Hour 1: The Virtue Signal (feat. Domonique Foxworth & Charlie Kravitz)

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 1: The Virtue Signal
Feat. Domonique Foxworth & Charlie Kravitz
Date: February 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this off-season edition, Dan Le Batard and Stugotz, joined by Domonique Foxworth and Charlie Kravitz, weave through the swirling aftermath of the NFL season, reflect on the peculiarities of sports memory, and muse over iconic recent moments. Lighter and more improvisational than mid-season episodes, the show focuses on pop-culture tangents, memory lapses, and the evolving etiquette of sports fandom and virtue signaling. The team's banter touches on the NBA, Olympics, viral sports moments, and the enigmatic humility of Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Stugotz’s Offseason NFL Recap (00:07–02:56)

• Stugotz delivers a rapid-fire, irreverent summary of the 2025 NFL season, highlighting surprise draft picks (Cam Ward to the Titans), unexpected trades (Micah Parsons to the Packers), QB shuffles, and the playoffs’ bizarre twists.
• Notable for its “stream of consciousness” tone, lampooning the chaotic nature of NFL narratives and fan reactions.

  “...the Titans who may or may not be an actual football team but instead a psyop to see if a self proclaimed football fan out there is actually paying attention.” – Stugotz (00:24)

2. Stat of the Day: Spotlight on Basketball (03:40–04:41)

• Charlie offers three impressive stats:
  • Nikola Jokic’s unprecedented stat line before the All-Star break, despite missing games.
  • Thunder possibly becoming only the 3rd NBA team to outscore opponents by 10+ points per game in consecutive seasons.
  • The generational link: Bronny James was just 105 days old when LeBron had his first triple-double; now, he’s playing alongside his dad for LeBron’s 123rd.
• Dan laments Jokic’s underappreciated greatness:

  “...he doesn’t get in the discussion of best offensive players there have ever been because he’s seven feet tall. We prefer those people be six-six.” – Dan (03:58)

3. Memory Games & Revisiting Iconic Sports Moments (04:53–10:22)

• The crew riffs on how memory distorts big sports events. They discuss Charlie’s “Top 25 Moments in the Last 25 Years” list and how recollections often blend or misattribute details.
• Greg Cody admits conflating the timing of Tua Tagovailoa’s and Jalen Hurts’ legendary college football comebacks.

  “I thought that Tua came in in the fourth quarter, but he didn’t. He actually came in at halftime. And then I also forgot how athletic Tua was...” – Dominique Foxworth (07:59)

• Greg shares nostalgia and self-deprecating jokes about his own forgetfulness, leading to laughs about “memory units” and “quick craps.”

4. Dan’s Love for Viral Clips and Sports TV Memories (10:27–12:23)

• Dan reminisces about his time on “Pardon the Interruption,” frustrated that quirky viral videos (like a bear falling onto a trampoline) weren’t prioritized over sports headlines.

  “Why aren’t we leading with the bear dropping onto the trampoline from a tree?... You’ve got a bear falling out of a tree and... now springing off... That’s something that we have to play.” – Dan (10:56)

5. The “Virtue Signal” Segment (12:04–13:02)

• Playful introduction of a new game/gimmick, “The Virtue Signal,” poking fun at Dan’s penchant for soapboxing.
• Banter about Dan’s on-air persona, physical caricature, and favorite catchphrases.

6. The Legendary Chug Video & Show Callbacks (13:09–13:43)

• Before wrapping up with Foxworth and Charlie, the group enjoys a viral “chug video” (unnamed man chugging beer), leading to speculation about the “chugger’s” legacy and jokes about his son ("Little Chuggy Junior").
• Dan plugs Dominique Foxworth and Charlie’s own show, placing them among the elite for both football talk and comedic tone.

7. Winter Olympics & the “Mainstream Sports Window” (17:41–20:13)

• Dan argues that, while the NBA had the sports stage to itself, the Winter Olympics are actually more effective for today’s short attention spans: “condensing sports into something... perfect amount of time.”
• Chris Sims extols the appeal of Olympic oddities—curling, figure skating, and the “terrifying” skeleton event.

8. Nick Castellanos’ Philadelphia Exit and Viral Infamy (20:30–29:37)

• Discussion of Nick Castellanos being waived by the Phillies with $20 million left on his contract.
  • Charlie recounts the “Miami incident” where Castellanos drank a beer in the dugout as a silent protest; Castellanos posted a handwritten apology afterward.
• Debating the impact of handwritten statements versus typed in the social media era.
• Dan and crew relive the infamous Tom Brennaman apology interrupted by a Castellanos home run—an iconic, awkward sports broadcasting moment.

  “Do you realize how bad your luck has to be to be broadcasting the end of your career and have... the quietest home run ever hit in a major league game?” – Dan (26:55)

9. Super Bowl Reflection: Sam Darnold and the “Bleep You” Void (29:31–39:19)

• Ernest Jones’ defiant parade speech (“If you got anything to say about my quarterback... I got two words for you!” - 30:34) prompts a deeper discussion:
  • Sam Darnold has been doubted, dismissed, and shuffled between teams but, despite his Super Bowl ring, refrains from any “I-told-you-so” bravado.
  • The show contrasts Darnold’s humility to the typical athlete’s need for validation and vengeance.

  “It’s the most egoless quarterback and the most egoless professional athlete we’ve ever seen.” – Dominique Foxworth (34:19) “I’m really asking the question about how rare it is... That’s the tact that he’s decided to take as a path.” – Dan (38:25)

  • Crew generally admires Darnold’s restraint, seeing it as either next-level humility or remarkable self-control.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “We end where we started with Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow. Lombardi less and now an offseason devoted to hearing the phrase ‘defense wins championships.’”
  – Stugotz (02:44)

• “Chill out. Me and Charlie got you. All right. Both of us.”
  – Greg Cody (06:55)

• “Your producer, what he seized on on Trinidad Chambliss was ‘economy’ and not you saying that. Judge. Not you defending Joe Judge for saying, ‘Hey, pregnant lady, don’t wake up the quarterback.’”
  – Dan (12:23)

• “You cannot lecture your manager in the dugout about his rules while holding a beer. Wild. You can’t.”
  – Dan (24:28)

• “Do you realize how bad your luck has to be to be broadcasting the end of your career and have... the quietest home run ever hit in a major league game?”
  – Dan (26:55)

• “There is no Seahawk who’s been more doubted than their quarterback... but Sam Darnold hasn’t given voice to any of that.”
  – Dan (31:04)

• “It’s the most egoless quarterback and the most egoless professional athlete we’ve ever seen...”
  – Dominique Foxworth (34:19)

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Notable Timestamps

• 00:07 – Stugotz’s satirical NFL season wrap.
• 03:40 – Charlie’s NBA “Stats of the Day.”
• 07:32 – Memory games: Top 25 sports moments and personal recollections.
• 10:56 – Dan on the importance of viral videos in sports TV.
• 12:04 – “Virtue Signal” segment.
• 13:09 – The viral “chug video.”
• 17:41 – Winter Olympics and sports viewing habits.
• 20:30 – Castellanos waiving saga and Phillies fallout.
• 25:31 – Replay of the infamous Tom Brennaman/ Castellanos home run moment.
• 29:31 – Super Bowl parade, Ernest Jones speech, and discussion of Sam Darnold’s humility.

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Tone & Style

The episode is lively and barbed—classic Le Batard Show—marked by quick one-liners, digressions, affectionate insults, and meta-commentary about the show itself. The hosts self-deprecate, poke fun at each other’s quirks, and regularly slide from solemn sports analysis into winking pop-culture commentary.

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For New Listeners

This hour blends nostalgia, satire, and analysis. Even non-sports diehards can find joy in the personality-driven banter, viral video references, and universal themes of memory, doubt, and humility in the face of sporting achievement. The episode is a microcosm of the show’s playful but always thoughtful engagement with sports and the culture surrounding it.

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Skip: ads, intros, outros, and product endorsements (15:33–17:31 & after 14:08 for several minutes).

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.

[Stugats]

Hi hello my fellow football Americans and welcome to the offseason. Real quick for anyone who's been in a coma since the Eagles whipped the Chiefs in the Superdome last February, let me get you up to speed. Cam Ward went first overall in the draft but then was never heard from again because he went to the Titans who may or may not be an actual football team but instead a psyop to see if a self proclaimed football fan out there is actually paying attention. And people got real real upset Deion Sanders kid didn' get drafted where they decided he should have been drafted. But the Steelers had no need to get a QB because they already had signed an old man to play sports most important position. While the Seahawks signed a journeyman qb, the Cowboys traded Micah to the packers and then the season kicked off when the Champs beat Dak, then the Raiders beat the Patriots in Foxborough and Derrick Henry fumbled and Allen beat Lamar on Sunday night in what was sure to be a preview of a more important showdown come January. And JJ McCarthy made Koc look smart with a big rally against Caleb Williams in Chicago. Meantime, the former first round QB who left Minnesota in the offseason was rolling in his latest NFL home. Yeah, in case you forgot at one point Danny Dimes had the Colts at 82 while Mahomes wasn't playing so well. But no worries. You think they're going to miss the playoffs? They're the Chiefs. And speaking of qb, some people got real excited about Baker Mayfield for MVP until they lost that enthusiasm just before Bake lost out on the NFC south to the Panthers. Yeah the Carolina Panthers. And Jalen Hurts was met and AJ Brown complained and Nick Sirianni made a face and Phil Rivers played some games. Phil Rivers and the jets were the jets and the Browns were the Browns and the Steelers traded away a talented receiver who wouldn't behave, then traded for a talented receiver who punched a fan and Caleb and the Bears got good playing with the Lions. Johnson and Stafford's back held up long enough for him to hold up the MVP trophy. Then KC actually did miss the playoffs and Mahomes tore his knee but at least Kelce got down on his knee. Then the playoffs started and a bunch of teams that didn't make them fired their coaches and Stroud stunk and Josh Allen played badly in Denver but that was okay because everybody does decided to show their boundless empathy by feeling bad for a multi millionaire married to a Hollywood starlet. And then they showed the depth of their emotional well by crying about it snowing at a football game. Then the last chapter of the current season was interrupted by an outpouring even more histrionic anger over a failing ACC coach not getting a gold jacket. And half the country cried about a halftime show IO Sig and Yolando. Ay ay ay. And then another former first round QB who'd left Minnesota in the offseason rolled in his latest NFL home by beating a member of the 24 QB class which is already in contention for best QB class ever, and one in Lombardi before any of his MVP winning draft classmates even reached a Super Bowl. Long story short, we end where we started with Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow. Lombardi less and now an offseason devoted to hearing the phrase defense wins championships. Let's start the show.

[Dan Le Batard]

America is available on Mondays and Fridays. Damoshek is doing an exceptional job. That is how he starts the latest rendition of Football America. Can you get me the Stat of the Day music please so I could get to some basketball stats with Jeremy Start of the day, start of the day it is the start of the day Start of the day, start of the day it is the start of the day Start of the day, start of the day it is the start of the day Start of the day start of the day it is the start of the day what do you have Jeremy?

[Charlie]

Three stats for you Dan. First, on Nikola Jokic. In NBA history, only one player has reached all of the following marks before the All Star break in a given season. 1,000 points 475 rebounds, 400 assists 250 made free throws 75 threes, 30 blocks three. That one player is Jokic. He missed 16 games.

[Dan Le Batard]

I was just going to say how did he do all of that if he missed time for the first time in a while? Yeah, I'm telling you that he doesn't get in the discussion of best offensive players there have ever been because he's seven feet tall. We prefer those people be six. Six.

[Dominique Foxworth]

I don't know if it's that. I think it's because he looks like.

[Greg Cody]

A loaf of bread.

[Charlie]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are on pace to be the third NBA team to outscore their opponents by 10 plus points per game in consecutive season. That joins the warriors in their historic run, the Bulls in their historic run, but they also have eight losses as a double digit favorite in their first 56 games, the most of any team in the last 30 years.

[Dan Le Batard]

And what is the third stat of the day.

[Charlie]

Bronny James was 105 days old when LeBron James recorded his first career triple double. He's a 21 year old who played in the same game for LeBron's 123rd career triple double as he became the oldest player ever.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, so last night, what he ends up doing, he assists and or SC each of the first 23 points in the game. That's the longest stretch he's ever had of doing that against Dallas or what remains of the Dallas Mavericks that was playing yesterday. Dominique is staying with us here for a little bit. He has decided to thrust Charlie upon us as well. Where were you guys? Playing memory games. I. I've heard you lament here recently that you're aging. We've been making fun of Greg Cody saying he should do the show from a memory unit because he just misplaces some things that are. That should easy for him to remember. What's going on with your memory?

[Greg Cody]

Greg just missed the mic. First of all, we should appreciate how incredible Greg was last segment. That was awesome. Sorry, Dan, you're gonna lose him for the rest of the show.

[Dan Le Batard]

Great job.

[Greg Cody]

That was incredible. I might have to take a QK at some point in this segment Cause I've been drinking a lot of coffee. But the point.

[Dan Le Batard]

Why are you saying thank you? Because he has to. He might have to take a quick crap later. Why are you saying thank you to that?

[Chris Sims]

Because I invented quick crap. Anytime. Anybody take some, I get my little vig.

[Greg Cody]

Where's my big vig?

[Mike Ryan]

Thank you.

[Chris Sims]

Yes.

[Greg Cody]

You got it.

[Dan Le Batard]

You're welcome and you know it.

[Greg Cody]

Beautiful suit.

[Chris Sims]

You're welcome.

[Greg Cody]

God, that man's talented, wild, immense talent. I remember I used to hate Greg like 6 years ago. Hated him. Didn't get it.

[Chris Sims]

Why was that?

[Greg Cody]

I. I was just jealous of your talent. I think more than anything, I was jealous of your talent. And Arlene is fine as hell. It just. It made me upset. That's all. I like. Why does he deserve all of this?

[Chris Sims]

I know. I think that.

[Greg Cody]

By the way, thank you.

[Chris Sims]

I will.

[Dan Le Batard]

Your memory. You forgot that I was asking you a question about your memory? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm get. I'm getting to that.

[Greg Cody]

Relax, man, relax. Take a load off, Dan. Stop stressing. Be all right, man. Cool. Deep breath. All right. You good? You good?

[Jessica]

All right.

[Greg Cody]

Chill out. Me and Charlie got you. All right. Both of us. So I was saying that this time of year is one of my favorite times of year because we are not beholden by the NFL. Calendar anymore. And of course, podcasts are incredibly easy when you got football season, but right now it's fun time. And so our show yesterday was Charlie is a list guy. I don't know if you know this about Charlie, but he has a bunch of ridiculous lists on his phone. But one of the lists that he has on his phone that we did yesterday was the top 25 moments in the last sports moments in the last 25 years. That's right.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, that's right.

[Charlie]

But we didn't finish the list because Dominique just left number 13.

[Jim Day]

So from the.

[Charlie]

Yeah, 25th to the 13th best sporting event.

[Greg Cody]

We'll do the rest on. On the Monday show, we'll record a Sunday night. But what I realized was in preparation for that show, I was looking at Charlie's list and I was going back watching highlights and watching portions of those games, and there were so many of those events that I remember I misremembered. And it reminded me of GRE and how you guys give him a hard time about his memory because I did not. So, for instance, the game where two of you. I'm sure you guys all remember when Tua came in to that game, the national championship game, and won it out of nowhere over Georgia and Alabama. Do you remember? And maybe this is just me, but do you remember when he came in that game? Because I remember it being. I like conflated it with when Jalen Hurts came back in the following year in SEC championship game. And I thought that Tua came in in the fourth quarter, but he didn't. He actually came in at halftime. And then I also forgot how athletic Tua was and how strong his arm used to be. I was sad. Sorry, Dolphins fans.

[Chris Sims]

Dominique, a quick bit of unsolicited advice. When you're doing a top 25 list, what you have to do is one number per week to drag it out for a half a year. So that's what you gotta do right there.

[Greg Cody]

It knows how to offseason. Knows how to offseason.

[Chris Sims]

Damn right.

[Dan Le Batard]

So you got through 12 and your memory was faulty on all of it? Because that's true. All I remember is that it was third and forever. And I just remember how did Georgia allow that receiver to get that wide open? Was it waddle? Was it. Who was the receiver that got Smith that. How did he get that wide open when it's third? It wasn't like third and 30. Something. Yeah.

[Greg Cody]

Cause you have a better memory to me because I had forgotten that the first play of overtime, 2 got. Got sacked and the In Georgia had just hit a really long field goal. Two got sacked on the first play. Overtime. It felt like it was over. And then the very next play, a bomb to devontae Smith. There were a ton of incredible freshmen in that game. You forget when you watch those games how many great players or how many players that went on to play in the NFL and be number one overall picks. And that also reminds you of like a. A previous time in college football and college sports that we're not going to go back to. We remember. Was it Chris Davis? No, no, it's. Chris was a shot. The shot that we had from Chris Jenkins. Chris Jenkins, big shot. See my memory. It's rough, guys. It's all right, Cody. Don't let him pick on you. It's hard memory.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is precisely the reason to keep a Charlie around. The only one I've been able to discern in all my time knowing Charlie is that he could do what he just did with devonte Smith when I'm confusing him with waddle because he's good at that. But that's all he's good at.

[Greg Cody]

My emotional support. Human.

[Unknown Guest]

He does a good Dan impression.

[Charlie]

Yeah, you did call true that Chambers in economy and I started squealing next to Dominique. We had to immediately get into the offseason reruns. Dominique's about to call things monopsonies and cartels exploit exploited bodies. But Dan, I will give you credit. You have an incredible memory for like every single video of a nutshot. Someone falling over, slipping on ice cream, whatever.

[Greg Cody]

Like, I.

[Charlie]

We did that for. We did that for almost a decade and you remembered every single clip.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, I. The biggest arguments I had with pardon the interruption, when I'd go up there and host the show for them is like, why aren't we leading with the bear dropping onto the trampoline from a tree? Like, why. Why wouldn't we lead with that? And they're like, well, it's a sports show. And I'm like, yeah, but I mean, you've got a bear falling out of a tree and it's landing on a trampoline and is being surprised that because of its weight, it's now springing off of the trampol. That's something that we have to play. Why wouldn't we leave the show with that? And they're like, well, because it's a sports show and BTI is 700,000 viewers a day and we're sitting in a basement talking to you. You're talking to me.

[Greg Cody]

We had we. Last time we Came down and hosted. We brought some gifts. One of them was Dan bingo. We had some cards that we wanted you guys to keep, and economies was one of them. So when we listened to the show, we played Dan bingo at the go tos. And off season is the best time for those sorts of things. One of those other things is a gift that I want to le with you guys that we're going to call the virtue signal. And we love when Dan gets out there and signals. And it's not just Dan. That was the Dan impression peeking through right there.

[Jessica]

That's it.

[Chris Sims]

When.

[Greg Cody]

When Dan decides to Virtue signal. Wait a second. When we got to put the virtue signal up.

[Dan Le Batard]

Virtue signal. What are you guys doing with the lower half of my body there?

[Charlie]

Why you make him so slim?

[Dan Le Batard]

Why are you making me build parcels? What is. What is happening there?

[Unknown Guest]

More Charlie Weiss with what it is.

[Dan Le Batard]

That you guys are doing there?

[Chris Sims]

Good likeness.

[Dan Le Batard]

So just. Just to be clear, your producer, what he seized on on Trinidad Chambliss was an economy. And not you saying that. Judge. Not you defending Joe Judge for saying, hey, pregnant lady, don't wake up the quarterback. The quarterback's got to sleep. And you left out part of the quote, which is, go into another room and get detached from the pregnant woman.

[Greg Cody]

From the.

[Dan Le Batard]

Like. Get detached from the child. You guys. Get that off.

[Jessica]

Get that.

[Dan Le Batard]

Don't do that. Don't. Don't do that.

[Greg Cody]

That's not tiny hands. That's beautiful.

[Dan Le Batard]

All right. Get rid of Dominique. Get rid of Charlie. One last thing.

[Greg Cody]

One last thing.

[Unknown Guest]

Watch.

[Greg Cody]

Watch the Chuck video.

[Dan Le Batard]

Show the Chuck video.

[Greg Cody]

You got to see the Chuck video before we go. Before we go show the Chuck video. We'll go. And we don't have any sound on it. Mina was there. She was yelling and screaming and watch this guy chug.

[Charlie]

Nate Price was there being like, the only person who compete with him is Travis Frederick.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah, so?

[Dan Le Batard]

So Mina says she doesn't even know that person's name and never wants to know his name, only knows him as the chugger. Correct.

[Greg Cody]

And he's got a son that he said. He said his son puts away milk in the same way he said he's got potential. Little Chuggy junior. Little Chuggy June. June. All right, we'll leave now.

[Dan Le Batard]

All right. See you later. The Dominique Foxworth show also features Charlie. I encourage check it out because, as I said, Mina's one of the people doing it very well. Now, Dominique, Chris Long, Chris Sims. They're among the best that I've heard. Having the range to give you Both excellent football analysis, but also entertainment.

[Jessica]

Guys, let me tell you something. One of the greatest joys of my life was when they finally opened the White Castle in my neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona. I lost my mind because I'm so used to eating White Castle at home when I was in New York. Now I can have all the time.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm Phoenix.

[Jessica]

But when I come to Miami, there's no White Castle. So you know what? I do go to the freezer aisle, because right there, they got the variety pack with all the great White Castle flavor in there. You're getting a lot of slider styles. You're getting classic American cheese. You're getting jalapeno cheese. And if you're a bacon lover, you're getting that new cheddar bacon cheese sliders. The classic cheese gives you all the taste of a great American burger, while jalapeno cheese sliders give a serving of spicy to each bite. And the new cheddar bacon cheese, that literally brings home the bacon, folks. With real pieces of bacon in cheddar flavored cheese. Guys, I know what you're thinking. Your mouth is watering. My mouth is watering just reading this. That's completely normal. You can find each of these sliders where? In the grocery store in the freezer aisle. Bonus. They're all in the same box. You don't even have to go get four boxes. No, it's one variety box. It's got them all in it. And all of these sliders are made with 100% beef. Perfect for game day, late nights, or anytime you just want something awesomely oniony, satisfying, steamy, and unapologetically cheesy. White Castle. Crave thy castle.

[Mike Ryan]

Howdy, folks. Mike Ryan here. Quick break to talk to you about one of our show's longest, most tenured, and greatest partners, Miller Lite. I love this product because so many moments were made legendary by having Miller Lite there. And it's not just the good times. Sometimes you and your pals are sad because a game didn't go your way. And you take a sip of Miller Lite and you still recognize. Darn, this tastes good. And I made the right call.

[Dan Le Batard]

And that.

[Mike Ryan]

That sound of cracking open that beautiful white can, it does make me feel better. Thank you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Miller Lite.

[Mike Ryan]

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[Dominique Foxworth]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Dominique Foxworth]

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[Unknown Guest]

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[Dan Le Batard]

Restrictions apply.

[Unknown Guest]

Bet must win to receive bonus bets, which expire in seven days. Minimum odds required. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources.

[Dan Le Batard]

See DKNG Co Audio limited time offer.

[Greg Cody]

Don lebatard I took my son to the barbershop, get a haircut, and my man gave out some limp dap.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh no.

[Greg Cody]

Damn, damn, damn stugats. I disowned them. I threw him right under the bus. I was like, whose kid is that out here dishing out limp dap?

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats. Are you guys doing anything with the Winter Olympics? Are you guys getting sucked in? Because there are a lot of people watching the Winter Olympics, like the the ratings are the best that they've been for that in more than a decade. People are going hunting down the streamers. It's not just that they're watching it on linear television and the numbers are going crazy. But I don't South Florida typically just does not do winter sports well. And so I don't find that anybody that I'm walking around into is talking about or interested in anything going on with the Winter Olympics. And I don't feel like you guys are watching Any of either.

[Unknown Guest]

I'm casually watching it. I'm not going to act like I'm a die hard for any of these sports or that you know, I'm obviously rooting for USA and all of them. But like last night I'm watching half pipe snowboard racing. Like I'm into it. It's great to have on but I'm not like over. I'm not like a Jessica who's like waking up to see it live. I love the 8 to 11 replay. Give me the best of the day and just put it on and just watch it like I watch golf on the weekend.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, one of the objections that I was having to what it is that basketball gave us last night is come on basketball, you have the stage to yourself among the professional sport. Hockey is off at the Olympics. Football is over. Baseball has not yet begun here. Basketball is time for your showcase with the all star game and whatever is left of your regular season games. But basketball ends up dropping the ball at least in part because we love the storylines in basketball. But I think they're over in the Winter Olympics. If you want bite sized cubes of sports being great just because you don't care necessarily about, you don't have to put in any investment over the last four years, tune in here. This person has been, has been working for four years to entertain you for the next three minutes. Like in terms of condensing sports into something that can keep your attention for the perfect amount of time in short attention span. Short attention span generation. The Olympics is perfect for it. Just do it quickly, give me quick stories, wrap them in a bow. And that's why everybody loves to have the the Olympics to televise. It's why it's so profitable.

[Chris Sims]

I absolutely love it for the oddities of it. You know, I mean to me curling is a mind blower. Skeleton is terrifying. It's an actual sport called skeleton. You got the the best US male figure skater doing back flips on the ice. There's insane stuff to see.

[Dan Le Batard]

Baseball, as I mentioned, pitchers and catchers are reporting. I was surprised to see Nick Castellanos, although he pron. Castellanos. I was surprised to see that he was just outright waved. Didn't he have the last year of a big contract?

[Charlie]

20 million.

[Chris Sims]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

So. So what happened there? What is the backstory on what happened there? He was a very popular player in Philadelphia.

[Charlie]

Yeah. So he started to struggle and had been pretty consistently being replaced late in games for defensive purposes of the of the mlb.

[Unknown Guest]

Like just like had a good Time where this was, like, decent, but then just got a big contract and then that's more.

[Charlie]

Anthony Rendone, like, Castellano still had some success at the beginning of that stretch with the Phillies, but late in. In last season, he had a moment in Miami where he was taken out of the game. He's from down here. He was taken out of the game as a defensive replacement and then went and got a beer from the clubhouse and brought it out and sat in the dugout out and basically used it as a means to sort of scold his manager and put him down for the lack of discipline in other areas of the team.

[Dan Le Batard]

And what do you mean? Like, sat next to his manager with a beer and started scolding him for all the things that he was doing wrong in managing the team.

[Jessica]

Yes.

[Charlie]

And he actually wrote a handwritten letter yesterday after being cut by the Phillies that he posted to his Instagram, both, like, thanking his teammates, thanking the organization, thanking, you know, all of the fans, but then also explaining what he referred to as the Miami incident because he was benched after that. And he claimed, I wanted to tell the media what had happened in this scenario, why I wasn't going to be playing, but the team basically told me not to. I was advised not to. And so this is where we end up, where he's cut now, right before spring training.

[Greg Cody]

Would we think less.

[Unknown Guest]

Less of that statement if it was typed? Like, did he think he was. Like, this will have more gravity.

[Dominique Foxworth]

We also can't post like, I can't.

[Unknown Guest]

Really hand right on Instagram of like, look, I hand. Like, would we think more of it?

[Dan Le Batard]

Is that what you're asking?

[Unknown Guest]

My point is just type it. It's 2026. Why are you handwriting that?

[Chris Sims]

No, the penmanship was pretty good. I'm more apt to read that or try to decipher because sometimes it's not always as easy as type writing.

[Unknown Guest]

Just type it, though. Though, like what? I just don't get the. Like, he and his. He and his mind was like, all right, I have a thought here. And this will be executed.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, what does it say? I can't read it from here. And it's fairly rare. Okay. I know that the Angels negotiated a buyout on the last year of Rendon's contract and that Rendon is the symbol for cashing in and checking out. But it's rare around the guaranteed money of baseball for a popular player to be waived in spring training when he's owed a guaranteed $20 million that they have to give him. No negotiations on a buyout. I don't know whether he had any trade value or not. Probably not at that price tag. But it's it. You must be done with somebody in a way that is total for you to waive him right before the season starts when you owe him a guaranteed $20 million.

[Charlie]

I was really surprised that it now as opposed to at the end of the year and maybe there was something that offsets but they they owe him the 20 million outside of the prorated minimum for veterans. So it's essentially almost $20 million. The quote that he wrote was after being taken out of a close ballgame in front of my friends and family, I brought a presidente into the dugout. I then sat right next to Rob and let him know that too much slack in some areas and too tight of restrictions in others was not conducive to us winning. Winning and then said after meeting with Dombrowski and meeting with Thompson, quote we aired out our differences in the conversation ended with me apologizing for letting my emotions get the best of me. He also added that he was bench the next game as punishment.

[Unknown Guest]

You got to go. You got to go Miller Light there instead of that other beer.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, but you can't. You cannot.

[Chris Sims]

No.

[Dan Le Batard]

Lecture your manager in the dugout about his rules while holding a beer wild. You can't.

[Charlie]

You never see that.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Charlie]

He said his teammates and some of the bench coaches came up and stopped him before he actually dropped drank the beer.

[Chris Sims]

Oh yeah, because if that gets on the camera, if TV has even a second of that, it's the scandal it never was.

[Dan Le Batard]

Castellanos has had a very nice career and earned the contract that Dombrowski and Philadelphia gave him. But I will forever associate him with both the pandemic and the single funniest sports thing that happened during the pandemic. And this is a hard number of ingredients to have together, but it's a totally empty ballpark park. It's the essential end of Tom Brennaman's broadcasting career because he's been caught on a live mic making a gay slur and now he's apologizing for it, but also respecting the action. And Nick Castellano's hitting a home run as Brennaman is apologizing Castellanos to lead things off.

[Jim Day]

Jim Day is going to be taking us the rest of the way through this game as Holland takes over on the map. I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the year that I am deeply ashamed of. If I have hurt anyone out there I can't tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart, I'm so very, very sorry. I pride myself and think of myself as a. A man of faith. As there's a drive in a deep left field by Castellanos. It will be a home run. And so that'll make it a 4 nothing ball game. I don't know if I'm going to be putting on this headset again. I don't know if it's going to be for the Reds. I don't know if it's going to be for my bosses at Fox. I want to apologize for the people who signed my paycheck for the Reds, for Fox Sports Ohio, for the people I work with, for anybody that I've offended here tonight. I can't begin to tell you how deeply sorry I am. That is not who I am and never has been. And I'd like to think maybe I could have some people that could back that up. I am very, very sorry and I beg for your forgiveness. Jim Day will take you the rest of the way home.

[Dan Le Batard]

Do you realize how bad your luck has to be to be broadcasting the end of your career and have happened behind you the quietest home run ever hit in a major league game. That home run. I want to play the whole thing again. And I just want you guys to notice both the sound of the bat. The sound of the bat, and also how quiet it is. You can't quite hear the ball rattling around in an empty left field, but how quiet it is after the sound of the bat. And he's trying to reach for the most heartfelt of the apology.

[Jim Day]

Castellanos. To lead things off, Jim Day is going to be taking us the rest of the way through this game as Holland takes over on the mound. I made a comment earlier tonight that I guess went out over the year that I am deeply ashamed of. If I have hurt anyone out there, I can't tell you how much I say from the bottom of my heart, I'm so very, very sorry. I pride myself and think of myself as a. A man of faith. As there's a drive in a deep left field by Castellanos. It will be a home run. And so that'll make it a 4 nothing ball game. I don't know if I'm gonna be putting on this headset again. I don't know if it's going to be for the Reds. I don't know if it's going to be for my bosses at Fox. I'm going to apologize for the people who signed my paycheck for the Reds, for Fox Sports Ohio, for the people I work with, for anybody that I've offended here tonight, I can't begin to tell you how deeply sorry I am. That is not who I am and never have has been. And I'd like to think maybe I could have some people that they could back that up. I am very, very sorry and I beg for your forgiveness. Jim Dale take you the rest of the way home.

[Dan Le Batard]

Don Le this is the quickest it goes. Hey, this is the quickest it goes. Stick as it goes. Yeah. This is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats. What can Castellanos do the rest of his career to make it so that. That's not the first thing I think of whenever I think of Castellanos. Is there anything?

[Dominique Foxworth]

Nothing.

[Chris Sims]

He may have just done it with that presidente in the. In the dugout. I have to say we won't even.

[Dominique Foxworth]

Remember that in six months. The Brennaman call lives forever.

[Dan Le Batard]

I wanted to ask you guys something based on what it is that Ernest Jones did earlier this week. The linebacker for the Seahawks introduced himself to many people by saying, if you have anything bad to say, this was at the parade. He's just saying, if you have anything bad to say about anybody on my team, bleep you. It had no subtlety in it as far as a message goes. He was just telling everybody who's a critic of his team, bleep you. But I wanted, and let's play that sound real quick for the people again, just so that they have the context of this, because there are middle fingers in the background. When you get to win the championship, you end up being the person with the last word on all things. And in this instance, the last words are bleep you. But there's a Seahawk pantomiming a spanking of a person and they're feeling themselves here as Ernest Jones does this shout.

[Greg Cody]

Out to these badass who play this game the right way. Not only do we have the best defense in the world, we got the best team in the world. And quite frankly, if you got anything to say about my quarterback, you got anything to say about my defense, you got anything to say about online, and you got anything to say by the city of Seattle? I got two words for you.

[Dan Le Batard]

You. So not very likable, unless perhaps you're a Seahawk fan. But the thing that I wanted to ask you guys about, because I mentioned this earlier and you guys said, well, let's see what happens in the Super Bowl. We're in agreement, right? That by a factor of I don't know how many tens, hundreds, thousands. There is no Seahawk who's been more doubted than their quarterback. Correct. Like of. Of what? I don't know what the factor would have to be on whoever is your second place doubted Seahawk. But the one who's been publicly doubted the most is Sam Darnold and didn't do any of that. Never did any of that. And saying you doubted me. F you. What about you? I showed you. There's no defiance in any of what he was doing. As the most doubted among them. I understand why the Seahawks, I guess, would do that. Although I don't feel like we were doubting anybody but their quarterback. It's not like there was a lot of poison spit at that defense. Everybody was talking all year about how good that defense is.

[Chris Sims]

Yeah. And the funny thing to me is that Sam Darnold did not have a spectacular game. They didn't win because of Sam Darnold. And it's pretty unusual for a Super bowl winning quarterback to not be the mvp. But he wasn't. And I think. But still he gets to bathe in the perfume of being a Super bowl champion. Now. His whole status lifts. It lifts like helium. Like a helium.

[Dan Le Batard]

But let's talk about for a second though, what kind of defiance would leak out of everyone listening to this and all the people here if. If there had been several organizations that didn't have a use for you, if there had been every week on television someone doubting you as the only thing that's going to hold that team back from actually winning the championship. The reason that that team was thought of as a team that could not win the championship was because of their quarterback. I find it interesting that for all the athletes who have a chip on their shoulder about that stuff and have to manufacture some sort of everyone's against everyone's doubting me. I have to overcome it. Sam Darnold hasn't given voice to any of that. There hasn't been any acid spit at anybody. After having to listen to a year or years of you're not good enough, you're not good enough in the moment that he wins, I would have expected some defiance to leak out. No matter how much of a veneer of I'm the quarterback who's never going to bring any controversy. I would think in the moment of the emotion notion of I proved everyone wrong, none of that right. It's surprising to me, it's legitimately surprising to me, if that doesn't exist in him somewhere. And yet I'm left to wonder, is he muffling it or does it really not exist? He understands the position's hard. He understands that a lot of things go into winning. He understands that he's 31 and 7 in his last 38 games. And no bleep you for anybody, for nobody. He's got no bleep you on any of the quotes. It's Ernest Jones out here introducing himself to us by telling everyone to BLEEP off when no one was questioning Ernest Jones or his teammates on the defensive side of the ball.

[Dominique Foxworth]

It's the most self control if it is being, you know, depressed and suppressed back into his psyche or into his ego. Like it is the most egoless quarterback and the most egoless professional athlete we've ever seen. Because if you've been on five different teams, if you've ever. You were playing in a, in a graveyard in Carolina, all of a sudden you win the super bowl, you're one of the best quarterbacks the last two years. Nobody's had a better record than you.

[Mike Ryan]

You'd.

[Dominique Foxworth]

You'd expect something to be said. I haven't heard. Has he seen.

[Dan Le Batard]

Have we seen him since he was on the Teacups? He was on the Teacups with Kenneth Walker. That's where we saw him. But we haven't seen a whole lot of social media that have anything on him.

[Chris Sims]

Yeah, and he wasn't looking real thrilled in that Teacup.

[Charlie]

Nobody is.

[Dominique Foxworth]

Makes you dizzy.

[Chris Sims]

Yeah, it sort of does. But the disrespect was real. Right before the super bowl, somebody in the media, I can't recall who had a list ranking him the 12th best starting quarterback in the NFC. 12th best out of 16 teams. I sort of like that he took the high road on that and let his teammates speak for him.

[Charlie]

I think there's a world where he's also self aware and maybe just looks at the situation he was drafted into. Thought, you know what? I did have an opportunity succeed to succeed. I failed, failed like I didn't do a good job. And now I've grown through all these different stops. I got opportunities to play, I got opportunities to grow. Now I had the best possible opportunity and incredible defense. And you know what? I led my team here. But I'm just grateful, not scorned.

[Chris Sims]

Yeah, I would have appreciated that honesty more than I would him now saying, that's for everybody who doubted me.

[Jessica]

F you.

[Chris Sims]

You know, I don't need that. That it's fine. That a teammate stands up for him. But I like the high road that he's taken.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, you can like the high road. I'm just. I'm really asking the question about how rare it is because you just said disrespect. Sam Darnold has. He's 31 and 7. We everybody else in that league, when they win, we say, that's a quarterback stat. That's the reason they won. He's 31 and 7 over his last 38 games. So that's not merely winning. It's winning more than anyone in the sport has over the last two years. He's been disrespected. He's not absorbed that disrespect in a way that comes out as disrespect.

[Mike Ryan]

You.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's surprising to me. Validation is a very basic human need. Like everyone likes applause. For the winning to be enough for Sam Darnold and him not have any defiant bleep off just where competitive people reside. Like, just if you've ever met whoever is in your life the most competitive person. Sam Darnold's more competitive than that. Okay. To do what those people do. The most competitive people in your life pale in comparison to the ones who win competitions against all the other most competitive people in the world. He gets disrespected throughout that four years. You're the reason in your team can't win. Those weren't organizational failures with you. You're the organizational failure. Now he gets to say, no, I'm not. And he doesn't. He can say, no. The jets were wrong about me. Carolina was wrong about me. How many athletes are carrying themselves with the gratitude that doesn't leak out as defiance there? I don't even understand what Ernest Jones is defiant about. Like, he's. He's doing it in defense of Sam Darnold as if he is Sam Darnold. The person who is Sam Darnold's not doing that. And to me, it would be a very human thing to have it leak out in. In places here and there where you're simply hurt that people didn't think more of you and you would come out and feel the need to explain, hey, I'm 31 and 7 in my last 38. You let the record speak for itself. I think he's doing that. You like that he's taking the high road. I don't hear a whole lot of people celebrating him for it. Like, I don't hear a whole lot of people even noticing that. That's the. That that's the tact that he's decided to take as a path.

[Chris Sims]

Yeah, I think he's owning the super bowl ring as enough for him right now. I really do. I don't think he needs anything more than the satisfaction he gets from being on the mountaintop. And I also think there's probably a part of him who realizes is, I didn't win this game. My defense did. When you have the best defense in the league, you have a perceived crutch that you don't even require, maybe, but it is a crutch. Defense wins. The defense won that super bowl for them.

[Dan Le Batard]

He.

[Chris Sims]

I'm the. I'm the winning quarterback who didn't even win MVP because I was a little bit of a passenger.

[Unknown Guest]

He had a lot of turnovers this season.

[Mike Ryan]

He did.

[Dominique Foxworth]

But he also gave Jackson, Smith and Jigba the best season of a wide receiver in the last couple of years. And like, he was a big part of that offense clicking and working with the running game. Game like the scheme that they wanted to run with Click Kubiak.

[Charlie]

Like he was.

[Dominique Foxworth]

He was a very big part of it. Maybe the one sample size of the Super Bowl. Yeah, the defense ended up winning that because they complete decimated the Patriots. But like, Sam Darnold had a big.

[Dan Le Batard]

Big, big, big part of look, he beat the Rams. He beat the MVP of the league. He was better than the MVP of the league. And for all of his turnovers, that team was better at explosive plays than the great majority of them. And that can't be unless you're quarterback. Quarterback is somebody who's producing those explosive plays. I'm telling you that among athletes that I've seen throughout time, I've seen very few doubted the way that Sam Darnold was who get the victory moment and don't allow any of the ego, pride, champion athlete defiance to come out as assets.