WEBVTT - 400 FALL SATURDAYS 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:03.280 It is so great to have friends that you've known 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:07.360 forever that you can hang out with these days, zoom 0:00:07.400 --> 0:00:13.800 with and just tell stories and laugh, old familiar stories, 0:00:14.360 --> 0:00:16.959 stories that have been forgotten for a long time and 0:00:17.000 --> 0:00:21.880 then remembered. Man, that is just needed now more than ever, 0:00:21.960 --> 0:00:25.200 and I will never take for granted those kind of times. 0:00:26.160 --> 0:00:29.840 Had a great day yesterday with Kirk Herb Street and 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:33.279 Chris Felika. Now, Kirk, you know, if you know anything 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:35.960 about college football, he's been the top analysts in the 0:00:36.000 --> 0:00:37.640 sport for a long time. And Kirk and I have 0:00:37.720 --> 0:00:42.360 had a twenty five year partnership and friendship. First of 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:47.040 my years on College Game Day which ended in two 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:52.720 thousand fourteen, also in Thursday Night Football, and for the 0:00:52.760 --> 0:00:56.200 last seven years ABC Saturday Night Football, calling all the 0:00:56.240 --> 0:00:59.920 big games on ABC, including the Rose Bowl and the Championship. 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:04.160 For all those twenty five years, Chris Felika, a k a. 0:01:04.360 --> 0:01:08.080 The Bear has been alongside, first as a researcher and 0:01:08.120 --> 0:01:11.600 in recent years as a TV star, offering his opinions 0:01:11.720 --> 0:01:14.520 and his picks on games from his desk just off 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:18.240 the corner of the game day set. Now the Bear 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:22.680 was given his nickname by our beloved coach Lee Corso 0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:25.280 at a game day meeting a long time ago, in 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:30.520 front of about twenty people, Lee looks over at Chris. 0:01:31.319 --> 0:01:34.920 It just says to him, look at you, Look at 0:01:34.959 --> 0:01:38.360 you over there. You're like a like a big bear. 0:01:39.360 --> 0:01:49.040 All you do is eat, sleep, and ship. The whole 0:01:49.120 --> 0:01:52.960 room just fell over Chris included. It was said with 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:56.400 great affection, and from that day on he was known 0:01:57.000 --> 0:02:00.960 as the Bear. The Bears also work with me as 0:02:00.960 --> 0:02:02.960 a researcher, by the way to everything from the World 0:02:03.040 --> 0:02:05.600 Cup in South Africa to the Final Four, a bunch 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:08.680 of Triple Crown races, and the Summer and Winter X Games. 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:12.920 But those are stories for another day. Today we're telling 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:18.640 tales mark quarter century in college football, and I hope 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:23.239 you have half as much fun listening to these as 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:27.600 we did telling him, all right, Kirk, that's gonna be fine. 0:02:27.639 --> 0:02:31.600 But if I threw you a number four hundred and 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:35.000 then told you that four hundred was a number of 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:39.080 false Saturdays that we've worked together on one platform another 0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:41.560 at ESP and like, what's what's your reaction of four 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:46.640 hundred false saturdays? Are you sure that's accurate? Did you 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:49.480 you know right away you're checking my math, that's impressive. 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:55.200 Four hundred twenty five years sometimes about fifteen or sixteen saturdays. 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:58.000 That's not counting every single thing we've done. But that's 0:02:58.040 --> 0:03:01.560 just the Yeah, exactly I was gonna say, because I 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:03.919 think it's even more than that. I don't. I just 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:07.440 I'm one of those guys. It's like time just flies, 0:03:07.560 --> 0:03:10.799 you know, Like I don't. I still feel like I'm 0:03:10.840 --> 0:03:13.200 seven years in, you know, like I don't feel like 0:03:13.240 --> 0:03:16.560 I'm twenty five years of doing this. But I think 0:03:16.600 --> 0:03:18.799 it's it's a reflection and we love what we do. 0:03:18.880 --> 0:03:21.200 You know, we love coming a sport, and I know 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:23.359 you are able to to cover a lot of other 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:26.640 sports over to your career and still do. But for 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:29.040 me and and for Bear, people like that, I mean, 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:31.000 this is what we do. This is it, you know 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:35.480 year round? Really? But no, man, that that's that's weird. 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:37.200 You know when you're in the middle more year round 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:39.080 than I am. I'll be honest with you, like I 0:03:39.200 --> 0:03:40.880 like to check out. I I know you and Bear 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:42.360 and we'll get to that. Are you guys are like 0:03:42.360 --> 0:03:45.920 three sixty cf B. I I go away and come back. 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:48.160 That's only way I can do it. Man, that's great. 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:51.840 That's great. Everybody finds their little rhythm there, a little patterned, 0:03:51.960 --> 0:03:54.480 you know, and it's cool. You got tennis and other 0:03:54.600 --> 0:03:57.440 things that that allow you to kind of recharge and 0:03:57.440 --> 0:04:01.360 then you come charging back in July August like ready 0:04:01.400 --> 0:04:04.480 to go, you know. But no, that's amazing to think 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:07.200 four Saturdays you hit that point that you've been on 0:04:07.240 --> 0:04:10.320 the show well and in the sport plenty long enough 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:12.560 that none of the players we talked about on Saturdays 0:04:12.560 --> 0:04:14.360 were born when you jumped. And that when you hit 0:04:14.400 --> 0:04:17.440 that point when you realize, oh, ship, like, I've been 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:20.640 doing this job longer than like Justin Fields and Trevor 0:04:20.720 --> 0:04:24.919 Lawrence had been alive, and you realize what has changed 0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:27.960 in the sport, what has changed in the world, what 0:04:28.000 --> 0:04:31.640 has changed in our lives, you know since n That's 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:34.080 when it gets pretty freaky. Well. Yeah, Like for me, 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:36.320 as you're sitting there saying that, I'm thinking back to 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:39.200 the early years, you know, when I was I was 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:46.000 twenty six, you know, and I remember doing the Home 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:49.480 Depot Awards show. It was just a different kind of experience, 0:04:49.640 --> 0:04:51.800 you know, back in those days, like we would we 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:55.320 would meet in Orlando and you know, a lot of 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:58.599 these guys you'd covered. All of a sudden, they got 0:04:58.600 --> 0:05:02.720 a hall pass for forty eight hours in downtown Disney 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:07.800 and names. Yeah, I mean I was only a few 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:10.600 years older than them, and and I remember you and 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:12.520 I we used to go out and hang out with 0:05:12.560 --> 0:05:15.800 these guys, like when Sark was a player BYU and 0:05:15.920 --> 0:05:18.000 even Pat Fitzgerald I think they were in the same 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:20.880 year Peyton was a player, you know, I mean that 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:25.400 was that was like great times, you know, and and uh, 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:29.520 you know, I think you reach a point where you know, 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:31.520 you reached it before me because I used to like 0:05:31.600 --> 0:05:33.919 tug on your shirt, like come on, man, let's go, 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:36.720 let's go out, let's go do something. And you were like, 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:39.240 you know a lot of much more mature at that 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:42.240 point than I was, and you were already locked in. 0:05:42.320 --> 0:05:45.080 But yeah, those days are long. I think when they 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:48.039 invented cameras on phones that became like that, we'll talk 0:05:48.040 --> 0:05:50.800 about that. That that's when doing the job changed a lot, 0:05:50.880 --> 0:05:54.480 when because he used to be like what in the world, 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:57.320 like the someone bring out a small camera. Then they 0:05:57.320 --> 0:05:59.960 would have those little box cameras that the little Kodak 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:03.040 paper camera, and you're thinking like who brings a camera 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:06.040 to a bar like that's weird? Did start taking pictures 0:06:06.080 --> 0:06:08.800 in a bar? And then of course, boom the explosion 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:10.600 of smartphones, and all of a sudden, you couldn't you 0:06:10.600 --> 0:06:12.240 couldn't do nearly the stuff you used to be able 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:14.600 to do. Yeah, that that changed the game, I think 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:17.760 for all of us, for everybody you know at that point, 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:21.760 Let's bring in the bear. Chris Felika here joined Game 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:25.840 Day the same season you did. Back in you had 0:06:25.880 --> 0:06:27.479 a question we were talking about. You had a question 0:06:27.520 --> 0:06:29.920 for Kirk. You're gonna right away, he's gonna test your memory. Hers. 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:33.159 Oh my gosh. What was our first road show, the 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:35.440 three of us together? It was Kirk, Kirk and I's 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:38.320 first road show. What was was was the same one. 0:06:38.360 --> 0:06:42.000 Do you remember what it was? I do? I think 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:45.520 because your cohorn youre asking Chris, you're asking me. I 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:48.480 know that I'm asking you. I'm asking you because our 0:06:48.520 --> 0:06:51.599 partner here, I didn't remember it before he thought I 0:06:51.640 --> 0:06:53.600 remember because I could not believe that the first time 0:06:53.600 --> 0:06:57.080 I really seen somewhere besides the big tent. So it 0:06:57.200 --> 0:06:59.200 stands out to me. And we went to Boulder, Colorado. 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:03.719 It was it was a Michigan Colorado game after uh 0:07:03.920 --> 0:07:07.840 two years after the Cordell pass. Yeah, Chris, Chris actually 0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:12.400 thought it might have been that. Uh that was the 0:07:12.560 --> 0:07:14.760 that was the road show there with the they had 0:07:14.800 --> 0:07:17.160 like the Ralphie the Buffalo statue. It wasn't what wasn't 0:07:17.160 --> 0:07:19.360 a huge crowd there and Boulder remember that. No, no, no, 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:23.520 there was like there was like u thirty seven people, 0:07:23.920 --> 0:07:28.800 you know, and I'll never forget it. Lee Corso, you know, 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:31.360 we did an hour show and Lee Corso at the 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:33.120 end of the show, he you know, one of the 0:07:33.160 --> 0:07:37.680 stage managers, you know, is that he goes, heyy see 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:39.440 that guy over there with that that hat right there. 0:07:39.440 --> 0:07:41.080 It was just like it was like a ball cap 0:07:41.120 --> 0:07:42.680 with it and it might have had like, I don't know, 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:45.000 horns coming out of it or something. He was go, 0:07:45.160 --> 0:07:46.720 go go grab the co see if I can get 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:49.280 that hat. This is the segment right before the id 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:51.560 no idea what he was doing. Go over there and 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:55.960 see if I can either. And then the guy went over, hey, 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:59.240 can uh, Coach Corso borrow your hat real quick? And 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:01.560 we might have been into like twenty eight people, you 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:03.880 know by that point. It was an hour later he 0:08:04.480 --> 0:08:08.040 brings the hat up. And then I can't even remember 0:08:08.040 --> 0:08:09.680 if we picked all the games, and we might only 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:11.640 picked that game, I'm not sure. And then he put 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:17.440 it on this this ball cap and when he picked Colorado. Yeah, 0:08:17.840 --> 0:08:20.280 I do remember that that. That was one of those 0:08:20.320 --> 0:08:22.360 shows there we had a lightning alert. We're supposed to 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:25.080 a post game show, and lightning all of those Rocky 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:27.800 Mountain late afternoon thunderstorms like chased us off the set. 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:30.239 We had to go inside. We sat on a little 0:08:30.360 --> 0:08:32.880 on a card table in the lobby of the basketball 0:08:32.920 --> 0:08:34.880 arena to do a postgame show that day. I do 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:38.520 remember that. But then that then there was I thought, Christen, 0:08:38.920 --> 0:08:41.600 I thought that the Ohio State show yet your homecoming 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:43.840 game day show, your first year. I thought that was 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:45.360 the first time you've been on the road. Because that 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:48.040 that was a very memorable show. And then and the 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:52.800 Friday before the show was memorable too. It was as 0:08:53.080 --> 0:08:55.880 a Saturday morning was before the show was well, I 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.280 gotta remember. Now, you gotta cut me some slack. I 0:08:59.320 --> 0:09:03.840 did Arena football. I don't whatever their season started, let's 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:07.800 say March every weekend and I was twenty six. All 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:10.520 my boys we lived at all on Tangi Commons were 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:13.440 like three of us all living together. Weekends were gold. 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:19.280 I missed every weekend March, April, May, June, July, August 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:23.640 covering Kurt Warner and the Iowa Barnstormers, and then I'd 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:25.560 get Then in the middle of that, I I did 0:09:25.640 --> 0:09:28.319 an audition in the middle of that for Game Day 0:09:28.880 --> 0:09:31.080 Who We're Moe Davenport told me You're not gonna get it, 0:09:31.120 --> 0:09:32.880 but just come on out to be good for your 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:35.560 experience at your career. So I did that in the 0:09:35.600 --> 0:09:39.080 middle of my season and then got the job. And 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:42.880 then as soon as you know, um, the Arena Bowl 0:09:42.960 --> 0:09:45.960 I think it's called the ArenaBowl ended the very next week. 0:09:46.679 --> 0:09:48.520 We were in Boulder, Colorado. So I've been on the 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:51.480 road for like four months straight, so then it might 0:09:51.520 --> 0:09:53.760 have been Bear What was it week two weeks? Was 0:09:53.800 --> 0:09:57.920 it second or third show that we traveled? Where'd we 0:09:57.960 --> 0:10:02.760 go before? After? After Boulder, we we were our first 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:10.040 experienced SEC football Peyton versus Florida, the rain YEP, fourth 0:10:10.040 --> 0:10:16.160 and fourth down, Spurio Ridel Anthony Post and went from 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:22.720 get to your Friday Night and Columbus get to that part. Yeah, 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:25.080 So we had a state the week before in in 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:29.200 South Bend as well. Okay beat South Bend loose team, 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:32.240 Yeah Bend. Luke Fickle was a big part of that 0:10:32.240 --> 0:10:34.719 in Brabel. Then then then we went to Columbus and 0:10:34.760 --> 0:10:38.280 then we all went out and it was a mess. 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:44.600 The only memory I have is waking up Saturday morning, 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:53.839 fourth week of my career, and being terrified that I 0:10:53.920 --> 0:10:56.960 had been out way too late and you made me 0:10:57.040 --> 0:11:03.200 have way too many drinks night. I couldn't really, I 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:06.199 was just like, I don't even want to go. I'm good. 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:15.640 I was not gonna go. Alice rescued you man. One 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:18.800 of the great careers in sports broadcasting almost got like 0:11:19.080 --> 0:11:22.120 cut short in a week four of year one. Listen 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:25.040 to this, I somehow bang I make it into the 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:27.520 r O t C Building next to next to St. 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:30.520 John's arena. You guys have no idea. What's going on? 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:36.120 My sunglasses on some idea. I had some idea, But 0:11:36.200 --> 0:11:38.319 you're going, you know, you and Becker are arguing about 0:11:38.360 --> 0:11:41.480 something and I'm my stomach is like not feeling good, 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:44.080 and I'm trying to like keep it together, trying not 0:11:44.120 --> 0:11:46.040 to get fired just because of the way I am 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:49.160 in the meeting so I'm just holding on for dear life, 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:51.800 going through this little production meeting before our show starts 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:55.640 on Saturday. And in the middle of it, ran down 0:11:55.760 --> 0:12:00.720 the hallway and just got sick really bad for a 0:12:00.800 --> 0:12:04.880 long time, and I was pale white, like I was 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:08.559 banged up. I had Bama Dave bring me. He brought 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:10.480 me a Bama. Dave is one of the guys on 0:12:10.520 --> 0:12:13.199 our crew a game day. He was worried about me. 0:12:13.280 --> 0:12:15.360 He brought this trash can for me, and he put 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:18.000 it just to the left of my seat during the show, 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:20.560 So if I had to vomit during the show, at 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:22.520 least I had a trash can to turn my head 0:12:22.559 --> 0:12:26.520 over to and and throw up during the show. Thank 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:30.600 god the show was an hour back then. Thank total pro, 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:33.600 total pro that. Damma Dad helped us at a couple 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:35.320 other times as well, but we will get into that. 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:40.320 Remember remember the first time we swung the camera around 0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:43.160 and like, the bear is now an icon, but but 0:12:43.240 --> 0:12:46.240 he was a valuable part of the team, but not 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:48.600 in front of the camera. Was it your idea? What 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:50.320 we all of a sudden we're sitting over there and 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:55.600 we're like, there's a lull or something. It was his calves. 0:12:55.840 --> 0:13:01.320 I wanted to shoot the calves like wait that that 0:13:01.320 --> 0:13:03.360 that was the whole impetus for you. Let's let's show 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:07.760 his calves not not his calves are like that big. 0:13:07.880 --> 0:13:11.400 And he had shorts on and I you know, that's 0:13:11.440 --> 0:13:14.480 when we used to just a lot of times with 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:16.960 fitting in the chair, we get off the rails and 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:19.640 he loved it. He encouraged it. So I hit talk 0:13:19.720 --> 0:13:21.480 back and I was like, you gotta you gotta get 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:23.920 the camera on bears calves. I'm gonna say something. He goes, oh, 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:29.160 that's great, that's great, bring the camera over to his calves, 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:32.880 and I just started talking about bears calves and I'm 0:13:32.920 --> 0:13:36.200 just like, look at this. No, I forgot about the 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:38.200 calves part. Bear I knew, I knew he. I thought 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:40.760 we were gonna talk to some football. But then think 0:13:40.760 --> 0:13:43.640 about from one calf cutaway comes the empire. That is 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:48.199 the exactly. It's the former off supp lineman at me. 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:52.600 It's funny you say that because I can remember do 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:56.000 you remember World Cup in South Africa? We were in that. 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:58.560 I do remember the World Cup in South Africa. One 0:13:58.559 --> 0:14:00.920 of the first nights in in the bar. I came 0:14:00.920 --> 0:14:03.559 down in the lobby and shorts and you were there. 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:05.200 I think rud was there and Maco was there, and 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:07.960 I'm like walking and like macam made some comment about 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:10.240 my cats too, and it's like, oh yeah, yeah, this 0:14:10.280 --> 0:14:13.199 is unbelievable. Like everybody just all these pro soccer players. 0:14:13.320 --> 0:14:18.079 Kirk admiring his caves soccer moment. They are shredded up 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:23.040 like big, thick, strong ass Caves. I mean like he 0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:25.320 looks like a road grader, like he's gonna move some 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:27.960 people out of the way in the day. Yeah, I 0:14:28.400 --> 0:14:30.560 was telling him the Remember we used to swing the 0:14:30.600 --> 0:14:34.120 camera around like he wouldn't know it was coming. Nobody 0:14:34.120 --> 0:14:35.800 really knew it was coming. We was get the idea 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:37.640 right now, we're gonna throw And remember he used to 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:39.760 get so piste off when he wasn't ready, like if 0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:41.680 they didn't have the headset ready, he didn't know what 0:14:41.720 --> 0:14:45.320 was going on. But that's great TV, Like that's what 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:49.320 we want. I mean, we bear off the top of 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:52.200 his head, his gold like if you ask him right 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:54.400 like like I I was like, I don't forget what 0:14:54.440 --> 0:14:57.800 we did this year. I think I had a name stadiums, 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:00.760 like like you know the guy, no medium you do too, 0:15:00.880 --> 0:15:04.200 but like I think we were like, uh, you know 0:15:04.240 --> 0:15:09.360 the game right in eastern Michigan, Yeah, stadium, And I 0:15:09.440 --> 0:15:12.280 was like, are you kidding me? Like, uh, you know 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:15.800 Colorado State? You know he names that stadium. That's where 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:17.880 bears so much fun. You know, when he has no 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:20.400 idea what you're coming at him with, what did you 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:23.440 What did you guys make of when you come on board? Kirk, 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:27.160 I mean of Courso is kind of becoming courseo. But 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:30.120 it hadn't fully he he had a thing with Craig James, 0:15:30.160 --> 0:15:31.360 who was on the show before you or he He He 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:33.360 was kind of making a name for himself before they 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:35.840 had like hot take artists before that was like a 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:38.360 gig on TV. Elci used to kind of do that. 0:15:38.400 --> 0:15:40.440 He used to throw some crazy stuff out there. I 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:42.960 did a studio show with him one time. Wisconsin had 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:45.520 lost a game. Barry ovres had made a decision in 0:15:45.560 --> 0:15:47.840 the game. Of course it was very right about I 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:51.240 was with you, and he said, he's got he's got 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:53.160 a quick he's got to go into his team and 0:15:53.200 --> 0:15:58.000 apologize and resigned. Yep. I'm like, you're not serious, and 0:15:58.040 --> 0:16:00.760 he goes, nothing I say is serious. But he used to. 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:03.840 He used to really go after coaches, and I think 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:06.640 they and he he loved the profession. I think it 0:16:06.720 --> 0:16:08.400 kind of got back to him like, hey, listen, you're 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:10.320 one of us. You can't do that. And then he 0:16:10.400 --> 0:16:12.600 kind of backed away from that. But there's a dot 0:16:12.640 --> 0:16:15.120 dot dot to that story. I was sitting next to you. Yeah, 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:17.760 I was on the set. It was the first people 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:20.120 forget when game day didn't travel, like we would do 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:22.680 all the rap stuff, you know, and we would do games, 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:26.320 halftime shows and in between shows, you know, leading up 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:28.600 to a seven o'clock game, and that was coming. It 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:32.840 was an ESPN game Northwestern and Madison and they ran 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:35.520 the ball instead of taking a knee. And he was furious, 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:38.640 just the ethics of football, one on one, coaching one 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:40.560 on one, you take a knee there, and whether it 0:16:40.600 --> 0:16:43.120 was right or wrong, in his mind, it was right. 0:16:43.200 --> 0:16:45.160 And that's what he said all that about Barry Alvarez, 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:48.800 and he you're right, Like it wasn't just least funny. 0:16:49.040 --> 0:16:51.720 Lee was like a lightning rod in those days, man, 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:56.840 And he said that. And I was with him in 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:59.480 New York City and when you hosted a National Football 0:16:59.480 --> 0:17:03.560 Foundation and dinner at the end of the year and 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:06.440 every coach in the countries and and this is really 0:17:06.440 --> 0:17:07.919 cool for me the first time I've been to this. 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:12.440 Every coach in the country's here black tie event waldor Forstoria, 0:17:12.520 --> 0:17:15.399 New York City. I'm in like, Holy Cow, where am i? 0:17:16.320 --> 0:17:25.680 And here comes al Capone, long trench I'm like, oh 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:28.560 my gosh. And he's seen Lee and Lee's moving real 0:17:28.640 --> 0:17:31.120 quick in his talks, you know, and he seen him, 0:17:31.119 --> 0:17:33.680 and he goes right up to him, puts his finger 0:17:33.760 --> 0:17:36.680 in his chest and said, I did not appreciate what 0:17:36.760 --> 0:17:39.240 you had to say, and you know, like, hey, yeah, 0:17:39.280 --> 0:17:41.159 I forget about it's all, you know, Like Lee just 0:17:41.240 --> 0:17:43.520 kind of dodged it, and no, I understand, I understand. 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:46.360 And then he just kind of moved on. But that 0:17:46.480 --> 0:17:50.920 was very very pre intimidating guy pinky ring to come 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:54.080 at you that way. Yeah, exactly, That's what it felt like. 0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:56.680 Al like to this day, I call alb I call 0:17:56.760 --> 0:18:00.320 him Capone because of that that day, you know, watching 0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:04.320 him come in, long trench coat, dark hair, still you know, 0:18:04.359 --> 0:18:06.720 he's balding. But he looked over at Lee like, don't 0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:09.400 you dare do that again? And Lee just kind of 0:18:09.560 --> 0:18:12.040 but Lee did not hold back. That's Lee. That's why 0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:14.840 Lee built his brand. In my mind, what you just 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:19.160 said that that say he'll say anything and not worry 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:22.920 about the consequences, way before people did that. Yeah, I 0:18:22.960 --> 0:18:24.359 want to get back to some funny stuff. But I 0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:26.680 do think it's a really powerful moment. And we we 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:29.200 we all have such you know, deep love and affection 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:31.080 for him and respect for him. Learned so much from 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:33.760 him when he had the stroke. I thought that was 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:37.080 one of the most courageous things that anybody's done. A 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:40.440 guy who spoke so effortlessly he was it was so natural, 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:43.960 and he was such a great ad lib and to 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:46.680 be robbed at that And the first show back after 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:48.320 his stroke and this wasn't that many months, and he 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:50.119 had gone to speech therapy that he says is the 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:52.119 hardest thing he's ever had to do to relearn how 0:18:52.160 --> 0:18:54.479 to speak. And we weren't sure if the gears were 0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:57.080 gonna mesh when the light went on. And this season 0:18:57.400 --> 0:19:00.600 review of the show is in Atlanta, and we're outside 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:03.440 and there's a big crowd around, and I think all 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:05.520 of us were so anxious and holding our breath and 0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:07.679 how is this going to go? For him? Is he 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:10.840 going to be uncomfortable? Is he going to be able 0:19:10.880 --> 0:19:14.199 to get the words out? And and that was I 0:19:14.200 --> 0:19:16.600 think a two hour show at that point, and the 0:19:16.640 --> 0:19:20.520 fact that he was able to to get through that 0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:22.679 and it got better and better from from that point on. 0:19:23.119 --> 0:19:26.600 That year, Uh god, I just remember the tension, Kirk, 0:19:26.640 --> 0:19:28.280 you know, just loving this guy so much and just 0:19:28.320 --> 0:19:31.439 hoping things are gonna go okay. Yeah, totally. I can 0:19:31.480 --> 0:19:34.680 remember it like it was yesterday. I mean really to me, 0:19:35.920 --> 0:19:39.120 when he had his stroke and he was determined, Nobody 0:19:39.240 --> 0:19:41.920 was like, are you sure you're okay? And he wasn't 0:19:41.960 --> 0:19:45.000 letting anybody stop him from getting back to that show. 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:48.320 And his motivation was his love for that job, his 0:19:48.359 --> 0:19:51.320 love for that show, his love for the sport and 0:19:51.440 --> 0:19:53.560 what he had become, you know, within the sport. And 0:19:53.600 --> 0:19:56.199 he was not going to be slowed down. And and 0:19:56.240 --> 0:19:58.760 you're right, whether you have a family member or you 0:19:58.800 --> 0:20:02.119 know somebody that's that's suffered a stroke, and you know 0:20:02.280 --> 0:20:05.600 it's it's sometimes the side of your body can be paralyzed. 0:20:05.640 --> 0:20:08.840 You know, his right side was in his hand was paralyzed, 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:11.240 right side of his mouth kind of droops a bit, 0:20:11.800 --> 0:20:14.520 and the speech was this cognitive thinking was fine. That's 0:20:14.560 --> 0:20:16.679 I think the frustrating thing for stroke victims is your 0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:19.840 cognitive thinking is fine. You just can't get the words out. 0:20:19.880 --> 0:20:21.600 And the herder you try, and the faster you try, 0:20:21.680 --> 0:20:23.919 the worst it gets. And he had to learn how 0:20:23.960 --> 0:20:26.480 to do that all over again. We did Thursday night games, 0:20:26.480 --> 0:20:29.399 so the l s to Kirk remember like most animals 0:20:29.480 --> 0:20:31.480 that have a chart like you do, and they got 0:20:31.520 --> 0:20:33.359 every the players are written out there with the stats 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:35.200 that LC would bring in the post it notes. I 0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:36.600 don't even know if that. He might not even had 0:20:36.640 --> 0:20:38.040 a chart with him. I don't you tell me. But 0:20:38.320 --> 0:20:39.960 he would go into the booth and there'd be like 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:42.320 a hundred little post it notes on the wall of 0:20:42.359 --> 0:20:44.760 the boot. Stuff he wanted to say, like tidbits. I mean, 0:20:44.760 --> 0:20:49.080 no one has done a game like that. No he uh, Mike, 0:20:49.240 --> 0:20:53.560 Mikey Tarico spoiled all of us because we didn't really 0:20:53.600 --> 0:20:57.080 know what a board or it was. And when we 0:20:57.200 --> 0:21:00.560 started to do the Thursday nights, Mike was so far 0:21:00.600 --> 0:21:03.479 ahead of the curve with technology and he would go 0:21:03.560 --> 0:21:07.480 to think about this. He would have his computer, he 0:21:07.520 --> 0:21:11.480