PMT DB
PMT DB
Cal Ripken Jr. on the Streak, Steroids, and Being Alive
Live from the situation room in Cleveland, Ohio, Big Cat and PFT are deep in the Rust Belt bubble. Election night is in full swing, but the only thing actually worth voting on is whether the Dallas Cowboys are the funniest disaster in the NFL. After a miserable Monday Night performance, the guys are questioning who is actually running the show in Arlington.
Big CatThe Cowboys stink and Jerry Jones has no idea what is going on anymore
The Cowboys stink. And Jerry Jones is either dead or has no idea what's going on anymore. He actually has changed the narrative on everyone because he's so scared of firing Jason Garrett and not having full control of his team.
PFT has a theory that Jerry isn't even the one pulling the strings anymore, suggesting Steven Jones has pulled a full Braveheart and taken over the kingdom while the old man just looms on the sideline.
PFT CommenterJerry Jones is no longer making the calls for the Cowboys
Jerry Jones is not making the calls anymore. I think he's a figurehead right now. He's the emperor with no clothes... Steven Jones, he's taken over the kingdom from his father. It's like at the end of Braveheart where the old guy's dying and the son's making the calls.
Speaking of disasters, the guys look at the Titans and the curious case of Malcolm Butler. Bill Belichick remains the ultimate furniture salesman, putting his trash on the curb and watching other teams pick it up thinking they found a treasure.
PFT CommenterThe Titans should not have signed Malcolm Butler
Malcolm Butler fucking stinks. He's so bad. He's been terrible. [Bill Belichick] duped over his own former player. You are the Titans, yes. You should not have signed Malcolm Butler.
The Iron Man Himself
Cal Ripken Jr. joined the show and, shockingly, he actually liked Big Cat and PFT. The guys waste no time asking the Hall of Famer if he thinks his record is truly unbreakable. Cal is humble about it, but admits that the current state of the game makes it nearly impossible for anyone to ever catch him.
Cal Ripken Jr.Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak is likely the most unbreakable record in sports
I agree. My longest hitting streak was 16 games. And so to think somebody could go 56 games without going 0 for 4 is amazing to me. And I think the pressure of the consecutive games hitting streak... because of the media coverage and the scrutiny, that creates more pressure. And so I think that's almost unattainable.
They also addressed the elephant in the room: the steroid era. While Big Cat and PFT apologized for their own parallel-thought theory regarding Cal and PEDs, Cal opened up about how the era casts a shadow over everyone who played cleanly during that time.
Cal Ripken Jr.Accomplishments from the steroid era are unfairly diminished by the widespread use of PEDs
For someone that's been in it, it kind of bothers me that when they look back, said it was the steroid era. And then, therefore, it kind of takes away your accomplishments during that time frame... It makes a light of your accomplishments.
The interview covered everything from Billy Ripken's infamous "fuckface" card—which Cal suspects might have been "enhanced" by the card company—to the time he broke his nose during a team photo and played through it anyway. Despite being a legendary sportsman, Cal is definitely not a fan of the modern flair players like Manny Machado bring to the diamond.
Cal Ripken Jr.Players should act like they've been there before and avoid bat flipping
I don't like that [bat flipping]... you were considered more of a sportsman. So your entertainment value was in the quality of your sport and how you competed... but I always felt that and maybe it's John Riggins like if you score a touchdown, you know, act like you've been there before.
Hot Seat/Cool Throne
Hot Seat is Stan Bowman. The Blackhawks fired the most legendary coach in franchise history, Joel Quenneville, and Big Cat thinks the GM just put a massive target on his own back.
Big CatBlackhawks GM Stan Bowman will be fired if he doesn't fix the team quickly after firing Joel Quenneville
Because now, Stan Bowman, you're on the hot seat. If you get a guy fired, you better fix it fast. Otherwise, you're going to get fired.
Cool Throne is college basketball being back. PFT is looking forward to Tom Crean in a Hawaiian shirt, but Big Cat is already looking ahead to the final Monday in April because he’s found his wagon for the season.
Big CatDuke is guaranteed to win the national title this year
Duke is going to win the national title. Mark this down. Write this down. Post it. We'll replay this in the spring. Duke is going to win the national title. Guaranteed. Big Cat guarantee. There's nothing that will stop them.
Respect the Game and Mike Tomlin
Jamal Murray is in the crosshairs after trying to stat-pad his way to 50 points against the Celtics. PFT thinks the basketball gods are going to make him pay for the disrespect, but he’s also looking sideways at Brad Stevens for letting it get that close in the first place.
PFT CommenterAllowing a single player to score 50 points is a bad sign for the Celtics' team defense
It does look bad if somebody's putting up 50 on you. Not a great sign for the Celtics this year. Like, it does say something about team defense if one guy's able to do that against, like, five.
To wrap things up, the guys looked at Mike Tomlin’s recent press conferences. Tomlin has a magical ability to say things that sound like profound wisdom in the moment, only for you to realize five minutes later that he’s basically speaking a different language.
Big CatMike Tomlin's quotes make no sense despite sounding smart
We've never been more right than we were with our Mike Tomlin take on Monday, basically saying every quote from him is just – makes no sense. But it makes enough sense that you walk away being like, oh, that was smart... You take three steps and you start writing it up, and then you're like, wait a second. These words have never been put together.
Between Jerry Jones’ status and Cal Ripken’s "People Also Ask" results, we can at least confirm that one of them is definitely alive.
