OverDrive - Duthie on the FIFA World Cup draw, Canada's possible opponents and Woods' return to the course

Episode Date: December 2, 2025

TSN Host James Duthie joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the FIFA World Cup draw and the possible teams for Canada in the tournament, how Canada lines up against the nations, Tiger Woods' track to return to the course and if he plays on the PGA TOUR Champions and more.

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But it's so worth it. Visit bell.ca for more details and to check availability. Bell, Connection is everything. We were just talking about your book and how you're going to be down in D.C. Stop. I'm just asking. It's Christmas time.

I haven't brought that up. I was saying I love the book. I've been reading the book. And he's calling me a blatant. How much do you got to pump up the book, though? Like, I know you're on a PR tour. I've told you, I feel very uncomfortable. The last time was way worse than this time.

And it's like, when does it end? It's almost over. You have to promote the book. I know, but it's always right. I don't like posting on Instagram all the time, and, you know, you do feel a little, like a used car salesman. I think people at home, they're watching it, and they're like, how much money does this guy need? I don't think that's what they think. I think it's a, it's a, it's a passion project, right?

It is a passion, thank you. It's a passion project. Oh, really? I think so. Like a gardener that just dies to be in the garden all summer long? So I read it. the money you make writing a book to the money you make

on television or that you made in the NHL. It's like minimum wage, basically. Hey, let's just have some real talk. You cannot write a book. Look, unless you're who's the Harry Potter girl? Let me just get to the bottom of it. J.Rowellie. J.K. Rowling. Billionaire. A.J.

Hawke Rowling. Unless you're her, you have every book you write is a passion project. So beauty's number two. How much change do you throw in your pocket? I want to know. I don't know. I don't know. It depends it sells. But would you make $200,000? Would I make what? $200,000? I don't think so. I don't know. No. Talk to his Asians. So you're making $1.50. I'm very uncomfortable with this segment.

No. It's a great book. Thank you. It is a great book. A passion project. It's a passion project. That's going to be beauty three. Beauty three, the passion project. That's right. As it should be. What are you, sitting down with guys like you to hear stories is, but a dream of mine my entire life. honoring the NHLPA and the NHL alumni with his great right. Shouldn't you support that? Why does everything come down

to money to you? Why is it always about that? Because I know that's the only reason you did it. Not passion, money. I vehemently disagree. We're also talking about the big draw on Friday. Yeah. So you're going to be down there in D.C. How much am I making for that?

You want to know? Is FIFA greasing you? What's the extra fee you charge the ESM to get in the camera? There's no extra fee. feet for the draft. Where do we, where, like, how big of a surface is this good? Excuse me, I just dare if the guy's just about to pull out the first thing and Duffy comes by with his book and he's like, buy beauties three. You should bring some down there. Bring some down there for the guy picking out the balls. You're going to be there? You're going to have the rub shoulders with Trump?

Yeah, is Trump going to be there? You know, I had heard last week that in the rundown for the show, they had a lot of a four-minute speech to the president, to which I said, okay, we're going 45 minutes. Because he's never made a four-minute speech. Now, the last version I saw, they'd taken that speech out. Now, when the president hears that, that would be interesting because I don't think he will go through the show not speaking. So that will be the great wildcard as far as the run of this event.

Where in D.C. is it? It's at the Kennedy Center. Oh, wow. It's a small space, apparently, for what it is. And only the rights holders are in there. So it's, I think, Fox in the States and us and whatever it is, Aztecker, whatever the Mexican station, is in there. It's going to be really interesting. There's a ton of VIPs coming, and I would say, I was trying to think of this today, is there, it's got to be the biggest sporting event in the world that's not, that doesn't involve sports being played.

Like the NFL draft would be probably the biggest in North America, but it's annual. There's no event bigger and more important in the world that doesn't have actual sport being played than the World Cup draw. Right. And for Canada, it's massive because they could. You know, they could get something very doable, like Australia and Scotland and Cabo Verde or whatever. And you could get Colombia and Norway and Italy, which would be death, essentially, for them. So we have this once-in-a-lifetime event in Canada, and this draw will go a long way, I think, in telling you whether Canada has a chance to get out, right? Absolutely. of the group. And listen, their program is really humming and they've, they have

you talk about something that has changed drastically and dramatically over our lifetimes. It's the Canadian national team. But the reality is, Scotland, praying for Canada. Yeah. Like they don't want Brazil or something like that. Oh, everybody's probably, it's a two-way street.

Even though Canada's been better than the states and Mexico, uh, over the past four years, essentially, mostly. Realistically, every team in those other pots is hoping that Canada is their pot one group. Right, 100%. Every other nation in the world.

The Leafs come playoff time. Everybody wants the Leafs? 100%. They ever want a World Cup game? Yeah, then that's acceptable. That's not a... I mean, I'm sure Canada will use it as some sort of bulletin board material,

but that's the way it should be because we've been in one World Cup in whatever the last 30 years, we scored one goal, essentially. So it's up to Canada to prove them wrong. Like numerically, whatever they are, 26 in the world is they're good, Yeah. Yeah, they haven't proven anything in a World Cup.

So, yeah, every one of those teams is, in Potts 2, 3, and 4 is hoping they get Canada. Right. And by the way, like, not to get too deep in the weeds here, but just it's going to be confusing for a lot of people because there's so many different rules involved. There can only be one team from each federation in each group, except for Europe, where there will be, I think, 16 European teams, so there'll be four groups that have two European teams in it.

And there's a pretty good chance Canada ends up as one of those. because really what matters for Canada is pot four. Because if you win one game, you're going to get out of your group, okay? Those 48 teams, the top two teams in every group make it, and then the next best, the eight best third place teams go through. So there's never been a better chance for Canada to go through. So winning one game, if you get any, if you get, I keep saying Cabo Verde or New Zealand or somebody else.

Haiti's in it, aren't they? play Haiti because they're Conca Cacath. Oh, man. We want Haiti. Jordan. Jordan is the other one. You want, Canada wants Jordan, Cabo Verde, or New Zealand. But because of the way the algorithms and everything work, like they can't play Haiti, they can't play Curacao. There's two

of the playoff groups that they can't play because there's a Concaf team in there. I think someone run the math and it's like an 80 or 90% chance they're going to get one of the Euro teams, which means potentially Italy, Denmark, somebody like that in Pot 4, which would be a bit of a disaster.

Yeah, that's not good. Because you want, like, fist pumping, right? You want them to be, like, so happy who they play. Yeah. Because it really, you're right, the whole process is fascinating. It's incredible TV. Yeah. And it changed, like, the whole, the federations are going nuts based on who they get.

And we're talking about, like, you know, coaches insulting teams when they win games and they say, man, we were awful tonight, but we still won. And, you know, players only meetings when you beat the Sabres. And the same kind of thing. imagery of a federation going crazy because they got a garbage team is so inspiring but it's a reality like they're dying to just get certain teams in the pod the other thing brian is you know the last time we did the straw the last time and it was kind of a middling kind of boring result for canada belgium was probably the least interesting team they could have drawn from the top

group and you know morocco croatia and i remember herdman was kind of shrugging his shoulders when he was in the studio with us when we did it i think think the last World Cup would have been the World Cup where Canada needed to get like Argentina or Brazil and have that big game as they return to the World Cup when the stakes weren't very high because nobody expected Canada to do anything.

Now the stakes are higher. Now is the time I don't... I mean, Italy, Canada and the opening game in Toronto would be amazing. Awesome. But you don't really want that if you're Canada. You don't want to get Argentina or somebody like that, but you don't want to get Columbia or somebody like that from the second pot.

Although it's going to challenge. so many people, like Joe from the bridge, Andy Petrille, all our friends who have been rooting for Italy forever, they're Italian. It's like, all right, who are you rooting for? Canada versus Italy. Oh, it'll be Italy. I hope not.

I hope not. I've had this conversation with a lot of football fans from Croatia, this Croatia last time when they were in, and they were like, sorry, man, I'm Croatia, I've been Croatia forever. And I was like, but you're, you were Croatia forever because Canada wasn't around, but you are, You've lived your entire life in Canada, now Canada's in there. You have to be Canada.

Sorry, I can't, I can't change. Yeah, it's crazy dynamic. And I think a lot of Italian fans are the same way. It's not only Italians, to be clear. It's all, like, if you're an English fan, if you're, whatever it is. Absolutely. And I don't think we should resent that as Canadians. I just grew up.

I had nobody but Canada. Yeah, exactly. But, yeah, it's going to be super fun. And if they, not again, now I'm getting into the weeds again, but by chance, if they get a good draw and they could win the group, Like, it's, the difference between winning the group and coming second and third is so massive. If they win the group, they have their game, they stay in Vancouver, they get eight days off, and then they'll play a third place team.

So they could very realistically get to the group of 16, where they will stay in Vancouver again. Wow. And home field in soccer is probably bigger than any other sports. So you finish third, you're going to like San Fran or something and probably playing Argentina or something like that, and you're done. Trouble. Right? So, yeah, it's going to be a really fascinating day. Yeah, I cannot wait.

At the World Cup, are you guys, are you going to be with Canada? Yeah. I mean, look, I, Luke and Stephen and Kevin, those guys are the soccer guys, and they'll cover most of it. I mean, Luke and Stephen will be doing the Canada games, but they'll be hosting, I just stick with Canada the entire time. I know my limitations. It's going to be awesome, though.

It's going to be amazing. Cannot wait. Got anything for us? I'll be fired up to watch that as well. Getting paid like 75 grand per game. That's pretty good. Every time Canada wins, a bonus in the contract. Yeah, you are.

It's outside of your contract. It's outside of your contract. Are you invoicing for the D.C. trip? No, I am not. We've got to have some golf talk here, Duffy. You are a Mr. Golf around here. Certain Eldrick Woods, turning 50 on December 30th. Just had his little press conference the other day.

Talked about his seventh back surgery and all the rest of it, not playing for a little while here, but he's allowed to start ramping up the training. Like, what's your, what's your, like, what's your Jerry's percentage on Tiger playing on the senior tour? I think he will. I think that maybe he never wanted to his whole life, but he's so competitive and realistically he's not going to be competitive on the PGA tour anymore.

I guarantee you he doesn't think that. Oh, I'm sure he doesn't think that. What, that he can't win on the PGA tour? But he's no longer, he used to, I don't know if he ever said this out loud, but he told everybody I'm not playing on the seniors tour. But he was asked about it and he said, I think he will. I do think he will. And now again, I've kind of, I hate to say this, I've kind of lost interest.

Like we've been through this so many times, all these comebacks. And, you know, five, six years ago, I was like everybody else. Man, Tiger's back out there again. It was all, we go to the Masters and it would always be the number one story, no matter how hot Scotty Shephler, Rory Macquarie was. If Tiger was playing, it was the number one story. He was probably the number two story if he wasn't even on the property. But I said a couple years ago, I just don't think it, I don't, he'll always move the needle,

but I just don't, it's not the headline story anymore. It doesn't excite me when Tiger's in an event because, you know, it's going to end up being a WD or probably a miscut. And that's not knock on him. He's just been through way too much physically. Yeah, I mean, like these back issues, like he talks about it as if he just, you know, it was like he'd fight in a flu or something like that.

One of these doctors has got to have told him you can't swing a golf club at hands. You'd think it would be close to one more surgery away from just not doing this anymore. The interesting thing though, and maybe you guys talked about it, if Tiger did play, so if a Champions Tour

event in Dubuque, Iowa is up against maybe not a major on the PJ tour, but the next maybe like the Harbor Town or something. something like who's like, does it outdraw? I think

Tiger in the final group at a senior event would outdraw it. I think you'd have like Rich Lerner and Brandel, the whole crew flying up to do you. What if they're up against like sawgrass, like the players? No. No, I think a flash in the pan

chance to see Tiger playing in a legitimate tournament like maybe winning something even if it never mattered to anybody. Yeah. I just think he's so big and there's such a massive audience for that, it would probably trump everything else. I hope he does. I hope he does. It would be great for the Champions Tour as well. Yeah. It would be spectacular.

Well, we'll see. Yeah. All right, J.D. Well, we've got Leash Panthers tonight. Big game. I know. We're probably going to have to roll out. I can see our opening montage of black and white of last year, game seven, get all the Leaf fans mad at us for showing that again. Sad music. Yeah, now they're back. Two last place teams in the Eastern Conference.

One desperately needs a win. O'Daw, calling it a must win. Leif's Panthers next. I know it's coming. I heard them editing. I think I heard my voice in there, yelling about something. Your voice is always the negative.

I can't believe I just watched that. The worst game I've ever seen. You do end up in a lot of teas. This franchise is a joke. We're cursed. Leaves, Panthers, next. It's crazy. It's always, I'm setting.

the tone for how awful things are you become the opinion guy at the network so that's how you end up in the teasers as opinion guy I charge per opinion I'm sure you do I invoice per opinion why don't you write a book called opinions by Ryan Hayes I might do that just takes my takes by Brian Hayes I might do that

how much time that it takes you don't expect to it takes a lot of time like I know it takes a lot of time it's a labor of love a love a passion project a year probably start to finish you've written a couple right yeah would you say a year year in there yeah yeah no I'm not writing eight hours a day or something.

Right, but you put time aside and you're like, I got a chip away here. Yeah. Okay. I mean, who's the guy writing the, like, the Game of Thrones book or whatever? I don't know with the Fire and Ice. Isn't he, like, 12 years writing the next one is still not done yet? That's a good thing, man. You're creating a world.

Yeah. That's, imagine getting halfway through that and losing your train and thought. Like, I don't know where I'm writing. I don't know where I'm going. Like, this thing's toast. I can't get out of it. I got to start over again. I got to go right back to start.

no sense. I just created a character that makes no sense. No, wait, crap. My lead character got killed in the last book. Right, exactly. I totally forgot about that. All right, JD. Anyway, the book promotion, thank you, everyone, for putting up with it.

It's been great. It's close to over, and then you can unmute me and hopefully on my social media. Don't get out there, man. Buy the book. Wherever you buy your books. Right? We got a lot of people writing books that we love. A guy who got a free copy should not be the one asking how much money you made off it either.

And he wrote something nice about you. Yeah, very nice. The thing will stay in my dressing room for six years. No offense. So I could write whatever about you and you would never read it anyway? I haven't even read what you wrote. What if it was the famet towards? I'll consider that for the next book.

You should. Just absolutely super-authorized. It will sit on top of the other one for six. I do have stories that could destroy you, but I've left them out because I've been kind. Everyone does. All right, Least Panthers tonight. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy yourself down in D.C.

Thank you for having me. Can not wait. Friday, the big draw on TSN, World Cup. We'll see where everything plays out and everything land. It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas with IHeart the holidays. Non-stop Christmas music 24-7. All your festive favorites. Unwrap the magic of the season.

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