We Were Wrong About Golden Tempo | Belmont Stakes Fallout, Breeders' Cup Debate & NBA Finals

Nick (00:24.131)
All right.

Y'all ready to get crushed?

Matt (00:28.482)
Mm-hmm.

Neil (00:32.311)
You said he wasn't gonna win either, so I don't wanna hear this shit for you

Nick (00:34.141)
We're starting the show. We're starting the show.

Matt (00:37.262)
Convenient.

Nick (00:38.595)
We back. It's night differential. We got a lot to talk about. That's the 6-6 Neil. The 5-6 Matt is back with us because we got a lot to talk about with Golden Tempo and the Belmont. I'm the 410 Nick. Before we get into that and to get in the NBA, we'll talk World Cup. What else we got? We got the Brendan Soresby decision. Little NHL. There's just a lot going on. But to remember

To follow the height differential on how on whatever social platform you use and to follow us on YouTube or your podcast, listening device, Spotify, Apple, however you do it. But to start the show, a lot of people have been telling us to eat crow. And look, I'm right. Like I tossed this horse too. I didn't go as far as you guys did. But Golden Tempo did it again on Saturday.

Came from the back, went on the outside, not the further outside this time, but still the outside, and won the Belmont after winning the Derby. Y'all both said he'd never win again. Let's hear your thoughts.

Neil (01:52.547)
I I'm on record. I pu I I texted you as soon as as soon as it happened that I publicly apologized. I apologized to Cherie DeVaux and Golden Tempo. And I didn't think the horse had another one of these in him, and he he proved me wrong. So I was wrong. Congratulations to Golden Tempo. Do I think he's one of the greatest horses of all time? Still no, I don't. But he is good enough to to win two triple crown races and hopefully he'll run in

the Breeders Cup Classic. I saw he's on track to run the Travers and something else. So he'll have a couple races maybe b yeah, Jim Danny. So maybe he'll have a couple races before that classic and continue to keep proving me wrong. But nope for I was wrong. Golden Tempo was better than I expected him to be. so congratulations to to both Golden Tempo and Cherie in in their ownership group.

Nick (02:23.744)
Maybe the deity.

Matt (02:42.123)
Yeah, I've got to apologize too. I was on the, the never going to win a stakes race again. Didn't think it was going to set up, especially after watching the first three days of racing where it was all dirt races were speed inside rail. So golden tempo being the nine horse and a closer just wasn't up against the track bias, but somehow the pace fell apart again and it found its way into the winner circle. And the more I thought about it, I'm not upset at golden tempo.

I'm upset at the other horses. Like this crop of three-year-olds, it just wasn't good enough. And I've got some stats to back it up. Again, a lot of this has to do with timing and just luckiness or whatever. Golden tempo, 95 Bayer in the Derby, 98 Bayer in Belmont. The year before, your second place finisher, journalism, 102 in the Derby and 108 in the Belmont, and neither of those won. So sometimes you get lucky.

Neil (03:14.136)
Thank you. Yes.

Matt (03:40.058)
It depends on what the three year old crop is that you're running against, but it makes me wonder like the Puma, if the Puma won, if it had the Puma raced, what would the Puma look like? Paladin was one of the bigger horses going in, but he scratched out of the Derby. What would that have looked like? It's a lot of what ifs, but I'm upset at the three year old crop of the horses that did run and not Golden Tempo. Congrats Golden Tempo.

Neil (04:01.91)
Yeah, like no Matt's is completely right. This like this was a point I wanted to make. Is is the three year old crop just that bad? Like what what was this? Like what was this year? Like I don't think this Matt said they're not that good. This this Belmont was three seconds slower than last year's. Like if any of the three year olds most majority of the three year olds ran from last year in this race, he's not winning. So is he a good horse? Sure, whatever. But I think a lot of these horses are just not up to the standard

Nick (04:02.411)
I

Neil (04:30.548)
Of what the three old crops have been in the past.

Nick (04:33.462)
Well to to follow up on Matt's buyer, like he had a ninety five in the Derby, which was tied for the lowest figure in in the modern era with with Nyquist in two thousand sixteen. His ninety eight in the Belmont, I think, was the third slowest. Datara had a ninety five in t in two thousand and eight. So yeah, I mean the the crop definitely has something to do with this. But I I mean still we have to give

Golden tempo credit. And I think I think you all have done that. My thing, you you talked about the way the races were going all weekend. And my money was on commandment. And but I just see commandment that far back with tempo. And I'm thinking, well, I mean, the way these races are going, neither one of these horses have a chance. Because you just did not see very many horses on the dirt coming from the back.

Matt (05:28.205)
you

Nick (05:30.056)
And winning at Saratoga all weekend long. And the fact that both of those horses were able to do that in a race where it was moderate pace. I mean, the splits were not, it wasn't even close to fast. It it says something about those horses that they can close in a moderate pace, but maybe just none of these horses want the distance. Maybe that's what this is. Maybe it's and maybe that's what it is in the Derby too, because

The splits in the Derby weren't super fast. They were faster than they were in the Belmont, but then it wasn't anywhere near blistering. And they were able to close on that. So maybe it's just the fact that Tempo is the only horse of this crop that embraces distance. And that's why it seems like even though the pace isn't super fast, everybody's faltering at the end, but just because they don't wanna a mile and a quarter.

Neil (06:23.062)
talked about the lack of speed you know when we went through the horse by horse. We talked about the lack of a pace setter and the lack of speed. Like PowerShift was the only one that we thought really that was going to get out there and you know per tap perhaps grow growth equity. And Power Shift did what we thought he would do. He set the pace, but it he's not just he's not a good horse. He's not a he's gonna get out there but it's gonna be sl it was slow. It was what we thought it was gonna be. And there's no excuse for any of these other horses. Not one. I mean Renegade had it

Right down the middle of the track, he had his chance. we thought you know, we thought Chief Wallaby at one point was gonna win this thing. He had his chance. He had a clear lane down the stretch as well. And Growth Equity, who was one of the unknown horses in this race, for a while I thought he was gonna win it. He had a a a great trip and he faded. Yeah, like there was there was just

Nick (07:07.916)
Yeah, I was nervous. After cussing you out for having him in yours and having Tempo out, I was nervous that that horse was gonna win because it looked like he had a chance.

Matt (07:10.611)
You

you

Neil (07:17.88)
Yeah, it's like there was just no excuse for any of these horses to to not win. And the only one that I think might have a s a small excuse, but th we didn't think he was gonna be that far back, is Commandment. I don't know why he was that far back, but Golden Tempo shoved him way out wide. I mean way, way out wide on that turn, and that caused him to lose a lot of ground. So, you know, if he can keep that on the inside of Golden Tempo or even, you know, just

Matt (07:28.332)
Mm.

Neil (07:42.25)
not get shoved that far out. I think commandment probably wins the race, 'cause I think he's even to this day I think he's still a better horse. But Golden Tempo shoved him out wide and that I think wasted a lot of his energy to where he couldn't keep up in the final couple strides.

Matt (07:48.385)
Yeah.

Matt (07:57.166)
Yeah, I was surprised that Commandment was that far back. I don't know if that was a ride decision or just the way it shook out because if Commandment's back, like honestly, Commandment and Renegade probably should have been switched to where they were because Renegade was a little bit closer up to the pace and actually had a, like you said, Neil, pretty much straight lane down the final stretch and just didn't have enough juice. If Commandment was up higher near the front pack, might have been better off down the end, but who knows? Nobody knows.

Neil (08:24.086)
Wasn't he on his fourth fourth different jockey commandment? I mean it's like how do you I like this poor horse, like, he's getting rid by four different guys doing four different things to him. Like I don't know. Like, there's just no and the one jockey that does have the consistency was Golden Tempo. With Jose Ortiz, ridden him the entire way. So that horse knows what it's expected of him and he knows what the ride's gonna be like and commandments being

Matt (08:28.215)
Yeah.

Nick (08:28.426)
Yeah. Fourth in a row.

Nick (08:36.064)
Yeah. I mean

Matt (08:36.173)
That's a really good point.

Nick (08:43.276)
Yeah. And look and

Neil (08:51.724)
written four different ways. Like who I don't know.

Nick (08:53.684)
And that could have been the difference. I mean, the Derby and the Belmont rides by Jose Ortiz were perfection. Absolute perfection. And knowing your horse. And it's a big reason why they won. And look, we this horse went off as the fourth best odds, which for a derby horse is not normal. He was the highest priced derby winner.

Matt (09:16.481)
Yes.

Nick (09:21.812)
in his next start since Mind That Bird in two thousand and nine and he's the highest price winner in the next start to win since Caramat Charismatic in nineteen ninety nine. So we weren't the only people that weren't picking this horse. And look, we got crushed all over social media. And look, it was warranted. It was warranted. URL's take that he would never win again and the fact that he goes out the next race and wins the damn Belmont, it's it's warranted. And you would agree with that, right?

Neil (09:52.972)
I just overestimated all the other horses, I guess. But I would agree. I agree.

Matt (09:54.67)
Yeah. Yeah. It's not on tempo. It's the other horses in my mind for this race. Now, if he goes out and dominates another race and I'll get like, I'm not trying to take anything away from tempo. It's just the horses that were in this race did not. mean, you said it. Power shift had a chance if it wanted to, it was out front speed track, you know, I don't know if it had enough juice. You had growth equity.

Nick (10:16.77)
PowerShift is the Taj Mahal of this race. It's the Taj Mahal Preetness. That's PowerShift and the Belmont.

Neil (10:19.8)
Yeah.

Matt (10:20.311)
Fair.

Neil (10:22.626)
Yeah. Yeah.

Matt (10:24.365)
Chief Wallaby coming around the final turn was up front. I thought it was the Chiefs to lose. I was like, here we go, Chief, have at it. Then Renegade comes up and like, all right, Renegade, have at it. And they just didn't want to take it.

Nick (10:38.73)
No, and and look, like like I said, like I think the one person that I saw took golden tempo on and there might have been more, but Derek Jeter on the MLB on Fox pregame show picks Golden Tempo. And and look there might like I said, there might be other people, but I didn't seen a ton of people taking this horse to win this race. And a lot of people thought he just got a perfect setup in the Derby and he did, but he

I I think ultimately he just proved that he's the only horse in this crop that will go a mile and a quarter and

Neil (11:14.636)
Then he should have run the pregnant. Should have run the pregnant.

Nick (11:17.398)
Well, I was gonna get into that next. But what if this race is a mile and a half? He waxes this field. Like he extends the they were all done. If if this race is at Belmont Park and goes a mile and a half, he might have won by twelve links.

Nick (11:36.79)
Because they were all finished.

Matt (11:39.298)
Yeah.

Nick (11:41.065)
And and before we get into the next round of questions about tempo, I do want to read some of these comments because we did get some good ones. And I think we need to we need to share them. Michael Stewart says you pinheads need to study his form. He can run the final furlong in nine plus seconds after running a mile. Plus against stakes horses, quarter cracks and all. He's a beast. And this guy says he's trained horses for years. So this dude's an expert.

Neil (12:10.659)
So why didn't he win any prep races?

Matt (12:12.365)
I why did he fit?

Nick (12:13.376)
He did! He did! I told you this last week. He's three for five before the Belmont winning.

Neil (12:21.719)
I'm talking about the night the big prep races, not the little crappy ones.

Nick (12:26.08)
He won the derby! Won the derby. You've gotta stop with this.

Neil (12:28.461)
Prep the prep I said the prep races, Nick. Prep. The prep races. He lost his prep races to

Nick (12:34.984)
Entering the Belmont, he was three for five and his two non wins were third place finishes.

Matt (12:41.695)
Yeah, can you who are the who are the horses that beat him? Can you remind us that?

Nick (12:42.038)
Like we have to stop.

Neil (12:43.373)
Go to that.

Yep.

Nick (12:46.647)
one was emerging market, right? Or he beat emerging market. And you said emerging market sucks.

Neil (12:54.457)
Yeah.

Matt (12:55.998)
I think he came in third in the Louisiana Derby, right? Am I making that work?

Neil (12:58.883)
He finished third in Louisiana Derby, lost to Emerging Market and Pavlovian. Yes, lost to merging market and Pavlovian.

Nick (13:00.384)
Yeah. In the race before the very yes.

Matt (13:03.542)
Yeah.

Matt (13:11.009)
So given that and given the Derby, let's just play the Derby app. Coming off of the Derby for our buddy who made the comment, what was his name, Michael? Michael, appreciate your comment. Thanks for following the show. If you had the Louisiana Derby and how that finished and the Kentucky Derby and how that finished, where...

Nick (13:20.972)
Yeah, Michael Stewart.

Nick (13:24.703)
Absolutely.

Matt (13:38.158)
I don't see the comparable. won the derby because he got a perfect trip. The speed collapsed. There's no speed in this race. Like... Right?

Nick (13:44.82)
I and that was the mindset. And I think in the end what we realized is just maybe it wasn't the speed collapsing, it was just none of these horses want to go a mile and a quarter.

Neil (13:55.415)
Yeah. No, I think that's what we underestimated. Yeah.

Matt (13:56.108)
Yeah. Yeah, I mean.

Nick (13:58.637)
So if we the the thing that we should have saw in the derby is that it wasn't super fast and he was still able to finish. So usually when you see a closer finishing like that, you've got they're going twenty three, they're going forty four, forty five. They weren't doing that in the derby. And he still finished on them that fast. Like closing like that. And look and no look, no handicappers.

Neil (14:00.121)
Like

Matt (14:09.399)
Mm-hmm.

Nick (14:27.84)
came to the conclusion that look, none of these horses just went the distance. But after seeing it again, it makes I I think that's what it is. He's the only horse that will go the distance.

Matt (14:29.345)
Hello!

Matt (14:35.915)
Yeah. I think there is one horse and one horse to blame to why Golden Tempo was not even thought about in this race. O'Selly. Because O'Selly bumped everything at the end of the Derby. So you had excuses for Wallaby, you had excuses for Commandment, and you figured they would show up. If O'Selly doesn't bump them and they just don't get there, maybe we look at it like more of what you were saying, Nick, of like, well,

Neil (14:48.759)
Yeah. Correct.

Matt (15:04.673)
The fractions really weren't that good and tempo still got there. So even if there's less speed, there are less horses, wouldn't the same factor end.

Nick (15:13.942)
Yeah. And look but

Neil (15:15.533)
Yeah, so was it who was it Michael or John or who was it that thinks that Golden Tempo is the greatest ever, apparently?

Nick (15:21.484)
Michael Stewart. And I've got some more here too.

Matt (15:21.815)
Michael.

Neil (15:24.141)
So hold on. So the let's just go back. The Golden Tempo opened the Derby at 48 to 1. He was the third choice in the Belmont after winning the Derby. Like the numbers don't support him being a good horse. They don't.

Nick (15:32.736)
He was a fortune. He was a fortune.

Matt (15:36.544)
You

Nick (15:37.975)
He was a fortulist. And look, it's it's easy to do this in hindsight. And look, when you you you put a prediction out there and it's wrong, and then everybody sees it on social, you're gonna get crushed. That's just the way social media works. Like, you gotta be willing to deal with that when you're putting predictions out there. 100%. 100%. And look, just because I said I didn't agree that he would never win again doesn't make me right. Because I had this horse nowhere near.

Matt (15:47.681)
Yeah.

Neil (15:54.906)
Yeah, there are there are upsets in sports. There's upsets in sports. What are you gonna do about it?

Nick (16:08.064)
The trifecta. I didn't think he had a chance. I just thought eventually he would win again because he's too talented of a horse. And I I thought maybe if he didn't run as a three year old then he wouldn't win, but if he raced as a four year old, then he would eventually win another race. That was basically my take.

Neil (16:22.125)
I just figured he didn't have very many more races left in him and they would since he won the Derby just put him out of stud. But

Matt (16:27.629)
You know, I gotta raise some.

Nick (16:28.498)
Ray Donnelly says this is so good because these novices don't realize it wasn't a pace meltdown. It's the fact that most horses can't go a mile and a quarter. Golden Tippo can cruise a mile and a half, which is basically what we were just saying. Chad Boston, do what? Yeah, I agree. I agree. 100%. Chad Boston says, LOL, I've never seen any of these guys before, which is probably a good thing for you.

Matt (16:44.993)
That's a fair take.

Nick (16:57.684)
Are they supposed to be horse racing experts? I don't think any of the three of us would could would say to be horse racing experts. We love we love horse racing. Yeah, we're and I said that. If you listen to the whole pod, I said that in the last podcast. Have have you guys ever seen a horse that improves with distance? Well, you have now. Maybe remember Golden Tempo moving forward. And that's another thing, too. I think this horse is improving. His run in the Belmont was even better than it was in the Derby.

Neil (17:00.441)
Well no.

Neil (17:04.033)
We're not an expert on anything.

Nick (17:27.782)
And that's I think that's another thing that they're three year olds. Some of these horses are gonna improve in a short amount of time, and I think Golden Tempo did

Nick (17:40.586)
And then the last one I'm gonna share is Tom Burke. Please keep telling me your picks. This will help me handicap that race by canceling your picks. Which honestly is probably probably

Neil (17:52.642)
Which is No, because our picks our picks in the other this even this race, like we we we had commandment. He was set I mean, Golden Tempo's the only one that we don't have like in in the in the exact or the tries or anything like he's the anomaly. We basically picked the Prickness correctly. We picked the Belmont correctly except for Tempo. We picked the Derby correctly except for Tempo. I mean Tempo's just the one horse we keep doubting and somehow he just keeps these horse the the three year olds suck. That's my opinion. They

Nick (18:14.806)
Well, we did that twice.

Matt (18:21.835)
Yeah.

Nick (18:23.848)
I I just and and look, I suck might be too strong of a word 'cause a lot of these horses might be good milers. I just for Triple Cranny, I just rather than that.

Neil (18:32.473)
How are th how are how are none of them good mile and a quarter horses? Like every year there's always every year, three year olds can run a mile and a quarter and just with this one year, only one horse can do it? It doesn't make sense.

Nick (18:45.502)
It it's either that or Boden Tempo's a great horse. Like so which one are you going with?

Neil (18:48.855)
He's not. He's not he's not.

Matt (18:51.777)
He's a very good horse, he's not a great horse.

Nick (18:54.784)
You all do agree that he improved upon five weeks ago.

Matt (18:58.113)
Well, yes, the buyer shows it. He ran three points better on the buyer. Like, yes, I agree. It was even slower a pace and it found a way to win. I am going to double down. He's not winning another stakes race. He is scheduled to run the grade two Jim Dandy, which is a mile and an eighth. yeah, I'm running it back. I'm running it back. Okay. Well, here's the thing. The Jim Dandy is a mile and an eighth. So it's a little bit shorter.

Neil (18:59.287)
Yeah.

Nick (19:17.654)
You can pull it again?

Nick (19:22.048)
You're just going full villain here. Neil, are you following?

Neil (19:25.658)
less.

I I I I'm listening but I I'm not I'm not putting out I'm not doubting again.

Matt (19:35.885)
Amen.

Nick (19:37.452)
So you you're going he's never going to win another stakes race after winning the Derby and the Belmont in back to back efforts.

Matt (19:45.122)
Yes.

Alright, he is not going to win his next stakes race. And I need to see the field for the Travers, because the Travers a mile and a quarter.

Nick (19:55.659)
And the dandy the dandy is what? A it's a grade two or a grade three?

Matt (20:01.821)
Jim Dandy's grade two and it's a mile and an eighth. So it's slightly shorter and Then yeah, which the Traverse is a mile and a quarter. So that seems to be the big bugaboo

Nick (20:04.342)
And then the drivers are great. Which could hurt him.

Neil (20:08.025)
I wouldn't read

Nick (20:13.396)
And look, there's it's a three year old race again. So there's if there's nobody else in this crop, how are you gonna say that he's not gonna win another graded stakes race?

Neil (20:23.811)
How's my guy the Puma? Where's the Puma?

Matt (20:25.119)
I was gonna say Neil's guy if the Puma is in there, I might go the Puma.

Neil (20:28.855)
Where's the plume?

Nick (20:29.036)
That's fine. But are you really gonna s guarantee that he'll never win a great stakes when he's got another race at this distance against this same crop?

Neil (20:36.033)
I'm just gonna bet him. I'm I'm gonna bet him to win. I'm gonna bet him to win every race so he does lose.

Matt (20:44.461)
man. What is the, I'm looking it up right now. What is the Breeders Club classic distance?

Mile and a quarter. So it's got to like assuming those are its three next rate. Like honestly, I wouldn't run it in the gym Dandy. Why just run it?

Neil (21:02.873)
I want sovereignty. Give me sovereignty in the classic against Golden Tempo and sovereignty will blow his doors off.

Matt (21:08.503)
Dude, Biaza's good value at 35 to one right now. Biaza loves distance.

Nick (21:08.961)
Right.

Neil (21:15.033)
I mean, I think aren't they both running this weekend? At Churchill in the

Nick (21:20.62)
Foster.

In the foster?

Neil (21:23.353)
the foster, yeah.

Matt (21:24.493)
The first is next. It's not this week. I think it's the following week, right? I thought it was the last week. Actually, I think it's the last week in June.

Neil (21:28.377)
What it was this weekend?

Neil (21:34.457)
Anyways, sovereignty and by A's are both in that. So that'd be a good one.

Matt (21:38.827)
Yeah. Yeah, Saturday, June 27. Yeah, so the last Saturday.

Neil (21:42.105)
Twenty seventh. god, that it was this week.

Neil (21:46.711)
Yeah, give me sovereignty. Give me sovereignty in the classic and that'll blow tempo's doors off.

Matt (21:46.763)
Yeah, that's gonna be-

Nick (21:49.697)
Well I look and I was I had all these questions. We're just running with everything right now. so one of my questions was gonna be after saying he would never win a greatest stakes, do you now do you carry that forward? And Matt, are you are you really saying that you don't think he'll win in a a great stakes race? Is that a suspicion?

Matt (21:56.663)
Mm-hmm.

Neil (22:10.967)
He's on record. He's already on record of saying it.

Matt (22:14.113)
Yeah, F it. One of these horses is gonna figure it out for the drivers.

Nick (22:19.362)
Okay. And and Neil, you you're you're off of that take.

Neil (22:23.821)
Yeah, I'm off that take. I think he probably does win another one because I think these three year olds are so not as good as we expected them to be. I think he probably wins like the Travers or the Dandy or the who whatever. I think he wins one of those, if not both, because I just don't think that the fields are gonna be that good.

Nick (22:41.164)
Alright, and then you get with to the classic. And look, th this isn't a thing to predict that he's gonna win. It is he a contender to compete for the classic.

Neil (22:51.595)
No. No. I'm not going that far.

Matt (22:53.549)
No. The pace doesn't fall apart.

Neil (23:02.829)
Nope, no contender for the classic.

Nick (23:05.505)
And

Matt (23:05.707)
I mean, shoot, we want to talk about the classic, the horse that just beat journalism, Niceos had a great race, granted, it was seven furlongs on Belmont Day, but Niceos looked really good.

Nick (23:11.094)
Yeah. Well

Look, here's the thing about the classic. The crop of older horses is really, really good. Like you're talking nice of you're talking Forever Young. You're talking sovereignty. You're talking White Obarrio. You're talking journalism. Like, if this was a couple years ago, where it was Sierra Leone who was three years and won won the classic after coming up short in the the triple crown races, then and it was just a bunch of three year olds going after it, then I would say yes, you have a chance.

But because there are so many order horses that are quality, I I I don't think this horse has a chance in the classic.

Neil (23:55.939)
Really? Nope.

Matt (23:56.878)
It's the combo of their quality and you know they can run the distance.

Neil (24:01.687)
Yes.

Nick (24:03.788)
I mean, you've you got Forever Young coming back after winning it. It's just like these sources are too damn good.

Neil (24:11.053)
They're so good. They're so good.

Matt (24:13.037)
Honestly, again, nothing against Golden Tempo. I don't think Golden Tempo was the most impressive three-year-old at Belmont on Saturday. The Englishman and the Woody Stevens, 115 buyer, matched the track record. Now that was a Cherie and Jose connection. That was Cherie and Jose. they had a really good day on Saturday, but the Englishman had a heck of a race.

Nick (24:21.6)
It's another Cherie another Cherie to vote.

Neil (24:31.097)
Right.

Nick (24:41.996)
Well and you talk about do what?

Matt (24:44.781)
It was a couple races before the Belmont.

Nick (24:47.97)
Yeah, it was the Woody Stevens. and then in the mile, NISO's put up a one nine. So it's not like they weren't putting up big figures at Saratoga. They were. And it just didn't have one in in the Belmont. The last question that really with with Golden Tempo that I I wanted to get into. That we've s now s he is the thirteenth horse to pull

The Derby Belmont double in triple crown history. We've now seen it in the last two years with Golden Tempo and and Sovereignty. If Golden Tempo went runs the Preakness, which Cherie DeVoe was very adamant saying they made the right decision with this horse. But it's two years in a row where we're

Not wit witnessing history because the Derby horse doesn't run the preakness. But also there's a part of me is kind of happy about it because I think a triple crown winner with a mile and a quarter Belmont would have watered it down.

Neil (25:59.576)
Yeah. you're right. And I don't know and I would have liked to have seen him run the Breakness, 'cause I think he probably would have won. and we could be talking about a triple crown winner, but also we don't know how the horse responds on just two weeks. Like he was a fully rested four four was it four five weeks since the derby.

Matt (25:59.822)
but nothing else.

Neil (26:17.325)
So, you know, he was at his best out at the Belmont. And had he run the pregnant, maybe he was not gonna be at his best at the Belmont. And maybe if he ran the pregnancy, he wouldn't have been his best in that race either, coming off a two week carryover from from the Derby. So I don't know how that horse would respond on the two weeks. I would have liked to have seen him try because, you know, a a triple crown in horse racing is one of the most exciting things in sports. But maybe he's just not the same if he does that. So Cherie knows the horse better than we do, obviously. And

She thought w that was what was best for him and she was right. I still would have liked to have seen it, but she might be right.

Matt (26:52.587)
Yeah. I most realistic result. It runs. think it wins the preakness because the preakness just was a bad field. I don't know if it would have bounced back enough to even win this race at the Belmont. That would have been, that's what I think might happen. Who knows? But I, it's hard to say that she did the wrong thing by sitting them out. The horse ran two races, one of both.

Neil (27:02.073)
Correct.

Nick (27:07.233)
And I think it's fair.

Neil (27:20.215)
Now last year I think the wrong decision was made 'cause I think Sovereignty was Sovereignty is one of the best horses that we've seen in a long time. He would have won the triple crown with without question. So last year I would have I think Sovereignty would've handled it and and dominated the all three.

Matt (27:36.161)
Yeah, cause journalism won the Preakness with a 95 buyer last year and... Yeah. yeah, no no no, I remember the run. Like, it was a crazy run.

Neil (27:41.625)
And he almost fell down when he did it. He about fell down.

Nick (27:41.75)
Yeah, but remember that run. Remember that run? Yeah. Like a ninety job with all that happening is pretty it's pretty good.

Neil (27:49.399)
I mean he fell down, got back up and still won.

Matt (27:51.98)
Yeah. But, then he was a close, he was a close second to the Belmont. So he was like journalism, I don't think faltered at all through the three races. So I feel like sovereignty could have run it if it wanted to.

Neil (28:03.459)
Yes.

Nick (28:06.614)
The but here's with sovereignty if it is a mile and a half, does he win at the mile and a half? Like that's that's why it's somebody would have won the last three years with the Belmont being a mile and a quarter. I just it puts a asterisk on the whole thing. And even with Golden Golden Tempo, I think would have been even better horse at Belmont with a mile and a half. We've already talked about that. But I don't I there's a part of me that's like gl yeah, I wanna see him run for it. But in hindsight I'm kinda glad because you don't have

A triple crown winner that is gonna have that asterisk.

Matt (28:38.239)
And maybe we all know that maybe the reason why a lot of the horses sit out the preakness is because it wasn't a full Belmont the past few years. But maybe people are thinking that it's too much, it needs more rest. So maybe it kind of stretches out the calendar where we kind of get your May, June, July and have a modern Triple Crown. You know, you can have the distinction of the old Triple Crown and a modern Triple

Nick (29:01.238)
Well, and you might see like you've talked about several times, you might see more horses running the prequestness because they don't want to go a mile and half. So they might come back in in two weeks instead of waiting five to run another race at a mile and a quarter. And look, here's another thing too. I said thirteen times in history we've seen the Derby Belmont double. Happen twice in the last three years, which means happened twice when both races were a mile and a quarter. Both races are the same distance, it makes sense. In the history beyond that,

Neil (29:11.959)
Yeah. Yeah.

Nick (29:30.014)
It happened eleven times. The last time it happened prior to 2025 was 1995 with Thunder Gulch.

Neil (29:40.109)
Were those other times, were those horses that decided to skip the Prickness and win the Belmont, or did they just lose the Prickness and come back and win the Belmont? Okay.

Nick (29:46.454)
I think there's a combination of both.

But those that's just the eleven horses prior to the last two years that have won both races.

Matt (29:58.092)
No. We had Triple Crown winners in between there.

Nick (30:01.834)
Right, d this is just a double.

Matt (30:04.05)
the double. Okay, I got you. I'm sorry. Sorry.

Neil (30:04.813)
Double. Yeah, it's the double. Yeah.

Nick (30:07.104)
Yeah. sixty seven horses have won two legs of the triple crown in the same season.

So that's any combination.

Matt (30:16.418)
Yeah.

Probably the most common combinations I would assume is Derby and Preakness because they're closest in length.

Neil (30:24.673)
I mean there was a there was a long stretch where we had a ton of horses that won both and then came up short in the in the Beaumont. In the nineties and two thousands.

Matt (30:32.588)
Yeah.

Nick (30:34.518)
Yeah, it it happened over and over, I felt like.

Neil (30:36.639)
Over and over and over again. Yeah.

Nick (30:39.946)
And and I am really excited for this race to get back to a mile and a half next year. It just it adds another element to this. To it's because it's the test of endurance. And that's what the that's what the the triple crown is, and that's why Belmont is the closing leg. And it's been cool being at Saratoga because Saratoga is such a prestigious track that has its big races but doesn't have a race of this caliber that everybody watches. People watch the Travers.

Neil (30:46.755)
Maybe.

Neil (30:52.311)
It is the best.

Nick (31:09.366)
They just it's not like this, right? Where it's got eyes on it that from people that aren't even real big horse racing fans. So that's been cool, but I'm excited for it to get back to a mile and half. And and to see the new Baumont because the what they were showing of it on on Saturday, it looks like they've gone above and beyond to redo that track.

Nick (31:34.75)
Anything else before we close out Golden Tempo just I just remember watching it I'm like holy shit this is this is really happening Cause like I said like just the way that the races were going I didn't think anybody was coming from the back and winning

Neil (31:43.993)
Couldn't believe it happened.

Matt (31:52.682)
No, I wonder, hey, here again, I'm not saying it's the reason why it won. Was that little bit of rain right before it ran? Did that soften up the track enough?

Neil (32:06.669)
I was really hoping Earth Equity was gonna pull that out.

Nick (32:06.754)
I mean that's

Why, cause you could cuss me out. I was thinking about it. I was thinking about it, believe me. But I was just like holy I just posted that thing about Golden Tempo four hours ago and it's about to go bonkers. And it went it went bonkers. And look, on that video, huh? Over five hundred.

Neil (32:11.501)
Yeah, exactly.

Neil (32:27.245)
How many total comments How many total comments did we get? Jesus.

Matt (32:32.507)
haha

Nick (32:35.134)
over five hundred. And look, on that video, I look as implicit as you guys do. For the mo like, it doesn't look like I'm arguing it that hard. Like, I and look, that we're just we're three clowns. It's not us the we're three clowns that don't know anything about horse racing on on that video. And I mean I was debating saying that he was gonna win a race again, but I just I didn't think it was gonna be the bum.

Matt (32:55.937)
Mm-hmm.

Neil (32:56.505)
That is true.

Nick (33:07.478)
So after becoming the first trainer to win the derby, she becomes the first trainer to win two legs in the same year. Pretty impressive stuff. I mean, she had a unbelievable day and Matt already touched on a little bit 'cause Englishman was unbelievable. Bob Bafford said I don't want I am running crude velocity against that horse again. Nope. Never again.

Matt (33:26.881)
Yeah, about that. Unless it's if it's not turns, I'm not running. I'm not running against his horse.

Nick (33:31.432)
Nope. I'm not not touching that horse again.

Nick (33:37.875)
Alright, so I think it's enough golden tempo. I I it is amazing to me though that people think horse racing is is kinda dead. And like it's but people talk about it all the time and the comments that we get when we talk horse racing compared to when we talk other sports, especially on Facebook, is just it's wild. It's wild. And even though we're getting cussed out, I'm glad that people were talking horse racing because we all three love it and

That's what I mean, we just enjoy talking.

Neil (34:07.691)
and Golden Tempo the s the whole storyline behind Golden Tempo and and Cherie being the first female trainer, it's it's great for horse racing. You you you bring in a new group of fans, you know, that that may not have watched it before, just rooting for Cherie.

Matt (34:22.711)
Yeah.

Nick (34:23.84)
Hundred percent. And just all pretty cool. Great, great for the sport. Great for the sport. Looking forward. I I think we're gonna have to do full previews for for the Dandy and for the Travers and for the Breeders Cup because it's working and we enjoy it and get get Neil get Neil Stretchet out.

Neil (34:42.231)
And we need to re we need to redeem ourselves. We need to redeem ourselves. Make us not look like eight.

Nick (34:46.164)
One hundred percent. Maybe we'll do maybe we'll do it for the foster.

Matt (34:51.085)
Yeah, Foster's, the Foster's gonna be a heck of a race.

Nick (34:51.158)
Maybe we'll do it for the flash.

Yeah, I I think here in a couple of weeks we we do this for the foster.

Matt (34:59.137)
Golden Temple will not beat us in the Foster, because it's not running.

Neil (35:01.869)
That's true. You will not be there.

Nick (35:02.6)
I write it down. Guaranteed. Guaranteed.

I hope he runs the deity though.

Matt (35:11.755)
That'll be interesting because it's a shorter, it's a shorter race. I'd be intrigued. I would also love to see the field.

Nick (35:13.664)
Yeah, I hope he runs it. I mean I just wanna see yeah, I wanna see these horses run as much as we possibly can. Run? Well don't know if the boom is ever gonna run again.

Matt (35:20.225)
Give me the Puma. Give me the Puma.

Neil (35:23.309)
Where is he?

Matt (35:24.969)
No, I looked it up. Paladin doesn't look like it's coming back for the Traverse, but the Puma looks like it's coming back for the Traverse.

Nick (35:34.722)
Okay. So skipping the dandy.

Matt (35:37.089)
I think so. We need some Puma.

Neil (35:37.805)
We need some Puma.

Nick (35:41.249)
We do. We're gonna we're gonna have to talk a little bit college football, y'all. And and we've talked a lot about the crazy stuff that has gone on with NIL and Transfer Portal and all this stuff. And now we got Brendan Soresby.

Trying to go to Texas Tech. Dude got implicated for what, how many forty wagers involving Indiana while he was a freshman quarterback there? And then has spent over ninety thousand dollars betting. And on Monday Yes. And and then on Monday he gets granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA by Judge Ken Curry of Lubbock County.

Neil (36:22.401)
Including games with his own team was involved.

Nick (36:35.554)
And basically there's gonna be an appeal, but the appeal might take too long, might be not even take place before the season's over. So basically he's eligible.

Matt (36:48.288)
As of right now, the trial date is set to start February 8th, 2027. After the season's over.

Nick (36:54.678)
Yeah, I see.

Like w where what are we doing? What are we doing?

Neil (37:03.043)
So w alright, so the it's complete complete BS, the whole thing, right? Like some judge in Lubbock decides who's probably a Texas Tech fan slash booster

Nick (37:12.726)
No, there was a Texas Tech fan and he came off of it. He came off of the ruling. So they got a new judge. And then I I don't know. But I there Right, we don't know.

Neil (37:19.833)
Who who what who claims that they're not? I mean, come on. I mean, we don't know if they are not. But he's probably getting some kind of promise from a Texas. Even if he's not, a Texas Tech booster is probably like, hey, I'll throw some money your way when it comes time for your reelection. Make this guy eligible. And what what happens? And like, first of all, don't have if you're gonna sue the NCAA, you can't have a judge in the backyard of the team that's on trial or the player that's on trial here or who's in question. That's just wrong. It happened in Alabama.

Matt (37:33.249)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Neil (37:49.816)
With the the the basketball player where the judge in Alabama who was a booster granted him eligibility and then another judge came along later on and squashed that. But send a message to to Texas Tech. Like if he's gonna play, isn't there not a selection committee for the college football playoff? They don't have to vote them in.

Matt (38:07.597)
Correct?

Neil (38:11.341)
Don't vote them in. And there's already ADs that are out there that are telling their athletic departments do not schedule Texas Tech anything. Georgia's done it. Nebraska's done it. The Big Ten is meeting to see maybe that they to for them to come to an agreement to not schedule Texas Tech anything. Send a message to Texas Tech that what they're willing willingly taking this guy in for what? For what? Like

Nick (38:36.322)
'Cause he's think it's gonna be good. He's gonna be good in win games.

Neil (38:41.411)
But that that's sending the wrong message.

Nick (38:45.11)
Well the hell yeah it is. Is it also sending the wrong message to other college athletes?

Neil (38:46.808)
They voted.

But they just voted so when when when the legislation came up in the NCAA for college athlete athletes and staff and coaches to be able to gamble on professional sports that almost passed in October, it was an hour away from passing, and seventy-five percent of member institutions went and rescinded rescinded the vote and basically overturned it. Texas Tech was one of those schools. So what are we doing? How what's changed? You you got one like you're selling out. Like it's it's a sellout move. It's a sellout move.

Matt (39:15.157)
running source he was on Cincinnati when that bill came out.

Neil (39:20.161)
You're compromising the integrity of college athletics for one player. Like, it's not worth it.

Nick (39:27.564)
Well, I mean, if you asked Joey McGuire last year if Baylor's recruiting this guy, a player that say got caught gambling and they're trying to bring him in to be their starting quarterback, what's he gonna say? Absolutely not. That's absurd. There's no way. And like what are we doing when your college athletes are caught gambling and can get off just by saying, I'm sorry, I'm an addict, I'll go to rehab.

Neil (39:39.577)
Exactly. Exactly. Exactly.

Matt (39:41.205)
Mm-hmm.

Nick (39:57.803)
and apologize. So now every student athlete and for any sport they're like, Well, if I get caught gambling, there's no repercussions, I can get out of it. So now you're opening the door for this to happen even more places when these things are just so available.

Matt (40:13.227)
My question is, this happened like two schools ago. How was this not caught at IU or Cincinnati? Like how did it like just come about now?

Neil (40:24.504)
Yeah, I don't know.

Nick (40:26.092)
I don't know. But it says that like some of the documents also allege he continued gambling after tri transfer from Cincinnati to Texas Tech.

Neil (40:38.586)
I guarantee you he did. He gar I guarantee he was gambling up until the minute he got caught.

Matt (40:39.98)
Yeah.

Matt (40:43.681)
He honestly probably took the the under on the Texas Tech win loss once he got caught.

Neil (40:50.297)
Maybe. He's not the only athlete or coach or somebody to get caught gambling. So are these athletes gonna now sue to get their eligibility reinstated? If you've been ruled ineligible in the past

Matt (40:52.311)
You

Matt (41:04.141)
I will.

Nick (41:07.5)
There's a precedent.

Neil (41:08.323)
Here you go. Here's your doorway back.

Matt (41:09.378)
Yeah.

Nick (41:12.342)
Dude, and you all know, like, if you're a student athlete or if you're anybody involved with the university, you're not allowed to bet on any sanctioned sports. Any. Like, if you are a college football player, you are not allowed to to bet on MBA. You're not allowed to bet on the MBA. Yes. How and how many times does compliance come to the to the locker room and talk about this? And not only

Neil (41:21.794)
we

Neil (41:26.861)
I get about six emails a year. I get six emails a year from our compliance department, reminding us.

Matt (41:36.555)
Yeah. Hey, we got a follow up email this week. Follow up email this week.

Neil (41:36.617)
Every year. Every single year. Maybe multiple times a year.

Yes.

Nick (41:42.676)
And you are betting on your own games multiple times ninety thousand dollars worth. And they're just like, it's cool.

Matt (41:45.687)
that you're participating, you're planning in.

Neil (41:52.759)
no, he gets suspended two games against what, Tarleton State and O Oregon State or somebody?

Nick (41:54.592)
Who games?

Matt (41:57.611)
Lamar?

Nick (41:57.779)
Abilene Abilene Christian and Oregon State.

Nick (42:04.032)
Look, and he's like he said I what he never bet on his own team while he was playing, right? Isn't that what he said? Yeah.

Neil (42:04.439)
Jump.

Neil (42:09.795)
No, he was at

Matt (42:10.129)
No, because I think he said that he bet on he didn't play with Indiana, but he bet on Indiana to feel part of the team.

Nick (42:17.078)
The fill part of the tape.

Neil (42:18.041)
Is he redshirting or something? He might have I know if he was redshirting or was hurt or what?

Matt (42:20.567)
Yeah, or just knew he was far down the death chart.

Nick (42:24.022)
I mean it's just like even like you you are got inside information. Even if you are a sideline if you're a reporter for a game and you get inside information, you are not allowed. If you bet on that game, you are fired forever. And you should be. Like this is just the most asinine. The NTAA has no control over anything.

Neil (42:40.813)
Yeah. Yeah.

Matt (42:45.675)
No. No joke. No joke. This time last year, I had a wedding derby weekend in New Jersey and I had to look up like because twin spires was not legal in Jersey. It was derby weekend. I had to go down to compliance and make sure I could sign up for FanDuel Racing and I wouldn't get fired because it showed up on FanDuel.

Neil (43:07.799)
Right. I mean

Nick (43:07.862)
Yeah. And you gotta be aware like aware of that stuff.

Neil (43:13.901)
I mean we we critici a lot of people criticize the NCAA and their handling of rulings and decisions and all that. There's nothing they can like they're trying to do the right thing here and they're just not allowed to. They're not allowed to do anything anymore.

Nick (43:26.646)
Look, and with the insane, some of this stuff is we can debate some of this stuff, like transfer rules. And I we can debate that. This is not something that is up for debate. There is nobody. There is other than that, Judge and the people at Texas Tech, nobody is on that side of this one. Nobody.

Matt (43:37.163)
No.

Neil (43:37.657)
Apparently according to a judge in Lubbock, Texas, it is.

Matt (43:41.175)
Yeah, the Texas Tech graduate joke.

Matt (43:49.804)
Like honestly, again, this would never happen, but what Texas Tech should have done was just said, look, we care about the individual. We can't let him play. We'll honor his scholarship. We'll see him through the year, do whatever. But like, we cannot have him play for the integrity of the game. But they don't care. They need to win.

Neil (44:11.053)
That's the right that would be the right move.

Nick (44:12.386)
I don't care. Why would they do that? Then they don't win games. That don't help win games, Matt.

Matt (44:16.781)
I know.

Nick (44:20.108)
Like it and like like I said earlier, like if the if you asked Joe Maguire about this last year, this would be an absolute no brainer. And now because it's helping his team in, just turn just just turn the cheek. Just let it happen.

Neil (44:28.473)
I mean Pete Rose got

Matt (44:34.221)
Mm-hmm.

Neil (44:34.243)
Pete Rose got banned for a lifetime. Banned for a lifetime for doing this kind of thing.

Nick (44:39.702)
He should be.

Pete Rose can't even get in the hall!

Neil (44:46.403)
But Brand Sorsby can get suspended for two games and play college football.

Matt (44:47.629)
Brandon Sordy can be ready for the Big 12 opener against whoever.

Neil (44:53.101)
No, I'm s like I I agree I I agree with what with Nebraska and Georgia and kind of what the Big Ten's talking about and what some of these schools are talking about. Like just send a message to Texas Tech. If I'm the college football voting committee, if they have one loss, you're not sniffing the playoff.

Matt (44:57.815)
Mmm.

Matt (45:10.689)
Hell, if they go undefeated, still don't give it to them.

Neil (45:13.465)
I think by rule, if they win the Big Twelve, I guess they have to get in. But if they don't win the Big Twelve, no chance.

Matt (45:16.094)
yeah, I guess that's true.

Nick (45:17.058)
They win the yeah.

Nick (45:22.624)
Just I I just it's all just it's so hard to even fathom that this has really happened.

Matt (45:28.749)
Well actually, you know what Neil? Technically, even if they win, they, it is the, I think it's like the highest ranked conference champion. So if they just don't put them in, just don't put them in the poll. Never put them in. Never put them in, it'd be great. Yeah, you haven't been able to put the player.

Neil (45:38.829)
You don't have to rank Yeah. Yeah.

Nick (45:41.73)
They are ineligible for the ball because you have an ineligible quarterback. I guess you could do that. I guess you could do that.

Neil (45:46.723)
Exact a thousand percent. That's a what they should do. Absolutely should do that. They should do that.

Matt (45:51.404)
You want people to get on board with the playoff and get on board with the rankings and the shows every week? Just keep doing that and never rank Texas Tech.

Neil (45:58.362)
Like Texas Tech, you want to win games? That's fine. Go win your games with your ineligible quarterback. Go twelve and but you're not participating for national championship. You're not having a chance for a national championship with this guy on your team.

Matt (46:10.507)
Have fun in the Sun Bowl against Washington State.

Neil (46:15.907)
El Paso is nice that time of year. I've been.

Matt (46:17.697)
You

Nick (46:21.122)
I mean what it is is this like his numbers or th they're not even that crazy, are they?

Matt (46:26.251)
I didn't think he was all that good, but he was probably what we see one of the.

Neil (46:28.193)
He he had a I think he had a really he had a solid year last year, but before that he wasn't

Nick (46:29.036)
There's like a really

Yeah, he was he had twenty seven todties and five picks last year.

Neil (46:35.639)
Yeah, he was really good last year. Years before that it wasn't spectacular.

Nick (46:43.426)
It's just it's just absolutely

Neil (46:47.459)
I mean you might even say I mean, it the kid's gonna play. You gotta watch out for his safety he's gotta watch out for his safety too. I mean there might be some some late hits coming his way directed from some of these coaches.

Matt (46:54.635)
The old.

Mm-hmm.

Nick (47:00.342)
They're gonna be happy. And it's it's just it it's gonna open the door. This is gonna happen again now. That's the thing. Is there's

Neil (47:01.91)
No.

Neil (47:07.385)
Well that's where that's just why you need and we everybody keeps saying it, is Congress needs to get involved and there is legislation on the table that hopefully can fix some things to where they don't get sued every time that there's a ruling. So if this fixed college sports bill, you know, can get worked out, maybe it solves some of these issues. But until then you're right, like it's the door's wide open. Do whatever you want.

Nick (47:29.634)
There's no rules.

Matt (47:31.853)
Like you said if if any other player any other player lost time because of gambling I'm reaching out to a lawyer and a judge right now being like What about him? Why why am I much different than him?

Nick (47:40.47)
percent.

Neil (47:43.459)
Yep. Yep.

Nick (47:45.696)
And if I and if I'm a student athlete, I'm not scared to place a bet now.

If this dude spent 90 grand, I mean I ain't gonna spend that much. Were they they gonna spend me for a $20 bet on the NBA Finals? Nope. So that stuff's gonna start happening more. You open the door for that. There ain't gonna be many people, I hope not, vetting on their own team, but betting in general, people ain't gonna be scared to do it at all. And it's too, it's too excited. It's too just it's just on everybody's phone. So everybody can do

Neil (48:20.717)
Yeah.

Nick (48:21.984)
It's just

Matt (48:22.251)
Yeah, there's the amount I don't think you can watch a sporting event without seeing gambling, whether on in advertisement in like a commercial on the court, like it's in your face 24 7.

Nick (48:36.076)
Alright, and so last week we were previewing the NBA Finals a little bit. And I had told you all that I had bet the Knicks back in February to win the NBA Finals. So, should I hedge? Didn't hedge before game one because it was basically I would bet 100 to win like 80. I didn't hedge before game two. I let it ride. And then yes.

Neil (48:47.321)
Mm-hmm.

Matt (48:55.788)
Mm-hmm.

Matt (49:03.361)
Did you do it before game three?

Nick (49:05.364)
Yesterday I did place a headset. About ten dollars ten to win two twenty five.

Neil (49:06.211)
So how much did you bet? Wait, how much did you bet originally?

Nick (49:14.498)
So my hedge yesterday, after like so I was talking with our buddy Carl, trying to figure out the best way to hedge this. Because Carl's a big hedger. Huh? It didn't scare me, but like I had it to where if I bet if I bet twenty five dollars on the Spurs to win the the series, it was that was gonna pay out a hundred like a hundred and ten bucks. So like then you either win two hundred or a hundred and ten. But ultimately

Neil (49:23.821)
Game three scares you that much. Game three scared you that much.

Matt (49:43.383)
Was this before game three or after game three?

Nick (49:45.452)
This is before game three. So

Matt (49:47.499)
Really? was... What were the odds?

Nick (49:49.994)
It was plus three eighty.

Neil (49:52.13)
Should have hedged after game one. Or after game two I should say. you say before game three. okay. I thought you said after game three.

Nick (49:55.715)
That's what I'm s I did after game two. This is this is before game three. But the the hedge that I did instead, not for the Spurs to win. I bet the series spread, Spurs won one and a half games.

Nick (50:16.556)
So basically if the Spurs lose the series by yes, by one game. So basically if if it goes to game seven, I can win both bets.

Neil (50:20.653)
They have to lose by winning. You need a game seven. So you need a game seven.

Nick (50:31.456)
And this is a forty dollar bet to win one thirty. So now I'll either win one thirty if the Spurs lose by two games or more. I'll win one ninety if the Knicks win. And then if the Knicks win in game seven, I'll win both bets.

Neil (50:44.921)
How much did you bet on the one and a half?

Nick (50:47.756)
Forty bucks.

Matt (50:50.189)
So you got 50 bucks on the table. You could win as much as 370, but could win as little as 140.

Nick (51:01.6)
Yeah. Around those numbers. I think I played it right. After my head was spinning yesterday trying to figure this out. And I did

Matt (51:03.661)
All right, you're at worst up 90 bucks. That's not bad.

Matt (51:11.307)
I feel like you giving yourself something to win, it's not one or the other, you could win both.

Nick (51:17.046)
Right. And

Neil (51:17.517)
Yeah, 'cause yeah, not going the Spurs to win, you can that that was a smart move. 'Cause for them to win anyway, you'd have to get to games they would most likely have to get to a game seven. I don't see them s winning four in a row.

Nick (51:24.172)
Well and it but here's the bad and here's the bad part. Like I cause I did place a twenty five dollar bet on the Spurs to win for to win like a hundred and ten bucks. And then when I went to cash it out, hoping I would get my twenty five bucks back, the cash out option was like already twenty three bucks. So I lost two dollars pulling that bet. But I still think it was the right move.

Matt (51:46.667)
Yeah, I feel like a teddy.

Nick (51:49.357)
So the Knicks last night l what ended their thirteen game winning streak, which is the second longest in NBA postseason history. They had not lost in forty six days, you all.

Neil (52:04.961)
That's crazy. That's

Nick (52:05.346)
And that place was bonkers last night. Unbelievable atmosphere. I just in the second quarter, it because the first half was very f similar to the first and second game. And the Knicks kind of took control in in the second quarter. I think they scored 40 something points in that second quarter. But the Spurs had to win, and you kind of saw that determination to start the second half and

Matt (52:19.681)
Mm-hmm.

Nick (52:31.862)
The Knicks offense at times looks incredibly stagnant, and I think a lot of that has to do with the way the Spurs guarded them. Like they took Wimby off of Kat in in game three, which is to me, you take Wimby off of somebody they should be even more productive, but Kat was not as productive in game three. It it's gonna be interesting to see how how this thing goes in game four and if the Spurs keep that strategy.

Matt (52:57.771)
There is a ton of pressure on the New York Knicks right now. Because just all the hoopla, like there was a lot of things involved in game three, Trump there, everyone there, all that stuff. First time final since 99, blah, blah, blah. All the pressure is on the Knicks though, because if you don't win game four, you win both games down in San Antonio and you're going back to San Antonio and it's tied. I mean, sheesh.

If the Spurs win game four, they might win four in a row and just end this in six.

Neil (53:30.945)
I agree with that. I think that all the pressure is on on the Knicks right now. Cause you have to win game four. Cause like you say, if you go back to San Antonio and this thing's tied and San Antonio gets that home court advantage back. In San Antonio in game one, they looked like they were cruising. I mean, they were up fourteen in the third. I was about to put it to bed and said, All right, Spurs up one-o. And the Knicks came back. The Knicks always for some reason just find a way to some w somehow just keep clawing their way back into games.

Matt (53:45.846)
Uh-huh.

Neil (53:56.1)
But the Spurs have been good. The Spurs have been good. They they proved that they can win big games against Oklahoma City. They closed that one out on the road in game seven. The Spurs are a good team. They to my mind, they blew game one, they blew game two with a terrible turnover at the end in the foul on Bond Wimby. They were right there to win that. And then they go into the garden and win and win game three. So the Spurs have been right there to perhaps to even be up two one. We're right there to maybe even win all three.

Matt (54:11.629)
Mm-hmm.

Neil (54:26.019)
Pressure's on the Knicks. Give me the Spurs in game four.

Nick (54:30.828)
I mean both of y'all were on the Spurs to start the series. Like Matt, you said in five, right? And Neil, did you say did you say in six? Like here here's my like, yeah, the Knicks won game one and two, but it wasn't like they played great in either one of those games. You know? They just made plays down the stretch when the Spurs didn't. And and Wimby wasn't the Wimby that we saw last night in in the first two games. But Brunson is shooting thirty seven percent on the ser on the series.

Matt (54:31.031)
Sam, go Spurs, go.

Matt (54:36.011)
Yeah, that's that.

Neil (54:37.603)
Six.

Nick (54:59.554)
I mean, he's still scoring a lot of points, but he he's not shooting it well. And to me, the difference in game three was just Carl Anthony Towns wasn't the same player he was in the first two games. I mean, he averaged nineteen and twelve and had four assists per game in the first two and then only had eleven and eight in in game one. And like if Wendy's coming off of you, I feel like you've got to be more aggressive. And he was I think he they were doubling him a little bit. They didn't double Brunson as much in game three. They were doubling Brunson more in game one and two.

So I mean, you make adjustments throughout the series and those adjustments work for the Spurs. And even when the Knicks made that run late, like they just got big shots from Castle and De'Aaron Fox, which kind of just put a halt to halt to their run. So you gotta give the Spurs credit for that.

Neil (55:41.251)
Five.

Neil (55:46.19)
Which that's what the Spurs didn't do, you know, in in game two. Like they they made the plays down the stretch finally, to put the Knicks away. When it looked like perhaps the Knicks were gonna do one of their Houdini acts and and pulling out another one when they were down, you know, seven in the last minute. But Spurs made plays down the stretch. I think they they they finally can get that monkey off their back that from game two that th that they blew it. They they proved to themselves that they can make the winning plays. Go do it again in game four.

Nick (56:16.3)
What w what did y'all think did y'all hear Mike Brown's comments after the game? Complaining about the officials? Yeah.

Neil (56:20.897)
A free throw free throw discrepancy in what, the fourth quarter or the second half or something? Yeah. There was

Nick (56:24.47)
I can't.

I'd never thought I'd be in the NBA Finals and see in the second half twenty four free throws attempts to another team's eight. And that was after giving the credit, which is what you do. But it was a really difficult game.

Neil (56:33.817)
I mean they

Neil (56:37.261)
There was a misfoul call late yesterday, but yeah, I mean it's whatever. Complain.

Matt (56:41.877)
It's NBA officiating, it's never gonna be good.

Nick (56:42.462)
I mean, dude, they do you had that one play where Wemby just hootie take out and they didn't call anything. And then like two possessions later, Hart and who got d tangled up with Cantor or and Dicton and he got it he got popped. And and then you got the play in the fourth quarter where Harper's running on the court after when the Spurs are trying to figure out if they are gonna challenge. So they bring a sub to the table and it's like they have six players in the court and

Neil (56:49.017)
Bronson?

Neil (56:55.523)
Yeah. Yeah. Can't yeah so he got popped. He got popped.

Matt (56:56.301)
Mm-hmm.

Nick (57:10.998)
The referees didn't know what to do. Like, I don't know, a lot of chaos there, but if you got six guys on a court a lot of times like they put the ball in play.

Neil (57:19.021)
Well, did they blow the horn to did they whistle him in or not whistle him in? Like I don't think the guy just came off the bench at the end of the game. He was going to the table.

Nick (57:22.486)
They put the ball in play. They put the ball in play and then realized there were six guys. And then they just blew it dead and restarted the possession.

So I don't know. It was it was chaos. But I

Neil (57:38.231)
Yeah, I chaos. It's been a g I mean it's been a good series. I expect game four to be similar.

Nick (57:46.391)
I g I said Nixon seven to start, but they gotta win this game tomorrow. Or I think they lose this series. Like you can't you can't go to San Antonio, win those two, and then go back home and lose the next two. And and then expect to regain momentum going to San Antonio. So if

Matt (58:04.553)
No. Had they split in San Antonio and split in New York, that's one thing. You won both in San Antonio and you can't go home and lose both.

Nick (58:10.871)
Totally different.

Nick (58:16.172)
Totally and you

Neil (58:16.909)
Don't worry, the Knicks won the NBA Cup, so it's a foregone conclusion. We don't even really need to play the next couple of games 'cause you just say that the NBA Club champions, the automatic champion.

Nick (58:22.026)
All right.

Matt (58:24.513)
forgot NBA Cubs. Good call.

Nick (58:25.974)
You don't say a lot of smart things, but thank you for bringing intelligence today. For those that didn't listen last week, there are some numbers that say that the NBA Cup is a little bit predictive. Predicted the NBA finals this year, predicted the Thunder after they were in the NBA Cup. They won the thing. So there are some numbers there are some predictive measures. Not saying it's a hundred percent. So

Neil (58:32.867)
Those are your players.

Neil (58:51.939)
You made it seem like it was a hundred percent.

Nick (58:53.558)
I did not. I was just telling you stats and you had a lot of bud lights. And you just went on one.

Nick (59:04.214)
Don't even need to play the games. we haven't talked a lot of Louisville Kings on here, but I think we have to. After starting the season 0-3, the Kings are playing for the United Cup in DC next Saturday against the DC defenders. Look, dude, this team's 0 3. They get their first win. And they go 1 3, and after they win their first game, they blow their team up.

They send Jason Beam out. They promote Chandler Rogers to starting quarterback. They get rid of Ben A. Snell. Like most teams aren't going to adjust after a win. They're going to be like, all right, we're on the right track. You got to give Chris Men and Chris Redmonds some props for doing that. And they're playing good football. And went to St. Louis and won a game. Tanner Brown, dude, a kicker that might be the MVP of the damn league. Dude just boots 60 yards like it's nothing. But if y'all been watching

Matt (59:40.542)
Thank

Neil (01:00:04.721)
yeah. I ha a lot more recently. Yes. A lot more a lot more recently. I watched watched the playoff game the other day. I watched

Nick (01:00:06.038)
Yeah, just that.

Neil (01:00:14.895)
the last game of the season against Columbus and a couple of those games against DC down the stretch where they they won both of those late in the season. so yeah, I have been watching. I think Rogers has been is been really good. Like you said with the blowing up of the team with Benny Snell and Bean leaving was the turnaround point. And, you know, props to Redmond for recognizing that. And No, but I mean those were the big ones. Those were big ones. I mean your starting quarterback getting traded after game f four is is a pretty big move.

Nick (01:00:34.354)
Those weren't the only changes they made, but they were the most hope high.

Nick (01:00:43.786)
And your biggest name player on the team.

Neil (01:00:43.901)
so Yeah. So props for you know, Redmond of recognizing this isn't working. Let's try something else and you know he he hit lightning in the bottle. And so the Kings have won what, seven out of eight now? I believe with that playoff win. Yeah. So they're they're rolling. Like I said, they they've beaten DC twice, once on the road, once at home, both late in the season. So I've I imagine that they're probably going to be favored in this UFL.

Nick (01:00:56.802)
They were they were one they were and three and

Nick (01:01:13.162)
And yeah, on the road when they're flying. Yeah.

Neil (01:01:13.315)
Cup Championship. It is in DC. It is in DC. But they've won in DC. They beat this team twice and they beat him twice within the last month. So give me the Kings.

Nick (01:01:24.674)
How do we get Matt Paris to buy into the UFL and the Louisville Kings?

Matt (01:01:29.099)
I'll watch on Saturday. You said the game's on Saturday? I'll tune in on Saturday.

Nick (01:01:31.564)
Mm-hmm. Yep. I and look, I will admittedly say that the fact that I worked a lot of these games got me more invested. But like if it wasn't Louisville, if it wasn't movable, I would not be watching. But it's a hometown team.

Neil (01:01:31.939)
Three o'clock Saturday.

Neil (01:01:41.817)
It's spawned.

Neil (01:01:45.507)
Correct.

Matt (01:01:46.017)
Technically you're a sponsor, you're getting paid to work these events. You're a sponsor, you're being paid to work these events.

Nick (01:01:49.505)
Do I?

One hundred percent I'm getting paid. I'm not doing that for free. But like dude, like I worked all but one of the home games and like Lucky Jackson was like talking to me at the end, like they I mean they when they see you every game they start recognizing you and like it's just cool being around and see have success and be cool. Get w will you buy a T shirt, Neil, if they win on Saturday?

Neil (01:02:15.619)
I'll buy some Kings gear. I might I I'll buy some Kings gear probably going into next season before even if they don't win the championship. I've enjoyed watching the Kings and and the I like the s what the UFL brings to the table. I love the four point sixty yard field goal. I love that you don't get to punt if you cross the fifty yard line. I like the overtime rules. Now that they got rid of the stupid penalty, but the the like the shootout, the the three possession shootout and overtime. Fantastic. Not a big fan of the three point conversion from the nine yard line.

Kind of dumb. I love the the onside kick rule where it's a fourth and twelve from your own what twenty nine yard line or whatever that is. Great rule. So a lot of these rules that are in place, and I love that the you watch it on TV, you're in the huddle. Like you hear everything these guys are saying. They're interviewing referees on sidelines. They're like the re interviewing referees on sidelines of what'd you see when you made that pass interference call. Like the like this kind of cra this stuff is awesome. It's stuff that you don't get watching the NFL or college football.

Nick (01:02:59.18)
Well it's an ACT product, yeah.

Neil (01:03:12.589)
That makes it a lot of fun to watch. So if you haven't watched a game, tune into the UFL Championship. Fifty cents performing at halftime.

Nick (01:03:16.982)
And they and they need to do that stuff because the caliber of football is is not as equivalent of the NFL. So they have to do this gimmicky stuff. But you talk about the overtime that Louisville lost with that stupid rule. That's one of their few losses. Like if they don't lose that game, their record's even better. Maybe they're hosting a home playoff game last weekend. And you talk about the four point field go. They're up five with the ball and they kick a sixty three yarder.

And now they're up to it.

Neil (01:03:47.482)
And they had to because they they they had they'd already crossed the fifty, so they couldn't punt. So you were either going for fourth and I think it was seven at the time from like you the forty five or whatever they were at, or kick the sixty three yarder. And when you got Tanner Brown, that's automatic.

Nick (01:04:03.948)
Hey, that dude is gonna be in the league. Cause that dude is a stud. He is a stud. And that's what this league's is about.

Neil (01:04:08.311)
He will be starting kicker for somebody next year.

Neil (01:04:15.009)
He will have his pick. Come Monda Sunday, the day after this championship. His phone, his agent's gonna be on the phone, his phone's gonna be ringing off the hook to get this guy into a camp immediately.

Nick (01:04:25.09)
Hundred percent. A hundred percent. There will be several teams trying to get his services. He's ri he's the could be the MVP of this team as a kicker.

Matt (01:04:26.029)
you

Neil (01:04:31.565)
Yes.

Neil (01:04:36.715)
I think he's I mean, he's he's won games because of these four point fi like the the the the field goal the other day won basically won the game. 'Cause you miss it, the Battlehawks get the ball on the Kings forty five and they only need a touchdown.

Nick (01:04:43.799)
Que ha!

Neil (01:04:52.227)
So no, it's it's fun.

Nick (01:04:53.506)
But and Chris Redman, your boy, your favorite player of all time. You got his autograph when you were a kid. You'll remember that forever. And now he's now he's trying to bring But now he's trying to bring Neil another memory of Louisville Kings Championship.

Neil (01:05:01.973)
it's on my shelf over here right now, actually. Here, wait, I got something for you. Hold on, hold on, wait.

Matt (01:05:03.906)
Hmm.

Neil (01:05:16.577)
Nineteen ninety nine.

Nick (01:05:20.63)
That's time. That's tight.

Neil (01:05:21.785)
Me as a kid. Nineteen ninety nine. I got the Redmond jersey on and everything.

Nick (01:05:26.612)
Nice bowl cut butt cut you got going on there.

Neil (01:05:29.657)
Yeah, it was just long hair, it's not bulk it's just long. But that's my boy.

Nick (01:05:36.339)
so go Kings. Are we go are we gonna make the trip? I wish it wasn't ten hours. I w

Neil (01:05:41.537)
I would love to. I mean tickets are cheap. It's already like twenty bucks, right? Twenty five bucks getting a UFL bowl.

Nick (01:05:46.048)
Yeah. If it was if it was like a four hour drive, I would do it.

Matt (01:05:46.635)
Hahaha

Neil (01:05:51.479)
You get fifty cent how do you get a fifty cent concert at halftime? Fifty cents the halftime show. Yeah.

Nick (01:05:55.237)
with it fifty cent? let's let's go dude.

Neil (01:06:00.11)
We in the club.

Nick (01:06:01.378)
Let's do it. I mean w we can look at flights. They're gonna be expensive.

Neil (01:06:06.947)
Yeah.

Nick (01:06:09.651)
NHL's been crazy. Like it's just there's just so much

Matt (01:06:14.921)
It's three to three at the end of the second.

Neil (01:06:16.855)
Yeah, the Knights have tied the game with two goals late in the third or late in the second. So we go three three. Two overtime a double overtime game, a single overtime game, and a one one goal game in game one. So this game this series has been tight. It's been entertaining. If you didn't watch game three when the Knights were up four nothing in the fourth, and Carolina scores three goals in thirty six seconds and another one late to score four in the third and send this thing into overtime. Like it was wild.

Matt (01:06:45.229)
and lose because a shot went off the backboards and then off of the goalie's back.

Neil (01:06:49.173)
Off the goalie's foot. Yeah.

Nick (01:06:53.92)
And then the the tie and go, like, dude gets shoved into the net. Like it's just it was a crazy game. They scored three goals in what thirty something seconds when they were down four. And look, I know we missed Doc Emmerich on the call, because he is the GOAT. But Sean McDonough's pretty damn good.

Neil (01:07:08.993)
He's very good. He's very good.

Matt (01:07:10.445)
Mm-hmm.

Nick (01:07:12.062)
And Sean McDonough has been doing this since I was a kid. Like I remember him doing Braves playoff games in the early nineties. Like this dude has been doing it for a long time. And

Matt (01:07:24.397)
Yeah, I'm pretty sure he did Red Sox games. Like I think he started with the Red Sox

Nick (01:07:28.534)
Yeah. But

Neil (01:07:30.489)
I mean if you can do if you can do play by play for hockey, you can do play by play for any sport. Hockey is incredibly hard to do with as much action that goes on and line changes in the middle of the act. Like how you keep up with all of it is insane.

Nick (01:07:48.119)
Yeah, I Like I tried to learn hockey this year because I watched more games than I ever did because I became a kind of Tampa Bay fan and they choked after that. And I'm gonna try to continue it. But I still got a lot of a lot of rules to learn. But we're we're efforting. We're efforting. And I I've enjoyed like I'm watching all the the Stanley Cup, so

Nick (01:08:11.604)
I guess we need to talk a little World Cup.

Matt, in addition to being our third leg of our horse racing coverage, I'm also calling you our soccer expert because Neil, I don't I don't think you you either you or I would classify ourselves as soccer experts.

Matt (01:08:22.775)
Mm-hmm.

Matt (01:08:28.78)
Love it.

Neil (01:08:35.671)
Zero knowledge.

Nick (01:08:37.472)
But the US is hosting the World Cup for the first time since ninety four. That was that was really big because MLS started like two years later, so it was a it was really big in getting MLS started. Do you like it's the host cities are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterey. Like wild.

Wild. And for the first time there are forty eight teams, man.

Matt (01:09:14.061)
Yep. They, uh, normally there are 32 and you've got your group stages, groups of four and the top two make it out this year. It's different. Your top two make it out of every group, but you also have a plethora of third place finishers to make it out. I haven't dove in to see whether it's goal differential, this, that, the other, but you have more teams advancing. Cause normally you go from group stage to the knockout round, which is normally

16 teams, you have a round of 32 and then you have a round of 16.

Neil (01:09:47.851)
So thirty two starts the knockout.

Matt (01:09:49.921)
Yep, so you have two rounds of knockout instead of one round of knockout. So the US.

Nick (01:09:55.683)
So there there's no buys for like first place finishers?

Matt (01:09:58.562)
Nope. Nope. It depends. are some, the earlier groups, I don't know if there's a rhyme or reason for this. The earlier groups, like if you finish group, you win group A, group B, group C, group D, you're gonna play a third place finisher. But on the farther end groups, if you win your group, you're playing a second place finisher. I'm guessing just the way the numbers work out. It's not an even switch. So.

Nick (01:10:23.018)
That's not fair.

Neil (01:10:23.341)
you got your you got your USA jersey on over there. Give us a rundown. Give us give us a preview of this USA team. Like are we going to be any good?

Matt (01:10:30.815)
Well, that's the tricky question here. If this was supposed to be the golden generation of US soccer, know, four years ago, they're in Qatar. Obviously, it was a weird time for the World Cup. was in the fall. Neil, you and I were in the Bahamas when they were playing because we were down for the battle for Atlantis. And it just felt weird having World Cup going on while women's basketball is being played.

Neil (01:10:55.213)
We we were playing whales, I think, when we were down in the behind.

Matt (01:10:58.049)
Yep, it was the opening game against Wales, and we had to go and watch in the sports book because it wasn't on anywhere else. I tried to get on YouTube TV. Turns out YouTube TV doesn't work internationally. But no, this group.

Neil (01:11:00.269)
Yeah. Just worseful. That's right. That's right.

Matt (01:11:12.843)
The best players in this group are in their prime. They've been playing in Europe for years. Policich's been playing in Italy, Weston McKinney's been playing in Italy, Tyler Adams has been playing in the Premier League. You have all these players that are in the prime of their careers playing European soccer that people know, and this should be the best team that they have talent-wise. But up until two weeks ago, they had not been performing in friendlies. Now...

Part of the World Cup is if you're the host, you advance already. You don't have to worry about qualifying. So you're just playing friendlies that really don't mean anything rather than having to qualify to get to the World Cup. That's also part of the reason why the World Cup expanded because there are three hosts. You have Canada, Mexico, and the US. Had it been the old school way, that would have been like three of the four CONCACAF qualifiers. There would only have been one other qualifier from the whole CONCACAF region. So with three hosts, you kind of had to expand the tournament.

But they just hadn't been playing well. But they had a game against friendly against Senegal last two weekends ago down in Charlotte. Score went up to nothing, gave up two goals, scored the winner one three to two. Just played Germany this past weekend, gave up a goal in the second minute of the game. Had a screamer from Robinson.

before the end of the first half, honestly outplayed them for good parts of the first half. And then, you know, trying different subs, getting people in and out in the second half, gave up a goal, lost two to one, but played really well against Germany. I think the progress is stepping up for them heading into the opener of Friday night.

Neil (01:12:44.985)
So who we got in we was it Paraguay Friday?

Matt (01:12:48.269)
So Friday night, nine o'clock, we face Paraguay, another CONCACAF team. They're in their first World Cup since 2010, so they haven't been in the World Cup in a while. Then we've got Australia the following Friday at 3 p.m., and then we close out with Turkey A on the following Thursday at 10 p.m. And top two teams advance, and you have to be one of the top third place finishers to make it out, make it into the round of 32.

Neil (01:12:55.192)
Okay.

Neil (01:13:15.363)
So in your opinion, are we winning this are we gonna win this pool?

Nick (01:13:15.735)
I I

Matt (01:13:19.245)
It's gonna come, I think it's gonna come down to the last match day. I think us and Turkey are the top two teams. I think right now if you go to whatever the lines are, think we're favorited to win our group, but not by much.

Nick (01:13:34.338)
Are we calling turkey turkey? No.

Matt (01:13:36.811)
Turkiye is the approved pronunciation as of a couple years ago.

Neil (01:13:43.021)
D U R K I Y E.

Nick (01:13:46.893)
So oc according to the books, it looks like USA is the twelfth betting choice to win it all. At plus six thousand. Do you I mean, do you think that sounds about right? You taking that?

Matt (01:13:47.341)
Sure. Yay.

Matt (01:13:57.12)
Okay.

Matt (01:14:04.153)
I think that is generous considering how we've been playing leading up to these two friendlies. There was a lot of, right, so the scuttlebutt is our old coach who came back, Greg Burhalter, had two different stints with the team. None of them worked. One of our best players, Gio Reyna, who's Claudio Reyna's kid, had a falling out. They never really went together. Reyna was one of the promising wonder kids and he kind of stumbled in his career.

for this, that, the other. He's on this team, but he hasn't progressed as well as he did. So they hired Mauricio Ponchetto, I'm probably screwing up the pronunciation. The drama with him is he hasn't really seemed invested, hasn't really seemed involved. And then like, you know, really in with this team. And then like a week ago it was announced that he's getting a job with AC Milan after this. So he basically just used us to get another job. But again, the past two friendlies against the World Cup competition, we've looked really good. So maybe it's just one of those cases where these guys are

game time players and when the game shows up, we're not talking about practice, we're talking about a game. They're gonna show up.

Nick (01:15:08.61)
All right. Okay, yeah, yeah. So in our group, like I said, we're plus six thousand. Turkey or Turkey Turkey A is nine thousand. Park Paraguay is thirty thousand and Australia is sixty thousand. So for that, I mean we're heavily the favorite to win. So

In the finals in New York.

Matt (01:15:35.266)
The interesting, well, technically it's in the Meadowlands, so it's in New Jersey, but yes. The interesting thing is though, if we might be better off coming in second place in our division, because just the way, basically the way it breaks out is we would play.

like I ran in the round of 32, and then most likely the winner of group B, which would be Canada. If you flip it the other way, if we win our group, we play like a third place team, but then we might have to play Belgium. So ironically, we might be better off in second. Oh yeah, always lose to Belgium. But I don't know, you never know with soccer, you never know where teams are gonna finish. But there is a case to be made that the path, if everything kind of plays out together.

Neil (01:16:10.627)
Mm-hmm.

Nick (01:16:11.926)
And we don't have we always lose developers on the side.

Neil (01:16:14.445)
Yeah, always yeah, yeah.

Matt (01:16:25.729)
works in our favor if we come in second rather than first. So it would be interesting that if you come into that last match day against Turquay, we might know that we're gonna finish first or second. Like if we win our two matches, Turquay wins their two matches, you know we're gonna be one and two. If the path is easier, it'll be interesting to see how they handle that game if they know they're gonna advance.

Nick (01:16:47.85)
Yeah. And have you all seen the commercial where it's basically acting it out as if the USA wins the thing? And they're kind of playing off of the the eight the nineteen eighty Miracle on Ice. This is kind of the miracle on on the soccer field. And

Matt (01:17:05.421)
I mean, I'd argue this might be more of a miracle than the 18 hockey. Like, no joke. think like 1980 miracle that that team, that Soviet Union team was elite. The problem in like the World Cup is you need to beat like three of those elite teams to win. So we'll see.

Nick (01:17:08.406)
But yeah.

Nick (01:17:22.754)
Yeah. Yeah.

Who who are you picking to win the whole thing?

Matt (01:17:32.365)
feel like I think Spain are the favorites, but I'm gonna go with France. I think France is gonna have a good show and I'm gonna, if I had to pick a winner right now, I'd go France.

Nick (01:17:38.903)
They're right there together. They're right there together. But I I'm excited to watch it. Like I don't have a soccer team throughout the year. So it's just like hockey before I became a Lightning fan or tried to become a Lightning fan. Like I enjoy watching Olympic hockey because I get to watch pool for the USA. Like World Cups is kind of the same way. Like when you've got somebody to pull for, it it makes it fun. And I mean, Neil, you're excited too, right?

Neil (01:18:06.047)
yeah. I'm it's like about the only time I watch soccer this World Cup. So yeah, we'll be we'll be tuned in on Friday night at nine o'clock, probably at a at the local Beer Nose or the Brownies and we'll get the USA gear on and and cheer these boys on for hopefully a a r a deep run.

Nick (01:18:23.04)
Before we get into this quick little what would Joe do, I do want the the Bengals restructured Joe Burrow's contract to make to make a little room salary cap wise. And I just want to say I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you for jumping into the 21st century and doing things that other teams do. Because this is not this is stuff that the Bengals don't normally do. And I'm just I'm proud of you for doing something that you should have done.

Neil (01:18:50.019)
Again, okay.

Nick (01:18:51.326)
Nothing. You got nothing.

Neil (01:18:52.963)
Don't care. I'm not giving them credit for dump I'm not giving them praise for doing something they should do.

Matt (01:18:54.143)
AJ Brown, South Carolina.

Nick (01:18:58.018)
Well, when they don't do stuff normally, like you don't have to praise them, but at least they I'm proud of you.

Neil (01:19:05.027)
That's like your kid like not saying thank you to somebody when they give them something and then like the one time they do be like great job, buddy. Like, no, like you're supposed to do that.

Matt (01:19:11.725)
You

Nick (01:19:15.093)
I I agree. But

Neil (01:19:17.049)
You don't get praise for doing the common sense normal thing.

Nick (01:19:20.468)
You you shouldn't, but they're doing the common sense, normal things that they haven't done in the past. So and they're putting together a team that should be pretty good next year. And I'm excited. Let's hope. what would Joe do? I altered this one a little bit.

So, and Matt, you can play. We're we're going to number three at ULGC. 150 yard par free. Over the water. You get three shots to hit the green. If you hit it once, you get five million dollars. If you miss, you spend one year in jail. What are you doing? Yeah, 10 million is too easy. And maybe even five million is too high.

Neil (01:20:01.386)
You you're going only five million.

Neil (01:20:07.918)
I didn't think ten million was easy. I was probably gonna I was probably not taking not taking the the the gamble on that one.

Nick (01:20:16.392)
I I think ten million was too easy. You get three chances.

Neil (01:20:23.289)
That's a hard hole, man. Even if you hit the green, it slopes off to the right toward the cliff where then it goes down into the water. Because the water runs all the way upside the right side of the green. It's windy as hell. The wind out there pushes the ball toward the water. Like you know how windy it is. And it's an elevator, you're elevated above the green a little bit.

It's not an easy thing to do. I think out of three shots I'm probably I might get one out of every five on, but one out of three, I'm not taking the gamble.

Nick (01:20:46.402)
What do you what do you know?

Nick (01:20:56.32)
You're you're stepping aside.

Neil (01:20:58.903)
Yeah. A year in jail. Like, ugh.

Nick (01:21:02.314)
Matt, what do you got?

Matt (01:21:02.711)
My golf game's terrible, I'm not taking the gamble.

Neil (01:21:03.863)
With the creatures that are yeah, with the creatures that are running around metro corrections and no thank you.

Nick (01:21:08.194)
Like e five million dollars is absolutely life changing.

Neil (01:21:14.872)
Yeah.

Nick (01:21:16.264)
And if I can if you've given me the opportunity, when I hit the green, the last shot I took on this hole, that doesn't guarantee that I can do it again. I I admit that. But the last time I played this hole, I put it to 15 feet.

I'm taking that chance. Give me, like, if I don't do it, I I'll suffer through one year of jail. One year. I'll be out in one year. If I make that happen, that five million dollars is absolutely life-changing. The hardest thing to do is to build wealth in the beginning. When you've got the five million, you can do so much more with it. And then making money becomes so much more, so much easier.

If I've that opportunity to make five milli by just doing something I've already done before and I get three chances to do it instead of one, let's go. And if I don't get it, then lock me up. But I'm getting out of here.

Neil (01:22:14.093)
Like you ain't get like just spending time alone in your cell by yourself and they're just feeding you chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers, my guy. You're getting some like sloppy porridge and you're in a s a a a confinement with about fifty other dudes that are all licking their chops when you walk in.

Nick (01:22:29.58)
That th that's probably true.

Neil (01:22:31.683)
For a year. A year. It ain't like it's a month. Like a month, I hear you, a year. So not only do you not get five million dollars, you gotta go to jail and spend the night for three hundred and sixty five days with fifty guys that are looking to to probably beat you up.

Nick (01:22:37.42)
It's

Nick (01:22:48.63)
Well, I mean I'm just I'm gonna try my best to make friends. 'Cause that's that's all I got. But five million dollars. Like originally it was ten. Would you do it for ten? I just thought it was too easy for ten.

Neil (01:22:55.705)
Make it fussy. No.

Matt (01:23:04.717)
I'm not doing it for 10 either, nope. Because it's exactly what Neil said. I could probably hit the green, but with my luck it would roll off.

Nick (01:23:13.996)
You get three chances.

Matt (01:23:16.577)
You guys have seen me play golf. I almost ruined a woman's porch on the second hole of a goddamn round we played.

Neil (01:23:23.459)
That's true. Glenn Oaks number two. I I was there to witness that one. Yeah.

Nick (01:23:27.212)
Look, and they're waiting, I'm guessing, on the T box. And and if you don't do it, they're cuffing you and they're taking you right away. So it's real. But on the other side, there's a wheelbarrow full of a lot of money. And dude, I I I'll sacrifice a year of my life to take a chance to get five million.

Neil (01:23:52.889)
That's tough year, my guy.

Nick (01:23:54.635)
It nobody said it's gonna be it gonna be easy. But hopefully I I put on the green.

Neil (01:23:56.621)
Yeah.

Nick (01:24:03.466)
And look, I'll be nervous as hell, so it's gonna make the shot harder. I'm very aware of that.

Neil (01:24:09.411)
Alright, next time we go play ULG C I'm gonna give you three shots. And the pressure ain't gonna be nearly as great. Like I'm not gonna Like they're they're gonna be but I just wanna see if you can do it without the pressure.

Nick (01:24:17.014)
No, it's not. You can't replicate that.

Matt (01:24:23.307)
You talking number three at ULGC?

Neil (01:24:25.569)
Yeah. So we'll try we'll try to get out there this month later this month and I'll give you three shots and see if you can do it.

Nick (01:24:35.008)
Yeah, I I'm down for that 'cause of course I will do that.

Neil (01:24:40.139)
And we can record it.

Nick (01:24:41.75)
Okay. We need to do that more anyways. I've talked about like the problem with the height differential is that you can't see the height differential on the pod. Like we all look the same height on the pod. But on the golf course there is a clear and obvious height differential. And and that's why I posted the picture of us at the Oaks in the in the suite. Because and it's our freaking logo too. Like you can tell. No, I'm down for that. We

Neil (01:25:04.078)
Yeah.

Nick (01:25:11.254)
And we all need to we all need to get out of G U L G C or get out somewhere and play some golf.

And we we gotta get the Popses out, the b the bedoubble Bruces for Father's Day. At U L G C So how was how was Vake before we get out of here?

Neil (01:25:22.253)
Yeah. Yeah.

Neil (01:25:28.633)
That was great. It's great, man. Weather was perfect, not a drop of rain the entire five, six days we were there. you know, I I'm a big beach guy. Love the beach. You know, had several Coors Lights, couple buckets of some rum punch, some pina coladas. The kids loved it. They they did boogie boarding for the first time. so took out in the ocean. They did some boogie boarding, and that was fun. Went deep sea fishing. Father in law caught a a shark.

Matt (01:25:56.183)
Cool.

Nick (01:25:57.036)
We keep it?

Neil (01:25:57.156)
So I mean I was the overall out of the four of us that that went, I was the overall winner of fish caught was six. But they were all little they were sea bass, no bigger than about twelve inches.

Nick (01:26:06.114)
Well, the the weight of the fish that wins you the competition, not the number?

Neil (01:26:10.271)
It was both. We did one. We d you know going into it was we didn't expect somebody to catch a shark, but

Nick (01:26:15.646)
You keep the shark.

Neil (01:26:17.433)
yeah, it was his to keep, but we didn't keep it 'cause we weren't gonna do anything with it. Like we weren't driving it home, we weren't gonna fillet it ourselves. so we gave it to somebody else that was on that was on the boat with us that was gonna go get it chopped up and made into some shark bites that they could go home and i and cook for dinner. So we did have the pictures. We took the pictures with the shark and that was about it. But no it's it was a good time.

Nick (01:26:45.516)
Good deal. And Matt, did you have Italian last night?

Matt (01:26:48.619)
Yeah, ironically, after giving Grasa Grama the shout out, I got a phone call from them on Sunday or Saturday or whatever it was. They raised the price of their meal deal. It's now $27.

Nick (01:26:58.986)
They called you? That's at least good.

Matt (01:27:03.307)
Yeah.

Neil (01:27:05.133)
Wait, why did they call you?

Matt (01:27:06.667)
Well, I guess because we made the reservation through OpenTable and on OpenTable it says it's like a $22 meal deal so they're probably just trying to cover their ass. But I mean, it's still worth it. It's a great deal.

Neil (01:27:16.985)
Yeah. There you go.

Nick (01:27:20.556)
Have you been over?

Matt (01:27:21.001)
I by the, craft house pizza though, Neil, your craft house and just shook my head.

Nick (01:27:26.348)
Thank you done with place.

Neil (01:27:28.281)
It's so good though.

Nick (01:27:30.508)
He'll be back. He's gonna go back. He's gonna go back. Have you

Neil (01:27:31.851)
my god, no, it'll be a while. It'll be a while.

Matt (01:27:35.455)
You need to go back and just check the sign to see if they added the last trick at the

Neil (01:27:39.811)
Probably did.

Nick (01:27:42.337)
Have you have you been over to camp at all this week, Matt? Yeah. I might go over there because I got two nieces are playing in it, so I might go over there on Thursday. Louisville women's basketball camps this week, so it's the like that's their favorite week of the year. They love it. They called me last night tonight because they gotta borrow jerseys for tomorrow. Tomorrow's jersey day. So I I they couldn't pick, so I gave them a Michael Jordan, a Muggsy Bogues, a Vince Carter Raptors.

Matt (01:27:45.754)
no.

Matt (01:28:04.205)
Nice.

Nick (01:28:12.386)
And a Donovan Mitchell jazz. So they got like four.

Matt (01:28:15.595)
Nice, that's perfect.

Nick (01:28:19.702)
Alright, fellas. Well, I think we owned the fact that we were very wrong about Golden Tempo.

And Matt still doesn't think he's gonna win another race. After all that.

Matt (01:28:32.327)
No. We'll talk when we get closer to the Travers.

Nick (01:28:38.732)
Well w if he runs a dandy, we might have to talk a little sooner than the than the Travers. But you're you're d definitely not picking me a dandy because it's shorter.

Matt (01:28:48.013)
Correct, yeah, it's a mile and an eighth. So maybe it'll help these other crop of three-year-olds that apparently can't run a mile and a quarter.

Neil (01:28:54.883)
Bums, bunch of bombs.

Nick (01:28:55.426)
I think that's what we've learned, y'all. But before we get out of here, make sure to subscribe to the Height Differential wherever you listen to pods. Rate it and leave a review. You can also follow us on social at Height Differential. Appreciate everybody who got on social media and commented on TikTok, on Facebook, on Instagram throughout the week. Most of were pointed negatively towards the three of us, but we still appreciate it.

Hey, any publicity is good publicity, right? And you can't be scared to have takes.

'Cause then what are ya? But

Neil (01:29:33.847)
Then what are ya? Then what are ya?

Nick (01:29:37.654)
Yeah, so but we thank Matt for joining us again as we broke down another horde. He's been on the show like every he's like a regular member now. But for the five six Matt, the six six nil, I'm the four ten Nick. We'll be back next week. You'll be listening to High Differential. Yep.