Hour 2: The Scotch Egg (feat. Nick Offerman)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – Hour 2: The Scotch Egg (feat. Nick Offerman)
Release Date: June 2, 2025
Hosts: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz
Featured Guest: Nick Offerman
Location: The Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

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Introduction to 'Dadication'

The episode opens with an insightful discussion on the concept of "dadication." Stugotz shares his personal take, emphasizing the profound responsibilities of fatherhood.

Stugotz (00:01): "The thing that drives me every day as a dad is Dariona. We call him Dae Date for short. Every day he's hungry for something, whether it's attention, affection, knowledge. And there's this huge responsibility in making sure that when he's no longer under my wing that he's a good person."

This heartfelt reflection sets the tone for the episode, highlighting the blend of personal anecdotes and broader life themes that the show often explores.

Screening of Turn Cell’s New Album

Transitioning from personal topics, Mike Ryan introduces an exciting event he's hosting—a screening of Turn Cell’s new album, produced by Rick Rubin. The band is premiering their 14-song visual album at Tribeca, with special Miami showings arranged through Ryan's connections.

Mike Ryan (01:29): "We're going to be hosting a screening. Two screenings. 6:30 and 10:30 show. One of my favorite bands in the world is Turn Cell. They're dropping a new album."

Ryan elaborates on his enthusiasm for the band, mentioning his personal connection and anticipation for their fall performances in Miami.

ESPN’s 'Inside the NBA' Farewell

A significant portion of the episode delves into the emotional farewell of ESPN's "Inside the NBA." Dan expresses disappointment over how the show concluded, contrasting it with respectful exits granted to other sports figures.

Dan LeBatard (02:55): "I will say it has become harder and harder in a shaking and quaking media climate, four things to get the Respect they Deserve at the end."

The hosts critique ESPN's handling of the show's ending, lamenting the abruptness and corporate interference that cut short beloved personalities' tenures.

Mike Ryan (04:21): "They have 29 years. Let him have a goodbye episode for year 30. Come on, what is it?"

Stugotz and Greg Cody echo these sentiments, discussing the consequences of corporate decisions on the authenticity and longevity of sports programming.

Featured Interview: Nick Offerman on "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning"

The highlight of the episode is an engaging interview with actor Nick Offerman, who discusses his role as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the latest "Mission: Impossible" installment.

Dan LeBatard (11:11): "Mission Impossible the Final Reckoning in theaters and IMAX everywhere now. Thank you, Nick."

Nick shares his journey into the franchise, his experiences on set, and the collaborative environment fostered by director Chris McQuarrie.

Nick Offerman (12:00): "It's definitely there, but I'm able to take care of it. Like, I know, you know, I've learned over the years that whatever clumsiness or fallibility I might bring to the T, that that's just human."

A humorous yet insightful segment unfolds as the hosts and Nick discuss the challenges of acting across different genres—comedy, drama, and action.

Greg Cody (18:32): "Hardest to do is comedy. It's the same technique as drama, but the stakes are higher. That's what makes it funny."

The conversation shifts to the physical demands of Nick’s roles, emphasizing his dedication to performing his own stunts and the adrenaline-fueled environment of action filmmaking.

Mental Health Awareness: Tribute to John Brinkus

The hosts take a poignant turn to address mental health, reflecting on the passing of John Brinkus and the importance of understanding the unseen struggles individuals may face.

Mike Ryan (27:30): "Don't make up your mind about somebody. They could look like they're having the best life. You don't know what they go home to."

This segment serves as a respectful remembrance and a call to empathy, reinforcing the show's commitment to meaningful conversations beyond sports and entertainment.

Behind the Bit: The Hard Network Out

In a lighter vein, the show unveils a behind-the-scenes joke about the "hard network out," a playful nod to Greg Cody’s obliviousness to the show’s timing cues.

Stugotz (36:35): "The hard network out is just. It kind of encapsulates my dad on this show in one bit because it's something that the audience has Always thought is fake, but it's just my dad not really getting what we're doing around here."

The hosts humorously elaborate on their attempts to trick Greg into recognizing the network transitions, showcasing their camaraderie and the show's playful dynamic.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, Dan, Stugotz, and Mike Ryan reflect on the enduring quality of their show compared to corporate-controlled sports programming. They express confidence that iconic segments like "Inside the NBA" will maintain their legacy even as they transition to new networks.

Dan LeBatard (26:03): "I don't believe that they're going to make the mistake of doing anything to that show that wouldn't allow that show to be that show."

The episode concludes with a blend of humor, heartfelt moments, and insightful commentary, encapsulating the essence of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz."

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Notable Quotes:

• Stugotz (00:01): "That's dadication."
• Dan LeBatard (04:21): "They have 29 years. Let him have a goodbye episode for year 30."
• Nick Offerman (12:00): "That's just human."
• Mike Ryan (27:30): "Don't make up your mind about somebody."

Key Topics Covered:

• The meaning and responsibilities of fatherhood
• Screening and promotion of Turn Cell’s new album
• Farewell and critique of ESPN’s "Inside the NBA"
• In-depth interview with Nick Offerman on his role in "Mission: Impossible"
• Mental health awareness and tribute to John Brinkus
• Behind-the-scenes humor about show timing and Greg Cody’s participation

This comprehensive summary captures the multifaceted discussions of the episode, blending personal stories, industry insights, celebrity interviews, and social commentary to offer listeners a rich and engaging overview.

Transcript

[Dan LeBatard]

What is dadication?

[Stugotz]

The thing that drives me every day as a dad is Dariona. We call him Dae Date for short. Every day he's hungry for something, whether it's attention, affection, knowledge. And there's this huge responsibility in making sure that when he's no longer under my wing that he's a good person. I want him to be able to sit back one day and go, we worked together. We did a good job. That's dadication. Find out [e-mail] brought to you by the U.S. department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council.

[Mike Ryan]

Now's a good time to remember where tequila's story truly began. In 1795, Cuervo invented tequila. Cuervo, what are you doing here?

[Dan LeBatard]

Cuervo? Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, I do know that to be true. But even during ad reads like Cuervo, I think he could lay out, especially for one of our great partners.

[Dan LeBatard]

Sweet, delicious Cuervo.

[Mike Ryan]

Since then, Cuervo has stayed true to its roots. The same family, the same land, the same passion.

[Dan LeBatard]

Cuervo.

[Mike Ryan]

So enjoy the tequila that started it all. Cuervo. Cuervo, the tequila that invented tequila. Proximo. Cuervo.com Please drink responsibly.

[Greg Cody]

Cuervo.

[Mike Ryan]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.

[Stugotz]

This episode is presented by DraftKings. DraftKings. The Crown is yours.

[Dan LeBatard]

Got a lot of stuff that I still want to get to here, but, Mike, you're hosting a screening on Thursday. Is everyone invited to this? How does this whole thing work with you in a screening and you're trying to move and shake in the movies?

[Mike Ryan]

Well, I just did one for friendship. A friend of mine was the executive producer on that project. This one was a little bit more organic and had a little bit more to do with me and my connections. We're going to be hosting a screening. Two screenings. 6:30 and 10:30 show. One of my favorite bands in the world is Turn Cell. They're dropping a new album. It was produced by Rick Rubin, but as a part of that Rollout, it's a 14 song visual album that's premiering at Tribeca. There weren't any Miami showings, so I put together some contacts because I wanted Miami to have access to watch this film because Miami's never thought of that way. And we were able to get it done and bring this film here on release date this Thursday. Tickets are available. Use a promo code. Mike for discounted tickets. Over at the Gable Cinema, my friends over at Three Points are responsible for bringing turncell to that festival, playing their first headlining Miami show here in the fall. So as part of that, we're going to going to help promote that appearance by putting out this film. I think Turn Cell has a real opportunity to solidify headliner status, become a generational rock band. I got a tattoo on my leg of their album Glow On. Interesting little note, really inspired what we did with the musical. When JT Daily came down here, he introduced this band to me and we. I was super inspired by the engineering on this album and all the different layers to it. I've been waiting for years for the follow up. It's finally coming out so on Thursday in the Gables Gable Cinema. Check out my socials for direct links to get discounted tickets by using the.

[Dan LeBatard]

Promo code Mike put it on the Polette LeBatard Show. Are you surprised that Dan has a tattoo of a croqueta on his calf? Did anyone here have any thoughts, poignant or otherwise on TNT's farewell? I will say as it has become harder and harder in a shaking and quaking media climate, four things to get the Respect they Deserve at the end ESPN has done a masterful job with Lee Corso and Dick Vital, extending them great grace at the end of their careers. HBO and Max did a poorer job with Bryant Gumbel not allowing his show to get to 30 years. It had to stop at 29. Even though HBO Real Sports was the giant. They let it go 29 years in the industry. They did let it go 29 years. You don't get your. You don't get. I understand how you don't get your feelings hurt by that stuff. But when Tony Reali doesn't get to 5000 shows cuz he's got to stop at like 4900 and whatever it's there. There's just some corporate stuff that happens that you're like, oh come on, it didn't have to be like that. It didn't. It didn't. It didn't have to be all dried up at the end. What are you smiling about, Mike?

[Mike Ryan]

I mean the billy steak that HBO. Yeah, you got 29 years. They have 29 years. Let him have a goodbye episode for year 30. Come on, what is it?

[Stugotz]

But with the like around the horn thing, it is weir to be like, you gave me 4900 shows but I needed 30 more. Like that was a good run. They gave them hell of a run.

[Dan LeBatard]

Correct. I'm not, I'm not saying otherwise. But the TNT stuff This weekend they got, they got their send off, they got the year, they got a documentarian following them around, they got all of the emotion and now they'll just be back next year.

[Mike Ryan]

It's going to feel the same. Although I think one of the better takes that I've seen surrounding all of this, I saw a clip of Bill Simmons talking about it, saying espn, we know how you do your clocks during your pre game and post game coverage. You have these 90 second segments and you go right to commercial. And I realized, yeah, it's herky jerky. I don't actually care about what anybody's saying because they don't actually have time to lay out. And they better change their clocks around what TNT's NBA coverage brings.

[Chris Cody]

So the system is Turner produces the show, it's shot Netland in the same studio, it's the same camera people, same sound people, same researchers. The show is produced and then just licensed to ESPN for broadcast. That to me tells me that it's going to be the TNT show and then ESPN is going to have to adjust its clocks. And by the way, that might mean adjusting its advertising rates because now you've got the IT show on the worldwide leader of sports. It's like this is a classic example of yesterday's price is not today's price. And so that's what I believe because the way all the Turner people have been talking and you know, down to Shaq saying we're not coming to F around and then dropping the F bomb anyway because it's the last show indicates to me they're not gonna take notes. It's not gonna be like guys, we love you. Okay, we need you to get in and out in 90 seconds. Cuz we got that first commercial break. We gotta show Draymond Green chasing basketball cause of wolves or whatever. Like that's not gonna happen. They're going to do their show and ESPN is going to have to adjust.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, it's a similar setup to what they have with McAfee, which is licensed and produced out of Indianapolis where Pat does it. And if you've watched the show, especially in the early going, Pat would have a difficult time with the clocks because he had to concede to ESPN's network clocks. And I don't know if that's been alleviated some, if it's still an issue that he runs into. I haven't seen it recently enough to know that. Or if ESPN just decided to conform to his clocks. That's a very powerful talent with a, with a huge show that's hugely important to them. You invite that. Certainly with the tnt, there's not a.

[Dan LeBatard]

Way that it gets screwed up. Right. There's nothing. There's nothing about this show. You're not going to see anything other than the most dangerous version of them that will have to be left alone because they will enjoy being anti establishment from within the machine. Charles Barkley will enjoy feuding with ESPN talents on ESPN and not caring what any of them think. There will be more Kendrick Perkins and Shannon Sharp kerfuffle stuff where your celebrities. This is the big show coming to ESPN and they're not coming to be changed.

[Stugotz]

Giving them championship rings was a bit much like they are never going to.

[Mike Ryan]

Wear NBA on TNT championship rings.

[Stugotz]

Seriously, was that not a bridge too far?

[Chris Cody]

Maybe it's a nice gesture.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean a nice.

[Stugotz]

By who?

[Mike Ryan]

To whom?

[Stugotz]

Like a nice gesture to like Charles Barkley who makes how many million dollars a year you need to give him a championship ring.

[Nick Offerman]

At least he's got a ring now.

[Stugotz]

You think about they buy things for the people that you know aren't going to be going to espn.

[Chris Cody]

They.

[Stugotz]

Did they bump championship rings?

[Chris Cody]

No.

[Mike Ryan]

When they buy them jobs, they get to keep their jobs. Yeah, that's.

[Stugotz]

Do you guys think Ernie was mad at Shaq for stepping on his dismount?

[Nick Offerman]

I was.

[Stugotz]

Because Ernie, like, they all went like, you go first Shaq, then Kenny, then Charles. All right, Ernie, bring us home. They clearly dismounted with this is the NBA on tnt.

[Mike Ryan]

Before you finish.

[Stugotz]

One more thing before we go. Let's do the mic drop and just like. Just do the mic drop, Shaq. Like visually, the mic drop would have been perfect.

[Chris Cody]

We should all do it.

[Stugotz]

No, no.

[Mike Ryan]

It was so perfect actually.

[Chris Cody]

We all got to do it.

[Mike Ryan]

What do you think about it? It was perfect.

[Stugotz]

One more thing before we go.

[Chris Cody]

Guys, guys, before you go. Ernie, don't leave it. I know you scripted this whole perfect dismount. Don't leave it. Let's drop our mics.

[Stugotz]

Ernie did the thing Dan does sometimes where he like spinned his chair around.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah.

[Stugotz]

What is Shaq doing? I will not be part of this. I will spin around.

[Chris Cody]

Dan doesn't have a dismount. Where it's just a spin of the chair.

[Dan LeBatard]

But poor er is like Ernie knows what the moment means. Ernie's father handed down broadcasting attorney Turner. Ernie's the reason that they will not leave there. And he had the moment for the puncture.

[Chris Cody]

NBA and of course.

[Dan LeBatard]

And of course Shaq. Like what about. Let's make one more thing.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah.

[Chris Cody]

Wait, guys, guys. Guys, it'd be cool, you know, Cool. And we all dropped our mics.

[Dan LeBatard]

Did you guys hear Greg Cody get in there with the zinger? At least Charles now has a ring.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, that was good.

[Nick Offerman]

I know, but it had. It had to be said. Have to be. I don't want to be the guy here who's not sentimental about this.

[Stugotz]

Do it, dad.

[Chris Cody]

Be the guy.

[Nick Offerman]

This is a long goodbye for a show and people who aren't going anywhere except right across the street, people. This is a media story. You love talking about this. I think fans don't give a shit. And the analogy I would use is NFL fans don't care what network the super bowl is on. They're going to watch it. People who are fans of Inside the NBA are going to follow it to ESPN and. And hopefully it'll be the same show. ESPN wouldn't dare F this up, right? Because they have a gem of a show. They have to leave it as is.

[Stugotz]

Well, they have.

[Chris Cody]

There's a history of them effing up gems of shows. I don't know.

[Dan LeBatard]

Is there? Not like this. This is the best there's been.

[Chris Cody]

No, I mean, like, this is the best show there's been. Yes, but a history of effing up gems of shows of. I don't know, maybe one. One based in Miami perhaps.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, self involvement galore. Bill Simmons did say on his pod yesterday that he believes ESPN is going this show up. He cited the idea that the shows won't be able to go long. They're going to have all those super short commercials. They'll be preempted by stuff. But the face that you see in this screen right here, and I can't totally see it because Greg Cody is advertising all his stuff here. And so I can't see the lovely face of Nick. Of Nick Offerman. There it is. Look at him. Look at him. He has been on a run here recently. You surprised me, and I don't know why I say this. You shouldn't anymore. On the last of us. And now he is Mike Ryan. He's in Mission Possible, the Final Reckoning. And this is a bit confusing to me because I just don't think of Tom Cruise and Nick Offerman on the side of a plane, you know, doing stunts together. It's not what comes to mind.

[Mike Ryan]

That's also not really what happens. Not to give away the phone. Okay, not gonna give away. But you can tell from the trailer Nick Offerman isn't also hanging off the side of the plane.

[Dan LeBatard]

All right, well, let's let's talk to him. It's in theaters and IMAX everywhere now. And good seeing you again, Nick. Can you take me through the story of how it is that you ended up on Mission Impossible? And are you old enough to even remember the television show?

[Greg Cody]

No. No. Good morning. Nice to see you. And no, I don't remember the television show. I have no idea how I ended up in the movie. Chris McQuarrie, the director, called me and said he wanted me to play the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And I said, this truly is a wild and wonderful world. It was an incredible adventure getting to work on that.

[Dan LeBatard]

And do you have any good stories that surprised you of the experience? Like, what were you expecting versus what it is that you got?

[Greg Cody]

Well, I've never worked on a big budget sort of action franchise. And the astonishing thing is the way they actually workshop every storyline in the movie. So we'll get up on our feet and we'll start shooting something, and Tom and The director, Chris McQuarrie, will scrutinize everything and say, I feel like this can be more intense. Like, the audience is not wetting themselves yet. And so they keep tweaking things and giving people different dialogue. So it was kind of fun seeing the final cut because we weren't sure which direction our storylines were gonna go.

[Dan LeBatard]

So is he obsessive compulsive about making sure his hands are on everything because it's his baby?

[Greg Cody]

Well, yeah. I mean, I think it's just his jam. He's like a chef you. He's like, he needs to taste every dish before it goes out to the floor. But, I mean, it obviously works. That's why his action movies, I mean, and watching him do the stunts, like, nobody does that, you know, that's why he's the top action movie in history. Like, no one remotely does the stuff that he does, and he really does it. There's never a stuntman.

[Dan LeBatard]

Were you present for any of it, where you're like, he's batshit crazy. What is this? This is not. This is not wise.

[Greg Cody]

I mean, I was present for some stuff around the office, as it were, but they did a big presentation one day while we were shooting to show us all the biplane stuff that they had cut together. And I was standing next to him. It was actually on his 60th birthday. And he said, you know, this is my favorite thing in life. This is why we're all here. There's nowhere I'd rather my birthday than here making movies. And we watched this biplane stuff, and we just shook our heads and said, if you weren't standing here, I wouldn't believe that you had survived this. It's just astonishing.

[Dan LeBatard]

So then this sound here isn't surprising to you at all? This is right in line with everything Tom Cruise is when asked this question. Also, I gotta ask.

[Stugotz]

Father's Day is just around the corner. What would an ideal Father's Day look like for you?

[Mike Ryan]

Hey, you know, just having fun, man. Making movies. Big adventure, having a great time.

[Dan LeBatard]

What is that? That's not one Father's Day.

[Chris Cody]

That's a great Father's Day.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's exactly. Offerman, your answer is exactly the same there, Correct.

[Greg Cody]

Well, that. I mean, yeah, my. Apparently, he likes his Father's Day, like, he likes his birthday. That is making movies. Yeah.

[Chris Cody]

Big adventure.

[Dan LeBatard]

Did you find yourself a bit odd that you're a part of the Mission Impossible franchise?

[Greg Cody]

Yeah, I mean, from start to finish, you know, like, shooting at all of our stuff around London, all the way through the big, like, premiere in New York, I got to take my mom to the red carpet, which was incredibly fun. I just, you know, I've been lucky to get work as an actor, but nothing on this scale. So sort of standing with the stars of this movie still feels really surreal to me.

[Dan LeBatard]

Well, what does that mean when you're looking at scale and you're like, I used to do this, and now I'm doing this? This is big Hollywood stupidity.

[Greg Cody]

Well, I mean, the fun thing is I don't really have one bailiwick or one niche. I've done TV and film and stage and tour as a humorist. So it's just sort of another box that I' thrilled I got to check. And it's really interesting. You know, they obviously pay more attention to what's going on in the underwater stunt sequences than perhaps with the nuances of, you know, the emotional things that, like, an indie movie would focus more in on the personal interactions because they can't afford two biplanes. So, I mean, it's just another part of the sort of wonderful zoo that is this world of entertainment.

[Chris Cody]

Nick, I'm curious, given that. Were there any moments where you were. You were like, what's my character's motivation? And they're just like, just shut up and say the line.

[Greg Cody]

No, I mean, you know, generally people aren't that brusque if they're making successful entertainment, they're usually more respectful than that. But it's very collaborative. You know, they get a bunch of. It's like, kind of like getting called up to the majors, in a sense, you're suddenly the other members of the cabinet of President Angela Bassett are Janet McTeer and Mark Gatiss and Henry Czerny and all of these sluggers. And so you're quickly and with great acumen working out these scenes together. You know, are we achieving the highest possible octane to make us worried about what's gonna happen with Tomcat?

[Dan LeBatard]

Do you have insecurity around this? Do you have any imposter syndrome? Do you have. And I don't mean that you should. I just never know, like, how small someone feels in surreal circumstances.

[Greg Cody]

It's definitely there, but I'm able to take care of it. Like, I know, you know, I've learned over the years that whatever clumsiness or fallibility I might bring to the T, that that's just human. And, you know, people, if I talk too slow, which I do, or if I don't make enough facial expressions, which I don't. That's why people have hired me. And so it is really fun. I mean, you've got to be nimble on your feet because they workshop the movie. You don't have your script for a long time. Like, you get your script and you got to learn it, and suddenly you're shooting it. And so you gotta really keep your knees bent and be ready to play some defense. But it's a lot of fun because you can tell that you're all in it together. And again, it's supportive. Nobody's gonna yell at you if you make a mistake. Everyone's like, all right, let's go again. We got this. Come on, buddy.

[Dan LeBatard]

Rank them. Hardest to do to least hard to do. Comedy, drama, action.

[Greg Cody]

Hardest to do is comedy. It's the same technique as drama, but the stakes are higher. That's what makes it funny. Drama is. For me, as a taciturn Midwesterner, staying in touch with my emotions and allowing an emotional story to come out of this granite face can be challenging. And then action. For me, that's. I grew up an athlete, and so that has less to do. You know, for me, it's harder to work out. In the decathlon of my artistry, the emotional events are the hard ones. And the pole vault and the shot put, I'm like, yeah, you train and you throw the damn thing.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, I know you're asking Nick Offerman, but I would love to see Tom Cruise react to Nick's list of what's difficult when he leads with comedy. When Tom. Tom was hanging outside of a plane.

[Dan LeBatard]

And lighting and Hanging like, his face is flapping. He's like, tell me about the decathlon of artistry, Offerman.

[Mike Ryan]

The stakes are high in comedy. Yeah. I'm hanging off the side of a plane. Tell me what.

[Greg Cody]

I mean, as soon as I get hired to do stuff like he does, then I think the graph will change considerably.

[Nick Offerman]

What was the degree of physicality in this role for you?

[Dan LeBatard]

He's a bureaucrat.

[Stugotz]

Yeah.

[Nick Offerman]

No, no. But was there any stunt that you were asked to do that might have impressed.

[Dan LeBatard]

He's a bureaucrat.

[Nick Offerman]

Bureaucrats do cartwheels. I don't know what he's had to do.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah, I do. I do actually get to have some. Some fun doing a little bit of stunt stuff. But I've done. I do also enjoy doing my own stunts, and I. I always do. I don't tend to, like, jump motorcycles off of cliffs or hang off of biplanes, but. But I do enjoy stunt driving and, you know, beating the crap out of myself. I'm in a series right now where I'm playing a former pro wrestler, and I got to do a bunch of fun, actual wrestling, off the top rope kind of stuff.

[Dan LeBatard]

What. What are the best of the finger food?

[Greg Cody]

That's a hard left. Is this a euphemism?

[Dan LeBatard]

No. We were talking about it right before you came on, and you looked like somebody who could. Would enjoy ranking some finger foods. We were talking about what? I wasn't criticizing him.

[Stugotz]

It's kind of not exactly a compliment. He's a man's man.

[Chris Cody]

Familiar way around finger foods, you know, he's not.

[Greg Cody]

You have not hurt my feelings.

[Dan LeBatard]

Wait a minute. You think that Nick's gonna be insulted that I could ID him visually as somebody who enjoys finger food?

[Greg Cody]

I mean, my brand is, among other things, as someone who consumes a lot of bacon and meat. And so, I mean, when you say finger foods, my mind jumps to a pub in LA called the Red lion where you get pints of Heiferweizen and what's called the sausage platter, which is just a bratwurst, a summer sausage, and a knockwurst cut up with three kinds of mustard. That's the best of the finger foods.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's not a finger food at all. That's just a slab of meat. Like, what are you talking about? You can't eat that with your fingers. You gotta use a fork and a knife to eat everything you're describing there.

[Greg Cody]

All right, all right, then ribs.

[Dan LeBatard]

No, that doesn't go straight.

[Mike Ryan]

He's got a brand, Dan. He's got a brand.

[Chris Cody]

Finger Food, Nick, you gotta be able to eat it and then just kind of dust your hands off. And now you're clean. You don't have to wash your hands. Ribs. Two messy.

[Greg Cody]

I mean, pass. You guys were right then. I'm not a finger.

[Dan LeBatard]

Last question before we let you go. The reaction to the last of us. Have you ever had a reaction that felt like that?

[Greg Cody]

It occurs to me, I do have a favorite finger food, and that is the scotch egg.

[Chris Cody]

Oh, there you go.

[Greg Cody]

Hard boiled egg wrapped in sausage.

[Stugotz]

Knew we'd get there.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's how you play the game.

[Stugotz]

There you go.

[Chris Cody]

See, you know, it's a move.

[Greg Cody]

The reaction to the last of us. No. When I first read that script and when I first stepped on set for that episode, which was like a. It was like a Sundance movie. It was like one beautiful little indie film, Everybody knew that this script was so exquisite that Craig Mason had nailed it in a way that we were like, okay, if we just say these words in the right order, let's not this up. Because this is a very precious story that we're gonna tell. And we apparently got the words in the right order. Cause it had this incredible positive reaction. And I've never experienced anything like it. It was incredibly gratifying. I usually in my career don't get cast as, like the romantic lead. I get cast as the guy who carries those beautiful people on and off stage. And so it was quite wonderful. And I'm glad I didn't screw it up.

[Dan LeBatard]

Mission Impossible the Final Reckoning in theaters and IMAX everywhere now. Thank you, Nick. Always good catching up with you. Nice to see your smiling face. I'm sorry we were so aggressive with our meat questions.

[Greg Cody]

You've never hurt my feelings. And it's nice to see you on another great year for the Chicago Cubs.

[Dan LeBatard]

Cubs. It is a great year for the Chicago Cubs. Thank you, sir. Nice seeing you. We're going to get to. At the end of this segment, we've got a behind the bit on Hard network outs involving Greg. Cody. Greg Cody. In the jostle of the last few years, the Hard network out has been diluted in a way that doesn't feel right anymore because we've been sloppier with the clocks. But we are going to celebrate that for a few minutes here at the end of today's second hour. I always enjoy talking to Nick Offerman. What are you guys smiling about back there?

[Mike Ryan]

Well, it's just we talked about how ESPN changes shows. This was an ESPN thing. We have the freedom now. We don't have to get cut off by clocks anymore. This was a huge pain in the butt when Greg Cody would join our show because we had to adhere to these clocks. And to hear you wax poetic about a rigidity that was installed by ESPN that we spun into a win. No doubt. But it's funny that you miss what is considered a rigidity because you can take segments pretty much as long as you want.

[Dan LeBatard]

Now, I just don't believe that they're going to make the mistake of doing anything to that show that wouldn't allow that show to be that show. Because those guys will then start complaining on the air in a way that no other personalities in the history of ESPN will have been allowed to do. And you're just, just like, there will be inner office stuff that happens if they try to change that show. That show comes in as being bigger than where it's landing. It's a hard thing to say. Not a whole lot of people can say it. It's one of the few things in the history of sports that can allege, I go to that place and my Q rating is higher than where it is.

[Chris Cody]

I'm going, Dan, you underestimate the hubris of executive. You watch the show, the studio with Seth Rogen, the episode the Oner where he's like, I just want to sit back. And then he starts giving. He can't help himself. They can't help themselves. They're always gonna give.

[Stugotz]

Nice.

[Mike Ryan]

That episode made my skin crawl. I love it. It was a great episode of television. But in terms of anxiety inducing shows, it was great.

[Stugotz]

But to Dan's point, they know like the trump card there is, he'll go to air. Charles Barkley will say your name on air. I feel like, like those executives will in this spot be like, Chris, you.

[Chris Cody]

Would be staggered with how little like self awareness these people have.

[Stugotz]

Executives never stop themselves from getting in the way.

[Chris Cody]

Yep.

[Mike Ryan]

I mean, Pat McAfee publicly beefed with one executive. That executive is being an executive somewhere else right now. And because Pat McAfee had a contract with ESPN, like you licensed this show for me. Now, he may have a talent agreement, but he doesn't feel like he reports to the bureaucrat that was standing in his way. I don't think Charles Barclay is gonna become a Disney employee. I don't think Shaq's gonna become a Disney employee.

[Stugotz]

Free Disney, though.

[Mike Ryan]

They're gonna license their show and that's a double edged sword. They get the show, but they also are bosses of people that aren't technically reporting to them.

[Chris Cody]

To be clear, if they license the show, they don't get the Disney passes.

[Stugotz]

I bet he negotiated that.

[Mike Ryan]

If you want.

[Stugotz]

Imagine him trying to figure out a silver pass. This plus three people texting Randy Scott, you got an extra one? I need to bring my daughter.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, I've got to ask you guys a question about Randy Scott. Randy Scott. I've got. There's some dirt on him.

[Mike Ryan]

What I enjoyed what he did for John Brinkus today.

[Chris Cody]

Hacking my day.

[Dan LeBatard]

John Brinkus. We lost him too soon.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. But according to John Brinkus social channels, he'd been suffering with depression. And it's a good opportunity to talk about mental health because no one would have ever assumed that about John Brinkus because all we consumed be it on this show. John Brinkus joined our show all the time when sports science was going on. You would never know. And his social channels announced that he succumbed to his depression. You can kind of piece together what that means. Gone way too soon, soon. Really sad to see. And I think Randy Scott did a really wonderful tribute around something that's really sad and tough to hear. And it also, once again, reaffirms to anybody out there in our audience, don't make up your mind about somebody. They could look like they're having the best life. You don't know what they go home to. You don't know what lives inside their head. And this is a very hard reminder of that.

[Dan LeBatard]

But I started this segment saying I had dirt.

[Stugotz]

Yeah. You want to crush Randy Scott after that?

[Nick Offerman]

Go ahead, Dan.

[Dan LeBatard]

Good luck. After mowing the lawn, Randy Scott admits he gets right into bed and naps.

[Chris Cody]

Wild, literal dirt.

[Dan LeBatard]

But the segue was terrible.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. Well, we should have mentioned the John thing probably.

[Dan LeBatard]

Probably earlier.

[Chris Cody]

Is that on the top?

[Stugotz]

But yes, Dan, that is gross that he does that.

[Dan LeBatard]

So be beyond the bit we stumble into here.

[Nick Offerman]

Yeah. Gross and wonderful. Randy Scott.

[Mike Ryan]

This is a new and unimproved Dan.

[Dan LeBatard]

Levitar show with the stugarts gamble on by draftkings.

[Mike Ryan]

Howdy, listeners. It's Mike Ryan. That temperature, it's starting to turn up a little bit. Maybe you're going out on the boat. Maybe you're having a pool day. Maybe you're just hanging out in your backyard, your patio, and you're grilling. Oh, you're prepping the meats. You're looking at the family. You're enjoying your time with the friends. And guess what's in your hand? A Miller Lite. That's right. Miller time is the best time, especially when the temperature starts ticking up a little bit. Because you have a beer that's brewed for people like you and me, people who love their beer and it cools your body down. I've been stocking the cooler with it for years, and for good reason. It's brewed for taste only. 96 calories and 3.2 grams of carbs. This year, Miller Lite turns 50. That's five decades of cookouts, laughs and ice cold moments that never miss the original light beer. And it's still my. Go to Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Cheers to 50 years of Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Look, as a small business, we don't get to clock out.

[Greg Cody]

Ever.

[Mike Ryan]

We're always on nights, weekends, holidays. So when it came time to hire someone, we couldn't waste time. We needed help. Real help. Not Stugot's nose, a guy help. We used LinkedIn jobs. And we'll be honest, we didn't expect it to be that easy. We posted the job for free. LinkedIn basically held our hand and wrote the description for us. Next thing you know, candidates, qualified ones. Not resumes written in crayon. Real people who want to work. Imagine that. LinkedIn gives you all the tools, deep insights, easy filtering, one place to manage everything. We even threw the little hashtag hiring frame on our profile picture. Doubled the number of applicants. Now we're part of that 72% of small businesses that say LinkedIn helps them find high quality candidates. Post your job for [e-mail] dls that's LinkedIn.com dls to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply.

[Stugotz]

Hey guys, it's Jeremy. And I'm spending the early parts of this summer trying to go on a health kick. I want to feel like I'm being the healthiest to my body inside and out. And I want to do that in an easy way because I'm busy, you're busy, we're all busy. It's that time of the year where even though things are lightening up for kids getting out of school, we all still have work to do. Let's make this our best season yet with nutritious two minute meals from factory. Eating well has never been this easy. You just heat up and enjoy, giving you more time to do what you want. And they've got 45 weekly menu options. So you're never gonna get bored. You're always going to enjoy it. And for me, these meals have really helped sustain me when I'm looking for something healthy. When I'm running between here at the LeBatard show and the Marlins games and stuff we've had to do with the heat, I'm constantly just running between events and being able to just stick this meal in the microwave and enjoy it. It's tasty. There's really good chicken options and shrimp options. There's red meat. There's really everything that you could be looking for. So go ahead and get [e-mail] Dan50OFF and use code Dan50OFF to get 50% off plus free shipping on your first box. That's code [e-mail] DAN50OFF for 50% off plus free shipping.

[Dan LeBatard]

Don LeBatard, you don't remember the idea for Home?

[Stugotz]

I was probably like, that kind of thing. Something.

[Nick Offerman]

Okay. No, the home call was that kind of swing. That kind of thing.

[Dan LeBatard]

Stugats.

[Nick Offerman]

Oh, it's a good call. Thank you. And plus, it doesn't matter who's hitting it. Like, you're not tailoring it to a particular name. You know, all that jazz, you know, you don't got to do that.

[Mike Ryan]

Oh, that would be a great call.

[Nick Offerman]

Swing. That kind of thing.

[Mike Ryan]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach.

[Stugotz]

This is behind the bit.

[Mike Ryan]

This is behind the bit.

[Stugotz]

This is behind the bit. We take you back to a better time in the show's history, a time, at least for me, where I was happiest because we were at espn.

[Dan LeBatard]

You're the old white guy columnist who always castigates the athlete getting older every.

[Nick Offerman]

Day.

[Dan LeBatard]

For misbehaving and for urinating on sportsmanship. Where. What side are you on?

[Nick Offerman]

Well, I want to make two points. Number one is Dan Stu and Greg.

[Stugotz]

Cody on ESPN Radio.

[Nick Offerman]

I mean, back in my day, I used to build for, you know, Fortnite was. Was nothing you stared at. It's something you built with your hands. Like, man 101. It was.

[Mike Ryan]

This was the Dan Levatar show on ESPN radio.

[Nick Offerman]

I would Google my name and coco.

[Stugotz]

It's Dan Stu and Greg Cody on ESPN Radio.

[Dan LeBatard]

Dan Campbell, Man Campbell, Jimmy Johnson.

[Stugotz]

Otherwise is Dan Stu and Greg Cody on ESPN Radio. Please explain the hard Network out.

[Nick Offerman]

Well, I've missed so many of them, apparently. I don't know what a hard network out is for. The listeners seem to enjoy it when I miss a hard Network out. They all enjoy it, you know, but it doesn't happen intentionally.

[Mike Ryan]

Hard network out was born out of necessity. We had to adhere to network clocks with espn, which was truthfully a struggle for everybody. So we instituted a sounder that was just unavoidable because the time we had to break was unavoidable at the bottom of the hour. Nobody had a harder time with that concept concept than Greg.

[Greg Cody]

Oh, boy.

[Stugotz]

Greg is just oblivious to everything that's going on in that studio. Dan and I noticed it early on. By the way, I will say this. Greg has been a breath of fresh air for our show. The audience loves him. The staff loves him. I love him. But he has no clue what the hell is happening and what we're doing every single Tuesday that he comes in. And so we noticed it. We thought it'd be funny to try to cut him off at a hard network out. We were still at espn. We had to be out by a strike certain time at the end of every hour. And we figured Greg eventually would catch on to the fact that we're asking him questions at the end of every hour. With about four seconds to go on.

[Mike Ryan]

The clock, I made the imaging. I took a go horn that the New York Islanders had in 1996, and then I spliced it together with Poppy.

[Stugotz]

Is Dan Stu and Greg Cody on ESPN radio.

[Greg Cody]

And there you have the imaging for the heart. That work out.

[Nick Offerman]

Has Greg ever asked you guys, like, why you keep cutting me off?

[Stugotz]

He still doesn't know.

[Dan LeBatard]

No, he keeps talking through them. He's taking advantage of an old man.

[Stugotz]

I think at one point, Dan wore.

[Greg Cody]

A clock on his head and Greg still didn't know.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's why he undersells when he says, we noticed that Greg Cody was oblivious. This is us working around the general incompetence of Greg Cody at all times.

[Greg Cody]

Yes.

[Dan LeBatard]

Doesn't know what time in the show we are, even if I'm wearing a clock that says so on a baseball cap. Eventually it got so bad that we're like, okay, we're just going to make this a joke and we're going to see how we can trick him into tripping over this finish line. And it's never once been faked. Everyone thinks that some of them are so perfect that we must have maneuvered him. Him into position with him acting with us. Never. It's never fake.

[Stugotz]

To me, the hard network out is just. It kind of encapsulates my dad on this show in one bit because it's something that the audience has Always thought is fake, but it's just my dad not really getting what we're doing around here. And that's why he's one of, I think, the best. Even more than Stu Gotz, the best character on our show. Because it's not a character. Because I just feel like it is such a good example of you on this show.

[Greg Cody]

Show.

[Stugotz]

Like you are just. You're yourself. You're not a character.

[Nick Offerman]

Yeah.

[Stugotz]

You're not gonna learn. Even after the 12th time we've gotten you in six months, you're just gonna show up next week and you're gonna forget about it again. And it's a beautiful thing.

[Mike Ryan]

Never. Dan would wear a hat with the clock counting down. He would be looking straight at Greg with a countdown clock that would go to zero. He would complain that the clock wasn't anywhere that he could see it. And even when we removed all of the. Those excuses, he'll. He'll just never change those things. It'd be weird for him to all of a sudden grasp it now, right?

[Nick Offerman]

No, I know there's a countdown clock even now, but I'm looking at someone I'm talking to.

[Stugotz]

You have to be able to do.

[Nick Offerman]

Looking over there.

[Stugotz]

You have to be able to multitask.

[Nick Offerman]

And the clock is up there.

[Stugotz]

Yeah.

[Nick Offerman]

It's a lot. And I'm never. I'm looking at people. I'm looking at eye level. I'm never going like that. And looking at a clock, you can tell.

[Stugotz]

It's very difficult.

[Nick Offerman]

I don't. I look to this. I've never worn a watch. I don't look. I don't use my iPhone as a clock. I don't care what time it is. I'm sure the group Chicago said, does anybody really know what time it is? I know, but they really care.

[Stugotz]

Yeah. We told you repeatedly to go to the doctor. You ignored us. You finally went to the doctor, and the results of your visit to the doctor were what?

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah.

[Nick Offerman]

After several tests, they found a tumor in my chest.

[Stugotz]

On ESPN Radio.

[Nick Offerman]

I don't particularly enjoy the hard network.

[Stugotz]

I asked that question. I left him about 3 seconds. 3 seconds to answer serious question about a visit to the doctor and a tumor.

[Dan LeBatard]

We can't do better than that comedically. We can't do better than tumor. And then him starting the next thought with. And then just a foghorn all of a sudden. That was perfect.

[Stugotz]

Perfect, yes.

[Dan LeBatard]

Perfect execution. We knew as soon as that happened that that's as well as that bit of incompetence.

[Stugotz]

You want, like, one.

[Mike Ryan]

One and A half words to come.

[Stugotz]

Out and then boom.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yes. One, one, two. If one of the words is tumor, just a couple of syllables, one of them's tumor. You've got comedic gold.

[Chris Cody]

What makes that great is we are talking.

[Stugotz]

I think it's the only time we've done this about such a sensitive topic.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's right. We had genuine concern and then immediate laughter in his face, braying laughter about a tumor.

[Nick Offerman]

When they did a hard network out on me describing the most major surgery I've ever had in my life. That one I had to laugh at because it's just so absurd. And that one told me that if they're going to do a hard network out on me for that, nothing is off limits. You know, it's all about the show first because, you know I'm talking about a major big fist sized tumor being.

[Stugotz]

Removed from my check and benign tumor. Benign for everyone else.

[Nick Offerman]

I was benign. Yes, he's fine.

[Dan LeBatard]

Chris, were you there for the Hard.

[Nick Offerman]

Network, the tumor workout?

[Mike Ryan]

Yes.

[Stugotz]

That was a rare. Dan was out. Like, we rarely have like show historic moments when Dan's out and that was one of them. Stu Gotts driving the show, walking you right into it. That is just an all timer because that was a scary time time for us. Was that pre surgery? Was that when you had the tumor still in you? I'm trying to think back.

[Nick Offerman]

No, I think that was after my surgery.

[Stugotz]

So you had the surgery.

[Nick Offerman]

So.

[Stugotz]

So we were feeling better about his health then. But I just remember late in that minute, like late in that segment of like, oh God, Stugatz is starting this topic and it was just like all of our eyes, all of us in the back, we got a combination of excited that, oh my God, this is going to be an epic hard network out. And a little combination of, I hope my dad is fine with this because it's a very sensitive subject.

[Nick Offerman]

Yeah, well, I, I had to laugh at it first of all because I was feeling euphoric relief because it was major surgery. And you know, a week or two before that, my wife and I are sitting in an oncologist's office finding out test results whether or not the tumor right in the middle of my chest was cancerous or not. I was terrified, you know, and. And it was benign and the surgery went well and that was probably my first time on the show after the surgery.

[Stugotz]

So probably would have gone different, probably would have gone differently if it wasn't benign. We probably would have spared you.

[Nick Offerman]

That worked out. I'd like to think so. But with this show. You never know.

[Stugotz]

It's Dan, Stu and Greg Cody on ESPN Radio.

[Mike Ryan]

Look, as a small business, we don't get to clock out. Ever. We're always on nights, weekends, holidays. So when it came time to hire someone, we couldn't waste time. We needed help. Real help. Not Stugot's nose, a guy help. We used LinkedIn jobs. And we'll be honest, we didn't expect it to be that easy. We posted the job for free. LinkedIn basically held our hand and wrote the description for us. Next thing you know, candidates, qualified ones. Not resumes written in crayons. Real people who want to work. Imagine that. LinkedIn gives you all the tools. Deep insights, easy filtering. One place to manage everything. We even threw the little hashtag hiring frame on our profile picture. Doubled the number of applicants. Now we're part of that 72% of small businesses that say LinkedIn helps them find high quality candidates. Post your job for [e-mail] dls that's LinkedIn.com dls to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply.