PMT DB
PMT DB
Scott Van Pelt on Rory’s Career Slam, NBA Playoff Seeding, and Nico Iamaleava
Monday’s show opens with the unimaginable: the hater narrative is officially dead. Rory McIlroy has completed the Career Grand Slam with a Masters victory that was as chaotic as any round of golf in history. Big Cat and PFT admit that while they spent the weekend praying for a classic Rory collapse, watching him battle through doubles and bogies to beat Justin Rose in a playoff was the most entertaining outcome possible.
Big CatI would rather have a set of guys I hate in golf than root for whoever wins
I would rather have a set of guys that I root for and a set of guys I hate than be like, I'm just rooting for whoever wins. And then when they win, I say, what a great story. Rory deserved it.
Big Cat confesses that even as a hater, he had to tip his cap to the resilience Rory showed. From a double bogey on the first hole to the miraculous shot on 15, it wasn't a clean win, but it was a legendary one. PFT points out that the victory effectively breaks the show’s favorite bit because you can no longer call a guy a choker when he puts on the Green Jacket to join the most exclusive club in sports.
PFT CommenterRory McIlroy's Masters win extinguished the hater narrative forever
It's a much harder hate. Yeah. We had to retire it. That's what I'm sad about. We had to retire because Rory, no matter what he is now the sixth all time to have the career Grand slam... He beat all the haters. Including us.
Masters Fallout and the Leaderboard
While Rory was the story, the rest of the leaderboard provided plenty of fodder for the guys. Ludvig Åberg looked like he was ready to seize the moment before a disastrous finish, leading Big Cat to question if he would have survived the pressure of the final group.
Big CatLudvig Åberg would have had an all-time meltdown if he had been in the final group during his final holes
If he had the lead outright and that's how he ended his round, people would be, let's say he was in the final group today and that's how he finished his round. When he was in contention to win. People would be talking about that as maybe the biggest meltdown outside that French guy [Jean van de Velde] at the open championship. Or Greg Norman.
Then there’s Scottie Scheffler, who finished fourth despite not having his best stuff. Hank is already looking for the next person to root against now that Rory is off limits, and he’s setting his sights on the World No. 1. He thinks the narrative is shifting toward Scottie being a specialist rather than a dominant force across all four majors.
Big CatScottie Scheffler is just a Masters merchant and hasn't proven he can dominate other majors
He's also gonna be the new narrative guy. He might just be a masters merchant. He's got, he's got a win in major that's not the masters... People compare to Tiger. These are his, you know, finishes and majors in his last 10 majors. It's not the greatest.
As for the LIV guys, the weekend was a bit of a reality check. Bryson DeChambeau faded after a hot start, and the rest of the LIV contingent failed to make a serious push on Sunday. Hank, formerly a LIV defender, seems to have finally reached his breaking point with the 54-hole circuit.
HankLIV golfers are no longer serious contenders at the Masters compared to PGA Tour players
I'm done with with thinking that, you know, the live guys can make it happen. The masters... as the years have gone on, yes. It's 'cause they Yes. They all have a ton of money. Yes. And they're all playing 54 holes... they're not pushed the same way.
NBA Playoff Seeding and the Play-In
The NBA regular season has finally concluded, and the bracket is set. Big Cat remains the world’s leading critic of the Play-In Tournament, viewing it as a tool for mediocre owners to trick their fans into thinking they’ve achieved something.
Big CatThe NBA Play-In tournament is a ploy for owners to convince fans they made the playoffs
I've said from the beginning it is a ploy for the Jerry Reinsdorf type owners to convince their fan base that they've made it to the playoffs when they have not. I hate the playing tournament... it sucks.
Meanwhile, Hank is riding high on the Bulls' chances despite a season of inconsistency. He’s convinced that the Cavaliers are the most vulnerable team in the East and that Chicago is actually trending toward a legitimate upset.
HankThe Bulls are trending upward and are a legitimate threat to beat the Cavaliers in a playoff series
Bulls are about to go on a run. Keep saying, I think they can beat the Cavs. It starts on Wednesday night... I'm not worried about the Cavs. I didn't say I want them to. I'm just saying like the bulls are trending. Cavs are overrated.
Chaos in Knoxville
College football took a wild turn on Saturday with news that Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was holding out from team activities over NIL money. Big Cat thinks the university made a power move by letting him walk into the portal rather than being held hostage by his representation.
Big CatTennessee was smart to move on from Nico Iamaleava
What Tennessee did was actually smart. They came out and they said, we're moving on from Nico. Yeah. Before Nico had a chance to be like, I've entered the transfer portal. He wasn't good enough to get a million and a half raise.
Big CatNico Iamaleava is receiving bad career advice from his father/agent
I think he's getting bad advice from his, so his dad is his agent, which also complicates thing because when your dad is your agent... he doesn't have to act in good faith... I think it's shortsighted because Nico, if he had a really good year in Josh Heupel's offense could be a high draft pick.
This latest drama with transfer portals and spring games has Big Cat convinced that the current model of college football is headed for a major structural change, specifically regarding how teams prepare in the offseason.
Big CatCollege spring games will be phased out in the next few years due to NIL and transfer portal chaos
We're losing spring games. Spring games are gonna be, I bet you in a couple years there'll be no spring games.
SVP Live From Augusta
Scott Van Pelt joins the show from the Augusta airport to provide the definitive perspective on Rory’s win. He describes the atmosphere as purely cathartic, noting that the relief on Rory’s face was far more apparent than the joy. SVP believes this win isn't just a career milestone; it’s a dam breaking that will lead to more hardware for McIlroy.
Scott Van PeltNow that he's won the Masters, Rory McIlroy could stack three or four more majors
This is the damn burst that now frees them up to be truly like, fuck it. I'm gonna go do like... he's got a ton of runway in front of him. He could stack three or four more of these.
They also check in on the status of the Big Texas cinnamon roll, which has become a recurring tradition of disappointment for SVP at the airport. While he didn't find the roll initially, he did confirm that the feeling around the grounds was that everyone was witnessing history, even if Rory tried his best to make it difficult.
Who’s Back and Monday Reading
Who’s Back features Paddy the Baddy’s return to form and a very personal health update from PFT regarding his latest battle with kidney stones. After an ER visit that included a ball-themed ultrasound, PFT is convinced that his toughness is officially off the charts.
PFT CommenterKidney stone pain is worse than childbirth
Also, the doctor again for the second time told me that this pain is worse than childbirth. Which I will not be saying to any women, but it's true... I've given birth to like 13 kidney stones. I'm as tough as Philip Rivers' wife.
Finally, Monday Reading brings closure to the long-standing mystery of Jim Nantz’s toast. For years, the guys have obsessed over the idea of Nantz carrying a laminated card in his wallet showing a picture of how he likes his bread burnt. It turns out, Nantz is the ultimate prankster.
Big CatJim Nantz's wallet toast card was actually a prank on a reporter
So the card is a prank, but he does like his Toast Nantz style... Nantz ordered his special brand of toast... I made sure the reporter saw the card and when he asked about it, I said, well that card has saved me a lot of hours.
At the end of the day, Rory has his jacket, PFT has his health, and we still have eleven more years of Jim Nantz saying hello to friends.
