Rob Higgins Joins USF | Rays Stadium News | Lightning Preseason | Ryder Cup Preview
[Music] Stand by to launch Fanstream Sports. 3 2 1. Let’s start. Hello sports fans. Welcome to Fanstream Sports. Nothing. Nothing but pure sports. This is the JP Show. JP, it is so good to hear you back on the air. Stand by. Now, here’s JP. Alrighty. Welcome in to an exciting day here at the JP Peterson Show. These are the days I live for. They really they are. They are. These are the days. You know, I’ve been living in this beautiful area for 30 plus years. I’ve met so many amazing people and I get to have all of them on the show today. Every single one of them. It’s going to be so fun. Uh, great stories to be told. Good morning to you, Indie Cartim, and our Dallas affiliate. How are you? I’m doing good, JP. I have to start the show. I don’t normally take the stage to begin the show because it’s your show, but I have to give a birthday shout out today, which I don’t often do on the air. Oh, well, by all means. Pardon me while I use my scissors. I got a scratch right there. Clearly the most important thing to do on this show, so let’s get it done. Ah, my my my my sainted father would be 95 years old today. Oh, nice. Nice. Had he stayed with us. But uh yeah, our dads are almost exactly the same age. How about that? My dad was born September 24th, 1930. Yeah. My dad was born August 13th, 1931. How about that? Wow. Yeah. My mom was born in July of 31. Wow. Wow. Old people. very old people. Uh well, happy birthday, Pops. Yes. 82. All right. Yeah, we have a fantastic show for you today. Rob Higgins going to be joining us here momentarily. The new CEO of athletics at the University of South Florida. One of the great stories of all time in Tampa Bay Sports. We’ll get to that. Not only uh the the past, but the exciting future for USF. Ken Hagen’s going to join us at 10:30 to talk about the exciting future of the Rays in Tampa. So, that will be fun as well. And we’ll also talk to Eric Erland said, “Yes, hockey is back.” I was watching hockey last night. That was fantastic as the Lightning beat the Nashville Predators 3 to2 in a shootout. Lots to talk about there with Eric Erson. And Johnny Gerber is going to join us, our PGA Pro, to talk about the RDER Cup, which is already um stirring things up. So, let’s get it going by welcoming in our good friend Rob Higgins, the new CEO of athletics at the University of South Florida. Rob, congratulations. And uh, man, that was one heck of an opening act on Monday. Now, you had to do it during my show, so you know, our numbers were way down. Thanks for that. But uh, but I apologize for the timing, but appreciate the support and kind uh, well, I was sad I couldn’t be there. I wanted to be there. Everybody else was there, so it was a great turnout. It really was. and and the uh signal for this next chapter which we’re we could not be more excited about. Well, it it’s it was a celebration not only of you of USF, but Tampa Bay sports in general. I mean, you’ve done such a great job at the sports commission, uh the sneaker suare, which you host has been amazing. Um, and this had had a feel of that, you know, where everybody in Tampa Bay comes together to work as one to get great things done, which you’ve done with Super Bowls, Final Fours, national championship games, and um, now I know you’re going to bring that same energy uh, and effectiveness to to this job at USF. Um, how’s it feel in? I mean, you’re you’re settling into work now, right? It feels great. Uh yesterday I had the opportunity to do a head coaches meeting and then we did an all staff meeting and then last night I had an opportunity to um visit with most of our student athletes, the ones that weren’t in class uh last night. And so um each and every day continuing to meet a ton of people. Uh we’re coming with a plan. We’re already starting to execute the plan. But then on a parallel path, um I’m finishing out the sports commit with the sports commission over these next five days, which are the last five days of our our fiscal year. So managing both hats, spinning a lot of plates, you know, I would uh not have it any other way than uh to to have all of the bandwidth being used and then a little more. So there’s 24 hours in a day for a reason and we’re using each almost each and every one of those right now. I saw a little bit uh when you were uh addressing the football team and and uh and I’d almost forgotten because of all the things you’ve done, but one of the things you’ve done is beat cancer and which is amazing. And how how are you feeling? How was your I mean how your energy level never seemed to dip. I think that’s why we all forgot you had it cuz you never you were always there. You never left. So, how are you feeling? I feel great. Honestly, I I use uh in terms of the number uh there was days in the middle of treatment where I was a shell of my former self and felt like I was uh 20% of what I usually am, but just refused to let it um take away the things I love, which is my family and helping the community. So, I always stayed locked in. But, you know, now I truly believe like I’m 110%. And you say, “Well, how can you be 110%?” Well, I I certainly gained something from a mentality side of things uh through that adversity and um to have just a better perspective that you’re not invincible uh that time is not uh infinite and um I think a lot of that has really improved my my mentality. So, from a physical standpoint, I’m great. Um every three months I go through a variety of screenings. I just did that last week. everything checked out. But I think also from a a mental side of things, uh how much that journey teaches you uh is invaluable and it’s something that I certainly will continue to lean on throughout. More importantly than me though, the biggest concern for for our family was my dad. You know, my dad had uh was diagnosed about a month before me and uh and he is totally in the clear as well. So, what a difference a year makes for for the Higgins to not only um have both uh endured what we did, but then to come out on the other side even stronger uh is truly amazing and and a blessing to all of us. Incredible. Yeah, that that’s that’s great news. And and I guess that is a a message to all of us, right? I mean, look what can be accomplished if you wake up every day knowing this is a cherished day. That nothing is promised. No days are promised. It really it kind of gets you off your ass and going, huh? Yeah. And and I will say this, look, um cancer is nobody’s fault. Uh it and it can happen to anybody, but what you can do is you can improve your chances. And those are things that I didn’t do. Uh one is I did not stay on top of my personal health. Uh I always was too busy to do that. I am uh I wore uh the fact that I didn’t have a primary care physician and would never go to the doctor as a badge of honor and it’s really a badge of stupidity. Uh that’s got to be the number one priority. And then the second thing I didn’t do well was I didn’t know my family history in terms of the details of it. And I really should have gone in for my first colonoscopy uh at the age of 35, not at the age of 45 uh when everybody else is supposed to go. uh if I would have known my family history better than I did, uh I could have been in there and helping prevent things. So, it’s just a message to your listeners. We care about each and every one of you. Absolutely. Uh if you’ve been putting off that colonoscopy, I know that’s a really easy thing uh to put off, but please go in and and get it done. Uh because it truly can happen to to anybody and you owe it to your loved ones to be able to do that. I got to get that taken care of. So, do I Let’s Let’s get Let’s get down together. On the more lighthearted part of things with me sharing things, I I do love the text. Most people would uh almost uh laugh when they get them, but I get these texts. They’re like, “Hey man, just got my colonoscopy and I was thinking about you the whole time.” I’m like, “Well, I know people have thought of me in that light for years, but to now have it more of as a positive impact is uh is pretty cool.” Looks like I’m going to get two more from these guys. Yeah. So, uh, get ready for that. Um, all right, let’s get down to a little bit of business here. As the CEO of athletics, you you mentioned you just met with the coaches and the players. What message are you trying to to get to them as far as what the, you know, your your regime is going to be about? This is such a critical time for South Florida in in the in their athletics journey. Um, with expansion coming up, nobody knows where it’s going, but what do you say to the coaches and players about these things? because I’m sure they have tons of questions. Yeah, absolutely. I think the the biggest thing that I am trying to convey is um look, my emotional connection to this university is really special. This is a place uh where I was basically raised. I mean, I was on campus at a very early age and then uh got an opportunity to serve in a variety of different roles. every one of which was about serving the student athletes and helping them any way I could. Um, but while that story uh is great and it’s heartwarming about growing up uh being a ball kid and then uh working our way up to the to the CEO chair, that’s not why I’m here. Uh the passion and enthusiasm uh and commitment, that’s all frosting. the the cake is what I’ve learned over these last 21 years at the sports commission and all the different intangibles that we as a team will will bring to the this uh to to USF athletics from the relationships that it takes uh to be able to be awarded all these collegiate championships with athletic directors and conference commissioners making those decisions to the revenue generation uh the millions and millions of dollars that we’ve raised here to be able to put on these events. to the over 250 sponsorships that we’ve cut here, uh to um all the different aspects of ticket sales and our attendance and TV viewership records. Uh this really is um an opportunity to take all these lessons we’ve learned, all these relationships, and apply them to USF athletics. for the folks that were able to be there on Monday, they could sense that this used to be the university’s athletic department. Now it’s it’s team Tampa Bay’s. And this is a place that right, wrong, or indifferent has has always uh utilized these training wheels that are potential. And we’ve got to lose that mentality and and focus on process and performance. results matter and the results that we need are right this minute when you look at the changing dynamic of college athletics. So, it’s going to take a really detailed plan. I presented for 10 hours in order to be able to land uh this opportunity. Uh and chairman Will Weatherford, Vice Chair Mike Griffin, J Strowman, President Law, everybody wanted to make sure I was the the right fit for every single possible reason. And at the top of that list was that we have a plan. And the plan really boils down, I know this is a long-winded answer. The plan really boils down to make sure we have all of our own people bought in. We win the building. Then we win this campus, which is so special. Then we win the community and certainly the country right after that. So I I just cannot wait to get in there, roll up our sleeves, and get after it. Uh it’s I I love that progression that you just said. You know, it starts internally and moves outwards. And that’s how all success has to be foundational. Um the big question is how do you do it? Um I love what you just said about the training wheels and potential because you know I’ve been sports casting in this town for 28 years and I I it just kind of dawned on me. I’m still talking about that. You know what USF could be and it’s oh but they have potential and it’s not you know you’re doing well. It’s like you know what that’s really not what it should be right. You just went to Gainesville in the biggest sport there is in college football and you beat the University of Florida. As a seminal, I’ll sit here and say they are the standard bearer of public universities in the state of Florida. They are they’re the oldest, the richest. They are what they are, but you got to take them down. And you did on the field where it’s toughest to do. So, if you can do that, why can’t you move be in a be in a bigger conference, be more be more like these other guys? because you have all the resources. So, it’s time for for us to hold your feet to the fire, I guess, right? That’s what you’re saying. Absolutely. Absolutely. If you if you have that mentality of only uh worrying about what the the future holds, then the reality is the the present isn’t going to be all that it’s cracked up to be. I will say I I’ve used this term a lot the last few days like what you tolerate as an entity in terms of mentality uh and and other things is uh the standard at which you operate. So anything you tolerate is the standard at which you operate. and you tolerate a mentality that’s potential va b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b based versus performance and processbased, then the results are not going to match what you need to get to where you need to go. And we deserve to be on the the biggest of stages. I talked a lot about it in in our event on Monday. We’ll be um you know, very forthright, trusted, transparent partner. We love the American Conference. Um, but we got to make sure we’re the absolute best members of it so that when this conversation unfolds, we’re positioned the best we can be. We have the things that we need. We can improve a few areas. Uh, we have though the AAU status is phenomenal. It’s coveted across the country when it comes to academics. This will academics will play a major role uh in the decision in terms of where uh we end up landing in the future. Uh from a television standpoint, you know, number one media market in the state, we’re the 11th largest in the country. You guys know it better than anybody. Second biggest in the southeast. So, we check that box in a really profound way. This is a really coveted media market. But the couple things, you know, our resources are continuing to improve. you know, that’s going to be a huge focus of ours. Continue to generate revenue, uh, as is every college athlet a athletic department right now. And then, um, you know, the performance, you’re seeing flickers. I mean, just the enthusiasm around that Boise State win and the Florida win, as you mentioned, are phenomenal. Now, these flickers got to turn into wildfire, and that’s uh what’s going to uh, again, make sure we’re positioned as best as we possibly can be. Rob Higgins joining us here, the new USF Athletics CEO. Uh Rob, the I said this a couple weeks ago, and you addressed it in your press conference about capturing Tampa Bay, the the fan base. I mean, there’s 250,000 alumni here, USF alumni in this $3.5 million metro that we live, 3.5 million people metro that we’re in. And you go to the stadium and there’s just not enough people there. There’s just not. And it’s but the gift of this 11th largest market is also the gift of the Lightning, the Bucks, the Rays, University of Florida, FSU. You are fighting so much. Boise State was in here a couple weeks ago and you know, I’m not picking on the Times, but it is what it is. There wasn’t even a preview story in that on their website for the for a top 25 game. And it’s not just them, it’s all the local media, uh, myself including, we’re not doing as good a job as we need to do. how and it’s a different obviously it’s a much more fractured media market than it once was. It was so it used to be easy. You go to the four stations, you do the papers, you’re done. It’s not that way anymore. So, how are you going to crack this? How are you going to get that wildfire burning among the fans? Because you have to create that atmosphere in order to get the biggest football recruits, basketball recruits, all that to get to the big time. We’ve got to energize this 3.5 million people that are right here in our backyard. How do you do that? 100%. By by making it a priority for all of us. We have a couple hundred uh team members and uh the athletic department and we need to make sure that everybody uh is well aware of the exact story and the points of pride that it’s happening. And then we’re all leveraging our networks to be able to really lean into it. Um we’re fortunate when it come came to our regime here at the sports commission um to really put an emphasis on the storytelling and leaning into it as uh events were coming and we’re going to take pages out of that that playbook. But we also got to make sure that we’re uh providing the appropriate amount of access to you guys and that um we’re arming you with what those special stories are that maybe people uh are are unaware of. We have so many incredible student athletes there. All of them are unique. All of them come from great places. They’re all great players, but they have great stories, too. So, we really want to shine a light on those as well. But I can promise you if it’s uh from a student reporter with 17 followers and an iPhone, uh if they’re willing to talk to us, we’re going to be willing to talk to them. And um brick by brick, we’re going to make sure we’re building uh not only an on-ampus stadium, but we’re building a building here that this community can be proud of, uh embrace, and help with the storytelling as well. All right, getting down to business. Uh, you have a very very um, uh, highly soughtafter football coach and you want to keep him here. I’ve already I’ve got three comments. I already asked Ask him when he’s going to get Alex Golish extended. This is when it gets down to the real business, right? How do you approach uh, these type of things? It’s because this is going to be the most hope high-profile decisions that you make. And Alex is, and I know it’s it’s somewhat, and I hear this from your fans, it’s somewhat disrespectful to every time you get a big win, everybody goes, “Oh, where’s Alex going to go to go next?” Your job is to keep them here. H how do you do that? Yeah, it it starts with our relationship. And I’m, you know, so fortunate to have a great one. It’s continuing to evolve. I’ll never forget um when I went to the USF football stadium. Groundbreaking. I I can’t I wasn’t even sure if Coach Golish knew who I was. Uh he this was about a year ago. Uh he had been to the sneaker sur a few times, but we hadn’t spent much time together. And it was shortly after I had announced uh my diagnosis in an effort to create awareness for others. Um, and he came up to me at that groundbreaking in a in this like seminal moment for our university where I just was going as, you know, a USF fan and community supporter and this was this huge day for for him and the program in terms of an onampus stadium finally breaking the ground for it. and he came up to me and just, you know, wrapped his arms around me, gave me a big hug, told him, told me that his family had been uh thinking about me, praying for me, and all of those different things. I saw a side of him from a personal standpoint that quite frankly, again, he and I hadn’t connected where it just meant so much to me. And he he continued to check in on me uh throughout uh as part of it. Uh I run into I’d run into him at the grocery store uh as well and he would just you could see just what a great genuine person he is in in his eyes. So um it starts with his and I relationship. Um look I think he’ll he’ll know you know based off of our you know continued emerging friendship and and partnership. I totally want to do anything and everything I possibly can with how amazing of a job that he’s done to to keep him uh here. And uh I will tell you when I when it was announced uh right after we we came to terms and it was announced that I was going to be uh the the CEO of athletics and live out this dream. I um you know, three my first three calls basically were uh to him, to his agent, and then to make sure uh that his wife heard it from me as well. And so, um believe me, I understand Bulls Nation. I understand at Team Tampa Bay, uh it it’s it’s really important and uh it’s going to be one of those one of those things that’s a huge priority for us. And I want to also share this coaching staff as a whole is phenomenal. I mean, you look at, you know, some of the timeless institutions that we have here like Jose Fernandez and Ken Ericson and others and, you know, Coach Hodson here with men’s basketball. I mean, the roster he’s assembled is phenomenal. I don’t think anybody’s been more excited for hoop season in in quite some time, but up Mitch Hannah’s with baseball. I hate to name them because I can name all like it is it is an elite coaching staff. It really is. And it’s a it’s a coaching staff that’s that’s winning championships and is going to continue to win championships. Again, it’s not a staff that’s got potential to win national championships. This staff right here can and will win championships on a lot of levels, including at the national level. Rob, when it comes to NIL, what are the challenges for USF? Um, I know obviously with other universities that have more history, more deep pockets and and how does it affect what the onfield performance is going to be in the major sports? I know there’s revenue sharing now that has c kind of even the playing field a little bit where you can pay your athletes a certain a certain amount, but the NIL is above and beyond that, correct? And you still need that to compete. Is that correct? What do what do you how do you have to mobilize? It’s important to make that distinction for fans. I think a lot of people maybe get things confused because over the last three years, man, it’s been dynamic and it is it’s changed from, you know, collectives to NIL to all of those different things. And there’s really two things now that are different that we that we you have to make a very clear distinction on. One is revenue sharing and that is uh the ability to be able to compensate your student athletes as an institution. The second one I’ll call true NIL versus just to make sure that we’re not confusing it with a while back here, not in the not too distant uh past, people were calling NIL that same opportunity for collectives to pay their pay their student athletes for really what was on field performance, right? A true NIL are those opportunities to use your name, image, and likeness with local businesses for them to be able to do more business. So, uh, it really is true. NIL is you go to the, uh, local automotive dealer and if that kid has the capacity to sell more cars for you based off of using their name, image, and likeness, that’s true NIL, which can be on top of the revshare. So, um, I will tell you, uh, I was in the other night. I mean, they can’t keep me out of this building, guys. Here’s here’s the thing. It’s like I was announced on whatever that Tuesday was. I was in there at 5:30 on the way home in there till midnight. You know, I’ve taken a few days of PTO here or there like the last two um two days to be able to be in there, you know, from 7 a.m. till midnight. Uh I’m going to go from here sports commission. I promise you I’m going to be in there till midnight after. Uh but I spent one of the nights I spent with um our GM Andrew Warsaw. We probably had a three and a half, four hour meeting. uh just talking through it or whatnot. I have my plan that I uh pitched as part of the overall search process with Will and Mike and Jay and President Law. And then they have the plan that basically they have been building the plane as they fly it for the last three years through this like eb and flow of rule rule changes and uh the college sports commission and NIL go and all of those things. And so now we we merge those things. I I will tell you though, the plan that’s being executed there on both fronts is really strong. And the last thing I would do is come in there and and break something that’s that’s working. I just want to be additive to the plan, help shore it up, and continue to bring more and more resources to it. No different than when we’ve hosted a Super Bowl and had over 60 sponsors or a college football playoff national championship with 96 sponsors. like these are companies and entities that could could be able to be supportive on a variety of different fronts that with any luck we’re going to bring to the table here. So that means local businesses get involved, work with the athletes and that helps the whole process, right? That’s that’s the message to the public. Absolutely. we we have the ability there there’s really something for everybody here and uh if there’s a partnership to be formed I think between all of our different offerings between sponsorship and fundraising with the Bulls Club and NIL and ticket sales and all of those different things group tickets like there there’s a way for us to be able to come together and make it mutually beneficial and that’s the the message that’s what’s going to take it’s going to take all of It’s going to take a village. We’re fortunate here with team Tampa Bay to have a really special village and I think that’s what has us so excited. All right. Uh, last question and this I know it’ll be a very longer diplomatic answer and we’ve touched on a little bit but this conference affiliation and obviously you got to walk a fine line here. You don’t want to piss off the American but everybody knows what the situation is. You guys are you know you’re a big player in this and there’s a lot of opportunities. How do how are you going to approach this? And you and I, as I’ve told a lot of people through all your exploits with the national championship game and everything, you know, all these commissioners and the players in this space by first name, you have their phone numbers. I mean, this is a huge advantage for USF. How are you going to kind of manipulate that space to to to be the best American you can be and then move into a higher better space? Yeah. So, um, American Commissioner Tim Peretti is a good friend of mine, and I see so much of him and us, you know, gritty, innovative, disruptor, uh, all of those different things. I mean, he gets after it and I I I love him and I can’t wait to partner with him. Um, but the thing that he is not is naive. I mean, I said that the other day. He knows. Look, I was with him at the Miami game and he knows we are going to be the absolute best member of the American Conference that we can be. And he also knows that we’re going to be a trusted and transparent partner. Uh Tim, a lot of people haven’t talked about this. Tim actually helped author the playbook for leading an athletic department that’s your alma mater uh into a new conference when he was at Ruckers and he got him into the Big 10. Well, there you go. Uh, and I can promise you like we’re going to make sure we do anything and everything we can to again be the best member of the American and be really transparent to him. But we also owe it to our fans to be able to make sure that um we are in the exact place that we need to be at the with the university in the moment in time when that conversation happens. And we it’s a it’s a topic that I’ll go to. I don’t sleep a lot, but it’s a topic that I’ll go to sleep thinking about. Uh I’ll get a quick nap each night, recharge, and then I’ll wake up thinking about it as well. Uh it’s the single biggest metric for which we will be judged. And I know that I I own it. I’m accountable to it. And um and at the same time, again, anything that happens is going to be performance-based. Yeah. So we have to be as successful as possible in the American which then helps the American as well right and then takes care of the future for us. So I did that entire answer JP uh without ever using that P word which we don’t use anymore. Great. I got a I’m gonna have a jar on my on my desk uh that I’ll donate back to the Bulls club every time uh I use that word because it’s now been eliminated from our our brand been banned. I love that. Uh well, I know you got a stadium to build and we got Kenhagen coming on. You guys can start fighting over steel girders or something. I don’t know how how that’s going to work, but uh uh it’s going to be amazing to see two of these things going up uh here in Tampa pretty soon when we couldn’t get one done for so long. So, I know that’s going to be a a a bit of a slog, but it’s going to be a labor. It’s a game changer for us, you know, to have that venue right in the sweet spot that we haven’t had from an event portfolio side of things. It’s awesome for the campus and I think kids are going to, you know, kids will walk from their dorm uh to the game and everything else. It’ll revitalize that entire area, but it’s also going to help the community in a big way. get some events that they’ve never had because we’ve only had 2500 seat venues and 65,000 seat venues. So, it hits that sweet spot. But, I’m bringing that up. I just want to thank Ken Hagen for all of his support. There’s not a major event uh that we’ve done here uh that he hasn’t been a major part of. So, I think it goes um you know unheralded a lot of times, but uh he has been just so essential to the success of everything that we’ve done and he’s going to continue to be that. He’s not we’re not losing anytime soon. Uh he can I I saw him in a USF polo on Monday which was awesome. I thought he only had those Gator polos. I have I’m a semi bowl. All right. Yes. I love it. I love it. So, I don’t know what you call a gator bull combo, but it’s Yeah, we understand if we’re playing you, you got to break out the, you know, your alma mo, but if we’re not playing you, we hope you’re going to green just like uh just like I’ve been rocking the green every single day. Now, you don’t think I was rooting for USF against the Gator against you. You were on the bull bandwagon. Oh my god. I get it. I get it. And I don’t mind telling him that. So, yeah. I love it. And I’ll tell you that right here in the backyard of the North Texas Mean Green, I’m trying to get support for the USF Bulls here in North Texas. I’m not going to lie. I love it. I love it. But I’ll be honest with you, I don’t necessarily need to see you scratch your back with a pair of scissors again cuz that worries me from a health and safety standpoint. Well, look, my back scratcher is hanging on the other side of the room. So, I was just like, “Please, like, unless you got gauze and and uh first a cream, like let’s not do the back scratch with the scissors again.” Looking around. I don’t know what else. You see what I’m dealing with? You see what I’m dealing with, Higgins? Jesus. All right, Rob. Thank you so much. Whatever you need from us, we’re here for you anytime, anywhere. We’re USF all the time. So, love you, brother. Congratulations. Can’t wait to uh continue to work side by side with you, my friend. Go Bulls. Go Bulls. Yes, sir. Thank you, guys. Right. Thank you. The great Rob Higgins there, USF athletic CEO. As long as that doesn’t mean hookum horns, I’m okay doing it. I will not do hookum horns. Now, it’s a little it’s different, right? Turn the turn it in. What do you got to do it like that? That’s like hookum horns. That’s praise the what? Bulls is a little bit more narrow. All right, take your word for it. All right, quick break. When we come back, Ken Hagen’s going to join us. uh he will refute all that anti-gator talk that we just did and uh also hopefully update us on the new raise ownership group and where the stadium is going to be and when all this stuff that we need to know that he won’t necessarily have exact answers to but we hope to get something out of this uh and we will uh the great Ken Hagen joining us next here we’re brought to you by the G’s Law Group jeve velogroup.com they are local they are trusted and they get results and also we are brought to you by Genesis of Tampa. They’re having their grand opening October 4th uh over there at Genesis of Tampa on East Bears right off of 275 and Bears. So go check it out and get out there even earlier to get your test drive. These great technologically incredible cars, the luxury, the value is fantastic. Genesisoft Tampa.com. Back at 3. Experience the art of driving at Genesis of Tampa, where luxury meets innovation and every detail is crafted for you. From the bold G70 to the refined GV80, Genesis delivers power, elegance, and technology years ahead of its time. Book service online and our Genesis experience advisors will pick you up and drop off your vehicle. If available, you can enjoy a courtesy car, while yours gets a complimentary interior vacuum, plus a generous offer for your trade. Every new Genesis comes with the Miracle Advantage plan, 10 years or 250,000 mi of powertrain warranty and 4 years of complimentary maintenance. Visit us at 801 East Bears Avenue or online at genesisoft.com. Genesisoft Tampa, luxury redefined. Italiano Insurance would like to congratulate the Bucks on their 50th anniversary season. And you know what? We’ve been here for every season and then some. Over 60 years in business. We’ve seen some smart coaches with great game plans. But if you don’t have flood insurance or business insurance, that’s a terrible game plan that could ruin you financially. You don’t want to take that L. So call 8138777.99 to let their friendly agents quarterback your insurance and save you big money. Italiano also sponsors our FSU report every week. So go nullles 813877799 or go to italiano insurance.com. JP here for Riveters, our new official sports bar and grill of the JP Peterson show. But just like our show, no BS, no corporate chain feel, just amazing, authentic folks serving great comfort food in a casual atmosphere at unheard of prices. Riverers is located just south of Raymond James and Steinbrer Field on Dale Mabberry, walking distance to the park. So free parking, great place for pregame and postgame. Let’s talk about fresh food. Nothing is frozen. Burgers, wings, prime rib, roasted fresh daily, never frozen. That makes a huge difference. The mahi, the salmon, also super fresh. All our sauces are original recipes made in-house. Our Warhawk chili and fully loaded potato soup is made fresh inhouse. It’s the best food anywhere served by people who actually care. Riveters on Dale Mabry, just north of 275, just south of where the Bucks and Rays play. We’ll see you there. Are you looking to renovate your home, rebuild after the hurricanes, or build your dream home from scratch? Well, let me tell you about my friend Jason Faucet in On-site Construction. They have over 1,450 satisfied clients, 25 years of experience, over 500 designs, and a talented team of over 40 construction professionals. They believe building something exceptional begins by truly focusing on all the details, even the smallest ones. We understand that construction can be a daunting process, and we’re here to make it as smooth and stress-free as possible. Quality is non-negotiable at On-site Construction. We use the finest materials, employ the most skilled trades people, and adhere to the highest industry standards to deliver a product we’re proud of and that you’re going to love. Our project management is meticulous with a focus on completing projects on time and on budget. Your happiness is our primary driver. So give us a call at 813-579-5789 or check out our incredible website at onsite construction.com. Are you having legal issues with a business partner or other legal business issues? The attorneys at Walters Lavine and Degrave can help. Call 800616384 for a free consultation. At Walters Lavine and Degrave, we’ve redefined what a law firm can be with top tier attorneys, personal service, and 26 years of success. From business law to civil litigation, we deliver smart client focused solutions. Walters Lavine and Degrave recently won a $6.4 million jury verdict from a large real estate developer and they can win for you too. Walters Lavine and Degrave, let’s solve it together. Not attorney spokesman for a free consultation. Call 800616384 or go to waltersine.com. Offices Tampa, Sarasota. Let’s go. Right now, back to the show on Fans Dream Sports. All right, welcome back to the JP Peterson Show. Brought to you by the official sports bar and grill of the JP Peterson Show. Riveters, one of Kenhagen’s favorites. I know that. Uh, if you’re looking for a place to watch baseball, the playoffs, great place for that. Hockey is coming up. Lots of white Lightning watch parties there at Riveters. The food, the service is absolutely fantastic. The prices are incredibly reasonable. Everybody has a great time when they go to Riveters. If you’re going to a Bucks game, uh, you can park there, go in, do a little pregaming, and you can walk to, uh, the stadium right from there. So, it’s Rimeter Tampa, just north of 275, just south of the stadium right there on Dale Mabberry. Um, all right. Is Is Ken Is Ken ready to go? Ken is with us. Let’s welcome in. He is the Gator of the moment. Uh, I don’t know if you heard the great Rob Higgins thanking you for all the work you’ve done with the Tampa Sports Commission, but um, also saying yes, you are wearing USF polos now, as am I. We’re all in on USF, are we not? Even as Gators and Seinals, 100%. This was the perfect fit for both Rob and USF. I’m truly excited uh for the future of USF. Rob, I am 100% convinced will elevate USF to the next level. We’ll get them into a a major conference and bring a significant fundraising experience with all the various events that we’ve had to raise money for. And this is perfect fit and uh I’m thrilled for Rob, his family, and for the USF Bulls. Yeah, it’s it I think it’s uh it is a perfect fit and a lifelong dream. And you know, it’s just more of uh Tampa Bay’s own uh elevating uh this city, which is something that that you yourself uh have done and continue to do. And I think this latest uh project of yours, this lifelong project of ours to get a baseball stadium in Tampa, just crossed another major major hurdle as uh the new owners have been approved. Uh it’ll become final next week. It’s basically final now. Uh what are your thoughts on getting to this point of the process with new ownership that can get this thing done in Tampa? Absolutely. Uh this is a great day. I um I’ve characterized it as a renewed optimism. Uh this is certainly a a significant step forward and will allow us to sit down in earnest with a group that has significant local uh presence as part of the ownership group and give us a real opportunity to to reach a to reach an agreement here. and and I think we will uh have you had a chance to talk with uh Fred Ridley um local Tampa guy part of this group Dan Doyle or or any of the new owners in in the past month or so as to um you know how far along they this this process I’m I’m sure you guys have been working on this behind the scenes. Have you had any conversations with them that you can update us on? Probably not since the last time that we spoke. However, I am uh scheduled to meet with them on Friday. This f this Friday. Yes. All right. And what do you what will be the uh will be the topic points? What do you hope to be able to discuss with them? Because obviously as hurdles get cleared, you guys can talk about certain things more, right? Absolutely. And to their credit, they are very respectful of the process, being very respectful of Stew and really did not want to get over their skis, if you will. Yeah. And have any real serious conversations until the sale was finalized. So, now that we’ve reached that point or within a few days, it’ll be official. Uh we’ll be able to really begin in earnest in having those conversations. And so, uh I I really look forward to it. And I know they want to hit the ground running. I know we want to hit the ground running. So hopefully we can um sit down here relatively soon and really begin to discuss what a framework would be for a ballpark in Tampa. Ken, what would the most optimistic uh timeline look like? You know what the what it takes in order to get a plan in front of the city uh county, the TSA? What uh the sports commission? What what does that look like? the timeline I think being optimistic six months uh I would I would like to think now I say that knowing that uh the Atlanta Braves several years ago uh the their CEO Terry Mgherk share with me that they brokered their deal in three months. Yep. And so three months is is quick. uh 15 16 years is a little long. You know, uh I’m I’m hopeful that within a relatively short period of time, but these agreements are complex and require approval from multiple legislative bodies. And now while we have certainly have a framework to begin with, but until we really sit down and start to discuss the the specifics and what the uh goals of the of the team are, it’s really, you know, it’s speculative at this point, but I would hope that within within six months that we would have a an understanding, if not outright approval of what that framework would be. Now, I know uh Daryl Shaw owns the land at Eore Harbor. You had called that the leader in the clubhouse. Is that still kind of the case with this? Any developments there? No developments as far as I I’m aware of. I know that the new ownership group have been doing their due diligence have, you know, they’ve reached out to uh various folks. Uh I’m also aware that they uh have been considering uh the Hillsboro Community College location among others. But as far as if one’s a priority over another, no. handedly I’m not aware of that. I’m hoping to get a little more direction whenever we chat on Friday, but at this point, you know, nothing new as far as what particular location that they’re uh either decided on or leaning leaning toward. You said other sites. Are there any you can mention? Um the fair the fairgrounds still in play, the dog track, anything been ruled out? Uh what can you tell us on that? nothing new. Um I don’t think you can rule anything in or out at this point. I think if if there’s land that provides enough acreage to do some ancillary development beyond just the ballpark itself that they’re going to uh take a look at. But the ones that I know that they they at least are considering obviously are Eore Harbor and HBC. There’s likely others, but I’m unaware to what degree. So, in six a six-month timeline, you have to present something to the county commission. Uh, if it’s if it’s within the city limits, does it have to be the city commission? And then also the sports commission as well. Do all three entities have to agree to this this deal? And most most likely, it would require all three approvals. uh particularly with uh city council, should it be uh should the location be in a in a CRA, a community redevelopment area, that will require city council sitting at the CRA board to approve that. But again, that’s one of the reasons why I’ve always said that there’s not a one-sizefits-all model because the location will determine what potential funding sources exist. But we’re anticipating an approval of all three bodies. Uh Tampa Sports Authority, Hillsboro County Commission, and Tampa City Council. Uh Ken Hagen joining us here, Hillsboro County Commissioner. Ken, it it’s my understanding um well, it’s been reported that Dr. Workman, the Orlando uh the former Orlando dreamers anchor, investor, billionaire, is now in this new group. Um that obviously adds a lot of cash and um cache to to this group. You know, there’s been some some thoughts out there that this group paid so much for the team that they wouldn’t have the money to do a stadium or run the team. I I find that kind of silly myself, but it do do you sense that this this group is even more funded now and will have the ability to pay more for the stadium themselves and and run the team at a high level? That seems to be what what what I’m hearing and and thinking. What about you? Well, a couple things. Number one, uh, this was Commissioner Manfred’s chosen ownership group, right? So, that gives me a lot of confidence in their ability to not only invest what they’re going to have to for a new ballpark, but also is going to allow them to increase the payroll significantly. Uh, secondly, I was encouraged by the news of the of the latest uh member of the ownership group on twofolds. Number one, it it it weakens Orlando from a competitive situation financially and at the same time would again provide the new ownership group additional capital to, you know, invest the dollars that that are going to be required. Yeah, I I I would agree with that as well. And uh Ken, as you look forward to it, you know, I still get all these comments um you know, the Hillsbor doesn’t have any money, blah blah blah, and then I always ask them, well, how do you know that? And then there’s never an answer. Um, it’s kind of a false narrative that has been put out there many, many times. Uh, since we’ve talked, there’s been talk of the sits money. Is it available to help build the stadium? Is it infrastructure? What what part can the sits money play? And are there any other revenue sources that are not property taxes that can be used for this? I know it’s stuff we’ve gone over, but a lot of people may be hearing it for the first time. Well, as I shared with with the new owners the last time that we sat down is that I envision us beginning with our last framework that we had with with Stu that again was heavily uh focused on uh user fees, entertainment fees, tourist tax dollars. Um but the one source that we did not have available at that time that we do now is the the sit as as you characterize it. And so uh that puts us in a better financial position for at a minimum to have additional money for for infrastructure that did not exist. But again each you know every location potentially brings or provides different different sources. So a lot will will depend on the location that we’re that we’re focused on. And again to this point we’re you know it’s unknown. All right. So, we talk about a timeline of of most optimistic 6 months. So, the first and I know the Braves built their park in in less than three years. So, is it is it even doable that this uh the stadium could be ready by 2029? I think it’s doable, but it’s it’s likely very tight. Yeah. Uh again again I I was the the CEO of the Braves shared that they it was three months to broker their deal and then uh two and a half years to to build the stadiums. Yeah. So it can be done. I know that um the new ownership group that they’re modeling 2029 and 2030. So I think the goal is obviously 2029, but again depending on how soon an agreement can be reached will really give us better indication of if we’re talking about 29 or or 30. Are are there any more Tampa Bay investors, people that live in the Tampa Bay area that we can name or will we find that out on uh Friday or next week? I’m I candidly I’m hoping to find out uh more uh on Friday. Yeah. And I’m hoping that the the the entire ownership group is there. I I don’t know. I we’ll find out then. But um no, but I’ve been just, you know, the whispers are that there’ll be a number of local uh folks involved that are well known and I think will only strengthen u our chances of of being able to reach reach an agreement. Can I come to the meeting? Hey, I’m still waiting to find out where it is. That was my next question. How’s that? How’s that? I’m going to be warming up at the Pelican about 9:00 a.m. So, uh maybe maybe I’ll see some people there. That’s my That’s what I’m going with. I’m going with the Pelican. I’m That’s where I’m going to be hanging out. I don’t know. And I know And I know you’d be playing there, too, right? Great track. Absolutely. You sound like when I was talking to Antoine Winfield Jr. the other day. Yeah. Great track that that Yeah. With a wink in your eye. All right. Now I know where the meeting is. That’s good. Um I I I guess Kev, before we let you go, um le let’s talk about just the the you know where we’re at right now, especially in in in a more global sense, Tampa Bay, because uh Rob kind of mentioned it, some of the commenters are mentioning as well. What a great day in Tampa Bay. you know, we have um new homegrown leadership. Not that Mike Kelly didn’t do a great job. I thought Mike did a fantastic job, and I’m so happy for him to go back to a place where he always wanted to be at the Naval Academy. That’s awesome. But Rob was born and raised to do this job. Um and I I see him building this new onampus stadium. And I see, you know, in 2030 when hopefully we’re all still alive, we’re going to see, you know, FSU and USF and Florida play at this new onampus stadium. and we’re going to see the Rays play in a beautiful hopefully waterfront stadium in Eore Harbor. I mean, these are these are exciting times. And I I hear people say all the time, well, we don’t have the money to do all this stuff, blah blah. I’m like, we’re the 11th largest market. We have plenty of money here, and everybody wants to build here. Everybody wants to develop here. Why not us? And this is all this is all going to happen, right? I mean, this the this is going to happen, right? I’m convinced it will. We live in an amazing place. That’s paradise. It is a must-sea destination. It’s the reason why we’re one of the fastest growing, if not fastest growing communities in the country. The story I like to tell is uh last year at a a Live Nation concert, the CEO of Live Nation uh shared with us Tampa or Tampa Bay was on par with the Chicago, the LA, and the New York. And everyone wants to play here. They want to be here. the TV market. It’s just um it’s so exciting right now to be a part of and I say that not as a not as an elected official, but as a native and lifelong resident with with a a 23-year-old and an soon to be 19year-old that uh that you know they’re going to want to live here. They want to remain here. And it wasn’t that case not too long ago. Our best and brightest were moving on to the Atlantas and Nashville and Charlottes. they’re they’re staying here now because of how exciting it is and and what our community offers and continues to offer. And then when you look forward uh three to five years, again talking about USF with their exciting uh stadium development, how they’re going to uh develop the the claw, the golf course, what Hills County, what Hillsboro County is doing at the Mosy location where we’re going to have an indoor facil a tournament practice facility. We’re gonna have hotels. that’s going to be but it’s going to be an exciting over two billion dollar development that that that part of the the city and the county is completely transformed in a few years. And so when you consider that along with the raise and and lightning which we’re getting ready to do a renovation agreement uh with with the Tampa Bay Lightning and then soon after with the Bucks, it’s exciting and I’m looking forward to this journey and and uh can’t speak enough speak highly enough about team Tampa Bay. Yeah. I did I didn’t realize the Mosy thing was that big. That’s a That’s a $2 billion project. What’s What’s that going to look like? Oh, it’s going to be phenomenal. The indoor facility that I’ve worked on for over a decade now, it’s going to be 125,000 square foot facility that will host basketball tournaments, volleyball tournaments, pickle ball, cheerleading. There’ll be at least one at least one likely two hotels we’re having. Is it’s going to be an entertainment wing? Mosy will remain on six acres and then we’re going to have a film studio and a blackbox theater also located there that’s again gonna be part of the entertainment. We’re looking at a a public private partnership to potentially build uh an ice rink there as well and what we can do with partnering with USF with Lightning and there’ll also be a commercial there. There’ll be there’ll be some housing, there’ll be restaurants, bars. It’s it’s really an exciting um uh development. It’s candidly Hills Pillsbury County’s most underutilized asset. Nearly 70 acres nearly 70 acres. And so I I envision a Midtown uh a channelside if you will because the acreage is is similar similar if not more. Yeah. And there’s so many people that live out that way now, especially up in Wesley Chapel area and Tampa. All that is still continuing to grow. And that will serve that area uh as people won’t have to come all the way downtown, right, to to to do a lot of these other things. Absolutely. Absolutely. Hillsburg is going to be working closely with them to help on a on a few things and it’s just it’s the best yet to come and uh I’m excited to be a part of it. And developers are paying for most of this, right? This is not county city money or I’m sure there’s some involved. Well, there’s that’s the beauty. It’s a public private partnership in that we can leverage the development um our development partners and and their investment. There will be there will be uh uh significant county money. It’s the county project. The indoor facility doesn’t come cheap. These things are expensive. However, they’re revenue generators. Yeah. And the last project that I that I championed, our multi-use tournament facility out off 301’s 15 uh outdoor fields, that was the only facility probably in the state last year, a government facility that paid for itself from an operational standpoint because of all the revenue it generates from hotel room nights and the sales taxes that are generated. So these are revenue this big business. I I can speak as a you know, my daughter played travel softball for eight years. Yeah. Yeah, you go out of town, you’re you’re going to the Outback and the Beef Bradies and the sports bars and you’re spending money and you’re spending significant amount of money on hotels. It’s it’s real money. And um so that’s how we can project and say in x amount of years this facility will not only be bringing in millions of dollars, but it’ll actually pay for itself from an operational standpoint. Well, Kent, exciting times. Uh really appreciate you jumping on, but I’m I guess I’m gonna have to have you on next week after the Friday meeting because that’s when we’re going to find out everything. When do you know when the press conference of the owners is going to be? I’m guessing the following week. Oh, no. I I I I really do not know that. Um I don’t believe the the closing has taken place. It’s my impression it’ll be any day now. Um but no, I’m not I’m unaware of any date or location or timing. Okay. But it but it is imminent. Anything else we need to know, Ken? Any other major projects going on that we need to know about? Hey buddy, as usual, you uh you do a fantastic job of of uh covering it and and frankly leading the charge and I know I I appreciate everything you’ve done over the years to to fight the good fight. It takes all of us. Right. Right back at you, partner. Um I mean your your political skin in the game is it’s very extensive. So I appreciate it. And uh like I said, it’s exciting times. It’s exciting times. And all these people that want to be negative about Tampa Bay and we’re not going to be able to do this. we’re not going to be able to. Those are people that really chap my ass. So, yeah, we’re building an on-ampus stadium. We’re building a Ray stadium. It’s all happening. We can do it. And uh I can’t wait till it all comes to fruition. So, thank you for your You guys are You guys are practically becoming the next North Texas where we build stadiums like Starbucks over here. Like, well, we figured it out. People like to play games and spend money. Yeah, I like that. Very good. Thanks, Ken. Appreciate it. Great chatting with all. Okay, buddy. Byebye. Catch up soon. Need to play golf soon at the Pelican Friday. Um, there you go. If I was a beat writer, that’s probably where I would be hanging out. That’s my guess. Just in case, right? Just in case. No promises. Just in Just in Well, we need a private location that’s really nice and then maybe we could play a little golf afterwards. I think I Yeah. and one of the owners owns it, Dan Doyle. So, well, there you go. There you go. Uh, Kenneth McCclary, thank you very much for the $ five dollar super chat. And he says, uh, here’s your $5 super chat for the bet on the Bucks game. Hoping Baker keeps baking some wins even though he has to use substitute ingredients right now. Go Bucks. Oh, I like that. The baker The baker’s using some uh a lot of different ingredient. It’s like when you go to the cabinet and you don’t have exactly what you need, so you start improvising. Sometimes it comes out better, you know. I did actually I did a Marsala sauce last night. I didn’t have all my ingredients and actually turned out very very well. I had to improvise a little bit, but uh yeah, came and so yeah, it came out really good. And then sometimes it’s really bad and that’s what we might see this week against the Eagles. Sometimes you can get away with it, sometimes you can’t, Kenneth, and we’ll see. See, I don’t feel like he’s using substitute ingredients. I feel like the the name brand ingredients are out and you had to buy the store brand, the generic. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe. Maybe a little bit. I don’t know. Did you see that offensive line? Yeah. Yeah. That wasn’t generic. That was something totally new. That was something in the in the way back of the pantry that you didn’t even know was there. Oh, that might this might work. Imitation flour. Let’s find out. They have cornmeal or something. Let’s go. Cornmeal offensive line. Let’s thank all of our sponsors. Uh, Riverers, Italiano, the Golden Diamond Source On-site Construction, Third Generation Plumbing, Cafe Parad, so the GE’s Law Group, Kingmakers Tampa, Bay Area Modern Medical Center, and uh, Genesis of Tampa. I get them all. I think and don’t go uncovered.com. Don’t go uncover.com cuz we’re not going to take a break because Eric Erson is waiting patiently right there ready to talk some hockey. Finally, we get to talk some hockey. What’s up, double E? How are you, partner? Good, good, good. Good morning, gentlemen. How are you? Good. You got your USF stuff on. Nice. We had our uh Rob Higgins on, Ken Hagen on. It’s a This is what one of my favorite days. I get to talk to all the people I’ve worked with over the years that are doing amazing things. And uh and now it’s hockey time and it’s time for you to take center stage, my man. And um last night was fun. By by the way, this shirt, too. Oh, I was going to ask you because I could just see the top font. I’m going, is that a Tampa Tribune shirt? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Andy Smith, who uh you know was one of our page designers in the sports department, has done a great job of trying to keep the name alive and uh he came up with this idea uh built out of somebody asked about a font from the Tribune and he put it on a shirt. I I’m pretty sure he’s had three rounds of orders from people who want to buy them. Really? You know, from those of us, you know, we have an alumni group on on Facebook and you know, he’s kind of put word out through there. So, I I want to say he’s probably sold over 500 shirts. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. You see Puggo in town this weekend for the uh the big football game? I missed him, but I saw you. Yeah. Yeah. I saw the pictures in the press box with Catherine and Ira and uh Boy, brings back memories. Yeah. They didn’t ask me to be in the picture. I don’t know what that was all about. It’s TV people. So, for those of you who don’t know, there was a time we called this wonderful thing Convergence where the Tampa Tribune and News Channel 8 were working together. We were owned by the same company and it was at this very delicate time where newspapers were kind of struggling and uh if television stations were starting to struggle and the internet was taking over. So we were all trying to figure out how to do this and we called it convergence and um so all these we had to bring the TV people and the print people together lifelong enemies and we all had to come come together and get and get together and I thought we did it incredibly well my friend. Nobody died. There was no knifings. There was no no clubbings or anything. I thought we did a pretty damn good job. Yeah. Hey, and I remember too in 2011, you know, the unexpected lightning run to the Eastern Conference final. I was a solo act for both. I was doing TV and the newspaper at the same time. So, uh that lasted all the way till game seven of that series against the Bruins when uh the late great Martin Fenley joined me in Boston for a game. But, uh that was it. I was a solo act for both TV and newspaper for an entire playoff run. Wow. Yeah. And you did a hell of a job. You did a hell of a job. And no, there were no bonuses involved. There never are. Development. Shocking. You know, you’re doing a lot of extra work and on TV, too. So, here’s a little something extra in your paycheck. Yeah. Thanks. Yeah. Know, good job. Well done. More taxes. Yeah. Well-run organizations. But anyway, we digress. Uh but here we are still covering hockey and um last night was was some interesting storylines and uh we’ll start with the new guy Sam O’Reilly. Um what did you what did you think of his performance? He is still finding his way. Uh, as any 19-year-old would do in the situation and, you know, I I I got the sense in talking to him at the prospect camp a week and a half ago or so when I talked to him, you know, he still has was shocked by the trade, right? He’s here. He was drafted by Edmonton. He went to training camp last year with Conor McDavid and Leon Ditidle and, you know, less than a year later, he finds he’s on to a new organization. So, and he knows nobody. like he walked in just completely cold of anybody. He didn’t have any player connections, you know, no coaching connections, like nothing. Like he’s completely walking into a a new situation and he’s still trying to find his way around. But last night, I think was a help, right? He was actually supposed to center the third line, Pontis Homeberg, who was scheduled to play, ended up not playing. So O’Reilly was actually bumped up to a topline preseason role of playing with Oliver Bjorkstrand and Gage Gonzalez last night. Um, and you know, he’s going to be one of these type of players that you have to watch him more and more, and when you do, you’re going to appreciate him more and more because he’s not a flashy player, right? He he’s not going to jump off the page with stick work or anything like that. He just does a lot of little things really, really good. um for him to get that goal last night to be in front of the net to be able to tip the puck from Bjorkstrand’s shot kind of shows you the intelligence and the understanding of where he needs to go and um so he’s he’s going to be a good player. Uh I I found it interesting. You know, Isaac Howard scored last night in his preseason debut and then just just shortly after Sam O’Reilly scored for Tampa Bay. So that was kind of a little symmetry kind of going on there between the two players that were traded for each other. So, you know, again, I go back to the one of the comments uh from somebody who analyzed the trade back in July that while Isaac Howard might be the better player, Sam O’Reilly is going to be better in the long run for what he can do, right? He’s not going to be a 30 goal, 35 goal scorer, but he’s going to score you 20 25 goals. He’s going to be a shutdown guy. He’s relentless on the puck. There’s a lot of things to like about Sam O’Reilly, and you know, you won’t see him this year. almost all almost almost certainly head back to London and you know his junior team and take on a pretty prominent role there. But you know so far I think a lot of people like what they see in the early going of Sam O’Reilly. What what would your comp be if you could pick a player on the lightning right now? Hegel yeah maybe with a little bit more offensive upside than Celli. Yeah that’s good. Yeah just his positioning and the one thing that one of the things that you can’t teach is instincts, right? Like that’s what Celli is so good at reading the play and having instincts. And shoot, I remember that his first NHL game in Dallas. He stepped in front of a play, picked off a pass, and went the other way. I think he picked up his first career assist on the play. But there’s a lot of comparisons between O’Reilly and Anthony Cerelli. Uh what what’s going on with Vassie? He’s missed what, four days now. Yeah. Um if if what happened two years ago didn’t happen, I don’t know if we’d be overly concerned with this. Uh but yeah, he hasn’t been on the ice for a few days. Um he I don’t think he’ll be on the ice. At least I can only get the sense he’ll be on the ice. They get back to practice tomorrow and then they have two more preseason games before they start to cut camp down u for the final three preseason games. So uh it is a little, you know, that little scratch in the back of your head. This is, oh boy, this is not good good news, a good sign. Um, the fact that Johansson got the first start and Halverson started last night, you know, trying to get the number two and the number three guy on the depth chart, some playing time. Um, but we’ll see. I I think we’ll wait and see what next week brings. If he’s still not back on the ice next week, then my concern level goes to Defcon 4. Is it back related? Do we know anything? We don’t know. We know nothing. You know nothing. It’s hockey JB. They don’t tell. Exactly. Yeah. State secrets. Uh Pelier scored last night as well. Another newcomer. Uh what are your thoughts on what you’ve seen of him? Uh he played them both preseason games. He didn’t really assert himself very much I think in Monday’s game against Carolina. Uh but he did last night. He was much more involved last night. Uh puck was on his stick a lot. Um you know which is considering the lineup that Nashville had out there, right? that Stammer was out there, Pervix, Roman Yosi, Philip Forsber, Jonathan Marsho, Brady Shay, they had a lot a lot of their regulars in the lineup last night and um you know and and he was active on the power play. Um obviously he gets the goal. Great great move to kind of just weave his way through traffic through the middle part of the ice, shift the puck off to the wing and go to the net and good things happen when that when that takes place. So he that’s how he made that uh that goal happen last night. Um, you know, it’s the the the competition, especially with Nick Paul out until November from what we think is a wrist injury kind of opens up the door maybe a little bit more for uh an extra player that we weren’t thinking about to make this roster and and you know, Peltier is going to be in that conversation. But I I would think and and we’ll get to Boris Kachuk in a second, but you know, Boris Kachuk is not somebody we thought about really in this competition and through two games, he has made it much more difficult decisions so far for for the coaching staff. But, you know, Peltier is a reclamation project in a lot of ways, right? He’s a former first round draft pick. He’s got a lot of skill. He’s a smaller player at 510. Um, you know, needs to learn other parts of the game. That’s why he’s on his third organization since being drafted, right? He was started in Calgary. He spent last year in Philadelphia and, you know, now he’s with this with this team. But he signed a three-year deal. The Lightning sees something in him. They think that they can can bring to the forefront or bring out in him. And the fact that they did sign a three-year contract tells you what they believe in him. And let’s face it, this organization has a track record of being able to find guys in these situations. You know, Yanni Gourd comes to mind, Tyler Johnson comes to mind, Jonathan Marsha show comes to mind. We forget he kind of got his first opportunity here. Uh Carter Verhy was that kind of a guy as well. So they have a track record of being able to identify these type of players and it’s a little bit of an investment, but uh he’s on a show me contract, right? This year’s a two-way deal. The next two years are one way. So, you know, if if he can improve uh his his ability to to play defensive hockey and understand to play the 200 foot game, you know, it’s worth it’s worth the payoff. And so far, you know, especially last night, he was he was a lot more assertive in his game. Eric, I don’t get the games here in Dallas, obviously. Um but looking at the score, obviously I’m following it, looking at the score sheet, looking at the box scores through two preseason games. By the way, they’ve matched their wins from last preseason if I’m not mistaken through two games if that matters. But, um, it looks like there there’s an emphasis on more physical play this preseason. A lot of penalty minutes in the game against Carolina. Uh, is that an emphasis this going into the preseason for some of these young guys with the physical play? Well, I I I think for some of those players in those situations, they’re trying to do whatever they can to make an impression. Yeah. Right. You know, a lot of them know that they’re not going to make the team out of camp, especially the kids who were just drafted uh in June. Um, but you know, like Grant Speda who played last night, he didn’t play Monday’s game against Carolina. That’s his game. I mean, he was looking to stir things up with anybody and everybody at the prospect camp a week ago. Um, same thing with Aiden Foster, who did play in the game against Carolina. Roman Schmidt, who played last night as a big physical defenseman. Uh, so I I think that’s just more of a byproduct of some of these younger players looking to showcase what they’re capable of doing just to kind of leave an impression on management and the coaching staff going forward. We’ll see what happens starting next week, the final three preseason games when you see a little bit more of the NHL regulars. Um, you know, to me there’s there wasn’t a lot of changes from last season’s roster, and I think the team DNA is the team DNA. So, I don’t know if there will be an emphasis to to kind of up that game a little bit. Um, you know, unless of course they have to face the stinking Panthers in the first round again and then then we’ll have this conversation again. Absolutely. Yeah. Again, this season kind of gives that feel, right? It’s like, okay, what are we doing for the next five months till we get to the playoffs? Yeah. Uh, yeah. Well, we got to get to the playoffs. Got to get there first. But that’s kind of a, you know, we we’ve reached that point with this team, right? It’s it’s and and the fact that there are no major changes, I think the fan base is is like saying, okay, what’s going to change? Yeah. Um, well, how would you answer that? I know the regular season is a regular season and it hurt to go out in five games once again against the same opponent when you felt that the Lightning were in a better situation to match up against the Panthers last year. I we talked about that in in April. Um and it just it did materialize and you know that series other than game one was close, right? It was a close fiveame series, but the reality is is you lost in five games. Um you know they had the lead late in the third period in game four. Who knows what happens if that if they’re able to hold on to that lead and get it back to Amily, but they were banged up, right? Obviously, Borkstrand wasn’t available. Hegel suffered the concussion on the dirty hit from Aaron Ecklad and um you know, there were a couple other heavy hits in that series as well that kind of took its toll on Tampa Bay. So, yeah, you have to answer if you’re going to face Florida, you’re going to have to answer that physicality for sure. But what if you don’t face Florida, right? What what if you face Toronto? Toronto’s not a physical team. Yeah. Right. They have a couple of, you know, a couple of bigger guys, but that doesn’t make them a physical team. So, like I asked Julian that at the end of the year, like, do you have to almost build your team to beat one team? And he said, but what if you don’t face that team? Then what do you do? So, you you have to just have a belief in yourself. And you know the numbers that the Lightning put up in the regular season last year, highest scoring team in the league, top five defensively, top five in penalty kill, top five in power play. You know, they did a lot of things right. Uh they just sometimes in the playoffs it’s matchups. And the last two years specifically, it’s just not been a good matchup for Tampa Bay. So, you got to kind of let the season play out uh and see where you go. you get close to the trade deadline in February and and early March and you know see what needs to be added just like they did in when they added you know uh Blake Coleman and Barklay Goodro which obviously two huge factors in winning back-to-back cups. They added Seth Jones and Marawn. Yeah. And now they they won’t be able to do that this year because of the the new the new CBA. Well, they already got him is gonna is gonna kick. Yeah, it is. But, you know, you have to be cap compliant for the playoffs. So, that’s going to be an interesting little wrinkle uh once we get to the postseason. But, I will say this also, the division is going to be a little bit tougher this year. They put five teams into the playoffs last year with Ottawa and Montreal making the postseason. Buffalo at some point has to start showing that they’re a better team, right? You think they’ve got the talent to do it. You know, they were they were a team last year that had a lot of teams on the ropes and they were so bad with their goalending that they would lose leads. So Buffalo has to. So points are going to be a little bit more difficult to get out of divisional games this year. So you have to make sure you’re winning your division games and keep you know those teams below you as much as possible. So it will be more of a challenge I think to get out of this division to get into the postseason. You mentioned Boris Kachchuck who got the shootout goal last night and a nice one. Um he brought some speed and so is is he the surprise of camp you think? so far, you know, uh because like we weren’t talking about him, you know, we we talked about the guys who were in contention, Jack Finley and, you know, Jacob Peltier and um uh boy, other names have kind of escaped me. Geeky in there. Uh yeah, I mean, Geeky puts himself in there, so we’ll put him in there. Um you know, so yeah, even even in a lot of ways, Gage can solve this, right? I Gage is getting a really good look here in early in camp. he’s playing with Cerillian Hegel in these scrimmages and and during some of you know the practices and the sessions and everything. So he’s getting a good opportunity um you know because of what the way he finished last year but he still has to be he still has to prove him like he still has to earn a spot right so we’ll throw him in there too. Kachuk wasn’t a guy that we thought about you know when that signing was made it was like hey that’s a nice depth piece bringing back a player that you’re familiar with. Um, but you know, in watching the two games, Orus Kachuka is not the same player he was when he was here a few years ago. He’s added other parts of his game and, you know, having spent all of last year in the AHL. You know, probably opens up some players eyes sometimes. What do I need to do to get back to the NHL? And now you’re seeing more of a of a gritty type game. And, you know, he was out there blocking shots in the game against Carolina. And you know, even he was on the second the back to back, he had some fresh legs in the third period as they kind of made that push to get back into that game last night. And you know, he was a guy that was tapped on the shoulder to go out on the ice in overtime. So, it’s uh there’s been a lot to like about his game through the first two preseason games. Still a long way to go. I don’t know if he’ll get in any of the games this weekend. I think there’s some other players they kind of want to get a look at the two home games that are here. Uh but he’s been him. He’s been a surprise. And I’ll tell you who else has been too. Uh Wshi uh Stooviaak uh player from Poland. He’s a little bit older. He’s 26 27 years old. Never played in in um in in North America outside of college. Played the little USHL. Played two years at Michigan State pre-COVID. Uh but has been in Germany the past five seasons. the way that they used him in that game against Carolina out there for key faceoffs, out there to kill penalties, out there late in the game to protect the lead, you know, got a little bit of offensive skill. His play to steal the puck along the wall set up Emil Lberg’s goal with 0.8 seconds left in the first period for a player we didn’t know anything about. He kind of he kind of jumped off the page in that game against Carolina. I I don’t know where that’s going to go. Uh again, still a long way to go here in camp, but that’s a name that we didn’t we knew nothing about was was Sakoviaak and and he jumped off the page on Monday. Lots going on with the Lightning for sure. Uh we got a new television station. Everybody will be able to watch the games. Uh whether or not Vasalefki will be playing in them to be what a what a question mark to have going into the season. Yeah. And that uh look, the TV starts on on Friday, right? They’re going to they’re going to televise the final five preseason games, which is something that hasn’t happened. Um, you know, you’ve had an occasional preseason game televised here and there through the um, you know, longevity of the franchise, but it’s going to start on Friday with Script Sports. So, that’s exciting, I think, for the Lightning and certainly for the guys on the television side of the broadcast. But, yeah, um, you know, again, we’re not even a week into camp yet. Uh, I I guess five, six days we’ve had on the ice uh, with the players. So, you know, it’s always interesting in camp because, you know, all the the younger players we talked about that are looking to make a name for themselves are in a much different situation than, you know, the veteran guys who are just trying to kind of gear up their game and get their timing back and and amp themselves up to be ready for that home opener on October the 9th. Um, so, uh, a lot long way to go here. Um, but I what I’m really curious to see is, you know, the final three preseason games are against the Panthers like they have been the last number of years. And by the time you get to that scores to be settled, by the time you get to that last preseason game, you’re pretty much going to have your opening night roster. So, I don’t know. I’m I’m curious to see if any fireworks happen uh based on the way that series went last year and some of the hits that the Panthers delivered, specifically Eklad, and Hegel. I I I know Hegel has publicly stated that there y there’s going to be some payback. So yeah, and and look, it was just a couple of years ago, uh the game in Orlando where Pat Maroon and Cory Perry kind of, you know, ruled that game and and kind of, you know, there was a lot of that message sending trying to go on in that preseason game. So I’ll be curious to see what what’ll happen in these the last three preseason games. Always something to look forward to. Uh, I like signing up for lightninginsider.com. You have to do that. Tell the tell the folks what’s going on with that. It’s time to jump aboard. It’s hockey season. Go to the website the bottom. There’s two opportunities to sign up. There’s a a monthly plan for 499. There’s a yearly plan for 40. And obviously with there’s a lot of copy already up there. There’s a good story on Jack Finley being healthy and and ready to to kind of make an impact on the organization. You know, Oliver Borkstrand went through with me his recovery and the injury that he had. Remember, he missed the the playoffs, everything. You know, it was called acute uh compact syndrome. And uh the the scar he has on his left leg basically goes from his hip to his knee. A lot of a lot of pressure inside the leg. Um you know, on a hit that basically he said felt like a Charlie horse. So, he took me through the entire injury, the surgery. you know, he had to have emergency surgery at about 2:30, 3:00 in the morning because of it. So, there that story is up on on the website as well. Recaps from the last two games with some thoughts and some observations. So, um it’s a busy time of year and there’s a lot of stuff up on the website. Right. Good stuff. I got to renew my my subscription. I’ll do that tonight. Thank you, partner. Appreciate it. All right, boys. Be well. Lightning.com. Eric Erlinson. If you’re a Lightning fan, it is a must readad. It is a must readad because it’s hard to get good content these days. You know that’s you know you have to jump through 500 hoops to get well and reliable content too. Yeah. There you go. Accurate. A lot of misinformation out there. Speaking of Jimmy Kimmel, um let’s take a break. And uh I missed that last night. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t say we’re missing it. Bob didn’t miss didn’t miss much. All right, we’ll take a quick break and uh we’ll come back on the other side to get to some of your great comments here. Johnny Gerber’s going to join us as well to talk some RDER Cup. Sorry we’ve left you guys out in the comments to hang uh today, but we’ve had all these great guests. So, we’ll get to you when we come back. Uh we’re brought to you by Bay Area Modern Medical Center, bammc.com. Folks, if you do not have a primary care physician, as Rob Higgins was talking about, and not just one that’s assigned by your insurance company that doesn’t even speak English, that was my uh experience. Uh get one that is a concierge doctor like Chris Lugo at bmmc.com. Chris speaks very good English and uh he will take care of you. He will look at all your blood work, spend a lot of time with you, and let you know what’s going on. Uh help you with your workouts, your diet, your sleep, everything that keeps you healthy. Not just uh helping you out when you get sick, but keeping you healthy, keeping your immune system boosted. That’s bammc.com. Go there, get your free consultation, find out what it’s all about. Do not leave it up to your primary care physician, folks. Bammc.com. They work for an insurance company, not for you. Bammc.com. Back at three. The Golden Diamond Source is working every day to be your family jeweler. Right now, a $5,000 engagement ring with 0% interest can be yours for just $83. So don’t let the holiday sneak up on you this year. Now is the time to get ahead with their instore layaway. Trade in your old jewelry for cash. Gold has never been higher. The Golden Diamond Source is offering the highest ever trade-in values for your gold and diamond jewelry. Now is the time to get your holiday shopping started. So come in now, relax, shop, and save at the Golden Diamond Source. We love Julie and Steve Winrop, great local philanthropist, and you can find them at 3800 Road in Clearwater, where you’ll always find the perfect gift, only at the Golden Diamond Source. Welcome to King Makers, home of the JP Peterson Show studio and Tampa’s premier business networking and social club for members only. By day, it’s an exclusive, vibrant co-working space with a stylish conference room, focus rooms, a full production studio, and an in-house marketing team. And by night, King Makers transforms into a sports ccentric social hub with a full sports bar, golf simulator, and exclusive events for young entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals. It’s the perfect place to work hard, play hard, and make big moves in Midtown Tampa. Close the deal, celebrate the win, only at Kingmakers. Become a member today at kingmakersampa.com. Your business, your club. JP here for the Jeves Law Group and my man Scott Jes who lives right here and has long been a highly respected member of our community. He’s a proud sponsor of the Tampa Riverwalk. Jes Law Group is also a proud sponsor of our Grand Central District in St. Pete and has neighborhood events throughout the year. He has an office on Central Avenue in St. Pete and one on South in Tampa. You can’t get more local than that. So, when you need an attorney, are you going to hire some huge firm that advertises all over the state or the one that supports your favorite sports show? It’s the Jeves Law Group. We’re local, we’re trusted, and we get results. For personal injury and personal attention, call us for a free case evaluation. That’s 8889 Jeves. That’s 8889 Jes. With this record heat in Tampa Bay, you better have your AC unit running at peak efficiency. Third Generation Plumbing installs the best American standard AC units. Our split systems offer the highest efficiency available while reducing energy bills and maximizing comfort. That’s why third generation plumbing trusts American standard air conditioning. Built to last, made to perform. Whether it’s a new install or an emergency repair, our family-owned team brings three generations of trusted service to your home. Now with the unmatched reliability of American standard. Plumbing or cooling, we’ve got Tampa covered. Call third generation plumbing today. 8139618024 or go to thirdgenerationplumbing.com. And we also do AC. Ciao. Poini here, owner of Cafe Paradiso, voted number three people’s choice award on Open Table. I want to thank all our loyal family of customers that have been enjoying our great traditional Italian dishes we make from scratch every day. It’s a great family story we’re proud of. Our family moved from Rim in Italy in 1984. My dad Caesar started Donatello and that’s where I got the start in the restaurant business. I started Cafe Pariso on South Mcdill in 1995 and we’ve been there ever since. From our traditional oco, a ve slow roast for 4 hours to our daily fresh catch, the grouper paradizo with a picata sauce and lobster claw meat. Homemade pasta like lasagna farfal salicha which is a bow tie pasta homemade with fresh sausage. Hold on a minute. JP’s favorite. I love it. So come and have a glass of wine with me on South Mcdill. Hit a reservation on Open Table and see all our five-star reviews. Ciao. See you soon at Paradiesel. Let’s go. Right now, back to the show on FanDream Sports. All right, welcome back to the JP Peterson show. What a cavalcade of stars we’ve had today. Rob Higgins, CEO of USF Athletics, Ray Kenhagen, Eric Erinson, John Gerber waiting in the wings, our PGA Rder Cup betting expert. We got a few things we got to take care of real quick. I want to remind you about Delete Me. Uh, Delete Me makes it easy, quick, and safe to remove your personal data online at a time when surveillance and data breaches are common enough to make everyone vulnerable. Uh, data brokers make a profit off of your data. Yes, they do. Your data is a commodity. Anyone on the web can buy your private details. This can lead to identity theft, fishing attempts, and harassment. But now you can protect your privacy with delete me. If you’re getting a lot of those strange messages and fishing attempts, that means your information is out on the dark web. This is why you need Delete Me. The New York Times wire cutter has named Delete Meir their top pick for data removal services. Here is the offer. Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Delete Me now at a special discount for our listeners. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to join deleteme.com/hit. uh use the promo code hit at checkout. So that’s deleteme.comhit. Enter the code hit at checkout and um that’s how you get your 20%. So do that. It’s very important. All right. Um can we get to some of these comments real quick? Sure. Uh we got a ton of them and thank you guys for jumping in as always. Uh we’ll go back to the beginning. If you have a super chat, you move right to the uh to the top of the list. Alejandro Noriega says, “Where would you like the stadium location to be JP? Eore site or HCC?” I personally would prefer HCC site because you can create a big sports complex for both the Rays and the Buccaneers. Well, I mean, that’s great, but I kind of like separate places. Um, I like the water idea. I think it’s iconic. I think it’s Tampa Bay. I mean, we live on the water. The water is is, you know, we’re a coastal town. That’s what we’re known for. our beaches, the bridges, all that. So, I think, yeah, iconically, we should have a stadium on the water. And I think it would be fabulous downtown Tampa with all the, you know, the entertainment districts. There’s a lot you could do down there. The marina, you could uh take water taxis to the game. They have a ferry from St. Petersburg. All kinds of cool stuff. Um, maybe a shuttle from Dallas. That’d be nice. Uh Rick says maybe Rob Higgins can contact Stu and pick his brain on how to promote and embrace the community. I don’t think uh I don’t think he needs to make that call. Let’s not pick his brain for anything. Okay. Can we just leave that brain alone? Yes. Uh uh James Rollers says, “Drove on 50th Street yesterday and you could see and hear the stadium construction. Such a wonderful thing.” Yeah. Talking about USF. It’s happening and everybody said that can never be done, you know, and look what’s going on there. Uh, Sergio Built says, “So, it looks like we are playing the Eagles without our three starting wide receivers and without our three starting offensive linemen.” Ouch. Yeah, I think a reckoning is coming. I think a reckoning is coming. Um, there’s they’ve they’ve won games by just putting it together with duct tape and and shoestring. And you give them great credit for that, but this is a whole different animal this week. And if they end up three and one and maybe hold a few guys out, I’m not I’m not going to hate that. All right, we’ll get to a little bit more comments after we uh talk some RDER Cup with our PGA Pro betting expert, the great Johnny Gerber, as we talk RDER Cup. Good morning, fellas. Johnny, I’m ready. Look, you ready? You got your You got You got your pen and paper out. You ready for it? You ready for all about the big events? Get your popcorn ready. Right. That’s right. Get it. I got my popcorn ready. That should last you about a half a day. A half a day. That’s about it. They say get your popcorn ready, Timmy. Is this enough? All right. Is this Is this Ryder Cup ready? You You got to You got to make sure you got plenty of butter on there. Butter and salt. Look how yellow this thing This thing is. I know. I know. That’s I don’t even It was just sitting out in the in the lobby out there at the in our sports bar. Eat it. Get ready for a party. I don’t know. Oh, that’s great. That is great. You’re getting ready for the party. A writer Cup party has to be starting. It’s It’s Listen, Tim and I talked about this the other day. This is the most excited I’ve I’ve probably ever been for a Ryder Cup. Yeah. And why is that? Just for a lot of reasons. I just think I think this year I think they’re as evenly matched as you can get. I don’t think I I I think if America is favorite, they’re under the perception that, you know, the the home crowd in New York is going to help them. But the last time I checked, New York City is a melting pot of people, right? I mean, did I mean, so to be honest with you, it might sound strange, but if there was a place for the European team to go and have some support, it’s probably here. Absolutely. You know, I agree with you. I mean, uh, you know, if you put it somewhere else, you’re not going to have the the hodgepodge of people that are that are from different nationalities and different countries like you do in New York. So, I don’t think that’s as big of a advantage as what people are thinking. But, it is the most evenly matched RDER Cup I have seen. And I’m not so sure why the US is favored. I don’t I don’t get it. I I mean, I look at these two teams and I’m like, first of all, they kick our ass every time. and and you can say all you want about home fe home home field advantage and we’ll and we’ll talk a little bit about that just in terms of the length and everything but my my feeling is this comes down to what you got between the ears and what you got between the legs and they’ve shown that they are way better at this than we are and I’ I’ve never seen just in terms of world rankings a more evenly matched RDER cup right I mean we’re we’re usually we usually got eight of the top 10 it’s not that way anymore yeah and And you know, also with the European team, you’re 100% correct, JP. And also with the European team, you know, they had the they they always would try to hide a couple players, right? Because they were they were so really really strong up top, but not heavy, right? Yeah. And and now it’s not that way. It’s not at all. And you’re looking at a team that came that is coming back with the exception of of Hoygard that is the same exact team that kicked the ass of the US team. And that confidence is going to bleed over. And I really think a couple of these guys for the European side are probably playing better than they were two years ago going into the Ryder Cup. And I think you got some guys on the US side that aren’t playing aren’t playing nearly as well as they did a couple years ago or even last year going into the Ryder Cup. So, you know, there’s going to be a million storylines which is a great part of the year the Ryder Cup itself. and and who who wouldn’t want to see Bryson or Rory or or Scotty and Rory the last match on Sunday to win the RDER Cup and we’ve we’ve never probably had that or we haven’t had it for a long time and I think this is the year that we’re going to have that opportunity. Look, can I offer what one of the biggest factors into why they’re favored? I mean, other than home field advantage and all that garbage, Keegan Bradley, Zack Johnson is gone. This is this is this is not this is not 2023. All right. Even and even if Keegan Bradley was the captain in 2023, things would have turned out vastly different, I believe. Yeah. And you know, if you want to compare captains, they’re they’re they’re vastly different people. I mean, you know, Luke Donald is the guy that’s very reserved. You know, externally he’s very reserved. He’s uh you know, internally he’s not he’s got the fire. You don’t become the number one player in the world if you don’t have that burning desire. But they they’re going to lead completely different. And I think, you know, when Keegan Bradley first got the the the nod to be the captain, I was just like, man, that’s such a strange pick. Yeah. But now, if you see seven, eight months later how fired up he is being in the United States, that’s what the United States team probably needs is somebody like that to just say, “Hey, man, listen. I’ve been kicking your ass all year. Why don’t you go out and kick somebody else’s ass?” Right? because he’s been beating up on these on the team all year. I mean, look, I he’s 13th in the world. He still has that he still has that um you know, still grind and the grit and and these guys respect him for playing. Now they’re respecting him now from his leadership standpoint. Um I think that’s going to be a big difference, but anything from Zack Johnson is better than what it was. What a disaster, man. What a disaster. I I saw uh Bradley brought in a New York firefighter to talk to the team the other day. Y and I just find it, you know, really interesting in obviously the juxaposition of where this is being played. And he talked about, you know, representing your country and what that means. Now, if that doesn’t strike a chord with these guys, I I don’t know what does. Yeah. I don’t know what does. That was pretty cool. I like that. Yeah. Yeah, I did, too. And I think I think that’s part of it. I think there’s going to be more of that through the week. You know, getting the police department, the fire department. I know they had a big uh I know they had a big tournament beforehand, a week beforehand out there at Beth Page that paired that got the fire department and the police department together to do some charity things and stuff like that. So, all of this is kind of encompassing what Keegan Bradley is trying to do with this US team. Here’s here look look at a little bit backwards. Isn’t it a little bit sad he actually has to do all these things to get these guys fired? I mean, yeah, it this is 2025, man. Things are different. Well, and then you look at the debate of getting paid and not getting paid. The European guys decided not to get paid. The US guys decided to get paid. 300,000 goes to charity, 200,000 goes to them. The European got the same amount of money, but they decided to put it back in the European tour and put it back in the experience of the RDER Cup. So you’re looking at two different contrasting. Where now where does that where does that money go? What does that mean for the So so so they’ll they’ll they’ll do a couple things. So basically they’ll use it to some of the travel some of the trip that so the European you know because you got to realize e the European team doesn’t get paid for this when they’re playing on US soil right and vice versa the US team doesn’t get paid when they play in Europe but they do get paid in terms of assignments expenses. So the European guys decided to, hey, we’re going to take the money that you were going to give to us, put it back in so the European tour doesn’t have to pay all the expenses and also put it back into the European tour as a business, as a property to grow the European DP tour. Uh, so they look they’re looking at as a bigger broader picture. And you know, from my making the phone calls and stuff over the last week, there wasn’t one guy on the European tour that decided not to do that. They were all in lock step. Yeah, they were they were they were all in. And the greedy Americans want their money. Yeah. You know, and but you know what? Yeah. I mean, is if they don’t take it, where’s that money going to go? To some fat cat at the in a writer cup office. I mean, it ain’t going to the kids at the first te probably. You know, and you know, you you know, JP, the me being a PGA member for over 20 years now, you know that this is kind of one of our major this is one of our major championships along with the PGA. We we’re very proud of it. But also, I have questions. Okay, where does the money go? Right. You know, we we don’t we don’t get those answers. Where where does the money go? We know it’s a in a group. Okay. And then I I I have no problem with the players not really there were some guys didn’t really tell where their charity money was going. I’m okay with that, you know, but I mean, let’s let’s be honest. Let’s it’s easy to make a couple names. Just the reason why I think you should maybe divulge who you’re giving it to cuz maybe it might give you a little bit maybe gives that charity a little bit more exposure to get other money from other places. Why would you not, you know? So, you know, I don’t know, man. I I just I just still think no matter what happens, there’s always going to be more passion for the European guys to win this thing than there is US. There’s more patriotism over there. And it sounds weird to say, but but and I don’t mean outward visible patriotism because nobody waves more of their country’s flags. No country ever than America. We all wave flags and we call that patriotism. But patriotism is in here, right? And it’s in here. That’s how you that’s where it comes from. And I feel like over there they got a lot more of that than we do over here. And it’s strange that that happens because you got guys from six different countries, right? Are coming together, you know, so under some weird Europe European flag. Yeah. Yeah. The hell is that? It’s not even an Irish flag or a or a UK flag or a Spanish flag. It’s a European community. European community flag. That’s what we’ll say. Yeah. Yeah. Right. But, you know, but it’s not but it but in a sense they’re playing against America is what they’re doing. That’s what this has always been about. It’s against the big bad bully and uh we used to be the bully and and be able to take him down, but now we’re not. So, I don’t know. I I I think it’s going to be interesting and I’m going to be rooting for USA and and and uh maybe a lot of people aren’t. Maybe that’s that’s a that’s a different story. I’m going to be rooting for the Benjamins myself. You know, the matchups and the money that possibly Let’s get to that, shall we? That’s why I’m right there. Let’s get to that, shall we? What? First of all, overall, who you betting to win? I don’t I don’t bet the overall win. I just don’t I just think there’s too many variables long over too many days. I’ll go individual days in matchups. This is we salivate over this. Over the last five or six years, we’ve we’ve done extremely well on the RDER Cup. Um obviously with the foresomes and the four balls each day um you’ll you’ll look to see who’s together. The the hard part about this in the handicapping side is you’re very crunched in their time frame of to study, right? Two reason two reasons why they they say the pairings uh you know it’ll be Thursday Thursday night. So you really only got about 10 hours to study and then they reshuffle and then you got two hours really to study also. So you the prep work now is right now the hard part this year is tomorrow is going to be cancelled. Tomorrow is going to be a wash out. So you’re not going to get a lot of information and they’re not going to, you know, they’re they’re they’re shuffling the uh presentation till today because of the weather and then they’ll still do to pairings tomorrow night. Uh but they’re probably not going to be playing tomorrow at all. So that’s going to be an interesting uh thing. So I have a pretty good idea. So, I’ll write down on a piece of paper who I think the for the foresomes will be and then uh who I think and then I’ll study there and then there probably going to be a couple intertwinings that I didn’t get correctly and then I’ll kind of move accordingly. But the hard part about the handicapping is you just have a tight window to to really study and and figure it out. That’s the tough part. Can you give us any insights into who you think might do well even though we don’t know the matchups? Well, you know, I I I’ll tell you. I think Bryson Dambo I think he’s a hard person to be paired with um you know from the U from the US team for for a few reasons. I don’t think he’s going to back down. I think he’s very I think he’ll be very good in four four uh four ball play the best ball alternate shot he’s very difficult to be paired with. Also realize look at the guys there’s going to be guys that play five or six different types of golf balls for the US side. Now people might think that’s not a big deal but it’s a massive deal. It’s it’s a massive deal. It’s because these guys are so dialed in on their golf ball. It’s the only part of their equipment that they have consistent every time. They’re hitting they’re hitting, you know, the golf ball. They change clubs all the time, but they’re the golf ball is consistent and they know the spin rate. They know the distance. When you start shuffling up golf balls, that’s hard. You going from a strixon to a TP5X to a TP5 to a Titus Prov1X, that’s a big difference. I think the the lack of preparation, not being able to play tomorrow is going to hurt the US side the first couple days. Uh, I’ll go I’ll go I think JJ Spawn’s going to play very well. I think he’s a very good I think he’ll be a very good forsomes player, alternate shot. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He doesn’t make a lot of birdies though, so he might, you know, depending on where they’ll sit him out. But I think he’s playing well. Um, man, if you look at a if you look at a guy that I think is going to struggle for the for the European side, I think Sepraka is going to struggle. He hasn’t played in three weeks. He was very sick. He had a baby. And I think a guy I think the I think the rookie Hoygard is going to play well. Here’s why I tell you this. The US set up the golf course 7,400 yards, not a lot of rough. It’s going to play very long, par 70, which Tim hates. Uh Hoygard Hoygard is the second longest guy on either of the two teams. Only one longer is Bryson Dambo. Uh I I think he’s going to make a lot of birdies. He le he’s top five in birdies on the DP World Tour. I think he’s going to play extremely well as a rookie. He was there two years ago when his brother played. And you know, you might get a scenario they both might play. We just might not know it. So you know, if fatigue’s a factor, this is Johnny’s conspiracy theory that both guards are playing and we’re not going to know. So, it’s 13 against 12 is basically what I’m I’m looking at. But, uh, no, I I think that’s I think some of those I think some of those scenarios would be good. I think Bryson’s going to be hard to pair with. The form of Color Coward is going to be, you know, in question if it gets windy, cold, windy. He’s not very good at that, you know, especially playing a 7,400 yard par 70 golf course. So, curious to see when he plays and when he doesn’t play coming into very a terrible pick. Terrible pick. it. You know, I think he was forced into that pick. You know, it’s hard not to pick the number six guy in the world. Uh, and I I don’t Well, I I agree with you, but I wouldn’t I would have picked somewhere else. But who you who would you replace? That would be your only I would have picked himself. Yeah. Keegan. Well, that’s that that’s a that’s a daunting that’s a daunting over to Tiger. By the way, where’s Tiger? Bad idea. I don’t question. I think he’ll I know Trump’s going to be there. I don’t know if Tiger’s going to be there or not. If we’ll we’ll see. Uh, I mean, I would I would think Tiger’s gonna show up, but man, who who knows with him? You know, you never know with him. But listen, I think I think Rory’s going to play well. I think your top tier guys, which I want, I think your top tier guys are going to play well. There’s nothing better than when those guys play well. And I’m just I’m curious. I think Sam Burns is going to struggle, unfortunately. I I like Sam a lot. Very good friends with his caddy. His caddy lives there in Tampa. JP. Um, I think he’s gonna struggle. I don’t think he’s been playing very well. He’s a good putter, but man, I don’t know. I It depends on who he’s paired with. Could you Can you believe that? You know, we have we have uh four rookies there. Can you believe this is the first Ryder Cup with Russell Henley? Doesn’t it seem like he has been on more Ryder been on Ryder Cup? It’s he’s a rookie. So, we have for a long time. Yeah, they have won. So, you know, maybe that inexperience that that’s going to come into play. We will see. But, you know, I need a little bit more time to knock down some of these picks and thinking who who who who’s going to play well or not. But, we’ll have everything posted Friday early Friday uh early early Friday uh on the forsomes pick. Yeah, we’ll have them on Friday’s show here, JP on the show. We’ll we’ll we’ll talk we’ll get them to to everybody. Beautiful. The the only predict I got two predictions for the RDER Cup. Um look, it’s been 10 years since we’ve had a close match on Sunday. I think we’re going to have a close match on Sunday and I think the Euros pull it out. I’m I’m scared. I’m scared. That roster is so so experienced and so deep, man. I’m just I think the Europeans are going to crush us. I I I I I have a bad feeling about this. I just have a bad feeling about this. Well, I I think the United States can’t get off to the typical starts that they do getting waxed in the alternate shot format. They just can’t they can’t get buried. the the the the European team is too good. Uh and they’re too deep now that they haven’t had the last two RER cups they have. They’re they’re too deep now to have that big of a deficit to try to think you can come back in singles on Sunday and come back and win. You you have to play better than an alternate shot format. You just have to and that will set the precedent I think for the RDER Cup. Yeah. I just I don’t I I I’m like looking at uh our country as a whole and we’re just so divided and to your point like there’s probably going to be a lot of people there that are not rooting for the United States. Yeah. Um I I think I think it’s going to be a more balanced crowd than people think. I do. I think so. Yeah. I didn’t know I didn’t know Trump’s going to be there. That’ll be a whole another distraction. You know, whether they like it or not, it’s it’s going to be a distraction. May maybe he can rally the troops. I don’t know. But um if I I just I don’t I’m not I don’t have a good feeling about this. The RDER Cup team is there. The European team looks really good and I just think there’s a lot of scar tissue on the US from the last, you know, the last few. It just we we just I don’t know. We’ll we’ll see. I I I’ll tell you a sneaker pick if you want to bet a point total or guy that I think is going to play extremely well is Bob McIntyre. Yeah. He seems like Yeah. You know, he played he played terrible two years ago. He’s he’s he’s played extremely well this year. I think his loss to Scotty, how Scotty won where they they were going down the stretch a few weeks ago. I think that motivates him and he makes a million birdies. A million birdies. And he can hit it as far. He’s probably top five on both of those on the 24 guys playing. He’s top five in distance. So, he’s not going to be scared. So, I if you want to bet a little sleeper to get a couple points, if you can have that in your sports book or wherever you play, look at a guy like Bobby McIntyre to uh to to really get some points for the European team. So, I I was reading Dshambo um I guess Brandle Shambbley called out Dshambo as as a captain’s nightmare. Of course, Brandle has to always get in in the in the headlines, right? Yeah. What is that all about? Well, I just think that, you know, if if if you’ve listened to his conversations and the questions as he’s answered, uh, you know, how do you feel about being a part of the team and the Ryder Cup, he’s always he he kind of pushed away, hey, I just I just want to be here for my team and all that. He hasn’t said any of that stuff. He’s like, well, I think it’s good for the fans and, you know, I want to show the bring more support from the fans to golf. He hasn’t said anything about team. Yeah. And I think that if you re read in between the lines, uh the the teammates that he’s had are are praising him. Now, whether that’s something that, you know, they’re said to do or not to do, I’m not really sure. Uh I just think he’s a I think he’s a pairing nightmare. I really do. I I think he’s very difficult to be paired with when it comes to this. Phil did well with him. Here’s something here’s something that I really liked, and this is genius, and something very subtle that Luke Donald did. Luke Donald allowed his players uh what allowed is probably the wrong word. Suggested, promoted, and told his players to sign autographs all day yesterday during their practice rounds as opposed to waiting till after. I think he’s I think he wants to bring those that crowd in for the European team of, you know, more accessibility to these guys to to get behind him a little bit. It might sound something very simple, but I don’t think it’s very simple. I think doing something like that outside the box because normally tour events writer cup afterwards after hey we’re playing and they’re very diligent about that. Luke Donald was like you sign every autograph when we’re practicing and playing that you can to get that support. I I think that’s I think that’s genius and something really simple like that. You think the players like that though? I think the players No, the players hate it. The players hate it. Like come on Cab like really you want us to do that? Yeah, actually. You know, John John Ram was like, “This is the worst idea in the world.” I mean, you could Yeah, exactly. I think I think I think maybe that gives me a little bit of hope. So, now they’re pissed off at their captain. All right. No, they’re not. That’s a They’re not pissed off. He will understand why they did they they did it right. I mean, I just I think little subtle things like that are very smart to bring potentially the crowd that might not potentially be on their side. But again, I I I think JP, I’m with you. I think it’s if if it’s not 50/50, it’s probably 6040 US euros. I mean, there’s there’s going to be a lot of support. If anywhere to play a Ryder Cup that’s going to have support, it’s certainly in New York. Yeah. Yeah. My our good friend Paul Stewart thinks he’s already paid off as his bet to me, and I’m like, “No, you guys are going to win.” But anyway, um he says that that that it’ll be cancelled by Sunday because of the rowdy New York crowd. I’m like, “Come on. It’s not not going to be that bad. That ain’t going to happen. I can I I I think they’re going to be a little bit I I the the event itself is too precious to have something like that happen. They’ll they’ll tone that down. It’s not the Phoenix Open, guys. I mean, should be. Yeah, I know. Well, it’s as close as you can get to the Phoenix Open. I promise you that. But I It’s too special of an event. Now, first T is going to be special. Um and I kind of like what they did on number one. They moved up the TE play at 370. As a crow flies, it’s only 335. And those guys can give a rip on it on the first seat. The rough’s the rough’s not heavy. That’ll be fun. Um, so they’re not really worried about especially in in baseball. I mean, they’re going to just be whailing at that green in baseball. I can’t wait. It’s going to be tons of fun. I’m excited. I’m excited. You’re watching You’re watching at the club. Be fun. All right, partner. Appreciate you from the Rough Podcast coming up today at five o’clock, correct? Yes. Yes, sir. Five o’clock. Five o’clock central right here on all these FanDream Sports Network channels. That’s it. Thank you, partner. Appreciate it, guys. We’ll see you again. All right. All right. You lovely Peterman’s out there, is your time to shine in the last five minutes of the show. I’m sorry we’ve been guest heavy today, but that’s somehow sometimes what it goes. Everybody’s pissed off. We were talking golf. Um, really? Yeah. Well, we haven’t talked any Bucks at all today, which is bad. Who? Uh if Alejandro Noriega says if the new ownership wants to make a splash and want to prove they’re serious about the roster of payroll, they may need to make some big moves, extend Junior 12 years, branded six around seven. I think that’s a little ambitious. I love what I love the thought. Um but we don’t need any 12-ear contracts around here. We love Junior, but um you never know. Those things are guaranteed. And as we’ve seen from Wander, and I’m not saying he’s anything like Wander, but happens. So, you want to be very careful about how long you extend, guys. Uh there’s, you know, injury issues, all those things. Um Michael Rou says, “How much commercial land is available in the HCC area? Is it enough to build the retail, restaurants, and parking that would make the ballpark work?” I think there’s enough room there. Um, yeah, I just thought I it’s going to come down to what are the best financing options and we just don’t know that. It’s a very hard to figure that out. Those are those are details that we are not privy to. I just like the location of of uh Eore Harbor so much better. Um, what else we got here? Uh, Daniel Rivera, good morning. Q says, “Now the work we begins. I believe the stadium deal either HCC or Eore Harbor uh will get done quickly. I you know 6 months is the most optimistic. Um hopefully we can get that done, but that’s it’s probably going to be 20 probably going to be 2030. Um so what do we have here? Oh, we already read that one. Uh Michael Laroo, I would love to see the Rays sign Lakewood High’s Bo Bashette. Kyle Tucker won’t play on that trap turf and Randy Rosarena is under control for one more year with Seattle. I would love to see him bring somebody like Bo Bashette home and what a hell of a player he is. Yeah, these are the things that this new group wants to do. And I know that sounds far-fetched because we’ve been so brainwashed to think that we can’t do that. We can. We can. Especially in the early years where I think the raise well until they get their new stadium will still be getting revenue sharing money which is $60 million. And instead of putting that money in the in your pocket like Stu did, they’re going to put it into the payroll. And that makes a tremendous difference right there. Huge difference. So, um, good things good things to come. Uh, and Bo can’t complain about the turf because he’s already playing on turf, right? Exactly. So, uh, Richie P says, “If we are not going to consider the HCC land at Eore, why would we consider it at HCC with limited mass transit opportunities? just doesn’t make sense. Yeah, I don’t I I just don’t like the HCC spot. I mean, if it was if it was right next to the Bucks Stadium and you could have some type of sliding roof, that that seems like it would work because you’re you’re you’re spending money in both places that are, you know, obviously you get two for one there. But if it’s across the street, you can’t do that unless you have a drone tarp. Drone tarp. Drone tarp. Uh lot of lot of talk about location. Um, not much we can do there. Uh, but what else? Anything else? Timmy, you want to pop up here? Uh, no, Nathan’s inviting everybody to tailgate. Yes, come tailgate with Nathan. Uh, right across the street over there at HCC and get a look at that HCC land. He’s right over there across lot. What is it? Lot 12. Yep. Lot 12. Nathan says, “I want to see shovels in the dirt, bulldozers moving, dirt dump trucks on the move before I start clapping.” Not being negative, just not dreaming. That’s I get I get it. I get it, guys. Um, what else? Anything else we got here that we want to get to? Oh, that says he missed Buccaneers talk. Yeah, well, we didn’t really have any, but uh, hey, look, it’s only Wednesday. We’ll get into more Bucks Eagles here as the week goes on. Yeah, I’m heading over to Bucks right after this. We’ll talk to Baker. We’ll talk to BS. Uh, any questions you guys want me to ask Baker, Bulls, the group? Anything? Throw it up. Throw it up there. Um, what else we got? Uh, Richie P says, “Funny because from day one I mentioned HC to Eboard to Hagen is the way to go and he said no.” I’m glad that Jane Caster said that because she is right and maybe trying to push Heagen County in the public. I again I really don’t care. I do care. I’d rather see it on the on uh on the water. JP making sauce better without the ingredients says Rick. How much was he drinking while cooking? Sure. Ketchup is like tomato sauce. Oh, you know, I thought I had some some uh some sauce to work with, you know, some jarred sauce. And then I didn’t. I was like, “Okay, we’ll have the hell make some marsala from from scratch. Little Italian sausage, some farfal salichia. Bada bing, bada boom.” It worked out pretty well. And yes, I did put wine in my sauce. It’s Marsala. You got to have wine in sauce, baby. It’s not Marsala if you don’t. All right. So, yeah. Much much more Bucks talk tomorrow. We’ll do all that for you kids. Uh Timmy, great job there. Thanks to Rob Higgins, great interview with him. Ken Hagen as well. Eric Errenson, Johnny Gerber. Thank you guys for watching. Make sure you like and subscribe to all the social medias. The Arrest this Drada podcast with Matthew Ber is out. It’s freaking unbelievable the stories he tells. Go check it out on our uh our fanstream sports networks. Really good stuff. Have a great day everybody. We’ll see you tomorrow. [Music] I don’t know. [Music]
In this episode, we tackle the biggest stories in Tampa Bay and beyond:
🏈 Rob Higgins Named USF Athletics CEO
What does Rob Higgins’ appointment mean for the future of South Florida athletics? We break down his impact on the program and what fans can expect moving forward.
⚾ Ken Hagan Talks Rays Stadium Deal
Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan joins the show to discuss the latest on the Tampa Bay Rays stadium saga. Will a new ballpark finally get the green light?
🏒 Tampa Bay Lightning Preseason Outlook
Lightning insider Erik Erlendsson gives his take on training camp standouts, roster battles, and expectations for the Bolts as they enter the 2025-26 NHL season.
⛳ Ryder Cup 2025 Preview w/ John Gerber
We preview Team USA vs. Team Europe in one of golf’s most intense rivalries — the Ryder Cup. Who are the players to watch, and what are the key matchups?
📢 Hit LIKE & SUBSCRIBE for the best in Tampa Bay sports coverage and expert insights every week!
CHECK OUT THE BRAND NEW FAN STREAM SPORTS WEBSITE: https://fanstreamsports.com/show/jp-peterson-show/
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jp-peterson-show/id1703282787
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kHnyJWQmt0YlXGY5ax3bR?si=c1ecfac5f9db4502
Connect on X: www.x.com/jppetersonshow
The JP Peterson Show is brought to you by:
The Jeeves Law Group – https://www.jeeveslawgroup.com/
Riveters Tampa – https://riveterstampa.com/
OnSite Construction & Renovation – https://onsiteconstructionfl.com/
Caffe Paradiso Restaurant & Bar – https://www.paradisotampa.com/
Third Generation Services – https://thirdgenerationplumbing.com/
Bay Area Modern Medical Center – https://www.bammc.com/index.html
The Gold & Diamond Source – https://goldanddiamond.com/
Italiano Insurance – https://www.italianoinsurance.com/
Genesis of Tampa – https://www.genesisoftampa.com/
Kingmakers of Tampa – https://www.kingmakerstampa.com/
#tampabaybuccaneers #gobucs #wearethekrewe #bucs #buccaneers #bucsnews #bucspodcast #rayspodcast #tampabayrays #raysbaseball #TampaBayNews #sports #FYpage #goviral #FSU #fsufootball #accfootball
#USFAthletics #RobHiggins #TampaBayRays #KenHagan #TropicanaField #ErikErlendsson #TBLightning #RyderCup2025 #Golf #NHLPreseason #TampaBaySports #FloridaSportsNews #SportsPodcast