Super Bowl Edition: Kay Adams and Stephen Saux

of you know, nose and mustache, eyeglass situation. He's rock and running around and then but then eventually, Brian, it's a story of hope. Eventually it will happen. It's a story of hope. I like that. I think that's going to be my team name next year. It's a story of hope. Hey, everybody, it's Kay Adams from up and Adams and I have never won a parlay in my life. I'm Steven Socks. Among other things, I'm the commissioner of

the Official dunder Mifflin Fantasy Football League. Hi everybody, and welcome to a very special episode of Off the Beat. That's right. Super Bowl. Addition, it's that time of year again, the most wonderful time of the year. As always, I'm your host, Brian baumb Gartner, and today I'm bringing on

not one, not too well, two very special guests. First up, sportscaster extraordinaire and well, my good friend Kay Adams is coming on the program, joining me to share her Super Bowl predictions, some advice about betting the Big Game, though the advice mostly comes from me, and uh, look, she has an insider perspective few have. She has more coaches and players in her phone than well than just about anybody,

so she has great insider information. You may know Kay from her six years hosting Good Morning Football, or hopefully you're catching her new show, It's Fantastic Up and Adams, where she covers the top stories in the NFL today. But Kay is not my only guest. No, I'm also bringing on Steven Socks, the esteemed commissioner of the Office Fantasy Football League. That season is over, he'll give us an update as to what transpired in this very exciting

year eighteen of the Office Fantasy Football League. Yes, somehow we have miraculously kept it together all these years. We have Steven to thank for that. If you haven't heard the last episode where Steven came on introduced the league, well you should definitely go and check that out. Look, this is a special day for me. I get to talk to k I get to talk to Stephen about football on this podcast. What could be better? Nothing as far as I'm concerned. So without further a year, let's

get into it, shall we. First up is the incredible k Adams Bubble and Squeak. I love it. Bubble and Squeak on Bubble and Squeaker cookie every month left over from the nut before. Hey, Kay, what's happening are you? Where are you? I'm at home. I'm in my my very very high tech, sophisticated podcast studio. I have a soundboard behind. Oh my gosh. Aren't you supposed to live in these Hollywood hills? Aren't supposed to be seeing you on one of those star tours? How? How could I

not have running to you yet? And my month's here? Well, I don't live right in the heart of things. Okay, you know this, let's not let's let's move on. But you do. Actually, what's your where where do you live? What's your address? I'm not giving you my dresser. I'll show you. Look how look how gross? Look how gross? L a I am, Oh my gosh, fabulous. It's really fabulous. She has a palatial pad. Everyone. This is what This is what happens when you work for the NFL. Well,

this is what happens when you work for a sports book. Yeah, fan dual potato tatto listen. It is are very special, highly highly rated, and hasn't come out yet super Bowl episode. I want to talk to you about the big Game, but I do want to do just just a small touch on how the hell you got to where you are now. You went to Missouri? You you miss? Is that we call it missoo? Missoo? Damn it miszoo. That sounds like something entirely different. Zero, Yeah you miss, you miss?

Sounds a little funny. Yes, I went. I went there. College is like the least part of any sort of path of six sixth Yeah, yeah, I don't know why didn't really, I didn't really pay attention in those like how to put a camera together and like go and

shoot a package classes. I didn't really didn't. No, I worked at a sports bar at least pubbin Pool during college, and I would work these awful slow happy hours and guys would come in and sit at the bar and gals and the games would be on or something would be on it, and I would just talk talk shit about sports with people so much so that a guy that worked for serious sex and it was just getting a job and launching the fantasy sports channel was like,

you should be on the radio, you should do this. I always sort of saw myself covering red carpets for the Office Season premiere, like I always wanted to be Juliana Ransick in the tight dress interviewing people because it looked so fun and easy, And then sports sort of dragged me in, which is cool. That is, I didn't know that it was literally about you talking shit at a bar and someone being like you talk kind of

good ship. Yeah. I liked fantasy football because I had an older brother and I'm just naturally competitive, so that was easy for me. But I grew up Football wasn't my family, Like I Polish immigrant parents who don't speak English, like they don't know they're like Brady stud I think that like Brady, things they hear about are hilarious because the things that trickle into you know, the Giselle divorce

played huge in my family. Just yeah, not like anything about anything else because it was the Bears in Chicago, and I never really like, we didn't really latch onto that soccer was really big. We were very Polish, community based, and my brother, you know, in order to assimilate and be cool, like, what are the kids talking about at school with our power ranger lunch boxes? Like football, Matt Forte, Devin Hester, like Grex Grossman. We have to talk about

this stuff. So I followed his league and I always liked football, but it was never anything I was never like, man, I really want to be like Joe Buck and I want to be the first woman in a booth like I never really had that. It was very casual how it happened. But I knew I wanted to be in front of a camera, like I knew you wanted to be in front of a camera. Yeah, I knew I want to do some sort of news reporting or something. Football's football found me. Brian, Well, I'm glad that you're

not Julietta Rancy. I'm just gonna say that, although she's lovely and asks exactly the questions you would expect her to ask, but I yes, I'm glad you you found this um obviously exploding as the host on Good Morning Football six years seven years? My math gets weird. Six to seven years? It was five years and then the Emmy winning year, So let's just call it that. That's the one that mattered, right, My last year I won the Emmy out the door, Brian, how many of those

statues you got, Lyne around one? Really? Yeah? I got some SAG Awards too, though the heavier I didn't even So we win the Emmy six years work, they don't even give me an Emmy, And I was like, can I pay for one? Like? How does that work? Because I know how we're talking about. I'm not kidding the as far as I know, unless they completely lied to me. The host don't get Emmy's for the show for whatever reason. It goes to like the producers who who created the show,

who deserve it. Everyone deserves them. But I don't think that Peter, Kyle, Nate or I got the statue. I asked for it at some point. Yeah, isn't that kind of weird? Well here's the thing. You can come over and hold mine, Okay, you want that? You can pretend that it's yours. All right, I gotta ask you really quickly. In a little bit, we're gonna be talking to the commissioner. You brought up fantasy football of the office Fantasy Football League.

Eighteen years. Eighteen years we've been doing this office fantasy league. I gotta just bring it up. Okay, I make the championship. I've never won. Eighteen years, I've never won. I think I'm top three. The most we've discussed this before, I've never won. It all came down two. I wrote down the stats estimated before the last game of the weekend, one twelve point three for me, this was estimated, and the other person had one twelve point three. Oh as

much of a coin flip as you could imagine. I had Knox and Josh Allen going and the final game, the seven was against the Cincinnati Bengals. That stops now, Thank goodness. Everything is okay with Tamar Hamlin. And that goes without saying you and I were texting at that time. The question is, how do you think that we should have resolved? It didn't. They didn't play, so it didn't happen, right, it didn't happen. So what I'm so curious to hear

what your league did do. I took the year off of playing fantasy football because I just did not need the extra heart attack, and I've been learning sports betting, and I didn't need both. I don't know how I would resolve that you could do her game points, you could do I don't even know you could do to go into I don't even know what did you do? I lost? I mean, and it was I had decided it. Basically, it was as though they were injured and they were on my roster and they didn't play, and the game

was Some people went to the next week. Some people took like an aggregate score thing. I was gonna say, you kind of like averaged your points per who who have I don't know how to how I would even weasel that. I would probably roll it to week eighteen. Those those were all meaningful games. They turned out to be. They turned out to be because of the situation. You just took an l You just benched your what do you do? What do you do? What you didn't? I

didn't bench. It was Monday night, right, it's the last game, there's nothing, everybody's else is played, so what so who did you lose to a writer. I know they have the charm life you who you lost because of two bills and you are it's so poetic, Brian, speaking of writing, because you are of Buffalo Bills, of fantasy football. You make it there a bunch of times in a row, and you just can't you can't raise the trophy. Yeah, oh I am. And you know what, I'm like your

hometown Chicago Cubs. There's always next year, right, isn't that what they what they say, There's always next year. You're nineteen Steve Bartman situation that I'll that knows where that guy is, God knows what kind of you know knows and mustache eyeglass situation he's rocking running around and then but then eventually, Brian, it's a story of hope. Eventually it will happen. It's a story of hope. I like that. I think that's going to be my team name next year.

It's a story of hope. Um, the Big Game, the Super Bowl. I can say super Bowl, so many people can't say. All these people say you have to say the Big Game, and I think that's like a sponsorship thing. I don't care about that. On this show, the Super Bowl. The most I've ever heard is what do you think? So? Well? First off, did San Francisco have a chance if they don't lose both their quarterbacks? Yeah? I mean I was talking to Darius Butler, who had a great Just it's

absurd we're talking about it today. How did you not have three quarterbacks dressed for that game? I don't know how could you not? But it's a cautionary tale. And really, Brian, it's a story of hope. It's a story of hope for future, tale as old as time. In these I know, but in these title games, like you have to dress three? I was. I was sitting there, like, are we going to get Christian McCaffrey throwing balls around the field? That would be amazing? You do you saw him? He was

putting on the quarterback helmet. He was their emergency QB. It's crazy when John, when Josh went down, he was putting on the quarterback helmet and then Perty came out. I just don't understand. I don't under I can't understand it. I can't understand. Why not give it to Debo or McCaffrey to just throw the ball. I mean, you're down. Whatever it was at the time seven or whatever, it's like, you have to throw the ball. They're gonna load nine, ten,

twelve in the box. It's gonna feel like And you know, if there's one coach that has like the mind to have that, it should be Shanahan. Like he's got the hardware, he's got the plays drawn up, like we've seen it in playoff games, planned plays where you've got Edelman throwing to a Mendola from Brady like it happens. They beat the Ravens, they sink like it couldn't. You couldn't lob something up. You don't have something in the holster Shanahan.

Shanahan gets so conservative in big moments. I think not to be a psychologist here, as I'm not, but there's some major Shanahan scar tissue from twenty eight to three, from the Super Bowl from there's major like well when it gets to these situations, but the top I think so, I think he I think he gets conservd You saw it in the game previous when they won with Brock Pretty.

He just didn't trust pretty as much and there really wasn't a reason to prettas in balling, and he just he gets a little a lot less aggressive in these big moments. Yeah, I think they could. I mean, they the number one defense. I don't know how Nick Bosa didn't show up in that game. I don't know how the defense let them down. Like offense kind of made sense.

But I gotta say, like the Eagles, just seeing they both, I would say, like the Niners had the best team, Like that's what I would say, best team on paper on like they looked beautiful. But there's something about Nick Sirianni and it's the vibe of this Eagle squad. And he comes in there and he says, I'm going to start with the trenches and I'm gonna make the D line and the online sing. And now they're just running

over everybody. Miles Sanders, you got job, Boston Scott, like they're doing that um and they did it at will

against the Niners. And and Jalen Like the more I see and the more and the more I hear about him, Like the more I ask people like Lane Johnson and Brandon Graham, and I was talking to Miles, not Miles Standers, Boston Scott about this, like he just wants to be that guy, like when Carson wentz the building Jalen Hurts was the last one in the building like people think the Carson Wentz stuff happened and as quickly as it did and got bad because people were seeing Jalen Hurts

is that guy, and so I'd be surprised if they don't give the chiefs hell. I agree with you. Look, you said something on paper, it seemed like the forty Niners. The run that they were on was very beautiful and magical, and they've got Debot and McCaffrey, and they've got those skill players. The Eagles. To me, you talked about knowing fantasy. I asked you about the fantasy thing. I know a

little a little something about betting. The line made no sense to me that what that line at two and a half says is there are two equally matched teams. It's just that Philly is at home. And when you look at the offensive line and the defensive line, even the skill players on defense, you look at Jalen Hurts versus brock Purty. To me, the Eagles are are are better positionally as well, and they put it in even that made no sense to me. Yeah, I'm I'm just

learning sports betting. I think I would love for you to come on my show, and I'm glad we're talking about this is I'm learning. I'm so I'm a tragedy. I'm so bad at it, it's very fun. I don't even understand. I just not do them ever, Like what do I do? Justin? I don't know what your deal is with Fan Duel. I don't know what you were required to do. The money line stuff is boring to me. No offense, Like is that riveting to you? That any of that's like calling just even just picks seems so

beyondfest to me. The part is I can get like that's that's exciting, Like and if you if you hit, that's just just a bigger risk, bigger reward, right, So that's why I'm interested in that. But I think I've done with them, you know, FanDuel doesn't. I don't have to deal with them to have like whenever I feel like it, if I want to do it, yeah, yeah, we discussed. You know, they'll be like this looks interesting?

What do you think? And I'm like, no, like they you know, there's there's listen, I'm telling you, I don't know what who these guys are that are like these wizards back there, what they're like algorithms and their advocacies and all this stuff, and like it's insane and what I've what I'm trying to learn and what goes on

back there. Um, But they've been super cool about letting me dabble, you know, a hundred fifty passing yards plus for Jalen Hurts doesn't like who They don't want to give me that, They don't want to put that in my like boosted parley. But I was like that, so what I want to do. It's really cool about that, But I also don't know what the hell I'm doing, so I haven't won one one that one. It's interesting to me because you you talked about starting in fantasy.

See when I see your parlays, and what she does is she'll do like what she said she'll do somebody you know, getting so many touchdowns or this many yards. See, it's individual, So you're sticking in the in the individual kind of from those fantasy routes, whereas I don't I don't touch those. I don't touch those. I mean in general, because I feel like I really don't know. I mean, like, unless I don't know, you probably have every head coach's

phone number. But unless I know what the game plan is, I don't know is Roger's going to score, you know, throw two touchdowns or three? You know, are they going to hand it off fifty times or not? Or like after you're going to score touchdown like likely he's door. Yeah, but then you're but then you're paying really bad odds. Yeah, that's my thing. Ever, that's what everybody gets on me for. They're like, why are you even doing this? It's like the other the expected value or whatever. I just want

to I just need to win. And so I don't even know what I'll do for Super Bowl. I can't even imagine. I literally will talk. I'll give I'll give you something good. I don't want to get, like I see like the prop that's interests me, Like, no, I know, you know songs is really singing? Who is she bringing out? That's the stuff I need answers to Brian heads are tails? Heads?

All right? Maybe we'll have a wager on that. I've never listened when you work for the NFL, although that that's all changing in front of our eyes, Like it's just it doesn't exist to you, like for me, do you understand, like really really right. I'm so you have no I would tell? Why would I not tell? I'm

telling you no, definitely not in that world. But even before the for any job with the NFL, the fact that like like my people I know would go and like you know, they would have somebody to call before games, like talking about like like having a little fun and like what everybody just does this and nobody talks about it like that. It's insane. Well, what makes me like it's definitely changed since they've you know, draft Kings or fans, whoever is in business with the NFL. It always makes

I know your fandal. It always makes me laugh when it and it's usually I know Al Michael's does it a little bit where there's it's it's late in the game and we'll say something like, well this touchdown was meaningful for some people, right like it makes the overhappen or you know, it cuts the lead from nine to three or whatever. I don't know. That always makes I

hear him saying it. But I but I also like it's one of those do you have Do you have any subject Brian where it's explained to you at nauseum over and over again, like you're a five year old and you're still like, huh, that's sort of what this is like for me, And it shows interesting, Well, I have a horrible skill set of musicians, songs, albums, that stuff like. I can basically answer you know, what music are you listening to? And then beyond that, and they're like, oh,

what album do you like? No Clube? No, No, I can remember Thriller Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. That was an album, right, I can I can do that, but I can't beyond that. No, I can't do Excited about Rihanna? Oh yeah, last year was good. Last year was great. If nobody's talking about Rihanna, I'm very intrigued by that. Last year there wasn't like crazy commercial they spent like a big billion dollars on Yeah, it was the same cost as one of your cameos costs.

We weren't saying little, let's move on Cincinnati and who want to get the Chiefs? You distracted me the Chiefs? Were you surprised? Who did you? Who did you? Who did you think was gonna win? No? I love the Bengals. I know we both love the Bengals. Talk about this. I was disappointed You're a Cincinnati guy. I fell in love with the city. As you know, you're from there, my dad is from there. But when you were younger, right, yes, when I was young, Yes, that's home mid western vibe.

I mean, you're not Carols down there, but three in the Chili they're han't. And uh I I really like the team, and I really I did not like I have a lot of text means it just like I don't like this energy. This we're going to go in there and like we own we own the homes thing. But I thought to myself, well, Joe Burrow, it doesn't care like he's not this team does not think that they're going to go dominate, that they're prepared, they're fine,

they're cool. But the chiefs clearly just listened to all that stuff like onably so and so I'm just annoyed that anybody who says that there's no such thing as bulletin board material and there's no such thing as like motive, it all exists. It's all, it all exists, it's all real, and it wins people games. That's what I think. It's why Belichick, who is such a genius, will not let

these players say anything. Everyone they won't say because he doesn't want to give any little little advantage in the meantime, And I know this for a fact, he'll print out every tweet, every awful thing said about any of these players are how they can't do it, and he will slip it to them in meetings all week long leading up to a matchup. So it matters, and it's played a broll. And I mean Travis Kelsey's to Ronie, I'm peeking, and I'm I'm I'm bengling, I'm peeking in my pants laughing.

I think it's so funny. Am I watching w W E what's happening? The fact that I was just about to say is if you need any proof that what you're saying is true, that that stuff matters, It's the first thing he says after the game is over. He references the mayor of Cincinnati. It is literally the first thing he says. He doesn't even Yeah, that's all the

evidence you need. It's so funny. I don't know the name of the mayor of Cincinnati, and this is like the biggest story in sports, and nobody knows, and everyone's so mad at him that nobody cares to ask. But do you have any I have no idea his name is. It's just that Cincinnati mayor. That's Cincinnati mayor. I know that missed the story. Cincinnati. That's the other funny part. Was Cincinnati boy he is he went to Cinacy first? Where did he go to school? The Kelsey's, both of them,

let's look, thank you, University of Cincinnati. I didn't say wrong. To be clear, I did not. I did not indicate that you were wrong. I didn't say you were wrong. Where did Jason go? Oh my god, I don't know. Alabama? Oh no, I don't know Cincinnati. They both went to Cincinnati. Both went to Cincinnati while breaking news here on off the beat. Both the Kelsey's went to Cincinnati. All right, super Bowl Week, the parties, you go to all the parties. No,

I haven't done that in a long time. When I saw Good Morning Football if the last year the game was in l A and we were up I think you remember we were up at like one am. I joined you guys, not you, I joined someone. I did the weekend edition. You know, I needed to do it closer to the game. They needed my site closer to the game. Makes sense. Yeah, I don't know if the Packers, ever go back and ever again? Will you go to the fartiest? I look, I find it. It's interesting to me.

This is it's entertainment. It's it's all entertainment. Right. You think of sports being different from television shows. Yet on the list of the most watched television shows every year, the super Bowl is at the top. It's entertainment. So to me, the whole thing is fun. It's entertaining. I enjoy it. Are you working this year? I am. I'm going to Arizona. I mean I'm here right, this is this is a super Bowl episode of Off the Beat. So I'm in Arizona. I'm loving it. I haven't been

to any parties. I don't. I don't love even if you know somebody that knows. I remember hitting you up Superbowl week in l A last year and being like, what are we doing, big guy, Let's go with the town, And then I was investing you didn't. Yeah you went to bed at No. Yeah no, I was working. I work. That's all I do is work. I know you're the smart You're You're Bryant. Is it the right way? I don't know about that. Who's gonna win? I don't know, why don't you face time or dgers right now and

asking that's not playing spoiler alert. I don't know. I don't know, but here's what I think. I think both of the qbs are hurt. I don't know why I said QB, I don't ever say worry what worries you more Brian A shoulder on a quarterback or an ankle on a guy who can likes to go deep and likes to be mobile. I I feel like no one's talking about hurts is as much, which I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. I hear breaking news here from me. Philadelphia is gonna rush

way more guys then Cincinnati did last week. I don't know what was going on there. They could not get to the homes. I'm like, if you just get to him, if you just he's on one leg, get to him and it'll you're you win the game. And they couldn't do it. It was really weird. They will do that, and they'll they do it in waves. That's how they got to Brady that Remember, they kept adding new guys, I mean, Brandon Graham, the same guys around the team.

They got veterans, they got young cats um Hassan Reddick is a total game changer. He's incredible. He's incredible, he's so scary, and he he wasn't nominated for Defensive Player of the Year, which I thought was crazy. I don't know, because there's so many ways to look at this. You've got Chris Jones who's playing out of his mind, but is he gonna do anything against that Eagles offensive line? Is the best offensive line? Like? Is that? I'm gonna

go with you. I think it's oh man, I want the Eagles to him, but I'm scared the cheps when I think the Chiefs are going to pull it out because Mahomes just looked so good last week. He looked so good. And I think Jalen Hurts is hurt, and I think it showed in the game. It showed him that game. I agree with you, which is a crazy

thing to say because what they won by thirty. I think, yeah, But I'm saying it's crazy to say that we're concerned about his health with with how much they dominated that game. But I'm with you. I think they're I think they're both hurt. It's can the Eagles run? They have that offensive line can they run all over the Chiefs like they did against the Niners. I would have to say yes, because they did it against the Niners, But I don't know.

There's also the experience factor, Like I give the Eagles all the credit in the world because you know, the Chiefs they're trying to make a dynasty thing happen. They've had pretty much the same guys. They got rid of Tyreek Kill a couple offensive line than all of that. But the Eagles, like, who do you have there? You have your owners the same, and your GM Holley Roseman

is the same. You have a different quarterback, you have different pretty much all different weapons you've got, you know, a whole different regime out there, a new head coach calling the shots, and you're back in it. That's more impressive to me. That's pretty cool. It's very cool. I think it's gonna be a great game. But your pick is the Chiefs. Begrudgingly, I don't. I don't love it,

but uh, I don't know. I just want I want Siriani to be I just think Sirian need to make a like a just be crazy and have fun and make it happen. And I want to for a j Brown and Jalen Hurts. But the shoulder. I mean, if I'm judging it based off what I saw from Jalen last week, I gotta pick the better quarterback and that's the one that somehow on one leg did what he did. You heard it here first, You heard it here first. The Chiefs are gonna win. I'm going to take the Eagles. Okay,

you can be contrarian. Are you making your way to Arizona? Uh, we'll see you know. I'm like a butterfly sting like a bee. I don't know what that means, but I might be there. Uh hey, kay, Adams, listen up in Atoms your new venture. Are you having fun? Yes, it's you know, it's a startup, so it's every day is like a you know, I let my hair on fire and then do it again the next day. But it's

very I like building things. I like uh, I like startups and and sort of doing seeing seeing what the world is and content and the whole world is going towards the fan duels of the world and the freedom that they allow. You see with a lot of a lot of sports personalities. I don't know if that that network life is for me Brian, So I'm doing I'm doing my own thing for now, but it's really fun. Well, congratulations, and you know, you know I would always come on

and talk to you. But when I was researching this, I saw that, you know, on your poster it says that you have current and former NFL stars that come on. Brian, I've asked you to come on the ship. No, that's what it says. That was the pitch. That was the pitch. No, I open atoms with former and current NFL stars. Where does it say that? That's awful? So you'll have to go white my hair on fire and fix that that. We've had all sorts of people on. You'll see in

super Bowl me too. If you're a Super Bowl and I don't hear from you and I see that you're spotted somewhere, Brian, I'm this is not going to be good. Feature me at a moment, very very soon. Now, Thank you so much for coming on, have a great week. Thank you for always being so supportive. You are a sick pup when it comes to sports, and I can't love it more. I love it. Thank you, thank you. Okay,

thank you for stopping by. Look, I will come on up in Adams anytime you want, and yes, maybe I will see you at the end of the week in Arizona. And now, friends, please welcome the esteemed Fantasy football Commissioner of the Office Fantasy Football League, Steven Sulks. What's up, Stephen, Brian So good to see you. It's good to see you. How are you? Yeah? You too, you too? You're doing well. I'm doing well. Has the weather down south today? I

have no complaints. I mean, it's rainy, it's rainy and cold, but it feels like football weather. I guess it's not quite Arrowhead at night, but uh it, it is a little chilly here in California. We have to talk about Stephen. As some of you may know, we just concluded our eighteenth year of the Office Fantasy Football League, one of the most dramatic or not endings in the history of the league. Ending another another very very messy ending. So give viewers a little bit of insight here um the

Office Fantasy Football League. We began in two thousand five. I looked it up. Tell people a little bit about about the league. That league was started in two thousands five. I was not part of the league at that point. I came a year later, but um, it was all off this cast and crew, and um when when I got in it was the next year. And we've talked about this before, but how our draft went with the yellow legal pad and and just how old school it was. But um, we pretty much had a base of of

managers for the whole time. I mean we I feel like we've had a good core. At least half the guys have been around since nearly the beginning, So it's become not only a long historic fantasy league. So there's a lot involved, a lot of connections and friendships in there, but it's a really for me, it's what a way to stay in touch with you and with so many from a part of my life that I just want to keep in touch with. Uh. There's cast, Yeah, cast,

Why is you rain? John Andy Buckley? That's right, that's it right now? And you we had thank you? Yeah. And we have a sound guy, We've got a camera assistant, we have a p a writer writer, we have an old director who's also a husband of a cast member. Yes, J Fischer's husband. That's right. That was the that was the door that opened. He couldn't join until he had actually worked on the show. I think that was that

was the original rule. I think that's why he actually pushed to direct an episode direct to get in to the office Fantasy Football League. Um, now, you have said in the past that being the commissioners, Steven has been the commissioner for a long time now, that it's like wrangling cats. This year any better? This year it wasn't much better. It wasn't much better. We still had. I mean, in fact, just listen, it's not much of an anti into this thing. We do have money on the line,

but it's not much. That's wrangling is really with just getting a pool of money together. But I think it's so little that it gets past people's you know mind. So I still like to collect the money. But going into championship week, of the four teams that were there, three had not paid so so and I didn't even ask because I was going, well, if you win, then you're gonna have money coming to you. Might as well like limit the transactions here, then no transactions? All right, Look,

we got to talk about the end. I posted it on my Instagram account. I made the Super Bowl, I made the Finals, and I've made the finals as much or more more than just about anyone. I've never won the damn thing eighteen years now, and we go into the finals and I looked it up, I wrote it down, I posted on Instagram the day of the game. Unfortunately, I was projected to get a hundred and twelve point thirty five points. My competitor was locked was done at

a hundred and twelve point thirty points. I had Josh Allen and and the tight end Knox, who by the way, caught a touchdown in the last four games that he played. This week of the finals was the Cincinnati Buffalo game, which was eventually canceled. Now you know it brings up we Stephen and I talked, I talked with Rain Wilson various other members about what we do, and ultimately there

was nothing to be done. The game wasn't played, the points couldn't be scored, and all the various sights were saying, it's it's you know, it's it's just like if if one of the players got hurt and wasn't able to go. But nonetheless it's a loss, a loss for me. Your feelings about how we resolved, Yeah, let's start by saying, uh, thank god, DeMar Hamlin is is okay, right, thank god?

Because of course I was watching the game and I have never seen anything like it ever, never seen anything like it, and never been more sort of scared nervous watching a football game in my life. It made me look on Amazon and see how much of de fibulary would be to have a home three thou dollars by the way, so I will not be doing doing that. But I was like, wow, if it's like bucks, I should just have one, right, I mean, but thank god he's fine and or he has survived, you know, and

he looks fine. But when it comes down to just pure fancy numbers, a real bummer. I mean, like we said, it's messy, but it would have been okay to me. Two, I would have felt about the decision I made, along with taking into account what you had said. Rain. Rain had input too because he was in the game for third place and we all agreed and what to do.

But I would have felt better if I hadn't added the points up for Alan and Knox in week eighteen and then added that to your score, because that was the only other option was do we just go to week eighteen and see what Alan and Knox have and add that to your score like manually and you you would have won by like a point and a half. I didn't know that. Yeah, I thought I'd wait till now to tell you was that was that? Other? What

did other leagues do that? I had you because I looked under you know, I looked at a lot of articles. I also talked to some friends and stuff. Had one friend that that did do that. I thought it was odd, to be honest, I thought it was odd to me when Damar went down and they decided to cancel a game, which is so rare it has to be to me. It has to be like your player is injured, he just isn't playing, right, Um, the Damar injury became an

injury for the entire field of players to me. Right, But yes, you would have the way I figured you would have won one third team point nine to have one twelve point three and I and to be clear, to be clear, you had mentioned that you've been in you had never won, but you've been in the finals. You've been in the finals three times, so you have three second place win three second places in this and you've been three You've been third four times, so you're you're,

you're in there. You've got as many trophies as anybody, So it that that made me feel bad. I still the one that I well, look, I talked to somebody about this, and let's be very very clear. As Steven mentioned before, there is uh there is a buy in, a a friendly wager, if you will, but it is not a significant amount of money. I think that there. I have heard of some other leagues chopping the money for those in that. In this situation, it wasn't about

the money. It was about winning because I haven't won and it didn't happen, and nothing was going to make that happen, unfortunately. I um, I looked back, I went, I went, I went into the archives. My team name was the Kevin's I then in two thousand six became Kevin's Accountants, and then I have stuck with the Bombers ever since. But you're actually B B Bombers. What wait? What's the b B Brian Gardener Bombers? Is that what? Because b B B B Bombers, Yeah, well I think

that's name and team name. I don't know something like that. What are what are weird names? We always have one of our guys Chris Workman talk about Gore. Oh yeah, he's still Gore in right now. And I think he used to be something like gorgeous Gore or something, you know like that. He loves stories. The Big Niners two Big Niners fans on the in the league. Of our other Niners fan is Mike Berlina, the prop guy. He he was a prop guy on the office. Is no

longer property person. But his name is this year's name is the Crystal Ships. And that's been true for maybe like five or I remember. Raine used to have like a funny I usually have some funny names. But he's been Satan's Ballerinas for a long time. He's been Satings balerinas. He is, he is certainly into it. I will tell Rain offers the worst trades, and I will first off, let me say this, most points scored in the league this year. Me. That's a that's a fact. That's not

a brag, that's not a humble brag. That's just a fact. Most points scored in the league. And I made a mistake on draft day, though it turned out to be a beautiful, a beautiful mistake. I I drafted Wattle and Tyreek Hill both as our two uh wide receivers, both from the Dolphins. I didn't really mean to do that. I think I was just looking at best available in the moment. Rain was on me immediately trying to get and offering me just garbage, heap material to try to

get one. He's like, you can't have two guys from one team. Now. Of course they ended up both being way up there and fan see as wide receivers. But uh yeah, he's he's the worst. You've had him on the podcast to talk about that too, about what he

how he feels about his offers. Yeah, I mean he's pretty straightforward that the way he negotiates is just completely low balls it at first was it didn't he say something like going to a bazaar or something like going going to like a flea market or that's what he tries to do. But then he bullies. That's his problem. He's a bully. He's a bullier. Um I look, it's

so fun. It's so fun to do this every year because we do get back in touch and you know, whether we are directly trash talking or not on a week to week basis, it's so fun because it's by and large it is a very active and competitive league that people pay very close attention to. And so that's fun to know that we're still we're still going at each other well. And we've had a couple of times where we've gotten I don't want to say gotten rid

of someone, but we've you know, they've left. We've had a couple of managers league because we so much about not paying up at Yeah, I mean, no names, right, but I mean you gotta be act. You can't. You can't have players on the on your on your roster that are on bye weeks. That doesn't you know that can't happen. I mean that. I just think that's what's meant for any No one should put up with that. No league, no no league, no league, especially this league,

most important league. As you mentioned before, you're a big Saints fan. Any specific memories for the Super Bowl from you of Saints finally winning after so much time in the garbage heat so many times. I mean you grew up a Falcons fan. Now you could up a Falcons fan. I mean, we we know how rough it was for

a long time, you know. So I remember just just seeing at halftime the Saints were they were behind, but they had scored a touchdown and think it was like ten seven or something at halftime of that Colts Saints game and just been like, we're just at least we're in it, like we're doing it. And to me that the memory of that game was just about Sean Payton and and his he just had huge balls that day and he's just really I mean with the on side kick, I mean opening of the halftime on side kick that

changed everything. And I'll always remember at as a Saints. I think all Saints fans could can just go to their grave knowing, well, at least we we we won one. And that's you know, that's a good point. And when we talk about bad calls and stuff, there's still the Saint that Saints team is known to be a dirty team.

And it goes down as like, you know, you've got what was it where they paid player what they called it bounty gate, right, and they were like, there's some rumors they were paying players to knock out different players or hurt players or something that there was some really like pretty borderline shots on Brett Farven that in NFC Championship game, right, I think people tend to forget about that.

You know. I mean, I think you can come back, but there's nothing that you just kind of say it, and then you're just kind of maybe the sore loser. So I feel like, no matter what happens in this Super Bowl coming up, everyone's gonna forget about these championship games and and the and the you know, the bad revs. The calls where people remember the strangest things think of, like against the Saints that think of the Seahawks, and Rain still says it too, he is a big Seahawks fan.

Marshawn Lynch is um run against US in the first round the playoffs the year after the Saints won. The Marshawn Lynch run that like he knocked over the entire Saints team and and carried them in the end zone. That's like one of the biggest plays for a Seattle Seahawks fan. It's like one of their biggest plays ever. They'll talk about. And they lost the next week and they they were done. I mean, think about Minnesota Vikings.

They had the miracle in Minnesota against the Saints too, no time basically no time left, the score touchdown like a Hail Mary type of thing, and score touchdown to win they still talk about that's like the Minneapolis miracle. It's like and they lost the next week. You know, it's it's not like it propelled them to the super Bowl. They lost. But that's what It's just odd what people remember. But I don't think we'll be talking about the bad

calls from yesterday. I don't think we've talked about it too long. I think we're gonna say, hey, we're gonna be talking about, hey, Mahomes gets two weeks to rest up and he's going to be healthy. And and then you know, those fans will get the payoff of winning Super Bowl. They can never take it away from you, right, It's really great. I mean, as a fan has nothing to do with the game, nothing to do no influence at all. As much as we think that we're in a jersey or yelling at the TV is going to

do something, it means something. And that's what's so great about sports. And so it's something I remember holding my daughter and my son was two weeks from being born when that when the Saints won Super Bowl, and and remember forever it was fantastic. You know. One of the things that fascinates me that I've been thinking about the last couple of days is sports and entertainment, or specifically the super Bowl and entertainment, And we what is on

every list every year. The most watched television show every year is the super Bowl. So it's like we think of those things as being so separate. Sports their sports, and then their scripted television or there's reality television or whatever. But in terms of entertainment, which is ultimately what's what's on TV, the super Bowl is always listed. And because it is, more people are watching the super Bowl than than than anything else. How do you view it? Do

you view it as entertainment or is it sports? Is it's something different? I think the super Bowl for the most part, except for that Saints game, is entertainment to me because you kind of go in with with the halftime. Entertainment's going to be even the national anthem, that's going to be right, there's two weeks up to it of this whole thing. You're following you know who, and you're

watching press conferences. So to me, it's entertainment. I mean, obviously it is for so many people to watch that I have to think a big percentage of a fair percentage of those people are not die hard NFL fans, you know, they're just watching this. It's like, how we we'll watch the World Cup, Right, We're not watching soccer all year probably, I mean I'm not, but there are people around the world that are. But I'm saying we as a collective United States, we're not really that involved

out of the Olympics. We're not watching gymnasts and volleyball players and the luge. We're not watching that all year round. But man, I'm really into the luge when it comes to the Winter Olympics because it's it's uh, it's it means something like on a bigger, a different scale, right, So,

and that becomes entertaining. That's entertainment. I mean you look at thirty thirty and all these sports related shows that are so captivating, and I mean I can get my wife to sit down and watch a thirty for thirty and she's crying at the end. I mean, it brings what makes sports so great. It brings the feeling and the heart. And um, I I see that every year in the Super Bowl. Unless I've got a bet on it,

I'm not really more than just entertainment. Really, well, that was going to lead me to my next question you are you? You a gamble and guy not like for entertainment purposes, for entertainment purposes, completely responsible, responsible betting. I don't think those two things go together. But I look, have you looked at the line? Is it pretty even now? Or what is it? It is as as we speak today, it is even. I don't think that's ever happened before

in the Super Bowl. I can't remember it either. And I saw something interesting ESPN. I'm not doing an ad for ESPN, but ESPN has their f p I, which they call the Football Power Index. I'm not going to debate whether or not it's good or right or whatever, but I saw today the f p I has the Eagles favored at fifty point one percent over the Chiefs, which I guess would put them at forty nine point nine. That's how my math works so tight, I can't believe

that it's that. It's very interesting. You've got two quarterbacks that are are both hurting a little bit. Clearly, I think Hurts does have a shoulder issue. Obviously Mahomes has his leg issue. That to me says the game is going to be one in the trenches, which clearly for me favors the Eagles. Are you do you have a lean who's gonna win the game? It's it is really tight. I mean this could go down. It's one of the closest like betting odds in first Super Bowl ever. I mean,

it could go to just a pick them right. So you can go back and forth on this. But Mahomes really showed me something yesterday. I mean he was not healthy first of all, when he had the higher ankle sprain. That's like a week you're out weeks on for that. You know. I don't know how he he did it, but he looked good. You can tell he was hurt though in his line. Man, no he even touched him, nobody. He was so protected. They do such a great job. But those Eagles that that defense is just ready to

make a play. That defense is ready to change it. And I really feel like a defense wins you the championship. Although this could be a really high scoring game. So let's go back and forth. Mahomes five years hosting five a f C championship games at home never happened before. Is this uh? Is this a dynasty that we're witnessing? I mean, he he definitely and he's still young. What I think of him and okay, you think of the goat, right, you think of Brady and you think of like where

he was at this point in his career, Brady. You know, I think Brady won his first three Super Bowls at least so so you know, if Patrick wins this one, he'd be two out of three. Um, but Brady didn't have of the was an m v P like Mahomes has been. I think he's m v P twice. Mahomes has got a chance to like he wins. If if Kansas City wins this game, it changes a lot. This is really of will form his his career in a

really amazing way. Like he's he's fantastic. But when you look at like a dynasty, if if if Kansas City wins, man it's it can happen. It's alive. Kevin Alane a big fan of the Eagles, he would be uh, he would be very happy. And you know, here's the crazy thing. With an entirely new roster and entirely new set of coaches, Philly has a chance to win two pretty close together themselves. It's very impressive to see how they have changed and

adjusted this year. They're playing great football. It's it's really fun to watch. It's really fun to watch. Yeah, they're totally different organization and team. Really. I mean, there's nothing that reminds me of that championship team from five years ago, really the uniforms, but how fun. I have a I have a feeling that that this is a this is a very likable team. I have a feeling that the city of Philadelphia has really behind this team, like really

enjoys this team. Maybe because they're young, but it feels like a team that has gotten the city swept up with them, if that makes sense. It does. It's crazy because you know, we were fans of teams and had a little bit of down years our teams this year, and you know, then you've got other teams that you kind of like or players that you root for, and then it comes down to it and you think, Okay,

I don't even care anymore. I don't even care. And then these two weeks happened, and you hear the storylines and you follow the players and their stories, and you've got Andy Reid and you've got the whole deal, and I'm in. I'm hooked. I can't I can't help. Yeah, I guess it's I guess it's like what people who watch The Bachelor, if you want to call it reality TV? To me, sports That's how I would define it to me.

Sports is is the best of of reality TV. We as a species are all into follow stories like this. I mean, humans do this. I never thought I would get so involved. I mean someone put on a show on TV like last year. I remember watching. I was like, I'll watch it with you guys, I guess, and then I'm like binge watching is this cake? You know, like or something ridiculous show that I'm like, oh, or yeah, The Bachelor or something. I'm like, what what? This has

no meaning in my life? But it does right now, you know. So yeah, these two weeks of hype, man, you can get sucked in and it's gonna be fun. By the way, this is Cake was pretty bad. Yeah, spoiler alert. By the way, Uh, I want to ask you again about your podcasts. You host with Lorie who also worked on the Office Lest We Forget If We Knew then, a down syndrome advocacy podcast. You've had some

amazing guests on how's it How's it going? And do you feel like you're you're making headway in in diverse casting and inclusion in Hollywood, as they call it. I feel like there's change being made. I mean there's constant change being made. You know. When we started the podcast, my son Liam, who is turning thirteen next month, it

was born with downsta I know that's crazy. He was born and we were still, you know, working on the show, but he was born with Down syndrom and I mean it it blew us away when we got that diagnosis, It really did it. I felt like our whole world was crumbling. But that's natural because we only know all this negative stuff from what down syndrome is. If it's not only perception of what your child is going to be, but also maybe some health concerns and stuff like that.

But as I've gone through this journey, we've seen a lot of great change. Inclusion is a hot word right now. Diversity is a hot word, and I think the down syroom community is willing to ride those coattails, you know, and try to be included in that. I didn't go to school with anybody with Down syndrome. I doubt you did either. They were usually put in another classroom, probably

on the other side of campus. You didn't have recess in lunch with these these students, and so you didn't know him, and you may be made fun of him, and you they were an easy scapegoat. But having anyone in our classroom, including someone with down stit room and including them, changes lives. It's not just that having diversity in the classroom is something we should do just to do it. We should do it because it's good for us. I mean, I didn't go to school with anyone but

people that look like me, you know, white Catholics. I went to a private school in elementary school and it wasn't until I was in high school that I went to school with anybody that was a different race than in me. And I mean I I missed out. So I do hear the call for oh, it's good for Lehm to be in the classroom and seventh grade and you know, so he can model off his off his peers, And I go, yeah, there's plenty of reason not to model off of the typical seventh you know what I'm saying.

So um, but you know, Liam brings stuff to the classroom too. He's an asset in the classroom as well, and I think that's what we're finding I think that's what people are starting to understand. But yeah, we've had some great guests on the show and and the last time I was on was in one I think And

after that Liam I did a movie with Lina Dunham. Um. What what happened was we do a we participate in in the Easter Siels Disability Film Challenge every year, which is a weekend to make a film about diversity, have someone in it or or behind the scenes that has a disability. And Lena Dunham, I guess came across Liam and one of these films and and auditioned him and and he was in a movie called Sharp Stick with with her. She plays his mom and John Burnthal plays

his dad. It was fantastic and she was able to come onto the show and and we talked about diversity in all different ways, not just disability. And then we we also had oh, we had Paul Tsori and his wife Michelle. He's a PGA torquaddy for Webb Simpson and his son Isaiah has a down syndermen. We talked to them, they're they've got a great foundation to story family's foundation. We also had Ted Green, who is a documentarian. He visited us to talk about his most recent film, The

Best We've Got. It's the Carl Erskine Story. Carl Erskin was a Dodgers to picture, a long time Brooklyn Dodger picture and the later Ellie Dodger picture. He was a teammate, close friend of Jackie Robinson and then later on a father of a person with Down syndrome. And we just kind of talked about how he played kind of pioneering roles in in both those human rights movements, you know, which closely mirror each other, we come to find out.

But it's been really fantastic. I think there's you know, we always want change to happen really fast, and that's just not how it happens, you know, so, but we're moving the right direction. That's awesome. Well, congratulations on that. It's always fun to talk to you. It was a heartbreaking but very strange. I mean, that was the thing. And when you and I talked, you know, me not winning once again, but as you said, with what was happening with Tamar Hamlet, it was like, well, we can't

really complain about this. This is a dumb little game. This is a dumb little game. And I always know that fantasy is a dumb little game even compared to the actual games that are happening and people's livelihood and and and so forth. But in this situation, yeah, there was just sort of there was no complaining to be had. Uh. Enjoy the s pretty interesting, uh text with you, and your text to me really stood out as something that

transcended the situation. You had said that, to be flat out, you thought Monday Night was going to be a shootout, and you felt very confident going into the game that you were going to win. And I get it, but I remember you saying, but you can't make a determination based on what ifs, and it is what it is. And I thought that that says a lot about you, Brian. And that's a great way to great at Youde obviously not just for fantasy football, but just yeah, well, Stephen,

thank you so much. Thank you, Brian. It was great, Stephen, You're the best. Thank you for stopping by. And yes, this year, year nineteen, this is the year that I finally win the league. I know it. Listeners, thank you as always for tuning in. Have a great time watching the game, the Big Game, the Super Bowl on Sunday and then come back next week for another guest our Valentine's Day episode, So come and hang with me and someone who really really knows the weather. Until then, have

a great week. Off the Beat is hosted an executive produced by me Brian Baumgartner, alongside our executive producer Langley. Our senior producer is Diego Tapia. Our producers are Liz Hayes, Hannah Harris, and Emily Carr. Our talent producer is Ryan Papa Zachary, and our intern is Sammy Cats. Our theme song Bubble and Squeak, performed by the one and only Creed Bratton,