The Word Podcast: Sports, News, & Stuff

. 1 We dove into the current NBA playoff landscape, where Rich Abernethy pointed out that while the Western Conference Finals have been competitive, the overall quality has been subpar due to several early sweeps. The success of the New York Knicks led to a debate on fan frustration and the intense atmosphere at Madison Square Garden. Rich even expressed a preference for seeing the Knicks succeed...

We're fresh off a phenomenal Masters that put our picks to the test! We checked in on our previous Masters predictions and found we were successful in predicting our "disappointments," which led to an "incredible reverse jinx". Rory McIlroy, Rich's disappointment pick, won back-to-back, and James Mundia's pick, Scottie Scheffler, also performed well. The guys are now demanding $25,000 each from Mc...

We are live for "Christmas in April," checking in on the Masters, which is already testing our predictions. We fact-checked our draft picks. James is already committed to two trips to Fish Camp after losing the NFL pick 'em league and the March Madness bracket challenge to Rich Abernethy, and it could be quadruple or nothing with the Masters AND World Cup picks to come! Our main event was the surp...

The Final Four is set! On this episode we take some time to go over the insane end of the Duke - UCONN Elite Eight game last weekend, which dovetails nicely into our talk on why we do this to ourselves as sports fans. With the hoops season over for the majority of the field, it's that time of year where athletes give their perfunctory answers as to whether they are coming back next season. We talk...

We are live for March Madness, and we’re legally viewing the Texas versus Purdue game—Purdue is up 72-70—but as Rich said, this score will be old news by the time you hear it, proving we are an ethical, if slightly delayed, broadcast! We dive headfirst into the “bombshell event” that rocked Tobacco Road: Hubert Davis is no longer the head coach at UNC. As alumni, we had a lot to say, especially Ja...

We're back to cover the fallout from FBI Director Kash Patel partying with the USA Men's Hockey Team. It's playoff push time in the NBA and Rich's own Charlotte Hornets are making a statement! The recent benchside dustup between Luka and JJ gives us a chance to discuss Reddick as a coach and our unique connection to him via Tobacco road. With the transfer portal and NIL, we talk about how college...

Super Bowl Recap:  We break down a Super Bowl that one of us called "boring and completely forgettable," discussing the Patriots' "hapless" offense and Sam Darnold's career arc that saw him win a Super Bowl after his infamous "seeing ghosts" moment. One of us even takes credit for calling the "first half under" bet. "Empathy is Dead" Rant:  A frustrating trip to Costco sparks a broader sociologica...

We're back after a medium hiatus for our first annual "Jones vs. Beans Intrasquad Scrimmage" to get ready for the season. With the NFL divisional round this weekend, we look back on the end of the regular season and give our picks for the weekend schedule. Speaking of NFL, you'll get the official results of our first ever Pigskin Pick'em Challenge, where the loser has to indulge the winner by dini...

We're back after a brief hiatus to tackle the madness that was the recent Ryder Cup, the early returns in the NFL season, and the improbable collapse of UNC football in the first season under Bill Belichick. With the NFL season underway, we have a chance to review our 3 bold statements from before the season began. Let's not forget that this is the first annual TWP Pick 'Em Fantasy League, where t...

Week 1 for the NFL and NCAA are in the books - stay tuned to see who is on top for the official NFL Pick-em league! The week was marred by content creator Charlie Kirk being assasinated at an event in Utah. This spurred on a discussion about where we stand as content creators and what we think about prominent creators that we may not agree with, but still deserver the freedom to express their beli...

It's our first show back after the Cowboys blew up their defense and traded Micah Parsons to the Packers. The sports world was also taken aback this week as an alleged under the table scheme to pay Kawhi Leonard was exposed. The Eagles snuck past the Cowboys in the NFL opener, and we've already got our first gate: Spitgate! And we've got the early season returns from the show's NFL Pick'em League!...

And we're back! In contrast to our 3 Bold Statements segment on the last episode, we're debuting our "Coldstone Lead Pick Locks" for the upcoming NFL season. If our takes were too hot last episode, these are more of your blue chip picks for this season. We're also officially announcing our official NFL Pick-em League for 2025-26 season! You can join by following this link: TWP 2025/26 Pick 'Em Lea...

With NFL preseason games starting this week, it's only appropriate that we provide our way too early "hot" takes in a special edition of "3 Bold Statements". "Middle-aged Men Yell at Cloud" is back as well. This time, streaming services and ads are in the crosshairs. Remember the good 'ole days where you paid an exorbitant amount for cable and the add on services. Well...they're back, just spread...

Join us in another free-ranging episode where we break down the current labor disputes in the NFLPA and the WNBA.  NFL Pre-season is on the way, so it's imperative that we ask the perennial question: "Do we even need or want this?" "Two Trumps & a Lie" returns with a special JUMBO size edition! And you won't wan't to miss our discussion of Scottie Schieffler's recent Open Championship win and...

While the NBA is in the off-season, the tea is still piping hot as "buyout season" has begun as teams evaluate their rosters and make moves. We also hold our first ever Summer Cookout Food Draft, putting together our preferred rosters for food, drinks, and desserts for the seasons poolside and backyard activities. We're skipping "Millenial Men Yell at Cloud" this week, but we'll be back with more...

(00:00:00) Show open (00:05:16) NBA Finals (00:10:19) The short window for NBA franchise success (00:12:16) The grueling NBA season, overuse injuries (00:21:12) NBA Draft 2025 (00:22:27) Is James the a-hole? Plane seat switch proposition (00:30:50) Joe Dumars got another job?!?!? How?! Why!?!? (00:33:45) Back to the airplane story (00:41:10) Barista life is not a game (00:44:00) Rich has some airp...

On this episode, we dive headfirst into previewing Game 7 of the NBA Finals, celebrating the unexpected triumphs of some of the league's small-market teams and giving credit to the unsung heroes—the role players who've been making a huge impact. Then, things take a wild turn as our very own Rich Abernethy broke some major news: a blockbuster Kevin Durant trade to the Houston Rockets. We spent a go...

The Pacers stormed back in Game 1 to score a last-second upset of OKC. Does this change our Stone-Cold-Lead-Pipe-Lock prediction from last week? Tibs is out in NYC and Rich's analysis might suprise you! Since it's a special weekend recording of the show, "2 Trumps & a Lie" is a jumbo edition with an extra headline to shake things up. Aaron Rodgers has signed a 1 year deal with the Steelers and...

We're back to cover the hottest topic in the sports world right now: the developing drama of NFL mini-camp Left Guard roster position battles. With that in mind, we try to squeeze in some talk about the NBA Conference Finals as the Thunder have secured their spot and the Knicks are battling to make a series of it with Indy. "2 Trumps & a Lie" is back again this week with a particularly intense...

We're back after a short hiatus, and we jump straight into a recap of the PGA Championship, which was another Stone Cold Lead Pipe Lock for TWP. Rich is vindicated (again) for his early take on the Mavs / Lakers trade not being the blunder that it was originally thought, especially after the Lakers performance in the first round and them now having the Golden Ticket to get Cooper Flagg. NBA Confer...

Join us as we catch up on the NBA Playoffs, with an in-depth look at how the Celtics can turn the ship around. You'll also hear our pitch to fix things with the Dallas Cowboys and subsequently why this will never happen. We were on point with our picks for the Masters, so we've got stone cold lead pipe locks for the PGA Championship as well.  Stick around for a preview of an upcoming edition to TW...

And we're back! This week, we unpack the NFL draft, focusing on the "surprising" fall of Shador Sanders and the overblown media frenzy surrounding it. We also touch on NBA playoffs, sharing hot takes and predictions. Plus, get ready for a special edition of "Two Trumps and a Lie," testing James's knowledge of current events (despite his news diet). And of course, no episode would be complete witho...

This episode kicks off with a recap of an unforgettable Masters tournament, including a deep dive into Rory McIlroy's victory and Bryson DeChambeau's (surprising?) maturity. Then, things take a turn with a discussion on some startling political headlines in "Two Trumps and a Lie," a game that proves truth can be stranger than fiction. Finally, we wrap up with a preview of the NBA playoffs, includi...

We're back with a review of the wild ending to the college basketball season and to commiserate with Rich's Blue Devils. Masters week is FINALLY here and we put down some friendly wagers on the tournament. Even our intern Marcus is in on the action! The second installment of "2 Trumps & a Lie" focuses on 2 real and 1 fake Trump tariff headlines from the past week that James has to guess correc...

Join us as we preview the Final Four field for Saturday's slate of games, featuring all No. 1 seeds for the first time since 2008. Outgoing Maryland head men's basketball coach Kevin Willard gives us all a playbook for how  not to leave a job. The accelerated basketball coaching carousels we are seeing may be a result of the proliferation of a mostly unregulated NIL landscape, and we take a look a...