Sam Acho: Oh my gosh.
Welcome everyone to the Sam Acho podcast featuring Cliff Marshall.
And just like always, this one's a little bit different.
We usually have special guests.
This guest is a little bit more special than most.
Clif Marshall: Sam, we are so pumped today to have Jay Harris with us.
He's a guy I've watched for many years on tv.
Jay is a journalist who has worked for ESPN since 2003.
He has hosted a variety of shows during his tenure on ESPN, including
SportsCenter outside the lines NFL Live Baseball tonight and first take.
Jay is not only an iconic sports anchor, he's also a husband, a
father, and a strong man of faith.
In addition to that, though, he is also Sam Machos coworker.
So Jay, welcome to the podcast.
Jay Harris: led with that last one, to be honest with you.
Sam Acho: Jay, you were nodding your head doing the intro.
You, it sounds like you like the intro a little bit.
So you like the intro?
Jay Harris: You know what I was wondering?
'cause I, I honestly, I hate it when people read my bio normally I
inter, normally I interrupt and go.
No one wants to hear that.
No one, that's just, that's just stuff.
Stuff I did means nothing.
It matters not, um, but, but it was short and, and you know, when he
said iconic, I figured I'd shut up.
'cause I, I liked that one.
I liked that part.
Clif Marshall: Yeah.
Well, Jay, I want to know, just first and foremost, I grew up wanting
to be like an NFL football player.
Did you grow up wanting to be a sports anchor?
Jay Harris: Um, no, no.
I grew up wanting to be, uh, just a journalist.
Uh, the first job that I wanted was Brent Mus Burger's at CBS Sports.
That's what I, I looked up to.
Um, I got into News first Radio news.
So I kind of shifted and, um, the Today Show, good Morning America.
That was kind of my goal.
Um, but I just wanted to be a storyteller.
I didn't necessarily want to be news or sports.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Jay, how hard was it?
You talked about wanting to be a storyteller and having that being your
goal, but in a lot of people's eyes, you're at the top or close to the top,
or if you're at the, the, the worldwide
leader, how hard was it getting?
To the worldwide leader in sports.
Jay Harris: Um, you know, all of us have different stories and I'll, I'll, I'll do
this story in a, in a condensed version.
It wasn't hard at all.
It was just a series of things that lined up, that seemed to
line up as, as, as our lives go.
Um, I was, okay, I'll go back to the beginning.
I, I started in in, in radio news at a small station in Portsmouth, Virginia, and
moved, uh, moved over to the, the FM side.
And in 1988, um, I had a, a part-time job at a record store at, on right
on the waterfront of Virginia Beach.
So I had a front row seat for the, uh, labor Fest slash Greek Fest riots of
that year when the City of Virginia Beach was tired of all these black
college students coming into town.
And it was a clash between a bunch of students, literally students
and, and the police and the city.
And it was a mess.
And I was working at the radio station at the time and I had a
front row seat for everything.
So I filed stories on the event, uh, as it was happening.
And I filed stories to the, uh, Sheridan Broadcasting Network,
now known as American Urban Radio Networks at the time, the largest
black radio network in the country.
And, um, they liked my work.
They brought me up for an interview and they were hiring someone for their local
side 'cause they were moving the local anchor to the national desk and, and
that was my first full-time media job.
So, alright, I'm gonna fast forward.
Um, a gentleman came to the network by the name of Fred Brown, um, and he was my boss
that Fred left and went to ESPN Radio.
Okay.
Um, and moved from radio to recruiting.
Um, at the end of my, I had since moved over from radio to television, so at
the end of my television contract, I sent a tape for Fred to critique
because I trusted his opinion and he, unbeknownst to me, showed it to some
folks at ESPN and they liked my tape.
And I kind of was like, why did you show ESPN people my tape?
'cause I don't even do sports.
I do news.
I've been doing news for the past 12 years.
He's like, I know, but I liked it and I wanted them to see it.
So.
Long story after that.
Short, they liked it, wanted to hire me.
They auditioned me, and I've been there 22 years.
But at first I didn't want, I didn't want the job because I didn't
wanna change from news to sports.
So I kind of, I kind of turned them down, uh, twice.
But they were, they were persistent and insistent.
So they, they won.
Sam Acho: Why, why did you end up finally saying yes?
Jay Harris: Well, because all of my friends thought
I was stupid for saying no.
And my, my wife kind of also probably thought the same thing as she got out the
legal pad that morning after I'd finally decided I was gonna go and I woke up
the next morning going, I'm not going.
I don't want to go.
I don't want to do sports.
I want to do news.
'cause I was in that mode.
And, and she gave me that look, that, that, that says, you poor, poor,
stupid fellow, I'm going to save you from yourself in this moment.
Got out the legal pad, lined down the middle, pros and cons.
And the, the, the health benefits and the Disney benefits alone made
it the best decision that she and my friends and everybody else made.
'cause given, if I left it to myself, I'd have probably messed it up again.
I'd have probably said no.
'cause I'm just, I was just like, I didn't wanna go.
Because I didn't wanna pick him up and move him.
And the boy was little at the time, and I, I don't know, I just wasn't thinking,
I just wasn't thinking right, fellas, I just wasn't thinking I was outta my mind,
I was thinking like this and I should have been thinking like, like that.
So it worked out.
So the answer to your question, it wasn't really hard to get there.
I just need to get outta my own way.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Clif Marshall: Jay, I gotta ask you, I'm a little nervous interviewing you today
because I've watched you for so many years on SportsCenter, but I wanna ask you,
Jay Harris: Why are you nervous?
Clif Marshall: I, I don't know.
I just feel like I've been watching you for so long, waking up to SportsCenter
Jay Harris: Look, you gonna say so long.
One more time, and I'm gonna leave this podcast.
Sam Acho: Hey, you said 1988.
I said, oh, man, I, I might've been in the womb in 1988.
Clif Marshall: For a couple years, Jay.
Jay, for a couple
Jay Harris: That's better.
That's much better.
Clif Marshall: but I wanna ask you, were you nervous?
I wanna ask you, were you nervous for your first SportsCenter show?
Jay Harris: oh heck yeah.
Well, no.
Well, okay.
My first SportsCenter show, I was nervous.
But I wasn't as nervous as I was for my very first show
period, which was on ESPN news.
I was frightened to do that show because observing for almost a
month and seeing how fast it was, I mean, coming from anchoring the
local news, which if unless you have breaking news, it is not fast paced.
It is as scripted.
And you, you and most anchors don't even write their own stuff.
We write our own stuff at at, at ESPN, at Sports Center.
But when I was a, a main anchor in Pittsburgh, I, the, the associate
producer wrote most of the stuff.
And my co-anchor and I, we copied, we were copy editors basically.
So I had to write the show.
You know, I had to make sure my number, we had a coordinating producer that
would look over the scripts, make sure we didn't say anything libelous or crazy.
Um.
And we had a researcher who would make sure that we had the
right numbers and, and whatnot.
The trends and the stats for whatever games, whatever highlights.
But it was just the fact that at any moment, and this happened, you
could be in the middle of doing a highlight and the producer would
get in your ear and say, Hey, we got the star of the game standing by.
Uh, you're gonna talk to Giannis Antetokounmpo Think of some questions
as I'm doing the Bucks highlight.
And I'm like, uh, okay.
Uh, Giannis.
Okay.
I know who he is.
Okay.
Uh, uh, shucks.
As I'm reading the highlight, trying to think of some questions for Giannis and
at the end of the highlight, there he is.
I'm just, it wasn't Giannis, it was a few other people, but I'm just
using Giannis as an example and there he is and I have to talk to him.
So that was how ESPN news was every single day.
So SportsCenter wasn't that crazy, um, most days back then.
So when I did my first SportsCenter, I was like.
Wow, I could, I could do this all the time.
This is, this is pretty easy nowadays.
Not so much because, you know, we welcome breaking news these days and
just, things just, just happen and I welcome breaking news these days
'cause it just makes the show more fun.
But back then, yeah, ESPN News terrified me much more than Sports Center did.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Jay, you are an old Dominion alum, right?
Way, way,
Jay Harris: Go Monarchs.
See?
There you go.
See?
There you go.
See, see, see
Sam Acho: What?
What?
Jay Harris: I was going, I was gonna pull my helmet, my helmet off the shelf and
Sam Acho: Oh.
Clif Marshall: Oh,
Jay Harris: Monarchs.
But no, you had to go way long back there, back like what you said, Sam.
So it's been fun.
It's been fun doing the podcast with y'all.
Sam Acho: Jay, what would you tell the 22 or the 21-year-old Jay Harris now?
Jay Harris: I would tell him to do more than one internship and to pay attention
and to really, um, dig into it because that's what you say you want to do.
So act like it because I don't think I, I don't think I was a very
good intern, to be honest with you.
Um, I would also tell him to, um, network better, uh, learn the people in your
area, uh, join organizations, um, be on folks radar, uh, do more shadowing and,
and, and really becoming a professional journalist without a job, just trying
to, you know, fit myself into that mold.
I would tell him that.
I would also tell him, don't be so shy.
Raise your hand, ask questions, uh, knock on doors.
Um, trust yourself more than the, than my, my 22-year-old self did.
I would tell myself a lot of things.
I would also tell myself not to stop playing basketball because.
Clif Marshall: Hmm.
Sam Acho: Well, hold on.
Yeah.
Why?
Jay Harris: Because basketball is like the best sport, at least
for me for staying in shape.
It was fun and I went through a period where I didn't play.
Now, now my knees don't like me to play.
My knees would rather go to the golf course.
So I, like, I, I let my body get out of basketball playing shape and I should
have, I should have kept that up.
Clif Marshall: Jay, you mentioned earlier in the show about being a storyteller
that you enjoy being a storyteller, and I watched recently you told a
story on Good Morning America that you were diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Can you, can you walk us through that?
Um.
meeting that you had with the doctor and the feelings that you experienced
when he had announced your diagnosis?
Jay Harris: Sure.
Um, just to make sure my doctor doesn't get mad.
It's, she's a sheep.
Clif Marshall: Oh, sorry
Jay Harris: Yeah.
Um, my father, uh, had prostate cancer.
He, uh, he, he's no longer with us, but it wasn't because of prostate cancer.
He beat it.
He was, uh, with the radiation, he was, he came through it fine.
Um, so it was always on my radar.
You know, they ask you your family history, any history of blah, blah, blah.
Say, well, yeah, my dad had prostate cancer.
Okay, so we're gonna watch that.
So we've always watched my PSA numbers.
Um.
As I got older, you know, there different variables affect your PSA.
So I think it was last year, between two and four are the acceptable, um, is the
acceptable, I don't know the word, but in there is is acceptable above four.
Eh, so my PSA was 4.1,
but I was older.
Different things can affect it and, and we talked about it.
My doctor said, let's watch it.
We will watch it.
Okay.
And I said, cool.
Alright, that sounds, that sounds fair.
So we did the blood test, the following, my following annual
physical, and it was 6.3.
Clif Marshall: Hmm.
Jay Harris: and she said, you're going to a urologist?
I'm like, yes, ma'am.
So, um, the, uh, urologist, um, gave me the digital exam, which
confirmed the fears that my primary doctor thought and sent me to get
an MRI and the MRI confirmed it.
Well, the MRI said there's something there that the MRI thought was cancer.
And then I needed to get a biopsy and the biopsy confirmed it.
Um, and then I got the, uh, PET scan, which basically I had to, um, be
injected with radioactive fluid and they put me through a little donut machine
and where whatever lit up in my body was where the cancer had spread to,
Clif Marshall: Hmm.
Jay Harris: and it only lit up on my prostate.
Clif Marshall: Wow.
Jay Harris: That was the day that.
Me and my, my, my family really kind of exhaled with this, right?
Um, 'cause it hadn't spread.
Then we scheduled the surgery and I chose surgery over radiation.
Um, they both have pretty similar success rates, although if you choose the
radiation and something comes back later down the road, surgery is not an option.
With surgery, if something happens, if there's a recurrence, then like targeted
radiation is still an option with me.
So that's why I chose the surgery.
Um, but when, honestly, when she gave me the way she told me, what
she told me, um, I don't know.
I kind of ex, I kind of expected it.
I think I, I, I, I'm one of those people who like thinks the
worst, the absolute worst, so I can reel it back if it's better.
As opposed to, as opposed to going, ah, it's nothing.
And then being disappointed every step of the way.
Uh, I'd rather make myself crazy in the beginning and then, and then come back.
So, yeah, that's, it's kind of a, it was kind of a rollercoaster, but again,
since my dad had it and, and, and since I'm a black man and we get it like two
times more, um, I kind of expected it.
My, a good friend of mine said to see if it's some, it's something
you will, you will die with.
Or die from?
'cause we just seem to get it.
Sam Acho: In that same interview, Jay, you had mentioned that.
You said you would come back better than
ever.
Jay Harris: Mm-hmm
Sam Acho: Where does that strength come from?
Jay Harris: Hmm.
Well my grandparents were praying people, um, you know, parents too.
But yeah, I go back to my grandparents 'cause they were
like the rocks of the family.
Um.
Some things you just have to do, right?
You have to, you have to rely on whatever faith you have.
You have to rely on your family.
You have to rely on yourself to get through things and
coming back better than ever.
I didn't think what I, I don't, didn't think I had a choice
because I'd made a decision.
You know, we prayed about it.
We made the decision and.
And okay, so now, especially when the doctor says, yeah, I got it all,
you don't have any more cancer in.
You think I have no choice but to come back better than ever.
To be an example, to share my story, to talk to complete strangers who,
who send me messages on social media.
And my network of folks has grown just so tremendously.
Uh, you think you're going through something by yourself.
You're never by yourself no matter what it is.
There's always someone else who shares whatever you're going through.
So it's not the fraternity that I wanted to join, but it's the one that I'm in.
And if I can make a difference to somebody or something, an experience
that I had or something that I can share, that's what I'm supposed to do.
So yeah, that's where the strength comes from.
'cause it's what I'm supposed to do.
Choosing Family Over Career AmbitionChoosing Family Over
Career AmbitionAnd if I didn't do it, my grandmother would come
back from the grave and slap me.
And I don't want that.
'cause the woman got me with a switch one time in the front yard.
Oh my God.
Woo.
I still, you know, you only, it's like you, you only need one.
You only, that was my one.
I didn't need no more.
After that, that woman, Sinbad used to joke about it like his
grandmother had the rubber hand.
She would come from behind, behind the back, don't you run from me?
And her hand would be like, sit.
My grandmother had that same rubber arm and rubber hand.
She just grabbed me and pulled me in and pulled this oak tree out from the back
of her back and just went to work on.
Wow, man.
Yeah.
Whew.
I don't know where
Sam Acho: what did you do?
What did you, what did you do to get to, to, to, to,
uh,
Jay Harris: I don't even know.
I don't, I think I, I, she beat the memory outta me.
I don't know what I did.
Oh, I did.
I I know I ran away.
I know, I, she said, come here.
And I'm like, no.
And I took off down the hill and sat there and I was like, I gotta go back sometime.
And she was just waiting for me.
She was just waiting for me in the yard, just sitting on the
porch, just waiting for me.
I had started crying before I even got to her.
'cause I knew what was coming.
I knew
Sam Acho: Oh.
Clif Marshall: wow.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Clif Marshall: Jay, I think of um, you know, nine 11, I think
of the death of Kobe Bryant.
I think of some of the things that you've covered while you were at ESPN.
I wanted to ask you, what are the most impactful events that you can
recall over the course of the years while you've been working with
ESPN and that you've had to cover?
Jay Harris: I get that question a lot and I never have a good answer.
Because the, the part you said that you can recall.
I, I wish I kept a diary of like things that happened daily.
I really wish I had, uh, 'cause there have been so many stories.
The one that I end up using or going with is July 4th.
I think it was 2009.
Uh, I was anchoring, it was a Saturday and I was gonna anchor sports
Center with my, my buddy Mike Hill.
Um, who's no longer at ESPN And we were gonna have some fun coming off
the Nathan's hotdog eating contest.
We're gonna go to the cafeteria and we're gonna have him make
some these big salads for us.
'cause we were gonna have a healthy eating contest on the set that day.
And we're sitting there prepping for the show, writing our show.
And, um, our coordinating producer is on this, this newish thing called Twitter.
And, and basically it said that Steve McNair had died.
And we were like, ex, ex, excuse me.
Um, and Nashville TV station is reporting that, that Steve McNair is, was like dead.
And um, Mike had worked in Nashville.
So he called some folks and our news desk confirmed it.
And we were just talking about this the other day actually.
Um, he, he told Eddie George the news, 'cause Eddie didn't know.
And his teammate, he didn't know we, and, and I'm sure Mike didn't mean to do that,
but he was like, Hey, we heard this thing.
And Eddie was like, what?
So huh.
That was a day.
I mean, you start off, I talk about before about breaking news
and, and things being as scripted.
You start off with this one hour show where you're, you're gonna have this
stupid salad eating contest following, um, the hotdog eating contest.
Um.
And something happens and your one hour fun fest turns to a two hour show where
you have to talk about this guy who you'll watch play football since he was running
around at Alcorn State, just making people look silly with his legs and his arm.
And he was third in the Heisman voting and I thought he should have won it.
'cause I was partial to Steve McNair that brother could play, I mean.
And he just, and he comes into the NFL and into a situation, and this
is the opinion Jay, that I didn't think really showcased his skills.
I mean, I didn't think he should have been sitting behind
anyone, let the brother play.
'cause the brother could play, but he's like, he and he's, he's dead.
And we're like, oh my,
uh, and you know, and then the, the, the, the story comes out and, you know, Steve
is, is just as flawed as the rest of us.
And he has some issues.
Um, but did that, that was, that's the one that, that always pops up after.
I don't know how to answer that question.
I should just probably just answer that question with that answer.
Clif Marshall: Mm-hmm.
Wow.
Sam Acho: Jay, we, we talk a lot on this podcast about adversity.
Um, you know, one thing I talk about is going first, giving space, growing hope.
What have been some challenges that you've faced, whether in your life or career?
Um, that you'd be willing to share with us on how you're able to overcome?
Jay Harris: Hmm.
Well, I guess the whole cancer thing's probably a challenge.
So that's, that'd be one.
Um, the whole cancer thing.
I don't like, I don't like giving cancer that much, that
much air or credit or whatever.
I kind of don't like to even say the word 'cause cancer can kiss my, you know what?
Cancer sucks really.
I mean it does.
Um, you know, just probably just, honestly, nothing in
particular, just everyday stuff.
Just waking up and feeling and realizing, okay, like this, the house
and the people in this house are on me.
I have to get up and I gotta go do my thing.
I gotta make it happen and I have to continue to make it happen.
Um, and I don't know if I would call that adversity.
I would just call that life and doing the things that you need to do when you need
to do them, for who you need to do them.
Um, so I think if I don't, if I, if you allow me to change your question, um,
me just a little every day, just life.
Because life, just be life in sometimes, and you have to, and
you have to adjust on the fly.
And sometimes whatever decision you make in the moment has
long lasting ramifications.
So you have to make the best decisions that you can.
Um, sometimes you don't make the great decisions and you
have to change midstream.
Um, but just, you know, tackling life every day.
First of all, waking up in the morning, opening your eyes, you're like, okay.
I got through that part.
Now let me go do something with this blessing that I have
for being able to wake up.
So I guess life if, if you don't mind, kind of copping out on your question.
Sam Acho: No, that's great.
No, that's great.
Clif Marshall: Jay, I think it's so cool talking to Sam.
I get to hear about, you know, the, the guys that he gets to work
with on a day-to-day basis at ESPN.
One of the guys you got to work with was Stuart Scott.
What was it like working with him?
Mm-hmm.
Jay Harris: We only got to do one show together because our schedules are so
opposite and he was always on the road.
Um, but people get caught up in the, it, it's funny, I'm wearing
the shirt, the Booyah, this Jimmy V Foundation shirt today.
Um, people get caught up in the Booyah.
People get caught up in the cooler than the other side of the pillow.
People get caught up in the catchphrases and stuff.
Um, I watched a virtuoso journalist.
I watched a guy who could, who would take his time and tell a
story and make it entertaining, factual, and just jaw dropping.
Um, I, I saw a guy who would be able to ask the researcher like the right question
to make his shot sheet that much better.
Make his highlight that much better as he was, you know, telling it to the
audience who was watching the show.
Um, he was just brilliant.
The brother was brilliant.
The brother was a brilliant storyteller.
He was an amazing journalist, and he was so much more than any catchphrase.
So, I mean, I, I would love for people to remember him for the work, not
necessarily the flash or any of the stuff.
Just the work.
The brother could work and outwork anybody in this business.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Jay, I know you're still young in your career, but how do you want to be
Jay Harris: Don't try to get back on my good side.
Sam Acho: I know it's too late, man.
I know.
late.
It's too late.
Jay Harris: Um, that's a great question.
I don't know, uh, because I am quite young in my career and I have a long way to go.
Thank you very much for recognizing that.
Um, someone who gave it his best every day.
Someone who's a, a team player.
Um, someone who tried to, to, to, to do his best, who wasn't perfect, but
someone who was authentic and even when he wasn't perfect, um, was able
to say, yeah, that wasn't perfect.
I saw, I'm gonna work on getting it better this time.
'cause I, I think.
And I use this example, if something goes wrong on television, people like
to say we had technical difficulties.
I don't know what that means.
We had, we had this happen the other day.
We were, we were, we had gotten the, the first hour of the show done and we
were running back some segments on the computer and our, our playback machine
in the middle of a segment just stopped.
And I was eating my breakfast at the time 'cause I was hungry.
And I said, is that, did that stop in the studio?
Or did that stop?
Like for everyone who's watching the show and they said it stopped
for everyone who's watching the show, the machine just died.
So we're gonna come back after this commercial break and I want you
to like say we had some technical difficulties, blah, blah, blah.
And I said, okay, what happened?
Playback machine died.
I said, okay, that's what I'm going to tell them.
And we came back on and I said, welcome back to SportsCenter.
Um, I think I was working with, uh, Scooby at the time, um,
and introduced us and I said.
We were watching the show and the playback machine die, and if the playback machine
dies, you can't play anything back.
So I think we got it fixed now, knock on wood.
So enjoy the rest of Sports Center and they hit play and it rolled.
But I felt in that moment, I'm just gonna be honest and tell 'em what happened.
So maybe, I think sometimes people probably don't want me to do that.
Because I don't know, I'm not telling secrets, not the TV folks, but I mean,
it's just the way I, I feel we should be, because the more authentic you are, the
more real you are, the more the people.
People trust you.
And, uh, I like to think people trust me and, and I'm gonna give them
the real, whether it's good or bad.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Clif Marshall: That's great.
Jay, you're not only a sports anchor, you're also a husband
and you're also a father.
How do you balance work in life?
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Jay Harris: Carefully.
Um, it's easier now because the kids are old and they don't necessarily want to
hang out with, you know, this older guy.
Um, I lose, I still get hugs.
That's kind of cool from the boy and the girl.
So I, I, I like that.
Um, but when they were younger, there were a lot of things that I just didn't choose
to try and do because, like, I didn't wanna be in a living out of a suitcase.
I didn't wanna be traveling.
I didn't want to do, I wanted to, I wanted to be present.
So I.
Probably cost myself some opportunities to do certain things, but I gained
the opportunity to be present and to see things that I would've missed
that are worth more than any job opportunity worth, more than any
extra zeros on the paycheck worth.
Much more than all of that stuff.
So I, I, I chose it.
I, I think I chose it very carefully.
The things that, uh, I could bring them to, uh, I would bring them to.
Um, to try and, um, you know, include them.
Um, so yeah, very carefully because work-life balance is something that, and
I, I tell you, uh, ESPN and Disney, not to be like a a a a company, uh, a company guy
right now, but work-life balance is one of the things that, that is drilled into us.
You have to find it.
Um, because if you give it all the work, work will take it.
Work will take it and, and, and wear you out.
And then you'll be sitting there and like worn out and work will go on to
someone else who wants to take it.
'cause work just keeps work, keeps going.
No matter what your job is, work will keep going.
You have to tell work.
I'm gonna chill out for the next 45 minutes.
I will see you when I get back.
And work can go, Hey, wait, wait, wait, wait.
And you can go, well, the show, the show will go on.
The show always goes on.
If I wasn't here, the show would be going on.
You'd be talking to somebody else.
So work.
You stand down and I see you in 45 minutes and work will go, okay, you right.
My bad.
Because work knows.
Work knows.
You have to let work act on what work knows.
Clif Marshall: Hmm.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
Clif Marshall: Wow.
Sam Acho: it hard?
Was it hard for you to do that?
Jay Harris: I the beginning.
Yes.
Because, you know, you're new, you wanna prove yourself, you wanna
be there, you wanna be available, someone calls you to work.
Yes, I can do it.
Yes, I'll do it.
I volunteer for that shift.
I can do it.
Um, but I had gotten practice before we got to ESPN, uh, when the boy was born,
because at the time I was transitioning from radio to television and literally,
sometimes it works seven days a week.
But when he was born.
I said, you know what?
The part-time radio thing, I'm gonna let that go.
'cause I don't need to do that right now.
And if a bill doesn't get paid, it'll get paid next month because
hanging out with this newborn fellow is worth more than anything right
now, and that's what I'm going to do.
So I had a little practice with that before I got to ESPN.
Sam Acho: I wanna follow up briefly.
We talk a lot about faith, family, football,
finances on this podcast, but you mentioned earlier
about what really matters.
My question for you, Jay Harris, is how do, how do you win without losing it all?
Jay Harris: I don't know if you do, I mean.
You're gonna have to lose something.
Um, whether it be, like I said before, opportunities because you
choose to, to, um, be present, um, bad habits, you lose bad habits.
Um, some you're gonna lose something all the time.
You just have to make sure that whatever you're winning or whatever you're gaining.
Um, is what you're supposed to be doing.
Does that make sense?
Sam Acho: But yes it does.
But how do you know?
Maybe a better question.
How do you know what the right target is?
Jay Harris: Yeah.
I don't know if you do.
I, I, you, you pick the target that feels right or looks right or sounds
right or through counsel is right at the moment and then you just go for it.
Um, I, that's the be that's all you can do.
To definitively know that every decision and everything you
do is the right thing to do.
I don't think it's possible.
I, I don't think anyone can do that.
That's some prognostication I'm gonna ask.
I'm gonna ask you for the lottery numbers if you can do that.
'cause that's some serious foretelling of the future to make every single
decision the correct decision.
Mm-hmm.
Clif Marshall: of being with your family.
And at the end of every show, I always like to do a cliff note
because my name's Cliff Marshall.
So the cliff note I wrote down in talking to you today is about being present with
your children and being with your family, even though you may have missed some
opportunities within, you know, your work.
And I think that Tom, my cliff note is this, Tom is the only
thing that money cannot buy.
And as I'm reflecting on my children, I have a 10-year-old and a 14-year-old.
Jay Harris: Woo.
You were right in it.
Clif Marshall: I'm right in it.
And I'm also a coach.
I'm a strength and conditioning coach.
I've just spent the last eight years as the head strength and
conditioning coach for the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team.
And in the
Jay Harris: more kids?
Clif Marshall: that's right.
In the coaching profession though, hard because you're away from
your family so often and I think.
What you've spoken to me today is that regarding my family, time with kids, time
with your spouse is really important, and I believe that time is spelled LOVE.
That's my cliff note for today.
Thank
Jay Harris: like it.
You're very welcome.
I'm gonna send you, I'm, I'm gonna give you my Venmo so you can,
you can pay me for that, huh?
Clif Marshall: That's right.
Sam Acho: Hey, why, why sending out Venmos?
Hey, we can send mine too.
Um, my last question is this, J Harris, you get interviewed all the time,
you get a chance to interview people all the
Jay Harris: Mm-hmm.
Sam Acho: What, what's the question that we should be asking you?
Like, what's the question that you wish that you were asked?
Jay Harris: Whew.
That's a great question.
No one's ever asked me that before.
Um.
Hmm.
I'd have to think about that.
I honestly don't know in the moment.
I don't, I don't know.
What's the question that I want you ask?
Um,
I don't know.
How did that fourth grade heartbreak affect your life?
Maybe
Clif Marshall: Right there
Jay Harris: Uh.
Clif Marshall: There you go.
Sam Acho: I got a
fourth grade heartbreak too, so I know.
I know where you're coming from.
Wow,
Clif Marshall: Well, Jay, oh, Sam, real quick before we close it,
Jay Sam talked so highly of you, uh, working with you at ESPN, and,
and he told me that last year you invited him over to your house for
Thanksgiving, which I think is incredible.
Sam, I gotta ask you, how was Jay's cooking?
Sam Acho: Hey, I don't know if he did the cooking.
I don't know how much of the cooking Jay did
the food.
Okay.
The food was amazing.
So his wife's cooking and it might have been, I dunno if your
daughter did any of the cooking too.
I think his wife and his daughter did some of the cooking.
Jay Harris: Yeah.
We, they, they did?
No, the Tyra, that daughter didn't cook any, no.
Tyra didn't cook a thing?
No, no.
Uh, my wife cooked and, and we have a place here that we always, we
order from, 'cause we like their food to kind of supplement the meal.
Uh, and some folks brought some stuff over.
Um.
But yeah, that was, I, I cooked nothing.
I, I, I, I, I, I paid for what we bought.
That's what I did that,
Sam Acho: hey, I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll put it this way.
I'll put it this way.
I ca this actually, it wasn't, so it was like maybe two year,
maybe my first year at ESPN.
So maybe 2, 3, 3 years ago or so.
Jay Harris: yeah.
We need to have you back.
Sam Acho: I know I need, I, I I would love to
come back.
Uh, but look, put it this way, I came, I came to his house.
I ate, I took a flight to go back to work.
'cause I was working on Thanksgiving and I was eating, eating, uh, his
wife's food and, and also the one he that he purchased as well outside.
the commercial break.
And so the food was banging.
Hey, the food was banging.
Put it that way.
Clif Marshall: Wow.
Jay Harris: Good.
Good.
Sam Acho: So I appreciate it.
Jay.
I haven't been back, I haven't been back on Thanksgiving.
Uh, and part of it too, I mean, it's, it's these conversations, right?
It's me trying to figure out, okay, what, how do you win without losing at all?
Like
what, you know, people talk about, um, you know, juggling different things and
juggling, whether it's a, knowing when it's a glass, uh, ball or a rubber ball.
Right.
Glass ball.
Maybe it's like a family event, right?
Rubber.
Okay.
Maybe it's, you've said yes to a hundred different
things at work, and there's one thing that, that, uh, that someone else said
no to, that you're being asked to do that it's okay to say no because there's
something else that's a glass cliff.
You talked about your family that matters, and so part of the reason I'm
so grateful for you and your friendship and your mentorship and your example,
Jay, is the fact that I feel like you've done that really, really well.
There's so many people in the industry who have chased success and they've
climbed to the top of the ladder.
But you look at it, the family is nowhere to be found, right?
Faith is fading and financially they might be winning, but they're
losing in so many other areas.
But I see you when I, I think literally it was probably my first thing, first
or second time, uh, year at ESPN, and we maybe did a show, I don't know
how many shows we did, and you're like, Hey man, come to the house.
Come over for Thanksgiving, come spend time with me, and I got a chance to see
you and see you as a husband and as a father, not just as a, a sportscaster.
And that's stuff that I care about mo more.
I don't want just be a really good s uh, broadcaster.
I wanna be a good husband and a good father, right?
I have a friend who coaches basketball.
He says, faith, he wants to build faithful husbands and loving fathers.
And so when I see you, Jay Harris, that's why when we talked about
who do we want as a guest on this podcast, and I mean, you were the,
one of the first names I brought up.
He's like, who do you spend time with at DS pn?
I was like, man, I don't get a chance to spend as much time with Jay.
He's like, but you are Jay, A guy that I look up to and I admire.
So really, I want to say thank you and to try and get back on your good
side from the whole, the whole, you know, centuries and centuries comment.
Jay Harris: That was, that's okay.
That was funny.
Uh, I appre I appreciate, I appreciate those words.
Now I got issues.
Um, I, I, you know, I made mistakes, you know, you know, I,
I, I am authentically imperfect.
I just try to be better the next time.
It's like doing a show, it's like doing a show, um, where people think.
Uh, I had this conversation, uh, at, at a convention recently.
You know, you, you've arrived like, no, I haven't.
I, I arrived to work every day.
That's as close to arriving as I've gotten.
You know, I, I want to have a good show today and I wanna reflect on
it, and I want have a better show tomorrow and the day after that.
I want that to be better than the show previously.
Uh, that's, that's the way I try to think and live.
Everything may not go right on Tuesday, but Wednesday's coming.
And, you know, everything may not, I may not make all the right decisions
on Wednesday, Thursday's coming and just keep it going because
you have, you have the opportunity every day to change things, correct.
Things for the better.
So try and do that as much as you can.
Sam Acho: Hmm.
That's good.
Well, Jay Harris, thank you so much for joining the Sam Macho
podcast featuring Cliff Marshall.
Uh, we are so grateful not only for your time, your talent.
But also your willingness to share your wisdom, not just with me
and not just with Cliff, but with everyone else who's listening.
Uh, for anybody else who wants to join or listen to the Sam Macho
podcast, go to sam macho.com
and we'll see you soon.