In The Building

H-E-B is now the official grocery store of the Dallas Cowboys, and the partnership immediately gets Mike thinking about the Spurs. H-E-B’s funny player-driven commercials have been part of Spurs culture for years, so seeing Dak Prescott, Brandon Aubrey and the Cowboys getting similar treatment feels a little strange. Rudy puts on his business hat and makes the obvious point: partnering with the Cowboys gives H-E-B enormous reach as the company continues expanding in North Texas.

Then comes some potential hope for Cowboys fans. A profile of Stephen Jones has Mike reconsidering what Dallas could look like whenever Jerry Jones is no longer running the football operation. Mike and Rudy discuss Stephen's differences from his father, the famous Johnny Manziel draft-room story and comments from Troy Aikman and Darren Woodson suggesting things could look very different under Stephen. Add Mike's growing optimism about the current Cowboys roster, and suddenly the future in Dallas doesn't sound so bad.

Episode 634 is heavy on the Cowboys, but for once there’s actually some optimism attached. H-E-B is betting big on Dallas, Mike sees reasons to believe in the current team, and the Stephen Jones conversation raises a bigger question about whether the Cowboys could eventually become a more traditionally run NFL franchise. Meanwhile, Wemby keeps doing Wemby things overseas, and the devastating situation in Nepal provides a sobering turn late in the show.

#InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #StephenJones #JerryJones #DakPrescott #HEB #NFL #NFLNews #VictorWembanyama #Wemby #SanAntonioSpurs #Spurs #FranceBasketball #NBA #Nepal #SanAntonio #TexasSports #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #Pelon #SportsTalk #SportsPodcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

College sports kicks off the show by getting Mike fired up. After players who went through NFL training camps started finding paths back to college football, the major conferences moved quickly to shut the door. Mike and Rudy question how college sports can react almost immediately when administrators want a rule changed, yet NIL, player compensation and eligibility issues have spent years operating in chaos. Their bigger argument is simple: if players have eligibility remaining and are effectively being paid as part of the modern college sports business, why shouldn't they be allowed to return?

The Dolphins then manage to accomplish something Mike and Rudy don't do very often: make Jerry Jones look pretty damn good. Miami's enormous dead-money situation leads the guys through a team-by-team comparison of NFL front offices, and they conclude Dallas' operation isn't nearly as dysfunctional as Cowboys fans sometimes make it out to be. They even argue that over the last couple of years, Dallas has made several moves that look exactly like what you'd want from an organization trying to win.

Then Mike tells the story of accidentally discovering Victoria's Black Swan Inn, one of San Antonio's famously creepy properties. What started as a Friday-night market trip turns into abandoned buses, peacocks, eerie buildings, local folklore, a mysterious dog and enough weirdness that the crew is already talking about potentially taking ITB there for Episode 666.

Episode 633 has a common thread running through a lot of the chaos: follow the money. College sports can move fast when it wants to, the Dolphins are buried under bad financial decisions, the NFL has gone from treating gambling like a mortal sin to signing sportsbook partnerships, and Selena Gomez is fighting allegations involving investor money. Somehow, Mike's haunted-house adventure might be the least crazy part of the show.

#InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #NFL #NFLNews #SportsBetting #CollegeFootball #CollegeSports #NCAA #NIL #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #JerryJones #MiamiDolphins #Dolphins #SelenaGomez #BlackSwanInn #SanAntonio #TCUFootball #LaneKiffin #LSUFootball #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #Pelon #SportsTalk #SportsPodcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The show opens with another tough celebrity goodbye as Mike and Rudy remember Tim Curry, who died at 80. From The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the original It to Home Alone 2, the guys look back at Curry’s unmistakable face, voice and career before the conversation naturally turns into whether 80 is actually “old” anymore and what people can do to keep moving as they age.

Then breaking NFL news hits during the show: the Pro Bowl as we know it is officially dead. Players can still earn the Pro Bowl honor and contractual bonuses, but the actual AFC vs. NFC event is gone. Mike and Rudy have been asking for this for years and argue that recognizing the players and throwing a celebration makes a hell of a lot more sense than forcing everyone to watch a meaningless exhibition.

The Cowboys connection comes through Kelli Finglass, who has been part of the organization since becoming a Cowboys cheerleader in 1984 and has led the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders since 1988. With Finglass discussing the possibility that retirement could eventually be on the horizon, the guys give her a well-earned ITB Reach Around for decades of work and leadership.

Episode 632 goes well beyond the original rundown. What starts with Tim Curry and Cowboys history turns into conversations about aging, Dolly Parton's legacy, the death of the Pro Bowl, Vince Young's complicated football story and what youth sports have become. The biggest question might be whether we're making kids' sports unnecessarily complicated and expensive when the most important thing is simply getting them out there playing.

#InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #KelliFinglass #DCC #NFL #ProBowl #DollyParton #TimCurry #VinceYoung #TexasLonghorns #TexasFootball #CollegeFootball #YouthSports #TravelSports #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #Pelon #SanAntonio #TexasSports #SportsTalk #SportsPodcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The show starts with a little AI chaos before turning to the passing of Dolly Parton and a conversation about what separates a true, generational celebrity from today's influencer culture. Mike and Rudy discuss Dolly's ability to transcend generations, her talent, personality and staying power, before debating whether today's biggest social media stars will still matter decades from now.

Then it's time for sports. Spurs rookie Jayden Quaintance gets spotted at SOAP Laundry with baskets full of clothes, which gives the guys another reason to get excited about San Antonio's young frontcourt. The conversation shifts to college football's latest mess, with players potentially returning to school after NFL opportunities don't work out. The Big Ten wants to fight back, but Mike and Rudy don't understand why a conference would voluntarily prevent itself from adding players who could make its teams better.

The Cowboys also provide one of the day's biggest surprises. Despite the reputation of AT&T Stadium and Jerry Jones, Dallas doesn't crack the top 10 in average NFL ticket prices. Buffalo sits at the top of the list, giving Mike plenty of ammunition against the Bills' blue-collar reputation. Then the crew runs through the new Disney x NFL apparel collection, grading everything from Star Wars and Marvel designs to some truly questionable character-team combinations.

The most serious debate comes from Buffalo, where Josh Allen criticized the media after information surrounding the drowning death of Ed Oliver's young son became public. The guys wrestle with both sides of it: Allen wanting to protect his teammate during an unimaginable tragedy versus reporters doing their jobs when information becomes publicly available. It's a legitimate fair or foul debate about privacy, journalism and whether some stories should simply be left alone.

Episode 631 bounces from Cowboys tickets and college football's increasingly wild free market to Disney merch and a Spurs rookie doing his laundry like a normal 20-year-old. But the Josh Allen and Ed Oliver discussion brings up a much bigger question about where sports journalism ends and basic human decency begins. It's sports, culture, arguments and the usual ITB detours all packed into one show.

#InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #JoshAllen #EdOliver #BuffaloBills #BillsMafia #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #NFL #NFLNews #CollegeFootball #BigTen #NCAA #NIL #JaydenQuaintance #SanAntonioSpurs #Spurs #Wemby #DisneyNFL #Champion #DollyParton #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #Pelon #SanAntonio #TexasSports #SportsTalk #SportsPodcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Cowboys have another viral moment, this time courtesy of Shiyazh Pete. After getting snaps in Dallas’ preseason win over Arizona, Pete delivered an emotional postgame speech to the locker room that Mike and Rudy loved. His story leads to a bigger conversation about Native American heritage, genealogy, the Navajo Code Talkers and whether Pete’s energy and impact on the locker room could help him stick around the organization.

Things get much more serious with CeeDee Lamb. While the Cowboys were away in Phoenix, Lamb’s Dallas-area home was burglarized and roughly $300,000 worth of property was reportedly stolen. That sends the guys into a conversation about athletes being targeted while they’re traveling, home security, inside information and the downside of becoming so famous that normal life starts disappearing.

Back in California, Mike’s Taylor Curse refuses to die. Since his trip to Dodger Stadium, Mike runs through the Dodgers’ run of losses, injuries and other problems and becomes increasingly convinced that his presence did some serious damage. He also gives his review of Dodger Stadium and, despite all the history, comes away less than impressed with the overall fan experience.

The episode also takes a somber turn with the story of San Antonio climber Mallory Geis, whose remains were found after she had been missing following an avalanche during a Himalayan expedition. Her story leads Mike and Rudy into their own experiences with hiking, altitude sickness and the very different breed of person willing to climb some of the world’s highest mountains.

Episode 630 manages to go from an inspirational Cowboys moment to the ugly side of fame, a tragic mountaineering story and another chapter in the Taylor Curse. CeeDee’s burglary gets the guys thinking about what celebrity actually costs, while Shiyazh Pete provides one of the coolest Cowboys moments of the preseason. And if the Dodgers keep falling apart, somebody in Los Angeles might need to officially ban Mike Taylor from the premises.

#InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #CeeDeeLamb #ShiyazhPete #NFL #Cowboys #TaylorCurse #Dodgers #LADodgers #MLB #KobeBryant #MambaDay #MalloryGeis #SanAntonio #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #Pelon #SportsTalk #SportsPodcast #TexasSports

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Anthony Edwards is back in the headlines for something that has absolutely nothing to do with basketball. Mike and Rudy react to a court ordering Edwards to pay $14,000 a month in child support for a three-year-old son he testified he has never met, leading to a bigger conversation about fatherhood, child support and separating an athlete's personal life from what they accomplish on the court. That discussion expands into how social media has changed the way we judge celebrities, athletes and other public figures.

On the football side, former TCU safety Jacob Fields gets the ITB punch after being dismissed from the program following an alleged locker room assault on a teammate. The guys discuss the severity of the incident, questions surrounding how it was handled and Mike's continuing campaign to eventually get Jeff Traylor to Fort Worth.

Then it's time for some Texas music. Following the death of ZZ Top drummer Frank Beard, the guys dig into Texas Highways' list of the 50 greatest Texas recordings, including ZZ Top, Willie Nelson, George Jones, the Geto Boys, Janis Joplin and more. Columbia House shutting down also sends Mike and Rudy straight into nostalgia mode, remembering the days of ordering stacks of CDs and cassettes through the mail and getting in trouble when the bill showed up.

Episode 629 has a little bit of everything: Ant-Man's personal drama, Wemby's apparently never-ending growth spurt, a serious TCU locker room situation, old-school music nostalgia, Texas classics and Mr. T. Somehow it all turns into a bigger conversation about celebrity, social media and whether knowing too much about the people we admire has ruined some of the magic.

#InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #AnthonyEdwards #AntMan #Timberwolves #VictorWembanyama #Wemby #SanAntonioSpurs #Spurs #NBA #TCU #TCUFootball #HornedFrogs #CollegeFootball #JeffTraylor #TexasMusic #ZZTop #GetoBoys #WillieNelson #GeorgeStrait #MrT #ColumbiaHouse #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #SanAntonio #SportsPodcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike Taylor had himself a day at City Hall. While representing SAS Shoes for the company's 50th anniversary recognition, Mike found himself addressing San Antonio City Council with Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones staring him down from across the room. The guys revisit the Project Marvel fight, the council members who opposed it, and why Mike says he's not willing to judge an elected official's entire career based on one vote. Oh, and while he was there, the city officially moved forward with changing César Chávez Boulevard back to Durango.

Meanwhile, UTSA has a legitimate IT nightmare on its hands. An attempted cybersecurity breach forced campus technology systems and online services offline, delaying the start of the fall semester. Mike, Rudy and Pelón try to figure out who the hell decides to hack an entire university, especially one known for its cybersecurity program.

Then football takes over. A court ruling could potentially allow rookies who sign with NFL teams but get cut to return to college and pursue another year of eligibility. That means cut day could suddenly send players back toward college football and NIL opportunities instead of NFL practice squads. The guys aren't blaming the players for taking advantage of the system. Their message is simple: if you don't like the loopholes, make better rules.

Episode 628 starts at San Antonio City Hall and somehow ends with Rowdy potentially being responsible for 30 years of Cowboys misery. In between, UTSA gets knocked offline, college football finds another potential loophole, Jimmy Johnson brings receipts, and Scottie Scheffler's money has Rudy asking why professional golfers are ever angry. Just another completely normal day In The Building.

#InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #Rowdy #JimmyJohnson #NFL #NFLCutDay #CollegeFootball #NCAA #NIL #UTSA #BirdsUp #SanAntonio #SanAntonioCityCouncil #ProjectMarvel #ScottieScheffler #TigerWoods #RoryMcIlroy #PGA #TexasFootball #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #Pelon #SportsTalk #SportsPodcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trevon Diggs has another opportunity, this time in Seattle, and Mike and Rudy wonder if landing with a talented, no-nonsense organization could be exactly the wake-up call he needs. The guys look back at Diggs' Cowboys tenure, the talent that earned him a massive contract, the distractions that followed, and why sometimes getting fired or cut is what finally forces an athlete to get his career back on track.

Then Mike's long drive home from Dallas sparks one of the more personal conversations on ITB. Is the classic "midlife crisis" actually a crisis, or are people in their 40s and 50s finally reaching a point where they can start doing things for themselves? Mike and Rudy introduce the idea of "midlife enlightenment" while opening up about leaving traditional sports radio, building In The Building, career uncertainty, family, money and why neither would trade their current freedom to go back.

The show also gets into the deadly impact of extreme heat in Europe, where a lack of widespread air conditioning creates a much different situation than Texans are used to. Then Christian Bale earns the ITB Reach Around for spearheading a $22 million foster care village in California designed to help keep siblings together instead of separating them in the foster system.

Episode 627 starts with Trevon Diggs and somehow becomes a conversation about what happens when you realize life is moving fast. Between Mike and Rudy reflecting on leaving radio, taking chances, spending time with family and refusing to wait to enjoy life, there's a little more substance than usual mixed in with the normal ITB insanity. And yes, somehow the conversation also includes man wigs, leg-lengthening surgery and whether grown men should sleep naked.

#InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #TrevonDiggs #SeattleSeahawks #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #NFL #MidlifeCrisis #MidlifeEnlightenment #ChristianBale #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #Pelon #SanAntonio #SportsTalk #SportsPodcast #TexasSports #PGA #RoryMcIlroy #LIVGolf #YouTubePodcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike is broadcasting from his hometown of Fort Worth, and being back in the Metroplex immediately forces him to reconsider years of trashing San Antonio drivers. Dallas traffic, Austin traffic, New York mass transit and the insanity of getting around major cities kick off the show before the guys get into a Cowboys team that suddenly has Mike feeling dangerously optimistic. Von Miller is officially in Dallas on a one-year deal, and Mike and Rudy love the low-risk addition of a future Hall of Fame pass rusher who says he can still "roll out of bed and get sacks."

Back in San Antonio, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones' continued push against Project Marvel gets hammered by Mike and Rudy after City Council votes down the effort to put the issue back on the ballot. The guys argue the voters and council have now spoken and it's time to move forward. The frustration gets strong enough for Mike to declare the mayor an early favorite for ITB's annual D-Bag of the Year tournament.

Meanwhile, Roger Goodell says he has "no doubt" the NFL will eventually have teams outside the United States, sparking a debate over whether permanent franchises in Europe could actually work. In Los Angeles, the Buss family is reportedly divided over control of the Lakers, while the guys discuss why the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard may avoid major punishment if there's no evidence directly connecting Steve Ballmer to the alleged payments at the center of the controversy.

Episode 626 goes from San Antonio politics to international NFL expansion, Lakers dysfunction, Kawhi drama and a Cowboys team that's slowly sucking Mike back in. Throw in Dallas traffic, ZZ Top, lifetime chickens from Von Miller and the possibility of an ITB jam session, and the show finds plenty of ways to get off the rails before Mike gets kicked out of his temporary Fort Worth studio.

#InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #KawhiLeonard #LAClippers #SteveBallmer #NBA #LosAngelesLakers #Lakers #JeanieBuss #NFL #RogerGoodell #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #VonMiller #DakPrescott #SanAntonio #ProjectMarvel #SanAntonioSpurs #Spurs #GinaOrtizJones #ZZTop #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #SportsTalk #SportsPodcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Cowboys add another big name to the defense with Von Miller, and ITB gives the move two enthusiastic thumbs up. Mike and Rudy explain why a low-risk deal for a veteran pass rusher makes sense, especially after Miller recorded 9.5 sacks last season in a part-time role. Nobody expects prime Von Miller, but adding his pass-rushing ability, experience and championship pedigree has Mike feeling even more confident about Dallas heading into the season. He's even leaning toward picking the Cowboys to win the NFC East.

The conversation then gets futuristic when Mike shares video of a Walmart order being delivered directly to a home by drone. That leads to a bigger discussion about Waymo, AI, automation, disappearing jobs and why younger generations may need to seriously consider learning skilled trades. The technology train isn't coming back to the station, so the question becomes how people adapt to it.

LeBron James is adapting just fine. The guys welcome LeBron to YouTube after he launches a golf-focused channel and racks up hundreds of thousands of subscribers almost immediately. That sparks a larger conversation about athletes becoming content creators, why having a famous name doesn't automatically make a great podcast, and the difference between celebrity-driven content and people who have spent years learning how to entertain an audience.

Episode 625 goes from the Cowboys' newest pass rusher to the future of technology in a hurry. Von Miller has Mike's Cowboys confidence climbing, LeBron is officially coming for the YouTube algorithm, and drones are already dropping packages in people's backyards. Add some Aggie roasting, old-school Cowboys stories and a debate about athlete podcasts, and it's another appropriately chaotic day In The Building.

#InTheBuilding #ITBPodcast #VonMiller #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #Cowboys #NFL #NFCeast #LeBronJames #LeBron #YouTube #NBA #Golf #TommyJohn #TexasAM #Aggies #AI #DroneDelivery #MikeTaylor #RudyJay #SanAntonio #TexasSports #SportsTalk #SportsPodcast

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.