Mavs Rebuild Reality Check, Walking to Boston for Scotland & FIFA’s Greed | Ep 230

Welcome again to just wondering with Norm Hitskas. This week, we examine the critical work ahead for the Mavericks in the next two months as they try to rebuild their franchise. Then we introduce you to one of the most avid soccer fans of the world on a trek to see his favorite team play. And finally, the level of greed of FIFA, the organizer of the World Cup. And now a word from our title sponsor. Eying retirement? We aim to turn your nest egg into a paycheck with half the amount you've been led to believe. Fluent Financial combines in house portfolio design risk management with income generating investments designed to aid your financial independence. Our goal is to develop an effective portfolio strategy to help you retire sooner and have a better life Fluent Financial can also implement a program that allows business owners to install a cash balance plan, which may potentially reduce income tax payments. You've worked hard to become successful. Let us help develop an effective portfolio strategy that works for you. Learn more today about Fluent Financial. Retire sooner, better lifestyle. For more information or to schedule a meeting, visit fluentfinancial.com or call (972) 852-4800. The next six to eight weeks will have a massive impact on the Dallas Mavericks' ability to build another contender, And 2026 will have this special significance because right now, Dallas doesn't have its own first rounder again until 2031, and the next first rounder they have is the Lakers clear pick in 2029. That makes this summer so critical in Dallas. There's the enormous pressure the team president Masai Ujiri and new general manager Mike Schmitz will have to establish the Mavs' new direction this year. In the draft, in trades, in free agency, in use of available cap space. In the draft, which begins June 23, the Mavs have picks number nine, thirty, and 48. 30 is the last pick in the first round. 48 is very late in the second. And that, by the way, makes those two picks a bit of a shot in the dark. The current thinking is that Dallas at number nine must find a running buddy for budding superstar Cooper Flagg. But before we get the names and possible maneuvering in the draft, Dallas must be almost cruelly honest about exactly where the franchise is now. This team will not win the West next year. It will not win it the year after or the year after that. San Antonio and Oklahoma City are simply too young and too talented to think that any other team in the West will crash the party over the next handful of years. So I believe Dallas should point to perhaps the 3031 season as the real beginning of their next possible window of contention. Hey, I know that's far away. I think it's also being honest. The real beginning of that window of contention, all the moves, all moves should be made with a kind of realism in mind. Any player now 29 years or older on this roster is likely not part of that next contender. With that in mind, I think Dallas should trade talented players now on the roster for help. Draft choices this year, more likely draft choices down the road. And that that means dealing good players. Kyrie Irving, Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington. They're solid, but they're not part of the real future for the Mavs. And by the way, neither is off guard Klay Thompson. In the draft, if Dallas keeps that number nine pick, the most likely choice will either be Arizona off guard Braden Burries or Louisville point guard Michael Brown. Filling the point guard spot with Brown will probably please the Mavs hierarchy the most, but he might be gone by the time Dallas selects at number nine. Would, should Dallas consider trading down? What if Charlotte offered the fourteenth and eighteenth picks in this draft? Would Dallas consider that good value depending on who they expect to be there? Oklahoma City Center, Isaiah Hartenstein is a free agent. Might the Thunder part with number 17 and something else in the trade for solid and cheap Mav Center, Daniel Gafford? At some point, Dallas will have cap space available. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are each examples of how to use cap space to build for the future, even to build far into the future. New president Masayu Jerry built Denver and Toronto into contenders, solid contenders. New GM Schmitz did the same in Portland. In Dallas, they already have their superstar of the future in place. Cooper Flagg, plus a few other solid youngsters like Max Christie and Derek Lively. What will they? What can they build here? We may not know for three or four more years. What do you want from your favorite restaurant? Fantastic personal service, a cheery, welcoming, spotless atmosphere, and of course, food. 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But this bomb cuts the timeline to about a week. And ordering's so easy. Just go to the website, fullmoonhealingco.com. Craig Ferguson loves Scotland. He was born there, and he's a huge fan of Scottish soccer or as they call it in Europe, football, which makes him a massive fan of Scottish soccer. How big a fan? Well, that's why 22 year old Craig Ferguson is with us today. Craig, hello and welcome and thank you for your time. Hello. Thank you so much for having me on, and I must say it's an absolute pleasure. So I really appreciate you keeping me company along this day of walking. Scotland qualified for the World Cup for the first time in twenty eight years. They'll face Haiti in a first round match June 13 in Boston, actually, in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the home of the Patriots, which brings us to Craig's story. In February, he set off from Santa Monica to walk across America to be in Boston for that first game for the Tartan Army. So, Craig, you're walking right now. Where are you in America? I am right now. I have just crossed over the Delaware River, actually, from Philadelphia into New Jersey. So I'm speaking to you my first couple steps in a new state of New Jersey. So that's where I'm at right now. Well, you're getting fairly close to the end of your journey then. As indeed, yeah, very, very close. Like you said, I've started all the way back in February. It was the February 24 this year. I started all the way back on Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles and to be honest with you, it feels as if I've blinked and here I am over 3,000 miles pretty much of walking now and the end is so so close. I can almost smell the paints of beer that will be waiting in Boston for that finish line. So when it's all over, how many miles will you have walked and about how many days will it have taken you? In total, if all goes to plan from here till the end, now Norm, we're looking at about 3,300 miles in total and it will probably take in around one hundred and ten days to cross America entirety. You know Craig, that hurts me just hearing that. Yeah. It's my my body's my body's screaming at me to stop at this point, but to be honest with you, being from Scotland, we don't know what the word quitting or giving up means, so there's no stopping now. Well, where'd this idea come from? To be honest, the idea obviously and kind of totality was to become the first man in history to walk across America, where we're in a kilt the entire time. It was an idea that started actually a couple of years back, think. To go into it in detail, I'd probably need to rewind all the way back to 2023. So the Scotland national team, which like you said I'm going to support, qualified for the European Championship, which is another major tournament, well on a smaller scale, to the World Cup. Now Scotland qualified for that and me and my friend were on a phone call saying, how are we gonna get to the world how are we gonna get to the Euros? How are we gonna get there? Etcetera. And he kind of jokingly suggested, well you should just walk there. Now there was something about that idea that I absolutely loved so I was like, you know what, you're right, I should walk there, imagine if I did, like how long would that take?' and I became obsessed with the idea and I came completely enamoured by it and then following that I decided right, I'm going to do this, I'm going to walk to Germany which was that tournament so I walked from Glasgow to Germany and the reason why I do it all for men's mental health is that very friend who gave me the idea initially. Tragically seven years ago, his father Russell took his own life and that was kind of the moment for me or the spark that lit the flame to be like, well, Struan not only helped me and gave me that idea but obviously with him being such a big part of my life I thought was a no brainer that it was men's mental health that I wanted to go and walk for and then finally leading me on to here, that challenge was just so incredible and such a formative part of my life that I thought if we ever get to a World Cup then I'll walk there. Will, we'll get to your charity in a moment, so I definitely wanna get to that during our discussion. Yep. You you started at the Santa Monica Pier. By the way, I Yeah. I lived in LA for two years and didn't live far from the Santa Monica Pier. Was are you living and working in LA, or was just that just the best place to start? It was it was just the best place to start, to be honest. I I'm Scotland born and bred. I've lived there my entire life, so I fully just travelled over from Scotland to do this. The reason why it was LA obviously, once the draw kind of got done and once we knew where Scotland were going to be playing their matches, I knew that Boston was going to be the finish line and from there on out it was just about coming up with a start lane that affected the challenge and I thought well I could do something shorter but the idea of being able to see I've walked across the entire of America really stood out to me and going from coast to coast, LA is normally the traditional starting point of that. So I thought, why not make it LA to Boston? By the way, if you're thinking, gee, might I have passed Craig along the way somewhere? Would I have noticed him? Oh, you would have noticed him. Every step every step you're taking, you're wearing kilts? That's right. Yep. I've been wearing my kilt the entire time from when I started on Santa Monica Pier all the way until this very point that I'm speaking to you now, I am in the Kelton. I think that kind of symbolizes what this challenge is all about. Like you said, I'm a football fan at the heart of it who goes to support my nation at these tournaments and I think that carrying that kind of symbol of patriotism with me and basically showcasing to the world, yes I'm Scottish, yes we're a little bit crazy and this is the lengths that we're willing to go to support our nation. That's exactly what it's all about. So yeah, I think if anyone's drove past a man in rural Kansas for example and a KELT, it was probably me. What kind of comments has that drawn along the way from people who've seen you? To be honest with you, usually really nice comments. I think people overall when they see the Celt, the general reaction is normally one of positivity and I think that fills me with so much pride that people's connotations to my country are always so positive. Don't get me wrong. You've had a few people who are maybe questioning whether my kilt is a skirt and and being a little bit more confused in that sense, but I'm I'm quick to correct them on that one. And once they hear the broad Scottish accent, they they quickly backtrack. You you you must have encountered some cold weather starting in February and walking through the all the mountain areas and and the Midwest. Was it not cold on some of those days? You're spot on. The weather's been one of the biggest sort of challenges. And yes, there's been days where it's been absolutely free to be cold. But being from Scotland, the cold is actually what I've been trained for my entire life. It's more the opposite. It's more the heat which I need to get used to. Being from Scotland, you know, we come from a very sort of cold climate there. And I tell you something, being a Scotsman trying to walk through the Mojave Desert and Death Valley, I'm definitely not built for that sort of heat. So that in itself was a challenge for sure. So I had to kind of get used to that but anything that's come our way, you know, whether it be rain, snow, hail, tornadoes, sunshine, I've had to deal with it all and I take it in my stride and to be honest, getting this far, I wouldn't change it for the world because it all adds to the story at the end of the Wait a minute. Have you come close to a tornado? Has there been a tornado in your area? There has. I mean, through the sort of Midwest, through kind of Kansas area and through St Louis, we had some severe tornado warnings almost daily at a point and those were really challenging to try and combat, especially figuring out when and where I was going to be able to walk. It was kind of having to play to mother nature on those days but I'm very fortunate that luckily I didn't actually encounter any, but we got put on some severe tornado watches where we had to seek shelter immediately. So there's definitely been moments like that, but near misses, I would say. He a trip like this must take a great deal of planning. How how many hours, miles a day do you walk? Yeah. It took a lot of planning. I'd I'd say, you know, I've had the the kind of fortune of being able to plan this for months and months before actually coming out to do it but yeah, the actual logistics of it are definitely a challenge. In terms of how the days today look, I wake up at 5AM every single morning, I get myself ready, I eat my breakfast. I get ready for the day ahead. Put the coat on and then I'm walking for around about fourteen hours every single day. So I walk around 35 to 36 miles every single day normally on average. Now for anyone who's you know ever driven even 35 miles or potentially ran a marathon they'll know just the length of how much that is and that's been continuous for around one hundred days now so it really has took a physical and mental toll on me, but like I said, the end is near now. Well, here's the first thing I think. How big of blisters do you have? Honestly, if I showed you my feet right now, think all your viewers would turn off immediately. So we won't be doing that. But yeah, my feet are not a pretty sight. But that's just a battle scars that I've luckily been able to sort of gain along the way and yeah, my feet have got pretty used to blisters at this point. Craig, where do you sleep at night? So I'm very fortunate that along the way, I have one of my best friends out with me now. His name is Matthew but he doesn't do any of the walking. He drives our support vehicle where we both sleep at the end of the night, every single night. So I'm very fortunate to have him with me. I've known Matthew since we were four years old and he's been a huge part of my life. So yeah, this whole thing, you know, me speaking to you about all of this, it wouldn't be possible without the big man. How how have the Americans been that you've encountered along your way? People people are so, so friendly and, you know, people have been very, very receptive to the challenge especially like you said when they ask about the kilt and why I'm wearing that and what is that I'm actually doing. As soon as you get into the real heart of it and explain the reason is for men's mental health and you know it's a cause that everyone can get behind and you know I'm yet to encounter someone who isn't deeply affected by that cause so you know people people are very respected and very very helpful when they hear why I'm doing it. How much have you raised so far during the walk for mental health in Scotland? So, so far, we've raised around £225,000, I believe is probably just shy of about $300,000. So it's an incredible amount of money so much and that money really is going to go towards life saving support, which is, you know, it makes all the hardship truly worth it. Craig, this this walk has as much fun as it is, has a very solemn side and your choice of charity. Tell us about your father, if you would, please. Yeah. Of course. Of course. Of course. My best friend's father who who took his own life, it was a a story that, you know, impacted me deeply and I think that it was probably the first moment in my life. I was around 14 years old at the time and I think that, you know, in early adolescence was the moment that I realised okay, this issue is ruined. There are men out there who, you know, are struggling in silence and, you know, tragically taking their own lives and with these challenges, you know, far forward and back to this time, what I want to do and at the heart of it, yes the challenge is great, I want to try and raise as much money as possible but I've always said that, you know, if me throwing on the couch and walking very far can be the highlight of one person's day, if it can pick someone up when they're feeling down, if it can be a little bit of light of hope to showcase to people that yeah, there's a Scotsman out there who's walking 3,000 miles to show people that they're not alone, then that would all be worth it and anything that we raise off the back of it is just a bonus in my eyes. So if if our listeners and viewers want to support you, how do they do that? Yep. So the best way to do that is to to donate. It's and the best way to do that is to visit www.thetartontrek.co.uk. That's www.thetartontrek.co.uk. And alternatively, they can follow me on all social medias where it's craig ferguson underscore one, and they can find the link on that. Craig, let me let me just make sure about this. After the dot, it's .coal? Dot u k. Dot u k. Okay. Yeah. Now do you have tickets for the game? I very fortunately do have tickets for the match. No. I didn't when I first began. I came out here and I started, and I didn't have tickets. But I've been very fortunate that some people back home in Scotland have really took to the story, and, yeah, we're lucky that they're gonna send us to the match in Foxborough. Oh, that's fantastic. Does the team know what you're doing? Well, I've not had anyone from the team themselves particularly reach out to me personally. There's been a couple of players here or there. I'm very confident that they know about that story. Know, social media is a powerful tool nowadays and I know that players have liked to post and stuff like that previously. So while there hasn't been some overall activation just yet from the the players in the Scotland national team, I'm pretty confident that they know about it. Craig, let me tell you something. If I were on the team and I found out you'd walked over 3,000 miles to support the team, you'd have a sideline pass. Well, we don't know what will happen. Fingers crossed. Finally, when it's all over, cannot walk home. How comfortable will the airline seat feel? Oh, I can't even begin to explain how nice it will be to go back to normal life and not have to walk 36 miles a day, to be honest with you. So any seat, absolutely any seat that I get to take after this challenge is going to feel like a five star hotel on my buttocks. And finally, how long will it be before you nod your head and say, oh, yeah, when someone asks, let's go for a walk. I I don't want to hear the word walk for at least three months after I finish this. I will be swiftly getting a ride anywhere that I go. But no, I I know seriousness. Walking's a huge part of my life. It's one of the reasons why I'm able to go out and do this, but it will be nice to take a a small hiatus from walking once I get back. Well, God bless you. One quick personal note. Do you live anywhere near the Scottish 500? That were the route to take the Isle Of Skye and all the way to the top of Scotland down the Eastern side? So I don't live very close to it but the beautiful part about being Scottish is that you can get from one end of the country to the other and a swift four hour drive now in American standards. I know that that's not very far at all so that's the beauty about sorry, sir. That's the beauty about coming from Scotland is that you can get to all of its most naturally wonderful sites in the space of a couple of hours. Well, I've been there. I've driven the Scottish North Coast 500. God bless you, Craig. You got you enjoy it? Oh, loved it. Absolutely loved it. God bless you. I love that. Walk safely. Have a spectacular time at the game, and thank you for your time. Stolen Water Media is making a move. After two plus years, it's time to change and keep up with our growth. You can continue to view all eight of our podcasts on our Patreon pages. But now you can get all episodes at www.stolenwatermedia.com. This is a developing story, but you can begin by watching and listening right now at www.stolenwatermedia.com. Continue to find all audio wherever you find your favorite podcasts, and some you may not have heard of, but I think will enjoy. Are you just wondering where your next spectacular vacation will be? Relax. Feel the sun on your body. Let your cares melt away at the all inclusive Cerenian Bay Resort in Southern Belize. It's literally built right on the sand. The ocean, your ocean, is just a few barefoot steps away. Laid back luxury, terrific food, a swim up bar, a spa, air conditioned gym, unimaginable service, fishing, snorkeling in gorgeous turquoise waters. Do you want relaxation or do you need adventure? You choose at Ceridian Bay. Mary and I have been there three times and this summer will be number four. Take a cozy bungalow for two or bring the whole family to villas that can accommodate up to 14. Sirenianbay.com, sire N ian. The sand and the sea are just waiting for you to get here. How cool to see the joy in the face of Scotland's Craig Ferguson as he walks toward the World Cup in Boston to see his beloved Tartan army play. But excitement for the cup has begun to wane here in this country and around the world. As soon as FIFA, the organization that controls soccer in the world, announced The US as the primary host nation for the twenty sixth World Cup, Celebrations began both here and around the world. New York, Philly, Boston, Miami, LA would each host several games, but the most games would be played here at Jerry World, nine games in AT And T Stadium. But the expected exhilaration as the games approach has begun to ebb for many reasons, and most of those reasons center on money. FIFA is all about money. The incredibly high cost of tickets has drawn fewer everywhere. It'll cost over $1,000 a ticket if you'd like to see The US play its opening game against Uruguay. Tickets to the final of the World Cup are now fetching up to $33,000, but they're much higher in the resale market where the asking price for good seats is 7 figures. That's 7 figures per ticket. And if you wish to resell your tickets, well, you can do that through FIFA's secure website, but FIFA takes 15%. That's 15% from the seller and 15% from the buyer. Some people jumped in and immediately bought the best seats, FIFA's category one seats, only to find that FIFA has since created front category, and those initial buyers have seen their seats pushed back in what was, to begin with, category two. Wanna park at the stadium? At some stadiums, that price will be $225, $250. At Cowboys Stadium, the cost is expected to be 2 to three times as much as you'd park at a Cowboys game. Wanna take public transportation to the game? Well, you can't in our area. We don't have such transportation. But let's say you're in New York City. A round trip ticket to the game in New Jersey, which usually costs $12.90, will now cost $98. Why? Because the municipalities have charged that much to cover the costs of the high security FIFA requires. Tailgate? Almost no at any locations. One fair fan organization has accused FIFA of what they term a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup. An investigation in the FIFA practices launched in New York suggested, quote, being honest about ticket sales is not complicated, but FIFA has turned ticket buying into a gauntlet of confusion, fake security, and impossibly high prices. And fans around the world have noticed too. A formal complaint has been filed with the European Commission of Consumers and Fan Groups, citing FIFA and their unfair marketing dominance and pressure tactics. Besides the state of New York, California's launched an investigation also. The World Cup is supposed to be a windfall of profits for businesses in our country, but hotel reservations are down. Lots of them have been canceled. So have group bookings for fans traveling here. Besides the enormous cost of tickets, there's the much higher airfare these days, and travelers also worry about US immigration policies and the well publicized incidents involving forest and foreign citizens, by ICE. Last week, it was revealed that approximately half of the total of 700,000 seats available for games in Dallas remain unsold. What can you do about it? Don't buy a ticket. No matter how much you want to be there, don't pay the exorbitant prices for tickets or for parking or beers or hot dogs. Don't give FIFA one of your hard earned dollars. All the games are on TV. Arrange watching parties. I'm going one on June 12. Head for the sports bar, where I can assure you the beer and hot dogs will cost less than at the stadium. Besides, when you go to AT And T Stadium, unless you have great, great seats, you you wind up watching the game on Jerry's giant video board. You already have your own video board. It's called your TV. You don't have to give FIFA $1 of yours. In reversing the old Nike state saying, just don't do it. And now a word from our title sponsor. Today's episode has been brought to you by Fluent Financial. Retire earlier, live better. And by Bob's Steak and Chophouse on Lemon in Dallas and in Craig Ranch in McKinney. Bob's, a Dallas tradition for more than thirty years. If you've enjoyed just wondering, please hit follow and a fresh new episode will land in your mailbox early every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. Should you know a sports fan who might like our work? Please share our contact information with that person. Thanks for listening to today's episode of Just Wondering. I'm Norm Hitschkes, and know that every day I'll be just wondering about something. And I'm Mary Hitchgis, and I'll just be wondering too. This is a Stolen Water Media production.