Teach Tommy: What Did I Learn

Hi Idiots.

It's been a while since I did a Teach Tommy, and that's mostly because I have been part of the show for over a year and a half now, and there aren't too many things I'm "learning" from a fundamentals standpoint anymore. I know, who would have thought that the more you do something, the fewer things there are to learn?

READ MORE: Free Beer and Hot Wings Media Recap July 2025

But there is a part of the show that I have been doing since day 1, and I have never even thought to question why we do or how it started. The very last thing you hear every day: "Tommy, what did you learn?"

According to Free Beer, the "What Did We Learn" segment has been a fixture of the show since 2010. It started after Free Beer and Hot Wings served as guest hosts of the Dan Patrick radio show on Fox Sports. Every show, Dan would ask his producer, Paul Pabst,

"Paulie, what did I learn?"

Paulie would then tell him something that happened on the show. Here's an example from September 2024:

Dan (40:51):
Uh, Paulie, what did you learn? Love the Legacy boost?
What did I learn today?

Paulie (40:55):
A combined no-hit or isn't all that exciting? But
comparing it to kissing my sister is a questionable choice

Fox Sports loved Free Beer and Hot Wings' guest appearance, which gave Free Beer the name recognition and connections that eventually led to his sports commentating career. Crazy how one thing leads to another.

If that sounds familiar, it's because we do the same thing. Free Beer said, "We didn't technically steal it from them because they also stole it from another show, but who's counting?"

So, what did we learn? Free Beer and Hot Wings aren't technically thieves, but Free Beer has still been riding on the coattails of other sports casters' success.