REShow: Kyle Pitts/Rick Reilly - Hour 3

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When it doesn't invariably go very well. Earlier on the show, ESPN NBA analyst, Doris Burke. Still to come, Falcons tight end, Kyle Pitts. Plus, long time sports columnist and author, Rick Riley. And now, it's Rich Eisen.

Alright everybody, welcome to Hour 3 of the Rich Eisen Show on the air. We already had a great chat with Mike Florio on Hour 1 and Doris Burke in Hour 2, respectively, about the National Football League and the NBA Finals, which is plural. Stanley Cup Final, which is singular, begins tonight. The Colorado Avalanche hosting the two-time defending champion, Stanley Cup, plural, well, singular. Well, plural is Stanley Cups.

They're really good. Tampa Bay Lightning going for three in a row. Three in a row.

Three in a row. That starts tonight. If you missed anything over the last two hours, there's our YouTube page for you.

YouTube.com slash Rich Eisen Show. We went past 428,000 subscribers on that page earlier today, right Christopher? Yeah, if you want an updated total, Rich, I'll give you a live count.

We are at 428,057. So we got 57 varieties of ketchup flavors, right? In the last couple hours. Very good. Thank you, thank you. We like that. We like it a lot. We greatly appreciate it. Rick Riley, whose work I've admired for quite some time, he's got a new book out called So Help Me Golf Why We Love the Game. The New York Times bestselling author is here. He's going to join us in studio in about 20 minutes time.

So much to discuss in the world of golf, which is coming apart at the seams as everyone convenes in Brookline, Massachusetts for the United States Open this week. But joining us here on the Mercedes-Benz Vans phone line is only one of two gentlemen in the history of the National Football League at the tight end position to come out of the gate in his rookie season with a 1,000-yard receiving campaign. He is on the Mercedes-Benz Vans phone line back here on the program. Did we speak to him before the draft last year? I think that's what we did.

I think so, yeah. From the Atlanta Falcons, Kyle Pitts. How you doing, Kyle? I'm doing good. How you doing?

I'm doing fine. Where have we found you? Where have we found you? Where are you exactly right now?

Where you are? I just got out of practice. It sounds like so did your teammates. It sounds like school's out right now, actually. I guess we should continue to talk because we don't want to actually hear what's going on behind you. Walk me through. What does a mandatory minicam practice look like in year two for you, Kyle Pitts? Like how it's going?

Yeah. Walk me through. What did you do today, for instance?

Just came out. We went over some situational things. Okay.

And I'll say in-game situations, just fine-tuning the small details so that we don't have mental mistakes. And then we went over some other red zone things, and that was pretty much it. Okay. Very good.

And Arthur Smith, year two. How are things already maybe a little bit different than year one, Kyle? I would say he's coaching me the same. Okay.

So that part's not changing. Still coaching me hard, bringing the best out of me. So obviously I appreciate that. But just taking a different, a more mature step. And I feel like he's trying to help me along the way, so I appreciate it.

Okay. When you say he coaches you hard, can you give me an example of that, Kyle? I feel like it holds me to a high standard. Every detail matters.

Every snap matters. So just trying to help me be the best player I can be. So again, an example after every snap, he'll come up to you and critique something that you've done?

What would that possibly be for you? That could be a slight example or, you know, one example. Or just maybe he'll pull me aside after practice, and he'll say something. Or just maybe watch something on film, and he'll say, watch this, and maybe look at it this way. And I'm like, okay. And that'll just be something I'll go back and watch tape or whatever he's trying to tell me to fix.

You know, I'll make sure I fix it so I don't make that mistake again. Okay. And then when he walks away, you mumble under your breath something that you don't want to be hearing?

Is that how it works as well? Uh, no. No? All right. Well, I'll be honest with you. That's the way I feel whenever I interview him. You know, he accuses me, Kyle, he accuses me of having an agenda when I speak to him.

Always. He does. I don't know. I have no comment. Sounds silly. Are you saying it sounds familiar? Is that what you're saying?

I don't want to get in trouble. Oh, no. I'm not going that far.

Okay. So Marcus Mariota is now atop the flow chart there. Clearly, he and Matt Ryan have completely different games. What is your adjustment level and he to yours on that front, Kyle Pitts?

I would say adjustment just maybe that, you know, I would say it's a major adjustment. But obviously, like you said, two different playing styles. So Marcus is who he is and Matt is who he is. So I appreciate Matt for my first year and him helping introduce me to the NFL. You know, starting my NFL career up like that.

And then Marcus is, you know, we're building a bond along with the rest of the offense. How did Matt Ryan get help you get acclimated last year, Kyle? On the field, just, you know, different ways to try and take care of your body, mentally lock in, how he may be prepared, you know, in his younger years and maybe places where he messed up, where he doesn't, you know, he's telling me not to mess up in.

Off the field, just how, you know, how to handle adversity with your family, your girlfriend, you know, spending money, all those different type of things. Really? He was helping you on that sort of front, life front. I was quick to ask questions. Well, really?

Okay. And so you asked him questions about all that and he gave, like, what's the best piece of advice he gave you? The best piece of advice I would say he gave me is to live where your feet are. And just take every day, you know, where it is. Don't think in the past, don't think in the future, live where your feet are. When you, you know, everything that you do, ace it in your way. Just try and do it to your best ability, whether it's in this building or out of the building. So that's something that kind of sticks with me and I kind of use it every day.

Kyle Pitts here on the Rich Eisen Show. What was your biggest adjustment last year? Now you look back, you know what a rookie season felt like, was like.

What, looking back, was your biggest adjustment from Florida to Atlanta? I would say the mental part of it. Just being able to know that there are people out, you know, there are other athletes that you're playing against that may be slower but smarter. So you have to, it's not all about just raw talent. You have to be smart with the game.

You got to know what he has, what his leverage is, things like that. So mentally just, you know, trying to be faster because I feel like the game is 90% mental and physical. So to be able to beat him first, you know, mentally and know what he's going to do, that can help me on the 10% side and with my matchup and do, you know, whatever opposite it is that he's doing. So how do you think you'll be better at that this year? Is that the thing that you think you can improve upon the most in year two for you?

I would say that's definitely a staple in growth that I've been trying to get better at, just being able to see things quicker and, you know, react quicker so that I can, you know, win my matchup faster. Kyle Pitts here on the Rich Eisen Show. I had you in fantasy last year, Kyle. I had you in fantasy last year. And, you know, I really enjoyed having you on my team. I need you in the end zone more this year. Is that wrong for me to say something like that to you so directly this year, Kyle?

No, that's just what you're saying. Okay. And I think God and Coach Smith will control that.

In that order? I like it. So Coach Smith and getting you in the end zone, how are we going to scheme you into the end zone a little bit more this year? I don't have that answer for you. I just, you know, whatever play is called, I go out there and I train with my matchup. Okay, very good. And so coming up this year, what are your goals? Have you written them down specifically?

Are you one of those? I have written them down. Okay.

But I am not, you know, letting them out. Where are they written down? Where you got them? In my bathroom. In your bathroom?

Okay. On a mirror? Is that where you got to tack to a mirror? So you see them every day? Yes.

Really? Have you, is this the first time you've done that or you've done that your whole life? I started in Florida, but I would do it in my locker because it was a little different. I was in the facility a little more. Sure. But I would say, now at the end of the day, I just, you know, when I wake up, that's something that I see.

Every day. And it motivates you and it gets your, it gets your, like, how does that work? What does it do for you? It's a small reminder of, you know, this is what you're trying to achieve. So, you know, you got to do the certain things to be able to achieve it.

So that's just how I look at it. Okay. Kyle Pitts, you go, you go on with yourself and say, say hi to your coach, Arthur Smith, for me and tell him, and tell him that I, I, I, I wasn't having an agenda with you.

I just wanted to check in with you and see how you're doing. Okay. And I wasn't, you know, gotcha, cause he thinks I'm trying the gotcha stuff and I'm, I'm not going to, I didn't, you know, I'm not that guy. I got, I guess he got that in my head. So do me that favor and pass that along to him. Will you please? And I appreciate you calling in.

Uh oh, be careful, be careful, have your head on a swivel in that locker room, Kyle. Okay. You be well. Okay. Yes, sir.

Have a good, have a good rest of your summer. Let's talk during training camp, if not beyond. All right. Sounds good.

Okay. Let's talk about the Atlanta Falcons. What's going on in that locker room? That's a lot going on in that locker room.

It's scary. It's like those guys hadn't seen each other in a while. You know, they're happy. Did you hear a 12 letter?

Cause I thought that's what I heard somewhere. Oh, it was winning time in there, huh? Yeah.

Boys will be boys. Okay. Uh, let's take a break. We'll bring out Rick Riley, who's here on the Rich Eisen Show. Uh, we've got this book right here.

It's called, so help me golf, why we love the game. It's a New York times bestselling author, Rick Riley, who you back in the day, his columns on the end, the last page of sports illustrated. I would read it first.

Yeah. I would read it first too. Cause I'm one of those weird people that read from back to the forward, back to the front. Well, I do that, but that's the way, uh, Hebrew and the prayer books, you know, you know, you go from, I did not know that, uh, at any rate, uh, when Rick Riley comes out here, I think Jay, you and I will still be the only Jews on the set. So when we come back here, we'll read Rick Riley's book from front to back, um, right here on the Rich Eisen Show.

The great Rick Riley. When we come back, does your antiperspirant keep you dry all day? Dove men plus care dry spray goes on instantly dry for a cleaner feel and offers 48 hours sweat and odor protection. Let me repeat that 48 hours of sweat and odor protection. Use it. And don't even think about it. Also dove men dry spray contains doves unique one quarter moisturizing cream that helps protect your skin.

Try dove men plus care dry spray goes on dry clean feel all day. Rick Riley, uh, on the Rich Eisen Show here on NBC sports on Peacock and Sirius XM channel 85. And uh, we're about to be rejoined by our terrestrial radio audience. So help me golf is his new book, why we love the game, the New York times bestselling author here on the program.

Let's let's, let's jump right into it then because I mean, what you just said about Phil, um, needs to be, you know, explored a little bit more here. Well, if we can explain what it is, the Saudis, Saudi Arabia started a rival golf league and they're paying stupid money. They're paying ridiculous money. They gave him 200 million just to play. He can shoot radio stations the rest of his life, one Oh threes, one Oh seven and never and still get to 200.

There's no cuts. He's only got to be 48 guys. About half of those are guys you never heard of. They play a three day deal.

It's a shotgun. It's essentially a, you know, the wall, a wall, a member guest, but they've gotten some good players and these guys, and it's hilarious to hear them say, you know, Hey, when we asked them, Hey, you know, you're taken from a bloody monarchy. These people provided 15 of the 19, nine 11 terrorists. They jailed dissenters. They kill gay people. They oppress women, you know, but it's, what are you doing?

And they never go, I'm doing it for the money. What they say is like Phil goes, Oh, you know, I know, I know they've been bad. I know they've made some mistakes, but, but golf can do a lot of good really against despotism. Well Phil, the original quote that he said to Alan Shipnuck was, was the most honest statement that's been uttered by him or anyone else on the live golf tour.

He didn't realize he was on the record. There's two Phils. You talk to Phil and it's a lot of MFs and FUs and, and then you go, wait, Phil, this is on the record.

I need something. And then he cleans it up for all his 20 sponsors. But he said, they're bad MFs. They kill gay people and they killed Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist. So yeah. So he's like, no, but I know what good golf can do.

Yeah. That's like when Kim Jong Il shot that 34 and everybody stopped starving in North Korea. No, they didn't. That never happened. Golf is not going to fix a bloody monarchy and that's who you're getting your checks from. So I hope it doesn't stain the white leather seats on your new jet.

I'm just disgusted with him and Dustin and DeChambeau and Taylor Gooch and Kevin Nummy. They say, oh, we're not politicians. Why are you human beings?

Because these people are a terrible monarchy. What if somebody came you and offered you the money? Give me a billion dollars. I wouldn't do it. It's easy to say. Right. So I'm saying.

What would you do? Well, I'd have to think about it and I'm, and I've got a real, you know, sense of the world. I would have to think about it. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't sleep. Couldn't look at myself in the mirror.

It would destroy anything I've tried to build. They're talking about kicking Phil and, and, uh, probably Dustin Johnson. Well, Phil's already in the hall of fame. I mean, they'd kick him out of the hall of fame for this. People want this. I mean, I'm, I'm kind of wondering, I got to think about that today. The USGA guy, when someone asked him now, will playing and live change how you, a person, their chances of qualifying, or perhaps the qualifying rules for the U S open, which starts Thursday and bought in Brookline.

And the guy said, yes. So if the, if the majors start going, you're out, if the masters says you can't come, I can't imagine this happening, but then they've got real problems. Well, I mean, uh, Rick Raleigh here on the Rich Eisen show again, we had Alan Shipnuck on the other day and he said that the Royal and ancient and the, the green jackets down in Augusta want no part of this fight. That they'll just, they want to have, they have, they have one tournament a year. They want the best players. They want the, the, the, those past winners to come and, and they will, they will have nothing to do with this and they will just continue on as, as scripted.

It's probably true. I mean, there's five masters champions playing this thing, right? There's nine majors champions.

The PGA gives out a lifetime exemption, the masters lifetime, U S open 10, um, 10 years. And they're going to say, Hey, sorry, DJ and DeChambeau, you won, but you're not allowed here anymore. I've already made the agreement.

So I think the PGA tour is in a world of trouble here. Well, and that, that is the case in because, um, even though I said I would have to think about it, I would eventually side with you on the issue, Rick Riley, but I'm, I'm admitting the amount of money. If somebody came to me and said, I could go ahead and make more money right now on the spot, then you would make ever in the rest of your life doing what you're doing for the employer you currently have. I would sit there and think about it. Then I would think about what am I going to tell my children? What am I going to tell myself?

Where am I going to be doing my business? And I'd stay put. Right.

It would be, your obit would be Rich Eisen, great ESPN sportscaster, practically invented sports center, became a great podcaster, NFL, but switched to the Arabs and was a, was a pariah, which is what you would be correct. And so I would not do that. What I'm saying to you though, is that there's enough players that I think would think hard about it and then go and join the live tour. Dude, I don't think Dustin Johnson even knows where Saudi Arabia is. He's so dense. That's ridiculous. Then, then, then I don't think he does.

He's so dense light bends around him. That's how dense the man is. So I don't have, but Phil knows Phil's on record saying they're terrible people and bloody.

Oh, but the PGA tours way worse. That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. Well, not, not, not dumber than Greg Norman, who, who you, by the way, quoted earlier in this conversation, he's the one that made it sound like, well, things got done and we're turning the page. Everyone deserves a second chance. He used all of the sports cliches that's normally done for somebody who was driving drunk.

You know what I'm saying? Like who, who, who had that sort of transgression for their career or did something, said something that was inappropriate, not what we're talking about here. He was just, you know, they, they've done some things and people deserve a second chance and it's just like, Hey bro, like, are you?

And then him. Well, Greg has always had problems with golf. He's, he got screwed by Bob's way out of the bunker and Larry Mize, the most impossible chip I've still ever seen in my life and, and noted Begay and all these people knocked it in for. And so he's just been bitter. He's always been bitter. He's, he came from a dad who didn't think he should ever been a golf pro. He didn't like the way they treated him.

He's very right wing, although this has nothing to do with right wing politics, but he's not going to care that he's taken checks from people that take dissenters and disappear them. And I think it's sad, but it's still going to change golf though. I mean, this is not going away for golf.

We're not going to have best versus best very often anymore. The president's cup is dead. As far as I can tell the Ryder cup, will the PGA of America side with the PGA tour? Because you got to remember the tour doesn't control a single major. They don't have any majors. All they have is the president's cup and the players and a lot of Buick opens, which are, which are fine. They build your golf legacy, but they they're in real trouble here because they don't control the biggest events. It seems to me, uh, Rick Riley, similar to the NIL in college football, where it, it occurred and it sort of came out of nowhere.

Nobody had a plan for when it was hitting. It's now left the station and people are still trying to catch up to it and there's no answer for it. What do you think the answer is? The answer is the tour, I guess has got to stop giving money to charity and start having 48 player tournaments. No cut, stop worrying about the hundred and 25th guy and worry about the first guy keeping them and take care of the caddies, give them a, they don't even have insurance, put them in a single hotel, so they're not staying in these terrible places they stay and try to keep some of these stars from going because we're hearing more and more, I mean, if they got, if they offer Patrick Reed $50 million, that's insane, I mean, there's no competing with that. Patrick table for one read who nobody likes is going to, it just got $50 million. I mean, you know, this, I started this with saying I was a Phil guy, not a tiger guy.

I guess I'm a tiger guy now. I hear he's offered over 500 million and he didn't go and you could say, well, yeah, his leg doesn't work again. He could shoot phone numbers, nine, seven, two, six, and still make the money because it's not about the golf. I mean, it's just sad. It's not about the golf at all. I mean, cause we, we were curious, right?

We were, we were streaming it. I watched the first two days and just wanted to see what it looked like and it wasn't compelling at all. There's nothing compelling about it. No, it's just vapid. It's nothing.

Just the, I was curious to see what a shotgun starting professional, if you will, golf looked like. I had no idea what the logos for the teams meant at all. I mean, I had no idea. Is Trump jr driving the drink cart. What do we got here?

Can you buy the drink car? Did you see, they were serving pimento cheese sandwiches and they had music and like masters vest on and he, and he blacked it out. What was he thinking about that? And by the way, him stepping to the T with the was real money. They played the, the famous fake real. That wasn't fake with a walkup. We thought that might've been fake. I thought somebody might've edited it, but no, it really happened. So here's my pitch for the book.

Yes. Sorry. We'll get it to your dad and let him be happy because the Phil book is really well researched and really depressing. If you liked Phil, you're going to be really depressed with this book, with the gambling and the way treats, according to Alan Shipnuck, he treats certain people. I always thought he was a great guy, but this is just fun. Great golf stories. Can I tell you a quick story? I would love to let me reset Rick Riley here on the rich eyes and show. So help me golf while we'd love the game is the name of the new book just in time for father's day.

You mentioned about giving it to your dad. So that's right around the corner. You have the floor.

These are 80 stories. So I should hate golf. My dad was a drunk golfer, came home violent, broke my mom's nose.

We would all hide. We thought golf caused the hell in our lives. But then when I was 11, my brother took me to the range and it was so much fun and there was nobody drinking and guys, dads were there and they weren't drunk.

And I had this probably unhealthy love of the game after that. And so for 40 years I've been collecting stories that I think you're going to love about golf and the people somewhere emotional, but a lot are just really great. For instance, at LaHinch in Ireland, there's a blind par three. Now people in America never heard of this, but you can't see the green. You hit it over the hill and hope there's a green there. And in 1997, four people, all Americans made holes in one on this par three.

They couldn't even see the flag. What's the distance? What's the flow? What's the mileage? I think it was 162.

Okay. So it was the greatest statistical anomaly in the history of golf, maybe in sports itself. That night in the LaHinch bar, it's fantastic. And the bartender's just making Guinness's left to right because in golf you have to buy each other a drink. Everybody in the bar gets a free drink and he's making, and there's caddies in there that shouldn't be in there.

And the townspeople are in there and it's just madness. And the waitress is making her whole rent in a single month and everything's fantastic until the bartender's wife comes through the front door, holding the ear of their six year old son. And she drags him behind the bar and she says, you tell your dog what you were doing this fine day, you little rascal. And he goes, oh, I was putting balls in the hole. He was, he was putting, he was hiding behind a tree and a ball would come over and he'd run out, put it in the hole, hide back behind the tree just so he could see 60 year old white guys going crazy and ripping off their shirts like Brandy Chastain and riding each other like ponies. And it just, man, he thought it was the greatest thing ever. And so the bartender's looking at his kid and the wife's looking at the bartender and he's, and she's like, aren't you going to say anything to the lad? And he goes, yes, good job. There's, there's four, four people in America that have holes in one little hinge that don't know they don't have them. That is amazing.

That's the kind of story that's in there because where is that going to fit in an SI piece or ESPN piece? Nothing. No.

No. I love that, man. That is great.

What, what is, what is the, I guess most unique course you've ever played, heard of? You want to? Well, I went around the world once and I'd like to tell Kyrie Irving this.

I started in Denver and I flew East. They let me go around the world for a month. Remember when journalism had money?

Yes. They had so much money. And so I said, well, hell, I'll spend some money. And I went around the world playing the most unforgettable holes in the world and I collected them.

But when I got back, Mulvoy quit, Mulvoy and the new guy was a trendless guy and he didn't want it. So I've had been sitting on this. So me and my buddies, we go to the course of, Hey, he's writing a book about the 18 most unforgiving, could we play your course?

And they're like, yes, yes. So we had free golf for 20 years on this deal. But there's a hole in South Africa where you got to hit over alligators. There's a hole in New Mexico that's three miles long and it's 50 feet around. There's an underwater hole in the Caribbean.

But my point to Kyrie Irving is I flew East and kept flying East and I ended up back in Denver. How did that happen? It's wild.

It's, it's, it's almost as if the planet is round. What do you mean an underwater hole? What are you talking about?

In the Caribbean? You hit your shot and the balls are weighted and you scuba dive down and then you finish out the hole. That sounds very involved.

It's fantastic. Can I tell you one more quick story? I imagine you're not measuring your putt. Like you're not, you're not sitting there waiting for somebody to like figure, figure out whether which, where the putt breaks. Yeah.

There's no, there's no water. Just before the shark comes. Get it in. Yeah. Hit when ready. Right.

Hit when ready. Here's a, here's a true story also. Here's a true story. This guy, this pilot, air force pilot, 1965 Vietnam gets shot down above North into North Vietnam, goes into the Hanoi Hilton, the worst prison in all of North Vietnam. He's in a six foot by seven foot cell. I saw it. Dark.

Can't. There's no windows. His name was Colonel George Hall from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He finds a stick. He's in isolation for four years.

Yes. Family thinks he's dead. The US Army Air Force thinks he's dead. He finds a stick and he starts playing golf every morning. Kisses his wife, gets in the car, drives through the streets of Hattiesburg, waves to the guy that runs the used car lot, wave to the grocery lady, pulls in kids with the shoeshine guy, puts on his spikes, gets to the first tee with his three buddies, swings the stick. Well, he was a pretty good college player, so he paces off say 255 yards for his drive.

Now he's looking at it. It's about eight iron, 135 yards, hits the eight iron, paces that off. Now he's got a 25 foot putt, played like that every day, shot even par, went home, waved at everybody in town in his mind. For four years, he did this every single day, always at his club. He was finally released, 102 pounds.

He left at 180. Jeez. He comes to the podium at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and the whole town's waiting for him, right?

Uh-huh. And he's about to give this speech that he's been thinking about, but suddenly he sees the grocery store lady, and he sees the used car guy, and he sees the shoeshine guy, and he sees his buddy, and he starts crying, and he finally gets out. You people, this game saved my life because I was able to leave the cell and had so many people I knew in prison who died just went mad. And so that's what I mean about this book, golf, because I was pretty much raised by my brother, because I didn't really have a dad, and my mom was sickly. Golf really raised me, and it became my family, and so that's why this book is sort of my valentine to that family of golf, which I know it's not for everybody, but believe me, it really was woven through the fabric of my life. So help me golf while we love the game. Rick Riley here, a few more minutes left with the author, writer right here on The Rich House.

That's a beautiful story. I got to be honest with you, Matt. So what's your game like now? What do you got now?

6.7? Damn. I'm Catholic, but I've been going into even synagogues and telling rabbis that I shot a 63 at Bel Air, greatest day of my life. Every putt went in the hole. I made nine birdies.

The hole looked like an open manhole in New York City. I couldn't miss, and then the next day I shot 82, and that's golf. That is golf. That is golf. You play with Al?

Play a lot. Have you ever told me my Al story? Al Michaels stories are always welcome here.

Hillcrest Country Club, 16th hole, me and Al and another guy, and you know, Al's not good. Al's like this. Al's just... Come on.

He plays every day, and he's not good. I'm like, Al, how about we mix in a lesson this week? No, no. I got it. I got it. And he's so fun to play with. Of course. But he's terrible. I mean, come on. And we all love him, but he can't play dead in the Cowboy movie. He's terrible. So anyway, 16th hole, I hit this nine iron, goes over the pin, right, and it starts to trickle back. Al launches into play-by-play mode.

Al Michaels, maybe the greatest play-by-play guy in history. Could be. Absolutely.

It's not done yet. It might be. It could be.

It is. The hole-in-one for Riley. And I went crazy. And I was thinking, God, I wish I'd had that on tape, but really, it's still on tape in my brain. Of course. And every time I see him, I'm like, how about that call on the hole-in-one?

Well, what about I made the hole-in-one? The call. That's how Al is. He is the greatest. He's the best.

He really, really is. I mean, have you ever asked him about miracles? What? Do you believe in miracles? Sure. He says, people think of a stage that we put it in after. Does he tell the— Oh, go ahead. Keep going. He's like, we didn't even have time to eat a sandwich. We were in such and such a hurry. And he says, I don't know why.

I was just born with this thing, and this stuff just comes out. Because he's the greatest of all time. He's the greatest play-by-play guy I've ever taught. Al Michaels is—and the crazy thing is, for all those years on Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, they didn't have a rules analyst because they didn't need one.

He's the rules analyst, too. He knows the book. He knows exactly down in distance. He knows time. He knows time-outs. He's also in so great a situation.

The best I've ever seen. Unbelievable. Quick question.

Quick story. We have so many great announcers at Bellaire. We have Vin Scully. So one day, Vin Scully makes a hole-in-one.

And we're all sitting around the smart table. And I've got to hear this story, right? Because it's Vin Scully, greatest storyteller ever. So Vin, tell us about your hole-in-one. Well, you know, it's funny.

I was playing with a guy that would make a cup of coffee nervous, and I wasn't really having a banner day. Well, lo and behold, I hit the shot. It sounded like I hit it with the morning paper, Sunday, mind you. And it wasn't that good. But you know, Rick, two wrongs do make a right. I hit the wrong club.

And what do you know? The ball goes plop, plop into the hole. And I expected the end to be. And this story brought to you by a partner, John. That was so great. Vin Scully telling stories.

Oh my gosh. You know, he was the last announcer we'll probably never see again in baseball where the broadcast, certainly locally here in Los Angeles, would do away with half a commercial pod just so he could come back like around fifth inning. And you've seen that when he used to do the Dodger games. They would come back like top of the fifth to like a minute earlier than any other inning commercial break just for him to turn around that field behind him with a microphone and just spin a yarn and just be Vin. And then now it's time for Dodgers baseball. Let's now turn around and watch the game. And who does that? Like, they'll never like, could you imagine a broadcast saying, you know what, we'll do away with two sponsor opportunity commercials just to come back so you can tell a story as a broadcaster. Well, I have a disastrous story. I did three innings once for an SI column, and I trained with the Colorado Rockies, trained for a week.

And I had this whole list of baseball, you know, no mas pelota, if a guy hit a home run, no mas pelota if it was a Spanish player. Oh my gosh. Close the shutters, granny. It's hangman horse hide. Terrible stuff. Right. So this is prepared. I'm like 25 things, right? I'm on the mic. Yes. Play-by-play guys here. Color guys here. Jeff Kent rips it to deep right.

Jeff Kent. And it's clearly gone. Yeah. And I go, that's way back there. And he's like, he's pointing to my sheet. Yeah. I'm like, that's way, way back there. And he's like, and I'm like, and I go, it's a Homer. That's all I said.

It's a Homer. And I was so depressed. And so I had to read an ad. I remember for La Quinta Hotels. And I go, La Quinta Hotels, that's Spanish for next to Denny's.

That's a problem. The director's in my area like, we never make fun of the sponsors. What are you doing? I'm like, I didn't know. Rick, one night on, one night on NFL network, Thursday night football, I believe it was in New England. And it was a Kentucky Fried Chicken blimp shot that was sponsored by Kentucky Fried Chicken. And they give you a card to read and whatever. So I'm the host and I'm doing my read for Kentucky Fried Chicken. And Warren Sapp sitting there says, Kentucky Fried Chicken, that's not real chicken. Popeyes is real chicken.

And so, oh God, yes. So snap cut to three days later. It's time for NFL game day highlights, which Deon Mooch and I did, brought to you by Kentucky Fried Chicken. They did so many make goods, I damn near had to put on a bolo tie and a fake beard.

Everything was Kentucky Fried Chicken because Warren Sapp said that's not real chicken. Well, I actually got a letter two weeks later from the president of La Quinta Hotels. And it said, well, we know you like to kid around.

Here's two nights at one of our 43 billion La Quinta Hotels. And I wrote him back, haven't I suffered enough? No, I didn't.

Oh, no. I thought the punchline is you went and it was actually next to a Denny's. Probably was. I thought that was the punchline.

It probably was. Oh my gosh. So Help Me Golf, Why We Love the Game by Rick Riley.

Thanks for coming in here, man. May you shoot a 54 and get 54 million dollars for it because that's the prize on the lift tour. The guy that shot the greatest round in history, a 55, and par 71 in Oklahoma, his name was Rian Gibson. And I called him up and said, I'm going to try to shoot a 55 and see how many mulligans it takes.

So I flew down there and it's a quest. Do you know how hard it is to shoot a 55? There's scramble teams that are one and they don't even shoot 55.

It's ridiculous. I imagine so. So the point was I do do it in 57 mulligans, but I didn't tell Rian that I played from the red tees. And I hope no one tells him that, but I really wanted to do it. Oh man. Rick, thanks for coming in here and sharing all those stories.

Greatly appreciate it. Is there nobody, did somebody have Rick Riley on Twitter? Is that why you were at Riley Rick on Twitter or you don't even know that? A fake guy.

Somebody like with an egg avatar back in the old days? Just trolling me constantly. At Riley Rick on Twitter. So help me golf while we love the game available. Now where you get your books and a perfect gift in time for Father's Day. Thanks for coming in, Rick. Thank you.

Just down the road. We'll have you come back anytime you want. Oh, it was really fun. Nice studio. Thank you, sir. Greatly appreciate it. Rick Riley here on the Rich Eisen Show. We're back to set up the rest of the week and take you to the rest of your Wednesday in a moment.

Back here on the Rich Eisen Show. Callaway Rogue Irons. Callaway didn't just create the longest irons ever with the new Rogue ST. What they did is make the longest irons ever perform at the highest level ever for every single player. There are four different versions and offerings of the Rogue ST irons.

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No other irons perform like the new Rogue ST irons, so find your Rogue ST irons at CallawayGolf.com slash go Rogue. During the commercial break, I had to text Al Michaels to tell him that Rick Riley just torched his golf game on the Rich Eisen Show on live TV and radio. Does that want to FaceTime him? I know you do.

You're desperate to FaceTime Al Michaels. Just anyone. Anybody.

Anybody. He won't do it. Well, it's because it's not right to do.

We knew he was going to FaceTime Rodman, but then we realized he probably only had a flip phone, so couldn't really FaceTime him. I mean, that's a hell of a flex. I don't like to flex either. I don't need to flex. Why not?

What do I need to flex for? If Al's not doing anything right now, he's probably playing golf. Or eating a steak.

It could be. Yeah, he could be eating a steak. One thing he's definitely not doing is eating a vegetable.

Zero vegetables. That's crazy to me. Okay, so mandatory mini camp for the New York Jets, and I know many of you might be sitting at home saying, so what?

And I say, so what this? Okay, okay, because we're all talking about everybody else in the American football conference, and rightfully so. The Buffalo Bills are Super Bowl favorites. The Miami Dolphins have totally retooled on offense. Now with Tyreek Hill there and the coach. To a T. To and on is everywhere. Hashtag to and on is everywhere now.

Okay. The Patriots of the Patriots. I said earlier to start of the show, the Steelers are the most overlooked team in the AFC North because we're all talking about the Sean Watson and his small massage towels, and we're talking about Joey Burrow and the defending champion, AFC champion, Cincinnati Bengals, and we're talking about Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, and we're talking about the Tennessee Titans, and we're talking about even the Jacksonville Jaguars more. The Colts have Matt Ryan. The AFC West is the deepest division maybe in the history of deep divisions. What about the New York Jets?

What about them? They got Sauce Gardner. They got Garret Wilson. They got Jermaine Johnson II. Then they got Breece Hall. And then, and then they got on the field this week, and they're seeing Zach Wilson look improved, playing fast, playing smart. This is head coach Robert Sala about the New York Jets quarterback year two.

Obviously it's well documented. He had a rough rookie year. I mean, we all did. I didn't include myself, so just in terms of growing, people are forgetting that he's got a young offensive supporting cast. His receivers are young. His backs are young.

The old line is just gelling together. He's young, and so for Zach, really, it's just to continue to progress and becoming the starter, a starting quarterback, and moving in the direction that we all know that he's capable of. He doesn't need to be Tom Brady this year. He doesn't need to be... Now, if he ends up being that, that's awesome, but that's not the expectation for him. The expectation is for him to continue to climb that mountain that's quarterback playing this league.

I think Zach's ceiling is exactly what I think he thinks his ceiling is, which is no limit to what we think he's capable of, and I mean that genuinely. To try to blow through the ceiling without really being a master of the one-on-one aspect of football is unfair to himself, and to continue taking those steps for him, yeah, he's a competitor. He wants explosive plays. He wants, like you said, he wants to be the best quarterback in the league day one, which we all want to be the best at what we do, but for him, it's not about being the best today.

It's about being your best today, and whatever your best is today, trust that it's good enough and that you can grow into whatever your best, whatever you are to maximize, and I believe it's going to be special, but just got to continue growing. Coach has graduated from play boring to a lot more of a, what I say, much more rosy outlook there. That's better than play boring.

Remember last year's play boring? My God, just get rid of the football. My God, just get it out.

Don't turn it over. He sounded like my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Robinson. He used to tell us every morning, good, better, best, never let it rest until your good gets better and your better gets best. Oh my goodness. That's what that sounded like. You sure it wasn't Dr. Seuss? Well, I mean, he may have jacked it from Dr. Seuss, but you know, that's what we were told every morning.

That's what he sounded like. That's a cat in the hat. Yeah.

Let me just say this. What did I say? Reverse. I think you said hat in the cat, which is possible.

Cat could eat a hat, but that's just weird. Look, man, last year was play boring. Be like Mike White.

That's the difference between be the Michael Jordan in cleats that now is in Cleveland for different reasons. But let me just say this, the ceiling, everybody keeps saying is my homes. And I get what Robert Sol is saying is get down the nuts and bolts.

You get the nuts and bolts down. That's when you can take chances and rely on your instincts and rely on your physical gifts. Everybody's sleeping on the jets. I heard Zach put on some weight this year, Rich.

Everybody keeps sleeping on them. I'm talking myself into this, too. I need a few more weeks to go. What exactly are you talking yourself into?

I can't even talk myself into expressing what I'm talking myself into just yet. But Coach is saying they're young. Dude, they're young. They're young and they are young and good. They're young and talented. They're not just throwing darts at a board. They're making smart plays in the draft and they're making smart plays in the free agency market from the tight end position, offensive line. Your draft was so amazing.

It was. They're young. And if they can gel, oh, boy, it can last a good long while. And I like the coach. I like the general manager. 2022 is taking off. All right, I got to stop.

I heard Zach hit the weight room, put on some extra pounds just to get himself ready for the season. Yeah, man. Yeah, man. You're not in Utah anymore. You're in New York City.

New York City. Yes, sir. All right, I'm not ready to do the win-loss game just yet. But that'll wrap it up for Wednesday's show. For the real story behind some of wrestling's biggest moments, it's Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard and Conrad Thompson, too. All-time Hogan opponents, Macho Man's got to be in the conversation. Where's Andre for you? I've always said Andre was number one. Wow. Because even going back before Hulk Hogan was a babyface, Hulk and Andre were able to go in and headline at the New Orleans Superdome, at Shea Stadium in Japan. Wherever they went, that was an attraction. Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.