The 33rd inaugural episode begins with Turtle’s manual-transmission driving gloves and somehow develops into a graduate seminar on Jeep culture, where Panda Dan admits he’s essentially duckless and the crew spends several legally inadvisable minutes defining mutual ducking, tri-ducks, duck exclusivity, and the shocking possibility that the Western Hemisphere itself is a duck. The Phillies then use the completely meaningless but spiritually binding fact that the 1980, 2008 and 2026 teams all sat at 64–56 after 120 games to guarantee another World Series, before Chase Utley’s Wall of Fame ceremony becomes an ageism tribunal, a Pat Burrell grooming appreciation society, and a Kevin Costner filmography test nobody studied for. Eventually football arrives, where Darius Cooper and Willie Lampkin become the official Set Hike! preseason hype train, Lemon is declared a bust approximately seven years before anyone should be allowed to say that, and Lane Johnson’s possible last ride sends the entire offensive-line discussion plunging into an unstoppable series of Johnson jokes. The brand-new Set Hike! voicemail line then fulfills its technological destiny when children immediately use it to investigate Dr. TAT’s fart volume, before Stat Boy closes the case with Stellantis corrections, vintage Phillies fan-club archaeology, Savannah Bananas acrobatics and one final command: grab your ducks, give yourself a Jeep wave, and go Birds.

Key Topics Discussed

00:21 — Turtle the Manual Man

04:38 — The Jeep Wave Constitution

09:29 — If You Jeep Wave, They Will Duck

13:55 — Mutual Ducking & the Tri-Duck

19:01 — Phillies Fan-Group Archaeology

19:42 — The 64–56 World Series Prophecy

22:54 — Chase Utley’s Wall of Fame Roast

29:58 — Field of Dreams & Iowa Ghostbusters

33:26 — Hollywood Voice Mount Rushmore

38:59 — Eagles Training Camp & WR Battles

47:06 — Lane Johnson’s Last Ride

50:15 — All In on Willie Lampkin

57:33 — Eagles vs. Ravens & Advanced Crow Science

1:02:42 — Fan Mail, LeBron & “Big Colors”

1:07:40 — The Set Hike! Hotline Delivers

Statistics & Facts

• Chrysler is still in business; its parent company is Stellantis — and Jeep's parent company is also Stellantis.
• "Jeep Ducking" is described as a real global phenomenon: Jeep owners leave small rubber ducks on other Jeeps as a random act of kindness/acknowledgment.
• After 120 games, the 1980 Phillies were 64–56, the 2008 Phillies were 64–56, and the 2026 Phillies were also 64–56 — both 1980 and 2008 ended in World Series titles.
• Savannah Bananas trivia: the team reportedly sold out Citizens Bank Park ("the bank") two days in a row; a player named Robert Anthony Cruz ("RAC"; a former MLB player with the Nationals) recently landed a trick called the "Iron Lotus" — a flip with a twist, catching the ball backhanded. https://www.instagram.com/reels/DbzLhofI6hn/
• Birds returner Brit Covey reportedly ran a "hammy route" during OTAs — faking a hamstring injury mid-route as a decoy move. https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZv3Jl5NjHL/
• Crows: reportedly have intelligence comparable to a 7-year-old human or a great ape; high neuron density lets them make tools, recognize human faces, and understand water displacement. 

Memorable Quotes

"I'm gonna be on Broad Street in about two and a half months from now celebrating Philadelphia Phillies World Series... I think we're going four for four this year, folks." - Dr. TAT

"I drive a Jeep." - Panda Dan

"So you know the Eagles have Manion Man, we have Manual Man... So we gotta call him Turtle the Manual Man." - Panda Dan

"Who would you like to duck you?" - Stat Boy

"Dude, I'm telling you... Darius Cooper is a stud. He's gonna have a breakout season." - Dr. TAT

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The 32nd inaugural episode begins with a formal attempt to repair diplomatic relations with the duck-joke community, but mutates into a graduate-level NFL training-camp seminar before AJ Epenesa’s nocturnal snake herping hobby kicks the door off the hinges and sends the entire show screaming into reptilian hell. Dr. TAT relives the moment he accidentally grabbed a live Delco driveway snake, Panda Dan reveals that apparently every young man must complete one government-mandated “snake tour,” and Stat Boy is forcibly rebranded as Snake Boy while Snakes on a Plane, Anaconda, and Hollywood's mandatory hip-hop casting requirements consume a wildly irresponsible percentage of a sports podcast. Eventually, the crew remembers sports exist and staggers back toward Eagles training camp (part II), investigates Atlanta’s fourth-string quarterback and Joel Embiid’s allegedly asymmetrical slimming anatomy. Before Snake Boy can open the correction ledger, Set Hike!’s R&D Department unveils its greatest invention yet and launches the show into a completely new level of unnecessary technological advancement, a twist so structurally ambitious it has Christopher Nolan asking for a whiteboard and a nap.

Key Topics Discussed

00:21 — Butt Quacks Me Up

01:45 — Hard Knocks, Eagles Nostalgia & NFL August 

06:50 — Old-School Football Camp & the Legend of Sharkhurst 

09:20 — Training Camp Is Actually Summer School 

15:46 — Eagles Camp: Taye Wicks, Injuries & WR Depth 

18:45 — Where in Pennsylvania Is Lane Johnson? 

26:43 — Vic Fangio, AJ Epenesa & the Eagles Defense 

28:31 — Everybody Has a Night-Snake Phase 

33:30 — Snakes on a Plane, Anaconda & Mr. Cube 

41:33 — Black Mambas, Super-Sharks & Late-'90s Animal Cinema 

44:55 — Set Hike! Becomes a Sea Lion Podcast 

47:01 — Atlanta’s Fourth-String QB & Eagles Preseason 

49:30 — Listener Sound-Offs, Fantasy Punishments & Baseball Chaos 

58:42 — 234-SET-HIKE & Snake Boy’s Corrections

Statistics & Facts

• Hard Knocks history: Ravens were the first team featured (2001), Cowboys have appeared 4 times (3 individually + 1 division-wide). Eagles have only appeared once, as part of the NFC East division format (2025); 2026's features the Seahawks. 
• The Ultimate Grand Slam - Only 34 walk-off grand slams have occurred in MLB history; only 15 of those came with two outs, making this rarer than a perfect game.
• Eric Bruntlett recorded the last unassisted triple play in MLB, in 2009; roughly 15 unassisted triple plays have occurred in MLB history.
• The hobby of hunting snakes is called "herping"
• The Inland Taipan is cited as the world's most venomous snake. 

Memorable Quotes

"I actually think it's like one of the best movie magic things is that you can make Tom Cruise look tall in movies." - Dr. TAT

"I mean, I'm not worried about Lane, he's an Amish Lancaster warrior. " - Panda Dan

"It says an FBI agent takes on a plane full of deadly venomous snakes, deliberately released to kill a witness being flown from Honolulu to Los Angeles to testify against a mob boss. " - Stat Boy reveals the plot of Snakes on a Plane

"I like to think right now Lane Johnson is, you know, enjoying some Hershey's chocolate and just kind of just drinking like a Tröegs' sunshine pills near it." - Dr. TAT speculates on Lane Johnson's whereabouts

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Set Hike! starts off with a BANG, celebrating its **inaugural** 31st episode by immediately setting what experts are calling the fastest statistical correction in sports-comedy podcast history, naturally segueing into compelling prime numbers talk, knuckle-based calendars, seasonal punching fists, Atlantic City bachelor-party archaeology, and a shockingly serious investigation into whether anyone has ever willingly bet roulette number 31. As Philadelphia transforms into LeBron City, Panda Dan delivers possibly the least enthusiastic superstar welcome in sports-comedy podcast history, Eagles training camp is here (rejoice!), and Stat Boy explores the financial mechanics of being mummified in your own life savings. But the true star is MC and The Sauce, a Chester County beer-league hockey operation built on pizza branding, A.I. (i.e., Antonio Intelligence) analytics, a whopping 16.7% power play, and the revolutionary draft strategy of selecting every guy who has previously injured you. By the end, the crew has debated Italian pasta sauces, sounds-off on LeBron's helicopter commute, famous babies, Hands on a Hard Body, a 13th month named “Secon-dary,” and produced what Dr. TAT himself concedes may be “one of the worst duck joke podcasts we've ever had.”

Key Topics Discussed

00:21 — The **Inaugural** 31st Episode & Calendar Chaos

05:27 — Fall Fists, Atlantic City & Ducktown

10:06 — Roulette, LOST Numbers & Casino Degeneracy

14:40 — LeBron to Philly: Panda Has Mixed Emotions

21:58 — Welcome to LeBron City!

31:31 — Eagles Training Camp & The Two Jalens

35:49 — Money Mummies & Guest Relations Problems

37:19 — MC Joins the Show: Welcome to The Sauce

42:45 — Beer-League Hockey, AI Awards & Bolognese

52:31 — Sauce vs. Gravy & Crimes Against Italian

59:48 — Slay, LeBron Transit & Famous Babies

01:06:55 — Hands on a Hard Body & Piss-Hand Strategy

01:12:00 — Calendar Reform, Duck Jokes & Setto Haiku!

Statistics & Facts

• Months with 31 days: January, March, May, July, August, October, December (per the "knuckle method" Stat Boy walked through).
• Roulette: betting a single number pays 35-to-1 odds; the 0 and 00 give the house its edge. 31 is a black number on the wheel.
• MC flew LeBron around Philly in a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, per the bit — hot spots mentioned: Diamond Cabaret, Philip's Steaks, Pizza 50s, and Coco's Gelato in Aldan, PA.
• Ducktown (Atlantic City's nicknamed) — Earned the name for being settled heavily by Italian immigrants and duck farmers in the early 1900s.
• The Lost numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) all correspond to retired Yankees numbers, 

Memorable Quotes

"I have a lot of respect for LeBron James... never had any issues in his career as far as just seems like a great guy, you know, great family guy. Honored that he chose Philadelphia... it's great for the city, it's great for the fans. " - Panda Dan

...here comes the BUT...

"The concern is that LeBron... it's all gonna revolve around LeBron and can LeBron win another finals, not the Sixers. And yeah, I'm just a little worried about that." - Panda Dan

"It's a fantasy league for old fat guys [playing] hockey." - MC

"A bipartisan sub shop. This is fantastic." - Stat Boy

"I would like to congratulate the 2027 NBA championship winning Philadelphia 76ers... I've already bought my tickets for the parade." - Dr. TAT

"It's time to get sauced or get lost!" - MC

****************************************

Huge thanks to MC, player/GM of The Sauce, for joining us and bringing beer-league hockey, elite-level Bolognese analytics, and the “get sauced or get lost!” mentality to Set Hike! Follow The Sauce on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/wc.sauce/ and learn more about the Ice Line Intermediate League at https://icelinequadrinks.com/leagues/adult/intermediate-league/.

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With Eagles training camp quickly approaching, Set Hike! has reached the dangerous part of summer where Ancient Greek literature, Eagles roster projections, and fantasy football delusions all intersect. Naturally, the crew sends LeBron on an MJ-esque, spite-fueled Last Dance, plagiarizes The Odyssey into the inevitable Set Hike! Productions masterpiece The Pizza Odyssey, and deconstructs Shanahan's (Mike's) NFL coaching tree that somehow contains flowers, bramble bushes, weeds, and Nick Sirianni scampering around like a squirrel. Meanwhile, the Eagles offensive line becomes an anatomy joke, Zulu Nation begins accepting laminated résumés for a fantasy football league vacancy, and Turtle proposes a third-place NFL game so offensive that FIFA itself is nearly banned from the podcast for eternity (and may God have mercy on your soul, Turtle). The mailbag wraps up with an epic blind coaching résumé showdown that pits some serious football royalty head-to-head-to-head. By the end, championships are counted, suspicions are raised, and Set Hike! once again proves that no résumé is safe once Stat Boy fires up the spreadsheets...

Key Topics Discussed

00:21 — Jermaine Mayberry Correction & the Dog Days of Summer

02:51 — LeBron Rumors, Retirement Cities, & his Last Dance

11:47 — The Odyssey, Blomo & 3,000-Year-Old Spoilers

17:35 — The Pizza Odyssey & Matt Damon vs. Brad Pitt

22:24 — Scylla, Charybdis & the Trolley Problem

24:40 — Eagles Training Camp: QB Battles & Roster Questions

31:37 — Eagles Defense & the Great Coaching Tree Debate

39:10 — NFL Copycats and 20th Season of Zulu Nation Fantasy Football

57:33 — Turtle’s NFL Third-Place Game Proposal

01:04:12 — The Blind Coaching Résumé Showdown

01:12:12 — Corrections, Low-IQ NFL History & the Football Water Slide

Statistics & Facts

• Michael Jordan previously owned part of the Charlotte Hornets; sold his stake in 2023, having owned it from 2010–2023
• LeBron's business/ownership history: acquired a 2% stake in Liverpool FC in 2011 for roughly $50 million; in 2021 he converted that into equity in Fenway Sports Group (Liverpool's parent company, which also owns the Boston Red Sox)
• Homer (not Simpson) is traditionally credited as the author of The Odyssey, though it originated as oral tradition
• Tank Bigsby — incorrectly listed by NFL.com as 23 years old; Stat Boys solves World hunger by noting he's actually currently 24, turning 25 at the end of August 2026
• Sydney Brown (nicknamed "the cruise missile" / "human battering ram") is no longer on the Eagles — now with the Atlanta Falcons
• Mike Shanahan (father) coached the Washington Redskins from 2010–2013
  Assistant coaches under him at the time included: son Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur (now Packers HC), Mike McDaniel (Dolphins HC), Sean McVay (Rams HC), and Raheem Morris (fired as Falcons HC last year)
• 
  

Memorable Quotes

"Like likable or a fight?" - Panda Dan seeking clarity on the Matt Damon v. Brad Pitt debate

"Likeable, Brad Pitt, fight, probably Matt Damon." - Panda Dan's official stance 1-second later on the Matt Damon v. Brad Pitt debate

"I'm going to the Washington Wizards. I'm pulling a Jordan. I'm going to the Washington Wizards as LeBron, but I'm going to win it. I'm going to prove something that Jordan could not do. " - Stat Boy

"I think about Scylla and Charybdis, I often think about Eagles football. I think of Scylla as the passing game and Charybdis as the running game... you can't have too much of either and you have to navigate both. " - Dr. TAT

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After 28 consecutive days of contractually mandated podcast PTO, Set Hike! returns with rejuvenated vocal cords, a suspicious number of stat conventions, and an urgent investigation into why basketball rims at a multi-purpose public pool—now officially an “MP³”—reject jump shots like a nightclub with a dress code. The crew catches up on World Cup heartbreak, Philadelphia’s MLB All-Star carnival, Jordan Walker’s magenta-ball uprising, Eagles training camp, and the suspicious multi-league Brown exchange involving AJ, Jaylen, four franchises, multiple colors, and possibly one shared grandfather. Fan mail forces the hosts to sing every nostalgic sports theme song they can partially remember, investigate the underused verb “spangle,” and decide whether a silverback gorilla or five Kobe Bryant Black Mambas would be the better mall companion. Stat Boy eventually convenes corrections court to explain D.P. Dough, locate present day Pat "The Bat" Burrell, re-remember Roy Halladay's All-Star greatness, and take a stroll down memory lane with "Truck Driver" Sam Rayburn—the 2000's Eagles defensive lineman who apparently crawled so Beau Allen could walk. 

Key Topics Discussed

00:22 — Set Hike!’s Back…Tell a Friend

02:48 — MP³: Multi-Purpose Public Pool Basketball 

08:54 — Steel Field and the Hardest Rims in Havertown 

12:42 — Dr. Green Returns, Plus Penn State Food Memories 

19:13 — World Cup Recap and Belgium Breaks America Again 

24:56 — Philadelphia’s MLB All-Star Takeover 

30:42 — Phillies Legends, Mailata and the Home Run Derby 

41:43 — Eagles Training Camp Preview 

44:38 — The Great AJ–Jaylen Brown Multi-League Trade 

53:14 — Sixers Chemistry, LeBron Rumors and Drake Maye Doubt 

56:57 — Wimbledon, McGregor, Wildfire Smoke and Bison Court 

1:01:02 — Fan Mail: Greatest Sports Theme Songs 

1:10:44 — Drew Titsworth and the Lost Art of Spangling 

1:13:32 — Gorilla vs. Five Black Mambas? Someone Get Jerry on the Line.

1:19:27 — Stat Boy’s Corrections Court

Statistics & Facts

• The crew is required to take 28-days PTO every summer, taken consecutively.
• 2026 All-Star Game starting pitchers: last Blue Jay to start was Roy Halladay in 2009; last Phillie to start was Roy Halladay in 2011 — so Halladay started for both teams historically.
• Kevin Durant reportedly attended the Home Run Derby and called Boston, New York, and Philly fans the most passionate.
• If LeBron James joined the Sixers or Warriors he'd be first player to win a title with four different teams.
• Sam Rayburn (Hank Rayburn) identified as the undrafted Eagles defensive tackle (Tulsa) known for a "truck driver" sack celebration, played for the Eagles roughly 2003–2006 (noted as "306" in transcript, likely a mis-transcription).
• D.P. Dough origin: named after founders "Dan" and "Penny", founded mid-1980s as a college-town calzone chain; closest location to the group is in Delaware at UDel
• Pat Burrell
  • 2008 World Series stats: 52 plate appearances, .227 batting average, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 13 strikeouts, 8 walks
  • 2010 World Series (with Giants): ~49 plate appearances, .143 average
  • Was the Phillies' hitting coach for the Giants organization in 2024–2025; recently moved to a different front-office role after a GM change

Memorable Quotes

"I don’t take a vow of silence. I do talk, but I don’t talk to other people. I just talk to myself during that time." - Panda Dan regarding how he spends his Set Hike!'s mandatory PTO

"Oh, now that we're talking, we're talking a real American sport, right? Hitting home runs, baby!" - Stat Boy

"I would just watch it and be like, ‘Circle button…square button." - Panda Dan

"I would love to see Steph Curry in a multi-purpose public pool play pig and see how he does." - Dr. TAT

"I mean, I'm looking at it now, I turned my head, and it it looks like the bottom of a multi-purpose public pool..." - Stat Boy regarding Panda Dan's stylish trashcan

"I’ve actually never listened to Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship’s podcast. It’s like a rival podcast." - Panda Dan

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Do you want the good news or bad news first?...The Good news: the crew acquire yet another World-famous guest like they’re building a sports-chaos Avengers roster, this time calling Ryan Winchester after his mathematically absurd two-hole-in-one round at Rolling Green — immediately christened "The Double Winchester." Ryan calmly explains the miracle while the hosts try to process it through golf balls as jewelry, saint canonization math, and whether Jack Nicklaus needs to knight him with a 7-iron. Now, the Bad news: from there, the episode swerves into World Cup confusion, corporate hydration-break conspiracies, VAR turning referees into Google Glass cyborgs, and Stat Boy pitching a five-and-a-half-hour blockbuster called "Bourne Mistaken Identity". The back half somehow steers us back to Eagles roster therapy, updates recent peanut-butter-and-jelly NFLPA relations, play-by-play announcer theology, and one final prayer for the Kiwis.

Key Topics Discussed

01:26 — Knicks Trauma sans Turtle & World Cup Mode

03:35 — Soccer League Pop Quiz Goes Internationally Wrong

08:53 — Ryan Winchester Joins & Delivers the Birth of "The Double Winchester"(™)

14:13 — The 71/72 Scorecard Clarification

21:41 — Witnesses, Caddies & Facebook Troll Justice

24:54 — Ryan’s U.S. Open Picks & Rolling Green Destiny

27:02 — Golf Ball Jewelry, Truck Nuts & Saint Winchester

32:31 — World Cup Recap: Kiwis, Just, Messi & Hydration Breaks

38:37 — Stat Boy Pitches: Bourne Mistaken Identity

48:24 — Eagles Good News/Bad News & PB&J Locker Room Theories

58:45 — Listener Mail: Greatest Play-by-Play Announcers

01:15:11 — Corrections, Broadcast Rankings & Final World Cup Sendoff

Statistics & Facts

• Joe Tryon-Shoyinka retired after signing with the Eagles.
• The Sixers announcing team (Kate Scott, Tom McGuinness, Alaa Abdelnaby, Karin Haischer) was ranked 29th out of 30 NBA teams by the website Awful Announcing
  •  The Knicks announcing team (Mike Breen, Walt Frazier, Wally Szczerbiak) ranked #1
• The World Cup introduced hydration breaks for the first time this year — two per game, splitting each half into quarters — instituted as a player safety measure but tied to Powerade sponsorship
• VAR (Video Assistant Referee) — also discussed; refs now use sideline cameras during offsides reviews
  • A VAR "mistaken identity" incident occurred during the World Cup (yellow card shown to wrong player)
•  Approximately 108 to 117 billion humans have ever lived on Earth
  • Current world population is ~8.3 billion — roughly 7% of all humans who ever lived

Memorable Quotes

"Yeah, it's probably that." (on the studio sounding better without Turtle)  - Panda Dan

"The people who hate Joe Buck are simpletons." - Dr. TAT

"I'm putting my TAT stamp that AJ Epenesa is going to be an impact player for us at some point this year." - Dr. TAT

"I joke that I age like fine wine. " - Ryan Winchester

"Pound for pound, ferrets are one of the strongest animals on the planet." - Stat Boy

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Turtle arrives dressed like the founding father of Knicks anxiety in a pair of extra-medium Knickerbockers, and the boys immediately turn the NBA playoffs into a celebrity loyalty investigation involving Spike Lee, Ozempic Joe, courtside beer hazards, and the unsung battlefield heroism of NBA mop guys. The episode then somehow becomes a Supreme Court case on horse rights, where Dr. TAT defends Spurs fandom by arguing the spur itself is innocent, Baltimore remains bad for equine morale, and the Triple Crown may be collapsing under the weight of rest days and unpaid horse labor. From there, Set Hike!’s analytics department reveals the podcast may be internationally huge in Nuremberg and spiritually monitored by one mysterious Boardman, Oregon listener, which naturally leads Turtle into a World Cup explainer featuring Team USA expectations, Hessian trauma, New Zealand sheep nationalism, and Europeans discovering Buc-ee’s like it’s an alien civilization. The mailbag closes things out with Eagles first-touchdown trivia, Computer Scott’s deranged spelling bee, and a teenage golfer hitting two holes-in-one while winning bar credit he cannot legally use — because on this show, even golf achievements come with paperwork and underage beverage restrictions. 

Key Topics Discussed

00:19 — Extra Medium Knickerbockers & Celebrity Fan Audits

10:53 — Ripken the Tee Dog and Sports Job Power Rankings

14:20 — Knicks vs. Spurs and the Pants Curse

17:04 — More Horse Rights, Spurs Fandom, and Elite Set Hike! Media Training

20:35 — Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown Breakdown

26:03 — Boardman Oregon Returns from the Podcast Wilderness

28:01 — Nuremberg Germany Becomes a Set Hike Stronghold

33:21 — Turtle’s World Cup 101

40:45 — When Dr. TAT Joins the Soccer Bandwagon

45:26 — Hessians, George Washington, and German Listener Damage Control

55:16 — Set Hike! Officially Adopts New Zealand

01:00:20 — Per the uge: Eagles Mini-Camp, Stem Cells, and Football Conditioning

01:04:59 — Fan Mail! featuring Computer Scott’s Spelling Bee from Hell

01:22:45 — Stat Boy’s World Cup Fact Avalanche & Delco makes Golf History!

Statistics & Facts

• The New York Knicks last won a championship during the Nixon administration (1973)
• The $5 million Triple Crown bonus has been discontinued
• USA's best-ever World Cup finish: quarterfinals in 1994 (also went deep in 2002)
• USA is +5,500 to win; longest odds teams (South Africa, Uzbekistan, Panama, Haiti, etc.) are +250,000
• Philadelphia bars will be staying open until 4 a.m. for World Cup matches 
• No country has won back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962
• All-time there have been 84 unique participating nations
  • 54 of those 84 have reached the quarterfinals or further
  • Only 8 unique World Cup winners ever: Uruguay, Italy, Germany (incl. West Germany), Brazil, England, Argentina, France, and Spain
• By PGA standards, two hole-in-ones in single round was statistically expected to happen once every 600 years (~1 in 20 million) 

Memorable Quotes

"I think Spain will win. I know they're the front runner, but yeah — a lot of respect for La Liga and Real Madrid and Barcelona and just great soccer. But I want New Zealand too. I'm rooting for New Zealand. " - Panda Dan

"There's more sheep in New Zealand than people. So all the sheep should celebrate watching the humans win." - Dr. TAT

"Extra medium is extra nice." - Turtle

"The media training we have here at Set Hike is top-notch. The way he navigated that question — it was fantastic. I've never heard anything like it." - Stat Boy

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The boys begin Episode 26 by mourning the completely real and definitely-not-made-up departure of AJ Brown to New England, triggering a full-scale Philadelphia sports grief spiral before somehow landing an interview with legendary children's author Jerry Pallotta. What follows is 30 minutes of animal warfare, gorilla propaganda, killer whale facts, and the revelation that a king cobra might be the most problematic snake in recorded history. Jerry casually drops stories about attending the greatest games in sports history, writing 31+ books, visiting 4,000 schools, and researching crocodiles launching themselves out of the water like reptilian missiles. After the animal kingdom has been thoroughly debated, the listener mailbag takes center stage with a series of impossible sports challenges. Naturally, the conversation immediately veers into college Christmas tree crimes, dorm-room archaeology, and calculations proving Set Hike would need roughly 77 more years to reach 4,000 episodes. The Eagles' AJ Brown era may be over, but the era of non-fictional gorilla supremacy has never been stronger.

Key Topics Discussed

00:08 — Episode 26, June Rankings & The Jumble of Junettes

09:30 — Eagles Grief Counseling & Life After AJ

11:45 — Animal Battle Talk Sets Up A Huge Special Guest

18:45 — Jerry's Wide World of Sports, Super Bowls, Georgetown & Historic Games

23:30 — The Method Behind the Animal Combat Madness

30:45 — Gorilla vs. 100 Kindergartners & Other Important Questions

40:30 — Non-fiction Life Advice From Jerry Pallotta

44:40 — Post-Interview Animal Analysis

49:00 — The Official Anti-Cannibalism Platform of Set Hike!

54:00 — Eagles Coaching Staff, The Grizzler & the Curious Case of Lizard Lick

01:03:45 — Mailbag: Which Impossible Sports Challenge Could You Survive?

01:31:40 — World Cup Preview & Episode Wrap-Up

Statistics & Facts

• The U.S. broadly shifted from fiction to nonfiction reading around 1990 
• Saltwater crocodile reportedly jumped roughly 20 feet for food
• Tiger reportedly defeated lions "1,000 in a row" in Roman-era stories
• King Cobra eats other snakes
• According to the owner of Skulls Unlimited (skullsunlimited.com), the first European to encounter a gorilla reportedly had his arm ripped off and was beaten to death with it 
• The World Cup involves 48 teams in 12 groups over 104 total matches
• TO had 1,200 yards and 14 TDs in 14 games (2004); AJ had 1,496 yards and 11 TDs in 17 games in his best season 
• Christopher Sanchez:
  • 50⅔ consecutive scoreless innings
  • Mentioned as fifth-longest streak since 1893

Memorable Quotes

"My skill is I can think like a seven-year-old." - Jerry Pallotta

"That was an amazing 30 minutes of my life." - Panda Dan

"Jerry and I are Jesuits. And what you have to understand about Jesuit faith is we don't believe in eating our brothers. The Set Hike! Podcast is an anti-cannibalism podcast through any and all species. " - Dr. TAT

"My brother Joey is my favorite animal." - Jerry Pallotta

"I heard there was a rumor that apparently your publisher had to stop you from writing a book titled Who Would Win? A Hundred Kindergartners versus One Silverback. Is that true? " - Stat Boy

****************************************

A huge thank you to legendary children's author Jerry Pallotta for joining Set Hike! this week. From animal battle breakdowns to life advice and unforgettable stories, Jerry was an incredible guest. Be sure to check out his wildly popular Who Would Win? book series and all of his work at www.jerrypallotta.com.

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The 25th inaugural episode of Set Hike celebrates a quarter-century of podcasting the only way this show knows how: by starting with dead goldfish, betta-fish gang warfare, and a heated debate over what a group of Krimpets should be called. The crew then spirals through Memorial Day guilt, PGA Championship chaos, Rory McIlroy's apparent war on patriotic hecklers, robot referees with legal rights, and an Eagles schedule breakdown that somehow includes Andy Reid walrus metaphors and AJ Brown trade anxiety. Stat Boy returns from whatever underground statistics bunker he inhabits, armed with enough random facts to power a small municipality. By the end, the boys have predicted the Eagles season, declared Cooper DeJean the key to the greatest defensive backfield in NFL history (per Dr. TAT's "May Take '26"), and discover that female betta fish apparently belong to a sorority. 

Key Topics Discussed

03:00 — Businesses of Ferrets & Animal Group Names

05:35 — Memorial Day Amnesia

07:30 — Mailbag Overflow & Podcast Logistics

08:30 — PGA Championship Recap

13:20 — Rory McIlroy vs. America

16:45 — TastyKake Naming Convention Committee

24:00 — NBA Playoffs & The Robot Ref Revolution

31:00 — Football Rules Nobody Understands

36:30 — Eagles Schedule Release Begins

40:30 — AJ Brown Anxiety & OTA News

43:00 — Reek Woolen Hype Train

45:45 — Dr. TAT's May Take

48:30 — Game-by-Game Eagles Predictions

01:15:00 — Mailbag, Animal Follow-Ups & Northern Illinois Quarterbacks

01:24:00 — Andy Reid Walrus Theory & Closing Thoughts

Statistics & Facts

• Rai's signature quirks: wears two gloves and puts iron covers on his clubs — which his father bought him on a tight budget.
• Eagles' strength of schedule ranks 23rd, making them the 10th easiest in the NFL for the upcoming season.
• The last time an NFC team won 3+ consecutive NFC titles: the Eagles went 4 consecutive seasons from 2001–2004.
• The quote "Ringo isn't even the best drummer in the Beatles" was actually said by British comedian Jasper Carrot in 1983 — not by a Beatle.
• Group of ferrets = a business
• Group of pandas = an embarrassment
• Group of elephants = a memory
• Group of giraffes = a tower
• Group of butterflies = a kaleidoscope

Memorable Quotes

"Last time I checked, this was America." - Dr. TAT

" I think they're going to lose that tie." - Panda Dan

"Shout out to Andy Reid's Hawaiian shirts as well." - Stat Boy

"Many animals don't live that long, so we could have missed the lifetime of, I don't know, a moth." - Dr. TAT

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Follow us on x.com & Instagram -- @sethikepod

Call/text line: 1-(234)-SET-HIKE (738-4453)

Email us -- [email protected]

Stat Boy makes his triumphant return to the podcast after disappearing into a secret statistics convention and immediately helps break down the emotional war crimes committed against Philadelphia sports fans, somehow pivoting from the death of “The Process” into a full-blown atomic physics lecture involving Joel Embiid as a proton and Tobias Harris as a neutron who “does nothing.” Then, in a shocking display of podcast professionalism, the crew lands an actual golf interview with the guys from Golf 215 to preview the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club — featuring discussions of turtle-shell greens, rough thick enough to hide a family sedan, and whether Jordan Spieth currently exists on a milk carton. Things deteriorate beautifully afterward into a philosophical debate about cream cheese ratios, French breakfast vocabulary, horse-racing ethics, NFL world domination, and whether Thanksgiving football spiritually belongs to Dallas. Stat Boy delivers enough obscure golf facts to become “Stat GPT,” while Dr. TAT invents a horse-run jail system, and Panda Dan accidentally turns a bagel review into geometry. Somewhere underneath the chaos is a genuinely excellent Philly sports and golf episode.

Key Topics Discussed

00:34 — Stat Boy Returns & Philly Sports Misery 

03:23 — The Process Is Officially Dead...Or Is it?????? 

06:24 — Embiid the Proton & Sixers Science Class 

09:30 — PGA Championship Comes to Philly 

11:40 — Golf 215 Joins the Show 

14:30 — Aronimink Greens from Hell 

17:25 — Spieth Milk Cartons, Rose Hype & PGA Picks 

25:25 — Dark Horse Golf Bets & Local Qualifiers 

28:30 — Golf Movies, Gritty Tee Shots & Philly Golf Chaos 

36:15 — Bagel Geometry, Cream Cheese Ratios & French Breakfasts 

45:30 — Horse Racing Ethics & Horse Jail 

52:45 — Eagles Schedule Release & NFL World Domination

Statistics & Facts

• Joel Embiid is the only MVP in NBA history who has not advanced past the second round of the playoffs.
• The US Open was last held in the Philadelphia area at Merion in 2013, won by Justin Rose.
• Aronimink is one of the only courses in existence with all original 18 holes designed by Donald Ross still intact.
• The course record at Aronimink is 62. Four players tied that record during the BMW Championship tournament held there, two of whom were Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
• Hockey is a Canadian sport that uses the SI unit system, so technically it's "a game of centimeters," not inches. 2.54 centimeters = 1 inch. 

Memorable Quotes

"You know, my — could go wrong with rolling out the Philly Fanatic, Gritty. " - Anthony with Golf215

"It's like trying to putt on the hood of a Volkswagen beetle." - Joe with Golf215

"Hug your closest mother holding a club and tell them happy PGA Championship." - Dr. TAT

"Before they go under as a league with all this concussion stuff, they might as well try to get world dominant. " - Stat Boy

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Huge shoutout to Joe and Anthony for joining the chaos this week and helping us preview the PGA Championship at Aronimink like the true Philadelphia golf sickos they are. If you’re into golf, Philly sports energy, local courses, gear, tournaments, or just hearing two genuinely good dudes talk golf without sounding like country club robots, go check them out.

Find Golf 215 Social Club online at Golf215SocialClub.com and follow them everywhere at Golf215 Social Club.

Send us Fan Mail

Follow us on x.com & Instagram -- @sethikepod

Call/text line: 1-(234)-SET-HIKE (738-4453)

Email us -- [email protected]