Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Peculiar Story Of The Frugal Trail Blazers

Episode Date: April 23, 2026

In hour two, Mike & Jason discuss the top baseball stories with MLB Network's Adnan Virk (1:40), plus they talk all things NBA playoffs with The Athletic's Jason Quick (28:21). This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

It's time to chat with Adenan. It's Adnan Furkees on the show. We're going to talk some baseball and take a trip to the silver screen. That's right, it's time for Adenan. Yes, Adnan Furkees joins us now. We'll head out to the ball game and talk about all the films he sees. 7.03 on a Thursday. Happy Thursday, everybody. Halford Brubbs, Sportsnet 650. Halford and Brough of the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Are you drowning in tax debt?

If you are, Sands and Associates can often reduce your debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees. Visit them today at sands dash trustee.com. We are now in hour two of the program. Adnan Burke from MLV Network is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off hour to. Hour 2 is brought to by Jason Hamanuk at Jason.john, at Jason.org. If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at jason.orgage. We're coming to you live from the Kintech studio. Step strong with orthotics and footwear from Kintech.

Guests on Sportsnet 650 calling on the ABLE Auctions hotline email sales at abelle auctions.ca to get your business assets sold and your building cleared. Let's go now to the ABLE Auctions. Hotline, our next guest is a presentation of Angry Otter Licker. Adnan Verk joins us now on the Halford & Brough show on Sports Night 650. What up, Adnan. I'm doing great, Mike Jay. Always a pleasure. Angry Otter Licker might be apropos when it comes to Pittsburgh Penguins

and what their mindset is like last night. You're always very kind, Mike, and noticing when I post on Twitter, not sure if you saw on IG. All the picks I posted last night from the Flyers game. We're supposed to work baseball. I said, no. First Flyers home playoff game in eight years of fans. I've got to be there.

So I took my son, shout out to Noges, wink, wink, some bosses at the NHL got me unbelievable tickets. And what a scene, fellas, you know the most stressful part, bruff? I said, I got to get there for Lauren Hart. I picked up my son at 3.30, 2 and a half hours of traffic. Now you've got to park.

We can't miss God bless America, buddy. You don't understand how important this is. Gene Hart's daughter, Lord Hart, Hart, such a nerd. I'm going to get there for God bless America. She knocked it out of the park too. Oh, my God, dude. It was unbelievable.

And I'm sure you guys know what this is like. Sporting events, concerts. You're there with your kids. etc. There's that balance between being in the moment and truly enjoying it and then quickly getting your phone and trying to preserve the moment. So I tried to balance it by getting some stuff before the game, but during the game I turned the phone off. I said, just enjoy

a really well-played hockey game with awesome seats. And the most memorable moment was when Brian Rush just went off on Travis Kedectady and started punching me in the back of the head. And we had this just unusual situation of literally five flyers in a penalty box and two penguins. And the crowd is roaring going, this can't be like a three minute or a six

the power player or something. And eventually you had five penguins in there. It really did turn the title of the game. I saw the quote today. Rust that was like a WWE match. The crowd was frothing at the mouth, and it was a hell of a game. What's so unusual about it, fellas is I thought I'd come back,

tell you that Porter Martone scored a hat trick or Sigris said the game was like. It's been really balanced attack, you know, 11 different flyers have scored, Nick Seeler's scoring. It's really been unusual, just how collectively strong Philly has been. But hell of a win, and I cannot believe the penguins on the verge of being swept. I was actually wondering if the NHL might look. at what Kinekney was doing to Brian Rust.

Don't, don't kick, Travis. Don't kick in the studio right now. You can't see it. I ultimately don't think they'll do anything because they're, he almost like, I don't know, was it a kick or was he trying to like hook his leg with his leg?

You know what I mean? There was a kicking motion, but you're right, it might have been more like a leg hook. It was just, I don't know, I just advise all hockey players. Don't, don't kick. It's good advice.

Well, I like the quote afterwards when connecting you said, you know, Russ did you kick to me. I'm not really sure. I'd have to look at the tape. That's always the best thing. My body does things I don't know about all the time. All right. We're going to turn our attention to the baseball.

Now, I have a lot of things I need to ask. I want to start with the Toronto Blue Jays who, you know, three-game win streak snap last night. But the bigger story hanging over this team is the future of Jeff Hoffman. The Blue Jays said that they plan to reevaluate Hoffman's status. My question is, when they re-evaluate it, what ends up being

with Jeff Hoffman? I'm appalled, Mike. They're still on the team. And to be clear, I think he's a good guy and a good citizen and he's been at times really good pitcher and previously he was an All-Star. But he has been a real problem with the closer for much of his tenure with the Toronto Blues is.

Let's be honest. And I think it's just it's honestly unfair to him that he's still even on the team. I'm being perfectly honest. I don't understand how this off season you say to yourself became agonizingly close, as close as you can come to winning a World Series, and we're going to beef up all over the place. We'll get a Japanese third baseball, we'll play $210 million for Dylan Seats.

Who's been as advertised, by the way. How many strikeouts are being great? Can that guy rock up? He's been unbelievable for the Blue Jays. And, you know, we'll make moves wherever we need to be to be consistent, but we're not going to get a closer. Now, you can say, well, if they'd signed Edwin Diaz, he's got loose bodies, he's out for three months. But that is not the way the world works.

How would you have known if that would have happened if he'd been the Blue Jays, right? You can't play that kind of future. The thing is, if you'd went and got a bona fide closer, you wouldn't have had to answer these questions. Instead, you've got a guy who it's a coin flip whether or not he's going to give up the game. It is so disheartening and demoralizing to a team and to a fan base, and when the ninth of the income, he can't be the guy. Now, I really like Rogers who they sign, but again, I'm not going to have a side armor who throws 83 miles an hour as my closers. It doesn't work that way. I need a guy who's got high beilo and can do it. And to Jeff's credit,

he can blow a game and it'll come right back, you know, short memory. It's okay. I can be the guy. Like, I laud him for it. But I'm astonished that they haven't DFA. him because what happens now is you say, well, what is his role? Is he a 7th inning guy and 8th inning guy? Does Josh Sner have to announce the fact he's no longer the closer and he just kind of crush his confidence, morale, etc? It's just a weird and wonky situation.

Like the other thing is the DEVACs, again, he starts to falter, you're bringing Louis Varland one pitch double play, it's over. So just me forlin the closer. Like, and I mean, it's just, what are we doing here? Like, why are we wasting time? The Blue just have dug a big enough hole as it is. You can't keep losing games like this, period. Is that the easiest solution, Varlane the closer?

or is there someone, can you go out on the market and find someone? The problem is, Brasflare really isn't right now. Like, I don't know why it is, but like no one makes any moves until late June, early July. Like, you'll just never see trades being made because he just feel like, you know what, this is the team we've assembled. Let's give it a few months and see what happens. And if we are actually a good team in June and July, feel we can contend, let's go out of peace.

But if not, we don't want to add a piece if this just isn't going to be our season. And maybe the Blue Jays right now aren't even sure what it's going to be. Like, it's nice to say they're in win now mode and they were really aggressive. But at the other day, there are a sub-500 team with a bunch of pitchers on the aisle and missing George Springer, Al-Aloh, Kirk, Addison Barger, et cetera. So, like, this may be Rogers looking at the team in late May and going, hey, we're still like eight games in her 500. I don't think we're going to catch Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, whomever. So you don't make the move just yet, but yes, I would put Louis Barland, throw his heat. And ever since Minnesota, they acquired him from Minnesota, he's been really good for them and effective.

And, yeah, immediately I would say Louis Barlin, you're the closer, Jeff, we'll figure it out. sorry, seventh inning, eighth inning, we'll do what we can. It's crazy to me when I look at the standings, and I know your whole point is still early in the season, but to see the Mets 8 and 16, and maybe the Mets struggles have kind of covered up what's happened in Philadelphia, but the Phillies might be worse than the Mets.

The most underreported story right now has to be just how bad Phillies are. And part of that I laughed because I'm driving down, I'm listening like you guys. I love sports radio. So I was listening to WIP, Spike Asken, Ike, Reese. And, of course, you're talking a little bit of Eagles draft. There was a healthy dose of flyers for the game.

And a lot of Sixers talk. Right. They were very happy with it. It was an abnormal amount of Sixers talk I had to endure. But there was very little Phillies, except for a couple of guys, be like, hey, has everyone known like the Phillies stink? It's such a busy sports city, Philadelphia. They're so lucky, right?

Right. I mean, there's always a team that's either doing really well and you can support them or really badly and you can rip them. But like what is going on with the Phillies? Because if you look at the, if you look at the Major League baseball payrolls, everyone's made so much about the mats, right? And Steve Cohen spends a lot of money and, you know, they went out and God

Bichet and, you know, the fans were booing the mats and rightly so. But the Phillies are right up where they're with the mats, the Yankees, the Dodgers, all the big spenders there. So what is actually going on with that team? And it's even more worrisome than you might think, Jay, because the fact they've got so much money locked up in these veterans. Like, you

re-signed Schwerber to $150 million. So this is not like a young, you know, a team, this is an aging core that you're hoping you could supplement with a little bit of youth. And Justin Crawford, who's Carl Crawford's kid, Andrew Painter, who's a young starter who was thought to be a stud who's overcome injuries. But like, their main guys just haven't come through. So this is a real problem when you got Bryce Harper's six more years of his contract. Schwabor, year one of a five-year deal. Rayal Muto back in a reduced deal, but still not particularly effective. Marsh is still in the mix, you know. It's a problem because this can't hit.

And they thought the issue was Nick Castiano's, who was obviously jettison to side. But the way they've been losing is, like, they're not even close in some of these games. This isn't like nail-biting wins. We've got a couple of bounces of the balls. I'm like, no, they need to get Zach Wheeler back because their ace. The pitching hasn't been good. Aaron Nola going back to last season to struggle. Again, that is a big money contract, over $150 million he's getting paid.

they lost, you know, Ranger Suarez, obviously, to the Red Sox. Jesus Lazzardo they gave big money to. So this is a problem because they have a lot of money invest in a lot of guys who are underachieving. And it's pitching and it's their offense is all collectively coming together. And I'm with you. It's easy to say, hey, look what happened last year at Cleveland. Like you can have a 10-game deficit come back. I'm like, you can.

And it's definitely easier in today's game rather than in the past. But when, and I'm sticking to the stat, though, that there has never been a team with a 12-game losing streak that has made the playoffs. So the Mets are done. go ahead and just say they're cooked. And for the Phillies, it's eight games right now. I wouldn't turn to tread water to go on the double-digit losing streak. Not a good sign.

We're speaking to Adnan, Virk, from MLB Network here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Can we take a moment to shine some light on, yes, the Chicago White Sox? I got to ask you and I want you to talk about, yes, talk about what Murakami is doing for the White Sox right now, because it is unbelievable. So from the beginning, I love this guy because sometimes when Japanese players come, there can be a little bit of lost in translation. You're saying, okay, is he actually being playful and funny, or do we just don't understand the language sometimes? So, you know, you've seen that in the past with certain guys,

but certain guys just really do have a good, funny personality. And in the case of Moracami, he made it very clear. He said one of those things that was on his list for the White Sox was bidet. And the reporter had to double check was like, sorry, maybe you misunderstood. Was there another word you're trying to use? He's like, no, no, no, the transistors explain. No, no, he means like when you go to the bathroom, like, hey, that's exactly what he's saying. He's like, I want a bidet in the dressing room.

I don't want to use toilet paper. And like Sean Burke, who is the White Sox starter, was like, hey, if it takes bidets for the entire team, if it's different hygiene for all of us, we'll do it. And we're in comedy's immediately become a fan favorite. They call them the Bade Boys now. They've got a group of fans out there, the fans. It's really funny. And the bottom line is, this guy can hit the ball a ton.

I mean, hitting a home run at five straight games, the fact he chose the White Sox is already shocking. It's a man of jokes where people are like, hang on a second, dude, You can have got like, are you aware of the Major League Baseball works if you're supposed to choose? Dodgers, Yankees, Mads, Cubs, you know, one of these big market teams. Like, no, no, did you miss up the other Chicago team? No, no, I want White Sucks. Two years, 34 million for a guy who has slugged over in Japan and is doing it so right now with Chicago. So there are ways away from contending.

We all know that. But with Murakami there in the fold, and he's going to get another conscience of this, which will be much more expensive, but that's fine if you can hit like this. And they do have a good young core of players that seem to be coming along. and Kyle Teal, the catcher, Colson, Montgomery. So, yeah, he's been a great hit right now on the south side. Maybe some people were joking. It was the Pope.

You know, Pope Leo blessed him somehow as the biggest White Sox fan on the planet. Are you a bidet guy? Like, if there's one available, will you use it? I find the drying process a little tough. If they don't have one of those air dryers in there? This is TMI. I brought, but I'm all in. I'll tell you what happened.

I went to Saudi Arabia years ago for DeZone boxing. Okay. And I was so blown away. My wife's like, oh my God, you got it. Like, that's the way you should be cleaning yourself. I'm like, yeah. And you're right. I do it.

Big bidet guy. But the problem is as you said, then that area is wet. You put your underwear back out. I'm like, it's a little, it's a little wet. Now, again, it's water, but I'm still like, eh. So I don't mind. I love this. I have a bidet, but then also toilet paper just to dry.

And then I think I'm like ready to go. But then the toilet paper, you know, wet toilet paper, I don't know. Is this, is this, is this a proper conversation? feel like we jumped the shark about five minutes ago on that one. So we are speaking to Ednan Verde from MLV Network here. Halford just used a garden hose. So I do everything in the yard. Okay, I wanted to ask,

this is the toughest transition in radio history going from bidet's to walks. But I wanted to ask you about the sharp increase in runners on base courtesy the walk. I believe it's the highest rate in Major League Baseball since 1950. And there's a lot of different reasons why this has happened. Now, traditionally, it's been the pitchers have a harder time finding the strike zone in the early days of the season because of the weather and the temperatures and what have you. But a lot of MLB players are pointing towards ABS that isn't doing pitchers any favors.

What are your thoughts on this ad, man? Well, it's sort of amazing because for years, Mike, it's been a really well-known secret that Major League Baseball would love to see more runs. I mean, the last time the three of us went to a baseball game. Nobody said, I'd love to watch a two-one game today. I remember Brough asked me once, what was worse? You know, if you go to see your team, lose 9-8 or lose 2-1, I'm like, 9-8. Or 9-8's better for me. I'm like, I'd rather see some home runs and scores if we lose 5.

It's demoralizing, but pot, I still want to see some runs. So baseball for years has said, God, how do we fix the fact every single pitcher throws 97 and 98 and spin rates and cut? And you go, oh, my God, these guys can't hit. Batting average now, the collective batting comes is 237. That's an average hitter. And so, lo and behold, what can we do? Can we lower the mail? that's an idea. The pitchers might go nuts again, but of course, remember the year the pitcher

was 1968. They lowered it after that, helped out offense. And lo and behold, ABS is helping. Like all these times that umpires were benefiting the pitcher with wide strikes. And now of a sudden I'm like, no, this is technology now. You can't argue with technology. It is benefiting players and giving them a second chance. And it's more than just, I think, a ball or strike being reversed. It's also the mental aspect of it. The pitcher gets frustrated. Naturally, oh, my God, I needed that. There's a big difference. One, two, versus 2-1. And the hitter eases up because I knew it.

I knew it. I know the strike zone. I know what's a strike. I'm going to hit this pitch. So much of baseball is mental. And I really do think one pitch can change everything in account. Think of the difference. Oh, oh, and 0-1.

Think of a difference, as I said, 1-2-2-1. So I really think that it's a big part of it. And it's really made the game exciting. And it's helping it off. It's, I'm in favor of it. We want to score more runs. No doubt about it. Well, I mean, another reason that, you know, it's been easier for batterers.

everyone aside from Mason Miller has been, you know, having their issues this year, but Mason Miller has been actually unhittable. Not literally. Like, it has been unbelievable what he's been able to do. I believe it's a 71% strikeout ride. And it was Wall Street Journal had a piece the other day, the improbable rise of baseball's unhittable pitcher.

I remember being intrigued by Miller back when he was with the A's because I'm an A's fan. And I just remember the power and the speed in which you could throw. But there's always a question of, could he harness it and could he turn it into like tangible success well he's done that and more have you ever quite seen anything like this what miller's done in the early stages of this season it's incredible mike i'm so glad to bring it up to me that the two best stories so far jordan alber is back for the astros he's the MVP of the american league it leads in every major category and on the national league it's mason miller i had the benefit of interviewing him last year at spring training and spent a

little bit of time with him and the coolest thing he told me was that he didn't know he had diabetes So he said, you know, I didn't know why times I get tired, et cetera. So once he was formally diagnosed and he started getting the insulin, he goes, like it changes everything. And he goes, I'm not saying by taking a shot, like all of a sudden I'm a better picture, but I just think mentally now I know exactly how to regulate things. And I say, yeah, that makes sense. It's just like an athlete knowing, hey, to condition myself, I've got to be gluten-free.

In the case of Mason Miller, okay, I'm a diabetic, this is what I have to do to regulate things, etc. He said it helped him so much in terms of his confidence because you're right. Before that, he was, like, he's always had, listen, if you can throw triple digits, people are going to know who you are. But at times he'd be wild. But the way he hardest as the strike zone is insane to me. Like, I just, it's one of my favorite things in sports. Like, I always think you're one of two people.

Either you like a pitcher, like a dice came Matsuzaka, who throws nine different pitchers, or you like Mason Miller, who's like, I throw one pitch, just hit it. Like, we're not going to waste any time here, okay? Just go ahead and hit 101. And if you can, congratulations, we probably aren't going to. As you said, he's his automatic a weapon in a sport, which is as unpredictable as he's, any over the course of six months. A 71% strikeout rate. Like he gets in the game and it's over.

Like I used to always love watching Rivera for the same reason. I go, this cutter is unbelievable. How can you do this? How can you sustain this? It's one pitch. It's one pitch and still you strike everybody out. Like it's remarkable to me. I asked Moe about it.

Rivera one time very humbly said it's God's pitch. Or we can say that in this case it's God's arm of Mason Miller. He's just been remarkable. And my only concern with fellas when they traded him, don't forget, the Pogers trade the number three prospect in baseball, Louis DeVries. And they said, if you're, give up such a big pick, you might as well make him a starter. There's more value in a

starting pitcher. He can pitch six innings every five days rather than a closure who throws one inning two or three times. And thank God, Adrian Pell and Company did not make that decision. Keep him as a closer, man. He's shortening games for you. All of a sudden, a nine-end game becomes an eight-inning game every time you can use him. I love it.

Adnan, this was great, buddy. Thanks, as always for doing this. We appreciate it. Thanks, Mike, Mike, Jay, we'll talk to you soon, boys. Take care. See you later. That's Adnan, Verk, Verk, from MLB, on SportsNet 650, a presentation, as you mentioned, and I mentioned, of Angry Otter Licker. Win your way to the World Cup this July with Angry Otter Licker. Pick up any participating Smyrnav products and enter for your chance to score tickets.

Visit Angry Otterlicker.cr.s for more. Do you have any World Cup tickets? Nope. You've tried a few times, right? I tried yesterday. I gave up. Didn't you join that Canada Red? Canada Red.

You were like a mid-tier member, too. I was. What did you spend to join that? $500. $500 and you have no tickets. It was, you know what? It was really for my support

of the Canadian men's and women's national teams and not the World Cup. Is that where you're telling yourself right now? That's what I'm telling right after I canceled my membership. That's what I told myself. Yeah. I do believe, you know,

we had Adam Crafton on the show, what was it, a week ago, two weeks ago from the athletic. He's been on that beat about the economics of the World Cup and the tickets. And he kind of mentioned, he's like, there's going to be more ticket drops as we go along.

Right now there's these huge swaths of tickets that are reserved for those hospitality packages and if they don't sell, you just sort of repurpose them as individual tickets. The ticketing system and what's going on right now is totally bizarre. I've never seen anything like it. I was reading something, I think, in the athletic,

the Americans, the Americans opening game against Paraguay still has thousands of tickets that aren't sold. So, I, more than anyone, was thrilled when we first learned that Canada was going to be one of the three hosts for the 2026 World Cup. I still am. I'm not going to lie. And this isn't any sort of like big picture conversation on, you know, economics and the wealth disparity in capitalism or whatever. But I have genuinely been turned off this World Cup by a certain measure with the ticketing prices and how ridiculous it is.

It is, it is, I understand. Entirely predictable, but I totally understand. And I agree. It's gouging. It feels like the most soulless craven money grab. Yep. And I understand that Infantino is trying to spin this, that the money raised by the World Cup goes back into growing the game globally.

But when you kind of set out at the beginning to make a sporting event that is supposed to be this unique and this, at certain stages, earnest and organic and the opportunity for small countries to play on the big stage and you turn it into a money-making venture

first and foremost and make no bones about it. It feels empty and soulless and way too corporate for me. Sorry, that's just how I feel. There's nothing for the average Joe in this World Cup.

It prices out so many people. And that's a real problem. And I think FIFA said, look at the ticket prices that some people are willing to pay in North America to go see, for example, Taylor Swift.

Sure. And listen, this all gets into the rising inequality in incomes and net worths. And we talk about this a lot on the show, how teams are increasingly catering not solely, but almost solely, to the high net worth individual that's going to go drop 10 grand a night on a sporting event with tickets, you know, extra service, food, booze. And by the way, not think twice about it Because they have a ton of money, right? And I think FIFA said,

We are going to make so much money in North America And I don't know if there's going to be significant pushback to this To the point where something is done about it I mean, we have seen tournaments, albeit far smaller tournaments, Have to think twice about how they set ticket prices. Like I think about some of the words World Juniors, when you're kind of like, you guys got a little too, was it big for your britches? I think the World Juniors is a great example.

The World Juniors, you know, I'm on a mailing list for the Ryder Cup for tickets. And the next one's in Ireland. And people in Europe have been a little, like they don't, Europe's a little different than the North American market, especially with soccer teams. Like, I think a lot of people in North America will be surprised how affordable. some of some of the soccer games are to even the big clubs because the supporters groups will push back on high ticket prices and they'll push back aggressively on it. And it's just almost part of the culture there that there are a certain amount of tickets that are sold to, you know, and then there are different laws about the secondary market as well, right? So the people that get

those tickets are the ones that need those tickets or not need those tickets, you know, should be getting those tickets. So the Ryder Cup comes out with these with these ticket prices for Ireland. And it's double or you know something like that what it was compared to Rome a few years ago. And European golf fans are like, what? What is this? Like, why are you treating us like Americans? Yeah. You know, this is different over here. And, you know, I don't know how it's all going to play out. But I mean, we've joked a few times. times about how tired we are of hearing like premium experience, right? You know, it's getting to the point now where everything's a premium experience, right?

And it's just like, you want to actually be in the arena as opposed to on your couch? That's a premium experience. I wonder if it's going to get to that stage where everything in arena is a premium experience. I mean, you're the biggest soccer fan, I know. And for you to get turned off. It's ridiculous. The world cop. And I know you'll be into it once it starts.

But I can be into it, but around it. I can watch it on television. I think it's just, it's gouging a lot of people on the sense of experience in a tournament where, and let's be dead honest, they have no idea what the group stage is going to look like, what some of these matches are going to look like. And I know that everyone's just going to assume that the atmosphere is going to be great. But for some of these matches, I'll tell you right now, it's not going to be. It's going to be a bunch of people that paid way too much money for tickets to an event that they are only half into. the first place. Be very careful with the group stage. Yep. The group stage often has dog games.

Nil, nil. Believe me. I'm an England supporter. I know what a lot of group stage games look like. When you paid $2,000 to see Austria play Jordan in the first round, there's something wrong with that. Yeah. Just is. I mean, I don't think it's ultimately going to settle at that rate. Like, I think there's going to be some cheaper tickets available. You know what I'm going to be really curious to see is if there's any games where the stadium looks empty just because the tickets have not been sold because the ticket prices

were too high. You know who can afford World Cup tickets? Tom Dundon he is the subject of our next interview. We're going to talk to Jason Quick, senior writer of the athletic. They say the Blazers owner and Carolina Hurricane owners, Tom Dundon is cheap, but he doesn't care. It's the biggest story

in the National Basketball Association non-playoffs division right now. Jason Quick, senior writer from the athletic is going to join us to talk about it next on the Halford and Brough show on SportsNet 650. It's Canucks Central on SportsNet 650. From exclusive interviews to insider scoops and post-game breakdowns, we've got it all.

Tune in weekdays 4 to 6 p.m. on radio and on demand through your favorite podcast app. Happy Thursday, everybody. Halford, grab, SportsNet 650. Alfred and Bradford and Brow for the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Got debt? Reach out to Sands and Associates during regular business hours and they'll get back to you within 20,

minutes. Wow, 20 minutes. Visit them online at sands dash trustee.com. For more, we're in hour two of the program, the midway point of the show. Jason Quick, senior writer for the athletic is going to join us in just a moment here. Our two of this program is brought to by Jason hominock at Jason.orgage. If you love paying too much for your mortgage,

then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at at jason.morgia. So we talked a lot yesterday about Tom Dundon, who most of you know is the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes. He's also the new owner of the Portland Trailblazers. And his, um, his fiscal approach to things has garnered a lot more attention in NBA circles than maybe it had in NHL circle.

The NHL circles, they understood what he was doing with the Carolina hurricane. But didn't get a lot of publicity. He got some. Yeah, it's Carolina. You can be frugal there. It has really exploded in, uh, the NBA circles, NBA Twitter. A lot of people have written about it, including our next guest. He is the. author of the recent article, Blazers owner, Tom Dundon, doesn't care that others say he's cheap. Jason Quick, senior writer for the Athletic joins us now, courtesy of the ABLE Auctions hotline on the Halford and Breff Show on Sportsnet 650. Morning, Jason. How are you? I'm doing great.

Thanks for taking the time to do this. We appreciate it. I kind of want to start with the anecdote that leads your article. It's the checkout time anecdote. And it's one of many sort of like small little tidbits of information that have led people to, openly ask if Tom Dundon is cheap and apparently he does not care but for the listeners that might not be up to speed can you relay this story of the checkout time, the late

checkout times for the Blazers and how it sort of plays into this larger narrative that new owner Tom Dundon is cheap Yeah so he doesn't want to pay late checkout fees and at these top match

four star five star hotels they charge a full night often if your traveling party stays beyond 4 p.m. And the Blazers had an 8 p.m. game that night, but he wanted everybody out by the 1230 checkout time. Everybody but the players. He's willing to pay for the players to be able to stay in their rooms and relax before a game. But massage therapists, reporters, equipment managers,

everyone else had to be out and they had their luggage all stacked in the lobby and everyone's just kind of twilling on their phones for hours upon hours before the game. And, you know, the unrest reached Tiago Splitter, the head coach. Here he is about to coach the biggest game in the season, and he's getting complaints from massage therapists and other people like, what are we supposed to do? We're just sitting here hanging out and doing nothing. And they're upset.

And Tiago's starting to wonder, okay, are these people going to be able to do their jobs with a clear head and with the right kind of enthusiasm when they're all pissed off about having to be out of their rooms. So, you know, that's one thing where Tom always says that I'm going to be putting all my money into the team, into the players. But I think what he doesn't understand is that a lot of these kind of ancillary things feed into that. You know, the little people, so to speak, play a part in making things right for the players. So that's just one of the things that kind of has people inside the organization feeling a little uneasy about the early days of his tenure here. Okay. I'm glad you brought that up, like, that he doesn't understand because he never really changed his ways in Carolina, despite some pushback from, you know, fans and media and people within the organization, he kind of stuck by his guns and continued to have that directive of like, why would we waste money on anything that's not player related?

My question is, is he going to have to understand this now that he's in the business of the National Basketball Association? Well, I think one area that has really kind of sparked a red flag across the NBA is how he has conducted himself, in particular, reaching out to coaches while he has a coach still coaching in the playoffs, nonetheless. That has really rankled a lot of people, including some pretty big. time coaching agents who have basically called him and said, leave my client alone. You have a coach. This is against NBA etiquette. And no coach wants to be known to have been interviewing for a position when a colleague is actively coaching. So that has been his biggest boo-boo, I would say, in his early days. and that, you know, as one agent said, this isn't the NHL where, you know, the NBA, people talk.

There's such a high volume of coverage that, and people in this fraternity talk. And so anytime he has talked to a college coach or an NBA coach that has gotten out. And so it's a terrible look for Tiago, who's got to splitter the coach. He's got to be feeling uneasy. see like, why is he looking for my replacement when I've got this team not only in the playoffs, but now with a big win over San Antonio. So he just hasn't followed that kind of etiquette. How much of a culture shock is this for the Blazers players and the organization after being

owned by Paul Allen and eventually the Paul Allen trust? Yeah. And I think that's what makes all of this so alarming to people in Portland and to the people in the Blazers organization. Paul Allen, as everyone knows, is one of the richest men on Earth. And he lavished these guys with just excess of riches, you know, getting their cars detailed why they practice. Washington detailed. He flew them on private helicopter rides, set up lunch on his yacht. there was an acronym, famous acronym, within the Blazers organization of spam, spending Paul Allen's money.

And they would have, you know, end of the year parties would be huge, huge spreads at restaurants. And they would go on these retreats. And everyone loved working for the Blazers because everything was done first class. And so now to have all these corners being cut and everyone to be watching every last penny is quite a culture shock. And on top of that, everyone right now is kind of fearing for their job. And I asked Tom that his first day on the job. I said, you know, there's a lot of people uneasy about their future. And he said, I kind of like that.

I want people to be thinking about am I good enough to work here, you know? And so he is definitely going to shake things up here in Portland, I think. I think people are going to have to work harder than they are used to working. And I think that in some ways is good. And I think Paul Allen's resources kind of made people complacent in a way. They were used to the good life. So I think he's going to light a little bit of fire under a lot of people. people here. Well, you know, that was going to be my next question. Is there, are there, what has been

the fan reaction to this? Because I imagine some people are like, oh, I don't love the idea of a cheap owner for my favorite basketball team. But there might be some people who are like, you know, good. The trailblazers, you know, I, I was saying earlier, like, Portland's a six-hour drive here from, from Vancouver. And I, I used to go down to Blazers games. I, I, I remember. It was a long time ago now, going down to some of those playoff games against Carl Malone and the Utah Jazz. And, you know, it's funny. I started thinking about the Blazers the other day because the Netflix documentary came out and I said, this is the first time I've thought about the Blazers in a long, long time.

And I'm wondering if, you know, they just got a little too comfortable under Paul Allen's money. They might have. but I think in Portland right now, I would say 85% of the people hate him and 15 are like, oh, let's see what he does. But, you know, the backdrop to all of this is he has come in and said, you need to fix the arena, but I'm not going to pay a cent of it. And so he's trying to get 600 million of public funding to enhance the motor center. And I think, you know, he hasn't outwardly said it, but if he doesn't get that funding, I think he's going to look to move the team.

And I think that's what has people, it's just not a good first impression. But he has been very adamant that, you know, if you give me the funding, I'll sign a 20-year lease and that should be good enough for my commitment to this community. And people want him to, you know, either pay rent or have a fine for a real, if he does relocate. But he has committed nothing, not a red cent to the renovation of the rose. I still call it the Rose Garden. But, you know, so that was his initial welcome to Portland announcement that, yeah, I want the arena to be better. And now he keeps making all these other kind of controversial moves.

So he is not well received. What I'm really curious about is tomorrow night is their first home game. And if he's in attendance, I'm really curious to see what the fan reaction is. Because this is a fan base that loves their team. It's a one-horse town. The Blazers are the thing. And if you remember Bob Wittsett from the jailblazer era, he would go to games. And, you know, there were signs, firewitz it.

and then they kicked that lady who had the firewits to sign out, and that made it worse, and people would chant at him. So it could be, it could get pretty ugly, I think, for Tom at Friday's game three. Do owners in the United States even pretend to do PR spend when they want money for stadiums anymore? Like, it is, it's different in Canada. Yeah. You know, we haven't quite gotten to the point, like, we're in danger of losing our, MLS team up here.

And if the white caps were to come out and say, you know, we want the government to build us a stadium, we're not going to pay rent on it, and otherwise we're moving, most people in this province would be like, see you later. Now, I don't know what the reaction would be if the Canucks did it, because the Canucks in some ways are, I mean, we're, we're, we're, you know, like we could be a bit of what, we, we, we are probably a one horse town in the same way that that Portland is like Portland has an MLS team but the big dog is the Blazers and the big dog here is the Cox but you know it's it's I can't imagine the decision that the politicians and the people have down there because for the

politicians the idea of losing the Blazers would be I mean that would be I mean unfathomable right yeah yeah yeah and I think that's why I mean the state has already committed three 365 million of the 600 million he wants. And now it's up to the city and the county to make that full. And there's some city counselors who are really fighting against this. Like, why are we letting this billionaire come in and, you know, tell us how to spend our, our tax money? But they also realize the civic value of having a team like the Blazers, not only just the jobs that it creates. but, you know, the civic pride and the camaraderie that is established by having a team that everyone is pulling for.

And, you know, part of the new ownership group includes Shield Tile, who is a local. And he is really fighting for the importance of having a team in Portland and, you know, saying that that's the beauty of sports that no matter what religion, what beliefs you have. have what race or gender, a sports team can unite everyone because you're pulling for a common goal. And so it's really been a tug of war of emotions right now for the Blazers. And I think that's the thing that is the most frustrating aspect of Tom's early tenure, is this should be a time of celebration for the Blazers. They have been horrible for five or six years.

And now they're finally good. they're in the playoffs. They just had a huge win against the number two seed spurs. And yet all anyone is talking about is freaking Tom Dundon and his being a cheapskate. You know, it should be a time of celebration, yet everyone is uneasy and angry at this new owner. Yeah, so, you know, we're going to ask one more question about him specifically

because you mentioned that you talked to him on the first day on the job. What do you think or did you think of him upon speaking with him and hearing and listening to what he had to say? A confident guy. He thinks he is the bee's knees. I mean, he thinks his way is the way. And I have to give him that. He's probably one of the most confident.

And borderline brash, you know, in his confidence. That I don't care. What I do works. But I also kind of liked him. Like he, I liked how he's focused and driven and he's just like that, that whole first day, I kind of shadowed him around L.A. when they were playing the Clippers. And he was just in meeting and meeting after meeting and just constant activity and just had this laser focus. So he is certainly an intriguing. figure. He's unlike

anything we've had in Portland because Paul was so private and this kind of to himself. And Tom is like this bowl in a Chinese shop almost. He just comes in and wants to, nope, we're not doing that, we're doing this.

We're not doing that. We're doing this. So he's certainly an interesting figure. Game three of that very interesting series now with the backdrop of it heading back to Portland goes tomorrow night. It's a 730 tip. It's the Blazers. It's the Spurs.

Tom Dundan in front of the home fan. Should be interesting. Hey Jason, thanks a lot for taking the time to do this today, man. Really, really cool story and a really great article as well. Thanks for doing this. All right. I appreciate, man. See you. See you later. That's Jason Quick, senior writer for the athletic here on the Halford & Brough Show on SportsNet 650.

So Adam Silver went on part of my take the podcast. I am. India Commissioner, Adam Silver, and kind of stuck up for Tom Dundon. He said, you know, people are saying he's not willing to spend the money, but you got to remember this is a guy who just won a bidding war, call it $4.5 billion to buy a team, and they're calling him cheap.

I don't know if that's the best comparison. No. But he also says, I think the hurricanes, and he admitted, I don't follow the NHL every night, but he knows what he's doing, said Silver. His mindset is, it's a mindset. set on how to run a business. It's a scrappy approach, focusing on details, making people feel everything matters. So, you know, he finished it off with saying, this guy is a winner. He's won in everything he's ever been involved in. So let's give him an opportunity. Yeah. And, you know,

the question that you asked, I think was fair. It's like, are people maybe hoping that this disruptor approach works for an organization? Like, let's be honest, the Blazers have been terrible the last five years on the court and then their arena's kind of old and craggy and sagging and you know he's calling it the Rose Garden it's the motor center but you I think the issue is

is that in order to give the benefit of the doubt to someone there has to be some level of trust and it's hard to trust someone yeah who's cutting out a lot of the parts of the organization like the rank and file and the people that are kind of holding things up by their bootstraps and are getting the

short end of the deal and you know they said there's people that are worried about their jobs and the new owner is like good. I'm glad they're worried about their jobs. And that's tough for some people to stomach because a lot of the people that might lose them are the people that are, again, like the rank and file of the organization, right? Okay. I got to do... It would be very a... It would be very sad if the Sonics were to return and the trailblazers were like, oh, we're moving. I can't see them leaving. I can't see them. I can't either. I mean, they're already 360 million towards the 600 million that he wants. I'm sure they'll push it over the line. Just to go fund me or

something like that. Yeah. Well, he still has the city and I guess the county to lean on, right? I think it would be a smart decision for the NBA to do everything they can to stay in Portland. Well, there's a, there's a big decision on the horizon tonight. We haven't even talked about this. The NFL draft is tonight, Jason. We're going to have Nick Shook on the show tomorrow to recap the first round. Yeah. And all the Mike Vrable stuff. He's not going to day three. Yeah, what is that? He's going to counseling on the weekend. Is that the only time counseling is available? Saturday of the NFL draft?

It's the only time we can get an appointment. Yeah, okay. Must be a good counselor. Anyway, so the decision for first overall is already been made. Fernando Mendoza is going to go first overall to the Raiders. The decision now is who will be the second

pick, a selection owned by the New York Jets. Not a quarterback. Yeah. Betting right now is almost dead even split between Texas Tech linebacker David Bailey and Ohio State linebacker Arbell Reese. Bailey, the slight favorite, according to

a variety of sports books. But there's been no clear definitive pick yet. So the draft really gets underway at number two tonight. And there is your smart decision. Dare I say a big decision for the Jets, although it sounds like they're going to go linebacker either way. Anyway, the decision brought to you by Crow,

your trusting accounting and tax advisors for over 55 years. Crow, smart decisions lasting value. Learn more at Crowe. We're going to go to break on the other side. Thomas Drance from the Athletic Vancouver and Kinnockstock is going to join us and we're going to do what we learns at 830. Before we go to break, I need to tell you about JanPro.

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