Just because Kris Pursiainen of Knicks Sports Illustrated and Knicks Film School and Fritz Baldauf, host of the Das Fan-Erlebnis Podcast on German soccer's fan culture, have never met before and live on opposite sides of the country doesn't mean you can't listen to them debate sports and get on each other's nerves (don't worry - it's always to a tolerable degree). Fritz is from San Francisco and a huge 49ers, Warriors, SF Giants, and FC Bayern Munich fan going to Connecticut College next year for competitive sailing; Kris plays no competitive sports but is known at his local park in New Jersey for his shooting ability and is a diehard Knicks, NY Giants, Mets, and Liberty fan going to Fordham University next year. See how this dynamic duo introduced to each other by a former MLB player take on all things sports here on To A Tolerable Degree. You can find us on twitter @krispursiainen and @baldauffritz. Feel free to tweet at us with any questions you want us to address on the pod!
Fritz Baldauf and Kris Pursiainen
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back with the first part of a two part episode. This first part covers the state of the NFL a week away from the playoffs, and dissects contenders and pretenders in the AFC and NFC.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to preview the AFC this season.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to preview the NFC by looking at each team's over/under and taking a side on it, picking the division winner from each division, and to pick the NFC Champion.
Kris and Riley are back to give fantasy football advice for the upcoming season and to talk about the Donovan Mitchell trade to Cleveland.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to discuss last season's four most disappointing teams, the Nets, Suns, 76ers and Lakers, and look ahead to their future and try and forecast their ceiling and how realistic it is for them to reach it.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to discuss the recent Kyrie Irving drama, the recent NBA Draft and John Wall joining the Clippers.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to talk about the NBA Conference Finals, forecast a potential Warriors/Celtics Finals, and talk about Stephen Curry's legacy.
Kris and Riley are back to discuss and preview the 2022 NFL Draft
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to discuss the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs so far.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to discuss the state of the NBA before the start of the 2022 playoffs.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to discuss their own top 10 all time NBA lists and then discuss their bold predictions for the rest of the season (1:21:30).
Your favorite trio of Riley, Fritz, and Kris is back and behind the microphones to talk about all of the madness of the NBA Trade Deadline, break down the major deals and how they affect the league, and break down the upcoming Super Bowl matchup between the Rams and Bengals! Enjoy!
Kris, Fritz and Riley are back to discuss the conference championship games, Tom Brady, Brian Flores, Russell Westbrook trades, and more.
Fritz and Riley are back to discuss the upcoming playoff games and recap last week's playoff games.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to look at the current state of the NFL.
Fritz and Kris are back to discuss the current state of affairs in the NBA
Fritz, Riley and Kris are back to discuss the Warriors, the Suns, some Knicks banter, the Patriots return to prominence and the state of NFL contenders.
Fritz and Riley are back to discuss the past week in the NFL and the Warriors early return to prominence.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to discuss the NBA after week 1.
Fritz and Riley are back to discuss the NFL through week 5.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to discuss the first two weeks of the NFL season.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to preview the AFC heading into the 2021 NFL season and make their Super Bowl picks.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to preview the NFC for this year's football season.
Fritz and Riley are back to discuss NBA Free Agency day 1.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are all back to break down NBA Finals games 4 and 5, Chris Paul's struggles and perception, Giannis's perception, and much more. (Note: Kris was unable to call in through his computer so he had to use his phone, which is why his audio quality was different than normal).
Fritz and Kris are back to discuss NBA Finals game 3 and where the series is headed as well as some offseason rumors surrounding the Knicks and the Warriors.
With Fritz busy with work, Riley and Kris are back to talk NBA Finals.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to discuss the game 7s between the Nets and Bucks and Sixers and Hawks, the future of Ben Simmons in Philadelphia, the underlying structural issues in Philadelphia, and preview the Eastern Conference Finals between the Bucks and Hawks.
Kris and Riley are back after a long break to discuss the current state of the NBA Playoffs, including every series but focusing specifically on Nets/Bucks and debating Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell.
Fritz Kris and Riley are back to talk early returns from the first games of the NBA Playoffs first round series, including the Knicks game 1 loss to the Hawks, the status of the Nets, Bucks and Sixers, Clippers and Lakers concerns, and more. They then finish the episode by discussing the Julio Jones trade request.
Fritz and Riley are back to break down the NFL Draft and the current state of the NBA.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back together on the pod with Richard Goodman, known on NBA Twitter as Ricky G, to discuss the current state of the NBA, including the present and future of the Knicks, the past, present, and future of the Warriors, the contenders in the league this year, and more. They then finish the episode with Ricky G giving his takes on elite retired players and the GOAT debate.
Fritz and Kris are joined by soccer journalist and expert Manuel Veth in order to break down everything that has happened in the soccer world in the past three days with the formation of the breakaway European Super League, the backlash it received, its quick demise, and what should happen to the involved soccer clubs going forward.
On today’s episode of To a Tolerable Degree, Kris and Riley discuss the Knicks win over the Mavs, what their expectations are for the rest of the season, and potential moves they might make in the future.
With Kris busy, Fritz and Riley are back a few weeks ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft to give their mock first rounds, projecting what they think will happen on April 29th, from where the Quarterbacks will go, who will take the elite receivers, and where generational talent Kyle Pitts will go.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to discuss the wild ending to the Gonzaga/UCLA Final Four game, address the state of the Golden State Warriors struggles and their future, and debate how a myriad of injuries has affected the MVP race, included a long and heated debate about James Harden. Finally, they finish up the episode by talking more about the upcoming NFL Draft.
After an extended break due to college midterms, Fritz, Kris and Riley are back just in time to react to the flurry of NFL blockbuster trades, most notably Fritz's Niners trading up to the 3rd overall pick for (presumably) a QB, and the Eagles ensuing trade with the Dolphins. They then discuss the free agency moves around the league, most notably by the Giants and the Patriots.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to check in on the state of the NBA as we hit the All Star Break, including checking in on the struggling Celtics, and about the Nets and where they rank among title contenders. They then move into discussions about the state of the race for coach of the year and MVP, with Fritz and Kris both getting busted for pretending old takes didn't happen. Finally, they discuss whether LeBron should have more MVP awards.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to discuss the Fritz's Warriors beating Riley and Kris's Knicks, the NBA All Star Game rosters, and some more basketball topics. They then transition to the NFL, with Russell Wilson's trade request, Carson Wentz getting traded to the Colts, and then Riley gives his breakdowns, grades, rankings, and NFL comparisons for this year's NFL Draft's top five QBs.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back for a full NBA episode in which the trio looks into the Anthony Davis achilles injury and how it will impact the Lakers going forward this season. They also look into the NBA's plans to hold the All Star Game this year and whether or not it is worth it to do so. They then move on to discuss the Western Conference leading Utah Jazz, and Kris and Riley launch into a heated debate about Tyler Herro, Zach LaVine, RJ Barrett and Julius Randle.
Fritz, Kris, and Riley, are back to recap the Buccaneers Super Bowl win over the Chiefs, the Bucs dominance in the trenches, and more. They then transition to talking about the NBA, including the NBA MVP debate between Steph Curry, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant and LeBron James. They then debate which big man you would want in which context: Embiid, Jokic or Anthony Davis, and finish the episode by discussing the Knicks acquisition of Derrick Rose.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are finally back to preview Super Bowl LV between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs. They preview the matchup between Mahomes and Brady, the Chiefs playmakers, and why Tampa Bay could dominate in the trenches. They then look into the Matthew Stafford trade, the Deshaun Watson situation, and other quarterback concerns around the NFL. Finally, Riley ends the episode by venting his frustrations with "tough guy" coaches.
The guys get on the pod to discuss the Knicks' victory over the Warriors - a matchup quite relevant to the co-hosts of To A Tolerable Degree. Kris and Riley get their time to gloat, while Fritz attempts to levelheadedly analyze the contest. Each NFL playoff game from last week was then recapped and predictions for next week were then given, with Glenn's Gambles following to have your betting needs covered for this week's NFL action.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back from the holidays for an episode in which they discuss the hot start of Kris and Riley's beloved Knicks and the Eagles tanking to ruin the Giants' playoff hopes. They then discuss the various playoff matchups, who will win each wild card game, and who will cover the spread. The three of them continue to predict the Super Bowl and discuss a potential Deshaun Watson trade to the 49ers or Dolphins.
Fritz and Riley are back to check in with storylines from the last few weeks around the NFL, including the Steelers' 3 game losing streak, the Jets beating the Rams, but why both teams came out of that game as losers, and take a look at which teams are contenders and pretenders in the NFC and AFC. They then wrap up the episode with Riley giving his week 16 gambling locks on Glenn's Gambles and by briefly discussing the College Football Playoff.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to preview the Western Conference in the upcoming NBA season. The trio debates who will finish in the top three, whether or not the Lakers will prioritize rest over seeding, and the placement of teams like the Blazers, Mavericks, Suns, Warriors, and more!
Fritz, Kris and Riley are joined by diehard Celtics fan Liza Armstrong in order to preview the Eastern Conference in the upcoming NBA Season. The four agree on some things -- The Bucks-- and disagree on others -- the Nets. Throughout the show, various arguments pop up, most frequently centered around the ever mercurial Kyrie Irving (who Liza can't stand as a Celtics fan) and Kris and Riley's beloved Knicks.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are all back to break down the Knicks offseason, the Russell Westbrook for John Wall trade between the Rockets and Wizards, and (finally) the NBA Draft. After talking basketball, they transition to the NFL to talk about Carson Wentz getting benched, changing how we evaluate QB's, the Dez Bryant Covid fiasco, and the Giants and Washington's upset wins over the Seahawks and Steelers. To finish off, Riley gives his locks for next week's NFL action on the first official edition of "Glenn's Gambles."
Kris is busy this week, but Fritz and Riley are back to discuss Klay Thompson's achilles injury and what that means for the Warriors this season and in the future. They then discuss what the Lakers and Clippers have done this offseason, and the Hornets overpaying for Gordon Hayward. They then transition to the NFL to discuss the various situations of rookie QBs Joe Burrow, Tua, and Justin Herbert. They finish up by ripping into Roger Goodell for his poor covid management.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back to react to the plethora of trades that went down in the NBA in the last 36 hours, including CP3 to the Suns, Jrue Holiday to the Bucks, Robert Covington to the Blazers, Dennis Schröder to the Lakers, and more! Kris and Riley then answer Fritz's general questions about Wednesday night's NBA Draft and talk about James Harden and Russell Westbrook wanting out of Houston.
Fritz, Kris and Riley are back together to discuss Ravens' loss to the Steelers and share some concerns about Lamar Jackson in big games. From there they move on to discuss what the 49ers should do next season at quarterback, and they finish up by discussing the NBA's plan to start the 2020/2021 season and Riley gives some of his betting picks for week 9.