The Bobby Bones Show - 25W: Bobby Justified Calling Packers A Laughing Stock + Dot Richardson(Liberty Softball Head Coach) on their Historic Upset over No. 1 and Winning An Olympic Gold Medal

Episode Date: May 23, 2025

Bobby gave his thoughts on the Tush Push not being banned and how it came out the Green Bay Packers had to ‘take one for the team’ in the move to get it removed. Bobby and Eddie discuss the changes being made in the NFL and College Football Playoffs. We then talk to Dot Richardson, the Head Coach at Liberty Softball. She is considered one of the most decorated collegiate, national and international players in softball history. She talked to us about how her faith led her to coaching at Liberty, her recent big upset over #1 Texas A&M, and what she remembers about hitting the game-winning home run to win an Olympic Gold Medal. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook App today: https://dkng.co/bobbysports   If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).   21+ (18+ WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NJ/ NY/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. N/A in NH/OR/ON. New customers only. Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 wager. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Ends 9/19/22. See http://draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.       Follow the Show: @BobbyBonesSports   Follow the Crew: @MrBobbyBones @ProducerEddie @KickoffKevin @MikeDeestro @BrandonRayMusic  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. The 2026 NFL draft is here, and the NFL Daily podcast has it covered from all angles. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, and Jordan Rodriguez after night one on Thursday. Nick Shook joins me night two Friday and then Sunday to recap everything that went down over the three days in Pittsburgh. We'll tell you who won the draft and which players were my favorite picks.

Listen to NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal on the IHard. Art Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest.

The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. We are in the middle of the NBA playoffs, and it is awesome. And Draft King's Sportsbook, also awesome. And they're an official sports betting partner of the NBA. And they're giving you a chance to boost your

winnings right now. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app. Use the code Bobby Sports. That's the code Bobby Sports to get your profit boost for every NBA playoff game. Only on draft Kings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800 gambler in New York. Call 8778-M.

Y or text Hope & Y, that's 467-3-169. In Connecticut, help us available for problem gambling. Call 8-8-78-7-7 or visit CCP. Please play responsibly on behalf of Boothel, Casino, and Resort, Kansas, 21-plus, age and eligibility of errors by jurisdiction, void in Ontario. Get one NBA profit boost per game after opt-in, boost expires the end of each game.

Boost, bet criteria, and maximum bet limits vary. See terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com slash promos. Hey, everybody. All right, blow it. God. Was that loud? Was that loud? Well, I just want to say this.

We usually do this show late Thursday afternoon, and we may have an interview on Friday, so we'll do the show sometimes. We'll finish it on Friday. We were doing this show before we do the Friday morning radio show. It was... So it's early. It's way early.

and that was even louder because it's so early. You know what's crazy is that when I was a lifeguard, I learned how to really blow a whistle. You have so much energy right now? In fact, it's so early in the morning. Maybe that's what my energy. I respect it. I respect it. But holy crap.

Yeah, so like you can easily blow a whistle like very softly. But I think since I was a lifeguard, man, I blow it full. Yeah, but you've not blown it as full before. I'm going to be honest. It's not true. I always blow it full. That's not your reputation. So hello, this is the earliest we have ever done this show in the history of the show.

But that's okay. We have a lot to talk about. I do want to start with college football and the NFL. They voted on very similar things. One voted in a way that I like. One voted in a way I didn't like. Now, NFL went to the vote, and they voted on a lot of stuff. But they voted on playoffs.

So the NFC South has always been a pretty weak division. Not always, but the last five or six years. And whomever wins the NFC South or even the AFC South? They get an automatic four seed usually. Yeah. They definitely aren't getting the buy, but they're automatic. They get a home game. The NFL voted to re kind of reseed.

And by record, the top teams would get the home games. No matter if you win your division. Yeah. So if like you were eight and nine, an eight and nine Tampa team who won the NFC South, you wouldn't go in as the four seed and get a home game because you were freaking eight and nine. Love it. They voted no to that. So they're keeping the old style.

Okay, don't love it. Well, I mean, you know, if your team is in that division, I get it. Like, cool. You win the division, even though your division's terrible, you get in the playoffs. Good for you. It is weird when a 9 and 18 gets in over an 11 and 16. Because the 9 and 18 played in a terrible division. Right.

I understand why the owners voted to keep it the same. I actually kind of like it. You win your division, you get one of the top four seats, you get a home game. It's like when your division, get a home game in the playoffs. I don't mind it. Does it feel a little clunky? Yes. But okay, I'm with it.

They did vote down the tush push. No. No, they voted. No, no, get this though. This is what I want to. They voted to continue. We're good. Barely.

It'll be dead next year. Oh, why? But what I was going to say was they voted, the NFL got Green Bay to go in and be the one to say, please say you don't like the tush push. Really? They told them. So was it not Green Bay's decision to do that? I'm going to read you this.

Oh, man. This is hilarious because I made fun of the Packers so much for being the team that raised their hand and be like, we don't like the Tush Push. It hurts. I remember this. So now that the Eagles get to keep the Tush Push, this is from Pro Football Talk and Mike Floreo. Mike Floreo said that the league, quote, asked the Packers to do it. And the Packers took one for the team.

A source claims that most in Green Bay's organization don't care about the play either way, but it left the team appearing to have sour grapes after losing to the Eagles twice last season. So for whatever reason, the NFL wanted the play gone, but decided that someone else should own the decision to raise the issue. That's hilarious.

I did two whole episodes of like calling them old weenie babies. We did. I remember that. It hurts when Jalen does that. We're even like, dang, out of all the teams, you're going to be the one. They play in cold weather. They're supposed to be hardcore.

So push-push-push remains, but the Packers had to be the weaners. Dang, I don't know who to believe anymore now. Well, and they almost lost. Next year, I think they'll lose. So many teams just don't care. They don't play the Eagles. AFC teams don't play the Eagles. They released a list of teams that voted for and against it.

Really? Yeah, and I don't have the list with me, but like the Titans, they didn't vote against it. They don't do it. They don't play the Eagles. They don't play the Eagles. I mean, and that's the thing, too, right? Like, not everyone does it. It's really just the Eagles.

Yeah, but it's mostly playing against it More than just doing it Sure, but I mean Now that we passed it, the only team that really It has the advantage here is the Eagles The rest of the NFL really doesn't Because they don't do it Like Baltimore does it with Mark Andrews

They try to do it Yeah, but they do Yeah So there are a few teams that do it Otherwise it's just called a quarterback sneak Right The Tush Push is just with a little Hot sauce on the quarterback

Or it's like when Mark Andrews does it comes in motion, they're in shotgun formation, he gets under center and then goes. That's probably if I were a team the way I would do it instead of getting my quarterback hurt. But Jalen Hertz is so freaking strong, squats 900 pounds. You know, like a truck. Yeah. So, and then there were rumors that came out that Jason Kelsey got hurt and retired because of the

tush push. Dang, really? That he didn't say that because he didn't want to hurt the Eagles organization for doing it, but that's one of the reasons he retired is that he tush push push so many times. And then he came out and said, I'd get back in the league if I could just do 600 tush push So again, who do you believe? That sounds so funny. But yeah, I mean, he was the first dude.

He was the main guy of the tush push. He was. And we think it's Jalen, who's probably really the main guy. But he is, yeah, the center just doesn't have a name for the most part. So is he the most famous center that we know? Like, I don't know another center. I mean, I probably do, but probably. And for two reasons.

One, recency and two, because Taylor Swift. Right. And Travis. but that's why. Taylor with Travis. Travis would. Because I think people outside of football wouldn't have even known Travis really.

Unless you're a, if you're a football fan, you knew Travis Kelsey. But if you were just a casual, you didn't know Travis Kelsey? No, not at all, really. And so if you didn't know Travis, you didn't know Jason Kelsey.

They played against each other in the Super Bowl, which was really what made their podcast poppet very first. But again, to even listen to their podcast at first, you had to be a big NFL fan because they didn't have massive pill because of Taylor. Taylor is why Jason Kelsey

and his wife are so famous. Not that they're not talented, but Taylor is why all the Kelsey's have this massive career. They deserve it because they're really good. She can give them an opportunity, but she can't create their talent and their sustainability,

which they have. And I think she may be the most, not Taylor, Jason Kelsey's wife, maybe the most talented of them all. Yeah, she's funny. So, Kylie Kelsey, right? Kylie. Yeah.

So, okay. NFL said no change of the playoffs NFL said keep the touch push so everything's staying the same college football they are changing their playoff format still doing 12 yes but and they did the right thing

they said we're not just giving the conference champions the buys we are going to see them as is because you saw last year Boise yeah yeah get a buy and then get ran so this is from ESPN

after some much-deserved first-year criticism, the college football playoff seating system has changed. The fall of CFP will switch to straight seating as opposed to given the top four seats to the four highest-ranked conference champions, as it was done last year. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips acknowledged there's a responsibility to serve our constituents

while also being mindful of what's best for college football. Phillips said the decision was made in the best interest of the sport, even though it may not always benefit the ACC. Oh yeah, no, it is not going to benefit the ACC. It's not because you're not going to benefit the ACC the absolute worst other than a non-power five that gets in because you're going to see two or three SEC teams be in that top three. You're going to see now there's only four spots I get it,

but you're going to see two Big Ten teams be in it, possibly a Big 12 team be in it. I know that's six spots, but I think that'll move a little. little bit unless an ACC team goes 11 and 1 12 and 0 ACC doesn't get a spot and neither does the non power 5 school wow even going undefeated wow it's going to be really tough for that to happen but I agree with that because what we saw we saw a couple really good first round games and they got to that second round game where the game should be better and then 100 and nothing yep it's terrible games And then those, like, Boise State had a buy, right?

Like, they had a first week buy. Yeah, that's what I just said. Like 15 seconds. I know it's early, man. It is early. But, okay, so that buy, yeah, okay, I see what you're saying. Got it. Carry on.

So teams like Boise State will no longer get to buy if they're not thought of as one of the biggest four teams. They'll play one of the first round games. Because somebody will come out of the non-power five schools every year. And they will not get a buy. Unless they go undefeated and play two, I'll say two Power Five schools that are ranked schools, they will not even be considered for the buy. So I think the NFL is different because those teams are like, we'll say eight and nine, we'll use a bad Tampa Bay team that wins the NFC South.

If they win their division, we've seen that team actually win in the playoffs. Sure. Because the NFL, there's so much parity. Yep. Not near as much parity in college, although there's becoming a little more. Now the NIL exists and the transfer portal, but it is definitely different. but those were the big changes that we've seen so far. So you like the college change?

I do. Yeah. I wish they would have outlawed the tush push. I hate it. It's not fun. I don't care about the it's unfair. Okay, what's fair?

Some teams have bigger players than others. That's not fair. Some are faster than others. They run faster. Some have more money than others. It ain't fair. But it's just boring. Yeah.

And so I think that's why the NFL wanted it to die, just for entertainment value, because the NFL knows they're telling us. television show. And it will die. Just not this year. Or what's going to happen is they're going to wait for one person to get injured and then go in these meetings and go,

we cannot continue this because people are getting injured doing it. So the Eagles have to like how quarterbacks would come out and act like they didn't have concussions. They'd learn how to answer the questions, even if they had a concussion so they could stay in the game. The tush push guys when they get injured, they're going to have to blame it on something else real quick. Dehydration. Yeah. I'm dehydrated. They have to get in the tent and get their leg wrapped up.

Shea won the MVP a couple days ago. What was cool, though, he bought all his teammates Rolexes after the win. Dang, that's so cool. When an NBA player wins the MVP, the entire team wins, especially. It's from Barstool. After Shea wins, because he got everybody Rolexes as a thank you. They were awesome. Most of them are like blue or silver.

Okay, C colors. They won again last night. Yeah. They did. I'm feeling good. I watched the first half before I fell asleep. Oh, you fell asleep? Yeah. I don't have interest for game two of the West Coast finals.

They're late, dude. I get it. They're later than the Eastern games. I think maybe even an out, by just an hour, but still. I felt like I could have gutted it out. It was close at halftime. It was. Yeah, it was close.

And it was like, oh, man, I may not be able to cover here. The seven and a half. They did cover. Yes. But Oklahoma State looks really good. They do, man. Now, they got to go to Minnesota. I do think Minnesota picks up one of the,

next couple games, right? Yeah, I think so. I mean, I joke around. That's going to be four and out. But I think Minnesota wins one somewhere in there. Probably one of these two, I would say. I think ideally it would be this next one. I think the NBA really needs Anthony Edwards to not be embarrassed.

And a four-o sweep is embarrassing. Sure, that is embarrassing. The league's arguably biggest star. It's not LeBron or Steph or Katie. Like, arguably the biggest current slash next star. I mean, is this MVP raise Shea over Anthony Edwards a little bit? No. Shea shouldn't have won the MVP. Yokic should have won the MVP.

But Yolk has a bit of Bill Belichick, Angeline and Jolie, Bobby Bone Show syndrome. When you win everything, nobody wants you to win everything. And so then you're held out forever. And then you start to get pissed off. Yolk it should have been the MVP. Shea had an awesome season. Like, really one of the best point guard type seasons in the last five to seven years.

And I say that because I just watched a whole that I would quote it and source it, but I don't know what I watched. But Yokesh had a better season. So, yeah, pretty cool. I like the Thunder a lot. I'm glad Shea won it. But man, Shay just foul hunts too much. Yeah, he does.

I mean, I think what's going to win it for OKC is their defense. Their defense is so good, dude. Caruso is a bulldog. What is happening? He came off the bench. I only watched the first half. He came off the bench. No, he kept it going.

He kept it going. Yeah, played like 13 minutes. He had seven points when I turned it off. But he played defense on Yokic in the last series. Caruso, basically a number two or a small number three. Yep. Funny looking dude. Headband on a bald head for a white dude.

Love it. Yeah. I love every bit of it. Crazy. One other story here for a second. Jim Arsay died. He is the Colts owner. This is a couple days ago.

Yeah. And Jim Arsay, lots of stories about him, good, bad, indifferent. and how he owned that team. And so much isn't about that, but I will do a little official paragraph before I talk about something I found really interesting. The longtime owner of the Indianapolis Colts has died. The team announced on Wednesday.

So it's Friday now. It's been a couple days. He passed away peacefully in his sleep in the afternoon. The billionaire inherited the Colts from his father who bought the team when they were still based in Baltimore and moved them to Indianapolis. And the organization went on to win a Super Bowl in 2007 with Peyton Manning at quarterback.

Then he goes through a lot of stuff. that's from TMZ sports. Huge music guy, right? Well, so then that's what I'm going to get to. He had a museum that he traveled. Like, he moved it around, and he had spent, I think, in 2002, $900,000 on the Jerry Garcia guitar that was...

Grateful Dead, by the way. I think the one that he had had a monkey on it. Will you look at it, Mike? Like a picture of a monkey on the guitar? So Jerry Garcia had like seven guitars, and all of them were specifically Lightning Volt, Monkey, Donkey. Those aren't right, but what was it?

It was a tiger. Okay, the Tiger guitar. Okay. And if you don't mind pulling up all the Jerry Garcia, because he has like seven. But the Tiger was the most played Grateful Dead guitar. Really?

And he had it, and again, didn't pay a million bucks for it back in, I think, 02 or 07, one of those years. But now it's worth like $7 or $8 million. But that was like his most prize possession. That's amazing. And he had, his museum was really, robust with music history.

Yeah. When you have billions of dollars and you love music, like, I don't have billions of dollars, but I have a decent amount of money now. And I love sports memorabilia. I got a bunch of cold crap. Imagine that on steroids. You'd buy everything.

So, you see anything else about it, Mike? That's all I'm seeing. But yeah, you had different animals. Alligator, a wolf. Jerry Garcia, not Jerry Garcia. Yeah, the guitars. Yeah, the guitars. His little museum came to Nashville.

I don't know, maybe like five years ago. Did you go? No, I got invited to go. I just didn't go. Because our friend, Jeff Gorman, who used to have a sports show, he does media relations now for the Colts. Loved Jim Mersey. He even tweeted. I saw a tweet that he tweeted the other day that said it's pretty cool.

He was really close to him. He said, I can't find it. But he said something like, whatever you heard about Jim, his kindness, his sweetness, his sweetness, whatever, how awesome he was, multiply times a thousand. Like, he really loved Jim Mersey. He traveled everywhere with Jim Mersey. So he had a lot of really good things. He really close. So we're going to come back in a second.

Hey, what did you think of this interview with? Because it's the first time. Huh? Aaron Rogers? What are you talking about? Dot Richardson. Oh, got you. I thought you were talking about Aaron Rogers.

No, on Joe Rogan? Yes. I didn't listen to it. I watched some clubs. And I was like, eh. This guy. Yeah, no. Okay, good.

What did you think of the interview with Dot Richardson? Awesome, dude. I mean, I felt bad she didn't have her, she lost her voice. but hey, she's in the middle of important games right now, didn't have a voice, but she's, dude, she makes me want to play softball and play softball for her. So we haven't, except for maybe years ago, we had Patty Gasso on,

who has won multiple national championships at Oklahoma. And I don't even think that was for this show, right? On this show, I don't think we've ever had a softball coach on. I can't remember. So, and I think I would be like, oh, a softball coach, if I'm just a regular listener. However, she's awesome. Yeah, she's a medical doctor too.

Yep. That's all I'm going to say. Give it a shot. I think people will love this interview. I think people will love this interview too. Give it a shot. Coach Dot Richardson, Liberty Head Coach. Liberty University.

Who just beat Texas A&M and Texas A&M was the overall number one seat that has never happened in the history of the tournament where the number one overall seat did not come out of the first round. Liberty did it, but it's not even about that. I think you're going to love the interview. We'll do that coming up next. The NBA playoffs are underway and it's wild.

All the high-stakes strong. insane buzzer beaters, jaw-dropping dunks. And guess what? Draft King Sportsbook. An official sports betting partner of the NBA is giving you a chance to boost your winnings with an NBA profit boost every single game. Every single game, all playoffs long.

Check out the app for the day's special boost. The boost is easy. It's just a benefit to you. Don't miss out. It's time to cash in while the action heats up. Man, it's getting great right now. Download the draft king sportsbook app. Use the code, one word, Bobby Sports.

That's the code Bobby Sports to get your profit boost for every NBA playoff game. only on Draft Kings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler in New York, call 8778-Hop-M-Y or text Hope & Y, that's 467-3-69. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 8-8-8-7-9-77 or visit cpppG.org.

Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort, Kansas, 21 plus age and eligibility of areas by jurisdiction, void in Ontario. Get one NBA profit boost per game after opt-in. Boost expires at the end of each game. Boost, bet criteria, and maximum bet limits vary. See terms at sportsbook. com slash promos.

The 2026 NFL draft is here, and the NFL Daily podcast has it covered from all angles. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, and Jordan Roderig after night one on Thursday. Nick Shook joins me night two Friday and then Sunday to recap everything that went down over the three days in Pittsburgh. We'll tell you who won the draft and which players were my favorite picks. Listen to NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok. Podcast Network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft, and we've got a special

guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects, from hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. All right, we're about to have Coach Dot Richardson on.

We don't have a lot of softball coaches on, if I'm being honest. I think we had Coach Gassow, Patty Gassow on once. She's won four national championships in a row. But a little bit about Coach Dot Richardson. She's actually a medical doctor as well, which is crazy. because after she had finished playing ball and she's in like the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame, she's in the USA Softball Hall of Fame, she then went and got a master's and then she got her medical degree from the University of Louisville. So she's a coach, she's a doctor. She's kind of the

most interesting person, not a man, but you know the most interesting man in the world. First one of the world. She's won two Olympic gold medals the first time ever that The first ever gold medal in softball, she won it. She hit the home run. That's awesome. That won the game. I think even if you're like softball, I think you're just going to love this interview with Coach Richardson. She's the head coach at Liberty.

They last week beat Texas A&M. Texas A&M was the number one overall seed. And the number one overall seed has never not got out of the regionals. And Liberty took them down. For the first time ever, a team not number one is going to Super Regionals. Did you watch the game? I watch all three of them because there are four games. Yeah.

Four teams. I watch all three of their games. and so I reached out and was like, hey, and they had to fly from Liberty University. Is that Virginia? Yeah. Wow, across the whole country. To Eugene Oregon.

That's tip to tip. We went from Nashville to Eugene. And we were like, this sucks. This is too long. This is terrible. This sucks. So, yeah, I'm just going to throw her on because I'm a big fan. Here she is.

Head coach of Liberty Softball, Coach Dot Richardson. Coach, I am honored to speak with you. and for a couple reasons. One, my family loves you. They love you so much. And secondly, do the people call you Dr. Coach? How does that work? Because you are an MD medical doctor and a coach.

Do you ever get called Dr. Richardson? Sometimes I do, yes. But usually it's just coachee or coach dot. That's the coolest coach flex in the, and we, coach, we've been all over the country with Coach Lanning, at Oregon,

where you are now to, we've been everywhere and not one single coach has been a doctor but you so this is really cool and i want to start with because you guys are in oregon now that is got to be a long trip from you guys right yeah it sure was but you know how exciting to be here we're excited to be in the super regionals and my voice is gone i apologize but boy we gave everything we got in the battle against texas a and m so we're blessed to be here Did you guys have to I'm assuming I'm hoping they chartered you guys

They fly you guys charter over They were able to charter 30 of us So we had another 10 that had to find their way here Commercial So did they have to stop for gas Like I think that's long enough They may have to refueled Do they have to refuel you guys?

Yes, we refilled in South Dakota That's crazy All the way across the country Like all the way from the East Coast Over to Eugene Oregon I want to take a second because I watched all three of your games against Texas A&M. We are a softball family from Patty or Coach Gassow to DJ my brother-in-law.

We are a softball family. And so watch the first win was like, that's crazy. Watched when you guys had the lead, and I want to go to the second game, when you have the lead, and Texas A&M ends up winning that game. And to me, as a sports fan, I think, well, they just went through it and lost. I don't know if they're going to be able to fight through that third game. What do you say after you guys lose that first game? to Texas A&M, but the second game you played, what do you say between games?

Well, I said, ladies, we scored 11 runs against the number one seated national team, and we made six errors, and we were right there to win even at the end. You saw bases loaded, full count. We had our opportunity. So it was like, ladies, you know what it proves that we can beat any team in the country? We've already beaten them once. Let's take them down again. In the history of regional, super regional, a number one seat has never fallen. You guys were the first team to ever do that. And so, and you're right, it was basis loaded. And I mean, they threw a ball four, too, not to go back to a single pitch. Like, they lost the game. You guys had won the game if you let one pitch go by. And you managed to come back and win that tiebreaker game to

move on. Did you feel like your girls had it in them? Did you feel like they needed to be pumped up to be put back into it? Because also, you know, you're having to play back to back now. Well, you saw a little lull when we were down 03 in the third game, the if championship game. But I knew that our team had it in him. I'm just so blessed because this team realizes that don't let the sport of softball, you know, don't worship the sport of softball, but let softball be your worship back to the Lord. They've been given amazing talents. And just as the Lord says, like trust them, the talents are meant to be shared.

he put us at one of the biggest stages and we were able to just rely on that and they relied on each other and just played the game. You can see they played with so much freedom. It was just so competitive. I loved every minute of it. Do you get nervous in game

when it's a situation like that? Not nervous, really. Just end up praying, go to the Lord and not really praying for victory, just praying for just peace and competitive performances because when you give it your best, your best is good enough, right? You can't give any more.

And that was when you can walk off the field with your head high knowing that you did that. And our girls did it. And there was so much talent, you know, on that field between Texas A&M and Liberty softball. The fans, the 12th man is the reason why my voice is like it like this right now. it was just so awesome

it was so inspiring it was loud you couldn't ask for just a feeling very close and similar to the World Series it was a great game but our girls are not looking in the past right now they have got momentum

and getting ready for the battle we have against Oregon coming up Friday and Saturday I want to ask one more question about the past and in that final game you put in a picture that hadn't pitched at all during the series. And, man, what energy she had. And you couldn't hear the announcers, but the announcers were like,

well, she struggles with her control. So why did you make the move to her? And was control often a problem? And what did she do different this time? Well, we actually were prepared to go with Escobar, Alana Escobar, the whole way. But when we went out there to try encourage her after Home Run was given up in two singles back to back,

she just said she couldn't she couldn't finish because how much her Achilles was hurting so it's kind of a god has a plan and Yoder was ready she's been really on the rise I would say to the end of the season she even said it herself she was throwing maybe 61 62 last year and she's been able to work on her form and her mindset and she was hitting 68 and as a lefty when she came in you you guys, her first warm-up pitch, she threw a ground ball to the backstop. And the 4,000, you know, Texas A&M fans were laughing at her, laughing. And she gave a little smirk. And I knew, no pun intended, the flame was lit.

And I'm just so proud of her. I was proud of Elena as well. She threw over 400 pitches. She was the one with the most experience last year in the Georgia. regional's who are one out away from making history for our program to get to the Supers. And she had a lot to do with us getting there this year. But boy, to see, to see Yoder just be able to close it out like she did, a thriller, a bail, a nail biter. It was, it had everything you guys you could think of from the ejection of a fan, you know,

to the controversial calls of umpires to do the back-to-back. speed and home runs and man, it was so fun, wasn't it? It was awesome. And we watched, again, I've watched Texas A&A and play a bunch this year because they're in the SEC, but I haven't spent a bunch of time watching Liberty play

and I watched all three of your games. And so the two questions. One about Escobar, when she came off, she was crying a bit, she was emotional. Is it because her Achilles was hurting her so bad and she wanted to stay in the game? Is that why? Yes, that's why. I mean, Elena was, she wanted to finish it out this their senior year.

And, you know, when you play games like that, you never know which way they're going to go. And so for her, she wanted to give it more. She gave it everything she got. And our plan was not to take her out, actually. But she recognized it was just too much. It just hurt her too much. You've been. And it shows the competitiveness within her.

Yeah. And I didn't know that's why it was. That makes a lot of sense. You've been at Liberty for, I guess, 12 years now because you started in 2013. Is your faith a big reason that you found Liberty to be such a great home for you? Oh, absolutely. Without a doubt, I mean, I was asked for mayor, county commissioner, U.S. Senate for the state of Florida. I thought the Lord's path for me at this time in my life was to be in politics.

And so my husband and I were talking about it. I said, okay, but I'm going to go to the Lord first. And as I did, I said, Lord, just make it perfectly clear where you want me to be. The next morning I got a phone call from the largest Christian university in the world, Liberty from their athletic director who asked me to coach. And at the end of the conversation, I said, you know, I have never had coached in college before. I'm not sure if you realize that. So I'm definitely humbled by this opportunity. But he said, we realize that, but we feel the Lord is leading us to you. And everything that happened in the movement and the decision to do it,

we just knew that the Lord had his hand on it. Very humble beginnings at Liberty when I was there just 12 years ago. To see the growth of the university, the support of athletics, I'm sure everybody has seen what Liberty's been able to do. Between football, basketball, you name it, field hockey, lacrosse, softball, baseball, just keep going on, you know, basketball. And we're just so supported there. but I think you know when the Lord is leading you,

he tells you you'll have this peace that transcends all understanding because you might go a softball coach, but you guys, it's so awesome to be able to be at a university who just stands for training champions for Christ and to have Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior as the center of it all, I'm able to be able to just share my faith and also grow my fate, be able to evangelize, you know, to be able to help these young girls as they are brought to us by the Lord for different reasons. You know, it's more than just softball.

And so to be able to help them find the answers, right? And that is, it's just been a blessing. And to see it all come together each year getting stronger and stronger, trusting the Lord more and more. He's faithful. And you guys, it's not. just about winning. It's really about changing lives and be able to to, Jesus said you're either for me or against me. Right? There's no lukewarm.

So, realize that Jesus paid it all. He paid it all on the cross for our debt. He died, gave his life up, buried three days, and rose from the dead to overcome death, which Satan had put on the world and on humanity

to try to screw up God's plan. We're meant to live forever. And so, we are fallen people. We're all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. But Jesus gave us a way to make it better, to get closer to the Lord. And when we stop just thinking about living our day-to-day life and those type of things, but have a soul-searching, what is life really about?

So through the sport of softball, God has been able to open that door for me to be able to just worship him in a way that he's given back so much to me through a sport I love so much to impact the lives of not just these young girls but all who are watching and be an impact

to really soul search enjoy the game, enjoy the competition it's awesome. But there's a competition for our souls. So what team are you on? And we know the winning team. It's God. It's not Satan, the Antichrist and False Prophet and the demons and those that are not

believers. So yeah, it's it's so awesome to be able to be woken up, if you would. When COVID hit, I just said, what is the Lord say about this? There were even nonbelievers that you probably know that were like, what is going on? And God has given us the answers of what are going on. And so I just encourage everyone, seek the answers. Enjoy the life we've been given because that is a huge gift, but the biggest gift is, and the biggest blessing is Jesus Christ, paying it all for our debts and just accept him. And when you do, man, you're, you're just free. You know, your life has a whole other meaning because we know there's more than just the life we have in this earth. So we'll be on a new earth, new heaven. And it's going to be exciting. And right now,

it's just so humbled, you guys, just so humbled and honored. to be a part of the team that is the strongest team we've ever had to this point and they're just building a legacy. I have two final questions and one, if you'll indulge me for a second. You did hit the home run and won the gold medal in the gold medal game.

That was you. You felt it. Do you remember feeling, did the ball come off the bat as pure as when you hit a perfect golf shot? Do you remember the feeling of hitting that home run to win the gold medal? And I love golf.

too, and you're absolutely right. I had a humbling experience a few days earlier against the China national team, and they struck me out with bases loaded. And as I'm walking to the dugout, I realized, okay, she beat me this time and how she beat me, you guys, with bases loaded, full count, a change-up.

Are you kidding me? My mind didn't even process. She would throw a change-up. So I just went to school, right? we're not losers if we're learning so what happens we've seen team china in the gold medal game in the 1996 Olympics and when I was up to bat with Laura Berg at first base

I had two balls and no strikes and before I got into the batters box my thought was okay I know she's going to throw me a change up it doesn't make any sense she's going to do it but I know she's going to do it just learning from the past and as I got into the batters box I just waited I sat change

and when she threw it, man, my eyes got this too. And I mean, I just waited and I waited. And to be honest, I just wanted to rip the cover off of that ball so she would never, ever throw that pitch again. It was such a good pitch.

And when I saw it off the bat, even though they say scientifically, that's impossible. you're right, it felt connected. And when I saw that ball go at least, I don't know, it was a foot or three feet to the fair side of the fair pole. My arm just went up in the air because I knew, I knew it's enough for us to make history to capture the first ever Olympic gold medal for the sport of softball.

And it was. And one of the thrilling moments of my athletic career, there have been so many and to be able to coach right now where we're at too. It's just another blessing. All right, last question. What do you say to your girls before the big three game series here?

Ladies are going into battle. Oregon is not, I mean, they should be seated higher than 16th. The last poll is six. So they're very good squad. So we're going to be going into battle and we've taken down number one, but guess what?

It's all about being present, Zoom focus, lock in, and let's have a blast, rip the cover off the ball, stay together. And really, we just need to play Liberty softball. We're not going to look to the past. So it's just so fun to play. They love to play. I really don't have to say too much. When you know you're doing a good job coaching, when you know you don't have to be the one, that's inspiring them

because their motivation and inspiration is coming from within. So they're going to trust the Lord, they're going to give it to him, and let's honor him and all we say and do. Go flames and go God, right? Dr. Coach, dot Richardson. Like, I feel like I've been in the tent.

Is it too late for us to play for her? I know if I'm saying, like, I'm ready. I'm ready right now. Hey, I hope you guys stay healthy and I hope you play hard and you're fulfilled, and that was amazing. I'm rooting for you guys. So hopefully at the end of the weekend, I don't know, we're going to see in Oklahoma City.

I'll be there. You'll be there. Well, I'll be there. That's the goal. Thanks for your time, Coach. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much. God bless you guys.

And go playing. Good to see you, coach. Bye. The NBA playoffs are here. We're in the middle of it and has gotten crazy. Insane buzzer beaters, big dunks. Guess what? Draft King Sportsbook.

An official betting partner of the NBA is giving you a chance to boost your winnings with an NBA profit boost every single game. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app. Use the code Bobby Sports. One word, Bobby Sports. That's the code Bobby Sports to get your profit boost for every NBA playoff game. Only on

Draft Kings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem, call 1-800 Gambler in New York. Call 8778-8-N-Y or text Hope & Y that's 467-369. In Connecticut, help us available for problem gambling. Call 8-8-78-7-77-7 or visit CCPG. Or please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort, Kansas, 21 plus age and

eligibility varies by jurisdiction, void in Ontario. Get one NBA profit boost per game after opt-in. Boost expires the end of each game. Boost, bet criteria, and maximum bet limits vary. See terms at sportsbook.draftkings.com slash promos. The 2026 NFL draft is here and the NFL Daily podcast has it covered from all angles. Join me, Greg Rosenthal and Jordan Rodriguez after night one on Thursday. Nick Shook joins me night two Friday and then Sunday to recap everything that went down over

the three days in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh. We'll tell you who won the draft and which players were my favorite picks. Listen to NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

So while we're doing the show so early this morning is as soon as the radio show is over, I'm fly to Fayetteville because they moved the game because of weather. It's not like a baseball game where they can just reschedule it later. It's super regionals. So if they win this best of three, they go to the college world series, which they've never done before. They moved the game to 11 a.m. And it was supposed to be when? 7 p.m.

Damn, that's crazy. So as soon as the show is over, I got to go because I got to get to Fayetteville and go to the game. Dude, teams, like, cram when it comes to that, like, it's just like, oh, crap. I mean, we were going to do other things in practice now at Ferguson. seven o'clock game. Now it's 11. We're not ready. Seven o'clock.

That's not what you said. What'd I say? Your fantasy? I didn't say that. He slipped there. He did. He did. He did.

Oh, no. So, day of, not a lot of practicing. Okay. So yes and no. Like, DJ, who's the hitting coach at Arkansas, is just going through game tape. When I'm there, if he's got a game in the next day, what he's doing all night? Making charts and graphs and watching tape. So day of, it's not.

not that big of a deal. It just changes the schedule of when they got to wake up, when they eat, when they go. So, but we're going to go and do that. Hopefully they'll have decent enough weather to play. But, yeah, that's why we did the show extra early. It's not affecting you guys at all that are listening to it. You get good seats? We don't really sit in seats.

We either go out in the outfield because they have young kids. They want to run around. Or we go up into the coach's box and watch from up there. It just depends. If it's raining, we'll be in the coach's box. They got food in there and stuff? Yeah, but not great food. What do you mean?

No, it's not full concession. Oh. Even in the stadium. It's not full, full concession. Okay. But yeah. So we're going to go to that. I hope everybody has a great weekend.

Anything I'm forgetting, Mike? Anything I'm not doing? I think we're all good. We did NFL. We did college. The Knicks and Pacers play tonight. That was a crazy ending, by the way. Crazy ending.

I thought it was over. So did Halliburton. Well, I thought he did the choke a little too early. Little too early your foot was on the line, dude. Do you like him? I don't know. I really can't tell, dude. I can't tell because, like, I want to like him.

But then I think what got me was the post interview after that game. They were asking like, oh, you did the choke sign. And he, like, just said, yeah, I didn't really want to do it. They kind of made me do it. And then so I just decided to do it. And I'm like, I didn't make him do it. What are you talking about? Just own it.

Like, you did it because you thought you won and your foot wasn't the line and you had to go to overtime. And that could have been really bad. It could have been. But it wasn't. It wasn't, dude. And I'm so glad that it wasn't because as soon as he did it and the score didn't change. The score only tied up the game and we're like, oh, that's weird. Why is it only tied?

Then they showed the replay and like, oh, no, this is not good. They asked Rick Carlisle what he thought about Halliburton doing the choking. And he goes, you know what? He deserves doing every once. Oh. I thought that's a pretty good answer by a coach who probably was like, I wouldn't have done that. But yeah, the choke because it's a Reggie Miller. It's a Reggie Miller reference.

Sure, sure. Which, by the way, the Pacers ended up losing that series to the Knicks. Back in the day. Yeah. Even after he did the choke. But it was an, Reggie was there. I think he was part of the broadcast.

Yeah, he's one of the, the analyst guys. And so, yeah, I was like, oh no. But you know,

like, just say like, yeah, man. No, I mean, just him doing it that early

when they didn't win the game. I know, I know. But honestly, I thought it was the buzzer beater. I thought they won the game. Yeah. But just like he did.

It was awesome. So, I guess I'm rooting for the Pacers in that series. Do you like Halliburton? I think if he to me is Pat Bev Not how they play But if he's on your team

You freaking love him Yeah And if he's not You're probably so annoyed by him You secretly punch him in the nuts When you're When you're And like you pinch him

A little bit in the back When everybody's So yeah he's fine I like the Pacers I really do I mean I think it helped That we went to the Pacers And they let us

For sure It helped with Miles Turner for sure Yeah I root for him big time Yeah Even though he was a longhorn It's true Oh, yeah, yeah.

I'm kind of a longhorn hater. Sorry, man. I hope you guys have a great weekend. Thank you for listening. Thanks to Coach Dot Richardson. Hopefully, just like this last time, when we come back and we do a show next week, the first show of the week, I'm like, we're going to the college world series because that would be freaking awesome. It'd be the first time ever Arkansas has done it. You guys have a great weekend.

I hope it's a long one. Hope you have a great Memorial Day. Hope you take a minute and remember what Memorial Day is all about. And then I hope you spend a lot of time with his family and friends and really hope it's a special one. So thank you and we will see you guys next week. All right, blow it, Eddie. Oh, is that better?

Oh, seven o'clock Eddie. Was that better? Yeah, all right, bye, buddy. Theme song written by Bobby Bones, that's me. And performed by Brandon Ray. Follow Brandon on socials at Brandon Ray Music. You can follow the show on Instagram at Bobby Bones Sports. Thanks to our crew, co-host, at Producer Ed.

segment producer at Kickoff Kevin, video producer at Reed Yarberry, and executive producer at Mike DeStro. But most importantly, thank you for listening. I'm Bobby Bones. We'll talk to you next time here on 25 whistles. The 26 NFL draft is here, and the NFL Daily podcast has it covered from all angles. Join me, Greg Rosenthal, and Jordan Rodriguez after night one on Thursday.

Nick Shook joins me night two Friday and then Sunday to recap everything. that went down over the three days in Pittsburgh. We'll tell you who won the draft and which players were my favorite picks. Listen to NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galko, joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar, this is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode.

Listen to the Sports Slice Podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 and TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. guaranteed human.