WEBVTT - The Dave Pasch Podcast - Scott Van Pelt 0:00:05.240 --> 0:00:08.600 Everybody. Welcome to another edition of the Dave Pash Podcast. 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.840 I'm your host ESPN and Arizona Cardinals broadcast for Dave Pash. 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:15.680 My guest this week is simply one of the best 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.960 in the business, one of the most talented guys on 0:00:19.079 --> 0:00:22.680 radio or television, the one, the only, Scott Van Pelt. 0:00:23.200 --> 0:00:26.799 If you have an opportunity and you're watching a game, 0:00:27.560 --> 0:00:29.920 you know that after the game's over, you want to 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:32.120 stick around because not only are you going to hear 0:00:32.159 --> 0:00:34.120 from Scott on Sports Center with Scott Van Pelt, but 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:36.880 you're going to hear from great guests. Oftentimes it's the 0:00:36.960 --> 0:00:39.959 players themselves that just played in the game, or it's 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:43.200 another analyst from ESPN breaking down the game you just watched. 0:00:43.440 --> 0:00:46.000 It's one of the best shows on TV. Scott does 0:00:46.000 --> 0:00:48.760 a great job. Stanford Steve, who's part of the production team, 0:00:48.800 --> 0:00:51.519 does a great job. Scott's one of my favorites in 0:00:51.560 --> 0:00:54.880 this business. So talented, and it's great to catch up 0:00:54.920 --> 0:00:57.160 with Scott, and so many things like how did this 0:00:57.240 --> 0:01:00.920 come about in terms of Sports Center with Scott Van Pelt, 0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:04.880 how much being a radio talk show host prepared him 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:07.480 for this role. Would you get to share there is 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:10.280 who you are, what you think, what matters to you. 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:13.480 I don't mind being vulnerable and sharing in part of 0:01:13.520 --> 0:01:16.040 my life. Then your audience gets to know you as 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:18.479 a human, not just some person they see on television, 0:01:18.600 --> 0:01:21.559 and they care about your life. We also talk about 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:25.600 the Arizona Cardinals, the NFL His Team, the Washington Commanders, 0:01:25.720 --> 0:01:28.440 and much more. We are presented by bet MGM, the 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:31.200 official sports betting partner of the Arizona Cardinals, and by 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:35.440 Hila River Resorts and Casinos. 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Next step all right, time for 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:12.880 our conversation with the Great Scott van pelt So Scott. 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:15.360 You probably don't even remember, but we actually met in 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:18.480 the nineties. Both of us had hair. I think you 0:02:18.520 --> 0:02:20.400 were at the Golf Channel and it was at a 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:24.200 US Open and Mike Tarico introduced us. I don't know 0:02:24.240 --> 0:02:26.760 that I've actually seen you in person, since we always 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:29.280 see each other on TV when you know, we have 0:02:29.280 --> 0:02:31.040 a late game and we're throwing it too or whatever. 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:34.679 But happier for your success. Man. It's it's been incredible 0:02:34.680 --> 0:02:38.640 to watch What year is this now? For Sports Center 0:02:38.680 --> 0:02:41.240 with SVP? Is it year eight? Did you guys start 0:02:41.240 --> 0:02:45.800 in twenty fifteen? Yes, yes, we just began our eighth year. 0:02:46.160 --> 0:02:49.120 And you know, it's funny just to backpedal on just 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:51.239 sort of how all of us in this goofy business 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:54.600 sort of know each other. I feel like so many 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:57.800 of us have done what you're explaining right. We've we've 0:02:57.800 --> 0:03:01.960 crossed paths somewhere. It's in a press room, it's on 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:04.960 a field, it's buy an eighteenth green, it's whatever. And 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:07.880 then you go do your thing and I go do mine, 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:11.720 and we're certainly aware of and rooting for each other 0:03:11.800 --> 0:03:15.840 as we watch, and uh, you know, things evolved and 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:18.680 you've obviously done great stuff as well and continue to 0:03:18.720 --> 0:03:20.440 get to do all of that. And I've been lucky too, 0:03:20.480 --> 0:03:23.320 and I just feel like I'm I really enjoy how 0:03:23.440 --> 0:03:27.600 how our fraternity of Slash sorority, whatever you want to 0:03:27.639 --> 0:03:30.079 call it, it's it's it really is a fraternal thing. 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:33.040 I find that mostly we root for each other. I 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:35.840 don't know if people get that, um, but that's always 0:03:35.880 --> 0:03:39.200 how I feel people mostly, And then you know, every 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:41.400 now and you meet people that just suck, but that's 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:45.960 just life. I mean, that's not exclusive to any specific occupation. 0:03:46.120 --> 0:03:50.440 But mostly it's a really cool and supportive family because 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:53.280 it's such it's such a weird gig to do where 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:55.880 you're on the road and weekends aren't necessarily weekends, and 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:58.960 holidays might not be holidays and all the rest of it. So, um, 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:01.160 you know, we we signed up to do this late 0:04:01.240 --> 0:04:04.040 night thing and it's been fun. It was a total 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:06.720 like just a whiteboard, you know, empty do what you 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:08.960 want with it, and they've let us kind of do 0:04:09.040 --> 0:04:12.760 our own thing, and some stuff has stuck and others didn't. 0:04:12.840 --> 0:04:15.720 And mostly we just come on after games because we 0:04:15.800 --> 0:04:18.279 like to watch sports and try to reflect that and 0:04:18.320 --> 0:04:21.000 how we cover it. But it's it's really been not 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:23.560 anything I ever dreamt would happen, that's for sure. So Scotty, 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:27.880 how did it go down with the approach? Who approached 0:04:27.880 --> 0:04:30.000 you at the ESPN about the idea? Was this something 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:32.160 that you pitched them? How did it all come together? 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:35.040 Because you were obviously doing a lot of different things 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:36.960 at the time, including your radio show, and you were 0:04:37.000 --> 0:04:40.440 doing some Thursday college football pre and post and doing 0:04:40.480 --> 0:04:43.240 Sports Center. How did this show in particular come about? 0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:48.080 It was John Wildhack was in charge at the time. 0:04:48.279 --> 0:04:52.839 He's now at Syracuse as an a d and good 0:04:52.839 --> 0:04:55.200 for the Orange of having a nice year this fall, 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:57.400 and frankly could have won on Saturday at Clemson. That's 0:04:57.440 --> 0:05:00.360 neither here nor there. John Skipper was our president at 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:04.200 the time, and the conversation was just kind of an organic, 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:06.080 what do you want to do sort of a thing, 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:07.760 and I thought, I said, it'd be pretty cool to 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:11.440 be able to take the idea of radio and bring 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:14.320 it to Sports Center and have it a little bit 0:05:14.400 --> 0:05:19.280 less structured, but not just entirely abandoned the notion of 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:21.240 who won the games and what were the cool things 0:05:21.240 --> 0:05:25.480 that happened, And so it was it was just out 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:28.400 of that conversation. It was the type of thing where 0:05:28.400 --> 0:05:31.200 I never thought they do it. I mean, Sports Center 0:05:31.320 --> 0:05:34.800 orgy know, has always been this sacred sort of a brand, 0:05:35.400 --> 0:05:38.760 and the idea that they give me the keys to 0:05:38.880 --> 0:05:40.560 the car, so to speak, and let me go where 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:44.159 I wanted. I just didn't think it had happened. But then, 0:05:44.480 --> 0:05:47.680 to John Wildhau's credit, he said, speak like to use 0:05:47.720 --> 0:05:49.400 the car analogy. He said, Look, I don't want you 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:50.960 to stand in the middle lane. I mean treat it 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:53.359 like there's a lot of a lot of lanes that 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:56.400 you can explore and see what you want and see 0:05:56.440 --> 0:06:00.880 what works and what doesn't. And so that's that was it. 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:02.599 I mean, it was just kind of born out of 0:06:02.640 --> 0:06:05.480 that idea that that maybe it would work, and it 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:07.440 it was. It wasn't like it was a high stakes gamble. 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:09.760 It was you know, it's midnight, you know, and the 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:13.080 space after games matters. That real estate is important. But 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:15.160 if it just didn't sort of take then we could 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:17.680 have just punted. But you know, it worked well enough 0:06:17.720 --> 0:06:20.359 that we're continuing to do it. And you know, on 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:22.960 a night like on Monday tonight, as you and I talk, 0:06:23.040 --> 0:06:26.600 we follow up the Bears and the Patriots, and then 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:29.559 Tuesday we follow the NHL, then Wednesday we follow the NBA, 0:06:29.720 --> 0:06:32.760 and and I mean it's I still love games. I'm 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:35.040 sure you do too. If you didn't, you wouldn't call right. 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:39.880 I mean, the watching games is still endlessly interesting because 0:06:40.120 --> 0:06:43.120 things happen you just can't ever imagine, and greatness and 0:06:43.240 --> 0:06:46.120 happens and disappointment and all of it, and we get 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:48.680 to document that. And that's sort of that's the space 0:06:48.680 --> 0:06:52.560 we've lived in since whatever it was twenty fifteen. I 0:06:52.560 --> 0:06:54.839 guess it wasn't that fall. And we will be throwing 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:57.720 it to you Wednesday. I'm doing Lakers Denver. It's uh 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:00.960 jj Reddick and Richard Jefferson. It's the first time that 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:04.040 the two have worked a game together. So I'll actually 0:07:04.080 --> 0:07:06.360 be thrown at you after we're done. Like I said, 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:08.080 I haven't seen you in twenty five years, but we 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:13.720 end up talking. That's the business in a nut job. Yeah. 0:07:13.760 --> 0:07:16.000 One of the reasons I think your show has worked 0:07:16.080 --> 0:07:18.440 is because you're so likable on the air. And I'm 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:21.760 curious how much do you think the radio show helped 0:07:21.760 --> 0:07:24.280 in that regard. I had Golok on a few weeks 0:07:24.280 --> 0:07:26.520 ago and I got to do one college football season 0:07:26.520 --> 0:07:29.640 with Mike and just seeing the number of people that 0:07:29.680 --> 0:07:33.040 are just attracted him in his personality. And I feel 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:35.240 like for a play by play announcer, for the most part, 0:07:35.320 --> 0:07:38.000 you're playing a role. You're calling a game. You're not 0:07:38.040 --> 0:07:41.679 really putting your personality out there. Although maybe it's different 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:45.280 when I do college basketball with Bill Walton because you 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:48.160 can't help, but you know, get into conversations outside of 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:52.440 just calling the game. My jobs to document the games. 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:56.480 As a talk show host on radio or doing Sports Center, 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:59.480 you you're allowed to have your personality really out there 0:07:59.480 --> 0:08:02.160 and people gravitate to you. Scott, how much do you 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:06.280 think doing the talk show, combine with all your history 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:09.960 with Sports Center helped create what you've got going now 0:08:11.000 --> 0:08:16.520 enormously because what you learn in radio, which I've said 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:19.240 and I'll say again, was the hardest thing that I did, 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:22.280 And I don't know what else could be harder in 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:26.760 this in this field because it requires hours and hours 0:08:26.760 --> 0:08:31.120 and hours of conversation and interesting conversation and it's every 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:34.760 day and it's a lot, a whole lot, And Rissillo 0:08:34.840 --> 0:08:38.160 helped me massively just to know, you know, I've always 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:41.439 credited him for saying, you know, okay, well we'll talk 0:08:41.440 --> 0:08:44.440 about the Bears and Patriots in a block of wait, wait, 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:47.319 what's the topic? Right, just saying we're going to talk 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:50.040 about the game. Fine, Well what's the topic. What's interesting 0:08:50.080 --> 0:08:52.520 about the topic? Is it fields? Is it who's the 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:56.040 quarterback in the indiand is it narrowing that down? But 0:08:56.160 --> 0:08:59.600 anyone can do that, anyone on radio can talk about sports. 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:02.480 What you should get to share there is who you are, 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:05.600 what you think, what matters to you. If I don't 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:09.840 mind being, you know, vulnerable and sharing part of my life, 0:09:10.440 --> 0:09:14.600 the highs and the lows. Talking about losing our dog, Otis, 0:09:14.600 --> 0:09:17.840 our Wheredesian ridge back this past spring, I mean it was. 0:09:18.120 --> 0:09:19.840 I mean, you're gonna bear your soul. I sat on 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:23.280 television and balled about my dog. I can't tell you, Dave, 0:09:23.360 --> 0:09:26.000 how many times. Just I was in a Maryland football 0:09:26.040 --> 0:09:28.360 game this weekend. It was homecoming. These strangers come up 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:30.640 to me and they say, the thing you did about 0:09:30.640 --> 0:09:32.840 your dog, that thing you said about Otis. They know 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:35.600 his name? I said, I tell my wife, like our 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:39.600 dog became famous posthumously. You know, and when you share 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:42.680 yourself and the way that Mike and Mike did in 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:45.240 the mornings about their children and watching their kids grow 0:09:45.320 --> 0:09:47.520 up and sharing that part of their lives. If you're 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:49.920 willing to, then your audience gets to know you as 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:52.400 a human, not just some person they say on television, 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:55.120 and they care about your life if you're willing to 0:09:55.120 --> 0:10:00.240 share it. And I've done that, and so undoubtedly that 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:05.360 part has helped. I think people recognize that I like sports. 0:10:05.679 --> 0:10:07.520 I tell them while I'm from they know I'm a turp. 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:10.280 When Marilyn gets, you know, beat, then I get I 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:12.199 gotta wear it, I get heckled. But when they win, 0:10:12.240 --> 0:10:15.240 people know I'm psyched and they're psyched for me. So 0:10:16.120 --> 0:10:18.720 that coupled with having done sports in er for a 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:21.640 long time, getting to sit alongside a guy like Neil 0:10:21.679 --> 0:10:24.920 Everett who we had a great relationship with, alongside Stuart Scott, 0:10:24.920 --> 0:10:26.680 who he and I had a great thing. You have 0:10:26.760 --> 0:10:29.520 all these different ways that you connect to an audience, 0:10:30.000 --> 0:10:34.480 and radio was the one that made it really personal. 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:41.520 And so that's been a huge, huge help to connecting 0:10:41.520 --> 0:10:44.199 to an audience. Because now it's harder than everything, easier 0:10:44.240 --> 0:10:46.760 than ever to have a show, harder than ever to 0:10:46.800 --> 0:10:49.120 connect to people because there's so many of them to 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:51.880 sort of choose from. Yeah, you mentioned Neil. I've gotten 0:10:51.880 --> 0:10:54.400 to know Neil a little bit through Bill Walton. Neil 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:57.160 will come to some of the Oregon UCLA games and 0:10:57.200 --> 0:10:58.680 then we'll go out to dinner. I think they also 0:10:58.720 --> 0:11:01.160 have a tequila company to yeather. I don't know. Neil 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:03.840 will shout out a zunia sometimes if people are watching 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:05.880 Sports Center and they just hear Neil shout that out, 0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:08.240 or if you hear Bill shout that out. Apparently it's 0:11:08.240 --> 0:11:10.440 a tequila company that I think they Well, there you go. 0:11:10.480 --> 0:11:12.720 I wouldn't surprise me. It could be anything with those guys. 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:15.160 As we know that Neil is one of the truly, 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:18.920 he's my brother forever. I love him. He's such a 0:11:19.120 --> 0:11:22.679 such a gentle kind, unique soul man. I'm just so 0:11:22.760 --> 0:11:24.640 blessed that I got to know him. I don't know 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:27.760 if you'd say the same of Bill. Watching you guys, 0:11:28.040 --> 0:11:29.720 I don't want to turn the tables on you, but 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:32.000 I do. Can may I ask one question? Oh yeah, 0:11:32.080 --> 0:11:34.240 of course, that's whatever. Do whatever you want? How do 0:11:34.320 --> 0:11:37.959 you do it? Because we had Bill on once and 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:41.520 he's such a joy, But it's like getting on a 0:11:41.640 --> 0:11:45.760 ride in an amusement park and not knowing where it ends. Yeah, 0:11:45.840 --> 0:11:48.960 so you probably are aware of this. It has been 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:51.120 out It is out there that they're doing a thirty 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:54.360 for thirty on Bill and his whole life and a 0:11:54.400 --> 0:11:56.800 big part of his obviously going to be his playing days. 0:11:56.800 --> 0:12:01.360 I mean the interviewed Kareem, Doctor, j ry Bird, Magic John, 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:04.120 I mean, you name it, Michael Jordan, they interviewed, well, 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:06.080 I met with them in March for about an hour 0:12:06.520 --> 0:12:09.240 because they want to do a piece on Bill with 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:11.440 the broadcasting and they were they were asking the same 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:13.680 questions and you know, how do you do it? And 0:12:13.720 --> 0:12:18.840 what's the key? And I think I've had other teammates 0:12:18.840 --> 0:12:21.079 of his, including Lionel Hollands, who is a teammate of 0:12:21.120 --> 0:12:25.000 his with the Blazers, tell me this that Bill views 0:12:25.240 --> 0:12:29.920 me as Kareem and that I'm kind of his rival, 0:12:30.600 --> 0:12:35.000 but I'm his teammate. So for the audience's sake, we're rivals. 0:12:35.600 --> 0:12:38.920 But when when the lights are not on and we're 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:41.800 not on the air, we're teammates. Does does that make sense? 0:12:41.840 --> 0:12:45.160 Like I guess I grasped that and that helped me understand, Okay, 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:47.000 it's not personal. It's a game. This is part of 0:12:47.040 --> 0:12:50.600 the entertainment, and it allows him to feel like he's 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:53.120 playing in Game seven of the NBA Finals against Kareem 0:12:54.520 --> 0:12:59.160 It makes sense. It's just it takes a rare talent 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:02.880 to be able to do it so capably. I feel 0:13:02.880 --> 0:13:06.040 like you and and Benetti. I remember watching Benetti and 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:09.080 Maui and just being blown away because I mean, it's 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:13.840 Dayton's playing whomever at noon it's or something, and he's like, 0:13:14.120 --> 0:13:16.960 have you read on Fire the Vanities or something? And 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:19.800 I'm thinking, oh, this poor guy, and Bannetti hits it 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:21.600 back at him with pace, and then just for the 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:24.760 next two hours, it's just this running who knows what. 0:13:24.920 --> 0:13:29.360 But the ability that you have to weave in the 0:13:29.400 --> 0:13:33.120 actual calling of the game, which matters to the two 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:36.200 Oregon UCLA fans that are watching. They'd like to just 0:13:36.280 --> 0:13:39.120 have some sort of context of the play by play, 0:13:39.320 --> 0:13:43.400 but also never missing where the he's meandering. I just 0:13:43.559 --> 0:13:46.480 I'm marvel at it, and I just uh, but I 0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:48.840 also know, I mean, I don't do play by play, 0:13:48.880 --> 0:13:50.839 so I don't try to put myself in that seat. 0:13:51.160 --> 0:13:53.120 I just but I think it's it's a truly a 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:54.959 rare man or a woman that could sit there and 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:57.720 actually do it, and you're great at it. I appreciate it. 0:13:57.760 --> 0:13:59.600 I think a lot of it too, is just we're 0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:02.520 very different, but we're both accepting of the other and 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:06.040 our personalities and our beliefs and backgrounds. And you know, 0:14:07.320 --> 0:14:09.240 one of the greatest compliments I got, And this was 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:13.360 very early on. This was twenty thirteen or fourteen. I 0:14:13.400 --> 0:14:15.480 had done the Pactol Championship game with Bill, and I 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:17.520 had a Warrior's game. I think it was the next 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:20.040 night or two nights later. I walk in at the time. 0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:22.200 First of all, Luke, Bill's son, is one of the 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:25.080 assistant coaches. I walk in and Luke comes over to 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:26.880 me and gives me a hug, like you look like 0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:30.000 you need a hug. And we're doing this and so, 0:14:30.480 --> 0:14:32.040 and then we go to a sit down with Steph 0:14:32.120 --> 0:14:35.800 Curry and we're about to start and Steph goes, why 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:39.480 didn't you answer his question? I said, excuse me. He goes, 0:14:39.520 --> 0:14:43.080 you didn't answer Bill's question. And I'm like, Steph, what 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:45.640 are you talking about? He goes, Bill asked if you 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:49.360 had ever been inside of a volcano while it's erupting, 0:14:49.880 --> 0:14:53.960 and you didn't answer it. I'm like, because I just 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:55.800 kind of blew off the question, which I do a lot. 0:14:56.120 --> 0:14:58.160 I think actually people kind of enjoy that more than 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:00.720 if you actually answer it. I don't know, right, but 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:05.400 how cool is that? And you asked earlier about having 0:15:05.440 --> 0:15:08.480 a radio show, and am I said about sharing my life? 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:10.320 I did a thing about my daughter on the show 0:15:10.320 --> 0:15:13.200 once in a segment we call one Big Thing. Then 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:15.160 the night after I did it, it was her birthday. 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:19.240 She was six, and Steph scores twenty three and the 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:22.960 fourth they beat Houston in Houston to knock them out 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:25.000 of the playoffs, and Steph Curry is on with us, 0:15:25.320 --> 0:15:27.880 and I'm he's always gracious, and I'm trying to let 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:31.280 him go and I'm trying to say goodbye, and he says, no, wait, wait, 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:33.840 hold on that thing you did last night about your daughter, man, 0:15:34.000 --> 0:15:37.600 And I mean, you just those things blow you away, 0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:38.800 don't say. I mean, you know someone's out there on 0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:42.960 the other side of the television, But when it's somebody 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:46.040 that you're talking about on the television and they're consuming 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:49.440 it actively, I think that's not that it's better or 0:15:49.480 --> 0:15:52.040 worse than anybody listening to you and me talk right now. 0:15:52.240 --> 0:15:54.200 But I just don't know that you're ever really prepared 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:57.160 for that, right right, And it's affirmation that you're what 0:15:57.200 --> 0:15:59.800 you're doing is bringing joy to somebody else, right, you're 0:15:59.800 --> 0:16:02.600 in attaining which is in a way that you know. 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:05.320 I mean, Steph, So how you you I assume who's 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:07.640 who who among us has been inside of volcano when 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:10.560 it's rupted, and now of course I have. But if 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:12.000 you say that, it kind of you know, you're almost 0:16:12.120 --> 0:16:15.240 better off just kind of going back to the game exactly. Yeah, 0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:17.960 that's that's the thing, I you, It's like having It's 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:19.880 like my kid in the car in the back. I 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:22.680 just I answer a lots of other stuff that's just 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:25.160 non secutors. I just figured out he didn't really want 0:16:25.160 --> 0:16:29.560 to know that if he doesn't last again. Oh man, 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:32.080 good stuff. Well let's um, let's talk a little football. 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:36.080 I'm curious because you know, obviously you're watching games all 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:40.000 the time, and you know you're on after the Thursday 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:41.800 night game, so you watch the Cardinals beat the Saints 0:16:41.880 --> 0:16:45.360 last week. Give me your sense of what you think 0:16:45.520 --> 0:16:48.040 there are three and four? They are a game out 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:51.560 of first place in the NFC West despite struggling mightily 0:16:51.600 --> 0:16:54.560 offensively for the most part this season, which is so 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:57.520 weird because just to be honest with your listeners, I mean, 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:00.160 I know Cliff a long time. I like him. He's 0:17:00.160 --> 0:17:03.120 an easy guy to like, right, fair enough, Yeah, great guy? 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:06.080 Right right? So we I mean I go back to 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:08.600 like the college days, and we had a moment you know, 0:17:09.119 --> 0:17:11.800 a lot during our Rascillo days on radio, and it's 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:14.000 just like I didn't. I mean, I thought, like a 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:15.240 lot of people thought he was going to be the 0:17:15.320 --> 0:17:18.240 sc you know, offensive coordinator, and then well it took 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:20.640 a left and as he said a couple of weeks ago, 0:17:20.680 --> 0:17:22.800 like this is new to me. I've never struggled with offense. 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:26.359 When they went to Sea Allen scored nine points, I thought, whoa, 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:28.879 what are we looking at here? Now we get a 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:31.040 little more context with Sea Alle and you think, you know, like, 0:17:31.040 --> 0:17:34.480 good to Pete Carroll. Good for them, they're they're they're competitive, 0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:37.960 don't They're leading the West. Good for Gino Smith, good 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:40.440 from the whole bunch of them. Um the way things 0:17:40.440 --> 0:17:42.919 have gone. But I have a friend that always say 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:44.359 is if you say good for you, it sounds like 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:48.520 it's it sounds patronizing, but I'm being sincere. I think 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:50.440 it's great that they've done as well as they have 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:52.399 when everyone thought they were just sort of punting on 0:17:52.520 --> 0:17:54.600 the present. Well, it doesn't look what they are. I 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:57.560 think the good news for Arizona clearly is you're not 0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:00.200 in division with Philadelphia. You don't find yourself. I was 0:18:00.240 --> 0:18:03.760 behind the leader, um, and you get you need to 0:18:03.760 --> 0:18:06.320 be better at home. Obviously that's a secret. But you 0:18:06.359 --> 0:18:07.760 know what I looked at it. I looked at it 0:18:07.800 --> 0:18:10.480 was a schedule before they buy. And there's not a 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:15.320 single game that is easy on that not long. And 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:17.560 but there's also not a single game that I think 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:20.159 isn't if they want it would surprise me because I 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:22.680 think the NFL right now is as weird as I've 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:26.080 ever remembered it, just in terms of how few teams 0:18:26.119 --> 0:18:30.480 I really accept as being excellent. I mean, Minnesota's records 0:18:30.480 --> 0:18:33.159 says they're really good. Are they I don't know. I 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:36.640 watched how they beat Detroit it felt like they've stolen one. Um. 0:18:36.840 --> 0:18:38.760 I watched how they beat New Orleans the same thing 0:18:38.920 --> 0:18:42.120 kind and so I don't know that they're really good 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:44.920 or not. And When I watch Arizona and I see 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:50.040 new comeback, I think instantly, man, that's that's the difference 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:53.040 a guy makes. Like when I watched Aaron Rodgers struggle, 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:55.320 I think, how much of that's not having seventeen a 0:18:55.320 --> 0:18:57.360 guy he just trusts on third and five to get 0:18:57.400 --> 0:18:59.359 him a first time, to keep the ball, move the chains, 0:19:00.040 --> 0:19:02.800 I think a lot. Well, how many times the Hopkins 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:06.200 get targeted in that Thursday It was like fourteen and 0:19:06.400 --> 0:19:09.560 you instantly see the connection that they have with one another, 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:11.239 and how much of the differences that make to an 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:16.120 offense A ton So I mean, I think they'll they're 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:19.600 likely to be better. I think with the two bags 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:22.000 that filled in for Connor last week, they both played well. 0:19:23.200 --> 0:19:25.439 It sucks that Hollywood Brown got hurt, but you know, 0:19:25.480 --> 0:19:28.080 maybe more can stay healthy. You've got enough weapons out 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:30.800 there that at some point I just have to believe 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:32.600 the offense is going to look like it's capable of 0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:35.359 looking and what it does. Then there's no reason that 0:19:35.440 --> 0:19:37.560 Arizona can't win enough games to be in the mix 0:19:37.600 --> 0:19:40.399 for a playoff spot, particularly given what the West is. 0:19:42.119 --> 0:19:44.679 But if they want to mess around and play like 0:19:44.720 --> 0:19:46.520 they've played at home or they want to mess around 0:19:46.560 --> 0:19:48.560 and play like they played it, but up in Seattle. 0:19:48.840 --> 0:19:50.919 Then looking at these games before to buy, there's not 0:19:51.000 --> 0:19:53.040 one of them looks like an obvious win to me either. 0:19:53.240 --> 0:19:55.119 So I don't know if that's reasonable, but from a 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:57.399 long way away, that's that's what I've noticed when I 0:19:57.440 --> 0:20:00.200 watch it play. To your point, though the NFL, it's 0:20:00.280 --> 0:20:05.679 it is crazier than ever. Who saw Carolina pummeling Tampa 0:20:05.720 --> 0:20:09.480 Bay and Brady looking as pedestrian as he has And 0:20:10.720 --> 0:20:12.280 oh look that that was? That was that was? That 0:20:12.359 --> 0:20:14.119 was a string I said on the show in Sports 0:20:14.160 --> 0:20:18.080