The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Best of DLS: The Origin of the Upset Bird
Date: December 23, 2025

Episode Overview

This special “Best Of” edition dives into classic moments from the Dan Le Batard Show’s archive while blending in some genuinely fresh banter, despite being released over the holidays. The team looks back at some of their most memorable, quirky stories—from the emotional aftermath of the Allen Houston game and the true origin of Greg Cote’s famed “Upset Bird,” to brutally honest takes on CrossFit, surreal conversations with MMA star Georges St-Pierre, steam room etiquette disasters, and a uniquely Le Batardian international basketball interview with Detlef Schrempf.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflections on Holiday Programming

[03:24–04:27]

• Dan Le Batard and Jeremy riff on the criticism that holiday episodes are all re-runs—promising that this week’s content is a blend of both archival oddities and “the good stuff” handpicked from deep in the show’s quirky history. Fresh banter reassures listeners:
  • “Jeremy, who says we don't do any fresh content during the holidays? This right here, you and I speaking words. This is as fresh as it gets.” — Dan Le Batard (03:24)
  • Audience nostalgia will be piqued by revisiting favorites from as far back as 2006.

2. Pat Riley’s Vulnerability After “The Shot”

[06:16–09:55]

• Stugotz recounts Pat Riley’s surprising admission of weeping alone in the bowels of the stadium after the Allen Houston game eliminated the Miami Heat.
  • Alonzo Mourning’s tough-love moment: “Do your bleeping job. Get up and do your bleeping job. You have a team in the locker room that needs to hear from you.” (06:16)
• The hosts express surprise at Riley’s candor about this private, vulnerable moment, linking it to his reputation for toughness and leadership.
• They analyze how losing to the Knicks, “Pat the Rat” chants, and repeated playoff failures forced Riley to confront the need to rebuild the team.

3. The Origin of the Upset Bird

[09:51–12:19]

• Greg Cote’s famous “Upset Bird” is explained for new listeners:
  • “For 20 years he has kind of been the national football writer for the Miami Herald... In that duty, he has consulted an imaginary bird while making his Friday prediction.” — Stugotz (09:51)
• George St. Pierre (sitting in as a comedic character) describes the bird as a crow or raven a la Poe, speaking in italics, with “Drew Rosenhawk” as its agent.
  • “There is a consultation going on, yes.” — George St. Pierre, when asked if he truly speaks with the bird. (11:13)
  • The bit parodies media traditions and how silly sports rituals can become beloved.

4. Wrestling & Billiards Name Game with Greg Cote

[12:19–14:38]

• Stugotz challenges Greg Cote to name wrestlers; Cote hilariously flails, offering only “Haystack Calhoun,” then mistakes famed African American entertainer Moms Mabley for a wrestler.
  • “Moms Mabley is a vaudevillian African American actress.” — Detlef Schrempf (via joke character) correcting Cote. (14:16)
• Pivoting, they make Cote name billiards players: “The Black Widow, Minnesota Fats, Paul Newman in The Color of Money”—again, showing Cote’s surface-level pop culture familiarity.

5. The Scam and Epidemic of CrossFit

[17:14–23:37]

• The team takes on the popularity of CrossFit with skepticism and biting humor:
  • "It seems like a horrible idea. It seems like a really easy way to get injured. The things that they ask people to do…” — Stugotz (17:32)
  • “CrossFit is running an enormous scam that will injure you.” — Stugotz (18:46)
• Chris admits to buying 15 CrossFit sessions just from seeing ripped people on TV. They mock the short training required for certification and the cult-of-personality trainers.
  • “A, you’re not going to make it through 15 [sessions] and B, you are going to come in limping within four days.” — Stugotz (20:01)
• Listener texts pour in with horror stories, with fitness and medical professionals warning about injury rates.
  • “CrossFit is single handedly keeping our health industry alive in America.” — Listener via Stugotz (20:28)

6. Georges St-Pierre Interview: Humility, Skills, and Hypotheticals

[27:12–35:45]

• The show’s 2012 interview with MMA legend Georges St-Pierre is replayed. GSP insists Frankie Edgar, not himself, is the best pound-for-pound fighter:
  • “There is many guys who have skill better than mine in different departments… I believe in terms of pound for pound, the best right now is Frankie Edgar. That's my personal belief.” — GSP (27:39)
• He explains what he admires in other fighters (Mayweather’s hands, a jiu-jitsu champ’s ground game), likening MMA to being a triathlete.
• Things get ridiculous as Stugotz asks GSP how quickly he could kill Stugotz in a fight:
  • “I believe it could take me less than 30 seconds.” — GSP, deadpan (32:39)
  • “To knock you out, it’s one thing, but to put you technically dead, that’s another thing.” — GSP (33:49)
• GSP’s humility and calmly clinical explanations stand in contrast to the show’s mayhem.
  • He humorously reveals he doesn’t gain weight or watch what he eats: “I can even when I go on vacation and I drink and I get completely drunk, I never get fat… My family is like that. My cousins like that. My sister is like that. My mom does like that.” (34:09)

7. Dan's Steam Room Etiquette Disaster

[38:09–43:44]

• Dan describes a mortifying steam room encounter with an aggressively nude European man looking for a lost item:
  • “He starts. He’s nude, totally nude. And I know this because he’s searching for something around me… Like, this was a very confined space and he was totally nude.” — Dan (39:16)
• The panel debates steam room etiquette—do you go naked? Is it weirder to wear sneakers and socks (as Dan did), or to be barefoot?
  • “His dong looked about 50.” — Dan’s peak TMI moment, delivered with deadpan absurdity (41:19)
• They imagine the European telling his own version—baffled by the American in gym shoes.

8. Interview with Detlef Schrempf (via archive)

[44:03–49:16]

• The show welcomes Detlef Schrempf, legendary German NBA player, to talk about basketball and culture:
  • “If you and David Hasselhoff walked into the same bar in Germany, Detlef, are you getting any of the women?”
  • “Probably not.” — Detlef Schrempf, deadpan (46:11)
• He explains why Dirk Nowitzki is huge in Germany, riffs on Germans loving both soccer and beer, and why singing David Hasselhoff at the free-throw line is a distraction technique.
  • “Well, he does something to take his mind off what's actually happening on the game, and that's what a lot of guys should do… keeping your mind somewhere else.” — Schrempf (44:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pat Riley and the Knicks
  • “That he was walking in on Pat Riley crying at his desk. I thought it was unusual that Pat Riley would volunteer that story… but he was broken.” — Dan Le Batard (06:16)
• On the Upset Bird
  • “I would forward all of these related questions to his agent, Drew Rosenhawk.” — George St. Pierre as the Upset Bird’s ‘spokesman’ (11:37)
• On CrossFit
  • “CrossFit is running an enormous scam that will injure you.” — Stugotz (18:46)
  • “I've hurt myself 10 times in four years doing CrossFit, but like crack, I can't quit.” — Listener text read by Stugotz (20:14)
• On Getting Killed by GSP
  • “No, no, just a billiard cue. All he's got is… I believe it could take me less than 30 seconds.” — GSP, when asked how quickly he could dispatch Stugotz (32:39)
• On Steam Room Mishaps
  • “His dong looked about 50.” — Dan Le Batard (41:19)
• On David Hasselhoff's Popularity in Germany
  • “Probably not.” — Detlef Schrempf, on whether he could win over women if Hasselhoff entered a German bar (46:11)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Fresh Holiday Content & Archival Preview: 03:24–04:27
• Pat Riley’s Emotional Knick Loss: 06:16–09:55
• The Upset Bird Origin Story: 09:51–12:19
• Greg Cote Names Wrestlers & Billiards Players: 12:19–14:38
• CrossFit as Scam and Injury Magnet: 17:14–23:37
• Georges St-Pierre Interview: 27:12–35:45
• Dan’s Steam Room Etiquette Fiasco: 38:09–43:44
• Interview with Detlef Schrempf: 44:03–49:16

Tone & Style

True to its reputation, the episode is a blend of irreverent, self-deprecating humor, Miami sports nostalgia, and whimsical deep-dives into sports subculture. The panel’s camaraderie and playful ribbing create a relaxed, joyful vibe with moments of genuine insight—perfect for both longtime fans and newcomers wondering what makes "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" a singular sports radio experience.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode is a microcosm of the show’s best qualities: wild tangents, classic tales (the birth of the Upset Bird!), sports soul-baring (Pat Riley crying over the Knicks?!), and a sense that sports are as much about personality and absurdity as competition. If you’re just tuning in, you’ll get both the show’s cultural DNA and plenty of laughs—plus a healthy distrust of CrossFit.