The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Hour 2: "Whatever Happened To The Alleys?"

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

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.

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]

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.

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]

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]

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]

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.

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.

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]

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.

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.

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.