Hour 2: Good For You

Summary

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The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 2: "Good For You"

Date: March 12, 2026
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

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Episode Overview

In this hour, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and the crew deliver their signature, offbeat take on the sports and pop culture news of the week. The conversation navigates from quirky in-studio banter about show characters and inside jokes, to a passionate breakdown of the current state of the Lakers, and critical observations about college football’s woes and Donald Trump’s attempted intervention. Interspersed throughout are hilarious moments with Greg Cody, broadcasting from his cruise vacation, and classic ‘put it on the poll’ debates. As always, the irreverent tone and improvisational style define the show's flow.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Classic Show Banter & Inside Jokes (00:49–04:26)

• Opening Chaos: The hour opens with off-color banter referencing the use of the “N word” in a comedic, self-referential context and an immediate recoil by the rest of the cast. Dan tries to steer Stugotz back on track, leading to a series of impressions and jokes about show characters.
  • Dan Le Batard: "Weird way to start this segment. Good for you, Dan." (00:55)
  • Stugotz: "Good for me." (00:57)
• Modern Family Debate: Crew discusses whether “Modern Family” is the best-written network sitcom ever, prompting a classic ‘put it on the poll’ moment.
  • Stugotz: “I would argue that it is the best sitcom in the history of network television." (03:39)
  • Dan Le Batard: "Put it on the poll at LeBatard show. Does Modern Family have the best writing in the history of network comedy television writing?" (03:54)

2. Sunday Live Show Preview & Simultaneous Sports Overload (01:53–02:59)

• Upcoming Special: Announcement of a YouTube live show covering both Selection Sunday for March Madness and the Oscars. David Samson will host, with Miami head coach Jay Lucas as a guest and Jeremy introducing a new character, "Party Supreme."
  • Dan Le Batard: "This is going to be an extremely distracting Sunday because you have those two things going on simultaneously. Two major events, we're combining them." (02:34)
• Sports Schedule Chaos: Nods to the packed sports slate—The Players Championship final round, Indian Wells tennis, and NASCAR in Las Vegas—making it a particularly hectic sports Sunday.

3. Greg Cody’s Cruise Dispatches & Miami Sports Absenteeism (04:33–09:07, 12:53–15:08)

• Greg Cody Vacation Clips: The show features two video messages from Greg Cody, reporting from his cruise in the Caribbean, humorously missing monumental South Florida sports news (Dolphins signing Malik Willis, Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game) while enjoying rum and casino wins.
  • Greg Cody: “Stop it. I’m on a beach in Tortola, British Virgin Islands... now we’re pulling into Barbados, rum capital of the world. ...All anybody’s talking about is Bam Adebayo scoring 83 points. ... I’m like, in a week? ... 83 points in one game?” (05:41–06:34)
  • Stugotz: “He makes everything a little bit better. So if you guys could get for me both of those videos of Cody joining us as a disheveled mess from vacation, taking no interest in taking care of his hair…” (05:19)
• Analysis of Greg Cody’s ‘Reporting’:
  • Stugotz: “The first 15 seconds, where I was right, the last minute was nothing. About the big breaking news that he had to get his wife to immediately do a video about.” (14:56)
  • The crew jokes about Greg Cody’s self-absorption and how every dispatch includes more about his cruise activities than actual sports commentary.

4. Cruises vs. All-Inclusive Resorts Debate (15:30–16:35)

• Freddie describes the merits of all-inclusives over cruises—better pools, unlimited food/drink—and the crew riffs on cruise sanitation concerns.
  • Freddie: “I think I might be an all-inclusive guy now because I love the pools. Way better at an all-inclusive than on a cruise. Pools on the cruises are a little sad and very overcrowded.” (15:47)
  • Stugotz: “I found [cruises] to be petri dishes for disease. All of it in the whirlpool.” (16:24)

5. Lakers Conundrum: Luka, LeBron, and the Future (17:37–25:48)

• Empirical Data vs. Sentimentality: A passionate and in-depth segment on the Lakers' current team construction, focusing on Luka Dončić’s arrival, LeBron James’ aging, and the team’s poor defensive performance. The hosts compare the Lakers dilemma to the Yankees’ handling of A-Rod and Jeter.
  • Dan Le Batard: “The Lakers have a problem in that LeBron mathematically makes their team worse if you play him too many minutes.” (19:13)
  • Stugotz: “They are more susceptible to an upset than any team in basketball if they do indeed play with home court advantage as the higher seed in the first round.” (23:30)
• Coaching Dilemmas: Contemplating if, or how, a coach could reduce LeBron’s minutes for team benefit.
  • Dan Le Batard: “Do you guys think that there’s been any coach in history that has the cojones to say, LeBron, you’re gonna play less? …The coach's job is to give everybody the best chance to win.” (27:50)
  • Harry: “Someone like Popovich probably would have done it… He sat Tim Duncan the final possession against Miami in game six.” (29:19)

6. Roman Reigns as an ‘Untouchable’ Athlete (18:18–18:59)

• Crew reacts in mock horror to Zaslow’s inclusion of WWE’s Roman Reigns among all-time ‘untouchable’ athletes like Patrick Mahomes and Shohei Ohtani.
  • Stugotz: “Roman Reigns is an untouchable athlete in sports?” (18:24)
  • Tony: “Wemby. And there's Roman Reigns.” (18:58)

7. Donald Trump’s Unlikely Foray into College Football ‘Rescue’ (31:00–34:27)

• Roundtable Critique: The hosts deride Trump’s attempt to “fix” college football, questioning the logic of the guest list (Bryson DeChambeau, Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow, among others) and mocking the lack of substance.
  • Dan Le Batard: “This is a really difficult thing to govern. And Donald Trump once again tried to do something. And I was really happy with a reaction to this, which is everybody—pretty consensus—this is a gigantic waste of time. This is a circus.” (31:12)
  • Dan Le Batard: “There is zero representation for labor, zero active students, one woman, one woman in all of this, one too many. It was just a huge waste of time. It was just for Donald Trump to be around some college sports buddies and get a photo op. Nothing came of it. Nothing.” (32:47)
  • Stugotz: “Make college football great again.” (33:37)
• Tuberville Gaffe: The group gleefully notes Tommy Tuberville’s inability to justify restrictions for players’ transfers compared to coaches.

8. Combat Sports Flashback: Rousey vs. Carano Announced (34:27–35:42)

• The group reacts to the announcement of Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey, expressing surprise that both fighters are now in their 40s and reminiscing about Rousey’s meteoric rise and subsequent controversial reputation.
  • Harry: “I think Rousey’s nine years, Carano’s 10.” (34:47)
  • Dan Le Batard: “A lot of people have problems with her that have interacted with her. I can’t speak to it, but she’s not popular in locker rooms.” (35:05)
  • Stugotz: “She was so refreshing when it all started… Dana White… making her a headliner and being stunned when she lost to Holly Holm.” (35:12)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Show Banter & Characters

• “Weird way to start this segment. Good for you, Dan.” — Dan Le Batard (00:55)
• “I would argue that [Modern Family] is the best sitcom in the history of network television. I love the writing on that show more than I love the writing on any other sitcom.” — Stugotz (03:39)

Greg Cody’s Cruise ‘Reporting’

• “Stop it. I’m on a beach in Tortola, British Virgin Islands... all anybody’s talking about is Bam on a bio scoring 83 points. ... 83 points in one game?” — Greg Cody (05:41–06:34)
• “The first 15 seconds, ‘Where I was right’, the last minute was nothing about the big breaking news that he had to get his wife to immediately do a video about.” — Stugotz (14:56)

Lakers Analysis

• “The Lakers have a problem in that LeBron mathematically makes their team worse if you play him too many minutes.” — Dan Le Batard (19:13)
• “What do you do? You say, at least there’s an ending? Yeah. That ending is in the first round of the playoffs.” — Stugotz (23:00)
• “There’s more Dallas.” — Tony (21:49)

Trump and College Football

• “There is zero representation for labor, zero active students, one woman, one woman in all of this, one too many. It was just a huge waste of time.” — Dan Le Batard (32:47)
• “Make college football great again.” — Stugotz (33:37)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:49: Banter about show characters and the “N word” joke
• 01:53–02:34: Announcement of the Sunday selection show/Oscars livestream
• 04:33–15:08: Greg Cody’s cruise videos and discussion about missing sports news
• 15:30–16:35: Cruises vs all-inclusives debate
• 17:37–25:48: Lakers’ future, Luca/LeBron minutes, and coaching dilemmas
• 18:18–18:59: The ‘untouchable athletes’ list and bewilderment over Roman Reigns
• 31:00–34:27: Critique of Donald Trump’s college football roundtable
• 34:27–35:42: Carano vs. Rousey, Rousey’s legacy

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Tone & Language

The hour maintains the show's trademark blend of sharp sarcasm, improvisational riffing, and genuine sports analysis—making for an unpredictable but always entertaining listen. The crew oscillates between mock-serious debates, self-deprecating humor, and bold hot takes, delivered with their signature camaraderie and irreverence.

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Conclusion

This episode is a testament to why the Dan Le Batard Show stands out: topical sports insights laced with zany personal stories, playful arguments, and masterful crowd work. Whether discussing LeBron's twilight, the inefficacy of Trump’s sports ‘summits,’ or just Greg Cody’s rum-fueled cruise misadventures, the crew’s chemistry and comedic timing shine through, making even the most offbeat topics worth tuning in for.

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Transcript

[Dan LeBatard]

Shot clocks, big shots, upsets, aces. TGL playoffs are here. First, Atlanta drives, starts their repeat run against Los Angeles Golf Club. Then Rory's Boston Common golf and Tigers Jupiter Lynx face off in their playoff debuts. Who will advance? Keep up its playoffs. Tune in Tuesday, March 17, at 6:30pm and 9pm only on ESPN and the ESPN app. Spring is here, and there's a whole new way to chai at Starbucks that's

[Stugats]

made perfect for you.

[Dan LeBatard]

Choose your sweetness. Dial it up or keep things light. Add a touch of pistachio, a hint of strawberry or vanilla, or make it a spring classic with lavender. Because this season there's endless ways to chai at Starbucks. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.

[Stugats]

I'm allowed to use the N word. This is unfair, what you guys are doing to me, and I'm not a

[Dan LeBatard]

weird way to start this segment. Good for you, Dan.

[Stugats]

I'm really tired of what's happening around here. Good for me.

[Dan LeBatard]

Dan, I think you forgot the voice. You forgot the voice.

[Tony]

You get out there.

[Dan LeBatard]

You forgot the voice.

[Tony]

You get out there and you do your thing

[Dan LeBatard]

deeper.

[Stugats]

You got to just say it as a gaki. In fact, I'm sorry, Tony, you're going to have to leave for not understanding that.

[Tony]

That's not understanding my own character.

[Stugats]

Two minutes in the box

[Greg Cody]

character. That's crazy.

[Tony]

Quentin Tarantino can do it. You can't do it.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's what I'm saying. I want you to reflect.

[Stugats]

That was my father saying best, which is Spanish for that stinks. There's a smell in here. And tremendo come is a tremendous eater. That is what my father just called Tony, and it wasn't strong enough.

[Dan LeBatard]

He said, I can use the N word. And he said, good for you, Dan. He was. He was very clearly going somewhere with it. At least that's what we're gonna tell

[Stugats]

everybody this Sunday night From at least 5, 5:45 to 8:45 and maybe later Eastern, we're going live on YouTube to cover selection Sunday and the Oscars at the same time. David Sampson's going to be down here in his tuxedo. We've got other special guests lined up, including Miami head coach Jay Lucas. Hi, Lucas, as I like to call him. And we're going to have a number of things, including, I'm told, a character that Jeremy is breaking out as Party supreme instead of Marty Supreme. It's Party Supreme. Jeremy. You could skip espn. You could skip the E. Red carpet. Come hang out with us instead. 5:45-8. 45 Eastern. At least on Sunday.

[Dan LeBatard]

This is going to be an extremely distracting Sunday because you have those two things going on simultaneously. Two major events, we're combining them. But you also got a lot of great sports going on at that same time. You have the. The final round of the players. The players. The best hole in golf, the island green. The players. You also have Indian Wells. You also have left turns from Las Vegas. There's a lot going on on Sunday.

[Zaslow]

We say Native American Wells now.

[Stugats]

That's party supreme, ladies and gentlemen. Always there for you when you.

[Dan LeBatard]

Is he just a party pooper when

[Stugats]

you want to have party poopers?

[Dan LeBatard]

Just a new Debbie Downer.

[Stugats]

Hr we got to find something between the extremes of Jeremy's party pooper supreme and Tony Dan. Good for you. You should be allowed to say whatever you want.

[Dan LeBatard]

We were just talking about that scene from Modern Family. I think you were just doing a recall when they're like, we got to bring it in tight. We got like the family of the black tight end in the blind side. And he's corrected offensive line. He's like, I'm sorry, African American kid.

[Zaslow]

That show's so good, man.

[Stugats]

I would argue that it is the best sitcom in the history of network television. I love the writing on that show more than I love the writing on any other sitcom that there's ever been. But I do realize I'm in the minority on that one. Put it on the poll at LeBatard show. Does modern Family have the best writing in the history history of network comedy television writing?

[Tony]

I can see where I erred there. But I thought was not the same thing that I was thinking then. Obviously what happened. I was thinking another thing.

[Freddie]

Right?

[Dan LeBatard]

This is important.

[Freddie]

Is this your apology?

[Tony]

I thought you got. I thought you got a pass to say something when in fact it was a different thing. And you know, whatever. I'll take that minor penalty.

[Stugats]

Two minutes.

[Tony]

Dumpster juice takes. Dumpster juice take.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah. Your apology wasn't great.

[Greg Cody]

Reflect.

[Stugats]

I heard you gotta go again. You gotta leave here. The Cody.

[Tony]

It's tight in there.

[Dan LeBatard]

By the way, the Cody's.

[Stugats]

I know people are getting haircuts. It's very tight in there. The Cody family loves itself a cruise. And Greg Cody has twice joined us from his vacation because he chose to vacation as the Dolphins cut to. The Dolphins signed Malik Willis and Bam Adebayo went for 83 points. It would have been hard for him to. To miss more in a couple of days locally than he missed.

[Freddie]

The Bam thing is just.

[Stugats]

Can you guys get Me, please. The video of Cody joining us from his cruise vacation. Either one of them is fine. I'd like to play both of them. They've been real crowd pleasers. Greg Cody joining us from vacation. We've missed him this week. We always love having him around. He makes everything a little bit better. So if you guys could get for me both of those videos of Cody joining us as a disheveled mess from vacation, taking no interest in taking care of his hair. I would appreciate you guys doing that. Please play for me the first of those two videos that we got.

[Greg Cody]

Okay, so I'm on vacation in the Caribbean and all kind of stuff keeps happening in South Florida sports. Stop it. I'm on a beach in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, and I find out that the canned cantuna and sign Malik Willis the Dolphins have. And now we're docking in Barbados, rum capital of the world. We'll be doing some rum later today on a beautiful rum tour. There's a rival cruise ship in the background. Anyway, now we're pulling into Barbados and all anybody's talking about is Bam on a bio scoring 83 points. Somebody told me Bam scored 83. I'm like, in a week, in three or four games. That's pretty good. 83 points in one game. Hey, morning.

[Stugats]

You probably wouldn't see the p. Probably.

[Greg Cody]

Oh, okay. No, no, that's. That's okay. Those are. Those are our friends from the suite next door. What they say?

[Harry]

Oh, yeah.

[Zaslow]

After three, four games, South Florida sports

[Greg Cody]

quit doing things that are newsworthy while I'm on vacation. Have a little respect, Bam. Adebayo, of all people, scored 83 points, more than Michael Jordan ever did, more than LeBron James is just insane. Anyway, I'll be drinking some rum today while things keep happening to South Florida sports.

[Stugats]

He gave us three anyways in there, and I was expecting an MVP chant after all of them. I can't believe how much John Schneider both looks like Stuka and how much his left hand looked like Stugatz's left hand. Let's play the other video of Greg Cody joining us from Sandy beaches, not the cruise ship itself.

[Greg Cody]

Okay, so as I'm recording this on a beach in Tortola, the Dolphins have cut to a tunga pollo, as expected, and signed Malik Willis, which I predicted they would and advocated that they do. And so congratulations, Dolphins, for following my advice. But here I am, not doing my job, basically just drinking a rum drink on a beach in Tortola, which, by the way, Tortola, to me, almost Sounded like a pasta type of pasta or the actor, you know, the famous American actor John Tortola. But instead, it turns out it's the biggest island in the British Virgin Islands. And we're here on the first stop of our cruise. Had a great time so far. A lot of drinking, a lot of partying. Won some money in the casino, which is always a bonus. Did well in the slots, did well at roulette. Loved the big wheel, the big clicking wheel, and took a master class in how to make a tenderloin. Had a bourbon tasting. It's been fantastic. And we'll come to you again soon. See you later. The sea right in my background. See you later.

[Stugats]

How do you feel about his TUA analysis there and his Malik Willis analysis as he just took you on a tour of things I've done. Basically a celebration of Greg Cody's narcissism. Zaz spent the entire time shaking his head at Cody. He kind of disgusts you, and you can't help yourself from liking him.

[Harry]

I mean, I. Okay, so it's an interesting experience that I've had with Greg Cody, for sure. The first part of it is it's not exactly an obscure prediction he make that I think the Dolphins are going to sign Malik Willis.

[Freddie]

Well, no, he advocated for them doing it. It wasn't just, I think they will, they should.

[Harry]

I mean, great job. Like Bullseye Greg. You nailed that one. But, yes, while. While I lack respect on his sports opinions and sports columns, I have gotten quite soft, all right, in how I actually feel about him. I've. I've. I'm a little bit soft now these days.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hunter S. Thompson looks like shit.

[Tony]

This episode is sponsored by Better Help. March is one of those months where we talk about celebrating women. And it's very, very deserved because when you actually look around, a lot of women in our lives are carrying a ton. Work, family, relationships, expectations nobody notices or sees. I start thinking about the women around me. My wife, my mom, my sister, my friends, my co workers, people who somehow take care of everybody else while still trying to hold it together themselves. And it's a ton to carry. Therapy can be a place to put some of that weight down. It can help you figure out what's yours, what isn't, and how to set better boundaries so you're not running on empty all the time. BetterHelp works with fully licensed therapists in the US and they handle the matching process for you. You fill out a short questionnaire, and if your therapist isn't the right fit, you can switch at any time. With more than 30,000 therapists and over 6 million people served, it's the world's largest online therapy platform with an average of 4.9 out of 5 session ratings. Your emotional well being matters. Find support and feel lighter in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com DLB that's BetterHelp H E L P.com/DLB Quick break to tell you about

[Dan LeBatard]

a special Miller time I had with my good buddy Mochetta. Mochetta texted me the other day. He said, hey, what are you doing for the game? I said, I'm just on my couch right now doing nothing, enjoying it. He's like, hey, do you want some company? I said, from you, Mochetta? Absolutely. Mochetta comes over to the house and I pull out the Miller Lite. Miller Light made that casual hang a memorable good Miller time with my good friend Mochetta because Miller Lite brought us together. We took that first sip after we toasted our beers and we knew we made the right call. We watched a game. All of a sudden we're standing up on our feet, big threes are being drained and white cans are being clanged. See, times like these, that's exactly why Miller Lite is my go to clean, refreshing, easy to drink, brewed for taste with simple ingredients. The original light beer since 1975 and it still hits different for yours truly and his good friend Mo Chedda. Cheers to legendary moments made 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.

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[Dan LeBatard]

Don LeBatard to US residents oh wow.

[Stugats]

It's in there.

[Dan LeBatard]

Better. You think I haven't been practicing stugats?

[Stugats]

I didn't realize we had a substitute complicated legacy brought to you by headquarter

[Dan LeBatard]

Toyota 441 Power Line Road.

[Tony]

Second down to nine.

[Harry]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats.

[Stugats]

I want to just replay that entire video so that you guys could sort of experience what it's like to be a Cody family member and loved one. This is Erlene, his wife, who has to stop and video him. No, no, I want the second one. I want the.

[Freddie]

She chimes in on the first one.

[Stugats]

Yeah, no, but I want the second one just because what I want to analyze here is the. The backstory that isn't told here. I don't want the one with him with the cruise ship in the background. I want the other one because I want you to see. Come here, hun hun. I want to do a video because Tua has been let go and they've signed Malik Willis. This is a big story. Let's count how much time he spends talking about the big story and how much time he just spends telling you about what he's been doing.

[Dan LeBatard]

Okay?

[Greg Cody]

So as I'm recording this on a be in Tortola, the dolphins have cut to a tunga polo, as expected, and signed Malik Willis, which I predicted they would and advocated that they do. And so congratulations, dolphins, for following my advice. But here I am, not doing my job, basically just drinking a rum drink on a beach in Tortola, which, by the way, Tortola to me always sounded like a. A pasta, a type of pasta, or the actor, you know, the famous American actor, John Tortol. But instead, it turns out it's the biggest island in the British Virgin Islands. And we're here on the first stop of our cruise. Had a great time so far. A lot of drinking, a lot of partying, won some money in the casino, which is always a bonus. Did well in the slots, did well at roulette. Love the big wheel, the big clicking wheel. And took a master class in how to make a tenderloin. Had a bourbon tasting and it's been fantastic. And we'll come to you again soon. See you later. The sea right in my background. See you later.

[Stugats]

For those of you scoring at home, the first 15 seconds, where I was right, the last minute was nothing. About the big breaking news that he had to get his wife to immediately do a video about.

[Zaslow]

He's also such a fraud.

[Freddie]

I'm telling you. He does these type of content videos a lot on travels. Every single time. He's having a great time.

[Dan LeBatard]

Time.

[Freddie]

He will. He never Says we're having an okay time. We haven't gotten to the good part. It's just. It's just like this generic. We're having a great time out here.

[Harry]

So his wife is actually sitting on that bench with him holding the phone.

[Freddie]

Yes.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, yeah.

[Freddie]

She hates him.

[Stugats]

Chris, have you been jealous that he's on a cruise and you're not on a cruise?

[Freddie]

The funny thing is, is it just by happenstance he's on a cruise the same week? I was at an all inclusive earlier this week. And I think I might. Might be because, you know, the Cody's big cruisers. I might be an all inclusive guy now.

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Freddie]

I don't need the rocking. And I realize that these all inclusives, it's the same thing as the drink package. Like, there's no. I thought for some reason that these all inclusives, they try to limit you, but no, it's whatever food you want. Buffets, restaurants, any alcohol. Like, it's not like it's my first all inclusive. Oh, gee, my first thought, I thought it was like. I thought maybe it'd be like a wedding where it's like, we have this whiskey for you. You can get the good whiskey for a price, but we got this included. And so I was just. And it's not that. It's. Maybe I went to a good one, but I think I might be an all inclusive guy now because I love the pools. Way better at an all inclusive than on a cruise. Pools on the cruises are a little sad and very overcrowded. Just. I don't know.

[Stugats]

I mean, I have found. And my brother traveled the entire world on cruises because of what it is that he was doing. But I found them to be petri dishes for disease. All of it in the whirlpool.

[Dan LeBatard]

You.

[Harry]

You go into the pool on the cruise?

[Tony]

Oh, yeah.

[Freddie]

I mean, I don't spend a ton of time there, but yeah, I mean, I got swim bar, put it on

[Stugats]

the pole at LeBatard show. Will you go in the whirlpool at the cruise, yes or no?

[Tony]

Upon further reflection, yeah, it wasn't a great look. My bad.

[Stugats]

We got one. But to be fair, we got one to do it.

[Freddie]

I don't regret everything.

[Stugats]

We got one to do it.

[Harry]

We got one to do it.

[Stugats]

We don't need to be fair. You got the apology. Just don't say anything else, and we're fine with where it is that things have ended up there.

[Harry]

Well, I don't do public pools. I don't do pools with other people. I don't like it.

[Tony]

You're a private pool guy.

[Dan LeBatard]

I get that.

[Harry]

I don't want to be in a pool. I don't want to be, like, in a close vicinity with people that I don't know who don't have their shirt on and. And the legs are out. And I. I don't dig it.

[Freddie]

Armpits.

[Harry]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

I get where you're coming from with

[Zaslow]

that, that you're not worried about the

[Harry]

peak, which I say Dog.

[Stugats]

Zaslow's judgment is sometimes a little strange. The most recent evidence that I have of this is that Zaslo, who everyone now knows is a rising star at ESPN Radio, or it's been happening enough, I guess, that we can say he's already risen as a star because they're using him all over the place. And Freddie and Harry, the show that he did, afternoon drive on ESPN Radio, asked the question, who are the most untouchable athletes in sports? And they asked an assortment of people this. And see if you can find Zaslow's nomination on this list. It's, of course, Victor Wembanyama, Patrick Mahomes, Shohei Ohtani, Josh Allen, Connor McDavid, and Roman Reigns.

[Tony]

What does that mean?

[Stugats]

Roman Reigns is an untouchable athlete in sports.

[Harry]

Untouchable. They would never get rid of him. All right, the question was untouchable athletes, meaning, like, the team would never trade him, would never cut him. They would never entertain offers of not having him on their team anymore. Roman Reigns, untouchable.

[Stugats]

You could say it that way and think it is impactful, but it's ridiculous what it is that you're saying he does not belong in the class as those other

[Tony]

Wemby. And there's Roman Reigns.

[Stugats]

Well, there's. Ohtani was third. Somehow on this list.

[Freddie]

I put him second. I would trade Mahomes before Ohtani.

[Zaslow]

None of those guys have scored 83 points in a game.

[Dan LeBatard]

Fourteen months ago, I would have said,

[Harry]

Luca, you know, to consider when I started working at ESPN Radio, my biggest concern was, are they gonna allow me to do my. And you did the bull.

[Stugats]

Lakers fans are turning on Luka. Have you guys seen this? That is interesting to watch happen when they have the oldest player in the league on their team. And numerically, the Lakers appear to be a good deal better when it's just Luka and Austin Reaves and LeBron getting out of the way. But he's not going to get out of the way. They're not going to be good enough defensively. You can't have those three players running around and expect to win playoff games with your defense, they just have a flaw that can't be overcome. What do you do? Like, honestly, I haven't considered what I'm about to say since the New York Yankees took Alex Rodriguez, who was a better defensive shortstop than Derek Jeter, and made their team worse by putting Alex at third base and leaving the captain at shortstop. I have not considered since then what I'm about to say, which is the Lakers have a problem in that LeBron mathematically makes their team worse if you play him too many minutes. We had a good run with that Arod topic. Three good years, because I had so rarely seen Zaslow, a team do what team architects never do, and they chose emotion and sentimentality over what makes our team better. Like, mathematically, empirically, a Rod had more range as a shortstop and was a better defensive shortstop than Jeter, but they couldn't do that to Jeter and move him to third base.

[Harry]

But at least there's an end date here, right, with the Lakers. I mean, they. We all kind of know this is very likely LeBron's last year there.

[Freddie]

And.

[Harry]

And here's. Here's where the criticism of the Lakers is a little bit unfair. And I'm plenty critical of the Lakers and certainly of LeBron James. But here's where the criticism is a little bit unfair, because when. When the move for Luca was made last year, we all knew it was made for the future. It was. It was not supposed to be a move that helped them right now because they don't have any size. They traded away. They also traded away their best defensive player. Like, they're not going to be good on that end of the floor now, trading away a great defensive player and getting a really poor defensive player. But everyone was cool with it because, all right, in the short term, we're not going to be great, but in the long term, now we have our foundational piece. But the way that we treat this team, it's. It's like as if we haven't had that conversation.

[Tony]

But there was also the weird situation with the Mark Williams trade that got rescinded, too.

[Harry]

Speaking of rescinded trade, terrible job by the Lakers.

[Tony]

That was supposed to be the piece.

[Stugats]

The rum.

[Tony]

The. The rim runner. Rum runner. I'm thinking of Greg Cody, the. The rim runner, the guy who's protecting down low. Like, that was supposed to be the piece. Then they're like, yeah, no, his physicals are terrible. We're not going to do that. So it's like, now you're looking at what you had in Dallas in a worse way because you have the. The Kyrie and Austin Reeves. You got an old guy somewhere walking around like LeBron who's not going to play defense. But it's like, all right, what do you. This is just more Dallas.

[Harry]

But you could really, like, we really should be judging the Lakers and Luca starting next year. That was always what the conversation was when the trade was made. This is a trade for the future.

[Stugats]

Maybe.

[Harry]

Maybe we could have some fun while LeBron is still here. But this is about the rest of Luca's career.

[Zaslow]

It'd be frustrating to waste a great Luka year, as he is what he is, but he's only ascending toward his prime in terms of age and when you can build a team around him. The irony is, with all this conversation, you know, they're nine and two when it's just him and Austin Reeves, they're so much better. They are still tied for third at the moment in the conference. Now they're everybody separated by about two games, but they have an opportunity for home court in the first round and may play well enough to do it. The problem is, is when they're at full strength, they're actually worse than they are.

[Stugats]

What do you do with what it is? I'm presenting you guys, though? I'm presenting you with empirical data that says they're worse when Luka has to play with LeBron. What do you do? You say, at least there's an ending? Yeah. That ending is in the first round of the playoffs when they get knocked out as the higher seed because they don't play playoff defense. That team is more ripe for an upset in the first round than any team in the sport because they do not play what playoff basketball requires. They can't do it. It's not. They're doing it one way in the regular season, and then they'll turn on something else. If Austin reaves, Luka and LeBron are getting minutes. You're not going to guard anybody, and you can't play winning playoff basketball that way. You can't even dispute what I'm saying, which is they are more susceptible to an upset than any team in basketball. If they do indeed play with home court advantage as the higher seed in the first round.

[Tony]

Just wait three months and LeBron will be on the team and that's it.

[Stugats]

But you're going to give away this season. You're going to give away, give away.

[Tony]

You're going to fight as much as you can, but you know, you have limitations on the team.

[Stugats]

But what I'm asking you guys is. And the reason I'm pairing it against the Jeter thing, if it were anybody but LeBron, we'd be saying you can't be playing him. You got to give the team over to Luka and you got to see if you can be the Mavericks by surrounding Luka with the players who are going to play good defense. You can't ask the oldest player in the league league to be a key defensive cog for you. So what do you do? You just acknowledge you're going to be worse and then lose when no team does that. The entire thing about labor and load management is we're going to be right and at our best when the playoffs start, you're going to not be able to reduce LeBron's minutes, correct?

[Harry]

I don't think they're going to want to reduce LeBron's minutes because once you get to the postseason, there are no back to backs. I mean, heck, sometimes the game's on Monday, the next game's on Friday, you know in the first round that they're gonna maximize LeBron. If anything come playoffs as is right

[Tony]

now, they're going to be in the 4, 5 seed against the Denver Nuggets. How many games do they win against the Denver Nuggets?

[Stugats]

I just think they're going to lose in the first round and I think you know that already. So you're going to just choose it. You're going to do nothing in the way of trying to be slightly better when the entire job of management is to make you slightly better.

[Tony]

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[Stugats]

The Hoy is Captain Slappy. Stugats is this chum bucket.

[Harry]

This is the Dan lebatar show with the Stugats.

[Zaslow]

It's tough for LeBron because the way that he was aging, the way that he was always going to continue to be an efficient player as he aged, was really to just be a point guard who runs the offense and then occasionally goes off for whatever amount of points. But Luka is best when he has the ball in his hands. He's not an off ball player. And it puts LeBron in a very strange position on the floor.

[Tony]

But that's why he's moved and pivoted offensively to be the screen man and play that dirty work. The problem is not on the offensive side of the floor. The problem is on the defensive side of the floor where we talked about Jordan Miller being able to cover one through four and a half. LeBron can cover like the four, right? Like he's not moving out in the wing like he used to. And, and of course he's 41 years old.

[Harry]

Is this where having the head coach be your former podcast partner ends up hurting them?

[Stugats]

I just don't know what you can do. I don't know what choice you have.

[Harry]

Well, can't you do like you saw Eric Spoelster now when Norman Powell, before Norman Powell got hurt recently, Tyler Heel was coming off the bench because you can't have those guys in the lineup together. They've not been good. Miami and similarly here with the Lakers. I don't think J.J. redick can pull that move with LeBron.

[Stugats]

I want to ask the audience, just as a thought experiment though, if I tell you playing Vanderbilt more, I don't even know what you'd physically do if you were the Lakers to try and get more defense, but is there a scenario that I can put in front of you that you guys would be willing to try? Because I'm telling you on the front end, the Lakers know they can't win this way. Rich Paul already said it. Rich Paul said it on that podcast he is doing with Max Kellerman said it and is going to say fewer things because he said it. He's not able to say everything that he wants to say, no matter how powerful Rich Paul thinks he is. But I really do ask the all of you, what do you do? And do you guys think that there's been any coach in history that has the cojones to say, LeBron, you're gonna, you're Gonna play less. It doesn't make us better to have you out there. We have to do it this way. I don't know that there's a coach that exists that can do that. And I find that part interesting when you put it against. The coach's job is to give everybody the best chance to win. And here, emotionally, they cannot do it.

[Tony]

It has to be a coach that has so much, much power in his organization that he can kind of do whatever he wants. Like, think about Spo. Like, would Spo send LeBron to the bench and be like, hey, you're coming off. You're playing 26 minutes a game.

[Zaslow]

Even then, like, we remember the end of Dwyane Wade when he was no longer the same player in 2018, they're like, hey, man, end of the game, it's you, 39. He would be still giving it to LeBron no matter who their star was.

[Harry]

Someone like Popovich probably would have done it, considering, I mean, he sat Tim Duncan the final possession against Miami in game six. Like, that's Tim Duncan. But Popovich felt that that was what was best for the team. So, yeah, like, maybe Popovich would have done it.

[Stugats]

Speaking of the Lakers, by the way, Dwight Howard was there looking completely unbothered at his. At a Laker game as he files for divorce when his wife is putting on the Internet a massive bag of cocaine that she says belongs to Dwight Howard.

[Tony]

Yeah, you know, that kind of thing.

[Stugats]

Okay, let's see.

[Dan LeBatard]

Good for him.

[Freddie]

Thought Tony was going to defend that, too.

[Harry]

Minor penalty. Two minutes for adding nothing.

[Greg Cody]

Adding nothing.

[Stugats]

I have a couple more things to say. It's alleged we did not talk about the college football roundtable. We did not talk at all or mention at all Donald Trump getting involved with college football and trying to rescue college football because he doesn't have anything better to do. He's handling everything else so competently. Why are you still here, Tony? I helped you.

[Dan LeBatard]

It is true.

[Zaslow]

In Tony's defense, I mean, you lobbed a grenade and we were all going to let you sit in silence. And Tony at least tried to give you better.

[Stugats]

He didn't give me anything.

[Tony]

Yeah, you know, I said that kind of thing.

[Dan LeBatard]

He actually gave you something where nobody else gave you anything. But we didn't like his.

[Zaslow]

But it was a bad thing.

[Stugats]

I can't. I can't kick you all out. Otherwise I'd just be sitting here talking

[Tony]

to myself at the start of the segment. I messed up. Okay? Hand in the. Hand in the arrows out on me, Coach. I'll Take the penalty.

[Stugats]

Okay. Thank you, Tony. I appreciate you being so gracious.

[Dan LeBatard]

Team player.

[Stugats]

You offered nothing. The college football roundtable, the fixing of things. I can't think of anyone I'd want around college football less than Donald Trump.

[Dan LeBatard]

I mean, he's been trying to get involved and this seems to be a really tough nut to crack for all legislators and the ncaa. Oddly, the NCAA is a bipartisan issue. Everybody hates the them like this. The most conservative Supreme Court justices, they rule against them and then they opine and give college sports takes while they do it. It's crazy. There, there. This is a really difficult thing to govern. And Donald Trump once again tried to do something. And I was really happy with a reaction to this, which is everybody pretty consensus. This is a gigantic waste of time. This is a circus. And if you recall, the initial guest list to this thing made zero sense. You had Bryson DeChambeau, Tiger Woods, Tim Tebow. A lot of guys ended up passing.

[Harry]

Yeah. Why would any of those people agree to go?

[Dan LeBatard]

Look, this is a time where standing next to Tim Tebow and Tiger woods, that'd be good for Donald Trump. As you know, he is historically unpopular. Right. But the whole thing was just a disaster. There's a million people in this room with, I think the head of the NHL hall of Fame was in there. Like, it was just like a random grab bag of names. I think I saw a metric that half the people that were there actually got a word in. And at the end of it, he's just asked, like, what would you like to see happen? I'd like to send it back to, you know, the way that it was before. There is zero representation for labor, zero active students, one woman, one woman in all of this, one too many. It was just a huge waste of time. It was just for Donald Trump to be around some college sports buddies and get a photo op. Nothing came of it. Nothing.

[Stugats]

Yeah. What are you smiling about?

[Harry]

Because he's so proud of himself.

[Stugats]

It was a good line. It was a good line from Party Supreme. It was a good line, him saying as Zagaki. You broke out your Zagaki for the first time. That one too many was good line, a good window, and he was efficient. You should reward him for that. He should be proud of himself.

[Dan LeBatard]

I think this is one of those instances where I'm glad Donald Trump is so blunt because he cut right to it. He is surrounded by people in his ear that are telling him, hey, let's go back to the way that it was, where the labor doesn't get paid and we don't have to take any pay cuts and we all just revel in all the money as the money keeps going up.

[Stugats]

Make college football great again.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's what he wants. That's what he wants. He also added something like maybe they can get a little something, but. But they are all upset that labor has any power whatsoever. The power dynamic is crazy in that sport. There was a funny interaction with Tommy Tuberville, who's a former successful coach at Auburn. And he went to Texas Tech famously and Cincinnati as well. And he was. He was asked, what would you like to see happen with the transfer rules right now? Because right now you can go anywhere. And he's like, you get one transfer penalty free, but after that you're not allowed to. And then a simple follow up. Well, what about the coaches? You would think Tommy Tuberville would be prepared for this question. Takes a beat. You got me there.

[Tony]

Sounds like me earlier you didn't want to over commit.

[Stugats]

Are you guys going to watch? I don't know the date of the fight Gina Carano against Ronda Rousey. What is the date?

[Zaslow]

May 16th.

[Dan LeBatard]

When's the last time? I'm absolutely tiled.

[Stugats]

When is the last time either of those people fought? And are both of them in their 40s now? Both of them are in their 40s.

[Harry]

They're both. I think Rousey's nine years, Carano's 10.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, I mean, Ronda said a lot of stuff that raised some eyebrows. Spectacular stuff.

[Harry]

Mike. She's tough to take. She. I'm sorry. She is tough to take. Ronda Rousey. Yeah, just a. Just a. Like she hates everything. She's angry at everything.

[Dan LeBatard]

A lot of people have problems with her that have interacted with her. I can't speak to it, but she's not popular in locker rooms.

[Harry]

Nothing is ever her fault.

[Stugats]

This is such a bummer because she was so refreshing when it all started. I remember talking to her on highly questionable multiple times and just being wildly charmed by her and seeing how it is that she became Dana White. Dana White went from saying this will never be a thing, women fighting to making her a headliner and being stunned when she lost to Holly Holm.

[Tony]

You saw who the co main event is on that fight. Dano Francis Ngannou, Felipe Linz. Don't like that spot for him.

[Stugats]

That's all you got.

[Tony]

Zaz D tossed his ass out for that. At least he gave me that kind of thing.

[Stugats]

I'm allowed to use the no Stitch fix.

[Dan LeBatard]

Shopping is hard.

[Stugats]

Let's talk about it.

[Dan LeBatard]

I don't have time to shop, so

[Stugats]

I buy all my clothes where I buy my seafood.

[Zaslow]

I just want someone to tell me

[Stugats]

what shirt goes with what pants.

[Dan LeBatard]

I just want jeans that fit.

[Stugats]

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[Dan LeBatard]

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[Stugats]

That looked good.

[Dan LeBatard]

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[Stugats]

Com.