[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign the following program is brought to.
[00:00:05] Speaker B: You in living color on Dell gazette.com or wherever you get your podcast.
The Daily Gazette Company presents the parting Shots Podcast.
Now here's your host, Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shots. Thank you Scott Gezy, and welcome to the Parting Shots Podcast, available wherever you get your podcast. Subscribe today. Thanks for joining me from the Parting Shots Podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. We have another great show for you as we start our countdown to 500 parting shots episodes. This is episode number 471. Unbelievable.
So we're going to get to 500 before the end of the year, Chris probably have two podcasts a week coming up in October when Josh Hausy, the new men's hockey coach, joins me weekly for his appearance. So getting excited as we hit 500 episodes of this podcast, we have a great show for you. For this edition of the podcast, I'm going to speak with Brian Brinker. She is a Union with Union athletics assistant athletic director for facilities. She has a book coming out, Skating out of the Vault, A Trans Woman's Escape from the Game of Masculinity.
We'll talk to Brian about that. Gazette sports writer Will Spring said is covering Union College football for us this year. We'll talk about the Garner Chargers opening season loss at Susquehanna and look ahead to this Saturday's game at SUNY Cortland.
And then we'll talk with Dennis Wazak Jr. Of the Associated Press. He covered an exciting game down at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, return of Aaron Rodgers to the Meadowlands, and he led this Pitts, his new team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, to a victory over the New York Jets. We'll talk about that. We'll talk about the Jet. Even though the jets lost, I mean, did Dennis see some positive signs for this team, a team that's really floundered over the last few years and trying to look for some kind of identity with new head coach and former jets player Aaron Glenn. So we'll talk to Dennis about that. So coming up, it'll be Brianne Brinker talking about her book Skating out of the A Trans Woman's Escape from the Game of Masculinity here coming up here on the Parting Shots podcast. And as we head into the break, we'll remember the founding member of the Turtles, Mark Volwin, who passed away recently at the age of 78. Of course the turtles were great 60s group and then had a few hits including this one. Really what started it all for the Turtles. Happy together. Rest in peace, Mark.
[00:02:37] Speaker C: Imagine me and you I do I.
[00:02:40] Speaker B: Think about you day and night it's only right to think about the girl.
[00:02:45] Speaker C: You love and hold her tight so.
[00:02:48] Speaker B: Happy together if I should call you.
[00:02:55] Speaker C: Invest a dime and you say you belong to me so it lose my mind Imagine how the world could be.
[00:03:02] Speaker B: So very fine so happy together.
[00:03:09] Speaker D: I can't see me loving nobody but you.
[00:03:14] Speaker A: For all my life when you're with.
[00:03:18] Speaker B: Me, baby the skies will be blue.
[00:03:21] Speaker A: For all my life.
[00:03:27] Speaker B: All of us love sports, but not all sports are created equal.
College sports have big budgets, dedicated alumni networks, and corporate sponsorships.
Professional sports have even deeper pockets. Millionaire owners, lucrative TV and radio deals, and merchandise sales.
High school sports, have you.
Everyone agrees. High school sports give us plenty of reasons to cheer, and now's a great time for us to give back. Supporting your hometown high school won't cost you much, but it will go a long way to ensuring the games we love the most are here to stay. New York High school sports. They're good for our kids, good for our community, and best of all, they're good for you.
This message presented by the New York.
[00:04:20] Speaker D: State Public High School Athletic association and.
[00:04:22] Speaker B: The New York State Athletic Administrators Association.
Hi, this is Nate Lehman.
[00:04:28] Speaker D: I'm the head coach of Providence men's ice hockey team. And I'm the former head coach of.
[00:04:32] Speaker C: The Union College Fighting Scrapping Chargers.
You're listening to Parting Shots podcast with.
[00:04:40] Speaker A: The Daily Gazette sports editor, Ken Shot.
[00:04:43] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. My first guest has been with Union College Athletics since 2004. She is the assistant athletic director for facilities. She has had an interesting journey since arriving at Union, and she writes about it in her new book, Skating out of the Vault, A Trans Woman's Escape from the Game of Masculinity, which will be released on September 16th. Please welcome to the podcast, Brian Brinker. Brian, welcome. And how are things going?
[00:05:10] Speaker A: Well, first of all, thanks for having me, Ken. And things are. Things are going great. It's a very exciting time to hear, especially with the book coming out and with, you know, coming into a new rink and a new season and everything. There's just a lot of enthusiasm.
[00:05:22] Speaker B: God, we've known each other for a long time, haven't we?
[00:05:24] Speaker A: Yeah, we have. We have. Yeah.
[00:05:27] Speaker B: I had a goatee back. Back then.
[00:05:30] Speaker A: Yes, you did. Yes.
[00:05:32] Speaker B: Well, let's. Let's. Let's talk. You know, this book is about how.
I wasn't going to say that, but.
[00:05:39] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:05:44] Speaker B: You still have hair. I don't. I never had much hair when I refers, but.
Oh, God. Oh, my God. We're going up the rails already.
[00:05:54] Speaker A: Great.
[00:05:55] Speaker B: In a good way.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: Love it.
[00:05:57] Speaker B: Well, this book is about how you made the transition from a man to a woman. What inspired you to write this book?
[00:06:04] Speaker A: Well, I, I had a.
You know, this is something that's been in my mind for. For, you know, years, a lifetime. I mean, this isn't something. This transition thing wasn't something that just popped into my head. I knew something was going on at five years old and, and I know that there's a lot of things that were specific to athletics because my, I grew up in athletics. I worked at rinks when I was a kid. I played hockey through college and coached in college hockey. And, you know, I've been working as an administrator for a number of years. And so my story is rather unique. And our director of Intercultural affairs, after I came out, it said, came to me and said, you know, Brian, your.
Your story is really unique. You should write a book. And I've really never written anything before. My wife was actually a writer, like she taught, you know, writing, and she, she was really good at it. I never was. And I thought, you know, so you're, you're just unique. And your story and your message should get out there.
And I, it took me about 15 seconds to say, okay, I'll do it. And I really didn't know what I was doing. And so I went and got some.
Just some ideas down and then just kept. Kept making different things and.
Five and a half years and a couple edits and different, you know, lots and lots of readings and changes and here we are.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: Yeah. You say five years old. You knew. How did you know?
[00:07:42] Speaker A: I knew something was different about me. I knew, you know, back in the, in the day, we're around the same age, growing around the, you know, 1970 ish or something. And then just watching, basically watching TV. This is when it really hit me, or at least my earliest memory of it. And we're watching different shows, you know, Leave it to Beaver, all those black and whites, My Three Sons or, you know, Gillian's island and things. And one of them is the Adventures of Superman.
And I'm watching Superman. And it was a, you know, you superimpose yourself into, into those roles when you're watching them as a little kid. And. And I thought, yeah, I'd love to be Superman. I love to be the toughest guy in the world and, you know, beat the snot out of people and save everybody and everybody loves you and. But at the same time, there was. I also at the Same time I knew I really kind of. I wanted to be like Lois Lane and I wanted to be Lois Lane and, and I wanted to be the person that, you know, the, the pretty woman and the pretty girl that gets saved and different things like that. And so I, I knew something was there at that moment. And I also realized that at that age, at that young of age, that it wasn't right, quote, right, unquote, you know, for those, for those times, for those days and times, I knew what the gender roles were. My mother was a stay at home mother. My father was a construction worker.
Every one of the people that were in my school pretty much the same thing. Very few of their parents worked.
Sorry, mothers worked and fathers actually did go work. And so I knew I couldn't say anything. I knew it had to be a secret, but I knew things. And then as I go along, I just.
There's certain things that I knew that felt right to me, but I couldn't let them feel right to me, if that makes any sense. I just knew that I would utter a word to any one person.
That word can get out and I could be really damaged.
And that's in grade school and getting teased and being called gay or being called all this type of thing and, and I knew I had to stay away from all of that.
[00:10:11] Speaker B: Yeah.
As you said, I grew up in the 70s as well and I was sort of a shy kid and I sort of, I got picked on sometimes it in grade school, of course they knew then when they realized I had flyer season tickets, it wasn't as bad.
[00:10:24] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly.
[00:10:27] Speaker B: But. Yeah, well, yeah, but you know, I mean, it had to be tough. I mean, I mean as you said in the 70s, you never mean. If somebody came out in the 70s, their career. I think Elton John came out and it ruined him for a few years.
[00:10:41] Speaker A: Yes. And, and, and, and Caroline Posse was the one that really struck me because I was old enough to watch Johnny Carson show and I was, I saw the Enquirer at the, you know, in the grocery stores and stuff. And she was a, she went by the model. Her model name was Tula and she was a Bond girl or she wasn't a bogger. She was in a Bond movie and she was pretty famous. And one of the English paparazzi outed her as a trans woman. And I mean, woman's beautiful. No one knew, nobody knew but her. Her life was turned upside down.
And I thought, okay, there's no, there's no freaking way that's gonna happen to me. But I knew early on, and that's. That's the word in the metaphor I use for the book is the vault. I knew that somebody can go in the closet and let themselves out.
When I slam that vault door shut, I can't get out of there. All the dials, all the keys and all that stuff, that's all on the outside. I can't get myself out of there.
And ironically, the only person that can waste it was either the banker or Superman.
Out. So I pretty much felt like I lived a life of Clark Kent. You know, in a way, I was. I felt like I was two different people, and one of them just could never be seen with the other one. And it just. It lasted that way for a good long time, including through high school and college and, you know, playing hockey and so forth.
[00:12:17] Speaker B: Yeah, as you mentioned, you were. You were a goaltender for Kent State men's hockey team. And of course, you know, that locker room, it's a lot of machoism and guys being guys.
Did you feel like one of the guys or did you feel different?
[00:12:31] Speaker A: Well, I. In a way, I felt different, but I did feel one of the guys. Like I was, you know, thankfully, I was good at it. I mean, I played a lot. I was a starter. I was a captain as a senior, you know, so I played a lot of the games and. And, But. But I. I didn't really completely fit in. I didn't drink a lot. I didn't drink until after my sophomore year of college, and I. I really didn't drink during the season, so I stayed away from the parties. And I was very shy around, you know, the crowds and different things, but I was. I. I did feel part of the hockey. Hockey was my refuge. I. I just loved it. I loved playing every day, practicing every day. You have to show up because you have a few. A couple bad days, and the guy behind you is gonna take the starting spot. So you just can't give that up. And so I loved it. I really did. And so that was my refuge. And I knew I wanted to be a coach. I knew that was part of me.
I was actually coaching as I was a student athlete. I was coaching mites at the time, eight and under, and I just. I knew that was going to be a career path for me.
And. Yeah, so I did feel like it, but I. There was a lot of that stuff that goes on. Like, you know, you hear the phrase take your effing skirt off, you know, hit the mfer and different things like that. And, you know, just be. You're playing like a bunch of girls out there and, you know, hit him with your purse or, you know, those kinds of, those kinds of crazy, those things. And, and again, me being in that self imposed vault, I didn't say anything. I, in fact, I, you know, I just, I just went along with it knowing, like, okay, I don't need this.
That's not something I, you know, that, that I wanted to hear.
And so I think that you can be tough and, and that you can be tough and, and be a nice person at the same time. You don't have to be, you don't have to put people down. You don't have to find ways to, to belittle them or anything else. You know, let your, let your play, show who you are and, and you know, you can go at it and be as tough as you have to be out there without getting tons and tons of penalties and without having to call people names.
You really can.
[00:15:09] Speaker B: And as you mentioned, you were a coach. You became a coach. You coached the Findlay women's team. Then you arrived at Union in 2004. First of all, how much fun was the coaching the Findlay women's hockey team?
[00:15:21] Speaker A: Well, that was a great experience.
I was coaching, you know, I coached as a, as an assistant coach in men's hockey. And then I, I got to coach juniors in the ushl. And then the Finley team was great because I got to start the program. We started the, we started the hockey program and it was, that, that was fun. It was really, it was really exciting. We only actually had five years of the program and then the school shut the programs down, both, both men's and women's. And that's what brought me to Union.
After that, I had a chance to, I got offered the chance to coach at Robert Morris, start a women's program there.
And I had a chance to come here to the, to Union and run the rink with a possibility of being promoted to an assistant athletic director. And I thought, okay. You know, the kids were 1 and 2 years old at the time.
My wife and I, it took us a long time to be able to get the kids. We ended up adopting them. We couldn't conceive, so I was done with the bus.
I wanted to be there. And even though it's a lot of hours here, I was able to spend time with them, coach their youth teams and be part of their lives and not have to be constantly on the road. So that worked out well. But it was a great experience. It really was.
To be able to, to be a Division 1 hockey coach.
[00:16:47] Speaker B: How did you meet Marianne, your wife?
[00:16:50] Speaker A: We met when I was coaching at St. Bonaventure at an OLEN. He had a D3 program at the time and I was a volunteer coach.
It was very, they, they didn't put a lot of money into it at all. And I was there, I was working like three jobs. I was walking pizzas and I was working at the rink, you know, driving the Zamboni and, and doing a lot of substitute teaching. And a substitute teacher, a teacher friend of mine introduced us.
And there's a big scene in the book about that entire, entire thing.
The day we met and how that happened. It was spring day and different things like that. And it was one of those love at first sight things. We both were smitten at the very same time. It was really, it was one of those storybook things.
And we had a 32 year old to, you know, 32 year relationship until she passed with, with colon cancer about three, three and a half years ago.
[00:17:51] Speaker B: Well, let me ask you, as you got old, I mean, as you got older and you know, these, the way you were feeling before you decided to make the transition, help me, how much were you struggling with that as before you decided to come out?
[00:18:08] Speaker A: Well, it was starting to really get to me.
As, you know, once I moved here, I, you know, I was very busy. But I also, this started to really start to manifest itself. Like that person in me started to get anxious and get restless. And then there's the cell phone and the Internet.
And now I have the language for this because I used to, I didn't, I didn't have the language for it. I didn't know who I was. In fact, I used to sneak into, you know, like a recruiting trip or different things. I would sneak it to a gay bar. I, I'd find a cavity or something, a cab driver and say, where are the gay bars? And I'd go. And because I thought I was a drag queen. I thought that's like, I, I didn't really realize what a trans person was. I didn't realize people, people really did that or just how it worked. And I thought maybe I was a drag queen. I just wanted to go there to learn about myself because we didn't have the Internet.
The only other way to learn about it maybe was, was like porn or something like that, which I wasn't, you know, a big fan of necessarily. And, and so I, I wanted to learn about myself the best I could. So fast forward now, all of a sudden we're starting to see, see things on the Internet and the phone. And now I look, I saw a, and now I start to think, okay, if it works for some of these people, it can work for me and maybe I can do this, maybe.
But I'm working here with, you know, Division 1 hockey, men's hockey, and football, and I'm in the building with everybody and all the, you know, there's just a lot of things on, things like that on campus. And, and there was nobody out, there's no trans people out on campus at the time.
And so it was, it was, you know, it was still difficult, but I, I, it was a big, it was a big struggle. The, the tipping point was when Marianne had her second diagnosis, her second time. The cancer.
She had, it, we had resolved for a bit and then it came back and I knew that she had more time. You know, she had some time, but I knew that if I was going to be there for her and take care of her for, you know, the end of life, I needed to get myself squared away. I couldn't, because I couldn't keep, continue with this feeling. I just, in this uncomfortable place I was in. And I, I figured I can do this. And then that's around the time, you know, Caitlyn Jenner came out. And Caitlyn Jenner is a heck of a lot more popular than, you know, Breon Brinker is. And so I'm thinking, okay, this is, this person's worldwide and some people just don't even know her as the Catholic, you know, the, the reality show. But somebody like that can do it, you know, and it was tough. And I'm not a fan of Caitlin right now as far as politics go or anything, but it did make it seem possible that there's a path for me.
And so I started to, I started to take that and it was, it was terrifying. But some parts were really, really great. And Union College was terrific. When I came out, I was the first, I wasn't the first person to ever come out here, but I was the only person at the time, whether it be, you know, faculty, staff or students. And then you started to see some other students come out and, you know, kind of show their, show their true selves. And so it was very, very satisfying from that end of it. And now we have gender affirming floors. I mean, I think we're in our fourth, fourth year of that, of a gender affirming floor in a dorm. And so it's satisfying to see that.
And you know, there's many people that came up and said, hey, I appreciate what you've done because now I feel like it's do it and to be who I am.
And that goes for, you know, different faculty, staff, students, and also people at the hockey games.
There's, there's, there's people, hockey games saying the same thing that nobody would ever expect.
So it's, it's a really.
I do feel like a role model and I take that very seriously. And that's, that's a big reason I want the book to come out. There's a lot of messages in there for that.
[00:23:01] Speaker B: When you broke the news to your family, I mean, how did they receive it?
[00:23:06] Speaker A: You know, Marianne took it well. And again, you know, her vantage point was, you know, her life was ending and she understood something was going to happen. And she realized if I was going to be happy and I was going to be a better person, I was, I, I had so much going on, Ken. I had, like, I would. There was so much in my head and I get so frustrated sometimes that I couldn't be myself. And I would, I would snap on people. I snapped at kids where I really shouldn't have, or I would, you know, kind of, you know, treat people not as nice, nicely as I should.
And that's change since I've been able to do this. So it was, she was good about it. She was great. And, you know, we had watched Bohemian Rhapsody the night before, and then we woke up and we were talking about it and that's when I told her. And we had a three hour conversation standing up in the kitchen. We never sat down.
And it was. And then, you know, but before long, she's saying, okay, well, you know, my first initial was A.
And she goes, okay, well, let's look at this. Think of the AI Some names, you know, Andrea or this. I said, I've already picked my name. I told you what it was.
That's who I am. But she was great. And then right away, it's okay, let's put a plan together to tell kids and all of that.
And that went along with, you know, my therapy and just that overall, overall game plan to tell, you know, the people on campus and my family and my, my daughter hated it. My daughter was very close. We were. Her and I were very close growing up. She was 16. She was at a boarding school and she hated it. She hated me.
My son was, you know, he was indifferent. He was okay with it. He went to, you know, therapy with me. My mom hated it. Still does.
And I, and I really haven't been invited back to St. Louis, that's my hometown. And haven't been invited back to. They came up for my, for Marion's funeral, but I haven't been there yet. I haven't been invited back to the visit. You know, you said at least try to get there once a year, and that hasn't happened. But I've got nieces and people like that and, and sister in laws that have been terrific.
But yeah, not a, it's just, it's, you know, there's, there's some that are just not going to change their mind.
[00:25:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
As you mentioned, your wife had colon cancer.
How stressful was it for you to tell her? Knowing that her life was ending, that.
[00:25:48] Speaker A: Part was, was tricky.
I mean, I thought it was pretty easy. I knew she would be okay. I was terrified, honestly. But it turned out back in my mind I thought this could really work. And she was terrific about it.
Her, her situation was, you know, again, if I'm going to be a better person and I'm going to be there for her at the end of life, then that's a good thing. The difficulty was as I'm coming out and I'm doing things like getting my hair done, I'm excited about it. I love it. I get my nails done. I love it. I was on top of the world. And yet I go home and here's her losing her hair and, and you know, she does, there's, there's just not a lot for her to look forward to. You know, basically she was looking forward to, you know, the kids and, and when she did, when she, what she did, she started taking memoir classes.
And so she would write different things about herself so that she would be able to put it in a book, put it in a binder for, for the kids for when they were old enough to want to read about her and so just all about her life and about me, some about her childhood, high school, whatever. And so it was, it was, it was interesting. There was, there was a lot of that, that, you know, God, I had the best day and, and you know, and she's feeling like crap. She just had chemo. She's, you know, you know, she's tomato red because she's so hot.
It's just, it was really hard to contain that. But I, I really had to, you know, just put myself aside at times and, and, and, and just try to be there for her the best I could.
[00:27:37] Speaker B: What is the message you want to send with this book?
[00:27:41] Speaker A: There's a lot of them, but I. I think that, you know, there's. There's ways that you can behave that people can just, you know, pretty much, you know, in a nutshell, and we only. We don't have a ton of time, but be a good person. You know, like I said before, you know, you could be on a hockey team. You could be the toughest person around.
You don't have to belittle somebody, call them, you know, different slang words.
You know, you don't have to do that. You don't have to be mean people. And if. If you look around, I mean, I'm the only.
I don't know if there's any other ex Division 1 hockey players or Division 1 athletes that have come out as trans. I don't know if there are. I don't. But that I don't see them coming out of the woodwork and, and, you know, through the years, other than ones that are competing. But isn't it a little naive to think of all those thousands and thousands and hundreds of thousands of people that have ever participated that. I mean, only one.
Like, I don't know. I think there's. There's other people that, that are, you know, they, They're. They're LGBTQ in some way, shape or form.
And I think that there's a lot of people that feel they have to hide this. And, you know, now there's. There's, you know, these stories about, you know, kids, you know, transitioning and playing as the opposite. Opposite gender. And, you know, you got A.B. hernandez down at the high school kid in California, and you got the other volleyball player for Long Beach State.
They played three years of their respective sports. Nobody knew they were trans until they were outed their, you know, their. Their. Their senior year. And Ab was. Was last year.
But all of a sudden, then everything changed. All of a sudden they became. It was unfair and they were gonna hurt people, and they didn't hurt anybody before.
[00:29:49] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:51] Speaker A: And. And so I think that it. It's a big, big deal to. To be included. And, and there's a lot of areas in this book. There's a lot of places in this book where, especially with examples, just right here at Union College, right here in our athletic department, where people just spent 5 seconds or 3 seconds to add my name to an email of, you know, that included just. Just women. That made a huge difference. It made my day. It was euphoric just to be included in those people.
And it's. It's just. It's such a big deal. Those little gestures. Mean, mean A ton.
But you can be a. A tough, tough guy.
And. And here's an example. You. You may know this. This individual I coached. Jay Verraday, former captain at Union, now.
[00:30:44] Speaker B: Assistant coaches, the Philadelphia Flyers.
[00:30:46] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:30:46] Speaker B: My home, my hometown team.
[00:30:48] Speaker A: One of the best kids I've ever.
[00:30:52] Speaker B: Caused a bra. Cornell.
[00:30:56] Speaker A: He was. He's. He was just the toughest guy ever. But, you know, here's the kid that I coached him. He had zero goals and zero assists. I think in his junior year of, you know, in his first year of juniors and in the whole season and the following year, Kevin Sneddon was there, and people are looking. I said, kevin, you got a tough school to get into. There's a kid with great grades. You're not going to see him on the score sheet. You're not going to. But you should look at this guy. He's going to be your captain someday, and you need to look. So I'm a little bit responsible for getting Jay here, but it just. Just a terrific kid. But the point I wanted to make with Jay, he didn't go and call people, you know, p. Word or, you know, he just went and showed it. He went. You know, he was tough, and he was as tough as any kid I know. In juniors, you could fight, and, boy, he would take the punches. He'd go after the big guys, wouldn't shy away from anything. But here's what I remember about Jay Verde.
When I got fired from Dubuque, and that's where I was. I was coaching at the time in junior.
Yeah. I went home and told my wife, and, you know, we were, you know, okay, well, what's next now? You know, figures don't matter. Right around Thanksgiving and later that day, I went out and I. I did some grocery shopping. I went and got food, I think is what it was. And we.
I came home and. And Jay Verde sitting in my living room with my wife and. And another player and just making sure she's okay, that she's feeling all right, that I'm okay.
And. And that's. That's. That kid. That's the toughest kid I've ever been around.
And yet that's what he does. You can be both. And I think that's. I mean, it's those types of messages I want to get out there. And there's a. There's. There's plenty of examples in this book.
[00:32:51] Speaker B: Skating out of the Vault, A Trans Woman's Escape from the Game of masculinity comes out September 16th. Brian, I appreciate a few minutes and by the way, that's going to be kind of weird not having hockey in Mesa this year.
[00:33:04] Speaker A: Right?
A lot weird.
You know, we took out the boards and glass, took out the bleachers. They had the same. I don't even know. It was before your time here, probably. They had the yellow walls behind the bleachers, and we had to paint those. And it's going to be weird. It's going to be. It's going to be exciting, though, because it's going to be a turf facility and it's something our campus really, really needs.
We need another recreation facility for the students here. And I think it's going to be a really big deal, to be honest.
I think the right thing happened with the new rink, and I think the right thing is happening with this one.
As much as people say they're going to miss it, I think they're going to like the bathrooms and not sitting on a bench after for not too long a time.
[00:33:57] Speaker B: And parking and concession stands.
There's.
[00:34:02] Speaker A: I mean, we could go on and on. You know, it'd be beautiful.
[00:34:06] Speaker B: I appreciate a few minutes, Brian, and good luck with the book and we'll talk soon.
[00:34:11] Speaker A: I really appreciate this, Ken. Thanks so much.
[00:34:13] Speaker B: That's Brion. Brion Brinker. Coming up with Talk Union College Football with Will Springstead. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
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[00:34:59] Speaker A: Hi, this is ECAC hockey commissioner and Union hockey alum Doug Christensen. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shop.
[00:35:10] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. The Union College football team opened its season last week with a loss at Susquehanna by the score of 33 to 14. And our man now covering Union College football is Will Springstead. And Will, welcome to the podcast. And not a surprise, because Susquehanna is ranked, depending on which poll you looked, at fourth or fifth in the country in Division 3.
[00:35:30] Speaker C: Not a surprise. And Susquehanna took it to them.
I say early.
One of the questions I had for Union at the beginning of the season, Ken, was that I said, statistically, they were very close to their opponents last year, but it was a 3 and 10 or excuse me, a 3 and 7 overall record.
And you get much the same in this game with Susquehanna. It's seven to seven at the end of the first quarter and you think, oh, and then you see what Susquehanna was doing, especially on the ground game and how they were controlling the clock and it really was number four or five, Susquehanna's game to be had.
[00:36:10] Speaker B: And I, I've told you this before, I'm familiar with Susquehanna having been in sealants group a few times during my York College of Pennsylvania days when our basketball teams and baseball teams played one another. So I, of course we don't have a football team in New York colleges. I like to say we're undefeated, untied and unplayed. But I mean there was some hope there for Union there in the first quarter when Patch Flanagan hit Dan Quinn for a 99 yard touch touchdown pass, you'd think, oh, maybe there's a chance.
[00:36:35] Speaker C: And you would think that there was a chance. And it came late in the first quarter. But then barely a minute and a half into the second quarter, Susquehanna gets a field goal and then you know, they had a touchdown after that and it was that ground game and possession control that, that I think ended up hurting Union the most.
[00:36:56] Speaker B: Well, I know you'll talk to the coach, John Drock and the players after we put the post the podcast.
What do you think the team got out of this game? They weren't, I guess they really weren't blown out. But I mean it's not, not a good loss to start the season, especially the second year of John Druck.
[00:37:18] Speaker C: Right. And I think what they get out of it is, and I agree with John's assessment, Week one said we are going to play a tough schedule because that's how you get better. That's been proven. Yes, they will, they will learn from that. I think what they need to address is the physicality.
They were quite high on their line play when I spoke to them last week and that obviously got exposed. Now it's against Susquehanna, you're not always facing a number four or number five team, but if you're going in boasting about something, you got to back it up. So I think they will perhaps again we'll find out when I talk to them.
They'll want to address their line play. I think they'll want to address their rushing game. 37 yards rushing and only two rushers. Jasir Jones, running back and Patch Flanagan, the quarterback. Patch Flanagan led Them in rushing last year.
I'm sorry, call me old school school.
When your quarterback leads you in rushing, you. You have a problem.
[00:38:22] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:38:23] Speaker C: If you only ran two players last year, one of them being Patch Flanagan or last week, excuse me, one of them being your quarterback again. I think Union needs to touch on that.
[00:38:33] Speaker B: Yeah, of course, it doesn't get any easier this Saturday you have to go to number 23, Suny Cortland, which is coming off a loss to Grove City 3114, a home loss. So it does. I mean, yes, I can see understand you want to play a tough schedule, but come some point, if you lose these games like this, what does that do to the confidence of the team?
[00:38:58] Speaker C: And I think that's going to be a measure of.
I don't say John Drock, but John Drock and the entire program, they're not naive about they know what's facing them.
But I think then the week after they open at home and it's Suni Morrison and let's face it, on paper that's a W.
So I think maybe you hope for improved signs against Cortland because Cortland loss at home, Grove Cities, I believe is also right. Yeah, so that was a, you know, that's an okay loss if you're Cortland, but they have a new head coach. They're trying to prove themselves. It will be at Cortland this Saturday. So they're not going to want to see two losses.
But I think what you really need to see is when Union opens against Morrisville and then faces a St. Lawrence, which they lost to in a crusher last year, I think you're going to need to see the response in weeks three and beyond.
[00:40:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, as you said on paper that should be. But there were games last year on paper that they should have won. St. Lawrence game was a perfect example how they blew that one up there in Canton, New York.
Your first year on the beat so you get a chance to get to know these people.
What did John Drock say prior to last Saturday's game? That was really the first time you got a chance to talk with him.
What's his approach to this season? Because as you said, they were 3, 7 last year, had a lot of road games too, which I don't think helped with their schedule. I think a little more balanced this year. But what is his outlook for the season?
[00:40:43] Speaker C: His outlook for the season is that. And no one came out and said it in black and white terms, but they all danced around the fact they knew Last year would be be difficult because you only had one year of John Pop before who I am guessing had maybe a little bit different of a structure and then in came Drock with his own structure and you had guys that were confused. One of the telling quotes he gave me last week was there wasn't a lot of football playing going on. There was a lot of thinking going on and you know, we all remember the line. Don't think, just pitch.
And that's true of any sport. So I think he was under the impression that his team can play at speed this year and his team doesn't have to think, okay, but if you take what you learned week one and as you said there are some good points, but there are some points you need to clean up again we will see. But I think he feels more confident, confident in the squad this year and how they will react.
[00:41:52] Speaker B: What do you think they need to improve on from last year or did he give you a sense of what's needed other than not thinking what was really the points he was trying to drive home?
[00:42:03] Speaker C: I think line play two ways, both ways he will want to see improved. And beyond that he sort of talked in generalities which I understand.
Again I'm curious to ask him when I see him tomorrow about the rushing game.
Again, call me old school but defense and rushing games will win you lots of games and will win titles and you know, 37 yards even against the number four team isn't going to get it done and I think you need to develop more backs.
[00:42:44] Speaker B: What about Patch Flanagan? He's back at quarterback.
[00:42:47] Speaker C: He had a great effort against Susquehanna. He statistically was only 18 of 36 but for 328 yards including that 99 yard bomb, two touchdowns, both to Niskiuna's Dan Quinn who had himself a career day receiving.
He was seven receptions for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
[00:43:09] Speaker B: Not too bad.
[00:43:10] Speaker C: So it's nice to see a local guy showing his talent.
And they, they, I will say in that game they used a lot of receivers.
So he, I think maybe to back up to one of your questions, he's got to feel good about his receiving crew.
But again you want balance so, so I think that will need to be established against Cortland and beyond.
[00:43:34] Speaker B: Of course Liberty League has a new team in Hilbert this year. How does that affect things?
[00:43:40] Speaker C: It was a very, it was a surprising move to me. Hilbert was in the conference that my alma mater Hartwick was in last year.
Not a strong program, not a big school, but as we all know in conference alignments. You know, suddenly the Liberty League has been Buffalo State and Hilbert in it and it's not the tradition that we grew up on. But I think that is again, on paper an easy win, and you know it. I think it adds a win for Union potentially, but it adds a win for all those other Liberty League schools too.
And one thing that John Drock did say is that, you know, he likes tradition. He likes the standard that has been set at Union. Well, the standard that has been set at Union is that come Liberty League time, you're measuring yourself against the Hobarts and Ithacas and you know, the odd year that Rochester or St. Lawrence might be really good. Okay. But I think as we go into the league play it is. How will you do against the Statesman and the Bombers?
[00:44:52] Speaker B: Do you think there's any pressure on John to get that, you know, get at least a.500 record overall and have a winning record in the Liver League play? Maybe an outside shot of an NCAA Division 3 playoff spurt?
[00:45:03] Speaker A: Perth?
[00:45:04] Speaker C: I don't know. I guess we'd have to ask Jim McLaughlin. But I think. But I think there is some pressure. I think if you come into this season feeling relatively good, better about your team this year because they don't have to think and they can just perform well, then you look at a few games that they lost last year.
Excuse me. That perhaps they should. St. Lawrence, you've got to beat Rochester.
And as I recall last year, again, I wasn't covering, but as I recall last year Ithaca and Hobart had those games in hand.
[00:45:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:45:44] Speaker C: So now you have to find what it is that gets you closer to there and maybe if not an NCAA bid, an ECAC post season bid.
[00:45:56] Speaker B: They still have those eccentric. I don't know. I mean, yeah, it's just sort of like those wall games, just Frank Jones, so. Well, we'll appreciate a few minutes. We'll do this every week throughout the season and we'll see what happens Saturday at SUNY Cortland. I'm not optimistic.
[00:46:18] Speaker C: We shall see.
[00:46:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:46:19] Speaker A: All right.
[00:46:19] Speaker B: Well, appreciate it. Thanks a lot. That's Will Springstead.
Coming up, we'll talk NFL with Dennis Wozak Jr. Who covered the exciting Steelers jets game, the return of Aaron Rodgers to Metlight Stadium. We'll get his thoughts about that game and some other NFL topics. And as we head into break, we remember Rick Davies of a Supertramp, the founder of the band, singer and songwriter who passed away recently at the age of 81. Of course, one of the big albums they made was Breakfast in America in 1979. It's a classic. Great songs on that, including this one. Goodbye Stranger. Rest in peace.
[00:46:58] Speaker A: Rick Yesterday I was up before the.
[00:47:04] Speaker D: Dawn.
[00:47:08] Speaker A: And I really have enjoyed my stay But I must be moving on Like a king without a castle Like a queen without a throne I'm a doom on another and I must be moving on you Now I believe in what you say is the undisputed truth But I have to have things my own way to keep me in my you.
[00:47:47] Speaker B: Like a ship without an anchor.
[00:47:49] Speaker A: Like a slave without a chain.
[00:48:10] Speaker B: Explore the benefits of subscribing to the Daily Gazette like our convenient E Edition app, personalized newsletters and unique reviews. Reader rewards when you join, start your membership today offers redeemable at www.dailygazette.com hi.
[00:48:27] Speaker D: This is Daily Gazette sports writer Christian Heinz. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:48:32] Speaker B: With Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Chop.
Welcome back to the podcast. An exciting week one to start the NFL season. Of course, my Philadelphia Eagles, despite the stupidity of Jalen Carter spitting on Dak Prescott and getting thrown out of the game, he deserves a suspension in my opinion.
Some wild games on Sunday, including now of course, the Baltimore Buffalo game Sunday night really capped off a great evening. Monday night we saw the Vikings come back to beat the Bears and of course the big one down in the Meadowlands at MetLife Stadium. The return of Aaron Rodgers to the the as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers are taking on the jets and they beat the jets and they very exciting game. The man who's covering that team for the the jets, of course for the Associated Press is our good friend Dennis was act Junior. And Dennis, good to have you back on the podcast. Before we get into things with the, with the jets, how was your summer? I saw you took a couple trips and what's happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, I hear.
[00:49:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:49:27] Speaker D: There you go.
[00:49:28] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:49:28] Speaker D: Yeah. Try to, you know, enjoy some time off knowing that another season was right around the corner and craziness and obviously to start the season too. But yeah, had took a couple of trips with the family, saw a couple of concerts, still got a couple more. You know, just trying to, trying to balance. You know how hard that is, Ken. Yeah, covering, covering the jets. It's hard to balance.
[00:49:53] Speaker B: So let's talk about, let's talk about that game Sunday. Of course Aaron Rodgers spent two years with jets, only played one year because he lost the 2023 season. Four snaps into the season with that torn Achilles really wasn't much of a factor last year Gets released by the jets, signs with the Steelers, and lo and behold, the NFL decides, let's make this week one game between these two teams. And what a game it was.
[00:50:19] Speaker D: Yeah, yeah, it really was. It was, you know, it started off where the jets with Justin Fields were, were, you know, moving the ball, you know, and they were doing things that we expected. Running the ball eight out of the nine plays before the field goal, you know, and Rogers gets the ball. It was back and forth and it was entertaining. You know, I mean, it wasn't that. It was a sloppy mess where defense, the defenses were just giving up points here and there. No, it's like there was a back and forth.
Both teams, you know, were moving the ball, making some plays on both sides of the ball. It was a fun game to watch. And then of course, the game comes down to a mistake by the jets late in the game and Aaron Rodgers capitalizes. We've seen him do that so many times. Not so much with the jets, but, but yeah, before with the packers we saw. So there was a little bit of vintage Aaron Rodgers on display on Sunday.
[00:51:24] Speaker B: And of course, the memorable quote coming out of the post game press conference when he was asked if he was happy to beat the jets, and he says, I was happy to beat anybody associated with the jets taking a jab at new head coach Aaron Glenn. He said, I gave as much as I could to the team. I didn't have any hard feelings about it not working out. I didn't maybe appreciate the way it went down in the end. But that's in the past. But of course, then he goes and we're one and oh, but just could you sense, I mean, I know somehow these press conferences work sometimes because you're a judge, you got to be, you know, with them. But did you, were you in the room when Aaron said that and what was your reaction?
[00:52:03] Speaker D: I thought that he was measuring his comments. But he know, he knows exactly what he's saying and how he's saying, saying things. And, and I'm pretty sure the person who asked that question that prompted that response about I'm happy beating anybody associated with the jets was Brian Costello from the New York Post. And you know, Rogers, especially last year, got to know us as a group for the most part.
It was tough during the first year, but we, we all had a pretty good rapport with him entering that first season.
You know, we had a, like a sit down, off the record with him and he was engaging and you know, he's everything that, you know, you know about Aaron Rodgers and he, he controls the narrative for him, you know, and, and you saw that there after that game, everybody knows he wanted to like beat their butts. You know, there's no way. It's, it's just like any other player. I think when you leave, especially when you're released, it's different. If you're a free agent, you leave a place, you sign, you know, and maybe you weren't used in a way that you wanted to be, but by choice you left. This was not Aaron Rodgers choice.
He was kicked to the curb and he didn't like how it all went down. So there, even though the revenge factor was downplayed throughout the week, you know, he wanted to win and he wanted to win by doing the things that people thought he couldn't do anymore. And I'll tell you what, his last two games, if you go back to the last game of last season against the Dolphins, that season finale, 32, 20, he threw four touchdown passes in that game with an interception. This game he threw four touchdown passes without an interception. So the, the word of Aaron Rodgers demise, I think has been exaggerated because I think he's got eight touchdown passes and one interception in his last two games. So he could still get it done.
He can't move the way he used to do. We saw that on last Sunday against the Jets. But when he gets a second, he could put the ball anywhere he wants and he can still do that. So I'm sure he was happy and very fired up inside and that's why he kind of made that kind of back ended type thing because he knew his words would get to the jets and he knew he was sending a message to Aaron Glenn.
[00:54:34] Speaker B: And of course being in New York, it's going to play up big with the, with the tabloids and everybody like that. And I, I mean there are people saying she shouldn't have said that. But you know what, you and I already been to this business a long time. I rather have somebody who's going to speak his mind than somebody give me the old, the cliches. Oh, it didn't matter to me. It's 100. We just worry about my team and all that stuff. Yeah, I want to, I want to hear this stuff because this harkens back to an era of the 70s and 80s when reporters face reporters and athletes sometimes clash. And that made for some interesting storylines. And. But yeah, I appreciated Aaron's honesty.
[00:55:14] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:55:15] Speaker D: Because like you said, you want to hear that. You do want, you don't want that quote about like, you know, it was just another game. That's what he said during the week. He said, it's. It's Week one. You know, I'm happy. I'm happy it's Week one. He didn't want to put anything out there, especially if it backfired, if the jets just destroyed him. But after the game, he was feeling good and he was ready to say now, he didn't completely trash the organization, but he made it clear. And when he said that, the other quote. But, you know, there were some people in that organization that maybe thought there were things I couldn't do anymore, and I was happy to show that I can do it. And that's refreshing to hear that. Like, even though if you're a Jets fan, you don't want to hear that, you know, but as someone covering and a football fan, it's like, all right, good. You know, he said it, and now it's over, you know, and unless somehow they play each other in the playoffs, which would like. That would be like an apocalyptic event in this media market. But, yeah, yeah, it was good to hear.
[00:56:16] Speaker B: Now, let's talk about jets. And I mean, for jets fans, they could say all the typical jets lost. They bumbled away. But it seemed to me, and I had the game on when my son and I were watching Red Zone, we have. We had two TVs, we had the split screen of the jets and the Giants game on the tv on the floor, and we had the red zone on, on the main tv. And he just kept watching the Jets. It's like they weren't giving up. This is a team that years past would have probably just thrown in the towel. But to me, I was very impressed with that, especially Justin Fields, you know, considering this is a third team now. And ironically, he played last year for the Steelers, was the starter before Russell Wilson took over. But what did you like about the jets play in general and in particular Justin Fields?
[00:57:04] Speaker D: Well, I like the fact that they were able to move the ball with Justin Fields. And for so long we've seen different offensive coordinators come in here and try to do things with certain quarterbacks, and it just didn't work. And there was no consistency to it. I mean, even last year, it didn't.
Wasn't smooth, it wasn't, like I said, consistent even with Aaron Rodgers. And I think their Tanner Angstrend, the Jets new offensive coordinator under Aaron Glenn, he is trying to work with the abilities and strengths of Justin Fields, and that's being able to make plays off script. And with his legs while also being able to make the throws. Now, during training camp, you didn't see.
[00:57:55] Speaker A: A lot of that.
[00:57:56] Speaker D: And there were a lot of doubts as to whether, you know, he could really. Justin Fields could really make throws, you know, and add some passing element to this, because if a team came in, the jets were going to run, they could just try to clamp down on that and dare him to throw. And we hadn't seen a lot of that. And that's. His accuracy has been a question. His efficiency and all of that was on display on Sunday against, you know, a pretty good defense. And that was the promising part because the jets ran for 182 yards and 48 of those were from Fields, who made a handful of plays where looked like the play would be dead. And he somehow was able to wriggle out of. Out of trouble and get some gains. And I liked his last touchdown, too, where he faked the handoff, rolled right.
[00:58:50] Speaker B: It was beautiful. Yeah.
[00:58:51] Speaker D: Yeah, it was really nice. And. And that's the kind of element that you really haven't seen much of around the Jets. So that's the promising thing. And when you have 182 yards and also can the touchdown throw the pass to Garrett Wilson, that looked like Fields to Wilson, Ohio State days, you know, those guys were right on. You know, right on each other there. And it was a really nice throw from Fields and a great catch from Wilson. And that's the element that if they can combine those two, especially if the running game works and Breece hall can run for a hundred yards as he did, he ran for 107 and set the pace with that and set the tone. I think this offense will be better than we expected. And it really. It's. Obviously, it's all on field shoulders, but that's what I really like to see.
And it was a little bit unexpected. Was it like tremendous? No, but it. I mean, they scored 32 points and that hasn't happened a lot over the past few years, even with Aaron Rodgers.
[00:59:53] Speaker B: Yeah. And of course, I think the Fields would like to have that pass to Wilson back, the one. Ramsey made a great dream, great play on that knock and hit. Clean hit and just knocked the ball out.
[01:00:02] Speaker D: Say that again.
[01:00:03] Speaker B: Not Ramsey making that play there, knocking the ball out on Wilson there.
[01:00:08] Speaker D: Oh, yeah, yeah, the last place. So you thought that, man, that if they could just get this first down and it looked like he was going to make that catch and then Ramsey does what he does and. And thought Garrett Wilson was hurt. He's fine. Though. But yeah, it's.
If they had just made that play, they would have had a first down. They still had 30 something seconds left and had a chance to put Nick Folk in a position to try to kick a winning field goal. But that's the thing that, that, that is the positive. They were in this game until, you know, the last few seconds. And I do think this is the type of game that could come back down the line where you're like, damn, if they had just won that game, because you're looking at a schedule that's really tough, especially to open up in the next several games, and that, that's a game they could have won. So, like, that one hurts. But as Aaron Glenn said on Monday with us, he would say that he's disappointed, but he's also very, very encouraged. And I think that there's truth to that.
[01:01:12] Speaker B: Speaking of Aaron Glenn, what has he brought to this team? Being the first year head coach of the jets, of course, a former jets.
[01:01:18] Speaker D: Player, I think there's, there's an attitude and there's a culture shift and I know all of that is overplayed and overstated sometimes, but I think it's real in this case, at least right now.
And I think the fact, like you mentioned, he's a former player is a huge selling point to a lot of these guys.
A lot of the players in particular, I think they know he's been through what they have. And he played 15 seasons and eight of those were with the Jets. So not only has he played, he's played in this market, he's played for this franchise. He knows what they're trying to accomplish, you know, and, and I think there's, there's a.
They believe that he knows what they are doing. So I think that's the thing. And when he speaks, these guys listen. And I think that's a lot of, a lot of that factor, you know, that he brings in there, the respectability.
The roster is also very young. So he's got these young players that are trying to find their way and trying to progress and in their development as players. And they're gonna listen to him because he's been at all the different levels of scouting and assistant coaching and now a head coach. So I think that's what he brings and I think they believe in that. So that's huge for the mental aspect of it. And, you know, once they start putting it on the field, and I think that first game is an indication that, you know, they're at least moving in the right direction.
[01:03:02] Speaker B: Of course, the jets take on Buffalo on Sunday, but the Bill is coming off a miracle win against Baltimore. What do you expect out of this game?
[01:03:14] Speaker D: You know, just watching that game and you saw Baltimore go ahead and you thinking, man, like, the Bills are going to be ticked off and they're coming to New York to actually New Jersey. They're the New York team really, but they're coming to Jersey next week and they're going to be ticked off. And, you know, they. They don't want to start owing to. And then they. Josh Allen did what he did and now you think, man, these guys are unstoppable. They're going to come in here and just kind of roll over these guys. But I think the, the jets defense is.
Is solid. They're going to have to make stops, though. And it's just. I don't know. You know what? Just kind of thinking about it now while talking to you, I think that run game is going to be the key for the jets because they need to keep Josh Allen off the field for as long as possible. And if they could chew up yards and then clock with that running game, and the Ravens showed they could do that, Derrick Henry running right through them, if they can kind of do that, then maybe they could stay in this game. But, yeah, it's a, It's a huge challenge.
You know, I.
It's going to be hard for the jets to not be 02 to start the season, but if they play them close, there's still that. That positive factor that, you know, they can hang at least, you know, and that's something to build on. But it would be hard for me to believe that the Bills won't come in here and win. Not the way that they won that game on last Sunday night.
[01:04:51] Speaker B: Of course, the Bills defense, up until, you know, the Henry fumble and then the last drive that Baltimore had, they looked not, I don't want to say in common, but it just didn't look good. As you mentioned, they couldn't stop Henry and couldn't stop Jackson.
So maybe there is some hope for the jets if they can do what the Bills does. You said.
[01:05:10] Speaker D: Right. That's definitely the blueprint. And I, I'm sure the next handful of opponents are going to be watching the film of the Ravens in that game and what the jets do in this game and see how they, how they fare against them. I think, like I said, Breece hall will be a big factor and then what Justin Fields can do again with his legs. And I think that's the thing Josh Allen brings to the Bills.
[01:05:38] Speaker A: Right.
[01:05:38] Speaker D: I mean it's, it's a, like a play is never over if, you know, if he's got the ball in his hands, he could take off and, and get a big game with his legs. So. And I think that's what they're kind of looking for out of field, so it could be a pretty good matchup. It's just, you know, they, they really need. That offense needs to, to hum and the jets scored four on their first four possessions and we haven't seen that in years. I forget the what year it was, but it's been a few years since the jets were able to score on their first four possessions of the game. And I think that that was a tone setter for, for how that game was going to go and I think that's what they'll need to do against that Buffalo defense as well.
[01:06:21] Speaker B: Yeah, of course you follow the AFC east because the jets are in that division. How shocked were you that the Miami Dolphins didn't show up against Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday?
[01:06:32] Speaker D: Yeah, and you know, I do the AFC east preview every year and I picked obviously the Bills to win the division. And then I really was going back and forth between the jets and Patriots. I think the Patriots have a little bit more. I think they're going to finished second, the jets third. And I picked the Dolphins last because I just don't like the vibe. You heard a lot about that at the end of last season and even in camp that like, you know, this, this could be the make or break year for Mike McDaniel.
The belief that everyone had in him is kind of waning now and is to like, has he reached his ceiling? Is Tyree Kill, Is he going to be the player he once was? He's got issues off the field too.
You know, I just, I don't know. I think so going into that game it was like a toss up.
But you're playing Daniel Jones in the Colts and it was unbelievable how that played out and how Daniel just like lit them up and to the point where Tua came out of the game and Zach Wilson finished that game for the Dolphins. So it's like, man, there are some issues just after one week in Miami. So yeah, I think it could be a long season down there.
[01:07:50] Speaker B: And how do you think Giants fans are feeling seeing what Russell Wilson didn't do against the Commanders and Daniel Jones leading seven drives to seven scores?
[01:08:00] Speaker D: Yeah. Yeah. And I think the only glimmer of hope in that is that. Okay, well, Russell Wilson is a placeholder for Jackson Dart, who people are clamoring to start now. They already want him in. And to be honest with you, Brian Dable left that kind of open after the game on Sunday when, like, he didn't say, yes, Russell Wilson will be the starter next game. He said that Monday. But I, you know, already there's a little bit of doubt where it wasn't a. Like a. Like a definite no. You know, Russell Wilson's our starter. He's our guy. So it would be.
It'll be interesting to see how that all plays out. I mentioned the jets schedule being tough. The Giant schedule is really tough, too, to start off. And if things are shaky and Russell Wilson, I mean, that game really wasn't just on Russell Wilson. I mean, the offensive line is tough, so you have to weigh that in there, too. Do you want to put this young guy who could be the future of your franchise in there behind a line that's not protecting him, you know, And I mean, that could rattle his confidence and kind of, you know, be a setback more than that. But at some point, I think we're gonna see Jackson Dart and, you know, it could be that Brian Dable and his staff are coaching for their jobs, and I think they are to an extent. I think they kind of got a reprieve because they have the veteran in Wilson and they have the young guy. But if things start falling apart, they might get desperate early and you might see Jackson Dart. So, yeah, as long as Daniel Jones is lighting it up over there, that's. That's a kind of slap in the face to every.
Everyone associated with the Giants.
[01:09:41] Speaker B: Yeah, it's going to be crazy to watch that game on Sunday between the Cowboys and Giants. Of course, the big game Sunday is the. My Eagles and Chiefs rematch, the Super Bowl 59. And hopefully the same result happens.
[01:09:55] Speaker D: Well, my homes and the Chiefs are going to be looking for that win that. Can you imagine, like, you know, and it could very well happen that the Eagles win that game, especially, you know, the way that the Chiefs played against the Chargers. But how crazy would it be if the Chiefs start the season? Oh, and yeah, you know, who. Who had that, you know, so, I mean, that's why, like, this league is fun. There are always teams that come out of nowhere, and then teams you think that are going to be really good and they. They just kind of stumble a little bit. So we'll see. I think. I think the AFC east, that the AFC is. Is wide open, you know, and I think the Bills Have. Have a good shot at winning that. But the Ravens are there, you know, and I still can't count out the Chiefs. And then you look in the nfc, and that's wide open, too. And if. Until somebody knocks off the Eagles, I mean, hey, you know, we could see them, you know, back in a position where they're getting ready to go to the big game again. So. And. And I'm sure everyone in Philly will handle that fine.
[01:10:56] Speaker B: Of course.
It's amazing to me. Listen. My son listens to the WIP 94.1 down there, and it just amazes me. I mean, the stuff they bring about. Jalen hurts always. They try to make stuff up, and it's like, he. He's led to you guys, to two us, to two Super Bowls in three years. You know, I can't. I mean, the tough loss in Super Bowl 57 and then. And, you know, the game in Super Bowl 59. I mean. And some national guys, too, are like, oh, he's okay. He's not that good. I mean, I think Cam Newton was, like, railing upon him. I think if I ever chance to talk, Cam Newton said, how many Super Bowls did you win, Cam? What happened to your one super bowl appearance?
[01:11:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:11:34] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:11:35] Speaker D: And the other thing. Can you remember this, like, Midway? I'm pretty sure this was like Midway last season. People were talking about Nick Sirianni being.
[01:11:42] Speaker A: On the hot seat.
[01:11:43] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, especially what happened after the. After the Cleveland game, screaming at the fans. And I. I was ticked off about that because, I mean, you barely beat a bad Cleveland Browns team. You're. And you're going at the fans. Come on. Your team didn't play well that game, and you needed to play well coming off. Coming. Of course, they had a bye week after that disastrous loss down in Tampa Bay, and it's like they. They did not give me any kind of confidence, but that's why I'm a reporter, not a head coach.
[01:12:11] Speaker D: Yeah.
[01:12:12] Speaker A: Yeah. You and me both.
[01:12:14] Speaker B: I got one last question for you. Are you hoping for a wedding invite to the Travis Kelsey Taylor Swift wedding?
[01:12:23] Speaker D: I. I did cover one of the games that they were both at. It was the Jets Chiefs game. So I feel like, you know, I was part of this event. So maybe. Maybe one day I'll check the mailbox and there'll be something in there, but can you imagine what that's going to be.
[01:12:40] Speaker B: Be like?
[01:12:41] Speaker D: Oh, man, that is. And because you think she's got so many famous friends.
[01:12:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:12:47] Speaker D: And then he's got so many friends in the League. You're gonna have this mix of superstar celebrities and players and they're gonna have.
[01:12:55] Speaker B: To hold it in arrowhead.
[01:12:56] Speaker D: That's right, exactly.
[01:12:57] Speaker B: NFL Network coverage. NFL Network, espn, whatever.
[01:13:03] Speaker D: Oh, yeah. And you know what? They're will be live blogs all across the Internet about, you know, who came in and now the flower girl and this and that. It will be. It'll be crazy. Yeah, it'll be crazy. Yeah, it'll be like the Princess Diana and.
And.
[01:13:22] Speaker B: I have to admit, I did watch that wedding when I was a kid.
[01:13:25] Speaker D: There you go.
[01:13:26] Speaker B: See?
Got up early in the morning because there was like a one o' clock wedding in London. I was like seven o', clock o', clock, eight o', clock, seven o' clock here. So. Yeah, I don't know why I did that.
[01:13:35] Speaker A: It was.
[01:13:36] Speaker D: Well, get ready. Yeah, have Travis and Taylor.
[01:13:40] Speaker B: Oh God. Let's have a pre game, pre, pre wedding shows. We'll have Kurt Menifee, Terry Bradshaw.
[01:13:46] Speaker D: All right, there you go.
[01:13:49] Speaker B: Dennis, always a pleasure talking jets football with you. We'll talk again during the season.
[01:13:53] Speaker D: That sounds great, Ken.
[01:13:55] Speaker B: All right, thanks for having me. Yeah, thanks for coming on. Dennis Wack Jr. We're back to wrap up Dennis the podcast and have the latest winners in the Daily Gazettes auto racing contest. And you pick them. Football derby. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[01:14:36] Speaker C: It's the most historic conference in college hockey.
[01:14:39] Speaker B: It's a battle night in and night out.
[01:14:42] Speaker A: DCAC hockey.
[01:14:44] Speaker D: An iconic conference, home to 12 of the most prestigious universities and programs in the world.
Showcasing the best student athletes in the.
[01:14:52] Speaker A: Sport, top notch facilities and arenas, incomparable traditions, passionate fans, alumni who go on to become elite professionals, leaders and champions.
ECAC hockey. There's no experience like it.
Hi, this is New York State Assemblyman Angelo Santa Barbara.
[01:15:12] Speaker D: You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast with Daily Gazettes sports editor Ken shot.
[01:15:17] Speaker B: Back to wrap up the podcast. The week one winner in the Daily Gazette's U pick' em football contest was Bob Farstadt of Schenectady with a 151 record. Bob wins a $100 price chopper gift card. Congratulations, Bob. The VIP winner was Andrew Crounce of Glenville Beverage with a 14, 2 record. I won 124 along with my Gazette colleague, Associate sports editor Will Springstead who you heard earlier on this podcast talking about Union college football.
I'll announce the upicken football contest winner's name and that winner's name will appear in Thursday's Daily Gazette. To play go to dailygazette.com and click on the you pick em football banner.
The Week 29 winner in the Daily Gazette's auto racing contest was Beth Clements of Mechanicville with a whopping 70 points. Beth wins a $50 gift card. Congratulations, Beth. The VIP winner was me. I had 55 points. Taking a look at the VIP standings, Scott Lucher leading with 530 points.
He's with CapitaLand GMC. Jerry Peele of Frankensons has 520 points. Dwyane Leach of All Seasons Equipment has 405 points. Nick Platel of Grand Premier Tires and I each have 340 points and Matt Margiotta of SG Roofing has 90 points.
I'll announce the auto racing contest winner's name and that winner's name will appear in Saturday's Daily Gazette. To play, go to dailygazette.com and click on the auto Racing contest banner.
Just because COVID 19 mandates are easy, that does not mean you should relax. Be vigilant. If you have not gotten vaccinated or received a booster shot, please do so. Do it for yourself, do it for your family and do it for your friends. And a friendly reminder, vaccines do not cause autism.
Don't forget to download the Daily Gazette app and sign up for our E Edition so you never miss a headline. Subscribe today at www.dailygazette.com. we have a lot of great specials going on. When credibility matters, trust the Daily Gazette.
That wraps up another edition of the Parting Shots podcast. I want to thank Brion Brinker, Will Springstad and Dennis Wodzak Jr. For being on the show.
If you have questions or comments about the podcast, email them to me at shot. That's s c h o t
[email protected] follow me on X threads and bluesky Lapshots.
The views expressed on the Parting Shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Daily Gazette Company. The Parting Shots podcast is a production of the Daily Gazette company. I'm Daily Gazette Sports Editor Ken Schott. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time from the Parting Shots Podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day, good sports.
