[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: The following program is brought to.
[00:00:05] Speaker C: You in living color on elliot gazette.com or wherever you get your podcast.
The Gazette News Group presents the Parting Shots Podcast. Now here's your host, Ken Shot. Thank you Scott Geezy, 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 and we're going to talk you College, Men's and Women's hockey as we always do to open up the Thursday podcast.
The men's team coming off that dramatic and improbable 54 overtime victory over RPI in last Saturday's Mayor's cup, gets back to ECAC hockey play on Friday. Just one game this week and they go to Dartmouth to take on the Big Green in Hanover, New Hampshire at Thompson Arena. Union trying to snap a seven game losing streak against the Big Green. The Big Green has eliminated the Garner Chargers from the ECAC Hockey tournament best of three quarterfinals the last two years, both in sweeps 2024 up in Hanover and last year at Messa Rink. So we'll talk with players Brandon Burr, Nick Young and Colby MacArthur. From Tuesday's immediate availability, I'll speak with Jason Tapp, the Dartmouth men's hockey associate head coach and former Union associate head coach.
Jason was recently named the winner of the American Hockey Coaches Association Terry Flanagan Award, which goes to an assistant coach and honors the assistant coach body of work. We'll talk to Jason about that. Of course he got his start as a volunteer assistant coach under Nate Lehman before being elevated to a full time assistant coach under Rick Bennett on the women's side. Also, by the way, we're going to talk to Reed Cashman, the Dartmouth men's hockey head coach. We'll talk a little bit Jason what he's meant to him and we'll talk a little bit about his team as they get set to face the Garner charges on Friday. Now let's talk about the Union women. They'll be back at in action at eca sacking play at M and T Bank Center. They're coming off the victory in the Mayor's cup, their second straight Mayors cup title. 43 Victory over RPI last Saturday. MVP arena the Garden Chargers get set to face Brown and Yale, two teams that they had leagues and the road games last month, actually earlier this month I should say, but they blew them and really started them on a downward path. But they snapped their little eight game winless skid with the victory over RPI they're looking to get back, try to at least have a shot at getting home ice in the first round of the ECAC hockey tournament. We'll talk with head coach Tony Macy and players Stephanie Bourque, Carrie Ann Engelberg and Emma Ryumi.
We'll go talk some football and hockey with Steven Wino of the Associated Press. He is based in the New York area, formerly based in the Washington area.
He's covered the Giants this year. And we'll talk about last week's hiring of John Harbaugh as the new head coach.
Stephen's going to be heading over to Italy for the COVID The men's hockey in the Winter Olympics. This is the first Winter Olympics men's hockey with NHL players in 12 years, so Stephen will talk about that. And Stephen and I are both Holy Ghost Prep alums from suburban Philadelphia, so we talk a little bit about our roots back in the day. So a few years, we have a few years distance between Stephen and I, so we'll talk about that as well. And then Damon Bruce, San Francisco area sports Talk host on YouTube and Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons graduate, Indiana University graduate. Well, he's going to be on talk about his beloved Hoosiers football team winning the national championship in the College Football Playoff a couple weeks ago and he's excited about that. So we'll talk to him about that and get his early preview of Super Bowl 60 since it's being played in his neck of the woods in Santa Clara, California at Levi's Stadium, home of the 49ers. So when we come back, we're going to talk union men's and women's hockey here on the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:04:25] Speaker B: Timeout.
[00:04:27] Speaker D: Oh, right. Remember, we're a team that plays together.
[00:04:31] Speaker C: Listen, the winning will take care of itself.
[00:04:33] Speaker B: We just have to get everyone involved in interscholastic sports.
[00:04:37] Speaker D: We celebrate what makes every one of us unique.
[00:04:40] Speaker C: And in the pursuit of a common.
[00:04:42] Speaker E: Goal, everyone in the huddle, in the.
[00:04:44] Speaker D: Bleachers and in the community comes together.
[00:04:49] Speaker C: This message presented by NISFA and the New York State Athletic Administrators Association.
Welcome back to the podcast. It's time to talk union men's and women's hockey. The men are back in ECAC hockey play, facing Dartmouth on Friday. They're coming off that dramatic and I'm still can't believe how they won that game against RPI in the Mayors cup for last Saturday at MVP Arena. I hope you had a chance to read my column in Monday's edition. It's
[email protected].
i know we had some probably delivery issues because of the snow on Monday, but I enjoy writing that column. And just a blast to just go try to break down what the heck happened in that game. Because, I mean, Union should have lost that game. They were down 42 after that empty net goal. But an incredible comeback capped by Brandon Burr's baseball swing goal 225 into overtime to give Union its fifth straight Mayor's cup and 10th overall. As I said, the Garner Chargers are heading to Hanover, New Hampshire, to take on Dartmouth, a team that they've lost seven straight against. And the Big Green have dominated this series of late, been a thorn in the Garner Charger side, and they've ended Union season the last two years, winning the quarterfinals, best of three series and a sweep in 2024 up in Hanover at Thompson arena.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: And.
[00:06:13] Speaker C: And then last year, they closed out Mesarinka with two losses, handing out two losses to Union in the quarterfinals as well. So, of course, you heard from Josh Algae, the Union men's head coach, on Wednesday's podcast. We had, of course, a lot of the big goal highlights from that game on last Saturday.
So we did talk about Dartmouth's game. So let's hear from the Union players. Let's talk with Brandon Burr, Nick Young and Colby McArthur.
Fran, let's start with you. You made the SportsCenter top 10 highlight number one.
Did you see it? What did you think about it?
[00:06:49] Speaker F: Yeah, I did see it. That's pretty cool. Obviously, number one on a top 10 sports center. It's pretty cool.
[00:06:55] Speaker C: So, yeah, when you saw, what was your first reaction?
[00:06:59] Speaker F: Must not have been a great night for highlights.
[00:07:02] Speaker C: What did you guys think of it?
[00:07:03] Speaker F: No, it's awesome. It's great to see see him get rewarded. He's put a lot of hard work into getting ready for this season, and it's obviously paying off. So we're all super happy for him.
Yeah, I see his skill every day in practice, so it was no surprise when he. When he battled out of the air. To be honest, that's what he does every day.
[00:07:19] Speaker C: Well, let's talk about the one game you have this week, a very important one at Dartmouth, a team that's eliminated you the last two years in the quarterfinals of the ECC hockey tournament. Brandon, I'll start with you. How important is this game? You guys have lost seven straight against the Big Green. What do you have to do to snap that skid on Friday?
[00:07:38] Speaker F: I need to work hard and score some goals against these guys. Obviously, they're a Very good team. So we need to take what we have and put it all out there and give us.
[00:07:45] Speaker B: Give it our all.
[00:07:45] Speaker C: Colby.
[00:07:46] Speaker F: Yeah, we can't play any different than our union identity. Obviously, they're a good team. They've had a number, but we're just going to play our way and hopefully get the win.
[00:07:54] Speaker C: Nick?
[00:07:55] Speaker F: Yeah, I mean, they're. They're a very structured team. So if we play structured and play with our speed and skill, I think, you know, we can take them down.
[00:08:02] Speaker G: How can, you know, that kind of crazy comeback Saturday night serve as a springboard to kind of build some momentum for you guys going down the stretch?
[00:08:08] Speaker F: I think it's great. It's great for the belief in the room that no matter what we're down by, no matter what the clock is, we're never out of a game. I think that's huge, to have that in our hearts and our minds and to kind of build each other up every game.
Yeah, Nick said it great. I mean, the fact that we were down two goals, like two minutes left and we came back, it's obviously very big. It shows that we have what it takes and we're never out of a game.
[00:08:30] Speaker C: Was there any concern, Obviously, you guys had a scoreless streak coming into that game on Saturday. Was there any concern that maybe the offense was drying up a little bit? Was the confidence lacking?
[00:08:42] Speaker F: I wouldn't say there was a concern, but obviously it is frustrating not be able to score, especially with how much talent we have in our room. But getting those goals at the end of the game obviously gave us a boost again.
[00:08:51] Speaker C: Colby.
[00:08:52] Speaker F: Yeah, Brandon said it. Well, obviously a lot of teams go in slumps during the season. Season, but it's about getting hot at the right time, and I think we. We get hot the rest of the year, and we'll have a great chance.
[00:09:01] Speaker G: Playoffs, you know, now you turn back to ECAC play. Obviously, you guys have had a good season overall, but ECAC hasn't exactly gone the way that you planned. Is there a little bit of a sense of urgency now that you're past the Mayor's cup and it's just ECAC going down the stretch here?
[00:09:16] Speaker F: Yeah, we understand that we're not doing great in ECAC right now. Our record shows, but I think we finished strong with our nine games remaining, and we could try to get that top four. Bye.
Yeah, we just. We know we struggled ECAC play, but just gotta stick with it. These last nine games are gonna be big. Just we need some home games and playoffs.
[00:09:36] Speaker C: How important will it be to jump out to a lead on Dartmouth and, you know, try to control the game.
[00:09:40] Speaker F: I think it's very important.
You know, a team like that's very good, very structured. It's good to start out with, like, a goal up on them right away. But, you know, no matter what happens now, we know in our locker room that no one's going to get deflated. We're going to stay, you know, even keel and play our game.
[00:09:57] Speaker C: Is there still confidence that you guys get a top four?
[00:10:00] Speaker F: Absolutely.
[00:10:00] Speaker H: Yeah. There's.
[00:10:01] Speaker F: There's confidence in our room that, you know, we can still be a special group and we still have that chance.
[00:10:06] Speaker G: You guys talk about how at all about how this is the team that ended your season last two years. Is there any extra motivation going into this week, or you just put that.
[00:10:13] Speaker C: Out of your mind?
[00:10:14] Speaker F: I mean, obviously there's. It's a little bit there, but at the end of the day, it's another ECAC team and we want more points, and there's another person in the way of getting this point.
[00:10:22] Speaker H: So.
[00:10:24] Speaker G: Thanks, guys.
[00:10:26] Speaker C: Now we're going to hear from Jason Tapp, the Dartmouth men's hockey associate head coach and former Union men's associate head coach. Jason's been with the Big Green Since July of 2020 after serving a few years with Union. Course, he was part of that national championship team in 2014 and also the Frozen Four team in 2012 that got to the semifinals against Ferris State.
Jason left, as I said, joined Reed Cashman, the head coach there in July of 2020. Their first year.
No gains because they, along with the other Ivy League Schools and Union RPI, decided not to play the 202021 season because of the COVID 19 pandemic. Jason's done a great job up there, and he was just recently named the winner of the American Hockey Coaches Association Terry Flanagan award. And the award is named in honor of the former UNH player and Bowling Green assistant. And this award honors an assistant coach's career body of work. And Jason's done an outstanding job, and I fully think that he will end up with a head coaching job soon.
I wouldn't be surprised, especially now with the Wednesday announcement that Brown head coach Brendan Whittett is taking a family leave of absence. So he's done for the season. And once he returns from the family leave of absence, he's going to work in the administration for the Brown athletic department. So there's going to be a national search area. Yale has an interim coach in Joe Howe, and maybe Yale Decides, look, have a national search as well, and maybe there could be another one or two other openings here in ECAC hockey after the season. So we'll see what happens. We'll follow that obviously with Jason and a chance to talk with him on Tuesday.
So I wanted to get his thoughts about winning the Terry Flanagan Award. So here is Jason Tapp.
Well, Jason, first of all, congratulations on winning the Terry Flanagan Award. What does that mean to you?
[00:12:31] Speaker A: Thank you. It's pretty special, to be honest. I look at the names that have won it and some of the people that I have, an associate like Brian Derocher won it and he actually recruited me to Boston University.
There's a reason why I went to bu and it's probably the reason why I'm in coaching, you know. And then you look at something, obviously Dunes, who I worked with, and Benny Sire and you know, the names that are associated with it are Dave Peters, who work at Dartmouth, who's an unreal human being. And so to be associated with the names that have won it. And the award is pretty special.
[00:13:08] Speaker C: When you got the word, what was your reaction?
[00:13:13] Speaker A: Shocked, I guess, like just kind of out of the blue. Didn't know I was nominated for it, obviously. Extremely excited and probably nervous for giving the speech, to be honest. It was like, I'm gonna have to give a speech. So that was probably my reactions.
[00:13:31] Speaker C: I mean, you've been. You started out at Union as a volunteer assistant coach and as a goaltender coach under Nate Lehman. I think you were coaching the head coach of CBA at that time too, right?
For hockey? High school hockey, yeah.
[00:13:45] Speaker A: The year. It's a year of cba. And then, yeah, that was my second year as a volunteer with Union under Nate. I coached CBA in my second year. And then before that I just, I did the split before and after Albany Academy.
[00:14:02] Speaker C: So when Nate goes to Providence and Rick elevates you, what. Obviously things change now. And now you have a lot more responsibilities.
How excited were you to get that opportunity to be a full time assistant coach?
[00:14:19] Speaker A: Extremely grateful.
You know, didn't realize, I guess, how difficult it is to get into our business. And then, and then now realizing like the risks that Rick took when he hired me, you know, he's taking over a program that had just made the tournament.
He's a first time head coach. And then knowing how well respected Rick is from every rink I went into when I worked at Union, everybody would ask me, every coach, how was Rick was Rick. And just the knowing that the amount of people that he could have Hired back then and then him to take a chance on somebody who was just a volunteer.
Obviously had been with them for two years. But, you know, that was a huge risk that he took to hire me. And I'm forever indebted to him for that and grateful for him that he took that chance on me way back when.
[00:15:10] Speaker C: Of course, first year as an assistant, the team goes to the first Frozen Four, wins the ECAC hockey tournament title for the first time, then they repeat ECAC tournament champions the following year, and then the 2013-14 season, I mean, ends up with a ECAC regular season tournament and an NCAA championship.
Were you thinking at that point you're three years in, all this success, you're thinking, my God, this is easy?
[00:15:38] Speaker A: No, not at all. I just, I was. Like I said, I think I was pretty grateful for the situation that I was lucky enough to fall in and be surrounded by really good people. You know, obviously Rick and Joe and then the volunteers we had as well during that time were exceptional. Obviously, Johnny was a volunteer of the year. We won it. So I was very fortunate to be surrounded with people that were special people.
[00:16:04] Speaker C: Of course, then you got promoted to associate head coach and then Union with Mike Vecchione his senior year in 2016, 17 was an amazing year.
What was that year like with him and being a Hoby Baker finalist?
[00:16:20] Speaker A: It was fun coming to come on the rink every day. You know, that group was extremely goal oriented. They are all bought in and they did a ton of extra and they cared about each other.
It was a special group for sure. You know, had him and then he had Fousey, who had monster years that year.
It was.
It was a ton of fun to come to the rink and have the opportunity to work with those guys.
[00:16:46] Speaker C: Reed Cashman becomes the head coach at Dartmouth right before the start of the pandemic and he gets to hire you as his assistant.
What was that change like after being at Union for so long? And was it kind of scary going into a new situation with a new head coach and then having a year off because of the COVID 19 pandemic?
[00:17:12] Speaker A: No, I don't know if it was scary. I think I was looking forward to the challenge of it and trying to get Dartmouth to a place where we always kind of thought they could be at Union. We wondered why Dartmouth was kind of in the middle of a pack when obviously they had. It's an Ivy League school and it's a great building and Hanover's an awesome town, college town, so it was more excitement about that Challenge and obviously the COVID 19 not playing for the first year and really only being in two buildings. My entire first year on campus was certainly difficult, but it was more. And then the opportunity to grow like Reed's track record and what he's done and what he accomplished and a transparent respect for everything he accomplished and then I get an opportunity to work with him and you see why, why he's such a good coach and, and such a person. It's been. Like I said, it was a challenge to learn from somebody new.
Ten great years with Rick and to grow as a coach was the most important thing and the opportunity I was looking forward to.
[00:18:18] Speaker C: What did you know about Reed prior to that? Obviously he did play at Quinnipiac.
Coached in the Washington Capitals organization down in Hershey and him to come back as a first time college hockey head coach. What did you know about Reed?
[00:18:35] Speaker A: Not a, not a ton. Obviously with recruiting and being on the road together and, and you know, seeing him on the road and him and Joe were, were close and so I, I'd known a little bit of him through Dume but like not a, not a ton and just obviously respected everything he'd done. You don't get to National Hockey League if, if you don't know what you're doing. So you know, I didn't, didn't really know time. We had a few phone conversations where, you know, I kind of drilled them on some questions that I had and his coaching style and his philosophies and stuff like that and they, they aligned with mine and I thought it'd be a great fit.
[00:19:10] Speaker C: I mean, how is me Dartmouth on the read and you haven't really turned it around. You're getting close to winning an ECAC hockey tournament title. What is the atmosphere like there these days at Thompson Arena? And I want to say this, Tom Serena, one of the more underrated ranks in ECAC hockey.
[00:19:29] Speaker A: It's getting, it's, it's getting there. Like obviously we had a solo against ASU and Harvard was, was jammed and so the crowds are starting to come back and it's awesome for our players and the atmosphere is starting to get, get to be a really challenging building for people to come in. Obviously we've been good at home this year and the crowd's been part of, and the atmosphere's been part of it.
Say I'm a little biased. I, you know, obviously Thompson's been home for, for six years now. I think it's an awesome building.
You walk in, it's unassuming when you walk in, but you see that full sunken bowl and it's pretty sharp. So, I mean, like I said, with the fans coming back now and the crowds being bigger and bigger, it's been exciting for our group.
[00:20:08] Speaker C: You and I talked at around the time Union was beginning its coaching search after Rick Bennett's resignation there in the middle of the 2021, 22 season.
You spoke of your desire to apply for the job. Did you ever get interviewed for that at all?
[00:20:30] Speaker A: I did not, no.
[00:20:32] Speaker B: No.
[00:20:32] Speaker C: Was that disappointing?
[00:20:36] Speaker A: Yeah, a little bit, I guess.
I've been there for every dinner that's hanging in that building, the old building, I should say. But yeah, it was a little disappointing. But they did a.
Josh has done an awesome job there. That staff's great. Johnny's, you know, they've done, they've done a great job. So it was a great hire for them. So I like that. I don't begrudge it, but it'd be nice to be part of the process. But it is what it is.
[00:20:59] Speaker C: You still have a desire to be a head coach and college hockey. I mean, there could be a couple openings in ECC hockey after this season.
[00:21:07] Speaker A: Yeah, certainly, definitely. You know, I think I'd want that challenge and of course running your own program and I think that'd be a very similar to what we do at Dartmouth and things I've learned from Rick.
So yeah, definitely, definitely interested in that challenge. And like I said, you have to be the right, right fit for, for the, for the school and they have to be the right fit for you.
[00:21:28] Speaker C: How much on the recruiting trail has the transfer portal changed things? I mean, how difficult is it for Dartmouth to get players out of the transfer portal as opposed to maybe schools like Union and Quinnipiac where they don't have the, maybe the Ivy League restrictions?
[00:21:46] Speaker A: Yeah, certainly it's not, it's not advantageous for us. It is certainly for other programs. I think Union did a really good job in the Portal last summer and QPAC's always done well on the portal, but it's certainly a challenge for us and we don't know if we'll even, you know, getting a transfer in Ivy League institution is difficult to start with.
And so like I said, it's. We don't know if we'll even if you even got a transfer slot or. And then the parameters that they have to window, they have to fit in for us, you know, with it being obviously need based and academics and everything else, it's certainly a challenge. So it's not something we rely on or even count on in our recruiting process. It's like I said, if it ever does come down our way, I think we've had two in our time here.
One was because obviously Cooper Black signed early and we were left with two goalies on our roster. So.
But yeah, it's not. Like I said, it's nothing that we kind of planned for in our recruiting process.
[00:22:46] Speaker C: You mentioned about the banners that were hanging in Mesa, of course. And now they're hanging at the MT Bank Center.
What memories do you have? I don't think I get ever a chance to ask you, but what memories do you have of Messerink?
[00:22:59] Speaker E: Oh, there's, there's.
[00:23:00] Speaker A: There's plenty. There's Zach's family shot goal against Princeton.
There's the games against Michigan and Nodak in that building where like, you get that. You get the hair up on the back of your neck just standing on the bench like that. That atmosphere was just electric when that building was full. And you know, I just remember we could be up, you could get up three, four pretty quick and teams would know what hit them just because of how that building just got. Got you going and got our. Got the teams going. So it was, it was definitely a fun, fun atmosphere to be a part of. And as a player, you know, when you get into coaching, you're like, how am I going to get that juice back that you get from being a player? And you know, the first time I was on the bench there as a volunteer is like, oh, okay. Like it's not the same, but it's close.
You know, that crowd was fun to.
[00:23:51] Speaker E: Be a part of.
[00:23:52] Speaker C: I know you guys come to MT bank center next month. How much you looking forward to seeing the new building?
[00:23:57] Speaker A: I'm excited. Yeah, it looks great on film and heard that it did a great job with it, so it'd be nice to see. It's obviously going to miss NASA and all the memories I have from there, but like I said, it looks really good on film, so I'm excited to see it.
[00:24:15] Speaker C: Also on Tuesday, I spoke with Dartmouth men's hockey head coach Reed Cashman and want to get his thoughts on Jason winning the award and talk to him a little bit about his team. They were off to 110 start, but in the last 10 games they are 3, 6, 1. So here's Dartmouth men's hockey coach Reed Cashman.
Well, Reed, Jason Tapp wins the Terry Flanagan Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association.
What does that mean to you? What do you think it means to him?
[00:24:47] Speaker E: Well, I just. I. I think it's so great to see Jason get recognized for, you know, the last, I think, 17 years that he's been in college hockey. You know, it's incredible what he did, obviously, with Rick and Joe and some of those other guys. But just speaking on Jason, what he did at union in those 11 years between the regular season championships, the success they have, EC tournament, and then.
And then ultimately in the national tournament, and then he comes to Dartmouth, and he. You know, we knew each other a little bit, but not a ton. And I don't think either of us really knew what we were getting.
And we win seven games and five games, and then it feels like we've gotten some momentum. And it's.
I'm telling you, it's a direct result of what Jason has done, both recruiting and developing, and he's as good as there is in college of doing both. Some guys are great recruiters, some guys are good developers, and then you have the goalie piece on top of it. So there's really, I guess, proud of them, but more just like, it's just great when. When good people get recognized. And like I said, Jason's as good as it is in this business. And for him to get recognized by.
[00:25:57] Speaker D: The body.
[00:25:59] Speaker E: And by his peers, I'm looking forward to celebrating that down in Florida this spring, so.
[00:26:05] Speaker C: Well, he's complaining a little bit. He has to make a speech, so.
[00:26:07] Speaker E: Well, that's the first thing he said to me, and I said, hey, you might have to wear a suit, too. So I don't think he's looking forward to either one of those two things, but other than that, it'll be pretty cool.
[00:26:17] Speaker C: Now, was he when you got hired? Was he your first hire?
[00:26:21] Speaker E: He was, yeah. Yeah. So the one thing I.
Not that smart, but the one thing I knew is you better have somebody to work with your goalies.
And I felt I might have had three or four guys and I had Jason, but I didn't. You know, I didn't think it was realistic.
And actually, I was talking to Joel Dume, and Joe was the one that said, hey, you might want to. You might want to reach out to Jason. And. And.
But having in. And I. I didn't realize how good he was at the other stuff. I just knew we needed somebody with goalies and what he'd done at Union and then seeing what he can do with recruiting and the developing part.
[00:27:00] Speaker C: So how important was it to get that right right away?
[00:27:05] Speaker E: Well, it's. It's. I mean, like I said, if you don't, if you don't have a goal or you're in trouble. And then if I just think a place like Dartmouth, it's always going to be about bringing in good players, but making them great in that development piece and having someone that we want every day to work with our guys and, and so to have some goalie is such a unique position. To have somebody that can work with them every day and not be a volunteer coach and be all in on that is essential, you know, and I, I really hope Jason gets a head coaching job here soon. I think he deserves a head coaching job and.
But I've always, I'll never move on from Jason, but when he gets that job, I've always had a list of guys that can work with our goalies, so we don't skip a beat from that standpoint.
[00:27:50] Speaker C: I mean, there could be some openings around college hockey, particularly nice easy hockey. I mean, I mean, how, how highly will you recommend him if he applies for a job?
[00:28:00] Speaker E: Obviously it's, I think anybody that wants. Do you see what, what he was part of at Union and what he's part at Dartmouth with the non scholarship and the admissions and the financial aid and finding the players. I mean the, just the free agents that we've had here and some of the all league players and like I.
No disrespect to anybody else, but I really think Yale should hire him. You know, I just think he checks so many boxes if you want to get them going again.
But he's ready. Like he does a lot of head coach stuff here. He'll manage the, I guess the CEO part of being a head coach. He'll have no issue with that and he'll have a clear plan on what a successful ECAC hockey player looks like and not what a national player looks like. So if anybody calls, I'll recommend him as hard as I can and I'll certainly make calls for him if that's what he wants.
[00:28:54] Speaker C: How tough was that? What was the first lost season there with the pandemic? I mean, how tough was that for you guys to handle that?
[00:29:04] Speaker E: Well, you know, I think looking back on it in some respects, it gave us a little bit of a year to figure out what, what admissions is looking for and some of those things and allowed us to recruit all these kids that were playing.
I think it was, I mean it was just a hard. I suppose all campuses were, but it was, it was pretty. We were limited.
[00:29:26] Speaker C: Right.
[00:29:26] Speaker E: Like I couldn't be with the kid in my office. You couldn't be within, I think, 15ft of a kid. We could be on the ice with four kids at one time, but they had to be 10ft apart. And it was just a. I don't know, it was just a unique. A unique way to start coaching here. For Jason and I, the tougher years were the next. The next two years.
[00:29:47] Speaker C: Let's talk about your team as they get ready for this game Friday against you. And you guys start 11 and over. You sort of been a little, I guess, a little bit of rut. What's. What's happened since that 11 and O start?
[00:30:00] Speaker E: Yeah, I don't know. It's. It's, you know, I'm not trying to justify. I mean, we're three, six and one in our last 11 or last 10 maybe. But, you know, you split with army and unh. Unh is an overtime game. You split with Arizona State, which I'm really. You know, that was a good split for us. We played great the second night.
And then we go down to Princeton and Quinnipiac and have a third period lead at Princeton and tied in the third versus Quinnipiac, and obviously we don't execute a third, so that's disappointing.
And then we rattled off three in a row before last weekend. And again last weekend was kind of interesting from the standpoint of I thought Cornell was a great game. I thought the last 30 minutes we were.
We were really good and had a chance. And it gets to overtime. You know, they went in overtime, and then the Colgate is just kind of one of those hockey teams. Like, they were really opportunistic. They took advantage of the couple mistakes we made. And so I think when I take the emotion out of it, we're pretty good. Like, we're pretty happy with our team.
The results have been obviously a little bit more inconsistent than. Than that start.
But come, you know, come game 21, I think we would take our positioning both within the league and nationally, and it's just a matter of, you know, getting better this weekend and keep building off the next nine games as we.
[00:31:24] Speaker B: Get ready for playoffs.
[00:31:25] Speaker C: Yeah, you guys have had unions. Number the last seven, obviously eliminated them the last two years in the ECC hockey tournament quarterfinals. What is it about union that you've been able to get that edge?
[00:31:37] Speaker E: You know what? I don't know. I think, I mean, you. The game.
Game one last year in the playoffs was as.
As much as we've been dominated and in my tenure and we had a goalie stand on his head, right? That's hockey. Like, we had no business winning that game.
Our guys have so much respect for Union. I think Josh and that staff does an unbelievable job. They compete at a high level.
They got, they got a bunch of skill.
Their special teams is humming right now. Obviously PK is great but I think the power play is phenomenal right now. So there's nothing, there's no special sauce. Every game's been unique but. But our guys are well aware of just how big of a challenge Union is.
[00:32:21] Speaker C: So what's going to be the key on Friday night?
[00:32:26] Speaker E: I just think that I think playing for 60, you know, I think the well special teams after like our special teams have not been as good as they need to be. I think theirs have been phenomenal. So, so there's going to be penalties like we gotta at least break even if not win special teams.
And then I think the team that this time of year it comes down to the third period. So I think the team that sticks with it for 60 like sticks to their identity for 60 minutes. And honestly probably I might have told this flush in the playoffs but it's just the team that wins the third period probably wins the game would be my guess.
[00:33:04] Speaker C: Now let's move over to the women's side of the Union women's hockey team. The Garner chargers snapped the in eight game winless skid last Saturday with their 43 victory over RPI in the Capital District Mayor's Cup. That was the second consecutive year that the Garner Chargers won the cup and their third overall in the eight games that have been played in the women's portion of the Mayor's Cup.
Union gets back into ECAC hockey play this weekend at home at MNT Bank Center. They will host Brown at 6pm on Friday and then Yale on Saturday at 3.
The last time Union faced these two teams they had leads and they had a 3 nothing lead against Yale in the first period. Had a 1 nothing lead against Brown in the first period and the offense just dried up after that. Yale rallied to win. Brown rallied to win. So it was just a, just a nightmarish two games for the Garner Chargers. They're trying to get a chance at hosting a first round game in the ECAC Hockey tournament. It's may be kind of tough but you never know what's going to happen. So we got to see what happens with this team this weekend. If they want to make a move up the standings. They got to win these two games and get six points.
So they have maybe helped their chances of getting home ice in the first round of the Tournament on Tuesday. We had our usual media availability. Let's start with head coach Tony Macy.
Tony, looking back on the Mares cup win, how important important is it as you head back to ECC hockey play, as you try to climb the standings, at least try to still challenge for home ice in the first round?
[00:34:39] Speaker H: I think this weekend's going to be big for us. I think that we're going to take the first game and try to build off of what we did this past Saturday and kind of have the momentum on our side just mentally. Right. So, you know, coming. Coming off a win like that, where, you know, you're able to win a trophy during the middle of the year, you know, I think can. Can help our confidence. I think, you know, we know the last time we played both these teams, we didn't play very well, so we got to make sure that we're coming out better.
[00:35:11] Speaker C: Yeah, you got leads against him after the first period in both those games. What do you have to do if you get the first lead this time around?
[00:35:17] Speaker H: Well, I think it's the same thing that we've been talking about all year.
You know, we got to keep pushing and keep trying to limit chances, not by backing off, but by being aggressive. Still, again, it's part of us learning how to win the right way. So that's something that we just got to continually harp on.
[00:35:36] Speaker G: You talked a lot in recent weeks about wanting to see the team's level of compete go up and play a full 60 minutes. Did you see that on Saturday? And did you like the way that your team competed for the whole duration of the game?
[00:35:46] Speaker H: Yeah, I think that we. It was probably one of our best games in the second half so far.
Something, again, that we can build off of. Again, I think our game against Clarkson, we competed really hard.
They just had a few more chances that they buried on us. So for us moving into Friday into Saturday, again, we're playing some teams that are ranked, so we got to be ready for them to have some pushback as well. So I think going into it, just having the mentality of we've got to push again, we have some. A little bit of, I don't really call it payback, but like, knowing that we didn't play well in their building. So just having that in the back of our mind and putting a good fit forward in our end.
[00:36:29] Speaker C: Of course, Ryomi is probably going to see the majority of the play time. With Monya now heading to Italy for the Olympics, how have you seen her game progress this year and how Confident, are you and her?
[00:36:41] Speaker H: Yeah, I'm pretty confident in both goaltender or all three of the goalies that are left. Right. So Emma's done a really good job when she's been in there. Emily's done a really good job as well.
So, you know, for us, I think it's moving while Wags is over playing for Switzerland, just, you know, finding somebody that can try and take the reins and go with it. I think Emma's done a really good, good job stepping in as a first year, you know, jumping in from junior or Sage up is in Quebec, so she's. She's done a good job for us this year.
[00:37:16] Speaker C: I mean, obviously, winning the cup was nice, but how important was it to snap that windless skid?
[00:37:22] Speaker H: Yeah, I mean, not gonna say it doesn't build on you a little bit, but again, my big thing right now with this group, same thing thing as last year, is I want to see us competing hard. That's the biggest thing. I want to see us competing from the drop of the puck to the end of the puck. You know, sometimes bounces don't go your way, and you end up on the wrong side, and teams go on skids and at all levels here. So, you know, it's just good for us to get that win. And it helps that it was against RPI and in the Mares Cup.
[00:37:52] Speaker G: Yeah. Off of that, how can Saturday kind of be a springboard for you guys and kind of get some momentum going forward?
[00:37:58] Speaker H: Oh, I think it. It helps to get the proverbial monkey off the back for some people. And, you know, I think it'll just allow us to. To play a little bit more without thinking about that kind of stuff. So, you know, we. We try not to. To bring it up, and even though people have phones and. And see standings and all that, but, you know, that's part of where we're at, and we just got to make sure that we're putting the right foot forward this weekend.
[00:38:28] Speaker G: Is it good when, you know, when you talk about you like to compete against Clarkson, it just didn't go your way. Is it good to finally see one go into the win column, to kind of just confirm what we're doing, we're doing the right things. We just got to stick with it.
[00:38:39] Speaker H: Yeah, I think it's not so big for the coaching staff because we see it at times, and, you know, we're trying to get the players to also know, notice that. And, you know, having been a player, that is sometimes hard. Like, you're, hey, I'm working hard and we're just not getting the bounces or maybe we're just not all clicking at the same time. So it's. It's good to get that win under your belt to kind of jump into the weekend.
[00:39:02] Speaker C: How important will it be if you guys get leads against Brown, Yale to keep the. The skate on the pedal and not let up?
[00:39:10] Speaker H: Yeah, I mean, that's what we want to try and do again. They're going to be playing hard, too. So, you know, if it so happens that we go up and they tie it up, we just got to be ready to bounce back and score again. So, you know, I think that's. That's the biggest thing is I've liked our fight recently. I've liked our bounce back in some games, even though we've been down early.
So it's just a matter of making sure that we have the right mentality going into any situation this weekend.
[00:39:37] Speaker C: Now, let's talk with players Stephanie Bourque, the senior captain and defenseman, forward Carrie Ann Engelbert and goaltender Emma Ryumi, who's probably going to see a lot more action with Ammonia Wagner off in Italy to play for Team Switzerland in the Winter Olympics.
Well, guys, you're coming off the Mares cup win, and now you get back to ECC hockey play against Brown and Yale, two teams that you had leads against and weren't able to hold on. First of all, how important was that win Saturday to get you motivated, to get you a spark for ECAC accuplay?
[00:40:09] Speaker I: Yeah, I think it was definitely important and it meant a lot to us. I think it helps with our confidence. We've been struggling a little bit, but we knew that we were gonna come out on top. So it's just like, we kept working and I thought we saw the results, so I think that gave us a lot of confidence. And as you said last time, we didn't play our best games. So we definitely owe those two teams a better game. And I think that we're in the right frame of mind and we're gonna prepare well this week for that.
Yeah, I mean, I think the big thing right now is playoff mentality, and I think nothing screams playoff mentality like, you know, going for a cup. So I think it was a great boost. Like Steph said, it gave us a lot of confidence, and I think that, you know, it just. It. It's something that's going to set us in the right direction right now.
[00:40:47] Speaker C: And was it good to break that windless skid to get back in the ECA hockey player has this, you know, is that a good spark to get this team back? Yeah.
[00:40:56] Speaker I: Obviously we haven't won a lot this year, so I feel like this win last week was. Was fun for everybody. I feel like everybody just got a taste of it and now we're ready for more.
[00:41:05] Speaker C: Emma, for you, you're going to be probably getting the joy of starts here with ammonia, going to the Winter Olympics.
You play well in your games this year. I mean, how important is it to get ready to have that mentality that you're going to be in goal?
[00:41:18] Speaker I: Yeah, I mean, I want to prove to everybody that I deserve to be in that. I want to prove to my team that I can play. And I'm not just playing because she's gone, but I deserve to be in that and help this team win. So that's the biggest thing.
[00:41:30] Speaker C: Stephanie, your thoughts?
[00:41:31] Speaker I: No, I definitely do think we're gonna miss Monya, but I think Emma's been working really hard all year and proving herself, and I know we have a ton of confidence in her when she's a net and we have her back and we know that she has ours, and she's kept us in games when she played, and we haven't made it easy for her. So hopefully this weekend we'll do a better job defensively, but we know that she'll do well.
[00:41:51] Speaker G: Stephanie, I know you mentioned it, just seeing one go into the win column, how important is that for you guys just to kind of see the hard work and what you guys have been putting in payoff this weekend?
[00:42:00] Speaker I: Yeah, I mean, it's hard to always work so hard and not see the result, and that can create a little bit of doubt. But we knew we have a ton of belief in our dressing room, and we have a ton of belief with our coaches and they believe in us. So I definitely do think that finally being able to see something that we wanted and the result go our way was definitely really helpful for our confidence, and I think it's just going to keep going up from there.
[00:42:20] Speaker C: Kerrianne, how important will it be? You guys had leads against Brown and Yale the last time you played them after a period and weren't able to hold on, though. So how important will it be getting out to lead and being able to hold on as keeping your skate on the pedal?
[00:42:35] Speaker I: Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest thing since coming back has been D zone, and I think we've been working hard on it. So I think just coming out and playing our D zone well, we'll have Good success.
[00:42:43] Speaker C: Stephanie, thoughts on that?
[00:42:45] Speaker I: No, I agree. I think if you play well defensively, then we won't spend as much time in our D zone and then we'll create some offense. Offense will come. That's not what we've been struggling with this year. So it's just going back playing our system and not giving them any time and space.
[00:43:01] Speaker C: Coming up, we'll talk with the Associated Press sports writer Steven Wino, who will discuss the New York Giants hiring of John Harbaugh as their new head coach. And we'll look ahead to the men's Hockey Winter Olympics games as the NHL returns to the Winter Olympics for the first time in 12 years. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
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[00:44:18] Speaker C: Welcome back to the podcast. The New York Giants have a new head coach in John Harbaugh. Will he be able to turn around a first franchise that has been really sucking the bad zone for the last few years? To talk about that is our man who covers the Giants for the Associated Press. He's just did his first year covering the Giants for the AP is Stephen Wino. My fellow Holy Ghost Prep alum. Stephen, how are you doing? And I know towards the end of the month, but happy New Year.
[00:44:42] Speaker B: Happy New Year. I'm glad that the coaching search is over. The Giants got their guy. Not even a whole lot of drama with this whole thing, Ken. Like it was just as soon as John Harbaugh was a noble, he was their number one candidate. And now it's the matter of Denard Wilson's defensive coordinator who's going to be the OC and filling out the staff. But not a whole lot of problems around the Giants right now off the field.
[00:45:03] Speaker C: Well, let's, let's ask about this was Harbaugh obviously comes in. Joe Shane is still the general manager of this club. How he's a general manager, I don't know.
[00:45:10] Speaker B: Me.
[00:45:11] Speaker C: Is there going to be a power struggle you think between Joe and John?
[00:45:15] Speaker B: No, I don't. And we're still kind of uncertain of where the sort of like John Harbaugh is now in charge of football operations. I think that's something that I think everyone acknowledges at this point that Joe Shane has his job, but in, in, I don't want to say a reduced role, but something like that. And, and he's certainly yielding some of his power to keep this job in that if John Harbaugh were like Liam Clone with the Jackson Jaguars, could have said, look, I'm coming in if you blow up the general manager. And that didn't happen. And from all accounts, everything that Chris Mara said and everything Joe Shane and John Harbaugh said was that they get along really well. Are there going to be conflicts? There always are with every co worker, every situation.
I don't see a power struggle. But we're going to have to see, I think, a year of this sort of a full cycle of a season off season, a season just to see what the working relationship is between Joe Shane and John Harbaugh now. Each of them reporting to ownership and not a coach to a general manager in sort of the traditional sense.
I saw, I saw a little bit of this in Washington when I was there. Ron Rivera was hired to be the coach and sort of the head of football operations and the GM and the sort of front office were working for him.
It'll be a fascinating dynamic as it unfolds of who's getting the final say. Probably John Harbaugh. But how do they work together? Are they on the same page?
What happens when there's a disagreement?
Everyone talks about a collaborative approach at this news conference and everyone's trying to talk like this is sunshine and rainbows. It's not going to be that. But these are two experienced, excuse me, experienced people who know football and been in the NFL for a long time. And it's. The talent exists right now that they're at a good starting point. And it's not going to be perfect all time, all the time. But I do think these are two guys who get along at least on a personal level and sort of see football the same way.
[00:47:11] Speaker C: Yeah, I see great coach in Boulevard, won a Super bowl there. But with Lamar Jackson, he never got to the super bowl with. With him. What, what, what, what do you think happened down. Because you were down in that area for time covering the Washington sports team. Why do you think that happened and can he turn it around in New York?
[00:47:31] Speaker B: Well, look, it's hard to win and, and then that's. Every organization comes sort of grapples with expectations and those sort of things. The Ravens, I, I covered the AFC title game a couple of years ago against the Chiefs. And for whatever reason, if the chief, John Harbaugh and, and Greg Roman and that staff a couple years ago didn't have Lamar Jack didn't rely on the running game that had gotten them to that point. It was almost became like a Lamar Jackson sort of showcase game. And I point to that one as that's a winner, that's a winnable game for them at that point.
But yeah, it's hard to win and, and Lamar Jackson's been injured part of this stretch. John Harbaugh did win the super bowl with the Ravens and Joe Flacco a long time ago, but this is similar to sort of Mike McCarthy and going to the Steelers now is, he's a long time removed from that success. It's hard to win. I look at the Buffalo bills and Sean McDermott with Josh Allen haven't been able to win. The Bengals got to super bowl with the Joe Burrow haven't been able to win. It's a hard thing to do to break through. And I remember this a little bit in the NHL the Penguins for a couple of years or the Kings or the Blackhawks just blocked a lot of teams from ever getting, breaking through and getting there. The Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid Chiefs have been in the AFC and been dominant for a lot of that stretch of Lamar Jackson's prime. And it's easy to say look if you take that team away, your Mahomes had an injury like he did this year. Maybe the Ravens do get through but they didn't. They, they did not do that. They want Steve Bishadi and, and Eric Dawson wound up making the move. And the question for the Giants now I think it's almost like a step by step thing is they just to become relevant again, just to become a playoff contender again is what John Harbaugh's first job is. He's not going to take. Look, stranger things have happened than them going and winning a Super bowl right away. There's talent there. But if he gets to the playoffs, if he just gets this team back to being a not just a one off playoff team like they were Brian Dable and Joe Shane's first year when they were in charge. But to be a perennial playoff team to be in the mix every year is what John Harbaugh is tasked with doing. It's why he got the five year contract. It's why he sort of has been celebrated as a huge win for, for the franchise of getting this guy who is a proven winner, a Super bowl champion can eventually can you get to that point? We're going to find out. But I think the first expectation has to be set at get this team to be in the mix for a playoff spot every year.
[00:50:00] Speaker C: Yeah. I mean the NFC East. I mean I know the Eagles won again this season, but they were, their offense was so inconsistent and you know, bit them in the butt in the playoffs. I mean the Cowboys had a semblance of a defense they could have challenged for the nfc and Washington had got injuries, Jaden Daniels got hurt and it was really never the same this year. They took a step back. So I mean is this, is this division for the taking and maybe the Giants can take advantage of it?
[00:50:26] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's certainly true. I'd have to expect Washington to sort of bounce back from everything going wrong with the commanders and Jaden Daniels and that injuries of Terry McLaren and all over the place. This year the Eagles will have not Kevin Patillo as offensive coordinator which is going to make a lot of people we grew up with very happy.
[00:50:45] Speaker C: Thank God.
Especially my son. My son did not like like him this year.
[00:50:52] Speaker B: Yeah. But like so the Eagles are still. The Eagles are the team to beat for sure. But the Giants in an NFC where there's not a whole lot of teams where you look and say and we saw a titanic game between the Rams and the Seahawks, but there's not, there's not the, the titan titanic teams in the NFC that you say these teams can't be beaten. The Giants look at the talent on this roster and I don't, I don't, I don't want to sound like a homer, but if Jackson Dart is the guy, if he is a franchise quarterback the way that the team believes he is, you got him to leak. Neighbors, you've got a Cam Scatter, but you've got Andrew Thomas on as a left tackle. You've got pass rushers and Abdul Carter Cave on Thibodeau, Brian Burns coming off a career year, it's not a bad secondary. There's talent on this roster and so it's not insane to think this is a playoff team right away. Maybe it's not a first place in the NFC because the Eagles are who they are. But the Giants beat the Eagles somehow this season. On, on a Thursday night game in prime time. It was sort of one of those early season darts. Scatter boo like this. This team's got a new energy sort of game. Before Scott who got hurt, it was right after Malik Neighbors got was lost to the season.
But there's certainly you could look at this roster with tweaks, with better coaching and say yeah, this team can contend for first in The NFC or at least a wild card spot.
[00:52:13] Speaker C: How much those injuries start. The Neighbor's injury. I mean we actually see him now in an IHOP commercial, which I think kind of funny, but. And then the Scatterbo injury. I just, that, that, that was just horrific to see down there in that second game against the Eagles down at Lincoln Financial Field. And yeah. How much did those injuries really hurt? And then Dart was out for a while too with concussion.
[00:52:36] Speaker B: Yeah, it, it, not only does it hurt, but it could affect their future now too. And Joe Shane told us the other day that he thinks the Neighbors will be ready for the start of training camp, that Cam Scatter Boo is going to be ready for the start of, of the off season program. Blake Neighbors on lock clean out day was like, I'll be ready when I'm ready. Like I'm not coming back until my body feels right. Which is a little sort of eye opening that to hear that.
But yeah, it derailed their season. It's, it's weird to think like this. The team doesn't feel like a 4 and 13 team, but that's the record. That's what, that's what the Giants were this year.
And when Neighbors got hurt, you were like, well, this probably means the end of their season. But yeah, Rondell Robinson at five foot eight being the first player under for 548 or under with a thousand yard receiving since 1985, I mean it's just, it's crazy just how good a season he had.
I know the Giants would love to bring him back. Unsure if they're going to be able to bring him back next year as a unrestricted free agent. But yeah, those are the, the injuries certainly derailed the season. Probably cost Brian Table his job at some point, as in starting the season with Russell Wilson as a starting quarterback. And, and I think there's a lot of hindsight is 2020 that maybe the Giants, if they had not signed Russell Wilson at all and gone into camp with James Winston, Jackson Dart, Tommy DeVito, that you're thinking, well, Jackson Dart could win that competition. He's a starter from week one and it's an entirely different season. But that's something that historians and all of us are going to be debating for a long time.
[00:54:05] Speaker C: Yeah, Jack Star, as I said, he suffered a concussion during the season. How much do they need to have him be careful when he's running with the football and not take unnecessary hits?
[00:54:17] Speaker B: Very important Dart. And that's something that Brian Dabel was asked about a lot even from the preseason games and such that that this is a guy who he wants to get that extra yard. And, and the coaching staff, even when like Catholic took over, was like they don't want to take away the, the sort of thing. They don't want to be reckless, but they don't want him to give up being who he is. And, and there's a fine line between that and we've seen this with Robert Griffin III and more recently guys like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jaden Daniels of what's the line between getting that extra yard and not taking those, those hits. I think Cam Scaboo was also one of those guys who is willing to take those hits and might be taking more hits to the head than he wants. And this is going to be with John Harbaugh and whoever the offensive coordinator's job is to sort of work with these young players who really do care. Like, certainly as a fan, you love to watch guys who are willing to put their buys on the line, but also not to the point of risking injury. And, and whether it's a head injury or shoulder or something like that, none of the Giants want to keep Jackson Dart and Cam Scatter on the field as much as physically possible. And so the, the okay, we know you play, you play with reckless abandon and we get that. But there's also the live to play another live to fight another play like live to actually be able to, to play the rest of the season. I almost wonder if Cam Scatterable with that gruesome injury probably saved him some, some miles and some wear on the tires this season when it was very clearly a lost season. That in theory, as long as everything is fine with that ankle and his fibula, that moving on, moving forward from now he'll be a fresher, better running back than he would have been had he played 17, 18 games.
[00:55:58] Speaker C: Well, he didn't endear himself to the front office, John's front office, when he shows two days later at a WWE event in New York City at Madison Square Garden.
[00:56:06] Speaker B: Joe Shane didn't like that either. Like I was. He was asked about that the other day and said, yeah, I got a call from his agent as it was happening. Like I really, really would like him not to do that, but that's the kind of guy Cam Scatterboo is.
[00:56:17] Speaker C: Abdul Carter, top draft pick last year for the Giants, had some off field issues. He had some discipline issues. He was benched for a couple quarters during the season. What, what is his situation and what did the Giants need to get him right?
[00:56:35] Speaker B: Well, I think he, I think he's gotten right. And it was so. It was fascinating to watch the season as it unfolded for Abdul Carter. Not really producing, but he wasn't playing terribly for, for that stretch. And then he gets benched for the first series, then he gets benched for the first quarter. There's all sorts of rumors and Mike Cafe doesn't want to explain that he missed this meeting or missed that meeting. And. But Abdul Carter said, look, it's, it's on me. Like teammates, older teammates, along with the coaching staff talk to him about it. And by the end of the season, he was a guy with John Mayer in the locker room saying, yeah, this is a nice win, but like, we shouldn't be celebrating winning our fourth game of the season at the end of the season. This team deserves more than this. John Mayer deserves more than this. And just sort of watching Abdul Carr's maturation as a player and like his production down the stretch was, was incredible even as Brian Burns was, was the one getting double. Getting sort of the, the production for most of the year, but seeing how Abdul Carter was able to produce and get sacks, get the quarterbacks, hurry the quarterback late in the year, and just sort of watching him grow from a young rookie to a young veteran, and it was just, I, I think Giants fans should be really excited about what the future holds for Bill Carter because it's almost like he needed that sort of kick in the butt from being benched for the first series, the first quarter to sort of. To understand what it's like to play in the NFL after.
And then this is not unique to him. But like, there's a lot of college players who I'm sure get cobbled and, and the rules are different for them than they are for, for other players. But this was a very clear delineation of. Abdul Carter didn't follow the rules. He got benched. He got humiliated, for lack of a better term. And then he grew from it. Like we've seen it. It's amazing how quickly, like you see, everybody talks about, like when, when adversity hits in sports or in life, like how you respond to it. It was obvious right away. For Abdul Carter, it was like it was so clear in the way he played, in the way he talked about it, that this is a guy who understood what went wrong and learned from it immediately. I think one of the reasons, if you're John Harbaugh taking this job, if you're a season ticket holder watching this team, there's a lot of positives about Jackson Dart existing about Harbaugh having the job, but Abdul Carter is and Brian Burns existing. Kayvon Thibodeau existing is a great reason for optimism about the future of this team.
[00:58:56] Speaker C: What do the Giants need, especially when as they get ready for the draft?
[00:59:02] Speaker B: That's a really good question. And, and the thing that I keep screaming is a. Well, they're probably going to need a receiver and I, and I don't know if that's, that's what you do with the number five picks. They also need a linebacker. They need somebody who would be the Ray Lewis version of this team. They need. I, I do think we don't know yet what kind of defense Dinar Wilson's going to run here, but the position that, that this feels like the Giants are lacking on defense is a middle linebacker, someone who can, can sort of be the captain of the defense. They have pass rushers like crazy.
If Dexter Lawrence sort of gets back to the form we expect from him, then the defensive line is in really good shape. But someone to be the captain of the defense, someone to be sort of that emotional center, a play caller, see the field. The, that sort of thing to me is that jumps out as the biggest need the Giants have.
Sure, there are probably. Hey, is Theo Jobs your answer a tight end is or do you need another right tackle or is Marcus Bow going to be able to move over there when Illuminar leaves in free agency if he leaves. But there's certainly spots and, and a lot of picks that the Giants are going to need to hit on to win, to win immediately, to win moving forward. To me, the linebacker position and not the pass rusher, I don't mean like the edge rusher position linebacker like Brian Burns is, but a middle linebacker, someone who can sort of captain that defense, I think is the number one need for the Giants.
[01:00:29] Speaker C: How much patience should the Giants fans give Harbaugh? I mean give him a little rope and say, you know, as he tries to get this program back to where, where it was.
[01:00:40] Speaker D: Yeah.
[01:00:40] Speaker B: And I think from an ownership standpoint, I think he does have a leash. I think this is a, this is not a you got to win right away sort of expectation for John Harbaugh and this team right now you got a young quarterback who's going to go into going to be in the second season of what should be a five year rookie deal. I, I think this is the, I think this is a four year build to be able to get to that point. I think if you're the Giants, it's very Just like the commanders with Jaden Daniels, who's a year ahead of that. You sort of say we want to be a legitimate contender by the end of a rookie contract. I think that's a fair expectation to say we want to be a deep in the playoffs, make the divisional round, make the conference title game, be in the mix as a Super bowl contender before Jackson Dark's rookie deal is up. And, and that gives John Harbaugh four years from this point to do that. But he's going to come in, in off season workouts and, and in training camp and this is going to be a fresh set of eyes from him on this, this team. And it's almost why I think the Joe Shane Harbaugh dynamic could work because this is a team that Joe Shane has put together. Joe Shane and his staff have put together, but you have John Harbaugh coming in now with a completely new perspective and his assistants will come in with a completely new perspective that maybe he doesn't see the same thing in certain players that Joe Shane did. And this is a, then you see a turnover that, that happens when you have regime change. Or maybe he's like, look, this is a team that's way better than, than 4 and 13 if this, this, this and this happen.
And that's a really. And I could see them being a playoff contender right away, but I do think there's a long Runway for John Harbaugh to do this.
[01:02:18] Speaker C: Okay. But the Giants fans will point to what the New England Patriots did 4, 13 last year. Mike Bramble comes in, they're playing in the super bowl next Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. So yeah, they could look at that, say, why can't that be us?
[01:02:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
And that is, I think there's a, you can set, you can say that's reasonable and it's doable, but only one team gets to that point from, from the nfc. And yeah, could we be sitting here a year from now and saying, yeah, this is an incredible run by the Giants to get to that point? Yes. But I think everyone needs to just take a deep breath. It's been a long time since the Giants have been a legitimate contender, but most fans around this team of a certain age have seen them win before. They saw what Tom Coughlin did with, with winning super bowl twice.
That you need to. The building blocks are still are there, but everyone's got to be a little patient.
[01:03:11] Speaker C: What's it like having Pat Leonard, another fellow Holy Ghost prep, governing the Giants along with you?
[01:03:16] Speaker B: It's so amazing.
Pat and I Were walking into the building together on the day of John Harbaugh's instructor news conference and he was saying to somebody, he's like, yes, wino and I went to high school together. We were a few years apart at an athletic goes crap. And then we covered hockey together like we did some of those Rangers Capital series over the years together. And now on the Giants beat. It's a, it's, it's one of those moments and, and sports journalism right now is in a, in a tough spot. Things are happening at the Washington Post and it makes you realize just how much of a small town it is when there's all these connections of people who've worked this and that together. Pat and I went to high school. You, you, me, Frank Shirelli, Pat Leonard and Charlie o' Connor are all Holy Ghost Prep alums in the business. That's insane. To, to, to, to think of suburban, suburban Philadelphia Catholic all boys high school producing this many people in sports media in a certain vintage is insane.
[01:04:11] Speaker E: Yeah.
[01:04:12] Speaker C: Of course. Pat covers the Giants for the New York Daily News. What do you think about the move to the Catholic League for, for our boys?
[01:04:20] Speaker B: I've been so separated from it that I have no thoughts on it whatsoever. It is when I know when I'm unqualified. Like if you ask me about, about curling, I probably have more, I probably have more knowledge about curling than I do about that.
[01:04:34] Speaker C: Well, I knew one thing you do have knowledge on is hockey. You're going to Italy to cover the Winter Olympics. Men's hockey for the first time since 2014. The National Hockey League players are back in it. I mean, how exciting is this going to be with the NHL players back?
[01:04:48] Speaker B: It's awesome. I just did a kind of conference call with, with Brady Kachak about, about this and it's hard to explain. Like I having been in Sochi, that was my first Olympics in 2014 and just how much that Olympics mattered. The TJOC shootout game, Canada beating Sweden in the final. Just everything about that. The US sort of falling apart, losing to a very dominant Canada team. I was a Canadian press at the time and so covering Canada was sort of my, was my job at that games. And then being there in 2018 and 22 when the NHL guys weren't there, it's still an Olympic gold medal. Like I, I, I, I, I hesitate to because there were players in each of those tournaments. Marco Sturm, now the Bruins coach, was, was coaching Germany in, in that Carol Caprizov and, and Pavel Datsuk were on the Russian Team Ilya Sorokin and and and were the were the second and third goalies for Russia in 2018. But there's nothing like a best on best NHL turn NHL international tournament and and and the four nations face off was so much exceeded everyone's what it would be And I remember going into it being like the players definitely care because it's been this is the first time these guys have been able to play together. Crosby with McDavid, Matthews with Michael when in a US jersey and those sort of things that you knew the players would care. I didn't think that you'd have J.J. watt tweeting about it. I didn't think you'd have Pat McAfee talking about it and it becoming sort of this gigantic thing of a tournament because it was just designed essentially like look, can't have Russia, so what are we going to do? And they delayed it a year and it's been, it had been 11 years since this and a lot of these guys I just wrote about this last week. A lot of these guys had never gotten the chance to play on a best on best at the, the adult level. So it was sort of like the, the pent up anticipation for everything made four nations amazing. This is just going to be better but you guys can't fight. So there's a little, it's certainly a different.
The rules are a little different. You're not going to have that. And I don't, I don't know if the era was loud balloon by having four nations but international an international tournament like this best on best. I, I'm hoping everyone's as excited back home about this as the players will be there. Like you have all this talk about the arena construction. The ice is a little bit smaller, whatever. These guys don't care. They just want to go play for an Olympic gold medal. I, I know that the owners in the NHL for a long time didn't want to do this. They don't think that the league and the owners don't think there's a real 10, 10 tangible benefit to it, to sending players through the Olympics and they don't see it up taking ticket sales or anything like that afterward. But there's so much that, that people are just going to be watching hockey who don't on a regular basis and hockey. I can't tell you how excited I am for just the caliber of play. We're going to see him a lot.
[01:07:32] Speaker C: Who's going to play for the gold medal.
[01:07:34] Speaker B: I think it's gonna, I'm I'm gonna go with the, with a, with a surprise and a not surprise. I think it's going to be Canada and, and, and Sweden was, was going to be my pick until they've just lost everybody to injuries. Leo Carlson being out, he's going to be the number one center. Really hurts. Jonas Bernardine was going to be a top four defenseman for them. Really hurts. I think there's something about, I think if Jordan Bennington is anyone anything like his big game self, that Cannon is absolutely the team to beat. They're the betting favorite on bet MGM and all that with good reason. Look at that forward group. I mean you're going to have somebody like. Well, you already have Sam Bennett left off the team, but you're going to have one of the top 25 players in the world essentially being a healthy scratch for Canada. That's how insanely deep Canada is. And Finland is going to be my pick. I just, I, I have this feeling that the US is gets to the semi final and loses a close one nothing, two one sort of game. Because when you look at Finland, even without Alexander Barkov, everything the Finnish teams do is structure. Everything is you take, you take give your opponent nothing. You take everything away. I think if the rink is a little bit smaller than what everyone is used to plays to an advantage of a team that you could literally put guys out there you've never heard of and They've got all NHLs except for, for one guy and Miko Lecternen. But this is you. You say UC Sorrows or Kevin or Kevin Lankin and whoever is that goaltender. If, if you trust your goaltender and play the way of Finland plays around the goaltender.
I think it's a Canada Finland. I think, I think Canada ultimately is going to win this. Beating Finland in the final. I think US is in the bronze medal game against somebody who's not Sweden. I mean maybe the Czech Republic or Slovakia. But there's so much talent here. Man. It's going to be so much fun.
[01:09:19] Speaker C: Yeah. Having a smaller ring as we brings back memories of the Chicago Stadium, Boston Garden. Absolutely odd in Buffalo. Yeah, that'll be fun. Just some thoughts on the NHL. What has been so surprise to you? What hasn't been a surprise to you?
[01:09:33] Speaker B: Well I, for the first like third of the year the sort of worry about the Oilers maybe more, less so about the Leafs or the Panthers but like the Oilers are fine. Like I, I. There was never a point in the season where I thought the Oilers are, are, are going to miss the playoffs or there's anything wrong with them.
Certainly there's some things they need to do with the deadline and that sort of thing. But Connor McDavid is a monster. He's probably going to be the MVP again. But Macklin celebrating in the Sharks are like, if you made me cast my heart trophy vote right now, I think Macklin Celebrini would be it. And then this kid, he's going to play for Canada in Canada, the Olympics and Milan. But he's got 40 more points than the next closest teammate. This is like when Taylor hall won it in 2018, where it's like the Sharks are sort of building to something and Warsovski is a terrific coach, but Macklin Celebrini has put the Sharks on his back even though Will Smith's missed some time with injury. You look at that roster and it's, it's interesting, but unremarkable in a lot of spots on that team. But maximum celebrity has been one of the biggest stars. Biggest stories of the season, like watching this kid play in, in person at Madison Square Garden a couple months ago was just, it's, it's, it's so much fun. And the other one guy like that, I would say is Matthew Schaefer. This is the past two number one picks in the league. And Connor Medard got off to a really good start too. But just to be able to get paid to watch Matthew Schaefer play hockey, to get paid to watch Matthew Schaefer practice is a pleasure. It's unbelievable. This kid is worth the price of admission. I would recommend anybody who's anywhere near Long island or gets to see an Islanders game, go watch this kid play. It's, it's the. The. And I talked to Gary Batman about this all the time, about how strong the game is and the young talent coming in. No one expected Matthew Schaefer to be this good at 18 years old. No. Victor Headman as an 18, 19, 20, 21 year old defenseman wasn't this. And it typically takes time for players at that position more than anything to sort of grow into the NHL. Matthew Schaefer's running the top power play, playing a penalty kill, playing 23, 24 minutes a night. And he's great at it. It's not just that he's a, he's a smooth skater and all that. He makes the right decisions.
The other day the Islanders had open practice for, for season ticket holders.
I'm looking around the locker room and I'm wondering, where's Matthew Schaefer? He's There with a lineup of 25, 30 fans, taking photos, signing autographs. He didn't have to do that. He did it. This is. The kid is more mature at 18 than I am at almost 40 years old and as a hockey player is amazing to watch.
[01:12:03] Speaker C: What's wrong with the Rangers?
[01:12:05] Speaker B: They're not that good. And that's.
They're just not as good as they. Maybe they thought they were or maybe from the outside we thought they were. And it's.
I'm gonna be. It's gonna be fascinating to see how now the curse jury got the extension from. From James Dolan that he's going to get the chance to sort of see through what they're calling a retool. Not a rebuild, but everything. And anyone who's not named Gabe Perot, Igor Sturgeon and Adam Fox is available. Everyone else in the organization, top to bottom, is available for trade at the right price, other than those guys. And it's. It is. It was at the start of the year, I thought. I thought they were a playoff team based on Mike Sullivan alone. I thought the difference with bringing in a coach who's that good, who won the Stanley cup twice with Pittsburgh, that he knows how to take to squeeze the most out of this roster, and I think he's done a great job. That's. That. What makes this the season such a downer for, I think, for the Rangers is I think Mike Sullivan has done a good job. There's just nothing more he can squeeze out of this team. Alessi Lafreniere has been a disappointment. There's a lot of guys who has been one of their best players, but you really can't replace what Artemi Panarin does. There's no point in. In this team paying him 13, 14, $15 million a year, which he's going to get somewhere. But the. The next two to three, four years for the Rangers, it's going to be really ugly because this seems almost going to have to do what my career did in San Jose, what Chicago did, and tear this down to the studs and sort of. And they don't want to call it a rebuild, but rebuild the entire organization up. You're gonna have to draft smart. You're gonna have to win some trades just to be able to get back to this level. And Igor Circuit is not a spring chicken anymore. He's 30 years old, sort of, as we see with goaltenders all the time. Late bloomer, late to get to the NHL that are they going to be able to win while Igor Circuit is in his prime. It was something that I wondered about start seeing going with Ellie Sorokin is are the Islanders that far away? And we've seen with Matthew Schaefer and some of the other moves Matthew Dar has made that no, the Islanders are not as far away as we think they are. And the Islanders, the Rangers probably have a brighter Islanders and the Devils probably have a brighter next three or four years than the Rangers do.
[01:14:16] Speaker C: Well, wrapped us up with the Hockey News recently announcing their 100 people of power and influence. You are at number 96, my friend. Congratulations. One spot ahead of ESPN's Emily Kaplan and no sight of your AP hockey. Fellow writer John Warrow, who I spoke with last week, talked about the Bills being how stunning is it to be number 96 or even just make the list?
[01:14:42] Speaker B: I'm at least 4 spots, if not 40 spots too high on that list, Ken. Like there's nothing. And it was great to talk to Carol Schramm for the Q and A in the Hockey News. Just about the first year being present of Hockey Riders association and if anything, it's a thankless unpaid position to be able to do it, but something that someone's got to do it. And there's nothing that we care about more as an association than access is. We would love cover in hockey and we want to be able to talk to players. And so when that happens and we got to go pick some fights and make sure we go talk to players and get the access we need, that's my job. And even though I don't get paid for it, it's something that at least for a couple of years is a nice labor of love to do for a sport and for a collection of people in sports media. Hockey writers are such a welcoming, incredible crowd to just be a part of and the fellowship of people like Chris Johnson, Pierre lebron, Elliot Freeman, Mike Russo, Emily Kaplan. It's just, it's great to be able to sort of represent that group as well as possible.
[01:15:47] Speaker C: Well, appreciate that, Steven. I appreciate all you do and I appreciate coming on the talkings was giants in Olympic hockey. I know you'll be posting updates on your X cat where people can find that. Yeah.
[01:15:58] Speaker B: Just on Blue sky and and on.
[01:16:01] Speaker F: On Twitter or whatever you want to.
[01:16:03] Speaker B: Call xnap S W H Y N O.
[01:16:06] Speaker C: All right, Steve, appreciate it.
Be safe in Italy and enjoy the Olympics.
[01:16:11] Speaker B: Thanks again. Talk to you soon.
[01:16:12] Speaker C: All right, that's Stephen Winel. Coming up, we'll talk with David Bruce, the pride of Notre Dame bridge of Gibbons High School. Also Indiana University. He's going to talk about his Hooers football team winning a national championship. And we'll get a preview of The Super Bowl 60 between the Seahawks and Patriots out in Santa Clara. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
If you really want to know what's going on in your community, you have to read the Daily Gazette. We don't take a side.
[01:17:01] Speaker D: We're right down the middle and we're.
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Welcome back to the podcast. My next guest is a proud graduate of Indiana University, also proud graduate of Notre Dame Michigan Gibbons High School. I don't think he's come down yet from the Hoosiers winning in the national championship in football.
He hosts a sports talk show in San Francisco on YouTube, the Damon Bruce Show. And here he is, the one time paper boy for the Daily Gazette. Damon Bruce. Damon, welcome back to the podcast. I know we're toward the end of January, but I'm going to wish you a happy new Year anyway. It's probably been a good New Year's so far for you.
[01:17:56] Speaker D: It's the best sports run I think I'm ever going to get in my life, you know, beyond one of my sons getting a major league debut or something to that effect. I mean it, it is the gift to my sports soul that I absolutely needed. It was wonderful. It was an incredible run.
I was there at the Peach bowl, which was just one of the all time takeover bowl games I think we've ever seen played.
And then to go on to the national championship and just win and edge out Miami like that, it was, it was, I think it's one of the most watched college football games of all time.
The fact that Indiana was involved in it at Schenectady had a better chance of becoming the number one vacation destination in the world than Indiana did at winning a national championship. So happy New Year to you. It's, it's been a wonderful run.
[01:18:57] Speaker C: When you were at Indiana, I mean football was what secondary thirdary. I mean, wasn't even thought of.
[01:19:05] Speaker D: You know, it was the end of Bill Mallory's run. He was a respected coach there, but was just, I mean you were Indiana in the Big Ten Conference and it was obvious the athletic department would not prioritize this in any way, shape or form. And now that it has, and thanks to, you know, incredible rule changes that as kids, you and I could have not imagined would ever be the landscape of college football. Right. You know, I mean, it's. It's a whole new world of nil.
But beyond being able to pay players and have transfer portals and basically free agency among college kids, there was a coaching hire in Kirk Signetti, which is the most central part of this, because everybody does nil. Now, nobody has ever done a coaching job that is paramount to what Signetti has done in Bloomington. And I think that can be proven with just, you know, looking at what Indiana was for all these years. And you are right, it wasn't after it, you know, I look, I always went. I loved going to football games, Big Ten football games. You know, Michigan's here today, Ohio State's here today.
You know, I watched Tim Dwight of Iowa, like, score in every conceivable way. He ran for a touchdown, through for a touchdown, returned a punt for a touchdown, returned a kickoff for a touchdown and intercepted one. I think brought one back. I mean, it was insane. The amount of football that ruined Indiana, I was able to see.
I was there when Ohio State tore our goalpost down.
That happens in Memorial Stadium. Ohio State fans bum rushed our field tour our goal post down. They hadn't won the Big Ten in a while and they did on our field. And I was there for that. That was so embarrassing.
National champions. Can we say that again? National champions. How did that happen? I mean, it's. It's the coaching job of all time. I don't think there's ever been a manager, a coach in any sport on any level that has come in and changed things the way Signetti's changed this situation.
[01:21:09] Speaker C: What has he meant to, not only just the program, but the university.
[01:21:14] Speaker D: I think he's already the number one coach in the history of the university. And this obviously has Bob Knight, Jerry Yagley and Doc Conselman, who are legendary as a soccer coach, a swim coach, and obviously Bob Knight won national championships and, and the basketball program hasn't been the same since he's gone.
But Signetti has done something that puts him above all. When you rule in football, you rule football. Writes the entire budget for the entire athletic department and college. The amount of enrollment that has been up, the amount of out of state students, which means out of state tuition coming into Indiana University is. I mean, this football championship built buildings that will be on campus three, four years from now that weren't on campus before this football team took off and added what has to be an incalculable amount of dollars to a university, which is a good thing for everyone involved. If you never went to an Indiana football game or cared about sports in your life and are going to go to iu, this championship will probably affect your experience to the positive. No matter if you say go Hoosiers once out loud, ever, or not. Of course you will, because you're gonna go to Indiana and you're gonna love everything about it. Yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's absolutely wonderful. I feel like I'm rambling. That's how giddy about this whole thing.
[01:22:47] Speaker C: I still, I, I don't blame it, man. I mean, I mean, it's, you know, if my college, your college, Pennsylvania, they once got to the national championship round in basketball. I mean, if that ever happened, they won the national championship, I'd be going nuts myself. So just, it was just amazing just seeing how this developed. I mean, they beat Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game, ended up being the number one seed in the college football playoffs, and they just rolled into the championship game. They had a tough opponent in Miami playing in their building. Even though Indiana was the home team, he's still, obviously that hurricane's mystique down there. How did they overcome that?
[01:23:26] Speaker D: Well, first of all, Miami was not the home team. They were in zip code alone. But Indiana took over their stadium as well, which is embarrassing. And I'll tell you, Miami fans were just awful, Just awful. I've been around a lot of bad football fan bases in terms of who's friendly. I mean, it's just, it was just. They were all just kind of jerks. And to win that game around, that was incredible in their stadium. I mean, I.
Indiana now has annexed the city of Miami that is now Indiana territory forever. It's.
That's the southernmost tip of the state of Indiana. Now Miami so took over the town, took over the stadium, and in the end, you know, the interception to seal the game was just one of the sweetest things I will ever see on a sports field in my life. I've been so lucky, you know, Ken, I've been up close to the warriors dynasty. I watch Bruce Bochy win World Series out here. I, you know, I've had upfront, you know, I've been to a lot of sporting events. I've been very, very lucky in my life. And to be in a stadium and really have the release of, you know, I don't cover this team. This is my alma mater. I'm just here as a fan.
And to be there, not in the press box, but wearing the T shirt of the game, you know, a T shirt of the team that I'm covering, it just felt so good. Because sometimes when you cover sports for a living, it becomes your profession. And so to have that just as a, you know, my hobby was just phenomenal. It was. It was. Like I said, it cleansed my sports soul. It really did.
[01:25:05] Speaker C: I mean, it's amazing to me, you know, with. With this setup, you know. You know, the top four teams get a first round by. So in the first round, there are home games on campus, but after that, it's bowl game. I can't imagine the money spent. How much money you spent to go to the Peach bowl, to go down to Miami for the national championship, to the Rose bowl even.
You've got to be spending lots of money just to go to these games.
[01:25:30] Speaker D: Look, it's.
Thank God my wife loves me is all I can say. Thank God my wife loves me.
And.
And Jillian, thank you so very much for watching the kids while daddy got to run away and play. She knew what this meant to me. That's the thing. I. And I know what it meant to myself. And. And look, it is a sad state of affairs that these games are, you know, disgustingly expensive to get into. And go to the Peach bowl was not a flight to Atlanta. And going to the Peach Bowl, I mean, I, you know, all in. That was about a grand. You know, that wasn't a big deal because I had a buddy to stay with and all that.
The national championship game is obviously a different level. And to put it in Miami, you know, it doesn't bring the price down, obviously.
And look, the entire state of Indiana tried to get into that game.
That's why the prices went insane. That is the entire state of Indiana trying to get into a football game. And I'm very lucky that I had friends who helped certainly subsidize that trip. So good to know. Good to know. Successful alumni.
[01:26:33] Speaker C: Yeah.
What do you think Notre Dame fans in Indiana are thinking? They're now the number two team in the state.
[01:26:41] Speaker H: Yeah.
[01:26:41] Speaker D: Who cares? Go join a conference.
You're ridiculous. If you're lucky, we'll throw Rutgers out and include you. You'd be so lucky to be in the Big Ten. Notre Dame, time to join the future or you're going to get left in the past.
[01:26:53] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, I thought they were crybabies now. Well, we didn't get to go to a college football playoff game. We're not going to both, period. It's like, get over yourself. You're not relevant anymore.
[01:27:04] Speaker D: Well, look, Notre Dame is relevant. They got their feelings hurt, which is really, you know, we're going to take our ball and go home does not help your football program. You just gave up six weeks of practice. You just gave up a time to build towards your future. You say, well, all these kids would have opted out anyways and they wouldn't have come back to play in the bowl game because a lot of them are going to go plow or transfer or whatever. Let them all go play a football game anyways. When you have a chance to play an extra football game, you do that for your seniors. So I thought it was a disgraceful choice by Notre Dame. And yeah, they can, you know, what's the, what's I think the French say suck it.
[01:27:40] Speaker C: Well, you know what Notre Dame, what's Notre Dame should have done? Beat Miami.
[01:27:44] Speaker D: That. There you go. Why don't you do that? I mean, we did. No big deal.
[01:27:48] Speaker C: Yeah. Talk about Fernando Mendoza, Heisman winning trophy quarterback and his incredible touchdown run. Just what he has meant to the program.
[01:27:59] Speaker D: His, his measure is indescribable. He's the first Heisman trophy winner in the history of the program. So that right there is pretty much sums it up, right? He's the most important football player that has ever put on an Indiana uniform, period.
And his leap into that end zone, you know, so this is what, at about 4 in the morning? My buddies and I were having a burger in Miami after this. We got, you know, we got home late. So it's like 4 in the morning. We're at this all night spot having burgers and you know that, that leap of Mendoza into the end zone, I said, so if Miami comes back and scores a touchdown to win that game, that play is kind of remembered, but you know, basically forgotten the history with Indiana winning that game. His leap into the end zone is now part of the college football montage for the remainder of our lives. That goes in the all time playbook play in the history of the sport of college football made by a Heisman winner in a national championship game. You know, I mean that is a big deal. It goes on the wall of every bar in the state of Indiana. It's already happened. Like you don't, I'm sure you go anywhere that is hanging up everywhere right now. It is an iconic moment in an iconic season.
First 16 and 0 national championship ever again. I don't it's immeasurable.
I mean, you're having me on your podcast to talk about.
[01:29:23] Speaker C: Yeah, that.
[01:29:24] Speaker D: I mean, that. Did you ever think that you would. With all the stuff that we've ever talked about, you would be talking to me about Indiana football?
[01:29:32] Speaker C: No, not at all. Not at all.
[01:29:33] Speaker D: So it's immeasurable. It's immeasurable. What is the value of Fernando Mendoza? It goes to infinity and beyond for the Indiana Hoosiers forever. So thank you, Fernando.
[01:29:44] Speaker B: We love you.
[01:29:44] Speaker D: And if I have to hear that damn song by ABBA ever again.
Enough and up and up.
[01:29:51] Speaker C: I was going to mention that, too, but how do you think he'll do in the NFL?
[01:29:56] Speaker D: He needs an offensive line. The Raiders are going to have to get better around him, period. No one man can do it alone, but he seems to be the, you know, physically gifted enough to be the number one overall pick and just mentally where you. You want a guy who you're going to build a team around. He is.
He never says the word me. He says, I think, you know, my teammates, you know, it's. It's constant. It's never about him. He is this incredible leader, and he seems to be lovable. And everyone, you know, I've heard just so much talk about Fernando Mendoza that I. You know, he's about to be the number one pick in the NFL draft. It's.
Here's the thing. When you can win over an entire locker room, when you can win over everybody in the locker room, and you just. You have an entire football team battling the way that team did as a team, there is an aspect of leadership there that matters. Now, the NFL also takes great college football players and spits them out all the time. You know, just by going to the NFL, I'd say he's got a 50% shot of it ever really working out. That's how brutal the next level is. But he has filled out one of the greatest job applications the NFL has ever seen, so I think he's got the number one overall pick.
[01:31:17] Speaker C: Well, getting back to that touchdown run, I think Chris Fowler said it perfectly on the call. I mean, he said that's why he won the Heisman.
[01:31:26] Speaker D: It's. Yeah, I mean, it's. It's something that a Heisman Trophy winner is supposed to do at the end of the story or end of the movie, to dive into the end zone. And, I mean, it's just. It was cinematic beyond it being historic. So hoosiers 2 coming to a theater?
[01:31:42] Speaker C: Yeah. No, that's. That'd Be perfect. That'd be a great movie. Let's move over to the NFL. Of course, Super Bowl 6 is going to be in your backyard in Santa Clara, California.
Who would have suspected it'd be the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots? I had no way thought of this at the beginning of season. I thought, my Eagles be back there, and they stunk up the joint with the offensive coordinator and got what they deserved. And 49ers played a great game in that wild card game against my Eagles. I just more upset the offense than I was. I mean, the defense faded at the wrong time, but.
But Seattle and New England, really, we're. We're good at this rematch from a few years ago.
[01:32:22] Speaker D: So honestly, about a month and a half ago, just because I watch all of it out here, and I understand you can't watch every game when you're back on the East Coast. I get it. I can't watch every game from the east coast, you know, but out here, I watch an awful lot of NFC West. And about six weeks ago, I was saying how I bet you it's the NFC west in the NFC Championship game.
I don't know which three of those teams it's going to be or which two it's going to be, but we got three up in the air here.
[01:32:53] Speaker B: And.
[01:32:54] Speaker D: And then what do you know that that was the final four with the Chicago Bears. It was the Chicago Bears and the NFC west without the. The Arizona Cardinals. That basically what it came down to.
And so I thought Seattle has looked really good. When I turned my attention to them for, you know, several weeks ago, I'm like, not bad, man. They're starting to play really good football. And if Darnold doesn't make a mistake, that defense, look out. And that is the formula that they've used the entire way through here. And the way that they just dismantled the 49ers was incredibly impressive. So they got that look. They really do. Now I'm going to tell you that every single person in that stadium, not a Seahawk fan, if they have any allegiance to the 49ers, will be rooting for the Patriots. No one wants to see the Seahawks win a Super bowl in Levi's Stadium. It's. It's the way that Raiders fans have the Chiefs winning, you know, that super bowl on. On the Raiders field. Could it be worse than that for a Raiders fan there? The Chiefs winning a Super bowl on your home field, even though it's the Vegas Raiders and it's not quite Oakland? You know what I Mean, but you.
[01:33:57] Speaker B: Know what I mean.
[01:33:57] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[01:33:59] Speaker D: So, yeah, go Patriots is I think going to be the mantra for anyone in the Bay Area for the next couple weeks.
[01:34:06] Speaker C: I mean, Denver Broncos could have gotten there, but I'm an old school guy. I mean, especially in the playoffs. Take the points. You had a chance to go up 10, nothing in the kick. Field goal. Sean Payton stubbornly tries to go for it and fourth and one doesn't get it.
And you know that he's got to know the weather. That's weather's going to turn in the second half of that snowstorm. You saw it right there how awful the conditions were in the second half of that game and nobody did anything. I mean, grab the points. I mean what, what's, why are we so mesmerized by going for fourth and one when you or in the situation fourth to fourth and three.
[01:34:43] Speaker D: So here's the thing. I think you go for fourth and one on the edge of field goal range, I think you get more aggressive midfield than ever before.
That, that is how I do think football needs to be played. And, and I do think coaches need to be aggressive on fourth down throughout the regular season. But in a one game scenario, and like you said, here comes General Winter to play defense on everybody, two football truths ring loudest on championship Sundays and on games where it matters.
You run the damn ball and you take the points.
You run the damn ball and you take the points in a winner go home game every single time.
And I thought Sean Payton was arrogant. I think he's an arrogant head coach. I don't like the way he talks down to people around him in the media, is kind of a prick. So, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm not surprised that the packers, or excuse me, the Patriots won that game because they've got a head coach who just understands just, you know, if we're out here in a rock fight, just keep throwing rocks and kill clock and kill time. And the fact that Denver didn't take a two possession lead in a championship game they're hosting with a very good defense is something that Sean Payton should have to answer for forever.
[01:36:03] Speaker C: I mean, Dan Campbell should be answering it. What happened a couple of years ago in the NFC championship game against the 49ers out there in Santa Clara where, yeah, he stubbornly went for fourth down a couple times and didn't instead of kicking field goals and it cost him an NFC championship at a Super bowl visit. And then, you know, this regular season against the Eagles, he went like Four or five times on fourth down and didn't confirm any of them.
[01:36:26] Speaker D: You know, I, again, I appreciate aggressive football, but you better know what you're doing on those ultra aggressive plays. And you got to have a margin of victory on those plays that you know is a winning formula for you. You can't be going 0 for 5 on fourth downs and important football games. Yeah, it's amazing how that has always been true too. So I love playoff football. I like playoff football and weather. I don't think playoff, I don't think football should be a simulation of absolute perfect conditions at all times. It's not the sports history, nor should it be its future. We're going to see an awful lot of places, you know, hermetically sealed with domes. And I know football is looking for this perfect environment at all times, but that is not how the sport has ever been played.
So it's. Sometimes you just gotta kick some ass on the line of scrimmage and run the ball.
[01:37:16] Speaker C: Yeah, some of the most memorable games have been played in bad weather. I mean, last year's Eagles Rams divisional game, you know, Saquon Barkley with those two memorable runs and what the Ice bowl in 1967. I mean, now, now if that, that happened in this day and age, they probably postponed the game.
[01:37:33] Speaker D: You talk to, you talk to old school Niner fans out here, they'll tell you that their best win ever was on the road at Soldier Field in Chicago beating the Bears and frigid temperatures. And they remember that as fondly as any super bowl that they ever won. They really do. So that's what I think that would be number, you know, voted the old school Niner fans favorite playoff game.
[01:37:52] Speaker C: Yeah, I remember that went very well.
[01:37:54] Speaker D: Very well.
[01:37:56] Speaker C: Talking baseball here, let me ask you who, I mean, who do you, who do you.
Setting Aside this, the 49ers, Seahawks hatred out there, who do you think is going to win Super Bowl 60 next Sunday?
[01:38:09] Speaker D: I do think the Seahawks are going to win. I do think that they're going to dance at Levi's Stadium.
I hope to be wrong about that, but I just think that they will be able to, they're going to throw more offense at New England and New England's gonna be able to throw at this. I think that the, the best defense that the Patriots are gonna see was not the Texans, but is the one waiting for them with the Seattle team. So it's, it's been some tough sledding for variables offense. Now I know he's had bad weather, but I Just think this is Seahawks and it might be Seahawks loud.
[01:38:45] Speaker C: Yeah.
And Sam Darnold, amazing. I mean fails with the Jets. Me had a great year last year. The Vikings. Do you think the Vikings are regretting letting him go now?
[01:38:54] Speaker D: Oh my God. It's, it's one of the all time second guesses you can make right there.
Darnold, when not throwing up all over his own cleats is pretty good.
The best player in the super bowl is Jackson, Smith and Jigba. He is unbelievable. This wide receiver for Seattle is just, he set every single Seattle receiving record, single season receiving record by like Week 1314 this NFL season. So he is just spectacular. I think he should be offensive player of the year in this league. And yeah, I think the Seahawks are going to win the Super Bowl.
[01:39:27] Speaker C: Yeah, they get the revenge from a few years ago when the, the bad call that led to the interception of the Patriots victory. So let me ask you baseball out there. San Francisco Giants bus Deposi made an interesting hire as the new manager. Tony Vitello, who's, he was a coach at Tennessee Baseball. I mean this really. I think it's unprecedented where you bring in a college baseball coach in to manage who has no major league experience. I mean how interesting he's going to sum it up.
[01:39:59] Speaker D: I'm going to sum it up like this. I don't think the Dodgers are quaking in their boots over this hire.
And look, Tony Vitello is a gregarious, likable guy. Like I get why he wins the room when he's in the room.
I don't know how much that actually means in a major league clubhouse. But I do know that he is a, you know, he, he's a real son of baseball. You know, his dad was a famous baseball coach back in St. Louis and you know, he is a guy who is thought and grown up around the game of baseball his entire life.
I like him. I will also say this Buster Posey better be right or he loses his job over this hire.
When you literally in a sport that has no firsts left, you're at a baseball game, you see something happen that you don't think has ever happened before in a major league baseball game. It has happened 624 times in a major league baseball game. It is everything that you think you're seeing is a first. There are no firsts remaining in major league baseball.
But for Buster Posey hiring someone with zero professional experience to manage a major league team. So the better be right about this. This is to me, Buster Posey's entire career, we've not seen a bevy of free agent signings or anything that, you know. Am I excited about Harrison Bader? A little bit. He's kind of Mikey Stromsky 2.0 though. Feels like a fourth outfielder that they're trying to make into an everyday outfielder. I, you know, I don't know. I, I, he did all right for.
[01:41:43] Speaker C: My Phillies down the stretch after the trade.
[01:41:45] Speaker D: He played well. He did, he did. But, you know, that's, do you think the Dodgers are really worried?
[01:41:51] Speaker C: No. I mean, they're getting rich. Rich get richer.
[01:41:54] Speaker D: And so until the Giants are really interested in competing with the Dodgers, they're, they're, you know, they need a second baseman. They, they, they need, they need so many bats still. And they are going to have someone who has never managed a Major League baseball team managing their Major League baseball team because that's how out on a limb Buster Posey wanted to go for his new manager. So it better work is the only thing I will say. He's got a couple of years, you know, Raphael Devers was his big move. Let's see how he builds around all this and then we will see. We will see. But this was, this was out on a limb. It surprised everyone.
[01:42:37] Speaker C: Yeah, me too. So, final baseball question for you. I mean, how much of the A's missed in Oakland?
[01:42:46] Speaker D: It's a really good question.
The answer is a lot.
In a passionate group.
The city of Oakland, I think it feels devalued because sports has abandoned the city. You know, the warriors play over in San Francisco now the Raiders and A's are gone. And that's, that's not good for a city for a lot of reasons beyond these fandom, you know, I just think it's bad profile.
But it happened because their owner is the single worst owner in Major League Baseball and is completely screwed up Sacramento in every single way. And until, until the first pitch is happening in Las Vegas, I'm not going to believe it. I swear to God. You watch them screw this up in some way somehow, some fumble, some 11th hour. This didn't happen. That didn't happen. It really seems like the A's are going to Vegas, but where are they going to be between now and then? Are they going to be inside? John Fisher has screwed everything up along the way and no one misses him. But do they miss Major League Baseball in Oakland? Absolutely. There was a group of passionate fans there that, you know, the 1800 of them made as much noise as 20,000 Yankees fans.
They were, they were great baseball fans who got abandoned by an owner who, you know, was literally born rich. And it's got nothing to do but cash in on this asset as the rest of his empire dies. Thanks to Amazon.
[01:44:12] Speaker C: Amazing. Well, Damon, where can people listen to. What time's your show on YouTube? Let me ask you that. And, well, here's the thing.
[01:44:19] Speaker D: It's YouTube, right? So it starts whenever you want it to. You just go ahead, you click on that day show, fit it in your life.
[01:44:24] Speaker C: I gotcha.
[01:44:25] Speaker D: That's why.
That's why, you know, we're looking at new technology leading the way. There's not a lot of radio out there these days, so you find it on YouTube. I do a show every day around 11am Live Pacific time, but it could happen at any time. Whenever there's a reason to go live, I do it. So please like and subscribe. Schenectady, I do love and miss you. I really do.
[01:44:49] Speaker C: You gotta get. You gotta get back here one of these days.
[01:44:51] Speaker D: I will. I absolutely will, man.
[01:44:54] Speaker I: I.
[01:44:54] Speaker D: You know, I got two boys who I want to bring back and have them see where daddy grew up, you know, taking Union College. And hopefully it would be a night, you know, it's got to be a nice day. I want to bring them up to Saratoga. I totally want to show them upstate New York. There's a part of it that is a part of me that, you know, I.
Here's the deal. I got two sons that I'm raising in San Francisco. I hope they grow up raised like they were raised in Schenectady. You know, I love my hometown. I really do.
So we will be back.
How about this? When this happens, let's do a podcast together in person.
[01:45:28] Speaker C: Yes, you can do that. Definitely.
[01:45:31] Speaker D: Let's absolutely do that. It's always great talking to you, Ken. Thanks for. For having me. And. And again, Damon Bruce plus is where anyone can find me on YouTube. You can download my podcast anywhere you get your podcast. Just put Damon Bruce. Damon Bruce plus it should pop up. That's me.
Thank you very much, Damon.
[01:45:47] Speaker C: Always a pleasure. And again, thank you for coming on and we'll talk soon.
[01:45:51] Speaker D: Go Hoosiers.
[01:45:52] Speaker C: That's Damon Bruce. We'll wrap up the podcast. We'll have the latest winner in the Daily Gazettes. You pick a football contest. You might hear a familiar name in just a moment.
[01:46:25] Speaker D: Foreign.
[01:46:36] Speaker C: With the Daily Gazettes. E Edition. Download our app, sign up to receive our newsletters, and enjoy exclusive reader rewards when you join our growing community. Today, head over to www.dailygazette.com to check out our membership program plans. And remember, when credibility matters, trust the Daily Gazette Back to wrap up the podcast the Week 21 winner in the Daily Gazette's U Pick a Football contest was Mark Brownell of Buskirk with a 2.0record, winning a tiebreaker by correctly predicting the final score of the Rams Seahawks game. Mark wins a $100 price chopper market 32 gift card. Congratulations Mark.
The VIP winner was me. I also won two zero and like Mark correctly picked the final score. I have 198 points and I'm in third place. The Gazettes will spring said went 1 1. He has 178 points.
I'll announce the U Pick' Em 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 Picken football banner. And the big game will be next Sunday between the Seahawks and the patriots.
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.
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 Brandon Burr, Colby MacArthur, Nick Young, Jason Tapp, Reed Cashman, Tony Macy, Stephanie Bourque, Carrie Ann Engelhardt, Emma Ryumi, Steven Wino and Damon Bruce for being a part of 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 Blue sky at Slap Shots.
Views expressed on the Parting Shots podcast are not necessarily those of the Gazette News Group. The Parting Shots podcast is a production of the Gazette News Group. I'm Ken Schatz. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time from the Parting Shots Podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day, good sports and rest in peace to Cole Good and Alex Predett.
[01:49:25] Speaker B: Sa.
