Switch the Play: Alex Caruso on Manchester City, comparing the NBA and Premier League, and meeting Kevin De Bruyne

30:21Are you still got your basketball brain engaged or does it feel like a different planet what what does it feel like to witness a game of football inside the inside the brain of Alex Caruso honestly there's there's so many similarities um with basketball that I think if you look and you understand one game or another you'll be able to see and a lot of it is the continuity of the five guys on the court has to be elite and the same thing with you know the pitch there has to be people in certain spots to give outlets to make runs to open up space and like I think that's the cool part for me is just seeing how the game is manipulated without the ball.

30:58Seeing how one person moving into an angle or one person running down the wing opens up maybe an inside pass or it moves the defender out of the way and now we're playing the ball wide. Just different things like that. I think that the manipulation of the game for me is something that I'd love to see because that especially in football, you have to or else, you know, rarely do you have a guy like a Messi where you can just give it to him. They'll dribble by five guys and you'll be on goal like more times than not. It's team building and it's passing. And I think that's one of the cool things for me just because I love I love angles.

31:37I love spacing and passes. I think that's probably why I'm so gravitated towards De Bruyne, too. It's just like he opens the game up and sees stuff in ways that not a lot of people, maybe anybody ever has. So I think that's that's one of the things for me that that I love about the game is just how how cool it is to be able to adjust and maneuver without having the ball. There's so many correlations. Like you said, it's it's obviously the angles in terms of, you know, in terms of who's open and where to cut and just like like the time to like, you know, exactly. One guy in the back line is a half step slow getting up and forming the line.

32:16And all of a sudden, now the guy's in on goal. 100%. You don't make that rotate quick enough when the guy gets blown by. You're late to the low, man. You're getting dunked on. And so it's only your fault for being that half step late. Right. The one thing that I see that I feel like I've learned a lot from and has helped me stay in the league for this long is the scanning. they do is like you know they're constantly especially you know it's kdb and again the guys we're talking about you can see like before they even receive the ball like they've received the ball how many times have they done that repetitively so that at the time the ball is coming they can take a quick peek and see exactly like they have a quick snapshot of exactly what's in front of them the second they receive the ball yeah dude that's honestly that's and that's that's a great point that's basketball too like that's like many times in a game i've done that where it's like all right i know there's three guys over there like i know the the rotation is going to be this way to where you know the ball swung to me i'm not even thinking about it it's already on its way to the next guy because i know that you know there's four people over there there's nobody to go get them um where the same thing you see somebody receive the ball you know with their back to their goal in the midfield and they just you know angle it off to the right or to the left and somebody takes it and runs with it.

33:35And it's like, those are the things where, like I said, the ability to manipulate the game without the ball and to like think, I think that's the coolest part about it is just intelligence is rewarded. David Silva, the Manchester City midfield human wonder, he once came on our show and told us that he knew exactly what he was going to do with the ball before it even came to him, which is just like the ultimate scanning times 100. but KDB is probably the player that bonds you the most. Who's KDB's NBA equivalent? Does he have one? That's a great question. I think it's got to be somebody, because I think he was pretty easily, he was easily the best player on our team for a handful of stretch of years, maybe even the last year.

34:21He just, the legs got a little old, so he wasn't running as much, but it's got to be someone who is the best player on their team but isn't a score first player. but can also score when necessary. And honestly, it was the only thing that I could think of just because it's fresh in my brain was Tyrese Halliburton. He's the engine for that team. You take him off and it just changes the dynamic of the team. He sees stuff for them and manipulates the game and works it. But given the opportunity, he's also going to throw in a couple of threes and be able to score. Who do you think, Larry? You got anybody else?

34:56I mean, Tyrese is a good one. Now that you say it, I had originally thought of like a Steve Nash or a Chris Paul mold. You don't really have to think too much if you're playing with one of those guys. Chris Paul is a really good one, too, I think, because you've seen that stats. Like every team that he goes to, they end up winning more. And for him, he's definitely a setup guy first. And then, you know, when it's time to score late in the game and when it matters, he's going to get to the right hand and get to the middie and probably make it. So that's a good one. I like that one. I like the Chris Paul one, too.

35:28Yeah, someone with a mind just thinks the game for his teammates so you can make it easy. The amount of times he puts Sterling and Sané just on a platter for him. Yeah, probably even more so for that too, like the mindset too. I know Kevin's super competitive, and obviously Chris is – he's – Very. Yeah, I think anybody who watches basketball knows how competitive he is, maybe to a fault, but that's a good one. I like that one. Can't wait to see KDB doing the choke sign to Inter Milan fans next season in Serie A. If we turn around Manchester City, we've got to get a quick word about Erling Haaland.

36:02What an AI-generated striker. Scores all the goals, slays all the opponents. When he broke through, he'd scored like 10 goals his first six games. I have not seen such a dominant entry into a league. It really reminded me of Shaquille O 'Neal when he entered and just started to smash all the backboards. And game plans had to be just suddenly dedicated to stopping him. the hacker shack you know always had to be brought to to the harlan levels what do you guys see when you when you see that gentleman yeah you said it best like ai generated i'm talking about the machine he's just a he's he's a physical freak to begin you know like he is i think sometimes people get get the idea that like all football players are really small and like they're a handful of guys that are you know six four six five and he's one of them like I got to meet him in Houston and then see him in Columbus a little bit too.

36:58And the dude is my size, you know, with, you know, obviously the skill and the talent he has, but like he's 6 '4 out there running and running past people, shrugging people off. It's like the physical specimen that he is compared to like, you know, the physique of most football players I think is what sticks out to me. Like let alone the goals, like he scores plenty of them. But like the physical things that he does while he's out there, the things that's like kind of stand off or jump off the page at me. I couldn't agree more. It's crazy because like, you know, one thing that I'm obsessed with is FPL, the fantasy Premier League.

37:35It's been something that like I just have gotten more and more into every year. And I'm sitting there scrolling, like making my team like, all right, you know, this guy's worth this many points and trying to make allocate my points. And there was like the one non-negotiable for me. Nah, I wouldn't even discuss it. It was Holland. He's the most expensive player in the game, but he's the non-negotiable. I mean, like you said, the physical attributes, to me, he's one of the first answers. He's kind of one of the first kind of answers to the question. Or if we took an NBA player, one of the bigger guys, and raised him in European football trainings.

38:12The funny thing, too, is even last year, he had a spell where he wasn't scoring. and like he he probably could have had another five to ten goals last year like before he got hurt like he missed him he missed a couple for him especially sitters um that like when we saw we're like oh like that's like it was like shocking that he missed the goal and like didn't score and um i think he's already like in that category of guys where it's like you you expect them to find the goal and to find the play more so than than not and that's a that's a pretty rare breed and company to be in in the Premier League.

38:48Who's the Premier League, Alex Karusik? I mean, we've talked about who the NBA KDB is. I mean, LeBron, that all-time quote called you the ultimate Swiss army knife. Is there a Premier League player that you watch and think, that's me? I can tell you who I want it to be. I would love to be a Rodri comparison. I knew it was going to be Rodri. I would love to have a Rodri comparison. I don't know if that's disrespectful to him, but that's who I think. A young Gundogan, I think, is a good one. I'm also just a city bias, too. My mind went immediately to, like, who is, like, an engine room six? Like, who is just an industrious person?

39:31Just everywhere. I went to Kaiseido right away. You get a little Conte, too. Like, watching Conte play is probably what people feel like watching me play, where it's just, like, this dude is everywhere, and he's so annoying. It's like, how did you get over there already? everything up yeah how did you get over there already yeah that's that's probably a good good pull too can we talk about pep very quickly both of you i mean the intensity one of the the greatest coaches of all time follow bald won everything when you guys watch him would that style work in the nba that intensity bordering on madness really i don't i don't think so no uh there are a few there are a few guys that try it but that that philosophy might be it might be getting swept out of the door a little bit you have to be a little more a little more level-headed nowadays i think but that's like that's like late 2000s early 2010s prime coaching right there like that's you know that's that's doc rivers on the celtics that's thibodeau with the bulls that's even spolstra probably nowadays that might be a good comparison to be honest spo is spo is a really good one.

40:40Intense when he needs to be. And then, you know, I haven't been coached by him, but this is what I've heard from other people. And then, you know, a great way of motivating guys and getting them to play well. I haven't had a coach that I think that, that, that mirrors what Pep does, at least from an intensity standpoint, I don't think I've had one of those. You don't think Luke, you don't think Luke, Luke wasn't that, wasn't that intense? No, Luke was, Luke was like big age he was he was california cool and then you'd piss at a ref and get thrown out that was that was the extent of it um something that she said about you he said you know where all 10 guys are supposed to be you're constantly talking to your team from the bench do you ever imagine the alex caruso coaching era yeah i get asked that all the time actually people well especially now i think because people are calling me old and an unk that people think that i'm like close to being done but um we got a lot more years to go before we gotta we gotta think about doing that uh that is something that people have asked me and uh i don't know how i feel about it i don't know that's a big commitment to to coach you know like i think again it goes back to like people think you just show up for the games and sit there and call plays and do that but there's a lot that goes into it i think outside of the uh the hooting and hollering on the bench during the game that I love doing, but some of the other stuff, I think some of the, the, the desk work and the grimy stuff is out of my lane.

42:09I'm, I'm, I'm with you on that one. I get, I kind of get the same questions and it's like, yeah, what do you think about coaching? No, you see it and it looks great, but like you, we see me and Larry, we see every day what they do and what they go through and how much work they put in. They spend way more time. It's like, dude, I might just, I want to play golf after I'm done. 100%. That is way too much. I want to go to practice. Golf and a couple of shifts at raising canes versus coaches. I'm fully retired. Canes is going to be over too. One of my two weeks there too. Can we talk very quickly about Manchester City this season?

42:46Because it is a fascinating moment. A team that win everything did not win anything. The roster's blown up. A couple of hundred million dollars spent. New faces coming in. I mean, Larry, it's almost like watching them. It's like an NBA-style blow up the roster, what Manchester City are going through. You've both been through rosters' gutted moments for the inside in a sporting organization. How do you keep the culture of winning when that roster is being refreshed to such a degree? That kind of falls back on the organization, I think, and how they work their day-to-day operation. And, you know, the culture is largely influenced by players, but I think it is set by the organizations.

43:33And I think I can speak to that just with Oklahoma City this year is, you know, when I came in, the amount of detail and the amount of, you know, individual focus on certain things in the organization just from, you know, little things. everything every ball facing the same way on the ball rack the the chefs have everything ready and they can make you whatever you need they're early to this everyone's enthusiastic like little things like that I think set the precedent for what it needs to be and then depending on who you bring in as players you know they they just amplify whatever it is already and you know at least for Man City, I think the track record and the culture that they have there of competing and being great people, because I think for the most part, everyone that's come through the team over the last decade has been a good person and fun to be around.

44:25And I think that's a big part of why they've won so much is you play that many games and go that deep in the season. You got to really enjoy hanging out with the guys that you're on the team with. That is the major reason that I'm so scared of City this season is because of the quote quote unquote, let down last year. Oh, man. Well, and plus the new guys, they got in. It's like it's, you know, you got to fight for your food. Like there's a hunger to prove, you know, worth in, I guess, skill level in that you can be a part of the team to release the best 11 to play in the important games and play in the big games.

45:02Because, you know, at the end of the day, as professionals and as players, like that's what we want to do. Like respectfully, me and Larry don't really care as much about game 35 on the road on a back to back team. That's, you know, getting ready for draft picks versus, you know, when we play the Cavs this year, it's going to be on TV and it'll be a big game. So at least in my in my mind, I assume that's what all the guys, the new guys come into city are doing is trying to really solidify themselves as guys that can that can win big games. No, it is. It's you've got it. when you get here, you have to...

45:38We brought you here to see. We think you can hold to our standard, but you've got to show us that you can hold to our standard. It just elevates you to the highest. It's the best. I'm so scared of the city. If you could just loan us a tie this year. That's all I want. If I'm being honest, Chelsea's looked the best through the summer which you can take that for what it's worth, but y 'all at least have the most... Don't y 'all me. We are I have my Premier League team. It's ingrained in my brain, Josh. I know it's ingrained. Y 'all leads. We leads. It's us. Come on, man. It's a shame you didn't recognize because I even brought out a special one for you.

46:23That's from years of, oh, wow. Come on. We even brought out the Alfie Holland love for the last episode. that was a that was a josh uh that was a that was a josh hart um presentation mock presentation no no it is true because that's that that's the origins of it and and it's it's just so cool to see how we both just grown in our fandom from from like just like again from fifa until you know now again being friends with kevin de bruyne and and making yearly pilgrimages i'm going later this month again to go watch we're going to play newcastle at ellenorale it's like a sicko move that i i tried to to work in that i didn't i didn't actually bring it up with her my i'm getting i'm getting married saturday so honeymoon's coming up yeah big time big time and i looked at the prim schedule to see when city was playing at home to see if we could just like after the honeymoon just fly through and stop in london and drive over and be like oh maybe we could do it oops it wasn't it didn't work it didn't work out that that see that's sicko behavior but it's yeah it goes to show you got a good one if you even had if you could even consider like she might go for this it just it wasn't gonna work it wasn't gonna work it's amazing it is unbelievable i mean listening to the two of you i do like to think that erling harlan is currently padding around his apartment in manchester wearing a larry nance senior throwback That would be an elite picture.

47:52You are both so knee-deep in this. It's remarkable. You're both elite athletes. You're both at the pinnacle of your game. In a league that Americans, young Americans, everyone dreams of playing in. By the way, half of the Premier League players dream of being NBA stars. They love it, as you've said. But if I had the power to make you both Premier League footballers and not NBA stars, would you want that? Right now, yeah. Tomorrow.

48:21immediately i'll do my physical tomorrow can i go back 10 years and redo this i think it's part of the professional athlete competitive nature of wanting to to just try things and be good at everything you know like part of that and part of it is just the the idea that we create and seeing the scenes of premier league football when it's the mystique yeah it's it's just the the atmosphere created and the love behind the game and the passion behind it is so it's just so it's infectious and you want to be a part of that and like i can only imagine you know a derby game and you're on the road and you score a goal and you're just sprinting full of adrenaline in front of your home corner and just knee slide it would there's there can't be many feelings like that me and my buddy that's what we talk about all the time it's like do you imagine the adrenaline pumping through these guys' veins after they score, and they rip their shirt off, and a dude's full sprinting.

49:20Oh, you get to stop the game and celebrate your moment. It's amazing. It's like I'm pretty unheard of, at least for our sport, it's unheard of. Like football, they do a little, baseball, a little too, and hockey has a pause. But for us, the only time you've got to hit a shot at the end of the quarter or you've got to get an and one to get a break. So that might be some of the intrigue as well. Yeah, it's his knee slides. Why would you do it? Knee slides. The adrenaline of knee slides. I'm surprised nobody in the NFL hasn't done a knee slide cell yet. Like, that would be... Oh, that'd be... That'd be kind of elite.

49:56Oh, it would go everywhere. Yeah, that would be kind of elite. But to be fair, don't most of them play on turf? That's a little brutal. Yeah, it would have to be like a traditional field. It would need to be grass for sure. Give up your knees to become an instant global legend. It's probably worth the trade-off. I do want to ask you, though, a repeatable that we'll ask everybody. that comes on this beautiful show. If you could make a five-a-side team just out of NBA ballers, who would it be? That starting five for the Alex Caruso football team. I would think Dennis Schroeder has to be on there.

50:31Dennis, I'm for sure, I know he's good at soccer. Ousmane Dieng, my teammate, we'll put Ous in there. Ous has shown some skills. We'll put Franz in there. I'm sure he's got some... Germany represented well. They did go to college in America, so we'll see if that works. I'm going to give my guy a shout-out, Gary Payton II. Wow. Quick covering distance. He can guard somebody. We'll put Larry in there. Yeah, we'll get Larry in there. We'll get some strength and some header goals. Come on, man. We're good set pieces. Throw me a goal. I'll be a good keeper. This is a weaver keeper. To be fair, I'm not familiar with Ousmane Dieng's footballing skills.

51:14French native. He can handle his own. I mean, again, I actually have seen Dennis's and Franz's. It's a general good bet to bet on the Europeans. Again, I don't know. He just picked like five German players. I think Dennis played like in the sixth tier of German football. Yeah, I saw that. Was that last summer? Yeah, for black and shit or something. How cool. He like went and played. Was it like a Sunday league? I mean, it was German sixth here. So it's probably like English first Premier League level. The Germans, he's carrying the Alex Caruso five. We'll put one sub. We'll put Lou Dort in there because he said he used to play goalie growing up in Montreal.

51:56Yeah. Yeah. Lou can have my spot. If you want to talk about some physicality and keeper, yeah, he's got it. Larry will manage. It's been so cool to see, you know, how there are times when a team win a championship or some guys having success and it's like, like, that's awesome. You're happy for him. But then like, it's just like a little like, oh man, like, you know, a little eye roll, you know, it's like, man, when like when city wins again, or it's like the Lakers win again, wink. but you know it's just been so much fun it's been so much fun watching and really just like being nothing but excited and happy for you like from from again watch at South Bay and even playing watching you play in summer league against against our teams and playing you know it's it's just so cool to see like what a decade has been and it's just it's really cool to have to have people to have people like you in the NBA and people that we can call friends that, that like genuinely just 100 % true excitement and joy for, for the, for the success you've had in your career.

53:06Like, it's just, I just wanted you to know that before we got off, like it has just been so much fun watching you go about watching you go about winning your rings and just being, um, you know, maintaining the person you are. So I just appreciate you and you know how difficult that is to maintain who you are through this NBA. And you're just the man. So I just I just wanted everybody to know that, like, you know, the person, the player they're rooting for is the kind of person you want to root for as well. I appreciate that. That goes a long way for us. Trust me. Trust me. I'm trying my best to stay the course.

53:44Absolutely. Absolutely, man. Hey, congrats on getting married as well. Really excited for you. A couple rings this summer. This one, from experience, this one, it's pretty good. It's pretty good. You've got to enjoy your moment with this one. I will. I'll celebrate for both of you. Don't worry. To you and Haley, fella. Lifetime health, happiness, and Manchester City Conference League qualifications. With the American Express Platinum Card, you can access over$3 ,500 in annual value with benefits and eligible purchases across travel, entertainment, and more. There's nothing like Platinum. Learn more at AmericanExpress.com slash Explore-Platinum.

54:25Enrollment requirements, monthly, and other limits in terms apply. Alex Caruso, what a human being. Larry, he's your friend. You know him so well. But what did you take from that conversation? No, AC, he's just the best. You know, if you couldn't tell from the interview, he's just so knowledgeable about both, right? But for me, what I took as some of the most interesting parts of it was like as an elite passing lane defender in the NBA, how he's able to watch soccer and learn different angles and which angles to cut off and stuff like that. So for me, I'm always fascinated in how other athletes view different sports.

55:03So for me, I really enjoyed that. Humanly, listening to him, it's so bloody difficult to maintain your humility like he has. We had him on for the first time on our show, I think after his first Lakers year. And so much has changed in his life, as you know. Back then, he was like a tenacious meme lord. You know, he's now a leader. But so much about him as a human being has stayed the same. And that is, well, you know how hard that is. It's the ultimate tribute. NBA is a place where it's hard not to be changed by the noise that surrounds you. Somehow he's done it. No, you're right. You're right.

55:40And it's funny you brought up leader. You know, that again was what I took from the interview is, again, getting asked that question about like, hey, you went from Chicago to OKC where you're now the old man and the leader. How did you, you know, what was that like? And so, again, he's just done such a good job of maintaining who he is as a person through the jungle and the chaos that is the NBA. And you see time and time again guys lose themselves. So I'm just so incredibly impressed and so happy for him. The highs and the lows, he stayed the same, but it's time. For us to talk about the football, the Premier League has just started.

56:16We're taping 24 hours after your team, of which you are a co-owner, Leeds United, team who just got promoted, which for NBA fans, that's like a G League team being moved up to the big dance. They played the team Everton, the team I grew up supporting in Liverpool. And well, Larry, tell the people what went down. What went down was Everton. actually as a matter of fact uh 1-0 to the leads starting off three points strong we're staying up we're staying up so i'm so sorry but i'm just thrilled and i'm i just hate that it had to be at your expense but you know i'm going off the track with the trains coming through you know i'm saying when we started uh this show we thought we we had the bright idea of teeping after uh everton and leeds played i was pretty confident that it would be a victory lap for me but here we are.

57:10I do think the team I love are more a charity than a football team. As I say, welcome back. I'm happy for you. I think Leeds have just won their first Premier League win in 867 days. You didn't have to say that. It was never a penalty. Can we agree with that? To paraphrase Rashid Wallace, do we say Bald sometimes does like... Look, he leaned into it. He leaned into it. What I've called a no, but am I mad about it? No. Larry publicly is confronting larry privately texted me said it probably wasn't the penalty you can tell the people allegations i didn't say that i want to talk to you about ownership though like because you are a human being of talk and then you turn it into action i do admire it man you know taking your passion which as i've known you has gotten deeper and deeper and deeper what role does it play in your life what made you take that step obviously like you said i've been super open and and, you know, proud about my support and love for the game of football.

58:11And, you know, over the years, you know, being somebody, you know, fortunately of status in the NBA, the opportunity to present themselves. And, you know, I had a few different opportunities with a few different clubs to kind of look under the covers and see if it was something I was interested in. And it was, you know, some of the other clubs didn't necessarily fit. I didn't like the feel of the people taking over or the project they had in mind. But not to tease our next guest, but a very close friend of mine presented Leeds to me as an option. And me and my wife took a visit and it just felt very Midwestern-y.

58:46Felt very blue collar and the people were friendly and felt a little bit like home. We'll talk about that guest in a moment. But I am interested, you're an elite professional athlete, Larry. Being a fan, what does that feel like for you? And what role does that play for you in all of this? So it's so bizarre as an athlete and as someone playing, I'm able to regulate my emotions so well. Right. Never too high, never too low. And we work on that. It's drilled into us. But as a fan, I understand where the term fanatical comes from at this point. You know, I'm I'm I was standing up on the couch, you know, pumping my fist when that goal went in.

59:25And my wife had to take our one year old out of the room. And like she said, I'm sorry, babe, I didn't mean to. it's just, it's impossible to control the emotions. And I just, I don't want to say I enjoy being a fan as much as playing, but when my playing days are over, being a fan will suffice just as well. How's it been around the owners of the NBA teams in form the way that you act as an owner? Where are you between like one of the absentee American landlord owners of like a Premier League team, not actually quite sure if you know that you own the team or storming the field to shout at the referee, Where do you fit on that spectrum?

1:00:02I would say I'm somewhere between the first and the forest owner. Maranakis. Maranakis. I'm not quite going to get on Daniel Farke just yet, but no, I'm watching every game. When I played in LA, it's waking up at 4.30 in the morning to catch the first slate of games on Saturday. No matter what is going on in my schedule, unless I'm playing basketball, I'm watching. It's just, it's become a joy of my career, a joy of my life. And it's just something that I can't do without anymore. Now it's time for the Alipop Gut Check of the Week, brought to you by our friends at Alipop. Larry, I'm going to give you the platform to speak to this audience.

1:00:45A number of them are already intense football fans. They'll have their individual passion, the individual team they support. But for those who've come into this show from an NBA POV and are thinking, you know who do i emotionally connect to take the microphone explain to them why leads what joining the nance cause what they're actually signing up for tell america why it should be proper lead look one thing you've got to understand about about uh english football is england is the size of ohio ish and there are 92 professional clubs in in that small size and fortunately with The cool thing with Leeds is it's a it's one of the very few one club cities and it is just absolutely rabbit.

1:01:37Their fan base is feared. They are. It is world renowned. You go to Ellen Road and it is got it's got opponents shaking in their boots. This is a this is a sleeping giant that that we're doing everything we can to bring back to its former glory. And and the people behind the project, the people that we're bringing in are as quality individuals as they are. the pitch and I just couldn't be more proud of that fact. I think there's history there's joy, the fan base are I mean I think feared and revered in equal measure, the song they play when they win after the final whistle is I predict a riot.

1:02:12Kaiser Chiefs baby Kaiser Chiefs I predict a riot 37 more rumbles away, the Leeds have won their first, everyone in white is having a night right now So I will say for me, my dreams of an Everton invincible season lie in tatters. Larry, you got your three points from us. You're going to have to find your 37 to avoid relegation on your own. But you mentioned who's going to be in the next episode. Tell the people who and what he's all about, because he is a magnificent bloke. Just to connect the dots from earlier, the guy I was talking about that originally connected me with Leeds was our dear friend TJ McConnell.

1:02:56Obviously, we just saw him battling it out with Alex Caruso in the finals here, but he was actually in attendance for that thrashing embarrassment of a loss Everton suffered at the hands of the great Leeds United. He is as passionate about the sport as I am. I'm so excited to have him on. I know you guys will really enjoy it. You'll get a glimpse into our never-ending text chain of who are we signing, where are we playing, what's going on. And I'm just excited to get you guys inside the mind of us. God bless. I cannot wait to be with him. TJ McConnell, the first co-owner of Leeds United in the esteemed history of the club to play in the NBA finals.

1:03:41It's never happened before. Hopefully I'll be too. God bless. From your mouth to God's ear, Larry Nance. I can't wait to have that stug-shorted yinzer on the show. He is, and I shake as I say this, proper, proper leads. Larry, last question for you. One game into the season, one win. What do you believe is possible in the year ahead for your team? Well, as I look at the table right now, we're fighting for European competition, so I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but look, we're looking all right. no in all seriousness you know the past few years the three clubs that have come up have gotten sent right back down and I think the general goal of this season I know the general goal of this season is just to buck that trend this club does not belong in the championship it belongs in the Premier League and we're going to do everything we can to ensure ensure that Ellen Road gets Premier League football God bless isn't that just like the biggest difference between American sports and English sports for you.

1:04:47The worst team in the league in America gets a cuddle and a number one draft pick opportunity. In England, you get a swift kick in the down balloons and get shoved down into financial ruin and obscurity. It's the best. God bless America. If you have questions for TJ McConnell, if you've got questions for Larry Nance for the next episode, hit us at switchtheplay at meninblazers.com. That's switchtheplayatmeninblazers.com. We'll ask the best ones on this show next time out. But Larry, last word from you. The floor is yours. Guys, just want to say thank you so much for tuning in. Obviously, we have so many more exciting things to come.

1:05:31But this is just the start. These are the conversations that I'm having every day in the locker room, every day in the weight room, on the court, when we play against each other, in group text. So I'm just excited to bring that to you. And there's only one place that you'll find that.

1:05:51Thanks to our friends at Alipop for making this all possible.