The Tom Gazzola Show - Sept. 10th, 2026 - In or Out

0:00time now to play in or out with Brandon brought to you by RV wars. RV wars is back and this weekend at the premium outlet mall by the international airport, five massive dealers clearing out all remaining in stock RVs visit RV wars. Let's see it for details. Let's go. Brando. Okay. Okay. You know what? Moving too fast. Bottom line. Are you in or are you now? You know how or what? No type of question. Just action. Aim for power. Well, then I'm out. I'm sorry, Jet. Actually, you're already in. Are you in or are you out? On sports, 1440. I thought you would go. I'm in, Bob. We would have had a really cool moment, but you kind of ruined the whole thing. Not sure if you guys caught this or not, but yesterday morning, the M&T Oilers announced the signing of Alex ferment to a one year deal, 850 case been the past several years over in the Swiss league. Two mild success. At this point, it's not crazy. It can't be said that it's crazy or

1:08outlandish anymore. That the oilers as an organization enjoy. Throttin relish being at the center of attention in the hockey world. Explain it. And yeah, I mean, this one's not very hard for me. Every play. I feel like every year at some point, we're all sitting here talking or there's a press conference. We like, we brought in this person. And everybody goes crazy for a little bit. And then it dies down. But it's been like this what for the last five years, six years? Oh, no, past that. I mean, the trade for Zac Cassell was 2015. Oh, there you go. There you go. So I would, I'm fully in. I'm going to say out because I don't think it's them more so enjoying being the center of attention. I think it's them just not giving to IOTA's about dealing with the repercussions. Yeah, exactly. They're going to go do whatever they think is right and makes them better.

2:12And then which puts them at the center of attention. I know, but I don't think they enjoy it. I think they just do it because they enjoy it. And they're going to make the poor PR team deal with the mess. It's almost like it's like a right of passage to start talking to season at this point. One is not that problem is that the dealers have the very best player in the world. A generational talent. And guess what? Conor, David gets plenty of headlines throughout the season for all the right reasons. But the problem in my eyes is that this team's team makes just as or nearly as many headlines for the wrong reasons. And like the signing don't like the signing totally don't care about the signing either way. Like it does like your opinion on it doesn't change that it absolutely makes waves across the hockey world and sometimes beyond. Right? Like it's just the circumstance dictates that it's going to be a talk talking point. And as much as Tom, like you said, even when we got you know, they're all with men's ease.

3:13It's like, all right, we want to talk about actually on the ice stuff. Please. Who is playing with who yesterday at this informal captain's gate? Even that alone is a little bit like who cares? But guess what? It's mid September hockey season in the corner. That's what we are jonesing for. It's some legitimate hockey talk. Instead, we spend essentially what are we coming up on three hours into the show? Two and a half of it has been largely dictated by this one year vet minimum contract that was signed yesterday. Why? Because of who the player was center of attention. And we're like, listen, for me personally again, we have to begrudgingly it has to be discussed. Absolutely. I just want to say this poor Connor McDavid, he gets to talk about all the good things he has done and the team has done in his time with the oilers. But he's also had to talk about a lot of crap that unfortunately has the face on the captain of the team comes with the territory.

4:14And I think back to immediately when they traded for Brandon Manning, the guy that broke his clavicle and he had to say, yeah, it's all good. That is that he was be asking through his teeth. That was might have been the most outrageous poor thing that's ever happened. And there's been some crazy things that have happened here in Edmonton, but that was just dumb. To his credit, he puts up with it deals with it. I know he's handsomely rewarded for it monetarily. And there's plenty of accolades that come with being a super superstar in the NHL. But I just the Brandon Manning thing when Peter Shirley made that dumb trade and brought in the guy that broke his captain's clavicle a couple years prior. And he's got to sit there and be like, yeah, it's all good. I told Peter it's fine. Yeah, right. That's the guy on a marginal player. Oh, he was in the minors and they didn't even play him in big. It's such a marginal player. And then you bring this like it just didn't make sense. I know. Center of attention. Conor's had to deal with that.

5:15And to put a ball on it, Tommy said, you're out because you don't think they want to be the center of attention or enjoy it. You just think they don't care what anybody thinks, which is absolutely true. And to me, all that reads is that they, they know that no matter how many people say that because of this move or that move or this thing that you're going to be doing, the devil's feathers, that they're out on the oilers, they're canceling their tickets, they're not coming to games, they're not spending a dime on a merch. They know that that doesn't matter because the building's going to be full. They're going to lead the league in profits again or be second in it and amongst the most profitable organizations in the entirety of North American sport. They know that. Yeah. And as a result, they don't care. And that's that's their prerogative all much with it.

6:30And that ESPN saying that he belongs in the hockey hall of fame. Take your pick about how you classify it. Is it in the media wing? Is it as a builder? The face of the NHL on the sports network in the United States of America for 30 years. In media wing, not as builder, not as coach, obviously. Where do you cut final? Yeah, sure. Want to call their cut? Yeah, but that doesn't make you a call of fame caliber coach. No. On the media side, I would 100% be behind him being inducted into the hockey all of fame. And you outlined it on ESPN, which is the premier sports network. And for a good chunk of its America, the only sports network. That's right. And he was the go to guy for three decades there. A face of hockey and the discussion around it. Even during the times when ESPN wasn't showing hockey because they had a fallout with Gary Batman and the league, that's when you got the versus outdoor life network, which is

7:35showing games. It was very bizarre. And up here in Canada, we didn't see Barry Melrose. We didn't hear from Barry Melrose that much. Not until like the last like decade, decade and a half. But Barry Melrose was carrying the bag for the NHL on ESPN that entire time. So I would go yes in on the media wing side of it. Yeah, I would agree. I'm in for a lot of the same points. When the NHL was in those San Jose, the expansion era and cities and markets that didn't really know hockey. He was that face. He was that guy that, you know, they leaned on to help them get through it. And so for me, I would say because he did that and he had such longevity in his career. I would 100% put him in the media wing. Great mullet iconic awesome mullet awesome suits and every story here about people that worked with them or around them, just like the best guy so much fun made the game fun.

8:38And on ESPN where all they wanted to talk about was football and basketball and even golf during the Tiger Woods blow up of the late 90s early 2000s. Like he was there every night talking hockey. And obviously a very, very prominent role in the growth of hockey in the United States. To me, it basically boils down to anybody that says the Don Cherry should be in the hockey all the fame for his role for basically 30 years on the hockey and Canada desk. Yeah, you have to put your hat in then as well for Barry Morales to go in for his role growing in the United States. And I would put myself in a yes for both of those cases. If you look at that question, right? So Don Cherry. Obviously he was iconic. Like it's hard to you can't argue the opposite way. No, of course. Now my question would be like who would be more influential between Barry Malrow. Barry Malrow's on. Don Cherry. Don Cherry down in the States wasn't that significant. He was more. Barry Malrow's wasn't that quote unquote.

9:40I guess I would really. Yeah, you can I think you can make that argument on both sides of it. Yeah, that's right. And I think both guys deserve to be in that. Yeah, like don't get me wrong. Don Cherry is iconic. Like you can't get away from that. But it's just, you know, thinking about, okay, well hockey's already established. People know, you know, the sport in Canada. But being down in the States at a time where not everybody knew. He was a guy. He was the only guy that really was building it. Like the girl, like I said, the girl to the game is maybe the biggest feather in his cap. And being the face of hockey for Americans. So much of the point. Lil Wayne, the rapper. Had a tweet saying how saddened he was and like, you know, sending his condolences to Barry's wife and family. Because he was watching Barry Malrow's on sports center growing up. That's insane. Yeah. Yeah. Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne. Damn, man. Twain Carter. Uh, Lil Swoon. Isn't he like an Ivy League. Grad.

10:40Lil Wayne. He's like men's equality. Intellect. I don't know. Maybe. He just puts on the persona of Lil Wayne and puts a smash hit after smash hit and enjoys hockey. That's kind of a nice touch. Love some. Love some hockey. Over to the gridiron NFL season kicking off last night with the past fall into Seattle 13 to 10 in the Pacific Northwest. Both clubs, however, suffered substantial losses in the game from personnel perspective. Sam Darnold, QB of the Seahawks left very early in a AJ Brown, not a very long time later. Also departed the game of the two. If either or both guys is going to have a extended absence and I'll cut put that at, you know, more than a week or two out of the lineup. I actually think AJ Brown's absence from the Patriots will be more prominent or hurt the team more than Darnold. Will to Seattle, which seems a little crazy to say because the quarterback is the most important position in maybe all of sport. I'm out on that one.

11:42I think Darnold proved his worth last year to the Seahawks. I don't think they're the same team without him. Yeah. And, you know, Drew Locked last night, he was, he was okay. Okay enough to win. He was okay enough to win. But I mean, the past to to NIGBA, I mean, he did all the work. He puts that he catches that in what middle of three or four guys and he just outruns everybody. So to me, like, is that on Drew Lock? Is that the play that we're like, man, Drew Lock captured and he, he was a guy that changed the game. I don't think so. Yeah. I think that NIGBA helped him obviously with with the rack. Yeah. So, I think that Darnold will be a bigger loss and will be felt more than Brown. And the reason I think that is that the Patriots didn't have Brown last year. Brown makes them better, but they didn't have him last year and they still went to where they went.

12:42So you take and remove Brown from the equation. Well, it's just the same team you had last year. I'm out on it as well. And listen, not that it's impossible, but it's very hard to replace your quarterback with a guy of equal or better caliber. Then it is to find a receiver of equal or better caliber as good as AJ Brown is sometimes, sometimes guys emerge or like a cubie, like, maybe Drake may find a new target that becomes his go to that all the lost offense you would have had with him. And the offense you would have had with AJ Brown is made up for with this new favorite guy becomes a go to. Yeah. And take it from a guy that's had bad quarterback play for his favorite team for the last couple seasons. I know. I know what it's like to have a quarterback that can't get it done. So you can have all star receivers on the outside, but if you can't throw past five yards, what's supposed to do? So bad quarterback play is probably a bigger issue than having a star receiver out.

13:47My only justification for this is that why did the Patriots go and get AJ Brown? Because they needed a premier pass catcher. Yeah. That was clearly the missing ingredient. And this isn't a slight at Sam Donald saying anybody can do what he does inside that Seattle offense. I don't believe that to be true whatsoever. I'm a big Sam Donald fan and proponent of his plays a quarterback. But it was one game. Drew Lock manages the offense well. You want him to be safe with the football. It is a really good team that the strength of it is still their defense. And they even had a couple guys out of the line up most maybe notably M and Worry in the middle of it. And what he can do to help dictate both on the rush and in coverage. So if you get him back and things like, can you win a few games with your defense and Drew Lock managing the game off? And the Patriots without brain off Brown offensively looked lost. Right. It was just check down, check down. And Ramonnier Stevenson is very capable run in the ball.

14:48But if Drake made your best player, you want him dictating the play. And without a receiver Romeo dobs in his debut as a Patriot shirt and look like he had the jam. How much of that was Seattle's line and the pressure they got on Drake man and the poor decision making. Oh, I've made displayed. That absolutely matters for sure. And so if you want to go to that route, the next group of games for the Patriots, the Steelers, I think they got a pretty good pass rush. If I recall correctly, TJ Watt, Youngst others, the Jags, pretty solid D as well. Bills, you know, up front, they're okay. And then you get the Raiders who have Max Crosby. Not much else. Yeah, but. So that's just the next four games beyond that. I mean, you get the jets, the bears, jets up front might actually not be too bad. But besides the point, I just, man, I'm still, I was waiting for the Patriots to kind of prove me wrong last night. Because I've been continuing to question them even after the run of the Super Bowl.

15:49And they didn't really. They look still like the team that I thought they were, which is just an okay team. They'll probably be battling for a wild card spot come seasons in. Do you think they just got lucky last year in their run? Lucky no, they had, they, like no joke, they had a soft schedule for sure, but you still have to win the games and they did. And then they beat three really good defenses or two really good defenses and one pretty good defense on route to the Super Bowl. And the Texans offense was terrible. Was terrible. So the Broncos were playing Jared Stidham. And that's how I'm asking like, did they get lucky? Yes, you got to go win the games, but like the defense for the Texans was unreal. Unbelievable. One of the best in the NFL, if not the best in the NFL at that time. But their offense was so anemic that you just basically put too much pressure on your defense. And so you keep giving these guys chance to chance and chance to put up points. Eventually, it's something's going to happen when you know, you're four and out almost every single time.

16:50So is that why the Patriots got to where they, they, they did? This might sound like a cop out because they are synonymous. I would say they were fortunate, not lucky. Fair. If that counts at all. Okay. At least for tonight. I'll take that. Sure. Tonight, the season continues. Thursday night football from Melbourne, Australia, where it's technically Friday morning football down under currently. The LA Rams favor to three and a half points over the San Francisco 49ers. And Tom Bellsie, I don't just like the Niners to cover these points. I like them to win this game outright. Who wrote this question? You were Montana to rice. What can I say? Guy knows ball. When it comes to his very specific San Francisco bias. Listen, he texted immediately. Yes, Duke. Yes, Adaboy, baby Duke. Let's go. I understand McVeigh and the Rams thought process like the sleep science and all this stuff.

17:52I just not sure I can get behind it. I'll believe it when I see it. It might work. The Niners are a good team. They are. Right. And the injury bug continues to play them. I'm just out. You're out. Yeah. I'm out. But you're a Rams bootlicker. You're just all chalk. They'll win the Super Bowl. They'll win the Super Bowl. Super team. Yada yada yada. Yeah, I said that. You did say that. I did say that on our social media. Check it out. Sports 1440. I'm out. On X. The true Super Bowl last year was the Seahawks and the Rams. That was a true. I agree. And you have a team that has been upgraded from that team that was, you know, bounced by the Seahawks. Miles Garrett on the outside is unbelievable. I understand that Donald's not playing. But you drop in Garrett on that team, that defense. That's another level. Brock Purti. I have my question marks about Brock Purti.

18:52I think he's a good quarterback. I think he's the ultimate game manager. And I don't say that. Give him some love. I don't say that as a disrespect. I think you have to is the game managers are valuable because guys throw the ball and they don't turn it over. Kind of in most people need want that. Yeah. So I'm not saying that as a disrespectful comment. But to me, I don't think he's the guy that's going to go out and beat you. So if you have a group that like the Rams and the defense that they have where they're going to be putting pressure on Brock Purti all game long. I don't think he has the ability to just go out and flat out beat the Rams by, you know, using his legs and using his arm. Like he manages games more than he's the guy that can go out and say I'm going to run for a hundred yards right now. It's fair. The Rams are really good. They're like for like no, they added Garrett up front. They also added Trent McDuffy in the secondary.

19:53Yeah. They're good. They're really good. But maybe this is a hunch. I think this is again, the Niners take off them because of situation. Being being down there for the week a little more acclimated. Now what is the effect coming back to the Rams have a better next couple weeks as the Niners trying to readjust back to Pacific times maybe. But for this specific game, I'm going to be on the Niners tonight and I'm going to be on them money line. That's a bold strategy cut. We'll see if it pays off after I pretty much went over last night. So that's great. Finally, today's national school picture day kids return. They're back for a week and change maybe at this point to their respective institutions in high school. I'm not sure there was any more stressful day as a young man or woman than picture day. Well, I went to school in the States. School dances were very stressful because you didn't want to show up to that school dance without a girl sober.

20:54Oh, not sober. Not a problem for you. That's not an issue. Yeah, you're being one you didn't want to show up without a girl. So that was stressful because you wanted to go find like, you know, best looking girl school. Of course, the best you can get. That's you. Yeah. It's a level. You know, level levels to this thing. So when you're walking into school as a Canadian and there's only five of you and it's all football and you go try to find the cheerleaders. That's stressful. Hello. I'm not worried about that picture day. I mean, either I'm out on this most stressful days for me were test days because Tom Tom never studied and never did really good on tests. Yeah, see that's a problem. Maybe this is made unique to me. Yeah, made it in Delburn, K to 12 school. But the high school called a common area where you know, you go to downy lunch like the little metal tables all through to in that area is where every year's composite was. And so your school picture everybody can look at it every single day.

21:59Yeah, that's an issue. And we legit not worried about that. We would go down like when you're bored or you're trying to kill time and you're supposed to be in class you go there and you run down. You're like, oh my god, look at this, Gibroni. Look at their picture. Everybody's a Gibronian. Yeah. But when you're in high school, Tom, you don't think that way. You're like, look at this Gibroni. I'm cool. No, you want your picture to be good. I'm out. All right. All right. Because what like you can talk about Gibroni moments, but like if you're the Gibroni that can't dance on that first dance. That's way more stressful. Mm-hmm. Or if you're the Gibroni like Tom Gazzoli, you know, back to school. Don't want to be a fool. Oh, I was a fool in school. I was terrible. Yeah. Bad cheetah. I did cheat on some tests. The most famous person I ever cheated on a test with was Mike Robertson, Canadian Silver Medalist. Oh, nice. You cheated on a test with him? Yeah, or you cheated off of him. We cheated in tandem. Oh, really?

22:59Yeah, with our buddy Jeremy Price Day. If you're listening, hello, boys. Just three under the bus, boys. Yeah. That's all I think the statute of limitations is probably expired. I don't think Mr. Millen gives two Ayodas. He probably knew we were cheating off each other. He's like, these idiots are going to pass. Actually, they have to get the offer. We have to get the prodigy Tom through. So we're not going to, that's exactly how he's cheating. And analyze it for cheating. It probably just felt pity on me. It's dumb dumb. He's so dumb. Oh, good job.