Bye Bye, 2023(and maybe FSU)

This is The Drive with Josh Graham Podcast.

Three internet sensations, guys. Tune into The Drive weekday afternoons, three to seven on WSJS. We've made it to a Friday drive. It is WSJS News Talk Sports for the Triad. And we've made it to our final live show of two thousand and twenty three. It's live action, Tracy. So don't be alarmed when you hear different programing in the afternoon next week. Our next show will be on January 2nd of two thousand and twenty four. Wow.

That close. It's just fitting that Florida State didn't wait until the calendar flipped to officially file a lawsuit against the ACC. They are, as expected, legally challenging the grant of rights. But even though you shouldn't expect anything imminent to come from this lawsuit and the league certainly has made moves to protect itself, regardless of what happens with FSU, we're going to look back decades from now at twenty twenty three being the year that the ACC died.

And this happened in three different cycles. The conference lost its soul this summer. That's what it felt like for a lot of people around here when the moving trucks arrived at Sedgefield and.

Headquarters, which had been at Sedgefield for 70 years, moved up I-85. To the Queen City, a decision made mostly by non-traditional ACC members, a move that really signaled that a lot of members of the league did not care about the history of the conference, did not care about its roots, didn't like, resented what Greensboro represented. That was the day. That was the decision where the ACC lost all moral high ground on topics of tradition, of topics of loyalty.

And it was foreshadowing of what was to come. So that was in the summer. At the start of the spring, the ACC lost its spirit. It lost its identity when adding Cal, Stanford and S.A. and SMU. Meanwhile, as that was happening, traditional members, North Carolina and Clemson publicly rebuked the decision.

Usually when these moves are made, they'll put out the press release, whether it was unanimous or not, saying it was unanimous. The ACC could not do that because of how public North Carolina was, how public Florida State was, how public Clemson was. There was infighting within the league. That was the point where it became clear that even if the ACC survived, something that the Pac-12 isn't going to be able to say it was able to do.

It's not going to be the league we fell in love with. Some would say that had already happened when Maryland left and hit Syracuse, Boston College, Boston College. Those northeast schools were added to the conference.

But if that didn't do the trick, expanding to the West Coast, expanding away from the Atlantic Coast is going to do that for so many people. Then Florida State finished off the ACC in the winter. The college football playoff committee left out an unbeaten ACC champion. Because they feared the backlash of leaving out an SEC school that was less deserving than.

The raft that would happen, which did happen. When they left out an unbeaten Florida State, and now Florida State is literally suing the ACC in court. To create a path for them to leave the conference. All of this happened in twenty twenty three.

Those cycles. Leaving had leaving headquarters in Greensboro for Charlotte, that's where they lost their soul, their spirit and identity with the expansion out west and then this FSU season by perception killed the ACC when an unbeaten champ is left out, treated as if you're a group of five school and now. FSU suing the conference, trying to get out of it.

Because they feel things are as dire as it would be if they were in a group of five conference. On X at WSJS radio, if you want in, that's where we're streaming video in addition to YouTube and Twitch. Will Dalton, the executive producer of this show, W.D., what are your plans for Christmas? What are your plans for New Year's? Well, me and the family usually go up to Virginia on Christmas Day. What part? Martinsville. So up there near the speedway.

We have family in Martinsville. Oh, yeah. So that's typically where we go on Christmas Day. But I got to be honest with you.

I didn't know that. I'm going to be in Virginia on Christmas Day as well. South Boston, Virginia, near Danville. Yeah. So that's what we got going on on Christmas Day. But as far as like when I'm off, it's going to be a whole lot of probably buying and selling things on eBay.

Capitalism, that capitalism. And listen, we're still going to be putting up content on YouTube next week. Just just because we're not on these airwaves on the radio. We're going to be somewhere. So make sure you're subscribed to our YouTube channel. If you aren't already, search The Drive with Josh Graham. So many of you have subscribed there.

Over a thousand subscribers this year will do something to reward listeners for doing that and viewers for doing that. You're going to be at the Panthers game Sunday. So let's talk about that for a second. Call me crazy. But I think the Carolina Panthers are going to surprise the Packers and bury their playoff hopes, just like they did to the Atlanta Falcons.

Because let's be clear. Sunday is a must have for Green Bay. If they lose, it's three straight losses and they'd be six and nine. Even if they were to win out eight, nine, probably not going to do the trick as a wildcard team to make the playoffs.

And as we learned this past Sunday, the Panthers, they enjoy playing spoiler, right? Derek Brown. Maybe we can talk about it. All right. Good, man. The Falcons going on vacations like we are.

Even though it took a second, that laugh made it all worse. Derek Brown. Yeah, they're going on vacation just like we are. And you could do the same to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Panthers, they've hit their stride on the ground. If something happens three straight times and it just so happens to coincide with new leadership, I'm bound to believe it's legitimate.

That's who you are. In the three games that Chris Tabor has been the interim coach, the Panthers have rushed for one hundred and thirty yards in all of those games. In one of those games, over 200 yards rushing. But at least they've hit the one hundred and thirty yard mark. And the team they're facing, Green Bay, 30th in the NFL against the run. And they've allowed an average of one hundred and fifty rushing yards in their last three games. So Carolina is running it incredibly well. Green Bay can't stop a run. You see where we're headed here, passing the ball. Carolina made some strides on that final drive.

The catch by D.J. Chart, Jonathan Mingo, protection there. Carolina for the first time in a month did not allow for sacks.

Bryce Young, seventy five percent completion. And that doesn't even factor factor in the drops and throwaways. So the Panthers, they've made some strides last week and we haven't even talked about the defense yet. Carolina's defense is playing out of its mind right now. Allowed seven points last week. They are number three in the NFL in total D. They are third in the league against the pass. Meanwhile, Green Bay, not a good road team, and they've struggled against teams that are good at stopping the throw. Carolina is going to end the pass. End the Packers playoff hopes Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.

Carolina 17 Green Bay 10. This is it. Ready? All right. All right. Do it.

Do it. All right. Listen up.

It's the drive with Josh Graham. So. If you thought having to sit through 30 minutes of Panthers coordinators and Bryce Young was bad. How about an hour of this FSU Board of Trustees meeting that happened at 10 a.m. live stream for the world to see? It's live action, Tracy.

YouTube. Let's start. We listened to it, so you didn't have to. Let's start with the FSU Board of Trustees chair.

That is Peter Collins. He did a lot of talking, as he has all year, obviously. He cited the gap. In revenue between what the ACC is making versus what the SEC and Big Ten are drawing in as being the fuel for this now official lawsuit. As an institution, FSU cannot be expected to sit idly by while this gap grows or as one of the other athletic directors in the conference said earlier this year, stop barking, pay your exit fee and wait 13 years for your grant of rights to be up. I think everybody involved at Florida State expects much more from this board than to follow that advice. Today, we've reached a crossroad in our relationship with the ACC.

We are faced with the fact that the ACC is locked into a deteriorating media rights contract at revenues far below other conferences. Yeah. Bubba Cunningham. Great line. Few years ago, I forget who it was who said shut up and dribble in the political sphere. This was better than that. I didn't like shut up and dribble much.

I did enjoy. Stop barking and wait till the end of this to the end of your media rights deal from North Carolina A.D. Bubba Cunningham. Bubba was right on, by the way.

He said that on our buddy Adam Gold's show. So this is Florida State saying that they're not all talk. We're going to file a lawsuit. Is it a sham lawsuit that has no shot? That's a farce, probably. But at least we're doing something that we said we're going to do.

So. There who who's their lawyer, David Ashburn, it was his turn up next and right out of the gate. He pulled out his flamethrower, wielded it and flame the ACC's lack of, in his words, competitiveness. The ACC has a constitution and bylaws and is also in court filings made commitments.

It's committed to generate substantial revenues to foster quality competitive opportunities for student athletes and championships, to maximize athletic opportunities, and to be at the forefront in athletic achievement. And unfortunately, the ACC has failed in all those respects. Wait, wait, wait. Can I hear that one?

Listen to the things before. We just put this on the T-ball team and knock it out of the park. Listen to the things he listed the ACC, in his words, clearly have not met the mark on. In terms of its constitution, the ACC has a constitution and bylaws and is also in court filings, made commitments.

It's committed to generate substantial revenues to foster quality competitive opportunities for student athletes and championships, to maximize athletic opportunities and to be at the forefront in athletic achievement. And unfortunately, the ACC has failed in all those respects. The ACC has more national championships in the last two and a half years than any conference in America. When you say the ACC has failed, you mean football. You mean football, right? But no, he says student opportunities for student athletes. They're adding Stanford to the ACC.

Stanford, who every year is at the top of the Champions Cup or whatever they call it. Because why? They have 30 to 40 flipping sports and they're great pretty much at all of them that don't generate revenue. If you want to make an argument about revenue. OK, but saying that they're not giving student student athletes opportunities, what?

You're not competitive by and large as a conference. What? And then at the beginning of it. Not giving substantial revenues.

Like I love throughout this entire thing. They make it seem like the the ACC is making pennies for the for FSU. But just know when they say lack of substantial funds. 30 plus million dollars a year in television revenue.

Again, the lack of self-awareness is incredible. The Pac-12 isn't existing because they can't make 30 million a year for their schools, so they had to go elsewhere. FSU is saying we need to make more. Why? Because we're FSU, darn it. That's why. But I can already hear some people in there.

Some people out there saying, Josh, come on. Clearly, he's just talking about football. It's not about the Olympic sports.

But wait, here was Board of Trustees member John Teal at the very end of the trustees meeting saying, no, no, no. It isn't just about football, it's about the women's sports, too. And one of the greatest source of pride is my pride for Florida State over the last 10 years has been our women's sports program, which you mentioned its its prowess. And to think about the impact of this on continuing that legacy to me is critical. So, yes, it's about football, but it's the engine that drives all this other source of pride and impact on young women at Florida State University. So I just as everyone has said, this is just so critical to our future and to the future of everyone in athletics, not just a football program. Is there a women's program.

In the country on planet Earth, let's say. That is complaining that they don't have enough resources. Especially in a power conference.

Like, is there. A women's basketball program complaining that they don't have enough resources. For you to say something as ludicrous as that again, we get it. It's just about football. It is because the ACC is great at all the other sports and exceed in all the other sports, especially women's basketball and many of the other women's sports. It seems like they're debunking their own argument. This is huge for women's sports. Why?

Well, they're going to make more, too. But I thought you said the ACC is not like a place that allows for an even playing playing ground to compete. But you guys win more than any other conference.

In women's sports currently, so why do you have to go somewhere? Oh, football, that's it, which was driven home by Knowles quarterback Drew Weatherford, who's also a trustees as well, a trustee as well. He was the one this summer that had prescient comments that led us for led us to where we're at today. Here he was on what this is really about on the football issue. We did not want to continue in an environment where we're simply playing games and not competing for championships. Never in a million years did I think that we could actually go undefeated and be in the situation that we're in. And so ultimately, what we're fighting for here is not just our own interests at FSU, in my opinion. I also think we're just fighting for the spirit of true the true competitive spirit. All we're looking for is an equitable, competitive environment where teams that are competing for a championship are waking up and playing by the same rules. And that's just, frankly, not the environment that we're currently in.

Justin, football. Because it is pretty equitable. In fact, you have a lot of advantages in many of the other sports. But like this is all about the spirit of true.

Competition and equity of competition. Really, is that what this is about? This this isn't just about FSU's interests. And what do you think this is going to do to the rest of the conference?

If you guys were to get out? Oh, you don't care about that. Again, don't lie to us about this. And the other thing they lie about, they said throughout, like, if they have to say something, if I told you during this show five times throughout today's show that I don't want ice cream right now. By the fifth time, you probably will think, I think that guy might want ice cream. Probably. Do you want some ice cream right now?

I don't want any ice cream. Oh, OK. Just making sure that in this in this hour, they tried so hard. They said so many times. This is not reactionary. This is not reactionary to the college football play out. This had nothing to do with the playoff. Yeah.

What's the first thing that Drew Weatherford talked to there? I thought there was no way that we could go unbeaten to get left out. We want equity of competition.

That's what we want. Like you want us to believe after those comments. And the fact that you were left out less than a month ago, this happened three weeks ago, not even.

And you file a lawsuit two days before Christmas. That those things aren't linked. Please don't insult our intelligence, but really that entire hour was. But really, that entire hour was. A flat challenge of our intelligence. Looking forward to Hayes Permar joining us to play skips or plays with Hayes, our last gas of twenty twenty three. He'll go through the songs of twenty twenty three skips or plays some of the top songs that we heard this calendar year. This was a lot harder list to construct than I thought it would be. The top 10 North Carolina sports moments of two thousand and twenty three. Every time I thought the list was finished, something else would come to mind.

Like I have honorable mentions here. Erin Matson winning a national championship. One of the best stories in all of sports.

Did it crack the top 10? She's she was a player a year ago for UNC field hockey and then her first season as a coach for players that were her teammates a year ago. She wins a national championship.

Just insane. Duke Football getting its first top 10 win since Steve Spurrier in eighty nine while Spurrier was in the building in primetime against Clemson. App State spoiling game day for JMU like these are some of the honorable mentions on the list. So what made the list?

Let's get to it. The top 10 sports moments of the year. And it starts with number 10, the Hornets drafting Brandon Miller. Charlotte got some lottery luck. We had that moment. It was about a 10 second period where we thought Charlotte was going to get Victor Webinama. They were in the final three after that commercial break. And then the Hornets appeared on the card for the number two pick, meaning the Spurs had the chance to draft Wimby. Charlotte had to settle for Brandon Miller, whom they selected over Scoot Henderson.

Time will tell whether or not Mitch Kupchak made the right pick. Number nine, the ACC leaving Greensboro. After 70 years, the ACC moved out of the Sedgefield offices and. That was during the Wyndham championship that we saw many of those moving trucks, moving things out. Great tournament, the Wyndham this year.

That's another one that's on the outside looking in. Those offices are now in uptown Charlotte, but something that had been bandied about for years became a reality. The ACC no longer home in Greensboro. Number eight, NASCAR returning to North Wilkesboro. Officially, it happened. See, 2022 was the year of revitalization for the track. And you had those memories in August where Dale Junior's racing in the number three late model sundrop car. But then the real real happened. The all star race, a massive crowd, the governor on hand, the full deal. And now it was so good. That all star race NASCAR say, let's run it back. And that all star race is going back to North Wilkesboro next year. It was a magical weekend. It was so much fun to watch it on television.

And the future of that track that was dormant before Covid looks incredibly enticing and optimistic, which is great for that community. Number seven, Charlotte FC clinching its first postseason appearance year two as a franchise. And it's not just the achievement why this made it in the top ten.

It was the circumstances surrounding the achievement. Not only did they clinch it the final game of the regular season, but it was at home and it was against Leo Messi on the other side. At that point, he had not lost a match that he had started in MLS and Charlotte beat Leo Messi won the game. No ties won the match to clinch their first ever postseason appearance in front of a packed house for soccer at Bank of America Stadium. Number six, the Carolina Hurricane Stadium series game in February. This is even bigger than the playoffs. The playoffs have become something. Fortunately, Canes fans could take for granted, winning the division three straight years, going to the playoffs five straight years. One of Stanley Cup then to another.

Other than the Stanley Cups, this was the next big thing I can think of. And I was at the All-Star Game in Raleigh in 2011. I remember the draft in the mid 2000s in Raleigh. I grew up a Canes fan.

I grew up in that area. I've been to several playoff games. This was the next biggest thing to the Stanley Cup because there was so much validation and having an outdoor game in the south, having the tailgate lots packed the way they were, the stadium packed the way they were, the atmosphere, what it was. It was such a massive, massive win for the Carolina Hurricanes, not just on the ice that night, but as an organization.

There was a lot of validation there. Number five, Wake Forest Baseball making it to the College World Series. This team was the story of the spring and the summer here locally. Wake, they're going to be great again next year. But this team, we thought they were great going into the year. It was them in LSU the entire season that stood out from the pack.

They won the first game against LSU in Omaha. And that was a fantastic game with the play at the plate. Bennett Lee tagging out the runner. And then it was one of the greatest college baseball games ever. Paul Skeens against Rhett Louder. Rhett went, I think, seven scoreless. Skeens went eight scoreless and went to extras before NC State transfer. Tommy Tank's hit the home run that put LSU in front.

But Wake to the College World Series for the first time since the 50s. And what a moment it was for Coach Tom Walter in that group. Number four, the ACC basketball tournament in Greensboro. John Shire in his first year at Duke won a championship and did it at the place that he's won an ACC title as a player. North Carolina had its season in in Greensboro. After being the preseason number one team, they turned down an NIT invitation. Jim Boeheim retired in Greensboro. We had that weird press conference and then a few hours later, while we're doing the show, Jim Boeheim's just retired while we were on Radio Row. W.D., am I buying you enough time?

There's no value in playing Greensboro. Thank you for that. That has to be somewhere in the top five, and specifically it's at number four. Number three, sports betting being legalized in North Carolina.

Send me that cash out, fam. This was years in the making. Finally, it got to the finish line. Now, I know there's some minutia that they're working through and we're trying to figure out the date that it's going to start. Hopefully you get it by March Madness.

We know it's not going to be ready in time for the Super Bowl, but all the I's are dotted the T's are crossed. There will be sports betting, legal sports betting in North Carolina starting next year. Number two, ACC expansion.

Got to have it here. Cal, Stanford, SMU being added to the league in response to the Big Ten and the Big 12's realignment moves. It's a reactionary move by the conference, which unfortunately has been the M.O. for Jim Phillips since he took the job. Number two, the ACC making a seismic move.

That'll start in 2024. Number one, Bryce Young drafted number one overall. Carolina Panthers in their history have only picked two players, number one in the draft. Cameron Jarrell-Newton and Bryce, whatever his middle name is, Young.

That's the list. Kid from Auburn, kid from Alabama, and they traded up to do it. Time will tell whether or not that move will pay off for the Panthers.

But that is the number one move. The Panthers making that move, by the way, during the ACC tournament week. And you had all those meetings with Will Lettice, Bryce Young, C.J.

Strouding company. Felt like the Beatles were coming to town with all the travel party with the Panthers, and they ended up drafting Bryce. Hey, Bryce. Please, won't you let me trim you, a beautiful Christmas tree. I'm going to bring along my hatchet, my beautiful Christmas balls.

I'll sprinkle my snow upon your tree and hang a mistletoe on your wall. This was a Hayes Permar request. What are we listening to? This is Jimmy, I forget his last name.

Trim your tree. Butler. Jimmy Butler.

That's right. I was about to say a different Jimmy, and then it escaped me. You know, you think the backdoor Santa is the king of innuendo Christmas songs, but no, it is actually trim your tree. You got to listen to the very end when he's like, Now, come on, girl.

I want to trim your tree to really, really hammer it home. But I'm sure you guys are too young to know Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts. Yeah, but I know that there's people in your audience who know Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts. I feel old saying I saw Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts playing college, but they were a college institution. And Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts would play typical beach soul music at a at a frat party that would get people dancing. And then their last set of the night would all be from like beyond PG-13 to like, oh, my gosh.

You know, good music, but still just late night set. So I imagine if they had a Christmas set, trim your tree would've been in there. Hayes Permar. We were going through the list of the top sports moments of twenty three, and I was riding in my car thinking about this year, probably not so great. But then three things really stand out. The Panthers trading up the Panthers taking Bryce Young, expanding the ACC, and then all this stuff going on with Florida State afterwards. And then sports betting becoming legal in the state stand out. And then you have side things that were pretty cool, like Charlotte FC welcoming Messi and then making the playoffs.

You have the you know, the NASCAR returning to North Wilkesboro, Wake Forest go into the College World Series. But as the years go by, what do you think? Twenty, twenty three is going to be most remembered for. I don't know the fact that the first three you mentioned were I forgot them already.

Right. In some years it could be like, what was the moment of twenty, twenty three, a national championship for one of our area teams, a Stanley Cup, a Super Bowl run, you know, a Davidson Steph Curry run. The fact that the biggest three things are like sports gambling becoming legal, the ACC maybe dying. And what was the third one you mentioned talking about gambling? Yeah, I said that one.

Oh, oh, Bryce, Bryce, Bryce. Yeah. Trading up for a pick that now doesn't even we're not even sure. I know it's a big deal. It was the number one pick. I know that was a big deal. But I would say with 20 years from now, everyone will remember the 2015 Panther season, the 2006 hurricane season. Like you got to give me something on the court or on the field to make it more memorable than trading up for the number one pick. Yes.

Big headline. But I just I think when I think of sports, I think of like fandom and what you remember is like, oh, my God, remember that shot or even like, you know, that fight that broke out. You know, you think of, you know, R.I.P. Eric Montrose, like you think of that Duke Carolina game or bloody Montrose. Like those are moments I think on the court moments are always going to stick with you longer than off the court moments.

So I would say, yeah, kind of a weak year for North Carolina sports. It's my last show of the year. You're our final guest.

Congratulations on that. That's about did I get you sick through the phone somehow? Maybe that's earlier in the week and I was sick. And now you seem a little sick. Maybe it's because you're wearing a sick hoodie like I am. Yeah, I'm kind of Kenner. That's what it's about.

I haven't tried to put on normal clothes a couple of times just to like convince my body that I wasn't sick. But it's not worth it. We got rhinestone cowboy in a bit. Like I'm surrendering to like the format up to the people like you getting a bump in there. And apparently Mike and Winston Salem's calling in wanting to tell a hot nut story.

So why the hell not? Yes. All right. What do you got, Mike? Oh, hey, so I got to give you a shout out for Doug Clark, my hot nut.

So I'll be quick. Two of them. I was awake for us, Kaposik, and they were our annual band for our infamous Christmas party. Many, many years or if not the Christmas party, the Rush party.

I'll counter you. It wasn't PG-13. It was R-rated and worse.

But we love Doug Clark and a hot nut so much. They were the band for my wedding. But whoa, what was the first dance song?

Oh, I can't honest. First dance song. They did go regular and did the Nat King Cole song. But there you go. After that, it was all the classics.

Maybe. Yeah, all the classics. So thank you so much for for giving them a shout out. Those gentlemen were fantastic for decades. And our fraternity had them every year for gosh, 50 plus years. Thank you, Mike.

Thank you. See, I knew I knew you. You were the younger generation. I'm a bridge generation.

Doug Clark is more of the generation older than I am. But I was there just enough. I saw them. But but I knew if I put the word out there, somebody in your audience would be like, pick up the I'm getting deja vu because I remember we did this another time when Ryan McGee joined us and he was telling a story about Tanya Tucker singing the national anthem at a Winston-Salem Warthogs game. And it was like a church game where all like the church groups would be out there. She was wearing like yellow blue jeans. And as soon as we talked, I brought it up like my feed fills up.

Calls fill up where people are. Oh, yeah, I remember Tanya Tucker with the yellow jeans on. We all remember what happened. OK, let's get to skips or plays with Hayes. Twenty, twenty three songs edition. Let's see. Haze Permar is somewhat of a Renaissance man, an expert in the finer things, but he hangs his hat on music. Loves his God and he's the friend of Satan. He was like, oh, six in busy with the sticks been watching big Mike, a little trick trip.

I just need a Zion and someone he can dunk on. Today, Hayes will decide if this music is smash or trash, blows or blows. It's time for skips or plays with Hayes. So is this strictly like the top three songs on the Billboard charts? It's not so much that. It's just the three songs that kind of encapsulate oh, like capture the year, the capture the year. OK, so that's what we got.

Where are we headed first? So I can't think of a song that dominated any more than last night. Morgan Wallen in the summertime, I can't remember everything you said, but we said it all. You told me that you wish I was somebody you never met. But baby, baby, something's telling me this ain't over yet. No way it was our last night. I kissed you live.

Make you grip your seat with your fingertips. No, I'm I'm going to skip this. See, I I've said this on the show before and you guys didn't know. I like old Morgan Wallen. This is new Morgan Wallen. I think Morgan Wallen has been a long enough that you get out like old Morgan Wallen. So I'm a seven summers Morgan Wallen guy.

I thought I'd say way I talk because that's like my favorite older Morgan Wallen song. Now, this is this new Morgan Wallen. I don't like the new Wallen. I like old Wallen. I know he's only been around like three years. So like saying new verse old is kind of funny with Morgan Wallen. But I'm an old Wallen guy.

We're skipping this. That was I just looked it up. The number one song in the Billboard chart this year was Last Night by Morgan Wallen. I think twenty twenty three might be forgettable in general. It's going to be right. It's going to be smashed in between pandemic of the early twenty twenties. And then next year we got leap year election year.

It's going to be bonkers Olympics. I think twenty twenty three is going to be one of those forgotten years. What's the next song? OK, it's hard to talk about music in twenty twenty three without talking about Taylor Swift. Oh, well, I don't think that's going to be forgotten. No, I don't think Taylor Swift tour. She will be the she will be the thing that we remember the most. She rightfully won top person of the year. I thought that was the right pick. This will be the year of Taylor Swift. And I don't think anybody will remember anything else.

What is what you got? I mean, someone even brought us Taylor Swift posters here at studio. Yeah. You know, we're all in on Swifty. What are we're going?

We're going cruel summer here. I'll play. I'm trying to I'm not a hater.

Taylor won the year. So she gets to play here. I'm not going to judge her too hard.

Let's let's just play. Hey, I'm going to ask I'm going to ask you to make a prediction for twenty twenty four. What happens with her and Travis Kelsey in twenty four?

I'm going to predict. Are they still together at this time next year? No, I predict they are not together. They're they're both too savvy to have a messy breakup.

You know what I mean? Like, that's not good for either of them, but I think they'll they'll be best friends, but they're they're not going to be dating anymore. I don't think they're together next year. OK, so we got Taylor Swift. We got Morgan Wallen, the number one song on the Billboard charts. So how do we close this thing out? So we're going to take a bit of a pivot here, maybe.

Barbeheimer was kind of another phenomenon this year is what I was hoping. And so rightfully so, you're wearing the hoodie over there. I'm just Ken Ryan Gosling. So I like this movie. I thought it was well done. I like the the joke behind this song, how they set up Ken in general. And I love Ryan Gosling, like him dancing out onto the floor, mad in that scene.

Like, he's so good. But I think this song could have been better. I think they could have made this song better. They could have brought in Lin Manuel Miranda and made a better, more Broadway production.

You know, this Barbie movie is getting up on Broadway at some point. But I thought this song could be better. I was hoping you would give me the Dua Lipa song, the one that actually was the bar. I should have done that. That would have been a better one that I would have played.

I my standards were high. I thought they would give me a better Ken song than this, and I'm skipping it. Get it out.

Dua Lipa would have got to play, Josh. You're so wrong on this. No, no.

He is correct. The Barbie the Barbie vibe and the Barbie I'm all in on. And I would I would have gone with. Baby, I think there's a better choice than both. I think there's a better choice than both those songs, honestly. How do how do we not do?

Is it pushed by Matchbox 20? I want to push you around or I would have accepted closer closer to fine by the girls. That was a great one.

I thought I would in the middle think that was perfect. That was on every girl's mixtape in the 90s. That was a girl power at them. Barbie movie bringing that back was so huge. Ken sequel. You know, there's going to be all kinds of spinoffs in the bar.

I did see I did see this is a fact. First time since 1988 that the top three movies in the box office in a given year were neither a sequel nor a remake. That's because Oppenheimer, Barbie and the movie.

That's good. You know, I mean, calling Barbie in Super Mario, not remakes. Well, it's going to it's going to lead to sequels like even in 88. I think one of them was like a movie that ended up having a sequel.

A sequel after it. I could think they were built even though they weren't. Look, I loved those movies, but they were still built on established brains, right? It wasn't like everything everywhere all at once where it was like, you got to take this movie for what it is like.

Barbie, you at least came with a, you know, generations worth of marketing into Barbie, but it still had to be a good movie and I give it credit. OK, so that. Sounds like to me.

Not a passing grade for skipping the plays this time. 2023, like I said, forgettable year. That's 2023 is doing, not my doing.

That's right. 2023 Barbie and Taylor Swift were great. Everything else, forgettable. North Carolina sports, forgettable. Yeah, I buy that. Anything funny about this FSU stuff to you? No, I just I just think that, you know, at this time of year, it's Christmas. It's nice to remember when we're all out buying gifts for our gifts, for our kids around new Xboxes and all those things like, you know, take some time and think about people who don't have as much like maybe send some money down to Tallahassee, like help, help, help us send it all out.

It's like, you know, like this is such in the arms of totally. I mean, totally far away from the means going around the sports channel eight slack threat. I wish sports channel eight was up and we would have crucified Florida State today like that. You know, the we broke, broke, broke, broke. We ain't got it.

You know, the Kanye skit. I mean, we were throwing that around like, oh, here's FSU, right? I mean, just all the like poverty jokes for FSU right now, because it's like, dude. And I mean, now they're just going to go somewhere. They're going to be Texas A&M. They are going to follow Jimbo Fisher into the SEC or the Big 12. And they're and they're going to be go eight and four every year.

And like, they don't realize how good they have it. We're like, you're this. You turned it around and like you could be Gonzaga in football.

Yes. Just just stay the SEC. I said it on your show. The death of the SEC began when they added Florida State.

It was a survival move and they zigged instead of zagging. And the the end of the ACC is now Florida State turning on them and biting the hand that feeds them, which is exactly what they're doing. Hayes, have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We'll talk to you in twenty four. See you, gentlemen. Thank you.

What do we got and take it to the house when trying to flex your ice goes wrong? It is a rhinestone cowboy Friday. We're going to do some singing to close things out. The voice is a little scratchy, as Permar points out. We'll see how this thing goes. But for the last time of two thousand and twenty three.

We'll take it to the house on a rhinestone cowboy Friday next. There are a lot of so-called sports talk guys who don't do anything but flap their gums. Yeah, exactly. But not Josh Graham.

He doesn't even like gum or flapping, for that matter. He's so talented. You're on the drive with Josh Graham. One final rhinestone cowboy Friday. Sorry, Glenn Campbell.

Kind of was speaking over him a little bit counterintuitive to the segment. Last show of twenty twenty three. Probably not going to be my best performance.

Pipes aren't where they need to be. Got some time to heal up before we're next on the air on January 2nd. We will have content up on our YouTube channel while we're off next week.

Search the drive with Josh Graham on YouTube. Thanks to all of you who subscribe. Merry Christmas to you as well before we take it to the house. Oh, and a happy new year, too, before we take it to the house. Let's sing some rhinestone cowboy Friday. Today, like a rhinestone cowboy. Riding out on a horse in a Star Spangled Rodeo. This is the good one.

Like a rhinestone cowboy. Getting cards and letters from people I don't even know. And offers coming over the phone. Oh, last call for phone calls. I feel guilty because we said last call for phone calls and we didn't get the phone call. So before we take it to the house, one last call for the year.

Let's make it a good one. Josh and Clemons, what do you have? Hey, Josh, I just want to say thank you. I've been listening for a while, but I actually became a real listener in July and I've really enjoyed everything that you and will produce. And I want to say thank you for everything that you've done.

Actually, I won tickets through your show. Thank you, WSJS and Josh Graham Show. Yeah, my son is a Marine and I haven't seen him in six months. And we got to go to the basketball game last night and we spent hours of quality time together. And I want to thank you for that. Thank you for sharing that, Josh, and Merry Christmas to you and thank you for your son's service, too.

That's very cool. Appreciate the call. Now, you got me in my feels to close the year. See, I get sentimental. I'm a sentimental guy, so. Let's go to the sidelines, Tony.

Thank you for that. Let's take it to the house. Pass to fifteen, pass to ten, pass to five, for the drive, we'll take it to the house.

One, two, three. That's really what it's all about, man. That's super cool. Thank you, Josh and Clemons. OK, what do we have to close things out? I'll tell you what it's not. Give the people what they want.

I'll tell you what it's not all about. Having your car stolen when you're trying to make a social media video flexing your outfit. So a guy in Detroit did this. Oh, I was rooting for a Florida man.

No. The guy in Detroit, he was at a gas station trying to have his buddy, I guess, do like a little video of him flexing his outfit, flexing his ice and his chain and whatnot. And while he's doing that, you can see in the background of this video, somebody hop in his car and drive away. Oh, my gosh. And it was actually a pretty nice looking car.

I don't know what it was, but yeah, not great, not great. Kind of shocking, but maybe not so much. It is Detroit. But yeah, so apparently the Pistons aren't doing so well, we learned today twenty five straight losses. That's correct.

I didn't know that was possible. Yeah, incredible. And the Spurs are super bad, too. So are the Hornets.

All right. That's a year for us. What a year it's been. Thank you again to everyone who makes it possible. Really, this year, our investment in video, you guys subscribe to things over a thousand subscribers in just a few months and the way you guys listen, we moved to new studios. Our support at WSJS is so great. And our show hit five years this year when the sports talk show in this market had ever hit two in the history before we arrived.

Because of you guys. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Talk to you January 2nd.