The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Hour 2: Best Friends (feat. Mina Kimes and JuJu Gotti)
Date: August 28, 2025
Guests: Mina Kimes, JuJu Gotti
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

Episode Overview

This episode is a lively, free-flowing hour featuring the full crew—Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Chris Cody, Mike Ryan—with special guests Mina Kimes and JuJu Gotti. The group covers a blend of sports, pop-culture, and their unique behind-the-scenes dynamics, from travel amenities and ESPN drama to NFL analysis and the nature of friendship. Mina shares insights on NFL contracts, media hot takes, and breakout players for the coming season, while JuJu delivers his signature poll updates and bets for Thursday Thunder. Personal stories, quick-fire games, and plenty of banter keep the tone energetic and irreverent.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. ESPN Suites, Travel Grievances, and DoubleTree Cookies

• (01:41–05:23)
  The crew riffs on the hierarchy of ESPN talent perks, led by Chris Cody’s stories about surprisingly lavish hotel suites during college football season.
  • Quote:
    “Amber didn’t believe me last year…There’s a living area. There’s a kitchen. One of these had a full table with 10 chairs.” — Chris Cody (02:52)
  • Chris and Mina riff about the merit of staying at DoubleTree solely for their cookies.
  • The merits of “suite life” vs. normal travel and the pecking order at ESPN is explored, with everyone admitting to never receiving suites themselves.

2. Classic Greg & Chris Cody Meltdown

• (05:23–08:13)
  The team replays a tense and hilarious clip of Greg Cody furious with Chris Cody, setting off a mock-serious family standoff over a laptop and a draft ranking leak.
  • Quote:
    “I want my laptop back. I’m not the least bit amused by this. I’m not kidding in how angry I am.” — Greg Cody (05:44)
  • Mina relates the generational dynamic to parenting:
    “Watching Greg discipline or try to discipline Chris is just exactly how I treat my toddler. And I’m glad to know that’s not gonna change for 25 years.” — Mina Kimes (08:13)

3. Parental Respect and Kids Dismissing Parents

• (08:24–08:53)
  Mina weighs in on Zaslow’s 16-year-old calling him “sugar tits,” calling it a total lack of respect, which she would find funny if it had been a daughter rather than a son.

4. Baseball Cut-ins, Home Run Records, and AL Bias

• (09:04–12:01)
  The team jokes about possible ESPN cut-ins for Cal Raleigh’s (“the Big Dumper”) home run chase, comparing it to the media circus for Aaron Judge.
  • Dan: “Stop making the AL home run record a thing. It’s not a thing.” (09:14)
  • Mina: “If Cal Raleigh, I’m going to say those tainted records don’t count. This is a true baseball player, but only if it’s Cal Rally. I wasn’t doing that for Aaron Judge.” (11:15)
  • Consensus that the single-season record is 73 (Barry Bonds) with tongue-in-cheek debate about PEDs.

5. Pablo Torre’s Times/Athletic Promo—Friendship on Display

• (15:24–17:35)
  Mina reacts live to Pablo Torre’s sizzle reel for his New York Times podcast.
  • Quote:
    “Dan and I, despite doing dozens of episodes, didn’t make the sizzle reel. Don’t know if you noticed that, Dan. If you caught that, you and I not featured at all there… Basically compared himself to Moneyball.” — Mina Kimes (17:01)
  • Pablo’s wardrobe, self-comparisons, and “shirtless” commitment to recreating the Belichick Airbnb video are all roasted.

6. NFL Deep Dive: Contracts, Agents, and Teams to Watch

• (19:09–21:59)
  Mina analyzes the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons contract drama, noting it’s not interesting because there’s no real debate—Parsons should simply be made the highest-paid edge rusher.
  • Quote:
    “You could negotiate a Micah Parsons contract. All you have to do is find the highest paid edge rusher contract and add some money to it.” — Mina Kimes (20:09)
  • She ranks Parsons and Garrett as top edge rushers and remarks on Jerry Jones’s attention-seeking with contract drama.
  • Explores the role of agents and contract histories (20:46–22:06).

7. Quick-Fire Football Predictions

• (24:32–28:28)
  A series of rapid questions for Mina about the NFL season:
  • Most interesting contract: Parsons, but drama is manufactured (19:32–20:42).
  • Breakout team: The Bears, especially in the second half (25:26).
  • Worst team: Saints, with Cleveland as a contender (25:50).
  • Chiefs record: Chiefs are improved but will have a worse record due to unsustainable one-score game luck (26:42–26:48).
  • Passing yards leader: Joe Burrow, with Lamar second (26:54–27:05).
  • Breakout players:
    “I think Lad McConkey ... I think he’s so talented and I think he’s going to get more attention as being like a true number one receiver.” — Mina Kimes (27:18)
  • On Travis Hunter:
    “Primarily wide receiver. Because I failed to see the whole how the whole him playing both ways thing plays out to the extent that…” — Mina Kimes (27:34)
  • Tyreek Hill: Stays with the Dolphins after the trade deadline (28:21–28:26).

8. Thursday Thunder Bets and Emotional Losses

• (33:24–35:39)
  JuJu Gotti delivers Thursday Thunder bets and describes heartbreak over a close WNBA game, while the crew rib his success rate.
  • “But this week, we gonna right that, baby. First leg, I’m going with my sister…Sabrina Ionescu for over 5.5 assists tonight. Lock it in.” — JuJu Gotti (34:06)

9. Best Friends, Loss, and Dismissals

• (35:54–36:46)
  After a discussion on friendship, JuJu and Chris both reveal they don't have best friends—JuJu poignantly sharing that his was lost too soon. This prompts the crew to teeter between empathy and mock-dismissal.
  • Quote:
    “I had a best friend, and he was taken from us way too soon. I think about him all the time. I got his name tattooed on my face.” — JuJu Gotti (36:08)

10. Poll Updates & Absurd Debates

• (37:25–39:00)
  JuJu runs through the latest absurd and hilarious show polls:
  • “Are kids ingrates?” (89% say yes)
  • “Do you have a best friend?” (72% yes)
  • “Is the mercury in a thermometer poisonous?” (94% yes)
  • “Are farms cool?” (67% yes)
  • Chris Cody, Dan, and Mike Ryan riff on rattlesnakes, farm-related nicknames, and canceling Farmageddon (the Iowa State/Kansas State rivalry).

11. College Football Ramp-Up and Tattoos

• (39:28–41:08)
  Mike Ryan hypes the upcoming Football America show and reveals Mike’s Lee Corso tattoo, which Dan describes in detail and shows off—leading to some hamstring stretching hilarity on air.

Notable, Memorable Quotes

• Mina Kimes (on home run records):
  “If Cal Raleigh [breaks the record], I’m going to say those tainted records don’t count. This is a true baseball player, but only if it’s Cal Rally. I wasn’t doing that for Aaron Judge.” (11:15)

• Dan Le Batard (about football contracts):
  “There is one single season home run record. It’s 73.” (10:52)

• Chris Cody (on ESPN travel):
  “Amber didn’t believe me last year…There’s a living area. There’s a kitchen. One of these had a full table with 10 chairs.” (02:52)

• Mina Kimes (on enforcing discipline):
  “Watching Greg discipline or try to discipline Chris is just exactly how I treat my toddler. And I’m glad to know that’s not gonna change for 25 years.” (08:13)

• JuJu Gotti (on loss and friendship):
  “I had a best friend, and he was taken from us way too soon. I think about him all the time. I got his name tattooed on my face.” (36:08)

Important Timestamps

• 01:41: Show begins in earnest with talk of ESPN travel perks
• 05:23: Greg & Chris Cody meltdown replay
• 09:04: AL home run record/broadcast cut-ins for big sluggers
• 15:24: Pablo Torre promo reaction
• 19:09: NFL contracts and the Micah Parsons situation
• 24:32: Rapid-fire NFL questions with Mina
• 33:24: JuJu’s Thursday Thunder betting picks
• 35:54: Friendship segment and JuJu’s personal story
• 37:25: Poll recap
• 39:28: Preview of Football America & Dan’s Lee Corso tattoo
• 41:08: End of major content

Episode Tone & Style

• Language: Casual, irreverent, quick-witted, occasionally heartfelt
• Energy: High, with frequent laughter and playful jabs
• Dynamics: Raw honesty with a deep familiarity among the hosts and guests, mixing lighthearted bits with flashes of real emotion and insight

This episode deftly blends pop-culture, inside jokes, and serious analysis. Mina Kimes shines both with football expertise and comedic timing, while JuJu Gotti delivers both his signature betting energy and an unexpectedly sincere reflection on loss and friendship. If you missed it, this summary should give you all the key laughs, debates, and sports insights—along with a taste of the show’s inimitable style.