Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Hour 2: The Monkey’s Toss
Date: February 18, 2026

Overview

Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and regular show contributors dive into a raucous, insightful, and frequently comedic exploration of the latest sports controversies, South Florida sports culture, language quirks, and media personalities. The episode bounces between college basketball, hockey drama, pop culture, and the intersection of sports history and social responsibility. As always, the panel’s chemistry transforms everyday sports talk into something uniquely entertaining and substantial.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fred Hoiberg and the Court Storming Controversy

(01:26–07:15)

• Incident Recap: Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg appears in a viral video, swiping at a fan’s phone during a crowded postgame court storm, sparking speculation about whether he struck a student or someone else.
• Breakdown of the Video: The crew meticulously dissects the footage from different angles to determine what really happened and who was involved.
  • Greg Cote: Points out, "It looked more like an assistant coach or somebody involved with the program, not just a student." (02:26)
  • Jeremy: Clarifies, “He's swiping at a kid… the kid goes behind an assistant coach holding a clipboard. When [Hoiberg] swipes, he smacks that assistant… right in the back of the head.” (02:50)
• Left-Handed Handshake Debate:
  The incident launches a tangent about how the traditional handshake line is biased against left-handed people (“put it on the poll!”), with playful banter about lefty inconveniences and social norms.
  • Stugotz: “The handshake line is unfair to the left handed. I didn't realize that until right now.” (04:30)
  • Dan Le Batard: “Lefties have… they're ambidextrous at this point… have you ever gone left handed for a handshake?” (04:47)
• Comedic Side Note:
  Dan tries to blame the “one-armed man” in the handshake line (a Fugitive reference), leading to more jokes:
  • Dan: “One of the rare occasions… it wasn’t me, it was the one-armed man.” (03:12)

2. Mick Cronin’s Wild UCLA Postgame Presser

(07:16–23:10, revisited at multiple points)

• Coach Ejects Own Player:
  UCLA’s Mick Cronin makes the rare move of ejecting one of his own players after a hard foul, described by Tom Izzo as something he’s never seen before.
• Legendary Press Conference Exchange:
  Cronin clashes with a young reporter (Owen Ozust), deploying sarcasm and classic coach bluster while gaslighting him on camera.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • “I could give a rat’s ass about the other team’s student section” – Mick Cronin (08:15, 08:48, multiple times)
    • “I would like to give you kudos for the worst question I’ve ever been asked.” – Mick Cronin (08:20)
    • “Are you raising your voice at me? …Yeah, you are. Come on, dude.” – Mick Cronin (08:35)
  • Stugotz:
    • “It is so funny to gaslight somebody. ‘Did you raise your voice at me?’ And he did… Mick Cronin's like, ‘I'm in control now.’” (08:57)
  • Panel Analysis:
    The group analyzes Cronin’s psychological tactics, noting his manipulative command of the room and his amusement at bullying a young reporter.
    • Stugotz: “He smiles at the reporter for accepting the kudos… tastes blood… it’s a fight now.” (21:32)
    • Jeremy: Expresses empathy for the reporter: “This might have been their first interaction ever, and [Cronin’s] saying, ‘Worst question ever’… poor Owen Ozust.” (23:23)
• Linguistic Detour: The Origin of ‘Rat’s Ass’
  Jeremy provides a spontaneous etymology of phrases like "I couldn't give a rat's ass": - “It started with ‘I don’t give a tinker's cuss,’ then became ‘monkey’s toss’… eventually ‘rat’s ass.’” (11:43)

3. Jeremy’s Baseball Fandom & Show Dynamics

(24:39–26:27)

• Jeremy is (lovingly) teased for his exuberant, nearly “orgasmic” reaction to World Series baseball and a recent interview with Andrew Friedman, leading to a flurry of inside jokes.
  • Dan Le Batard: “He’s talking about the World Series, you’re over here, like… making noises to the Canada and Czechia game.” (24:49)
  • Stugotz: “I am riding sidecar with Jeremy on having enjoyed that.” (26:10)
• Mike Ryan is ribbed for imitating Andrew Luck noises and for poking fun at Jeremy’s unbridled enthusiasm.
  • “I don’t like that Mike Ryan is making fun of you by doing what sounds like Andrew Luck having an orgasm.” – Stugotz (26:10)

4. USA vs. Canada, Hockey Fears, and Nationalism

(27:09–30:42)

• Discussion about Olympic hockey: the relative strengths of the USA, Canada, and Sweden; the lingering nerves around Canada’s powerplay (Sidney Crosby in particular).
  • Dan Le Batard: “I can't give a rat's ass sound to his candidates, but I actually do care. This is a big game.” (27:32)
  • Stugotz (to Roy): “Are you now saying that you're officially afraid of Canada?” (28:46)
  • Dan: “Even down 2:1, I’ve got more faith in Canada making it to the gold medal game than I do for the U.S.” (29:37)
• Jokes abound about blind faith in national hockey teams vs. the Florida Panthers:
  • “You have more faith in your Florida Panthers… than American hockey players… Feels not American to me.” – Stugotz (29:05)
• The context wraps with the ongoing South Florida pride in their teams (especially the Panthers).

5. Matthew Tkachuk, NHL Chirping, and the ‘Villain’ Legacy

(30:59–33:58)

• Tkachuk’s ‘Always a Bridesmaid’ Chirp:
  The group discusses Florida Panther Matthew Tkachuk’s infamous taunt to Leon Draisaitl (“always a bridesmaid, huh?”) as emblematic of the Panthers’ irritating, but winning, style.
  • Stugotz: “Saying that to Draisaitl seems to me to be something, if I’m Draisaitl, I would not forget.” (31:34)
  • Gregor Cote: Compares it to the brash, beloved (and hated) teams of Miami’s sports history, i.e., the 80s Hurricanes and Big Three Heat (32:14)
  • Dan: “Those teams do have a little extra added juice. Not just highly successful but the tough teams to play. The irritants… those have a legacy that tends to linger.” (32:49)
• The panel riffs on how off-ice rivalries spill over into the Olympics, making for better storylines.

6. Pablo Torre’s Feature: Ronnie Seikaly and AIDS/HIV Stigma in Sports

(33:58–37:28)

• Pablo Torre’s new investigative story about former Miami Heat player Ronnie Seikaly and how he publicly supported Magic Johnson at the height of HIV/AIDS stigma in the NBA.
  • Dan Le Batard: “When everyone was afraid to play against Magic Johnson… Not a lot of people were doing what Ronnie Seikaly was doing… to make it so that Magic Johnson could reinvent himself.” (34:45)
  • Stugotz: Notes Magic’s unique legacy as an athlete-turned-owner and trailblazing entrepreneur.
  • Greg Cote: “To hear the real story is sweet. It’s a nice bow on Cycley’s career.” (37:03)
• The group praises Ronnie’s underappreciated impact and performance as a Heat player; gags follow about the Heat’s rebounding leaders and celebrity dating rumors.

7. Madonna’s NBA Dating History: Playground of ’90s Gossip

(39:02–40:46)

• Detour into the soap opera of which NBA stars dated Madonna, with predictable laughter and escalation:
  • “Did he date Madonna or was that John Sally?... No, that was Brian Shaw.” – (39:02–39:09)
  • Dan Le Batard: Recalls Madonna’s famous on-screen slight to Kevin Costner in “Truth or Dare.” (40:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I could give a rat’s ass about the other team’s student section.”
  Mick Cronin, echoing through the show, becomes both punchline and case-study in coach bravado (08:15, 08:48, 19:03, 22:29, etc.).
• Dan Le Batard: “One of the rare occasions in which he can actually say, it wasn’t me, it was the one-armed man.” (03:12)
• Jeremy (on sports idioms): “It started with I don’t give a tinker's cuss… monkey's toss, monkey’s uncle… and that’s the one that stuck.” (11:43)
• Stugotz (on Panthers’ ‘villain’ legacy): “Those are the teams that linger. The teams everybody else hated.” (32:14)
• Dan Le Batard (on Madonna): “It’s crazy, because later in the movie, she starts gagging for another reason around Warren Beatty. My dad took me to see that. I’m like, what is this?” (40:46)
• Jeremy (about the Mick Cronin presser): “I just can’t believe this isn’t a guy who [Cronin] already has rapport with… This might have been their first interaction ever.” (23:23)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Topic / Segment Description | |---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:26–07:15 | Fred Hoiberg court storming – incident breakdown, handshake line debate, and left-handed bias humor | | 07:16–23:10 | Mick Cronin ejection, iconic presser, linguistic deep dive on ‘rat’s ass,’ manipulation analysis | | 24:39–26:27 | Jeremy’s passion for baseball, show banter, Andrew Luck imitation | | 27:09–30:42 | US vs. Canada hockey, Team USA nerves, Florida Panthers fandom | | 30:59–33:58 | Matthew Tkachuk’s infamous chirp, villain legacy, Miami sports history | | 33:58–37:28 | Pablo Torre’s Ronnie Seikaly/Magic Johnson feature, Heat history | | 39:02–40:46 | Madonna’s NBA connections, trivia, and film memory lane |

Final Thoughts

This Hour 2 episode is classic "Le Batard & Friends": zany and whip-smart, laden with layered sports analysis, a love for the quirks of language and culture, and endless riffs that glide effortlessly from insightful to absurd and back again. With segments ranging from careful video dissection and coach-press conference psychoanalysis to language etymology detours and South Florida nostalgia, listeners are treated to both a sports show and a comedic roundtable that rewards loyalty—and keeps you laughing and thinking.

If you missed the episode:
Expect inside jokes, playful mockery, and plenty of personality—but also nuanced commentary on how sports intersect with society, fandom, and media. You’ll find yourself both entertained and a little bit smarter.