The Bill Simmons Thread

Bozo Texino

still hates Dave Kerpen
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
11,729
Austin, Texas
Interested to see (hear?) who the special guest on the Three-Heat will be. I'm guessing Trejo or Rollins.
 
Last edited:

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
Bill: When your kids turn 13 they just kind of stop talking to you, it's just like something goes off in their brain.

Sal: Or you made a segment that millions of people listen too all about you shitting on your kids, that could also be a factor.
 

Bunt4aTriple

Member (member)
Silver Supporter
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
4,347
North Yarmouth, ME
I just listened to the Cobra rewatchables, a movie I've never seen. It was an all-timer as far as his botched pronunciations go, and Brandt even tried to reiterate what he had said to help him out, to no avail:

  • ROW-bit
  • tuh-TOO
  • uh-MOCK, as in running amok, but sounded more like "a mock draft".
He also continues to do the completely unresearched, "is this the first time we've seen...?" In this case it was nitrous in a car chase. I had just seen the original Mad Max for the first time and it's definitely in there, so I'm guessing it was littered throughout other late 70s, early 80s movies.

I'm not hating, it just cracks me up.
 

Spelunker

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
11,857
I just listened to the Cobra rewatchables, a movie I've never seen. It was an all-timer as far as his botched pronunciations go, and Brandt even tried to reiterate what he had said to help him out, to no avail:

  • ROW-bit
  • tuh-TOO
  • uh-MOCK, as in running amok, but sounded more like "a mock draft".
He also continues to do the completely unresearched, "is this the first time we've seen...?" In this case it was nitrous in a car chase. I had just seen the original Mad Max for the first time and it's definitely in there, so I'm guessing it was littered throughout other late 70s, early 80s movies.

I'm not hating, it just cracks me up.
Also confirmed that he definitely thinks that it's pronounced "sub-SEE-kwent"
 

mauf

Anderson Cooper × Mr. Rogers
Moderator
SoSH Member
This is much less about Bill and much more about the mess that family foundations often are. People in general would do a lot more good donating to things that already exist.
In terms of foundations that conduct actual operations, I think this is right. Unless you’re a multi-billionaire like Gates or Buffett, or you have unique skills that you can bring to bear on a philanthropic effort, there’s probably an existing charity doing the work you want to do more effectively than you will be able to do it.

Purely grant-making foundations are different. Rich people’s income varies much more from year to year than yours or mine does, and that might not line up with their charitable intentions. For example, if I made an extra $50,000 this year and wanted to give half to charity, I’d write a check. If I made an extra $10 million and had the same philanthropic impulse, I’d want to spread it around and/or do something creative, and I might not figure out exactly what I want to do by December 31. The funding of this scholarship by Bill Simmons is a perfect example: the money probably comes from when he sold The Ringer a few years back, but he didn’t have the idea back then (or perhaps any idea beyond a general feeling that he should give back).

Sure, there are abuses, and I think the rules around foundations should be stricter. In particular, I think foundations should be required to spend themselves out of existence over time — it’s ridiculous that foundations established to give away the wealth of Henry Ford and Andrew Carnegie are still in existence. But it’s a legitimate tax-planning vehicle, and I see no reason to think that Simmons should be viewed differently than if he endowed this scholarship out of his personal checkbook.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
Simmons ripping into Rodgers and then immediately running a pre-taped FanDuel read where he puts over how you should bet on Rodgers throwing TDs against the Chiefs was tremendous unintentional comedy.

I also enjoyed his reaction to the LeBron stans going after him for allegedly targeting LeBron with the 27 ppg graphic.
 

ifmanis5

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 29, 2007
63,740
Rotten Apple
Simmons ripping into Rodgers and then immediately running a pre-taped FanDuel read where he puts over how you should bet on Rodgers throwing TDs against the Chiefs was tremendous unintentional comedy.

I also enjoyed his reaction to the LeBron stans going after him for allegedly targeting LeBron with the 27 ppg graphic.
Both of those were great.

Guy who is 'not on Twitter anymore' spends 10 minutes defending his tweet. Love to see it.
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
Both of those were great.

Guy who is 'not on Twitter anymore' spends 10 minutes defending his tweet. Love to see it.
Well, his whole point was that he isn't really on Twitter so when he just harmlessly posted the graphic he had to be filled in later by someone else on how LeBron Twitter came up with a conspiracy theory as to why he posted it.

You do you though.
 

allstonite

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 27, 2010
2,472
A few days late but Sal starting to play good tweet/bad tweet with Simmons was great and I wish went just a little longer
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
SoSH Member
Nov 4, 2007
62,312
A few days late but Sal starting to play good tweet/bad tweet with Simmons was great and I wish went just a little longer
Was this the inspo for the game on Succession, or did they do it after it aired or is it unrelated?
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
Sal calling the Urban Meyer at the bar, "The Thumb Incident," was quietly hilarious.

Also, I really do love and appreciate how angry Sal gets when he loses a guess the line game to Simmons. I appreciate his commitment to winning.

Sal is awesome in general, of course. But his Odell takes were atrocious. He, like many, is still enamored by that catch in 2014.
 

rodderick

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 24, 2009
12,749
Belo Horizonte - Brazil
Sal calling the Urban Meyer at the bar, "The Thumb Incident," was quietly hilarious.

Also, I really do love and appreciate how angry Sal gets when he loses a guess the line game to Simmons. I appreciate his commitment to winning.

Sal is awesome in general, of course. But his Odell takes were atrocious. He, like many, is still enamored by that catch in 2014.
Okay, I'm not the biggest OBJ fan, but from 2014 to 2019 he had 5 1k+ yards seasons and his per 16 games statline read 99 catches for 1389 yards and 10 TDs in that period. He was absolutely an elite wide receiver up until 2020, dude had two thousand yard seasons while playing only 12 games in that time frame. He may very well be done, but he's a lot more than that catch.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
Okay, I'm not the biggest OBJ fan, but from 2014 to 2019 he had 5 1k+ yards seasons and his per 16 games statline read 99 catches for 1389 yards and 10 TDs in that period. He was absolutely an elite wide receiver up until 2020, dude had two thousand yard seasons while playing only 12 games in that time frame. He may very well be done, but he's a lot more than that catch.
It's all relative, in my opinion. Odell was the highest paid WR in 2019 and he was 26th and yards and not in the top 50 in TDs.

He was paid to be elite. And he was not. And that was 2 seasons ago, with another ACL surgery under his belt. And he has already been hurt a few times this year and seemingly is a pretty big problem in the clubhouse. There are plenty of solid WRs in the league. I don't know why any team would want this one, all things considered.

His 2014 to 2016 were absolutely elite. Undebatable. Odell was amazing, every time he had the ball it was a chance for a TD and his hands were glue. But he isn't the same player, too injured, too odd. I've watched a lot of Odell this year. He's had some pretty bad drops, on top of the overall lack of production. Maybe it was all Baker's fault and I'll look like an idiot. But I'll believe it when I see it.
 

rodderick

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 24, 2009
12,749
Belo Horizonte - Brazil
It's all relative, in my opinion. Odell was the highest paid WR in 2019 and he was 26th and yards and not in the top 50 in TDs.

He was paid to be elite. And he was not. And that was 2 seasons ago, with another ACL surgery under his belt. And he has already been hurt a few times this year and seemingly is a pretty big problem in the clubhouse. There are plenty of solid WRs in the league. I don't know why any team would want this one, all things considered.

His 2014 to 2016 were absolutely elite. Undebatable. Odell was amazing, every time he had the ball it was a chance for a TD and his hands were glue. But he isn't the same player, too injured, too odd. I've watched a lot of Odell this year. He's had some pretty bad drops, on top of the overall lack of production. Maybe it was all Baker's fault and I'll look like an idiot. But I'll believe it when I see it.
I don't think it's all Baker's fault, but I also believe for some reason he hasn't gelled with Odell, who obviously isn't the same player at this point. I have a feeling Odell is kind of like Antonio Brown in that he'll be a little unconventional in his route running and adjust often if he sees the coverage a certain way, which makes chemistry with the quarterback paramount. Always thought he had the skillset of the perfect Brady receiver with his willingness to run deep middle of the field routes often, but at this point I don't think there's a team with an established QB that both has the cap room to sign him and in which he won't be the third option at best.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 10, 2017
5,959
I am currently in tears laughing at the Larry O'Brien's/Karl Malone's half baked idea from Wildes visiting the podcast today. I think the coach coming to the table saying "You deserve this." and Jim Gray at the loser bar sent me over the edge.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
I enjoy the Ringerverse pod on many occasions. Joanna and Mallory are excellent and work well together and Van is just a legend. But Charles Holmes is brutal. He reminds me of that woman Jenny something who built her brand by mocking and shredding everything that was made. It's tired. Charles just hates everything, is disappointed by everything, and knows very little about past culture.

Their Disney Day podcast was a drag because of it. This sucks because Charles brings Van down.
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,617
I am currently in tears laughing at the Larry O'Brien's/Karl Malone's half baked idea from Wildes visiting the podcast today. I think the coach coming to the table saying "You deserve this." and Jim Gray at the loser bar sent me over the edge.

This post was the reason I went back and listened to this and the “you deserve this” was amazing.
 

jmcc5400

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 29, 2000
5,203
This post was the reason I went back and listened to this and the “you deserve this” was amazing.
I thought the "you know what's an Andy Rooney take?" repartee was pretty great as well.

I loved the recurring Taylor Swift joke that ran through today's Guess the Lines, particularly Sal's line about a beleaguered Jake Gyllenhal turning to their podcast as refuge from the social media onslaught, only to find them discussing it as well.
 

luckiestman

Son of the Harpy
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
32,617
I thought the "you know what's an Andy Rooney take?" repartee was pretty great as well.

I loved the recurring Taylor Swift joke that ran through today's Guess the Lines, particularly Sal's line about a beleaguered Jake Gyllenhal turning to their podcast as refuge from the social media onslaught, only to find them discussing it as well.

That was so funny to me because I feel exactly like Sal and I felt like Simmons was personally trolling me when he was trolling him.

This also made me realize, and this might be a VN take, that it must be glorious to be ignorant of certain things. I have zero ZERO understanding of anything Taylor Swift is doing and I don’t want to learn.
 

nattysez

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 30, 2010
8,429
I thought the "you know what's an Andy Rooney take?" repartee was pretty great as well.

I loved the recurring Taylor Swift joke that ran through today's Guess the Lines, particularly Sal's line about a beleaguered Jake Gyllenhal turning to their podcast as refuge from the social media onslaught, only to find them discussing it as well.
Sorry to pile on, but I came here to post exactly this. I laughed out loud repeatedly during Guess the Lines this week.
 

JCizzle

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 11, 2006
20,530
Bill's blinders for the Pats is hilarious. He was making a point to Sharp that "we've never seen a rookie QB light it up like this in recent history!"

All due respect to Mac, but last year Justin Herbert threw for 4300 yards and 31/10 TD/INT.
 

onthereg527

New Member
Nov 16, 2021
142
I laughed at that as well. I think it goes further than that, though. It isn't simply that Bill has the Pats blinders on, he's just much more of a surface level NFL fan than he wants you to believe. Anyone who is a big NFL guy who is discussing Mac's awesome year would never forget how good Herbert was last year.
 

jezza1918

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
2,607
South Dartmouth, MA
He's been pretty consistent though on how good he thinks Herbert is, so I dont think he forgets how good he was last year. I think he forgot he was a rookie...which speaks to your surface level NFL fandom.
 

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
SoSH Member
Dec 2, 2006
16,089
Tuukka's refugee camp
His point was it’s rare for a rookie QB to both be good and have a Super Bowl contending team. Luck was probably the only recent rookie that also fit the bill in addition to Roethlisberger and Wilson. Herbert’s rookie year did not fit that bill.
 

Shelterdog

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Feb 19, 2002
15,375
New York City
His point was it’s rare for a rookie QB to both be good and have a Super Bowl contending team. Luck was probably the only recent rookie that also fit the bill in addition to Roethlisberger and Wilson. Herbert’s rookie year did not fit that bill.
What you say makes sense but it’s not what he said.
 

Remagellan

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Not to mention, he questions whether or not the Bills are a good team because they haven't played a lot of good teams, but as Sharp pointed out, the Pats schedule thus far hasn't been that much tougher.

But I get why Bill is so over the moon for Mac. After last season it was fair, even with Belichick at the helm, to fear we might be headed, if not back to the "same old Pats" pre-Parcells era, to a period in which the playoffs were a possibility but a championship might be a pipe dream. Mac flips that, and gives hope that Belichick's remaining years with the team will be as illustrious as the ones we've enjoyed the past twenty years.
 

Buck Showalter

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 26, 2002
6,652
Citifield - Queens, NY
I laughed at that as well. I think it goes further than that, though. It isn't simply that Bill has the Pats blinders on, he's just much more of a surface level NFL fan than he wants you to believe. Anyone who is a big NFL guy who is discussing Mac's awesome year would never forget how good Herbert was last year.
I think that's part of what makes me like Bill though. Pardon the reference (and he'd probably be insulted by this) but he's the original 'Barstooler'...

I mean that in a good way....as someone who is kinda' shooting from the hip, observations and bullshit-spewing while watching the game with strangers while having some beers. But having a better-than-average ability to recollect and deliver information on current and past players and events.

He's fun as heck to listen to.

Add in Cousin Sal (who is essentially each of my next-door neighbors here on Long Island.....Sal grew up not far from where I reside) and I have the best of both worlds on the podcast (a Bostonian homer....and a Long Islander who is defeated by the very teams he roots for).

I can't get enough of it to be quite honest.
 

JCizzle

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 11, 2006
20,530
I agree with all of that. I know what I’m getting with Simmons. He’s entertaining and that’s all that matters to me even if he makes me unintentionally chuckle from time to time.
 

coremiller

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
5,846
His point was it’s rare for a rookie QB to both be good and have a Super Bowl contending team. Luck was probably the only recent rookie that also fit the bill in addition to Roethlisberger and Wilson. Herbert’s rookie year did not fit that bill.
What about Dak Prescott, who went 13-3 and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie?
 

Buck Showalter

Member
SoSH Member
Feb 26, 2002
6,652
Citifield - Queens, NY
I agree with all of that. I know what I’m getting with Simmons. He’s entertaining and that’s all that matters to me even if he makes me unintentionally chuckle from time to time.
I'm sure they both love it in LA --- but Bill and Sal would be "perfect" to replace the hole at NY's WFAN that was left the day 'Mike and the Mad Dog' ceased working as a team.

I mean - that timeslot, covering all the sports and pop-culture, during the midday in New York (simulcast via cable or DirecTV?) couldn't be more ideal.