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Chael Sonnen and PJ Fleck 12/07/16

Wednesday, December 7, 201619 takes

Hot Stove season and the guys are ready to talk MLB and College Bowl Season ( - ). Hot Seat/Cool Throne( - )). MMA Fighter Chael Sonnen joins the show to talk professional fighting, arm bars, Mayweather vs Pacquiao ( - ). Western Michigan Head Coach PJ Fleck joins the show to talk about motivation, bowl season, and rowing the boat ( - ). Segments include Battle of the Sexes, Kings Stay Kings, Hurt or Injured, Sabermetrics, and Stay Woke

Chael Sonnen and PJ Fleck on MMA, Rowing the Boat, and Bowl Season

It is officially Hot Stove season and the guys are already looking toward the future of the MLB landscape. While the Nats might be ready to move on from Bryce Harper, PFT is looking forward to the inevitable arrival of the league's biggest heel in the Bronx.

Loss
Dec 7, 2016
#19620
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Bryce Harper will eventually sign with the New York Yankees

Bryce Harper is going to look great in pinstripes. ... If you look back over the course of history, this is the biggest prediction that everybody will get right.

Harper signed a career-long 13-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019 and never played for the Yankees.

With Chris Sale heading to the Red Sox, Hank is feeling himself as the Boston championship window looks wider than ever. Sale only has to change the color of his socks, and as a noted white sunglasses guy, he should fit right in with the local crowd.

Win
Dec 7, 2016
#19621
HankHank

The Red Sox championship window is currently two to three years

Yeah, it's like two or three years. ... Luckily, their third best pitcher [Rick Porcello] just won the Cy Young.

The Red Sox won the World Series in 2018, which was exactly within the two-year window predicted.

Bowl Season and Bad Bets

College bowl season is upon us and Big Cat is already preparing his bankroll for a beating. While some people love to complain about the sheer volume of games, Big Cat has zero time for the negativity because more bowls means more opportunities to ignore your family and lose money on a Tuesday afternoon.

Void
Dec 7, 2016
#19622
Big CatBig Cat

Complaints about there being too many college football bowl games are invalid

Shut the fuck up, people who complain about too many bowls. Oh, there's too much football. Free football is always good. If there's something, oh my God, I don't want to have another game I can bet on on a Tuesday afternoon when I don't want to talk to my family over the holiday season. Shut up.

This is a subjective opinion about the volume of sports content.

As they rolled through a game of "BCS or BS," PFT admitted that this is actually the time of year when he shines most.

Void
Dec 7, 2016·Picks
#22666
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The first two weeks of bowl season are usually when I make my money in gambling

This is usually the time of year that I do really well in gambling, actually. First two weeks of bowl season. That's when you make your money.

The outcome of PFT's personal gambling record for that specific year is unknown, making this inherently subjective/verifiable only by him.

Chael Sonnen and the MMA Grind

Chael Sonnen joined the show to talk Bellator and his upcoming Submission Underground 2 event. The conversation went everywhere from how much an armbar actually hurts to why boxing is a sport that apparently exists in a vacuum. Chael didn't hold back on the realities of the fight game, including his brutal weight cuts and his thoughts on the "scam" of nutrition science.

Loss
Dec 7, 2016
#19624
Chael SonnenChael Sonnen

Nutrition science in athletics is mostly a scam to sell books

I don't know how much nutrition has to really do with anything. I think most of the guys that preach the book of nutrition are looking to do just that, sell books. I'm not sure that there's any validity that you can't eat fats or saturated or carbohydrates. ... There's really no proof that bananas and nuts are any better for you than Big Macs and fries. If you can make the weight, you can make the weight.

Modern sports science heavily disputes that processed fast food provides the same performance and recovery benefits as whole foods, regardless of weight management.

When asked about the potential spectacle of Conor McGregor stepping into the ring with Floyd Mayweather, Big Cat was the voice of reason regarding the outcome.

Win
Dec 7, 2016
#19625
Big CatBig Cat

Conor McGregor would be soundly defeated and unable to land a punch on Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match

I think Conor McGregor, if he had to box Floyd Mayweather in actual boxing rules, he would get beat so soundly, and he would not be able to touch Floyd Mayweather.

Floyd Mayweather defeated Conor McGregor via 10th-round TKO. While McGregor landed some punches, the result was a decisive and relatively comfortable win for Mayweather.

Chael agreed, noting that Mayweather's dominance comes in a sport that has very little actual participation compared to something like wrestling.

Loss
Dec 7, 2016
#19626
Chael SonnenChael Sonnen

Boxing is a sport that almost nobody actually participates in

Mayweather's very good at what he does, but he is in a sport that nobody participates in. ... I never met a man that boxed. I could go a step further. I don't know where a boxing gym is. ... I couldn't tell you where to go to buy boxing gloves. And now that I just said it, you guys and all your listeners are going, yeah, he's right. Nobody boxes.

While participation rates in boxing are lower than in some other major sports, millions of people still participate in boxing globally for recreation or competition.

To wrap things up, PFT and Big Cat asked for some "Fisher Price" level PED recommendations for two out-of-shape guys just looking for a little more energy. Chael was happy to provide a medical starter kit.

Void
Dec 7, 2016
#19627
Chael SonnenChael Sonnen

I recommend testosterone and growth hormone as the best starting performance-enhancing drugs

If you were to use, I would say use testosterone for a couple of reasons. One, it's very effective, but two, it's also very affordable. ... I'll go with testosterone and growth hormone as a second.

This is a medical recommendation from a non-doctor with significant personal experience; it's medically subjective but effectively 'accurate' advice for someone seeking those specific outcomes.

PJ Fleck: Rowing into Turdville

Western Michigan head coach PJ Fleck brought a level of energy to the show that made everyone want to run through a brick wall. He broke down the philosophy of "Row the Boat," explaining that the compass is the most vital part because it determines who you surround yourself with.

Void
Dec 7, 2016
#22669
PJ FleckPJ Fleck

You will become elite if you surround yourself with elite people, but you'll head to 'Turdville' if you surround yourself with turds

The compass... that's the direction of your life, which will be surrounded by the people that you put yourself around. So if you put yourself around elite people, you're going to be elite. Put yourself around turds or headed towards Turdville.

A philosophical outlook on personal associations that cannot be empirically proven or disproven.

Coach Fleck also addressed the College Football Playoff snubs, arguing that undefeated Group of Five teams deserve their shot at the big time.

Void
Dec 7, 2016
#19628
PJ FleckPJ Fleck

An undefeated Group of Five team deserves a shot in the College Football Playoff

Now, if you go 13-0 and 13-0, I think you deserve a shot in the Final Four. I really do. Same thing with a Boise State or a Houston or a Group of Five team that does that.

This remained a major debate for years until Cincinnati (a Group of Five team) was selected for the Playoff in 2021.

Kings Stay Kings

Jeff Fisher remains the undisputed king of keeping a job despite being the losingest coach in NFL history. Big Cat pointed out that in the modern NFL, where coaches are fired after two bad years, Fisher's record is likely safe forever.

Loss
Big CatBig Cat

Jeff Fisher's record for most losses in NFL history will never be broken

Jeff Fisher's losingest head coach in NFL history might be the untouchable record. ... Because they fire coaches now instantly. If you lose, you get two years max. ... Once Gus Bradley gets fired, then there's no chance anyone will break Jeff Fisher's record.

Incorrect. Bill Belichick tied the regular season loss record (165) in 2023 and holds the record for most total losses (including playoffs), officially breaking the 'untouchable' status of Fisher's record.

PFT took the glass-half-full approach, noting that Fisher is actually a job creator for the league's roster bubble.

Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Jeff Fisher is lowering the unemployment rate by cutting so many players and creating new jobs for others

Since he's been such a bad coach, he's had to cut a lot of players, which means he's created new jobs for other players. So really, he's out there. He's lowering the unemployment rate.

This is a comedic logical fallacy and cannot be evaluated as a serious claim.

Always remember to stay woke: if the news stopped showing crimes the same way the NFL stops showing streakers, we’d have world peace by Friday.

Row the boat, don't wash your apples.

nflmlbmmacollege-footballjeff-fisherrow-the-boat

More Takes

Push
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Ryan Fitzpatrick will spend the next ten years as a premier NFL backup

He's got another 10 years in this league as a backup. ... You get your name out there as a starter for four games. Little film. All of a sudden... You're one of the premier backups in the league.

Fitzpatrick played 6 more seasons until 2021, retiring in early 2022. He didn't reach 10 years, but he maintained the backup/bridge role for most of that time.
Push
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Society needs to invent dual-temperature comfort zones for living rooms and beds

How has human society not reached the point where we have like dual comfort zones for living rooms? We have them in cars. Would it kill you to put one like in a bed? Like have one side of the bed set to a certain temperature, the other at a different?

Dual-zone climate control for mattresses (like Sleep Number or Eight Sleep) exists now, though living rooms remain difficult without separate pods.
Void
Dec 7, 2016
#22668
Chael SonnenChael Sonnen

Entrance music doesn't actually help athletes; it just entertains the crowd

No, I don't think [entrance music matters]. I mean, I don't know that it helps anybody, but the crowd seems to enjoy it. ... Music's a lot of fun, man. Music's a lot of fun, but I don't know that it helps the athlete.

Psychological impact of music is inherently subjective and varies by athlete.
Push
Dec 7, 2016
#22670
PJ FleckPJ Fleck

Tom Flacco has a bright future and will eventually become an elite quarterback

Joe is big, pocket passer. Tom [Flacco] is a little bit smaller, incredibly competitive, and more of a runner. But he's got an incredible arm. He's become very accurate. And the future is bright with Tom Flacco.

Tom Flacco was a very successful college QB at Towson (finalist for the Walter Payton Award) but did not become an elite professional quarterback, only briefly appearing on NFL practice squads/rosters.
Win
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Pat Maroon is correct that the NHL is a 'man's game' because the league is currently 100% men

Well, technically, the NHL is 100% dudes, right? It's a major sausage fest. Sounds like [Pat Maroon] is right.

Fact ClaimHockeyHotSarcastic
Factually, the NHL roster was entirely male at the time and remains so, making the literal claim correct.
Win
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Golden State Warriors will eventually hit a low point once the Kevin Durant honeymoon phase ends

They're going to hit their low point. Just wait. Kevin Durant's lurking. Baby back bitch.

Correct. After Durant left and injuries hit in 2019, the Warriors had the worst record in the NBA (15-50) in the 2019-20 season.
Void
Dec 7, 2016·Stay Woke
#19630
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

News broadcasts should stop reporting on crimes to discourage copycats, similar to how the NFL stops showing streakers

The news should stop showing all the bad stuff that happens so it's work for me they should follow the NFL's lead once again Roger Goodell is a thought leader trying to improve society so hey news big news producers out there maybe stop leading with mass murders cut away from them and have Gruden just talk that's right and then and then there won't be any more murders

This is a satirical commentary on media psychology and social contagion.

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