Rapid Fire: Steve Angeli Answers Portal Question, Howard Cross Owes Riley Leonard

are you ready for Rapid Fire Let's Do It All right so we're going to start off with a comment from Mr Steve and jelly he was asked yesterday about his consideration of the transfer portal and here's what Steve Ang jelli said about that right now my entire focus is on Notre Dame um I'm a guy that lives in the present you know the future can be determined when we get there it's not my worry right now all I'm focus on is these next you know five six practices that we have left spring and all so what do you think Jess I think you know by the sounds of it I don't think Stephen jell is gonna go anywhere I just I think he's a Notre Dame lifer ultimately and I don't I don't I don't know I just it's hard to say because as much as you you know love a program like Notre Dame he's still going to get his degree early and have the opportunity to be a starter elsewhere and it for for people who you know truly love the game like I'm assuming steveen jelli does like he he's going to want his opportunity he's going to be you know basically like a Drew Pine Drew Pine got his opportunity because someone else got hurt had had Buckner got hurt I don't think Drew Pine ever would have gotten that opportunity he would have you know and then he would have just transferred out but I think you know comparatively when looking at Drew Pine to Stephen jelly the thing that works in in in jell well I guess maybe not in Jelly's favor but maybe us as fans and jelly you know barring any injuries isn't going to get any starting times so Drew Pine saw what he could do as a starting quarterback right and so he said he saw the results and knew that he could probably go play somewhere else I don't think Steve angelli is going to get that opportunity you know that that validation of you know I could be a starter or someone else so I I think Stephen jell is gonna be gonna be here for until he graduates honestly I I don't really see him being anywhere else but that gra see that graduation is a year from now Assuming he's on track to get his degree like they put him on that three-year track that's why they go to summer school and that's why they get him in here early and do all those different things so a year from now he should have his degree in hand not a year from exactly right now obviously but a year and a but what 13 months from now when may rolls around there there's no reason I don't think for Steve and jelli to head out this year because stick it out get your degree in another year and I mean I'm just being honest I think Steve Angeli is g to make it least a couple starts this season because of everything that we've talked about as much as you know no nobody wants to see Riley Leonard have to miss anytime but with this you know with with the injury stuff I've just I've just gota think that Steve angelli is going to get a couple of opportunities at some point this season to come in and play and that that gives him a chance to show what he can do once again so I think I don't think it's this year this spring I think it's a year from now where after Riley Leonard is gone and then he's battling next spring with minie and CJ car for a starting job I think that that's kind of the push point for Steve angelli not necessarily what's going on right now I think we're on the same page with that right yes okay so Irish nosu guard Howard Cross of course was the guy who was responsible for the injury to Riley Leonard made that tackle at the end of the noted aame Duke game last September so Leonard this winter when he first got here he said cross was going to take him to Roose Chris to make up for it so we got to talk to Riley Leonard yesterday has that trip to Ruth Chris happened yet oh I still haven't gotten the RO dinner I don't know I got to talk to him about that again um like I said he's still walk hey will walk by me lock room hey Riley I'm really sorry by the way every day like sorry Riley I feel so bad like you're good man he didn't do it on purpose he's a great guy so me and Howard kind of have that Bond guess so he's good natured about it obviously but fill in the blank Howard cross should do blank for not paying up yet Howard Blank sorry Howard cross should have to double up for not paying it I think at this point he owes Riley Leonard to Stak dinners right like basically interest on the first one that he owes him and you know kind of a side comment here isn't Riley Leonard just so goofy like he just sounds like a just like a happy go-lucky kid most of the time you know what I mean like he just when I listen to R Le I just can't help to think that he's just a little bit of a goofball I mean he does seem pretty good nature you know and you know he's and he's taken it very well he obviously holds no grudges against Howard cross they were just playing football and you know like I you know Joe Joe Allen says steak dinner and a movie I mean I think at the very least he owes him two dinners and not a soup you know like he needs to take him he needs to take him to the Roose Chris to pay up and then he needs to take him whatever r Leonard wants Riley Leonard should get from Howard cross yes at this point you got to pay up you can't just say sorry in the locker room you got to pay up man put your money where your mouth is that's right okay so I was on the L lucky Lefty podcast yesterday with Malik zier and Shawn Davis they asked me which of these two things will happen first a national championship for Notre Dame football or a national championship for Notre Dame women's basketball what what is your answer um well first and foremost I listened to that podcast yesterday I thought you sounded great by the way I took the dog for a walk listen to your segment and I I couldn't well I could believe but man they were really hyping you up on your know into the show yesterday I thought that was Davis like I know pay that guy something talking about you you were you are one of the best voices in in College women's basketball I thought that was very nice of him but I did too I thought I think a national championship for the women's team is more on the horizon than the college football team I just I thought the women's team while performed really well this season you know with a bunch of uh injuries I still felt like they were an Elite 8 team and you know being an Elite 8 team getting one of the top centers in the country and that was n Dame's biggest CP tonight or hole in the roster this season um getting back Olivia miles and pairing her with Sona Sonia Citron you know matd West Bel um Hannah hogo like it's just I I talk about an explosive roster I I definitely see the women having a more clear path to a championship than the than the football team I do too I think they're just closer right now they're already you know as you said they you know they were a couple play really two of the last three years they're a couple plays away from being El leite eight teams in both of those years last year against Maryland in the sweet 16 not as much that wasn't quite as competitive but um you know they're they're on the verge and then you get back what you know what they're going to have coming back next year as I've said I completely expect them to be a final four team I just think they're closer now the way the roster is trending though for Notre Dame football I think they're going to be in that conversation here within the next couple of years but I'd still put women's basketball ahead of them in terms of who wins the next national champion ship uh speaking of Notre Dame women's basketball salty what's the status of the women's basketball players who could choose to enter the WNBA draft the deadline to enter the draft was April 1 so that is long gone now at this point what is this that was nine days ago mattye Westell did not enter her name in the draft in you know for the WNBA draft and that was it really yeah that's that's pretty much it so we still haven't got an announcement for mattye Westell but I think she's gonna be back here next year Tommy there is nothing more than I would be love to to be then then proven wrong that the football team and and they win a National Championship this year trust me the women have won two in my lifetime I've never seen a college football I'm just answering the question of which I think is more likely yeah like you Joe Joe's saying the same thing I hope the team proves you're both wrong next year what we all do right but it's already been 36 years like is there any more to any more right any more evidence right now that says they're going to win a National Championship within the next year than there was two years ago or three years ago or do I believe they're on the right trajectory compared to you know past yeah I do but they're moving in the right direction I just don't think that they're quite there just yet they could be with the defense that they've got like maybe they maybe they end up being one of those teams this year I think we'd all love to see it but got to get to the playoff first gotta win some games it's going to be fun so the NFL announced today that the Packers are going to play the Eagles Friday September 6th in Brazil in week one of the NFL season you like that you like that matchup to kick things off to start the year why not um you know I'll I always back the NFL up for wanting to expand the game you know what I mean G basically allow the game to reach kind of areas that it hasn't have a you know impact Global impact spread the game essentially but Brazil and the I mean they had to pick the Eagles and Packers for a reason right like they probably had to pick the most two popular teams in Brazil I it's a nice TV matchup yeah I mean those are you know the the Eagles were a playoffs team the Packers were a playoff team both of those teams still have upward projections for this season um yeah I mean I don't mind the matchup and I don't mind the fact that they're again trying different areas internationally to expand the game to like I like watching the games whether they're in London whether they're in Brazil whether they're in Mexico City like I enjoy those things I think it's it's fun when they do it Sean Kelly wants to know if we're bigger Notre Dame or Cowboys fans who's going first me or you you go first I I have I have very good rationale for this I'm a bigger Cowboys fan but I'm a bigger Cowboys fan because I have more leniency for college players I don't have leniency for for professional football players getting lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of money and it's not the same as the nil so no one put in the comments you know the stuff with the nil it's based off your name image and likeness not your performance these guys get mega contracts and so when you got wide receivers who drop passes or you know I just don't have I don't have the patience for mental mistakes in the in the professional game so I'm I am a bigger Cowboys fan let me ask ask you this how many players from the Cowboys do you think you could name from when you were like 12 11 12 13 years old how many how many players from that from that I mean I could probably get at least 50 you think you could get that may yeah okay I think I could I don't know if I could get 50 but I think that I could get at least 20 from like from my 12 13 14 year old range and that's a lot that's a lot farther away than yours correct right yes stabach Danny White you want to count Drew I don't think anyone else wants us to count John Golden Richards Randy White Two Tall Jones Harvey Martin I think you undersold yourself I think you could get way more than you expect NE rafy Donovan backup tight end Jay saly Billy Joe Dupri Cliff Harris Charlie Waters Everson Walls Drew Pearson I think I already said Drew Pearson Preston Pearson Robert new house so are you gonna answer the question I don't think I've heard your answer yet you just had to push me didn't you I'm sitting here hosting an Notre Dame show and you just had to push me I'll just say it's easier to be a fan covering covering a college football team like noted Dame year in year out game in game out it's easier to be a fan of a team that I don't have to cover all the time okay that makes sense that makes sense yeah because I try to keep as much emotion out of you know when we sit here you know we break down games we evaluate players we do all this stuff try to keep as much emotion out of it as possible separate all that so that I can be as pragmatic as possible when trying to you know do this but I you know I will say I I came here and you know ultimately because of the fandom that I had growing up as a Notre Dame fan that's what brought me here but it's easier to to be able to sort of compart mentalize and be a fan of a professional team that that I don't you know that I'm not in on day in it's not your job the way yeah the way I am here at Notre Dame if that makes sense so just to like I don't love them any less they're they're like children to me I'm just more a fan of the Cowboys because I expect more out of them I have higher expectations because they are professionals not amateurs and that too yeah that's a good point too I can I can live with a college player making a mistake because they're still a kid learning the game but when you're in the NFL you were selected to be the best of the best and getting paid a lot of money so again I have more expectations good answer good answer Jess so Mike B Greenberg has compared Caitlyn Clark to Tiger Woods for the impact that she had on the interest of the sport of women's basketball do you buy or sell that comparison I 100% buy that comparison because there are people who will literally tell you I don't watch golf unless Tiger Woods is playing or I haven't watched golf until Tiger Woods played or I'm watching this tournament this weekend because Tiger Woods is returning you know what I mean and I feel like it's the same thing for women's basketball like you you mentioned you know Caitlyn Clark is playing I'm gonna tune into that game like we talked about this in terms of the national championship the reason why it did so many so much uh or did better in numbers is because of Caitlyn Clark just a casual fan who turned in and said I just want to see what the phenomenon is about I want to see what all the hype is about and I think it's the same with Tiger Woods and especially people maybe later generations who didn't get to see Tiger Woods in his prime they've only heard about Tiger Woods right and so now you flip on Tiger Woods you're like I want to see some of that magic that everyone alludes to right and so that's the same type of comparison I have for kit and Clark people tuned in because they want to say is it really what it is is she going to drop 30 points and you know make all these dazzling Steph Curry like threes like I think it's a fair comparison yeah I think it's a great comparison actually and you know Greenberg is typically Mr Hyperbole and you know way over the top and you know lives you know solely you know in the in the moment but I I think it's one of the better comparisons that analogies that he's ever made because like I know that a lot of guys women who listen to and watch this show are you know like I'm in my 50s so I grew up in the 70s and 80s and growing up in that time the sport of golf was basically an old white man's Country Club sport you know like it was not cool at all to play golf and then Along Comes Tiger Woods and the sport gradually became younger you know like it people wanted to young people wanted to go out and play golf golf because of Tiger Woods it became a lot more athletic it became a lot more physical and you look at you know all these young guys who are playing today and who have had success you know whether it's like spe or or you know Rory whoever it happens to be they grew up watching Tiger Woods and so he has had a major influence and I think that you know you you can kind of like you're going to see like these girls who are who are in middle school and grade school right now I mean like they're going to drive some coaches crazy but they're going to be putting up logo three-pointers or they're going to be trying to put up logo three-pointers but you're going to see I think you're going to see a lot of you know that copy catism that's going to be coming up here within the next few years so I I think it's a uh I think it's a great comparison just with the for the overall impact and interest that Tiger Woods brought I think that Caitlyn Clark has done much of the same for women's basketball and then Sean Kelly asked if we buy sell Woods being the most polarizing athlete in the last 20 years I would sell it because I it's you know I'm going to say this name and I'm going to regret it but it's LeBron LeBron is the most polarizing athlete of the last 20 years I don't think I don't think Tiger Woods is even in the same ballpark as him I'm trying to like let's let's let's try to go sport by sport okay Golf Tiger Woods basketball LeBron James yeah who's football that's what is it already Patrick Mahomes I don't think he's got enough hate so far is it Brady it's okay it's definitely Brady that's a good point um baseball Ken Griffey Jr Barry Bonds no B like last 20 years Albert phol I mean it could be Shilling now but you know that again like that dips into you know to Waters that I don't want to get it yeah but it's again like Schilling was not even beloved in his own locker room when he was playing right not even beloved he wasn't liked by a majority of his teammates when he was playing but he wasn't it didn't seem like when he was playing he was as polarizing when he took them out Roger Clemens I'm just you know because this is the last 20 years so there are a lot of names that you could throw I would say I would say Barry Bonds I think Barry Bonds more than anyone okay and then what about I'd say Barry Bonds or Alex Rodriguez I think would be my final two um who's your college football most polarizing Tim TBO Reggie Bush Vince Young say Bush Reggie Bush Reggie Bush but does that even does he he barely gets in there in the 20 years just because what him or Manzel maybe Johnny Manzel Johnny Manzel is up there Josh brings up Derek Jeter I think one because he was a Yankee and I think that's a really good one because like the Yankee thing and the fact that would he he definitely would not have gotten you know near the love that he got had he not played for the Yankees and won all those championships if he just accumulated the numbers on another team he would have been a really good player but because he was a Yankee that changed a lot of things I think Jeter's a good one too TBO TBO was huge that's that's a good one Jason Tim TBO Lawrence Phillips was he 20 years I think he might have been a little bit more than than 20 years Johnny hot take Derek Jeter I think tbo's I think tbo's the answer for college football I think that's that's got to be who's that D [Music] Jeter give me A-Rod over Derek Jeter any day of the week wow okay but now that we as a player as a player as a player the steroids in there too statistics only oh come on everyone did steroids in in the in that in that window everyone did steroids you know that um okay but now that we've done each sport are you still sticking with LeBron yeah I don't think there's another player that has lived up to and simultaneously crushed the hype at the same time and that's where I'll leave that one at he's he's shattering every every basketball record ever and he was he was hyped up to do that not every player does that so that would be my uh my final answer as well yeah and no matter how much you hate him dislike it whatever it might be it's it's the answer there's no no other athlete who crosses political lines right now who's as polarizing politically as LeBron James and that's why the answer has to be LeBron James because once politics become yeah once politics become part of the formula then you're you know it's just it's automatic you're one side or the other so that's why it's LeBron James salty coming out of left field with this one I like this yeah the Home Run race between Sosa and Maguire Tob oh so you're like is this going back to what we were talking about like the comparison to Caitlyn Clark is that with salty yeah is talking about that's a good one too that's a but I still think I I still think Tiger Woods for the cultural impact he had on the sport of golf and golf is still a young person's sport right now and it waser Woods made golf CL years ago yeah absolutely and I don't think that you can say that baseball is cool right now and I think the other yeah very much and I think that the the part that's cool about Tiger Woods in compar like that comparison we were just doing CL Caitlyn Clark I think you're going to see a similar Trend like Caitlyn Clark is going to influence a generation of players you know what I mean and that's what Tiger Woods did he introduced golf to people who probably would have never played golf had they not seen Tiger Woods right and that's why it also is important that that she continues you you know like Diana terasi you know with her stuff oh you're going to play these old women now and you know we're you know like it's not going to be easy coming in but I mean they're gonna Market the heck out of Caitlyn Clark in the WNBA and like that's gota she's got a chance to really lift that whole sport as well you know like the WNBA as opposed to college basketball she's got a chance to really popularize that I think that I saw today where where was it that something like 20 of 36 Indiana Fever games are going to be nationally televised this year and it's all because of Caitlyn Clark so I'll be curious to see if uh if the interest in the WNBA really spikes with the CL Caitlyn Clark effect as for like the the women's game of college basketball the tournament obviously set multiple viewership records this year so do you think that it's going to survive like the popularity Will Survive Caitlyn Clark's departure to the WNBA will it stay as popular as it's been this season I'm just gonna have to say no because I don't think we've seen a clear handing of The Paton like we've talked about you know what I mean like I don't I I still think we need to know who that player is is going to be going for like who's the next Caitlyn Clark I think until we kind of know that I can't definitively say but I'm just right now like she's a once in a-lifetime player so I just I have to say no for now I I just think it I need to I'm a I'm a person of you know numbers you know this I need to see it consistently before I can you know what I mean make that this is the first time ever so what what evidence do I have to say that think that this is going to continue happened here's what's interest obviously her games had the biggest spikes in numbers the record viewership but there were 57 overall women's March Madness games on you know on all the ESPN platforms they averaged 2.2 million viewers that is a 121% increase from a year ago what which makes it the most watched NCAA tournament ever so it's not it wasn't just her games there was also now obviously her games helped boost that average but at the same time there was more overall interest they they she helped draw in a lot of casual viewers a lot of those casual viewers will stay around because they're like huh fundamentally this is a better game than the college men's game for example you know like and there's like there they found out that there's more to like about I think the women's game than they thought there was going to to be so they're not all going to stick around you know on that level but I do think that you know just a year ago the record for a championship game was a little over 10 million and I think that you're going to see that kind of become sort of the norm now as opposed to the six plus million that it was before that I think that you're going to see a lot more casual interest that comes around for the women's game when it comes to the NCAA tournament specifically but as we were talking about earlier in the show those young stars like haddo and Watkins and others it's really on them now to kind of take the Baton and run with it and continue to draw in those casual fans with their play I agree all right decaf is off to watch the Cubs I had a couple more questions I wanted to throw in here at the end Tommy what's one movie or TV character death that was the hardest for you to get over have you thought about this one at all um I've got three I I'll do mine I'll do mine uh number one Goose in Top Gun when Goose died that's at the top of my list like that's how do you get like it's like the movie is so good until you get to that point and then it's like oh man it's just like Goose died and watching you know Tom Cruz going in the water to get him and all that like that's like the ultimate that that was that's the toughest one for me number two Rob Stark Game of Thrones when he died in the Red Wedding episode thanks for ruining it for me well here's a here's here's a non-spoiler spoiler the episode was not actually called red wedding it has just been dubbed the Red Wedding because of you know they he died at the Red Wedding but like you were ever going to go back and actually watch it that's number two number three Henry Blake Colonel Henry Blake when Henry died on Mash when his plane went down in the Sea of Japan those are my top three [Music] um um I would have to go with Tony Stark in The Avengers movie okay AKA Iron Man oh thanks for that spoiler I didn't know Tony Stark died [Laughter] um and then next would be my good friend Mufasa from Lion King all right I guess that shows where we are generationally so I just don't have the recall like you do I and I I've not seen nearly as many movies as you well I mean I do have a couple years on you so I guess that has something to do with that I like that question that was a good one dmy Andre uh you know we were talking about the cards earlier he says he wants a WNBA rookie card for Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese do you know if they're pumping those out just yet Jesse like are they not seen Angel Reese or Caitlyn Clark I've been too uh infatuated with my Jackson holiday card I I've been actually battling the markets because I was like you know I don't want this guy to get too big because that's it's it's like I feel like it's kind of the stock market right he's going to make his debut and if he plays really well the price is just going to continue to you know go up up up so I'm trying to get it kind of I guess before he before he pops so that was my rationale hope so Andre wants to know when we're getting more whiteboard stuff didn't we kind of say maybe after the blue gold game you could break out the white we would we would give some analysis based off of some some personnel and groupings that we see from from Mike Den Brock offensively what do you think about this one from DK says you're so young you think the NBA plays defense I was in a little bit of a chat war with some people I'm just gonna leave it at this the guy like we like the NBA today there are so many more people who can create baskets for themselves off the dribble like just the talent is so much greater than it was 20 years ago and so while it looks like bad defense it's just incredible offense we've never seen guys like Kevin Durant Michael Porter Jr um Steph Curry you know uh Paul George Kawhi Leonard like I just we've never seen basketball players like this and then you know back in the day you could Clos line players on defense and not even get a foul like it's it's you I I understand they've taken some of the physicality out of it and you know I don't like the Ticky tack fouls at you know at times either but I don't think it's to blame a bad defense I just think that that the scorers are that good these days I think that it's more of that than I think it's kind of a cliche to say the NBA doesn't play defense they're not allowed to play defense the way they did back in the 80s and right into the 90s with all the physicality but because of the level of play it's just it's tough Joe wants me to share the athletic um login show up tomorrow Joe and maybe I'll give you guys a little surprise so want want to keep it legal but it's like you these people expect the to these these the basketball games to be played like football in terms of physicality just because guys aren't you know tackling each other in the paint anymore it's like not good basketball yes I they're they're literally you know and I've I've come around you myself on the NBA I'm not you never watched the NBA now I'm not the biggest NBA fan but I will say they are some of the greatest athletes in the world and that just by definition makes playing defense when you've got some of the greatest athletes in the world World playing offense it makes them very tough to guard especially when you don't when you're not allowed you know some of that physical contact right like like you are there rules in the NBA that I think should be tweaked 100% yeah but I just if I mean if they let him play defense like they did in the 80s guys would be in the hospital that's what I mean every night you know because again these guys are still bigger and and stronger now Joe says he was made way more into the bird Jordan era me too like I pretty much stopped after Jordan retired having any real you know like deep interest in the NBA not that I was a huge Jordan fan but like that's when the NBA was still really interesting to me but NBA's got a pretty good uh pretty good audience themselves right now I think basically the second best audience viewership wise to the NFL the NFL rules everything all right we're going to go ahead and wrap it up with that as we teetered into basketball talk at the end we'll have more Notre Dame football talk on tomorrow's show though so we will be here hope you will as well and again we'll be talking about some of danne Bugler's NFL draft evaluations of the noted aame guys guess we'll be back again whether you love me or hate me you get four days in a row baby that's right baby that's right Vince is just chilling over there in Penland all right so that's going to do it hit the like button before you leave subscribe rate and review thanks for being here good good uh questions tonight on the mailbag and we will talk to you tomorrow on IB Nation Sports Talk