Hour 2: Jessica's Leeancé (feat. Jessica Smetana)

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: Hour 2: Jessica's Leeancé
Date: January 28, 2026
Featured Guest: Jessica Smetana
Location: The Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

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Overview

In this episode, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and the crew dive into an eventful mixture of personal milestones and sports news, anchored by Jessica Smetana’s recent engagement. They blend laughter, light teasing, and serious sports discourse, shifting deftly from Jessica’s proposal story to college football playoff controversies, NFL coaching drama, NBA trade rumors, and debates over the Hall of Fame’s role in sports.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

I. Jessica's Engagement: From Big News to Big Lies

[00:00–07:52]

• The News Break: The crew celebrates Jessica Smetana's engagement, with Dan humorously questioning the sincerity of her radiant happiness.

  • Dan Le Batard: “Look at the radiant bride to be here. We're all thrilled for her.” (00:00)
  • Jessica: “Everyone's being way too earnest. It's making me uncomfortable… making me feel things.” (00:31)

• Grandma’s Reaction: Jessica shares a recording of her grandma’s candid, vibrant response to the engagement news.

  • Grandma (via Jessica): “Son of a bitch. Oh, my God. I never thought he’d do it.” (01:42)

• The Surprise & Execution: Jessica details Lehman’s proposal, the careful planning by her friend Lucy (including fake plans, props from Hobby Lobby), and how she had no clue despite picking out her own ring and dating for eight years.

  • “Everyone I know has lied to me for the last week, by the way. It honestly pisses me off.” (03:32)

• Nail Drama & Candid Frustrations: Jessica laments her failed ‘nails for the proposal’ plan, revealing how her friends’ insistence on a manicure nearly gave the surprise away.

  • “I've been going au naturel for about a year now… if I had been more forceful, then you would have known something was coming.” (05:08–05:35)

• Content Creator’s Quandary: On whether to ‘break’ her own engagement news for podcast content, Jessica opts to surprise her co-host, Gojo, on Echoes Pod for a genuine on-air reaction.

  • “I could have gone with Greg and let Greg break the news. But I went with my co-host. Sorry, Greg.” (06:04)

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II. Relationship Real Talk & Generational Differences

[07:02–07:49]

• Chris and Jessica commiserate about long relationships (“tick tock” on engagement), with Jessica flipping the narrative: her fiancé was ready, but she felt too young (“child bride”).

  • “That's something that really shocks both of our sets of boomer parents, is that we communicate with each other.” (07:11)

• Jessica’s dad suggests a tongue-in-cheek engagement announcement:

  • “‘I finally succumbed to the traditional societal norms of marriage.’ I was like, yeah, that's probably not romantic enough.” (07:35)

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III. Quick Sports Transition: Football & NCAA Playoff Agreements

[07:52–13:21]

• Dan attempts to shift to football: He sets up discussions around the latest coaching hires, but not before joking about weather misery in New York for Jessica.
• CFP Confusion: Jessica calls out the “fine print” fumbles in college football’s playoff agreements. Reports suggest pivotal qualification rules (like non-champions from G6 getting playoff spots) were overlooked.
  • “Does no one read the fine print? …Some conference championship games matter and some don’t.” (12:04)

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IV. Transfer Portal & Miami “Buying” Players

[13:21–14:27]

• Miami’s Aggressive Transfer Moves: Dan floats that Miami ‘bought’ Duke’s best players. Jessica frames it as the nature of the modern transfer portal—“giveth and taketh”—and expresses as a fan it’s “lame” when players feign loyalty only to transfer soon after.
  • “If my favorite team’s QB is like, ‘yep, I’m sticking around’ and then… they change their mind, it’s like, why even announce it then?” (13:28)

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V. NFL Coaching Carousel: Steelers & Bills

[14:51–18:06]

• Mike McCarthy to the Steelers: Jessica was initially incredulous.

  • “When I heard the news, I felt like I had been punked… The connection is that he’s from Pittsburgh? …But then… he won the press conference. He got choked up… Maybe we can make this work.” (15:07–15:54)

  • Dan pokes fun at the emotional power of “good coach speak.”

    • “Were you surprised by the good coach talk making you turn even slightly on McCarthy?” (18:41)
    • Jessica: “Yeah, I’m an idiot, Dan. That’s the long and short of it… Maybe I’m just too trusting and perhaps a tad naive.” (19:01)

• Joe Brady to the Bills: Jessica finds the hire safe but uninspiring, reflecting a lack of vision from the top down.

  • “It just seems like uninspiring, like not a huge plan for how to move forward.” (17:15)

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VI. Jessica's Internet Minute: Debunking Viral Snow Conspiracies

[19:22–21:13]

• Jessica delves into the latest viral internet myth: “plastic” engineered snow, after Brittany Mahomes shares a debunking post. Jessica explains the real science behind the soot and “sublimation”.

  • “I don’t think this snowstorm was manufactured… I don’t know why it would be… That’s… the part I can’t figure out.” (20:28)

• Stugotz leaps into a parody conspiracy about mythical ocean serpents and mail-in voting (21:13), heightening the show’s trademark absurdity.

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VII. Hall of Fame Debate: Judgement vs. Objectivity

[24:55–29:00]

• Dan reflects on the morality and objectivity of gatekeeping legacies like Bill Belichick’s, arguing for a fact-based, merit-driven Hall of Fame rather than one driven by the moral judgments of voters:
  • “It should be a place where facts are, where I can get my history in a way that is unencumbered by the moralities of others.” (26:42)
• Chris Cody advocates putting “the blemish” (e.g., Spygate or steroids) on plaques rather than barring inclusion:
  • “Include the word steroids. In Belichick’s case, put him in the hall of fame, but on his forever plaque, include the blemish.” (27:11)
• Spirited banter ensues about human bias and memory in voting.

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VIII. NBA Trade Deadline Speculations: Giannis & the Drama

[29:19–40:16]

• Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Rumors: The crew riffs on the semantics and spectacle of how stars signal they want out (e.g., “ready for a new home”) without formally requesting a trade.

  • Dan: “There is no right way to break up with a franchise that loves you and a franchise you’ve loved back.” (35:51)

• Potential Miami Heat Involvement: Absurd, fiery “dares” of Adam Silver by the crew if Terry Rozier’s contract is voided as part of a Heat-Giannis deal, ramp up to January 6th hyperbole for effect. (37:04+)

• Clippers’ Hot Streak: They note the Clippers' season turnaround and poke fun at Tony’s history of quickly switching allegiances, especially as older teams “take time to get going.”

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IX. Closing Bits: Memory Tests, More Banter & Sign-Offs

[40:16–end]

• The end of the show features more playful tests of memory (reciting Hall of Fame votes), “major penalty” bits, and a return to the nagging conspiracies and sports takes that define the show’s unique tone.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Grandma’s Epic Reaction:

  • "Son of a bitch. Oh, my God. I never thought he’d do it." — Jessica’s Grandma (01:42)

• On Nailgate and Engagement Suprise:

  • “You should get a manicure too. …And I was like… I don’t really want to get a manicure. …So my nails look disgusting in these engagement photos.” — Jessica (04:38–05:35)

• On Modern Engagements:

  • “That's something that really shocks both of our sets of boomer parents, is that we communicate with each other.” — Jessica (07:11)

• On NFL Coach Press Conferences:

  • “He won the press conference. He got choked up. …Maybe we can make this work. …I do not want Aaron Rodgers back. …But willing to make it work because he is, you know, prodigal son’s coming home.” — Jessica (15:54)

• Hall of Fame Gatekeeping:

  • “It should be a place where facts are, where I can get my history in a way that is unencumbered by the moralities of others.” — Dan Le Batard (26:42)

• On NBA Stars & Trades:

  • “There is no right way to break up with a franchise that loves you and a franchise you’ve loved back.” — Dan Le Batard (35:51)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–07:52 – Jessica’s Engagement Story & Reactions
• 12:04–13:21 – College Football Playoff Fine Print Controversy
• 13:21–14:27 – Miami Buying Duke’s Best Players: The Transfer Portal Debate
• 15:07–15:54 – Jessica on Mike McCarthy to Steelers
• 19:22–21:13 – Jessica’s Internet Minute: Burning Snow Conspiracy
• 24:55–29:00 – Hall of Fame: Gatekeeping, Objectivity, and Legacy
• 29:19–40:16 – NBA Trade Deadline, Giannis Drama, Heat Hopes, and Clippers Chat

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Overall Tone & Style

The episode blends Le Batard’s signature sardonic wit and absurdist banter with moments of earnestness—especially in Jessica’s engagement story. Regular references to ongoing sports news are punctuated by playful teasing, wild hypotheticals, and quick pivots between serious and silly. The group’s chemistry and spontaneous asides keep the conversation consistently lively and unpredictable.

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For listeners and non-listeners alike, this hour delivers the show’s trademark blend of sports insight, inside jokes, and unfiltered personal storytelling, anchored by Jessica’s major life news and a cascade of sports hot takes.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast. Look at the radiant bride to be here. We're all thrilled for her. We learned yesterday. I don't know why she's smiling. Do you think that my happiness is insincere? Why? What. What do you mean what. What's happening there? I am thrilled for you. They broke the breaking news during the show yesterday. They told us that you had announced that you had gotten engaged, and we were all thrilled for you. So we immediately played the audio of you snoring.

[Jessica]

Everyone's being way too earnest. It's making me uncomfortable. The last six days has just been non stop, people saying how happy they are for me, and I don't like it, Dan. It's too earnest. Making me feel things.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, cool. I'm happy for you guys.

[Tony]

Whatever. I don't care.

[Dan Le Batard]

Tends to happen around weddings and love and, you know, the important things in life. I. I am thrilled because I am told also that we have a video of you surprising your grandma with your. With your news, and it has been too long since I've heard from your grand grandmother. What is the context that this video requires?

[Jessica]

Well, Lehman proposed to me on Friday, as you all heard yesterday, and so I FaceTimed my grandma and someone was film. I think Lehman was filming her also. Should I say leonce? Are we going with that? Chris, Cody, Leonce.

[Greg Cody]

That checks.

[Jessica]

Okay. My leonce was filming her reaction. So this was my grandma's reaction that I wanted you guys to hear first. I have to show you something, but I've been watching you. Oh, my God. Did you get engaged? Son of a bitch. Oh, my God. I never thought he'd do it.

[Dan Le Batard]

God damn it.

[Jessica]

I told you he was gonna do it. Oh, my God. Let me see. That's gorgeous.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let me see.

[Jessica]

What the hell is that? It's a yellow diamond. I.

[Zas]

Looks like a sailor.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, we love that about grandma. What are the details that you can share or are comfortable sharing? Even though all of this requires feelings.

[Jessica]

I will give a special shout out to Lucy, who was integral in the planning and execution of the proposal and was a witness to the proposal. I was very surprised. I'll post pictures at some point next week, but Lee surprised me in our apartment and Lucy brought a lot of props from Hobby Lobby. And so she was there and I was so surprised that I didn't really have anything to say. He asked me to marry him and I was like, okay, yes, I had nothing planned. It was very disorienting. Dan, as you know, there Was a big snowstorm in New York this past weekend. So that was the only thing I had thought about all week was, oh my God, this weekend's gonna be terr. And then I walked into my apartment. Lucy's there, and there's a bunch of flowers and Lisa on one knee. So it was very, very jarring for me.

[Dan Le Batard]

And no inkling, like, because you knew that eventually he would propose, right? Or you felt like he would. You told your grandma that you knew he would.

[Jessica]

Well, you know, I did pick out the ring. I'm not gonna pretend like that was a total, you know, surprise. But yes. We even dated for like eight years. So we knew we were gonna get married eventually. Just kind of. We were living in Florida. We were like, eh, we don't really know that many people down here. Maybe we'll wait till we' New York where his family is. And so yeah, long, long time coming. But there it is.

[Zas]

How'd you have no idea then?

[Jessica]

Cause it was like a disgusting cold Friday in the middle of January. Zaz. I didn't. I thought I was just gonna be my friend. Priya. Everyone I know has lied to me for the last week, by the way. It's bull. It honestly pisses me off. I've been asking people for months. I'm like, what are we doing this weekend? What are we doing here? What's the plan for here? When are we gonna go down see my parents, blah, blah. Everyone's been lying to me. They've just been like, passing the buck around, like, oh, well, let's do this, blah, blah. So for weeks I've just been lied to.

[Greg Cody]

Was Lee really sick? Because you said on last Mystery Crate that Lee. You guys have been separated because he was sick for a couple of weeks.

[Jessica]

Yeah, he was really sick. Which I heard almost jeopardized a months long plan to propose on Friday. So luckily he recovered. Chris. But I was with my friends all last weekend and I was like, what do you guys want to do next weekend? We were like making plans. And all the. The whole time they knew I was getting. I was gonna get proposed to. And Lee. Beyonce surprised me. Kind of sounds like Beyonce, but Beyonce surprised me with a trip to my parents, so I didn't even have to. I've been complaining about the snowstorm for weeks and I'm not even in New York right now to deal with it. So that was shocking.

[Greg Cody]

Seem angry.

[Jessica]

I just don't like being lied to. Chris. I was, you know, you know the whole thing how like women will be like, oh, I Want to make sure my nails are done. So when I get engaged, you know, for the pictures, my nails look nice. Well, my friend took me to get my nails done on Friday and I was like, I'm just gonna get a pedicure. And she's like, you should get a manicure too. And I was like, no, I don't really want to get a manicure. I'm off Gel X right now. I don't like the UV lights. You know, it's too much UV exposure on my nails. They banned it in Europe, apparently.

[Greg Cody]

So I was like, no, we're doing this. I really want to do it.

[Tony]

Makes the nails brittle, Dan.

[Jessica]

Exactly. It's terrible for your nails. The nail health is suffering, Tony. So I've been going au naturel for about a year now. She was like, you really should get a manicure. I mean, why not? We're going to this event tonight. There's going to be photographers there. Which that was bull, by the way. And I was like, I don't wanna get a manicure. Like, whatever. I don't care. So my nails look disgusting in these engagement photos. And she was like, well, if I had been more forceful, then you would have known something was coming. And I was like, maybe it would have been nice to have 5% of a clue instead of like, negative 20. Cause I just sounded like a babbling idiot when this thing happened.

[Dan Le Batard]

Greg, are you bothered that you weren't able to break this news and ruin this engagement?

[Chris]

I am. That's what I was thinking the whole time.

[Greg Cody]

I thought about feeding it to my dad.

[Chris]

I know.

[Greg Cody]

I think I knew like a day or two before I thought about feeding.

[Zas]

It to my dad.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wait a minute. Did everyone know before Jessica? Like, is she the real.

[Greg Cody]

No, no, I meant. No, no, no, no. I meant, like, before Jessica announced it. I knew before Jessica, okay.

[Jessica]

I had to make a decision in terms of content. And, you know, I'm. I'm. I'm hamming it up right now. I'm very happy. I do wish my nails were done. But, Dan, I decided, you know, should I. Should I tell people? Should I post something online? Like, whatever. I don't know what. I don't know what I'm supposed to do is the first time I've ever been engaged, hopefully the last. And I thought, you know what? I'm going to record with Gojo on Monday for the Echoes Pod. Check it out. Wherever you get your podcasts, I'm going to surprise him on camera and get his reaction. So I could have gone with Greg and let Greg break the news. But I went with my co host. Sorry, Greg.

[Chris]

That's okay. Yes, I forgive you. And congratulations. I got to ask you an honest question though, because my, my future wife and I dated a long time, like about the same seven, eight years, six years before we finally got married. And I'm wondering, in your relationship, did it ever reach a point where you're thinking, when's this guy going to ask me to get married? Like, tick tock. Did it ever come up in as a subject even kiddingly?

[Jessica]

It was more so the opposite where he was like, I've been saving for a ring for five years. Like, when are we going to get married? And I was like, like.

[Dan Le Batard]

He'S a.

[Jessica]

Little bit older than me, Greg. So he was ready. And I was like, I'm a child bride. I think I need to at least turn 31st. So no, I think we're kind of on the same page. And that's something that really shocks both of our sets of boomer parents, is that we communicate with each other.

[Stugotz]

This is a weird south beach session.

[Chris]

It really is.

[Jessica]

It's true though. I was like, I don't know what to make this caption on my Instagram. And my dad was like, you should make it say I finally succumbed to the traditional societal norms of marriage. And I was like, yeah, that's probably not romantic enough. So I made it ope instead.

[Dan Le Batard]

What's the worst part of the life?

[Jessica]

Honestly, right now? The fact that I have to go back to New York in a few days.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's 8 degrees. It's 8 degrees. A lot of people are shoveling snow twice a day. I wanted to talk to you a little bit about all the football stuff going on here before we get to the professional stuff and Mike McCarthy becoming the Steelers coach.

[Stugotz]

From Shams two time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for our new home at the February 5th NBA Trade Deadline or in the off season as several rival teams have made aggressive offers to the Milwaukee Bucks for him. And the franchise is starting to listen. League sources tell.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes, Jeremy, go back to the B O R E D. Go back to the board.

[Greg Cody]

That joke was so funny the first time.

[Dan Le Batard]

Go back to the board. And I'm going to resume talking about football here with Jessica.

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[Jessica]

LeBatard I don't think I ever got that many roses in my whole life stuff. Certainly not from your lovely grandfather. God, may a soul rest in peace.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Don Levatar show with the Stugach. College football changes your thoughts. There are what what's most interesting to you there?

[Jessica]

What's most interesting to me is the fact that there keep being all these reports about the fact that like no one reads what's in any of the playoff agreements that the conferences and the commissioners are all agreeing on. There was a story yesterday from the Athletic where Chris Vanini said that apparently next year the highest ranked G6 group of 6 team doesn't necessarily need to be a conference champion to get into the cfp and that no one was aware of this until yesterday. I suppose, I guess my question is like, does no one read the fine print? Like, everyone's just agreeing to stuff and they don't know what that stuff is. And also, do the conference championship games matter? Do they not matter? Because under this agreement, I guess theoretically you could have like a 12 team that gets upset in their conference championship game and they would still be safe to get into the playoff as long as they're still ranked in the top 25, I suppose, ahead of another G6 team and like that. Then like, what's the point of playing the conference championship? So like some conference championship games matter and some don't. Like last year the Big 12 Conference championship game mattered because BYU lost and they didn't get into the playoff. But the SEC one didn't because Alabama lost by three touchdowns and they still got in. So now I'm just like, what are we doing here? And does no one read did you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Have any thoughts on the idea that Miami has just bought Duke's two best players?

[Jessica]

You know, I mean, I think it's great for Miami. You have two conference champions that now can teach you, you know, how to win a conference championship. But no, Dan, I think, I think it's like the transfer portal giveth and the transfer portal taketh. Like, you know, Duke was able to lure Mensah away from Tulane. So I guess you can't be that mad when like the game gets played to you. I do think what is, I guess like, for lack of a better word, lame is if you're a player and you announce you're coming back, you're re signing with the school you play for and then you enter the portal later and transfer. Like I. That's lame. I know that like they had to go through a settlement, all that. And I'm not even like concerned with the legal aspect of it. I just mean from like a. Purely from a fan perspective, if my favorite team's quarterback is like, yep, I'm sticking around and then like two weeks later they change their mind, it's like, why even announce it then? Like, if you're gonna wait around and possibly leave when you get a better offer, just, just wait and don't say anything because I think that that kind of sucks. As a fan.

[Dan Le Batard]

We just had the breaking news of.

[Greg Cody]

The Is ultimately these picks that the Pelicans, the Hawks and the Blazers have guys, because the Blazers, those pick swaps in 2028 and 2030, as long as they have that 29 first round pick as well, they really control the future for the Bucks. And the Bucks have this first round pick right here that's likely their own. It's best for them if they're bad this season. So what do they want to take on for Giannis Antetokounmpo?

[Dan Le Batard]

Maybe the name itself, Todd Monken is not very inspiring. Nobody wanted, nobody wanted that brow. But Mike McCarthy to the Steelers. I can't imagine that Steeler fans are very excited by anything happening there. Do I have it wrong?

[Jessica]

I think Dan, when I heard the news, I felt like I had been punked. I thought this is probably not. This is, this can't be. I mean, last week we were joking about the AI Slop photo where he had a cigarette sticking out of his ear. And the fact that. What is the connection here? The connection is that he's from Pittsburgh. Is that why, like the last time Pittsburgh, the Steelers did this with like, oh, we got. Our Pittsburgh guy was with Kenny Pickett. That didn't work out. So I didn't like that. And I thought that, you know, that probably wasn't going to happen. I thought they'd go with the young DC Route, which has worked well for them in the past, Dan. But then, yeah, they hired McCarthy. I thought I was being punked. I was pretty down about it. I mean, did it ruin my engagement weekend? I wouldn't go that far. But did it, you know, make me unhappy for a few hours in an otherwise happy Weekend.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Jessica]

And then he did his press conference and look Dan, I know you're gonna hate this, but he won the press conference. He won the press conference. There's that cigarette sticking out of the year. Love it. He, he just said all the right things. He got choked up. He was emotional and I was like, you know what? Maybe, maybe we can make this work. Maybe. I don't know how he's gonna be coaching a team without a quarterback. That's not something he's really had to do for a while. I'm not sure what that offense is gonna look like. I do not want Aaron Rodgers back. It sounds like that's probably gonna happen now, but. And willing to make it work because he is, you know, prodigal son's coming home.

[Dan Le Batard]

Dan, how does this work with people.

[Greg Cody]

Giving good coach pay attention to is which team has expiring deals because potential potentially you have Carl Anthony Towns here who could be moved as a piece of this to get Giannis to the Knicks or do the warriors have enough themselves? Does Milwaukee want to be bad? And then you have Jimmy Butler being shifted into that space for them to be bad right now. Because if you work out a three team deal with again New Orleans and Atlanta, those, those teams are the ones that control Milwaukee's pick next year. So if they can get their own pick back.

[Dan Le Batard]

Tension. Joe. Joe Brady to the Bills, that feels uninspired as well given everybody that they were talking to, but at least keeps continuity there. Did you have any thoughts there?

[Jessica]

Just basically that like it seems like Bills fans that I've talked to feel like, okay, we thought maybe there was a bigger plan if you were going to let go of McDermott. Because I think like letting go of McDermott, it's kind of different than the Steelers thing because like hiring Mike McCarthy just kind of like reasserts that. That was Tomlin's decision. He probably caught everyone off guard by it because they had no plan. So they just hired another kind of Tomlin esque coach. But the Joe Brady thing, it's like, well, but then Dan, the whole press conference with Terry Pegula, like it just seems like from the top down they're not really sure what they're doing. So I guess from that standpoint it makes a lot of sense and you could have done worse. But yeah, it just seems like uninspiring, like not, not a huge plan for how to move forward. And especially a team that does have a quarterback that is in, you know, win now mode with their quarterback. I can see why people are a Little underwhelmed.

[Dan Le Batard]

Were you surprised you're looking at Drew.

[Greg Cody]

Holiday, Carl Anthony Towns, DeMar DeRozan, DeMonta Sabonis, Jonathan Kaminga, Jimmy Butler, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Terry Rosier, Andrew Wiggins, Norman Powell, Khalil Ware, Tyler hero, Anthony Davis, DeAndre Hunter, John Morant, LeBron James. There's all of these players that could be. Heck, Kristaps Porzingis could be at play. When we're talking about the trade deadline and all of these players and everything that they're doing. All of this movement hinges on Giannis Antetokounmpo. And now with eight days to go, what does Fauci have to do with it?

[Dan Le Batard]

Were you surprised that you were surprised by the good coach talk making you turn even slightly on McCarthy? Because I can't believe that a savvy veteran, even though you're still a child bride, a child. I can't believe, like, a savvy veteran like you could be fooled by coach talk.

[Jessica]

Yeah, I'm an idiot, Dan. I think that's the long and short of it. I believe everything at face value. That's why my friends have been able to lie to me for a month and my fiance has been lying to me for a month. And I haven't noticed because I just. Maybe I'm too trusting. Maybe I'm not stupid. Maybe I'm just too trusting and perhaps a tad naive.

[Dan Le Batard]

Do you have the sound for your Internet minute that produced. Yeah, there it is. Okay, very good. You don't.

[Jessica]

Time to get in it. It's Jessica's Internet minute. I may be naive and take things at face value, but when it comes to Internet conspiracy theories, that is not the case. And yesterday I saw a post that Brittany Mahomes had reposted this video on her Instagram. Stories of a thing that is going around the Internet where people take a lighter and burn a ball of snow, and the snow turns black from the soot from the lighter, but they're claiming that it's actually plastic snow and the government has created a fake snowstorm. So she posted this video, which is like debunking that. So I'm like, okay, that's good. Like, she's posting a debunking video. But then the caption of this video was like, this is real snow, but it is still made, man. Made from the government. So then I was like, ah, oh no, Brittany. But I did some Googling, and this is a very popular thing that's going around right now. Dan. So the explanation I read Was that the lighter doesn't burn cleanly. So that's why the snowball's turning perhaps a sooty shade of black. But also there's this thing called sublimation happening where a solid goes straight to a gas instead of turning into a liquid first. So that's why it's not just becoming wet water and dripping all over the place. So I don't know. There's a scientific explanation for it. I don't think the snowstorm was manufactured, and I don't know why it would be. That's kind of the part of this conspiracy that I'm. I'm still trying to hammer home why there would be fake plastic snow. And that part I. I can't figure out. So if you are part of this conspiracy theory community, why. Why would this happen? I don't understand.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't mean to be cruel.

[Stugotz]

Revelation has always alluded to a great mythical serpent that is living in our oceans called the Leviathan. Now, if you check Google Maps, and I. Trust me when I say this, off the coast of. You can make out the head of a snake. Now, why is this all happening to us? I'll tell you why. Mail in voting, you need two forms of id, and it's hugely important that you take this with you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Now, listen, I don't mean to be cruel about this, but your nails look spectacular.

[Jessica]

Thank you, Dan.

[Chris]

Oh, wow.

[Jessica]

Emergency manicure on Saturday morning at the airport.

[Dan Le Batard]

Those pictures are gonna be mortifying to you forever because they're always gonna remind you that you're friends lied to you.

[Stugotz]

All week in parts like Texas, it's snowing in Savannah. No one's talking about that. No, no. It's snowing in Savannah, guys. And you know why we're doing that? So the beast can stay asleep. We don't want to usher in the end times until the timing is right and we're almost there.

[Dan Le Batard]

How did Mike take the microphone away from somebody less annoying? How. How is. How is it possible that that happened while it is that Jeremy was doing the bit? All of a sudden, we end up on Mike giving us conspiracy theories that nobody cares for.

[Stugotz]

Says, you know about that Leviathan.

[Zas]

I know about that Leviathan.

[Stugotz]

Now you do. Foushee Fauci.

[Dan Le Batard]

Get that Fauci bobblehead I brought in that of him throwing a first pitch somewhere wearing a mask. That's good to accompany. What it is that you're doing. The podcast is the Echoes. The Echoes. The Echoes with Mike Kolik Jr. Check it out. It's all your weekly Notre Dame information. Is Notre Dame doing well in the portal?

[Jessica]

They did very well in the portal, Dan. Thank you for asking. We broke it all down last week. And like I said, if you want to check out Gojo's live reaction to me surprising him, I thought it was very cute.

[Dan Le Batard]

Was it great? Was it? So he is a good friend. He also is an uncommonly sweet human being, just like his dad. So, like, doing that to him, I imagine that he would give you shared joy, delight, like very few.

[Jessica]

Yeah, and like I said, it's making me very uncomfortable. So I don't. I don't know where we go from here, Dan. Lucy's watching my dog right now in 20 degree weather. She's so nice. Everyone's so nice.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's been wonderful to watch you and Lucy become friends.

[Stugotz]

And I is the I before the E. And Peter Thiel, either way, give him everything that he needs. This is huge. This is a huge part because nobody has been on the Antichrist more than Peter Thiel. And I gotta say, this Leviathan thing, it's got traction.

[Dan Le Batard]

Jessica, thank you. It's good seeing you. And congratulations. Everybody here is thrilled for you.

[Jessica]

Thank you.

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[Dan Le Batard]

Don LeBatard.

[Jessica]

I don't like smutty either.

[Stugotz]

Stugats.

[Jessica]

Women stay home in the kitchen where they belong.

[Zas]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.

[Dan Le Batard]

I need all of those people back in here in order to do a show with them. While Roy and Chris are lovely to do the show with, the rest of those people need to get in here. I cannot be left to my own devices here. You know that. I will just be talking about freedom and democracy. And so let's go, everybody back. I have to get back to sports. And I also need somebody. I was trying to draw a penis. Tell us what now. Telestrate a penis on what it is Mike was doing. But I need the code to the telestrator because I don't know it. And everyone had left the room. And I was trying to ask somebody for the. For the code for the code to the telestrator. I didn't even ask Jessica, and I should have because I don't know that we've talked enough about it. Today, do you feel like we have. The Belichick story is a beast. Like it's a monster. The, all of it. Right. It's not just Belichick's legacy. The, it's the be the being able to recycle again what the hall of Fame is supposed to be. Is it a place where facts and merit are measured or is it a place for the gatekeepers to apply judgments outside of that? You got. You heard me say during the refereeing segment that we were talking about. You heard me say that I don't want my judges doing letter of the law. I want them applying judgment. Good judgment, not judgment. I agree with just expert judgment. That's better than my judgment because they have more information than I do and more tools to do it in this case. And this is my objection, Greg, for, for as much as you and I argue about me losing my hall of Fame vote, this is where I lost it. I, I, it was over the principle for me of I believe the gatekeepers shouldn't be applying independent moralities to something that should act more metrically as a merit based system for accomplishment. I think it should be a museum, and it's not a museum of art to me. It should be more like a library. It should be a place where facts are, where I can get my history in a way that is unencumbered by the moralities of others. You want to let. Let Belichick in with an asterisk, that's fine, but you gotta let him in.

[Chris]

Well, I've said that for years. That let Barry Bonds in. But include on his eternal bronze plaque the reason he didn't get in right away. Include steroids. Include the word steroids. In Belichick's case, put him in the hall of Fame, but on his forever plaque, include the blemish. Include Spygate. I think voters have not only the right, but the obligation to make a distinction between first ballot hall of Fame and second year hall of Fame. And I know you disagree.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wait a minute. So you wait a minute. Wait a minute.

[Chris]

Nick Wright said it.

[Dan Le Batard]

You say not right. Obligation.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

You say the voter has an obligation. So what you guys just did to Jayson Tatum, I'm going to trust you with someone's forever legacy on that. I make him second tier because I don't like him. Like, that's not right. That's just not right.

[Chris]

I didn't say I made him secondary because.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, but I'm saying that's part of what's in play with Barry Bonds and all of these voters I don't expect my voters to be that emotionally biased. I can make. Then let fans vote. If you're going to. If you're just going to make it that emotionally biased. Don't make the gatekeepers have more sanctity about what they're doing than just do it by polling.

[Chris]

Then do it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Call and poll.

[Chris]

Then don't make the gatekeepers. Human beings have. Have AI select your whole.

[Dan Le Batard]

The human beings are obligated to apply or aspire to objectivity. You don't agree. Right. This is the problem, I think, with the gatekeepers. It's why I lost my vote. The gatekeepers think that that museum's for them. You give them the power and they abuse it because they think, here's where I show you how important my judgment is. And then it stops being about how hard it is to be. Mike. I want this to always be about how hard it is to be Bill Belichick or Barry Bonds.

[Stugotz]

That's not why you lost your vote.

[Dan Le Batard]

You didn't lose your vote.

[Stugotz]

You lost your vote.

[Dan Le Batard]

Come on.

[Stugotz]

Due to hijinks and shenanigans.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Chris]

We all know it. It's okay.

[Ad]

Both of those.

[Stugotz]

Yes. And the. The Lebitard hat trick of making it about himself.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Zas]

Dan. Natural hat trick. Dan. Giannis is about to get traded.

[Greg Cody]

Yo, what are we doing?

[Zas]

You know how funny this is though? Okay. Because you read the shamstrania tweet how2time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home at the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline. He refuses to ask for a trade, refuses to request for a trade, refuses to demand a trade. He is. Have you ever heard this phrase before? Ready for a new home.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Zas]

He refuses to actually ask for a trade.

[Chris]

No, it's. But getting back to the hall of Fame, if you don't mind, can I.

[Dan Le Batard]

Say I do, actually. I thought Zad showed good judgment there by pulling me off of that. Okay.

[Chris]

A lot more to say, but that's okay.

[Zas]

Giannis.

[Chris]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

Mvp.

[Chris]

I hear you.

[Zas]

And he's gonna come here.

[Dan Le Batard]

I hear you.

[Zas]

Greg. Greg. It's the Heat.

[Dan Le Batard]

He's got the one thing that he's got expertise on. He can't talk enough about his own hall of Fame. But like we. I'll do this. You know what I'll do.

[Stugotz]

I think he can.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, this is what I'll do at the end of the show today. Okay. On the post game, just attached to that, Greg Cody gets to give you all his thoughts on this and we will all leave the studio and just let him talk until he runs out of. Of out of breath. But we also have to get to whether or not he remembers what he voted for earlier in the show. Do you remember the number of votes on this test of ours where we said, will Bill Polian remember? Should he remember at 83, something that he did two weeks ago in voting? You said that he should remember that and obviously remembers that, that he's lying.

[Greg Cody]

When he talks to Don has his ballot.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, Zaz explained to us the nature of this test here that we did before we get back to Janis.

[Zas]

So Bill Pollian flat out denies the story from last night that claims he led the charge of Belichick having to wait at least a year to get into the hall of Fame. And he claimed he, he claims he voted for Belichick, but he doesn't know for 100% certainty, which seems crazy, but hey, it was a couple of weeks.

[Dan Le Batard]

But he knows for 100% certainty that he did vote for Robert Kraft like that one. He knows with 100% certainty.

[Zas]

Right.

[Dan Le Batard]

He doesn't know with 100%.

[Stugotz]

I think that's what's actually happening here. I think have been opened by David Sampson. This is a craft thing. He does not want to share the limelight with him. He does not want the awkwardness of them having a big Patriots glory days field trip. That guy's in the super bowl right now on his own. As he sees it. I think he uses influence to be like, that's going to be my weekend and I'm not sharing it with him.

[Zas]

So Chris does not believe. Forget a couple of weeks to remember. Chris does not believe his father would remember by the end of the show today who he voted for something he.

[Dan Le Batard]

Did a couple hours earlier. Not. It has not even been two hours since Greg Cody did what.

[Zas]

Okay, so I'm not even going to tell you how many people you voted for. I'm just going to ask you some names here and you're going to tell me if you voted for.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, wait a minute, but hold on a second. How many did you vote for?

[Chris]

Do you know you're going to criticize for me? I only voted for four.

[Greg Cody]

Oh, that's it.

[Chris]

That's what he did. I only voted for four.

[Dan Le Batard]

He's going to remember them.

[Chris]

I didn't have chance. Chance to do due diligence on the borderline.

[Stugotz]

Didn't have chance.

[Zas]

Did you vote Tori Holt into the hall of Fame?

[Chris]

No.

[Zas]

Did you vote Eli Manning into the hall of Fame?

[Chris]

No.

[Dan Le Batard]

He's going to nail this test and ruin all of it. Like, just. Just tell me the four who you vote for. Who'd you vote for?

[Chris]

I voted for Drew Brees. I voted for Frank Gore. I voted for EL Fitz. Larry Fitzgerald.

[Dan Le Batard]

Now he's just showboating. Now. This is. This right here. This right here is him showboating. Look how good my mem is. I can't remember all the guys I voted for 90 minutes.

[Chris]

All four. And I also voted for Jordan Hudson's boyfriend.

[Zas]

I'm surprised he only voted for one. So he just has to remember. I mean, you did such a trick that he pulled on us by only voting for.

[Chris]

I mean, you know, I feel hoodwinked. Those were.

[Zas]

Those are the four trick.

[Chris]

Those are the four automatic first.

[Greg Cody]

I'll ask him again this Friday when we record the Greg Cody show.

[Stugotz]

Eli Manning, hall of Famer after happy hour.

[Chris]

Borderline.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's do it two weeks from now.

[Chris]

That's why he didn't get in to.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's do it the same way that Pollian did. Let's put it. Let's set an alarm somewhere that goes off during the show two weeks from now on Wednesday and ask him again who he voted for.

[Greg Cody]

Got the reminder on my phone.

[Dan Le Batard]

Let's see if he remembers 100% or 95% the way Poland.

[Stugotz]

I think he's definitely got to remember El Fitz.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah, El Fitz.

[Chris]

Of course. El Fitz, Man.

[Dan Le Batard]

That. The reason he did that was to showboat on memory. It was such a weird flex. Like. I know. I know this so well that I'm gonna give you a nickname that Larry Fitzgerald does not have. Elle Fitz. Because I'm gonna parade around here with a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon and show you guys how good my memory is from 90 minutes ago.

[Zas]

That was so disappointing.

[Dan Le Batard]

And you know what else it does?

[Greg Cody]

Major penalty. Five minutes grooming comedy.

[Dan Le Batard]

It doesn't help us for him to get everything right there like it does.

[Zas]

Whose fault is that?

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It doesn't.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah, but he's our most, like, genuine guy. We can't have him doing bits. He has to just be him.

[Zas]

No, but he did do a bit because I'll bet he believes that there's more than four, but he only picked four because he knows, remember?

[Chris]

How do you know that?

[Zas]

You know what my. Someone told me.

[Tony]

Okay.

[Chris]

This guy. Okay. Nice hat, asshole.

[Dan Le Batard]

So Giannis doing this. Zaslo's takeaway of this guy refuses to demand a trade. It's such a funny place that Zaz is getting stuck on. The idea of Jan is sort of trying to slither around and do it.

[Greg Cody]

Respect.

[Tony]

He's right, though.

[Dan Le Batard]

Look. No.

[Zas]

Have you ever heard anyone say, I'm ready for a new home?

[Dan Le Batard]

So here's the part where he's not right, okay? And I understand why he comes by this opinion, okay? There is no right way to do this. With the fan base with whom you have a community connection after winning a championship. There are zero right ways to do it it. So every single person who actually wants this is going to do it wrong. And they're just degrees of wrong. There is no right. The customer here wants his feel good, her feel good, and Giannis is going to take it away. And Giannis wants to treasure that and doesn't want to disrespect the organization. Giannis has been in public until now, not unlike Damian Lillard, who also didn't want to do this. A model citizen in every way who carries himself as the utmost of professional pillars. He has nothing in his past that is not exemplary. That relationship with that community matters to him and should.

[Chris]

He did boo his own fans.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, Greg. He's got a long resume of stuff that is simply positive.

[Chris]

Agreed.

[Zas]

But he did boo because there's no.

[Dan Le Batard]

Right way to do this. Because there is no right way to break up up with a franchise that loves you and a franchise you've loved back.

[Zas]

I'll tell you, I think he may be actually going about this the wrong way. Instead of saying that he wants a trade to a new team, he's telling you he wants a new home. He's telling you he doesn't want to live in Milwaukee anymore. Milwaukee is his home. He wants to live somewhere else he doesn't want to play for.

[Dan Le Batard]

He's not telling us anything.

[Zas]

He wants a new home.

[Dan Le Batard]

He's not telling us anything. Shams is reporting something.

[Tony]

He also doesn't even live in Milwaukee. I've heard he lives in Chicago and just makes the commute.

[Jessica]

Commute?

[Chris]

New home.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's a long commute. That's a two hour commute.

[Tony]

That's a. Philip Rivers drove like 17 hours from San Diego to LA.

[Stugotz]

Have you ever done that?

[Tony]

Make it.

[Greg Cody]

What up?

[Zas]

You think he drives two hours to a game?

[Stugotz]

Yeah, it's only 90 minutes.

[Dan Le Batard]

Stugotz did that with work every day. Why? Do you think he got tired? Yes. Every day he was driving two hours.

[Stugotz]

Back and every week he got a new home. Somehow refinanced a lot.

[Greg Cody]

I will tell you that if the Heat somehow come to a deal for Giannis that involves Terry Rozier somehow, then the NBA turns around and says you can't trade that contract.

[Dan Le Batard]

What are you gonna do?

[Greg Cody]

And someone else swoops in. I'm not gonna do it. I know some Heat fans that would storm the NBA headquarters that makes January 6th look like nothing. I know people that would do that. Definitely not me. You're a coward.

[Stugotz]

January 6th was nothing.

[Tony]

Talk to him.

[Jessica]

Could you imagine?

[Stugotz]

The doors were wide open. Casual brisk walk. They let him in.

[Tony]

There's a tour.

[Zas]

I'm telling. I will lose my. I'm just telling you right now. If that's what happens as is one of the ones. If that's it's gonna be him. If that's sewing needle.

[Dan Le Batard]

You're going to make James.

[Stugotz]

Too many checks out us that were there.

[Dan Le Batard]

See if you can find a Sherpa outfit for him during the break. In an American flag.

[Stugotz]

We don't like that guy anymore. He turned his back on us.

[Zas]

Matter of fact, Adam Silver, if the Heat make this trade and they include Terry Rozier's contract and you void it. Adam Silver, I dare you to do that.

[Dan Le Batard]

You have not talked to a camera that way since the scarred head of Craig Barubi.

[Stugotz]

I'm a little worried now about our funding of Pablo's operation. Yeah, this is going to be the.

[Zas]

Now you're worried about it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Now you're worried about it.

[Stugotz]

Where to?

[Chris]

Where?

[Stugotz]

Miami Clippers are good now. By the way, speaking of Clippers, I'm.

[Greg Cody]

Waiting for you to turn on the Clippers now. Lowe's in New York.

[Tony]

If you do this midway through the season, you're like, wow, the Clippers are the best team I've ever seen.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wait a minute. You did this last year.

[Jessica]

You did it last year.

[Greg Cody]

I saw they're the first team ever to at one point lose 16 out of 19 and at one point win 16.

[Tony]

And the Clippers fan ate the tweet, by the way. Did you see that? Ate the whole thing.

[Dan Le Batard]

The Clippers last year lost in the first round in game seven. And that team was absolutely good enough to beat okc. And I end up being wrong for eternity because James Harden. I trusted him in a game seven. But Zubak and Kawhi and James Harden is a Zubots. Yes. Excuse me. The. That's a. That is a threesome. That is formidable. And it didn't make any sense to me that they were so bad the first 20 games of the season because that team is good. It's just old.

[Tony]

It takes them a little bit to get going. But 16 and 3 in their last 19 games. Kawhi Leonard's playing the best basketball we've seen in his career.

[Dan Le Batard]

But when you say, though, it takes them a little bit to get going. You're describing Nicholas Batum trying to get out of bed in the morning. Like you're, you're describing somebody. Those are some miles on those long, long legs. That is an old basketball team. Did you not know that?

[Tony]

No. Brook Lopez is a Clipper.

[Stugotz]

He's still doing it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Wow.

[Zas]

Adam Silver, I double dare you not to allow the Heat to trade the Rogier contract.

[Greg Cody]

You know what's funny about all of this is that if somehow, if somehow the Heat were able to pull off a trade for Giannis, you could ultimately thank the fact that Damian Lillard wasn't traded to Miami, because him tearing his Achilles in Milwaukee is the thing that finally sent them into tank mode and struggling. That led to Giannis finally asking out. So it might have been a couple years too late. It might have cost you the end of a run with Jimmy Butler, but theoretically could end up in a Giannis Antokounmpo situation between him, between the Heat, between the Knicks, between the Blazers and Pelicans and Hawks. What a fascinating day.

[Dan Le Batard]

Jeremy, you did an okay job today in a lot of different realms, but how do you feel about this?

[Greg Cody]

They could take off the if if Giannis. I don't feel great.

[Dan Le Batard]

Professional broadcaster Jeremy Tashay reacting to the breaking news because he's nimble when things are live.

[Greg Cody]

They could take off the if, if Giannis.

[Chris]

Well said.

[Greg Cody]

I'll be on the Heat game tonight if you'd like to tune in. We'll be reporting live on Khalil Ware's probable return three times. You could take off the if if Giannis.

[Dan Le Batard]

Emmy winner Jeremy Teshet.

[Jessica]

Close your eyes, exhale, feel your body relax and let go of whatever you're carrying today. Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contact. Oh, my gosh. They're so fast. And breathe. Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw the discount they gave me on my first order. Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800contacts.com today to save on your first order.

[Greg Cody]

1-800-Contacts.