Caitlin Clark Just Drew the Largest WNBA Crowd Since 1999

Caitlin Clark Just Drew the Largest WNBA Crowd Since 1999

[Music] my favorite time of the week I’m glad we moved it to Wednesday I’m not going to be here tomorrow to celebrate the birth of our nation so it makes me happy to have some storm wars coming in and let’s start off with you went last night to the T-Mobile Arena and and you wanted to experience Caitlyn Clark and I want to get your feedback about what you witnessed when 20,000 people saw this young lady play basketball well apparently I wasn’t alone in wanting to go see her yesterday because it was a massive I was actually like late for tip off because there were so many cars as I was trying to park the traffic was so ridiculous but if anybody was concerned that hey this car this Caitlyn Clark phenomena it’s dying down no the Caitlyn Clark fever is alive and well okay everybody is all about this girl we think about T-Mobile Arena a venue that has hosted Stanley Cup Final games UFC 300 Marquee basketball tournaments you know was what was the most attended sporting event in that building a sub 500 Indiana Fever team visiting the Las Vegas Aces last night 20366 people in the house it was the most fans in attendance at a WNBA game since 1999 fifth most in league history um yes the aces have been the league leader in attendance the last couple of years but for them to have to move from Mandalay Bay michelo bter Arena to put that game in T-Mobile because there was so much demand for it and while of course the aces fans were there in full force even though Kaitlin Clark had a bad shooting day like she assist Master Flash for sure she was awesome from that standpoint as she always is shooting day was off anytime this girl did anything good it was ooh it was ah it was cheering for her even though it’s a road game it was again if anybody was concerned that maybe the hysteria was going to die off and that people weren’t going to be into the WNBA people weren’t going to care about Caitlin Clark at the WNBA level I I can just say having experienced it in person I’m sorry you were dead wrong and congrats to her by the way and Angel Reese is the first rookies in a decade to both make the uh the WNBA All-Star team pretty cool love it I love it and let’s stick at the T-Mobile Arena you’re second your favorite team that plays there the Las Vegas Knights now free agency in the NBA has dominated and unfortunately you’ve taken a lot of questions to me about the 76ers so I’d like to ask you questions about your goal the nights and all the movement that has happened based on the free agency in the NHL and the draft so I could probably go the whole segment on this so I’m going to try not to ramble but I want to get on my soap box for a minute here I mean look it’s you let me ramble about Joel and beid being on the ground 87 times why not can’t you ramble every now and then come on I appreciate you Michael yeah this summer could end up being one of the most transformative in Golden Knights history um after a first- round playoff exit this past year the golden knights yesterday or earlier this week excuse me saw nine players on the roster that you know guys that won a Stanley Cup just a year ago who are out the door core pieces leaders gone and for our football audience there’s only 23 players on an NHL roster just 20 that dress so essentially this is like half the team that is out the window and it’s a list headlined by an original Misfit and the conm winner from that Stanley Cup Final Jonathan maraso which I think hits particularly close to home for fans and people by my like myself you think about the seven-year history of this franchise and I don’t know if there’s a player that embodies more what this organization is about than Jonathan maraso who was a castoff from Florida who comes to Vegas and ends up becoming a household name he is the franchise leader in games played goals assist points playoff points game-winning goals the list goes on and on thought he was going to be a golden night for life now he’s a Nashville Predator just like you know we talked about the Giants earlier saquin Barkley wanted to be a giant for life now he’s a Philadelphia Eagle all this to say for as much as the fans and myself that are close to the team love the team are passionate about it this is a business this is what happens and ultimately the Nashville Predators are making a big swing and they want to win they they they were willing to offer Jonathan marsho something ultimately that the Vegas golden knights weren’t able to with this salary cap structure and with a five-year term that Vegas and general manager Kelly McMan weren’t going to give and I understand that this is a fan base because of the history that this team made in year 1 um and the connection that the community has to it and the fact that they did win a Stanley Cup in such such a young history right you are so tied and connected to all these players but this is nothing new this has happened with the golden knights every single year that they lose Marquee players that we love Mark Andre flurry Nate Schmidt Ryan Reeves the list goes on and on Chandler Stevenson is also out the door this year he’s a guy that turned his career around who was a fourth liner with the Washington Capitals that turned into a Topline center with this team he earned a 7year $6.25 million deal that the golden knights couldn’t offer him good for him he outplayed his contract and secured a bag elsewhere that that the golden knights ultimately couldn’t give him and I just feel you know Michael you’re a former NFL GM I feel bad to an extent for general manager Kelly McMan who’s given so much grief about this when ultimately it’s the business side of things it happens each and every year every team in every League turnover happens but you know what Stanley Cup ODS Vegas Golden Nights they were 16 to1 last week you know what they still are 16 to1 because Kelly McMan also each and every year seems to put a roster together that can deliver so I I believe in Kelly McMan I know he’ll figure things out and it’ll be fine well that that was my follow-up question to you is after the dust is settled where are you with this team forget the odds where are you think this team can be today and what do they need to do moving forward well what’s interesting is you know this past season mid season they made some Acquisitions in a in a Tomas hurdle for example who if they were to have made that deal this week it would have been considered a big splash and wow look at the golden knights going for it again but because it happened in season it’s kind of pushed to the side a little bit they’re really good about tinkering with the roster and doing the salary cap gymnastics and being able to find pieces and always make a splash it sucks that so many guys are gone I know it pains me as somebody who covered the team just three years ago there’s literally only nine guys left that I even know so it sucks it’s hard but I think that the golden knights are going to be good they’re the they’re 16 to1 like I mentioned in the Stanley Cup odds they’re 8 to1 in the West conference they’re the second shortest shot in the Pacific Division I think they’re going to be just fine okay let’s shift gears to college football Utah is now in the Big 12 and I think Utah has always played like they’ve been in the Big 10 even though they were in the Pack 12 tell me what your read is on Utah as they enter the Big 12 this year with a 25y old quarterback and cam Rising still playing for him yeah it’s a seventh year of college football how insane is that um I huge fan I’m betting Utah everything I love everything that there is to love about the Utah UTS in 2024 and let’s start at the conference level as you referenced they’re going from a league in the Pack 12 that this past year right was top to bottom You could argue one of the best if not the best in college football now they go to the big 12 which is significantly weaker the toughest games on their schedule are at Oklahoma State and at UCF they avoid some of the tougher teams in the league like Kansas State and Kansas according to ESPN’s fpi Utah’s schedule ranked 72nd in difficulty nationally the last fiveish seasons they were among the top 25 in the hardest schedules in all of college football now let’s throw in the fact that they still went eight and four last year despite being decimated with injuries you mentioned their quarterback cam Rising he didn’t play the entire year coming back from a torn ACL he’s going to be back so many talented pieces on this roster are back their defense is going to be elite to me they have one of the best coaches in college football and Kyle Whittingham who’s been there forever um also you look at the home field advantage this is something that uh producer Elliott myself and John goulay were talking about yesterday with this Utah team HomeField advantage in rice eckle stadium Super underrated and I think it’s because it’s like a stadium with its capacity 50 to 60,000 it’s not like Texas A&M where you’ve got 100,000 strong but one of the best student sections in college football I’ve been in that building for big games it is deafening they were six- one at home last year lone loss to then number eight Oregon in October where the youths were on their third string quarterback in fact that’s their only home loss in the last three full seasons they’re 18- one in that time they’re 27 and two The Last 5 Years at home how their season one win total is 9 and a half is beyond me I cannot find more than two losses on their schedule if that they’re plus 320 to win the Big 12 plus 120 just to make the big 12 title game which I hate to say it just feels like free money based on their schedule if they stay healthy they’re winning them they like they’re getting to the big game plus 220 to make plus 220 to make the college football playoff Michael I think it would actually be a massive disappointment for the Utah Utes if they’re not in the college football playoff everything is set up for them to have success this year yeah I would say that’s right I think Cam and cam Rising is a good player like I don’t think this is a guy that doesn’t come with a lot of ay the intangibles and look I know that you know that Kyle Whittingham May retire and they’ve got Stanley in place I think that’s his name right to replace him but to scall I’m sorry but to me this is a tough-minded this is a big 10 team that plays it’s going to be playing in the Big 12 it’ll be fun to watch they’re tough physical the defense is going to be awesome and cam rising to your point in his two years as a starter 46 passing touchdowns 13 interceptions I don’t hate a 45 to1 long shot on him to throw in for the Heisman ring as well if you’re looking for a pizza money play

Hosts of VSiN’s “The Lombardi Line,” Michael Lombardi and Stormy Buonantony react to the largest crowd in T-Mobile Arena history being drawn by Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever against the Las Vegas Aces, in addition to the mass exodus for the Vegas Golden Knights and the Utah Utes move to the Big 12 in this edition of “Storm Warning.”

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