The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Hour 1: The Puke Cannon Guy (feat. Jessica Smetana)
Date: December 3, 2025

Episode Overview

Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and the crew delivered their signature blend of sports analysis, pop culture banter, and comedic takes. This hour features Jessica Smetana, who joins to break down the latest drama in college football, offer insights on the Penn State coaching carousel, and provide pop culture recommendations. Along the way, the show indulges in laugh-out-loud debates (e.g., pizza anatomy, the "Puke Cannon Guy" phenomenon), and reflects on the manufactured outrage of sports television.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Toy Drive Announcement & Audience Engagement

[01:43 – 03:23]

• Stugotz announces the show's annual toy drive with Branches, encouraging listeners to donate via lebatardaf.com. The ease of online giving ("modern age") and the goal: "make a child's Christmas better."
• Light banter emerges about "Legos" vs. "Lego," with the panel nitpicking pluralization and pronunciation.

2. NFL Passing Yards Trivia

[03:23 – 04:52]

• Stugotz quizzes the room: Who are the top four NFL single-game passing yard leaders this season?
  • Answers tossed out: Russell Wilson, Bryce Young, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Flacco (who had a 470-yard game).
• Amusing confusion and classic group dynamic on display, with panelists shouting guesses and riffing.

3. Boost Mobile Bold Takes and Listener Participation

[05:26 – 06:29]

• The Boost Mobile hotline opens. Callers (and hosts) drop offbeat "bold takes":
  • “Messi and MLS is like Tom Brady joining the CFL. Stop acting like it matters.”
  • “If a slice of pizza could walk, would the head be the crust or the point?”
  • "I refuse to take a poop until Dan stops calling offenses constipated."
• Panel debates pizza-walking anatomy, a typically absurd fan poll suggestion.

“Put it on the poll at LeBatard show: If a piece of pizza is walking, is the crust the head or the feet?” — Stugotz ([06:40])

4. Most Embarrassing NFL Moments

[07:11 – 08:30]

• Review of worst single-game feelings: Was it the panicked field goal holder or Matthew Stafford hydroplaning after a pick-six?

5. The Art of Manufactured Outrage & College Football Playoff Disgust

[09:26 – 13:49]

• The group dissects the annual circus of the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection.
• Dan rails against the fabricated debate:
  • “It’s all made for television entertainment spectacle. The whole point is to get you to argue about it.” ([12:36])
• They reflect on the endless nature of outrage as sports content: “The biggest sport in America right now is outrage.” — Stugotz

6. Oklahoma City Thunder’s Dominance & NBA Parity Problem

[14:09 – 16:58]

• The group marvels at OKC’s hot start (“21-1”).
• Howard Bryant laments the NBA’s disparity:
  • “It’s bad for basketball when you have that kind of disparity... teams that have zero chance and you have OKC, a dynasty in the making." ([16:08])
• Compares NBA tanking to the NFL and MLB’s top-heavy teams.

7. Jessica Smetana Joins: Notre Dame Playoff Fate & Penn State Coaching Drama

[20:14 – 27:49]

• Jessica defends Notre Dame’s season and speculates on their playoff odds:

"Notre Dame really didn’t have anything to be upset about other than themselves for losing... the margin for error is very slim when you only win 10 games." — Jessica Smetana ([21:30])

• On the Penn State coaching search:

“It doesn't really seem like they had a plan other than they thought they could convince another big-time Power 4 name to come. ... It’s just becoming a worse situation, I think, by the day.” — Jessica Smetana ([24:00 – 25:13])

• Dan shares insider info: Penn State’s search was derailed by “the CEO of Crumble” luring away their top target.

8. NFL Coaching Rumors, Shirtless Evaluations, and Marcus Freeman’s Future

[27:49 – 29:47]

• Discussion of coaching candidates with national appeal—Adam Schefter considers Marcus Freeman a top NFL prospect.
• The room inevitably devolves into surface-level judgments (“would he look good with his shirt off?”).
• Jessica says,

“I think Marcus Freeman’s a great coach. You’d be stupid not to kick the tires on trying to hire him.” ([28:49])

9. CFP Discourse Fatigue

[29:28 – 30:07]

• Jessica on toxic playoff talk:

"The College Football Playoff discourse has gotten to a kind of a toxic point...” — Jessica Smetana

10. Conference Championship Weekend Excitement

[30:15 – 31:23]

• Jessica previews her most anticipated games:
  • Mountain West, Big 12, and SEC Championships
  • The stakes for Alabama, Georgia, and others

11. Pop Culture Segment: "Knives Out 3" & TV Recs

[33:05 – 35:31]

• Jessica recommends the new "Knives Out" entry (in theaters, soon on Netflix).

“It is probably my favorite of the three… The writing is better. It has more deeper themes to it.” — Jessica Smetana ([34:37])

• Also praises "Poker Face" (Peacock).
• Rian Johnson, Natasha Lyonne, and Columbo nostalgia kicked around.

12. The "Puke Cannon Guy": Mad Men Editing Bloopers

[38:33 – 40:46]

• Jessica describes the viral error in HBO’s 4K Mad Men remaster, where a special effects rig ("puke cannon guy") is visibly left in the shot.

“This is a pretty embarrassing mistake… Puke cannon guy is having his moment right now. …just as important to the shot as Don Draper.” — Jessica Smetana ([39:05])

• Panel compares it to infamous TV goofs (e.g., Starbucks cup in Game of Thrones).

13. Banter & Closing Bits

[41:48 – 43:33]

• LeBron James on aging:

“It’s called old. You just wake up [with injuries] that you didn’t have the night before.” ([41:48])

• Howard’s own injury saga (tearing both hamstrings getting out of bed).
• Dan gripes about late-night NBA games on Peacock and the paywall dilemma with Inter Miami games.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Outrage as the Modern Sport:
  • “The biggest sport in America right now is outrage. Outrage of any kind. It’s just yell about things.” — Stugotz ([13:37])
• Jessica on Notre Dame’s Fate:
  • “They may end up getting it right, whatever your definition of right is, but it doesn’t help when they talk about how their methodology is…” ([22:34])
• Mad Men Production Gaffe:
  • “Puke cannon guy is having his moment right now… Just as important to the shot as Don Draper.” — Jessica Smetana ([39:05])
• On the playoff spectacle:
  • “It’s all made for television entertainment spectacle. The whole point is to get you to argue about it.” — Dan LeBatard ([12:36])
• LeBron on Aging:
  • “It’s called old. You just wake up that you didn’t have the night before.” — LeBron James, quoted by Stugotz ([41:48])

Important Timestamps

• 01:43 - 03:23: Toy drive call-to-action & charity banter
• 03:23 - 04:52: NFL yardage trivia game
• 05:26 - 06:29: Boost Mobile bold takes and pizza-walking debate
• 09:26 - 13:49: Rant on outrage and College Football Playoff pageantry
• 14:09 - 16:58: OKC Thunder dominance and NBA parity discussion
• 20:14 – 27:49: Jessica Smetana on Notre Dame and Penn State
• 38:33 – 40:46: Mad Men "puke cannon guy" gaffe dissected

Tone & Style

The hour is a vibrant, loose, and comedic dive into the week’s sports and pop culture stories, fueled by the panel’s sharp wit and self-deprecating humor. Jessica Smetana seamlessly matches the show’s irreverence, especially during college football debates and the pop culture segment.

For New Listeners

This episode encapsulates why the Le Batard Show is a staple: it’s less about final scores and more about the ridiculousness of sports culture, personal quirks, and the glory of inside jokes—from the existential “outrage cycle” of televised sports to the unsung production heroism of the “puke cannon guy.” Even the hot takes are delivered with a wink.

End of Hour 1: "The Puke Cannon Guy"