The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 2: The Marcedes Lewis Show

Episode Date: June 11, 2024

We kick things off with Stugotz's Weekend Observations on a Tuesday! Then, Marcedes Lewis has been around a while, huh? Plus, Jessica and Dan lead our discussion on the media frenzy around Caitlin Cla...rk that's attempted to turn her into a divisive figure. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. That's the sound of unaged whiskey transforming into Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Around 1860, nearest green taught Jack Daniel how to filter whiskey through charcoal for a smoother taste, one drop at a time. This is one of many sounds in Tennessee with a story to tell. To hear them in person, plan your trip at TNVacation.com. Tennessee sounds perfect. Because the Skip app saves you so much time by delivering stuff like your favorite cool treats, groceries, and bevies, you get more time to have the best summer ever.
Starting point is 00:00:51 Like riding roller coasters. Learning to water ski. Applying sunscreen to your dad's back. Yup, definitely the best summer ever. Squeeze more summer out of summer with Skip. Did somebody say skip? This is the Don Leventor Show with the Stookats Podcast. I don't need a quail egg.
Starting point is 00:01:21 Just give me an egg. I'll assume it's a chicken. Quail eggs are good. Have you had duck eggs? Duck eggs are great. Yeah, I don't, you know, I just assume all eggs are from chickens. Okay. Unless it's big and you need a hammer to open it, then it's an ostrich. Have you guys ever seen a video of an ostrich egg being, like, peeled open?
Starting point is 00:01:40 Time now for Stu Gatz's weekend observations. What happens? It is time for Stu Gotts to share his game notes. No one in the media will tell you what happened better than my boy Stu. Weekend observations brought to you by Miller Lite. Great taste, just 96 calories, available for delivery. Din, it's my second favorite week on the sports calendar. Pinehurst number two. God's country.
Starting point is 00:02:13 Extra thick fairways. Huge natural sand areas. Greens that run a 10 on the stimp meter. The ghost of Payne Stewart's dramatic win in 1999. Another major champion will be crowned. And Dan, make no mistake about it. Just like that, U.S. Open Week is back.
Starting point is 00:02:39 Stugats, I'm sorry. I was distracted during that because... Stimp Meter? No, just I just noticed that behind Billy They've put on the televisions the Clevelander window Oh, so I just went flying into the past back there visually because that's not a window And that is not I just brought me back. I just got lost. I drove by it the other day. It's shaking Yeah, there's a video that the Clevelander put out of 50 cent by himself there on Sunday
Starting point is 00:03:07 Like they had a whole section like roped off for him or whatever, but it was just 50. I'm sorry I was distracted by that stugats. I don't know who did that, but it's brilliant. It just brought me back in time I got legitimately more comfortable. I just asked Billy a second ago. How long has that been up there? If you missed it by by the way, Dan, US Open week is back. Yeah, I don't believe you on that, that it's your second favorite week of the year. I don't think any,
Starting point is 00:03:32 all of the football weeks are more of a big week for you. I think Masters and Super Bowl week. Masters is number one, US Open number two, Super Bowl week number three. You're just saying it. I get sad during Super Bowl week. I do, it's the end of football. It's bittersweet. Speaking of
Starting point is 00:03:46 back after flying across the country to record part two of his exclusive sit down with George Sedano. Dan, you. That's right. Are back. I am back. We were back yesterday. Yeah, we didn't get Sedano this time though. What happened? I don't know. Ted Danson instead. Really? Sam? How about that? Sam's right.
Starting point is 00:04:09 Name another character. Ted Danson and Kirk? Wow, really? I can't. Really? Well he plays Ted Danson. He's a good character. Yeah, the good place.
Starting point is 00:04:18 I mean, come on. I don't see him alone. I mean. Most people of this generation don't know Sam. That's what he said. He said it's the good place now. It's not what he said. He said it's the good place now. It's not cheers for him. Yeah, it's the good place.
Starting point is 00:04:29 How is his hair? Excellent. Always. Amazing. People accuse it of being fake. Does he smell good? He does. I bet he smells good.
Starting point is 00:04:37 He also could have been the dad in Poltergeist, but the aforementioned Tom Selleck, he was fighting him in Bagnum PI, and then Spielberg noticed he had a bald spot, and he just didn't make him the dad in poltergeist really spoiler alert Wow. Yeah Don't give it all away It was 90 minutes The Chicago Bulls planned to hire Billy Donovan the third son of Billy Donovan to coach their NBA G League team Apparently they use the new job search firm called nepotism calm. He works hard Hey London the Mets you can have them
Starting point is 00:05:18 headline Flava Flav Order the full red lobster menu in an attempt to save the Cheddar Bay biscuits following bankruptcy. Not all heroes wear capes, Dan. Some wear clocks. Paul Skeens throws a splinker. Hey, baseball, stop making up pitches. Is it a splitter or a sinker? Make up your mind. Make up your mind skeins. Jesus Splinker James Harden said he wants to be remembered as a winner Hey James got some bad news for you. It's too late
Starting point is 00:06:00 Imagine hearing that that it's too late. I'm being a winner Too bad for James, rough day. In the event you aren't keeping score at home, and if you are not, you should be ashamed of yourselves, Greg Cody has taken a commanding two nothing series lead over Mike Johnson. A big week for Greg Cody, a big year for Greg Cody, a late career resurgence, the Greg Cody show featuring Greg Cody climbing up your charts.
Starting point is 00:06:32 Thank you. Mike Johnson, your serve. The C in Greg Cody stands for Con Smythe. Dad, you know what that is? It it's a trophy. You know MPP Is that the MPP? He put the con in Con Smythe. There you go. You and me both. Greg Conny. Hey Harden You want to know what would have helped with that hole remembered as a winner thing? Winning! Yeah, there's that Yelling at him
Starting point is 00:07:03 Death Taxes Ed Swytec on the red clay, three straight. She's amazing. Mets owner Steve Cohen said he likes the food better in London than in New York. Hey, Steve, the first rule of owning a team in New York is never admitting another city does anything better than New York.
Starting point is 00:07:24 But that one's ridiculous. It's absurd. I mean, that's, come on. You can't have every free agent signing be a bad one. Your team can't be in a worse place now than it was when you purchased the team. And then you say that. You can't do it.
Starting point is 00:07:36 It's a rule. I feel like people conflate British pub food with the food in London. Those are, I would say, two different things. You think he's eating in the fanciest of Restaurants there. He's not eating fish and chips which even I'm a big fan. It's pretty good little shepherd's pie Oh, I love shepherd's pie blood sausages Little game I like to call multiple choice You know what the S and Steve Cohen stands for Dan?
Starting point is 00:08:02 I do not is it a sell the team B stay in London C shut up or D all of the above. Yeah, it's all the above. Yeah Good it's amazing. What's happened there? He spent all the money and they're the worst the rebuilding Oh 326 million dollars just They're the worst. They're rebuilding. Oh. A $326 million payroll. That's just unbelievable. What a bad move all of that has been. He has spent so much money to be the worst. You don't compound it.
Starting point is 00:08:34 That's what I'm saying by saying London's food is better than New York's. You don't do it. So what are you doing? One of the things we do all the time in this country is we think that the people who have money are smarter than everybody else and they're not And the problem with that is it in emboldens cheap spending teams like the Marlins to do what they're doing. Mm-hmm
Starting point is 00:08:54 It's not the worst part of that the worst part of that is there is a fool running the Mets. Yeah Mike McDaniel starts every meeting 24 minutes after the hour since it's been 24 years since the Dolphins last won a playoff game. Hey Mike McDaniel, get over yourself. If they win a playoff game this year, I can promise you it won't be because your meeting started at 824. Sir, get over yourself McDonald. You dared to have meetings. Mcdams. Excuse me. Yes, that is a fine a big one. You dare to have a meeting at a time that I don't approve of Mc overrated. Well said. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:09:41 A belated happy 69 day to the entire Gronkowski family athletes that can note 6-9 day oh well I James Harden Richie Sexton. Number five, Reggie Tongue. Number four, Sixth El Escano. The whole list was for that. Number three, Jeff Konon. Niner. Number two, Dick Paul.
Starting point is 00:10:22 And number one, Oral Hersheiser. Keep an eye on the Reds. Cody loves that. Look at Cody. Look how delighted Cody is. For the love of a dick pole. You know what the C in Connor McDavid stands for? It stands for couldn't hold a candle to Wayne Gretzky.
Starting point is 00:10:42 You know what the E in Evan Rodriguez stands for couldn't hold a candle to Wayne Gretzky. You know what the E in Evan Rodriguez stands for? It stands for everything Connor McDavid was supposed to be. That's where we are. How South Florida is that Rodriguez is knocked off McDavid through two games. Rodriguez can't be stopped. There's a person in the Stanley Cup final named Rodriguez who's scoring more goals than anybody. Yep, I love it.
Starting point is 00:11:09 How is that possible? Last week, Greg Cody said he doesn't like the gloat. Greg Cody, gloating for the remainder of time. Collision course. The G in Greg Cody stands for gloat. Using metal bats never seemed fair to me. I am scared for the first baseman, the pitcher, and the third baseman every time someone swings in college baseball. Everyone in college baseball is batting 345. Because of those
Starting point is 00:11:37 bats! I hate the sound too, it's awful. I don't mind the sound. Do you like the sound of an aluminum bat at Levitard show? Put it on the poll. I think most people like the sound of that. Florida's Joe Caglione can mash Cags only SEC player ever to hit 30 plus homers. A back to back seasons. Taylor. I was going to say Ethan.
Starting point is 00:12:03 Do anybody listening to this know who you're talking to? Taylor. Taylor. I was gonna say Ethan. Do anybody listening to this know who you're talking about? Gags? Taylor and Ethan? Everyone does. The reference you're making? Yeah, yeah. Gags. Everyone knows it's Cannon, Dan.
Starting point is 00:12:16 Have you established the characters of Taylor and Ethan? Yeah, yeah. Or are you just talking to each other? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's also Jack, not Joe. Tomato, tomato. No, that's a fine for you. You owe Jessica money here. It's also Jack, not Joe. Tomato, tomato. No, that's a fine for you. You owe Jessica money here.
Starting point is 00:12:28 That's a fine for you. Really? Yes, you've not been paying your fines. Cody's not been paying his fines. Cody owes you a bunch of money, Jessica. I'm the only one around here paying his fines. You guys owe all sorts of money to Jessica. I've never been fined.
Starting point is 00:12:40 I'm sorry for that. I mean, I don't have it. You do have it, we just saw it. You got changed for a 20? Got changed for a one? I'll Venmo you. Venmo. For everyone getting upset over the Caitlin Clark snub,
Starting point is 00:12:54 do me a favor, I dare you. Name another Olympic snub over the last 10 years. Anybody? I don't understand. Everyone's getting upset. Caitlin Clark got snubbed from the Olympic team and everyone's making a big deal about it And I'm just saying no one made a big deal when some others got snubbed from an Olympic team. Yeah, okay I'm saying people who started paying attention to the sports of the last six months
Starting point is 00:13:17 I get what you're saying just going for easy applause or I wasn't even an observation I didn't even have a written dad was just a random. I was so confused I'm like where did that come from? It's not on the sheet! Oh and Ed Libon just wanted some easy applause he knows what the notes are that he has to head to just get some easy applause Everyone cares But it was confusing because there was previously a big snub The only thing worse than losing a UFL bet is losing a UFL bet and having to listen to a nachcho call the entire game.
Starting point is 00:13:51 An Ocho? Yeah, just one of the Ocho guys. It was that annoying? It was pretty annoying and I lost the bet, compounded it. You're complaining about the broadcaster in a UFL game. I had to lash out at somebody and Acho got it. Championship weekend this weekend. Oh wow. How about that? The reporter that thought she was talking to Vince Young but wasn't. It happens. Happened to you a year ago this month. Yeah. With the quarterback of your football team in the New York J month. Yeah. With the quarterback of your football team in the New York Jets.
Starting point is 00:14:27 Yeah, he was a country music singer. That's amazing. We didn't do enough with that. It's one of the funniest moments of my entire life. He doesn't know what the Jets quarterback looks like and he confuses him with Jake Owen? Not a hell of a year. Mets Phillies in England got me thinking
Starting point is 00:14:43 about people in sports who can note a European city or country. Mark Portugal. Alex English. Paris Campbell. Number five. Jim Rome. Number three, Jim Rome. Number three, Sarah Spain. Wait a minute, what was number four? Number four, Sarah Spain. How do you not know what to do with top five?
Starting point is 00:15:12 Number three, Brock Berlin. Number two, Drake London. And number one, Jeff Ireland. In this week's edition of June, number one, Jeff Ireland. In If you didn't have to play Nadal in the finals, I'll get back to you on this No, Djokovic no to die. No Nadal. That's tough. No Nadal. That's tough. Try saying that after three hours of speaking Anyway, where was I? No Nadal I'm just saying where you were
Starting point is 00:15:56 Saying that Alcaraz isn't good. He is really good. He's great Yeah, but you have to be Nadal Djokovic you have have to. I feel like you have. I'm not sure yet. I'll get back to you on it. Still thinking about it. I don't have a college baseball team, but I want one. Just because of how awesome a Super Regional sounds. Oh, God, I want a Super Regional. Darren Waller retiring after one season with the Giants.
Starting point is 00:16:24 The biggest loser in all of this, us. Because now he has even more time to focus on his music. Mercedes Lewis re-signed with the Bears. As long as there's an NFL, there will be a spot on someone's roster for Mercedes Lewis. Is it 20 years now? How long? I think it's 19. Are you kidding me? He'll be Ferrari Lewis though Marlins reliever AJ puck is o in seven this year with a 730 e ra
Starting point is 00:16:59 more like AJ suck 19,250 Panther fans at the bank on Monday, Dan. Congratulations to the 18,000 who attended their first game. That's not fair. Sunrise Florida, hockey town. This weekend, the Yankees were selling a hat with one side being Aaron Judge and the other Shohei Otani. And all I could wonder was who the hell was that made for?
Starting point is 00:17:28 Speaking of hell, Arp Riles, Dan, those are the weekend observations. Stu Gatz here. Summertime is here, which means travel season is upon us. If you're like me and love to travel during the warmer months, the first thing you worry about before traveling is how safe will my home be while I'm away? I no longer worry about that now that I have SimpliSafe installed in my home. I've had my SimpliSafe system in place for several years now and it's given me such peace of mind. SimpliSafe is advanced home security that puts you first.
Starting point is 00:17:58 I have the wireless indoor camera. It allows me to see what's going on inside my home. They have a variety of indoor and outdoor cameras plus sensors to detect break-ins, fires, floods, and more. Simply Safe has been named in US News and World Reports Best Home Security Systems for five years running and ranked the best customer service in home security by Newsweek and by Stugatz. Simply Safe has given me real peace of mind. I want you to have it too. Right now get 20% off any SimplySafe system with FastProtect monitoring at simply safe.com slash DLB. Again get 20% off any new SimplySafe system with FastProtect monitoring at simply safe.com slash DLB. There's no safe like SimplySafe. Don LeBattard. I heard that as a
Starting point is 00:18:42 woman faking pain. I didn't think that sounded real. I really didn't, you know. It was not fake. It was in no way fake. You can spot a woman faking it. Stugats. Yes, I can, Jess. Expert. I've been married 40 years.
Starting point is 00:18:55 This is the Don Lebatard Show with the Stugats. Juju, put it on the pole, please. The stat is crazy because he has played, over 18 years, 268 career games. What's more mind blowing? LeBron James has played more playoff games in the NBA. More playoff games than Mercedes-Benz Lewis has had games 268. It always does have to come back to LeBron. How many good seasons though has Mercedes-Benz Lewis had? I mean, it feels like maybe two, maybe.
Starting point is 00:19:45 Well enough, what's a good season? Because enough to get rehired every season for 18 seasons when the entire position is different, but not the one person who plays it. Because he's been around long enough that they were a different size when he started. Wow, never made a Pro Bowl. What are the odds?
Starting point is 00:20:04 Literally, what are the odds literally what are the? Either one of the most amazing things I've ever heard or Greg Cody and Stu gots are here to tell you how it's not amazing At all because he kind of stunk didn't he made it in 2010 all right good job dad, and they can't read the internet No, I understand, but it's just doing the show with two of you on Tuesdays. My dad's like a dog with a bone on this. I'm wrong. Easy mistake. He's gonna keep looking.
Starting point is 00:20:30 Oh, he had 10 Tuddies. He had 10 Tuddies, 2010. I mean. That was 15 years ago. That's his Pro Bowl year. Who could have seen the Mark Stadies Lewis show coming on a Tuesday in June? You couldn't have seen it coming from any angle.
Starting point is 00:20:40 One of the- Only on the Levitard show. One of the funny things that just happened here that is behind the scenes a little bit, Billy, I don't know if you've noticed this, but I don't know if there's anyone around here in our entire world who enjoys Stugansk's weekend observations more than Greg Cody. Greg, well, but it's not just a good friend. Like it's not because he just loves you it's because uh... greg cody has a special appreciation for the one liner he has been writing that as a sunday column that you've never read stugatz for about twenty five years i think it's one of greg cody's most uh... long-standing benchmarks uh... do you want to get guests to that's what he names that
Starting point is 00:21:21 column a column in the market that if you were reading sports for the last twenty years and you were the friend that he is, you might have read one time in 20 years. Weekend Wrap? It is not the Weekend Wrap. It has got a strange name. It's a- Something about a bird?
Starting point is 00:21:40 No, it's not an upset bird either. That's his weekly picks column that is on Thursday First of all Greg is this your most long-standing featured landmark? Journalistic item this notes column. Okay. I don't want to embarrass you who obviously haven't read it either for a long long time But I haven't written the random evidence column in a long long time Oh, wow used to be it used to be. And to your point, I'd love a one-liner and that's old-school journalism. Like Edwin Pope wrote one of those. Bernie Linsacum. All of these old sports columnists who... Bernie Linsacum.
Starting point is 00:22:15 ...who were my mentors. Tim's dad. The the classic Sunday notes column used to be one-liners like that. The art of the pithy headline also as newspapers and magazines now go by the wayside it's it's really a lost art Greg. Yeah no you're right. Let's bring it back Greg. Bring it back Jack. Me and you together. Jack I like that I gotta write down that phrase bring it back Jack. You use it all the time. It's your phrase. Oh yeah it is my phrase yeah you're. You're right. I got so many, I can't keep track of them all. No. It's also Jack Buck's book, by the way.
Starting point is 00:22:50 Jack back book. His autobiography, yeah. What's that called? Greg, go sit in the penalty box. Bring it back, Jack. No way. Yeah, by Jack Buck. No, no, no, that can't be true.
Starting point is 00:22:58 Greg, the show's moving a little fast. Lawyer out. Go sit in the penalty box for two minutes because you're just shouting rhymes in various directions. He's acknowledging. He's acknowledging. I'm trying to compliment his, whatchamacallit.
Starting point is 00:23:11 Go outside, yes. Actually go though. Actually go. Actually go. Get out of here. Whichchamacallit, go. Yes. I'll miss you.
Starting point is 00:23:18 Thank you, Greg, for all of your good work. You have been a star for a couple of years. He only slept like two hours You can be forgiven for being terrible look at him look at him drinking vigorously from a cup Not going to the penalty box in the other room. He does what he wants Chris if nobody says yes We're gonna get that dance He does soon where he like puts like one hand behind his back and feel that coming Chris This is what I genuinely want to go down this path with you, you really know your father.
Starting point is 00:23:47 It's one of the great delights in listening to The Greg Cody Show featuring Greg Cody. That's not the penalty box he's going, he's just leaving. He's just going home. Chris, I really want for you to explain to the audience what an amazing both honor and pain in the ass it has been to be the producer on his podcast as
Starting point is 00:24:06 All of it has gone to his head because he really does believe at this point that any syllable He says rhyme a word. He believes everything coming out of his mouth is gold He has never had more popularity and success in his career than he's having right now with this resurgence And people get mad at me because I get frustrated with him and they tell me I'm too mean. What people say to you on this show, that's what I get on his show. So I enjoy it, but it's a little frustrating. He's having a moment. Let the man enjoy it. I mean, he's having a great moment. Look at him. What moment is he having? He's not doing anything.
Starting point is 00:24:40 He just ran out of gas on the show in a way that he even acknowledged because all he had was jack uh... buck juck and then he just we've just folded his cards he because it at the end of three hours there's nothing left in the tank he's got he's an old man and we're taking all of the fumes that he has left and we're trying to make gold out of all of them and as an added bonus he thinks everything he does is Emmy worthy. That he thinks that there's no one better at this than he is, no one's funnier, no one's better off the cuff,
Starting point is 00:25:13 no one's more important and no one deserves this stardom more than he does. Him maximum. We should put him on the USA basketball team. Hey, Greg's defense, some NASCAR's run out of gas at the end of races, so. It's important that you defend, Greg, in these circumstances. It's been a good career move for you.
Starting point is 00:25:30 Folks, it's Mike Ryan. I want to talk to you about game time. As you know, it's the summer. That means summer concert season. A lot of big time concerts out there. A lot of desirable tickets, a lot of sold out tickets. What do you do when the primary market is sold out? You turn to the secondary market and that is often a headache,
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Starting point is 00:26:27 Last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed. Don Lebatard! I feel like we need to normalize saying these scientific terms for organs on the air. A penis? Yes. You know what? If someone takes a foul ball to the penis, we should just say he took a foul ball to the penis. Say it. Stugats. That free kick hit him right in the cock-a-doodle-doo. This is the Don LeVatar Show with the Stugats. Jessica, I want to ask you about something that I think is super unusual because over
Starting point is 00:27:09 the last 10 days I have wanted to tell a lot of men and just a lot of people around sports. You know, we can learn here because we're not going to pretend like we've been paying attention to the WNBA and know how to actually break down the games because we have some expertise About the players involved we can listen to the people who have been there and not just try and create entertainment around this thing but When it comes to Caitlin Clark, I have found myself watching what's happened over just the last ten days and been interested in this part Of it, which is like, okay, we're really to do this we're going to make her controversial even though there's nothing controversial about her we're just going to dump all of the
Starting point is 00:27:50 symbolism on her and have the conversation about just her and we're kind of going to be idiots about it so as these numbers all skyrocket right because there was a game that was supposed to be played last week in a four thousand seat stadium they moved it and in a half hour they sold out a twenty thousand seat stadium as these numbers all skyrocket and we see the discourse get dumber because a lot of men are fumbling around trying to keep up on this what am i to do with just the smartest commentary you've heard on whether caitlin clark was snubbed, whether it's good
Starting point is 00:28:26 to market the sport because she's super famous, or if that's a spot that needs to be earned on an Olympic team to represent our country. Well, I think first, like, what to do is to just, like, cover the games well. And I think, like, we could really use this as an opportunity to get people like Monica McNutt and Andrea Carter and Shanae Gumake on our show to help us with that. Because I find that me and Lucy and Juju are probably the only three that are really watching the games religiously.
Starting point is 00:28:53 So it's obviously difficult to have a conversation with that. That's why we started the F1 minute, right? Because we're not going to all sit and discuss F1. So I get a minute. We're doing it with hockey now, and people are getting really mad at it. If you don't allow it now, you're never going to allow it. Yeah, but at least there's multiple people here most of the time that watch hockey, so
Starting point is 00:29:11 there can be more of a conversation. With us, I find that no one wants to listen to me just ramble about the Fever Sun game probably. So, it kind of is tough because of that, and I think that's why there's a great opportunity to get players on and get reporters and journalists on and stuff like that that are really like well versed in it to talk about the actual games because I think that there's so much conversation about the conversation and so little about how the fever played last night how Caitlin's been playing Dijonette Carrington having a great season for the Sun, Alyssa Thomas having a great season.
Starting point is 00:29:45 The players that actually made the team are all extremely deserving of it. And just because some people maybe haven't heard of their names before doesn't mean that they don't have Olympic hopes and dreams too. A lot of them are first timers and this is a career achievement for them. And if you've been following the USA Basketball camps and the reporting from the camps and things like that, I think there was some surprise that she didn't make it because of her season at Iowa this year and last year and the way she played in college. And sometimes the USA team does bring a rookie, a young player with them.
Starting point is 00:30:22 But they lost a lot of really good veteran talent after Tokyo. And so it seems like based off of the interviews I've heard from the selection committee, they really wanted to lean on experience for this cycle because they feel like the easiest way to win gold is to have players that have played together and have chemistry together and have played for their coach
Starting point is 00:30:44 before in the camps to be on the team. And so Caitlin, because Iowa has been so good the last few seasons has missed a lot of the senior USA basketball camps, which is not her fault. But she I think is probably the only one who's actually handled it normally. Her quotes last week when she was asked about you know how she felt finding out that she missed the team I thought were very poised and like what she answered very well she admitted like she was you know not disappointed but she understands how difficult it is to make the team. It's just like you said it's become more of a more than just a basketball
Starting point is 00:31:22 conversation now like she's become an avatar for a lot of people to be engaged In a conversation that they don't really know a lot about she's not in any way controversial She has not had a misstep correct. She's handled all of this very To be to be a polarizing figure you understand. She's doing nothing to contribute to that nothing Yeah, and I think now it's gotten to the point where I think some people want her to maybe say something to stop some of the hot takes that have been happening on her behalf, but she hasn't done that yet.
Starting point is 00:31:54 And I don't know if that's necessarily a fair place to put a young athlete in, because like you said, she has really kind of said and done the right things. And so the whole conversation happening around her, I think, just kind of sucks. And it'd be better just to cover the sport. And then when an announcement like that happens, there's not so much like shock and outrage because you understand that in the context of USA basketball and the WNBA and the players that are on that roster, the players that they're sending to Paris are all extremely deserving.
Starting point is 00:32:25 I've heard the argument that you add Caitlin Clark to increase the ratings and boost the marketability and et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But I think USA Basketball would tell you they wanna win a gold medal. This is a opportunity for Diana Tarazi to win her sixth gold medal, which is something that is like almost incomprehensible
Starting point is 00:32:43 in a team sport. It's an opportunity for all of these players that have earned it by being in the camps and by playing exceptionally well. There's a lot, there's MVP is going, there's all stars going, there's just veteran excellence on this roster. I don't know who you take off to add Caitlin Clark and would NBC probably get a little bit of a boost if she were on the team? I'm sure she would, but I don't also think she would play that much because she is a young player.
Starting point is 00:33:07 And I think fans would then be outraged by that. So, what are we talking about here? One of the narratives overstated, I think, has been the quote unquote resentment from other players in the league. You don't think that that would have been worse if they gave her a spot on this roster just for ratings. I'm not saying that the resentment is a real thing I think it has been overstated but this is helping that if people think that she's being
Starting point is 00:33:32 like resent like resented I don't know how to speak she is being resented and it's obvious that anybody who came in that position would be tested by the entire competitive ecosystem of do you know what these women have endured to get where they are on the backs of all lot of work and not a lot of attention for her to get all of it it would be normal human emotion to resent all of the attention that person was getting my favorite part of what's happened over the last ten days though is just the general presumption and arrogance of just everyone who just got
Starting point is 00:34:03 here with snub dumb i don't know anything that the bomb choice snub and and now you're telling people have real expertise excuse me you're going to need to hear me on this dumb snob and like that's what we're doing because we want to get in the conversation that relate to i think the only loser here is nbc truly because it's i'm not exaggerating when I think that
Starting point is 00:34:27 Caitlin Clark is to the WNBA right now the equivalent of Lionel Messi lifting MLS in America, but I think not putting her on the roster is 100% justifiable, and more than that, I think it's good for Caitlin Clark. Okay, she went straight from a long NCAA career right into the WNBA, had a real aggressive rough start to that season. I think emotionally and physically, I imagine she can use the two week rest. I think this is good for all concerned except NBC. With Caitlin Clark and you look at like when we talk about resentment, she's just a star
Starting point is 00:35:09 coming into a competitive league. If there's any level of resentment, that's why. You look back to when Michael Jordan, you look back to Michael Jordan as a rookie, right? He comes into the league and at the all-star game, he's quote unquote, iced out by the rest of the veterans in the league. They won't pass him the ball. When LeBron James is coming into the league, his own teammates in Cleveland being interviewed by local news stations saying, yeah, he can join our bandwagon. We have guys at his position who are already better than him.
Starting point is 00:35:33 They were the worst team in the NBA. When there's someone who's hyped up in your league and your competitor that's made it to the professional heights of your sport, of course there's gonna be a little bit of I want to shut that person down. I don't think that any of it has to do with like lifting up the sport or ratings or any of that. It's just competitors being competitive.
Starting point is 00:35:50 But why is the resentment so hard to understand? Of course, athletes would have resentment when someone else comes in and gets all the glory. They laid the foundation. They laid down everything for Caitlin Clark to be able to have this platform. And so, yeah, at times they understand it and they appreciate that Caitlin Clark has brought a lot of eyeballs to the WNBA but of course they're gonna be resentful and why wouldn't they? Who cares if they are? I mean seriously. Outrage is all good for the sport all of this is good for the sport. We can welcome the idiots and have more in the tent. I agree though that it's good that there's a larger conversation
Starting point is 00:36:28 happening around the league, but I don't know if it's good for the sport for there to be this much pressure on one player. I would hope that if there are new eyeballs on the fever because of Caitlin Clark, they're also then going to expand and be interested in the sport itself, not just the player itself, right? And I don't know how you gauge that or measure that or how you do that, but I think that's really the job of the WNBA and of the commissioner, is
Starting point is 00:36:55 to figure out if there is this influx of new fans because she was a great player that everyone watched in college, how do we get them to stick around and stay? And if you're having these constant conversations on ESPN largely and other networks just about Caitlin Clark, I don't know if that is a great thing. Oh but it's not just ESPN right? So last night, and this is a delight, look man if you've not been watching what happens in sports media, okay, black women are at the end of the line in where it is that opportunities present themselves. To see Monica McNutt on the Daily Show after saying of Stephen A. Smith, I thought we had a deep enough friendship that I could challenge you. I
Starting point is 00:37:38 could challenge my friends. Monica McNutt has become a star here recently and there are a lot of people covering the sport with expertise and personality that make the shows better and more informed than a great deal of what it is that you're watching where you're like all shit these women had to be really good to get where they are they can't do it the way the men have done it so easy and so you see monica mcnot transition easily to argue with steven a smith after doing a lot of work for the next after
Starting point is 00:38:10 being on around the horn and now she's on the daily show last night she's saying to john steward let's be honest if not for caitlin clark i'm not sitting here and he says no no no that's not true and john steward it is true she would not have been on your show monday if caitlin clark were an avatar for men now want to talk about this to when we just got here we're going to be the experts and we're going to tell monica mcnaught what she doesn't know because we just got here in caitlin clark dumb snob but she also like we
Starting point is 00:38:37 wouldn't have been on the show has not challenged even a smith uh... correct and this is what it looks like to have that sport bring power to everybody around it so you can now hear all the voices and often times those voices are going to make the old establishment look and sound dumb because we just got here and we don't know what we're talking about any anything that passes for expertise on your television for most of the men talking about this is as bluster and it's whatever it is
Starting point is 00:39:05 they can fill the content space because they need to talk about this thing. Not because, for the most part, I shouldn't say this about everybody because it's not true of everybody. For most of us, it's true of me and I recognize it in my brethren when I find that they need something to talk about
Starting point is 00:39:18 and they need to figure out how to do it on television. Yeah, and I'm not sure if the traditional like yelling sports take model really engages long time fans of the WNBA and of women's sports. I struggle to see how that is something that people that I know and that I'm friends with and that I connect with, how that really relates to them and includes them. That's I think a misstep is just doing the same thing, but worse for a new sport that they haven't watched.
Starting point is 00:39:51 Greg, you seem to want to get in there the whole time. And now you've had nothing when I look at you. Okay, because you look at me. This is a new and improved and Gamble on by DraftKings. StuGats here, summertime is here, which means travel season is upon us. If you're like me and love to travel during the warmer months, the first thing you worry about before traveling is, how safe will my home be while I'm away?
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