The Ryen Russillo Podcast - MVP Impact After Embiid Sits Out vs. Jokic, Ryan Whitney on Hockey Guy vs. NBA Guy, Plus 'Succession' Is Back!

Episode Date: March 28, 2023

Russillo shares his Tales From the Couch, including Kings-Timberwolves, Embiid missing the 76ers-Nuggets matchup, the 8-seed Pelicans, the arrow pointing up for the Rockets, and more (0:37). Then Ryen is joined by Ryan Whitney of the 'Spittin' Chiclets' podcast to talk Massachusetts, Whitney's hockey career, NHL vs. NBA, and more (26:37). Then Ryen, Ceruti, and Kyle recap Season 4, Episode 1 of HBO's 'Succession,' "The Munsters" (1:07:54), before answering some listener-submitted Life Advice questions (1:25:45). Host: Ryen Russillo Guest: Ryan Whitney Producers: Kyle Crichton and Steve Ceruti Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We start today's podcast back on that tails from the couch. A lot of good stuff from last night, specifically Minnesota's win in Sacramento. Little hockey talk. Not a ton, but we got Ryan Whitney from Spittin' Chicklets. Talk about his career, Boston, little hockey, rapid fire, NBA versus NHL player comps. And we've got succession recap, which we'll do every week for the final season and life advice. This episode is brought to you by Uber Eats. Winter is here, so be prepared and get almost

anything delivered with Uber Eats. What do I mean by almost anything? Well, you can't get a ski slope, but dish soap, definitely doable. Sunshine, that's no. A bottle of wine, yeah. And a snow day, again, no. But blueberry muffins with the delicious crumb topping, total yes. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. We start today's Tales from the Couch in Sacramento. The Kings looking to beat Minnesota and end the 16-year playoff drought, the longest playoff drought in major sports.

Active right now, longest in NBA history. And guess what? Not tonight or not last night. Minnesota goes in and beats Sacramento. This was one of my favorite games recently just because of the atmosphere leading up to it. Sacramento ready to unveil this party, and then you have this Minnesota dynamic that is definitely worth paying attention to. So we're going to actually focus a lot on Minnesota, even though I know Sacramento from just a shooting

standpoint, you could be like, well, that's why they lost the game. But let's be positive here and talk some Minnesota here. They beat Golden State the night before. Bill and I were taping during that game, so I had to watch it after. And that game could have gone either way. You had an awful pool turnover, which is kind of funny because I was just giving him credit for kind of avoiding that monumental mistake that he makes so often. Then he had a huge one. And then Draymond's turnover was arguably even worse.

And then Cat hits the three. Carl Anthony Towns back two games. Did not play last worse, and then Cat hits the three. Carl Anthony Towns back two games. Did not play last night, though. Cat hits that three, and that's the ballgame. I mean, Steph even got one off in the corner. There are a couple things kind of like going off of that win against Golden State and then to go to Sacramento and get that win, and that's Jaden McDaniels. Now, Jaden was bad by his standards, but he got in foul trouble in the Golden State game,

but there was a play off the ball where Steph actually couldn't shake McDaniels. It was impressive. And the reason I want to talk about McDaniels is he got started last night. I think he started the game six for six. The nickname going around about him because of his defensive prowess, and it is real, his seatbelt. There's a couple other ones there. But I'm telling you, that one possession with Steph where it was like wait you're playing me this hard off the ball

and when you watch mcdaniels it is all arms and legs it's insane how long he is and then when you just factor in like the visual of his limbs but the reason you know let's go back to my blowtorch the Timberwolves segment, which I still feel totally fair about. And by the way, the team traded the guy that I spent the most time talking about, D'Angelo Russell, because they wanted to move on from him. Right. And that was the problem with D'Angelo is that he's actually so talented that he's never going to kind of like ease off. Right. He's still going to kind of be in control of what you're doing. And I think beyond the stats and the shooting and his talent,

there was a lot there that I just didn't like. And I think it's maybe not as obvious as just the scoring stats. You have to kind of pay attention to like all the stuff that he's not doing. All right. So I already did that segment. We don't have to do it all over again. But what I think was part of the problem with that segment is that I was focused on the things that were not working. And then I was thinking about Anthony Edwards, who I love, and going like, at what point could he look around and go like, is this team good enough for me?

Because that's, by the way, what happens in this league now. But I didn't mention the role players and I didn't mention Jaden McDaniels because despite all of us knowing how good he is defensively, I just felt from an offensive standpoint, like, yeah, he's a nice player, but would he be the kind of guy that changes the course of who you are as a franchise? Because that really is asking a lot of somebody that hasn't shown it enough offensively. But he's had a month here where it's his highest scoring month of his career. He's getting 15 a game. The shooting splits are really good, 51 and 42% from the floor. And I thought last night, and we've seen a little bit more of this, and Timberwolves fans, yes, you are more locked into this than I am. But when I watched him,

I felt like, how much of this is he actually initiating on his own and his offense? And last night he was. I mean, he had an in-game dunk that was as impressive as anything you're going to see in the regular season. And whether it was him starting on Fox or then ending up on a shooter, he can basically defend everybody other than like a center. Granted, when you have Gobert, you're never going to have to worry about that. And then when Towns is back out there, but this defense is real. And I thought his offense last night was a glimpse of in his third year of going like, all right, maybe, maybe this can be something because I think too many times this year when I've watched like, all right, maybe, maybe this is, this can be something because I think too many times this year when I've watched them, you know, you're just not going to notice them that

much offensively, uh, which is pretty strange. If you go back to when he was at Washington. Now, when he went to Washington for that one season, he was a top 10 recruit. Uh, it wasn't a good basketball team yet. You know, Washington went through the stretcher. They were getting some dudes in there and then it didn't really feel like it was equating to wins, but he actually initiated a lot of their offense. So when I was watching him for the draft, I'm like,

man, this guy's different. Like he's huge, but he's kind of running a lot of their sets. Like he's getting them into what, so wait, is this guy supposed to be like a six, nine point guard?

Like, what is he? And when you go back and I was looking at it this morning, like some of the recruiting stories of Washington landing him, it's like he can play any four positions, you know, he can do all these different things. And they actually did try to use, now granted, they didn't win many games.

So, you know, I don't know how much of that was all on him. It wasn't like I was watching full Washington Huskies games the entire season. But there is more to his game, at least the way he's been brought up as a player, than I we've seen for a good chunk of the minnesota part of it yes little glimpses but then you wonder like can he take that next step i don't even have the answer to it i'm just telling you last night was awesome this month has been better and it's really something that's exciting because the other part of this which gets back to rus not being there, is that I love Noel.

I love Nas Reed. Their bench last night was incredible because, again, it was no cat, and Anthony Edwards has been out of it for these last couple games. He's coming off the injury. It's an observation. It's not any kind of confirmation of anything that I think of Anthony Edwards. He had three shots in the fourth quarter last night. He hit a huge three. He had only one shot attempt in the fourth quarter against Golden State. We know that he had the recent injury. So to me, it doesn't really mean anything.

But the point is, is that the rest of the players were filling in this scoring void because Edwards just didn't have it. You can kind of see he had a nice second quarter, but it just felt like he was out of it. Again, just an observation. It doesn't mean that I'm taking the posters down in the living room, which would be weird to put them in the living room. But when you live by yourself, nobody says shit about your poster situation. So Conley is an adult in the room. I've always liked Noel and his drives. I felt like they just did a good job of making it look different on offense,

whether it was a pick and roll with Conley and Gobert where Sabonis couldn't really help because he's still worried about Gobert as bad as Gobert can look on some catches, even though when the low man came to help off the corner and Gobert caught it in the pan, I was like, oh, Jesus, this is going to be a car crash. And Gobert somehow got it out to the corner for a three. They did a good job of getting into the corners and then attacking closeouts. There just

was a lot of stuff that I felt like Minnesota was doing where you're going, this is good. This is what it's supposed to look like. It's not supposed to look like one guy dribbling it up and then everybody waiting around to see what that one guy will do. And then when he gets into trouble, he just flips it out to somebody else, spot it up on the three-point line, which is unfortunately, even good teams, we see just way too much of that in the league today. So look, a love fest here for Minnesota. Liking what Conley's bringing to the table, even though you're a little worried about some of the slippage, but even better as we'd had him on recently.

And his closing numbers as far as like the clutch time stuff, I think, and granted a very small sample size, might be best on Minnesota. In March, you know, in 12 games, the offensive defensive ratings for Minnesota is still kind of middle of the pack. You could also sum this up by saying they look good on offense because Sacramento's 27th on defense in March. I mean, Sacramento's just going to struggle on defense. I don't know that they have the perimeter guys that are built to hang with the better

perimeter players in the game today. I mean, Gobert is going to get his rebounds, but you're still not necessarily worried about him on the catch offensively with any of this stuff. In the previous matchups, Minnesota and Sacramento had split those games. Remember the overtime win, which was the second game with this? I remember that Sabonis had fouled out and they brought in Trey Lyles.

They went small. They went five out. It kind of messed up Gobert having to chase everybody around. The other guys weren't playing great defense. You're like, boy, they may have unlocked something there with that. They actually closed with Lyles and Sabonis, I believe, for long stretches because Sacramento will kind of figure out. They'll change who their closing five is a little bit more

than some of the other teams, especially when we keep talking about how Sacramento's top five guys, that lineup has played more than any other lineup, I believe, in the NBA. I didn't check it this morning, but they were so far ahead of everybody else. So really to sum this whole thing up, you're looking at it in Minnesota this morning. They're the sixth seed. They have the tiebreaker over Golden State. But those two games were hard, okay? Those are to go into Golden State and get a win that could have gone either way

and then to go into Sacramento and close them out where it was like it didn't feel like the wrong team. Yes, I know Sacramento was 5-27 for threes, and you could say, hey, they make a few more of those. It's a different game. Yeah, no problem, but let's give Minnesota some credit here. Those are two hard wins, back-to-back nights. Not to say nobody wins on back-to-backs,

because we default to that excuse way too often. There's 13 teams in the NBA that have a winning record on back-to-backs, and if you looked at the overall league average, I'd give it to you, but the bottom five teams are so bad on back-to-backs because they're just bad teams that they drag the overall average out. There's plenty of teams winning on back-to-back, but to do it in Golden State, to do it in Sacramento, especially with what those two teams are fighting for, are nice wins.

All right, no unbeat against Denver. I didn't want to make this a headline because I didn't want to make it too negative, and honestly, it isn't the headline for it. It's just super disappointing. We've had this happen a couple times. We're all geared up. You're leaving the beach early. You're't the headline for it. It's just super disappointing. We've had this happen a couple times. We're all geared up. You're leaving the beach early. You're getting the boat tied up.

You're like, I have to go back. It's Jokic and Bede, and you're like, no, it isn't, although we knew about this a lot earlier. Denver tried to lose this game. It was 110-91. Philly goes on a 20-4 run to make it 114-111, and then it becomes one of those weird things where Jamal Murray has to come back in the game. Jokic is out there closing it. on a 20-4 run to make it 114-111, and then it becomes one of those weird things where

Jamal Murray has to come back in the game. Jokic is out there closing it. Jokic had an incredible pass to Jeff Green. Yes, his heel was out of bounds. They reviewed it, but they couldn't change the foul call, whatever. Reviews are fucking stupid, and they waste all of our time, but they're probably not going anywhere. So I think there's a lot of different things you can kind of think here that are all hypothetical

that'll mean nothing in 24 hours, and that's, does this impact the Embiid-Jokic-Yannis MVP race? Bill and I disagreed on Yannis still being involved in the MVP race. He's still in it for me. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but Embiid not playing last night against Jokic will not impact my vote at all. It just won't. If we're looking at total games played, Embiid's at 61 games, but Jokic is at 67. If we're looking at total games played, Embiid's at 61 games, but Jokic is at 67. So we ride this out. There's not some huge misstretch to close here. I think they're all close enough.

Giannis is behind both those dudes at 59 games. So the games played thing is not going to be any kind of tiebreaker, at least for me, on the MVP vote. I don't think six games is that big of a deal. I wonder, though, if Embiid not playing helped Jokic, not because Embiid didn't play, but because with Jokic, the more I think about like our differences of opinions on who's the better player, I'm going to use a golf analogy, golf guy over here, played a couple rounds of nine holes, not a big deal. Jokic is the golfer who doesn't really drive it that far. Maybe doesn't even land in the

fairway off the tee box all that often. But around the green, he's not fucking it up. He's not getting himself into impossible positions. He's fixing the previous bad shot. He's not chipping it back and forth over the green. He's not three putting all the time.

And I think Giannis and Joel are the golfers that have like this sick bag. Smash it off the tee. You know, like just some nice shots. Their swing looks terrific. And then, you know, they get in the cart onto the next hole. And it's like, what'd you get? Like I had a five and Jokic is like, I had a four. So from the visual of if Embiid had gone off last night,

which is basically every single night the guy plays, and it was big time, I think today would have been rough for Jokic. Even in the Giannis game this weekend weekend which was a great win by Denver you know the beginning of that game when I was watching when Milwaukee was doing on offense I was like man I don't know man this Denver team sometimes like sometimes I think they're really good and sometimes I don't and I'm not even talking about like their bad stretch because Denver's you know figured it out here but Giannis didn't defend Jokic I would have loved to have seen it I would have loved to seen just something to be disruptive but when you have Brooke Lopez you don't really need to do it and

Bud is like one of the most and stubborn is too negative a word but let's just put it this way Bud's not changing what he's doing so he's not going to have Giannis and look Giannis isn't going to defend some of the better players he just isn't which is a little frustrating too but I can also understand that his offensive burden and honestly that's very common with most of the stars in the league. It's like we're asking so much of this guy to basically be our entire offense, to be the sun in our offense, and then we're going to have him chase Jokic around the whole time. That doesn't make a ton of sense, even if I selfishly wanted to see it. Giannis did strip him twice, though. He did strip him twice. And so then you end the game and you're like, oh, you know, Denver wins it.

Giannis wasn't like peak Giannis in that game. But Jokic was 31-6-11. You're like, oh, he had 31-6-11. I mean, last night he had 25-17-12, and it felt pretty pedestrian. He now joins Wilt, which is like the new t-shirt this year, joins Wilt the last couple seasons with some of these offensive outbursts that we've seen from all the top guys around the league. But Jokic joins

Wilt and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to have 10 plus games of 25-15 in 10 in a season. And so those are back-to-back games where if you're watching with Jokic, you're like, it might not look as good as the Giannis 35-12 game. It might not look as good as the 38-14 game from Embiid.

And that might have been the win. Not that Embiid didn't play, but if everybody is watching that game that's obsessed with his MVP race, if you had seen it play out, like hell, who knows? If Embiid had gone for 40 and they lost and Jokic has his 26 12 and 11 we were 25 17 and 12 that's the actual number I wonder you know first of all nobody's giving in like if you're so far left or so far right you're not changing your mind on any of this stuff. And I always feel like the

Embiid part of it is a little nastier. And maybe that's because Embiid has lost. And the one year I had a vote, maybe I see more of it because I voted for Jokic last year. And I have no doubt that I picked the right guy last season. This year, I'm going to have some doubts about it. But I'd ask this to the Embiid people. Would you have been pretty chill if Jokic didn't play last night and Embiid did? So I'm not looking at last night's result going up. Embiid didn't play. Jokic had an awesome game. They won the game. All right, that's a bit of a tiebreaker. These are six-month awards for me, but I wonder how chill the people saying it wasn't going to be a big deal would be if it were reversed. Okay. Do you know who your eighth seed is this morning?

It's the New Orleans Pelicans. A week after talking about them being clearly the most disappointing story in the NBA season, they've won five straight, playing Houston, San Antonio, Charlotte, unless you're the Mavs. They got the nice win last night against the Pacers. Not going to spend any time on that because I was locked into early stuff that we'll get to. So, yeah, wins against Houston, San Antonio, Charlotte, the Clippers, and Portland. That'll do it. That'll do it for you. Portland's playing summer league porn lineups right now. Where'd that guy

go? Yep. So check that out if you get a chance. But Brandon Ingram, Western Conference Player of the Week. Here's what I'm going to say about the Pelicans. Finally, finally. I know you're beating bad teams, but you're too talented to be losing this many games and to have Ingram being conference player of the week.

The reason I would say you were disappointing even without the Zion thing, it shouldn't have been that bad for that long and that's how bad it was. So this is a nice little stretch and they're now back in the playoff picture. This is something I bring up every season. I'm going to do it every year that I do this. Beware of Gerald

Green's season. What is Gerald Green's it every year that I do this. Beware of Gerald Green season. What is Gerald Green season? That's the end of the regular season where somebody puts up some numbers, somebody that you want to be really good, somebody you have faith in. You haven't really seen any evidence that tells you the player is going to be good. But when nobody's really trying, that player kind of goes off. And you're like, all right, this guy's going to be pretty good. Gerald Green was in his second year with the Celtics. If you remember him, he was like 6'6", one of the most sick athletes I've ever seen,

could shoot it from three, could dribble, could win dunk contests, and he just wasn't that good at basketball early on. He did, to his credit, find a way to have a role as a contributor for a much longer time. He had a second act to his career where he kind of figured out that, oh, I'm not going to be this ball-dominating, offensive- offensive created type of guy like i'm going to figure it out because when you watch him you're like this checks every single box like this guy will have to be good and it just didn't really quite work out so in that second season with the celtics um in april he averaged 16 a game he took 16 shots a game he He had five 20-point games. He had a 33-point game in one of them.

And I remember it specifically because back then I was more a fan guy. And I was like, all right, cool, cool. This is coming together. This is coming together. And then he was traded for this guy, Kevin Garnett, that next season. And like I said, just that dude who you saw, these skills and athleticism, it just didn't translate. And so what we will have is we will have players that you have hope for, right?

Your team spit a top draft pick on. There will be a player that you're emotionally attached to that hasn't really told you or shown you anything that you should get excited about. And then they're going to go fucking off like the last, I don't know, month plus of the season. Now, having said that, this is actually going to be positive because as much as people were upset about Embiid and Jokic not facing off last night, below the marquee was Giannis missing out on the Wiseman matchup, right?

Wiseman, I'm telling you, he doesn't suck. He doesn't suck. I think this was a smart trade by Detroit, despite their log jam of bigs. He had 14-6 in 20 minutes last night. He's starting over Dern. Dern was a beast. Dern actually played 28. Wiseman

with Detroit's averaging 13-9. He hit a nice jumper. He had an incredible pass off a baseline cut. He had finishes against Brook Lopez. He wasn't constantly bringing the ball down where he's playing smaller than he actually is. Somebody has to pull him aside and be like,

hey, Wiseman, you know you're fucking huge, right? Okay, cool. Now, am I breaking my own rule? Maybe. Let's keep doing it. Jaden Ivey does not fall into this category. If you're a rookie closing out the season, I just want to see your understanding of the game improve a little bit.

And I thought that's what we got from Ivey last night, 32-8-8. I know he hasn't shot it well this month, but I love the way he played last night. And I actually liked what Detroit did with him, where so many of these teams, when they have the guy, even on the bad teams, it's just like, all right, you dribble, we'll run this high screen. And then if you don't have it,

any kind of lane or an option, you know, you fucking bring it back out and somebody's going to take a bad three. Uh, they were doing a couple of different things where they were bringing Ivy back up to the ball. Like what a concept,

right? Hey, maybe we don't do the same thing across half court, every single possession because our team stinks here. Uh, and I thought Ivy, not just the scoring and not just the driving, I think his driving to pass, even some of the stuff I saw in college, like shows that there might be like this,

this other element to him just as this kind of ball dominant scoring wing that's super athletic. So as I talk about just letting one guy dribble the ball the whole time and then figuring it out, that's a perfect segue into the Houston Rockets. Oh, No, I'm actually going to be nice. I'm going to be nice about the Rockets because I love what I'm seeing from Jabari Smith. He was really good last night. 14, 11, and 6. It's not the 14 points. It's the way he's getting into his offense. He's getting more comfortable with his dribble, getting into his stuff off the dribble. He's taken 12 shot attempts here in March. He's 38% from three. It's his best shooting month that he's had, and he was really pretty bad the previous two months. But none of the numbers necessarily matter for me as much as just what my eyes are telling me.

Because you know with Green and you know with Porter Jr., there's just going to be a lot of standing around. There just is, right? And the knock on Jabari in comparison to Paolo was like Paolo already was built to get into something off of his dribble. And Chet is this unicorn who I still think is going to be good. But if there was a limitation of why Jabari went third out of all of it, despite the shooting, the form, the body, the defense, and I actually really do like his demeanor, okay? He looks like he could be a little passive, but I think his face is fooling us. And is it sounding a little deep? Maybe. Let's get deep. When I watched him in

college and you mess with him a little bit, he would go back at you and he would get more pissed than you would realize. So I think there's actually this fiery guy in there behind this mask of looking like he's passive. Now, granted, we have some players that look so passive. I'm like, what the fuck is going on with you? That's not what Jabari is. And I think there's a little bit more. He had a baseline cut where it was a close out to the corner and he drove it

the whole way down and finished at the rim. It's still a little shaky as off the mists, you know, transition basketball, him running it. I'm not quite there with it, but he is going to have to force the issue, right? He is going to have to force the issue

because he's not going to get enough opportunities. And I'm okay with seeing him make some mistakes off of the dribble because I don't want to see him become this player who starts his NBA career getting stuck waiting for somebody else to bail on their drive and then never having that in-game development. It actually brings me back to Jaden McDaniels a little bit because Jaden handled the

ball so much more in college than he does in the NBA, which makes sense. Like with Russell, with Anthony Edwards, and now with Conley, it's not like Jaden McDaniels is going to be running your offense. But what you don't want is you become this player at the NBA level who doesn't use some of the tools, so therefore isn't developing them at the NBA level. And I've seen that a lot with guys that dribbled more in college that just aren't going to dribble. Then all of a sudden, it's like five or six years, and you wonder where their handle is. So Jabari's going to have to take it upon himself to be special. If he wants to be special, he's going to have to start doing some more of that stuff on the dribble.

And I'm okay with mistakes. I want to see him make the decision of, you know what, I'm going to be more than a two- a two dribble guy at the pro level. So yes, the Gerald Green stuff, it's irrelevant with Ivy. Jabari's 19 years old. I just love seeing anything that looks like growth from him because I want to see him become a really good player. There was a thought though that I had, and it's not there yet, but it is a thought. But what if Jabari comes back next year and he looks even better, which is a real possibility. I would think it's more likely than less likely.

This has been Jalen Green's show this year when it's not Kevin Porter Jr.'s. I'm only asking. I wonder what that will be like if Jabari progresses and Jalen, despite how dynamic he is at times and how unguardable he looks at times, if they're like, you know, we're not just going to give you the keys to this thing next year. And Jabari is going to get the keys. He's going to be allowed to take it out for a drive. drive. It's just something I thought about because as much as it's great to let Jalen make all the mistakes and try to figure his game out, having another guy who was the third pick watch you do

it for another season is probably not the best. I'll mention this also. The Knicks scored 137 points, quickly had 40. If I call the timeout and I coach the Rockets, I would be like, hey, you guys know that the other guys that don't have the ball are allowed to cut and catch the ball and score.

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We've talked about doing this actually, I think for a while, and I'm excited because we haven't ever really spent that much time together. It's Ryan Whitney and Spittin' Chicklets, the most popular hockey podcast going with Biz, RA, and Mike. And he joins us now, man. Thanks for finally doing this. I know we've kind of talked about going back and forth. I don't think I'd be a good fit necessarily because I'm not super locked into the season on your pod. So maybe this is the better way to do it.

Yeah, I think this is perfect. Although we can stray away from hockey a little bit on chicklets. We get into bashing basketball. You could almost be like the guardsman for the NBA and basketball as a whole. But we'll have to figure out a little home and home match. I guess I'm just on the road first. All right, perfect. We'll go to figure out a little home and home match. I guess I'm just on the road first. All right. Perfect. We'll go that way.

The first thing I knew that I liked about you was every picture that you have, whether it's like NHL.com or ESPN or whatever, you look like the biggest dick ever. I have the worst smile going. Worst smile in the league. I have a picture from the PTO, the professional tryout contract I signed just to go to camp with the Blues to try to make the team, which I didn't. I have a picture where I look like a cross between a prick in a college fraternity, a criminal, and maybe somebody who just hates pets and dogs or cats and stuff

like i just i don't get it i i try to smile normal and then i see the picture i'm like people must fucking hate my guts oh can we swear on this yes it's encouraged yeah it's not great dude i got this like half the mouth smiles when half the mouth doesn't it's it's disgusting so you're not doing it on purpose because i'm not i'm not photogenic either but i was convinced at one point i was like this has to be a bit because you're right like if you weren't a pro hockey player i picture you at the duncan asking if anybody needs any extra sheet rockers that morning like that's that's no no no i'm not like honeydew donuts bro i'm not even Dunkin'. I'm real trash with my pictures.

All right. So this gets back to like, you're younger than me, but I was buddies with all the fair guys. Okay. So I want to talk about that a little bit because again, I'm from Martha's Vineyard. So when I say I'm from Mass, I get an eye roll. And then when I lived in Boston for seven years, and then I was like, I'm from Boston. And they'd be like, don't ever fucking say you're from Boston. And I'm like, I get it. Because even the guys that were North Shore, South Shore guys, they might say they're from Boston to somebody else.

But if they said they were from Boston, from guys that were really from Boston, if you were from situate or hang. Oh, I cheat for it all the time. So how does that work as a situate guy? Situate. I just have to stick to I'm from situate. Now, if I meet people from other states,ate i just have to stick to i'm from situate now if i meet people from other states i say just boston to keep it simple but i've been with rear admiral one of the co-hosts of spit and chiclets who's from charlestown boston and he's heard me say he's

like whoa this guy's from a little preppy town south of the city so i don't think within local people we could say it but if I'm traveling we're from Boston although you are from an island so you're I can't say it no no that's like saying people just think you're just loaded and rich kid this little brick dude story of my life

so the thing is I think the South Shore kids shit on the North Shore kids like you think they're soft. No, no, they're trash. North Shore is trash. And I have a lot of arguments with people. I got a buddy from Arlington, which I don't consider that North Shore.

But I'm talking Saugus, Revere, Danvers, trash. So Portnoy is a North Shore guy. Swampscott is a nicer town. That and Marblehead are like the only two they got. Now, if you come out the South Shore, you go at Abington, Rockland, all these kind of sketchy areas. Portnoy is a North Shore guy. Swampscott is a nicer town. That and Marblehead are like the only two they got. Now, if you come out the South Shore, you go at Abington, Rockland, all these kind of sketchy areas. But Scituate is beautiful, right on the water.

Very weird people from Scituate, myself included. It's not exactly like a normal town, but I did love growing up there. Yeah, I think it's actually kind of cool because once I got to Vermont, I went to UVM and it was all North and South Shore kids. And you're sort of learning about it. And then I'd go back to visit and I'd hang out in Norwell. We'd go to Hingham, ended up in Duxbury. And I was like, oh, this is kind of cool. They don't have to get on a boat to visit dudes. Or play a sport against another town. Okay. But see, that was the best thing about high school for us in the vineyard is that everybody tried out for every team because like i was on you know i ran track i fucking hated it because i'd get to school at 8 a.m and i'd be on a 10 a.m boat and we take the boat over the track

meet would be in the afternoon because the whole thing was based on getting the last boat back i didn't think of that staying over so like you, you had guys coming out of the woodworks being like, I'm going to throw the shot put this year. Just because you get out of class two days a week. It was an incredible, incredible scam. I never thought. I never actually thought about how early you'd have to leave to make maybe a game against Marshfield or something.

That's true. Dude, I mean, we had a sea conk out of conference where we got our asses kicked. Some kid got 40 on us. And then when Provincetown was the best, I mean, we had a sea conk out of conference where we got our asses kicked. Some kid got 40 on us. And then when Provincetown was the best, I mean, you'd literally go to your locker, and we were on a 9 a.m. boat driving the whole way up the Cape. And then if we missed the last boat back, which was very possible with a Provincetown game, we'd get McDonald's or Wendy's or whatever.

And because we didn't have fast food on the vineyard, you can't have it on the vineyard. All of us would just be puking and shitting at practice the next day because our bodies weren't conditioned to it. You're like, this is the best. No class, fast food, and I'm sick the next day, so I get to stay home. So what ended up, like, Thayer's a hockey factory. You're a young kid.

It's clear you're going to be good. This is a decision you have to make at a young age. Like, you end up there? Yeah. So I actually was at Nobles, Noble and Greenhouse School in Dedham, which is a beautiful campus. It actually has kids live there. There's a prep school that it's all day students. Nobles has kids live there, but they have to go home on the weekend. So it's not full prep. But I had a girl from Sitchwick that was a senior when I was in eighth grade. She used to drive me every day. Sitchwood to Dedham, I don't even know if you could do it now

with the traffic. But it was so long that she graduated. My parents were like, we're not driving you up there. So Thayer it is. Thayer also had a way better program. My freshman year at Thayer, I was lucky enough to make the varsity team. I think all seven seniors got full four-year hockey scholarships.

Ryan Cox went to UVM. Brooks Orpik, who ended up winning Stanley Cup, played in the NHL forever, went to BC. Brad Mills, Merrimack, Mike Ayer, Stargol, UNH. So it was just Jack Baker went to BU. It was amazing. Getting to make the team was crazy. We were one of the best teams in New England.

It was also not too bad. Situates of Braintree, not a bad ride. They had a legendary coach there, Jack New England. But it was also not too bad. Situated Braintree, not a bad ride. They had a legendary coach there, Jack Foley, who'd been. So it was pretty cool to get to kind of play at high. I mean, I was playing peewee hockey basically the year before. And then boom, I'm playing against 18-year-olds at high level. High school hockey's changed so much around here, Ryan. It sucks.

It's like there's junior teams and there's, it's just nothing like it was back in the day, prep school hockey. That was the best hockey around. Okay. And I want you to explain the difference. I understand it somewhat just because of the buddy part of it. I get the basketball part where it's like, Hey, you, and if you have enough size, you're kind of on this list and you're getting offers early. Granted, things have changed a bit now with the NIL and the G league saying, Hey, if you don't want to go that route, you can do this. You have guys go to New Zealand and Australia. But for hockey, you're facing a pretty significant decision at a really young age to just kind of get out of the high school, get out of the cut, like to go juniors and then maybe figure it out and not even deal with college.

So you're weighing how much different shit are you weighing and how close was it to go into a different path for you? I was always going to go play college hockey. I mean, every kid and kid, not every kid, 90% of kids in Canada play junior, which is their version of college, but they're professionals. Boom. They're not amateurs anymore. They're getting paid a little bit, not much, but they are pros. Whereas American kids, like my family, my parents with the Holy Cross, they were very big on me going to college. I actually promised them I would graduate college

when I left and turned pro early from BU. I haven't done that. I feel bad, but fuck. I'm so busy with the podcast, buddy. You know what I'm talking about. I can't even... I wouldn't be able to graduate, I don't think. How many credits do you need?

So I've stayed for three years, but I'm two years short of graduating. So I was a full year behind school-wise. I just kept... I couldn't pass Spanish one. College of Arts and Science at BU, you got to pass Spanish. I'm like, what is this? What is the point of this? But here, no, I'm not- They dropped. When I was at UVM, they dropped our language requirement after my freshman year. And guys were like, it's on. Yeah. They probably saw you. They're like, this kid's never going to graduate if we get, if we keep this program.

But, uh, so I, I, I, my father grew up hating BC. His dad hated BC. So I used to go to BU games and mid nineties BU was,

I mean, they had Chris Drury, Jay Pandoff, the list goes on and on of these like legendary NHLers. So it was my dream. And then I got, I got offered a full scholarship there when I was a sophomore in high school. And boom, I committed right then. I committed so early.

Now, the shitty thing about that is they've changed it a little bit where they can't offer kids too early. Because what they were doing is they were having eighth graders commit. And sports is crazy. The way your body matures, all of a sudden, three years later, the kids aren't that good anymore. And they're like pulling these kids scholarships. So I think it got a little ridiculous. And I'm sure you've seen it with all the college basketball prospects. But I never even thought about going junior. And I look back on it now. I'm so happy I did college. And even talking to guys who played junior hockey and then in the NHL, a guy like Mark Reckie, Hall of Fame, just a legend.

He said, if my son was really good at hockey, I'd want him to go to college because junior, you're on the bus, you're living with billets. Yeah, it's very good hockey and you got your close buddies, but college, you're living in dorms with girls. It's like you're getting an education. If you don't make it to the NHL, it's a good way to look back or have another plan there.

So college hockey for me. And it continues to actually just rise like this. It's getting better and better. So when you're a BU guy, do you hate BC the most? It was funny to me because I actually lived on Com Ave like right in between the two schools too. Oh, near like... All right. So this is actually gets back to our vineyard situate thing.

I remember I was at Davio's with a buddy and I was like 29. I fucking am still broke and I'm dying. It sucks. Right. Cause I'm like, oh no, I'll be good. I'll be good at this. What am I going to do? Right.

And now it's like, your buddies are going on vacations. They're thinking about like getting a place in Stowe and you're like, fucking a, like I'm still bouncing checks. And I was talking to a girl with Davio's and she was like, where do you live? I was like, oh, I'm a bouncing checks. And I was talking to a girl with Davios. And she was like, where do you live? I was like, oh, I'm in ComAv. Because my buddy was making money. He had a place in Marlboro.

And she's like, wow, Marlboro. And he was like early Marlboro. And so he was set. And I was like, oh, I'm in ComAv. And she's like, what number? You're like, I'm in the basement. I don't have a bathroom. I was like, 1949.

She's like, so Brighton. So you're in Brighton. But I was like, yeah, in the basement. I don't have a bathroom. I was like, 1949. She's like, so Brighton. So you're in Brighton. But I was like, yeah, but it's that nice stretch before you get to BC after you get past Cleveland Circle. It's that nice stretch. And she was like, beat it. Yeah, like I go to Great Scott's every night. Remember that bar? Dollar Draft Night.

I was a little old for Great Scott's at that stage. Because that would have been a like, what the hell happened last night? And be like, dude, we were waiting in line at Great Scots. It's the crack beer. I'm convinced. It's like the garden. They don't clear whatever the lines. Yeah, the lines.

You have three of them. You're blacked out. I'm like, this place is ridiculous. Wednesday night, Great Scott. But yeah, it was an easy decision for me, college hockey. And then now it's pretty cool being an alumni, even though I didn't graduate. But BU just got into the Frozen Four. So it's exciting.

Yeah, it's a really cool element to the college part of it. Because whenever I talk to the BC football guys, I go, dude, I've traveled everywhere now for college football. I think I've been to 60 plus campuses. And the fact that I lived within walking distance to BC's campus on a Saturday and you wouldn't know that there was a game. It's pathetic. You wouldn't know there was a college football game. And I didn't know any better because again, the Boston part of it for college sports, if you're in that world, you're super into it, but it also could be invisible to most of the people being like what's going on or oh bu's good bc's good uh but i i guess it's kind

of like weird to go to school in a city only because my experience like i feel like i went to the best college town ever in burlington but yeah that's top notch but being in a city though and being like a college star it just adds this other element to like, you know, we can do the divey stuff with us. But we also kind of have a city here if we want to do that, too. I don't even know if you venture because I think a lot of the B.C. kids never even bothered. No, see, B.C. But they had kind of like more stuff like right there, Cleveland Circle. circle. That was the one thing that, and I wouldn't change a thing, but once I started, once I turned pro and met kids that played at Minnesota or Michigan and the football programs, the basketball programs, the overall campus, I mean, BU's campus is calm app. So when we went out, I mean, I had to get a fake ID. My freshman year got taken like three times, but we ended up

having to go down to Boylston. So we're going to bars and like, granted there'd be some BU kids there that would know where to go. Well, we went to dad's diner, which turned into foggy goggle, I think, which turned into McGreevy's. And now I think it's closed. COVID fucking crushed it.

But we ended up, we ended up kind of living a city life where I, I truly didn't really experience it. You're talking about Burlington or I'm talking about Ann Arbor, things that are really college. Like I did miss out on that. So looking back, it's like,

that's why the more college hockey, the more of these big time football schools that get hockey programs, like Penn state's really good now at hockey, Arizona state's going to end up being good. It's, I want to see the sec get college hockey. And then you're going to see an explosion because the overall campus vibe is something I certainly missed out on.

So we could do some career stuff, but I do want to talk about the podcast. Maybe that's a good transition here. Yeah, my career, there's not much to talk about. Talk about the podcast. I'm way better at that. What's it like to be traded twice in a year? Was that what happened?

I got traded. My mom was going through the craziest time in her life. She was in the hospital and I was back visiting her and I get a phone call from Ray Sherrill, who's an unreal guy. He was GM of the Penguins at the time. And he called me and said, hey, Ryan, I traded you. I was like, what? And then

I hang up and she's in the hospital bed and I got traded to Anaheim. Holy shit. And everyone knows the story. I got you. Not everyone. Not your listeners. I got traded for a guy, Chris Kunitz, who went on to win three Stanley Cups and be a hero in each one of them for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

They got him for me. So I feel like I was a part of those cups because without me, they don't have him. But then I go to Anaheim. We had a pretty good year that year. We lost Game 7 of the second round to Detroit who ended up going on to the Cup Finals and losing to my former team. So the next year I come back, I'm not

playing well. My feet are all already fucked up. And do you know who Bob McKenzie is? The name ring a bell? He's actually retired. He's the number one insider for the NHL, or he was. He broke trades. He broke everything. And so the

deadline's at 3 o'clock. Now this is the next year. And he writes out at 2.50, rumblings that Ryan Whitney might be traded by Anaheim, but looks like they're going to keep him. I'm like, yes! I didn't want to get traded again. I was just like, oh, thank God. 320, my phone rings. It's Bob Murray. So I said, Ray Sherrill is a great guy, former GM of the Penguins. Bob Murray is the exact opposite.

Frick. Maybe the meanest, grumpiest bastard I've ever met in my life. True scumbag, if you ask me. He calls me, I traded you. I go, where? He goes, Edmonton. I'm like, no! Oh, no! And he just hangs up. And I was like, oh my God. You go from being a draft pick with Pittsburgh,

going to the cup finals, everything's going good, signed a big contract, get traded from there, and then 365 days later, boom, I'm going to edmonton now it was just like such a whirlwind um so yeah it was kind of kind of disgusting career the way it all ended up going but there were some good times early on i'll say that yeah because you're in an awesome hockey setup in pittsburgh oh the best even though you know i wouldn't put anaheim as one of the tier one hockey hubs in the league,

you're in California. So what was it like? Because granted, this is the first time I moved to Manhattan Beach just about five years ago. It's the first time I've not lived in New England. I've lived in Vermont forever, Connecticut, Massachusetts. I did six months in Jersey. It wasn't jail.

It was just the Trenton minor league team. That's the only time I didn't live in New England was that six months. And so for me to move out to California and again, you get this too, Boston guys are experts on everything without ever experiencing anything. And actually knowing nothing. Knowing nothing. If you don't call me

out, you'd think I know everything. But my friends are like, what? Hey, where'd you hear that? I'm just like, I made it up. You can get away with that in cali people just believe you they're so gullible well because they're also lying to you though too all the time in california that like it's a different kind of lying where boston's like no dude he fucking that guy he's full of shit guy he invented dude he's milwaukee tools that's his dad um i i i get out here and i'm like oh this is why so many people live here so then like did you

as a new england as a boston guy that where did you live because granted you're still gonna have to be probably close to anaheim were you in newport yeah i was in newport on balboa um you were on the balboa island okay yeah balboa peninsula it was beautiful rented a sick house could walk to the beach and and it was it was weird because like living out there it's amazing like it's just the weather and every single day like it's just perfect but part of me part of me missed a little bit of like hockey season where where it's and guys that guys will shit on me because guys who've played amazing out there are like, what are you talking about? But it's,

it's a little bit, at least at the beginning, tough to like, all right, you're, you're leaving the house in flip flops. You're going to the rake, but dude,

it's game on. Whereas like when it's cold and, and it just feels like hockey season, you're a little bit more dialed in, but maybe that's just me looking for excuses because I'd finished practice in Pittsburgh and we'd go get like, you know, a bite to eat and a beer. And then we'd go nap. And in LA, I'm going for walks. I'm just going on the out the fashion Island. I'm just laughing, playing golf. That's when I started playing golf. And that was kind of where the thought of going

to Edmonton, the minute he said that to me, I was like, oh my God, I'm going back to hockey season, all right? I'm going to be plugging my car in at night so the thing starts the next morning. That's where I'm going. Yeah. I mean, that's a perfect segue into being like, okay. But I got the sense, especially in the playoffs last year, when you go to Edmonton, you appreciate it in a way because that, I mean, you want to talk about it meaning

a lot to people. That actually kind of, granted, I know it's probably not most Americans' first choice to go play, but you're not going to find many places that care as much as they do. No, playing in Canada is unreal if, big if, the team's good. And our team in Edmonton was so bad. I mean, those years, like 2010 to kind of like 16, 17, until McDavid came there and they started getting better. I mean, we're talking like worst team in the league, yet the arena is jam-packed every single game. You come off the ice practice. There's 15 reporters in there.

You open the Edmonton Journal. I mean, they have a CFL team, the Eskimos, I think it is. But the Oilers, it's a million people in the city. You're opening the paper. First six pages are Oilers and you're in last place. So that part of it's like, oh my God, I'm under the gun. I'm making a lot of money. We suck. I suck. This is a nightmare. And at the same time saying, if the team was ever good, this would be amazing. Because the passion is just, it's unlike anything I've ever seen. You could probably say it for all the teams in Canada, all seven of them. But when you're struggling there, man, it's a fishbowl. Like I told the story on Chicklets a bunch. I I mean I was kind of public enemy number one there for a little bit

and I'm out to eat I'm having a steak at the maybe Cactus Club or Joey's one of these chains in Canada and this guy comes up and he's just like you fucking suck and I'm like I got the bite of the sirloin I'm like I'm just trying to eat my god damn

steak bud like Jesus Christ you know so if you're playing good, those fans are coming out, patting you on the back and buying your beers. But it's just the exact opposite when things aren't going great. Why were you public enemy number one? I was just a tall defenseman who didn't hit. So it's like you see size in the NHL. You're like, that guy better be running people over. And then I wasn't putting up points because I couldn't really skate that well anymore with all my injuries.

So it was just like, I was kind of an easy... If you look a lot of times at NHL whipping boys with fans, a lot of times it's bigger defensemen that aren't very fast and that have the occasional turnover issue. Well, I was the trifecta, right? I couldn't skate that fast anymore. I was turning it over because my feet weren't working well. And then I wasn't hitting anyone or fighting. So it was kind of one of those things where the good thing is now I've, I've become, I've taken the saying of once an oiler, always

an oiler that's in the dressing room there. I've now like taken over the fan bandwagon of oiler fans. I speak for all of them. I'm waiting till they win a Stanley cup. So I've actually turned the tides to where besides a few people who still hate me, I'm, I think I'm genuinely pretty liked in the city of Edmonton now. Yeah.

I, I wouldn't have known any of that cause I wasn't going to be locked into the, the deal on the oilers. Yeah. Because the defenseman who doesn't score and doesn't fight and can't skate, known any of that because I wasn't going to be locked into the deal on the Oilers. Yeah, because the defenseman who doesn't score and doesn't fight and can't skate. What are you doing, bro? Right. What are you doing?

I'm name dropping because he's my buddy, but Aaron Miller, who played at UVM and then was with the Avs, and I bring this up. If you and Biz, not that you care enough to do it, but he gets called up right before the abs win that first cup but he doesn't dress for the stanley cup final so i think the deal was they were like

you can put your name on the cup but you're a fucking asshole if you do and he was like i won't do it and you know because that's the way he is he's a great guy but he's a defensive defenseman he's not going to score any fucking goals ever, anything like that. And he's rolling along. And then the Avs trade him and dead Marsh for Rob Blake. And they didn't even need Rob Blake. But like, if you can get Rob Blake, you get Blake back then.

And back then the deadline dude was like, seriously, as you were packing for the playoffs. Oh yeah. I remember. They got Bork the year before and then they lost. And then that next year they go to the deadline and get Rob Blake. I'm like, so they have Bork the year before and then they lost. And then that next year they go to the deadline and get Rob Blake. I'm like,

so they have Bork and Blake now and Patrick Waugh and Forsberg and Sackick. So I remember that deal because dead Marsh was a big part of the 96 cup that Colorado won. And then he battled so many concussions, but Aaron Miller was a solid stay at home defense. Like he wasn't going to do any flashy toe drags or anything, but he played a long time for playing solid D and just being an overall good player.

Yeah, right. And he gets traded and then they go win the other cup. So he's like, find somebody else in the major four sports that's that long in between being sandwiched without actually winning any of the cups. And that's back when, you know, that's kind of the Burlington summer and becoming buddies with the different dudes is because if you played at Burlington or if you played at

UVM and you were with the team or you're in the, you know, you're in the minors and you're up at St. John or you're at the lumberjacks in Cleveland, I think it was back then. And all those guys would be like, I might as well just go back to Burlington for the summer. And then they're like,

we're still, oh, still here. And I stayed like another four years. Cause would be like, I might as well just go back to Burlington for the summer. And then they're like, we're still still here. And I stayed like another four years because I was like, I have no idea what I'm doing with my life. So I'm bartending. So of course, I'm going to be friends with all those dudes. And, you know,

I remember that series in particular because like Aaron and I are watching the abs go on that run. And I'm like, who are you rooting for? And he's just like, they're all my buddies i fucking love those guys but i'm like what are we gonna do root for the devils like i can't do that i can't root for the devils in this series and it sucked but you know and anyway i mean everybody that's ever played with aaron or knows him just knows he's like the greatest dude ever so you know

yeah i've heard great things about him. And I also, I was there. When I was watching the Pittsburgh Penguins play the Red Wings in the cup final after I'd lost to the Red Wings the year before, all my friends, I was like, I love these guys. I want them to win the Stanley Cup, but just not this year.

Even though in my brain, and I was saying I want them to win, there's just a part of me that's like, I don't want them to win. And then they won, and then it was me, and Ryan Malone was a guy, and this other guy, Colby Armstrong, who'd been there and then weren't there for that thing.

And I remember calling those guys. I got wrecked that night, too. I was just like, I can't believe this. I'm watching all my friends lift the cup. I was with them three months ago. It's just, I feel what Miller went through. Because you and Biz were terrific on the Jonathan Quick trade. And you look at somebody, and this is actually the irony of this,

of those who aren't locked into hockey, is Rob Blake, the defense we were talking about, my buddy who's trading for us, the guy in charge of the LA Kings. I don't think many GMs in any sport would move on from an icon like Quick with the two cups knowing that he thinks they're actually better now. And the Kings have

kind of turned things around here. Again, I'm not watching every single night. They look good. You'll laugh, but there was an Oilers game on the other night and I had one NBA game on on one TV and another TV and I was like, there's not a third NBA game on. I was like, I'll just throw on the Oilers because on the other night and I, I had one NBA game on, on one TV and another TV. And I was like, Oh, there's not a third NBA game on. I was like, I'll just throw on the Oilers. Cause I, I actually just, you know, I like it. And 10 minutes went by. I was like, you got to turn

this Oilers game off, man. Cause you're not fucking watching any of the NBA stuff. Like you already know all the stuff over here. And like this, cause it has no reviews or commercial breaks. Like you, you can't stop watching the tape to tape skills of dry sidle so it's crazy all right let's let's talk a little mcjesus here give me the equivalent of who mcdavid is in other sports and what this guy is doing right now so uh i've made the argument many times on the pod with i would say the internet more agreeing with me than disagreeing with me which isn't common I think he's better at hockey than any other athlete in the world is

at their respective sport. Even Serena? Well, currently, I mean... Okay, okay. Serena probably back then was better than... Just making sure. I'm saying current. I'm saying current.

The best argument would be Otani. The fact that he's hitting and pitching, that would be one. I'm saying current. I'm saying current. The best argument would be Otani. The fact that he's hitting and pitching. It's that, that would be one that I'm like, okay, I got to think about this, but this guy is doing things that we haven't seen done since Mario Lemieux and Crosby came into the league and I saw him,

we were rookies together and it was just a different game and a different sport and a generational player. And now McDavid, I mean, he's crushing Crosby's career numbers. I mean, he's got 140 points this season. He's got 60 goals. He's the best passer in the league. He's got 60 goals. The most goals Ovechkin's ever had in a season is 65.

He's going to get six more goals this year. Ovechkin's going to become the greatest goal scorer of all time. So it's like when you're that much faster than everyone, for some reason, people who don't even know hockey, they see on TV, like my wife or my buddy who's not a hockey fan, he comes over, he's like, who's that guy? You've never really seen anything like it. And to see somebody that it looks that easy, it doesn't make sense.

It's like, all right, what league is he going to next? There's got to be another league for him. It's like Pedro, right? It's like Pedro in 97, 98. You were like, there has to be another league that he has to pitch to now. No, it's a great way of putting it. I've used the same thing for certain guys.

I just think that I wish he was a little bit more kind of open and liking to do media. I don't blame him for having no interest. He's Canadian. He's been in the spotlight since he's eight years old. I mean, he's one of those true prodigies. And I think

it's all about cups for him. And I think once he wins a cup, if he wins a cup, hopefully, he might open up a little bit. But for him, it's like I don't... It's why I kind of like hockey a lot. It's obviously different for everyone, but it's more about the team, the team.

And I don't really want to be the center of attention to everyone if I haven't gotten to that ultimate goal yet. But watching him, it's so amazing watching what he does. The only player in the world who is at least as fast, if not faster, with the puck. Everyone gets the puck, they slow down. Your brain, it has to. You've got to think about what you're doing with it. He somehow goes faster.

And I've never seen it before. The Bruins record's insane. The depth is insane. I mean, to add Bertuzzi to the mix while Hall is out and then be like, okay, this is crazy. The goalie depth. I mean, I was back on the vineyard for three weeks this month, and I was listening to local radio, and they were bitching about like,

oh, we have too many goalies. They're so dumb. They're so dumb. They don't know anything. Well, you're not platooning your goalies in the playoffs. I would think even I know that. But your sport is weird in that you can have this record where they might not even have 15 losses this season,

and you still don't know what's going to happen in the playoffs. I know. So let me just ask you, give me your full – because I don't like, well, if they don't win the Cup, that means none of this matters. Are they actually this nasty? Are they as nasty as their record is, and does that mean you think they're just going to roll to the East?

Yes, they are. They are as good as advertised in watching all these games. It's like there's the depth. They have three number one defensemen, maybe two number ones, and then like a number one and a half or two. But nobody has that, really. And what you said is interesting, though. The NBA, a team like this in the NBA, they're not losing first round.

Tampa Bay did this. They pretty much did exactly what the Bruins are doing in 2019 and lost in the first round. So that's the scary part. And I think that's why hockey fans, and Bruins fans, I should say, they're comfortable. They're a little bit cocky, but in the back of their mind, they all know, okay, we get the Islanders,

and the Islanders have this amazing goalie, top three, four goalie in the league. What if we lose game one, and then he gets hot? It's just like hockey's so fucked up that you don't know. Having said all that, I'd be completely shocked

if they don't go to the cup final. I really would be. I think that they're going to win the first round. Then they have Toronto or Tampa. That'll be super difficult. And then you're looking at like Carolina or the Rangers or maybe the Devils. But they're that much better than everyone else

where I would be surprised if they don't go on a run this year. And the main thing is they have this leadership with Bergeron. Therese Bergeron is who you'd kind of want your son or daughter to play hockey like if they played. It's never cheating for offense. It's never taking care of a teammate.

I've been told by several people, he's going up to guys and he's asking about their personal lives. How's everything going? He's just so dialed into being a leader that he's created a culture there where I would be very surprised if they don't go on a run.

Winning the Stanley Cup, I'm not going to say that, but if they're not in the Easter Conference final or the Cup final, I'll be shocked. The reason I love your podcast, there's a lot of reasons, but the breakout video is on just hockey guys telling stories

because there's literally nothing. Few course lights, getting late, hockey guys telling stories. It's honestly, if you did it as a live show, it would sell out arenas. We've been doing live shows.

No, no. I mean, not just you. I'm saying that. Oh, just hockey guys. I know. Right, right. The one I think you had of the old timer who was like, they were out in Montreal and they were all fucked up and they do like, I'm saying that. Oh, just hockey guys. I know. Right, right. Like the one I think you had of like the old timer who was like, they were out in Montreal and they were all fucked up and they were like, get us, you know, to the.

That was me. That was me. Oh, that was you? That was me and Rob Scuderi. And Rob Scuderi ended up winning Stanley Cups, LA great guy. I'll tell it quick for people who haven't heard it. So we're in Montreal. We're banged up.

We won. And then we weren't flying out until the next morning. That's a flashing green light in the NHL in that city. So we come out of the bar. We're buckled. It's two in the morning. We get in the cab right in front of the bar. And I'm like, Ritz Carlton, please.

The guy's like, what? And my buddy Scott is like, the Ritz Carlton, please. He's like, and I'm like, buddy, the Ritz fucking Carlton. Come on. Go. He goes, okay. The Ritz Carlton.

He must have driven eight yards. I'm telling you, it was literally eight yards across the street. And he's like, that'll be $4.75 Canadian. There were so many different times of just laughing with guys on the road and the chirping that goes on with each other. That's the only thing I miss. The only thing I miss is just the locker room and guys making fun of each other and making fun of themselves

and all that little stuff that just adds up. Yeah. When you look at how long hockey players have played, and this isn't new, this isn't the new science that we're seeing with quarterbacks or the NBA. And then sometimes I'd be like, I just wouldn't want to stop doing that, you know, because it's really all you've known. Cause hockey's very specific in that. I think there's an earlier buy-in for that being your lifestyle and some of the other sports where it's like, okay, we're going to be doing like your parents, your parents have to really want you to play hockey for you to play hockey and, and have that foundation of the skills and all the ice time in the early mornings and the late nights,

like it's a massive, massive commitment. So I feel like in a way, the hockey player that makes it to the league, you know, you're talking about 30 years and then there's this fucking emergency break of life where next thing you know, you're 40 and you're picking up kids in their minivan.

And it, and it's like, I think that has a lot though, to do with the personality of the hockey player generally being, as everybody always says, they'll be like, look, you know, of all the pro athletes, like, you know, I think it's always kind of a funny conversation of like, who's the fun ones to hang out with? I think it's almost that you're not only conditioning your skills, but you're conditioning your personality in this way where it's just a different upbringing than the other sports. It's a different upbringing. I'm biased. For me, from what I've seen, it's kind of guys buying into being on a team maybe a little bit more than other sports. And there's obviously teams around every single league that are

so bought in and as one. But hockey is just like you spend so much time together. You've been doing it for so long, as you mentioned, whereas you hear of these amazing football or basketball players that they started playing when they're like 12 years old. That doesn't happen in hockey. You're just too far behind. It's over. It's over. It's weird being a dad now. And my son's like, he's five. So he's like starting to skate. It's over. Right. It's over. So it's like kids, it's weird being a dad now.

And my son's like, he's five. So he's like starting to skate. It's like, Oh my God, like, am I really getting into this? And what my dad did,

like all those rides, it's crazy to think about, but the hockey player is like somebody who, after all the times in the locker room and every single year that all these memories are made and all like these different stories come out of the season that when it does end, it's like, holy shit.

Like, this is all I know really. So that's why I like, I'm so lucky. And biz says the same thing. Like, I swear to God, the,

the, the one thing about spitting chicklets is it's given us something post career. Cause we've both seen some guys that they just struggle. And then, and, and the crazy part is like having a lot of money can almost make it even harder because then you got free time and you got money. That's never really a great combo unless you're 65 and retired. So guys who are like, what do I do? I don't really know what to get into because this is

all I've done my entire life. It makes it a little difficult, but it's such a small, close community that you see hockey people taking care of one another pretty well. And a lot of times, guys will have a very favorite teammate or a special teammate along the run and say that guy goes on to be a GM or assistant GM. Well, that guy retires, he's going to help him get a scouting job. He's going to help him at least get his foot in the door. So it's kind of like taking care of your own a little bit, I'll say. It is a very close community. You see when tragedies have struck, the Humboldt bus crash, things that have kind of rocked the core of hockey, like the whole community gets together.

And I think that is a little different than some other sports. Okay, this is a perfect way to close it then. Because I know you've gone at NBA guys in the past, so I'd like to just argue a couple rapid-fire points here and just see what you think. Okay. How good do you think LeBron would be

if he played in two-minute shifts? how good do you think LeBron would be if he played in two-minute shifts? He would be like bitching and whining and wouldn't come off when it's his turn to change shift. He wouldn't even do it. You can't even imagine the guy. No, he'd be waving his hand at the coach saying no, making it all about himself. So bad.

Okay. All right. Fair. I don't know if I agree with that. If hockey players are so cool, how come they don't have sneaker deals? Because they wear these heavy ass gross skates that nobody in the world gives a shit about besides hockey

people. That's a big time fumble in terms of hockey is that they put blades on the sneakers. We'd have sick deals if we could put a blade on a Nike. Whose sneaker would you be least likely to buy? Kyrie. No, I meant who's your NHL

Kyrie? Can you do that with a pod this popular? Are you afraid maybe you don't get some? No, I don't really. I haven't really gone at many. I haven't really gone at many guys in the NHL. We're kind of a player's podcast.

That's tough to call somebody out right now like that. I might not put you on the spot. I don't even know if I feel. Evgeny Kuznetsov, because he's been a bitch the past few years and requested a trade, and he's Russian. I'll probably never meet him. Okay. All right.

How about this? Do you think that hockey players hang in packs versus NBA players sort of doing the solo thing is actually because they aren't as needy as friends? to shove and one of the boys are in trouble, that's why they're all right next to him as all their fellas. Who's John Moran got besides a couple of his buddies if that strip club night goes awry?

Oh, I guess he's got his gun. Excuse me. Well, okay, but Shotgun Willie's is a nice establishment. I've heard that. I've heard that. Before your last one, I mean, look at what Lillard just said.

I saw a clip just today on Damian Lillard, like how the NBA now is not what he saw when he came in and he doesn't like it. I mean, that's a guy I can get behind because he seems like it's all about team and not himself. Okay, that's a good last one then. Do NBA players asking for trades, does that actually tell us that NBA players have more self-confidence than NHL players? Yes. Yes. Yes. I actually think if there's one thing you could take

from an NBA player to give to an NHL player is the self-belief. Because you can be horrible in the NBA and guys are still like, I'm the man. I'm the number one player. Trade for me. Whereas a number one player in the NHL is probably like, I got to play better, man. I'm not doing my job right now. So maybe

a little more self-belief and self-confidence would be a good thing in the NHL. That's Ryan Whitney, Spittin' Chicklets, Barstool. It's terrific. I love it. And you, BizRA, Mike, man, thanks for the time. Thanks. Thank you for having me on. And congrats on all your success, man.

Anytime. We'll have to bring you on around maybe NBA finals, NHL finals. We could do a little crossover. Perfect. Looking forward to it. All right, buddy. I'll talk to you soon. Succession, Season 4, Episode 1 uh the final season sunday night was uh the first episode so

we're going to recap them here it's our homework assignment for the show uh i have no problem who wants to start it off here i don't go ahead cal oh okay um i think everybody's the highlight everybody's episode was Disgusting Brothers and just the time of Greg Dynamics just been a joy to watch and have it grow and all that stuff. And it seems like these guys

are a little big for their britches. I'm sure that'll come back and get them at some point in this final season. And then the other thing I would say is my fiancee, who's really just could not, could not care less about about the show she always says

she loved the music but she's on her phone she's on her tablet she's playing fucking animal crossing on the switch while while i'm watching i was like i have to do i have to watch this when it comes out on sundays blah blah and she asked me yesterday if we could watch in the beginning because uh the end of the end of the episode where uh logan had one of his one-liners that he looks like a ball sack and a toupee and she just fucking lost it it was enough that one-liner was enough for her to be like can you watch this from season one with me and i said yes so she's she's in on the one-liners she liked ball sack and a toupee and uh yeah that was great i have i have one different one-liner that I like throughout there.

I mean, just tough episode for Greg's love life. But, I mean, Bridget random fuck was one of the best lines of the entire episode. And, like, everybody's kind of... I've been doing some reading. I've been doing some listening. Everyone's kind of, like, wondering if Carrie is, like, a thing now. I didn't really pick up that vibe. But people kind of think that she's, I don't know, maybe just trying to swoop in

and she's potentially, obviously she's been in Logan's ear. Yeah, she's been in Logan's ear. I don't know that I think she has a ton of power. Maybe it's building towards that, but I just thought that that whole dynamic was really funny of Greg obviously bringing this random chick who's taking selfies with Logan to this party that he doesn't even want to be at for his birthday.

He actually leaves and goes out to dinner with some guy he doesn't even want to talk to. He just wants to talk to anybody. It dinner with some guy who doesn't he doesn't want to talk to he just wants to talk to anybody it's pretty sad but uh but bridget random fuck to me was the highlight of the episode well the carry call is accurate it's very clear like i think from the jump that was by design she had she had way more dialogue in one of her first scenes than she's ever had so uh and as much as i love the show and you know it's it's mvp vote for you know it's gonna be it's gonna depend on how it finishes here in season four uh marcia you know it wasn't that interesting it just wasn't that interesting i know what they tried to do and it's like one of

the one parts of the show where i was like i don't know like i was never super into those scenes they basically were like here's your check see you later and she was off the show where I was like, I don't know. I was never super into those scenes. They basically were like, here's your check. See you later. And she was off of the show. And I wonder if that was like a conscious thing to go like those scenes don't really seem to pop. So now you have this dynamic of Carrie, who's the assistant, who they're just railing on

the entire time. They're on the phone with the kids. I mean, they're just destroying her. And she's like's like hey what's up now yes uh zoom has denied thousands of bros in the office from walking up to each other whispering the disgusting brothers i need to know the origin i need to know the writer's room where there had to have been from one of the writers who had a story some guys from like a summer house that they had and they said they were the disgusting brothers and now it gets

to play out for everybody it doesn't make any sense it's so stupid and i can't i kept rewinding it over and over again greg is like he is it's like zach levine on a drive where i'll be like what did that just happen and then i rewind it because i want to make sure i saw what zach levine just did and like i was watching season three leading up to it so you know when tom is pissed at greg again and he gives him the shitty office that he ends up trashing later right and he's like g, here's your new office. And Greg goes, I mean, it's not very nice. And if you read about the way like they do, you know, Kalka's character, they were like, hey, do more improv, you know, do it more. It it is the rare show.

And part of it's the way I believe from what I've read and how they'll do it. It's the rare show where it doesn't feel like actors are reading a script it doesn't and the awkwardness crushes all the time again back to season three when they find out that the investigation that the that the evidence isn't actually that strong and they're all having champagne right and tom's this is before he trashes greg's new office because he he's excited that he doesn't think he's going to go to jail um the character one of the characters is raising the champagne um is it carl carl's the yeah blonde guy right yeah right who played sledgehammer um wicked old reference he he raises like i didn't even notice it the first time around because that's how the dialogue flies around he raises a champagne glass and goes take me home country roads

and it doesn't have it doesn't make everybody else is talking he's being ignored he's in the corner and he raises it up and it's so awkward it doesn't make any fucking sense and that's actually why i think this show when people watch it they like it because it feels like something different it actually feels like you're just watching these people talk and the way they've grown as a cast where they kind of know each other's beats after these seasons it's pretty rare stuff carl actually has my favorite where one of my favorite lines in the entire show. Remember when they're in Turkey and they're in that hostage situation

and he just says to everybody, he's like, I don't want to learn from anybody, but I'm currently having a panic attack. One of the best lines in the entire, I kind of love Carl, even though he's like a minor character. But I'm with you, Ryan. The conversation with them at the beginning

when they're just talking it out and they have the 100 thing, which seems like a terrible idea, and they're all going along with it. It speaks to every dude who you'll go, what are you talking about? He's like, we're tech, we're masterclass, we're substack, we're a home.

We don't do it all, but we do. Yeah, go ahead. We're fast-paced. Yeah, exactly. But none of them actually like it. We're in an an amazing space right now this is an amazing space to be in but it reminded me like like the way their relationship is only through fucking with each other and it's kind of how like it reminds me of my friend group like we're not really good with a lot of emotions like we could usually tell when someone's bummed or whatever but like we

thrive when we're just fucking with each other and that's's where we're comfortable, and that's where they are. Anytime they have to really deal with some actual drama, they're all kind of awkward about it, and then when they get back to just fucking with each other or fucking with other people, that's when they're at their most comfortable state. I don't know. It's relatable because I think there's a lot of people

that could relate to that. You're putting a lot of the real serious life issues to the side just to get a couple jokes off, and it is. The dialogue between those three is kind of the a lot of the real serious life issues to the side just to get a couple jokes off. It is. The dialogue between those three is the best part of the show. And then, obviously, Greg and Tom. It was great because it started out, like you said, where are these guys at? They're in some, I don't know,

what is it, a rental house or something, doing this business that nobody wants. And they're like, I guess we'll just get some Saudi money. They're off to a horrible start. They're making these, I don't know if they're Saudis, but they're like, what did he say? He some Saudi money. They're like off to a horrible start, right? They're like, they're making these, I don't know if they're Saudis, but they're like, what did he say? He's like, tell them to shove those five minutes

of their human rights violations or their human rights track record. Find a reporter to put the cigarette out on or something. What was that? Yeah, it was just like, yeah, exactly. So it's like, they just, they really started off quite terribly. And they were just kind of waiting for one person

to be like, should we like, it's like people like, should we go do something else? And we're all waiting for somebody to be like, hey, should we just go do the other thing that we really want to do? And they're like, yeah, yeah, let's do that. So that was, it was a strange start to the episode for them. And I really didn't know.

I was like, they're really, we're going to watch them build this fucking media, whatever company. I'm glad we don't have to watch them do that. I have three things real quick that are questions for you guys. Three things? Well, no.

Maybe it went over my head. Maybe I don't know. First and foremost, how the fuck did they come up with $10 billion? Is anybody else doing the math on this to buy Nan's company, to buy the Pierce thing?

Everyone gets three, I think. I thought they had like 2.5 billion liquid. I just didn't understand how they got to 10. Borrow money. I think their percentage of the company is even. And I thought they said it was like three. So I think they have nine. And I don't know.

No, no, no, no. That's why they were on the phone with the guy. Because basically, this is how it would really work. And I think they were trying to convey that. It's like, you may be liquid of this. But because of who you are and what your asset is, like the banks, the lenders, that's why the guys were outside waiting for them to meet about the hundred to invest in it.

So that's why they kept going back. And I think they did it as if it sounded absurd to be like, can we just throw another billion on it? As ridiculous as that sounds to mere mortals, I think that was the whole point is that that's what that world is like. They're like, ah, just throw another billion on it. So that was the fine answer that that that's what that world is like. They're like, ah, just throw another billion on it. So that was the fine answer that they were going back and forth with. And that's why they kept making fun of him being like, yeah, I think we can do that.

And he's like, well, I'm glad, man, Harvard Business School, you guys are because it was so casual. Does that make sense? So that guy works for the bank or that guy's like a fucking agent for securing a loan? Like now I think he's just their point man for financing okay um question two tom i tom just he's playing both sides clearly right now right i mean he just he went behind logan's back he didn't get the answer i think that logan wanted when he was asking about am i good without shiv he's like yeah if we're good we're good right like and incredible answer yeah complete

non-answer uh i don't know i just i think tom's my favorite character in the show just because he he's hilarious obviously the relationship with greg but also he has like this really like emotional there's like a real emotional depth there where i kind of feel bad for him more than i think any other character because he's just i don't know what his purpose is like he's he clearly loves shiv she doesn't love him back but she kind of does but it's never going to really work out and then he also doesn't really have a job unless he's married to shiv so i just love the tom dynamic but it sounds like he is he trying to kind of play both sides here again yes i think that they plant those seeds with it because

they did it too when logan grabs his hand and says i'm you know i won't forget what you did for me and i think that was the start of the alliance when Tom went to Logan previously and said, if there needs to be a body here, I'll go to jail for you. And Shiv also straight up told him, I think the Shiv stuff, usually the relationship storylines, I'll be like, oh, we're taking a break from all the stuff that we like, but you can't just have Greg. You can't have greg line you're just firing off one-liners for 60 minutes either um as great as they all are and i rewind them all being like i cannot believe like can you imagine greg it almost be like mad dog if mad dog sent in a demo tape today to a program director they'd be like are you fucking kidding me like what and i i just wonder what it was like was it nicholas braun who would be like how did you read

for this did you and if he becomes you know a much bigger deal like what will his next characters be not to say this is the only thing he's ever done uh i want to finish move off of that cadence ever like could you have to do that weird sort of i don't really know what to say like it'd be weird to see him it's like the costanza he's gonna get costanza i think i would pay money to have him at a party and just be greg and be like you say some of the stuff that you say because it's so fucking funny man like the disgusting brothers shouldn't crush you peanut butter so weird it's like and then and speaking of like some of the dialogue where it's just great it's like okay there's this big moment logan's pissed off again and then he's

like somebody be funny and it doesn't doesn't really mean anything you know what i mean that part of it doesn't really mean anything for the script he's like all right somebody tell a joke and carl's awful at it and the other guy's like that's not really my role and then greg's like, all right, somebody tell a joke. And Carl's awful at it. And the other guy's like, that's not really my role. And then Greg's like, you're mean. You're a mean person. We're your kids, yeah. This isn't, yeah, this isn't, come on, roast me. You know, he's like, you're mean.

And those scenes don't, they mean everything and they kind of mean nothing, if that makes any point. Like the dialogue is not written to show off, like, look at this great line that I'm writing for a television show where a lot of shows, you know, you can tell the writers like showing off a little bit, you know,

and it'd be like, how come you don't wear a watch? But watch is just a mechanism for counting down time that we all have on this planet. And you're like, all right, okay, we got it.

Cause then there's also the other pivot where people who don't like succession and this is kind of i think our biggest issue with everything like this isn't a tv thing this is a political thing this isn't a fucking mvp vote thing this isn't everything where somebody says something and then the easiest thing in the world is to be like actually no here's what here's why this isn't good. Because if you wanted to take apart Succession and go, I don't know, like Logan was mad about a deal and then the kids are mad at each other

and they make fun of each other and then we just do this for 50 episodes. Like, what is it? And I'm like, I don't care. Like you could knock Succession down by trying to just focus on like packaging it in a way where it's it's not that great but i don't know i watch a lot of tv and to me this is this is a special show to that's why i think it has to end here because you can

you can i just don't like tv shows that go on forever for the sake of going on forever sure could they write like four more seasons of just like the kids fucking around with their dad and like trying to get one over on them? And then there's different relationships and then they come back. And sure. But like, I don't know. I just don't know that I would I would enjoy it. I would watch every episode and be happy and laugh every single time. But this feels like the end point. Like you have to figure something out right now. Like this is the this is the point where I'm sort of no return. So I do like that they're sort of ending it here. So to your point, like, yeah, all right, they have a formula. They clearly stick to it. But I like that they're just like, all right, we could just drag this thing out for 10 seasons and make a bunch of money and people watch it.

But this is like a natural ending point. The one thing you mentioned, though, about that, about like Brian Cox and like how, you know, how, how, how he's, I don't know that that scene,

like it doesn't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. I actually do think it does, though, because it just shows you how bored he is with these fucking people. You know, like he doesn't none of this that that scene like it doesn't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things i actually do think it does though because it just shows you how bored he is with these fucking people you know like he doesn't none of this matt he just he doesn't the only thing that he ever gets you know up for in life is like making a deal and fucking people over he doesn't really like people's company he doesn't he doesn't even his kids he's just bored with everybody in the room so when he does that i think he's just trying to like feel like hey it just goes a long way into

showing like how weird his life is and how little interaction he has with people and how much he doesn't really care about that stuff. Yeah, you can see how much he missed the dynamic of just having the kids in there. Because at least Roman would say something fucking funny to him if he asked him to. I think that was probably him wishing Roman was there. So you could just see him like the first time he's like he doesn't have any of them or it's just like well now what the fuck do we do so um yeah I'd like to see how that goes no it's a good point it's almost like he's been downgraded you know like the team all those guys are side guys now they're the main guys but you know when you you know again I sort of like when you look at scripts um you know because I just Hey, I'll make fun of myself for myself.

You don't need to, but yeah, a lot of times we're like, okay, what was the point of this? Like why did, well, okay,

well this is setting up this and this means this, and this is a tease into this and you're going to see this builds attention here or whatever. Like succession could just go, this doesn't have to actually like be a seed for something else. It's just, to actually be a seed for something else. It's just Logan and this dialogue that works in a way where, again, I don't feel like I'm watching a TV show. I don't feel like I'm watching anything beyond some people I like and some people I don't like talk to each

other. And I just think that's pretty rare. Last thing I had really quickly, there was a, I think it was after the episode, they do like, you know, Jesse Armstrong comes on, he talks about different stuff with a bunch of different people. And they mentioned the line from Tom, I forget what season it was, but it was like, I've never seen Logan get fucked once, which is

also just an incredible line. And it just made me think, I don't know if you guys have a lean on it or whatever. I don't know if this, if that was like a, because clearly they wanted you to remember that in that post episode scene, I don't know if you guys have a lean on it or whatever. I don't know if that was like a, because clearly they wanted you to remember that in that post-episode scene. I don't know if that's setting them up for actually Logan to officially take the L this time,

and that's how the show is going to end, or it's just going to prove that that rule is true, and Logan's just going to come out on top at the end of the show. I don't want a Disney ending. I want it to be an ending people aren't rooting for. Yeah. So he's not dying, because that's like the easiest one.

That's like this ends with him dying and the kids like either not being there or being there late. That's not what you're thinking. Well, you know, he's 80 in the first season. So I don't know if they changed that. But if you read the pilot script, he's 80. Because, you know, that first scene is him pissing in the closet because he's right with his l to the og birthday was that his 80th oh that's a good question but in the pilot he's 80 that they very well could have just said hey we're just he's we're knocking it down five years yeah right

uh we got something here we're gonna need a few more years out of him you know what let's look that up How old is he on the birthday party? See, the problem is you Google anything now, it's all about the pilot. Or excuse me, it's all about season four premiere. This says he's 83. Okay. All right, so that checks out then.

Yeah. This is the succession fandom. Yeah, but the first season was 18. So that's supposedly his 80th birthday. I don't know. All right, eight. We got an eight in front of it. You want details?

Fine. I drive a Ferrari, 355 Cabriolet. What's up? I have a ridiculous house in the South Fork. I have every toy you could possibly imagine. And best of all, kids, I am liquid. So now you know what's possible. Let me tell you what's required. Now it's time for life advice.

Life advice, rr at gmail.com. We've already checked in with Rudy and Kyle, so let's just get right to it. Toilet Pressure Girl is the title. Is that a song? What? Could be after this. This is a very formal email.

There's some bold, but I kind of like the way it's executed. I like bold. I've been telling people to bold what you want us to know. Yeah, but don't start bolding everything because then you're just going to get lost in a sea of bold, right?

I agree. Yeah. It's like people that like have like different colors for different like color coded emailsoded emails it's like what what happened here but anyway i digress okay uh here we go hey brain trust this might be the biggest mind fuck you've ever heard come on the biggest 510 on a good day 160 225 bench my game is comparable to a poverty stricken man's rajan rondo that's funny i like that humility yeah i mean a really bad version of rondo isn't the greatest pickup player right probably not what is he what is he what what are the bad parts though is he is he just like a huge asshole like is he a terrible teammate or

is he just like is he like personality rondo yeah or is he just like a like an okay passer so he compares himself to rondo guy can't shoot when you get subbed out do you sit in the stands and then tell the media it's their fault for being negative uh all right maybe he's super super tough defensively see some lanes but also can't shoot it that great although there was like some rondo oh you know what do you want to break down a romano's shot No, that's not what you. That's not the. Circle back. The significant others are like, wait, why are they?

Who are they breaking down right now? Okay. All right. So 26 years old. I've started to get back into the dating scene and have a few interesting. I've had a few interesting experiences. Most notably about a month ago. I met this girl on Bumble.

We decided to meet up for dinner. Things were going great. She was outgoing and cute. We had the same sense of humor which was awesome it's so great right when it's the same sense of humor you're like oh this boy when the person doesn't have the same sense of humor as me they're like this guy's the worst some men would say the same thing all right um the only slight red flag or i guess a yellow flag was that she could not stop mentioning how outgoing

and chill she was. That is a red flag. Yeah. I think that's past the yellow. If somebody tells you they're chill a million times. Anyway,

didn't think much of it, but a little weird, right? Cut to the end of the day. We're driving back to my place in her car right before we get in the house. She asked my roommates for a week

and she starts panicking a little bit. I asked if that was a problem okay so this is on the disgusting brothers um okay uh i asked if it's a problem or she wants to go back to her place she also has roommates though she starts confessing that she is in fact not all caps super outgoing shocker and is a little nervous without saying another word she opens her glove compartment and pulls out a big ass bottle of vodka and downs a couple shots for it not chill not aggressive

jesus jesus christ can you hand me that stoli pint. Is that Zarkov? Is that Zarkov under your seat empty? The glove box. Yeah, hold on here. Let me just stash my gun in the trunk, too. Yeah, really? Is she a murderer or a fucking columnist for the 1940s? All right.

So without saying another word word she opens the glove door i'm a little stunned and confused but she's already outside the car and i can say before i can say anything all right everybody's i didn't i read that out of work i'm a little stunned yeah i know just to make sure uh and confused but she's already outside of the car before i can say anything when she gets inside my roommates are asleep due to my warning that my lady friend might be coming over. We end up watching a movie

and no weirdness for the next couple hours until out of nowhere she gets up and asks to use the bathroom. I get up and show her where it is. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

So, the roommates are asleep is in quotes. So, does that mean they're pretending to be asleep? Okay. Yeah, hiding in their room. Yeah, it's a clear out situation.

They know the drill. Right. We end up watching. We're going to play five play five out here guys and you're not getting the ball i'm jailing green in this motherfucker um we end up watching a movie and no weirdness for the next couple hours all right i thought he was like on this hookup run of like yeah so we're hooking up for a few hours and then what a man you get a real stud on her hands here. All right. So out of nowhere, she gets up and asks to use the bathroom.

I get up to show her where it is. And as she opens the door to the bathroom, she stands there in silence for about 20 seconds. I started getting uncomfortable and asked, what's wrong? She replies by asking, quote, if the toilet pressure in my house is good. Oh, no. Jesus Christ. Taken aback, I managed to muster up the most confused, I don't know, of my life. She then flushes the toilet, watches the water go down, and has this weird, satisfied look on her face. She proceeds to get out of the bathroom and asks to go into my room, which I reply,

Okay. Again, confused. And she is, all caps, excuse me, bold. She is all over me in the room one thing leads to another and it is on not proud of it but hey i'm 26 and an idiot first of all don't apologize yeah you didn't do anything wrong here i don't think unless you got back in the car with her and let you drove somewhere i don't think you did anything wrong here. Yeah. Yeah. So don't, you know. Just like the hockey community

here, you know. It's just guys telling hockey stories, right? That's all we're doing here. I'm not going to get on your case because she liked you. She leaves halfway through the night and right before she goes, I ask her what the deal with the toilet was. She laughs it off, shrugs, and says goodbye with absolutely no explanation.

My question is simply, what the fuck? Hope you laugh about this as much as my friends and I did. And no, I will not have, or I will not and have not texted her since. Smart. I don't know if that's smart. Well, I guess the vodka in the glove box is weird.

The vodka in the glove box is weird, but girls clog toilets too, man. You think it's a little weird? Yeah, but girls clog toilets too. I mean, it's obviously what she's worried about here what if her dad's a plumber and she's just super into it no why would you she would make a big deal out of she could have just went to the bathroom and checked for herself it's weird that she asked i don't know uh okay but back to the the root of this is that she's not super chill okay she's not super chill she says it a million times. Yeah.

She wants, she's selling herself the same way we try to sell ourselves. But like, usually the person that like makes it deeper too soon or like making these likes reinforcing self-assessments like, eh, I don't know. Look,

I'm not saying nobody does it. I think I've fucking done it, but you know what I mean? Like it, it can happen, but in this case, 26 or whatever. And then I think the weirdness afterwards,

like you're not telling us that she was drunk or seem drunk, but if you're already having drinks and then i think the weirdness afterwards like you're not telling us that she was drunk or seemed drunk but if you're already having drinks and then she's chugging vodka on the way into the house like that could have led to her staring in a toilet yeah just doing a little weird i mean glove glove box vodka kyle is uh that's something yeah it's not nothing yeah it's not nothing yeah yeah right so i i actually kind of get back to the original part of like the biggest mind fuck is the biggest mind fuck ever no but that's a weird one and it's one you're going to tell stories about forever um i think it's i mean there's there's obviously a graphic question of asking this where it's like did she use the bathroom

use the bathroom and that's why she cared about the toilet pressure. And then she immediately after that was like, all right, now let's get down to business. That would be a sequence of events without being like, you know, I sort of just don't want to go into this with the pod, but that's the sequence of events where I'd be like,

I think, I think it's weird. Like she clearly had to do this either. It's weird if she didn't. And it's weird if she did. And then you hooked up with her right after. I'm just saying that would be on the front of my mind. Maybe not for everybody, but that would be a little bit weird for me.

So I don't know. Yeah. I know some guys would be like, whatever, you know, like, and I'm like, okay, you, you do you. Yeah. Hey man, happy for you. You're super chill. Congrats.

Yeah. You found your one. The toilet pressure isn't the big problem here. I think the glove box vodka and the maybe not being so cool about like meeting new people and then having to drink vodka before going inside. But I mean, again, unless she's like, I don't know, maybe if she did use the bathroom, maybe she would have been like, I just took a fat shit in your toilet or something. Like maybe that's what she would have said. I don't know. It sounds like she didn't use the bathroom at all. Maybe she was

wondering if she was going to stay over. Maybe she's just somebody who's like, has no filter with that kind of stuff. And that's that maybe you wouldn't be all right with. I don't know why she asked. That's the thing I'm confused at because I thought like, you know, maybe, you know, maybe she's been over some dude's house before and clogged his toilet and had a panic i've clogged my like toilets at my friend's house i've clogged toilets at girl's house i was staying over it's the fucking it's very it's a panic induced moment i mean i'm like carl like i don't want to alarm anybody but i'm having a fucking panic attack right now so maybe she just doesn't want to be there ever again you know i don't know

what that is but if that's the case she would have just like fake used the fake done a number one and just tested your toilet to see how it looked. So it doesn't that doesn't make sense. But that would the glove box. The glove box vodka would be what I was a little worried about. Not necessarily the how how's your toilet pressure? Yeah, that's the deal breaker. I would just I mean, right there. And then the bathroom incident is a whole nother thing.

It just sort of toilet pressure alone. Cerruti would be a deal ender vodka in the vodka in the uh in the government what if she were that's a risky that's a i don't know no you're right again he's gonna say that's not gonna say what if she was a 10 right is that what you're gonna say i would

have i would have found a way around i was like what does uber well this seems like a fucking disaster she seems like a fucking every signal she's giving you that she's a fucking disaster okay but she could be it could be simply that the glove box vodka is a one-off thing and that she was super nervous about the date. I don't know about that. Look, I'm just trying to exhaust all avenues. There's a really good chance.

I'm actually going to defend, though, for the people out there that are going to be like, oh, why are you so weird about girls pooping? I'm not weird about girls pooping. It has nothing to do. It's okay. I don't even want to talk about it now. It's not that big of a deal. It just isn't.

But it is a big deal when you're on your first fucking date with someone and she makes it that weird and obvious. Like, maybe on the first date, like, leave a little bit to, you know, a little bit of mystery still out there. I think if she has to find a way to just, like, figure it out, you know?

Don't ask about the water pressure. Just go in there. Scope the scene out yourself. If she's making it, like, out into this thing and asking you that open about it. I don't know, man. That's again, the deal breaker was already vodka. This is the second deal breaker. You're good that you never called her back.

The vodka would be 100% related to how good she looked. The second part would be tough because if it were reversed the other way, there's no way. There's no way. And that's how I met Dave Matthews. I was in college. We drove down from Burlington to Kenmore Square in Boston. We were getting ready to see him later that night. A buddy had friends from his high school, these girls that had all gone to college in

the city, and they had this apartment and I was dying. And then it turned into like a deal where as we were pulling into boston they're like there's no place to stop there's no place to stop i'm like there's definitely places to stop we stop we stop because my buddies were fucking with me and then we get to their house and i was like well whatever i guess i can use the bathroom here but we're about to meet like five new girls there's a bunch of us dudes it's kind of already been sort of like planted out like who's gonna like who and i'm like all right let me scope out this apartment and it was four or five bedrooms it was a big living room

and the bathroom was right next to it in the living room it was in the living room and so you were going to go into the bathroom while everyone is sitting around watching tv and then you were going to walk out of the bathroom and there's just no, there was no hiding it. There's none zero. And so now we're here and I go, I can't, this isn't happening.

This isn't first impression deal. It's, it's not going to happen. And so then I was like, how awkward is it going to be? Cause nobody had phones then. So I can't be like, Hey,

I actually have to make a call. So I actually to the group of these people I just met met which now is putting me down in the standings because all those guys are working it harder and my first impression is i'm gonna leave yeah and so i was like hey i'm gonna go for a walk i love fenway and it's like what and it's like oh and no one come with me yeah and so i'm walking around trying to find some place and i ran into dave matthews and we chatted it up for a bit. It was great. You were like, hey man, I really got to go. Then I

went back and was like, hey, I met Dave Matthews. Guess who just jumped everybody in the standings? Did everybody believe you? They were like, all right, Fenway Walk guy. Yeah, you met Dave Matthews? Sure. I promise you one of my buddies told all the girls they had just met. They're like, oh yeah, he's going to use the bathroom.

Yeah. Yeah, totally. Because there's always one guy. Like, I would never be the sellout guy because I just think that's bullshit. You don't do that to other guys. But not every guy likes those rules. Yeah. And if it makes them look better, then they're going to make you look worse.

And if they can use that as evidence. But, yeah, Dave and I have been friends since, like, 94. Okay. Let's get another quicker one in here. This isn't... I don't know that this one is for everyone. You know what? We'll just do this one.

We'll do that. I'll do this other one later. Might get too heavy. Give it its due. I went to the Masters. Yay or nay is the question. My buddy went to the practice rounds before the Masters but says, quote, I have been to the Masters. Oh, man the question my buddy went to the practice rounds before the Masters but says quote I have been

to the Masters we need the debate settled are the practice rounds whilst being at Augusta National at the Masters actual the Masters or is it saying I went to game seven of the finals having left after shoot around

thanks so much huge fan of the pod alright can I just say really quickly uh on friday my brother-in-law literally told me this exact scenario he's like i'm going to the masters and he's going monday through wednesday and i was like oh like that's hey he's going to the masters buddy because that's what i did and i went to the masters i got the cups i ate the fucking sandwiches i walked around they took They took my phone. I went to the Masters. I don't want to hear it. All right. A lot of people tell you Wednesday's the best.

I went Wednesday. Wednesday was awesome. But I went Thursday and Friday, too. Like, did you see the tournament? That's the tournament. Yeah. Thursday and Sunday. I saw guys hitting.

All right. Okay. This is tough. I went to the Masters. And guess what? I took a dump at the Masters, and the toilet pressure was awesome. I did guys hitting. All right. Okay. This is tough. I went to the Masters. And guess what? I took a dump at the Masters, and the toilet pressure was awesome. I did it all at the Masters. Hey, hey.

I did it all at the Masters. All right. Red flag. Save it for your poop podcast. This is actually a little less clear because it is the masters because the practice rounds and the Wednesday day are so iconic and that you're walking the grounds. And there is this feeling, which we've covered when you walk through those gates and you're like,

I'm here. Um, this one, I'm not saying I love it. I'm not saying I love it I'm not saying I love it but I think you'd have to know the master's deal to understand why somebody would say this so I don't know that I want to take your friend's side but this one isn't as clear-cut like it's not the same as saying I went to the game seven of the NBA finals and leaving after shoot around it's just it's just not the same

thing what he should say is I've been toa. I was there for the par three. And then people can be like, hey, that's fucking awesome. Instead of saying, I went to the Masters. And then they go, oh, were you there for Tigers? Which year were you there? And you're like, well, I was there this year, but I didn't go any of the days. But I didn't go any of the days. I would say your friend should undersell this to then have it be still cool as opposed to oversell it to be led by disappointment. So the opposite of ESPN radio teases on this one.

Don't oversell and disappoint. Let's be honest. This is one of those stories that we've talked about in multiple life advice instances where this guy in the future is going to tell people who don't know that he's been in the Masters. He's just going to tell people that and it is what it is. But you know specifically that he did not go to the actual tournament itself.

I just think there's a difference. There is. You're right. It doesn't take away from the experience. I'm pumped for my brother-in-law. I'm pumped for this guy. It's going to be awesome. You guys are going to have a great time. As you've said, the Wednesday is awesome. But I do kind of feel like you have to watch a round of the tournament.

And that's not, you're not doing. Yeah, like, hey, who'd you follow? Well. I don't know. I'm going to not, I'm not going to stop telling people I went to the Masters. I don't want you to. I picked up and dropped off the guys at the Masters the days that I wasn't allowed to go.

But I was at the Masters. I was in Augusta. I went to that Waffle House in Augusta. I did all the things. I went to the airport. Come on. What if you just say, I mean, the right way to say it would be,

I went to Augusta, as Kyle just said. I didn't go to the Masters. I went to Augusta, as Kyle just said. I didn't go to the Masters. I went to Augusta. Not doing that. Went to the Masters. Loaded up on those sandwiches. I had like several days at the Masters. I mean, at the courts when it said like, welcome to the Masters and all that stuff.

Like, I don't know. I'm not going to stop. So I don't think you have to stop either, friend of the emailer. This is not clear. This is not as clear as other scenarios. It just isn't because Kyle experienced the master's experience. He did. If you make it there and you go to Augusta and you walk the grounds and you're there on Wednesday, that's something.

That is a real thing. I feel like once you're inside there, it's kind of like, oh, wow's something, okay. That is, that is a real thing that you, I feel like once you're inside there, it's kind of like, oh, wow, I get it. And the way the people treat you and how, you know, it's just different, man. It's, I didn't understand it. It exceeded every expectation I could have ever possibly had. I went Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, I had passes on Saturday. I told my college roommate, he could take the passes on Saturday. I told my college roommate he could take the passes on Saturday because I was trying to do him the solid. I woke up on Saturday. We're 99 out of 100 times.

I'm like, I'm good. I want to go home and watch the NBA. I woke up going, I kind of fucking regret giving him all four passes and not saying, hey, I'm keeping one and then giving you, you figure it out amongst your other people. So I don't know. I don't have a clear decision on this one. I really don't.

But I think he should just sell it differently. He should say, hey, I've been to Augusta. I've been, but I went on Wednesday. And then the person who's never been is going to be like, oh my God, that's still awesome. Tell me about it. And you can tell the person about the grounds and all the different shit. Whereas if you're saying it that way and then it gets into specifics and you're like, well, I actually only want, you know what I'm saying?

Undersell and excite. Undersell and excite. I'm trying to think of like an equivalent of this, though. I can just like F1 practice round the day you're in Montreal. You did all the stuff maybe, but like you didn't do the race. I don't know. You went to F1 in Montreal, but you didn't see the race. I don't know.

Like I saw a cover band and if you saw a cover band. Or not a cover band. Or go ahead. No, Kyle, that's actually like a perfect sports one. Because if you go to the practice round, like the practice laps and all that kind of stuff, the qualifying, also known as super race guy over here, a little early in the season, not all the way locked in. Like you're getting that actual experience.

here a little early in the season not all the way locked in like you're getting that actual experience i mean and the other thing about like f1 in person you're basically picking a turn to watch or some straight away you're not like then you got to look at other stuff to make sure you know what's going on despite the fact that what to get like three four hundred thousand people with those fucking things it's crazy i actually think that's a pretty good equivalent i know you were trying to think of something else non-sports related so rud Rudy. No, I was just thinking like it's one of the, and I don't have an exact example, but like if you went to see a band and like the lead singer, like was either dead or like left the band or they broke up.

Like, I saw this band, like, well, you didn't, did you actually see them or you just saw like this version of them? You know, I don't know.

What about Hamilton without? Great point. I did see Hamilton at the Bushnell in Connecticut. It's definitely, it was not the real cast. You know, Lin-Manuel Miranda was not there, but I do tell people I saw Hamilton, not because I'm pretentious,

but just because, you know, I don't know. Just, yeah, I saw Hamilton, but I do feel like a little dirty about it. It wasn't actually the real Hamilton. Wow. Bitch. Okay. That'll do it for today's podcast thanks to kyle and saruti as always

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