Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Stan.
[00:00:02] Speaker B: And I'm Shen.
[00:00:03] Speaker A: And each week we bring you the Stan and Shen Show. And each week we talk about fun things through our travels throughout the capital region. We touch on food, we touch on news, try to touch heavily on good news. And Shen's always available with hot takes.
[00:00:19] Speaker B: Yeah. So if you could follow along and listen to us every week on DailyGazette.com or on all major streaming platforms, we'd love to have you join us.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: One thing that came to mind heading into this podcast was your scale of 1 to 10.
[00:00:36] Speaker B: For what?
[00:00:37] Speaker A: Most things. When I ask you on a scale of 1 to 10 and you call something an 11 often. Correct.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: I didn't. I would not say I call everything.
[00:00:47] Speaker A: And 11 often, but things you like, you call it 11.
[00:00:50] Speaker B: That's not true.
[00:00:52] Speaker A: Well, I think you're an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10. Well, that is true because this is episode 11 of the Stan and Shen Show.
[00:01:00] Speaker B: That was your intro for this episode. We got to work on things, Stan.
[00:01:05] Speaker A: Well, I wanted to start with that.
[00:01:06] Speaker B: That wasn't very fiery.
[00:01:08] Speaker A: I was going to say we're on fire. I was going to say we're on fire because we had the opportunity to have Sam Clifford come in, one of the co owners of the New York Phoenix. That will tip off. That will launch. That will be on fire Friday and Saturday for their home openers, twin hobo openers at the Armory Studios, New York that we're very excited about. He was great.
[00:01:32] Speaker B: He was fantastic.
[00:01:35] Speaker A: You were on fire with the puns.
[00:01:38] Speaker B: If you say fire one more time, we're gonna become a drinking game.
[00:01:42] Speaker A: You came to play, you mean?
[00:01:45] Speaker B: I set the podcast ablaze?
I ignited the storyline.
[00:01:52] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. I know it's not a Taylor Swift song, but you are on fire.
That was awful. That was a one.
[00:02:02] Speaker B: So there is a song. This girl is on fire. Lucia Keith.
[00:02:06] Speaker A: Yes.
So you're probably a six. I was a one.
[00:02:12] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:02:12] Speaker A: Well, all right. So to keep this show ablaze, stealing it from you, I'd like to introduce Sam Clifford, co owner of the New York Phoenix, talking about the team coming to Schenectady and some of the plans he has with his wife as co owner and everything we have to look forward to in the area.
So everything's good. We're getting new offices.
The good news is we're getting a brand new basketball team tipping off Friday night.
[00:02:43] Speaker C: Oh, yes.
[00:02:44] Speaker B: What a. What a lead in there, Stan.
[00:02:46] Speaker A: You like that?
[00:02:47] Speaker B: Yeah, like that? It's pretty solid.
[00:02:48] Speaker C: Everything is brand new and shiny. Isn't that great?
[00:02:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:02:51] Speaker A: That's what we all want to be, right?
[00:02:53] Speaker B: You know what I call that, Stan? That opening? A slam dunk.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: See, she's. She's getting it. She is actually getting.
[00:03:01] Speaker C: See the alley oop going on? Yeah. This is great.
[00:03:04] Speaker A: So I want to welcome in Sam.
[00:03:07] Speaker C: Clifford, co owner, yes, New York Phoenix.
[00:03:10] Speaker A: That will launch, I guess, Fri. Tip off Friday.
[00:03:14] Speaker C: Tip off Friday night, 7pm Doors open at 6.
[00:03:18] Speaker A: What's this like? Because it's like Christmas Day, you know, the day is coming. You've done all the work that you're supposed to have and maybe missed out on a present to. Right, but what's it. What's the emotions like heading into this?
[00:03:35] Speaker C: Well, so if we're going to use the Christmas reference right now, right now it feels like it's Christmas Eve. And I have, like, seven toys to put together. You know, I have a bike to put together. I have a Barbie house to put together. You know, there's.
But we're. We're extremely excited. It's. It's what, what is.
What the team has accomplished these past three months has been. Been astounding, you know, because when we walked into that in the Armory Studios in October, there were like dinosaurs there, you know, and I'm like.
[00:04:11] Speaker A: And you weren't one of them.
[00:04:12] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:04:13] Speaker B: We're like, they're just about as tall as the basketball players.
[00:04:16] Speaker C: So what. What the team, you know, Ray and Jeff Lazier in the county, in the Metroplex, in Discover Schenectady, and just the massive team of. Of what the city is about, what we've accomplished in the past three months is we are now finally excited because all the vision, it's all coming together and it's becoming real. Like, we actually pulled this off, you know, because when we had talked to people at first, like in November, they're like, there's. You're doing what? Like, there's no way you're gonna do this. But we did it. And when people walk inside, I have brought in a couple people, and when you walk through that threshold and you go inside Studio A, they call it the main arena, the Jaws Drop. It is. It is a sight to be seen, and it is a tremendous asset that the city has just gained.
[00:05:06] Speaker B: So I'm gonna steal the next one, Stan, because I actually want to take us back.
[00:05:10] Speaker C: Stole the ball, right?
[00:05:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:11] Speaker C: Another reference, another steal.
[00:05:14] Speaker B: What can I say? I need to have possession of this one. Okay. So taking it back a little bit, you know, you talked about, like, in November, sort of everybody Being like, oh, my God, I can't believe you're going to do this. I guess. Why own a team?
[00:05:30] Speaker C: Why?
[00:05:30] Speaker B: Like, how did this come about?
[00:05:32] Speaker C: I still ask that question. So. So our ownership team actually own and operated the Albany Patroons for the past two seasons.
[00:05:39] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:05:40] Speaker C: Okay. So we understand basketball. We know basketball. We know how to put together a team, a franchise, operations.
And the reason that why we wanted to take the franchise, because there was an expansion opportunity with our league.
Why would we take what we've already created in Albany and bring it to Schenectady? That's. This city is primed for a sporting team. Right. If you look at, you know, the Valley Cats over in Troy, and then you look at the Firebirds and the Firewalls and Albany patrons, it's, you know, there's a nice cluster of teams. But with the renaissance going downtown Schenectady, this. With. Especially with the rich basketball history the city has, it's primed for a sports team. And, you know, just watching this city go through a significant renaissance, it's. Why not. Let's do it.
[00:06:35] Speaker B: I mean, in the same building that essentially has undergone its own sort of renaissance over the years, too.
[00:06:40] Speaker C: So the transformation of that building is epic.
[00:06:44] Speaker B: Yeah. We. We did a story with Ray a while back.
[00:06:47] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:47] Speaker B: And got a little bit of a. Of an inside peek into the. To the Armory. And it's an absolutely beautiful.
[00:06:54] Speaker C: Oh, it's gorgeous.
[00:06:54] Speaker B: It'll be exciting to see you guys play there.
[00:06:56] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:06:57] Speaker B: The other thing is, how did you guys go about choosing the name of the team?
[00:07:01] Speaker C: So.
So the name Phoenix is actually directly correlated to the resurgence of pro basketball in the city.
[00:07:11] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:07:12] Speaker C: So it is. It is a true dedication to the city of Schenectady of the representation of the rebirth of pro basketball. So it's a. It's an ode to such a historic city.
So why not call it Phoenix?
[00:07:26] Speaker B: As you can see, I was sporting the colors today.
[00:07:28] Speaker C: Yes. Yeah.
[00:07:29] Speaker B: I was on board.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: I got my hat.
[00:07:31] Speaker C: I remember getting.
[00:07:33] Speaker B: Oh, you got the hat. I have the T shirt at home, but this outfit just.
[00:07:36] Speaker C: I remember at the parade.
[00:07:38] Speaker B: Yes. I still have my. My T shirt, so.
[00:07:40] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:07:42] Speaker A: Very excited.
[00:07:43] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:07:43] Speaker A: So this is. This is great. As you know, Shannon gives me the. She said, I don't really have any questions. And then she slays with. Slays with one and two.
[00:07:53] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:07:54] Speaker A: The.
[00:07:55] Speaker B: Well, I am the underdog. Let's see how many I get in here.
[00:07:59] Speaker C: Now.
[00:07:59] Speaker B: He did this with Food for the soup stroll. So now this is like payback for For a moment. I'm gonna rebound it back to you, though.
[00:08:07] Speaker C: All the unintended puns.
[00:08:08] Speaker B: You're welcome.
[00:08:09] Speaker C: Thanks for the assist.
[00:08:10] Speaker B: I'm gonna be the MVP of this podcast.
[00:08:15] Speaker A: We're going out with a bang, I think.
[00:08:16] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:08:21] Speaker A: What's it like? How hard is it? How easy is it as an expansion team to find your talent? Some of your talent came from. Have experience with the patrons that you may have known, but, you know, owner and wearing a lot of hats. You see a lot of people that you'd like, really think that they would fit. So was that easy because you have experience? This is not like some guy wants to do this. You've done the legwork.
This. This is not the minor leagues. Now you're in the major leagues again. So was it easier drawing some of that talent in?
[00:08:57] Speaker C: The only talent decision that the ownership group made was appointing Trav Wych as the head coach. Okay.
He is a talented point guard that played for Albany Patroons for the past three seasons, played in the NBA G League. He's well respected by his peers, and he is the one that assembled the team. Okay. He is the one that, before we announced him as a head coach, he's like, I'm getting a second cell phone because his phone went off the hook. Okay. Because of the respect that the players have given him.
He has tremendous value, stock value, if you will, as a new time head coach. And a lot of players came to him saying, I want to play for you. Okay, Trev. But also they recognize what the organization has done with Albany, and they're like, well, if you're going to replicate that in Schenectady at a higher level, I'm coming with you.
[00:10:01] Speaker A: Going behind the curtain again.
The boss is at the office. You're here doing the tour. How hard is it working with your wife? I have experience in this. Comes from several decades.
[00:10:13] Speaker B: You cannot answer that question.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: Several decades of working with my wife, Rita. And is it.
[00:10:20] Speaker B: It's totally different.
[00:10:21] Speaker A: What's it like?
[00:10:26] Speaker C: We are a perfect match.
[00:10:28] Speaker B: I was going to say, you can take your time answering this one.
[00:10:31] Speaker C: I am on the strategy side, so I understand business and how to move pieces on the chessboard. She has tremendous street smarts.
She's always giving me warnings about, watch out for that. Watch out for that. That's bad. That's bad. And we have this ongoing thing of like, okay, Rebecca, you're right, because I would do something against her advice, and it always comes back full circle that I was wrong and she was right.
[00:11:03] Speaker B: So, well, I Just want to know.
[00:11:05] Speaker A: So she's been on a winning streak for a while.
[00:11:07] Speaker C: She. She's batting a thousand.
[00:11:08] Speaker B: This sounds like a prime example of. You should always listen to the woman in the room.
[00:11:13] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:11:14] Speaker B: I'm just saying Women's History Month is coming up.
[00:11:16] Speaker C: It.
[00:11:20] Speaker B: You just said your wife was usually right.
[00:11:22] Speaker C: Right, right.
[00:11:23] Speaker B: I try to tell Stan that I'm usually right the same way.
[00:11:27] Speaker C: So we were at City hall the other night and councilman Carter Williams, he. We. They issued a proclamation of welcoming us to the city and it was a great ceremony. However, the first one that went before us was in honor of Women's Month. Women's History Month, Right. So, so I hopped on that and I wanted to talk about. She's the only female sports owner in the capital region.
[00:11:55] Speaker B: Oh, wow.
[00:11:56] Speaker C: Okay. And for her to come into such a male dominated industry, she has to be tough and she's very, very good at it. So she's like a Jeannie Buss, the owner of the Lakers, you know, so she's, she may. She's very, very strong willed and she.
[00:12:18] Speaker B: Stan knows quite a few.
[00:12:19] Speaker C: She, she kind of corrals the men because the men tend to go off in their own little directions. And once in a while she dropped a hammer and get everyone back in line.
[00:12:29] Speaker A: Coach has his board. He's got goals on the board. He's got game goals.
[00:12:33] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:12:33] Speaker A: He's got series goals, he's got month, year, season goals.
What's on the owner's board for this first season for the Phoenix?
[00:12:48] Speaker C: The.
Yeah, no, it's, it's, it's not number one, though. I guess.
[00:12:56] Speaker A: That's not it. That's not.
[00:12:57] Speaker C: I'm so. That's not one. It's, it's, it's, it's funny, right, because I went to Union and I spoke to a bunch of students, okay. And I asked them, I said, what is the. I said, I coach for a long time. I understand X's and O's, I understand basketball. So what is the difference between a head coach and an owner? I said, the moment you go from head coach to ownership, what is the biggest difference? Right?
And they couldn't answer the question that, oh, it's, it's winning, it's picking players, blah, blah, blah. No, the moment you go from head coach, you're in charge of the floor and you become an owner, you're an entertainer. This is an entertainment business, okay? The moment you become an owner, it's. You're putting on a, a public event, a party. And it is now entertainment. Right. So when you start talking about your goals on your board, number one is building a fan base. Building a fan base that's going to be loyal, that's going to come back. That's, that's, that's. Love the product, but loves the experience.
Right? Because it's about the experience. It's about competing with the Netflix and the Hulus and the social medias. And everyone has their face in their phone and, and convincing them, put your phone down, leave your house and come to a live basketball game.
And that's a lot different than picking players and doing X's and O's and watching your stats and your records.
[00:14:21] Speaker B: Has it been harder for you to sort of transition there?
[00:14:25] Speaker C: No, because I like. So this is really like putting on a big party and then what's.
[00:14:32] Speaker B: That's fun.
[00:14:33] Speaker C: Yeah.
What has been actually quite interesting in Schenectady is just the community here.
The response that I have experienced. Now I can compare this to Albany because the past two years in Albany, how the community in Albany is versus the community in Schenectady. Two different planets, the tight knit community of Schenectady and just the core nucleus of everyone just wants to win. Right? Because I was taught in business school, business is love or business is war. Okay?
And it's either or. There's nothing in the middle.
And Schenectady feels like business is love. If we all get along, we all help each other, the city wins. And whether I'm talking to Rivers or I'm talking to Frog Alley or the Beer Garden or you're talking to proctors or any major player in the city, they all want the same thing. How can I do to help? Right? What can I do to help? And who do you need to know next?
And just building this network, I built a network three times the size in three months that I did in Albany in two years. It's because everyone just keeps pushing you on I got your back, I got your back. We want this to be big.
[00:15:55] Speaker B: And I gotta say, I think we saw a little bit of that sort of excitement when we had you on stage for the holiday parade.
[00:16:04] Speaker C: Yeah, it was cold.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: It was cold.
[00:16:06] Speaker C: But people went crazy.
[00:16:08] Speaker B: People went crazy when you guys came down the parade route. And I think that's sort of a testament to Schenectady kind of essentially over the years, kind of finding its way back. Like you said, that rebirth, that renaissance that, you know, growing, you know, expanding.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: Yeah. There's been different mantras there, been discovers, I think has been the new Schnectady and things like that. But it's all that name is still part of it, whatever you put in front of it.
[00:16:36] Speaker C: Yeah, right, right, exactly.
[00:16:39] Speaker A: Schnected. And this very, very big, small community that Schenectady is and should be and can be one thing. And we talked about briefly when we were zooming around on the. At the Soup Stroll. And they love the spicy Phoenix. That was. That was my top one.
[00:16:56] Speaker B: That was good. That was hot.
[00:16:57] Speaker C: Yeah, that was. Yeah.
[00:16:59] Speaker B: Had a nice kick to it.
[00:17:00] Speaker A: It was warm for her, but I absolutely loved it.
[00:17:03] Speaker C: It was perfect. On a cold day.
[00:17:05] Speaker B: Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's great.
[00:17:06] Speaker A: The floor, the, the. The lore of the floor that people are going to see on the. Your players are playing on. There's got to be some magic literally in that floor.
[00:17:20] Speaker C: Yeah. You know, that's.
Yeah. So out. So one of our first things on our list is we need a floor. Like we gotta. You gotta play basketball. I need a floor. Right?
It is. No, no, it is. So a long, long story short is, which is a whole nother conversation, but we, we, we acquired the NBA Paris Games Court that was in Paris, France eight months ago, and it was used in 2023 because the NBA always plays an international game every single year in Paris. And they just played it last month in 2025. Right. Obviously that would be last month, 2025, just in case we all want to know what the date is. So our court was in 2023. It was the Bulls and the Pistons and they repainted the court for 24. And then it was the Cavs and the Nets. So not only is it magical, and if you flip through, like, some of the photos of, you know, Donovan Mitchell and, you know, some of the NBA players on it, what's even more magical is the celebrities that sat courtside because that was, that was the ticket. That was the hottest ticket in town. I mean, everyone would fly everywhere to come and watch that NBA game in Paris.
And I kick myself as I'm walking across the floor. I'm like, of all places in the world that this court could end up. It is in Schenectady, New York. Right? It's, it's, it's downtown. It is in Armory Studios, New York. And it's absolutely magical. And the players love it because it is a legitimate NBA floor, NBA technology. And the players, like, this is the best floor they've ever, ever played on.
[00:19:09] Speaker B: So listen, we're not a list Hollywood celebrities, but we were mentioned in the newspaper as local celebrities. If you need to fill in Some seeds with some celebrities. Stan and I might be free on.
[00:19:20] Speaker A: Friday for a signing.
[00:19:22] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm always available for a signing. All I ask is that there be some food.
[00:19:26] Speaker C: There's plenty of food there.
[00:19:28] Speaker A: The. The. And then, you know, you gotta. You gotta launch, you gotta tip off. Friday night, Saturday night, wash, rinse, repeat. Because I think you're on the road. And then you're back.
[00:19:39] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:19:39] Speaker A: To see the other.
[00:19:43] Speaker C: The third home game.
[00:19:45] Speaker A: Yes, the third. The third home game against the Albany Patroons. I've done Sports for 22 years, and we live on rivalries because we're on the outside. So many coaches talk about it's the worst week when it's the rivalry week because everyone gets too amped up. Sometimes they can get unfocused.
What do you think, Coach? Is Coach addressed it yet, or is he just going to. Is it. You know, typically every coach will say it's another game. Obviously it's a home game, which is great. It's going to be huge. But I think you're gonna do media. Media row again. Like this week. You're probably gonna do it in two weeks.
[00:20:23] Speaker C: So.
What caught me off guard is how focused the city is on this rivalry. And it's cool. It's cool. It's like a heavyweight bout. It's like Logan against Tyson sells papers. It's big because even in the proclamation, Colonel was like, reading it in the last sentence was, we're building the champion DNA to beat our rival Albany Patriots. Like, he wrote it in the proclamation. It's like, so in the chamber went nuts. Like, I'm like, okay, I'm in city hall.
[00:21:01] Speaker A: So we have. We have beat army, beat Navy, and then beat Albany.
[00:21:06] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:21:06] Speaker A: And then Ken will say, beat RPI for hockey. So we'll say you're tied for three.
[00:21:12] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:21:12] Speaker A: Mantras in sports, in the nation.
[00:21:15] Speaker B: That's. Okay, listen, I'm an Oswego grad, and one of my co workers is a Plattsburgh grad.
[00:21:19] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, I know.
[00:21:21] Speaker B: Yeah. So you know, we understand rivalry pretty well.
[00:21:25] Speaker C: Yeah. But going back to your comment about what I do with the players, the challenge is, is that we have five Albany patrons. Five.
Well, one. One is the head coach. Okay. One is Shadow Millinghouse, which is a local celebrity, actually probably one of the best players in the entire league. Just came back from Saudi Arabia to come play here. Okay.
Team captain, Arsenio Arrington, ex patron. Mustafa Treyar, ex patron. And a throwback, AJ Mosby, who was the point guard under Will Brown when he brought them to the championship run. Okay. So.
So we are already seeing our ticket sales for the Albany game have already surpassed the game for this Saturday.
[00:22:17] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:22:18] Speaker C: Okay, so now what's going to be interesting is that the way that these games are stacking up Friday night, this Friday night, Albany is playing and we're playing. So we're playing at exact same time. We have our simultaneous home openers. They're off Saturday. We're not. We're playing Saturday.
We're already seeing Albany fans are coming to our game Saturday because they're curious. They, they, they want to know. They're doing their own scouting, but they want to see their players because they love these players. These are really good players. And fans follow players and then they'll come back and Albany's going to be there. So. So this, our schedule has stacked up beautifully for our first three home games.
[00:23:02] Speaker A: Anything coming up? Any. And it's still early. And you can add so many things that come together as an owner and through your entertainment group and.
[00:23:12] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:23:12] Speaker A: Your promotions department and things like that. Anything highlighted yet that you, you want to splash today?
[00:23:19] Speaker B: I was just going to ask about that. Like, Friday, Anything special Friday, I think.
[00:23:23] Speaker A: Or is Friday just. Is Friday like a wedding? It's like, okay, we have all of this. Let's get through Friday.
[00:23:29] Speaker C: I think it's.
[00:23:31] Speaker A: Then you're like, do this night, that night, this theme night.
[00:23:35] Speaker C: Yeah. So. So we know that opening night is going to be crazy and things are going to break.
They always do. Right. So our goal is to just post a successful kickoff. Now, the city in the county, they're literally down there right now preparing the site. Right. They've laid down gravel for parking lots. They're bringing in extra lighting. You're going to see those road construction signs with the letters on it. You know, Phoenix down there getting the Hollywood lights going, you know, so it's like everyone is like, Friday night's going to be the party and the curiosity is peaking right now. So.
So it's, it's. Anything secret there, there's, there's nothing secret yet. But you just see our mascot.
Our mascot is being revealed on Friday night.
[00:24:34] Speaker A: Okay. Okay.
[00:24:36] Speaker B: That's exciting.
[00:24:37] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:24:37] Speaker A: So is it a phoenix?
[00:24:43] Speaker C: It's. It's name is. The name is Sin Singe.
[00:24:49] Speaker B: Singe.
[00:24:49] Speaker A: Okay, so is there a chance?
[00:24:52] Speaker B: Wow, he's really gonna heat things up then?
[00:24:54] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:24:55] Speaker B: Set it a blade.
[00:24:57] Speaker C: Fuel the fire.
[00:24:57] Speaker B: It's gonna be on fire.
[00:24:59] Speaker C: Yeah. Yes.
[00:25:00] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:25:00] Speaker A: I like that. Doors open at 6.
[00:25:03] Speaker C: Doors open at 6.
[00:25:04] Speaker A: Tip off at 7. 7pm Tickets still left Wednesday afternoon.
[00:25:09] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:25:10] Speaker B: Asking for him and no tickets.
[00:25:13] Speaker A: Tickets available Saturday.
[00:25:14] Speaker C: Tickets available Friday and Saturday. Yes.
[00:25:16] Speaker A: Get them for Albany now.
[00:25:18] Speaker C: Yeah, get. Get your Albany. Yes, you can buy Albany Patron tickets right now. So it's NY Phoenix basketball dot com. Find the ticketing page. They're very easy to get.
[00:25:28] Speaker B: I feel like those are gonna. Those are gonna go before Saturday.
[00:25:31] Speaker A: So you don't have to wait till Sunday to see the stars at the Academy Awards. No, you can go to where movies are made.
[00:25:42] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:25:43] Speaker A: At Armory Studio, New York.
[00:25:45] Speaker B: How long did you work on that?
[00:25:46] Speaker C: And see our latest.
[00:25:49] Speaker A: See Schenectady stars today.
[00:25:52] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:25:52] Speaker A: Friday night. Saturday night.
And we'll be there.
[00:25:56] Speaker C: Yeah.
It will be on fire. And our team is very, very good.
[00:26:03] Speaker B: Very good.
[00:26:04] Speaker A: Very good.
[00:26:05] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:26:06] Speaker C: Very good. You wait. You wait until. Yeah, there's me. A lot of dunks, a lot of three pointers.
[00:26:14] Speaker B: I'm happy for, like, if you guys win, but I'm just like, I need to know what the mascot.
[00:26:18] Speaker A: She's gonna be texting.
[00:26:19] Speaker C: Yeah. Actually, the. The one thing that's really.
[00:26:21] Speaker B: We got to get our mascots together.
[00:26:23] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:26:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:26:25] Speaker B: Newsy and singe. Just please don't burn the paper.
[00:26:29] Speaker A: Fire resistant.
[00:26:30] Speaker B: Resistant.
[00:26:33] Speaker C: That's great.
[00:26:34] Speaker A: Well, thanks for coming on.
[00:26:35] Speaker C: Of course.
[00:26:36] Speaker A: Appreciate it. Thanks for having me and best of luck.
[00:26:38] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:26:38] Speaker A: And we look forward to talking to your wife during the month of March during a down day, maybe a down half hour. And then some of the guys.
[00:26:48] Speaker C: Maybe the Friday after the Patroons game.
[00:26:52] Speaker A: If you come out on top, there's.
[00:26:54] Speaker C: Gonna be a lot of anxiety and.
[00:26:56] Speaker A: Okay. We're moving that to post.
[00:26:58] Speaker B: Just like we say here in the office. Go Bills. Ghost connectedy.
[00:27:02] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:27:02] Speaker A: Go Phoenix.
[00:27:03] Speaker C: Go Phoenix.
[00:27:04] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:06] Speaker A: We're back. He was awesome.
[00:27:09] Speaker B: He was. He was great. I'm excited to see what the mascot looks like. I might be more excited about the mascot than I am about the game.
[00:27:17] Speaker A: I will tell you, I was surprised that you. You didn't dive in with a Stan and Shen show pitch to Sam early on.
[00:27:29] Speaker B: I did not. But I did. I did make note that we are local celebrities. So if they need any seat fillers for the night near the very nice fancy.
[00:27:38] Speaker A: If there's like luxury boxes and such.
[00:27:41] Speaker B: Court that we now have floor.
[00:27:43] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:27:44] Speaker B: That we were willing to, you know, we could. We could open up our Friday night.
[00:27:49] Speaker A: Right. They can just get.
[00:27:50] Speaker B: Not that I'm currently busy, but they.
[00:27:52] Speaker A: Can get touch with our bookers.
[00:27:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:54] Speaker A: Email stan and shenmail.com.
[00:27:56] Speaker B: Yeah. When I say that I only need food, I literally Just mean like a Diet Coke and some fries.
[00:28:02] Speaker A: So we are not going to keep you here long because I think Sam was. Was so great. And we want to keep things tight and moving. So we're going to commit to the press and keep things going and talk about. It's been a rough week.
[00:28:19] Speaker B: There has been.
[00:28:20] Speaker A: There has been some rough week. And we. Yeah, we cover it. It's in the Gazette. You can see it. But for this, we kind of like to touch on good news. So what do you got?
[00:28:28] Speaker B: So.
Well, I guess this is more like news news. It's good news if you voted for him. It's.
[00:28:34] Speaker A: It's good news that it's ended.
[00:28:36] Speaker B: Yes, it is good news that it's over. We're done. It's complete towards November, which I have. But we, we have an official end to the dpw, the special DPT VW Commissioner race in Saratoga Springs. So the question remained whether or not Hank Kaczynski was going to appeal the court's decision. He decided not to. Which means, you know, end of the day, certification happened and Chuck Marshall is now the new Saratoga Springs DPW commissioner. My understanding is he took his oath of office yesterday, but the actual swearing in ceremony will happen on Tuesday and we'll be there for that.
[00:29:14] Speaker A: Yep. And slip Slying away.
[00:29:21] Speaker B: I think the.
I believe they say her name is Ali Ernst, I think is how it's pronounced. The owner of Sly, the horse, who I think everyone is very familiar with now, I think put it very like, was well spoken when she said that his Olympic figure skating days are over.
So this horse, Sly, fell into a pond and had to be rescued by three SSPD or Saratoga Springs Police Department officers, the owner, and several other people who. Who aided in getting this horse out from the water. And we have that story online yesterday, along with the body cam footage that the police department. Police department provided. My understanding is the horse is still recovering and we wish him the best of luck. Also. Sly is a great name for a horse.
[00:30:10] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely.
And so for my side, for good news, I had. I had a fun weekend. I had a fun weekend. I was able to go to the Saratoga Beer Summit, which I know you missed.
[00:30:24] Speaker B: Yes, because I love beer.
[00:30:26] Speaker A: A lot of friends. A lot of friends. I made a lot of friends. A lot of smiling faces.
[00:30:29] Speaker B: That's what usually what happens when people are drinking.
[00:30:32] Speaker A: It was. I mean, I was there for the end of the first round and I was there for the second.
[00:30:37] Speaker B: There were rounds.
[00:30:38] Speaker A: They did two sessions.
[00:30:40] Speaker B: Oh, I was like, Jesus Christ.
[00:30:42] Speaker A: You can imagine the first round, as it was closing down, the DJ was jamming, people were dancing. I did a Facebook live as they were playing naturally Sweet Caroline. As. As truly.
[00:30:53] Speaker B: Which is a great song by the way. It's a very big. As someone who went to a hockey school. Go Oswego.
Big, big. Yeah. I mean that might be the one time during the entire game that we. I'm not gonna say we're friends with our rivals.
[00:31:09] Speaker A: United in song.
[00:31:11] Speaker B: We. And I don't want to say we respect them a little more, but we. We hate them about about 1% less. As long as they know the lyrics. They don't know the lyrics. It's over.
[00:31:23] Speaker A: They're out.
[00:31:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:31:25] Speaker A: So again, now that song stuck in my head.
[00:31:27] Speaker B: Thanks.
[00:31:28] Speaker A: Speaking of the. The age difference for. For myself, last call was always American Pie, typically because it was very long.
[00:31:39] Speaker B: I was gonna say that's a very. It's like a what, like a seven. Seven minute song. Seven plus minute song.
[00:31:44] Speaker A: I have a friend who's a chief in the Navy. And naturally everything closes out with Proud to be an American. And so the entire bar is drunk and hugging each other and things like that. But so we closed out and then got there for the restart, which was Great. Beer Summit. 2500 people made it through. Sampled a lot of craft beer.
We have plans to launch. The success of Indiana Nash's bite size segments in print and online have had been so successful that we'll. We'll be launching a weekly pint size feature on craft beer. Oh, and they'll be written by our own John Norris and our advertising department.
[00:32:23] Speaker B: Pint size.
[00:32:23] Speaker A: Pint size.
[00:32:25] Speaker B: A good name. This is a solid name.
[00:32:27] Speaker A: That was.
[00:32:28] Speaker B: And then sized. It's credit for that.
[00:32:31] Speaker A: I know you missed this one because I texted you and. And I giggled the entire time.
[00:32:36] Speaker B: I have one more good news, by the way.
[00:32:38] Speaker A: All right, well look, ladies first. Go ahead.
[00:32:40] Speaker B: So this week we got to go be there for the ribbon cutting of a new veterinary clinic in Saratoga Springs. So just want to shout out Cornerstone because they were great. That was this week's Bisbee. It was fun to be there. Got to meet a cute dog while we were there. And the owners are fantastic.
One of our co workers actually has been to their Clifton park location and has said tremendously great things about them.
And so for all of our pet listeners and friends out there, Cornerstone Veterinary Hospital. Hospital.
[00:33:10] Speaker A: Two locations.
[00:33:11] Speaker B: Two locations.
[00:33:12] Speaker A: And Saratoga.
[00:33:13] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:33:13] Speaker A: So great people, great tour.
[00:33:15] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:33:15] Speaker A: Facility.
[00:33:16] Speaker B: Yep. One of the few in the entire country. That is.
Aha. I think is how it's the acronym there.
[00:33:26] Speaker A: The American check your notes.
You got it right in the store.
[00:33:30] Speaker B: It's a certification that very few veterinary clinics get. They are also fair, Fear free certified, so they really help your dogs with their anxiety if they're coming in for shots, and show you, too, how to sort of alleviate those stressors that your pets might have.
[00:33:48] Speaker A: All right, so my last good news thing was Sunday morning as I texted you that I was at the Swifties brunch.
[00:33:58] Speaker B: Yes. At the Hideaway I missed.
[00:34:00] Speaker A: I was like, I cannot believe we're not doing the Stan and Chen show for this. Because, yeah, it was. It was wonderful because, yes, it was moms with. With small daughters, young daughters that just tickle you as a photographer. And Joy, one of my highlights was a dad who was there with his Swifty Dads.
[00:34:24] Speaker B: They're the best.
[00:34:25] Speaker A: I said, I'm here to present you your father of the year award.
[00:34:27] Speaker B: The Swifty Dads are the best because, like, they really learn the lyrics and, like, what they mean and how they impact people. And I don't think people realize that. Like, I'm gonna say this and a lot of people will get mad. A lot of y'all booed her at the Super Bowl.
[00:34:41] Speaker A: You're still not over that.
[00:34:42] Speaker B: I'm not over it because, I don't know, I just feel like you're booing a person who pays their employees well, who literally drove economies with her tour, helped tons of people, and not only did she drive economies in the places she visited on tour, but she donated to charities. She there. And if you listen to her lyrics, like, a lot of people be like, ah, it's just about her breakups. It is not. There is a lot in those lyrics and people read more into them. They would understand a lot more about her life, who she is as a person and how, why so many women, especially young women, like women of all ages, actually relate to her very well. And anyways, Taylor, if you're listening, anytime you want to come on the podcast.
[00:35:25] Speaker A: And next week we'll be tasting the Swifties Kool Aid, but part of the Swifties brunch, there were specific non alcoholic and alcoholic Swifty themed drinks and some food there. And it was great. So again, not only did you have mothers with young girls, you had. I said, my star dad who was there with his toddler daughter. We had a young couple, 15 years, husband surprised his wife with brunch tickets. I got a great photo in the gallery of them toasting. I said, this, this is. This is mileage for You.
[00:36:00] Speaker B: He won a husband of the year award.
[00:36:01] Speaker A: He did.
[00:36:02] Speaker B: He.
[00:36:03] Speaker A: It was funny because he was nervous because his wife said, you may be the only guy there, so. But he was a good company. He was respected. He got props from the whole room. And we had a lot of sisters. We had. We had tables of groups, tables of friends. And I had. And there were several mother, daughter, you know, women of age.
[00:36:23] Speaker B: Listen, people, if you're doing Swifty events and you're listening to the podcast, please let us know. I've missed out on, like, three or four of these now.
[00:36:30] Speaker A: So we have an opportunity. We have been invited.
[00:36:33] Speaker B: Oh, thank God.
[00:36:34] Speaker A: To Shaker Ridge Country Club. It is a swifties brunch coming up, open to the public.
We.
We have.
[00:36:43] Speaker B: We gonna wear.
[00:36:44] Speaker A: Oh, my God. We have an invite.
[00:36:46] Speaker B: How long of when? I need a date.
[00:36:48] Speaker A: End of March, I believe. I have the date written down in.
[00:36:51] Speaker B: My book, so I only have that amount of time to figure out an outfit for this. Oh, this is tough.
[00:36:56] Speaker A: All right, I will too. So if we're gonna. If we're gonna go, then we're gonna go. So the stand.
[00:37:00] Speaker B: I feel like I gotta pull out the red blazer.
[00:37:02] Speaker A: It's a Sunday morning. You're still.
[00:37:04] Speaker B: I'm gonna look fabulous. Yeah, I'm gonna look fabulous for this. Oh, I'll make the call if it's kind of cold. I totally have the perfect shirt for, like, lover era album. Like lover album era.
[00:37:16] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:37:17] Speaker B: Not. It's not my vibe if I come in all black. You know, it's a reputation day.
[00:37:21] Speaker A: You can explain that when we do the live.
[00:37:24] Speaker B: Yeah, no one knows what this is.
[00:37:26] Speaker A: And you can explain it all from there. And maybe we'll get some of the family to go down to Shaker.
[00:37:31] Speaker B: Oh, I definitely know some of the families coming.
That's not an if and. Or but.
[00:37:37] Speaker A: But that's it. So for good news for the Swifties out there, we're working on stuff. We're just like, kind of working on stuff. Phoenix open this weekend. That's our highlight. Hockey final weekend.
[00:37:48] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:37:48] Speaker A: A regular scheduled weekend. Senior night.
[00:37:50] Speaker B: Yeah. That's big. That's big news. Because, you know, if you've been out. Yeah, I've been out to the Mohawk Harbor. I mean, you've seen it. It's coming along. It's getting there.
[00:37:59] Speaker A: Yeah. And we're. We're gonna be touring the new rink on Monday. Ken shot and I. So I'll talk about that next week.
[00:38:06] Speaker B: Yeah, that'll be fun. I. I remember distinctly the day that Ken and I broke that story. So I can literally recall almost every detail about breaking that story. It was a big thing around here.
[00:38:17] Speaker A: All right. Usually we say, go, Bills, but I think for this weekend, it's going to be go Phoenix.
[00:38:23] Speaker B: Yeah, Go Phoenix.
