EPISODE 15: The mild, mild West

I actually wanted to ask you a question. Am I too old to use the adjective mid? Am? I? Can I get away with that? Or am I too old? Should I not use that? My kids would say I am and they would laugh in my face. Huh. I will say this, THI. If there's anybody that could get away with it, I think it would be you. I would give you the pass. The reason I'm asking is because this is the most mid Western conference I have

ever seen in my life. Now, as we're recording this, the Lakers are trying to claw their way back to five hundred for the first time since last season when they were twenty four and twenty four. They're down four to the Knicks with eight minutes and change to go. But I just keep looking at these standings. The one thing we used to be able to count on was the Denver Nuggets. Now they've lost three in a row.

You look at this West, the Nuggets are the only team we're almost seventy games into this season, the Nuggets are the only team on pace to win fifty games in the West. Now Sacramento and Memphis they're on pace for forty nine point six wins, So we can we can draft them in if we really want to. But either team, either one of those teams loses their next game,

they're off the fifty win pain. I mean, I just we're so used to since Michael Jordan's second retirement in Chicago, we're so used to seeing quality in the West, and it's just, you know, again, I'm if the Lakers get back to five hundred, I'm sure Laker fans are excited, and you know they've been doing with doing this lately without Lebron, so you got to give them props for that. But but I just this isn't a Laker thing. I just look at these Western Conference standings and it's just

enough already, it's just so much mediocrity. It's really to me, it is a season unlike any other. Well, look, let me go to the other route a little bit. Let me go to the other route. Can we look at this and say that the Western Conference just has parody?

Because I think you can make the argument that. Let me see, I'm looking at these East teams, the top six Milwaukee, Boston, Philly, Cleveland, Brooklyn, New York, and you look at the top six as a right now, Denver, Sacramento, Memphis, Phoenix, Clippers, Golden State. If I had to pick between both conferences top six, I think I'm still going with the West. Well, then I'm going to counter you and say I look at the East and I've been I've been a Denver

defender all season long. And this has gotten especially heated lately because the MVP stuff has turned into a Yoki versus mb thing. And I want to apologize because I thought we did a great pot on this last week talking a lot about the Philly side of it. But even we we we didn't say it again. Yeah yeah, yeah, I did, see I did see a couple of people tweak, and they're right. Janis should be right there. This should

be a three man race. But this MVP thing has gotten so crazy that it's like it's just become yokas versus and be. But the reason I was bringing that up is again, I have been a Denver defender all season long. But to me, the three title favorites right now, this is gonna drop on March thirteenth, this pod. They're in the East, I mean Milwaukee, Boston, or Philly. I would pick those. I would pick whoever survives that, you know, that three sided steel cage match, like whoever comes out

of the East. I think obviously depending on health when the playoffs come and where we are in June, but you know you're probably gonna see one of those. The East champion is probably going to be the favorite, I think. I think the only way that's not the case is if it's Phoenix that comes out of the West and by then they're absolutely rolling with Durant, Yeah they're rolling, and possibly the Lakers if the Lakers get up out the West and they're rolling, potentially rolling with Lebron James.

But no, if you if you limited to just the top three in each conference. No, it's the Eastern Conference head over heels above the Western Conference where you mentioned Milwaukee, Boston and Philadelphia like there, there's no that that top three right there that they're they're pretty much carrying the conference. Then Cleveland Cavaliers there right there under there. But no, I mean, look, I think with the Western conver let me come to the defense for the Western Conference. I

think it's just a lot of parody. These are really good teams. They're stacked up against each other, that beating up one another, and it's going to be you know, Denver, I you know, I don't I don't see Denver, you know, losing the grip on that number one seed. But everybody else's it's pretty much right there. And it's going to be good basketball. And I think it's gonna be compelling

to see how the the alignment shakes shakes up. I think we you say, you look at who's in the play in field on the Western Conference, Minnesota to Dallas Lakers in Utah as a right now, h and and you know, really Utah at the tenth spot they're tied with New Orleans and OKC. I mean we just don't know where this is going to play, how this is going to play out in Portland right there, there are two games behind the final playoff markers. So I like it. I like it. I think it's periody. I still think

it's good teams the West has. The West has about three teams that you talk about Phoenix, Clippers. No, probably four teams because they're you know, they're all these teams Memphis, Phoenix, and Golden State and the Lakers. Those are four teams right there, and then you can probably throw in Minnesota. Five teams that are waiting for guys to get healthy. They're waiting to get hold so you just really don't

know what you have right now. Those are five teams right there that could easily be in the top four if they're healthy, but they're waiting for guys. They're playing that waiting game. So that I know that's a frustration, frustrated feeling for those teams, But it's the NBA, so always played these games, and injuries are a part of it, for sure. I guess it's for me if if more of these teams were trending in the right direction, I guess I could accept the parody thing. Because that's been

the word all season long. Parody. This is incredible parody. And it's not just you who said it. I mean literally all season long, that has been an NBA buzzword. But the Sacramento Kings undeniable Cinderella season. But underneath Sacramento, Memphis is absolutely soaked in chaos right now because not just the jaw situation, but they don't have Steven Adams. They've already lost Clark for this season. The Suns don't

even know if they're gonna see Durant. Before the start of the playoffs, the Clippers were rolling before they brought Russell Westbrook in and it is not. They have bounced back a little bit here lately with a few wins, but clearly the Clippers are still almost seventy games in the season, still trying to find themselves. The Warriors, who's calling card on all these playoff runs? Four championships in eight years. The Warriors calling card was that they always

won at least one road game. And I think it's twenty seven or twenty eight consecutive series. It's whatever it is, twenty seven or twenty eight, it's an NBA record. This season, they cannot win a road game, no matter what they try, no matter what they do, no matter who's in uniform. The Warriors seven and twenty six on the road. Minnesota, no Towns, a five hundred season. They were supposed to be great in the regular season. The Dallas Mavericks, the

Kyrie Irving trade to this point has not worked out. Monday, Luca Dontech will miss his second consecutive game due to injury. Kyrie Irving is questionable. Wouldn't surprise me if Kyrie isn't able to play the sense I'm getting, I don't think the Mavericks fear that it's a long term issue that I don't think they see it as a potential long term issue with Kyrie. But is he gonna be able to play Monday night? I'm not so sure about that.

The Lakers have certainly picked things up here even without Lebron. Props to them. No Zion in New Orleans. I mean, I could just go on and on and on, and it's uh, yeah, I forgot about New Orleans, you know. And look Portland. I mean, Dame is having the season of his life and nothing, you know, it seems like he's getting less help than he ever has and he's he's having a turn back the clock season. It's just one, you know one. You know, Utah and Oklahoma City have

been inspiring, nice, very nice stories. Utah season is still absolutely incredible that there's still a five hundred team after all the talent that they've traded away. But man, to me, if you're not talking about Sacramento right now, it's hard to find an uplifting story in the West. The Keys and I had the will urge or encouraged people, please go check out the story I did on the Sacramento Kings. I published it Friday morning for Bleacher Reports, so please

go check that out. But you know, I got candidate quotes from Mike Brown, got Mike Brown to call and give me a call, got Deer and Fox to give me a call, and I got some real candidate quotes on just what led to the Sacramental Kings all of a sudden becoming the NBA's I'm calling it the NBA's new Cinderella team. It used to be the Memphis Grizzlies. The Sacramento Kings have taken on that mantle as it right now. They're a fun team. The high you know,

they lead the league point score per game. They play a great game. This is Mike Brown just reinventing himself. He's known as a defensive coach. Now he's leading the ball club that just has one of the most exciting offenses in the league. And so it's pretty fun to watch. But I take you behind the scenes on you know, the culture Mike Brown has implemented. And he told he talked, He told me about how he had to who had to attack the culture. It wasn't about trading players trying

to get yeah, it was there was no culture. And I would say, you know, there's just there's always there's been a bad stigma over the last sixteen years with the Keys as far as being a team that is UM just always a revolving door of coaches, front office, and you know they begin, you know, conjuring a reputation of a team that players try to avoid, agents try to avoid sending their players there. And you know, it's

it's been bad. It's been really bad. And and Mike Brown told me about a dinner meeting he had with his team the night before training camp, open about how he UM brought into play accountability contracts, basically assigning roles to every everybody and given players their roles in front

of it everybody else. And so he said, you didn't have to sign that contract, he said, but if you signed it, you're making an oath to your teammates, to the coaching staff that you will try to do play this role to the best of your ability, and you won't cause any problems because if you do, that's when your teammates are going to get on you because they're making the same vale too, that they're going to do

their role. And what happens is what has happened is it has created accountability within the locker room now where guys can say things. So if a player is stepping out of bounced, you know, stepping outside of his lane, you know, it's opened up the door where players can go up to other players and not in a controversial manner and be like, hey, let's remember this is what we need to do. Let's stick with this. And for

the most part, it's worked. It's worked. And darre and Fox talked about how he felt like he was going to be traded a few years ago and he didn't he didn't know if he would see a day where he will be sitting on a roster. You know, Sacramental Kings number two in the Western Conference standis right now, man, And so it's some really good behind the scenes stories and tales in that story. So I urge you guys

to please go go check it out. Look, I agree with everything you said there because you know, as much as I like, I have been a Denver defender and a Nuggets believer, but I have not been a believer in the Sacramento team. Like I've been waiting for them

to drop. I thought it would hurt them at the deadline that they were one of the few teams that didn't make a move, because I know, as much fun as Mike Brown is having with this high octane offense, the most high octane offense of his coaching career, deep down,

I don't think Mike Brown has changed that much. I think he's still defense first in his heart, and I think he would have loved a Matisse Tible or a Mason Plumly for rebounding just if he could have, if he could have addressed Obviously, Mason Plumley is not like an interior stopper of a top level, but he does make a difference on the boards. Tieble obviously does have the ability to be a tremendous stopper on the perimeter. I mean, and I think there were names that we

didn't here or didn't get out. I really think the Kings wanted to do something to try to upgrade defensively at the deadline, they weren't able to. And still they've now moved up basically into this tie for second. With Memphis entering Monday's play and with everything going on with the Grizzlies, you would think that Sacramento really has a chance now at the number two seed, which I'm you know, like I say it out loud, and still I still

don't believe it. I mean, it's it's it's impossible in a lot of what to miss the playoffs for sixteen years in a row in the NBA, in a league that lets sixteen teams in the playoffs, and now one if you count the playing round like it is just stunning. You have to go back, where was Chris Hayes in two thousand sixs that was the last time the games went to play OUFFS. I was I was playing. I was my sophomore year junior playing at Fresno Pacific University.

We get some footage of that season. I would love to see, you know what that year? That was the year I played the least, So there wouldn't be much footage of that season you could find. I'm not gonna do the stat digging, but for those who want to find the stats, I think it's on the internet somewhere. There were a bear about thirty two games that season. I think I played in ten of those games that year, and I actually hold on. I hate, I hate to

go inside note, but I'm gonna do it. So when when you get a basketball scholarship, people think when you get an athletic scholarship, I should say I got a basketball scholarship. But when you get us an athletic scholarship, I think a lot of people think that scholarship takes care of you for the whole four years. No, that is a year to year contract. And so I had a full scholarship Fresdan Pacific University, full basketball scholarship, and my coach wasn't playing me. Clark she Hi. I don't

know where coach she High is at now. He's still coaching somewhere. I believe he's coaching somewhere in Oklahoma, somewhere, but he didn't to my you know, to his credit, he did want me to work on my handles. I was a real athletic six two shooting guard and he wanted me to play the point guard. And he would tell me to stay after practice every day and work on my handles. And I would do it a little bit.

But I didn't do it as you know, as much as I should have, because I feel like I should have been playing anyway, like you're not You're not utilizing me, right, and so I didn't work. So anyways, I ended up playing in ten of our teams thirty or two games. Then after the year, coach caused me to the office, said, hey, we want you back. We think you're a good locker

room guy. We think you still have great potential to help this team, but based off of the year that you had, we only can offer you seven thousand dollars scholarship, and Fresno Pacific's tuition at that time per year was about thirty thousand. So I left. I don't know any of this is good. I left. I left. I transferred to Fresno State and just finished out my um. I just went to school, just transfer the Frendal State, finished out my degree did two two and a half years there,

So you played more as a freshman. Well, my freshman sophomore year was in college. Okay, so you transferred the FRESI. Yeah, transferred the Freendsen Pacific. Yes, basketball, and so yeah, that wasn't happening. So I had to had to take out loans, and I was just doing the math and the guys he he was recruiting, like two other guys in my position. I'm like, man, he lowered my scholarship, so there's really no incentive for him to even attempt to try to

play me. And he's recruiting two other players at my position. I'm like, man, I'm off for competition, don't get me wrong, but I ain't trying to put myself in debt like that with all those loans. So I left. So can we look back seventeen years later and say, did you make the right decision? Yeah? Yeah, I made the right decision. Yeah. I mean, shoot, look, I made the right decision. I went.

You know, at some point, like I wanted to, I wanted to play professionally somewhere, and it wasn't it wasn't lining up that wasn't going to happen. You know. I just wanted to be around basketball as much as I could, and uh, that was my I had to make an adult decision right there. I had to make a real adult decision, like do I play another year? It didn't So clarksh, I thank you and no thank you at the same time. I guess I don't know, like I don't know off the praise on whatever, I don't know.

But he was a cool coach. He's Uh, I ain't got number of love for him, but I haven't seen him since then. Maybe he'll listen to this, maybe we'll hear from him. He likely will, so you so then you He transferred to Fresno State and just as a

finished out college as a regular student finished out. And that was so hard, Stean, that was so hard because when you were an athlete playing in college, like you have personal like athletic counselors that just like they'll pick your classes for you, they set up everything for you and tutor in everything you need. You got it at your exposal, And so it was hard going to be a regular student, especially when I know, like I probably could have walked on that Fresilo State one thing, I

played against Fredom State. When you know Fredo Pacific. We played Freendom State every year, So that was a cool experience for me playing against you know, my state school. But that was a tough transition. Man. It was tough. It was. It was when I realized, man, I really gotta like be a man and be a real student and just go to class, no preferential treatment, just go.

That was so hard, but I was ready. I was ready to transition into something else, and I wanted at that time, I wanted to be a pe teacher slash um basketball coach because you know, stunt. I don't know if your pe teachers were like hours growing up, but all our p P teachers did in high school was they'll introduce a sport and say we're playing this sport for four weeks, roll out a ball to you, and y'all playing that sport for forty five minutes while he

said down doing whatever. And so I'm like, I can do that. I could do that. I could roll a volleyball out it, go do whatever I want to do, roll a basketball out, you know. So that's that's what I wanted to do. But that's a better story. Sty then I found out coaching I coached for a year freshman team. I don't know if you knew that I coached for a year a freshman basketball team. I think I didn't do that, but I did not know this.

I did not know this Fresno Pacific story. But I will say sources have just informed me, And by sources, I mean I'm going out my sources. Producer Ryan Music has has obtained this information through something oh what five? He found out that your coach is the coach that you named. I didn't catch what was the coach's name, Clark Sehi. He remains the athletic director at Southwest Baptist University and only recently just stepped down as basketball coach.

Mm okay, Clark to Ryan, I would have been more impressed, right if you would have dug up my status. Hold on, he did try. Sources say he did try. Online archive for Fresno Pacific basketball stats only goes back to twenty eleven twelve, so we cannot obtain Thank god, you cannot obtain the Chris Haynes details. Thank god, because because they used to be online, they were online for the longest and I hated it, and I'm like, damn, they were life. So I mean you're you're still ahead of ninety nine

point nine percent of us who cover the league. Yeah, it was a it was a bad years time, bad year spears played. I mean there's not I think Chris Brussard played at his school. There's not many guys who stephen A played. Didn't Casey in Chicago? Did he played? I don't, I don't. He might have played college too, but I really don't remember. That's the air that, you know. I can't remember anything anymore. We're gonna have We're gonna

have to do that. We're gonna have to We're gonna have to put together a comprehensive list of of of scribes who actually played college ball, because I've got a few out there I don't remember. You should be proud, man, I mean, you you played two years. You were good enough as you were good enough JC player to get a college scholarship. Man, that's I would take it. Yeah, that was big. I still actually have the copy of

my scholarship signing it. I have it frame somewhere. That was because I got cut my first three years in high school. I got cut my first three years in high school. I didn't start playing. I didn't start trying to play basketball to my freshman year, and then um, I got cut my first three years in high school. And I just kept getting better. I got taller, I got more athletic. Then it ends up working out, and I think I'm like one of I went to Edison

High School in Fresno. We had a pretty really deep, talented squad. I want to say, I'm pressure on. You know who else went to Edison High? If my Now, if this I should remember my my former college classmate, Bruce Bowen went to right, Bruce Bowen, that's right, he didn't went to cal State Fullerton. That's right, Bruce Bowe and Edison High. He's up there. We got we got his. His name is in the Raptors for the points he scored. Yes, Bruce Bowen used to score points. Yes, he used to

give buckets, for sure. But Edison High. I think I'm one of three in my class to get a basketball scholarship. Bryan Music is I admired tonight? He is? He is unearthed. Kasey Johnson, Chicago's own Day. Johnson indeed played Division three at PLOYD. If I'm there, you go, there you go well, let's let's bring this back to your hometown, Kings, since uh, we're trying to give love to somebody in the West. They're excited out here, man, this fan base, they are

really excited. Man, you know I live out Yeah, I live out here right now, and man it's crazy. So one thing I left out, you know, Mike, and talking with Mike Brown, he said, there are a lot of people coming up to him Stein telling him how the Kings need to build a st at you of this year's team and put them out there in front of go to one Center, build a statue of this year's team and like that shows you just how out the Kings that being right now where where that is statue worthy?

You know what, I remember the last time you and I were in the same place. But I really need we need to we need to meet up in Sacramento, like we should. We should go to a King's playoff game because it's I'm sure it is going to be insane. Like you're saying, they always having. You know, the crowds they used to have at our coo were always known as the best. And I covered so many playoff games there,

you know, the MAVs and the Kings hooked up multiple times. Obviously, the Lakers and the Kings playing one of the most memorable Western Conference Finals ever. And I'm sure Sacramento fans don't really want to go too deep down that that that memory lane, um, but yeah, I am sure that they are going to be the best six man in the playoffs with the kind of noise that they're going to generate, just the the the thirst and hunger to

have playoff basketball. I mean, it's seriously two thousand and six. It's just it's unbelievable. And I went to so my my junior college career started at Sack City College, oh one o two season, So I was I was in Sacramento when um, you know, when they were going through their run, well and and not just their run, you know, that's when the Sacramento Monarchs will popping. You had your lit the Griffith to chapinna Chio. Man, they the Kings like Sacramento had they It was some fun days back

in those days. And so to think like we haven't had I'm saying we're talking about the city. To think the city hasn't had, you know, great basketball days like that since then, that is a very long time man. And my neighbors. I talked about my neighbors all the time. Uh, you know, they they're really taught poker, the ones who taught me poker for a little bit. But also we also play every Sunday in the street out in my

neighborhood play basketball. So you know, I bust their ass, you know, once a week, and so you know they're really they're really excited. A few of them are season ticket holders. And it's going to we gotta do that, Stu, we got you gotta come down. We gotta go to a team I need to. We gotta meet in Sacramento and go to a King's playoff game. And not just that, not just that, we gotta do a live pod. We don't want to talk to that's that's that's a secret.

Let's we don't want to reveal all that that That's okay, that's that's gonna be. That's gonna be a special occasion when that. I'll shut up. I'll shut up. I mean, I just want to keep it. I guess that's for you guys. I just want to make it special. Um, I'll shut up. On another note, Stun real quick you because you asked me. He was like man Dame sitting out.

They sat dame out. He was probable to play, and then he didn't, and then and he went from probable to out tonight again scorting this on Sunday, and the Blazers were in New Orleans. In the New Orleans so I spoke with him tonight, which is tonight, Sunday night, and um, he said it's his calf tightened up. But he was urged to to sit tonight, which is Sunday night. He was urged too. He would have he would have

gave it a go if it was fully up to him. Yeah, but he expects to he expects to be in a line up Tuesday, when day Tuesday they'll be at home facing the Knicks. And yeah, you know, like again back back to the King's real. Like, I guess I'm still disrespect them because like whoever they let's say they stay number two, don't play. You know, whoever they get seventh. I bet whoever they play, it's going to be favored.

You know, they get Yevs or the or the Wolves, you know, whoever comes out of the play in I like, I like the Kings over the Wolves. Right now, I think that's the only team you're looking at those bottom. You see, you got the Timberwls of seven, you got let say eight Lakers at nine. I think the Wolves are the only team with at those at the bottom right there that will probably be uh the underdogs that as the MAVs are defensively, I don't think Sacramento is

gonna be too sad to see Dallas. If Dallas is the seventh seed in Sacramentos too, I do not think that. I do not think even though you're dealing with Luca and Kyrie, I don't think the Kings, the way they score the ball, are going to be too sad about that matchup. Dearon Fox told me that the only thing missing is consistent defensive stops and that has been that has been a promise, I mean, excuse me, that has

been a problem all season long. And they said, he said that their offense is what's been winning them games. But they know if they're going to take that next level, they got to get better defensively. So that goes to your point Stein, where you said at the trade deadline you thought they should have made a move for a more defensive oriented guy, and so you know, that might

be what prevents them. We'll see, because they're they're scoring like crazy, But we also know a lot of times that regular season offense sometimes doesn't translate to postseason offense, especially when you plan a lot of guys who don't have a lot of experience in the playoffs. Yes, I think every West matchup is going to be pretty compelling because it's so jam packed all the way through the standings.

But yeah, Sacramento. A lot of curiosity for Sacramento what they can actually do back on this stage because they just had no playoff experience whatsoever. But you know, we've said it before, got to say it again. I mean the I was so I hated the Haliburton trade for them at first, and it's just been it's been a trade that worked for both teams. Haliburton is a fantastic pacer, Sabonis is a fantastic King. Sabonus and Fox are a

wonderful duo. And props to the Kings. They've they've really been just a much needed good story in the weirdest West I can remember maybe ever. And give props to the owner the Vet, even though the Vet, you know, I was at All Star Week every All Star weekend. Stein Thevet has a brunch during All Star weekend, and so I go attend, go say what's up to everybody? You know, you'll have shot come to it. You'll have Charles Barkley, you have Rich Paul, You'll have you know

other owners. It's it's you know, the vext thing is, it's top notch. And so he always sends me an invite. And so we're talking at the brunch and Vec just looking at me as we're talking. I'm like, what's going on? He said, I just been trying to figure out how did you just shoot up so high? Like it's so little time? Like what you made that? He said, I've just been wording how did you shoot up? Just shoot

up so high? So what is that? You know, we always take a little shots to each other, So you know, that's my guy. But you know it's funny, you know, making a joke. I wish I could tell this other joke he made to a very prominent individual that was there. I wish I could tell that joke. But that would be much more fun you because I actually I'm in the same position. We're probably just pissing people off by saying this but I feel like I can't reveal names

yet because I haven't reported this. If it had I reported this first, I would have done I would reveal the names. But you know you mentioned early on about how Sacramento is one of those places that agents don't

want their guys going. I will just say that in the last ten to twelve months, there was at least one trade that I would say would have been quite prominent and it was very close to happening, and the agent, one of the agents involved, blocked the deal because he did not want his player going to Sacramento and successfully

gotten the way of the deal. So when I can say names and teams, I will, But it just kind of speaks to your point that, yeah, I mean Sacramento, that's the kind of rough reputation they've had, and uh, you know they're they're emphatically moving away from it. Amazing season for sure. I want to make sure we get the Kings. That's good because they definitely deserve it. Fun team,

no drama, fun team. Mike Brown. Mike Brown. I mean, you know, Tims has a case and you know, maybe we can name I think Mike Brown should be unanimous. He should be unanimous. I don't know if he'll be unanimous, but he's gonna win Coach of the Year, like he should be the player six man most improved. Those ones are tough, but I think Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year we can say right now it's

going to be Mike Brown and Bank Carol. I think those are pretty safe bets and both should be unanimous both. I want to start, I want to end before we take off. So the floor is yours. Man. I've been you know you you've known this man. I've been struggling for a few weeks with this um. This all started Sunday night, All Star Weekend, All Star Game was, you know, we had the All Star Game. So I'm in Salt Lake City. I'm in the bed. Two in the morning.

I get a call from one of my good friends at two in the morning that one of my best friends, best friends to both of us, his name is Felix Hawkins, and he was killed that night. And what makes it, you know, that's a tragedy in itself, and I've been dealing with that. This is a guy who I've been close with since high school. We met in high school. He's been in all my major events, graduations, basketball games,

big birthday events. That's my guy. His mother. His mother was the owner of a funeral home in Fresno called the Sterling Funeral Home, one of the biggest funeral homes in Fresno at the time, and that's where I got my my first job at fourteen years old, working for his mother. You know, we've that's that's my good friend.

But it's a track. It was a tragic situation and it was made even more tragic because it was a double homicide and somebody else lost their life as well, and so it's been tough with me trying to deal with that. UM. I recently his funeral was yesterday Saturday in Fresno, so I had to go back to that and UM go to funeral. His mother asked me to read the obituary during the funeral. Stein. That was the

toughest thing I ever had to do. Read my best friend's obituary while he's laying on the side of me in the casket. Man, that was tough. That you don't you can't, you don't prepare. I'm forty one and you just don't prepare to do anything like that at that age and you know, there's been a lot of drama going on in my city and my town over this case, the situation or whatever, and you know, it was it was a scary time. It still remains to be a scary time. But I want to give my condolecence to

the other family as well. You know, this was an act that was uncalled for. It shouldn't have happened, and I just, you know, my heart goes out to them. Man definitely goes out to them. But it's been tough STI. It's been tough because as you know, you know, we all go through stuffing, you know, go through things, and life just always goes on, doesn't stop for anybody. This league doesn't stop for anybody. And so that's something I've

been holding in for a couple of weeks. And I could really address it because it's it's so complicated, it's so many layers to it, and it's so dangerous, and you know, I just want closure. I had to I had to funeral yesterday. I was able to say a few words to him and his mom, and you know, now this is the first time I'm speaking about it publicly, and you know, so for me, this is therapeutic and I wanted to say something now and and try to get some closure to it. Man, Felix, I love you brother.

I'm gonna miss you, and you know you wouldn't You were not perfect at all. But I loved you, man, loved you your family and you know I'm a miss you. Man. So rest in peace, fix and rest in peace. Can't imagine what that was like to have to do that. Um, condolences all around. And I feel for you, man, I know how much you loved him. It's it's it's awful, and I mean, I guess it is. I think I'm I mean, I am at least that you feel comfortable to discuss this here. You know, we're honored for that. Man.

Manh Yeah, it's time. Like I said, it's therapeutic. But once again, man, give my conduces to A Kiley. That's the other brother that was involved in this, in this tragedy. Man. So it's tough, but sorry everybody to you know, kind of ended on that note, but I wanted to get that out. Yeah, we've had we've had a lot of sadness here on the show and lately, but I do think it's better that we do talk about it rather

than not talk about it. So you know I feel the same, but you always should be You should always feel free to say whatever you want to say on here, So everybody, thanks Emil for listening to another edition of This League Uncut. Chris and I will record another episode in a few days. We'll have that out to you soon. Thanks Amil for being with us, and we're gonna talk again and that'll do it for us. See you next time. This League Uncut is an iHeart Radio production.