A Numbers Game | August 26, 2026 | Hour 2

**Kelley Bydlon** (0:00)
The Numbers told the story, they always do. One of those idiots who believe in analytics.

**Nick Whalen** (0:05)
This is a Numbers Game with Gill Alexander on VSiN.

**Gill Alexander** (0:09)
Our number two of a Numbers Game of VSiN, VTV, SiriusXM, Channel 158, Gill Alexander, Kelley Bydlon. Hello. In the house, Paul Sporer is going to join us this hour, as will Nick Whalen. A little later on, Todd Iwishniff.
Todd Iwishniff, Todd Iwishniff.

**Kelley Bydlon** (0:25)
When's Nick get in town, Danny? Tomorrow? I can't wait to hear about Nick Whalen's whatever golf outings he has set up for his trip to Vegas.

**Gill Alexander** (0:33)
Yeah, so we have a, it's contest weekend here at Circa.
So Drew is going to come in town to Jurdinsic. Drew and I will be at the win for the US Open pod on Friday. Zach will be remote with us on that. There's a lot of people coming into town.

**Kelley Bydlon** (0:48)
But I think they're doing that radio row.

**Paul Sporer** (0:50)
Radio row, yes.

**Gill Alexander** (0:51)
He's doing radio row.

**Kelley Bydlon** (0:52)
I think Nick's coming in town. I don't think Jeff is right, but they're doing they're doing one of their pods from up there. And I don't believe Andy and Andy and Drew are doing.

**Gill Alexander** (1:01)
I want to say like the last contest weekend I've been present for was one of the first. So like I never saw I've never seen this radio row that they do, but they do that.

**Kelley Bydlon** (1:07)
I went up there last year. It was funny running into Nick and Jeff because it was the first time I had seen them in person.

**Gill Alexander** (1:14)
I told Nick last week that you that you felt kind of offended because he kind of blew you off.

**Kelley Bydlon** (1:18)
It's hilarious. I was just going to tell a story right now.
Like Nick, I've been talking to him. We've had on shows for like a decade. I've known Nick Whalen for at least 10 years, never met him in person till last summer. And you're like, I'm excited to go meet Nick finally in person. Right. And like Jeff, at that point, I barely know. I respect him. He's on the network, like him. Right. But don't know him nearly as well as Nick. They go up to those two come approach me at the same time.
Jeff Erickson so happy and excited to see me. Nick had golf to get to. He was so funny. It was like, hey, man, good to see you. Good to see you. I got to get to the golf.

**Gill Alexander** (1:52)
So I think it was the day when Matt was here. So I told Nick this prior to his segment last week. And Danny, would you not say that it sort of rattled Nick for the entire?
It did.

**Paul Sporer** (2:03)
Danny said it did.

**Gill Alexander** (2:04)
He was he was visibly ashamed. He's like, oh, my God, I didn't mean I didn't mean to offend him.

**Paul Sporer** (2:11)
So we got to bring that up.

**Kelley Bydlon** (2:12)
Yeah, we'll give more crap.

**Gill Alexander** (2:13)
Hey, by the way, can we pour on a 40? The melancholy RIP to Dolly Parton.

**Kelley Bydlon** (2:17)
Yeah.

**Gill Alexander** (2:18)
80 years old yesterday who passed away was, you know, the news was just, it was everywhere. And the only thing I, you know, besides the fact that, I don't know, what's my favorite Dolly Parton song here, here we hear you come here. You come again. That's probably my favorite Dolly Parton song, but the, the amazing thing about her passing more than anything, beyond her talent, beyond her music career, she wrote I Will Always Love You, which Whitney Houston made to a massive smash. She actually recorded it first.
The philanthropist she was, the charitable person that she was, and more than anything, the rare human being that is universally beloved.

**Kelley Bydlon** (2:59)
Yeah, for real.

**Gill Alexander** (2:59)
Upon her passing.
Universally beloved. Not one person would ever say a bad word about Dolly Parton.

**Kelley Bydlon** (3:07)
Yeah, I think sometimes the fake thoughts and prayers that you see on social media sometimes rubbed me the wrong way.
I was taken aback yesterday when it was just so much. I mean, the outpouring on social media, on every news channel, it was impressive. And yeah, you don't find anybody that ever has a bad thing to say about her.

**Gill Alexander** (3:33)
Oh, I mean, she lived, she lived like, you know, crack and I go to dinner with Nifty, who's Frank Sinatra's assistant.