Hour 1: Flippin' Casa Del Carajo (feat. The Kid Mero)

Summary

---

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.

Transcript

[Tony]

All right, kicking things off with Smirnoff, the official vodka sponsor of the NFL and the number one vodka in the world. Chris Cody, you're here smearing off.

[Pablo]

Wow.

[Tony]

You're on the money with Smearnoff. Chris, do you know what goes great with Smirnoff? Yes, but I'm really talking about the game day fit. The style's gotta match the vibe.

[Mike]

Fair enough.

[Tony]

All right, here's the deal. Game day is everything. And that's exactly why your fit has to match the occasion. Starting this December, Smirnoff is giving fans 21 and over the chance to score limited edition Smirnoff commission merchandise from some of today's top creators and including Kayla Jones, Gavin, Matthew and Aleli Mae. Here's the kicker. One lucky fan will take home the grand prize, a trip to the biggest game of the offseason. Plus, one fan will win a laylie May's one of one game day jacket.

[Dan LeBatard]

Wow.

[Tony]

The merch will be dropped on select dates from December to January 21st. And it's all courtesy of what brand? That's right, Chris. Fans 21 and over can head to Smirnoff Socials to learn how to sign up. And don't forget to grab a bottle of Smirnoff vodka number 21 at your local retail. Please drink responsibly. Smirnoff number 21 vodka distilled from grain, 40% alcohol by volume. The Smirnoff Company, New York, New York. Please do not share with anybody under legal drinking.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hate Smirnoff.

[Tony]

No purchase necessary. Must be legal. US resident, 21 or older. Sweepstake starts 12152025 at 12:00am Eastern and ends 1232026 at 11:59:59pm Eastern. See official rules at program website.

[Pablo]

There's a reason Chevy trucks are known for their dependability.

[Mike]

Because they show up no matter the weather, push forward no matter the terrain and deliver. That's why Chevrolet has earned more dependability awards for trucks than any other brand in 2025, according to J. Because in every Chevy truck, like every Chevy driver, dependability comes standard. Visit Chevy.com to learn more.

[Dan LeBatard]

Chevrolet received the highest total number of awards among all the trucks in the J.D.

[Mike]

Power 2025 U.S. vehicle Dependability Study Awards based on 2022 models.

[Dan LeBatard]

Newer models may be shown.

[Mike]

Visit jdpower.com awards for more details. Chevrolet together.

[Dan LeBatard]

Let's drive. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Listening to this podcast Smart move. Being financially savvy. Smart move. Another smart move. Having State Farm help you Create a competitive choose to bundle home and auto bundling. Just another way to save. With a personal price plan like a good neighbor. State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state.

[Roy]

This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast.

[Mike]

Trouble getting Marrow to shut up.

[Pablo]

People are frantically behind the glass. Lewis is here, by the way, and he is frantically. He's, like, running around like he's overseeing a slowly burning space shuttle.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah. You remember that scene in 24 where. Where they locked down the glass and there was, like, gas coming in and like, the chubby dude that was like, the tech guy was behind the glass. He was just like. That's what Luis is doing right now.

[Mike]

Yeah, he's a little scared because I'm not. Hit the right buttons. And we've. 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.

[Pablo]

Explicitly was like, can you please stop talking?

[Mike]

Everyone was trying to give me instructions so that I wouldn't do what I just did. But you're coming in here talking about all cigarettes, where it is that I should have watched the World cup draw if I wanted to know what was going on with Haiti. And it's like, I couldn't get Marrow to shut up. But I'm excited to have him here, and I'm excited about what it is that we're doing this. This week in combining, really, the dream projects that Meadowlark has birthed here between what Pablo does and what we do in Miami. I wanted to bring in Amin here to ask you about whether or not Giannis is coming to the Knicks.

[Dan LeBatard]

No.

[Mike]

Or you don't want. You don't. You don't want Giannis. All right, I mean, tell me what's going on with Giannis. What do you expect to happen over the last. What you've seen happen over the last week?

[Dan LeBatard]

Well, Mark Stein's been reporting that the Bucks are telling everybody. They're not listening. They're not listening. They don't want to trade Giannis. I don't know where this is coming from. And pretty much 29 teams are like, yeah, right. So they just keep calling them and say, hey, what about this? What about that? But I'm more interested to hear from. From Miro, you saying no to Giannis? No. Hell no.

[Roy]

Why?

[Dan LeBatard]

Hell no. Nah, listen, okay. This is y'. All.

[Mike]

Listen.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

Y' all know ball more than I do. I will say that. You know, Clarity Palau, you know what I'm saying? Like, y' all are more avid ball knowers than me. I watch, you know, and I, and I. What's the correct term?

[Pablo]

Vaguely conscious.

[Dan LeBatard]

Vaguely conscious. Oh, I was trying to think of wagering. I will wager on occasion. Okay, so in order to wager with a, you know, I'm saying intelligently, you gotta watch the. The Knicks have not been. The Knicks have started to gel. They look good. Even though Desmond Bay was playing dodgeball yesterday. You know what I mean? With og that was phenomenal. I loved it. But they're. They, they don't look bad. 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.

[Mike]

I mean, this is always interesting to me when a fan base falls in love with their Hartensteins. They did this a couple of years ago. They didn't want him traded and now they've got Brunson and Carl Anthony Townsend and they don't want to screw with that, even though we've seen what the ceiling of that is.

[Dan LeBatard]

Ok, so Baloers, please break this down to me. How do you make Mitchell Robinson and Yanis Atenoko, okay, work on a team together. You need shooters and if you are going to.

[Pablo]

You're worried about how Mitchell Robinson is going to fit around Giannis because you got to get.

[Dan LeBatard]

Cat is out of here if you're going to get Giannis. Listen, the Bucks are not going to trade Giannis for. For Deuce McBride and a couple second rounders. That's not happening. So you're gonna have to do the mellow thing all over again and be like, yo, here's everybody. Except with the mellow thing. I was okay with it because I.

[Pablo]

Because you have co hosted a podcast with Carmelo Anthony.

[Dan LeBatard]

Also that part. But like previously predating that also I knew Timothy Mozgov was a bum. So I was like, is this guy, this big goofy Russian is holding up this trade? Get him out of here. I did a lot shout out to Wilson Chandler, everybody else, this is a different situation. 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.

[Pablo]

I feel like there's a small percentage at the very least that is saying it explicitly because he's Dominican.

[Dan LeBatard]

Eight and a half percent. You know what I'm saying? Conservatively, the team looks good. We got. There's a chemistry.

[Pablo]

That's a 16 and 7.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Pablo]

I'm not even second in the east.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah. Not mad at the second in the east.

[Mike]

I mean, I think that he speaks for a lot of New York and a lot of fan bases when they fall in love with this thing. That's 16 and 7. That's scrappy. And you bring Giannis in and it becomes a different thing. But it's not going to be worse than 16 and 7.

[Dan LeBatard]

Do y' all not think that Giannis is right on the precipice of being a bum? Not a bum. Not a bum.

[Mike]

He had his best season last year. I think, statistically, he learned how to.

[Dan LeBatard]

Shoot a jumper last season. So it's like now, okay, now he knows how to shoot an elbow jumper. You're going to trade every shooter you have on the team to get him in there? We don't got picks. What are we going to do? Call Sam Presti, bro. Make something happen over there?

[Mike]

I mean. I mean, what are your thoughts here, like? Because I. I do. I remember. I remember the 42 and 40 Miami heat of Lamar Odom and Karan Butler and Brian Grant.

[Pablo]

What a team.

[Mike]

Trade for Shaq.

[Dan LeBatard]

Not wanting to trade for Shaq. We got to give up with the scrappy team. That's crazy. This is not a scrappy team. All these mother are making $40 million. What's scrappy about that? I'm scrappy. I don't got 40 mil every year. Can it. Clock it? Stop. Call Anthony Towns. All these guys are all stars. Mikhail Bridges, bro. You traded all those picks for that guy to space the floor. I'm using all these, like, cliche basketball cliches. Space the floor. We need spacing. You know what I'm saying? Giannis can't shoot no threes. That motherf shot 20% from 3.

[Pablo]

I want marrow. I mean, I want Marrow to moderate a panel at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

[Dan LeBatard]

Come on, get me on basketball reference.

Just hip firing. I don't want Giannis. I mean, I'm just saying, like, he's.

[Mike]

He's a.

[Dan LeBatard]

He's a generational guy. I agree with that. He's phenomenal. I don't think he fits in with what's going on. Also, he's mad Buns, guys. Are we forgetting about this? This is New York City. The first bad game he has, he's. The Milwaukee reporters are mad nice to him. They ask the questions. Oh, Giannis, do you consider this season a failure? And then the whole. The memory, the.

[Mike]

Eric, Eric.

[Dan LeBatard]

Eric, you asked me this.

You asked me this before again. Then I tell you, I tell you, it's not failure. It's not failure. Tell that shit to the New York Post. That's not failure. Come on. They're gonna be like Greek yogurt. 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. Even if you suck for 30 seconds of otherwise tremendous game, are you gonna.

[Mike]

Be going to allow a mean to say anything?

[Dan LeBatard]

Ah, no, let him. He's cooking. Let him cook, man.

[Pablo]

Slather a mean in white sauce and red sauce.

[Dan LeBatard]

Tzatziki. Come on. Come on, man. They'll have a parade for him in Astoria. What are you talking about?

This is like a dream come true. Like, I cannot think of another player going to a city simply for, like, the. The demographics between the Nigerians and the Greeks. In New York, they would have.

[Mike]

Forget it.

[Dan LeBatard]

A parade that would never end. And to me, it's like when you say, you don't want to mess this up, this is what I ask you. Realistically, how good is this team? Is this a championship team? You think this team can win a championship with no additions? Just this team? I think this team with some bench additions that's the problem. It's the bench. It's depth. You know what I'm saying? I think with some bench editions that are not absolute bums, this team is a championship team. You know what I mean? It's just really about depth. You see what happened. They took out the starters, bench came in, lead, shrunk, got to put the starters back in. If we get into a situation where we don't have to do that, I say we, like, I'm on the team, then we're good. But, Giannis, man, I don't know, dog. It just feels very. As a. 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 mother selling mad jerseys and everything will be fine.

[Mike]

I just don't think there's anyone outside of New York who believes the Knicks are championship team with a couple of bench pieces?

[Dan LeBatard]

I, I, I, I. And I. I'm fine with that, you know what I'm saying? Because nobody thought the Miami Heat was a championship team to go to the finals, you know what I mean? When they had that little run with Jimmy was doing this, they were in a championship. They weren't, you know what I'm saying? But they got there. They got there. Every year is the team that's not supposed to get there that gets there. Everybody's saying it's the Knicks. Listen, until Jason Tatum comes back, the east belongs to the Knicks. I don't care what y' all say.

[Mike]

I don't know how Mero feels about football. Are we still in the place? Pablo, I've been saying this here for a few months now that the biggest story in football, whenever the Chiefs lose, doesn't matter what else happened that weekend, it's the Chiefs losing. It's not the Chiefs winning. And it looks like, what is.

[Pablo]

What is Miro doing? What is that?

[Dan LeBatard]

That's the Shador.

[Pablo]

Oh, you're showing your watch.

[Dan LeBatard]

You know what I'm saying? The Shador. You know what time it is?

[Mike]

Losing to Tennessee at home.

[Dan LeBatard]

Losing, losing. But he's on the Browns. This is what everybody keeps saying, like, yo, he lost. He lost. He lost, bro. He plays for the Browns. That's what they do. They lose. You know what I'm saying? Like who? Like, he. He did his thing.

[Mike]

I just tried to talk about the Chiefs and Mahomes, and you took me to Shador off of that football Sunday.

[Dan LeBatard]

Let's go. Let's get into it. Because that was a. That was a. That was a. That was a hell of a game.

[Roy]

This time of year. It's a lot. Lights, noise, pumpkin spice. It's everywhere. But one feeling that we are all still chasing is coziness. And Bumpus has the socks, slippers and tees, basically everything to get you there. There's something oddly therapeutic about a fresh pair of socks. And Bumpus knows that feeling embedded into everything they make. Slippers you can melt into. Tees that feel just right. Comfort that holds up wash after wash. And gifting bombas makes that easy, too. Your wife, your kid, your kid's girlfriend, your neighbor's newborn, your mom's new friend. Yeah, they got socks for them all. They're even stepping up the footwear game. New colors, new styles, fluffy things, suede things. If you got feet, they've got something for you. And the best part, every pair you buy Bombas donates one to someone experiencing homelessness. Cozy for you, Cozy for someone else. I wear bombas. I got myself three pairs of underwear from bombas and they don't ride up, they don't bunch. They are very comfortable, very soft and enjoyable to wear. It's cozy season. It's Bombus season. Head over to bombas.comdan and use code DAN for 20% off your first purchase. That's B M B A S.com D A N and use code D A N at checkout.

[Tony]

Holidays. Fun holidays as a dad, tough travel gifts. Matching pajamas. Don't get me started on matching pajamas. It's hot in Miami. My wife says, why don't you want to do this with us? My daughter's crying anyways. School, parties, hosting a family. Next thing I know, I basically put Christmas on my credit card and have no idea what I spent where. If you want to keep your finances under control this holiday season, you need to be using Monarch, rated Wall Street Journal's Best Budgeting App. At 25, Monarch's the All in one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean interface on your laptop or on your phone. Right now, just for our listeners, monarch is offering 50% off your first year, a massive deal. Monarch showed me how fast the holiday budget was disappearing. Flights, gifts, late night online shopping and helped me pump the brakes before the bill hit. Now my wife and I do quick money check ins, look at our holiday spending category and actually enjoy the holidays without starting January and the new year in panic. Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code [e-mail] in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first [e-mail] with code DAMN. And don't give me those matching pajamas.

[Roy]

I swear.

It'S the holiday season. Fantasy football probably not going your way. Like most of America, your football team, hopefully you're still in the mix. If your college football team is in the mix, congratulations. You've made it this far. Why don't you toast your friends with some Miller Light at the holiday party? It is a surefire winner. It's a holiday season right now, so why don't you celebrate the 50th anniversary of my favorite beer, Miller Light? Every time I crack open a Miller Lite, I look around at my friends and family and I think, yeah, this was a right call. It's a taste you know you can depend on. Brewed for flavor with simple ingredients like malted barley, rich, balanced toffee notes and that iconic golden color. And at 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces, it lets you enjoy the season without weighing you down. The best holiday beers are the ones you don't expect. Miller Light great taste. 96 calories. 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. Tis Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories, 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Dan LeBatard]

Don LeBatard I'm just here to say one thing. The Knicks are back. Stugats Tyree Salibraton six points Fraud. Everybody was like, yo, he's better than Jalen Brunson. He's better than Janik. Should attracted him.

[Mike]

Fraud.

[Dan LeBatard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach.

[Mike]

Jamel told us last week. Jamel told us to surprise she will not well, she will not criticize Shadore Sanders because he represents something to black culture that is not going to be criticized that Shador Sanders, Jamel Jamal, who can criticize Jamel's like, nope, not going to say anything bad about what he represents as an avatar.

[Dan LeBatard]

If he plays like ass, I'd be like, he plays like ass. But I like that he's confident. If you can play like ass and be still, maintain your confidence and bounce back and not be ass, that's the best thing you could be as an athlete.

[Pablo]

Right?

[Mike]

But that's what you're when you're watching football on Sunday. That's Shador is the one who's got your attention that there was a lot of bad football played yesterday. There are a lot of games I was not interested.

[Dan LeBatard]

I'm a Giants fan.

[Mike]

Washington, Minnesota? No thank you. I don't understand how the Saints did what they did yesterday other than football happens to ruin Tampa season. But, but are we still in a place bottle? I don't know how you watch football on Sundays when you're not doing daily shows anymore. Is it Chiefs losing is still the biggest story on Sundays.

[Pablo]

Yes. Because the season has been like generally speaking like mediocre. And the question is always like if you're to ask me to to wager on who's going the Super Bowl. I think until last night I would have said give me the Chiefs. And now I'm watching Travis Kelsey drop passes and watching Rasheed Rice drop passes and watching the team around him as well as Mahomes himself does not feel like and I, I, I'VE held out so much hope that like, he's Mahomes is this magician that by the end is going to like, make the woman not be two severed pieces, but like one human that's alive. And I'm like, I think she, I think, I think your assistant's dead. Like, that's my concern. And so the Chiefs, by the way, it's funny just like the spectacle of this too, for the NFL in that box, right? In the, in the Kelce box, there's Leonardo DiCaprio watching the Texans just like curb stomp the Chiefs.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's like, I don't like this, dude. I don't like it. I don't like. Trav, man, what's going on? Come on, dude, you gotta fix this, man. Dude, Tay, Tay, you're fumbling the ball, bro. I, I, it is the story, man, because it's like he's been, Kermit has been the story, man for like the last.

[Pablo]

How, how that was the worst game he's ever played was last night.

[Dan LeBatard]

So, like, you know, for, for real, Bolton, I was just like, all right, bro, you have, you, you have never been this ass. This is shocking. You know what I mean? And to Pablo's point, it's like, wow, you have the, you have the capacity to be this ass. And if you are this ass regularly, we're not going anywhere.

[Mike]

But I think the Texans, like, the Texans are the best defense in the sport and they did that to him. He has not been asshole season. They've been fine statistically. They just haven't been winning their one score games. But what he was yesterday, that's not the last time we saw that is when he was running around loop de loops because he had all his offensive linemen gone in a Super bowl and Tom Brady beat him. That's like what you saw last night. Three interceptions. That's not something that he does at all.

[Pablo]

Hasn't happened since 2022, I believe.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Pablo]

Three picks for Mahomes.

[Dan LeBatard]

But my dad says all the time, he said, puppy, let me tell you something.

Every empire must fall. You know, you think Genghis Kong, where he's now.

[Mike]

That's right. That's a good point.

[Dan LeBatard]

Julius Caesar donate that. Yeah, everybody, Everybody that you think is going to rule the world forever, they eventually, they.

[Pablo]

I like Marrow's dad is like a Dominican. Henry Kissinger.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, he's, you know, I mean, he's very, you know, I mean, I was gonna say Machiavelli, and he's not, he's a very good guy. Shout to my pop, Dito, Roy.

[Mike]

Can you get the sound, please, of Wayne Gretzky mispronouncing an assortment of names? Because we decided geopolitical. We decided. We decided to bring Wayne Gretzky out as part of the World cup stuff on. On Friday. Let's hear from Wayne Gretzky as he tries to make his way through a map.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, Whiskey.

[Mike]

Caraco.

You don't think that. You don't think that Wayne does a lot in the way of speaking a great deal of Spanish? You don't think that Wayne does some Spanish flair accents on his countries?

[Dan LeBatard]

I've been to Canadia. You know what I'm saying? Shout out to them. Not a lot of Latinos up there. I. I would speak to people that I like, look identified as, like, yo, you are a Caribbean. You are Afro Latino. I can see it in your features and your fan. Then they'd be like, wagon. My youth. No, I'm Jamaican. I'm just very fair skinned.

[Mike]

I make the mistake so often in Miami. Anybody who's brown, I just start speaking Spanish. I make that mistake all the time.

[Dan LeBatard]

All the time.

[Mike]

And then they look at me and, like, just. I don't speak Spanish in an accent that's clearly not as like, no, my friend. No.

[Pablo]

Can I just point out that, like, Wayne Gretzky, just in case you're not watching that clip, his job was to read the names of countries. Like, in the realm of, like, you had one job. His one job was to know what Curacao is to his.

[Dan LeBatard]

In his defense, shout out to Wanda Robinson, because I announced his pick at the draft, at the NFL draft. I forgot what year is, but he's doing his thing. Stud wide receiver.

[Tony]

Love him.

[Dan LeBatard]

They give you the card and it has, like, the name, the university, the position, and then under it in like, 16 different parentheses and alternating caps, it tells you how to say this shit phonetically. So whoever was doing the cards should have gave Wayne, an old Canadian man, a card that had the phonetic.

[Mike]

You think they didn't, though?

[Dan LeBatard]

I don't think they did. Or maybe. Or maybe he's just like, you know what? I'm so good, Karako. I'm saying, like, yo, he's talking about, like, North Macadamia.

[Pablo]

I was gonna say it'd be one thing if that was the only thing, but there were other names he had to pronounce that went roughly as well.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hey, man, y' all ain't gonna do this to the great one. He not here to read what y'. All. Well, you nerds are Studying and learning how to pronounce things. He was nice with that stick. Now you guys want to.

[Tony]

Yo, that's crazy.

[Pablo]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hey, yo, that was insane.

[Roy]

Karako.

[Dan LeBatard]

He said north Macadamia nuts, man. He said Mexico. He said a bunch of shit wrong.

[Mike]

Wendell Robinson. You introduced him at the draft.

[Roy]

I did.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. How fast can y' all look that up? I think it was 20. 23. God damn it.

[Pablo]

We are 20. 22.

[Dan LeBatard]

22. Oh, shit. Yeah.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Where does that rank in terms of strange sports moments that you found yourself in? Because I've got to imagine you've got some pinch me and you just sitting next to Carmelo doing a pod.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah. No, the number one for me ever of all time was I did some stuff with Derek Jeter for the Captain when it was, like, coming out, and it was me, Jeets, Dave Winfield, Willie Randolph, and Reggie Jackson, like, walking off the field of. Walking off the field at Yankee Stadium with.

Like, playing in the background. And it's just. It looks like a movie scene, Doug. Like, we're walking towards the camera. We're just like. I'm like, yeah, Dave Winfield.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

We're peers.

Yeah. This guy that was, like, number one. But this, that was up there. That was up there.

[Mike]

You're of the age. Dave Winfield was the first baseball cards that I had of any kind. Dave Winfield was my, my favorite first player of any kind because I couldn't believe it. But you're. I, I, I thought you were too young to have Winfield be that for you. Jeter had to be that.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah. Also, I wore an Aguas Dal hat, not a Giants hat. That is a Dominican.

[Pablo]

Also, your sunglasses indicate that you are also vaguely conscious.

[Dan LeBatard]

Fried, yo. By the way, right before I did this, there was a guy that announced the Minnesota Vikings pick who Dan Marinara saw. I don't even know the guy's name. He was a quarterback from, like, the 60s. I don't know whose idea was to put everybody back there and have an open bar and have a bunch of dudes with allegedly CTE back there drinking hard liquor. So this dude went out there. He's like. When I got drafted to Minnesota, I was like, I don't want to go there. It's cold as heck. And then I started to settle into things, and I wondered what my offensive line was going to be like. And we had Patches Mahoula, who was one of my best friends. We used to drink bicarbonate soda together and watch the play, watch the Bulls and watch the ponies. I'm like, what is going to about. So then the producer lady with like the headset is like panicking and shit. Still demure white girl. I'm like, yeah. I was like, yo shorty, come here. I was like, are you running this shit? And she's like, yeah. I was like, go out to get this mother off the stage. Then he's talking through the music and she's like. I was like, just go do it. I was like the angel on her shoulder. I was like, go tell this. Go in his ear and say, you are taking too long like that. And he will get off stage, I promise you. And that's exactly what happened.

[Mike]

So you're, you're alleging that all of the people who went out there were drinking too much and that the NFL was throwing people in front of live microphones?

[Pablo]

Drunk.

[Mike]

Drunk and with some cte.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, except for Barry Sanders. Barry Sanders, very polo tucked into the khakis. Looked like he was gonna help me with my Dodge Durango and shit. Like just very nice, humble, down to earth guy. Not drunk at all. Stone cold sober.

[Pablo]

I'm trying to find who the guy who announced the third round pick for the Giants in 2022 was, but I'm having trouble when I google Dan Marinara sucks.

[Mike]

You're having trouble finding what it is that he was a 60s quarterback who had had too much to drink, who announced draft picked after Mero in 2022.

[Dan LeBatard]

The by the way, the wildest assortment of people to announce picks. Because before that guy, it was like some phase streamer kid. And I was just like, holy. I was like, what this is? This is the simulation for real.

[Mike]

This is where they're trying to get as many different demos represented as. As are we.

[Tony]

Hey guys, Tony here. The NBA on Prime is back with an exciting week of Emirates NBA cup action. The knockout rounds start with a quarterfinal double headers on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Then the the cup heads to Vegas for a semifinal doubleheader on Saturday. It all culminates with the championship game next Tuesday night. If you're not a Prime member, that's not a problem. Sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. Emirates NBA cup coverage continues this week only on prime. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details.

You ever find yourself late night scrolling, adding stuff to your cart you absolutely don't need? And then you see it. The beautiful glowing purple shop pay button button, boom, checkout done. You didn't even have to get up and find your wallet. That, my friends, is Shopify magic. That little purple button means that store is powered by Shopify, which doesn't just make it easy to buy, but ridiculously easy to start and run your own business too. Whether you're a giant like Mattel or Gymshark or just launching something weird from your garage like Greg Cody's garage, Shopify has. You're back. Let's be real. If we can run a show with this much chaos, you can run a business with Shopify. With hundreds of beautiful templates, tools for payments, inventory analytics, marketing, it's all in one place. And yes, that purple button. It's why Shopify has the best converting checkout on the planet. Shopify. It's how real businesses get built. If you want to see less carts being abandoned, it's time for you to head over to Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and and start selling today at shopify.com batard go to shopify.com batard shopify.com.

[Dan LeBatard]

Batard.

[Roy]

I'm trying to get ready for the holidays and wrapping my head around what I'm going to cook and people keep asking me the same question. Roy, what are you gifting this year? What are you cooking? And honestly, I don't have time for all that. I just keep it simple. I go with Omaha Steaks. People, listen up. Omaha Steaks delivers the world's best steak experience. You can send USDA certified tender steaks, juicy burgers and comfort meals that make you look thoughtful with minimum effort. Now that's my kind of gift. Right now. During the Sizzle all the Way sale, you can get 50% off site wide at omahasteaks.com plus an extra $35 off with promo code Dan. I've had Omaha Steaks plenty of times. I've cooked them, I gifted them. People are always impressed. The steaks are aged perfectly tender and are full of flavor. It's holiday magic made easy. Orders placed by 6pm Eastern ship the same day. Save big on gourmet gifts and more holiday favorites with Omaha steaks. Visit Omaha steaks.com for 50% off site wide during the Sizzle all the Way sale. And for an extra $35 off, use promo code Dan at checkout. Terms apply. See site for details. That's OmahaSteaks.com code Dan Don LeBatard and.

[Dan LeBatard]

He was doing all kind of wild stuff when he threw the ball off the glass to himself and yammed it. I was like, wow, that's crazy. You're on perks stugats. You know what I mean? That allegedly, allegedly, allegedly, allegedly, allegedly this is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats.

[Mike]

Tony, are you. Are you ready to do refrain del dia with the kid Marrow?

[Tony]

Born ready, Dano.

[Mike]

Let's do it.

[Tony]

Miami ata and lo plenty. Okay.

Today'S refendadilla is. Let's spin the wheel.

Today's is Casa del Carajo.

Would you like to explain that one, Mero? What it is in Dominican culture?

[Dan LeBatard]

Yes, Casa del Carajo. For all you non Spanish speakers. Casa de Carajo is a one to one translation for West Bumble. You know what I'm saying? If you say, yo, I live over here, and. And people, and you're trying to get people to go there, the first response is gonna be like, don't call you bro, yo, that is 20000 miles away.

[Mike]

What's the literal translation?

[Dan LeBatard]

It's house of hell, House of carajo.

[Tony]

Actually, secondary. Hold on. A secondary explanation. So carajo is actually the top of the. Of a wooden ship where people would look out. So like a lookout post people would send. Oye, better to go out to the lookout post to look for land with a telescope.

[Mike]

So wait, so what's the literal. The literal translation of the word carajo.

[Dan LeBatard]

You'Re saying is go to the crow's nest. The crow's nest in the pirate ship? Yep.

[Tony]

Crow's nest in a pirate ship is El Carajo.

[Dan LeBatard]

So when it was felt it was.

[Tony]

Obviously very far away.

Very far.

[Dan LeBatard]

I had also bonus. Carajoland. If you people, if you live mad far, you don't live in the name of your city. You live in Carajoland. Well, Pablo, man, he wants to do a dinner party, but that motherfucker lives in Carajol land, bro. We're not going over there. We're gonna. We're gonna empty the tank.

[Mike]

Is Mero as a proud Hispanic man, ready for a Cuban Heisman trophy winner?

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, Antonio Mendoza.

[Mike]

No, Fernando Mendoza.

[Dan LeBatard]

Fernando mendoza? Yeah.

[Tony]

Uno deo. Uno deo.

[Mike]

UnO.

[Dan LeBatard]

He had a brother named Antonio.

[Mike]

I'm sure Antonio is good, but Fernando is even better. Like Fernando is a Cuban name, yo.

[Dan LeBatard]

Which by the way, when he opened his mouth, I really wanted to be like, you know, everybody's saying that we couldn't do it.

[Pablo]

I don't think there's anyone who sounds less like the guy you're describing than the actual Fernando Mendoza.

[Dan LeBatard]

I was like, is this guy from byu? Like, who is this? I was like, they, yo, they up the graphic. This is. This is Martin.

[Pablo]

This is Frank Medicido.

[Roy]

Yeah.

[Mike]

Mike. What is. What is Columbus doing in Miami as part of Fernando Mendoza's Heisman campaign.

[Roy]

I was driving down the turnpike in Kendall and I saw Heisman Doza billboards driving down. So it's been a big weekend for the Columbus crew. When you consider. Consider not the MLS team, the actual people that went to Columbus. When you consider the Mendoza thing, the university in Miami. You referenced how Mendoza sounds like. Let's play some of that post game interview sound there, Roy.

[Tony]

Oh, congratulations Indiana.

[Dan LeBatard]

The big ten shoes. How does that sound? It sounds so beautiful. I want to give all the glory to God. We were never supposed to be in a position but by the glory of God, the great coaches, great teammates and we have around us we were able to pull this off. Whoever thought the hoor would be here, but now the Hooers are flipping champs. Let's go. Flipping chance, bro.

[Mike]

No.

[Dan LeBatard]

What? You're a kid. You can say. You know what I'm saying. You're overcome with emotion. Flip.

[Mike]

I want to hear that again. Cuz that could not have sounded any less his hispanic.

[Pablo]

He sounds like Morty from Rick and Morty.

[Dan LeBatard]

What to say there the wavering in the voice.

[Tony]

Congratulations Indiana, the Big ten champs.

[Dan LeBatard]

How does that sound? It sounds so beautiful. I want to give all the glory to God. We were never supposed to be in this position but for the glory of God. The great coaches, great teammates we have around us, we were able to pull this off. Whoever thought the hoor would be here, but now the Hooers are flipping champs. Let's go. Oh, jeez, Rick. Let's go guys. You got to stay shifty. I don't know about this, Rick.

I need to hear a full Heisman speech from this dude now.

[Pablo]

Yeah, I'm in favor of him now.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, like listen guys, when I was sitting there in my blazer, I didn't know it was going to happen. I thought it was going to go to another guy. But we came to me and I was just really grateful to God and Jesus and God and God and my community.

[Mike]

Is he's the. Is he the Heisman front runner now? Mike, what is the betting? Who's the betting favorite now that Indiana has just concluded its best season ever? There were a number of teams in college football. You can make the argument that Missouri, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Indiana all had their best seasons in program history. What are the betting odds on the Heisman trophy between him and Pavia and all the other and guys you wanted me to vote for?

[Roy]

I know, Pav. I know Pavia was a favorite headed into conference championship weekend. But Jeremy has the odds from draftkings Sportsbook here.

[Tony]

Mendoza is minus 2500. Now he's the favorite. Pavia is plus 900. Then you have Jeremiah Love, Julian saying.

[Pablo]

Jacob Rodriguez, Gunner, Stockton after that.

[Mike]

Let's go.

[Roy]

Your top three needs to be Rodriguez, Pavia, and Mendoza.

[Dan LeBatard]

I throw 50 on Gunner, bro. Just because he has a white guy name.

[Mike]

I'm surprised that. I am surprised and perhaps I should not not be that the betting odds change that much. But Indiana beating Ohio State, I suppose should do that because Pavia was a big favorite before this weekend.

[Dan LeBatard]

What is the mean age, the average age of the voting body of this Heisman?

[Mike]

That's a good question, because Poppy had a vote. My father did have a vote.

[Pablo]

Right.

[Dan LeBatard]

So he's going to win because he said flipping instead of let's go, let's go.

[Mike]

It's not just the age of the Heisman voter because they're also. All the previous Heisman winners also get to vote. Vote.

[Pablo]

Thibaut is definitely voting for that kid.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, one. He's. He's stuffing the ballot box.

[Mike]

Yeah. It's not just age. It's also sensibility. It's. Who does well in a banquet hall.

[Dan LeBatard]

Come on. 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.

[Mike]

Pablo, what were the observations that you said that Mero was making about when he walked into the room that nobody was making when he walked into the room.

[Pablo]

You just pointed out that it looks like Dan is standing on, you know.

[Dan LeBatard]

Wait for the train.

[Pablo]

Yeah. You know, waiting for the subway.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah. Look, if you look at that single. Look at that.

[Pablo]

Look at that shot.

[Dan LeBatard]

He's just waiting.

[Pablo]

Dan's also dressed like he's outdoors right now.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. As I know, you're from Miami Champion. You in here with a scarf on. I'm not usually at this time of the year, I'm outside still shirtless, drinking Hennessy.

[Mike]

Well, thank you for bringing that up, because I. I was curious. I watched yesterday. I'm watching. That Bills Bengals game was crazy. So the Bengals are winning by 10 with 8 minutes left, and then down 11 with 3 minutes left. And in the stands in one of the snow, those Bills fans there were shirtless Bills fans. Do you understand the mentality of that? Do you understand having as much liquor in you or what you would have to do in order to be shirtless in those kinds of temperatures?

[Dan LeBatard]

I don't know how they do that, because I like. I don't have a. I Don't have a low pain tolerance. I have a high pain tolerance. But 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. There's no way that I'm standing out there with my titties out and it's single digits or with a negative sign in front of the temperature. That is crazy. And then when the wind blows, it just slices across your nips. If you have acrylic paint on your titties, bro, in that weather, that cannot be good for you, bro. That is definitely toxic.

[Mike]

That was a great Daladin reference, because I learned what that was. I learned that what that was when my. When I was in the hospital with my brother. That is the medication that they give you when they don't want you to be feeling anything. Anything at all. At all. There's nothing stronger than that, right? Like. Like, Daladin will make fentanyl to pee its pants in terms of not having anything in the way.

[Pablo]

Put that on the pole.

[Mike]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Put it on the pole. Will dilaudin make fentanyl pee its pants 1000% as a drug.

[Pablo]

It was in the thing that apparently killed Elvis in that cocktail. It was part Dilaudid. Oh, you know, just give you a sense of.

[Dan LeBatard]

Is that what got Mike took?

[Pablo]

No, that was. That milk. What was it called? It was. It was. Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hey, yo, that's crazy Tony. Yeah.

[Tony]

Come on now.

[Dan LeBatard]

Let's go.

[Pablo]

I did not want us to do the let's go underneath me saying propofol, but that is.

[Dan LeBatard]

That is the drug sound bite this Propofol.

[Mike]

Mike, did you know that Fernando Mendoza sounded like that when the Columbus Crew was telling you about the Heisman chances? Fernando Mendoza. Because I did not.

[Roy]

Yes. I've known for a long time that he sounds the way Jeremy looks.

[Dan LeBatard]

Man. That was. That was The D. Wade LeBron picture, man. You just got. You just in that.

[Mike]

See if you can find Jeremy's let's go. The lonely let's go. That Jeremy did when he was trying to get us all to fire. To follow him into battle. And it sounded like a. A mispl. Lonely, sad person who wasn't able to summon anything in the way of inspiration and pair it against the Fernando Mendoza, if you would. I'm stalling so that Roy can find that, because I haven't tried to challenge him. This technically when I'm on New York before. And so I can hear him cursing from here.

[Pablo]

And I'm continuing to Google Dilaudid just to make sure I didn't miss any other celebrities who died because of.

[Mike]

See if you can find another drug stronger than that. Because I don't believe there is one stronger than that. You have 23 seconds to get us the punctuation, Roy. No pressure.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yo, Roy's up there. I can see the screen. Do you see the waveforms on that screen? Boy, he is moving.

[Mike]

Yeah.

[Pablo]

Roughly four to five times stronger than oxycodone.

[Dan LeBatard]

God damn.

Let's go. Yeah, no wonder.

Let's go. Let's go. Download it.