Hour 2: The Sphere of Ignorance (feat. Amin Elhassan and Felipe Esparza)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz – Hour 2: The Sphere of Ignorance

Release Date: February 3, 2025

Hosts and Guests:

• Dan Le Batard
• Stugotz
• Mike Ryan (Host)
• Amin Elhassan (NBA Insider)
• Felipe Esparza (Comedian)

---

1. Opening Remarks and Light Banter (00:01 – 01:57)

The episode kicks off with the usual camaraderie among the hosts, Dan Le Batard and Stugotz, alongside Mike Ryan. The conversation quickly shifts from light-hearted discussions about daily life to the introduction of Amin Elhassan and Felipe Esparza as prominent guests.

Notable Quote:

• Dan Le Batard (00:12): “I just bought and financed a car through Carvana in minutes. You, the person who agonized four weeks.”

2. Travel Dilemma: Flying vs. Driving (01:18 – 02:25)

Amin Elhassan brings up an amusing debate about Stugotz contemplating whether to take a 90-minute flight to New Orleans or drive for 11 hours. The discussion highlights the pros and cons of air travel versus road trips, touching on the hassle of airports and the desire to avoid flying.

Notable Quote:

• Amin Elhassan (01:18): “Stugotz is on his way out of here. He's trying to decide whether to take the 90-minute flight to New Orleans or just drive up right after the show.”

3. Introduction of Felipe Esparza (02:27 – 03:08)

Felipe Esparza is introduced as a comedian with three Netflix specials, leading to playful confusion about his identity. The hosts engage in a humorous exchange about mistaking him for a baseball player, setting the stage for deeper discussions.

Notable Quote:

• Felipe Esparza (02:53): “I honestly thought it was a baseball player. I was like, what baseball player?”

4. NBA Trade Analysis: Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic (03:08 – 14:33)

The core of the episode delves into a significant NBA trade involving Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic. Felipe Esparza provides an in-depth analysis, questioning the Mavericks' strategy and the implications for both players' legacies.

Key Points:

• Trade Secrecy: Felipe criticizes the Mavericks for not approaching multiple teams to maximize the trade's value, suggesting negligence or incompetence.

  Quote:

  • Felipe Esparza (03:27): “Why would you not go to all the teams and see what you could get?”

• LeBron James and Rich Paul's Involvement: The discussion explores the dynamics between LeBron James, his agent Rich Paul, and their influence on the trade. Felipe argues that Rich Paul's primary loyalty is to his client, Anthony Davis, rather than LeBron.

  Quote:

  • Felipe Esparza (05:22): “Danny Ainge made this happen by being that kind of stowaway zone where Jalen Hood Schiffino ends up.”

• Impact on Anthony Davis: Felipe emphasizes that the trade benefits Davis's legacy more than it does LeBron's, asserting that playing alongside LeBron elevates Davis's standing in the league.

  Quote:

  • Felipe Esparza (14:00): “LeBron helped Anthony Davis way more in terms of his legacy and how he's looked at than vice versa.”

• Speculations on Team Responses: The hosts speculate which teams would decline acquiring Luka due to his value, citing examples like the Lakers, Golden State, and Milwaukee.

  Quote:

  • Felipe Esparza (07:06): “Denver with Jokic, San Antonio with Wembanyama, Milwaukee with Giannis…”

• Comparison with Past Trades: Felipe draws parallels with historical NBA trades, such as Darren Williams and Zion Williamson, to illustrate the Mavericks' possible motivations and future uncertainties.

  Quote:

  • Felipe Esparza (14:33): “I'm thinking about that part of it. There's that part of it.”

• Kanye West's Reaction: Highlighting the trade's widespread impact, Felipe mentions Kanye West tweeting about it, underscoring the deal's significance beyond the sports community.

  Quote:

  • Felipe Esparza (17:04): “Kanye just got... this deal was so big, it cut through the sphere of ignorance that surrounds Kanye West.”

5. Felipe Esparza's Comedy Career and Personal Stories (16:48 – 29:55)

The conversation shifts to Felipe's career in comedy, his upcoming Netflix special "Raging Fool," and his experiences with stand-up comedy. Felipe shares personal anecdotes about overcoming challenges, including his deportation experiences, which he transforms into comedic material.

Key Points:

• Comedy Specials: Felipe discusses his Netflix specials and the process of creating new material, expressing both excitement and nervousness about "Raging Fool."

  Quote:

  • Felipe Esparza (25:30): “How interesting is a career in comedy from where you were?”

• Deportation Story: Mike Ryan recounts his harrowing experiences with deportation, using humor to cope with his past.

  Quote:

  • Mike Ryan (24:09): “We're waiting for 200, like Monopoly, but then we are halfway down... they took us to a detention center.”

• Stand-Up Challenges: Felipe shares the difficulties of maintaining fresh content for his specials, likening the process to an endless cycle of creation and performance.

  Quote:

  • Mike Ryan (29:36): “I gotta go out there and do some crowd work and come up with new material.”

6. Sports Team Loyalties and Anecdotes (29:55 – 36:21)

The hosts and guests engage in spirited discussions about their favorite sports teams, sharing personal stories and playful critiques.

Key Points:

• Mike Ryan's Sports Affiliation: Mike expresses his loyalty to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Raiders, despite their long championship droughts.

  Quote:

  • Mike Ryan (34:37): “He's on your team now.”

• Felipe's Critique of MLB Teams: Felipe criticizes teams like the Los Angeles Angels for not investing adequately in star players, highlighting issues of team management and diversity.

  Quote:

  • Mike Ryan (35:31): “They want to keep the Angels all white. They don't want the Tinito on the team.”

• Amin Elhassan and Team Performance: Amin discusses the challenges teams face in maintaining competitiveness, citing historical examples like the Braves' inability to win despite having top players.

  Quote:

  • Amin Elhassan (35:10): “They have the guy that pitches and hits. They have the one that does both those things.”

7. Closing Remarks and Final Banter (36:08 – End)

The episode concludes with light-hearted banter about Peloton bikes and further discussions on sports, wrapping up with goodbyes and final thoughts.

Notable Quote:

• Roy Wood Jr. (36:32): “All right, get out of here. Goodbye. Good talking to you.”

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Key Takeaways:

• NBA Trade Analysis: The trade involving Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic sparks a comprehensive debate about team strategies, player legacies, and the influence of agents like Rich Paul.

• Personal Stories: Guests share personal experiences, including immigration challenges and the transformative power of comedy.

• Sports Commentary: The discussion extends to broader sports topics, reflecting passionate loyalties and critical perspectives on team management.

• Humor and Camaraderie: Throughout the episode, humor serves as a bridge between serious analysis and personal anecdotes, maintaining an engaging and relatable atmosphere for listeners.

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This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz seamlessly blends deep sports analysis with personal storytelling and humor, offering listeners a multifaceted exploration of contemporary sports dynamics and the personal journeys of its guests.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network.

[Stugatz]

Wow.

[Mike Ryan]

What's up?

[Dan Le Batard]

I just bought and financed a car through Carvana in minutes. You, the person who agonized four weeks.

[Mike Ryan]

Over whether to paint your walls eggshell.

[Dan Le Batard]

Or off white, bought and financed a car in minutes. They made it easy, transparent terms, customizable, down and monthly.

[Amin Elhassan]

Didn't even have to do any paperwork.

[Mike Ryan]

Wow.

[Felipe Esparza]

Mm.

[Dan Le Batard]

Hey, have you checked out that spreadsheet I sent you for our dinner? Options finance your car with Carvana and experience total control financing subject to credit approval.

[Stugatz]

You know that sound? It's the sound of money hitting your Venmo account. A friend paying you back. Or maybe it's getting cash back from your favorite business when you pay with the Venmo debit card. Or it's realizing you can pay with Venmo at checkout at thousands of brands. Now there are so many more ways to answer the question. What's your Venmo? Download Venmo. Today. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank N.A. pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. DOSH cashback terms apply.

[Mike Ryan]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugatz podcast.

[Amin Elhassan]

Stugatz is on his way out of here. He's trying to decide and Mike Ryan was curiously interested in this in a way that surprised me. He's trying to decide whether to take the 90 minute flight to New Orleans or do just drive up right after the show. Just drive 11 hours and get there by midnight. I was stunned to hear Mike Ryan be interested in this. Although I do understand adding at least a couple of hours to your trip. If you don't want to deal just with the airport, getting to the airport, bothering with people at the airport.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

This is adding 10 hours to my trip.

[Other]

I think there's just a lot in the news as to why you need want to avoid airports and airplanes. Get it? I've gotten way more scared of air travel over the last couple of years.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

You want to make the driver. What do you think? Me and you, a road trip? You would never do that. I would do it.

[Amin Elhassan]

He's considering it. He was considered.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I know Mike might.

[Amin Elhassan]

Stugatz was considering just driving up after the flight. He doesn't mind wasting a little money.

[Other]

I mean, he does that every day.

[Amin Elhassan]

And go home, he'll just keep driving.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Never stop another hour.

[Amin Elhassan]

He'll just miss the exercise.

[Other]

Halfway point.

[Amin Elhassan]

We are going to get to Felipe Esparza in a second, but not before we bring in Amin Al Hasan, our regular NBA insider. You can Check him out in a renewed and refurbished Oddball with Izzy Gutierrez. What are you making faces about? Why are you making. What's the matter?

[Felipe Esparza]

Who's Felipe Esparza?

[Amin Elhassan]

He's a comedian. He's got three Netflix specials. What's the matter? Okay.

[Felipe Esparza]

I honestly thought it was a baseball player. I was like, what baseball player? What, did something happen in baseball where they got this gu on? I thought maybe, I don't know, maybe New Marlin or something.

[Amin Elhassan]

All right, so put it on the poll at Lebaton show Felipe Esparza new Marlin or a new comedian.

[Mike Ryan]

Now we have to ask him if he knows who Amino Hassan is.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, okay. We will do that in a second. I mean, what were your thoughts from all you've read and consumed? This is a lot of consensus here. Give me some answers to some questions. Incompetence by the Mavericks. Why would you not go to all the teams and see what you could get?

[Felipe Esparza]

Well, first, I'd like to start off by calling you an absolute fraud, because there's no way you go to the bathroom for number two and you're not on your phone. What are you doing? You're just alone with your thoughts during that time.

[Mike Ryan]

Thank you.

[Felipe Esparza]

You're lying. A newspaper. Maybe if you tell me away, I still pick up the paper.

[Amin Elhassan]

No, there are. There are books in the bathroom. There are physical booths.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, okay.

[Felipe Esparza]

Okay, I stand corrected. You're rereading these books. Have you finished them? Do they get new books and when you're done with them.

[Amin Elhassan]

I'm in the middle of, like, seven different books.

[Felipe Esparza]

What do you do with them when they're done? Because you can't donate bathroom books you've.

[Dan Le Batard]

Read on the toilet.

[Amin Elhassan]

Sometimes. Sometimes I could take that out of there. Sometimes I can't.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

If you're reading seven books, Dan, you're not reading one.

[Amin Elhassan]

I mean, put it on the poll at Le Batard show.

[Other]

Can we spell it?

[Felipe Esparza]

Booth?

[Amin Elhassan]

I mean, go ahead, please.

[Felipe Esparza]

Okay. So, you know, obviously I got notified of this, and my buddy who let me know, said, this is the biggest trade in NBA history. And I wanted to fight back and say, no, no, that's not true. We're just being prison of the moment. I thought about it like, this is the biggest trade in NBA history because we've never had two superstar players in their primes. And Anthony Davis. Yes. Is still in his prime getting traded for one another mid season like that, let alone completely caught off guard for the entirety of the league. I want to thank Rob Pelinka and Nico Harrison for Showing everybody that you don't have to whisper, hey, I think we're about to do this deal. You should go out and twee, see what the public think. No, do your business behind closed doors. All these leaks that we've, we've accepted as this is just how things are nowadays in the Internet age.

[Amin Elhassan]

Nope.

[Felipe Esparza]

There are still. People can keep secrets. And by the way, you know who one of those people are? Danny Ainge. Because he was the third person in this deal. Danny Ainge made this happen by being that kind of stowaway zone where Jalen Hood Schiffino ends up.

[Amin Elhassan]

You say this, but still an act of either negligence or incompetence not to go to every team in the league to get the valuable asset that you have a maximum value.

[Felipe Esparza]

No, I think this is, this is the part where it gets complicated, it gets tricky because when you have a 25 year old face of the franchise, maybe perhaps one of the faces of the league, cornerstone, superstar player, it's not like dangling, you know, Duncan Robinson in a deal where it's like, oh, my name's in the rumors, like, ah, you'll be fine. It doesn't work like that. That is, you only get one shot of trade.

[Amin Elhassan]

I mean, I was theorizing that if you're going to blindside him by taking $100 million away, you do not want anyone knowing that.

[Felipe Esparza]

Because also if, let's say the Lakers had said no or if they had gotten to a place where the deal wasn't going to get made, you want to be able to walk back into that workplace and not be super freaking awkward because you tried to trade the face of the franchise. The need for secrecy means you cannot go around talking to a bunch of people. And when, when, when you think about in that regard, I understand they apparently they talked to two teams. One of them was the Lakers. We don't know what the other team is. My theory is it's, it's Milwaukee and it's Giannis Antetokounmpo. That's, that's as I look through the caliber of players where this deal would work for Dallas, listening to what Nico Harris is saying, he prioritized in coming back in this deal and then a superstar that you had to have believed might be available.

[Amin Elhassan]

How many teams, how many teams say no to Luca to, to their best player for Luca? Give me the number of teams.

[Felipe Esparza]

Denver with Jokic, San Antonio with Wembanyama, Milwaukee with Giannis. I look, I think Golden State probably says no with Steph. Even though we'll Say, Well, Steph is 35 and this kid is 25 and has 10 more years. I don't think you're. You can crater your franchise in that way. And then there's another level of this, Dan, where it's like, I'll say no, because I don't think Luca will stay. And I think Milwaukee is one of those places. Milwaukee knows that Giannis doesn't have a problem with the market. He doesn't have a problem with the weather. He doesn't have a problem with the lack of endorsements. Giannis's big issue in Milwaukee, if he has one, is, when are we going to win another championship? And so to have that and know all of those things is way more important than the unknown of maybe Luka will like it, maybe he won't. And so I think that there's a little bit of that at play as well.

[Amin Elhassan]

LeBron knows nothing. LeBron is at dinner and learns at dinner.

[Felipe Esparza]

Yeah, so, like that. This is where it gets really complicated. He learned it at dinner. I don't believe LeBron learned from the Internet. I just don't believe that if the deal is done and the deal was done in the middle of the game, as I was told, they consummated that deal pretty much. They agreed to the final terms in the middle of that game. Rich Paul had known for 48 hours at that point. Once it's a done deal, I think Rich tells LeBron. Maybe LeBron found out during dinner from Rich.

[Amin Elhassan]

You think Rich is keeping that from LeBron for 48 hours as part of his agent duties?

[Felipe Esparza]

I do. And I think. I think, Dan, for you, you have a very bad habit. I got to call you out on this. You lump Ritz, LeBron and Maverick together all the time. They are separate people. They're involved in separate business ventures. Sometimes they collaborate, sometimes they don't. So in the you and making a point about rich Paul and LeBron, you said, and they're investing. They're looking for $5 billion to invest in a rival. No, that's Maverick's thing. That's not Rich's thing, And that's not LeBron's thing.

[Amin Elhassan]

But these are lifelong. But wait a minute. I mean, Dan.

[Felipe Esparza]

Dan. Then should I associate?

[Amin Elhassan]

No, Fair enough. No, no, no. Fair enough. Fair enough. But these are life. These are lifelong friends, and these are business associ trafficked over lifelong friendships. And their allegiances are going to be to each other over Anthony Davis or the billion dollar investors.

[Felipe Esparza]

I think Rich Paul is a professional. He takes his job very Seriously. And as such, I think he does look out for his client, Anthony Davis, over his friend LeBron James in that instance. Especially because the other part of this is not like they traded Anthony Davis for. Again, stop. Let me stop picking on him. But like Duncan Robinson and. And Heywood Highsmith, right? Like they traded him for a superstar player.

[Amin Elhassan]

So, I mean, would you not. Would you not agree that LeBron James and Rich Paul are the greatest of friends?

[Felipe Esparza]

They're. Yes, they're great friends. Yes.

[Amin Elhassan]

Okay, so you're telling me that Rich Paul is so honorable that he's going to make sure to take care of the same climate client he pulled out of New Orleans in order to get LeBron a fountain of youth in Los Angeles. That his loyalty. And it's going to be to his job and his client and not to one of his best friends who. Who is also affected. Whose entire economy is affected by this.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

He's the reason he has those clients, though.

[Felipe Esparza]

I mean, hold on, hold on. Do you think that LeBron benefit more. More from Anthony Davis and Anthony Davis benefited from getting traded to the Lakers to play with LeBron? Is that what you're.

[Amin Elhassan]

You're implying it worked out for both of them, but Anthony Davis was brought to be. No, but Anthony Davis was brought to be the guy who helped LeBron age.

[Felipe Esparza]

Dan, you're not answering my question. I'm asking you, do you think LeBron James benefited more in his life, his career, his legacy from the addition of Anthony Davis than vice versa, than Anthony Davis benefited from getting to leave New Orleans to go be a Laker and play with LeBron James?

[Amin Elhassan]

I do not.

[Felipe Esparza]

Okay, so it wasn't about helping LeBron. Sure, LeBron got helped. Sure, LeBron's interests were served, but it was about helping Anthony Davis. Rich Paul was servicing his client, Anthony Davis in that. In that regard, getting him out of a situation for a franchise that wasn't winning from a small market to play with a superstar who was going to help elevate Anthony Davis? And as we look at it now, Anthony Davis is a top 75 player. Does that happen if he doesn't go to the Lakers? Because LeBron's still top 75. LeBron's still considered one of the greatest. We're still having LeBron versus Jordan arguments of Anthony Davis never goes to Lakers. But is the opposite truth? Does Anthony Davis get to be a top 75 player if he doesn't leave New Orleans?

[Dan Le Batard]

Is that rhetorical? I agree with whatever you're. Whatever you say. I wanted to ask you your thoughts On I saw a clip from Basketball Illuminati that was referencing, I think, a Ben Gulliver Trojan horse theory about Kyrie Irving going to the Mavericks to blow them up so that Luka could be so unhappy that he would end up back on the Lakers and want to hear what your thoughts are on that.

[Felipe Esparza]

So Basketball Illuminati, Ben Galiver just talked about Kyrie Irving being a Trojan Trojan horse. We're the ones that elevated to. And that. And that's how Luca gets to be a Laker. And that episode dropped on February 23rd of 2023. I want to say it was right after the All Star game and our whole theory about it was LeBron as I, me and George Sedano came up with this years ago on LA radio when LeBron first became a Laker. We warned the audience, the late the Los Angeles audience, hey, this guy doesn't leave breadcrumbs. He leaves whole loaves of bread. And so Tom and I and Anthony Mays, we went back and we looked at like the all star drafts because LeBron leaves whole loaves of bread. Who does he draft high in these All Star drafts? It tells you who he likes, who he really wants. He was always. He was. He took Anthony Davis number one overall in 2020 when Anthony Davis was a pelican. There, there you go. That's a, that's a flag up. Now Andy Davis is his teammate. He takes him number one in each one of these drafts. But the next pick he takes is Luka Doncic. And so we made that connection there. We read the tea leaves, we connected the dots, we kept our third eye open. And so two years ago, we predicted that Luka Doncic would be a Dallas.

[Amin Elhassan]

That should be a victory lap.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

That is sports radio, my man.

[Amin Elhassan]

I think you should be, you should be victory lapping right now while you're in your couch on your couch. I do believe we are under underestimating Anthony Davis, though. Y benefits from being LeBron's number two, but he's forever considered a number two because we never got to see him as the number one after New Orleans. Like, and I don't know that that's what we're going to see now. I think, I think you are, you yourself are devaluing how good Anthony Davis is.

[Felipe Esparza]

I am not. I am. So Bomani said it best. We need to stop pretending like Anthony Davis is Dale Davis.

[Mike Ryan]

Right.

[Felipe Esparza]

Which is a great call. Great pull by Bomani. He's right. Like this. This is an elite defensive player, all defensive team, perennial, who is Also an elite offensive player. There are not too many players in the league that we can say with certainty this guy is both all NBA and all defensive team every year, barring injury or something like that. I'm just telling you with regards to who helped who. LeBron helped, Anthony Davis way more in terms of his legacy and how he's looked at then vice versa.

[Amin Elhassan]

What's the most interesting thing about all of this to you? All of it.

[Felipe Esparza]

There's something the Mavericks know about Luca that they're not telling us. There is something there that we don't. That. And I'm not saying it's like, oh, it's medical or it's physical. It might just be they felt strongly that he's not going to stay. And this isn't the first time we've had this. It's going to sound like a ridiculous comparison given what happened afterwards, but once upon a time, Dan, Darren Williams was looked at as him. And Chris Paul, who's the best point guard in the league, he was a franchise player. And the Jazz, in the middle of the night traded him to Brooklyn. We didn't even know he was available. And he had like a year and a half or two years left on his deal. So it wasn't even one of those. He's going to reaffirm. We got to get something for him. And at the time, the Utah Jazz said, look, we are not confident that this guy is going to stay. And if he's not going to stay, we don't want to wait until we lose the leverage. We want to go out there and do the deal that we want to do ahead of time. And so they moved them. This is like that times a million. And so for me, I'm thinking about that part of it. There's that part of it. Is it a Darren Williams thing where it's like, we got to get out ahead of this, or is this a. And this is an extreme example again, Zion Williamson thing, right? Think about Zion Williamson after, like, his second year. If the Pelicans were like, he's great, he's awesome. He's. This is an elite talent. But I don't know. I think we're going to be stuck in this cycle of him never getting in shape and. And then, you know, playing and getting shape and then playing great and then getting hurt again, and then he's out of shape and we have to pay him all of this money and our franchise is stagnant because it all hinges on whether this guy is ever going to take that part of It. Seriously, if the Pelicans had made the decision in year two, we would have killed them for trading him. Now we look at it, and we look at the crater that is New Orleans, and we're like, yeah, kind of in retrospect, hitching your sails to this guy may have hamstrung you from building something complete. And I look at Dallas, and I'm saying, maybe that's part of the equation as well, but either way, there's something there that we're not getting when we just say, my God, I can't believe it was just Anthony Davis in one pick.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I mean, do you think the deal gets done if the Mavs demand Bronn?

[Felipe Esparza]

No deal. No, that's when. That's when Rich Paul picks up the phone and calls LeBron. He doesn't call Bronnie, by the way. He calls LeBron. I'm gonna call his father.

[Amin Elhassan]

See you later, mean. Good talking to you.

[Felipe Esparza]

All right. Kanye tweeted about it, by the way. That's how big a deal this was. You guys realize that Kanye was in the middle of a rant.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Yeah.

[Felipe Esparza]

And then. And then, like midway through, he's like, I don't watch sports. But apparently, like, Luca just got. That's the. That's. That's to tell you that this deal was so big, it cut through the sphere of ignorance that surrounds Kanye West. And I mean that term in every way.

[Amin Elhassan]

So we can all agree Kanye should be the bellwether for all of these things and the nation's attention. Thank you. I mean, that is the ultimate arbiter. The ultimate arbiter, yes.

[Felipe Esparza]

That his ignorance was pierced by this deal. Look, Myles Garrett ain't moving that needle like that, right?

[Stugatz]

I had a different Kanye algorithm last night.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Still got here. I want to tell you a story. I'm serious here. My wife and my two daughters, they begged me to buy a peloton. So I bought a Peloton. And then I watched that peloton sit in my office and stare at me. So you know what I did one day? I looked at it, and so I decided to get off my ass and I jumped on the peloton because no one else was using it. And I paid for it. I mean, so why not? Then I realized eventually that they bought it for me. And I got to tell you, way more challenging than I could have ever imagined. Peloton coaches are walking the walk. I love the coaches. I do the Grateful Dead one. It's fantastic. They have a sub 3 hour marathon runner, military trained athlete, a former college basketball player and so many other well rounded coaches on their team. All this experience really shows in their classes, which are never short of challenging, especially for me. So I jumped on it that first time. It was challenging, more challenging than I thought. And then I wanted to beat the bike and so I kept jumping on it. And I absolutely love it. I mean, I'm the only one who uses it, but again, they got it for me. I mean, I had no idea. That's a little passive aggressive, don't you think? Find your push, find your power with [e-mail].

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Felipe Esparza]

What is.

[Amin Elhassan]

DAX Are you tracking all our cars on Carvana value Tracker on all our devices? Yes, Kristen, yes I am.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, I've been looking for my phone.

[Amin Elhassan]

For In Dax's domain we see all. So we always know what our cars are worth.

[Dan Le Batard]

All of them?

[Stugatz]

All of them. Value surge trucks up 3.9%.

[Amin Elhassan]

That's a great offer. I know. Sell.

[Felipe Esparza]

Sell.

[Amin Elhassan]

Track your car's value with Carvana Value Tracker today. Don Lebatard While I was gone, a third Zagaki was born and I think I heard. Correct me if I'm wrong here, Jeremy trying to partake in a fourth zigaki. And I am here for a future where I am surrounded by a chorus of clucking Zagakis two guts.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

You know what it means when you have four zigakis, Dan?

[Amin Elhassan]

You don't have one.

[Mike Ryan]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach foreign.

[Amin Elhassan]

El Hassan was really disrespectful, but also a little bit right when he says, I don't know who Philippe Esparza is, but he sounds like a shortstop. He sounds like a baseball player. That does sound more like a, a baseball player than a comedian. But he is selling out tour dates across the country. It's currently the At My Leisure tour. He has one of the top comedy podcast here for about a decade. What's up Fool? And he's got three specials that are streaming on Netflix and Max. And he's got another one coming out on Netflix, Raging fool, that streams globally here next month or next week, actually. So, Philippe, thank you for joining us. He's also a giant sports fan. So just you wake up this morning or you wake up yesterday morning to the news or at night, you hear that Luka, Don Chich is a member of your Lakers and your thoughts were what? And thank you for joining us, by the way.

[Mike Ryan]

My thoughts were who is Luca Doc?

[Amin Elhassan]

Okay.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, very good.

[Amin Elhassan]

So you're not that big of a sports fan then. You're, you're.

[Mike Ryan]

I like the Lakers, but I'm one of those people, man, that like, I still root for the Clippers, you know, because they gotta root for your, for your, your stepson, you know. But I, I love the Lakers, man, and I don't really know who that person is, man. I'm sorry.

[Amin Elhassan]

Oh, that's okay. I got, I got bad information. He's on your team now. He's. He's on the Lakers. Do you know who Amino Hassan is? Because, I mean, well, if you don't know who Luca don't. There's no way.

[Mike Ryan]

From illegally from Ukraine.

[Amin Elhassan]

No, that's, that's not exactly.

[Mike Ryan]

They come on a sports visa to stay in this country.

[Amin Elhassan]

Are you a Dodger fan?

[Mike Ryan]

Are you not your fan, bro? I threw out the first pitch. I used to stop popcorns there. I insulted Reggie Jackson one time in Oakland, California by mistake because I was too nervous to meet the greatest player of all time. He. He goes, I shook his hand and when he squeezed it, the first thing out of my mouth to Reggie Jackson was when I was a little kid, my father and I, we saw Bob Wallace strike you out in the World Series.

[Amin Elhassan]

How old were you?

[Mike Ryan]

Bravo's 30, bro.

[Amin Elhassan]

Bob walk.

[Mike Ryan]

I was 30 when I saw him, when I told him that. But I was a kid when I saw that Stugats.

[Amin Elhassan]

I don't think it was Bob Walk. I think it was Bob Welch. I think he said Bob Welch.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. Okay.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I heard it as Walk.

[Amin Elhassan]

I'm sorry.

[Felipe Esparza]

Bo Walk.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Great picture for the Pirates, though.

[Amin Elhassan]

Thank you. I thought that that would be your wheelhouse for sure. Didn't you work at Dodger Stadium?

[Mike Ryan]

Yes, I used to make hot dogs and popcorn, and I used to sell souvenirs around the stand.

[Amin Elhassan]

Your story's kind of crazy, right? I mean, you talk about all this stuff in your special. You don't keep very much out of it. Your journey, was it funny while it was happening? Because some of the stuff feels like it wasn't that funny.

[Mike Ryan]

A lot of us were really sad and heartbreaking, but I don't have a therapist or my mom would just say, get over it. So stand up comedy was, like, the only therapy where I could just release it and let it go.

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, what are we talking about there, though? Because for the people who don't know your story, we're talking about deportation. How many times? Just. Just start there on how. How you got to this country.

[Mike Ryan]

Oh, man, the first time we thought we just. We got in his man's car, and I don't know who that was. My mother and I and my two other brothers, and we already passed. We already passed. Go, bro. We passed the border. We're waiting for 200, like Monopoly, but then we are halfway down, like by San Clemente, California, there was like a. A border checkpoint that the sheriffs of Saclamente had. They were like, many men, I guess, but they were stopping the freeway and they were randomly stopping people. We're already in America. We're already in. But then they caught us and they took the. Our driver. I don't know who that was. Probably like a. A Mexican Uber driver. Wild Eat Coyote. And they let him go because he was American. And they took us to a detention center. My mom was separated from us, and then we just ate sandwiches and watched Bugs Bunny cartoons. And the next day we walked to the gate and they went. We were back in Mexico. Mexico. But the third time. The third time, my aunt, she dressed up my little brother like a little girl, and he was party now. And we borrowed my. My cousin. We use my cousin's passport. And we got to America. Yeah, Some people come out of the closet. My brother came out of the country.

[Amin Elhassan]

These stories obviously are not being told by many people on the standup comedy tour. How unlikely is your story? The idea that you have comedy Specials like, does that even register with you? The ide. Being able to make this kind of career with your freedom, when, you know, you're remembering the time you're in America, you're close to your dreams, and your dreams probably didn't look exactly like this.

[Mike Ryan]

Yes. And I didn't know this when we crossed the board and all that. Like, my parents didn't like childhood. Like, they were not like a coach. They were not prepping. I was like, all right, you're going to be a girl. You're going to be this guy. And so we didn't know. We just showed. We're in. We're in the standing, little kids. And. And my mom would just tell us after school, don't talk to nobody. Just run home.

[Amin Elhassan]

I wonder. You can laugh at some of this stuff, but you see where we are in the country right now at a Raptors game, and the Canadian people are supposed to be polite. They're booing the national anthem. The things that America. The things that America. The things that America is doing is landing poorly. And they are making stories like yours and people like you. The other. You do what with that politically, as you live in the middle of it, but are grateful for what this country provides or has provided.

[Mike Ryan]

Yes. And I just became a US Citizen three months ago.

[Amin Elhassan]

Congratulations.

[Mike Ryan]

Yes, it's. It is funny because my parents, they became US Citizens before me. It just took me a while. And I feel great, man. Like, I feel like I joke about it now, but I feel like now I could commit crimes without the fear of deportation.

[Amin Elhassan]

Congratulations.

[Mike Ryan]

Really holding me back from being an arch criminal. Poppy, you.

[Amin Elhassan]

Do you do your specials in Spanish or English? Which. And English language are you funnier in?

[Mike Ryan]

You know what? I think I'm funnier in Spanish because I think in Spanish, but I speak in English. So when I went to Mexico to try out the Spanish, it was different from America, man. Like, they didn't. I realized that what 3% of the words that I was saying here in America that are Spanish are not Spanish words. They're like, stuff that immigrants have messed made up, man, over the years. It's like. But in Spanish, you know, is it Spanglish?

[Amin Elhassan]

Like, what are you talking about? Like, sandwiching, bro.

[Mike Ryan]

It's like, I don't know how to say the word breaks growing up, like, fix my brakes. So we would just add a little, like, white people when they don't know a Spanish word. They had an O at the end, you know, like, your sono had not done his homework. Oh, okay. Oh, you Know, so that's fair. You know, they're trying. You know, they're trying to blend in, right? But Mexicans, some Latinos in the west coast, we had an as after every word or a Es in front of our ass. Like, give me a Sprite, you know, or, fix my break.

[Amin Elhassan]

Okay, so at breaks, what. Like, what's break? What does break become? Or was it breakfast that you were talking about? You said breaks, right?

[Mike Ryan]

Breaks ended up being an as, or fixed my breakfast. And when I said it in Mexico, Churro, silent, bro. Like, they treated me like I have blue eyes and blonde hair over there.

[Amin Elhassan]

When you have a special coming out, what is the feeling? Because again, Raging fool comes out February 11th. Is it nervous, excitement, relief? You've been working on this material for a long time.

[Mike Ryan]

Yes, I'm nervous because once it airs, I can't do those jokes no more because people gonna say, oh, man, he's doing a safe joke on the special. So I gotta hurry up and start writing new jokes.

[Amin Elhassan]

So hurry up.

[Mike Ryan]

That's the hard part. Yeah, I can't be going up there. It's not like when you're a singer, man, and people want to hear Doja Cat. They want to hear her hit. They want to hear it over and over. They want to hear it, you know? But I can't do that. I gotta go out there and do some crowd work and come up with new material. Like, have a bit where I say that I'm. I'm getting older, you know? I went to a doctor for a health checkup. He said, I'm gonna need a blood sample, a urine sample, a semen sample, and a stool sample. My doctor. You're lucky I got all that in my underwear right now. Oh, no, wait a minute. You're a dentist, you pervert.

[Amin Elhassan]

You.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

You can't say that again.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, that's it.

[Mike Ryan]

It's over.

[Amin Elhassan]

It's a funny way to describe your special. The idea that it's over and then you have to start all over at the bottom of the mountain. So basically, on February 11, it's not a day of delight and celebration that your special comes out. It's the warning that you have to get back to work. Hurry up. You've got a blank slate. Slate, you idiot.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, I do, man. I don't want to go up there. And. Because I remember when my first special came out, I was a. I didn't know that you have to go write new material. I thought you could be like Rodney Dangerfield or just do the same material over and over. Hey, no respect. But there was like people who knew who are, who love my stand up, who are in a front and every time I talk they were lip singing what I was saying. So they were talking with me. It was like a sing along.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, can't that, that's when you know the stuff has. It's time to redo it. But when you're driving over the border, what are you dreaming of doing in this country? Like how, how unusual is a career in come from where you were?

[Mike Ryan]

Oh man, almost impossible. Like my father was an immigrant. He worked like 860 hours a week. My mom worked cleaning houses and we were always home alone. And my, when I told my father, my father found out that I was doing standup comedy and not having a job and not going to community college. He was very upset, man, because he didn't, he didn't. He was more upset because I think, think a lot of parents when you, when their kids have a wild dream or a wild career, they're not, they're seeing them themselves in that position. Like when I told him my dad found out a stand up comedian, he put himself as a stand up comedian and he got, he got scared for me. Like, no, don't do that. Keep your job at ups. One day you'll be a driver.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, that makes sense. It's safer, isn't it?

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, because it's already. What could Brown do for you?

[Amin Elhassan]

Roy Wood Jr. Is a friend of the show. He recently told a story on another podcast about how you taught him about kindness and friendship on after you beat him on Last Comic Standing. And he said he and the other comics weren't nice to you and that for a while the only person that would talk to you on tour after that was the bus driver. What do you remember about all of that?

[Mike Ryan]

Oh, man, those guys were all bitter because was. They got, they lost to a Mexican and, and I, I ended up winning $250,000. But I should have told them, you know, on the bus, you know, if I would have been talking to them, hey bro, I didn't really win $250,000. They got me for child support the next day. My baby mama ended up winning. She became the last baby mama standing.

[Amin Elhassan]

But you were nice to them though. None of this came out.

[Mike Ryan]

I'm nice to everybody, man. Everywhere I went, people were giving me stuff. There were people wearing my. It was hard for them because I guess they've been on TV before and they had TV credits. I guess they're known in the east Coast. But me, I'M known in the West Coast. I've been doing stand up longer than them, but they never heard of me. But I was building, like, an underground following, and I had a lot of jokes, and my jokes were short. I had a lot of up. No. No stories. They were like, boom, boom, boom, punchline. Like, I had. I had a joke where I say, oh, I met a woman last night. She said, I'll sleep over your house, but we can't have any sex. I said, all right, tomorrow morning we'll have breakfast. You can't eat no food. Boom. You know? And I said that. Well, the police pulled me over. They asked me, do you have anything inside illegal? I looked at my cousin, I ran. Boom. You know, I had a bunch of bus life. I was like. I was like the a. I was like a Muhammad Ali bro. Ropey rope with jokes.

[Amin Elhassan]

I love the boom.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Like, you're boxing.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, My father. My father was a boxer. My grandfather, they were boxers, bro. They used to box. Tomatoes, grapes, oranges, and California.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

I apologize it took me this long to realize this, but, Felipe, you and Dan looking exactly. Philippe, I'm sorry. You and Dan look exactly alike. I mean, you do.

[Amin Elhassan]

Well, there is a picture. There's a picture of me from the. Yeah, from the pandemic. Yes, very Cuban. Yes.

[Mike Ryan]

We both look like Salma Hayek.

[Amin Elhassan]

I will tell the people again that Philippe is on his nationwide tour. What do you. What do you want people to know, Philippe, about what it is that you're doing? Is it Raging fool that you want them to check out? Are you prouder of at my leisure? Like, what is your. What do you view as your career achievement of the moment?

[Mike Ryan]

Oh, man. Go watch Raging fool on Netflix. Watch it a bunch of times. Clip. Cut up the clips. Put them up on TikTok. You want. You know, bootleg it, do whatever you want with it. It's all for you, man.

[Amin Elhassan]

That's very generous of you. Thank you. Spread love. Yes, we will spread the Mexican love. Thank you, sir. We appreciate your time on the show. Thank you for taking it.

[Mike Ryan]

Thank you for having me, man. Let's go, Dodger. Also, I'm a big Raider fan, even though we're over a decade.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, I asked you about the Lakers instead. Go ahead. I'm sorry.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Do you know who Pete can is?

[Mike Ryan]

Oh, yeah, man. Well, you know, we could have the Pete Carol 10 p. Carol. We still have the same team, though. Yeah, and.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, that's part of the problem.

[Mike Ryan]

We are. We are over a decade, bro. I mean, you gotta understand, bro. You Gotta be a team that gets shows up and ready to play every Sunday. The fans are more prepared. Look at the way they're dread. They're cross dressing. They're wearing black and silver. I mean, we're the only fans that have a.

[Felipe Esparza]

We.

[Mike Ryan]

We have a wave with a boo in it. Ah, boo.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah. That's 22 years without a playoff victory. But your Dodgers are cheating.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah, man, the Dodgers, man, we're the best. And people say we're cheating, but we're just la, bro. We're the best.

[Amin Elhassan]

Okay, but you're cheating. Like, it's not fair that you get to buy all the players and just because you get to hold up your fingers, LA is the best. You're still cheating. It's not. It's not right what you're doing to baseball.

[Mike Ryan]

You're right, bro. You know, like back in the day, the Yankees had all the money and they went. They won all the World Series and just sad because I remember when the Braves had the best five players in the league and they never won a game because they couldn't afford to get hitters.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah, that is part of the problem. But you have all of them. You have the guy and you have the one that pitches and hits. You have the one that does both of those things. Thank you, Philippe. Good talking.

[Mike Ryan]

The Angels didn't want to pay on the money, bro. They didn't want to get rid of Trout.

[Amin Elhassan]

Yeah. Two million.

[Mike Ryan]

They want to keep Orange county all white. They don't want the Tinito in the team.

[Amin Elhassan]

Deferred. Deferred payments. $2 million for Ohtani.

[Mike Ryan]

Get out of here.

[Amin Elhassan]

Goodbye. Right.

[Mike Ryan]

Shout out to my boy from the California. The Angels, Joe Adell. That's my man.

[Amin Elhassan]

Okay, but they weren't the California Angels. They were California angels 10 years ago.

[Mike Ryan]

Oh, they're gonna go back, bro. They're gonna. The. The owner is Mexican.

[Roy Wood Jr.]

Y.

[Mike Ryan]

He's gonna change the team. The. The owner of the. He's the first major. He's the first white person, First Mexican, bro. To have white people out in the fields opposite.

[Amin Elhassan]

All right, get out of here. Goodbye. Good talking to you. See you later.

[Other]

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