The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - GBF: Boomer Esiason

Episode Date: May 3, 2024

Boomer Esiason joins the show to discuss leaving CBS, being commissioner of the Kitten Bowl and imagines what life would have been like having Stugotz as a boss. Stugotz starts to lay the groundwork for hosting an afternoon drive show on WFAN with Boomer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. God bless football, Billy Gill. God bless football, Mikey, eh? God bless football, Billy Gill. God bless football, Mikey. God bless football, Quintez. Oh, man. Where is he? Where is he? Thank you. God bless football, sir.

Take your time. Disembodied voice of Mike. Billy, what was so funny at the beginning? Me not being ready to start? Well, it was a weird thing where I counted us in, but you were starting, because you always start, so I just kind of stopped, and then we were just kind of waiting, but it's okay.

The rare time with a person whose first voice you're gonna hear is not the person counting us in. I was thrown off by it. I thought you were gonna start, and we're back. But here's the thing, is that the people listening and watching at home don't know who counted us in because all that gets taken out.

So it doesn't really matter. Yes, exactly. Very excited. Boomer Asaiusin is going to join us here. On God Bless Football Booms. Oh man, I was almost his boss, Billy. I thought, gosh. He still would have been the boss.

Is that what we're saying? I mean, it's... Imagine me walking into that studio and telling a guy with a 15 share in New York how to do his show. So I was told, and I don't know if this was something that was revealed on air or not, or if this was just something that you told this person

that they then told me. I was told that in those negotiations, you asked for a microphone to be installed at your desk so that you could just turn it on and chime in on any show whenever you wanted to, is that true? Yes, yeah, it's true. I've talked about it on our show, but yes, that is 100% true, because here's the deal.

They were gonna call me in every other minute, and I have stuff to do, like wire back to back our spots running during a commercial break. Why do you think that any show was gonna call me in every other minute and I have stuff to do like wire back to back more spots running during a commercial break. Why do you think that any show was gonna call you in every other minute? Listen, I know Tyranny, I know Lakata, I know Gio very, very well, Roberts and Barber, I know them, they know me, they would call me in,

they want my opinions on stuff, Stu can we do this, can we do that? I said listen, I'm a busy guy, I got traffic, I got sales to deal with, just put a microphone at my desk. How about that? This is insane. You honestly believe that all of these shows that have long existed there at WFAN,

we're just gonna wanna have you on the show constantly and you weren't gonna be able to get any work done and it would be kind of like a burden for you to be on all these shows. So let's cut out the middleman, let's just put a microphone right here at my desk for whenever they need me, not cause I wanna come on, cause they will need me.

Right, yes, that is true, that is accurate. Everything you're saying is accurate. It's where the negotiations stalled, Billy, to be honest with you. And you didn't wanna back down on that one. We were one mic at my desk away from me taking the WFAM program director's job. And again, it's not because you wanted it.

It's because you were just trying. It was in the name of efficiency. Yes. Not because I wanted to talk on their shows, just in the event they wanted me on their shows. That's all. Efficiency and productivity. That's Stu.

You're trying to be a team player, Billy. You know me. Let me ask you something. At this point in your career, if you move on, are you still going to be Stu Gotz, Billy, you know me. Let me ask you something, at this point in your career, if you move on, are you still gonna be Stugatz? Well, that's a good question. I think I'm stuck with Stugatz, right? I don't know.

I don't view that as a bad thing. Stugatz has really helped my career. It has helped me stand out, so I'm okay with it. I mean, my real name is John Weiner, so. Yeah, imagine if Scott Van Pelt left, SVP left, and he's all of a sudden he's like Larry Van Pelt. You're like, who? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Doesn't hit the same. LVP. Like Boomer Asaius, and his real name is Norman Asaius. I know, I saw that. I did see that. Yes, Boomer Asaius, and not the same as Boomer Asaius.

No, no. Totally different guy, doing accounting somewhere, right? Ha ha ha ha ha ha. That's your dentist. Right? Yeah's your dentist. Yeah. Exactly right.

Boomerisci-ison to talk about nonsense. Next. We are joined now by the great Boomerisci-ison. Bengals legend, Maryland legend, Nassau County legend, Suffolk County legend, media darling. I mean Boomer Esiason has done it all. He is the co-host, well the host of Boomer & Gio, morning 6 to 10 a.m. on WFAN in New York. Boomer, thank you for doing this man. You know what, it's great to see you guys. I didn't realize there was going to be a packed house like this, Stu Gatz, but I look forward

to you guys firing questions at me. And I will say this, after talking to you over probably the last three weeks a little bit, I'm glad you're not my program director of Boss Beach. You probably would have had me out right on the street with CBS. Oh, wow. Okay. Let's go right there, Boomer. Were you blind? Wow. You got right to it, Booms. Oh, wow. Okay, let's go right there, Boomer. Were you blind?

Wow, you got right to it, Booms. I love it. Yeah. Did you feel blindsided by CBS? No, not at all. As a matter of fact, when Sean McManus, who did hire me back in 2022, announced his retirement as CBS Sports Chairman,

I felt like it was just a natural thing. I wanted to say something at the Super Bowl. I didn't think it was appropriate. I knew that Phil did not want to retire from this particular show. I was ready. 22 years I have not had a weekend in 40 40 years, or back to back weekends, I should say in the fall. So I mean, for me, it's been a great run. And then on top of all that, I was able to extend my radio program in the morning with WFN and Odyssey and the CBS Sports Network. Samoak has picked us up for another two years.

So with all of that happening, I was more than happy to step aside. And I had my time there. I love that seat. I cherish that seat. I cherish talking to two football fans every Sunday. But you know, there comes a time where you got to find some time for yourself. And I think this came at the right time for me, at least. So, Boomer, if they wanted you back, would you be back? You know, for one year maybe, but I, like, I, my, my agent and I were discussing this like last October, November.

And, you know, my agent, Rosser represents Phil Sims. Right. And you know, I think Phil wanted to stay and really wanted to, I can't, again, I can't speak for him. I can only speak for me. I was really having doubts about coming back. You know, when it gets to the end of the season, guys,

you're exhausted and I'm doing a morning radio show. I'm working 12 hours on a Sunday. So the falls for me, literally the last 30 years, have been six day a week jobs and flying all over the place and trying to keep everything straight. So for me, I just felt like it was the right time. And I'm more than happy with the decisions that were made on their side.

And I think they understood where I was coming from. Because I told a couple of other bosses at CBS that I felt like the Super Bowl 58 was going to be our swan song. And I think they understood where I was coming from. Because I told a couple of other bosses at CBS that I felt like the Super Bowl 58 was going to be our swan song. And I wanted to make sure that our radio guys, our WFN guys, were taken care of. And I couldn't thank them enough for how they treated us

at the Super Bowl and how those guys got treated, not just me but my team at WFN. So I was pretty happy about that. Boomer, it's super interesting. Because as I get older, and Dan and I have been doing this for 20 years, it could be 20 years in September, the work-life balance becomes increasingly important to me

as I get older. So it seems like you're trying to find some of that as you get older, correct? Yeah, and I run my own foundation. And I had people come to me talking about work-life balance in 2021. That was the new thing because basically that means I don't want to show up to work on say Fridays and Mondays and I really want to work three days a week

in the office. And I wasn't down with that. I wasn't like that. I'm always a guy that's a worker beast. So I show up. And I think it's one of the reasons why I lasted so long at CBS. They always could count on me to show up and give good content and not be afraid to say anything that may have been controversial. And I have to say, not one person at CBS, not one boss, not one producer, not one director ever came to me and said, you know, maybe you should back off with that kind of criticism. But a number of controversial topics that we had to deal with in the NFL over the last

20 years. So I love my time there. I have no will towards anybody. As a matter of fact, I texted the guy that handles all the lunch for everybody. And I said, you may get a text from me in the middle of the year when I come back to visit for a day. What for lunch and order? Yeah, exactly.

But I'll tell you, Stu, the thing is that, you know, ESPN went through this a couple of years ago.'s earnings calls in April, at the end of May, or at the end of April, early May, the first quarter of the year is down. And next thing they know, they're talking to Wall Street journalists, and they want to make sure that when they do let go of people like Jeff Vang, Mark Jackson, or somebody like that, it's in the headlines. Because it looks like they are shedding salaries. When in actuality, mine and Phil's salary was up. We didn't have a salary.

So our time was up. So I think that we got some headlines negative. But that's just part of the course in this business. I'm certain they're paying Matt Ryan a lot, and JJ, by the way. Well, Matt had already been on the team, and so was JJ. And all of those guys are going to be great. I called Matt Ryan, and he said, can I call you in the summer?

I really want to talk to you about what it means to be on the show and everything. And I said, Matt, there's only really one thing. You're eloquent enough. You're loquacious enough. You look good. You dress great. You're really knowledgeable.

You are contemporary, a little bit more contemporary than I am of course, and you want to know something, but the most important thing about sitting in that chair is that the people that are watching you on a Sunday need to know that you love to be there. Don't ever get bored with the job. If you get bored with the job, then you should leave, but at the end of the day you got to love that job because the people watching will know if you don't. Terrible advice, Boomer. I feel like you need to go there.

You need to tell them the wrong thing. You need to pull a Jay Leno, like what he did with Conan. You tell him like horrible things to do so everyone immediately rejects him. Bingo. And then right, like week three, they're like, ah, we need to bring back Boomer and Phil. Like this just is not working.

On a bigger salary. Exactly right. On. A bigger salary. Exactly right. Exactly. Maybe I can actually even insult them the way that Pat McAfee insulted normally Williams and get even more money and more power, more control. Right. You know, I'm not I went through that way back when guys when I got fired by ABC Monday Night Football after two years in a booth.

And I said some very choice things back then. I'm a little bit older now, a little bit more seasoned. And I had a great run in CBS. So I really have nothing to pitch a complaint about these days. I don't think the McAfee strategy would work at CBS. But I'll tell you where it will work, WFAA. I mean, you can do whatever the hell you want there.

You want to work three days a week? Work three days a week, Booms. You know, the amazing thing, I'll take the other two by the way. I mean, just say it up. I want your guys to know this, that, you know, when you were up for the job and Gio was telling me it was you and everything, and I'm talking to Alvaro, who is obviously the market manager and he's the guy ultimately that's going to decide who the next PD was. And when he told me your name, I was like, wow, that's pretty cool. Because you'd bring some gravitas to the position, much like Spike Eskin did.

And then I started to think, wait a minute, he likes being on the air. And maybe he is buying into this nonsense that Craig Carton had said right before he left to go to FS1, and that is Boomer's gonna retire in two years years So I figured you were gonna be a Trojan horse It didn't work out for sure, but maybe next time around a will but the grind early for us anyway, it'll be a bad It's gonna be great. But of all the media seats you've had that's the one you covered the most

That's the one that means the most to you, right? It is you know why because you get to talk about a lot of different things Yeah on Sunday. I'm talking about coaches and players that are one sport. So this morning I was able to wake up and what's the first thing they were talking about is the Knicks. And much like you, Stu Gatz, I grew up on Long Island. I was a dyed in the world Knick, Met and Ranger fan.

I was a Colts fan because of Bert Jones. But I know the sporting landscape here and also playing here for three years. I have a really good idea of what was, you know, what's going on here and how to deliver, you know, a really good show in regards to whatever may be happening for whatever, you know, whatever team we're talking about.

So there's never a dull moment. And there is something about waking up in the morning and being able to be the first on the air talking about what happened last night. So today was proved positive how much I really do enjoy it. Where did Wednesday rank for you in times of all times and Nick collapses? Because we've had a number of them, Booms. We've had Charles Smith, we've had Reggie Miller, we had Starks two of 18. Where did Wednesday rank for you?

Well, it was crushing. Six points lead 28 seconds ago. Turnovers, missed free throws, dopey fouls, four-point plays. There's Larry Johnson. He had an infamous four-point play for us way back when. It was remarkable how a collapse happens. Now, I've been a part of that as a quarterback in the NFL. We had a big lead on the Dolphins back in 1994,

and then all of a sudden the momentum shifts. Now I've never seen the momentum shift this quickly, however. I mean, you could say game two was probably a little bit of the same for the Knicks as they won that game, and we had the defencenzo shot. But there's blame to go all around. I thought that there were times where Jalen Brunson was a little bit out of control.

There were times where Josh Hart couldn't hit a free throw to save his life. And there were some turnovers and bad plays. So that's usually the anatomy, if you will, of a comeback like that. So this one is, it's up there with the best, especially if they don't go on to win. Because they don't want to win, then that's the turning point

of the series. Yes. But your passion is hockey. I don't know how many people know this. I know your audience knows this, but the people in our audience. Fair to say, your passion is hockey, correct? Well, I've been going to Ranger games since Madison Square Old Garden opened in 1968.

So I was seven years old then. My dad was an insurance engineer that covered that project and his company had seats. So about five times a year, we get on the Long Island railroad from Islip and we go to Ranger games. We always watch Ranger games on Sunday. We've listened to them on the radio.

So we couldn't afford for me to play. So I was more your normal basketball, football, and baseball guy growing up in Long Island. But there was something really special about going to a Ranger game, even back then, when they were clutching and grabbing and fighting. But Roger Bear was one of my boyhood idols, as was Clyde Frazier.

And I've loved the Rangers ever since. Plus, my son-in-law plays for the Islanders. And that makes for a unique dynamic in the household. Panthers, Bruins, or Carolina? Which one scares you the most, Booms? I think Carolina and Panthers are really, really top end teams. I think we have a top end team too. And you know, we've played these teams tough all year.

There may be a chance where we get Philip Heidel back. And if they put him at third line center and they drop out Swinburne down to fourth line center, then we got a full four line team that can skate with anybody in this league. But there are some really, really, I mean, there are so many skilled players and it's like, it's not even funny.

I think Florida, if I had to say, as much as I want my Rangers to be there, I'm not gonna jinx them. I still think Florida is going to be the... Yeah, Booms, listen, I have to let you know, Billy, thank you for doing that. We have the Rangers hoisting the cup already. Yeah, say it.

I hate that premature celebration, but we have them hoisting the cup, Booms. I mean... Well, listen, I am not touching the money and any one of these other four teams that come out of the Western Conference are going to be loaded as well. So it's going to take a healthy team,

it's going to take a great goaltender, and it's going to take a healthy team. It's going to take a great goal tender, and it's going to take some sacrifice by everybody. You know, I was watching Mark Messier give a talk the other day about what it means to win the Stanley Cup and how hard it is to win the Stanley Cup. It's 16 games for sure, but it usually takes, you know, maybe 27 games to do that. And just the physical pounding and mental beating

that you take in these series is remarkable. The Knicks are going through it right now. Yeah, and we as fans are going through it with them. That's the beauty of the playoffs. This is why you want your team there. Boomer, you can only have one this year. You can only have one, okay? Knicks win the NBA title, Rangers win the Stanley Cup. Well for me, it's the Rangers. win the NBA title, Rangers win the Stanley Cup. Well for me it's the Rangers. But you've seen a Rangers Cup, have you seen the next title? No I have not, yes well 1969 of course. Okay. And so I did see it and that was the Willis-Reed seventh game comes out of the locker room, went bad knee, hits his

first two shots, goes back into the locker room and Clyde takes over. Maybe the greatest game in finals history by the, given what was going on there. But I will say that even though back in 94, I was I was playing for the Jets at the time, so I was a garden dweller. I was at every one of those playoff games for the Rangers and made most of the Knick playoff games went available and actually went to game seven in Houston. That's how much of a passionate fan I was.

And, you know, of course that was the John Starks, Brooklyn game. So I, I've seen it all, but I'm still my, my Rangers are still the number one team I root for. Boom. How are you going to spend Sundays in the fall now? I mean, you've been doing the same thing for so long. How you, what do you like, does your family know what to do with you at home on a Sunday? No, they don't.

Do they want you home on a Sunday? Probably, yeah, on the golf course early on in September and October. But, you know, I've really, it's a good question. I have no idea. And with the way the radio works, guys, on, I'm out at 1030 on a Friday morning. So it really is legitimately a three day weekend. And the past 22 year whilst 18 years now because I've been at WFA 18 years, I would leave on a Friday, I would go out to a Bridgehampton and then I would turn around and go back Saturday night because I had to go back in on Sunday and

spend 12 hours at CBS on Sunday and then watch the Thursday night game and then get up and do all my responsibilities before Monday morning. So I'm looking forward to the break and I think Gio's looking forward to me taking a break simply because I'll have more energy come Monday morning. How much time does being commissioner of the Fieland Football League take up for you, Boomer? It's not how much time, it's how many dollars per the amount of time that I spent on that. And the one thing I will say is that Howard Stern's wife, Beth, knows how to put on a program and knows how to pay her talent and it was something that I thoroughly enjoyed. I mean this is Golic all over again.

I mean we make fun of Golic because he goes down Radio Row and he's selling beef jerky on one side of Radio Row and then he's selling diabetes medication going down the other side of Radio Row. That's great, I love that. You know, the interesting thing is you gotta remember, when I started in this business back in 1998,

you know, I think I left the Cardinals making $750,000. I'm not trying to embarrass anybody, but both JJ Watt and all these guys and all the different new personalities that are coming into our business, these guys have made hundreds of millions of dollars. I think Matt Ryan has made over $320 million. So what this does, it gives them an opportunity to stay within the game without having to coach, stay close to the game. And this is one of the reasons why I did it. And it also gave me an amazing platform to tell our CF story,

which is really another miracle that my son is at the age of 33 and living a great life now. I want to talk about that. We will at the very end of this, Boomer. But I'm wondering, do you like today's NFL? It's changed so much since you were playing. And I'm wondering, do you like today's product? I do. I like the athletes.

I love the wide receivers. I mean, I love the passing game. You know, the top end of the NFL. When you watch some of these quarterbacks play, and I think it's smart that we protect them. They didn't protect us. And I had no gripes against any of that. I mean, we put a different type of game

and our numbers reflect that. And I was talking to Frank the Tank of all people at Barstool and he's a huge, you know, Dan Marino fan. And he goes, man, could you imagine if Dan Marino played today? And I'm like, no, what man, could you imagine if Dan Marino played today? And I'm like, no, what about me, Frank? How about if I played today? So, yeah, I mean, I love the game and I know that the game is faster.

I think the game is faster. It's just as physical, if not more physical. And if you've never stood on an NFL sideline, if you get the chance to do it, you have to do it because you'll understand exactly why the rules are the way they are to keep somebody from killing somebody on the field. Billy, are you laughing at Frank the Tank not asking about booms? I love Frank the Tank, honestly. Anything surprise you about the draft? Any picks you were like, what the f**k is that team doing? All right, so I was a big Michael Pennex guy. About two years ago, I was watching a late night game

and they were playing somebody and he was awesome. And I came in on Sunday morning and Phil Sins kind of knows all these guys. He's really into the younger quarterbacks and watching them develop. And he and his son Matt run a quarterback camp and they help kids, you know, try to find different colleges. So he's really knowledgeable about these people. And I said, man, I just saw this left handed kid that played for Washington last night, Michael Pennings Jr. I mean, he was amazing.

And then Phil had this whole dissertation on him being the highest recruited football player in Indiana history and then all the injuries and then finally transferring out there to Washington. So when Atlanta took him, everybody was freaking out. And I was not because I'll compare it to the Green Bay situation when they drafted Jordan Love. They know that Kirk Cousins has probably two, maybe three years left. And they know that this kid is pretty special. And Radim Morris was out there with the Rams.

And he watched, you know, Matthew Stafford throw the football. He's one of the best throwers of the football that we've ever seen. Michael Pennex on the other side, the left-handed side, may be the most accurate quarterback I have ever seen. And very rarely does he not throw a spiral, and that is with the college football, which is more difficult to throw than the NFL football. So I think that was a gutsy move by the Falcons, but it was a little bit surprising. I thought he'd be a top 10 pick. I just didn't think the Falcons were going to do what they did. But they secured their future for sure.

Billy, if you want an evaluation of Tua from a lefty quarterback in all time grades, Boomer would be your guy. I mean, so Boomer, let's do that. Like, what do you think of Tua? Because I've been telling Billy, I don't know if I signed that guy for $55 million a year. Well, I don't know if I signed that guy for $55 million a year. Well, I don't know if I'd signed him for 55 million either,

but I don't know what the alternative is. You know, and he and Mike McDaniels really seemed, McDaniels seemed to get it together. They like each other, they're on the same wavelength. He was in the MVP conversation all the way up until probably about weeks 15 or 16 last year. That's how good he was. And he and Tyree Kill, they got something special.

So I mean, he's gotta be the guy. There's no other guy out there that's gonna be able to run that offense the way that he ran it last year. They have to get home field advantage in the playoffs. So they have to go on the road outside in the cold to either MetLife Stadium or up in Buffalo. That's where they run into trouble or out to Kansas City as we saw last year. They're not a great cold weather team.

And last year, by the way, we all know that that defense was decimated by injuries. So they need to be healthy, obviously, getting into the playoffs. I think the Jets have passed them in terms of overall talent on the roster. Big question for the Jets is whether or not Aaron Rodgers is going to make it through and how strong that different type of surgery he had on his Achilles is really going to hold up. Interesting, Booms, because I was going to ask you,

and I will ask you, do you find it hard to root for Aaron Rodgers? No, I was happy that the Jets brought him in. The Jets have been messing around with quarterbacks for so long, including me, by the way, that it was nice to see them go after Aaron. And I think last year's team would have been great for him had he been healthy.

My thing about him is he's a great football player. I don't really care about his politics. None of that stuff bothers me because there are other guys in the league that are completely opposite of him politically, but I still love them as players. So whatever the politics are, I don't really care. He's made a lot of money. I'm sure I guarantee you this. And you can have me back on after this happens. This has not been announced yet, but you know that there is a documentary coming on the rehab that Aaron Rodgers went through last year

And it's gonna show us that he was ready to play if in fact the Jets made it to the playoffs I guarantee you that that's gonna happen right produced by Aaron Rodgers, right? Yes Boomer size and is with us. I'm gonna play a quick game with you It's a game that will only be funny to me and you, I think. And maybe you're listeners, okay? And your crew. It's a game called Geo, Al, Jerry, or the great Eddie Scorseri, okay? You can only choose one.

The one most likely to attempt to pay for dinner when they know damn well Boomer's paying for dinner. Geo. Really? So what does he do? 100%. 100%, but you know why? for dinner when they know damn well boomers paying for dinner? Jill. Really? So what does he do? 100%. Does he stand up, hand in the pocket? No, here's the deal.

It is Jill 100%. And here's the reason why. Because he's legitimately in the power chairs, dude, I got to remember that. Now, I'm making more money than him because I've been there longer than he has. But he's, but he's doing well and he sure is getting better and better and better. So he wants those guys to know that he is as much in control of the show as I am.

So he's gonna stand up and he's gonna take credit for buying dinner without question. Right, but he doesn't mind when you pay for it, right? As long as it looks like he's going through the motions, right? Dude, let me tell you, when we were in Vegas for the Super Bowl, I was paying for everything. I think he paid for something. I forget what it was.

He did pay for something. An Uber or something? But I would say I paid probably for about 90%. Oh, Billy, not an Uber. Like, Boomer, listen, I'm telling you, Boomer runs a tight shit. So those guys, I think he had to do the show, was it, I don't know, two in the morning from Vegas?

Is that correct? We were at three o'clock in the morning. Alan Jerry did that correct? We were at three o'clock in the morning. Alan Jerry did their warmup show at two o'clock. Oh, God. Yeah, so we were blasted by around three o'clock in the afternoon, and everybody went to bed. But there's no Uber. Boomer's getting Cadillac.

He's got big black SUVs. He's taking everyone to the show. And if anyone's late, they're left behind. That's it. They're left behind. That's exactly right. But the good news is, like what I told you you is that CBS put us all up in the wind and our studio was right there in the wind. So that's how you run a ship.

You don't even have to leave the building. You just get up and you go right downstairs which made it much easier. All right the one that you would trust the least with a big secret. it much easier. All right, the one that you would trust the least with a big secret. That's a good one. I would probably say, I think Al Dukes. Really? Yeah, he's always, I don't know,

I just think he's a guy that loves radio, loves gossip and crap like that yeah and and he loves the you know the whole Netflix listen he's watching what is it milk matter or something on Netflix now so I kind of feel like if you watch that then that means you're into the gossip yes I love Al Dukes by the way the one that you would most trust watching your kids? Jerry. Rekko. Really, Jerry's very responsible.

Yes, Jerry. Jerry's a responsible guy. I've watched him over the years raise his sons, and he spends so much time with those two young men that if I had to describe how to be a dad, I would use him as an example. That's very nice, Booms. And how about the one that you would

least trust to watch your kids? It has to be Gio, right? Gio has trouble watching his own kids. I got to be honest with you. I mean, he goes, hey, I just dropped the kids off with the wife. I got to go to the bar. I'm like, what do you mean?

That's right. So Gio, yes, I would agree with you there. No question about it. If it were a dog, however, I would leave it with Eddie. The great Eddie's Kazari. The one most likely to be late for the show. Yeah, none of them. None of them. Really? Yeah, you have to understand, like when Craig Carton, you know, ultimately left WFN in 2017, 2018, I'm thinking, okay, they want me to go to afternoons and they want me to make the decision.

Mike is already gone and they figured that, you know, you could change your whole life around and you could be great in the afternoon. And, you know, this would be a wonderful change for you and your lifestyle. You'd be able to sleep, go to the games and all that other kind of stuff. And I was really seriously considering it.

And so I said, let me have a meeting with the guys. So I pulled them in my office and said, guys, I'm thinking about going into the afternoon, all three of them at the same time. I know what I got in the afternoon. So why not like the Norris they are. And I, I felt like such a, I don't know. I can't tell you. Like I felt like I had to take care't know, I can't tell you. I felt like I had to take care of them.

Because I didn't want to start radio with somebody completely new. I wanted to keep the guys that I had and that I was comfortable with. And I love those guys. So those three guys, along with one of the executives at CBS Sports at the time, who has now taken over CBS Sports, that's David Burson, I think you and your buddies,

he actually said to me in 2017 in the fall when Craig was going through all this stuff and I was kinda on my own and they were running some people through with me, he said, you know, Boomer, you should be proud of that show. Your name is on the front of that show. The reason it's on CBS Sports Network is because of you. And don't ever take that for granted. Don't ever think that that's not the case. And that Sunday

night is when I went home and I called my agent and I said, look, I'm staying in the morning. I'm staying in the morning. And, you know, David, who ultimately is the guy ahead of making the decision whether me and Phil were not going to be back, you know. Was so kind to me at that time and gave me the impetus to stay in the morning regardless of what happened to Craig and how it happened and how it affected everybody. So, I took that to heart and I stayed the morning. Were you concerned because chemistry is so hard to come by

in our industry, Boomer, and you know that, and you and Craig had great chemistry. Were you concerned when it went from Greg to Gia you know it's interesting we have a woman who works at WFAN and she's a radio junkie and she came into my office that you know you know give me condolences on Craig and don't worry about it I know your next partner is gonna be no my she's not even has anything to do a program directing other than she used to be Mark Chernoff's assistant Right and I said, yeah, who's gonna be my next partner? She says Jill

It's a natural and and I and I had known Jill for quite some time and I had taken them to some Monday night games Actually to in fact, I took them to I think Minnesota obviously Minnesota Viking Green Bay Packer game And I think a Minnesota Viking Chicago Bear game. You know, I flew him out there privately on the jet and came back the next morning. So I got to really know him, and I found him to be really funny. And the fact that we were both from Long Island,

we had a lot of similarities. You know, what I didn't really know is just how funny he can be. And his impressions are incredible, and his pop culture knowledge is exactly what a guy like me would need to work with. So it fit in seamlessly. So I wasn't worried about it, just a matter of him getting comfortable realizing that his voice needs to be heard just as much as mine. The show is so good. It's the highest rated morning show in the history of WFAN. So you guys

have found your footing. You guys have done fantastic. Boomer, I want to talk just quickly here about the Boomer Syson Foundation, because you do great work on the air. You've done great work with the NFL. But I think your best work, and I think you're probably proudest of, is what you do with your son, for your son. So talk about the Boomer Syson Foundation and what our listeners can do to support that.

Well, first of all, they can go to thesyson.org if they want to see the story and read about what Gunner and I have been through and what the family has been through. And Gunner's mom, Cheryl, has saved his life. I can't put it any more plain than that. She sacrificed everything to make sure that he was ready if a new drug had ever come to the market.

And quite frankly, that drug did come in 2017-2018 after Gunner was out of Boston College and he was at end stage illness meaning a double lung transplant was very close to being necessary and all of a sudden this drug comes out, he's on it and we're playing ice hockey because we played men's ice hockey together on the same team and this night we're playing ice hockey about two weeks into his drug, the new drug being on the market. And he doesn't come off the ice and he's not spitting up all of this green stuff on the ice that's coming out of his lungs because cystic fibrosis lungs are coated with that stuff. And it was just a remarkable moment. And all my guys in the team were like, what kind of deconors?

He must be feeling great. I'm like, yeah, I guess he is. You know, I wasn't even thinking about the new drugs. And then after the game, he says, let's He must be feeling great. I'm like, yeah, I guess he is. I wasn't even thinking about the new drugs. And then after the game, he says, let's get some pizza, dad. And I said, okay, we go to the local pizza joint and he scarves down half of a large pizza. And CF kids don't digest food well, so they don't like to eat, especially late at night, because it just sits in their belly.

And I looked over at him and I said, how are you feeling? He goes, Oh man, I feel great, man. I feel like I'm starving. I still want to eat some more. And I'm like, I think, uh, maybe that drug that you're on is working. Yeah. And we kind of had a look at each other. I was, I was crying because, uh, all these years that we raised all this money, invested all this money into biotech and so many things that had missed this one finally hit and it's changed his life to the point where now he's 33 years old, he's married, he's got one child and he's got another one on the way. He's done it IVF. He is the natural

father and it's been a remarkable, remarkable story. And that truly is like you said, Stugats, that's the thing I'm most proud of. Is it more fun being a parent or being a grandparent? Grandparent. It's a grandparent without question. And they tug at your heart and you know what, your kids use them to tug at your heart. Yes. You see, it's all political. Of course. Everything is political. Yeah. You know, I'll give you one other story. So we have a very nice country, like summer home that we've had for 20 years. And it's out in Bridgehampton, Long Island. And Sydney has her daughter, Winnie,

during the pandemic, right in the middle of the pandemic. The Islanders have to go to the bubble, if you remember. And they made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa Bay. So Matt was gone, I think for 10 or 12 weeks. So little Winnie's maybe four weeks old in August. And Sydney calls me up, she goes, dad, Winnie really wants to come out to the Hamptons.

And I'm doing my show right from where I'm sitting right now. Away from everybody, because we were all under pandemic rules at that time. And I'm like, she used Winnie at four weeks old on me and I knew that, you know, that was three and a half years ago so I knew that somehow, some way, if they want something now instead of whining for like they used to do when they were kids, they just use the grandkids as leverage. Yep, they've got you Booms, they've got you. Yes. It just dawned to me. If the Rangers play the Islanders in the playoffs, are you rooting for the Rangers or your son in law?

What's happening? Well, they're not. So the Islanders lost to the Hurricanes last night. No, I know. But if they ever played, if they ever matched up, have you thought about that at all? No. Yes, of course.

We've talked about it in the family. And the year that Gunnar got married in 2021, Gunnar was getting married. Matt was supposed to be in the wedding party, but they were playing the Tampa Bay Lightning in their second Eastern Conference Finals. And the day that Gunnar got married, Matt actually scored the game-winning goal in Game 6 against the Lightning, the force of Game 7 that year. And that's when I was really rooting for him, because he couldn't be at the wedding.

And then, listen, we were busting his chops the whole time on the radio saying, you know, I can't believe this stuff can be at Connors' wedding. It's gonna be this stupid playoff game, you know, that kind of thing. So it's been a wild ride. It's been great and it's been fun. And, you know, my family kind of gets into it

a little bit with me, but that's the best part of it. All right, we'll get you out of here on that note. Boomer and Gio every morning, 6 to 10 a.m. on WFAN, also on the CBS Sports Television Network. We'll have you on after the Aaron Rodgers documentary and Booms, when you're ready to move to afternoons, I'm with you, all right? When you're ready to bail on Gio,

we'll go afternoons, we'll kick Robert and Barbara out, it's me and you, okay? All right, sounds good, guys. Thanks for having me on. All right, thanks, Boops. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys.

We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys.

We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys.

We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys. We'll see you, boys.