Podcast Summary: The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: Local Hour: Annoying Voices
Date: December 11, 2025
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Hosts & Regulars: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Mike Ryan, Greg Cody, Zaslow, Jeremy, Roy, Pablo Torre
Overview
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.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Florida Panthers & Miami Weather Observations
Segment: [02:16 – 03:56]
- The crew comments on the uncommon cold snap in Miami, with various members joking about whether the correct word is “nippy” or “nippily.”
- Quote – Zaslow: “It is a little bit cold here. I walked out. It was a little nipply, right?” [02:22]
- Greg Cody and Zaslow break down the Panthers’ injury woes and recent improved form as key players return to the lineup. The dynamic of "thresholds of hurt" and "games in hand" becomes a playful theme.
- Quote – Greg Cody: “They can be a certain level of hurt, but once they pass that threshold... they struggle.” [02:53]
- Quote – Roy: “More of the players need to have babies. Carter Verhege, he’s on that baby bump right now.” [03:37]
2. Utah Mammoth (Is That a Real Team?)
Segment: [04:05 – 12:21]
- A classic Le Batard show tangent: confusion and debate over whether “Utah Mammoth” is a real hockey team. The conversation devolves into an argument over pluralization (“mammoth” vs “mammoths vs “mammai”)—with playful accusations of lying and penalty-box style discipline.
- Quote – Dan Le Batard: “Is that a real team?” [04:12]
- Quote – Stugotz: “Put it on the poll at Le Batard show: Is the plural of mammoth… mammoth?” [11:35]
- Pablo and others admit ignorance; Mike Ryan is falsely accused of pretending to know. Jeremy settles the debate with an official club statement.
3. Playing Football in Extreme Cold
Segment: [04:39 – 08:46]
- Stugotz launches a side-discussion about the brutality of playing football in negative 20-degree weather.
- Quote – Stugotz: “That seems like the most awful way to ever play football. Minus 20 degrees. I would cancel the game.” [05:05]
- Dominique Foxworth’s stoic philosophy (“once you reach a certain level of pain, that’s the amount of pain there is”) is referenced, contrasting the players’ tolerance with the fans’ discomfort in freezing stadiums.
4. The Notre Dame Playoff Debacle & College Football Politics
Segment: [12:45 – 28:17]
- The team takes a deep dive into the outrage among Notre Dame fans after their exclusion from the College Football Playoff, discussing whether fans of any other team would react differently.
- Quote – Dan: “If what just happened to Notre Dame happened to the college team of anyone listening… they’d be as angry as Bavaqua is…” [13:24]
- Jeremy compares the UCF (Central Florida) experience of going undefeated and still being excluded, noting the difference between their case and Notre Dame’s.
- Quote – Jeremy: “My team won every single game and didn’t get included in the ESPN CFP Invitational…” [14:31]
- Pablo Torre frames the episode as one of “politics” and wonders if any kind of public reaction (quiet grace vs loud indignation) could change the outcome or sway public sentiment.
- Quote – Pablo Torre: “This is politics... 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.” [21:24]
- Greg Cody and Mike Ryan debate whether Notre Dame’s AD Pete Bavaqua managed the narrative well enough and if proactive campaigning matters more than reactionary complaints.
- Quote – Greg Cody: “I think he got caught with his pants down here a little bit, Dan, because you should have seen this coming.” [22:31]
- Broader debate about fandom, grievance, and whether some schools (Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama) are uniquely hated by the public.
- Quote – Stugotz: “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...” [24:05]
5. The Journalism Rant: Why People Hate Media Figures
Segment: [38:09 – 45:36]
- Pablo Torre reflects on why sports journalism is dying ("truth is a bad business") and why there’s so much dismissal of what they do.
- Quote – Pablo Torre: “Journalism in sports is basically going extinct... because truth is a bad business.” [38:09]
- Dan and Pablo touch on the professional distrust of journalists, the cost (financial, reputational, legal) of actual reporting, and the perceived smugness of career media figures.
- Quote – Dan: “If I went around the country right now and I just said... most unpopular professions, I think I’m getting journalist with lawyer and used car salesman...” [40:14]
6. The “Annoying Voices” Theory
Segment: [42:54 – 47:01]
- Mike Ryan floats a mischievous theory: that the real reason people dislike sports media personalities is because they have “annoying voices.” The crew tests this on themselves, famous names (Stephen A. Smith, Dan Patrick, Rich Eisen), and their own colleagues.
- Quote – Mike Ryan: “You guys all have annoying voices. Everyone. Pablo’s is tinny. Dan’s is whiny. Stephen A. is too boisterous.” [43:20]
- Quote – Greg Cody: “No one hates Roy.” [43:49]
7. Method Man, Wu-Tang, and the “Shkreli Vinyl”
Segment: [35:13 – 37:58]
- Pablo modestly (for once) reveals that, during his recent podcast with Method Man, he was allowed to listen to the infamous “one copy only” Wu-Tang Clan album—originally purchased by infamous pharma bro Martin Shkreli.
- Quote – Pablo Torre: “Did I get to listen to the secret Wu Tang? …It has to be the Shkreli vinyl.” [36:05/36:34]
- Method Man’s perspective on inadvertently contributing to that album and its crazy provenance provides a fascinating cultural detour.
8. Miami Cyclones Hype
Segment: [48:26 – 49:00]
- Greg Cody ramps up excitement for the Miami Cyclones’ upcoming Fronton (jai alai) championship match, inviting listeners to join for a lively, free-to-attend spectacle.
Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps
- Greg Cody on Panthers: “They can be a certain level of hurt, but once they pass that threshold... they struggle.” [02:53]
- Stugotz on extreme football cold: “That seems like the most awful way to ever play football. Minus 20 degrees. I would cancel the game.” [05:05]
- Dan on Notre Dame outrage: “If what just happened to Notre Dame happened to the college team of anyone listening… they'd be as angry as Bavaqua is…” [13:24]
- Pablo on sports journalism: “Journalism in sports is basically going extinct... because truth is a bad business.” [38:09]
- Mike Ryan's “Annoying Voices” theory: “You guys all have annoying voices. Everyone. Pablo’s is tinny. Dan’s is whiny. Stephen A. is too boisterous.” [43:20]
- On Method Man's rare Wu-Tang album:
- “Did I get to listen to the secret Wu Tang?” [36:05]
- “It is one of the craziest things that’s ever [happened]... and Method Man’s perspective as a guy...realized, ‘oh, I might have done this differently.’” [36:59]
Memorable, Lighthearted Interludes
- Linguistic debates over “nippy” vs “nippily” and the plural of “mammoth.”
- Forced “penalties” for lying about Utah Mammoth knowledge, mimicking hockey’s penalty box.
- Squabbling over Pablo’s hoodie drawstrings—clearly a metaphor for authenticity, or just group silliness.
Conclusion
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.