Pardon My Take – Thanksgiving Day NFL Preview, Stavros Halkias Talking Ravens, A-Rod and His New Documentary, Week 13 Sunday Picks And Preview

Date: November 26, 2025
Hosts: Big Cat & PFT Commenter (Barstool Sports)
Guests: Stavros Halkias, Alex Rodriguez
Theme: Thanksgiving NFL Preview, Mid-Season College Football, Guest Interviews, and Week 13 Breakdown

Episode Overview

This jampacked Thanksgiving special of “Pardon My Take” covers:

• An extensive preview of all Thanksgiving and Black Friday NFL games, plus early Week 13 matchups
• A passionate (and hilarious) check-in with comedian Stavros Halkias, lamenting and celebrating the Ravens
• An in-depth interview with Alex Rodriguez about his new HBO documentary, career, and life reflections
• College Football’s rivalry week, College Football Playoff scenarios, plus hot seat/cool throne takes
• Classic PMT banter including mail woes, bad city parking tickets, podcast rivalries, and wild viral sports stats

Key Segments and Discussion Points

Thanksgiving NFL Preview & Week 13 Breakdown

Timestamps: 03:26 – 86:34

General Takeaways

• The full Thanksgiving slate (Packers-Lions, Chiefs-Cowboys, Bengals-Ravens) is the best in years, and fans are getting rewarded for what looks like an uninspiring Sunday.
• There's deep gambling action, injury speculation, and classic holiday ritual talk (including halftime show wish lists and Corgi races).
• Memorable moment: Unfiltered takes on team expectations, with both real talk and over-the-top hope/disaster spirals.

Packers vs. Lions (57:42)

• Emotional baggage: Lions’ classic throwback Thanksgiving uniforms conjure “so many memories of the Lions losing in those uniforms on Thanksgiving.” – Big Cat (57:53)
• Concern for Lions defense being tired from previous extended game, and the need for Jameson Williams to step up.
• Jordan Love’s historically solid Thanksgiving performances cited—“Jordan Love has done very well on Thanksgiving… 71% completion, 5 TDs, 0 INTs.” – PFT (59:37)
• Stats: Since 2004, Thanksgiving favorites are 51-19 straight up and 40-20 ATS. “How do I always lose money on Thanksgiving, but I do?” – PFT (60:12)

Chiefs vs. Cowboys (61:44)

• Game stakes: “Whichever team loses… you can put the stamp on them. Eliminated.” – Big Cat (63:47)
• Chiefs’ track record as Thanksgiving road favorites discussed.
• Patrick Mahomes stat: “Never lost a road game on a Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday” – PFT (66:26)
• Lean: Over is the best bet. “No matter how much the Cowboys go up, the Chiefs are going to come back.” – Hank (67:10)

Bengals vs. Ravens (68:53)

• Key injuries: Bengals missing Trey Hendrickson and Tee Higgins.
• Stat: Lamar is 6-1 vs. Burrow; Ravens to wear all purple.
• Stakes: “Must look good for the Ravens offense.” – Big Cat (70:08)
• Both teams need “a banger” to cap Thanksgiving.

Black Friday: Bears vs. Eagles (71:17)

• Max (Eagles fan) nervous: “We just don’t have a secondary.”
• Real talk from Big Cat: “There’s maybe been some thoughts in my head like—why don’t we just beat the Eagles and go 9-3? …But I’m keeping those suppressed.”
• Bounce back stat: “Favorite shut out in the second half: 60% against the spread next game.” – PFT (73:32)
• Deep fan psychology, “why can't we just keep winning games?”

Stavros Halkias on the Ravens & Life as a Fan

Timestamps: 89:10 – 110:10

The Reluctant Optimism & Ravens Identity

• Stavros, tongue-in-cheek: “Getting pussy with a limp dick…just barely enough for penetrative intercourse. We did just enough to win five games, and it’s not inspiring.” (92:08)
• On the Ravens being more defense than Lamar: “Kyle Hamilton is the fucking best defensive player in the league... Now we have a fucking awesome defense and the pressure*’s* a little off him.” (98:04)
• “We're not a numerology team. We're a vibes-based organization.”
• Comparing current season to classic Ravens “sneak in as a wildcard, nobody believes in us” Super Bowl runs.

College Football / Thanksgiving Traditions

• Greek-American Thanksgiving: “Replace turkey with lamb… it’s just better.”
• Thanksgiving is “leftover from when people ate gruel. Now we have everything at our fingertips…I’m not settling for the peasant bird.”

Hollywood & MILF Island

• Stav describes Venice Film Festival red carpet: “I was skipped; they thought I was a bodyguard. I had to be like—I’m actually in the movie!”
• “If they ever make MILF Island, NP—search the records for ‘Halkias’.”

Ravens Playoff Path

• “We're going as the fucking wild card. Underdogs in every round. That's how it's done.” (108:04)

Alex Rodriguez Interview: Documentary, Legacy & Ownership

Timestamps: 112:13 – 141:47

On “Alex vs. A-Rod” (HBO)

• Motivation: “I wanted my daughters to be okay with it… My young daughter Ella said, ‘Dad, if we're going to do this, we're going to be real. No more apology tours. This is our story.’” (113:57)
• Harshest criticism: “That was the hardest thing I had to do—reliving those moments, opening up those wounds…” (114:27)
• On father’s absence driving ambition and flaws: “At 28 I was a seasoned veteran baseball player, but as a man, I was 12.” (116:28)
• On PEDs: “Once I crossed that line with HGH, it was a wrap and I knew I was on the wrong side of history—but ultimately, I just wanted to get out there and perform.” (128:11)
• On Hall of Fame: “I’m hopeful, but if I don’t get in, I know whose fault that is—mine.” (125:24)

Baseball/NBA Ownership

• On modern player movement: “You can hit .200, strike out 200 times and still get a 5-year contract. Maybe I have a chance!” (126:55)
• On David Ortiz, postgame trolling: “It hurts my soul…when you win, you can spike the ball.” (134:42)
• On Timberwolves co-ownership: “You’re helpless as an owner. As a player, you can grab a bat. As an owner, you can only cheer louder. But I’m incredibly grateful.” (135:45)
• On Jeter: “Our relationship is as good as it’s been in 20 years. But Jeter had the maturity at 21 of a 31-year-old. At 31, I had the maturity of a 9-year-old.” (139:36)

The (Not) Centaur Painting

• A-Rod laughs off the infamous rumor: “I wish I was that clever…not a bad idea…Let’s get it done.” (129:33)

Hot Seat / Cool Throne

Timestamps: 35:55 – 54:15

Notables:

• Hot Seat: New York Post for mislabeling Jerry O’Connell’s family (“We need a good enemy. NY Post is a good one unless they’re writing something good about us.”).
• Cool Throne: Jameis Winston, “the new Slash”—offering to play tight end, being an all-purpose weapon.
• Aubrey Huff viral “pick-up line,” dubbed “shooting fish in a barrel,” leads to PMT riffing about absurd alpha-male dating advice (45:23).
• Box Office: India’s Women’s Blind Cricket Team winning the World Cup (“I would not count them out against seeing teams!” – Zach)
• Bizarre Mail/Red Light Camera Tangent: “My commute to work is like Sonic getting hit, with coins falling out.” – PFT (16:57)
• PMT Store updates and fantasy football infighting (“The team fell apart months ago...The Phillies broke the team.” – Jerry, 53:01)

College Football Rivalry Week & Playoff Ramifications

Timestamps: 18:27 – 35:33

• JMU Playoff dreams, and the committee’s “hard on for the American” discussed (“Every computer has JMU in, but the committee…just has a hard-on for the American.” – PFT, 18:55)
• Tom Fornelli’s vendetta against JMU
• What happens if the Group of Five team gets blown out?
• Coaching carousel crystal-balling: “If JMU’s coach takes the Penn State job, it cements JMU as the #1 place for any up-and-coming coach.” – Big Cat
• Texas A&M’s “luck of the draw” in SEC scheduling; “They have not played a single team in the top eight of the SEC.” – PFT (32:03)

Notable Quotes

On Thanksgiving Rituals:

• “The Thanksgiving halftime show should be goofy. We need the Corgi races and kids vs mascots every year.” – PFT (61:44)
• “There shouldn’t be 12 steps to make turkey delicious. I just put a cut of meat in the oven, come back 3 hours later, and eat lamb.” – Stavros (102:43)

On Fan Pessimism/Optimism:

• “Part of my superstitious brain is like—stay in that mode of not expecting anything crazy…why don’t we just beat the Eagles and go 9-3?” – Big Cat (77:16)

On Legacy and Reflection:

• “As great as I got to be as a ballplayer, I was becoming more detached from reality, more from self-awareness. My ego was getting inflated…but more than that, it was just the lack of self-awareness.” – Alex Rodriguez (116:28)

On Ravens Fandom:

• “We are back, but…we did just enough to win 5 games and it’s not inspiring. It’s like getting pussy with a limp dick.” – Stavros Halkias (92:08)
• “We're a vibes-based organization.” – Stavros Halkias (98:04)

On PMT Culture:

• “We invented the concept of listing your top four favorite things.” – Big Cat (30:32)
• “Wings have become table bread for us. They're just always on the Sunday spread.” – PFT (144:32)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Opening/Thursday Night Recap: 03:26–18:27
• College Football Playoff/Rivalry Week: 18:27–35:33
• Hot Seat/Cool Throne: 35:55–54:15
• NFL Thanksgiving Preview & Sunday Slate: 57:06–86:34
• Stavros on Ravens & Holiday Football: 89:10–110:10
• Alex Rodriguez Interview: 112:13–141:47
• Sunday Rapid Fire/Game Previews (and fantasy): 143:23–199:14
• Jerry’s Fantasy Minute: 196:43

Final Thoughts

This mammoth pre-holiday special is classic Pardon My Take: hilarious, profane, surprisingly analytical, and colored by both intense fandom and total self-parody. Whether prepping for the weekend’s games or seeking the best football banter on the internet, this episode is thick with signature PMT moments, the right amount of guest depth, and the kind of chaos that only Big Cat and PFT can deliver.

“Let’s get three bangers on Thanksgiving. We deserve it.” – PFT (70:55)

*Note: For brevity, ad reads, full sponsor copy, and sidebar tangents are omitted. All quotes are attributed and timestamped for direct reference.