005 | You Won the Superbowl — Shea McClellin Talks Pickleball
In this special episode, Morgan gets a chance to talk with Shae McClellin, Superbowl champion, and Morgan learns a thing or two about the NFL.
Find out more about the podcast on http://pb.fm/ or follow @MoreorLessPickleball on Facebook.
Find out more about Morgan:
Find out more about Shae McClellin:
- Follow on Twitter @mcckshea
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shea_McClellin
Pickleball Trivia Guests
- Jo Tony
- Kody Newman
Sponsors:
005 | You Won the Superbowl Transcript
Morgan: Today, my guest is a special individual. The words “Special Guest” get thrown around a lot and I’m definitely guilty. But today, I really do mean it. This man played in the NFL for seven years, ultimately winning the Superbowl with the Patriots in 2017. We’re going to talk about elite performance, home life, maybe some videogames, and how Pickleball has helped him find a competitive life after football. Please welcome Shea McClellin.
How are you, mate?
Shea: Good! Everything is good over here. How are you doing?
Morgan: Yes, as well as can be expected in these times. It’s a difficult time to be alive. How are you coping?
Shea: Good, good. I got three kids, all boys under 5, so it’s chaotic trying to keep them busy, we got our hands full and our days go by fast because we’re always busy. Non-stop with these dudes, trying to keep them alive.
Morgan: I imagine stopping fights and building blocks are pretty important parts of your day.
Shea: Yes, exactly. A lot of fights, a lot of breaking up fights and dealing with fires but it’s so rewarding being a parent. I love it!
Morgan: I hear good things, I hear good things. I haven’t tried it but who knows? Or maybe I have and I just don’t know it.
Life Post-Superbowl [1:37]
Morgan: So tell me, you’ve reached the pinnacle of any football players’ career in 2017, winning the Superbowl with the Patriots. That’s got to be tough to come down from. How was it in the wake?
Shea: It was unbelievable, honestly. You work your whole career to one goal, and then once you finally reach that goal, there’s nothing else like it. And then after that, it’s like what do I next, and that’s what I was trying to figure out. But a lot of celebrating after the moment with teammates, family, friends when you finally reach the one goal you’ve been working towards your entire life.
And then, unfortunately, injuries forced me to quit playing in the NFL, otherwise, I’d probably still be playing. But after I was done, what’s next? And that’s what I’m working on right now.
Morgan: That’s tough. What kind of injury was it?
Shea: I had a lot of different injuries to the body. Mainly hands and wrists but the ones that forced me to quit were concussions, too many concussions.
Morgan: Do you think there’s anything that can be done about that?
Shea: Not enough research right now. You just don’t know, so talking to the doctors, neurologists, it’s just smarter just to be done and don’t risk anything. There’s so much bad media about concussions and head injuries, and your brain is the most important organ in your body, so I think in the long run, it’s just better to be smart. You’ll never know what’s going to happen in the future.
Morgan: Certainly. I’m curious, have you ever seen Aussie rules football, AFL?
Shea: It’s just rugby, right?
Morgan: No, no, rugby’s a different animal. AFL is played on a giant oval, 18 players a side. They’re typically running at each other at full steam. But they don’t get to wear helmets or any padding.
Shea: Yeah.
Morgan: And it’s quite amazing who few relative to the length of the game and how often games happen, and how many players are on the field, how few concussions there are. There’s still plenty, don’t get me wrong. It’s not a safe sport by any stretch of the imagination. But because they’re not wearing a helmet and heavy pads, I think the natural instinct to preserve your brain especially kind of kicks in close to tackle, and they tend not to have as many compared to NFL players that are – you know, you’re wearing this giant suit of armor…
Shea: Right.
Morgan: Which allows you to do superhuman things, things that you wouldn’t do in a grocery store, let’s be honest.
Shea: (laughs…) Exactly. I think you’re right. Since we have a huge helmet protecting our heads and huge shoulder pads we’re like, “Alright, let’s just go out there and sacrifice our body because we have protection,” right? But when you see rugby or the AFL, right is that what it’s called?
Morgan: Yeah, ALF.
Shea: Yeah, it’s like I don’t have anything to protect my head, so I’m going to use my shoulder, I’m going to use more of my arms, even more my body. So I think in that aspect definitely. And in the NFL, there are some teams and even in high school and college-level for American Football, there are some teams that are starting to teach the rugby tackle now.
Morgan: Nice!
Shea: Yeah, same foot, same shoulder instead of just get your head in there which some teams still teach. But I think more teams, just because of concussions and all that, I think more teams are leading to that rugby-type tackling.
Morgan: That’s fantastic. That’s good to hear. I had no idea. I’m glad, if nothing else, this podcast has cleared something up for me. That’s brilliant!
Kind of A Pickleball Podcast [4:54]
Morgan: So now, you’ve been playing Pickleball. Obviously, this is kind of a Pickleball podcast but it’s a bit of a mix and match. You’ve found Pickleball last August, I believe?
Shea: Yeah.
Morgan: I did a little research on you. How did you get started? Who introduced you?
Shea: It was my wife actually. Last August, for my birthday, she was like, “Oh, I got a surprise for you!”
I was like, “Okay!”
So she takes me to this local – I didn’t know what we’re doing. Obviously, it was a surprise. But she takes me to this local court and I was like, “What are we going to do? Play tennis?” because I have no idea that it’s Pickleball.
We had it actually in high school, we went to high school together, we had a sports class and one of the sports they taught us was Pickleball. So we actually played Pickleball before but going there, she surprised me with that. And ever since she that she took me there, I’ve just been hooked on it.
I’ve been dealing with anxiety and depression ever since I was done playing football, so this is something that I’ve been looking for, is something to get me away from that anxiety and depression. To not distract me but to help me with it.
Morgan: Yeah, fill a void.
Shea: Yeah, exactly. And it’s been great and it’s keeping my competitive drive going, and I think that’s something that I’ve been needing for the last couple of years because I wasn’t sure exactly what’s next because football is over with. And it’s just a short period of your life, football is, and if someone has more life to live after. So it’s like, “I’m going to find something else.” So right now, it’s just getting after this Pickleball thing and trying to get better.
Morgan: Good man! And you’ve played your first tournament only about six months after you started. Is that something you had planned and you knew you were ready to do it? Or you were like I’m just going to throw myself in the deep end and hope for the best?
Shea: Yeah, so honestly, when I was playing Pickleball, I was like, “Oh, this is fun.” And I started to research it more and more and people started asking me if I played any tournaments. I said no, I never played in a tournament. And then, doing more and more research like USAPA and you can get ratings, that sounded like a really cool idea. When I started out, I was like, “Oh man! Where do I even start out? What level do I start out? I barely started playing.”
So I started in August, my first tournament that I actually did was in November, so it was pretty quick.
Morgan: Oh, wow! Okay.
Shea: I didn’t even know exactly how to play, just an athlete. I think I went in at 3.0 which obviously, for someone like you is like, “Whatever.” It’s a beginner level, right? So I went in at 3.0 and I actually won the tournament in singles.
Morgan: Nice!
Shea: But it wasn’t because I was good at Pickleball, it was just because my athletic ability, I got away with a lot, honestly. I got away with a lot of bad shots and bad decisions. But it was a lot of fun. I’ve done four tournaments since then and either took first or second in singles. I’ve done a couple of doubles mixed with my wife and those didn’t go too well. She doesn’t play as much as me and someone told me never play with your wife. It’s more like marriage counseling, honestly. It’s not like you’re going to go out there and compete because you’re just arguing the whole time.
But we’ve been getting better as far as that aspect goes, so it’s been a lot of fun.
Morgan: That’s good, mate. Yeah, it’s one of the best pieces of advice anyone can give you. But if you can make it work, then for sure it’s an amazing thing to be able to share with your partner.
Shea: For sure.
Morgan: Have you ever met or heard of a guy named Glenn Peterson?
Shea: I don’t think so, no.
Morgan: He’s a senior pro, he’s a Selkirk guy. He’s one of those guys who are just so nice. He makes you feel like a bad person just because of how nice he is.
Shea: (laughs…)
Morgan: You know? I love the guy. He’s great. And he said something, I’ll never forget it, he always plays with his wife, Paula, and he looks like he always had done. He never plays with anyone else. And she’s maybe a 4.0, 4.5 and he’s a top-level player. But when he plays mix, he plays with her and he always has a smile on his face, they never roll their eyes.
Shea: That’s awesome.
Morgan: A long time ago, I asked him, I said, “Glenn, how do you do it, mate? What’s the secret?”
And he looked at me and he said, “Morgan, she’s the secret.”
Shea: Awesome!
Morgan: And I was like, “Oh, you’re even nicer than I thought!”
Shea: Right, right.
Morgan: He just melted my heart in one moment.
Shea: I thought you were about to crack a joke, but nope…
Morgan: Yeah (laughs…) that’s fair, I do like a good joke. But it’s something that has always stuck with me. I played one tournament with my better half, Jen, and there were ups and downs. We got through in the end but never again.
Shea: It’s definitely something that I strive to do, like Glenn, you know what I mean? It would be awesome to play for tournaments my whole life with her. But as much as I play and she doesn’t, I don’t know if its’ just going to work out like that. It’s hard.
Morgan: You never know.
Shea: Yeah, we’ll see.
Morgan: It is what it is.
Sponsor: CoachME Pickleball
What’s Shea Working On? [10:46]
Morgan: Who do you get to train with? What are you working on?
Shea: So actually, my Pickleball coach, I guess you could say is Dan Roditi.
Morgan: Oh cool!
Shea: Yeah, so he lives out here and we’ve become really, really close friends, and he’s been helping me out and coaching me up. I take lessons from him two to three times a week. I’m just trying to get better and learn Pickleball. It’s easy to pick up but it’s so hard to master. The little details are the hardest. I have no background of any racket sports at all; nothing, I’ve never played any other racket sport in my life besides ping-pong. I only played it casually a few times. So for me, it’s such a new and interesting and hard challenge for me. Any other sport I play, I pick up instantly. I’m not saying I’m great at it but I can pick it up and be good at it in a few weeks. But Pickleball is not like that, man. I’m trying to work on my backhand and it’s so many little detail things with your hand placement in the paddle and the level of keeping your weight down and your footwork. It’s these so many little things that’s so tough and challenging for me, that I think that’s what’s driving me each day. And working with Dan, he’s been getting me better and teaching me a lot, so it’s been a lot of fun for sure out here.
Morgan: That’s awesome. He has one of the best backhands in the game, for sure. So if anyone’s qualified to teach you that…
Shea: Yeah, and I’m over here taking lessons from him and every time I mess up one of my backhands, I always compare myself – I don’t know why I do it, but I’m comparing myself to him in which I can’t because his backhand is just ridiculous. He’ll show me how do it and I’m like, “How the heck do you do that?” It takes time. I don’t think I’ll ever have a backhand like Dan but he’s been teaching me a lot, so I’m grateful for that.
Morgan: He’s a top bloke, for sure.
Do you attend his church as well?
Shea: No, I don’t. We’re actually planning on doing a couples study together though, so he’s a great dude for sure.
Morgan: Nice! Yeah, for sure. Maybe I’ll get him on the show one day and he can tell me some deeper things about Shea McClellin that we don’t know.
Shea: Yeah, for sure. He’ll love that.
More Life to Live [12:55]
Morgan: So it seems like – I’ve read a few interviews about you. It does seem like you’re someone who is generally at peace with the end of your football career. Is that because you’re genuinely a happy person or more towards you just understand what’s in your control and you refuse to focus on things that are out of your control?
Shea: Yeah, I think honestly, it’s a little bit of both. I’m a pretty even-keeled person, I don’t get too high or too low no matter what the situation is. But I knew playing football and even before I got into the NFL that it’s not going to last forever, right? Even the best players only played until they’re 35 to 40, so you have so much life to live afterwards. And I realized that, I knew it wasn’t going to last forever and a lot of people don’t, and I think that’s where they get stuck and bad things happened after football, is because their whole life they’ve been just football. And for me, it was never like that. Yeah, I want to say I loved football, I love competition; that’s me, I love the competition of it. Any type of competition whether it’s playing football or basketball, whatever it is, chess, I’m always trying to win. It doesn’t matter what it is. So I never actually loved football, I loved the competition but it’s something that I did because I could, you know what I mean?
Morgan: Yeah.
Shea: It wasn’t like this is life or death for me. I did it because I was blessed enough, blessed with talent and I’m big, so I got lucky enough and blessed enough to be able to do it.
Morgan: Well, to a certain extent, you certainly make your own luck, right? But it sounds like football was a vehicle for you to channel your competitive urges and it was the perfect fit based on size and athleticism and you growing up in Idaho.
Shea: Yeah.
Morgan: That’s great, mate! Jeez, I feel like there are not that many people that can really have that attitude coming from the kind of highs that you’ve experienced which very few people on the planet have ever experienced. When people watch the celebration party of the Superbowl and the stream has come down, we all sit here and wonder like, “Can you even imagine?”
And realistically, no one really can. Looking at gold medal-winning Olympic athletes and you bunch, and it’s great to be able to kind of bring it all down to Earth and talk to you about what it’s actually like, and whether or not you had realized at the time that this may indeed be the pinnacle and how quickly that depression sort of kicks in afterwards.
Shea: Right, right.
Morgan: It’s a very interesting phenomenon that you hear about when Olympic athletes finally get their gold medal. Almost every one of them reports a serious depression coming in afterwards. And it’s like the mind’s way of getting people to train again, to get back on the court or get back on the field. Because if you just kept that level of happiness, why would you bother going to train again? It would just be, “I’ll just live on this high. I’ve reached this level of success.” If you didn’t start having those feelings of depression, you might be like, “No, the couch is good for me.”
Shea: Right.
Morgan: I’m going to play videogames.
Shea: Yeah, exactly.
Gamer Shea [16:25]
Morgan: And on that subject, what videogames are you playing these days?
Shea: Man, I’ve been playing the MLB:The Show, actually, on Playstation 4 a lot recently. I’m just missing sports right now, so got to get my fix somehow. MLB, Fifa, Call of Duty, the basics.
Morgan: The basics… The staples for every red-blooded man to beat people and kill people. (laughs…)
Shea: Right, exactly (laughs…)
Morgan: That’s good stuff, good stuff.
Pickleball Trivia [16:52]
Morgan: I think it’s time for another episode of Pickleball Trivia.
Welcome to Pickleball Trivia. I’ve got a couple of contestants on the line ready to go head-to-head.
Firstly, I’ve got Jo Tony from Alberta, Canada. Jo, how are you doing, mate? How are you holding up?
Jo: A bit of a slow time right now, I think for everyone. But I’m staying home, staying safe, so I’m doing alright.
Morgan: Good man. Smart man. Excellent.
You will be going up against none other than Kody Newman from Whidbey Island, Washington. How are you, Kody?
Kody: Good, Morgan. Thanks for having me on the show. I’m excited.
Morgan: No worries, no worries. We need this youngblood to really propel the game, so we’re excited to have you.
Kody: Yeah.
Morgan: You’re one of 63 Newmans, is that right?
Kody: Yeah, pretty close there, pretty close. (laughs…)
Morgan: There’s so many!
Kody: Yeah, (laughs…) a good majority of us, yeah.
Jo: And they’re all over six feet.
Morgan: They’re huge. Are you are keen on Dairy Queen as your brothers and sisters?
Kody: Oh man, I am on a first-name basis with the owners on the island Dairy Queen. They know my order, as soon as I walk in, they get excited. They know they’re about to make a good chunk of change.
Morgan: (laughs…) Perfect. Good man, good man!
Alright, so Jo is going to be contestant #1. He will have the serve and I’m going to ask him a Pickleball question. If you answer correctly, Jo, you get to continue. You get the point and you get to continue answering questions. If you get it wrong or pass, then Kody is going to get the chance and so on and so forth.
Okay, the first person to get to 5 points it the winner and they get bragging rights and of course, an incredible Selkirk gift voucher.
Kody: There we go!
Morgan: Are you ready to go at it, guys?
Kody: Yeah.
Jo: Let’s do it!
Morgan: Okay, so Jo Tony, what year was Pickleball invented?
Jo: Oh my goodness. Let me guess… 1971?
Morgan: That is incorrect, unfortunately. It is very close.
Jo: Oh don’t give him any hints. (laughs…)
Morgan: Oh, that’s true. That means, Kody, you get a chance to steal that point. Any ideas?
Kody: He said ’75, I’ll go with 1970.
Morgan: Inches away from greatness.
Kody: It is unfortunately incorrect. The answer is 1965.
Kody: Oh…
Jo: Yeah, do I get the point for being close or…
Morgan: No. (laughs…)
Jo: Very close. (laughs…)
Morgan: I mean if I was a much nicer guy, I would totally give it to you.
Okay, that means Jo, you manage to keep the serve there.
In a 2 out of 3 to 11-point game of singles, how many timeouts per game is a player allowed to call?
Jo: Two.
Morgan: Two, yeah that’s exactly right. Well played!
Jo: Thank you.
Morgan: I mean I had faith in you. I had complete faith. I was semi-afraid. (laughs…)
Jo: I actually played Riley Newman, his brother… brother or cousin?
Kody: Brother.
Jo: In singles last year, and he kicked my butt pretty good, so I had to take all my timeouts.
Kody: (laughs…) Join the club.
Morgan: Good stuff. Well done!
Alright, that means, Jo, you’re on to question 2: Who was the naming sponsor for the 2018 National Championships held at Indian Wells Tennis Garden?
Jo: Selkirk.
Morgan: Oh…
Jo: Oh, no it’s not, but that’s okay.
Morgan: Yeah, it was almost a trick question. It’s not really but almost.
That means, Kody, you got a chance here, bud. Who was the naming sponsor for the 2018 National Championships held at Indian Wells Tennis Garden?
Kody: Jeez, he said Selkirk, that was my go-to as well. Will go Franklin.
Morgan: Franklin, unfortunately, incorrect.
Jo: Can I answer again, Morgan, or is it done?
Morgan: No, you cannot. I mean, listen, you won’t get a point and you’re going to continue serve anyway. But do you know what it is?
Jo: Yeah, Margaritaville.
Morgan: It is Margaritaville. Good job.
Kody: Oh, sure.
Morgan: It’s a shame it doesn’t count for a point.
Jo: That’s okay. It’s just good to know.
Morgan: (chuckles…) So we’re on to your next question. So far, only one point has been won, Jo.
Aspen Kern, the founder of the Pickleball Forum was unsuccessfully sued by which fellow player?
Jo: I’m going to say Scott Lippitt?
Morgan: Oh that would have been a good one.
Jo: But no…
Morgan: Unfortunately, that was a very successful sue – no, no. (chuckles…)
Unfortunately, that is incorrect. That means, Kody, you get a chance.
Kody: Jeez, I don’t want to be rude to anyone or anything by saying their name. But I’m going to go Ben Johns, maybe?
Morgan: Ben Johns…
Jo: I think he’s too nice of a guy.
Morgan: Yeah, that guy’s super nice.
Kody: He is too nice.
Morgan: Yeah, this guy is not as nice as Ben Johns but almost nobody is a nice as Ben. It is Timothy Nelson, Tim Nelson.
That’s where the name Nasty Nelson comes from.
Kody: (chuckles…) Good to know.
Morgan: Not because of the suit but I think he is pretty good at hitting people at the kitchen line.
Kody: There we go.
Morgan: Alright, Jo, so you continue the serve here.
Jo: This is really good. I’m not even getting them right and I’m still serving.
Morgan: Yeah, there is a time limit somehow.
Jo: Okay.
Morgan: In 2019, one woman was inducted into the Pickleball Hall of Fame. Who was it?
Jo: Who did Tyler Loong used to play mix doubles with? I’m going to say Jennifer Lucore.
Morgan: Yes, that is correct!
Jo: Is it actually?
Morgan: It actually is, yeah. I’m as surprised as you are.
Jo: You know what’s funny? She actually just added me on Facebook probably 10 minutes ago but I didn’t check anything.
Morgan: That’s amazing.
Jo: But I’ve seen that name before.
Morgan: Well, you got it right, I’m proud of you. We’re all proud of even Kody is kind of proud.
Jo: Thank you. Appreciate that. That was a hard one.
Morgan: Alright, moving on to your next question. You have 2 – 0 lead. Kody, you’re going to have to lift the game somehow.
Three men are credited with the invention of the game of Pickleball. What are their names?
Jo: I’ve got no idea. I mean I know the guy who, Steve Paranto, he was the one who started the Pickleball videos. But I don’t know if he was an inventor of the game.
Morgan: He was not.
Jo: You know what, Kody, see you step up there.
Morgan: Yeah, Kody, a little bit of pressure.
Kody: Do I need to know the name-name. I know – was it the Barnes brothers? I’m not sure, and their dad, right? The three of them?
Morgan: Those are the inventors of Selkirk. Pickleball is the…
Kody: Oh, that’s Selkirk.
Morgan: That’s a different thing.
Kody: Oh, no, I got no clue then. That’s who I was stuck on.
Morgan: Okay, well at least you’re honest. That’s fair.
Kody: Yeah.
Jo: You could tell he’s sponsored.
Kody: Yeah, yeah.
Morgan: He is, yeah.
Kody: Some people I got stuck in my name.
Morgan: They’re not bad names to get stuck with. They’ll appreciate it, don’t worry.
Alright, so Jo, you keep the serve here somehow. This is quite a historic match, I’ll be honest.
Jo: We’re two, young guys, we don’t know a lot of the history I guess right now.
Morgan: That’s true. We’ll see if we can’t get you over the line. This is going to be a team effort.
Okay, Jo, the correct height for the net at the sideline is how high in inches?
Jo: Man, we don’t use inches in Canada.
Morgan: Alright, I will let you do it in centimeters. I’m a metric fan.
Jo: I’m not saying I know it in centimeters either.
Morgan: Okay…
Jo: But I’m going to say 7 inches.
Morgan: Did you say 7 inches?
Jo: No, sorry – I’m from Canada.
Kody: He’s from Canada.
Morgan: 7 inches? That’s barely ping-pong.
Jo: I’m trying to think how much in inches. Let’s go 30 inches.
Morgan: That is unfortunately incorrect. Kody, this could be your big chance. Could be…
Kody: I thought it was 3 feet.
Morgan: But in inches.
Kody: Oh, 36 inches.
Morgan: 36 inches, Kody, you’re on the board!
Kody: There we go!
Morgan: Look at that! Wow! The whole Newman clan has a collective sigh of relief.
Jo: Wow! Good job.
Kody: Yeah, I was about to get some text here soon telling me to pick it up.
Morgan: That means you have the serve and you get a chance to answer more questions.
You question is: Steve Dawson is the owner and operator of which Californian-based Pickleball and Tennis club?
Kody: Jeez, I’m going to have to pass that over.
Morgan: That’s a good-looking pass. Over to you, Jo.
Jo: Yeah, I wish I could go to this tournament at SoCal. But is it Bobby Riggs?
Morgan: Bobby Riggs, that is correct!
Jo: Looks like a beautiful facility.
Morgan: Yeah, it’s lovely. It’s a good time.
Okay, Jo, your next question – you have a 3 – 1 lead. Are you feeling confident?
Jo: I mean, yeah, I like to think so unless you ask me more measurement questions than US denomination. But outside of that, I like to think my chances are pretty good. Kody’s given me a few softies here, so that’s always helpful.
Kody: (laughs…) No worries.
Morgan: I’m going to set up a US versus Canada, Imperial versus Metric, see who comes out on top.
Alright, but for now, your next question is: Which controversial player currently holds the unofficial world record in paddle-throwing distance?
Jo: Jeff Warnick.
Morgan: Jeff Warnick!
Kody: Dang! That was quick.
Morgan: That is for point #4. Were you there? Did you see it?
Jo: I wasn’t there; however, I was talking – I was with a friend of mine, Lauren, she was saying that I should impersonate Jeff Warnick on my next video, and she said just make sure you throw the paddle as far as you can. So I’ve heard and seen from experience that he’s a bit of a heated guy at times, so I just figured that that would be a pretty sick guess. But I don’t know the story specifically.
Morgan: Well, I will tell you. He was playing a match against, I believe it was Tyler Loong, and Alex Hamner. Alex Hamner was the one you were thinking of before, Kody.
Kody: Yes.
Morgan: And he was playing with Michelle Esquivel, I believe. And they lost, it was a really tight match and it went back and forth at the end, and he lost. And the noise before the paddle was epic. That alone would have been several code violations. But then he launched this thing and I think it almost hit Steve Deacon. It was like three or four courts away length-wise. It was amazing.
Jo: Wow!
Morgan: Oh yeah. And it kind of almost had like a boomerang thing but ended up with a nice spin. It was a thing of beauty really.
Jo: What tournament was this at?
Morgan: This was Nationals. This was like the first Nationals.
Jo: No way.
Morgan: This was the first time that they started thinking, “You know what? Maybe we should have like a code of conduct of something like that?” So USAPA, if you’re listening, maybe a code of conduct would be a good idea.
Jo: Was this before he started drinking on the day or was this some time in between?
Morgan: I don’t think that’s ever stopped or began. It’s just life.
Jo: It’s just a continuous flow.
Morgan: Yeah, it just flows. He’s just always in the flow. One day I might have him on the show and it’s going to be a train wreck I’m sure.
Alright, now we’ve gone a little bit off-topic, I forget. But I believe, Jo, it is still your serve. You got a chance to win the game here. This is big.
Jo: This is huge. No pressure.
Morgan: Okay. Pickles was the name of dog that legend says the sport is named after. What kind of dog was Pickles?
Jo: A beagle?
Morgan: Oh, no. Definitely wasn’t. It was not a beagle, that is incorrect. That means, Kody, you get another chance. Come on, bud. We believe in you.
Kody: I’m actually pretty confident about this one because Pickleball came from Washington, so it’s a little local to me. I remember how they named it after their dog. Wasn’t it a Cocker Spaniel?
Morgan: Cocker Spaniel, Kody, for the point! Good man!
Kody: There we go!
Jo: Back against the wall.
Kody: That was a little trivia. There we go!
Morgan: I tell you, that’s good stuff. You’re really tapping into that frontal lobe. Well done!
Kody: Thank you. Will take it!
Morgan: Yeah, yeah. You Newman’s, you’re good with the pressure.
Kody: It was a local question, so I appreciate it, another Washington question. It was close to me.
Morgan: Alright, well in that case, you might have a chance at this next one.
The original paddle design came from which other sport?
Kody: Racquetball?
Morgan: Sorry, mate. No chance.
Jo: Racquetball’s are racquets.
Morgan: Yeah, yeah the clue is in the name there, bud.
Kody: I thought like the shape of it.
Jo: Oh, the shape. The shape, yeah.
Kody: The shape is like exactly the same.
Morgan: Yeah, you’re not wrong. However, that is not the answer. That means Jo, you get a chance here. This is for the win. The paddle design?
Jo: I’m going to say ping-pong.
Morgan: Ping-pong is the answer.
Kody: Oh yeah.
Morgan: Congratulations!
Jo: Thank you so much.
Morgan: That is huge. This is a crowning achievement, Alberta, Canada is now really looking to you to lead the way.
Jo: I mean, sure, I completely agree. There’s just so much weight on my back right now.
Morgan: Yeah, that’s it. I mean don’t be surprised if, by the time this podcast comes out, there’s already a golden statue in Center Square there really.
Jo: I mean, yeah, you’re not wrong. We don’t have a center square but yeah…
Morgan: Maybe it’s a circle.
Kody: I’ll be driving up to Canada to go with him after my siblings find out about this loss. They’re not going to be too happy.
Jo: This is the first time that I’ve beaten a Newman, so I’m actually super happy about this. I just want to thank God for the opportunity to compete at this level.
Morgan: Oh my god! You guys are too much.
Kody: There we go.
Morgan: I mean if I can, I will try to edit out the – let’s be honest, numerous questions you both messed up there. If I can somehow…
Kody: Yeah, if you could help us out a little bit here, Morgan.
Morgan: The ratio of correct to incorrect, yeah.
Jo: You know what? It was a slow start but I think we both kind of caught a groove right after I messed up that inches question.
Morgan: That’s true.
Kody: I totally spaced in that ping-pong. It totally makes sense. I was stuck in the shape.
Morgan: I will never forget the 7-inch net height.
Alright, gentlemen, this has been way too much fun. Thank you both for your time.
Kody, you didn’t come away with the win but did you have fun anyway?
Kody: Oh my gosh, this was great! This was awesome. Thank you for having me on, thank you!
Morgan: No worries, mate. Good stuff.
Alright, guys, you stay safe and take care of yourselves. Hopefully, we’ll see you on the court soon.
Jo: Appreciate it, man. Stay safe.
Kody: Stay safe, everyone.
Morgan: Take it easy, gentlemen. Cheers!
Well, that was Pickleball Trivia. I’ve seen better, I’ve seen worst.
145 Lbs. Wet [32:46]
Morgan: Alright, so I’m curious. You obviously come from a sport where there’s a lot of different sizes that can play NFL, American Football. What do you think in terms of Pickleball? Does it strike you as a sport where there is a particular kind of size, shape that really lends itself to Pickleball?
Shea: Yeah, like 180 lbs., they’re in super good shape. That’s what I think. I’m over here 260, right? And I’m playing people that are 175, 190, and I’m like, “Dang! They got unlimited energy.” I can play especially singles, play in a match like I’m good for – give 5 or 6 3-match games or whatever it is. By the end of the day, I’m tired. These young kids weighing 170 lbs. they just got unlimited energy. So for me, I’m trying to lose weight right now. If I can get down to like 230, 240, I’ll be feeling pretty good. That will be good for me but from what I’ve seen, it’s just a young, fit, in-shape people that it’s hard to compete against especially someone as big as me.
Morgan: I can tell you’re yawning. You’re tired from running after the kids, I’m sure.
Shea: No, no, I was out of breath because of what I just did. So I was like trying to breath out but not make it noticeable.
Morgan: That is funny. It happens to me all the time, and I’m like 145 lbs. wet, so don’t feel bad.
So you said you’re trying to drop a few lbs. are what you doing? Is it mostly in the kitchen or are you able to get some exercise in the quarantine situation we’re in?
Shea: Yeah, I get out. I’ll run like a mile and a half three days a week. And I know somebody that has a Pickleball court in their backyard, so I actually still get some Pickleball work. I’ll do that two to three times a week as well. Between Pickleball and some running, and then the days that I run, I work out, I guess prison workout now because we can’t go to gyms or anything, that’s what I’m doing right now.
Morgan: Hey, if you end you with that prison body, you’re good, man.
Shea: Right? Exactly! I just don’t eat like that.
The Sky is the Limit [35:03]
Morgan: Well, I got to tell you, mate, this has been an honor and a privilege. I think this is going to be something the time you’ve got now whereby a lot of people don’t have a court to work with, you’re going to be able to leapfrog a whole bunch of people very quickly. For my money, you already have the most important thing to succeed in Pickleball and almost anything really, and that’s the drive and the belief you can do it, so I would say the sky is the limit, mate.
Shea: Yeah, I hope so, man. Hopefully, one day I’m out there playing against you. We’ll see.
Morgan: Yeah, that will be good. And we can reflect on our time together on a podcast.
Shea: Right!
Morgan: Good stuff. Well, mate, it’s been an absolute privilege. Thank you so much for taking the time. Hopefully, we’ll see you again soon on the court, and speak soon if you’re up for it.
Shea: Yeah, always up for it. Thanks for having me, Morgan. I appreciate it. Look forward to our talks in the future.
Morgan: Perfect. Happy to help you anytime, mate. Just come out to the desert, I’ll be here.
Shea: (chuckles…) Alright, awesome. Look forward to it.
Morgan: Cheers, mate. Speak to you soon!
[background music plays]
Sponsor: Selkirk Sport
Best Podcast Ever! [36:36]
Morgan: So Shea, as you know, I’m not from around here, and I’m still trying to figure out this whole NFL stuff. I’ve just a couple of questions that I need to get cleared up. If the quarterback throws the puck to home base, how many points is that worth?
Shea: I think 9 points. I think you’re right on the money right there.
Morgan: Nine? Perfect, okay great! And how many home runs would you expect to throw in a match? Like for you personally, what’s your record?
Shea: 58.
Morgan: 58, nice. That’s a good number. That’s much more than me, for sure. Now, you won the Superbowl. Have you ever thought about using it as a salad bowl?
Shea: Oh man, that would be awesome, right? Just to eat out of it.
Morgan: That’s the dream. I would just invite friends over, “Hey, we’re having salad again.”
“Shea, are you using the Superbowl as a salad bowl again?”
“Maybe.”
Shea: You know my Superbowl ruins a spoon over here.
Morgan: Well, I’m glad you cleared those up for me, mate.
That was good. I can already tell, that’s going to be our best podcast ever!
Shea: You’re going to have to edit that.
Morgan: Likely. It’s not me, it’s this guy, Forrest. He’s the backbone of the organization. I have to say that so he feels good. Alright, once more with feeling…