First Ballot: The Hall of Fame Podcast

The Flu Game. Game 5 of the tied 1997 NBA Finals and Michael Jordan, despite being ravaged by the flu… drops 38 points to secure a miraculous win. Joining the pod is ESPN sports journalist, author, and cultural critic Scoop Jackson, who breaks down the moment, talks about almost quitting SLAM, and discovering NSYNC. 

Timecodes: 

(5:56) Scoop almost quitting SLAM magazine

(10:04) Kobe's Philly Homecoming

(15:47) Scoop getting his flowers

(24:14) Why 38 points matter

(27:07) Michael's "reserve" defense

(29:40) MJ looked like doo-doo brown

(31:02) Auctioning the Flu Game Jordans

(32:30) Scoop's take on Jordan's sickness

(35:06) The beauty of the lunacy of this moment 

(38:01) Jordan spit on the pizza

(40:10) Seeing MJ sick in person

(43:11) The mythicality of Michael Jordan

(45:00) What Rodman said about Mormons

(48:39) Jordan's performance when he's sick or injured

(55:02) Growing up with Tim Hardaway

(57:17) MTV Rock N' Jock and discovering NSYNC

(01:00:42) Isiah Thomas and the bad ankle

(01:14:56) MJ vs Lebron 

(01:20:33) Annie Sarnblad's analysis of MJ's face

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A First Ballot classic, we're throwing it back today. On Christmas Day 2014, a fight on twitter became a scheduled fight in Temecula, California, and signaled a change in modern sports fandom. @SnottieDrippen vs. @MyTweetsRealAF. You cannot make this up. Plus, who’s the most underrated player in all of basketball history?

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In game one of the 1992 finals, Michael Jordan put together one of the greatest 3-point shooting performances of his career and hit the most iconic shrug of all time. NBA Twitter Legend and host of the Trill Withers Show, Trill Withers re-joins the pod to discuss if MJ's shrug is worthy of the First Ballot Hall of Fame, the conspiracy behind NBA fines, and the beauty of 90s era basketball. 

Timecodes:

(05:48) Stromile Swift Dunk on Tyrus Thomas

(09:15) Working with Rasheed Wallace

(10:33) The Conspiracy of NBA Fines

(15:09) Shrugging in Sports

(18:15) The presentation of 90s Basketball

(29:40) "You remember the shrug though" 

(33:55) A KD Green-light

(48:09) "I took offense to that" -MJ

(57:14) The authenticity of the shrug

(58:10) Ahmad Rashad the GOAT of sideline reporting

(01:01:00) George Koehler's life-changing phone call

(01:02:53) MJ's McDonald's Order

(01:04:13) The James Jordan Ad Read

(01:10:25) Trill's Favorite 90s TV Show

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We may never know what truly happened to Paul Pierce when he came crumbling down in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals but we can speculate. Here to discuss Paul's exit in a wheelchair, his return 10 minutes later, and the mystery of whether he actually pooped his pants is producer, writer, and director Osman Noor and multiple time guest and co-host Michael Torpey. 

Showtime Codes:

(7:30) How Charlie Sheen inadvertently helped Torpey's career 

(10:26) The etymology of the word dipshit

(15:50) Weird Hollywood moments 

(28:45) The Bubble Gut Scenario

(34:45) Is it wrong to root when athletes get injured?

(36:10) A win is a win

(49:57) The absurdity of calling for a wheelchair 

(55:00) Paul Pierce's Confession

(01:07:44) Was Oral Roberts back there? 

(01:14:26) You mad: Torpey might be

(01:21:23) Paul "Poo" Pierce Video Evidence 

(01:24:40) Favorite late night bits 

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The most anticipated NBA prospect since Lebron James, Victor Wembanyama was drafted to the San Antonio Spurs. And against the KD led Phoenix Suns just 5 games into his young career, the french phenom lived up to the hype. To discuss Wemby's 38-point breakout game is writer, producer, and Twitter Legend Robert McRae. Rob also breaks down his NBA finals predictions, working on Desus & Mero, and the best cereal of all-time.  

Timecodes:

(10:00) NBA Surprises

(12:00) Ime Udoka trash-talking Lebron James

(13:16) NBA Finals Predictions

(17:31) The rise of Tyrese Haliburton 

(20:45) Rob as a 19 year-old

(23:45) Wemby's current rookie campaign

(27:20) The no-name Spurs

(33:04) On Wemby's Big Hands

(38:27) The most fascinating Wemby video

(45:43) The NBA In-Season Tournament

(51:53) Working on Desus & Mero

(55:04) This or That: Chet vs Wemby! 

(1:00:35) The best Breakfast Cereal of all-time

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In 2017, NC State stole away their first win on Duke’s home court in 22 years when Dennis Smith Jr. stole the final possession, dribbled down the court, and dunked it… after the buzzer went off. Here to talk about the dunk is Senior Visual Designer at Google and two time First Ballot Executive Producer Matthew Hollister and First Ballot's first guest co-host Michael Torpey. Plus, incredible breakfast orders, how Coach K must've felt, and a new game segment.

Timecodes: 

(2:20) Introducing First Ballot's first guest co-host 

(14:20) Basketball is inherently a creative sport

(19:00) What is the right word to describe this dunk?

(36:00) One of the strongest ear tests on the show so far!

(35:30) New Segment: White Talk 

(48:05) The best sports branding

(51:55) New Game: Best Jersey to Buy

(1:08:20) Why it's important to get daughters into basketball

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The First Ballot Hall of Fame Podcast has a lot to be thankful for this year, and today we're incredibly thankful for Andrew Bernstein's return to the pod. The NBA's First Official photographer, LA Lakers photographer, and Legends of Sport podcast host, re-joins the pod to discuss the answers to Neil's burning questions, working with Kobe Bryant, and getting laid out by Shaq. 

Timecodes: 

(6:34) Andy's Pre-Game Routine

(10:25) Andy's Interview Process

(17:08) Transitioning from film to digital 

(21:12) Shooting the 1985 NBA Finals

(27:11) Andy getting his Championship rings

(30:28) Landry Shamet's Photography

(32:14) Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson's Sports Photography

(37:55) Photographing the Dream Team

(39:52) The pictures we don't see 

(42:45) Going to China with Kobe

(43:20) Working with Kobe on THE MAMBA MENTALITY: How I Play

(49:40) The one time Kobe asked Andy not to take a picture

(51:07) Watching Kobe grow up

(53:38) Getting laid out by Shaq

(1:00:39) Andy's Favorite Sports Photographer

(1:04:19) Andy's Favorite Dunk

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Precision beats power, and timing beats speed. In 2015 at UFC 194, Conor McGregor took on José Aldo and executed the fastest finish in UFC title fight history. CBS Sports Writer, Showtime Sports Analyst, and host of the Morning Combat Podcast, Brian Campbell joins the pod to determine if McGregor's 13 Second Knock Out is worthy of the First Ballot Hall of Fame. Along with breaking down the moment, Brian outlines his career, ranks the Rocky movies, and identifies his least favorite animal. 

Timecodes: 

(3:31) Neil's Jollibee Experience

(7:38) Brian's Grandma's Larry Bird Rule

(11:35) MMA vs Boxing

(14:30) Brian's First Ballot Boxing Moment

(20:26) Brian's Life Dream

(22:20) Ranking the Rocky Movies

(35:00) "HE SLEPT HIM"

(36:30) The "fix" was in

(40:04) Joe Rogan's Exquisite Color Commentary

(41:24) Aldo's Tears

(49:20) McGregor's Best Microphone Moments

(59:51) McGregor's Ali Comparison

(01:04:28) McGregor's Magic

(01:08:56) Brian's McGregor Tweets

(01:09:41) Neil's X-Factor: The UFC Doc Series 

(01:13:15) Brian's Least Favorite Animal

(01:23:40) The Best Drug in the World

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The Fab Five is arguably one of the greatest and most influential recruiting classes in college basketball history. Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Johnson led Michigan to consecutive NCAA Championship games in 1992 and 1993, with the 1993 title game against UNC being most remembered for Webber's infamous "timeout". Esteemed actor, comedian, and co-head writer of Saturday Night Live, Bryan Tucker joins the pod to determine if the 1993 NCAA Championship Game is worthy of the First Ballot Hall of Fame, his favorite athletes to host SNL, his UNC Mount Rushmore, and his favorite "Big White Lunk". 

Timecodes:

(7:27) Bryan's Best SNL Sports Sketches

(10:16) SNL Athlete Standouts

(11:37) Bryan "hates" Funny Athletes

(13:00) Bryan's Childhood and Comedy vs. Sports

(15:34) Gerald Henderson bashing Tyler Hansbrough's nose

(17:20) UNC beating Duke in Coach K's last game

(20:53) Surviving the SNL schedule

(24:13) Bryan's Favorite "Big White Lunk" 

(31:41) The superstitions of sports fans and the UNC bench creating bedlam

(38:28) The cleanest aesthetics in college basketball

(45:44) The chaos of being a fan

(47:12) The greatest NCAA Championship moments

(48:03) Bryan's big break

(51:21) Neil's proposition to Bryan

(55:37) Bryan's Favorite Breakfast Sweet

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In 1993, Yankees' pitcher Jim Abbott became a baseball legend throwing a no-hitter with ONE HAND. Legendary comedy writer Alison Agosti re-joins the pod to talk about Abott's one-handed no-hitter, what she would do if she was rich, and her favorite item at Trader Joe's.

Showtime Codes: 

(04:38) Alison Agosti Returns! 

(05:40) Surviving the Writers Strike 

(07:11) If You Were Rich… 

(08:35) Neil’s Restaurant Timbs 

(15:47) Manny Ramirez Deserves the HOF 

(17:57) More Stats on Jim Abbott 

(18:50) Jim Abbott Got Rocked and Ran Away! 

(22:42) Did The Yankees Bad Hitting Help Jim Stay Hot 

(25:27) Neil’s World Changing Revolutionary Baseball Idea 

(28:25) Jim's Baseball Reference Page 

(30:27) Jim Abbott Deserves A Movie 

(33:14) Admiring Jim’s Hand Glove Transfer 

(36:14) Jim’s High Fives 

(37:07) In Appreciation of Your Hands 

(40:37) The Crowd Gets Into The Moment 

(43:10) Do You Like Unwritten Baseball Rules 

(45:10) Mike Mussina’s Perfect Game Gets Broken Up 

(46:15) The Call: Final Out Of Jim’s No-Hitter 

(47:09) “We’re Not Gonna Take It” 

(52:20) Different Shoes and Tiger Sharks 

(57:22) Burning Questions: Was Jim Born Left-Handed? 

(01:01:29) Happy Father's Day from Jim Abbott 

(01:05:26) George Steinbrenner’s Comments 

(01:09:02) Alison loves Wendy's Baked Potato 

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