The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: Hour 1: The Ear Flushing
Date: March 13, 2026
Episode Overview
Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and the crew open the hour by digging into the latest in sports and pop culture, leaning heavily on the hype around the World Baseball Classic (WBC)—especially Miami’s central role—and then taking a sharp, extended turn into Academy Awards season, debating Best Picture nominees and overrated Oscar winners. The hour ends memorably—and hilariously—with Dan recounting his recent ear flushing and the unexpectedly heightened sensory experience that followed.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. World Baseball Classic (WBC): Miami as Global Stage
Timestamps: 00:50-09:29
- Roy’s Against The Spread Picks: Islanders vs. Kings, and a strong "vibes" case for Dominican Republic (DR) over South Korea in the WBC, based on team energy and passionate fanbase (00:50-01:44).
- Miami’s Electric Atmosphere:
- Panelists rave about the Dominican fan turnout and the celebratory energy around the WBC games in Miami. "They were just packed that place. It was incredible. So anytime you go to Dominican, that's why I'm thinking I'm gonna go in tonight for my package." (Manny, 04:52)
- Global Star Power:
- Anticipation for marquee matchups, like Japan’s Yamamoto (World Series MVP) vs. Venezuela (02:35-03:31).
- The abundance of Japanese media ("...there must have been like 200 media members alone for Shohei..." – Zaz, 03:31)
- WBC vs. MLB Culture:
- Dave criticizes MLB’s "muted" emotional climate:
"MLB should be embarrassed. ...It's the antithesis of everything Major League Baseball stands for at this point. Shouldn't they adopt what we're seeing in the World Baseball Classic a little bit more?" (Dave, 05:05) - Panel explores the difference in team attitudes—highlighting the passion and communal spirit of teams from the DR, Venezuela, and Japan, compared to the more individualistic, "showcase baseball" ethos prevalent in the U.S. system (05:49-07:56).
- The conversation turns to national pride and the players’ diverse motivations, contrasting U.S. players returning to spring training with international stars willing to lay it all on the line (07:19-09:29).
- Dave criticizes MLB’s "muted" emotional climate:
2. Oscars & Best Picture: An Overstuffed Field and “Sinners”
Timestamps: 10:30-25:57
- Gripes Over 10 Best Picture Nominees:
- The panel debates whether the Oscars benefit from expanding the Best Picture field.
"When they're doing the voting process...whichever one finishes with the 10th most votes, it didn't need to be nominated for Best Picture." (Mike, 10:43) - Dan chimes in skeptically on the “inclusivity” rhetoric, framing it as a cynical, marketing-driven move:
"It was a straw man. No one was complaining really. ...It's all marketing to get more people..." (Dan, 12:17)
- The panel debates whether the Oscars benefit from expanding the Best Picture field.
- Favorites and Predictions:
- Dan, Stugotz, and Zaz compare notes on how many nominees they’ve seen, and Dan shares his sentimental favorites:
"I loved one battle after another. Probably need to watch it again. Hamnet...It'll get you in the feels." (Dan, 16:27) - Dave calls it "a banner movie year...the best movie year we've seen in at least the last decade." (18:06)
- Vigorous discussion of performances: Jesse Buckley’s emotional powerhouse role (“Hamnet”), and the Sean Penn vs. Benicio Del Toro supporting-actor debate (20:23-21:53).
- Dan, Stugotz, and Zaz compare notes on how many nominees they’ve seen, and Dan shares his sentimental favorites:
- Pop vs. Art House—What Should Win?
- Sinners, Marty Supreme, and F1 line up as the crowd-pleasers that might bolster the box office if awarded, versus art house darlings like The Secret Agent.
- Zaz injects, "If there’s an underdog to make a play on, it's Sinners...there's a lot of growing momentum…you get more movies made like Sinners." (Dan, 24:03)
- Timothee Chalamet’s Opera Controversy:
- Bizarre micro-debate over whether Chalamet’s comments about opera “tarnished” his standing, leading to snarky asides about how few people have actually been to an opera (22:32-23:20).
3. Review Roulette: “Sinners,” Hype, and Honest Reactions
Timestamps: 28:40-33:14
- Lukewarm Receptions and Hype Fatigue:
- The panel admits to liking (but not loving) Sinners and how overblown word-of-mouth killed its magic:
"Before I saw Sinners, I was made out to feel that this is the greatest movie of all time. ...And then I watch Sinners, and it's like, all right, it's a good movie." (Mike, 30:17)
- The panel admits to liking (but not loving) Sinners and how overblown word-of-mouth killed its magic:
- Notable Quotes and Exchanges:
- "I like Sinners. There's a but somewhere in here." (Roy, 29:15)
- "You got the whole point about the cultural appropriation, though, and everything, right? ...It's a thrilling horror vampire movie with a, with, with a valuable message." (Dave, 30:55)
- Comic Digressions:
- Raucous banter about "playing twins" in movies (“multiplicity,” Lindsay Lohan’s “Parent Trap”) (26:20-26:43)
- Hailee Steinfeld’s rumored “raunchy” scene in Sinners turns out to be much ado about nothing (“it was pretty hot, but…” – Dan, 32:25)
4. Overrated Oscar Winners & Pop Culture Hot Takes
Timestamps: 33:16-40:20
- Crash, Dances With Wolves & Avatar:
- Lightning round of “Worst Best Pictures.”
"Crash is, I think, the correct answer." (Dave, 33:35) "Dances with Wolves...does not hold up." (Dave, 34:01) - Dan jests, "That's that movie that ripped off Avatar, right?" (34:16)
- Dave’s broader point: how some films, like Avatar, achieve financial success without meaningful pop culture impact—"I have never met a soul who has seen any of those Avatar movies..." (Dave, 34:22)
- Lightning round of “Worst Best Pictures.”
- Hollywood Politics and Oscar Campaigns:
- Roy and Dan discuss Harvey Weinstein’s influence on “Shakespeare in Love”’s win over “Saving Private Ryan,” with Roy pointing directly to awards-season lobbying (39:08).
5. The Ear Flushing: Hilarious Medical Misadventures
Timestamps: 41:53-end
- Dan’s Medical Update (“The Ear Flushing”):
- An extremely candid—and funny—account of Dan’s ear flushing, including the “nickel-sized” (well, “dime-sized”) chunk of ear wax removed and the immediate reboot of his hearing: "I had both my ears checked out...the ear that gets the headphone really backed up with wax." (Dan, 42:46) "This thing fell out of my ear and I immediately had an incredible experience...It was like the scene where Spider-man discovers he has powers." (Dan, 44:11) "I heard the fibers of the seatbelt brushing against my shoulder—I’m like, these are all sounds that I haven’t heard!" (Dan, 44:27)
- Gross-Out Factor and Antics:
- Banter over how satisfying—or revolting—the procedure is, and how some celebrities (like Sarah Silverman) are obsessed with ear cleaning.
"She used to loved doing that in his dressing room...some of the stuff that she pulled out...really gross stuff." (Dave, 45:01)
- Banter over how satisfying—or revolting—the procedure is, and how some celebrities (like Sarah Silverman) are obsessed with ear cleaning.
Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps
- On MLB’s "Emotionless" Contrast with WBC:
"It really kind of, to me stands as a black eye for what awaits us now in the regular season, which is more like mute your emotions. Stop. Stop acting like a human being might. And when it's on display here, it's joyous and a marvelous watch."
— Dave, (05:05) - On Feeling the Pressure to See Oscar Nominees:
"You have to watch them for work. You have to. It's for work."
— Dan LeBatard, (12:04) - On Dan’s Ear Flushing Superpower:
"It was like the scene where Spider-man discovers he has powers for the first time. Everything was heightened."
— Dan LeBatard, (44:11) - On Sinners’ “Greatest Movie of All Time” Hype:
"Before I saw Sinners, I was made out to…feel that this is the greatest movie of all time...Then I watch Sinners, and it's like, all right, it's a good movie."
— Mike, (30:17) - Best Picture Worst Winner:
"Crash is, I think, the correct answer."
— Dave, (33:35) - On Avatar’s Phantom Audience:
"How come I have never met a soul who has seen any of those Avatar movies? ...They have nothing to do in pop culture. ...Something ain't right. Something's fishy here."
— Dave, (34:22)
Episode Structure: Timestamps for Major Segments
- 00:50-09:29 – World Baseball Classic: picks, vibes, Miami as host city, U.S. vs. international baseball culture.
- 10:30-25:57 – Oscars conversation: nominee field, movie reviews, favorites, and industry talk.
- 28:40-33:14 – Sinners: divisive reactions, hype fatigue, and group debates.
- 33:16-40:20 – Bad Oscar winners; pop culture references; industry politics.
- 41:53-45:01 – The Ear Flushing: medical saga, fast-hearing, and Sarah Silverman's ear-cleaning hobby.
Tone & Style
- The show maintains its signature blend of smart, irreverent, self-aware banter; panelists openly disagree and volley pop culture references liberally, never taking themselves too seriously.
- Occasional detours into absurdity and self-deprecation—especially in the “ear flushing” sequence.
Summary: Why Listen?
This episode exemplifies what longtime fans love about Dan Le Batard’s show: an ability to veer from high-level sports analysis, to Oscar handicapping and comedic life updates, all within a single segment. Whether you care about baseball, the Oscars, or just want to laugh at Dan’s post-wax-removal superhearing, you’ll find something to both inform and entertain.