In short
Hour 3 of The Rich Eisen Show covers MLB’s late-season chaos, a new umpire-challenge tech update, and then an in-studio conversation with Zach Brown.
Topic
Detroit Tigers’ collapse in the AL playoff race; Cleveland Guardians’ comeback after being 15 games back; MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system debut in 2026; Zach Brown’s new album and Sphere residency.
Guests/backgrounds
Zach Brown, Grammy-winning artist and frontman of the Zach Brown Band; he discusses creating “Love and Fear,” working with a 40-piece orchestra, a Dolly Parton collaboration (“Butterfly”), and his Sphere residency in Las Vegas.
Key claims/examples
Guardians scored 3 runs without “getting the ball out of the infield” after Tarik Skubal’s early 2-0 lead; Tigers fall into the third wild-card spot. ABS allows batter/pitcher/catcher challenges (two per team), uses 5G tracking, and aims to fix missed calls like Aaron Judge’s strike that was called a ball due to catcher framing. Brown says the Sphere content took 18 months and uses projections/optical illusions.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VORecap of Previous Guests
1:26 to 2:44
Rich Eisen discusses previous guests on the show, including Kurt Warner and Fran Brown.
“Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles.”
Tigers' Struggles and Guardians' Rise
2:44 to 3:23
Analysis of the Detroit Tigers' collapse and the Cleveland Guardians' resurgence in the MLB.
“let it go and this is the moment where the coach said well actually it was calm accord last year And it's interesting Kyle's there because Will Howard was the quarterback in Ohio State.”
Baseball Playoff Picture
3:23 to 6:28
Discussion on the implications of the Tigers and Guardians' performance for playoff standings.
“Once upon a time, the Detroit Tigers were cruising to an American League Central title.”
MLB Replay System Announcement
6:28 to 9:15
Overview of the new automated ball-strike challenge system being introduced in 2026.
“They just have a bunch of baseball players that never quit, never say die.”
Debate on Replay Usage
9:15 to 14:00
Rich Eisen shares perspectives on the proposed usage of the replay system, emphasizing its potential impact.
“and maybe wind up AL East champs thanks to the Boston Red Sox, which would make that an absolute chef's kiss.”
Analytical Innovations in Playoff Baseball
14:00 to 19:08
Explore how analytics and challenges in baseball can impact playoff games.
“Within seconds, it shows up on the scoreboard.”
Zac Brown on Upcoming Residency and New Album
21:41 to 25:06
Zac Brown discusses his new album and the innovative performances in the Sphere.
“He just gave me a bunch of gifts, which I've got a mug for you.”
Zac Brown's Love for Sports and Personal History
25:06 to 28:00
Zac Brown shares his passion for various sports and his background in athletics.
“Which must give you such incredible creative freedoms when you got 18 months to figure this out with your music, too.”
Zac Brown's Love for Sports and Teams
28:00 to 29:56
Zac Brown shares his passion for sports and the teams he supports.
Falcons and NFL Insights
29:56 to 31:16
Zac discusses the Atlanta Falcons and his experiences attending games.
“I think we're going to transition again, man.”
Show all 17 chapters
Zac Brown's Super Bowl Experience
31:16 to 33:14
Zac recounts his emotional performance at the Super Bowl and reflections on the game.
“Um, and philanthropy and sports and everything.”
What Makes a Great Song?
33:14 to 35:34
Zac Brown shares his thoughts on songwriting and the emotional connection of music.
“And it's like a college, university quality campus.”
Meeting Legends: Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton
35:34 to 38:05
Zac shares anecdotes about meeting iconic musicians Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton.
“So we're always trying to serve the song and everybody in my band has such incredible musicianship and ultimately when we write a song, we figure out what kind of dress it's going to wear.”
Meeting Legends: Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton
39:48 to 40:46
Zac shares anecdotes about meeting iconic musicians Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton.
“While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent.”
NFL Updates and Quarterback Decisions
40:55 to 42:00
Discussion on quarterback changes and the current state of the NFL.
“So in terms of the quarterback situation, I met both with Russ yesterday and Jackson privately.”
Discussing Quarterback Decisions and Team Dynamics
42:00 to 46:32
Explore the implications of starting Jackson Dart and the team dynamics in a struggling season.
“All I can tell you is we're going with Jackson, and we're getting ready to play.”
Upcoming Guests and Show Highlights
46:32 to 46:47
Learn about the exciting guests joining the show and their discussions.
“On tomorrow's show, Dan Soder is going to join us, the actor.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:01This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required. Compatibility and availability varies 18+.
0:26Rich Eisen:As soccer takes center stage this summer, Comcast helps bring the experience home to America as the exclusive Spanish language home of the tournament in the U.S. Telemundo is set to present its most expansive coverage ever 700 hours of programming live on-site presence at all 104 matches and with multi-view and real-time 4K Xfinity will deliver the most innovative and immersive sports viewing experience for fans watching on Telemundo, Peacock, Fox and FS1 Learn more at ComcastCorporation.com This is the Rich Eisen Show Hey, everybody. Can't get enough of the Rich Eisen Show? You're in luck. You can find us everywhere.
1:05Rich Eisen:Watch us weekdays on Disney Plus from noon to 3 Eastern. Miss the show? We've got a podcast so you can listen anytime. But here's the best part. Our YouTube channel. Subscribe at youtube.com slash Rich Eisen Show and you'll never miss a moment. Now, on with the show. Initiating startup sequence. This is the Rich Eisen Show. Ready, TJ Jefferson? You ready? Micah Parsons is coming to town. It's going to be painful. I wish him well except this weekend. Live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Earlier on the show, pro football hall of famer Kurt Warner. Syracuse head coach Fran Brown. Coming up, Grammy award winning artist Zach Brown.
1:51Rich Eisen:And now, it's Rich Eisen. hour number three of the rich johnson show is on the air fun first two hours to say the least here on the show we had kurt warner on the show and then we had the coach of syracuse football uh fran brown on the show and just had a great uh chat backstage in the green room with kenny chesney it was awesome uh wait a minute zach brown the zach brown band is here and we're excited to have him out here the reason why i just said what i said is uh you have to watch this back later on please don't actually plus or you're listening on the podcast chris brockman talking to fran brown and what a big fan he is of syracuse football and fran brown when he's built with the program last year with will howard um who as we all know didn't play for syracuse did not the coach didn't let it go and this is the moment where the coach said well actually it was calm accord last year And it's interesting Kyle's there because Will Howard was the quarterback in Ohio State.
2:54Rich Eisen:So just bringing everyone up to speed on what we've done here for the first two hours. Well, I was talking to Jim Trestle earlier. That was really fun. Yeah, for sure. Okay. 844-204-RICH is the number to tell. Is the show over yet? Here on the show. No, we've got a full hour to go. He's coming up next. You know what? It's kind of funny. By the way, that guy was not nice to me when I was a student. Okay. Yeah. Let's call him out. Yeah. Speaking of people wondering when it's going to be all over, one has to wonder if Detroit Tiger fans feel that way right now. Oh, my goodness. Once upon a time, the Detroit Tigers were cruising to an American League Central title.
3:32Rich Eisen:And this thing was wrapped. This thing was done. This thing was in the freezer. To use a phrase here in Los Angeles, sports law, I guess, sports play-by-play lore, the Jell-O was jiggling. and then the Cleveland Guardians caught fire. Once upon a time, 15 games back, they're now in a flat-footed tie with the Detroit Tigers who have absolutely fallen apart and last night the Guardians taking on the Tigers and their Cy Young candidate and we talk about another lock and your guy Garrett Crochet goes tonight in toronto to potentially win the cy young award too uh tarik skuble last night uh against the guardians had a two nothing lead and the guardians did the most guardians thing which is score three runs without getting the ball out of the infield actually the ball did go out of the infield once and that was after a leadoff bunt put one man aboard and then a sacrifice bunt or a try to bunt for a base hit uh scoobal jumps off of the mound and for some reason does not plant his foot pirouette and fire with his cyung left arm a bullet to first he just played like long snapper and decided to flip it between his legs and threw it up the right field line.
5:08Rich Eisen:Crazy. So now it's on. Crowd's going nuts. And yada, yada, yada. Guardians take the lead and didn't give it up. This is one of the biggest comebacks in the history of Major League Baseball that we're seeing right now. This team was dead in the water. And on behalf of everybody else in the American League playoffs, and that includes the New York Yankees, who, thanks to the Red Sox largesse last night, is one game out of the American League East division title and the best record in the American League as the Blue Jays, despite already having clinched a spot, they're falling apart, and the Yankees need to be one game better than the Blue Jays because they don't have the tiebreak.
6:04Rich Eisen:The days of playing game 163 and blowing your chance at winning a wild card series because you have to play one extra game just for playoff positioning or over. They're just using straight up win-loss from the regular season as a tiebreak. Yanks have to be one game better than the Blue Jays. On behalf of the Mariners and the Jays and the Yankees, you don't want the Guardians in. they were one massive tough out last year all they do is put the ball in play and put the pressure on you and last night scoobal and the tigers broke the tigers once upon a time the old english d they are now in that third wild card position with the astros right behind them They could fall right out.
6:56Rich Eisen:Kudos to the Guardians, man. They just have a bunch of baseball players that never quit, never say die. And what, they've gained 11 games in the last three weeks, which is damn near an impossibility. But that's all they do is win baseball games, and the Tigers have done nothing but lose them lately, and don't let the Guardians in. They got people who throw 100 million miles an hour coming out of the pen. They got arms. They got bats. They got one of the best players in baseball. I know you love him. Yeah, Jose Ramirez. No one talks about him. So what is going on in baseball? It's crazy. Your Mets won a game in Wrigley Field.
7:46Rich Eisen:Man. Did you see the sign outside of Murphy's bar? Did I not send that one to you? No. The sign outside of Murphy's Bar read that they have a marquee about who the Cubs are playing. It was the Cubs versus the White Sox of New York. No. Oh, the disrespect was real. And then the Mets came back on him and won the game. Yeah, David Peterson seemed like he should not have been out there. It was 6-1 at one point. Jeff McNeil commits his second error in the inning. I think it was the sixth. Sixth, and literally I picked up my remote, guys, to turn the channel, and I put it down. I was like, nah. I got to ride this out.
8:26Rich Eisen:They won 9-7, and now they're back in that one-game lead. Driver's seat. Okay, that's one way to put it. Well, they're in the driver's seat right now, as opposed to the Reds and the Diamondbacks. We're in the driver's seat for that position. Mets are at 68 % chance to make the playoffs, according to ESPN's analytics model. I don't know how I could say that. I mean, they got two teams, one game behind them. Two. Yeah, well, we don't have two teams in front of us. Speaking on behalf of the lone, and both of the teams have a tiebreaker on the Mets, and speaking on behalf of the lone New York playoff baseball team that's clinched in a Mets town, which is, you've got to give that up for the Yankees, in a Mets town to go ahead and do this, and then maybe wind up with the best record in the American League, and maybe wind up AL East champs thanks to the Boston Red Sox, which would make that an absolute chef's kiss.
9:22Rich Eisen:Rooting for your Red Sox tonight, Chris. Oh, man. Thank you. I am all nestinged out tonight. Me too. It's kind of wild that you root for your fiercest enemy. Oh, man. Weird to me. No, no, they're not. I love the way they play. Oh, sure. Garrett Crochet should be the Cy Young Award winner. Crochet Day. Oh, yeah. You guys spent the first two months of baseball fighting every day. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't remember. I don't remember. I don't remember at all. You say things into a camera and a mic that you can review them forever. But the biggest news in Major League Baseball yesterday was the incredibly welcome news that replay, if you will, is coming to a ball and a strike near you.
10:11Rich Eisen:that uh what what's baseball calling it they're calling it the automated ball strike challenge system the abs i like it like your brakes i like it and it's coming in the 2026 season twice a batter a pitcher or a catcher nobody can do it from the uh the dugout can challenge whether a pitch ball was a ball or a strike and it has to come right after the pitch you can't the dugout can't call for it it's got to be either a pitcher a catcher or batter and they signal by tapping the uh helmet or the hat okay pitcher catcher or batter has to tap the hat or the helmet let the umpire know and um and then uh we'll take a look and if you're right you keep your challenge.
11:00Rich Eisen:Two challenges, that's all you get. And each extra inning a team will be awarded a challenge if it has none remaining entering the inning. And they use a 5G network from T-Mobile that's brought to you by set up around the perimeter of the field to track the location of the pitch and a graphic on the scoreboard shows the result of the challenge and what it looks like is it looks like the Hawkeye system that you see in tennis. And it'll happen right away. And I will just say this. It is incredibly needed. Now, Aaron Boone said he wants it to either be used only for ball four or strike three. Don't like that.
11:43Rich Eisen:Don't like it. Oh, interesting. No. Why don't you like it? Why? Because there's a massive difference between a 2-1 count and a 1-2 count and some at-bat that's going down, two runners on, two outs. massive difference in pitching to somebody one and two than two and one massive difference between oh and one and one and oh massive difference between three and oh and two and one the number of times you hear somebody say out there in baseball well or for football any sport oh man if it was if if you had basically um called something different in the second quarter wouldn't have i mean the rest of the game would have gone completely different except for the fact that it changes the way these things change the way you pitch the way you call plays in football the way you run an offense whether you're up by one score or not and so massive difference in a playoff baseball game two guys on in scoring position two outs your best hitters at the plate and instead of two and one it's one and two because the umpire missed something no thank you no thank you now the thing that's going to be removed from the game is a catcher poorly frames a strike and leads an umpire to call a strike a ball that will get rectified by instant replay happened last night Aaron Judge wound up getting a strike three that you could see on the box called a ball because the White Sox catcher didn't frame it properly.
13:31Rich Eisen:And if the pitcher just tapped his hat, judge would have been called out, which would have been helpful because he didn't do a double play the next at-bat. But listen, the number of times I am seeing an umpire flat out blow it should be over. And I tip the cap to Major League Baseball for going in this direction. It doesn't take much time. I've seen the way it works in the minor leagues when they looked at it. The tap of the helmet hits. Within seconds, it shows up on the scoreboard. You see it. The whole crowd sees it. And if you get two challenges and every single challenge you get right, you get to continue it.
14:18Rich Eisen:Now, it'll be up to the coaching staff and management and all the analytics people to tell the players, don't use it in the first inning. Don't use it in the third inning. Be judicious when you use it. No, there are big moments in a fifth inning or fourth inning. Again, these playoff games, too. We're thinking about it like it's a nice warm day in the middle of June. now I'm talking about baseball playoff games when you're watching and you know it you know, you know it and I'll know it this October, I don't know if you will but bottom line is that was such a quick shot too when if it happens in June leadoff guy gets on on a walk to leadoff the third inning and you're sitting there going maybe I'll just to order a beer, order a hot dog.
15:14Rich Eisen:But in playoff baseball, game's over. Game's over. We just walk the leadoff guy. So now your third inning, fourth inning, fifth inning, and you're not getting any runs, and you're going against an amazing pitcher who's on a roll, and you could switch a 1-2 count to a 2-1 count or a 2-0 count from 2-1 to 3-0. You're definitely using that with a guy on base. these dumbass analytical stuff where you're now knowing you're going to be thinking about the pitch counts up. You could get this guy now if you switch one count in your favor. I kind of dig it. We'll have to wait a year, obviously, but I'd be curious how teams employ this in the postseason next year.
16:05Rich Eisen:When they use it. The whole thing, though, is the team's challenge in the first, second, third, teams can't do it there will be a time where a player will do it a catcher will do it a hitter will do it or a pitcher will do it and they'll zoom in on the um the manager in the dugout going that wasn't when i wanted you to use it it'll be interesting it will be yeah but it's better than just like somebody calling a pitch 12 inches out going strike and you're sitting at home going like I was sitting the other day, the umpire and the Yankees Orioles game missed so many pitches and both dugouts were on the umpire and the umpire was yelling back at both dugouts.
16:51Rich Eisen:And it's like, bro, you stink. You're hearing it from both, which should give you an indication you stink. And I'm just wondering, is there nothing in major league baseball right now? that would cause anybody in like the operations department, anybody whose job it could be during the inning break to pull the umpire back from home plate in the tunnel and go with a tablet. These are the ones you just missed. You're barking at that manager and you're barking back at that manager. And there's a reason why they're barking at you. Get better. I'm surprised that doesn't happen. when you can see every game there's the Twitter accounts that monitor every single pitch in real time it be brought up remember that one time Pat Bev got a technical because he brought a digital camera out to the ref here I would love for that to be done by somebody in management in baseball that's funny but this is now going to be that because it's going to be on the scoreboard 55 ,000 people are going to see and it's going to be like that guy behind home plate yeah i got that one wrong so now maybe the next ones will be called better differently or maybe less consistently i'm just coming up with the difference and the unintended consequences which is what you're supposed to do on a competition committee situation if a team has gone oh for two and they don't have any left and suddenly there's a huge call late in the game and they can't challenge now that's another one but it's not like NFL we're under two minutes it's automatic it is so better than the alternative right now I'm willing I'm willing to see what it looks like because we're all seeing this box we're all seeing it oh yeah I mean or if you're watching game cast on on your phone you can see I know where the pitch is we're all seeing the box so either take the box away and don't don't give us the box which I don't want it's in the box well the other night wasn't a strike in the box and we kept on seeing strike not anymore not anymore 844-204-RICH number to dial zach brown of the zach brown band is coming out right here on disney plus the espn app everywhere and espn radio presented by progressive insurance cars homes boats motorcycles rvs and more at progressive.com let's bring zach brown out here next on the rich eisen show
19:31The Rich Eisen Show Podcast.
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21:40Rich Eisen:Back here on the Rich Eisen Show on ESPN Radio presented by Progressive Insurance. Zach Brown is here. He just gave me a bunch of gifts, which I've got a mug for you. Perfect. There you go. I got a sense of fair trade. cheers to you again the highly anticipated new album from zach brown band love and fear on december 5th and that's also when you're going to go to the sphere in las vegas to kick off a residency there the first weekend is already sold out uh we had kenny chesney on the show before he went into the sphere yes sir and he was talking about how you know you spend a lot of time syncing up your music to whatever's going on the i guess you can't call the walls of the sphere but whatever's going on to sync it up.
22:24Rich Eisen:And that, that's a significant endeavor. Are you in the midst of doing that right now? We are. We've been working on an 18 months, so we've had a lot longer runway than anyone else that's been able to go in there. So, um, and we're also telling a story. So that's the first one that I've seen. It'll be the first of its kind in that scenario. And, uh, the title, love and fear, uh, you can, you can boil most of your decisions in your life based out of one of those two things. And I try not to base my decisions on fear, but on the love of doing something and believing that it's a worthy cause. But the juxtaposition that we get to create in the content of being able to be there.
23:01So every one of the human emotions, we're going to try to pull on that. There's like horror jump scare moments and then going on and just soaring beautiful things. So a rise and fall of all these things of tension and release and things kind of like the storms we all go through in life where we'll have really difficult times. It seems like things happen in threes or sixes or nines, like however many times. and then we get through those things and and all the hard things that ever happened to us we look back on and it's like i was learning something through that i couldn't see it at the time but it's just been life's been a series of those things for me and getting to tell that story and about my childhood about a lot of things that only people that were really close to me would know getting to do that and then create all the content behind everything getting i got to to work with a 40-piece orchestra for this we recorded it for the album and filmed it for sphere we got a 20 piece choir that you're bringing into the sphere with you or we filmed them and so you'll be putting them yeah their content will have them as part of it but being able to uh even a new album you know we got a new song that just came out with dolly and uh it's called butterfly uh 40 piece orchestra on that getting to work with her getting to have the orchestra on it all things getting to produce an album that's on the level where there's really not i'm just going big on everything and the convergence of all the promotion.
24:17And we're all independent. So, you know, we're not with a record label and we just put our own marketing dollars and our own efforts behind this to expose it, get it out, release some of the songs along the way. So some of the people that hear them in the sphere, if they're fans, they've had a chance to kind of get to know some of the songs that we're doing and then playing a lot of the songs that people would expect, playing some of the curve balls that we love to do cover-wise. sure um but it's uh this is this is a love letter to our our fans and the amount of work that's gone into it and pulling something off on this level is just just a reminder that we're not we're not slowing down you know we're we're we're in this and we'll always be performing and we have a lot to our fans they're the ones that have carried us through sure you know decades and staying relevant so there's a big statement for us and getting to do it in that building is an honor and getting to do with the team of people we've got together to make it magic yeah i i saw with
25:11Rich Eisen:my wife uh you too which was the first act to be in the sphere in las vegas and i just you know when you say about a jump scare um i'm like wondering what that would look like because you could feel like the walls are literally closing in in that place like you better be careful like people better take their nitroglycerin before they come in to see you that's true if you're jump scaring them in the sphere because it is a sensor i've never seen anything like i felt kind of stupid too because i i you know we showed up before everything was going on and i'm and i i saw the walls in there and they were they they were made of like these big cinder blocks and i'm like oh there must be some sort of special type of you know material that you could beam the stuff on and then when you two started the cinder blocks broke and i'm like oh that was a projection the entire time and i felt dumb i felt stupid like i went in there i'm like oh there's cinder blocks And they're like, no, you could put whatever the hell you want on this thing.
26:06Rich Eisen:That's right. Which must give you such incredible creative freedoms when you got 18 months to figure this out with your music, too. Right. Yeah. You're limited by your imagination and your budget of what you can do in there. And the people that we've got helping create that content are really, really incredible. Right. And a lot of the tricks, you know, optical illusions, things you can create in there. It's the only place that I've seen where you're in a building and you feel like you're outside. You feel the wind on your face watching the sunrise and you can't discern that it's a video. You're not making it up.
26:36There's nothing like it. Yeah.
26:38Rich Eisen:That's awesome. And the fact that you're having your new album on the same day, that's how you do it, man. That's how you promote it. That's how you push it. That's how you distribute it. And that's how you're there for your fans. Again, Zach Brown of Zach Brown Band here on the Rich Eisen Show. We've never met. So apologies if this comes across in a different way. But I thought Love and Fear was about being a Falcon fan. No. Wow. I mean, kind of is a little bit of both. Am I wrong? A lot of things in life. My bad if I come across. And that's your team? The Atlanta Falcons? I'm from Atlanta. And home team, you know, Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs.
27:20Okay. But I've got a lot of friends that play as well. And that have played and retired. And so I've got different people I'll pull for, depending on what's happening. But I played football 11 years. You did? Yeah, I did. And when I was five until I was 16, I played guard and tackle and then linebacker.
27:39Rich Eisen:So you're in the trenches. Yeah. You're in the trenches. Yeah, and I love the sport. And then I did judo in college. And that kind of opened my eyes to MMA. And that's really my favorite sport. That is. I mean, UFC is my... So who's your fighter? Who are you a particularly fighter? I'm probably Justin Gage. He's probably my favorite fighter. but lots of them over time but I absolutely love that sport I watch as much as I possibly can would you have done it if you could no and I don't roll anymore because of my fingers you know there's a lot of grip strength a lot of things you grabbing geese and things and I've got to protect my hands so I don't roll anymore but I love to watch people compete and I love to watch the evolution of a sport how much it's changed and the worst fighter in the UFC now would have smashed anybody early on because everybody trains different disciplines sure um but that's definitely my favorite sport and i study it that is yep okay and then um and so georgia bulldogs must have given you some immense satisfaction in the last few years absolutely man we only wait we waited 40 years to get another championship but as a kid you know most of my family went to uga okay and as a kid riding back in the car with my dad from like deer camp when i was a kid listened to larry months and on am radio um you know broadcasting the dogs and uh it was it's just been it's been a part of my life um and now my my fiancee she's university of texas oh boy she's a longhorn so and i've got a daughter going to school there um where in austin next year in austin okay so it's uh it's a house divided when they play each other but otherwise i've got to pull for them i got another daughter at georgia tech which is big rival right there in georgia but now i got to be a tech fan too so i'm texas came in with a big win yeah recently yeah and the the tech georgia game last year that quarterback the amount of heart that kid has man it's it's pretty special so got lots of teams now you sure do yeah i mean texas is as big a rival as you might have for the whole shooting match this year yeah okay so when that happens what what does things look like in the zach brown household but if i'm watching texas and going to the games with my lady it's gonna i gotta be a ut fan and my daughter's going there so it's i inherited these other these other teams but lifelong bulldog but i do november 15th is that the day okay so it'll be 20 days before your sphere i don't know you'll will you be in vegas at that point in time or uh we'll be getting rehearsals we'll be getting ready um okay i haven't gotten to see i'm a couple weeks away from seeing all the content in the sphere we've been using you know vr vr headsets now to see everything and isn't this amazing resolution's not quite the same but um that is so cool but yeah i'm just trying to point out that you might not be in the same room as your fiance for this game i think we'll be we'll be together for that game even if i got stuff going on we're gonna be we'll be watching it you can be friends after you have way yeah yeah you have ways you have ways to make sure that you can all be together for that thing zach brown is here so your falcons man i mean like week week one looked good until the very end.
30:48Rich Eisen:Week two was just dynamite. Week three was like, what was that? I think we're going to transition again, man. I think we're finding our foothold again. But it's just as a kid, going to games, going to you know, and my kids, being able to take them. And Arthur Blank is a dear friend. He's such a great man. He's such a sweet man. He's been such a good friend of NFL Network over the 22 years. An incredible force as well. Right. Um, and philanthropy and sports and everything. So got to, got to root for, I'm not, I'm not fair weather, you know? Um, but it's, uh, it's exciting to, to have some new blood, some new chance to try to, you know, pull some things together.
31:33I'm not, the transition may take another year. And you have performed at a Superbowl, correct? You were telling me back there. I remember this. Yeah. I sang the anthem at the Patriots Falcons Superbowl and, uh, it's 28 to three at halftime where we're celebrating and watching them get oxygen and coming back and some of the catches that Edelman made in that game and so part of my exercise regimen for a lot of years was playing Madden so I'd get on like an arc trainer like an elliptical and I'd play Madden so that was the era that I was playing Patriots on Madden playing against you know friends and crew and stuff like that whenever I would get some exercise so it was a good way to like take your mind off of cardio yeah you know you play a full game and an hour goes by and it's like you know you get it done but um it's uh yeah but you were you had to be sitting there thinking
32:23Rich Eisen:yeah i call i sung the national anthem here today this is one of the greatest days of my entire life i've seen the national anthem at a super bowl brutal atlanta's up 28 to 3 in a super bowl and did you think you had something to do with it at that point in time little part of you were you sitting there watching. I would draw eight frames that I had anything to do with the success of that game. But that was a tough one. Tough loss. Matt Ryan's one of my favorite people to meet, too. Matt Ryan's just a great dude. Yeah, he's a great guy. So who are they? You mentioned that you have friends who are playing in the league that are also...
32:54J.J. White was a great friend. You know, and watching my kids get him out at Foursquare at the house was pretty fun. And then he'd get mad and when he'd hit the ball, it would turn into a Frisbee as it flies through the air. Makes sense. They're playing with him and his brother, you know, and TJ. And being able to just hang out and play four square. And, you know, we have a nonprofit, a campus that we built called Camp Southern Ground. And it's like a college, university quality campus. We do kids camps there. So me and JJ snuck through the woods while camp was going on. And the kids are out playing games and stuff and jumped in and got to play with them and hang out.
33:29And, you know, Matt Stafford's a friend, you know. He's in line for another Super Bowl. him coming through coming through UGA and getting to be friends with him um okay great guy so you
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33:41Rich Eisen:know got to pull for my boys when they're when they're playing yeah Stafford you know he almost said he was this close to three and oh this this past weekend too and he's got a real shot to win win one more and and make the hall of fame I'm like I'm not mincing any words here yeah he's that good I mean I think he's he's now um he's over 60 ,000 yards in his career I think he just tied Matt Ryan for most touchdown passes in a career. I mean, he's right there. Yeah. He's right there. I'm happy for him. He's at Georgia. Okay, so he's one of your... So before I let you go, what makes a good song? I know I'm going really sort of esoteric here on you.
34:16Rich Eisen:What do you think makes a good song, Zach Brown? I think it's the relatability. I think when someone hears it and they can feel part of themselves in that song. Yep. I think a great song bridges together our human experiences that we have. um you know if i write a song about my daughters um and share that if someone else that's a dad can hear that song and it hits them hard um that kind of transcendence of emotion you know and certain songs are just like some side of a new song out with snoop and it's that one's just for fun and then i have the song with dolly which i wrote about for my kids and getting to have one that really makes you feel something it's like great art when you look at great art and it and you look at a 2d object and it makes you feel something a song is the same way um and descriptively putting it in a setting and putting it in some way that it relates to someone and so that's what i'm chasing i'm chasing things that are common between us and you're learning from like willie nelson and dolly and other incredible songwriters um it's you can state something very simply but on a lot of levels it goes really deep in understanding it on the surface but a great song marries together that message that connects us as human beings with an incredible melody with harmony with the timing of how it drops with what it is and you're searching for that chill bump moment where someone's listening to a song and it makes them cry or it makes them have chills or it makes them do that and it's that combo of all those things kind of happening and having nine people in my band it's more important what they don't play than what they do because the space is just as important as the noise.
35:53So we're always trying to serve the song and everybody in my band has such incredible musicianship and ultimately when we write a song, we figure out what kind of dress it's going to wear. Sometimes it's this big extravagant thing and sometimes it's just very minimal. It's just like a guitar and a fiddle and voices. So there's a good mix of that on the new album and I think it's one of the last forms that's relevant of American poetry, like what connects us as human beings. which is important in this day and age to say the least you got a good willie nelson story for me before i let you go oh i love willie and willie and dolly are like in such rare air you know they'll never be another one of either either one of them um uh when'd you meet him willie i've met willie several times we opened up for him a long time ago and i come on the bus and i walk through two or three elderly gentlemen that work with him that are kind of halfway passed out kind of stoned sitting there and then and then I come in and I sit down at a booth and it's like a carved booth like you'd have like at the Waffle House like but it's nice and you're sitting there and you know and he's rolling one and he's talking and he's trying to get you to partake before you go on and play which he loves to do he loves to try to just give people a smash so they go out and then he likes to watch what happens um so you had to turn down you I couldn't do it.
37:14I had to turn down Smokin' with Willie because I had to work. But what an incredible guy, man. What an incredible legacy. And his son, Lucas, is a great friend. I've got a new song called The Sum, S-U-M, which is really relevant in my life right now. It's one of the most personal songs that we've ever written and wrote it with Lucas with his son. He's such a sweetheart and such an incredible talent as well.
37:38Rich Eisen:What a neat thing for you to be able to, you know, write a song with willie nelson's son and turn down willie nelson when he's offering you uh something um and and then dolly parton too man i mean like you want to talk about legend as well to be around her my fiance is really close with her as well and makes a line of jewelry for her and we have a lot of ties that way but there's not a sweeter more talented brilliant beautiful human on the earth than dolly dude uh what a pleasure to meet you thank you for the gifts you're welcome the mug is yours to keep thank you my pleasure and uh again uh love and fear is available everywhere you get your music on friday december 5th and then on that night along with the release of the new zach brown band album a residency in the sphere awesome and i can't wait for you to show off your talents with this remarkable sensory experience thank you um in the sphere and so how long does the residency last just December and January okay all right so you're spending New Year's in Vegas pretty much or uh not sure okay we'll work on it yeah not sure I'm gonna be in the middle of it got it's a lot of moving parts a lot of things well it'll be uh if you're if you're in Vegas want to go to Vegas now you got a reason to do exactly that uh what a pleasure to have you here anytime you want thanks appreciate you man Zach Brown everybody uh at Zach Brown and at Zach Brown Band on Instagram.
39:04Rich Eisen:Back here to wrap up this show in a sec.
39:11The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
39:19Rich Eisen:Rich Eisen here. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire costs time and money, but the right one helps your business grow. The challenge? Finding that person without sorting through resumes. That's where LinkedIn Hiring Pro comes in. It screens candidates so you can focus on conversations with qualified talent. With Hiring Pro, you can hire with confidence and build the team you need. Join the 2.7 million small businesses using LinkedIn to hire. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com. Terms and conditions apply. While the world watches the stars at the FIFA World Cup this summer, Hyundai has its eyes on the next generation of talent.
39:55Rich Eisen:Future stars who are already turning heads at age 14. because Next doesn't wait for an invitation, and neither do we. Hyundai has always moved the future within reach. We did it when we made advanced safety standard on every vehicle and engineered EVs with ultra-fast charging capability because the future isn't some far-off concept. It's already here. Next starts now. Hyundai, an official partner of FIFA. Back here on the Rich Eisen Show, Hyundai has got this all-new Hyundai-Palisade hybrid to tell you about why it's an incredible SUV. There's a spacious interior, comfy for the entire crew, capable of going off-road, a 600-plus miles of range for you.
40:38Rich Eisen:The driver behind the wheel just makes it that much more special. Let it be you. It's the all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid, so much more than just another SUV. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. That's 562-314-4603. Back here again on Disney +, the espn app everywhere and espn radio presented by progressive insurance listen i learned this a long time ago i knew the guy back in college um and i uh you know uh was with i was there when nfl network hired him and i was there when he left for espn and it would bum me out uh when adam shefter reports something it's it's it's gonna be right so uh adam mentioned jackson dart He's going to get the start.
41:22Rich Eisen:Today it's now official. Jackson Dart is starting. And Brian Dabo, why did you do it? Hit it. So in terms of the quarterback situation, I met both with Russ yesterday and Jackson privately. And Russ was nothing but a pro, which I would expect him to be. It's my decision. We're going with Jackson. We're going to get him ready to play this week. and the remainder of the season. He's going to do everything he can. Russ will be the backup. The conversations that I've had with these young men will be private. The details will be private. All I can tell you is we're going with Jackson, and we're getting ready to play.
42:05So I'm not going to add too much to it. Those are private conversations. It's my decision, and we're going with Jackson.
42:13Rich Eisen:So it's not his first rodeo here in the New York City market. I'm not going to say what we mentioned in the meetings. I'm not going to say why I did it. And it's also my decision, because we were wondering yesterday, he did it because of why. Could be his own two eyes. He could see that Jackson Dart is ready. He could also see what's in the locker room. People are like, hey, we're 0-3. This season's circling a drain right now. 0-4 is pretty much a wrap. Even in this world where you get an extra regular season game than previous years with 17. And thus, we want the kid. He takes the pulse check.
42:59Or it's the ownership saying, coach, it's time.
43:06Rich Eisen:That's why I mentioned multiple times my decision, I would say. So one way to get something out of him is to ask him what you're expecting out of Jackson Dart. What do you expect from a coach? Expect him to prepare? I expect him to go out here and get better each time he plays. It's not always going to be perfect, but I do think that he has the right makeup and athleticism. And look, we're going to do everything we can do to help him be the best player. I know he is as well. It's not just on one person. It's on the entire team. And that's what we're going to do. That said, it is a quarterback-driven league, and everything that I'm reading and also gleaning from those we talk to here on this show as well as those who I talk to around.
43:57Rich Eisen:The four and out inside the 10-yard line with the game 22-9 on the north side of the two-minute warning with enough timeouts and a two-minute warning to try and get the ball back and win the game with no timeouts remaining, that Russ throwing one so far up the tunnel that it was an intentional grounding, and then not doing very much on a quarterback draw. You could say it's a play call. And then on third and fourth down, throwing it out of the back of the end zone rather than putting it on a wide receiver and maybe getting a flag, maybe getting something. You could say the protection was bad, but the fact that, like a fourth down throwaway.
44:37Rich Eisen:um you saw yesterday shlereth basically said it was because he didn't want to throw an interception because that counts on a ledger and is a legacy breaker i called it selfish which is one way to put it another way to look at it is russ was fighting for his life and he's just throwing it away which is making no sense i heard that that was the last straw
45:04Rich Eisen:so i don't know if that's true or not i'm just telling you what you hear i'm just like sharing with what i hear when when it sounds like a person's in the know like hey those four downs that was the end of it so you got to go with the kid and he better be athletic because the charges can run you down what a baptism by fire that's going to be week four three and oh chargers coming east it's an early window game when you're coming from west to east That's a benefit to the East Coast team, that's for sure. But, dude, you want to talk about being out of your lane? How does flying 11 1⁄2 hours to play a football game sound?
45:40Rich Eisen:That's what the Chargers did. And they looked pretty spry to me. And they were, you know, four hours ahead in that one. That's three different time zones ahead. This one will just be two times. Oh, it's four time zones. This will just be three. It's going to be good. dude I guess gotta do it gotta do it I was thinking one more week but when you're 0-4 I guess you want to go 0-4 with the kids showing a pulse and it's scataboo time too because Tyrone Tracy Jr is out so you got your two rookies in the backfield and you got your second year stud out wide to try and create some problems best of luck to the Giants I do like Dable and I do root for him for sure and all my friends who are Giants friends and fans.
46:31You know?
46:33Rich Eisen:On tomorrow's show, Dan Soder is going to join us, the actor. And we're also going to have Syracuse star Mike Tomczak is on tomorrow's program. See? It's fine. Well, he's going to talk about the Steelers playing in the Ireland game. Gotcha. You know what I mean? I see where you're going. Totally deserve it. I actually had kind of forgotten about it for a second. Sneaking good games with Art Schliester from Syracuse. I mean, of all people, really. I mean, it's also a shot at Ohio State, too, pal. You know, just playing it both ways. Thanks for listening to the Rich Eisen Show podcast. You can watch and listen to the Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from noon to 3 Eastern on ESPN Radio, Disney Plus, and on the ESPN app.
47:18The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.
47:27You know when you're locked in. Focused and fearless. Welcome to the WNBA. Your vision narrows. You can't look away. Every assist. Every stop. Every logo three. From beyond the logo. Every did you see that moment. You bet. What records are going to be broken this season? All of it right here. Lock in. It's the WNBA on ESPN. all season long.
From the publisher
Rich weighs in on the Detroit Tigers collapse and their first-place tie in the AL Central with the surging Cleveland Guardians, the Mets’ slim hold on the final NL Wild Card spot, and explains why he’s a big fan of MLB adopting the ABS challenge system for the 2026 season.
Grammy winner Zac Brown joins Rich in-studio to discuss his upcoming ‘Love & Fear’ album and show at the Sphere in Las Vegas, reveals how he, a die-hard Falcons fan, went from high to low performing before Super Bowl LI only to witness Atlanta blow a 28-3 lead to Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, reveals what makes for a great song, talks Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton and more.
Rich reacts to Giants head coach Brian Daboll officially announcing that rookie Jaxson Dart will start for New York in Week 4 over Russell Wilson.
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