The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: Local Hour – “The Furthest Thing From Elmo”
Date: October 31, 2025

Overview

Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and their rotating cast deliver their signature blend of sports and pop culture commentary with a Halloween twist. This “Local Hour” captures a fatigued but hilariously chaotic crew, much of it driven by costume mishaps and Miami sporting malaise. The episode runs the gamut from Dolphins and Heat analysis to Halloween party talk, the emergence of Victor Wembanyama, and existential questions about sports, brands, and Elmo’s antithesis.

Episode Highlights

1. Halloween Hangover & Costume Chaos

• Dan sets the tone, describing the crew as a “hungover Halloween crew that sort of spent itself pre-Halloween” ([00:34]).
• Only Juju Gotti put considerable effort into a costume; others are “half-assed” (Dan’s words). Roy Bellamy sits out on religious grounds, and Chris Cote’s mask impairs his ability to produce ([00:34]–[03:12]).
• Notable moment: Dan riffs about accidentally texting the wrong Robert Bailey a rant about his unpopular costume at the prior night’s block party ([14:19]).
  • Quote: “I ended up sending that to former Ram and Lion Robert Bailey, former Hurricane. I haven’t talked to him in 15 years...” ([15:03])

2. The Miami Dolphins: Trade Deadline Blues & Dissatisfaction

• Trade deadline approaches; Dan wonders out loud who on the Dolphins would actually have trade value ([03:44]–[04:13]).
• Focus on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s increasingly defensive comments and general fanbase apathy.
  • Discussion of Tua’s “I’m half the player Josh Allen is” soundbite and his weak justification about Baltimore crowd noise ([05:30]).
  • Quote: “They’ve got a half a season left, folks, and they’re done with their quarterback, they’re done with their coach, they’re done. Filled with general indifference.” ([06:19])
• Quarterback options (Kyler Murray, Jacoby Brissett) are bandied about, reflecting how desperate the situation is for Miami fans ([08:29]).

Timestamps

• [03:44] – Dolphins trade deadline speculation
• [05:30] – Tua audio montage & commentary
• [09:41] – “This is the worst defense…”

3. The Block Party & DJ Laz Surprise

• Recap of a successful block party sponsored by Miller Lite and DraftKings (“the intimate relationship we have with our audience”—Dan, [11:21]).
• DJ Laz, “the biggest and the best we’ve ever had in this market,” makes a surprise appearance ([12:16]).
  • Quote: “DJ Laz kept it local. Power 96 went through the tough times in radio, made his own song. When he played that, the place went crazy.” ([12:28])

4. The Miami Heat & Victor Wembanyama Debate

• Postgame thoughts after the Heat face Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs.
  • Wembanyama’s five blocks all come in the second half ([19:56]).
• Spirited debate: Is Wembanyama already a top-5 or even the best NBA player?
  • Tony: “He’s the best player in the league right now. If he stays healthy.” ([21:49])
  • Chris Cote: “He does perhaps the best job of any of the superstars in the league of making other players better...[Jokic] is like a plus a million on offense.” ([24:10])
• Discussion on how Wembanyama warps the game gravitationally on both ends, drawing a Shaq analogy ([27:27]).
  • Juju: “When you talk about Victor Wembanyama, this is the guy that gives you gravity on both ends of the floor. His presence on the defensive end makes other players think twice about even attempting a shot.” ([29:32])

Timestamps

• [19:25] – Heat game/Wembanyama stat discussion
• [20:48] – Is Wembanyama already the best?
• [25:41] – Wemby’s offensive patience and passing
• [27:27] – Shaq/Wemby and the “gravity” analogy

5. “The Furthest Thing from Elmo” & Cultural Aside

• Juju’s voice impression (part internet meme, part sports philosopher) sends the crew into fits, and the title “The Furthest Thing From Elmo” is explained.
  • Juju, pivoting from Kevin Durant to adult film star Alexis Texas: “Also, Alexis Texas, great physical tools, low poles of leg.” ([33:18])
  • Dan: “Is porn the furthest thing from Elmo? It’s gotta be bottom five.” ([33:35])
  • Juju: “Depends on what kind of porn you’re watching.” ([33:46])

Timestamps

• [32:52] – Juju’s “furthest thing from Elmo” bit
• [33:29] – Porn/Elmo scale

6. “Love of the Game” & Modern Branding in Sports

• Renewed generational debate: Does today’s NBA love basketball as much as earlier generations did, or do they care more about personal brands and social media?
  • Juju (in character): “Some of these players are in it for the trappings, for the luxuries...not for the game itself.” ([35:39])
  • Dan: “That’s always been the case, though.” ([35:51])
  • Tony: “He hears the criticism instantly...wants to keep up with the Kardashians... plays a role into why today's athlete seems a little more disinterested.” ([35:54])
• Discussion of Michael Jordan’s brand-building versus how overt it is for today’s players ([36:24]).

7. Heat Organizational Stability vs. Dolphins Dysfunction

• Dan reflects on why the Heat have overtaken the Dolphins in Miami’s sports psyche: “How much it matters to have stability...someone came out of the video room and is regarded as the most innovative of the coaches...” ([39:52]–[42:35])
• Heat’s culture of player development compared with the NBA at large.
  • Juju: “They do an incredible job, not only of scouting, but player development and seeing the best in guys who are in the G League...As far as other organizations...I would put the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.” ([43:18])
  • Dan: “The grand majority of those people who leave here because they’re paid never again look like what they looked like here.” ([43:54])

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On Dolphins malaise:
  Dan Le Batard: “Filled with general indifference. Here is Tua trying to motivate the team beforehand. This would look really cool if they were 6 and 1 or 7 and 1, but it looks far less cool when they’re 2 and 7.” ([06:19])

• On Wembanyama’s Impact:
  Tony: “That, to me, equals best player in the league. I feel like he’s the best player in the league right now. Like, give me somebody who can do what he do on both ends of the court, cross you up. Like, he’s the best player in the league right now, if he stays healthy.” ([21:49])

• On NBA branding:
  Juju: “It’s not just that, Juju, it’s also the infatuation with being a brand. It’s all the other things. Instead of focusing, making the main thing the main thing.” ([36:13])

• On Heat development culture:
  Dan: “The other thing about their development that is interesting is the grand majority of those people who leave here...never again look like what they looked like here. They don’t look like that before they get here, and then they get paid and go somewhere else.” ([43:54])

Funniest or Most Memorable Moments

• Dan’s ongoing exasperation with the Halloween costumes, particularly Chris Cote’s mask and the resulting production blunders ([00:34], [03:23], [20:48]).
• The whole “furthest thing from Elmo” debate, with the group riffing on how porn and Elmo sit at opposite ends of a hypothetical scale ([32:52]–[33:46]).
• Juju’s internet meme-inspired sports analysis, complete with gravelly voice and faux-sage delivery, simultaneously confusing and delighting the crew ([29:32], [36:13]).
• Costume misery: Dan sweating in a Pop Tart costume at the block party, and Roy sitting out on religious grounds ([14:19], [19:00]).

Additional Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:34] – Halloween costumes open, production chaos
• [03:44] – Dolphins impending fire sale talk
• [05:30] – Tua sound montage and analysis
• [12:16] – DJ Laz party surprise
• [19:25] – Heat vs. Wembanyama breakdown
• [27:27] – Shaq “gravity” and Wembanyama’s effect
• [32:52] – “Furthest thing from Elmo” comedy section
• [35:54] – Social media & athlete branding
• [39:52] – Heat’s organizational consistency vs. Dolphins’ dysfunction

Conclusion

This episode is a quintessential Le Batard Show Local Hour: loose, irreverent, and surprisingly thoughtful amid the costume-induced chaos. The hosts riff on the foibles of Miami’s teams, the transformative talents of the NBA, and the sillier parts of sports culture. In equal parts sports radio and comedy hour, “The Furthest Thing From Elmo” is filed with quotable lines, off-kilter digressions, and, as always, an enduring devotion to the wit and weirdness that Miami sports inspire.