00:00Grant and Danny on the fan. I'm live at Nationals Park. Danny is in our studio down Half Street in
00:07the Navy Yard.
00:09We'll be with you until about 6.15 tonight. Nats baseball at 6.45. They've got a huge game with
00:15the Diamondbacks.
00:15They're two games back of Arizona in the wildcard hunt. They've got a three-game series with Arizona starting this
00:21evening.
00:23Danny, big weekend, I know, here on the show. You've got the radio broadcast. Charlie Slows on the call.
00:30You'll be doing color tomorrow on Nats Radio, which is amazing.
00:34Yeah, man. I am so excited about it. I was on with our friend Chris Russell down the hall earlier,
00:39and we talked about it for almost a minute and a half because we did LeBron James for 15.
00:43It was the most Russell appearance ever, man. It was perfect.
00:45That's pretty funny.
00:46He's like, can I have you on to discuss what you're doing for the Nats tomorrow?
00:49And we did 15 minutes on LeBron. I'm telling you, one of a kind, man.
00:54LeBron did kind of preempt everybody's plans today.
00:56Yeah, I know. He ruined my thing.
00:57He ruined everybody's conversations all day long.
01:01But tomorrow I'm also doing something a little bit wacky.
01:04What are you doing?
01:04I think this is going to surprise you.
01:06So I'm going – my brother has a birthday party tomorrow. He turns 41.
01:11We're calling it Sean 41, like some 41.
01:14Like some 41, yeah.
01:15And it's – there is a pop punk band that like plays covers, and we're going – it's somewhere like
01:22far away.
01:24It's like an hour plus drive or something.
01:26And at the end of their presentation, you end up getting to sing karaoke to a pop punk song while
01:34they perform as a band.
01:36And I have to do a song tomorrow.
01:38Wait. I'm sorry. I got a little confused.
01:41Say that one more time for me. I'm trying to draw the – connect the dots here.
01:44Was it all the honking that that guy was doing next to me that was bothering you?
01:46Yeah, so like you pick a song and you're singing it to the band?
01:49Okay, so there's this pop punk cover band that plays like a normal band would throughout the night.
01:54And then the way I understand it, at some point during the night, they kick off like pop punk karaoke.
02:00Okay.
02:00And then the band keeps playing whatever song you want them to, and you sing as the lead front man
02:04for your karaoke song.
02:06And I'm somehow, someway going to be doing this tomorrow.
02:11Oh, my God.
02:13Wacky, right?
02:13So who else is in the band?
02:16Well, I have no idea who the band is.
02:17It's just some random band that's playing at a bar.
02:20Oh, so – okay.
02:21So it's not – you're not doing like garage band or something where like someone's on the drums and someone's
02:26doing the other –
02:26like you just – the band is playing and you just have to sing.
02:29Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:30And this isn't too complicated.
02:31You got this.
02:32I think I got it.
02:32There's a band at a bar that's playing music, and then you sing karaoke while they perform.
02:38Okay?
02:39Yeah.
02:39So the question I've got for you is what song do you think I'm singing?
02:43I had to pick my song.
02:44All the small things.
02:45Blink-182.
02:46It's a great choice, but no.
02:49Ocean Avenue, Yellow Card.
02:50It's a great – also a great choice.
02:52I'm going to give you a hint.
02:54Think Marvel movies.
02:56It's a pop-punk song from Marvel movies.
03:01Immigrant song by Led Zeppelin.
03:03No.
03:04Think Tom Holland.
03:06Okay.
03:07It's a Spider-Man film.
03:10Oh, this is – I'm sure this is riveting for everybody because I can't think of what the song might
03:14be.
03:14Your boy is chosen Vindicated by Dashboard Confessionals.
03:18I would not have gotten that.
03:19I would not have gotten that.
03:21Keep cut, right?
03:21What do you think about me performing that on karaoke late at night with a band playing?
03:27I think that I would pay – not a lot because people would go, oh, I would pay so much
03:33money.
03:33I really wouldn't, to be honest with you, but I would allow some cash to change hands for video.
03:37That's like a $20 thing probably?
03:39Yeah.
03:39I think that's what I'd pay for full video, multiple angles, cutting back and forth, like making a music video.
03:45I need everybody to have video, have their cameras rolling, post the video.
03:50I want multiple reactions to it.
03:52I need to see you belting it out.
03:54That's what I need.
03:55It's an overnight.
03:56There's a hotel involved.
03:57Oh, my God.
03:58The wife will be there filming, so we'll see what we can get you for like a $20 Venmo or
04:03something.
04:03Wow.
04:03But that's the big plan for tomorrow.
04:05Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional.
04:07What would you sing?
04:08What would be your pop punk song of choice?
04:10It would probably be either, it'd probably be a Blink-182 song.
04:15It would either be Miss You or, because I'd get everybody to sing along and be able to do it
04:20with the crowd.
04:20Like, don't waste your time.
04:22You know, I think everybody would be going, hello there.
04:24Like, I'd do that one.
04:25Or it might be all the small things.
04:28It'd be one of those two.
04:29I thought about My Own Worst Enemy by Lit.
04:31Yeah.
04:32Before going with Vindicated.
04:35Vindicated, just one of those songs when it's on in my car or something, I have to scream it.
04:39I belt it.
04:40I just love that song.
04:41I don't know why.
04:42I always have.
04:43Yeah.
04:43I think, am I right in saying it was a Spider-Man song originally?
04:46Darius would know that.
04:47Was it, Darius?
04:48I don't remember.
04:48Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man, I feel like.
04:50But it was definitely in the movie.
04:51I don't know if it came out for that movie or not.
04:55The Spider-Man 2?
04:57Is that a nugget?
04:58I think.
04:59I'm trying to look it up right now.
05:01I don't remember it specifically, because there's so many Spider-Men.
05:05I think Tobey Maguire was acting very poorly.
05:08Ryan liked it and very few other people.
05:10And that song was blaring.
05:12I don't know why.
05:12It just hit me in the feels.
05:14Right in the feels.
05:15And all these years later, that's the one I'm choosing to say.
05:17I love that for you.
05:18All right.
05:18Rookie report date has finally come.
05:20So a lot of people have circled 24th on their calendar as the start of camp.
05:24That's not really how it works.
05:25The rookies show up.
05:27First media availability day that means anything is like Monday-ish.
05:30Then Tuesday is press conferences.
05:33Everyone else reports.
05:34It's Tuesday into Wednesday is when you start to have actual practices out at training camp.
05:38But it does feel like a big day to get the kids out there in this rookie class led by
05:43the number seven overall pick, Sonny Stiles from The Ohio State University.
05:47Our first gander at Antonio Williams, I'm sure, as the cameras will be rolling out at Ashburn
05:53today.
05:53The Clemson wide receiver who went in the third round.
05:58Joshua Josephs, a lot is expected from him at the edge.
06:00That's a big-time competition area.
06:03You know, positionally, there's a lot of good edges on this team all of a sudden.
06:07Josephs trying to carve out a role, the fifth-round pick.
06:10Katron Allen, I heard Brian Mitchell on the fan right before we came on saying that's the
06:14guy he's actually most interested in seeing, excited to see from this class.
06:18The Penn State running back they call Fat Man.
06:20You've got Bill, Rashad White's going to catch passes.
06:23Chris Rodriguez is gone, so there's a role to be had there.
06:26Allen's going to try to take it.
06:27And I don't think Matt Golbin, the center for Michigan State, who was also taken in
06:30the sixth round, is going to play a ton this season.
06:33But I definitely think there's a world where he's playing by the end of the year some, and
06:37maybe he's their starting center next year or the year after, if he is as good as they
06:41want him to be.
06:42Because that's an unimpeded path, kind of, with the moves that they've made at center.
06:46So Stiles, Williams, Josephs, Allen, Golbin.
06:49I'll leave Kali Ekmanis, the Rutgers quarterback, out for a moment, because he's destined for the
06:54practice squad, ideally.
06:55But there's your rookie class, at least the draft class, headlining the rookies showing
07:00up at the facility.
07:01So the way we view rookie classes, I think, in a lot of cases, especially for later round
07:05guys or mid-round guys, is there's more intrigue when there's opportunity.
07:09In other words, if they had drafted a left tackle in the sixth round, nobody would care.
07:14You know what I'm saying?
07:15Like, that's nice.
07:16They got that guy.
07:16That's Larry McTunsel's gig.
07:17And if he goes down, it's probably Brandon Coleman.
07:19And if he goes down, it's probably Andrew Wiley.
07:21And if he goes down, then they'll go find somebody via free agency or something, someone
07:25that's walking around.
07:26They'll get Ray Brown out of the Comcast booth again or something like that, right?
07:29But there's opportunity for Antonio Williams.
07:32There's opportunity for K-Tron Allen.
07:34And there is eventual opportunity for Golbin.
07:37I wouldn't have said that had they not moved on from Taylor Biotis for nothing.
07:40But again, who knows?
07:42You could see a path where these guys, if they are as advertised, and this is what happens,
07:47this is football, it's not 100%.
07:51That doesn't happen.
07:52Certain draft classes hit, certain don't.
07:53Sometimes the fourth rounder's good.
07:55Sometimes it's Antonio Gandy-Gold.
07:56You never know.
07:57But there is opportunity for a lot of these guys to contribute either a little bit right
08:02away or a lot eventually.
08:03I think that's where the intrigue comes from, at least for me.
08:05Styles, you kind of know.
08:06I've already, there's not as much intrigue for me about Styles, and not because I don't
08:10like him.
08:11I kind of go, yep, I know what I'm getting.
08:13I got a Tasmanian devil in the middle of the field who's going to fly around and make
08:16some plays.
08:17Maybe miss something here or there.
08:18So much intrigue.
08:19So many questions because we don't know how they're going to use him.
08:22We haven't seen anything yet.
08:23I mean, at minicamp, they basically hit anything involving linebackers, and they got three guys
08:27for two spots.
08:28Chanel, in a recent interview, I don't remember what podcast he was on nationally, but he basically
08:33said he's going to be the Mike Linebacker.
08:35Well, if that's the case, Styles is off the ball.
08:36So what happens with Frankie Louvoo?
08:39And if he's off the ball, it kind of opens up the world to all kinds of different possibilities.
08:43Maybe he plays in the nickel occasionally.
08:45Maybe he's playing some safety.
08:47Maybe he's coming off the edge.
08:48Like, I can't wait to see how they use Sonny Styles.
08:51So let me rephrase that.
08:52Let me rephrase.
08:53I'm interested in that, but the variable of can he play and can he be a starter, I have
08:59no intrigue about.
09:00Oh, you're saying...
09:01Does that make sense?
09:01You're writing him in pen as a good football player already.
09:04Yeah, I go.
09:04They got one.
09:04I love that guy.
09:05I'm all in on the pick.
09:07Good call.
09:08He'll play and he'll contribute and they'll figure out how he's best suited.
09:10I guess that's fair, but there have been a lot of linebackers that have been taken in
09:14the first round and a lot of top 10 players that have not been as good as we thought they
09:17were.
09:17And have taken longer or whatever.
09:19I understand that.
09:20But, and if that happens, I'll act accordingly.
09:22I guess what I'm talking about is there's a lot expected of third round pick Antonio
09:26Williams, right?
09:27Where there's an ample opportunity for that guy to be their second leading wide receiver.
09:31I think it'll be a Conquo, maybe, you know, Rashad White will have more catches, but the
09:36second receiver opposite Terry McLaurin might be Antonio Williams.
09:40That, to me, is so intriguing and I am laser focused on that, who emerges from, frankly,
09:45just a kind of okay jobber room where they've got reclamation projects, dudes that don't
09:51have a lot of pelts on the wall, older veterans, guys with limited skill sets who don't have
09:54a lot of deposits in the bank.
09:56And there's an opportunity there for him.
09:57That's my intrigue.
09:59You know what I mean?
10:00Like, can he do it or not?
10:01I feel like I've got it pretty comfortable that Stiles is going to ball out in some capacity.
10:06More on the rookie class as we continue on Grant and Danny.
10:09Danny's in our normal studio.
10:11I'm out here at Nats Park ahead of their big game.
10:13We're going to be talking about the Nats and the Diamondbacks coming up at 3 o'clock in
10:1620 minutes.
10:18Brandon Ayuk's offseason has been nothing but shenanigans, and in fact, we'd kind of put
10:22him on the back burner and said a week or two ago, we don't need to keep doing this
10:25every day.
10:25We're going to kind of take a break here.
10:27But he is up to some new tomfoolery that must be discussed.
10:31That's next on The Fan.
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