Hour 1: The Oatmeal Indigestion

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – "Hour 1: The Oatmeal Indigestion"

Release Date: June 24, 2025
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Jon Stugotz
Location: The Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

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1. Introduction to Current Podcasts and Promotions [00:31 – 03:00]

The episode begins with Jon Stugotz promoting their associated podcasts, notably "God Bless Football" and "Stupot." They discuss the recent episode featuring Tim Legler, highlighting its engaging content despite its modest reception among listeners.

Notable Quote:

Jon Stugotz [01:18]: "You guys have heard me talk as the media shakes all around us and starts to crumble about the idea that Greg Cody's show featuring Greg Cody with his son is a business..."

2. Critique of Mark Titus's Comments on Shea Gilgeous-Alexander [03:00 – 06:35]

A significant portion of the discussion centers on Barstool Sports' Mark Titus's harsh criticism of NBA player Shea Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA). The hosts express their disagreement with Titus's stance, defending SGA's performance and the Oklahoma City Thunder's playstyle.

Notable Quotes:

Jon Stugotz [04:01]: "At Barstool Sports, Mark Titus says of Shea Gilgeous Alexander, 'I have zero respect for SGA. Zero. None.'"

Greg Cody [04:24]: "He seems indiffer. That's the part that annoyed me the most."

3. Bob Ryan's Social Media Engagements [06:35 – 11:29]

The conversation shifts to Bob Ryan, a respected sports journalist, focusing on his recent interactions on Twitter. The hosts highlight Ryan's blunt and sometimes abrasive responses to fans' questions, showcasing his traditionalist approach to sports commentary.

Notable Quotes:

Billy Corben [06:35]: "Someone tweeted out to people still eat baked potatoes. And Bob said, 'You know what, Bobby.'"

Jon Stugotz [07:59]: "Anyone who had a ticket remember that detail. It's an important detail."

4. Max Kellerman's Return to Boxing Commentary [08:09 – 17:40]

A highlight of the episode is the discussion about Max Kellerman's return to boxing commentary. The hosts commend Kellerman's expertise and his impact on the sport, contrasting his approach with the current state of ESPN’s "First Take." They emphasize Kellerman's role in legitimizing boxing broadcasts and his partnership with veteran commentator Jim Lampley.

Notable Quotes:

Dan LeBatard [10:57]: "He's still a young man, but Max Kellerman... a lot is going on in the country."

Jon Stugotz [12:23]: "It's as UFC has its worst year at the top of 2025 diluted but at least in part by some of the ESPN Plus diluting of how many matches that they have on UFC."

5. Discussion on UFC and Dana White's Leadership [22:27 – 33:16]

Jon Stugotz delves into a critique of the UFC under Dana White's leadership. He expresses frustration with the promotion of fighters like Conor McGregor and the shift towards spectacle over the sport's integrity. The conversation touches on issues such as fighter compensation, the dilution of quality fights, and the overall direction of the UFC.

Notable Quotes:

Jon Stugotz [24:15]: "It's been a brutal way to make a living, guys. We lose sight of it right when you get all the pay per view..."

Dan LeBatard [27:59]: "The Aspinall fight is one of those fights that could breathe life into UFC."

6. Local Sports Highlights: Baltimore Orioles and Trevor Rogers [33:46 – 35:07]

Shifting focus to local sports, the hosts discuss the Baltimore Orioles' pitching prospects, particularly Trevor Rogers. They analyze his recent performance, with Rogers achieving an impressive start of eight shutout innings, and debate his potential long-term impact on the team.

Notable Quotes:

Jon Stugotz [34:04]: "When you throw from the left side, you can be big like that, throw hard and have a ERA of 5 for the rest of your life..."

Greg Cody [34:00]: "But last year, that ERA, Wolf, that is three starts."

7. Comedy Segment: Greg Cody and the Car Giveaway [35:07 – 40:51]

A humorous interlude features Greg Cody narrating a mishap during a local event's car giveaway. The story highlights logistical confusion and the hosts' playful banter about the unclear details of the promotion.

Notable Quotes:

Greg Cody [38:39]: "The best part of that, that I forgot about in that clip. A throwaway line is also a car giveaway."

Jon Stugotz [39:59]: "This is the greatest promotion I've ever heard. That is so much better than Tim Legler is pretty interesting."

8. Final Thoughts and Listener Engagement [40:52 – 39:08]

As the episode nears its end, the hosts reflect on the nature of local broadcasts and their importance to the community. They encourage listeners to engage with local events and emphasize the value of hyper-local sports coverage amidst broader national discussions.

Notable Quotes:

Dan LeBatard [41:05]: "I don't think so. I actually think there's more of a demand for hyper local stuff given how everything is presented."

Jon Stugotz [41:15]: "Courtesy of Dixie Buick GMC."

Conclusion

In "Hour 1: The Oatmeal Indigestion," Dan Le Batard and Jon Stugotz navigate a blend of serious sports commentary and lighthearted banter. Key discussions revolve around the integrity of sports journalism, the evolution of sports commentary, and critiques of major sports organizations like the UFC. Interspersed with humor and local sports insights, the episode offers listeners a comprehensive and engaging exploration of contemporary sports topics.

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Notable Overall Quotes:

Jon Stugotz [04:01]: "I've heard and seen my distaste for Dana White and all things UFC."

Dan LeBatard [15:48]: "What the contract language was. Remember, he got bought out of his contract, and he hasn't done anything really, for 24 months."

Dan LeBatard [29:10]: "When it's just them, no teammates, and you're fighting your fear in front of people, it's gladiator shit."

---

This episode effectively balances in-depth analysis with entertaining segments, making it a valuable listen for sports enthusiasts seeking both information and amusement.

Transcript

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[Dan LeBatard]

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[Jon Stugatz]

Cuervo? Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up.

[Dan LeBatard]

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[Jon Stugatz]

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[Dan LeBatard]

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[Jon Stugatz]

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[Dan LeBatard]

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[Greg Cody]

Cuervo.

[Billy Corben]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stu Guts podcast.

[Greg Cody]

This episode is presented by DraftKings. DraftKings. The Crown is yours.

[Jon Stugatz]

You guys have heard me talk as the media shakes all around us and starts to crumble about the idea that Greg Cody's show featuring Greg Cody with his son is a business and God Bless Football and stupidity are businesses and Pablo Torre finds out is a business. And so I should tell you by way of promotion that Stugats is doing God Bless Football more often and is trying to get a running start with pilots on being around five days a week on God Bless Football as he grows that. Why don't you tell the people Stugots how it is they can get to where it is they need to get to in order to find all things Gotz on on Stutube.

[Chris Cote]

You can also find stupidity as well. We have a new episode that's out right now. We had Tim Legler on so he was pretty interesting. You can go to YouTube.com 90 that's where you go.

[Jon Stugatz]

He was pretty interesting. It's not much of a sale for Tim. For Tim Legler though. He was pretty interesting. Isn't that sustainable?

[Chris Cote]

I'm just letting you know that there's an episode out right now. We did an episode. We did two episodes yesterday. So we're doing Stupot. We're trying to bring that back. It's doing very well. I appreciate everyone's support. We're doing that three to four times a week. We'll get to five times a week with God bless football. Once football rolls around.

[Mike Ryan]

I tell you, when I hear that Tim Leger was pretty interesting.

[Greg Cody]

Who?

[Mike Ryan]

Tim Legler.

[Chris Cote]

Legs.

[Jon Stugatz]

You do seem to be.

[Chris Cote]

Legs was great.

[Dan LeBatard]

Seems to be a tough one for him.

[Jon Stugatz]

You put like six or seven L's in leg.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, I did.

[Jon Stugatz]

It sounds like you after 12 beers.

[Mike Ryan]

You don't know what's in here. You don't know what's in here. But no, when I hear that he's pretty interesting, it makes me wonder, you want to listen?

[Chris Cote]

Thank you.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, what Pretty interesting. That's. That's big price.

[Jon Stugatz]

He was pretty interesting. It's not like maximum sales is a.

[Chris Cote]

Great sales ceiling with Tim Legler. And pretty interesting is the ceiling. And so he hit the ceiling. I was proud of Tim.

[Jon Stugatz]

I don't think. I don't think that's the ceiling with Tim Legler. He's one of the best doing it. I think Tim Legler, he was great, but. Okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm not.

[Chris Cote]

I like to undersell that.

[Jon Stugatz]

That's not usually you. That's not usually you.

[Chris Cote]

I know.

[Jon Stugatz]

I want to ask all of you this question about you. You've heard me lament in various ways the degrees in which sports coverage changes so that one of the talking points after Shea, Gilgis, Alexander and OKC gives us a championship that I guess people are sort of confused by because they're looking at it and are like, well, aren't all these guys supposed to suffer for a few years before they get that good and celebrate in their early 20s winning the NBA championship?

[Chris Cote]

They just suffered last year.

[Greg Cody]

They seem indiffer. That's the part that annoyed me the most.

[Jon Stugatz]

They're young and there's something unsatisfying of customers feeling for whatever the reasons are, like they have more joy about what the history of the story is than these kids out there that are in their early 20s and didn't even need a veteran of any kind to win the entire sport. But at Barstool Sports, Mark Titus says of Shea Gilgeous Alexander, quote, I have zero respect for sga. Zero. None. I bleeping hate watching him. I think he's the worst MVP of my lifetime. I think it's a disgusting watch. I think the Thunder are blight on basketball. I think the way they play is disgusting. I think that there's this idea that they are a team, like a bunch of young guys that come together and play great team defense. They don't they hack the shit out of guys? And Bob Ryan, I love this. I'm not going to say he speaks for all of us here, but he speaks for an indignance that comes from Greg Cody's 1990s, 19 baseball age. He says of Mark Titus, who is this.

[Chris Cote]

Classic Bob?

[Jon Stugatz]

I mean, but it's not. I would say it's not classic Bob in that Bob has never been this aggressive throwing shit from on top of Mount Sports Rider. Like when. When a columnist does this to you. Bob Ryan does not normally hit anybody with who is this shithead? Mark Titus is what is New Boston sports, is it not? Is barstool not New Boston sports coming to take the city away from Boston?

[Dan LeBatard]

He's not really a Boston guy. Barstool did rise up from Boston, but we were talking about Mark Titus when he had his Club Trillion blog as a. What was the Ohio State. Is an Ohio State rotational player.

[Greg Cody]

I mean, his point is that SGA is not fun to watch. Do we?

[Chris Cote]

He's not.

[Greg Cody]

I mean, like I, I kind of see the point he's making. Obviously he was saying things that were strong takes, but he's not the most fun guy to watch.

[Jon Stugatz]

Okay, but what do you want? You don't want mid range. I mean, you don't want somebody who can get every shot that he wants that everyone has to get out of the way because he's going to score 35 quietly, usually efficiently. What are you laughing about, Billy?

[Billy Corben]

I'm just not going through Bob Ryan's replies, which is great because someone tweeted out to people still eat baked potatoes. And Bob Ryan said, you know what, I need to reply to that. He said, dinner tonight. Then someone else said, super serious question. Do people over the age of 50 still read newspaper? And he said, what kind of stupid question is this? It seems as though Bob Ryan's spending a lot of time on Twitter answering people's questions for some reason that aren't directed at him. He's just looking up questions to answer.

[Dan LeBatard]

We used to play explain your tweet with him a lot. There was one that he had over the weekend that was just a certified banger. It was. I was on the beach between 16th and 17th street in North Beach, Avon, New Jersey, listening to my transistor radio, and Jim Bunning threw his perfect game against the Mets 61 years ago today.

[Tony]

Where were you, Greg?

[Dan LeBatard]

Where were you?

[Greg Cody]

I was at the Cleveland.

[Mike Ryan]

What was the date again? I'll tell you where I was.

[Dan LeBatard]

It was Jim Bunning's perfect game against the Mets, 61 years ago.

[Jon Stugatz]

I can't do this. You. You've made up that you saw Wilt Chamberlain's game when famously, there's no video of it.

[Chris Cote]

You saw it. I mean.

[Mike Ryan]

1961. Well, I was six going on seven, so I don't have a vivid.

[Dan LeBatard]

Again, 61 years ago, Bob Ryan hitting you.

[Chris Cote]

Good chance you were home.

[Jon Stugatz]

I mean, Bobby, Bob Ryan hitting you with. Who is this shithead? That one stings if you're Titus. No. Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

He's been in the media game for 20 years, and he's had a respectable career that, you know, Bob should have been made aware of the last few years.

[Chris Cote]

Someone.

[Billy Corben]

Someone tweeted out, am I the only person in America who's never owned a pair of Crocs? And Bob said, hell, no, Bobby.

[Jon Stugatz]

I'd like to bring back. Explain your tweets. I'd like to bring back Bob Ryan. I heard. I was driving around this weekend. I heard Peter Gammons on the radio.

[Chris Cote]

Get out of here. Still doing it.

[Dan LeBatard]

Diamond notes, I believe.

[Jon Stugatz]

I believe last weekend. I don't know if this was a taped interview or not. Might have been Peter Gammon's day at Fenway Park.

[Dan LeBatard]

Really?

[Jon Stugatz]

I think so.

[Greg Cody]

How did I miss that?

[Dan LeBatard]

I'd go, well, speaking.

[Jon Stugatz]

Speaking of old. Older. Not this, this old, but speaking of ESPN personalities or people grew up on Stugat, Max Kellerman is about to make his return. And Max Kellerman has been a prodigy in our business since he was 14 years old. And I'd be curious, just people listening to this, what they would think of Max Kellerman leaving first take. And I guess probably taking some of the nuance with him, because one of the complaints that Stephen A. Had about Max Kellerman and getting him fired was that Max was offering context to an argument show when he wanted to do an argument show. And since then, it's become more and more of an argument show. Although I guess we probably all know at this point that Shannon Sharpe will never. Is not likely to ever work at ESPN again. Right? Like that. That's not.

[Dan LeBatard]

I don't know.

[Jon Stugatz]

Well, but, I mean, I think we can assume. I think we can reasonably assume that Shannon Sharpe would like it to look like he has a chance to return. I don't know that you can be Disney and allow any of what happened there.

[Billy Corben]

Does he need to?

[Jon Stugatz]

I mean, it helps to be on that platform during the week, but Stephen A. Has made it. I mean, I don't. I don't know how many people care about this, but Stephen A. Just sort of works independently. Now he got the, he got the deal that allows him to just be on First Take and then do everything else. And in doing so, First Take has been a giant for a long time. Max Kellerman fell by the wayside and I think we can say Stephen A profited off of his decision there in every way. In a way that was really good for Stephen A and espn but less good for Max Kellerman.

[Dan LeBatard]

So I searched Max Kellerman on social media because I saw he's calling a big time boxing fight and it feels big in part because Max Kellerman is calling this fight. It's his first boxing match in 24 months. He's partnering back up with Jim Lampley who just himself returned from a six year hiatus calling boxing Max.

[Chris Cote]

You're saying Max makes the match feel bigger. Just being on the call.

[Dan LeBatard]

You get Lampley and Max together on a call. Boxing has been missing those two on a call. That's what I know. I grew up on those two voices. That speaks how long Max Kellerman's been in the business and he's still a young man. But Max Kellerman, I was searching his name on social media and there's a lot of positivity about man. We don't, we don't, we didn't realize how good we had it when Max was over there. And what's happened is as Stephen A has leaned into the politics and sometimes going right of center or at least not nearly as progressive as Max's takes were. Remember when Max was there, a lot was going on in the country. It's not like less is going on now, but his voice, one of the.

[Jon Stugatz]

Great insults and indignities of Stephen A's career is on his show. Terrell Owens saying on that show that Max was blacker than Stephen A. Max.

[Dan LeBatard]

Was often on the right side of these issues and the more prevalent they get to it. Stephen A is more and more comfortable talking about politics on first take. Even that man. Perhaps they should have let it ride out a little bit longer. That show would have aged with some grace and Max's voice would have been a little bit more pronounced and more appreciated as the times evolved and as Stephen A's career also evolved.

[Tony]

Peter Gammon's day is January 9th was proclaimed in 2009. So just 16 years off on your take.

[Billy Corben]

Bob Ryan has defined himself as a Jersey guy in the questions, not a Boston guy. He replied to a question, do you like black coffee? No sugar, no cream. Bob Ryan has said only way to go. Then someone else tweeted no one truly loves cauliflower. Right. And he said can't imagine.

[Jon Stugatz]

Put it on the poll, please. At Le Batard show. Does anyone truly love cauliflower? Yes or no?

[Billy Corben]

What do you think Max Kellerman's price would be? Because everyone has a price. What do you think Max Kellerman's price would be to call a Jake Paul fight? Because I cannot imagine that Max Kellerman likes the Jake Paul boxing circus and he views a gimmick as a boxing historian and a gatekeeper for boxing. But.

[Jon Stugatz]

But why are you doing that? Views himself. He replaced Larry Merchant. Larry Merchant was the longtime voice of boxing. It's a big deal that Lampley and Kellerman are doing this fight. And this is as UFC has its worst year at the top of 2025 diluted but at least in part by some of the ESPN plus diluting of how many matches that they have on ufc. Boxing is trying to make some sort of comeback here. And Max Kellerman is purposely choosing the sport that he loves the most since being a prodigy from 14 years old to make a pretty loud return after two years of silence have shown us what because super unusual for Max Kellerman to just disappear and now return and have value in a new media economy as somebody who sat out the last two years and comes back pristine after first take becomes something else in his absence.

[Billy Corben]

So what do you think he would charge to do a fight?

[Greg Cody]

Everyone's got a number.

[Billy Corben]

Everyone has a number. But this is very much below him and what he stands for as a boxing broadcast.

[Chris Cote]

What do you imagine Max makes per fight?

[Billy Corben]

That's a quite. I don't.

[Chris Cote]

Right.

[Billy Corben]

I wouldn't know.

[Dan LeBatard]

I think because of contracts he never had the opportunity to call of Jake's fights because of different broadcast rights and him being tethered to HBO at the time. I could see him doing it when he was calling espn. They didn't have the Jake Paul fights. Every time that I looked up that he talked about Jake Paul, he didn't really poo poo him, to borrow a phrase from earlier. He broke it down. Seriously. And did toe the line that some of these cards are really good for the sport. They got good boxing cards there, especially the women's boxing game. So he has broken them down. Seriously. So I think you think he'd do it. I think he would. And look, this fight is being run by tko. Right. TKO has Logan Paul as a wrestler in wwe presently. There's all sorts of rumors of them partnering up with the Saudis and doing more of these boxing events. And Max Kellerman has been brought into the fold, so I imagine it's only a matter of time before he's calling one of these Paul brother fights.

[Jon Stugatz]

When I say Max Kellerman is a prodigy, I believe he was on New York cable television as a boxing analyst at 14. I believe he had a show at 14 years old, and that was his introduction to media. And he is extraordinary on boxing. It's his favorite sport. I believe Marcellus Wiley has called him a genius. And I do believe that that is so of Max Kellerman. And so it was interesting to watch the changes in First Take over the last four years, but also happy to see that Max is returning and I would imagine with many opportunities. I would imagine that Max, with freedom, can now grab a number of different jobs that might be more fulfilling than what he was doing in his.

[Dan LeBatard]

What the contract language was. Remember, he got bought out of his contract, and he hasn't done anything really, for 24 months. And it seemed as though he was satisfied sitting it out and seeing what the media landscape would be. And I do think that people learned to appreciate him more in his absence rather than him just moved on to the next thing and try to stay in the cycle. It's an interesting case study.

[Tony]

He was 16 when that show started. That's a fine.

[Jon Stugatz]

Okay. Is it a fine? Do I deserve a fine? 16. That's a big fine.

[Dan LeBatard]

I'm not. I'm not a young man, really, but I'm 39 years old, and Max Kellerman was one of the voices of boxing and known as a boxing historian when I was a little kid watching documentaries about boxing and. What. How old is Max? He's 51 years old. It's crazy.

[Jon Stugatz]

It doesn't seem like Billy has any interest or enthusiasm for Max Kellerman's return. No.

[Chris Cote]

Well, he asked a question. No one answered it.

[Billy Corben]

That's not a fair thing to say.

[Dan LeBatard]

He's asking, what's his name.

[Billy Corben]

I'm not throwing a party. Hey, it's a Max Kellerman watch, watch party. Because he's coming back after being gone for two years. I have no problem with Max. I'm just asking what he would. If he would do a Jake Paul fight.

[Mike Ryan]

I agree with Billy. I mean, I don't. I don't. I'm not gonna watch a boxing match because of who's calling it. You know, I. I just. I'm not that well.

[Jon Stugatz]

But that's. But. But you don't love boxing like.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, I used to. I used to.

[Jon Stugatz]

Well, when I asked you.

[Chris Cote]

We all used to.

[Billy Corben]

What if you love boxing, you're not watching for Max Kellerman, you're watching for boxing. It does feel bigger when he does it. Just like, you know, when Troy Aikman and, you know, Joe Buck are doing Monday Night Football, it feels like a bigger game. The broadcasters make it feel bigger, but you're not tuning in for the broad. I mean, you've been saying that for years. Anyone can be broadcasting. You're not tuning in for them.

[Dan LeBatard]

People are tuning in for Canelo versus Crawford. And this is a fight that people have wanted to see for a long time. And you have Jim Gray as a part of the broadcast, Mark Riegel, friend of the show I think on the broadcast, this is. This is the first fight that feels legit in quite some time and one that people have been wanting to see. And to have these voices from your past come back who were always on the big fights, give it more legitimacy. When boxing has kind of become a celebrity circuit and it's been Saudi cards and it's been big and gaudy and what can we make? What production can we put around this and make it feel bigger? It's been quite some time since people have been wanting to see just two guys, two pugilists go in a ring and fight it out.

[Chris Cote]

Those guys on the call certainly make it feel bigger. Greg, is there an announcer that you've actually got on your. Gone out of your way to watch? Not like, because he's calling the game. For me, it's Vin Scully. I would go out of my way to watch games I didn't care about because he was calling the game.

[Billy Corben]

Chicken thigh.

[Mike Ryan]

I don't disagree with that.

[Dan LeBatard]

How many local Tigers games have you watched? I have played.

[Chris Cote]

I did.

[Dan LeBatard]

I'm backing you up. That's pretty cool. I'm not dissenting.

[Jon Stugatz]

Chicken. I believe you.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, I actually believe it, too.

[Jon Stugatz]

There can't be a. There are no descending chickens.

[Dan LeBatard]

I think you'd be shocked the amount of people in our audience that had MLB extra innings, that went to bed with a LA Dodgers late game and Ben Scully just doing his thing.

[Tony]

By the way, huge, huge, huge update for Dan on Peter Gammon's day. Turns out the city of Boston, Peter Gammons day, that was the one that was declared in 2009. But Peter Gammons did throw out the first pitch on June 15. Red Sox against the Yankees. And it was declared by the Boston Red Sox themselves. Peter Gammons. So congratulations.

[Billy Corben]

Yeah, journalism's dead.

[Chris Cote]

One at Fenway and one with Boston.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah, that's right.

[Tony]

Special guy.

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[Tony]

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[Dan LeBatard]

Don LeBatard, you owe me everything.

[Jon Stugatz]

You owe me everything.

[Mike Ryan]

You have added 10 years to my career.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yes, I have.

[Mike Ryan]

This man has that man. Who the hell are you?

[Jon Stugatz]

Stugats? I am.

[Mike Ryan]

Who the hell are you?

[Billy Corben]

Bullshit.

[Jon Stugatz]

You're a rude young man. You're a fool.

[Greg Cody]

You're a fool.

[Mike Ryan]

I already called you a fool.

[Tony]

Right.

[Jon Stugatz]

You can't call me an idiot again. It's a fool.

[Dan LeBatard]

You're an idiot for dismissing how much I've helped you.

[Billy Corben]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats. Greg, would you ever throw out a first pitch at a game when you're covering the team in the market?

[Mike Ryan]

After I retire, maybe we'll do it next year. I did have a day in Fort Myers.

[Billy Corben]

Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

So that was big.

[Jon Stugatz]

Okay, so we've gone. We've gone back to the wheelhouse. Please get me the sound from that day. He loves to relive that day, but I do want to, for just a moment, talk about. I was waiting for Tony because I. He's going to be in Vegas this weekend and it has been a really disappointing year for ufc. I've sort of checked out over the last many years on my fight game allegiances that Stugatz has made fun of because I really have enjoyed over the years the science of pitting mixed martial arts against each other and also the lunacy that is making your living fighting other human beings for money. And you have heard and seen my distaste for Dana White and all things ufc. And chief among them is using and paying that labor force 20% as he gets rich, sloppy and powerful. And now I'm reading reports that he doesn't even do the press conferences very much anymore because he's moved on to other things and there has been a dilution of product where ESPN plus is asking you to pay for ESPN plus and then you gotta pay for pay per view and you still get commercials. And they're doing too many fights, so they get decent main events, but they've got a problem, right, where they just sell us o' Malley and build him up and he's a fraud because they just need. And they're getting Mexican, you know, giving a Mexican fighter, Rodriguez fights that he shouldn't have just because they've got to get product out there. And I've always loved boxing more, but this particular carnival has taken over and now boxing has been taken over by the Paul brothers, where McGregor's tough UFC hasn't been the same since McGregor left. I am stuck in an algorithm where I'm just getting an assortment of McGregor Coke videos. Just McGregor on Coke, where it's just highlights. I'm stuck in an algorithm. I can't stop watching.

[Dan LeBatard]

Is there any other kind?

[Jon Stugatz]

No, I mean, it's just. It's just him clearly coked up and. And the sport has a Gregor video. But here's what I wanted to talk about. The sport has not been the same. He had seven of the top fights, pay per view of all time. A legitimate star goes into boxing, makes it a circus. You guys say that doesn't cheapen anything. He made 100 million, Mayweather made 300 million. And somewhere the Pauls get rich and laugh. But the fight game, the arts, the. The people who love what the science of this, the sweet science it get, it gets engulfed by the circus. But I didn't want to go as long as I have without mentioning the retirement of Jon Jones, one of the great athletes of my time and one of the great disappointment. I do not understand how a fighter of that magnitude, one of the best pound for pound people I've ever seen in the fight game 50 years, how he would have the demons that he would have that would prevent him from, you know, being remembered like George St. Pierre or Anderson Silva or whoever it is that you consider the best of all time. He retired so quietly while looking like he was ducking a heavyweight fight at the end of his career. And it was not the punctuation that a champion of that magnitude deserves, but his excellence is just marred by the amount of medicating that he was doing that made him reckless and specific to the fight game as an individual brand. That has some demons, because how do you think these people climb to the top of fighting other human beings for a living? There are going to be demons all around the discipline.

[Dan LeBatard]

It could be Posturing, though. Don't you believe he's taken extended leaves of absence and sometimes it's because of suspensions. He has publicly been posturing for a mega fight inside of the ufc. It could be a part of that. To your earlier point, there is a bit of a dip in stars. They were running and they were building guys up, guys like Izzy Adesanya. But then they kind of fall off. We saw it recently. Sean o' Malley was thought to be a star. He kind of falls off right now. Topuria the guys. Guys aren't really. Perea is probably the biggest star of that bunch in terms of title holders right now. They're trying to build guys up successfully. I think with Patty the baddie, that's someone you should keep your eye on.

[Jon Stugatz]

No, they did it successfully, but it was bogus and they do have a problem. I don't want to be.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's not being bogus with Patty the baddie. Like, I'm done doing that narrative. He's proved his bona fides and he's proved to be legit. And now I think he's certainly worthy of it. But I get like the skepticism. I was there too, with a hype machine around him.

[Jon Stugatz]

Him.

[Dan LeBatard]

But this happens to the ufc that they have a lot of stars leave or retire or fall off and they have to build back up. And I think what's happening right now is one of those build back up phases.

[Mike Ryan]

Isn't it skeptical when any fighter or boxer who's aging says he's retiring?

[Jon Stugatz]

Yes. But he's 37. This is a fight for him to avoid. The last seven months would have been the time to sort of cash in on this. And when it comes to negotiating with Dana White, I expect the labor to perpetually be screwed. It's the business model.

[Dan LeBatard]

The Aspinall fight is one of those fights that could.

[Jon Stugatz]

Everybody wants it.

[Dan LeBatard]

Breathe life into ufc.

[Jon Stugatz]

I. I also don't blame him for avoiding it. And at 37, that's not a weight class that I want to see him at. Like, he's what. He's the best light heavyweight I've ever seen. I don't need to see him challenged as a heavyweight. He chose the right path with two. Two guys that he knew he could beat. The last two fights, he also had.

[Dan LeBatard]

A pretty badass send off if that's the last time that we saw him. And. And he's the goat. He's. He's the greatest of all time. Well within his rights.

[Jon Stugatz]

Stipe was retired when he beat him. He did. He doesn't want to fight the type of the. I wouldn't want if I were him at 37, I wouldn't want to fight the top heavyweight either.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's fair. He's at an age where I think his legacy is pretty well cemented and because it's already way complicated anyways. And I think everyone would concede even if he loses to Aspinall, that that's the greatest fighter they've ever seen at the height of his game. And he's still a what if cautionary tale.

[Jon Stugatz]

Ariel Wild Ariel Hawani says, I'm tired of beating around the bush. I don't want to hear the goat talk when it comes to John. I'm sorry, you cannot be the goat if you have multiple PED infractions on the record. You cannot be the goat if you didn't want to do what others did for you. Time honored tradition, you fight the top contenders. Not only was Tom Aspinall the top contender, he was the interim champion for almost two years.

[Chris Cote]

Is that unfair?

[Dan LeBatard]

No, that's more than fair.

[Jon Stugatz]

No, it is fair, but it is also, to me, a little bit difficult to do legacy talk on someone that I'm saying to you is a pure talent. What I'm watching, really loving the fighting game is as skillful and artful a magician as I've ever seen do it. Marred by an assortment of drug infractions and recklessness. And now at the end, punctuation that feels like cowardice. When this man was afraid of no one, this, this man had legit. You can say he's not the Goat if you want, but this was a man everyone feared fighting. No one knew how to beat this human being. The only way he could be beaten was his own demons. With his recklessness away where. Where the drugs would get a hold of him, whose balls are juiced.

[Dan LeBatard]

We were talking about signature moves in athletics. And who has a move that sticks in your mind? Jon Jones spinning back elbow. Just the most ferocious weapon in the history of combat sports.

[Jon Stugatz]

Regardless, Tony's going to be in Vegas this weekend doing the UFC fight because he has made that into a hustle around. He really loves what he is, what he's doing.

[Dan LeBatard]

Really popular. It does well, too, and it's a fun watch. You learn a lot. It's not your traditional oohs and ahs of a watch along. You're getting really good analysis as well.

[Chris Cote]

Remember Dana White told us that UFC would be bigger than the NFL?

[Jon Stugatz]

Well, he said it would be the biggest sport in the world and internationally. It's a giant like it? Look, I know everyone listening to this knows what my problems are politically and otherwise with the ufc. Dana White is a bully. It's been, it's been a bummer to see him rise to power on a carnival barker crusade where he's got a monopoly and what gets chewed up is the athlete because it's no unions. And, you know, you got, you got champions like living in the car and stuff. I don't, I don't think I'm over. Well, that's probably an oversell, and I shouldn't say it that way if I don't have it on me. But there are just details on how it is. Even these champions have to work because the pay is not good enough. This is a brutal way to make a livingstrew guys. We lose sight of it right when you get all the pay per view and what you're throwing into the machine, more fights than ever is a diluted product and it's all meat. It's go fight each other and injure each other. You're fighting for money. It's caged, barbaric spectacle. And I've always loved the bravery and people willing to do that in front of others. When it's just them, no teammates, and you're fighting your fear in front of people, it's gladiator shit.

[Dan LeBatard]

Can I throw a theory at you? When is the UFC media rights deal up? Expires at the end of the year. This is a pretty good leverage point for Jon Jones because how does Dana want to impress a new broadcast partner with a brand new deal? I'm sure every negotiation that he's having with a potential broadcast partner is, can we get the Aspinall Jon Jones fight? If you're Jon Jones, now's a perfect time to pull this move and say I'm done forever. Because it maximizes your own leverage as UFC is negotiating, possibly invoking your own name in these broadcast.

[Jon Stugatz]

You know how crazy it has to make the fighters in UFC to see McGregor make $100 million over there, to see Ngannou make more than he ever made in his fighting career in UFC boxing spectacle. Go get the pay per view money. It's been jarring to see the business jostled like that on both fronts. Do you guys? I know a lot of people think of me also as whenever I say anything anti espn, they're just assuming it comes from a source of bitterness. But when it comes to the ESPN plus app and the complaints MMA fans have of, you're making me sign up for a Windows 98 app and then I'm just signing up for the right. I don't want ESPN plus. I'm just signing up for the right to then pay per view. What is a now diluted product that they blame ESPN for? Is that a fair criticism? I'm not on ESPN plus, so I don't know how advanced it is or it isn't.

[Dan LeBatard]

You get plenty of free cards that come with just your ESPN+ membership and that also gives you all the other sports that are on ESPN plus well within their rights to charge a premium for a premium live event like a big time UFC card. It has been rumored that there's not going to be one standalone home that they're going to try to divvy up the television rights. TKO kind of learning a little bit from their WWE side of the business. So it'll be interesting to see what kind of promises he's making. What is their flagship home? What kind of cards will go on other broadcasters? Will those other broadcasters feel like they're second banana when it comes to these conversations? It's combat sports. You can't really guarantee. The only thing that you can guarantee is bigger names and right now they've got a name problem.

[Jon Stugatz]

Can you guys please find for me and also it doesn't help when all the guys from Russia want to take it to the ground and ground and pound you and it's not an entertaining style of fights. Haven't been great entertaining style.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's why Patty the baddie, you gotta kind of root for him. At first I was like this is all phony. They're just feeding him cheap guys to try to get him over and do this. Conor McGregor Redux. No, he shut me up promptly in the last two fights.

[Jon Stugatz]

I feel like we have lost Billy and Chris. Chris is yawning actively. The old timey baseball player has no.

[Chris Cote]

Don'T leave me in Gregory out.

[Jon Stugatz]

Yeah, no stock wasn't interested in this either. I will say if you're looking to us for information in sports since 2 got said the Mets were the best team in baseball. They've lost nine of 10.

[Chris Cote]

That's unfortunate.

[Jon Stugatz]

And yesterday on the show we gave you one sure bet. We gave you Trevor Rogers of the Orioles is going to give up some runs and he threw eight shutout innings, allowed three hits.

[Greg Cody]

Best start as an Oriole shut out.

[Jon Stugatz]

The potent Rangers like truly terrible advice.

[Greg Cody]

From best start of his career.

[Chris Cote]

He just shouted.

[Jon Stugatz]

I said of Trevor Rogers. My only analysis of Trevor Rodgers is yes, yes, yes. When you throw from the left side, you can be big like that, throw hard and have a ERA of 5 for the rest of your life in the big leagues. 8 innings of shutout ball from a dominant Trevor Rodgers over the Rangers lowering.

[Billy Corben]

His season ERA to 1.3 something.

[Greg Cody]

But last year, but last year, that ERA, Wolf, that is three starts.

[Jon Stugatz]

I incidentally, if you're looking for your baseball information here or on a broadcast Tomorrow Night on YouTube with Tim Kirkjen from 6 to 10pm said last year the Orioles would be good for a decade. I also had the analysis of the Orioles are going to be so good. The Yankees will be closer to the bottom of the division than the top. The Orioles now have no pitching except for Trevor Rogers.

[Billy Corben]

No team in sports is good for a decade. Like, like every year someone wins a championship and you're like, you know what? This team, they're the favorites. Win next year. Next year. They finished like 8C.

[Jon Stugatz]

I just thought farm system and arms. They had so many young people. Young people.

[Chris Cote]

There's some teams that have done it, pulled it off. Lakers, Celtics.

[Dan LeBatard]

I think locally you have a team that's built for it. Certainly the heat kind of did it.

[Chris Cote]

Patriots did it.

[Jon Stugatz]

Let's go to Greg Cody. Greg Cody day. Fort Myers was it Where Minor league baseball.

[Mike Ryan]

Yes.

[Jon Stugatz]

Here is Greg Cody after 50. No, wait. 70 years living in South Florida, still having trouble with the Latin names.

[Mike Ryan]

Number 13, Yelton and Car and Caron. I just misread it.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's a tough one. Happens just like legit. Yeah, tricky.

[Billy Corben]

Probably a typo.

[Greg Cody]

I also have a sad news station promoting Greg Cody night.

[Unknown Announcer]

Greg Cody night. Okay, Saturday it's Bark in the park night at the Fort Myers Miracle game. The miracle take on the Lakeland Flying Tigers at six o' clock.

[Tony]

Ooh, an oatmeal.

[Chris Cote]

Let's see.

[Tony]

Oatmeal.

[Unknown Announcer]

The dog friendly event includes doggy pools, adoptable dogs as well, even treat bags for your own puppies. It's also Buddy the Elf night. So if you dress as Buddy the Elf, you get a special ticket offer. There's a Santa hat giveaway, a car giveaway, and it's Greg coat night. Cody Knight. Okay.

[Jon Stugatz]

That is the greatest promotion I've ever heard. That is so much better than Tim Legler is pretty interesting.

[Greg Cody]

Buried the lead.

[Jon Stugatz]

That is how you sell a an upcoming event I want. I'm so sad that I missed everything that was going on.

[Unknown Announcer]

Saturday, it's Bark in the park night at the Fort Myers Miracle game. The miracle take on the Lakeland flying tigers at 6 o' clock, 6 o' clock. An oatmeal.

[Jon Stugatz]

Let's see.

[Unknown Announcer]

Oatmeal, the dog friendly event includes doggy pools, adoptable dogs as well, even treat bags for your own puppies. It's also Buddy the Elf night. So if you dress as Buddy the Elf, you get a special ticket offer. There's a Santa hat giveaway, a car giveaway, and. And it's Greg Coatnight.

[Dan LeBatard]

Who's Greg Coat?

[Mike Ryan]

Greg Coat, Amateur. Okay, you should retire that guy.

[Jon Stugatz]

Greg, can you just lay out for a second so we can get the full comedy of the local broadcast instead of just barreling in chest first?

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, we'd already played it three times.

[Greg Cody]

You don't know who Buddy the Elf.

[Dan LeBatard]

Is from Elf, the movie with Will Ferrell? No, it came out after the elf.

[Tony]

What's your favorite color?

[Jon Stugatz]

All right.

[Greg Cody]

Did you just criticize that guy's broadcasting?

[Chris Cote]

Yes, as you should.

[Mike Ryan]

Number 13, Yeltsin and Car seat and carnation. I got it right eventually.

[Jon Stugatz]

This broadcast had four things to sell in front of Greg Coatnight, which is you are at that you are not the main event here. They can't even get your name right. If I were writing this as comedy, okay, if you gave me this as fiction, I'd have indigestion interrupted by oatmeal in the middle of my broadcast. Indigestion. And then I would also have the comedically great reaction of the broadcasters trying to do chumminess while not knowing the name of the headliner.

[Greg Cody]

An adopt a dog.

[Jon Stugatz]

After Buddy the Elf and an assortment.

[Unknown Announcer]

Of adopted dogs, Saturday it's Bark in the park night at the Fort Myers Miracle game. The miracle take on the Lakeland Flying Tiger at six o' clock. Six o' clock.

[Tony]

An oatmeal.

[Jon Stugatz]

Let's see.

[Unknown Announcer]

Oatmeal, the dog friendly event includes doggy pools, adoptable dogs as well, even treat bags for your own puppies. It's also Buddy the Elf night. So if you dress as Buddy the Elf, you get a special ticket offer. There's a Santa hat giveaway, a car giveaway, and it's Greg Coat night. Cody night amateur.

[Greg Cody]

The best part of that, that I forgot about in that clip. A throwaway line is also a car giveaway. Somebody in our suite, one of our friends, the guy he brought won the car and we felt so uncomfortable cuz we were like, we were the special. Like we. He gave away the car. The guy rejected the car.

[Mike Ryan]

It was a used car.

[Greg Cody]

I know, but it still was still worth like thousands of dollars.

[Billy Corben]

Let's tell stories. Horribly Starts from the beginning. What happened? There's a car given away.

[Dan LeBatard]

It was a used car.

[Jon Stugatz]

Was a car.

[Billy Corben]

What kind of car was it?

[Chris Cote]

Who gave it to.

[Greg Cody]

First of all, all. I don't remember it being a used car. It might be. I'm not saying you're wrong about that. I don't remember that detail. It was just a car giveaway that in the seventh inning.

[Jon Stugatz]

Anyone who had a ticket remember that detail. It's an important detail.

[Greg Cody]

And they announced the name. And like the people on making the announcement were in our suite. I think my dad made the announcement. My dad picked the winning thing. So when the winner comes from the suite that the person.

[Jon Stugatz]

We all were just like suspicious. Suspicious.

[Greg Cody]

So the guy was literally. The guy was like, I'm good. I don't need the car.

[Jon Stugatz]

I don't need the used car.

[Mike Ryan]

Because it was a $700.

[Greg Cody]

No, it was not.

[Jon Stugatz]

It was a Details. Now we're getting.

[Billy Corben]

Your friend just gave away a truck.

[Greg Cody]

A friend of a friend.

[Jon Stugatz]

$700 clunker is what you're there. There's some details missing. Who's Shams? Who's Barry Jackson? Whose information is right? Because it doesn't sound like your information is right.

[Greg Cody]

100% right. We rejected a car. The only dispute here is whether the car was used.

[Jon Stugatz]

This is what I want. I want you to play it again. I want everyone to lay out because.

[Billy Corben]

Cody gets at least.

[Jon Stugatz]

Thank you for not laying out. Just immediately ignores what I'm saying. Doesn't hear anyone except his own own voice in his head. Can you play for me again? Greg, Cody, toward the end of this, I need you guys to listen to how the anchors get out of this.

[Unknown Announcer]

Saturday, it's Bark in the park night at the Fort Myers Miracle game. The miracle take on the Lakeland Flying Tigers at six o' clock. Six o' clock.

[Jon Stugatz]

An oatmeal. Let's see.

[Tony]

Oatmeal.

[Unknown Announcer]

The dog friendly event includes doggy pools, adoptable dogs as well, even treat bags for your own puppies. It's also Buddy the elf night. So if you dress as Buddy the elf, you get a special ticket offer. There's a Santa hat giveaway, a car giveaway, and it's Greg coat night. Cody Knight. Okay, that.

[Chris Cote]

Okay.

[Jon Stugatz]

Nine things he advertised. Nine. One of my favorite things John Oliver does is just local newscasts. We're gonna miss them when they're gone. Gonna miss them.

[Dan LeBatard]

You think they're going? I don't think so. I actually think there's more of a demand for hyper local stuff given how Everything is presented.

[Chris Cote]

It was a used car.

[Jon Stugatz]

See, of course it was a 700 clunker. 700. The shell of a car.

[Greg Cody]

Where'd you get that from?

[Jon Stugatz]

That doesn't have an it was a used car.

[Chris Cote]

Courtesy of Dixie Buick gmc.

[Mike Ryan]

There you go.

[Tony]

I've mentioned it before on the show, but guys, I don't really get enough sleep generally and so when I do get sleep I want to make sure I'm getting great sleep. And do you ever like me, wake up tired and think maybe it's not me, maybe it's the bed? Yeah, it probably is the bed. That's why there's the Sleep Number Smart Bed. The bed that learns you. It adjusts to your movements, supports your body and lets you pick the firmness on each side. No arguments, no flipping a coin, no sleeping on the edge of the bed like you lost a challenge on survival. Sleep number's been working with the NFL since 2018. 80% of NFL players sleep on one of these beds. If it's good enough for a 300 pound lineman trying to recover from Sunday, it's probably good enough for your weird shoulder cramp from scrolling in bed for three hours. Why choose a Sleep Number Smart Bed so you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. The only bed that lets you make each side firmer or softer whenever you like your Sleep Number setting and now it's the Sleep Number 4th of July Sale. Save over $600 on the Sleep Number P5 King Smart Bed the lowest price of the season. Limited time, exclusively at a Sleep Number store near you see store or sleepnumber.com for details. Hey guys, it's Jeremy and I'm spending the early parts of this summer trying to go on a health kick. I want to feel like I'm being the healthiest to my body inside and out. And I want to do that in an easy way because I'm busy, you're busy, we're all busy. It's that time of the year where even though things are lightening up, kids getting out of school, we all still have work to do. Let's make this our best season yet with nutritious 2 minute meals from Factor. Eating well has never been this easy. You just heat up and enjoy giving you more time to do what you want. And they've got 45 weekly menu options so you're never going to get bored. You're always going to enjoy it. And for me, these meals have really helped sustain me when I'm looking for something healthy. When I'm running between here at the LeBatard show and the Marlins game and stuff we've had to do with the heat. I'm constantly just running between events and being able to just stick this meal in the microwave and enjoy it. It's tasty. There's really good chicken options and shrimp options. There's red meat. There's really everything that you could be looking for. So go ahead and get [e-mail] Dan50OFF and use code Dan50OFF to get 50% off plus free shipping on your first box. That's code [e-mail] Dan 50 OFF for 50% off plus free shipping.