Knicks Up 2-0 and Pacers Call Out the Refs, Plus Mike Greenberg Talks ESPN and NYC's Love of These Knicks.

Ryen Russillo

We start in New York. The Knicks are up 20. We'll break down that game in depth. Also, an update on our playoff seeding draft that we did with Ceruti and a little bit on the Murray fine, not suspension. We've got Mike Greenberg of ESPN, almost 30 years in the business.

It'll be fun chopping it up with him. And Kyle is back on life advice. It's Ryan Rossella podcast presented by FanDuel the road to the NBA Final starts now, and FanDuel is the best place to get in on the action right now. You can check out the new and improved quick bets, which are back and better than ever for the NBA playoffs and FanDuel. Find what you're looking for faster and easier with more props right at your fingertips.

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Learn more@hulu.com dot New York's up 20. We'll get to the refs so Brunson goes down. New York plays without him for the last 1532 of the first half. Halftime score pacers are up 67.56. Halliburton had a great first half ob topping the bench production.

The Pacers are getting here is incredible, and it has to be obviously very frustrating for this team to be down 20. All right, but as we start the second half, Brunson comes back. By the way, it must have been in incredible for Brunson to come out onto the court and you're in MSG and he's warming up, getting shots up, seeing how the foot feels. People are going nuts, they're chaining MVP and like, we're obviously not seeing any of this. That had to be a surreal moment, not only for that crowd, but also for Brunson, who after the game was like, yeah, that.

That was pretty cool. He was trying, like, almost not to acknowledge it as the crowd went crazy. So the Knicks, off of that energy and Brunson's return, going a 27 six run during that time of that run. Then OG in an Obi goes down, and then he misses the last 1527 of the game, clearly going out at what it would have been 327. So Og, who at times offensively, I've talked about him feeling like, you know, if he has to just freestyle with the ball, I don't know that I'm always going to love it.

I think if it's kind of predetermined shots or predetermined drives or off the screen, and he knows he's going right away. He gave us kind of everything, and he kept them in this game while Brunson was out. So not only do you have the injury concerned now, considering who the Knicks have his options, that was just an incredible og night that ends in disappointment with him leaving. So we mentioned Halliburton's big first half. Not much in the third.

Some places had it at one shot attempt. I had it at two. In the fourth, he had five shot attempts and some free throws in there. So it wasn't as bad as it felt in real time, where it's like, hey, if this guy's all NBA caliber, and I know we've had a real split based on who Halliburton was after the beginning of the season, the injury, and then coming back, but you're like, okay. But he was really good.

And he actually hit two huge shots, I thought, late. So I think ultimately all of us are sitting there, like, hoping it's more, but we'll get into some of the stuff that was happening because it looked like Devonchenzo in the second half, just cranked it up another level, and it was so intense, the defense on Halliburton, where it was taking him a little bit longer to get into what he wanted to get into, they had Nemhart bring the ball up, which I don't always love. Cause I feel like Nemhart, although a nice role player, I've just felt over the course of watching him with the Pacers, the ball ends up like he's. He's really confident, and it'll feel like if Halliburton gets stuck, then Nemhardt will go. And what I love with teams with really great perimeter players, and we've seen it with Anthony Davis.

We see it with Brunson in the series and even against the Sixers is. And whenever a team stops you on, the first thing that you try to do is that high level score. If you get rid of the ball early enough, you can always get the ball back. And then you just. It's the way basketball works.

They're not going to get back to you with the same trap. Once you get the ball back off of first thing the defense tries to do. So that's something I'd like to see maybe the Pacers do. It's like, okay, if Halliburton's in trouble, have that release valve there for him, get the ball out of his hands, have him run to the other side, get the ball back. And it's just not, it's not the same focus defensively from teams.

I mean, this has been going on forever. You just notice it. And some people get really frustrated. Some players get really frustrated with, like, giving up the ball and then wondering if they're going to get it back. The best players understand this, the best teammates understand this, but clearly the Pacers realized it.

And I think that led to Halliburton looking like he was floating, certainly more in the third quarter, but then he came back in around the 710 mark of the fourth quarter. So then you also had a moment there where, with Hartenstein out, you had Hart on Siakam and that immediately after a couple of possessions, like, all right, this is a problem. So then I was kind of wondering, like, how's it going to work when Turner's back in the game and then Siachem's in there? And considering OG isn't available, that just means more precious who I like, but I know he's had his issues, kind of finishing around the rim, but it's been better in these two games. So all of this happens as we're looking at McConnell get subbed out, which we're definitely going to get to here as well.

Siachem, after they'd made the change there, he had missed two free throws at 04:02. He had a really good look at a three, missed another step back, and this all happened within two minutes. So that was certainly frustrating, the pacer side of it. So McConnell had done a really great job with his effort against Brunson. We can all see it.

I mean, McConnell, I've told the combine story a million times watching him at the Chicago combine years ago, and there was this top international prospect who could not bring the ball up in the scrimmages against TJ. And I think he left the combine. So we know what we're getting when we see TJ out there. But he never comes back into the game at that 710 substitution of the fourth quarter. So it's easy for all of us to say, hey, TJ should be in at some point.

We'd like to see him in there. Defensively, there was a substitution opportunity where the Knicks had to get the ball across because the play had stopped. They hadn't cleared half court. They were going to only have a few seconds to do it, and Hart just immediately got it right up to the court. You could argue there like, hey, maybe just sub him in on that possession and say, just don't let them get across half court because that's how good he is.

But clearly, the Pacers don't share our opinion because of the lack of shooting that you have with TJ. And they are about spacing, they're about moving the basketball. And TJ, throughout his career has been somebody that fills in when you need him to, but you don't expect him to be closing games or closing a game like this. McConnell doesn't shoot threes. Now, you may say, wait, he's 41 and 44 and 41% from three his last two years, but he's averaging 0.73 point attempts per game the last two years with those great percentage numbers.

And that actually matches his attempts for his career in 1920, not the year, the season TJ played in 71 games and shot a total of 17 threes. He doesn't take that. He doesn't want to take that shot. I mean, honestly, TJ, you know, Sam housers, Sam Merrill's like you. You know, our people are trying to make progress here, so it's just not going to happen.

And that has to be the other side of it, where they feel like Nemhardt is just better as a spacing, as a three point option, even though defensively we've seen how bad this is when Nemhar ends up on Brunson single coverage, which again, everybody is looking bad against what Brunson is doing. So we'll see if there's a change here. And it could be as simple as Carlisle and the pacer saying, like, let's just try to switch it up. Van Gundy was all over it. There was a lot of criticism, and maybe we'll feel like it was wrong and that all the criticism was justified if they change what they want to do defensively with McConnell, if Brunson continues to do this.

But it also could be about New York's offensive rebounding which is another reason that maybe they're, like, worried about McConnell and how aggressive these guys are. Look at these numbers going into last night's fourth quarter. So we're looking at seven games. So the six against Philly, game one against the Pacers. So these are the numbers prior to last night's fourth quarter, where, again, it happened.

Again, New York's offensive rebounding numbers, 31 total offensive rebounds. Their opponents at 15, 2nd chance points in fourth quarters through those first seven playoff games, 49 for the Knicks, 15 for their opponents. It's absurd what they're doing. And we told you, against Philly, when their offensive rebounding rate was around 40% for the playoffs, it was the highest number. Now it have to stay there, but it's the highest number that we've seen in the NBA playoffs in ten years.

So back to Brunson, 24 points in the second half. The Pacers go through a zero for five stretch from the free throw line, which was just abysmal. And I want to take a look at the Pacers defensive strategy against Brunson. It's 112 110. After a ridiculous Halliburton floater, the Pacers decide, okay, we're trapping Brunson at halfcourt.

Like, we're just trapping him. All right, let's get him stuck with the, with the half court line behind him as the third defender. Let's get the ball out of his hands and see what happens. Well, here's what happened. Um, they get it to Hartenstein, and he's kind of the release valve catch, throws it to Devincenzo for 3115, 110.

They trap Brunson again, but he gets the ball back. He misses a three. But guess what? Offensive rebound. Precious.

He gets the dunk, two points. They trap Brunson again. Hart now just lingers near the trap going, get it to me. And this is this amazing, like, asset and heart on top of all the offensive rebounding, the three point shooting since his wrist apparently clicked back into place. But, you know, with heart in these spots.

And, you know, I think a lot of this, too, is these Nova guys and all these big games they've played in. And granted, they're at home here, but they're not scared of any of this stuff. And if Hart has to make a decision with the ball in his hands in one of these big moments, you trust he's going to make the right decision. He swings it to Devincenzo. He drives, feeds it to Artenstein, who ends up with free throws, so that trap fails differently.

Then they go back to single coverage. Right at Nemhardt. Guess what? Turnaround jumper. He hits that one.

Then there's a bit of a scramble position, which wouldn't really count because, you know, it's not the same as, hey, this is exactly what the defense wants to do. They trap Brunson again at halfcourt. Artstein gets it to Devon Chenzo, who it's another three, where niece Smith is totally blame on this one. He let himself get way too low. He let himself already be out of position and then be really easily screened to clear Devicenzo for the three.

It's 124, it's 115. It's game. The Pacers basically tried everything except TJ McConnell. But with the way Brunson's playing right now and the shot making off of it, and Hart Stein totally comfortable making that pass, or Hart being able to dribble off of that trap, and now you're playing four on three. You look at that film, it's a lot like we talked about with Philadelphia in the beginning of that series where they were playing this like extended one three one zone and staying on the Brunson side.

And then every time they swung it, Josh Hart hit all the threes. So I'm sure they're as frustrated as any Pacers fan, but the Knicks are just dicing it up. So the Pacers filed 49 missed calls from game two last night, which is 20 more than the 29 missed calls they filed after game one. So that's a total of 78, according to Brian Winhorst. I'm sure you are mad if you're a Pacers fan.

Game one. I would be really mad if this was my favorite team and I had posters, made signs when I went to games. The non kick kickball in game one, the Turner screen foul, which I already covered on Tuesday. Those are extremely frustrating. You know, these huge moments we can talk about like every two points is two points, but like, we know the deal now.

As the clock continues to expire, the value of those possessions goes up, even if the math tells us that it doesn't. So 78 seems high. I don't know if it's a bit like the legal process where somebody's being charged with something and they just overcharge them like crazy and being like, all right, we'll charge them with ten things and maybe eight get dropped. But we're really focused on the two. It's clearly to send a message.

Carlisle gets ejected from the game. It's a very physical game. These games are absurd. And yeah, I don't love the Brunson off ball flops. He got two of them last night, like, just let them fall.

But this was not some free throw game where Brunson, like in game one game, I think he only took six free throws. So it wasn't that. The guy just continues to make every single shot. So you know where I am on a lot of the ref stuff. My rant about the offensive players initiating the contact is more about the evolution of where the game was going as opposed to nightly stuff.

I just think it's a very, it's a practice that's susceptible to all sorts of criticism because whenever anybody's like, oh, they're officiating. You know, the officiating, it's the NFL. In college, pac twelve guys are the worst. The NBA is awful. It's like whenever I do draft prep, I'm like, you guys think the NBA refs are bad?

It is something that exists that I'll always ask, like, when did you like officiating? When did you think it was good? Oh, never. So that's kind of what it is. And when you're down 20, but look, don't miss all your free throws.

The Pacers defense, which we knew was not good, maybe the worst of any of the remaining teams, they gave up 130 points on 91 possessions. That was an offensive efficiency rate for the Knicks of 147.9, which would be the third highest, which was the third highest of any game the Knicks have played in this season. So, look, I get your frustration. I'm not saying they're not missed calls. I'm not telling you you're wrong to be furious about the end of game 178 missed calls through Pacers tinted glasses, knowing that if I just wanted to do the same exercise and go, let me find 20 calls that went against the Knicks last night, or calls that were called, or calls that weren't called.

I can probably find them. I'm just not going to spend my time doing that. However, Pacers fans, I think there's still hope. I actually do. Let's look at the minutes part of this.

So the Knicks had three days off in between game six of Philly and game one of the Pacers. So part of us could say, well, that's why tips played all these guys that much. It's like, yeah, or it's maybe just what Tibbs does. I think we'd all agree it's the latter. But now there's only one day off between the next three games, two days off between potential game five and six, and then there'd be one day off between game seven and who knows?

I mean, yeah, you know, still a lot to ask considering what Brunson is doing here. Hart just played back to back 48 minutes playoff games. It's the first time it's happened in eleven years. The last guy to do it, Jimmy Butler in 2013, he actually played 548 minutes games in a seven game stretch for the Bulls. And you guessed it, his head coach, Tom Thibodeau.

Jimmy was not Jimmy yet. It was only his second year, so his stats weren't. You can't look at those game locks. I was looking at it this morning, be like, oh, does this mean it's like, well, actually he just, he wasn't that much of an offensive guy, so you can't go, oh, he played all these minutes. So that means, you know, he still was good.

I think he had like 15 a game in that series when they were eliminated. But I wonder, with the OG injury, we know Mitchell Robinson's now gone, and Bogdanovich, which, you know, when they'd made the trade at the trade deadline, that was the big headline because it was that boring of a trade deadline. And I remember even saying, like, with knowing Tibbs, I don't even know if Bogdanovich is going to close games for him. And, and he wasn't with everybody else. He mentioned Alec Burke last night and I look, Alec Burke's Burke.

We've been struggling with that one for decades, Tibbs said. I pretty sure he said his name, which in the heat of the moment, heading into a game playoffs, like, we're going to give Tibbs a pass on that one. But you're like, this guy can't get ten minutes. So I wonder if the minutes part of this changes. It has to.

Now, if OG, whose day to day is of this taping, I wonder if that changes some of the approach now that these next three games are so close to each other. And if I'm a Pacers fan, like, are we going to start seeing a different game? You're probably going to get a different whistle at home, but, you know, you've been at a free throw disparity advantage because of the style of play and your defense. But that's the thing that I'm thinking about if I'm a Pacers fan or if I'm just on the staff going, okay, we, this is an incredibly frustrating first two games of the series in New York, but if OG can't come back and the minutes start adding up, because I don't think Tibbs, I can look at the strategy and the schedule and say, oh, maybe he's, now he knows he has to adjust off of this. I don't think that's really what he does.

It's never really what he's done historically. And that's why I think the Pacers still have a chance to get into the series before we get to Mike Greenberg, which we're excited to do, and have our guy here on the show. So, Rudy, we did a playoff draft, and unlike radio history, where we would do these and then never revisit them, we're going to revisit it right now. So let's take a look at where we're at, because basically we did it. If you missed it, we did a draft of all the available playoff and playing teams and then added a point reward system for drafting teams with lower seeds.

And then we came up with a point system where basically if you were to pick something and then they kept advancing in the playoffs, you're going to be rewarded for that instead of just picking chalk. Yeah. So essentially, yeah, if you took, you know, a lower seed and they won the first round, you're getting more points. So it sort of like, you know. If a one eight happened, if an eight one, they won, which didn't happen, obviously it would be one point for advancing and then seven points for the seeding differential.

Correct? Correct. Right. And so right now I'll just go through it. So right now I'm up eight four in points, but you have way more max points.

Steve Ceruti

And I think I might be in trouble here because I had a lot on the Nuggets. The Nuggets were my first overall pick and it's not looking great right now around one. So you had thunder pelicans. You got the thunder that went through. There's one point.

I had the Clippers and the Mavs. Mavs win. I get two points because they were the under the lower seed. You had t wolf, Suns. So you got a point there.

I had nuggets, you had Lakers. So I get a point there. You had Celtics, I had heat. You get a point there. You had Cavs, I had magic.

You get a point there. I had bucks and pacers. So I get the, you know, four points for the bucks because that was a six three, and then I had the Knicks and you had the Sixers. That's a point for me. So that's why I'm leading right now.

But if we look at the final eight teams remaining, so here's what we got. It's thunder. You have the thunder, I have the Mavs. So I really really, really need the Mavs to win that series to have any chance to beat you. I think T Wolves Nuggets is not looking good for your boy because you have the tea wolves and I have the nuggets.

You have Celtics and calves. So, you know, if the Celtics, you know, walk through the, you know, to the east of the finals, you're going to get a good amount of points there. And here's my other hope. I have both the pacers and the Knicks, so I need the Knicks. If the Knicks could somehow make the finals, I really need to go all in on the Knicks and go on.

On the Mavericks, or else you're going to walk away with this thing. Yeah, I actually like this. I like the way we did it, and, uh, you know, we just kind of did it, and it was like, all right, let's try to find something different here. All right, so we'll try. So you have more total points as of right now, but I have far more potential for Max points.

Ryen Russillo

And the Deborah thing is killing you, right? Yep. All right. It's killing me. Yep.

These weren't our official picks on the series, by the way, too. These were just kind of draft and what was available to us because. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know what to make of this Minnesota thing. The Jamal Murray thing's crazy.

I'm okay. You know, I'm not captain punishment. Punishment radio is one of my least favorite days ever. I thought it's. Yeah, a little blame piece.

I mean, what he did was super fucked up. And sometimes Jamal. I think sometimes. Go ahead. I think sometimes, like, guys don't even realize what the.

Steve Ceruti

Like, I don't think maybe he was a huge asshole and he just was like, I'm gonna throw this thing on the court. I don't know. Sometimes, like, you lose your head. It's been a frustrating series. Like, I don't think Jamal's done a ton of things in the past that would suggest that me.

That he's, like, an idiot or, like, one of those guys. I wasn't that mad about it. Do I think that if they were up 20, he got suspended, would get suspended? Maybe. Maybe.

Ryen Russillo

But, yeah, I'm okay with it. I'm really mad about it. Right? Like, just because I push back on the officiating stuff, I'm not naive enough to believe. Like, I'll never forget the Cam Newton suspended and reinstated for the SEC title game.

And we were like, wait, what happened? He was suspended? And it was like, yeah, because this is a huge game, and that was one of the first times, like, working in national media, where I was like, huh? But I just think whenever anybody tells me about all the different conspiracies, I'm like, well, why does Duncan end up in San Antonio? You know, I listened to Rick Hamlin, Antonio Daniels yesterday because I was in the car a lot.

So I was listening to them take calls about everyone's opinion on the Murray suspension. And I just tell everybody, like, punishment is not consistent. It is not consistent. It's not consistent at home, it's not consistent at work, and it's not consistent in leagues. If you're like, well, if Draymond did that, yeah, no shit.

We are a collection of all of our reactions. Like, we are just all walking resumes. And for the most part, Jamal, although it was a bad look. I mean, he's just sitting there just mad. It's like, actually, they're just working you defensively, man.

And I'm sure if the calf is part of it, too, and he's having this awful shooting night, but you can't do that. But I'm still like, okay. And I also. I know people are gonna like this. I'm okay with them going, and we don't really want to suspend when they're down 20.

Steve Ceruti

Yeah, could we get maybe six games out of this series? Like, I don't. Honestly, like, I don't. Even if that's true, I don't really even have a huge issue with it. I just.

Ryen Russillo

Yeah, I don't. I don't know. That's how life works, man. Yeah. I don't have an issue with that.

If they're like, hey, Jamal hasn't been a guy that has the resume of some of these other guys, and he's handled himself certain way. We're just going to smash him with a huge fine. That's fine, too. Like, they took one call on NBA radio where the person called in saying that it was a massive conspiracy for the NBA to. To promote Jokic, and they can't have their mvp eliminated.

And it's like, all right, talk it out. Like, that's one of my favorite exercises. Be like, okay, this is your theory. Let's talk it out. Let's work it a bit.

Let's game it. As Greg and Tom would say, the NBA has a meeting, and they're like, this serbian guy that thinks all of this is pointless. Let's promote the fuck out of this guy. Yeah. You know, we don't want this 22 year old american player, Anthony Edwards, to all of a sudden take the crown.

Steve Ceruti

Yeah, that's bad. Let's have the serbian guy that doesn't really give a shit. That's the guy we want. That's why I get so worked up about some of these things. I was just like, okay, that's your position.

Ryen Russillo

That's what you think happened. All right, well, let's just talk it out. Like, yeah, no, it makes a ton of sense to the NBA, to your point, to be like, let's get this ant guy out of here. The most engaging personality, maybe the most exciting player to watch in the league. Let's.

Let's try to get him out. And I don't. I think, look, I think it's really simple that there's some gray area there because Murray hasn't conducted himself like an ass other than bubble. Murray was a weird look when he just decided he was a coach for a few games. Remember watching those games with Murray?

He's like, wait, what's he going to. He's just going to stand up the whole game with a weird hat on and just yell the whole time. Um, but maybe that was just energy and being engaged and everything, but that's not enough for them to be like, hey, actually, let's suspend him because he was annoying during the bubble. Uh, I am. I'm okay with this, but it's.

Everybody just tries to, when they have these platforms in these shows, it becomes a contest of, like, trying to out punish the guy sitting next to you. And I. I go the other way with that. It's not even a zag. I just.

I'm like, all right, whatever, but it's not a conspiracy. It's not. When they took the call yesterday, it was like, they want Jokic that can't have their guy. And it's like, no, no. They probably just, I don't know.

That would not be the guy. They'd be like, all right, well, no matter what we do, no matter what we do, moving forward, Jokic has to be the biggest star. And on the Murray thing, if that's Pat Bev, if that's Draymond Green, if that's Russell Westbrook, this is a different story, period. Like those guys, I'm just not going to give the benefit of the doubt to, for the most part. And if Jamal Murray does some other stuff later in the series, maybe I'll change my mind.

Steve Ceruti

But it's a one off incident that I don't really have any issue with. Really quickly, though, just want to credit Jeff Miller. If you go to racillopod.com comma, he basically lays out the entire, um, draft and like there's a bracket and points total. It's really cool. So check it out.

Ryen Russillo

Yeah, I didn't even know there was a website for that. Guy's got some time on his hands. So shouts out to shout out to him. Thank you, Jeff.

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Excited to do this. It's been in the books for a while, but he's a busy man. I just finished watching him this morning. It's Mike Greenberg of ESPN get up and greeny Radio and everything else you need. What's up, man?

Mike Greenberg

It's been a long time. I was actually saying to stace yesterday, like, I can't remember exactly what the last time I talked to Rossello was you came here to the city to do get up a few times our first year now, I suppose, ill fated first rendition of the show. And so thats 2018. And so, I mean, is it possible its been that long since we talked to each other? Is that even remotely possible?

Ryen Russillo

Yeah, its a little bit later than that. Only because, you know, its one of those things with your memory where its not something you would remember. Because I reached out to you towards the end of, when my contract was up at the end of the summer in 19, because I was still trying to figure it out. And I've talked about this, so I didn't know that we were going to go here so soon, but I was on the fence about what I wanted to do. It was nice that actually ESPN wanted to keep me, but we still at that point were kind of like, I don't really know.

I'd already moved. But one of my favorite things that I got to do was that I had moved to LA. And then in 18 and in 19, your producers were great to me, you were great to me. And I would fly back and it was great. I'd get to stay in New York City for three or four days.

I'd do three or four shows and I love doing the show. And that was kind of it. And I was like, well, if I stay, I think part of it would be I'd have so many days where I'd come on and do get up and then kind of just be around. But it just, there wasn't really, there wasn't really a fit. And since I had already moved, it was, it wasn't.

So that's the last time we had talked. But it wasn't even. So it's five years. I mean, that's a very long time. So I'm glad we got this chance to catch up.

So I wanted to ask you this to start, when did you become comfortable enough professionally to tell the world that you're presented by ego?

Mike Greenberg

Listen, I mean, I've been telling the world that I'm presented by something for a very long time. I actually said this to somebody, like everyone, I guess, has their own claim to fame. I think it's possible that I have read more sponsorships than any other person in the United States in the last 25 years. I think that's a real possible 4 hours a day on Mike and Mike now 4 hours a day when you combine the tv and the radio for 25 years, I think it's possible I have been sponsored or presented by more different people than anyone else in the entire United States. I don't even think it's close, which I know is one of our favorite things.

Ryen Russillo

It's sports, I usually think, whenever anybody does, but, yeah, I mean, the 4 hours alone every day for that long on radio. I remember the first time I filled in to host Mike and Mike, and I'm sitting there with your producers, and then they hand me this stack of papers, and I was like, what's this? And they go, that's the rundown. I go, it's. There's no topics.

It's all ads. What do you mean, this isn't a rundown? They're like, well, that's what our guys do, is they just kind of figure it out and do the segments, and then these are all the things you have to read. And I was like, my God. And I remember how bad I screwed up because I did a five hour energy read, and it said no guardrails.

And I was like, what? And then I just. You're live. You're in the studio, and, of course, you're. You're sort of like, your.

Your comfort levels off a little bit the first time you're ever sitting in that chair for that. So that was also part of it. So I'm like, yeah, five hour energy, whatever. I was like, no, guardrails, don't mention.

Mike Greenberg

Yeah, so I refer to that. Liam saved that. And we would listen to it sometimes, you know, not on the air, but often the truth of the matter is, so Liam Chapman, who you guys obviously know, was our producer for years and was our board op before that. So Liam probably worked on Mike, and Mike for ten years, something like that. When I would ask when someone would fill in, not you, but whenever anyone would do the show, when I wasn't there, the running joke was always, how was the other person?

The ad was, he did the reads. Like, you know, if you did the reads, then nothing that terrible happened. At the end of the day, did someone say progressive? Like, did we say it? Did we say it six times?

If so, yeah, sure. It doesn't really, but did we talk about basketball? I don't know, but we definitely got the reads in, and that's. At the end of the day, that's the most important part of the job. They made me apologize on the air.

Ryen Russillo

I was like, you know, I don't think I should have to apologize for this. And it only brings more attention to how absurd it was, because how specific it was that, like, you can't. You can't be exhausted at night and then take this. So then I had, I was like, we shouldn't apologize. And they're like, it's coming from up top.

And I was like, all right, I will apologize. So for the ego joke, by the way, that's the company that presented the NFL draft. And I watched the open and you brought everybody in. And I could just sense, I think, in the way only people that are on the air can sense. You're like, this is absurd that I'm saying I'm presented or we are presented by e go.

So you left like a little pause in there for the companies, which I thought was just brilliant because of how long you've been doing this. So before we get into all the other stuff, I want to ask about your Knicks. Do they feel like you're Knicks again? So the Knicks, I actually said this on the air at the time you and I are having this conversation. I probably said this on the air 20 minutes ago.

Mike Greenberg

I think this is going to be the most beloved Knicks team since the championship teams. So I played golf with a guy yesterday who named his son Oakley. And so just to give you a sense, I mean, so for those listening around the country who don't know the Knick fandom, you know, the Ewing, Oakley Starks Knicks, the Riley ones are the early nineties and the Van Gundy ones are the late nineties, they are a beloved team. They are loved beyond their accomplishment. They made one NBA, oh, they made another final, I guess, in 99.

That one almost. It was a shortened season and Ewing was hurt, whatever. The point is that era of Nick is beloved by Nick fans as though they won titles. People still talk about Oak and Mason and Ewing and Starks as though they were two time champions like Frazier and Reed and Bradley and De Buscher, and those guys were so they are beloved. I think that this team, partially for reasons that have nothing to do with them, which is that there has been this dormant era, there has just been a 20 year era of just absolute dormancy of the franchise, which encompasses, by the way, my son's entire lifetime.

So my son was born in 2002. He lives and dies for basketball. He played AAU basketball starting in third grade. All he cares about is basketball. That's by far his favorite sport.

He grew up in the New York City area and isn't a nick fan. Isn't it? Because there was nothing to ever latch onto. That's how bad they've been. So partly because of that and partly because of the way they have gone about doing what they are doing.

They are what the New York sports team never is, which is a legitimate underdog. They are a legit scrappy. They are young, scrappy and hungry, as they said in Hamilton. And generally, this is a franchise that has been old, bloated and impossible to like for such an incredibly long time. This group is punching above their weight.

This group is so much better than the sum of its parts. Jalen Brunson has. He's made himself, I guess, a superstar and has been legendary. I mean, he's completely redefined his career. But the rest of that team, I don't know how many teams, I mean, Dante DeVincenzo and Jalen Hart are going to become stars for.

As you and I are talking, we don't know what the situation is going to be with OG Ananobi. By the time people hear this, maybe we'll know that Ananobi is out for the rest of the playoffs, which I'm very concerned he's going to be. And if he is, I think there's a real chance the Knicks still don't win this series. But that said, I think this group has a chance to be remembered by fans as fondly, more fondly than any team, including the Oakley Mason teams since Frazier and Reed and Red Holtzman and all those teams I grew up on. Yeah, I'm with you there.

Ryen Russillo

And I always think it's kind of funny, like, people from outside of the fan base being like, I remember when Boston was a loser city and there was a guy that I worked with that wasn't from Boston. He was like, this is a town that celebrates losers. It was like an incredible line. You know, he's an opinion guy and he's just dumping on it. And then, of course, Boston goes on the absurd run that they went on.

But what I think people are dismissive of is that nineties Knicks stuff mattered. It mattered. I feel like looking back, even though I wasn't rooting for Chicago or Miami or New York, it just. You were this non emotional fan that was like, I can't wait to see what happens in these games. And I've never rooted for the Knicks, but I fell in love with this team in that Phillies series just as a fan of basketball.

And I don't think they beat Boston. No. If they get through the Pacers, if Boston ends up taking care of Cleveland, which I'd imagine they would, I don't think that they would beat them. But watching all of the old players be at MSG in this celebration and how awesome that arena is, I think it's totally fine. You should be allowed to feel awesome about something, even if they haven't won a championship.

Maybe I felt different when I was younger, but that's how I feel now. No, I mean, look, in New York, certainly in basketball, that's all we had. So for me, my favorite teams, the teams I grew up on were the Hubie brown Knicks of the early eighties. So, Bernard King. I mean, I was just talking about this today.

Mike Greenberg

I grew up in a building that didn't allow dogs. So we had hamsters, my brother and I. We named our hamster Bernard. And then when he died, we named one Patrick after the Knicks, after Ewing the next year. So, like, the Hubie brown Knicks, who are not that well remembered at this point.

Cause it's a really long time ago, and they never won anything of consequence. People still remember Bernard King, perhaps. Cause he had. He was so good for a two year stretch, you know? And a lot of the numbers that he put up still kind of stand up today.

Those will always be my favorite nick teams. Just because you feel differently about this stuff when you're a kid than you do as an adult, no matter how much you like it. But this team, you know, that was the subseat. By the way, when exactly did I miss a meeting in Boston was a loser city? Like, I mean, I was born in 1967.

I remember the Cowan's Celtics. I remember the bird parish McHale Celtics. And it's not like four generations went by before those three guys came together and won a title in the late two thousands. I know the Red Sox went 80, whatever. It was years between World Series.

But once they started winning them, they never stopped. Who am I forgetting? The Patriots? Well, yeah, I guess before parcels got there, they didn't have that much of a history. But I don't know.

Unless I missed a meeting. I don't remember Boston being a loser city in sports. I may have missed that. It was. I had started in Boston in zero three, so they had the Pats title.

Ryen Russillo

They didn't have the Red Sox thing yet. And I was doing some, like, later night television. Look, it was Felger. I'll just say it was Felgar. It's totally fine.

He would be happy that he got credit for it, but he was just. We were. We were talking one night, and he was like the. The impossible dream team of 67 that I grew up hearing about. I was born eight years after it.

And then while the bucky dead thing's not necessarily something that was celebrated, but his whole point was he's like, this is a loser town. And it was, like, hilarious because he was the outsider and he got a reaction. I mean, that was the whole point. That's the whole point of this job that we do, is you hope that you say something that gets some kind of reaction. And then that definitely got a reaction because I was like, wait, is he kind of right?

And then it made me think about the Knicks. That made me think, but I don't care. Like, I don't care if a fan base is like, this is the most fun I've had in 30 years. And that's what Nick, Knicks fans are having right now. And you shouldn't be sitting there after you go up 20 and the Pacers going, oh, well, this is all pointless because we'll probably lose to Boston.

I would have to get through today. Like, you don't have to win a championship to not be a loser. So, like, loser teams, the jets, who I root for, have not been in the playoffs, have not made the last playoff game they played in was in the year 2011. All right? I mean, that's a very long time ago.

Mike Greenberg

That's being a loser. The 1975 Boston Red Sox lost one of the great World Series. The first World Series I remember watching was the World Series of 75, which is the Carlton Fisk home run and all that stuff in which they lost in a brutally hard fought series to the best baseball team I ever saw. The best baseball team of my lifetime was the big red machine who beat the Red Sox in 75 and beat the Yankees in 76. And I remember I was a yankee fan sitting in my house crying because they were stealing bases against Thurman Munson so easily.

Those are my first recollections of being a baseball fan. Those teams weren't losers. Ted Williams and Karl Yostremski weren't losers because they never won World Series. I don't think the Buffalo Bills, who lost four straight Super Bowls, were losers. You're losers when you lose all the time.

You're not by definition a loser just because you didn't win a championship. I understand it changes the narrative about people and the way we remember them. But I don't think back on those Red Sox. I'm just thinking back to my youth, the 78 year, the bucky. I'm very much old enough to remember Bucky Dent.

That was bad because the Red Sox blew a huge lead. Was it 14 games or something like that in early, in early August or something? That was really bad because they gave it away. I guess you could also say they had the World Series, one in 86 and didn't win it. So those would be the Red Sox, maybe would be the team.

You could have something with the Celtics. Jesus, I don't even know what else to say. Like, that's nothing. There is no team that conjures up less image of losing in my mind than the Boston Celtics historically, like, from day one till now. So you've done a lot.

Ryen Russillo

28 years at ESPN. Yeah, this August it'll be 28 years. 28 years, and it'll be almost half my life. When I got here, I was 29. So assuming I make it to next summer, assuming I make it to the summer of 2025, I will have been at ESPN exactly half my life.

Do you think? Solo radio. Because I know that to me, it was a completely different challenge than having a host where, hey, depending on the day, I just try to explain to people all the time, everyday radio is a whole different animal. On top of the lifestyle that you would have to lead, getting up as early as you did, you've done everything. Is radio still the hardest?

Mike Greenberg

What I've always said in the past, and I think this is changing because all the mediums are changing. But I've always said it's much harder to do television badly than it is to do radio badly. Anyone can do radio badly, but it's much harder to do radio well than it is to do tv well. When you do doing tv well encompasses good work being done by a lot of other people. Doing radio well encompasses good work being done by very few and sometimes genuinely, just you.

Now, that's never been me, obviously. I worked with Mike for 18 years, and there's no way in hell I could have done any of that without him. And we had a good team of people that worked on the show and all that kind of thing. If you look at a tv show like the one that I host now, I mean, every single day I've got four, five, six people sitting in there. I have a director, I have a producer, we've got talent producers and all kinds of other people pas who are running around doing all kinds of work.

I'm sitting in the middle of a lot of other people's work and probably getting a disproportionate amount of the credit. When it goes well, radio is. At the end of the day, radio is just about having a conversation interesting enough that, let's just say millions of people are going to want to listen to it, and that's not easy to do, and it's very different now because of the way this stuff is consumed and the way it's disseminated. And when Mike and I started, for example, I started doing radio talk shows in Chicago in 1992. That was where I got my start.

I was a reporter, and then I covered the bulls and the bears. And then in the summer, when all the talk show hosts would take their time off, you know, the young guys like me would get to host shows. So I've been hosting talk shows on one level or another since 1992. And the way it has changed is, I mean, it's immeasurable. So, to give you the best example, I can give you of that.

When I started in 1992, we would give two phone numbers on the air. One would be the number for people to call in. The other would be a fax number so people could fax their opinions in. People would literally write down an opinion on a piece of paper and fax it to us. And we had a pa.

Someone would have to run in there on the breaks and rip off the faxes, and I would read them on the air. Now, if that sounds like a very long time ago, it was. And so everything has changed substantially. But at the end of the day, doing a radio show is still about creating a conversation interesting enough that thousands or tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, or if you're really lucky, millions of people are going to want to listen to it. And that is still harder than anything else.

Ryen Russillo

So when I thought about, like, get up, and, you know, I was in the room for the pre show, like you are, and I think there's. This is something that I think the best hosts have, is that you can have a staff, but it's up to you. Like, your instincts. You either develop or you don't, and your instincts are about, hey, that'll work. But I think the beauty in what you did when I'd be in those pre show meetings is if there was an athlete, say it didn't have to be an athlete, but it could be a media member, and we'd be going around the room.

We'd kind of know the handful of topics. Okay, these are the hits today. This is what we have to hit on. But where are you on these? And the minute someone said something insane, your eyes, you'd be like, that leads the bees.

What is it about your talent for mining people to say stuff where I'm like, what? I don't know. Thank you for saying that. I do think it is the thing I do best. I think I'm good at making other people the best they can be, the best version of themselves on the air.

Mike Greenberg

And I think it might be, it might sound like oversimplifying it, but I think I really genuinely listen when many other people don't. Like, there are people of whom I say this all the time. They exist in two states. One is talking and the other is waiting to talk, but the really important one is listening. So you need to listen to what people say.

I'll tell you who was incredibly good at this was David Letterman. So Mike and I were lucky enough to go on that, on the Letterman show quite a few times. And what I noticed when we were on was that when we were talking, he was focused. He was like, I'm leaning in for the listening audience. He was like, he was zoomed in on what we were saying and he was interacting with us, even just facially and with his eyes, even when he wasn't saying things.

And so you could tell from that this is going well, I should keep going. Like if I said something I could see in his face, he thought it was funny. His show is probably a bad example because there'd be an audience there and they would either laugh or they wouldn't. But generally, if it's just me and three other people sitting on the desk, they can usually tell from my face if they should keep going or I'm going to take it away from you in a second here, because I'm genuinely listening to what they're saying rather than thinking about where I want to get to next. Part of that is just experience.

Part of that is I've just been doing this so long that I don't really need to spend a lot of time thinking about what I'm doing next. Certainly didn't start out that way. Like, if I had six places I need to get to in a segment early in my career, I would have to have spent some time thinking about how I was going to get there. I've just been doing this so long now that I can kind of do that without really trying that hard. So I think I'm just listening to what people are saying and I'm reacting in real time.

And I do think that influences how they go about what the point they're trying to make. Listening ends up kind of being the toughest skill to develop as a host, which sounds crazy, but you kind of justify not listening early on because you're like, well, I'm driving and I've got all these things and, you know, radio, you have someone in your ear a lot less than television, but it's amazing where interviews can go if you actually listen to what the answers are, and I think, can I make sure that. Very quickly where that's gotten really hard. So in 2020, prior to 2020 on get up, at least, and we had been on the air for two years at the time that the pandemic hit. Prior to that, 95% of the guests that we would have would be in the studio with me.

So I'm having a conversation with them face to face. And if someone's talking in my ear, I can hear them in that ear, but I can still hear out of the other ear what the people around me are saying. When the pandemic hits, that became impossible to do. When the producer goes in your ear, if you just sort of think about it, I'm through this thing. I'm pointing at an Airpod right now.

So through that same device, I'm hearing. So let's say I'm interviewing you and I'm interviewing Steve Ceruti, and I'm interviewing Dominique Foxworth. You were three of the three people who are on my show, and I'm trying to listen to what you're saying. If the producer needs to get in my ear and say something, he cuts them out entirely. I cannot physically hear what they're saying.

There's no way for me to do it. They have been taken out of my ear. So that became a pretty delicate balance. It used to be that producers could get in my ear anytime they wanted, say whatever they want. I'm pretty good at, like, hearing that while still focusing on this.

But there was a real learning curve in that of, you got to be really, really, really careful with how much you get in my ear when other people are talking because I lose the ability to hear them. That has been a big adjustment. I got to ESPN in 2006, and, you know, I was just filling in a bunch in the beginning, and it was great. It was an incredible feeling. You know, I just turned 30, and, you know, I'd be around.

Ryen Russillo

I'd see you guys sometimes. I wasn't there during the day very much in the beginning. I was more of the weekend guy. But then I remember you got duel. Right?

Duel, I think, was 2006, the game show. Yeah. And I think about kind of, like, different moments in my career where it's like, okay, I want all of these things. And I wonder, with your taste of that, like, at that point in your life, were you thinking, okay, well, look, this sports thing is cool, but I'm. I'm just.

I'm just a good host. I mean, look, you're incredibly talented. Guy at television, you were born to be on television and drive and host and, you know, all the stuff that you've done, it makes sense. Do you think there was a moment there? Cause I used to remember how, like, managers would get really worried that Colin Cowherd's sitcom was gonna get picked up.

Like, what are we gonna do? Like, what if Greenie gets, you know, if he's the next Alex Trebek? What was going through your head in those times where it felt like you were seeing what you might also be capable of? So the game show, I would have loved that. I grew up loving game shows.

Mike Greenberg

I'm older than you are, so I go back to shows like match Game and Tic Tac Dough, and I would come home from school and watch that stuff. I loved game shows, and so I loved the idea of hosting a game show, and that was when we did duel, was at the time when there were some network game shows on tv that were super popular. Who wants to be a millionaire? Was huge. The one that had, what is the guy's name?

Howie Mandel. What was that show called? It was a deal or no deal or no deal. That was, like, the number one show or one of the top shows on tv. So I would have loved that.

So the answer to your question is, hell, yes. If that show, if Duel had taken off, as opposed to, let's face it, practically no one watching it, they got picked up for a second season only because that happened during the writers strike. So the networks picked up every show that didn't have writers, so I got a second season out of it. So that was great for me. But by no standard of measure could the show have been.

Could be described as a big success. I don't know that I would have ever left. I don't think I would have had to have left ESPN to go do that, because that's a. That's something you shoot in small doses. I will say that many years later, when Regis Philbin left his show with Kelly Ripa, I was one of the people they brought in before they gave the job to Strahan.

They had me in, and then they had me back two more times. And so I don't remember exactly what year that was. 2013? Yeah, I think it was ten, just over ten years ago, whatever that was. Before Michael Strahan got that job.

And I did at that point, think, if they offer me this, do I go do that? Like, would I leave ESPN? Because that's something I couldn't have continued to do, certainly couldn't have continued to do Mike and Mike and do that because they do that. That show is called live because it's actually shot live at 09:00 in the morning in New York. So I obviously couldn't be in Bristol, Connecticut, from six to 10:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m. Live on the radio. That's when I would have to have made a decision.

And I think if I had gotten, like, the same kind of security, I would have done it. I think I would have done that now if they'd said, we'll sign you to do it for one year. You know, I had kids I used to put through college, all that kind of stuff, so I don't, I wouldn't have left for something that wasn't pretty safe. But I think under the right circumstances, I would have gone to do that. That show was great.

I loved it. She was terrific. She's so funny and smart and nice. And that show was really easy to do. So that's the one more than a game show that I think I could have seen myself saying, art, if you offer me this, I think I would do it.

Ryen Russillo

The reason I ask is, I think all of us could agree that there's a lot of lessons, and it does has nothing. It's not specific to our careers, but it's just in life, like these things that you want so badly, and then when you don't get them, you can look back and go, thank God I didn't get the thing I wanted that bad. And it sounds like there was a time where if the opportunity presented itself, you would have pivoted. But we're coming up on 30 years at ESPN. Is it different now for you?

Do you look at outside opportunities differently than maybe you did ten years ago? Yes, and in both ways. So I just said that was at a time in my life when I still had a lot of concerns that I don't have now. Like, my kids are adults. My daughter is 23.

Mike Greenberg

My son is 21. My daughter's out of college. My son is a junior in college. I've made a lot more money since then than I had then, so I'm not as concerned about that. So the very, very, very nice thing is that I'm in a stage.

I don't feel anywhere near being at the end of my career, mathematically speaking. I guess I'm closer to the end than the beginning, but I don't feel like I'm going to stop working anytime soon. But what I am in a position to do is choose to do things because I want to, not because this is the way I can make the most money. Early in your life, probably most people for most, if not all of their lives, you're generally speaking, going to choose the most money as your past because we all want to make more money. I'm in a position now where I think I could consider stuff even if it wasn't the most lucrative option, if it was something I really wanted to do.

So there's that side of it. The other side of it is like, I grew up here. I mean, I've been, I don't work in Bristol anymore, as you know, so I'm not around that, like, Bristol is its own. It's like being on a college campus, right? So I was there for 21 years.

I'm not part of that day to day anymore because I'm not in the middle of that. But we've developed our own sort of thing like that here because since you were last year, like now, first take is here every single day. And, you know, there's two or three other shows that come out of here and we have, we probably have, I'm just looking around this area. There's probably 50 or 60 people that work here every single day. And we've become sort of our own little family.

And that's important to me. And so I would say to leave it would have to be something really, really good, something just extraordinary would have to come along that would make me do it. But I will tell you, because where I thought you were going to go is about the idea of turning stuff down. So I'll tell you a story now that I'm not sure I've ever told anyone this in a public setting. So in 2003, Stevie was one, my son was one, my daughter was three, Mike.

And Mike was still very much in its infancy. I got an offer to go back to Chicago. So my wife was born and raised in Chicago, lived there all her life, all her family is there. It's an incredibly special place. I lived there for eleven years, if you include college.

So Chicago, going to Chicago would basically have been going home. I was offered the job as the sports anchor at one of the major, one of the onos in Chicago. And Stacey and I both wanted me to take it, and I wanted to take it and she wanted me to take it. And we would have moved back to Chicago and lived our lives and raised our kids and been there just 21 years ago. And I went in and met with the people that I work for at ESPN.

And one thing led to another and we wound up not taking it. And I look back on that now, and I think, my God, where would my life be now if I had taken, you know, if I had gone there? That was at a time when that seemed like a better job than the one that I had. So that's. That's a good example of sometimes something that you think you really, really, really want.

It might turn out to be much, much, much better in the long run if you don't wind up getting it. Do you think if your teases had been worse, they would have sent you back to Chicago sooner? The teasing thing, you know, I guess everyone has to be known for something like it. Just like, I started thinking about it, like, what is the job like? You were just.

We were just joking at the very beginning of this conversation about all the reads, all the commercials, all the sponsorships. Well, that's what we're doing. So a show is not a frivolous exercise. A show is a business. Right?

We're doing. We are running. We are. We are running a business here. The business is selling advertising.

The job is making people listen to the ads. The job is making people listen through the break. I'm going to go to a break. We're going to be gone for three or four or five minutes, and my job is to make you want to list what make you want badly enough to keep listening. And in this day and age, again, everything has changed because people are consuming it all so differently.

But back in the day, when you were just in your car in traffic listening to Mike, and Mike in the morning, like, I got to make you so interested in what we're going to do next that you're not going to change the station during these commercials to go listen to Howard Stern or music or any of the other millions of things that were on in those days, that's the job. And when I thought of it that way, that's when I started trying to make teases as compelling as I possibly could. It just made sense. It used to drive me crazy. I'd be in a meeting with other managers, and they'd be like, your teases just aren't good.

Ryen Russillo

You need to listen to Greenie. You need to listen to Greenie. I'm like, he's really good. I'm like, but I'm not. I'm not as good at him.

And then I remember one time I finally. It was somebody in management that I was at least a good enough relationship with. I was like, do you guys ever care what I saved in the eight minutes in between bringing everybody back and the fucking tease, do you care about any of those eight minutes? And I swear there was, like, one manager there, which I did not say this to, where I think you would have been, like, not really. Like, just.

Just hammer me with that tease. We do have a tease for that. Let me just say. Yeah, go ahead. At the end of the day, and people have criticized me, people take this the wrong way.

Mike Greenberg

It's more important that people are listening than it is what you say. You know what I mean? Like. Like, so you can say a lot of really cool stuff, but if no one's listening, so if you. If you have a really good segment, okay, and then you go to a break and everyone changes the station, and then you come back and you have the best.

You have the most compelling freaking takes of your life, the Celtics are going to lose. And here's why and all this. But if no one's listening anymore because they all turned the dial during the commercial break, then it really doesn't matter. So that's why it kind of makes sense to say that teasing, that making people feel like they need to keep listening is every bit as important as the things you otherwise say. Yeah, I can't say that you're wrong.

Ryen Russillo

But then I listened to Cal, heard his teases are terrible. He hasn't good at him for. For decades. He's probably one of the worst formatic hosts nationally going. And for him, it hasn't mattered.

You know what I mean?

Mike Greenberg

Look, he is who he is now, right? So now he can get away because people are going to listen to him regardless. People are also consuming him in totally different ways, all of us, than they used to. So the Colin that I first met, I've known Colin forever. And Colin and I.

I don't know that we became good friends, but I think there was always a. I think. And I feel comfortable saying, I think he would say this, too. We had kind of a mutual respect because ESPN was largely a place where most of the people on the radio were tv people learning how to do radio. And most of the managers, frankly, were tv people who were like, okay, now we're going to run radio, and we try and run it similarly, the way they would run tv.

It's not a criticism. It's what they knew. And Colin and I were two guys who came from radio. I learned the crap. I started out in the business in radio.

I did radio for years before I did tv, and so did Colin. And so I think maybe not the teases specifically, but I would say he did the fundamentals of radio, the blocking and tackling, very well. And that's how he got to be Colin Cowherd. And now once you are Colin Cowherd, then you don't have to do that as much, because people are just going to listen because they want to hear what you have to say. But when you're just one of a hundred voices in the wilderness, then that's where that stuff matters more.

More. Couple things here before we finish up. You've been there a long time. We know it's different. Like, each stage for you at ESPN is just different and different and different.

Ryen Russillo

And even though all of us loved being in New York City, and I'm sure you did, and then first take being there, it changed. Bristol businesses have challenges, certainly in content, more so. More so now than, I'd say, than any other point. Like the questions about where all this stuff is going. Your job may be kind of the same, but how different does it feel from maybe those peak days in Bristol when we were all there?

Mike Greenberg

Everything is different. I don't think that's only true of us, the world. There's one thing you learn the older you get, and I'm a lot older than you are, is everything is constantly evolving, constantly changing. The only mistake we make is assuming things are going to stay the same. I did an event with Jimmy Pitaro recently, the president of ESPN, and we were talking about the future of the industry.

And I said, like, we're going through the industrial revolution every year. Like, the industrial revolution took a century. We have one every year. We have that level of change in our industry. I give a lot of credit to these people who are trying to frantically stay ahead of that and position yourself for a future that is so totally uncertain.

So, I mean, I just made the point that in my career, people used to fax me their opinions to read on the radio. I'm old. I'm not that old. I'm not Edward R. Murrow.

They weren't doing this in the fifties. So, you know, like, there were record players and then there were cassette tapes, and then there were CD players, and then there was a Walkman, and then there. I mean, you know, things just evolve, and so they're constantly evolving. So with regard to how we go about doing the job, it is a never ending evolution, and I think it's going to stay that way for a while. As far as the people, it's awful.

I mean, no one. No one's happy to see people go. Everyone wants to see as many people as possible. You know, succeed and thrive and be happy, and the realities of the business get in the way of that sometimes. I mean, there's just no other way to look at it.

So I've tried as hard as I can to just, you know, you support the people that you can support as best you can. And then I just try and do my job as best I can and hope that the chips all sort of fall in good places or as best as they can under the circumstances. I still have a couple things in my notes to get to. Where were you on the McAfee norby dust up as it was happening? I wasn't anywhere.

I mean, I'm friends with both of those guys.

Ryen Russillo

Go ahead. Go ahead. Whoa. I didn't know we were getting some. Well, no, I mean, McAfee first came to ESPN on my show.

Mike Greenberg

I don't know if you know that, but McAfee. I saw Pat McAfee at the NFL draft when I was there in Nashville at the draft in 2019, which is when he came out there and did his thing. And I was not that familiar with him. I remembered him as a punter, and I knew that he had gone on to do, like, a bunch of other stuff, but I didn't know it that well. So I dmed him and I said, hey, I'd like to have you come to get up with me sometime.

And a lot of people told me that I worked for you can't do that. He's much too out there. That's dangerous, blah, blah, blah. And I said, he strikes me as a smart guy. I think he'll know where the line is, particularly with me.

But you know me pretty well. Like, I don't, I don't try and pretend I'm anything that I'm not. Like, I'm not going places a lot of other people are going to go. I'm just not. If you like it or you don't like it, you criticize whatever.

I'm, I am who I am. And I think he knew me well enough to know, like, I won't go past this line. And he never did. And the next thing I knew, he was on all these ESPN shows because he's freaking great. And whatever happened and Norby, look, a lot of people have.

Norby is not always the easiest person in the world to deal with. Everyone knows that. But he was great to me, and he and I always got along great. So I hated seeing that happen. Like, I just thought that was awful for everyone.

Just the whole negativity of the relationship between the two of them. And so that was sort of how I felt about it. Like, I don't. I don't think there was anything in it to celebrate. You know, it was just.

It was a shame that two people just kind of couldn't get it together for whatever reason, but they were not the first and they won't be the last. I didn't ask that. Expecting any kind of depth of answer. So I appreciate you giving me something on that. I also think there was a lot more to it as far as some of the decisions that were made.

Ryen Russillo

But we'll leave that one alone for now. The reason I was even doing that is just expecting to kind of like. Because when I came on, and I'm finishing here, is when I used to come on with you and get up. A couple of your producers pulled me aside and they were like, you know, what we always love about you with Greenie is that you're one of the few people that just kind of. He's just sort of uncomfortable at times because he doesn't know where you're going to go.

And it's not at the risk of, like, doing content that we should be doing. But they were like, there's just something with you and him in this dynamic where he's always, like, not quite sure if he's figured you out yet, which is probably, you know, will be in my tombstone, but you have an unreadable face. Like, you do not. Your, I would not want to play poker with you because I can never tell from your expression whether you're happy or unhappy with what's going on. Like, even now, as I'm sitting here answering your question, I'm thinking, is he amused by this?

Mike Greenberg

Is he not? It doesn't look so happy. Maybe he's happy like you are. Very. Most people are very expressive facially.

And I'm staring directly at your face. I'm looking at a little square on the bottom half of my phone that has nothing but your face and a microphone in it and what looks like the ocean behind you, which is really nice. And I can't tell what you're thinking. And I think that's probably it. More than anything else, it is the ocean.

Ryen Russillo

I appreciate you noticing that. Really nice. Yeah. Well, as we say goodbye, we'll do a tease. Coming up next on life Advice.

If your son turns ten, should he kick in for groceries? The answer may surprise you. Hey, thanks a lot to listen. I am sticking around to listen to that. So I think that is a very well done tease.

Mike Greenberg

Whoever that person in that room was who said you suck the teases. Well, who's laughing now? Thanks, man. It was great catching up.

Ryen Russillo

This episode is brought to you by Arby's. You know what I hate? Hate is after lunch, there's all this time before dinner. I hate it. So I'm always like, do I do this?

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Kyle Crichton

Fine. I drive a Ferrari 355 cabriolet. What's up? I have a ridiculous house in the south fork. I have every toy you can possibly imagine.

Steve Ceruti

And best of all, kids, I am liquid. So now you know what's possible. Let me tell you what's required. The email address is lifeadvicermail.com dot Kyle back in the mix. Were you offended to not be involved in the gains.

Kyle Crichton

So much so that I quit smoking. Got my patch on today. Whoa. Feeling good. Hello.

Ryen Russillo

Hello. Did you listen to that pod? And we're like, no, I didn't. Don't flatter yourselves. No, no.

Kyle Crichton

I just like, yeah, you got to look at. Look inward, man. Why were you off the pod? So, you know, getting back to it, back to the grind, I imagine that was. We did hang out.

Ryen Russillo

Yeah, we hung out on Saturday night. We went to Shane Gillis, me, Tate, Kyle, and bill. And then you and bill wanted to go late night. We were even thinking about bars. You said no to the frolic room late at night.

Bill was. Bill wanted all of us to go to the frolic. No, Kyle shut it down. I shut it down because, like, it's not. That's not the frolic room I need you to see.

Kyle Crichton

It can't be that. And I can't have you coming on this pod on a Tuesday morning, talking about, well, so saw what the frolic room was all about. I just couldn't have it. So it did hurt to turn down a drink in Hollywood with the boys altogether, but I had to do it. It was for the greater good, just so we understand.

Ryen Russillo

Me, Bill, Tate, Kyle, all in a car, leaving the greek, which is its own adventure, getting out of there. Gillis tears it up, and dudes each had a beer, I think, at the show, and bill's like, should we go to the frolic? And Kyle said, no, I did. I did. It was hard.

Kyle Crichton

It was really hard. And what were you afraid of? Was it the crowd there? Was it that it was going to be. No, it's the crowd.

There's. It actually really fills up later. And you said it gets a little dangerous. Yeah, like, there's. It's.

You come in on a Monday, and I'm like, hey, how'd it go this week? And I'm like, well, there was, like, a stabbing outside. Not really inside, but the guy was inside before, so it's like, there's stuff, like, stuff happens, and also, there's really nowhere to sit. It's like, really. It's kind of an eclectic group, but, like, not in a great way.

And, like, you just end up standing, and you're like, what should I do? And then I just imagine somebody recognizing you or Bill, and now, like, it's just not the kind of crowd you want. Like, daytime is the way to go, which is why this may never happen, but I'll hold out hope, you know, I want it to be. I want it to be the right way, so. Okay.

Ryen Russillo

All right. Who drove? Bill did. Nice. It was a good show.

Steve Ceruti

Better. Was very good show. Okay. A lot of people are asking for our Drake Kendrick takes. I don't have it surprised by that.

Kyle Crichton

I don't think it sounds very good. You just don't like the fighting. I don't like the sounds of the songs for the most part. So the ringer put out, like, a top 100 diss tracks. And I had more fun going through that and being like, where does.

How to rob land? Where does Jadak, his checkmate, go than this? What was one? Was it ether? No, I think ether was two.

One was hit him up, which I think is fair. Yeah, hit him up. Out the gates is pretty aggressive. This was unwinnable for Drake, I think. I think it really was.

Ryen Russillo

I think Drake's remarkable that he's from the origin of what he was to then this is what I am. Can you imagine how many people told Drake, like, don't do this, don't be a rapper. And I never was like, oh, my God, the new Drake is out. I'm so fired up. But I noticed if you were ever out and it came on, everybody was having fun.

Kyle Crichton

He fought through a couple of rough years, you know. I mean, there was a lot of wheelchair Jimmy scenes out there that he had to get over. And then he was singing a lot. And there was a lot of dudes, you know, whose favorite rapper were 50 cent was like, this guy will never be our guy. And he wasn't storm.

Steve Ceruti

Did you watch the grassy? Watch Degrassi. It's actually a good show. I watched it on. I think I was in and out.

Kyle Crichton

I wasn't, like, never miss an episode. But he was on, like, the whatever version of Degrassi, right? He was on, like, 2.0 or something. I couldn't really keep it all straight. But, yeah, I would watch it be like, oh, people are like, my age on tv.

Some of them are hot. What's going on here? The Drake hate is annoying. I'll be honest. I don't have a rant on this particular beef.

Steve Ceruti

You know, I respect J. Cole for just being like, I'm gonna pass on this. That's probably my biggest takeaway. Like, I actually love that. But I just get annoyed when people like, oh, this guy's really popular and good, and, like, it's fun.

When you hear his music on, it's like, that guy sucks. Okay, cool. Does that make. But that was a better. That was kind of.

Ryen Russillo

That was kind of like a guy's. I think Drake to have the run that he had is, is just the most remarkable thing, considering, like, what you kind of have to be to be at that level. I've always liked Kendrick a hundred times more than Drake. He's a better rapper, I think. Well, I just, I don't know.

I don't. What are we talking about here? And then when I think about is. An incredible album from Drake, like, best one, nothing was the same incredible. I mean, like, he's, it's not like he, it's not like he's just making, like, pop hits.

Steve Ceruti

Like the guy has. He's clearly talented. Incredible. He's just not the same kind of guy as Kendrick. If you like the Kendrick style, I'm not going to sit here and blame you for it.

But don't act like I don't know the people that act like they're too big. It's like the people that act like they're too cool for Taylor Swift. Like, all right, why can just let enjoy things? Yeah, that's my. Yes.

I said I'd never ran. I just wanted to rant. I was about to say it was funny. They opened up. Yeah.

Ryen Russillo

For three guys that didn't have an opinion on it. Look, family matters. I'm like, that third verse in that. I'm like, this is, this is one of my favorite things I've ever heard from Drake. And it's like, okay, he's saying this about Kendrick.

He said, oh, pound cakes. Like, all time at Wu Tang forever. So. But, but you guys, then it's like Kendrick was playing a different sport. I was like, oh, my.

Like, you didn't call him short, you know? And it's like, actually. So I don't know what to believe. I think there's a pretty clear winner. I don't know what this will mean long term, but there you go.

We get, we got a little in. There, you know, talking beef. Okay. All right, we need a judge. This is a judge, Kyle one.

All right, so we're going to let Kyle take the lead. Hello. Six foot, 215, super strong dad arms basketball comp. Poor man's lead. Luke May.

That's the May brother that actually won something. Not the overhyped draft prospect. Mean, mean. I think his, is his brother still in the Japans?

Just finished calling it Japan again.

I've got a few buddies that we've been called. We just find ways to say the Japan's with each other right now. We haven't stopped laughing yet. Like, Priscilla, are you going to the Japans this summer for your trip? No, too humid, I heard.

All right, I'm gonna have to, like week twelve, week 13. Hey, I'm Spotify. I know this is abnormal for the NFL season, but I'm going to the japans. My wife and I have a four year old daughter who has been a. Has never been a good sleeper.

My daughter's bedroom is right above our living room, so if we try to watch tv or make noise in there after she goes to bed making noise, she will always come out of her room. Therefore, we've been. We've been taken to hiding in our bedroom after she goes to bed because she cannot hear us in there. We will watch things on our phones or laptops in our bedroom, but my wife will not let us put a tv in there because she says watching tv in bed before going to bed will hurt her sleep. I argued that we were already watching tv in bed, just not on tv, and that watching on an actual tv will be better for us because it'll be better for our eyes since it is further away and the viewing experience is a lot better.

And three, we forget a lot. Laptop. We have to go back downstairs to get it past our daughter's room, which occasionally wakes her up. However, she's ignored all those arguments. What do you think I should do?

My thoughts are buy a tv without telling her. That never works. Ask her for one for Father's Day, my birthday, until she gives in. Or buy another laptop that we just keep in our bedroom. Thanks for the help.

You have to make a judge Kyle podcast. That would be the best. All right, Judge Kyle. Well, I think the first thing is your four year old daughter is the prison warden you're tiptoeing around to go get your forgotten laptop. I think that's sad, but I guess that will end, right?

Kyle Crichton

I'm not a parent, but I think that will. That will end. Um, I think. I think you actually do have a chance of winning this, because some people have that aesthetic where it's like, hey, bedroom is for sleeping. And for.

You know what else? We don't watch things in the bedroom. We don't eat snacks in the bedroom. We don't. You know, but she's broken that rule because she's watching stuff.

You know, you're just bringing a laptop in there and putting it on your bed like you're in college or something. Like. Like, she's already softened up that a bit on that. I wouldn't get something without telling her. I think the father's day maybe doesn't mean as much as, like, birthday or something like that.

But I don't know, maybe if you go all out for Mother's Day, and then when Father's day rolls around, you're like, you know what I would really like is to watch tv in the bedroom, you know, to go to sleep. So I think. I think there's a way to do it. Definitely not. Don't go rogue and be like, well, it's here, what do you want?

It's final sale. So I think. I think that's not the way, but. I do think that final sale to. Your wife, but I do think that she's already kind of broken down that wall of we'll never do anything besides sleep and you know what else?

In the bedroom. So I think she's definitely not one of those people. And maybe she would feel better about not fully committing to the tv. But I think my action plan is go really hard for Mother's Day and then somehow find a way to slip in that this would be your ideal father's day. Side note, when I met my wife, I was like one of those guys that I had a tv in my bedroom at all times, and I never even shut it off.

Steve Ceruti

Like, it would just be on all night, all day. Me too. Whatever. All night. And that when I, when we obviously moved in together, that came to a stop real fast, and it, like, messed me up.

I couldn't sleep. I was like, I need the noise. I need, like, you know, the 02:00 a.m. Sports center on, in the background. Like, what am I?

Like, I can't go to sleep without this. So that was a pretty, besides side note, but a little weird adjustment, I think. See that the weird thing here is you have all of the right points. Like, what do you want to doom scroll on TikTok and Instagram for 2 hours instead of just watching, like, a television show? That's terr.

That's clearly the better option. Better than Seinfeld. You think so? I don't think so any, I mean, really anything. So I think, you know, don't be a dick about it.

But I think, you know, yeah, maybe the gift thing is the right call, you know, a lap. Buying a laptop is never a bad thing, but you have an extra laptop. I mean, the tv might even be cheaper depending on what tv you buy. Tvs are, like, kind of inexpensive these days, so maybe play that angle and just say, hey, we can get this laptop, but the tvs can be a better bargain. I don't know, maybe small tv just.

Yeah, well, yeah, it can't be like some giant. Exactly. It's got to be, you know, I don't know. What are we talking, like 32 inch? I don't know.

It depends on where it is. Curved 85 plasma, whatever that. Wait, so did you. Did you ultimately figure out how to fall asleep without a tv in the room? It took a while, yeah, but I did.

And now, honestly, like, I. I can't. Now. You can't fall asleep if it were to be on. Yeah, I don't like it.

Ryen Russillo

You were in a hotel room? Yeah. No kidding. Yeah. I can't fall asleep without it.

Can't, won't, won't. I refuse to. I'll just stay up all night. If, like, I go somewhere and there's a guest room deal and there's no tv, I'm like, well, this is gonna be rape. Me and my boss.

Steve Ceruti

Yeah. 3 hours later, like, you don't think this fucking guy thinks enough on his own? No need. This, like painting up on a ladder going, cool. Just gonna think for 3 hours or, excuse me, eight hour shift.

Ryen Russillo

I can't do it. Had a few girlfriends, like, are you fucking serious with this? Forget to hit the sleep timer. They're scurrying around, just going like, you've got to be kidding me. Where's the remote?

I hate this guy. 1 may have even left just in that moment. Do you have a sleep show? I wanted to be the office, but that intro just goes too hard. And sometimes intro goes too hard.

Kyle Crichton

Three in the morning and it's duh duh duh duh duh duh. So you can't do the office? I'm a bit always sunny. It's always sunny. It's always.

Not that that intro can get a little loud, too, but. But it's not as bad as the office I'm doing. There should be a show. You may have hit on something. There should be a show that's just kind of mindless that you don't really care about, that has a really soft intro, if an intro at all, that's made for people that need to sleep.

Ryen Russillo

So it'd be like, hey, our show's doing huge numbers, and it's like no one likes it. No one even knows what it's about. Tell you anything about it? But they're out. From the sounds of it, it sounds like I should narrate it.

Steve Ceruti

Yeah. This thing that continues to blow up. Where I wonder if I should ask my agents to go. Is there any way I could just get out of sports and all the hard stuff and just read. Read things, fall asleep.

Kyle Crichton

Just travel and talk about it. That'd be great. Yeah, be like, hey, it's travel images. On the screen as what you're talking about. But yeah, I don't.

Ryen Russillo

Yeah, right. Just narrating anything to that point. You know how many, like, accidental episodes of Charmed I've watched? Cause TNT is just on the next day. Like, I wonder if so many episodes of charm.

Kyle Crichton

You guys. I remember I was in Boston for a playoff game, and then I watched the late game back in my hotel room, and then right into charmed, fell asleep, woke up the next day, needed to check out, had to pack. And I was so I was like, well, look, I don't normally like this stuff, but what happens at the end here is this demon. It's gotta be this guy. Looks like it's gonna be hard to kill.

I don't know if they can kill this demon. Gonna get away with it. Next thing you know, they're knocking on the door, being like, check out was an hour ago, sir. I'm like, yeah, but this fucking demon is from Pennsylvania, which doesn't make a ton. Well, actually, maybe it does make sense.

Ryen Russillo

So I'm very pro tv, but there's a lot of people that aren't. And it feels like a real male female split thing on that. But to the point that Saru, you made. So you think this is better just scrolling on your phone? She clearly wants to also still be in content at that moment.

This whole extra laptop in the room thing doesn't work because at some point, this thing's going to get a muay thai knee right through the front of the laptop screen because it's going to be in between both of you. It may impact cuddling. Are you pro anti cuddle? Who knows? We've got any leg pillows going on?

I think to just. Look, we're rooting for you. I don't think it's a great idea to just buy it and say, final sale to your wife. And then it could be a point of contention where maybe the motivation, like the email points out, like, make it be her decision. But I don't know how you're going to get there.

Obviously, we don't know your wife. So the whole I bought a tv and we're fucking doing it thing doesn't ever seem to work out. But I. I feel like you're already there. You're at the appetizer of late night content on screens.

To be sitting there watching shows together. On a phone that's not right for the record. I'm saying don't do that. That's a terrible idea you have. You're on the right side of this.

No, no, we on the phone. I'm not saying that you. I'm pointing to them describing what they're doing right now. So we're on. We're on the same page.

So a ruling, judge Kyle? Yeah, I like, I think just play the long, the slightly long game. Father's day is not that long, not that far away. I wouldn't go with the it's better for our eyes argument. I just think that'll sound dumber than you think it sounds now in the heat of the moment.

Kyle Crichton

But, yeah, I think I would like. Is that really good to be doom scrolling or whatever we're doing? Like, we could just have a thing that we could both, you know, come together and look at. So I think slow play it definitely, like, hit the nail on the head for Mother's Day and then find a less than 100% overt way to bring it up for Father's day. Okay.

Ryen Russillo

All right. Please help. Girlfriend thinks I've watched too many sports. 25 year old male, 511 200. No gym stats.

Starting a journey to get back into shape. Pickup cop Mario Chalmers was the usage rate ranging from Kyrie to Miles McBride, depending on the quality of the game. So both ends. Apologies in advance for the lengthy email. I found myself in a predicament known all too well by many a man, likely yourselves, at some point in your lives.

My girlfriend thinks I watch too many sports. Here's the context. We've been dating for about a year and a half again, our guys 25 here, and all things considered, we have a great, healthy and loving relationship. I definitely see a long future with her and know that she does too. But all caps?

There's a seemingly constant issue of me spending too much time watching sports. I do have to admit, she isn't entirely wrong. I've been a huge sports fan my whole life. I was one of those kids who was obsessively dialed into my favorite teams and every team and player that stood in their path. I would even wake up early in the morning to catch 06:00 a.m.

Sports center while I ate my cereal before the bus to school. By the way, for you to be doing the sports center thing that religiously at 25. So if we're saying no, you're 25 now. Bus to school. Let's back it up seven years.

Like you are still locked into sports center at 2013 2014 while you're in high school or younger. I mean, I know that that's what we did, but we didn't have any other options. All right, so he's a big Robert Flores guy. Huge. He's like, Florence had the best zingers.

Am I going to have to. Djokovic. They told him to stop saying that. Nowadays, I watch almost every game from my favorite teams, Pats, Rangers, Knicks, and Red Sox. Oof.

Got to be Connecticut. Long story, but I promise I'm not bandwagon. I only watch the socks when I have nothing else going on. No better games. A typical weekend at my apartment consists of my roommates and I firing up the dual screens, throwing in some bets, watching whatever games are on that night.

Probably a few zins, probably a few six mgs in there as well. Hey, boys. As you can imagine, the schedule is only intensified during NBA and NHL playoffs. She's expressed her concerns and annoyance numerous times since we started dating. Typically, when I have chosen to watch a game with the boys instead of hanging out with her, I usually respond with something along the lines of, I'm a 25 year old guy.

It's just what we do.

I said that to my dad once. I would come down to the vineyard on the weekend when I was still living in Boston. So we're talking late twenties, and it was always really frustrating coming to a place that's an awesome summer vacation, fun kind of party, hangout place for 48 plus hours. But then also, your family's there, and if you come home and you don't see your family, they'd be like, what the fuck? Which is its own topic.

And one time my father came over, was like, what are you going to do? Just go out, drink with your buddies and chase girls? I was like, yeah, that's exactly what I'm going to do. That'd be great. I go, that's what I do.

That's what we do. Me and my friends in our late twenties, that's what we do. That's what guys like me do. And it was like, whoa. It's every.

My brother brings it up once a year. He's like, it's one of the funniest speeches I've ever heard. That's your personal crab cakes and football rant. My dad didn't love it.

So. Yeah, I don't the it's just what we do to your girlfriend thing. So he. Wait. He has other counters to her argument.

So, as you said here, it's just what we do. Quote, or at least I'm not a Sci-Fi nerd or something. End quote. Fuck you, guy. I mean, you could be either.

Steve Ceruti

It's fine. You know, I could promise you. Yeah. At least I'm not trying to figure out how to model indoor, right? 14 mage.

Ryen Russillo

The guild meets later tonight. I can't make it for small plates. What she does not love. We really love doing nerd voice there. Let's keep it moving.

She does not love either of these points. She thinks it's immature to enjoy sports as much as I do. I think she doesn't fully understand it. Just because I want to watch sports instead of hanging out with her from time to time and maybe a little bit more often. It doesn't mean I love sports more than her.

It does feel that way to her, though. Dude, just to. Just to tell you I've been down this road. We have come to compromise on multiple occasions, agreeing that I will try to watch less and she will try to be less clingy about it. Additional context.

She grew up in a sports family. Her dad and brother are big sports fans. See, that should help your cause. And she still thinks you're doing it too much. I spend much more time with her than the average mid twenties couple that doesn't live together five to six nights a week on average, and a lot of weekend days.

I'd expect it. Like, he doesn't say this, but except for college football and NFL, right. I have a pretty demanding job in finance, working 60, 80 hours a week, which limits my time. So a question. How do you navigate this issue?

This is like four questions. Should I start slowly cutting back after the playoffs? Obviously. What do I do to help her understand? You see it as a major issue.

Look, I'm the last guy to talk to on this one, but at least I could say, hey, there's a. I get paid to do this. I remember my mother finally figuring my father and I out at one point back in the day when there was one tv and she was like, no sports tonight. And we're like, what are you talking about? It's the biggest game of the year.

She's like, the biggest game of the year was four days ago. Like, I've been keeping track. You can't keep getting away with this.

I didn't have the knowledge I have now. Yeah, right. I was like, it's the semifinals. The biggest tournament. She's like, what?

Well, what are the semifinals mean? She's like, so that means there's a. Final one more after this. Yeah, but like, well, that's Saturday. That's bigger than this.

But, like, we got to see who's in it. And then by the time Thursday rolled around, we're like, this is for seating. You have to know this is the biggest tournament of the year. You ever heard of it? It just keeps happening.

It's opening weekend of the NFL. It's like, ah, the guys. So we all know the game here. We all know what us men have been trying to pull off here forever. And the people that are confused are confused.

You're going to have to watch less sports. Okay. If you're telling me, I don't know how you, if you're really hanging out with her five or six nights a week and then also giving her weekend days, then one of you isn't telling the truth. Because if you're saying your favorite thing to do is to watch all these games every night and put in bets, how does she factor in to all of that time? Because there's no way you're hanging out with her five or six nights and then the one night you're watching sports, because it's not just one night.

So I don't. The math isn't adding up on your version of the schedule and her annoyance with your schedule. Well, I think just a quick aside, I think the last thing that he said in there about his job being that demanding, that's like, if you had a normal, just, you know, nine to five and you had more time, like, there's ways to, I think, move the schedule around. But, like, if you're really only getting, like, a couple hours at night and she wants that and you actually like her, want to see this going somewhere, like, it's not going to work out for you watching stuff as much as you're doing right now. Yeah.

Kyle Crichton

The other thing I would ask you is be honest about this. Like, when you say you're watching sports, he said, like, I'd rather go to my buddy's house and throw a couple bets. Like, are you, like, yeah, maybe her dad brother watched sports, but were they watching it from the fucking la z boy? Like, are you a frolic room? Watch sports guy?

Are you going over to Todd's? And I think he's home? Okay. Because he did say, you know, I'd rather go do this with the boys, throw a couple bets, whatever. So I guess that's what I'm wondering.

Like, are your sports also you like going, quote unquote out even if you're going to your buddy's house? Like, how often is that? Like, are you coming back? And you're like, guy who's been gone for 4 hours and maybe had a few beers and, like, you know, clearly had a bunch of fun, or are you just. Are you watching it instead of watching something with her or doing something with her?

So I thought by the beginning of his description of the email, it was like, he'd rather go to his buddy's house and put a couple bets down and, like, have juice in the. In the game and whatever. So I wondering if maybe you can try to. You are gonna have to watch less. That's the.

That's the fact. But is it. Could you be maybe more at home? Is it more important that you're, like, watching with your buddies, or is it more important that you're watching because those are two different types of serotonin that you're getting there, so. Right.

Ryen Russillo

Like, I would never, ever want to hang out with any girl I've ever dated more than the guys, okay? And I know you get older and those guy options decline, if not completely disappear. But I would say when I was a lot younger, be like, wait, dudes are doing stuff, right? Like, this could be the big one. I don't want to miss it.

I can't. Like, what are you guys gonna do? But, like, I don't know. This dude's coming over. That guy.

Like, there's six dudes there. What are you doing? We don't know yet. Oh, my God. The possibilities are endless.

Like, what's going on over there? Like, oh, she made me amazing dinner. She spent all day on it. She's like, just wants to spend time with me. She put so much effort into tonight.

Just a super basic deal. We picked out a movie. It's the worst.

So the math doesn't make any sense. 60, 80 hours a week for work, five or six nights a week with her, but then you're watching too many games. I don't think you hang out with her as much as you think you do. I'm just gonna say it right there. Now, look, there are some girlfriends out there that, like, look, I mean, look, this isn't specific to women, but I would say there are times where.

I don't know. I just, like, what's the female version of the obsessed sports guy? Because we could talk about, like, the Bravo shows. But the Bravo shows are not live. And in the moment, you can watch those whenever you want, and it's still not.

There's not, like, the semifinals of Vanderpump, you know? Like, you don't need to be in it live. I mean, some of you do. So, men, clearly, if we were to go blame pie here, suruy. Take up a much bigger chunk of the pie on the things that seem like, well, why aren't you spending time with me?

And you're spending time with that, and I don't have anything in my life that is. That is of that the way sports are for men. And the biggest disconnect that we constantly have through this is that one of the main reasons why we're different is the. Is the guys are like, you're looking at this as a sign of disrespect, and I'm not even there. Like, I love you.

I love hanging out with you. Like, what are you talking about? This isn't about how I feel about you, but, like, what are we supposed to do, stare at each other every day? So this is my. Don't worry about it.

Steve Ceruti

Yeah. Like, this is who I am as a person. And I think, yeah, I think on the female side of it, it's like, it's interpreted as you prefer this over me. And I don't know that we're ever going to solve that one here, but you're going to have to pick and choose here a little bit, man. I mean, look, the other thing that's going to happen is everybody, your friend, group, this stuff is all going to.

Ryen Russillo

I don't know anybody that's north of 35. That's like, what are you doing? Like, oh, well, one, you're probably not gonna have roommates that are all your buddies after a certain age. Although I think dudes should just bring it back. Wouldn't it be amazing, like, what's going on with those guys?

But, like, they're all married, but four of them rented a house together. There was some frolic. Dudes still going. They're like, I can't believe that doesn't surprise you. All right, all right.

Kyle Crichton

Let's be kind here. I could tell you from personal experience now I'm 35, married, have a kid. It's different than this guy's deal. I think I probably have more, even with the kid, more downtime. That seems like.

Steve Ceruti

Cause again, I think your job, if you're saying, what do you say, 60, 70 hours a week, I mean, that's. You don't have much time at night. I mean, the way that I've sort of finagled it is me and my buddies typically, and it's typically on a Wednesday, we hop on call of duty, we watch the NBA playoffs. Like, through that, we'll have it on, I'll put it on the iPad, and we'll just get a couple parlays up, and that's, like, our one night a week that we can do. Like, that kind of dude behavior.

Ryen Russillo

And you're still doing that? Oh, yeah, yeah. Pretty much every week. That's rare. And I think it's awesome.

Steve Ceruti

It is. You know, it's rare, right? I. Yeah, it's pretty incredible. And so I think you gotta at least, maybe you're the guy that organizes it too.

Like, let's do this once a week, and then the other pick a day, whatever everybody agrees with, and maybe they're doing it more than you and you're bummed about it. You at least have that one day to sort of look forward to, but you got. You're not gonna be able to do this every single night. Like, it's just not gonna happen happen. Especially the older you get, the more things that happen in life.

Like, you're just, as Ryan said, like, it's just. It's not, it's not. It's not in the cards for older dudes. Yeah. We love that you're on this run.

Ryen Russillo

Just don't think it's sustainable and convincing up these numbers. Yeah, take it easy, Brunson over here. So I don't really know that we helped this guy at all. No, I think we did. We did.

Kyle Crichton

Because the answer is, you're going to be less happy because you're watching less sports, but, like, that won't. Then you'll. Then you'll plateau on happiness. It's fine. It just has to be less.

If you, you know, that's why Ryan's greatest quote ever is, I'd rather be alone than annoyed. And, you know, you gotta ask yourself, so if. If the answer is not, you know, all the games forever, then you're gonna have to watch less games. He sent more. He sent another email following up to this one where apparently she was having a really bad day.

Ryen Russillo

And that's the other part of this dynamic, is that if there's a part of her life that isn't going great, say, a job or something with a family member or one of her close friends, then your role model breaks down a serious relationship. Right. Your role in a serious relationship is to be there for her. And if you're telling her it's game two, it's not going to work, man. That'S a good point.

Go ahead. Well, no, I was gonna say. So she looks at you and she goes, look at how much effort he's putting into, like, talking to his buddies and watching these games like you've got. Then you've got to do some stuff for her. You've got to plan some dinners.

Steve Ceruti

You've got to make some dinners. There's got to be. You have to show her that you're at least putting in some type of effort, that she thinks that even though you're not, that she thinks you're putting into the sports thing. Yeah. She's thinking you'd rather spend time with people that you don't know, that don't know you than me.

Ryen Russillo

And you're thinking, it's game two. Why'd you make it so complicated? Like, that's not what it is. I'll tell you this, buddy. If you do figure it out, write a book.

Kyle Crichton

I like your dinner thing. When I need. When I know I need a little thing. I got a killer dish. I make one of the better french onion soups I've had.

And that's, like, a lot of things that goes into it, but, oh, yeah, find your french onion soup. Dude, I just saw, like, an instagram reel about this. Like, it was like, a guy being, like, whenever I know I'm playing, like, call of duty with the friends that night, like, there will be signs that it's him. He just does all the laundry. The dishes are clean.

Steve Ceruti

So you like, again, you. I do that, too. Like, if I'm. And then the other thing, too is like, you go upstairs and you check on her and be like, hey, how you doing? Like, you got your head.

I got. I still got my headset on. Rubber head. And then run away, like, what's going on? You got your headset on?

Kyle Crichton

You gotta check in. You gotta check in. Like, you wanna come down and see my kill ratio? No? Okay.

Ryen Russillo

All right. Love you. Yeah. The m four has been on fire tonight. Killing it.

We watching? This is us before we go to bed. We still doing that? Not. Not in the bedroom, though.

Okay, that'll do it for the show today. Thank you to Oregon. Thank you to Trudy. Great to see Kyle back in the mix. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Knicks Up 2-0 and Pacers Call Out the Refs, Plus Mike Greenberg Talks ESPN and NYC's Love of These Knicks.

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