CHRIS COTE'S EPIC ANY GIVEN SUNDAY MONOLOGUE | Local Hour

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: CHRIS COTE'S EPIC ANY GIVEN SUNDAY MONOLOGUE | Local Hour
Date: June 5, 2026

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Overview

This episode begins with Dan, Stugotz, and the local Miami crew diving into a raucous Friday show from the Elser Hotel in Miami. They discuss local sports, national stories, the NBA and NHL Finals, and most notably, get sidetracked into a chaotic and hilarious debate about the (lack of) merits of the football movie "Any Given Sunday." What truly steals the show is a spirited, word-for-word Al Pacino monologue performance by Roy, cheered on by the rest of the crew.

The Local Hour is its classic, digressive self—part hardcore sports radio, part running collection of inside jokes, and always balancing Miami-centric topics with national culture. The conversation is light, sharp, and self-aware, never far from the next punchline or tangent.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. East Coast vs. West Coast Sports Viewing Hours

• (02:02) Dan envies Dave Damaschek's West Coast timezone, noting how late-night games go easier for him, while East Coasters struggle to stay awake.
• Quote:
  • “It is the greatest enduring concession that the east coast has to make for the west coast.”
    — Dave Damaschek, 02:41

2. University of Miami Athletic Director Search Update

• (03:59–06:33) The crew unpacks rumors and inside info: Miami's AD search continues, with Michael Yormark apparently out after negative reactions to his candidacy.
• Names in the mix:
  • Jeff Purinton, Brian White, Jim Frivola (“what Jim Provola has been able to do at Bournemouth is nothing short of miraculous.” – Mike, 05:38)
• The show’s hosts pride themselves on being responsible for publicizing Yormark’s local reputation and influencing university decisions.
• Quotes:
  • "Keep your snake oil out of South Florida. You are not welcome back."
    — Dan Le Batard, 07:04

3. NHL Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 Recap & Officiating Controversies

• (07:04–15:40) A lengthy segment breaks down a dramatic Canes-Knights game, including a wild disputed goal, strategy behind Tortorella’s challenge, and the replay rules.
• Some hosts express fatigue with replay reviews becoming a “point of strategy” (Dave laments that they “must treat whether or not what our eyes can tell us already with the officials”).
• The competitive, exciting games are acknowledged:
  • "These first two games have been incredible... Game two, especially third period, then it's overtime. Absolutely incredible. I'm way dialed into this series. I love it."
    — Dan, 13:37
• Ratings talk: game one was the highest-rated Final since 2019, thanks to being on network TV.
• Messier’s emotional, biased broadcasting is discussed with affection and annoyance.

4. Who “Owns” the Hurricane/Panthers Sports Name in Carolina?

• (20:16–22:01) Dave Damaschek raises the issue of stolen sports names — e.g., Carolina Hurricanes and Panthers — and how Carolina keeps mimicking South Florida franchises.
• Quotes:
  • “No one identifies the Hurricanes with Carolina. No one.”
    — Dan, 20:37
  • “Their football team took our hockey. Their hockey team took our football."
    — Dan, 21:27

5. The “Any Given Sunday” Debate & Epic Monologue

• (22:03–27:44) The crew spirals into a debate: is “Any Given Sunday” an awful or awesome movie?
  • Dan and Dave are thumbs down, but Mike and Roy defend its “so bad it’s good” energy.
  • They recall bizarre movie moments: a literal eyeball on the football field, Pacino’s wild performance, and the film’s strange, melodramatic plotting.
• Notable Moments:
  • (25:18–27:44) Roy delivers a word-perfect Al Pacino “inch by inch” locker room speech.
    • The crew eggs him on and riffs during the performance.
    • Quote, by Roy as Pacino:
      • “We can climb out of hell one inch at a time… That’s football, guys.” (27:44)
  • Jokey asides about the speech’s “homoerotic” energy, how Willie Beaman “starts inching closer to the coach as he’s talking” (Dan).
• Dan: “That scene’s good. That scene doesn’t make the movie.”
• The debate garners lots of laughter and playful accusations about which team member supports “women in power.”

6. Dave Halberstam's Passing: A Miami Sports Radio Tribute

• (37:18–41:24) Dan pays tribute to Dave Halberstam, the original Miami Heat radio play-by-play voice, emphasizing the impact of great radio broadcasters on young fans.
• Slightly derailed when the visual shown is of the author David Halberstam, not the broadcaster.
• Dave Damaschek mourns the possible decline of radio voices as a key part of fan culture.
• Quote:
  • “If [broadcasters] are good, they become something in your life.”
    — Dave Damaschek, 40:34

7. Hockey Players’ “Warrior” Mentality

• (33:00–36:39) Discussion about Radon McNabb taking a puck to the face and likely still playing the next game, contrasted with NBA stars sitting for much lesser injuries.
• Crew shares their own (pathetically painful) street hockey experiences for comic relief.

8. Graduation Season Reflections & “Advice for the Youth”

• (41:24–43:40) Dan and Dave swap stories about attending graduations for their kids. The group riffs on what advice Tony would give as a commencement speaker. This morphs into jokes about donning a robe and delivering life wisdom.

9. Classic Show Dynamics: Passing the Blame

• (43:40–44:25) The episode’s final minutes see the crew humorously untangling who was responsible for the video tribute error, with Roy singled out as “the guy you want in the foxhole with you.”

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Memorable Quotes & Segments (With Timestamps)

• “It is the greatest enduring concession that the east coast has to make for the west coast.”
  — Dave Damaschek (02:41)
• “Keep your snake oil out of South Florida. You are not welcome back.”
  — Dan Le Batard (07:04)
• “I hate the stuff that our eyes can already tell us, and now it's a point of strategy... that's a ridiculous thing to be including into a major moment in the final of a major sport.”
  — Dave Damaschek on replay reviews (10:11)
• “These first two games have been incredible... Absolutely incredible. I'm way dialed into this series. I love it.”
  — Dan Le Batard (13:37)
• "No one identifies the Hurricanes with Carolina. No one."
  — Dan Le Batard (20:37)
• “That’s football, guys.”
  — Roy, performing Pacino speech (27:44)
• "If [broadcasters] are good, they become something in your life."
  — Dave Damaschek (40:34)

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Notable Moments

• Roy’s Al Pacino Monologue from Any Given Sunday (25:18–27:44):
  A showstopping comedic performance, delivered almost verbatim, that gets the entire cast involved and cements the episode’s theme of celebrating (and skewering) sports culture and movies.

• Canes-Knights Stanley Cup Final Controversy Deep Dive (07:04–15:40):
  An exceptionally detailed breakdown with conflicting but insightful perspectives on replay, officiating, and the unique drama of championship hockey.

• Miami Sports Names Tangent (20:16–22:01):
  A uniquely local, classic Local Hour riff.

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Tone & Atmosphere

Irreverent, playful, acerbic, and Miami-centric—with classic chemistry among the hosts and a willingness to blend sports analysis, pop-culture critique, nostalgia, and absolute silliness. Lots of running show jokes and meta-commentary about the podcast/production itself.

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For New Listeners

This episode is a perfect snapshot of The Dan Le Batard Show’s off-the-cuff culture:

• Long, opinionated breakdowns of Miami sports and national events
• Deep nostalgia and sports radio history
• Tangents into movie culture and inside jokes
• Sharp group dynamics, from loving mockery to showstopping performances

If you haven’t listened, this one delivers both laughs and (accidentally) rich insight into how sports culture and media shape fan experience. Roy’s “Any Given Sunday” speech alone is worth the download.

Transcript

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[Dan LeBatard]

This is what everyone's talking about.

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Everything's on the table.

[Dan LeBatard]

This is what champions come to take. This is what everyone came to see. No do overs, no second chances. No more Mr. Nice Guy. This is winner take all. The NBA finals continue on ABC and the ESPN app.

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[Dan LeBatard]

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[Dan LeBatard]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast. Ah, we did it, everyone. We made it to Friday. Give it up for Friday, everybody. How about that? Look at this crew we got here today. We got Roy and we got Jeremy and we got Chris and Mike and Tony. I think this crew's worked together before. And we got Dave, who is out there on the west coast. Hello, Dave. Damascia.

[Dave Damaschek]

Oh, Zaz. Breaking news. It's not just Friday. School's out for summer.

[Dan LeBatard]

I've been in the graduation circuit recently. I think Dave has been in the graduation circuit recently. We will get to that. All right. I've got to tell you, though, I, like, I'm jealous of Dave when Dave. Like, Dave's messaging me last night, you know, And I'm just. And we're all watching the hockey, right? And I'm just thinking myself, like, I'm. I'm struggling to stay awake here. I'm on the couch in the Zazzle mansion family room in my underwear. Couch is so uncomfortable, but I'm on the couch and it's late and Dave's three hours behind us, like, wide awake. Just. The hockey game ends, right, Dave? The hockey game ends, then you make yourself dinner, right? Is that the way it works?

[Dave Damaschek]

It is the greatest enduring concession that the east coast has to make for the west coast. You know, women have to, you know, their debates about, like, the virtues of, like, I'd rather be a guy, I'd rather be a woman. Because of these reasons.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Dave Damaschek]

And those reasons, you know, like, oh, I got to wear high heels every day, man. What a pain in the ass that society sort of asks me to do that.

[Mike]

And

[Dave Damaschek]

the powers above have given me a period and the other gender doesn't have to. That. This is the same thing, you guys, man. What. That is some baggage you have to carry every day of your life as sports fans.

[Dan LeBatard]

Mike, we're going to get to the hockey. Hockey was good last night, man. The hockey was good. Mike, do we have any kind of update you've seen? I've been wearing for the last couple of days? I'm wearing my get the hell away from south Florida and the university of Miami Michael your mark hat. Get it? Wherever hats are sold, yet to wake them up, there's. As do we. Well, yeah, I mean, sometimes people fall asleep in the middle of big meetings, you know. Mike, do we have any kind of real update on the, um, athletic director search? Because I like, I know there was an update Barry Jackson put out on Twitter a couple of days ago, but the update was something you said, like two months ago, that the Canes have essentially found the reaction to Michael Yormark, who it really seems like was about to be hired, that they found the reaction, they were shocked by it, the negative reaction, and as a result, they have pivoted off of your mark and they've opened up to other candidates, like Mike said that two months ago. Do we have any kind of real update now?

[Mike]

Yeah, we do. And I think more credence to what you just said about Michael your mark having really made a lot of progress in getting that job until his name leaked out. People would be surprised to learn that Miami is in no rush here, that this search is still very early in its process. It's not going to be this expansive search. I've been able to confirm three names that are in this mix. I would believe that Michael Yormark is out of it. I haven't heard much about it lately. Jeff Purinton, a former AD now working for Learfield. Brian White, the brother of Danny White, who is a former UCF ad, current Tennessee AD and has done some. His brother has done some good things. This is a lot like the Bret yourmark Michael Yormark situation, where one brother is a little bit more accomplished in the world of college athletics. But, I mean, you know, Brian White, his first hire was Dusty May, and I know that he has a lot of interest. I'm not sure how much interest Miami has in him. I don't think Miami is looking for a conventional ad, which would probably be a favorable thing for Jim Frivola, the current head of business ops.

[Dan LeBatard]

He gets my vote at Bournemouth.

[Mike]

What he's doing. For those that don't know about soccer, especially premier league dynamics, what Jim Provola has been able to do at Bournemouth is nothing short of miraculous. Not just from business sense, but also bringing stability to a yo yo club. Getting a stadium deal done in that part of the world takes a lot of politicking and a lot of expertise.

[Dan LeBatard]

He's got experience with very big organizations. Vegas Knights, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dolphins, ufc.

[Mike]

What he did with the UFC in Vegas, with the hockey team out there is also super impressive. So you have a guy that has shown that he can adapt, and you're going to need to adapt in this whole new world of college athletics. So out of the names that I've heard in full disclosure, I've known Jim for 20 years. I've always wanted him to be Miami's AD. I've always thought he'd be perfect, so hopefully he's the guy. But I. I'm just glad that we don't have a Michael Jormac situation anymore. That seems to be behind us.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yep. Do you feel like you played a

[Mike]

role, I mean, in letting people know that Michael, your mark sucks?

[Dan LeBatard]

That's what I mean.

[Mike]

Yes, I definitely. I definitely played a role saying, what the hell are we doing?

[Dan LeBatard]

Good. I feel like I played a role.

[Mike]

Yes, you did. Yeah, you did.

[Dan LeBatard]

I'm proud of that.

[Mike]

A lot of people that were actually aware of Michael, your mark's reputation here like this wasn't like some weaponized special forces, politicking, behind the scenes thing. All we were doing was bringing Michael, your mark's actual rep, his reputation locally, into the light.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, that's right. Keep your snake oil out of South Florida. You are not welcome back. So speaking of Hurricanes, hockey was good last night, Dave. Oh, my goodness. You know, the Canes winning last night. I guess, you know, if you're a hockey fan, we're Panther fans who don't like the hurricane. So I'm. I'm rooting for the Knights. Although not hard because the Knights are not very likable. But. But the Canes winning last night is a good thing. It essentially guarantees us more hockey. It guarantees this will Be a longer series as opposed to a shorter series. But man, like over here. That's right. But man, A, vegas is up 2 nothing with like 10 minutes left in the game. And then the Hurricanes are just peppering. Not Josh Hart, Carter Hart. They're peppering Carter Hart. They eventually get the paragles, but then we get the big controversy last night, and I'm interested in what you guys think. I'll start with you, Dave. So it's. It's a two, two game. There's like five minutes left, maybe, and you have a, a, a, a, A scrum around the crease, around the goalie, and eventually the puck trickles underneath the goalie into the net. But the referee, and please speak up if I'm recounting this incorrectly, the referee immediately signals no goal, no goal. Now, we thought when we're watching the replay on television, and the broadcasters, they thought so as well, that it was ruled no goal because the whistle was blown. But when you watch the replay, it's pretty questionable. The whistle was blown before the puck actually crosses the line. So Tortorella, the coach of the Knights, he challenges. But we learned then what he was actually challenging was the goal was called no goal on the ice for goalie interference. So they're challenging the goalie interference. Dave, looking back at it now, because the interference, the call on the ice stood. The Canes went on the power play because of delay game. They scored. They took the lead three two, with, like five minutes left. And here's the quote from John Turturella. Why he challenged, because the risk reward was enormous. I saw a loose puck in front of Freddy, our player stabbed it, didn't move the goalie, and it goes through and went to the other side. I challenge it 10 out of 10 times. That was John Tortorella on the failed challenge, which did lead to, at the time, a power play goal. Now, Vegas would score with the empty net with a minute to go to tie it. But the Canes did win in overtime. Dave, what did you make of the challenge there? What'd you make of the controversy?

[Dave Damaschek]

First of all, thank Jesus the Canes won that game. It would really suck if it was heading back to Vegas for the Knights, who have no business even being there. And Tortorello's inclusion and all this is a bad look for the sport of hockey. I feel like the entire regular season is on the cusp of being invalidated by John Tortorella, of all people.

[Roy]

Fat.

[Dave Damaschek]

I get it. I agree with Tortorella's decision, given the stakes in that moment, if it is a good goal and he challenges that and they win that one, now they're heading back home with a 2o lead and probably or not, or have a good shot at least of hoisting the cup in Vegas in a few nights from now. I'm sorry to be a curmudgeon. I hate the stuff that our eyes can already tell us. And now it's a point of strategy in a game that the coaches, the teams must. Must treat. Whether or not what our eyes can tell us already with the officials, we have to. Again, we have to be delicate with these officials. They're people, after all, and their feelings matter just as much as the rest of ours do. Why. Why would it be a stretch? Well, if I do it, I might get a penalty. That's a ridiculous thing to be including into a. A major moment in the final of a major sport.

[Dan LeBatard]

So I'm torn on whether or not I'm good with Tortorella challenging there, because part of me is, okay, the reward is rather enormous because they would, you know, go up three to two in that spot. They would take the lead late in the game. And the risk, okay, you get a penalty, which the Canes ended up scoring on. But the Canes power play has been miserable in the playoffs. Right. So if you're Tortorella, you'll. If you lose it there, you probably don't feel like you're going to give up a power play goal because again, the Canes power play, they can't even get shots on goal. So I'm. I'm a little bit torn as to whether or not he should have challenged there, because I'm watching the replays. Oh, it's goalie interference that they're challenging here. There's Mike. There's no way, though. I don't know if it plays a role because the game was in Carolina. There was no way they were overturning that call in the answer. There was no chance.

[Mike]

I kind of fell for Mark Messier, and I don't know if you guys saw that intermission. Messier was.

[Dan LeBatard]

I didn't see, but everyone was saying, like, he. He was off his rocker. What do you say?

[Mike]

Well, he was like a dog with a bone. Like, he just refused to acknowledge the construct. Like he didn't have a legal leg to stand on, but I kind of understood what he was trying.

[Dan LeBatard]

So he thought it was a goal.

[Mike]

He was like. He's like, all right, I. This should be a goal. Like, if we're actually playing this thing out, I Know the whistle and the goalie and the intention to blow a whistle, which is a phrase that Roy reminded me of, which is.

[Dan LeBatard]

You like that phrase.

[Mike]

The. It's not just the whistleblowing, it's the intention to blow.

[Dan LeBatard]

I meant to blow a whistle.

[Mike]

Yeah. I get where Messier was coming from in that. In other games, this is a goal, you know that it's not earlier in the game. Well, if the stakes were different, if it was on the road, if it was a different crew, like, I don't think you could.

[Dan LeBatard]

They were never overturning that.

[Mike]

I don't. That I agree with. And they also had the rule book in their favor once they decided to blow the whistle in the fashion or intended to blow the whistle in the fashion that they did. But I did kind of feel bad for Mark Messier in that he should have just capitulated. He's like, look, I get what you're saying, but also, it's a goal. The best comparison I can make is in soccer when they go to var and you see a guy is offside by the toenail. What the hell are we doing?

[Dan LeBatard]

Is there any part of you that is tired of Messier on the broadcast? Because, I mean, certainly for me, you go back two years ago with the Panthers and Oilers, and like every game it was so apparent. Messier just wants the Oilers to win so bad. Like, like that.

[Roy]

That.

[Dan LeBatard]

That got annoying for me as a Panther fan a couple years ago. I do really like the ABC ESPN broadcast because I think Pasuban is excellent. But anyway, I. That game last. That game last night was awesome. And, and for people like myself, I gotta raise my hand because I, I said it. This is gonna be a poorly rated series. I do, I do mention the caveat. Who cares? Like, if you're a hockey fan, who cares if it's a poorly rated series? But. But nonetheless, these first two games have been incredible. Game one was incredible. Game two, especially third period, then it's overtime. Absolutely incredible. I'm way dialed into this series. I love it. I love it.

[Dave Damaschek]

Zaz. I do think, you know, Mike Fuentes sent me, texted me not a half an hour ago that amidst Stanley Cup Final, NBA Finals, all that's happening in baseball. Shoehe Ohtani continuing to prove himself to be the greatest baseball player in the history of. History of people. What's ESPN talking about right now? The Dallas Cowboys ne' er do well. Wide receiver George Pickens. It does matter. I don't like, generally speaking, the rolling discussion about the ratings, as though we fans, you're right.

[Dan LeBatard]

Like, why would we care? You're right.

[Dave Damaschek]

But I do think if you care about the NHL, if you, if you really are, you know, a long time. So Roy and I, like you kind of feel like you got to drag it into the limelight a little bit. And that's why I said what I said five minutes ago about this being a bad look. I feel like this is a throwaway season now. Could have been something special with the AVs and those great teams that they were up against in their division. And the Canes were a legit team and there's some luster, you know, the Sabres would have been a great story. Instead, this is the mess we get. The best thing, the salvaging thing that would happen here is that the Canes get over because they were a real good team and deserve to be in this spot.

[Mike]

Look, I'm a hating ass hater and I wasn't thrilled to see either of these teams in the Cup Final because I'm applying my Panther bias. These games have been great.

[Dan LeBatard]

Great.

[Mike]

Game one was spectacular. A load of fun. This game was more cagey. Even though you got some goals, you had an all time third period. There have been great moments. These two teams are very tight. And as far as the ratings go, game one was the highest rated cup final game since 2019.

[Dan LeBatard]

Why is that?

[Mike]

Well, not all the cup finals have been on network television, so that is an added boost. But it's irrefutable that people tuned into this Game one, which did a great job of maintaining the audience because that was great action. And I'm into this Cup Final. I wanted to watch it as a hater. And during that third period, I couldn't help. It was exciting, drawn into it. That, that is a. It's a strange venue because they don't own it. Right. That's a college basketball venue that they are leasing and it still provides this crazy atmosphere.

[Roy]

Dave from.

[Dave Damaschek]

You guys obviously steeped in what goes down in that region. I'm surprised it wasn't a bigger deal. Or was it. And did I just not catch it where I was that when the, the team from Hartford, the Whalers with the, with the iconic logo and all that, they moved down there, whatever it was, a quarter century ago down to somewhere in the Carolinas. I still couldn't tell you what Raleigh is where they are. As a matter of fact, I just thought of that.

[Mike]

Yeah, you're an REM guy. They're, they're, they're from that Raleigh Durham area. REM just ascended to such Great Heights. Greatest American rock band in some people's opinions, Dave.

[Dave Damaschek]

Well, Athens, Georgia is where they're from, specifically.

[Mike]

Yeah, but that was a college. That was a college radio station corridor that they just dominated.

[Dave Damaschek]

I mean, it's not. It's not a controversial take to say that REM is the greatest stupid thing. But.

[Mike]

Okay, Tony, you know that moment at a party or at a tailgate where everything just sort of clicks?

[Dave Damaschek]

I know it well.

[Tony]

It's usually when I show up, everybody goes crazy.

[Mike]

Yeah. You usually take all the credit for it, but it's because Tony usually walks in with Cuervo.

[Dan LeBatard]

Walking like this.

[Mike]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cuervo is a thing that turns hanging out into this is the night.

[Tony]

It has that effect on people.

[Dave Damaschek]

It does.

[Mike]

You usually take the credit for it, but again, it's the Cuervo effect. It's like that moment in a big game where everyone in the crowd just starts standing up, hootin and hollerin'.

[Dan LeBatard]

Keep it Cuervo.

[Dave Damaschek]

Keep it Cuervo, baby.

[Mike]

Summer always hits different once the big game starts stacking up. Now you've got finals games on every other night. Baseball's rolling all week, racing on the weekends, and suddenly everybody's looking for an excuse to get together. The other night, a buddy texted me, we've got the game on, come through. I figured I'd stop by for maybe an hour. That was optimistic. Next thing you know, everybody's locked into the game and we're all part of the coaching staff. Somebody's yelling at the ref, Somebody else is suddenly an expert on pitch strategy, and nobody's even pretending they're leaving early anymore. It's one of those nights where you take a sip of Miller Lite, look around and realize, yeah, this is exactly what summer is supposed to be. That's why Miller Lite is always part of these nights for me. It's clean, refreshing, easy to drink when it's hot outside, and perfect for long nights hanging with friends, watching games. An all American summer starts with an all American beer, Miller lite. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Tony]

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[Dan LeBatard]

Don LeBatard. I've never stepped foot on that campus. If you told me right now your life depends on it. Go to Santa Fe University and just take a picture.

[Mike]

Stugats.

[Dan LeBatard]

I would die. I don't know where it is. This is the Dan Levatar show with the stug.

[Dave Damaschek]

Listen, I see you want to derail this, but I, I am curious. Were you guys steamed? Talk about iconic in, in the southeast of sports America, the Miami Hurricanes. And then this team moves down from the New England area or whatever the hell you would call Hartford, Connecticut. They move down there and they claim the name Hurricane.

[Dan LeBatard]

No one identifies, no one identifies the Hurricanes with Carolina. No one. Like it's my.

[Dave Damaschek]

But it's an outrageous move nevertheless.

[Dan LeBatard]

Nah, I don't care. Don't care.

[Mike]

But I will say in the meager defense of the Carolina Hurricanes, they do get much more landfall over there. They get battered by those things.

[Dan LeBatard]

Can I also tell you though, it's an interesting point Dave brings up because it's not the first time that they've done that to us. The Carolina Panthers came after the Florida Panthers. So they get new teams and they just look at south Florida and decide which one of their names can we take. I mean if they get another team soon, I don't know what sport. Maybe baseball. Right. They're gonna be called the Heat or the Marlins.

[Jeremy]

Dolphins.

[Dan LeBatard]

Well, no, they take from the different sport. You know, like their football team took our hockey.

[Dave Damaschek]

You're so right.

[Dan LeBatard]

Their hockey team took our football.

[Jeremy]

Well, and then it's easy.

[Dave Damaschek]

Right.

[Jeremy]

Heat for baseball.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah. They get a baseball team, they're going to be called the Carolina Heats kind of dope. That's some bullshit.

[Dave Damaschek]

Terrible. Would you Be offended if they went even, like another fish. If they went with another creature of this.

[Dan LeBatard]

No, no, no.

[Dave Damaschek]

Dolphins. It feels like kind of, you know, is there another worthy creature? Sharks is pretty good. I guess you wouldn't be offended if they were the Carolina Sharks.

[Dan LeBatard]

No, there's lots. There's lots of sea monsters. Pick one.

[Mike]

Well, no, no. Any given Sunday, we had the Miami Sharks.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

Wow. Terrible movie. Terrible.

[Mike]

You want that movie is incredible.

[Dan LeBatard]

Okay, hold on a second, Mike. I used to think so, too. When's the last time you saw it?

[Mike]

I literally saw it four months ago.

[Dan LeBatard]

Okay. I saw Dave real quick. Any given Sunday, good movie or terrible movie, I'm thumbs down.

[Dave Damaschek]

But I will say, if you ask actual NFL players, they love it. They think it's pretty accurate about the off field stuff.

[Roy]

At least back when house parties were house parties.

[Mike]

So who do you want to listen to on any given Sunday? Zaz and Dave Damaschek or actual NFL players?

[Dan LeBatard]

I'm a. I want to listen to a movie guy. I'm a movie guy.

[Mike]

Oh, this movie rocks.

[Tony]

And how would that take?

[Mike]

I'm not even. I don't get mad when you say that it's bad. The fact that it's bad is terrible. No, it's not terrible. The fact that it's bad is part of the.

[Dan LeBatard]

I was on the field, his eyeball.

[Mike]

Lawrence Taylor cut Willie Beeman's car in half. He cut it in half.

[Roy]

I think all team doctors are that way.

[Dan LeBatard]

That movie came out in what, like, maybe like 99, 2000. All right. And I loved it. What a movie. All right. About four or five years ago, my older son, at the time, he was like, 12 or 13. I'm like, hey, man, I got a great movie for us to watch. We're gonna watch. It's a football movie called Any Given Sunday. Gonna love it. And so me and my son, we sat on the couch in the Zazla mansion family room. We put on Any given Sunday. About 30 minutes in, I turned to him, and I could tell he's not really enjoying it. About 30 minutes in, I turn to. I go, this movie sucks. Right? And he goes, yeah, this movie sucks. And we shut it off. It's a. It does not hold up. It's a terrible movie.

[Mike]

It does hold up. Because if you're an Al Pacino fan and you just want to see unhinged Al Pacino, he delivers.

[Roy]

You don't support women in power.

[Mike]

I like to think that every time my dad goes to a bar to pick up a single lady he is James woods in that film.

[Dan LeBatard]

Put it on the poll. Does Zaslo support women in power? Juju, please. Any given Sunday is a terrible, terrible movie. That does not hold up.

[Tony]

You didn't even get to the best part, which is the end when he says he's going to Albuquerque.

[Dan LeBatard]

The speech is good.

[Mike]

It's a retirement. And he's like, I'm taking the job down with the expansion team in Albuquerque. And like, no one. Everyone's shocked by that. And then he also acquired Willie Beeman, and everyone's like, whoa, what a turn.

[Dan LeBatard]

Okay, wouldn't that be part of what makes the movie terrible? Is that. How does that news. How does. How does that news slip through the 90s? That the coach breaks the news at the press conference and on top says

[Mike]

there was an eye on the field? What are you talking about?

[Dan LeBatard]

The owner, Cameron Diaz, she was, like, happy with it. Oh, he's so kooky, our coach.

[Mike]

Yeah. How about. What a move. How about Oliver Stone in the booth?

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Mike]

That is some ass.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oliver Stone. And Barry. Was Barry Switzer, his color guy.

[Mike]

Yeah. Barry Switzer was there.

[Roy]

I don't know what to say, really.

[Dan LeBatard]

Movie's terrible.

[Roy]

Three minutes. The biggest battle of our professional lives.

[Jeremy]

I've never seen this movie.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, wait.

[Mike]

Let him do the thing.

[Dave Damaschek]

Given.

[Jeremy]

No, I've never seen any given Sunday.

[Mike]

He's just getting warmed up.

[Roy]

All comes down to today. Either we heal as a team, or we are going to crumble. Inch by inch, play by play, till we're finished. We're in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And we can stay here and get kicked out of us, or we can fight our way out. Back into the light.

[Dan LeBatard]

We can climb.

[Roy]

We can climb out of hell one inch at a time.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Roy]

Now, I can't do it for you. I'm too old. I look around, I see these young faces, and I think. I mean, I made every wrong choice a man can make. I. I pissed away all my money. Believe it or not. I chased off anyone who ever loved me. And lately, I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror. You know, you get old in life, things get taken from you.

[Mike]

I think you need a little bit more Pacino.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Mike]

To get it over the line on this team. There you go.

[Dan LeBatard]

We fight for that inch.

[Roy]

On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch because we know when it all adds up. All those inches that's gonna make the difference between winning and losing, between living and dying. I'll tell you this. In any fight it's the guy who's willing to die who's gonna win that inch. And I know if I'm going to have any life anymore, it is because I am still willing to fight and die for that inch. Because that's what living is. The six inches in front of your face. Now I can't make you do it.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's what she said.

[Roy]

You gotta look at the guy next to you. Look him in the eyes. Now I think you're gonna see a guy who's willing to go that inch with you. You're going to see a guy who's willing to sacrifice himself to. For this team because he knows when it comes down to it, you're going to do the same for him. That's a team, gentlemen. And either we heal as a team or we will die as individuals. Wow. That's football, guys.

[Mike]

I'm surprised you read everything perfectly.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's all it is.

[Roy]

Now what you going to do?

[Tony]

And you don't like that movie.

[Dan LeBatard]

Why is that better than. That scene's good. That scene doesn't make the movie.

[Mike]

It's up homoerotic.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, it's a good scene. Willie Beeman starts inching closer to the coach as he's talking. That means he's into it.

[Mike]

She goes watching Ben Hur and invites Willie Beeman over for dinner. How awkward that is.

[Home Depot Announcer]

Man.

[Mike]

That's so great.

[Dan LeBatard]

In front of your face.

[Dave Damaschek]

By the way. Their uniforms are the team they. The team they play in the Cowboy stadium. Looks a lot like the Golden Knights to bring it all together. The Willie beaming though in the critical moment.

[Dan LeBatard]

What a player.

[Dave Damaschek]

He makes about an 85 yard run, you know, in the way because that's what you do. You. You call running place. When you're. When you need a touchdown and you got to go 80 some yards you. You run the ball and you're with your quarterback. And Willie beeman eludes. Roughly 37 would be tacklers on his way to the end zone. Just can't one. One by one they come at him. Sort of like when the karate master. They don't.

[Roy]

They.

[Dave Damaschek]

They don't do the group thing. Like let's just all get him at one time and then he has no chance against us. No, no. One at a time they go at him. The defenders do one by one each. Every seven yards or so another defender makes his way in front of Willie Beeman only to be cast aside by the. By the moves of Beeman. Number 13.

[Chris Cody]

Traveling used to mean, I completely abandoned every good habit I had. Sleep gone, nutrition terrible. Next thing you know, I'm in an airport eating chips for breakfast while trying to convince myself that this is somehow part of a Stanley cup playoff diet. That's why Kachava travel packs have become part of my routine this summer. They make it ridiculously easy to stay consistent when you're on the go. I just throw a couple of packs in my bag and I'm set. Just quick, all in one. Nutrition wherever the day takes me. And honestly, I feel the difference. Caciaba is packed with plant based protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, greens, probiotics, electrolytes and more. I've had better energy during the day and I don't feel like I'm trying to recover from terrible travel eating decisions afterward. Plus, it tastes good. Chocolate, vanilla, matcha, coconut, acai. They've got options. I have chocolate and vanilla. I take one scoop of chocolate, one scoop of vanilla, mix them together. Boom. Delicious. No artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, no fillers, no nonsense. Take a daily ritual with you. Go to kachava.com and use code DAN for 15% off your first order. That's Kachava K A C-H-A-V A.com code

[Jeremy]

D A N. So my style sort of changes depending on what time of year it is. Once we get to the summer here in South Florida, it's unbearably hot. I really. I call it oppressively hot, which means I'm constantly sweating. And it changes how I get dressed because you got about 12 seconds before you start regretting your outfit choices. So lately I've really been trying to keep it a little more simple, light, breathable, comfortable, but still looking put together. Because that's what I care about. And that's why I keep going back to Quint's. Their European linen shirts and pants are perfect for the summer, and they start at just 34 bucks. Their tees are soft, they're easy to wear. They've got lightweight cotton sweaters for the random nights where the AC is sort of freezing everywhere you go. And everything at Quint's is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands because they work directly with ethical factories and cut out the middlemen. I picked up one of their European linen shirts in a sky blue color. I've actually even worn it on the show and it's become one of those shirts that I keep reaching for without even thinking about it. So you should elevate your summer wardrobe and go to quince.comdan for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's quince.com/dan for free shipping and 365 day returns, quince.com/dan.

[Dan LeBatard]

Everybody in business right now is acting like they've totally figured out AI. Meanwhile, half the people running companies are sitting in meetings pretending they know what AI optimization workflow even means. That's why NetSuite by Oracle matters. NetSuite is the number one AI Cloud ERP trusted by over 43,000 businesses. It brings your financials, inventory, commerce, HR and CRM into one unified system. So your company stops operating like five different groups arguing in a family text chain. Because AI only works if the information behind it is connected. From software and IT services to health care, equipment manufacturing, financial services, and many other great American industries, NetSuite delivers a customized solution for your business. If your revenues are at least in the seven figures, get the free business guide demystifying [e-mail] DLB the guide is free at netsuite.com DLB netsuite.com DLB Don LeBatard. John, can you rate my Al Pacino from that billiard scene in Carlito's Way if I do it for you? I think it's pretty good.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

Okay. Stugats. You think you're big time or you're gonna die big time.

[Roy]

That is on my infamous scale of 1 to 10.

[Dave Damaschek]

That's a. That's a 7.6.

[Roy]

Solid.

[Dan LeBatard]

Good job, good job, good job.

[Mike]

That's a sui nomin.

[Dan LeBatard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the St. Gods. How about. How about homeboy last night who eats the puck right to the face? Radon McNabb in front of the grand goal. Let me tell you that. Do we have an update on him? Do we know what, like, is he live? Do we know what's going on?

[Chris Cody]

He went to the hospital.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, he did. He. He went to the hospital.

[Chris Cody]

He has no nose anymore.

[Mike]

I would bet my life that he plays game three.

[Roy]

The slow motion of him just like,

[Dan LeBatard]

it really is like the perfect shot because the puck, you could see, it goes under the visor, like, the trajectory of it. It perfectly goes under the visor and just nails him on the nose. Straight flat, face on the nose.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah, his nose is completely smushed in and went to the left.

[Dan LeBatard]

You know, these. These guys.

[Mike]

Game 3.

[Dan LeBatard]

These guys are warriors. All right, we know this, and I'll tell you, like, remember when we played the street hockey tournament, which we were terrible at the Panthers one, we weren't

[Mike]

even wearing skates, right? Just running around in Skechers.

[Dan LeBatard]

The street hockey tournament a couple months ago. Roy and me and Chris. Gabe.

[Roy]

Remember how good Gabe was?

[Dan LeBatard]

Rose and not so much.

[Chris Cody]

David drunk, the goaltender.

[Dan LeBatard]

And I got to tell you, like, early on, because I've never played real hockey before. I've never played ice hockey, and I've never played street hockey. And so I'm out there, and once you realize, oh, and we're not playing with a puck, we're playing like a rubber ball. But you're standing in front of the goal, and this rubber ball is coming so fast from. From slap shots to the nets, and you're standing in the way there. I. It was scary.

[Roy]

My shin still hurts from eating one of those.

[Dan LeBatard]

I don't understand how these hockey players do it. I really don't. And Mike's right. Homeboy is going to play game three.

[Mike]

He's going to play full cage.

[Dan LeBatard]

I bet he's definitely going to. I mean, remember when Zaino Chara broke his jaw? Okay, I'll just play with the cage next game. You know, like, this guy is going to play next game.

[Mike]

Yeah. Chara played with a jaw that was wired jet.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Chris Cody]

And lifted the Stanley cup.

[Dan LeBatard]

Right? And like, we were for. For. For four days, we're wondering, oh, my God, can Mitchell Robinson play with a broken pinky? Right? Like, how was that even a question? If Mitchell. Robin. Now, maybe he was always going to play, but how was that ever even a question if Mitchell Robinson was going to play with a broken pinky? This guy just had his face smashed. He's going to play game three.

[Mike]

Do you remember that time Sedino Chara did a zoom interview with his bed in the background and there were leather straps hanging from the bedpost?

[Dan LeBatard]

I don't remember that.

[Mike]

Google it.

[Dan LeBatard]

That sounds amazing. You know, to watch, just to know. That's amazing.

[Chris Cody]

It's a prime cucking situation for you.

[Dan LeBatard]

Take that however you want to take it. Okay, Mike. We got a new episode of morally abhorrent World cup soccer podcast later on today. Yes.

[Mike]

Coming up later today. Thank you for the feedback on our US Men's national team preview that we did with Tom Bogart of the Athletic. This episode that we're dropping today is an entire World cup primer. For those that are looking to dive in head first and get brought up to speed. Chris Whittingham returns to morally abhorrent and we preview each and every group, each and every team, make predictions, say who's getting into the night, knockouts, and who's the winner? What's the semis? Who's the Golden Boot? Who's the Golden Ball? Who's the young player of the tournament? Witty is spectacular. It is really hard to do an entire World cup primer in an hour and be entertaining. And he was awesome. We nail it. So please listen. Morally abhorrent today.

[Dan LeBatard]

Cool. All right. There you go. I want to mention something from earlier in the week that I just hadn't had a chance to get to. It's a little bit of a somber note, but I think everyone's going to be okay. So a few days ago, the original radio voice of the Miami Heat, Dave Halberstein, passed away at 74 years old. He had a battle with brain cancer. Apparently he had been for a very long time. After he was with the Heat, he was an executive with Westwood One. But Dave Halberstam was the original radio voice of the Miami Heat, not the Heat's inaugural season. Because a lot of people don't know. The first four years of Miami Heat basketball, they had a radio TV simulcast. So the first year on the radio, Sam Smith was the play by play. Years 2, 3, and 4, Eric Reid was the play by play, even though it was. He was a television guy. So it was a simulcast. First four years. So the first ever Heat radio broadcaster, radio voice, came in the Heat's fifth year of existence. And for six seasons, I believe, from 93 to 98, Dave Halberstam was the radio voice of the Miami Heat. And I was such a huge fan, like, as a kid, huge fan. He. He was like a wordsmith. You know, his vocabulary, which is super a. It's important, but also it's kind of a thing of the past where, like, your radio voice is this guy who has just an unbelievable vocabulary and can describe the place to you. And I felt like every single time, granted, I was in my early teenage years then, I felt like every time I listened to the Heat broadcast on the. I was learning new words, I was learning new sentence, new ways to describe things. He was such a joy to listen to, you know? Now if. If it's your favorite team, you want to be able to watch the games on tv. Like, okay, being able to listen in the car, if you have to miss some of the game, that's cool. But I remember back then, I used to like, if I had to hear some of the Heat game in the car because I was able to then hear Dave Halberstam, who. He did it solo. It was. It was just him If I remember correctly, I used to get to hear Dave Halberstam call the games. He, he was so, so great. And I got to meet him one time. It was like, like 20 years ago. I got to meet him one time when he was an exec with Westwood One. He came to super bowl radio row. And I do want to point out though, the video images that are being shown on the TV is from David Halberstam, the author, not Dave Halberstam the Heat radio voice. You don't want to confuse the two,

[Mike]

but we do have that very poignant

[Dan LeBatard]

slow zoom because this David Halberstam, the author, he may be alive for all I know, but that is not Dave Halberstam from the former Miami heat broadcast.

[Mike]

That's $5, Louis.

[Dan LeBatard]

But anyway, yeah, so I just want

[Dave Damaschek]

to push ins on all of them. Listen, Zaz, I hope it's not a thing of the past to start where you started because you know, you know, the players matter the, of that generation and the uniforms matter and all that kind of stuff, but man, did the roots sink deep for fans, especially young fans when you have the everydayness baseball probably number one. But man, you spend a lot of your nights, for better or worse with these cats. So yes, you do. If they are good, they become something in your life.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Dave Damaschek]

So yeah, I mean, I shame the devil if, if sports fans of, of the 21st century have moved past the need for that because that relationship you have is one of the most important things that that makes you a die hard sports fan.

[Dan LeBatard]

It was a great tribute until we showed the wrong Dave Halberstam. I was of that who's dead, by

[Mike]

the way, I thought you were excellent.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, so that Dave Albert, Sam's dead also. That's a good thing.

[Roy]

Are we happy about that?

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

We should not be applauding a dead man.

[Mike]

Well, I just love that the photos make it very obvious that he's a writer. Like that is not the, the workstation of our stacks of paper on the

[Dan LeBatard]

play, man, he's writing. My father and I though, we, we loved listening to Dave Halbers rip to him and, and the author.

[Mike]

And the author as well.

[Dan LeBatard]

And the author, David. Both of them just tremendous work that they both did in their time here on earth. There you go. Anyway, so Dave, you and I both have been experiencing this recently, right? Where it's graduation season. It's. We're into June, everyone's graduating. You went to a fifth grade graduation. I was right.

[Dave Damaschek]

They do those now. They count as graduation.

[Dan LeBatard]

Right, Right. I was at an eighth grade Graduation last night. My son now go into high school, which is crazy. We have two boys and jump. They'll be in the school together. That's very cool. I am wondering, though, like, do we have. Tony, if I would ask you. You seem like someone who's good. Thank you for this. For the kids who are graduating, I feel like you can give good advice.

[Tony]

I would give great advice.

[Dan LeBatard]

What to do for the next step. The next step of your life.

[Mike]

I feel like you could give good advice.

[Dan LeBatard]

Like a graduating senior. He's.

[Mike]

He's from a graduating class.

[Dan LeBatard]

He's moving into the world out of high school. Do you have advice for. For the utes out there?

[Tony]

I do. I do have a lot of advice for the youth. Do you want me to do it as a commencement speech? Do you want to do it as kind of like an older brother kind of thing? Like, what's your vibe?

[Roy]

Do we have the robe and that hat?

[Chris Cody]

Oh, do we have.

[Dave Damaschek]

It's ubiquitous now.

[Dan LeBatard]

Cap and the gown.

[Dave Damaschek]

Yeah, famously Conan talking to Harvard and. And executives up there giving their commencement addresses and mentioning AI and getting booed. I think we need that.

[Dan LeBatard]

Look, do we have the robe and the.

[Mike]

Well, why don't you finish it all off with, like, a scroll?

[Roy]

You knew what I meant. Get out of here, everyone. The audience is like, yep, knew exactly what he meant.

[Dan LeBatard]

Dave. What? Excuse me, Tony. What if at first it's like, also

[Mike]

I found out I got to the bottom of the Dave Halberstram tribute and it's Chris Cody, little on me.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, I want to hear this, because if I could say something real quick, I feel that's the second time I've done this recently. The first time where it's. Oh, it was a few weeks ago when we were talking about that snake oil salesman, Michael, your mark. And we were showing pictures of Bret, your mark, the whole time. And I had to point out. I feel bad when I do that. I don't want to correct the video people, they work really hard. I don't want to do that. But, like, I had to. I had to do that.

[Mike]

They're twins.

[Dan LeBatard]

Right? But like here, when we're showing the completely wrong David Halberstam, I had to

[Roy]

say, how could I know there's two Dave. How were strands? How could I know that?

[Dave Damaschek]

No, no, no. The winner here is. Is. Is Roy. That's who I want in the foxhole going forward with me. Roy was. Whoever said it. They said, Roy got the wrong video. And then. Then the camera went to Roy. Did he say a word? He say? Did he say was it me? No, he didn't. He wore it. That's a teammate.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's.

[Dave Damaschek]

That's what you want in the foxhole with you. He didn't turn to his right and say it was Cody's fault? No, he just wore it.

[Dan LeBatard]

Well, you know, about falling on that sword.

[Chris Cody]

I didn't even know there was a sword to fall on. That situation. I didn't know they turned to me. All I know is it's not my fault. It's definitely Chris Cody's fault.

[Dave Damaschek]

Okay, I take back what I just said there.