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Phil Hughes + Mount Rushmore of Clubhouse Cancers

Wednesday, July 25, 201819 takes

Football is back because JJ Watt is in the news. We talk storylines we wish would happen at training camp this summer ( - ). Hot Seat/Cool Throne ( - ). Mt Rushmore of biggest clubhouse cancers in sports ( - ). Former Yankees starter and current Padres reliever Phil Hughes joins the show to talk about his career, the 09 World Series, Derek Jeter as a teammate and whether he views his career as a success. Segments include PR 101 for Gary Sanchez losing his pinstripes ( - ). Bachelor talk for guys that don't want the Bachelor. Tim Tebow update and Guys on Chicks.

Phil Hughes on Yankee Life, Jeter's Pennies, and the Mount Rushmore of Clubhouse Cancers

Football is officially back, or at least the preseason anxiety is. We know the season is around the corner because J.J. Watt is finally healthy and crushing conditioning tests, which is the annual starting gun for the NFL cycle.

Win
Jul 25, 2018
#9920
Big CatBig Cat

J.J. Watt being healthy is the official sign that football is back

you know football is back because there's a lot of buzz about J.J. Watt not being injured... J.J. Watt being like, is this the year that J.J. Watt can stay healthy all year? That means football is officially back.

The buzz around J.J. Watt's health is indeed a perennial training camp storyline.

PFT Commenter is already gearing up for the Hall of Fame game, even though we all know exactly how that movie ends every single August.

Void
Jul 25, 2018
#9922
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Hall of Fame game becomes absolute dog shit after the first five minutes

I'm excited for the Hall of Fame game. My dumb brain tricks my dumb body into getting all amped up for the Hall of Fame game. And then I forget that after the first five minutes of the game, it's just absolute dog shit.

Preseason football is widely considered lower quality than the regular season, especially deep into the depth chart.

Hot Seat/Cool Throne

Hot Seat is the "LeBron has no help" narrative. Michael Beasley joined the Lakers and immediately shut that down by pointing out that they do, in fact, have a roster full of professional basketball players.

Win
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Lakers have 14 players other than LeBron James who know how to play basketball

the narrative that LeBron James doesn't have any good teammates... super cool Michael Beasley said... you got 14 guys other than LeBron James that know how to play basketball. Also fact.

Technically true as they are on an NBA roster, but the implication of their quality is the debatable part.

Cool Throne goes to dad bods, specifically Tom Brady's. After some vacation photos surfaced, the internet tried to body shame the GOAT, but PFT thinks the man has earned the right to carry a little extra weight considering his resume.

Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Tom Brady is allowed to have a dad bod because he is a father of three with multiple rings

he does have a dad bod. He is like 44 or something. Yeah, he's allowed to have a dad bod. I think once you get three Super Bowl rings. And you're married to the world's most successful supermodel. It's okay to have a dad bod.

Brady was actually 40 at the time and had five rings, not three, but the take on his 'dad bod' is subjective.

Speaking of style, PFT is officially claiming his stake as a global fashion icon. After a trip to France, he’s convinced a specific Levi’s shirt is the next big thing in the States.

Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

I am the fashion icon who introduced the French Levi's shirt trend to America

I noticed, not to brag, I was over in France... everybody wears this Levi's shirt. It's like a really big fashion thing. And so it's going to come over to the U.S., and I'm calling my shot. I'm going to be the first one in the U.S. to start wearing it. So then when you see all these famous people wear it, be like, yo, PFT actually introduced that to the United States.

This is a joke; Levi's logo shirts were already a global staple.

Big Cat shifted the focus to the Rams, who are seemingly paying everyone except the one guy who actually makes their defense terrifying. Aaron Donald is still waiting on his bag, and it's getting weird.

Win
Big CatBig Cat

Aaron Donald is one of the top five players in the league and the Rams need to pay him

they have not given their best player and one of the top five players in the league, Aaron Donald, a new contract. So I feel like this is not getting – you've got to take care of that guy, right?

Aaron Donald was widely considered a top 5 player and signed a record-breaking deal shortly after this episode.

Meanwhile, Kevin Love is living the dream in Cleveland. He got his ring, got his max extension, and now gets to put up 20 and 10 every night without the stress of LeBron breathing down his neck.

Void
Big CatBig Cat

Kevin Love has the perfect career because he has a ring and now has zero pressure playing for the Cavs

I feel like Kevin Love has finally reached happiness... now he gets to just be on the Cavs and hang out and not make the playoffs and shoot the ball a lot... make a lot of money. Hang out. Put up stats. Live a good life. I kind of love it.

Kevin Love remained with the Cavs for several more years, earned massive money, and eventually won another title elsewhere as a bench player.

PFT actually thinks the post-LeBron Cavs might surprise some people in a weak Eastern Conference.

Loss
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Cleveland Cavaliers will make the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed this year without LeBron James

I think the Cavs are going to make the playoffs. That's my hot take. I think they're going to be like a 7 or an 8 seed.

The 2018-19 Cavaliers finished 19-63 and missed the playoffs by a wide margin.

Mount Rushmore of Clubhouse Cancers

In honor of Dwight Howard joining the Wizards and T.O. heading to the Hall of Fame, we drafted the most toxic teammates in sports history. Big Cat led the way with Dwight, a man who has managed to burn every bridge he's ever crossed.

Void
Jul 25, 2018·Mt. Rushmore
#9932
Big CatBig Cat

Dwight Howard is the ultimate locker room cancer because he ruins every team he joins

dwight howard is my number one in like the world to me he is everywhere he goes he is terrible... he's been with all those teams. He's ruined all of those teams. I honestly think if you put him on your team, you're just basically... trying to destroy your team from within.

Howard's reputation at the time was at an all-time low, though he later salvaged it with a championship role on the 2020 Lakers.

Hank went with some classics, including the man who turned a coaching session into a wrestling match.

Void
HankHank

Latrell Sprewell is a top-tier locker room cancer because he choked his coach

My number three, I will go with Latrell Sprewell. Choked his coach. Probably not good for locker room morale.

Subjective ranking of historical 'cancers'.

PFT rounded out the list with some heavy hitters, including Gilbert "Agent Zero" Arenas, whose locker room disputes were handled with ballistics rather than words.

Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Gilbert Arenas is one of the biggest locker room cancers ever because he pulled a gun on a teammate

I'm going to go with Gilbert Arenas. People forget he pulled a gun on his teammate. That's pretty bad, I would think.

Subjective ranking of historical 'cancers'.

Big Cat closed it out with Milton Bradley, a guy so talented that eight different teams thought they could fix him before realizing he was just a massive dickhead.

Void
Big CatBig Cat

Milton Bradley is one of the biggest dickheads in sports history

My last one is going to be, how about Milton Bradley? One of the biggest dickheads that's ever walked the earth. He played for eight [teams]. It's almost impossible for a guy who has actually a ton of talent to play for eight teams.

Subjective characterization.

Phil Hughes

Former Yankee and current Padres pitcher Phil Hughes joined us in studio to talk about the transition from being a top prospect in New York to life in San Diego. Phil didn't hold back on how the game has changed since he broke into the big leagues, specifically how analytics are killing the traditional starter.

Void
Jul 25, 2018
#9935
Phil HughesPhil Hughes

Modern baseball and stat heads are ruining starting pitching

modern baseball is ruining starting pitching. Like, you see guys starting relievers now. Stat heads have killed starting pitching... if they expand rosters it's over there's not going to be starting pitching anymore it's just going to be a bunch of relievers.

The 'opener' and reduced innings for starters have indeed become standard since 2018, validating Hughes' concern.

He’s also fully on board with the new era of baseball celebrations. According to Phil, the unwritten rules are dead and buried, and players should be allowed to have a pulse on the field.

Void
Jul 25, 2018
#23563
Phil HughesPhil Hughes

The days of unwritten rules in baseball are over and bat flips should be marketed

Unwritten rules are gone. Bat flips are being marketed. There's no such thing as the unwritten rule. If it sells tickets and gets people in the seats, like, I'm absolutely [okay with that].

Hughes is expressing a preference for how the game should be marketed and played.

One of the best stories from his time in the Bronx involved Derek Jeter. Everyone knows the Captain was a winner, but Phil revealed just how petty Jeter could be when he lost a simple locker room bet.

Win
Jul 25, 2018
#9937
Phil HughesPhil Hughes

Derek Jeter is such a fierce competitor that if he lost a bet to you, he would pay you entirely in pennies

He was such a competitor that if he lost, he would pay you in pennies... it would be like $100 on something stupid... he would literally have a bag of pennies the next day. And it wasn't like a dollar. It was like $100. That's a lot of pennies.

Hughes' personal testimony as a teammate is considered a reliable source for this behavior.

PR 101 and Guys on Chicks

Gary Sanchez is in the middle of a PR disaster after some lazy play against the Rays. Between dogging it to first base and walking after passed balls, Big Cat thinks it's time for the ultimate Yankee punishment.

Void
Jul 25, 2018
#9939
Big CatBig Cat

Gary Sanchez should have his pinstripes taken away for his lazy play against the Rays

He removed his pinstripes, said Gary Sanchez should have his pinstripes taken away... El Gary is supposed to be the people talking Hall of Fame after his first year... he should just show up to the next home game with the road jersey and be like, here you go, boss. Here are my pinstripes.

Sanchez was indeed widely criticized for this specific play, and his reputation for laziness persisted for years.

We also touched on the Tim Tebow injury. While most see a broken hand as a setback, PFT sees it as just another opportunity for a Tebow miracle if he ever gets the call to Queens.

Loss
Jul 25, 2018
#9940
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Tim Tebow would definitely hit a home run if he were ever called up to the Major Leagues

If you think Tim Tebow would not have hit a home run in the major leagues, you do not know Tim Tebow, my friend. All the guy does is miracles. That's all he does.

PredictionBaseballHotSarcastic
Tebow retired from professional baseball in 2021 without ever being called up to the Major Leagues.

In Guys on Chicks, we addressed the age-old debate of bathroom efficiency versus household hygiene. Big Cat isn't backing down from his stance that the sink is a perfectly viable option for a quick pivot.

Void
Big CatBig Cat

Peeing in the sink is sterile and saves water, so girlfriends shouldn't complain

Ruining the plates, ruining them? Okay, that's a little drastic. It's called soap. It's called dishwasher. Pee is sterile. There's no problem with this. And you're overreacting. And guess what? He might dump you because you're not a cool chick. Cool chicks let their guys pee in the sink.

Urine is not actually sterile, though this is a common myth. The rest is subjective relationship advice.

Finally, we discussed the danger of complimenting other women to your girlfriend. Comparing a friend to Rachel McAdams isn't just a compliment; it's a declaration of war because she’s the gold standard.

Void
Big CatBig Cat

Rachel McAdams is the number one wifey material

I think that's the meanest thing you can say to a girl because Rachel McAdams is like the number one wifey material. Like she is. Like you'd rather your boyfriend say like your friend looks like a porn star or like some crazy model or something like that. But Rachel McAdams like in Wedding Crashers. Oof, Marron.

This is entirely a matter of personal and comedic opinion.

Remember to keep your pinstripes clean and your pennies in a bag.

nflmlbyankeespadresmount-rushmorehot-seat-cool-throne

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