WEBVTT - Card Shark 0:00:00.960 --> 0:00:05.480 Boom. If you thought four hours a day, minutes a 0:00:05.519 --> 0:00:09.160 week was enough, I think again. He's the last remnants 0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:12.480 of the old republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:15.480 treats crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the 0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:19.600 rich pill poppers in the penthouse, to clearing house of 0:00:19.640 --> 0:00:23.439 hot takes, break free for something special. The Fifth Hour 0:00:23.560 --> 0:00:31.880 with Ben Maller starts right now that it is another 0:00:32.360 --> 0:00:36.880 weekend is upon us. The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:41.599 and not not David Gascon. He's gonna miss another weekend 0:00:41.640 --> 0:00:45.440 here and we'll have Bowie in on the Saturday and 0:00:46.000 --> 0:00:50.120 Sunday podcast. We do this because four hours a night 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:54.440 clearly not and off on the overnight show eight days 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:57.320 a week, eight days a week. Now. We thank you 0:00:57.360 --> 0:01:01.160 for supporting the podcast, and I at least him here 0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:04.840 every weekend unless somebody dies in my family and then 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:06.400 I can't show up. But other than that, I'm here. 0:01:06.560 --> 0:01:09.880 Other than that, I'm here, and uh, we're good to 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:11.640 have good to have you. The download number has been great. 0:01:11.640 --> 0:01:14.080 The reviews we asked for some reviews, we got a 0:01:14.080 --> 0:01:16.399 few more of those, which is very cool, so thank 0:01:16.400 --> 0:01:19.160 you for that. But we try to have someone hang 0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:21.640 out with us, someone we like. I like talking to 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:24.720 radio people. Uh, those are my favorite people to have 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:28.480 on because we relate. We have a similar life radio people, uh, 0:01:28.600 --> 0:01:31.360 TV people, but we have athletes on as well. And 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:33.920 this week is an interview podcast. Now, if you looked 0:01:33.959 --> 0:01:39.200 at what this podcast is, you already know. But our colleague, 0:01:39.240 --> 0:01:42.920 the guy that leads in to the Ben Mallor Show 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:48.320 with with Jason Smith, Mike Harmon, Mike Harmon of of 0:01:48.360 --> 0:01:53.360 the Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon Monday through Friday, 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:56.280 and we'll get a chance to catch up to Mike. 0:01:56.280 --> 0:01:58.560 I've known Mike for many many years. Mike's been to 0:01:58.600 --> 0:02:00.960 the Mallard mansion, He's been to the we sweater parties. 0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:04.600 We've hung out, we've broken bread together. I loved the 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:07.120 back before the pandemic when we would hang out and 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:11.000 we'd have these brief conversations as we were ships passing 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:14.360 in the night before before work and we were we 0:02:14.400 --> 0:02:16.960 were talking about the business and what was going on 0:02:17.120 --> 0:02:19.400 at the company or whatever. And so, uh, it's a 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:21.160 chance to bring Mike. And we've been meaning to bring 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:23.959 Mike Harmon in, but we have not done. That's a 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:25.639 bad job. By us. So I thought this week would 0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:28.480 be a great opportunity to catch up with with Mike 0:02:28.600 --> 0:02:31.400 and learn a little bit more about him and and 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:35.560 how he began. And uh. One of my problems here 0:02:36.200 --> 0:02:41.440 is that I think everyone's around my age, and I 0:02:41.520 --> 0:02:46.520 also think that everyone I've known for uh forever. You know, 0:02:47.400 --> 0:02:49.520 Mike's one of those guys who I've worked with a 0:02:49.560 --> 0:02:53.120 long time as a colleague. But I have no grasp 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:56.160 of when this actually began. Like, I have no idea 0:02:56.240 --> 0:02:59.680 when this actually be And I know that that you 0:02:59.720 --> 0:03:03.760 know been around Mike in different time slots at Fox 0:03:03.760 --> 0:03:06.320 Sports Radio over the years, but I'm not sure when. 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:08.800 So Mike, we'll bring Mike Carman in. Why don't we 0:03:08.840 --> 0:03:12.400 start with that? As I am bad with dates here 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:15.400 and I I feel like I've been around you for 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:17.720 a very long time. But when did you actually start 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:23.720 at Fox Sports Radio the fall of two thousand and six. 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:29.480 That's a long time. That's a very long time, long time. Yes, Now, 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:31.440 when I when I first met you, you you were you 0:03:31.480 --> 0:03:33.680 were like the fantasy guy. I remember you came on 0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:36.280 and you did a lot of the fantasy stuff back 0:03:36.320 --> 0:03:38.800 and you were you were at Yahoo, right, didn't you 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:40.280 do a bunch of stuff with Yahoo, and that was 0:03:40.320 --> 0:03:44.000 where you were at the time you got it. Yeahoo 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:48.520 Sports helped to build that beast. Unfortunately no stock option 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:51.640 lottery for this guy, but a lot of learning and 0:03:52.240 --> 0:03:55.360 some work with the engineers and producers and eventually UH 0:03:55.560 --> 0:03:57.640 worked my way to where they handed me some copy 0:03:57.680 --> 0:03:59.480 because they didn't want to pay anybody to do a 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:03.040 press tour. Uh. And a bunch of radio folks liked 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:05.480 what I did, so I started doing regular hits that 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:08.480 became part of my job on Friday. Uh. And I 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:11.600 started doing a mail bag column that did very well. 0:04:12.120 --> 0:04:14.440 And before you do it, we had a TV showed 0:04:14.480 --> 0:04:18.160 on the Ill Faded the Football Network, which ran all 0:04:18.200 --> 0:04:21.160 about fourteen weeks. They ran out of money because they 0:04:21.160 --> 0:04:24.160 started bidding against you know, that NFL network thing that 0:04:24.240 --> 0:04:27.680 came out. Uh. And then UH, the guys I worked 0:04:27.720 --> 0:04:29.960 with at Yeah who said, hey, how about we try 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:32.479 to do it at Fox and build the Beast again 0:04:32.680 --> 0:04:36.520 with TV and radio implemented, and well, radio decided they 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:39.400 liked me. And maybe that's where I my face belongs 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:43.320 because UH still still going as you know. Yeah, And 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:45.400 I give you all the credit because you you were 0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:48.320 typecasts as the fantasy guy, which is not a bad 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:50.640 place to be in being the fantasy guy, because that's 0:04:50.640 --> 0:04:54.000 a huge, burgeoning business even you know, big today and 0:04:54.240 --> 0:04:56.680 big then and the whole thing. But you've had a 0:04:56.720 --> 0:05:01.480 metamorphosis now you might have become recent years here general 0:05:01.600 --> 0:05:05.679 talk show host. Man. You're you're no longer in a box. 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:09.760 You have a broad range to attack everyone in sports 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:13.000 and not just the fantasy world. And how did that happen? 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:17.480 Because usually my experience, and we've all seen this, when 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:19.840 you get type cast, you know, I was the weekend 0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:22.360 overnight guy for a long time. I couldn't get out 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:24.280 of that. You get in these little boxes, it's hard 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:26.120 to get out of it. But you you were able 0:05:26.160 --> 0:05:29.360 to do it. So what's the secret? The secret was 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:34.000 literally work basically for free a lot for many many 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:37.440 years while being typecast, like because I wasn't even allowed 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:42.039 to do you know, sub work right, not enough for you, 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:46.120 not for any other weekend at the time, not like 0:05:46.320 --> 0:05:49.080 I was on Sunday mornings. But everybody would ask me 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:53.680 on for what seemingly became our long segments. Hey can 0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:56.240 you stick around for another one? Like your feet are 0:05:56.279 --> 0:06:02.880 literally up on the desk that got not you're absolutely 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:06.680 I remember being in uh studio preparing for shows and 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:09.520 you would be on and the phones would light up 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:12.200 and it was like the whoever the talk show host 0:06:12.200 --> 0:06:15.080 at the time was, the eyeballs would light up. They're like, okay, 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:18.200 I could just I gotta have Harmon here, and I don't. 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:20.400 I don't have to worry. I just you know, as 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:22.760 you said, put your feet off and just have Harmon 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:24.360 do all the work. And you weren't even getting paid 0:06:24.440 --> 0:06:27.400 for that. My god, it was. It was a lot 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:30.880 of hours, a lot of hours. So I keep trying 0:06:30.880 --> 0:06:34.200 to remind folks, Uh, it doesn't want it don't come easy, 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:37.800 like Raino Star saying all those years ago, but but 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:40.359 a lot of extra hours. And look, you learned to 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:43.039 work with a lot of different people, you know. I 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:46.800 was doing segments on a lot of the affiliates as well. 0:06:46.839 --> 0:06:49.320 I had a dance card up in the home way 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:51.320 at the home of all right, here's all the spots 0:06:51.400 --> 0:06:53.520 Dad has to do each week, and during football season, 0:06:53.600 --> 0:06:57.200 I was doing up to forty hits and stations all 0:06:57.200 --> 0:07:00.560 over the place. It was all our of the day, 0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:03.520 all hours of the night. I mean, it was pretty crazy. Uh. 0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:07.160 And then eventually right at the time you were moving 0:07:07.240 --> 0:07:12.480 to the weeknight overnight. Uh, you know a little Bertie 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:14.920 told me, oh, it might have been you, but our 0:07:14.960 --> 0:07:17.800 our boss at the time, Bruce Gilbert. I just was 0:07:17.840 --> 0:07:19.560 trying to figure out what was going on because I 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:21.600 was still working over at Fox Sports dot Com and 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:23.480 as the writer. As they were getting ready to pivot 0:07:24.040 --> 0:07:28.080 to all video and I'll let that just pause for 0:07:28.120 --> 0:07:30.520 a second, because you know how that worked out. But 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:32.840 they they let a lot of us go or or 0:07:32.880 --> 0:07:35.240 we're going to I was assuming my contract was not 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:38.640 going to be extended, nor did I necessarily want to 0:07:38.720 --> 0:07:41.320 extend it at that point. So I got an opportunity 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:44.760 to sit with Bruce Gilbert. We just talk radio business 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:49.560 for probably almost two hours, just philosophy and you know, 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:53.960 me being the numbers, and um just I love the 0:07:53.960 --> 0:07:56.680 business of it all right. One of the things, I'm 0:07:56.720 --> 0:07:58.640 the rare guy to have spent a lot of money 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:01.280 to go get an MBA that just kind of sits 0:08:01.280 --> 0:08:04.880 and collects dust uh in sports talk radio. But every 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:07.560 now and again he gets to talk wisely on those things. 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:10.680 And with Bruce, I did and convinced him that maybe 0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:13.320 I was worth taking a look as you transition to 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:17.320 the weekday overnights. And I was on vacation down in 0:08:17.360 --> 0:08:19.880 Florida with my with my family, and I got a 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:21.760 call saying, Hey, how about we think about that? How 0:08:21.760 --> 0:08:24.440 about we do that? And then it took all of 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:28.400 about forty eight hours. He calls me back and says, hey, 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:31.520 I've got an idea. You know Jason Smith. I yeah, 0:08:32.160 --> 0:08:34.880 We've We've done one on air segment together, and I 0:08:34.920 --> 0:08:38.000 don't think what would you think about working with him? 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:41.360 And just like that, it went from Sunday Mornings, which 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:44.280 I still do for the network all these years later, 0:08:44.920 --> 0:08:49.040 to that just one conversation of trying to sell what 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.720 I thought I knew about radio. That says, so you 0:08:51.800 --> 0:08:53.240 just got to get in with the right person. And 0:08:53.400 --> 0:08:56.440 Bruce Gilbert and I've been with Fox for for the 0:08:56.480 --> 0:08:58.880 most part since it began, except for six months and 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:01.240 twenty six days and when they got rid of me. 0:09:01.320 --> 0:09:06.040 But but I I love Bruce. Bruce ran ESPN radio 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:08.120 for a long time and he's like a radio life 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:11.439 or his family is. His brother ran a big station 0:09:11.440 --> 0:09:15.320 in Boston's now in Chicago, and Bruce was only at 0:09:15.360 --> 0:09:17.480 Fox Sports radio for like a year or two. He 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:20.560 wasn't there very long, but I had great conversations. I'm 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:22.920 the same way or I love talking shop. I love 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:26.280 talking about the business and uh and you know, getting 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:29.040 inside the weeds if you will, on on the radio 0:09:29.080 --> 0:09:32.080 business and Bruce, you know, he knew everybody and and 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:34.079 he was he was a talker too, which is and 0:09:34.160 --> 0:09:37.280 still is Uh still is a talker. So it made 0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:40.000 a lot easier. So you start with Jason and you're 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:42.839 you're doing the show with Jason, and how how did 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:44.760 that go? Was it smooth at the beginning or where 0:09:44.760 --> 0:09:46.520 you're like, whether it was there a little rocky road 0:09:46.559 --> 0:09:49.760 there when you guys got together. Well, you know, as 0:09:49.800 --> 0:09:52.480 we first began, and obviously it's evolved, and they would 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:56.200 now this we're into year eight. At the beginning, as 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:58.200 it was pitched, was all right, you're gonna be on 0:09:58.240 --> 0:09:59.959 the show. I don't know how much you're gonna talk 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:04.600 each show? I was like, okay, but five nights a 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:07.240 week going from you know, just the two hours I 0:10:07.320 --> 0:10:09.520 had on the weekend to an operated on the one 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:16.240 weekend overnight. I did one weekend. Then um, you last 0:10:16.320 --> 0:10:19.920 you lasted, you lasted one weekend on the weekend, the 0:10:20.040 --> 0:10:23.000 COVID Weekend overnight shift, the shift that I did for 0:10:23.080 --> 0:10:25.440 like ten years at the beginning of Fox Sports Radio. 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:28.600 My god, it was. But it was insane because because 0:10:28.720 --> 0:10:33.240 Justin Cooper, you're current executive producer, and Bobo the legend 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:36.160 they were they were gonna be my my team, and 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:38.199 they came in with all sorts of ideas and all 0:10:38.200 --> 0:10:41.600 excited because hey, one of our own, right that was 0:10:41.640 --> 0:10:45.040 the attitude. One of our own got a shot. And 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:47.040 I was like I had to tell them, like, guys, 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:50.480 we got one weekend. So we did the Friday show, 0:10:50.520 --> 0:10:53.320 and everybody hated me because I wasn't you as you know, 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:56.640 I mean, that is the greatest one of flattery for you. 0:10:56.760 --> 0:10:59.240 I think that you have to appreciate that. Every time 0:10:59.320 --> 0:11:02.360 you take a day off or or or miss you know, 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:05.240 take a week you know, on vacation or whatever, the 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:07.640 amount of hatred speued because you're not there. I mean, 0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:09.200 you know, you always have that in the back pocket. 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:11.319 I don't know that it amounts for much cash wise, 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:13.679 but it's still kind of cool for the ego. But 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:16.679 on that Saturday, we had one of those crazy NFL 0:11:16.720 --> 0:11:21.000 comeback games, so I just let people call and tell 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:24.320 me their their sobs stories. And literally by the end 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:26.360 some of the guys started crying. I'm like, how drunk 0:11:26.400 --> 0:11:28.960 are you? But it was a fun weekend. Uh. And 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:31.400 then working with Jason, you know, the way it was 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:33.440 pitched was, you know, there might be segments you don't 0:11:33.440 --> 0:11:36.839 talk at all from my benefits five nights a week, 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:40.679 you get to promote it's good expand need a new 0:11:40.720 --> 0:11:45.040 guy and and and someone to riff with. And pretty 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:49.040 soon into the show he would do a quick little 0:11:49.080 --> 0:11:51.160 monologue and then lay out being like, all right, what 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:53.440 do you think? And now I just yell over him 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:56.200 and yell at him. So you know, it wolves pretty quickly. 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:59.000 But early on, yeah, a little bit of you know, 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:01.720 trying to figure out what your role is, how much 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:04.800 do you disagree? And because I'm not one for the 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:07.320 year an idiot radio, because we certainly have some of 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:10.840 those on the network and in the industry in general. 0:12:11.240 --> 0:12:14.319 You know, two man shows of just rating the other 0:12:14.400 --> 0:12:17.760 guy really doesn't get you anywhere because everybody's resentful by 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:23.080 you know, second three. But it's it's evolved and it's 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:25.720 been a good run. We've had the same team primarily 0:12:25.760 --> 0:12:28.559 in place during the period, and a lot of ups 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:31.120 and downs and as you know, some crazy turns that 0:12:31.480 --> 0:12:34.840 well that aren't necessarily in the sports world. Yeah, well 0:12:34.880 --> 0:12:37.640 exactly pretty much. The last couple of a year and 0:12:37.720 --> 0:12:40.880 a half has not been as much about sports. But 0:12:40.920 --> 0:12:45.840 you mentioned the Mallard militia, and they I have this relation. 0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:47.720 I love the people that are big fans of mine, 0:12:47.720 --> 0:12:50.120 but they every time I to take a show off 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:52.680 or I something happens that I have to miss some time, 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:57.360 I end up upsetting people who get very frustrated. Uh 0:12:57.600 --> 0:12:59.839 you know, Brian no fills in a lot now and 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:03.360 uh you know's there's a couple of plank that usually 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:06.920 fill in for me on the overnight. And I love 0:13:06.960 --> 0:13:08.600 that these people are so upset down there, but that 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:12.600 the the attack dog mentality here that uh you know, 0:13:12.920 --> 0:13:15.840 I mean, what do you do? And people think I'm 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:18.120 like behind, I had nothing to do with that harmon 0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:21.840 I I don't know. I mean these people and I 0:13:21.880 --> 0:13:25.440 love them to get very riled up, and uh, I 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:28.120 think part of it is the neurosis of what happened 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:31.800 back in oh nine where I was here one day 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:34.320 and then I was gone, and so I think they're 0:13:35.360 --> 0:13:36.760 some of the people have been with me a long time, 0:13:36.800 --> 0:13:38.440 so I think there's a little bit of hysteria. Anytime 0:13:38.440 --> 0:13:40.080 I miss the show, they think I'm never coming back, 0:13:40.200 --> 0:13:43.680 which is, by the way, not necessarily wrong in the 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:48.839 radio business because that, you know, that does happen quite 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:51.160 a bit, where you know, your favorite host is away 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:53.880 for a day and never comes back, and and and 0:13:54.000 --> 0:13:55.839 never comes back. But now you're doing a two man 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:58.600 show with Jason. Have you ever done the solo show? 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:03.200 It's much different the the art of radio. Like, I'm 0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:06.600 pretty much by myself at night, but I have you know, 0:14:06.600 --> 0:14:08.280 I have Eddie. I can bounce some things off of 0:14:08.320 --> 0:14:10.320 from time to time, and we try to bring the 0:14:10.320 --> 0:14:12.920 other guys in. But you know, usually it's me ranting 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:15.200 and raving at the beginning, doing a monologue whatever, and 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:17.080 then we take calls and kind of a cadence to it. 0:14:17.120 --> 0:14:19.880 But when you do a two man show, there's got 0:14:19.880 --> 0:14:22.840 to be a lot of the plan what's the planning, like, 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:24.600 I guess is what I'm asking your harm and when 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:27.480 you guys are getting ready, is it the email chain? 0:14:27.680 --> 0:14:29.680 I mean, how much how much back and forth is 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:31.520 there about what you guys are gonna talk about, because 0:14:31.560 --> 0:14:33.880 it does change at night because there's games going on. 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:36.160 So it's not like if you did a daytime show 0:14:36.200 --> 0:14:38.400 that usually stuff is kind of set up for you, 0:14:38.480 --> 0:14:41.680 where at night it's a lot different. Yeah, I think 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:44.640 it's you know, it's we pride ourselves and being able 0:14:44.680 --> 0:14:47.760 to pivot quickly by the latest news that goes on 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:50.760 and and you know, the one man show. I've been 0:14:50.800 --> 0:14:53.560 able to do some not not you know, I'd love 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:56.600 to do more right, to refine, you know, my own 0:14:56.680 --> 0:14:59.920 ten minute monologue things, more podcasts to come. I gotta 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:02.520 got an idea. I'm gonna run by you. Maybe maybe 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:06.000 there maybe there's some some marriage to be had there. Um, 0:15:06.040 --> 0:15:10.120 but it's it's you know, I did a fantasy season, 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:13.040 so I kind of did all right, let's grab a 0:15:13.040 --> 0:15:15.880 couple of uh, you know, the beat writers where there's 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:18.360 injuries that we have to percolate with and whatever. So 0:15:18.600 --> 0:15:21.080 so we did some of that. But you know, oftentimes, 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:24.760 you know, when Jason's out, I end up, I will 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:27.880 not usually have the four hours solo. Usually there will 0:15:27.920 --> 0:15:30.840 be somebody there, uh to sit alongside me, whether it's 0:15:30.840 --> 0:15:34.080 a LaVar Arrington, Dan Buyer, you know, some of the 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:36.080 usual cast of characters that could come to know and 0:15:36.160 --> 0:15:39.080 love across the vast Fox Sports Radio network. As you 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:42.840 would say, but the planning a couple of texts. I mean, 0:15:42.920 --> 0:15:44.960 Jason is going to have he sends out a note 0:15:45.000 --> 0:15:49.240 early afternoon. And what's always been fun is when we've 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:52.080 got a producer of filling in, right, our guy Justin 0:15:52.120 --> 0:15:55.800 Frostber a couple of years ago, I had some health concerns, 0:15:55.840 --> 0:15:57.680 had to step away for a while. So people were 0:15:57.680 --> 0:15:59.480 filling in and they'd be like, all right, why don't 0:15:59.480 --> 0:16:01.520 we gonna meet and Jason and I would just laugh 0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:03.600 at them and like, what do you mean, just wait 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.680 this way, and like all right. So he would send 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:10.200 out a note, say three o'clock, and you know, it 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:13.080 varies what time, depending on what's going on with his daughter, 0:16:13.200 --> 0:16:15.400 if he's at a movie or you know, when we 0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:17.480 could go to the movies and things like that, we're 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:20.480 taking a nap, and it would be here's the four 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:24.000 or five biggest stories as at that moment, and as 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:26.920 we know, it all changes on a dime, uh you 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.320 in the overnights and us as we are, we've got games, 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:34.440 we're reacting to some great postgame audio on guys sticking 0:16:34.480 --> 0:16:38.120 their feet in their mouth, arrests and craziness that happened. Uh, 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:42.160 and it changes. But you know, we'd have these sub 0:16:42.240 --> 0:16:45.000 producers to be like, all right, so let's let's plan 0:16:45.080 --> 0:16:47.400 out these and we just look. Now, you plan out 0:16:47.440 --> 0:16:50.440 the first two segments, and then we see what happens. Right, 0:16:50.480 --> 0:16:53.000 We've got a whole slate of NBA games. If a 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:57.120 guy gets hurt, suddenly there's something changing. Like today, you know, 0:16:57.200 --> 0:17:00.360 as you and I sit to talk on a Thursday, Uh, 0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:02.520 you know when when this is getting ready to you know, 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:05.760 the Carson went steel through a monkey wrench and everybody's 0:17:06.520 --> 0:17:10.720 you know, morning planning, and it's exciting, but it's also Man, 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:13.560 I planned a nine minute rant about this, that or 0:17:13.600 --> 0:17:15.800 the other that now gets thrown out the window. Well, 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:18.199 we generally don't have that. We've got some notes and 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:21.040 people will be like, well, how do you respond to 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:23.200 this that he wrote? And I'd laugh, I go, well, 0:17:23.200 --> 0:17:24.879 I don't actually know what he's gonna say when he 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:28.000 actually goes on air. This stuff has been verrinating in 0:17:28.080 --> 0:17:31.560 his head for however many hours. You want to be, 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:34.000 you want to you don't want to be you don't 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:35.639 want to be scripted, right, you know you want you 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:39.400 want to go back and yeah, and my my thing 0:17:40.280 --> 0:17:43.080 people I don't know on their shows, and this is, 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:46.440 you know, how everybody gets in the method behind their madness, 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:50.280 whether they do bullet points, whether they do right out 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:52.920 whatever I mean, I I it's to each their own. 0:17:53.000 --> 0:17:55.520 But for me, all I can do is have an 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:58.679 array of things and wait and take notes as he 0:17:58.720 --> 0:18:02.960 speaks for when it's been my time to either expand 0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:07.679 on his point or refute him, uh with vociprously. Well, 0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:10.480 I'm a big bullet point guy. My. You know, people 0:18:10.680 --> 0:18:12.760 sometimes ask you, like the method to the madness, how 0:18:12.760 --> 0:18:15.920 we make the hot dogs? For me, the most stressful 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:18.280 part of my day is trying to find stuff that's 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:20.920 actually I find interesting that I want to rant about 0:18:20.920 --> 0:18:24.000 and rift about in a model. I mean, like doing 0:18:24.040 --> 0:18:25.919 the show. I love doing the show, But it's the 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:29.800 annoying part and often the frustrating part, depending on what 0:18:29.840 --> 0:18:32.560 time of the year, is if I if I don't 0:18:32.560 --> 0:18:34.919 see any meat on the bone, you know, and I 0:18:34.920 --> 0:18:37.880 I want a big, juicy piece of meat to bite into. 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:41.520 And you know I always have, you know, said this 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:44.760 for for years that we get paid. Actually, uh, when 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:47.800 there is nothing going on. Anybody can do talk radio 0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:49.879 when there's a lot of a lot of news and 0:18:49.920 --> 0:18:53.639 there's big, big stories. But it's when there's nothing and 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:56.320 you've got to compose and put a show together. And 0:18:56.560 --> 0:18:59.359 I'm a big bullet point guy and all that, but that, 0:18:59.520 --> 0:19:01.919 to me, that's the thing. And I also have this 0:19:01.920 --> 0:19:05.119 this case where I I don't like to do the 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:07.520 same I know, you're in good radio. You're supposed to 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:09.280 do the same thing over and over again, you know, 0:19:09.320 --> 0:19:12.440 and program directors will tell you that. But I only 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:15.640 do that if it's like an A story, like an 0:19:15.680 --> 0:19:20.040 A plus story. I try to every hour, change, change 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:22.640 it up, and because you know, keep it fresh. And 0:19:22.680 --> 0:19:24.040 I know a lot of people don't listen to the 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:26.600 whole show, but some people do. And so that's also 0:19:26.640 --> 0:19:30.960 becomes a problem because you know, oftentimes they'll be two 0:19:31.000 --> 0:19:33.960 stories that really excite me, but then you know there's 0:19:33.960 --> 0:19:35.520 two other you know, I got four hours, so I 0:19:35.520 --> 0:19:38.359 gotta find a couple of other stories and all that. 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:41.760 I mean, these are these are first world problems to have. 0:19:42.280 --> 0:19:44.280 These are these are great problems. I mean, if you're 0:19:44.280 --> 0:19:46.879 gonna have, you know, problems that irritate you in life. 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:50.280 This is a wonderful problem to have. But it's it's 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:52.400 just to let people in on the podcast what it's 0:19:52.440 --> 0:19:55.000 like to do to do a show. And you you, 0:19:55.040 --> 0:19:57.480 of course, you know generally, as you said, what Jason 0:19:57.520 --> 0:19:59.640 is going to talk about and what you're gonna start 0:19:59.680 --> 0:20:01.639 the show, but you don't know what he's gonna say. 0:20:01.720 --> 0:20:04.320 And then you've gotta you've got to be on your 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:07.199 toes there to be able to react. And then the 0:20:07.240 --> 0:20:10.080 other thing is, uh, you know, we we've all been 0:20:10.119 --> 0:20:12.560 as you said, things change being on you know, nights 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:14.600 and I'm I'm on when the West Coast games and 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:19.000 uh late, especially the baseball games during baseball season, and 0:20:19.200 --> 0:20:21.800 you'll we we call it putting the show to bed, right, 0:20:21.800 --> 0:20:23.880 You'll have an idea, Okay, this is what we're gonna 0:20:23.880 --> 0:20:28.520