The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Local Hour: The Dracula Sneeze
Date: February 19, 2026
Recorded at: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

Main Theme & Overview

This Local Hour is classic Le Batard Show: a blend of irreverent Miami sports talk, pop culture musings, and playful in-fighting. The episode delivers everything from inside stories of staff wrestling mishaps to deep dives on the uncertainty swirling around Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Poker antics with Nick Wright, reflections on the evolution of college basketball coaching, and bodily function jokes (the eponymous "Dracula sneeze") complete the show's unique flavor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Shenanigans: Zaslow’s Wrestling Woes

• The group jokes about Zaslow limping (literally and figuratively) into the studio after a wrestling skit gone wrong with co-worker Domino. Zaslow is in noticeable pain, drawing sympathy and mockery.
• Quote:
  • “Zaz is in a state of broken disrepair and despair after Domino harmed him yesterday. Wrestling hurts. I know people think that it is scripted, but physically it hurts.” -- Dan Le Batard (04:00)
• Chris Cody sports a handprint on his chest, but Zaslow "got the worst of it."
• Zaslow, tongue-in-cheek, defends his toughness:
  • "Everybody knows I put my heart and soul into everything, and I'm never a cuck." (05:41)

2. Nick Wright’s Poker Triumph and The ‘Custodians’

• The crew watched Nick Wright compete in a high-profile poker game on Poker Go, with a community watch-along dividing shifts to catch his six-plus hour run.
• Nick’s Vegas exploits are celebrated; he turned $25,000 into $160,000, netting the ‘Shipping Container’ crew a collective $7,000 in wins.
  • “He’s a little bit on the edge in terms of action seeking...he won big last night." -- Dan Le Batard (01:01)
  • “It was a six-digit win for him.” -- Chris Cody (02:07)
• The Poker Go commentators labeled the Shipping Container “the Custodians,” which the team runs with:
  • Stugotz: “I kind of dig the Custodians, especially when you consider everything that’s going on in the world and what our actual job is here.” (03:16)

Poker Lingo and Banter

• Chris Cody and Tony bicker over poker terms and the significance of various hands, with playful derision about each other's poker knowledge (24:34).
• Nick Wright sends a humorous video message clarifying the winnings, poking fun at himself and the crew:
  • “Let’s just round it all up. Let’s say it’s seven people at $7K. Ship them all a thousand bucks each.” -- Nick Wright (26:11)

The Poker Broadcast Experience

• The value of the "lipstick camera" is debated as a game-changer for poker TV and fan engagement:
  • “The lipstick camera is one of the greatest inventions in the history of sports broadcasting.” -- Dan Le Batard (29:48)

3. Debate: What's Next for Tua and the Miami Dolphins?

• The panel parses local and national takes on Tua Tagovailoa’s future, notably Dominique Foxworth’s comment that “Tua has the pedigree... will be pretty attractive talent-wise” (05:59, 09:55).
• Arguments center around whether Tua will ever be a starting QB again:
  • Zaslow is adamant: “I don’t think he’ll ever be a starting quarterback again. The rest...” (09:47)
  • Chris Cody pushes back: teams may take a cheap, prove-it deal. (10:11)
• Dan Le Batard notes the uniqueness of Tua's career arc, likening him neither to Tannehill, RG3, nor Carson Wentz, but lamenting that “we don’t recognize...the decision making that we didn’t recognize.” (12:59)
• Stugotz maintains it’s simple—"I saw fencing fingers...his brain has taken a beating” (13:43)--citing injury attrition as the clear explanation.
• Dan cautions against armchair diagnosing:
  • “We’re being a little bit cavalier about the results of brain injuries, as if we have any earthly idea what’s happening with the brain injuries in that sport… I don’t have the doctor diagnosis to tell you that I understand what just happened there.” (22:07)

4. Mick Cronin's Press Conference Blowup & Coaching Power Shifts

• The group critiques UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin’s combative press conference clip (33:10), dissecting his short temper and abrasive style.
• Zaslow laments: “I’m annoyed that I’m seemingly the only one here who hates him. How do you watch that clip...and not hate his guts?” (33:55)
• Discussion widens to the shifting power dynamics in college basketball, with players and their camps now wielding more leverage (and sometimes load managing) even as coaches like Bill Self bristle (39:38).
• Tony notes Peterson’s long list of injuries and interruptions this year: “Ankle injury and an illness and a hamstring and cramping.” (40:18)
• Stugotz: “In sports, but not in basketball. College is supposed to train you for your next career. And he’s absolutely being prepared for the NBA.” (39:42)

5. The Origin of the ‘Dracula Sneeze’

• The episode’s title is explained when Chris Cody sneezes directly into his elbow, prompting Le Batard to coin the term “Dracula sneezer.”
  • “I’m a Dracula sneezer, Dan.” -- Chris Cody (41:03)
  • “Are you a Dracula sneezer into your elbow? That’s a good reference.” -- Dan Le Batard (41:08)
• The moment devolves into jokes about sneezing etiquette and Cody’s “wet spray” (41:38).

6. Hockey Hype & Community Updates

• Quick plug for an upcoming live watch-along of a USA-Canada hockey game, with Roy and other crew members.
  • “Anything other than USA Canada is a wild disappointment, correct?” -- Dan Le Batard (42:22)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Description | |-----------|---------|-------------------| | 05:41 | Zaslow | “Everybody knows I put my heart and soul into everything, and I’m never a cuck.” | | 13:43 | Stugotz | “I saw fencing fingers…is this guy gonna be able to live a life after this hit that he just took?” | | 22:07 | Dan Le Batard | “[Tua] was universally regarded as one of the two or three best quarterbacks in that draft. … Now locally, something has happened that I have not seen happen before.” | | 26:11 | Nick Wright | “Let’s just round it all up… Ship them all a thousand bucks each and I hope to join you guys for an interview in the morning.” | | 29:48 | Dan Le Batard | “The lipstick camera is one of the greatest inventions in the history of sports broadcasting. … You can’t broadcast poker without it.” | | 33:55 | Zaslow | “How do you watch that clip of Mick Cronin and not hate his guts?” | | 41:03 | Chris Cody | “I’m a Dracula sneezer, Dan.” |

Important Segment Timestamps

• Wrestling Recap & Zaslow’s Condition: 00:00 – 06:00
• Poker Night & Nick Wright’s Winnings: 01:01 – 03:30, 24:14 – 29:55
• Dolphins/Tua Tagovailoa Future Debate: 05:59 – 24:00
• Mick Cronin and College Basketball Coach Control: 31:16 – 40:36
• Dracula Sneeze Incident: 40:37 – 41:55
• Hockey Watch-Along Plug: 42:01 – 42:55

Tone & Style

• Irreverent, sarcastic, and playful—the Le Batard Show at its most comfortable, with running inside jokes, self-deprecation, and genuine sports debate.
• Frequent tangents, ribbing, and in-jokes make the episode accessible for fans but still rich in topical sports discussion.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This Local Hour captures the show's spirit: a balance of (sometimes serious) local sports breakdowns, pop culture fun, and a healthy dose of the absurd, anchored by the chemistry of the Shipping Container crew. From legitimate concern (and confusion) about Tua’s football future, to delight in Nick Wright’s poker heroics, to the gross-out comedy of the Dracula sneeze, it’s a comprehensive snapshot of what makes this show a Miami (and national) staple.