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Dan Le Batard
You're listening to giraffkings Network.
Stugatz
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Chris Cody
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Billy Gil
Hello Bobby.
Papi (Bobby)
Danny, how are you? No. Oh. Oh, darling, what happened? The running beer. He was still in the hot hand. Oh, he sank the heat on it.
Billy Gil
You were watching?
Papi (Bobby)
I was watching until about 1:00 in the morning. I couldn't sleep.
Billy Gil
You weren't watching. You stayed up. Mom only stays up. You stayed up?
Papi (Bobby)
No, I stayed up. Yeah, I stayed up. Your mother likes to watch the game with me, so I had no choice but to stay up. But the running beer was dealing a hot hand and I saw the. The brothers. What's the name? Jeff Gundy. They were helping the other team. They were on the Rocket side. That wasn't good.
Billy Gil
The Clippers?
Papi (Bobby)
Yeah, they were on the Clippers side. I saw Jeff. Is he an assistant head coach there?
Billy Gil
Yes.
Papi (Bobby)
Oh, I didn't know that. And we saw also, Stan, I think that your mother saw stand there on the sideline.
Billy Gil
Well, what about the state of the heat? They'd won three in a row. What are your thoughts, Tyler? Heroes playing like an all star.
Papi (Bobby)
The guy soft. He's a soft player. You know, you get kicked out of. Keep your fingers crossed. Make sure that he doesn't get hurt before the playoff. That's it. I mean, you know that. I know that. Everybody knows that. In the last four years, you know, he. He hasn't been able to make it to the playoff.
Billy Gil
He's the only guy who's played in every game.
Papi (Bobby)
Well, listen, I'm waiting for the Jimmy Buckets to come back. I'm telling you, that guy is something else.
Billy Gil
What about spo?
Papi (Bobby)
Oh, there was bad blood between SPO and Jimmy Bucket last year. The Jimmy Bucket challenges spot to a fight and UD had to step in. Don't you remember that incident of the court?
Billy Gil
Yes.
Papi (Bobby)
Well, there you have it. You know, this thing has been carrying over over a year now. But I can't wait for Jimmy to come back and then he's going to throw 40, 50 points on the other team and then they got interview Jimmy on national tv. What do you think Jimmy is going to say?
Billy Gil
What would you say?
Papi (Bobby)
Well, I'm not going to show my hands. It's going to get a little bit tricky there, buddy. I'm telling you. Unless they don't want to talk to Jimmy, they might bypass Jimmy and talk to the Mexican Stallion, Jimmy Hackett. Who's Jimmy Hackett?
Billy Gil
Jaime Hackett. Poppy, don't. You don't know the Latin names on the team. Like Jimmy Hackett is what you just called Jaime Hawkez Papi.
Papi (Bobby)
Jimmy Hackett. That's. That's the English version of Jaime Hackett. So I call him Jimmy Hackers.
Billy Gil
Jaime Hackers is the name you should know in the league, Papa. You should be able to pronounce Jaime Hawkes. Like, why did you call him Jimmy Hackett?
Papi (Bobby)
I got the. Once in a while I get these senior moments, you know what I mean?
Billy Gil
The reason I'm calling you is because you're the only person I have heard crushing Eric Spoelstra. I have not heard anyone doing it publicly. I have only heard you doing it privately.
Papi (Bobby)
Well, I Mean, you know, I mean crushing spo. I don't crush, spoil. I think that the sport should move on. They gotta give him a promotion. Kick him upstairs, give him a rally shop. Let's rally, Retire. Give you give him ten more million dollars a year to a sport. Big office, view to a view to Biscayne Bay. Are you kidding me? And bring you know who into Miami. He's going to get things square away.
Billy Gil
Who's. You know, I never.
Papi (Bobby)
You know my guy, the Butcher. That's my guy.
Billy Gil
Okay, enough with Thibodeau. Papi, what do you think of the Dolphins?
Papi (Bobby)
The Dolphins, I tell you, they need this guy too to come back, you know. My recommendation was give him a bigger helmet. A bigger size helmet to take care of the hits. You know what I mean? Without that guy, the Dolphins, they don't got a chance, buddy. I'm telling you, they almost made it to the playoff without Tua Tua this year. But you know, this guy. What's the guy's name? Tyler Huntley. He can fill those shoes. Tua Shoes? Are you kidding me? He head coach. He looks like a chemistry teacher in high school. He doesn't look like a football coach. I don't know. Hello?
Billy Gil
I love you, buddy.
Papi (Bobby)
Maybe. I said maybe. You. You. You drop out? No, no.
Billy Gil
I just got tired of hearing it is all. I'm just tired of hearing you're. You're yelling about the Heat, yelling at the Dolphins, yelling at everybody.
Papi (Bobby)
You gotta give credit to this guy who rides for the hero. What's his name? Armando Salgado. He has been writing for the ERA for the last 50 years. You know, he writes the same every time. You mean he got to come up with something new and he keeps coming back at the readers, you know, He's a tiger, Armando. I hear that he has a big follow. A bunch of followers are following him up. You know what I mean, Papi?
Billy Gil
Armando Salguero hasn't worked for the Miami Herald in about five years.
Papi (Bobby)
Really? Gee, I thought that he was still the. One of the biggest dolphin rider for the Herald.
Billy Gil
When's the last time you read the Herald? When's the last time you physically held a copy of the Miami Herald? You're so full of shit, dad.
Papi (Bobby)
Well, I went. I go to the. To the public and I. I don't buy the paper because it's too expensive. I just glance at the paper and I read the news, you know, and I can't. And I put it back.
Billy Gil
You steal the news that you don't read, you know, I Don't.
Papi (Bobby)
I don't steal the news. I mean, I just borrow the paper. I told the guy, can I see what is what in the new year? See if it's worth spending, you know, a buck or a buck fifty on the arrow.
Billy Gil
Dad, that's not stealing. That's stealing. You're stealing their information.
Papi (Bobby)
Dad, you used to do this.
Billy Gil
How about this, dad, you used to. When we used to go as kids to Winn Dixie. Do you remember this? You used to do this. The candy aisle. You just grab the candies and start eating them and walk around the grocery store eating the candies, and then you throw the wrappers in the aisles, and you wouldn't pay for them.
Papi (Bobby)
Well, because I had to eat the candy so your mother couldn't see me. You know, your mother sees me eating the candy, she will complain that, you know, was good for me. I mean, it wasn't good for me. Was a lot of sugar with the candy. So I tried to stay away from her. So that's the only place where I could eat some candy. So what can I tell you? But you remember that, eh?
Billy Gil
Worth the risk. Poppy, honestly, I've got to tell you, I salute you. Good work by you. And you turned really thievery into a noble pursuit that keeps your marriage together and your health intact. I love you. See you later.
Papi (Bobby)
All right, take care, buddy. Bye. Love you. Bye. This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugach podcast.
Billy Gil
So much happening behind the scenes here that Stugatz just had his headphones in his hands, and as the show was starting, he just shouted, and I'm hearing three, two, and Stugat shouts. I don't know what we're talking about.
Mike Ryan
Yeah, I mean, it's a Wednesday. I don't know.
Billy Gil
I have. I have plenty to talk about. Really? Yes. I. Well, I meant to get to this yesterday. I don't know if this is any kind of allowed. It's probably against the rules, but can you guys tell me what you think what would happen now if it were allowed that Aaron Donald could unretire and say, I got three games for you?
Mike Ryan
Oh, boy.
Billy Gil
I got three games for your Rams. I'm coming back, like, let. I don't know if it's possible. Playoff rosters, rules, any of that stuff, but I was legitimately wondering if Aaron Donald could do it. Could you take a year off and be the same human being fresh for three games and just be pass rush up the middle the Rams could use right now as they go through a gauntlet?
Mike Ryan
I think he Could. I love that. It's three games. I do. Like he needs to see them win one before he decides to join the team.
Billy Gil
The one they just won. The one they just won. They win that one against Minnesota. So you guys will tell me first if any of this is legal, because I'm guessing it's not. But I like the hypothetical anyway because I wonder whether somebody could physically do something like that, be dominant. If you've retired and actually retired, you're not taking care of your body. You're not lifting weights. So you basically atrophied for. Not totally. Cuz I imagine Aaron Donald would take care of his body some, but you've been vacationing from the idea that you have to punish your body for a living.
Mike Ryan
I don't care about the vacation time. I don't care about the time off. If you tell Aaron Donald to put his fingers in the dirt and give you three games, Aaron Donald's going to give you three great games. He is. And now I'm starting to think of the playoff teams remaining. If they could pull one star from their past, a guy who's retired, who would they take? Yeah, you like that, don't you? Like with the Eagles, take Jason Kelsey. I don't know. I mean, Kelsey want to do it.
Billy Gil
Of all of them. Of all of them ever.
Mike Ryan
Well, you're not going to take like, you know. I don't know.
Chris Cody
Wilbert Montgomery has to be someone that can still do it.
Mike Ryan
Exactly. Right? Yes.
Billy Gil
Well, Andrew Luck. Right. The Colts would immediately take Andrew Luck. Right.
Mike Ryan
But they're out of the playoffs. So of the eight remaining playoff teams, I was wondering, like, who would the Bills take if they could take a guy? Eric Molds. Eric Molds could still give you not. I don't care that he's 50 years old.
Billy Gil
He's not. He's. Eric Moles is in his 50s. I don't care.
Chris Cody
According to Mike Florio, the deadline for players to come off the reserve slash retired list is the final business day before week 13. So it looks like he can now no longer come back.
Mike Ryan
We should change the rule.
Billy Gil
That bums me out.
Chris Cody
Can he say that? Week 12. All right, I'm coming back. And then just not play until the playoffs. All right, I'm officially back.
Billy Gil
I would have wasted a roster spot to do that. Just look, I think we can agree on this. Mike Ryan was yelling to anyone who would listen in the middle of the season, hey, I'm taking right now futures on the Rams, 49ers and Bengals because maybe because. Because football might happen. And I think those three might be three of the good teams if they're healthy at the right time, that the sneaky thing about us discussing football all hours at all times is, oh, there's a Super bowl champion with pedigree that has been decimated by injuries since they lost Whitworth to retirement. And they can still for four games be the team that no look passes you in the Super Bowl. That's what's happened. That is that the simplified Rams analysis where everyone in this sport is just like, yep, we respect you.
Mike Ryan
Yeah, yeah, I think the Rams are going to make it to the Super Bowl.
Billy Gil
Well, you've said this, you said.
Mike Ryan
I really believe it though. Chris Simms keeps telling me how good that team is.
Billy Gil
Let me, let me ask you about Chris Simms and I.
Stugatz
Well, so do you think or does Chris Simms think that.
Mike Ryan
Well, he does, yeah. I'm stealing it and well he. No, Billy, because when I asked him last week, would you be shocked if the Rams made it to the Super Bowl? He said yes, he would be shocked, but not shocked if they made it to the NFC championship game, which in hindsight I probably should have challenged them on that. Cuz if they can make it that far, they can make it to the Super Bowl. So I'm not really taking Sims's take. I'm taking Simms take one step further. That's all.
Billy Gil
Billy, I am so glad that you brought that up because I want to highlight what I believe to be one of the great chemical relationships in the history of Meadow Arc media. And that is your relationship with Chris Simms as know it all Chris Sims guy. And you correctly on God bless football all the time. Correct him, put him in his place. He's Shanahan's buddy. But I will say when Stu got says of Chris Sims, my God, I just want to steal all his takes, steal all of them because he's really smart about football. There's not a lot of people doing it more prepared to know what they're talking about than that guy is. Like he, the way he's studying the media game is a bit obsessive compulsive in a way that scares me. The thing that I wanted to ask you cuz I heard him do a promotion for his own own show. Chris Sims unbuttoned the other day and he started it out with yo, yo, what's up homie? And he ended it with peace out homies.
Mike Ryan
Yeah.
Billy Gil
And I'm asking what he's doing there.
Mike Ryan
Well, that's Chris Sims I think what Billy and I have discovered is the Chris Sims you see on tv. That's not Chris.
Chris Cody
He talks a lot. He talks a lot cooler than he looks.
Stugatz
What? Just shouting out his homies. What's. What's the big deal?
Mike Ryan
Yeah, but he doesn't do that on, you know, football night in America. Sunday Night Football. Yo, yo, what up, homies? He doesn't do. He does it on his podcast. He does it with me and you on God Bless Football.
Billy Gil
This is why I love Chris Sims. Right here from the Lefko Tree of Making funny Things.
Mike Ryan
Well, Lefkoe has a tree, huh?
Billy Gil
He does.
Stugatz
Sims is in the Lefkoe tree. You say?
Billy Gil
How's that one word?
Mike Ryan
I think Sims.
Stugatz
I don't know if you.
Mike Ryan
Lefko was in the Sims's tree.
Stugatz
I'm kind of. I'm wondering if that's the way he sees it, too.
Billy Gil
Do we have any votes in there? Because they were a comedy duo for a while and they did things exceptionally well. And Chris Sims has gone from I'm buttoned up on television and when I'm next to Florio, but on Sirius Satellite xm, I'm Chris Sims unbuttoned. Yo, yo, what up, homie? What's happening there?
Papi (Bobby)
I don't know.
Stugatz
He's shouting at his homies. Why can't he shout out his homies? He's not allowed to say. Homie, what's going on here? What's going on here, I think is.
Billy Gil
I'm asking. I am asking.
Mike Ryan
Look, yo, yo.
Billy Gil
He's a bit starched when he's nodding his tie and doing the dance on behalf of corporate America because he knows do it. But then he goes unbuttoned and he's. When he's on God Bless Football, he's unbuttoned.
Mike Ryan
Oh, he's unbuttoned.
Stugatz
He's semi buttoned. On godless football. Off air, he's unplugged.
Chris Cody
We're talking shirt unbuttoned, right?
Stugatz
Well, yeah, not off here.
Billy Gil
Yeah, I'm talking Chris Sims, corporate image and Chris Sims, who he actually is. You'll see the best. Look at that. Through God Bless Football, through Billy agitating him. Chris Sims is naughty. There, I said it.
Mike Ryan
I love having Chris Simms on the show because I love his information. But if not for the dynamic between him and Billy, I'm not certain we still be doing it because it is great.
Billy Gil
All right, But I want to ask you guys this because God Bless Football is an award winning entity and the Chris Sims and Mike Golic knowledge is excellent there, as is their relationship with those people. But when you're looking for your football information, you all want. This is what happened on the show yesterday. All right, Stu, guys. Many people didn't like that we spent so much time talking to Chris Haynes about Jimmy Butler, and many people are tired of Jimmy Butler.
Mike Ryan
That was one of them.
Billy Gil
It was at least refreshing because he had new information originally reported, and he was making an effort. The standard in the gas bag industry has fallen so much that somebody taking that effort stands out because so many people are just giving their opinions somewhere.
Mike Ryan
Right.
Billy Gil
And we're giving equal weight to a lot of different voices, more than they've ever been. But when it comes to football, there aren't many people I listen to. I'm not expecting them to be predictive about who can win that game, who know what they're talking about more than Chris Sims. Like, and I hear that on God Bless Football. And it has the range of being really smart, really informative, really interesting, and also unbuttoned. It's fighting with the Duke because the Duke's the real one who knows football around here.
Mike Ryan
Yeah, I think with Sims, what's. What's so amazing about him? First off, TV does that to you, right? Like, TV is going to suck the personality out of you. Very few people.
Billy Gil
Is that right? It should bring out personality in, you.
Mike Ryan
Know, but he's doing a studio show. It's an NFL show. It's before Sunday Night Football. It feels like an NBC NFL.
Billy Gil
No, but how with this. As somebody who is bucked against the idea of, okay, why are we wearing sports coats? Does that give our opinion more weight like that? Because we're wearing sports coats. Like, who bucks against the idea of. Pat McAfee seems to be himself on that show, and that seems to work. Like, why wouldn't you want people to be maximum themselves and be someone else on television? What's the point of that?
Mike Ryan
Well, Pat McAfee is. Is his own boss. Like, it's his show. Chris Sims, he's working for NBC. He's doing a studio show that's very important to NBC and the NFL. So think. I think those things are different now. You make a great point with McAfee, because when he goes on college game day, he's still Pat McAfee. And that's kind of a studio show getting you ready for college football Saturday. But you're allowed to be more of yourself kind of in that atmosphere, that college atmosphere.
Billy Gil
Does that not sound backward to you guys, though, as people who Love sports coverage. The idea of, hey, go on television. Be less yourself than you actually are. Let's make that entertainment. Why? Because we've got to pray for sports. We got to take the cathedral super serious. NBC Sunday night America gathered around the television. Tie your tie, button up your shirt.
Mike Ryan
But don't you think there's a certain way to do studio shows? McAfee has his own show. It's kind of like our show. There's a certain way to do studio shows. Like Chris Berman, what you saw on the air for all those years, there's a different person off air. I've seen it. I've met him.
Stugatz
I mean, I mean, it's a job. Like, you don't, you know, it's a job. And you behave differently at work than you do at home. Like, I'm sure Mina Kimes is a lot differently, like on NFL Countdown than she is, you know, just hanging out on the weekend.
Mike Ryan
Right, with Lenny.
Billy Gil
But do you guys not understand?
Stugatz
Do I have this wrong to the homie Lenny?
Billy Gil
Do you know, isn't that. Isn't that why so much of the content ends up being homogenized? Like, isn't that why everything becomes a little bit the same?
Stugatz
Why do you want him to call everybody mother like he does on God Bless Football?
Mike Ryan
Smoke a joint right after this game?
Papi (Bobby)
Yeah.
Stugatz
Imagine that's how he's tied to Tony Dungey. That doesn work.
Billy Gil
Wait a minute. I got Mad Dog saying he's on gummies all the time. I got Pat McAfee talking all the smoke, and he says all the science is running through his body.
Mike Ryan
Like, yeah, but those are different shows. Mad Dog's doing a radio show. I have acknowledged all. All the weed smoking I've done over the years on this show. I've talked about it openly. I wouldn't do it on SportsCenter.
Stugatz
You didn't do it on ESPN.
Mike Ryan
That's exactly right.
Billy Gil
I'm just asking you, don't you want from television the most authentic personalities? Isn't Charles Barkley the most interesting personality in the history of sports television? Because everyone believes it to be authentic and unafraid. And isn't that what you want? I'm not saying. I guess this is what I would say to you, that the Chris Simms off the air is more interesting, and the Chris Simms on the air is plenty interesting. That I would love to see him be his full self because he doesn't have to go to quarterback school under his father, Phil Sims, and be broadcasting the way CBS thinks about it.
Dan Le Batard
I think The Ravens would take Anquan Bolden.
Mike Ryan
No question about it. No question about it. And Anquan Bolden, I'm telling you right now, he could still do it. I don't know how old he is, but Anquan Bolden can give you seven catches, 96 yards at a touchdown and sleep.
Billy Gil
Jessica 44. Help me as our resident old person who's a young person because CBS is going for a certain broadcasting demo when they get Matt Ryan, who I saw him the other day and I'm like, man, he fits in perfectly as the starched, starched old person with his suit just perfectly manicured and will never say a single interesting thing so that none of the old people get offended. Matt Ryan is perfect for cbs, which is trying to bring back Hollywood Squares and goes for the old people demo on. Let's keep this looking the same and safe so that the old people don't get scared. Let's just give him the same pregame show. We'll throw Tony Gonzalez in once in a while. Nate Burleson, Shannon Sharp, he was on.
Dan Le Batard
My FL last week. I saw a three day span. Tony Gonzalez was on my flight from Chicago to New York after the Bears played on Thursday night. Bad, awful game, by the way. December 26th, Thursday night game, Bears. And then Steven Spielberg the next day. And then Michael Imperioli. Three in a row. Bam, bam, bam. And obviously Tony Gonzalez, the least famous of the three.
Billy Gil
Can you guys play for me, please? Jason Garrett just turning to the screen when he knows the camera is there. This is authentic Jason carrot. Jason.
Mike Ryan
You want himself in front of that guy?
Billy Gil
Just television does look like a carrot. Just. Yeah. All right, put it on the poll, please. That Lebanon show, does Jason Garrett look like a carrot that says Veggie Tales character Jason Garrett? Yes, it absolutely is. Whatever happened to our children's book with with Teddy Bridgewater? I still want to stole it. I want to bring that. I want to bring that idea back because you're absolutely right. O.J. mayo looked like a broccoli vegetable when he played a cartoon. Jason Garrett looks like a carrot. Thank you for helping me with that.
Jessica
What is Dax, are you tracking all.
Billy Gil
Our cars on Carvana value tracker on all our devices? Yes, Kristen. Yes, I am.
Dan Le Batard
Well, I've been looking for my phone.
Billy Gil
For in Dax's domain we see all. So we always know what our cars are worth.
Dan Le Batard
All of them?
Billy Gil
All of them. Value surge trucks up 3.9%. That's a great offer. I know. So sell track your car's value with Carvana value Tracker today.
Jessica
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Chris Cody
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Billy Gil
Don Libertard.
Mike Ryan
I want to talk about a team that I actually want to see come playoff time. I want to see the Chiefs.
Billy Gil
Oh, stugats.
Mike Ryan
I want Patrick Mahomes strolling into my stadium with max confidence. I want Travis Kelce. I want Taylor Swift. I want the team that lost to Jordan Love. I want the team that lost to Aiden O'Connell. I want the team that trailed 17 to nothing to Jake Browning. That is the team that I would like to face in the playoffs. That's the team indeed that I would want to face in the playoffs because that team is not very good.
Papi (Bobby)
This is the Dan Lebatar show with the Stuga.
Mike Ryan
Would the Chiefs take back Priest Holmes? Wow, this is exciting.
Stugatz
They have to be retired or just any former chief.
Mike Ryan
It's got to be a former chief who you think could still muster it up for three games, but not active.
Chris Cody
When you said Christian Okoye, you said Tony Gonzalez.
Mike Ryan
Wow.
Chris Cody
I mean, Tony Gonzalez with Travis.
Stugatz
I think Tyree Kill would retire just so he could go back to Kansas City under this scenario.
Dan Le Batard
I mean, he almost did at the end of the season. I mean, you could interpret it that way if you wanted.
Billy Gil
Can I ask the group? Because I don't know that the name Christian Okoye would land with Jeremy and.
Mike Ryan
Jessica the way Nigerian nightmare. Gotta be careful with that one.
Stugatz
Why?
Mike Ryan
For me, I mean. Yeah. Because I can't speak.
Papi (Bobby)
Don't worry, Sticks.
Billy Gil
We got you.
Mike Ryan
Thank you, Roy.
Billy Gil
You got it.
Mike Ryan
Moving on. Anyway, you were saying that him and Barry Word. What a great one two combo, huh?
Billy Gil
You think you're going to act as permission?
Papi (Bobby)
I'm just trying to make sure he.
Billy Gil
Doesn'T get in trouble.
Mike Ryan
Thank you, Roy.
Papi (Bobby)
That is my job at the moment.
Billy Gil
I appreciate it, but at the moment, you've put us in the middle of this mess. Because me, Chris, you mentioned. Yes, I will tell you why. I will tell you why. Know your teammates.
Mike Ryan
Oh.
Billy Gil
Know your teammates. As. As soon as you say Christian Okoye and I. I don't know if the rest of you noticed this. He barreled into the room to say it, because this is the Roy wheelhouse. Do I get to shout the name of an old player that will make us laugh like this? There is no place that Roy is more joyous than this particular space where he careened into the room and he shouted Christian Okoye. At us because he knew that that was going to spew from St. His bowels. A belt to the Nigerian nightmare.
Mike Ryan
I nailed it.
Billy Gil
That's producing friends.
Chris Cody
And then Stu calls himself out, oddly.
Mike Ryan
Oh, that was close. Just in general. It's more of a general thing.
Billy Gil
Roy, please stop playing with fire.
Mike Ryan
I apologize.
Billy Gil
Hey, Christian Okoye.
Jessica
See you later, everybody.
Mike Ryan
Yeah, but Barry Word. A lot easier. Yes.
Stugatz
Yeah, yeah.
Mike Ryan
Makes a smile, you know? No nickname, though. I understand.
Billy Gil
Okay.
Chris Cody
The dictionary.
Billy Gil
Oh, Christian Okoye. You should look it up. He was Derrick Henry before Derrick Henry and probably smaller than Derrick Henry.
Mike Ryan
That's crazy.
Billy Gil
I'm gonna guess. I don't know. I might. I. Maybe I have that wrong. I'm. I'm doing. I tend to make today's players bigger, stronger, faster than all of yesterday's players, and I don't know where the line on that is. I think of today's receivers as being more athletic than the 1980s, obviously, but there were plenty of hall of Fame wide receivers in the 2000s. You know what I mean?
Mike Ryan
Of course. Yeah.
Billy Gil
So I don't know where the line is generationally on where it is that you say that athletes stop being bigger, stronger, faster than the previous generation, where your nostalgia ends up carrying you and you think things that aren't so. Like, for example, I. I thought that today's players on the defensive line were a lot larger than Howie Long, even though Howie Long was one of the largest of his time. And Jay Glazer was like, nah, Howie Long was pretty big for his size. But I think of that time as an ancient sports time where people were just smaller. Where the 1972 offensive line for the undefeated Dolphins averaged 266 pounds. Like something or maybe smaller than that. I think Larry Little was their biggest hall of Fame offensive lineman at like £300. The Nigerian nightmare was 6 1, 2, 53. Derrick Henry is 6 2, 2. 47.
Stugatz
A big 6 2, though.
Mike Ryan
A big 6.
Stugatz
Big 6 2.
Chris Cody
He's only 6 2. He looks 6, 8 out there.
Dan Le Batard
Chris is like, I can take him. I'll tackle him. Only six two, please. That's shorter than Mike Ryan.
Mike Ryan
Yeah.
Billy Gil
What do you guys think is the worst feeling in football? A hit while it's cold.
Mike Ryan
That's the worst feeling in football. I would say tackling Derrick Henry while it's cold.
Billy Gil
I was going to ask more, I guess, about whatever the embarrassment is of many of us came from a couple of games over the weekend in football. And the takeaway was Goddard will stiff arm Valentine for 30 yards and Derrick Henry will stiff arm Minka Fitzpatrick in a way that you will send your friends. This is the memeable moment from the game. Watch Derrick Henry punch a defensive back who's a first round pick in the face because the Ravens, like, punch the Steelers in the face. Look at how the Ravens play football. Let's be honest about this, okay? America loves this sport, at least in part, because every time what you're watching is violent acquisition. It's at the core of the country's DNA. How do we violently acquire the other people's land? Here's how we do it with Derrick Henry stiff arming Minka Fitzpatrick.
Mike Ryan
It's a good way of doing it here.
Billy Gil
Minka, you want to be tough and tackle everything in football to get to the top of sports. How about some of this from Derrick Henry? He just punches people in the face running through your secondary.
Mike Ryan
I'm kind of with you on D line players now being bigger, stronger, faster. Right? It has to happen like, but Then I think back to Reggie White. I'm not. Was Reggie White the same size as Chris Jones? Because Chris Jones is a lot bigger, stronger, faster than Howie Long was.
Billy Gil
You know, I don't know how to do this because at some point some group of people is going to say that Michael Jordan wasn't the most athletic. Right? No, see, this is where I trapped you.
Mike Ryan
There'll never be a group of people.
Billy Gil
Okay, so. But we've forgotten a group of idiots. I was talking the other day about the fact that if it happened in the 1950s in sports, did it really actually happen when I tell you that LaMelo Ball has as many shots per minute as Wilt Chamberlain. None of us today are talking about Wilt Chamberlain. Like, we understand what his athleticism was compared to his peers, but Bill Russell won all those championships. Bill Russell is one of the greatest centers ever. You want to look at his dimensions? Go get, give, give, Please give me his height and weight. Bill Russell, one of the best centers ever. When I'm watching a sport now where they're telling me Carl Anthony Towns can't play center for 40 minutes or the Knicks won't be deep enough, I feel.
Dan Le Batard
Like we're like, yes, the nutrition's gotten better. Like, training's gotten better. A lot of the things around sports have gotten better in the last few decades than they were before. But, like, trying to say every person before a certain decade was just like a wet noodle. I, I, I mean, they were still very strong and very fast and very large people. And just going off height and weight, I don't think is giving you a full picture.
Mike Ryan
Russell was 610C20, a center, 220 pounds.
Billy Gil
I want you to imagine that in.
Mike Ryan
The post now I'm looking up NBA rosters.
Billy Gil
220 pounds.
Chris Cody
Bama de Bio is 6 foot 9, 255 pounds, undersized, way undersized for a center.
Mike Ryan
Playing against one of the freakiest athletes.
Billy Gil
I've ever seen in this town. Like, first, I'm not kidding you. If I, I, I saw the other day that Stephen Adams was like, hey, amen. Thompson is the most athletic thing I've ever seen in a basketball uniform. I'm like, dude, you played with Russell Westbrook. What are you talking about? How can you get that forgetful? I would argue Russell Westbrook is the most athletic being in the history of that league. I would make the argument just in terms of athleticism, not understanding how you can get triple doubles at that size. But it's just because you got more fast twitch muscle fiber than everyone else.
Mike Ryan
You're taking up basketball skill. You're just saying as an athlete.
Billy Gil
I'm just.
Mike Ryan
I think I'm with you as an athlete. Look like Russell Westbrook could play wide receiver.
Billy Gil
I think, okay, this, this is what I'm saying to you about sports. Okay. Because I really do love that. It's the competition of not just the inner cities, but the globe now for money, fame and the biggest of currencies. How do I get into professional sports and get to the top of the most excellent and the most excellent top 1% of the top 1%. How do I get there? Medicine, science, doctors, millions of dollars in training. How do I fix my body? What do I need to do? I know a lot of people think that they're eating McDonald's and just traveling and partying. That's not what's happening. I know. So that we think that's what Zion Williamson is doing. That's not what's happening. Like these people are in professional organizations that are trying to streamline business so that they could beat other people who are competitionaholics. It's a crazy business to get to the top up and the athletes are thrown into the maw of it their bodies. Science experiments test the human limits of how strong and how big we can be. I saw a 305 guy in motion in the NFL the other day. I saw earlier the season, there was a thread sweat. A 366 pound guy is running with the football. And I'm like. And runs faster than anyone you've ever seen. Like runs fast for that size where you're like. That shouldn't move that way. I'd always argue that we're in the best time, that we're in the most. The most athletic time. That LeBron James at 40 is something the world has never seen. That's not something that's ever existed on this planet. Being able to play basketball with those efficiencies that right now, what we're watching in Jokic. I don't know if you guys know this, but I think Jokic is still leading the league in three point percentage.
Mike Ryan
Come on.
Billy Gil
Like, I think he's the most. I think he's the most. I think he's making near half of his three point shots because offensive basketball has never been played better by anyone playing offensive basketball than that person. And just because you think he looks like a loaf of bread doesn't mean that. That his advanced defensive metrics aren't also good. You can make the argument that that's the best basketball has ever been played by anybody, anybody ever. Michael Jordan included.
Mike Ryan
Jokic is second. This is funny. Behind Sabonis by 0.1%.
Chris Cody
So he's right there.
Billy Gil
Bill Russell 220.
Mike Ryan
Jimmy Butler 230.
Billy Gil
We can't do it. Height and weight. Jessica.
Mike Ryan
Imagine Jimmy Butler playing against Bill Russell.
Billy Gil
Would get caught in Jokic his ass crack. He'd be going up and down the court in his ass crack.
Mike Ryan
Careful with this man. Bill Russell is a legend.
Billy Gil
So what age do I have to do that? Yes, of course. It's blasphemous. Billy, help me out here. At what age are we going to look at an athlete and say Michael Jordan doesn't represent the height of athleticism? That's a bygone time. He's. He's John Havalchek, he's Rick barry. He's. He's 20 years a generation removed from when things got really athletic Death.
Stugatz
So like how old are you before you. Like when you start disrespecting.
Dan Le Batard
Exactly what, what year were you is the cut off? Like if you were born post 2000, like, like you're better than everyone.
Stugatz
Like when I say Babe Ruth would be like a softball beer league softball player. Like that's the question. Like when, when are we going to get to that level with Michael Jordan?
Mike Ryan
Well, no, Dan, I mean, Billy. At a time Willie Mays was considered one of the greatest athletes in the world. Right. And that went on for several, several decades. Right. And then at some point we just decided to turn the clock.
Chris Cody
I have, I have a way to.
Mike Ryan
And then it was Bonds, Griffey, Jordan.
Chris Cody
Who'S the oldest player athlete that we consider a modern day athlete. Is Barry Bonds a modern day athlete? I think yes.
Mike Ryan
Yeah. Jordan.
Chris Cody
Okay, so is around there the cutoff early 90s?
Billy Gil
Well, I know the way that you guys are doing it, but I'm doing it the way Billy's doing it. Where Billy is saying we now make the joke that the 104 mile an hour guy coming out of the A's pen would make that babe Rudy Truth swinging that big piece of wood up there looked like his bat was slow because he wouldn't be able to keep up with the times today. We can make that jokes 100 years removed. When are we going to make it about Jordan? When are we going to say that? Wait a minute. You know how they're doing it now? Look at Wembanyama. They make them 8, 4 now and they make threes from half court. I don't know how that happened. But they dunk everything, they block everything, and the human species is now rendered that model obsolete.
Mike Ryan
Never on Jordan.
Chris Cody
He might be the cutoff.
Dan Le Batard
He should be careful saying guys born in the 60s are washed and we should write them off.
Chris Cody
Did you come BJ or AJ Before Jordan or after Jordan?
Dan Le Batard
Also like, you know, Babe Ruth never had to play against these modern players. So I don't. Maybe he would have upped his physical game and lifted some weights.
Mike Ryan
Right. But I think what Dan is saying is Carl Malone, who was a massive man back in the 80s and 90s, he'd be small today. Yeah, the mailman.
Chris Cody
Same with the Admiral.
Billy Gil
Well, he'd have to move his game out to the three point line because they wouldn't want those two pointers. He wouldn't do it. That's correct.
Mike Ryan
He didn't like to mail threes. He liked the male two.
Dan Le Batard
The mailman. I mean, that's a, a, a nickname we won't even have in 20 years because the mail will be completely obsolete. Yeah, we'll have the email man, and that won't even be relevant anymore.
Billy Gil
How's Lucy doing with the TikTok band? Do we know? Because I know it's easy for us to make fun of it. Chris felt it a little bit more because Chris has gotten a little addicted to that sugar as well. But if we're all addicted to the devices and TikTok was the most advanced of the devices, so scary that the government has to say, yeah, we don't want this here anymore. And everyone's like, yeah, get it out of here. Try. They're taking all our thoughts and information. Like, how is Lucy doing with taking away something that has become a substantive addiction for a generation?
Chris Cody
I haven't checked in with Lucy this week. I know that she was struggling with it last week. I know that the kids these days, Jeremy was telling me they've moved on to a more Chinese app. Yeah, that's right. They're like, hey, government, you're going to tell us we can't be on TikTok. We're going to go to an even more Chinese app. Just a big middle finger to the US government going to RedNote, which was the number one app on the App Store yesterday as everyone is downloading the.
Billy Gil
App that's in China. There is a real, well, there is a real, real business opportunity here for, well, if minds and info and bodies are for sale, okay, we'll be this addicted that we will allow some branches of the Internet in China to control our thoughts, infos and act well?
Chris Cody
What, you want them to leave it to Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg?
Mike Ryan
Oh, man, this is so much worse.
Billy Gil
We're gonna talk with that, about that with Pablo Torre and David Sampson, because it does feel like we're living in apocalyptic times.
Dan Le Batard
But TikTok hasn't, like, disappeared off people's phones. Like, I think you're still gonna be able to use it. You just won't be able to update it. Right, Jerbear?
Chris Cody
Yeah, yeah, I mean, I think that's the case. But then what does it become if there's no new content?
Billy Gil
Content.
Mike Ryan
I got to need new content, right? I got to tell you guys, nothing says TikTok quite like David Sampson. Yeah, yeah.
Billy Gil
Well, it's not TikTok. It's Zuckerberg. It's another. It's another. I need you to keep up here because these are complicated times, and there's some freedom. Freedoms being impinged upon. And you might want to pay some attention to how eager Elon Musk is to buy America by just following Donald Trump around.
Mike Ryan
As I'm paid as.
Billy Gil
As he gets to ransacking the government now.
Stugatz
Cute that you think that you own your own, like, thoughts, Dan, and that someone doesn't already own them.
Billy Gil
That's correct.
Chris Cody
They seem like genuine friends to me.
Mike Ryan
I own Chris Sims's.
Chris Cody
I mean, what's fun about Red Note, is it actually from the Chinese translation means Little Red Book, which is Chairman Mao's, you know, instructions in communism. This is awkward.
Billy Gil
I told you. One of the great business games I've ever seen in my life was in China with the entombment of Mao, because the line was down the street of people buying flowers and putting them at Mao's tomb site. And then when you came back six hours later, all of those flowers had been put back in the shack and resold to a new group of people. Because six hours later, none of the flowers. It was one. It was one of the great grifts I've seen of all time happening right in front of me with a. With a dead emperor.
Chris Cody
Kind of like what the Panthers do with the rats. People throw the rats on the ice. They gather the rats and then sell the rats.
Mike Ryan
The lions take Megatron.
Chris Cody
Ooh, for sure. Throughout. Ray Lewis. Think he'd still get you nine tackles?
Mike Ryan
10.
Billy Gil
Billy. Yesterday I aired in wandering around through a bunch of Greg Cody meanderings. Greg Cody was great the last two days. It was a historic throwback performance by Greg Cody until he petered out in the third hour. Because he tired of Jimmy Butler and Chris Haynes. Talk back to back days.
Stugatz
It's a long 40 minutes.
Billy Gil
It wasn't too long. It is. It is.
Stugatz
I have weird trinkets. Okay, friends with Jimmy Butler.
Chris Cody
Chris, let me ask you the same question another way.
Billy Gil
I want to get surprised he didn't.
Stugatz
Have a Jimmy Butler jersey autographed behind his head. Jeez.
Mike Ryan
Jesus.
Stugatz
Carrying water.
Dan Le Batard
So are we still talking about that? What's going on?
Billy Gil
We're gonna talk about not talking about it anymore because of how much we've annoyed the audience. But I will tell you, and this is very polarizing, Jeremy was very excited by that Chris Haynes interview. In the middle of the night last night, I got a text from AM talking about how great that Jimmy Butler Chris Haines interview was. And I have rarely seen people more divided on a subject where I thought something was good. But I could tell that everyone here didn't think that that was good because everyone's grown so tired of Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat and they're like, why are we talking about a middling eight seeds, 35 year old plus. And it's because the franchise and the market that got so excited with 2010, 2014 basketball, Miami Heat, where you're the center of the universe and you're making super teams. That market falling into the sea so the Boston Celtics could be champion and only feeling alive when they're trading their best old player. It felt like the old days for a week. We're talking about basketball in Miami like it matters.
Mike Ryan
Yeah, but in the old days, we used to talk about a team that was good.
Stugatz
Yeah, that was 11 years ago. LeBron left 11 years ago.
Mike Ryan
It's amazing. Really.
Stugatz
Yeah.
Dan Le Batard
And we're still talking about that.
Stugatz
I'd also say that, like, you know, saying that people are tired of talking about Jimmy Butler. They're tired of Jimmy Butler and the Heat. The Heat are also tired of Jimmy Butler and the Heat. And Jimmy Butler is also tired of Jimmy Butler and the Heat. So imagine everyone else, everyone who's less invested of the situation.
Billy Gil
But. So I'm arguing, though, with Amin. I'm like, Amin, trust me when I say this, that was only interesting to basketball nerds. One of the problems the sport has is that many people are tuning out on basketball because of what all this has wrought. The idea, Stuart, like it is, there's no disputing this wherever it is that you align racially or politically. In today's times. In today's times where people are struggling with not understanding how are you telling me that the economy is good when I can afford things because of inflation. A player says I can't get joy under contract for I get 50, 40 million this year and opt into 50 million next year. When you're Jimmy Butler and you've done plenty of winning and prove not you're a badass, but that you'll make this mess that's going to land wrong with a public that is waiting for that sport to land wrong. Since George Floyd, since the bubble, since woke culture, since you put social justice on the uniforms, people want some of this stuff to fail. And Jimmy Butler is a easy place to just check out on the NBA because you're making a lot of money and you're not enjoying it. Get out of here.
Mike Ryan
I got to tell you something, man, you are good. How'd you bring us back to a topic that none of us want to discuss? I mean, you are good.
Billy Gil
I've got.
Mike Ryan
And you're making it interesting.
Dan Le Batard
I mean, what's going to happen to Jimmy's new brick and mortar coffee shop he just opened in the Design district? I love their coffee. It is so good. Yes. It's actually, I'm not saying I'm not being paid by them to say this.
Billy Gil
I think you should.
Dan Le Batard
Delicious.
Billy Gil
I think. Can we, can we make. Let's, let's make this happen. Let's do some business. If you're, you're like says you're not just, you're not being paid to say this. You're a genuine advocate for $100 coffee.
Dan Le Batard
Yeah, it's like cost the same as the, all the overpriced coffee in the city. It's not like it's particularly over. The merch, on the other hand, very overpriced. But is he going to close it? What's going to happen? I mean he just opened it like two weeks ago.
Billy Gil
I keep seeing businesses all over South Florida close. This is happening all over the place too. Correct. As, as desperation increases, as homelessness increases. This is something you guys are noticing. All over the country there are more things shuttered and closed, at least in part because people aren't even working on the streets anymore. They're more at home than they've ever been. I was reading something today about like among American middle aged males, 74% of them or something say they have moderate to high loneliness. Like we're, we're kind of in a weird time, aren't we? Like we, we can all agree on this. Yes. This is not something that we would even disagree that weird times, strange times.
Mike Ryan
On this show or everywhere.
Stugatz
You're just talking about, like, football players and how tall they were.
Billy Gil
Everywhere.
Mike Ryan
Yeah, yeah.
Chris Cody
Just come on over to Red Note, comrade. Right over there.
Billy Gil
That's a good slogan, right? That I like.
Dan Le Batard
Things are weird.
Mike Ryan
Weird.
Dan Le Batard
But you also may be projecting a little bit.
Mike Ryan
Yeah.
Billy Gil
Yes.
Stugatz
I mean, I saw Wendy's. That was closed, but that's about it, right?
Mike Ryan
Jordan's still the greatest.
Billy Gil
Okay, I think we can all agree that's the line. All right. Very good. I'm glad we agree.
Jessica
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Mike Ryan
All set for your flight?
Billy Gil
Yep. I've got everything I need. Eye mask, neck pillow, T Mobile, headphones. Wait. T Mobile? You bet. Free in flight. Wi Fi 15 off all Hilton brands. I never go anywhere without T Mobile. Same goes from a water bottle, chewing gum, nail clippers.
Stugatz
I'm gonna leave you to find out.
Mike Ryan
How you can experience travel better@t mobile.com.
Chris Cody
Travel qualifying plan required.
Billy Gil
Wi Fi were available on select US airlines. Deposit and Hilton honors membership required for 15% discount. Terms and conditions apply.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Episode: Local Hour: We're All Tired Of Jimmy Butler And The Heat
Release Date: January 15, 2025
In this episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, hosts Dan Le Batard and Stugotz delve deep into the current state of the Miami Heat, specifically focusing on veteran player Jimmy Butler and the franchise's trajectory. The conversation weaves through various threads, including player performances, coaching strategies, and the broader implications for the team's future. Additionally, the discussion touches upon hypothetical scenarios in other sports, commentary on broadcasting personalities, and reflections on the evolution of athleticism in sports.
The primary focus centers on the fatigue surrounding Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Hosts express a collective weariness with Butler's perpetual spotlight and the Heat's reliance on his star power.
Despite Butler's consistent performances, there's a growing sentiment that the team may be over-relying on him, leading to potential burnout and diminishing returns.
The conversation shifts to the Heat's coaching staff, with particular emphasis on head coach Erik Spoelstra.
There are critiques regarding Spoelstra's strategies and a desire for organizational changes to rejuvenate the team's dynamics.
The hosts discuss potential administrative shifts, suggesting that a promotion or change in Spoelstra's role might be necessary to reinvigorate the team.
Concerns about player health, particularly Jimmy Butler's durability heading into the playoffs, are paramount.
There's an underlying tension about Butler's ability to maintain his performance without succumbing to injuries, which has historically impacted the Heat's playoff aspirations.
The hosts entertain the idea of star player Aaron Donald unretiring mid-season to bolster the Los Angeles Rams.
Mike Ryan responds enthusiastically, highlighting Donald's unparalleled skill:
This segment underscores the fascination with star athletes and their potential impact on team fortunes, albeit in a purely speculative context.
A significant portion of the episode critiques broadcasting norms, particularly focusing on Chris Simms and his on-air persona versus his off-air self.
The hosts argue that network expectations often suppress genuine personalities, leading to homogenized and inauthentic content.
Mike Ryan and Stugotz engage in a light-hearted debate about maintaining authenticity while adhering to professional broadcasting standards, comparing it to figures like Pat McAfee who retain their true selves on-air.
The discussion delves into how athlete physiques have evolved, with hosts debating whether modern players are genuinely superior in size and strength compared to past generations.
Dan Le Batard counters by emphasizing advancements in training and nutrition rather than innate superiority:
The conversation highlights nostalgia versus the reality of sports evolution, acknowledging both improvements and the unique attributes of athletes from different eras.
With changing athletic standards, there's an exploration of how teams adapt and what it means for current player roles and expectations.
This reflects on how player roles have transformed, necessitating adaptability and versatility in modern sports strategies.
The hosts ponder the broader societal trends impacting sports, such as rising loneliness among American middle-aged males and the challenges faced by businesses in South Florida.
These reflections tie the state of sports to wider cultural and economic issues, suggesting that the sports narrative doesn't exist in isolation but is interwoven with societal trends.
The episode briefly touches on the impact of technology and media platforms like TikTok on sports consumption and engagement.
Mike Ryan and Chris Cody discuss the potential consequences of stringent regulations on platforms like TikTok, linking it to broader concerns about information control and freedom.
The episode wraps up with a continued critique of the Miami Heat's reliance on Jimmy Butler and reflections on the team's past glory versus its current struggles. The hosts express a sense of longing for the team's heyday and uncertainty about its future direction.
Despite the weariness surrounding Butler and the Heat, there's an undercurrent of hope that organizational changes and strategic shifts could rejuvenate the team's competitive edge.
This episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz offers a multifaceted exploration of the Miami Heat's current predicament, anchored by discussions on Jimmy Butler's role and the franchise's future. Through lively debates, hypothetical scenarios, and broader societal reflections, the hosts provide listeners with a comprehensive analysis of not just a single team, but the evolving landscape of professional sports.