Tim Brando: LSU vs. SEC, College Football Week 1

All right, welcome everyone. Another edition of Mac Daddy Live coming at you. P Mac here, Rich Big Daddy Selgado on the other side. Lauren Emory, our producer, here as well. And we are very there's a Big Daddy. What's happening, Big Man? What? Well, we got our Volition shirts. We know Mac Daddy presented by Volition. Boast is one of their companies. I got my USA t-shirt. Hoping.

Praying. Brother, my Dose Hombre's on.

Yeah, you got your Dose Homebrays. I got my new I got my bottles. I just got them delivered. Thanks to you, Big Daddy, for making that happen. Dose Hombre is our sponsor of Fire Department Coffee as well. We're lining them up. We're locking them in, and they're going to be with us, uh, Mac Daddy, for a long, long time. But we take care of those who take care of us. Our guest today, the legend, the voice, the man who's done it all in broadcasting, and then some, and he's still doing it. The one and only Tim Brando. What's happening, my man? How are you doing? You pumped for the college football team. Well, we can talk tennis too. Whatever you want.

You know, you know, I was a couple of things pop into my head, fellas, and thank you, Patrick, for that wonderful introduction. You know, when you get to my age, you better be legendary, you know. So they're gonna run you out. But listen, the last time I saw you, I don't know if you remember this, but it was 25 years ago. I had gotten a call from Sean McNanis and the people at CBS were doing the U.S. Open at the time. And he said, Hey, we need you to come in early for the first week of college football. We got this new thing called high definition. And I know you've done some tennis. You did some tennis over at ESPN, which I did. I was calling tennis when when your brother was still trying to channel his inner Patrick. He was kind of a horse in the past.

He's still working on that. He's kind of getting there. He's mellowing out.

Fiery Fred Stolly and Cliff Drosdale and I were doing the WCT tennis in Atlanta in 85. That's 40 years ago, 41 years ago. Paul Anakone and your brother in the finals in Atlanta at the Omni. I'll never forget that. But the last time I saw you was I was assigned because they had this new thing called HD, high definition television. And they had to have a separate truck, so they couldn't use Inberg and Mary Carillo's call. They had to have a separate broadcast. So I got to work with the great Tony Travert in a booth that was just adjacent to where Dick and you and others were, Mary were. And Travert, of course, who I grew up on watching with you know the U.S. Open with Pat Summerall in the early 80s, going all the way back really to the late 70s. And John Newcomb, that's right. Yeah, yeah. So I was thrilled to be there. And and of course, getting to spend time with a guy I'd always looked up to, Dick Inberg, who had called all those Wimbledons that your brother was involved in all those years with Bjorn. So it's not as if I had not done tennis, I'd done it, but to do it on HD was weird. It was wild because we had these HD monitors, and I'm like, I'm like seeing these 115 mile an hour serves with fuzz. I could actually see the fuzz coming off the ball as it was being served.

Right.

It just blew me away. Blew me away. And I left there because we did Venus and Serena's final, right? That was 2001. And then we had the men's final. And my flight was an American flight out of uh LaGuardia at 7:38 in the morning on American Airlines. And I still have the the sub because it was 910-1. I still have it. The day before. The day before. The day before. And we we talk often about fate and about uh luck and the calendar being kind to us in our lives and our careers. And I, you know, the moment I saw that that Big Daddy was working with you, and that you guys had this show, the that was what popped into my mind. I was like, I haven't seen or talked to Patrick since that that assignment that I had 25 years ago, which I is again most people don't know that we did it. I mean, not many people had HD television in 2001, but I loved working with Tony and it was a blast. And I did a few other US opens in the aftermath of that. Never saw you guys again, though, and it was it was special. I heard Mac Daddy. I was I was surprised Callaway didn't have that trademark. My 60-degree wedge is a Mac Daddy.

Yeah, yeah. Apparently, apparently Lauren found out that they they they make some sort of sauce or something that's called Mac Daddy. Am I right, Lauren? Yeah, there's some sauce. And a macaroni and cheese place, also. Listen, thanks to Big Daddy, okay, Tim. We're eating much better than like mac and cheese. I mean, Big Daddy's fucked us up with I mean, how about that? How about that interview we did a couple weeks ago with Rocco, Rocco Despirito at his and his at his new place, Rocco's Cafe? Big, I mean, I'm just glad that I know Big Daddy now this well because I'm eating better than ever, right? Big Daddy? I mean, I mean, how do you know all these guys?

I'm trying to go the other way where I'm like nitpicking and picking small bites, and plus our producer Lauren is like my slash guilty conscience about staying healthy, staying alive, and living longer and exercising and eating right. So, you know, I I've condensed it down a little bit. That's right.

We need more Big Daddy, which means we need less Big Daddy. Tim, we oftentimes start our shows with the question, how do you know Big Daddy? This is a little more layered because you're also known as to your grandkids as Big Daddy B, correct?

Right, right, right, right. Yeah, yeah, you know, I'm not sure.

So now we have two Big Daddies, and it's getting confusing. How do you know Big Daddy?

The St. Jude, Celebrity Am, Pro M. And then I've I've I've played in it many times. I'm a golfaholic, but I'm not chasing grandbabies, and I'm chasing golf balls. I live on a golf course in my hometown in Louisiana in Shreveport, live on Southern Trace. And, you know, I learned how to play golf from uh the late great John Saunders, who was my best friend when I worked at ESPN in the late 80s. Wow. John was a great hockey player. All hockey players know how to play golf. There's something about the swing. They're just they just know how to play.

And I'm a kind of like tennis players, kind of like tennis players, kind of like tennis players, Tim, with the exception of me. Yeah, I'm pretty much stuck at golf, but that's another story. No, no, no. I don't think so.

Tennis is a little like this, and we tend to slice and and the flap shot, it it translates better for golf for some reason, Patrick. Give yourself away.

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Will you put yourself in the same boat as a tennis player as me now? Laura? I mean, sorry, no, I didn't even compare myself, but I did play the sport of tennis. Let's listen to our guest, Mr. Brandon. This guy could tell stories like no one.

Anyway, I I I was there with my wife in Memphis, I guess that would have been like 43 years ago, three or four years ago, I think it was. And in 24, I think it was, 23 or 24. And I know I had just lost a lot of weight and I felt really good, and I was playing great golf at that time, and we just hit it off right away. And he he he knew all about my history. He just did. That's that's I mean, that's who he is. That's why he's Big Daddy Salgado. And and uh and we hit it off, and and I'm still I still haven't made it to his tournament yet up there, but I'm going to next year. I'm I'm pledged to make it third, third invitation is the charm, Big Daddy. But the reality of of the contacts that we make in this business is the memorable characters that you meet, and God knows Rich is one of those, no doubt about it. So that's how I met Big Daddy. And as for my my name with my grandkids, I told my daughters, I've got daughters 43 and and 36 now, and I told them, listen, I'm not Pops, I'm not grandpa any more than your mother. If your mother wants to be grandma, that's fine. But I am still coloring my hair, still working, still putting up makeup, putting on makeup and just for men. By God, I am not gonna be grandpa. I have to have a cool name. And they said, Well, you're Big Daddy B. You're just Big Daddy B. And so that's my new nickname. And so, yeah, at home, I'm called Big Daddy or Daddy B all the time. That's that's that's my nickname. So I guess we carry that from having met you. When my wife met uh Big Daddy in Memphis, she said, now that's the real Big Daddy. I said, Yeah, that is. And and he's such a nice guy. He says, You're you're channeling a nice guy because we you wake up in the mornings and you can be a horse's ass. So you will we'll still call you Big Daddy if it makes you feel better in a term of endearment. So we've went we've we've gone with that ever since at home.

That's a great, yeah. I mean, I I was more of a fan when I guess I we met because I was like, wow, there's Tim Crane. Oh man, I have and then we were talking about the one game that you called that I played it, you know. Yeah, we we had that we we were on the bus, remember, and we were riding over it for a little bit together. So we had a lot of time to catch up, and and all of a sudden it's like connect the dots, and then uh then a funny story, Pat and Lauren, is Tim says, Hey, my first game I'm calling this season is Michigan State was playing somebody, and at the time my brother Jimmy was coaching them. So then I connected them, and and then I get a picture text to me on my brother.

Hey, you know what game that was that Michigan Michigan State was opening with Central Michigan game. That was the that was the game where Harbaugh's guy, you know, reportedly the whole story revolving around the stealing of signs. That was the game. It was the Central Michigan. Yeah.

Wow. You're telling that story, Tim. I mean, mentioning all the people you worked with, they brought it so many, I could go so many different directions with Dick Denber, who I covered Wimbledon with at DSPN. Right, and you know, Cliff Drysdale, who I consider my almost like a like a brother, a big brother, a dad, a mentor. You know, I s when I started out in this business, I was the courtside guy for Cliff and Fred when we were at ESPN. So anyway, I could go on and on about all those stories, but I will just say this one quick thing about Dick Ember. You know, uh the mensch that he was an amazing guy, but I actually called the famous final, similar to your story about the HD, when Nadal finally beat Fedder at Wimbledon, right? With you know, the match that went into the night, basically, and the and there was no movie, there's no light. And we were calling it for we were calling it for ESPN classic, right? Just in case it was a classic. So because NBC, NBC was calling it. So it was so it was my brother, Ted Robinson, Mary Carilla, who just went into the Hall of Fame, by the way. So Dick Enberg, the ESPN said, Well, you guys call it, you know, just in case this is really good, because then we could show it you know in perpetuity on ESPN classic those years. Um we're all dating ourselves. But I like what I I never forget the line that Dick Enberg had. And I've you know, I've I've sort of morphed into the being like you, the play-by-play guy antenna. So I've I've tried to like learn that skill, which is different than being the analyst or anything else. Dick Enberg, when Rafael Nadell finally won, and I it still gives me chills to this day, literally. When I when I when I hear that present, and it's the simplest call of all time. Rafael Nadal has won Wimbledon. I mean, literally, that was what he said because the pictures were telling the story, and everybody watching you know knew he'd been in the finals the year before. And his childhood dream, he'd already won a million French opens at that point. But I still get chills, I literally got chills thinking about what he did. And by the way, I'll tell you how smart I am, Tim. I said at the opening of the when we did her on camera, because of course I knew that the only way we'd ever televise this match was if it was a classic. So, of course, what did I say in the open? This is gonna be a classic.

Right. And it was absolutely absolutely yeah. Uh great. It's interesting because guys like Inberg and Vern Lundquist to be in their midst at CBS was one of the great blessings that I ever had as a broadcaster. And if you don't learn from them, my mentor was the great Kurt Dowdy, who preceded Dick at NBC as their number one play-by-play man. And Mr. Dowdy helped form me into the broadcaster I was, and he actually gave me some great wisdom about staying put in Louisiana with jobs that enabled me to do play-by-play and not taking bigger jobs and bigger markets, because if I did, the the bosses would never let me out to go do games. And he knew I wanted to call live sports television, not be a studio anchor. I was able to do both, and that versatility certainly helped me through the years. But but when I met when I met Enberg, he was the ultimate classy broadcaster that said everything that I thought was perfect, but he also had a way of making it entertainment, too. I I've called him Sports Television's first rock star play-by-player. He was a guy that made the job uh a star job. He made it, he was a star in ways that other play-by-play guys weren't. And not so much a star that he ever got in the way of the analyst, because everybody, every producer will tell you, your job is to make the analyst better. But Inberg was so good with the small things, you know, the right line at the right time, and then getting out of everybody's way. And he had to be with with the great people that he worked alongside. And when I was being vetted for the job at Fox after leaving CBS, you'll love this because I've now worked with Vern for a number of years. And Vern, unlike Inberg, was never a number one guy. He was a number two guy everywhere. You know, in fact, Verne got the SEC football job as a demotion. Sean McManus hired him to replace Vern on the number two NFL game and demoted him to college football. By the way, I was hoping to get that job. But he wanted to put Vern on it, and I had to wait my turn in the studio for a number of uh years. But but Vern, as a number two guy, probably had some of the greatest calls in the history of the Masters, and he was never on the 18th tower. He was never where Summerall was, he was never where Nance was. And yet, his calls, whether it was the Tiger Woods chip-in in 05 or the yes sir with uh Nicholas in 86, he made most some of the most memorable calls. And when I was being vetted at Fox, they asked me, you know, I'm 58 years old, I'm a free agent. I'm wondering if my career is going to keep going. And the bosses there said to me, Where do you see yourself here in 10 years? And that, by the way, would have been two years ago. I said, you know, I've been blessed to work alongside and meet some of the legends of uh our craft. And I think I probably learned more from Bern than anyone. I see a lot of great young talent here. Joe Buck, Tommy Brennan on the NFL side, and and Gus Johnson, who I actually helped a little bit when he was getting started. I said, You got great young talent here. I said, but if you're gonna increase your portfolio in college football, I don't see a guy that's been doing that part of broadcasting for over 30 years, and I have. And I'd like to, I'm at the stage where I'd like to help younger people, younger producers, younger directors, hopefully younger talent. I said, I learned more from Vern than anybody. And I guess what I'm saying is you don't have a Vern Long twist here. So I just use this line: let me be your Vern.

And you know what?

I think that was a hook. I think that got your attention. And so here I am now, starting my 13th year at Fox, and I'm I just turned 70. So, you know, knocking on wood if my health stays good, I can maybe hang around as long as some of those guys did.

Yeah, well, you look, you look great, and and you're you're you're in the set you're in the center now of the college football universe, okay, with what's coming up tomorrow night. Last night, you know, we saw Colorado get it done with the last second field goal, a block against Georgia Tech, Rutgers. I mean, you know, that's a disaster. But they have big games coming up today. And I mean state, as you said, in Louisiana. To me, it's like there's such a dichotomy right now because college sports in general and football, it's like a total shit show now, right? What's going on?

Yeah.

Meanwhile, I guarantee you that the ratings for Clemson LSU tomorrow night on ESPN are gonna be massive. Okay. I just saw that Lane Kiffin or Elaine Kiffin did something yesterday, I think, in the play, you know, 15 minutes podcast or show or whatever, and like everyone in Louisiana was there. It's like he's bigger than ever. And I mean, I I I just got to hear your thoughts on what's going on because I know from a standpoint of you know, interest, viewership, but I mean, having college uh play a team now have likely it sounds like they're gonna have some pro players basically on a team at LSC. I mean, what do you make of the whole situation right now?

Well, I I think Elaine is is certainly loving the role of evil genius, okay, and and villain. He he embraces that, he leans into it. Listen, our sport, college football, has changed more in the last three years than at any other time, and it's gonna change more in the next two years than at any other time. But at the same time, guys like Tiffin are needed. We need people like that to number one, drive change, and he's a change agent, and two, bring drama, which brings casual fans into the sport. A lot of the hardcore fans, the history, the tradition, the pageantry, all the things that so many alumni hold near and dear, particularly those that are my age and older, that say, I don't know, Tim, it's just not what it used to be. And I'm like, you know what? You're saying that, and I hear what you're saying, but guess what? The television ratings prove otherwise. Okay, you're still watching these games. And when we have more parody in the sport, and by the way, the greatest myth in the history of college football is that the regular season is the greatest regular season of all time. That's bullshit. Okay, we've had more blowouts in the history of that sport, early season games, than in any other sport in America. People are such a fans in the world. Yeah. I mean, we can go on and on about them. This is going to force the SEC and the Big Ten to, they're gonna play more games. They're gonna start playing one another, I think. We are gonna see the playoff move to 2014, and fans are gonna, some of them are gonna resist it. But guess what? More games equals better inventory, which Big Daddy knows all about, right? Which means more cash flow, which is exactly what it's gonna, which is exactly what they have to have in order to pay the freight for the house settlement that they all agreed to, which by the way, there's only so much television money that can come in from the regular season we currently have. And the only way that you can make more money is by improving the postseason. College football's regular season, yes, was meaningful, but it won't be any less meaningful when Ohio State plays Michigan or when Auburn plays Alabama. I tell you what will be more meaningful when games like Iowa and Wisconsin take place, and both of them are in the top 25, and they're trying to get into the 2014 field of the college football playoff. So whether you're watching NBC, CBS, or Fox, you're gonna see more great games. There's a little resistance going on, Patrick, and you can understand this, you've been in the business. You know, it outworked at ESPN too, and even when it was in the dinosaur years when I was there, and Disney had not bought it yet, they they were building towards becoming the 1200-pound gorilla of the industry, which is what they become. And they'd love to hang on to all of it, but they're overpaying now for a product that right now is not, I mean, it's such a it's such a bad postseason product that they sell off 40% of their games to Turner because they don't want to go up against the NFL. So that means the postseason product isn't what it needs to be. We need to move the season back a couple of weeks, have week zero on August the 15th, and we need to start the season in the season at or around New Year's Day, so so it's a more valued postseason property. And if you have all of the networks involved, or at least more than one, then there's greater competition, which does what? Drives up the price. And and that's the direction we're headed in. Once they get past the number of 16, they have to open it up for rights and and new bidding. And I do think, and listen, people are gonna say, well, Brando, you work at Fox. Listen, you know, I don't know if they'll have these games in a time when I'm I might be on a boat headed into the Caribbean when I'm 73 years old. I don't know. But the reality is it's better for the sport if we get it more, we have more exposure and we have better football, more competitive football. And what Tony Petiti, my old boss at CVS, who's now in charge of the Big Ten, is saying if we have a 2014 Field, we're going to incentivize the end of the regular season, and we're going to explode the postseason and bring in more viewers than we ever have. And some of what's going on here with this whole pro deal and going and getting players that have been cut from the Cleveland Browns, this is about player rights, which, by the way, when you think about it, they've been screwed for a number of years. Players have been screwed for a number of years for the sweat equity that they put into college football where everybody else was getting wealthy and they weren't getting any of it. Now some of them are making way too much, and they suddenly got too much power. So coaches are trying to rein it all in, but Lane is seeing this for what it is, and he's trying to evoke change. Some of it I don't like, I'll admit, some of it I don't like, but a lot of it I think we'll look back 10, 15, 20 years from now and say, man, it was a good thing we had a guy like Lane Kiffin around because this Senate bill might might pass now. I don't know that it was ever going to see the light of day before this story happened. I think we're going to see the Democrats and the Republicans actually come together on something and get that Cruz Cantwell bill through the Senate so that we do have some regulatory action taken so that we can, you know, you know, put some common sense into this. So we're not to the point that we are where people are going, oh my God, this is just the wild, wild west out there. There's more good than bad, is what I'm trying to tell you. And I love the game, as you know, and I think it's going to get better, not worse.

You know, yeah, go ahead, Big Daddy.

Now then you you have these money games, and and look, you ruckers paid UMass a million five to come play there last night, and they got whacked black. Yeah, yeah, you know, and then my brother Jimmy has one in two weeks. They fly, Louisiana Lafayette flies out to play USC. You know, I I I told my brother, I said, as as he's a defensive coordinator, I said, man, I don't want to be you thinking about you know watching that game film, you know, to get ready for that. Because that's you know, that's an NFL team out there.

And well, Big Daddy's like Big Daddy, the way I look at it is that you got a lot more players you can insure now. It's not just the NFL players. College players are pros now. But I I gotta tell you, this is why I was so pumped, Tim, to have you on, because you just told us something that I hadn't heard at all from anyone about Lane Kiffin and kind of the you know that that mad genius you're talking about. I hadn't thought about that. He's actually he's pushing the envelope so that they actually come to some sort of decision about what they're gonna do. By the way, as I was calling one of match last night at the US Open, I'm I'm on a break and I'm scrolling through my ex account, you know, and I see this person because I was reading about the college football. I was micro-tanking to so I could be ready to talk to you. Like, of course I know what's going on in college football. But somebody said something like somebody said something to the effect of, well, pro professional athletes are already playing in college, just look at tennis, which is exactly what I'm arguing, been arguing for the last year. And I and I will be going to go to Washington to testify in front of a congressional hearing, okay, right after the US Open. I think it's September 15th or 16th, because half the rosters, particularly in the SEC, Tim, in tennis, which most casual fans have no idea and don't care about. They've got a remedy score, they're all professionals. They're like 20 21-year-old Croatians or you know, Europeans of of some background, who basically have been playing pro tennis for three, four years, similar to being on an NFL roster and not making the team. So they don't necessarily make it to the big time in pro tennis, but they're damn good. Okay, they're you know ranked somewhere between 250 and 500 or 700 in the world, which is really good. I mean, that's that's a high-level player, and then they're going back at 21 and they're saying, Well, I can't really make it in tennis in the at the pro level, and you can't make money at the pro level unless you're basically top hundred, top 150. And now they can go to college and not only continue their career, but even make a little bit of money playing tennis in college. I mean, it's sure so to me, it's all about the age thing. I like I think there should be an a the age limit should be clear. I happen to believe there should be a limit on international players in in sports in college. It doesn't affect football because no one else plays football. But that that's how I look at it because I see these kids like at our tennis academy that I help run my with my brother's name, that are like their dream of playing college tennis is being stripped away because they're bringing in the city. Yeah, and that's yeah, yeah. That's the problem.

And that's the that that's the concern the coaches have that is real because when you adjust these rosters, by example, okay, let's say these, and that's the big story of the day is Tiffin putting these two kids, Daekon Wright and uh Xavier and Harrison putting them on the roster. And if so, which kids get knocked off the roster? Right? Yeah, and I can tell you that since the portal and NIL came into play, it's adversely affected high school kids who are trying to find out where they fit, you know, whether they're three-star, four-star, you know, that kind of thing. And by the way, those ratings are berserk, they're crazy. Some of them really don't apply at all. I've seen some kids develop and that that weren't, you know, they were two stars that when they got to college, they they became good. But everybody's got to sell some magazines or sell their websites, so that happens. But but we do need to find a way, and I think we can once somebody's in charge. And these commissioners, guys like Greg Sankey of the SEC, think about this, fellas. While Greg Sankey of the Southeastern Conference was on the stand for three and a half hours yesterday in Baton Rouge, while he was on the stand, he had his lawyers in Birmingham, Alabama, suing LSU, suing the school of president, its athletic director, and Lane Kiffen while he was testifying in a separate case. Now think about that. That's unprecedented that that was going on. But so that, and by the way, there was a time when Lane was having trouble with his career, you know, in the aftermath of Pat Hayden firing him on the tarmac in Los Angeles at USC, and he was in coaching exile. Saban hired him to sort of be his coaching whisperer. Then Nick ran him off. He got the Florida Atlantic job at FAU. And I don't think there's any question that it was Sankey that helped get him the old miss job because people are wondering whether an SEC school would hire him. And now he and Greg are at odds, at least in the courtrooms they are. So it's it's crazy go-nuts on a lot of fronts, but unfortunately, because we don't have leadership like we have in professional sports, where you know there was no doubt that David Stern was in charge of the NBA and that Silver is now, and and that Goodell is in charge of the NFL. We need a czar for college football. And the only way we're gonna have that is if, in fact, the conferences can take control. Every issue that they have, fellas, is because the NCAA is impotent, it's it's powerless. They lose every time they go to court. Every district judge, every appeals court will rule against them at every turn. And they could not deal with amateurism or even define it. What's going on today in the political circles about defining a woman, you know, on the Democratic side? We got the same thing going on in college athletics where people cannot define amateurism within the NCAA. And as a result, that's why we are where we are, and now players are getting paid. But at the NCAA could have changed all of this if they had just grasped the idea that they had to share some funds with players and they wouldn't do it. So it's on them that that's the case. So we have to have the commissioners and the people that really care about college football really in charge. And right now they aren't because they know they're gonna get defeated in court anytime a judge in a locale decides to rule against them.

Well, Tim, we can get tricky because go ahead, Laura. But we gotta we gotta let Tim go because I know he's got to do another show. But before we let you get away, I got a couple of minutes.

Go ahead.

Okay, we could we could have you on for hours and we'll do this again. Yeah, give me your top three teams this year that you think can make a run at the national title. Let's talk about what's going on on the field first.

You know what? You know what I'm asked all the time, Patrick, who's this year's Indiana? And I'm like, okay, you mean you're ruling out Indiana? Because Indiana can be this year's Indiana. All right, I don't know why they're not preseason number one in all the polls. Right. Signetti's unbelievable. I mean, he he has a grasp on team development and personnel that no other coach in college football really has. Plus, his coordinators are intact. He's not losing either his offensive or defensive coordinator. Hoover, the quarterback that transfers in from TCU, I'm gonna tell you right now, Big Daddy, he's gonna be better than Mendoza was. He is. He's gonna be better than Mendoza was. His arm is better. He and forget his touchdown to interception ratio at TCU. He lost two of his offensive linemen that were great, and he had no running game. So he tried to do too much. He'll have both at Indiana. The other teams that are the Oregon's got the best rostered, I mean, they're tremendous at every turn. It's a big wide receiver card. Best secondary. It's just unbelievable how good they are. But the problem that Dan Lanning has, he lost both his offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator to head coaching jobs. Will Stein and Toshville Poy are both gone. The next best team is Notre Dame. Marcus Freeman has a schedule made to order. He's gonna be a double-digit favorite in almost every game that they play. The best team in the SEC, in my view, is Ole Miss. And they're still overlooked. Trent Ad Chamblis, in my mind, has got to be the front runner for the Heisman Trophy. He singularly got them to within one series of playing for a national championship last year. And Pete Golding, I think, uh, was the right guy to step in and replace Lane Tiffin. But the the ultimate the ultimate team to watch that really is gonna shock people is Penn State. Why? Because Matt Campbell brought his team from Iowa State, much like Signetti did from James Madison. We could basically call them Cyclones East, because Iowa State, the bulk of that team is now gonna be playing in Happy Valley, and they don't play any one of the big three teams in their conference. They don't play Indiana, Oregon, or Ohio State. But you didn't hear me hear uh mention Ohio State. I put Ohio State around fourth or fifth, but because they're the brand, just like Texas is a brand, everybody wants to put them. I don't, I guess it's because they want to sell more preseason magazines, because of the brand names of places like Georgia, Texas, and and Ohio State. But but those are the teams I really like. Then State's gonna make the playoffs. They're gonna win 10 games. They'll be in the top, they'll be in the top 12, I believe, at the end of the year.

Amazing. Tim, we appreciate it so much. Absolutely fantastic. Have a great call. What game you got this weekend? You have a game this weekend?

Yeah, in fact, uh tomorrow at Cincinnati. I'm leaving here, going into my meetings, Big Daddy. I'm gonna be with Coach uh moving in to talk with the Bearcats people. And uh Bill O'Brien, your old friend at Boston College, who, by the way, listen, I'm gonna give you a little heads up, all right? Keep your eyes on Mason McKenzie from Saginaw Valley State. He's another Trinidad Chambless in waiting. This kid's unbelievable. You're gonna love watching this kid play. They only won two games last year. They'll be competitive with Cincinnati tomorrow. That game was on Fox right after the Ohio State North Texas game, right after big noon. Then I'll get home in time. I'll be in this hotel room in time to watch that LSU Clemson game uh in the real death valley.

You're unbelievable, Tim. You're unbelievable. Thanks again for joining us. Sign him off. We'll see you this season. I hope we can get you back on Mac Daddy, big.

Well, anytime. And tell your brother I said hello, and everybody out in flushing and and and Fowler when you see make him pay. Will you make him pay for your drinks? Post. Yeah, we got that right.

Yeah, you got that right. The great Tim Brando, everyone here on Mac Daddy. You guys stay with me because I want to ask you, Big Daddy. We just got so much info from Tim and the teams that he's picking. I mean, they weren't at the top of my list. That was, I mean, to me, fascinating to hear what he just had to say about the college football season on the field. What's your reaction to what you heard from Tim?

Well, the one that kind of really stood out for me was Penn State. You know, yeah. Listen, Matt Campbell, that guy, he's a great coach. And he did a lot with little at Iowa State. And that's why, you know, you had NFL teams trying to poke him out of there. But uh the Penn State one shocked me. Notre Dame does not shock me because Marcus Freeman is a great coach. They've got the best of the best of everything, got great talent. Easy schedule. Yeah, the schedule is favorable, and you know, you could see them going 12-0 easily to get into those playoffs, and which is big for them because they're an independent. So, what a lot of people don't understand is that when you're in these conferences and you get to the playoffs or these bowl games and whatnot, you're sharing money. As an independent, everything that comes in, you get. You know, that's the difference between being in a conference and sharing and being an independent. And now you see there's other schools trying to become independents. You know, I believe Georgia is trying to get out of the SEC, if I stand corrected. Wow. Because I read an article about that, and because there's too much money, you know, the you know, Notre Dame has that uh TV deal with uh NBC, and like that they get it. Nobody else gets it, you know.

So I keep I I always I yeah, I always hear that Notre Dame's gonna join a conference. You know, the Big Ten obviously would make the make the most sense, but that's interesting to hear you say that, that other teams are trying to do that. I don't know if Georgia would have the same national appeal as someone, you know, like Notre Dame's had in their history. But I know I saw a big smile on Lauren's face when Tim mentioned Oregon, and they're stacked. And I know you're pumped, and you're you're waiting for that Oregon duck team to finally go all the way. You think they can do it this year? I know you think they can, but give me a prediction, Lauren.

Well, I'll just quickly say I when that happens, I hope to I'll die on the spot. I'll be the greatest fan of all time. But Tim was so interesting that I think we all just kind of just sat back and listened to the guy because he's so compelling. And and and he he he literally could make the the flint coming off the tennis ball sound interesting in that description. But one thing he alluded to and he brought up is something I know, Patrick, you're very passionate about, is trying to get the government involved in college sports and trying to fix some of the problems. And Tim alluded to as a czar and who can fix this. And and so my question for you, and what I was going to ask Tim, and I didn't want to step on anyone, was the government, right? And and and the the governor of Louisiana is involved in this thing in LSU right now. So and he's been involved in it. And so my question to you is how much do you think the government needs to get involved? Who should that czar be? Because it's a very compelling conversation that I think is going to last all season long.

Well, I'm glad they're starting to get involved because as as uh as Tim said, you know, the NCAA basically, you know, didn't didn't manage it, didn't control it the way uh it needed to be controlled. So that's that's when the government has to step in and do something. And that's why I've gotten involved in this, you know, college sports thing and it's particular how particular to tennis. When I when I when I see a roster of players, okay, and I see this in tennis all the time, that are literally between 21 and 25 years old, and they're all from other countries. I'm all for, by the way, having some international players playing any sport, I mean, in college. But I think it's it's because there have been no guardrails put in place for that, and because there's been no guardrails put in place for now what we're seeing with NIL and with you know players being able to make money, which is Tim rightly said, God bless them. You know, they've been the sweat equity they put in. Most of these guys, you know, get taken advantage of. Yes, they get a scholarship to go to college, okay, fine, great. But they're basically been used by the system. So, you know, I'm this is and and by the way, I don't blame the the collegiate tennis coaches because they got to win. No, there's if they don't they don't make the same money as college football coaches because it doesn't bring in the same revenue, yeah, no revenue, but they still have to win. They're still trying to keep their jobs. Whether you make 200 grand or 2 million or 10 million a year, you're trying to keep your job. And it's also something you're passionate about. And I don't blame the players either. Whether it's these guys that went to the Cleveland Browns camp, they want to come back and play for LSU and make some dough, they're doing it because the system is in place that's allowing them the opportunity to do it. Uh, so all these le this legal stuff that's going on, I think is what made the NCA gun shy for so many years, because uh being able to pay for these these legal issues is is extremely difficult. But I think that the only way that this gets solved, to at least where it's manageable, like right now it's just it's not manageable what's happening. But the bottom line, Big Daddy, is people love football. And I think this is making college football. I was interested to hear what Tim said about you know, going up against the NFL. Like they're plan, they're plotting, planning, so that they're gonna have games like you know, the middle of August. I mean, where it used to be just baseball and tennis going on. I mean, it seems crazy, but that seemed to be the direction we're headed, doesn't it?

Yeah, I mean, you know, usually growing up, like when we all grew up, you know, you you you started uh camp in first week of August, second week of August in college, and then you know, you started the season in September, and you were usually done by December, and then you knew you were either going to a bowl game or or if you were at the one double A level and underneath that you were going to the playoffs. But you're you're 100% right. They're extending these seasons, the season and adding more games. And you know, now the playoff games at you know, expanding from four teams to when I guess what, not 24. It is just it's wear and tear. The the NCAA does make money, and the players should be compensated. I just think right now, the way things are, for me, it's a two-sided point. And what I mean by that is, hey, it's great that people are making money, they're being paid and whatnot. But then for me, on the flip side, it also adds more business for me. Right. Because I'm meeting, you know, and look, I'm just being honest and calling it the way it is. I'm meeting with high school seniors that are saying, okay, I just got a check for X. And all right, so let's protect you, you know, let's make sure that you have this ongoing money that you're getting. God forbid something happens to you. So NIL and money and all that, as demonstrative demonstrative as it may be on the personal side for me, it's one of the greatest things out there.

Yeah.

Big Daddy, speaking of money, and Patrick, so we can let you wrap this bad boy up and get out to what your day job is, which is massive. We didn't even talk about the current landscape of tennis for today. Can you give us a little quick preview of the ESOP and sign us out of here?

Yeah. I mean, you know, Zerev got a win again last night, so I wasn't calling that match. I was over there on Armstrong, the second big stadium, called Gail Montfils' final match in New York at the open. He lost in straight sets to the 20-year-old, half his age, Lerner Tien, who I love, one of the young Americans doing well. But it was an amazing atmosphere. I mean, the New York fans they came out to uh show appreciation to Montfils, who never really had a chance to win the match. He lost, it was like four, three, and four, fairly routine, but very entertaining and very played in a wonderful spirit, as you see Gail there, you know, with Lerner Tien. It it was really heartwarming because this guy's been such an entertainer. They came out, they give a little presentation. You can see there, they gave him a frame photo. The crowd, big daddy, and you can appreciate this as a as a New Yorker, was chanting Mon Fils, Mon Fils, you know, midway through even the third the third set. And they were doing it as well after the match. So for me as a tennis guy, it was awesome to see because this guy's been a showman for his whole career, uh, and he went out in uh in style because uh You know, if there's one thing that we all know, being New Yorkers, the New York crowd, you know, I mean, they love winners, obviously, but I think what they really, really love and warm up to is passion. You know, and you have the passion for the game. And Gael had a passion to be out there and put on a show. And it was nice to see him put on one more show last night. I'm heading out, guys, in a little bit. I'll be calling it Carlos Alcaraz's match today, his third round. With each match that he plays, the odds get stronger from the odds makers as he's gonna win it again. I'm hoping an American can come through. They're all looking good. Taylor Fritz looked great yesterday. Ben Shelton, I called his match where he won in four sets. So he's gonna be. Yeah, he plays Shapovalov today, right? He plays Shapovalov, the battle of big lefties. And here, how about this, Big Daddy? You know what I'm calling tonight? 7 p.m. Prime time, Venus and Serena back playing doubles together. This has got to be a first. The first time, I believe ever, that a women's doubles first round match will be the prime time match at 7 p.m. That's crazy. Isn't that nuts?

But you hey, listen, they got the right guy to call it. You know, you are the doubles guy.

That's right. My bring my my one mass my one uh major title, my French Open doubles. I'll see if I can find my trophy. By the way, right here above me. Wait, which finger is when I look at it? Right there.

What are you trying to point to?

No, that that that thing right here.

Your left hand, left hand.

Yeah, that's right. Yeah, right there. See my racket there, and then that thing is my so loan singles title that I won. They sent me a frame in Sydney, in the Sydney outdoor the warm-up tournament for the Australian Open. I won that. That's my lone ATP title, even though I got to number 28 in the world. That's why I tell parents all the time, Big Daddy. You better, if you want to be a tennis player, and the the better you get, you you know what you better get used to? You better get used to losing. Because you're gonna lose a lot, even if you make it. I mean, all these players at the US Open, the best in the world. Guess what? How many people are gonna be winning the tournament? One. One male, one female.

So you're thinking that from our legendary tennis experts.

Yeah, well, I will be coming home tonight uh late tonight. My dos hombres will be waiting for me. I just got some in the mail. I appreciate them, dos hombres, of course, volition for being our presenting sponsor, uh, the fire department coffee. I'm gonna go get my third and fourth cups of coffee. There it is, right there behind Lauren. Uh, we got it rocking and rolling, guys. And listen, what we didn't get into, and we'll luckily we have next week to get on to that is the NFL, the first game being played Wednesday night, then the game from Australia. I saw the commissioner, by the way, you know, he lives in my town. I saw him at the US Open. He came to honor Roger Federer. So Roger was doing something in, of course, the Rolex suite. You know, he's got a big deal with Rolex. And what did they what did they present Roger Federer with? Another Rolex watch. I'm like, he doesn't have enough of these, they're giving him one more. But anyway, Roger Goodell is going down to Australia, and I'm I'm gonna pick your brain on this on Monday, Big Daddy, when we when we look ahead specifically to to the to the to the NFL season. The Rams apparently are going down early, or no, they're going down 20 only 24 hours early. And I think the 49ers are going like a week early because you know the jet lag are the niners are already. The Niners are already there, which I think is a smarter move. And they're and the and the and the Rams because it does take a few days to adjust, but they're thinking they're just gonna go in and like not even deal with jet lag and just play the game. The game's at 12:30 start local time in in Australia, which is prime time for us the night before 8:30. I know the timing because I do this in my head all the time for the Australian Open, and then it's three hours earlier in LA. So I know I'm I'm kind of interested in that story. Someone sent it to me recently, actually, mad dog Russo sent it to me because he's always interested in you know, travel and jet lag. He's always asking me about Australia. He just had shoulder surgery, which I had. By the way, Big Daddy, I woke up yesterday morning, I could barely walk. My left hip was so effed up. I got some meds in me. I went and got some x-rays, everything came back positive. You know, of course I've got some arthritis, whatever. Well, we all know that from playing, you know, 55 years of tennis, but it's feeling better. But I literally, and I don't know what happened, maybe it's because I had no sleep for a few nights, I could not freaking walk for the first half of the day yesterday. But the good news is I'm feeling a little better. I think it's because I was sitting so much at the tennis and not getting that much sleep for a few nights. So you take care of yourself, big daddy. Because as Lauren said at the beginning of the show, we need you, my man. We need you healthy. I'm working on it. Thank you. All right, Lauren, you're the man. You guys are amazing. Another episode of Mac Daddy in the books, and we will be, and who's our third interview coming up next week? Brandy Chastain is up now. Who we got for next Wednesday? Big Daddy, you know who it is. It's your boy.

Yes, we are. We got our friend Brian Cranston.

Oh, I love that interview. We did that with the Dos Hombres at the restaurant at the Hunt and Fish. Another one of our great partners here. So we'll look forward to that, everyone. You can catch us on YouTube, you can text us on Spotify, on Apple, wherever you get your podcast. Signing off now, MacDaddy. Enjoy the weekend, tennis all day long, football at night. It's a massive, massive weekend, and MacDaddy, as always, is all over it.

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