The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: The Best of SBS: MLB Legends

Date: October 16, 2025

Episode Overview

This “South Beach Sessions – Best of MLB Legends” episode features host Dan Le Batard in deep-dive, candid conversations with baseball icons Alex Rodriguez and Frank Thomas, as well as renowned broadcaster Jon "Boog" Sciambi. The show pivots around transformative moments in their careers, the complex realities of sports fame, and unvarnished insights into work ethic, anxiety, obsession, and the humanity behind their public personas. With the trademark warmth, curiosity, and humor of Le Batard, this episode explores what it truly means to be great—not just at baseball, but at life.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Alex Rodriguez: Navigating Stardom, Pressure, and Redemption

Early Glory and Difficult Choices

• Happiest Moments:
  • Receiving the call from George Steinbrenner to join the Yankees in his prime, even as it meant giving up shortstop for Derek Jeter out of respect and team unity.
  • Bringing the 27th World Series title to New York in 2009 after multiple postseason failures.
    • "I gave Derek my word that I was going to play third base and third base only… I wanted to honor Derek and I didn’t want any drama… Once I realized it wasn’t about me and it was about we… [Andy Pettitte] really helped me become a champion." – Alex Rodriguez (03:37 and 05:29)

Relationship with Derek Jeter

• Complicated but Maturing:
  • Their friendship began as teens and survived decades of public scrutiny and professional rivalry.
  • Recent reconciliation and professional partnership at Fox.
    • "Our history is rich and goes back a long time. We’ve had some ups and we’ve had some downs and I think the media was obsessed with our relationship in New York." – Alex Rodriguez (06:36)

Media, Pressure, and Growth

• Media Scrutiny:
  • Wishes athletes would "intern" with media to understand the pressure and distortion it can create.
  • Learned much more about the media’s motivations when he started working at Fox.
    • "I wish I would have done a media internship with Fox for a couple of years when I was in high school to then reverse engineer and understand how the media works." – Alex Rodriguez (09:21)

The Weight of Wealth and Fame

• Anxiety, Jealousy, and Growth:
  • Describes the challenges of becoming a millionaire at 17: navigating expectations, distributing wealth, and managing anxiety.
  • Observes that obsessive drive for greatness often leads to imbalance ("work balance" at the top is rare).
    • "Freedom. Eyeballs. Jealousy. Anxiety… I didn’t have lessons in life on how to distribute, how to help out my family, who gets what, what to save, what to spend, what to invest in. This is new territory for me." – Alex Rodriguez (10:50–11:03)

The Obsession of Greatness

• Comparisons to Legends:
  • Insights from friends like Kobe, Tiger, Magic, LeBron, and Warren Buffett—all share an obsessive focus.
    • "Usually when you look at the great ones... you have to be obsessive... When I think about Warren Buffett, he's the most obsessive and most focused, smartest and simple thinker that I've ever met." – Alex Rodriguez (13:14 and 14:08)

2. Frank Thomas: Hard-Earned Excellence and Joy in the Journey

Career Transitions & Joyful Seasons

• Favorite Year Wasn’t a Championship:
  • Despite being a world champion, Thomas's happiest baseball season was with the Oakland A's, thanks to team camaraderie and playing for the love of the game rather than money.
    • "It was my favorite season of my career. It really was. I had a young team that re-energized me." – Frank Thomas (20:39)

Athlete Standards and Aging

• Facing High Expectations:

  • Struggled with the pressure to deliver elite numbers even at age 39 in Toronto.
    • "Once you set the bar so high, people can't understand you've been an average player. They can't." – Frank Thomas (19:00)

• Grace in Later Years:

  • Hurt by expectations but takes pride in still producing (27 HR, 96 RBI at age 39).

Oakland’s Baseball Culture

• Loss of Community:
  • Saddened by Oakland losing MLB, but believes support will follow the team to Vegas.
    • "…They were the best, smallest crowds I've ever seen in my life. Because it didn't matter. The energy was unmatched." – Frank Thomas (20:31)

Memorable Clubhouse Moments

• Milton Bradley Stories:
  • Recounts the day Bradley, after a bad game, simply showered mid-game and left—a moment both hilarious and emblematic of clubhouse unpredictability.
    • "He just quit… I'm done, hurt. I'm done. So he walks up to the clubhouse, took a shower in between innings… it was the funniest Milton Bradley story of my time." – Frank Thomas (22:46–23:22)

Origins and Work Ethic

• Being Overlooked and Growing:

  • Went undrafted in 1986 despite clear talent; his work ethic became "second to none."
    • "Not getting drafted, I was the best player in the area... I guess they thought back then, big guys like me didn't play baseball." – Frank Thomas (24:29)

• Football’s Role in Baseball Success:

  • SEC football built his physical and mental toughness, making baseball seem easier by comparison.

Legacy and Motivation

• Never Satisfied with 'Good':

  • Obsessed with greatness, for himself and now for his son.
    • "I didn't want to be good, I wanted to be great. And that pushed me my entire career." – Frank Thomas (28:49)

• Dealing with Pain and Injuries:

  • Played through immense pain and lost three and a half seasons to injury, but takes pride in what he accomplished despite setbacks.
    • "All the numbers I put up were done in 16 years. I had 19 and a half years. I was injured three and a half years of my major league career..." – Frank Thomas (35:50)

3. Jon "Boog" Sciambi: Broadcasting Baseball, Mastery, and Belonging

Dream Job Realized

• Living His Best Professional Life:
  • Thrilled to be the voice of the Cubs—nothing feels better professionally.
    • "It's great. I would say this is it. I love it. I just… love the energy of the place. It matters." – Jon Sciambi (40:58)

Passion for the Game and Sabermetrics

• Childhood Love:

  • Grew up obsessed with the game, memorizing box scores, and seeking out every stat.
    • "My only question was, How do you get the box scores? ...I am never going on a cruise." – Jon Sciambi (42:10)

• Becoming a 'Baseball Nerd':

  • Interest in sabermetrics and Bill James’s ideas deepened his love and ability to broadcast the modern game.

Career Resilience and Growth

• Imposter Syndrome in Boise:

  • Early broadcasting days marked by self-doubt and tough learning curves—small-town radio, low pay, and even a brief stint as a donut maker.
    • "I wasn't good enough and it was just too fast for me. I just didn't know how to do it. And it took time to learn how to do it." – Jon Sciambi (46:30)

• Earning Confidence:

  • Growing through failure and eventually relying on internal standards, not just external praise.
    • "If 200 straight people came up to me and said that stunk, more often than not, in my heart, I'm… like, nope." – Jon Sciambi (53:54)

Humility, Validation, and Authenticity

• Compliments from Legends:

  • Shares moving stories of affirmation from John Miller and Bob Costas, yet remains focused on internal validation.
    • "John, I just want to tell you, I was listening the other night and it was just incredible..." (Bob Costas to Sciambi, 51:05)

• Embracing Authenticity:

  • Found his voice and best work came when he became comfortable simply being himself on the air.
    • "One of the things is that I got more comfortable later in my career just doing me… that you're willing to make the jokes and say the off cuff thing… I got better when I turned 40 because I got just a little more comfortable with who I was on the air and that you're really getting me." – Jon Sciambi (57:37)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Alex Rodriguez on Jeter:

  • "If there’s ever a conversation about me going back to shortstop, I’m going back to Texas because I wanted to honor Derek and I didn’t want any drama around the position." (03:37)

• Frank Thomas on Oakland:

  • "They were the best, smallest crowds I've ever seen in my life. Because it didn't matter. The energy was unmatched." (20:31)

• Frank on Milton Bradley:

  • "I'm done, hurt. I'm done. So he walks up to the clubhouse, took a shower in between innings...and went home." (22:56)

• Jon Sciambi on broadcast validation:

  • "If 200 straight people came up to me and said that stunk, more often than not, in my heart, I'm... like, nope, that's how I feel about writing, when I've done it correctly." (53:54)

• Frank Thomas on obsession:

  • "I was obsessed. First guy there, last guy to leave. Always wanted to be great. I didn’t want to be good." (28:49)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Alex Rodriguez on Jeter & Yankees role: 03:02–05:29
• Discussion on A-Rod & Media: 08:23–09:21
• A-Rod on Wealth & Pressures: 10:46–12:04
• Frank Thomas on Oakland & Toronto: 18:25–20:31
• Frank’s Milton Bradley Story: 22:39–23:31
• Frank on Not Getting Drafted & Work Ethic: 24:29–28:47
• Frank on Greatness vs. Good, Pressure: 30:12–32:58
• Frank on Injuries & Playing Through Pain: 35:50–37:44
• Jon Sciambi’s Path—Early Days/Boise Donut Story: 44:46–49:10
• Compliments from Legends (John Miller, Costas): 49:16–51:51
• Sciambi on Internal Validation: 53:54
• Final thoughts on Authenticity in Broadcasting: 57:37

Tone & Style

The episode is candid, reflective, and often humorous, with a warmth that invites both vulnerability and celebration of baseball’s quirks and glories. Each guest speaks with raw honesty and humility, and Le Batard skillfully draws out their most human moments.

Summary Useful for Non-Listeners

This episode provides an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at life as a baseball legend or elite broadcaster. It peels back the layers on public personas to reveal the pressures, obsessions, setbacks, and personal philosophies that drive excellence and fulfillment. If you want to understand not just what it’s like to achieve at the highest level of baseball, but to live with what comes after—the joy, the pain, the camaraderie, and the inner search for peace—this is an essential listen.