The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 2: I Happen to Have Heard (feat. Jessica Smetana)
October 22, 2025

Episode Overview

Live from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, this episode features Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Jessica Smetana, and the usual cast (Mike Ryan, Greg Cote, Chris Cody, Amin Elhassan) diving into an eclectic hour: wild travel stories, debates on college football and coaching rumors, bizarre sports traditions, and the eternal question—can you trust LeBron’s injury reports? The group balances inside jokes and pop culture riffs with sports analysis, with Jessica Smetana as the episode’s key guest voice.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Travel Mishaps: The Bus that Wasn’t a Plane

[01:37–07:00]

• Greg Cote’s Infamous Notre Dame Trip

  • Greg tells a story about booking a one-stop “flight” to South Bend, only to discover the second leg was actually a bus (not a plane) departing directly from the airport gate.
  • Jessica doubted the story’s truth until discovering that American Airlines recently started an air-bus service: “I was about to text him and tell him what a liar he was, and then I decided, you know what? Let me just Google this first. Sure enough, American Airlines started this service three weeks ago. You’re one of the first ever customers.” (Jessica, 04:00)
  • The crew jokes about assigned seats on the bus, first-class tickets being downgraded, and the absurdity of the experience.
  • Memorable detail: The boarding pass showed a plane symbol, not a bus, leading Greg to call it “false advertising” (05:24).

• Cultural Reference Battle

  • Banter breaks out over old TV references, especially involving “The Honeymooners” (“That’s a Jackie Gleason joke!”—Dan, 08:00), highlighting the generational humor gap.

2. College Football Carousel: Notre Dame Hopes and Marcus Freeman Speculation

[08:51–13:50, 17:39–20:37]

• Russell Wilson v. Sean Payton Gossip

  • Brief digression as Mike Ryan shares an unverified rumor about Russell Wilson buying an empty luxury suite, then failing to flip it“—I do trust this source that told me Russell Wilson had an entire box and then after being benched, tried to sell the box and found no takers.” (Mike Ryan, 10:15)

• Notre Dame’s Post-USC Outlook

  • Jessica predicts ND will be favored the rest of the season, and that any loss would be a “tremendous disappointment.” (Jessica, 11:04)
  • Mike and Jessica discuss Marcus Freeman’s performance, with Jessica defending his record in big games but acknowledging November injuries as a key concern (11:39).
  • Greg Cote: “It doesn’t matter, though, what Miami… Notre Dame just wins the rest of their games, they’re in, and if they lose a game, then they’re out.” (12:01)

• Is Marcus Freeman Leaving?

  • Debate ensues about the perception of Notre Dame as a “stepping stone” job for coaches. Mike notes programs like the NFL, Florida, and Penn State coveting Freeman, but adds, “If Notre Dame does lose another game… then it’s kind of a green light for his agents to take some of these conversations a little bit more seriously.” (Mike Ryan, 13:27)
  • Jessica says the rumors are likely posturing for raises and doesn’t think Freeman is looking to leave, but admits, “We’ll see.” (Jessica, 13:37)

• Can the Pope Save Notre Dame Football?

  • Coy banter about whether the Vatican or the Pope would financially intervene if Notre Dame needed to massively outbid other schools for Freeman:
    • Chris Cody: “If they call the Pope, will he open the coffers?” (19:46)
    • Jessica: “Maybe, maybe Pope Leo’s open to it.” (17:50); ultimately, she questions whether the appetite exists for $15 million/year contracts, even if the money is available.

3. The “Holiday Bowl in Saudi Arabia” and Changing Economics of College Football

[20:37–22:42]

• Jessica explains the Holiday Bowl exploring a possible move to Saudi Arabia for the financial payout, as the bowl game strained after COVID-related cancellations.
• “It sounds like the ACC pretty quickly shut it down, but they were exploring that.” (Jessica, 20:45)
• She laments the diminishing prestige and shaky finances of non–New Year’s Six bowls in the playoff era but expresses hope that bowl traditions survive: “I never ever want to see these bowl games go away. I would be devastated…” (Jessica, 22:34)

4. Texas Tech’s Tortilla Toss Controversy

[22:42–25:22]

• The Big 12 now threatens penalties for Texas Tech fans throwing tortillas. Their AD, Kirby Hocut, is quoted taking an oddly serious tone, leading to jokes about sneaking tortillas in pants and “discarding” them at the gate.
• Jessica: “The visual of that is very absurd to me.” (25:00)
• Amin ponders the food waste and segues into a side conversation about stray cats in his neighborhood.

5. Catholic Church, the Pope, and College Football—Satire Meets Social Commentary

[26:10–27:44]

• Greg Cote proposes the Pope as ND’s next coach, envisioning the regalia as a TV spectacle. Jessica dryly dives into the contemporary divides among Catholics:
  • “A lot of Catholics lately have been like, well, the Pope’s being a lib, so we don’t like him. Actually, the whole thing about feeding the poor we believe to be optional.” (Jessica, 27:12)

6. Television, Awkward Comedy, and Malls

[28:16–31:49]

• Jessica and Chris Cody rave about Tim Robinson’s new show “The Chair Company,” noting you have to know the right audience to recommend it.
  • Jessica: “It’s a mystery, but it’s also a comedy. There’s perfect amounts of goof and also intrigue.” (Jessica, 29:15)
• Banter about malls, the experience of secondhand embarrassment in Tim Robinson’s movie “Friendship,” and the fundamental need for R-rated comedy in theaters.

7. New Phone Number Mix-ups and Miami Stadium Critiques

[31:49–33:38]

• Chris Cody admits not realizing he’d been texting Jessica on her new number for months, thinking she’d blocked him.
• Jessica calls Hard Rock Stadium overrated: “It’s in the middle of nowhere… They had plastic in the nachos that we got.” (Jessica, 32:59)

8. LeBron the Liar? Reckless NBA Speculation

[36:52–44:22]

• Is LeBron Faking His Injury?

  • Greg Cote accuses LeBron of exaggerating an injury for leverage: “He’s in world class shape… He doesn’t have an injury keeping him out of games… He has an injury that your grandmother has. All right?... This is straight out the LeBron playbook.” (Greg Cote, 37:22)
  • Dan and Chris debate if it’s unethical or just strategic, with plenty of snark about LeBron’s ego and contract status. Dan: “Time to throw away journalistic credibility and get reckless!” (Dan, 38:37)
  • They reference similar situations from LeBron’s career and group chat drama (Anthony Davis discovering his trade via group chat).
  • Amin asks, “What would be LeBron’s incentive for faking an injury so late in his career?” (Amin Elhassan, 42:15), with Mike and others speculating about contract leverage and making teammates miss him.

• Other NBA Tidbits

  • Jimmy Butler makes all 16 free throws in game one, sparking a running bet with Steph Curry on free throw percentage.

• MVP Race Banter

  • Luka Doncic’s hot start (“Right now, Luka’s got to be at the front of the MVP conversation.”—Greg Cote, 38:08)
  • Chris Cody, Mike Ryan, and Greg discuss new Rockets star Sengun as this season’s breakout (“He’s an all star. That guy is good.” — Mike Ryan, 44:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Greg’s Bus Trip:

  • “I pull up, I could actually do it. I still have the boarding pass. And on the boarding pass, there is a symbol of a plane, not of a bus, of an airplane.” —Greg Cote (05:04)
  • “I have never heard of this in my life. There is no way that he did this… Sure enough, American Airlines started this service three weeks ago. You’re one of the first ever customers.” —Jessica (04:00)

• On College Football Fan Experience:

  • “If they lose a game, it would be a tremendous disappointment. And if they win out, they will probably be in the College Football Playoff…” —Jessica (11:04)

• On Financial Realities at Notre Dame:

  • “If they call the Pope, will he open the coffers?” —Chris Cody (19:46)
  • “I think they have the money to do that, obviously doesn’t mean they have the appetite to pay someone that much money.” —Jessica (19:59)

• On the Bowl Economy:

  • “This kind of demonstrates the financial strain on a lot of these bowls in the 12 team playoff era. And I never ever want to see these bowl games go away. I would be devastated…” —Jessica (22:34)

• On Catholic Church & Social Issues:

  • “As Catholics, you’re supposed to be like, yes, the Pope. What the Pope says… But those things don’t seem to be important to a lot of Catholics right now.” —Jessica (27:12)

• On LeBron’s Injury:

  • “He doesn’t have an injury keeping him out of games...He has an injury that your grandmother has. All right?...This is straight out the LeBron playbook.” —Greg Cote (37:22)
  • “Time to throw away journalistic credibility and get reckless!” —Dan LeBatard (38:37)

Memorable Timestamps

• 01:37 — Opening of the main hour; Greg’s bus/flight travel debacle.
• 04:00 — Jessica fact-checks the bus story; rare airline innovation revealed.
• 08:51 — College football/Russell Wilson gossip.
• 11:04 — Jessica on Notre Dame’s schedule & playoff hopes.
• 13:27 — Will Marcus Freeman leave? Coaching speculation gets real.
• 20:37 — Holiday Bowl to Saudi Arabia? Jessica on the state of bowl games.
• 22:42 — Texas Tech tortilla throwing controversy explained.
• 27:12 — Jessica on Catholics, the Pope, and contemporary faith debates.
• 29:15 — Jessica recommends Tim Robinson’s “The Chair Company.”
• 31:49 — Chris Cody’s awkward confession about texting the wrong number.
• 36:52 — LeBron’s “injury” skepticism and reckless NBA speculation begins.
• 38:37 — “Reckless speculation” jingle cue after Greg’s LeBron accusation.
• 44:22 — NBA MVP race, shout-outs to Jimmy Butler, Luka, and Sengun.

Tone & Style

Consistently playful, irreverent, and fast-paced. The hosts and guests drop sharp pop culture references and exhibit the show’s trademark blend of sports, random personal anecdotes, and biting humor. Jessica’s laconic expertise and willingness to fact-check her own skepticism fans the group’s creative riffing.

Summary

This hour epitomizes the Le Batard Show’s controlled chaos: part sports roundtable, part comedy writers’ room, with Jessica Smetana providing sharp college football insights and charming self-doubt. From Greg’s travel mishap and flights that turn into bus rides, through heated debates about Marcus Freeman and ND football’s soul, to LeBron’s mysterious absence and Texas Tech’s renegade tortilla tradition, the episode is as much about the absurdity and humanity in sports as it is the scoreboards themselves.