The Bender Continues
Everyday bros talking about how life goes!
The Bender Continues
We Like Sports And Don't Care Who Knows
Ever wondered if basketball legends could hold their own in the world of soccer or football? Well, buckle up, because we're breaking down the mind-blowing athleticism of pros from the hardwood to the rink. This episode showcases a vibrant discussion on the crossover potential of hoops heroes like Zion Williamson and Steph Curry, and whether their impressive physicality could translate to other sports. We also touch on the evolution of the NHL's Metro division, sharing tales of die-hard hockey families and the impact of rule changes on game dynamics.
Hold on to your hats as we serve up a spicy debate on who reigns supreme as the basketball GOAT - Michael Jordan or LeBron James. The conversation gets intense as we dissect their careers, from clutch performances to cultural influences, all while peppering in personal anecdotes of our encounters with high school athletes who've shined in more than one sport. We also explore the broad spectrum of athleticism, from board sports legends like Tony Hawk to the quick reflexes in hockey, and share stories of those seemingly naturally gifted in any sport they try.
Lastly, we take a heartfelt look at how sports carve out our character and leave an indelible mark on our lives. We reflect on the triumphs and trials of competition, from the importance of sportsmanship to the life lessons learned on the field and beyond. Listen as we invite you to join this journey through the transformative power of sports, whether you're reliving your glory days or just a fan cheering from the stands.
let's get ready to rumble you're ready for this.
James LaGamma:I kind of kind of went up.
Ryan Selimos:Dang bro Cracking voice. It's fine, everything's good, great Perfect, that's good, that's good.
James LaGamma:All right, you can tell that wasn't scripted.
Ryan Selimos:What's on the?
James LaGamma:docket today, boys.
Ryan Selimos:Buckets, pucks, balls.
James LaGamma:Is hockey considered a ball sport?
Ryan Selimos:puck. I said puck, I know I'm, I'm, it was a general question. Well, I get it, that it's a.
Kenny Massa:I would say no, yeah, a ball, it is a stick. It's a stick sport, though I don't know it's in it's in the, I guess, traditional sport category.
James LaGamma:I don't know. No, I guess because the olympics have been around forever. But whatever I don't know where I'm fucking going with that.
Ryan Selimos:I just saw the hockey puck and I was like oh, ball sports, yeah, puck it, whatever Balls.
Kenny Massa:Puck it, oh yeah.
James LaGamma:That was funny as fuck, Kenny.
Ryan Selimos:Wait, I said it.
Kenny Massa:Ryan said it. Oh, did you? Yeah, I just said it.
James LaGamma:Ryan said it oh, did you? I just repeated it. Oh, I wasn't paying attention. Sorry, fucking James. Oh shit, anyways.
Ryan Selimos:All right, boys, listen, we talked about it. Super Bowl football season has concluded, unfortunately, but what does that mean? We got basketball, we got hockey, we got golf, we got baseball. We got a whole new sports season starting up. Who's excited me? I can see, john, you look great, we got pickleball, we got wiffle ball, we got spike ball.
Ryan Selimos:We got a lot of sports to talk about I did see, like andre agassi, the former tennis player, in a live pickleball. Like pickleball was on tv. They had a whole open competition but I didn't know it was that far along. It's big time dude. I also have seen on the apple watch. I know you guys have noticed, but our boy here, john Strahl, participated in a little pickleball.
Jonny Strahl:We play a lot. Man, come join us at the RDV, do you really?
James LaGamma:I love playing pickleball Dude.
Jonny Strahl:there's a bunch of courts in Orlando.
James LaGamma:There is. Yeah, I know, let me know, my boss plays all the time. Let's go.
Jonny Strahl:He actually tried to go amateur to pro. Rdd runs a league. Yeah, they do run a league. No, I go open time and then they get competitive.
Ryan Selimos:They try to coach you up. You get hustled.
Jonny Strahl:Bray and I lost a couple of matches to some. Lydia plays a lot too, she really likes it we got four of you guys right here who would win?
Kenny Massa:Are we going these teams?
James LaGamma:However, you guys want to do it.
Jonny Strahl:I think this would be a pretty good competition you should do it.
Ryan Selimos:It's a fun game next time you come up. Kenny, we got the courts, we got the gym access.
James LaGamma:I'll bring my paddle with me. We'll kick some fucking ass. Ty, you can come too bring the cameras.
Ryan Selimos:We need the recording.
Jonny Strahl:I'll just strap a GoPro the amount of times I've heard I'm going to strap a GoPro to myself during an event and it's happened, has not happened.
Kenny Massa:Well, first we've got to remember the equipment. If we remember the equipment, it will happen, that's step one. If I give you the SD card, then yeah.
Jonny Strahl:Boo oh man.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, we've had hurdles. Now I'm more happy about hockey, though that would be a good competition.
Ryan Selimos:Dude, it's fun.
James LaGamma:I think it'd be relatively even matched, I think.
Kenny Massa:Kenny and I win.
James LaGamma:I think Kenny and I win. Get the fuck out of here. No way. No facts.
Jonny Strahl:Absolutely not. Oh facts, I think.
Kenny Massa:Ryan gets whooped early in.
Jonny Strahl:Listen.
Ryan Selimos:Michelle Mental mental is a tennis player, so I've got the jeans.
James LaGamma:Carries into pickleball. I would love to watch you play in jeans.
Jonny Strahl:Well, last time we played someone in jeans in flag football. Yeah, we don't need to bring that up.
James LaGamma:Shut the fuck up, shut up, shut your fucking mouth.
Jonny Strahl:Disaster.
James LaGamma:Pickleball's fun.
Jonny Strahl:Yeah, it's great Ping pong's. Fun too, Ping pong. But anyway we got hockey. Hockey we do have baseball got basketball we got basketball and we got golf.
Kenny Massa:I like the contact sports. Let hockey ride through.
Jonny Strahl:Everything else is non-contact this time of year this is the period of time this time of year where I watch absolutely nothing that's more related.
James LaGamma:Yeah, get, get caught up on life.
Jonny Strahl:that's more related. Yeah, get caught up on life.
James LaGamma:That's.
Jonny Strahl:July and.
Ryan Selimos:August, it meant most of June.
James LaGamma:I really rarely watch football too when football's on, so that's a different story. That's just who I am, but yeah.
Ryan Selimos:I've been getting into hockey more the last couple of years. My brother's a huge hockey guy. We went to a lot of Florida Panther games. Growing up my dad shared season tickets but then I got away from it. But he brought me back. He's a huge Leafs fan, so I've been following them. Florida family.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, we've been to a bit of Panthers games too in the last couple of years. They're fun, they're awesome.
Ryan Selimos:Well, they're good now I don't want to talk about it. Yeah, I was at a playoff game. That was really fun.
Kenny Massa:The house was packed at that. It was really cool, so it was a good event. It's not far from where we are, so it's crazy because it's like they've adopted that later. When you go up north, devils games, flyers games are pretty packed and busy all the time, but not as much with Panthers.
Jonny Strahl:Panthers are first in the Atlantic right now. You know who's first in the Metro the New York Rangers.
James LaGamma:All right. How many divisions are in hockey? Four, there's four, so you've got the Western, and then Eastern, so they don't do like the AFL and the NFC.
Ryan Selimos:They do. Nfc is East and West. Yeah, it's East and West. There's two within each.
James LaGamma:Okay got it, they go by a point system, Atlantic and Metro. That's all.
Jonny Strahl:Which is kind of similar to hockey or soccer Soccer.
James LaGamma:When you win you get a point or no? When you win, you get three or two points, Overtime losses One or whatever as the most tenured hockey fan, most experienced, most knowledgeable.
Ryan Selimos:What are your thoughts on the uh conferences specifically? I think it's to the benefit of the rangers where? What division are they in? You said the metro. The metro is a lot weaker than the Atlantic in terms of because you've got the Lightning, the Panthers, the Leafs, the. There's another team out, there's another strong team where it's. Do you agree with that or is it pretty even Because that's just the feedback I hear from Panthers fans, leafs fans?
Kenny Massa:and Lightning fans Today, today, today that it is super leaning that way.
Ryan Selimos:Look at, 15 years ago I couldn't tell you what it looked like 15 years ago.
Kenny Massa:I think it was the Metro was the most competitive.
Jonny Strahl:Okay.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, and also like what NFL?
Jonny Strahl:what baseball? Like, every conference goes through its own. Like dominance.
Ryan Selimos:Yeah, I'm just curious when are the Penguins? Well, also like the.
Jonny Strahl:Hurricanes, like the Hurricanes are pretty freaking nasty. They got kicked out last year, or was it two years ago. They almost made a run for it. They whooped the Rangers, that's for damn sure. So I mean it just depends Growing up. I always remembered Penguins, bruins and Capitals. What would the Penguins be in Metro? They're in the Metro. I think, yeah, and you've got the Flyers. Yeah, your Flyers Rangers.
Kenny Massa:Devils, of course, but again, 15 years ago the Metro was stacked. It's like where the money flows, I feel, like where they drafted more people and then it just started to pick up. Obviously, the Lightning now is not a team like it was 15 years ago.
James LaGamma:Speaking of the Lightning and fandom, Johnny, who's the most knowledgeable hockey person you've ever come across.
Jonny Strahl:Your wife's family is dominant in knowing every single detail about the NHL, and it's quite impressive. I do not know a family that knows more than that family.
James LaGamma:Specifically my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Sister, yeah.
Jonny Strahl:They are very incredible Season ticket holders right.
Ryan Selimos:Yes For the Lightning. Oh, okay, wow.
James LaGamma:But they just love hockey. They eat, sleep, breathe hockey, they do fantasy hockey, they do it all, but they know the history.
Jonny Strahl:It'll be tough, I think.
James LaGamma:Johnny started quizzing her.
Jonny Strahl:It was like do you?
James LaGamma:know this that.
Jonny Strahl:And she's like oh yeah, blah blah.
James LaGamma:It's quite impressive, which is also why I said a little bit earlier under my breath. I do not want to talk hockey, because it tends to be the topic of conversation that always gets brought up in the household, which probably makes me feel like I understand all of our wives when we talk football.
Jonny Strahl:True.
James LaGamma:But I thought that was a funny tip tip, but I just had to throw that they're very they've gone to.
James LaGamma:I think their plan is to kind of like how we've wanted to go to a bunch of different college stadiums and nfl stadiums. They've gone to a lot of different hockey stadiums and they get memorabilia from each one, like, yes, they're lightning fans, but they, they like players, they, for christ's sakes. I actually I'll have to get a picture and then I'll put up on screen. But for christmas, uh, victoria, my sister-in-law bought her mom a fucking banner that they had up on a pole. It it's massive, it's like 10 feet of a fucking hockey player that she loves. I'm like, where are you putting that in your house? I haven't been to the house since christmas, so I'm curious if it's up somewhere. I was like, let's put it over above your bed yeah, they're, they're like fuck it.
Jonny Strahl:It's a high ceiling in that room so like their knowledge, their understanding and like their awareness of the history of hockey just blows me out of the water like I can't even compete with how credible they are, so would you say hockey had to reinvent itself in the last like.
Ryan Selimos:I know that one of the big rule changes to speed up the game was that they removed the two-line pass with the with center ice, basically because I feel like the game was slowing down. There were so many I'm a little uneducated that it wasn't off sides, but there's a lot of calls that slowed the game down and once they took that rule out, it really opened it up, opened up the scoring and in the last I would what?
Jonny Strahl:five to seven years, hockey's popularity has really come back and even kind of the problem is, though yes, hockey has had some challenges and issues, but depending on where you live, it is massive, but the other fact is we forget to compare. Nfl's had its challenges with trying to speed up the game the MLB every single year, I feel like we have the same conversation about how to speed up the game.
Kenny Massa:So that's just happening.
Jonny Strahl:as society we want to see now, now, now, score, score, score. I just feel like sometimes definitely hockey is putting that, but also baseball, for sure you didn't say basketball.
Ryan Selimos:Are they speeding up the game? What's their problem? Listen?
Kenny Massa:NBA.
Ryan Selimos:They've had shot, clock their problem is, the foul is just so soft it is so soft. Regular season is just bored to watch. Yeah, it is.
James LaGamma:Hockey doesn't have that. Nfl can get that way, but it's because you've got the two-minute warning and then how you stop the clock with getting out of bounds.
Ryan Selimos:Basketball has it the worst with the two minutes. There's time management. Baseball doesn't have that.
James LaGamma:Baseball's game is just too long, but that's why they put the pitch clock in, which now has speeded things up a decent bit and you can go like 15 innings, you can, yeah, but they put the person on second base to start an extra innings now, which then?
Jonny Strahl:helps, yeah, so I mean they've made their their advancements to speeding up a Maybe last year, two years ago, I think that the pitch clock was a big factor which a lot of people were nervous about.
Kenny Massa:For baseball I was, I was too, because it's like I mean, it's not a lot of time and you're asking, like the key person there also does it inhibit more injuries? Right, like there's certain things where you have to think about, but it really hasn't been a bad thing for the sport. We haven't seen much. It's only been a couple of years. But I mean, every sport is looking to speed things up. Yeah, I think the one thing with hockey is they're definitely more lenient on penalties. I would say lenient on penalties in some cases with physicality, but then also also their turnover. It's like penalty whistle, the guy's going into the fucking box or they're dropping the puck within seconds. They're just speedy because they don't have to like and also they're just flying around the ice. Think about if there's a pass interference, call right A dude's 35 yards downfield. They got to come back, they got to reset the ball.
Ryan Selimos:Yeah, these guys are flying around like people are set like that in hockey when you think about the, the shift times, I think 45 seconds a minute, you're gas and then you are flying out.
Jonny Strahl:That's why hockey is crazy incredible sport you have. It is truly a team game where you have everybody on the bench playing pretty much dude.
Kenny Massa:People are flying out to the point where they're hitting the fucking boards. Right that basketball one or two?
Ryan Selimos:players can change the entire dynamic.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, like it can carry a team all the way they'll keep players in for a longer period yeah, they're not really doing a shift change or a line change like that well, I think it goes like look at the size of a football field compared to like a basketball court or like a ice skating rink. It's just like.
Jonny Strahl:It's different. It's also the flow of the game.
James LaGamma:If you're going to say so, well, I think flow of the game. I was going to say soccer is fucking just. They are the creme de la creme of fucking. Oh my gosh, cardio is unbelievable.
Ryan Selimos:It's crazy they are. They expanded the sub-rule.
James LaGamma:I don't think there's a sport that can compete with the level of cardiovascular eliteness that those guys have cross country.
Jonny Strahl:I I agree with that from endurance I would say endurance wise, but look at hockey dude you're flying, you are flying fast.
Kenny Massa:Oh, I'm not saying speed. I'm saying conditioning conditioning yeah, they've done like they.
James LaGamma:We just said, line changes are every minute or whatever, I agree.
Ryan Selimos:However, I think the best athlete Quick burst versus.
Kenny Massa:Like basketball.
Ryan Selimos:You compare the size of someone who's huge in football to a basketball player. I think the type of athlete.
Kenny Massa:What did you just say?
Ryan Selimos:I said, the type of athletes that play basketball like most athletic.
James LaGamma:Here we go. Do we really need to go into a debate, right? Oh my god I'm just gonna sit here and listen this is like the fucking db wide receiver, just give me like three bullet points on why you think this.
Ryan Selimos:Because I'm just like flabbergasted because you have people at abnormal sizes moving and shifting and cutting and dunking, like how many people in the world can fucking dunk?
James LaGamma:and again you look at people you look at football, you look at football, you look at football players six, three, two, twenty five is a huge receiver.
Ryan Selimos:And then you compare that to someone in basketball, that's someone that's a tiny guard. Right, you've got people at sizes six, five so six, seven, six eight that can move laterally.
Ryan Selimos:They're fucking fast. I'm just saying that type of athlete and you take that size at that speed and you put it in soccer, they're going to be unguardable right to score goals because the tallest person on the fucking court. You put it in football again. That size, that advantage, trade-off from basketball to the other sports, like if they can play basketball they're going to have the most success there so you're just saying because of their physical characteristics you think that they're at a different level of athleticism than any?
James LaGamma:other athlete in the world made the comment of balance and coordination, he actually hit the right, smart argument on athleticism that's what his argument was. But size of being hit, the size being able to move the way they do, is his argument correct, correct? I'd argue, though, that if, if you're wanting to bring size into this category, there's a different size caliber when it comes to football than there is basketball, yes, they have height, okay, but they are not carrying that weight and they are also not as physical. Now, I know basketball is physical. Not, it's not nearly to what it is but, but.
Ryan Selimos:But. You're talking about offensive linemen and defensive linemen specifically no linebackers, okay they're big ass motherfuckers, just because they're tall doesn't mean they're.
Kenny Massa:They're big, right.
Ryan Selimos:You can be six foot eight and be, 225 you could be six foot eight and be keant who's a little twig. Or you could be Shaq at 7 foot. What?
Kenny Massa:is their average weight.
Ryan Selimos:I'd have to look that up.
James LaGamma:At 6'8. When it comes to this, you can't get them, Sorry go ahead. Who's the guy in basketball Zion Zion?
Ryan Selimos:Williamson.
James LaGamma:That is a freak fucking athlete. Yes, I would agree with you, because he could play on the fucking football field and on the fucking basketball. A hundred percent. But what he does on a basketball court, I think, is a little bit more impressive than what he could probably do on a football field, because everyone else is basically the same person, that's what I'm saying. So I think, he's an outlier in that, though.
Kenny Massa:There's going to be outliers in each when you look at Kevin Durant.
James LaGamma:Look at.
Kenny Massa:LeBron James.
James LaGamma:Look at Kevin Durant is a twig. Look at Steph.
Ryan Selimos:Curry. Steph Curry is a magician, he's a twig. He's also a twig, but he's 6'3, so you think he's tiny he's only 6'3.
James LaGamma:I thought he was taller than that.
Ryan Selimos:You think he's tiny in basketball, but you put him in football and he is tall like.
Kenny Massa:I'm just saying here we go. I'm going to give you some statistics from a 2023 standard overall average height height in the NBA is 6'6 and a half and weight which is incredibly not that big is 216.
Jonny Strahl:I'm 216, damn that's the average weight 216.52 for a center.
Kenny Massa:For a center 50 pounds, it's 251 right for a center, it's 251 right, but and let's look at the average height for a center is 611, so it's a bigger like. You're talking about 6, a bigger like you're talking about 6'11" 250.
Ryan Selimos:Yeah, that's what you're talking about, but that's max.
Kenny Massa:Correct, that's not average, that's max. So you're talking top of the fucking chain here. Center average 6'11 and a quarter and 251 and a third.
Ryan Selimos:But you're also talking guards as well, that are 5'10 to 6'2 at like 180 to 200.
Kenny Massa:Okay well, let's just look this up. Let's look at factual information, let's look at average weight and weight.
James LaGamma:You have to have more size. You're just a piece of paper running out floating in the wind 2'16 average is nuts man at 6'6.
Kenny Massa:I'm going to look up what the averages are in the NFL.
James LaGamma:I always find it very intriguing the argument of who could transition better basketball to football or football to basketball. You also see football to baseball too, just because of like quarterbacks mainly. I mean look at Deion Sanders and stuff like that. It's quite funny how those three ball sports are kind of put in that caliber. No one is going to be on an ice.
Jonny Strahl:No one can go on an ice. No, no, no one's going to be on an ice. No one can go on an ice.
James LaGamma:But I wonder if a hockey player could fare well in some of these other ball sports. I feel like they probably could. I feel like hockey translates well to lacrosse, obviously, but it's just different.
Ryan Selimos:The best chance they have is football.
Jonny Strahl:Their coordination is all based off being on blades. I think hockey. Because of tracking the puck and following the puck, I think hockey because of tracking the puck and following the puck. I think their hand-eye coordination might be a little bit better for baseball oh.
James LaGamma:That's it. I could see linebackers coming out of a hockey background Right, exactly the physicality translates over the easiest from hockey to football.
Jonny Strahl:Being able to skate is just half the battle, right? You're flying around on skates.
Ryan Selimos:I'm thinking hockey defense, but I'm thinking a DB or linebacker too, because from backwards to forward that transition, that hand-eye coordination.
James LaGamma:The only other thing I could potentially see is a running back, yeah, so here's what you're looking at, or back in the day fullback, where you're just fucking yeah, if you're a big dude in hockey, average height and weight in the. So you're talking about what? 30, 30 pounds more and four inches less, so I mean, the correlation there.
Kenny Massa:I mean you're talking about, you're packing on an extra. You think that four to five pounds per inch is more of a powerful attribute towards athleticism than 30 pounds is basically what you're saying to be I.
Ryan Selimos:I think I guess the way I'm looking at it too is I'm looking more at the skill positions, I'm not looking as much interior, because I'm thinking Allen Iverson, who was absolutely tiny on the basketball court, could have came into the like, could have played football and bid a mid tier to a larger size receiver.
Kenny Massa:But when he gets hit, what happens?
Ryan Selimos:You could say that about any receiver, though, outside of maybe DK Metcalf, who's a physical specimen.
Kenny Massa:Yeah dude's a fucking freak, you can't say that about any receiver. A receiver has the ability to jump, catch and run and also get hit. An NBA person has the ability to jump, catch and run. We don't know the get hit part.
James LaGamma:I think the only translated positions are going to be your tight end receiver, db safety for these two sports, that we're talking about, everything. Anything else they're too specialized, other than a quarterback in baseball the other.
James LaGamma:The other fact that you're not talking about interior with line lineman line, they're just there there's a complete like yeah, the amount of weight and muscle and size that you carry as a running back does not, is not a proponent for success in backs fall. Now am I saying that christian mccaffrey can't step on a basketball court, dominate if he's got coordination to shoot and stuff, fuck? No, I'm not saying that. Yeah, but I think the body type correlation is more along the receiver and and that kind of stuff where, like what they're doing physically jumping, catching ball, catching ball movement, shifting weights, changing directions those things just all happen on both balls.
Ryan Selimos:Those skill sets carry over and translate basketball to football vice versa, where football to basketball Tight end too.
James LaGamma:I mentioned tight end. I think LeBron James could be a tight end.
Ryan Selimos:Oh my God, LeBron James would tear up the NFL. Here's the thing Allegedly that be a tight end.
James LaGamma:Oh my God, lebron James would tear up the NFL. How fast is he? Here's the thing. Here's the thing, allegedly here's the thing, how fast is he?
Kenny Massa:That's a serious question. I don't know best Probably like 4'5". You think he can run a 4'5"? Yes, yes.
James LaGamma:Even now. True, their strides are huge. We say LeBron can get thrown onto a football field as a tight end and dominate. The only thing is as if he has no experience in the sport. I don't think he can dominate Because the dude does not know how to keep his head on a swivel on a fucking football field.
Ryan Selimos:Things happen way faster on a fucking football field. Well, to his credit, he could play both. He was successful at both. He played high school football and could have had offers. He needed to play in college.
James LaGamma:We all can agree college to high school was different, of course, so I think the argument can be made is very theoretical. It's hard to really say that he would dominate, because I don't think he's got enough play time. I'm going to go back to Mike Tyson's good old quote.
Kenny Massa:Everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the mouth and hey, I mean, at the end of the day I think that he gets rocked and then he runs. I think, like dude, hockey is a different level of physicality. Football is a level of physicality but we've seen it come down. We've seen every sport come down levels over the years because of just health awareness and potential concussion issues and things like that. Right, so enforcers were a big thing in hockey, which aren't today as much because of the fact that there's just health risks that have come up more in modern society.
Kenny Massa:But I think that when you add a level of physicality mixed with athleticism, you cannot say that a person is going to perform the same with and without physicality as a contributing factor. I just don't see it. I think that if you get hit hard enough which is going to happen in hockey, which is going to happen in football I don't think that you play at your peak a hundred percent of the time, like you do get kind of bumped into in basketball, maybe you know, but then it's a foul, like they just just they're.
Ryan Selimos:They're playing at a different level, more consistently, without having to have the same amount of risks as physical sport sure I don't, and I think that that there's just a different level of athleticism that comes along with adding physicality into the mix. I think I pit, I didn't describe it as well in the beginning. I think what I meant was the skills required to play. Basketball can translate the top athletes in basketball. Their skill sets can translate over and they could go, and probably it's more likely that they could come into football and dominate an easier clip than any other transitional sport.
James LaGamma:Do you think dominate or just play?
Ryan Selimos:Be successful, be successful.
Kenny Massa:I still don't agree with that.
Jonny Strahl:So you think a basketball player can go into the NFL and be more dominant at wide receiver or running back? Say that, yeah, fair Okay.
Ryan Selimos:Skill position. We'll call it skill position. Skill position, skill position.
Jonny Strahl:Okay, so let's look at an average Joe Sure One of us in here. An average Joe Sure One of us in here. Do you think if you played a full game in basketball, you would have a better chance of being more dominant versus a full game in the NFL? As an average Joe who doesn't have a better athleticism in one sport or the other, I see where you're going with that. I mean it?
Ryan Selimos:would.
Jonny Strahl:And this is a hard one because that's how I think about it, but then also add it to this.
Ryan Selimos:I'd say basketball, because all I got to do is be able to hit three Exactly.
Jonny Strahl:So that's like the difference. And then I take it a step further, like you add hockey to it. You got to be able to skate, you got to be able to move as quick as you can on, and then we'll take it even a step further. Somebody who hits the ball three times out of ten is a Hall of Famer in the MLB. You think you could put an average Joe out there and say that they can dominate or at least hit the ball in ten at-bats. I don't know.
Jonny Strahl:So is technically maybe the MLB harder and is the hockey harder than maybe NBA? And I didn't say harder.
Ryan Selimos:I said skills.
Jonny Strahl:That's a good point, john, it's interesting.
Kenny Massa:I didn't say harder, I said it's a good point, it's interesting. I don't disagree on that argument. You don't have to be a hitter in baseball. You can have, you switch it, you can pitch.
Ryan Selimos:Yeah, you do everything else you can bunt, you don't even get your bat.
Kenny Massa:I'll tell you. What have you ever seen? A 95 mile an hour ball.
Ryan Selimos:Come past, seen it I seen the guy start the throw and then I seen it hit the club. I haven't seen it.
Kenny Massa:I had an opportunity to stand like at an at bat with a 95 mile an hour um ball, like just dude. It is insane. Like it's like out of the fingers and then like smoking a glove behind you. You're like what the fuck?
Jonny Strahl:just happened. Hey, james, fast man, james blink real quick.
Kenny Massa:The ball just went by yeah, yeah, that's the yeah it's, fucking it's like when you hear it did I blink fast enough?
Jonny Strahl:I don know, I don't know if I spoke quick enough, I don't know, but the ball's past you Strike one, and you're right with Deion Sanders absolutely said like coming in and playing baseball is more difficult than football.
Kenny Massa:Why has just a question real quick. Why has no athlete and maybe they have, I don't know is let me ask this first how's an athlete ever went from football to basketball and like nfl, like pro level? We've seen like baseball and football.
Ryan Selimos:We've seen that multiple seasons overlap. That's probably why.
James LaGamma:That's why you see football baseball, baseball between bo jackson also overlap? No, they don't. Yes, they do they do for okay, sorry they do with the playoffs play a baseball game and then go play a football game. Yes, yes, but if you look, at the college it's not a large chunk of it.
Ryan Selimos:Hockey, basketball start in. October, that's the middle of the football season. That's probably why, too, you don't see it.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, definitely.
James LaGamma:Basketball, though growing up in high school basketball is a spring sport. Right, it's not a fall sport, it's a winter sport, but it's still late enough.
Ryan Selimos:You do see some basketball in college, where they play both sports. You see more football than baseball, but you do see football basketball for some.
Kenny Massa:That's when you start to see like at the college level. You'll start to see March Madness High school basketball starts and, well, football ends. Like is done in high school. And then you're going to see things start to really bleed into seasons as you escalate the level, like nba and college level. They just have more extended seasons they're not segmented as much so yeah you're right, though that's probably why, but you have seen the crossover with nfl athletes in baseball yeah, 100 and.
Ryan Selimos:But I wonder why, other than seasonality, if that's a hand-eye coordination, because it's mainly quarterbacks, and then Dion and Bo.
Jonny Strahl:And Dion and Bo are arguably one of the freakish athletes of all time.
Ryan Selimos:Guaranteed they could have probably went and played any sport. Well, Michael.
Jonny Strahl:Jordan too. Yeah, but not a knock on Jordan. His love and passion was actually baseball, which is crazy how dominant he is as an NBA basketball player, but he just wasn't really the best. He still made it quote-unquote.
Ryan Selimos:Professionally, he was better than me, better than us.
Kenny Massa:Welcome to Hot Takes, where we talk about debatable topics. Today's debatable topic is who is the GOAT, Jordan or LeBron James?
Ryan Selimos:Who is the GOAT Jordan or LeBron James as a Miami Heat fan and since he played for the Miami Heat. I will go with the quote-unquote king LeBron James.
Jonny Strahl:John, I'm torn here. I'm going to go with Michael Jordan, I'm going to go with Michael. Jordan.
Kenny Massa:I say Michael Jordan too.
Ryan Selimos:Did you just do a whole soliloquy conversation with the mic?
James LaGamma:Yes, I did Again with the soliloquy.
Ryan Selimos:I know it's the word of the day for me.
James LaGamma:Whatever?
Kenny Massa:James.
James LaGamma:You know he's got the same name as me, just it's his last name.
Kenny Massa:LeBron James so.
James LaGamma:I'm going to go with Jordan.
Kenny Massa:You got to go with Jordan. Yeah, I think Jordan, I think he's just an amazing athlete all around.
Ryan Selimos:Okay, fair, I mean they're top two, number one, like those are the top two right now, so let's go with the obvious.
James LaGamma:It depends on how you talk about Go topics. Right, let's go with the obvious. If it's championships, isn't it, bill Russell? Hey, hey, hey, these are my arguments damn it. Are you switching? You coming over here?
Ryan Selimos:No, I'm coming over here. No, why jordan? Why? Jordan yeah, johnny, I feel like you might be able to say some good stuff statistically okay. Yes, let's go statistically, hit me with it, kenny.
Kenny Massa:I just statistically. Why jordan? I just think that, given and this is like the always the more defensive player of the year.
James LaGamma:More rings, yeah, statistics right there.
Kenny Massa:And then this is always like the, so I was gonna say that, but then the? Here's the issue. Then this is always like the, so I was going to say that, but then the here's the issue, right. They're always like oh well, look at the level of competition, right? But I do think that Did more in less time. Massive impact. I think he did more in less time. I think that.
James LaGamma:He revolutionized the game, changed the game. Okay, sneakers don't become basketball's branding mechanism without Jordan.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, you hear, like what are you wearing Jordans?
James LaGamma:not Jameses. He's a legend in yeah Wish it was Jameses. Give me a pair of Jameses. I already have a difficult job with my name.
Kenny Massa:Am I going to go by Jim?
James LaGamma:and Jimmy at some point in my life, I don't know. Okay, more statistics.
Kenny Massa:I think the facts just really Do you have?
James LaGamma:statistics up right now. Maybe, maybe not. Uh, who's got more points in 10 years beginning in the league?
Kenny Massa:yeah, yeah, I don't go there because so if you don't say let's, let's, let's go points. If you go points, lebron's been in the league longer, correct, yes?
James LaGamma:he has. And when did did jordan score his last point per se? And what was it?
Ryan Selimos:I don't think within the first 10 years is no, no, I know it wasn't.
James LaGamma:Let's just say this who's a better?
Ryan Selimos:do you look at lebron as a score? Is he a top? Is he a top score when you evaluate his game?
James LaGamma:I mean, I think he scores a lot, but he's not clutch he's not.
Ryan Selimos:Clutch he doesn't have the clutch. I love that one he's not clutch absolutely not. However, compared to jordan, he's not. He is not in the postseason on go-ahead shots in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter of overtime or overtime. Michael jordan is five of 11 45 three buzzer beaters totally good. Lebron james is 7 to 15 47 five buzzer beaters Totally good. Lebron James is 7-15, 47% five buzzer beaters. So statistically there's not that big of a difference in clutchness and then perspective.
James LaGamma:Johnny hey John.
Jonny Strahl:I could be completely wrong here, but that stat that you're pulling up is from 2018, so that could be a little bit off that means LeBron would have more.
James LaGamma:Yeah, but here's the thing.
Jonny Strahl:He's already got more. That's past 60 years. The percentage could go down drastically when it came to the clutch moments and LeBron made those shots?
James LaGamma:were they clutch enough to where it was a pivotal moment in, say, a playoff run, where they need to do it like a game six or a game four to close it out like did he make the shot when it needed to be made or was it just, like I can tell you in?
Ryan Selimos:game seven. I can tell you, in game seven, against the spurs, he hit the clutch. Go ahead, shot to seal it.
Kenny Massa:Now again, listen, jordan is six for six with six mvps I think the other thing you look at too is look at the end of the day. I think the brand of the individual is a really good representation of their success. It's a unit of measurement. The Jordan brand is bigger than the LeBron James brand on all fronts.
Jonny Strahl:Getting excited, fact Getting excited Fact.
James LaGamma:I mean, yes, I can't argue that, like the jordan brand I this is just curiosity, to kill the cat here. Um, trying to be non-biased, you should be biased to jordan. I understand that, but who was bigger worldwide, jordan or?
Ryan Selimos:jordan. I mean jordan jordan, definitely with the 1992, dream team worldwide blew up on the scene. I would argue now LeBron. He paved the way for LeBron to be equally as worldwide.
James LaGamma:I remember hearing a lot of stories about LeBron's reach all the way.
Ryan Selimos:Their reach I would say both of their reaches is across the globe.
James LaGamma:Okay, I mean I don't disagree. I just didn't know if there was maybe some way to quantify that.
Ryan Selimos:If you, look at a one-on-one physical specimen. You have to give the edge to lebron from a physique and athleticism standpoint. He's 6, 8 250. Jordan could not take him one-on-one from a size standpoint. I would say lebron elevates his teammates more than jordan based on his ability to get them involved in the game higher, higher assists, higher rebounds. He had more overall impact.
Ryan Selimos:Jordan is absolutely the more efficient score, more go for the throat, kill shot score, but overall basketball player and overall impact, I give the nod to LeBron. I do agree that Jordan is more clutch and you can't argue against six championships, six finals, mvp. He never lost when he got in that, into that situation. But the championship argument is tough because, you said it, bill Russell has the most championships. So how are you evaluating the championships? True, lebron is the only player to or. Lebron won a championship with three different teams and he's the only player in NBA history to lead a down three one comeback. So he won a championship with three different teams and he's the only player in nba history to lead a down 3-1 comeback.
James LaGamma:So he does have some some great arguments in the final he's got a solid resume. Yeah, he's got a solid resume, but he's also playing in a bitch league the national bitch association 90s back I've never heard that before. No, I went off, went off you.
Jonny Strahl:It's a good one. I haven't either.
Ryan Selimos:I mean I wish, yes, you missed the physicality NBA of the 90s and early 2000s, the malice at the Palace. You missed that. I think LeBron would have held up well just on his physical stature, but Jordan played in a just more physical time. I think this is why.
James LaGamma:I hate GOAT debates is because you're talking about different eras of time, 100% and level of competition you can never, ever, ever ever put LeBron and Jordan on the same court.
Ryan Selimos:You just can't. And if you could it would just be, and it's so annoying.
James LaGamma:So it becomes opinionated. I mean, yeah, we got statistics to go off of, but again, your opinion is on what statistic is more valuable than the other. Right, right, right.
Kenny Massa:It's also the environment, like who's Jordan playing against at that time. That's an amazing athlete compared like who's in the league from one era to another.
James LaGamma:You also gotta think about who Jordan was playing with and who LeBron was playing with.
Kenny Massa:That's what I'm saying they both had running mates, Not against.
Ryan Selimos:I'm talking about winth.
James LaGamma:Oh like as LeBron had D-Wade, he had Kevin Love, he had Bosh, he had fucking. What's his face saved?
Ryan Selimos:his ass with that shot, ray.
James LaGamma:Allen Ray Allen.
Ryan Selimos:No one did it by themselves. Jordan was getting beat up by the Pistons, beat up by the Celtics by himself, so that's fair for both of them.
James LaGamma:I mean, but then at the end you also have Jordan left the fucking sport for like what three years Two years.
Jonny Strahl:And then like what, three years, two years to go play and then he came back and then won another three p. They did. Are you fucking mad, like so, I think, to argue? Just to go just to put my two cents in most successful career for sure, probably bill russell 11 wins, probably 11 from a win.
Ryan Selimos:What I didn't know about this with bill russell 11 and 13, 11 and 13, which is insane though yes, like absolutely, absolutely, uh greatest career and someone shared this.
Jonny Strahl:I don't know what I saw, but 11 and 13. 11 and 13, which is insane, though yes, like absolutely insane. Greatest career, and someone shared this. I don't know who I saw, but greatest career Kareem. Three national championships, five championships in the NBA and six MVPs.
Jonny Strahl:It's pretty crazy 100-point scoring game 100-point scoring game, mj, where he gets it. He did not lose when it mattered most. Correct. And when we talk about the GOAT talk, it's always measured in wins versus losses. At the biggest stage, when everyone's watching. He never lost Every GOAT that we compare in other sports. What did they do best? They won. They always won. Lebron James, you've said it. His size, his numbers don't lie. I don't think there's anyone out there that, historically, is going to touch him in our generation from probably when we go bye-bye.
Ryan Selimos:He's 39.
Jonny Strahl:He's still doing what he did at 22. The 27, 18. Is this kid in the league yet Next year About to be? But the one thing that I will say LeBron James has always had the most pressure. Yes, From the moment that man was in high school.
James LaGamma:He had pressure. He would have been crushed with his gambling stuff if social media was more around.
Ryan Selimos:And then that doesn't come into the GOAT conversation, but you can say LeBron has no blemishes from a personal standpoint from a role model standpoint LeBron.
James LaGamma:Some people don't like him.
Ryan Selimos:Yeah Well, I like him but he never had any baggage brought with him versus Jordan, that gambling stuff man. A lot of people say the reason he left for three years it's a blemish on his history and his legacy.
James LaGamma:Now do you compare?
Ryan Selimos:Is he not the GOAT for that reason? That's an opinionated answer.
Jonny Strahl:Well, you put the last person in there that's always in. Maybe question of the GOAT is Kobe, the mama mentality, the insane work ethic. The guy was a nut job, but I think personally you look at 1991. Sorry, showtime, right, this is from Jordan's mouth. Sorry, showtime 1992, back-to-back 93, first team ever to win three in a row. Can't beat that, obviously. 94, 95.
Ryan Selimos:Was it the first team? Did Russell not win three in a row 11 and 13,? I feel like he would have had to.
Jonny Strahl:Maybe he got me there, regardless comes back 96. They won what 72 games? Win it again, yeah, 97. Even with the flu, the flu game, he wins 98. 98, no push-off. No, 98 was flu game. 98 was a flu game, yeah.
Ryan Selimos:Was it Okay.
Jonny Strahl:So he won three time back-to-back NBA championships.
Ryan Selimos:He did and then LeBron James.
Jonny Strahl:I mean, what's his record in the actual championship Four?
Ryan Selimos:and six, I think four and seven. And how many years more has he played? Now? This is a big one. How many times was he not on the better team? Lebron is playing against Steph Curry, who's arguably the greatest guard of all time, kevin Durant, who's arguably one of the top three forwards of all time. Klay Thompson is arguably one of the top three three-point shooters of all time.
Jonny Strahl:That team I mean no one was beating that team, lebron but you're arguing as a as a as a guy who put up the best numbers and is a freak on the court from a size. There's just no excuse. You find a way to win.
James LaGamma:I give LeBron listen, where he probably loses this argument and I know I'm going for LeBron, but as a Heat fan it's fine 2011 Dallas Mavericks.
Ryan Selimos:he choked and Jordan never choked.
Jonny Strahl:But when it mattered most, obviously, jordan did not always play well in the playoffs, quote unquote. They always didn't get to the championship when they made the playoffs, and I think that sometimes we get a little bit discredit for what actually lebron james has done. He's made it to the championship multiple times, so I will give lebron that though, but you're right, it goes back to james with the eras.
Ryan Selimos:Just enjoy them while they're there and you'll never get them to go head-to-head, but two fantastic, great players.
Jonny Strahl:Also never lost in the Olympics.
James LaGamma:Greatest of all time Time is key man.
Kenny Massa:That's tough to defeat.
James LaGamma:It really is, because you've got to take those errors into play.
Kenny Massa:Ty, who you got. I'm not equipped, neither are we Abstaining. Well, I think we're leaning more towards Jordan based off of this conversation, but if you have your two cents to add anything that we didn't add in, let us know we're leaning on Jordan because there's three of us. I have a curveball for you guys that's what I was laughing about, because I thought about that one of them.
James LaGamma:He's going to fucking give me the claps and I'm gonna be happy um uh, so like I know we're talking ball sports james loves ball sports, I know well, you know who I got that from is adam, because this is where I'm going with this too is he'll only play ball sports.
James LaGamma:Um, I don't know if we want to talk about this, but I think it's in the athleticism department. It's very interesting to think about board sports, about like more the track and field type sports, or niche sports, like anything that would be in the Olympics swimming, cross-country fucking skiing, like shit like that. Olympics, uh, swimming, uh, cross countries fucking skiing, like shit like that. I think, um, it's, it's an interesting thing to think about, like what athleticism truly stands for, like what it is, and it's practically the ability to play anything, any type of sport, and do incrementally better than most people can at that sport. Sure, yeah and and.
James LaGamma:I think there are people that are just good athletes in specific sports and then they cannot translate in other areas. But then there's really good athletes that not only are they great at their sport but they are also great at basically anything else that they do. Anything that they try to do that has a level of balance and coordination as a part of it they're good at and it's it's just. It's interesting to kind of see like that's what is the real, like true athleticism.
James LaGamma:Like you could say zion, zion, I keep zion, zion okay uh, he's a freak fucking athlete, but I put him on a fucking surfboard and yeah, I mean it'll look like the.
Kenny Massa:What comes to mind is sean white. Put him in.
James LaGamma:Look at sean white yeah, so Sean White can do skating and snowboarding, but can he play basketball?
Kenny Massa:I don't think he can and I don't think it's a place I mean Travis Pastrana.
Jonny Strahl:He's someone that literally excelled at motocross. Motocross and he did. What's the Rally?
James LaGamma:He does rally racing now. He actually took over for Formula One.
Jonny Strahl:I mean NASCAR drivers. It's athleticism in a different way.
James LaGamma:I agree.
Kenny Massa:I just wanted to point that out that there's other facets of athleticism.
James LaGamma:Other sports love. I'm the one that does the board sports.
Kenny Massa:I know where my stuff lies as good as LeBron is, I don't think he's coming down a fucking mountain and I don't think he's coming to do a fucking 360 flip like Sean White. You want to do a fucking McTwist? He's not doing shit compared to like Sean. White is an amazing athlete, yeah, which is a really good point, because that's a completely different sport.
James LaGamma:You want to be a little bit smaller. I'm pretty sure Sean White's not the biggest guy?
Kenny Massa:No, he's not. What he can do is fucking amazing dude.
Jonny Strahl:I want to say Tony Hawk's a little bit taller. I was going to say Tony.
Kenny Massa:Hawk is.
Jonny Strahl:Tony. Hawk's an OG.
James LaGamma:That guy could probably. See, that's why I think there are some cases to be pointed out where some of these more specialized sports have a better ability to translate into these ball sports, where the ball sports probably don't have the ability to come translate over to the esports.
Kenny Massa:I don't know, that's maybe I think it's I. I would agree that the ball sports would not translate well to the boards yeah, but then put, put like sean white, or put tony hawk in a nfl football game like I, just he could.
James LaGamma:Maybe I come back I come back to whenever, like I'm out with my friends or like in throughout my life. When you see someone that goes and just attempt something, you're like fuck, he's good at everything. And you know who actually comes to mind for that dylan. He's fucking good at anything. He does, he's. We played the spike ball tournament. He was fucking killing people. We put him on a fucking surfboard. He's amazing, and he's played lacrosse. He's played hockey. He's played football. He's good. Nice, short basketball guy. Come a little, a little different. It's not as advantageous to him to play basketball but.
James LaGamma:I guarantee you he could hold his own hold his own on a court well, I think that all the athletes that we see.
Kenny Massa:At one point they probably you know, and this is like early on, when you're younger you're like investigating what sports you like and you're figuring it out. And then at one point, when you realize you're going to be six, nine, you're like basketball might not be a bad option compared to snowboarding. So at one point you just like lead to one sport over another, and might be because of family tradition, it might be because of your physical being that you've evolved into. So I'm there's just listening levels of it.
James LaGamma:I was listening to a comedian on the way over here. I can't remember his name. He's an Asian guy and he's in movies too. I can't remember his fucking name. He's hilarious. But he said when he grew up he's like I didn't play no football. He said I went to sleepaway ping pong camp and he said I almost died. So there was 100 people trying to get to the freaking national team and he was explaining. It was really funny. But again, like you said, culturally that's, I just brought me to that real quick. It was really funny.
Ryan Selimos:Ken Jeong.
James LaGamma:Maybe he wears glasses, maybe.
Kenny Massa:I don't know. I don't know.
James LaGamma:He's really fucking funny, though Sorry to pivot us, I know I went to a different route that's good, you know me, I love the board sports you're the go sports guy did you sing that?
Ryan Selimos:did you make that song for this, James? Was that you that?
James LaGamma:wasn't James, it was not, but I know that song. That's fantastic, ty. I used to say that shit in high school because of that fucking song. That's awesome.
Kenny Massa:Lonely Island song.
James LaGamma:Yes, yes, it is. We like sports and we don't care. Who knows?
Kenny Massa:What are you going to say?
Jonny Strahl:John, I don't know, I got something random, do it.
James LaGamma:We're already out here, we're swinging right now.
Jonny Strahl:So from a sporting event in history, right Miracle on Ice, that's funny, I was actually going to bring that up. So great job. We'll start with that. So, from a sporting event in history that you wish you could be at, based off of the actual sport event that took place and or because it's a historic venue or location, anything that comes to mind. So Miracle on Ice is a huge one.
James LaGamma:Yeah, 100%. I don't know if I would be at that one one. Um, I think sentimentally because I had this moment with my dad and we're both giants fans I would have definitely wanted to be at one of the super bowls. Probably the one with I was the one with plaxico, burr is the one with the catch happened yes, that was the catch. I would probably want to be at that one now, because I mean just me and my dad.
Ryan Selimos:Obviously we that was history too yeah, it was history, it's.
Kenny Massa:Some people would say that's one of the greatest super bowls of all time 100 um I think being at an event that has a more dramatic turn of events probably would be best because of like the, just the transition which is like that right, that's like a big he said history, so it already happened, so pick one I don't have one. I mean, come on Miami, would you go?
James LaGamma:I'm interested to hear If he'd go NBA or if he would go Football.
Ryan Selimos:Football. I'm thinking the Colts AFC Championship Comeback against the Patriots In 2006 when they were down Wow.
Kenny Massa:Okay.
Ryan Selimos:They were down by a lot.
James LaGamma:Sure In halftime. It was first time I remember that Deep cut.
Ryan Selimos:First time Manning had beat Brady then went on to win the Super Bowl. But I think I wish I could have been at the Game. 6 Ray Allen three-pointer which fucking fans left. For If I would have been there I would not have been leaving. But that was just quick From the edge of death basically to iconic. I watched that game.
James LaGamma:That was amazing.
Ryan Selimos:So put me down for game six.
James LaGamma:Just quick pivot. I like that Us three. Do you think Ryan is more of a football fan or a NBA fan? Nba, I think NBA too. I've seen the passion that goes into it and it's just different it is.
Ryan Selimos:Well, here's the difference. Here's the difference. Seriously, you've seen the success. Yeah, the hurricanes can tear your heart out. The Colts, just for me. It's not that I don't like, I'm passionate about the Colts, I just don't have the opportunity to watch them as much as when I was growing up, when you had Peyton Manning on four o'clock CBS or Sunday Night Football every Sunday. But between the heat and the hurricanes yeah, the Heat have enjoyed success, so that's why you've gotten to see it. And also, for whatever reason, they just happen to be in the playoffs and we're at your lake house, so we're all hanging out.
Kenny Massa:Yes, fair, the success plays a big part.
James LaGamma:Yeah 100%, all right, well, anyways, that was just quick, johnny. What's your historical?
Jonny Strahl:There's a bunch, but I like the Miracle on Ice man. That'd be really cool to be in, especially like in the 1980s during the start of the Cold War, and an amateur team beat a four-time freaking Russian team that has never lost like amateurs. That's like us going out there at 17, 18, 19 years old and just being the best at what they do, which is obviously soviet union, I guess well, to that point you think about the movie.
Ryan Selimos:Does the movie give you?
Jonny Strahl:chills.
Ryan Selimos:It gives me chills, that movie's great so think about actually witnessing it or actually being there in person, and when the the movie itself and you already know the outcome and you still get chills from it to, yeah, that's a great one the other one that comes to mind, and I say this because it was like my first, like really welcome to college football, and I don't like bowl teams, but is 2006 rose bowl? National championship vince young, vince young, small with 19 seconds left.
Jonny Strahl:Like that's a game, that just like him biting the rose at the end, like I don't know, that's just one that really resonates.
Kenny Massa:Again, dramatic turn of events.
Ryan Selimos:Taking down the Dynasty and Bush in line.
Jonny Strahl:Yeah, which no one was good or sorry. Just last one, good old fever pitch the Boston Red Sox finally winning the World Series.
Ryan Selimos:Coming back from 3-0.
Kenny Massa:3-0. Curt.
Jonny Strahl:Schilling's freaking blood sock. Those are really cool ones, but obviously 3-0,. Kurt Schilling's freaking blood sock those are really cool ones, but obviously I'd love to see my team win a championship at something but it's okay, we'll be there.
James LaGamma:Let me ask a similar question, just a different way of looking at it, and listeners can kind of reminisce on this but is there a specific moment in your athletic career that you would love to relive, and what was that moment? Briefly, we don't have to go fucking crazy on that, but is there a specific moment that hits you, and I'll go with one real quick. There was, as a kicker, I don't get to score touchdowns very often, only done it once, I've done two-point conversions, but never a touchdown and I would love to be able to relive that moment of that touchdown, because I just remember getting off the ground and seeing the fucking line underneath my waist and knowing that I got in the end zone and I was like holy fucking shit, I got in the fucking end zone.
Ryan Selimos:Not to interrupt you. Can you paint that picture? You're just talking about scoring a touchdown. What happened? I'll paint it real quick.
James LaGamma:I just don't want to spend too much time on this specific topic, although it's really cool, but it's more us reminiscing and maybe, hopefully, the listeners can reminisce on moments in their lives. But we were within the 10. It wasn't like a crazy thing. We did a, we lined up to go for a field goal, fourth down, and we we ran a pitch to the left Nicholas Sala, not Ryan, although Ryan has pitched the ball to me as a, as a, as a holder. He, we, we ran left. He pitched me the ball and just kind of scooted into the end zone. I love it. So that's pretty badass, but it was. It was a surreal moment because I don't get that opportunity, yeah, and to do it in college, um, although I could probably argue there was probably a level of higher competition in high school for me, but um first game too.
James LaGamma:Yeah, it was the first game. It was the second touchdown in history for for our. I mean, that's pretty cool so I will technically go down the record books for best, which I care less about the field goal, but the touchdown, the second touchdown ever was.
Jonny Strahl:That's awesome.
James LaGamma:That was a pretty cool moment for me.
Jonny Strahl:Wrestling.
Kenny Massa:How did you?
Jonny Strahl:Dude, I just know you bro.
Kenny Massa:There's two. One we had like coming from New Jersey, we had like pretty small-town, feel High competition compared to. I mean, like you guys are just in a different football arena in Florida. You guys play all year round, things like that, or you have the opportunity to play spring ball, things like that. So I rotated sports a lot so I had some opportunities to play track, lacrosse, wrestling, football, um.
Kenny Massa:But there's a neighboring town um allentown and there was a couple of kids that were really good and there was one kid specifically that went to the n. He made it to the NFL and played and he was like oh, he's like this big shot and as a DB that was like looking to go play college football. At the time he got recruited to play at a college up north big college and he played in college and then went to the NFL. At the time I didn't know he was going to hit NFL level. But to tackle someone like that where you know he's going to play college ball we're from a small school so we didn't have like fucking 20 kids going to play college football. If you had two, it was like holy shit, and that's where we came from.
Kenny Massa:So tackling, uh, someone at that stature. To save a game was a big deal and that happened to me once and it was a. It was just a fucking open field straight up, db, like safety, coming down to tackle this, this kid, and he was like a slot more or less. He was just a fucking athlete, this kid, and he was big. He was a big kid and, um, he just came out, you know, caught like a little pot, pass out of a slot and then it was just me and him and I tackled him to make sure that, to kind of steal the win for us, which was big, um.
Kenny Massa:But then there was this other time, uh, against another neighboring, neighboring town, when I was wrestling, and wrestling was really unique because it was like one-on-one and like it's you and nothing but at the same time you're one-on-one directly affects the team because you have team points. So not getting pinned is a really important thing if, like, you're facing someone who's like really fucking good and there was a like wrestling in the north was very competitive you have a lot of fucking really amazing wrestlers. It's a very aggressive sport.
Kenny Massa:Uh, debatable that the tri-state area breeds some of the best wrestling athletes there is in the country I hear iowa's pretty good um, they're like at a college level ohio, iowa, you know there's some, there's some different places, but from a younger kid standpoint, from high schools and and things like that, pennsylvania, new jersey and new york breed some fucking amazing wrestling athletes because they're a bunch of assholes yeah, it's fucking great. So I was up against a kid who was a state champion and I beat him and that was like oh, yeah, they like they were like just don't get pinned.
Kenny Massa:And I fucking beat him and I was even like I was on top of him and there's like this position where you have it's called legs and you literally have him like on the ground and your legs are wrapped around theirs to and you're like fucking just basically in complete control and all I had to do was like just kind of slide out of legs, get to a side and and fucking roll them over and and um, I won by points. I did not pin them, but for for me that was like tough because you go in and you're like this kid's fucking big, he's a senior, he's gonna fucking kick my david versus goliath, and that shit was awesome and and that that for me stood out too because it was like a one-on-one thing which affected the team too. But a one-on-one win is like that's cool yeah, that's awesome.
Ryan Selimos:I want to ask a wrestling question, but I don't want to segue, so I will hold it. Um, I think, for for me. No, I'm going to ask it. Fuck it your thoughts as a wrestler. If you ever had to wrestle a girl, I feel like it's a lose-lose situation.
Kenny Massa:I didn't have to, because I was. I've always just wondered that, like if you're in that predicament.
Ryan Selimos:You have to Do they segment boys and girls wrestling. No, it's all combined it is.
Kenny Massa:So these days you have different. These days there are two teams but okay when, when we wrestled, I had a friend, matt, who uh was, I think he was like 103 or something he was. He was on the beginning portion of our uh, basically, wait list and he wrestled a girl at a, at a um, like a competition, yeah, and honestly his mentality is the same as mine, which is like if you want to be involved in that, then you have to play at that level Then you have to just go.
Kenny Massa:If that's your forego. So how I would think of that is if you have entered that level of competition, then you feel as an individual that you can compete at that level. I am not going to lower my level of competitiveness because you are different in any way, shape or form there and there's been same levels where people have had disabilities and also respect that goes with that, you know yeah, I mean, why should I treat you?
James LaGamma:different if you entered that sport?
Kenny Massa:I'm not gonna, and if you want that, then you should probably enter a different sport or something. I don't know.
Ryan Selimos:That's why wrestling is weight class, right, yeah, I just always wondered that it's just the mentality of someone in that position. I've never wrestled, I wouldn't know that.
Kenny Massa:And there were some girls that were fucking amazing, I'm sure, I'm sure I try to make it a level playing field because of the weight class stuff. Yeah, because I mean you're not going to do a 250 versus a 103-pound person Like yeah, they're going to get pinned.
James LaGamma:You know you just fucking sit on them. I appreciate that, yeah.
Kenny Massa:no, I mean now, though, like I have a cousin who's a female wrestler, who's got an amazing opportunity at the college level.
Ryan Selimos:Nice, that's.
Kenny Massa:Awesome, she's on a female team Also thanks for the comment that there probably there probably be enough people for there to have. Yeah, they have a whole fucking team. Yeah, if there's one girl in the freaking tri-county area like that's hard.
James LaGamma:You also have to think and more power to her.
Kenny Massa:Most likely she beat someone to get into that role like she had a wrestle off in her at her school level to earn the position as varsity to compete at that level.
James LaGamma:So she already earned that true.
Kenny Massa:So again, it has like equal. It has like equal opportunity of competition. She earned her position there and beat someone to be there more, more than likely, yeah, so what? I'm not supposed to give her the level of competition that she's asking for, right? I think it's just all fair.
Ryan Selimos:Now though again team split.
Ryan Selimos:No, um, for me it goes back to high school football, cause I think we all kind of test. There's nothing like Friday night lights, just that feeling. We had a run my junior year uh, road warriors where we had three we were. We lost in the game to go to States, but all of our playoff games were on the road. They were all about two hours drive. I think the last one was maybe 45, but just that span of three weeks and those trips together, not only the games and the underdog story and all that stuff, but just those moments over that three-week span. I take that with me and would love to go back and just not change anything, just redo it. I mean you'll have to win the last one, but just those moments were can't take it away. I gotta ask this question yeah, which high school, which high school fair that was at?
James LaGamma:uh, at archbishop carthage, that's who I figured it was gonna be funny, though good there johnny, if you didn't know, ryan went to three high schools.
Jonny Strahl:Was it only three?
Ryan Selimos:It was only three in three years.
Jonny Strahl:Jeez, I'll throw a curveball. Not baseball related, but basketball. Eighth grade Travel Travel team. We were nasty and we had the opportunity to go to Fort Wayne, indiana, to play in the tournament for AAU Was it AAU, u-triple-sa, whatever? It was Kind of learned. Like you know, we talk about locker rooms and stuff. Like dude.
Jonny Strahl:When you talk about like growing up and just practicing and getting to know people from all different backgrounds, like this team was just in sync and I was this height in eighth grade so I was like a four or five, I was a sixth man pretty much. I used to just go out there and just cover and play some defense outside of that. I don't know what I was out there for, but, um, we made a run and we made it I think the lead elite eight and we lost. But like just the memories, like seeing what those people are doing now, like don't really keep in touch with most of them, but you know, just like the, the journey and like being able to travel in eighth grade, so like a different state, like that was pretty cool. Jim rat's basketball like the actual place. There's like 25 plus courts. Um, you play like in their arena where they've got the big jumbo chaun up top. It was pretty cool.
Ryan Selimos:Um, that was the end of my career in basketball it was not actually because oh, that's right, we have a moment of johnny, that is, I'm surprised you didn't use this one as basketball um the ymca yeah I don't know if it was these specific glasses.
Jonny Strahl:We brought this up we brought up the few times it's been probably brought up about three times on the episode, but go ahead and bring it up one more time. I just want to go embarrass me on the fucking.
Ryan Selimos:That's right johnny had a moment where I think the first foul was called that there was. No, it wouldn't be the first, but uh, johnny's glasses flew off and he's there going. My glasses, my glasses and the refs he can't see and the refs called the foul and everyone's like no one touched him.
Jonny Strahl:But to be fair. To be fair, this was part of a freaking strategy here. Okay, why? Who were we playing? There were some really good people. Who were we playing? Florida Gulf Coast? Basically Nick Comer and Austin freaking Rivers dude, Not on the same team, but still Austin Rivers, who's in the freaking NBA. And you got me just running the baseline.
James LaGamma:We're running a 1-3-1.
Jonny Strahl:Chris played pretty good that game.
Ryan Selimos:James goes. What do I do? James runs the baseline.
Jonny Strahl:Just run back and forth.
James LaGamma:I'll pass the ball and run back and forth.
Jonny Strahl:Good, Love me some YMCA basketball.
James LaGamma:Those are some good moments, thank you for sharing everyone. Hopefully everyone listening is able to kind of reminisce on their, their careers as well. Um, I just had one last comment, um, just about sports in general. Um, I know you guys agree with me, and I guarantee listeners agree with me, and I know there's a lot of other things out there in life that aren't sports, that people have passion for. But you cannot argue that sports just bring you just this emotional aspect, like it's almost poetic. They, they just touch your hearts. I mean they're. It's amazing because you know the people that have played sports can relate and empathize with the struggles that every athlete goes through to try to become the top of their game. And especially, like you guys mentioned a lot of swings, kenny, you mentioned a lot where things just dramatically changed, like everything was supposed to go this way. I mean it's just, there's nothing fucking better. I mean, even sports movies are some of the best critically acclaimed movies out there.
Ryan Selimos:Yeah, and it's just, it's awesome, just the lessons too, the life lessons you learn at different stages. You could learn it and go through it in peewees in eighth grade. Right, the life lessons you have the opportunity to learn by doing sports, partaking in sports at any level. It's just awesome.
James LaGamma:I think that's a huge reason why people gravitate towards sports, how they cherish sports while they're idolized. It's because the emotional, physical, everything about sports is just it's almost like life kind of sucks and and it just it gets in the way and it's an escape and and it kind of it kind of it.
James LaGamma:sports teach you life and but but it's, uh, it's, most people play sports when they're children and so, like that's, when times were a little bit easier, and so I think there's just a natural ability for people to want to love sports because of what they had, that that experience growing up their childhood. Yeah, yeah, which is also why I brought into the hey. Can you guys reflect on something that happened because of that experience growing up their childhood?
James LaGamma:Yeah, which is also why I brought into the hey, can you guys reflect on something that happened in your career that you wish you could relive? Great. If you guys want to add more to that, no, I'll say something really quick because this kind of hit home.
Jonny Strahl:I had the opportunity to sit in on a panel of previous student athletes and in the workforce now and this gentleman he's a white male, he played at a very big school in college, came from a very wealthy family and he had a story to share and what I thought really hit home was, for the first time in his life and we talk about like diversity, equity, inclusion, right First time in his life in a locker room at the division one level, he finally felt like a minority and the opportunity he got to really learn different cultures, backgrounds, where people grow up, why, the way people are, how they are raised, their upbringing, um, it was an eye-opening experience for him and it changed him because of that and I think all of us can attest like sports shaped our mindset very early on accepting people the way they are and not giving a care in the world of where, what, who, whatever, right, um, and those are things that just sports that resonate with me the most.
Kenny Massa:It's like you almost wish every single person in this world could be part of an environment like that because you learn so much I think of this like when, you like, I played on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball and football um my whole career. Like we had, we ran with thin teams and in the north, so you're on everything. You're on fucking punt team right fun punt return team.
Kenny Massa:Kickoff team. Kick return team, special teams, everything right. So when you get tackled, like when you're, when you're fucking running that ball and you get hit and you get fucking laid out and you lose your air and you're laying on the ground, tell me when someone, when someone reaches out their hand to help you up, tell me, if you give a fuck who they are, what they look like Nope, it does not matter.
Kenny Massa:That hand, that that reach to say like hey, I got you, man is is worth everything and, at the end of the day, like those characteristics mean more than anything else, like anything, it does not mean their ethnicity, their race, anything. That's all bullshit. Like that is so meaningful and so powerful sportsmanship's no different than humanity yeah, sports make you a better person.
James LaGamma:I mean cause you to your point the person that could be helping you up is probably on the other team too, Could be could be your team, could be the other team Like it? Hasn't. It does not matter, man, but it doesn't matter no.
Ryan Selimos:I think you talk about wrestling one-on-one. You could be the biggest trash talker, like you can be humbled yeah it doesn't matter and that feeling of being humbled changes you right and just at the end of the day doesn't matter what you look like, it is who is the best all that doesn't here's the task. Who's the best at it? One-on-one team, whatever. There's no questioning it. It is a win-loss situation.
Kenny Massa:So it's an awesome thing, honestly it is. It's great because it's like that bond, too, that you get with people that are on your side. Even when you're playing against someone, you're going at it and at the end the game's over. You're like dude. That was fucking awesome.
James LaGamma:I love that aspect in soccer growing up, where you play the sport and then at the end of the game, no matter win or lose you line up and you give little high fives. I don't know what you want to fucking call that shit. I don't know what it's called there were people that were sour and they would be crying in that line as they're walking by and they won't shake anyone's fucking hands. But hey, and your coach is like hey fucking muscle up.
James LaGamma:Yeah, you got to learn Act Act right too, because you had people that were like no, I don't want to hold his hand, I don't want to clap his hand.
Kenny Massa:And the coach was like bro, if you don't fucking hit his hand, man, how often have we talked about learning from failure.
Ryan Selimos:You eat that in sports. You hit that loss and then your drive to improve for next year, for the next game.
James LaGamma:It's a beautiful thing. It really is a beautiful thing. That discipline you learn so much, we can rattle off a million adjectives.
Kenny Massa:Well, tell us in the comments how your life has been impacted by sports. It doesn't matter what sport, whether it's a board sport or a ball sport or any other thing that may pop up, but any sport out there if you've share your moments active in it, share your moment or let us know how it's impacted your life. We'd love to hear it because, as you can tell, we're fanatics about sports in general and we love to know how it's impacted you. But until then, the letter continues you.
