Schopp and The Bulldog Live! | May 16th 2025 | WGR SportsRadio550
That’s why H Highark Bluec Cross Blue Shield has added over 6,000 therapists and made it easier for you to get the care you want when you want it. Because whatever you have on the inside deserves to be seen because life. Highark Bluec Cross Blue Shield. The Buffalo Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550 and wgr550.com. This is a paddock Chevrolet sports update. [Music] [Music] Hey [Music] What a day. Bulldog. Let me tell you about about uh my night real quick. Just um I don’t know. You feel free to judge me. I got I will. I got home last night. My son was with my wife heading to Canada for lacrosse. My daughter had been dropped off at her hockey practice and I had like an hour. This often happens. I had like sort of a sometimes actually dangerous one hour to myself. Take the dog out and then I don’t know just sit. And last night it’s beautiful weather. Last night we had the schedule release on Wednesday. And in the last couple of years, one newer reason why I love the schedule is because of baseball mania on underdog, where you’re drafting on underdog and you want to know the week 17 matchups because the theory is you have a you you draft a great team and then you sort of luck out weeks 15 and 16 and make the final and then where you can then you can win seven figures. So week 17 like they all say in that tournament that’s really you need to know all the matchups you know from last year by if the if the schedule release was on a Wednesday I don’t know if it was by the next show I knew all the games on week 17 schedule like I I had it that was the most important thing I know where this is going this I know you do this year a couple of months ago whenever it was underdog stopped servicing customers in New York State because of some legal flap. So, they were not allowed. We were not allowed to play anymore. Legal flap. You hate a legal flap. Not a fan. That’s the worst kind of flap. It’s up there on the list of flaps. Legal flaps, you know, mud flaps. So, anyway, it’s sort of like out of mind now. Enough time went by where even though I’m hosting that ADP chasing, I’m not paying attention to week 17. We we had the schedule night. I love the schedule. I didn’t look at week seven. I didn’t care because unless I had time the next morning to drive quote drive to Pennsylvania so I could just load up on these underdog drafts where it was legal. I I didn’t need to know. See, you should have just kept doing that work just in case. It it wasn’t that that kind of week anyway. Car, you know, the car went in, dentist, all kinds of different things. It wasn’t going to happen this week anyway. So, I knew I didn’t need to know it. Last night, get home, I’ve got that hour. I have the thought as I’m parking in the driveway, getting out of the car, you know, boy, the schedule just came out. Tonight would be I would totally be jamming underdog drafts right now, but can’t do it. I get inside, I sit down, make a drink, look at Twitter. The first tweet that just came in here. Really? Yes, we got home at the same time. Yes, underdog is back. Yes, underdog is back. Everybody starts texting each other immediately. Underdog is back. I I just I had to find out if it was like act on the island, you know, on the river. Sometimes they think you’re in Canada. I don’t know. Like maybe I would still not get to do it. Yeah. I I immediately scramble. It was right at the top of my page. New York, we’re back. Yeah. Attention. Yeah. Right. Attention. And I thought to text you and then I thought I don’t need to text him. Underdog probably called him directly. He had a direct line to underdog. I You don’t need me to tell you about underdog. I I couldn’t tell anybody that didn’t know already except for maybe Adam Crowworth. I think maybe he didn’t know already. Everybody knew already. It’s like instant instantly everybody knew. I’m in the Discord. They’re all talking about it already. How? It’s just not even been a minute yet. Yep. So, okay. I go to uh underdog, you know, underdog fantasy. I go to baseball mania. I click on a slow draft because I don’t know the games. I’m not prepared. And so I jumped in 20 uh slow drafts at just to do it. I have to have to live again. N just to live again. And uh so that’s happening now. I’m I’m we’re we’re so back as they say, right? But I didn’t know the matchups so I didn’t trust myself to do a fast one even though I had exactly the right amount of time to do it. And is are the fast ones like the rush? Like is that is that more fun than the slow ones? The fast ones are my to me. Yes. But you have to be prepared I think or else it’s dead money. Sure. Yeah. And that’s like knowing even like weeks 15 and 16 but knowing sort of the play the combinations and I don’t know them yet. So we’re going to take it slow. You still you still don’t yet? Well, I still thought you would have done that like that just would have happened like that. I know. Maybe it should have. I’m sorry. Sorry to disappoint you. I have too much faith in you. Uh, and we did not we did not get to that today, but we will. All right. We will. Well, congratulations. Congratulations. We’re all very happy to everybody who enjoys life. It’s a great day for you. For us, you enjoy life. I’m not enjoying life right now. Really? Is it because Sheffller is one under? No, I’m This is a This is a rocking chair. I don’t care about the odds. You’re you’re dead. Um, no, I’m dead. I don’t No, I mean I I don’t know. Uh, he is the betting favorite even though he’s what, six back or five back now. Anyway, um, maybe you’ve never seen him play. You talk like somebody who’s never seen him play. Yeah. No, I I I am destroyed. I am so tired. I am so sore. I have never felt older than I feel right now in my entire life. Is it because your son is operating the camera? That is probably in some emotionally anguishing kind of way contributing uh to my fatigue. I I don’t You see the writing on the wall? He’s sitting right there. I know. I know. I heard a clip of him talking on the morning show a couple weeks ago and I thought, “Oh my god, that sounds like me.” Yeah. I didn’t know I was working today. Cut it out. I didn’t know I was working this morning. Okay. Um, yeah, probably that’s contributing, but no, I I did heavy heavy. I did the I did the big yard work yesterday and then played golf this morning and that is that that is a bad that’s two times now this year prior to playing an early morning round of golf. I did, you know, the the for me the like two to three hours of muing around the yard and I’m a big guy. The tool like my weed whacker is is the culprit. I I need I need a custommade weed whacker. It’s not tall enough for me. So I I have this weird posture and you know weed whacker you’re sort of swinging for the people watching on the Twitch. I’m doing it. So you’re So I’m hunched over just enough and anyway it it hurt it. It does not feel good. and playing golf on top of that. Second time this year I’ve done that and I today I was walking till the last tea box and I literally thought I could I could lay down right here in the grass and go to sleep. I am so sore. I’m so tired. I’m just so tired. Oh no. So uh never admit it. I am not. Yeah. Well, let’s rewind. Um, it’s one of the first, it’s literally one of the first lessons I ever got in radio w when I was doing mornings in Rochester. I said maybe one time that I was tired and one of the more experienced people on the show said, “Never do that. Never never say you’re tired.” The audience doesn’t want to know that you’re challenged. Maybe for you at this point, you should make it a part of the brand. Like just I’m always I’m in such you know you could sort of lean into well usually I feel pretty good but I just feel I just feel shot today. Good thing I’m here. Yes. I just feel I did have a game for you. I did have a game for you. Maybe that’ll put a little uh pep in my step as the old people say. Today we’re going to bounce around. Sam Pani coming up. Kevin Ollia from Rochester on the Amirks. Tim Fes, local golf pro who was at the PGA. I bet he still is. He’s played in it. I think he’s played in He’s played the the club pro at least. He’s been around a long time. We love him. And he got to do he got to announce the pairings this morning with the first T. Yeah. So, we’ll talk to Tim. Brian can’t join us. We’ll talk to Tim about the golf tournament and Dave Buchanan before we go on the Bandits uh pregame at 7 tonight on WGR. Here is my idea for a game. Have you seen Did you know it was rivalry rivalry week in baseball? Uh, I did. Yes. Did you know they had rivalry week in baseball? Not exactly. I I knew the Subway Series was happening. Uh, I guess I I didn’t Let me rewind. See, I’m not sharp. I did not know it was rival rivalry. I can’t say it either. What I what I knew was that the Mets and Yankees were playing because I recorded a commercial last week promoting it for FanDuel. Okay. I wanted you to guess the rivalries, but I I had so little clue about it that when our producer uh Joe, who’s filling in for Zack today, uh sent me my spots, the way it was labeled, I was like, I don’t know what that is. I don’t think I have that. And I looked and went, oh, it’s the Mets and Yankees thing I recorded last week. Okay. So, I can’t really cop to being aware of it being rivalry week. I can’t say it either. Rivalry week is this weekend and I wanted to see how many matchups you could guess. Oh, boy. Oh, fun. You know, one you’ve already guessed correctly, the Mets and the Yankees. Yes. It’s an interesting thing to try to attack. Like, how would you necessarily attack guessing all the different series, right? Let me let me let me see if I can just get the teams there. Okay. Uh I’ll open the standings. I don’t want to look at the schedule because that would obviously be cheating, but I I would like to see the field uh of teams that I’m working. Just like with power rankings, you like to look at the teams, correct? The names of the team. I just like to make sure I don’t forget anybody. Yeah, because that can happen. All right, so rivalry week. Mets and Yankees. I can’t believe how troubling it is to say that way. No, it definitely should not be that hard. Uh, so Mets and Yankees. Uh, Cubs and White Sox. Yes. Okay. Um, Rangers Astros. Yes. All right. They played last night. How am I doing? I I mean, I’m three for three. I’m doing great. They I watched some of that game last night. So, they’re both in the American League. They’re division rivals, so I guess they’re allowed to play a four game set. All right. That makes sense. Deg Grom last night, by the way. Are uh are Tampa and Miami playing? Yes. I mean, there is a rivalry for you. The two Florida teams. Uh, are the A’s and the Giants playing? Yes, they are. Wow. Formerly of California, the A’s. No, they’re still in California, but they won’t be for long. A’s and Giants. Formerly Bay Area foes. All right. Now, it’s Sacramento against not officially the Giants. You want to keep going and say Angels and Dodgers? Angels and Dodgers. All right. Um, are you crossing them off? Uh, no. No, but I I I I I think I’m going to I’m probably moments from derailing here. So, uh uh what about your Red Sox? My Red Sox, my first thought would be the Braves. That’s correct. That was their inner league. A lot of these are that their inner league partners when they started inner league. You would get like back home and home and some of them were kind of weird, but the Braves were in Boston. So, that’s your rivalry for you. Yep. Uh, Royals and Cardinals I70. Okay. Um, fond memories of a couple years ago going to a Friday night game in St. Louis, a Saturday game in Kansas City, and a Sunday game in St. Louis. I want to get the Orioles in the Nationals on the board. Correct. I have been to a Nationals Orioles game. All right. Adam Dunn hit a grand slam for Washington. Oh, right. All right. Didn’t you catch a I have three Adam Dunn moments. That’s one of them. Okay. The other another one is what you’re mentioning which is dropping a batting practice home run from Adam Dunn at Shay. It’s that he goes back that far to Shay. Yeah. When I was writing in the filling in the scorecard with the pencil in the upper deck in right field at Shay and it was sitting there and I started to hear noise and I looked up and there was the ball just bounced off my hands and then there was a scramble. Am I missing any obvious ones? Because I I feel like I’m in I now I’m I’m starting to get into into the weeds here. Ohio. Ohio. Okay. So, Cleveland, Cincinnati. Thank you. In the name of Adam Dunn, I watched I was at a game where we had a walk-off grand slam to win 98. That’s pretty good. That is pretty good for Cincinnati. That is a pretty good random ball game you attended that had a very memorable moment in it. Yeah. Um there is only one team in Canada now still, right? What do you do with them? I don’t know. Um, who would they They would in the that inner league thing I said their team was Philadelphia because of the one World Series maybe or just process of elimination. The Red Sox would get the Braves. It would be the Mets and the Yankees. The Marlins and the Rays. The Jays would get the Phillies, but their rivalry week opponent is not the Phillies because the Phillies are playing Pittsburgh, right? It’s the Pirates and the Phillies. That’s right. Okay. Um, nice for the Phillies. Nice if you have a geographical partner that sucks and you get to play your rivalry game against them, right? Although I don’t think these are like extra games on the schedule. So, I boy, I don’t know who to pair up with. I I should leave Toronto for now. Maybe maybe something will trip once I I guess a few others, but Okay, let’s see. I’ve got the entire Well, no, I don’t have the entire Oh, I don’t have the entire NLS. I don’t have a partner for Seattle yet. Um, could Seattle be? Geez, I don’t know. Toronto and Seattle are actually good because the Blue Jays are very popular in Seattle, but it’s not. That’s right. I was thinking maybe that could be that’s how I ended up on Seattle. Um, what I read from one post about rivalry week, it’s the it’s the W in week that makes this so hard. I think is that the Mariners and their opponent were the last two teams left. So they just got they they were like arranged marriage. Yeah. Forced marriage. The Mariners and their and their opponent. So there’s no there’s no logical path to the Mariners. Yeah. On this one. Boy, this is where it’s really gotten hard. I’m I the the best guess I have left here cuz I’m really struggling with the Diamondbacks, the Rockies, the Padres’s even. Yep. I don’t know where to put these people. I want to just guess that they’ve paired Toronto up with Milwaukee. Detroit. That was getable. Minnesota and Milwaukee was is getable. They’re sort of Yeah. neighbors. Yeah. Detroit and Toronto, Seattle and San Diego as the last two teams left. So, everybody needs a partner. Rockies, Diamondbacks, that’s everybody. You got the rest. I mean, is this a good idea? I Why not? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Why not? Why not? Why not? it isn’t as I feel like there there was um there was a a point in time maybe when inner league play was still relatively new and you know there was all this excitement about some of the tradition you know inner city rivalries you know like the Cubs and White Socks and Yankees and Mets and all that and be like yeah great but what are you you know what what are you doing with the Twins like who’s their inner league rival I there’s not a fit here you’re forcing it I feel like this what we just except for the last few there that you had to give me. I they kind of they mostly make sense like geographically if not traditionally like Braves and Red Sox is not geographic but it’s you know from the 1900s when there were two teams in Boston one of them was eventually became the Atlanta Braves. Yes. So that that makes sense. Um, and even trial or Detroit was getable. Detroit being a border city like us, that was getable. Also a great memory, the baseball trip I took now almost 20 years ago, going up to through Toronto to Lake Hiron for a couple nights and then embarking on the trip and getting up crack of dawn in the morning, driving from there to Detroit through Canada. What a great trip. Detroit. Wednesday afternoon Detroit Verlander rookie Verlander against Andy Pettit and the Astros. Thursday Wrigley Milwaukee Chicago Mark Prior. Friday night the Adam Dunn Grand Slam Cleveland Cincinnati Griffy Saturday Pittsburgh. So doubled up on Detroit and we got tired. Speaking of being tired, that Saturday was a five o’clock game and we we got out of there because we drove straight home from there and we we made it, but it was a tough one there. Yeah, that’s a that that’s a lot that’s a lot of drive-in and a lot of beers pro, you know, not too many to make it unsafe, but still a few and that’ll that’ll take it out of you. Four games in four days was didn’t need to see the last out of the Detroit Pittsburgh game. That was bold. It was great. When you mentioned a trip to Detroit, I was thinking of the Clemens the the hot dog fiasco. What a story. If anybody, you know, some people have been lucky enough, you go to a game and something famous happens, a no hitter, even like somebody hits for the cycle, four home runs. We just had that with uh Suarez and Arizona. You go to a game and somebody the Adam Dunn walk-off grand slam to win by one is pretty good. Nothing for me will ever top Detroit in 2003. Clemens Sunday afternoon Tigers worst team threatening to become like one of the worst teams of all time. They were I mean they they had just opened Kame Park but they were so bad and they were not drawing anybody like super small crowds for a terrible Tigers team. It lined up that Clemens I never miss a chance to tell this story that Clemens was going for his 300th win on the Sunday in Detroit Sunday afternoon and you know guys at the station and I decided to go. So, we bought tickets. They were not expensive, uh, right near the foul pole in right field and we met somewhere here, maybe 8:00 in the morning somewhere. We all got in I drove I think we all got in the car and drove to Detroit, like a 4-hour drive. We got there, no problem. Huge crowd. Of course, it’s a chance at history. Roger Clemens going for his 300th win. He’ll definitely get it. It’s against the Tigers, right? Like, you’ll definitely get it. And somehow the Tigers didn’t plan for there being a huge crowd because they were terrible and probably didn’t have all the concession stands open and all that kind of stuff, right? Something something. We got there early. Let’s just eat inside. We’re here. Let’s get in there. Was it was these guys and hour before the first pitch, they’re out of hot dogs at a baseball game. before Yankees Tigers Sunday be hour before the game started out of hot dogs. It never ceases to make me laugh and the whole day was basically around that. They just didn’t have enough food and they didn’t have 10,000 people. They had 50,000 people for this game because of Clemens. So, we’re managing. We’re taking turns. You know, guys would be gone for innings to go wait in line for food just they’d be gone for like three innings. Yeah. And the Yankees get way ahead maybe like 8 to3 in the fifth or something like that. So it’s just a formality. He’s going to get the win, right? All right. And the Tigers got him. The worst team in baseball got him. They strung hits together and they tied the game and he leaves and it’s not happening. He will not get his 300th win. So I don’t know. Probably a lot of people left. They’re starving. I mean, a lot of people just probably left at that point. There’s no 300th win. There’s no hot dogs. I’m done. And we didn’t, you know, we were there for the day. Game goes to the 17th inning. And you have you have a you you have obviously have to drive back the ball. You’re not spending the night in Detroit. I had Oh, I’m going to forget one of the who who who was there? Brad Bisbing was there. Dan Santag was there. Maybe Pat Malikaro. There were four of us. I wish I knew for sure. Uh but we’re just like Yeah. and we’re driving home after the game, but everybody just wanted to stay and maybe there was enough food so that we were not starving. So, it’s a five-hour game, 17th inning. Jeter homers, I want to say in the 17th and Wells pitches in relief of Clemens, I mean, of five other guys, too. But Wells pitches, he he finishes the game for the Yankees and they win like 10 to nine, something like that in 17. And then we drove home. I’ll just never beat it. No. It was like a double header chance at history. No hot dogs. I’ll never beat it. That is the best. Yeah. Sam Panovich coming up. He is in Charleston, South Carolina for a wedding and I texted him last night. You and I both do a lot of that and I’m like, “You good for tomorrow?” He’s like, “I wouldn’t miss it.” So, we’ll see what how things are going at a bachelor weekend in uh or you know wedding in uh in Charleston and that’s coming up next. Kevin Oubia on the Ammers, Tim Fes, Dave Buchanan, Mike Schopen, the bulldog here. This is WGR never Adam Shfter, Mike Schopen, the Bulldog on a sunny and warm Friday. Thanks for listening. Joining us now, the host of Bet Sweats, Odyssey Sports, Betting Insider, Sam Pennyovich. Insider calls presented by Bet MGM. Check out the latest lines today on the Bet MGM app. And be sure to catch Sam’s show with Joe Estraki, Bet Sweats, live 9 to noon on the Bet MGM network on the Odyssey app. Sammy P, where the P stands for pness or does it? Oh. Oh, yeah. I mean, it could really stand for whatever you wanted to on on any given occasion, I guess. I thought the P was for um prowl because I’m prowling through South Carolina and Georgia this weekend. Yes. So, let’s talk about the picture. Sam has just tweeted a picture of some shrimp at a place in Are you in Augusta right now or is this from Yeah, on the way to Atlanta. So they call that the flight. It’s at this place called Beanies. You get three shrimp dishes. A jumbolaya, a gumbo, and shrimp and grits. A jumbolaya, a gumbo. Which is the one with the baked beans? Is that going to be gumbo? Yeah, I think there’s there’s chicken in one and then the other one has the the beans. Okay. Yeah. I don’t feel like I have ever had grits properly prepared. Yeah. And you don’t want them either. I I don’t I don’t I’m not sure I know that. Like I I think I I might want to try like if I if I were with you on this trip and someone said you got to have the shrimp and grits. I I think I would want to try it just on the chance that like every other I’ve only had it maybe a half a dozen times in my life. A and I just don’t it never really took for me. But I wonder if I just had not had, you know, the stuff. There’s a My cousin Vinnie joke in there somewhere. I don’t remember the exact line, but when they’re arguing about the grits cooking faster in your kitchen, right? Um, yes. Look, the laws of physics. The first move, the first move, if it’s me and you, I’m getting you a fishbowl with like blue alcohol in it. Then we can do the grits. But I mean, no, you’re you’re a fishbowl guy. I know that about you. I think the other two are 1A, 1B. They both look great. I would not not be interested in the grits one. That’s just I not the corn. I would want to experience it, but I I know I love gumbo and I know I love jambalayas. So like there’s no question I’m going to enjoy those. I would I would want to experience like the authentic grits thing. But can’t go wrong here. Can’t go wrong here. Sam, how’d your night turn out last night? Good. What’s that? How’d your night turn out last night? Oh, it was great. It was great. Um, did the oldfashioned $20 bartender trick at the wedding, which is a must. If you don’t do it, what’s wrong with you? Uh, by the end of the night, shots are flying. You That’s how it goes. Yep. What is that? A $20 tip right away. Right away. Yeah. Open bar. Let’s prime the pump here. Like you you you want you want this person to see you coming and so hit them up right away because Sam, I think, you know, we we were communicating, I think, via Twitter mostly on this. My experience knowing, you know, maybe too many bartenders a little too well over the years is that people who tip might not realize how many people don’t, especially at a thing where, oh, it’s free. It’s open bar. I I don’t have to do anything. Yeah. And so if you come flying in with a 20, you know, when the doors open, man, that person is going to remember you. You’d like to think so. I I picked it up actually on the other side because I I used to 10 bar in Chicago and my best customer would come in every Sunday. He would give me a 20 right off the rip and I would make sure that he was always ready to go. You know, when his cellar was getting low, I I was ready to back him up and he would hand me a 20 on the way out. But he started up front with a 20 and ended with a 20. And I, trust me, I made sure he was good at all times. Even if I was slammed to the gills, right, he was good to go. Smart makes, you know, just simple uh game theory type stuff here. Just uh very smart. Right. So, do you have a pnness take here? Dare I ask? I’m not sure that’s necessarily top of mind. There’s Celtics, Knicks, we’re talking NFL win totals in here these days. Uh baseball, the Leaf might be topic tonight, too. at least here. I don’t know if Sam’s thinking about it while he’s in Georgia/S South Carolina, but so I can go really wherever you want. We do have um some goods on on the PNness. Now, you’re not going to like that. I’m going to tell you to play the favorite, but journalism should win. I’m I’m also not really fased by him running again, you know, cuz you have a lot of the horses that ran in the derby not running in the PNIS. Journalism had to go through the mud. like it was it was one of the worst trips for for a horse and he still almost got there. I I was more impressed with Sovereignty than I was unimpressed with journalism. But uh the two horses that I’m I’m trying to build around here, guys, I like the two to win. I’m going to do an exactoa 2-1 and 23 and then an exact box one two three. So I I need one of those two horses to finish first and second. That’s sort of where I’m at. We had Eddie on the show this week. He likes the eight. Clever again. Um I’m not there. Not to say that I’m smarter than Eddie. I’m not even going to go there. Um but I I’ve heard people I’ve heard people kind of warm towards this eight horse clever again. I’m staying on top though. I like I like the way the one is going to lead and I I’m sort of one two three. Those are my three horses in this race that I’m going to try and build around. How much does the if you if you know or have an educated somewhat educated guess, which I would bet you do, how much does the the Kentucky Derby winner not being in the pnness draw down like pull back on the amount of action that people because the the interest I think kind of waines if the you know the the Triple Crown isn’t in play. It’s a good question. What I can tell you is that the Masters in the Kentucky Derby are the best for handle every single year. But then I I’d be lying if I didn’t say that people are tired of losing a hundred bucks. And then they’re like they’re like, “All right, well that was fun.” And then I lost all my money at the Masters and at Kentucky Derby. So people do tend to shut the water down um after the first huge event in both golf and and in horse racing. Um but I think I think the casual observer is just sort of like, “Wait a minute, the horse wins the first one. It’s a triple crown and then doesn’t go for the second. That’s sort of weird.” But, you know, the horses can’t speak, guys. And and clearly that horse has been through it. Um, Bill Mott’s a Hall of Fame trainer. If he doesn’t think the horse is ready to go, then it’s not ready to go. I mean, think about how much money those guys make that own those triple crown horses. I mean, all those horses do is is just breed the rest of their lives. Those are million-dollar horses. Yeah. And, you know, just millions per breed. And it’s it’s something that you would have to believe if the horse was ready, he would he would be running. But those factors combined with, you know, people already probably lost money at the Masters and at the Derby, there’s not that same appetite at the breakness and the Belmont. Makes sense. Imagine, I mean, the the Grand Slam, say in golf is so rare, but imagine like Mroy being like, “Yeah, just going to skip the PGA Championship. I going to rest. Uh, I’ll get ready for the open, whatever.” tennis. Tennis you would have maybe not in a long time but you would have Australia goes first and then somebody might just a sampress or somebody would have had maybe no chance on the clay and then skip Paris right but you know horses as Sam astutely pointed out do not get much of a say in in the decision. Uh all right so that’s tomorrow one 123 that’s easy to remember. Knicks Celtics. Sam, what is your thought on where we’re at in that series and the NBA outlook overall? I’m not gonna lie, I thought the ball moved better without Tatum in game five. Now, that is not a hot take. That is not me saying they’re better without Tatum. In fact, I I think they could really use him tonight on the road where he was balling the game he got hurt, by the way, had like 45 points or whatever. Yes. But it’s so sad. I I wish him the best. Obviously, you guys know where I’m at, though. Like, I I have a very big position on Boston to win the series, and I did that when they went down two nothing. I feel like it’s it’s a bet I’m accepting loss on. Like, I I expect to lose it, but if I can find a winner here, I’d be very happy. I mean, if they win tonight, I think they win in seven going back home to Boston because then all the Nick Doubt creeps in. And, you know, that’s a franchise that hasn’t exactly been great in these big moments. But, um, this is a legacy game for a guy like Jaylen Brunson. You know, I think I think a lot of people talking about the series, make it about the Celtics, good or bad. This kid could come out tonight, score 35, and take his team to an Eastern Conference final. Um, I expect him to have a big night. I hope he’s just one point less than Boston, right? I hope I hope Boston squeaks by and and makes it seven. Um, and I’ll go I’ll go Monday. I’ll go hang out for the game and maybe maybe win some money. But I am nervous about a big Brunson night. I am. No doubt. Oklahoma City is about even money to win the championship. Does that I mean you’re not going to bet that at that price. That’s not the Sam we know. But um does that feel right? It does. I I don’t know. I don’t know that it’s a layup they get by Denver. I was actually looking at Denver yesterday morning. We were doing it on the show talking about the finals prices and Denver going into game six was 30 to1. and I threw it at Joe and he’s like, “Man, it’s be nice to have Jokic in my corner 30 to1.” Now, we didn’t do it and now that price is nowhere near 30 going into game seven. I think Oklahoma City is going to be a very popular moneyline play. Like people like most people that bet the NBA are going to have either the Thunder on the money line or the Thunderus the points in game seven. I know the house needs Denver and the house would celebrate if Denver could win that thing outright. it. Is Oklahoma City on the verge of doing something that’s never happened? Is it is it 60 wins and not getting past the second round? Like if if they if they lose game seven, I think they will make history Sunday uh w with with not getting to a conference final. Is it 60 or it might be whatever their total was this year? Like it’s the most wins a team’s ever had if they don’t get past the second round. It it could be. That sounds like something that that lines up cuz they won, I believe, 68 games. Yeah, maybe it was maybe it was 60, maybe it was 65. Yeah. Um and then the other, you know, the other part of that conversation, Bulldog, if they do choke, it would be a choke if you lose game seven at home. I’m sorry. it would be. Imagine the possibilities for them in the offseason cuz then they’re going to go out and try and get better and they have the assets and the picks where they can flip multiple, you know, nice assets to get maybe a Giannis um who’s on his way out of Milwaukee likely. And then you got the Spurs with Webyama and Castle and they got the two pick. Are they going to get aggressive? This West guys is is turning over quickly. The Lakers are old. They’re never going to win again with LeBron. It’s not going to happen. And now the Warriors got, you know, three guys that are over a hundred years old and Draymond, Jimmy, and and Steph Curry. Th those guys are old now. Steph Curry’s 37. That’s an old 37. A lot of miles here. You’re going to see the next few years, guys. Oklahoma City, Houston, San Antonio, those teams have a lot to build on. Have you given much thought to NFL awards, offensive rookie of the year, that kind of thing? I did bet Hampton, which I think we talked about a couple weeks ago, the running back from North Carolina, who is a Charger back now. I I I think him at 15 to1’s a great bet. Nua will get my money for offensive player of the year. Um I mean, it’s his room now. That that’s that’s his show in Los Angeles. And as Stafford and McVey are there, he’s going to he’s going to have a huge year. I did, by the way, off the top, was Sheffy saying the Patriots are going to are going to be good this year? I couldn’t tell. The there were two comments. The first one was seemingly benign. Like they’ll be underrated or something. I mean, their win total is closer to 500. They when I heard that, I’m like, you want to say they’re going to have like a really good year if you’re going to make that take? And then he kind of did push the Bills the way Washington pushed Philadelphia. So that’s that’s double digit wins. I mean, he doesn’t he doesn’t get credit for if New England goes nine and eight after that take. They need like 11 wins, I think. And you’re going to need Yeah. to push Buffalo, you’re going to need 11 or 12. I I love Buffalo schedule. Good grief. I mean, I’m going to be parlaying Bills to win the East with a lot of things in the summer, guys. I’m not even kidding. Like, Bills to win the East, Clemson to win the ACC, stuff like that. I’m going to have a lot of Bills exposure, but I don’t want to lay minus 250, minus 300. So, I’ll put that in a bunch of parlays. I also I’d love to book Sheffy. I mean, the guy knows a million things, but I bet he can’t pick a winner. So, I um I disagree with him on the Patriots take. I I I don’t see it this year. They’re they’re too young. Their offense has a lot of question marks and their offensive line isn’t really that great either. So, I I’m going to zag on that one. I disagree. Does the schedule coming out and being like known now provide any kind of an opportunity for like betters on the on totals and divisions and any of the stuff that we’re talking about here now that everyone knows? Like, does it do any of those lines fluctuate at all once the schedule’s known? I think people use the schedule as sort of a crux where they use it to either supplement a point, good or bad. Like, oh, well, I like this team. Oh, this look, the schedule’s kind of easy. Like, it’s sort of a a complimentary part of your bet, not like your full bet. Like, I don’t I don’t think most people look at a schedule and think, oh, like I’m going to bet that over or that under. People have conviction on a team either way and then kind of use the schedule to balance their take. Yeah. Confirmation bias. Exactly. That’s what it is. Oh, I like the Falcons this year and the NFC South is bad and the schedule is easy. I’ll bet the over, right? We We sort of just talk ourselves into this. I I didn’t really change one thing. I I mean, like it doesn’t I already knew the schedule. I just didn’t know the order of it. So, it doesn’t it doesn’t really change much for me, but I saw one one outlet said Buffalo has the fourth easiest schedule in the NFL. And that might be conservative. It could be easier. you might be able to capitalize in the same way like a live bet during a game where your team goes down 7 nothing, but you think they’re the better team in terms of like teams that have the hard games first and you kind of forget about them. Maybe they’re two and three or something like that and the odds change. I mean, everything’s always up, so you could maybe think of it that way. Before you go, Sam, uh, I have to admit I loved the grid on Bill Bellichic’s girlfriend’s next boyfriend. Uh, I I had to reach out to Joe for Jack McKon. I just thought that was so funny. Jack McKeon, the former manager. I mean, Joe went Joe was kind of He put Marv on the list. Marv was on his list at 99. Good lord. If you didn’t hear the segment, we did a fourplayer snake trap. So, 16 guys picked rather on Jordan Hudson’s ex-boyfriend. Ostraki though in the third round picks Dick Clark. Yeah, Dick Clark has been dead since 2012. Yeah. Whoops. He He got a mulligan for that. Well, these things can’t get away from you, Sam. 15 guys 15 guys in Ellen. 15 guys in Ellen were chosen in this uh in this particular draft. Oh, well, Mike said one last thing. I got one. I It’s hockey, Sam. So, sorry, but Leafs plus 184 tonight. Like, I don’t know how much you know about their reputation, but like this is a spot. They’re most of their fans are curled up in a ball. Like, they’re watching the Blair Witch Project right now with the performance they put on the ice at home in game five a couple nights ago. Um, I like to think like a a team that’s talented is a little bit billsy here. Like keep knocking on the door. Like at some point it’s going to happen. I I don’t know. Do you think you have the guts to take the Leafs plus 184 tonight against the defending champs in Florida? What I’m thinking about doing, Bulldog, is betting Florida to win in seven games. Like you can make that bet right now. So it’s a two-team parlay. I would need Toronto today and then Florida in game seven. I have thought about that all day where the Leafs win tonight and then they go back home and lay an egg in seven. Like that’s what I think is going to happen. And it would be the most cruel as well. That maybe four or five to one, something like that. Or get shut out. I don’t know. I mean like I that’s a big number for a good team tonight. And I think they’re going to be better on the road than they are at home. They’ll get the they’ll get the calls. All right, Sam. Enjoy uh wedding weekend down there in the south. All right, gentlemen. Thank you. Thanks for fitting us in, bud. Sam Pani from I guess near Augusta on his way to Atlanta. Weekend festivities. He and Joe Estraki host Bet Sweats on the Bet MGM network. Insider calls uh presented by Bet MGM. When you want and you want to check out Sam’s show on the Odyssey app, one of these days I’ll just be able to read that. the the way it’s written, there have been changes made to it, so I know just not to plow ahead. Already making excuses here. That’s a bad sign. I’m the one who’s tired. I don’t know what’s wrong with you. I don’t know. Maybe I’m tired on that mower, the heat, the sweat. Three days in a row I’ve been on it. It’ll take it out of you. Three. It is so It’ll so take it out of you. Three days in a row. All right, time out here. We’ll talk some more after a break. Mike Schopen, the Bulldog. WGR broadcasting I Text from Sneaky Joe SJD says, “In the NHL and NBA this year, 10 division winners, right? The NBA has six divisions. Of the 10 between the two leagues, six are out. Three is down. Three are down rather three games to two which would include the Leafs and Winnipeg. Mhm. And I guess the Celtics, right? Right. And then one is tied 3-3. That would be Oklahoma City. Yeah. Yeah. I heard Joe mention that on the uh on on their show this morning. Then why is he texting it to me? Like he’s already said it on the air. I’d be like, if you didn’t hear it, I’m not sending you this. like I’ve already said it and maybe he’s I feel like the text is because it hasn’t been out there yet. Well, I think it I I might guess that my stumbling around about the number of wins Oklahoma City had to not make it to at least the conference final might have prompted the is a similar vein type thing. He sent it to me. Um yeah, that’s right. He did send it to you. He doesn’t like me. I don’t know. Weird. We’re in a bad place. Me and Sneaky Joe. Is that right? No, not really. I’m just have no idea what I’m talking about at all. RIP to the Whammer. Yeah, Joe Don Baker dead at 89. That’s not going to be I don’t know. I read on him today after I learned of his death. I don’t know a lot of his catalog, but The Whammer would not be his like number one role. No, I saw Walking Tall mentioned and rightly so. I think Walking Tall. I think he’s the bad guy sheriff uh in the Walking Tall or some of the Walking Tall series. Yeah. Yeah. Um I like the Whammer though. That guy he he was a good heel. Yes, he was. The Whammer in the natural if I need to say. I probably do cuz it’s 40 years ago and and he’s only on screen for like I don’t It’s not long. Is he? Am I Am I messing that up? I I feel like there’s like a flashback scene and like that’s it. I don’t I don’t feel like he’s in the rest of the film. Yeah. No, that’s right. He’s in the Yeah. part before, pre-shooting. They get off the train and he Yeah. They have a little exhibition. Yeah. The Whammer. The Whammer. So, he would have been in Buffalo for that. That’s where the movie was shot. So, you’d think he would have been here for that, I suppose, but I don’t know if the entirety of the film was shot in Buffalo. I mean, that’s a pretty rural looking scene there. But so it could have been we have that around. Yeah, we do. We have that. It’s like at a fair or something when he gets when he gets the three pitches. Yeah. Oh, the whammer. All right, we will take a break and talk about the big games on the Bills schedule. Do some of that here. Kevin Ojia coming up next hour on the Amir’s playoff series. We’ll chat with Tim Fes, local golf pro, who was the starter basically announcing the pairings at the PGA Championship today. That had to be great. And Dave Buchanan on the Bandits. The finals start tonight downtown game one. Mike Schopen, the Bulldog here, WGR. update. The Bandits make their fifth consecutive NLLL final appearance as the best of three series opens tonight at Keybank Center against the Saskatchewan Rush. Pregame show begins at 7:00 with faceoff at 7:30. Can catch all the action right here on WGR Sports Radio 550. One game tonight, the NHL playoffs. Toronto Maple Leafs looking to avoid elimination are in Florida taking on the Panthers with faceoff set for 8:00 p.m. And Florida currently is leading the series 3 to2. Tonight in the NBA playoffs, the Knicks look to end the Celtics postseason run in game six with tip off set for 8:00 p.m. The winner of this series goes on to face the Pacers in an Eastern Conference final. Day two of the PGA Championship saw Jonathan Vegas finish eight under, currently at top the leaderboard. For more on the PGA Championship, tune in to a 2-hour Tea to Green show tomorrow morning live from Niagara Falls, Niagara Frontier Golf Club. That’s your Paddock Chevrolet sports update. Paddock Chevrolet, celebrating 90 years of being your hometown dealership. I’m Joe Cali for WGR Sports Radio 550. [Music] The boys are at Niagara Frontier tomorrow morning. Tita Green was just announced. I’ll be there on Monday. All right. Not broadcasting. Just playing golf. Playing golf. Yes. Good for you. Yes, it is good for me. I think it will be very good for me. It might not be that good for Niagara Frontier, but it’ll be good for me. Or your playing partners, maybe. Yeah, we’ll see. Scramble. Yeah. No, what could go wrong? I mean, just Yeah, that that that’s that’s easy peasy. Good deal. Yeah, that’ll be fun. Yeah. Good. So, it’s been schedule week and not to just totally turn our backs to it. Of course, everybody always knows the who about the schedule, just not the when. Wednesday night was for the when. And I want to talk about the the four big non-division games the Bills have all at home. It’s so great that these are all home games. Last year, the stadium, you know, the competitive advantage that there is and also just being able to go out there and see all these games. Ravens, Chiefs, E R Ravens, Chiefs, Bengals, Eagles is the order. Just want to spend a minute or two on like each one and how we did with the timing. Like, so Baltimore week one, is that good or bad? I I brought this up to S yesterday and S I think rightly said you can pretty you can get pretty twisted with these, you know, like just conjuring all kinds of different angles and theories about like why playing a team at a certain point is good or bad. With week one, I mean, there can be exceptions, but you’d expect everybody to be healthy. your best guys aren’t going to see much if any action in the preseason and you know you’re going right headlong into the season against a team that is about your equal. Uh it’s an interesting way to start it. Yeah, there probably shouldn’t be many nagging type injuries. I mean I guess that can happen the attrition through camp and and certainly do guys do get hurt in the summer in preseason games and in practice. So, I mean that that could tilt a bit. Yeah. I mean, generally speaking, um, you know, you should be looking at at a at a pretty hearty compliment of all the regular dudes. Um, I like one of the first things I noticed when, you know, we were talking about this in advance of the actual official release. We had it and it turned out to be right on Wednesday afternoon. Um, that there there is, you know, it’s not all the games are not equidistant from one another, but there is enough spacing there. I think the the tightest is the LA are the last two. The Bengal game is three weeks ahead of the Philly game, but you’ve got a few weeks there, November 2nd to December 7th between Kansas City and Cincinnati. And of course, all the way from September 7th, the opener against Baltimore, all the way to November 2nd for Kansas City. So unlike I feel like a couple of recent years here there have been little pockets in the schedule they would look like man look at that you know San Francisco and Kansas City maybe close by uh Philadelphia and Kansas City two years ago were right right around each other maybe back toback with a buy in between if I remember correctly and then Dallas and then Dallas and you know that ended up kind of looking like a walk over the San Francisco game was not that hard but you know sitting here in the springtime time of those seasons, prior to those seasons, th those look daunting. There is no place on this schedule that looks like that. Except I I I must say both the Dallas and San Francisco games to me were uh never daunting. You you you were worried about them. I knew they both would be I thought they both would be easy wins. Um they’re going to get here and run out of the tunnel and be like it’s so cold and dark. What’s one loss going to One loss is not going to kill us. Yeah. As it turned out, San Francisco season was like it got away from them before they got here even. Yes. And that was not a one-sided game really. That was turnovers, the Niners, you know, like they they were about even with the Bills, but they fumbled at the goal line twice or something like they sort of gave it away. Anyway, your point. So, I like I like the spacing. I I think it it it it might allow and and McDermott Shawn McDermott sort of revealed I think in talking to S and Matt Bet on their uh It’s Always Game Day in Buffalo podcast um in advance of the schedule release when asked about what you look for, he did make a point about the spacing um like how how you know where are where are different games and where are there it was so much the the the spacing of the opponents specifically because of course a coach which is not going to tell you which teams he’s more worried about, but it was basically where are there pockets where there’s a little extra time, where’s there a time crunch, and when can we try to sort of do a little work? If we’ve got a pocket of extra time, when can we do a little work on an opponent where there’s a shorter amount of time? like can we do work on third down say stuff with you know for a game where we know we’re on a short week and do that in advance and that kind of thing and I think the spacing of these games while I I’m not ready to go long on how much rest there is in between it’s just you’ve got gaps there so if you feel like you need to do a little extra work on the Bengals and the Chiefs you’ve got the time to do that it’s not like they’re right on top of one another so I think that’s advantageous I really feel like if someone were, I think misguidedly so, wanting to make a case that the league was trying to like spoon feed the Bills a Josh Allen Super Bowl appearance that this schedule is as advantageous as it can get considering that the teams you’re going to play are locked in. There’s nothing you can do about it. But I think the Bills avoiding all the all the other stuff, the Europe and the holidays and all that. Um, and the spacing of these four games I think is it’s it’s advantageous. Like I could see someone in Kansas City or Baltimore or Cincinnati looking at the Bill schedule going, “Man, they really got, you know, they they got off easy.” I just think it’s the it’s the quantity of quote easy games versus not. Like I I guess maybe you’d want them spread out. I understand. I just think what jumps out is stretches where like you know the the weeks two through seven or whatever it is where you’re you’re playing teams that have been bad like it it’s it’s just maybe it’s just mostly semantics you know just yeah it’s the same point really it’s the the the schedule looks easy because the hard games are spaced out and in between is like because there are so few I think is why it looks easy because there are so few for Hey, but Baltimore week one, like is there any strategic advantage either way with that being the opener? I I I guess I haven’t thought of one yet. I do I will say again, you’d expect all the stars to be on the field. Yeah, which is what you got last year even though it was the playoffs. I mean, both teams were mostly healthy, I guess. Um, so there’s that. Yeah, I don’t necessarily disagree with a point I think Sale made when we posed this or when you posed this to him yesterday that Baltimore is such a different animal offensively, you know, specifically Jackson and now Henry here for a second year that really they play in a way that no one else on your schedule is really capable of playing. So, you have all summer to like go to school on what you want to do with the Ravens. And I think that I if I can find an advantage there, I I I would say it’s it’s to to Buffalo’s favor because I don’t know that the Bills I mean Allen is unique as as Jackson is, but their offense I don’t think is as you know really it’s just that Allen is not as big a threat as Jackson. Uh Jackson just is a level above even as a runner as great as Allen is. And so you really got to button that up. and Henry is just such a big powerful guy that it’s a unique matchup and having it right out of the box instead of in the middle of your season gives you a lot of ramp up time I think. So, and I so I do I do like that point. I think that that’s a valid point. I don’t know if it it doesn’t mean they’re obviously going to win the game or anything, but it gives you an opportunity to do as much extra work on that as you feel you need to do. I guess I would say that that does work both ways in the Ravens in this case having the same amount of time to show different looks, you know, to come up with uh you know, pivots when it comes to the Bills. Uh but, you know, that’s just always going to be said. Um the the Ravens outgained the Bills by 143 yards in that playoff game. I guess I didn’t remember that it was that that one-sided. The turnovers, you think of the game for the the Ravens mistakes, the drop two-point pass, three turnovers to none. Allen threw for 127 against Baltimore. That’s incredible to be able to win with 127 passing yards and never forcing a punt to win the game is is pretty good. Ravens had the opening night game last year in Kansas City, uh, and now they’re at the Bills. So, they’re they’re used to tough asks. Mhm. Uh in week one, I looked up Lamar Jackson in openers, and I’m not sure it’s anything is that uh profound here. The game against Miami is memorable in 2019 where he had taken that starting job as a rookie. They made the playoffs. He had an awful playoff game against the Chargers at home and they lost. Next year he came out, they won 59-10 in Miami. and that was like the beginning of unanimous MVP like that season for him. Uh there was a Monday night game they lost in Las Vegas a few years ago. Anyway, just sort of bouncing ideas around about that night sort of on paper. Kansas City week nine, the second of these four big games on the Bills schedule. No reason for me to think like anything is different about Bills Chiefs. like it’s the middle of the season. They’re probably both going to be, you know, competing with each other for seeds and, you know, division title stuff. I think when you put that game there early, you know, it’s important like the Ravens game is, you know, you just don’t know anything yet about the season. By the midpoint, by week nine, uh, we’ll know quite a bit and that will almost certainly be the game it’s been, you know, for years on on the calendar, huge in the league. Um, is is Travis Kelce still Travis Kelce at that point? You know, whatever. There’ll be there’ll be things about the two teams that um we won’t know at this point. But yeah, I I do like the for the timing of that game. I like from the Bills standpoint that it’s a couple of weeks after they will have gotten a couple of guys back. I mean, I I don’t want to overstate this because I’m not ready to say like Oen Joby especially or or Michael Hoy are going to be big needle movers, but they are pieces that they added to this defense. And I’m especially intrigued about Hoy. I’m really bummed out we don’t get to see him fresh out of the rapper when the season begins because he I think is he’s he he feels to me like a piece the Bills have not really had like a player I shouldn’t say that maybe Lorenzo Alexander like we we did make that comparison was made even though they’re stature-wise physically they’re not they don’t look that similar but what you know Alexander was kind of a jack of all trades and they ended up finding you know ways to make that work for them and I feel like Hoy is another version of that and that especially him more than Oen Joby because I think Oen Job is just a you know he’s he’s a guy in your rotation on the defensive line. I feel like Hoy might be somebody that you will be able to deploy in a variety of different ways and that won’t be fresh out of the wrapper against Kansas City. Maybe there’s a case to be made that you you know that would be better. Um, but just get him on the field in some in in the Carolina game and get an idea of like what what really he can do for you from different spots, edge, interior, linebacker, even whatever you wherever you want to put him. And Kansas City won’t have a ton of runup on what they’re doing with him yet. So, I like that. And, you know, so that that that I feel like works out well for the Bills. If the Chiefs had been, you know, week five or something Y, then I I it’s another one of these things that I think you might be able to look at and go like, man, the Bills got they really caught a break there. Yep. The buy is nice for them in that way. Week seven and it’s really soft after Baltimore for the rest of those suspensions. Depending on what Atlanta looks like, Atlanta might it could end up being good. It’s a harder game than than than you’re expecting sitting here today. I mean, the Jets maybe not, but it’s on the road and Fields maybe presents sort of a unique challenge, but Miami that’s been a game when not every time, but the Dolphins have often given the Bills a game. And then New England in week five is also, you’re not saying it’s like a obvious, right, or a given that those are going to be blowouts or anything, but we have to see it first, you know, like maybe the Patriots are enough better to make that competitive. the league must think so by putting on Sunday night. Uh so you have the Chiefs in week nine, Cincinnati in week 14. I guess I’m thinking right now that that game is going to be massive. Maybe that’s seating, you know, maybe there’s a division races. I I guess the Bills could have clinched the division by then. They did last year, but probably not. And I just I’m already excited about that one. Yeah. I can’t find anything that I consider advantageous there. Uh like I did with with Baltimore. You got time extra time to prepare. Of course, so do they. Sure. But I’ve got that. That’s good for that matchup. I made the point about the Chiefs and the guys coming back from suspension. That doesn’t apply anymore. No. Cincinnati is the lone home game in a stretch of four five well four out of five on the road. So you’re you’re away. You’re away. Bengals away away. I I that that’s just a tough That’s just a even though none of the trips are arduous, you know, flight time wise, uh time zone wise, same thing. I I just feel like you’re going to get home in the middle of that. And I I just I’m if there’s a pocket in the schedule I’m worried about, it’s it’s there because I just think that’s a lot. all that travel uh I think could could wear could could wear on them like to the point where even like Houston is not a super long flight but it’s the longest trip of the year and it’s in that pocket and I just I I you know what whatever the hardest thing if you got an easy life whatever the hardest thing you’ve got to deal with can sometimes get bigger magnitude wise because it’s it’s the most challenging thing even though it really isn’t that hard. I feel like that’s the Houston trip. So, and the Bengal game is, you know, shortly after that, you got that Pittsburgh game in between. I think it’s a that’s a tough spot. Four out of five on the road is tough. Any way you cut it, even though you’re home for that Bengal game, I just I’m a little worried about that part of the schedule. After that is Philadelphia week 17, which for me is kind of a bummer, that game being so late. Maybe it’s huge, maybe it’s not. Maybe it’s so late that each team or the Bills and as far as we care about it uh just don’t have a ton on the line, but you know, maybe I think that game is incredible in week six, but week 17 so far off there’s just the whole season’s going to play out first and I can’t get um too hyped for it just because of that. Uh but if it’s big, it’ll be that that so great. I mean, Philadelphia, um, just like Super Bowl winner, play them early and enjoy the hype of that. Uh, by then it won’t be quite the same, I think. Let’s get, uh, CJ in real quick. Go ahead, CJ. Guys, I just want to say I looked at the Baltimore Ravens schedule, and if you were a Baltimore Ravens fan, it it’s like rubber salt on the wound. Back-to-back years, you have the opening game against a team you lost in the playoffs. The Chiefs, you played them in the AFC Champion game. next year you play them the opening game. The opening game is the hardest due to the fact that one, you have no tape on whatever new scheme or whatever wrinkles they want to throw in. And two, you’re in a division against a team that know, you know, the Bills are going to win a division. It’s just it’s a lot weaker compared to what you’re in. You can be behind a eightball the very first week kind of like they was when they played us last year, one and three, starting the season rough. It’s not easy and it’s tough already being in the AFC. I just look at the Ravens schedule and say that’s that’s a tough pill to swallow. Yep. Thanks, CJ. Uh, that is correct. Two years in a row they open in a playoff rematch, right? They get they get the Browns week two, but then it’s Detroit and it’s Kansas City backto back. At least the Lions game is in Baltimore, but then they’re on the road in Kansas City, Houston and the Rams after that. Like, that’s a that’s a pretty, you know, that’s a that’s a healthy that’s a healthy stretch for them. Hard hard all playoff teams except for the Browns in their first uh six games. We will turn our attention to the Amirks next. The Amirs are home game two of their best of five with Laval in the AHL playoffs tonight in Rochester. Kevin Ojo will join us to give us a preview after the break. Mike Schopen, the Bulldog here, WGR. The Bandits make their fifth consecutive NLLL finals appearance as the best of three series opens tonight at Key Bank Center against the Saskatchewan Rush. Pregame show begins at 7:00 with faceoff set at 7:30 p.m. Can catch all the action right here on WGR Sports Radio 5:50. One game tonight for the NHL playoffs. Toronto Maple Leafs looking to avoid elimination are in Florida taking on the Panthers with p with faceoff set for 8:00 p.m. Florida currently is leading the series 3-2. And tonight in the NBA playoffs, the Knicks look to end the Celtics postseason run in game six tip off set for 8:00 p.m. Winner of this series goes on to face the Pacers in the Eastern Conference final. Those are your Paddock Chevrolet sports headlines. Paddock Chevrolet celebrating 90 years of being your hometown dealership. I’m Joe Cali for WGR Sports Radio [Music] 550. Call or text WGR at 8030550 or post onx at WGR550 and get connected to Shopen the Bulldog now. Brought to you by Northtown Kia. Check out the 2025 Kia K4 sedan. named finalist for the 2025 North American Car of the Year. the scenes in Rochester Wednesday night. That is Don Stevens. The Amirs took the lead but would lose to Laval 5 to4 in the first game best of five. Joining us now on the Wester hotline to talk about the Amirs is Kevin Ojia, longtime friend of ours. It did not occur to me until today that there’s a horse race to talk about. Kevin, I’m sure you’re good for a pnness question at some point here, too. Sure, why not? Why not? Why not? I mean, two great subjects, the Ammers and uh the the Triple Crown races. Absolutely. And there used to be a time when the you know, the Amirs would run concurrently with the Triple Crown season. Well, you know, here we are in the playoffs last year. Pretty good, too. They got a chance to do it this year then. Yeah. How do you like their chances in this round? I don’t like them at all. Not at all. All right. Thanks for being on, Kevin. Great to catch up with the winner in the horse race and we’re done here. I think Laval is really good. Like I’m not saying the Emirates aren’t, you know, a a very very good team, but I they’re I just think Laval is a really good team. They have size. They have speed. Whereas Syracuse had some big forwards who could get in on top of the D. They weren’t all that mobile. Like this team is fast and they’re they have mobility and you know the Ammerst D is mobile, but the you know, Laval can keep up with them. They can, you know, I it’s I just don’t I don’t think it’s a good matchup with the with the name Rocket. With the name Rocket, you’d better be able to skate. That’s right. That’s right. And and they have some guys who can, you know, shoot some rockets from the point like Mayu. So, it’s a it’s a good matchup, but the regular season was 6-2 in favor of Laval. And I don’t think that was far from I mean, it’s there’s not that great a difference between the teams, but there’s a reason Laval won the season series that definitively. This sounds a little bit similar to how the Ammer season ended. might have been the year before last when they they made it they they went on a bit of a run but ran into Hershey and Hershey had like a bunch of grown men with big beards. I feel like they were they were big, mean, and tough. Yeah, that’s a good way to Yeah, that’s a good uh matchup. I don’t I’m not sure. Well, I mean there’s some experience on Laval as well, but they don’t they’re not that seasoned like Hershey was. Um I think it’s pretty similar to when they ran into Laval, you know, in in 2022. I think that that would be a pretty good comparison. That was just a bigger, faster, stronger team. And the Emmericks had a great, you know, upset of Udica in the first round and and, you know, weren’t weren’t uh able to get past Laval because they just weren’t as good. And I I sense that’s probably the case, you know, this year. Maybe game one was an aberration. I It’s not an aberration, but, you know, maybe they make adjustments. We’ve we’ve certainly all seen that. We’ve seen teams get blown out in game one of the series and and win the series. So, this was a one-goal game. Didn’t feel like a onegoal game. I mean, it was, but it just didn’t seem like there was any question Laval would would score when, you know, when they needed to. Do you feel like w with that in mind here that the the Amirks maybe much like the Sabres aren’t physically what they need to be to really go on a run in the playoffs here? Um, yeah, that’s maybe an organizational thing that we they just don’t have that type of player. That’s been true for how many of their right 50 some years of existence, too. Uh, you know, yeah, that’s that’s that’s certainly a very good point. And that’s really what it is. I mean, they have some very high highly skilled, you know, top-end prospects, but they’re pretty much all the same. Um, so if you look at the team, like they just don’t have I I keep thinking, well, if Buffalo makes the playoffs, maybe they make it this year, maybe or LA next year, maybe they if they’d made it this year, if they made it last year, whatever it may be, and put them up against Vegas, put them up against Florida. That’s just a bad matchup. Yeah. Like those are not good matchups. Put them up against Dallas. They just those are bad matchups. Granted, if you’re putting them up against Dallas or Vegas, you’re in the finals. But, you know, kind of what I’m kind of the teams I’m looking at that just, you know, they that’s they don’t match up well there. Kevin, how about uh Devin Levi? Sounded like he had a fine season. The Sabres will have a decision to make on him, I suppose. Yeah, I mean, I think he’s proven he can play and he can play in the NHL. Um, will he be a star there? I don’t know. Um, I don’t see him as a Ryan Miller yet. Um, but I, you know, he the year he had and some of the games he had against Syracuse in the in that in that quick short series, I mean, he shut out a team twice in the playoffs. That’s pretty rare feat um in this league and in this for this franchise. So, um, you know, I like him. I think he’s he’s cleaned up some things. there aren’t a lot of bad goals as many as there were last year. Um, and I, you know, I think he I think he has a future. What they do, you know, they have, again, there’s decisions to make in a lot of places, but more goalies coming in and and, you know, the incumbent and now him seemingly showing he’s ready to move up next year. I It’s a good question what they do. Yeah, I was wondering I I I I you know I don’t want to be done talking about the series and the Amors here, Kevin, but I wonder if it feels at this point like it would be a disappointment maybe to the organization, if not certainly to Levi, if he doesn’t establish himself in the NHL next fall. Yeah, I I mean with the year he had here, I mean, he certainly deserves the chance. Now, if he goes up there and doesn’t play well, then okay, he still can come back here. Um, but he he he needs to be given that chance because he’s proven he deserves it. Maybe, you know, training camp shows that as well. But, you know, I I’m not going to tell the front office what to do. I’ve done that for 30 years and they never listen. So, I’m not going to, you know, keep trying. Don’t give up, Kevin. They need help they can get. They need all the help they can get. Don’t give up, Kevin. We need you. We all need you. Come through. Well, who else is coming now, right? I I’m sorry if if you’re not ready for that. I I I I I feel like there’s a potential crowd coming in the crease. Um, you know, I I not even I didn’t even look it up. I’m sorry. I just have No, same here. I I I thought I I So, they signed a couple guys. One of the European guys they is ready to come over. And so, like there there could be another guy they want to sort of give a a pretty decent role to in Rochester. And Levi staying behind maybe could complicate that for them organizationally, right? or is he ready to be a backup or are they does he split with UPPL? I you know things they have to you know decide and and you know it’s it’s one of many questions they have. Yeah. How have you found him experiencing being down there? Um he has embraced it as well as you possibly can. Um he’s you know he’s totally into it. Um he speaks highly of the city. He can’t say enough good things when it comes to, you know, talking about the fans or when they’re when he’s on the mic as the first star after a game. Um, he went into the playoffs with a newly designed, you know, helmet mask with all Rochester themes. So, you know, that I think says he’s all in. He has been all in. And, you know, it’s that’s important. You can’t just, you know, even last year he said, “I’m this is my team. I’m here. I, you know, I this is my team now.” Yeah, I was in Buffalo, but I’m here for a reason and let’s take care of that. So, you know, I’ve been impressed with his ability to, you know, to handle that and just the way he has uh matured and I I don’t want to say matured, but um just shown Yeah. I’m I’m an Ammer and that’s why I’m I’m here. I’m an Amir. Let’s get this done. Definitely not sulking, which is which is Oh, no. No. And he really never did. So, Right. Good. Um, but you know, just very much like I said, embracing the city and what it’s about and the fans and you know, I they certainly he he’s by far the most popular player here. Has he got a golf course on that mask? I mean, Rochester’s a great golf town. He he does not. I did a story on it um as the playoffs were about to start. Or maybe it was after game one. Might have been after game one. It was so long ago. My gosh, that’s 13 days off will do that to you. Last winter, right? Uh, but he he, you know, he’s just got a he’s got the Ammer moose and the moose is holding like a bubble tea and tacos. Um, and as I wrote, who knew that a moose had hands, but this moose does. Um, the bubble tea, like he said, he and a bunch of the player, you know, bunch of his teammates go for bubble tea every now and then, and in his words, love that stuff. They have taco Tuesday at the rink every Tuesday. Um, so he, you know, put a couple of those things on. The back of his mask is the is a is the front of the hotel where he stayed all year. Here, um, he just kind of one of those extended stay hotels. Yeah. Made it easier than renting an apartment. And you know, that’s on the back of his mask. And the other side, oh, the other side is Ryan Miller or uh Ryan Miller. Uh, and then one of the equipment guys. All right. who who once got in the stick or in the shooting room downstairs and played goal and was a high school goalie and you know who that that kind of shows how much he’s embraced the team. Yeah. When he’s got the equip the assistant equipment guy or locker room attended on his mask pretty good. Yeah, Kevin 14 years without the playoffs for the Sabres. It really does blow your mind. The NHL has never happen. It’s impossible. It just seems like it should be impossible. It’s never happened. That’s that’s I was going to say that’s more that’s more improbable than a team going 50 some years without a Stanley Cup or 60 some or whatever the Leafs are at now. But yes, that’s not possible either and it’s in a you know in a league that had whatever 12 teams at the time and since then and and it’s crazy how can you go 14 years ago making a playoff. Do you have any sort of big knowing that you’re not going to call the front office and give you give them your advice? We’ve established that. But do you do you have some sort of like big picture motive attack for for the Sabres? Like blow it up, ride it out, something else? I don’t think blow it up. But I again I do think they have enough high quality prospects that there are teams that need skill forwards. Move a couple. Find a deal. Find Do I Here’s Owen Power is a big guy. He’s the type of type of defenseman they need as far as size goes, but he doesn’t play that big. So, how many like can you foresee that team with that defense getting past a Florida or those, you know, teams that just come at you relentlessly and pound and pound and pound? I I can’t. So, they have to they need that type of D, I think, and they need that type of forward or three. Who do you like in the race tomorrow? I like I do like the the Derby favorite. Um, it’s it’s a field that isn’t the greatest of fields, but journalism. You’re biased, though. Journalism. You’re you’re biased. You’re biased. Journalism. Of course, you’re going to like journalism. Yeah. Yeah. The fact that he got beat, well, you know, it’s kind of a it’s a it’s an industry that’s in trouble or has been, you know, suffering. So, but I do like journalism. However, my I like I like the eight clever again probably equally. Um, prep race was really good. didn’t go in the derby. Jose Ortiz gets off Sandman the seven to ride the eight. I think that says, you know, I think that says something, too. That’s the second mention of the eight today. Two. Two for the eight. Right. Very good. Good luck, Kevin. I wouldn’t be surprised if they run one, two in either order. What number is journalism? Two. He’s the two. Very good. You got to say the ‘the’. It’s like how we say the 190. Horse racing experts put the ‘the’ in there. to be noted, Kevin. Very good point. Yes. Yes. Great to talk to you again. Thanks for your time. Wait. Absolutely. Have a great one, guys. Before you hang up, where can we read you? Oh, he’s gone. Spitting chicklets. He’s been there. No, it’s picking splinters. Picking splinters is where you can find Kevin. Yeah. Is it that bad to mix those up? No. No. I It sounds like pretty much the same thing. with with Owen here running the stream today. He asked me before we left home like who’s actually I asked him, “Do you want me to send you our guest list?” I’m like, “Can we have a couple of harder names to spell please between Panonovich and Okubia?” I had to Google stuff to just copy and paste cuz I’m like, “I am not going to spell these names right.” Um, and so, um, why did I start bringing this up? The website. The website, right? I I almost typed in spitt and checklist when I was sending the text to him and I remembered. Oh yeah, pick and splinters. Owen preparing how adorable. Remember that. Remember those days? Preparing for the show. I barely do anymore. Mike show the bulldog at 8030550. This is WGR broadcasting live from the Just Call Jed studios. And on the report that the owners are going to consider changing the playoff format in football. It came up at the owners meetings, but no changes were made official. And this week coming up is when that and the tush push stuff like there’s going to be it’s going to be all revisited. I I don’t want to say like be careful NFL because they just seem impervious to any sort of decline in any way. Um putting games on Christmas, putting games on Thursday nights, you know, everything they’ve done to just be more in your face and it hasn’t cost them to say the least. It hasn’t really cost them yet. Mhm. They just keep getting bigger and you know what is the what is the line? Pigs eat, hogs get slaughtered. Um you you just really can’t say how anything like that is imminent. I I think they went to seven playoff teams. They went to 17 games. Nobody Nobody cared about 17 games, but they did it. Nobody cared about seven playoff teams, but they did it. Now it’ll be 18 games soon. Maybe it’ll even be eight playoff teams. Nobody needs it. they’ll do it. And this one is disallowing teams that win their divisions but have the poor record to play at home. Just receding seating the playoffs by record only. Mhm. Do we need it? Absolutely not. Do not need it. No. Like changing the overtime rules all the time. Can you make a case for these kinds of things? Sure. Is it necessary? It’s just confusing. Yeah. One thing it is is confusing. I I didn’t I don’t like this idea. Uh just in general, I I was like, “Oh, no. Don’t no just don’t don’t need to do it.” Why do you have You have divisions already. You’re playing these teams twice a year and then you’re going to tell me, you know, I haven’t earned it. Um so I don’t like that. I heard I believe it was Judy Batista was on with Brownie and Maddie this afternoon. Mattie was in for Steve. Matty Glad was in for Steve Tasker today on One Bills Live and on my way in, Judy Batista was talking about the motivation for this and I hate it even more now. At least the the way she was explaining it, the the commissioner is is at least interested. They they’ve got his ear on this idea and she said it it’s really TV. it. The TV partners don’t like how prevalent Stars sitting out games late in the season has become. And so from that standpoint, I guess, and you know, this can cut different ways, I suppose, but I if you’re, you know, you’re all locked up and you can’t move, well then you sit your guys down. But if it’s just, you know, open season 1 through 7 or 1 through eight eventually, and just cuz I’ve got my division locked up doesn’t mean I’m guaranteed at least that first home game, then you might have to keep going. And I doing that for like TV needs help. The league needs the the partners aren’t I mean, the partners are they pay I mean that’s that is the lifeblood of the league. So it makes sense. But that made me hate it even more. Yeah. Because it’s not so much about competitiveness. It it’s about the the product on TV and that they want talk about hogs getting slaughtered and pigs eating. They they just want more reason for you to not turn these like we turn the games off anyways. We’re watching them no matter what. So I guess maybe not everyone. I mean everyone doesn’t have a job where they’re required to watch a meaningless week 18 game. No, but I also like the discussion around sitting players. Like that’s it doesn’t change the point about watchability I guess but it’s an interesting discussion about strategy like what the Rams did last year the Rams said we don’t care about the higher seed we would we would rather have the rest and that’s what they did and they drew Minnesota who had won 14 games and they beat him pretty easily and then you know made they gave the Eagles a game. So I guess you you might say they were they were correct in what their plan was. I don’t know. I just I if the four seed is a bad team but wins a out of a weak division and they get to play at home against a quote good team. Okay. I mean life isn’t fair like right and you know they’ll probably lose. Yeah. I think if you’re not if you’re not going to have the reward for the division winner then why do you have divisions? Yeah. And and if you don’t want to abolish divisions, then I think, you know, I want to say definitively you can’t do this. Just you don’t do it. But TV is the I mean TV is the thing. And but that that made me want to push back against it even more because when I heard that thinking if that’s what she you know that’s what she’s saying and I think that’s a smart observation on her part and I’m guessing she’s heard that. She’s a very plugged in reporter. Um that really aggravated me when I heard that this afternoon. see what happens there next week. Tim Freeze coming up next, local pro who was given the honor of announcing the groups this morning at the PGA Championship. We don’t have Brian today. We’ll talk to Tim about the tournament as we continue here after sports. Mike Schopen, the Bulldog, WGR Sports Radio 550. [Music] The Bandits make their fifth consecutive NLLL Finals appearance as the best of three series opens tonight at Keybank Center against the Saskatchewan Rush. Pregame show begins at 7:00 with faceoff at 7:30 p.m. Can catch all the action right here on WGR Sports Radio 550. Rochester Americans after falling short against Laval Rockets on Wednesday evening looking to bounce back tonight continuing the North Division final. Faceoff set for 7:05 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena. One game tonight in the NHL playoffs. Toronto Maple Leafs looking to avoid elimination. They’re taking on the Panthers with faceoff set for 8:00 p.m. Florida currently leads the series 3-2. And tonight, the NBA playoffs. The Knicks look to end the Celtics postseason run in game six with tip off set for 800 pm. The winner of the series goes on to face the Pacers in the Eastern Conference final. Day two of the PGA Championship saw Jonathan Vegas finish 8 under, currently at top of the leaderboard. For more on the PGA Championship, tune in to a 2hour TOG Green show tomorrow morning from live from Niger Frontier Golf Club. That’s your Paddock Chevrolet sports update. Paddock Chevrolet celebrating 90 years being your hometown dealership. I’m Joe Cali for WTR Sports Radio 550. [Music] guy’s a natural. That is Tim Fes, longtime outstanding pro in Western New York, now with Glenn Oak. And that was his voice at the PGA Championship. Tim, I hate the sound of my own voice. And everybody says that about themselves. I don’t know if that was strange for you to listen to, but um you sounded good to me. Mike, thanks. I um Hey, I’m I need to have a little more energy in there. Hate the sound of my own voice. You bet. It was a 5 a.m. shuttle with the cameramen and the rules officials. Oh, yeah. Didn’t have enough coffee. You know, get the juice in there. I was better uh toward the end of the call. So funny. That’s That’s funny. You’re exactly right. How How many did you How long did you announce groups for? Uh I had the uh first group on up at 7 this morning and I went to about oh 8:15 and then uh Dawn from Nebraska. There’s 14 of us on the board of board of uh the PG of America. We all take some shifts uh to start all the players off. It’s fantastic Thursday, Friday, and then uh Saturday we do the same thing and then also announce everybody to 18 green. That’s fun. And I have that shift tomorrow afternoon. Uh, cool TV time, which would be, you know, the last couple of groups coming in probably last two hours coming up 18 on Saturday. So, yeah, we have our, you know, hour and a half, two hours. And, um, it’s cool. Rules officials pointing. You got, you know, the uh, Golf Channel ESPN guys in your ear and kind of counting down 10 98 and I had some cool groups out there this morning. I had Pavon. Um, it’s not Pavone, I heard from his girlfriend. So, I him and sure enough, here he is up there and he was in the same group with uh Aaron Ry. Just great. You know, the the tour players are cool. They really are super guy. There’s I’m not sure if uh Dambo’s an actor or not, but he seemed pretty cool. Uh I videoed up there for Brian. I I tell you, it’s just fun. It’s Yeah, I don’t know. We can’t determine. And the the stories that you hear out there, social media, I might believe, and when the players put it out, it’s fun stuff. And being here, lots of excitement, lots of cool stuff. This is the biggest buildout uh that we’ve ever done. The biggest from, you know, fan experience here is exceptional. Everybody gets everything to eat. It’s all included. Everything to drink all included. You want to buy some alcohol different. And then this is all a buildup obviously you can imagine for the Ryder Cup which is going to be nuts at uh at Beth Paige. But yeah, biggest buildout. In fact, the golf course today played oh my gosh, four yards short of 7,600 yards. You do the math. That’s 422 yards average per hole for 18. How would we all do playing 18 par4s at 422? It’s a big ballpark. Well, I mean, you’re nice to include us, especially me, in that question. I’m sorry. Oh, you would do. Tim, I’m sore from walking Delaware Park this morning. Okay. Like I just Yeah. No, you can play it from Ring Road and then you know that you know experience that. Yeah, Tim, that’s an interesting one on Pavon. Like I I’ll end up we’ll end up in these kind of situations sometimes where you you think you know that a pronunciation is different than the public thinks and then you say it what you believe is the right way and you probably maybe sense that the people listening think you’ve said it wrong. Uh you’re exactly right. So what happens, a little secret that I found over the years is literally I I meet them in a sense as they’re coming up, you know, rule, they get their scorecard, grab a pencil or two, I go right to the caddy and if I see a girlfriend or mom or dad, I go right up to him. So there’s apparently nine pronunciations of David Pig or Pogue or P. It’s P UI. How many ways can you say P UI? Well, I heard them all and then the girlfriend said, “That’s the one.” And I did it and he smiled at me and pointed. Okay, I got a wreck. Nice. You put the You put the effort in. You deserve to be rewarded. So being on the board is what avails you to the opportunity. You say you take turns. Is that kind of how it is? Because that’s one thing I was wondering when thinking of talking to you today is like how do you get the gig? Cool. Um so there’s 31,000 members and associates of the of the PG of America. We’re the you know the worker bees, right? The PJ tour are the players and we’re the worker bees. That’s 14,000 plus facilities around the country and then around the world PJ members are right. So then there’s a food chain. Think of the Senate of the United States. There’s 50 states, right? Two from each. Well, we take one from each of 14 districts. There’s 14 of us. There’s a couple officers, couple independents, and then um uh we have a somebody from the tour, so that revolves. So, that’s our representation. We have a board. And one of the cool things or I don’t know if it’s a perk, but we help run this and administrate the actual championship. I’m on the championship committee. This is great. So, you get to do this. We get to determine the RDER Cup, pick the Ryder Cup captain, um you know, determine all that. I’m we’re not picking the bunting of the reds and the whites and all that, but with Keegan Bradley and Luke Donald who are obviously playing great here, which is kind of neat. The Rder Cup captains help us do this. So, as a board, you just strategically try to guide golf. We’re the again, we hear from all our members, all the people that play our places, like my facility. It’s just fun to listen to them and then I get to bring that to the board and I’m working hard now to be honest with you, to bring the PGA back to Oakill. It’s one of the gems, a Donald Ross gem from around the country. And we keep coming back. USJ wants to do it, too. But I’m hoping that in early to mid30s, maybe 33, 34. Um, we just announced Southern Hills for 32, I think. I think we got a shot at getting this back to Oakill. And that was a $200 million boost for the economy of Oakill. And that brings in Oh, holy cow. This is This is the governor. So, what what if you do taxfree things and we bring a Ryder Cup? You bring another PGA championship. This is big bucks for New York. Hey, what do they give us? And leverage the brand of the PGA and tell you right now, what would it be worth on your radio show to bid, holy cow, the right team marker, the RDER Cup, you know, on day on the final day? What if you got the bid for that or the final flag that gets to be pulled? Um, it’s kind of cool stuff to leverage that. So, we as a board get to determine, you know, strategically how that works. In kind, they say, “How about a perk? Get on the tea. Announce it. Get the names right. Here’s phonetics. I’m doing the women’s PGA Championship, which which is the KPMG in June down in Fris. There’s some names with 19 syllables. Holy cow. I went up to Ben Yun on. I I I was close. And he goes, Tim, how’s Ben on? Great. Thank you very much. You don’t have to go through the whole, you know, diet tribe of trying to figure it out and sweating. It’s hot enough down here. It’s awesome. Well, what what is a day? So, you you obviously had this responsibility this morning, uh, which is, you know, super cool opportunity to to do that again. Do you get to watch a lot of the golf or are you like just doing stuff because you’re sort of on duty? Chris, one of the cool things we did, it’s it’s we leveraged the brand and basically said, okay, what if we give an experience, our donors, our partners, um, an experience inside the ropes. So, we call it inside the ropes experience. So this afternoon I took some donors, some partners, our Reach Foundation, PJ Reach Foundation, they’ll talk about it tomorrow on the radio show. Awesome stuff for kids, Drive, Chip and Puch that you saw, but the veterans, the whole program. So we get to take these folks in that have given us so much of resources and capital, get them inside the ropes. So this morning or this afternoon at 1:47, I took three people inside the ropes and followed from green, from tea to green for nine holes. And it was the one, two, and three in the world. It was a show. So, we are on the tea with them, right? And then we just walk up. We don’t want to be in their way. You sit down and then you walk. You just keep going up to the green. You’re in the alleyways that they got to go green to tea. You get some knuckles. You get some high fives. But that goes so what a long way that goes in thanking and gratitude for the people that help us and all of our things and all of our programs and our foundation. So, it’s so fun. So, Chris, I do a little bit of work in between. that I do get to watch. But I bet you right now as you watch, you might know no more about what happened on the golf course than I would cuz I’m not paying attention as much to the leaderboards. Although I did see the double from Vegas. I I did see some of the scores. And then following, you know, Rory, I’m telling you, Dambo, I put it Brian’s got it. I do catch a few. But this this man, I mean, the hole’s 500 and something dog leg right number one. I went behind and videoed it when I I got it up there. I think Brian put it up there. He takes a tack instead of hitting a high cut, a left to right for a righty, he takes it over everything, smashes it, everybody’s hooting and hollering. It’s It’s a rock concert, right? It’s funny because we all dream of this. They can’t. And it’s And it is amazing. These guys, Rory Maroy can play center ice. He’s got a He’s got a butt like a centerman, man. They are all in rocks. So, we get in the locker room. We got to change, put our ties, and all that stuff on. But in the meantime, we get to see Sheffller’s his he is bigger than you can imagine. He’s shoulders are wide. He’s thick. He’s tall. And the club gets up there about 7 ft. That’s how he hits it. He’s got a superpower. One of those superpowers is his caddy. Ted Scott that while he’s on greens, he’s reading the greens or the flag positions that could happen tomorrow and Sunday. It’s amazing at the science. You can’t just go inside the ropes and caddy. These guys are they’re professionals. They get paid great, but holy cow, the homework that goes into it. And then they wink to us. They give us signs what club they’re hitting and they flash the fingers and all that. We catch all. It’s fun. It’s good. It’s cool. Tim Freeze with us at the PGA Championship. How close did you ever come to making this event? I’m trying really not to say me or I. I swear to God, Chris and and and Mike, I Yes, I tried to qualify. I’ve been to a couple of championships. I did get to play in the senior PGA Championship. That was fantastic. Um, and it was awesome. And I birdie the first two out of three holes and holy cow, you see your name on the leaderboard and then you throw up. No. Oh, great. So, I’ve never made this. I’ve been close. Sure. Um, but that doesn’t matter. There’s a thousand of me. Doesn’t matter. Make the field. There’s 20 of us club pros that did make the field. That was This was the Michael Block crazy story playing with Maroy having a hole in one. That’s just You can’t make it up. So, there are here. He’s He’s in the field again. He did make the field again from um yeah, down in Fris, which I did get to play last year. Didn’t make it. That’s okay. We keep trying, but as the age goes up, I you lose a little speed and holy cow, I you heard every hole here. These guys hit it in places we just don’t. It’s it’s like um the NBA playing with six foot rims. It’s just not what it looks like for these guys. It’s amazing. But I’ll tell you what, for all the listeners, when they get over shots, when they get over putts, the pre-shot routine, they settle in. The focus is crazy good. It’s they take that little extra look in time and they there’s not rough shots. There’s not. No, they they are professionals at this and they are the best at it and we get to watch this. This is fantastic. How do you feel like the players are responding to the course? Because it sounded like a bit of a rough week leading up to it. Some criticism of the course. Um how do you feel like that’s going over so far, Tim? Yeah, it’s literally rule one-1. Play it as you find it as it lies. Right. So, we struggle with that and amateur bodies making the rules of a professional game. So, we’re keeping it that way at this moment. This is awesome because you play the course as you find it. Well, this was a super challenge cuz only once in the history of a major has the ball been played up and it was in one of our championships. It was that bad in Baltra in New Jersey a couple years ago. Jimmy Walker won. It was that bad. So all of a sudden they’re faced as as late as Wednesday with four and a half inches of rain. Glenn Oak would be underwater. We got rowboats out down uh yeah Ransom Creek, right? Not here. So Johnny Harris’s his father, they started this with with Palmer back in the 60s. They got this thing going and they built drainage and subair systems in the green. They could take water and literally just make it disappear. They did it and it was a question whether they could play the ball quote down or up. And they decided early Thursday morning before the first first layer hit it. All right, there’s going to be some places. One of those places was in 16 and that’s where Sheffller and and Shoffley just what you have to do when you have a mud ball. Let’s say it none today but yesterday was sure but it’s tough. You want to keep the ball down. Once you put a ball in a player’s hand, they can do magic with it. So, you just don’t want to have that happen in a championship, right? So, um then sure, you got to play the ball different. Play it back, knock it down, have Jeff talk about it tomorrow, uh my friend PGA Golf Professional with Brian and Kevin tomorrow. So, basically, you got to play it back and run it up there and take your chances, get up and down. Once you try to do something heroic, it doesn’t work. Mud does affect the ball. So, anyway, they they made the call. We got hit, but just like RDER Cup ticket, we took a hit, but now that it’s going for five times more than the original tickets, and that must have been a deal at the time. It’s just, you know, everybody gets caught up in the emotion, but the course is fantastic. I’ve worn white shoes now every day, not a speck of mud on them. It’s amazing. So, it was just the playing surfaces and they only got to cut the greens, cut the fairways. It was raining so much. They only got one cut on it. And having Glenn Oak and and knowing what it takes to cut fairways, they cut them through the night with headlights and and it’s it’s incredible what has to happen. the the hundreds of millions that goes into running an event. Hey, from the USGA, the US, the Royal Encryion, it’s cool. It’s big box. It’s fun. But the people here and the energy is just so good. So good. Everybody’s eating and drinking, having a good time. It’s a big party. And you’ll be a part of the Rder Cup scene, too. You said, uh, I have a friend, Bulldog knows him very well. Adam Krautworth, uh, co-host of the deep end fantasy football podcast. He is volunteering. He He won a opportunity to volunteer at Beth Page and he can’t wait. So, I bet Oh, yeah. It’s you guys. I It’s the RDER Cup once every four years. If anybody has a shot, it’s worth it. Beep Paige. I played there in the state open for so many years. It’s a monster. It’s a tilling house. They just played one of those um last week. Um it it’s it’s so cool. It’s the course is it’s my favorite. I can remember every hole you can imagine. Um but when Kep won there, it’s a it’s a big baller. You just got to smash it. It’s different um than other RDER Cups because this is ours over over in England. They squeeze in the fairways. They over in Ireland, over in France, over in Rome. They do it different. We’re going to do it our way here and it’s going to be fun. But the opportunity now you’ve heard of the ticket giveaway. We’re doing 3,000 tickets, 500 tickets. We we are putting GoPros on flags on the other courses at F Page. We walk up and we surprise literally players that are out there, firemen, anybody. And we say, “Here’s two tickets for the Rider Cup coming up.” And we surprise the heck out of them. We’re giving away 6,000. It’s so good. That’s fantastic. That is super cool, Tim. Wow. Tim, you you’re having a you’re having a ball. We can We can definitely tell. That’s That’s great. Love the energy. I love it. No, show Bulldog. I played golf with you guys. We had some fun there at Transit Valley. And you guys, I know enjoy the game. It’s a hard game. It’s a fun game to play, a hard game to master. And I’m watching Masters do this. They They are Picassos out on the golf course here. It’s fun. When they get closer to the hole, they smell it and they’re even better. It’s just it’s fun to watch the big ball, but I like watching short games, short shots, and and being inside the ropes and seeing that up close as a golf professional, as a teacher, instructor, and just it’s it’s an entertainment. That’s Glen Oak for us. Come out and be entertained, have fun with your friends. That’s all we sell. I don’t sell green fees. I sell fun, right? So, that’s what we want to do, and that’s what they’re doing here. You would be impressed with Bulldog’s touch on the around the greens for a big guy. Speaking of guys with big shoulders, I knew that was coming. You would be impressed. He used to he used to go by the nickname and embrace it, the big uneasy. Mike Mike that many years ago, but those days are over. Like he’s out he’s very smooth out there now, Tim, which we uh all aspire to. You know, Chris, did you put the beard on one side or the other, one shoulder or the other as you’re taking the club back? How does that work? It’s it’s trimmed way back for the summer, Tim. So, I’m not not a hindrance. No, no. I I’ve started playing I played 65 rounds last year which I you know when I was half that half my age, you know, way back when I never played that much, but my my oldest son has gotten into the game and we we’re we’re members at Delaware and it’s right up the street. So, I mean, you know, gone is the six or seven hour, you know, driving and then, you know, playing and all that. Like, we we we’re in and out of there in 3 hours. I mean, it’s it’s really great. Not not say I don’t enjoy. We we own and I played Glenn Oak last summer and had a great time out there. So, thank you. Thank you for coming. You give and think about what we have around. There’s word that maybe Westwood turns into nine holes, another type of a, you know, a county thing. Fantastic for the golfers out there. If anybody who’s listening right now, think if your kids are interested at all. Co was so awful in so many ways, but unbelievable for kind of our sport in a sense. It showed family, friends having a great time together, having some laughs. Doesn’t matter what you shoot. I play a ton of alternate shot now with my friends and wife. Oh my gosh. Right. So, what it did do right now is it’s been 40 50 years. If you play golf, if your children play golf, a woman makes about 30 35% more compensation in her lifetime. She just plays golf. It’s networking. You’re with people. You’re having fun. It’s it’s sales. It’s all that. So, get out, play a little golf. Don’t have to be good. Just enjoy. Maybe bang some balls, but deli I played last summer at about I showed up about 5:00 with a friend. And the guys counter goes, “Ah, it’s a little late. I want you guys just to go.” I love it. And I’m like, well, it’s one. It’s just great. And you played 65 rounds, Chris. It’s fantastic. Are we going to see you at the trophy presentation? Yes. All right. Um, they won’t let me wear my hat, so I’ll be one of the the old guy ball guy, you know, and I’ll get my position there with my blue coat on. We are in the green. Whoever wins this thing, it is it is fun. And then on that green will be many of our veterans we’ve taught are part of our program. It’s amazing. Some of the kids in the drive, chip, and putt. Um, it’s it’s just good stuff. And this is we’re again the worker bees. We want to make it fun for everybody. We will be on that on that 18th green on Sunday. It would be fantastic. Yeah, it’s great to hear how much you’re enjoying yourself there and uh you’re definitely a a great spokesman for the the game and the tournament. So, we appreciate you making time for us and you’ve always been a really good supporter not just at the game all around here in Western New York, but of Brian and Kevin and Jeff Meus and Tita Green and we on behalf of them I you know thank you for that. The the station appreciates it. Chris and Mike, I I I go to work with a smile, I come home with a bigger smile. I I just I just love what the game means. Um and honor and integrity. Uh it it just means so much. And it’s if more people did it and played it and enjoyed it and find out what they have and their friends and their f that’s that’s that’s it. Enjoy the experience. You don’t have to be good at it. Just have some fun and uh and pop a mc light, right? So thank you for having me on. Yeah. Before you go, I got I got My wife and I have gotten to be friends with your cousin AJ over the years. And we got a beautiful piece of his artwork that I got her for Christmas many years ago that hangs in our living room and he heard you were going to be on and he wanted to make sure to tell me to tell you hello. My cousin AJ when he was born, Andy Freeze. We had lots of joke with that one. Andy. Yeah, Andrew. He’s the best. What an artist. He’s made many of the buffaloos around and around town, too. He’s he’s quite an artist. He’s a very talented dude. Yeah, for sure. Great cousin and a great friend. Great. Yes. Thank you very Thanks for saying that about AJ. That’s great. Tim, have a great time down there. I know you are. You You betcha, gentlemen. And hopefully we get to te it up and make some birdies together. Appreciate it. Thank you, Tim. Tim Freeze down at the PGA Championship. Jonathan Vegas is still the leader by two. Scotty Sheffller is fourback. He is the betting favorite. Uh still, although it’s kind of starting to feel like yesterday. Every time I look up, they’re in the rough sand. Mroyy’s throwing a club. Yeah. Yeah. While we were talking to Tim, he he got a bad roll it looked like off of a T- shot that he might have thought was pretty good uh at a par three and then Yeah, he threw threw threw a club kind of at a sign. Can’t have that. No, you don’t. Think of the kids. Don’t like to see that. Think of the kids. Don’t like to see that. I mean, you cannot. Yeah, the kids are going to be scarred by that one. Next up, Dave Buchanan, the Bandits and Saskatchewan tonight. Game one of the best of three NLLL finals. Mike Schopen, the Bulldog here. Happy Friday. This is WGR. Never miss a second of the Extra Point Show. Rewind up to 24 hours with Odyssey re Now, Paddock Chevrolet sports headlines. The Bandits make their fifth consecutive NLLL finals appearance as the best of three series opens tonight at Keybank Center against the Saskatchewan Rush. Pregame show begins at 7 with Faceoff at 7:30. can catch all the action right here on WGR Sports Radio 550. San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Brock Perie have agreed to a 5-year $265 million contract extension with $181 million in total guarantees. One game tonight in the NHL playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs looking to avoid elimination, taking on the Panthers with faceoff set for 800 p.m. and Florida currently leading 3-2. Tonight in the NBA playoffs, Knicks look to end the Celtics postseason run in game six. Tip off set for 8 PM. In day two of the PGA Championship saw Jonathan Vegas finish eight under currently a top of the leaderboard. For more on the PGA Championship, tune in to a 2-hour TOG Green show tomorrow morning live from Niagara Frontier Golf Club. Those are Paddock Chevrolet sports headlines. Paddock Chevrolet, celebrating 90 years of being your hometown dealership. I’m Joe Calli for WGR Sports Radio 550. [Music] Call or text WGR at 8030550 or post onx at WGR550 and get connected to Shopen the Bulldog now. Brought to you by Northtown Kia. Check out the 2025 Kia K4 sedan. Named finalist for the 2025 North American Car of the Year. big night downtown. The Bandits going for a third straight title. They can’t win it tonight. Game one of the best of three pregame, but they could lose it. No, that’s not right. They can’t lose it either. That’s not right. They can’t. No, it’s not how best of three works. No, but best of three is uh short. That’s right. One loss and you’re in trouble. It’s as short as you can have a best of of. One loss and you’re in trouble. Best of two. They don’t have that. Well, soccer kind of has that. Yeah, I guess that’s right. Yeah. Road goals. Fans are excited. Bandits in Saskatchewan. It’s 7 o’clock for pregame tonight. Dave Buchanan will be on the broadcast as always. He’ll he joins us now on the Wester hotline. Dave, are you suited up? Are you ready to go here or is it too early still? No, I’m coming to you from the media room here at Keybank Center and just chuckling to myself with your your lovely lead in here. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you guys. Classic uh show and bulldog right there. The best of three. It’s not must win, but the next one would be if you lose this one. We’re continuing to break down and explain best of three. Dave, I got I I got to ask I I saw actually just complain a little bit. I I saw like a lot a lot of hardware being handed out like player of the year this or that broadcast John Girteler got got some uh got some love. Where’s sideline reporter of the year? I I I need you to get some credit here. I I was very disappointed that you didn’t get mentioned. Yes. As one of my colleagues uh from TSN, Ashley Docking once said, #justice for floor reporters. Um, yeah, they do not have a sideline reporter of the year award, but uh I’m so thrilled that John finally got some recognition and got the Tom Bareelli award uh as the media person of the year for the National Lacrosse League, and we’re looking forward to covering another finals together. So, how does it stack up, Dave? Uh what’s Saskatchewan all about? They end up getting through Halifax in two games. This is a very stacked team. I mean, they’ve racked up GM of the year, coach of the year, defensive player of the year, and goalender of the year just in this past week. the very talented squad, uh, you know, out the front door. They’ve got two really good shooters and Robert Church and Austin Shanks. And they also have some talented guys like Zack Mans and and, um, Ryan Keenan as well. And then their defensive unit is solid. They have three players that rank in top 15 and loose balls and and top 10 and cause turnovers in the likes of Jake Budro, uh, Mike Messenger, and Matt Hosik who won defensive player of the year and just so happens to live in Lancaster as well. Uh, and then they’ve got a really solid goalender and Frank Schilliano who um may have struggled in the playoffs in his on his previous team San Diego, but he’s three and0 this year and hasn’t given up more than 10 goals so far this postseason. How did the season go with uh between the Bandits and Saskatchewan? Dave, well, the reason the one game they played this year is the reason why we’re here tonight. Buffalo beat Saskatchewan uh in Saskatoon back on March 1st in a 9-7 game and that was the tiebreaker. Both these teams finished 13 to five and so that’s why this series is starting here in Buffalo tonight because Buffalo did win that game. Uh you know they got it was tied or Saskatchewan might have had a onegoal lead but Buffalo battled back and got the win. Um the the only difference maybe in that game from tonight is uh Saskatchewan didn’t have Robert Church in the lineup. Uh his wife was having a child so he had to miss that game. So that’s probably the one big difference between that game and tonight’s lineup. I know you were listening last Friday when we talked to Josh Burn and maybe the first question we put to him was just like the advantage of having a a weekend off. Saskatchewan would have played not the whole series last weekend but game two uh last Saturday I think it was. Have you heard that from the players? Is that is that a because he said it’s a big deal to have got a little bit of a break there. I’m I’m guessing that most if not all the players in the team would echo that. Oh, yeah. Completely. As much as, you know, when when they had all those by-weeks at the start of the season, they wish they would have had a more consistent start to their year, I think they did enjoy having the week off. They did practice last week in Oakville. Um, but, you know, there’s a couple of guys that have some some bumps and bruises that probably held up, healed up an extra week. Plus, you know, it’s probably why Kyle Matis was activated off the IR. We’ll see if he makes the the active lineup tonight. Um, but he’s been battling a lower body injury since the final game of the regular season. So, I think they they did enjoy having the week off and were able to to kind of sit back and watch things play out. I’m curious, Dave, if you can tell us what you know uh about how common or uncommon the scene that Buffalo enjoys is around the league, size of the building, capacity, crowds, just the fervor that is here for the Bandits in the local market. Like, does Saskatchewan enjoy that? Do, as far as you know, do other teams in the league enjoy the kind of support that Buffalo gets? The most direct comp uh direct comparisons, BD, would have to be like uh Colorado Mammoth and Denver. You know, they play in ball arena like the uh the Avalanche and the Nuggets do. They get a pretty respectable crowd and it’s a very loud building having been there twice for the finals. Uh Calgary does pretty well. They play in the Saddle Dome just like the Flames do. And I think Vancouver um they play now in Rogers Arena like the Canucks do and and they’re having a nice turnaround and I think their fan base is going to continue to grow now over the next couple of years. So you do see it I think most notably in those three markets because they have similar you know NHL NBA sized arenas. Saskatchewan uh you know when they were winning they almost went 3 to their own about 10 years ago and then back then they were drawn you know well over 10,000 but this year they’ve kind of struggled a bit with attendance. I’m not sure what that reason is. Um but I know tickets for tomorrow or Sunday’s game have been going pretty well too. So and there’s some other you know growing fan bases. You know Ottawa their first year they’re playing in the same building the Senators. Um Rochester’s numbers were kind of bouncing back up this year as well too. But really, I think Buffalo still leaps and bounds ahead of probably most other teams in the league. But I think there are there are some other dedicated fan bases. Like I mentioned, the first playoff game this year, the Bandits over San Diego 5 to4. I didn’t realize when I was watching it that I was watching the lowest scoring game in league history, uh which I read today on the Bandits website. Maybe that’s playoffs. Maybe that’s just all games. Incredible. Then the first Vancouver game we watched as well, nine to three. I mean, that’s the record low for goals allowed uh by the Bandits, 11-9 in the second game. Reads more like a lacrosse score uh to my eyes. What what’s if I if you don’t mind me putting into these terms, what’s our overunder tonight looking like, Dave? I mean, you’ve had two of these three playoff games where they were very tough to to score against. Uh but maybe this matchup lends itself to sort of a different kind of game. What do you think? Uh yeah, usually with the NL you usually don’t see lines beyond minus one and a half or minus two and a half. And I I can’t say that I’ve looked, but uh I know someone that works for the Canadian uh sports books. I should go ask him, but I’m assuming it’s probably just a minus one and a half in favor of Buffalo tonight. And that’s to be expected at this stage. I think both of these teams have played some really competitive games here in the postseason and and with the the defense style of defense Buffalo plays, you know, I think it is going to be like a 10 9 10 8 11 10 kind of game this evening. Okay. So, sort of a normal score uh more not we’re not looking at five to four again or even nine to three. All right. Both of those results were very unexpected for me. I know the Bandits, you know, they do have a tendency to really turn it on in the postseason. Um, but I know with the Saskatchewan offense, I I don’t know if we’ll be able to hold them to just four or three goals tonight, but we’ll see. So, when John throws it down to you like Dan Dunlevy does for Razer for his keys to the game, what is that going to sound like tonight, Dave? Uh, I think for Buffalo, I think one of their keys to the game is to stay out of the penalty box. I think Saskatchewan really took advantage of Halifax’s penalties in their series and the Banis do have a tendency to to take some penalties. you know, they took they’ve taken some costly fiveminute majors this season. Um, so that’s one, keep their composure. And number two, I think keep up their exceptional play on shutting down the transition of the opposing team. They’ve done it really well. They did it well against Vancouver and against San Diego and even late in the regular season against Halifax. Uh, you know, Saskatchewan’s got that that strong defensive unit as as I said and, you know, to try and limit them getting the ball up the floor and creating oddman rushes in the other direction. So, I I I think it’s Yeah, composure and transition are my two keys to the game. Do you know anything about tickets for tonight? Uh, I’ve been kind of looking at Ticket Master. I don’t have anything official. Um, but, you know, firsthand tickets, not resale. It’s been kind of the top rows of the 300s are uh are remaining. Um, you know, it’s a beautiful evening here in downtown Buffalo. The party in the plaza is just getting started just as we went on the air here at 5:30. Um, so come on down, grab grab some tickets. It should be a good time in Bandit Land tonight. Thank you, Dave. Enjoy it. Thanks, guys. Always good talking to you. You, too. Dave Buchanan on the West Her hotline. 7 o’clock for tonight’s uh pregame show. I love I love when he calls me BD. BD. I know. I heard that. I really I just Everybody catch that? It was slipped it in. So, is bring Dave was one of our producers very long time ago and of course was at the station for a long time hosting the FastTrack show, the auto racing show. This this one of my favorites. I just love when he says that beady just rolls off like that. How many producers have we had? Well, we had them. Oh, that’s Joe’s in the book now. Well, Joe’s it’s not his first day with us. He’s been in he’s Yeah, he’s been in the book. We um Yeah, working backwards. Joe, I bet it’s 50. Evan Deepquali has done what Joe’s doing today for us a few times. So, he he’s got a count. Um, and of course, Zach, I’m working backwards. Sneaky Joe. Well, I mean, Derek has produced the show. Josh has produced the show. That’s right. That’s right. Well, I was I was going to get there. Oh, I’m sorry. I I thought I was helping. No, you definitely are. I I would have named everybody. I bet it’s dozens, right? It’s just few people once or twice, you know. Sure. Yep. Yep. Bal three times, I think. Did Bob have two two st three stints? He had he had some stints. Him. I don’t remember. He had multiple stints. I’m having a tough time placing him. The name is sort of familiar. I I think of his name is a little different. Buck. I thought it was. Oh, but uh yeah, that that that sounds right. We’ll take a break. We I need a break. I mean, that’s clear. Mike Schopen, the bulldog here. This is WGR broadcasting live. been all around today. The PNness, the Amirks, the Bandits, the PGA, little bit on the NFL, the Bills schedule, and the idea that they might change the playoff format. Another one that would have been great to talk about and we we can eventually but really haven’t is the idea of the NFL adopting a draft lottery. And most of what I saw on Twitter was very negative toward that. Like it’s another one where are you sure you really need a fix? Right? That’s what we said about the playoff seating idea. Like do do you have a problem? Is it necessary? Maybe it’s okay. Maybe it is even good. But weigh that against just, you know, the confusion or whatever. Um, I don’t know. I I don’t think I I I like that the NFL is still without a lottery with hockey having it so you can compare. Mhm. And as recently as last year, and this has happened a number of times, teams in line for the top pick blow it by winning a game. like the Patriots last year beating the Bills cost them literally the number one overall pick. So if that’s going to happen, if something about the sport lends itself to that um you know upsets or just there are other bad teams too that Texans uh Colts game where Houston won and then Chicago got the first overall pick. It happens. Coaches are incentivized. Players are incentivized. Even like Doug Marone that wasn’t involving the top pick of the draft, but that meaningless game in Foxboro, he wanted it. He wanted that game. So, I don’t think that that’s why you want the lottery is to prevent somebody from just going to the bottom and like there’s just no question the league hasn’t really been that way. No, I don’t think they have a problem at all really. Um, it it kind of I don’t say it blew my mind. I mean the you know the the people are looking for things to bring up and you know uh tanking is a a thing that is a hot button issue or can be certainly was here 10 years ago that’s for sure. Um but yeah I don’t I do not feel like the league has a problem. I I’ve I’ve seen some of this negative reaction you’re referring to go so far as to say if you put in a lottery, you might tempt more teams to try to improve their chances of getting the number one pick and and in sort of in reverse end up with a problem that you don’t already have. Like you’re you’re you’re trying to create something to fix a problem you don’t have and it will create the problem you’re trying to fix that you don’t have. Did that all make sense? into that track. Just stop. You do not need it. I don’t think you have anything to worry about in that department in the NFL. Yeah. I wonder if it’ll if it’ll happen. Like it is there some You were saying before about the the seating, how the the push for it stems from late season, regular season games where best the best players sit, teams rest their guys because the games are unimportant. And if you open up the seating to that extent, that’d be just logically less likely to happen. Does the draft somehow fail to deliver the way it is? Does anybody come out of the regular season sort of except for maybe the teams that pick second or third whining about how there should be a lottery? I mean, have you ever heard that conversation? I I it’s probably happened, but it just doesn’t seem like it’s it’s needed. And the draft is such it a spectacle now. Does anybody at the draft ever say, you know, it would be fair if they I’m not even sure lotteryies really work? You know, we we’ve had it had it all through these years with with the Sabres and uh this year the Islanders get the first pick. Congrats. I mean, San Jose had the worst record, the best odds. Who was second? Some not Utah. Someone else. Chicago, maybe. Someone else was second and they got bounced. Is that how we want it? I like that there’s both. Yeah, I I I guess I I I Yeah, fine. I I don’t I don’t love lotteryies, period. Um I definitely feel strongly I don’t want it in the NFL. I guess I’m living with it. I mean, what what good would it be to complain? Um, so cuz I I I do think it does if if you’re near there, you’re sort of like, oh, you know, I give myself three percentage points better or something by losing this game. I I just think it’s more tempting than just finishing last in the NFL could ever be uh myself. So, I just hope they don’t these these ideas. I don’t know the tush push will come up, too. And I don’t know the draft lottery. I haven’t heard that that’s on the agenda or anything. It’s just an idea that’s that’s coming. Um largely from I think a speech Mike Greenberg made on ESPN earlier this week. Like that’s the that’s the what’s generating it. So I don’t I know I don’t want it. I Yeah. I don’t know if it’s got traction or anything, but I I don’t I don’t want to see it at all. I just do not think it’s a a problem you need to fix. You don’t have a problem. You don’t have a problem. Isn’t that nice in life when that happens? Yeah. Where you just don’t have a problem. Don’t go looking for problems to, you know, just don’t You’re fine. You’re fine out there, everybody. You hear that? You’re fine. The Bandits tonight, pregame at 7. The Bisons are home tonight. Beautiful weather. That’s a 6:00 game, so just a few minutes and they’re coming off a win. Friday night’s always fun at the ballpark. And also, like we haven’t checked enough boxes today. Tonight is opening night in the WNBA. So, you’ve got that, too. We didn’t cover the WNBA with Sam Penadovich. We did talk Nick Celtics which is tonight and a few other topics. The Pnness which is tomorrow. We’ll have that conversation for you after the update. Mike show the bulldog here. WGR. More of Chopen the Bulldog coming up live from the Just Call Jed studios. Injured best results happy clients. Call Jed now at 8393939 or calljed.com. There’s a reason more people are driving new Toyotas from Meguire Toyota of Grand Island. It’s our
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