[00:00:03] Speaker A: The following program is brought to you.
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The Daily Gazette Company presents the parting Shots podcast.
[00:00:18] Speaker C: Now here's your host, Daily Gazette sports editor Ken shot.
[00:00:23] Speaker B: Thank you, Scott Kesey, and welcome to the Parting Shots podcast, available wherever you get your podcast. Subscribe today. Thanks for joining me from the parting Shots podcast podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Back after a week off I wasn't planning to take some podcast time off last week, but spent part of early last week down and filled off helping out with things for my mother who had knee replacement surgery.
She's rehabbing right now and getting better and stronger each day. I'm glad that's happening. So I got back early during the week and I just didn't have time to set anything up for interviews. So I apologize for that. But we're back and have a great podcast coming up for you. I spoke with new Sienna women's basketball coach Terry Primm on Tuesday. You'll have that interview coming up in just a couple minutes. Joe Jordan will talk Buffalo Sabres hockey and the firing of a head coach, Don Coronado. And what's going to happen with the Sabres as they try to figure out why they haven't made the playoffs for the last 13 years? And then New York pro sports columnist Mike Vaccaro joins me. We're going to talk on a variety of New York sports topics, including the rather surprising announcement on Monday that John Sterling announced he's retiring from his duties as Yankee play by play man on the radio. He had been backing off of some of his assignments over the last couple of years, but just the retirement seems to come at an odd time.
We'll talk about that along with some the New York Knicks, Yankees, Mets and O'Rangers. It was a nice conversation I had with Mike. He's making his debut here on the Parting shots podcast. Well, coming up, Terry Prim, the new Sienna women's basketball coach, will join me. We'll talk about his role taking over for Jim Jaber. You're listening to the parting shots podcast.
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Hi, this is Tri City Valley Cats.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: General manager Matt Callahan. You're listening to the parting shots podcast.
[00:03:42] Speaker B: With Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Schott. Welcome back to the podcast. The Sienna women's basketball team has a new head coach in Terry primary. He had been the assistant under Jim Jaber at Siena and of course before that at Florida Atlantic.
Terry was named the head coach on April 5, and he was formally introduced on Monday at the, uh, why center on the Sienna college campus. I was over there to shoot some video for the paper, and if you had a chance to see it on our YouTube page on the Deli Gazette, you can check that out there. And on Tuesday, I sat down with Terry on an interview, and we discussed this hiring. So here's my interview with new Sienna women's basketball coach Terry Primm.
[00:04:26] Speaker E: Well, Terry, appreciate a few minutes. First of all, congratulations. And how does it feel to be the head coach of the Seattle women's basketball team?
[00:04:34] Speaker A: Thanks, Ken. No, it's an honor.
The transition has been smooth. I feel like I've been prepared for this moment for a long time. And so from that sense, it's just business as usual. A couple of added responsibilities, but outside of that, it's been great.
[00:04:52] Speaker E: Yeah. I was at the press conference on Monday over at Siena, and I asked you the question, do you feel you're ready?
Do you feel you're ready for this?
[00:05:01] Speaker A: Absolutely.
And actually have been doing a lot of the responsibilities leading up to this point. And I think those games that I coached on, seven games, you know, I didn't really pull out of stock into it in terms of the adjustment I would need to make. But I think it happened so seamlessly that afterwards, reflecting back on it, it made me feel really positive about an opportunity, should it present itself in the future. And I'm glad it did here at Seattle.
[00:05:35] Speaker E: Yeah, I know the players really were supporting you. They were hoping that.
So I can't pronounce her first name, but players that.
Yeah. Thank you. I was having slipped my tongue, but she mean, she said it to Mike McGadam. From the beginning of the hiring process, we were all rooting for Terry to become the next head coach. Every single one of the players gave their vote of confidence in Terry and we truly appreciate them taking that into consideration. How much, how good was to feel that you had the support of the players?
[00:06:16] Speaker A: You know, it's all about them and so it feels great whenever you get some feedback from them that, you know, you're moving in the right direction in terms of their care and support because it's their time. I say this a lot as coaches. I'm so fascinated by how much attention coaches get when it's the players that, you know, really have the lion's share of the work. They have to buy in. They have to adjust. They're constantly growing and evolving and that's, you know, that's not an easy process. If you ask anybody on how easy it is to change, it's not easy. And for them to go through that and just trust any approach that I had, absorb any word that I have for them, you know, it just made me feel good. So I was glad to hear that, you know, I was doing some things right.
[00:07:02] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:07:03] Speaker E: How much support did you get from Jim Jaber, your former boss?
[00:07:08] Speaker A: Well, I don't think this happens without Jim, and not just during the process, but just in his leadership approach and preparing his assistance for the next level and giving all opportunity to grow as much as he possibly could. So I really don't think this happens without him on every level.
[00:07:29] Speaker E: What did you learn from Jim?
[00:07:32] Speaker A: I learned that you should always be in a growth space in terms of whatever your philosophy is. Your playing style is the way you teach what you teach.
It should always be up for discussion. And something else that kind of aligns with the concept that I learned from the Bible is if it's a good word, it could be the rock speaking it and we're going to listen to it. So it doesn't necessarily have to come from the resident expert. If it's a good word, we're going to take it into consideration. So that was probably the biggest thing, and I'd say also maybe unspoken, but something I recognize with Jim is he's probably one of the more self aware people I've ever been around.
Some people want to be the expert. They want to be the person on top, and they're always projecting that, especially in the social media time that we're living in. But Jim, you know, was humble enough to always express the real of the situation. So if he didn't know something, he didn't mind saying, I don't know, you know, if he felt a certain way about something, he figured out a way to express that and be real about it. And so I don't think I've been with anybody that's been able to do that as well as he has, and it had a profound effect on me.
[00:08:48] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:08:48] Speaker E: Your relationship with Jim goes back to the Florida Atlantic University days in 2017. How did you guys first meet?
[00:08:57] Speaker A: We had some mutual friends in the game. I was at Coastal Carolina, and he was.
Well, it was funny, because when the Florida Atlantic job opened up, these friends reached out to me and said, hey, you should apply for that job. And I said, I don't think, you know, with what I know about the politics. And I feel like. I felt like I was ready for the job, but I knew politically it probably would happen. But. So we waited a couple of weeks, and then they called me back and say, I know the guy who's got the job. I can probably get you an interview with them. So I looked them up. I remember watching Jim's teams, dating teams, competing in the tournament, and I said, okay, you know, at that point, I think my ambition for coaching became more about just connecting with good people rather than, you know, rising in the game, you know, climbing the ladder. I don't know if that was my intent. I just wanted to connect with good people, and I taught the Jim, it was a parent that this was a good guy, you know, no matter how successful he was, he just had this humbleness about him that I hadn't experienced from people who had done 1% of what he did. So I knew I had to work with him, and, you know, that turned into us partnering over time, just, you know, just gained his trust and, you know, before you knew it, we were family. So it's been. It's been a great ride.
[00:10:21] Speaker E: So, when he moved to Siena, that was an easy choice for you to come with him, right?
[00:10:26] Speaker A: I don't know if it was easy. It was. It was in upstate New York, and we were in Boca Raton, Florida. You know what I'm saying?
It wasn't easy, but, you know, it became apparent after I looked at other opportunities, had conversations with other, other people, you know, it brought me back to the reason why I connected with Jim in the first place was because he was an awesome person. And I said, you know, I'm gonna go connect, reconnect with. With my guy, and, you know, we'll let the chips fall where they may. And it was obviously a great decision.
[00:11:03] Speaker E: How would you describe your coaching style?
[00:11:09] Speaker A: My philosophy in coaching is there's only two kinds of players, trained and untrained.
I don't necessarily believe in good or bad. They're either trained or they're untrained, and it's my responsibility to train them. So I want to give them every possibility, every opportunity to learn, and I want me and my staff to always think about how we can grow and the way that we teach and what we teach.
And as far as the standards are concerned, we're always gonna push towards the standard, but I always want the student athletes to feel like, you know, we're in their corner in terms of growing and developing them.
[00:11:51] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:11:51] Speaker E: This team has reached the Mac tournament semifinals the last two years. What's going to take to get over the hump, to get to the championship game?
[00:11:59] Speaker A: It'd be nice to stay healthy, and I think we had a death problem last year that we hope to solve this year. So I think we just need to be a little deeper, be a little healthier, be a little stronger. We have the experience, having gone through last year, so if we had any experience concerns, we should have solved. Maybe we solved a little bit of that just with the natural progression of our players. So I think the experience a little bit more depth, and, you know, we just continue to get 1% better and everything we do, and we should be right where we need to be when we need to be there.
[00:12:39] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:12:39] Speaker E: You've also coached in the men's, men's college basketball division two, Palm Beach Atlantic University. What differences do you see in coaching men versus women?
[00:12:50] Speaker A: You know, it's funny, I don't know if I see a difference, because when I was coaching men, I started to see a transition.
Those guys needed a lot more support than I think the generation before them needed.
And so coming over to the women's side, I now see that there are young ladies that have a strong passion for the game, kind of like the guys do.
Whereas before, I didn't grow up around a lot of females who wanted to play sports, I've seen a.
Not a resurgence, but I've seen this explosion in terms of, you know, just that competitive spirit, that passion for the game, love for the game. So it's been kind of cool.
I almost feel like it parallels in a lot of respects, and.
And now we're starting to see the spoils of the game start to be injected into the women's game, where men have added a lot longer. So you start to see some of the aspects that come along with that, but I don't know. You know, it's funny, when I started coaching women, I remember asking a power five coach for perspective on how to coach women versus men, and she said, there is no difference.
I think I probably take more of a relational approach to coaching now that I coach the young ladies because I always want them to understand why our approach is the way that it is. And I know that the stronger you are in communicating that message, no matter if it's boys or girls, the better relationship you have with the player.
[00:14:34] Speaker E: So, yeah, you mentioned about some of the things that with women's basketball is sort of coming along with the men's basketball. One of those is the transfer portal. How much does the transfer portal make your job recruiting that much tougher?
[00:14:48] Speaker A: I don't know if it makes it tougher.
You know, our jobs, we love what we do, so whether it's hard or easy, I don't know if I factor in that much.
We love it, so we're willing to do whatever it takes. And, you know, it's what the game is, and, you know, it's. It's up to us to continuously evolve and develop and grow. So it's. I see it as an opportunity.
You know, I actually love the fact that players have, you know, some say in what. What they can do from one year to the next. And so I support it wholeheartedly, and it's just another resource for us. And if we. We get into the portal, we find, because I think Sienna is just an amazing place. It's a very special place. And so we. I don't think we go to the portal just to find a talented player. I think we have to still find a kid that fits the Sienna values, and we can find it there. Great. And if not, that's fine, too. There's other places where we can get players, other sources where we can get players.
[00:15:56] Speaker E: Another fact aspect of the popularity of women's college basketball has never been higher than Caitlin Clark. For that, thank LSU, South Carolina. What we saw at the MVP arena a couple weeks ago with the tournament here, just the sold out crowds and the excitement.
What, how much does Caitlin Clark get credit for what we have seen now in women's college basketball?
[00:16:21] Speaker A: You have to give it to her. Right.
It was sort of a perfect storm, too, because I remember when she came into the game, there were a couple players that were right there with her, and she just kind of emerged over time. So you got to get rid of flowers and I talk about this a lot with our girls. You know, it's one thing to enjoy the spoils, right? But I don't think people realize how hard that young lady worked to get to where she is, and I hope that's the example that a lot of people take from it. But no, we've enjoyed it. We've enjoyed the increased exposure for the women's gay, and we hope to really capitalize on it. We have some amazing young ladies over here at Sienna that pour their hearts into what they do for the program and for the college and for Seattle Nation as a whole. So we hope that if just a fraction of the percentage that packed into the MVP arena, we hope for some of those guys to come over to our program to support it. It's going to be a fun ride.
[00:17:23] Speaker E: Yeah. I was there for the LSU Iowa regional championship game. A good view of Caitlin Clark's first three pointers, like, 10ft in front of me. I just watch it like, oh, my God. And some of her passes, like, wow.
[00:17:35] Speaker F: I just like, yeah, she is the real deal.
[00:17:38] Speaker A: Mm hmm. Yeah. And that's just not natural talent. She puts in a ton of time, a ton of work, and unfortunately, that kind of gets lost in the translation of the moment. But I wish that there were time to promote that a little more because that's the part that people need to see and understand as well.
[00:17:59] Speaker E: Who were your coaching influences?
[00:18:02] Speaker A: I think everybody was. Any. Anybody that won a championship was my coaching influence, and probably most of those guys ended up losing at some point. So, you know, I got a chance to see both sides, you know, from.
It's. It's almost too many to name from being honest, but I'll have it kind of into a conversation about Jim because Jim was the last mentor that I had prior to getting this position. But it's so interesting between coaches and players, how many folks can influence you, you know, from the guys that you see on television every day, that you get to go to clinics to listen to and all those. I've been to a ton of them. To even some of your players, you know, and even to some high school folks.
I've been recruiting in high school gyms, and I've been influenced by coaches. So, you know, I'm always, you know, whether it's any source that I can get good information, I'm gonna get it. You know, I could be driving the word, listen to a podcast, YouTube videos, this conversation. Can you say something that, you know, triggers? But I'm writing it down. Probably gonna use it, you know, so I don't think I can. I can, you know, just point to one or two people. But I think that all of those experiences culminating to my interaction with Jim.
[00:19:27] Speaker E: Were you a big Pistons fan growing up in Detroit?
[00:19:30] Speaker A: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, I watched, I thought I was the pistons growing up in Detroit, you know what I'm saying? When they, when they won the championship, I ran out of the house and fell on my knees in prayer and tears, you know, I thought I was right there with them.
I couldn't stand Michael Jordan until I grew up and understood the impact that he had on the game. Could not stand the guy, you know, love, love the Jordan rules. As a matter of fact, you know, those bad boy piston influences carried out into the outdoor courts in Detroit, you know, so there was a lot of flagrant foul going on in Detroit at that, at that time.
[00:20:10] Speaker E: They weren't flagrant at the time. They were illegal. They were legal.
[00:20:13] Speaker A: That's right. Very much so. Yeah.
As a matter of fact, they were almost prescribed. If you were in a certain situation in the game, especially game point, you had to almost be a pro wrestler to win that game because you were going to get fouled beyond understanding.
[00:20:32] Speaker B: Well, Terry, I appreciate a few minutes.
[00:20:35] Speaker E: I was obviously talking during the season. Good luck with everything and enjoy the rest of the offseason.
[00:20:40] Speaker F: Be prepared for the upcoming season.
[00:20:42] Speaker A: Thank you, Ken. Thanks for the time. Really appreciate it.
[00:20:46] Speaker B: Coming up, we'll talk in the Buffalo Sabres with Joe Jordan of noted hockey. The Sabres missed the playoffs for, for the 13th straight year, and that cost head coach Don Coronado his job. We'll talk to Joe about that and what's in store for the Sabres as they search for new head coach. You're listening to the parting shots podcast.
[00:21:14] Speaker C: Hi, I'm Daily Gazette news columnist Andrew Andrew Waite and host of the Weighing in podcast, which takes you inside my award winning featured news column by offering the backstory, thought process and interviews that inform my work. Plus, readers have their chance to respond.
The weighing in podcast is
[email protected] or wherever you get your podcasts.
[00:21:38] Speaker A: Hi, this is Daily Gazette sportswriter Mike McAdam.
[00:21:41] Speaker C: You're listening to the parting shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Schott.
[00:21:46] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. And the Buffalo Savers are not in the playoffs once again, and that caused Don Coronado his job to talk about that and what the future holds for the Sabres is our friend Joe Jordan from noted hockey. Joe, what happened to the Sabres?
[00:22:02] Speaker C: Well, it's. Boy, it's.
It's been fascinating learning a little bit more here with locker clear outs and players commenting on things because, you know what it's like being a, you know, being on a beat and, you know, being only able to see so much in front of you and what's going on and, you know, what the players tell you, what the coaches tell you, and just kind of having, kind of having to just be like, okay, well, that's what you said. All right.
What we're finding out is that things were, things were kind of a little bit too cozy for, for the players, and accountability was, was a major problem. And, I mean, I suppose we could have watched what was going on on the ice and seeing, you know, bad starts constantly, the power play being a nightmare, the inability to win more than three games in a row at a time.
You know, I think they did it twice this year. They won three games and never anything more.
So many, so many little things just seem to pile up on them and, you know, for the good things that they, the things they were able to improve on from last season and the negatives managed to find a way to outweigh it and brought them down, and it took him down in a year where the Eastern Conference was, maybe it was a little bit easier. I won't say easier, but, you know, the point total you needed to get in the playoffs was a little bit lower than it was last year. So disappointing. Really disappointing. And, you know, for as young of a group as it is, you know, Kevin Adams made it very clear and talking about, in talking about firing Don Grenado that, you know, I don't want to hear anything more about them being young, their experience that, you know, they might be young in age, but they've, you know, some of these guys have hundreds of games in the, in the league already, so it's time for that talk to stop. And I think that's the right approach. You know, Don tried to try to, you know, hit on that, but every now and again, I would be like, well, you know, what do, you know, some of these guys, they need this experience and, you know, whatever, but, but it's, it's difficult and it's, it's got the fan, the fan base is really bad.
Fan base is really mad because we're on 13 years now with, without a playoff. Without a playoff spot in the NHL. That's bonkers. Yeah. It's absolutely bonkers.
[00:24:18] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:24:19] Speaker B: This day and age, it is crazy. I mean, just reading the quotes and from Kevin Adams, he seemed just ticked off.
Is that the way you saw it.
[00:24:29] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:24:30] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:24:31] Speaker C: And it's, it was cutting through a lot of, I want to say B's, but was cutting through a lot of, like, the buzzwords and, and some of the, the, it's like, necessarily marketing talk. But a lot of what has built up over the years about coming out of them re, re rebuilding. I don't know how many rees go in front of rebuilding at this point, but, but what, you know, what, you know, what they started doing after trading Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart and Rasmus ristoline and what they, what they're building now with Alex Tuck and Thames Thompson and Rasmus Dahleen and Jack Quinn and Dylan, like all these, all these younger guys, what they're, what they're doing now. You know, a lot of it was, was kind of trying to temper, temper expectations and build hope, you know, which, I mean, you know, selling hope can be a tricky thing to do because if you don't follow through, everybody's like, well, lied to again, well, disappointed again. And this time around, I think Adams was just kind of like, listen, we, we got to get it right. And it's time for, it's time for, time for this group that is young in age but not inexperienced to kind of grow up and to, to learn how to take that next step, which you thought would have happened this season after how close they got last year. But, you know, some of those, some of those issues managed to hang around, apparently, which, you know, kind of makes, makes us on the beat look a little dumb for not, you know, for not really just kind of being like, doesn't look right.
[00:26:02] Speaker B: Yeah, it seems like a lot of.
[00:26:03] Speaker C: The same stuff, but, but when, you know, I guess when you're, when you're told one thing and you're, you're trying to be critical about it, you know, it can get kind of turned on you and, you know, coach just starts, you know, making you look bad or whatever or somebody said something, you're just like, okay, well, I guess I'm the jerk, but, I mean, I'm used to getting called that online, but, hey, whatever. But it's, but it's fascinating hearing guys talk about, talk about this. And even the players today, we're like, we know accountability is a buzzword and it's a word we've heard here multiple times in multiple years about how they need more of it. But this is the first time this group has run into it where it's like, hey, maybe, maybe, maybe we needed somebody to hold our feet to the fire a little bit, a little bit harder and to, to push things more and to punish guys when they're not keeping up or, you know, whether it's benching them, putting them at the press box, whatever it was, they needed more of that and they didn't need, they didn't need the standard to slip. And it sounded like that was the issue this year, was that the standard started to slip and some guys were able to get away with things and that, that, that, that's what will cost you. That's, you know, hearing Kevin Adams talk about how they weren't able to compete consistently is a wild thing to hear aft, you know, after a season in which, you know, they were a point away from the, you know, a point out of a playoff spot a year ago and this year they're going to finish what, you know, six, seven points out, I guess. But, you know, it's wild to hear like, well, you know, some night there's more nights than not where we just weren't able to keep up. For a team with as much talent as they have and as young as they are to be able to say like, well, you know, what are you going to do? Some nights we, some nights we had it, but a lot of nights we didn't. That's, it's that, that, for me, if I'm a fan, would, would have me raging about it.
[00:27:57] Speaker B: Did Grinnell change this play, the team style play? I was reading where they went, sort of went defensive and sort of went, got away from the offensive game.
[00:28:08] Speaker C: Yeah. You know, that was, that question was, was very pointedly asked of Adams and he said, he said, you know, listen, our system did not change.
You know, the offense went quieter. The power play was a major issue. Major, I cannot, cannot repeat the word major enough before saying it was an issue.
The power play cost in playoffs, as far as I'm concerned, they had, they had about, I wrote about this. I wrote about this yesterday. Wish I had the number committed in my memory. I'm going to have it burn in my brain, you know, after this week. But I think the power play scored like 27 fewer goals this season.
[00:28:46] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:28:47] Speaker C: Than they did a year ago. And that's even considering that the power play kind of went cold halfway through last season and they just kind of kept at it. It kept being the same thing. And even, you know, talking with Dahleen today, Rasmus Dalin about it today, he was very much just kind of like, you know, we got a, we got a. He's like, our power play was basically like, just feed it to tage. And we're like, yeah, we know. We watched it. That's, that's basically, that's all it was, was like, get the puck to tage, let him shoot. I mean, listen, he had 20 power play goals a year ago. I get it. But when the other teams are stacking guys on top of them and shadowing them closely and making sure that either he can't get a pass or he can't get the shot away, you got to figure it out. You have more guys than them. Find a, find another way. And they just never, there was never any sort of noticeable way to do that. And if it wasn't that, they weren't able to get in the zone, all kinds of stuff like that, and, you know, it's, it made it look like they were trying to change the way they were playing hockey. But truth was, that was not the case at all. I mean, yes, they were. You know, they were trying to become more defensively responsible, which they needed to be. They gave up a ton of goals last year.
But, you know, Tage Thompson says to us today that, you know, he sees that, sees this team as a, as a high flying team that can score a ton of goals, which I do agree with. We saw it in the second half, but, you know, he even owned up. He said, you know, I, you know, when he hurt his hand halfway, you know, early in the season, and he said, I probably came back too soon and I knew it was going to, he said he knew it was going to take time for him to come back, you know, to get back to what he was. Took a lot longer. And, you know, the stage we saw in the second half was a lot closer to the guy that we saw last year and the year before, but sometimes hurrying back like that and, you know, listen, I get it, you know, you get into a desperate spot and you're, you know, you're looking at string wins together and you're like, kind of in a hole. I got to get back. I got to help the guys out. I get it. But, you know, if you're fighting it when you're coming back and, you know, you're, you know, you're not able to handle the puck well, can't get your shots off the way you want, all that stuff, it's tough to be able to kind of face up to that and say, like, you know, maybe, maybe I should wait a little bit. That's hard. That's really hard because these guys are ruthlessly competitive. But, but, like, you know, things like that pile up you know, they didn't really address Jack Quinn's, you know, blowing out his achilles in the summer by, you know, by adding anybody and, you know, different things like that. It was, it was almost like when we heard about Quinn's injury at the draft in Nashville last summer, it was like, uh oh, you know, it was a little foreboding because it's like, okay, well, let's see how they address it and they add anybody. You know, they kind of left it as an open competition with all the young guys they've got. And, you know, I mean, they got a very surprised, you know, surprise occurrence seeing Zach Benson, you know, earning a spot out of camp, which is, you know, which is kind of wild in its own. But, but a lot of the guys that people, you know, a lot of us thought might take that step up, whether it was Matt Savoy or Yuri Koolik or Isaac Rose, and those guys weren't able to really step into it yet. And, you know, Seth Apert's done well with them in Rochester and developing them. But, you know, I think next year you're looking at, not that they want to be, be any younger of a team, but it's kind of unavoidable because, you know, one, one or two of those guys are going to be, are going to be in the running to get a spot on this team. And, oh, man, it's, it's, it's wild because these guys are super talented. But, you know, when you're adding really green guys to the NHL, you know, pretty steadily, that's a lot for, that's guys learning on the job, how to be pros, and that could be tough.
[00:32:31] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, you mentioned Seth Apert, the former RPI coach. He's been doing well with the Rochester Americans, the Sabres AHL affiliate.
His name was mentioned in one story, but I think from what Kevin Adams said, he wants somebody with experience. Seth appert, does he have any shot at this job?
[00:32:51] Speaker C: I don't think he's got a shot at the head coaching job.
I mean, Seth has done such a great job in Rochester, and they love the work that he does with, with working with these guys. The development works, helping these guys along, and you see the progress these guys make during the course of a season down there. And it's extremely noticeable, especially with guys that it's their first year.
I think back to when JJ Patrick and Jack Quinn, their first year at Rochester, and both those guys were kind of like, all right, in the first month or two, once they caught it, they took off and they were brilliant players down there. And, you know, a big part of that was Michael Pekka as an assistant coach kind of getting through to him being like, hey, no, the offense is great guys, but you better learn how to back check. Better learn how to, better learn how to match up defensively or else you're going to be playing here the rest of your life. But it's, but it's Seth who's able to work with these guys and he's such a, such a player's coach. Like, he holds him the task, but like he has the, he has the kind of guiding hand that allows these players to learn on the job and grow and to earn their way into the lineup. And that's such a, that's a big deal for them. And he's done so well with it that it would be difficult for them. Like they would have to have somebody else that they know for sure could step into that role and be, to be able to do the same thing if they moved him up to be the head coach. But they might still have to do that because it's in my mind Seth could be moved up and become an assistant coach in Buffalo next season. In my, you know, again, this is just my take on, this is not me knowing anything or whatever. But, but I mean, Seth is on that path. He's going to be an NHL head coach at some point in the future. But, you know, he got a taste of it this year when he stepped in for Don for a couple of games while he was out sick.
He's going to be on an NHL bench at some point and, you know, you see the success he's had with the, with the Amarch's and they've been really good. They've got a really good team again this year. They're going to the playoffs. It's, he's going to be, he's going to be somebody's number one at some point and I don't think it's going to come yet, but I think the Sabres would be wise to try, to, try to make sure he doesn't get out of their, get out of their hands because they've got somebody who's, who's on an upward trajectory right now and, and, you know, if they, you know, whoever they hire to be the head coach and it's got to be somebody with NHL experience, it's got to, you know, everybody gets kind of caught up about, you know, retread coaches, but they need somebody who's, who's been there, who's been through it that knows how to know is how to get the best out of the guys.
[00:35:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I saw Lindy rough's name mentioned, mean, can he come back? I mean, is that feasible?
[00:35:44] Speaker C: I think there might have to be a sit down with Lindy and Terry Pegula to kind of go over how things went in 2013 when they let him go, you know, maybe. But I think there's. I think there's a very strong possibility Lindy Ruff comes back.
He interviewed. He interviewed for the head coaching job in 2019.
Jason Bottra brought him in to talk about it, and they passed on him because he thought he wasn't the right fit at that point, you know, which at that point it was, you know, Sam Reinhart, Jack Eichel, all that stuff. And, you know, again, trying to get in the playoffs and do whatever. And I, I don't know if the thought for that was, you know, maybe Lindy's a little too old for this. Well, he showed in New Jersey. He can still coach. Yeah, he got completely snowed by the bad goaltending there this year. And, you know, maybe Tom Fitzgerald didn't do him any favors, you know, to try to fix that up. But, I mean, that was 112 point team a year ago, and they were, they played fast. They were able to score. It reminded me a lot of his Sabres teams in 0607-0708 very similar to that. And, you know, maybe having a couple of young goalies and ukopecalukanen and Devin Levi might drive them a little crazy, but they're both good. They're both really good. So maybe. Maybe it'll be okay for him to deal with that. But I think the chances are very high that Lindy ruff comes back to Buffalo and coaches this team again.
[00:37:03] Speaker B: If not Lindy, then who?
[00:37:06] Speaker C: I.
That's where it gets a little hazy. I think we're. I think we're all kind of rightfully distracted by Lindy because it just seems, it seems like it's like an auto. It seems almost automatic because Kevin, Kevin Adams was his assistant coach at the end of his tenure in Buffalo. So, I mean, it's, you know, that seems. It seems like a layup, but if it's not, if it's not Lindy, I think. I think the list gets really interesting after that. I think Craig Baruby is going to be pretty high on that list. You know, won a Stanley cup with St. Louis, is a. Is a hard guy. You know, he demands. He demands a lot out of. Out of his guys. I think that's. I think that's somebody who checks a lot of those boxes.
I think you're looking at, you know, Bruce Boudreau's name's going to be out there because, I mean, he's been there. Everybody talks about, you know, he doesn't win in the playoffs. Well, Sabres just need to get to the play. So, I mean, if he gets there and they don't win, it's like, well, whatever, you know, the counter has been reset, so we'll work on, we'll work on winning next year. But, but his, his name will be out there.
Who else? I would keep an eye on Mike Sullivan if Pittsburgh walks away from him, I think, I think he would be, he would be a very strong candidate for that.
There's, there's some other names. Oh, Gerard Gallant. Alex Tuck was talking him up there. He had him in Vegas when he played there and he, he said, you know, hey, you know, he loved playing for him. You know, he said he was hard, but he was fair and he trusted, he trusted you. Like, if he was tough on you, it was because he knew that he could, he's, he's like, he might yell at you on the bench, but he'd be putting you back out for your next shift knowing that, okay, I got through to you. You'll, you know how to do this. So.
[00:38:50] Speaker B: Yeah, but he seems, he seems, yeah, he seems to wear out as welcome quickly for wherever he's gone. That's, that's the amazing thing.
[00:38:56] Speaker C: Yeah. And I think the issue that, that came up with him with the Rangers when things, when things, you know, went away there, I think it was a lot of, he had a lot of young players to deal with and I think there was a lot of bristling and I think it's frustrating for a coach, too, because, like, some coaches are good at handling that and bringing guys along and, you know, being a guiding hand for them in the NHL, I think Galant's a guy that wants everybody to already know what they're supposed to do. He doesn't want to, I don't think he wants to do a ton of, you know, guiding hand kind of stuff.
[00:39:28] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:39:29] Speaker C: Where, you know, he's got a, you know, he's got to be a teacher and a coach. I think he just, he just wants to coach. He wants to, you know, work the guys in practice, work them hard and, you know, and coach him through the games. I think, I think for a veteran team, he's, he's a great guy to pick from. Now, maybe his personality rubs people the wrong way. But, like, stuff happens. I mean, he was, he was a tough sob as a player. Yeah. I mean, he was able to score. He scored a pretty good amount. But, man, he, he did not back down from anybody. He was a hard player. But, you know, maybe that's, I, that's where I think Seth apert as an assistant becomes a, becomes a viability because whoever comes in is going to be tougher. Like, they're going to be more of a, they're going to be more of a, you know, not, I say hardhead because I don't want to, I don't want to use other words for it, but, you know, but like, it's going to be a more demanding coach in place. And I think Seth comes in and he can be the good cop for that again.
Can be, you know, can be, you know, stern with guys when he needs to. But I think if you have like a good cop, bad cop sort of dynamic, Seth being the good cop, and that would make a lot of sense, especially with younger guys.
[00:40:33] Speaker B: It's still amazing. Me. You mentioned Craig Ruby. I mean, I'm old enough. I covered, I covered Craig Ruby at the Hershey Bears. And we know what his role was in both the HL and the national. He was a fighter. I never envisioned him. Never envisioned as a coach, head coach, never.
He was a funny guy. And, but, I mean, he worked his way. I mean, he definitely, as you said, I mean, won the Stanley cup for the St. Louis Blues. Got the first blues coach to win a cup there. And, yeah, he's, I mean, he did coach the Flyers. And I don't know if he had the right players there at the time. And of course, the Flyers are going through their own situation and choking away their playoff opportunity. I'm sorry. Am I a better Flyers fan? No.
[00:41:17] Speaker C: Mean, you know, I mean, geez, you got, you, you've got the hardest guy in hockey right now coaching him. Yeah, but you know what? But it's, it's that sort of thing. I mean, it's funny. I think if Tours was available, I know people here would be screaming, get him in here.
[00:41:32] Speaker F: Get up.
[00:41:33] Speaker A: You know, get him here.
[00:41:34] Speaker C: He's the guy they got. They need somebody to, you know, put a boot in their rear end. But I think they would love to have somebody out of that kind of mold, but not necessarily that aggressive about it, you know, that you need somebody to kind of toe the line with that. And, you know, I don't know how well Lindy did with that in New Jersey. I mean, there was talk of him, you know, you know, Alex, Alex Holtz being in his doghouse and, you know, kind of getting, you know, stuck down the lineup. But that stuff happened in Buffalo before. I mean, I'm pretty sure it happened in Dallas, too. For guy, if there's a guy they feel he isn't getting the effort out of, like, you got to work twice as hard to win him back over. So, you know, for, and, you know, for some of the guys in Buffalo, if they need it sounds like the leaders here with the sabres, you know, on the ice, not, you know, not in the front. Well, the front office, too, I guess, too. But they want somebody who's going to be able to say, like, hey, you're not pulling your weight, man. Like, you're going to sit until you figure it out and if you want to sit and sulk about it, okay, cool. But you're not going to get out there. And I think they kind of want to have somebody that's going to, that's going to be able to do that and not back down and, and, you know, just kind of be loose with everything.
[00:42:50] Speaker B: Who'd you like to win a Stanley cup.
[00:42:53] Speaker C: Man? You know, I want to say it's going to be somebody out of the west, but I think the western teams are going to beat each other's heads in. I think the west is going to be, is going to be a meat grinder for everybody out there because I really like what Vancouver's got going on. I think talk. It's done a great job with them, but it's really hard to look away from Vegas, especially, I think a Thomas Hurdle comes back late in the season. Mark Stone started practicing as soon as the schedules wind down, you're like, okay, Vegas shenanigans again. I mean, listen, every team do that, but, you know, Vegas is kind of like, yeah, whatever, you know, we're doing it. It's not against the rules, so go ahead and stop us. But, but, I mean, Dallas, Dallas really impresses me. But they're going to get Vegas in the first round, probably. So, like, you know, that's not fun. I mean, if Dallas gets LA in the first round, I really like Dallas to do it. I think they got a taste of it last year. They lose the Vegas in the western final and that's, that stuck with them because they were playing really well. But I love this. I love the makeup of the stars. And if Ottinger turns it on, forget it. They're going to be really tough to beat. The east is a little messy.
I know the Rangers won the president's trophy, all that stuff. But, like, I don't know. Panera's having a great year.
Shasturkin's incredible, you know, and if he slides a little bit, John Quick's been great, too, which is nuts. I can't believe how good he's been there backing up Shasturkin. But I do like a lot of what's going on with the Rangers, but something about it doesn't sit right with me. But I think if, I think if I have to pick somebody out of the east, I think it's Florida. But, like, they got to deal with Tampa. First round Tampa. Tampa's got their flaws, but I don't. That's not a team I want to see in the first round of the playoffs. I definitely, I mean, sure, Toronto is happy not to deal with them again in the first round, but they get Boston, like, good luck, man.
Keep waiting for the Leafs to take a step. And Matthews is having an awesome year. But the Bruins first round and they're still good, and they're mad about how they went out last year. Oh, yeah. Yo, it's, it's messy, but I think if it's a Florida Dallas cup final, I think. I think I love the way Florida plays. I love the way Dallas plays. But I think. I think it's supposed to be Dallas this year.
[00:45:17] Speaker B: Interesting. So. Well, can't wait. Can't wait for the. Even though my flyers aren't there. Well, I'm going to watch. So, Joe, appreciate a few minutes and once Sabres find their new coach, maybe we'll chat again.
[00:45:27] Speaker C: Yeah, we'll have to circle back. Keep your, keep your Lindy rough notes handy, though. I think that's going to be the guy.
[00:45:33] Speaker B: Thanks, Joe. Appreciate it.
[00:45:35] Speaker C: Thanks.
[00:45:36] Speaker B: That's Joe Jordan from noted hockey. Coming up, we'll talk with the New York Post columnist Mike Vaquero on a variety of New York sports topics, including the retirement John Sterling. You're listening in the parting shots podcast.
[00:46:19] Speaker G: What's your favorite high school sports memory? A late inning rally? A game winning shot? A photo finish? Maybe it's a pep rally or a pre game ritual. Maybe it's the euphoria of a late night bus ride home after a hard fought.
Maybe it's having pizza with teammates after the game.
Now imagine if it never happened at all.
School sports need your help. With budgets getting tighter. It's more than the games that are on the line. It's all the traditions, the community pride, the culture of your hometown high school plus all those memories that are on the line, too. What can you do?
It's simple. Buy a ticket when you can, go to a game. Take the whole family.
Let's do everything we can to keep those cherished school sports memories alive.
[00:47:11] Speaker B: This message presented by the New York State Public High School Athletic association and the New York State Athletic Administrators association.
Hi, this is Daily Gazette sportswriter Stan Hooey.
[00:47:23] Speaker C: You're listening to the party shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken Shaw.
[00:47:29] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast, and we're going to talk some New York sports. And one of the best of the business is the columnist for the New York Post, Mike Piccarrow. And he's making his debut on the parting shots podcast. Mike, appreciate a few minutes. And how are things down in New York?
[00:47:43] Speaker F: Ken? There, it's cloudy, but it's not raining. So I guess we'll take this, we'll take the trade off.
[00:47:48] Speaker B: I'm tired of the rain. Trust me, it's crazy. But, well, we had some surprising news on Monday with John Sterling announces his retirement. I mean, I know he's been cutting back on his schedule the last couple of years, but this sort of came out of the blue. I mean, how shocked were you when you heard the announcement?
[00:48:06] Speaker F: Well, I guess on one level, not so shocked. He's been cutting back his schedule and the man is 86 years old, or going to be 86 years old. So, you know, God bless him for being able to stay in the press box that long. But I think it's surprising just because whatever you think of listening to the Yankees on the radio, you think of John Sterling. I mean, an entire generation, maybe two generations of people, that's how they, that's how they got their baseball at the beach during the last couple of summers in the car, in the same way that Mel Allen was for another generation of Yankees fans and red barber was for a generation of Dodgers fans and Yankees fans. I mean, Sterling really was the voice of that team. And it's. We're going to miss him. I don't think, I don't think, I don't think his style was universally admired by every listener. But I'll tell you what it was. It was unique. It was his own voice. And I can assure you, as somebody who was lucky enough to grow up to call him a friend, he was one of the nicest people that you'll ever meet in a press box anywhere. Yeah, because, yeah, you mentioned genuinely, he genuinely loved the job and he really was humbled by how much people loved the way he did. That job.
[00:49:18] Speaker B: Yeah, he was one of, I think, the last few baseball play by play guys and not take until the last couple years to take any time off. I mean, you had to drag him away to get me. I mean, the baseball announcers today, you know, they'll, they'll take some time, maybe a week or two off. I mean, I grew up in Philadelphia, man. Harry, Harry Callous, Richie Ashburn were my voices of Phillies baseball, and they never took a time out. Maybe Harry would, you know, do a Sunday football game to be away. But for the most part, John basically was there for 162 games and no days off. I mean, that to me is just, in this day and age is incredible.
[00:49:53] Speaker F: And that was one of the things he was most proud of is, you know, he would say every now and again when we talk in the dining room for a game, he'd say, michael, just another day's work. And, you know, he appreciated, he appreciated the workers in the media industry who showed up for work every day, and he did their jobs and did them well. And he was certainly the patient saint of those kind of people because he punched the clock every day.
He enjoyed every inning. He enjoyed every pitch. And I think that came through the radio speaker. It was really fun to listen to how much fun he was having.
[00:50:30] Speaker B: Yeah. Also, the home run calls, obviously, people associate him with that. Some love it and some hate it.
You wrote a comment in 2019 about the mechanism, how he goes through that, talk about how he developed that.
[00:50:45] Speaker F: Yeah. I mean, look, it started initially enough. It started just with him exploding after a big Bernie Williams hit back in the day. And I believe was he went with both Bernie goes Boom and Bernie burn. And, you know, he's tentative enough to know when, when people respond to that. You know, I mean, even the whole Yankees win thing, the way he did it, I mean, that was an accident. Just in the heat of a big postseason win, he just went with a Yankees win and people, people liked it. And so, you know, he was not a versatile, he wasn't one of these rock singers who doesn't want to play the hits. He was, he was always going to play the hits. And seeing how people responded to that Bernie Williams nickname, he went with it with just about every players that came through after that. And the column you're referring to, I think he just come up with one for Mike Ford, who was passing through town that season. And he just talked about the way he goes about it. He tries to make it accessible. But one of the interesting things about John is that he's so well versed and well rounded, and he's a man who loves the theater, and he loves forties music and fifties music, you know, 1930s movies. And, you know, I think sometimes his first thoughts were to go with the things that he liked, and maybe people didn't realize what he was. He would adjust on the fly.
[00:52:08] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:52:08] Speaker F: And I thought that was kind of funny. But, you know, we would realize that not everybody, maybe, you know, knew the worst every Billie Holiday song, so he'd have to kind of move on to something a little more modern, and he would, you know, and so that was fantastic. And, you know, that was a lot of fun to spend some time. It was always fun for me to spend time with John because he was such a. He's such an engaging person and such an enjoyable. He's such an enjoyable company. But for him to kind of, like, go break through how he break down, how he come up with, I believe it was for tough. And there was something else in that that he called him, call him a couple of things, you know, playing off his last name, Ford, it was just to see that kind of developing in real time was kind of neat.
[00:52:48] Speaker B: And you mentioned in a post on X on Monday about, I think, a lot of people my age, I mean, I barely remember this, but he was the voice of the New York Islanders early on. And then. And when the Islanders score the islander goal. Islander goal.
[00:53:02] Speaker F: Yep. Islanders and. And the nets for a while. And as people pointed out to me, because this is before my time, even before the islanders, he was the voice of the New York Raiders of the World Hockey association. And that's kind of where that goal was. That gold call was born. You know, he was using Raiders goal, Raiders goal. And that's what that developed, the Islanders goal. And kind of one of, you know, one of the really neat things, I thought was, you know, two young, two young broadcasters paid tribute to him that night. Brendan Burke, who does the Islanders games for MSG, when the Islanders scored their fourth goal that night, he pulled an Islanders goal. And those of us who are watching who were watching of a certain age, knew exactly what he was doing. I remember reaching out to him and congratulating him on that, and he was happy that people noticed. And out in California, Wayne Randazzo, who used to be one of the radio voices of the Mets here for a number of years, he does Angels games now. And when some, I don't know who was, who the player was, but when somebody hit a home run, he did the signature. It is high, it is far, it has gone. And, you know, that tells you the reach he had.
He wasn't just popular amongst fans. He was also influential among his fellow broadcasters. And I'm not sure there's a higher compliment that can be paid to anybody.
[00:54:19] Speaker B: Yeah, I heard him a little bit on the tiki barber show on F A N on Monday, just listening on the phone and he seems. Sounds well. I mean, is there any health concerns with him?
[00:54:34] Speaker F: Michael K. Who's known him for a long time, was his long time broadcast partner when they were both on the radio. He said on the show that it's more just a fatigue thing. You just, there comes a point where I think it becomes less important to you to go to work as opposed to just enjoying your life.
Who knows? I don't think anybody necessarily wants to invade John's privacy and ask him directly if there was any issues. But at least according to that, it seems like it's more of a situation where he just stays. He's just ready to pass the baton to the new generation.
[00:55:12] Speaker B: I mean, I know the fourth fricker winner for this year is announced, but what about for him for next year?
[00:55:18] Speaker F: At some point, I think, look, I mean, if you're going to, if you're going to identify those who are, you know, surgically attached to the game thanks to their voices, which is essentially what that, with that, with that award honors, I think he definitely, definitely belongs in. I think looking. He's got a, he's got a fairly sizable amount of detractors and I'm sure they can give you that side of the coin. And, you know, is he necessarily, you know, as enjoyable to listen to a game too as Vince Scully? Well, it depends on who you're, what's your preferences? Some people like Vince Kelly, some people like John Sterling, you know, some people like Mark Albert, some people don't. I mean, you can be very subjective about, about the people who called the games, but not only is any denying the impact he had, the staying power he had, the work ethic he had, and the fact that this man was associated just intricately with the most famous baseball team in the world. And I think that's all you need to know for the qualifications, qualifications for that award. I would agree with you.
[00:56:19] Speaker B: Speaking of the world's most famous baseball team in the world, the Yankees, off to a pretty good start as we talk here on the Wednesday. Then they have an afternoon game against Toronto. By the time this airs will result be known. But twelve and six off to a good start in the American League east. How much pressure is on Aaron Boone this year to get this team back to the playoffs?
[00:56:37] Speaker F: Well, there's pressure from external forces because I think there were a lot of fans, a lot of factors of fans who have grown weary with him, even though, I mean, I'm not one of them. I mean, you know, I've written regularly over the time that. But it's not easy to win as many games as he's won. I mean, he's average, something like 95 or 96 wins for every four year. But he had going into last year. Last year was obviously a tough one for a lot of different reasons. So certainly among the fan base, I think there's some externally applied pressure. But, look, he's got the support of his general manager, of his owner.
I'll be surprised, you know, barring a complete collapse, if there would be a, you know, problem with that. But look, I mean, the Yankees job is the Yankees job. So if this thing turns south and he winds up with a second straight, less than successful season, I think maybe might be having a different conversation. But look, I think he's a terrific manager. I really do. I mean, I've watched, you know, probably, you know, seven other games he's managed, and I can tell you, it's, you know, it's a dick. It's a tough job anyway. It's a really tough job now because you have a lot of voices in your head telling you this, telling you that, and, look, it's the Yankees, you know, getting to the playoffs. You know, you don't. You don't get a. You don't get a dish of ice cream. Good for you, and good job. You know, Yankees, you gotta make the World Series. You gotta win the World Series. And the Yankees haven't won the World Series in 15 years. And, you know, I guess there are some teams that will say, well, my heart bleeds, but, you know, for the Yankees, look, I mean, for better or worse, their mission statement every year is to win the World Series. And ultimately, that cost Joe Girardi's job, even a year after he's given the ALCS. And, you know, ultimately, if Aaron Boone doesn't get to that plateau, what's going to cost him? I just don't think we've arrived that point yet.
[00:58:32] Speaker B: Yeah, unfortunately, they beat my Phillies there in 2009, so. So not over.
Like I said, I'm a Philly native, so I bleed everything.
[00:58:41] Speaker F: Understood.
[00:58:43] Speaker B: Meanwhile, the Mets, not too bad so far. How would you assess their start?
[00:58:49] Speaker F: I mean, definitely resilient. I mean, look at the. They started zero, five and the furor that was surrounding that was almost beyond belief. People already asked me, of course, when Mendoza was over his head wondering who's going to get started to when the fire said was going to start. And, you know, when you start dead in New York, it is a different dynamic. I always kind of think that the New York media thing is overblown, but I also understand that it's a harder place to play than certain markets. And when you start a season zero five, you know, somebody pointed out when that happened. You know, every team in baseball last year, including the world champions, including the two teams in the World Series, everybody has a five game losing streak. Happens in August. You know, it's maybe cause for alarm, it's not cause for count, but it's something like a player who starts a season one for 30, you know, it just looks bad when you go up to the scoreboard and you're hitting, you know, 00:27 and when you're zero zero. It was tough for the Mets, but I give a lot of credit because, you know, they bounced back that over five start, they're nine and eight, as you and I are speaking, and they're up against the Pirates in the game Wednesday afternoon. So there's a good chance they're going to get to ten and eight. This is after the zero five start. And this has been against, you know, the last three teams. They won three seasons in a row and it's four series in a row against teams of winning records. I mean, the teams that they're beating have a collective winning percentage over 600, which is amazing when you consider the fact that they started the season zero and five.
And it was important for, it was important for the Mets to be able to change that narrative and really important for them to kind of get into April where they're playing representative baseball. So you're talking about that stuff and not the other nonsense and not having anything from last year carry over. And it really does look like they're, they had a really tough chemistry issue last year, I think. And it seems right now that's not a problem right now. They do seem to have great chemistry. They seem to get along, seem to play hard for the manager. And, you know, despite the zero and five start, they're really actually in a pretty good place, I think.
[01:00:53] Speaker B: Yeah, I think the people have that football mentality. They think baseball is a 1718 week season, which is not obviously, you know, there's plenty of time to catch up and I think people can tend to forget that.
[01:01:05] Speaker F: It's so true. And I mean, I know it's that way in New York. I think it's this way a lot of places, which you just said, the way you described it is perfect. The football mentality, you know, look, in football you can spend six days obsessing over a win or a loss, and it's understandable because you don't play any other games. But it's that way in New York. When the Knicks go on a three game losing streak, it's like the sky is falling in. But look, New York is a baseball town, and so when even the Mets and the Yankees are scuffling, you know, it's a lot. Sometimes it's hard to kind of rise to 30,000ft and kind of try and look at the big picture. But that's also what makes it so much fun. You know, people, people are up and down, they're, they're hot and cold. They want this guy fired and they want a manager of the year, you know, sometimes in the same game. And to me, that's what makes it a lot of fun.
[01:01:49] Speaker B: Well, you mentioned the Knicks are in the playoffs, the number two see out of the in the Eastern Conference. I mean, Boston looks like the prohibited favorite to win this thing, but can the Knicks make a run to the finals?
[01:02:02] Speaker F: Look, I think they have a puncher's chance no matter who they play, and I think that's really all you're asking for. Look, I mean, they smoked the Celtics last week. Obviously the Celtics had nothing to play for. The Knicks still had a lot to play for. So it's really hard to read a lot into that. But I don't think you necessarily read nothing into it either, because the Celtics did play pretty hard for a half. They did try and put everything they knew at, they threw everything they could at JM Brunson, and it didn't work. In fact, Brunson tortured for 39.
You know, the elephant in the room is the fact that Julius Randall isn't going to come back and he is their second best offensive player, and you would think in the playoffs that might come back to bite them. And I think they were able to overcome that over the course of the regular season because they just frankly just play harder than most teams. They play to win every single game. Their coach demands it. He's lucky enough to have a roster of players who it wouldn't even occur to them to take a night off unless they were hurt. And that's up and down the roster. I mean, there's no load maintenance on this team. They go after it every game. And that was evidenced by Game 82. Look, I mean, the Cavaliers clearly tanked that game away. They didn't, they didn't care about finishing high.
The Sixers got to try to tank that game away. But we're going to try a tank. But they didn't care if they won or lost by sitting in beat. The Knicks would never think about that. And midway through the fourth quarter, they're losing by eight and Murd comes that. Cleveland has lost. So they can't fall any lower than the third seed.
There are some, there are some places where they just would have kind of maybe called off the dogs and say, all right, this is good. And they not only fought to come back in that game, but they played five extra minutes in one overtime. And it just, it's an emblematic of who they are. Now, the reward for that is to either play the Sixers or the Heat. That's going to cause a lot of mixed fans, a lot of grief because both those, both those teams will be difficult. But the winning, the way I answered that, is that the way the east is this year outside of Boston, teams two through eight, and really could probably include the Bulls in there at nine. Those teams, any of those teams can beat each other for three or four to seven. Just, they're playing really well right now, and you have to trust that that's going to translate in the playoffs.
[01:04:13] Speaker B: Yeah, it's going to be busy MSG, because the Rangers will be in the Stanley cup playoffs starting this weekend. And the president's trophy champion Rangers, I mean, that's a blessing or a curve made more of a curse in the NHL in the last few years. But, I mean, are the Rangers ready to win a cup for the first time since 94?
[01:04:30] Speaker F: I don't see why not. I mean, they have the, they have the players, they have the coach.
They're unbelievable on special teams. I mean, when they're on the power play, it's like they're playing ten on four a lot of times and, you know, shorthanded. They're almost on the attack more often than they're not with all the shorties they score. And that's such a huge advantage in the playoffs as the fact that they have a world class goaltender who's always capable of stealing the game here and there. And they just, they're just a deep, talented team that does everything well. Now, so were the Bruins last year. And as you said, you know, the President's cup was a nice parting gift for them after the first round. And luckily, the range in the capitals have a history in the playoffs, so, you know, that's going to add, that's going to add a fresh element to things as well.
But, you know, do they have the, they have the goods to get there? I think they do. I think it'll be a lot of fun in this city if owners wind up meeting up at some point, which would certainly be something that would happen in round two. If the islanders survived the hurricanes, I mean, that would be a nice old school, you know, series back to the eighties when it seemed like they were, they would face each other every year.
[01:05:44] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:05:45] Speaker F: And that'd be nice. That'd be a nice cap to it.
[01:05:47] Speaker B: Of course, a lot of the talk by the Rangers is on, on Matt Rent, Matt Rempy, the six foot seven forward who's getting a lot of fights. Me, he's sort of an old school guy. Me, I mean, I go back to, I grew up in Philadelphia, the broad street bullies and Dave Schultz and Andre Dupont, Bob Kelly. All those guys means repeat.
More than just a fighter.
[01:06:11] Speaker F: By all accounts, he is. I mean, I think right now that's his role. He's kind of an enforcer type, but by all accounts he's, you know, he's got some skills.
You know, I'm not going to pretend I'm toe Blake and tell you that I noticed those skills, but, but, you know, people that I respect say that they think that he can be more than just a one dimensional player, and, you know, that that's a, that's also a nice tool to have in your box.
[01:06:36] Speaker B: Yeah. At some point over new Union Dale, the Islanders ended up making the playoffs. That coaching change mid season, Patrick Wat turned out to be the right move.
[01:06:48] Speaker F: You know, and that's the thing, you know, Kane's had to say, have success against the Islanders. They beat him in the playoffs last year. But I'd be wary about this team because, I mean, there's no team in the world in the league that's hotter now. I mean, two weeks ago, they looked dead in the water and, you know, it was about, with eight games. About eight games ago you said, well, they pretty much have to win every night. And what did they do? They won every night except for one. And that one, they went to overtime. So, you know, when you can get 15 points out of eight games, when you need, when you pretty much need all those points, I mean, it tells you a little bit how hot they are with two really good goaltenders, with some skilled players, their problem is exactly the opposite of the Rangers, I mean, they're vulnerable as can be on the power play. Their role models can be shorthanded. I mean, that's the kind of thing that really tends to bite in the playoffs. And so that's going to be their biggest impediment, I think.
[01:07:37] Speaker B: Yeah, and I shouldn't have said you and. Yeah, that's old school. I mean, they're Elmont now. That's fine.
[01:07:43] Speaker F: I knew what you were talking about. I knew what you were talking about.
[01:07:46] Speaker B: Just, let's wrap this up quickly. Jets and giants, what do you have to say about those two football teams?
[01:07:54] Speaker F: Look, I mean, I think it's hard to know what to think about the jets because, I mean, the wild card is the quarterback. You assume he's coming back. You assume that he'll be something resembling what he was in Green Bay. It's why last year was so damaging, because it was nothing here, because you didn't get a chance to utilize one of your Aaron Rodgers years and you just didn't really move anything forward to see where you are.
But look, if the quarterback comes back reasonably healthy, I think they could have a fun year. I mean, I'm not gonna be one of these guys who tells you they're gonna be in the Super Bowl. I mean, this is still a, this is still a conference that has, you know, Patrick Mahomes in it. It's still a conference that, you know, has still a division that has Josh Allen in it.
And these are things that are gonna be hard to overcome. But, I mean, do I think they could be in the playoff conversation in week 18 next year? I do. Do I think they can make the playoffs? Sure, why not? And then you take your chances from there. The Giants, excuse me.
I do think the Giants are committed to the full rebuild, and I think that they just want to make sure that they get to a place when they're ready to win, that they can win now. That means a lot of moving pieces right now. I mean, they obviously took a step back last year, mostly because they had a much harder schedule than they did the year they went to the playoffs the year before.
But they certainly have, you know, you know, have taken great strides. And I think what they need to do once and for all is identify whether it's the quarterback of the present and the quarterback of the future. And I think that will come become a lot more clear once they have the draft in a couple of weeks.
[01:09:31] Speaker B: Yeah. How upset are the fan, Giants fans that Saquon Barkley headed south on the Jersey Turnpike to Philadelphia.
[01:09:37] Speaker F: Well, I mean, that's the way fans are. You know, I think, you know, a lot of the same fans who were like, well, you can take the leave Saquon, you know, they would have felt that same way if he went up with the Chargers. But look, I mean, you know, it's like anything else. If we play for the Red Sox, let's play for the Yankees. It's not just, you know, you're not just losing the player. You're also.
You're not just losing the player, but you're losing him to your arch rival. And that's. You're kind of what this is. I mean, you know, it's a little extra salty when you're talking about going from the giants to the Eagles. I mean, that's just a blood rival, a blood feud. And, I mean, the cities hate each other to begin with. And those two fan bases, really, that makes. That adds an extra element, for sure.
[01:10:20] Speaker B: Well, Mike, where can people find you on x, formerly known as Twitter?
[01:10:24] Speaker F: My handle. My handle is Mike Vak, my first name, Mit.
[01:10:29] Speaker B: You're on threads, too, I believe, right?
[01:10:32] Speaker F: I am.
Mike Vax, 67.
[01:10:35] Speaker B: Okay, well, Mike, appreciate a few minutes. I look forward to having you back on. This was a lot of fun.
[01:10:39] Speaker F: Anytime. Great talking.
[01:10:41] Speaker B: All right, that's Mike Vaquero. We'll be back to wrap up the podcast and have the latest winners in the daily Gazettes auto racing contest. In just a moment, you're listening to the parting shots podcast.
[01:11:15] Speaker H: If you really want to know what's going on in your community, you have to read the daily is that we don't take a side. We're right down the middle, and we're going to get to the truth. Our reporters and photographers are out in the field bringing you updates every minute with trust, accuracy, and integrity from the first page to the last page. Independent, probing journalism. We're finding out what's going on in the community where nobody else is covering. It's who we are. It's what we do.
[01:11:46] Speaker C: Hey, I'm Frank Calliendo pretending to be Morgan Freeman.
[01:11:49] Speaker A: Maybe even a little bit of John Bat.
[01:11:50] Speaker C: Or Robert Downey, junior comedian, impressionist, playboy, philanthropist. Maybe not the last two.
[01:11:56] Speaker A: And you're listening to the parting shots podcast with Daily Gazette sports editor Ken.
[01:12:01] Speaker B: Shot back to wrap up the podcast. The week eight winner in the Daily Gazettes auto racing contest was Jamison Hayes of Mayfield with 60 points. Jamison wins a $50 gift card. Congratulations, Jamison. The vip winner was Nick playtel grand premier tires with 15 points. The week nine winner was Pamela break of Schenectady with 50 points. Pamela wins a $50 gift card. Congratulations, Pamela. The vip winner was once again Nick playtel grand premier tires with 20 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 easing, 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. That wraps up another edition of the parting Shots podcast. I want to thank Terry Primm, Joe Jordan and Mike Piccarro for coming on the show. If you have questions or comments about the podcast, email them to me at shot. That's sch o t tailygazette.com dot. Follow me on x and threads at Slap Shots the views expressed on the parting Shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Daily Gazette Company. The Parting Shots podcast, a production of the Daily Gazette Company. I am 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.
