Top Plays

Fresh from an episode of The Heater, the guys recap the week's best college and pro football games, talk Furnace Fest, Tyler's National luck, and an absolute stunner in Boulder.

Side A: The Aaron Rodgers era lasted 4 plays for Jets fans. Our instant reaction to it, fantasy week 1, and the games from the college and pro weekend. Side B (35:25): Since the episode didn't get recorded last week, we have two weeks of music to bring to the table (With Honor, Noah Gunderson, Olivia Rodrigo, Slowdive, Romy) Ward shares a personal Jimmy Buffet story. Tyler relives The Postal Service/Death Cab For Cutie show.

Side A: Fantasy season is here, and Tyler, fresh from a fantasy draft, brings some tips for the upcoming season whether you're a rookie or a vet. Still riding high on his Jags pick last year, Tyler gives his way too early playoff predictions. Side B (1:16:21): MxPx dropped an album, and Furnace Fest dropped a schedule. The Pir give you first impressions of each.

Side A catches listeners up with Ward's goal of hip-hop discovery in 2023. What's hitting with him; what's missed the mark? Then he tells about his experience at the Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit concert. Side B (1:08:56) lightly touches on actual sports this week. Mainly an abbreviated fantasy plan for the upcoming draft.

Side A: We share stories about mishaps in the vinyl world, but every so often, we need to shoutout an incredible experience. Tyler shares that tale, and his wallet begs him to stop buying anymore vinyl this week. New tunes for ya. Side B (1:14ish): a brief convo about Women's World Cup, Pirates trade deadline moves, and the wiff start to the preseason.

Flipping it up this week and bringing music on side A. Two Fridays have brought new music to our ears, and it's time to bring the updates to yours. A wild AOTY contender has entered the area for Ward. Also, ghost stories of two varieties. Side B (1:16:29) is all business with Saquon, Jaylon, and Mbappé contracts news.

For side A this week, Ward and Tyler discuss the MLB all-star game and home run derby. While the USA'a CONCACAF run comes to an end. They step out of bound to discuss the Hollywood writers' strike and what it means for SAG-AFTRA to join them (36:00). Side B dives into the Furnace Fest pre-shows and new music from the week.

Side A checks in with the latest free agency news and a men's national team recap while side B (32:04) tackles which album have captivated our ears this year.

Starting side A discussing… baseball? No longer just a mention in passing on this podcast! Falling Pirates and Ella De La Cruz has himself a night! The duo also discuss the NBA draft, and Tyler makes a bold prediction about the Spurs. Side B (58:05) touches some new releases before it's story time about the boygenius concert.

Usually sports and music are our go to's, but occasionally, we like to discuss other ‘play' subjects. This week we go out of bounds for a spoiler-free reaction to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and a few video game announcements including Final Fantasy VII Remake (TWO DISCS) and Spider-Man 2. Side A (24:43) brings everyone up to date on the Finals and the impending doom facing the Heat as well as Cutch's 2k hits milestone. On side B (55:48), Ward receives a vinyl preorder BEFORE the release date and gives his first impressions of the new Jason Isbell album, a potential AOTY nominee. A new song and EP drop (called it) from Anberlin and some Teenage Wrist love.

Side A is a reaction to the first two games of the NBA Finals and how Ward and Tyler think it will develop over the next two games. Tyler is thrilled the Pirates are on another mini winning streak. Then side B (29:30) first steps out of bounds to discuss thoughts from a Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse rewatch. Ward shares excitement about the upcoming Jason Isbell and the new Avenged Sevenfold album.

Side A recaps a surprisingly long conference finals, at least for the east and a primer for the NBA Finals. Then Side B (1:08) is a retelling of an emotional night at… a blink-182 concert?! Ward is hyped for Jason Isbell.

Side A is a jump straight into music as Tyler discusses the new Clairo EP and how much of a fuller sound it has versus the studio tracks. Ward talks Hot Mulligan. Ja Morant did it again (39:30). The duo discusses his latest gun situation and the NBA conference finals for side B.

Excruciatingly late posting due. Side A is about the NBA playoffs up to roughly games 3-4. We go out of bounds (29:30) to discuss Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and where it stands post-Endgame (SPOILER WARNING). Side B recaps the Snail Mail concert and some new tunes for Ward (54:35).

Side A starts off with some James Harden thoughts after his big night against Boston. We react to Steph's legendary performance in game 7 and predict how the next round will play out before giving a few thoughts on the Pirates hot start and the NFL draft. Side B: We need to talk about Frank. What's the expectation from an artist at a concert? New albums from Joy Oladokun & The National are given first reactions.

Side A is an instant reaction to Jimmy Butler's wild, historic night. Plus a breakdown of where we are in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Side B (48:10) recaps their RSD experience and what was different this year versus previous years. Plus what records got added tot he collection from a busy weekend.

Side A: Tyler and Ward discuss games 1s of the NBA playoffs. Side B (1:06:33): Record Store Day is upon, and the guys discuss their plans for the weekend. Ward changes his tune on Daughter and touts the new Jesus Piece album while Tyler discovers Blondshell.

We get you ready for the play-in and 1st round of NBA playoffs on side A this week. We share which teams we like and which matchups we expect. Side B (1:13:58) tackles new releases from Scowl and Daughter plus Tyler gets boygenius tickets!

The college basketball season is finally over, and on side A, Ward and Tyler discuss the final weekend of games from the women and men's brackets, including the best game of the tournament. Rejoice! Boygenius has finally released, but did it live up to the hype the guys built up? Side B (1:04:26) dives into that topic and two bands you need on your radar, Scowl and High Vis.

Side A contains a lot of vinyl talk, surprise, surprise. What's the deal with all the grails hitting the secondary markets over the last week? Ward & Tyler react to new albums from Fall Out Boy, JPEGMAFIA/Danny Brown, and more. Side B (1:24:08) brings more March Madness mayhem, Ward ready to stick a fork in the Mavs, and thoughts about Lamar Jackson's contract situation.

Side A talks are all about Tyler's March Madness staycation. The upsets, players, and great games are explored. On side B (50:00), the wait is finally over for the new Aly & AJ album, and it's… surprisingly country. Did Tyler enjoy the stylistic change? The duo also gushes over the Revolver pressing of Underoath's The Changing of Times.

A podcast episode about March Madness talks mainly about… music? Yep! Side A is filled with vinyl talk and stories as well as reactions to new music from Manchester Orchestra & Story of the Year. Side B (1:20:25) is where you can get our takes on bracket talk.

Side A catches you up on the latest NFL free agency news (Carr, Henry rumors, Geno getting a bag, and Jags making moves), NBA happenings, and some championship week talk. Side B (44:45) dives into Ward's two shows in one night insanity, new singles from boygenius & Underoath, and vinyl temptation facing Tyler over the week.

Side A: Tyler & Ward recap a big weekend of NBA action including what to make of the Lakers sans LeBron and the sneaky Heat. Side B (54:41) opens out of bounds as Tyler gives some feedback on M3GAN before diving into some recent vinyl arrivals and impressions of The Weeknd's concert special.

Cancel all plans and pause Seinfeld. Furnace Fest just dropped the whole damn lineup for ‘23. Ward & Tyler weigh in on it and list who they'd like to see. (Side B 1:21:12) NBA All-Star Weekend gets pushed to side B. What worked and didn't work? The duo goes over the highs and lows.

Side A: No waiting on music this week as we look over the freshly released Record Store Day list. What made our personal lists? The new Paramore album has been out for a week, and we share our opinions on it. Side B (54:01): we finally present our Super Bowl recap (a tad late). What did we think about the game, commercials, and Rihanna? Lastly, we preview the upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend. Tyler wants to replace the dunk contest and has a fresh idea on what event could take its place.

0 to 100 real quick. That sums up the flurry of trades from KD being moved late at night to the 3pm deadline. It was hard to keep up with it all! Ward and Tyler discuss its impact on teams gunning for a playoff spot and which teams improved.

A lot of ground to cover this week; Sunday was relentless. Kyrie got traded to Ward's team, and he is not pleased. The guys give some thoughts on what it could do for the Mavs season. Also, a few Super Bowl picks and LeBron is about to break the NBA scoring record.(Side B 35:36) Hip-hop won the guys over at the Grammys after a magnificent performance from absolute legends. The duo discuss their favorite moments of the night from the red carpet to AOTY. Mainly hits, some misses, and a stealing of hips.

We start Side A discussing the conference championship games and how we think the teams will match up in the Super Bowl before getting into Tom Brady speculation. Oops, he retired the day after recording. Ward is frustrated with NBA refs. On Side B (1:08:02), we discuss initial reactions to new releases from Sam Smith & Lil Yachty. We go out of bound briefly to discuss The Last of Us S1 E3 (spoiler warning).

What a wild week for music news and vinyl preorders. You know it's bad when you have to take 5 to recover. Ward & Tyler are here to break it all down on side A. Side B is a breakdown of the divisional games from the weekend and a preview of the conference title games. What did we like from the games we watched that may carry over into the next round?

Ward & Tyler are back from the holiday break, and there are NFL playoff games to breakdown. The duo talk about what to expect from the first round of action on side A. Ward wants to discuss Tyler's 2023 album release predictions because there's an alarming rate of them coming true early in the year on side B (1:23:53).

It's here! Finally time to breakdown the albums that had the biggest impact on us this year. Before jumping into the list, we preview which artists/bands we think will release new albums in ‘23.

A sports only episode before we bring you our favorite albums of the year. From World Cup to NFL, the games were unbelievable this weekend.

It's finally time to let our listeners what caught our attention in 2022. For the first part, we present to your our favorite TV shows and movies from the last year and why they made our lists (28:44). Prior to that we break down a bit of sports and pour one out for Ward's fantasy season.

R.I.P. to the US national team, fantasy football wins, and a big game between Cincy & KC. The college football playoff is set, and Tyler & Ward give their predictions. What's next for SF after losing Jimmy G for the season? The pair also discuss some recent vinyl pickups and arrivals.

Friend of the pod Brett Wilson joins us for an extended talk about World Cup, what music has caught his ear in ‘22, and August Burns Red Christmas shows.

Side A isn't about football or basketball this week; World Cup has begun! We discuss the USA match and lay out our expectations of how far the national team can go. A flat fantasy week from the big stars, and you never leave time in the clock for Mahomes. Side B (45:55) brings some Black Friday Record Store Day talk, a Turnstile/Snail Mail concert recap, and thoughts about mixing genres on a tour bill.

We start off a shorter sports segment discussing the Vikings/Bills classic and the fantasy matchup between cohosts. Spoiler alert, Tyler won. Then we break down the newly announced Grammy nominations, step out of bounds for some Black Panther Wakanda Forever talk, and cap off the episode with Ward sharing some new music (56:25).

Ward laments the downfall of his fantasy football team. The two recap the World Series (baseball?!), the dud of a game between Tennessee & Georgia, and the slow and surprising starts to the NBA season. There was a lot of music released this past Friday. Did Drake & 21 Savage deliver? Turnover did release an album. Tyler forgot about Kings Kaleidoscope last week and is still stuck on music from 2012 while Ward gets his favorite albums list together. (56:03)

Recovering from post-wedding fuzz, Tyler & Ward discuss where they stand in the current fantasy season, the Steelers offensive woes, and what's wrong with the Sixers before talking about some Halloween movies and spooky tunes.

Side A: It's been two long weeks since our last episode so it's time to dive into our fantasy woes, the sputtering Packers & Bucs offense, and the first week of NBA action. Side B (1:07:15) While we do talk about other music catching our ears, we need to talk Taylor's new record. What are our initial thoughts, and how does it stack up against the rest of her discography?

Victor Wembanyama made his US debut last week, and wow, was it impressive. Tyler shares some initial thoughts. Ward & Tyler discuss the upcoming NBA season a week away and some fantasy letdowns. They close the episode by discussing some new music that has caught their ears.

It's time for the big FF breakdown! This episode we discuss: bands we saw, vinyl purchased, beers consumed, restaurants tried, and Birmingham sights. Tyler shares a view of The National from the front row and some new music on his radar. It wouldn't be a Top Plays episode without some fantasy talk.

Side A: The NFL is back, and that means fantasy football is back! Tyler and Ward square off against each other in a week 1 battle. They react live to the Seattle/Denver game and the boneheaded play calling at the end of the game, discuss some week 1 action, college football upsets, and some potential fantasy moves in preparation for week 2. Side B (1:44:06): A white whale for Tyler (New Found Glory's Coming Home) gets a vinyl pressing. How was the experience trying to catch it? Armor For Sleep's new album, The Rain Museum, gets reviewed. Ward gives his reaction to the new Hidden In Plain View EP. There's an album from early 2022 that's moving up the rankings for the hosts...

Side A: Happy one year anniversary to Top Plays! A worthy way to ring it in by recapping the fantasy football draft Ward and Tyler just completed. How did things go? College football started with a bang. What games stood out from opening week? Serena's curtain call. The Cavs made. trade to position themselves among the east's elite. Side B (2:11:30): Tyler acquired grails from The National & Cartel with New Found Glory's Coming Home on the horizon. Taylor Swift is releasing a new album. The guys chat about the Furnace Fest schedule drop and who they want to see.

Side A: For you listeners that are non-sports fans, this will be the last fantasy football preview we give you. Tyler gives tips on building a roster from a newbie perspective, how to build a team on a budget, and what to look for when you draft. Side B (1:23:53): Ward talks about two albums he's diving into this week from Becoming the Archetype and Butch Walker.

Side A: The time has finally come for us to talk in-depth about the upcoming fantasy football season. Which rookies should you target that may make an impact this year and possibly win you your league? Side B (1:04:32): Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of Blindside's Silence. Ward and Tyler talk about its importance to them and look ahead to the upcoming performance of it at Furnace Fest. mewithoutYou wrapped up a staggering career Saturday night. The duo shares what the band meant to them and the scene over the years. They close out the show talking about 1-2 players at each position they would like to add to their fantasy team this season.

Side A: Tyler and Ward return without audio issues! They discuss the start of preseason and some potential fantasy conundrums some of you may have in fantasy drafts. Side B (1:04:11): Ward's white whale arrives beat to shit. Why you shouldn't mail vinyl in a bubble envelope. They discuss new releases from Norma Jean, Danger Mouse & Black Thought, and Goo Goo Dolls.

For starters, sorry for the audio issues. Trying a new platform for this episode until my (Tyler's) new computer arrives. Should be back to normal next week. Also, we're trying a new pop up segment called The Heater which will show in this feed as well. We'll be discussing songs that are on heavy rotation for, what stands out about them to us, and why we like them. The songs will be embedded in the episode so it'll be a Spotify exclusive episode. However, you can still listen to it for free on Spotify. This week Side A covers Deshaun Watson and his penalty for the upcoming NFL season. Ward and Tyler go out of bounds (35:38) for a few to discuss Prey, the Avengers video game, and beer. They wrap up the pod on Side B (1:06:45) discussing their music finds of the week featuring Least, New Radicals, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Bell and the Hammer. Link for The Heater playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2rNkZCgkR3w8qKoPqrzTqd?si=Rm3uHnZZTi6Vt62kKMizMA

Side A: Guest Brett Wilson educates on Baseball and Hockey. We also talk about who our teams are, why Tyler loves Fantasy Football, and a short amount of NFL & NBA. Out of Bounds (1:10:00) Brett inspires a chat about cigars and beer. Ward is the cigar guy, but Brett no Tyler both love the beer. Ward enjoys, but cannot keep up with these 2 connoisseurs. Side B: (1:30:00) Tyler and Ward have a few new releases worth mentioning, Maggie Rogers and Anberlin. Tyler and Ward are fans of both, and give their thoughts on them. Brett joins in discussing his favorite acts in the metal genre such as August Burns Red, and with Ward's help convinces Tyler to be the next big Ice Nine Kills fan, and more.

Out of Bounds: After last week's Thor review, we have to jump into the MCU news out of Comic Con. We react to and give our first impressions of the Black Panther trailer as well as discuss what we're looking forward to most in the coming phases. Side A (30:40): Have you been sticking it out with us on this ride waiting for us to mention something baseball related? It's your lucky day. Tyler watched the Home Run Derby. Side B (54:00): Lots of new singles this week, and Ward is feeling the new Jack White album. The pair discuss it as well as new music from Norma Jean, Julien Baker, and more.