Stugats (2:52)

It was easily one of the sickest hockey moments I've ever witnessed in my life. Second to the 2010 gold medal game, where the entire crowd, every single person in the crowd, wore the official Canada red jersey. Nobody had, like, their own T shirt that they made at home. Nobody had, like, oh, I'm gonna wear, like, my favorite hockey team. I'm a Penguins. Everyone had the team hockey jersey on 20,000 people at GM plays. I've never seen anything like that before in sports. How do you blow a 5 on 3 hockey people? Explain this one to me.

Dan Le Batard (3:29)

No Crosby. Also, the US Killed off every single penalty in the tournament, so they were 100%

Stugats (3:37)

*. My favorite baseball is spring training baseball. Let me tell you something. Don't talk about no grapefruits. Cactus League underway this weekend. It was 82 degrees yesterday. Guys, what are you

Dan Le Batard (3:54)

doing? I love spring training

Stugats (3:55)

baseball. It's so much better than regular baseball. It's so much better. Other than playoffs. Other than

Dan Le Batard (4:01)

playoffs. And outside of the fact that you're getting guys wearing, like, 92 playing

Stugats (4:04)

games, that's the best

Dan Le Batard (4:04)

part. I like when the guys run laps in the outfield while the game is actually going on. Oh, it's the best. Running poles. Running poles. By the way, that should be the punishment when we're talking about things in baseball. We'll have that conversation another

Stugats (4:16)

day. By the way, do you guys have this in the Grapefruit League? Like the seating where it's not even seats, it's just a grassy knoll that people sit

Dan Le Batard (4:22)

on. Yeah. That exists at different ballparks, like the Little League, World Series. That's

Stugats (4:25)

awesome. Cactus League, baby. Nothing like it. Don't look now. Here come the spurs on eight straight, nine of their last 10. Celtics started Baylor Schierman for the 10th time last night versus the Lakers. And you, Jam Oakes, are sitting around wondering if Jayson Tatum should come back. Are you out of your mind? Baylor Shireman. Hey. Hey, guys. We got Jason Tatum. No, no, no, no. Baylor's been on a hot streak. Get out of here, man. Having said that, Joe Missoula has to stop being coy at press conferences. We practice sessions today. Did he practice? He does a little Cash Patel, too. I don't know if you guys noticed that Joe Mazzullo, he's got a little Cash Patel in

Dan Le Batard (5:11)

him. I was sorry you missed Cash Patel. He was just here. Never in the same room. Starting to get

Stugats (5:18)

fishy. Well, I'll go to 11 and find him. Track him down there. All Right. New season of bar rescue. It's a great time to remind everyone about here's the Science a Bar Rescue podcast. Here's the logo for the here's the Science a Bar Rescue podcast. It's hosted by by real life bar and restaurant consultant Chelsea Reynolds, commercial kitchen and food truck vet Colin Kassard, and two people who have visited a bar or several in their day, Zach Harper and myself. Wherever you get podcasts, WNBA sent a counter proposal to the wnbpa. In it, they proposed the same salary cap and same rev share. Heady play. You guys ever do that in negotiation? They're like, what if we counter with this? And you're like, what if I counter with this? And your counter is basically the same thing that you offered to begin

Dan Le Batard (6:03)

with. Flat is the new

Stugats (6:05)

raise. I love it, man. Cuz sometimes people don't read and they like, yeah, this is a lot better.

Dan Le Batard (6:10)

Okay. Do people do that money slide the piece of paper across the table thing in real life? That's happened in real

Stugats (6:16)

life. Have I never told you my favorite slide the money on a piece of paper story ever? No. Alan Houston plays for the Knicks. They're playing great. They go to the finals. The second year they lose in the conference finals. He's been awesome. He's outperformed his contract. He opts out and his agent is like, hey, let's go in aggressive and ask $77 million on the next deal. And they said. They sat down and the Knicks slid the paper over and it said 100 mil. And they just got up and said, let me see that pen. They never negotiated. They never said anything. They were going to start at 77 and work their way down to, like 74. The Knicks started at 100, said, Let me see your

Dan Le Batard (6:55)

pen. Why are you eating that piece of paper, Alan Houston? None of your business. I missed

Stugats (6:59)

breakfast. Don't look now. Here come the bulls, losers of nine straight and nine of their last 10 guys. It's gonna be a hell of a tank season. Congrats to Pat Riley getting a statue outside of crypto. Your move,

Dan Le Batard (7:16)

Miami. I mean, I mean, he'll have

Stugats (7:21)

one. Why? Why are we waiting? He's still

Dan Le Batard (7:24)

active. He's still down

Stugats (7:25)

there. He should have been there before Wade. Oh, okay. Disrespectful, if you ask

Dan Le Batard (7:28)

me. I mean, the court is named after

Stugats (7:30)

him. Needs a

Dan Le Batard (7:31)

statue. Does that mean they're not gonna give him a statue? Because they gave him the court? Of course you get the court and a

Stugats (7:36)

statue. Yes, of course. I mean, he is the most important figure in the history of this

Dan Le Batard (7:41)

franchise and maybe a banner. But when you give him the court, is the court not. You can only ever do one. You never talk about the court, though. You can give multiple statues. You never talk about the

Stugats (7:49)

court. The statue we need when. When NBC or ABC have the shot, they've got to do the. The panning shot. You got to have the statue right out there. Oh, look at

Dan Le Batard (7:57)

that. You can only do one court. The court is patronizing. If the name. If the arena is named after somebody else and all I get is the court. Yeah, I feel like you're marginalizing my. My deeds. What about Coach K? Nobody calls it the Coach K court. Nobody calls it

Stugats (8:11)

that. I didn't even know that until right now. Roy. Missed connection. You were the caramel skin stunner with pretty eyes waiting for your car at the valet stand. I was the guy who rear ended it. Team Canada still the best jersey in the Olympics. Fight me. That red with the black maple leaf. Bad intentions. Fight me,

Dan Le Batard (8:35)

Roy. Not bad enough, I

Stugats (8:36)

guess. Jersey can't win the game, man. Jersey can't score in a five on three. You gotta do

Dan Le Batard (8:42)

that. There was no 87 jersey out there. History will 97 wasn't gonna do it. It was a big

Stugats (8:48)

game. Miracle on ice. Overrated. Cinevo episode 300 crossover movie was so unintentionally hilarious, we made it a two part episode. One of the characters is a high school phenom. Tony, stay with me on this one because I need your expertise on this. One of the characters is a high school phenom who has his full ride scholarship to medical school revoked. So rather than going to the NBA, he opts to go to community college where he graduates with

Dan Le Batard (9:23)

honors. Who writes

Stugats (9:27)

these? Someone who has never been to

Dan Le Batard (9:30)

college. So full ride to medical school gets

Stugats (9:33)

denied. So he's a high school player, Right? He plays in an underground game that apparently some people got paid to play in. He didn't take any money, but it gets out and he loses his full ride to medical school. Not to college, to play basketball at the medical school, to play basketball, but also to go to medical

Dan Le Batard (9:52)

school. Okay, I'm

Stugats (9:53)

following. And because he loses it, this agent is like, yo, you go to NBA, I'll get you placed. And he says, nah, that ain't my dream. So he goes to community college instead and he graduates with honors. I didn't even know community college had

Dan Le Batard (10:08)

honors. I went. They

Stugats (10:09)

didn't. Cinepope wherever you get

Dan Le Batard (10:12)

podcasts. Why wouldn't junior college have honors? Because we're all here in junior college. We didn't make it to regular college. There's no honors. Proud

Stugats (10:22)

shark. Exactly

Dan Le Batard (10:23)

right. Proud

Stugats (10:23)

shark. This is my camera right here. Hey, team Canada, Our Connor is better than your Connor. Hey, team usa, Conor Hillebuck is your mvp, not Jack Hughes. Conor Hillebuck. Speaking of hell are briles. Those are the weekend

Dan Le Batard (10:45)

observations. You know, as a guy, we start to get up there in age and all of a sudden the energy that we used to have when we were younger just isn't there anymore. I mean, I'm 45 years old now. I may look like I'm still 35, but I don't feel feel like I'm 35 anymore. So when the new year came around, I had to find something to get energized again. And that's why now I'm taking Mars men as it unlocks usable testosterone. So I'm feeling like myself again. That's right, my body, it makes testosterone. But a lot of it gets locked up, gets hidden away and it can't be used. So I learned there's this protein called shbg. It handcuffs your testosterone. Well, Mars men is designed to free up that lock testosterone. And now my body can actually use it. Mars men supports healthy T levels, energy and stamina. We're talking eight naturally clinically dosed ingredients made in the USA 90 day money back guarantee. So there's no risk. Worst case, you don't absolutely love it, you get your money back. For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off for life plus free shipping and free three free gifts@ Mengotomars.com it's a perfect way to kick off the new year Strong. That's men GoToMars.com for 50% off and three free gifts at checkout. After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show. Tell them our show sent to you. It is time to talk to you kind folks about one of our best partners, one of our longest tenured partners, Miller Lite. You know, we've been with Miller lite for about half of their illustrious existence and I couldn't be more grateful. We often ask you to support those who support us. So the other day I was fully in stay at home mode. Had the left turns on relaxing on the couch. Long day, sweatpants remote in hand, already planning which sporting event I was gonna flip to next. Then a friend texted me, nothing big. Hey, why don't we just have a small hang? And I said, come on over, pal. I got the Miller lights on deck, I put out a bucket filled with ice cold, beautiful white cans of Miller Light and we had ourselves a sundae. Next thing you know, the race is tight. Everybody's yelling at the tv, we're toasting our beers and we look at each other. We take a sip and we know that we made the right call. Cheers to legendary moments with Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you, or you can pick up some 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. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. February can make it seem like everyone else has their love life figured out. Whether that's perfect dates, long term partnerships, or big romantic gestures. But the truth is, most people are still figuring it out. I included married, dating, single or Focusing on yourself Being unsure is normal. Therapy can help take some of the pressure off. It's a space to slow down, sort through what feels heavy and get clearer on what you want in your relationships and what might be getting in the way. Whether you're working on communication, emotional patterns, or simply trying to feel more grounded, therapy can help you find your way forward. BetterHelp works with fully licensed therapists in the US and does the matchmaking for you. You'll start with a short questionnaire to help identify your needs and preferences, and if your match doesn't feel right, you can switch therapists at any time. With over 30,000 therapists and more than 6 million people served globally, BetterHelp has an average of a 4.9 out of 5 based on 1.7 million client reviews. If you're ready to take some weight off your relationships or yourself, sign up and get 10 off at betterhelp.com DLB that's better. H-E-L-P.com DLB Don LeBatard for five minutes I was watching everyone just like, nope, not letting you in. Not letting you in. So when I got up there, I had to say something and I said it. Cheaters never prosper. Stugats. My buddy was saying, not today. Yeah, but you're not today. I think that was what he was

Stugats (14:51)

adding.

Dan Le Batard (14:51)

Yeah, I'm telling you, the response I got from this guy, what I said was amazing. Cheaters never prosper. This guy yelled as angry as he could. I ain't cheating. This is the Dan Levatar show with the

Stugats (15:05)

stugats. The fact that Jack Hughes's face is plastered everywhere and no one's talking about this dude who's stopping shit left and

Dan Le Batard (15:20)

right. I was talking about

Stugats (15:21)

him. No,

Dan Le Batard (15:21)

you. I'm not talking

Stugats (15:23)

about. I'm talking about national

Dan Le Batard (15:24)

leagues. Anyone that watched that game left. That game was like, we only won that because of hella

Stugats (15:28)

buck. No, they were all talking about Jack Hughes. Look at the. I've been watching first take and all these things on the screens. All I see, Jack Hughes bloody mouth every five seconds. I didn't see one still of him. My man doing this right

Dan Le Batard (15:38)

here. There was this. There was a save that he made slow motion with the

Stugats (15:42)

stick.

Dan Le Batard (15:42)

Save. Yeah, that. That was the, I guess the play of the game

Stugats (15:46)

really. Right. They should have carried him

Dan Le Batard (15:48)

out. McAvoy

Stugats (15:49)

blocking. They should have been like the. Like they did in 20 CB for here's a jolly good fellow just throwing them up in

Dan Le Batard (15:56)

there. Do we still have actually what they did for Jackie's still have those

Stugats (15:59)

things? Yeah. It's like a. Like a sheet,

Dan Le Batard (16:00)

right? Like a big

Stugats (16:01)

sheet. Like a

Dan Le Batard (16:02)

trampoline. McAvoy really spared Canada a moral conundrum because even Canadians didn't want to see Tom Wilson score the big

Stugats (16:12)

goal.

Dan Le Batard (16:13)

Right. We can all agree universally that no one wants to see Tom Wilson do well. Right? Even in our nation's capital where they pretend to care about hockey. You know, you just reminded me of something to

Stugats (16:24)

me. Before you move on, I just want to point out one more time, one more time. I cannot believe they're making such a big deal on all the shows about Jack

Dan Le Batard (16:32)

Hughes. When Conor, he scored the game winning goal. You know why it's been Hughes? Cuz they control the media. By the way, Zach Warinski's play is. You know what? I don't know the last time I said Zach Warrenski out loud, but that's a real hard one. It's almost as hard for me to say as unfathomable. I have a real hard time saying that

Stugats (16:56)

one. Smith and Walensky is a hard one to say. I was trying to tell my dad about that steakhouse and I couldn't say

Dan Le Batard (17:01)

it. Still, Zach Warrenski made a great play to chase that puck down. And then reeling McKinnon, he ragdolls him before he makes the great pass. Go ahead. How about Amin saying initiative, initiative. You should take a private jet there.

Stugats (17:15)

Initiative. Yeah, there you go. That's the

Dan Le Batard (17:17)

word. Go back. I mean, when you mentioned the Bulls, it occurs to me I've never really thought about them in these terms. Are they now turning into the Cleveland Browns. For people my age, when I found out as a child, you know, the Browns were actually good. They used to win world championships. Like, why. I don't. How long ago could that have been? Are the Bulls now that for people who are 25 or younger? Like, wait, the Bulls. The Bulls used to be real. Like the multiple titles. Really? Wow. Wouldn't have expected

Stugats (17:51)

that. That's a very good analogy. Yeah. Because it's like, yeah, they had this guy named Jim Brown or the Islanders in

Dan Le Batard (17:58)

hockey. I'm trying to think of who those teams. The run they had with Derrick Rose being in the conversation. I don't

Stugats (18:03)

know. That was only a. Derrick Rose

Dan Le Batard (18:05)

was. They were fringe. I mean, Brian Sipe and Bernie Kosar were good for a couple of years, too. That doesn't change the

Stugats (18:10)

reality. It was just. It wasn't that long. The Derrick Rose part wasn't that long. It wasn't that long. And that's. That's the crazy

Dan Le Batard (18:17)

part. He was probably the second most marketable guy in that league. You'd go over to other parts of the world, and he was the face of women's basketball. Who was. And then they had. And then the Tyson Chandler and. Who was the other guy? That was Eddie Curry. That was supposed to be the big turnaround for the Bulls. The new era begins

Stugats (18:34)

now. The baby Bulls is what they called them. Jamal Crawford was on that

Dan Le Batard (18:38)

team. A young Jimmy

Stugats (18:38)

Butler. A young. No, Jimmy Butler's later. He's talking about Tyson

Dan Le Batard (18:41)

Chandler. They're the ones that ended the Shaq and Wade. That was Jerry. And Jerry Krauses. That was his big comeback. Right? Was like, now I'll show you who the real the straw that stirs the drink is here in

Stugats (18:52)

Chicago. So now we're doing another soft launch of my favorite future segment on the show, which is Hot Take Time Machine, which is. We go back to 1998

Dan Le Batard (19:01)

and. Fun

Stugats (19:01)

idea. Yeah. We're 98 and. And everyone's like, I can't believe Jerry Krause did this. And I'm gonna be the guy. Guys, you don't understand. He's clearing cab space. You guys are looking ahead. The year 2000. It's a smorgasbord of free agents. We got Kevin Garnett coming up. We've got Grant Hill, we've got Tim Duncan, We've got Tracy McGrady. Chicago is synonymous with success. We are the championship organization. These guys are going to be fighting over each other to sign with the Bulls, to be the heir apparent to Michael Jordan. And that's What Jerry Krause is doing, he's getting. And by the way, also we'll have a number one overall pick along with it. Oh my God. This guy, he thinks Jerry Krause doesn't know what he's doing. Huh? You'll see. We'll laugh. Five years from now we're running the league. We'll

Dan Le Batard (19:45)

laugh. Why do you sound like Shock G. Rest in peace. We were talking about that on Friday about. And maybe I misspoke a little bit and I heard about it from people on social media. I said is two of the biggest bust of all time. Which isn't exactly the way I meant to couch it. I mean, I mean from the

Stugats (20:04)

time. Oh,

Dan Le Batard (20:06)

sorry. From. Yeah, not Tim Couch, but that's another guy on the short list. That's a great call there. By the way, I want to ask Matt Ryan, why do you, in his MVP year, why do you wear the number two of all the numbers that a quarterback could

Stugats (20:21)

wear?

Dan Le Batard (20:21)

Two. You know, it's unbecoming for obvious reasons. And he said, because my favorite player growing up were. And I said, who was that? Tim Couch. How many people can rightly say that they ended up being better at the sport than their

Stugats (20:34)

idol? Kevin Garnett wore 21 because Malik Sealy was his favorite

Dan Le Batard (20:40)

player. There you go. That's a nice little. Probably a lot of good pro athletes, right, that end up being better. Like. Well, what I meant to say about TUA was when we first became aware of this guy, that this too is going to be a phenom up. He just threw the national title winning pass there. So clearly we're right about that. He's destined for the star and then for him to not achieve that. Is he the number one in that regard? I think along those lines about your hot takes, your hot take time machine, that's fascinating to me is what if somebody traveled back to 1988 and told you Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, neither of them is going to wind up in the hall of

Stugats (21:21)

Fame. It's not going to

Dan Le Batard (21:22)

work. Neither one of them gets into the Hall. Like why? Impossible.

Stugats (21:26)

Impossible. We're back here on WNMNMNM radio and we're talking Mets here. And Dave, you told me in the break you've got an interesting theory about

Dan Le Batard (21:34)

that. Get this, Bob, Dwight Gooden and Daryl Strawberry, neither one of them's going to the hall of Fame. They sound crazy. Nuts for you. Nuts for you. Fellas. You're the bee's knees

Stugats (21:43)

now.

Dan Le Batard (21:44)

Guys. This is happening to my brand. This is 1988, not 1928, but we're doing

Stugats (21:51)

radio. Old timey

Dan Le Batard (21:52)

radio. We're doing it in New

Stugats (21:53)

York. The time machine in Queens. Yeah, that's right. That's how we talk in Queens. See. Hey, I'll tell you what, both those fellas going to run the Mets for years. We're gonna win 17 pennants, 25 World Series. I don't do the math that

Dan Le Batard (22:05)

well. I mean, I hope we'll have time to tap into this over the course of the next four days while we're all together here. But I am curious. People are trying. It feels to me as somebody who is just now, you know, no jive. I have a no jive policy and I'm not gonna jive

Stugats (22:21)

you. No one's calling anyone a

Dan Le Batard (22:22)

jt. I. No, I'm not. I'm not here to jive. Not myself, not you, not anybody. I feel like as Mike Ryan volunteered his interest in the Cavaliers boosted by James Harden, classic playoff performer, I think people are trying to talk themselves into who is going to compete with the Celtics come springtime in the playoffs. Is it, is it a foregone conclusion in your expert analysis that the Celts represent the

Stugats (22:53)

East? No, not a foregone conclusion. I think. I think that's who I'm betting on in my mind. I think they're going to really. I think they're going to win the east really. And I don't even think it's

Dan Le Batard (23:06)

dependent on whether table I completely agree. Well, I think, I assume he's coming back, but the discussion that it's going to be hard to reintegrate

Stugats (23:13)

him. Is that the most foolish discussion I've ever on this

Dan Le Batard (23:17)

that. I mean, you and I park our cars in the same garage on that. I don't like that, man. I don't like that phrase. I think it's my favorite davism. That's my hate. It's only natural to. To anticipate them having a strange acclimation point in which they struggle for a couple of

Stugats (23:33)

games. I think the reason why is because you guys are assuming Jayson Tatum is going to come back and he's like, good as dude. Let's run all the play. And it's like he's coming back from an Achilles tear in less than 12 months. He's not going to be anywhere near 100%. He won't be able to demand usage and touches and all those things. He has to be a supporting player because physically that's all he can do. He's going to be on Crazy minutes restrictions. He'll probably be off, like, off. Certainly not back to backs, but you don't have those in the playoffs. He's not going to be able to play a role that even comes close to like, I need the ball in my hands all the time. He's got to fit

Dan Le Batard (24:11)

in. I don't know. I'm just looking at a guy who is used to being option 1A, who may be able to put his ego aside and say, no, I, I don't need to. That's who he is though, right? Cachet. He is not type A personality that you would associate with NBA superstar, right? I mean, I don't know, demand the ball and all that sort of. I don't know about type A personality, but he's wanted to take the most shots on a team that's had a bunch of other really good players. He's been the guy, he's been the guy closing at the end of games. While you got Jalen Brown literally yesterday saying, I'm the best two way player in the

Stugats (24:46)

game. But that's, that's, that's a function also of how the organization is built. That wasn't demanding it. This is the choice by the coach, the choice by the GM who was his former coach. That's how they built the team. Now Jaylen Brown has shown something now that maybe they weren't comfortable before. Remember we were joking about him not having a left hand two years ago and now that seems to have gone away. Right? So there's. That's part of it. But the other part of it again is like, it's just the reality of his physical capability. And even if he doesn't play well, him being on the floor will force

Dan Le Batard (25:19)

it. Opens things up for everybody

Stugats (25:20)

else. You have to respect

Dan Le Batard (25:22)

it. Missoula coach of the year with the job that he's done with the roster that they have. He's with Shireman playing how many

Stugats (25:30)

games? Look, man, there's a look. Mitch Johnson, did anyone have San Antonio being even close to being this good? And like, Wemby's good, but remember, Wemby missed a bunch of time. It's everybody else and they won more. I think Mitch Johnson's done a great job. I think jb, JB has

Dan Le Batard (25:46)

absolutely. I think you're discounting Detroit big time in the

Stugats (25:48)

East. You know what? You know why I'm discounting them? Because I see all the makings of playoff failure. Not like perennial playoff failure. But right now, these are the things. Number one, you have one playmaker. So we've seen this time and time again where we're going to. We're going to double and trap the hell out of him and force someone else to make a play. I don't know if they have someone else who can make

Dan Le Batard (26:11)

play. Duncan Robinson would like a

Stugats (26:12)

word. There you go. Number two, one of the worst three point shooting teams, both in accuracy and attempts and

Dan Le Batard (26:21)

makes. Duncan Robinson would like a

Stugats (26:22)

word. They don't shoot well, they don't shoot often and you got to be able to make threes in the NBA, in the playoffs in order to keep defenses honest. Especially when again, we've established they're trapping the hell out of your best player. Who's your only playmaker. Number three. And this one is big. One of the worst free throw shooting teams in the NBA. You got to be able to make free throws. If you don't make free throws, it comes back to bite you. And then number four, this one's a little. Not as extreme as the other ones. They turn it over a lot, which makes sense because they only have one guy who makes plays. So all those things to me are the things that like right now as constructed with this level of experience, they're going to run into a team that's more experienced, less talented and is going to beat them. And by the way, let me be the first to say this on air anywhere as everyone has beaten the drum. Oh, they own them or whatever. If the Knicks and the Pistons meet in the playoffs, I got the Knicks winning.

Dan Le Batard (27:16)

Really? I like that call. And more so than in the other three major sports. I think this is true. Broadly speaking, the Pacers are a fluke who got to the Finals because the Celtics went away. It is a progressive. Listen to my

Stugats (27:33)

large. I'm sorry. No, no. I was reacting to something dumb

Dan Le Batard (27:36)

that I asked if the Knicks should be trying to get the

Stugats (27:38)

fours. I hate

Dan Le Batard (27:39)

that. Rather than the two or the three so that they don't have to play Boston or Cleveland in the second round. They could play Detroit. Who Amin says they're going to beat. Well, yeah. Choosing your foe. Oh, that's a good discussion for another day too. Is getting to choose who you play in the playoffs. Higher seed. I would love to explore

Stugats (27:55)

that. We had this conversation

Dan Le Batard (27:56)

before. It's my favorite. Is the NBA. It is. I mean if you look through the last 25 years or so, it is a progressive ascent in the sense that you don't, generally speaking, come out of nowhere as a team and go to the Finals. Yeah, you make the playoffs, you get some experience, then the next year maybe you make a deep run and then finally you're mature and ready to do that. We use that and apply that same standard to the NFL. Which is not true. No, it is this guy. Oh, this guy. The moment was too big for Drake May. Drake May had a bum shoulder is what I think, as a matter of fact. But that never. Sometimes guys shrink in the big spot and other guys don't. But it is not a matter of. That guy has been in a number of playoff wars and now he's ready to win. Not true in the NFL. Definitely not true in the NHL. Give me the young skill over the. Over the grizzled vet leadership in the NHL, NBA though it does matter, right? You don't just. The Pistons are not going to make. Aren't going to the Finals. Based on exactly what I'm describing,

Stugats (29:07)

there's such a vast difference between playoff basketball and regular season basketball because basketball is such a free flow state kind of game that there are things you get away with in the regular season by virtue of I'm playing against. Like I always say, your. Your season averages, while important, are also built on the corpses of all these horrible teams that you play so that there's a little inflation there. Then number two is who I'm playing. They coming off a back to back. Is this the last game of a long trip? What's happening? Right. There's all sorts of flux there. We get to the playoffs. It's so different. Right? That's the difference. The NFL and NBA. In the NFL, a playoff game. The difference in a playoff game and a regular season game is yeah, guys are a little bit more locked in. Other than that, it's the same amount of like preparation time as from week to week in a regular

Dan Le Batard (29:55)

season. They somehow will tell you that they hit harder. But sure. But I take

Stugats (29:59)

your. It's effort. It's like effort and focus is ratcheted up in the NBA. Effort and focus wraps it up. But then also we are in a position where we are given a luxury that we don't have during regular season, which is A, I'm in one place for a few days, B, I'm not worried about anybody else but you, but you. So typically, if we're playing Cleveland next week, my scout is on it, my one coach is on it, and then everyone else is worried about the rest of their lives. Like the other coaches on whatever their scout teams are, the players on what we're playing tonight, head coach, etc. When we get to the playoffs, everybody. Five assistant coaches, all the scouts, everyone's just scouting you, our next opponent, for the next, you know, four to seven games. And so that brings a level of preparation for a playoff game that you typically don't get for a regular season game. The NFL. The preparation is pretty much the same because you got the same unless you have like a bye, you get a two week. But for the most part, it's the same amount of

Dan Le Batard (30:58)

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free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you

Stugats (32:59)

rack. Don LeBatard. If Daniel Day Lewis did it, you'd be jerking off all over

Dan Le Batard (33:05)

yourself. Oh, come on. Yeah, I would be

Stugats (33:07)

aggressive. Description. I mean, what is it? What is that I'm just saying

Dan Le Batard (33:13)

what. That's me. Daniel Day Lewis does something. I see that photo of Daniel Day Lewis looking like Lincoln before he's about to start filming Lincoln, and you know what I do Amin stugats. I jerk off all over myself. That's what I do. Lincoln, who you outed the other day, don't make this a rejoin. This is the Dan lebatar show with the stugats. NBA feels like the most of the major sports, like the regular season, is treated as a rehearsal. It is an ongoing rehearsal. Outside of six to 10 minutes per game in, you know, combined minutes over the course of the 48, everything is just about like, if we're working on our stuff, this. We have the luxury to get Jason Tatum back up into. Into the rotation. We're just working on our stuff for the next 20 games. That doesn't exist in. In the other three major

Stugats (34:08)

sports. We are practicing right for the postseason like it's a live practice. It's not like going through the motions practice. But in essence, all of it is. This is the reason why one of my jobs when I was a video coordinator was any game that ended within two possessions in the last two minutes, I had to cut up all of that and put it into a database. And so that when we would play that team, I could show you every close game, defensive set, a defensive scheme and offensive set that our opponent has run. That's why when you see in the NBA game at the end, like at a playoff game, they're in a timeout, guys are huddled around an iPad behind the. They're pulling up the video and they're trying to basically predict, hey, this is what they like to run when they're down three with under 30 seconds on the clock. And this personnel out there. And that's why you always see one of the assistant coaches looking over here. Just try and see who are the guys who are getting up off the bench. A lot of that is. Yeah, it's built into regular season. That doesn't mean regular season is less important or not fun or any of those things. It just means that we are gearing up for something else. It's also why, for instance, Steve Kerr, when they had like, they said, oh, you have this death lineup with Andre Guadala in the starting lineup, whatever. Why don't you just run it all the time? It's like, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's not a regular season thing where I just wear my guys out. That's something I'll hold in my pocket. And wait until the right moment in the

Dan Le Batard (35:28)

playoffs. I mean, clever OCs will do the same thing in the NFL. But Tashay, and in baseball, it's interesting that playoff baseball informed the way the regular season is now approached with. With relief pitchers and with your pitching staff in general. That the idea it would. I mean, that was only. That's only really been true for about the last eight, 10 years. Right. That you were talking about season like, yeah, we're just going to buy committee it every game. We were talking about it back here that playoff baseball now sort of reflects what the regular season was like. But the first team that I can really remember going to and winning a World Series almost solely based off their bullpen was the Kansas City Royals. I think that was in 15 or in 16. Giants did it too. Maybe even before. Yeah. And the bullpens mattered. But like, those Giants teams had several starters who would go deep into games. They would have Bum Garner and Matt Kane and Tim Lince. They had all of these guys who would pitch heavy innings. And Bum Garner was a guy who came back similar what actually you saw with the DOD Year. Yeah. The Royals were also like a station to station baseball team, too. It was weird because baseball had already started shifting. They were like a holdover. They were bullpen first. No doubt. Yeah. And it was like Wade Davis had had national fame because of. Of the season that he had in those playoffs. But that is where the game doesn't really change the same way. But at the same time, like, that hook will be even quicker in the postseason with a starting pitcher than it will be otherwise. And you might actually see teams try to lay down a bunt in the postseason to try to get a guy over and get that one extra run in in a way that you would never see during the regular season

Stugats (37:08)

anymore. Jeremy, you said that this 2016, when the. The Royals won 15. 2015. It's been over 10 years since we heard

Dan Le Batard (37:16)

this. They are the

Stugats (37:17)

champions. Glory glorious. Gloria. Gloria, I think I got your number.

Dan Le Batard (37:31)

Gloria. That's Brett Hall. Oh, he had the colors wrong. So royal

Stugats (37:36)

blue. Two different Missouri, though,

Dan Le Batard (37:38)

right? I'm not gonna lie. You, like in my ear were like, give me Gloria. And I was like, I don't know why he wants this, but I'll get it for

Stugats (37:43)

him. Different part of Missouri.

Dan Le Batard (37:44)

Okay. Kansas City. And wait a second. You went Royals when you meant to honor the St. Louis Blues got the colors

Stugats (37:53)

wrong. That's

Dan Le Batard (37:53)

embarrassing. Not even

Stugats (37:57)

me. You know, I can't remember what movie it is, but a guy says it's not the same ballpark. It's not even the same

Dan Le Batard (38:03)

sport. Right. And was that. And you say that was Brett hall or was that R. Lang? Oh, I assumed that was Artie Lang. Brett hall wasn't seen for a good year and a half after that,

Stugats (38:16)

though. What year was

Dan Le Batard (38:18)

that? I want to say 2018. Okay, 19. That's when our clip was saved. June of

Stugats (38:26)

19. Right there.

Dan Le Batard (38:28)

Woof. Yeah, you're in the

Stugats (38:29)

neighborhood. You know

Dan Le Batard (38:30)

what? Got a little yellow in

Stugats (38:31)

that. By the way, Hit the button Blues. Go

Dan Le Batard (38:33)

ahead. Gloria for the Kansas City Royals. Penalty

Stugats (38:36)

box. Penalty box.

Dan Le Batard (38:37)

Me. He doesn't. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. How do I do the penalty box. It's on your computer right there. Take your time and try to figure out Miami

Stugats (38:46)

buttons. You gotta see a lot of. Wait, hold on. Me just find this one thing

Dan Le Batard (38:49)

while I avoid anything labeled

Stugats (38:51)

Coro. Please don't. Just. Just give me. Forgive me for one second as

Dan Le Batard (38:55)

well. I don't

Stugats (38:55)

know. Just for one second. This. Give

Dan Le Batard (38:57)

me. My eyes are bad, so I'm

Stugats (38:59)

going to just go ahead and like, go. Forgive me just one moment as I find

Dan Le Batard (39:03)

one white woman. White, white, white, white, white building. Gloria. Hey. So now that the Matthew Tkachuk brought glory back to the Florida Panthers, it's a hell of a run for Matty Tkachuk in a reflected way. What are people in Miami, Sports fans in Miami or for the entire state? What's next? Now, the U had its nice little moment. Came up a little short. A little short. I just want to say. Again, I just want to say on behalf of everybody from Indiana University rooting for the Hoosiers. And I just. I just. I just want to tell you that I do still think about you guys and how close you got to that. And my heart goes out to you guys and sorry about what happened and better luck next time. And I just don't want you to hang your head about anything. Just. You have a lot to be proud of with the last season. But what are you. So. So what now? What do you turn your game. Not the heat, right. This Marlins team. Make a little noise. The Marlins really tell team. One little team. I'm telling you don't know the names yet. But you will. I won't. Strong rotation. Peter Bendeck's really good bullpen player. No, that's the president of baseball operations. Chase it. So legitimate wild card. Yeah, they'll be. Yeah, they'll be in the wild card chase. Or they should be. At least based off of the season that they had last year and the Young guys who were on that team right now. I heard who's on the team. They have two studio aces. Sandy's there. I know Sandy. They have Yuri Perez both at the top of that rotation. But going down, you also have a couple of like, top prospects in all of baseball. Could we caucus though? Because like, he's asking who's. Who's our best shot here. They're about to start. Well, not the Dolphins. I would. I would favor the actual Panthers chances. Better than the Marlins of making the postseason. Yeah. 25 games left. Your best. The best team in the state right now is what the. The Tampa Bay Lightning. Easily. No, the whole state. I'm giving it to pros. Yeah, I'm doing pros. Um football. It's gotta be UM football. The best state for the rest of this year. You can only watch one team from. For the next 12 months. Canes Football. I think it's. You have the most optimism about that 100 kings football. Let me ask you this because it came up the other day and I don't know that we gave a satisfying answer. Tua, Kyler Murray, Malik Willis, Kirk Cousins. Choose. Those are your four best.

Stugats (41:48)

Tyler. Malik Willis. What does my team. Hold on. What does my team look like? Let's start. Let's ask some basic

Dan Le Batard (41:53)

questions. There's nobody left. They have Jalen Waddle on it. They have Devon Hn and that's about it. Maybe Darren Waller if he wants to come back. They have Aaron Brewer and Paul. Okay. They have two good offensive line. When you consider the staff's experience with Malik Willis in Green Bay, having a feeling like they know how to put him in positions where he can succeed. Front office alignment. I think for all those factors, you'd probably give Malik Willis an edge over Kyler Murray, who's more of a finished product. I think the hope of Malik Willis, the fact that he probably has a higher ceiling because we haven't seen the depths yet, and the fact that there's alignment would probably talk you into Malik Willis a little bit more specific to this franchise. I think. I think in a vacuum, you probably go Kyler Murray. I've heard rumors of the Anthony

Stugats (42:41)

Richardson. Oh,

Dan Le Batard (42:43)

God. Swap. Oh, God. I was gonna say, if you want to throw names out there. He's throwing names out. They said Kirk Cousins has been

Stugats (42:48)

terrible. 100 years

Dan Le Batard (42:49)

old. Oh, no. I see. I disagree with you, Tony, about Kirk Cousins. Nobody's a bigger Kirk Cousins guy than I am. I don't know that he was lousy. No doubt, coming back from the Achilles full of louse. But then he was real good. When he came in at the end of last year, it wasn't for, you know, game and a half stint either. He was good and they beat some good teams. I think Kirk Cousins still has something left. And in fact, Anthony Richardson, 8 and 7 career record. I'll go so far as to say this one to you. This may seem like a hot take. I would rather have Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh than Aaron Rodgers. How say you to that one? I don't hate it. We park our car in different garages on that one. I mean, the guy's going to be 43 and you already saw what he, what he's capable of doing. He's not going to get better from last year to this year. So you are announcing to the other 31 teams we have no intention of competing for the super bowl, maybe the playoffs once again. Maybe this year we'll get over the hump and win a wild card round game, but we have no intention of really trying to compete for the Lombardi, which is a weird position to take. Malik Willis, at least we don't know what's going to happen. Why would you do, why would you run back what you know, the ceiling of is not reaching the Super Bowl? Kirk Cousins or nine? I mean, I, I absolutely think that that's in play. Why'd you say that that way? I think nine's done. I, I disagree with that. He say who nine is? We're doing a football thing, guys. Don't worry about it. We all know who

Stugats (44:11)

nine. Come on, Chris, you don't know J.J.

Dan Le Batard (44:14)

mcCarthy? That's right. That's an

Stugats (44:15)

eye. You got

Dan Le Batard (44:16)

it. Is that actually who it

Stugats (44:17)

is?

Dan Le Batard (44:17)

Yeah. Self appointed nickname. Yeah, that's. That's the biggest red flag going on. That guy. Not what happened last year. I was making a joke. I didn't even know that was really him. I listen, I, I think nine. I think Koch professionally is now, you know, kind of on the hook obviously for J.J. mcCarthy. I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to redshirt him a little bit. She coaches football now. We don't like her. But that video. I like Kirk. I like Kirk. Really? I mean, I mean specifically two Minnesota with koc. Yeah. And I like, by the way, I would not be surprised at all. How ridiculous you sound. Just as ridiculous as anybody saying the Patriots and Seahawks are going to go to the super bowl in February of 2026. You would have been laughed out of any room. Beware the Minnesota Vikings if they can get this right, that roster is ready to roll. They just need maybe Kirk Cousins. But I also wouldn't be surprised if JJ McCarthy in year three, which is essentially his second year and the first one this past year, was injury plagued. Wouldn't be surprised if he turns the corner and the Vikes, even in the mighty NFC north, make some noise. We can both agree Kyler Murray stinks. I don't know. I think that. I think that. I think you can still resurrect

Stugats (45:34)

that. At what, football? Oh, I think his call of duty is nice. He's nice at

Dan Le Batard (45:38)

color. Is he, though? He also has that in case of emergency baseball

Stugats (45:41)

career. What's the statute of

Dan Le Batard (45:45)

limitations? Let's go, Royals. Gloria. Gloria, I think I got your number. This week, the PGA Tour's best players go prime time with TGL presented by SoFi. In doubleheader action, Atlanta Drive takes on both Boston Common Golf and Los Angeles Golf Club, plus two primetime matchups on Tuesday. Keep up it's Golf. Tune in Monday and Tuesday at 5pm and 9pm Eastern only on ESPN, ESPN2. And the ESPN