The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Nick Wright on Dealing Dame, Diggs/Bills Powder Keg, Twitter Toxicity, Retirement Destinations

Episode Date: July 7, 2023

First Colin explains which two NFL QB’s have the most pressure on them entering the 2023 season. Then, First Things First co-host - and host of the What's Wright? podcast - Nick Wright joins Colin to discuss the lack of drama to Dame Lillard trade talks, if drama between Stefon Diggs and the Bills will derail Buffalo’s season, which teams could leap them in the AFC, which team can win the NFC besides the Niners and Eagles, why Twitter has become so toxic under Elon Musk, Colin and Nick’s ultimate retirement destination, which Knicks non-move shows they finally aren't a dumpster fire organization, if the Heat with Dame Lillard can win a title, why Nick is so excited about the future of FTF, and if it’s acceptable to get a steak by yourself.  Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates! #Herd #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Nick Wright and I talk about everything from Elon Musk to travel plans, NBA NFL, our relationship. It's a long one. But I want to start with a rant, a football rant, presented by Netflix's quarterback. So I was looking at the NFL stand. I came on today. And when you look at the quarterback position in the NFL, we don't have unrealistic expectations for rookie quarterbacks.

I think all fans are reasonable that it's hard and you're going to be overwhelmed. Even Joe Burrow overwhelmed early. And there's not a ton of pressure on the people that are at the top of the food chain. Josh Allen, we know what he is. Lamar Jackson just got paid. Jalen Hertz did. I don't think they're in pressurized situation. situations. And I also don't believe Dak and Kirk cousins. Again, most people see them as good B plus

quarterbacks. I don't think they face like more than just week to week, Sunday to Sunday pressure. And as I looked over, perused the standings in the NFL. I thought there was really only two quarterbacks that I felt like there was a lot of pressure on them. And pressure I would define as they are viewed by a certain group, perhaps small, as much more talented than their current production is exhibiting. And let me give an example, Justin Fields. I think he faces real pressure. Because I think people in Chicago and a lot of people in the media think based on highlights, not overall beginning to end game production, that he's a massive talent. And I just think he's talented. But at this point, I think he's a 60-40 hit and a 40-60 failure. Slightly more than

50-50. I think it works. And I think it mostly works because I think he now has two productive receivers, perhaps three with Claypool, cross your fingers, two productive tight ends, a middle of the pack, but better than people think O-line and Luke gets, he's an excellent O.C. Young, smart guy from Green Bay. But I think of all the quarterbacks in the league, people would say, what about Aaron Rogers? And my takeaway was, they're going to win someone between 9 and 12 games. Playoffs or not, he's a Hall of Famer. They'll be better.

Everybody gets it. Will they be great? Probably not. But somewhere between 9 and 11, 12 games is where Aaron's going to land. He knows it. The Jets know it. And we all know it. That's not pressure.

Justin Fields is different. Because he shows flashes of brilliance. This is the year that bears ownership and front office and probably coaches make a decision on by Thanksgiving, he's the guy or not. So I feel like Justin Fields faces the most pressure in the NFL as a quarterback. You could name anybody, Jared Goff. He's been to a Super Bowl. He's been paid.

We know what he is, a B-plus quarterback. Trevor Lawrence, he's excellent. There's no pressure in Jacksonville. He got to the playoffs last year. But Justin Fields, there is a group of people that think he's a tremendous talent. And whereas Josh Allen, Jalen Hertz and Lamar Jackson went from just talented pivoting to also very good pocket quarterbacks. Justin Fields has not exhibited that yet. And this is the year.

And I would say by Thanksgiving, people upstairs will make a decision. The only other quarterback I feel like there's real pressure on is in the same division, Jordan Love. Listen, you replace Aaron Rogers, there's pressure. This is also a winning organization pressure. This is also probably the second best after Detroit roster in the division pressure. Jordan Love's been given a contract that's very team friendly. So again, because he's been in the building for so many years, I think they'll know by Thanksgiving in the building.

I had an agent that once said this, Nick Con, your bosses will make a decision on your career nine months before they tell you. I think by Thanksgiving, Justin Field and Jordan Love, both teams upstairs will have made a decision. That's real pressure. Because in both cases, especially fields, they're viewed by a small number of fans as being really special talents, and I'm not sure either it is.

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also host of What's Right with Nick Wright. And we do this about every six weeks. We do about 40, 45 minutes. And this is kind of the slowest time of the year. It was always in our industry that after football, there was about a month. And then you'd kind of move into March Madness, NFL draft, NBA stuff. But it used to be that I look forward to August. But Sean McVeigh screwed that up by not playing any starters in the NFL and going 8 and 0.

So the really the preseason now is reduced to, talking about C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young. I mean, it is amazing that August used to be a time that I really looked forward. You know, it was post-NBA trade deadline. And it was like, you know, you go take a 10-day vacation. And then you're like, all right, some of this stuff, last year, Kenny Pickett was my primary topic in August. Yeah, it's not great. I mean, I'm not saying you weren't great.

But it's just August, because of NBA movement. and because every summer there's a KD trade demand or a Dame trade demand and these things that seem to drag on, I think August has replaced July as the debtist time on our calendar. And I was saying this to my wife yesterday. If you go September 1, we're recording this the end of the first week of July, that's 10 months, 10 plus months. I've been off, I've been, you know, on vacation for one week. And now over these next six weeks, I'll be on vacation for two and a half of them. So, you know, 75% of the time off for you, for me, for all of us, comes in this very condensed window, kind of post-NBA free agency pre the start of the NFL season.

But one thing that I have found on our show is because we were so heavy NBA during the playoffs and free agency that day before yesterday, day before yesterday, we kind of just stumbled into a bill's topic. Today, we just totally ripped off your Belichick could be greater than, or Reed could be greater than Belichick topic, just totally stole it from you, almost verbatim, that I am like very excited to be talking football again, because you've been talking a lot of football throughout. We haven't been talking so much. And now I'm kind of over the dame thing. I know he's going to go to Miami.

it's all posturing. There's a really interesting part of the Dame story, which is the assistant GM in Portland. Does a great job, I'm sure. But his name is Mike Schmitz. He worked at ESPN from 2017 until nine months ago. And now seemingly all of the reporting coming out of, you know, that network is along the lines of,

oh, you know, Portland has the lever. Portland's got, you know, Miami's got up the offer. And I do wonder how much of this is, you know, that Mike Schmitz was there. And now they're trying to get the best deal possible. But he's going to end up in Miami. I'm kind of over that story. And that there's really not much left in the NBA offseason. Yeah, I stumbled.

It was the last thing I talked about today for only three minutes is that there's two sorts of like what we would call classic diva wide receiver. There's the guy that is constantly difficult but productive. Des Bryant. I mean, they had to hire a security team, really babysitted in as a rookie. And then first year with Dak, he was still highly productive but got needy. And they just decided much to the chagrin of Jason Garrett, he told me that. He said, I was fighting for him.

He gives me eight, 10 touchdowns a year. How do I replace that? And then there's the Stefan Diggs Randy Moss model. where they're not trouble. They're highly productive. And in some point at like year three, year four, they flex. And right. And I said, okay, that's different, right?

There's a lot of companies. Yeah. At the volume, if I knew somebody for three years, I'm getting somebody that's highly productive, then maybe they flame out or that's somebody that's very hireable, right? Not somebody that's high maintenance day one. So I said this. The bills are telling you they're going to get out of this Tupon Diggs market very quickly. They go and get a tight end in round one.

Two NFL GMs told me easily the best tight end. So now they have Kincaid and Dawson Knox. They upgrade running back. They immediately sign more. They double down on their defensive front. And what it tells me is they're trying to become more run oriented, better up front, ground control. and get out of the Stefan Diggs. And I'll argue this.

Just like New England did with Moss after two, three very productive years, you could get out today and he's got value. If he blows up again, half this league, three quarters of this league, Nick, GMs are like, no, thank you. They're going to be afraid of it. The only I, listen,

the, here's the, the, the Diggs thing is such a problem for Buffalo for a number of reasons. The typical easy fixes for the wide receiver clearly will not fix this because they're not the problem. And by that I mean, sometimes it's I want more money. He got the contract a year ago. Like they, you know what I mean?

The money has been paid. It is not a money thing. The other one, if it's not money, is usually I want more targets. over the last couple years, he's one of the two or three, maybe number one, but most targeted guys in the whole league. So it's like, uh-oh, it's not money, it's not targets. How do we fix this? And I have been kind of, I don't know what the right word is.

I have found it unbelievable that Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills set this fire publicly. and then are looking around angry at everyone for watching the flames. The timeline of this is, day one of Bill's mini camp, evidently Sophan Diggs is there, then leaves before practice. Sean McDermick goes to the media, is asked about Diggs not being there, and says, oh, I'm very concerned, takes a long pause and goes very concerned. well, maybe you shouldn't have said that, buddy. Then the next day he's there and McDermott goes to the media is like,

I don't know what everyone's making such a big deal about of this. I excused him. It's like, what you fucking told us you were concerned? And then they canceled practice the next day. And then Josh Allen was on a podcast a couple days ago. I forget who it was. But a player runs it. And they asked him, it was, you know, one of the, it wasn't one of yours,

but it was similar to Richard Sherman's podcast, something like that. I forget who it was on. I apologize. And he was like, yeah, the media won't stop talking about this. And it's like, man, we wouldn't have even known about it. But your coach screwed up there. And then when you add to it that the last image we have of Diggs is him yelling at Josh Allen on the sideline, that seems to be a problem.

The only question I would have there is Colin, why haven't they just signed D'Andre Hopkins to kind of regain control of the situation because I do think Gabe Davis might not be a number two. He's certainly not a number one. I do think they need a receiver there if they're worried about digs. Maybe they just think, you know, he's under contract. We're going to be fine. But that to me is a, if you had to write now, and this something I mentioned to you on TV, you can only choose one of these two doors. The bills make the Super Bowl or the bills miss the playoffs. I am definitely choosing the miss the playoffs. I'm not picking them to miss the playoffs,

but I think they're more likely to miss the playoffs than have an awesome year and make the Super Bowl. I think that's for damn sure. Yeah, and, you know, I've been on this for years. Andy Reid moves off Tyreek Hill. Andy Reid has rebuilt an O-line and a receiving core in an off-season. Buffalo can't figure their offensive line out five years in. Either can Tomlin.

there's a difference between offensive coaches and defensive coaches. And the classic example is the minute Tyreek Hill got a little needy, moved off him, drafts Sky Moore, go go get Juju Smith Schuster, very quick rebuild. The offensive coach seamlessly rebuilds it because that's what they do. They speak the language. McDermott has been trying for five years to create a run game and an offensive line. he still can't do it. Mike Tomlin five years still can't do it.

By the way, Sean McVeigh came to the Rams. One off season gets Andrew Whitworth, rebuild the O line. It's just the advantage of an offensive coach is they can, in a highly mobile profession, you've got to be able to be really nimble. Andy reads the best. McVeigh, Shanahan, really good at it. McDermott's not. Pete Carroll has struggled at times with the O line, which rated again last year poorly.

Mike Tomlin struggled with it. By the way, Mike Zimmer in Minnesota. It was their offensive line, it was a bit of musical chairs. Minnesota. I think going forward, the Bengals are the clear threat. And I would say the next threat, and they're not quite there. We saw it twice last year as Jacksonville. Now, they're just not as good.

but they're not there yet. I totally, you know I believe that. And I think Jacksonville, they're not there yet. I agree with you. But for the time being, the other edge Jacksonville is going to have in the new, only one team gets a buy paradigm. The advantage Jacksonville is going to have when they get there, the fact that it will be so much easier for them in the AFC South to get, to get to 13 wins, then for the Chiefs dealing with the Chargers and the Broncos, and the Bengals dealing with the Steelers and the Ravens.

And anyone in the AFC East, when all those teams seem pretty competitive and at this point pretty well run, the Jags are going to have that inside track to the best regular season, the healthiest regular season. I think they have a really good coach that, you know what I mean? They're of all the star quarterbacks, their guy is the earliest into his career. So they have the longest window before he gets super paid. I think Jacksonville is, they're not there yet. They don't have the personnel.

But they also have, you know, multiple top picks on defense. They don't need them all to hit. They just need some of them to start to come into their own. They're a scary team, man. There is seven and two, the final nine weeks of last year, won a playoff game in starring fashion, played the Chiefs tough. Yeah. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal,

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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. So I was going to throw this at you and we'll talk some NBA because you're so good at it. But I came up with something today on the show. And again, I didn't think I was really fishing for it. I think it's sometimes it's very difficult. The draft has a power over us.

Is that we just innately believe it's just in us. If you're a top draft pick, we just perceive you as better. But yet Matt Hasselbeck's sixth round, Tony Romon, undrafted. Kurt Warner undrafted. Brady, sixth round. Mark Brunel, fifth round, Dack fourth, Dack fourth, Cousins fourth. Um, Lada, Bree, second. Your guy. Russell Wilson, third. Yeah. Joe Montana third. Yeah. So there's three things that make me wonder if brought, about every fourth or fifth year, you find a guy, quarterback in the weeds late in the draft. And you get like four way, years to not pay him. So I, I, like, late,

this out with Brock Purdy. So Iowa state's an average program and an average conference, but they had four straight winning seasons with Purdy, and they have a very good coach who's been up for the Nebraska job, Matt Campbell, a very good college coach, well-studied, up for all jobs. In a

bad conference with a good coach, Brock Purdy leaves, they go one and eight in conference. Time out. It's like, whoa. As I've always said, when you arrived, it's not only what you've done at Fox, the station you left, not as good. When Harbaugh left the Niners for Michigan, Michigan got better, the Niners came.

So Iowa State with a good coach plummets. The second thing when you do a deep dive on San Francisco, so he led the NFL and games started that he didn't get hurt, he was 8-0. He not only led the NFL in Paster Rating, but for a complex system that took Matt Ryan a second year to figure out, it hasn't worked for. for Skyler Thompson. It hasn't worked for Tray Lance. It didn't work in the first year for Matt Ryan.

The kid walks in as a seventh round last pick rookie and masters it. And I'm thinking to myself, oh, wait, we just can't. We're not, we're not, we don't like this. We don't believe seven rounders can play. Is it possible? I mean, I watched him play. He looks. No, no, no.

It's, listen, it's possible. The flip side to the coin. is he was all his biggest limitation already was going to be his arm talent physical limitations and now he's coming off major surgery on his throwing arm and if that was you know what I mean if that was a limited arm already is it now going to be untenable but listen the nineers last year you know this were my pick to go to the super bowl from before the year and that was assuming trey lance was going to be the quarterback that is you know our mutual friend danny parkins has been hitting this story on he does a football podcast called First and Pod. And he and Andrew

Philiponi, been hitting this story every week and saying that it should be the biggest story in the NFL, which is the fact that Trey Lance is behind Sam Darnold on this team's depth chart and they spent three first round picks on him. It's one of the craziest damn things we've ever seen. The guy he's never gotten a chance to play. And evidently he's been so bad in practice. They're like, Brock Purdy off elbow surgery and Sam Darnold off the scrap heap ahead of him. Like what? And that he was on the trade market and nobody wanted them. That is a crazy turn of events for the Niners. So the Niners, I believe with above average quarterback play, they should be the class of the NFC. Last year they had average quarterback play and they looked to be the best team.

Here's, I would spin that question slightly different way. Let's just say that the Niners don't have it this year, either because Purdy, the elbows not all the way there that if we i got i guess back up a bit i feel like 98% of the people in our industry are going to when it comes pick the super bowl time going to have coming out of the nfc the eagles or the nirals i think those are going to be almost everyone's going to pick one of those two the question i have is this if it's not one of those two who is great point because I don't think, I think the Eagles are good. I also think it's in play that the best year of Jalen Hertz's entire career is the one we just saw. That they, you know what I mean?

That the Super Bowl hangover, the tougher schedule. Shane Steichen left. Shane Steichen left. And even if they don't think they're going to miss Ganon, still, you know, good quarterbacks carved them up last year. I think the Eagles could, you know, all, it's hard to go to back-to-back Super Bowls. So if the Eagles aren't there and the Niners quarterback situation, as in flux as anyone, who the fuck is winning the NFC?

You just go through it. Like I was talking before the show today, and I was like, I'm going to instantly regret it and hate myself for it. But I think, like, I might believe in the Cowboys this year. Like, the, I mean,

we go to the, the NFC West. The Cardinals are not trying. The Rams. I think they're going to be terrible. You think they could be okay, but they're not, you know, they're not a Super Bowl team. The Seahawks are,

we're going to get that from Gino again? And then there's the Niners, like we said. No one in the NFC South. I'm sorry, Saints fans. You're not a Super Bowl team with Dennis Allen. Okay. The NFC North, is it Kirk Cousins? Is it Jared Golf?

We're going to put Jared golf there? And then we're to the NFCs. Like, who is, if it's not, then maybe that means it will be the Niners Eagles again. but it's usually not that chalky. You know what I mean? It's usually not quite that simple. So I don't know.

No, I think, you know, Dallas is, Dallas is one of those teams where I've always had the same opinion for 25 years. And my opinion on Dallas for 25 years is they'll be pretty good. I mean, there's such a disparity in the AFC and NFC that now networks. Remember last year and the year before? we were having to give. For years and years, we had to give the AFC occasional games like CBS. Yes.

The opposite. Like we're dying for a Bengals game. And no, I think it's the weakest the NFC's ever been. I don't trust Detroit. I don't trust Detroit. I want to believe in Seattle. I like Gino's story. I like Pete Carroll.

Seattle's not going to win three playoff games. It's just, you know what I mean? So like, again, maybe that means it is the Niners and the Eagles. But if it's not one of them, God, that's a hard, it's hard to find. It's not Daniel Jones and the Giants. It's just not. You know what I? Like, I just.

And but then, so I'm going to end up, I can just see it. I'm going to end up picking the Cowboys. And then I'm going to be watching a divisional round playoff game. And Mike McCarthy's going to have that ghost look on his face, watching the clock tick down. I'm going to say, what did I do? I'm going to go bankrupt. What did I do here? But I, it's a, conversely in the AFC, obviously the chiefs are the deserved favorite.

But there are seven teams. You could credibly make a case. Yep. You could credibly make a case for the dolphins, the bills. I don't believe in the Jets the way some people do, but you could make a case for them. The Bengals, the Ravens cases, Lamar's healthy all year. You know what I mean? We already said the Jags, the chiefs, the charge.

That's eight teams you could make a case for. So it's a, it's very odd that the imbalance of power right now. All right. Before we pivot to NBA, a social media question. Good. The user experience at Twitter has gone in to the tank. I said when Elon Musk took it over, I said, I'm not going to, I'm just going to watch it and see what happens. Very quickly, it got annoying.

then violent videos now I'm constantly muting them ads I'm constantly muting them the user experience is more toxic than it's ever been and I don't think Elon he's obviously a bright guy

he's a creative but I also think he's distracted threads now gets unveiled and I went on it my staff put me on it, I find it irritating. When you look as a young broadcaster coming up, you've been very, I think you've used, been very dynamic on your Twitter spaces to, you know, engage with people. I find the Elon Musk Twitter experience, and I try to be fair about it, just increasingly

a poor experience. So I'm not on it at all. where are you where where are you as a younger person on social media today so there's a bunch of social media stuff I'd actually like to talk to you about so for me I and it was one of it was kind of a sad choice I made but that I felt I needed to do it or it was good for me to do it because I do miss out on some interactions I miss out on maybe some ideas I

wouldn't otherwise have thought of. But I, four years ago, five years ago, around the time I started to have a real national profile, just said, I am never, I shouldn't say never, I am almost never looking at my mentions. I am not engaging in it whatsoever, except for, if people don't know, back when Twitter was, you know, pre-musk, if you were verified, you had, a separate mentions tab that would only show you tweets from other verified people. And so what that would mean is, I would, if any athletes, if any other journalists, if any other broadcasters were engaging with what I was saying, positively or negatively, I would see it.

But, and that maybe people are going to say that's elitist, I'm not listening, but it was, it was, it would, it was too. toxic of just you i don't care how kind of you know what i mean above it you claim to be if if you have thousands of strangers saying basically you suck it's going to get in your head somehow and the flip side is if you have thousands of strangers saying you're the greatest it's going to get in your head somehow and the things that and that you talk to Ethan Strauss about this the things that get the most applause on social media are not necessarily representative of the things that are what I use social media for, which is a professional vehicle.

You know what I mean? And so I stopped looking at my mention. So like, I to this day, I just yesterday at the Yankee gang, some guy came up to me. was like, man, I don't know why so many people effing hate you. I think you're great. And it was like nice of him, but I also like I was thinking, I was like, honestly, I'm blissfully unaware these days of how many people hate me because you got to find, you better see me in person and tell me.

And I have seen. So that's a very long, even, and it's not even a full answer. The reason I mentioned it, Musk ripping off that verified tab to mean anything, was to me very damaging on my ability to engage with anyone on Twitter. Very damaging. And so that to me was, that's a shame. Now then you have like, hey, sign up for Blue Sky. I got an invite code.

And then it's like sign up for spill. And then yesterday it was threads. And I'll probably be a begrudging late adopter. But I don't know, man. I got 600,000 followers on Twitter. I also am blessed to have a platform outside of social media. If you want to see what I have to say, like, I'm on television every day. I do a podcast.

I don't need. It's not my only outlet. Why do you think you and I are some of the few that aren't like regularly arguing with folks on the internet about random bullshit and letting that drain drain us the way I think a lot of folks have and I think it's been hard for them. Yeah, I just I just don't spend a lot of time on social. I go long stretches like Friday after shows a lot of times I'll just tell my social guy you can run it over the weekend and I'll tweet something funny occasionally. But I just I feel a certain responsibility to be available to my wife, my kids, my business partners. I just don't

have time for it. And again, I kind of take it as a badge of honor. Everybody hates Elon Musk. Everybody hates Biden. I told my wife this once about Barack Obama. I'm like, this beautiful family. People were outraged. He wore a tan suit. It's like, there's just people that are just, just want a bitch. And it's like, okay, I'm so lucky to have my life, so grateful that I have a beautiful wife and all my kids are healthy. You know, I just, I, I, I, I think all of it, it's just, it's a circus. Speaking of your life, are you, are you moving again? I'm looking at your background. It looks like you might, the, it's not a, I don't what, the. So I sold this, I sold this. My wife and I sold it. I knew it. You hadn't even told me. I had the old Colin

Goward real estate flipper. You're always doing it. It's unbelievable. You just move. in there two years ago oh that's great but that's like one of your wife's favorite things right no we have a we have a you know we have a good business so real estate that's what i'm saying but one of her favorite things is doing real estate stuff and that's like you don't want of her i know she's an artist and that's her real trade but like that's one of the things so can i i don't you don't have to reveal it on there are you moving far from where you are um i am at a point where i don't need to to own anything in Los Angeles. I'm going to have rent a really nice place.

Oh, dope. Yeah, by the beach. That's great. And just be able to leave it anytime. Turnkey, don't have to worry about yard and security. That's awesome. So I just want to be, as I've aged, I just want to be nimble. And that's what I am.

I've got a ranch in Utah. That's good. I just saw the background. I was like, I bet college. This is in the process of selling this house. I just knew it. Because when I was there, the first time I was there, you had recently moved in. And even when you had first moved in, you said, you were like, yeah, you know,

we'll probably sell this for X percent more than we bought up. We got a good deal. And I was like, this guy's always making moves, always doing stuff. Meanwhile, I've lived in New York City for seven years, haven't owned anything. Just rent. Just rent every time. I don't think renting's a bad thing. I mean, I've been, I've had 26 homes, bought, sold, you know, in my life and made a profit in 24.

I enjoy it. I'm very, you know, I'm always willing to move. I've moved. I've lived in all four corners of the country. When you're done working, which I know you can't even contemplate, but when you are actually done. totally done. So business has nothing to do with it. What part of the country do you think you'd want to, if you lived somewhere?

I can see myself always having, you know, somewhere somewhere in California by the water. Oh, okay. So I thought you might say Utah. I thought the, yeah, my wife and I have a ranch in Utah. It's beautiful. Love it. we're about three months from it takes us about a year to 15 months to we buy stuff we fix it up immediately so it's always you could always move it if you had to um that means a lot to us it's where

our kids spend Christmas summer vacation fourth of July and so you know we pretty much own it free and clear so that that can stay in the family forever I I would guess I would have something in California. I've got a little, I've got a beachfront place, a little condo that's adorable. My wife, during the hurricane, she found something, remodeled it in Naples, Florida. Great walks on the beach. But I'll tell you a place, a part of the country that I'm really, I absolutely love. And it's the northeast.

It's in that Rhode Island. I just, I can't tuck it. I love Rhode Island, bro. I love it. So Rhode Island is near and dear to my heart. I have very good friends. I used to go there every summer with my kids. Rhode Island beaches are amazing.

So I love Rhode Island. I've been to the Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket a lot, Stonington. I've been to all these places out east. And I would guess, and I'm just throwing this out there, I'll spend my summers in the northeast somewhere in that area. near the water and then I'll spend my winters probably in California near the water in a t-shirt flip-flops jeans and yeah I mean you don't you barely wear shoes as is you're not retired no shoes when you're at work so I you know I grew up in a cold water beach in Washington state

but there is something to the breeze and the sound of the water that to me is a little addictive so that's how I'll wrap it oh it's the greatest no it's it's it's the greatest uh sorry I didn't mean to sidetrack you there. I was just, I find it, I find it fascinating. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, CliverTaylor 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 Clivered 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. 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. So let's do one NBA topic. So I said this and I thought today it was my lead. I said you see a lot of teams in the NBA panic. And I thought the Knicks passing on Paul George.

was the greatest Nick's sign I've seen in years. They would have made that move 10 years ago and 5 years ago. They panicked on Mello. They could have waited until the end of the year. They traded for him in season. And they gave, you know,

Mello ended up being a $10 million chandelier in an empty house. And then Amari Stodemeyer, everybody in the league knew, bad knees, sons were trying to get rid of him. Date, you know, that was New York. Yeah. Paul George is a top six, two-way player arguably in the league.

league, the Clippers would move off him. And the Knicks are like, we like him. We're not going to do the deal right now. And I thought, because I think the Knicks between Brunson, Randall, 11 first round picks in seven years, and multiple movable players, like, you know, like Josh Hart. Yep. I think they're one smart move. I think they're a good team.

I think they're one smart move from being a very good team. and I think a very good team could win the East next year. So all up the ante on you on good signs for the Knicks, I'd say this is also a good sign. They're not in the Dame sweepsticks because the old Knicks would be. Because Portland is dying for a competing offer for Miami. The Knicks have the draft capital. They have R.J. Barrett, who Portland would like,

young player, a wing, not a guard. But the Knicks, I think, are correctly assessing. We already have a small guard. He's 33 and going to be super expensive. And the Knicks want to keep their assets available for if the Hardin thing goes wrong and not for Hardin, if the Hardin thing goes wrong in Philly and Embed wants out, CAA, all those connections. And, you know, my pal Brian Windhorst,

said 10 weeks ago, and it was, you know, I don't know how many people picked up on it, but when the Knicks were in the playoffs against the heat in round two, Wendy said, the New York Knicks are 95% focused on Miami right now, and 5% focused on the future of Yonnas. on Tenacumpo. And with the Bucks, Yonit, they can offer Yonis a contract extension in September. He also surely will not sign it because there's no incentive for him to sign it.

He has two years left on his deal. The Bucks are a very old team that is going for it right now as they should. But Brooke Lopez just signed a two-year deal. Drew Holiday has talked about wanting to retire when this contract's over. Chris Middleton, they just brought back probably on a slight overpay, but because they want to keep it all together. The fact that no matter how this year goes for Milwaukee, it could be Janice's last year there,

or if it's not, he's a free agent in two. I think the Knicks smartly understand adding Paul George is an improvement if he's healthy, but it doesn't get us over the top. Adding Dane would not get us over the top. adding Embed or certainly adding Janus. Or I'll throw one more name out there. You know, if Kyrie burns the building down enough in Dallas,

Luca could want to get out of there. You know what I mean? I think they are trying to stay. And it's like, we already have Jalen Brunson. The Mavs had this and didn't, you know, didn't keep it together. I think that would be smart because Jalen Brunton is better than I thought he was. Yeah.

But if he's your best player, you can't win a title. Impossible. If he's your second best player, if the team is built out properly and your best player is a superstar, well, we already saw it. The team wouldn't even built out that well.

They made a team with, they made the Western Conference Finals with him being the second best guy with Luca. So I agree with you. I think the Knicks staying out of Paul George, staying out of the Dame stuff is smart. I also think when Dame goes to Miami, I think they become,

for next year, clear-cut favorites in the East. I think Dame, Jimmy, Butler, and Bam fit together so perfectly and cover up each other's weaknesses so well. I think they're the clear-cut favorites in the East, and then we'll see what happens how it was. Well, I mean, listen, you've watched them get rid of Vincent and Strues. I mean, you can see what they're doing. And the other thing that tells you that Portland and Miami are talking is how many leaks there are from both teams. So basically, they're sending the messages out like Portland continues to say and leak we will not we're not interested in Tyler hero right trade him somewhere else and get assets yeah yeah so the Portland is giving their fans

and their side of the story you got to give us more than Tyler hero and picks and you know Miami all these moves is telling you they're just clearing space they're getting ready for him so I think he's going to end up in Miami. And the truth is, you know, it's when you were a young broadcaster and you were 10 years into your career and you're young or a dame is 11 years in the NBA, I think there's a certain level of courage to it. But I do think everybody at some point in their professional career needs to give themselves the best opportunity to succeed, right?

Yes. I think dames earn the right to be on TV in late May. he's earned the right. 100%. Right. 100%. And the other thing about the Dane thing, this is not current Blazers front office fault,

but you have a decade of Damien Liller and you trade first round picks for Robert Covington. You stick with CJ too long and then don't get the right package for him. You treat NERCage like he's the answer. You trade, you made a lot. That previous front office. regimes made a lot of mistakes. Now, maybe had they done everything right?

Maybe they don't win. I don't know. But he was, it wasn't LeBron with the Cavs the first time around level of front office incompetence. But it was pretty damn bad to have between the time, Lamarcus Aldridge left and right now that his best teammate was simply a worse version of him. Yes, C.J. McCollum, is. a terrible job. You know what I mean?

That's a terrible job. And that's one of the reasons the Dane thing to me is different than a lot of these other trade demands trade requests is he was as patient as anyone could have asked. He held up his end as well as anyone could have expected, if not better. He's coming up your average 32 points per game. And Portland just didn't. It's not, he wasn't the guy. It's like, I don't want to be.

in the small market. I want to be, he didn't have the wandering eye the moment he got there the way people felt with Zion in New Orleans or AD in New Orleans. No, he wanted to stay there and wanted to be there. And they blew it. And now, so I, you know, I hope he goes to Miami. I think it'll be a great fit. And I think they can win the damn title. Eric Spolstra, Jimmy Butler, Bam and Dame, that team can win the damn title. By the way, when you retire, though it's a long way off, what will, where will you go. It's very interesting. So I,

because I kind of have a two-track mind on this. One is, so I'm 38. I, my, my, what I tell my wife is in 10 years, my daughter, my youngest

daughter will be going to college. At that point, if I don't have enough, if I haven't put away enough money to be, have the choice to retire to where everything, our whole life's paid for,

I'm about to be 50, then I have screwed up. My goal between now and when my youngest goes to college is, make enough money, putting enough money away, that if I want to be like, I'm done, I'm allowed to be,

you know what I mean? I can be done. Now, my wife tells me I'll never be done. She thinks I'll never, you know, certainly not at 48 or 49. She might be right. I don't know. But under that circumstance, what if I were done and I was still young, I would do one of two things.

I would either go to law school or I would travel around and playing poker tournaments. which are two very different things, but not that different in that. I would need to do something that was intellectually challenged. And I might, you know, I've played around with the idea of going to law school now, like night class. Like, what if I took two classes a semester, now it's going to, what I could maybe be done in six years? you know what I mean and then just have that done. And maybe I would do that.

Maybe I will do that. I'm not sure. I also think it's kind of bullshit that I have to go to law school. I feel like I should be able to take the bar. And if I pass it, just good job. Like, let me study for the bar and take the bar. And then if someone's to hire me, fine. But best I can tell that's only legal in Louisiana and I'm not even sure if it's

legal in Louisiana anymore. A lot of things are only illegal. A lot of things are only legal. Exactly. So I don't know if that, so that's not a thing. think. My wife, you know, my wife has this store in New York City, you know it, Trintage. It's where we do the podcast. She wants to open one in Vegas. And she, you know, she says she'd be open to living in Vegas. I think Vegas full time is tough. I think the Vegas summers are tough.

You know what I mean? Like the, especially with the way the climate's going. I loved Southern California. I loved it. But I was there without my family. You know, that's when I was commuting, Houston, L.A. I know where I won't live. I wouldn't live in Texas again with no disrespect to the wonderful people, you know, my friends there or whatever. I couldn't do that again. And I don't think I'll live in New York City forever. I love it here. And I oddly love Broadway. I really love it. And the restaurants are as good as everybody says. But I am at my heart.

I am a Midwestern kid. And I miss having a yard. I just miss it. I miss being able to go, you know what I mean? Put my feet in the grass in a yard. And I've lived in Harlem for seven years now. So like I don't think I,

and I think New York City be a hard place to be old. Obviously, that sounds dumb because there's a lot of old people here. There's 15 million people. But just because of the walking and the subway. in the weather. It's just, I think it would be hard

to be an old person in the city. So I think the answer is probably, uh, L.A. I think that my, my youngest,

my youngest, my middle daughter is going to, I don't know if I told you this. She's going to University of California, Santa Cruz. So she's going to be in Northern California. My son is,

you know, works on the, at Fox on the line. Yeah. And so he's in L.A. So that's probably where I'd be. But if I am done before I'm 50, then it might,

I might dictate it by what my wife's career is doing. But I also probably won't be done. I'll probably just, you know, just do this for a very long time. I just don't know. I don't know. You got your,

I think you would have not gotten tired of talking about sports. But I think you needed another huge challenge. And that's one of the reasons the volume exists. Yeah. Was because like I don't, I think you're, I know how hard you work every day on your show, but you've mastered that to a degree where it wasn't. It's not like your show's hard to do. It is a lot of work, but it's not intellectually difficult for you. You know what to do. so you created a new mountain to climb. I don't know what I would do because I'm not a businessman. I'm not an entrepreneur.

I am a gambler. But that's also, you know, I talked about putting away enough money to retire by him 50. That's also a way to lose that money. So I don't know. I don't know what I'll do. You know, we're coming up. I got 28 more shows and it will be 1,500 episodes of first. things first.

1,500 episodes of the TV show. And I was thinking about it the other day. I was like, what sports TV shows have been going on without, you know, uninterrupted longer than mine? And it's yours, undisputed, PTI, around the horn, first take. And I think that's the list. You know, it's interesting? You just jarred a memory from me.

You know how earlier you were saying that Twitter sometimes can be discouraging? This is a prime example of what Twitter is. So one of the reasons I put filters in, I didn't mind being criticized on social. It bothered me when people criticized people at the volume. I didn't like that. Oh, yeah. Or like you. And so when you announced,

FS1 announced, and you announced, my show's moving from the morning to after Collins show. That day I went on to see how people would react to you. Of 100 tweets, 99 thought it would fail and it was a terrible idea. The show is the fastest growing show in sports cable. And you and I both knew that it was the right move for the show. you and I privately didn't discuss it, but what is happening to your show?

I largely predicted. You're going to get a stable number. You and I, our personalities are saying we're friends. So you and I knew it was going to work. The company knew it was going to work. Twitter, abject failure. 100%.

As a boss, as a very smart person in my industry once said, Twitter is wrong about everything. Everything. But so, but and here's the thing. I, you know, the most, not all, but most television shows end by being canceled. Again, not all. Some people, it's just like, hey, this is great run. We're done, whatever it is.

But like the most successful version of our, and I didn't include inside the NBA or any of those shows, but I'm talking, you know what I'm talking about the daily sports talk shows. You know, PTI is the longest running and most successful, right? Yeah. One day, that show, you know, could get canceled. Who knows? If that were to happen, there would be an article written or certainly people, you know, takes given about it failing. It's like, well, it ran for 28 years and had a documentary made about it.

Like, I don't think that. So, I mean, the fact that this thing, and we've had different iterations of it, but I've been there from day one. And at this point, I'm the only one that's been there from day one. We are a pro again, right before football, we will hit 1,500 episodes. It's pretty unbelievable. Made it through a pandemic, doing shows from our home. And now, you know, the me, wilds, and brew have really hit a rhythm where the show is fun and the show is consistently good. and this show I could do I feel like I could do it as you know

however as long as they'll let me and you and I did talk about the fact that the having your show lead you know the your show on my show be a block on the network that that was if that didn't work then one of us like something's wrong and what has happened

is like you said and I don't ever I don't understand why people in our business publicize how much money they make, and I don't understand why people, you know, try, you know, to tout ratings regularly. I'm not saying occasionally sending out a thank you, whatever. I just feel like you were just putting a target on your back, especially the salaries thing. I don't get it. I'm like, you get the ego boost of it being written about and your friends from high school seeing it. The downside is it almost assuredly alienates coworkers. It puts a huge target on your back. It's just insane. Um, so I don't talk about either. Um, but what I will say, because you referenced it, it's true is it is crazy, Colin,

that in a time of cable contracting and cord cutting and all of it, your show and my show aren't up small percentages. They're up massive jobs. They're up massive jobs. to where you're and where having some of our best months ever, you know, in a time when that's not true for really anybody. And I think, you know, I think it's a testament to the network. And I think it's a testament to you and I right now. And again, if you're listening to this an hour and five minutes in, you like Colin and I both. So I apologize for the self-congratulatory nature of it. But you and I now are both doing the. exact show we want to do.

Yeah. And the fact that that is working is so gratifying. You know what I mean? Like, just like, let me do the exact show I want to do. And if it doesn't work, then, hey, I was wrong or whatever. But at least, you know what I mean? Let's do it. And we are. And your shows as, you know, as good as it has ever been. And my show is so different. I used to be on at 6.30 in the morning, baldheaded scowlings, yelling at people. And now I'm bringing out goddamn trumpeters laughing, you know what I mean, and talking about the Prince of those promise. The show has changed, but it's fun and it's good. And yeah, so in that regard, I'll do it for, I'll do it for a long time.

Oprah Winfrey once told Jim Gray, the sports guy, who told me about a month ago, he said, Jim came up and it was very complimentary of the show. And I said, how are things? And he said, he said, how long are I going to do that for? And I said, oh, I like it. I just, I really enjoy Jason. I enjoy my coworkers. And he said, Oprah once told me, if you talk for a living, keep talking for a living. It's the easiest job ever.

Never stop talking. Before we're done, can I tell you a quick Jim Gray story? At the Super Bowl, we're in the hotel we're staying at. Jim Gray comes in. And I'm sitting there with some colleagues. And I saw him and I introduced myself called Mr. Gray. I'm Mr. Gray, Nick Wright, you know, massive respect. And he's like, oh, I know you, Nick.

And I was like, okay, sure, thanks. But, you know, it's the word. But then he just engages us and starts telling stories and talking. We're going back and forth. And so I somehow, you know, I asked him, you know, why are you still working. Why do you still, you know, because he was about to go somewhere at work. And he didn't tell that anecdote or whatever, but he, he just, you know, gave a good, nice answer. And then he was like, you know, I'll ask you. He was like, why do you do this?

And I had just talked about, I had, I basically started to relay a story regarding Tom Brady that I had just done on my podcast. And Jim fucking Gray stops me mid-story. And it's like, oh, you told this story last week on what's right. And I almost passed out, bro. And I'm like, I'm like, first of all, I'm also scanning in my brain. I'm like, at any point on what's right, did I ever take a shot at Jim Gray? Because that show with Tom Brady was not like, but I was like, I was like, I never said anything bad. Did I?

But the fact that I was like, that was such a cool moment for me. I'm like this guy who was, you know, has been the Forrest Gump almost of so many sports moments, iconic sports moments throughout all of history, at some point was riding in his car, listening to the podcast that I do with my children for my wife's store. I'm like, that's pretty cool. And he was so nice.

He was so nice and so cool. I'd never met him before that day. But that's a legend. That's a legend in the business. Yeah, I mean, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I'm always appreciated about Brady is, um, you know, his gratitude. He gets emotional now when you talk about, you know, his football career. And I think there's so many people in America that, um, work really hard and don't love their job that I, every day I drive to work in a good mood. You know, you know, I'm just thinking, I'm going to talk sports.

So I, uh, I try to convey that to the audience that they have a right to criticize me because I'm not always good, but I think I'm, I'm, I feel very, very, very, fortunate. I grew up in a small town. Divorced parents didn't have a lot. So I feel happy as hell. Tonight's Ann's not here tonight. So I'm currently taping this at 5-11. And I've got to be honest with you. I may just go, I may go out and have a cocktail on a steak tonight by myself. That's weird. That is, when I lived in L.A., can I tell you a great spot? It's not like a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, but a great alone cocktail steak spot. The Del Frisco's Grill, which is like the quicker Del Friscoes, but they have the full menu, on the San right on by the Santa Monica Pier, they have an outdoor seating area.

It's only like four seats instead of high top. And it is facing the pier. and I used to go there twice a week when I live by myself out there, by myself, put on a podcast, order a $70 steak, and a side of spinach, and just sit there, silently listening to something, watching people, walk the pier. This was when I was living out there was right when? Do you remember when Pokemon Go? became super popular and everyone was,

it was the game on your phone, but you had to go like find Pokemon in the real world, but it was like, but it was people like, it was just hordes of people, a lot of whom playing Pokemon Go and walking on the Santa Monica Pier and the beach is there. And I'm just sitting there.

I'm like, I understand like a hundred bucks for a one person dinner by themselves is kind of silly, but also no way I could possibly enjoy 90 minutes more. No, I'm just sitting here. Like in the corner, outdoors, the ocean breeze, having a great steak, having a drink. I can't recommend it strongly enough. Listen, I'm pretty, I'm pretty frugal.

The one thing I spend money on is cocktails and food. I tell my kids this all the time. Education and experiences, I don't look at the check. Like, I'm going to educate my kids. I'm going to have good experiences. I was telling somebody this recently. There's no place in a marriage. America that gets more criticized, but is greater to live than California.

I mean, no, we just lost Scott Bayo, which is a great loss to the state economically. Devastating. But we have Mediterranean weather. We have no humidity. We don't get really lightning. We don't get hail. We don't get winter. I guess we get earthquakes.

I've never lived through one. We have homeless, which major cities have, but I think Mayor Karen Bass has actually done a very solid job on that. It doesn't feel quite as intense as it was before Karen Bass took over the new mayor. Our crime is overstated. If you look at crime stats.

All the crime is overstated. It's unbelievably. There are, L.A., you know what is one of the safest places, big cities in the world? New York City. No one believes you, but it's true. It's now like where I'm,

from Kansas City wildly. Kansas City more dangerous than Chicago. You know what I like? The cities that the crime stats that people get banged over that on because people don't understand that you have to do everything per capita. You can't be like, well, there were this many murders. Well, are there 12 million people there or 1.2 million because it matters. And listen, you said the homelessness that I, this is, you know, a separate discussion for

separate day. I think, you know, it is a blight on the American consciousness that we are seemingly just opting in to every major city having a good percentage of its population being homeless, that we've just like, ah, housing's unaffordable, and we're not going to give people mental health care, and we're not going to give people adequate drug treatment. So there's just going to be people on the street. But those people, in my opinion, should be angry at the those three things, instead they will, that are willfully blind to the causes of it and then just fucking angry that the people exist.

They're like, what these people somewhere? It's like, well, there's nowhere for anyone to go and no one can afford a house. So that's not an indictment on any of these cities, in my opinion, that,

and I understand I was in L.A. and I saw there was like a camp, but if you're, if you don't have affordable housing and you don't have health care or drug treatment, people are going to have to be somewhere. So if L.A. sucked and New York sucked, it's not cheap to live in either place. There wouldn't be millions of people here. People love it. You know what I mean? There's a lot of, I understand. They're like, oh, my God, it's so cheap. And I'm not trying to be an elitist to get up from Missouri. They're like, oh, the cost of living in South Dakota is cheap. Lands available. You can go. Like people seem to like California quite a bit for a lot of reasons.

I love Chicago. I never feel unsafe. My wife and I go regularly. It's my favorite big city in the country. L.A. is too. I like New York, but Chicago's kind of a cleaner version, easier to navigate. I love big cities. Not all of them, but I don't love all small towns. I tend to be just my, I like to be by the beach in the mountains or a city.

Right? You think to yourself, well, that's everywhere. But it's not. I like to be, I like the mountains because I love. to ski and I like to hike. I like the water because I like the breeze and I grew up with it. And I like cities. And so a lot of the country, flat without water or mountains, is just not appealing to me.

That's nothing against the place. Right. That's why you've never been to Kansas City. It's the only big city in the world you've never been to. That's why. Flat and no mountains. No city or state gets criticized by Los Angeles, like Los Angeles. And I think some of it is we tend to lean more.

left than the rest of the country. Another thing is, it's a lot of beautiful people. But if the entertainment business was in Cleveland, there'd be more beautiful people in Cleveland. It is part of what our economy is based on. And the other thing is, people hate what they don't have or they're threatened by. And the truth is, it's the biggest economy in the country.

We've got better weather than everybody else. We're not perfect. Our traffic is hard. Taxes like they are in New York and Chicago, these major municipalities, it's very expensive. You've got, you know, education budgets, road budgets. Like, they're expensive cities.

But I do think it's interesting. People often get very defensive in America. If I went on the air and ripped Kansas City, it would make the newspapers. It would trends. Yeah. People in Arkansas, Alabama, ripped California, and nobody cares here. Well, so this is, and then we can, we can go because now we're going to, I'm going to start,

because I can't help myself waiting into politics. I find it, I'm not actually offended, but I find it offensive. That people know I lean pretty far left. And I hate that Democrats have just decided we are going to allow the other side to call giant swaths of our.

country, not real America. Because if it was, you hear some conservative politicians talk about these major cities with millions of people and say, huh, you know, I was in L.A. or I was in New York. It's nice to be back in real America. It's nice to be back with real Americans. When can you imagine, can you imagine if someone running for a national office that was a Democrat was like, man, I was just in Biloxi, Mississippi. And let me tell you, it's nice to be back to a civilization supposed to that hell hole. I was it. They'd be like, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's nice to be back with real Americans here as opposed to that. People wouldn't allow it. I, there is the, you are 100% correct that it is just become commonplace to just be like, San Francisco, L.A., New York,

sucks. Don't know why anyone would live there. Oddly, it's wild. It's wild. expensive, way densely populated. People put a house up for a sale and you get three over, 3% over asking the first day. I don't know what's going on there. But I, that's so frustrates me, man. And it really frustrates me because they act like any of these places, every place you go to is the most it is as far as like political affiliation is like 6535. There is no place in the you're going to find in the country that's 90, 10 or anything like that everything is people, you know, Republicans and Democrats, gay and straight, black and white, everybody mixed together. And yeah, I don't like the way people take shots at Chicago and New York and they're major cities. Listen, anywhere where you have major cities and a lot of people and a lot of industry and a lot of money, you're going to have the good and the bad that comes with it. That's just how the world works. Chicago, excuse my language, is a great fucking time. My wife and I, eat, party, friends, up all night. I have never had a bad night in Chicago.

It is so much fun. You know what's not fun? 10 o'clock crickets. Chicago is a late night, big city, broad shoulders, water, noise. I mean, they're my favorite bar. Remember the one I gave you, you were going to Chicago when I told your wife. Did you go? Yes, yes, yes.

Oh, I went, I forgot to tell you. I went to a different place as well. And at the end of the meal, it might have been the place you told me. At the end of the meal, the waitress said to me, she was like, I didn't want to bother you until everything was done. She was like, but I, the way she put it, it was very nice. She's like, I know who you are.

I'm like, okay, thank you. She was like, Colin Coward was here two weeks ago. And it was me, I was like, that is unbelievable. She was like, I served him. Now I'm serving you. So I think it was, I forget the name of the place, was the place you recommended. I went there with Danny, with Danny Parkins, who you know. It's my favorite bar in the country.

I think it's Maple and Ash. Yeah, that's right. I have met the most interesting people there. I think they're going to open one up in Los Angeles. Chicago, it is, I love it. I got introduced to it late. Vancouver, BC, L.A. and Chicago. Those are my cities.

So Vancouver's, I've never been, but I've heard it's unbelievable. The one place that I would add that I love, my wife just got back from is New Orleans. Yeah. And just because the culture and the food and it's another place with beautiful people, but it's a very New Orleans more so than any other city in the country, feels like you're out of the country. You know what I mean? It almost feels like international place.

But all these places have their issues, but there's, I don't know. You got the, your defense of Chicago kind of flippantly on your show. Yeah. A few months ago made like, that was a big story in Chicago when J. Mack was like, oh, that place sucks. And you were like, I love it there. I go there all the time. That was a big, that was on Danny's, Danny's radio show in Chicago, a big topic.

It was a big thing. But yeah, it gets, it's used. is a cudgel for, I think, bad actors. But yeah, I don't know that I could live there because the winters are so harsh. But in the spring and the summer in Lake Michigan, pretty unbelievable. It's like having an ocean thing so big. It's pretty great. It's also got the best, one of the best looking people under 45 in America, because all,

it's the one place in the Midwest to get rich, largely. so the best looking young men, the most confident men and women from all those great universities. Aspirational people, yes, they go there. They all go to Chicago and you go out on a Friday night and you're like, this is a good looking town. There are good looking people everywhere in Chicago. Oh, my goodness. All right, buddy.

All right. Hey, I love you. It's great to see you. Where are you, if you don't mind me asking, then we'll go. Where are you going this summer? I heard you mention you're going. on a cruise. Yeah, I'm going to Rhode Island for 10 days at the end of August.

And then I'm going on a boat trip with two other couples in a couple of weeks through the Desolation Islands in Vancouver, B.C., which is the warmest water north of Mexico. It's an amazing six-day cruise. That sounds awesome. So I, uh, taking my wife and kids, uh, to the Caribbean for, in a week and a half for the family trip. And then a thing my wife and I have started doing is when we get our week off in August, we take her grandparents who are the most mobile and with it and awesome 90 and 93-year-olds in the world.

We took them, well, it's 90 and 92, but the granddad turns 93 here in a few weeks. Pre-pandemic, we took them to Barcelona, went everywhere, the four of us. Post-pandemic last summer, we took them to Rome. And this year, the four of us are flying to Amsterdam, going Amsterdam to Germany, to Belgium, to Paris, driving it. Me, my wife, and her 90-plus-year-old, non-agenarian grandparents, who are our best friends, They're the coolest people. So we've just decided as long as they can do it, there are travel partners.

They're the only couple that likes us enough to travel with us. So they're the people we travel with. Yeah, so that'll be great. Hopefully I'll be in L.A. And we can get together when you're there. All right, buddy. Great talking. All right. Talk to you later.

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