The Fifth Hour: "Code of the West" Mail Bag

Hour with Ben Maller and Danny g Radio. And I realized this is an NFL Sunday Well, listen, the show must go on, and there is a period of time we're gonna get this thing up. Hopefully it's up early here you'll be able to listen before the games, but if not, you can listen after the games. Yeah. And you mentioned on yesterday's podcast that some schedules change during NFL season, and that applies to the Fifth Hour two. Because I will make my very best effort to get

the Sunday podcast up as early as humanly possible. Alright, so it's gonna be up early, and especially for our East Coast brothers and sisters, will get it up for you. I know you've complained and all that, so we've heard your compounds person all. By the way, yes, well we have a pill for that, so we'll help you get it up early there, and we want to keep doing it, so please help us out. Tell a friend continue to listen to the Sunday podcast. I'll be watching football too.

I understand we'll all be watching football, but we can also multitask and do more than one thing. And so with that being said, Danny g let's strike up the band, our buddy Ohio al and let's get to the mail back. It's all right, very nice from our guy Ohio. Aut GE's played every week at this time. These are actual questions from actual listeners to the show from all over the United States, all over the world. Anyone that hears the Fifth Hour podcast obviously can contact us. You can

send an email anytime right now. You can send it five minutes from now. You can send it tonight, tomorrow the next day. Real fifth Hour at gmail dot com. Just make sure you put mail bag in the headline so I know it's for the mail bag. Real fifth Hour at gmail dot com. Spell out fIF F I F T H Real Fifth Hour at gmail dot com and we may use your question on the show and

also on the Facebook page Ben Mallard Show. Every Tuesday, sometimes on Monday, depending on schedule, we will post on their asking for questions and we may use your question on the air. First up as we begin come back, pay attention. It's sign from me. I'll call okay, Alan and Akron right since says, do you have an adequate backup power supply at the Mallard mansion if you would experience a rolling blackout or do you need to go

in studio whenever there is an energy emergency declared? Alan looking at the headlines this week with the rolling blackouts in California, So Alan, I do not have a backup power supply. We do have solar at the Mallard Mansion. I don't think that really matters when the power goes out. I think since it's still tied into the power grid, it's not like you because you have solar, you get a break. And because we've had power outages with the

powers out in the whole neighborhood. So the one guardian angel that we have doing the overnight show is typically they won't have to shut the power off overnight, they would shut the power off. Between four o'clock and nine o'clock is prime usage because fortunately, uh, it's it's it's a double edged sword, Danny doing the overnight show there, they don't shut the power off because most people aren't using power, they're sleeping, So it's we don't have to

worry about it. Yeah, when we've all been dealing with three eighty dollar electric bills, and the reason why is because you get home after work and you want to enjoy your electronics and your air conditioning during those four to six pm peak hours where California charges us ten times the rate in those two hours. Yeah, it's it's wild to me that the planners, the engineers, the politicians, the people that are given the title to build the infrastructure,

which is ultimately the most important thing. Where people get so concerned about so much bullshit that doesn't affect them, but the base needs of keeping people cool in the summer, warm in the winter, just the very basics, right, Shelter, human shelter, which is one of the prime things we all need. You need food, you need shelter, all right,

you need to feel safe. Those these are the primal things that we all need, and yet these assholes who are in charge of all that stuff have excuse my French fucked it up so much that they tell people when it's blazing hot, don't use the air conditioner. What the fuck is that? Seriously, and I'm laughing at myself thinking about the video. Gavin Newsom put out, Oh, yeah, he was wearing a big sweater. Well that's actually that's actually let's get to that because I'll let you ran

on that. But that's the next email. I got mail, yea, I got mail, yea. Clifford National says, Then I was watching your governor instructing California's turn their thervist that up to seventy eight the greeze, he was wearing a fleece jacket in his office. There was a heat wave. Is it that cold and Sacramento. That's Danny your thoughts. I think his air conditioning was blasting so much ben that he needed a blanket at his desk. See, I have

an alternative theory on that, Danny. My theory is that the governor was he was so so desperate for money he figured somebody is marketing the apartments, like alright, Governor, where the Golden Bear logo on your hat and your jacket, and we'll sell some and then we'll be able to buy some more wind turbines to get some power in California. It's a marketing move. Was he at the French laundry when he when he had that little video? I don't such a dope. He's blow up all of the politics

in California. Start over again. Listen. I live in California, and I have obviously my family and friends here, A lot of them have moved to other states in the Midwest and the East Coast and whatnot. But I mean, this is when you deserve the people in California keep voting for these idiots. What do you mean you deserve this. I don't deserve I don't vote for this, Danny. I don't think you. I don't know you're apology. I don't think you vote for it. But they continue to vote

for this nonsense. So what do you think. It's ridiculous. It's like fires. You know that if you have proper forest management in California, you will not They talk about global warming and all that, but proper forest management, which means occasionally burning back the overgrowth in the forest, will limit limit the fires. But do they do that, No, because there's people hugging trees that say you can't do it. So instead, people's homes burned down every year because they

they're afraid of offending the tree huggers. Come on, there's gotta be balanced. I love treats, So my favorite place to go is the Sequoia Sequoia forest. Those giant sequoia trees there. I love it. But at the same time, they've almost burned down every year, like the last five years. It's it's three thousand year old trees because they won't take care of the forest. And well, your first mistake is you're bringing logic into this conversation exactly. That's a

bad job. Bad job by me thinking that people would use common sense because common sense is not common We've known that for some time. Alright. But you like my theory though, Danny, that he was trying to sell some hats. I think he was trying to sell hats and jacketson the government. He was just trying to show off his air conditioning unit. Oh that could be too yeah, listen, Well,

it's like it's like during the COVID stuff. You know that I can go out to the French laundry and have a nice meal with my friends and co workers. But you you better not. Are all gonna die. We're all going to die, alright. Next up Chris and marre cocaa. Iowa right, so he says, Dear Benny Brightside, I recently hired a self employed person to grind some stumps in my backyard. That sounds dirty. We had a handshake deal

to get the job done. He picked a weekend, he said he would do it, and then I never heard from him again, despite repeated contact efforts from me. My question is, how do you feel with such unprofessional behavior. He's a younger guy, and I'm tempted to advise him that ignoring customers is very bad for business and it's very rude to waste people's time, but it would likely fall on deaf ears. But Chris says, I'm also tired

of saying nothing like I usually do any advice. Well, Chris, I'm actually going through something similar the house I'm in. The the gardener, which you know has kind of been in the family. It's one of these things where this guy started as a gardener when he was like sixteen, and he's been associated with the family or like thirty five years. Like the guy has been doing it forever.

He's and he does a really good job, but when he decides to do it, it's one of those things, you know, it's like sometimes he won't show up, he'll skip a week, or he won't do you know, certain things he's supposed to do and all that, and but we feel like we can't get rid of the guy because he's been connected to the family for so long. But you've got a different situation there, Chris, and that that is annoying, and it's one of those things. I mean,

that's that's the rep you know. I know this is not a contractor, but we've all heard the term contractor time. And I know that because the Mallard Mansion got renovated and so we were dealing with a lot of contractors and sometimes they show up and sometimes they wouldn't show up. Um. But but I would agree with you that yelling at the guy. I mean, you should say, hey, I really am you know, disappointed. But but now everyone's got the Trump excuse. I had the COVID, I got, I got

the code. You had no symptoms. Well, yeah, that's the COVID, though I was asymptomatic, but COVID hours. Yeah, I got the COVID the ultimate get out of jail free card. How how do you think this guy should handle it, Danny? Any advice to Chris? Kill him with kindness, But at the same time, you gotta be firm with your stance.

I would start the email nice, and then I would get to the point and be firm about you gotta be professional, dude, and please follow through with our promise, and then I would stay on top of it after that. And yeah, sometimes you don't want to be confrontational, do you know, Ben? In life, you gotta have your voice heard. Yeah. Well, and as it goes back to what I have have talked about the code of the West and the lack

of the quote. If you just follow the code of the West, that you take pride in your work to finish what you start, like those basic things what has to be done, then the world would be a lot better. I think, just simply, there's so many people that cut corners all the time. I don't want to put the effort in. And you know, who knows, maybe this guy had something happening family emergency, But even then you gotta still contact people say I wish I could make it.

I didn't make it. I apologize. I'll be here at a different a different time. The very least. You have to communicate well with your clients. Yeah, and you don't. If you're an introvert like me, you don't have to talk to him. You can send a text. There's different ways to do it. Now you're not stuck. Next up, you've got mail. That would be Blake, our buddy Blake

in Arkansas. This guy's got that crazy Amazon job where he buys old Amazon well not old but Amazon returned products and then sells them at a discount store in Arkansas. Has done very well for himself, he says Ben. I agree that three, maybe four college football teams have a shot to win a national championship every year. However, Ever, when we moved into the new four team playoff, it is absolutely just killed the value of the bowl games.

Who will be that is a letter or a word missing here or who it's gonna be every year October one? The same five or six schools. Se I guess he's complaining the same five or six schools all year. No one else matters. I truly believe changing the twelve. We're really amp up the sport like never before. You and I will always agree that you know, a twelve and a liberty team will have zero shot at beating Bama. But if those fan bases don't have any hope to

ever make it, ever, what's the point? Alright? So Blake, my apologies, but I think there were some words or some letters missing. Uh, but I think we've got to just you support the twelve team playoff. I think I'm okay with the twelve team playoff, but I do think that there are only a handful of teams, as I said, three for teams any year that can win the national

championship legitimately h the great equalizers injuries. The other thing that this will be good, Danny, is that in college football, this has been something that's happened last maybe ten years, where the great star players, if they don't have a chance at the national championship, they will rest for the NFL draft. So that should eliminate it for at least

twelve schools where they started. Because we watch these bowl games, not that we watched that many of them, but the star players often don't even play anymore unless they have a shot at the national championship. You're exactly right. We'll get to see everybody play. You know, the top players

for sure will be involved in that. And because of injuries also, you could, if you, if you, if this goes long enough, eventually Alabama will lose to somebody like Liberty and it will be the greatest upset in the history of college football. To make movies about it and write books about it, because Alabama will have two offensive linement out with injury, and they won't take Liberty a

team like Liberty seriously. And next thing, you know, it's anyone's game in the fourth quarter and the ball bounces your way, you end up losing. The other teams were so al right. Next up on the mail bag, any meany mighty mo? Pick a message. Let's see here, let's go all right, come back touch It's son call Kevin in Kansas writes, and he says, Dear Bannon, Danny G. You both work in the high pressure field of live talk radio. Danny G also works in education. Mrs Mallard

works as a nine on one operator. Based on your years of experience with those pressures, what advice do you have to make make it through the day? Yeah, Kevin, So I I will just follow the advice I learned from my parents, and I really learned also from following Lee Hamiltons around Hack Saw Hamilton's who was my mentor, one of my mentors in radio. I was an intern for him back many years ago in San Diego, and Lee was always there. He was the first one in,

the last one out. He spent all day preparing for his afternoon drive show. And it's been said by people smarter than me that success is really of preparation. And you know, you know success it out of a preparation is perspiration. If you will that it's it's much better. I've felt for me how I'm wired. I would much rather over prepare and hope that it's all for nothing, that I don't need it. And oftentimes it is then trying to fly and and pretend that I I don't

have I haven't done the work. Uh, you understand what I'm saying, Like, I don't want to be the guy that shows up and they're playing. I've worked with guys, I've seen guys I've worked with, They've been some of them empic stars. Uh, And I guess they just a better at showing up and faking it. And there was one guy that used to work at our place that did no prep would show up and whatever was on back when ESPN dot com was the big website would just read those stories and that would be how he

did his his show. And um, eventually it caught up with him and he lost He lost his gig, but he was able to pull it off for a while. He made a lot of money, made more money than me. But I think preparation is the key. Because Dan, I don't know if you feel the same way, but for me, to me, the easiest part of my day is actually

doing the show because I know I'm fully prepared. Now, sometimes ship hits the fan and I'll be fully prepared, and then ten minutes before the show, some trade will happen, or you know, unfortunately doing the overnight show, somebody will have an accident and then everything gets out the window and you've got to do improv. And that's fine because the moment calls for that. But what do you have a piece of advice here for Kevin in Kansas. Well, you mentioned it just a few minutes ago on the

podcast to have pride in your work. So no matter what industry, you're in. Man, what a great trait that is to go above and beyond to make sure whatever you're responsible for is not only completed, but completed to where your bosses would be proud. Some of that's lost in the past few years in several industries, but in radio,

Ben you're completely right. Set Up is key because when I have the next segment prepared and in front of me and ready to go, we don't know what's gonna happen once we turn those bikes on and we're live in the middle of it, but at least we have our notes in front of us and we know where we're headed and where we're going. And when you don't have that outline and you're not prepared, then you have

no direction. So whatever industry you're in, preparations set up is key, and then you get confidence based on the fact you are ready for no matter what curveball comes your way. Yeah. And it's one of those things too where He's like, there's people that come up to me in an appearance or something. They'll be like, well, I know more sports, not about that. I'll say, you know what you probably do. You know, I probably wouldn't beat you,

you know, head to head trivia contest. But the art radio can and the other thing we've seen it, Danny, when you bring people in who aren't trained in broadcasting and they could do two or three minutes, but can you do four hours? And can you do four hours where somebody actually wants to listen for more than a minute. That's the hard part. Like it's harder to people to listen, But once you get people that actually like the crap that you do to get them to listen even longer,

that's the hard part. That's like the really hard people engaged. There was a study, the results were just released. The average American pays attention for twenty eight seconds. So whatever they're listening, who are watching you have their attention span

for twenty eight seconds. Just think about that. Yeah, No, it's it's like you can keep a goldfish and gay engaged longer people and uh, but it does just whenever you happen, we're all helping each other, right, the communal way of life, whether you work in radio or not. I mean, my wife has a much more stressful job, but then you know, some times nothing happens and you know, the phones don't ring, and she's able to just to you know, sit around and wait for the phone to ring.

She's prepared though. She knows what to do if somebody calls up having a heart attack, or someone's calling up and they've been shot, or the neighbor has been shot. She knows how to handle those. But she never knows who's gonna call, like, has no idea until she gets there and the people actually call in. So thank you for that. Good question by Kevin Always good. Kevin's always good. He's been with us a long time on the podcast and the show, and he does what you do. Dan.

He's a teacher just like you, So he's he's out there doing his thing. Next up on the mail Bag, Mike in Fullerton rights in. On this edition of the mail Bag, he says, we all know Ben wants eight Rocky Mountain oysters to pay off a bed. So with that in mind, what are the most disgusting things each of you have eaten? Uh? Well, Mike commit the Rocky

Mountain oysters? Is that's right up there, Because I don't eat disgusting food because why would I. The only way I would is if I lost a bed or something like that. I eat things I like, I don't even need a lot anymore, as you know, Mike and your friend fer Dog, because I you know, I'm on this in a minute, fasting nonsense, that's my michigass, and so that's that's what I do. Danny, have you eaten any disgusting foods? Which is usually just the texture of the food, right,

which is texture? And if there's I balls? Uh, what comes to mind? A friend of mine when I lived up in Pismo Beach and was doing radio up on the coast Filipino family, I go. It was a lot of fun. We're drinking a little bit at the get together, and they had this layout the spread of food, which smelled amazing. So I make this big plate. I don't know what most of the dishes are, so I put a little bit of each dish on my plate and

I'm eating away. Some of the textures were interesting. And after I got done sampling this plate, my buddy told me what the dishes were made out of. Yeah, and let's just say reveal answers, revealing. I shouldn't have asked. I should have just tasted. Oh yeah, Well, well when I'll tell you one that I ate one bite of when I was a kid, Uh, and it's a it's

a customary Jewish food. Give filter fish disgusting. I hate fish anyway, fermented fish, I say, I definitely do not need to eat it was it was horrible for dog. So uh that that's on the list. All right, we'll keep it going on the mail bag. Here, let's pick up the pace. We're running short on time, Pierre writes in not writing from the base of Muffett McGraw's plaque at the Basketball Hall of Fame. He says, hey, Ben and Danny Gee, have you ever played fantasy sports with friends,

co workers or listeners? And be Ben, you consider yourself a man of the people and have just doc you signed your multi year extension. So why do you refuse to join Coope, Roberto and the rest of the mouth of Militia and the DraftKings contest. It must be the five dollar entry fee that's holding you back, unless it isn't, alright, So Pierre, come then, alright, cool your nuts. Alright, So listen, I've played fantasy sports before. I'm so good at it.

I don't want to take all my listeners money. That would be rude and uh and and that would be wrong, wrong, and all that exactly. Uh, And it is not the five dollar entry fee that is holding me back at all, but it's it's more of a time thing. It's more of a time thing, and my focus is not on fantasy right now. My focus is on benny versus the penny, and so any football handy, any time I have is dedicated to haw I can become a better football prognosticator,

which is not playing fantasy sports. It is playing gambling. So that's where my focus is. Listen, I'm glad Coop's doing it, and the fans, the super fans, seem to have a great idea, a great appreciation for They love it so good. So that's it, right, Danny. You play fantasy sports at all, Danny, or any of that. I have, And the last couple of seasons I haven't, and I've liked the season better, to be honest, because I all ready have enough stress involved rooting on my favorite football team.

I don't also need to be stressed out about the performances of other random players on other teams. That's just too much stress. And I don't want any money attached to the outcomes. So I don't gamble on NFL and I don't want to play fantasy right now because I just want to enjoy it. As if I was a seven year old kid, what about a nine year old girl?

There would be conflicting interest as a gambler. If you bet on let's say, for example, this weekend, if I bet on the Minnesota Vikings, but I had Aaron Rodgers in my fantasy team, Uh, it's like you need Rogers to play well, but you need the Vike used to win the game, and so he's like threading a needle. It's interesting being at a sports bar during the NFL season because you'll hear people randomly chairing for other things

on other greens, and it's all because of their fantasy team. Yeah, and it's really odd when they're wearing another jersey and they do it and you're like, wait a minute, that's what's wrong with this. Come on now, I got mail, yea, I got mail. Ya got I gotta meet this guy Adrians in the Mile High City. I'm gonna do that. I gotta get to Denver at some point. Here have the Ben Mallard chicken sandwich in Denver at the sports

book bar and grill. And he says, Big Ben, I was flipping back and forth between Florida State l s U and Sunday Night Baseball, the Dodgers and the Potterers. I saw a familiar face sitting down low with the one percentage. How was the game? He says, I doubled down on my wager I told you about earlier. What do you and Danny g think of the Dodgers World Series champions Now? It still bothers me that I liked him in that spot put a guarantee on it, But we'll see what happens. When will you be in the

Denver area for a meet? And Greedy says, I think I remember you saying you have a family here in Colorado. I do. I have a cousin that lives I believe over in Boulder, So not not that far away from from Denver. Uh So, he says, he's Benny versus the

Penny coming. Oh yeah, yeah, Adrians, you said this before we made the announcement, But Benny versus the Penny on the podcast on Friday, and you can hear all the picks, including my pick on the Denver Seattle game, which you're probably not gonna like, but but absolutely and so as far as the Dodgers I'm I'm still pretty confident it's there.

They're in the wrong league. The better teams this year are in the National League, with the Dodgers, the Mets, who've had a bad stretch in the Atlanta Braves that those teams are clearly better than everyone else. I don't think the Cardinals are gonna do much, even though they've had a good run here lately. Uh, But I trust the Dodger. I don't trust kimberl even though he's pitched better lately. But yeah, I would still. I'd still like the Dodgers chances to get the World Series, and I

hope they played the Astros in the World Series. But I take the Yankees. What about you, Danny. This team, as you know, been one of the best Dodger win percentages in the history of the franchise, still on pace to win a hundred and thirteen games. Bullpen has been way better. Are hitting when it's clicking. Is the best lineup in all of baseball. I am never gonna bet against that. But a couple more quick ones. Leo rights and he says, is Marlon Marlin man a Marlin fan

or a Dodger fan? He spends more time at Dodgers Stadium. He has spent a lot of time at Dodgers Stadium, although he told me he's not coming back until the NLCS. He said, he said, he does not he's not playing. He thinks the Dodgers will be in the NLCS. He's gonna go see some other teams. He thinks that likely he will not advance in the playoffs, so he can go see some other cities. But he's gonna be in New York. I think he was in New York this weekend.

He gave me his whole itinerary. So he's a fan of baseball, and he doesn't actually go to very many Marlin's games, even though he's called Marlins Man. Uh. And he has he spent a lot of time at Dodger Stadium because I've gotten phone calls several times this summer. And he's gone a bunch of games without me. He went to the All Star Games, some other games. He knows I can't go really during during the week. Uh. Last one Fred from Spring Texas Rights and he says, Hi, there.

You mentioned in last week show that the transmitters for the San Diego radio stations were pointed towards the Pacific Ocean. Do you know what the reasoning was for that decision? Keep up the good work. Well you have Fred. The Federal Communications Commission. It's a government agency that decides who

who can put their transmitter where. And it's all a scientific project because there are there are radio stations that share the same frequency in many many cities, and there's only a few stations that are called clear channel stations that have the right to broadcast at full power, like all over the country. There's KFI in Los Angeles is one of those. They're all AM stations, kf I, Koa and Denver. Very few FM stations. One oh three point three FM along the California coast is one of the

only FM stations that blasts through like five different counties. Yeah, and I learned this in radio school, although I've forgotten it, but the the you know, the as I remember it, it's the AM radio band, which is really going away in many places, but the A M band will bounce so it can go further where the FM band doesn't count. And so that's that's part of the Yeah, the skips

off the earth exactly. So and uh and Fred, so yeah, so it's pretty much to protect the station in Arizona Phoenix that has the same frequency, and so it ends up where if you're in San Diego, the signals facing the Pacific Ocean, So if you're on a boat out of Pacific, you can hear the San Diego stations of

the l A stations. But and even in l A, right, we have the problem with the mountains where a lot of times certain signals do not make it past the mountain range around l A. All right, we gotta get out of here, Danny. What do you have coming up for you in the Fox box that rocks this afternoon

slash evening. I'm gonna be in the studios having fun with the Covino and Rich Show, and then after that the Ben Mallard pre show, the tailgate party, Chris Plank and Arnie Spaniard leading into your first show of the week, and not just our first show, our first show after an NFL Sunday. Yeah, I hope. I'm celebrating a Raiders w as the Covino and Rich Show is starting. I the RAM game was on Thursday, So I will just be worried about my picks all day, is what I

will be worried about. How do you think you're gonna do really quick? Yeah, I think I'll be over five. But the first week and the last week of the season are very difficult. So I think i'll be over five hundred. But I'm not gonna go I'm not gonna say I'm gonna be way over five hundred. I think you'll be a couple of games over five hundreds. A winning week to start is what I am anticipating, but not in like one of the great weeks of all time. I like the card this week, I didn't love the car.

I liked it, I didn't love it. Week two is a little bit better. So we'll see what happens next Friday. Have a great day and we will talk to you next time. Good luck to all your football teams. Osta Pasta, Hey, hey, I like to Saint