Hour 2: The NBA Cup & Too Much College Football (feat. Amin Elhassan and Roy Wood Jr.)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – Hour 2: The NBA Cup & Too Much College Football

Episode Details:

• Title: Hour 2: The NBA Cup & Too Much College Football (feat. Amin Elhassan and Roy Wood Jr.)
• Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz
• Guests: Amin Elhassan, Roy Wood Jr., Billy Gil, Chris Cody, Mike Ryan, Tony
• Release Date: December 17, 2024
• Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

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1. Introduction and Setting the Stage

The episode kicks off with Dan LeBatard greeting listeners as part of the Giraffe Kings Network. Immediately following are humorous exchanges among the hosts and guests, setting a light-hearted and engaging tone for the show.

Notable Quote:

Dan LeBatard ([00:01]): "You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network."

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2. NBA Cup Insights

A significant portion of the episode delves into the Emirates NBA Cup, focusing on the performances of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Billy Gil provides an in-depth analysis of the Thunder's remarkable season.

Key Points:

• Oklahoma City Thunder's Performance: Despite injuries to key players like Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, the Thunder have secured the number one seed in the West and boast the best defense in the NBA.
• Milwaukee Bucks' Resurgence: Once struggling, the Bucks have won 12 of their last 15 games, showcasing a strong comeback.
• Doc Rivers' Candid Insights: A humorous take on a recent interview where Doc Rivers admitted the Bucks built momentum by winning against "garbage teams."

Notable Quotes:

Billy Gil ([03:07]): "The Thunder last year were the youngest team in NBA history to be the number one seed and the youngest team in NBA history to win a playoff series."

Roy Wood Jr. ([07:43]): "Amazing honesty."

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3. College Football Saturation

Transitioning from basketball, the hosts express concerns over the increasing dominance of college football in the sports landscape. They discuss the implications of a 12-team playoff system and the crowded schedule that encroaches upon traditional NFL viewership.

Key Points:

• Overwhelming Schedule: The proliferation of bowl games and playoff matches has led to an oversaturation of college football, making it challenging for fans to keep up.
• Impact on NFL: The encroachment into December disrupts the NFL's scheduling, leading to conflicts and diminishing viewership.
• Personal Preferences: Hosts share their personal fatigue with the constant influx of college football games, yearning for a more balanced sports calendar.

Notable Quotes:

Dan LeBatard ([34:02]): "The NFL is infringing on the College Football Playoff. They are putting two games on Saturday, the first ever Saturday with college football playoff games. It's ridiculous."

Stugotz ([33:00]): "I think it's too much football."

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4. Sports Quiz Segment

A lively quiz segment engages the hosts and guests in testing their sports knowledge. Billy Gil presents a series of multiple-choice questions related to current NBA statistics and events.

Highlights:

• Question on Knicks' Leading Scorer: Testimony to Jalen Brunson's performance.
• Celtics and Three-point Records: Discussing recent games and team strategies.
• Phoenix Suns' Win-Loss Record with Kevin Durant: A playful debate on basketball stats.
• Damian Lillard's Concussion Incident: Details surrounding the cause and its impact on the Bucks.

Notable Quotes:

Billy Gil ([09:05]): "Who is the Knicks leading scorer this season? Is it A, Jalen Brunson, B, Karl Anthony Towns, C, OG Anunoby, or D, Precious Achua?"

Dan LeBatard ([13:08]): "The answer is C, he got elbowed in the head by a ref."

---

5. Conspiracy Theories and Social Commentary

Shifting gears, the conversation takes a turn towards societal issues, particularly the spread of conspiracy theories in the digital age. The hosts humorously critique how misinformation proliferates more effortlessly online compared to the past.

Key Points:

• Ease of Spreading Misinformation: The hosts lament how simple it is today to believe and propagate wild theories without substantial evidence.
• Impact on Society: Concerns over the erosion of critical thinking and the challenges in discerning truth from fiction.
• Nostalgia for the Past: A yearning for times when forming and believing in conspiracies required more effort and face-to-face interactions.

Notable Quotes:

Roy Wood Jr. ([27:40]): "It's too easy to fool the dumb people now, that's what he's saying."

Stugotz ([28:30]): "The problem with conspiracy theories now is that they're too easily spread."

---

6. Holiday Experiences and Anecdotes

Amidst the heavy discussions, the hosts share personal stories and humorous anecdotes related to the holiday season. Topics range from gift-giving dilemmas to family gatherings and the peculiarities of holiday commercials.

Key Points:

• Gift-Giving Challenges: Stugotz discusses the complexities of buying age-appropriate gifts for his child, highlighting the humorous struggles of parenting.
• Holiday Commercials Satire: A critique of the repetitive and often absurd nature of television commercials during the holidays.
• Family Gatherings: Reflections on the dynamics of family interactions, secrets, and the stress associated with holiday gatherings.

Notable Quotes:

Stugotz ([24:45]): "I put him in the VR headset drone. Let's see if you can drive the fake drone."

Stugotz ([24:39]): "You can't do that to people."

---

7. Closing Thoughts and Upcoming Events

As the episode nears its conclusion, the hosts discuss upcoming events, including parties and the anticipation surrounding the Emirates NBA Cup final. They emphasize maintaining enthusiasm and engagement within the sports community.

Key Points:

• Parties and Celebrations: Planning for New Year's Eve and other social gatherings, with humorous takes on attendance and behaviors.
• Emirates NBA Cup Final: Building excitement for the upcoming game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder, predicting outcomes and key performances.

Notable Quotes:

Billy Gil ([12:44]): "That's how you justify this. Throw out some random stats no one's going to look into."

Dan LeBatard ([37:08]): "Don't plant a flag whatever you do."

---

8. Final Remarks and Farewell

The show wraps up with final banter among the hosts and guests, reiterating their commitment to providing insightful and entertaining sports commentary. They extend holiday greetings and express gratitude towards their listeners.

Notable Quote:

Roy Wood Jr. ([36:18]): "Happy holidays."

---

Conclusion:

In this episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, listeners are treated to a comprehensive discussion on the Emirates NBA Cup, particularly highlighting the Milwaukee Bucks' resurgence and the Oklahoma City Thunder's impressive defensive record despite injuries. The hosts critically examine the oversaturation of college football and its impact on other sports leagues, all while engaging in an entertaining quiz segment that tests their sports acumen. The conversation seamlessly transitions into a social commentary on the prevalence of conspiracy theories in the digital age, interspersed with humorous personal anecdotes about the holiday season. The episode concludes with enthusiastic anticipation for upcoming sports events and heartfelt holiday wishes, ensuring a well-rounded and engaging listening experience for both regular followers and newcomers.

Transcript

[Dan LeBatard]

You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network.

[Stugatz]

This episode is brought to you by Amazon Prime. There's nothing sweeter than baking cookies during the holidays. With Prime, I get all my ingredients delivered right to my door, fast and free. No last minute store trips needed. And of course, I blast my favorite holiday playlist on Amazon Music. It's the ultimate soundtrack for creating unforgettable memories. From streaming to shopping, it's on Prime. Visit Amazon.comprime to get more out of whatever you're into.

[Amin Elhassan]

This episode is brought to you by aws.

[Stugatz]

Amazon Q Business is the generative AI assistant that can securely understand your business.

[Amin Elhassan]

Data, summarize results, and streamline tasks.

[Stugatz]

Learn what Amazon Q Business can do.

[Amin Elhassan]

For [e-mail] learnmore this is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats Podcast. Amin. Yes, it's Billy Gil, coworker. Hello in Miami.

[Billy Gil]

How's it going?

[Amin Elhassan]

You did it. You got one over on Dan. Gotta send you to Vegas for this Mickey Mouse cup that they got going on there. Get to just play around. I see you're in a robe, sunglasses, spa, probably drinking on the company dime. And maybe you go to a Thunder game, maybe you don't. Who knows? What difference does it make? You did it.

[Billy Gil]

Congrats, Billy. First of all, I'm hard at work. I don't know what you're talking about here.

[Amin Elhassan]

Hold on. It's just us here. You don't need to put on, hold up a fake microphone. No lights are on. That we know it's a problem.

[Billy Gil]

All right, so, yeah, there's no wire right here, so. Billy. No, I've been working really hard. I hit the streets of Vegas. I'm talking to NBA media people. I'm getting info and intel about all sorts of things. And by the way, NBA Cup, Not a Mickey Mouse cup.

[Amin Elhassan]

Emirates.

[Billy Gil]

Emirates Cup. Emirates Cup. Then please get that right. They're very, very, like, particular about that. They want you to say Emirates as much as possible whenever referring to the NBA Cup. And by the way, it's been fun. We had great games, we had great performances. We got a great final of the night between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Bucks, whose season looked like trash a few weeks ago, now, they won 12 of the last 15. The Thunder, who looked amazing all season long. And get this, they haven't been 100% healthy this whole entire time. Everyone's excited. It's great basketball. Why you mad, Billy?

[Amin Elhassan]

I'm. I'm not mad. I'm congratulating you on getting one Over. You did it. You're there. Vegas. You got a rope. Expense it. Ramp that. Take that rope home on us. Yeah, that's your bonus.

[Billy Gil]

I got to take care of myself. Billy, I don't know if you know this man. I fly a lot. I'm going to be in Miami tomorrow on the show. Guess how I'm getting there? With another red eye flight. I earn all of these trappings that you see before you. These sunglasses, this towel, this terry cloth towel, this. This bathrobe, which isn't terry cloth. It's kind of actually a cheap material. But I digress. I've earned all these things because I work very hard for this company.

[Amin Elhassan]

Are you coming just. Just for the party tomorrow? It's tomorrow. Is that.

[Billy Gil]

Yeah. Oh, is that. Is that right?

[Amin Elhassan]

Aligned? Yeah. Couldn't help but notice you were in New York last week for another company party. We have a lot of parties around here. We have a two parter tomorrow. And I was also told. And this is betraying a confidence. It's also true the video team gave themselves a departmental company holiday party as well.

[Billy Gil]

I saw that.

[Amin Elhassan]

Dan just paid for a night out amongst friends because they go out with each other every day. Anyways.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I'm learning of that right now. I had no idea. What you're just reporting right now is all news to me.

[Chris Cody]

You'll get the bill.

[Amin Elhassan]

Parties forever left and right.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

It is. It does seem like a lot of parties.

[Amin Elhassan]

What are we celebrating?

[Billy Gil]

Shipping container party?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

We're celebrating the rest of the media collapsing as Amin steals money in Vegas and our sugar daddy takes care of us because. Because gambling is king. What are you doing right there though? I mean, dressed the way that you are at a cup that. I do believe something interesting is happening in your sport. I mean, which is people now talking about the bad stuff. And Charlotte and the Bulls played a game the other day where they missed a record 75 threes. And people are complaining about all the stuff with basketball from woke to too many threes. And man, the thunder of fun. But Billy's going to make fun of your tournament. But man, the Thunder are fun. Like if you want to see a team, come at the Celtics quickly. The Thunder are fun.

[Billy Gil]

So, Dan, some fun facts about thunder. I'm going to stop whispering now since I'm talking to you and I'm not talking to Billy anymore. Billy, if you want some more conversation, I will keep this voice in check for you. But talking to you, Dan. The Thunder last year were the youngest team in NBA history to be the number one seed and the youngest team in NBA history to win a playoff series. And so everything they're doing is on accelerated time. Right, because they've come up so quickly. And it's not just Jake Gilles Alexander who's been phenomenal. It's a bunch of guys across the board. Now the crazy thing about Thunder this year, Dan 20 and five, number one in the west, number two in overall, the best defense in the NBA, one of the best net ratings. Like I said earlier, they're not even healthy. Chet Holgren has been out. Jalen Williams, the other Jaylen Williams who was a big part of their, you know, front court rotation, he's been out all year as well. So you've got a thing where it's like, oh, we're not even seeing the fully operational Death Star. This is just the thing that's still under construction. When they get fully healthy, that's going to be huge because you're talking about a team that's missing two of their three top bigs and they are, I want to say, second to last in defensive rebounding in the NBA. That's their one weakness, their one flaw is protecting the defensive glass because they don't have a lot of size. That size is coming and when it does, I don't know what, what answer the rest of the league is going to have.

[Amin Elhassan]

Attaboy. That's how you justify this. Throw out some random stats no one's going to look into. I was looking at Shane Gilchrist, Alexander stats. What can't make anything up.

[Mike Ryan]

I don't know either of the Jalen Williams, it's like the other one.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I'm like, who's the other one? And you for a season and a half have called him Shane Gillis, Alexander.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, he's very talented.

[Amin Elhassan]

That's a new season of tires coming out.

[Billy Gil]

Oh, is there? I love that show. So Jalen Williams, there's one Jalen Williams, the one that's playing right now, the one that everyone believes is going to be an all star, he's kind of like a combo guard, right? The other Jalen Williams is kind of lighter skinned. He's got, he's got dreads and he's a big. And the, the one who's playing right now is the better Jalen Williams. Everyone understands that. But the one who's out, he's a big. And like I said, they don't have a lot of bigs. They've got Harnstein, they've got Chet Holmgren and they've got Jalen Williams and Harnstein is the only one who's playing out of those three. So that's why it's like it's a big deal that he hasn't played yet.

[Mike Ryan]

What's going on with Milwaukee because they've kind of turned things around here. I know health might be a part of it, but is it also. Doc Rivers has been around this team a little bit longer. Is he figuring out how to put some of these players in better positions?

[Billy Gil]

Look, Mike, Mike, I'm telling you, I had to talk to my throat guy the other day because I have my voice. They said I'm killing my voice. But you're still everyone trying to dump the gun and put us in the ground. But we needed, we needed some time. Now, have we beaten some garbage themes in the stretch where we're 12 and three over our last 15? Sure, but everybody's good records are built on the corpses of garbage themes. Everybody does it. I don't know why it's a problem with. I mean, it's not. It's not. It's not Yannick's fault. It's not Yannick's fault. I don't know why you guys keep doing this. So what's happened is we built some momentum playing garbage teams and now we're starting to be good teams and this is kind of closer to what we thought we would be. Now, are we one of the best teams in the East? I wouldn't say that. But you didn't hear that from me.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Amazing honesty.

[Billy Gil]

Really.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Just an amazing. I can't believe what honesty we just got from that Doc Rivers interview.

[Billy Gil]

I'm.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I'm, I'm. I am dizzy with the most honest interview I've ever heard a coach give. The. The Bucks have been a mess, but I'm told that the way that you're expensing this is because you have a quiz you've prepared for Stugats or for me or for who?

[Billy Gil]

It's for Stugatz. I'm not taking specifically. Well, I mean, it's Stugats. Here's the thing. Like all great quizzes, it's multiple choice. So the answer is there. All you got to do is pick it. And it's kind of designed to help you along with some things that have happened in the NBA since the start of the season. I know you've been really focused on football. God bless football. When the big juggernauts of our company go listen, subscribe, rate, review all that stuff.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Award winning and vote again.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah. Sports podcast group.com. thank you.

[Chris Cody]

Please vote There you go.

[Billy Gil]

But, Stots, I've got these. It's five questions. They're all multiple choice, so.

[Chris Cody]

Right.

[Billy Gil]

Pretty softball stuff. All right, we. We'll start with something easy. Chris, do we have some music? Can I get a bed going, please? Something pensive, please. Dark and ominous tones.

[Chris Cody]

Since you have music behind you, I want you to sing your questions. Can you do that?

[Billy Gil]

I can't, because I can't hear the music. Because original sound for musicians is off. But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that you and the listeners can hear it. All right, question number one. Sugats.

[Chris Cody]

Yes.

[Billy Gil]

Who is the Knicks leading scorer this season? Is it A, Jalen Brunson, B, Karl Anthony Towns, C, OG Anunoby, or D, Precious Achua?

[Chris Cody]

I'm gonna say A, Jalen Brunson.

[Billy Gil]

You are correct. He is averaging 2.2 points more than Karl Anthony Town. So it is close, but it is still Jalen Brunson. Okay, question number two.

[Chris Cody]

Yep.

[Billy Gil]

The Cavs have the best home record in the NBA at 14 1. Who has the second best home record? Is it A, Miami, B, Oklahoma City, C, Houston, or D, Orlando?

[Chris Cody]

I'm gonna say Oklahoma City.

[Billy Gil]

Sorry, Stugats. It's actually Orlando, believe it or not, despite missing Palo Ban Caro for long stretches. And now Franz Wagner's out with the same weird injury, by the way, a torn oblique. How many times have you heard of that now? How many times have you heard that in the same season now? Have you? How many times have you heard it the same season on the same team?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Jeremy is wandering around saying that Orlando's a bigger threat to Boston than Cleveland is.

[Billy Gil]

Jeremy's out of his mind. Question three.

[Stugatz]

All right.

[Billy Gil]

The Phoenix Suns are 14 and 11 on the season, right? What is their record when Kevin Durant plays? Is it A, 13, 2B, C, 6 and 5, C, 14 and 11 or D, it doesn't matter. He has no rings. In Stugat's personal record book, which you can now [e-mail] D. Honestly, that is the correct answer. We're going to accept it. The judges say, you know, you can't argue. Really? He really.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

He really did. He checkmated you there. You wanted him to select another one, but you weren't prepared for Stugot's doing that to you, were you?

[Billy Gil]

The Jud. The judges say it's an accurate answer. The real answer, obviously, is A, 13 and 2. The Suns are one of the best teams in the NBA, if not the best team in the day. When Durant plays, it's that simple. You should be in the MVP conversation bar with everybody else. All right, question four. Let's ratchet it up a notch. After a December 3rd loss to the Dallas Mavericks in NBA cup play, John Morant told the media, quote, I'm not trying to dunk at all. Y'all think I'm lying. I'm dead serious. Since saying that, John Morant has dunked, how many times is it A, once, b, twice, c, 10 times, or d, 0? Jaws. A man of his word, and I have no reason to doubt him.

[Chris Cody]

This feels like a C.

[Billy Gil]

10 times. That's your final answer. That is unfortunately incorrect.

[Stugatz]

The answer is B.

[Billy Gil]

He's dunked twice.

[Stugatz]

Wow.

[Billy Gil]

Including one the other night. We were like. I thought you said you weren't dunking anymore. That was impressive.

[Chris Cody]

Those are good options. You said it at 10. You had a zero in there. I thought for sure it was one of those two. I mean, that's how you do multiple choice, you know?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Billy, what are you laughing about back there in the shadows?

[Amin Elhassan]

Nothing. I'm just. Here, man.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Billy.

[Amin Elhassan]

What? Emirates Cup. I'm getting ready.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

You and Jessica, Thunder there. I got you. I want to know what you were talking about.

[Amin Elhassan]

Who's who.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I want some of that show over here.

[Billy Gil]

Well, Dan, since you. Since Billy mentioned the Bucks and the. And the Thunder and the NBA Cup. The Emirates NBA Cup.

[Amin Elhassan]

Layup. Dan. Basketball.

[Billy Gil]

This last question, well done.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I think Billy might be saying we're wasting money in Vegas with a quiz. I think that might be why he's laughing.

[Amin Elhassan]

I would never.

[Billy Gil]

Well, I mean, the quiz isn't why I went to Vegas.

[Amin Elhassan]

Keep milking that cow. I mean, as long as there's milk.

[Billy Gil]

Thanks, Billy, but I'm not milking the cow. I'm milking it to make cheese and milk and yogurt and. And then I'm killing the cow and making ribeye steak, and I'm serving it to the whole company. That's what I'm doing here. All right, final question.

[Amin Elhassan]

We can't get any more milk, right?

[Billy Gil]

Well, we got a lot out anymore.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

This is a thief. This is a professional thief.

[Billy Gil]

Oh, who, Billy? I agree. Yeah, Billy, agree. I agree. Billy's a thief. A thief of joy. Why do you hate joy? Billy?

[Amin Elhassan]

What?

[Billy Gil]

Sugat, your last question.

[Chris Cody]

Okay.

[Billy Gil]

On November 10th, Damian Lillard sustained a concussion that led him to miss the next three games, including his first NBA cup game with the Bucks. What caused the concussion? Was it, A, he hit his head on the floor, B, he ran into an exceptionally hard pick set by an exceptionally large human being. C, he was elbowed in the head by a freakishly large referee. Or D, Doc Rivers hoarse voice does things to a man.

[Chris Cody]

G.

[Billy Gil]

Two gods. While I appreciate your respect for the power of my voice, I'm sorry, The answer is C, he got elbowed in the head by a ref. I mean, come on, what are we supposed to do? We're already trying to fight the Celtics. You got us fighting the referees as well. You gotta be kidding me.

[Mike Ryan]

Gotta turn the tables here to close this game out. Who wins the Emirates NBA cup tonight?

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Wow.

[Mike Ryan]

Is it going to be multiple choice? The Milwaukee Bucks or. Or B, the Oklahoma City.

[Chris Cody]

How about C?

[Billy Gil]

And we don't have an all of the above, do we?

[Mike Ryan]

Well, the viewers at home.

[Chris Cody]

We have none of the above.

[Mike Ryan]

This should be a good game.

[Billy Gil]

Yes. It's going to be a great game. DraftKings right now has it at minus 5 Thunder, which I think is about accurate. I think the Thunder are going to win. I think they are just too good. Milwaukee depends on so many different things. They need guys to hit threes, they need Giannis to get out and transition, and they need Damian Lillard to be active and engaged in a way that sometimes hasn't happened in a Buck's uniform. Oklahoma City is running on all cylinders. Seguin Alexander has been fantastic. Jalen Williams, I know you've never heard of him. Mike, he's freaking good. Go ahead and check him out. I just think the Thunder, a great team.

[Chris Cody]

Which one?

[Billy Gil]

Great team.

[Amin Elhassan]

Where do you, where do you stand on the big debate? I mean, that's going on now. People say that something as prestigious as the Emirates NBA cup shouldn't be a one game sample. It should be a best of seven.

[Billy Gil]

Absolutely not. The whole point of this is it's something different. It's something different that doesn't necessarily test who's the best team overall, but it just gives us like a flavor of like, okay, who can get on a hot streak? That's what makes it fun is having that team where like, wait, you made it here for the Houston Rockets and the Atlanta Hawks. There was. There's a little bit of fun in that. But of course we always needed our stall work. So that's why it's nice to have names like Giannis and, and Damian Lillard and Shay Gilgis Alexander in the final so that people know what they're tuning into.

[Mike Ryan]

All right, big guy stepped out. You can admit this was all.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, just stop.

[Stugatz]

Don't worry. Right?

[Billy Gil]

I mean, come on, Seriously, guys, I, I let me say this quietly in case he's listening in the other room. I care about this NBA stuff so much, man. You guys don't understand. You know, I make my jokes and all that stuff, but man, I'm here and I feel the energy and I feel alive when I'm around my NBA people, when I'm. When I'm schmoozing.

[Mike Ryan]

Okay, all right. But if it was an okc, you be there.

[Stugatz]

Well, yeah, we got.

[Billy Gil]

Probably not. Yeah, probably not. I don't.

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[Roy Wood Jr.]

Don LeBatard, you were that kind of sad this morning taking the barrage of anger from Stu Gotz because you hadn't booked him enough interviews. The only reason I keep bringing this up is because you are throwing a big party on Thursday. You're doing it and I want people to support what you're doing because Stugatz has not made this easy stug.

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, you know, I I. Well, yeah, you know. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach. This episode of the Dan LeBatard show is brought to you by Smirnoff.

[Billy Gil]

We do Game Days. Please drink responsibly The Smirnoff Company, New York, New York. Popular roses. So popular. She'll talk about Luigi Mijian and Luigi Mijian and Luigi Mijian.

[Dan LeBatard]

She'll talk about Luigi Mijiani and.

[Billy Gil]

And Luigi Min. John. Popular rose is much more popu.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Lar.

[Billy Gil]

She'll talk about. And. And.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

So let's start.

[Billy Gil]

Cause I've gotta annoy everyone on the show.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

That was pretty good work. Quick work.

[Chris Cody]

The voice is too good. That's the problem.

[Amin Elhassan]

You also have something in your voice, Dan.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I do. I'm sorry. I was just mass consuming chicken at a high rate of speed. I'm sorry I did that. Have I Got News for you is the new quiz show. And it is. It's a news quiz show. Slightly better than the one we just did with Amin. It's Saturdays at 9pm on CNN. It is Sundays on Max. And Roy Wood Jr. Is doing hard work during the holidays while Bill Maher and John Oliver get lazy during an important time and take all this time off. And Roy, I appreciate the good work you're still out here doing on behalf of comedy and the American people as these bums, John Oliver and Maher take a bunch of time off during an important time in the schedule. Are you a fan of the holidays?

[Stugatz]

I'm a fan of money, Dan LeBatard. That's why we're gonna knock out one more episode real quick and I might even go kick it New Year's Eve with Anderson Cooper and Andy Co. You never know. If the check is right, I'm gonna be there.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Oh, please tell me that's a thing that can be. So what do I need to do to get America to advocate for that to be a thing? Listen to me, America, America. We need Roy Wood right now. We need to drink on cnn. We need CNN to lighten up. We need CNN to be strong right now. CNN needs to get stronger than it presently is. And on New Year's Eve, you need to be allowed to unleash with Anderson Cooper.

[Stugatz]

Dan, I don't know if you know what happened to the last black man that got drunk on CNN on New Year's Eve. They kind of ran. Dan. Leon, I'm trying to keep a job. Oh, you know, limited. Try to d limit my ass. Not a fan of the holidays, Dan Leiton. I don't mind them, but I don't love it. I don't look forward to it. You just. And I'm also at that age now where people are just going to get me gifts. I don't need. I appreciate, but I Don't need. I don't like you. Yeah. I'm at that age now where I look at television commercials and I'm like, I kind of need that. Because I finally realized there's like three stages of television commercials. There's, you're in shape, and then there's, here's a pill that can fix it, and then it's, here's a chair to take your lazy ass up the stairs. And I'm. And I'm between two and three. I saw a commercial for a bathtub with a front door, and I was like, I might. I might get that.

[Chris Cody]

I saw the same one. I was intrigued.

[Stugatz]

I don't even take baths, but if I had, like. If you could put like a. And you have like a chirp lock on your bath. That's baller, bro. This ain't even got nothing to do with orthopedics.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

You're between stage and 2 and 3. And that's a bit depressing. Correct. Once you get to the. Yeah, yeah. Scary.

[Stugatz]

Yeah. Because that's what I want. But the people go, what do you want for Christmas? You think I'm gonna tell you? You think I'm gonna say out loud? I really. I've been thinking about that. B. The front door where you can just walk into your tub. Like, that just sounds terrible. So I will go home for the holidays like I always do, and listen to family members confess terrible secrets under their breath between bites of food and act like they didn't go. You know, you got three. Three brothers in Dallas you never met past the cornbread. It's like, you can't do that to people.

[Billy Gil]

You.

[Stugatz]

That's what the holidays are for.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Are you. How does it. Are you a good gift buyer? Who do you have to buy for? Do you buy for. For your son?

[Stugatz]

Yeah, the boy we always. You know, I'm in a co parenting situation, and it's. And it's good. It's a very healthy one. And, you know, we're gonna. We're gonna like, get him good gifts or whatever, but it's gotta be learning. He wants a drone. He's 8, and so he wants a drone for Christmas. So to kind of audition him a little bit, I put him in the VR headset drone. Let's see if you can drive the fake drone. And he would have essentially gutted himself in the stomach a couple of times with the open blade drone because it kept coming right back at him because he doesn't know what he's doing. So I don't think he's ready for that. And I don't have the health care set up to be taking care of a child who sliced his leg open.

[Chris Cody]

Plus, it's a bad time for drones, you know, Roy? It's a bad time for drones.

[Stugatz]

Oh, yeah. Perfect time. Go ahead and send that up in there and get everybody scared, son. That'll be. Be nice and smart. How stupid are people? It's the aliens. It's the aliens. We. First off, it's too many people saying that there's aliens for there to be aliens. There used to be one designated person per year who got vacuumed up into the sky. Now everybody see the alien. Come on, dog. It was Randy Quaid from Independence Day telling you time and time again, the whole movie. I'm telling you, they vacuumed me up there and they did it with me. And not everybody in Jersey. Come on, you think aliens going to Jersey. They got guns in Jersey. Aliens ain't stupid. Too many people over there. Why don't you come to a populated area like that? So, yeah, we'll take my son to a museum. That's my point, Dan Leviture. We'll take him to a museum of natural history and pretend. Why I have to stand there and pretend to be impressed by fossils? Can we. Can we stop acting like dinosaurs were so great? They died, they lost you. You dick up their bones and you exalt them. And it's not like dinosaurs got ran off by pollution or mankind intervention. You just lost to mother nature. You're weak. And these museums, you hang up all of these trophies of losers who just didn't evolve, didn't figure it out. You die, an asteroid hit and you couldn't figure it out. And now I'm supposed to be impressed by your bones. But. But you can't say that because he's a child and you want him to be impressed by the world. I think the dinosaurs weren't real. Rumor was started by parents who are tired of going to these museums.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Well, but you, okay, so you have. You have seen us in a unique space in America where people are believing on the Internet all manner of conspiracy theory and there are movements behind this. We are not talking about this alien thing enough. This alien is not something that this program or any news program is covering enough that people really believe that those drones are something from another world.

[Stugatz]

The problem with conspiracy theories now is that they're too easily spread. It's too easy to just say something stupid. Taylor Swift, the lizard lady who supported Joe Biden. And people just go, okay, if you believed in Something wild back in the day. You had to print it on a flyer. You had to stand on the corner and you had to pass flyers out and tell people what the hell was going on. You have to form a cult. Remember, there have been no good. Why do you think these documentaries about cults is all from like 70s and 80s where people would read, there's no new cults because you're too lazy. Like if you believe something back in the day, you had to get out. You have to take people in the forest, build a commune, have a couple kids, and then the feds would raid you and shut you down. That's how conspiracy used to start. Now you just say something stupid.

[Chris Cody]

It's too easy.

[Stugatz]

He's right.

[Chris Cody]

It's too easy.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

You should be able to earn your cult. You got to earn it. You got to work.

[Stugatz]

You have to look another person in the face and go, hey man, because. Because here's the thing. For all the weird stuff that you hear about the drone and the ufo, you haven't heard it from another person. If you were standing in line at Starbucks and someone in front of you in line just turned and just looked you, hey man, you know those drones that's flying over in Jersey? UFOs, man, government don't want that. They don't want that. I know the truth. And then you decide whether or not to go in the woods with that man. You recruit one by one, brick by brick. And now it's too easy to just say something stupid. And our minds are already jello from all of the nonsense we watch on television that it's easier to believe than force someone to prove there and show their work.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I want to.

[Stugatz]

Back in the day, at least I grew up with rotten.com where you can show me a picture of Tupac's autopsy and then I can decide whether or not Tupac is alive.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

A purer time. I long for those romantic days when Roy Wood could just go to the Internet and be discerning about whether Tupac.

[Chris Cody]

But he's so right about this. You used to have to sell someone on your idea.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

It's too easy to fool the dumb people now that's what he's saying. It's just too.

[Stugatz]

Aliens behind the comet come to my house and drink the poison. You wouldn't have done that off of a Reddit post. Marshall Applewhite had to go face to face.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

You should respect me more by having the more convincing cult you have to be. You have to work more. He's so right about all of this. Let's go into sports with a couple of things here. I want. The Internet is talking about Travis Hunter, Travis Hunter's fiance. She's, she's defending herself over a viral video. Where are you on all this stuff?

[Stugatz]

I think it's unfortunate that two young people have to live out their relationship in the eyes of people whose business it is not. You know, they're together and, you know, my uncle used to say, you see two people being happy, let them be happy. For a young woman to have to go on the Internet and explain every single thing where people are attacking her, it's, it's, it's sad, man. You know, like it's none of our business their relationship. But she walked us. She's like the girl made an eight minute video.

[Amin Elhassan]

Man.

[Stugatz]

Walking folks through this incident was this. It was not what you thought this incident was this. It was not what you thought this incident was. So just let them be love. And even if they aren't in love, and even if Travis Hunter is headed into a bad relationship, let him. You gotta learn that's what your 20s is for. The 20s is for picking the wrong person and hoping you have enough money or therapy to survive. It is. It's fine.

[Chris Cody]

He's right, Dan.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I didn't realize.

[Billy Gil]

Hallmark card.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I didn't realize. That is unbelievably succinct as a Hallmark card.

[Stugatz]

It's none of our business. Let them live. Let the boy catch the ball to make the money to support his family. I'm just happy that this narrative, if there's one upside to following Travis Hunter and his fiance, is that the media hasn't lived inside of the narrative of Travis Hunter's father being in prison. Because normally, if you have a jail story to tell about a black athlete, that's all they talk about, is the daddy. Yeah, there's a 15 yard completion to Travis Hunter.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

He's a stinging.

[Stugatz]

As you recall, his daddy grew up in jail for drug traffic in the. And Travis had two brothers, both of whom died in a tragic catfish accident. And Travis lost his arm and his daddy went to prison selling kilos of cocaine to get him another arm. And that's why he's a top tier receiver, second and 10 now for the Buffaloes. I would rather be arguing about whether or not he's in a happy relationship than seeing people continue to live in that narrative, which is, I guess, in a way, a win. But, you know, I just see two young people in love who unfortunately get to have their relationship play out in social media, which is Sad. We all deserve the right to argue. And you think I want people to know about that argument? I got in at a Sbarro's Pizza at Century Plaza Mall in 1997. That's not cool.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Can we move on? On the football season? Are you done with college football or are you still here? Because Jessica's headed to Notre Dam. Lucy's still excited about football. We want to send her to the Pop Tart Bowl.

[Billy Gil]

Are.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Are you done or are you still with it?

[Stugatz]

Do you think this is too much football? College football, 12 teams. It's like we want it. Like, like the 12 team playoff is like McDonald's breakfast. We all thought we wanted it and now we got it. And now I'm not sure if I wanted it. I don't know. Because here's what we. This is what we forgot, Dan. That those middle weeks of December were for us to miss college football. And then they. A couple of random bowl games on the 27th and the 28th. The pull in Weed Eater bowl, the Turbo Tax bowl or whatever the hell. And then you get the big dogs New Year's all the way through the championship. And I just. I don't know, man. I think it's. I think it's too much football. I think it's. This was where we were supposed to have some NBA time to catch up on the NBA regular season. If you hadn't checked into a College football ends the. The NFL was supposed to have a set. Everybody's infringing on the NFL's December now. It's not fair.

[Mike Ryan]

No.

[Dan LeBatard]

The NFL is infringing on the College Football Playoff. They are putting two games on Saturday, the first ever Saturday with college football playoff games. We have Chiefs, Texans and Steelers, Ravens. It's ridiculous. I don't want to watch the NFL. I want to watch the college football games. Get off my Saturday NFL, this is the.

[Stugatz]

The 12 team playoff is us rooting for a bunch of sevens that we think are tens. And they're competitive teams and they deserve to be there. But you know, Notre Dame, you know smu. I'm gonna do it. So it's fine to watch, but it's.

[Billy Gil]

I don't know.

[Stugatz]

I enjoy that little break of missing college football and then it comes back after Christmas and I can renew the relationship with it. I don't know. At least I'm not arguing for Alabama over smu. I, I will accept that as a Southerner, but I don't know. I'm not a fan of it. It's a. It's too Much football man Scrooge.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

And people say we're an echo chamber. Look at this controversial opinion. This man comes with.

[Chris Cody]

No, but Roy is right. Like, time apart makes the relationship stronger. He is right about that.

[Billy Gil]

Exactly.

[Mike Ryan]

There was one week where there was just army, Navy.

[Stugatz]

Right.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

That's the saddest week of the football year.

[Chris Cody]

I know, but we used to have a full month. I didn't think about college football. See college football, deal with college football for a month and then, you know, it's absence made my heart grow fond.

[Mike Ryan]

It'll be 16 teams before you know.

[Stugatz]

I like. I like it. I like it when. I like when our armed forces are good at football because it makes me feel like we're approaching more peace time because they're not studying war. They can actually have time to look in their playbook because like if army was like 3 and 10, we going to war. But rock is about to fly. They doing extra drills. That's why they miss practice.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Roy. Good.

[Stugatz]

I like it when the armed forces are good.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Good seeing you again, Roy. Thank you. Have I got news for you. It's the news quiz show. It's Saturday, 9:00pm on CNN. It's Sundays on Max. It's really good. It's smart, it's fun, it's light, it's got a lot of range. Thank you, sir. Appreciate the time.

[Stugatz]

Absolutely. Love y'all.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Happy holidays.

[Chris Cody]

Thank you, Roy.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Let's get to against the spread here, Chris Cody. Let's conclude here with a little bit of against the spread.

[Amin Elhassan]

It's time for again.

[Chris Cody]

Great point about Army Navy though.

[Amin Elhassan]

And it's brought to you by DraftKings. Stay tuned because you'll hear more about DraftKings and all it has to offer throughout the show.

[Billy Gil]

DraftKings.

[Amin Elhassan]

The Crown is yours. Jessica, kick us off.

[Dan LeBatard]

I was going to pick for the Idaho Potato bowl, but I decided instead I'm going to go NFL. I'm going to go NFL. The Ravens are favored by six points to beat the Steelers this weekend. That's too many points. I'm going to take the Steelers to cover that game.

[Chris Cody]

It's a Saturday game.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's a Saturday game and it's the first of a. A rough Steelers triple header.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Roy Pistol Jessica and.

[Mike Ryan]

Roquan Smith called that a check. Your manhood game.

[Dan LeBatard]

There's never been a full month off in the month of December. I don't know what he was talking about. Normally the first bowl games like December 17th and, and like conference championship weekends like December 2nd.

[Chris Cody]

But why can't you have them both? Like Saturday is the greatest Saturday in football history because of the College Football Playoff. This is traditionally the weekend. You always get Saturday NFL games. Now you get three college football playoff games.

[Billy Gil]

What a day. Let's see, what do you got?

[Amin Elhassan]

Sorry.

[Dan LeBatard]

Sticking with college football because that day belongs to us. The NFL has enough. They've taken it all. They took from the NBA. They're not taken from us. But I'm taking Tennessee plus seven and a half against Ohio State. Ohio State's got some some offensive line issues. We saw that against Michigan and Tennessee. Defense is phenomenal. Also, fun fact, Tennessee fans have started planning where they would take the goal post and dump it in the river if they beat Ohio State at Ohio.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

State.

[Mike Ryan]

Should go over.

[Dan LeBatard]

Don't plant a flag whatever you do.

[Amin Elhassan]

Billy, bring us home. I'm gonna go with Lions minus six and a half over the Bears. We told you last week, this is a game the Lions have to lose. That's why we took the Bills over the Lions plus two and a half at the time. Sure enough, the Bills won't. Lions lost the game they needed to lose. Dan Campbell said as much today. He said, you know what? We needed that one and we're gonna get back on track. And there's no team to get back on track with better than the Bears. Bears are horrible, terrible, terrible team. Oh God, that's the Lions are going to maul the Bears against this right?

[Stugatz]

Bounce back.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Roquan Smith said last week's Steelers game is a check your manhood game.

[Mike Ryan]

The upcoming one.

[Stugatz]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

Wait, let me check. Nope, still not there.

[Mike Ryan]

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