No Laying Up - Golf Podcast - NLU Podcast, Episode 215: Scott Van Pelt

Episode Date: May 16, 2019

ESPN's Scott Van Pelt joins to discuss how he got into golf, how Tiger Woods launched his career, his favorite Tiger stories, how Sportscenter has evolved and how it comes together these days. We also discuss the upcoming PGA Championship at Bethpage, Max Homa, dealing with haters, and how to chase your dream. Thanks a ton to Scott for the time.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm going to be the right club today. Yeah. That's better than most. I'm not in. That is better than most. Better than most Ladies and gentlemen welcome back to the No-Langup podcast joined by someone that so we've been wanting to have on for a while Just recently gotten touched but from ESPN mr. Scott van pelts SVP. What's going on? How are you? I'm good. I'm good busy timing here in playoffs a major in May, which I like and You know, I'm good. I'm good. Busy time of year, playoffs, a major in May, which I like. And, you know, I'm good.

I'm excited. I'm excited for this week's act. The best page is an as-and-once dream. And I think it's going to be an awesome test. I want to talk some golf stuff with you, and I want to talk some just sports stuff in general. But first question I had. You had Max Homa as your one big thing last week on Sports Center.

I was just curious, what story uh... really caught your eye here and you guys will know obviously that the beauty of of a guy's life to change by i have a that the ball to say i'm gonna keep that on me and double down on me and believe

and support did not that that undercut your belief, you know, at every turn. Like against a really good field on a really good course. Like, do you blame any of that? You know, this, like I don't care where you went. Like, it changes your life. But to beat that field on that course, I mean, that's a me validates every single thing that Max could have hoped was true. And just, you know, like your guys' podcast, and we played

a portion of it on the show. I want to play more, but we only got so much time that the beauty of the podcast by the way, you're not in no constraints. Exactly. His message, I just like the bit about, you know, I lied to myself and say today is the day. And he just decided to keep working. And I love moments where lies are changed I'm not going to say that people didn't help him, not that they didn't have support. But ultimately, he knuckles up, he doubles down, and he did it. And no one gave him anything. That's all earned. And that's the beauty of the game when it pays somebody back that way. So I just decided I wanted to do it, and it was cool because my three-shot and told me

I've met a lot, and I told him, hey man, me talking about you's nothing. You winning didn't mean a lot. That's what you're mad at. But it was nice to talk to him and I just found you can sound like a story like that nationally and in a way that you know the not-and-call channel you might have missed. Yeah I'm a sucker for any kind of a comeback story or inspirational story and that his is like one of my favorites and to see him you know kind of kind of hear him talk about it well before that's what a lot

people didn't realize is that clip was from before he won. I mean, I talked about how hard he worked to see him come back and win. But how does the, so like the one big thing on your sports center show, how does, how does the, what's the genesis of it every day? Do you come up with the idea every time? Does somebody come to you with the idea? How does it come together? Take me there. Um, it's, it's, it's it's I mean as you and I are speaking today

how I'm on you know Wednesday afternoon I don't know what tonight's is. Um I I spend my days kind of with the line in the water or net in the water so to speak to figure out what you what I might catch on a given day. Um Max's story with I, so I decided that Sunday night I wrote it from Monday. Last night's lottery, I wrote after the lottery came out and it makes me kind of close. I'm very anti-tanking, so I decided to write about that. The team, that were the worst, got third, fifth and sixth and so good. I'm glad you said me a reward. My thing. When it comes to coming together, we have a social staff and people come back here. I see the neighbors with me to that.

Maybe it's something about the people. I wrote one about my daughter last week. I sometimes get personal. I don't often do that. I'm always hesitant. I think, yeah, I do. I share this. This is really my life and it's my child.

And I hesitate. But then any time I come stuff like that, the feedback you get is insane. I mean, Stanford's fee sent that the link out the next morning. And like in two days it had a couple of million views on Twitter. And I did an interview with Steph Curry after what I thought was one of the great playoff performances I've ever seen. The guys go with 33 and the second half and 23 and the fourth. And I did an interview with Steph Curry after what I thought was one of the great playoff performances I've ever seen in the guys course, 33 and a second half, and 23 and a fourth, and I'm in the process of saying goodbye to him. And he's like, hey, hey, I just want to tell you that thing you did on your daughter, man.

It really hit home and meant so much and blah, blah, blah. I'm thinking, well, right on, you know, it resonated with people. And that segment has been a place where I've been personal. I talk about losing my dad there. I talk about my daughter there. But then I talk about Max Holman there. The beauty of it is it's a place where I can just stretch it out a little bit and talk about what's interesting to me on a given day.

And I think writing is the most important thing anybody in media does because it teaches you how to get your thoughts together, right? And that's what I tried every day to do is to try to be coherent, try to be concise, that's not my strength, as I'm proving with this answer. But that's a space every day where I get a chance to try to flex those skills or try to refine those skills, and it's the challenge, because every day, it's like what today's one big thing. As of this moment in time,

I don't know what it's gonna be in mid-night, but the beauty is something always kind of presents itself. Well, this question I had for you is kind of a tough one to answer, because I think I am asking you to brag on yourself a bit, but the way I always viewed you in your careers, you seem to be, I think people's natural instinct is to see people on TV, hear them on radio, and their defense, a lot of people are polarizing on purpose. I've never viewed you as polarizing. I think people's instinct

is to kind of punch back at authority or people that are talking to you and want to pick bones with you, and not to say that you don't have your fair share of haters, and I do want to talk about that later, but you're one of the more popular uh... kind of media personalities in sports and so i if i'm gonna ask you to brag on yourself what what do you credit that to like what would you say is kind of your reason for your success uh... in those lines well i appreciate you for understanding the me and you're not an impossibility

it's like say like here's why people think i'm awesome and but but here's what i said i think people have a real decent read on who I am, because I don't feel like I'm real complicated. If I say it, I mean it. I'm not the guy that's out there rooting them out and just to do it. I'm authentic to me.

If I say it, it's what I think. And I'm not afraid to let people know where I'm not, if I say it, it's what I think. And I'm not afraid to let people know where I'm from and who I root for. I think people appreciate that. They like to know you have some skin in the game. They like to know that you actually care about the stuff you cover. And so I think that's what connects with people is that I'm just that guy that they feel like they know and I'm their friend. And that's the best compliment you can be paid, is you allowed yourself to be accessible in that way and I tried to, I tried my best.

So I mean, I guess that's the best way I can describe it. Now that's kind of exactly, I think you kind of touched on it and the answer previous to that one and the word I had in mind was real. I feel like you just keep it real and you don't take yourself too seriously. But you're also, you're afraid to like get down in the mud like you have I think almost two million followers on Twitter and I still see you replying to people you know they're giving you crap and I feel like a lot of people direct ESPN beef any kind of ESPN to be just right at you because I think they know you'll reply do you like a mindset on like who you reply to on Twitter or what topics you're willing to take on not really and it's stupid look I know it's dumb and we have a

segment with Silla like we would we would they go through and we do you know I'd like the voice guy do like black man helps Twitter fight you know like I hear back and you're like Jesus Christ God what are you doing But I just, I like to say I'm a mirror, and I just reflect back what I get. The thing that I, where I would critique myself, is lots and lots and lots of people say nice things, to your point about if people like me. But it's human nature, and it's the worst part of human nature to have your eyes drawn to the person that's, you know, saying, this is that, and you suck in this or your network sucks. And so I don't mind pushing back particularly against the network stuff. When I think it's fake, you're failing network. Like, get the fuck out of here. What are you even talking about? Like, do you have any idea what you're saying, like, are you sitting around waiting for it to, like, well, 29 and 30

on, like, you've got to work more, like, first of all, you actively rooting for that, and B.D., you really think it's happening because if you do, have fun waiting for the end, you know? And so I just, I defend the place, and I'll engage engage in people i'm happy to engage in the conversation about sports because that's the most fun thing to do and when people like when people are willing to be reasonable that's cool i did a single iso and um... and i had back to so and people like to go you're wrong it's a terrible little season bad man that's a few some like what i'd like to see great

so i'm i want to entertain a conversation uh... and it's what the why is the fascinating part is that don't know uh... but i do want to be i could be accessible to the group of the two final any never engage i don't know what the point other than here's what i think about stuff well i'd but right. But here's what I think about stuff. And then you think this, all right, we'll hear like, and more time, more often than that, you find thumb common ground where we can

agree to disagree. And then sometimes people just want to be that guy. And you're just trying to get your jokes off and get your screenshots. And I'm like, okay, I replied, oh, I really touched to know, all right, well, then what do you get to do with this? You get to take the screenshot and i'm like okay i reply to you i really touch the nerve like or it will make what do you get to do with this you get to take the screenshot of my reply down to the local bar and get a free beer like well how do you how do you you turn this in for some you know currency on earth or or do you just get a screenshot and if you do then have fun at the circus man i don't care

i'm just a guy you know i'm just a guy the same as you so i don't know i feel like this is you know i'm just a guy the same as you i don't know how to do this is almost therapy on that i'm trying to get to the why why you what you just ignore all these people and i'm like you have seventy two followers you probably don't have someone you've never met telling you suck and if you did my guess is you probably wouldn't just ignore all of them it's just if the worst part of the nature how do you deal with it

i i you know what you've said to start uh... and i i don't want to compare how i uh... you know what you deal with versus what i deal with but i you see enough from the start your eyes your eyes get drawn to the negative you're exactly right why do you think that is why you're that uh... you know that's a good question one i think you're more likely to get, I sing with what we get, like more than negative, it's more mostly positive. Like I'm very, we have a lot of supporters, but in general, people don't necessarily chime in when they agree. I mean, it's nature and to be like,

for most of, you know, when I get in Twitter beefs, usually I'm responding to somebody with like, that's wrong or I disagree. So I do at least understand that. But I think, I don't know, we kind of all want to be the best we can possibly be. And when I get kind of sucked in by the non-sequitors with like, I've said this,

somebody replies with something that's not really even that relevant, I want to explain like, well, no, that's like not what I meant. That's not what I'm saying. You're jumping to a conclusion and I get more afraid of people misinterpreting things i say then i do like actual hate you know so i just i just are mutant people that's i don't i don't hit the block unless it really is deserved but

the new to the point to be because it then the person's just flailing in a pinyata and it's you don't you don't and you don't know and then you then you're not engaging and then they're just like then they're bummed out because that you know that hasn't been there all this challenge. It's like I said it's it's kind of a fascinating thing. Some days are worse than others and some days you're just you it's easier to shrug it off but I just I kind of if at some point just I'm not here for the bullshit you know what

I mean like you just I mean like you can't right i mean if you're not going to be civil if you're going to make stuff up and you want to like all right uh... i'm a mere you get what you get i i i i i i i'm not ever a jerk first ever not never

but as i will remind people on occasion i do i do talk for a little so if you play this game and just be prepared for where this is going to go exactly uh... i promise myself i this is going to go. Exactly. I promise myself I wasn't going to talk too much golf with you because I think there's so much to discuss, but I do want to talk about kind of your background in golf and how you ended up at the golf channel. And I'm sure you've got some amazing golf stories and stuff.

And I'm kind of, I want to talk more sports and stuff. But let's start with that. How did you get into golf and golf channel and how that all started for you? Now the cliff starts with an internship with a guy in DC. They ended up being part of the group that started the golf show. I went down there and started and was a PA behind the scenes that never been on the air. I just stumbled into it, man. I got a bunch of idiotic breaks. They let me do some stuff.

I met Tiger when he was a freshman at Stanford we struck up with it has been a really cool professional relationship that has been taught this but it's that at pretty years I always kind of framed it in my talk around like he's a nice friend you know I've noticed it's 1995 you know we've seen a lot of life both of both of us have had success. Me strictly because I knew him and he loves to tell people that and it's true. My entire success is based on the fact that I knew him.

It's why I got to the SPF. It's true. Jimmy Roberts left. Yeah. Yeah, I had a bad relationship with the business than me. Period. But yeah, and that's why I got the job. Now, I've been able to turn it into something different, but I would never have been here

if I didn't have that friendship and relationship with Tiger that I have had for all these years. And so, like I didn't grow up in it. I wasn't a country club dude. I was a basketball player and golf player. I enjoyed it. But I never dream that that would be my entrances into this business. And then, you know, I ended up getting a test to go to DSPN and I've maintained a toe

in the water engulf. It was tough for us to lose the both opens. I mean, it was brutal because we loved covering us open and I thought we were great at it as a network. And it was tough to lose the open because I love that I love that jet engine. But now we get to appreciate that next year so we'll be back on at least two more around the golf. It's why I got into the business. It's how I got into the business and I will always always always root for the golf channel and be a supporter of it

because they gave me the chance to start this thing and I've got great friends there still and I enjoy watching it. I got a love my friend Rich Learner and I think life turns into a fantastic must-watch show around the majors especially. But it was one of the most unlikely things that ever happened that I even got a chance and that it happened the way it did. And again, if not for Tiger Woods none of this happens. So it's insane to think how that one guy, I mean, he's the type that lifts all both to one, I'm one of them both. Well, you answered one of my questions, which is if you could point back to one big break,

you got one thing that your whole career wouldn't have happened if that... if that didn't happen i think you already answered that one so talking to tiger after you uh... i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i that day i i had gone to try to get like a segment and i came back and like the did you have a segment like we got a fucking show i don't know if i'm a lot of cussed by the answer as i got with absolutely you can have a good look at that's my came back at the we got a having show and i think that i'm putting play on the paper the guys just that that

like our boss is we're standing in the hallway looking at this room and no one said word and they're just like i couldn't believe it because he was so good in that in and that segment, that just that interview talking through the 97 masters and that I think put me on people's radar because it was who could get that. Well I got that and I really got it because I was me but he was in a mood to talk and I was sort of the first guy that get a shot at it

that that's what happened that my relationship with tiger in general but that that one moment particular i think is what got people's attention well you just gave me the green light to keep you uh... forty minutes past the uh... the end date that you said that that's your if that's what gave you your big career break but that's what i'm not that i was that i don't have that that's what i don your big career break but i'm not tiger with me i don't have a i don't think i'm going to be like this

well alright so if you're if you're going to claim to be this good friends with tiger i got to hear some stories about like you guys were living in orlando at the same time like did you guys hang much i mean where you kind of buddies all outside of your professional relationship no no because i always um i always respected the fact that it was what it was it was a business uh... relationship and that those times i mean i've had to go with the guy um...

we've had to pay the service one time with the heat got a bunch of awards we have been you know but not to the degree that like we'd call me up and we'd go out and grab a bite or go play golf it wasn't like that uh... i think that our relationship as over time especially now that we're both older

you know you become bad if you have the he he he he he's just fun to look back on the on the terrain that has been covered you know and and all that has happened and i and i've been very honest and straightforward and to think that they look at you you know what you did and and the the seat i had for it had changed my life and so he can bust my chops about launching my career but i can also be sincere in saying that it changes the entire

trajectory of my life, which is cool. So I just think that we were way more reflective now about it and how much time passed and then we were like, hey, remember that time that we went to church street in Orlando? What like that? I would never overstate that. It's just, we spent a lot of time time and same place and we were always i think comfortable in each other's company well when his life kind of win haywire did you guys it did you have interactions did you uh... did it kind of cut off at that point

or what was kind of your the your relationship like during that period i just tried to make it as clear as i could that you know i i i was out here you know that i can do anything you know um... particularly when out here you know it's like a human you know Particularly when it came you know it came through If there's a diction whatever else I've had in my family. I know what that is. I lost my father is that but I was not caught You know I'm just I'm just very sensitive to it and in understanding very clearly that there are people that are far Closer to him that are far more quick to help with those things. But I just think as a front what you can do is let people know you're there, you know.

And I mean, the thing where you can have a good personal, like professional relationship where you and I under had to understand it just because we were friendly to me, I could have every interview I wanted. And he had to understand that if he screwed up, I couldn't Protect him. Right. In other words, if your life goes off the rails, that's a story I'll have to cover. And like, you know, that mugshot picture and having to do that on sports center, like that's no fun. But I'm also, it's my job. And so there's that picture. And that's all part of the story.

And that's all part of what made August to this year. Jim Nance called the greatest of things I've recovered. And there's a lot to it, man, as we all know, a lot of layers. But having that moment, again, after everything that happened was astounding. And it's why Augusta sounded the way it sounded that day. Yeah, I think if you want to sanitize the Tiger story, it ruins it. That moment was so special because of everything that he had gone through. And I feel like a little bit like the DUI and that mug shot has been

kind of one of the things that's been the most swept under the rug. But if I have no idea if this is the case, but I feel like Tiger would tell you that's kind of one of the things that's been the most slept under the rug but if i have no idea if it's the case but i feel like tiger would tell you that's kind of would maybe the moment that his his life maybe turned around at that point yeah i i mean i think i think that there way people talk about rock bottom of this event every person that the ghost through things

has a moment where they realize that they need to get help or they'll they're all a pathically no lead nowhere good. I don't know that specifically and that's nothing that we've ever really talked about in depth but it's all part of it and I think it's what I've said there's a lot in different sort of ways to say it but when he's a 21-year-old that's just hitting it over every bunker and shooting a hundred under at the master's he's not relatable not relatable. Wait the 43-year-old guy with a few back at the force of a mug shot and a bald spot. Who among us, and you live long enough and you're going to screw up,

you're going to have issues and people can relate to mistakes and through all of us being flawed. And if they sold some version of him being this you know this pristine perfect human well he wasn't and i i think selling the flawed guy with actual scars and metaphorical scars is far more related which is part of why i think people reacted the way they did that that alright a quick break because it is pg a championship time oh yeah you're a solid.

Solid. Are you doing an ad read right now? I was trying to do an ad read. I've never seen you get so excited talking to a microphone. Dude, I just, I got to talk about how well I drove it in Ireland. And all you've talked about for the last like two weeks. So let me just say a few things here. Our friends at Callaway continue to rack up the epic flash driver wins across the world. No, dude, dude.

I could not care less about that stuff. I know you could. I was, I think I was in play for 10 straight days in Ireland. It might have just been an out of body experience, but I'm sure the club had something to do with it as well. Listen, I'm sure the people will love to hear that. What I'm trying to say is Callaway is the number one driver in usage and wins on the major level. I've never experienced anything like it. I was driving it up in that's ass.

I've never been able to use that term before. Molenari, Shoffley and Kizner among the list of players who have already won with Epic Flash, CallowayGolf.com is where you can have, go. But they're already good golfers. What I'm trying to tell you is I am not, and it was awesome. This has been documented, What I'm trying to tell you is I am not. And it was awesome. This has been documented.

But I'm glad to hear that. Thank you for delivering that message onto the listeners. All right, you can do your ad read. Kallowagolf.com right now, get this driver in your bag. Let's go back to Scott Van Pelt. I'm going to do a bad interview technique here and ask kind of several questions at once, but I think they kind of all go together.

And as the longer you do this, has it become easier to relate to athletes and is it easier to ask them tough questions as a gotten as a gotten easier over time and are there any athletes you've been kind of less so certainly over time because now I'm older than them, you know? And you meet people that maybe they've watched you so they think, you know, guys will say nice things while I'm in there or whatever else. You're like, what are you even talking about? Like, you're seeing the show. It's not, it's not, I mean. But it's really, it gives you the sense that sense that even if you're a federal vet, I'm talking to someone who feels

like a stranger to them. You do it long enough and there's some big of some idea who it is that they're talking to. And I think what I'm good at is making it a conversation. I don't aspire to make it, like I'm a bad interviewer because I talk too much. But I'm a good interviewer because i talk too much but i'm a good interviewer because i make people comfortable and i think comfortable people or formal likely to um... to be themselves

i i i i marble a guy like love it's art who just takes the construct of an interview and just punts throws it entirely out the window he'll lead with at with non-sequators about nothing and that they're so disarming that by the time it's over, the first thing he's talking, maybe his goal was to get to a question that's like five minutes in, but he's asking questions about nothing and to get to what he wants. And I've never even asked

love the terms, that specific question, but as I listen to him talk to people and and going on his show, where I'm supposed to talk about the masters and then we don't even get there for five minutes but i realize it's all sort of the way he does it i admire that because my goal is to to try to make any conversation with people comfortable uh... and when people are comfortable i find that they're more willing to take on a question that isn't one that they want to have to answer

but if they're in a place where they don't have their guard up there least going to take on a question that isn't the one that they want to have to answer, but if they're in a place where they don't have their guard up there, at least going to be honest. Does that make sense? Oh, without a doubt. I think it's super easy to sit somewhere and just read questions to somebody, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get the best answer out of somebody. Having them feel comfortable and leading them somewhere to a level of trust, it's going to get you such a better back and forth, I always say.

It's hard to do, but you gotta listen. That's bang, that's the thing. Interviewers do a lot, do many things poorly. Many don't ask questions, they just make statements. It drives you nuts if you listen to an interview and you'll hear someone say, man, really crazy, it's the third quarter. Talk about it.

Talk about the third quarter. Oh, okay, how about ask me, what really crazy the third quarter talk about it talk about the third quarter okay how about asking me what happened in the third quarter same thing i mean i'm not i'm not that that my question is a some brilliant thing the least i'm asking you to tell me something as opposed to just making a statement but you said the most important thing that interviewers don't do and that's missing because if you ask me something and i said well you know there's there's a one time a tiger and i went out now supposed to box heroin for the guy and i think that's i track because we want to shoot dice and cussing me

and and they're like okay cool and they tell me about sports and i like to miss the part-life that i that there was a heroin transaction in a dice game like people don't like by the way none of that there was no heroin in the dice breaking news is too late for that i could chop this up and edit it however i don't think that's a good point but if but my point is if you're not listening to the person you're talking to that they might open a door to you that you never dreamt that even existed you got to be a minute now we got to we got to go

through that door right because now now all of a sudden you're taking me someplace that i didn't know you'd allow me to go or i didn't know uh... within the possibility so uh... i don't know i i i talk way too much but i know that i talk to people in a way that is is disarming enough because it's just we're just talking and i'm there's no gotcha coming i'm not

that my thing like i'm not gonna ask you to come sit down living room and now you know it was that was the line on that crudal which is the guy's name and like did you come to the government christian said that i have a seat back at the credit like it's not the catcher predator i'm just want to talk about sports in most of the time that people come on it's in times of stuff that's good to happen it's rare that it's a situation where you're gonna have to come in and pull out a real bumpy ground.

Okay, so I wanna ask you something about sports center and specifically kind of how the show has changed from like when you got there to what you do now. First of all, I think when I, I think I read Obermann's book, The Big Show Back in the Day, and was just kind of, first thing I was shocked to learn,

they're like holy crap, like the on-air personalities right the show. I just kind of first thing I was shocked to learn they're like holy crap like the on air personalities right the show I just assumed you somebody's back there typing up everything for you so can you talk about what the show is like when you got there how that's changed and how that's changed over the years. Matt, it's a total of 180 because in the days of over a minute Patrick when the show really elevated to a different place and there are many who deserve credit for that. I think we know who they all are. Obviously, we had a connection in a dynamic, the data different. And that was in an era that predates the

Internet and the bottom line, even, certainly Twitter twitter so you're doing a you're doing a what would happen tonight in the game you know the pool the warri other or that's about that because that's a game that's the so national key you know that's what you pay the red stock posted the lockies what happened i would for sale when i come on a midnight everyone knows that the

christian had seventeen strikeouts and the lost in the twenty 24 strikeouts in the game and they still lost because they both ended up with it. I can't do a nif-free review. So it's changed in the way that now it's about the presentation and hopefully people, you create with your audience a relationship with they're interested in how you're going to tell a story that maybe they already know. What do you have to say about it? Is there an angle, is there a thought, is there a video treatment, whatever that you do,

this different? And also, what's the biggest change, and I'm obviously exhibiting, is they went to more personality-driven content, because it's more about the role of the anchors more important now than ever not that they're like they're in key towards good as ever been obviously but now you know the idea that it's what's your opinion like for years you want to have an opinion at all

and now it's no no this is about your opinion what like me talking about why I can't stand tacking why I don't feel bad for nix fancy didn't get that i don't you get you won two games out of thirty three and people think you're prepared for free for that and so i'm glad you didn't get rewarded uh... because i don't want that to continue well that's something that you would be in ten years ago would have been you know you're you're

coordinating producer be like what is this now it's like hey well what do you think about it and you have to use to that difference because it's a big difference and I can't even go back not that far to when it was me and resill on radio and I felt like on radio obviously it's it's demand your opinion and then I put on my TV hat at night or TV tie, if you like. And it was a different kind of a feel. I'd have to kind of straddle that line, right? Well, now it's different, the line's gone.

So it's a completely different thing than the old days in which funny is people remember and romanticize the past. Like if you see an old book and you'd be amazed at like full screens, they'd say twins, three Indians, two that are like 35 seconds for their telling you who had two RBI. Like it feels like what it is. It's a dated version of what now you'd never do. Like we do golf rides, it's full-leater boards

and i think that the majors for maxes when like you are you showing are you showing like a full page and like another page is good never that's just not the way the shows are done now so it's it's incredible how different they

are in in a really short one to the yeah that that's so challenging to compete with the internet now back when you know sports center was how you found out who won. Correct. You know, it's now, it's like, we'll crap. Everyone knows who won. How do I have a unique slant in this? Exactly. Exactly. And that's an unwindable fight. So you can't try to beat that. You just have to try to figure out how to create an aesthetic and a relationship with an audience where even though

it's maybe not a mystery, they just want to hang out with you. And I think that's what me and Stanford's the year our whole group are about is that it's Lucy Goosey, it's still sports center, but it's obviously a bit a much more relaxed version of it. Has it gotten any easier to be in the chair as far as reacting to things that are happening. So I remember, I think it was in that book I remember reading something I never ever, ever thought of. And when you're in the middle of doing a highlights package,

let's say there's an interview clip from a player or something that needs to be dropped in at a certain second point. From my understanding is that back in the day at least, it was, all right, at 38 seconds into this highlight. This is going to play regardless of whether or not I'm done talking or when I get there. So you had to time out the first 37 seconds to reach that interview clip. Is that still the way things work?

Am I on to something with that? It's still the same. The technical term and the voice over and then sound like that. So at a highlight they'll say, hey through sound 8 seconds in. So I'll have 5 seconds to say blah blah blah blah blah and here's what Steve Curry had to say about their defense going into the night game. Well that's your right that sounds coming. I don't like when it's set up that way because it doesn't give you any room to breathe before you get to the sound So I would always ask when we're producing those if we're gonna do sound

Let's wait let's either do it right off the top or do a 30 seconds in but yeah, that's that's still how things are done But I mean that's for anybody that's anchoring Or any any show anywhere like I mean like that's that's fairly standard stuff Like that's not gonna that shouldn't trip you up well i just think about how often how many takes it takes me to get an ad read done or an introduction to a podcast and i'm like yeah dude if you to told me like yeah thirty two seconds into you saying this you have to drop in a clip i'm like that's what that's what i think people maybe don't recognize the realize we do like this little live show on twitter on periscope after majors and it's the lowest of low budget productions you wouldn't believe

it and like i'd like sit there and sweat thinking about all of the moving parts that we have on this show so that's why i think people maybe don't understand kind of what it's like to be in that chair and what you have going on in your ear like what do you ever get distracted about like what producers are telling you in your ear are they talking wall you're talking how does that work that's the hard part to even describe the people because look i mean what you're saying it's that it's true it's

i'm not trying to act like what we're doing is you know it's the old cliches go me it's not it's not people is it's not rocket fact is not brain surgery so somewhere along the life became like the joke was it's not rocket surgery. It's just TV. The producers in your ear telling you that Steve Kerr sitting down and you're talking to Tim Legbys you trying to listen to Tim Legbys and navigate and get to that thing.

Yeah, it's challenging. I guess just over time like anything you just become more comfortable with what that process is because you don't really have an option. Like you, I don't know, you're just trying to make the duck swimming above water illusion go, right? Like if you're paddle like hell underneath, but you're just trying to not let the viewer in on what's happened.

That's what I think that, you know, when, you know, a user that doesn't work in media or sports, you know, is taking in what you're saying and listening, all they're thinking about is what you're saying. And they don't realize that you have all these other distractions going on and what not. And people will give us that feedback. You know, you should have said this on the pod.

It's like, oh, you're right. I probably should have said that. But man, like, there's a million things kind of going on and what not and people will give us that feedback. You know, you should have said this on the pod. It's like, oh, you're right. I probably should have said that. But man, like, there's a million things kind of going on at once. You can't sit there and think of everything, like right on the spot. I want to know too. Right. I mean, kind of with all you've got going on like in your life, I imagine you've got kids now, you're married.

Like, how has your sports fandom changed over the years? And how do you, how do you keep up with all the sports you have to keep up with you know to be able to talk about the wide range of stuff that you do talk about. That's that's certainly challenging because I'm here I get I'm the guy that got married late I got I got a little kid and and the cool thing is during the day like like I'm around, and you know, before you and I started talking to Dale when I went in the adventure with my three-year-old and we were off the library and going to get sweet frog and whatever else.

And I mean, it's cool that you're able to be present during the day, but it's also during the day when I'm able to kind of do some reading, find out, you know, what are they saying about that page, what are they talking about, the layout, and how blah, blah, blah, blah. That's a tough juggling act, but I've got late nights when I come home from work to make some, I'm reading and I'm immersed in things. We've got a great show staff that's paying attention, but I'm fortunate in the fact that I'm legitimately a sportsman,

like it's not a labor for me, it's not a short to be keeping up. You've got to be good at juggling the what's important part, you know. Okay, obviously. Yeah. I'm not supporting part. So there's times it's something might suffer, it just means that I've stayed a little later to read some of this. That's all.

You can figure it out. We haven't talked a ton about you calling golf specifically, but I was wondering if you have an overall ethos or philosophy personal to yourself when calling golf and how you would compare your style to some of your peers. You never find anything about golf is that the most important thing that everybody will tell you, you know, Timmy Roy at NBC, I answer, it's like quated with us. It's just, you know, almost caught. Like, everybody's got some version of the same thing,

which is layout, which is good for the people that are not TVP, like it's me, stop talking. The minute that you hit a club rattle and a caddy and a player are talking about, you're already, your producers just won't even lay out so we can hear the conversation. I get that. Less is absolutely more. You don't want to fill the space with noise. And I haven't done it very much of it, frankly, at all. I mean, it's really been a small part of what I've done. I've loved it. Steve stands for my good buddies, and I joke with him constantly. I keep, if I hear his voice, I just text him stealing money

because that's what calling office. You're stealing money. Look at the dollar. I'm trying to think of who's a great example. Foreign, how can I highlight for getting a doc. Like Doc Emmerick in one period of Stanley Cup playoff hockey will say more words than in Nancy will say calling the masters. I mean, you never stop talking.

Whereas golf is just such a relaxed columnist to it. I think the most important thing to do is to have anecdotes and stories, and that's where the relationships are so important. A lot of the range, somebody tells you something, you walk practice around, you pick something up, just filing those things away, just to sprinkle them in and throughout. It's a weird one, because you want to let the viewer know

that you've done your homework, right? Like when I would, when we'd call golf, I'd walk every whole night, walk the greens with Andy. I'd have him explain things to me because I'm not the player, but I want to understand what the player wants to do. So I would, I would, I would know, if I had four holes, I would know them backwards and forwards because I wanted to be able to explain something from what i have been explained to me and then i'd find

i'd probably use five percent of it but i'd still rather have it and i need it the needed not have so i love to do it going off awesome it's just you just to get the lest you do the better it is is the way i think most people do it well one of my favorite story i think it's it's difficult golf fans are fickle in nature. And you know, when they have like a personality

that comes into it that doesn't just do golf, I think it can be met with some resistance. And one of the stories I love telling is I've never met Joe Bucket in person, but he came on the podcast before the US Open last year. And you know, we hung up and he, we just talked about the strategy of calling golf off air for a while.

And I swear to God, this was so impressive to me. I think Buck is one of the misunderstood guys in the industry and he's actually really talented but people just decided a long time ago that he wasn't good. But he texted me, he's literally on the air and texted me asking if he was laying out enough. And I just thought that was like, okay,

this guy is like working so hard to understand golf fans. Like he's trying to be so good at this. And he'd never, we never even met and he's like asking my input on how he's doing on the air. That one always stuck out to me as like someone that's something that really impressed me. He's brilliant and he's great and you're right. People just decide they didn't like him at some point and so it's stuck, which is dumb because he's as good as anybody and he gets the best kicks because he's good is anybody.

The thing that I had, because I came up through the golf channel, golf fans are really, really prickly about who they'll decide they like. And I had enough built up equity because that's where I started, that they didn't just push back at the nougat, you know what I mean? And I also like to think that I have enough understanding of the sport and I've covered it enough. I mean, I've been to a few majors. I've been there. I get it. I know what it is. It is. It is hard because it's the kind of thing like I'm always real concerned about

like NASCAR. We were really big into it. I don't cover it. I don't follow it. I don't know it. And I was always afraid to use the wrong terminology. Like if somebody in golf is going to say like, you he's he's shooting for a par here something like you hear certain freezing and you're like oh you don't know what you're talking about and then you're done like you're done man so he hit a hole in one yeah he hit a hole in one that's another one yeah he's like

oooh you're you aren't the one are you uh... it's two fifty two do you need to go i got a couple of minutes of the you got a guy i got a guy got a guy got a one we have to talk any bad page i want to talk to talk about that i'm happy to i try to make things as ever green as possible but what do you got what's burning on your mind for best page here well i just i just i haven't been there in a while

uh... and i i just it's such a monstrous all-time and i just do i just i haven't been there in a while um... and i i i just it's such a monstrous all-park and i just think i was actually with a player yesterday um... i don't think like how big are we talking he said right now i think the plane like a thousand is a little bit fifty in the fairways plug it's like nine everybody loves it because it's pure i just i just think it'll be you know one of the

it's got to be a bit more that's good that the week i think i don't know how you can win if you can't absolutely destroyed off the t-shirt yeah i i feel like whenever it happens whenever we get to a long golf course and it gets soft that we say that oh man this is just going to be brutal it's going to be brutal and no matter what when it's soft these guys will take it apart like i think scores will be low i'm not even i don't think it's honestly

it's amazing how far and straight these guys hit it and if they can land it near the hole and keep it there there's going to be low scores i guess but i mean it's you better be long and straight because it's going to be like hitting it out of peanut butter if you're in the rough it's like i live here it's been raining for a month it's not that today but this is this is just a but a horrible trick is what this is this is just a but uh... horrible trick is what this is this is somebody playing a joke on so i i just i'm just excited about the location i like it i think it'll be

you know it'll it's fun to have them wind up in the open championship you know bring it home seems appropriate or what we want that and so on yet you have a this might be too easy of a question what's. What was your favorite open championship venue to visit? I don't know if we need to make a non-Sane Andrews division. Yeah, I mean, San Andrews is, there's nothing else like it. The old green tune, as they call it. I mean, it's just, there's nothing like that place, man.

It's, I always loved turning, because it was the first one I went to. Near Field was great, I love that venue. But, you know, San Andres is just, it's a stand-alone. And I love that. I love that. I always say to me, that's the greatest championship in golf. I ask you to me, golf, he said.

And I always say, the reason, like, people kind of roll your eyes, like, I get a gust of my day replaced ago, but look, they've played for that longer than anyone. They invented a game there. And they'll set up the course system. she's 20 under and then you're the champion golf or cool and if you're six over five, we don't care. You know, I just it's the purest sort of major championship there is. And I get that not everybody loves it, but the people that push back are always so interesting like have you ever been? Mel.

Yeah, okay, but I'm telling you this restaurant's really, really good. You're never, you've never eaten it, but you're gonna tell me the food's done. I got it. That's a fun game to play. That's a fun one. I bet, I'll give you a bet, I'll give you a bet picture right in the way out of my favorite, my favorite tiger story. 2002, right? That was the unit play there in the yourself. Mm-hmm. Do I have that right? We have three. Two. Oh, two and a nine. He wins the masters that, soap. I have that right. We have three. Two. He wins the master's that. He wins the master's that year.

He comes in just out to the Sunday conversation and says, how are you doing? He goes himself, believe in Hungary. He said, we're trying to pizza. I said, if you win the other soap, I get you to pizza. So we won it. I saw it's in Pepperoni.

Okay, fine. Filed out of way. Well, he's going to win the other soap in that day. So we've heard her a pizza. Local spot, we like get like a police escort to get it brought in when it's clear he's going to win. And we've got a sausage pepper on a pizza. When he comes up, sit down for the conversation, he walks in, looks at the chair and goes,

what's that? I said, he's told me if the master's, if you won, you want a sausage pepper on a pizza. And he looks at Stein and he says, can we eat that? And Stine said, you just want to eat it yourself and you can do it. So we shut the door and we sit there and proceed to eat sausage and pepperoni pizza for, I don't know how long, we're talking about the Lakers not doing the interview.

It takes forever. And the guy from the USGN, once his name was Craig Smith, I'm pretty sure I'm getting it right. Remember I told you before, the Tiger's agent wanted to kill me when I did the sit down at the golf channel? The USGF guy, I really did think, was going to put his hands on me and maybe murder me. Because all of the press is waiting to talk to Tiger Woods and he's sitting in this room and the back of a clubhouse at Betpaye page eating pizza with the idiot from the SPF.

That is classic. It was. It was the, and you know it's funny as one of the shooters when he was done, he's like, how much do you think we can get for those on those crusts on eBay? I'm like, we're not selling tigers, uneven crusts on the internet for the love of God. You're like, I'm taking these home and framing them myself. They're going to. Yeah, exactly.

I put them in. I was going to say that they're currently in a Ziploc bag in a safety deposit box here in here in Connecticut. I like these. I like that page. I think it'll be awesome. I think it'll be an awesome week. Fans are great. And do you like that? Do you like the new one? The new like set schedule set up? I do. I mean, for us selfishly, it's great. It kind of opens up the whole back half of the year. And I just I think August is, you know, selfishly, it's great. It kind of opens up the whole back half of the year. And I just, I think August is, you know, it's always, it's always hot anywhere you go. It's humid, it's thunderstorms. And I think it, it just kind of helps condense things and help get PGA toward done before, before football starts. And you know, that season really drags at the end. So I,

I like it. I think it's great. It's a little risky going to some of these northeast locations in this time of year. But I hope the weather cooperates because I do think it's a. It's a little risky going to some of these northeast locations in this time of year, I hope the weather cooperates because I do think it's a good spot on the calendar. I'm gonna let you out on one final question if that works. Please. I think a lot of people look at your job and I know before I worked in sports,

I looked at a lot of ESPN personalities and thought it was the dream job. What advice or kind of insight do you have for people that might want to work in sports in some capacity or chase some kind of dream in any way? Chase it Chase it Don't think twice just It's a sure trip you get and you have to pursue the things that matter to you

And if it's something we think you want to do then chase it But understand what that what chasing it means. If you're going to have our case, or you're not catching anything, weekends might not be weekends. Holidays might not be holidays. You could say, I don't know where I am on the food chain or how you view what I get to do, but I don't know. I don't know that there's that many gigs that I take over mine and in our whole business. I got a pretty good gig. I have

to come home on Christmas Eve to tuck my kids in and go back to work to do Monday night football and Christmas Eve because that's my job is to do sports center after the Monday night game. What's happening Christmas, last year was Christmas night. And so I've quote unquote made it, and I'm still on Christmas Eve, Christmas day, saying goodbye to my family when I'd rather not, and I get home at one 30th morning, and I'm working on some weekends, whatever else,

and I've made it, all right? Like I got a great gig, but weekends, holidays, whatever, That might not be weekends and holidays. So understand that the dream is worth pursuing, but understand that nothing worth achieving is going to come easy. And then once you get it, once you get there and once you're in, it doesn't mean that now you get to do whatever you want whenever you want. I say I work harder at it now than maybe I ever have and that's because I want to maintain what this little spot on the world that I've got. So just understand what it is you're signing up for and don't sign up unless you're prepared to give every bit of yourself in the pursuit of it because the person that's trying to get what you're trying to get is and maybe some of this is cliche but I'm just telling you as someone who's in it that

that's what's required it's required it's not an it's not an elective it requires to succeed. As well said that's kind of exactly what I was going for there so all right well I didn't go the full 40 minutes over like you did with Tiger but I do get to let you go and thanks for thanks joining us. I'll have to I'm keeping a file open for all the other questions I got for you We have to have you back sometime, but listen, let me just say that but this isn't a one off like I I'm happy to do this you guys are really really good. I enjoy what you do and I Am happy to come on anytime. I mean you you won like major talk line, whatever, whatever.

This is, you're helping me. I think that's why I got to get back to Bethpage. I'm looking for a golf fix here and you guys are in that space. So you got my number, you know what I'm at. You want to talk? I'm out here. Appreciate it Scott. Thanks and take care and enjoy Bethpage.

I don't continue success. Cheers. Be the right club. Be the right club today. Can you take that? Cheers. Give it a big thumbs up. Be the right club today! That is better than most. How about him? That is better than most. Better than most!

Expect anything different? Most.