WEBVTT - Best of JMV 7-29-26 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.000 Michael Penrose top of the Hour fever a winter last night. 0:00:03.120 --> 0:00:06.360 They added again coming up on Friday, closed out a 0:00:06.360 --> 0:00:09.200 three game road trip after the All Star Break with 0:00:09.360 --> 0:00:13.560 the Minnesota Links coming up at one o'clock on Sunday afternoon. 0:00:14.160 --> 0:00:17.480 Pregame on Friday night with Tidrow I believe comes your 0:00:17.520 --> 0:00:19.959 way at nine to thirty. That's a ten o'clock start 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:27.360 coming up on Friday night on Ion. And speaking of Ion, 0:00:28.200 --> 0:00:34.360 in other I guess budding sports content hosts out there, 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:38.400 I'll think anymore. Automotive Group Potline from the Sports Business 0:00:38.560 --> 0:00:42.479 Journal Sports Business Journal dot com. Austin Karp had a 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:45.520 fantastic article a little bit earlier today, a little heads 0:00:45.600 --> 0:00:51.000 up regarding Dezone going big on sports and really investing 0:00:51.280 --> 0:00:54.200 in the NBA market, and Austin joins us right now, 0:00:54.280 --> 0:00:55.600 good afternoon to your Palhaw. 0:00:55.680 --> 0:00:57.480 Are you thanks for having me? 0:00:57.560 --> 0:00:58.040 Appreciate it? 0:00:58.240 --> 0:00:59.880 Great stuff? So where do we start? 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:04.720 Give everybody a significant background that may not know, like me, 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:06.720 everything about the Zone. 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:11.280 Well, the Zone is one of the biggest streaming companies, 0:01:11.480 --> 0:01:13.280 you know, probably in the world, but they're you know, 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:17.240 very focused on the European market, very big on soccer. 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:20.680 In a lot of European countries, a mixed martial arts 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:24.200 and boxing, but they've kind of had trouble cracking the 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:27.440 code and cracking into the US market. You've seen them 0:01:27.480 --> 0:01:30.320 out there, They've had some boxing matches. They were the 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:33.920 primary carrier of the FIFA Club World Cup in twenty 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:38.680 twenty five, but they really haven't been able to get 0:01:38.760 --> 0:01:42.080 a mass audience. They tried an NFL like highlight show 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:44.440 and they had John Skipper who used to run ESPN. 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:46.440 He was an advisor. That's how he tried to get 0:01:46.480 --> 0:01:49.520 them involved with the NFL. That really hasn't worked. Now 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:53.480 where they see an entry point is getting in with 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:57.000 these local teams which have had issues with that collapse 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:00.400 of Main Street Sports Group that owned you know your 0:02:00.440 --> 0:02:04.320 networks like FANDO, Sports Network, Indiana, those all across the country. 0:02:04.640 --> 0:02:07.000 They're going to try to aggregate as many teams as 0:02:07.040 --> 0:02:10.679 they can t Wolves, Cabs, Pacers, Spurs, Grizzlies on the 0:02:10.840 --> 0:02:14.040 NBA side. But the big news this morning was that 0:02:14.080 --> 0:02:15.480 they're going to take a lot of the streaming in 0:02:15.520 --> 0:02:19.119 the New York market. That's this Gotham map which had 0:02:19.160 --> 0:02:22.359 the combination of like Yes Network and MSG, so big 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:25.880 teams there Yankees, Knicks, Rangers, et cetera, Sabers, Nets, and 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:27.880 a bunch of others. They're going to be the home 0:02:27.960 --> 0:02:29.600 for all they want to be the home for all 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:32.239 of these teams, and that's gonna they think, be the 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:33.960 entry point for them in the US market. 0:02:34.160 --> 0:02:36.600 He is Austin Carp, Bad Austin Karp. That's Karp with 0:02:36.680 --> 0:02:36.959 a K. 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:39.840 You can find him on the social media platform x 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:45.000 He's on the Andy Moore Automotive Group hotline. So how well, 0:02:45.560 --> 0:02:48.840 how would you gauge that folks would feel about this 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:53.440 transition with the owne in mind, Like, give me your 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:56.920 expectation on if all of this comes to fruition, especially 0:02:57.040 --> 0:02:59.679 here in this indie market for the Pacers, how do 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:02.760 you expect the fans to feel and how would you 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:04.840 feel about it? How do you think this is going 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:07.400 to go if indeed it does well. 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:09.560 I lid so much on the weeds on this media stuff. 0:03:09.560 --> 0:03:11.320 I don't think it phazes me as much anymore. But 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:13.920 if you're a general fan, it's probably getting a little 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:16.880 annoying these days. If you were an NBA fan last year, 0:03:17.120 --> 0:03:19.600 you had to find out that there's new media partners 0:03:19.639 --> 0:03:22.080 and it's New Nights for Is it on Prime Video? 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:22.840 Is it on NBC? 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:23.880 Is it on Peacock? 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:24.639 Is it on ABC? 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:27.600 Is it on ESPN? And it's double the amount of networks. 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:29.880 If you're a WNBA fan, if you're trying to find 0:03:29.919 --> 0:03:32.359 the Indiana Fever, they could be on I ON or 0:03:32.560 --> 0:03:36.520 USA or NBC or CBS or NBA TV or Amazon Prime. 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:40.480 It's it's getting incredibly difficult for fans. But this would 0:03:40.600 --> 0:03:44.280 almost be outside of those National Games kind of one 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:47.600 stop shopping for Pacers fans, Like if it's not on 0:03:47.800 --> 0:03:50.640 National TV, you kind of know it's going to be 0:03:50.840 --> 0:03:54.119 on the Zonne like it was with Fandols Sports Network Indiana. 0:03:54.720 --> 0:03:57.480 There are there are, there is the availability at least 0:03:57.480 --> 0:04:01.119 sources are telling us that will be potential over the packages. 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.480 So you might have some of those broadcast TV games, 0:04:03.680 --> 0:04:07.120 a few of those that are simulcast or at least 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:09.560 in front of any sort of payball that Dezone has 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:12.360 making it a little easier for fans to get exposure 0:04:12.400 --> 0:04:13.200 to some of those games. 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:16.240 Austin carp He joins us trying to sort this out, 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:18.520 and again I want to remind folks, this is not 0:04:18.760 --> 0:04:22.640 etgeton Stone yet, but we shall see, because we've talked 0:04:22.640 --> 0:04:26.160 about this Austin during the offseason. What is going to 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:28.720 be the new broadcast home. And I don't know if 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:32.200 you know this or not, but we are the radio 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:35.080 voice of the Pacers and that is great. I want 0:04:35.120 --> 0:04:38.160 people to listen to us all the time. But I 0:04:38.279 --> 0:04:40.800 just know that people want the visual and you are 0:04:40.920 --> 0:04:44.040 right to say it has to be easier. It has 0:04:44.120 --> 0:04:47.800 to be not only easier Austin to find, because these 0:04:47.839 --> 0:04:50.520 fever games at times are incredibly hard to find. It's 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:53.520 like a process every single week to find out where 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:58.280 you're going. But there's also a cost. And folks for 0:04:58.440 --> 0:05:03.080 tossing around the idea of this being a very expensive proposition, 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:05.600 what would you know or what would you expect in 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:06.359 that category? 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:10.360 It is getting more expensive to watch your team, Like 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:12.480 you're now having to pay if you have cut the 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:15.680 cord and you don't have whether it's Comcast or whatever, 0:05:15.720 --> 0:05:17.800 have in your market, Charter Spectrum or even draw a 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:21.560 direct TV if you just want that direct to consumer 0:05:21.680 --> 0:05:24.800 over the top streaming service. Yeah, that's an added fee 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:28.600 you're paying for your team, and it's it's so counterintuitive 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:31.560 where sports media has gone these days. We're in twenty 0:05:31.640 --> 0:05:35.920 twenty six and we're pining for nineteen eighties technology set up, 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:38.400 Like if only there was some way to bundle all 0:05:38.440 --> 0:05:41.520 of these channels together in one stop shopping. This is 0:05:41.600 --> 0:05:45.080 literally technology like that's thirty years ago. Yeah, a development 0:05:45.120 --> 0:05:46.919 that was more fan friendly than it is today. 0:05:47.240 --> 0:05:51.720 Yeah, it's it's incredible, and I don't know if that 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:55.839 is likely to change Austin anytime soon. You agree, it's 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:59.400 I think we're all going to be discombobulated as humanly possible. 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.120 And when you see the NFL doing it, because the 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:06.239 NFL normally takes terms, it's almost like everybody else follows 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:09.240 in in to suit with the amount of money that's 0:06:09.360 --> 0:06:11.279 remaining for their broadcast content. 0:06:12.640 --> 0:06:15.279 Yeah, to get the money that you got pretty easily 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:18.600 in yesteryear, you are now having to bring on those multi, 0:06:18.960 --> 0:06:22.720 multi multiple media partners. If it's something like Nascar, there 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:24.719 just used to be a Fox portion of the season 0:06:24.960 --> 0:06:26.960 and there used to be an NBC portion of the 0:06:27.000 --> 0:06:30.000 season that got split up into four media partners because 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.920 that's how Nascar was able to get a media rights increase. 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:36.200 So for the consumer, you got to hop from Fox 0:06:36.320 --> 0:06:39.920 to FS one to Prime Video to TNT or True 0:06:40.000 --> 0:06:42.839 TV wherever you're watching, and then over to NBC and USA. 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:45.520 It is. It is crazy trying to find the race 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:47.800 every week. You got to have literally the old TV 0:06:47.960 --> 0:06:49.359 guy to figure out where your sports are. 0:06:50.080 --> 0:06:53.280 From a selfish angle, Austin, here, I have direct TV, 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:57.080 and here's why it is. As you say earlier, it 0:06:57.200 --> 0:06:59.400 is archaic. I've had it for the better part of 0:06:59.520 --> 0:07:00.800 now twenty five years. 0:07:01.520 --> 0:07:05.520 I rarely watch anything outside of really about five channels, 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:07.080 and literally that is it. 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:10.240 But here's what I know. I know what is necessary 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:12.680 for me to do my job is always going to 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.920 be right there. And the Pacers were a part of 0:07:16.000 --> 0:07:20.040 that equation. Well that continue. How would the NBA navigate 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:24.080 with DirectTV or the full court package or any of 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:25.880 that if this comes to fruition. 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:30.440 See, you would have your national games at least, you know, 0:07:30.520 --> 0:07:34.240 if it was on NBC or if it was on ESPN, ABC, 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:37.720 but if you already had to leave your direct TV service, 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:40.160 if your a game was on Prime video. And it's 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:42.320 not just random game. We're talking about playoff series that 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:45.920 we're on. There a lot of these in season tournament games. 0:07:46.000 --> 0:07:48.280 Those are all on Prime video. So you're having to 0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:51.680 leave that and you would likely have to leave to 0:07:51.840 --> 0:07:53.960 go watch you have to leave to go watch his 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:56.480 own because it's a separate app. But what we're seeing 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:59.920 now is more of what's called this like channels business. 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.640 If you turn on Amazon Prime a lot, you see like, oh, 0:08:02.920 --> 0:08:05.120 I can get my Paramount Plus on there, or I 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:07.760 can get my HBO Max or my Apple TV shows 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:10.840 within that universe. Now you can do that for most 0:08:10.920 --> 0:08:14.760 media companies out there, everything except for Netflix and Disney, 0:08:14.920 --> 0:08:17.440 because they don't put their original content anywhere else but 0:08:17.560 --> 0:08:21.320 on their own streaming platforms. And that's something that company 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:23.800 needs to change. There needs to be more bundling, more together, 0:08:24.160 --> 0:08:27.080 more of that direct TV or cable TV universe that 0:08:27.680 --> 0:08:29.680 used to exist if we're going to have a fan 0:08:29.800 --> 0:08:30.600 friendly environment. 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:34.079 Austin Karpa of Sports Business Journal Sports Business Journal dot 0:08:34.160 --> 0:08:36.640 Com joins us final thing here, do you think that 0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:39.679 this actually does, for example, for the Pacers in this 0:08:39.800 --> 0:08:40.439 indie market? 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:41.800 Does that happen? 0:08:42.240 --> 0:08:44.559 And do you think people around here will be happy 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:48.240 with it? Maybe compared to fan duel and that coverage 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:51.280 of the past. How will Pacer fans feel around here about. 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:53.760 It in terms of coverage I'm not sure you'll notice 0:08:53.840 --> 0:08:55.400 much of a difference. You're basically just going to be 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:58.839 switching apps. I imagine that they're going to want to 0:08:58.920 --> 0:09:01.120 keep around a lot of the production talent and a 0:09:01.160 --> 0:09:03.520 lot of the team talent, the broadcast talent that's hired 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:05.719 by the team anyways, so you'll have a lot of 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:08.559 the same figures there, just on a You're gonna have 0:09:08.600 --> 0:09:12.080 to have some education for fans, especially before the season, 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:16.199 where you can find Pacers games this season. I do 0:09:16.360 --> 0:09:18.360 think this sort of deal is going to get done. 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:22.720 The number of streaming platform players out there that are 0:09:22.840 --> 0:09:25.839 able to deliver something like this that is shrinking. We 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:29.120 have seen services out there like a like a Victory Plus, 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:31.920 which started with the Dallas Stars and got the Ducks 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:34.040 and some of the in the Texas Rangers, and they 0:09:34.120 --> 0:09:36.199 were talking to a lot of these NBA teams as well. 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:36.480 Well. 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.960 We already saw the Texas Rangers midway through the season 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:44.080 drop Victory Plus as a streaming service. Nobody drops your 0:09:44.120 --> 0:09:47.160 streaming service midway through a season. That nobody does that. 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:50.160 Talk about unfanned friendly, but that's how bad the business 0:09:50.240 --> 0:09:52.720 model was, and it sounds like checks were not clearing 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:55.760 from that service limited buyers out there. One thing I 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:58.120 can say about the Zone is that it is incredibly 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:01.719 well capitalized. It's owned by one of the richest billionaires 0:10:01.760 --> 0:10:04.160 in the world, lives in Europe, so they don't have 0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:06.640 a money problem, but they have a recognition problem. And 0:10:06.760 --> 0:10:10.160 I think adding these teams, whether it's MLB, NHL, NBA 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:13.400 aggregating as many as they can and being at the 0:10:13.600 --> 0:10:17.839 table with the NBA and MLBN NHL, when those leagues 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:22.840 create a national product of local streaming services, that'll help 0:10:22.960 --> 0:10:24.920 the Zone with that proposition. 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:28.040 That is Austin Karp with us and I mentioned this 0:10:28.200 --> 0:10:31.480 as we came in. We obviously watched the fever around 0:10:31.600 --> 0:10:34.280 here last night. It was ESPN Friday Night. 0:10:34.360 --> 0:10:35.000 It's I on. 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:38.480 Sometimes they're on locally, which is awesome, on Channel thirteen, 0:10:38.520 --> 0:10:41.960 the NBC affiliate locally, sometimes not, they're on other venues 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:42.400 as well. 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:45.439 Is this working out for them right now? 0:10:45.720 --> 0:10:48.319 And I don't know, is there a change of pace 0:10:48.760 --> 0:10:50.959 for that league and how we're going to be able 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:54.920 to watch their television broadcast in the not so distant future. 0:10:56.240 --> 0:10:58.960 I think that is stink steady. This is year one 0:10:59.120 --> 0:11:02.160 of the WNBA New Media Rights deal. Now, let's just 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:04.880 start locally with the Fever. Like the local deal that 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:07.319 you are talking about, those over the air games, that's 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:10.120 one of, if not the most lucrative local media rights 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:12.360 deal in the NBA. So they love to have that. 0:11:12.520 --> 0:11:16.360 Even though the Fever No surprise lead all teams in 0:11:16.520 --> 0:11:19.680 terms of national TV appearances, everybody wants some of the Fever. 0:11:20.120 --> 0:11:22.120 If you look at the top games over the course 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:24.760 of the first half of the season, the first seven 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:28.319 all Fever games, there are twenty nine games so far 0:11:28.400 --> 0:11:31.440 that have topped one million viewers for the WNBA. Half 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:34.520 of those are Fever games. And that's across a variety 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:38.040 of networks, whether it's USA I on like we're talking about, 0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:40.480 if they're part of a regionalized window there on a 0:11:40.559 --> 0:11:44.400 Friday night. So the Fever are continuing to and Caitlin 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:48.200 Clark continuing to drive interest, viewership up twelve percent at 0:11:48.200 --> 0:11:49.000 the All Star break. 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:51.880 One more thing I wanted to ask, and this is 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:56.559 on a national basis, here, do the networks in this 0:11:56.720 --> 0:12:01.520 deal do they charge more for Fever Caitlin Clark games 0:12:01.800 --> 0:12:06.920 then they might for other matchups across the WNBA landscape 0:12:06.960 --> 0:12:07.880 of televised games. 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:08.920 Is right. 0:12:09.000 --> 0:12:11.600 You're not charging per game like that, okay. 0:12:11.360 --> 0:12:15.000 But you know, if NBC is paying a meteor rights 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:18.400 feed to the league, okay, they are now using their 0:12:18.440 --> 0:12:20.719 passing that cost along to the consumer when they do 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:25.079 those carriage deals. When NBC is negotiating with Comcast, when 0:12:25.160 --> 0:12:28.319 NBC is negotiating with Charter Spectrum a direct TV, that 0:12:28.640 --> 0:12:31.280 price that you pay for your bill, why does that 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:34.240 go up because the cost of that sports right has 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:36.320 gone up. And when you add all the leagues together, 0:12:36.760 --> 0:12:39.559 you know, that's why sports continues to be so important 0:12:39.600 --> 0:12:42.280 for these companies and keeping them afloat like that's the 0:12:42.440 --> 0:12:45.920 only appointment for some of the only appointment television left 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:48.839 out there. People aren't There's no gathering at the water 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:51.679 cool or for a lot of these entertainment TV shows anymore. 0:12:52.120 --> 0:12:55.200 It's for sports, or it's for something like the Thanksgiving 0:12:55.280 --> 0:12:57.320 Day parade. It's very few in between. 0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:02.280 Austin Carr, fantastic job right there of sorting things out, 0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:04.880 at least for the time being with us. He's from 0:13:04.920 --> 0:13:08.120 the Sports Business Journal and the Andy Moore Automotive Group. 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:13.160 Potline again Sports Business Journal dot Com for all the latest. Men, 0:13:13.280 --> 0:13:14.959 We're gonna stay in the loop with you if you 0:13:15.000 --> 0:13:17.199 don't mind to see where this thing ultimately goes and 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:20.199 get your thoughts if again, everything turns out to be 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:22.400 for real here further down the road, Austin. 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:24.120 Thank you, happy to be here. 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:28.760 Outstanding work, Austin carp right there, bringing the smarts real 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:31.880 good to a show that lacks the smart's real good. 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:33.400 That's what we need. 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:38.360 When you just disconnected from Austin, the IQ of this 0:13:38.520 --> 0:13:41.880 show went down about one hundred and fifty points. 0:13:42.080 --> 0:13:45.679 I could see Austin laughing in the preview screen here 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:49.560 when you said that, So nice job, right. 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:54.240 I just lost the IQ points? Is poof gone? Hey, 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:57.720 now we're going to talk about that rock. No, seriously. 0:13:58.679 --> 0:13:58.959 Gone. 0:13:59.240 --> 0:14:03.920 That was really good, good and full disclosure. 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:08.640 Every single question I ask, and maybe some of you 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:12.840 had already an answer, I had no answer none. 0:14:14.240 --> 0:14:15.600 So I didn't know if I was. 0:14:15.800 --> 0:14:18.160 Asking him something where he would go, oh, well, wait 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:20.800 a minute, this is already this or that. I didn't 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:26.160 want to completely put down de owne, but I was 0:14:26.240 --> 0:14:30.320 glad to hear him agree with me on where this 0:14:30.520 --> 0:14:34.200 has to go, and it does for the consumer of 0:14:34.320 --> 0:14:38.680 sports content out there. It has to become easier has 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:44.560 to now he probably won't use the description of you 0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:48.920 gotta stop jacking around. I will and you got to 0:14:48.920 --> 0:14:52.840 stop jacking around. If this is it, I hope that 0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:56.320 it works. If this is it, I hope that it's cheap. 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:01.800 A couple of back back years coming up that are 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:06.760 huge for the Blue and Gold. I'm glad that you 0:15:06.880 --> 0:15:09.440 get the content right here on radio. Always want you 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:13.280 listening to that. The TV is incredibly important, no doubt. 0:15:18.240 --> 0:15:19.880 The ride with JMV. 0:15:20.520 --> 0:15:25.000 I love winning, man, I love winning you hear what 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:28.160 I'm saying. It's like better than losing that he three 0:15:28.280 --> 0:15:35.000 five and one oh seven five the Fan, Oh Fever, 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:39.680 Last Night Fever Radio one oh five ninety five over 0:15:39.760 --> 0:15:41.640 the still on the first of three on the road 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:42.480 in Portland. 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:46.040 Coming up on Friday night ten o'clock. 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:48.480 Is that Tipton nine thirty, tid Row's got your right 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:52.760 here the links in Minnesota one o'clock on Sunday. 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:54.800 That is going to be a. 0:15:55.240 --> 0:15:59.720 Hum dinger, as they say, pregame show here at twelve, 0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:04.640 maybe now at eighteen and ten. Overall hitting their stride 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:07.760 and somebody that would know the voice of the Fever. 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:10.680 He's our good friend Pat Boyling kind enough to join 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:13.280 us on the Andy Moore Automotive Group plotline. You know, 0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:17.400 without the Leah Boston situation injury wise, last night, Man, 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:19.040 that was so much more like it. 0:16:19.080 --> 0:16:23.480 Do you agree, Yeah, no question, John. 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:25.640 You know, I thought they played terrifically in the first half, 0:16:25.720 --> 0:16:27.600 you know, one of the best first halves of the season. 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:31.440 They certainly faced, you know, some adversity. That twenty point 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:35.080 lead was down to two, and I really thought the 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:37.160 beginning of the fourth quarter was one of the big 0:16:37.200 --> 0:16:39.400 gut check moments of the season so far. You have 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:41.560 that twenty point lead, you lose a Lee of Boston. 0:16:42.040 --> 0:16:44.560 The lead is just kind of slowly dwindling away, but 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:47.240 you haven't lost it, and it's at four points starting 0:16:47.400 --> 0:16:51.440 the fourth quarter. Boston is not back. Caitlin Clark has 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:53.560 played nearly the whole game, so she starts the fourth 0:16:53.640 --> 0:16:56.040 quarter on the bench, and so it's Kelsey Mitchell and 0:16:56.120 --> 0:16:58.640 a four point lead, and you're feeling a lot less 0:16:58.800 --> 0:17:01.800 confident than you were or maybe an hour ago, and 0:17:01.920 --> 0:17:04.119 then Kelsey Mitchell just delivers with eight points in the 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:06.120 first couple of minutes, gets that lead back to ten. 0:17:06.240 --> 0:17:08.399 Caitlin Clark comes back in, makes a couple of plays, 0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:10.720 hits a couple of shots, and you end up winning 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:12.920 a game that you feel comfortable with. In the final 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:16.080 few minutes, you certainly miss the Lea Boston's presidence. You know, 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:20.120 they don't really have. If Caitlin Clark goes down, it's 0:17:20.160 --> 0:17:23.240 a very difficult thing to overcome. But you have another 0:17:23.880 --> 0:17:26.080 guard right next door in Kelsey Mitchell that's an All 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:28.320 Star caliber player. When a Lee ab Boston goes down, 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:31.320 you just missed her presence so significantly. But you know 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:34.240 that backcourt is really really good for a reason. They're 0:17:34.240 --> 0:17:36.240 All Stars for a reason. The last time they played 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:38.040 Seattle a week and a half ago, they combined for 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:41.840 seventy five points, and they combined for sixty last night 0:17:41.960 --> 0:17:44.960 in Seattle, and they certainly needed just about all of 0:17:45.000 --> 0:17:47.400 those to power them to victory on top. 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:50.200 Pat Boyle and who's on the Anymore Automotive Group hotline, 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:53.920 I'm telling you Kelsey Mitchell is an absolute powder keg 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:54.560 of offense. 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:58.760 Yeah yeah, I mean, she's just so fun to watch 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:02.040 right now. She has always been a dynamic offensive player, 0:18:02.480 --> 0:18:07.080 but what she has done in the last five six weeks, 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:08.760 I mean, I think She's been the best player in 0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:11.320 the WNBA over the last month and a half. At 0:18:11.400 --> 0:18:14.480 twelve games now scoring at least twenty points per game, 0:18:15.280 --> 0:18:18.560 twelve games of hitting at least three threes per game. 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:24.639 She's playing at an absolute elite MVP caliber level on 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:27.679 the season as a whole, and so too is Caitlyn Clark. 0:18:28.000 --> 0:18:30.200 But in the last five six weeks, I mean, she 0:18:30.320 --> 0:18:34.600 has just been on an otherworldly pair. And those two 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:37.119 last night, you know, we're just talking about their contributions 0:18:37.160 --> 0:18:39.560 a little bit a moment ago, but Caitlin Clark was 0:18:39.680 --> 0:18:43.880 kind of that strong, steady, high level presence throughout the game. 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:48.120 Kelsey Mitchell had ten points going into the fourth quarter, 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:50.000 and I made this comment, you know, on air to 0:18:50.080 --> 0:18:52.119 deb late in the game. You know, if you're Seattle 0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:56.280 defensively after three quarters, after thirty minutes, you've held Kelsey 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:59.400 Mitchell to ten points, this feels like a massive win 0:18:59.680 --> 0:19:02.000 if you're the Storm. And then you look up at 0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:03.960 the end of the night and she finishes the game 0:19:04.080 --> 0:19:06.840 with twenty eight points still when you probably felt like 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:08.760 you did a pretty good job on her for three 0:19:09.000 --> 0:19:11.600 quarters of the game. So yeah, I mean, her fourth 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:14.440 quarter performance was massive I don't know that the Fever 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:17.200 come away victorious without the fourth quarter that she had, 0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:20.359 especially when you consider Leah Boston was down. I mean, 0:19:20.440 --> 0:19:24.600 we're truly witnessing a scoring stretch that is historic right now. 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:27.879 I mean, she's breaking just about every Fever scoring record 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:31.520 that there is, and she's putting herself into rarefied air. 0:19:31.640 --> 0:19:33.680 Depending on whether you're looking at points per game or 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:36.760 her three point percentage or efficiency, all of it is 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:39.800 just at such a high level right now. And frankly, 0:19:39.880 --> 0:19:41.879 I was a little concerned when the team hit the 0:19:41.920 --> 0:19:43.800 All Star break. I mean, they had just been playing 0:19:44.119 --> 0:19:46.240 so well. Now, the All Star break in the w 0:19:46.400 --> 0:19:48.119 it's a lot shorter than it is in the NBA, 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:50.320 So in the NBA you're off four over a week, 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:53.439 and the WNBA you're off for a handful of days. 0:19:53.560 --> 0:19:56.960 But Clark had been playing great, Mitchell had been playing great. 0:19:57.200 --> 0:19:59.919 The Fever won three their final three games in four 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:01.760 their last five going into the break, and I was 0:20:01.840 --> 0:20:06.480 kind of thinking he actually wanted to come. But yeah, 0:20:06.640 --> 0:20:09.440 you start the post All Star break plate with another 0:20:09.560 --> 0:20:13.040 offensive explosion as a team. Kelsey Mitchell really good, Kate 0:20:13.119 --> 0:20:15.800 Len Clark really good. So I think any worries about 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:19.520 losing any of that momentum. Hopefully you know they were. 0:20:19.840 --> 0:20:22.280 They were called by Indiana's victory last night. 0:20:22.480 --> 0:20:25.600 Fever in Portland coming up on Friday night. Can you 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:29.480 remember the last time that you you were watching a game, 0:20:29.560 --> 0:20:32.000 a part of a game where the opposition turned it 0:20:32.080 --> 0:20:34.800 over I believe just four times and lost at home. 0:20:37.200 --> 0:20:38.640