Hour 2: Whatever Happened To The Alleys?

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 2: "Whatever Happened To The Alleys?"

Date: September 11, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

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Episode Overview

This hour features Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and the crew in a lively conversation with acclaimed sports writer Jane Leavy, focusing largely on the state of baseball, recent rule changes, and ideas for reform. The group blends irreverent humor, deep-dive analysis, and playful banter as they discuss fixes for America's pastime, memorable stats, and notable baseball feats—or lack thereof. The episode also includes segments on cruise ship gambling escapades, a tease for a major boxing match, and plenty of running jokes about the cast's own relationship with baseball talk.

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Key Segments, Discussions, and Timestamps

1. Outrageous Cruise Ship Casino Story

[01:43–05:46]

• Billy recounts a bizarre tale of a cruise ship gambler ("J. Gonzalez Diaz") who racked up $16,000 in debt, then tried to escape by jumping ship and hopping onto a getaway jet ski.
• Dan expresses incredulity over the logistics: "But that, the way you guys described it made me think that that man jumped into an open ocean that wasn’t docked." [03:06]
• The plan goes awry when authorities catch up. The supposed scammer, when asked for his real name, replies: "If you guys were good at your job, you would know that." — J. Gonzalez Diaz, quoted by Billy [04:13]

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2. Baseball’s Past, Present, and Future: Interview with Jane Leavy

[06:38–34:26]

Baseball’s Resistance and Embrace of Change

[06:38–10:25]

• Jane Leavy (bestselling author; former Washington Post sportswriter) discusses her new book, Make Me Commissioner: I Know What's Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It.
• Praises recent changes, especially the pitch clock ("...they used to have a pitch clock and it was called the sun. And when the sun went down, that’s when games ended...") [07:34]
• Criticizes certain changes, especially the "ghost runner" rule in extra innings, which she deems "the worst."
• Observes that while pace has improved, "it’s still flat because three true outcomes... decide a third of all games." [09:04]

Gambling’s New Place in Baseball

[10:25–12:15]

• Leavy critiques MLB’s pivot on gambling, warning of the dangers and noting "death threats" to players over prop bets:

  “You can’t say for 100 years... you’re not going to tolerate gambling and then turn on a dime and not expect there to be trouble.” [10:30]

• She proposes MLB use gambling revenue to fund inner-city baseball training centers.

Best Fixes for Baseball

[12:26–13:49]

• Leavy's top idea: admit all kids 10 and under for free to fill upper deck seats—“Let all kids age 10 and under in free, fill up those swaths of empty seats in the upper deck.” [12:26]

• Crew approves: “Great idea. That’s good.” — Billy [12:49]

• Jane’s take on most exciting baseball plays: squeeze play, stealing home, a triple, an outfield assist at third base.

Wacky Reform Proposals & Outfield Walls

[13:01–14:45]

• Billy playfully proposes trampoline warning tracks for more home run robberies ("...replacing the warning tracks with trampolines... for a safe landing there will be a ball pit.") [13:24]
• Leavy’s serious counter: 18 ft-high plexiglass walls like hockey glass, increasing doubles and triples, reducing cheap home runs, and demanding more skilled outfielders.

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Baseball’s Most Controversial Concepts & Underappreciated Elements

[17:49–24:01]

• Leavy’s hottest take: reconfigure pitching staffs entirely, requiring healthy scratches and preserving matchups between ace starters, rather than constant cycling of relievers.

  “Watching a starter go 5.2 innings... is incredibly boring. And watching a parade of guys come in to throw 100 miles an hour... is also boring.” [17:55]

• Critique of analytics-based management for "eliminating the improbabilities,” e.g., removing Kershaw from a perfect game: “If you rule every decision based on probabilities... you prevent the improbabilities.” [19:41]

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Favorite and Overrated Baseball Stats

[20:40–25:30]

• Dan asks for Leavy’s favorite baseball stat. He mentions Barry Bonds’ hypothetical 400 HR/400 SB without his MVP seasons. She responds with FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), which she admires and criticizes:

  “It distills just what the pitcher did... But it does... completely subvert what it means to be a teammate and to pick each other up after you fall down.” [22:28]

• Most overrated baseball feat?

  “Frankly... at this point. Home runs.” [24:39]

• Crew needles her to criticize the Home Run Derby, which she calls "batting practice slop." She laments that "2/3 of the game are missing. Whatever happened to the alleys?" [25:30]

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On Ohtani’s Dual Brilliance and Injury Risk

[25:53–27:47]

• Leavy speaks admiringly of Shohei Ohtani’s pitching and hitting, but cautions against overuse after two Tommy John surgeries:

  “Wouldn’t it be okay to say one side of that is enough after doing that?... I’d rather have him around... than have him do both.” [27:30]

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Playful Banter, Baseball Lingo, and Dog Stories

[28:01–34:26]

• Warm closing segment full of classic Le Batard show riffing and “Dan Splaining” jokes about innings decimal notation.
• Leavy shares fun stories about her dog Betty, who is the mascot of the Cape Cod League’s Orleans Firebirds and an “infielder”—“She chases every single (ball) down... nothing gets past her.” [32:23]
• Classic Le Batard Show confusion about “homely” as a description and playful glasses fashion discussion.

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3. Canelo vs. Crawford: Anticipating a Monster Fight

[39:30–42:51]

• Dan and Billy preview the much-hyped boxing match between Canelo Alvarez and Terence "Bud" Crawford.
• Dan contextualizes it historically:

  “In my lifetime, there’s really been only one time that it’s not about the heavyweights... [but with] Canelo and Crawford, these are the two fighters of this era.” [42:51]

• Notes the rarity of "free" access (on Netflix) to a pay-per-view caliber Canelo fight.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Jane Leavy, on baseball’s old resistance to change:

  “They used to have a pitch clock and it was called the sun.” [07:34]

• Jane Leavy, on the modern game’s predictability:

  “It was so boring because everybody knows what’s going to happen. Somebody’s going to hit a home run and somebody’s going to strike out the side in the ninth inning.” [09:04]

• Dan Le Batard, on gambling’s impact:

  “The timelessness of baseball... it’s funny, in the modern age, baseball’s been better at changing than sports.” [09:50]

• Jane Leavy, on why home runs are overrated:

  “Come on, you know, it’s just like 2/3 of the game are missing. Whatever happened to the alleys?” [25:30]

• Jane Leavy, on player durability:

  “He said: ‘We were better off fat. You can’t tear fat.’” — (quoting Terry Pendleton) [29:03]

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Tone and Style

The episode is classic Le Batard: opinionated, irreverent, quick-witted, and mischievously self-aware. Jane Leavy keeps pace with her own blend of erudite insight and deadpan delivery, making for a segment that moves seamlessly between granular baseball analysis and comedic digressions about stats, dog mascots, and furniture designers.

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Conclusion: Why Listen?

This episode is a treat for fans of both "inside baseball" discussion and the Le Batard Show’s signature humor. Jane Leavy’s expertise on baseball’s biggest problems and playful exchanges with the crew deliver substance and laughs. From the need for deeper, youth-driven reforms in MLB to critiques of modern analytics, it’s a compelling hour for anyone invested in the soul and spectacle of the game. Excitement for the Canelo-Crawford fight and the whacky world of cruise ship capers round it out, ensuring there’s never a dull moment.

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Note: Timestamps reflect key transitions and memorable quotes, helping listeners jump straight to their favorite moments or dig deeper into the hour’s biggest subjects.

Transcript

[Jane Leavy]

When did making plans get this complicated?

[Billy]

It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together.

[Dan Le Batard]

Use polls to settle dinner plans, send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets. Mom 60th and never miss a meme or milestone.

[Billy]

All protected with end to end encryption.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone.

[Jane Leavy]

Learn [e-mail] this episode is brought to.

[Billy]

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[Jane Leavy]

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[Jane Leavy]

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[Billy]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Jane Leavy]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Jane Leavy]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Jane Leavy]

24 hours, you ask? I have a theory.

[Billy]

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[Dan Le Batard]

For eight payments of $34.50 per month.

[Billy]

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[Jane Leavy]

Games on YouTube TV.

[Dan Le Batard]

NFL Sunday Ticket for out of market.

[Billy]

Games excludes digital only games and commercial use terms and embargoes apply. Availability varies. This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugach podcast. This episode of the Dan Levitard show with Stu Gotts is presented by DraftKings. DraftKings. The Crown is yours. Yo, Dan, you know about cruises?

[Dan Le Batard]

I. I like cruises. My brother was somebody who was always traveling the world on cruises. He had one of the greatest gigs there can be and that he was always working and traveling the world that way.

[Billy]

Crews are great. The Zaslov family, we cruise. We go at least once a year. You know about Royal Caribbean?

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes. Why are you asking me questions this way? As if I'm somebody who want to.

[Billy]

Make sure that I'm not, you know, talking about a story and you're like, well, what are all these things? Never heard of them. All right, so you know the. The basics. All right, that's good. You'll keep up. So there are casinos on a lot of these cruises and sometimes you could lose money in the casino. You don't always win in the casino. Sometimes you could lose money. Well, there was a gentleman called J. Gonzalez Diaz, which turns out it's not even his Real name, but that's what he was registered as on the cruise ship. Well, apparently he racked up over $16,000 in casino debt on this Royal Caribbean cruise ship. And in order to get out of paying it, would you like to guess what happened?

[Dan Le Batard]

Out of. How do you get out of paying a six?

[Billy]

Glad you asked. You say please forgive me, or you jump off the rhapsody of the seas. You jump off. You bail. He jumped off into the seas near Puerto Rico. And because he didn't want to pay the rest of his debt, the boat was docked, they were disembarking, and he just. You know what? I'm out of here.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. But that, the way you guys described it made me think that that man jumped into an open ocean that wasn't docked.

[Billy]

Okay, it gets better. Because now you may be saying, well, all right, what's he going to do? I hope it gets better. Right now, I fear for the person. Well, what he's going to do is there. There was a jet ski apparently waiting for him.

[Dan Le Batard]

Oh, that's a getaway jet ski job.

[Billy]

Wow. Getaway jet ski, which was also pulling an inflate. Someone on an inflatable boat. And he jumped on the jet ski, and away they go.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's a good plan if you're. If you're losing, I think that's a good move.

[Billy]

Now, he did get caught.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, yeah, I imagine that the authorities might be able to get catch up.

[Billy]

To a jets because usually when you gamble, you got to put the money up front. On cruise ships, they give you this room key that turns into, like a little credit card and all of a sud. I feel like, you know, I'm chasing the whole week. I'm not going to say I've come close to jumping off the boat, but I've gotten to the end of a cruise before where I'm worried about the total that I'm looking at now. He told them one name. He gave them his passport after he was captured, you know, and they. They asked him what. The investigators, they asked him what his real name is. And his response, Dan, was, quote, if you guys were good at your job, you would know that. He's not wrong. He's right about that.

[Dan Le Batard]

This story that you were telling me as you went through the very remedial basics of what cruise ship gambling is.

[Billy]

Well, you may not have been able to follow along if I didn't confirm what you know. Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

Reminds me of the story of when it is one time that I felt really dumb leaving a show because I was talking about that wonderful plot of land where the Miami Herald had a building. A long time ago, the Miami Herald sold that building and kept the business afloat because of how valuable that land was. Bayside. And we were talking on air here and I was saying how a Chinese ownership group that wanted gambling to come to Florida had bought that land and they wanted to build a casino on that land. And I was explaining why I thought Mickey Harrison objected to that casino being on that land because he had ships nearby where he had gambling and he wanted to have that to himself. I said. And I got a call afterward from Mickey Arison himself after I had done that show saying, do you know how little money that is compared to the rest of what we do that you would suggest that I wouldn't want gambling because of our little seven blackjack tables or whatever it is that we have a couple of slot machines like. Do you realize how ignorant you sounded saying that I would want that block because I wouldn't want gambling in town? So I know what a cruise ship.

[Billy]

What do you think the game was that he was playing? I think it was like the claw machine that you go and you pick up all the bills. Can I tell you something? You know what, you know, what's the underrated machine now in these cruise casinos? I like playing the game where you gotta. You gotta line up the key on. You know, it has to fit in. In like the hole slot. Yeah, I've seen. Yeah, you get great prizes like an iPad in there sometimes. Yes. That be like a stack of a thousand dollars cash. I want that stack. Have you seen the game that. It's just a hole cut into plexiglass and you stick your hand and you have to take out a gold bar. Yes, yes. Very heavy. Those gold bars have not figured out how to win that one yet, though. Be strong. How did it go with Mickey when you hung up? You're like 17 years from now. I'm going to take it incredibly easy on you in an interview that'll leave no one, especially our audience, satisfied.

[Dan Le Batard]

Jane Levy is with us now. She's the award winning former sports writer and feature writer for the Washington Post. She's the bestselling author of multiple books. Got a new one here. Make me commissioner. I know what's wrong with baseball and how to fix it. She's been following baseball all of her life. And I thought baseball got some things fixed here recently after many people objected to them making any kind of changes at all. So I'm looking forward to talking to her about what changes she would make. I know Bob Costas and others. Jane, thank you for joining us. Appreciate the time.

[Jane Leavy]

Absolutely.

[Dan Le Batard]

I know that Bob Costas and others were very reluctant to change, for example, the wild card, which has been a big hit, because there are so many purists that didn't want baseball to change. But I feel like over the objection of others, baseball has gotten a whole lot fixed. So you are in disagreement?

[Jane Leavy]

Oh, no, they, they, they fixed a lot of stuff. It took them a long time to get to it. I mean, the pitch clock was inevitable. And you know, they used to have a pitch clock and it was called the sun. And when the sun went down, that's when games ended and umpires who would hurry you along. But when lights came in, they forgot that they had to hasten things along. And the problem with baseball is that it basically decided how to do things in the 1880s and never changed. And so the changes they made absolutely necessary, the pitch clock. Thank you. Thank you, Rob Manford. Thank you, Theo Epstein. The idea that timelessness was something that integral to baseball, as opposed. Opposed to sonnets, was just a mistake. I don't like the ghost runner. I hate the ghost runner. I think, as some of the old time managers will tell you, if people were taught how to. How to steal a base the right way, they wouldn't have needed to change the geometry. That Red Smith, my hero, said was, you know, the closest thing to godliness. It's not, you know, the extra 4 inches changes that 90ft thing. But I think there's more that they have to do. I assume I can quote people directly here. I mean, what Bill Lee said to me, the spaceman, you know, is, you know, why it's so boring? How can you see?

[Dan Le Batard]

Why was it boring?

[Jane Leavy]

It was so boring because everybody knows what's going to happen. Somebody's going to hit a home run and somebody's going to strike out the side in the ninth inning. It's become far too homogenized and predictable. And so while, yes, the pace is better, the games are shorter. Thank you. It's still flat because three true outcomes, the walk, the strikeout, the home run, still decide a third of all games. And because for the last seven years, strikeouts have outnumbered hits, so they have some fundamental things that they need to change. Still, none of which is going to be easy. That's why you need me.

[Dan Le Batard]

Put it on the poll, please. At Lebiton show. Did you like it better when the pitch clock was the sun? Because that, that, that is, that is something. The timelessness of baseball it's funny to think in the modern age, baseball's actually been better at changing than sports. Recently they were ahead of the whole, the whole media game in terms of owning their stuff in a way that was progressive. You stand where, Jane, on the worst of all the changes. You think the Ghost Runner is the worst or is there, is there something else that makes you angrier than that?

[Jane Leavy]

No. Ghost Runner really gets me. Really, really gets me. Look, I know looking at your screen and listening to the last, you know, bit and knowing that my great, my grandfather was a bookie and a rum runner who serviced the polo grounds, I'm not exactly moralistic about gambling. But you can't say for 100 years where the team, where the sport. Where are the hall of Fame that's not going to tolerate gambling and then turn on a dime and not expect there to be trouble. I mean, the fact that the, you know, the top closer at the. For the guardians has been suspended. The fact that players are getting death threats because you struck. They struck out five people and not the four that whatever better wanted them to strike out. I mean, it's courting danger in baseball. And so I have a plan. Isn't that what politicians say? I have a plan. My plan would be, yeah, they really didn't have any choice once the Supreme Court legalized gambling in 2018 to go along with it. But why can't they take some of that money that they're making off selling their data and disseminating it to sports books and buying a piece of sports radar? Why can't they use some of that to fund what is desperately needed here? The same kind of inner city training centers that they have all that they've all built in the doctor. Why can't they give American black kids or Hispanic kids or even disadvantaged white kids a chance to learn the game the way those kids get?

[Dan Le Batard]

Don't they still do? John Young's RBI program, is that not something they do or is that just eyewash?

[Jane Leavy]

I think that's minimal.

[Dan Le Batard]

Make me commissioner. I know what's wrong with baseball and how to fix it. What would you say is your best idea in here? The one that would really wow people?

[Jane Leavy]

Well, somebody said to me not long ago, no offense, Mint, but you're not going to live that much longer. We need a new generation of fans. My best idea, the one that everybody likes, is let all kids age 10 and under in free fill up those swaths of empty seats in the upper deck.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's a good idea.

[Billy]

Great idea. That's good. That's good.

[Jane Leavy]

That's real good.

[Billy]

That's real good. Jane, can I run an idea by you? Yeah, sure.

[Jane Leavy]

Please.

[Billy]

What would you say is a third or fourth most exciting play in baseball?

[Jane Leavy]

Third or fourth?

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, he's an asshole.

[Billy]

Well, no, hold on a second. Hold on a second. I'm just trying to get. Yeah, I'm not going to say.

[Jane Leavy]

Okay, squeeze play. Stealing home a triple and somebody who. With an actual outfield arm who could throw said runner out at third base before he achieves a triple.

[Dan Le Batard]

The triple is not better than the robbing of a home run.

[Billy]

That's what I was getting to like. So let's say the fifth is Robb home run. Right. So what if we increase the odds of robbed home runs by doing something, you know, some people might think is a bit extreme, like replacing the warning tracks with trampolines so that you can run, jump onto the warning track and rob more home runs. That would be a more fun game, wouldn't you agree? But Jane, there will be a ball pit on the other side of the wall for a safe landing for safety purposes.

[Jane Leavy]

So you're going to hate this one because it's antithetical. Yes. I know fans like to see guys bringing the ball back over the. Over the fence. However, that's becoming as ubiquitous as home runs.

[Billy]

It is.

[Jane Leavy]

I don't even look up. I don't look up anymore when somebody hits a home run. Big schmear, as my grandmother would have said. My idea is to put plexiglass walls 18ft high along the outfield walls so that think of this seating there. Think of what you could get for a seat to be on the other side. It's got like, you know, like a hockey rig. Yeah. On the other side, that glass, when Aaron Judge goes barreling into it. Okay. It eliminates cheap home runs, it increases doubles and triples, which is what fans say they want to see most. And it makes them develop players with actual skills in the outfield, which no one has right now, to wit, my Yankees last year.

[Billy]

So should we put clear padding just so that you could still see through it, but there's safety involved?

[Jane Leavy]

Yeah.

[Billy]

Okay, great. Howdy, folks. It's Mike Ryan. It's also NFL season. Lots of big time matchups. You know, your boys in NFL free. So he's looking all across that NFL schedule for the very best games. And when I do, my very first and only stop is the Game Time app, because the GameTime app gives the advantage back to the fans. It's a hack for unlocking amazing tickets and experiences in just a few taps. It's incredibly easy to use and the game time guarantee means that you can trust that you'll get 100% authentic tickets on time and at the very best price. Plus fees are always included, so what you see is what you pay. You have incredible features such as zone deals. You get to save even more when you choose a section and let gametime choose the seats. You get panoramic seat views. If you know nothing about the venue you're about to buy tickets for, this is a huge tool. Take the guesswork out of buying NFL tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use code DAN for $20 off your first purchase terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code dan for $20 off swipe tap ticket. Go download the Gametime app today. What does Zyn give you? Not just smoke free nicotine satisfaction, but real freedom. Freedom to do what you love and choose your rewards. With Zinn Rewards, you can redeem points for premium tech outdoor gear and gift cards to your favorite retailers. Find your Zinn and keep finding rewards that fit your [e-mail] re warning this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical Thursday Night Football is back and it's only on Prime Video. Tonight, the Washington Commanders take on the Green Bay packers, with both teams determined.

[Jane Leavy]

To prove their worth.

[Billy]

Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with football's best party, TNF tonight presented by Verizon. Not a Prime member? Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. It's the Commanders and the packers tonight at 7pm Eastern only on Prime Video. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

[Dan Le Batard]

Don LeBatard punctuate this segment with what is your strike three call?

[Billy]

Strike one would be strike, and then you stand up and you give a good point to the right stugats. That's same for strike three. But strike three, you get down low, you got your hands behind the catcher. All right, the right arm goes up into the air and then you finish it with the punch. The right arm flings way up into the air.

[Dan Le Batard]

I wish I could see that. The audio's great.

[Billy]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach.

[Dan Le Batard]

What would you say is your most controversial opinion in here, Jane? The one that's got people yelling at you?

[Jane Leavy]

Well, nobody's yelled at me yet, but okay. I want to reconfigure the pitching staff. I think that watching a starter go 5.2 innings, which is what the average is now is incredibly boring. And watching a parade of guys come in to throw 100 miles an hour and tear their UCLs as quickly as possible is also boring. I want to see matchups between aces. I want to see whether Clayton Kershaw was going to beat baumgartner in their 12th encounter. There were only 11 before Baumgartner retired. So what I would do is make the pitching staff 15 guys and have a healthy scratch list of as in hockey. So you take your starter from the day before, who's not going to throw the next day, and you get. And you put three other guys there and you say, take care of your arms for a couple of days. These. These relievers are. They're fried by July. And then everybody's busy scour, scouring the waiver wire to see who can throw when there's been just released from some other team whose relievers are shot. And it's boring. It's absolutely boring. Let's give baseball a chance to have the parts of it that were so good be relevant again. I mean, why was Clayton Kershaw taken out by Davey Roberts after throwing seven innings at a perfect game? Because they had to worry about his arm. But there's no. What A.J. ellis is catcher always for four years that the Dodgers called situational dexterity. You don't. There's no exceptions made. It's by the book, it's by the odds, it's by the analytics. And it has ruined. It is broken all the narratives that baseball used to tell which were the best part of it. And if you. If you rule every. Make every decision based on probabilities, what will happen, what has happened nine times out of 10, what you do is you prevent the improbabilities. And if there was ever a guy who was going to do the improbable, it was Clayton Kershaw in Minnesota and his first start back in 2022 because he hadn't pitched for God knows how long he'd been injured. You know, that headline the next day would have been a reason to come out to the ballpark. As opposed to Clayton Kershaw taken out after seven perfect innings, which says to people, why bother? You know, that whole thing, you might see something that you'd never seen before. They've eliminated so many of those things. And that's my fiercest objection.

[Dan Le Batard]

The name of her book is make me Commissioner. I know what's wrong with baseball and how to fix it. She's been covering baseball all her life, and I love talking to baseball people who really get into the minutia of the numbers and asking them some form of the following question that will give you plenty of time here to filibuster in your thoughts. Cuz it's a difficult question. I'll give you some music too in order to give you time to think about what I'm about to ask you. Which is your favorite baseball stat? And the reason I say this is to give you time to think. My favorite recently has been that if you take away all seven of Barry Bonds MVPs, all of the stats from those seven seasons, all of them, he'd still have 400 home runs and 400 stolen bases, which no other player has ever been able to do. If I take away all his MVP seasons, Give me the stat of the day music so that somebody who's a real expert on baseball can give me her favorite stat of all the stats.

[Billy]

Start of the day, start of the.

[Jane Leavy]

Day it is the start of the.

[Billy]

Day Start of the day Start of.

[Jane Leavy]

The day it is the start of.

[Billy]

The day Start of the day Start of the day it is the start.

[Jane Leavy]

Of the day Start of the day.

[Billy]

Start of the day it is the.

[Dan Le Batard]

Start of the day. You don't like the new music, Mike? You don't like the new music?

[Billy]

We've been thinking about it, me and Mike. Every time we hear it, we're like, do you like it? Keeps telling me to keep my opinion to myself, which I feel like that's not in the name of good discourse.

[Dan Le Batard]

It doesn't sound right. James, you didn't seem like you were too pressurized by this. You shrugged your shoulders at me. This wasn't even a challenge for you.

[Jane Leavy]

You know why? You stole my answer?

[Billy]

Second best stat, you dick.

[Jane Leavy]

I thought you were asking what's my favorite metric? You know, all those fun names. Uzr, dzr, all that stuff. I actually was gonna answer fit, which was created by Tom Tango, the senior architect of data for mlb. It's fielding, independent pitching, and it's a perfect example of how brilliant these guys are and how screwed the game is because of it. So granke it was his favorite stat because what did it do? What does it do? It takes away from a pitcher all the things that they're not in control of. Like a bad bounce, like a pebble on the infield dirt, like a left fielder who's a moron. All sorts of stuff is gone and it distills just what the pitcher did and is responsible for. Great thing for agents and free agency. But what it does is it completely subverts the idea of what it means to be a teammate and to pick each other up after you fall down. And so I have great. I have long conversations with Tom Tango about this. I understand that the human mind has a relentless desire to put itself out of business. But if we lose completely the human element, which is what players now refer to as what's missing in baseball, you know, it's just going to be not worth watching, even for me.

[Billy]

Jane, what is the most overrated feat in baseball these days? Something that happens that is not impressive.

[Dan Le Batard]

She didn't come close to answering my question, by the way. She said my stat was the best and then talked about fip. Like didn't even come close to answering my question. That was. That was. That was. She was. She was dancing.

[Billy]

Well, you stole her stats.

[Jane Leavy]

I was tap dancing. I got. You got me? You got me.

[Dan Le Batard]

Put it on the pole, please. Does the human mind have a relentless drive to put itself out?

[Billy]

That was a bar, by the way. That was a bar.

[Dan Le Batard]

Answer. I'm sorry. Answer his question, please, Jane.

[Jane Leavy]

What's the most overrated stat?

[Billy]

Feet.

[Jane Leavy]

Feet. Frankly, at this point. Home runs.

[Billy]

Wow.

[Dan Le Batard]

Shocking take by Jane right there.

[Billy]

Say it, Jane. Schwerber's a bum.

[Dan Le Batard]

Is Schwarber a bum? She's not going to say Schwerber.

[Jane Leavy]

Well, come on, guys. I mean that you can hit four home runs in a real game. Great. The fact that people went nuts over doing it off slop. Batting practice, slop at the. At. At the Home Run Derby made me nuts. I mean, really, Is that what it's come to? I understand why they do it. It's. It's one of their most valuable properties. People love it. That's great. But come on, you know, it's just like 2/3 of the game are missing. Whatever happened to the alleys? The alleys?

[Dan Le Batard]

What happened to the alleys? Billy was in one of those on the phone when the police pulled him over.

[Billy]

The accident, Jane, just say it. That Ohtani. 50, 50 game. Overrated, right? That 50, 50 game. Ridiculous. End of the game. I mean, geez. 50, 50 game would be impressive. No, the game that he got the 50, 50 in, where he had the 10 RBI, he had the four home run. I mean, the last couple.

[Jane Leavy]

Let me ask you a question. Okay, my turn.

[Billy]

Ask away.

[Jane Leavy]

So I saw him pitch for probably 25 pitches. I saw him at the last 3.2 innings in Baltimore the other night. You know, here was a guy who basically said the old fashioned thing, you know, send me in, coach. Right. Put the Ball in my shoe. Which Dave Roberts did not actually do, but he stepped forward and he, and he said he's old fashioned in that way, which I love about him. And I was sitting right, you know, in the press box, which is no longer going to be the press box in Baltimore because they're making a party space, which tells you what the priorities are. But I watched him throw 11100 mile an hour pitches in 3.2 innings. And they look effortless for him. Right. I mean, it's, it's, it's a thing to behold. But I actually asked Dave Roberts, you know, should anybody want to pitch for the Dodgers right now, look at what, how, what, what their rate of attrition has been in pitching this year. It's not just them, mind you, but they've had. The Yankees have had more money sitting on the IL for pitchers. The Dodgers have had, had more people sitting on the IL who are pitchers. It is, you know, you're taking your life in your hands. And if I were Ohtani, I would say, you know what? I've done it. I've shown I can do it. He's had two Tommy John surgeries already. Tommy John, excuse me, in an internal brace. I understand. Dave said he wants to be the guy that shows that he can throw a World Series game and hit in a World Series game. Yes, that is legendary. But wouldn't it be okay to say one side of that is enough after doing that? Yeah, I'd rather have him around to see for the next God knows how many years, you know, running the bases and hitting the way he does than have him do both.

[Dan Le Batard]

Jane, we appreciate your time. Appreciate the book. Make me commissioner. I know what's wrong with baseball and how to fix it. Clearly knows a ton about baseball.

[Billy]

Please join us. More. Yeah, can she please, Jeremy.

[Dan Le Batard]

But it's also a bit of a.

[Jane Leavy]

Hey, I'm game. I'm here. Hey, did you see my ball, by the way?

[Billy]

No. Let me see it.

[Jane Leavy]

Oops.

[Billy]

Yeah, you got it.

[Jane Leavy]

You're right, you're right.

[Billy]

No, you're right. No, you're right.

[Jane Leavy]

Facial relations. You know what my orthopedist said, my.

[Billy]

Son, what they say?

[Jane Leavy]

I would love to know you have the soul of an athlete and a heart of an athlete in the worst possible body for an athlete.

[Billy]

No, Pablo Sandoval, Way worse.

[Jane Leavy]

Worse?

[Billy]

Yeah.

[Jane Leavy]

You know what Terry Pendleton said?

[Billy]

What? Go on.

[Jane Leavy]

This is great. You know, we have a, a conga line of.

[Billy]

Stop stepping on the.

[Dan Le Batard]

What?

[Jane Leavy]

What is that about?

[Billy]

We're talking about Terry Pendleton.

[Dan Le Batard]

You Were name dropping. Your name. Stop.

[Billy]

Let her answer what she said. Guess the hot corner. Houdini the hot.

[Jane Leavy]

He said we were better off fat. You can't tear fat.

[Billy]

Yeah. Thank you. That's what I live by. That was good stuff.

[Dan Le Batard]

I know. But in the middle of all of that though, you're saying. Stop interrupting her. I called her a fraud. In the middle of that. None of you heard it. Cuz everybody was just.

[Billy]

You're talking baseball. You expect me to pay attention?

[Dan Le Batard]

The whole time I called her a fraud because instead of three and two thirds, she says 3.2 innings.

[Billy]

Oh, no one pitches three points up on the stat sheet. Are you trying to explain something to James? Yeah. How dare you, sir.

[Dan Le Batard]

Dan Splain.

[Billy]

He's right.

[Jane Leavy]

You said mansplaining.

[Dan Le Batard]

Dan Splaining. Thank you for the time, Jane. Appreciate it. We'll tell everybody. Again, make me commissioner on your wrong with baseball and how to fix it. Thank you.

[Jane Leavy]

It's Levy. Jane. And I want. I want your designer to come redo my dining room.

[Billy]

No, it's perfect. Homely.

[Dan Le Batard]

Jane, thank you. Appreciate you being on with us. Appreciate it.

[Jane Leavy]

Thanks, guys.

[Dan Le Batard]

Mike, I believe homely is an insult. I don't think you meant it. I don't think you meant it.

[Billy]

What does homely mean?

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't think you meant it.

[Billy]

No, wait. No, I'm sorry.

[Dan Le Batard]

Like plain. No.

[Billy]

Homely'S bad. I mean it's both those things. No, no, Homely.

[Dan Le Batard]

I think it's negative. Well, Jane's a writer. Jane, you can get if. If he says you're home.

[Jane Leavy]

Homely.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, you're home. He said your home was homely.

[Billy]

Did I offend? I have your back more than anybody. Don't make me unfollow.

[Dan Le Batard]

He meant it as a compliment.

[Jane Leavy]

What I said was, I want your designer to come back to come up here and redo my dining room in the expressive colors of your set. I love it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Thank you.

[Billy]

Are those hummingbirds? Can I just say your glasses are dope.

[Jane Leavy]

Thank you. And you know what? They were made by La Iworks and they quit making them, so I had to have somebody go to Barcelona.

[Billy]

I love you. You're the best.

[Dan Le Batard]

She needs to replace Jeremy on this show. Talking baseball. Jeremy's segregated again. He's at the back of the show. Baseball's over there. But Jane's welcome on the show.

[Billy]

I'm adding you to close friends.

[Dan Le Batard]

Jane, thank you for being on with us.

[Billy]

Love you guys. You like pictures of dogs?

[Jane Leavy]

Oh, wait a minute.

[Dan Le Batard]

On the back of the book.

[Billy]

Go get your Dog.

[Dan Le Batard]

Infielder. Bet the dog.

[Billy]

We would love to see your dog.

[Dan Le Batard]

Go ahead. We'll wait for you. See the dog, Betty. It's not Bet the dog. It's Betty.

[Jane Leavy]

I pronounce it Betty, but she's got Betty Davis eyes. She's got Betty Kim Cor.

[Billy]

I was listening to that last night.

[Jane Leavy]

Wait a minute.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yesterday on SiriusXM.

[Jane Leavy]

Yeah, come.

[Dan Le Batard]

I did.

[Jane Leavy]

Oh, she. Come here.

[Billy]

Come on.

[Dan Le Batard]

Who's a good doggy.

[Jane Leavy]

Here?

[Billy]

She's a good do.

[Jane Leavy]

I want you to know. Nothing gets past her.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah.

[Billy]

Wow. She's not.

[Jane Leavy]

I said she was playing with a. She's the mascot for the Cape Cod League. Orleans Firebirds.

[Billy]

No, she's not an infielder.

[Jane Leavy]

She is.

[Dan Le Batard]

She's an infielder. She had.

[Billy]

Wow. Nothing gets past her. Like Yaddy Molina.

[Jane Leavy]

Yeah, nothing gets past her. So the coach is guy cool guy named Kelly Nicholson. Has been doing it since. Since 2005. The players decided they would play with her during infield and practice, so they started throwing balls to the outfield. She chased every single one down. She does over the shoulder. I can send you. I can. She's got tape.

[Billy]

Send it. Talk about shagging balls.

[Jane Leavy]

Yeah, she can. She goes. She gets everything. So Kelly looks at her, looks at these guys who were like, you know, they're playing shallow, and he goes, oh, no, you got to go deep for this dog. Oh, Betty can get anything. Where are you, Betty?

[Billy]

Go throw your ball. Throw your ball for Betty. Yeah, throw the ball. Throw the ball, Betty.

[Jane Leavy]

If I throw this one in the house, they're kind of cheap baseball. So.

[Billy]

Yeah, you don't play ball.

[Jane Leavy]

Yeah, I can do it. I can send. You take.

[Billy]

Please do.

[Dan Le Batard]

Jane, thank you for being on with us. We appreciate it.

[Billy]

What's for lunch, Jane? Put it on ig.

[Dan Le Batard]

Billy. That's it. That's enough of you. Okay. I've had enough of you. That's too strong. Everything you've been doing. I've been trying to end this segment for about 10 minutes, and you won't let me end it. So I'm gonna find a Dan.

[Billy]

Find it. There it is. Billy's got a major penalty. Five minutes for being Billy. Me, I thought Dan was gonna kick himself out. For Dan splaining. I support you. I'm going with.

[Dan Le Batard]

Thank you. Jane. You can go with him. That's fine.

[Billy]

Get that answer.

[Jane Leavy]

Where do I send Betty's tape?

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, well, that Billy. You can connect with Billy who send you Billy's number keeps doing this even though he doesn't want it. And he's pretending like he wants it and. And he's an asshole. So he's getting out of here. Both of you get out of here. But. Get out of here.

[Billy]

Here.

[Dan Le Batard]

And get that. Now get that video from it. And we're going to play it during Ray Hudson Sound every day during the World Cup. Every day until the World Cup. We're going to play both the video of her dog chasing balls and Ray Hudson Sound.

[Billy]

Must be confusing to her, Tony. Perfect.

[Dan Le Batard]

Perfect. See, she understands. She gets it.

[Jane Leavy]

I get it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Thank you. That's fine. All right, we will. We will connect with you and we will get you the information so you can send us your dog, the infielder.

[Billy]

You know what nobody tells you about being a new dad? It's not just the diapers and the wipes. That's obvious. It's the hidden stuff. The baby swing after we already purchased the other baby swing. The bouncer, the pack n play the 20 different bottles because apparently my kid hates every single one except the most expensive one, which is the glass, by the way. Don't get me started on late food delivery orders. With my wife and me too tired to even look or cook or think about food. I'm staring at my bank account like, where did it all go? That's where Monarch Money comes in. It's like a financial tool belt for everyone, not just dads. You link all your accounts, your credit cards, investments, even the old stuff from jobs you forgot about. And it lays out in a way that even a sleep deprived parent like me can actually understand. Normally, money talks are stressful, but with Monarch, we can track everything together, set goals, and actually feel like we're on the same team. Less stress, more clarity. And finally, a plan for our daughter's future. Don't let financial opportunity slip through the crack. Use code [e-mail] in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first [e-mail] with code DAN. Oh, folks, football season is here. It's your season, your shot. The NFL is rolling and every touchdown brings you closer to a payout with DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NFL. From first TD scores to anytime props or even the rush of live live in game betting, every snap is a chance to win new customers. This is for you. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app. Use Code Dan. That's Code dan to get $200 in bonus bets instantly when you place just a five dollar bet plus over 200 off NFL Sunday ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV in partnership with DraftKings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem call 1-800- gambler in New York, call 877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-7897. Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. Fees may apply in Illinois 21, and age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Boyd and Ontario. Bonus bets expire seven days after issuance. See [e-mail] promos NFL Sunday Ticket offer for new subscribers only and auto renews until canceled. Digital games and commercial use excluded restrictions apply. Additional NFL Sunday ticket [e-mail] go NFL Sunday tickets Terms Limited time offer X.

[Jane Leavy]

Amount Eczema isn't always obvious, but it's real. And so is the relief from EBGLIS. After an initial dosing phase, about 4.

[Billy]

In 10 people taking EBGLIS achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks.

[Jane Leavy]

And most of those people maintained skin that's still more clear at one year, with monthly dosing.

[Billy]

EBGLIS Librekizumab LBKZ, a 250mg 2ml injection, is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals, or who cannot use topical therapies. EBGLIS can be used with or without topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to ebglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglis. Before starting Epglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection searching for real reason relief.

[Jane Leavy]

Ask your doctor about epglis and visit epis lily.com or call 1-800-lilyrx or 1-800-545-5979.

[Dan Le Batard]

Don LeBatard, you don't remember the idea?

[Billy]

I was probably like that kind of thing.

[Dan Le Batard]

Something.

[Jane Leavy]

Okay, no, the home run call was.

[Billy]

That kind of swing. That kind of thing. Stugats. Oh, it's a good call.

[Jane Leavy]

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.

[Billy]

Oh, that would be a great call. Swing, that kind of thing. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach. All right. This show is sponsored by Liquid iv. Transitioning from interview. Like that. A great interview. It's almost like transitioning from fall from summer to fall. And it takes focus. You got to power through with Liquid IV's new Sugar Free Energy Multiplier. Hydration and energy in one. Each stick has a 2 to 1 ratio of L findine and caffeine for balance. How I said it last week.

[Dan Le Batard]

I think it's L Theanine. I think it's how it's pronounced.

[Billy]

I like how you said it. Thank you. L Theanine for balanced energy without jitters or crash. Zero sugar, three times the electrolytes of leading sports drinks. Plus five essential vitamins available in strawberry, kiwi and BlackBerry lemon. I keep a few packets with me wherever I go from the gym, playing hoops, just walking around. I got Liquid IV on me. I'm strapped with Liquid IV because it's simple tear pour mix and you're hydrated. Don't let the grind drain you. Ditch the glitch with zero sugar and zero crash from Liquid IV. Tear pour live more. Go to Liquid IV.com and get 20% off your first order with code DAN at checkout. That's 20% off your first order with Code DAN. D A N at checkout LiquidIV.com I really enjoyed that. That, that was delightful. My read. Thank you. No, I meant the interview. Oh, I tried hard.

[Dan Le Batard]

I did not think out of nowhere we were going to have a how do you fix baseball? Segment from someone who loves baseball. But it was delightful. We will have more baseball with Jeremy Teshe and Pitch clock, which has been segregated, which will be after Juju Gotti. I don't know if you guys have seen the last couple of nights in the late innings. The Yankees have been outscored by the Detroit Tigers in the last two games in the 7 8th and 9th inning, 17 to 1. That's bad, right? Well, the Tigers, the Tigers are exceptional. Without the payroll that the Yankees have, the Dodgers are hanging on at the top of their division. But the Padres could have beaten them in a series last year and could beat them again in a series this year because the Dodgers, I remember, I'm going to say whenever we were at 30 games from the end of the season, the Dodger over under for the season. I've never seen anything like this before because of where their payroll was because they won the championship, because they've got all the players, because Mookie Betts has five RBI last night and they don't need Mookie Betts. The Dodgers over under on the season was 104 and a half. And with 30 games left in the season, they would have had to win all 30 of them to get to 105. The Dodgers don't look like what you thought they were going to look like this season, but I can't get anybody around here to talk about baseball. And another thing I can't get anyone around here to talk about. We've been talking about these, about Jake Paul in boxing. We've got a monster fight this weekend. Okay? Canelo, Terrence Crawford and Canelo Crawford coming up undefeated three weight classes to fight, fight Canelo in boxing, in my lifetime, there's really been only one time that it's not about the heavyweights and it's when Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns were just great fighters. Floyd Mayweather is in an argument here recently with Mike Tyson over the greatest ever. Floyd can't be the greatest ever, even though he wins all the time because it was all about defense. And nobody watches these fights to not see people get hit. The heavyweights and the big boys are always the ones, ones that dominate the conversation. However, this fight, if you care about combat sports, Canelo not having to come down at all and making Crawford come up three weight classes to fight him is super interesting. And a lot of people who love boxing are going to be watching this on Netflix as Netflix gets into the live sports game and you essentially get this fight for free and you never get Canelo. Canelo doesn't fight for free. That's not how that works.

[Billy]

None of them do.

[Dan Le Batard]

But Canelo specifically, when, when you get the race wars that boxing are, you know, traffic in black guys against Mexicans is the one that is the most trafficked in. And this one's going to be a monster this week.

[Billy]

It's going to be an incredible fight, Dan. Like this is a fight that you look at and there's been a lot of fights in boxing where outside of like these big fights with, with Usyk and with, with fury. Like there's guys that are in their prime and there's guys that are legends and like Bud Crawford versus Canelo is going to be a monster, monster fight. Canelo, I would say back end of his prime, right? I don't think you can call him his prime right now. No but still an excellent fighter.

[Dan Le Batard]

But what you can say, though, the thing that you can say though, now that Floyd and Pacquiao are done, is these are the two fighters of this era. Like, these are the, these are the two guys you're talking about dominating an era. I can't wait for this fight.

[Billy]

Howdy, folks, it's Mike Ryan. It's also NFL season. Lots of big time matchups. You know, your boy is an NFL free agent, so he's looking all across that NFL schedule for the very best games. And when I do, my very first and only stop is the gametime app. Because the Game Time app gives the advantage back to the fans. It's a hack for unlocking amazing tickets and experiences in just a few taps. It's incredibly easy to use and the Game Time guarantee means that you can trust that you'll get 100% authentic tickets on time and at the very best price. Plus, fees are always included. So what you see is what you pay. You have incredible features such as zone deals. You get to save even more when you choose a section and let Game Time choose the seats. You get panoramic seat views. If you know nothing about the venue you're about to buy tickets for, this is a huge tool. Take the guesswork out of buying NFL tickets with Game time. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use code DAN for $20 off your first purchase terms. Apply. Again, create an account and redeem code dan for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket. Go download the Gametime app today.