PMT DB
PMT DB
Johnny Manziel on Comeback Season, the NCAA Racket, and LeBron James
The first weekend without football is always a dark time for the soul. Big Cat survived by replaying the Super Bowl on Madden and watching old documentaries, while PFT resorted to drinking wine on an airplane just to time travel through the void. It is officially the doldrums of the sports calendar.
Big CatFebruary is the trashiest month of the year
February really is just the trashiest month, because there's just nothing. There's nothing like March Madness at least you get your pep back but like February... you just kind of walk around aimlessly.
Sammy Sosa’s New Persona and Cubs Hot Stove
While we were all mourning the end of the NFL season, Sammy Sosa was busy dressing up as a cowboy for his wife’s birthday. The guys aren't buying the "good husband" excuse though. Big Cat thinks the bizarre public pivots from Sammy are actually a masterclass in distraction.
Big CatSammy Sosa's weird behavior is a smart strategy to distract people from his steroid use
Sammy Sosa has been playing dress-up and doing weird things for a while now, which might be just him getting everyone off the whole steroids thing, which is a smart strategy. We've never thought of this as a PR 101, just start changing everything about you, and eventually everyone's like, who's that guy?
Speaking of Chicago icons, Yu Darvish officially signed with the Cubs. While it’s a massive move, Big Cat’s inner meatball fan is still worried about Darvish’s tendencies to work deep counts and keep everyone at the ballpark until 1:00 AM.
Big CatI'm worried Yu Darvish will 'nibble' too much and pitch slow games for the Cubs
The meatball fan in me was like, I'd like Jake Arrieta because he's been there and done that... [Yu Darvish] nibbles. Dude, when he gets in trouble, he nibbles. Nothing worse than watching a pitcher pitch like five innings for four hours.
Who’s Back of the Week
PFT is officially done with winter. He’s decided to simply ignore reality and pretend it’s July for his own sanity, which apparently involves a lot of Hawaiian shirts and tanning beds.
PFT CommenterI am pretending it is summer and tanning on Tuesdays for my mental health because winter is terrible
I am so fucking sick of winter... I've just decided I'm going to pretend that it's summertime. I'm going to get back into wearing Hawaiian shirts. I'm going to go tanning on Tuesdays. I'm going to just be so far in denial of winter... this is a personal decision for my own mental health.
Big Cat brought an Olympic update because the Pyeongchang games are finally underway. While most people are focused on the sports, the internet has been busy noticing Kim Jong-un’s sister. Big Cat isn't blind to the optics of praising a dictator's family, but a smoke is a smoke.
Big CatKim Jong-un's sister is a 'smoke'
So all the war crimes, all the shit that he does that's terrible... not a big deal because his sister's hot. Everyone was flipping out because Kim Jong-un has a hot sister... his sister's kind of a smoke. His sister's stealing the show. His sister's the Pippa Middleton of the Olympics.
The guys also took some time to dismiss the actual athletic merit of the Winter Olympics. According to Big Cat, being an Olympic speed skater isn't about being a superhuman athlete; it's mostly just about being born in a country where it snows too much.
Big CatWinter Olympics athletes aren't that impressive; you just have to be born in the right place
The Winter Olympics are definitely the Olympics where you can sit there and if you watch it long enough, you can convince yourself you could have been an athlete in every single sport. It's not hard. It's just essentially like if you were born in a weird European country and they didn't have basketball yet, you would be a speed skater.
Johnny Manziel: The Comeback Season
Johnny Manziel joined the show for a surprisingly serious and reflective conversation. There were no "Johnny Football" antics here. Manziel was open about the entitlement he felt as a 21-year-old in Cleveland, his current sobriety, and the hard lessons he learned after being out of the league for two years. He's been training six days a week and watching the NFL from his couch, a reality that finally sparked the hunger he lost during his burnout.
Johnny ManzielI will start at least one more game in the NFL
In my personal opinion, of course, I'm a little biased, but I would say [I'll have over one more NFL game start]. I know it's not the easiest way back for me... but just where I'm at and where I feel my mindset is, that's my goal at the end of the day is to get back there and be able to run out on the field as a starter again.
When the conversation turned to his time in Cleveland, Manziel was blunt. He admitted he never gave the city a fair chance and was "pissed at the world" when he was drafted. Despite the Browns' perpetual need for a quarterback, don't expect a reunion anytime soon.
Johnny ManzielI won't ever return to the Cleveland Browns
I would think not [to giving Cleveland another shot]. We've been down that path. We've seen it... I just don't see what the benefit would be to go back and try and do it all over again... if anything, that bridge is probably still flaming a little bit.
He also didn't hold back on the NCAA, calling the organization a racket. He detailed the grueling three-week preparation he went through just to fight for his eligibility during his college career while the school was making millions off his #2 jersey.
Johnny ManzielThe NCAA is the biggest racket in the world
I think the NCAA is the biggest racket, like, in the entire world, right? There's nothing as, like, as viewed, as watched as, like, college sports are... for me to be a nice guy and go out and sign a lot of autographs and they get turned around and sold, what did I really do wrong?
Ultimately, Johnny is certain about one thing: he will be playing professional football this year. Whether it's the CFL or another opportunity, the "Comeback Season" is officially in motion.
Johnny ManzielI will play on a football field somewhere this year
I can sit here and say that I will be back on a football field this year. I cannot fucking wait to do it. I have a guaranteed contract offer where I will be able to play somewhere this year.
Soggy Sorrows and The Biz
The episode marked the debut of "Soggy Sorrows," a segment where a host must discuss their team’s failure while being doused in water. Hank was the inaugural victim after LeBron and the new-look Cavs decimated the Celtics on Paul Pierce Day. Drenched in a five-gallon jug of water, Hank finally admitted that his confidence in Boston has vanished.
HankI am officially smashing the panic button on the Celtics
I'm smashing the panic button. Smash. Panic button might be broken. I hit it so hard. I really thought... [the Celtics] could beat the Cavs. Maybe if they got lucky, beat the Warriors. [But after today] there's really no hope for, like, another two years.
Finally, the guys gave a "Respect the Biz" shoutout to Boston reporter Ron Borges, who got spectacularly catfished into writing a fake story about Tom Brady being mad about Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract. It turns out if you just text a Boston journalist and pretend to be an agent, they’ll run with almost anything if it means beating Peter King to the scoop.
Don't let the winter sun deceive you, it still doesn't do anything.
