The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Hour 2: The Long Midwest Goodbye (feat. Charlie Berens)
Date: December 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This hour brings together Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, the show’s ensemble, and comedian/midwest icon Charlie Berens for a blend of sports, comedy, and reflections on Midwest culture. The crew dives into college football playoff controversies, NBA trade drama surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo, and a particularly “Midwest nice” interview with Berens—including tales from a family of 12, airport rituals, and Midwest exclamations. As always, there’s a layer of self-aware banter and irreverent takes on sports and pop culture.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. College Football Playoff Selection Drama (02:36–07:30)

• The show laments the ever-contentious and often illogical college football playoff selection process.
• Stugotz reveals Chuck Todd's gambling quirks:
  • “I never gamble on Miami games because I don't want to be doubly disappointed.” (03:22, Stugotz)
• The group reflects on hypocrisy and inconsistencies in playoff criteria, especially regarding power conferences.
  • Dan: “Everyone's upset with the process, whether you end up benefiting from it or you're the team left out. So at this point, I'm just exhausted by it.” (06:44)
• Mike Ryan recites against-the-spread records, sparking banter about college football fandoms and betting habits.

2. NBA Rumors: Giannis and the Bucks (07:35–12:28)

• Dan admits he feels “guilty” paying more attention to Giannis unfollowing the Bucks than to deeper news stories:
  • “He is now telling his 16 million followers that he has unfollowed the Bucks... My guess is that he wants to be playing somewhere else.” (07:56)
• Speculation swirls around trade possibilities, with Mike Ryan running Heat scenarios through the infamous “trade machine”:
  • “I already worked the trade machine yesterday for how the Heat... could position themselves to be a major player if a Whale becomes available.” (08:45, Mike Ryan)
• The hosts debate possible return packages, likely destinations (New York, Atlanta), and how “Midwest nice” Giannis's exit might be.
  • “I don't think this is going to be an ugly breakup. So because of what he has done for the franchise, I think his preference is going to play a major role.” (12:16, Mike Ryan)

3. The Lane Kiffin Ole Miss Departure (12:28–22:00)

• The group analyzes the messy departure of Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss, focusing on accusations of lying to players about his intentions.
• Players like Suntarrine Perkins and Bryson Sanders publicly contradict Kiffin’s narrative:
  • “That was not the message you said in the meeting room. Everybody that was in there can vouch on this.” (19:25, relayed by Mike Ryan)
• Reflection on whether there is any “right way” to leave a successful program in playoff contention:
  • Jeremy: “I don't think there is at this with this timing. But he picked the wrong way by apparently lying about whether or not Ole Miss players wanted him to stay and coach.” (13:14)

4. Comedian Charlie Berens Joins the Show (22:38–43:15)

• Charlie Berens enters in signature Midwestern denial about Giannis possibly leaving Milwaukee:
  • “Oh, you know, that was just an accident... I’m pretty sure he's going to be there for a while. Yeah, I'm confident in that. So you guys mark my words right here.” (22:38)
• He shares travel and airport observations:
  • “I like getting to the airport early and just watching people run. It's like the most therapeutic thing for me.” (23:13)
• Berens discusses growing up as 2nd oldest of 12 children:
  • “You always have someone on your side. You always have allies and enemies, you know, and it changes by the day...” (24:40)
  • “My brother, he got left at his own baptism. He's number three...” (25:12)
• Reflections on fitting in across America’s regions:
  • “Miami Beach. Holy smokes. That is way different than south beach of Lake Michigan...But people are very nice, actually.” (28:09)
• Midwest exclamations ranked (36:44–39:04):
  • Stugotz asks Berens to rank phrases like “For Pete’s sake” and “Heavens to Betsy” by anger level.
  • Berens: “‘For crying out loud, that’s a lead-up...that’s the jab before the cross’” (38:44)
• On being a people pleaser:
  • “Needing everyone to like you. That’s terrible...you walk around, you're like, who even am I?” (40:12)
  • “We haven’t cried since the 80's when we were babies, man. We don't know what emotion is. We just shove it deep, deep down inside and then we go bowl.” (41:48)

5. Chris Paul’s Unceremonious Clippers Exit (44:15–46:14)

• The hosts criticize how the Clippers handled Chris Paul’s abrupt send-off during his announced retirement year.
  • “I don't think this is the way that epic retirement tours are supposed to go...He was great last year...and in the middle of the night, the Clippers just sent him home.” (44:15, Dan)
• Mike Ryan suspects there’s more behind-the-scenes:
  • “They didn’t waive him, they didn’t trade him. They actually sent him home...It’s pretty obvious. They just do it on a whim, like something happened.” (45:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan Le Batard on CFB Playoff fatigue:

  • “Everyone's upset with the process, whether you end up benefiting from it or you're the team left out. So at this point, I'm just exhausted by it.” (06:44)

• Charlie Berens on Midwest emotional repression:

  • “We haven’t cried since the 80's when we were babies, man...We just shove it deep, deep down inside and then we go bowl.” (41:48)

• Berens on the airport experience:

  • “I like getting to the airport early and just watching people run. It's like the most therapeutic thing for me.” (23:13)

• On being the 2nd of 12 siblings:

  • “You don't want to be first because that's the guy who gets all the heat, you know. Second, you can kind of slip right under the—they don't even know you're alive, to be honest with you.” (25:01)

• Midwest Exclamation Ranking (39:04):

  • “For crying out loud, that's a lead up...that's like a one, two punch, you know, that's the jab before the cross.” (38:44, Charlie Berens)

• On people-pleasing:

  • “Needing everyone to like you. That's terrible...you walk around, you're like, who even am I?” (40:12, Charlie Berens)

• Charlie Berens on fitting in Miami:

  • “There is a lot more, you know, plastic surgery down in that neck of the woods…Here [Wisconsin] we don’t get plastic surgery because honestly, I want to be dead before February.” (29:12)

Timestamps of Notable Segments

• Gambling Banter and Playoff Arguments: 02:36–07:30
• NBA Trade Machine and Giannis Speculation: 07:35–12:28
• Lane Kiffin Ole Miss Fallout: 12:28–22:00, 19:04 (players calling out Lane)
• Charlie Berens’ Entrance, Midwest Life, and Exclamations: 22:38–43:38
• Clippers’ Chris Paul Exit and Speculation: 44:15–46:14

Episode Tone & Style

• Loose, irreverent, rapid-fire banter
• Frequent jokes, playful sarcasm, and willingness to poke fun at themselves and guests
• Midwest warmth from Charlie Berens, seamlessly blending in with the show’s idiosyncratic flavor

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a must for fans of both sports and comedy. The crew's deep dives into the absurdities of college football politics, NBA player drama, and the quirks of Midwest culture (courtesy of Charlie Berens) offer a sharp, funny—and at times surprisingly heartfelt—view into the worlds of sports and stand-up. The lighthearted ranking of Midwest exclamations and Berens's stories from an oversized family round out an hour of classic Le Batard Show unpredictability.