Craig Carton Teases Internet-Breaking Guest for Fanatics Fest

**Craig Carton** (0:00)
Here's Corey and Manalepan on the fan. Corey, what's up?

**SPEAKER_2** (0:04)
Hey, thanks for taking my course. Thank you for having me. I've got a quick Michael Rubin story. You've got two minutes.

**Craig Carton** (0:12)
Do not have two minutes for sure. Maybe 30 seconds.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:15)
It's okay. All right. You know, a couple of years ago, when Fanatics first started, it was my future son-in-law's birthday and I wanted to impress my daughter.
So I called Fanatics, he's a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and I tried to get some paraphernalia and I couldn't get it. And there was a couple of problems with the ordering. And next thing you know, he gets on the phone personally, which is unbelievable. And he took my name and he said, tell me the story. I tell him that my son-in-law, he's going to be my daughter's husband. And he goes, okay, I got you. And I'm going to send you something else out. Forget about it. Thank you for the order. I just got to tell you, he was a class...

**Craig Carton** (0:59)
What did he send you?...

**SPEAKER_2** (1:00)
class guy. I'm sorry?

**Craig Carton** (1:03)
What did he send you?

**SPEAKER_2** (1:05)
Oh, I ordered some Pittsburgh Steal, a jersey.

**Craig Carton** (1:09)
Oh, okay, so he made sure you got the order.

**Chris McMonigle** (1:11)
He said he was going to send you something else.

**Craig Carton** (1:12)
He's a great guy.
And I find that to be very consistent of who he is as a person and as a very busy executive, that he would actually get on the phone with you. That's who that guy is to his core, for sure. And like I said, I'm proud to call him a very, very close friend. Here's Mike in Huntington on the fan. Mike, what's up with you, buddy?

**SPEAKER_4** (1:31)
Hey, what's going on, guys?

**Craig Carton** (1:32)
What's up? How are you?

**SPEAKER_4** (1:33)
So, I'm hanging in there, you know, just still enjoying some of the remnants.

**Craig Carton** (1:38)
Who's George Game 5 with? Friends, family, what do you got?

**SPEAKER_4** (1:43)
So, it's funny, we actually had a family trip. We're down in Wildwood.

**Craig Carton** (1:47)
Okay.

**SPEAKER_4** (1:47)
And so, nice family town, having a good time. So, as the night progresses, I'm rushing through dinner, rushing the kids off the boardwalk. So, I'm trying to find a spot because I don't want to watch the game in a hotel, make noise, kick scream, all that stuff, you know?
So, go to a local brewery.

**SPEAKER_2** (2:09)
They sit me down at a table.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:10)
I'm like, this isn't going to work.
And then I drove past a couple of traditional sports bars, and they had Phillies games on. Another place had the World Cup.

**Craig Carton** (2:19)
Shocking.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:20)
I go, what the hell? I go, you know what? Let's just go back to the hotel.
So, it ended up being a good story. So, me and my son, he's 10 years old, stayed up, passed his bedtime. We got to celebrate together.

**Craig Carton** (2:34)
That's awesome.

**SPEAKER_4** (2:34)
Funny part is, yeah, it was awesome. Funny part is, he's literally sitting at the coffee table in the hotel, in the hotel room, because I think he knew he was going to fall asleep. Once he hit that couch, he said time's going to fall. Yeah, that's it. So, it ended up being a nice father-son moment. I did have a little FOMO.
Wasn't in New York.

**Craig Carton** (2:56)
Yeah, but you know what? Here's what's weird. You know what's weird about it? I was not in New York for Game 5 either. I was in Los Angeles with Wayne during the podcast, and I was blessed to have Sonny and Anthony with me. Lucky couldn't make the trip. I would have loved him to have been there as well. Obviously, I would have preferred to be on my couch with my entire family, but just luck didn't have it that way.
And yeah, there's a bit of FOMO like when you turn on the TV and you're on your phone checking out Twitter and Instagram and millions of people are all partying, high-fiving, having a great time. I know you got to enjoy with your wife and your two boys until they fell asleep, but they're much younger. Obviously, I will look back on that game with great joy that I got to watch it with Sonny and Anthony. I wish Lucky had been there obviously as well because he's a Die Hard Knick fan too, and my wife and my daughter and all that.
But the fact that at least had two of my kids with me, I'll never forget. It's just that question where I was asked, where were you when?