Big Suey: Mike Schur Is Creating Monsters (Feat. Billy And The Onion)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – Episode: "Big Suey: Mike Schur Is Creating Monsters (Feat. Billy And The Onion)"

Release Date: November 27, 2024
Host/Participants: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Billy Gill, Roy Bellamy, Mike Ryan, Chris Cody

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1. Event Promotion: Dolphins vs. Jets Watch Party

Timestamp: [02:13] - [07:50]

The episode kicks off with Dan Le Batard announcing an upcoming watch party for the Dolphins versus Jets game slated for Sunday, December 8th at Vivo at Dolphin Mall. Billy Gill elaborates on the event, highlighting its past success and the mixed experiences they've had with Dolphins games. The promotion emphasizes arriving early due to the holiday shopping season, ensuring attendees secure good spots amidst the expected crowd.

• Dan Le Batard: “We’re going to have a bad time together. Dolphins versus Jets, December 8th. Live from Vivo at Dolphin Mall.”

• Billy Gill: “Come out and enjoy the Dolphins and the Jets with us. It’ll be fun.”

The hosts reminisce about personal connections to Dolphin Mall, with Billy sharing that it’s where he met his wife, adding a sentimental touch to the promotion.

2. Nostalgic Stories: Memories at Dolphin Mall

Timestamp: [05:48] - [09:56]

Dan and Billy delve into nostalgic memories associated with Dolphin Mall, recounting their first dates and favorite spots within the mall. Stugotz joins in, sharing his own experiences and the evolution of the mall’s amenities over the years.

• Stugotz: “My first date with my wife was also at Dolphin Mall.”

• Billy Gill: “Dolphin Cinemas was one of the first places that had full food that you could order. Incredible.”

The conversation transitions to changes in the mall’s restaurants, lamenting the closure of popular spots like T.G.I. Fridays and reflecting on the impact of such closures on the local community.

3. Inter Miami and Major League Soccer Dynamics

Timestamp: [08:36] - [16:21]

The hosts shift focus to the broader sports landscape, specifically discussing the Inter Miami soccer team and recent managerial changes. Stugotz provides insights into the struggles faced by the team post-Messi era, touching upon attendance issues and management decisions.

• Stugotz: “Inter Miami missed an opportunity here. They had a packed house pre-Messi, but now they’re struggling.”

• Dan Le Batard: “How did you meet your wife at Dolphin Mall? We worked together…”

The dialogue delves into the challenges of maintaining team performance amidst high-profile player acquisitions, such as Blake Snell's signing with the Dodgers.

4. Dodgers’ Acquisition of Blake Snell: A Controversial Move

Timestamp: [15:37] - [25:30]

A heated discussion unfolds around the Dodgers' acquisition of pitcher Blake Snell. The hosts debate the implications of such high-value contracts on team dynamics and competitive balance within Major League Baseball.

• Dan Le Batard: “Blake Snell signs for $182 million and was unhittable in the second half of the season. It’s a big signing.”

• Billy Gill: “He was terrible until August last year… It’s odd.”

Billy expresses skepticism about Snell's performance post-signing, suggesting that the Dodgers are creating "monsters" by continually investing heavily in star players. The conversation critiques the sustainability of such financial strategies and their impact on smaller-market teams like the Marlins.

• Billy Gill: “We don’t need a Juan Soto. We need grinders on this team. We need Jake Burgers.”

The segment highlights concerns about the growing financial disparities in baseball, where affluent teams can outbid others for talent, potentially undermining the competitive spirit of the league.

5. The Onion Eating Challenge: A Humorous yet Painful Incident

Timestamp: [30:14] - [41:11]

One of the most memorable segments of the episode revolves around Billy Gill’s infamous onion-eating challenge, which led to his hospitalization. The hosts recount the humorous yet distressing event, filled with physical reactions and ensuing chaos.

• Dan Le Batard: “Guillermo now has to do his challenge of eating a raw onion. You…”

• Billy Gill: “I am starting to think maybe I should have thought of whether I’m allergic to onions… Maybe I’ll die doing this.”

Despite attempts to make the challenge entertaining, Billy ends up with severe reactions, leading to a chaotic scene where multiple hosts begin to feel ill. The lore behind the challenge is further dissected, revealing internal tensions and the impact of the incident on Billy’s relationship with the crew.

• Roy Bellamy: “I was trying to figure out the smallest onion that I could get to have this count to avoid any controversy… But it ended up hitting me hard.”

The segment serves as both a cautionary tale and a humorous anecdote, showcasing the unpredictable nature of live podcasting and the camaraderie among the hosts.

6. Reflections and Closing Remarks

Timestamp: [41:11] - [38:27]

In the closing moments, the hosts reflect on the onion incident, addressing lingering questions about its consequences and the dynamics within the team. There’s a blend of humor and introspection as they navigate the aftermath of the challenge.

• Dan Le Batard: “Do not believe that the Onion sent Billy to the hospital.”

• Roy Bellamy: “It was the onion… It was a disaster. I hate the onion.”

The episode wraps up with a mix of lighthearted banter and promotional content, maintaining the show's signature blend of sports analysis, personal stories, and humor.

Notable Quotes

• Billy Gill ([02:13]): “We’re going to have a bad time together. Dolphins versus Jets, December 8th. Live from Vivo at Dolphin Mall.”

• Stugotz ([05:48]): “My first date with my wife was also at Dolphin Mall.”

• Dan Le Batard ([15:37]): “Blake Snell signs for $182 million and was unhittable in the second half of the season. It’s a big signing.”

• Billy Gill ([25:30]): “We don’t need a Juan Soto. We need grinders on this team. We need Jake Burgers.”

• Dan Le Batard ([30:14]): “Guillermo now has to do his challenge of eating a raw onion. You…”

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Conclusion

This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz offers a vivid blend of sports commentary, personal anecdotes, and humorous escapades. From promoting local events and reminiscing about mall memories to delving into the financial strategies of Major League Baseball teams and enduring a challenging onion-eating ordeal, the hosts provide an engaging and multifaceted discussion. Notable for its candid conversations and relatable experiences, the episode caters to both sports enthusiasts and casual listeners seeking entertainment and insight.

Transcript

[Dan LeBatard]

You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network.

[Billy Gill]

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[Dan LeBatard]

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[Stugotz]

Shop Black Friday deals first with Walmart.

[Dan LeBatard]

Plus see [e-mail] welcome to the Big.

[Mike Ryan]

Sui presented by DraftKings.

[Dan LeBatard]

Why are you listening to the the.

[Mike Ryan]

Podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan Lerd podcast? I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging.

[Dan LeBatard]

I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries that if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys.

[Mike Ryan]

I've done it. And now here's the marching man to nowhere Fat Face and the Habitual liar.

[Dan LeBatard]

Billy. I am seeing here on the preview screen that our little show one of the most popular in America. Every time we land some somewhere I am always moved sugat by people who fly in and drive in from a long way away. Even if we're just at a local bar party and we're doing another one of these for a game that we could turn this place into a real zoo. Jets and dolphins.

[Mike Ryan]

Yep.

[Dan LeBatard]

1:00 Sunday, December 8th. I need the Dolphins to have that game matter. I need Aaron Rodgers to come into town. I need not so many quarterbacks to get hurt between now and then that Tim Boyle is starting for somebody. But that game, Billy, that day, what are we doing and where are we doing it?

[Billy Gill]

Well, we've been doing a little God bless football country tour here. You know what I mean? We started in Chicago, we went out to Arizona. Now we'll be landing here at home in Miami Dolphin Mall Vivo. You guys remember Vevo Vivo was the site of a fun watch party we had last year where the Dolphins played the Titans. That ended up being a disastrous game that ended up really ruining the Dolphins season. To be honest with you, it was.

[Mike Ryan]

So fun and it started off great.

[Billy Gill]

Dolphins seem to have the game in hand. Then all of a sudden they somehow magically blew that lead. And then we all thought, will Levis, wow, he's going to be something in this league. And no, no, he. He was not.

[Roy Bellamy]

He's.

[Billy Gill]

He's pretty bad. Not very good this year. So that game ended up being a disaster and a bad time had by all. It was fun for most of the night, but then a bad time. So we said, you know what? Let's have a bad time again. So come out here. We're going to have a bad time together. Dolphins versus Jets, December 8th. Live from Vivo at Dolphin Mall. Kickoffs at 1, but we're going to get there around noon, go until about 5 or so. We're just going to kind of be enjoying football. We have the Dolphins game on, the jets game on. And I would advise you. And this is not on the script here. This is not Sunday service presented by Smirnoff. This is not on the script, but I will tell you this because our partners are. Smirnoff have been great. I will tell you this. December 8th, Dolphin Mall to Sunday. I would, I would get there a little bit early because you're headed into prime holiday shopping season. So if you want to find some parking, it's going to be a zoo. Generally just because of that time of year at Dolphin.

[Dan LeBatard]

But no, the growing property of. God bless football landing in your town. After touring the country. Arizona and Chicago Landing Homecoming Closer to home to Billy Gill. The people that matter. The people show. These are Billy Gill's people.

[Billy Gill]

Not closer to home. My actual home. I grew up at Dolphin Mall. That's where I met my wife. My wife.

[Mike Ryan]

Wow.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah, Dolphin Mall. So the point is get there early because if, if you want to sit down, you want to have a good spot at the bar, you want to have some, you know, a good vista of us. Like there's a lot of bars and stuff around that area and it's going to probably be crowded just because of the. That time of the year, you know. So come out and enjoy the Dolphins and the jets with us. It'll be fun. Who knows? We'll be the jets quarterback at that point in the season. If Aaron will be released or if he'll be on the team, if he'll be on ir like, could be a disaster. Hopefully it's a Dolphins win. It seems like we're trending in that direction and we have a big prove it game tonight. Right? Or show me something. Game tonight. Tomorrow.

[Mike Ryan]

Tomorrow, yeah, Tomorrow yourself.

[Dan LeBatard]

Which Is it Billy? Wait a minute. Those are two different things.

[Billy Gill]

What do you mean? Tonight or prove it.

[Dan LeBatard]

Game or show me game?

[Mike Ryan]

Well, you said it was a show me game.

[Dan LeBatard]

I said it was a show me game. And then Billy diluted it.

[Billy Gill]

Show me state.

[Dan LeBatard]

Summer saying Billy downgraded it to prove it.

[Billy Gill]

Wisconsin.

[Stugotz]

My show me states.

[Billy Gill]

Missouri.

[Stugotz]

My first date with my wife was also at Dolphin Mall.

[Billy Gill]

Really?

[Mike Ryan]

Really.

[Billy Gill]

At Vivo.

[Mike Ryan]

Where'd you go?

[Stugotz]

Fridays. And then we saw the one down starring Christopher Walker. The Rock John movie.

[Billy Gill]

You don't really talk a lot.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, we were smooching.

[Billy Gill]

You talked before this guy, baby. Was the movie always the plan or was like T.G.I. fridays went well. That's. Hey, you want to go upstairs? Dolphin Cinemas upstairs. That's sizzling chicken mozzarella sticks up there. Sizzling chicken and cheese. Dolphin Cinema is one of the first places that I can remember in this area that had like full food that you could order. Incredible. You do a lap. You do a loser lap around the mall?

[Stugotz]

Always.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah. You got to free samples at the food court. Was a bowling alley there at the time or. No?

[Stugotz]

No, not that early on.

[Billy Gill]

It's changed names like. Well, there was a bolero at one point in time. I don't know if it still is a bolero. I'm sure they searched me or not. Anyways, it comes out sizzling, like it's fajitas. Yeah, Sizzling. TJ Fridays. I heard a bunch of them were closing. I think that one closed.

[Stugotz]

One next to UM's campus closed. I believe that.

[Billy Gill]

Sad day.

[Stugotz]

Really sad.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah. Fridays, Tuesdays. Don't name your restaurant after a day of the week because it's not going well.

[Dan LeBatard]

Seems a bit of a jets.

[Billy Gill]

Dolphins. December 8th. Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

I want to hear more about both of these encounters. You guys are going. This is homecoming for you guys. This is where love began for you guys. For both of you.

[Stugotz]

At. Such a writer.

[Billy Gill]

What a romantic.

[Stugotz]

I just got frisky inside a movie after a few drinks.

[Billy Gill]

Just amongst us girls. What base did we get to? Yeah, come on. A little handsy. I'm still waiting on that roller coaster at Dolphin Mall. They promised that the opening weekend. Still no roller coaster. Another. What happened to that other massive mall? Dolphin Mall. Great. By the way, come check it out. That other giant ones, Bill, that was supposed to like Combat Mall of the Americas in Minnesota. It's supposed to be like the biggest mall in the world right off.

[Roy Bellamy]

It was supposed to have ski resort.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah. Indoor skiing. What happened to that?

[Stugotz]

They're still building my wife There.

[Billy Gill]

Who would have thought? Now that we're talking about Miami malls and I know that's what everybody wants to talk about this time of year. Who would have thought, huh? Miami International Mall, outliving Sunset Place. No one would have had that last legs.

[Stugotz]

International Mall is just.

[Roy Bellamy]

Just, Just nothing.

[Billy Gill]

No falsehoods. No, dude, International is thriving right now. Yeah, no, it's thriving.

[Roy Bellamy]

The last time you went like two weeks ago.

[Stugotz]

I went two weeks ago.

[Billy Gill]

Oh, it's great. Is there radio? I went sooner there a Radio Shack there, Dolph.

[Roy Bellamy]

Radio Shack.

[Billy Gill]

Now get out of here. Anyways, Danny, you've been to International Mall in the past couple of things.

[Dan LeBatard]

I will answer your questions in a second. You guys did a deep dive on local mall. I still haven't gotten an answer to my question though. How did you meet your wife at Dolphin Mall?

[Billy Gill]

My wife.

[Dan LeBatard]

We worked together and I don't know.

[Billy Gill]

The backstory of what us working together.

[Dan LeBatard]

Of how it is that you came.

[Billy Gill]

Hey, that was a while later.

[Dan LeBatard]

What was it really?

[Billy Gill]

December 8th.

[Stugotz]

Personal business.

[Mike Ryan]

Seriously.

[Billy Gill]

Sunday service presented by Smirnoff. Yeah, 1:00pm kickoff 12. Be there at noon. Yeah, get there early.

[Roy Bellamy]

Be there like 11:30. 11, yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

Billy, that mall you were talking about, the new debt, it's 2026, the one right off the turnpike that they've been promoting forever.

[Billy Gill]

I didn't understand.

[Stugotz]

For the World Cup.

[Billy Gill]

2026, I mean, get out of here. Look, guys, let me tell you something. I'm going to call shenanigans on these project, these projected dates of construction projects because like just now driving in, I see they finally put a shovel in the dirt on that soccer stadium next to the airport. Like we're finally moving dirt around there. And that's supposed to open in like four months. So I don't think that we're going to meet that deadline. And 2026, there's no shot in hell because I've driven down the turnpike and I don't see the largest mall in the world anywhere around there. So they haven't started that yet either.

[Dan LeBatard]

We managed to go a week without talking about Inter Miami's manager leaving.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, they just hired a new one too.

[Billy Gill]

Really?

[Dan LeBatard]

That happened pretty quickly and out of nowhere. And I haven't seen subsequent reporting after I heard personal reasons because not a lot of people had that coming.

[Stugotz]

I mean, seemingly out of nowhere, there were. There were some people plugged in. In the know that.

[Dan LeBatard]

You're one of them, aren't you, Mark?

[Stugotz]

No, no, no, no. I was. I kind of given up that beat they're not my biggest fan anymore. But it was interesting when I first heard Dotta Martino was in the mix. Everyone's like, well, that's a perfect mesh with Messi, because they know each other. But what I kept hearing was like, it's actually not that easy. There might actually be some conflict there. The fact that they've worked together in the past, that doesn't actually help this thing. Tata's a very prideful guy, and I think this is one of those situations where, like, you want to do it your way. I had plenty of success doing it my way. You guys just do your thing.

[Dan LeBatard]

Are you interested at all stugat in this portion of it? For a while there, Mike was doing some insider reporting around that sport and obviously had very good sources in Inter Miami. Because if you were listening to this show, it wasn't surprising to you that Messi ended up there when he says they're not the biggest fans of him. I haven't talked to him about this at all, but I'm assuming that that would be because you've been on here talking about how they price people out and gouge people and that you gave up your season tickets. I hadn't asked you about this, but I assume.

[Mike Ryan]

I don't think we need to assume. I think that would be the reason.

[Dan LeBatard]

I would assume that.

[Stugotz]

But I've also been more fair than them. I reconnected with some people over there, and I guess the way my perspective was, they weren't that big of fans of mine. I know some people there aren't, but there are some people that matter over there that are totally fine with me. I think that I kind of feel. Me personally, this is my personal feeling. I think Inter Miami missed an opportunity here. Inter Miami, from a stadium attendance standpoint, was doing very well pre messy. They had a packed house. It was a fun atmosphere, even though it was very far away from the base that they were trying to appeal.

[Dan LeBatard]

To, which people have no idea how much further that is than it used to be. Because you'll see during Art Basel, we are wildly overcrowded down here. So for you to get to those games was going to take you two hours every day during the.

[Stugotz]

Well, let's just say my car is well over the miles because of all the Inter Miami games that I went to. It's 15 minutes away from Boca Raton. Okay. It's a lot more convenient if you live in Boca to watch Inter Miami than if you are living in the populous center of Miami Dade county, like I am around Kendall So I drive every day. It was tough. I just. Look, they brought in a dude from Barcelona on the business ops. They have a certain way of doing things over there. It's a little different over here. It felt a little less mlse, which actually appealed to me. I like the direction that MLS was going in. But this is Messi. This is a whole different ballgame. And by the way, on the field, even though they got eliminated in the first round by Brad Guzman, as Dan liked to call him.

[Dan LeBatard]

Guzman.

[Stugotz]

That's not his name.

[Dan LeBatard]

I made it Guzman. I put a Z in there. You're good.

[Stugotz]

Well, the Z is always in there. You put an M in there. There's no M. But it's hard to argue with their path and they're monetizing it and they're getting sponsors and they're doing the thing. I did get a phone for the first time since giving up my tickets, like from Inter Miami, which I found interesting. Like, hey, you want to come back? So I don't know, read into that what you will. But they also told me I have a credit. I'm like, wait, credit? Wait, what? Where's my money? Huh? You got money? I got money. We'll see if it works out. I am. I wholeheartedly want to come back and be a season ticket holder again. Once the stadium gets a little bit closer, maybe the prices level off in a post messy world. I'm super excited about this club World cup that we have an opportunity to watch Inter Miami open up the whole tournament for. So look, they got messy. They are building the stadium. It's not on time. Doubt them at your peril because they proved a lot of people wrong. And I think on the whole this has been very successful. And from a business investment, David Beckham made his money over several times over. Howdy, folks, it's Mike. By now you know. How about Game Time? I am. And I'm converting my friends and my family one by one. And I'm converting listeners. Thank you for letting me know that you guys have turned to, for my money, the greatest app on the secondary ticket marketplace. It is the best place to get tickets to in demand concerts, comedy shows, games, you name it. And Game Time has this amazing new feature called Game Time Pix that makes getting tickets to see your favorite teams play live even easier. Gametime Picks filters out the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets with gametime picks. It helps make curation easier to save more on Sports, concerts, comedy, theater, and it features all in pricing. This to me is one of the best of many great features. You click a little tab and there are no surprises at checkout. And you also get panoramic seat views. You know exactly what you're getting yourself into. Take the guesswork at buying tickets with GameTime Picks. Download the GameTime Map, create an account and use code DAN for $20 off your first purchase terms. Apply again, create an account and redeem code D a n for $20 off download. Game time today. What time is it? Game time.

[Dan LeBatard]

Don LeBatard. Go ahead, Billy. Ask him your question.

[Roy Bellamy]

Is gymnastics pop prop possibly corrupt?

[Chris Cody]

Oh, wow.

[Billy Gill]

Wow.

[Dan LeBatard]

Stugots.

[Roy Bellamy]

I got some phlegm in my mouth.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, it's okay. Thank you.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah. Is gymnastics possibly corrupt? This is the Don Levatar show with the stugats.

[Dan LeBatard]

Stugatz. You are seeing in the hat wear in the other room that Billy wears his allegiances on his head. And the marble have fallen behind Inter Miami and University of Miami football and maybe University of Miami basketball. Like the dwindling fan base, I might be carried away, but I think we.

[Stugotz]

Blew that opportunity during that final basketball.

[Dan LeBatard]

During that Final four run. It felt like that. It felt like the Marlins were like seventh place locally. And what I wanted to ask you, Billy, because I was surprised by this yesterday, although perhaps I shouldn't.

[Billy Gill]

Marlins are a year removed from the playoffs, I'll have you know.

[Dan LeBatard]

The Dodgers now got Blake Snell. Blake Snell has been just really exceptional for a couple of years now. He was unhittable in San Diego. He wasn't a lot more hittable in San Francisco. And I can't believe that the Dodgers have the money to just add someone casually like this. That I think that guaranteed money the Dodgers just gave him represents more money than the Marlins owe everyone. They've got to pay in guaranteed money because the Marlins have only one one year contracts. And Sandy. They've got Sandy and just one year contracts. So the Dodgers, the champions, have now added Blake Snell. And you put such distance between yourself and the Marlins dugouts that you make it impossible for the Marlins to compete. I mean, I've heard all our lives the idea of ruining baseball, but if you can get Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman and Ohtani and you can.

[Mike Ryan]

And you just add Blake Snell. Right?

[Dan LeBatard]

I mean, Blake Snell sucks because your pitching got hurt.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah, but he was terrible. He was terrible until August last year.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, he was 5 and 3 last year. Billy's right. He was not good until the second half.

[Billy Gill]

Guy didn't even have a contract until, like, two months into the season. No one wanted.

[Stugotz]

What's his spot on the rotation there, though?

[Mike Ryan]

He's number two or three, I think, in LA.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

But Billy, he does have a career. 319 era.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah. Great.

[Dan LeBatard]

They already had glass now for $100 million that they took.

[Billy Gill]

He also sucks, by the way.

[Dan LeBatard]

I know.

[Billy Gill]

But they never can stay healthy.

[Dan LeBatard]

They could. Good luck paying away mistakes.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah, keep paying them away. Losers.

[Mike Ryan]

Snell in the second half after the All Star break last year was 50 with a 145-era.

[Billy Gill]

A little suspicious.

[Stugotz]

Go on.

[Billy Gill]

I'm not saying anything. I'm just saying it's odd. Such a rough start. Some people will say time to throw away all journalistic credibility and get reckless. Here is something we like to call reckless speculation.

[Mike Ryan]

You're good.

[Billy Gill]

Here's the thing is you guys get me, like, comfortable to just start talking to you guys. Like, it's just a bunch of us talking around each, right? And I'm just here, comfortable, just, you know, talking, just speculating. And then I hear this sounder and I know exactly what's to come. Now, the little. The gaggle out there, they're all gonna cut this up and they're gonna put this out there, and then a Bob Costas of sorts is gonna get mad at me, and then someone else is in. The Dolphins fans are all gonna be. And it's just. We're just talking sports. We're just sitting here around this fireplace, Thanksgiving week, talking sports. And no one wants to talk sports. No one wants to be real. We're just talking. This isn't for the public. This isn't for the masses. I didn't want Blake Snell in the Marlins. I'm glad that they didn't get him. Also, I don't want Juan Soto, if I'm going to be honest with you. Too much. It's too much of a thing. Too much expectations. It's too big of a deal. Too much money. Not going to be worth it. Marlins don't need a Juan Soto. They don't need a Blake Snell type. We don't need that. We need Grinders on this team. We need Jake Burgers. We need more Jake Burgers. Find me a team of a bunch of Jake Burger.

[Stugotz]

That a real person.

[Billy Gill]

We're good. We did this yesterday with Baker.

[Dan LeBatard]

Stop doing that.

[Mike Ryan]

I want to hear about a team full of Jake Burgers.

[Billy Gill]

I mean, what are you doing?

[Dan LeBatard]

He's one of their stars. He's one of Their name players.

[Billy Gill]

We did this with Baker Mayfield yesterday. A team full of Jake Burgers would be one of the saddest team. No, that'd be a good team. Good. Good team of grinders.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah.

[Billy Gill]

Good man, too. Family man. He's been on this show.

[Dan LeBatard]

Not only. I was on Tony. Tony, he's been like, he. He's a genuine Marlin star.

[Stugotz]

I could wake up next to Jake Burger and wouldn't know.

[Billy Gill]

I wish. I wish I could wake up Nick to the shake. Burger, this is Burger on the corners.

[Dan LeBatard]

Those are the glory days.

[Billy Gill]

Unfortunately. But Burger's still here. He had a mustache for a little time. You'd like him. You guys kind of look similar, to be honest.

[Dan LeBatard]

Their corner Infielders, they just hit 450 foot bombs.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah. Sometimes. Could use a couple more of them.

[Mike Ryan]

Most of the times they don't.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, most of the time.

[Billy Gill]

More often than not, they don't.

[Dan LeBatard]

But sometimes. They had a keg softball team and they're like, come on, Dodgers. What do you got?

[Billy Gill]

Sandy's coming back. We got a new manager, Clayton something.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, Billy is right. Like a team full. A roster full of Jake Burgers would be exciting. It's like a roster full of John Crux. I mean, Cruckies.

[Stugotz]

I mean, rotation's a bit of a liability.

[Mike Ryan]

You're right.

[Stugotz]

Also, you.

[Billy Gill]

The rotation will be fine. It's just health. Health is really.

[Stugotz]

You did say before the reckless speculation Sounder started that the second half of Blake Sound was suspicious. That was a direct quote. You said that.

[Mike Ryan]

I gave you the five minutes and.

[Stugotz]

Then we played catch up on you, speculating recklessly.

[Billy Gill]

No.

[Dan LeBatard]

And then you.

[Stugotz]

You definitely said it.

[Dan LeBatard]

You did say it. And then you throw a plume of smoke in our face. You just a bunch of words.

[Billy Gill]

No, just Sounders start going out, bing, boom, boom, boom. And it's like, what is suspicious?

[Dan LeBatard]

Talking about Gaggles, you were accusing Blake Snell of something. Nobody's accused him of.

[Billy Gill]

I accuse him of nothing.

[Dan LeBatard]

You said something was suspicious.

[Billy Gill]

It's od. Such a horrible first half and second half, all of a sudden you turn everything around. That's odd. You could say he was due. I didn't say. I didn't accuse anyone of anything. I just said it's odd.

[Stugotz]

You said it was suspicious.

[Billy Gill]

Suspicious.

[Stugotz]

There you go.

[Billy Gill]

You guys are putting a negative connotation on the word suspicious. That doesn't exist.

[Mike Ryan]

Right.

[Dan LeBatard]

Just talking sports, Billy. It's negative. Suspicious is negative.

[Billy Gill]

Not always. Depends how you use it.

[Dan LeBatard]

Billy, you're odd, not suspicious.

[Billy Gill]

What? Yeah, I'm Odd, huh? I'm not odd.

[Dan LeBatard]

Not suspicious.

[Billy Gill]

Having or showing a cautious distrust of someone or something. That's a definition of it.

[Dan LeBatard]

You said suspicious.

[Billy Gill]

Having the belief or impression that someone is involved in an illegal or dishonored activity. That's another one.

[Stugotz]

That was the one.

[Billy Gill]

That's not how I use it. I think I use it as a past participle.

[Dan LeBatard]

Blake, don't be suspicious.

[Billy Gill]

Don't be suspicious.

[Dan LeBatard]

Blake Snell signs for $182 million and was unhittable the second half of the season. It's a big signing. Baseball is talking about it today because the conversation is God almighty, Dodgers, knock it off. You can't hog everybody. And you're the first I've heard call it suspicious on a day of great celebration. I haven't heard anyone in the national media. Not Kirchen, not.

[Billy Gill]

Well, he doesn't say anything. When would Kirkchen say that all baseball's great, it's the best thing in the world? Well, Dan, it's a little suspicious.

[Dan LeBatard]

See, he co signs, isn't it just baseball that he was Cy Young award winner the year before and then has a bad half season because as you said, nobody wanted him. Even though what he got was it felt like what happened to him is he got Boris right.

[Billy Gill]

Like he was last, last offseason was really bad for free agency, obviously without the, you know, Shohei Ohtani of it. But like no one was really signing big deals. So he won, wanted a deal that didn't exist and then he kind of stayed put and then he ended up signing a two year deal with a one year opt out and then got a deal finally. But after spring training. So the reason that he had a bad first half is because he didn't have spring training and didn't sign with anyone until the season started. So he was kind of delayed a little bit. His spring training essentially was the first half of the season and then when he started pitching again, he came back to his Cy Young form. That's what happened. If we're going to drop the charade long spring training, if we're going to tell the truth and we're not going to do show that's what happened. It's not suspicious. It said he didn't have a spring training Dan and he's a good pitcher. And now the Dodgers gave a good pitcher a lot of money and they're going to be a really good team. And I was going to say that baseball is dead and they can't kill it because it's already dead. But that's not the truth. The Dodgers are just really good and they have a lot of money. But I will say this, Mike Schur, if your children are Dodgers fans, you need to do a better job of raising them, because you're creating monsters that just get whatever it is that they want. And they think that every team can just pay every player. They're the new Yankees, and you're creating monsters if they're, in fact, Dodgers fans. If not, then forgive me for speaking on your children.

[Dan LeBatard]

Mike Schur, you've been called out.

[Billy Gill]

I have not called him out.

[Dan LeBatard]

And you are caveat at the end.

[Mike Ryan]

There were a lot of ifs there.

[Dan LeBatard]

D. No, you are absolutely right on everything you said. You are a truth teller. And Mike Schurz kids and Los Angeles fans, you're so right about this. There's a generation of kids that saying, yeah, we get Freddie Freeman when the Braves are better. Yeah, we get Shohei Ohtani when he plays for another team. Yeah, we get everybody.

[Stugotz]

They can just be scrappy, underdog Red Sox fans who don't just get everybody they want.

[Billy Gill]

Well, they may get Soto.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, they're in it for Soto, too, by the way. The AL east, the AL east, everyone's in it for Soto. And the Orioles are better than all of them. Like, that's because Toronto's in it, Boston's in it, the Yankees in it.

[Mike Ryan]

So why are people so concerned about the Dodgers? Because the Dodgers have been doing this. They been. They've been conducting business like this for over a decade now, and it's gotten them, what, two World.

[Billy Gill]

Well, because they have to overcome Dave Robertson. He's a terrible man.

[Mike Ryan]

Right. But, I mean, it doesn't guarantee you anything. It guarantees you're going to get to the postseason. But they would have gotten to the postseason without Blake Snell.

[Billy Gill]

I had a Yankees fan yesterday text me and say, I get it. I now understand why everybody hated Yankees fans and why everybody hated the Yankees all these years. I'm finally understanding what it's like to be on the other side of this.

[Dan LeBatard]

Stugods. How do you say with a straight face, it doesn't guarantee you anything. It guarantees you get to the playoffs.

[Mike Ryan]

The Dodgers are going to get to the playoffs every single year.

[Dan LeBatard]

So it guarantees you that.

[Mike Ryan]

I know, but once you get to the playoffs, it's a crapshoot. I don't care how good your team is. The Padres had the Dodgers on the ropes.

[Dan LeBatard]

They could have lost to the Padres. At the time, Freeman was all shot up on medication and said, so shouldn't have been on the field, Betts was coming out of a slump. But we can't dispute this part of it, right? This part of it's weird. The Yankees used to be the team every offseason for decades in their rivalry against the Dodgers that got all of the players they wanted. The fact that baseball now has a sport that is being won by a regional television contract that's better than the others that allows them to get Blake Snell. They were gonna. Aren't they in it for Soto, too? Like, they're like, they can get everybody and they can pay for everybody because Ohtani was just great business. They won the championship. Like, now you just start mass collecting, Go grab everybody. What they're doing with the pitching staff, Billy, it doesn't matter that their pitching staff was hurt last year, that Kershaw was hurt. They're just going to keep getting giant, expensive arms because it doesn't matter if they blow a $200 million contract here and there.

[Billy Gill]

Well, it's not just that. It's that Ohtani's contract was almost entirely deferred. Like, they paid him, like, $2 million last year or something like that. So, like, the 70 million that he got, all of that money is spaced out over years. Like, so it's basically not a real contract for them at the moment. They're going to have to pay for it at some point in time, and it's going to be a hindrance, I would assume, at some point in time. But again, like, all the business that he brought in, it was more than they expected. They can afford everybody now if they wanted it.

[Stugotz]

And if you want to be a bad parent and raise your children, Dodgers fans, that's a hard ticket to come by. Why don't you try the secondary marketplace? And for me, me and you, you should only be going to one place. The Game Time app. Create an account and use the code dan for $20 off your first purchase. Hopefully, that's a Dodgers game and you raise your kids improperly. Download the Game Time app. Today, you get to see panoramic seat views, all in pricing, so you have no surprises at checkout. And you have Game Time's illustrious ticket coverage. Chris, Cody, what time is it?

[Billy Gill]

Game Time.

[Dan LeBatard]

Ooh, I like that one. I don't know if I like that one.

[Mike Ryan]

I like that one.

[Dan LeBatard]

I do. Yes. Sensual Cody. Yeah. Yes, send. I. I would like Sensual Cody to become a character that sells advertising for our show. Whispered sensual advert. Well, that's a little too far. That's a bridge too far. Bridge too far. Yeah, that's good. No, no, no, no, no. Not Joe Rose sound talking about blue cheese. Oh, juicy cheeseburgers. Wait a minute. No, hold on. He'll find it. Give him a second.

[Stugotz]

Hey, you want some fresh fish?

[Dan LeBatard]

Give him a second. This is Joe Rose doing a live spot talking about fresh fish and getting watery mouth as he did his live spot. It was sensual in nature. Mmm.

[Billy Gill]

Ah, that's good.

[Dan LeBatard]

Big, juicy cheeseburgers to Philly chicken. Mm.

[Billy Gill]

Ah, that's good.

[Dan LeBatard]

Onions.

[Stugotz]

Mmm.

[Dan LeBatard]

Mushrooms. Mmm. It's good. Excuse me. Can I have a side order of. Can I get some blue cheese with it? I like to dip my thick in that blue cheese they have there. Hey. Oh, you want some pasta and seafood dishes with fresh fish? It's good. So good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There is nothing like a thick. That is what we paid millions of dollars for to get from espn the big dog. That is the library of stuff that ESPN could not wrestle away from us.

[Mike Ryan]

He was paid $25 for that.

[Chris Cody]

Hey, it's Roy. And as you guys know, I love to grill. My barbecue team won first place at the Key West Invitational. I beat Greg Cody in the turkey cook off. I think of myself as a pretty decent cook, and Omaha Steaks has the best food to put on your plate. I can marinate and season a ribeye, cook at the medium rare and enjoy a good dinner. Thanks to Omaha's steaks. Nothing delivers comfort and joy quite like the unrivaled quality and taste of Omaha Steaks. This year, skip the holiday hustle and bustle and save 50% off site wide during the cybersale at Omaha Steaks.com plus get a $30 reward card when you shop early and score an extra $30 off with promo code DAN. With five generations of experience, Omaha Steaks consistently delivers the world's best steak experience. And the gifting experts have made it easy to deliver the perfect gift with thoughtfully curated gift packages starting at 89.9. From legendary steaks to mouth watering desserts and more. Save 50% off sitewide during the Cyber Sale at Omaha Steaks.com plus all listeners get an extra $30 off with promo code DAN and a $30 reward card when you shop early. That's 50% off at Omaha Steaks.com and an extra $30 off with promo code Dan. Minimum purchase may apply.

[Billy Gill]

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[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, it's the only kind he tells.

[Billy Gill]

It's a short one for me. I tried to speed it up for you guys.

[Stugotz]

You forgot about the league's cup stugats.

[Billy Gill]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

La Caretta is a place where the best of the celebrations has to be the 97 Marlin celebration because it was Levant.

[Roy Bellamy]

Well, when Fidel died the first time.

[Billy Gill]

This is the Don Levatar show with these two guys.

[Dan LeBatard]

Speaking of onions, I just saw that behind the bit as part of our 20 year anniversary celebration that includes Dugat's going to the top of the bestseller list. We have the memory here, Stugott and I. I just learned today an assortment of other details that I did not know about Billy and this onion and the subsequent hospitalization.

[Roy Bellamy]

This is behind the bit. This is behind the bit. This is behind the bit. A segment where we highlight all these bits. The glory days, some might say. Not that it's not nice now. It's nice now, but it's not.

[Dan LeBatard]

Guillermo now has to do his challenge of eating a raw onion. You.

[Roy Bellamy]

Yeah, well, this is. This, this isn't a good idea. And I didn't like.

[Billy Gill]

Now I'm starting to think maybe I.

[Roy Bellamy]

Should have thought of whether I'm allergic to onions and like looked into this and like, maybe I'll die doing this.

[Dan LeBatard]

Where are you just gonna start eating?

[Billy Gill]

How do I start?

[Dan LeBatard]

All right, go ahead. Let's hear the first crunch of this. Oh, go. Oh, my God. That seems awful. That's a giant onion. I am going to vomit.

[Mike Ryan]

Does the holding of the nose help?

[Billy Gill]

Nothing's helping.

[Dan LeBatard]

You seem to be doing okay, though. You seem to be doing much better than I. Are you going to vomit on. Is there any chance that you vomit on your keyboard?

[Roy Bellamy]

It's possible.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh. I mean, he's eating it like an apple, and it's a raw onion, and it's horrific. It's one of the worst things I've ever seen. We are in. We are in the equivalent of a hurricane shelter in here. I feel like I'm watching Braveheart right now. Let me explain. If he throws up, we're all going to start throwing up because vomiting is contagious. I mean. Oh, my God, he's gonna puke.

[Mike Ryan]

He's gonna puke.

[Stugotz]

He's gonna puke.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, God.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh.

[Billy Gill]

Oh, no.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, my God. Oh, lemons are puking. Whose idea was it for Billy to eat the onion?

[Chris Cody]

Yeah, this was a grit of death punishment, and Billy had to eat that onion and it sucked for him because it kind of forced him to go to the hospital with kidney stones, actually. So, yeah, that was not good for Billy.

[Dan LeBatard]

Were you there for this moment?

[Chris Cody]

Yeah, I was. I raised the sound fader up so we can get the sound of the actual bite. And, yeah, I would have picked a smaller onion. Personally. I would have picked a green onion, probably first bite.

[Roy Bellamy]

It sounded. The sound still haunts me, but it sounded like a bite into a crisp apple.

[Mike Ryan]

Does the holding of the nose help? Does the holding. Holding of the nose help?

[Dan LeBatard]

He didn't have to pick that one. There were others to pick from.

[Mike Ryan]

He ate an onion the way you would eat an apple. And so he took. That was his first bite. And then he went to the hospital.

[Dan LeBatard]

He didn't finish the onion. And this part of the story, this was interesting to me. I learned on air, I'm going to say, seven, eight, nine years later, that that hospital, I didn't know. I don't know whether they kept it from me on purpose, but I did not know that that was something that could get you sick or that it did get him sick until many years later.

[Roy Bellamy]

Oh, the onion. The onion was a low point in my career and life. The onion was terrible. The onion was a punishment that I had to because I lost in the bucket of death and I selected to eat a raw onion. There was a double standard when it comes to grit of death and bucket of death punishments, where some people were able to get away with kind of like half hearted payoffs and others were not. And I was not one of the people that was able to get away with half hearted punishments. So I had to go and buy the onion myself. And I was trying to figure out the smallest onion that I could get to have this count to avoid any controversy in, you know, the Spirit of the rules. I went and got a legitimate onion, and I got a decent sized onion. And I thought, I'm just gonna power through this situation.

[Dan LeBatard]

How awful was that?

[Stugotz]

Was Billy expecting it? Well, Billy knew what was gonna happen.

[Dan LeBatard]

We.

[Stugotz]

I hadn't then learned the lesson that we now know post onion that eating competition should probably not be a part of the grit of death. I myself had a very horrific experience with tripe. It just straight up tasted and smelled like poop. It was bad. We thought the onion. Eating a raw onion would be fine. I didn't. I mean, I googled it to see if it would be bad. It's natural. He legitimately threw up. I wasn't aware. And I imagine Billy still harbors some sort of resentment there. It wasn't my finest hour as producer.

[Roy Bellamy]

So I'm eating the onion. I'm powering through. I'm like, halfway done or so. And what really made it terrible was Dan gagging in the other studio. So now the onion's hitting me. The, like, fumes from the onion are in my face. I'm, like, starting to tear up. It's starting to collect in my mouth because I'm trying to eat it quickly, but I'm not really swallowing it as I'm doing it. And then the gagging sound over and over and over again ends up getting me sick. So he throws up, then I start throwing up, and then I didn't stop throwing up. What's not known entirely is I ended up in the hospital as a result. Result of the onion.

[Mike Ryan]

He spent, like, I believe, three days in the hospital after doing that. But here's the thing. Like, Billy's always in the hospital. Like, that's what he does. He goes to doctors.

[Dan LeBatard]

But, I mean, this doesn't even sound right. Did you know that you could go to the hospital for eating. He didn't even eat the whole onion. He took, like, four bites. I don't believe that the onion is the reason for his hospitalization.

[Mike Ryan]

Do you think it was something else?

[Dan LeBatard]

I don't know.

[Stugotz]

You think Billy's been lying all these years?

[Dan LeBatard]

I just think that he had another al ailment that, like, what does it. What do you think? Do you think that three or four bites of an onion are. If I told you right now, absent this information stugat. Somebody takes three or four bites out of an onion, are they going to be hospitalized? Your answer to that's going to be yes.

[Mike Ryan]

No. It'd be no. That's fair.

[Roy Bellamy]

A lot of people say, how did eating an onion get you in the hospital. So much so that when I was in the hospital and they were trying to figure out what's wrong with me, I was telling them I've been throwing up all day. Like, I had to eat an onion. Can eating an onion cause you to come to the hospital? Like, what was it?

[Mike Ryan]

You know what, Billy, you lied. I don't believe him now.

[Dan LeBatard]

I think it was something else. I think Billy's blaming us. I think Billy might be trying to get us to feel guilty because he had to suffer something that wasn't our fault.

[Mike Ryan]

Maybe Billy was just home and took three days off of work. And if he did, I taught him well.

[Dan LeBatard]

A little bit of stugots in everybody.

[Roy Bellamy]

Dan will claim that he had no idea that I was in the hospital until just recently, which is nonsense. And if you look at the tapes and you go through the archives, you will find him making mentions of my hospitalization on the show. Openly mocking an employee's hospitalization on the show. Unbelievable. I sent them a picture of my hospital bracelet. I'm like, I'm in the hospital. Like, this went terribly. This is a terrible idea.

[Dan LeBatard]

It was either Michael Roy said it gave him kidney stones. Do we think that's malarkey? Kidney stones? Do we think we. That's. We think onions cause kidney stones.

[Mike Ryan]

So the kidney stones were trying to get out, but the Onion triggered.

[Dan LeBatard]

There were no stones there. Then he ate three bites of an onion. All of a sudden he's got kidney stones. Kind of quack.

[Roy Bellamy]

Is he seeing they were 100% caused by the onions? This is just a liability issue at this point. And I'm sure they've talked to lawyers or whoever in HR that has told them, like, deny, deny, deny. They know that they are damn well responsible for my hospitalization that day.

[Stugotz]

I haven't had it confirmed to me through an independent health expert that it was the Onion that sent him to the hospital. But it doesn't really matter. He ended up in the hospital afterwards. You know, I ended up in the hospital after I went to Vegas. Could it have been the booze? Maybe I put it on the gazpacho Jan and stuff.

[Dan LeBatard]

Do not believe that the Onion sent Billy to the hospital.

[Stugotz]

I'm not going to disclose what he was in the hospital for. I'll leave that up to Billy. But it's a bit of a stretch for the Onion to what I call wind of. To affect what it. Maybe it jump started it. Maybe the visceral reaction he had to the Onion brought about some other things in his body. Again, look, you're trying to trap me. I'm gonna leave it at the apology. If I hospitalized them for a completely unrelated body part. Fine. It was the onion. Sue me. But don't actually sue me, because the statute of limitations is up.

[Roy Bellamy]

While we're pretending no one knew I was in the hospital, and that was just a bit. And whatever. I got stuck with the hospital bill. I had to pay, like, $1,500 out of pocket because I was hospitalized and I was just a lowly employee. And I was like, how do I even, like, tell someone? Like, I got charged this for going to the hospital. Months later, ESPN found out about it because they were our employers at the time, and they're like, yeah, you shouldn't have had to pay for that. I'm like, okay, cool. So you guys are going to cover them well. And I had to eat it. So I had to eat the onion and eat the hospital bill and the kidney stones. It was just a disaster. I hate the onion.

[Stugotz]

Was Billy mad at you guys for this one?

[Mike Ryan]

We don't know.

[Stugotz]

I learned about it.

[Dan LeBatard]

If he was bad, he stewed in the resentment for seven or eight years without telling me.

[Roy Bellamy]

Hello, friends. This is Billy. If you find yourself in a situation at work or home and you're challenged, who dared to eat enough onion? Or you're just hungry, look around. There's nothing in the cupboard but a raw onion. And you think, what's the worst that can happen? I'm here to tell you, hospitalization is the worst that can happen. I was one of the lucky ones. I was just hospitalized for two days as a result of eating a raw onion. And then my employers denied any involvement in this and had to pay out of pocket. All the co pays involved, so. So it's better to starve than to eat a raw onion.

[Stugotz]

Howdy, folks. It's Mike making this podcast. Time Miller Time. That's right. Miller Lite makes all the great times even better. Why? Dependability for one. Great taste. Less filling. You know exactly what you get. Everybody's going to be happy because they're going to be drinking on a beer that tastes like beer. Can you imagine it? A taste that you know, that you can depend on. No games, no gimmicks. Just great beer for people who like beer, and that is immense. Come this holiday season, say you're hosting or you're going over to a holiday party. What do you bring with you? A 12 pack of the Millerites. Beautiful color, wonderful white cans, this incredible flavor that you know only Miller Lite can deliver you. And at just 96 calories and 3.2 grams of carbs per 12 ounces, miller time is always a good time. Making memories at your year end gatherings. Tastes like Miller time. Go to millerlite.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Tastes like Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Fewer calories and carbs than premium regular beer.