Friendship, Postseason Formats, and Sports Radio Broadcasting (feat. Jason Crowder)

In this episode of the Created To Be Podcast, Bethany and Justin sit down with Mississippi State radio voice Jason Crowder for a wide-ranging conversation about their friendship, stories, and sports broadcasting.

The episode opens with Bethany, Justin, and Jason sharing how they met and how their stories have intertwined over the past 20+ years, then shifts into a timely discussion on postseason formats across college football, the NFL, March Madness, and college baseball.

Jason shares his personal journey—from growing up in French Camp to covering Mississippi State athletics for more than 27 years. He reflects on early frustrations in radio, the mentors who shaped him, and the long, faithful road God used to develop his voice and calling.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey y'all, it's Bethany. I just want to welcome you into this week's episode of the Create It To Be Podcast. One of the things that we really want to do in this podcast is invite people onto the show to share their story. We want interesting episodes with interesting stories and topics from a variety of people that are involved with FCA, who support FCA and are part of the bigger picture of what God is doing at Mississippi State. And this episode is super special to me and Justin because our dear friend Jason Crowder, who you may know as the voice of the women's basketball team at Mississippi State, has joined us to share his story about getting into radio broadcast and has also just participated in some of our lighthearted conversation around our stretch time today. So we're super thankful for Jason and him spending time with us because he did not have to do that, especially in the middle of his busy season. So we're super grateful for him and just want you to know that that's what you can expect from this show. We want you to hear from people that have these interesting stories, interesting lives, and they're interesting paths that God has put them on. And we're so thankful that our stories crossed with Jason 20 years ago so that we could bring you this podcast today. We hope you enjoy today's episode and look forward to what this season of the podcast in the spring of 2026 will bring. Enjoy.

SPEAKER_03 1:11

And you got Morgan William, who's the smallest player on the floor. Here she comes and on the biggest stage in the game makes the biggest shot in women's basketball history.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

Welcome to the Created To Be Podcast. Today we have a great episode with the legendary Jason Crowder. We're so excited to have you here today, Jason.

SPEAKER_03 1:36

Yes. Legendary, which means old.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Listen to his radio voice already. He's going to outdo us today. That's um, we're so excited to have you here. Thank you for agreeing to be on the podcast. Add some variety to our show. And of course, Justin is here. Yo, you the rest of the crew hopefully will be here with us next time, but we're excited about Jason being on today because he gets to uh join us in these topics that we have throughout the whole podcast. So we will get to your story, Jason, more towards the end. But I just wanted to say Jason is a great friend. We go way back. You and Justin probably met first before I met you. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

Yes. I believe so. 2004. Okay. Was it the first at that one FCA interview?

SPEAKER_04 2:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:20

It was. Oh, it was the first time I met you. Yeah. Oh, yeah. It was during baseball season. I think it was right after the start of the season. So sometime in February of 2004. It's been a long time.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

How long have you been doing

We Go Way Back

SPEAKER_01 2:32

radio at Mississippi State?

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Well, I could break that down into different categories. Okay. I've been covering Mississippi State since I got in radio, and that was 27 years ago. So somewhere around 2001, two, somewhere right around in there. No, no, no, no, no. Let me wait, let me go way back. I started in 1997, and I think probably around 98, 99 started doing some um Mississippi State coverage, but as far as extended coverage and stuff was 2001, 2002, somewhere right around in there. It's been a long time ago.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

How did you find Justin? Was this through Josh? Or what did you do?

SPEAKER_03 3:11

I believe it was Josh, and I've met so many people, my brain freezes sometimes, and I I have to I remember Josh, but I don't remember timelines sometimes. So I believe it was Josh who connected me with Justin. So we actually started doing the Fellowship of Christian Athlete show at WFCA in 1998, I believe. So that would have been one of the first sports shows, I think, that that I hosted. And it was an opportunity to talk about athletes, their sport, their faith more importantly. And of course, WFCA is a Christian radio station. So we came up and met with a couple of people here at Mississippi State with the athletic department that was involved with FCA, and that's how we got in touch with, I believe, was it it wasn't Josh that was doing it at the time. Carol Carpenter, the late Carol Carpenter, had a lot to do with us getting involved with Mississippi State, who's a former Ole Miss football player, which is very interesting. And um, and forgive me if I pause for a second because I'm trying to pull some of these things out of my brain, but that's how we got started, just to kind of got with the athletic department. And they're like, you know what? Yeah, we'll this would be a good thing. And coaches have helped before and all kinds of stuff. And then, of course, when Josh Gilrey took over, and of course, Bill Buckley and Justin and so many others who have helped, Bill Finley, who was a soccer coach here at one time, was was really big in getting us athletes. And um, so we would just each week before our football or basketball or baseball broadcast, we would have an interview with with a player about their faith.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. Do you run that once a week now? Like what is the rhythm now?

SPEAKER_03 4:43

Once a week, we run them on Saturdays and uh before our MSU Game Day program, which is our local pregame show that runs right up to to each broadcast. So uh, and sometimes, you know, we might have a special FCA uh re-airing or something like that, air it twice and we're gonna pull it from the vault. Yeah. Pull Justin from the vault. I don't know that he would have been trying to.

SPEAKER_04 5:06

That would be hearing sounded like WFCA is not a Fellowship of Christian Athletes radio station. People get that religious. French Camp Academy, which just happens to be FCA as well, which is great. I mean, it's really confusing.

SPEAKER_03 5:21

It is, it can be. And people have thought that before, like, oh, is this with Fellowship of Christian Athletes when they first know about it? No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

French Camp Academy is just speaking of French Camp, this is on my notes, but Jason Crowder helped us secure a location for our wedding. Yes. We were sitting at McAllister's, I believe, and I was describing what I wanted and my budget that was, you know, and I was just yeah, I was like very thankful for it.

SPEAKER_04 5:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

Right. I was like, dude, this is impossible. And you said you should come check out Camp the Lodge at Camp of the Rising Sun. And I said, Jason, there is no way I'm gonna put French camp on my invitations. Like there's just like no connection between a pretty disrespectful statement. No, no, no, no, no, no. Sorry. I mean that actually in a respectful way because I learned that the rules out there are that you have to connection to French camp in order to do anything at their place. You know, you gotta go to school there, you gotta grow up in the community. And we had zero connection.

SPEAKER_03 6:21

So I just thought Well, I guess at that time.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

Okay, it's different now. Okay, we can advertise for French camp. So yeah, so I was like, and you convinced me, just come look at it. Just come look at it. And it was awesome. And we were like, okay, we're gonna try to figure this out. And yeah, thankfully the mayor loved Mississippi State baseball, and that worked in our favor with Justin playing baseball and obviously Jason helping us out, but we did get married out there, so now we do have a connection out there. It's a sweet place. Is there anything we can do?

SPEAKER_03 6:52

And surprisingly, they allow me to still suggest weddings. Justin's wedding party from the baseball team were there, but that's okay. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 6:59

That is hilarious.

SPEAKER_03 7:01

Oh, they behaved. Oh, they did. It was just a joke. Yeah. I don't know about Andy, but probably Andy was the most well-behaved guy. Yeah, yeah. We said Lawler there and Russ.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

Yeah, we really did have like a athlete slash FCA wedding.

SPEAKER_04 7:16

It was it was cool.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

We had some heavy hitters there, including Gary Preminer.

SPEAKER_04 7:20

Gary didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

If people know Gary in the state, he Ron Polk would have been there. Oh, you know, Coach Winnie was there.

SPEAKER_03 7:27

She was, but remember the story when you told Ron Polk that you were getting married in French camp.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

What did he say?

SPEAKER_03 7:34

We were the 2008, it was right after you got and finished, we were at the SCC baseball tournament. Well, you go, Justin, when you did Justin here, I forgot it's not video. Yeah, yeah. To see Coach Polk who was sitting on a golf cart down the right field line. Yeah. Do you remember this, Justin?

SPEAKER_01 7:50

Your face. I'm trying to read your face.

SPEAKER_03 7:51

I remember you telling the story because Bethany and I stayed back. We were just hanging out, you know, watching the game, and you came back laughing, saying, Coach Polk, we were telling about the wedding, and you were inviting him and stuff, and he said, It's like French camp. Is that where Jason Crowd is from? Who are you getting married there for? Yeah. Oh my gosh. By the way, happy birthday to Ron Paul. Happy birthday. It's his RP. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

That's awesome. That would be a great guest.

SPEAKER_03 8:20

I mean, we could spend hours telling Ron Polk stories, we'll just move on.

SPEAKER_04 8:23

We should get him on here.

SPEAKER_03 8:24

Oh, yes, you should.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

And Gary Preventer. I throwing that name out there. I was like, I'm like, I'm like brainstorming right now. Okay, we'll get back to this. So Jason's been a friend for a long time. He you grew up in French camp. I did. So that's why you could make that suggestion and know what you're talking about. Um, so anyways, we're gonna get back to his story a little bit later as we cover the topic radio. Because I also just think it would be interesting to talk about, especially in this world of social media. I'm just personally curious about like where radio fits in and all that stuff. So, but before we do

The Stretch: Best Post-Season Format

SPEAKER_01 8:56

that, to get into the stretch time, we are in postseason for several big sports. So we have the NFL postseason right now, college football playoff, and then we're on our way to March Madness. Um, so I just wanted to talk about the different formats and potentially just kind of get y'all's thoughts on what is the best, what do you think is the most fair postseason format? Because the CFP gets argued, I mean there's all kinds of things about it that, and then I don't we don't have to get into it, but things that I've heard just in passing or people talking about is like also the rules for NIL and transfer portal portal and coaches making changes in the middle of the playoff season.

SPEAKER_03 9:35

You're gonna give me a headache.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

It's yeah, exactly. It is a headache. The sideline is it oh, like I mean, they were there was a game. Who was it the other day, Justin?

SPEAKER_04 9:42

Who I think it was one of these Oregon lost both their coordinators to head coaching judges. Well, there was a player coaching.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

They were talking about a player on the field that was playing.

SPEAKER_04 9:51

That's in the portal.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

He was already going somewhere. So it's just weird because it just doesn't seem like it shows up. Maybe it does show up in other sports. I don't know. But it was funny because Abby, I said something they put on the screen that CFP started in 2014. And I did not realize it had been that long. So Abby is 13, our daughter, and I thought she doesn't really, she doesn't know any other format. So that made me think like, y'all remember like the format before? Like I'm almost to the point. Yeah, because I didn't really get into college football until probably look at the computer.

SPEAKER_04 10:27

What's the number saying?

SPEAKER_01 10:28

But yeah, like how did it work?

SPEAKER_03 10:31

Computers, numbers, uh, they took strength of schedule, things like that. Kind of like a um when how much I was in there too, kind of like help. Yeah. It was flawed. Yeah. I mean, every system you're gonna have is flawed, right? In particular when you have a bunch of guys sitting around picking teams, because let's be honest, there's lots of bias. And it's really hard to know sometimes, okay, well, who are the best forward teams? Because then there's going to be, of course, that was two. So that was controversy for years. And of course, uh, Roy Kramer, the former commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, came up with that. Then that's one of the reasons why, right? All the SEC, they're they're controlling things and and running college football. Um, and it had been talked about and talked about on shows like this and stuff and on television radio. And finally everybody seemed to break through the wall, break through the door and and get the 14 playoff, which when they came up with a 14 playoff, was that's not gonna be enough. I think you're gonna have to extend it. And and of course, people acknowledge that. Are you going to four? I think when you get down to 12, you're getting it right. I think you can go a little bit more. But here's the argument of well, are you gonna take the top 12 teams ranked? Okay, well, then you're going back to more of this BCS type format, you know, right, or committees and things like that. The big argument is okay, who should be selecting these? Are these athletics directors? Or do we need four more coaches and are it's just yeah, like who gets to sit in the seat? Right, you know, who are the most qualified? Well, you have all kinds of different people. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 12:07

I mean John Delisa Rice was in there for a while. Which I'm like, really?

SPEAKER_03 12:10

Who did who got to choose that though? Like who makes those decisions? Well, a lot you come up with a committee, a lot of times a lot of athletics directors. Now, granted, I I mean athletics directors know an awful lot about the sport and how it works, obviously. But then again, you run into all these biased, you know, we see that in in uh college basketball, right? Um, college baseball, it's probably been a little bit more uh of a controversy as of late of okay, well, this guy's team got to host. Well, he's the committee chair. Well, I have to remove myself. All right, well, maybe you removed yourself, but did you have a wink wink when you left the room? Hey, do you have to do it?

SPEAKER_01 12:48

Wasn't that like North Carolina or something last year? Wait, East Carolina. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 12:52

And I try to pick on that situation because there's been a lot Oh, it was it March Madness last year, I think it was.

SPEAKER_01 12:57

North Carolina had somebody in there, and it was getting down to the you know, final people. I don't know how fixed that. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:04

But as far as the college football format, I d where it comes into the non-power fours bringing it to the G5s, I don't know. I because yeah, I I I don't want I get that they have a lot of good players who are deserving to be on a big stage, but maybe it has to come to a point where you go, all right, we're gonna have a power four national champion group of five playoff.

SPEAKER_02 13:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:27

And I I don't know that we'll ever see that, but maybe you should just go with the top 12 or 16, whatever's coming around the bin and go with that. Because I mean, you look at BYU, their only two losses this year were to Texas Tech, who was a top four team, and they did get in the playoffs, but you had JMU and Tulane. Right. And I'm not sure trying to dismiss their legitimacy as far as a good football team, but they're way better than Tulane. Right. Way better than Jade. Right. So and then they're sitting at home. So Notre Dame. Yeah. Notre Dame. I also heard um But people don't feel sorry for Notre Dame like they do. No, because there's like quite a bit of haters on Notre Dame for this.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

In the conference, Notre Dame. Yeah, yeah. No, the um agreed. Uh it's interesting because from the bowl era to now, I do think that as a what I've just noticed as an observer, because I'm not like a crazy fan, but the number of teams that have gone undefeated or close are a lot more than I remember when there was only two teams when you had to get basically be undefeated to be in the national championship, which is like a really interesting observation. It's like more people are operating at that level to get in. But then also Steve Sarkeesian, after they beat who was it, AM at home or something, he was he was obviously they wanted to get in, you know, it's UT. But it like they played Ohio State, and his argument was we didn't have to schedule that game, and other people won't schedule that. So it's just really it's a legitimate argument.

SPEAKER_03 14:57

Yeah. And I don't care how you feel about Texas. Oh, why is Texas arguing? They're nine and three. The reason Texas didn't get in wasn't because they were nine and three, it was because you lost to Florida. Yeah, okay, yeah. It was because you looked ugly in a lot of those games. And I know that it's not supposed to be the eye test, so to speak, but there's always the eye test. And so that's that's why you lost to Florida.

SPEAKER_04 15:19

And then you're running into the conference championship issue. Yep. What do you do when you have it's about to go away.

SPEAKER_03 15:26

Yeah. Which is Oh, really? Oh, yeah. With SC or just Rule 4. Well, I say it would have to go away. I mean, it looks like it's going to be that at this point because all right, so then there's the argument of you're punished. Like let's say Alabama Alabama looked bad against Georgia. They look really bad.

SPEAKER_04 15:42

And their third discussion was hey, they don't need to be in because they look bad, but we can't punish them because they're playing an extra game against Georgia.

SPEAKER_02 15:51

Right.

SPEAKER_04 15:52

And it's a big deal. Like, whatever. So if you pull Alabama and BYU though. If you pull Abu, yeah, then BYU was second loss. BYU only second loss. They didn't look that great against tech. Tech really took care of them again. But then you punish BYU though.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:06

They were in the top twelve at the time.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Do you think that they're with the way that AI is, that AI could do better than a commitment?

SPEAKER_03 16:14

No.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

No? Because you think the eye test is part of it?

SPEAKER_03 16:17

AI is still pretty flawed.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:20

And I don't think it's been perfected, or at least I guess, depending on what you're paying for. Yeah. Because AI can throw out some really crazy stuff. You're like, that's not accurate.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:30

I wouldn't trust AI.

SPEAKER_01 16:32

Yeah. I'm just wondering with like if a computer could do it X amount of years ago and now with the way technology.

SPEAKER_04 16:38

I mean, it's a fair question. So yeah. And then there's a lot of debate of like, okay, well, Alabama and Georgia are playing an extra game, but Ole Miss and Oklahoma are in and they're just hanging out and getting extra time off. So it's like, shouldn't they be playing to stay in? Since this team's playing extra games. So it's kind of like, I know you want the SEC title, that's something, but right now it's really did you make a CSS DC without having to play for it.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

Yeah. Well, I just thought it was interesting to remember back to like the it was called the BCS, for those of you who are young and don't remember this. Uh maybe listening, but pole championship series, the computer, like you were saying, in the polls selected top two teams, and then they were in the national championship, and then everybody else went to pole games.

SPEAKER_03 17:24

Y'all are probably a little too young to remember, but 1998 was the year there was almost chaos. That's when Mississippi State played Tennessee in the SEC championship game. And everything was on target to have the two undefeated. Well, then you had Texas AM upset Kansas State, the Big 12 championship game. And you had Mississippi State leading Tennessee in the fourth quarter. And that had the SEC officials, Roy Kramer in particular, sweating.

SPEAKER_02 17:55

Oh no.

SPEAKER_03 17:56

Because if Tennessee had lost this game, then you had like a Florida state, a Texas AM, a Tennessee, not a Mississippi state, they didn't have a good enough record and high enough in the rankings, but a Kansas state that was sitting here going, okay, well, what do we do? Because who are you gonna the best two teams? It was gonna be, it was gonna cause lots of chaos. Tennessee pulled it out late. The SEC breathed a big sigh of relief. It was no hate to the Bulldogs if you're a state fan. You're like, yeah, all right, but it just is what it is because that was considered an SEC model. Right. The BCS. So they didn't they didn't want that chaos.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_03 18:30

So that was uh that was a chaotic Saturday, yeah, early December of 1980.

SPEAKER_01 18:35

And then there was the you know, poll and bowl era. Um, and then like we talked about, like it's just like an issue of fairness, like who gets in, you know. So just thinking about like that's really relevant because that's what you see on TV right now. I also kind of I don't know that I love and who cares probably what I think, but like January 19th, still playing football. I'm like, this is basketball season, you know? I'm like for it to bring it on for me. I'm a much yeah, you like it all at one time and bring it on in.

SPEAKER_03 19:04

Keep up with all the chaos. Yeah, because it's a football.

SPEAKER_01 19:07

It's kind of weird the NFL and CFP are like doing stuff at the same time, you know.

SPEAKER_03 19:12

But my Saints were bad, so it doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_04 19:14

I'm not even looking at the NFL. Oh, really? There's hope, though. There's hope. They they got some good pieces, they're gonna be okay. Don't we got founder quarterback?

SPEAKER_03 19:22

Do I I guess it's founder quarterback, but if they found some better administrators in the upper office that are gonna figure all this stuff out. We got our quarterback, though.

SPEAKER_04 19:30

That's been the biggest problem. Well, there's still other problems. But that's a start, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Okay, so if you could like pick the format that you like the best and logistics out of the question, all these things, we don't have to perfect format. What is your favorite? I have a very personal favorite type of postseason format I like to follow and watch and keep up with.

SPEAKER_04 19:52

Definitely have our very biased opinions.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

Yeah. Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 19:55

Just depends on which one I lean to.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

I think it's the best and the most fair. So

SPEAKER_04 20:00

What are your what are the college world series the postseason for NCAA baseball?

SPEAKER_01 20:05

You think it's the most fair or you like the structure of both?

SPEAKER_04 20:08

The the the kicker is how many SEC teams are getting in now. Like you have we've had a lot of teams get in the postseason the last couple years. Like Florida got in late one year, LSU got in late, but then they also had great runs and caused a lot of trouble and ended up making it to the College World Series most of the time or super super regionals. But I love it because you can lose uh I think up to three games and still be maybe four games and be a national title. Yeah, and be a national champion. So it leaves room for you know some mistakes. You're not gonna have your best, and then it also takes away if you somebody has the best arm that you've got you can't just win with one arm.

SPEAKER_03 20:49

Wait a second. Are you talking about through the whole tournament or CDOS? All of it. All the time.

SPEAKER_04 20:56

You can lose a game in in the uh regionals, lose a game in supers. And then lose And then lose two. One two. Two, four, so four. Yeah. Yeah. It's impressive. Yeah, and just the the championship having two out of three is great. Um I think it's tremendous. I think I think the best teams win every year. So that's that's what you want.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

So do you like the NBA finals?

SPEAKER_04 21:20

It's long. Yeah. It's just so long.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

Um or World Series. I mean, it's the same type of thing where you have best of like do you like the best of format? I mean, what you're describing is kind of a combo. Like it's kind of like a it's very unique. It's a mini best of.

SPEAKER_04 21:35

Yeah. It is a mini best of it.

SPEAKER_01 21:36

I mean, I like that.

SPEAKER_04 21:37

I mean, yeah, if you're gonna play it, the best team will win in a seven game series. No doubt, but it's long. Yeah, you know, I've I like the two out of three with the college size and get into it. Yeah. Um, now this World Series this year was absolutely amazing. Yeah, the best I've ever seen. Yeah. And so it's hard to top that, but yeah, I that's my favorite.

SPEAKER_01 21:59

Okay, you have years of broadcast under your belt. So what is what do you like the best?

SPEAKER_03 22:04

As far as now that it's come with a 12-team playoff, I want to expand it a little bit, but I do like that format. Um, I like March Madness, but there's just something about that college baseball, that the weekend, the series. You you go in, you got four teams, and you got these 16 host sites, and and then the next week, you know, you have the 16 teams, eight host sites, and it's it's like an SEC weekend with the winner moving on to the Mecca of it all. And that's the college world series in Omaha. And I love the the Omaha format, and it's just it's nail biting, it it's it's intense. I really just love that format.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

I think that probably I'm pretty biased about March Madness.

SPEAKER_04 22:44

Oh, we need to include we need to include softball in it, too. It's the same setup. Yeah, I don't want to throw out softball.

SPEAKER_01 22:49

Yeah, so the um with March Madness, I just that was just nationally tell televised in a way that we could watch it growing up. So CBS, we always watch that and then the World Series too. But those are the two that I remember most growing up.

SPEAKER_03 23:03

You could argue for all of them in my case. Yeah. March Madness is pretty awesome. Yeah, especially states run in 96 to the final four. Yeah, like and then the women two years in a row.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Heartbreak. I still Notre Dame.

SPEAKER_03 23:15

Uh, but I'm not over it.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was crushing. Uh, but yeah, I don't know. I think the I think the highest potential for a Cinderella team is probably like a March Madness. You I mean, but then then that would be the debate is like, is this really the best team or are they just like we talked about a few, I don't know how many podcasts ago, but we just happened to catch men's NC State run from the ACC tournament a few years ago where they went all the way through, I think it was five games they had to win. They were really bad and gun hot. Yeah. And then they went all the way to the final four. It was crazy. So like I don't have any connections to NC State, but I am just blown away by this team that just watched every single one of their. I was like, when are they playing? Like, we're keeping so I don't there's nothing, I don't feel like in the other four, that's I guess where the argument would be like, are they really the best? Because, you know, they might not have been consistent all season, but there's this chance.

SPEAKER_03 24:13

I would argue now, obviously the college football playoff outside of Indiana's games, you would say has been pretty exciting because college football was this year for the most part. Um, but March Madness probably would be the most um, I guess, exciting where you do have the Cinderella runs. We've had some of those in baseball and stuff, but Justin would say they probably were a Cinderella run in 2007. Totally. We were a three seed. Three seed. Yeah. Three three out of four in pad. I mean, three you deserve to be in. It's not like you you had to win the SEC tournament to get in or anything like that. But but yeah, I would say probably with the upsets and the most exciting, and yeah, I would probably say March Madison.

SPEAKER_01 24:51

I mean, wasn't it was it George Mason several years ago? There's been a few teams that you're just like this.

SPEAKER_04 24:57

Butler made it to the championship losing the Duke. Yeah. Right? That was for what was a shot at the end that almost went in.

SPEAKER_02 25:04

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_04 25:06

So Brad Stevens was the coach there.

SPEAKER_03 25:08

Brad Stevens was the head coach.

SPEAKER_02 25:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

Was that when JJ Reddick played or no?

SPEAKER_03 25:12

That was in JJ Reddick. Wasn't that in Indianapolis? Yeah. Sorry. No, I was just asking when Reddick played. Oh, I don't like it.

SPEAKER_01 25:22

Long before that.

SPEAKER_04 25:23

He played mid-2000s, so my timelines are. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just remember loving watching him play because the only thing that beefed that I have with the NCAA basketball tournament is that you have these like huge, close games, and then you have emotional drop-offs. And to where these sweet 16 games are games, once the Cinderella gets there, they run out of gas, they lose by 30. They do. You know, and you're like, golly, like you hate it. So like I've just there's so many of those games that happen. Yeah. Like the thrill of them beating and upsetting it is really fun. But is is the opening weekends the best? Yeah, opening weekends. So fun. After that, it's kind of a little bit of a lull for me personally. I still do enjoy it. Do you um for baseball? It builds. Everything builds. Now you get the excitement of that first one because there's some that win, then they get to a super, and then you got like, man, this team's going up against LSU like a Samford or something, you know, or whatever. And I think, you know, at some point, sometimes they win a game, and so game three and the pressure's on the whole team. It's just there's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 26:31

Do you think that the story is kind of like it separate? Like you do enough in the season to get to this point, and then we're about to find out who's the best, or it's like you see it as a continuation, like we're trying to find the best overall, or it's just who can perform at this period of time in the year.

SPEAKER_03 26:46

Who can perform sometimes because we don't always see the best team win.

SPEAKER_00 26:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:51

So that's especially when you get into these tournament formats.

SPEAKER_04 26:54

That's Tennessee, for example. A few years ago, Tennessee was the best team by far. They barely even lost and almost one. Arkansas was Omaha. Tennessee didn't make it Omaha. Oh yeah. No, they outset them. At at their place in Super. Um Yeah, I mean, I think there was a year Oregon State was like supposed to be there and they didn't get there and they were like barely.

SPEAKER_01 27:15

We never really had that thought before. Is like, what's the purpose of the postseason? Is it to actually find the bet like to declare this is the best team, or it's just who can like you're dogfighting and you're going for it.

SPEAKER_04 27:27

Well, and but it produces that because it's the multiple game stretch and you have the two out of three. And so you really have to find out who's gonna win it. Right. And so you've got to be your best, or at least good enough to get through that two or three games. And that format should bring out the best.

SPEAKER_03 27:41

It should. And so, like you said, in a seven game best of seven, whatever, the best teams generally is going to win. Right. And then when you have like when you look at the Blue Jays and Dodgers, I mean, that was down to the last pitch. Anyone could have won it. Um, so you get those exciting series, but it's supposed to produce the best.

SPEAKER_02 28:01

Right.

SPEAKER_03 28:01

But it doesn't always do that. And uh there's a lot of parody now in college athletics. It's gonna get even more, of course, with NIL and whoever's out there competing in it and all that kind of stuff. And so makes a difference.

SPEAKER_01 28:13

I I can't even imagine basketball being a different you'd have to have way less teams, I would imagine. Well, what how many does baseball start with? 64. 64. I think that I don't know how how we'll we'll end land the plane on this, but how do you feel about like the expanding to like, you know, the first four before you get to the 64 in March Madness?

SPEAKER_03 28:34

Is that really that much of a just expand it and call it the NCAA tournament. Figure out a way to make it the NCAA tournament. It's just it's a weird situation because they watch the argument. You get there and you lose, well, you really didn't make it, you were in the play-in game. Right. And so it's yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

But I do feel like it gets harder like used to, at least I always carried this understanding was it was 20 games. You needed to win 20 games. Now you can win 20 games and they have all the RBIs. Be left out. Yeah. So it's like become I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 29:07

Usually some of these early schedules makes yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

There's a lot of cupcakes and it's we also, but there's also it's incredible who people are playing this early in the year. We watched some men's games that they have these classics and all this stuff. You're like, already playing? My goodness. Um, so apparently NBA playoffs is the most unchanged since 1984. Yeah. So that's kind of like, you know, where we, you know, it's been stable for a while, like in how they play. Fun fact. What are you laughing at, Jason?

SPEAKER_03 29:37

Just trying to remember all this stuff and sit back and when I was a kid watching this stuff with my dad, he loved the NBA finals. And to to think there's some that you've gone with this format, you've stuck with it. Has it changed? Yeah. And then you look at college athletics, we're always tweaking stuff, right?

SPEAKER_04 29:53

Baseball, MLV has has made some adjustments to get a couple more teams in.

SPEAKER_01 29:57

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_04 29:58

Yeah. With that wild card little play-in type deal to get into a series. I think they made that two out of three now.

SPEAKER_02 30:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:04

So there's a little series before the series.

SPEAKER_02 30:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:07

Um to try to get a couple more teams in, which is good because there's so many teams that play and only a few make it. Makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 30:14

Well, thanks for entertaining me on that. I think that maybe the most exciting are like the tournament formats, but really best of is, I feel like, where you find those teams that are most disciplined, like who can grind it out the longest. Like if I was in my brain to distinguish between the two types, because it's really just different types of ways to get to the champion. But I do think that best of whatever it is, series seems a little bit more thorough.

SPEAKER_04 30:40

It does. I mean, matchups, you could match up better against another team. You know, it all depends on some of that too. But it does, I think it does produce the best.

SPEAKER_02 30:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:49

Matchups are important.

SPEAKER_03 30:50

And that's when you look at it, in particular in basketball. You know, what seeding are you? You know, what's on the bracket in front of you, and all these, it's your path. And then that depends on a lot. Because I've seen really good teams get so far in a tournament, but they're just a bad matchup for somebody else. Right. I mean, they're probably better than most teams, maybe talent better in this team, but what they do versus what you do, it's just a bad matchup.

SPEAKER_01 31:14

Yeah. So it happens. I just keep thinking about Purdue when they lost in the how was that a couple of years ago?

SPEAKER_04 31:21

First round.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

Because it was Virginia was the first team to lose.

SPEAKER_04 31:23

Yeah, Virginia. They didn't title the next year. Yeah, it was so good. What a great redemption tour, anyway.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

Yeah, but then it was Purdue was the next one. Yeah. And they were like projected to go.

SPEAKER_04 31:32

I mean, they were number one C, but they had the seven-seven back.

SPEAKER_01 31:35

Right?

SPEAKER_04 31:36

Yeah, they had a backhand guy to the final four, right? I mean, with that with Ed. So, like, you know, that was pretty good. I said seven, seven as a joke, but it's seven four, I think. Wow. I can't imagine. Yeah. He's large. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:50

Is he as big as the guy on the Spurs?

SPEAKER_04 31:52

No. Wimby's got a few inches on him. Yeah. How do you watch? Link. Wimby's Wimby's an alien. Unbelievable.

SPEAKER_03 31:59

You know, length is more important to have than height in a lot of ways. And he has both disruptive. And he has both.

SPEAKER_01 32:04

He has both. And he has ball handling skills.

SPEAKER_04 32:06

Yeah, and he has ball handling skills and can shoot threes and yes. Just a freak of nature. He's an extra.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

Absolutely. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:13

Okay, well, the topic today is radio. Because Jason, I was going to let

From French Camp to the Broadcast Booth

SPEAKER_01 32:17

you introduce yourself a little bit more thoroughly and like what you do. Kind of shared a little bit already. Um, and also like you can, you know, if you want to talk about where you grew up in French Camp, uh, why you support FCA, work in athletics, any of those things that you'd like to share. And then we'll get about like radio and just some, you know, maybe some facts and then let you talk more specifically about what you do.

SPEAKER_03 32:38

Well, I did grow up in French Camp, as uh Bethany alluded to, born in Jackson, though. So people say, Where are you born? Jackson. But uh grew up in French Camp? Yeah. Uh because most people they don't know where French Camp is, you know, especially when you go to places uh far off. How far?

SPEAKER_01 32:54

It's like 45 minutes.

SPEAKER_03 32:55

It's it's about that. It's about 35 miles southwest of Starkville. If you go down Highway 12, cut off on uh 413. Uh, you'll go about five more miles and then you're in the town of French Camp. It's a historic town that's on the Natchez Trace. And what we're known for is French settlers, obviously, that traveled up and down the Natchez Trace, which was also known as the Devil's Backbone. Remember that Natchez Trace was a very important um thoroughway. I wanted to call it highway, but it wasn't, but a pathway basically of trade from Natchez to Nashville. And so a lot of prominent people would travel it but because that was the path to go. And then they knew robbers, that is, and and thieves, and that this was going to be a lot of money going back for so there were rich people, there were goods, and things like that. So um it's obviously safer now, but it's a national park. And so French Camp uh is a Christian school home that is located there on the on the Natchez Trace, mile marker 181. So I grew up in the community and I went to high school at French Camp Academy, but as a daytime student, I wasn't a boarding student there. But um that's all I knew, you know, was how big is the town? The town is probably within the city limits, 300 and something people. But if you go by the zip code 39745, it's a it's a lot bigger, but it's still small rural town.

SPEAKER_00 34:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:19

So, you know, it was I just kind of thought it was normal that, you know, you had daytime students, boarding students going to this high school that's basically on a little mini college campus, is what it looked like. And so um, that was a cool aspect uh of it. So I graduated from there in 1996, went to Wood College for two years to kind of get some things out of the way before I came to the big university, Mississippi State. And I'm a graduate in broadcast journalism from MSU. And so lifelong.

SPEAKER_01 34:44

Do you still have still people here, like in the broadcast department that you know or like went to school with or do anything here?

SPEAKER_03 34:52

Um, I'd have to think, oh, that's a good question. Uh I know Francis McDavid uh retired a couple of years ago. Dr. Ford, I think, retired a few years ago. He was here recently. Um goodness. Uh Marcus Hunter, who is working in there now, I think he was around the same time I was going to school here. I think he was a little bit younger than me. So um, yeah, it's the only people I can think of. So off the top of my head, no, I guess I can't answer that question. Um, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:21

Because I was in sports communication and Joel Coleman was we were in some classes together. So I don't know that I've necessarily I ran across a guy that works at the Mississippi Museum and does all their AV stuff that was worked, we worked in like football stuff together, and that was crazy to run into him. So, anyways, just wondering if he likes to see anybody.

SPEAKER_03 35:40

Um I'm the only time I've been over to McComas is basically after a Mississippi State football road game to go into the Learfield Studios, which is Marcus's office, and and co-host the fifth quarter show. So that's it's the only time I've been to Macomas for quite some time. But it's changed, but then there's parts of it that has not changed. So uh back Starewell stuff. So what yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:04

What what did you first got? Did you were you just in broadcast or radio broadcasting?

SPEAKER_03 36:09

I was in broadcast because I mean it was a general field. Okay. You had a lot of TV broadcast announcing, which would be radio, but really a lot of my radio experience came from experience, and a lot of things that I learned came from learning through WFCA because as a student at Mississippi State, I was a part-time worker there.

SPEAKER_01 36:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 36:27

So I was getting a lot of education in the broadcast field.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

When did you were you doing that when you were going to school at French Camp?

SPEAKER_03 36:34

Or you do you in Mississippi? I was at Wood College. So during my I think a year, maybe year and a half, while I was at Wood College, I had trained at WFCA and started working.

SPEAKER_01 36:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:47

So it's been in radio a long, long time.

SPEAKER_01 36:49

Yeah, and you could go a lot of different directions with radio. So why did you choose athletics? Because it got you entering.

SPEAKER_03 36:55

Sports is a passion. Uh when I first wanted to go into broadcasting, probably in my elementary years, you know, you you have all these different things as a kid you want to be, you know, like I remember one time I was like, I want to be Mississippi Highway Patrolman. And now I laugh, think to myself at that uniform. I laugh at me too. Uh, you know, something like that. You want to be your fireman and everything, and all this great thing. Yes. Um but I found my found my my love uh around junior high. I was like, I mean, just broadcasting. I'd already kind of been interested in stuff like that, but um just TV news or radio, um, all that kind of stuff would have been cool. And then I found sports became a big passion. So it was just a perfect marriage.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

Yeah. And you and the radio station has been there for how long? Like since 1984. So you got connected with somebody there, like you knew somebody there and just started. What was your job like whenever you were?

SPEAKER_03 37:47

Well, when I was in high school, I knew all the radio folks because the radio station, uh, the station manager and some employees, they had kids that were in my class.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 37:57

And so they were our class sponsors. So, and I would get tickets through the radio station to go to Mississippi State Athletic events a lot of times. And if they had tickets left over clients weren't using or whatever, I got them. And so uh there was a lot of times I got to Mississippi State games through through WSCA uh tickets. Um, so I knew all of them. Group, they knew me. We've been in class with their kids, you know, from elementary on. Because it was a time period where a lot of people they came and they stayed.

SPEAKER_02 38:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:24

And so that's how I knew them. And they, I will be honest, um, I did try when I was in high school and had one lady, she wouldn't mind me. Well, her name's Margaret Mellon. I'd say she wouldn't mind me saying this because um, you know, she and I have a great relationship, even though I don't really talk to her much anymore. She lives in Tennessee now, but um, she was the one that was in charge of training and stuff. And um, I might be probably been a little bit of a knucklehead. I was not in a lot of trouble or anything like that, you know, in high school, but just still like a teenage, you know, goof off, knucklehead. So when I went to her, like she kind of made the comment she went and looked at grades or whatever and said I didn't have a very good grade in maths. She wasn't gonna train me in radio. So wow. Um, yeah, I didn't like that. You know, so and I'll be honest, I I remember having low blow, Margaret. It was yeah, way to go. Crushed me. You know, the redemption story on Margaret here just a bit. Because I really don't think she wanted me there. And so um, fast forward, you know, that I go into, I think that was probably junior year. So senior year, I'm I'm sitting here like, I don't know, you know, because they didn't want to train you by senior year or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 39:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:37

Um, she wasn't wrong. I didn't have a bad grade in math, but I think some of the other kids had bad grades too that were their kids that were still working the radio. So it was one of those, uh they're all my friends. So they would they would laugh and admit to that right now. But so I kind of had this attitude of well, I'll show them, you know. Yeah, I don't I don't need them. Yeah, you know, I'm gonna make it to Mississippi State, I'm gonna be a Broadcaster with the Bulldogs, you know, I may do some stuff for ESPN. Of course, SEC network wasn't around then, you know, and I'm I'm gonna do big things and I'm gonna show them.

SPEAKER_02 40:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

And my attitude was, I don't need them. But guess what? You did.

SPEAKER_01 40:15

On down the road.

SPEAKER_03 40:16

I did need them. So yes, God allowed me to fulfill my dream, but at the same time, you know, it it all came through WFCA and I'm still there. So that's what's that's kind of a real cool story. So and then um when Margaret trained me, she was uh she was tough, she was rigid in a lot of ways, um, very strict with things, um, didn't really want me to kind of spread my wings, so to speak, because a lot of the other kids there were like the cookie cutters, you know. That was this is the weather of today is and I'm like, oh, I wanted to be a little more free. Uh is my creativity. Can I do this? Can I do that? Yeah. Because I had all this stuff in my brain explode.

SPEAKER_02 40:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 40:51

And then I have other people at the station, like, hey, you need to be like spreading out, you need to be, you got a lot of potential. You gotta like, you know. So we had some of those headbuttons, you know. And I remember calling her up, can I interview that? No. But looking back from her perspective, I was this, even though I was a college student, I was a student, you know, and all those type things. So um, fast forward, she went to this radio right before she left. That's when our, I mean, we weren't at each other's throats or anything, but you know, our relationship got a whole lot better because they used to be like, Margaret, she doesn't like me, you know, that sort of thing. But yet she was kind. We had, you know, we could talk and stuff, but there's always that, you know, there's that invisible elephant in the room. I don't think she really likes me. So right before she does another job there at French Cup Academy, we she went to this conference in New Orleans and then she came back, and I'll I'll leave the rest of the story out. But there was, you know, a situation where we ended up sitting down and and she came to me to talk to me, to apologize to me about something somebody else did. And um, it was a great conversation, and it was just, and she said, you know, I learned so much. And uh down there, and I've kind of been, I was just doing what I was taught and told. Right. And in her defense, I'm I get nervous. If I've had people I trained, like, oh, would I want to do this? Can I do that? I'm like, oh right. I have to judge, are they capable of doing it or not? So so yeah, I I miss Margaret and I I used to tell her all the time, you know, uh I I thank her because she's the one that trained me in radio. And so I have a career, you know, because she did take time with me. And so um it took some other people getting involved to say, hey, we're gonna train Jason when I got in college, but um, but I it wasn't a big resistance. So yeah, but yeah, well, we're very you got your math grade up too. I did ago, yeah. And then a couple of years ago, that same said math teacher, her family, they own a beach house um in Pass Christian, Mississippi. And French Camp Academy owns a beach house for their staff. So staff were the only ones allowed to to rent it, and you can rent it for you know rent it for really cheap. And it's kind of basically a rest haven, the staff building.

SPEAKER_02 42:58

It's cool.

SPEAKER_03 42:58

So I love to frequent the beach house with Kenya. So I was down there with another friend that used to be at French Camp Academy, and um, when he lived down there, and we had some students and some other people with us, and a guy that is the husband of the said math teacher, he was once in the um development office at French Camp Academy, uh wonderful man. So they wanted to go to lunch. Well, the Willifords, I'll go ahead and say their names, the Willifords. Well, Miss Williford uh got placed across from me at the table. And I would look down at my friend, and they were all grinning because she was she was just saying, and Jason here, he had so much potential, and it took me a while to get it out of him, you know, that sort of thing. I'm like, ah, Miss Willoughford ever forgot it. You're like, I'm an older guy now. How many?

SPEAKER_01 43:42

Yeah, like how many years ago. Look at where he is. Yeah. So what was your entry into Mississippi State Athletics?

SPEAKER_03 43:52

Oh, uh, I think just being present with WFCA and being around WFCA became the flagship station. So my relationship with Jim Ellis, Jack Crystal, um, I think probably in particular Jim Ellis, uh, because he dealt with us more with that, you know, being the baseball announcer and pardon me, we would um carry the women's games and uh and baseball, women's games that nobody else carried, and only and 15 baseball games that the network didn't carry. So just being around doing that, um, people always having their radios on WFCA listening to the games, and I do the pre- and post-game shows. And so they heard my work, saw how I guess committed I was, and this, that, and the other. And um Don Williams comes in, works for uh Learfield when Learfield took over the contract. And so um one day I Jim was the one that first gave me my opportunity. Obviously, Don, I'm sure had to have something to do with that, but Jim sends me a text and says, Hey, are you coming to the women's game on Sunday? I said, I am. See me afterwards, I need to talk to you. Okay. So he's packing up equipment from the women's game and he said, Look, now next Saturday I'm gonna need you to do two baseball games on radio and a freeze. My eyes get really big. On the radio network or it was just gonna be on WFCA, but still it was Mississippi State baseball. Yeah, and I'm sitting here going, I I'm I'm um Jim, I've never I've never called it a baseball game. It was kind of embarrassing to me. Because I'll be honest, uh play by play is something I always wanted to do, but I enjoyed the journey so much that it was still I was scared because it was a different, it's something I'd done and it seemed challenging. I think a lot of people think it's very easy. It's not. It's something you have to get in and get comfortable with. And so that's why a lot of people do high school games or practice and do all these type games, you know, before they get the opportunities. Jim was the one that pushed me into doing play-by-play. Wow. So I'll fast forward, I'll rewind back to the this was 2009.

SPEAKER_04 45:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 45:59

And so um State was going to play Alabama and men's basketball, and he was going with Jack to do color. Bard was going with the women's team to the University of Tennessee, I believe. And the other 10 people they called were not available. So I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_02 46:13

No.

SPEAKER_03 46:14

So I I just froze and was like, oh, he goes, I've heard you do football, I've heard you, you will be just fine. You'll you'll do just fine. You'll do just fine. So um I had a week to uh to get to prepare, to get excited, and um was it uh perfect? No. Was it my best work? No. Was it acceptable? Sure. Especially for the first time, like you know, so I've I've grown in knowledge of baseball and knowledge of sports and other since that day. But I was I was a little yeah, I was a little nervous to say I tossed and turned, you know, would be an undertainment. So um, and just all the logistical things. Like, I mean, I wasn't gonna have a color analyst, you know, I was gonna be there by myself. You know, and so um I did have a guy by the name of Brad Law, who was in media at the time, who sat in there, wrote some notes, kind of helped me with some things, keep up because I wanted to make sure I was getting everything right. And but Jim was the one that pushed me into actually breaking down that barrier of getting to play by play.

SPEAKER_02 47:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 47:15

So he calls up the radio station back in 2007. It was during the fall season, and he was doing Starfall High School football. And Jonathan Holmes, who's former PA voice here for he took over for Hank Flick and he did all three sports football, basketball, and baseball. And he was our station manager, or or he wasn't our manager at the time, but he was our um uh one of our employees. So he's a coworker. So he did the French camp home football games. And um I might go in there, do halftime or do sideline, do all these type fun things around it. And and I hosted the scoreboard show on on Friday night, so but I wasn't doing the play by play, it was Jonathan. So Jim needed Jonathan to fill in for him on Stark Pot because state football was going somewhere. So he said, uh, do y'all have Jonathan doing anything? And I said, Well, he's got a French camp football game, whatever. And he goes, Jason, why don't you do it? And I said, He said, I think it'd be good for you. And I went, Well, I mean, um I said, you know, I really want to be my main thing is that I really want to be like kind of what you do with the network, but like maybe a sideline or a or pre and post-host, you know, doing all the studio hosts, do all those type things. That's you know, that's my like the news and notes programs, those type of things. But he knew deep down, I had that desire. I was just, I was a little afraid. Yeah, yeah. You know, there was some fear there, fear failure, right? Yeah. And so he he said, and that's great, but for you to get opportunities to do those things in college, I think you need to do, I think you need to do this and get it a so Jim really was just trying to get a sub. He pushed me into a career path. So man, we need people like that.

SPEAKER_01 48:53

There's so many people like we encourage me.

SPEAKER_03 48:56

So took the deep breath, found a color analyst and said, here we go. And it's gonna be sink or swim. And and I'll remember because you're just trying to, you know, it's easy to sit back and hear an announcer doing it, you're like, oh, I can do that. And you're back in your your living room and blah, blah, blah. Well, you get up there, it's live action, you're you're trying to, okay, so the run it back, running guys of the middle. Okay, that was I don't know the guy's name. Right. So I'm looking down the number, you know, all those type things. You do you have a spotter who made the tackle? So all these things are happening. So it went fine, but I remember kind of looking over color and so just you know, and then uh I did settle in and I still have audio from that from that game. I kind of sounded like this, but not had sinus surgery yet.

SPEAKER_01 49:36

So do you still whenever you do, like I I remember just when I've run different races, it's like I get nervous, but once the gun goes off or whatever and you start that race, it's it's like your brain leaves.

SPEAKER_03 49:47

Like you don't even comfortable.

SPEAKER_01 49:50

Is that how it feels once you get going?

SPEAKER_03 49:52

Yeah. And I don't just, I mean, there are times where I might think more about a broadcast than others. There's sometimes I've had a head, I mean, I'm prepared. I'm not just sitting there like I've got my notes and stuff, I got everything ready to go, but there are some times where you're 10 minutes out and you might have, all right, well, I want to do this in the open. I think it depends on the magnitude of the game. And there's sometimes you're just thinking about it more, and there's other times you're like, is that popcorn good? I might eat some of you talking to somebody right there, and all of a sudden you'll hear in your headset, uh, you know, the the producer will be like, one minute, you're oh, okay. And then you you kind of tune it out because the bands go in and say then you hear the open. You're the little cowbells, and be like, this is Mississippi State. Oh, oh, okay. Here we go. And then you can just roll with it. Right. You know, and sometimes there's those broadcasts where it's just like you can't do anything wrong.

SPEAKER_02 50:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 50:38

And then there's other times where you feel like you can't get a word outright. Right. And every you know, it's just and it sounds better than your brains telling you. Right. It's so sometimes that's just all your inner comfort level and stuff. Yeah. It should be second nature to me by now.

SPEAKER_01 50:52

Yeah, is it?

SPEAKER_03 50:53

In a lot of ways, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So that's it's a lot of hard work though.

SPEAKER_01 50:58

Yeah. I mean that even understand. Even when we I mean, even before all the transfers, whenever I saw you several weeks ago, and I think it was like the exhibition game or something, um, but just you were talking about how now it makes rosters that much harder to be prepared because you're used to you can kind of take for granted, okay, we got these six coming back. I kinda watched them, I know how they play.

SPEAKER_03 51:18

I've just got to think about, you know, it used to be the easy part, the SEC, because you had veterans, you knew their roster except for their freshmen. Oh, you didn't. If they had freshmen that played, you'd you'd have to learn their, but they kept their same numbers, you know, so you knew what they looked like, you were familiar with them.

SPEAKER_02 51:35

Right.

SPEAKER_03 51:36

You know, and so, but then I'm at Ole Miss yesterday, and at one point I make a comment about Denham de Shields, who was on this. I think I said something about in Mississippi State's denim to shield. Sorry, Ole Miss, and they had the like it just yeah, my brain was telling me, and I was like, you know, it's crazy in today's college athletics because you'll see former Bulldog players here and then former like Kentucky or or you know Oklahoma State players here. Right. Um, you know, it's it's just kind of crazy. That's a nice basket made by former Bulldog. Right. Well, and you look at um, and then of course Debris Shapo us close to it's a dagger throwing her like she comes to see me after the game, you know, and I'm up there and I look at her and I'm like, You broke my heart. I'll beat us. You know, so um, but it's about relationships and everything, but it's kind of hard to make them nowadays if people go in here, there, and everywhere. But it's a different, it's a different, you know, landscape. Remember, Anaya Russell, like she was on our yeah, our roster for a year, and I remember when she was a freshman player for South Carolina, a freshman Fina. You know, she was a very highly rated recruit. And then she leaves and goes to Kentucky, has a really good career there, and then her final year comes to Mississippi State.

SPEAKER_04 52:48

So it's yeah, now it's like her for everybody. So now it is. Oh, so this is such and such.

SPEAKER_01 52:52

She's played in a year.

SPEAKER_04 52:54

Oh, I find myself doing plenty of things to talk about.

SPEAKER_01 52:57

I was about to say, I don't know if that affects you, but I have noticed on the TV broadcast that they do that does kind of fill some space, like the history of a play. Like, you know, I mean, several times they brought up the girls that were at Mississippi State, the girl, you know, uh Chris had being at Ole Miss last year. Like, and it's just like, yeah, it's a little bit of extra content, maybe.

SPEAKER_03 53:15

And I think that's good for them. I think for us with the local broadcast or the home radio broadcast, and and I've been thinking about this at times, and it's certainly something that that I've failed at, but I think at this point, um, they're no longer a transfer. Like if I'm given the starting lineups or am I talking about the roster, they're bullogged down.

SPEAKER_01 53:36

Like I don't want to say the, you know, by now Chandler Prater is no longer the Oklahoma State transfers, as if you say, which makes sense because I mean, I don't know how I just it the ignorance that I have about all these positions of like what people are doing in broadcasts, it makes sense that if you're broadcasting this, you're you're not the home team's, you know, like you are the voice for our team, you know.

SPEAKER_03 53:59

So I've thought about it like Triana Crisp. I mean, by now in January, you don't have to mention she's North Carolina or North Carolina. Nope. Right. Start her career, unless she's at the foul line, you start giving numbers, start our career in Arizona State. Last year at North Carolina did this occasionally, but you don't have to, every time you mention her, right? She's a blog.

SPEAKER_01 54:16

So well, I think that one of the things that has just as an observer seemed like I mean, obviously, yes, it's very hard. Just I think if you just mute the TV and just try to s to act like a broadcaster with it on mute and you have that, like just try it, and that's hard, but you have to paint the picture for people that don't have the picture to look at.

SPEAKER_03 54:37

And so that's a lot like there's so much more and I want to paint it as well as I can, and sometimes it's ain't too much. And so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:44

I mean, it's so fast.

SPEAKER_04 54:45

Well, it is fast. And so baseball, it's easier to paint the pictures.

SPEAKER_03 54:49

But there's there's a lot of parts, but there's it with basketball, there's it's baseball can get fast now with pitch clock and pitch clock. You know, I worked a a baseball game with Coach Polk, three of them this this past year in 2025. And I would talk about, hey, this pitcher works fast. I mean, pitch clock wouldn't, you know, in particular, you know, early in the game, but even late, you know. He said, well, a lot of these pitchers they like to get in rhythm, you know. So I've noticed the college game seems a little faster in some ways than it used to be. And some would say, well, the pitchcock clock has, you know, sped them up. Well, I don't know, maybe it's as late to work, especially when it's cold, you kind of want to work in rhythm a little bit and keep warm. And those were some cold weather games, but I I like how college baseball is sped up a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 55:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 55:35

I don't really like a long, drawn-out game like Justin and them used to be a part of. I would go quick. Well you did, but I'm just saying, like, you know, in your years is some of them. No, I agree.

SPEAKER_01 55:46

I know.

SPEAKER_03 55:46

17-1. I like the 10-run rule. I mean, I guess I can't say I'm a baseball purist.

SPEAKER_01 55:53

Well, I I mean, I think I've admitted this on our podcast, but you know, Justin and I started dating at the time when he was in relief pitching, which I don't know anything about baseball, but I had said I would never date a baseball player. So here I am dating a baseball player. I know. And here I am, and I'm like, you're a what? You're excuse-like, do you can you just tell me when you're gonna play, you know? And he's like, Well, I mean, I think the matchup they think tonight, blah, blah, blah. So I would just aim to get there around the fourth or fifth inning.

SPEAKER_03 56:20

Wow. Not really. Coach Polk, but he was disappointed to find out Bethany didn't care about the baseball team, except for Justin.

SPEAKER_01 56:27

That's something it was great because they moved him to a weekend starter. And so you knew that you knew. I was like, yeah, this is the one game I have to be at to that's the bad part.

SPEAKER_03 56:38

You want all your family and friends to come. I think I'm gonna get out there tonight.

SPEAKER_01 56:41

If you don't, yeah, and then he's trying to explain to me why that didn't happen because I'm like, what in the world? I showed up. Yeah. It's so funny. Okay, well, it was interesting just looking up some

Radio Fun Facts

SPEAKER_01 56:51

facts about radio. Um, do you know when the first like when the radio started getting developed? A little trivia. Quiz time.

SPEAKER_03 57:01

Trying to embarrass me here?

SPEAKER_01 57:03

No, no.

SPEAKER_03 57:03

You don't know anything about my my feelings.

SPEAKER_01 57:05

Well, you'd have to pull way back to um like early 1900s. Before my time. Yeah, yeah. And then in 1920, there was a widely recognized commercial radio broadcast. And then in Pittsburgh, they aired the presidential election results. So I was like thinking about how that is kind of crazy to think about. I mean, that's really not that long ago to think before that. There's not really a way besides print, but you can't guarantee everybody can just get that same piece of you know, newspaper.

SPEAKER_03 57:35

Radio was quicker.

SPEAKER_01 57:36

Yeah, like just you could turn something on, everybody could get the same thing at the same time. Right. Like just how revolutionary that was. Um so the yeah, and then do you know what the first live sports broadcast was? I wouldn't I didn't know. I mean, this is the twenties.

SPEAKER_03 57:53

What is it? A college was it a college game? Was it?

SPEAKER_01 57:57

Um, it did say that the 1920s to 30s, like yeah, like a lot of sporting events and stuff.

SPEAKER_03 58:03

That was where I couldn't tell you what the first broadcast was.

SPEAKER_01 58:06

Um, I don't even know. Maybe y'all know this. A boxing match, Dempsey, and some other name, I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 58:13

That's interesting. Carpentier?

SPEAKER_01 58:16

Yeah. Do you know those names?

SPEAKER_04 58:17

No, I know Dempsey.

unknown 58:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 58:20

Dempsey was an absolute boss. White dude, tough as nails. Really um, really impressed with his knowledge of that. Yeah, I know. I figured he would probably. Yeah. I think it might I'm gonna say it's Jack.

SPEAKER_01 58:35

But yeah, I mean, thinking about how the radio became That sounds like the kicker for the Saints.

SPEAKER_04 58:40

That's exactly what I was about to say.

SPEAKER_01 58:41

Is that how you know that name?

SPEAKER_04 58:42

Well, he had a club foot. He did. Okay, he kicked a 60-yard field-yard field with a club foot. Yeah. Was that even fair?

SPEAKER_01 58:49

Um maybe.

SPEAKER_04 58:51

I yeah, I don't know. I mean, it puts a little makes it harder to kick. I mean, more powerful, but I mean about the balance and running up to the kick. Yeah, it's a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01 59:00

It's funny to kind of visualize that. Okay. So, but yeah, the voice of the game for people who couldn't be there. So, do you feel like radio is still relevant in that regard?

SPEAKER_02 59:09

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 59:10

Like people, what makes someone tune into radio versus turn on the TV? I mean, you can get it for free.

SPEAKER_03 59:16

Well, free, number one. And if you're in your vehicle driving around, I mean, some people will have their phones up, but you're not paying attention. It's I think it's also the entertainment of like the home broadcast, because there's people they actually will watch, especially if it's a national broadcast or if it's uh SEC network plus broadcast and states playing. And I don't want to say a school because I don't want to like you're playing in a school where you don't like their and out there, you think they're really homeristic or they don't know anything about your team. You want to listen to your radio announcers while watch the game. Which that happens quite a bit. It does. Jeez, yeah, it does. So many neutral people anymore. No, are you supposed to be neutral that? Like, are you absolutely me? No.

SPEAKER_01 59:52

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 59:52

No. I mean, I'm need to be as professionals.

SPEAKER_01 59:55

But you're you actually there was a post I saw, I think it was on Instagram that was like, Do you want to hear your broadcast?

SPEAKER_03 1:00:00

While you watch the game. And I'm telling people how to sync up their game. And that's a very, very popular.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:05

Because, yeah, because yeah, I need to try that because it does get very aggravating. When we were watching, even our men's team was doing great at the beginning of the Kentucky game. But once Kentucky took barely a lead, we never heard about Mississippi State again.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:18

Well, and too, like if games get out of hand, you know, ESPN is encouraging, and I say ESPN, but that's just because an ESPN um contract employee told me this recently that a lot of times they're pushing you to talk about some of the other things, highlight some of the other things, like the college football playoffs, some like news items and promoting type stuff. They'll ask them to highlight that, in particular if the game's not interesting. But sometimes it's like that's just a sports talk show and their opinions while there's a game going on. So people like to kind of watch and see it in real time of like, you know, he's back to pass, fires over the middle touchdown, you know, the excitement, all that type stuff.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:57

Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:57

Well, so yeah, it's it's still I'm gonna have to try it.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:00

Sink up the the radio.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:02

I do enjoy listening to baseball radio.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:05

That is I would say that's probably is the most popular.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:09

People will say the same thing that they love to listen to to baseball because I mean you just can't watch every game either. You're in the office or you're here the so and it's situational.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:19

It's well, your dad used to listen at the game.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:23

He would walk around and he would have his headphones on on and watch. Yeah. And just walk around.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:29

He wasn't the only one.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:29

I used to see people do that all the time.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:31

You don't see much of that in nervousness nervous, nervous. He would just yell at me from a distance, relax and throw hard. Yeah. Relax and throw hard, which I did not throw hard. But um that was his, I think that was his mech his coping memory.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:45

He was relaxed, Dad.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:46

Let's relax until I saw you down. Um, I I've if I was him though, like flip and flop, flip-flopping like the position, I would be nervous as all get out there. Yeah, yeah. Ben's out there or abbey.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:58

You know, I saw him in the um, I don't want to say bowels of Rose and Blatt, because it wasn't beneath, but it was uh the concourse. That's the word I'm looking for. When you had just, I believe, come off the mound against North Carolina. Yeah. That game was. And uh or he he rolled his eyes, she could say he's just ran out of legs out there too long, and because we had that error at third. Yeah, pretty well.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:21

It was a it was a really hard hit ball. I don't think Russ would have got the shit. Well, we're gonna call him by name. I didn't remember who it was. No. It was a hard it wasn't a good pitch either. So yeah, I take that one.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:31

That's so funny. Okay, have

Most Memorable Broadcast Moment

SPEAKER_01 1:02:34

you had a call that is memorable? Like you know, you have these people that have these crazy uh um sound bites of you have one, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:45

I do. And it's because it went total fan mode. Moria Williams shot.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:48

Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:49

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:50

So that one um can we find that somewhere?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:53

Is that in a vault? That would be fun.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:55

Yeah, absolutely. Jason, you get to call that game, dude. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:59

I was I was blessed. She was right in front of me. Yeah. It was one of those, you know, you you hear you think about all these people saying Indiana playing for a national championship football. Right. Nobody would have ever dreamed. And back in the 80s, when state women's basketball was trying to kind of really get this going, but at the same time, Athletic Park really didn't care if it got going in a way. You know, it's just kind of like it was always the bigger sports and that and the other. So, but then the Larry hires Sharon Fanny Otis, who who changed the the thinking. She got Mississippi State competitive getting to to NCAA tournament stuff, and then she got state to their first sweet at 16. But you think about some of those early 90s, 80s, 90s. You would have said Mississippi State play for a national championship in women's basketball, it would have laughed at you. And so not only ending a 1111 game win streak against one of the greatest coaches of all time, against one of the most dominant uh college franchises, probably well, I say it franchise for the NBA, but college programs of all time, any kind of sports entity. It's UConn women's basketball, and they just couldn't be beat. And and you got Morgan William, who's the smallest player on the floor, who um Coach Schaefer, from my understanding, was kind of like uh eh. And then Johnny Harris, officer of the scholarship. I from my understanding, the way I've been told before it was really approved, and it's kind of okay, you know. So um, I don't think he was really sure on her. And here she comes and and on the biggest stage in the game, makes the biggest shot, and probably arguably one of the biggest, it is one of the biggest shots in women's basketball history. I mean, in a way, and Vic Schaefer has said this, and I think in some ways he's right, that opened up the door for women's basketball parody.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:46

Yes. Well, I was gonna say, I mean, they were showing that down the Titan. I mean, yeah, because Yukon was 111 games. Like, and we've been beaten by 60. Right.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:55

Like 90 to 93 to 34 in the second round of the tournament. It was uh one versus we were eight or a nine seed.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:04

It was the third, so it was sweet because we had to play them there in Connecticut, not on their campus. It was in uh not Hartford, where were we? Anyway, um And they pushed by how much? 60. Was it 93 to 33? Yeah, I I remember never more in my life ready for a broadcast to be over. A game to be over. It was yeah, really, really hard.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:27

And so flip that. I mean, there's so many layers to that. And then, you know, I think Morgan had did her dad just pass, or her dad was sick.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:35

He had he had passed before she came to Mississippi State, but not long. And that was like an anniversary the day before when she had that really big game against Baylor. She had a great emotional and she had an amazing time. I will never forget the mini emotional outburst of Kim Bulke in that game. She was fun to watch. No offense, Gilm, if you come across this. You're a great coach, but it was just I remember she squatted down and she got one of her assistants' face. Was this wait, was this at this was in this was in uh Oklahoma City. I was there.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:08

She spazzed out.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:09

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:10

She was not happy.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:11

That was a very exciting game to watch.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:12

But she did get to go watch her son play baseball at LSU the next weekend because of that.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:16

Yeah. I mean, we did our favorite.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:20

Yeah, we actually I respect G Camp.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:23

That was um my first ever Final Four to go to. And I took Abby. We drove up and my family was there. And I'm never, I mean, my dad lost his mind. Like he, I've never seen him that much expression on his face when she was dead set the whole time we are going. Yeah, I was like, we're gonna beat him. But I think that there's And I was just like, yeah. But you know, any kind of barrier.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:45

It's like, hey, we're the final four, we can go home now.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:47

It really is. It's like a barrier, you know, like what is that story about like the four-minute mile or whatever? You know, when somebody beats like busts through that, kind of like going back to the CFP thing. It's like whenever you see, oh, you gotta go to what what is it, 13 and oh, something like that. And it's just like then you once somebody does it, and then that it's just like interesting how other teams take that and are like, oh, they did it, we can do it.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:09

Boise state against Oklahoma and how that changed the small team.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:13

Yeah. They uh they were they were huge. And they they've been a respectable program since. Yeah. It's been hard to get back on that big stage, but yeah, they've been good. I mean, they made it to the CFD like that. Yeah, they did. Yeah, they were probably actually in a buy. Yeah, they're well coached. Coach Danielson, great believer too.

unknown 1:07:29

Strong.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:30

Yeah, I have a few uh questions as we wrap up. First of all, does every program have radio broadcast? Or is it kind of like a is that normal, like in college, like they're gonna have a radio person?

SPEAKER_03 1:07:43

Bigger schools, I mean G5 schools, so most, but you may see like let's say a swag school, some will bring radio to Mississippi State, some won't. It's not that they don't, like for women's basketball, it's not that they don't have it, it's just maybe that's not the right game they could go to, or this, that, and the other. I know Alcorn's there at every, and they have one guy that does it all, my friend uh Mr. Charles, and then of course Rob J at Jackson State, but he was not there for women's basketball this year where normally he is. So um, it just depends. Uh this year there's been some not bring radio, but they may have them for home or whatever. But if it's an overlap season or how many people do we have at Mississippi State? Uh part of the radio team? Yeah. Okay, well, Neil Price and um, of course, with football, you got uh Jay Perry is on the sidelines, Matt Wyatt's in the booth, Marcus Hunter's the pre and postgame host. I join him for road games, Jay joins him for for home games for the for the postgame show. Um Caleb Hamill is filled in uh for Neil Price on a couple of occasions uh as a freelancer, and then of course you got me. So and let's see. Bart and Charlie used to be apart um with pre and post, but they stepped down from that role uh this past year, so and they haven't done any any radio. So I would guess those. And y'all cover football, baseball, football, basketball, men's and women, and baseball. And there's been talk, and I don't think it's a secret, you know, trying to get softball involved and something. Yeah, that's cool. Because it used to be.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:12

Yeah, that's cool. Any changes that y'all have had to make as there are other outlets for people to get, you know, live updates or anything like that, or has radio kind of stayed the same?

SPEAKER_03 1:09:22

I mean, I don't think that there's anything you do any different. It's just kind of like, you know, everybody tries to navigate, you know, the waters together. Yeah. You know, it's like, you know, when radio came out, it was going to kill newspaper and newspapers still around, even though there's a lot of them that aren't what they used to be, they're still, you know, relevant in some ways because maybe they do it a different way, you know, instead of just relying on the print, you know, it's on website or whatever. Um, and then of course when TV came old radio and that they coexisted for years and years, years and years, and now you're getting to where everything's on TV, and now you got podcasts and all these kind of things. So there's always this competitive. I mean, even before that, when you had cassettes and then CDs and people want to listen to their own thing, and it was satellite radio comes out, and so it's always gonna be competition and there's always gonna be things evolving.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:08

So some things you you change what you can change, some things you just don't change. It's what you are.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:12

Yeah, it's what draws people to you. And I might be, yeah, I might be wrong, but it seems like with like live rate like live sports broadcasts, you just have TV, but it'd be like more in the shows and stuff would be more of maybe where the podcasts compete or the sports shows. Is that yeah. So I mean a couple different things.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:32

Right, right. So let's say I'm doing a live radio show uh for sports seven to nine in the morning. And did but that's when someone's driving to work, and they may listen a few minutes and say, Oh, I'm gonna listen to Justin Bethany's podcast. Or I'm gonna listen to this Mississippi State podcast and that and the other. So there's lots of entertainment and stuff to keep us busy at our fingertips. Yeah. You know, whether it be audiobooks, um, excuse me, podcast, uh, all these different type things. So we we have lots of things.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:05

I wonder where like if there's a generational gap, like if it really falls off with a certain group, like I believe.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:10

I think it might fall off with me. With your yeah, because I used to listen, like I was with my dad and we'd do talk radio on the way to Saints games, listen to Buddy D, you know, on the way to Saints Games or um whatever. And so we would I just got into sports radio talk radio, whatever my dad had, because he just had it on. He was a radio station guy, still owns WRJW and Picky and so I will flock to talk radio. They run my scan. She can't stand. Oh, really? That's great. Yeah, definitely can't stand. Like turn off talk radio. You listen to Rick and Bubba, you listen to all those.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:43

Like talk radio is popular. I think still because podcasts too spun off that, you know. Right.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:51

Yeah, you're right. You're right. So I think I mean I enjoy finding the phone station or some somebody have some.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:56

I might have to do like a little poll at FCA. Like how many because I'm just curious how this group, the if they even turn on, like, do they ever turn on a radio?

SPEAKER_03 1:12:04

Well, but you can also get radio through your phone. Matter of fact, if I'm not in my vehicle, the only time I listen to radio is through my phone or iPad or something. So that's probably it's kind of like newspaper, well, you get it a different way. Right. You know, so I might have. But most people probably don't have one sitting next to their bedside in road games.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:23

I got my phone on and I'm walking around listening to you guys at road games like absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:28

But yeah, I wonder that if I held up radio, what is this? An FCA.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:32

You're like, uh, yeah. I voted Braveheart like a year or two ago in FCA. Yeah. And I said, freedom, you know, like Braveheart. Briggets. Yeah. Oh, and I went, oh no, that came, they weren't born yet. Right? It scares you down and it makes you feel really old.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:49

Well, you'll also appreciate what you grew up, though. And just the things that we got to experience. You ever seen the Goonies?

SPEAKER_03 1:12:54

What are the Goonies?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:55

I'm like, oh my gosh, one of the greatest movies. We were just at an escape room, and the lady asked us that. And it was with I was with my family, and I was like, I know what that is. And they were shocked. They were like, Bethany, how do you marry me? And I said, Justin made me watch it.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:10

I watched that movie on a plane ride recently. It was on Netflix, and so I downloaded it and watched it. That is awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:17

That is awesome. Okay, last question. I promise. There's so many more that I could ask you because I'm just really curious. But um, FCA, why do you support FCA or a champion of FCA?

SPEAKER_03 1:13:30

I'm just well, because it mixes two passions. Um, you know, obviously, you know, I love the Lord and and I I I believe in in um in his word that he is who he says he is, and and I love athletics, love athletes, it's kind of so it's kind of goes back to my love of sports and broadcasting is a perfect marriage, right? And so, so I have a special heart for FCA, you know, for that and all the relationships, you know, that I've I've um been involved in. And, you know, I was talking with someone from FCA the other day that you and I were talking about how, you know, rarely sometimes are people gonna walk an aisle of church to to give their life to Christ. You gotta go out there, you know, and that's what you guys are doing. You know, with FCA, y'all are out there, you're you're on the mission field. You know, you're not necessarily just, yeah, you have your you have your you know, your huddles, you're inviting them to. It's like inviting them to church, but at the same time, you're you're going in the trenches with not saying church is a bad thing. I'm just saying like, so that's that kind of, you know, I'm out there have to travel and all that kind of stuff. So, you know, I see the benefit of FCA and I see the benefit um of of what the Lord uh can do in their lives through sports. You know, people look at sports as a bad thing. Oh, you know, people bet on sports, people go to games, get drunk, and then kill each other over it and this, that, and the other. But it can be a great thing because it draws a lost world into Christ. Um, and you can do that through FCA, it's a great tool.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:56

Well, we appreciate your support and your and your friendship.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:59

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:01

We're like we're 20 years removed from this place. Justin, a little bit longer than me, just to clarify. So, I'm not that much older than you guys.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:10

Wait a minute, Justin. No, because I was not long out of college when first met Justin.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:15

Arkansas trip, road trip. It was a good time. Yeah. Going to Little Rock, watching us. It was like a comedy.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:23

The next morning I had to get up early to go do a pregame show.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:30

We went to I traveled with Jason to Little Rock to watch us play Arkansas.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:33

Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:34

Sorry. Veterans Memorial or something stadium. What is the stadium stadium? Generally, you're still. I don't say that the stadiums are veterans of something like that. Anyway, it was a great time. We had a road trip together. We got to know each other well. It was the two of you?

SPEAKER_03 1:15:47

This is on a yeah, we had some friends. Justin had some friends stay in the hotel room with us, kind of like a big bachelor path. Everybody's there. Yeah. The next night. I don't remember that. Cool dudes. I don't remember. Um, I don't remember their names. But anyhow, so I had to go to the stadium earlier and um Justin called for something. There was something you need to know. Did I get this? Wherever it was. And I said, um, it was like, hey, did I snore? You're like, a little bit. And you went, Did I talk about my sleep? I'll say a little bit. So Justin played baseball in his sleep. Am I gonna embarrass you? You can edit this out if you want. He did. I like playing. You play baseball in your sleep. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:28

Oh my gosh. That is hilarious.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:29

You were good enough.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:32

Like, what do you mean?

SPEAKER_03 1:16:33

He was I got it, I got it. Well, you well, first of all, you were asking, is it yours or is it mine? And you're like, I got it, I got it. So that's all I remember. It's long. That's hilarious. I went right back to sleep.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:44

That is hilarious.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:45

So 20 plus years later, Coach Polt.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:47

Coach Polt was impressed, he was practicing in sleep.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:50

That's right. Yeah. How is he metal reps? Metal reps were a big deal, you know. So he's gonna get some sleep too.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:56

Bonus, bonus stars for Justin. That is hilarious.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:59

That was a fun trip.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:00

Lost the game, but fun trip. Yeah, it was close. We had a chance. I got so tired of hearing Pig Suey. Good gosh.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:07

Well, now that you've heard about Jason, you can come up and ask him questions about radio, I guess, uh, when you see him around, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:17:14

I don't know if I'll be able to answer them, especially if it's like, when was radio invented? I don't remember.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:17

No, I like to throw on a few random things.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:20

Well, I'm kind of ashamed I didn't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:22

No, well, that's okay. That was not next.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:24

Listen to a podcast, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:17:27

I'm sure there's one solely devoted to it. Um, but we're so thankful for those of you who listen. And if you have stories that you want to share with us, please send those in. We would love to uh read about those and maybe share those on the podcast as well. But Jason, thanks so much for your time.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:41

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:42

We really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:43

I've enjoyed it. God bless everybody.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:46

Thanks for listening to the Create It to Be Podcast. To learn more about FCA at Mississippi State, visit www.msufca.org and follow us on Instagram at Hale StateFCA underscore. If you would like to become a financial partner, visit www.fca.org slash donate to sew into the work God is doing through FCA at Mississippi State.