S&P’s Why Not Us?!

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Look, I’m not gonna lie—Episode #8 almost didn’t happen the way it did. I left our podcasting equipment at my other place, which, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t the end of the world, but when you’re two guys who’ve been doing this for a while, it’s the kind of thing that makes you pause. Peter and I looked at each other and basically said: “You know what? We’re doing this anyway.” One mic, two voices, 50 years of friendship worth of opinions. We decided not to make a whole thing out of it, and honestly? It might’ve been the best decision we made all day.

The real chaos started with my opening line. I had this absolute banger ready to go: “Welcome to S&P’s Why Not Us?, the podcast that trusts soccer’s VAR more than it trusts LeBron to make a decision.” I was so proud of that line. I had it locked and loaded. And then—wouldn’t you know it—LeBron went and signed with the Sixers, and suddenly my carefully crafted intro was outdated before we even hit record.

So there I was, scrambling to salvage something from the wreckage, and you know what? I pivoted. That’s what 50 years of friendship gets you—the ability to laugh when your best material gets torpedoed by an NBA free agency decision. We ended up using it anyway, just with a caveat about “the new-look Sixers, King and all.” It’s the kind of thing that only works when you’ve got someone across from you who gets the joke immediately.

The World Cup conversation was fascinating because we were both still processing it. A week out, and it’s already fading from memory—which Peter and I both acknowledged feels weird given how epic the tournament was. But here’s what stuck with me: Emiliano Martínez’s 11 saves in the final. That’s a World Cup record, and it’s the kind of stat that doesn’t get enough credit. Spain’s possession clinic was beautiful in its own way, but it was Martinez keeping Argentina in it that made the game have any drama at all.

We got into the VAR stuff pretty heavy, and I’ll admit—the smart ball controversy genuinely bothered me. The technology that could call offsides on hair suddenly couldn’t connect with a ball bouncing off the wires? That’s not smart; that’s just inconsistent. Peter and I both felt that one.

The Erling Haaland question surprised me as we were talking through it. Could he be the one to actually move MLS forward? He’s only 26, he clearly loves America, and the cowboy hat moment at the tournament was chef’s kiss. But Peter rightly called me out—it would take so much more than one star player to shift the league’s trajectory. Fair point. That’s the thing about talking with someone who actually knows soccer; they keep you honest.

By the time we got to the trade deadline and Keith Hernandez’s Hall of Fame case, we were in full stride. No fancy equipment, no perfect setup—just two guys who’ve watched 50 years of sports together, riffing on what matters and what doesn’t.

Sometimes the best episodes are the ones that almost don’t happen.