Local Hour: The Dracula Sneeze

Summary

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.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't know exactly what Roy is smiling about, but Roy smiles tend to be a treasure around here. And it may be about the handprint that is on Chris Cody's freckled chest. It may be the condition that Zaslow walked in. I don't even say walked in here. Came in here today.

[Stugats]

Dude's rough.

[Dan Le Batard]

I mean, Zaslow's body has not been tested the way that wrestling tested it yesterday.

[Chris Cody]

How did he drive to work? He's got a long drive from Cooper City, wherever, whatever planet that's on.

[Dan Le Batard]

He was broken, physically broken, by the wrestling that he had to partake in yesterday. But how many of you consumed what Nick Wright was doing on poker Go last night? How many of you were there participating in the six and a half hours of live coverage that had a lot of inappropriate commentary from a table full of dudes?

[Chris Cody]

It was good. It was fun. We all had a shift on watching. We're all line shift mates. I had the 11 to 12 hour dance. Yeah.

[Dwark]

10 to 11.

[Chris Cody]

Very late, very late for the boy.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, so. But all of you got to experience something that felt like vicarious winning or were you living and dying with the stakes of what it is? That was happening because I got a message from Nick Wright today. And Nick Wright in Vegas is just generally dangerous. He's a little bit on the edge in terms of action seeking. And so I got a message from him this morning saying, hey, man, I don't know about being on the show this morning. And I'm like, nick, it is this morning. Vegas doesn't have windows and they're pumping in oxygen into the hotel, so you have no idea what time it is. Clocks are hard to come by in Vegas, and Nick clearly doesn't know what time it is. But. But he won big last night. Like, he. I'm not going to say he was the big winner, but that's going to be as much. That's going to be a big win. In Nick Wright's poker life, that's a game that's beyond his. His comfort level.

[Chris Cody]

It was a six digit win for, for him. And there was. In my shift, from 11 to 12, he had hit like a nice, like 78, $80,000 pot. I was like, all right, we're cooking here. So really when I logged on is when he started doing well. So I think I should get a little extra on the pot just because I was a good luck charm.

[Stugats]

Dan, he covered his wire to the aria.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's correct. And Zaslo texted me yesterday that he believes I just wired $100,000 to the Aria Hotel is the douchiest quote in the history of the show. That's what Zaslow Lightweight texted me. And Mike then texted back at Zaslow, you're just jealous because you had six sad walks to the ATM last time you were in Vegas. And you ha. That. Nick Wright was a big public winner and also won big on the show for the shipping container, which for some reason, Poker Go was calling the Custodians. Why was he. Why was. Why were the broadcasters on Poker Go? By the way? The community of our show just simply took over that broadcast and made it really fun for the broadcasters. But why were the broadcasters referring to the shipping container as the custodian?

[Stugats]

Well, they weren't all that familiar with us initially, so it was a slip up, but I think it's actually an upgrade. 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. I like the custodians.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah. How many mistakes? I'm actually making this these days.

[Stugats]

I'm constantly cleaning stuff up.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah. Custodians. We didn't clean enough up from yesterday.

[Stugats]

No, something slipped through yesterday. We're sorry.

[Dan Le Batard]

A few things. A few things slipped through from yesterday. Need more help from the custodians. The way to get them to do better is not by rewarding them with money. This is the Don Levator show with the Stugats podcast. 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. And there are a lot of people in pain from wrestling. Zaz's body, no matter how much stretching he does, Zads, his body is not in a condition to be thrown around on a wrestling ring. And that's what happened to him yesterday. And so Zads is in now, and I thought he was gonna require. I don't know what those are called, the full body casts that have a splint under the arm.

[Chris Cody]

A full body cast.

[Dan Le Batard]

No, but what is the. What is like, in traction, like a proper custodian, when your AR arm is straight. When your arm has to be straight out. And the full body cast doesn't always have the splint that keeps the arm straight. I thought he.

[Stugats]

That's a full body cast with a splint.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. The splint is what it's called. The splint.

[Stugats]

Yeah, sure.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. Thank you. Good work by the custodians, as always. His hand is his arm is in a sling. Zaslow, do you want to tell us about what happened? Because you were welcoming. You were welcoming the fight from Domino. You did very good. And you were. And I got to tell you, as a villainous creature, you were great in terms of raking his eyes and then laughing.

[Zaslow]

I stuck my thumb right in his eyeball.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, but then you got the worst of it. By the end of everything that happened, how is it that you're in so much worse shape than Chris, who just has a handprint on his. On his chest, on freckled, ginger chest.

[Zaslow]

I am older than Chris, you know, so that probably plays a little bit of a role. But look, I. Everybody knows two things about me. Everybody knows I put my heart and soul into everything, and I'm never a cuck. Everybody knows those two things about me. And yesterday, like, you know, you would expect, I put my heart and soul to it, and I'm a little bit sore today.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay? So we will. We will get to all of your thoughts because your opinions are no softer than they've been, even though you took a beating yesterday. And we have a situation here after all of these years with Tua where Dominic Foxworth is saying on get up quite quote, tua has the pedigree of a quarterback that I think will be pretty attractive talent wise. He's better than a lot of the quarterbacks that are out there right now. And then more locally, Chris Perkins says The Dolphins were 14 and 5 when Tyreek had 100 or more yards, 14 and 23 when he had 99 or fewer. Tyreek influence winning more than Tua did. And the reason that I wanted to have this conversation is twofold. I was saying the other day that I haven't seen the Dolphins in this particular condition before, because we can say that we spent seven years arguing about Ryan Tannehill, but they had somebody who was playing the quarterback position competently. They're about to get rid of tua, and I don't know what they're going to do at the position. And it's a strange situation to be in when the Big Dog, Joe Rose, local. Local broadcaster, still doing it.

[Stugats]

Yeah. He's got two tickets to caller number nine to see Alabama live in concert.

[Dan Le Batard]

Still doing it in the morning. Still hanging on to AM radio. When the Big Dog turns on you as a local broadcasting legend who represents the team and voice for the team is literally. I literally voice for the team. He's turned on your quarterback. You've lost him. You've lost a lot of people. Mike McDaniel literally put together a passing game that was perfect for two restraints. Remember, we heard all that. Too deep as two deeps messed us up. No, two deep messed two up to it. Too deep doesn't mess up good quarterbacks. Too deep messes up Tua. Ah, they too deep. This what hell that come from? We got too deep. Too high. Yeah, I was too high last night. I don't know what the hell you're talking about, man.

[Stugats]

What?

[Dan Le Batard]

What? Too deep? I don't know. A lot of guys throwing and chewing up too deep. It's good.

[Stugats]

Respectfully, that was great. I've been there with a bad quarterback. When we had Tyler Van Dyke. Like, damn, they ran zone.

[Dan Le Batard]

But too deep slowed down Patrick Mahomes.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah, two deepest slowed on every quarterback in the NFL, actually.

[Stugats]

I mean, the great ones sell their bodies. Not today.

[Dan Le Batard]

What are your thoughts here? Because this is a gulf of still different opinions, right? You got Chris Perkins saying one thing. You got Dominique saying this is an attractive free agent quarterback. I'm like, in what world? I think I have this right? Do I not? Is Tua more expensive than Mahomes? Like, one of the gifts that Kansas City has, I believe, is that they now have a quarterback who is a quarterback at value for 10 years.

[Stugats]

I think, technically, even though the. The common thought in the league is that Tua is not going to be on this roster anymore, so his cap number is not existing anymore. So as of right now, headed into next season, yes, that is the case. But Tua won't be in Miami.

[Dan Le Batard]

Do you have anything to say here? You. It looks like it might hurt your jaw to talk, so I'm not sure if your opinions have been muted by the pain in your face.

[Zaslow]

I'm on a lot of painkillers here, Dan, you know, so just. I'm trying to keep it together, but if I could focus for a moment, I will tell you. I find it shocking to hear that Dominique Foxworth, who. Who will know more about football than me for the rest of my life? I have a very difficult time understanding how Dominique believes that Tua is going to be an attractive quarterback to anyone. Like, I don't think he'll ever be a starting quarterback again. The rest.

[Tony]

But who's out there? His point is, who's available?

[Zaslow]

So what? But what is it? Okay, so he's attractive for a team to sign as a backup? Is that what he's saying?

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes.

[Zaslow]

That's not what that quote sounds like.

[Dan Le Batard]

The quote is Tua has the pedigree of a quarterback that I will be pretty attractive. Talent wise. He's better than a lot of the QBs that are out there right now.

[Zaslow]

That sounds like someone who is saying TUA still has a chance to be a starting quarterback in this league. And I would tell you I do

[Chris Cody]

not believe that says any QB in a roster has a chance to be a starting quarterback in this league because halfway through the season, everybody.

[Zaslow]

No, but that's not what we're talking about.

[Chris Cody]

Hold on, hold on. He's attractive because you're not paying him $150 million. Right. You're attractive because you're going to give him like a 2 for 20. Good luck. Prove it to you.

[Zaslow]

Oh, who cares? I mean, I. Okay, so hold on. If the Dolphins only had to pay to a dollar this year, if he counted a dollar against the salary cap, you'd still want to be starting quarterback?

[Chris Cody]

No, he'd be the backup.

[Zaslow]

Oh, but that's where we're different. Well, I don't think Dominic's talking.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. But let's talk about this for a second. Okay. Because I just saw somebody that I thought was going to be a backup for the rest of his life win the super bowl like that. That happened. We just. We just watch. That happened. I think that there was a point that all of us would have said Sam Darnold is no longer a starter in this league. Correct. Correct. Don't you. We were. We were there. Yep. And the skill set though, that I saw last year from 2 and the reason that I think I have to agree with Zaz, but I'm scared to agree with Zaz is because I really don't know what kind of literal brain damage we're talking about here that made that quarterback go from the statistically best passer leading the statistically best offense to somebody they were clearly trying to hide last year. And it was all bubble screens.

[Stugats]

Yeah. It could be the brain injury or just could be too high safeties.

[Dan Le Batard]

The amount of check down that I saw last year, the amount of scare that I saw built into the fabric of the quarterbacking made me think that this is a quarterback arc that I've not seen before, which is number one statistical passer in the league to. Oh, it's all short circuited. Is that the brain injury? That is just not something I've done before. And now in. In. In what should be by age athletic. Something close to athletic prime. We're talking about a quarterback who looked washed. Like what we were watching last year was the way that you try to hide your 39 year old quarterback because he can't move anymore.

[Stugats]

I don't think this one's overly complicated. And yeah, the brain injuries, you don't really know the full extent. You can see it. But keep in mind, he also had bad hip injuries. He's had other injuries, and I don't think it's that weird. RG3, Carson Wentz, guys that had incredible starts to their career, MVP conversations, Pro Bowlers all Pro conversation. They flame out why they got hurt, and the league adjusted to what they did after they got hurt. And I think TUA is right in that class.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay, but here is the thing about the precedents that you're saying, oh, man,

[Zaslow]

sorry, shoulder turned really quickly.

[Dan Le Batard]

The thing that I am disagreeing with you on when you cite the precedents of injury is, is that I saw what it is and can measure what it is that made RG3 go from somebody who was running 80 yards down the sideline to, oh, he can't play that way anymore. The physics and the physicality of what it is that happened to him. And Carson Wentz is different to me than Tua because while the hip stuff is real and the hip stuff is true, it's not the stuff that people go to with tua. It's all of us becoming brain doctors all of a sudden because we're, we don't recognize. Yes, the movement is something we don't recognize, but last year, it was the decision making that we didn't recognize. Why are you always throwing it six yards behind the line of scrimmage?

[Stugats]

This one's so clear to me. I saw it. I saw fencing fingers. I saw, like, is this guy gonna be able to live a life after this hit that he just took? I, I, I saw it. I mean, that guy in terms of, like, head injuries at the position, he's synonymous with it. He's right up there with Steve Young. I, I, I saw it. He, his brain has taken a beating over the last few years.

[Dan Le Batard]

You saw it. But this is the part, though, that's not diagnosable. Okay. I also saw Troy Aikman play a game he says he doesn't remember in an NFC Championship game because of the amount of concussions. He still played well.

[Stugats]

Yeah, well, he's a Hall of Famer, and Tua's not at that level.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. But Tua did have one year where they had the best offense in the league, and it's the reason that all

[Stugats]

the hope down here got destroyed several years.

[Zaslow]

I think the part that's confusing to people is the things that Two is going through right now, injury wise, maybe brain injury wise as well. We expect it to be from a guy who is like five or six years older than TUA is. And I would say, all right, we're seeing it at a younger age that quarterbacks normally find themselves, you know, debilitated by injury. And that's confusing to us that, whoa, this is happening at this age, when I think, yeah, that's what we're seeing.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm not surprised that Mike has absolute certainty about what he knows and what he sees. I don't. I'm confused. You can. You can cite Wentz and you can cite RG3, but in my lifetime, there hasn't quite been locally what this was, which is an argument for four years from everybody in the sport. It wasn't just locally with Tannehill. We argued for seven years locally. The entire football community was arguing for four years about, is this guy any good or is he a contrivance made by his coach? Who can make Mostert somebody who has 18 touchdowns one season and then the next season isn't useful to anybody.

[Stugats]

It honestly happens all the time. Vince Young was on the COVID of Madden.

[Chris Cody]

So is Peyton Hillis.

[Stugats]

It happens. It goes. And with Tua, there is, like, the single most logical explanation as to why he's no longer an effective quarterback.

[Dan Le Batard]

I think you say it happens all the time, but Vince Young, I never thought Was a product of his coaching. I never thought that anybody was making Vince Young great. I thought Vince Young was great. Like in this particular instance.

[Stugats]

Stop yelling at me.

[Dan Le Batard]

In. In this particular, I got a hundred dollars in fines I paid yesterday.

[Stugats]

You're yelling at me, and I feel like I'm giving you good points here and they're just not good enough for you. I understand it.

[Dan Le Batard]

Why you pointing at me?

[Chris Cody]

You owe 150 bucks today.

[Zaslow]

Yo. Don't worry about that.

[Chris Cody]

You owe 150 bucks, so pay up.

[Zaslow]

Why do I owe 150 bucks?

[Chris Cody]

Dan told us that you took the hundred bucks that he gave you and you took it to the casino.

[Zaslow]

Well, I'm trying to win money. I mean, why would. Why. If I had $100 in my pocket and I'm going to Vegas, why would I. Why would I not try and make it $200?

[Chris Cody]

Because you're supposed to put that money in the fine bucket. Well, that's my money.

[Zaslow]

Lying.

[Tony]

That would.

[Zaslow]

Tony, that was the plan, all right?

[Chris Cody]

And what happened?

[Zaslow]

I lost. Okay?

[Chris Cody]

We got to pay.

[Zaslow]

Was to take that money and double it, and then maybe even quadruple It. I don't know. I hadn't thought that far out. The plan was to double it and then put the money in the fine bucket.

[Chris Cody]

We need to put it now.

[Zaslow]

That's a good plan.

[Dan Le Batard]

Are you raising your voice at me?

[Stugats]

Hey, everybody, it's Mike Ryan. Now, if you've been following the show, you know I've been traveling, been super busy, been supporting my favorite football team with mixed results, right? Not the greatest hang so far in 2026. I try to find every excuse in the book. I had one buddy that was trying to invite me out. I wanted to stay in. He's like, come on, let's watch this NBA game. So I go over to his house. I watched this NBA game, and guess what? Something amazing happened. He pulled out the Miller Lights, and I knew right away I made the right call. Next thing you know, we're toasting, we're celebrating. We're having a great time. We're talking about nostalgia. We're talking about old friends that we had. And it was all thanks to Miller Light, that icebreaker. Because when you actually say yes and you actually show up, you want a beer that fits the moment. For me, that's Miller Lite. Legendary moments. Start with Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories, 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[Tony]

Folks, listen up. You know how some dogs have full government names? That's my dog, Samantha Bennett. Two names. Sounds like she should be hosting a daytime talk show. But at home, she's just Benny and she runs the place. If you're a pet parent like me, you already know about Chewy. And when they say they've got everything you need to help your pet stay happy and healthy, they are not messing around. Chewy has over 100,000 products from all the brands Benny loves. Food, treats, toys, beds. You name it, I order it. And it shows up one or two days later. And it's not just for dogs and cats, birds, fish, reptiles. If it has a heartbeat, Chewy's got something for it. To keep them healthy, Chewy offers prescriptions, pet insurance, telehealth visits, and they're even rolling out vet clinics across the country. Honestly, I use Chewy. And you should, too. Chewy has everything you need to keep your pet happy and healthy. And right now, you can save $20 on your first order and get free shipping by going to chupanions.chewy.com levitard show that's chewpanions.chewy.com levItard show to save $20 off your first order with free shipping chupanions.chewy dot com levitard show minimum purchase required. New customers only. Terms and conditions apply. See site for complete details.

[Dan Le Batard]

DraftKings sportsbook puts you right in the middle of basketball's biggest star driven moments. Bet player props, Bet live and when a game turns fast, DraftKings has your back with early exit. If your player gets injured anytime in the first half, your bet stays alive and once it settles, you'll still get paid in cash. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app and use Code Dan. New customers bet just $5 and if your bet wins, you'll get $200 in bonus bets instantly. That's code DAN in partnership with DraftKings. The crown is yours.

[Tony]

Gambling problem call 1-800- gambler, New York call 877-8-HOPE and why or text hope and why Connecticut call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org on behalf of Boothill Casino in Kansas. Wager tax pass through may apply in Illinois, 21 and over in most states. Restrictions apply. Bet must win to receive bonus bets which expire in seven days. Minimum odds required. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG Co Audio limited time offer

[Zaslow]

Don lebatard My algorithm on Instagram, it's Dan. It's all boobs,

[Stugats]

stugats.

[Zaslow]

It's a good algorithm.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan lebatar Show with the Stugats. I did raise my voice at Mike Ryan and while he says he is making good points and he has conviction about what it is that he's saying, I've got the fundamental disagreement of Dominique Foxworth is still out here telling you that this talent wise is the best quarterback available and I don't think he's making him a backup.

[Stugats]

This happens every year though. Carson Wentz becomes available, he can tap back into MVP form. Derek Anderson, he was a pro Bowler. We, we, we can, we can, we can rescue his career. It happens. It's part of the game and there's always going to be someone with credibility because TUA does have good tape out there that's going to think this guy can recapture it because a couple of times we have seen people recapture it. Yet you mentioned Sam Darnold. He is a historical outlier, but everyone's going to be comparing journeyman quarterbacks to Sam Darnold now as the gold standard of what can happen if someone fulfills their promise.

[Chris Cody]

Not only that, he has to be in the perfect system with the perfect weapons around him, which he had in Miami a couple of years ago. And then we see how, when that thing changes how much of a degraded quarterback he is.

[Zaslow]

Which player was it Dan?

[Dan Le Batard]

Who?

[Zaslow]

I don't know. It was like a month ago, right. On a podcast of a Dolphin was talking about how amazing to a looked still in practice and that he then looked like a player who had the yips during Waller. Oh, Darren Waller. Was that with you? All right, very good. You did a good job getting that.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't know whether that was.

[Chris Cody]

I don't think it was Dan. No, it was.

[Stugats]

Yeah, someone else did a good job.

[Chris Cody]

That was another good question for somebody.

[Dwark]

Yeah, Dan did a bad job.

[Zaslow]

Props to that guy.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, I was asking all about the mental health stuff.

[Stugats]

Big shocker.

[Dan Le Batard]

I only asked him about, like, one Dolphin question.

[Zaslow]

Oh, all right. You could have gotten that nugget then,

[Dan Le Batard]

at the height of your despair. What did it look like? The reason that I'm objecting to what it is that Mike Ryan is saying is because I think 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 and all those other examples that you cited. It's never been a brain question. Never. It's never. There has not been a time. Steve Young retired because of concussions. Troy Aikman retired because of concussions. There's no one else who. You're saying they're there. Their prime is being short circuited by something that football doesn't understand, we don't understand. And we're like, well, it happens. Okay, if you say so. But I don't have the doctor diagnosis to tell you that I understand what just happened there because I still don't know whether he was a contrivance. He was taken as a top five pick. The Dolphins would not be the only team that took him as a top five pick. He was universally regarded as one of the two or three best quarterbacks in that draft. Somebody else would have taken him in the top 10 based on what it is that he was. And now locally, something has happened that I have not seen happen before. But I've taken too much time and the wrong tone in discover in talking about what should be the celebration of the morning. Because I want to thank the community around our show for making six hours last night around Nick Wright, a whole lot of fun. And as an added bonus, originally he went into this saying, look, I'm going to free roll the shipping container at a max of $5,000. I'm going to give six people who are here $5,000 to split among them. But he won so much that it's even better than that. So let's hear from Nick Wright because he wants to share his winnings with our audience and with the group. By the way, he is a very good gambler. Like many of you might think, that poker doesn't have skill in it. I am here to tell you that that person has a mathematical skill and an observance of human beings that make him very good at poker.

[Chris Cody]

Dan, there was a perfect conversation happening between him and Cowboy Sean. Who is the. Who is the cowboy hatted guy all the way? I know you don't because you weren't watching, buddy. You were in a gurney somewhere. So Cowboy Sean has a pair of queens, right? Queen comes out on the river. Nick doesn't have anything, makes Cowboy Sean fold after bidding him up.

[Dan Le Batard]

Well, this is the thing, right? I believe that I can say accurately, even though I only know enough about poker to get beaten by people who know more about poker than me, but I actually think that the skill or the greatest skill in poker is how you play when you don't have the cards, not when you do have the cards. The cards.

[Chris Cody]

Great, great.

[Tony]

Microcosm Tony showing his ass there, bidding him up. I mean, geez, know the lingo, dude.

[Chris Cody]

This guy's a poker snob. Over here.

[Stugats]

Look at.

[Chris Cody]

Then you say it, buddy. Were you watching or no? What were you doing?

[Stugats]

You were.

[Chris Cody]

You were bowling.

[Dan Le Batard]

Listen, we don't need to fight. It's a time to fight. No, they're say river or flop.

[Chris Cody]

Dude, I said river.

[Dan Le Batard]

There's money for all of you here. There's plenty of money for all of you. More than I expected. Here's Nick Wright.

[Nick Wright]

What up, Levitard show? Decidedly definitively not on a toilet, thanks to your guys deceptive editing at the moment, I had told you guys that it was a 5K. It was 5% with a 5K max win, which meant if somehow I turned 25,000 into 125,000, I would ship you guys 5K K. Sadly, that is not what happened. Instead, I turned 25,000 into roughly 160,000. So 135,000. When 5% of that. I'm not good at math, but it would be exactly $5,700. I'm actually very good at math, and there were six people, so. But Chris Cody, I made fun of his breasts, and I feel badly about it. So let's just round it all up. Let's say it's seven people at 7K. Ship them all a thousand bucks each, and I hope to join you guys for an interview in the morning. But probably gonna turn up a bit and celebrate. Appreciate the support.

[Dan Le Batard]

Congratulations, guy. Look at Zaslow. Zaslow is not happy for anyone here. Zaslow.

[Chris Cody]

Nick, how did I make more money than you in Vegas?

[Dan Le Batard]

Nick is presently careening through Vegas. I think he might have lost it all, so you might want to get that money back because, I don't know his need for action. Scary, because I don't think that people realize what it takes in terms of stamina to do that amount of time of math. Sitting around people who you don't. Might not like otherwise that you're. That you're competing against now. I don't know that he might like them. He might. They might be kindred spirits and soul mates.

[Stugats]

Sparkly hat guy seemed pretty cool.

[Chris Cody]

Put respect on his name.

[Dwark]

Literally hated that Kiki guy.

[Chris Cody]

Oh, Senor Tilt.

[Dwark]

Oh, my God, that guy.

[Stugats]

That guy's intimidating. I don't know what's going on, but I could tell.

[Dan Le Batard]

Congratulations to all of you. That's an.

[Chris Cody]

I want to say thank you to Nick Wright, who played an incredible field. Thank you, Nick. Thank you.

[Stugats]

Thank you, Nick.

[Chris Cody]

Very gracious gentleman.

[Dan Le Batard]

Can I get some video of Nick, please? Not liking Kiki.

[Stugats]

How sick is it that I was

[Dan Le Batard]

behind in that hand and I wanted him to go away? How sick of a gambler am I? I knew I'm behind, and I wanted him to go away. Do you have a pair?

[Stugats]

It was ace king.

[Dan Le Batard]

No ace king. So there's no audio there.

[Stugats]

That guy's an asshole.

[Dan Le Batard]

But you could see that Nick is just steaming. You could see he's actually giving him the Mick Cronin side eye. He's giving him. He's not looking him in the face. I can't get enough of that Mick Cronin sound.

[Zaslow]

How sick of a gambler am I?

[Dan Le Batard]

How sick, dude, it was annoying to watch some of that. I mean, poker player chatter. It's generally annoying. I would say put it on the poll at LeBatard show. Is poker player chatter generally annoying? Because. I don't know, our audience made it entertaining. The broadcasters made it entertaining. The custodians getting in there and getting in the chat made it entertaining. And so thanks to everybody with Poker Go and the community for making the Shipping container, a few thousand dollars and an enjoyable evening of watching something on television that I'm pretty sure I can say accurately. The lipstick camera is one of the greatest inventions in the history of sports broadcasting because it allowed people to play poker with the experts. Put it on the poll at Lebatard show. Is the poker lipstick camera one of the great inventions in sports broadcasting history because you can't broadcast, you cannot broadcast poker without it. Nor can you learn how to play from people who are really good. Unless you're like, there is no book that can teach you what you learn watching a table full of real professional gamblers with the knowledge of what it is they have, when that's not something that could be seen before. I'm pretty sure. Actually did that start with espn? Yeah, ESPN started broadcasting poker and all of that became a phenomenon. I remember. I guess I learned of Chris Moneymaker that way. One of the great names in the history of sports to have that name. It's right up there with Brian Cashman as the GM of the Yankees to have the name Chris Moneymaker. I was introduced to the whole idea of it by Chris Moneymaker as a sort of amateur beating a bunch of pros. And it was riveting to watch. What would otherwise be boring was riveting to watch because of the invention of the lipstick camera.

[Zaslow]

That's exactly the name that I find synonymous at the same time as the poker really taking off as something that you could watch on television. Probably around 2001, maybe 2002. Like I was in college and I remember putting it on. It was espn. We were watching it all day long. Like, hold on, you could see the cards. Like that was. That was a new thing and we were hooked on it.

[Tony]

Your little one grew three inches overnight. Adorable. Also expensive. Sell their pint sized pieces on Depop and list them in minutes with no selling fees because somewhere a dad refuses to pay full price for the clothes his kids will outgrow tomorrow and he's ready to buy your son's entire wardrobe right now. Consider your future growth. Bird budget secured. Start selling on Depop where taste recognizes taste. Payment processing fees and boosting fees still apply. See website for details.

[Dan Le Batard]

Don LeBatard comic D Frog here live

[Stugats]

from Meadowlock Media studios here in Miami. Stugats. The Germans are advancing on France in World War II.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Don Levatar show with the Stugach. Get me for real quick the McCronen sound again. Because I do, I do want to relive all of this again. Even though we relived it four or five times yesterday because while we laughed at it, I did have the thought that I did not mention, and I don't know Mick Cronin's marital status. But when he did all of this, what I did think to myself and never say was, man, that must be difficult to be married to, because if he can turn that quickly, the power structure of something around where he bullies somebody who is powerless in the. In the face of this, all of this was funny. The gaslighting, the anger of it. But, Chris Cody, have you seen all of this? Because in the examination of this, the lack of eye contact, right up until the reporter talks back to him and he smirks, he smiles, and he's like, oh, you should take my kudos for saying, do you know how long Mick Cronin's been coaching? That's the worst question I've ever heard. That guy's been doing press conferences every day for 40 years. And he says, kudos on the worst question I've ever heard. And the reporter gives him half a syllable of talk back. And that's when Cronin turns and gives him eye contact and then immediately, immediately uses everything in his environment to undress the reporter.

[Nick Wright]

What was your thoughts in the student section?

[Dan Le Batard]

Chanting Booker's name? I could give a rat's ass about the other team student section.

[Stugats]

Overall, the way that you.

[Dan Le Batard]

I would like to give you a kudos for the worst question I've ever been asked.

[Dwark]

Did you.

[Dan Le Batard]

Like, you should take it. The preparation of the. You really think I care about the other team? No, I don't think you care about the other. Are you raising your voice at me? No, I'm just. Yeah, you are. Yeah, you are. Come on, dude. No reason. Come on. Yes, you are. Everybody's standing here listening to you. Everybody, this is on camera.

[Zaslow]

They can hear you.

[Dan Le Batard]

I answered the question. I could give a rat's ass about the other team student section. I coach ucla. I don't care about Michigan, Michigan State students. Who cares?

[Zaslow]

I hate him. I was. I'm annoyed that I'm seemingly the only one here who hates him. Like, how do you watch that clip of Mick Cronin and not hate his guts?

[Stugats]

Because that's like the most tame version of Mick Cronin being a.

[Zaslow]

It bothers me.

[Dwark]

So Mick Cronin married, had a kid, divorced. But his ex wife is the author of a book called It's Not About Us A Co Parenting Survival Guide on Taking the High Road, which was released in October of last year, I believe, and so before moving to LA to take this job, he had a discussion with her about the potential of their daughter coming to la. So she moved to LA as well, despite what was referred to in this USA Today article as a strained divorce in 2009.

[Stugats]

So Greg Doyle from the Indianapolis Star wrote an opinion piece on Mick Cronin and he cited what was a long standing rumor in. In college football. He sourced an Eastern Conference scout and a Western Conference scout that said Mick Cronin is the only coach in big time college basketball that does not allow for videotaping of practices because he does not want any evidence of how he treats people behind closed doors like his.

[Zaslow]

His reaction to the foul that his kid committed two nights ago was so over the top. Like, I don't even think it was. I don't even think it was a hard foul. I really don't.

[Dan Le Batard]

He ejected his own kid for what he thought was an inappropriate foul that could have somebody who was trying to dunk with five minutes left in a game that they were losing by 30 points. And Tom Izzo says he's never seen a coach react that way to one of his players.

[Zaslow]

The kid. They're down by 30 points. The kid hustled all the way. Like how the hustle play.

[Dan Le Batard]

Two guys.

[Chris Cody]

Did two guys hustle downs.

[Zaslow]

That's a good coach. It was a crazy reaction that definitely embarrassed the kid. I didn't like that at all. And then after the game, that nonsense there, he's. That guy's a jerk.

[Stugats]

He often embarrasses his own players. Yeah, he just called them not bright.

[Zaslow]

You see how shook that kid was when. When he was telling him to leave the court. Felt bad for that kid.

[Stugats]

Are you raising your voice at me? We're not just realizing that Mick Cronin's not like the greatest.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay. But I want to address something within that, right? Because there is a very obvious power shift happening and has been happening for 15 years. And the byproduct of all of the LeBron stuff, all the AAU stuff, all the players are being paid stuff, is that Bill Self, okay? Somebody who's used to having power. It seems like load management has now come to college as well, because yesterday was it yesterday with Peterson, where you've got one of the best players in the country. He is scoring 23 points in 18 minutes. He is making a three. And then he's pointing to his coach and saying, take me out. And he's got people around him who are handlers, who are more important to protecting the money. That's around this kid than Bill Self. Bill Self might be or might be used to being in control, but he's not in control of this situation. If you want the very best player, this is how Bill Self is going to start feeling after the game. You guys have kind of had this a couple times now where Darren has

[Tony]

a really strong first half and then

[Dan Le Batard]

isn't able to go to the rest of the game. Just how have you sort of navigated that and what challenges does that maybe present?

[Stugats]

Well, we've had it more than a couple of times, and I didn't anticipate

[Dan Le Batard]

that tonight at all.

[Stugats]

I thought he was good to go, but obviously we only got 18 minutes out of him. And, you know, that's disappointing because he could have had a really big night. But one thing about it is it's happened often enough that our guys have learned to play without him, even though that's not the way we want to play. But that's certainly something that we're not unaccustomed to.

[Zaslow]

You know, right now, that's a really frustrated coach. Like you said, that's a coach who's used to being in control, not in a bad way, and who does not have control over when his best player wants to help his team win games.

[Stugats]

I'd pull all my hair out. I'd flip my lid.

[Tony]

Great head of hair.

[Dan Le Batard]

The thing about this Bill Self, I think, is ground zero on Mike Ryan's expertise of accusing others of having prosthetics or work done. Bill Self is the starting point, I believe, on that he originally accused. I think it was shocking to me the first time that Mike did it. I thought it was irresponsible journalism by him, but he's since made it a niche. When you say used to being in control, not in a bad way. I believe these coaches are used to being in control in a bad way. And I believe most of them are control freaks. And I believe that most of what's happening once you roll the balls out are out of their control. Most of the things that end up happening for control freaks, the daily frustration of, we planned all this and now I've got a freshman who didn't do the thing that I asked him to do. I think it's exasperating for these control freaks to have less control than they've ever had. But especially if you're a formed person like a formed coach and an established coach like Bill Self. Where now, to be fair, Peterson's camp and Peterson say it's cramps. They don't say it's load management. They say it's cramps. And if it is cramps, it must be difficult to play with cramps. But I don't know if he risks further injury. And it doesn't exactly give off. You're trying your hardest if you're not playing through stuff. There's an expectation in sports that you play through stuff so that the guy next to you can count on you. And they've got the best. One of the best players in the country who can't be counted on to just play more than 18 minutes.

[Stugats]

Yes, 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.

[Chris Cody]

And if you're playing, you know, gonna play in the NBA and developing to play in the NBA, there's something called the rookie wall, where you get to a point in the first NBA season where you're like, oh, my God, this is a ton of games. So not getting ready in College to play 40 minutes does not get you ready to play 82 games at the end.

[Zaslow]

And to play against men.

[Chris Cody]

Play against grown ass men. And to be fair, Kansas won by double digits.

[Stugats]

Yeah.

[Dwark]

I mean, he's supposed to be a top pick in the draft coming up. Maybe number one talented player.

[Chris Cody]

I wouldn't pick him.

[Dwark]

Well, but I also think, like, whether you don't want to pick him because you think that this is. Bless you. Whether you think that this is a actual cramping issue or not. Like, you can think he's load managing, but he's been out thus far this season with an ankle injury and an illness and a hamstring and cramping.

[Dan Le Batard]

What?

[Chris Cody]

Jeremy. Sorry, we have to laugh.

[Dan Le Batard]

That was a wet sneeze.

[Stugats]

It was.

[Dan Le Batard]

I saw it sneeze.

[Chris Cody]

Yeah.

[Dan Le Batard]

I think that the video's not gonna be able to do this, but I'm pretty sure there was spray involved.

[Dwark]

There was definitely spray.

[Dan Le Batard]

And I've noticed over the last few years, I can tell when some people are about to sneeze. Jessica was a prolific sneezer around here. Tony has gotten very good at blowing whatever snot he has into the crook of his elbow.

[Chris Cody]

I'm a Dracula sneezer, Dan.

[Dwark]

But.

[Dan Le Batard]

But what just happened?

[Chris Cody]

One thing I learned during COVID put

[Dan Le Batard]

it on the poll at Lebatard show. Are you a Dracula sneezer into your elbow? That's a good reference.

[Chris Cody]

Thank you. Ichabod Kai™

[Dan Le Batard]

the thing that just happened to Chris Cody, though, he left the room, he sneezed. It was a wet spray. Of some sort. And then he left the room to get a tissue. It was a little bit disgusting. And I've got. We've got glass in front of us. Did. Did you get anything on the glass? Like, how wet. How wet was everything? Next?

[Tony]

I caught it all in my hand.

[Dan Le Batard]

Okay.

[Tony]

And I just went and washed my hand. What am I supposed to do there? I did everything right. I covered my mouth, caught it, and cleaned it. Shake my hand, Roy.

[Stugats]

Play on for me.

[Tony]

Just cleaned it.

[Stugats]

No, that's following protocol. Come on.

[Dan Le Batard]

Come on, Roy.

[Chris Cody]

What are you doing?

[Dan Le Batard]

No, you guys won't shake my hand. If you want to spend more time with a smiling Roy on Sunday morning at 8am he's going to give you some bonus programming because we've got a live watch along on our YouTube channel. Roy and Dwark and Ethan and Rose and all the members of the hockey show. And whoever shows up from around here will be showing up at 8, 10am Eastern, hopefully. We have to be rooting for USA Canada. Correct. Anything other than USA Canada is a wild disappointment. Correct.

[Stugats]

In the bronze. So don't worry, you can get Slovakia, Finland.

[Dan Le Batard]

Come on. I saw you guys yesterday. You were living and dying with. You were rooting so hard against Canada. I mean.

[Stugats]

Yeah, because Canada is top to bottom, more talented than the US and, you know, get them out of there, win a goal.

[Dan Le Batard]

Don't you want to beat the best?

[Stugats]

Sure, sure. But if they would lose along the way, that's great, too. If you can't beat them, join them,

[Dan Le Batard]

just like they'll do with us.

[Stugats]

Hey, everybody, it's Mike Ryan. Now, if you've been following the show, you know, I've been traveling, been super busy, been supporting my favorite football team with mixed results. Right. Not the greatest hang so far in 2026. I try to find every excuse in the book. I had one buddy that was trying to invite me out. I wanted to stay in. He's like, come on, let's watch this NBA game. So I go over to his house, I watch this NBA game, and guess what? Something amazing happened. He pulled out the Miller Lights, and I knew right away I made the right call. Next thing you know, we're toasting, we're celebrating, we're having a great time. We're talking about nostalgia, we're talking about old friends that we had. And it was all thanks to Miller Lite, that icebreaker. Because when you actually say yes and you actually show up. You want a beer? That fits the moment for me, that's Miller Light. Legendary moments. Start with Miller lite. Great taste. Least 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories, 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.