Ben Garrett: Ole Miss, faith, and the power of authenticity

Welcome to Season 5 Episode 25- Featuring Ben Garrett!

WE  HAVE MADE IT TO THE FINALE FOLKS!!!

I am beyond grateful for the last five years, this has been nothing but spectacular, and I cannot thank you guys enough! If you're new, please hit that subscribe button, and leave a like!

Joining me on the final episode of season five is my good friend Ben Garrett. Ben covers Ole Miss athletics with the OMSpirt under On3! Born in New Albany, Mississippi I dove into a journey of Ben's life that you've probably never heard before. 

Take your shoes off, get comfortable, and come uncover who the man behind the screen really is. A Ole Miss alum, Ben has covered Ole Miss for more than 20 years, and has plenty of incredible stories to share. Behind the Ole Miss side, lays a father, friend, and man of God. Breaking down mental portion of Ben was really important to me to do, and that's exactly what I did. I pray you enjoy every second of this episode, and comment what your favorite part of the episode was!

"Give it to God, do your best, and forget the rest."- Ben Garrett
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Transcript

Meet Ben Garrett

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Welcome to the Dalen Show. What's going on, everybody? Welcome to the Dalen Show. So good to see you. I am Dalen Flowers. If you're new, welcome to the Daylon Show. Hit that subscribe button really quick. It's free. Uh, and leave a like as well. And also comment something funny so I can laugh after this. I love to laugh. If you don't know that now, you would know that by the end of this episode. But appreciate you guys tuning in. I am very, very excited for today's episode. I'm very, very excited for today in general. I'm excited for the future of the Daylin show because if you're new, this is the season finale of season number five. I've been doing this for five years now. Uh extending my regular 20 episodes to doing 25 for the fifth year anniversary. And it has finally come to a conclusion after nearly a full year. And so I'm thankful for every single person that has joined me over the first 24 episodes. And I will do more context with that later on after this episode drops, and I will give you guys more updates and news as I continue to do things behind the scenes to continue to grow the platform and the channel. So, welcome to episode 25, the season finale of season five. I'm so grateful that you are here, and I hope you enjoy every second of this because I know I will. And enough of me, yapping. Let's introduce our guest for the finale, my good friend, Mr. Ben Garrett.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Woohoo! Hi, friend. How are we? We good? I'm just disappointed that, like look, you said that your intro was gonna be corny, and it wasn't. It was just you, it was just you vibing. And I wish you'd have given me a little bit more of a heads up. I'd have just like tried to harmonize it for you. The problem is that despite appearances, your boy's 40 years young, and this far into my life, I still can't hear harmony. I can I can like memorize it in church choir, you know what I mean? And like when I get up there and on Sunday morning when I got to sing for the people's, uh just be in the bass section, yeah, that's real easy enough. Uh, but I would have given it the whole college try because I didn't know, I didn't honestly know what to expect. I thought it'd be something like, Hi everyone, welcome to the Dalen show. But instead, it was just baby bro vibe, and that's okay. You know, I just next time invite and like I want to I would do it with you and just invite your friend next time. That's all I ask.

Money, Family, And Contentment

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Note it, and okay, and when on that point, you guys, he just said invite him back. You will see Ben again in the future one day. So mark that on your calendars. Uh, my friend, thank you for coming on. I appreciate you for joining me. Uh, as you asked me, I'm really well. How's life treating you right now, man?

SPEAKER_00 2:47

God is good. Uh, my wife and kids are happy and healthy. I don't know if we can afford to go anywhere for spring break, uh, mainly because Gracie is now uh having to get braces. And like I'm at that point in my life, man, where like I'm I'm thankful for the job I have and the money that I make and for how God has blessed me uh abundantly. However, I just don't have anything, it just all goes out. You know, like it's six thousand dollars for braces, it's uh$500 because of a winter storm and something in regards to electricity reserves that we're still running, and you have a like I don't know any of this. It's not like anybody will tell you, Young Buck, as my pastor calls me, and I have to mute him. Uh, I I can only express to this to you very simply, Young Buck, and let you know, as no one told me, uh, no one knows what they're doing. All right, give it to God and do the best, forget the rest. Sound good? It's a little bit of Jesus and Tony Horton from P90X all kind of mashed together. That's the secret to life, Dalen. All right, if anybody takes anything from today, the secret of life is what? All right, give it to God, do your best, forget the rest. Jesus and Tony Horton. All right, we put it together, mash it up, and there you go. Roll credits, there's uh everything you're gonna learn from Ben Gear today on the Daylon Show. Because honestly, it's true. If you're thinking, man, if I can just get to this price point or this salary point, I'll be happy. I'm just gonna tell you your job is to be good and to serve. Because uh, if you're like me and that's what you're doing for a living, I mean you you go in the way, like I'm I'm proud of you, you're so talented and so incredibly uh kind and generous, I have no doubt that you're gonna do monster things in this business. But if you do, you're not gonna be a millionaire. You know what I mean? You're gonna make good money, but if you have a wonderful wife and kids and they're happy and they're healthy, even though you can't afford to go to Disney World or anywhere for spring break, because you know, you got to get braces, you got it, gymnastics. Oh, we got to prepare for the gymnastics trip. You know, great and you know, Riley's gymnastics group is they're very competitive. You know, these are the things your these are where your money's gonna go to. So this is a peak into the future, friend. All right. My life is right here in this one little room, the Riverland Roofing Studios is what I call our friends at Riverland Roofing right there on the hat. Uh little house up top. Uh, all it is is a corner of my beautiful house that I'm so thankful for, but I get a corner, buddy. If you end up like me, like this is this this is a peak. All right. Is this enough for you? Because it's enough for me. I'm good, bro. You know, I'm I'm happy.

Theme: Give It To God, Do Your Best

SPEAKER_01 5:12

I think it will be enough for me, but I I will inform you. I have spent my last dollars to actually go to Orlando for my spring break. So unfortunately, I will miss you on the trip. But um I am excited.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

Are you going to Disney World?

SPEAKER_01 5:26

I'm going to Universal actually. So that's fine.

Theme Park Tales And Getting Older

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Well, here's the thing: like, uh, I wanted to go to my wife is wonderful. That's Emily. She's right up there. See, that's her right there. Can't really see her, but that's in front of the Monsters Inc. ride in Disneyland in California. But here, let me tell you something about Universal in Orlando. Um, I am not someone like I have no problem. I want to ride everything. But as you get older, again, 40 years young, I've given you the secret to lie. Now, this is some advice. Your stomach changes. Right. Whether you're the the bot, like the heart is willing, but the body ain't, it don't matter. You're like, dude, you might be shooting for distance. I'm talking with the spitting out, you know, by like the the womping willow there, and as you're riding through Hogwarts on that Hogwarts ride, because that's what happened to me. Like the the Hagrid ride was insane, right? And of course I want to ride. I'm a big Harry Potter nerd. If no one knows this, like I've I've been sorted. I I can tell you my Patronus, I can tell you my my uh wand, which is infused with dragon string. There's so much we can go down this road about. So, like universal appeals to me. I don't care about any of the rides, though. I just want to go hang out at like Green God's. Uh, but if you're expecting to go and just hit everything, because listen, man, Dalen, like you're in your prime, but also like at some point you're gonna know what I'm talking about. You're gonna ride a ride like Haggard and go, man, that was awesome. And go, man, my I don't feel well. And you go, eh, it doesn't matter. You know, I'm growing, I'm a badass, I'm who I am. Uh, you know what I mean? Ain't nothing gonna phase me. You're a strong, independent man. You don't need no woman. I'm gonna go march into that womping will oak ride. And buddy, by the end of it, Emily's making fun of me, you know, because like I've got pink all over my shoulder from throwing up the gummy I'd taken, but well before the day it started, you know what I mean? And it's just all over my arm because uh it doesn't get any easier. So, like all the things that are great now, enjoy them now, friend, and have a great time and be in it. But understand there's gonna come a time when you're doing all those things and then boom, you're throwing up on a womping willow. You're welcome. This is what I do for Dalen every time we talk to each other. I try to big bro him. That's all just try to big bro him, show him that he's you know, just uh help him out in the business that can make you very cynical. And uh, I don't want my my nice, you know, sweet friend Dalen to get cynical like me. I'm totally taking over your show with my run in the mouth.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

I'm sorry. No, this is what you knew what was coming, didn't you? And this is and this is why I invite this is what this is about. This is I always have my name's on it, but it's not about me at all. So I'm grateful for every second that you give me, my friend. But before we get any any further in our conversation, really quick, for people watching or listening that may not know a lot about who Ben Garrett really is, break yourself down for people a little bit, like maybe where you're from, uh where you went to school, what you do in your life that makes you the money that you have in your home. And uh, what what are a few things that make Ben Garrett, you know, Ben Garrett that people may need to know about before we dive into you a little bit more?

Who Is Ben Garrett?

Growing Up Ole Miss

SPEAKER_00 8:06

I was not prepared for this at all. This is true. Like when you wanted me to come on your podcast, I thought it'd be like what every one of us does on the beat. You know what I mean? You come on, you ask me about Lane Kiffin, if a hoe can be a housewife, you know, all that kind of stuff. Different money, man. I'm different value, man. We we run things a little different over here. I and like I have a uh um Emily and I have been married 16 years in June. Gracie's 13, my oldest, my youngest is nine. I love them. Uh, all jokes aside, like they are God's blessing. They are what make me happy. They are uh they are the reward, they are enough. You know, I don't need trips to Disney World and stuff. Like, that's enough for me. Now it used to not be, but it it is now. But I I wasn't prepared because uh no one really has asked me that. Well, welcome to the daylight. That is wild. Like uh my name is Ben Garrett. I was born and raised and still live in New Albany, Mississippi. I hated the idea of coming back here, but God meant for me to be here, right? Uh, both for professional reasons and for personal reasons. Uh so still living in my hometown has proven to be a blessing. I'm so thankful for it. Go to New Albany Bulldogs. Um, Gracie plays right now JV soccer and eighth grade soccer. Uh, she's in seventh grade, and she's uh just like me, but as a as a girl. So that is like most should be most people's worst nightmare. But she's wonderful to everyone else. Then she comes home and she's me and and she treats the people she's closest with the worst sometimes. But she is so funny and she is so talented, and she is so smart, and she cares about other people. She serves, she understands the call of service that Christ commands from us, which I find uh inspiring more than anything, Dave, because I was a lazy, selfish asshole for most of my life. Um, like I it was funny. I pray this is true because I went to Ole Miss and I graduated. Like I grew up, Ole Miss Sports was my everything growing up. It just was, you know what I mean? I used to run from that, but now it's just it just was. Now it's it's what it's supposed to be is God has put it in his place. It's my job, and oh god, it's the best job in the world. There's the things that are frustrating about it, you know. But I'm I'm talking to you in the middle of the day on a Wednesday. You know what I mean? I'm not behind a desk. I I can't do manual labor. Gosh knows I can't fix anything, you know. But what I can have always been able to do, I mean, I I I I I know sports and I know Ole Miss Sports really well, uh, because it was my life's passion. Yeah, right here behind me, there on the wall, that is a 2001 paper clipping from the Daily Journal, the Tupelo Daily Journal. Now that's where Michael Katz, our friend Michael Katz, that's where he writes for. Back then it was uh our friend Parrish offered. It was uh I don't want to leave anybody out, so I'm just not gonna keep naming off names here. But uh that newspaper, I would clip out clippings every Sunday because back then the internet wasn't this wasn't what the internet was, you know, like this is at the advent of it. So um the Sunday newspaper after Ole Miss played on Saturday was a magical, magical thing for me at my grandmother's house. So I would clip out Deuce uh with the leap over uh leap against Mississippi State in the egg bowl, or I would uh clip out after we got home and Ole Miss we went to the Motor City Bowl when uh Ole Miss faced and beat Randy Moss. They still put up crazy numbers at Hall of Famer now. I mean, he's one of my favorite wide receiver of all time. Like I adore Randy Moss. And a lot of that fandom didn't come from what he did with the Vikings or what he did. No, it was seeing him against Ole Miss uh as a member of Marshall in 1997. So um like that, like I would clip him out. That's still that one right there, by the way, Dave. That's when Eli and John Avery, uh not John Avery, excuse me, Joe Gunn and Deuce all beat Alabama. And back then beating Alabama was something that did not happen, right? And anyway, so I used to that used to be my my room growing up. Like I would clip out everything and I I would memorize the media guide from front to back. Uh, and I remember praying as I graduated from Ole Miss. I was like, God, just give me a job covering Ole Miss, and I will never complain again. Dave, it's been 20 years now. Let me ask you a question. What do I do for a living? Exactly what I pray for. God blessed me, right? Do you think I've complained? You've heard me complain. I complain all the time, and that's where I try to remember how blessed I am. Uh, because I am quite literally living my dream. This is what I wanted to do. Now, will it be what I want to do for the rest of my life? I don't know. But now I can give it all to God. Uh, but for to have to be able to uh chase your life's passion and then live in it while uh and allow it, and then that is what is allows you to uh enjoy and truly relish in the things that matters most, like your wife and kids, when you didn't appreciate them like you should have at certain points of your life. And uh maybe you prioritized old miss football, uh beating Alabama in 2014 over your two-year-old. You know what I mean? Like there's there's some times where like all of that old miss stuff, like it's it's ingrained in me to where like a lot of what I am and who I am, and what uh what informs who I am is old miss. And that's why that's the only reason why I think I'm still here doing what I'm doing. Um and so that's who I am. I I write and talk about Ole Miss. And it and I had been asked before, like, what do you do for a living? And I can't explain it. How do you explain it? You know, I can tell you I'm a husband and a father, I can tell you that uh uh who my heroes were. You know, like I loved like the Apostle Paul, but like I loved Edward R. Murrow. It's it's really it's really like I'm very snooty snobby about like old journalism, but like that doesn't exist anymore. So I'm not a journalist, I'm not a uh uh newspaper man. We don't write newspapers now. I write for a website, the old my spirit ownsspirit.com for the phone three sign up today for just one dollar for new members. Um, see, that's when you know you've been doing it a minute. See, you ain't got it like that, all right? Where you can just roll it off the tongue like it's nothing. You know, my friends, Riverland Roofing 662-644-4297, Riverland Roofing.com, my friends. We love them at Riverland Roofing. See, you're gonna be right there doing all the same stuff because I'll uh but um that's who I am. I'm I I I don't know what I call it. I some say just an old miss personality now. Whatever it is, I call it blessed from God because I am exactly where I prayed to be asked to be. And while it's been an internal fight for most all of my life, at the end of all things, uh, if I close my eyes right here and out on the Daylin show, I know that I could open up and go, you know what? I had a pretty damn good, you know what I mean? Like that was pretty dope. So um, yeah, thank you for asking me a question. I do not or maybe haven't I don't know when the last when anybody's ever asked me that. That is uh wild. I thought you were gonna be like, hey Ben, so when Lane talked his shit at the egg bowl, but no, Ben, who are you? Who is Ben Garrett? Oh, that was you threw me on that one, buddy. I'm not gonna lie to you. I told you I wasn't gonna prepare, but you threw me on that one, you got me.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

I love that I can do that, and I think I'm gonna throw you off again. Give me one second, I gotta show you something.

SPEAKER_00 15:04

I was gonna show me something, dude. See, that's that's what I love. This is the type of podcast Bob I adore. Seriously.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

So, as you alluded to me uh throughout the playoff game against Tulane, I I have been very blessed in my four years here to be watching and experiencing exciting Ole Miss football. I'm my first year covering football.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Before anybody asks, sorry to forgive me. This is a Braves shirt, not not Alabama. It's a Braves, Braves, Braves.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

All right, so I will say very quickly, we do share similar love as Ben knows, and people don't know uh our love, but heart, heart-hurting Dallas Cowboys. But I am a Cardinals fan, he's a Braves fan. I don't it's okay, but so I I love this. This was gifted to me by my mother for Christmas last year, and this was as a fan, my most exciting moment of all time, my four years here, obviously 2024 November, uh beating Georgia and being able to rush the field twice because apparently we did it wrong the first time, and then we satisfactorily got off the field and did it again. So I want to ask you throughout your lifespan, what's been your favorite Ole Miss moment? What is that one moment that clicks in your head, and you will forever be able to tell people, I'm grateful that I got to experience that moment?

SPEAKER_00 16:20

Oh, there are so so very many, but it's different phases of my life. Now, if you're asking me in the vein of your 28 to 10 picture that you showed there, man, when Ole Miss beat Florida with Rex Grossman and Matt Greer got the interception and we rushed the field, friend, it was magical. It was magical. Um, and that one will of course it would have been the same kind of magic had Eli and them beat LSU in 2003 because Travis Johnson picked off Matty Mock in the end zone. I I still contend, and it's probably romantic, it's not probably, it's absolutely romanticizing the past, which we all tend to do. You know what I mean? Like I love hearing the old heads talk about how physical it was in the NBA back in the day, and then you see old clips of MJ doing stuff that like LeBron does on a Tuesday. You know, and we still try to we're not going down that road because LeBron's the goat. I'm sorry. That's gonna that's gonna be the thing that's gonna piss people off the most. But um, so that 2003 Travis Johnson interception of Matty Mawk, the the sound in the stadium was unlike anything I'd ever heard before. That came after the Russell Crowe Hottie Toddy, like are you ready? Excuse me, uh, when he was doing gladiator and it was like the tiger, it was insane, and that was loud enough. That was to me even louder, and it felt like it was destiny because back then going to Atlanta was it would have been enough, seriously. Because like you're not gonna play for national championship at all. Yes, uh, you're not gonna get high enough in the BCS rankings, you're not gonna get there. The computer is too tough. Uh, everything is kind of uh, you know, all these schools like Alabama and and whoever else, they can pay under the table. You know that natron means is getting this, you know that you know what I mean? Like, there's no way you're overcoming that, you're just small little old miss. So, all like this one game would send them to the promised land, which was just now no one even cares about SC championship games. When they inevitably expand the playoff, what's gonna happen? They're gonna get rid of championship games. The SEC is gonna fight tooth and nail to keep theirs because it's historic, but like no one cares about anything but the playoff.

SPEAKER_02 18:19

Nothing, right?

Living The Dream Job And Gratitude

Field Rushes And Favorite Ole Miss Moments

SPEAKER_00 18:20

But back then, man, like that game, the regular season, we're gonna lose some de-emphas emphasization. That's not a word, but we're gonna de-emphasize the regular season once we do expand. And some of the magic of like 2003 Ole Miss LSU will be lost because of it. Uh, but like when I think of 28 to 10 in your picture there, like for me, that was an incredible work day and community day for me. Yeah, like I didn't I don't feel that way about 28 to 10, even though it was unquestionably one of the most consequential wins in Ole's history. Well, it got not so much after Ole Miss Went and lost to Florida because yeah, uh Lane started a fifth string wide receiver at running back in Micah Davis, who ended up a Southern Miss, right? Um, so like 28 to 10 was special for me, but in such a different way because it showed for me the arrival of Ole Miss uh from someone who's lived it his entire life, an arrival of Ole Miss in a in a a contention space that had never lived in before. All right. So yeah, that one would be on the list, but is it more than when Ole Miss and and uh uh Matt Greer upset Rex Grossman in Florida? I don't know, man. I rushed that field like you did because like I I and that's the passage of time is crazy because I I wouldn't even think to rush a field anymore. It doesn't mean like that to me. But like, of course, Dalen, who probably never rushed a field before, wants to rush the field of his team, and that's something that the spirit of the thing that's getting lost so much more in the way football and athletics and college are changing. That spirit of the thing, uh, that is is uh there's little snippets of it still in existence, one of those being rushing the field after a big win. And so, like, I understand where that'd be for you, but like for me, uh that one in 2003, uh 2001, uh the 97 Motor City Bowl, uh Eli's arrival, like Ole Miss lost at the Music City Bowl against West Virginia, Romero and them in his senior year. But Eli came in, he showed a glimpse of the future, and if I could only tell you the hopium that gave Ole Miss fans to see Eli. Now it was against second and third stringers, but you know, like he was the like Peyton slighted Ole Miss. The prince that was promised didn't return, but his little brother did, and he was the whole hope. Now, like Ole Miss organizationally, structurally, is built to contend at the highest level in this new era of college athletics. Ole Miss is not going anywhere because Ole Miss has money and they give a crap about their football program. It's not like they didn't then, but like there was no real re uh only uh anything to really hang your hat on about uh potentially uh becoming that in the future, other than well, we need Archie's sons to get here. You know what I'm saying? It was just different. Um, now that really changed for me as far as like year-to-year player procurement in 2008 when Ed Ordron built the best roster, he didn't get to coach it because he's Ed Ordron. Uh, but like Ole Miss doesn't have to beg for people to come and play for them in state kids, the best of the best, and all this kind of stuff. They don't have to give the most money, like they are in a different contention fear is uh space and sphere than they've ever been. And that was what 20810 represented for me. Uh and it was in that strength in 2014 over Alabama and Bo Was, who I love to this day, and how special that win was, right? Because of so there are so many wins and so many moments, and it stretches beyond football for me. Like Clarence Sanders hitting the shot against LSU in the tad pad off of an assist from Brian Smith. I knew exactly where I was at 10 years old when Keith guarded the inbound, your new athlete, I mean not your new, your athletic structure at Ole Miss, guarded the inbound uh on a Hail Mary Bryce Drew shot that they still play for March Madness every every year. It's a part of the One Shining Moment. Uh, even the losses, for me, the beauty has been to see Ole Miss go from uh a cute little story or a fun the you know, the fun little uh underdog to their seat at the table. They belong, but to see the growth of that, I truly got a front row seat to it. And I and and I have so many that I adore. Oh man, I can now I'm thinking about baseball, women's basketball, or many price from oh, when they went to the elite eight, are many. From just down the road in Myrtle, dude. Like, Myrtle is part of the county tournament here in New Albany, Union County, which used to be a famed tournament tournament, high school tournament um in Mississippi. Now we don't value those things like that anymore. But I still remember our mini price. I remember the Union County tournament when she and Ellen Buchanan, who also played at Ole Miss, went head to head. Ellen got the better over that day, but like I still get chills, bro. Like the rock. I'm doing all good. I got the chills thinking about that game because like we won New Albany, we won. We beat Mar Minnie, and then Arminy went and took it. I felt like she was part of my family, and she took them to the elite. And it was a sense of pride in which and connectivity that I hadn't felt, maybe since Eli Andy was playing fullback or Ross Barkley was playing wide receiver. Um this is ingrained in me, bro. And I used to hate that. For sure for real, no. I used to hate it. Man, it pissed me off. Because, oh, they're gonna call you a homer, Ben. No, I'll tell you the truth. Dave, well, I'll tell the truth all the time. Even like I and I don't care. Put your hands on me. Please get me let me get paid for not ever working. You know what I mean? Like, I ain't gonna fight you like that. I'm just gonna tell you the truth how I see. And I'd hope you I would hope and I ask that you say the exact same to me. What is fair and what is equitable. And now I'm proud that this is my community. I hope that I do this until my nine breath. And um tooth when when old miss and Matt Greer beat Rex Grossman to answer your question simply, beat Rex Grossman in Florida. When we rushed the field, dude, it was insane. Insane. Or my dad was infamous for leaving games early. Shit, you can't you got me out talking all about this stuff. The seven overtime uh loss to Arkansas at home. Buddy, we went in and out of the stadium, in and out of the vault. Uh driving back from the egg ball when Ole Miss won on the two-point conversion. Yeah, we were in the car for that dad, because he thought we were gonna lose. You know, Stuart Patrick, Corey Peterson. I remember exactly. I was listening to David Kellum, my dear friend, and my my I look at him, I told him this. He's not just a mentor in many ways, but like he was aspirational for me. I want to be David Kellum, and his call was even better person, by the way, guys. Unbelievable human being. And he was in the in the best college professor I've ever had. I never went to class, I never did anything, and I got a grade A. He's the best teacher ever. Anyway, so his call, radio call, because we not every game was on TV in 1998, Dave. Corey Peterson, David Cutcliffe getting revenge on Tommy Toverville after his pine box. Legendary dude running down the street of New Albany. We got him. We whooped his butt. I probably didn't say butt either. I was already in the cuss club. But like at middle school, you know, out at recess. It's probably already in the cuss club. But yeah, I um it's ingrained in me now, man. And I don't run from it. Instead, I lean into it like joining Baby Bros Podcast. Uh, I got a question. So, what is the cover on the bed?

SPEAKER_01 25:18

It is, I bet you ask it. You're probably one of the first. I have two actually, but this one is uh black lab and a golden retriever with the duck in between them laying on hay grass, like in the fields hunting.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

Yeah, does that work for you? Um I'm saying is day. Sometimes you're a nice Christian man, but if you ever brought a wonderful female home, when they see the duck and the dogs, most times. Okay. It shows you I'm out of touch. You can you can pull you can pull with dogs and a duck.

SPEAKER_01 25:54

I have another one. There's a there's a 12-point buck that I usually have up, and so yeah, it uh another remember I told you earlier I'm not handy, it can't fix anything.

SPEAKER_00 26:02

Also, I'm not a hunter at all. That'll shock you at all.

SPEAKER_01 26:05

You may have to fix that one day, then I'm a big hunter, my friend.

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Now here's the problem, Dalen. I can tell you why I'm not a hunter. It's a story. Uh-huh. Uh not many know it, but it's a true story. I've been deer hunting one time. All right. Not gonna name my friend, but he knows who he is. We go out on some property uh of another friend of ours. He took me out there. I he gave me the gun. He said, just follow my lead.

SPEAKER_01 26:30

Well, yeah. Mistake number one.

SPEAKER_00 26:32

Mistake number two was like he was really high, Dalen. He really was. And um, it was five in the morning. He kept telling me to be quiet, even though he was the one that was talking. It was that kind of thing, he was he was he was feeling away. We get up to the stand, it's freezing cold. I'm not great and cold. It's very uncomfortable in the box. I don't like the idea of shooting and killing stuff anyway. I'm just not that kind of dude. I'm not knocking anybody that does it. Bro, I love to fish, but like I'll throw the shit back. You know what I mean? Like I seen him like rip the guts out and stuff. I don't got it in me, day. All right. So I'm looking out at all these, all this fresh potential kill that I'll be going in for, you know? And I he's and he goes, bad, shoot that one. Well, I've come this far, and so I do and pick it up and I shoot it, drops. We go find it. It's we find it and it's sitting in its own crap, day. I've shot this deer in the butt. There wasn't no buck or nothing, it wasn't like no eight point put on the shot this deer in the ass and it's shit all over itself. All over itself, and it's crying in this, and I'm like, I'm so sorry. I'm apologizing. And my buddy goes, Oh, don't worry about my really hot friend, don't worry about it, pulls out his Glock and shoots it in the face. All right.

SPEAKER_01 27:46

I think they'll persuade me not to go again, too.

SPEAKER_00 27:48

So buddy, we're not done. It gets way worse, but I'm gonna make it quicker. All right. So then he doesn't have any way to get it back. I don't know how to get it back. I know nothing about hunting. We leave it out in the field for the whole day. My buddy, who was like uh of the wild dude, he said, we're gonna go get this deer. He gets mad at me. I'm like, what? I didn't know. He's like, it's your deer. I said, I don't know anything. We go out there at nighttime, it's been it's been laying in its dead carcass in its own filth for hours. I'm on the back of a four-wheeler because I don't drive four-wheelers. My buddy Benjamin picks it up, he puts it on there, mad at me. We drive it flying back through all that dead carcass feces flying in your face in the ice cold. Smells terrible. He's telling me the call of the wild is gonna like send me straight to hell day. Like I'm going straight to hell because of what I've done to this deer. You know, we get to his house then, they say, Well, it's your deer, you gotta clean it. Your first deer, everybody cleans it. Very true. And so, like, I had to pull the skin off of this dead, shit covered poor, like just hours before I walked into the woods to end this poor deer's life. Just don't show up today. And by the end of it, it's been skinned, left to die in its own shit. You know what I mean? And they're throwing, they're drinking beer while they're doing it, laughing at me as I'm like, they put the blood over or blood on my face, you know. I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm mourn for this deer, and they're laughing and drinking and throwing cigarette butts and beer cans into her carcass. So yeah, I'm not much for hunting, day.

SPEAKER_01 29:26

Well, I don't blame you off that story. Um, really quick, I know I gotta get you out of here.

SPEAKER_00 29:30

And again, my daughter just texted me. She said, You don't have to pick me up today. We're good. Well, let's have a little bit more fun then, man.

SPEAKER_01 29:36

Yeah, um, I think something that is very evident to me because the way you feel about Ole Miss is I've had to kind of 50-50 my love for my my love of my Arkansas Razorbacks, but it's the same way that I I have my love for the Razorbacks, and so I think when you talk about the things that you talked about, it really differates the point of knowing when to like turn it on and when to turn it off. So I want to ask you, as you've gotten older, as you've betured, as you as you've matured, as you've become a father over the last 13 years, very charitable of you. Okay, okay. How how have you what has maybe helped or how have you seen yourself grow in terms of knowing when to be the knowledgeable old Miss Athletics guy, but also knowing when to be the father or the husband and knowing when to maybe turn those gears on and off?

Life At Home, Humor, And Hunting Story

SPEAKER_00 30:33

Oh wow. Um one, I think it's changed. Uh authenticity is the most important thing now, baby bro. So, like who you are is who you are, right? You have to be unapologetically who you are and let the chips fall where they may. Now, that's something that I struggle with all my life, but praise God for his grace that he showed me exactly what it has to be. Because if you are unapologetically yourself, you're not afraid uh ashamed to say, yeah, I don't hunt, but I love Spider-Man. You know what I mean? Like, there's just ways to go about it, right? Um, and I say that to say how I talk how I'm talking to you is how I talk to this dude, David. I saw um at the soccer fields in Jackson, Mississippi over the weekend. Gracie had a soccer tournament. We finished seventh out of seven. Don't get me started. Uh you know, first of all, no, nope, not doing it. Uh let's just say it's not personal, but I do it's business. I I know I'm right when I criticize my girls' soccer team. You know what I mean? I don't know much, but I know what's not going right here. And they got two 20-somethings telling my girls in PKs to to kick straight at this girl who's tall as heck, but she can't move laterally. Day. I'm like, dude, go to the corners, go left, left, right, right, left. It's not sorry. Same guy at that soccer field. He's like, I watch your show, man. Aren't you that guy that does that podcast and it inevitably goes, aren't you the guy that called him a hoe? And I'm like, and then we talk about it, and they want to, they they can't believe that he'll still text me and I have to show him, you know. But like how I talk to you or how you've heard me talk, how anyone has watched this, God bless them if they have, uh, have heard me talk, is how I talk to everyone. Now, sometimes I I say words I shouldn't say. I I have a still have a potty mouth, as my mama would always say, my grandmother, especially. Like, she would tell me to go get a switch because I had a potty mouth, you know what I mean? But like I'm I'm working on it. And so, like, I I am the I try to be consistent. I used to not be a man who meant what he said or said what he meant, but now I'm I'm through Christ's intercession about four years ago, truly. Uh, now I am. So I treat my daughters first with trust because until you give me a reason not to, I trust you. I it is uh it is called upon me as your father to trust you, but not to trust you ignorant like blindly. That's not what I'm talking about. Yeah, but like I I try to I admonish them, I tell them when they do things that are incorrect or out of step, but and and sometimes I do say a cuss word I don't mean to. And guess what? They they I have or their mom has gotten through so well that when I do, they slap my hand because they said you can't say those things. They also don't care about old miss at all. Now they've been to some game stuff like they don't care about sports. My wife and kids don't read or listen to anything I say. Well, when all the stuff went down uh back in in the fall, now like Gracie and like a lot of her friends started getting my chats on YouTube just to be like, Hey, Mr. Ben, say hey to me. So like I'd wave to their kids. Uh, but this is who I am. Yeah, and I love that it is not what I used to be. It's just not. Uh, because old me would be a shame to be sitting here, you know, surrounded by my who I am. I mean, these are two Muppets up here, you know, Waldorf and Statler, if you don't know. Uh, the Braves winning the World Series. That's the last uh out caught by Freddie Freeman, being a dad, the old miss piece. There's me, you got a picture of me holding the title for Old Miss in 2022 in baseball. Like, here's me and my wife and kids dressed as uh Harry Potter characters for Halloween one year. I'm Haggard, you know what I mean? Like, I believe that authenticity is the only thing that is survival that allows anyone to survive or or prove who they are. Like, you got to be who you are to to have any chance of surviving whatever this chaos is, right? Um, and you can't apologize for it. You try to be it's you you love everyone, you try to serve everyone, but don't apologize for you are just because someone goes, Oh, you like Spider-Man and Daredevil? Like Dalen texts me, says, Who's your favorite artist? And dude, I took me a while to respond. And you know why? Because you didn't specify. I was like, it's even wait, hold on. What what artist? Or like if it's that broad of a brush, I'll start with Stan Lee. But like, dude, I was ready, I was ready to talk about Andre 3000. I was ready to talk. I mean, where do you want to go? You know what I mean? Like, any uh, I could tell you why Led Zeppelin is far and away the greatest rock band to ever exist. You know, like there's so many things. Who is the great who's your favorite artist? Who's the greatest artist? Well, favorite probably be Stan Lee because of Daredevil and spot like but all of those things, like liking Game of Thrones and being able to talk about it. Like, I can tell you all about uh the lineage of the Targaryens that is so stupid to a lot of people, and they don't want to hear a lot about it. I can tell you all about wrestling. Like the other night I was watching as Emily was sleeping. It was this was my blessing. She's lying there and she's asleep. She's a third-grade teacher, she does hands and feet of Jesus stuff, you know what I mean? Third grade math, bro. And I ain't getting no uh sales tax or not sales tax, income tax exemptions, like uh like football players are though. Anyway, he's laying there in the bed. I'm watching 2001 No Way Out, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 35:36

Classic pay-per-view, by the way.

SPEAKER_00 35:37

Bro, bro, big big show's hardcore match with Raven and what turned into be hot the hollies. It's just like I love what I love. I am thankful for what her how God uniquely made me. Now my job is to be unabashedly that person, uh, while also saying, hey, uh Ben, you did this wrong. You know what? You're right. I'll acknowledge when I'm wrong, you know what I mean? But uh I don't I don't have to differentiate anymore. I don't try to be anything and to anyone other than who I believe uh uh is my most honest version, most honest version of myself.

SPEAKER_01 36:11

Can I tell you that is what I love most about you because and you said something earlier that really stuck with me because when people ask me, like, who are made my like the people that I looked up to in sports journalism growing up or in the sports world, I never really liked the word like idolizing. You said heroes earlier, and I love that word because I never wanted to be for instance, I love Stuart Scott and I love Dan Patrick and I love Brent Musberger, but I never wanted to be any of those men. But I love what they did, I love what they brought to sports, and I love how they made me feel when I was watching something or listening to something. So I love that you are so authentic about yourself because I always intend to say that to myself and to when people ask me, like, oh, do you have to flip this switch on and on, on and off? And I'm like, no, like what you see in me when I'm doing a video, when I'm talking about sports, when I'm doing an interview, when I'm writing something, is me unapologetically. Now, there have been people as I've gotten my platform a little bigger that, you know, have had comments about who I am as a person, even though they have never met me a day in my life. And I and the same thing about you. And so I want to ask you, based on what you just said, what is something that I guess you have kind of found in your journey in sports that has allowed you to continue to always be Bend Geared, like not allow the the noise, the the comments on your posts, the the feedback that you may even get from peers sometimes that has never allowed you to differate from who you are as a person. In saying that, I will also say, now, yes, change does happen. You know, I you you I'll ask I'll ask you this later on, but I love that you continue talking about your faith and how that has helped you in your life. But like how you continue, no matter what, to always be who you are as a person.

Authenticity Over Image

SPEAKER_00 37:56

Well, first of all, it is hilarious that that's who you think I am, because it wasn't who I was. It wasn't, but like I've known you about four years, you know, three, four years. And uh that part, it's a relief to hear that that's what someone who met me for, you know, like what I am now. That's what I want to be. That's what uh because that's what God requires me to be. It's the hardest thing in the world for me. The hardest thing. I'm the most insecure person in the world, just like we are all are. We all have um feelings of inadequacy, and uh when it's never enough. I I feel like an imposter, it's imposter syndrome everywhere I go. You see what I'm saying? Like, there is no place where I feel like I have friends, I feel like I'm just everybody's encourager, and you know, I try to be ever try to be everybody's friend, but like it's a constant internal struggle to even get motivated to come on and do a show with baby bro. Yeah, my job is to show up. So I answer that to say this thank you for the compliment. Because uh that tells me that as so far away from God's I mean, God, God has been merciful and graceful, and I'm so far away from from anything I should be as a final product. But hey, I ain't where I was, so we're straight then, and we just keep going. You take baby steps, not leaps, and that includes giving yourself some grace. It really isn't that big of a deal. Because man, old me, four years ago, me, all the shit that I've been getting in my mentions since I called I said you can't turn Lane a hoe into a housewife about Lane, and it's still happening. Like I have people saying, bro, come to Baton Rouge in two years and see what happens. Death threats now, old me would have been I like I was suicidal, bro. I I tried to kill myself four years ago, four and a half, five years ago. You know what I mean? That's just what it is. I don't run from it. Old days I'd be scared, I'd be terrified to tell anybody about it, but now I have to. Right. It's a long way of saying just keep going, baby steps, not leaps. Just keep going and be use and be who God designed you to be. That might be a very flawed individual with bad skin and really red hair and a loud mouth. It sometimes comes out a few cuss words, but be that unapologetically, because it's required of you. And as it says in Proverbs, commit all all things unto the Lord. And in all things, it means everything, even going to the bathroom. It sounds crazy, but guess what? Believing this has to be a little crazy because either Jesus was exactly who he said he was, or he was a psychopath, he was a lunatic. Those are the that's the hard choice we all have to make. And for most of my life, I never denied that God existed, but I did declare Jesus a lunatic. I mean, how could you think otherwise with someone who would create child cancer? I mean, there's so much you get what I'm saying? So if in Proverbs it says commit all things, you commit all things to the Lord, and uh the Lord will uh the Lord will execute your plans, the Lord will lay the path, the Lord will do these things. You are simply to get up and be the best version of yourself, and I suck at it every day. It was hard to get up this morning day. Seriously, I was like, I don't want to get up because that's who we are, we're bitchy, selfish little shits, you know? But you get up and you keep going. And that's what I've learned. I love I like people. This beat used to be really bad. We used to be really bad to each other. We all liked each other, but we used to treat each other terribly. I love everybody on this beat. I love Dalen and Karis, and I can tell you all these people and who they are and where they're from. Sam, Michael Katz, Neil McCrady, uh, I do not want to leave anybody out. Chase Parham, Jake Thompson, of course, who I work with, Chuck, on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on. I know these people. I'll know the next group. I can tell you about the last group because my job is to show up. Yeah. That's what the job is. And that's what um that is what has been life-changing and what has allowed what I will accept as one of the nicest compliments I've ever been paid to say that, hey, man, you just do you. Well, it needs to not be that way, my friend. Not in the old days, but that's where growth comes from. Never sit in the same place, bro. Keep moving. Baby steps, don't take leaks. You're not gonna be maybe you're not Stewart Scott. I wanted to be Dan Patrick. My mama called me, bro. I failed uh accountancy two at Ole Miss, bro. It's like going into sophomore year, uh, second semester sophomore year. I'm standing out in front of like Bishop Hall, and my mom was like, What do you want to do? Well, like, dude, I went, it was very easy. I said, I want to be Dan Patrick. She said, Why? Dude, because every I I loved play by play and all that stuff, but like I used to listen to Dan uh Dan Patrick and Keith Olberman on my lunch at high school, like for the for uh like the big show. Like this was this was such a part of my life. Like Dan Patrick was an authority to me, man. Like he what we're doing right now, this is all a branch off of Dan Patrick, in a way. The man went and yes, so like to hear Dan Patrick after uh we all prep kind of press lane that day when he wouldn't talk about if he he was going to LSU, he was, and he looks at me and he says, Hey, uh, I'm not gonna answer it, you can keep asking it, you know what I mean? And but one of those questions I asked showed up on Dan Patrick. I didn't get to be on the guest spot, it don't matter. I may ain't asking for that. But to hear Dan Patrick goes, that was a good question. That's the validation, that was enough validation for me. Yeah, I ain't a millionaire, but I'm blessed. Because instead of going, man, I want to be Dan Patrick, I want to be uh I want to be, you know, everybody's Mount Rushmore of media sports personalities. Oh me, I don't want to be Mike Wilbon at the post, but now I wouldn't want to. I mean, like the post is owned by Jeff Bezos. You know what I mean? Like, what happened to the sports section of the post? That used to like be a destination now. It's not. This is what it is. So either be you or get out. Because that's all it is, man. You gotta be um unapologetically yourself as long as you are giving all things over to God, He will direct your stuff. You know what I mean? Like that's that's what I learned. Now, here's the hard truth. That's for me. Right. I have no idea how that can help other people. But I can tell you what it did for me. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:57

Thanks for being real, bro.

SPEAKER_00 44:59

Taking steps, bro. Just keep taking steps. That's all I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 45:03

Thanks for that. Because people that are new, you won't know this, but for people that have been with me over the last five years, that is something that I've talked about a lot, is my mental health and how the challenges that I've dealt with. So I appreciate you for sharing that.

SPEAKER_00 45:16

Uh real, man. They call you what they call you. Yeah, they're dealing with it too in their own way. Yeah. Everybody feels the same way, bro. We all have these feelings of inadequacy, not belonging, FOMO, imposter syndrome. Pick your thing, man. You don't have to be sad to be suicidal. I was never sad.

unknown 45:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:46

I was just like, this is some bullshit. You know what I mean? And if you're ever been like that, and there's a lot of people that are like, this is kind of stupid. My advice to you give yourself some grace first. You're fine. I learned that with the wit with the ice storm. If the worst came to worse, like and we lost everything, Dayland, like you could come stay at my house. You know what I mean? Like what happened, what matters is the who you serve how you serve in the time that God allows. Not how big your house is, what your job is, what that like because me in that ice storm, we had shelter, a means of warmth, food, and water.

SPEAKER_01 46:21

Yeah.

Mental Health, Faith, And Resilience

SPEAKER_00 46:22

And means to get it if we ever ran out. We had quite literally, because now kids use literally so liberally, like they don't understand what it means. Quite literally, we had everything we needed in that winter storm. And it was like God was talking to me because I am so always plugged in. That's why I can rattle off names like Matt Greer and Camone Fisher and Tuchon Reyes and Deuce McAllister and John Avery. And like I'm that's all the time because everywhere I go, I'm that guy. To you, to everybody. They ask me about this stuff. But what a what a blessing it is. You know what I mean? I could be the guy that they go, oh, look, you know he's a deadbeat dad at home. Oh, here comes so-and-so, man. You know he gets drunk as heck every night. And trust me, I'd love to still get drunk every night. Getting drunk used to be my favorite thing. Just rattling off like random football players as you drink. You know what I mean? Like, like, say pick uh, all right, we're going to we're just gonna name as many chargers as we can. I'm gonna start with like, no, as many Seahawks as we can. Then I'm starting like Ricky Waters. You know what I mean? I'll throw you off immediately. Drinking, kicking them back, we don't do that anymore. Not say you can't have a beer. I gave up beer for Lent. So uh day after Easter, I'm having a beer. What I'm saying though is uh it if you can look around, even when it's hard and say thank you and give thanks to it. And for me, it was really hard to see negative balance in your bank account, getting pissed off because your suicide attempt don't work because you went very handy. You know what I mean? Like when you can look around and go, look, look at what I have. What an incredible blessing it is. Lane Kevin has 98 million dollars, and he can't stand that he can't shake that somebody said you can't you basically called him a hoe. Or at least he claims. You see what I'm saying? Like nothing nothing's gonna make you happy. Yeah, Donald Trump has everything. And it's constant grievance in what he doesn't have. And the like the one bit of honest truth he like he constantly repeats that I kind of respect him about is he'll say, Yeah, I'm not going to heaven. Man said it out of his mouth. Yeah, you know what I mean? Like, if only all of us were so self-aware. I don't agree with that man about most anything, Dave. But I was like, you know what? That's how I feel every day. So how can I overcome that? Well, it's not gonna be by by becoming the next Dan Patrick or Stuart Scott or Keith Olbermann. Well, I wouldn't want to be Keith. Lord knows. Keith, Keith's fallen to like he's been poisoned by like too much plugged-in internet brain. Now that's where I that that's the number one thing. If you're ever dealing with the comments and stuff, Dalen, just put your phone down. Yeah, go for a walk. And that was hard for me. Go for a walk. Like, just don't look at it. It doesn't exist unless you allow it to. You know what I mean? So that part is stuff still gonna get to you. You're gonna go, damn, I don't think I'm a fat, ugly idiot. Do I need to lose some pounds? Yeah, probably. But like, I don't wait, hold on. You really saying I need to bring Terrell Poe and and Bradley Sal with me to Brat Baton Rouge in two years because y'all might beat the shit out of me. Also, awesome, you know, please again pay me not to work. I can't do anything but this. You know what I mean? But you get wrong, you get what I'm getting at? Like, there's nothing that you're going to get in your life ever that's gonna satisfy until one, you give grace to yourself through the love and acceptance of a God that is real. Because either he was exactly who he said he was, and that's Jesus, or he was a fucking lunatic. I used to choose the latter. Now I always choose the former, and it informs everything I do, even when it's messy, especially when it's messy. You get what I mean? Yeah, and that is uh that is my spiel. Because I thought we were gonna talk about football stuff, and we kind of did. We kind of did, you know. Gotta tell you about you even know the Rex Grossman game I'm talking about.

SPEAKER_01 50:32

I don't know before my time. Because I'm old. I was I wasn't even born yet. I was born. I was born the year after, actually. How old are you? I'm 21, going on 22. God bless you.

SPEAKER_00 50:49

God bless you, son.

SPEAKER_01 50:51

Let me ask you one last thing before I get you out here, man.

SPEAKER_00 50:53

You keep going, young. You uh you hear me, young buck. You keep going. Um, we'll start treating treating you like a real like old head, you know what I mean? Man, I just so proud of so proud of the work you're putting in. We used to die. Oh, yes, it's coming up. Dude, you said you were born after a game that I said is my favorite. It says Sade. All right, go. Ask me the last one.

SPEAKER_01 51:11

Uh, you've been a part of the the sports media world for for a long time now. Uh, if you had the opportunity to to be in a room with a bunch of Dalins, what what advice would you give to to people that are younger than you that I have the aspirations of wanting to be in any typo realm of this sports media world that is what it is today?

Baby Steps, Not Leaps

SPEAKER_00 51:33

You're a walking one person, one man economy. Uh always fight for your worth and for your intellectual property and uh and believe in who you are and and the work you're going to put out. It's not they're not all gonna be winners. You're not gonna you're not gonna bat a thousand. All right. But remember in baseball, what do we all say? If you hit 300, and that's three for ten and every or three for three hits and every you're a hall of famer. Hall of Famer. You're a hall of famer. So remember that. And like there are gonna be times where you try you try to be vulnerable, and uh you are, and you say something that you're pro that you're happy to put out there and and and but also you probably say cuss words you shouldn't say, or you uh you perform in a way that you don't think is is quite up to your standard. Flush it and move on. You're gonna be fine. Uh, you understand what you need to do and what the structure needs to be. Keep going, right? Like build on it. There's no going back. All right. You put your best foot forward as best you can. And let me be honest with you, a lot of the time, again, they ain't all gonna be winners. In seven of those tenant bats in life, bro, you gonna fly out, ground out, strikeout, all right? But you just keep going because like that's the whole task, and understand that you'll get a little bit better than you were the time before because you've learned something. Give yourself some grace, you're gonna screw up more often than you're not, but know that you're capable. If you've gotten this far, keep going. There's no limits to your own potential, there's nothing beyond your capacity if you're in this space and you've already done the hardest part, which is turn the camera on yourself. Now just, you know, the rest of like, but always fight for your worth. Always fight for your worth. Always. And don't put it into other people's hands if you don't have to. Um, and and even if you have to, just make sure there are people that that you trust. Like, I'm so thankful for Shannon Terry. Because, like, dude, I was completely grown-up, adult, job corporation illiterate until last year. And understanding how things work. Don't wait until you're 39, going on 40. Still do it at 21, 22, understanding the language of the things you sign. You're a one person, one man, one woman, walking economy unto yourself. It's what the world has created. That's why Lane Kiffin is the most interesting person in college football in 2026. Even though Kirby Smart has championships and SEC titles, he has three CUSA championships, and yet he's the center of the universe because God bless him, he uh I think he goes about it in a in a in the worst kind of way, and I could keep going about this. I he's always promoting himself. Yeah, for the better or worse of it, he's always promoting himself, and in that way, uh you know Donald Trump and Vince McMahon, they've all said the same thing. It's like in wrestling, when you walk out, if you're a wrestler and you get booze or you get cheers, you just need to make like you always got to be able to get a response. The worst thing is if you walk out there and there's silence. Fill the space. But that but I would argue that a lot of that can be poisonous, as is the case with the previous three I mentioned.

SPEAKER_02 55:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 55:01

So fill the space and and fight for yourself, but also be good to people the best you can.

unknown 55:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 55:09

If you agree to a handshake deal, but 50-50, you and me, give it make it 50-50. Even like, dude, I could really use his 750 right now. No, it's 50-50. Be fair, be equitable, and pay it forward. Because you never know. The person that's interviewing you on a random Wednesday where you said an F-word that you swore you'd never say again, and you gave up friggin' beer for lint, but you can't give up cussing. Maybe he'll hire you one day. Maybe he'll need you one day. Maybe he'll be the person that changes the world. I don't know. I'm just little old Ben Garrett over here in New Albany, Mississippi. You know what I mean? That that would be my advice. Uh the long, what's the too long don't read version of that? A chat GPT summary summarization of that. You are perfect just as you are, as God made you. Be that. Be that. Be that. You're perfect as you as God made you. Be that. The best version of that. That's it. And that's my spiel.

SPEAKER_01 56:17

Thank you, my friend.

SPEAKER_00 56:18

Um, and I think I have no idea why we uh how or how this turned into this. Power hour with uh hype man BG, you know. I didn't even shower today. You know, I haven't really done much for my site yet today, man. I was just like sitting on my rear end.

SPEAKER_01 56:36

You know, I love what I do because as you said, and I'm sure most people that come on here without asking much questions or knowing what I do, expect me to come on and be like, hey, I know you're the coach at this school. Let's talk about your game last night. I think there's a a greater dynamic and layer behind all of that that I am really always interested in learning, getting to know, and also sharing. So I am appreciative of you for coming on, unexpectedly knowing what I was gonna ask you and wanting you to talk about today. Only fun and the truth.

SPEAKER_00 57:10

It's only fun, it's only good if it's honest, man. If it's honest, be honest. And you know, uh, I meant what I said. This man right here, y'all, there's nothing beyond his capacity. He just got to say it with his chest, and he has to fight for his own value all the time. If he you remember those two things, but if he can just keep those two things in mind, as far as Dalen goes, he's the other way. As far as Dalen goes, there is nothing beyond his capacity. He's great.

SPEAKER_01 57:39

And I appreciate that. And I won't give out the details of our phone call a little while ago, but I want to enlighten people on saying this is again not something he is just putting on for camera. Uh, this is something that he means, he lives by, and he is real about. So, my friend, thank you for everything you've done for my life, and thank you for coming on to join me for the season finale of the Dalen show.

SPEAKER_00 58:00

Now, if it were who is the greatest artist like in hip hop, because that one was the one I was really debating, Dalen, when you texted me. Like, Stan Lee was the answer, but like I really struggled specifically because I love I was like, should I text back, is it lyricist? Or is it like Big X the plug has some of the hardest beats right now?

SPEAKER_01 58:22

In fact, so I asked that question because when I made the Instagram post, and I ended up funny enough, I just made the John Cena theme your post this week, but I asked that question so I could have a song to put on it. But I was like, hmm, what do I feel like with fit is? And I feel like John the time is now he retired. Now we're getting ready to end season five, going into season six here in a few months. I'm like, hmm, how does that so that's why I made it, but that's why I asked that question. I like to ask the guests who's your favorite artist or like what's a song that you may prefer for me to put on there, even though I didn't so glad you asked this.

Advice For Young Creators

SPEAKER_00 58:55

Uh and in celebration of 2001, no way out. You talk about one of the greatest artists in what he does. Chris Jericho is a professional wrestler. There are few, if any, who are better than him. The man was a showman. He could go, he still can. Yeah, uh, he's it's not I'm talking about like he doesn't exist anymore. Chris Jericho, but in his promise, but like 2001, Chris Jericho with the long blind locks. Man, this dude was unstoppable on the mic in the ring, and his intro music was Y2J. Break the wall down, break down the walls. That would be what I would play, but or um Mac Miller's uh missed calls is what I'm really vibing to right now. Um, I've really taken the Glorilla. I I'm very late to Glow Rilla, but like I didn't know she was from Memphis. Yeah, Glow Rilla. Okay, bro, like I didn't know she was from Memphis, and so like she's sampling some old 36 mafia in her song, you know, like ain't nothing going on but the money and the power. So, like I'm kind of on Glorilla hard right now. Uh so there's wrestling. What other what other branches doing the Michelle Branch? One of the greatest piano intros to a song ever. Uh, you know what I'm talking about. And I okay, her song uh it celebrates 25 years uh this week or last week, so she would be a great one. And don't ever get me started on boy bands because like I could sing the entire catalog of InSync. It's true. Every song, digital get down, and bye-bye bye. I know I'm on. And there's a reason, there's a story behind it. So if you ever want to know why, be glad to tell you. God rest the soul of my uh second mother in a lot of ways, Renee Ernest, who is Justin Timberlake's like personal manager or something. So, like, I I yeah, I knew about InSync stuff. I will say, like, uh a little disappointed in Justin's solo career, all right, and thought JC Chazet would be able to go a little harder, but there are a lot of things you can play, Dalen, or you could just play the Spider-Man thing from like the old Spider-Man cartoons, or would it be X-Men 97 would be a great theme. You know what? I think I'm going back to Chris Jericho's Y2J intro. Have you even seen this? Have you heard it?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:13

Oh, yes, I've heard it, I've seen it a billion times. Y2J. So actually, probably one of my top five favorite wrestlers ever, actually. I he probably is at number five. You my list may be a little wonky to some, but it it goes Cena the Miz. I know that may be a little wonky to some people pushing it. Right, Finn Balor, uh HBK.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:36

I saw him in Memphis with NXT. This card was insane. It was like it was a nothing show if they're at uh at Minglewood Hall. So it's just like a house show. It was packed. And uh, dude, with on that card was Bailey and Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, uh Baron Corbin, Finn Balor.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:54

Oh man, Baron Corbin.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:56

It was insane, it was insane. So I love Finn Balor. Yeah, uh, if you really wanted so top five, you had you got to Finn. Where's Jericho? Four?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:05

No, Jericho's five. HBK is my number four. Yeah, I love that. And then Jericho's five.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:10

I can't really move my finger. Can I give you my top five then to really put a button on this? Number one, forever and always, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Facts when he cut his Austin 316 promo, King of the Ring on Jake the Snake Roberts, legendary off the dome, too. Now like that is unbelievable oracle skills. And the be and not only that, the man could absolutely go in the ring. That's what and he was simple, and it the simplified. I loved the trunks, the black trunks, yeah, black uh knee pads, like it was all by there wasn't any show to it. It was he came in there to kick your ass and fight authority. It was the dopest thing for a kid coming up like me, because I was born in 1986. This was my sweet spot. Like when Stone Cold rode down in a freaking coors light truck to spray Vince McMahon them, bro. Like I was watching Raw Live from New Albany, Mississippi. You know what I mean? So, like Stone Cold, Steve Austin, number one.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:11

So I wasn't I wasn't really able to see Stone Cold, but seeing him live in WrestleMania a few years ago, greatest joy of my life. Go ahead. I love that answer.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:19

No, I freaking love that you've met him because that's something that like I was asked when I was doing some stuff, like uh you know the coach, right? Jonathan Coachman. He used to do back backstage interviews for Raw. I did his show um a couple months, not months, or maybe it was a couple months ago, and um we were talking about wrestling things in particular and like like everything being wrestling, and we took long story short, Daniel Bryan's number two. All right, because I was thinking about all the old connectors to wrestling and stuff like this. Like back when Coach was doing interviews with uh Val Venus and Raven and these casts like this. Like for me, uh Stone Cold, but then like Daniel Bryan came along when I fell out of love with wrestling. Yeah, you know, like Coachman was on on those shows back in the day when I was in high school. Stone Cole was on there in high school, in middle school. Like, I remember Halloween having 1997 when Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior had that terrible match, and and there was the box we had to improvise, it was terrible. I was watching that at my friend Jim's house. Uh, we both turned 40 this this year, but like I don't love it like that anymore. Like, I went to Raw recently with some friends, and it was a great production, CM Punk, who I've been waiting to see return to the wrestling. Uh in person, I'd finally got to see him walk out here. Artist, music kit, cultural personality is wonderful, but like it's just not the same. Like Bailey, I had more fun, and it felt like more the spirit of the thing when I saw Bailey at Minglewood Hall when she was Hugger Bailey, which is one of my favorite wrestlers ever. Like, that is borderline top five. No, you know what? Hugger Bailey might be number five because like my oldest daughter fell in love with Hugger Bailey, and that's uh was at a tough time, and and I don't know, it was we I loved Hugger Bailey. So Hugger Bailey's gonna be number five. Stone Cold with Jonathan Coachman doing the backstage interviews and JR, and I was watching No Way Out. JR and the King were on play by play. The king didn't add a bunch, saw the king in Memphis. He's friends with my guy Jeffrey Pipkin. Like, you know, it's just it's a different time now. Yeah, like Corey Graves is awesome, but like I don't have the same kind of anyway. Yeah, Stone Cold, Daniel Bryan. We got Hugger Bailey at five. That's a new edition. I gotta change some stuff up.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:27

Um I want to throw a legendary razor amon Scott Hall.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:39

Okay, too sweet, baby. I freaking loved Scott Hall. God rest his soul. Uh and and did not get the world heavyweight championship run that like he didn't get the the the same kind of shine that diesel got.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:55

Yeah.

Wrestling, Music, And Pop Culture Joy

SPEAKER_00 1:05:56

Just I freaking loved Scott Hall. But when he like he took a racist gimmick, which was it was racist, and he made it something into something different and something more. Toy Razor Mo, which should have been offensive and terrible than it was when it debuted, became something like he just became a bad guy, like a like an eighties villain bad guy. And Chico and he'd thump your like every toothpick I'll ever have. Chico, I mean, I've said it was the two fingers though. Yeah, dude. Yeah, Chico, because he couldn't do the flip. But I flick it. Just like every time you shoot uh a paper wide into a wastebasket, you say Kobe. Like every toothpick is Chico. So Scott Hall Ranger Moon, he'd have to be on there. And Bret the Hitman Hart. Brett the Hitman Hart was the first wrestler that I wanted to be.

unknown 1:06:40

Solid.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:40

And then I just wanted to be like JR because I like calling the action. I couldn't do the action. The sharpshooter, not my favorite finisher, but no one will ever like I it pains me to see anybody not name Bret Hart use the sharpshooter. It's just what it is. Because like I when I was coming up, that was the coolest. He was awesome. Who had the you know who had the best finisher of anybody though? Batista. Because it was so violent. Okay. Everybody's gonna say Goldberg, but like that's a spear. Everyone speared everyone's gonna be.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:12

I wouldn't even say that. I think my two favorite finishers ever are Styles Clash and RKO.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:19

The RKO, which is a I don't know if it's a variation of or it's just more in the same family of the Stone Cold Stunner. Yeah, yeah. Like I love Randy Orton. He would he would be in top 10. Like Randy Orton, absolute monster. Um, actually, see, I was on side, uh I was rooting for Randy Orton. I I only became a John Cena person in his retirement tour. I was the guy that was I was at Fast Lane in 2013 in Memphis, and I was one of the guys booing him. I guess you know, see you doing that. I was a Cena sucks guy. That was me. And to see him save wrestling from itself over his retirement tour, God bless him. And I really he put in good work too, man. And he went out like a pro. Uh, you go out on your back, no more, and he said, I'm done. I don't know if he'll stick to it. The money will probably be way too much, and I would come back too. But if he did, it'd be cold because that'd be like the old ways. And I think that's insane tent, man. Like John Cena, that's the days of the old wrestler trope, man, they're dying out. And John Cena, I thought over his retirement tour, just I I found myself saluting this man. I found myself and that this would have never happened with me. I was like, I was happy to do this for Roman Reigns, you know. I was happy to do yes chants. I'll never do a what chant. I think stone, uh, my man Steve Austin would be happy for that. But like anything Steve Austin said or did, especially middle fingers, or do when you're drinking, you sell your brother to throw you, or not your brother, your friends, to throw you another beer, you know what I mean? They throw it to you, and you say, No, give me another one, and you clap them things together. But now I'll do it. John Cena, you're the man. He's awesome, dude. And that's what's so crazy. Now I feel like I missed out. You know what I mean? Now, like because I was late to Harry Potter, like late, late to Harry Potter. And I feel like now I missed out on what could have been a memorable run. Because all he did was win. I hated that though. Like that's what pissed me off. He was the Lakers, he was the Yankees, he was you know what I mean. CM Punk was like his money that their money in the bank when he when uh he beat Cena, went over on Cena, and then left for the title. That's what my that was my vibe. I was rooting for Randy Orton in there. Uh everybody wants to see Randy Orton and John Cena wrestle one more time. Like, I'd still watch that, but like I'll always root for Randy Orton there because it was like super Cena.

unknown 1:09:40

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:40

And when he debuted, dude, I saw him debut, bro. He we it was corny. It was now the bars were solid. That wasn't what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:49

It was just it was corny and got him somewhere though.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:54

So hell yeah, dude. He's one of the greatest of all time. Like, dude, he's the goat. I'll give it to him. John Cena rules, and I you know how I know that the the world's coming to an end, Dalen? Because in the year of our Lord 2026, your friend Ben is saying John Cena might be the goat in wrestling history. Because like I old I said no, and I told you every reason why. But like, dude, he rules, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:15

And we great respect you for it.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:17

So and also I think he's kind of like me, like, he could start listening off Glorilla songs. You know what I mean? I think I think I think we'd vibe.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:25

I have a suggestion for you before I get you out of here. So you said the the Stan Lee, well, I gotta make sure you you throw some the Batman Arkham Asylum theme song when you when you have me on your show one day.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:36

So um well, you know what's the what one of my favorite parts of that of the dark knight? Like, I love that you have Dark Knight. Like, how you're you're comedy.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:47

I really don't show people a lot this often, and people tell me you loved Arrow? I did. I'm a big Oliver Quinn guy, actually.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:54

Dude, I love me some Oliver Quinn. I didn't love the show, but I love the portrayal of certain it was awesome. I enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:01

The the later seasons kind of lost me, like after season season four, like Damian Dark, I started, and like season five was really good, Adrian Chase, but then after that, and Adrian Chase was dope. Yeah, I I uh I've got some you can't see, and they're kind of put up in the corner over there. But I've got some like old school green era comics, Justice League. Yeah, I'm a big Oliver Queen guy.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:20

Yeah, well, meanwhile, I got like a lot of Daredevil and Spider-Man. That's what I still have. And all my my dear friend Brantley, who passed away uh a couple years back now, uh, if their sons will absolutely watch this because they watch everything old now soon. Um, I still got Brantley's comic books uh because they didn't know what to do with them. I said I'll just put them in my office. And they're a bunch of old Batman's from like the 90s, 80s, so yeah. Batmans, oh, I got the last Ronan from Teenage Mutant.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:47

Oh, that's that's good.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:48

And dude, I'm so disappointed because I hear they're trying to like develop it into a movie. Yeah, and I feel like I I wanted to do that. I thought no one would make it before me, and now they're doing it, and I'm so bombed. Maybe I should still write it and beat him to the punch. Never know, my friend.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:02

Look, um, thank you again for coming on, brother. Uh, I enjoyed the heck out of this, and I hope everyone watching enjoyed this at least a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:12

Um, and if you didn't, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. But uh Dalen's awesome. And uh to have done this for five seasons now and a hundred and how many episodes? Twenty four?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:23

You are the 105th technical guest that I've had on. I started doing other series where I have a soccer talk series where I have some of my friends on. I'm a big soccer fan, and we we talk soccer, and we've done about six or six episodes of that, and then I have a Cardinals baseball series that I do with Russ Edens, who's a good friend of mine, and we uh are bringing that back soon now that spring training is here and going around. So I've probably done a little bit more, I've probably done like 130 in terms ever, but like guests doing interviews like this, you're the 105th guest.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:54

So I'm honored to be 105, folks. Um, I got a lot of people to thank along the way here. First of all, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, um, Reba McIntyre, Dolly Pardon, who I'd vote for president today. Okay, yeah, Reba shout out. I'm I'm just I'm like Reba, in terms of watchability of of sitcoms, Reba is one of the can't like dude, it's it's imminently watch rewatchable. It's it's incredible. Uh it's so stupid and fun, and I love that. Like, um, again, I don't know how I'm ending this on Reba. Uh, that was a long way of saying I'm thankful that you brought me on, or a really stupid way of saying I'm thankful that you brought me on, and I'm sorry that I talked too much.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:34

No, my friend. That is the busted and the curse, folks. This is what the daily show is all about. So I appreciate you for yapping, my friend. Thank you so much. I hope you guys enjoyed this. Again, if you're new, hit the subscribe button, leave a like, comment, your favorite part of the episode, or just something funny so I can laugh. And I will have a big update coming soon, just because this is the end of the fifth season. I know you should take a little bit of a break. Uh, we've got more things coming on. You can see is our friends joining us. So stay tuned. Stay later on social media, man. Um, Fozzie. Does Fozzie got any last words, Ben?

Gratitude, Community, And Closing

SPEAKER_00 1:14:04

A banana cream pie. That's a Fozzie Bear, bro. Got the Muppets, man. Like Seth Rogan. Shout out, dude. You brought the Muppets back. God bless you.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:16

My friends, thank you for joining me on this marvelous fifth season of the Dayland Show. I hope I made it worthwhile for you a little bit. Uh, I hope you continue to follow in faith in your life, and I hope you continue to treat every single person with kindness that you interact with. Thank you guys for joining me on this incredible run. I'm so grateful to be doing this for five years now. Season six will be in the mix very soon. Please stay up to date with me on social media and as well, my good friend Ben Garrett at the Ole Miss Spirit. Check him out. He does and his team does great work as well, covering Ole Miss Athletics. Thank you guys. God bless. See you soon.