The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 2: NOW We're Playing the Game (feat. Maury Povich and Tom Bogert)

Episode Date: June 11, 2025

Maury Povich has unretired to join us fools in the podcast world, and Tom Bogert explains why almost nothing in soccer is happy right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/a...dchoices

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 This is the Don LeBattor Show with the Stugats Podcast. I want to play this for Mori even though, and I thank you by the way for joining us. That was an awkward introduction and I should tell everybody that if you want to know more about Mori Povich's distinguished career, Pablo Torre finds out, did a great episode with him and I've admired his work for a long time, but also his sense of humor about what it is that he is uh... doing but just play the sound arts are breaking news sound and have him give us the history of it because we were talking about it just earlier today in the show what is the history of that
Starting point is 00:00:40 you want me to tell you yes because they they they told me but i wanted from your mouth so when we started a current affair way back You want me to tell you? Yes, because they told me, but I want it from your mouth. So when we started a current affair way back, we wanted a sound like 60 minutes at its ticking clock. And so we, they came up with the old time sound of construction paper cutter, you know, you used to have in elementary school, plus the swinging of a golf club, put through a synthesizer and you got the Kachung
Starting point is 00:01:11 Named after your wife though is the part that I don't get it was called the Kachung Yeah, I got that part. Yeah, the part that I don't get is it well my wife's name is Connie Chung Come on, Dan, you know, you're not following this. I don't get it i don't pretty simple it makes sense okay thank you i appreciate it uh so what happened why are you doing a podcast how was retirement i didn't think that uh you'd be back in the game on par with morrie povich you're getting in the podcast game uh i i i love that your voice is still out there but what what was happening in retirement? Retirement was great. Some stupid people came up with this idea. I used to, I kind of admired what your friend,
Starting point is 00:01:52 Mr. Skinner was doing. And so just when I thought I was out, they dragged me back in. And what are you trying to do with it? Well, I'll tell you the one thing I'm trying to do, and you'll understand this, Dan, when I was doing this show for all 30 some years, I mean it was all about the guests, it was all about the themes, it was all about DNA,
Starting point is 00:02:10 lie detector tests, out of control teenagers and stuff and I really didn't talk about myself. And so I had this career before the show like 30 years in. And so I'm now able to kind of like reflect on what the shit I thought about things rather than what everybody else thought. But Andre Drummond as a guest? Yeah, by the way, a great guest. You should have him. Let me, I'll just give you a one little nugget
Starting point is 00:02:38 about Andre Drummond, okay? He's coming out of Connecticut as a 17 year old high school kid. He's like the number one kid in the country and Jim Calhoun of Connecticut is Recruiting him and he's trying to stay in high school one more year. Finally. He says, okay I'll go to the University of Connecticut. He walks in and Calhoun says, you know, I'm really happy to see you here I got to take a scholarship away from somebody and give it to you. And so Drummond went to his mother. They didn't have any money, but his mother said, that's not right. Drummond said, that's not right. In fact, the scholarship
Starting point is 00:03:14 that was being taken away was with a guy that he knew. And so he and his mother took out a loan and he walked on, saved the guy the other scholarship. Pretty good, huh? People don't actually understand when that gets to the NBA at 20 years old and all of a sudden it's looking past its coach, Stan Van Gundy, and taking instructions from his mom in the stands because that relationship is stronger
Starting point is 00:03:37 than any other that he'll ever have. Yeah, and he's 13 or 14 years into the game. I think he's been paid over $150 million. He takes pay cuts to still play, and he plays for the 76ers. Who have you enjoyed as a guest that has surprised you? Like, if you're doing this, right? Other than my wife.
Starting point is 00:03:57 You did an interview with Connie Chung? Oh, yeah. Well, Torrey did one, too. I mean, talking to my wife, it's like an old Burns and Allen show. I mean, you know, talking to my wife, it's like an old, you know, it's like an old Burns and Allen show. I mean, you never know what the hell is going to happen and you never know what's going to come out of her mouth. And so there's nothing to prepare for when you talk to her. And it turned out okay, I guess.
Starting point is 00:04:18 Greg Cody, do you want to tell us about Burns and Allen? No, I, Maury, when you said that, my ears lit up. I mean, George Burns and Gracie Allen, I mean, who doesn't know them? Why did your ears light up? You know, because my eyes were already awake, but my ears, you know, need a little perk up and, and then, you know, and George, I play like George Burns. I'm the straight guy and Connie's like the Gracie Allen because you never know what's coming out of her mouth. Perfect. Great. I love the analogy. Keep it coming. Jeremy, when did they meet? What year?
Starting point is 00:04:48 They met in 1922 and married in 1926. Morrie, this is the demo we're going for, Morrie. Your podcast, this is the demo. This is what you're doing. There are going to be a lot of people our age who are dying to hear what Connie Chung has to say. Oh, my Lord. I should have never opened up that. Oh, oh Lord.
Starting point is 00:05:07 Yes, meanwhile, everybody, your friends there ought to know about you and me, Dan. The first time I ever was familiar with Dan LeBertone, he was doing it. This has got to be 25 years ago, at least Dan. And you had this Sunday show on ESPN. You were the columnist for the Miami Herald, but you would come on Sundays and I would be driving to the golf course to play my Sunday game. And you did 10 minutes of monologue that was really,
Starting point is 00:05:35 I mean, it was like a newspaper column on radio. And I was just so fascinated by that that I had to get in touch with. You don't do that shit anymore, do you? Well, you were the only one listening to that show, which I did by myself, and now the other people do all the heavy lifting for me. I just sit in the middle of it
Starting point is 00:05:53 and have everyone carry my bloated ass around. How disappointing do you think Maury was when he was like, I'm coming on with Dan, the guy who unspooled this wonderful tapestry on the Sunday morning rides, and he's listening. Minerva-na. That's right. Minerva-na.
Starting point is 00:06:08 Minerva-na. Doot, doot, doot, doot. Minerva-na. You wanna get in, Tony? Michael Theodore. Minerva-na. Doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot, doot. Marshawn.
Starting point is 00:06:18 Connie. It had a little syncopation there, and you got a song. That was perfect timing by you. Connie Chung, your love of her, can you explain to the audience, it's one of the great love stories. It is a- You know, you asked me to explain,
Starting point is 00:06:35 I'm not too sure I can. I can tell you this. I think, you know, everybody says if you're in the same business, that's trouble. I think it saved our marriage. The fact that we understood what we were doing, we understood what had to happen, the fact that we would be separated a lot because she would be running around the world and I would be doing something else. And I think that more than anything else that we understood
Starting point is 00:07:00 we were where we were coming from. And secondly, if you don't have a sense of humor, you got no shot. And she has one of the great senses of humor. And so that works. However, she does say, I say that all arguments end when the head hits the pillow at night. And she says, I hold a grudge all the time. Can you sort of explain to the audience the when you're talking about
Starting point is 00:07:26 sense of humor I can't imagine that the two of you are watching today's news coverage and the state of American news and doing very much laughing well it's what what what we're really happy about is that we're not in it it would be very difficult to be in the news business these days in terms of trying to be objective and trying to be fair. It is so crazy and news media has just gone off the rails. I mean, there isn't... I don't think there is one particular brand, news media brand, that is absolutely pure objective stuff. I mean, even like the New York Times,
Starting point is 00:08:11 just with the placement of stories, with headlines and things like that, I guess it's very difficult. I mean, you knew who my father was, Dan, and he would have a very difficult time reading the paper these days. I can't imagine what your wife is feeling, watching the news when you're just saying out loud,
Starting point is 00:08:31 there is not an objective news source in America that Maury Povich and Connie Chung would sign up for. Yeah, I think the closest thing would be PBS. I watch a lot of the BBC, for instance, when I wanna find out what's going on in the world, I'll watch them. And Connie is, I mean, it's very depressing. She thinks it's very depressing.
Starting point is 00:08:53 And, but there is one aspect of news, Dan, that I think is the silver lining. And that is, and you'll understand this, local news gathering. I think that's fair. I think I think people are very interested in what's happening in their neighborhood. And I think the local newscasts are as objective as there is in the country. Also dying new episodes of On Par with Morrie Povich every
Starting point is 00:09:21 Monday. Let's, let's get from that kind of depressing to a lighter game. Would you attend their funeral? Let's make this difficult for Maury Povich. New episodes of On Par with Maury Povich every Monday. He's available on YouTube and everywhere you listen to podcasts. I've always found him refreshingly honest. Consequences be damned. So make it difficult for him, Mike Ryan. So I thought about putting Tony Kornheiser on this list, but it's very clear that Maury and Tony Kornheiser are very good friends. But the internet tells me you're just an acquaintance with Michael Wilbon. So would you attend Michael Wilbon's funeral?
Starting point is 00:09:56 Absolutely. Yes, I would. And Michael is a dear friend. Let's put that canard to rest. I'm glad. We got to correct AI so they can get better at this. All right. But just to be clear, because I want to press and be a good journalist, you're going even if it's in Chicago?
Starting point is 00:10:11 Wherever. I used to work in Chicago. It's a great town. All right. You're going. I got it. All right. Back off. So you're a member, according to the Internet, of the Chevy Chase Club, which... No, no, I am not. So... Alright, well... I am not. Alright, were you ever? There are a lot of...
Starting point is 00:10:30 No, I was never. In fact, I had to kind of get... I only played at Chevy Chase Club on Mondays when the pros were off and we went over there to play around. I'm not a member, never applied, not too sure I would get in. Geraldo Rivera. He's okay.
Starting point is 00:10:55 Geraldo's okay. That's not what we asked you. Would you go to his funeral? Would you go to his funeral? We didn't ask you if he was okay. Yeah, I'd go to Geraldo's funeral. Because you killed him? Because you'd killed him and you wanna see the murder? No, I'd go to I'd go to her all those funeral because you yeah Because you'd killed him and you want to see them no I would
Starting point is 00:11:09 Know I mean her although and I you know, we we came up around the same time. I'll put it you that way That's actually or whatever news Lewis black. Oh Special in fact this week. He's the guest on on bar with Maury Povich Did he impress you enough on your podcast to be like I'm gonna go to your funeral pal I'm I do Lewis Black is one of my dear friends I love Lewis Black I'll put it to you this way Lewis Black
Starting point is 00:11:40 Why are you laughing? No because we're playing this game very poorly with you I mean it's alright you try to find guys in his life that are on the fringe of whether or not he goes to the funeral No, because we're playing this game very poorly with you. I mean, it's alright. You try to find guys in his life that are on the fringe of whether or not he goes to the funeral. I got a lot of guys. I got a lot of guys.
Starting point is 00:11:53 Dan wants a no. That's what he wants. Dan wants a no. No, what I want in order for the game to work correctly, it can't be the guy saying of course he's a dear friend. Alright Dan. We don't know who a dear friend is. Alright Dan. You come up with friend is. All right, Dan.
Starting point is 00:12:05 You come up with some names. Yeah, Dan. Put it to you this way. Thank you, Maury. Thank you. I won't go to your funeral. All right? Whoa.
Starting point is 00:12:14 So the internet tells me you're friends with a dude named Dick Pullman. And not only do I want to find out if you'd attend his funeral, but is that his real name? Dick Pullman? Yes. And he's a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and I endowed his chair. Yeah, you did.
Starting point is 00:12:33 Trump. Oh boy, no. And no. Bob Schieffer. Believe it or not, the first job Bob Schieffer. Bob, believe it or not, the first job Bob Schieffer had was with me at the local station in Washington. No, I know. We've lost touch. No. Now we're playing the game. You should check in on him. He was born in 1937.
Starting point is 00:12:58 Now we're playing the game. Yes, nice work. Chief Justice John Roberts? Don't know him, don't care. Wouldn't know where... It's the Chevy Chase Club, which apparently has nothing to do with Chevy Chase. The internet can't be trusted.
Starting point is 00:13:16 On par with Mori Povich every Monday. Thank you. Dan, thank you and your friend. Don't steal this game now. Yeah, you can take it for on par. Don Lebatard. What do I got here? I got a Magnum condom.
Starting point is 00:13:36 Um, we won't get that out. That's shocking. Stugatz. Here's a picture of Christopher when he was like three years old. Right next to the condom! Yeah! He's got a subtle reminder! Yeah, never forget!
Starting point is 00:13:52 This is the Don Lebatar Show with the Stugatz! I don't know if you guys know how credible this person is on the subject of soccer, but when I tell you someone from CBS Sports' Golazo Network is joining us. A network called Golazo. Dominique, are you fluent in soccer? Are you fluent in how cool a word Golazo is? It means goal. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Starting point is 00:14:23 It doesn't just mean goal. It means banger of a goal. It means Golazo. Golazo no no no no it doesn't just bang robot go lasso go lasso that wasn't just a goal I was gonna get dirty there I didn't want to get dirty well that's offensive though put some flavor on it it's a goal well I was taking the flavor off for those who don't have flavor what's the football version of that word like for a touchdown a A dime, a Dilford dime. Touched on Ossol. No, there's no such thing. There is, and I think it's the Spanish language. Got more flair, it's a better language.
Starting point is 00:14:50 Nah, but you'd agree, a Dilford dime is better. No, it is not. No, put it on the poll, at Levitard Show, what's better, Dilford dime or a golazo? Anyways, Tom Bogard is with us, and he's from CBS Sports' Golazo Network, and we've got a lot of soccer to talk about. So when I put it all in front of you though,
Starting point is 00:15:06 you choose as the person, and by the way, luscious, everything you got going. Fantastic. Luscious, what you got going everywhere with the face, everywhere around the face you are the luscious Tom Bogert. So thank you for joining us from the CBS Sports. Does have a sad background. Golisso Network, yes it is a luscious,
Starting point is 00:15:23 it is a bit of a trick. He just moved in. Guys, he just moved in. No, you guys are so good and so right about this. We have never had a juxtaposition of such a sparse background with such a luscious foreground. What's that shelf, it's like built into the wall? Like what is that?
Starting point is 00:15:36 Look at all the designs on that shirt. You've got boxes all over your house, don't you? You haven't put anything in the house yet, have you? Absolutely, we've been doing a lot of work on this house I was hoping that somebody get the message to suga it's probably not I know that he's unreachable But you see a little grateful dead cup right there. I thought that might make up for the lack of presence I got nothing you guys are totally right. That's why I was hoping that everything would come like you said Dan and the mustache the hair That's my fiery personality trait. So I was hoping we just focused here
Starting point is 00:16:11 Well, so among the things that we've been talking about Okay US soccer being an embarrassment the idea that Miami is about to host a game that is potentially embarrassing because they can't sell any ticket Start where you wish among the five soccer items right now that everybody's talking about. Well, let's start with the Club World Cup because US soccer is just too sad and too depressing, even though this is real world stuff
Starting point is 00:16:33 that is even more depressing. But Dan, I'll kick it back to you because there are three things that are dominating the conversation around the Club World Cup, and none of them have to do with any games. The first is that ticket sales are straight up bad. It's been less than expected, and there's a whole lot to get into there. Number first is that ticket sales are straight up bad. It's been less than expected
Starting point is 00:16:45 and there's a whole lot to get into there. Number two is the labor dispute between the MLS Players Association and the league itself for the three participating clubs over compensation in getting to this tournament. And then number three, which is absolutely the saddest, is the immigration policies in this country under this administration
Starting point is 00:17:01 and the presence of ICE at these games, which is just really, really awful. So you tell me where you wanna go. Did I hear labor dispute? Sounds like I heard a little bit of union talk. Did I hear immigration protest talk? That sounds like I've got something I wanna talk about. Did I hear opening the door to Sac and Pochettino?
Starting point is 00:17:19 Ooh, all right. Is that a soup? Delicious. You can start with immigration because sports is about to have, or is already and always having politics in the mix. So we are about to head into, you know, 18 months of optics that are bad
Starting point is 00:17:38 and protests that will feel like they're happening in a different country than this one, if things keep escalating to state militia level Dan that was my overarching takeaway So ice is going to be doing quote security for some of these games. Why I have no idea And ice told NBC Miami that non-american fans going to these games need to show proof of legal status Just take that sentence. This is the United States of America This is so such a foreign concept, something that again, growing up under privilege, I've
Starting point is 00:18:09 never even considered like my baseline of all the struggle. And again, I've been listening to the show since I was in college and a dumb college kid now I'm just a dumb 30 year old. So you guys have helped me expand my horizons all this and it's just not something I could ever have assumed that would happen in the United States. So that's where that starts and this dovetails with what's going on with American soccer and immigration status in this country. So in Nashville earlier this season, the predominantly Hispanic supporters group called La Brigada de Oro, they stopped coming to games because they were fearing ice raids at games, which is just extremely sad to start before
Starting point is 00:18:45 anything else that's super serious and heartbreaking that, you know, hey, we're just not going to go to the game because I'm afraid I'm going to get deported. LAFC, their supporters, they have a predominantly Hispanic supporter base as well, and they've had protests of ice. They've had banners in the stadium protesting ice. And obviously this is all the background of the protests that are going around in Los Angeles. And this is something that is absolutely entw all with the background of the protests that are going around in Los Angeles and this is something that is absolutely entwined with the soccer culture in this country right now. Dominique, as someone who found himself taunted
Starting point is 00:19:13 by his 12 year old boy about his wife being in a car with a flirting Luis, were you intimidated by the way Tom flourished under that luscious head of hair, la brogana de oro, the way that flourished under that luscious head of hair, la rogana de oro, the way that he said Spanish extra Spanish. Oh no, because we we're in different leagues, we're playing different games. If that's your thing, I'm not your thing. Oh yeah, I mean Tom, you play your lane. He said that with a little bit extra and I want to know when exactly you got good at that, going in
Starting point is 00:19:43 between languages for the people to make yourself credible to all sides. Mi español es muy mal. I just got back from Buenos Aires, and I had promised myself I was gonna be conversational in Spanish by the time I got there. Where, where'd you get back from? Buenos Aires. Ugh.
Starting point is 00:19:58 Not good. You nailed it. Aires. Aires. No, no, you got it, man. Aires. I think that underpins my entire point there, so that's unfortunate. But hey, you know, life gets in the way sometimes, but next time I'll get it right. How is the coverage of the issue that you're speaking of there, like obviously, we've talked around here about the political strategy, as expressed by Steve Steve Bannon of just have the executive orders ready
Starting point is 00:20:26 so that any time something horrifying is in the news. Steve Miller has to find. No, no, well. Well, Steve Bannon too, but it was Steve Miller today. It's Stephen Miller right now. It was Steve Miller today. Steve. Half a fine?
Starting point is 00:20:36 Judges? It's Steve Bannon's contention that you just flood every day with scandal. And so if you have executive orders lined up to get everything out of the news with the next horrifying thing that you're gonna put out there you drown in a bunch of stories where people aren't talking enough because this is still i think tom i have this right minorities in this country who are
Starting point is 00:20:57 hispanic are gonna feel this a little bit differently when they see brown people rounded up this way and treated as threats. It's going to arrive a little more personally and to have it fall under an avalanche of other news that makes it less noticeable that this is Nazi Germany stuff that you're starting down the path of. I'm just curious where it is this ties into how it is it's being covered in your world. It's whack-a-mole, right? Even the way that we started this interview,
Starting point is 00:21:25 you said, hey, what do you want to talk about? And I said, well, here's three super serious things that could have led this interview, could have been all that we talked about. And I said, hey, you pick, because there's just so much to get to. And even again, talking about the immigration status and the national supporters group,
Starting point is 00:21:39 as you say, it affects the predominantly brown people. And Nashville has other supporters groups and they have stood side by side with La Brigada de Oro because they are together, right? But they were at the stadium. They were at the stadium with banners and making sure that one section was completely open so people knew,
Starting point is 00:21:56 but it's not gonna affect a white American citizen the same way that it will that supporters group or others. So it's something that you can relate to. It's something you can empathize towards, but you can't feel it in the same way as the people who are under direct attacks by this administration. How much of a disaster is this ticket sales scenario?
Starting point is 00:22:13 It's not great. So it's been, the ticket sales have been super Americanized. I say that in the ticket prices started off way too high and they, FIFA were hoping that the American consumer, the South American consumer and Central American consumer would come and be happy to pay whatever, because in Europe, you can still see Liverpool for, you know, 50 bucks, at least under a hundred dollars.
Starting point is 00:22:33 That was one of the best teams in Europe this year. And in America, we're just beaten down by the, the normalcy that we've surrendered to of the prices being insane. Like I, can you say that for any NFL team? Can you go to a game for a hundred dollars? Like maybe Jacksonville in December when they're out of the prices being insane. Like, can you say that for any NFL team? Can you go to a game for $100? Like maybe Jacksonville in December when they're out of a playoff race. I'm a long suffering Knicks fan.
Starting point is 00:22:52 I was in college and young 20s when they were as hopeless as hopeless could be. The only tickets I could afford was a Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans in February. And those are still more than $100. So it's just two different worlds. The European consumer is not going to take this tournament as seriously as FIFA hopes.
Starting point is 00:23:08 FIFA is trying to use blunt force to just force it through and like this matters, this is all the money, these are all the teams, come, come, come. When you look at that opening match Miami is playing, they are running a sale right now of tickets for $20 where you get one to the game, the opening game, and you're promised four more. So that breaks down to $5 a ticket, or $4 a ticket to see Lionel Messi.
Starting point is 00:23:31 Do you remember the furor that was in this country when Lionel Messi first got here, and even the first whole year? Like, FIFA could not have expected this in any way, even when they helped to kind of force and help Miami into the tournament. So it's not going well. Can we talk about something happy?
Starting point is 00:23:44 Is there anything in soccer that's happy? Like, gosh, like we're talking about, we can't sell tickets, people are getting deported out of matches, Pochettino stinks, and the golden generation is falling short. Is there anything in soccer that's awesome? Like, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:24:01 If not, what's your favorite soup? Not a soup guy in any way, so we're over two here on that one. Well, I guess you gotta find something about soccer that will make me happy. Labor disputes, I know that you wanna get to that. I love, I mean, disputes are still kinda sad. Is there anything good about something good?
Starting point is 00:24:19 Like, we don't talk about soccer much. We come to soccer right now to talk about how awful everything is. Like I enjoy, I'm looking forward to the World Cup. We got that next year. It's gonna be fun watching our golden generation fall short. Oh gosh. Outlook is not good.
Starting point is 00:24:34 Outlook is not good. The American, the MLS is fun. I know that's not everybody's cup of tea. I'll wait for Mike Ryan to kind of chime in here, but that's where I do my work. Why is it a cup of tea there? Do we have any idea why it would be everyone's cup of tea? Do we need to redo that one?
Starting point is 00:24:49 I don't feel like everyone's a tea drink. Baileywick? I do want to talk about how bad the US team is though. Yeah, let's get into it. Sorry, Dan, I wanted to say too, one of my goals for this interview was to not say an empty platitude. That made you go, where does cup of tea come from?
Starting point is 00:25:06 Sorry, I'm sorry that happened to you. But that's always minus 600 to any guest hit that we have. The United States is on a big time losing streak. Everybody was sick of Greg Berhalter. It seemed that he maximized his experience here and they made a big splashy hire. And while most soccer fans like myself were happy with the ambition of bringing in a name and it seemed very important to bring in a name here, Pochettino's resume is starting to look worse and worse. The more success PSG has, the more success Chelsea has.
Starting point is 00:25:35 Hell, even Tottenham get a trophy. He wasn't able to do that. Although I know he was very successful over there for Tottenham. This doesn't seem like the right voice in that locker room. And I know a lot of this falls on the players, the roster isn't great, there are players injured and not available to him, but there is precedent for host nations to get rid of a manager when they're already qualified for a World Cup and it sparked them in the past. You look at Russia, you looked at South
Starting point is 00:26:02 Korea in 0-2. Is there, and I know he's paid a lot of money and the buyout's probably crazy here, but is there a chance that the US wakes up and realizes they're not getting the results they're looking for here, or are they married to this process? Mike, you talked about a home nation firing a manager to give them the spark.
Starting point is 00:26:17 That was Mauricio Pochettino, that's what this was. And again, there's a ton to criticize Mauricio Pochettino about right now, and I will do so in a minute, but I do want to say, like, let's not do revisionist history here. Like this was a widely celebrated hire. Everybody was ready for Greg Burrhalter to be fired and myself included.
Starting point is 00:26:34 And I had been a defender of his for a while. I don't think he should have came back for a second cycle at all, no matter what. But when he was back, it was time for him to go. But that was the move to try to spark something. The most disappointing part about this summer isn't just the results and the performances, though those are extremely disappointing. It's that we went into this, even if they drew against Switzerland with, you know, what,
Starting point is 00:26:57 seven starters from the first choice pool missing, what would it have meant? What would it have mattered? Like, we're not getting any real games with the top players in this group the players who will start the opening game of the World Cup There will be maybe two or three that were on the field over these last two games So even if things went well, what did we learn? But this set us up for things to only go poorly and it's gone even poorer than we could have imagined Yeah, the talent of the players I guess that's the one of the major criticisms pochettino style more ball possession, and also more free-flowing as far as positions are concerned.
Starting point is 00:27:28 I feel like the mismatch there for our talent, our guys are like explosive American athletes. We gotta like hold back and have fast breaks. Is there any hope that Pochettino style will evolve in a way that will let our players do what they do best? Pochettino sounds like a great soup by the way. It does. Also Dom knows ball.
Starting point is 00:27:47 That's when the US men's national team is always at its best. A counter-attacking team that uses its athletes, defend well, send a long ball, let an athlete chase and capitalize on one of your three opportunities. That's how I play. Mike you're completely right. The way I've been saying, again even under Burlitzer where my criticisms were there is that this group is at its best when you have nine piano carriers, just a bunch of dudes who work
Starting point is 00:28:08 and a bunch of dudes who are gonna get stuck in and defend really well, and then you have a couple piano players. You look back at those greatest teams of kind of our generation, those were a bunch of piano carriers and then Lannadonovan and Clint Dempsey to make the magic in the final third.
Starting point is 00:28:22 And we've gotten away from that. We wanted to play this, you know, total football style or under Burlitzer, everything's detail oriented, totally controlled. And at the national level, you can't just go buy another player. This isn't where you say, okay, our left back isn't good enough for this style. Let's go get another one. No, you have what you have. And what I do like about Pochettino is I think that he will adapt to the
Starting point is 00:28:42 strengths of the players. We haven't seen enough evidence of it yet, but the problem with the team that was on the field against Switzerland, they didn't have those athletes. Switzerland, like the physical advantage that Switzerland had over the United States was jarring. And that's again, supposed to be one of our general strong suits, that and goalkeeping. Matt Turner wasn't good enough over these last two games,
Starting point is 00:29:01 particularly against Switzerland. So it's really disappointing the way that these games are being lost. Put it on the poll please, Juju. Does Tom have the most excellent ratio of eyebrows to mustache that you have ever seen in your life at Levitard Show? Tom, thank you for being on with us. We appreciate the maiden journey, sir.
Starting point is 00:29:20 Thank you guys, look forward to being on again. Don't assume that. This episode is presented by Draft draft Kings. The crown is yours There's other soccer guys Not with hair like that though. There are no others with hair like that. I want to ask you guys a handful of questions. Jeremy, cup of tea please. The origin of cup of tea goes back to the mid 1700s in Britain.
Starting point is 00:29:51 It was actually used as an affirmative, meaning like someone that was a close friend or someone that you liked in an ebullient way. But then eventually over the years it changed and it dates to the 1940s in America. It says that in World War II it was popularized and Hal Boyle wrote in his syndicated column, Leaves from a War Correspondent's Notebook in 1944,
Starting point is 00:30:12 you don't say someone gives you a pain in the neck, you just remark, he's not my cup of tea in Britain. Tony, why are you shaking your head? That was long, that was a very long thing. You just said, you know, whatever. Cool. Jeremy doesn't do things short. Just say the soup.
Starting point is 00:30:24 He doesn't do things short. Somebody gets the soup. He doesn't do things short. Somebody gets it. No, I don't. Just say whatever. Yeah, that kind of thing. Can you, there are a couple more sports things that I want to get to, but before I do that, let's just take some inventory of the library
Starting point is 00:30:37 of Spanish words that Samson has said recently on our show. Can I begin with guayabera, por favor? Can I get first and foremost the shirts that my father wears? A guayabera. So that is not Guayabera, por favor? Can I get first and foremost the shirts that my father wears? A guy of era. So that is not Guayabera. I think about that like once a week. A guy of era. That is not a Guayabera.
Starting point is 00:30:52 The hard R is crazy. A guy of era. Yes, Guy Vera is. A guy of era. Yeah, it's a guy I know named Vera. A guy of era. Yes, Bejra. That's him trying to do the Spanish on the end, the Vechra.
Starting point is 00:31:05 How about the tits in Spanish? Tetas. Tetas. Tetas. Tetas. Tetas. Tetas. Tetas.
Starting point is 00:31:14 Tetas. Croquetas. The ham, the breaded ham croquetas. Correta. Oh, that can't be, that can't be to yourself. He was confusing with la careta. Correta. Why does he sound like he's in so much pain? Every word. Correta. Oh, that can't be that can't be to his head. He was confusing with like I'd hit that correct off
Starting point is 00:31:25 Why does he sound like he's in so much pain? Correct. I'm to say it Greg tennis. We talked about this week soccer We talked about this week race racing race cars f1 stock cars Just racing in general the US Open also race Scotty and also race Scotty Scheffler's general dominance you find yourself bored by it yeah we don't like that we don't like Scotty Scheffler being the favorite to win every single tournament I liked it okay when it was Tiger Woods I have to admit me too my Tiger Woods phase has ended and now I want a little bit of parody I don't want
Starting point is 00:32:04 somebody to be the automatic favorite in every tournament. I loved it when, what's his name? McElroy? McElroy. But dad, like what you're doing, like Scheffler has not reached Tiger level. We've seen a bunch of Scottie. Lately he has. We've seen a bunch of Scottie Scheffler's over the last 15 years. Spieth had a run, Thomas had a run, Brooks Koepka had a run on I just feel like we're seeing the latest of those guys While Scheffler I think maybe is creeping past those guys. He's still in that category. Okay, but he's not in tiger
Starting point is 00:32:36 2000 category yet. No, he isn't and and nobody is I mean nobody has been right? He's just the latest hot guy who's winning all the majors right now. I don't like it. Brooks did it a few years ago. I don't like it. Back down, kid! What part of this are you not understanding? I'm allowed not to like Scotty Scheffler being on a hot streak.
Starting point is 00:32:54 Yeah, you know. You can like your excellence, your dad doesn't like it! I'm excited for Oakmont though, this rough. I would love to see my dad, one of the worst rough players on like easy golf course rough. Oh my God. Trying to hit out of this Oak Mine. Have you guys seen this inefficient way?
Starting point is 00:33:09 There was like videos going viral of them mowing the lawn at this golf course in the most inefficient way you could ever mow a lawn. It's just like 17 guys hand pushing a lawnmower. And it's just, I mean, granted, it's not an easy course to cut. So it's not, but it's just, I found that ridiculous to see 17 lawnmower and it's just, I mean, granted, it's not an easy course to cut, so it's not, but it's just, I found that ridiculous to see 17 lawnmowers walking back to back.
Starting point is 00:33:31 It looked like ants. You're bored by excellence, like, you're bored by Jokic, for some reason, you love Shay Gilders, Alexander's mid-range jumper. I do, it's a breath of fresh air. Were you bored by Greg Maddux? What? Were you bored by Greg Maddux and his excellence?
Starting point is 00:33:45 Yeah, I was, yeah. I do like this game of- Do you like sports? Who are the boring dominating athletes? I will say Greg Maddux had this going for him. He painted the black, okay? He wasn't a guy who relied on 105 mile an hour fastball. I'll say that for Greg Maddux.
Starting point is 00:34:01 I feel like Scheffler, glad we got that out there. You know. BEEP BEEP BEEP Minor penalty, two minutes for adding nothing. What was he talking about? He was saying the same thing. He was spreading plenty. Imagine how boring we would think
Starting point is 00:34:17 Scheffler was if he didn't have the Masters arrest. That's true. That was the highlight of his career. Speaking of arrests.

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