Podbit · Pardon My Take
Clemens called 95% of his pitches himself — and his tell for the splitter was simply hitching his pants. Nobody ever cracked it. He also caught opponents tipping their pitches through sleeve lengths, glove fans, and facial expressions, with pitch-tipping turning a .250 hitter into a .350 hitter.
Where this was said
At 2:12:30 · chapter starts 2:07:33
Shane Bacon joins to preview the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, starting with a fun hook: the course has a 'donut bunker' on the seventh hole. He breaks down the course — flat for a links track, 108 bunkers positioned around green approaches, firm and fast conditions with minimal wind forecast, and par-fives coming only at holes 14 and 17. Past champions include Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, and Jordan Spieth. Shane outlines five key storylines: a strangely random 2026 major season, a 12-consecutive first-time Open winner streak dating to Phil Mickelson in 2013, the potential missed-cut slam for Bryson DeChambeau, the 'year of the comeback' in professional golf, and which big name finally saves a lost season. The Tommy Fleetwood revelation — that he grew up three miles from Birkdale and used to sneak on with his father — nearly derails the hosts, who immediately begin placing sentimental bets [1] — Big Cat "Tommy Fleetwood grew up three miles from Royal Birkdale and used to sneak onto the course during twilight with his father to practice. He's…" 2:47:24 . Shane's actual pick is Victor Hovland, citing his recovered driving, confidence from beating Scheffler, and three top-15 finishes in five prior Open starts [2] — Shane Bacon "Hovland spent months trying to gain distance off the tee and somehow lost distance instead. But his driver has returned in the last two wee…" 2:44:42 . The segment ends with Shane learning about Hank's righty-driver/lefty-everything-else golf setup and declaring it genuinely baffling.
In the 2005 season, Roger Clemens never finished a game with an ERA higher than 1.89, his last Cy Young year with Houston.
Roger Clemens played professionally for 24 years, facing hitters from Dom Baylor to Pujols across multiple generations.
Clemens called approximately 95% of his own pitches from the mound using subtle visual cues, not from the catcher's signs.
Clemens idolized Reggie Jackson growing up and dreamed of facing him. When it finally happened, Clemens was sitting at 93-94 mph — then Reggie stepped into the box, pulled out his handkerchief to clean his glasses, and Clemens suddenly found 98. He struck him out. Reggie pulling out the handkerchief told Clemens he couldn't see his pitches.
Clemens says the bat broke in four pieces, bounced directly into his hands on the mound, and he instinctively threw it — not at Piazza, but toward the on-deck circle where Mike happened to be jogging. He was 15 feet away. If he wanted to hit him, he wouldn't have thrown it. He frames it as the best fielding form of his career — a two-bounce perfect catch and release.
Thomas's wife deferred her CrossFit career — she's in the global top 1% of athletes — to put him through law school debt-free. He wants her to chase the dream now; she wants the emergency fund and house down payment first. On a $200K lawyer income with no debt, the opportunity cost is just a few months of slower saving.
Underground calisthenics battles are exactly like UFC meets a rap battle — 150 people crowded around a circle, fighters walking out with masks and chains, nicknames like 'Extra Money' vs 'Calisthenics the Prince,' and people throwing money and betting. The battle set: 100 burpees, 50 muscle-ups, 75 dips, 75 squats with a 65-pound dumbbell. This is the next big spectator sport.
Rico Verhoeven controlled the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion for approximately 10 rounds — and had his appeal upheld when officials admitted the fight was stopped after the bell. The result was never overturned. Rogan calls it either incompetence or corruption, and argues the money behind Usyk made an upset politically inconvenient.
Rogan lays out a blunt case: boxing's 3-judge system is structurally broken, and the judges know who the promoter wants to win. Glory's 5-judge format is the right model. Corruption doesn't have to be conscious — just knowing Usyk is the cash cow is enough to tilt the scales.
With the Usyk-Wilder fight stalling and Fury-Joshua coming too late, the real fight the world wants is the rematch. Rico is a free agent. Usyk vacated his belts. The story is unfinished and both Rogan and Rico know it. His Excellency Turki Alasheikh already called for it ringside — the question is money.
Rico texted Jason Statham during the Canelo-Crawford fight. Statham showed Rico's highlight videos to promoters. Two days later, Rico was on a call about fighting Anthony Joshua. When Joshua pulled out, Rico pitched Usyk himself — Undisputed vs. Undisputed. Usyk said yes in two weeks. The whole thing started with one text.
Every heavyweight who faced Usyk tried to move to the right — straight into his power hand. Rico and Peter Fury identified the obvious solution: move left, away from the left hand, and smother him with size. It sounds simple. Nobody had done it. That one adjustment was the foundation of 10 dominant rounds.
MMA fans boo when fights go to the ground. They love stand-up. Kickboxing is pure stand-up. Yet it barely exists in America while boxing and MMA are enormous. Rogan's diagnosis: no promotion machine. If the UFC got behind kickboxing the way they've built MMA, it would explode. The talent is there — the storytelling machine is not.
A nation of 17 million people gave the world Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verhoeven. Rico's theory: the country is so small that every gym shares knowledge freely. In the US, you need a flight. In Holland, you drive 40 minutes and spar the national champion.
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