The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 1: "Flippin' Casa Del Carajo" (feat. The Kid Mero)
Date: December 8, 2025

Episode Overview

Live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and their Meadowlark Media ensemble are joined by special guest The Kid Mero. The conversation jumps between sports (NBA, NFL, and college football), New York Knicks fandom, pop culture, and humorous explorations of language and identity. The energy is loose and chaotic, punctuated by signature jokes, cultural references, and real New York/Miami flavor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Technical Challenges & Show Energy (02:29–03:14)

• Opening chaos: The team struggles to balance merging live New York and Miami studios, with Mero bringing high energy and making it hard for the crew to get settled.
• Quote:

  "We're trying to merge. We haven't done this before where we merge live New York and Miami studios. And now we've got Mero comes in and he won't shut up. Right." – Mike [03:12]

• Vibe: Amiable chaos, lots of ribbing about technical difficulties and Mero’s big personality.

2. Should the Knicks Trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo? (03:14–10:45)

• Mero’s Knicks Loyalty:
  • Mero is adamantly against the Knicks trading for Giannis, citing team chemistry, current success, and the pitfalls of trading a whole core for a star ("the Melo thing all over again").
  • He values what the Knicks have (“They look good. Even though Desmond Bay was playing dodgeball yesterday. [...] But they're winning games, they're covering. Okay. Which is the most important part. And I'm not mad. Don't disrupt this.”) [04:41]
• Basketball Fit & Roster Construction:
  • Mero questions how Giannis would integrate, particularly next to Mitchell Robinson, and worries about losing shooters and replicating past trade mistakes.
  • Quote:

    “Karl Anthony Townsend is the best shooting big man in all of the NBA, period. I don't want to hear any argument to the contrary. And I'm not saying that because he's Dominican. I'm saying it because it's the truth.” – Mero [06:02]

• Fanbase Mentality:
  • Mike and Dan note that every fanbase falls for their “scrappy,” overachieving squads and resists risking change, even for a superstar.
  • Mero’s Punchline:

    “Do y'all not think that Giannis is right on the precipice of being a bum? Not a bum. Not a bum.” – Mero [07:00]

  • On NY Media Pressure:

    “This is New York City. The first bad game he has... Greek yogurt. They're gonna have his head popping out of an Oikos bottle, looking crazy.” – Mero [08:54]

• Is This Knicks Team a Championship Contender?
  • Mero argues that bench additions—not a superstar—could make them contenders, but knows the critique:

    “As a lifelong Knicks fan, I mean, it just feels very Nicky, you know what I'm saying? Like, yo, let's go get the motherfucker selling mad jerseys and everything will be fine.” [10:36]

3. NFL Talk: Chiefs, Mahomes, & Shador Sanders (11:13–19:11)

• Biggest Football Story:
  • Mike posits that the only story in the NFL is whenever the Chiefs lose.
  • Pablo voices growing doubt in Mahomes’ ability to carry the Chiefs this year, comparing it to a magic trick gone wrong:

    “...I've held out so much hope that like, Mahomes is this magician that by the end is going to make the woman not be two severed pieces, but like one human that's alive. And I'm like, I think your assistant's dead.” – Pablo [16:52]

• The Kid Mero on Football:
  • Mero diverts to talk about Shador Sanders and the Browns, dismissing blame for losing (“He plays for the Browns. That's what they do. They lose.”) [11:38]
• Chiefs Struggle:
  • Pablo and Dan discuss Mahomes’ rare three-interception game and the general mediocrity of the NFL season.
  • Mero’s father, with philosophical weight:

    “Every empire must fall. You know, you think Genghis Khan, where's he now?” [18:53]

4. Wayne Gretzky World Cup Name Mispronunciations (19:21–22:07)

• Comic Relief:
  • The crew roasts Wayne Gretzky for mangling names like Curacao (“Karako”) during a World Cup segment.
  • Mero:

    “Y'all ain't gonna do this to the Great One. He not here to read what y'all ... are Studying and learning how to pronounce things. He was nice with that stick.” [21:48]

5. Wildest Live Sports Moments (22:15–24:53)

• Mero’s Favorite Pinch-Me Memories:
  • Announcing at the NFL Draft, walking with Jeter, Winfield, Randolph, and Reggie Jackson at Yankee Stadium.
  • Describes chaotic moments backstage at the draft—with an open bar and aging ex-players—helping a producer cut off a long-winded, possibly intoxicated old quarterback.
• Quote:

  “Yeah. No, the number one for me ever of all time was... me, Jeets, Dave Winfield, Willie Randolph, and Reggie Jackson...walking off the field at Yankee Stadium...” [23:01]

6. Dominican & Miami Slang: "Casa Del Carajo" (29:11–31:20)

• Refren del Día Segment:
  • Tony spins the “Refrán del Día” (Saying of the Day) wheel; lands on “Casa del Carajo.”
  • Mero’s translation:
    “Casa del Carajo is a one to one translation for West Bumble– you know what I’m saying. [...] The first response is gonna be like, ‘Don’t call me, bro. Yo, that is 20,000 miles away.’” [30:01]
  • Extended info: Tony and Mero explain its roots in ship terminology (the crow’s nest) and its use for “the middle of nowhere” in Spanish slang.

7. The "Cuban Heisman" & Fernando Mendoza (31:20–35:41)

• Hispanic Representation in College Football:
  • Discussion about Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman campaign, cultural expectations versus reality, and how Mendoza’s voice does NOT match the stereotypical Cuban footballer.
  • Quote:

    “I really wanted to be like, you know, everybody's saying that we couldn't do it. [...] I was like, is this guy from BYU? [...] This is Martin.” – Dan [31:45]

  • Comparison to Morty from “Rick and Morty” (“He sounds like Morty from Rick and Morty.” – Pablo [33:11])
• Betting Odds & Voter Dynamics:
  • Quick dive into Heisman odds, highlighting college football as a realm of weird upsets and unexpected storylines.

8. Midwest Cold Weather & Bills Fans’ Shirtless Bravery (36:10–37:51)

• Culture Clash:
  • The crew marvels at the lunacy of Buffalo Bills fans going shirtless in subzero temperatures, with Mero saying he’d need to be drugged up to try such a stunt.
  • Quote:

    “For me to do that, you would have to hook me up to, like, a Dilaudid drip or something. Like, I just have to be in a fugue state.” – Mero [36:46]

9. Wrap-Ups, Random Tangents, & Signature Bit (37:43–end)

• Medicine Chat:
  • The group discusses the power of Dilaudid (painkiller), complete with on-air research about how much stronger it is than other opioids (“Dilaudid will make fentanyl to pee its pants...” – Mike [37:44]).
• Visual Jokes & Studio Vibe:
  • Pablo notes Dan looking like “he's waiting for the subway” in his scarf and coat [36:01].
• Loose Ends & More Housekeeping with Waits, Poles, & Audio Clipping

Memorable Quotes & Moments (by Timestamp)

• On the Knicks’ Roster Chemistry:

  "They looked in disarray in the beginning and now they don't look like they're in disarray. They're winning games, they're covering. Okay. Which is the most important part. And I'm not mad. Don't disrupt this." – Mero [04:41]

• Giannis & NY Media:

  “They're gonna have his head popping out of an Oikos bottle, looking crazy. They're gonna put his hand on a Gyro Me thing, and he's gonna be getting sliced by most beat reporter in the world. This is New York City. If you suck, they're gonna be like, yo, you suck.” – Mero [08:54]

• NFL Dynasty Perspective:

  "Every empire must fall. You know, you think Genghis Khan, where's he now?” – Mero’s father, as relayed by Mero [18:53]

• Wayne Gretzky Roast:

  “Y’all ain't gonna do this to the Great One. He not here to read what y’all ... are Studying and learning how to pronounce things. He was nice with that stick.” – Mero [21:48]

• Painkiller Humor:

  “For me to do that, you would have to hook me up to, like, a Dilaudid drip or something. Like, I just have to be in a fugue state.” – Mero [36:46]

• On College Football Voting:

  "Thibault's voting for him three times, four times. On behalf of himself, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All four votes going to Mendoza." – Dan [35:41]

Notable Segments with Timestamps

• Studio Tech Difficulties & Mero’s Arrival: 02:29–03:14
• Knicks & Giannis Trade Debate: 03:14–10:45
• NFL Centerpiece Discussion – Mahomes/Chiefs: 11:13–19:11
• Wayne Gretzky World Cup Name Fails: 19:21–22:07
• Sports "Pinch Me" Moments: 22:15–24:53
• Refrán del Día: “Casa del Carajo”: 29:11–31:20
• Fernando Mendoza & Hispanic Stereotypes: 31:20–35:41
• Bills Fans, Cold Weather Madness: 36:10–37:51
• Dilaudid Joke & Drug Strength Debate: 37:43–end

Language & Tone

• Conversational, informal, and irreverent.
• Heavy sprinkling of NY and Miami cultural references.
• Self-deprecating, quick-witted banter with inside jokes, sports slang, and comedic overstatement.

For New Listeners

This episode’s banter and mix of sports knowledge with wild humor and cultural commentary captures why the Le Batard Show stands out. The addition of The Kid Mero turbocharges the energy, especially for topics relating to New York sports and Hispanic cultural touchstones, while the regulars’ chemistry makes for plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and sharp sports insight.

Note:
Ad reads, intros, and outros have been omitted for content focus.