Hour 2: Do You Feel Like You Won?

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – Episode: "Do You Feel Like You Won?"

Release Date: April 14, 2025

In the second hour of this episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, hosted by Dan Le Batard and Stugotz from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, the trio delves deep into the current landscape of sports, offering their seasoned perspectives on the NBA playoffs, emerging talents in hockey, professionalism in sports, and the evolving dynamics of basketball leagues. Amidst insightful analysis, the hosts engage in their signature banter, providing both humor and critical commentary. Below is a detailed breakdown of the key discussions, complete with notable quotes and timestamps.

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NBA Playoffs: Knicks vs. Pistons – A Detailed Breakdown

Timestamp: 01:14 – 04:29

The episode kicks off with a heated discussion about the New York Knicks' playoff prospects. Dan Le Batard highlights Marcus Morris's controversial comments on First Take, where Morris suggested that stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard should consider joining Miami if they face early playoff exits.

Dan Le Batard [01:14]: "Marcus Morris, see if you can find the bias in this. Says that Jokic is not a top 20 player of all time."

Stugotz and Tony dissect the Knicks' performance, particularly their struggles against top-tier teams. They analyze the impending first-round matchup against the Detroit Pistons, emphasizing the Pistons' surge led by Cade Cunningham and Malik Beasley.

Tony [02:45]: "The Pistons are surging at the right time. Cade Cunningham's playing amazing. Malik Beasley's probably front runner for sixth man of the year."

Dan expresses cautious optimism about the Knicks' talent, suggesting that while the team is more skilled than last year's iteration, the passionate New York fanbase remains skeptical.

Dan Le Batard [03:16]: "I think the number six has a set of ingredients to make this possible. We might get to laugh at the Knicks in the first round."

Western Conference Predictions: Lakers and Clippers Under the Microscope

Timestamp: 05:04 – 09:21

The conversation shifts to the Western Conference, focusing on the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers. Tony and Stugotz commend James Harden's exceptional performance with the Clippers, labeling him as "NBA first team level star."

Tony [07:16]: "James Harden for as much shit as we give James Harden. He's playing out of his mind right now."

However, concerns are raised about the Lakers' size issues, particularly their defense against formidable opponents like Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle. The hosts predict potential early exits for the Lakers, attributing it to their inability to match up physically against top teams.

Tony [08:05]: "The Lakers have a big size issue. Jackson Hayes is their only big Dan. They've been playing a lot of like medium-sized guys... They're going to have trouble with Rudy Gobert."

Emerging Talent in Hockey: Macklin Celebrini's Rise

Timestamp: 05:30 – 07:16

Shifting gears to hockey, Stugotz introduces Macklin Celebrini, a young and promising player who was recently the number one overall draft pick. Celebrini's performance is lauded as transformative for his team, signaling a potential rise to becoming a top-five player in the league.

Stugotz [06:37]: "He's a very young player... He's damn near approaching it right now."

The discussion touches on the challenges Celebrini faces, including the need for talent development around him, with players like Will Smith providing necessary support.

Professionalism in the NBA: A Critique of Isaiah Thomas

Timestamp: 10:11 – 16:28

A significant portion of the episode addresses the declining standards of professionalism within the NBA. The hosts criticize Isaiah Thomas for his unorthodox behavior, specifically his appearance on NBA TV wearing a durag and no shirt during warm-ups.

Dan Le Batard [11:14]: "I just totally, 100% object to this. And if I was the GM or coach, me too. I would never let one of my players walk out on the floor looking like this."

Stugotz echoes these sentiments, advocating for a return to traditional attire for coaches and players to uphold the league's professional image.

Stugotz [12:06]: "Absolutely. Coaches gotta go back to suits."

The discussion also touches on the broader impact of such behavior on the league's reputation and the importance of maintaining professionalism.

Unrivaled Basketball League and Paige Beckers' Contract: An Industry Shift

Timestamp: 36:59 – 40:44

Dan and Stugotz explore the emergence of Unrivaled, a local basketball league attracting notable talents like Paige Beckers. The league, backed by John Skipper of Metal Arc, is touted as a lucrative alternative to the WNBA, with reports suggesting that Beckers' 10-week contract exceeds her entire rookie NBA salary.

Dan Le Batard [38:29]: "They simply reported it as this will be more money than she gets in her entire rookie contract."

The hosts critique the marketing tactics of Unrivaled, questioning the sustainability and actual financial commitments behind these high-profile contracts. They also discuss the structural differences between Unrivaled and the WNBA, highlighting operational efficiencies that might enable such lucrative deals.

Stugotz [39:48]: "It's three on three. With all the operating costs that come with, like having to have an expansive roster... it’s much fewer players that you have to pay."

Gas Bag of the Week: Cody Bellinger's Chicken Wing Fiasco

Timestamp: 28:01 – 30:10

Introducing a lighter segment, the hosts present the "Gas Bag of the Week," featuring Cody Bellinger's recent incident of food poisoning from chicken wings, which led to missed games. The discussion humorously critiques Bellinger's choice of food and the subsequent impact on his performance.

Tony [30:10]: "You need to have a turkey sandwich. Chicken wings."

Dan humorously vents about the editing inconsistencies in the segment, highlighting the challenge of maintaining a smooth narrative flow during live recordings.

Behind the Bit: Racing the Freeze with Billy Gill

Timestamp: 31:00 – 41:19

In an entertaining segment titled "Behind the Bit," Billy Gill recounts his experience racing the Atlanta Braves' mascot, the Freeze. The story details his strategic approach to the race, aimed at outlasting the Freeze despite being at a physical disadvantage.

Billy Gill [35:41]: "Yeah, I won. I crossed the finish line first... I definitely won."

Gill shares humorous anecdotes about the aftermath, including an awkward hug with the Braves' mascot Blooper, despite his confessed disdain for the team.

Billy Gill [35:50]: "I have the Traumatic experience of one falling at the finish line. It's like a fake. It's hard, dirty."

The segment underscores the playful and competitive spirit of the show, blending sports enthusiasm with personal storytelling.

Host Banter and Humor

Timestamp: Throughout the Episode

Interspersed throughout the episode is the trademark banter between Dan, Stugotz, and Tony. From mocking each other's financial statuses to ribbing about personal anecdotes, the hosts maintain a lively and humorous atmosphere.

Dan Le Batard [22:47]: "Don lebatard but it's just his titties are sitting on the shelf that is his belly stugats."

This playful interaction not only entertains but also reinforces the camaraderie among the hosts, making the show engaging for listeners.

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Conclusion

In "Do You Feel Like You Won?", Dan Le Batard and Stugotz provide a comprehensive and engaging analysis of current sports topics, blending serious discussions with lighthearted humor. From dissecting NBA playoff prospects and critiquing player professionalism to exploring emerging basketball leagues and sharing personal stories, the episode offers a rich tapestry of content for sports enthusiasts. Notable quotes and candid conversations ensure that both dedicated listeners and newcomers find the discussion insightful and entertaining.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Stugotz]

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[Tony]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Tony]

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[Dan Le Batard]

You guys watched any Marcus Morris on First Take? He is now today saying that if Giannis and Damian Lillard lose in the first round they should just go to Miami. Both of them. And it's not the most interesting thing that he has said. Marcus Morris, see if you can find the bias in this. Says that Jokic is not a top 20 player of all time.

[Stugotz]

Who I'll run a Google see if.

[Dan Le Batard]

You can find the bias in this. Why is Marcus Morris saying that Jokic is not a top 20 player of all time? Is it because Jokic ended his brother's career by pushing him?

[Tony]

Honestly, I wasn't sure which Morris it was so I was just like one of the Morrises.

[Dan Le Batard]

That happens a lot with the Morrises. I would say. Generally speaking it's their fault for both of them having the same tattoos. Like, it's not just that they're twins. They have the same tattoos. They're impossible to tell apart.

[Tony]

Didn't the Pouncey brothers do the same thing? Like matching tattoos?

[Dan Le Batard]

It's a great trick. I have asked the McCourties this as well. And the barbers. Like they have done things to prank people because they are pretending one to be the other. Never as famously as Ozzie and Jose Canseco did it. When Jose Canseco had a boxing match and his brother showed up and was Able to reveal the fraud to all of us by having different tattoos than his brother did. And so otherwise they would have gotten away with it. They would have managed to fool everybody. Tony, when you say the Knicks are in trouble, is it because they're playing Detroit in the first round or is it just more general than that?

[Tony]

It just feels like all year they've really struggled against the top teams. Like you said, like they're 010 against top teams between Cleveland, between Boston and between Oklahoma City. The Pistons are surging at the right time. Cade Cunningham's playing amazing. Malik Beasley's probably front runner for sixth man of the year. He's second in the NBA for made threes this season. Do you guys know who the first is for made threes this season? Steph Curry? No. Oh, okay. Mike, I know you're a ball watcher.

[Stugotz]

I don't know the answer to your question.

[Dan Le Batard]

Anthony Edwards is the leader.

[Tony]

Is the leader in three point field goals made this season with 320. Malik Beasley right after that at 319. But the Pistons are playing really well. Dan, it feels like the, the. The Knicks are a bit of a paper tiger when it comes to. Yeah, offensively they're excellent. Carl Anthony Towns. Brunson hasn't been. Hasn't been playing because he's been hurt. How much will that affect them going forward? Defensively they're not good and the Pistons are going to kind of run them into the muck.

[Dan Le Batard]

I would say that I feel pretty confident saying this. Tell me if you agree or disagree based on just simply matchups because I will say again, I like this Knicks team. I think it's more talented than the Knicks team that New York fell in love with last year. They New York does not love this Knicks team the way they loved last year's Knicks team. That's a Carl Anthony Towns thing. But I would like the Knicks against the number four. I would like the Knicks against the number five. But I think the number six has a set of ingredients to make this possible. We might get to laugh at the Knicks in the first round. Like we're going to get set up to be able to laugh at the Knicks in the first round. If this team that's talented than last year's team underachieves and gets all those loud New Yorkers really mad and they're all just gonna blame Karl Anthony Towns.

[Stugotz]

After gassing up their expectations. Them underperforming under delivering on that promise. It sounds like a barn you'd want to be in. But a hard ticket to get so that's quite the conundrum. What do you do? What do you do? You download the Game Time app. That's what you do. You create an account and you use code DAN for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Game Time today Last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed panoramic seat views all in pricing great ticket coverage. Game Time is what you need to be on to check and get yourself some big time meaningful playoff basketball tickets.

[Dan Le Batard]

I would like to offer to the group here whichever one it is that you want to talk about because I imagine Roy has some preferences here. If I offer you by way of playoff preview, if I say to you would you like to talk about Nuggets, Clippers, somebody who can win the championship is going to get knocked out in the first round. Would you like to talk about Lakers, Timberwolves?

[Stugotz]

Yes. Yeah that was good. Even though there was a question mark in there.

[Dan Le Batard]

Or would you like to talk about Sharks Wild and what happens when 15 goals and two 15 goals, two massive goals. Superstar making an appearance.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, Macklin Celebrini I would love to talk about Macklin Celebrini. I think I saw a player in a game level up as this. He's a very young player. He was number one overall draft pick last week. I was locked in on a great sports day all across on on the pitch, on the hardwood. On the ice though my mouth was left a gape as Caprizov and Celebrini and Erickson Eck essentially went shot for shot. I saw in that game a player level up and Macklin Celebrini would not surprise me in the least if next year he's a top five player in the league. I think he's damn near approaching it right now. He's on a bad team. They're going to have to level up the talent around him. But they have a good player in Will Smith to do that. This dude is a brilliant hockey player to watch. So I love watching greatness there. But turning my attention in the playoff matchups. I love the rivalry between the Grizzlies and the Warriors. It's been several years long. Remember the Grizzlies surprisingly knocked them out of the play play in a couple of years ago. John Morant is deciding to apparently double down, triple down, triple down, quadruple down on this perceived villainy of his and now he's just got to keep doing the hand gestures. Anyways. He did one in the direction of Steph Curry just last week. So to have that added juice to Grizzlies Warriors. Given that now all of a sudden we're questioning the warriors with these injuries popping up at the wrong time. That one to me has the most juice. Certainly out of all the play ins. I cannot wait to watch that game unfold.

[Tony]

Nuggets, Clippers though Dan, like you said, one team could win the championship and one team is going home in the first round. Like we saw the Clippers, we've seen the Clippers be one of the best teams in the league for the last like month of the season. Kawhi's been playing incredible James Harden for as much shit as we give James Harden. He's playing out of his mind right now. Like he's NBA first team level star like power right now. Yesterday in the game, you know, hitting huge shots, facilitating this is a team that could really, really make something happen. And I think the issue is more Lakers, Timberwolves. Dan, if you want to get into that, there's some issues there.

[Stugotz]

And Celebrini is obviously going to win.

[Tony]

The colder trophy this year for rookie of the year.

[Stugotz]

But looking at the playoff matchups for the Western Conference, I mean look at the wild card, Western Cup.

[Tony]

Tell me about the Western Conference. I mean Nuggets, Clippers, in the first round we got Lakers, Lakers, Wolves, we got half stars.

[Stugotz]

Well, the wild card right now, you.

[Tony]

Got the Wild in the first wild.

[Stugotz]

Card spot and the Blues in the second wild card spot.

[Tony]

They put the Wild.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, they divided by separated by one.

[Tony]

Point and the Calgary Flames are still in it.

[Stugotz]

They have 92 points. They're two points behind the Blues.

[Tony]

So that's going to be a Wild Hoover Dome.

[Billy Gill]

I make the playoffs.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, the Blues and the Wild are nightmare wild card matchups to draw because the Blues are playing the way that they did to close out 2019. Like they are playing so well right now, you do not want to face them. And the Minnesota Wild are just all of a sudden really healthy at the right time. The NHL playoffs are going to be insane.

[Tony]

Speaking of Minnesota, too big for the Lakers. Lakers have a big size issue. Jackson Hayes is their only big Dan. They've been playing a lot of like medium sized guys from 565-676-8869. But they're going to have trouble with Rudy Gobert, with Nas Reed, with Julius Randle, with Anthony Edwards. There's a size situation there. Luke. I put it this way. If you give me the chance to have Luka Lebron and dare I say Austin Reaves as the third who's been playing out of his mind, you give Me that three. I'll take them pretty much against anybody, but what. But the size difference is going to make an issue.

[Dan Le Batard]

So you'll take them against anybody, but you seem like they're going to get eliminated in the first round. Maybe that's where we are.

[Stugotz]

That's precisely right. Sports and one of the few regular season games I did get to watch some was Pacers Bucs, in which Tyrese Aliburton had an unbelievable. Yeah. Win probability defying 4 point sequence against them. And it's kind of under the radar, I guess because the market that they play in. But as it was alluded to, as it was alluded to by Marcus Morris on first take, this is kind of like a blueprint series for what Milwaukee's got going on with Doc Rivers and Damian Lillard. The Damian Lillard thing, I know they won the Ist, but you kind of need proof of concept here. And if they bow out in the first round, he's right to seize on this is roster changing dynamics at play for Milwaukee if they. If they fail to get out of the first round.

[Dan Le Batard]

I really do enjoy the Pacers, just their style of play.

[Tony]

I really said no one ever.

[Dan Le Batard]

Halliburton. No, I know, I know that this is not something that's being talked about, but I saw the way they came back against Cleveland. They score like crazy. I want to play some sound for you here of Isiah Thomas. I asked when this sound was brought to my attention, which Isaiah Thomas is this? And then I was told the old one, which didn't feel right. It felt disrespectful.

[Stugotz]

It was.

[Dan Le Batard]

It doesn't feel like you could say the hall of Famer, you could say the Piston. The old one knew who I meant. Yeah. But I just thought it was wildly disrespectful. And here he is being disrespectful and old about LeBron James warming up shirtless on the sidelines, wearing. Wearing durag, question mark. I just totally, 100% object to this. And if I was the GM or coach, me too. I would never let one of my players walk out on the floor looking like this. I mean, we are professional NBA league. We ain't, we ain't. Summer league, we ain't, we ain't, you know, at the ymca.

[Stugotz]

Listen, I think.

[Dan Le Batard]

I think coaches gotta go back to suits.

[Stugotz]

Absolutely.

[Dan Le Batard]

I just mean. Absolutely.

[Tony]

You know, I just think college and pro.

[Dan Le Batard]

I just think the professionalism in our NBA league has diminished so much.

[Tony]

And.

[Dan Le Batard]

Look, I like LeBron. I'm a fan of his.

[Stugotz]

So forth and so on.

[Dan Le Batard]

But to walk out on the floor before a game with no shirt on and shoot. I mean, come on, man.

[Tony]

This.

[Dan Le Batard]

Where we at. What we doing? Where we at now? If you want to. Adam Silver, if you want to find somebody, find that. Put a fine on that, Roy. Why are you making faces, old man?

[Stugotz]

Just. Just old man.

[Tony]

It was shoot around.

[Stugotz]

It was before the game.

[Tony]

There was nobody in the arena. What are we doing here?

[Stugotz]

Why are we fighting players for not having a shirt on?

[Tony]

It's just old man. If Dan Dakich had that same take, that would go over way worse.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, I didn't see a single gray hair on that NBA TV show.

[Tony]

There was a lot of dye on that.

[Stugotz]

And I know some of those guys are longer in the tooth.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah. So you've got Steve Smith on that set.

[Stugotz]

Yeah. I mean, we all know what's going on with Jalen.

[Dan Le Batard]

You've got Jalen Rose on that set. I don't know who that is between them.

[Billy Gill]

He's a host of some sort, it seems.

[Dan Le Batard]

A host of some sort.

[Stugotz]

Is that the dude that Sam Mitchell gave away his home address to?

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, yeah.

[Stugotz]

I think that the dude.

[Dan Le Batard]

It might be. I'm pretty sure you guys know that. Steve Smith. Maybe you don't know that. Steve Smith's nickname. Do you guys know this? Any of you know this? I believe I have this right. When I say. And there's no reason for you to know it, it's a terrible nickname. His. His nickname was Tricky, which just stinks as an. As a nickname. But I'm pretty sure it was given to him by Miami Herald readers. I believe he gave out the right to his nickname. I think a contest produced it. I just can't help but watch that. I know you guys are going old on this, but when Isaiah Thomas is sitting here talking about professionalism and he's got a sexual harassment case in the resume when he was an executive, like on professionalism, one is shirtlessness while taking shots. The other one is even less professional.

[Stugotz]

And GMs, you can't let your players go out on the court looking like that. I'm like, he looks pretty great. He's 40 years old. Put together, I'd be shirtless, too, all the time. I'd be shirtless during the game.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, Billy says. Billy Gill says that in the flight back from the super bowl, that Njoku was on the plane shirt list, that Njoku goes everywhere. David Njoku, the former University of Miami guy, and Cleveland Brown, tight end, who is a. I mean, he's a Statue, Greek statue.

[Stugotz]

One of the best bodies I've ever seen.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, and he know and he knows it. And evidently he's just always shirtless. You can't go. Look, you can be on the court shirtless before you can be on the airplane shirtless.

[Stugotz]

Like he was on the airplane shirtless. I know he's everywhere shirtless. But I think that the. The airplane, someone may tell him to put on a shirt.

[Tony]

We have the clip here of Sam Mitchell not happy with a co host.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is so good here. So they say this is a misunderstanding. They did another video after this one vent went vi in which they went to Sam Mitchell's home to just show you. Hey, there's no awkwardness here. These people are friends, but this seems like awkwardness.

[Tony]

I'm surprised coaches get a paycheck for this show. You know, I think, like, maybe you should do this pro bono, my friend. You know, last time I looked at.

[Dan Le Batard]

My check, it's pretty close.

[Tony]

So, hey, I'm taking donations.

[Dan Le Batard]

Why don't you come up off some.

[Tony]

Of that money you got since you over there bragging about it? I'm not bragging about it. I mean.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Tony]

Oh, oh, I'm sorry.

[Dan Le Batard]

Did you rent your beach house out down in Florida during the hurricane, or.

[Tony]

Do I need to go on?

[Dan Le Batard]

How about your townhouse over at Buckhead?

[Tony]

Hey, what's going on? You wanna call me out?

[Stugotz]

I mean, come on.

[Tony]

You screaming broke and hungry. Let's just see it. You know, I know what you're having where you live, young fella, so you need to stop. I think we have snitches on the show today. We don't have snitches.

[Dan Le Batard]

We have Sam Tellers Mitchell.

[Tony]

We have Truth Tellers. So you're the one who crying poor and destitute up here. When do I need to keep going on further more and more?

[Dan Le Batard]

Or do you want me to stop right now?

[Tony]

Go to this game called Kings. I done told you, Young State warriors, you gonna stop messing with me on national tv. I done told you about that. Hey, do I need to give out the address? Cause you're.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's former coach of the year. Former Coach of the year Sam Mitchell.

[Stugotz]

Stay out of other people's pockets, man.

[Dan Le Batard]

He did not. That was awkward. Sam Mitchell. I will say this again, former coach of the year Sam Mitchell, because he has been known for a long time to speak out of pocket and be okay saying to people's faces things that they might not want to hear.

[Tony]

NBA TV host getting beach house too. What's going on over here.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's going pretty well there over at NBA tv.

[Tony]

We don't even know his name. The guy's got a beach house in Florida.

[Dan Le Batard]

That felt real though, did it not? Because they did. They. They went back. Rare. Is television quite that awkward? Didn't Steve Smith have something famous happen on the sidelines with somebody? There was. You're going to have to help me here. Because there was an awkward moment between Steve Smith.

[Stugotz]

Who will find Stephen A. Smith. I know about that one.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, not that one.

[Stugotz]

The one that has no choice but to consider running for president.

[Tony]

Not Steve.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes. He says his pastor has told him to run for president.

[Tony]

I saw that.

[Stugotz]

You have left me with no choice but to consider this. It's incredible. Like you got a choice. No, I have no choice but to consider running for the highest office in the land.

[Tony]

Which Steve Smith are you talking about?

[Dan Le Batard]

The wide receiver.

[Tony]

Okay. Because you mentioned him after a basketball topic. So I went straight to NBA Steve Smith.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, there's.

[Dan Le Batard]

Fair enough.

[Stugotz]

There's three different ones here. So glad you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, that's what the A's for.

[Stugotz]

And that's what the seniors for as well.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, right, Steve. That's what the Tricky's for.

[Tony]

Tricky Smith. Did he get this nickname while Run DMC was.

[Dan Le Batard]

Please. I asked you guys to look it up while I was talking. When you got computer access, I asked you guys to look up how it is that he got the nickname Tricky because I was busy doing what I'm doing here. I don't know how to answer any of your questions regarding Steve Tricky Smith, other than to say that as a nickname, Tricky is not dominant, Tricky is not excellent, Tricky is not enduring. It's somebody who can trick you because you're not expecting anything from like, it's. It's just. I'd like to know what the. What the lost nicknames were. What finished in second and third place. That. That Tricky was the one that the Miami Herald. If indeed I have this right.

[Stugotz]

I'm gonna try to find out if the Miami Herald readers actually gave him the nickname. I asked artificial intelligence. Why is he nicknamed Tricky? And apparently he had deceptive ball handling skills and he had a signature move. Now, AI could be wrong. It's wrong. Often he had a signature move that people referred to as, oh, that's the Steve Smith move.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't remember that. I don't remember a signature move from Steve Trickey Smith, nor do I remember the details. I need that we will soon find about Steve Smith the wide receiver. As a broadcaster. This was Last year, being on the.

[Tony]

Sidelines, was it an interaction with Jerry Judy? I'm seeing something where he called him like a third tier receiver.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, we'll get that. And then they, they had. They. There was the awkwardness of him doing that and then there was the awkwardness of he and Jerry Judy getting into it on live television. So you will find that in a moment.

[Billy Gill]

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[Tony]

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[Dan Le Batard]

Don lebatard but it's just his titties are sitting on the shelf that is his belly stugats.

[Stugotz]

He said titties like shocked me a little bit. I wasn't quite prepared.

[Tony]

For cities this is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats.

[Dan Le Batard]

Before we do that, can we just please, because I missed the useless sound montage, I want it to be in other sports. I want to point out again and again how many athletes and coaches just say things in order to say them because we need the sound bites to eat. But here, just give me what you can hear in terms of a baseball useless sound montage, please.

[Stugotz]

Every time he walks up there, you.

[Billy Gill]

Know he's got that hitterish thing about him.

[Stugotz]

He showed that he's a competitor for me. I'm just looking to just get a get A good pitch to hit over the middle of the plate. He's a good hitter. He's very smart and he cares about his teammates.

[Dan Le Batard]

He does.

[Tony]

I love my bat.

[Stugotz]

Obviously, you never want to give up any runs.

[Dan Le Batard]

We did a lot of good things right. We obviously didn't do some things right.

[Tony]

Got tipped your cap sometimes. God bless and raise up. Don't let off the gas.

[Stugotz]

Keep scoring, keep scoring till you get that final out.

[Tony]

And we were able to do that tonight.

[Stugotz]

We don't give up until the last out's made. I think what I liked best is we just found a way to win.

[Dan Le Batard]

We're winning games and at the end of the day, that's all that matters.

[Tony]

You know, is just get that win. You go out there to win every game.

[Stugotz]

I don't know.

[Dan Le Batard]

You know, I think, you know, I don't know.

[Tony]

I just was. I don't know.

[Stugotz]

I have watched the Smitty in action. Steve Smith did a breakdown on NBA tv, by the way. All the old analysts were wearing their.

[Tony]

Game jerseys, but pants also.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, it was weird. Isaiah Thomas, who laments, like, how LeBron dresses, he was wearing business pants, but he was wearing his jersey with no sleeves. Everybody. A lot of upper arm skin. But the Smitty move, it concludes with him saying, now it's a bit of a carry, which is all good moves. Yeah, it is tricky, but it only happens on the left side of the. The floor when you're up by the corner three, you travel, you carry the ball with you. You do a little skip and then you power to the baseline and you take it all the way to the cup with a slam dunk. But it is a very deceptive move which plays into the nickname Dan. That Miami Herald contest had 852 entries.

[Tony]

Is that good?

[Stugotz]

That's a lot. That's a lot of possible nicknames.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's not a lot. 852 is not a lot for someone to take on as their nickname. Nickname. Put it on the poll at Lebanon show. Would you need more than 852 votes to accept those votes as your new nickname?

[Stugotz]

I think that's different than entries, though. I think 852 possible nicknames were submitted. As far as votes go, it's probably much greater than that.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, so I misunderstood what it is that you were telling Tricky. If I told you right now, hey, you're playing at the yellow or you're playing, in order to become inclusive, the Jewish Community center, you're playing wherever it is that you play basketball. And the person that you're playing against. I want you to create a visual in your mind. I'm telling you that you're going to a place to play basketball against somebody. And this is all the information that you have on that player. His name is Smitty. He's got to move. Called the Smitty. And his nickname is Tricky. That person is 5 foot 6, pudgy and plays with a headband in my.

[Stugotz]

Mind, calls every foul, but also going to kick my ass.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, he's gonna be good though.

[Stugotz]

Oh, he's. Oh yeah, yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

With a game that's tricky.

[Stugotz]

Yeah. I mean, how else would it be? If you're 5 foot 6, you gotta have some, you gotta have some tricks up his sleeve.

[Dan Le Batard]

This look, man, when Ja Morant calls Kahlilwehr a pigeon. When Khalil Wehr is on him because he's grateful that Bam is not on him. And I'm watching what happens there. Where a 20 year old of uncommon physical attributes can't guard Ja Morant because he too is of uncommon physical attributes. I can stop and remember my friend Jeff Miller, who was about half my size. And I could never block his shot. Anytime we were playing basketball, I'd get a hip, I'd get. Something would get in my way. I got it like I'm. I'm clearly going to block his shot. I'm much bigger than him and he doesn't have an angle here and he's not faster than me. And now the ball, I'm retrieving the ball out of the hoop again because I can never get it because he's a tricky Smitty.

[Tony]

That's the thing, Dan. When you're smaller in size, you use things to try and like leverage your body to make sure you throw a chicken wing here, a hip there. All of a sudden you're going for a layup, but then the elbow swings back. You got caught with an elbow chicken wing to the back. Right. And that's the thing, you can start playing a little bit tricky when you don't have the size or the speed.

[Stugotz]

We know ball back here, man. Thank you. It was pointed out to me that Amin and I pretty much nailed the wizard season when it came to a win loss total before the season and preseason Oddball special. Your boy knows ball.

[Dan Le Batard]

Congratulations, Andreas.

[Stugotz]

I'm a ball knower.

[Dan Le Batard]

Can you guys play for me, please? Gas bag of the week and I want to get to a behind the bit here in second because we've gotten away from celebrating our 20 year anniversary. I did want to ask you guys, in celebration of what is possibly us getting thousands of people out to see the part of Greg Cody's body over his belly button that will be surgically either removed or altered so that we may gather as pilgrimage in order to see it on display in a glass case with lighting one day. I believe that to be the greatest achievement in our show's history. Do you guys have anything in the way of nominees, Other nominees that you think might but won't knock that off as the greatest achievement in our show's history?

[Tony]

Getting hundreds of people to see you in a speedo.

[Stugotz]

We had the number one album in America on itunes. Briefly.

[Dan Le Batard]

Excellent nominees, but lesser, lesser nominees than what it is that I'm talking about.

[Tony]

We've made David Sampson somewhat likable.

[Dan Le Batard]

Have we?

[Stugotz]

No. Yes. No, I think we have. You did. Yeah. By being more unlikable than him.

[Tony]

Stu Gotts wrote a book before you did.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, that's really good.

[Tony]

Oh, that has a really good book. Stanzic wrote a book for Stugots before you wrote a book. Book.

[Dan Le Batard]

Still a good one.

[Stugotz]

We're still around, which is a massive achievement. And not at all was in the cards for us when we started on an upstart radio station.

[Dan Le Batard]

All of them good nominees, none of them as good as getting thousands of people to make a pilgrimage to see a toenail of an old guy. Disgusting toenail of an old guy. Who's the gas bag of the week? Let's find out together. We'll probably know by sound, right? This is not an obscure gas bag of the week.

[Tony]

It's not obscure. It needs a little setup. Cody Bellinger, center fielder for the Yankees, I guess, missed some games recently because of food poisoning. Had some bad chicken wings. This was not an acceptable excuse for one. Chris Mad Dog Russo.

[Stugotz]

Let's see. Is there anything else I wanted to.

[Tony]

Bring up here in the beginning, Kelly? Cody Bellinger got sick on some chicken wings. You know, Cody eating them. And why would you have chicken wings from a hotel? That's the.

[Dan Le Batard]

You know, make yourself a grilled cheese.

[Tony]

Sandwich and call it a day. I mean, geez. I mean, he got sick on a grilled cheese tomato, on some potato chips.

[Dan Le Batard]

On a glass of milk.

[Tony]

That should carry you. As far as. As far as that is concerned. We know about the draft. Where we stand with that. Just holding it against him. The chicken wings. Like you need to have a turkey sandwich. Chicken wings.

[Stugotz]

Gas bag of the week.

[Dan Le Batard]

Can you. Can you tell me who's editing that? That there would be a stray sentence at the end of that where he's just teasing to the upcoming draft. Like who. Who's our editor on this? That we can't stop that after grilled.

[Tony]

Somebody Amazing, by the way.

[Dan Le Batard]

Grilled cheese, sand.

[Tony]

It's a transition. He's getting back into sports.

[Stugotz]

I'd argue for the merits of that because it's radio.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, okay. I appreciate you guys arguing for the merits of that. We need better editing around here.

[Tony]

Editing.

[Stugotz]

If he gave time and temp, I'd want that too. Even if it doesn't apply. He's just a master of the craft.

[Dan Le Batard]

Behind the Bit is something that we have been doing to celebrate our 20 year anniversary around here. And in this case, and we talked about this last week. I don't know if you remember, Tony, your nemesis, Billy Gill, somehow magically beating the Freeze in Atlanta. The Freeze. A sprinter or a former sprinter, I guess he's still a current sprinter who is part of the shenanigans. During Braves games, they run the entirety of the warning track. It's a hell of a long run. Billy tried to pace himself. This is a good strategy by going slower at the beginning because the way the Freeze catches you is he doesn't slow down. You do. Like his. His speed never. His speed slows because he's got the stamina for the entire warning track. You, of course, have never run the warning track. You're also afraid because that sounds fast. What's coming from behind and you have taken inventory of how tired you are and how far that foul pole looks now that you're 40 yards away from it. Let's celebrate together. Billy Gill. Somehow magically our fastest guy, Billy Gill, he beat Chris Cody in a ra. He beat Pablo Torre in a race. He beat Amin in a race. Billy's our fastest guy because he also beat the Freeze.

[Billy Gill]

This is behind the Bit. This is behind the bit. This is behind the Bit. A segment about when you used to like us and I used to like me and I used to like you. This is race tracks. The Freeze.

[Dan Le Batard]

Who is the Freeze?

[Billy Gill]

The Freeze is a person that the Atlanta Braves will bring out. You get a chance to race against this person. If you beat the Freeze, I think you got like a $250 gift card for gas or something. He was kind of everywhere. You'd see videos of everybody falling, everybody racing the Freezer and you get a little bit of a head start. And then what always happens is you get out to lead. The Freeze ultimately catches up to you. You're celebrating, you're cocky, and then you get beat and embarrassed. By the freeze. So we were headed up to Atlanta for the Super Bowl. We're trying to figure out different bits that we could do as a long shot. We're like, well, let's see if we can race the freeze. Thinking everyone would be doing this, but it was a football event, so no one except us was thinking of doing this. The best part about the freeze that I remember was we had to call him racetracks the freeze the entire time. This Racetracks the freeze racetrack was a sponsor. It had to go through legal with the braves. It had to go through legal with racetrack because they owned the bit. So we had to continue to call him racetracks the freeze every single time. I wasn't sure it was going to happen. I went to my college and got a track uniform from them that was skin tight, which I gave them what I thought was the right size. But as you can see in the video, it was tighter than anticipated. It was also very cold day. I didn't get the head start I was supposed to get. So I ask a lot of questions beforehand because I ran track. I didn't. I was a pole vaulter, but I ran track. So I knew this is a long distance, and if I sprint the whole way, I'm gonna gas out. So what I did was, in casual conversation, walking up to it, I was asking, like, so. So how much of a head start do I get? Where exactly does the freeze start running? So I was just, like, playing it up. Like, I was just curious as to how exactly this went. What I was really doing was taking notes in my head because they told me more or less where it is on the field, the freeze would start running. So my strategy was, I'm gonna get to that point as slow as possible, and then when I get to that point, I'm gonna take off. So I have an actual head start, and we both actually start running at the same time. So even though he's a lot faster than me, hopefully I can last as long as he lasts in the running.

[Dan Le Batard]

Do you feel you won?

[Billy Gill]

Yeah, I won. I crossed the finish line first. Do you feel like you fell? Because I had the finish line been 10ft further, I would. It would have been me. And all the clips that you see of all the fans that run and trip and fall as the freeze is going and chasing them down. So I fell across the finish line, but I definitely won. In the video, there was also a shot of me hugging blooper, the Braves mascot, which pains me, because I do not like the Braves. And then I have the Traumatic experience of one falling at the finish line. It's. It's like a fake. It's hard, dirty. So I had like a raspberry on my hand the whole time it was all cut up. I scraped my knee. I broke the pants that I was in from that innocent fall. I was feeling it forever. And then worse than all of that was the video of me hugging the Braves mascot blooper because I do not like the Braves. I also think I should go out on top. I think that my racing days in terms of mascots and others should be done. I'm thinking of iconic mascots I want to race, maybe the fanatic. But I also don't like the Phillies. So I don't know that I'd be able to live with myself if we had like a nice moment together.

[Dan Le Batard]

Did you guys have any reaction to the news that Paige Beckers had joined Unrivaled, the local basketball league that is 10 weeks long? Unrivaled. John Skipper, the CEO of Metal Arc is one of the investors in that idea. Did you guys have any reaction to the reported details on Paige Becker signing that deal? Deal? Because the details of that deal as they were reported was that she's going to get for one 10 week period she's signed a three year contract with Unrivaled, a made for television invention. That is something that is happening around the schedule of the WNBA 10 weeks that women have free that they don't have to go to Russia anymore to make money running. The reporting is that she will make more for those 10 weeks than she will make for the entire first four years of her initial contract in the NBA. That's how badly in the WNBA that's the reason that Unrivaled has signed her. But they didn't give any of the actual numbers. They just somebody reported it that way that this is a league league that is here that is throwing around serious money. But they didn't give you the dollar amount. They simply reported it as this will be more money than she gets in her entire rookie contract.

[Stugotz]

Because they know even at the highest end what that would be in the, in the WNBA because of the rookie wage scale there. That's. That's pretty crazy.

[Dan Le Batard]

The reporting was interesting to me. They didn't actually give the number though like so this was. All of this was a marketing exercise in reporting where every story had that detail without giving me the amount of money. None of the stories had the amount of money that I saw all of the stories had. This represents more than she in 10 weeks she will make more than she will in four years, which made me think that that was something that unrivaled was putting out there, because it's a favorable thing for unrivaled to have out there. Come down here, ladies. We have a whole. We have a whole area of a city near the airport in Miami where we're just making televised basketball. We don't need fans to do it. It's all part of trying to grab the TV streaming dollars so that you could flip that league when you flip it for real dollars. And that's some real money being thrown around when you can edge out the WNBA on something and send out a press release that can say to everybody, look how poorly paid they are over there, and look at how well we're paying over here.

[Stugotz]

It's also much fewer players that you have to pay, given how the league is structured and all the operating costs.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's three on three.

[Stugotz]

Yeah. With all the operating costs that come with, like, having to have an expansive roster and all that comes with that.

[Dan Le Batard]

In the W, they built a campus, though. They've. They've. Instead of going to Russia and being Brittney Griner, they went to Hialeah.

[Tony]

You go to Medley, which truck stops in Medley.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Tony]

It's funny when we talk about it, though, because for us, it's like Medley. The only thing that's in Medley is literally like warehouses.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's not Russia, but it's Miami's Russia.

[Stugotz]

It's close.

[Dan Le Batard]

It ain't Russia, but it. It ain't where I put a basketball league. I'm confused by the airport that we've got essentially a campus. It's a campus and it has all the amenities. It. It has child care. It has the ability to. It's basically the bubble. And you could leave the bubble. There's not, you know, a pandemic going on, but you leave the bubble. And there's not an area you want to be in because it's Medley.

[Tony]

Closest thing is Doral.

[Dan Le Batard]

I mean, there ain't nothing close. There ain't no closest thing. There are airports flying out loudly nearby, but it is a strange place. Hey, where are the best women basketball player in the players in the world? Medley. Is that right? I cannot explain to you in this part of Miami how strange it is to see a thriving epicenter for future basketball commerce over there near the Pollo Tropical.

[Stugotz]

Where do you find out where Messi's playing? Opalaka, Hialeah Flea market.

[Tony]

Are we going to talk Masters, folks? Listen up. They're here. And they're hot. Get ready because Jimmy John's is turning up the heat. After years of perfecting the cold sandwich, toasted sandwiches are finally here. Try one of their three all new toasted creations. The Toasted Chicken Bacon Ranch All Natural Chicken Creamy Homestyle Ranch, Applewood Smoked bacon, melted provolone, fresh veggies, all on a perfectly toasted French bread.

[Billy Gill]

Good God, does that sound delicious?

[Tony]

Or the toasted roast beef and Cheddar Premium roast beef Melty Cheddar Creamy horseradish sauce, crispy fried onions, fresh veggies, Golden Toasted French bread. It just keeps getting better. And the toasted Ultimate Italian Salami Capacola Smoked ham, Applewood Smoked bacon, melted provolone, shredded Parmesan, Fresh veggies toasted to perfection. Or take your favorite Jimmy John classics like the number 9 Italian Night Club or the number 11 Country Club and get them toasted. Order now at jimmyjohn's.com on the Jimmy John's app or stop by your local Jimmy John's.

[Stugotz]

Today it's the 50th anniversary of Miller Light. And for many of those 50 years, they've been partnered up with the Dan LeBatard Show. Back to our terrestrial radio days, all throughout national syndication. Pirate Face, where we are now so grateful for that partnership because you guys know we believe it. It's a beer for people who love their beer beer. And hopefully our audience loves their beer enough to always trust Miller Light like I do. From game night parties with friends or a special anniversary like 20 years together on air, celebrating important occasions means more moments with the coolest people in your life. Cheers to 50 years of Miller Lite, the great tasting light beer for people who Love beer. Since 1975. It's Miller time. Miller Light is brewed for taste. Simply put, it just hits different because of those simple ingredients like malted barley for rich balanced toffee note flavors and the iconic golden color. Oh, and that white can do. I love that white can. 96 calories and just 3.2 grams of carbs per 12 ounces. Miller time is always a good time. Miller Lite great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you or you can pick up Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.