The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 1: Smells Different At The Fronton

Date: October 2, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Mike Ryan, Billy, Tony, Zas, Spiro, Roy

Episode Overview

In this fast-paced, laughter-filled hour, the crew dives into a mix of sports chaos and South Florida absurdity. Front and center: the show's fantasy football “Bucket” punishments and the always-colorful cast, all sharing their signature takes on the latest in sports, media, and pop culture. This episode features everything from Udonis Haslem’s potential role as a “Bucket enforcer,” to confusion over Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion logic, a Denny Hamlin NASCAR soap opera, harsh Tom Brady broadcasting reviews, and lots of loving Miami weirdness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fantasy Football “Bucket,” Punishments & Udonis Haslem as Enforcer

• “The fear of Udonis Haslam as enforcer for our bucket has evidently worked. I’m in negotiations with Udonis Haslam to become the Bucket enforcer.” (Dan, 01:37)
• Panel debates whether UD (Udonis Haslam) would actually “enforce” Bucket punishments—joking about if he’d hit anyone or just intimidate them.
• Tony and Billy escalate, joking about lawsuits if UD “hits” anyone.
• “You gonna hit me, UD?” (Tony, 02:18) and "We got laws here, brother." (Billy, 02:22)
• “I wonder if some of the bass in your voice will disappear when he’s standing behind you.” (Dan, 02:36)

2. Fronton Atmosphere & Animal Welfare in Miami

• The group pokes fun at the “smell” and ambiance of the Jai-Alai fronton, with running jokes and references to cigars and Greg Cote.
• “Smells different at the fronton right now.” (Zas, 03:29)
• Dan transitions into an earnest plug for the Humane Society: “We’ve got a bit of a crisis down here... the Humane Society of Greater Miami is doing something here on Saturday… pet costume contest, adoptable dogs…” (Dan, 03:52; 06:40)

3. Disney/Hulu Cancellations & The Illusion of Consumer Power

• Dan brings up 1.7 million cancellations (Disney, Hulu) as protest, suggesting it forced management to act. (04:10)
• Billy throws shade on protest effectiveness: “The 1.7 million number doesn’t mean anything. Billy’s got a different idea.” (06:04) and “You think the people of America actually have a voice in anything that goes on anymore? Get out of here. That’s the truest thing he’s ever said.” (Billy, 06:13)
• Satirical take on consumer activism and marketing manipulation.

4. Tua Tagovailoa’s Bizarre Concussion Prevention Theory

• The show plays audio of Tua explaining his thinking that eating carbs “keeps water in your brain,” thereby preventing concussions. (07:26; 09:57)
• The crew bursts into confusion and laughter, picking apart his logic:
  • “Should he be drinking more water? Like, he can’t hurt his head because there’s no water. Now what are we doing?” (Billy, 08:55)
  • “So the carbs help keep the water in your brain so that it keeps your brain safe. Whereas if you don’t eat carbs, the water goes right through. You pee it out, and all of a sudden, there’s nothing protecting your brain.” (Zas, 10:23)
  • “The best way to cut down on concussions is to cut down on the football.” (Dan, 10:57)
• Panel riffs on Tua’s nutrition “science,” imagining the Dolphins QB eating bagels to avoid head injuries.

5. Mimes, Shedeur Sanders, and the State of American Mimery

• Dan notes the resurgence (or lack thereof) of mimes in American football, particularly referencing a "mime" celebration by a Jets player and Shedeur Sanders’ silent protest. (11:29)
• “As we try to bring back the mime in America—an endangered species.” (Dan, 12:27)
• The panel debates whether these celebrations count as true miming or pantomiming but settles on “nonsense.”
  • “It was advertised as miming. That is not miming.” (Dan, 13:02)

6. Matthew Stafford’s “No Look” Quarterback Genius & Xavien Howard’s Retirement

• Dan marvels at Matthew Stafford’s confidence and skill, especially using no-look passes and possibly “making Xavien Howard quit” the sport. (17:42)
  • “The confidence level on this dude. ...the old dog.” (Dan, 19:10)
  • “Dan, I love watching this old dog. He’s learning new tricks.” (Tony, 19:35)
• Unusual midseason NFL “retirement” (Xavien Howard) is dissected, oddity of quitting “four weeks into a season.” (20:18)

7. Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR Drama

• Mike Ryan details Denny Hamlin’s turbulent year: running into teammates, co-owning with Michael Jordan, lawsuits, and team conflict. (21:30)
  • “He is actively suing NASCAR, a sport that he is... one of the best drivers of his generation.” (Tony, 21:56)
  • Bubba Wallace flips off Hamlin; Hamlin defends himself on his podcast. (23:09)
  • “It does appear to be a conflict, but actions like that make you really confused.” (Tony, 24:21)

8. Tom Brady: Underwhelming Broadcasting Debut

• Dan laments that the highest-paid NFL broadcaster is not only forgettable but distractingly bad. (24:51; 26:04)
  • “If he hasn’t improved yet, what gives you the indication that he’s going to improve?” (Dan, 30:32)
  • “I thought Tom Brady would lean on his experience and storytelling... has not worked out at all.” (Tony, 27:16)
  • Panel agrees they now notice when Brady is bad, rather than disappear into the broadcast as a good analyst does.

9. The Bucket: Fantasy Football “Punishment Picks” Chaos (31:31+)

• Tony, Zas, Mike, Billy, Roy, Chris, Dan, all take their turns with the “Bucket,” determining football team assignments and punishments.
• “Picked a good one down.” (Tony, 31:37) / “The buy teams are Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay and Pittsburgh.” (Zas, 31:49)
• Banter about picks, odds, and rule technicalities—and friendly jealousy over good or bad draws.

10. NFL Parity, Blowouts, and Modern Football Trends

• Dan on how rare big upsets are now—“These teams are close and you’ve seen very little this season that you can describe as a surprise.” (36:22)
• Basketball’s illusion of parity and how football’s “witching hour” is usually close until recently. (37:29)
• Spiro on field goal range changing the game: “The guy in Dallas is going to hit a 70 plus yarder this year. You can just book it.” (Vic Fangio as quoted, 40:44)

11. The Worst Franchise in Sports?

• Show debates “most cursed franchise” in major sports: Lions, Clippers, Bobcats, LA Angels with Pujols as possibly new manager—despite housing superstars, still underachieve. (43:35)
  • "They played on the same team at the same time and they were bad folks." (Tony, 44:23)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The fear of Udonis Haslam as enforcer for our bucket has evidently worked. I’m in negotiations with Udonis Haslam to become the Bucket enforcer.” — Dan Le Batard (01:37)
• “You think the people of America actually have a voice in anything that goes on anymore? Get out of here. That’s the truest thing he’s ever said.” — Billy (06:13)
• “That guy, you think that’s what it is? Now that we’re talking it out, that’s what it is, right?” — Billy, on his Tua jersey “curse” (06:57)
• “Come to know or come to understand from what the doctors were talking about is, you know, your brain kind of sits in fluids..." — Tua Tagovailoa (07:26; 09:57)
• “So the carbs help keep the water in your brain so that it keeps your brain safe…” — Zas (10:23)
• “The best way to cut down on concussions is to cut down on the football.” — Dan Le Batard (10:57)
• “As we try to bring back the mime in America—an endangered species.” — Dan Le Batard (12:27)
• “The confidence level on this dude... the old dog.” — Dan Le Batard on Stafford (19:10)
• “He is actively suing NASCAR, a sport that he is... one of the best drivers of his generation.” — Tony (21:56)
• “It does appear to be a conflict, but actions like that make you really confused.” — Tony on Denny Hamlin (24:21)
• “If he hasn’t improved yet, what gives you the indication that he’s going to improve?” — Dan Le Batard on Tom Brady (30:32)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:37 – Udonis Haslam as Bucket enforcer discussion
• 03:29 – "Smells different at the fronton" and Miami animal welfare
• 04:10 – Disney/Hulu cancellations, consumer protest
• 06:13 – Billy on lack of consumer influence
• 07:26/09:57 – Tua Tagovailoa’s carbs-concussion theory (audio played twice)
• 10:57 – Dan's take: “the best way to cut down on concussions”
• 11:29 – The state of mimes in sports
• 12:27 – Shedeur Sanders’ miming, debate over what counts as “miming”
• 17:42 – Matthew Stafford’s no-look passes and Xavien Howard “retirement”
• 21:30 – The Denny Hamlin NASCAR saga
• 24:51 – Tom Brady’s subpar broadcasting
• 31:31 – The Bucket: fantasy punishment pick chaos
• 36:22 – Dan on NFL parity and lack of upsets
• 40:44 – Vic Fangio on new NFL kicking ball “era”
• 43:35 – The case for the LA Angels as worst sports franchise

Tone & Style

Expect classic Le Batard Show energy—irreverent, quick-witted, layered with inside jokes, banter, and a uniquely Miami sensibility. There’s seriousness in between, especially when plugging local animal causes or the realities of sports injuries, but above all, it’s about finding laughter and community in the chaos.