Richard Pitino: I Wouldn't Pass Up the Xavier Job to Avoid Playing My Dad

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Learn more at americanexpress.com slash Amex Business. Hey, everybody! Can't get enough of The Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck! You can find us everywhere. Watch us weekdays on the Roku Sports Channel from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast, so you can listen anytime.

But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. This is The Rich Eisen Show with guest host, Andrew Siciliano. You're everyone's problem. That's because every time you go up in the air, you're unsafe.

I don't like you because you're dangerous. Live from The Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Yokich for three. Curry cheats another three.

It's good! Earlier on the show, pro football focus NFL draft analyst Trevor Sikkema, Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown. Still to come, Xavier men's basketball head coach Richard Pitino. And now, sitting in for Rich, it's Andrew Siciliano. What's going on, Peter?

TJ, I don't know. Welcome to The Rich Eisen Show. My name is Andrew. We just did the, I just committed the ultimate sin here in radio or TV, for that matter. You take an inside joke and then you allude to it on the air without actually telling what the joke is.

Or a conversation we were literally having 10 seconds ago. That's what we do here on this show, so that's fine. And another thing. And another thing. And another thing, Vonnegut. Welcome to the third hour of the show.

My name is Andrew, coming up in about 15 minutes, 20 minutes actually. Richard Pitino, the new head coach at Xavier. We'll ask him, what's up with the food scene in Cincinnati? Because Jamar Chase said it was awful. Did he?

Jamar Chase did absolutely dump all over this. Was that Skyline chili? Well, yeah. The Cincinnati chili is not food. It is not food. It just isn't something you'd serve to people that walk on two feet. Dog food? Dog food?

You wouldn't do it. That's my opinion. Now, there are good restaurants, however. I know Jamar didn't say there are bad restaurants in Cincinnati. He just said they need to work on the food scene. There are very good restaurants in Cincinnati. Not only Jeff Ruby's, but what's his other one? Andrew, though. Jamar's got an Italian restaurant downtown.

I can't remember the name. You've got to go down these steps. It's awesome. I like Cincinnati restaurants.

Anyway, I'm sorry, TJ. I was going to say, Jamar now has enough scratch that he can have any type of restaurant he wants. He can set up his own New Orleans cuisine restaurant. He and Joe Burrow. Would you go to a Joe Burrow, Jamar, J&J's restaurant brought this? Yes. Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, they should absolutely have a sports bar.

You know, why wouldn't you? You're going to be there for a while. You ain't going nowhere. No.

No. And say this too about Cincinnati. They've got a great little thing going downtown. I don't know if you guys have been there recently, but between the two stadiums, right, Pecor, and then I can't remember the name of the Reds Ballpark, but they're, say it again. Great American Ballpark. Thank you.

Thank you, Hoskins. Right downtown on the river, you know, big walkway concourse. There's a path down on the river. I go running whenever I'm there in the morning. You could go across the bridge in Kentucky, come back, bars and restaurants, great little set up there between the two stadiums. It's a really cool vibe on game day, or even when it is in game day, between those two stadiums and all the commerce sets there. I kind of like it.

I digress. This is not a Cincinnati show only, but Richard Patino does join us in about 15 minutes. Chris Brockman, Jay, TJ, all of y'all, thank you for welcoming me back to this chair. How is everybody? Fantastic. Great.

Good times. Carmelo Anthony is in the Hall of Fame today. I said earlier, the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame, it is simply the Basketball Hall of Fame. In the NFL, it is the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Everyone has a little bit of a different name and spin on their Hall of Memories.

You know what's cool about the Hall of Fame? They're all in places where you wouldn't expect it. Super small towns. The Basketball Hall of Fame is in Springfield, Massachusetts, because that's where the game was invented. Never been, by the way. Canton, Ohio. Well, that's where the league was formed.

Exactly. What's the Cooperstown, New York? It's an impossible place to get to. Conversely, the Hockey Hall of Fame is in Toronto, Canada.

All right, fair. I've been to that one. That one's awesome too. That one's in this cool old, I think it might've been like a, an old bank or an old, whatever.

It's a, it's a cool old stone building that's not like a modern, sleek kind of thing. It's a really cool vibe, the Hockey Hall of Fame. Carmelo Anthony is in the Basketball Hall of Fame today. The national champion with the Orangeman, the guy that Brockman still thinks should have been Rookie of the Year.

I'll fight, fight anyone on that. 75th anniversary team. Congratulations there to Carmelo Anthony. Also, Alex Rodriguez and Lore, Rodriguez and Lore, that group, it's now official.

They take over the Minnesota Timberwoods. That deal is done. Glen Taylor, Mark Lore, Alex Rodriguez, that thing's all done now.

All right. According to sources, Taylor will not appeal Minnesota's arbitrators that ruled in favor of Lore Rodriguez in February. NBA will start the transfer progress process. Alex Rodriguez, your owner, at least part owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, ladies and gentlemen. Speaking of the Minnesota Timberwolves, they were involved last night in a ridiculous bunkers game. Many of you might've been watching baseball last night.

I was. I was out for dinner, but when I came back, was, you know, watch the Guardians defense fall apart late in the game in San Diego. But the NBA gave us an amazing night. The Suns and the Bucks, obviously, you had Stefko for 50, and then you also had a double overtime classic in Denver, the T-Wolves and the Nuggets. Minnesota won a 140 to 139 in double overtime, a game in which this was the line for Nikola Jokic. Joker had 61 10 and 10.

I'll say that again. What is that in fantasy by the way, 61 10 and 10, the highest scoring triple double in the history of the league, 61 10 and 10 again, double overtime, right? They played extra basketball. You got free basketball and hopefully some kind of promotion with tacos or whatever.

I was at a Clipper game last week, Cavs, Miss consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter. Everybody got a Chick-fil-A sandwich. However, do you know there, you have to get your Chick-fil-A sandwich that night. Oh no, really? So now you're scrambling.

Can I find a Chick-fil-A that's open? Wait a minute. Is that new? Because I've been going to Clipper games for years and we always were able, you had like a time limit.

I think maybe I'm wrong. All I know is that was announced on the way out the door. Get it tonight.

The game's over at 10. So it's like, wait a minute, can I, can I find one that's open? Isn't that one on Rosecrans open? I don't know.

It's wild. Actually. It's Artesia. Did you like all the toilets though? Toilets? I did not. What? The toilets? You're the person to ask me.

Cause it's. Did you like the toilets? Well, that's a thing. Full disclosure. I did not need to use the facilities when I was there. Oh, look at you.

You thought it was red zone. I used to host a show for seven hours and I happened to use the bathroom. I've got the Jedi mind trick kids.

I didn't have to use the can. What's so special about the toilets at the Intuit though? Steve Ballmer, when he had this, I don't even know if you could call it arena, this place design, he wanted to make sure that you could get in and out of the bathroom and get back to a lot of toilets. Are they high end toilets? I don't mean like tall, like the Japanese robot toilets. You don't get like, you don't get like scrubbed and washed or anything like that. But I mean, there's a lot of, there's a lot of urinals, a lot of toilets.

I did a preview before the season started. I went through there, tons of toilets. It's great. Tons of toilets. Tons of toilets.

That'll be your follow up album. Toilets. Toilets, Jay.

Speaking of those awesome robot toilets, little inside football, NFL network, the new building going over in Inglewood next to SoFi, NFL network has those awesome robot toilets. What do you mean? Yeah. Like the good ones. You ever been to Tokyo? They have a heated seats. The heated seats. They have a bidet.

Enjoy it. They have the awesome Japanese, amazing robot toilets. When we went to Paris over Christmas, when right before cage was born, that was the one thing, like Europe is big on the heated toilets and you like sit down and you're not expecting it. You're like, whoa, whoa. Hey, what's going on? I called them Japanese toilets.

Cause I, I don't know if I, when I, the first time I was ever in Japan, that's where I first saw them and I'd heard about them and I was like, Ooh, okay. I need a book. Anybody got a book? Yeah. It's up for a while. Okay. I digress. I digress. Let's go back to the game.

Isn't that what Instagram is for? 140 to 139 in double overtime, the Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets and joker went for 61 10 and 10, just no big deal. No big deal. 61 10 and 10, Anthony Edwards also had a really good game. He had 34 10 and eight, and he only had 10 points going into the fourth quarter. Yeah.

34 10 and eight. Here's what Ant said afterwards. It might've been the best game of my life that I've been a part of. Oh my God. He's might be the best basketball player I've ever seen.

Like close up to my, like, besides myself, to myself, he's incredible, bro. I don't, the MVP race is tough, man. I don't know.

I don't know. He had 60. That was crazy. How did you guys manage just the ups and the downs of that and how crazy it was? We was just hoping he missed. It was at one point we was just like, bro, we hope, we hope you miss, bro.

Just because he was trapping him, but he wasn't trapping him, he's just, hats off to him, man. Sure. Besides myself, to myself. That's amazing. Love it.

And I love the honesty as well. It was one of those games. It was one of those games in which they will make a documentary one day.

There will be an oral history written or shot of that game. And to Ant's point about, we're just hoping he missed, but he's huge, obviously. But I think the basket that got them to the second overtime, he got it at the elbow and you just back your guy down. You can't anchor against him.

Just back him down, turn around and score the former. As we get ready for the NFL draft, just keep this in mind. In sports, I realize, you get a guy like Brock Purdy picked 262 who's about to get paid 50, maybe even 60 million bucks a year. In the NBA, second round picks don't do anything. That's why the whole brawny outrage last year was just nonsensical to me. What do second round picks do? Okay. Stop with the Manu Ginobili, please.

It never happens. But Joker, second round pick, there were 40 guys selected before him. He was the 41st pick. And as he said, MVP race is tough.

The West is tough as well. My Myles Garrett interview a couple of weeks ago, in which Myles made that face that he knew what the Browns were going to do at quarterback and that thing went viral. What didn't get noticed from that interview, noticed from that interview, Myles is a minority partner in the Cavaliers. So he's an NBA owner. And I said, because the Cavaliers at that point had not yet hit their four game losing streak through the West coast, I was at that Clipper game as mentioned. And I said, it was right before that game, actually, I said, who are the Cavaliers going to face in the finals? And he said, the Nuggets, not the Thunder, not the Lakers, the Nuggets.

And I said, really? Because, you know, from TV perspective, Cavs, Lakers, LeBron, Cleveland, I mean, come on. That's what I think a lot of people want to see. Now you could argue Celtics ahead of the Cavaliers, obviously Celtics Lakers, that's entirely different. The history, the ratings, the look, I get it, but LeBron against Cleveland, even though Cleveland is not Boston when it comes to the major market of the eyeballs, but best team of the NBA record was that would be awesome.

LeBron against Cleveland would be awesome. And he said, no, the Nuggets. But he also had to think about it for a while. I asked the question and we kept it in the interview. There was a, there was like a good five, six second thinking about it. Hmm.

What do I want to say? And if joker can do that, I'm getting to the point and you just hope he misses and you know, he didn't come out in the second half. No, the, he last sat at the six 28 mark of the second quarter. He didn't come out in the second half, the first overtime or the second overtime, they kept trying to take him out.

He's like, no, I'm good. How many minutes? How many minutes? He ate or something like 53, 53 minutes. Not Christian Braun also played 53 minutes, but joker played 53 minutes, 18 of 29 from the field, including six of 11 for three, 19 of 24 at the line, he missed five free throws and he still had 61 points not to be outdone. Steph Curry also last night, pretty, pretty good. Steph Curry and the warriors went into Memphis, big game there in the standings. They're both now 44 wins warriors, 44 and 31 Gris, 44 and 32 Steph went for 52 10 and eight. And the warriors beat the Gris five steals.

Jeez. What a, what a night and a block 10 block did it all. He was a plus 17, 52, 10, and eight, 12 of 20 from long range, 23 for the record. They didn't go to double overtime in that game, 12 of 20 from downtown. We talked before about players for whom you get the kids and you make sure you go see Steph Curry, I mean, even the crowd in Miami last week, when he didn't play, that crowd went nuts just to see him sit on the bench. It's like, I want to be near Steph Curry. It is a traveling circus and, and they're not the best team in the West, but they have a chance to get to the three spot when Steph and Jimmy Butler are together. They have won 90% of their games. They are 18 and two when Steph and Jimmy Butler both play, they're winning at a 90% clip.

When they both play, that would scare me if I had to face him. And you know what? Because I did go to two clipper games last week. It's amazing what happens when you get everyone on the court together. Yep.

It's amazing. Like, I sat down to that Cavs game and interim head coach, Brian Shaw, I turned to my buddy. I'm like, wait, Brian Shaw's coaching the Clippers? Where have I been? Right.

But he is. And look, everybody played together. What an amazing thing when it actually can all come together as planned. As mentioned, Richard Patino coming up at about five minutes, NFL news. I said a couple of hours ago, I'll say it again.

Everything is locked in stone, but my gut tells me we have seen the last of the tush push. The vote, and it's a straw poll, not really a vote, was right down the middle yesterday, 16 for 16 against banning the thing. It is not a, we don't like the Eagles, therefore we want to make it more difficult for them to win. It isn't. Please don't buy into that narrative. I know every fan base is defensive, even if you didn't just win the Superbowl, right?

And every fan base thinks the world is out to get us. That is not what this is. I do firmly believe, however, that if you can't stop it, you shouldn't go to ban it.

You should just find a way to stop it. But it does look like a rugby play and there are legitimate safety issues, not at the line of scrimmage per se, but I think everywhere else on the field. And I think what the NFL is having trouble figuring out right now is what do we do with the tush push and what do we do with the overall change in the game now that you can push and pull the ball carrier anywhere on the field? Now, this rule has been in place in essence since they changed the rule, tweaked it after the 2004 season. But what's the difference, and I'll use an Eagles comparison, between Jalen Hurts getting pushed by Dallas Goddard or somebody in the backfield behind him and being allowed for that scrum to continue and say a defensive back picking up Devante Smith after he catches a hitch and carrying him back five yards. Why is the offense allowed to carry the ball carrier, but the defense is not allowed to pick the ball carrier up and carry him in the opposite direction?

What is the difference? Well, forward progress was stopped. Well, wasn't it kind of stopped on the goal line, but you allowed the scrum? And that is A, where there's a safety concern on those other plays and B, where I think they're going to be able to figure out a way to legislate this. And it may look, and it may be that the quote unquote, tush push is banned, but I guarantee you this and write it down right now.

The Eagles will find a way around it. Not because they're cheaters, but because if you look at the tape, not every quote unquote tush push is actually a tush push. Jalen Hurts is not always getting his tush pushed.

A lot of times he's getting the snap, he usually goes left and he's just hitting that A gap guys, or he'll go to the B gap, right? Jeff Stoutland is the best online coach in the NFL right now. That guy is a machine, meaning he and Howie Roseman together. They know how to draft. They know how to develop. They know how to get the best play out of their line. They figured out a way to do this and they're going to keep on doing it without Jalen Hurts getting pushed.

I guarantee you. And also the way the Packers wrote the rule, and again, you have to vote on the proposal as written. The proposal as written, let me pull it up right now, just so we get it right, Packers, here it is, push immediately the actual language.

Here it is. So the actual language is the Packers introduced a proposal restricting any offensive player from quote immediately at the snap, push or throw his body against a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and received the snap to aid him in attempt to gain yardage. What is immediately? I don't mean that as a joke.

It's not, depends on what the definition of is, is as a former president once said, but immediately is subjective. And the rule, the proposal was not written well, so they have to send it back to committee. And I think there is a more likely than not chance that come May the tush push is the sun sets on the tush where the sun doesn't shine. That makes sense. I don't know.

Play on words failing for a thousand please. Coming up next, the new head coach is Xavier. Richard Patino joins us on the rich icing show. Let's talk O'Reilly auto parts people they're in the business of keeping your car on the road. Oh, Oh, Oh, O'Reilly auto parts offers friendly, helpful service and the parts knowledge you need for all your maintenance and repairs.

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Hey, Rich Eisen here. I hear from a lot of business owners like you about the work it takes to pursue your passions. So I know how important it is to have the tools that can help keep you moving forward. And with access to world-class business and travel benefits, the American express business platinum card helps you take your business to the next level. It offers a flexible spending limit that adapts with your business.

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6 minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. And we are back on the Rich Eisen Show, Andrew Siciliano sitting in for Rich, who is back on Monday. Chris Brockman, Jay and TJ here as well.

It is always good to talk to somebody whose name ends in a vowel. He is the new head coach at Xavier and he joins us live at the Rich Eisen Show. Richard Pitino, how's the new gig? It's a lot, you know, I'm excited about it, but there's a lot of work to do. I mean, we did the whole press conference boosters, all that, which was great. And it's fun, but we've got a lot of work to do with this roster or lack thereof. So it's been great. You know, being able to see some of the spots in Cincinnati, I didn't realize how good of a city it is. I'd spent some time here, but very, very exciting.

And to be back in the big East is awesome. Two players. That's it.

You do have work to do. How was that first team meeting? Well, as of now, there's two players. They could all walk in and leave too, you know, there's nothing that binds these guys to anything right now. So yeah, that first, normally what you do is you're trying to build a roster, but you're also like working out the current guys where we don't have anyone really to work out, which is, it's all good. I mean, everybody's, I could have stayed in New Mexico and dealt with the same thing.

It's just the ever changing landscape of this and we'll have to figure it out, but we got plenty of time to buy probably June one, build a roster. Have you looked at that room yet and said, Hey, David West isn't walking through that door. No, Tyrone Hill is not walking through that door. You know what? I remember when he had that epic speech, I was in Boston and he's got a big like on social media. I wouldn't say he's oblivious, but he is somewhat oblivious. And I remember he did that speech and I was like, man, you don't realize the backlash you created with that. Huh? And he was like, no, is it bad? I was like, yeah, that was bad.

Don't do that again, please. Oh, but it was such a ridiculously epic moment talking here to Richard Pitino on the rich eyes and show you obviously were referencing your dad, Rick Pitino, who you now back in the big East, you get to play twice a year. I think one in three against him, but no one's counting.

I want to ask it from a different perspective. Was there anything about getting back into the, like the idea of having to play him twice a year and being in the big East, was that in any way a negative, like, did it ever give you pause and go, you know what? I don't know that I do want to go through that. Well, for one, the one time we beat him was the only time he played me in my home gym. So let's just remember that. So he came in shot fired and we beat him, but no, honestly. Is it annoying?

Yeah. Like I don't love doing it by any means but it was not enough for me to pass on this opportunity. The only time I really deal with it honestly is with the media. Other than that, like, you know, we played him at St. John's this year in the garden and that was more of an experience for my team and I wanted to kind of beef up the schedule, but there's no real, like, yeah, I'm not going to catch up to his career. He's got like over 800 wins and he's in the hall of fame. So I probably got a long way to go there. I'm secure enough in myself to understand that, but it was definitely never like I'm going to pass up on a Xavier type situation because I don't want to play him. Have people pitched you guys like the show idea, like father, son, and like a day in the life, like a hard knocks NFL films kind of thing behind the scenes with the two of you back in the same conference?

No, I mean, he had his little docu series that's gone on for like 90 episodes. I keep texting him like, when is this thing over? But I was on that for that. But you know, I think all of us are trying to figure out ways to get more NIL. So, you know, I would be more than open to doing it if, if it contributes to the collective.

So no, nobody's come to me yet, but we'll keep all options open. I'm talking to Richard Pitino now, the new head coach at Xavier, want to get back to the NIL thing, because you mentioned it, you obviously have to be a roster builder now every year. It's a year by year proposition. And I would have to imagine it's exhausting in the football world that I cover, you are seeing more and more college coaches saying, I would rather be NFL assistants and not have to deal with having to recruit my own players on my roster to stay nearly every week. You have a spring game, but then you've got to re-recruit your roster to make sure they stay because they are getting offers. I mean, the transfer portal opened now in the NCAA tournament. We see it in college football where the transfer portal opens as the bowl games are being played. Is this sustainable for college basketball? Well, I don't know if sustainable is the right word. Like I think we'll keep moving on and it'll be fine, but the hardest part is honestly for the coaches and maybe the fans, because they may get attached to somebody and they move on.

I don't think as coaches we're like any better than the players. I broke my contract at New Mexico to leave. I don't think I'm a bad person. I don't think I'm not loyal. Was I chasing the money?

Like, no, I thought it was a great opportunity for me. So my biggest thing to the players is just help us win this year. And if you help us win, it's going to increase your value. And if you have other opportunities, we'll support you.

The only thing I ask them is, let us have a seat at the table of why we believe staying here may be more beneficial for you or elsewhere. But everybody's different and they've earned the right to do that. I do think there are some situations that are not, it's not sustainable to have everybody be a free agent. And in business, it's all about leverage. And they have all the leverage in the world right now. And a lot of them haven't earned it. They may not play a lot and they've got all the, so I don't blame them. They're taking advantage of a system that's really, really one-sided in it, but you can't sit and complain about it. You just got to figure it out.

You got to talk to your people about maximizing the resources as best you can to be able to move on if somebody does want to move on. Talking to Richard Patino, what percentage of your job is X's and O's and what percentage of your job is fundraising and recruiting and trying to build a roster? Well, one of the reasons I wanted to go to the Big East was I do believe when this house settlement thing passes April 7th, the Big East is going to be in a position of strength because we don't have to share our resources with football. There are going to be, a lot of these schools are going to be capped out with football.

So everybody's trying to figure it out. But I do believe the Big East is going to be in a great spot. X's and O's, I think when the season starts, it's certainly important, but you can't do it without a great roster. So it's definitely unique and challenging, but there's some fun in it too. You're like a GM, you're like a president, and then when the season starts, you're like a coach. So the problem is, or the hard part is there's a small sample size for what we're doing now and the money and the market is just shifting so much. So it's a little bit hard to analytically figure it all out, but we're certainly trying to do that. You said, are you a coach? Are you GM? Can I make you an analyst and pick your brain on the final four as well?

Sure. So I heard this theory and it was somewhat snarky for the people that say, well, this tournament hasn't been as good as past years. There's no big excitement. I would argue that the games last weekend, the weekend before they're actually really good. Um, they look at it and say, well, you have four number one seeds. It proves they got it right.

What do you think of that? Yeah, I think everybody's got to look themselves in the mirror and understand investment now more than ever is going to translate to winning very, very simple. And if you look at the programs that are in the final four right now, they're all in, you know, I mean, the sec is a perfect example. When I was at Florida, sec was an absolute football league.

Basketball was an afterthought. And you look at Auburn and Florida, they absolutely committed through the sec and so on to basketball and they're getting their return on their investment. Duke has always been invested. Calvin Sampson has done a phenomenal job of building that program. The AD there is a good friend of mine.

He was my AD who hired me in New Mexico. They're committing to, certainly they want football to be good, but basketball as well. So I think it's terrific. And I agree with you. I mean, they got it right. And if all of us, whether it's savior, New Mexico, wherever wants to be a part of that, you gotta be all in and committed to that. So more power to them.

It's an arms race and we all got to join the fight. Who do you like this weekend? I'll say Duke. Duke is just big, talented.

They can switch everything. You know, that, that Houston, I mean, Houston is as, I believe that my dad and Kelvin Sampson are the two best coaches in college basketball, especially in the defensive side of it. So it'll be a war. I think both match-ups will be really, really good. They're kind of Florida's high octane offensively, Auburn, Bruce Pearl's done a terrific job.

I think you're going to see on the other side of it with Duke and Houston, an absolute rock fight. This is Saturday and Monday in San Antonio, finally, Richard Pitino, we appreciate your time. Jamar chase.

And I don't know if you heard this at all. Obviously Jamar chase, Bengals wide receiver. When he signed his new contract a couple of weeks ago, he said he loves Cincinnati because there's not a lot to do his words, not mine, and that that's good for him. He could stay home. He could watch film.

He could focus on football. He really likes it there and he wanted to stay, but then he said, but we got to work on the food scene because yeah, it's not that good. Your thoughts early Richard Pitino on Cincinnati, Chile and the food scene.

I'm going to have to disagree with Jamar chase. I apologize. I know he's probably a legend here. I'm coming from New Mexico where there's a different type of Chile, right?

There's green and red Chile spelled differently. More skyline I've had before certainly iconic in this city. I was downtown last night. We have a recruit on campus and I was blown away by just how vibrant downtown is around the football and baseball stadium. So I think now I'm an old man.

I'm not like Jamar chase. I've got three little kids and I've been blown away by the suburbs, the neighbors, the neighborhoods. It's been really good. And I heard the, the restaurant scene for us Italians is some good Italian food as well.

So very excited about it. Big fan of Soto downtown. Don't know if you went there last night or not. No, but check it out. I did not.

Also ends in a vowel. I will look at you. Yeah. I'll take it out.

Go for it. And I agree. I actually said the same thing about the ballparks downtown about 10 minutes before you came on. It's a great vibe there. Restaurants and bars in between the two stadiums riverfront.

You could run when I'm in town, it's a great morning workout as well. I like the place. I know you're going to love it as well. We appreciate the time and the candor. Go build that roster. Don't let us hold you any longer. All right. Thank you. Appreciate it. Richard Pitino, everybody in Cincinnati at Xavier, the new head coach Soto Cincinnati.

Love it. I don't get paid for the endorsement there, but good times college basketball. It is tough because it is a year by year proposition, but football is the same way, but basketball, the smaller rosters, I feel, you know, the danger, obviously look, coaches change players. That out happens all the time, but you see that radical tear down and need to rebuild on a year by year basis, far more frequently these days in basketball than you do in football. But we've seen in football as well, where teams can't field 22 or 53 or 90 for a bowl game. And you got to tap out of a bowl game, free agency, which is what it is. It's free agency, free agency during the playoffs or the bowl game simply does not work and cannot work. Can you imagine, let's do the NFL corollary here. We always do this. Well, compare this to the NFL. Okay. Can you imagine if NFL free agency began during the post season?

Because that's what happens in college football. Yeah, no, you're right. What if Bengals didn't make the playoffs and the Bengals, let's say didn't have the franchise tag, bad example.

Okay. Let's say, help me out Brockman. Give me a player who changed teams in free agency that they didn't make the playoffs. Like Sam Darnold changed teams, but they obviously they made the playoffs. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. They made the playoffs, obviously Superbowl champ, um, are you talking about them joining a playoff team?

Is that what you're trying to get to? Yeah. I mean, we'll use Jamar Chase. Let's say franchise tag wasn't an option. His deal was up.

Okay. He's gone. He just joined the bills. What if he just joined the bills? Now, we haven't yet seen that in college football where a player enters the transfer portal and joins a team for a bowl game. But one of these days we may the NCAA, I'm sure we'll do any and everything to stop it.

But think about that possibility. Think about if that were the case in the NFL, it never will be, but that's the deal in college football. Free agency begins in the post season. It's just ridiculous. And you can't have that model college basketball to didn't a player on Michigan and Scotty Pippen's son entered the transfer portal at Michigan before their upcoming game. Yes.

Texas had it. The quarterback that went to Duke Malik, I can't, two years ago, last year, not this season, the year before, left the team. And he said, I hate to do this, but I got to do this because I have this offer. This is the right move. Malik Murphy, Malik Murphy. Thank you.

Went to Duke. It was the right move. I got to do it. And this is the time. But I feel like I'm abandoning my team, but like the deal is here. I got to take it.

So to me, that is not sustainable. You know, Chip Kelly, who's obviously not back in the NFL with the Raiders, but he left UCLA last year and went to Ohio state. It worked out.

They won the national championship. He flat out said, I'm done asking people for money. Like I don't, I don't want that life anymore. I don't want to spend that much time fundraising. It isn't who I am, number one. And it's just tiresome.

I don't want to do it. I don't blame him. Honestly, Jeff Haffley went and became the Packers DC last year. He left the head coaching job at Boston college. He was an ACC head coach at ACC is not the big, the big 10. I realize it's not the sec, but big school. He left a head coaching job to take the Packers DC job because he got sick of having to recruit kids after his spring game. I got coach were out. You asked most college coaches these days. There is always a knock on their door from a player coming in saying basically, Hey, you know, I got a better offer.

Should I stay? And they're like, you're third on the depth chart. I mean, I, I can't, I can't match that offer. Like if you'd like to stay, stay, we think, Hey, this kid's going to graduate next year and you're going to be awesome. And I'll work you in as much as I can this year. Like we think this is the home for you, but I don't have the resources. To pay my guy.

Who's third on the depth chart at X, right? To stay, do you think in a weird way, this is the reason why a lot of these spring games are getting canceled? Yes. That's a great answer.

I think, I think our great question, I have heard that I don't, I don't want people to see my team. Yeah. Spring games are great content too, for the network, especially networks that, you know, leagues that have their own network 10 network, all these ones get huge ratings. Yeah. Like, I mean, me doing big 10 games last year, I didn't know which teams I was going to get.

Obviously in the spring, I taped every single big 10 network, big 10 spring game, every single one filled up my DVR. All right. Cause it's great content.

Great. You know, it's like, what, why is inside training camp live, the most watched show on NFL network, NFL network's best ratings are in August for training camp and preseason games, better ratings at any time during the year, even the playoffs, playoffs are good. Don't get me wrong.

This is not, you know, proprietary stuff here. They, when they send out a press release numbers are through the roof because football is back. The preseason games that keep re-airing and re-airing and re-airing and re-airing and re-airing the hose get good numbers, relatively speaking and the inside training camp. There's a reason you do 10 hours of training camp coverage because people are so hungry for it. And college football is exactly the same way. Now, the difference in college football is the spring game. You're still five months, right?

Four months from the first game, the NFL you're three weeks from the first game. You're four, you know, much, much, much, much different. All right, coming up. How do you remember Val Kilmer?

For which role do you remember Val Kilmer? That is after this, a sports update with friend of the program, the great Rich Ackles. Get in the zone, AutoZone. Welcome to AutoZone.

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Again, for 10% off your order, go to Pesti.com slash EISEN. You told a story about the genesis of All Right. All right. Yes. All right. Yes.

Would you please tell that story? Here's where that comes from. Okay.

So, days confused. Yes. Genius film. I'm in the right bar at the right time. Mm-hmm. And a guy goes, have you ever done any acting? You might be right, just right for this part. Legendary cast director and producer, Don Phillips. And I said, yeah.

More like commercial for about this long, but you know, maybe I'm in film school at the time. And he goes, well, come to this address. You might be just right. Pick up the script. I go down. I pick up the script. There's three scenes with three lines, and one of the lines is Watterson out in front of the pool hall.

The girls walk by. He checks her out going by, and his buddy says, man, you got to cut that out. You're going to go to jail for that, Watterson. And Watterson steps forward and says, no, man, that's what I love about those high school girls.

I get older, but they stay the same age. Legendary line. You're going to say that unpacking anyone, any character who says that and believes it, we can write a book on that guy, right? So that was one of the lines. So I go work on those three lines for three weeks. I come back, and they do what's called a makeup and wardrobe test, meaning they're shooting another scene one night. I'm just going to show up. Director's going to step off the set and come and look and go, great.

I approve. Well, he comes and looks. He goes, geez, this is Watterson. It's great. He goes, listen, you're not scheduled to work tonight, but we're over here at the top.

Not to drive through, and you think Watterson might want to pick up on the red-headed intellectual dick? And I'm like, sure. And he goes, want to shoot it?

I'm like, sure. So I go get in the car, I shoot my first scene ever in a film. Of your career? Of my career. And I had been listening to a lot of 70s rock and roll at that time, and there was a certain live recording of a Jim Morrison concert in Amsterdam or somewhere, where he barks the crowd all right, all right, all right, all right.

Four times real aggressively, though. I'm not thinking about that, but this comes back. So I'm in the car, and I'm like, who's my man? I'm nervous. I'm about to hear, who's my man?

Who's Watterson? I said, well, I'm about my car. And I go, well, I'm in my 70s Chevelle. There's one. I said, I'm about getting high. I said, well, Slater's riding shotgun.

You know, he's got a Dubois rolled up. There's two. And I said, and I'm about rock and roll, and I said, well, I got Nuju and Stranglehold in the eight track, man. There's three. And I hear action.

And I look up, and in my mind, I go, and I'm about chicks. I got three out of four. Let's go get the fourth. All right, all right, all right.

Pull out. That was it. First words I ever said on screen.

First words I ever said. The three affirmations of those three things I had when they were, there we go. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right. All right.

It is a fun show down the stretch. We come. Andrew. Hi. That's me sitting in for Rich at the Rich Eisen show desk, which is furnished by okay. I'll wait for that.

Hoskins. I'll wait a second for that. Sometimes I know this is going to sound odd. Sometimes I don't hear well.

Go ahead. Laugh. You laugh.

You don't have to. Again. Again. You said to laugh, so I'm going to.

I've known you so long. I don't want to make fun of that stuff anymore. I'd rather make fun of you for hiking and using big words. Why would you make fun of me for hiking? Hey, that don't make sense. I'm not making fun of you for it, but you're just always hiking somewhere.

It's great exercise. And did you say using big words? You use big words. So you think I'm Mr. Milchick over here? Mr. Milchick? I'm not going to shame you for that. You think I'm Mr. Milchick because I use big words?

That's an interesting way of putting it. Okay. No.

I do not have his rhythm. I'll paint you a painting. Paint me a painting? Okay. Oh. You and Keir can go jump in a lake. Severns talk.

Hi, I'm Andrew sitting in for Rich at the Rich Eisen show desk. It is furnished by Grainger with supplies and solutions for every industry. Grainger has the right product for you.

Call or click Grainger.com or just stop by. Every now and then you see something on Twitter, somebody passes and you go, ah, RIP, right? And then every now and then, not to dismiss other people's deaths as being insignificant, you see one and you're like, oh man.

And last night that was one of those, oh man. And we learned the passing of the great Val Kilmer who died of pneumonia, but obviously had had throat cancer and overcome that, had tracheotomies and really has fought the last, how many every years, the last decade. It feels like a decade. It's been a decade.

I think he first was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. So Val Kilmer was 65 years old and he was a Titan. You can talk about movie star and not just for the name and the roles, but for the talent as well, that is Val Kilmer. And it struck me as I saw the memories and the remembrances flowing in how everybody kind of remembered Val Kilmer for something different. To me, he will always be Iceman in Top Gun, right? I feel the need, the need for speed, Kaczynski, Val Kilmer in Top Gun, but for others it was Tombstone. Yeah, I love Tombstone, one of my favorite movies. You know, he is Doc Holliday, should have won an Oscar for that.

Also, you know, Chris and Heat, De Niro's kind of right-hand man and the epic shootout scene that takes place downtown. This guy was an absolute superstar. I thought Kyle Brandt on Good Morning Football said it really well. He could have been the star quarterback, but wanted to be the left tackle. Like he didn't want the limelight and the leading man superstar fame that came along with it. He was happy to be number two, number three on the call sheet because the role and the script was great. Just a phenomenal actor, phenomenal talent.

What a huge loss. Yeah. He was Batman to me. Batman.

I was 10 when I came out. Yeah. He was my first Batman. See, and I don't remember him as Batman at all. Oh, there he is.

It's crazy. I mean, he... This was coming off. He was a great Batman. I think he got this because of how awesome he was in Heat, if I'm remembering and reading that correctly.

Like, huge star. What year was the first Top Gun? So the first Top Gun was 86. Wait, 80s, yeah. Okay. I turned 12 in 86, so J, same age, same age range. Yes, A, I'm old.

But B, I mean, he was Iceman. You got to remember how big the first Top Gun was. Yeah. For those of us who are 12 years old, and when you had to go to the movie theater, and the sound, the theater shook. And Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer, and everyone went to school and had to come up with their call sign.

Like, we all had call signs because Top Gun was so cool. You're in that theater watching that movie, and you decide you're going to be a fighter pilot. I had that moment. We all did.

I'm going to be a naval aviator. And then Goose dies, and you're like, I don't want to be a fighter pilot anymore. Sorry to ruin it for you. Anthony Edwards died in the movie. But then, with the final scene and the final dogfight, and they take down all the MiGs, Tom Cruise comes back, and then he hugs it out with Iceman and Val Kilmer. Now I want to be a fighter pilot again, I'll be your wingman any day. That was it for us 12 year olds.

That was it. So Jay, you remember him as Batman. To me, he was Iceman.

TJ? I mean, just because I've liked him for so long, I've always gone and done a deep dive on him. Back in the day, I remember watching Real Genius with Val Kilmer, and that was before Top Gun even came out. Willow was a huge movie, you know, when I think I was in elementary school. This is True Romance.

But even before that, we haven't mentioned it all. He's Jim Morrison, bro. Yes. Val Kilmer's Jim Morrison. Like, it don't get cooler than that, and then he's Elvis in True Romance.

I like you. Clarence always have. He also had an iconic role in Wonderland. Yeah. First of all, the man is Jim Morrison and John Holmes, bro. Think about this.

Come on. As I said, he was somebody different to everybody. And then, you know, the scene in Top Gun Maverick with him and Tom Cruise is like waterworks in the theater. Everyone's breath away like, oh, it's Val Kilmer. There's a movie I love called Salt and Sea. No one's seen it, but that's him and D'Onofrio great in that movie.

Like, there's so much. Thank you, everybody, for sitting here with me today. Big show coming up tomorrow as we remember Val Kilmer. I'm Andrew.

So long, everybody. NBA veteran Jim Jackson takes you on the court. You get a chance to dig into my 14-year career in the NBA and also get the input from the people that will be joining. Charles Barkley.

I'm excited to be on your podcast, man. It's an honor. Spike Lee. Entrepreneur. Filmmaker. Academy Award winner.

Nixon. No, you see? I got you. This is how sports brings life, passion, music, all of this together. The Jim Jackson Show, part of the Rich Eisen Podcast Network. Follow and listen on your favorite platform.