The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Hour 2: Can A Playa Get Some Conversation? (feat. Bert Kreischer)
Date: September 9, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

Overview of the Episode

In this lively and irreverent episode, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and the regular crew are joined by comedian and podcaster Bert Kreischer. The hour jumps between sports media debates (with a focus on the TV show "Pardon the Interruption"), football controversies, comedic life stories, and Bert’s reflections on fame, touring, and sports fandom. The episode is as much about the culture and spectacle of sports as it is about the camaraderie and absurdity of being in the public eye.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. PTI's Legacy and the Mount Rushmore of Sports Television

Timestamps: 02:02–04:33, 15:17–18:48

• PTI Contract Renewal: The crew identifies "Pardon the Interruption" (PTI) as a top-tier sports program, marveling at Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon’s multi-decade chemistry and the show’s adaptation to a rapidly shifting sports media climate.
• Ranking Sports TV Programs:
  • The group discusses the top sports TV shows of all time, with contributors weighing in on where PTI stands (top three? Top five?).
  • Mike Ryan lists his "Top 10," including "George Michael Sports Machine," "Around the Horn," "Sunday NFL Countdown," "Baseball Tonight," "Inside the NFL," "Real Sports," "Pardon the Interruption," "Inside the NBA," "College Game Day," and, at number one, "SportsCenter" (“This was late night for a generation. These were the VJs for kids in the 90s!” – Mike Ryan, 17:58).
  • Bert’s memorable interjection: “I just got my pants off. We can’t just go straight into it. Number one, tease me, tease me.” (17:07)

2. Football Fumbles & Rule Confusion

Timestamps: 05:44–13:50, 14:54–15:17

• NFL Catch Rules Debate: The gang spirals into a comedic but genuine debate over what constitutes a legal catch in the NFL: can an elbow, butt cheek, or a helmet substitute for “two feet”?
  • “An elbow, an ear, or a nose all count. They’re all specific, but yeah, they should.” – Dan Le Batard (14:54)
  • “If you drag an ass cheek, what else you got?” – Chris Cote (15:04)
• Brian Callahan Controversy:
  • The Tennessee Titans coach admits he didn’t know the catch rule during a pivotal game moment, later publicly owning the mistake: “Ultimately, my interpretation of the rule was wrong. I’ll own it. We should have challenged the play.” – Brian Callahan (13:00)
  • The crew appreciates his accountability but pokes fun at the confusion and the coach’s passive blame-shifting.

3. College Football & Tailgating

Timestamps: 19:57–24:24

• Bert’s Florida State Experience:
  • Kreischer shares his pride and emotion after giving the pregame speech at Florida State, calling it one of his life’s greatest moments: “I am the happiest kid in town. I’m getting ready to go on tour. I just wrapped my TV show for Netflix. I haven’t drank in two days. Come on. I feel like Superman.” (19:57)
• Best Tailgate: An emphatic vote for college over pro football: “At least there’s a litmus of education at a college tailgate. When you go to, like, a Bills or a Steelers tailgate… you could just be a dude fresh out of prison.” – Bert Kreischer (23:14)

4. Bert Kreischer on Comedy, Touring, and Success

Timestamps: 24:43–38:29

• Touring Life & Fame:
  • Bert confesses his preference for touring over being at home, likening the touring lifestyle to summer camp: “Touring is more fun than being at home with my family, than sitting in Hawaii on the beach. Touring is the best.” (33:47)
  • Reflects on club gigs versus headlining arenas: “Dayton, Ohio, on a Thursday night with 35 people in the audience, and 25 of them don’t want to be there… this can’t be the dream… That was like a turning point in my career when I realized you have to be up for anything.” (35:44)
• Growth of the Two Bears, One Cave Podcast:
  • Bert discusses the pod’s hiatus due to filming and how bringing in guest hosts both freshened the show and spread wealth to fellow comics: “We just basically hand the podcast over. They do the ad reads, they make the money, and it’s kind of nice to be dead.” (25:50)
• Acting Surprises:
  • Bert is shocked by his pivot into acting, describing it as the biggest professional surprise of his past five years: “I never planned on being an actor… acting doesn’t pay anything really compared to podcasting and standup.” (27:05)

5. Memorable Games, Onstage Moments, and Emotional Highs

Timestamps: 30:48–39:00

• Most Moved on Stage:
  • Tells of performing in Tampa, with his father meeting Wade Boggs: “My dad’s never seen me perform live… Can you imagine the life you’ve lived if Derek Brooks knows who you are? That was the Mount Rushmore. I’m done.” (30:48)
• Greatest Seminole of All Time:
  • Bert passionately chooses Charlie Ward over Deion Sanders: “3rd and 17, and you knew Charlie Ward would come through… And that’s how we got that great individual, that is Warwick Dunn.” (32:04)
• Best Sports Experience:
  • Recounts being on the 50-yard line at FSU after the speech, shirtless with Tom Segura as the marching band played: “I don’t have memories like that with my wife or my children, you know, to be honest with you.” (37:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Those are the topics they’re going to talk about and they’re on my screen. I get to see what they’re going to talk about.” – Zas (03:30), recalling first seeing PTI’s rundown format.
• “An elbow, an ear, or a nose all count. They’re all specific, but yeah, they should.” – Dan Le Batard, joking about NFL catch rules (14:54)
• “If you drag an ass cheek, what else you got?” – Chris Cote (15:04)
• “Touring is more fun than being at home with my family, than sitting in Hawaii on the beach. Touring is the best. The lifestyle rocks.” – Bert Kreischer (33:47)
• “My dad’s never seen me perform live… Can you imagine the life you’ve lived if Derek Brooks knows who you are?” – Bert Kreischer (30:48)
• “3rd and 17, and you knew Charlie Ward would come through…I want to play Bert. And then I just did this last one, and now I have, like, three movies lined up…” – Bert Kreischer (32:04, 27:05)
• “Can a playa get some conversation?” – Black audience member at Bert’s Miami comedy show, sparking a turning point for Bert’s stage confidence (36:13)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• PTI and Sports TV History: 02:02–04:33, 15:17–18:48
• NFL Catch Rule Comedy: 10:35–15:17
• Brian Callahan on Rules Blunder: 12:15–13:50
• Bert Kreischer’s Sports Fandom and FSU Experiences: 19:57–24:24, 37:39–38:29
• Touring and Comedy Philosophy: 33:47–35:44
• Greatest Seminole & Charlie Ward Story: 32:04–32:41
• Real or Fake Podcast Game: 28:03–30:48

Tone & Style

The conversation is casual, irreverent, and brisk, bouncing between sports debates, insider comedy, and affectionate ribbing. The hosts and Bert frequently shift from humorous exaggeration to insightful commentary, often with absurd tangents and spontaneous, “did-that-just-happen?” moments—very much in line with the Le Batard Show ethos.

For New Listeners

This episode offers a flavor of The Dan Le Batard Show’s signature blend: equal parts sports fandom, skepticism, nostalgia, absurdity, and camaraderie. Bert Kreischer fits in perfectly, providing both standup-style stories and surprising moments of emotional honesty—especially about his journey from struggling comic to arena headliner, set against a backdrop of sports media inside-jokes and playful banter.