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Dan Le Batard
All right, kicking things off with Smirnoff, the official vodka sponsor of the NFL and the number one vodka in the world. Chris Cody, you're here smearing off. Wow. You're on the money with Smearnoff. Chris, do you know what goes great with Smirnoff? Yes, but I'm really talking about the game day fit. The style's gotta match the vibe.
Stugotz
Fair enough.
Dan Le Batard
All right, here's the deal. Game day is everything. And that's exactly why your fit has to match the occasion. Starting this December, Smirnoff is giving fans 21 and over the chance to score limited edition Smirnoff commission merchandise from some of today's top creators and including Kayla Jones, Gavin, Matthew and Aleli Mae. Here's the kicker. One lucky fan will take home the grand prize, a trip to the biggest game of the offseason. Plus, one fan will win a Laylie May's one of one game day jacket.
Greg Cody
Wow.
Dan Le Batard
The merch will be dropped on select dates from December to January 21st. And it's all courtesy of what brand. That's right, Chris. Fans 21 and over can head to Smirnoff Socials to learn how to sign up. And don't forget to grab a bottle of Smirnoff vodka number 21 at your local retail. Please drink responsibly. Smirnoff number 21, vodka distilled from grain, 40% alcohol by volume. The Smirnoff Company, New York, New York. Please do not share with anybody under legal drinking.
Stugotz
Hate Smirnoff.
Dan Le Batard
No purchase necessary. Must be legal. US resident, 21 or older. Sweepstake starts 12:15, 2025 at 12:00am Eastern and ends 1:23, 2026 at 11 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds p.m. eastern. See official rules at program website.
Stugotz
This episode is brought to you by NBA on Prime. This Tuesday at 8:30 Eastern, it's the Emirates NBA Cup Championship game on Prime. This year's quest for the cup has been building the championship game live from Las Vegas. Not a Prime member. Sign up for a 30 day free trial to get started today. The Emirates NBA Cup Championship game this Tuesday at 8:30 Eastern, only on Prime. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details.
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Zaslow
Dan is still in New York. We're here in Miami.
Mike Ryan
It's cold here.
Zaslow
It is a little bit cold here. I walked out. It was a little nipply, right?
Dan Le Batard
Is it nippily?
Greg Cody
Yes, Nippy.
Jeremy
Nippily.
Zaslow
I say nippley.
Roy
It's both.
Greg Cody
Nippy.
Zaslow
It's a little nippley.
Greg Cody
It's not both.
Dan Le Batard
I've never heard somebody say it's a little nippily outside.
Mike Ryan
I have heard someone say it's nippley outside, but not about the weather.
Zaslow
Hey, tell you what, though. I woke up feeling good today.
Mike Ryan
Yeah.
Zaslow
I don't know if you guys are aware. Seems like the Florida Panthers might be back. Baby, come on now.
Greg Cody
We're clawing back.
Zaslow
Come on now.
Stugotz
Turn that corner.
Greg Cody
I think I figured this whole thing out with the Florida Panthers. They can be a certain level of hurt, but once they pass that threshold of hurt and get even more hurt, then they seem to struggle.
Zaslow
So they were for. For a little bit here. They were over that threshold, you're saying?
Greg Cody
That's right. But now you have Rahegy back. You have Luster Rynan back. All of a sudden, Sam Bennett finds his form.
Zaslow
You got the defenseman scoring some goals. God forbid.
Roy
Seth Jones.
Zaslow
Cats are clawing back Seth Jones, my dog. I don't know if you know about that.
Greg Cody
Roy, get the table.
Roy
Yeah, I think I figured it out.
Greg Cody
How many points back are we?
Roy
I don't know.
Zaslow
I think there's three back of the. Of third and like four back in the division.
Greg Cody
But they have games in hand.
Zaslow
Games in hand.
Greg Cody
I love games in hand.
Roy
And they got figured it out. More of the players need to have babies. Carter Verhege, he's on that baby bump right now.
Zaslow
Get after it.
Greg Cody
What do they say about a game in hand?
Mike Ryan
We're two in the bush.
Greg Cody
That's exactly what they say.
Stugotz
Look at me, hockey guy.
Zaslow
When's could shock coming back?
Roy
Should be in about a week.
Greg Cody
He's my favorite. I like that guy.
Zaslow
Oh, yes. What a. What a great guy. All right, it's all coming together, boys.
Greg Cody
That's pretty much the only story people were talking about in sports yesterday.
Zaslow
It was a big one. Look, if you go to you. You go into Salt Lake City and you take out the Mammoth.
Dan Le Batard
Is that a real team?
Roy
Yes, it's a realty.
Dan Le Batard
The Utah Mammoth.
Greg Cody
There's no way.
Pablo Torre
Yes, that's fake.
Dan Le Batard
You guys are messing with me.
Pablo Torre
Seriously.
Mike Ryan
Just one. Is it just one mammoth?
Greg Cody
It's just one mammoth.
Zaslow
Definitely nothing else going on in sports yesterday.
Stugotz
No.
Roy
This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.
Stugotz
Zaslo taketh away and Zaslow giveth. Because I was about to ask Amin and I was about to ask Tony and Pablo to give me the nickname of the Utah hockey team and he took it away from me right at the end of the shadow show. But he did give me. And I like this trade. Nippy or Nipley because I do like that 63 degrees in Miami is Nipley. As I freeze off my frozen diamond nipples here where it's 20 degrees, but also worry about the Cleveland Chicago Bears game this weekend where it's going to be minus 20 degrees. That seems like the most awful way to ever play football. Minus 20 degrees. I would cancel the game. That's unfair to human beings. That's. That is wrong to human beings. Peter Peanut Tillman, who is no coward, said he once played on a Chicago field, ran out on the field and said, I don't want to play today. I'd like to go back into the locker room. Football is not something I'd like to do today. Yes.
Mike Ryan
I mean, Dan, I don't mind them playing in that weather, but I do mind having to go watch them play in that weather. What about all those people just sitting there freezing their ass off? At least the football players have adrenaline. They're running around, they're scared, they're excited, they've got all these emotions going on.
Greg Cody
They have those big Ninja Turtle disguise.
Stugotz
Jackets and the heaters.
Mike Ryan
Yeah, you can't see the half shell under that jacket. What about the poor person just sitting there and roll xxx in section 655 freezing their ass off in that nippley weather? According to Zaslow, put it on the.
Stugotz
Pool Levitar show Nippy or Niply. But you're right, I mean the people paying for the privile out in negative 20 degrees when they could be home while the player is being paid to do that does make it different. But Pablo, I. I was asking Dominique this the other day as we walk down the New York streets and this is just 2530 degrees here in New York. I'm like, it has to hurt more to play football in this kind of cold. Would you not imagine that the bones and everything physically, by science, that all of it hurts more? And he looks at me and he says, once reach a certain level of pain, that's the amount of pain there is. And in football, the Pain is ever present and everywhere. So there's no difference between playing it in negative 20 degrees and playing it in normal weather. But I would think it would be horrific to play football in negative 20 degrees.
Pablo Torre
I've learned that I should not try to relate to football players. They have opted into a sport premised on consensual concussions. Dan, the idea that Dominique was walking around like with cut off sleeves, he wasn't wearing a jacket. He was wearing like a vest over a hoodie. Yeah, I, I find it hard to trump Dominique on the question of you guys are weak.
Stugotz
The pain threshold is something that I don't understand as we criticize certain football players for being soft.
Pablo Torre
But why is Mike looking like that?
Greg Cody
Have you ever watched an NFC north broadcast? Everything hurts more in the cold. And I've googled this. It's actually backed by science. Your muscles are tighter, your joints are stiffer. Everything hurts more in the cold. It just means more in the Norris division.
Stugotz
Put it on the poll please. At Lebitard show. Does everything hurt more in the cold? You guys want to guess? Just, just guess how many teams. When you talk about the Panthers and I will get to Michigan in a second and I will get to Notre Dame because I'm not letting Bavaqua go yet, no matter how poorly Michigan behaves. I've got to talk more about the Bavaqua thing, but does. I'm just going to throw this to the room. You guys want to guess in the Eastern Conference for the Florida Panthers, how many teams are under.500? When you talk about where it is the Panthers are in the standings. Does anyone in there want to guess under 500 teams in the conference? Because I, I honestly didn't think that what I'm about to say was actually possible in any reasonable way.
Zaslow
Guesses.
Greg Cody
Yeah, we follow the sport a little bit down here. We're title town and hard press to find one. I know Buffalo is pretty bad, but it's really hard.
Zaslow
Columbus is probably under 500.
Greg Cody
It's really hard to make the playoffs in that sport. Every. Everyone appears to be pretty solid and nothing is given in the NHL. How many teams?
Stugotz
This is crazy though. There's one team and it's two. Two games under.500. There's one team in the entire conference. You're only playing teams that win more than they lose in the conference.
Zaslow
Oh, but you're talking about. You're not counting the overtime losses. You're just talking about regulation wins and losses, right?
Stugotz
Yes.
Greg Cody
Okay, well all right.
Pablo Torre
Yeah.
Zaslow
Then, then just one.
Jeremy
Yeah. You're right.
Stugotz
Okay, but the overtime wins and losses because somebody's got to be an overtime winner or loser.
Roy
Right?
Stugotz
Like, I, I'm, I'm just talking about bad teams. Like the idea you're saying Buffalo's pretty bad and. Okay, but they, they, you know that the conference is loaded and the reason that the Panthers are struggling is not actually because they're struggling. Their record is fine. They just play in a sport and in a conference where that record is not fine enough to get into the playoffs. And then you got what's happening. I'm sorry, go ahead, Zaslo.
Zaslow
Yeah, it's. It's a sport where if you get off to a slow start, which the Panthers have, it's really difficult to gain ground because of these overtime losses because of the three point games. So like they find themselves in a spot where they have to dig out of a hole and it's hard.
Greg Cody
We've said for several years that this is a sport that unlike some of the other majors, can certainly afford to expand because there are so many good teams in this sport. There are very few embarrassments in that sport. It's not at all like the NBA teams. Don't tank. Everyone is in the mix for the playoffs. It would appear.
Stugotz
Tony, you gave away your hand when it is. You said, wait a minute, that's not a real team. The Utah Mammoth is not a real team. So you're a vote for. You would not have gotten correct the nickname of the Utah Mammoth. I mean, would you be honest here? Would you have known that the Utah team was known by the Singular Mammoth?
Mike Ryan
Yes.
Stugotz
All right, penalize him for lying. Please. Get him out of the room because he's suspicious and somebody hit him with a penalty for lying. What do you, what do you. Look, you're clearly lying. You did not know that the Utah team was the Mammoth.
Mike Ryan
Wait, so hold on. So you're just basically saying I'm going to ask you a question and I already think I know the answer. If the answer doesn't jive, then clearly you're lying.
Stugotz
You sound like, well, you look suspicious. No, but there's circumstantial evidence is that you looked all around the room and you looked really suspicious when you said that.
Minor penalty, two minutes.
Jeremy
Tremendous.
Mike Ryan
Ask me again.
Greg Cody
Play on.
Mike Ryan
Ask me again. And, and I'll answer again and let's see if I can do it. Less suspicious, I guess.
Stugotz
I mean, did you know that the name of the hockey team in Utah was the Singular Mammoth? Yes.
Greg Cody
I, I don't think it's a singular mammoth. I think that's a plural of mammoth.
Stugotz
Put it on the poll at Le Batard show. Is the plural of mammoth? Mammoth.
Zaslow
I would have thought the plural's mammai.
Roy
But they've only been to Mammoth for 32 games. So I guess, I mean you can.
Greg Cody
Get a. Yeah, we could have. We would have accepted Utah Hockey Club.
Stugotz
Luckily for you. I knew it. You make a ruling here. Is the plural. Get out of the room. I mean it's the plural. Respect the penalties please. Is the plural of mammoth?
Pablo Torre
Mammoth, like deer. The plural of mammoth is mammoth.
Stugotz
Jeremy, do you have an official ruling from the Internet?
Jeremy
Yeah. According to the club itself, mammoths is the plural. But the reason that they've used mammoth is to show one Utah, one hockey club, one mammoth.
Roy
Oh, for crying out loud.
Greg Cody
I'm gonna go with Pablo on this one. What is Utah?
Pablo Torre
I regret weighing in on this debate.
Stugotz
Did you know that the name of the ute, the nickname of the Utah hockey team was the mammoth? Yes or no?
Pablo Torre
Absolutely not.
Stugotz
Okay, I did not either. That is why I am asking the question. But I felt alone and insecure and now that I have the company of other incompetence, I feel competence, misery and ignorance.
Getting back to. And we will get to the Michigan story, as much of it as we can to because I do think we need to be responsible about some of the details here. But it is fairly shocking to see a 39 year old coach in a dream job fired and fired according to the university, sending out a statement for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer and then hours later he's in custody and I'm assuming he's still in custody. And this has to be a special kind of misery to see everything fall apart for you. And again, there are other victims here other than Sharon Moore, allegedly. But there, there is a guy in prison who just had his dream job or who just threw away his dream job and allowed Michigan to get out from under that contract. Before I do that because I want to better understand what has happened this week to Notre Dame. Would you gu agree? Would there be any disagreement from Miami at all with the statement I'm about to make, which is if what just happened to Notre Dame happened to the college team of anyone listening to this program. They would be as angry as Bavaqua is if the same exact thing had happened where for a month as a made for television spectacle, you're in the playoff by ranking, you do nothing to lose that ranking. By losing a football game, do nothing but win your games. The Rest of the way, the hypothetical team of every single person listening to this show. Everybody would be as mad as Baqua is. Correct. Without a. Without a single dissension every. That you'd get total consensus on that when you get no consensus on anything in sports. Yes, Jeremy.
Jeremy
I mean, it has happened to me. My team won every single game and didn't get included in the ESPN CFP Invitational, and that was a result of never being included. There is a difference between what Notre Dame got, which is the tease. But my team for two straight seasons, by the way, won every single game and never sniffed. But Mike, Mike, I know has a take on it.
Greg Cody
Yeah, it was driven crazy by the mere specter of being screwed with head to head, not mattering. I think the difference is though, like, Peep of Aqua has been very effective in changing the narrative. It's not because of mean tweets or re airs that they're left out. And he has convinced a nation and that fan base that wanted a pound of flesh that that is indeed the case. The reason that they are out is because of Greg Sankey's shadowy hand over the process. And he does not have the stones for that fight.
Mike Ryan
Definitely not because of my tweets. And also, Zaz, you know about that spectre.
Zaslow
No. I'm going to learn though.
Jules
Folks, listen up. You know my holiday pattern by now. Every single year I tell myself, listen, Chris, you're going to be thoughtful this year. You're going to get good gifts. You're not going to be lazy. You're not just going to get gift cards. And this year, guys, I have news. I pulled it off. No panic, no sad little card. You know what I gave? I gave an aura frame. Like, why is it so hard to find a personal gift these days? It's for the people I'm closest to. My parents, my wife, my in laws, my kid. The most important people in my world. I have no idea what I'm supposed to get them as a gift. But one thing I know, people light up when they get photos. People love photos. So I loaded up my aura frame with all the moments I know they'll love. My daughter being adorable. Random selfies, group pictures where none of us are looking in the same direction. I kept adding them because Aura lets you send unlimited photos and videos right from your phone anytime. And the best part, you can preload the thing before it even ships. So when it's open on Christmas morning, all the memories are already there. I'm telling you guys, this is a great gift. And folks, for A limited time save on the perfect gift by visiting or frames to get 35 off or's best selling Carver mat frames named number one by Wirecutter by using promo code DLB. This deal is exclusive to listeners and frames sell out fast. To order yours now and get it in time for the holidays, support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply.
Greg Cody
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Jeremy
You ever find yourself late night scrolling, adding stuff to your cart you absolutely don't need? And then you see it. The beautiful glowing purple shop pay button.
Roy
Boom.
Jeremy
Checkout. Done. You didn't even have to get up and find your wallet. That, my friends, is Shopify magic. That little purple button means that store is powered by Shopify, which doesn't just make it easy to buy, but ridiculously easy to start and run your own business, too. Whether you're a giant like Mattel or Gymshark or just launching something weird from your garage like Greg Cody's garage, Shopify has your back. Let's be real. If we can run a show with this much chaos, you can run a business with Shopify. With hundreds of beautiful templates, tools for payments, inventory, analytics, marketing. It's all in one place. And yes, that purple button. It's why Shopify has the best converting checkout on the planet. Shopify. It's how real businesses get built. If you want to see less carts being abandoned, it's time for you to head over to Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com batard go to shopify.com batard shopify.com batard.
Stugotz
Don Libertard our Panther group chat we're.
Jules
Confident against the lighting. This is a different team.
Pablo Torre
You're a Panther group chat no, no, no.
Jules
But dude, you're so wrong on that.
Jeremy
We've been terrified of this team forever.
Jules
And I think there's a different energy where the Panthers, they want the lightning st.
Stugotz
I want T shirts made for this Panther run. What could be this Panther run. Our Panther group chat we're not afraid of the lightning.
Greg Cody
That's a Tagline for World Raw 3.
Stugotz
This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.
Jeremy, it didn't happen to you because part of this betrayal is the duping. You never thought Central Florida was going to be in the playoffs based on where it is, that it was ranked by a committee for a month in a made for television spectacle.
Pablo Torre
That's right.
Jeremy
But then the next season when we went into the season and they said, well, surely that won't happen again. Sure, if you go undefeated a second straight year, maybe we'll include you. And then we did just that. So the first time around we had to claim a national championship. And the second time we were like, well, you know, screw you guys. I guess we'll go lose by a touchdown to Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson with our backup quarterback.
Stugotz
I could argue that what happened to Jeremy's Central Florida team is worse, but this did not happen. Okay, where you're watching for a month, your school win nine games. You're watching a made for television special for a month in which you're always in the playoffs. And then you watch over the month, a month of arguing of, hey, if Miami beat Notre Dame, shouldn't Miami be ahead of Notre Dame? And then you look up one day when you're watching the selection committee make its selection and you're no longer in it. There's. We're in agreement that there's not anybody out there who would say they weren't mad if that happened to their team. So my question after that is, and I asked this yesterday and I didn't get a satisfactory answer, how could Bavaqua have handled this better? Somebody tell me, what is the Correct way to advocate on behalf of your constituency when it feels this wrong. And your job is to advocate on behalf of this constituency.
Pablo Torre
Look, this is politics. And I say that very simply because the question of what should Pete Avaqua be doing is not how do you appeal to the largest possible audience of fans in America, it's how does he represent the people he has to be worried about, which are Notre Dame fans. I don't know how you do this. Well, I think the entire thing is a contest of who do you like less and you will root against that entity. And Notre Dame is clearly the most unliked and so people. Aqua Dan. I. I just think he was doing exactly what he's incentivized to do.
Stugotz
I think he has done it well, though. If I just take out the, the, the, you know, the, the petty complaining about the acc. If I just take that part out, I think his language is the right language to use on behalf of your fan base. Farce. You know, punched in the stomach. Mike, you tell me if, if Miami's athletic director had to get out in front of the public when everybody hates Miami the way that they hate Notre Dame and they would enjoy the tears of somebody whimpering in public, like, what is the language you would want used?
Greg Cody
Well, Dan Radakovich did put out a letter, which I was happy to see. I honestly, while everything was happening, personally, truly, I wish Dan Radikovich did more. I think Pete Babaqua has done well to make his fan base happy as they are angry after the fact. But I think he got caught with his pants down here a little bit, Dan, because you should have seen this coming. You should have been campaigning. You should have been working the narrative. You have so many media partners, you have this huge platform with Notre Dame. You should have been getting the message out there. Alabama, we're better than them. Oklahoma, we're better than them. The debate should have been firmly from the Notre dame side. Alabama vs. Notre Dame headed into that SEC championship game. And then everybody would have been viewing that SEC championship game in which Alabama had negative three rushing yards. Through the prism of Alabama versus Notre Dame. Their whole plan was just this is why they're upset about the tweets and the re airs was hoping they could get away with head to head not mattering and being upset that people are calling it into. Into public lights as well.
Stugotz
Is.
Zaslow
Is all of their fan base happy with the way Bavaqua is handling this whole thing? Because you would assume just from the outside looking in, you would assume that everyone would understand an unbiased fan here would understand why Notre Dame is unhappy. Yet somehow Notre Dame, who seemingly got screwed, everyone is dunking on them now, and everyone seemingly hates them even more than we thought that they did. Based on the things that Vacua is talking about. It's like, is he actually doing a good job?
Stugotz
This is the part that's weird to me, Zads this I I if you believe in the idea of confirmation bias, ok, all that anyone is waiting for is anyone from Notre Dame to say anything so that they can simply reverse the entirety of their opinion and be like, o, they were wrong. Goes to no, they're wrong for complaining about being wrong. Like, I have not seen. I'm not kidding you when I say I just haven't seen a lot of things like this happen where I'm on the front end and I am seeing that Notre Dame is wronged. Their athletic director comes out and does what you have to do, which is complain that you've been wronged. And as soon as he does that, everyone says, no, you're wrong for complaining about being wrong, even though about being wronged. Even though we too, would be complaining about being wronged. Any single person who's a fan who has complained about the officiating after a game, if you've complained about the officiating after any game that you've lost, this is something, this right here, what just happened. You think you have a team that's good enough to win the national championship and you're being denied the right to play for that game? It's just not something I've seen a whole lot of. And I believe it's just because people were looking for an excuse to dunk on Notre Dame, and they do it to Miami, and I think maybe Alabama, and I think those are the three programs. I don't think this happens to Ohio State. I don't think it happens to Michigan. I think there's plenty of hate, but I don't think the nation at large laughs at someone being wrong this way. Unless it's only three schools. Is there a fourth? Do you guys have a fourth school that you would say that you could imagine a scenario where this happens, where someone who is articulating something and is right in articulating it is just wrong because of who he is and what he represents. And now this person, we only know his name because of this Zaslow, is sitting here enjoying this, this joyride, this amusement park of Bavaqua, only to make fun of him. So this, this person exists and is defined by he's a whimpering coward.
Pablo Torre
The contrast, though, and the reason why I respect Bavaqua is because this has been a college football month in which Lane Kiffin leaves for LSU because he doesn't care about the playoff. Right? Like, he's like, actually, there's a bigger game here. This sport is about something bigger actually than the wins on the field. And Bavakwa is acting as every. To your point, as I think every college football fan would want their program to act, which is to be, again, I get it, truly insufferable in defense of their honor. Like, you have to pick a fight. You can't be trampled on. Like, that's the whole thing. That's the whole thing. The playoff matters that much.
Stugotz
The writing of a letter. He can't stay quiet. Right. That's not one of the choices. Your choices are fairly absolute here. Your choice is to make a loud complaint. It's not simply to send out a statement that has some grace in it. Right. That wins him nothing with his constituency saying, oh, it's okay. Like the pulling of the bowl game, the taking your ball and going home. I suppose that's something that didn't have to be done if you don't want people to react poorly to you. But I just don't think you can do this quietly if you're him, I think. Do you think Bavak was sitting here thinking he made any mistakes here? Do you guys believe, as you see what's happening here, do you think Barbacca goes home to his family and says, I erred here?
Pablo Torre
The question is persuadable. Voters. Notre Dame doesn't have a lot of those. There are not a lot of people who are like, you know what? I was on the fence about Notre Dame, but Bavaqua's elegance and dignity in defending their college football position, and that changed my mind. No, there's nothing he could have done, as far as I can tell, that would have resulted in anything different other than being as again. And I get it, being as loud and indignant as possible about someone questioning whether they deserved this.
Greg Cody
I think he could have been proactive instead of reactionary. I do think that stuff matters ultimately. You're talking about 13 human beings that are under pressure, listening to every criticism. And I think when it came to Miami versus Notre Dame and the head to head thing, the volume on that stuff mattered to me.
Mike Ryan
You guys aren't asking the right questions right now. The right question was asked in the chat, actually. Shout out to the YouTube chat. Is this Pablo's first Time wearing a hoodie because he's got his. The drawstrings tied up like it is when it first ships to you. No one ever has their drawstrings like that.
Pablo Torre
One shot. Never seen a guy one shot his drawstrings.
Mike Ryan
Look at that. Who does that?
Stugotz
He's a gift. He's a gift to journalism. He has wrapped himself in a bow and a fraud.
Pablo Torre
And this is. This is also advertising with Method man on. Pablo Torre finds out. Whoa, wait a minute.
Jeremy
Oh, so he was clearly just giving this.
Mike Ryan
So it is a brand new hoodie.
Pablo Torre
No. Hey, Mike.
Greg Cody
Yep.
Pablo Torre
Mike.
Greg Cody
Yes. We were at.
Pablo Torre
Where did I get this? Where did I get this?
Greg Cody
It was April 20th. I can remember that much. And it was at a RZA concert and it was pre Covid.
Stugotz
Jeremy, why are you comfortable calling Pablo a fraud? And he was so involved in his self involvement that he didn't even hear the accusation of you calling him fighting.
Pablo Torre
Lots of different wars right now, Dan. Jordan Hudson's threatening to sue me. Nick Wright is litigating his own reporting with me as I continue to litigate it with him on Twitter as we speak. Phil Mickelson threatened to send us a legal letter. Steve Ballmer obviously is somebody who is actively trying to make sure that the NBA's investigation is not proceeding, in my view, into my work with the level of rigor that it deserves. You know, the Chinese government, we investigated. The House Oversight Committee's investigating, frankly, a company that was started to steal the brainwaves from athletes.
The NBA is another investigation into the gambling stuff related to Malik Beasley that we're responsible for.
Stugotz
Roy, isolate that hiccup of sound so that we can embarrass Pablo with it at how professional communicators stumbled through all of that. But Jeremy, answer my accusation. Why are you calling him publicly a fraud? And he's fighting so many wars that he doesn't even hear the accusation because.
Jeremy
He'S clearly never worn that hoodie before.
You've never worn that hoodie if you're now tying it.
Greg Cody
And if.
Jeremy
And if you are, what a crazy decision to tie that might be.
Pablo Torre
Ryan, again to the witness stand.
Greg Cody
That hoodie is at least 7 years old.
Jeremy
That's not the question.
Mike Ryan
That's not the question.
Greg Cody
He's worn.
Jeremy
You can see him buy it.
Greg Cody
Yeah, I saw him purchase the hood.
Jeremy
You see him wear the hoodie on a separate occasion outside of that first time that he wore it? And were the drawstrings still tied when he.
Greg Cody
Why? Why do you not believe us?
Mike Ryan
Why are you not answering the question. I feel like you're. You're avoiding the question.
Greg Cody
I'm not answering the question. You're not allowing me the opportunity to.
Mike Ryan
This is not a pulpit, sir. You're going to answer the question and only the question.
Greg Cody
I have seen him out a handful of times since he purchased the hoodie and been like, hey, that's a hoodie we bought at that 420 thing.
Mike Ryan
And with it, the drawstrings tried.
Greg Cody
That's a new development.
Jeremy
Okay.
Greg Cody
When I think about the holidays, I think about the little moments with my dog Roma, the ones that make the season feel special. Put a little elf ears on her. You know the deal. Take some selfies, Post it for people that probably seen it too much. I love my dog. That's what I'm trying to get at. That's why I'm joining Chewy Claws, who's out here making pet's wishes come true. From November 4th through December 24th, you can share your pet's wish@chewy.com chewyclaus. It might come true, and it helps others, too. Every wish triggers a donation of five meals to shelters and rescues across the country. And if you share your pet's wish through the Chewy app, they'll double that donation. That's 10 meals for pets in need just for participating. I've been using Chewy for years legitimately. They've made my life easier for me and my dog, Roma. Food, toys, meds, all of it shows up fast. No stress. And being part of something like Chewy Claws or a small thing like a wish can make a real impact. That's the kind of stuff I care about. Every pet deserves a wish come true. Send your pet's wish to chewy.com chewyclaws it might become a reality. Plus, your wish means Chewy will donate five meals to pets in need.
Dan Le Batard
Holidays, Fun holidays. As a dad, tough travel. Gifts, matching pajamas. Don't get me started on matching pajamas. It's hot in Miami. My wife says, why don't you want to do this with us? My daughter's crying anyways. School, parties, hosting a family. Next thing I know, I basically put Christmas on my credit card and have no idea what I spent. Where. If you want to keep your finances under control this holiday season, you need to be using Monarch, rated Wall Street Journal's best budgeting app. At 25, Monarch's the all in one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean interface on your laptop or on your phone. Right now, just for our listeners, monarch is offering 50% off your first year, a massive deal. Monarch showed me how fast the holiday budget was disappearing, flights, gifts, late night online shopping and helped me pump the brakes before the bill hit. Now my wife wife and I do quick money check ins, look at our holiday spending category and actually enjoy the holidays without starting January and the new year in panic. Don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use code dan@monimalmoney.com in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year@monimalmoney.com with code DAN. And don't give me those matching pajamas.
Roy
I swear I'm trying to get ready for the holidays and wrapping my head around what I'm going to cook and people keep asking me the same question. Roy, what are you gifting this year? What are you cooking? And honestly, I don't have time for all that. I just keep it simple. I go with Omaha Steaks. People, listen up. Omaha Steaks delivers the world's best steak experience. You can send USDA certified tender steaks, juicy burgers and comfort meals that make you look thoughtful with minimum effort. Now that's my kind of gift. Right now during the Sizzle all the Way sale, you can get 50% off site wide@omahasteaks.com plus an extra $35 off with promo code Dan. I've had Omaha Steaks plenty of times. I've cooked them, I've gifted them. People are always impressed. The steaks are aged perfectly tender and are full of flavor. It's holiday magic made easy. Orders placed by 6pm Eastern shipped the same day. Save big on gourmet gifts and more holiday favorites with omaha steaks. Visit OmahaSteaks.com for 50% off site wide during the Sizzle all the Way sale and for an extra $35 off, use promo code Dan at checking out turns. Apply See site for details. That's Omaha Steaks.com code Dan.
Greg Cody
Don LeBatard Pablo leads all of podcasting in reading while smiling.
Stugotz
If you listen to ESPN Daily, he.
Pablo Torre
Sounds like he's having the time of his life.
Greg Cody
Stugarts Coming up next, I'm going to.
Stugotz
Tell you how the Savannah Bananas are changing.
Greg Cody
How do you know Savannah Bananas?
Stugotz
How do you know I'm smiling?
Greg Cody
That's how I found my vocal range. Sometimes I just say Savannah Bananas.
Stugotz
This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats.
I am honestly surprised by the restraint that Pablo just showed in talking about some of this. He's a star bleeper and a name dropper. But he left out what I thought was the most interesting detail that links both the Method man episode that he's talking about on Pablo, Tori finds out and that hoodie. And I'm just surprised he didn't share it just before I share it. Is it because you don't want to spoil the end of the episode? Because I really thought you'd brag about what Method man did for you toward the end of that podcast interview, Because I couldn't believe that I got to sit in the middle of that. And I think Mike Ryan, at least I know. I think Mike Ryan would be jealous of what Method man did for. For us. But, Pablo, what are you willing to reveal here?
Pablo Torre
I am processing a lesson from yesterday's show in which it turned out that me being the guy who finds out stuff, if I talk about it too much becomes really unlikable. And so I'm hoping that other people talk about the stuff that I found out for me, because, again, many different fronts, many different wars. But did I get to listen to the secret Wu Tang?
Greg Cody
I knew it. I was. I was telling people back here, it's. It has to be the Shkreli vinyl. He's got access to the Shkreli vinyl.
Mike Ryan
Was it good?
Pablo Torre
We're in Shkreli mode.
Stugotz
So if you don't know who Shkreli is, he's the most hated of the pharma bros who jacked up and gouged people with medical prices on medicine because he had access to it and no one else did. And then with that, he spent how many millions of dollars to buy the single copy of this Wu Tang album that no one has heard?
Pablo Torre
Multiple millions. I believe is around $2 million.
Stugotz
Okay. And yeah, it's.
Pablo Torre
It is one of the craziest things that's ever. And Method Man's perspective as a guy, again. And Method Man, Dan and Method man, just to be clear, like, are disturbingly intimate friends. And one of the things that I think that you guys in the shipping container and the Wu Tang Clan have in common is that there are a zillion of you. And how to manage the artistic integrity of everyone is hard. And so Method man was asked, apparently, will you submit a couple of tracks just like rap over these beats, without knowing anything about the project, submitted it to rza, and he learned later that this was all in the service of a Wu Tang double album, one of one that got auctioned off for multiple millions of dollars and was bought by a guy sentenced to, I believe, various fraud charges. Successfully by the US Government years later, and then realized, oh, I might have done this differently. And yet he does have the tracks on his phone.
Stugotz
What is happening with the war you are presently fighting with Nick Wright that has made you realize that you came off as unlikable yesterday?
Pablo Torre
I don't know. The thing that I'm struggling with is I love argument debate sports television. I've worked at ESPN for 13 years. PTI, Tony and Mike both are the foremost examples of people who left journalism who do that stuff. And so I want to be very respectful when I say that I think journalism in sports is basically going extinct. I worked at two places, Dan, that are now either dead or zombified. Sports Illustrated and ESPN the Magazine. Real sports at HBO is dead. HBO Sports fundamentally is basically dead. And the reason why is because truth is a bad business. Because it is a lot more fun and a lot easier, despite how good, by the way, how genuinely awesome Nick is at arguing about sports. And he is. And Tony and Mike are the greatest, in my opinion. And Stephen A. And Skip Bayless. And that's that tree we all know. The thing that I struggle with is how to explain to people why journalism is both good business and also a lot harder than you think think such that the people who chose to do the easier thing can't simply say, oh, I could do that if I wanted to. Because it's not merely that you're not. It's that maybe you should just from a perspective of like, what do we need more of?
Stugotz
Well, when you say, though unlikable. And I throw this to the group here because I have found that over the course of the last 20 years of changing how it is that I behave within the construct of this, while also obviously respecting not just sports journalism, but journalism. It is a losing fight optically on whether or not you're going to be likable. Not unlike what's happening with Notre Dame. If the starting point is I'm putting in front of the American people the job title of journalist, the starting point of that conversation is I don't like that person. I don't like what that person does. I don't value what it is that journalism is. I don't technically understand or care about what journalism is the way that people are practicing it.
Zaslow
As.
Stugotz
So I. If I went around the country right now and I just said to somebody, most unpopular professions, I think I'm getting journalist with lawyer and used car salesman and whatever is the distrusted form of I don't like. I don't know anything about that person. And I don't like them already because what they do for a living is journalism. That's not because I grew up in a bubble of journalists. Growing up, I never realized this until legitimately, I didn't realize how bad it was does until a moron wins the presidency running on a platform of those guys are phoning.
Pablo Torre
I mean, my basic take here is that there's never been a bigger gap between what rich and powerful people want you to know and what they actually are doing. And in sports, that's especially true. Like, there's a huge. Everybody knows this. And by the way I get is risky and I reference tongue in cheekily all of the lawsuits that are threatened against my show. And I can tell you, Dan, that God bless our single lawyer, because there is a real actual cost potentially to that. It's not worth it.
Stugotz
I know, Pablo, I know the cost, but I don't.
Pablo Torre
But you know that because this show is one of the things you chose to fund and no one else is doing that. And so the question of, like, why did I. Why did this bit in which I apparently hate Nick, even though I actually don't, and I really respect him, but then he says things that actually make me just like my back. Sit up straight. It's because there's an insult to injury dynamic of like, the choice of I'm not going to do journalism has been made by everybody but a small handful of people because it is hard and expensive and it's hard to make a business. And my whole point, by the way, the reason why Method man is on my show and why I do like, taste testing, athlete, weed and why I interviewed a witch and why we do things that are absurd is because I want to show, like, journalism is also so also fun. Like, I love it. I love it in a way that I don't think I did five years ago, but now I just realize how. How much riskier and harder it is to do this in a way that, by the way, is beyond my capacity. I'm not the best journalist out there. Read Julie K. Brown of the Miami Herald, who, like, actually stopped Jeffrey Epstein. Read Don Vannetta at espn, formerly of the New York Times. Read all of these people. And so the reason my back is up about this is just because I. It's not about Nick. It's about the dismissiveness that people have around. Oh, if we wanted to, we could. And I'm like, I wish you would do that. And I also don't think you can, Dan.
Mike Ryan
I have a Theory I'd like to float by you. I was thinking about Pablo. Why is Pablo so hated? And then I thought about Nick and people hate Nick Wright too. And then I thought about you and like, people hate you too. And I thought about Stephen A. I thought of all the other voices in the media that people hate. And I realized that one common denominator. You guys all have annoying voices. Everyone. Pablo's is tinny.
Exactly. Dan's is whiny.
Stugotz
Stephen A.
Mike Ryan
Is too boisterous.
Pablo Torre
Hard to deny with that clip.
Mike Ryan
Is there someone out there in the media who has. Look, Ernie Johnson. Everyone loves Ernie Johnson.
Greg Cody
Why?
Mike Ryan
His voice.
Stugotz
Voice is normal.
Mike Ryan
No one thinks of it as annoying. But all the rest of you guys have really, really annoying voices.
Jeremy
And that's why people love me.
Mike Ryan
Skip has an annoying voice. Zaz has an annoying Jeremy. Every.
Roy
My voice is fine. I mean, thank you.
Mike Ryan
There you go. No one hates Roy.
Greg Cody
No one does.
Mike Ryan
No one hates Roy.
Jeremy
Off, man.
Stugotz
Play that sound, please of. Play that sound again of Pablo stumbling his way through communication as a professional Harvard debater.
Pablo Torre
That's what my brain is like lately.
Stugotz
By the way, that that doesn't have any editing in it. That is clean. And that is exactly how it came out of his face.
Pablo Torre
I sometimes don't realize that I'm accidentally scatting.
I mean, the bit bop sounded like it was almost musical.
Stugotz
I'm going to object to what it is that Amina's saying because I think annoying is second on the list of why it is. All of those people, including myself, are hated. The next step on it is self righteous though. Like what Pablo is articulating here, that in his annoying voice, what he's articulating is the frustration of caring about something that other people don't care about. Caring deeply about something that other people don't care about. And then the next step is on it. He's offended by the fact that not only do they not care about it, they think they understand what it takes to do it. And they don't. And because they don't, they don't care about it.
Mike Ryan
But Dan, here's the part. Like Dan Patrick, I would say if you really listen to him, kind of self righteous too. Especially when he talks about his exploits as a basketball player when he was young or whatever. But Dan Patrick, not an annoying voice. Everyone loves his voice. Rich Eisen, a little self righteous too. Especially when he's got his Hollywood friends in the studio. Rich Eisen, not an annoying voice. You guys have annoying voices. If you had better voices is people will be more willing to tolerate your self righteousness.
Stugotz
Thank you for bringing that up because I don't think that Dan Patrick gives off a lot of self righteous. He's not much of a strident opinion maker. Okay. Apparently Amin does. But I'm going to share something that's uncomfortable to share because I've made plans with Dan Patrick while he's in town here. And what he does, because he knows the power of that voice and he also knows how annoying my voice is, is what he does purposely. And no other man in my life does this. No other man in my life is allowed to do this when he's on speakerphone. What you get in the most syrupy of sounds is hello, Valerie. And he does it on purpose and it's offensive. Like he. He absolutely knows his voice is better than mine. And so he comes off as I'm the better Dan. And he gets a little close to my wife with that voice and I don't like it. And I've told him I don't like it and he keeps doing it. It's. It is disrespectful. It. But it's done in such a good voice that I have to abide the disrespect. I can't do anything about it because all I do is sound like Bavaqua in an annoying voice when I complain about it. And it makes me less likable to my wife that I. I'm like, Dan, that's like, stop. And he's just like. He just keeps doing it. It's like, hello, Valerie. And he's just got a better voice than me. And it. I feel small.
Mike Ryan
You'd be hosting Jeopardy.
Stugotz
Laughing at me.
Mike Ryan
You'd be hosting Jeopardy. If your voice wasn't like it is right now.
Stugotz
Look at them laughing at me. I feel like Andrew Schultz's co host here who's being dragged by the Internet.
Mike Ryan
The way we're not gonna.
Stugotz
Just me.
Mike Ryan
We're not gonna do that to Akash, man.
Stugotz
We're not. No, the Internet's not gonna do that.
Mike Ryan
The Internet can do whatever, but we're not gonna do that here.
Stugotz
I'm putting myself made the comparison. I just made the compare. I made the comparison. I see Jeremy's face.
Jeremy
Do you know how Mike Yastrebski has signed a two year contract with the Atlanta Braves?
Greg Cody
He works hard.
Stugotz
It's a good player.
Greg Cody
He's a hard. He's a hard worker.
Roy
What?
Stugotz
No, that. That is not. That is. That is not nepotism. That's not tools upon Nepotism that Yastremsky is signed to a two year deal by the Braves because his name is Ustremsky. That's not what's happening there. I have to get to the Cyclones because you guys have a giant match on Friday. It's tomorrow. There's going to be a lot of people there. Right? You guys are going to get. We need everybody's support on this. We need Greg Cody to bring out a crowd. Mike, what are you guys doing on Friday? It's a normal time. It's open to the public. You got into the final. You got into the final in a matinee game that was closed to the public. How are we going to get people out there for you tomorrow? I need your support.
Greg Cody
This one is very much open to the public. It is free to attend. It's going to be a great time at the Magic City Casino. The Fronton there. It's Cyclones, it's Devils, amazing drinks, a great crowd. We are bringing the clone cartel out in full force there. It is going to be a circus. We have a lot of tricks up our sleeve. You're going to want to be there for this electric environment and hopefully we can bring this home. We can raise another band. We can win our second championship. We are favored to do so.
Pablo Torre
Go clones.
Stugotz
I need your support.
And Doug. Here we have the Limu imu in its natural habitat helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.
Pablo Torre
Limu is that guy with the binoculars.
Jeremy
What?
Stugotz
Watching us?
Greg Cody
Cut the camera.
Stugotz
They see us.
Jeremy
Only pay for what you need at libertymutual.
Pablo Torre
Com.
Savings.
Jules
Very underwritten by Liberty Mutual insurance company and affiliates.
Stugotz
Excludes Massachusetts.
In this Local Hour episode, Dan, Stugotz, and the crew bring their trademark blend of sports talk, pop-culture banter, and Miami-centric humor. The main themes revolve around recent happenings with the Florida Panthers, a deep-dive into the drama around Notre Dame and the College Football Playoff, the woes—and existential angst—of sports journalists, and a recurring, hilariously meta debate over "annoying voices" in sports media. The episode is lively, self-referential, and full of playful conflict, covering both serious and silly topics in rapid fire succession.
Segment: [02:16 – 03:56]
Segment: [04:05 – 12:21]
Segment: [04:39 – 08:46]
Segment: [12:45 – 28:17]
Segment: [38:09 – 45:36]
Segment: [42:54 – 47:01]
Segment: [35:13 – 37:58]
Segment: [48:26 – 49:00]
This episode encapsulates The Dan Le Batard Show’s unique blend of sports analysis, irreverent humor, and meta-commentary on media and fandom. The crew moves seamlessly between intellectual debates, pop-culture tangents, and running show gags about their own shortcomings (and voices). It’s an ideal slice of what makes the Local Hour essential listening for Miami sports fans and anyone who enjoys smart, self-aware, unpredictable sports talk.
Note: Ad reads and promotional content were omitted from this summary per instruction.