Dave Polaski Fills In

He's amused Cam Newton. Just ask that question one more time. He's been insulted by Charles Barclay. When some idiot in the press asked him, if you know what you know now, what you else scheduled his game. He's interviewed Matthew McConaughey.

Glad you say Gotario. And he's taken on Big Blue Nation. He's just completely taken the wind out of my sales. It's time for the drive with Josh Graham. Good afternoon, everybody.

Dave Pulaski filling in for Josh Graham. Josh has an excused absence for this weekend, getting married. To his lovely bride Sarah, and uh, we couldn't be happier for him. Uh, to Give you an idea of just how happy they are together. Met him and his soon-to-be wife.

Uh Earlier This year at the end of the high school football season. And just to see them together and the way that they mesh, really happy for them.

So, congratulations to Josh and Sarah. Looking forward to hearing all about the wedding and the honeymoon and where they plan on traveling. And it should be a lot of fun. And we're excited to be here over the next three hours. And normally I'm in this seat for the high school huddle.

Or out At stadiums around the triad to give you some of the action from high school football. When I'm sitting here, it almost feels like it's August already, but instead, the weather only feels like it's August. 93 degrees feels like 100 right now in the area.

So we hope you're staying cool and staying safe as we have a lot to get to here on this show. As we will carry you live until 6 o'clock right here on WSJS. Lots of things going on here as we move into this final weekend of spring and the first weekend of summer. College World Series is getting open today. We also will have updates from Major League Baseball.

The NBA finals wrapped up last night with Golden State taking their seventh NBA title, defeating Boston in six games. We'll dive a little bit deeper into that coming up. We'll also take a look at the Stanley Cup playoffs and the Stanley Cup final going on between the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Colorado won game one of that series on Wednesday. Game two is coming up tomorrow.

We'll speak with Hurricanes broadcaster Mike Manascalco about all the action. That is going on in the NHL, and we will have a whole lot more. The U.S. Open going on in Brookline, Massachusetts at the Country Club, PGA golf, lots of action going on there, and there's a lot going on for The middle of June. Usually, you kind of settle into that baseball mode where there's just Major League Baseball and not much else to pay attention to.

But really, this is an exciting time of year. And excited to be joined by producer Will Dalton. And Will, Really, this is a whole hotbed of activity going on in the sports world as we move into the late stages of the month. It really is. And because usually, when you think about June and July, I mean, once the NFL or excuse me, the NBA finals are over and you know, NHL will.

Follow, not Not too far away. It's kinda like unless you're a die-hard baseball fan. Like, there's not a ton to get into. And isn't it amazing, though, just how quickly the offseason creeps up? Because the NBA finals wrapped up last night: Golden State winning 103.90 over Boston.

The draft is on the twenty third. Yeah, it's next Thursday. Uh-huh. I mean, here, yeah, sit back and relax. I mean, for the teams that weren't in the finals, then obviously, yeah, they've had some time to prepare for this.

But if you're Golden State or Boston drafted near the end of the first round, You've gone through your scouting and everything like that, but then all of a sudden you have to flip the switch. And go into next year because you just don't know. What's on the table, especially in Golden State's case, because they've done a tremendous job of putting together that roster and retooling. Around the big three of Steph Curry and Clay Thompson and Draymond Green, but. I mean, now they have the future to think about too, because they've won four titles in eight years and.

These guys aren't going to play forever.

So. The future is now. For Golden State. And I mean, same deal with Boston. Who becomes that guy that gets them over the top?

To compliment Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown and some of the other guys in that lineup that have been such key contributors for them this year. It's all of a sudden, the summer's going to be here and gone quick. They're going to be going through their mini camps in Vegas, their summer rookie camps. And before you know it, November is going to roll around. It's going to be time to start the season again.

It will be here in a flash. And I'll tell you this: Boston's going to need some help to get them over that hump because I mean, If you're when you're turning the ball. Over like they were last night. 23 turnovers last night. Yeah.

They turned it over MJ amount of times. Right. Or old school LeBron amount of times, whichever.

Well, depending on old school, kind of new school.

Now he's switching his number again, isn't he? Yeah, he's well, he's back to Miami, LeBron. He's six. He's back to Lee. That's the amount you wanted last night if you were Boston on the turnover category.

Yeah, you get six turnovers in the game against the Warriors. Chances are you're going to be okay. But you're turning the ball over twenty three times. Yee. Ev even at home.

Yeah, and I th you know what, I think it's safe to say it If you weren't already saying it, the Warriors are a dynasty, man. Like, maybe not they're not the juggernaut that they were when they had KD. That's a good topic of discussion that I'm sure we'll get into because it's four titles in eight years now. Yeah. Yeah, where did where does this golden state Team now rank in the Pantheon.

Of the great NBA franchises. Obviously, you're going to put the Celtics and Lakers 1-2 in some order, right? Absolutely. Absolutely. Celtics were going after number 18.

Lakers have wrapped up, I believe, 17 NBA titles with that bubble title. uh with LeBron a couple of years ago.

So Golden State just surpassed The Bulls. In the terms of number of total titles. Granted, Bulls did six. In a Eight-year stretch, with the exception of the Houston Rockets back-to-back titles in the mid-90s. Do we elevate Golden State with Seven total.

And the four and eight years above. Those Bulls teams? I don't know if we can do that just yet. But I mean, if they're right on the cusp, if they're in the conversation. If you were to ask that a week ago, two weeks ago.

Prior to the NBA Finals. chances are you get laughed out of the room.

Now it's at least worth the discussion. It is. I mean, well, just organizationally, like, because, like, if you lose KD. Usually that would leave a crater. And you were and for his season it did.

I mean, they they were a lottery pick team, I believe, the year after. But I always had a feeling that once Clay came back and you see how Jordan Poole's developed and Looney and and other pieces. It it it always felt like Everybody that has discounted the Warriors, you know, we've heard all the Warriors hate from a lot of people. It's like. Hold your horses just for a second because you seem to forget what they were before Katie got there.

And Here we are. And that kind of stood out to me too. Last night during the trophy presentation, they were interviewing Joe Lacob, the Golden State owner, and he was so complimentary of their general manager, Bob Myers, in putting together the That roster, being able to trade for Andrew Wiggins, former number one overall pick, who just hadn't really found his stride in the NBA as of yet. And then adding Jordan Poole into the mix as well. They found the right complementary pieces, and not only that, but the patience.

To stick with some of the guys like Clay Thompson, who has dealt with some catastrophic injuries during the last couple of years, or Draymond Green, who's starting to get a little bit of gray in that beard. I don't know if you noticed during the post-game interviews last night that's starting to flare out a little bit. And Steph Curry just wrapped up your number 13. By the way, lots of news about Steph Curry and Davidson that we'll get to a little bit later on this afternoon as well. But major credit to Steph Curry doing what he did, his first NBA Finals MVP award in his illustrious career, just a matter of time before he ends up in Springfield at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

But just another notch in the belt for Steph Curry and that Warriors team that's been excellent throughout the year.

So let's take a time out. When we come back, we'll dive into the College World Series as lots of action going on in Omaha today, a couple of games taking place, and we will hear from one of the broadcasters for the College World Series. That's coming up next. You're listening to the drive on WSJS. This is it.

Ready?

Alright, do it, do it, do it. Listen up. It's the Drive with Josh Graham. Welcome back to the drive with Josh Graham. Dave Pulaski filling in for Josh here on this Friday afternoon.

College World Series getting underway this afternoon in Omaha. Texas AM has jumped out to an 8-3 lead over Oklahoma in the Top half of the third inning at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. Primetime game tonight features the Texas Longhorns squaring off with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. And joining us now on the program, Craig Way. He's the longtime voice of the Longhorns, also a Greensboro native.

Craig, thanks so much for taking some time and joining us here ahead of tonight's game out in Omaha. Hey, my pleasure, Dave. And it brought a smile to my face there when I heard the online promo there for WSJS. As a kid growing up in Greensboro, I remember WSJS very well.

So good to be on with you. Yeah, I'm happy to have you with us. And are you excited about the Ragsdale Flying Tigers upcoming football season?

Well, let's hope they can have a big year, right? I mean, you've been able to see it up close and personal a couple of times.

So my alma mater, I hope they have a good year this fall. Looking forward to it. Right. Well, I always keep you posted whenever we have that as our game of the week here on WSJS.

So I'll keep you posted as we move into the fall and August and September. Yeah. All right.

Well, Craig, challenging road for... Texas to get to Omaha, particularly in that super regional against East Carolina. What kind of mental strength was needed not only to come back from that loss in game one, but also to make up that 7-2 deficit in the seventh inning of game two, just to force a game three? Yeah, considerable fortitude, I would say. You're absolutely right.

And After dropping game one, Pete Hansen has been so solid all year long. It was only his second loss of the season, and he really struggled. In game one and took the loss, only a second loss. And then here they are, as you mentioned, in game two and in the seventh inning. And there was one thing that maybe escaped our notice, and then there was something that definitely did not escape our notice about that seventh inning.

In the top of the seventh inning, Andre DuPontier came out of the Texas bullpen, and he had been a midweek starter and reliever and had really struggled at points this year. In fact, at one point, Dre, as we know him, had surrendered. Three Grand Slam home runs and three different ball games, and he had struggled.

Well, ECU had a threat going. DiPlantier came out, was able to get out of it with a 3-6-1 double play. That was very big.

So it was still a seven to two ballgame. It could have been blown wide open at that point. In the bottom of the seventh, though, it still looked like it wouldn't be that big a deal. First two Longhorns were retired on ground ball outs very quickly.

So there was two outs and nobody on. But then Trey Faltini, their outstanding defensive shortstop, Who's had some trouble with strikeouts this year? But when he's been able to hit the right, he's done a good job. And he doubled to right. And then Doug Hoto, the center fielder, launched a two-run homer.

So it was 7-4. And all of a sudden, there was a little bit of hope. And then in the bottom of the eighth inning, after ECU went down 1-2-3, and Texas was the designated home team for game two. That's why they were the home team, even though it was in Greenville. They get a three-run game-tying home run.

From the third baseman, Schuyler Messinger, who was a grad transfer from Kansas. And Skyler transferred to Texas because he wanted an opportunity to play in the postseason. And he's just having a whale of a postseason, was the outstanding player in the Austin regional when he hit 779 and still batting over 500 in the NCA postseason. Had a three-run homer to tie it. Dylan Campbell, a platoon outfielder, got a go-ahead home run for them.

And then, after ECU tied it with a home run off the plot here in the top of the ninth with two outs, Campbell delivered a game-winning hit to score Ivan Melendez from second base. And so that. Kind of turned it. And then when you got to game three, the Longhorns were able to jump on them pretty quickly and didn't look back from there.

So you're right. I think they've. All eight of these teams here in Omaha have had those crisis moments where they've had to answer the call. And that certainly was one for Tech. Yeah, Craig, isn't it fascinating how baseball works, regardless of what level it is, whether it's high school, college, into the minor leagues, and all the way up to the majors?

You just don't know who's going to be the hero on a particular day. And you didn't even mention Ivan Melendez until you got to the very end of game two there, where he ended up scoring the go-ahead and game-winning run. All the other guys, role players, guys who can contribute in certain ways, and guys who might not even be expected to be at the forefront, but they step up. Yeah, you're right. And of course, Ivan has had the marvelous season, and today he was named winner of the Dick Houser Trophy for college baseball, National Player of the Year.

I think he'll win the Golden Spikes Award next week. He set an all-time single-season record for home runs at the University of Texas. He's hit 32 to this point. And in fact, that's also a record in the BB Court bat era, breaking Chris Bryant's record of 31.

So he's done that. He's got 94 RBIs. He leads the nation in four offensive categories. But maybe his biggest contribution, Dave, is those around him hitting ahead of him and behind him have become better about it. Ahead of him in the two-spot in the lineup, whether it's Austin Todd, who's the designated hitter, and he was an outstanding outfielder who's missed a lot of time because of two shoulder injuries.

In fact, Austin Todd is a six-year senior.

Now, that's rare enough in baseball, even with the pandemic put in there. But he holds an MTA record, which we've discussed, that he is the only Player in NCA history to start, and think about this. Six. straight opening days. His first start as a freshman in 2017 was David Pierce's first game as head coach.

And he's his time over two seasons plus the pandemic.

So he's a six-year senior, but he's still swinging the bat back around 330. He's been better. Eric Kennedy, the left fielder, when he's been healthy, also a big part of it. And then behind him, Murphy Staley is a great story. A kid who's from Carlsbad, California, started off his collegiate career at Orange Coast College out there.

transferred again. His junior college coach, John Altavelli, was a great friend of David Pierce. Passed away tragically of a heart attack. Murphy came to Texas, didn't do too much really over the past couple of years, but this year, hitting in the cleanup spot, he's been marvelous, batting over 400 a lot of the year. He's still at about 370.

And has also been able to hit the home run ball.

So Iman's presence has really made a lot of the guys better throughout the course of the lineup.

Now, Texas had to play in front of that famed ECU jungle for the first time. How much of an adjustment was needed for the players in that kind of environment, especially after a Pirates homer in game one seemed to at least indirectly be caused by the fans? Yeah, that was you know, that was in talking to David Pierce about that. He said that's a communication issue in advance because Doug Hoto, I mentioned him as center fielder, has a 1,000 fielding percentage. He's converging on the ball with Eric Kennedy.

So the layman, they say, well, maybe Kennedy should. Should play that ball, but Hodo has been the gap guy all season long. And David Pierce said, you know, that's Doug's ball. I want him to take everyone he can, but you gotta communicate in advance.

So that you don't get drowned out by the crowd. That's exactly what happened on that play. And Doug felt bad about it, but boy, did he make up for it with some big hits after that, including that home run in game two, and then had another big game in game three. And he's just been a rock-solid, steady performer in center field. But to answer your question, the jungle was loud.

It was raucous. It was noisy. But if you asked a lot of longers, they kind of smile and shrugged and said, Hey, we've been to Lubbock, you know, we've been to Texas back.

So they kind of get, they've kind of gotten used to it. No doubt about that.

Now, after you had that big comeback victory in game two, had to turn right back around, win game three on Sunday. You had a lot of lengthy weather delays involved in that as well. And a lot of times, and you hear it when head coaches and managers talk about closers, get right back out there after a loss and forget about it. East Carolina didn't have that opportunity. They had to wake through the weather delays.

So did Mother Nature end up helping the Longhorns out a little bit?

Well, at first it seemed like it was going to help ECU. Remember, Texas had jumped out. Four to nothing, and there was still nobody out. And they had a runner on base, and then all of a sudden everything got shut down.

So, from a momentum perspective, And I went down during the lengthy rain delay along with Roger Wallace, my broadcast partner. We were down in the dugout. Hanging out during that four-hour and 50-minute rain delay for a time and talking with David Pierce. And we said, you have to like the start. And he said, yeah.

He said, the one thing that was concerning him was. He said the momentum thing now maybe shifts a little bit to their side. He said Cliff can just kind of regroup his guys and get them back on track.

Well, the important thing was when they came out of the deal, after Texas finished its at-bat and did not score anymore in that top of the first. In the bottom of the first, East Carolina was threatening to have a big inning. Tristan Stevens, who's having an up and down year. He won 13 ball games last year for Texas, struggled as a starter, went to the bullpen, but then started the game. Worked out of it, only gave up one run.

We thought that was important. And then the Longhorns blew it open with five runs in the second inning.

So they recaptured all that momentum that for a while you thought maybe ECU might have been able to garner because of the shutdown when it was four to nothing with a runner aboard and nobody out. You mentioned how Just about all of the eight teams in Omaha right now had their share of adversity to deal with. This Texas team started out the season number one in the country, went through the Shriners Classic, one of the few teams to hold down Tennessee's offense in that 7-2 victory in early to mid-March, but in early May, dropped out of most of the national polls entirely.

So, was there a single moment that you noticed that seemed to be the turning point in getting this team back on track?

Well, I think a couple of things factored in. Obviously, they lost maybe their most talented starting pitcher, Tanner Witt. To injury and had to have Tommy John surgery after he had two brilliant outings, the first two games of the year, including a shutout of Alabama, and then had to go away because of the Tommy John surgery. And when he did, Lucas Gordon was a freshman lefty that had to be, he was going to be a midweek guy or a reliever, a setup guy, and had to be put into the rotation on the weekend rotation immediately. And then they just kind of had to piecemeal the number three starter.

And they're still pretty much in that category. Although Stevens, if things go well for Texas in the first two ball games and they don't need him much, maybe he could be available for a game three starter. But they don't know that right now. I would say after they lost to Oklahoma State, they got swept at home. And that's when they dropped out of the poll.

They were number 10 at the time, dropped all the way out of the polls. And David Pierce goes, really? Because the polls really don't mean that much, but I'm kind of surprised if we dropped all the way out. Oklahoma State was number six in the country at the time. But.

They kind of pulled it together and won the ball games they had to win and got a little bit of a roll and then got in the Big 12 tournament and got all the way to the tournament final, got some big RPI wins over TCU and Oklahoma State along the way, avenged the earlier losses. To the Cowboys, that helped them have a high enough RPI and with everything else going. To be able to be a regional host.

So I think the response. After losing the series, Oklahoma State was a crucial point in the season.

So now tonight's game going up against the Notre Dame team that toppled number one Tennessee in the Super Regional last week. How much did that raise eyebrows among those in Burton Orange?

Well, clearly, because they'd seen Tennessee, as you mentioned, during the year, and they knew how good the balls were. But Notre Dame is just an impressive veteran ball club with a whole bunch of great. Graduates and grad transfers, guys that are veterans that aren't going to be the this environment is not going to be too big for them. The moment won't be, and I don't think it will be for Texas as well. And I think it'll come down to who can come up with the best pitching.

And certainly, the long run, you're hoping that Pete Hanson is a big bounce back. As he goes back to the mound, because in the regional, he was okay against Air Force. In the Super Regional, like I said, he got roughed up against Air Force. He was outstanding against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament.

So we'll see how Pete Hanson responds when he goes to the mound for Texas tonight. Yeah, and Pete's been stellar this season, and so has John Michael Bertrand, the Notre Dame starter for tonight. But he got knocked around against Tennessee in the Super Regional last weekend.

So what kind of scouting report does Texas have on him? And how can the Bats get going against this all-ACC guy? Yeah, they know that he's got all kinds of stuff, got great breaking ball and good fastball. And you're right, Tennessee could do that to teams. They can knock starters out.

So they know that Bertrand's a much better pitcher than what he showed in that particular outing.

So they know, and a good lefty sometimes have hurt the left-handed hitters in the long run lineup, but they have mainly right-handed hitters. It's mainly a right-handed hitting lineup.

So we'll see how it matches up. And now just to add to the intrigue, could you ask for Any more of a fitting set of partners in your bracket than to have Oklahoma and Texas AM going head to head here, a couple of arch rivals awaiting either the winner or loser of tonight's game? Yeah, that makes it the horns down haterade bracket, right? When you have that, and boy, and Oklahoma jumping all over AM. Listen, I saw that movie three weeks ago in the Big 12 tournament championship game.

Sooner scored seven in the top of the third and ended up taking that tournament championship over Texas eight to one. They got a bait-nothing here before the Aggies answered with the three-run homer, but it's 8-3 right now, and Oklahoma looks really, really good. And we knew that at the end of the season, they're one of the hottest teams in college baseball, but so was AM. They didn't drop a game in the Super Region. That's why I said that I could conceivably see any of the eight teams in this bracket winning the whole thing.

It's the most wide open I've seen, and this is my 12th trip to Omaha. I would agree with that.

Now, like you said, 12th trip to Omaha for you, both at Rosenblatt and what is now Charles Schwabfield. What's your favorite aspect from this event? Uh I just think the way that the Community wraps its arms around it. You know, the closest thing I've seen anything like that is the way Kansas City adopts the Big 12 basketball tournament, and that's pretty special. But this thing, everywhere you go, this town is turned upside down for this event.

And they're very, very welcoming. You know, the restaurants and the stores and this ballpark and the environment. Yeah, Rosenblad had that old school charm. It really did, but it was a little less charming when you had like about a two and a half hour rain delay and everybody scrammed in under So the amenities make this place a much more fan friendly environment. And I think it's people have warmed to it over time.

It's an outstanding ballpark. It's not the most hitter friendly park. In the world, except when the breeze is coming out of the east and the north. And by the way, it is. And that's why we've seen some home runs today already.

So it'll be interesting to see how it goes with how the atmospheric conditions play here as well throughout the course of this tournament. And with the surge in offense, too. I mean, Texas had 128 homers during the season by far a program record.

So could we see things start to level out here at Charles Schwab Field, or do we expect the offensive fireworks to continue?

Well, David Pierce will tell you that the offensive fireworks can include gap power, not necessarily home run power. And he says, as long as our guys are making good swings, he thinks they can get lots of singles and doubles and things into the alleys and into the gaps, because you can run a long way in this ballpark, too. It is spacious. It's 335 down the lines, 375 to the power alleys, and 408 to dead center.

So there's plenty of room to run if you can put it in a spot where nobody can make an immediate play on it. Talking with Craig Way, Texas Longhorns, longtime broadcaster. Before we let you go, Longhorns going after their seventh national championship on the diamond, first since 2005. What's going to be the key for the Horns to get to hoist that trophy in a week and a half? Uh Back into the bullpen, I think, will be really crucial, Dave.

I think they'll get good starting pitching out of. Both Pene Hansen and Lucas Gordon. That number three starter will be important, but also how much they have to rely on their bullpen, because I think they'll be able to hit in this ballpark. And, you know, it it'll be interesting to see if they get into a hitting contest with Notre Dame or if they can, you know, just Settle in with their pitching. If they can do that, then I like their chances.

All right, Craig, really appreciate the time. Know you have a busy night ahead. Texas and Notre Dame going at it at 7 o'clock Eastern, 6 o'clock Central from Omaha. Thanks for taking the time, and we appreciate it. And we'll keep you updated on those Ragsdale football games.

Please do, Dave. I appreciate that. Go Flying Tigers. The hardest working man in show business. Ladies and gentlemen, the style of the show.

Now back to the drive with Josh Brand. Yeah. And we welcome you back to the drive on this Friday afternoon. Dave Pulaski filling in for Josh Graham. Off getting married this weekend, congrats to him and Sarah, his lovely bride.

One of the biggest sports media events in the country has been based in North Carolina for the last six decades, and the latest installment takes place next weekend, right here in Winston-Salem. The National Sports Media Association hosts its 62nd annual award ceremony next Saturday through Monday at the downtown Winston-Salem Marriott. And joining us now. is the Executive Director Dave Gorn. Dave, thanks so much for taking a few minutes here.

Good to catch up. Dave, happy to do it. I'm just actually going through my schedule for next week and all the things that we have to do, and it's. You know, it always seems so far away, and then all of a sudden, bam, there it is. But it's.

It's that exciting time of year and can't wait because we have a great group of people who are coming and It's fun to Fun to show off. Winston-Salem and the triad to all these people who are coming from all over the country, including our Hawaii Sportscaster of the Year, who is flying all the way here for the weekend. Yes. That's awesome. I mean, I've been a part of this NSMA awards during the last couple of years.

It's a great event, and it's really been quite the journey during these last couple of years. You had to navigate through the COVID pandemic. You had to alter those traditional schedules just to make these awards a reality. And how much of a relief is it to now have a somewhat normal timetable for this summer's festivities?

Well, I'll let you know next year because we've had such a short turnaround from December this year. especially on the on the fundraising side because as you might imagine, it's It's not a cheap weekend to put on. And so that's been a real challenge this year. But I think we will make it. It's funny, you know, when you were introducing me, you said 62nd annual, and it's actually no longer annual.

Right, yeah. You set that out of habit.

So, yeah, exactly. And, you know, the bad part is it broke that long string. The good part is it saves me. What's that? Six characters every time I type it.

Right. So you have that going for you, which is nice. Exactly.

Well done. This event began in Salisbury in 1960, continued there for 57 years before coming to Winston in 2017. What's contributed the most to the program's growth throughout that time?

Well, I just said, you know, it's funny because you think, oh, maybe it's an anachronism that people just don't want to do that anymore. You know, what we say is it's a way It's a way for us to You know, you're passing down from one generation to the next, so you're perpetuating the history of what we do. you know, perpetuating the history of sports casting and sports writing and other sports media And You know, I don't know about you, but when I was full time in in T V sports, I didn't really think that much about it. I was just concentrating on doing my job every day. But you know this being in this position now for 13 years.

has given me the opportunity to give back. And it's kind of cool to do. And Hey, just playing a small part in honoring excellence in what we do and passing on that history, as I said, from one generation to the next. You look at Huebe Brown, who unfortunately can't make it next week because he's on the do not travel list because of a bad back. He's a couple months short of 89 years old, and he's still going strong, and we're honoring him.

And then you look at some of our state winners who are in their. 20s and then we started the new under 30 National Reporter Award this year. And You know, Michael Sean Dugar won that, who works for the Seat uh the Athletic in Seattle covering the Seahawks. And we're putting these generations together, and we're getting the younger generation excited. And you know, not everybody gets to win awards.

which is kind of why we're trying to also blend this into a national convention. Because it's just I think it's so worthwhile to have college students and young professionals here to rub elbows with these veterans who have been at it for decades. And we do the Sports Media Convergence Summit All day Monday, we added a half day on Sunday, which is a series of seminars and panels. given mostly by our award winners. And, you know, I say, where was this when I was in college?

Because you know we have different They'll they'll ta tackle different subjects. And How can you not learn from that? And then in the downtime, you get to network with these people. And we've had people get jobs during the awards weekend, which is immensely gratifying to me because. We're combining that educational plank with the networking plank and The bottom line for young people who are interested in doing this for a living is that they get a job.

And if we can help them in any small way, in every small way, then we try to do that. Speaking with Dave Goren with the National Sports Media Association, the award ceremony taking place in Winston-Salem next weekend. And really, this has been a who's who. Of sports media personalities over the years. You talked about kind of the history of sports casting and sports writing: Lindsey Nelson, Kurt Gowdy, Vin Scully, Keith Jackson.

You're going through the years. Chris Berman up to Joe Buck and Bob Costas and Jim Nance, Mike Emmerich last year, Ernie Johnson and Scott Van Pelt being the honorees for this past year. And then the National Sports Writers of the Year, Jeff Passen from ESPN this year, but Adrian Wojnarowski appearing prominently there. Peter King, a fellow Ohio Bobcat, I might add. Rick Riley as well.

Frank DeFord. I mean, these are really the soundtracks and the The writing Uh uh That we've all grown up with and have all admired over the years, especially if we've taken any interest in sports. Oh, absolutely. You know, for me, when I started with the organization, just to Just to be there in the same room with these people. And I have a couple of pictures on my wall from the 2019 awards.

One is me with Doris Burke and Woge, who are the national winners, and the others with our four Hall of Famers. And I tell people, is it great to get to know these people? Yes, it is. It's also great to know all these state sportscasters and sports riders of the year. I think we're going to have about 60 of them this year.

As I said, we have one coming from Hawaii. All three of our winners from Idaho are coming. And so you meet people from. Excuse me. Every corner and part of the country, and they all become lifelong friends.

And the cool part for me is. They now get added to my Rolodex, and I talked about helping young people who are looking to make this a career. I can use all these people to help those younger people try to get a foothold In the industry, and how gratifying is that? No question about that. And then that's one of those things, kind of goes back to what you said.

Yeah, well I almost think, where was this when I was in college?

Well, it existed, but I just took a different path. I went through radio and television news before going into sports full-time. Just, I mean, that's part of the fascination of sports casting is that we all have these different paths. But you were talking about the attendees and. Did I hear a rumor that Maybe Charles Barkley might be making an appearance in Winston next weekend.

Yeah, so here's the story.

Okay. Curry Kirkpatrick, legendary college basketball and tennis and some NBA, writer for Sports Illustrated for 27 years, going in our Hall of Fame. Yep. along with Jackie McMullen and the late great Stuart Scott and Hubie Brown, as you mentioned. Correct?

And so at the Final Four, Curry was talking to Charles and asked him to present him for the Hall of Fame because we have presenters.

So Bob Ryan is presenting Jackie McMullen. Scott Van Pelt's presenting Stuart Scott. His daughters will accept for him. And so Charles said, Let me get back to you. And for the longest time, I didn't get back to him.

So. So Curry asked Leslie Visser, who's coming and will help present Curry. And then Bob Costas is also going to do a video to help present and introduce. I don't know exactly how it's going to work.

Well two weeks ago, Charles finally called back Curry and said he can make it.

So That's really cool. I, of course, trying to be the good planner, say, well, you know, let me know if you need Wednesday coming in. Does he need a hotel room? Let me know if we need to pick him up at the airport. And so now he hasn't heard back from him after reaching back out.

So we think he's coming.

Okay, so the rumor exists. The rumor it's a true rumor. I don't know um You know, I'm Missouri, show me.

So when he shows up on the 27th, or maybe even the 26th. That'll be a lot of fun. And of course, we have the two other days of the weekend that include. our our legacy night with uh Brune Arledge Award winner. Jane Kennedy, who those of us of a certain age would be very excited about that.

No question about that. And with Ernie Johnson there, too, being recognized as a National Sportscaster of the Year, it would almost be extra motivation for Charles to make an appearance, wouldn't it? Oh, I would think so. I mean, there's so much.

So much going on, you know, so many people, and even, you know. Those people don't all get to see each other all the time. And so even them running into each other and getting the chance to share stories and and talk is is a fun thing for them.

Now, we were talking about what it can do for people in the industry. Of course, establishing those relationships, making those connections, or just the ability to be in the same room as some of these people who you grew up and admired. But this event is not just limited to those in the industry, right? You can have anybody who can attend these events, possibly meet these people who they've grown up following or big sports fans or whatever else. They have a way of being able to attend the event too, right?

Correct. There we have we have a ticket package for all three nights So we start with a welcome reception and welcome dinner Saturday at the downtown Woods and Salem Marriott. Sunday, we have Legacy Night. Which will be at the gallery at the Benton, which, for those who have been around a while, is the old Beneath the Elms or Grand Pavilion ballroom that is. Underground beneath the parking deck across the street from the Marriott.

And then Monday night, we do the awards reception and banquet. at Benton Convention Center. And so we have You can get a la carte tickets, you can get the whole weekend package. Um You know, sometimes the best time is if you get in on that welcome dinner and reception. And you know, people are just there hanging out, having a little bite to eat or a drink.

They've traveled here from. parts unknown and you know, it's it's just really laid back and you can get to talk to people in a in a very laid back situation.

So Well that's a that's Cool for me, and you know, I run around most of the weekend like a headless chicken, but that's okay. I've seen you at work, so that that is a true statement. Yeah. And let me finish by saying tickets are available at national sportsmedia.org on our website. Phone number three six six five five.

two nine seven six which will ring dil directly to me and uh You know, the more the merrier. As I said, one of the reasons we moved it to Winston-Salem was a chance to show off. You know how the city has grown, and it has such a cool sports vibe with. The colleges that are around here: minor league baseball, minor league hockey, there's golf, there's pro tennis. There's cycling, there's just so much going on and it's You know, I've been here thirty-three years, and downtown has changed so much in that time, and it's You know, I enjoy showing it off.

And You know, the people who live here, if you enjoy showing off your town to people from all over the country, and if you're a sports fan, I don't think it gets any better than this. All right, Dave, before we let you go, you've been a part of this NSMA for a number of years. Is there one moment or event that especially stands out to you personally?

Well, selfishly, I would say the year before I started working here, I won the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year Award, and that's really what got me both interested and involved. I'd actually been a member when I worked in Providence, Rhode Island, back in the mid eighties and then kind of let my membership lapse. And then when I went down and saw Just how cool that awards weekend is, I said. this would be a chance, as I said, for me to give back and to continue working and staying involved in sports and sports media.

So yes, that was cool. And then I it's hard for me to say one was any better than the other. I'll say my the first one that I worked, which was twenty ten, and Jim Nance won his Fifth. National Sportscaster of the Year award, and he invited Arnold Palmer to come and present him back when we had presenters for the national winners. And to hear Arnold Palmer Be honest and talk about how many friends he had in our business.

And he made the point of saying, you know, I don't agree with you all the time. And I think, you know what, we're all okay with that. But but he appreciated what we Good for living. And to hear that from one of the greatest ever in his sport, I think that might have been the most special moment. And Both the story Jim Nance told about how he Called Arnie and asked him to be his presenter, and then Arnie talking about that were really special moments.

Yeah, the mutual respect there for sure. And really, we should have many more moments like that coming up next weekend in downtown Winston, National Sports Media Awards, June 25th through the 27th. Get all that info at national sportsmedia.org. Executive Director Dave Gorn, thanks for taking some time to spend with us today. And we'll talk to you soon when Wake Forest football is starting to get ramped up, right?

Absolutely true. And actually, I'll be in the chair you're in today next Friday.

So we'll have a little post-mortem from actually not next Friday. Two Friday. I was going to say, it won't be next Friday. I think you'll be busy next Friday. That wouldn't be very smart of me.

But yeah, we'll have fun and I'll recruit all my guests from our awards weekend.

So we'll. We'll do that. But, Dave, thanks very much for having me on. I appreciate it. The play-by-play voice of North Carolina Baseball and a Winston-Salem native, Dave Nathan.

Dave, welcome to the show.

Well, Dave, it's good to be here. Always enjoy catching up with folks in old stomping grounds. No doubt about that.

Now you've had a week to digest that hard fought Super Regional Series against Arkansas. Razorbacks ended up winning both games at Boshamer Stadium to advance to the College World Series. What do you think was the biggest key in the Hogs moving on to Omaha? Boy, pitching certainly carried the day in the first game. With what Nolan, the Arkansas starting pitcher, was able to do.

He had some trouble in the first inning. I think the bases were loaded with one out and Carolina couldn't get a run in. And then he settled into a groove. Was good for the majority of the game after that.

So to win that game, Four to one. At some point, you gotta be able to score. And obviously, with the College World Series starting this weekend, runs will be at a premium with the way that ballpark plays. And I felt like the first game of the Super for Carolina was kind of what you expect when you get to Omaha, just two really good teams. Two really good pitchers.

And good pitching, Coach Forbes tells me this all the time. He should know: good pitching is always going to outdo good hitting. And on that day, it did. And then in the second game. You go back to those two weather delays where there was lightning in the area.

It never rained, but we had to stop the game twice. Once in the top of the third, where Maybe both starting pitchers were going to be done after just two innings of scoreless baseball.

Well, in the regular season, that's probably the case, but in the postseason, Both starters came back out there and were still good into the middle innings. And then there's another weather delay and Carolina still hadn't had a lead in the series yet. and was trailing going into the um I guess the latter innings took a lead in the night, but. For just a half pinning, Arkansas is able to come back and get the win for the I said this during the broadcast, you know, Carolina. Carolina didn't lose those games, they just got beat.

And you take your hat off to a club like Arkansas, and Coach Forbes said this after the game: that's a bunch that respects the game. Do it the right way. And even before the series got started on paper. These two teams and these two programs really looked a lot alike. They've got similar numbers in terms of how often they've been to the College World Series.

Neither program has been able to get over the hump to win one. A lot of the numbers this year look to be the same.

So in a lot of respects, Arkansas kind of felt a lot like Carolina. And uh I think just from an impression standpoint, the Arkansas program made a good impression on Carolina because they never played but one time before going back to the 89 College World Series.

So it's always tough to have your season ended, but if you're going to go out, you know there's no shame in going out to a team in a program like arkansas Going back to game two and those weather delays, if I remember correctly, Brandon Schaefer had a huge basis-loaded strikeout to end the inning just before they ended up going into one of those delays. How tough was it to? To not be able to sustain that momentum with the crowd all jacked up, Schaefer pumping his fist while coming off the mound, and then all of a sudden you go into a weather delay. How much does that zap the energy over in that Carolina dugout?

Well, I'll tell you what. Maybe more than anything, it sapped the energy from the fans who were outstanding throughout the course of the postseason, throughout the. The ACC tournament in Charlotte and into the regionals, where Carolina had to come out of the losers bracket for the first time. Advance into the supers and then those last two games. I mean, it was.

It was big-time baseball at its best. And you get to this point of the season, I mean, everything is magnified. And you talk about that last pitch to get out of that inning by Brandon Schaefer. That was as clutch as you like. And I I think that the players are coached well enough.

that they're kids and they're obviously going to roll with the big moments, but. I think they're coached well enough to still play the game in the moment, but boy, I feel for the fans that had to leave twice. And to their credit, most of them came back both times to see the game to its end. It's just difficult when weather intervenes like that. There's nothing anybody can do.

The rules are what the rules are. And as my old buddy Cosmo Kramer used to say, without rules, there's chaos. And we did the best we could with what we had afforded to us. The atmosphere at the Bosch, packed house for both games, the fan bases for both the Heels and the Hogs, well represented in the stands. What was that experience like?

And has Chapel Hill ever seen an environment like that for postseason baseball?

Well, this is my 10th year doing it. And I think what separates this year in this year's environment from some of the others was that. This team externally. didn't have a lot of expectations. They were picked to finish fifth in their own division.

You get started and go 18 and 3, and then hit the skids in the middle of the season, and all of a sudden you're 8 and 13. in your own league And you're wondering if you're going to have a chance. To be in the NCAA tournament, maybe not even making the ACC tournament. That's kind of how dire things were coming off that Virginia series. to get the series when it's state.

Win seven out of your last nine in the league. And then when the ACC tournament, to not just get into the tournament, but to be a host. all of a sudden if anybody was ever off the bandwagon boy everybody was back on in a hurry and I don't know if you or the people listening like to use that term house money, but. it felt like the rest of the season Carolina was playing with house money. And so it was it was awful easy to fall in love with this team.

And I really think at the end of the day. because of what it had to overcome. We'll go down as a lot of people's favorite.

Now, as a coach or broadcast, you know, picking favorite teams is kind of like picking your favorite kid. You try to avoid doing that. But there was just so much to like about this group with some of the holdovers from the 2018 College World Series. All these guys for the most part outside of the freshman had to go through. The COVID year and the bounce back year of 2021, where it's just so much unknown.

And to have the season like Carolina did, in spite of all that. It was easy for the fans to get behind, whereas I'll be honest, Dave, we've been spoiled. We've had a lot of good teams with a lot of big time expectations. And a lot of these teams have delivered when the bullseye has been on them. This team was never really.

The hunted team, because of what it had accomplished until very late in the season. And I think that's why the fans. really fell in love with this bunch and showed up. as they did to make it some of the best environments that we've had in Boshammer Stadium. Talk a little bit more about this Carolina team and the future coming up in just a little bit.

But let's talk about the College World Series getting underway both today and tomorrow. Arkansas is in bracket two. They open play against Stanford on Saturday. What would you say is the Razorbacks' greatest strength as they try and make a deep run in Omaha? Boy, I think their best strength right now is that they are able to go on the road in Stillwater.

And come out of that regional with Oklahoma State as the number seven team in the country. And let's not forget this about Arkansas. This was a bunch that didn't really finish the season all that strong. I think they lost their last two series to Vanderbilt. And it was either Florida or Alabama, but they lost the last two series.

They were over in the SEC tournament. And for some stretches of the season, they were looked upon as one of the best teams in college baseball. A year ago, they were the best team in college baseball. I think that driving force of falling short last year. And coming back with a chance to do it again this year hasn't left the minds of the guys that were on the 2021 team.

they they desperately want to get to this point. And their fan base certainly did as well. I mean, those folks traveled. halfway across the country to Chapel Hill and you know they're gonna travel from Arkansas. to Omaha.

So to have fallen short last year. have the chance to get back at it this year, I think is a huge asset. For Arkansas and to have already won. Outside of Fayetteville on two separate occasions against two really good teams, two top 10 teams in Oklahoma State and Carolina. They know that they can compete with anybody that's going to be an Omaha.

Stanford has really played with fire in the regional, and then again in the supers against UConn. uh they're the best seeded team left at number two in the country but I think it's pretty clear. Anybody's beatable. See lost two out of three on their home field. And if there was a prohibited favorite coming into this whole thing, it was Tennessee.

for whatever reason a number one team hasn't won the college world series since 1999.

So, you have to think Arkansas's chances are as good as anybody's, but. How good is anybody's chance when you've got eight really good teams out there competing against one another? It's going to be a wide open field and it's going to be a lot of fun to follow over the next couple of weeks.

Now, what, if anything, could potentially derail Arkansas?

Well, that's another good question. We only saw two of their starters, and they held another kid named Jackson Wiggins, who had started a bunch of games this year, but we never saw him in the tournament. I just kind of wonder if they've got enough horses on the mound to get through. Again, just to kind of paint the picture of the format in Omaha. You've got to get through a regional.

One side of the bracket to get to a super, which is the final series.

So you've got to outlast three other teams and then take two out of three. from the other last team standing and Pitching's going to win today. We talked about this earlier about what Arkansas had going forward in the Supers against Carolina. They've got a solid closer in Tiger. They've obviously got solid middle relievers.

Do they have enough of those guys? to go through I don't know. Six, seven, eight games. I mean, you can play a lot of baseball out there in a compressed format. And to be fair to the rest of the field, I couldn't say what everybody else has, but.

this tournament, this specific event, the College World Series. We'll text you on the mound. in ways the rest of the season could never do. The ACC has one representative in the College World Series, 16th consecutive year that the conference has been represented in Omaha. That's Notre Dame coming off of that shocking upset over number one, Tennessee.

You only got to see them once in the ACC tournament in Charlotte, Fighting Irish, and Tar Heels didn't play during the regular season. What was your impression of the Fighting Irish while we were at Truest Field?

Well The impression I got was probably not emblematic of the team that Notre Dame has had for the last several years. This is a bunch, you know, kind of like Arkansas. They don't make mistakes. Arkansas is fielding better than 980. Top.

Top 10 in the country, one of the best in the SEC. Notre Dame cut from the same cloth. Link Jared has got that bunch. Fundamentally sound. I want to say they might be the winningest team in the ACC going back to 2020.

That was the only series we played in 2020. They swept us. They swept Carolina again in 2021. I think they won seven in a row against Carolina. Going to Charlotte last month, and the Tar Hills obviously snapped that stretch.

Notre Dame's good. Link Jarrett, if there's an asking price for him right now from other suitors around the league, around the country, it has done nothing but go up, up. in a way. And The way that they got out of Knoxville with the bats, they lost Nico Cavadas last year, who was as powerful a hitter as they had in their lineup. And there's not a way to replace a guy like that with one player.

But they showed they had some pop in a pretty hitter-friendly ballpark in Lindsey Nelson. Let us not forget that.

So we'll see how much of that translates to Omaha. But what they were able to do offensively against Tennessee, I really thought spoke volumes. Always great to hear from Dave Nathan, the play-by-play announcer for North Carolina baseball. He's also a studio host and a big-time contributor for Carolina football and basketball as well. Always good to chat with Dave as he talked about that Super Regional Series with Arkansas and talk about some of the youth movement of the Tar Heels program as well, as they're set up pretty well for the future going forward at Boshmore Stadium in Chapel Hill.

We'll take a timeout. You're listening to the drive on WSJS. Ready?

Yes. Punch up the audio for me now. Coming up at six, the Rich Isen Show.

Now back to Josh Graham and the drive. Welcome back as we head into the final hour of the drive on this Friday afternoon. Dave Pulaski filling in for Josh Graham. Josh and his lovely bride-to-beat Sarah getting married this weekend. Congratulations to him.

Before we get to our NHL Stanley Cup final coverage, just to update you from Wrigley Field, Cubs held on for a 1-0 win over Atlanta. The Braves loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Cubs were able to induce a groundout, and the Braves' winning streak comes to an end at 14. In the Stanley Cup final, Colorado with a one game to none lead. Over Tampa Bay as the Lightning are going after their third consecutive Stanley Cup, the Avalanche, trying to get their first cup since 2001 when Ray Bourk helped lead the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup title over the New Jersey Devils. And we have a chance to catch up with.

Hurricanes play-by-play broadcaster Mike Maniscalco, as he talked about the season that was coming up just short of the conference finals, as well as a little bit of a Stanley Cup playoff final preview between the Lightning and the Avalanche, able to catch up with Mike earlier this morning. Let's shift gears now and turn our attention toward hockey. Game one of the Stanley Cup final produced an instant classic on Wednesday. Colorado skating past Tampa Bay in overtime. And game two now coming up in Denver on Saturday.

So who better to break this series down than the TV and radio voice of the Carolina Hurricanes? Mike Maniscalco. Mike, so glad you can give us a few minutes. Welcome to the program. Dave, always a pleasure to catch up with you.

And I can think of some that are better, but I'm very happy that I'm the one you chose to try to break down the Stanley Cup final. Always good to have you with us. Always good to catch up. And we don't even have to go across the country to run into each other this time. Just going back a few years ago, just to tell the story to the audience, Mike and I were both vacationing in San Francisco at the exact same time.

We were at a random Giants. I think it was Giants against the Orioles. And Mike tweeted something out. And I saw it, and I shot him a text. I said, Are you at this game?

And he goes, yeah. I go. I'm literally walking out of the upper deck right now.

So we were able to get together, catch up, and that really kind of spawned the friendship that we have to this day. It's pretty remarkable from 2,500 miles away. Yeah, absolutely. And of course, before that, you and I had a... A working relationship there in Winston-Salem with one of the many jobs that we have held during the course of our lifetime here that the Radio Paz crossed.

But yeah, it was good. And again, one of the key ways to an instant friendship is somebody who buys the first round, if you buy the second round right back.

So we were good friends right from the beginning, Dave, no problem. That's right. Yeah, we were able to get along and get on the same page without question about that.

Now, before we get to the avalanche of lightning, let's reflect on the Kane season a moment. Metro Division champs, franchise records for both wins and points in a season, reached the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Is there any one moment that ended up standing out for you above the others? I think for me, You know, when you look back on it, you try to come to one moment. Clearly, wrapping up the Metro Division against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden with Pyotr Kochetkov.

Getting the start, and it was unexpected, you know, that he was thrown into that situation as the Canes were up in the tri-state area. They were playing New Jersey, if you remember, then the Islanders on Sunday, and then they were playing the Rangers. Then that game came up for the division, and Anti Ranta got hurt in the Islander game.

So, Kochetkov was going to get the bulk of the workload to do that.

So, winning that game was, I think, pretty the standout one. And I think that's also kind of recency bias for me. You can run down the game seven against the Boston Bruins. Anytime you eliminate the Bruins in a playoff series, that's always a good thing. But as far as the season goes, There are a couple of moments.

There's one I will go to. and it was the trip through western canada where they beat winnipeg Calgary and Edmonton back-to-back nights.

Now, they ended up losing in the last game. In Vancouver, that they played without Sebastian Ajo. But that trip, Ajo gets an overtime game winner against Calgary. They go head-to-head with Edmonton. And they really do a great job of shutting down that high-power Oilers team.

Of course, the Oilers were not the team that we saw that got eliminated by Colorado. They were still trying to find their way, but that stood out. That road trip really stood out to me for the Kanes, where we're like, all right, there is something special. Happening with this hockey club and what they were able to do.

So, of course, the end to the Rangers is always going to be bitter. You're always going to want it to be better than. Than what it was, this team expected a little bit more. But those are the standout moments for me. And there were a lot of individual performances, Andre Sveshnikov hitting 30 goals for this season.

The goaltending tandem that was in question, winning the Jennings trophy of Ronta and Freddie Anderson.

So there were a lot of good moments this year for the Kanes. And when you look back on it, yeah, they didn't win the cup, but there was another big building block put in place for this group. Obviously, a very difficult end of the season against the Rangers in game seven. What ended up being the key to that series in your mind? Two things: special teams.

In a playoff series, when it's two close teams, Dave, whoever gets the better special teams is going to have a huge advantage. I could go the Igor Shosturkin route. He was really good when the Rangers needed him to be, especially at Madison Square Garden, but I'm going to go a different star route. The Rangers star players. Really showed up throughout the series for the most part after games one and two in Raleigh.

Mika Zabanajad, Chris Kreider, their stars showed up. For games three through seven. The Carolina Hurricanes, it was hit and miss. They just, and I think their best players will tell you that they had more to give. There was more to do in that series.

So the Rangers got a more consistent performance from their top six players than what the Hurricanes did, that series played out. How a lot was made of the home and road differences in the playoffs, going undefeated at PNC Arena against Boston, then up until that game seven matchup with the Rangers, failing to win away from Raleigh. Did that take a mental toll on the team at all? You know It's better suited to ask them, honestly, Dave, and they'll give you the stock answer: no, no. But when you get asked about it, it gets put in the back of your head.

Like the Avalanche haven't lost on the road, so is that a big thing? Like, oh my god, you don't lose on the road. I think. What it came down to for the Kanes were people were trying to nitpick why weren't they, why couldn't they win in Boston? Why didn't they win at Madison Square Garden against those teams?

And honestly, I think it comes down to matchups. I mean, that's a big part of it. If Rod Brinimore can get the Jordan Stahl line out against the opposition's best line, you take a look, their numbers hardly show up on the score sheet, if at all.

So that's something where coaching comes into it. You got to move the pieces around the chessboard. I don't think that was the reason why. I know that we can look for. Why didn't they win on the road?

But I mean, I don't think that, in the grand scheme of things, is the reason why the Kanes aren't playing right now in the Stanley Cup final. You mentioned the goalie tandem and the Jennings trophy this year. Hurricanes were without Freddie Anderson for the playoffs, relying on Anti Ranta, and even Piotr could check off at times. Despite those admirable efforts of Ranta, especially, how glaring was it to be without that number one guy in net for the biggest time of the year? I think it got.

A little bit more put under the spotlight in the Ranger series when it was just starting. And you know, how Frederick Anderson didn't get a nomination for why he's not one of the three finalists for the Vesna is beyond me. If you look at the season that he had, not being a homer, just take a look at the season that he had. I think that's where it became glaring. But if you take a look at Ronto, you know, his numbers.

One at PNC Arena were sparkling. I mean, they were as good as, they were better than almost everybody who was left in the playoffs. And then on the road in Boston, I don't blame him for any of the losses at TD Garden because you look at the goals that were allowed. They're either power play goals or there's breakdowns defensively. And he didn't play game number three.

Pyotr Kochetkov did at TD Garden. I think when you got to that game seven in the way that Anderson season played out, you would have liked to. That's the biggest what if for me. The what if Frederick Anderson was in the nets for that series, but I don't hang anything on Anti Rosa because what you just said, Dave, how good he was in the first round and how good he was for the first. You know, four or five games of that series.

In fact, he was really good in the Rangers series and game seven when the Rangers got the lead. I had the feeling. In that game seven, whichever team scored the first goal was going to win the game. And when the Rangers got on the board first, you kind of had this feeling of, oh. you know this this could be tough because shastarkin found his game as the playoffs continued to move around and until they ran into the lightning.

And you see that so many times, too. I think it's 75% of the teams that score first in game seven end up. Getting the job done and winning that contest.

So there's a huge emphasis on that. And especially playing in the home ring, too, when all of a sudden there's a dent in the armor and that kind of zaps the crowd a little bit and turns into nervous time. The other thing for me, Dave, is we can take this in a different direction, not skirting the question. That to me is the oddest stat in all of professional sports. That it is basically three out of four games.

The team that scores first, and it doesn't matter when they score first in a game seven, they're going to win. I mean, they can score two minutes into the first period. You still have 58 minutes left, but I think it just puts such a weight on the other team that goes to chase the game that, you know, players are like, oh God, it's a game seven. And if we don't do this, it's, I think that's really what happened. That, if you asked me what got to the hurricanes in the second round, it was that.

It was chasing the game against the Rangers, chasing the game against a team that learned how to be very good defensively as the year moved on. And, you know, the offense just got a little bit stagnant at times, but that to me is the most mystifying stat. And it also carries into the regular season two date. Like the team that scores first wins like 70% of the games. in the regular season.

That makes no sense to me. Zero. Speaking with Hurricane's voice, Mike Maniscalco, Sebastian Aho averaged nearly a point a game this season. How much fun was he to cover on a daily basis? Became an all-star this year, and how much better could he potentially get?

He is just one of those players where I don't know if he's ever going to get the recognition for how good he is. Maybe the most competitive player I've been around. Outside of Rod Brindamore, when I covered. Rod Brindamore with the Kanes, and there's a few players here and there that can get into that, but. He's just a joy to watch because he does everything.

He can make the high-skilled plays, but he's not afraid to put his nose in the dirty areas. He's not afraid to get bloodied to go make a play.

So, he, for me, is one of those great players that when he's on the ice, I need to be aware of because he's got a chance of making something really special happen. And how much better can he be? He'll tell you a lot. better and i'll agree with him like i think that this is a guy who can get To 100 points in a season. He can get to 40 goals.

He had 37 this year. He's a guy who can be a perennial all-star. And I'm not going to be surprised if one day he is the captain of a National Hockey League team, and that team being the Carolina Hurricanes. He's just that complete player. He is the player.

That organizations wish that they can land and draft and develop. And the Carolina Hurricanes got him in the second round. Think about that. Going on seven years ago, which seems ridiculous to me. Talk about that Colorado, Tampa Bay Stanley Cup final in just a moment, but let's talk about the offseason and the possible plans here for the Hurricanes.

Now you have that winning culture established, multiple playoff years, runs, winning rounds in the playoffs, even more importantly, that stability at head coach under Rod Brindamore. What's the key need to get this team over the top heading into 2022-23? The one thing for me would be one more player, and we could go with a pure goal scorer if you want, but one more player to make them more dangerous. Offensively, and in particular. More of a threat on the power play.

What people are going to forget is the Kanes had a top 10 power play for the majority of the season. It just chose the absolute worst time. To hit a lull. And that was April into the playoffs when you could see that.

Some things with the power plate, it was execution. I don't really think it was personnel, and they just weren't snapping the puck the way that they had when they had gotten into the top 10. But that's the thing that I look at. Because they do have questions, you know. Nita Ryder is an unrestricted free agent and he's 29 years old.

He's coming off of, for me, his best season with the hurricanes, and he was part of the most consistent line for the hurricanes all year long with Jordan Stahl and Jesper Fost. That's a line that I would want to keep together if I'm the hurricanes organization. Vincent Trochek, who is your number two center, although Coaches and Rod, in particular, does not label players with numbers or line A, B, or C, whatever. But for Vincent Trocek, he's an unrestricted free agent. He's a player the Kings would love to have back because he does help on the power play and the penalty kill, things that he brings to the table.

And those are the two you look at. Unrestricted, those are the two that You know, for me, jump off the list of what are the Kanes going to do? Because what happens with them can affect who they bring in or what they bring in. They have some restricted free agent questions to answer. Tony D'Angelo, I think that'll be an easy one to answer for them.

But another player up front. Queen Is just a goal scorer. And when I say that, When he's on the ice, you have to be aware of him because he can put the clock in the back of the net if he gets set up the right way. And Keynes have enough guys to set up the goal scorers. They just need to find one.

I also think that Andrei Svechnikov is going to take another step forward. Again, career high in goals and points and assists. It kind of goes hand in hand when you do that. they need one more player i think to make them dangerous and when i say dangerous Offensively, five on five, and on the power play. That's what I think is going to be addressed by this team in the offseason.

Some great insight from Mike Maniscalco, the television and radio play-by-play voice of the Carolina Hurricanes, as we talked about the lightning and avalanche, as well as the hurricanes' off-season plans and all that they accomplished this year, winning the Metro Division, setting a franchise record for both points and wins in a season. And they have. That tradition now firmly established at PNC Arena in Raleigh, and we'll be able to follow them going forward.