Date: August 04, 2009
Source: NY Mag
Audio: ESPN Radio

Ack! Is it August 16 yet? No? Crap! As we wait (not so) patiently for the third season of Mad Men to begin, we find ourselves trolling the Internets multiple times per day in search of something, anything that will help soothe the savage beast within. Fortunately, when we fired up our iTunes this afternoon, we discovered that none other than Jon Hamm himself had recently sat down for a 45-minute podcast with ESPN’s Bill Simmons (a.k.a. The Sports Guy). If you feel like you’re the type of person who would enjoy listening to Hamm wax rhapsodically about the early-eighties exploits of the St. Louis Cardinals or the merits of the National Hockey League’s Winter Classic (or if you just want to hear his goofy laugh), we highly suggest that you put your headphones on and devour the whole thing. However, if you’re the kind of person who tunes out the second you hear anyone say the word “sports”, well then, we’ve pulled a number of the best non-sports-related quotes out from the piece for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!

“I’m not going to confirm or deny that. It might jump forward, it might not.” —On whether the third season of Mad Men takes place two years after the last season ended.

“A lot of his chickens came home to roost, so to speak. He had a lot of balls in the air, and they all kinda came crashing down as the season progressed. A lot more happens in season three, and there’s a lot of change coming his way. Not only in his life, but a lot happens in the culture as well. So far, it’s been an amazing season and I can’t wait for people to see it.” —On Don Draper’s meltdown last season and how Don recovers (or doesn’t).

“There was a lot of grandstanding on both sides, but I think at the end of the day, both parties wanted to be where they were. So then it was really about coming up with a number. It was a perfect negotiation and a perfect compromise where both parties left the table unhappy in some way, but they’re both still there.” —On the tense negotiations between AMC and series creator Matthew Weiner.

“Oh yeah, I do, I’m a fan. I was just on a plane this morning and watched an episode that I hadn’t seen in awhile. [...] Pujols watches film of himself hitting, c’mon!” —On whether or not he watches episodes of Mad Men when they air and if that makes him egotistical.

“30 Rock is probably my favorite show on television.” —On what he watches when he’s not watching Mad Men

“If I win two Emmys, which I’m not going to, it will be just another thing I have in common with Kathy Griffin.” —On his Emmy chances

“I think he’s an amazing director. His first film, Gone Baby Gone, was phenomenal. I think it’s gonna be amazing. I play a cop and Ben [Affleck] plays a bad guy.” —On his next film, the Ben Affleck–directed The Town

“I’ve recently watched — in the last year, basically — the whole Wire front to back. [...] The writing is not nearly as elegant or awesome as The Sopranos.” —On his favorite television show of the aughts