Hour 2: The Pathetic Cowards at USC (feat. Jessica Smetana and Adnan Virk)

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz Episode: Hour 2: The Pathetic Cowards at USC (feat. Jessica Smetana and Adnan Virk) Release Date: May 22, 2025

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1. Knicks' Heartbreaking Collapse

Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz
Guest: Jessica Smetana

The episode kicks off with a discussion about the New York Knicks' tumultuous game that left fans devastated. Stugotz brings up the stark contrast between the previous optimism surrounding the team and the sudden downfall witnessed last night.

Stugotz: "I was asking here if Knicks fans slept last night. You guys felt how about how last night landed on you, Jess?"
(01:08)

Jessica Smetana: "I fell asleep on the couch watching the WNBA Link swings game last night and woke up and saw that the Knicks were up by nine. I was like oh great, that's exciting. But then they blew it..."
(01:31)

The conversation delves into the emotional rollercoaster experienced by fans, highlighting the team's inability to maintain momentum despite early leads. Jessica shares a personal anecdote about the impact the loss had on her household, emphasizing the deep-seated frustration and disappointment.

Jessica: "It's so frustrating to me... it's just very pathetic to me that they would want to give this away for no reason."
(06:47)

2. USC's Move to the Big Ten and Its Impact on Notre Dame Rivalry

Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz
Guest: Jessica Smetana

The focal point of the episode revolves around USC's controversial decision to join the Big Ten Conference, a move that has significant implications for one of college football's most storied rivalries—USC vs. Notre Dame.

Jessica Smetana: "No one told USC you have to leave for the Big Ten and blow up the Pac12 in all of your west coast rivalries... this rivalry is something that... means so much to Notre Dame fans and USC fans."
(06:30)

Jessica passionately argues that USC's departure destabilizes a century-old tradition, diminishing the rich history and competitive spirit that defined the Notre Dame-USC games. She criticizes USC's motivations, questioning the rationale behind prioritizing conference alignment over preserving long-standing rivalries.

Dan Le Batard: "That was incredible. And I did take a look at that USC 2027 schedule, and it's unrecognizable for what USC has historically done."
(09:11)

Jessica: "Especially with their... their claim is like, oh, you know, well, we want to see what the playoff format is like. So I really don't understand that justification."
(09:47)

The hosts and Jessica debate the future landscape of college football, pondering whether USC's move will set a precedent that other schools might follow, potentially eroding more traditional rivalries.

3. IndyCar Scandal and Its Broader Implications

Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz
Guest: Adnan Virk

Shifting gears from football to motorsports, the conversation addresses a major scandal in IndyCar involving Team Penske, a powerhouse in the sport. The team faced backlash after being caught cheating by manipulating vehicle performance during pre-qualifying sessions, granting them an unfair speed advantage.

Stugotz: "The team that owns the sport is now cheating and people are being fired. And I don't even know what to compare it to."
(11:41)

Dan Le Batard: "They were smoothing out their vehicles that gave them a significant speed advantage... If this was happening in any of the other sports, you'd have a scandal that would echo throughout sports media."
(12:13)

Adnan Virk provides insights into the potential long-term effects of the scandal, emphasizing the tarnished reputation of IndyCar and the upheaval it causes within the racing community.

Adnan Virk: "Roger Penske got directly involved. He fired everybody. Austin Cindric's dad got fired... it's a massive scandal headed into the Indy 500."
(13:02)

The discussion highlights the severity of the incident, comparing it to hypothetical scenarios in other sports where governance would take a firmer stance against such breaches of integrity.

4. Miscellaneous Sports Discussions

Throughout the episode, the hosts delve into various other sports topics, including:

• Detroit Tigers and Javi Báez: Celebrating Báez's resurgence and his pivotal role in the Tigers' performance.

  Mike Ryan: "He's an electrifying player. There's rarely find players as charismatic or as flamboyant as him."
  (30:21)

• Minnesota Twins' Win Streak: Analyzing the significance of their 13-game win streak and historical parallels.

  Mike Ryan: "When they had a 13 game win streak last time, they won 15 straight back in '91—the season ended with a World Series title, of course."
  (28:24)

• Baseball Trivia Segment – "The Pitch Clock": Engaging listeners with baseball trivia and interacting with expert Adnan Virk.

  While this segment provides entertaining content, it is considered a non-core discussion and is thus summarized briefly.

5. Notable Quotes

To capture the essence of the episode, here are some standout quotes:

• Jessica Smetana on USC's Decision:
  "I just find the excuse though, like, oh, this is a hard game for us and you know, we're going to have maybe this SEC scheduling agreement... it's so pathetic to me that they would want to give this away for no reason."
  (06:35)

• Dan Le Batard on IndyCar Scandal:
  "They have really responded to this in kind. But it's a massive scandal headed into the Indy 500, which is on Sunday, the biggest day in motorsports."
  (12:13)

• Mike Ryan on Javi Báez:
  "He's back to mashing it again. 120 OPS+ right now he's hitting for average over .300. He's an electrifying player."
  (30:21)

Conclusion

This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz offers a multifaceted look into the worlds of basketball, college football, and motorsports. From dissecting the emotional fallout of the Knicks' loss to critically examining USC's strategic conference shift and unraveling the intricacies of the IndyCar scandal, the hosts and guests provide listeners with insightful and passionate commentary on some of the most pressing sports topics of the moment.

Transcript

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[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.

[Stugotz]

I wanted to talk to Jessica about happy Knicks things. The last time she was here she was jubilant because all of New York had gone into rapture and thrown trash at Brian Windhorse. But last night's epic collapse. I was asking here if Knicks fans slept last night. You guys felt how about how last night landed on you, Jess? And it's nice to see you again.

[Jessica]

It's nice to see you different reactions in this household. So I fell asleep on the couch watching the WNBA Link swings game last night and woke up and saw that the Knicks were up by nine. I was like oh great, that's exciting. But then they blew it and we slept in separate beds last night, so.

[Chris Cody]

Wow. Oh my God. My God.

[Mike Ryan]

Sorry.

[Jessica]

I just didn't want to be near that. You know. I'm like just go watch your sad videos. Watch the whatever press conferences. Look at your memes. Do it over there. I'm trying to get some sleep tonight.

[Stugotz]

Stugarts will not give us his pain. I can't imagine. I mean your half your house was broken last night, right?

[Jessica]

Like, I mean probably Lee got up at 6am and went kayaking so I haven't seen him yet.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah, you say he got up at 6am Working through it. I doubt he ever went to bed.

[Jeremy Tache]

Can we check on Lehman?

[Stugotz]

There's no way, okay? There's no way.

[Mike Ryan]

Calm the mind and kayaking.

[Chris Cody]

Yes.

[Stugotz]

This is what to God's did to calm his nerves before coming in.

[Mike Ryan]

Kayak down here.

[Stugotz]

He did some kayaking.

[Chris Cody]

It took him less time than driving.

[Mike Ryan]

I got high.

[Stugotz]

Certainly. Certainly. Jessica, you felt New York's heartbreak. Is it palpably something that you feel in your bones outside of your building?

[Jessica]

No, but, I mean, to be honest, I was rooting for the Knicks after the Halliburton shot for the sole reason that that picture behind you, Dan, would have been one of the great memes of all time. If the Pacers lost, it would have been so, so funny. And instead, it was a great moment for him and obviously great moment for the Pacers. But no, I mean, I think I'm kind of with Stugots. I'm not like, a big Knicks fan, obviously. I just am rooting for them because I don't want my boyfriend to leave in a kayak and never come back. But it is game one. It is game one. And I don't think it's like, I don't. You keep seeing, like, saying about, like, the fear at MSG last night. I don't think there is, like, fear. I think there's more. So just like, so much excitement that Knicks fans are, like, angry and they don't know what to do with themselves. I don't. I wouldn't say it's just like, fear that they're feeling.

[Stugotz]

The thing about Stugats, though, is that his take is totally right. It is just one game. It doesn't carry over from game to game. They can win the next game by 20. But to see that kind of heartbreak and know that it rings eternal. Like, we. We are going to be talking about that time, that play, whether the forever, no matter how the series ends up like that.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, we still talk about Reggie's mom. Nine seconds. The Pacers lost that series. So you're right.

[Chris Cody]

Yes.

[Stugotz]

You just don't get those kinds of things. How do you feel, though, Jessica, about Halliburton as a villain? We don't get many of those.

[Jessica]

I don't really know. Is he a villain? I think. I think Amin said he was annoying, right? Like, he's a. I don't know. I don't see him as, like, a villain. Like, people see, like, Draymond Green as a villain. I guess he's just sort of like someone that everyone's like, yeah, yeah, whatever. Go away. Like, you haven't won anything yet. Like, he's that sort of like. More like a Trey Young, I guess.

[Stugotz]

An irritant more than a villain. Yes, but. But, yes, but who is. I Don't understand this as a personality type, though. Give me all the people that you guys think of as just annoying.

[Jessica]

Jeremy. Tashay.

[Jeremy Tache]

Nailed it.

[Stugotz]

Wow.

[Jessica]

By the way, I like Jeremy's vest today. I do want to say it's got. It is very cute, Jeremy.

[Chris Cody]

Thank you.

[Jessica]

Shut up, Jeremy.

[Chris Cody]

I appreciate it.

[Stugotz]

Congratulations.

[Chris Cody]

That was very nice.

[Stugotz]

That's. It's a better. It's a better compliment than anyone else here.

[Mike Ryan]

I know.

[Chris Cody]

That's what style is.

[Dan Le Batard]

Baritone in a late 90s boy band.

[Chris Cody]

Well, I did, in fact, make a so about this for you, so if we have that ready.

[Jessica]

Oh, God.

[Dan Le Batard]

Curious.

[Chris Cody]

You know what the Midwest is? Young, invested, listless.

[Jeremy Tache]

That was an overlap from someone out there.

[Jessica]

Yeah.

[Stugotz]

Who just laughed in the other room.

[Tony]

I know the voice.

[Chris Cody]

Definitely. Definitely Cynthia. It was Kirsten.

[Jeremy Tache]

Yeah, it was Kirsten.

[Chris Cody]

Really? Thanks, Kirsten. Laugh.

[Jeremy Tache]

For sure.

[Chris Cody]

Wow.

[Stugotz]

That. Another vest joke cannot land in that room that way.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's a curious.

[Tony]

She just got here. I think that's why she didn't hear all the other great jokes.

[Chris Cody]

I'm allowed to put her in the penalty box.

[Dan Le Batard]

You're allowed to sample.

[Chris Cody]

I can. I can do Kanye this morning. He's done with anti Semitism.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, he's done with anti Semitism.

[Chris Cody]

Isn't that exciting?

[Dan Le Batard]

Apologize for the pain that he. Are we back? He's going to have a Hitler mustache by noon.

[Chris Cody]

I'm jubilant. Midwest is young and vestless.

[Stugotz]

Okay, thank you, whoever left.

[Chris Cody]

Minor penalty, two minutes. Not me.

[Jeremy Tache]

Right?

[Chris Cody]

And everybody else laughed. Okay, Jess, I just want to point out. Thank you for that compliment. I know. I'm all up. Take them.

[Stugotz]

Get out of here.

[Jessica]

Jeremy, stop.

[Dan Le Batard]

Just stop.

[Stugotz]

He can't just stop.

[Dan Le Batard]

Is that taupe?

[Stugotz]

I saw that. USC Stugats is trying to end the Notre Dame football rivalry. These cowards. Look at. Look at the look on Jessica's face. Look at her.

[Dan Le Batard]

Are they cowards or are they just like in the Big Ten now? And they realize, shit, it's a lot of hard games. It's a different world.

[Jessica]

They are coward. Mike, look at their 2027 schedule and tell me, as a USC fan, which games you would be excited to from that schedule. First of all, no one told USC you have to leave for the Big Ten and blow up the Pac12 in all of your west coast rivalries. No one told them. That is something that you must do. And this rivalry is something that. It means so much to Notre Dame fans and USC fans. It would be devastating to see this leave college football. This is a game that's been played almost 100 times for a century. That was born out of the 1920s when Knute Rockne decided, first of all, Notre Dame couldn't schedule Big Ten games because the Big Ten was like, we don't want to play against you. You're a Catholic school, and we don't respect you and we don't want you. So, okay, well, how do we make money? Let's do a West coast trip. Let's go to L. A. And they did. And it started this amazing rivalry, and millions and millions of people watched their games. And just because USC now has decided to blow up their identity as a Pac 12 team to join the Big Ten doesn't mean that they have to blow up one of the true great rivalries in the sport just because they're afraid of playing another good team or a. Like this is. It's so frustrating to me, especially because there's, oh, Notre Dame just joined the Big Ten, then Notre Dame has a football identity. And obviously, I'm saying this as a Notre Dame grad, I'm very biased, but Notre Dame's football identity is. We're an independent team. We play USC and Navy every year, and we have done this for a century. And these are the things that are important to us. What is USC's identity if they do not have this rivalry? They've already lost all of their west coast rival games. They don't play Stanford anymore. They don't play any of the teams that we enjoyed watching them play in the last decade and a half that were became great rivalries. And, like, what is. What are. What is their identity? What are they doing? What are they clinging on to right now? It's just, like, very pathetic to me that they would want to give this away for. For no reason. And especially with their. Their. Their claim is like, oh, you know, well, we want to see what the playoff format is like. Well, the current playoff format allows you to lose a couple games and you can still get in. So I really don't understand that justification. And also, oh, the travel is really far. No one told you you had to schedule games charters every other year. And South Bend to L. A is not that far. South Bend's in Indiana. It's not a East coast trip. It's really not that long of a flight if you're chartering.

[Dan Le Batard]

Damn athletic coward.

[Jessica]

That's all I have.

[Dan Le Batard]

That was incredible. And I did take a look at that USC 2027 schedule, and it's unrecognizable for what USC has historically done. There's A game against Washington in there, which is a conference game. Yeah, no, it's sad. It's a sad part of this conference expansion that teams are making this decision because. And also I do think that it's a hard game for them and they just realized last year how difficult this conference can be.

[Jessica]

Look, look, Mike, you're. You're right. It is a hard game. Notre Dame's won 10 of the last 14 against USC. USC has not been as good as people thought they were going to continue to be after Pete Carroll left.

[Chris Cody]

Right.

[Jessica]

Like this. This football team and this athletic department has not performed well since that era where USC was kicking Notre Dame's ass every single year. And some iconic games between Notre Dame and USC were played in time period, I should add. But Notre Dame could have ended this series when they did the ACC scheduling agreement a decade ago, and they didn't because they, this is something that's important to Notre Dame. This is something that they would never give up. And that was coming off of the heels of Notre Dame being a joke of a college football program for 20 years. So I just find the excuse though, like, oh, this is a hard game for us and you know, we're going to have maybe this SEC scheduling agreement. So now this is adding an 11th tough game for us. Like, I really, like, I don't care because you guys did this to yourselves. This was your choice to join the Big Ten and you decided what was important to you. And Notre Dame wants to continue a long term deal. And USC is like, well, maybe if we do it in the first week of the year. Notre Dame's already scheduled out over the next decade against Alabama and Texas and other good teams because they are aware.

[Dan Le Batard]

The ACC tie in. Like they got kind of screwed over by this ACC rev share agreement that has them playing the cream of the crop in the ACC such that it is more regularly and they still want to throw down with usc.

[Jessica]

Yeah, it's. It's something that. I just don't see this happening. If USC was the team that had won 10 of the last 14 games, I think USC is like, yeah, let's continue this rivalry forever. We are the top dogs in this, in this rivalry. And so it just. Lincoln Riley's comments last year, I think, really rubbed people the wrong way. And it was the first time that people realized, like, this rivalry is something that could go away. And then this week, Pat40 wrote a story in Sports Illustrated that added more to that, saying USC is basically offered a one year extension because they want the last game to be in L. A. And Notre Dame's like, no, we want to do a long term extension. This is something that we want to play forever. The Notre Dame athletic director said, as long as college football is being played, we want to play USC and Notre Dame. And USC could play every year for the next 15 years and Notre Dame could lose every single game. And I would still want this to be a rivalry that happens every single year. And that's, I think, the biggest difference.

[Stugotz]

I wanted to get to some F1 stuff with Jessica, but also got. We kind of skipped past the IndyCar scandal. That is just a total insanity where you have the, the best team in the sport. The, the team that owns the sport is now cheating and people are being fired. And I don't even know what to compare it to. If this were happening in any of the other sports where you had this kind of power governance cheating, you'd have a scandal that would echo throughout sports media.

[Dan Le Batard]

It would be like if the Philadelphia Eagles, if the Tush push was deemed to be cheating and an unfair advantage, which people have their opinions on and they decide, no, no, no, we're fine, we'll handle this internally. But also the Eagles own the NFL and the NFL is like backing them up. Joseph Newgarden and Will Power, two hugely famous racers in IndyCar. Newgarden, the reigning champion, Team Penske, legitimately runs this sport, not just from a competitive standpoint, but they own the entirety of the sport. They were caught in pre qualifying with an unfair advantage. They were smoothing out their vehicles that gave them a significant speed advantage. And they just decided, hey, we're going to send. Initially the punishment was we're going to send those two big time drivers to the back of the pack. And all the other teams are like, what the hell? This, this, this is not a punitive enough of a measure. If this was another team, you throw the book at them. Who do we turn to? We turn to IndyCar. You guys are IndyCar. How is this allowed Now? I will give credit to Roger Penske who got directly involved. He fired everybody. Austin Cindric's dad got fired. Like we had big time reputable presidents, team, team, crew chiefs, everybody got fired. So they've actually responded to this in kind. But it's a massive scandal headed into the Indy 500, which is on Sunday, the biggest day in motorsports. And it all kicks off in Monaco. Just historically not a great race. Even though it's the glamour race of the circuit, Max Verstappen has turned his season around, looks thoroughly dominant, usually if you, if you qualify well, you win this race. Any reason to change those expectations?

[Jessica]

I mean, unless there's bad weather. That's usually the case. But this is why you kind of pray for rain, but not enough rain to actually delay or cancel the race, which happened a couple of years ago. Like, enough rain that it's like, ooh, this is interesting. Maybe there will be something kind of fun in this. But no, Mike, usually that's sort of the rule. And it doesn't mean that it's not, you know, pleasant to watch on Sunday morning, but qualifying is a little bit better for this weekend. On Saturday.

[Dan Le Batard]

Are you in at all? And what's going on after that? As they set the table for the biggest day in motorsports, the Indy 500. With over 300,000 people packing that speedway with the Pacers doing this, I can't even imagine that party. And then the nightcap with Larson going for the double.

[Jessica]

And also the Indiana Fever, although they lost against the Dream and what was a really bad end of game sequence two nights ago. Indiana feels like the epicenter of the sports world right now in a way that I'm uncomfortable with.

[Stugotz]

Put it on the poll, please. At LeBatard show. Is Indiana the center of the sports world right now? In a way, you're uncomfortable? Yeah, Tony should be Chicago. Tony, I feel like we've lost you.

[Tony]

Well, Dan, the thing is, me and Stu Gotts have been back channeling, and I've been thinking about hoops and stuff, and I remember a conversation he was having the other day when Zaz was here talking about coaches when they used to be coaches and wear suits and do all that stuff. And I had never really pictured any of the coaches that they were saying. I just heard the names, and I was like, gene Shu. I don't know who the hell that is. But then I saw it, and then I saw the vision. Dan, I understood the suit, the white hair. I get it, okay? And I just wrote some names down of guys that I like, the way they look. Right, okay.

[Mike Ryan]

But who's the guy? You're stuck on? Like, who's the guy?

[Tony]

Oh, Cotton Fitzsimmons for sure. I'm gonna look and get a trading card of Cotton FitzSimmons. It's only 1.99.

[Stugotz]

I was talking to Jess here. I wasn't. I, I, I just.

[Tony]

Dan, did you.

[Chris Cody]

Did you see the look of Tony's modic.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, dick.

[Dan Le Batard]

Modic. Those glasses. Dick.

[Jessica]

If it's a good list.

[Chris Cody]

List.

[Jessica]

I will allow it.

[Chris Cody]

If it's a good List.

[Stugotz]

All right, well, we got 45 seconds.

[Tony]

All right, here we go. Number five, the czar, Mike Fratello.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, my God, what a look.

[Tony]

Number four, Doug Moe.

[Dan Le Batard]

He's always upset.

[Tony]

Number three, Gene Shu is the legend.

[Mike Ryan]

Classic.

[Tony]

Number two, Dick Mata. Number one, Chuck Daly.

[Chris Cody]

Oh, the best dress that dapper Daniel.

[Jessica]

We need photos to go along with that list.

[Mike Ryan]

Use your imagination on the fly.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, that would be well planned, but nothing about what we do around here would suggest that anything.

[Tony]

We're on a very low budget with time.

[Stugotz]

What Dick Shoe looks like Jessica?

[Chris Cody]

How dare you.

[Jessica]

Get out of here.

[Chris Cody]

Bet a lot of those guys wore vests.

[Jeremy Tache]

Folks, listen up. The time has come to get some new golf clubs. And that means one thing. Heading over to my local PXG store for a fitting. They make the best golf clubs, period. Roy, I know you need new clubs, right? You're in that.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, I need new clubs, man. My clubs are way too short. I need to get longer clubs.

[Chris Cody]

I need new the grips.

[Tony]

Grips.

[Jeremy Tache]

I'm telling you, Roy, you go over to pxg, within an hour you will be out the door with their good staff. They're going to get you fitted. You're going to take multiple shots. They're going to get you set up with their woods, with your irons. They're going to get you the right grips, the perfect length clubs. I'm telling you, nothing fixes your golf game like getting fitted.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, absolutely. I need to work on my short game. So these clubs are definitely.

[Jeremy Tache]

I think you got to work on the whole game, not just the short.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, well, you know, I. I got a long drive, so.

[Jeremy Tache]

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[Dan Le Batard]

Howdy listeners, it's Mike. This is one of the best times of the year. You're caught up in the emotion of the playoffs. Big time crucial games, going to games, hanging with your boys, hanging with your ladies, hanging with your family and having a good old fashioned time. Well, I can speak from experience. I've been doing all those things, but I've been doing so with a Miller Light by my side because having good times is great. Making those good times a Miller time makes it an unbelievable time. A time of your life. With Miller Lite, a brand and a beverage that has been around for 50 glorious years. That's hard to do. Remain popular and delivering on great flavor for 50 years. Brewed with simple ingredients, none of the fluff, just real flavor. Malted barley gives it that rich, balanced toffee note taste and the iconic golden color that just hits right every time. Miller Light great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlite.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Dan wouldn't understand this. He's busy running a content circus. But if you're actually running a business, then you know hiring the right people isn't just important, it's everything. And that's why LinkedIn jobs is an absolute game changer for small business owners. You're juggling payroll logistics, maybe even mopping the floors before you open. You don't have time for flaky resumes, ghosted interviews, or job boards that feel like a black hole. When it's time to hire, you need a partner who grinds just like you. LinkedIn. They don't sleep. You clock out. They clock in. They'll help you write the job post quickly and clearly promote it. You'll get three times more qualified applicants. Not a guess. Real data. And Once it's live, LinkedIn helps you amplify it by sharing it with your network. You can even add that hiringframe to your profile, which doubles the number of qualified candidates you're likely to see. This is built for business owners who care about getting it right. Post your job for [e-mail] dls that's LinkedIn.com DM dls to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Don LeBatard I went in the margins. I'm like, I'm like you're moneyball of sex. I'm basically Scott Hatter.

[Chris Cody]

A lot of stugach, a lot of walks.

[Dan Le Batard]

But I'm on base when it comes to sex. A lot of foul tips. Other, other dudes, they can be Giambi.

[Tony]

You know your role. You play.

[Dan Le Batard]

I know my role.

[Tony]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.

[Chris Cody]

Welcome to the P Clock. Here's the Pitch, a two part baseball segment combining a nostalgic baseball trivia game and an interview with an expert. This is the pitch clock. It's baseball time.

[Jeremy Tache]

Hi, everybody.

[Chris Cody]

There he is. Jeremy Tache. Chris Cody, Taylor Vipolis with us. We'll get to our Expertise on the 2025 Major League Baseball season very shortly, but it's time for trivia. Coming off of maybe the best trivia game we've played all season, Taylor, what is our trivia game today?

[Taylor Vipolis]

We're keeping it rolling with ball knower trivia. I thought it worked out great last week. We're running it back again. We'll alternate questions if you miss, the other person has a chance to steal Eyes High score after five rounds wins. Chris Cody goes first. A year after finishing in the top six for rookie of the year voting, this Cardinal led the MLB in hits in 2013.

[Jeremy Tache]

It's a little out of my era. 2013 is right about when I stopped paying attention to baseball, but Cardinal. All right. Yeah. I don't feel good about this. I'm going to guess Matt Carpenter. I was like, wait, too.

[Taylor Vipolis]

That's right. It's Matt.

[Chris Cody]

Right? I'm so mad. As soon as you said it, I was like, yeah, that's who I was about to guess.

[Jeremy Tache]

Like, wow. I was just like. I was just trying to think of a good player they had in that area.

[Chris Cody]

It was perfect.

[Jeremy Tache]

Congratulations.

[Chris Cody]

Honestly, I'm not even mad. That was impressive. All right, what's my first question?

[Taylor Vipolis]

A year after finishing in the top six for rookie of the year voting, this Yankee led the MLB in hits in 2002.

[Chris Cody]

I'm trying to go through.

[Jeremy Tache]

I just have a guess.

[Chris Cody]

So it's like there's Jorge Posada behind the plate. There's Jeter. It's short. There's Scott Brocius and Chuck Knobloch and Paul O' Neill and Tino Martinez.

[Tony]

Yes.

[Jeremy Tache]

Scott Brocious. Mine in 2000.

[Chris Cody]

And who were the outfielders? I. I don't. Alfonso Soriano.

[Jeremy Tache]

That's what I was gonna guess.

[Taylor Vipolis]

It is Alfonso Soriano at the buzzer.

[Chris Cody]

Wow.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, man.

[Jeremy Tache]

I thought that was pretty obvious, man.

[Chris Cody]

At first I thought about Robbie Canoe.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Chris Cody]

And. But I was like, that's way too late for that one. So. All right. All right, Good. We're both tied at one, despite the fact that neither one of us thought we were going to get our answer right and the other person was ready to pounce.

[Taylor Vipolis]

In 2010, the NL MVP was this infielder from an NL Central team.

[Jeremy Tache]

Infielder, 2000.

[Chris Cody]

I have a guess in my mind.

[Jeremy Tache]

Ryan Braun.

[Taylor Vipolis]

Brian Braun is incorrect. Jeremy Chance to steal.

[Chris Cody]

Was Ryan Bron not an outfield? I guess it was.

[Jeremy Tache]

He played third base at one point in college.

[Chris Cody]

He was an infielder. What? I was. Well, hold on. I'm gonna make that. I'm gonna. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna make that. My final answer is the answer Prince Fielder.

[Taylor Vipolis]

The answer is not Prince Fielder. Cincinnati Reds. Joey Votto.

[Chris Cody]

Oh, of course it was Joey votto. Yeah.

[Taylor Vipolis]

In 2006, the NL MVP was this infielder from an NL east team in 2006.

[Chris Cody]

There are so many potential options here. I feel like I'm. I'm gonna guess David Wright. That's not right.

[Jeremy Tache]

I was thinking that, too.

[Taylor Vipolis]

That is not right. You are threat.

[Chris Cody]

I knew it wasn't right.

[Jeremy Tache]

Have the Marlins had an mvp?

[Chris Cody]

Yes.

[Jeremy Tache]

This is so dumb. Hanley Ramirez.

[Taylor Vipolis]

No, it is not Haley Ramirez.

[Chris Cody]

It was. It was it Chipper Jones.

[Taylor Vipolis]

Wasn't Chipper Jones. Ryan Howard from the Phillies.

[Chris Cody]

Oh, really?

[Jeremy Tache]

I almost did win the mvp.

[Chris Cody]

I thought. I even thought about Jimmy Rollins. It's Adnan verk as our 2025 MLB expert. You know him, obviously, for all his work at MLB Network and for being a monthly standing guest here on the pitch clock. So, Adnan, welcome back. Very excited to have you. And I want to dive into something that happened this past weekend. It was MLB Rivalry Weekend, and it was the first year where they did something like this. For the Marlins, it was the Citrus Series. But for you paying attention with MLB Network, what was maybe your favorite moment of this weekend? And how important is it that MLB continues to sort of promote rivalries like these?

[Mike Ryan]

Well, I think it's vital because we can all joke and say, well, you know, how is that DBax Rockies rivalry going? But generally, these rivalries are special. I'll give you a few. The Freeway Series. The Angels sweeping the Dodgers in the Freeway Series. First time since 2010. Nobody saw that coming. Travis Dardeau hits his first home run the season. Kenley Jansen was able to lock it down. Wasn't expecting that. The Angels, I thought the Ohio cup was great. Terry Francona going back against his former team. They were great. Ellie De La Cruz and the Reds. Andrew Abbott being able to pick up the win there in the Ohio Cup. But of course, it is the Subway Series. As you know, I reside in North Jersey. Everybody was talking about Mets and Yankees and specifically Juan Soto, who to start the year. You know, he's hitting like 260s, but more like Juan Soso. And after this Series, he's more like Juan no show. He goes series. He did get a few walks, but he was not playing his best. And the Yankees, how about that offensive juggernaut on Bellinger, Big grand slam as they take two to three.

[Chris Cody]

And it was pretty crazy the way that the Yankee fans reacted to Soto as well. It was nuts. And again, like you mentioned, the angel sweeping the Dodgers is one of the funniest possible timeline outcomes with that first rivalry weekend considering the Dodgers stole Ohtani. So that's, that's a fun little payback that doesn't really make up for losing the greatest baseball player of a generation. Okay, let's talk about the Philadelphia Phillies. This is interesting to me, Adnan, because they lose closer Jose Alvarado now for an 80 game suspension for performance enhancing drugs. This feels like a potentially big deal to me in the long run, Adnan, because mind you, an 80 game suspension means you cannot pitch in the postseason. So big deal. Not a big deal. Don't want to play the game so simply. But is this a big deal for the Phillies?

[Mike Ryan]

No, I'm with you. On a scale of 4, 1 out of 10, I'll give it a 4. Like I think it matters. This guy was their closer. Is 4 and 1. 2.70 ERA, 25 strikeouts, 4 walks and 20 innings pitch 99.6 mile per hour forcing fastball velocity is fifth among those who have thrown 250 or more pitches. This guy throws absolute smoke. They're closing options now. You got Jordan Romano, Orion, Kirkland Romano, of course, the former Blue Jay. But Alvarado, Dombroski said it's not something he did knowingly. I believe that the way he talked to me, exogenous testosterone, 80 games, most important, like you said, done for the postseason. It hurts because he's your closer, but I think the Phillies are still going to be a playoff team. It just kind of shows though, once again that baseball's policy is working. Jeremy, like you don't often hear about it in the emir of football. Guys getting pops and baseball, they got steroids again. They go, yeah, because we actually test our guys good in the league for getting it done. And shame on Alvarado for getting caught.

[Chris Cody]

It's still tied at end the one. And the first question goes to Chris Cody.

[Taylor Vipolis]

Matt Morris was the opening day starter from 2002 to 2004 for this MLB franchise.

[Jeremy Tache]

Poop stick, poop stick. Just trying to see if it's a Central or a West team by Taylor's face. Just like looking at Taylor's face, Central or west, he.

[Chris Cody]

He's look at that grin. Look at the grin on Taylor's face. For those of you in the audio audience, that's Merkel.

[Jeremy Tache]

You know, I'm gonna go with the St. Louis Cardinals.

[Taylor Vipolis]

It is the St. Louis Cardinals.

[Jeremy Tache]

He also played for the Giants, right?

[Chris Cody]

That's amazing.

[Jeremy Tache]

Those were my two teams. It was either Cardinals or Giants.

[Chris Cody]

Congratulations, Taylor. I've got an opportunity to tie here, but I'm not feeling good about it. What's the question?

[Taylor Vipolis]

Gil Mesh was the opening day starter from 2007 to 2009 for this MLB franchise.

[Chris Cody]

I've got two in my head, but I'm. I'm just gonna go with what I thought. Oh, shoot. There's a guy whose name just came to my mind.

[Jeremy Tache]

Think N.L. west.

[Chris Cody]

No, don't do that. Don't. What is wrong with you? I'm going. I'm just gonna say. I'm just gonna go with the. The Kansas City. Oh, thank God.

[Dan Le Batard]

All right.

[Chris Cody]

I got worried. The thing that made me worried there for a second. When did Granky come up? That was. Was my concern was, when did Granky come up? But thank goodness.

[Jeremy Tache]

All right.

[Chris Cody]

Hey, look, we're tied to two. I want to talk to you about another team, Adnan, because I don't think I've mentioned the name of this team even one time thus far on the pitch clock. And they deserve some love because there was a 13 game win streak for the Minnesota Twins that ended on Sunday. They've been playing great ball. How seriously should we be treating the Minnesota Twins as we move forward in the season?

[Mike Ryan]

Well, it's interesting. A part of me says not as seriously as I'd like to, only because they were not facing stiff competition. And so when you're taking care of wins against relative weaklings, you go, what does that mean? But the last time they had a win streak of this type, they won 15 straight back in 91. The season ended with that World Series title, of course. So, honestly, man, I root for Minnesota because they're a really fun bunch of players, but ultimately you say, all right, they took advantage of a weak schedule. Ultimately, does it get them out what was a huge hole? Yes. Are they the best team in the Central? No. They'll still be fighting for a wild card, but kudos to them for helping run. And I do love Rocco Bell Deli, one of my favorite managers in the game. Huge Fish fan, by the way.

[Chris Cody]

So it'll be interesting to see. And if I were a Twins fan, I would just be holding on to the stat that you had, which is the Last time they had a one streakless song, they won a World Series. Let's end it here. We've been going with a. A golden era. Star of the week is how we've been referring to it here on the pitch clock. But I got a couple of stars that I want you to pick from here. Adnan, that, that don't necessarily stand out as those same names of Judge, of Ohtani, of Skins. How about Javi Baez in the year he's having playing center field for the Detroit Tigers, seemingly rounding back into the form we saw him essentially in 2016, like way back in the day. And then there's Wilmer Flores, who seems to go through some of these stretches throughout his career. For a guy who's had just like a, a solid, pretty normal career, lengthy career. He goes through these stretches where he's one of the best hitters in the world right now. He's doing stuff that hasn't been done for the Giants. It's Barry Bonds. So which one of these two hitters do you want to focus on here?

[Mike Ryan]

Definitely Flores is a great story I'm glad you mentioned because the Giants, they had a little buzz back, but I'll go with Javi Baez. Three straight seasons he had an OPS plus of 71 and it was absolutely horrid. And you said this guy is playing poor all over the place. At one time he was exceptional defensively and was an excellent hitter who could really slug the ball. But it looked to be one of the worst contracts in all of baseball. And then lo and behold this off season, AJ Hinckins, I need you in the outfield. There's no problem. So far he's fourth best among all outfielders in center field, plus forward and defensive run. Safe. So not only can I play different position, but I'm going to be elite. I'm going to be top five among 30 guys playing this position. Okay, great. And he's back to mashing it again. 120 OPS+ right now he's hitting for average over.300. He's hitting for power once again. He's an electrifying player. There's rarely find players as charismatic or as flamboyant as him. Tim Kirch used to tell me he's the best, best tagger in the game. You know, when he was a shortstop, ball kept the catch the way he'd slap that tag on. It was gorgeous to watch. And they're loving him right now in Detroit and it's a really good story. Jeremy, I'm glad you mentioned it because I figured he was pretty much done and they had three more years left of this contract to go. This is a disaster. And instead he has been performing admirably. Still got two more years left after this. The Tigers are not going anywhere. Your de facto AL team and Baez is a big part of it.

[Chris Cody]

I love it. And it is pretty crazy, right? They go on this run last year and it was in large part because Javi Baez wasn't in the lineup that they were finally getting his disaster of offensive approach out of their lineup and were able to piece things together. Now it's essentially like they added this free agent in Javi Baez and added him back to the team. It's incredibly cool. And to see him playing center field is to me one of the coolest, like just pure baseball dork things that you could see a guy who was such a spectacular middle infielder proving his worth in the outfield. But Adnan, we're talking about runs, we're talking about getting back in games. There's a game being played on the other side of this transition sound you're about to hear and it's between me and Chris and it's coming down to the wire. Taylor, you have a question for Chris?

[Taylor Vipolis]

We're moving out of his wheelhouse a little with this year, but the biggest free agent contract the Chicago Cubs have ever given out was to this player in 2016 on an 8 year, 184 million dollar contract years ago.

[Chris Cody]

I've got a name here that I, I think is the answer to try to steal.

[Jeremy Tache]

Oh, which corner Ain't you there? I'm gonna go. Chris Bryant. Final answer.

[Taylor Vipolis]

It is not Chris.

[Chris Cody]

No, that's the Colorado Rockies paid him all that money. I think it's Jason Hayward.

[Taylor Vipolis]

It is Jason Hayward.

[Chris Cody]

That's a 3, 2 lead. Go.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh no.

[Chris Cody]

Not even going into the final round. I have an opportunity to take a two point lead here in round four. So it's three, two me. Taylor. Feed me here, man.

[Taylor Vipolis]

Big chance for a swing here. The biggest free agent contract the Seattle Mariners have ever given out was to this player in 2014 on a 10 year, 240 million dollar contract.

[Dan Le Batard]

Know this one?

[Chris Cody]

There's. There's only one name that is coming to my mind and I feels a.

[Jeremy Tache]

Little late for him.

[Chris Cody]

Is it Kyle Seeger?

[Taylor Vipolis]

Kyle Seeger. Incorrect. Chris Cody. Chance to steal.

[Chris Cody]

All right.

[Jeremy Tache]

Felix Hernandez.

[Chris Cody]

No way. Late.

[Taylor Vipolis]

Felix Hernandez.

[Chris Cody]

It wasn't, it wasn't Paxton either because he ended up from the Yankees.

[Taylor Vipolis]

A name mentioned earlier. Robinson Canoe.

[Jeremy Tache]

Forgot about that.

[Taylor Vipolis]

Of course it was Kano Chris closing in 2000. This MLB team previously played in the Kingdome.

[Jeremy Tache]

There's only like one team that I can think of that had a dome until 2000. I'm gonna guess right now and my guess is that I will say the words that I will speak when I guess right now is the Phillies. I don't know.

[Taylor Vipolis]

It is not the Phillies. The Phillies was famously veteran stadium.

[Jeremy Tache]

I'm pretty sure that was.

[Chris Cody]

We did that last week with an opportunity to steal and I believe clinch the game winning.

[Taylor Vipolis]

Walk it off.

[Jeremy Tache]

I gotta go.

[Chris Cody]

The winner or the team? It was the Seattle Mariners.

[Taylor Vipolis]

It was the season of the Mariners and that's gonna be the game champion.

[Chris Cody]

Hate you pitch. Clock back next week. Two time winner in a row.

[Jeremy Tache]

Back to back.

[Chris Cody]

Let's do it again. Three peat. Thank you, Riley.

[Dan Le Batard]

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