After our last episode, Ms. Bull City Coordinators called in with her thoughts on some things including me as a fan. I’m a little concerned that she’s got some sort of fever that caused some serious delirium. Also, when it comes to my Premier League team Everton, let me just say, “Nil satis nisi optimum”. Let’s hope Duke football will adopt the saying because nothing but the best is good enough.
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While Duke is bowl eligible in Year One of the Diaz Era, the Blue Devils are far from perfect. With SMU’s high-powered offense coming to Wallace Wade on Saturday, Duke Nation needs a dose of hope, optimism and balls if we want to see our team get its seventh win. And there’s no better place for that than the wonderful land that is Richlandia. That’s right folks, our Richlandia correspondent stops by to give us his thoughts on this Blue Devil team and what we can expect when the Mustangs take the field.
Before we get to the episode, we listen to another very, very close to perfect prediction from Jason and I give my thoughts on the reaction to Tony Bennett’s retirement. Things change, folks. Get used to it.
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Duke legend Lee Rodio returns to the podcast and provides us with his win-loss prediction for the Blue Devils this season. We go through each game and tell you who we think will win and why. We also check in with Richlandia to get an update on the status of the OG Optimistic Duke Football fan. You’ll like all our predictions as we’re very optimistic about what the Blue Devils can do this season.
One thing you’ll notice as we go through Duke’s schedule is how much time we spend discussing the differing degree of schedule difficulty the Blue Devils’ opponents have. This is one of the unfortunate side effects of conference restructuring – unbalanced schedules providing easier paths to a conference championship game. Sorry for an old man rant here, but there really is an upside to small conferences.
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Our good friend Robert Brickey stopped by the podcast to recap Year Two of the Scheyer Era. In addition to the Elite Eight run, we discuss the changing landscape of college athletics, what Duke did during the portal this offseason and what to expect from the Blue Devils next season. We also cover how well Coach Scheyer managed injuries and a roster that was missing a few key pieces. Our conclusion? Duke fans should be excited about the program under Coach Scheyer.
If that weren’t enough, you get to hear me talk about my son’s high school lacrosse team! They came up just short in the state championship game and while we all would’ve loved to see the guys win, this was a great season all the way around. So, great season, son!
This is yet another fun talk with a Blue Devil legend. I know you’ll enjoy it.
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After a few voicemails and a message from former site contributor Mike Kline, Dad took a break from Richlandia to stop by and check in after Mike Elko left Duke for A&M. We talk about the current state of the program, possible head coach candidates and the program’s foundation. We all trust Nina King to bring a quality head coach to Durham. It may take a few years, but Dad feels confident that the Blue Devils will be 10-2 soon. Nothing can shake this man’s optimism for Duke football.
Programming note – stay tuned as we will have an interview with Steve Wiseman in the coming days. That will be a fun one. Steve is a great guest and always has something interesting to tell us. I can’t wait!
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Thanks to a scheduling conflict on the part of someone who will remain nameless who may also run this blog, I wasn’t able to schedule an interview with my friends over at From The Pink Seats. As a result, we filled the gap by checking in with our Richlandia correspondent, Dad.
During the interview, we talk about the potential shortcomings of analytics in specific situations, recap the FSU game and preview what to expect on Saturday when Duke travels to Louisville. In addition, we get into the remaining teams on the Blue Devils’ schedule, I trash the B1G and we both agree that North Carolina has benefited from an easy schedule. Sorry, not sorry. And, because I’m a younger brother, I take a few moments to throw some shade at my older brother and demand an explanation from Dad as to a parenting choice he made when me and my brother were both teenagers.
Co-Coordinator Tim and I got together and recorded an old Bill Monroe tune called “Jerusalem Ridge“. That song has an interesting history behind it. Rumor is that Kenny Baker tweaked the song and made it into what it ultimately became. Rumors notwithstanding, Baker always gave credit to Monroe for writing the song.
Here’s our version (mandolin and guitar):
Here’s my favorite version of the song (banjo and guitar):
We hope you enjoy it.
Also, check out my son’s Instagram account for the Spikeball league he and his friends created. The boy is having a lot of fun with it.
Let us know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, or on Twitter.
As indicated in my Whirlpool post, We Are Number Three did a cover of TMBG’s Minimum Wage. You can listen to Greg’s episode about Minimum Wage over at This Might Be A Podcast by following this link. In that episode, you can listen to the We Are Number Three cover and some other covers, too.
But, in this post, you get to hear the version that me, Co-Coordinator Tim and my family put together titled “Minimum Wage Can’t Buy You Shortnin’ Bread.”
So you know who contributed what part of the song, my daughter yells “Minimum Wage”, followed by my son yelling. Then it’s me and Tim for the instrumental followed by me with the song title and my wife banging a pan.
We took the lyrics from Minimum Wage and combined it with the song Shortnin’ Bread. This was a fun project for a lot of reasons, but especially because the two songs fit together thematically. Shortnin’ Bread has a very, very interesting backstory that I would encourage everyone to learn more about. I’m serious – you can learn a lot from that song’s history.
If you want to skip straight to the music, scroll down to the end.
As some of you may remember (or try to forget), I’m part of a trio that covers They Might Be Giants tunes. We take TMBG song lyrics and match them up with old-time tunes. I think we’ve been a hit as part of the Covers Crew over at This Might Be A Podcast (“TMBP”), but I’m a little biased. Since I made my debut on TMBP to discuss Yeh Yeh, our little group, We Are Number Three, has covered TMBG’s Prepare, 32 Footsteps, House At The Top Of The Tree, Minimum Wage (the episode is going to drop soon!) and a secret one for a charity compilation that is in the works. (All the links are to the podcast episodes where are covers, and others, are played.) Well, we just did another cover and that is what this post is all about.
Not too long ago, TMBP did an episode on a somewhat obscure TMBG tune, Whirlpool, which is a cover of a Meat Puppets song. The original version of the song is here
The TMBG version is here
Pretty different, right? We set out to cover Whirlpool because it’s always been a favorite of mine. It’s such an odd little song and the weird nature of it has always stuck with me.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the song together in time for the episode. But, after a little bit of time, we finished it up. And I am glad that we waited. As we were putting it all together, my Grandmother got sick and passed away. Her time in hospice care gave me a new interpretation of the song. As I read the lyrics over and over again, I concluded that the song is about someone passing from this life to the next. As a result, our cover of Whirlpool turned into a tribute to my Grandmother.
Here are the lyrics:
There was a swirling mass of water that lived in a quiet pond It asked permission from its master to visit the lands beyond And its master allowed it to fly So the wind swept the whirlpool across the sky
Whirlpool Whirlpool
There was a swirling mass of water that lived in a quiet pond It asked permission from its master to visit the lands beyond And its master allowed it to fly So the wind swept the whirlpool across the sky And it had the idea to fly So the wind swept the whirlpool across the sky
Whirlpool Whirlpool Whirlpool
Our version of Whirlpool is below. The old-time tune we paired it with is called “Old Grimes.” It’s a good tune. We all hope you enjoy our cover. Love you, Grandma!
Desmond Scott, one of Duke’s most versatile players ever, stopped by for a great discussion about a wide variety of topics. In regard to just how impactful of a player Desmond was, take look at his rushing, receiving and return stats – it’s unreal, especially considering that he transitioned to wide receiver for his senior year. Unbelievable.
During this almost 1.5 hour discussion, we talk about how Desmond elected to forego the NFL to become a principal which, in turn, led him to his current career of being a life trainer. Desmond owns and operates Prime Athletic Training & Fitness Institute and helps develop his clients in all aspects of their lives. We discuss how Demond built his business, how he became an entrepreneur, the challenges presented to his livelihood by COVID-19 and being a new father. Oh, and did I mention we talked about Blue Devils football? Well, we did. And Desmond has an amazing recruiting story that involves an all-time “What If?” in regard to West Virginia. You’ll be amazed when you hear it.
Further, you’ll recall that Desmond was on the 2012 team that beat the Cheats and was part of the 4th and Bowl play.
And, if all this weren’t enough, Desmond has some great things to say about Coach Elko, Coach Feeley and the current state of the program. Thank you, Desmond, for stopping by and for such a great talk.
Finally, as we get to the end of the episode, you’ll hear me mention that my Grandmother passed away peacefully last week. Grandma Wayne means a great deal to me; she helped me develop as a man, as a father and in my career. I don’t have enough time to thank her for all that she did for me, so I’ll just say that I don’t mourn the passing of a woman who lived to age 94, stayed married to Grandpa Wayne for 72 years, had four children, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Grandma did some wonderful things and, instead of mourning her passing, I celebrate her life. In addition to raising a family, Grandma went back to school after her children got older and worked as a school teacher until she retired. She was a whip-smart woman who graduated from the College of Charleston. Had Grandma come along a little bit later, she would have been a scientist (I believe she got a Chemistry degree) or may have ended up as an attorney.
Because Grandma got sick when she did, I had time to visit with Grandpa and, as a result, I learned a lot about my family and Grandma and Grandpa’s relationship. Fun story – Grandma was so smart and so diligent about her studies that she snuck a German textbook into the dance where she met Grandpa. While Grandma may not have approved (read “strongly disapproved”) of me and my wife living together before we got married, she never mentioned it to my wife and always treated her with the utmost respect. One of the last things she said to me before she passed is that my wife “is a special woman.”
Obviously, I can’t say enough good things about my Grandmother, so I’ll just let Marcus Aurelius say it for me – “the longest-lived and those who will die soonest lose the same thing. The present is all that they can give up, since that is all you have, and what you do not have, you cannot lose.”
I love you, Grandma.
Let me know what you think about what I think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, or on Twitter.
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