Yeah. Billy Well, you have your Parley's up.

I will have them up in time. OK, Sunday there'll be a can't lose parlay. Are you.

It'll be on Cattanach. What will I have. There's a little you Earl situation going on. What's going on. Pardon my take.

Dot net has been replaced for reuse for different reason. For what?

If you have any grievances with Jose Canseco, please file them as part of my take dot net. Okay. You can put your name and grievance.

Oh, you're doing my idea of a class action fight.

A joint idea. I will. OK, I will be.

I think I said it. Wait, I need to know you are. Personally, I think this is a big catch for me.

I said I screwed on. I said it on the rundown. I first it's like a class action lawsuit.

I said, if you've personally been victimized by Jose Canseco, I said at first that it was the I thought of in my brain.

That's why I said, if you've been personally victimized by Jose Canseco, please, you know, I woke up.

So, Bill, you said if you've been personally victimized, then Big Cat was like that sounds like a law firm class action. I'll give that a collaborative OK. Yeah, for sure.

All right. So so go to part of my take on that. Yes.

And file your grievances with Jose Canseco and I will be your champion collector. Riggo. I love it.

All right, let's do hotsy quarter and then let's get to Jeff Monck, Rachel Nichols and Richard Jefferson.

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Hank Mahasen is James Harden. Yeah he's fat. Whoa.

He's fighting with his teammates. So the larger there's been a bunch of reports about him like arguing with his teammates to the point where he got in a fight with a rookie like whipped the basketball out at him. So I think called a pass.

So OK, he threw oh he threw a ball at his teammate. It's called passing ball. Either you call James Harden a ball hog when he's not throwing the ball at his teammate or when he is, then you just say it's salt.

That's a good point. It's a good point. Fifty. I just you know, it is this. Will people be listening?

It's over the course of the next two weeks. I feel like he's going to be on a different team by then. I want to get your guys official predictions.

Why would they treat them like in the first two weeks of the season? Because they he wants to fight everyone.

They have a win for him, just like tell him to sixer a little bit and then wait for another team to develop a need.

Sixers I think it's like this is they're on the same page. This is ending shortly.

Right. OK, so I was going to say Sixers too, because I think we saw the same team earlier this week. I didn't know.

I just feel like Darrell Moore. He's like saying like, hey, you want Ben Simmons, just do it straight home. All right. I'm going to go with the Celtics. Oh, people are saying that.

I really hear people saying that. I don't know. I that there are literally made that up on the top of my mind. There are people who I think the Wizards. Oh, yeah.

Wizards reunite them with his old teammate. But after the Celtics, I'll be depressed.

Yeah, they'll be tough. That would suck. James Harden would absolutely hate DC.

What would what what's my cool throw. Yeah. My cool throne's John Mulaney. Yeah. Turns out, you know, so he's kind of a goofy, goofy goofball. Turns out he's, you know, he's a fun party guy. Well he's in rehab.

You said you used to be a fun place to be.

Well, yeah. Again, like it's kind of like Snoop Dogg. Like you always not. Yeah. That puts you at not one. That was like when I saw the news, I was like, oh, I didn't know John when he got down like that.

Yeah, no, I agree. I was I was shocked by the news as well. Hopefully he hopefully gets better. Yup.

Yeah. Yeah. Is he like super old for how he looks. No, I think he's in his.

No I think yes. But Bill. Right. Because right now he's got he's got like the VIPs. The VIPs. Oh he's, he looks like forty but he looks like he's like twenty.

He's got it. He's got the opposite of butterflies. Yeah. He's got clitorises. Mm hmm.

But I feel like you know his obviously, you know, rehab hope he gets better, but I feel like it's his street cred went through the roof. Yeah. Yeah I guess so.

You know, let's hope he doesn't have to use it. After what. For what. His street cred. Yeah. Because cashpoint street cred. Because he went to rehab. Well, no, you keep the street cred. Street cred isn't like it. Yeah. Drug thing.

The street kid is just like, yo, I just like if you beat up Billy, if you beat up I can take your street cred will go through the roof. Right. You will have so much more street cred than you currently have. Right.

And you'll be able to buy so many cool like winning fights, drugs like, you know, getting arrested for football or anything like that.

I tell you, that's how you get to be super awesome twice.

Yeah. Yeah, I know you are now. Yeah. Your street cred guy.

Everyone just compliment Billy on his street cred hard. He's hard. Really big time. He's the hard Harvey. Yeah. Freeview there for the interview coming up. All right. What's your high school dropout?

My hotseat. My first hot seat is the news, just the news in general, because the boys of hard factor are striking out on their own. So go subscribe to Hard Facher. They worked with us here for the last two and a half years, did the last six months also doing the lead in on serious to the dozen and therefore the funniest people I know. And they are going to be doing I'm not sure if it's Patrón or if they're getting a new deal with a different company.

But the bottom line is, if you just subscribe to them right now, you're. Still going to be able to listen to him in the future, they're keeping all the words at the RSS feed or whatever, I think so I don't know how that shit works.

Yeah, but just subscribe to them right now. They're very funny, like 15 to 45 minute news doses every morning. Better than New York Times. I know that's saying a lot. I know you guys think The New York Times at The New York Times, but hard fact. Check them out. My other hot seat is Dwayne Haskins, I guess. I guess we're shaming Dwayne Haskins. Yes. For being horny.

He had idiots. The street cred. He attended a strip club. He no longer has diarrhea. So he's relatively healthy now. Went to a fine establishment on Sunday night after the game, probably skipped a big win, probably to pick up food like Lou Williams.

And he was not wearing a mask or whatever. And his coach is undergoing chemotherapy. So he's like, hey, I'd appreciate it if you didn't get me sick and hopefully become a coach killer.

Dwayne. So this is the second time this year Dwayne Haskins has violated protocol because he's horny. So I don't know if he's going to be a football.

Was it a football team, football team, whatever. Exactly.

You need to ask the right to be a football team, Ryan, Ryan, leave saying it's like they're looking in the mirror when talk about Dwayne Haskins, not good.

Ryan Leaf said that he's looked at a lot of mirrors.

Yeah, I think well, listen, here's where I questioned his decision making in. A lot of people could misinterpret this. I said going to a strip club on Sunday is just in general not a smart idea. Sunday's not a good strip club day.

That's a fat, big cat. No, if you go Sunday, you got to go Sunday morning for the breakfast. No, no. But here's the thing. The I don't know what's going on in a pandemic year, but there is if you're in an NFL city, Sunday night is actually pretty fucking sweet because everyone knows the NFL team goes out and essentially you have like the city to yourself.

Well, I'm just saying, you smart quarterback in my book would either go Monday for five dollar buckets or you go on Thursday for the lunch steak and shrimp combo, maybe Sunday for breakfast. But yeah. So listen, we're we're saying I guess we're just horny shaming Dwayne Haskins.

He's the horny know, like you putting his coach. You know, it's just it's just sex shaming big cat. Yeah, he's putting it. You know what?

You know what he's doing. No one's ever need to go to a strip club that badly.

Dwayne Haskins does note all the time. And so I recreated his night. I did a little forensic investigation. He had strippers over to his house during the game. They were wearing his jersey during the daytime. So he comes home and he's like, I've got strippers at my house. I know where we should go. We should go to the strip club. We have to bring them home. Why the strip club where they live?

He was dropping them off. Yeah. Yeah. At work. He's like, well, we got to bring them back to where they could be at home.

He's dropped them off at work and he decided that he would go in and make sure that they got in safely is what I'm saying. Makes sense.

But I mean, we don't think about we don't think about the pandemic affecting dancers, exotic dancers, because it does like what what Dwayne Haskins is doing is is no different by means of drawing attention than what Dave Portnoy is doing with restaurants. Dwayne Haskins is just drawing attention to the plight of the unemployed exotic dancer right now. All right.

I can get down with that. Yeah, he's he's helping he's helping these young ladies out.

He's probably going to be cut this week. Yeah, he should. And he probably should be. Yeah. And then we're going to have Mantas come in. Who has not played well. No. Terrell Taylor. Hinoki. Yes. We got to Montasser. Yeah. Two months as well. Is that your hozier accutron. That was my hotseat. Oh my.

Cothran is big cat Beatts on my cool throne because somebody sent me a picture of the front row of Iona, the Iona Gils college basketball team.

Yeah. And they're doing the they're doing the cardboard cutouts. Yeah. I'm not in there. And you're not in there. Well duh. So cool thrown you. They're not, they're not thinking about I hope some dead because I saw it, I was like I'm, I'm in the splash zone in front of Rick Pitino every game don't do this. And he's probably just staring at me because you've you've told him that I'm the one that's continuing to make the.

I'm not I haven't seen anything. I've not said anything. You keep making it because you want to keep getting harassed by a stalker. Because I just remember next time you're stalked and I'm like, hey, stop making jokes about the person who keeps stalking me.

I'll remember how many times you just ran through that stop sign. Like, I'd rather you just die. You've never you've never asked me.

I have definitely asked you. I said, please don't. I will. I will. I will stop right now. I don't want to die from a fucking Rick Pitino stalker.

However, if you were not killed by Rick Pitino, it would be the best story of all time. It be whatever it would be very, very funny. Hank knows I don't want you to be killed. Mm hmm. But to be very funny. Yeah. No, you'll get me killed probably by making the jokes.

They're considered to be crazy. Yeah, I can't wait. But it's the problem is. If it was Rick Pitino, I'd be cool with that, but it's not going to be this would be some fucking loser who's obsessed with Rick Pitino. Well, this might be the lamest thing in the world.

Set the record straight right now. Big Cat has been a.. Talking shit about Pitino. I actually want Pitino to be successful at it.

Sure. I would love that. How great would that be?

Yeah, but Big has not been making jokes about Rick Pitino in the last year bothering me anymore.

Stop texting me, dude. He's probably in Texas right after listens to this. All right. My hotseat is the Pro Bowl. I don't even know who cares.

That's why people get mad about the Pro Bowl. Who cares? You see, people get mad about the Pro Bowl.

Yeah, a few people cancel. No. Yes, I'm being played. So who cares what a tweet.

No, I'm being played. Oh, right. That's why I was like, who cares? And people were treated, bro. How did you not how are you not mad about Roxann Smith? Like, I don't know why.

Why am I what. I should be mad about that. I don't know.

Here's the only thing I cared about is Janik and Gateway did not make the Pro Bowl. The Jaguars don't get an extra pick.

That's suck. Yes, that does suck.

And then the cool throne is Dana White because he released, like, the coolest video ever, basically dunking on all the fucking haters who said that he couldn't make Fire Island or have the UFC go through the pandemic. That was pretty damn cool.

I love that Dana White is just keeping people employed, making highlight reels of himself.

Yeah, it's awesome. It was a sick video. I got so pumped up, like, if you can have if you could ever make a highlight video where there's just a significant amount of people doubting you and then you you prove them wrong, that's a cool thing to do.

The most shocking part was that a certain media member from Northwestern University was not included, that we're not going to say his name, because I think that I think Dana knew that that certain person would be looking, oh, fine, comb through that video, just like getting ready to bust a huge load, hearing Dana say his name. Yes. And the fact that he was left off entirely was a massive disappointment. Yes.

Yes. All right, Billy, what do you got for Hot sequel? My hot seat is my Excel spreadsheet PA system. It lost this week. I'd like to apologize to everybody who running with spreadsheets didn't lose all your money. And that's all I promised. I'm going to be back next week. My cool throne is C.J. Bethann, who's supposed to get the start?

Oh, and I have a certain affinity for Suweidi quarterbacks. I think he's not.

I think he's pretty sweet. No, looks like. No, no, no. But that's he went to Iowa. That's the no sweat. No, no, no, no, no, no.

Billy, you can't have it both ways because you say that you have an affinity for swaggy quarterbacks like Swag Kelly, who would never be this race, one of those guys who's just not even cool this guy.

I think, you know, I think it's cool as he drives like a midsize truck.

Yeah, but that's how you move your account. You said the trio Surulere, the the other quarterback, like when he walks into a frat, all the girls turn and looked at me like that does not happen to see.

Well, I just think it's cool. But I think he's cool because the last couple of times he's gone into games.

I remember we did that one Thursday night, recal, swacked touchdown, not swash.

You whatsoever feel your throne should be Nick McMullan's if CJ's starting because we established on the show that it's always the backup quarterback, Karaj the Niners aspart. Correct?

Right. But I think C.J. Matthews actually played really well because he scored like twice.

He was from the came in from. Yeah, yeah. That's what they do. That's the whole stat that I said. I know, but he might be right.

So then it's going to not work. It flips. Nick Foles is now the guy is now the swag guy.

Whoever comes in is the good guy.

I know but I know I said I was going to start I've been on I've been procedure better for a long time and it may not be since when.

What is you. You can borrow it from earlier in the season.

I've been like we've had a lot of races earlier, three months long as well. Just know just look in the descriptions of my take out of one of the dozens of Michigan extended PJ better conversations we've had talk, talk, talk or something. What happened? What we've talked about, T.J., about before on the show.

Really? Yes. I don't know about that. I like him. I think he's I think he's I think is perfectly I don't have an opinion, young man. I'll be honest. He's got some Jimmy G.

Walks in the room. Heads are turning. Yep. Oh, he's not going to fuck. Nick Foles walks in a room. No, heads are like, damn, that's a big head. C.J. Bathory walks in a room. Nothing. Iowa. Yeah.

He's kind of got a wild card. Look, though, that's what I'm trying to. Slipknot starts playing when he was and we're talking about I think about the exact same guy. Hank also bleep out when he said.

And then when I just said it right there. Mm hmm. All right, let's get to our interviews. Actually, we got Jeff Monken, Army football head coach. And guess what? He's brought to you by the toughest, strongest, most advanced Silverado ever, Silverado. Strong, advance, dependable, hard working Silverado is dependable like the people who drive them.

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All right. Here he is, head coach of Army Football, Jeff Mongkut.

OK, we now welcome on a very special guest, an ultimate football guy. It is Coach Jeff Monken from AMI. They have a ball game. So, Coach, we actually reached out to you yesterday before you got a bowl game because we were gung ho. Let's get AMI a bowl game. You got a bowl game. We still wanted to talk to you because you're an electric football guy. How are we? Let's start with the ball game.

How are we feeling about the ball game, how that all come together in the last 24 hours?

We're thrilled about the ball game and the opportunity to play West Virginia Liberty Ball. And and I really think it was just a lot of people like you guys really supporting us and saying AMI deserves a bowl game. And and I think the first opportunity that that kind of flew open was was the one in the Liberty Bowl. And they jumped on it, thankfully. And we're just thrilled. Yeah.

Yeah, we're thrilled to. That's going to be a perfect match up for you guys, I think. What was their communication process like between you and your team yesterday as you found out that there would be an opportunity to play in a bowl game? How did you let everybody know?

We didn't we didn't officially have word until last night about, oh, I guess it was about seven thirty. And we were gathered together. We we were having a dinner and just getting the guys fed and. And, you know, I didn't want to tell them anything and give them any false hope. So it was really hard to kind of hold on to it. But we knew all afternoon and kind of leading up to that point that that there were things working and they were reading the Internet and seeing things that were happening, I'm sure having conversations.

But when we when we announced it to them, they went bananas. They were just really excited for the opportunity to play. And that was it. They just wanted to have a chance to play again one more time.

And for people who don't understand for AMI this year and for you, coach, specifically, this is the winningest senior class that has ever gone through at Army at West Point. So you guys have had thirty five wins to be able to play together. One last time is very, very important. And on top of that and this is crazy, I was actually talking to our coworker Connor, who who went to West Point. He said that the team has been there and has not been able to see their family since May 31st.

Is that right?

So we had guys arriving on May 31st, some on June 1st. We had a report date back on June 1st. And we are a travel squad, which is seventy two guys. We've taken on three road trips this year to to Cincinnati, to Tulane and to UTSA. And not everybody's parents. A few of the parents were able to make it, obviously, that those those are cross-country trips for some of our parents. So a handful of our guys got to see their folks.

But a lot of those travel squad guys did. And then all of the guys that are on the travel squad who were left at West Point, they haven't seen their families since June the 1st. And that's that's a long time for a college kid. And we know we know people of that age really rely on their parents and their families.

And that to go this long is really a testament to their their mental toughness and their character, by far the most mentally tough team in America, maybe the most mentally tough coach. You actually said I I'm curious this the famous pregame speech against Michigan, which you guys took Michigan to overtime. Unbelievable game last year. You said we're about to introduce the state of Michigan to the last of the hearts. When you said that, did you get chills on your like, you know, on your arms and down your spine?

Because I think everyone who watched that got chills and were like, wow, that's the last of the hard's. Might be the coolest phrase I've ever heard. A coach, you know, utter before a game.

So the last of the hard is is a saying that that has its roots to Georgia Southern and the the teams under Eric Russell. Those were some hard teams. Those those were some great teams. And Georgia Southern, as you guys know, has a tremendous football history. And I was fortunate enough to be an assistant there under Paul Johnson for five years and then the head coach for four years. And that that term, the last the hard was, I believe, the nineteen eighty nine or nineteen ninety team.

And they just they kind of took on that moniker. They were a bunch of tough guys and you know, not I've kind of I've kind of admired that saying and I never used it with any other team until twenty eighteen here and. And that team really, I think to me, epitomized that that that sane and and these guys and I think our young men at West Point and and their classmates who have taken this pledge to serve their nation and and frankly, the the over one million men and women who serve in the United States Army that we represent when we go and play in this bowl game and we play every week, they are the last of the heart.

They're they're the people who are willing to do the hard jobs and other people don't want to do to stand in the gap between freedom and those who want to take it from us. And that takes a hard person that's determined and and has a spirit about them that's different. And I really felt like our twenty eighteen team that earned that. And and so that's that's kind of where it came from. And I believe this team this year has has really earned that as well.

That's it's quite a same. But couldn't you make the argument that the 20 20 team, since they're now the last of the Hard's, that the twenty eighteen team, they weren't the last there were two years before the last of the Hard's?

Well, I think I think just in general, there's there's a last few people in every generation that that are like that. They call those that win in World War two the greatest generation. And and perhaps they were I had three members of my family, my grand grandfather and two great uncles served in that war. And that's a great source of pride for me and my family. But but each each new generation of soldiers and each new generation of, I think, army football players has the opportunity to to to bear that moniker as well.

And that doesn't mean those that those that went before us weren't there. There's a dying breed of those those people. And I'm glad we still got them because it allows us to lay our head on a on a bed at night, rest well and know that we're going to wake up being able to enjoy the way of life that we that we have today.

I think because of the nature of our job, we're podcasters. We live on Twitter. I think we're technically the first of the softs, like I think we're the first of the sophs. Right. I'm kind of I think we're the hardest of the softs. No, I think we're just the first we're the first generation of the softest people in the world.

Is that OK to say like you're and you exist, you to help us up whatever title you want?

I just imagine like someone being like you're the last of the hard to me. I'm like, hey, I don't know, man. I'd rather just kind of sit on the couch here.

I mean, I really enjoy watching the last of the hard play football. You guys have a really fun style of football to watch. I don't think that I'd want to defend it either if I were another coach out there. So you were saying earlier how, you know, it might be a little bit of, you know, these guys don't really want to take the time to prepare for for the triple option. How much of that do you think actually goes into the scheduling process where other coaches it's just it's it's too different from everything else that they see all year, that it becomes more the the lift isn't really worth it to prepare for the triple option.

I know that's a fact. Just just in the challenges in scheduling games as it is independent and it's a it's a pain to to prepare for. It's a pain in the butt for us to prepare for, even even though we do it and we face it in preseason practice and spring ball. That's not what we do throughout the year. We're playing all these other teams. It's typically not a triple option. Teams are under center double wing teams like we see against the other academies.

And when we get to play in those other academies, it's a pain to get prepared for. So I can absolutely understand that other coaches don't want to do it. They don't want to they don't want to change their entire philosophy on defense or it literally for some guys in a defensive scheme, it's almost like playing a different position or playing a different sport. They do things in their position against everybody else. And then when I play us, they got to do something entirely different than what they've been taught and what they've been coached to do.

And and they can't just line up at the base, call it, and it fits against us. One of the reasons we run it, and it's probably a lot of the reason that that people don't aren't real fond of of scheduling us. They're playing us or or having it pop up in a bowl game like this with with very short time period to prepare. Yeah.

Have you thought about just one time coming out and just being like, all right, now we're doing the air raid and a prepared all week for for the triple option. Now you're just throwing every game, every every down. Oh, yes, fun to think about, but I wouldn't do that. I mean, it'd be fun. It would be fun. It might not work, but if you spent all Yeah. Preparing and then it's air raid right in your face, do it.

Yeah, that'd be fun for the other team.

They transition right back to what they've been doing all year in the Army Navy game.

When you call a pass play, do you close your eyes or do you actually do or can you bear to watch it cross my fingers crossed my fingers and hope and no I, I'm very confident we call fast play. The thing about the offense that that that makes it unique is we we we almost always know what the coverage is going to be or one of a couple of coverages. It's because people have to defend the run on every play. They've got to have a way to support the run from the secondary and include secondary players with with guys on the perimeter.

So we don't we don't always know and we can't always dictate it. But but we have a pretty good idea. And so we call a pass play. We've got a a fairly good idea that it's that it's going to be open in the Army Navy game. We called that one switch right down there on the on the goal line. We try to throw it to the tight end on the seam and the we'll we'll route was wide open. If he if you just turn and toss it out there, we'll root, we score touchdown.

But that's our I guess that was the the other all running. And again, that was the Air Force game this past weekend. You know, it's something that over the years we've used as a way to balance out the run game and to keep people from just completely. Forget the past. We're going to just play the run, we've got to have something to answer that and that's all it is. It's just an answer to to counter what we're doing in the wrong game.

Do you get extra excited when you take up like my favorite is when Army goes on like an 11 minute drive. Do you notice when you get to like nine in 10 minutes and you're like, this is awesome? They fear what are they going to do? They can't stop us. We're going to we might hold the ball for the rest of the game. Do you get a little extra excited when it gets like 10, 11 minutes and you're like, yup, we still got the ball.

We're still driving.

Love it. I love it when it's 10 or 11 minutes. And first down, you know, you're going to be able to run a couple more minutes off the clock. Yeah, that frustrates the other team. If we can limit the possessions of the other team, that they've got fewer opportunities to score. And it's just it's been the tool that we've used to keep us in games two years ago, three years ago now, I guess. Twenty eighteen, we were down and played in Oklahoma and they had the Heisman Trophy winner is the quarterback.

I mean, he's a great player. And and we held the ball for, I think, over forty five minutes in the game. And that's what we had to do to win. And we given them their normal number of possessions. It wouldn't have been to one twenty one at the end of regulation. Yeah. It's just a tool that we use and and it's when we're able to control the ball, it's, it's pretty effective. The longest drive that that I've ever been a part of was was over twenty minutes on the clock.

My gosh. Where was that. Was that Georgia Southern or that army. Well that was that the school down south when Coach Johnston was the head coach. OK, one, three, four minutes and some change. Twenty six plays and we kick the field goal.

That's incredible. So would you rather would you rather run let's say you get the ball at the twenty yard line. Would you rather run for eight yards on first down. Or run for 11 yards, move the chains, I would just as soon score on the first play makes it all a lot easier, but always getting first downs. That's always what we're looking for, is to try to turn the first down.

OK, you mentioned the school down south. How long did it take for them to fully trust you as an Army guy and be like, OK, he's not just an undercover mole from his time at Navy?

No, I've always learned you better be loyal to the paycheck. And I think they knew that, too. So I was when I'm sitting in the back of the check and their side of the front of the check, my loyalty is going to be to to those sign in the front. So I was really thrilled for this opportunity here. My experience with Coach Johnson at the other academy was was extremely valuable in preparing me for this job. And I'm glad I had to work.

But I had a chance to work for Paul Johnson, just a tremendous coach and so much success and and a lot of the blueprint that we've used. And my philosophy comes from him. So it's just been an unbelievable experience to be here and to to take over this historic program and and to be able to experience success with our players. So we're we're just working to continue that.

Yeah, I'm mad that Paul Johnson moved on from Georgia Tech. He's going to take me probably about five more years before I fully understand that Georgia Tech's not running the triple option. It's it's tough to comprehend that. I had one last question, Coach. You so the other famous speech that you had, it was after, I think, the temple game.

I got famous speeches. I didn't know that. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. We'll put this clip in there just so people aren't don't know what we're talking about. But I think it was after the temple game in twenty seventeen. I'm going to fight till I can't fight no more.

I don't fight. I can't fight on. Oh, I can't find out what. Oh, well, I doubt it. Why do you know? Like them all. Bye bye, bye bye bye bye bye. Oh, yes, I know, I know. La la, la, la, la, la la la la la la la la la. You know, like the oh oh oh. When you did that, was that the most electric locker room of all time because that if you watch that video and you don't get like the hair doesn't stand up on your arms, you don't have a soul, you know, it's always fun to go into a locker room after a team has won the game.

And and there is a level of excitement. I don't I don't know if there was a locker room more electric than the one on Saturday night when we brought that commander in chief's trophy back in there, our guys were going bananas. It was awesome. But Derrick Moore, who was the director of player development for us at Georgia Tech, who's just just an unbelievable guy, great motivator, that was something that he used to do with the teams, the Georgia Tech.

And I mean, I loved it. He was just awesome. He's a dynamic speaker and just an engaging personality. And and and I don't do that that that chant justice. But but he did that and I loved it. And and our guys really have latched on to it. But that's that's part of the part of the culture of of West Point football. So Greg Gadson, who played here, was a team captain alongside Chuck Shredderman in nineteen eighty eight.

They won the commander in Chief's trophy played for Jim Yong. And and they have they had a sign, a plaque that that they made. It was a homemade sign that was attached to the wall on the way, going out to the to the field from the locker room. And it was much of that same chance. So that's that's a poem, a an old poem that was written in English Follman or English or Scottish poem. And it basically says that, you know, fight on my merry men all for I am merely wounded, I am not slain.

I will lay me down or to bleed a while and rise and fight with you again. So we kind of took that and changed a little bit. But that that that is also on a piece of plywood with some sticker letters that Greg gets and brought to our team of two or three years into my tenure here and presented to the team. We immediately put it up on the wall. And so it sits on the wall going out to the field from our locker room.

So that's that's not something that I started. That's something that's been here in our program for four decades. And we were just we were really happy to kind of rekindle that fire. I love it.

Yeah, it's it really is. I watch it every now and then just to get pumped up. So it's it's something special for sure.

So so coach, before we let you go, we got some good news for you. Maybe the second pretty good news that you received in the last twenty four hours every year here. Part of my take, we give out the low man trophy and the little man trophy is awarded annually to the nation's top college fullback. So we we respect fullbacks. I know you respect fullbacks up there in your offense as well with the nominees are Justin right now. So I wanted to let you know that you do have a finalist on your team, ALOMA and finalist Jacoby Buchanan has been officially confirmed as a finalist for the Lumen trophy.

If you want to pass that along to him, feel free to. But we're we're going to be giving out the war in a couple of weeks. And who knows? Who knows? Maybe he'll put something on film during the during the bowl game and nudge them across the finish line there.

Well, the guy's on CBS Saturday, I guess we're calling him the Wrecking Ball. So he he's kind of like that. He's a he's a big load. And and he really did a great job of carrying the weight of the team us this past weekend. We had some guys heard some guys out. And that last drive, he was banged up and had to come out two different times limping off. And he just he just slugged it out and and was a warrior.

So proud of him. So I know he'll appreciate the nomination.

Yeah. I'm just confused why they would call him the wrecking ball when the Buchannan ball is right there. That to me, that makes way more sense.

That is to you could change that to see S.A.M. Buchannan ball. That would be that would be very fitting, wouldn't it. Yes.

Yes. Well, Coach, thank you so much. Best of luck in the Liberty Bowl. We'll be watching. We'll also be watching because hopefully AMI can take home the Lohman trophy. And thanks so much for your time. Really appreciate it.

Appreciate it, guys. Being Navy. I love it, baby. Thanks, Coach.

That interview with Jeff Mangum was brought to you by our great friends at McDonald's. It's McRib season. The McRib is back. It's back. It's back. It's back. It's Wednesday. You know what that means? McRib day. Because you know what that means. McRib Day. I made you say it twice because I'm getting to make ribs. I'm getting a McDonald's Sprite and I'm getting large fries and I'm going to eat like a king. It's my favorite day the week Billy just got.

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We love it so much. It's available for a limited time at parties participating McDonald's. Get yourself a McRib today. And now here's Rachel Nichols. Yes. Porn and now for something completely different. OK, we now welcome on our very good friend, you can see her every single day on the jump, NBA is back.

That means Rachel Nichols is back, baby, very much back a little too early. I'm not ready for it, but that's OK. Let's yeah.

It's late December. You always get the NBA in late December. I know. It just feels like the season just ended because it kind of did. But we're going to do a Western conference with Rachel and we're going to have Richard Jefferson do Eastern Conference. So let's start with the top of the Western Conference. Can LeBron win his first championship with the Lakers?

Yeah, I think we really need to dig into that one because it's unclear. Right. Is he ever going to get it done in L.A.?

Yes. Do you agree? Last year didn't count. You know, having been in the bubble, I'm reckoning for the bubble. No, he's going to run for the bubble, too. By the way, the bubble is for real.

No, none of this. So there's like, come on, it was fake.

The bubble is for real. Do you think what do you miss any parts about the bubble?

No, I like eating my food on real plates, so I'm good. We can get even real silverware there for part of the time because, you know, can transmit disease.

So be very careful. I would say I found out today that more people have bet on the Lakers to win the title this coming year than have bet on any other team combined.

Well, OK, so they are the odds on favorite. It makes sense. Now, real question is, did LeBron was he the reason why they're playing less games this year so that he can just have built in load management? It feels like we're just catering the NBA to LeBron James in the twilight of his career. You heard him?

He did. If we were catering to LeBron James, we would not be starting this week. He was definitely pushing for a late January start, maybe even like May, I don't know. But yeah, they basically showed him and the rest of the players association that if they started on Martin Luther King Day instead, that the league would lose an additional half a billion dollars in revenue. And that money eventually comes out of players pockets, too. So, yeah, that's why we're starting this week.

Yeah.

OK, what about here's a hypothetical. What do you think about the Seattle Supersonics coming back?

Because first of all, just relieved that's how you ended that sentence, because knowing you, that sentence could have ended any way.

Yeah, you're right. I could have very, very scary. But I heard Adam Silver yesterday talking about the expansion of the NBA.

It feels like and I know a lot of people up in Seattle that would like very much to have the Sonics come back.

Our friend Spencer Hawes has like worked on that project as well in the past. But like, is it a possibility for our friends in the Pacific Northwest that they could be getting the Sonics back within a couple of years?

Well, I'd like to say that this decision or these comments by Adam Silver are driven by the heartwarming realization that Seattle just definitely deserves a team in the league, has done them wrong all these years. The truth is they need money. And if they expand again, it's about a billion dollars a franchise. So it would definitely be a way. Right now they're talking about, oh, should we put more Jersey patches on stuff like that to make up the extra revenue they're not getting from ticket sales?

The Seattle Supersonics coming back. That would be a hell of a Jersey patch. You would definitely rake in the cash. That's why they're talking about it now. He says it's not on the front burner. I don't know a burner. It's on like a six burner, the middle burner. But I know a lot of people in Seattle woke up happy today.

Yes, that would be amazing. So where would you guys want to see the second team? Because they come in twos.

So would you mind being would you want Vegas, Pittsburg, Vancouver, Pittsburgh would not care at all. It would not give a shit about the record just so we can do big country.

Bryant Reeves, the Jersey great city of San Diego.

I think New York deserves another team. Yeah, I think I think so, too. I think that's a good, best basketball city in the world. All right.

So there so L.A. does have two teams. Let's talk Clippers real quick. It seems like. So the Clippers were a disaster in the bubble. They all hated each other. Would it seem like? Well, yeah, they spent the entire season being like, hey, we'll just flip the switch and then it didn't happen.

So the plan that, as far as I understand, is paper playoff p a bunch of money and they're probably going to just trade him next year and then bringing Serge Ibaka and hope that his like cooking show and general like niceness will make everyone get along better and play better. Is that right.

Have you seen Nick, have you seen that cooking show. It's awesome. No I'm being serious. Like I actually think they brought in Serge Ibaka. They're like Serge can figure out a way to get everyone to get along and hopefully that makes us better.

I think the episode he had Kawhi on, he asked him to eat cow penis or was it a different.

You know that you are correct. You are correct. Yeah.

So that's an important part of the Clippers this year. No, look, I it's what are they made of, right? They got embarrassed in the bubble. Do you come back sort of pissed off, as Patrick Beverley says, and hungry or do you come back and you sure you can't really have. Do you think. I don't know. What do you guys think that would be? I think they're going to France. Yeah, back. I mean back.

I mean, I, I kind of feel like I have to be a little bit harder on them this year because I did start to buy into him last year. I was like, no, that perimeter defense is going to show up. Those guys can those guys can really put the clamps on you. And then they made me look foolish. Rachel, that's what I have a problem with, is like, I don't know shit about the NBA or basketball.

I, I watch it and I enjoy it, but I'm not an analyst. So when I get something in my head that I'm then proved wrong about, I'm going to hold that against that team for forever.

Yeah. So like the Clippers, like between getting rid of Blake Griffin and then making one of mistakes wrong last year, I just can't look at him the same way.

But you forget Paul George is back with his trainer to return to his MVP caliber, which again, just to remind everyone he has never won an MVP.

First of all, I'm impressed that fifty used put the clamps on. That was really garbage right there on him.

Do you have anything like to call saying that I can overuse everybody in the NBA?

I was about to say one, everybody in the NBA, when they come back from an off season, they say, oh, I put on ten pounds of muscle.

So to your point about Paul, George or anyone else, you guys can say that you are entering this new NBA season with ten pounds.

And that's exactly what I drew. That's which is what those ten pounds are. Yeah, I think I think the Clippers are looking at you guys.

Yeah. Yes.

I think the Clippers are probably not like what he said is kind of correct. Like you think there'll be a stretch in the season. Well, you'll think they're really, really good team. And then when it comes to crunch time, you have to expect Paul George to make big plays. And yeah, I just I unfortunately, I think the Lakers are by far the best team in the West. It's not close.

You have other teams there. Yeah, yeah. Let's talk about so so the so the darlings of the bubble. There are three darlings of the bubble in the West. Well you know, there were four, but the Mavs with Loukia, the Nuggets with their incredible run and the Suns who didn't make the playoffs, any of those three teams, can any of those three teams actually make a real contention with the Lakers for the top of the West?

Well, don't forget about the trailblazers. Yeah, they're both well, they also like we kind of know what they are. They're awesome to watch and really, really fun to root for. But until they can play like even a like a defense, you can't really take them seriously. Right?

Well, they I think they had a very good offseason. Robert Covington should help their defense. I don't know if that makes them a contender in the West. The West is kind of stacked and crowded there after the Lakers. But I'm curious to see what happens with that team. The Suns with Chris Paul should be really good. I'm not expecting them to contend for a title, but I think they would solidly get in the playoffs there. You know, we have no idea what the Rockets are going to be like.

Are they going to play with John Wall and James Harden? I don't know. Speaking of, are we in that point of the episode where after the Dwayne Haskins strip club, because this will now be the third time. Yeah. If I'm about to bring up James Harden strip clubs, although he didn't really bring up the Lou Williams strip club in the bubble. So, no, we just got to be the ol strip club.

Rediscuss Lou Williams a little bit earlier today on Unpragmatic. But yeah, James Harden is I don't think he'd like to strip clubs in DC. I don't feel like that's like his. That doesn't seem like his thing. He did put on a solid ten pounds this offseason, maybe a little bit more.

Ten thousand is his legs. Is he actually purposefully eating his way out of town?

Because if he is respect, I don't know. I do know that one of the ESPN reporters asked him when he gave his press conference, he said, why did you go to Atlanta and Las Vegas? What message were you trying to send? And James said, I'm training. And the reporter said to McMahon, he said, what were you training for? So forth. So, yeah, that's something I don't I don't I don't know.

So there's a question in the West, too, right? What are they going to be what are they going to do? I think what's cool about the West, especially this year, is the play playing tournament. Right. You have the last two spots in the playoffs will be determined by this play in tournaments. You're going to have this big cloud of teams going for the top seeds. And I think the Nuggets will definitely, to answer your other question, will be in there.

But then you also will have this huge cloud of teams that like seven, eight, nine that will be competing for the play and spicy pretty good.

How long do you think James Harden will be in the West? I mean, look, they have to wait for a team to be desperate. And how long is that going to take? Right. So the reason I say that is to get a Paul George type package, to get an Anthony Davis type package in trade, which is what you want if you're the rockets. Right. You've got a player who, no matter what you think of James Harden, if you like, watching him play basketball or not, he has been top five in MVP voting six the last seven years.

He holds a ton of scoring records, is a walking playoff berth. So he is a guy who you want to get huge value for if you are trading him away.

And the problem is the Clippers. More desperate when they made that deal for Paul George, the Lakers were desperate when they made that deal for Anthony Davis. There is no desperation from anyone else in the league right now who is like, oh, my God, what we really need is James Harden. And I'm just going to hold my nose with how much I got to give up and make the deal. So I don't know when someone's going to get desperate.

It could definitely happen before the trade deadline. There's like a team that's expected to do well, that sucks. Or there's a team or some guy gets injured. Someone could definitely get desperate. But until someone gets desperate, I don't know. Are you guys desperate? Like until someone gets desperate? I don't see James Harden moving because the Rockets know once they give him up, there's nothing left.

Yeah, yeah. What about the other side of the weight gain weight loss coin? Zain, I've heard that Zion is like actually slimmed down quite a bit. I don't know if that's like he's in the best shape of his life stuff, which everybody says every training camp out of Zion is actually like looking looking lighter on his feet.

We heard going into the bubble the Zion was in great shape and then he didn't play like it. So I don't know where we're getting this year, obviously. Like if he can keep himself sort of on the leaner side of what his ranges they've taken the minutes restriction off of him. I mean, those guys could be dangerous. I don't really know what we're going to get from that team, though.

You know, it's a fun fact. Zion is the longest tenured pelican right now. Yes, that's a fun fact.

You got to say that every now and then just be like, hey, you people forget that Zion actually has been the longest tenured pelican because their team is all new guys or guys that came after he was drafted.

It's just funny because, I mean, the longest tenured pelican is not a phrase that reeks with majesty or his drips with this or it doesn't.

I think it absolutely does. It does. If I'm thinking if I'm like hearing the words tenured pelican, I'm just thinking of like the pelican with the biggest beak in the world. Like, that's pretty cool.

The great pelicans of of days time. Yes. Grainy footage in the sixties of the Pelicans taking on Celtics. Lakers.

Yes. Yeah, you got it. Remember the Warriors?

I've heard them. Yeah. So Klay, obviously that sucks. But Warriors will have Steph back.

I feel like we just forgot that the Warriors exist. Are they going like what is the feeling about the Warriors prospect this year?

Obviously it sucks that Clay's hurt, but they have James Weismann, Draymond and Steph. Are they going to be in the mix or.

No, I don't know man. I've been burned. I thought they were going to be good last year. Right? I was like, it's ok. I mean, you know Klay, I'll come back like mid middle of the season. And those guys showed when they played with Al-Qadi in the playoffs the year before for that stretch. They're still great team. You know, they swept the Blazers without Kevin and all that stuff. And then, of course, they absolutely, completely fell apart.

And part of that was that injury. But even before that, it wasn't pretty. So I'm I'm it's tender for me. So I feel like you with the with the Clippers. Like, I just I don't know if I can put all my eggs in that basket again, but I want to. Yeah. I just don't know. Yeah. I want I want the Warriors to be back in the mix.

It's fun. I want them to be good. Right. Yeah.

I think we, I think we got so exhausted from them for their run by the end we're like oh we're so sick of the warriors are so good.

But it was weird last year not having Steph in big playoff games and big moments and like watching that team and having fun, like seeing what they were doing.

So I'm ready for them to be back. I'm ready for the Warriors to be back in the mix.

Well, it's kind of not what I want it to happen. Yeah. Yeah. It was kind of nice last year being able to fall asleep at halftime of Warriors game that started at like ten thirty at night and not have to worry about waking up in the morning and finding out that they scored. They outscored by scored eighty. Yeah. In the third quarter.

So that was that was nice for my my personal peace of mind.

Now we just had the NBA's annual general manager survey and Steph Curry was named the best point guard in the league again. But ninety percent of GMs called him the best point guard last season, only thirty this season.

And our guys you talked to, Richard, when you talked to him, Richard, was like, well, Steph, the best point guard was LeBron James is he's the best player. And he's listed a point guard.

Yeah. Yeah. Is he is he actually listed a point guard?

He was last season. I mean, I don't think of him as a point guard still. And the GMs put him as the best power forward.

So, yeah, that's a good thing. Right. He's probably not going to list himself as a sinner so that just everyone is reminded that he also plays the fathers. He's just his father. That was a nice way. Did you see LeBron kind of getting his way, you know, like everyone was talking about Charlie Woods and LeBron then did an Instagram post was like, look at the biggest honors, like teaching them and it was Charlie Woods. And then I think, was it Serena's daughter as well?

He just inserted himself into that. We get it. LeBron and your dad. Yeah.

Are you going to be like that, though? No, absolutely not. My son is probably going to be remarkably average in every single way.

Right. But that's exactly what I'm talking about. He could really. Follow in your footsteps with a remarkably average that's the kind of work around that's just to be the most precious. Yeah, yeah. I can see the emotional Instagram post from you. Look, he almost took his first step like that.

Yes. I like he is walking. He's fully walking.

We've decided we've had to steer you on the show for a while. Do you think that LeBron James could like if there was a medical way for him to to get pregnant or to get pregnant with his own baby and then carry it to term that he would do it? I'm sure.

I don't know any man who would be willing to do that. Schwarzenegger of the species would be done.

Yes, I, I it's true. I'm not saying he would like give birth. I'm saying he he would just like to carry it and then have a C-section.

There's nothing, you know, he would you know, he would say, oh, you're protecting him. One thing I am concerned about with LeBron is the short off season. So he has he spent his not as much wine drinking.

You can get it.

But he's really been he's been fitting a lot into a short amount of time because he's just been doing nothing but watching sports, drinking wine and then live tweeting sports as he watches. Like, I don't think he's ever sat down and watch watch. The full NBA or full NFL season are like the MLB playoffs in his life. But he's, like, obsessed with watching sports. Now, do you think that he's his sedentary lifestyle is going to impact his first couple of weeks on the court?

I mean, come on.

He was also Instagram ing reshoots of of the movie, right? Oh, space. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Laser focus. Yes. Very focused.

Baby, baby braunohler for you. It really was the first time he's ever watched sports.

It was crazy. He just was tweeting about everything. Too much stuck in their homes, man. Yeah, how many? It's true how many assistant producer credits is LeBron James able to get on Space Jam to circumvent the salary cap for new free agents that come in?

That would be a good one, actually. I mean, it did take some guys at the minimum. Yes. Yes. See, a future here is interesting. Yeah.

Isn't Marc Gasol. Marc Gasol is on the Lakers now to swap him out. That sucks. Is I love the Gasol so that's going to suck to watch him on the Lakers as opposed to Pau.

Yeah I, I think I've always liked Mark more than Pau. I like Paul as well because I like his game. But Mark is he's the chubby brother so. Right.

I mean my client doesn't like that modestly average. Right. Right. It's like oh OK.

Well it's just Pau but just chubbier. What.

Give him back to the Laker as you know. Who is Marc drafted as a Laker. Yes. Yes.

And then the league basically conspired to help Kobe get a ring. Now we're going to what give us you're like a team that is going to shock people. It can't be the T wolves because I'm sick of everyone being like, look how much you got, Kat. And they got, you know, Anthony Edwards now and they have all these guys and it's going to be great. No. And D'Angelo Russell T. Wells are the T wolves. They're always be the T wolves.

Well, I don't have a shocker. I think the Suns are going to take a big lead. But that's not a surprise to anyone. I'm probably not allowed to dip into the Eastern Conference because that's where to start already. But I would say I'm very curious to see what the Wizards do.

Right. You've got Bradley Beal, Russell Westbrook. Literally anything could happen with that team. They could start winning games and go on a run. They could start losing games like fifty. I have no idea what's going to happen with that team. So that's the one. I'm just sort of this is my biggest mystery.

They're currently dealing with a Pinki outbreak. So as soon as we get done with that, I think this is like Rui, tomorrow's second year in a row, starting the season on on the Iara with a with a case of conjunctivitis. So not not a great start, but yeah, anything can happen. It doesn't take long for your COGAT protocols if there's Pinki spreading through anything. Right.

Oh, Dwayne Haskins is probably going to show up with some Pinki based on one of the pictures I saw. Yes. Yes. That is a good point.

Know, you guys have already talked about it, but I have to ask, why was everybody so upset? Like, the part that cracked me up was that it was like and he was there without a mask.

Yeah. Yeah. Right now you're really not focusing on the main problem, right?

Well, honestly, I think the reason why people are upset about that at least is here's why I'm actually upset. Because you can fake and be pretend to get mad at a player going to a strip club. But guess what? Players are going to go to strip clubs. That's going to happen all the time. The fact that, like Ron Rivera is getting over cancer treatments. Yeah.

And the fact that Dwayne Haskins has been busted once before this year, breaking the covid protocols and he got fined and basically benched for doing it. And then he went out and did it again. That's to me, it's like, OK, I think I think I'm done with this guy. I get what he's not going to be able to do is maturation process. So I've I've made a clean break in my heart with Dwayne started when we had some judgment issues.

That's all I'm saying. The mask is just a little tiny, tiny, tiny pass. Yeah, great. I had one last question for you, Rachel.

I saw Rudy Gobert got a max deal everyone clowned on it on Twitter. I actually don't hate it as much as everyone else would. What is like the people you talk to. What have they said about Rudy Gobert getting paid like two hundred and five million dollars.

Dude first of all it wasn't a super max so they didn't pay him as much as they could have. So they didn't. I don't know. But you save money when you're paying over two hundred dollars million. But there was bargaining there. But the bottom line is the Jets can't use Rudy Gobert and a two time defensive player of the year. He's the cornerstone was Donovan Mitchell. They have a new owner guy just bought the team. If they lose him.

If he became a free agent next season. Next season, who's replacing him? Yeah, Utah does not attract free agents and that's not my personal big on Utah. It's just a fact from what we have seen over the last twenty years. So. So it's like buying a house, right? There only needs to be one buyer. You sell your house. They only needed the Utah Jazz to think he was valuable. And obviously he's valuable to them.

So he gets the money, get on it. And as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, yeah.

No, I agree. I know everyone was shitting on it, but it's like he is a very, very good while.

Those crazy flag toss, by the way, we're watching bowl games right now. It's postseason season. This is what I'm talking about for MBAs back a little too early.

That was you know, I know it's everything is happening all at once. All once. Everything is happening all at once, all the time. Which is amazing because we spent four months earlier this year with nothing happening. Right. Right. All of the time. All right.

So give us your winner out of the West if it's not the Lakers, because you can't predict. Come on, come on.

Predict, predict, predict the motion. Do not take my joy. My joy is not knowing what's going to happen. The best part of sports is not knowing how the movie is. Everything I watch every. Can say, I know how it's going to end. I love superhero movies, I know how they're all going to end by the time I sit down. I don't know how this is going to end. Cannot make me.

I love the F bombs. When Rachel drops the F bomb on palmitate, that's like you reach the God moment. She did that as a bargaining for not.

Yeah, exactly.

Like I'm not going to fucking. Yeah. Well, OK.

Can me at the very least, we're going to have Richard on and he's going to talk about the know anything that he'll give us, give us something that he's been saying a lot that we can like say before he says it. Yeah. And we'll sound really smart. He'll be like, hey, that's my line.

It's impossible to embarrass Richard Jefferson because of all the efforts to make the tattoo, because the tattoo he has.

Yeah. So we know that tattoo is the worst tattoo of all time there.

He's very proud of the fact that he's coming to games on Christmas Day. So I want to ask him about that. OK, what? Because he'll tell you all about what? A lot like what?

Two games he will be calling both the early game and late game from his house, having two of the five Christmas Day games as remote games.

Wow. And yeah, the last one I know is a Denver Clippers, Nuggets, Clippers.

I don't I don't remember which is the first one, but it's on ESPN, ABC, Christmas Slate. But Richard is going to be the analyst for both of those games and he's very excited. And we'll talk to you the entire time about it.

How many how many options did we have to burn through on the production side before we landed on like we'll have Richard Jefferson in his house call the game. I mean, you should ask him.

I will. I'm going to we're going to preemptively tell him that that's not that impressive, because honestly, that's the way to go. Like, he's probably not going to watch the middle games. He's probably going to spend time with his family, whereas the real ones will be watching every game.

So that's his line on the jump today when we brought up again, he's very proud. We brought up what he's doing. He said that they had to find the person at ESPN who like their family the least and what they settled on him. And therefore, you saw in two games on Christmas Day.

All right. We're going to steal that line from him right off the top of the conflict. Thank you. All right.

Well, thank you, Rachel. Happy the NBA is back. Thank you for joining us. And who would you say was going to win the West?

Good luck getting to that average middle front game. OK, who's going to finish exactly averagely? Exactly.

Obviously, that's a good one, right? Who's going to try to emulate them? Yeah.

Yeah, my entire life. I like that. That's where you want to be in life. Never too good. Never too bad. All right.

Well, thank you, Rachel. Bye, guys. Thanks, Rachel.

See that interview with Rachel Nichols? It's Penn was brought to you by three CZI, our great friends over three. Gee, I'm not a drug guy, but I am a three cheese guy. Three, she is the industry leader and Delta eight THC products. Other products are formulated by biochemist. They're made in the USA with USA grown hemp. They've got Delta eight THC. Yes, they do. They're selling it. It's legal on a federal level.

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Get your delta eight vapes, gummies, tinctures and oils even make your own homemade edibles. Use promo code, take a check out, get five percent off your order. And now here's Richard Jefferson.

OK, we now welcome on friend of the program, recurring guest. It is Richard Jefferson. He hosts a sports satire digital show can be found on YouTube. It's called The Sports Gap. He also has a podcast, Road Tripping with Channing Frye and Allie Clifton. So check that out as well. And we heard is this true? You're calling to games on. Christmas Day, how much do you does your family hate you, man? Well, you know, the good news is, is that I get to actually be home for Christmas Day.

So if the trade off is not me traveling to Canada, I'm leaving Christmas Eve. But I got to be home but downstairs in the basement for a few hours, you know, they still hate me, but it's just like I care less because I'm here. It's like you can hate me, but I'm still here.

How many people passed on the opportunity to do these games before they landed at Richard Jefferson from his basement will call this one?

I don't know. I think a lot of people, you know, it's a it's a long list, but it moves fast.

So I would say that Mark didn't want to do it. Dorice, then you got you got Jeff. So it was really it was more of just like, hey, this guy, he wants to do that. But I'm excited. Honestly, I kid you not.

Christmas Day is the biggest game and the biggest day. So for them to be like, hey, Richard, you're going to be doing it twice. So for people that don't like hearing my voice for six hours on Christmas Day, they just have to suck it up.

So I always have had a theory that Christmas Day bit the under because teams guys are out of rhythm. They're with their family. They're eating a big meal. They're spending time with their kids Christmas morning, except for when the season starts on Christmas Day, which had happened a few probably like what, ten years ago when there was the lockout. And then this year you'd have to imagine guys aren't going to have like it's not going to be this break Christmas Day because they've got to get excited for the start of the season so it won't be as slow.

And, you know, like this is a by the way, this a very long theory, but it's right. It's always right. As it when you played on Christmas Day, did you not see that to be true?

Yeah, but it's different now. Like, again, like the first time I played on Christmas Day, there was like two games. Now there's like an all day slate. So guys are kind of in it. Plus there's a level of knowing that everybody's going to watch like these games. It's really it's opening day, it's Christmas Day and it's postseason. So like there is a little you know, that there's a lot of attention on Christmas Day. So even if guys are a little bit like full, if guys are a little bit, you know, happy from Christmas, our family in town, they still know that there's a lot at risk.

Right. Like you don't want to get dunked on on Christmas Day because that's all that's going to be seen. You don't want to have a buzzer beater or have a bad game. So guys, I think, are more in a mode of understanding that there's a little bit more at stake.

OK, OK. All right. So let's talk Eastern Conference, OK, you know Kyrie Irving, your teammate of Kyrie Irving, how crazy is Kyrie Irving?

I don't think Kyrie is crazy by any means.

I think he's eccentric, but I think Kyrie is a person that he really wants to be viewed more than just like as a basketball player, as a human being, as a father, you know, as an artist like he's been using that term quite a bit.

But, you know, look, we'd be lying if we say that Kyrie is the most eccentric person to ever come across in the NBA. We believe we say he's the most eccentric superstar. Right. I don't even know if he's the most eccentric superstar in the game today. Kyrie is just an individual that just Kyrie is Kyrie that that's who he is. And I think. As much as I like things that he does, whether it's the same age and and like, but then, Kyra, you'll get on and just be like, hey, this is what I believe and this is it.

If you guys want to make a big deal about it, that's on you. But this is just a part of who I am. So I just take them for that.

You answer the question, by the way, when you say Kyrie Kyrie anytime you say Kyrie Kyrie being Kyrie or this person being like Danny being man that answers it right there. So thank you I.

You're welcome. Oh great. Just Kyrie being Kyrie let him be himself.

So which head coach of the Brooklyn Nets do you think is most likely to win coach of the year this year.

God I love your questions. I miss you guys.

Can I tell you how much I miss you Mr. Manager? We miss you.

It's just it is which head coach they're going to be doing that weird thing where, like Steve Nash might be the head coach some days.

And Kyrie said, like, I might take on coaching responsibilities on another, like Kevin Durant yet again.

This is a political answer that I know you guys don't always like to hear and stuff. But look, I was once told that great players show coaches how to coach, right? So when you say it when you say that standpoint, it's more of like, look, Kyrie's going to see things, Kevin Durant's going to see things. LeBron James, these guys are going to see things that coaches don't necessarily always pick up on. So I think that's what he was trying to say.

It's like, hey, look, we know how to play basketball. A coach's job is never to teach guys how to play basketball, especially superstar. There's nothing Steve is going to teach KD or Kyrie per say, but his job is to teach them how to play within the group of players that have been assembled. So I think that's where you got D'Antoni. You got job. Who was there? Steve already had a relationship with Kevin Durant via their time with the Warriors.

So I think it's always a collective unit. If you think that is, you could have said the same thing for Lakers. It was like whether it's Jason Kidd or Frank Vogel or Lionel Hollins. And you're like, well, which one is the head coach in this? And then you got LeBron James, who is also like a coach on the floor. But you can bring a collective unit together and they can do well.

Do you expect the nets to perform like kind of up to those expectations that we have given, the amount of talent that they've assembled on the court and on the bench? Yeah, yeah.

I think that well, their expectations should be, you know, high level playoff team to put like a championship on them. When you have their two best players coming off injury, you have a first time head coach and a brand new coach like in their system with this group. I think the expectations I think, look, if they get to the conference finals and lose to Milwaukee or lose to a hot Boston, I think that's a great season. I don't think it's championship or bust, even if they have a championship or goal.

I think the Clippers taught us that last year. You can have two superstars, you can have a loaded bench with the sixth man of the year. You can have a veteran coach in and Doc Rivers and not have everything pan out the way you want. But when you have a new group together, it's not one year championship or bust. And so I'm kind of taking the nets that way.

OK, so another team in the east that we're not forgotten about, the Nets do take a lot of the headlines right now with Kevin Durant Kyrie Irving coming back but the Bucks and Giannis signing the megadeal And Giannis staying an all bucks fans being relieved But do you think there's added pressure now that like OK you got to you've got to do it now you've got to get to the finals, you have to like get to that next level when you get to the playoffs instead of being a fifty win team in the regular season winning MVP and then bouncing in, in the first or the second or third round.

Yeah. There's that look like that's the crazy thing about like this league and and professional sports is like Giannis didn't work every single day to push himself to be the MVP twice like he's in such a league category. So like to say that there's pressure on them to get to the finals. Damn well there should be. Right, like you didn't work this hard just to be a fifty win team. You work this hard but that's where the tears come in.

That's when the tears come in and the loss that's, that's where the tears come in and wins, where it's like when you see grown man crying is I do like you lost sleep over this, like you were working four or five hours a day during the summer just to maintain, like, your fitness. So when you put it all on the line and it doesn't work out, that shit sucks. When you put on the line and it works out, it's the greatest feeling that you'll ever experience.

So I think for the Bucs, I think they have years right now. You want to keep progressing, you want to keep continue to see Giannis grow. They got to put better players around him and that's not a knock on on on Jrue. That's not a knock on Lopez. It's not a lock on any of the guys that have been there, but ultimately it's not getting it done right.

It's a great regular season team and their job now is to transfer that into a great postseason team.

What is it about Giannis though. Because this maybe you can explain it to us. The difference in playoff basketball versus regular season basketball because you've seen it with James Harden as well, where these prolific scorers, these guys that are dominant in the regular season, you get to the. Playoffs and everything changes, and they are style play and being able to get easy baskets just goes away. Why is that and how can you honestly fix that?

Well, I think it's some some of it has to do with the way that they play in the regular season. It's the way that they play, you know, the style of basketball they play. Now, understand this. A lot of people say that, like, oh, basketball slows down come the postseason.

Well, that's not true because you just have better. Do you have teams that take better shots? You have teams that played better defense and you have teams that that don't turn the ball over when you don't turn the ball over. That leads to transition buckets. Good teams don't turn the ball over. That's why they're a good team. So the game slows down because the play improves. And so I think for guys like Giannis, you have to work game one on things that will help you guys win come game, you know eighty three which is ideally the postseason.

And so it's like if you're just like oh we're going to play this and we're going to dominate, we're going to win every single regular season game. But you're not working on anything that will help you prepare for a longer term series, then that's a failure. And I think a lot of people put that on coach, but that's why it was a little bit of a hotsy. I think for them it's more about just like hey ok Giannis this second half you're not going to be the point guard.

Well what if we lose coach. Doesn't matter. Our job is to prepare our team or we're just not going to play you in the fourth quarter so that these guys can get minutes playing this style or so we can work on. We're just going to have you in the post are we're going to space you out so guys are able to like, handle all the different styles that can be thrown at you come postseason. But that might cost you regular season games.

Right. But it will prepare you for the postseason.

What about the what about the heat? They seem to be another team that I don't know if you forgot about the heat because they were you know, obviously we talked about them a lot at the end of the bubble, but they were a team that seemed to perform better in the conditions of the bubble where everybody else kind of like no one, no other team embraced the bubble like the Heat did, I'll put it that way, like Jimmy Butler being like no disrespect to families, but I'm glad that I'm here with my family so that I can win.

Are they going to be able to use any of that momentum that they got from last year? Do you think that that's going to carry over into this year or do you think that they might take a step back?

Because that confidence, once you get that confidence, like for guys like Tyler hero, Duncan Robinson, Bam Adebayo, that young core that they have, when you add Jimmy and Goran, it's like once you've seen it, it's like, know, there is no big game. There's not a big game on a Thursday in OKC. Why? Because you played in the NBA Finals so that confidence is now instilled in them. They know what it takes. They've played that many games.

I think that group, they'll they they played well because there was no crowd and you saw it. It was more of young players really excel, whether it's Jamal Murray, Donovan Mitchell, what we saw from Tyler and Duncan Robinson, even guys like TJ Warren. And you saw Devin Booker. These guys played really well in the bubble. And, you know, other the superstars obviously played well. But the noticeable jump in like high level play was from the younger players.

When you don't have travel, when you don't have to deal with crowds, when you don't feel that pressure of like, oh, we're down to one going back, we got to play another road game. That's a lot of pressure. And so when you take away that out and it's just basketball, but that's where experience for older players typically come into play. But that wasn't applied because it was one one big neutral site with no fans.

Right. And I actually think that might be a little bit of hot take. But I think it's right that James Harden no longer being in the conversation for Miami. I think that might be a good thing for the Heat. I don't I don't see how he would have fit in with their team and how they how they were playing at least last year when they showed that they can compete out of the east. And now we're talking.

I think I think that's tough. I don't think we I think we discredit James Harden partly because of some of his own doing. But he's one of the great basketball players of this generation and one of the great scores of all time MVP top five in the MVP voting in the last six years. So it's like to say that that man couldn't adjust his game. Right. Like he played with Russell. He played with with with KD when he was coming off the bench.

He's played with superstars. He played with Chris Paul. Now, there's been some things that have happened. But ultimately, what you've seen with Anthony Davis, what you've seen with guys like LeBron James D Wade, Chris Bosh, when you see Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, when you see the superstar team up at a latter part of their career, it's because they're really just focused in on winning and not like numbers, not stats, not all of that stuff.

So if James says he wants to go to Miami, no. Pat Riley runs a tight ship. Sepultura runs a tight ship. Jimmy Butler, the way they compete there. So I think he could fit in. I think it's just a matter of whether or not that would be the long term place that you would want to give up your assets that can carry your franchise for the next ten years. Do you want to give up Tyler and Bam Adebayo, which would be your your focal points for the next ten years for for for James Harden, who will be a.

Focal point, ideally, probably for the next block, so out of the teams in the east, there have been a couple others that have been rumored to be looking at James Harden. At least I think the one everyone's talking about, at least recently, is the Celtics. Right. So the Celtics and the seventy Sixers, where if there's a team from the east, where would you power rank them in terms of winning the James Harden sweepstakes?

The team I want to see him there with is Milwaukee. I think he is the player needs. I do. I stand by that.

They might not want to shift. They might not want this. But at the end of the day, I got gotten a little bit of a heat because I said that Giannis might be a pépin so everybody blew up and I was like no the context is Giannis might be when it comes down to the last two three minutes of the game he can't be your best player because of the style of game that he has got a great free throw shooter, not a great jump shooter.

Everybody packs in the paint and the guys that he kicks it to they can knock down shots, they can do this.

That's why they're good. But they're not that they're not that fearful of them beating you.

And so if you put James Harden on on that team and late game right where it's like you need a bucket, you need free throws, you need someone that can create for himself and others. And he spaces the floor, I think James Harden or they say even guys like Dame Lillard would be a perfect fit for Giannis no different than Anthony Davis is a perfect fit for Bron. I think some of these pairings that you see, I think you know presentence is a great fit with Luka.

So I think if you all of these teams unfortunately have young superstars. Do you want to give up a Jaylen Brown. Do you want to give up on Marcus Smart. Do you want to give up a Ben Simmons to get James Harden, who is in the latter third of his career with guys that are in the first third of their career? That's kind of scary. Like it's a hard one, especially the way James has handled this situation in Houston, knowing that he only has two years left on his contract.

So you're giving up a lot with a lot at risk. So that's where it becomes a little dangerous counterpoint.

There's only one ball. Yeah, I don't worry about the one ball situation. What do you mean? There's only one ball? There is only one ball.

But I just don't think that James Harden is like that guy that I know he's accomplished this. But when he's talking about he wants to team up in Brooklyn, he knows that there's only one ball. So when he says that statement, he's basically saying, like, I'm willing to give up being a thirty five point a game score and losing in the second round or possibly trying to squeak out a conference finals.

I'd rather score twenty two and go and win a championship.

Oh, yeah. I don't doubt that he's willing to say that like it's easy. That's the easy part is saying. I could say that like. Yeah. You know what I want to tell you, I don't even worry about the super max deal for me. I'll survive on one hundred and fifty million. But like you know what?

He's selfless when he says that he's really just he's like, hey, look, I don't need two hundred and eighty. You give me two twenty five and like we'll call it square.

Yeah. But when it comes down to it, I mean even you have to admit that like when you when you think about the lineup of the nets and then adding James Harden so you got KD Kyrie DeAndre who's the loss that we don't talk about that much. And then James Harden. Like your mind, the first thing you think of is there's only one ball.

Yeah you think of that. But I also I'm excited to see what these superstars are willing to sacrifice. There was only one ball for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and Rondo right there. You know, there was there's only one ball for a lot of the four D Wade, LeBron and Chris Bosh and Chris Bosh ended up having to sacrifice the most who he's going to be. A first second ballot Hall of Famer should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer, in my opinion.

I think it was just part of that class that he was a part of with Kobe, Tim Duncan, CGY and all that. But there is a there's always only one ball. And I think we've seen this over the course of history. So I want to see these guys sacrifice. I think one thing that James knows that if he shows up on that team sorry, it's Kevin Durant's team. It is until Kevin Durant proves that he can't carry that load the idea and you're going to go into the sea.

It doesn't mean that he couldn't all of a sudden become the primary scorer because Kevin Durant might miss time or they want to be very cautious with them so James can go out and play, you know, ninety five percent of the game. So inadvertently, the team starts to kind of be structured around that scoring space. But ultimately, that's Kevin Durant. Like Kevin Durant is the guy that was like battling to be the best player on the planet with LeBron James.

And so it's going to be his team. So if he's saying he's willing to go there, he's also he turned out one hundred million dollar extension. He was going to get fifty million a year at the last part of this this contract if he were to sign the extension. So for a guy to turn down fifty million a year for two years, you're saying something to me.

You're saying that you're willing to sacrifice. I know that just says something, but like, no, I'm going to wait on this. One hundred million. That's that's tough.

That's a lot of money. What give us a team in the East that you're excited to watch that people aren't really talking about as much.

I'll say the Wizards I say that with. I'm excited to watch Russell Westbrook, like this man carries a load, like when we talk about, like carrying the weight like he did in OKC, he you know, John Wall has had a ton of injuries. Bradley Beal hasn't been the most healthy guy. And I know that that that that Russell has. But if you look at how much he's played, the way he's played, like this is a man that plays a ton of games and plays a ton of minutes.

So if he can stay healthy, I think the Wizards can can crack the postseason, which is where they need to be.

I like that. That's very optimistic. So, yeah. Can you say something nice about my bulls? But your bulls.

Oh well. Oh well. Oh, you got a good coach. You got a good coach. That's always encouraging. That was way too long. Yeah. You are the guy that's going to teach them how to be better.

Well, first of all, you got a new GM that is very good actress who was in Denver. He was in Denver. And you saw the player development there with Yokich, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Malik Beasley. You've seen, you know, they had bringing in Porter Junior great drafting ball ball. So if where he's leaving Denver and you seen what they've done and what they've been able to accomplish and you see the young talent there in in in Chicago with Lauri Markkanen shot out bear down the Wildcats then you have so many other when you see that young talented Guy Rundle Carter Patrick Williams get drafted.

Yeah maybe but I don't know I'm, I mean they're not going to.

Let me say, let me say this. There it is. But I think they're going to be worst. Worse. I don't think let's play it this way. I don't think they'll have a top five draft pick, which means the right.

Yeah, no, that's not true. What you just said. That's not true.

Like you think they'll still have a top five pack? No, no. I'm saying not having if you say the bulls will not have a top five draft pick and that means they're trending the right direction, I said that's not true because they'll probably have the seventh pick and be stuck exactly where they are. Hey, hey, hey.

I said top five. But if they end up let's say let's say they win thirty five games this year, what's what if what if they improve. I think they have a proven coach. They have a proven coach. This guy is prove it. He did it in OKC, he did it with different lineups, different superstars. He obviously won in college. He knows how to handle talented players. He knows how to develop talent. So when I look at this, I truly believe that like that they have a good coach.

They've got a new GM that comes from a good place. So you should be optimistic. But on opening night, everyone should be optimistic. So I'm going to be optimistic. I'm not going to be a downer on anybody.

OK, I like that in the top five spots in the east, I think most people probably have like some combination of the Nets, Bucks, Raptors, Celtics and Heat. Would that be fair to say if you were to pick another team?

That might there's always like one team, I feel like that finds himself in the conversation for like the fourth or the third seed towards the end of every season. Who would your surprise team be in the east?

I don't have a surprise team teacher because I look, we talked about we talked Atlanta. I say Atlanta, OK? Yeah, Atlanta.

You look at what they added, you look at what they added. You look at the talent that they have. If their young talent like John Collins, Trae Young, if they make that jump, they added Rondo. So like now you have that veteran guy that can help keep people in check, that can kind of direct guys when it gets a little out of sorts, because look, I love trades numbers and the staff. He's a very offensive guy, so you need someone to help him on the defensive end.

I like that they brought in Bogdanovic from Sacramento so you add another score, another shooter to that team. So I like, I like the Atlanta team. They're the team that if they play well and they're one of those teams to that like they might not get off to a great start. But in the middle of the season around the all star break and they'll finish strong and then all of a sudden they start moving up the ranks. So I like Atlanta, OK?

I think Atlanta is definitely one of those teams that everyone's excited to watch, like on league pass.

What? So who's your pick out of the east? You go with the nets. That's a tough one.

OK, so I always preface this whenever I pick Champion or whenever I pick, like, who I have coming out.

If they are healthy, if they are healthy, I believe it's the nets and it's the bucks are the top two teams. And if they are healthy, I think the nets will. If craziness happens with covid, I think I think Bucks or Celtics and this is before know James Harden trade. We can't like oh I picked this team and then James Harden goes there and throws a wrench in it. That's not it.

OK, but you said earlier that it's not fair to put any expectations on the nets out of the east. Right. But you just now you're giving the deaths, you're stone cold led block nets championship, anything.

You know, what I heard from RJ was anything less than a championship because it's disappointing. I'm saying what I'm trying to express is that just because I. They could doesn't mean like if you don't meet expectations, kind of like the Clippers where you're, like, blasting them in like you guys, what did you guys do in, like, this was a debacle? No, I'm not going to put those type of expectations like a championship or bust if the Nats can get there with have to brand new head coach and three other head coaches on their staff and two superstars, especially with the trade rumors of the other guys.

When you look at, you know, when you look at Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris Levert, all of those guys are on that squad. Then I think you started to put pressure on them. But I'm not going to say if they don't win the championship this year was a failure. Those are the type of expectations that you put on Lakers, Bucks, Clippers and I would say the Nets are on the outside just because this is their first year together.

Did you just accuse us of putting those expectations on one hundred percent? You guys are putting negative expectations, but that's no.

When you put together superstars on a team, you're supposed to win like the nets. The nets to to say the Nets aren't trying to win the championship this year would be insane. They are.

Well, yeah, they are trying to win the championship this year. But what I'm trying to express to you is the way the Clippers and the Nets, if we look at last year's Clippers and this year's Nets. Right. So last year's Clippers, Rod's championship coach, all this other stuff, they had the sixth man of the year. They have the deepest team. They had two superstars. They had the reigning finals MVP. Paul George was a top five MVP finalist the year before.

So you look at all this talent and then the way they feel with the next two guys coming off injury, this is their first year, especially Kevin Durant, coming off a major injury. And this is your first year with a brand new head coach?

My thing is, is if they lose in a conference finals, I'm not going to blast them the way I did the Clippers. And I mean this in a respectful sense, because the Clippers up three one let themselves and got the coach fired. They didn't play well, Paul. George didn't play well. So you're going to get a lot of heat. I think there are two different type of expectations.

OK, all right. So let me ask you this is my last question, and it's the final question is brought to you by cross country words, America's crazy good mortgage company.

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You've been on a ton of basketball teams in your career. How much does it actually matter for guys to get along and be at least maybe not friends, but enjoy being around each other? Because that does feel like what part of the Clippers, you know, falling apart last year, it felt like they never were like a team. So how much does it actually matter? Or is that just from a media perspective, a hot take thing that we like to try to say, OK, let's take the Clippers out.

Let's look at let's look at you know, we all lost the last stands where you all watched we all watched the bulls in this like six run era and even the first three versus the second three peat. And they were mad at Horace Grant, Scottie Pippen. With that, you cannot have growth without expansion, without you can't have growth and you can't have high level players without some sort of friction because friction can motivate. And even Phil Jackson would like Phil Jackson would like kind of push that and and like kind of make sure that guys were always pushing each other.

You saw Michael Jordan talk about fighting Steve Kerr like these are guys that ultimately respect each other. So I think if the last dance taught us anything is that there is no championship team that are just holding hands and skipping their way to the finals, there's going to be moments where you don't want to talk to each other, where you can't stand each other, where you have beefs here and there. So I think you need to have a level of respect for each other more than you have to get along with each other.

I think it was like when you heard the Clippers talking about, well, I didn't like the guys anonymous sources didn't like the treatment of Paul Jordan quite well. That's stupid, because Kawhi little LeBron and Kyrie, they got special treatment when I was on the team. Right. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen got special treatment. Dennis Rodman was given a week off, are given days off before the finals, are before the play postseason to go travel around and do whatever you want in Vegas.

And so I was like Phil Jackson was like, I know that this man needs a rest day. He needs a mental health day. He needs to go do what he does. So like, if you know that there's going to be special treatment for superstars, when I heard that out of the Clippers camp, whether it was anonymous source is real or not, that's silly. Everyone's going to be treated differently. So I think that you have to respect each other.

You don't have to get along. I think that's been proven time in and time out. You don't even need to get along with your coach. You just need to have a respect to get the job done.

So what you just basically said is quite a bad leader because the the Michael Jordan was the leader. And I agree with you, you don't have to get along. But the respect and the friction is important. Kawhi just kind of let Paul George like walk around and say he's playoff up. So yeah. Richard Jefferson just called Kawhi a bad leader.

Well this is a. You're not going to get a sound bite from just oh, if you ask him about that. Yeah, my thing is like, no, I did not say that.

And one thing that you need to understand and one thing that I've learned as I've gotten older and as I went my way through, like sports, just because you are the best player doesn't mean you are a leader. And that doesn't mean there are great leaders that aren't great players. There are great players that aren't great leaders. It's really about what your team needs. You don't need Kawhi to be this vocal person if that's not in his nature. Tim Duncan was never that.

Jason Kidd was never that. You just need players that are willing to lead by example on the court, whether it's effort, practice habits, how they work with their teammates, how they respect the coaches. That's what you need from a leader. So I don't think I don't need Kawhi to be a great leader. He didn't say he wasn't a leader in Toronto. He wasn't a leader in San Antonio. And I mean that as like it was Kyle Lowry was the face of the leadership group.

It was Tim Duncan and Tony and Martin were the face of the leadership grouping and Coach Popovich. So I don't need Kawhi to be this like, hey, we're getting everybody together and we're doing a team dinner at my house and make sure right now that's just not who he is. He's kind of a quiet, introverted person. That's fine. But you have to put people around him that will play the leadership role. OK, I like that answer.

I agree with robots. Follow commands. Well, they follow instructions. They don't they don't have artificial intelligence to the point where they can go ahead and lead.

You, though, agree, though, everything you said. I agree with what you just laid out there. But would you agree that having your best player also be your leader probably makes it a little easier?

One thousand percent. But now you're just being greedy, right?

You're just being it's like, well, I need you to be, you know, again, like LeBron James and Michael Jordan, a Kevin Durant, like all of these guys, you look at them and you're like, yeah, oh, they're amazing players. But all of us, as people that love sports can point out flaws.

We can point out, you know, Kevin Durant having having a burner account.

We can point out Kyrie spraying Sage around the arena. We can point out Bron being too emotional at times. We can point out, you know did you know Chris Paul having an injury history in the postseason. You can say Cal, you can point out flaws with all of these great players and that's why it's so fun to kind of watch the NBA season kind of go about and see like which one of these players are going to be able to, like, put their flaws or put their things aside and really excel and be the best version of themselves.

I actually like the two things that you mentioned. First, though, I like the fact that Katie's got Burner's that is actually endearing to me.

And he says he still has them, which I respect, and he says he still has because sometimes he wants to interact and talk trash because people do get reckless online. People do get rid of. Some dude was talking trash to me the other day. It was like, why is Jefferson that he's a bum? And it's like, dude, I was going to say something smart, but I was like, why is it like I've made nine figures playing basketball?

Why is it that you want to call me about? I'm OK with that. But it's like if we were sitting together at a barbecue, if I show up at, you know, because I'm dating your sister, you're not going to call me a bum, like if we're sitting here, but you want to get all excited on Twitter and you want to talk all this trash and have everybody laugh.

And so I'm OK if you want to have a burner account and just kind of shoot back at some people, because you know what? People shoot recklessly all the time. Yeah.

You got to let off steam somehow. I think it's probably a good like all things considered, it's probably good for his mental health to be able to look at tearing down other people.

And if that makes you feel better about yourself, then like cool man, like that's more about you than it is about me.

So like I said, everybody's got something about them that they have to kind of either overcome or suppress in order to maximize themselves as an individual. So whatever that is, you know, it's time to kind of watch it go on in the sport.

Yeah. And also, like Kyrie bring the siege to to cleanse the arena. Yeah. Like I said all year long, it's so it's good to have like these types of of of personalities in the NBA that you can like get behind or you can root against, like if you hate, if you hate Kyrie and you hate the Nets and you're Celtics fan, like you're going to be talking about that every year and you're going to hate that. But that's what makes sports enjoyable.

Mm.

Yeah it does.

And this is the thing with no fans currently in NBA arenas, I think it's going to be you're going to see players who don't want to say get away with is not the right way. But it's just like when you're having to do things and you're being heckled at every place you go, it definitely does add a different element.

Yeah. Yeah. All right. Well, Richard, thank you. Good luck on Christmas Day to get you. We want to preemptively say we're not that impressed. I know. And we'll be talking about it being like, oh, my God, RJ did two games work? I'm probably going to watch five games. So that's the real athlete here.

That is that is really fun. I'm actually this is I'm sitting in the seat that I will be that I will be calling the games.

And so are you going to take. I to take a piss while you're calling the game that be cool, no, no, no, no, I'm not going to go like, you know, put my peace in a bottle and wear a diaper or like, this is dumb and dumber. Like, we get bathroom breaks. OK, OK.

What about what's your meal plan situation? Are you going to eat a heavy meal because back to back like that's, that's going to be the tricky one.

But luckily because it's the seven 30 tip off, I'm out west like for my partner Ryan Rico, it's going to be a two and three tip off. So he's got to you know, the key thing is, is like you got to get that early game in, you've got to eat, then you've got to take a nap and then a light dinner. Then after the game's over, eat enough to put yourself out. Hey, get out of here.

Hi, buddy. Hi, buddy. What's up to the outside?

Yeah, what's up? What's up, RJ? See, this could happen. It's going to have to day. You have to have a good Christmas Day. You can't say that that's true.

But see, the real reason why is because it's Christmas presents are down here.

Oh, all right. Well, thanks so much. Really appreciate it, RJ. Good luck on Christmas Day. Always good to catch up with you, man.

Yeah. Oh, man. You guys are still the best doing it, man. Always, always. Good to be on air. All right. Thanks so much, man.

Netzer bust. Yeah. Yes. All the pressure. We didn't talk about the Knicks. I can't believe that no one cares. Yeah, OK. There we talked. We did pull the mechas. Here we be.

And stop and stopping. Be top. Yeah. And no stop. I see events.

OK, we're going to wrap up with guys on ChiX, but remember, we don't have a show on Friday, Christmas Day.

We're back on Monday, full week, 16 recap regular show, best stuff Wednesday. And coming up the week after we got trophy. Right.

The most exciting trophy, the most important trophy in all of sports. Moment trophy. It's for the nation's best college fullback. You heard us mention it to Army's coach earlier today. And we're only releasing that one because we are collecting all the nominees right now. He's received enough votes. So Jacoby Buchanan is a one man trophy finalist. But we've assembled the Council of Fullbacks, which includes Zhongxun, Lorenzo Neal, Vontae Leach, Alec Ingold, Colin Glaspie, Anthony Sherman, Jacob Hester.

The list goes on. The list goes on. Tom Fanelli, Tom Fanelli slash Hank. So we actually got Hank's vote yesterday. OK, and actually, Hank, you were the first person to nominate Jacoby. Buchanan nice. So congratulations. Hank said four hundred and seventy four yards, six touchdowns, but mostly because he's listed at six foot in 260. Sixty. So well said, Hank. Nice. Nice. Yeah.

We will be getting to the man award next week, so be on the lookout for that. Going to be some great guests coming out of that. Some solid videos and it's all presented by Chevy Silverado. Nice. So we're like we should do the Lomé in-house at some point. Yes. As Bleep out.

And when I call it. Oh, whoa, they've got the Heisman Trophy. We've got the little man trophy with a grittier company, Chevy Chevrolet Silverado hopping one. Yes.

All right. Let's wrap up with some guys on Cheque's reminder. Again, I feel like we got a reminder of what it's actually like reminding Browns fans that there's a potential you could not go to the playoffs at eleven and five. We won't have a show on Friday, but we'll be back on Monday with a brand new show. It will be me and Pfft and Bubba in Studio Ride Dog. Hank, are you going on vacation? No, no, but you're not you're just not working now.

I'll be editing the show. Oh, OK.

Remotely here to pay me to come back. No, no, no, no. Oh wow. I want you to if you want to come. I don't want to come back. OK, just to record the show that I would be editing.

So but I want to talk with us, watch some game, some chicken wings, some Chinese.

We're a little worried though, because I think it's going to just be me, me and Patty in in the office. And we do not know how to work the TV's. So I'm very worried about that. Wait, I'm worried about everything now.

I told you and you're like, we'll figure it out like, no, dude, I don't think there's a TVs.

And then there's, like, this whole thing or desk. How do we want plug? You know, Liam's going to be here. Oh, OK. He doesn't he's not going to come until later. So we're going to be here at like twelve thirty and be like, well how do I turn on the TVs to watch the Bears game?

I think we'll probably just end up turning on every computer in the office and illegal streaming all of them at once. All right.

That's a future me problem that's never going to come week. Sixteen's never going to be here. All right, guys, on chicks and sending everyone off to a hopefully merry Christmas.

Hi, Hank PFT and Bob Katter, my boyfriend. I recently moved in together and he works from home virtually.

If his day ends in a meeting, he almost always masturbates right after the meeting.

And I have no idea why. Is this normal?

Is he blowing off steam or is it because he finds some of his coworkers hot?

Does he work at The New Yorker? Which is my first question. It's just a really work at the New York. Yeah, I think that's just a reflex more than anything. It's like, OK, well, and it's like it's like almost stretching after after like working out. Well, dirty little secret about guys is the very same screen that we look at when we're working. It reminds us a lot of the same screen that we look at when we're jacking off.

So it's like Pavlov's dog almost. It's like, wait, I'm on the Internet. You know what else is on the Internet? Yelp, Yuji's Yelp.

I'm I'm I'm here. And there's a lot of chicks here, too, OK? For Christmas, I wanted to get my boyfriend a cameo from the two of you guys, I've been sliding into the arms but haven't been noticed.

I'll catch up one hundred dollars if you could give him a shout out, shout, shout, shout, shout, shout out that you was beautiful about this is that any girl that's listening right now could be like, this is from me and I paid one hundred dollars for this. So Merry Christmas. Say thanks to your girlfriend for paying one hundred dollars to the ASPCA.

So Cameo, I've always said that that will be if I, if you see me on Cameo, things have gone terribly wrong.

But seeing that Kevin Malone from the office made a million dollars, that made me be like, hmm, maybe I should be on Cameo. That's a lot of kashala. Sounds like a lot of work, to be honest with you.

Yeah. But it also sounds like a lot of cashola, that's all. A million dollars. Billy's getting his Billy. Billy lives on credit cards for all your cameos for you. And I'll just ask you for anywhere between 50 and 60 videos every day and I'll just keep the money. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

I Camiel for a second, it sucks.

People complain about the videos. You think that only fans and you suck it up. Yeah, no.

You just like do what they say and they're like, oh, I didn't like the effort put into this and this.

And just like that's that's I'm not surprised that happened to you know, it's a thing you went to max effort.

I did Max effort. I mean, was a lot of Max give us your max effort. Like, I think Billy Football, Rebecca, Rebecca and Sarah. And we want a birthday shout out from Billy Football and also like a cool pardon.

My take joke was that Rebecca. No, I'm actually I actually go by Becky. Yeah. Yeah. Know exactly. And I'm cerebellar. Was a Becky and Sarabande.

So how are you guys doing. Hope you guys have known this.

Why you keep calling us guys also. That was a douche bag way to do it. Like I would complain about I'm going to file a complaint.

I would like to file a complaint right now on Cameo, the cameo that myself, SABERA and Beck Beck's Becky, Becky with the good hair, Becky with the good hair.

We asked Billy football and he basically made fun of us and called us guys.

I think you'd need to be very exclusive with the clientele that you chose. So you'd be it would be like if you are a lacrosse player at Villanova or St. Johns and you're looking to roast your buddy, then you will do that cameo.

So, OK, how about now? How about I'm Chad. I'm Tom Tyler and this is Tyler and it's Tyler's bachelor party. It's got a small dick and we're going to make fun of them, but make a small dick before the strippers come over.

My favorite ones to do or to hype up high school teams for games.

OK, do that. All right. Clarkstown s heard you got a huge rivalry game this weekend. I'm just here to pump you up.

Guess what? I'm working for part my take by much rather be about to play well to get an undefeated season then. No, no, it's actually like super.

I read this whole story about this team that was like, we don't want to work here.

I'd rather be in high school and high school. They work in this hole for a championship because that's like we're about to go to see Big Cat, you know, seriously, like they're about the beauty is what's his name from. Can't hardly wait. Jerry. Jerry O'Connell. Stiffler.

No, no, I would. You know, those jerks can hardly wait. Right. That was not I'm pretty sure Seth Green. It was so hype. No, it was. I'd much rather billies the guy in varsity blues, like just the high school party and gets hit in the nuts with a baseball. That's just the guy.

Yeah, I can hardly wait. Trip McNeilly, Jerry Okano.

But just for that week when they're about to play that big game and then like two hours if they win after that game, it's like the great trip McNeilly but like it's the greatest high ever.

Yeah. There's nothing trickily. It's hype.

Oh. Speaking of Kevin Malone. Yeah. Boys, especially dad.

Can you know that scene in the office where Kevin goes up to Pam pretending to cry? Because when a new mom hears a baby cry her you knew what's her. You know what? Fill up with you know what? And then her shirt gets, you know. Yeah. When does that stop happening. Asking for several stained shirts. What.

So milk discharge. I don't know. I think I think it's cause her boobs get bigger. That's why I do.

Yeah. Well you have to like. Yeah. Yeah you have to.

I mean the milk has to go somewhere so when it's housetop godding I don't know. Ask your doctor. Not me Billy. When does that stop happening. I was just watching that quarterback punt the ball. All right. But seriously, when is this question for.

I wasn't listening. He went back. He went after you give birth. How long do you have milk coming out of your tits till the baby stops sucking.

So just you can, like, lactate for multiple years.

Wasn't that in grown ups? Yeah. There you go. Yeah. I think that was like a mom that was that was breastfeeding on the cover of Time magazine to her like nine year old son at one point Game of Thrones.

You didn't think. Yeah, he gets like really good for like keeping weight off and stuff. Yeah. All right. So there you go. So keep doing it, you're good. How's a psychiatrist, doctor, ask Billy, would you rather pay for sex or be paid to have sex? He's done both.

Well, no, I don't waste your money on any sex. Wait, what? But you said I wasted money.

Well, would you rather be a gigolo sexually involved in capitalism?

Boom. All right, Billy. Billy Limbaugh, where Billy Billy Joel put a rose avatar in his bio. You do think it should be? Not the act now you think it should be legalized prostitution or you don't, he thinks it should be legalized, but you shouldn't pay for it, which would not make it sex work.

And I think that the government should provide sex to all dudes and their Dixie Chicks. It's called a stimulus bill. How come I can't get any Grandage billion literally will run for president being like, yo, you want your dick sucked?

Vote for me.

Not the other possibility was you spot a boat full of people, but there isn't a single person on board. How is this possible?

It's the Flying Dutchman. The ghost ship. Yes, correct.

Also, I saw this one thing that there is like this explosion on a actually like there is like a rum distillery or something. It was some sort of alcohol related shipment and there was an explosion.

All the alcohol burned up, but it didn't burn the ship, but just eviscerated everyone on board. I actually saw it, too.

Oh, eviscerated. No, it's if all the people on the boat are married. Hmm. So you spot. Oh, there isn't a single person. A single person.

That'll be the lamest cruise to go on Google the boat that exploded and there was no one on it. No. OK, someone knows who I'm talking about out there.

That's a Jameson Irish whiskey commercial. No cracking. No, no. Because the Jamieson guy is like, oh yeah. Barellan. Yes. Where the fuck is gelee?

Billy ate her gelee is living her best life. No, Billy actually did. He pushed her down a flight of stairs.

There wasn't room enough on this couch to go.

Billy, we to get in on the joke. No, she's around when we come back. I mean, it's she's old. We're in a pandemic right now.

She's not rather not her risk coming into the office. Once we all have the vaccine, Gelee football will come visit us.

She's got a very sweet looking grandchild. Also saw that also awesome on Twitter, as always.

All right. Last one. High, thick cat, pfft. And secretly hung Hank. Whoa, my. You wrote this yourself.

My boyfriend claims that he's seen at least 10000 vaginas in his life. He's currently twenty seven. He claims that through porn thumbnails alone, he's seen thousands. His other friend swears he's seen millions. Is this even possible?

Millions? No, I don't think there are a million vaginas out there. Thousands so rare. Thousands and thousands for sure. Yes.

Yeah, especially with the thousands. I don't want 10000, but the new thumbnail, would they actually like they'll play the video, the shortened version when you hover over it.

I feel like that will change the calculation pretty quickly right now.

Is it different vaginas?

Because if you're super into one particular vagina right online, hypothetically, if you have a porn, why if you've got.

Yeah. Like your main your main squeeze.

Billie Jean Trump. Billy. How how many, Billy, what's your number? I think it's really bad for society. Yeah, go off. Well, I think that, like, a lot of stuff gets. Yeah, no, I mean, I get unrealistic expectations.

Like no things come out of porn. Yeah. Yeah. So I say that too because then girls won't see that every guy's got a bigger dick. Like it's just an unrealistic expectation.

Like I'm a girl with one hundred.

Again a lot of bad isms come out of porn, not orgasms. I'm going to go eight forty thirty one. William has oh, you're trying again, I'm trying not to get it. Thirty one. I remember I said he said thirty one 888. What does that what does that mean one day, one 91.

All right, we'll see everyone on Monday. Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. Happy everything. Love you guys.

Reindeers are also known as. He's making it up, folks, he's making it up, we see in his face, he's making it up now, reindeers are also known as I forgot it.

He's making it up. No, I forgot. It's in Finland. Yeah.

Snow elk, northern alcoholic Billy, I forgot the other name for reindeer's, also, I'm told that your last manufacturers and I like my house can go downstairs, cannot go down steep, long flights of stairs.

They can go down three steps, but they can't go down long flights of stairs.

Talking away, I don't know what else to say, say, anyway, today's another day, some funny shy. Up and coming for your love, JJ got me. Take me out. Oh, be good. Let's see say about it for Mr.. Then why isn't he saying sorry? The better to be safe than sorry, take on me, take. Oh, I. Because. It was just. You're all things to remember shy of coming to you anyway, shy of coming to you anyway, say me.

But I'll be good. In a.