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Speaker 1: Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're wishing

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Speaker 1: all the college basketball teams a happy first week of practice,

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Speaker 1: made the preseason be injury free, and the regular season

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Speaker 1: for that matter, and the postseason and the rest of

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Speaker 1: your lives. Please every Wednesday healthy. We're super croup for

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Speaker 1: this season. On today's JOWE, we'll be talking all things

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Speaker 1: aces with Las Vegas Review Journal reporter Callie laws and

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Speaker 1: Freeman or should we say Callie Finn Get used to it.

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Speaker 2: Our girl just got married.

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Speaker 1: Plus we get you caught up on WNBA playoff action

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Speaker 1: and give you the wise words of one Twitter user

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Speaker 1: that we all need to keep close to our hearts

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Speaker 1: as this playoff season continues. It's all coming up right

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Speaker 1: after this. Welcome back, my Orange slices.

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Speaker 2: Here's what you need to know today.

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Speaker 1: WNBA Playoffs two games on Tuesday night, and both top

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Speaker 1: seeds finished off the sweeps in their first round matchups.

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Speaker 1: In the early game, Sabrina and escued tide of franchise

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Speaker 1: playoff record with thirty six points and high five Spike

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Speaker 1: Lee to help the New York Liberty beat the Atlanta

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Speaker 1: Dream ninety one eighty two in advance to the semi finals.

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Speaker 1: John qwell Jones added twenty points and thirteen rebounds for

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Speaker 1: her nineteenth career playoff double double and one hundred and

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Speaker 1: ninth double double of any kind in her career. The

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Speaker 1: Dream fought hard to try to extend the series. They

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Speaker 1: started off leading twenty eight nineteen, led by eleven in

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Speaker 1: the second, and hung on to keep it within a

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Speaker 1: point heading into the fourth quarter, but despite twenty six

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Speaker 1: points from Alisha Gray and nineteen from Ryan Howard, Atlanta

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Speaker 1: just couldn't keep pace with the top seeded Liberty New

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Speaker 1: York will go on to face the Las Vegas Aces

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Speaker 1: in the semi finals. Asia Wilson and Company defeating the

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Speaker 1: Seattle Storm eighty three seventy six in front of baby

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Speaker 1: horse Alex Morgan courtside in Vegas. After a tough shooting

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Speaker 1: night in Game one, Kelsey Plumb showed out twenty nine

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Speaker 1: points in the win. MVP Asia Wilson add in twenty

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Speaker 1: four points and thirteen rebounds, and they got twelve points

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Speaker 1: nine assist from Chelsea Gray to hold off a Seattle

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Speaker 1: team that would not quit. Four of five starters and

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Speaker 1: double digits for the Storm, and they fought but couldn't

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Speaker 1: finish and force a Game three. Watching how Gabby Williams

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Speaker 1: played since being added to that team, man, sure makes

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Speaker 1: you wonder what that team could have done if they

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Speaker 1: had her all season.

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Speaker 2: And we've got some more Game two action.

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Speaker 1: Tonight, the Connecticut Sun hosts the Indiana Fever at seven

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Speaker 1: thirty Eastern with an opportunity to close out that series.

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Speaker 1: Can the Sun force Caitlin Clark and her teammates into

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Speaker 1: another bad shooting night like Game one, or will a

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Speaker 1: young Fever team come out more poised in Game two?

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Speaker 1: Second game Phoenix Mercury looking to win on the road

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Speaker 1: and force a Game three with the Minnesota Lynx. That

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Speaker 1: game tip's at nine to thirty Eastern. The whole If

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Speaker 1: This Is It watch continues because tonight could be the

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Speaker 1: end of Dinah Trossi's career If they lose. Will Britney Griner,

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Speaker 1: Kalia Copper and the White Momba herself show out and

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Speaker 1: make sure DT at least plays at home one last time?

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Speaker 2: Find out should be a good one.

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Speaker 1: By the way, on Monday and Tuesday on Twitter, I

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Speaker 1: asked you all to make your predictions for the first round,

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Speaker 1: and as we're starting to see them come to a close.

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Speaker 2: Here's how the vote shook out.

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Speaker 1: Eighty three point four percent of voters have the Aces

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Speaker 1: beating the storm, fifty three point eight have the Sun

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Speaker 1: beating the fever, eighty point eight percent see the links

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Speaker 1: top in the Mercury, and ninety three point seven percent

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Speaker 1: of voters had the Liberty defeating the Dream in the NWSL.

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Speaker 1: It's some exciting news for the league's newest club, BAYFC.

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Speaker 1: They've signed a letter of intent to build an eight

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Speaker 1: and a half acre training facility on Treasure Island, a

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Speaker 1: move that will bolster the island's longtime role as a

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Speaker 1: sports and.

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Speaker 2: Recreation hub in the area. Fun fact, I went to

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Speaker 2: a wedding there once.

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Speaker 1: The training facility deal was announced during a news conference

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Speaker 1: on Tuesday, and will include a twenty thousand square foot

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Speaker 1: clubhouse and three practice fields. The club intends to break

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Speaker 1: round on the facility in twenty twenty five and begin

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Speaker 1: using it in twenty twenty seven. The franchise is also

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Speaker 1: considering possible sites for a stadium in the future. Home

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Speaker 1: games are currently played at PayPal Park. That's the same

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Speaker 1: venue used by Major League Soccer as San Jose Earthquakes. Also,

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Speaker 1: after we finished recording. On Monday night, the Portland Thorns

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Speaker 1: earned a two to two draw with Angel City that

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Speaker 1: snapped a four game losing streak for Portland. The draw

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Speaker 1: keeps them in seventh place. They're three points ahead of

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Speaker 1: eighth place race Louisville, while Angel City is in tenth,

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Speaker 1: three points behind Louisville and BAFC, both teams still in

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Speaker 1: the playoff hunt with five weeks to go. College basketball

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Speaker 1: Southern Cal just landed another top recruit on Tuesday. Five

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Speaker 1: star hooper Jazzy Davidson, the number three player in the

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty five class according to the ESPN Hoop Girls Rankings,

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Speaker 1: committed to play for the USC Trojans next year. Davidson,

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Speaker 1: a six foot two guard out of Klacamis, Oregon, will

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Speaker 1: join All American star Juju Watkins at USC.

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Speaker 2: Jazzy and Juju print the shirts now please.

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Speaker 1: Davidson already has a stacked resumes, who most recently won

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Speaker 1: gold in the Phoeba three x three U eighteen World

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Speaker 1: Cup and in the Phoeba U eighteen AMERICAUP with Team USA.

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Speaker 1: Speaking of those Trojans, that young squad fought mightily last season,

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Speaker 1: reaching in number three, ranking their highest since nineteen eighty six,

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Speaker 1: and posting a twenty nine and six overall record us

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Speaker 1: He made it all the way to the Elite eight

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Speaker 1: before losing to Yukon. We'll certainly be keeping an eye

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Speaker 1: on them this season. That rivalry with UCLA is going

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Speaker 1: to be so much fun this season. College volleyball at

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Speaker 1: packs late of games tonight, including the number one ranked

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Speaker 1: perfect Pittsburgh Panthers putting their nine oh to O record

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Speaker 1: on the line against UMBC at five eastern. There are

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Speaker 1: five games across ESPN platforms tonight that you can watch,

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Speaker 1: including the number nine Kansas Jayhawks taken on UCF at

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Speaker 1: seven eastern on ESPNU. We'll link to the full ESPN

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Speaker 1: schedule in our notes. By the way, Sunday's Nebraska Louisville

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Speaker 1: matchup on ABC did numbers, becoming the most watched regular

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Speaker 1: season volleyball match on all ESPN platforms and the second

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Speaker 1: most watched regular season volleyball game on any network, with

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Speaker 1: six hundred and eighty four thousand viewers, peaking with eight

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Speaker 1: hundred eight thousand. Tennis, the China Open Gets started today

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Speaker 1: at the Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Center. The same venue

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Speaker 1: that was used at the two thousand and eight Olympic Games.

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Speaker 1: The top names on the WTA Tour are competing in

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Speaker 1: the tournament, including Americans Jessica Pagoula, Coco Goff, and Emma Navarro.

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Speaker 1: Poland's egas Fontec took home the trophy in twenty twenty three,

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Speaker 1: defeating Ludmila Samsonova.

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Speaker 2: In straight sets.

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Speaker 1: QUI out to friend of the show Lindsay dark Angelo,

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Speaker 1: who you heard here talking about her women's football book,

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Speaker 1: Hail Mary Well. She also does a great job of

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Speaker 1: covering women's hoops for awful announcing, and our interview with

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Speaker 1: Cheryl Reeve inspired her to write a column this week.

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Speaker 1: Now you remember the Minnesota Link's head coach came on here,

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Speaker 1: talked about trying to preserve the WNBA space as one

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Speaker 1: that's inclusive, welcoming and empowering for people no matter their gender,

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Speaker 1: sexuality identity.

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Speaker 2: And as a gay sports writer.

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Speaker 1: Who is masculine leaning, Lindsay really felt that she echoed

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Speaker 1: Reeve in her column, writing quote, I've often felt out

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Speaker 1: of place when covering men's sports and or interviewing male athletes.

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Speaker 1: I always had the sense that I didn't fit some

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Speaker 1: particular mold of how a female sports reporter should be

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Speaker 1: and look. More often than not, I felt awkward, self

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Speaker 1: conscious and out of place. But when I ventured into

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Speaker 1: the women's sports space, particularly the WNBA, I never.

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Speaker 2: Felt more at home. End quote.

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Speaker 1: What Lindsay wrote after that about how the league and

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Speaker 1: the w space will respond to increasingly toxic rhetoric and

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Speaker 1: a changing vibe really stood out to me.

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Speaker 2: I totally agree. She wrote, quote the eyes, the rise in.

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Speaker 1: Viewership, the increased attention, the additional coverage across mainstream media,

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Speaker 1: the heightened conversation. It's all been amazing. It's what the

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Speaker 1: WNBA community, WNBA media, players, and the league have wanted

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Speaker 1: and hoped for. The troubling part is that we're now

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Speaker 1: expected to be okay with and accept the influx of

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Speaker 1: toxicity that has come along with it. I know growing

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Speaker 1: pains are a thing, but this isn't a pain. That's

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Speaker 1: a natural part of the growing process. The WNBA is

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Speaker 1: one of the most, if not the most, progressive major

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Speaker 1: sports league in history. It raised the bar when it

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Speaker 1: came to diversity and acceptance. It changed and evolved over

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Speaker 1: time because the players use their platforms and autonomy to

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Speaker 1: demand better. Now it's supposed to lower the bar just

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Speaker 1: because it's more popular. New fans, media, personalities, and voices

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Speaker 1: to the space should instead rise to the occasion and

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Speaker 1: meet the standards of where the bar is at. Taking

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Speaker 1: steps backward just because that's been the status quo in

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Speaker 1: men's leagues isn't how the WNBA operates. It shouldn't be

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Speaker 1: how any women's sports league operates.

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Speaker 2: End quote. Couldn't agree more.

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Speaker 1: Lindsay Well said, terrible people will exist in every space

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Speaker 1: in life, on social and sports. Fans are notoriously the world,

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Speaker 1: but we can't just accept it, whether from fans, media,

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Speaker 1: or players. Simply shrugging our shoulders, or even worse, lowering

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Speaker 1: ourselves to contribute to it cannot be the answer. If

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Speaker 1: you want to read the full story, we put a

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Speaker 1: link to it in our show notes. We got to

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Speaker 1: take a quick break when we come back. Cali laws

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Speaker 1: In Freeman Finn is our ace in the hole stick around.

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Speaker 1: She's a Las Vegas ass and UNLV sports reporter for

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Speaker 1: the Las Vegas Review Journal, with previous stops at Yahoo Sports, ESPN,

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Speaker 1: Front Office Sports, and The Sacramento Observer. She was a

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Speaker 1: college track athlete at uc Riverside and San Francisco State,

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Speaker 1: and she's.

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Speaker 2: A newlywed, like new new It's Cali laws and Freeman.

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Speaker 2: What's up CALLI.

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Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, that was such a great intro. I

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Speaker 3: didn't know that you would have all that info, but

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Speaker 3: thank you so much.

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Speaker 2: You know I went dig in. You know you already

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Speaker 2: have three names? Do we have a fourth?

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Speaker 3: Now? Are we sticking with these three? No, it'll be changed.

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Speaker 3: I'm gonna take kids so professionally, I'll have a shorter

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Speaker 3: last name soon It'll just be Cali Finn fi nd,

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Speaker 3: which is easier. The hyphen was from both of my parents, so.

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Speaker 2: Perfect fi and in French. Perfect.

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Speaker 1: You literally got buried last weekend, so we got to

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Speaker 1: start there first. Give us the one minute wedding recap.

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Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, it was amazing. We so his grandmother

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Speaker 3: has an apple orchard in New Mexico, so we got

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Speaker 3: married there. It was a very like intimate family affair

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Speaker 3: and it was so fun. Our DJ went hard, We

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Speaker 3: had a photo booth. It was just a really fun time.

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Speaker 3: It felt like a big party after the serious romantic

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Speaker 3: stuff was over.

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Speaker 2: That sounds amazing, so fun.

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Speaker 1: It's right in the middle of your beat, though, I mean,

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Speaker 1: this is your first year on the Aces beat. The

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Speaker 1: playoffs get going and you're like, let me just sneak

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Speaker 1: away real quick to get married and then come back.

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Speaker 1: Which I love that you pulled it off because now

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Speaker 1: you're back already working. I'm hoping for a nice long

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Speaker 1: honeymoon once you know you get a break.

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Speaker 2: But let's talk about the Aces.

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Speaker 1: Two time defending WNBA champs got off to a rough

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Speaker 1: star this season, but they've got the talent, They've got

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Speaker 1: the experience to go the distance. We are talking to

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Speaker 1: each other just before Game two between the Aces and

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Speaker 1: the Storm, so folks hearing this will either be processing

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Speaker 1: a Vegas sweep or readying themselves for a Game three

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Speaker 1: on Thursday. So let's back up a little and do

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Speaker 1: big picture what you saw from the Aces in the

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Speaker 1: regular season. What went right for this team when they

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Speaker 1: won and what went wrong when they lost?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I think what went wrong when they

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Speaker 3: lost is the easier question to answer because it was

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Speaker 3: so obvious their defense was really struggling, and so that

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Speaker 3: was clear. It didn't seem like they were on the

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Speaker 3: same page defensively, even sometimes offensively. Becky Hammond would sometimes

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Speaker 3: say that the Aces were struggling from kind of like

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Speaker 3: a main character complex, like everybody on the team was

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Speaker 3: wanting to have their moment and that was really making

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Speaker 3: the offense disjointed. And obviously they've kind of moved past that,

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Speaker 3: like they have really gotten to the point where running

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Speaker 3: through Asia is what's working and makes sense, and you're

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Speaker 3: not seeing a lot of a lot of you know,

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Speaker 3: differing from that. But then you're also seeing you know,

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Speaker 3: Chelsea Gray looking like the point god that we know

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Speaker 3: and love. We're getting you know, sparks off the bench

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Speaker 3: from Tiffany Hayes. We're seeing Jackie Young looking more like herself.

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Speaker 3: So I think, I mean, yeah, when things were going wrong,

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Speaker 3: it was definitely the defense and just kind of miscommunications

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Speaker 3: and lack of trust and things like that on both

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Speaker 3: sides of the ball. And I think when things are

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Speaker 3: going right, it's the opposite of that, like everything you

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Speaker 3: know is firing on all cylinders. And I think that's

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Speaker 3: what you're starting to see, Like they they're clicking. They

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Speaker 3: just held the Storm to two points in the fourth

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Speaker 3: quarter like that, and some of that obviously is on

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Speaker 3: the Storm, right, but you kind of want to give

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Speaker 3: the ACYSM credit for their improved defense at this point.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think you know, obviously, Chelsea Gray was

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Speaker 1: out with injury for a while. Her return was a

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Speaker 1: huge boost for the team, and then she needed some

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Speaker 1: time to catch back up. But it was one of

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Speaker 1: those situations where Asia Wilson was having insane season, but

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Speaker 1: the numbers were down for great Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum

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Speaker 1: from last year. And I don't know if that's the

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Speaker 1: inevitable result of a player like Asia being as dominant

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Speaker 1: as she's been and just everyone getting the ball a

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Speaker 1: little less, getting fewer looks, or if Asia's compensating for

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Speaker 1: those players not having as great as a start.

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Speaker 2: Can you tell if one caused the other.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I think that's a great point. Like,

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Speaker 3: I don't know correlation causation, but I do think. I mean,

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Speaker 3: even Becky has said herself, like she said last year

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Speaker 3: that if she utilized Asia more in fourth quarters, that

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Speaker 3: Asia would have been, you know, the unanimous MVP. There

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Speaker 3: would have been no way to kind of discount the

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Speaker 3: season that Asia had last season. So this year, obviously

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Speaker 3: the Aces weren't performing on the same level. Like you said,

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Speaker 3: the numbers were down kind of from the core four

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Speaker 3: and even the bench early in the season, and so

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Speaker 3: then it was on Asia to really carry the team.

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Speaker 3: And that's not my words. I've heard Becky say that,

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Speaker 3: I've heard other players say that Asia really put the

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Speaker 3: team on her back, and so I mean you could

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Speaker 3: say that that's because of the way that the season

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Speaker 3: has gone. I mean, I think a lot of that

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Speaker 3: has to do with like Chelsea Gray's early the absence

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Speaker 3: that put Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum out of position. Early,

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Speaker 3: Like Jackie Young was finding herself facilitating the offense, which

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Speaker 3: was a position she wasn't super comfortable with, but Chelsea

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Speaker 3: Gray was gone, so that's what she had to do,

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Speaker 3: and that kind of shifted things for the whole teams.

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Speaker 3: Like if you have one player playing out a position,

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Speaker 3: then everybody has to adjust. And so Asia was really

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Speaker 3: carrying the brunt of that weight.

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Speaker 2: She's been otherworldly.

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Speaker 1: We know, getting her the ball is always the move,

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Speaker 1: but you got to have those other folks who step

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Speaker 1: up as the season has gone on and as they've

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Speaker 1: entered this postseason, who is that person that you know

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Speaker 1: will step up if Asia is having an off day

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Speaker 1: or if AG's on the bench, who's the go to?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I love this question. I think that's what makes

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Speaker 3: the Aces so dangerous is because you don't really know

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Speaker 3: the answer to that any given game, Like they're obviously

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Speaker 3: you know what the options are. You have the core four,

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Speaker 3: which is outside of Asia, you have you know, Chelsea Gray,

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Speaker 3: you have Jackie Young, you have Kelsey Plum like, you

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Speaker 3: have these incredibly talented players, and then you have somebody

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Speaker 3: like Tiffany Hayes coming off the bench and it's not

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Speaker 3: just her, like, they have a pretty significant bench. We

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Speaker 3: could even start talking about Cydny Golesen and things like

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Speaker 3: that and kind of the options that they have. But

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Speaker 3: I think, I mean, Becky Hammond has said this, it's

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Speaker 3: kind of a pick your poison thing, and you see

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Speaker 3: this a lot when defenses really concentrate on Asia, they

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Speaker 3: double triple team her and they focus all of their

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Speaker 3: defensive attention on her. That puts somebody like a Kelsey

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Speaker 3: Plumber Jackie Young open and that's how you know, we

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Speaker 3: have had thirty four thirty two point games from from

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Speaker 3: from KP and Jackie this season because of situations like that,

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Speaker 3: where you know, you try to take Asia out of

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Speaker 3: the equation. But you gotta that means that you got

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Speaker 3: to leave somebody else open, and they have plenty of

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Speaker 3: options offensively.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, they sure do.

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Speaker 1: You know you you mentioned Tiffany Hayes after she went

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Speaker 1: off in Game one, Becky Hammond talked about getting to

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Speaker 1: snag her out of retirement. How important has she been

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Speaker 1: to this team this season and how important is it

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Speaker 1: to have a player that hasn't been on the team

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Speaker 1: for the previous two titles, because that's a big thing,

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Speaker 1: is finding motivation, finding drive when you've just come off

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Speaker 1: back to back wins. And I think Tip brings that

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Speaker 1: coming from a team like the Sun that haven't won.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think, yeah, you're right. Tip has a level

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Speaker 3: of hunger that is just unreal for someone who you know,

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Speaker 3: seemed I mean, who was retired, who you would think

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Speaker 3: was ready to be done with the game. But she's

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Speaker 3: so aggressive. She sacrifices her body on so many different plays,

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Speaker 3: like and it's just incredible to see. Becky was telling

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Speaker 3: me recently that sometimes she just watches Tiffany Hayes highlights

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Speaker 3: because they're so aesthetically pleasing, and I think that that

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Speaker 3: makes total sense. It's like the energy that she plays with.

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Speaker 3: I think sometimes like if you just look at the

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Speaker 3: games where Tiffany Hayes excels, it's also games where Asia

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Speaker 3: is playing really well, and so they work as like

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Speaker 3: this really impressive tandem with like Tip off the bench

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Speaker 3: and then Asia kind of I don't know, it seems

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Speaker 3: like they kind of build on each other's energy, and

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Speaker 3: so it's really important. I think that, like you said,

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Speaker 3: I think you don't amount of retirement for no reason,

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Speaker 3: like she wants a ring and she has the hunger

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Speaker 3: that the Aces were kind of missing. Like you heard

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Speaker 3: Becky Hammond say during that rough you know, six and

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Speaker 3: six start without Chelsea Gray, that she didn't like the

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Speaker 3: Aces energy from day one. She didn't like their deepense,

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Speaker 3: and she didn't like their vibes. And it's crazy to

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Speaker 3: hear a Hall of Famer like her use the word

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Speaker 3: vibes to describe kind of how she's taking the team's temperature.

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Speaker 3: But I mean, she was pretty clear about that she

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Speaker 3: didn't like it. She didn't.

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Speaker 2: Sometimes it's just.

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Speaker 3: Exactly Sometimes it really is just vibes. And so it's

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Speaker 3: so funny that you know, Tip has that like she

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Speaker 3: has that hunger. It's innate for her and not to

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Speaker 3: say that, you know, the Aces don't have it now,

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Speaker 3: but there definitely was a point starting where it just

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Speaker 3: wasn't there, and so she always brings it every single night.

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Speaker 1: You mentioned sid Colson, great basketball player, somehow an even

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Speaker 1: better comedian just not only there for the lightness and

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Speaker 1: the vibes that we mentioned, also obviously brings a ton

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Speaker 1: of energy and skins on the court.

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Speaker 2: But how do you.

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Speaker 1: Really just evaluate or sum up what she brings to

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Speaker 1: a team because of what she brings with her personality

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Speaker 1: as well.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I think that, like you said, the

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Speaker 3: comedy is I think hard for some people to overlook

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Speaker 3: because they're just like, wow, she just must be, you know,

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Speaker 3: a joker through and through, but she's really not. I've

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Speaker 3: seen sid very serious, like I think a lot of

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Speaker 3: people probably saw. When Asia accepted her MVP award or

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Speaker 3: when she was informed of it privately, she read these

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Speaker 3: letters that she wrote to each player on the team,

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Speaker 3: and Sidney Colson's letter she said that Sidney taught her

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Speaker 3: how to be a leader. And I can totally see

379
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Speaker 3: that because I've seen Sidney, like she has this switch

380
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Speaker 3: that she can flip where it's very funny, it's very playful,

381
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Speaker 3: and then the next thing, you know, she's being very

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Speaker 3: serious and you know that you need to like really

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Speaker 3: listen to what she's saying. And so I think that

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Speaker 3: that's a big part of it. It's like she has

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Speaker 3: a personality that is so magnetic and like, yes, so fun,

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00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:07,680
Speaker 3: but she also is is crucial to like the culture

387
00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:10,240
Speaker 3: of the team, and so I think you pair that

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Speaker 3: with the way that she is absolutely fearless on the court.

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Speaker 3: I mean you look at she's not a tall player,

390
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Speaker 3: but she plays like she's giant. Like she gets in

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Speaker 3: the game and these for a lot of times fourth

392
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Speaker 3: quarter situations, they'll kind of utilize her as like a

393
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Speaker 3: closer of sorts, and then she'll bring the defensive spark.

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Speaker 3: She's getting steels, she's going up for layups. Sometimes she's

395
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Speaker 3: smoking the layups, but it doesn't matter because she just

396
00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:35,439
Speaker 3: like does not get nervous. And that's something that I

397
00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:40,040
Speaker 3: think is huge for the aces because when you're not scared,

398
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Speaker 3: there are a lot of things that you can that

399
00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:45,639
Speaker 3: you can do that that others can't. You know, like

400
00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,440
Speaker 3: she'll go for behind the back pass and the WBA Finals,

401
00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,119
Speaker 3: like it's literally that's crazy. That's a crazy thing to do,

402
00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,439
Speaker 3: and it's something that only Sidney Colson would do. But

403
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Speaker 3: I think it really matters for the team, Like she's

404
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Speaker 3: just such a spark for them.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think what you're describing to is sort of

406
00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:03,240
Speaker 1: like flow state where you let your body and your

407
00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:05,919
Speaker 1: reps take over instead of being in your head. And

408
00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:09,440
Speaker 1: that comes from a real place of confidence. And that's

409
00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,400
Speaker 1: tough to have when you're tight, because you're stressed about

410
00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:14,760
Speaker 1: trying to repeat or whether your team has been playing

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00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:17,960
Speaker 1: up to up to expectation. And I think sid has

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Speaker 1: been able to show the other players how to do

413
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Speaker 1: that and how to stay in that state of like

414
00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:24,879
Speaker 1: just playing ball. Another person I think that's had a

415
00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:28,760
Speaker 1: really interesting impact on this team is Kate Martin. She's

416
00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:31,199
Speaker 1: got real Golden Retriever energy, which is one of my

417
00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:33,640
Speaker 1: favorite sayings these days because some people just have it,

418
00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:36,680
Speaker 1: and she's such a team and fan fave. She's gotten

419
00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:39,000
Speaker 1: a lot of minutes that Kirsten Bell got last season.

420
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Speaker 1: Bell has had those ankle and achilles injuries, and Kate

421
00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:46,240
Speaker 1: Martin is just like I think also besides the minutes

422
00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:48,560
Speaker 1: that she's gotten, we've seen so many clips of the

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Speaker 1: team interacting with her in free time.

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Speaker 2: What is it about her? Why does everyone love Kate

425
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Speaker 2: Martin so much?

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Speaker 3: Oh my goodness. I mean, I've heard so many different

427
00:19:56,920 --> 00:20:00,280
Speaker 3: rating reviews about Kate, and I think the main thing

428
00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:02,919
Speaker 3: is that they love who she is as a person,

429
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Speaker 3: Like they feel like she's a kind, genuine competitor and

430
00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:09,520
Speaker 3: who wants to learn and grow, and so I think

431
00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:11,720
Speaker 3: that's one thing. But they also really admire the way

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Speaker 3: that she knows how to play with superstars, Like she

433
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Speaker 3: played with Caitlin Clark at Iowa.

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Speaker 2: That's no easy feed.

435
00:20:18,119 --> 00:20:21,520
Speaker 3: That means that every single game they played was prime viewing.

436
00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:23,359
Speaker 3: There was a lot of pressure on her. But also

437
00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:27,320
Speaker 3: like it's a skill in itself to play with a superstar,

438
00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:30,359
Speaker 3: you know, you have to kind of approach the game

439
00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,199
Speaker 3: differently knowing that, and that's something that everybody on the

440
00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:35,439
Speaker 3: ACES needs to know how to do because they're playing

441
00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:39,760
Speaker 3: with Asia Wilson, who is a legend in the making,

442
00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:43,560
Speaker 3: a legend now already with her third MVP a unanimous

443
00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,840
Speaker 3: one at that, and so you kind of hear about

444
00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:49,399
Speaker 3: the intricacies of that. Even like Telsea Gray and I

445
00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,800
Speaker 3: talked about this recently, just how like, you know, there

446
00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:55,240
Speaker 3: are certain things that are just different when you're playing

447
00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,800
Speaker 3: with somebody like Asia Wilson, Like if she wants the ball,

448
00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:00,080
Speaker 3: you need to give it to her immediately, things like that.

449
00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,080
Speaker 3: And so Kate Martin knows exactly what that's about, and

450
00:21:03,119 --> 00:21:05,760
Speaker 3: like she does it well. And Becky Hammond also, I

451
00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:08,800
Speaker 3: think probably sees a little bit of herself and Kate Martin.

452
00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:11,439
Speaker 3: If you look at the way that Becky Hammond started,

453
00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:15,080
Speaker 3: she was undrafted, you know, when she started in the league,

454
00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:17,920
Speaker 3: she was undersized and things like that, and so that's

455
00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,560
Speaker 3: Kate Martin in some ways. But what Kate, what Becky had,

456
00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:22,920
Speaker 3: and what Kate and Martin both have is like this tenacity,

457
00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,400
Speaker 3: you know. And so I think that Kate really made her.

458
00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:28,960
Speaker 3: I love that Comparisonah so smart, kay, I mean, Kate

459
00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:31,680
Speaker 3: made her bread and butter from doing the little things.

460
00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:33,840
Speaker 3: That's what Becky Hammond kept saying. And if you like

461
00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:36,679
Speaker 3: listen to Becky Hammond talk about how she was as

462
00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:38,439
Speaker 3: a player, she'll say the same things. I did the

463
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,000
Speaker 3: little things because like I couldn't do the big stuff.

464
00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:43,080
Speaker 3: I couldn't like do all the highlight plays. I would

465
00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:46,080
Speaker 3: focus on the little things, the fundamental things, and that's

466
00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,240
Speaker 3: what Kate Martin did early, and she found herself in

467
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,040
Speaker 3: some really you know, serious games early in the season,

468
00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:54,960
Speaker 3: and I think that that experience will come and clutch

469
00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:55,720
Speaker 3: in the postseason.

470
00:21:56,160 --> 00:21:58,639
Speaker 1: Yeah, Kate Martin's been obviously huge for this team, just

471
00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:01,919
Speaker 1: in a vibe sense. Again, maybe not as much on

472
00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,000
Speaker 1: the stat sheet, but there are a couple subs and

473
00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:07,280
Speaker 1: bench players that have gotten an opportunity and made the

474
00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:10,280
Speaker 1: best of it. I mentioned Kirsten Bell, you know, she

475
00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:12,159
Speaker 1: hadn't played more than eight minutes all season, and that

476
00:22:12,359 --> 00:22:14,800
Speaker 1: final game of the regular season she put up twelve

477
00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,879
Speaker 1: points in twenty four. We saw Megan Gustafson in that

478
00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,440
Speaker 1: last game twenty four points, a career high.

479
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,120
Speaker 2: You don't want to necessarily have to go too deep

480
00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,080
Speaker 2: on your bench in a series. You want your core

481
00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:27,359
Speaker 2: players to light it up and make things easy. But

482
00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,800
Speaker 2: knowing that the Aces have those players further down the bench,

483
00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,040
Speaker 2: you know, do you think that they'll be important to

484
00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:33,880
Speaker 2: this third title run?

485
00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:36,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, No, I think it's huge. I think that. I mean,

486
00:22:36,119 --> 00:22:37,800
Speaker 3: if you look at how they won the title last season,

487
00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:40,040
Speaker 3: it was important. We just talked about Sidney Colson and

488
00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:43,800
Speaker 3: she was crucial for the Aces winning that title last year.

489
00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:46,359
Speaker 3: And I think that kind of what you talked about is,

490
00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:49,159
Speaker 3: you know, you want to know that you have that depth,

491
00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:50,960
Speaker 3: and I think that there was a point in this

492
00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:53,479
Speaker 3: season where the Aces didn't really know. I think they

493
00:22:53,520 --> 00:22:56,240
Speaker 3: knew that they had something in Tiffany Hayes, they knew

494
00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:58,960
Speaker 3: that they had kind of a defensive spark in Sidney Colson,

495
00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:02,000
Speaker 3: and then things were kind of up in the air,

496
00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:04,320
Speaker 3: which is why Becky was kind of rotating through that

497
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,520
Speaker 3: fifth starting spot. So you saw Megan Gustison get some

498
00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,560
Speaker 3: starts in place of Kia Stokes, you saw Alicia Clark

499
00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:13,440
Speaker 3: get some starts, and then also you know, start on

500
00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:15,719
Speaker 3: the bench some games, like they were really trying to

501
00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,160
Speaker 3: figure out what they were working with, and I think,

502
00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:20,919
Speaker 3: like you mentioned, that last regular season game was a

503
00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:24,440
Speaker 3: good opportunity for them to showcase like, no, we have

504
00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:28,240
Speaker 3: a good amount of bench players, like we have strength,

505
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:30,159
Speaker 3: we have people that can come off the bench and

506
00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,160
Speaker 3: make a difference, And I think that that was important

507
00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:35,440
Speaker 3: also just for the bench, like in a confidence sense.

508
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:37,720
Speaker 3: But there was definitely a moment in this season where

509
00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:40,640
Speaker 3: it was unclear kind of what they were working with.

510
00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:43,720
Speaker 1: Let's talk about Becky Hammond. She's beloved by her players.

511
00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:46,479
Speaker 1: What makes the relationship between the Aces players and their

512
00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:47,280
Speaker 1: coach so special?

513
00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:49,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean the phrase that I always hear in

514
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:53,520
Speaker 3: reference to Becky, just like around Ace's HQ, is that

515
00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:57,239
Speaker 3: she's a player's coach, like she loves her players. And

516
00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:00,240
Speaker 3: it's so interesting because I think in light of every thing.

517
00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,600
Speaker 3: You know, you have the Aces, their current well the

518
00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:07,280
Speaker 3: Aces and the u NBA being sued by Dereka Hanby

519
00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:11,520
Speaker 3: and this discrimination matter, and so I think that Becky

520
00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:13,719
Speaker 3: has felt like attacked on that front. I think she

521
00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:17,200
Speaker 3: really prides herself on being a player's coach, But then

522
00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:22,480
Speaker 3: now you're seeing herself like kind of defend herself unprompted,

523
00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:25,919
Speaker 3: like she'll be asked questions that don't really require an

524
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:30,359
Speaker 3: answer about her philosophy as a coach, but like recently

525
00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:33,000
Speaker 3: she she will go into these like kind of long,

526
00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:36,480
Speaker 3: I don't know, postgame answers where she she'll talk about

527
00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:38,560
Speaker 3: how much she cares about our players and how she

528
00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:40,919
Speaker 3: wouldn't have gone into coaching if she didn't, and it's like,

529
00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:44,240
Speaker 3: you know, nobody's kind of asking her those questions. But

530
00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:46,600
Speaker 3: I think it's like she really wants people to know

531
00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:49,399
Speaker 3: that that's how she feels. And I think, you know,

532
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:52,520
Speaker 3: her players have been very vocal about that, Like recently

533
00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:56,640
Speaker 3: it was like the I don't know, maybe the fourth

534
00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:59,520
Speaker 3: anniversary of her Jersey retirement of like the San Antonio

535
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:01,520
Speaker 3: Stars would which you know, used to be part of

536
00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:05,920
Speaker 3: the Aces organization, and so she was asked postgame kind

537
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:09,160
Speaker 3: of I don't know, like her reflections of the time

538
00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:10,879
Speaker 3: since she's been a player of whatever else, And that

539
00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,480
Speaker 3: was a time where she just talked about how she

540
00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:15,359
Speaker 3: really wanted to be a coach because she wanted to

541
00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:17,120
Speaker 3: make a difference and she could have gone into TV,

542
00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:19,640
Speaker 3: but she specifically did coaching. And then in that same

543
00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:23,960
Speaker 3: postgame press conference, separately, Kelsey Plumb and Chelsea Gurray talked

544
00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:27,240
Speaker 3: about how Becky Hammond changed their careers, like how they

545
00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:31,400
Speaker 3: don't feel like they would be the level of you know,

546
00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,399
Speaker 3: like they wouldn't have the talent or the success that

547
00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:36,000
Speaker 3: they've had without Becky. And I think a lot of

548
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:39,080
Speaker 3: that is because she wants to get to know them personally.

549
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,680
Speaker 3: Like Becky recently said, she doesn't feel like she needs

550
00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,640
Speaker 3: to be, you know, her player's first call when they

551
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:46,480
Speaker 3: need to think. But she hopes that she is a

552
00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:48,600
Speaker 3: call that they make, like she hopes that they feel

553
00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:51,119
Speaker 3: that they can rely on her for support and things

554
00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:55,120
Speaker 3: like this. And so it's really interesting seeing that dynamic

555
00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,000
Speaker 3: somebody who really cares about the way that they're perceived

556
00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:00,600
Speaker 3: as a coach, who cares about their players during a

557
00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:03,920
Speaker 3: time where maybe that could be in question, you.

558
00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:05,040
Speaker 2: Know, right.

559
00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:08,399
Speaker 1: I mean, I think it's not surprising that she's talked

560
00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:11,640
Speaker 1: about that even when not asked, because that lawsuit does

561
00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:14,879
Speaker 1: have questions swirling about how she does treat her players.

562
00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:16,359
Speaker 2: It's not the only controversy this year.

563
00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:19,800
Speaker 1: The Aces kicked off the season with the big you

564
00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:22,160
Speaker 1: know ring ceremony for their second title, and not long

565
00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:25,359
Speaker 1: after that the league anounce an investigation to determine if

566
00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:29,080
Speaker 1: they were providing impermissible benefits and circumventing the salary cap

567
00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:31,880
Speaker 1: because they had this Las Vegas tourism sponsorship. They gave

568
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:34,440
Speaker 1: every player on the team one hundred thousand dollars sponsorship deal.

569
00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:37,040
Speaker 1: This is huge, big, great news, but there are questions

570
00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:41,000
Speaker 1: about whether they're getting around paying players in interesting in

571
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:43,040
Speaker 1: different ways to try to lure them to the team.

572
00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:45,800
Speaker 1: Then there was the federal lawsuit filed by Hanby alleging

573
00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,840
Speaker 1: discrimination due to pregnancy, and another instance of her claiming

574
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:50,880
Speaker 1: that the team was promising things that they would pay

575
00:26:50,920 --> 00:26:53,320
Speaker 1: for outside of the contract. Has there been a lot

576
00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:57,879
Speaker 1: of conversation internally player staff coaches about pushing through some

577
00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:00,639
Speaker 1: of these quote unquote distractions as we called them in

578
00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:04,000
Speaker 1: sports or communication with Hamby, even as a former teamate,

579
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:05,639
Speaker 1: like how much does that come up this season?

580
00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:06,679
Speaker 2: Have you heard much about it?

581
00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,000
Speaker 3: Yeah? I mean I think that you know, you mentioned

582
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,800
Speaker 3: the one hundred thousand dollars sponsorships with the LVCVA, and

583
00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:15,359
Speaker 3: I was like, really, kind of, I don't know. I

584
00:27:15,359 --> 00:27:18,000
Speaker 3: guess one of the primary reporters in that situation like

585
00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:20,560
Speaker 3: talking to the LVCVA and then trying to get answers

586
00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,679
Speaker 3: from the aces, and when I would ask questions like

587
00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:27,040
Speaker 3: obviously their stances, you know, we don't know anything about this,

588
00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,320
Speaker 3: we're not involved, et cetera, et cetera, which is fine,

589
00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:32,480
Speaker 3: But then I think one of my questions became, well,

590
00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:35,520
Speaker 3: like how is this impacting the season? Like you're trying

591
00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:38,159
Speaker 3: to start a year. Is this a distraction? And you

592
00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:41,359
Speaker 3: have players like Asia saying like, no, we're professionals like

593
00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,320
Speaker 3: we we have to you know, ignore these types of things,

594
00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:46,920
Speaker 3: and we're used to it by now. Like there's definitely

595
00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:50,600
Speaker 3: I can say it's been clear to me internally that

596
00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:54,399
Speaker 3: there's almost a frustration. I think the Aces feel targeted.

597
00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:56,760
Speaker 3: And I you know, again like I'm not saying that

598
00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:59,560
Speaker 3: that's the reality. I'm just saying, like, how, how what

599
00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:03,080
Speaker 3: seems to be the case? I think Mark Davis when

600
00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:05,920
Speaker 3: they were kind of trying to figure out their uh

601
00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:08,520
Speaker 3: season ticket pricing and things like that, Mark Davis sat

602
00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:11,479
Speaker 3: down with a bunch of media and he spoke about

603
00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:16,720
Speaker 3: how when he was asked basically like what has the

604
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:20,560
Speaker 3: response from other owners across the league been like surrounding

605
00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:24,280
Speaker 3: these LVCBA sponsorships and these one hundred thousand dollars deals,

606
00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:26,639
Speaker 3: And he was like, Oh, their response is let's investigate

607
00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:29,760
Speaker 3: the Aces. Like he he felt he has made it

608
00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:33,080
Speaker 3: clear like that. He feels like there's a target, he

609
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:37,840
Speaker 3: said himself, he feels like the Aces have been what

610
00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:39,960
Speaker 3: do you call it? Not game changers is not the

611
00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:42,600
Speaker 3: word that he used, but like people who have, you know,

612
00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:45,680
Speaker 3: broken the norm and when you do that, like there's

613
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:47,920
Speaker 3: a target on your back. In his perspective, and he

614
00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:50,720
Speaker 3: feels like that's what the ace aces have had to

615
00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:52,160
Speaker 3: deal with. And so I think you hear that a

616
00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:56,200
Speaker 3: lot from the players at large, like on Twitter sometimes

617
00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:59,280
Speaker 3: when they they'll they'll like tweet out kind of vague

618
00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:03,560
Speaker 3: messaging about being investigated and things like that, Like I

619
00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:09,480
Speaker 3: think they feel like there's been like a punishment for

620
00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:12,040
Speaker 3: being at the cutting edge of so many things.

621
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:14,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I think first of all, if they

622
00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,000
Speaker 1: are found to be guilty of any of those things,

623
00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:19,120
Speaker 1: that's still the best attitude to take if you're trying

624
00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:22,720
Speaker 1: to win and play a season. Is everybody against us,

625
00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:26,440
Speaker 1: We're being targeted, right, That's the kind of idea that

626
00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:27,800
Speaker 1: you have to have in your head if you're going.

627
00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:28,760
Speaker 2: To move forward either way.

628
00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:32,520
Speaker 1: But also there are instances across sports, whether it's nil

629
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:35,520
Speaker 1: to the changing investment in women's sports, where you are

630
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:37,920
Speaker 1: trying to push the envelope. You're trying to figure out

631
00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:40,920
Speaker 1: where's the line when do I cross it? How do

632
00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:42,600
Speaker 1: I maybe cross it to get away with it, or

633
00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:44,760
Speaker 1: how do we change the way things have always been done,

634
00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:47,280
Speaker 1: Particularly in women's sports, where we've seen such a dearth

635
00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:50,520
Speaker 1: of resources and opportunities, the bar is so low for

636
00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:53,280
Speaker 1: the expectation of what these players would be paid, how

637
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,280
Speaker 1: they're treated, how the resources and facilities are that I

638
00:29:56,320 --> 00:29:58,880
Speaker 1: think it's great that the Aces are pushing that we'll

639
00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:01,760
Speaker 1: find out if they push far and whether you know,

640
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:05,680
Speaker 1: they're wrong to feel persecuted as opposed to accurately criticized.

641
00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:08,440
Speaker 1: But I do think they've been able to rally around that.

642
00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:10,360
Speaker 1: The inside of their rings last season said you know,

643
00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,960
Speaker 1: Aces versus everybody, So they're just continuing that kind of mindset.

644
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:15,680
Speaker 1: I was curious, though, if you ever talked to the

645
00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:18,800
Speaker 1: players about the fans booing Hamby when she came back

646
00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:21,440
Speaker 1: to play in Vegas with her new team, the La Sparks.

647
00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:23,960
Speaker 1: We talked to dea Erica about that, and she said

648
00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:25,400
Speaker 1: it was really hard on her emotionally.

649
00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:26,440
Speaker 2: I was surprised.

650
00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:29,320
Speaker 1: I guess not that I thought maybe an Ace's player

651
00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:31,680
Speaker 1: would like hop on the Mike Popovich style and say something,

652
00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:34,680
Speaker 1: but I thought maybe that they would motion to the crowd,

653
00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:36,240
Speaker 1: or that there would be some sort of sign to

654
00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:37,760
Speaker 1: say like, hey, we're not doing that to someone to

655
00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:38,680
Speaker 1: help us win a title.

656
00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:39,760
Speaker 2: But I don't know.

657
00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:43,600
Speaker 1: Maybe there are lingering resentments for Hamby, for what she's

658
00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:45,360
Speaker 1: said about Hammond and the team.

659
00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:47,200
Speaker 2: Have you asked the players about that moment?

660
00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:49,360
Speaker 3: No, you know, I didn't have an opportunity to ask

661
00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:52,080
Speaker 3: the players. I think immediately after that game, a lot

662
00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:54,600
Speaker 3: of the media were kind of, I want to say,

663
00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:58,920
Speaker 3: stunned by Becky's immediate postgame comments because I think that

664
00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:02,280
Speaker 3: was that was like the logical next question. I think

665
00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:06,000
Speaker 3: she was initially just kind of asked about the tone

666
00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:10,960
Speaker 3: of the game as it related to the allegation stemming

667
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:13,320
Speaker 3: from Derka, since it was like, since it was her

668
00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:15,560
Speaker 3: return to the Aces, it wasn't her first time back

669
00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:18,680
Speaker 3: in Las Vegas though, since these allegations. I remember, like

670
00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,920
Speaker 3: the Sparks played the Aces very early in this season

671
00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:25,000
Speaker 3: and it was fine. She was she was received really

672
00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,160
Speaker 3: well by Aces fans and things like that. So I

673
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,760
Speaker 3: think that things were a little bit thrown off.

674
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,080
Speaker 1: I think it was the difference between the initial allegations, yeah,

675
00:31:33,360 --> 00:31:36,680
Speaker 1: and then the secondary federal lawsuits of filing. Right, this

676
00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:38,760
Speaker 1: was the first time I think after the it became

677
00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:39,800
Speaker 1: a federal suit.

678
00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:41,240
Speaker 3: I grew with that one hundred percent. I think a

679
00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:46,880
Speaker 3: lot of fans were reacting to the most recent filing

680
00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:48,800
Speaker 3: and that was going to be My next thing was

681
00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:51,280
Speaker 3: like I didn't get to talk to the players. I

682
00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:52,720
Speaker 3: think that we were all just kind of like thrown

683
00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:55,040
Speaker 3: off because Becky Hymmond went on a little bit of

684
00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:58,360
Speaker 3: a tirade about her perspective of what happened. But I

685
00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:00,800
Speaker 3: was able to talk to some fans, and I think

686
00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:03,520
Speaker 3: a lot of them. Two fans that I spoke too

687
00:32:03,560 --> 00:32:07,160
Speaker 3: specifically said that they regretted booing Deerica, and I think

688
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:10,520
Speaker 3: that some of them did not know the context. And

689
00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:12,680
Speaker 3: that's not to speak for everybody. Obviously, I couldn't speak

690
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:17,000
Speaker 3: with every fan, but some fans felt like because if

691
00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:19,400
Speaker 3: you go to an ACES game, like a lot of

692
00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:22,080
Speaker 3: players will get booed. Deerka was not the only player

693
00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:24,920
Speaker 3: being bowed, but she was the most consistent player being booed,

694
00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:27,160
Speaker 3: and it was clear, like it was hard to ignore.

695
00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:29,600
Speaker 3: It was every single time she touched the ball. But

696
00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:31,640
Speaker 3: she wasn't the only one, Like there were other Sparks

697
00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:33,600
Speaker 3: players that were being boed and like and lots of

698
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:36,920
Speaker 3: games you come into the ACES house like you're it's

699
00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:40,520
Speaker 3: not going to be a welcoming environment, like you They

700
00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:43,520
Speaker 3: want to make it tough for the opposing team, and

701
00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:45,120
Speaker 3: so some of the fans that I spoke to said

702
00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:47,920
Speaker 3: that they regretted when they thought about the context of

703
00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:50,440
Speaker 3: it all and how like difficult that could have been

704
00:32:50,440 --> 00:32:52,640
Speaker 3: for Dereka that they regretted booing. So I think that,

705
00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:56,000
Speaker 3: you know, I would love to kind of get a

706
00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:59,920
Speaker 3: player perspective. It's just things move so quickly on the

707
00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:02,920
Speaker 3: eighth s bet, it's always there's always something.

708
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:06,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, Becky stole the headlines on that day, she absolutely did,

709
00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:11,000
Speaker 1: for sure. And I also think to your point, there

710
00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:13,360
Speaker 1: is this group mind. Think at a game, everybody starts

711
00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:15,960
Speaker 1: booing a player and you're like, oh, yeah, you're the opponent,

712
00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:17,480
Speaker 1: and then later you're like, oh, wait, what were we

713
00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:20,080
Speaker 1: you know, So I'll give a couple fans that excuse,

714
00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:22,400
Speaker 1: but obviously a lot of them knew what they were

715
00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:24,440
Speaker 1: doing there, and that's an interesting dynamic to look at.

716
00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:28,000
Speaker 1: We're so excited to keep watching this team. We don't

717
00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:30,360
Speaker 1: know yet if they have swept this first round or

718
00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:32,800
Speaker 1: there's a third game coming, but we so appreciate you

719
00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:35,200
Speaker 1: coming in and giving us context for the season as

720
00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:37,560
Speaker 1: we continue to watch them in this postseason. Thanks so

721
00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:40,400
Speaker 1: much for the time and promise us you're gonna take

722
00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:43,240
Speaker 1: some sort of honeymoon and break to celebrate that wedding

723
00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:43,920
Speaker 1: sometime soon.

724
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:45,880
Speaker 3: Oh, fingers cross, fingers.

725
00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:49,320
Speaker 1: Cross, fingers cross is not a plan, girl, fingers cross

726
00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:50,160
Speaker 1: is will see.

727
00:33:50,400 --> 00:33:51,360
Speaker 2: I'm not accepting that.

728
00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:52,920
Speaker 1: I need you to say right now, I'm going to

729
00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:54,600
Speaker 1: takes some time for myself and my new husband, and

730
00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:56,320
Speaker 1: I'm gonna figure out some time for us to just

731
00:33:56,360 --> 00:33:57,840
Speaker 1: be alone and not think about sports.

732
00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:01,000
Speaker 3: Right now, I'm thinking about Asia and this MVP season.

733
00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:04,320
Speaker 1: Oh man, all right, we'll take this offline.

734
00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:07,320
Speaker 2: Callie, We're gonna take this offline. We're gonna have to talk.

735
00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:10,600
Speaker 2: You need to learn this, young Thanks so much for

736
00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:12,120
Speaker 2: your time. Appreciate it. Thank you.

737
00:34:14,480 --> 00:34:16,239
Speaker 1: Thanks so much to Kelli for hopping on with us,

738
00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:17,920
Speaker 1: especially right after getting married.

739
00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:19,040
Speaker 2: We got to take another break.

740
00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,680
Speaker 1: When we come back, Bots, Trolls, and shit stirs a

741
00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:24,400
Speaker 1: helpful and handy guide to dealing with the WNBA playoffs.

742
00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:33,520
Speaker 1: Come on back, Welcome back, my little slices. We love

743
00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:35,520
Speaker 1: that you're listening, but as always, we want you to

744
00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:37,600
Speaker 1: get in the game every day too. So here's our

745
00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:40,080
Speaker 1: good gameplay of the day. First one's easy. Make sure

746
00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:42,680
Speaker 1: you keep following Callie's work at the Las Vegas Review Journal,

747
00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:43,479
Speaker 1: follow her.

748
00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:48,200
Speaker 2: On x at Callie j Law, and let's.

749
00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:50,359
Speaker 1: All spread the good word of self described fever fan

750
00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:54,760
Speaker 1: and WNBA ficionado Mollie McGrath twelve on Twitter, who wisely

751
00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:58,040
Speaker 1: wrote on Tuesday, quote good morning, also quick reminder that

752
00:34:58,040 --> 00:34:59,440
Speaker 1: basketball is a contact sport.

753
00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:04,240
Speaker 2: She's right. Please tell your friends, tell your family.

754
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:07,960
Speaker 1: Tell the dumbass folks analyzing WNBA clips like the Subruder

755
00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:10,720
Speaker 1: film and tweeting out racist dog whistles about fowls.

756
00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:15,239
Speaker 2: Please tell them. Please, thank you. We'd love to hear

757
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:15,600
Speaker 2: from you.

758
00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:18,200
Speaker 1: Hit us up on email, good game at wondermedianetwork dot com,

759
00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:20,040
Speaker 1: or leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two

760
00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:23,319
Speaker 1: oh four fifty seventy. Don't forget to subscribe. Rate and

761
00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:28,120
Speaker 1: review slices. It's super easy. Watch Apple Orchard Weddings rating

762
00:35:28,360 --> 00:35:31,920
Speaker 1: ten out of ten Apple Cider Donuts review Only the

763
00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:35,359
Speaker 1: hottest brides get married at Apple Orcherds. Tractors for your ride,

764
00:35:35,400 --> 00:35:37,680
Speaker 1: sustenance on the vine, a big old barn for your party.

765
00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:40,879
Speaker 1: Who needs a ballroom? Callie and I know best. It's

766
00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:45,839
Speaker 1: Apple Orchards or bust. Take notes, fellows, Supermodels. Now it's

767
00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:49,160
Speaker 1: your turn, rate and review. Thanks for listening, See you tomorrow.

768
00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:53,720
Speaker 1: Good Game, Lindsey, Good Game, Callie, Finn, you whoever keeps

769
00:35:53,719 --> 00:35:59,480
Speaker 1: giving OutKick credentials to cover WNBA games. Good Game with

770
00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:02,400
Speaker 1: Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership

771
00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:04,880
Speaker 1: with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us

772
00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:07,640
Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get

773
00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:11,239
Speaker 1: your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are

774
00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:14,960
Speaker 1: Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett,

775
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:18,319
Speaker 1: Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder. Our editors are

776
00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:22,200
Speaker 1: Emily Rudder, Britney Martinez, Grace Lynch, and Lindsay Cradowell. Production

777
00:36:22,239 --> 00:36:25,200
Speaker 1: assistant from Lucy Jones and I'm Your Host Sarah Spain