The Big Suey: Anyway... MVP! MVP! MVP! (feat. David Samson)

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: The Big Suey: Anyway… MVP! MVP! MVP! (feat. David Samson)
Date: March 12, 2026
Location: Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

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Episode Overview

In this lively "Big Suey" episode, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, David Samson, and the crew take listeners on a whirlwind ride through sports contracts, NFL negotiation awkwardness, salary obsessions, Miami sports culture, the World Baseball Classic, and a side of pop-culture strangeness—including a hilarious tangent about Donald Trump’s shoe gifts. Expect the crew’s signature blend of laughter, inside jokes, and sharp commentary on both sports business and absurd real-world happenings.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Notices, Parenting & Oscar Party Planning

• (00:42–03:14)
• Dan jokes about the minimal notice given for show events and parties: “11 days for us is a miracle. Like, that is unbelievable.” (01:52, Dan Le Batard)
• The group weighs in on how much notice is necessary for people with kids to drop everything and attend an event, sparking a debate on modern adult logistics.

2. America’s Obsession with Sports Salaries

• (03:14–05:41)
• Why do fans obsess over the exact contract values of athletes, especially NFL and NBA players?
• David Samson explains: “There's an obsession with money. There always has been.” (05:19, David Samson)
• The group reminisces about a time when contracts weren’t public knowledge and how disclosures evolved, crediting players’ unions and agents.

3. Positional Value and NFL Contract Controversy

• (07:04–11:45)
• Dan raises the discrepancies in NFL contract values, comparing Kenneth Walker’s ($45 million for three years) Super Bowl MVP payday to others like Jalen Phillips.

Notable Awkward Moment:

• Kenneth Walker’s Contract Negotiation at the Championship Parade
  • Seahawks GM John Schneider awkwardly references contract talks with Walker mid-celebration, resulting in a painfully silent MVP chant.
  • Quote: “He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago. It was really weird. Anyway. Hey, MVP. MVP. MVP.” (08:32, paraphrased from actual parade audio)
  • Dan’s Take: “The awkwardness neutered all of the noise in a way that made you be able to hear two or three awkward, isolated laughs at a parade.” (09:24, Dan Le Batard)
• David Samson and Adnan Virk analyze whether this was an embarrassing public negotiation or simply business pragmatism.

4. Raiders, Ravens, and the Max Crosby Trade Fiasco

• (15:25–24:16)
• David Samson explains the backroom business of NFL trades, waivers, and physicals, suggesting possible PR manipulation by the Ravens when the Max Crosby trade fell apart.
• Quote: “You can always blame it on medical concerns because…that’s like saying your back hurts. No one can prove that it doesn’t.” (25:19, David Samson)
• Discussion on whether fans or players have the right to feel betrayed by management or general managers in these drawn-out public deals.

5. The World Baseball Classic: Miami Vibes & Marlins Park Debate

• (27:02–31:08)
• Miami’s atmosphere during WBC games is celebrated—Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. electrify Marlins Park.
• Mike and Chris share stories from the packed ballpark: “Every time that somebody would come up to bat and you'd hear the crack of the bat, the place would explode.” (29:01, Mike)
• Samson defends Marlins Park amid traffic and location complaints, insisting such games justify its existence despite ongoing debate about the promised economic benefits.

6. Managerial Blunders: Mark DeRosa & Historic Mistakes

• (34:33–37:55)
• Dan and the crew discuss the US manager’s near-elimination mistake at WBC and recall other memorable coaching errors.
• Samson’s Take: “That would be a fireable offense...But you're not going to do a firing, you know, right before the quarterfinals.” (36:15, David Samson)

7. National Sports & Pop Culture Quick Hits

• Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game: “If you can do it, do it. If he could have gotten 101, I would have loved it.” (40:27, David Samson)
• Oscars Predictions: “People are going to make it a race issue if Sinners doesn't win best picture or cooler as a win best Director.” (40:53, David Samson)
• Oldies in Music: The group laments that 2000s music is now considered “oldies” (39:22–39:53).

8. The Melania Trump Documentary Roast

• (41:12–42:55)
• The panel eviscerates the new Melania Trump documentary.
• David Samson’s Review: “It is the worst documentary I’ve ever seen…it doesn't teach anything…no one could watch that and say it’s interesting.” (42:15–42:55)

9. Trump, Shoes, and Cabinet Footwear Conformity

• (44:38–46:38)
• Dan shares a bizarre report that Trump gifts shoes to his cabinet, guessing their size—resulting in ill-fitting, clownish looks for his team.
• Quote: “He looks like you did when you were six and you put on your dad's shoes.” (44:39, Dan Le Batard)
• The crew muses about Trump’s affinity for a certain shoe because of his “gout foot,” turning it into an extended joke about narcissism and forced conformity.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On America’s salary fixation:
  “There’s an obsession with money. There always has been.”
  — David Samson, 05:19

• On awkward contract negotiations:
  “He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago. It was really weird. Anyway. Hey, MVP. MVP. MVP.”
  — John Schneider via Dan, 08:32

• Awkward silence at the parade:
  “The awkwardness neutered all of the noise in a way that made you be able to hear two or three awkward, isolated laughs at a parade.”
  — Dan Le Batard, 09:24

• Football GM’s PR moves:
  “You can always blame it on medical concerns because…that’s like saying your back hurts. No one can prove that it doesn’t.”
  — David Samson, 25:19

• Miami’s Latin baseball energy:
  “You couldn't even hear after a certain point…Soto threw his bat basically to the dugout. Tatis was incredible.”
  — Mike, 29:01

• On Mark DeRosa’s blunder:
  “That would be a fireable offense...But you're not going to do a firing, you know, right before the quarterfinals.”
  — David Samson, 36:15

• On the Melania doc:
  “It is the worst documentary I’ve ever seen.”
  — David Samson, 42:15

• On Trump gifting shoes:
  “He looks like you did when you were six and you put on your dad's shoes.”
  — Dan Le Batard, 44:39

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• Parental logistics for events: 00:42–03:14
• Sports salary obsession & history: 03:14–07:04
• Kenneth Walker MVP contract drama: 07:04–11:45
• Max Crosby trade craziness: 15:25–24:16
• World Baseball Classic Miami party: 27:02–31:08
• Marlins Park argument: 29:36–31:08
• Mark DeRosa, managerial blunders: 34:33–37:55
• Oscars + pop culture speed round: 40:27–41:09
• Melania Trump doc roast: 41:12–42:55
• Trump shoe story: 44:38–46:38

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Tone & Personality

The episode is quintessential "Big Suey": sarcastic, irreverent, and playful with healthy doses of in-depth sports business talk. Dan, Stugotz, Samson, and the crew riff on everything from the absurdity of public contract negotiations (at a championship parade no less!) to the uniquely Miami experience of the World Baseball Classic, all while hurling pop-culture zingers and exposing the human quirks behind the business of sports.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Show

You’ll get the essential takes, learn the latest in NFL contract drama, relive the wildest Miami baseball scenes, and enjoy a send-up of Trump-world absurdity. Whether you’re here for the analytical breakdowns or the laughs, this episode delivers a full-stack Le Batard & Friends experience.

Transcript

[Dan LeBatard]

Welcome to the Big Sui, presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show,

[David Sampson]

the podcast that seems very similar to

[Dan LeBatard]

the other Dan LeBatard podcast?

[Chris Roy]

I'm sorry.

[Dan LeBatard]

I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging. I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries that if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys.

[Chris Roy]

I've done it.

[Dan LeBatard]

And now here's the marching man to Nowhere Fat Face and the Habitual Liar.

[David Sampson]

This episode of the Dan Lebatard show is presented by DraftKings. DraftKings. The Crown is yours.

[Dan LeBatard]

The people in video have found that mendality is indeed a word. And I have mamba mendality from misspeaking. I require trauma therapy from a company called Mendality. The Mamba Mendality. It's totally different. It sounds so much weaker than mamba mentality to just change the T to a D. I feel like you're doing more damage to me there than we did to the Wizards when we changed their wizard W to an L and made them the Lizards. David Sampson is with us. Hopefully he will be with us on Sunday as we plan an Oscar and Selection Sunday party. And I want to ask the group here with kids before we get to David Sampson. So Tony, Mike, and Chris Roy had to depart. He has an emergency to attend to. But when you have kids, what kind of notice do I have to give you to get you out of town? Because Adnan Virk is complaining that we only gave him 11 days notice. And 11 days for us is a miracle. Like, that is unbelievable.

[Chris Roy]

It's a year.

[Dan LeBatard]

Like, we had a year to know when the Oscars were and when Selection Sunday was. But for for us to give people 11 days notice on anything here is a miracle. What's the proper amount of notice to give somebody who has four kids so that you can get them down here to Miami?

[Mike]

I feel like the older they are, the quicker turnaround. You can kind of go, right, like, my daughter's 14 months, but Mike's daughter's probably five or six. So it's like a little bit of an easier kind of thing where you can be like, all right, Juliet, you're going to go do X, Y, and Z for me. For my daughter, it's like, you're 14 months. You can't even walk.

[David Sampson]

What do we do?

[Mike]

I need a little extra buffer of a time. 11 days, Dan. I could come back three times in 11 days.

[Dan LeBatard]

So that is enough time you guys, Adnan's complaining about it. Adnan saying he can't be down here because we didn't give him enough notice.

[Chris Roy]

I mean, yeah, we'd all agree, but culturally we have a problem with this. Like 11 seems like a lot of time for us, as you mentioned.

[Dan LeBatard]

David, what are your thoughts here?

[David Sampson]

I think that you have to plan things more than 10 days in advance because it's not just about. Remember he's got a lot of other stuff on the schedule, a lot of places to be. It's not about kid coverage necessarily, but getting flights and I don't know why he'd be bringing his kids. It's not a vacation, it's for work. But maybe it's the weather, I guess, but doesn't matter. I think 11 days should have been enough for Oscars, but for a general sort of coverage down there you need more than 11 days.

[Dan LeBatard]

He has two jobs as well. Adnan Burke is perpetually working, so that is part of the equation as well. But he filed it under the 4Kids umbrella because it sounds better. It doesn't sound like he's making us his third prior, but we will have him as a part of the coverage. He will just not be down here. I wanted to ask the group here before we get to some finances with David. Why are we so obsessed with the money in football where every contract that Daniel Jones signs, we know it to the dollar in a way that we don't even know movies and entertainment. Right. You might hear an actor made 19 million for a movie but it's never to the dollar in a way that it is in sports. And don't tell me salary cap cuz it's not like anything. It's not like the average fan cares about the apron, knows or understands what a salary cap is in basketball or football. Why do we care so much and do we do it much of anywhere else where we're obsessed with the amounts on these contracts?

[Mike]

I just think it's when, when an actor gets a role, it's not like we know the contract beforehand. Right. Like when Trey Hendrickson signed his deal. Four for 112. They report that as part of the deal. And like Leo's making, I don't know how much for. For one battle after another. It didn't get reported when they started.

[Chris Roy]

Yeah, if they started disclosing it in a similar fashion on the front end, you would care more about it. It's part of the appeal of the sport. And no, it's not just about the cap. As you mentioned baseball Those contracts are reported on probably more than any of the other major sports in this country.

[Dan LeBatard]

David, though, you're old enough to remember we didn't used to do this. I don't remember when this started, but I never knew what athletes made early in my career. That wasn't something that was known.

[David Sampson]

Yeah, there were always lists. It was always leaked by the players union what the salaries were of all the players. And it's really not disclosed by teams. We would say terms not disclosed, but then it gets leaked. And we would not deny it off the record to members of the media. But the contracts get approved by the union and by the commissioner's office, and there's always leaks within one of those two bodies. And there's also leaks in your organization. The reason why we're obsessed, we're all obsessed with money.

[Dan LeBatard]

Always.

[David Sampson]

We get the, you know, the. For the Forbes 500, the Forbes, Fortune 100, 500 companies, who are the richest people. You get the list of movie stars. You do get who made the most Money this last 12 months. When George Clooney sells his tequila company or whatever it was, you find out how much money he made. There's an obsession with money. There always has been.

[Dan LeBatard]

David. I'm telling you that at the beginning of my career, I know baseball has fiddled with this because the agents do want everyone to know what their client has making. And I think baseball started this. I do remember the John Contacts of the world. But there was a time very early in my career when where I simply did not see numbers and athletes getting this kind of coverage for the numbers. This was not. This was not always the case.

[David Sampson]

Well, the numbers are so different now. They're just. They're out of this world. When you can have schleppers at the end of the bench making five, $10 million. And you mentioned concac. The young people may not understand that, but that has become the example that's used for what it is when you have to get to a salary floor where you just have to overpay people who stink. And that's what the NBA is right now. There's so many overpaid guys because they've got to get to a number. And in the NFL, it's sort of the opposite in a lot of ways. Where you're finding that the cap can really be a constraint on. On the team building in a lot of ways and how you have to try to avoid the cap. So baseball. I don't know where you were, Dan. You just weren't focused on it. But the numbers have been around for

[Mike]

50 years to David's point. I remember when Dylan Brooks got cut by Memphis. Everybody's like, man, he's never going to get another job. Houston's like, hey, we need to raise the salary floor, give him 84 million DOL dollars over four years. He ended up being a decent player now with Phoenix. But it's like numbers like that stick with you. And I don't know if it's the numerology.

[Dan LeBatard]

For me, it's. For me, it's Austin Croshir. They paid him $53 million. And I was confused by it. But the reason I bring all of this up is at least in part because what have I, what I've just seen happen in football? Do you guys know what Kenneth Walker got off the top of your head? Right? This is a Super Bowl MVP off the top of your head. Do you all know what Kenneth Walker got from the Chiefs?

[Mike]

I do, so I'm gonna refrain.

[Adnan Virk]

I do not.

[Chris Roy]

I don't. I know he got three years, but I have no idea what the number was.

[Dan LeBatard]

He got three years, $45 million. And to me, it was a little bit strange. Right? That's Bradley Chubb money. This is the Super Bowl MVP. And it's not just the Super Bowl MVP. Kansas City was very bad at 10 yard runs last season, and Kenneth Walker was very good at 10 plus yard runs. I would think that would have more value than Bradley Chubb, I would think. Are you guys. Jalen Phillips just got four years, 120 million. Kenneth Walker is younger than Jalen Phillips and his body is in better condition than Jalen Phillips. And Jalen Phillips just got 4 years, 100 something million.

[Chris Roy]

But this is all positional value in the NFL, and it makes perfect sense. But when you mentioned Kenneth Walker, there was a clip that we missed from the championship celebration. I'd love to get your take and David's take. David, do you think John Schneider, the Seahawks gm, might have tipped his hand here on how the negotiations with Kenneth Walker were going? This is video from the championship parade

[Dan LeBatard]

to Ken Walker being the mvp. Let's go. He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago. It was really weird. Anyway. Hey, mvp. Mvp. Mvp. Mvp. That's Kenneth Walker right next to him, staring off into the distance. Haunted and haunted.

[Chris Roy]

Yeah, and it's good to see what Stugatz is up to.

[Adnan Virk]

He wants me to give him money. Anyway.

[Dan LeBatard]

Stugat would have done all of this, including the left awkward left hand of, you know what I've got in my holster? An MVP Chant to knock off this

[Chris Roy]

awkwardness one more time because Kenneth Walker's shaking his head the entire time. Just lock into Kenneth Walker.

[Dan LeBatard]

Looks so much like Stugot Ken Walker being the mvp. Let's go. He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago. It was really weird. Anyway, hey, mvp. Mvp. Mvp. I want to. All right, hold on. I want to analyze all of this, but, Sampson, first, your thoughts. And please, Chris, I want you to just isolate for me the unbelievable silence at a celebration parade because the awkwardness neutered all of the noise in a way that made you be able to hear two or three awkward, isolated laughs at a parade because the general manager had just done something so stupid. David, your thoughts on that?

[David Sampson]

Are you suggesting the stupidity? Because he knew already that he wasn't retaining Walker. Walker knew already he wasn't being retained, so there was nothing to surprise. Walker may have been thought. Thought that he was being embarrassed by that, by the disclosure of a negotiation, but it wasn't a negotiation. What happens in those parades or what would happen, you know, when you see each other in the lunchroom, like, hey, man, you got. You got 60 for me? I got 60. Come on. I need 60. And the GMs like, Dude, come on, man. No, I don't got 60. I'm sure they had a very honest conversation about it. So I don't think there's bad blood. Not resigning an F. An mvp. This is real big whoop. It's not a big. It's fine.

[Adnan Virk]

Yeah. I don't think Kenneth Walker appreciated that very much. Like, he clearly wanted to stay in Seattle, and maybe he was trying to, you know, have one last. You know, one last gasp at trying to get the GM to keep him. And John Schneider said, this guy over here thinks I'm gonna pay him. I don't think he liked it very much.

[Dan LeBatard]

All right. No, he did. He clearly did not like any of it. But I need to play all of this again, the entirety of it, because. Okay, first of all, this is just Great. Great video. 1. I can't believe how much the best general manager in football looks like Stugat, but also how he barrels through the awkwardness. Watch the specifics of the left hand. First of all, you've got a red solo cup in one.

[David Sampson]

Of course you do.

[Dan LeBatard]

And after the awkwardness, the fact that the left hand goes out, tell me you guys don't recognize Stu Gaz just in this sausage finger left hand situation to Ken Walker being the mvp. Let's go. He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago. It was really Weird. Anyway, hey, mvp. Mvp. Mvp. That anyway was doing so much lifting there. Can we just focus in, focus in here real quick on just Kenneth Walker's face. I'm sorry to do this to you, David, but I just, I don't want to watch anything else except that left hand come in awkwardly because we're zoning in on the entirety of Kenneth Walker's face throughout that so that you guys can just see him looking at the back of his general manager's head. Stu got his head and thinking to himself, I'm going to be in Kansas City in a couple dates. He tried negotiating with me five minutes ago. It was really weird. Anyway, that is such great silence. The laughter afterward is so very good.

[David Sampson]

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[Chris Roy]

Quick break to tell you about a special Miller time I had with my good buddy Mochetta. Mochetta texted me the other day. He said, hey, what are you doing for the game? I said, I'm just on my couch right now doing nothing, enjoying it. He's like, hey, do you want some company? I said, from you, Mochetta? Absolutely. Mochetta comes over to the house and I pull out the Miller Lite. Miller Light made that casual hang a memorable good Miller time with my good friend Mochetta. Because Miller Lite brought us together. We took that first sip after we toasted our beers and we knew we made the right call. We watched a game. All of a sudden we're standing up on our feet, Big threes are being drained and white cans are being clanged. See, times like these. That's exactly why Miller Lite is my go to clean, refreshing, easy to drink, brewed for taste with simple ingredients. The original light beer since 1975 and it still hits different for yours truly and his good friend Mo Chedda. Cheers to legendary moments made 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 Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[David Sampson]

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[Dan LeBatard]

Can you take us through David the Max Crosby situation and what it is that you found most interesting about what happened there are the Raiders. Now, can the Raiders even sign all those guys they signed, or do they have a problem there with being able to sign the guys they signed because now they'd be over the salary cap again if they have Max Crosby?

[David Sampson]

Well, there were certainly announcements made, but it's unclear whether or not there were actual agreements signed and whether the players that the Raiders purportedly signed are part of their roster. You're not officially on a team until you're entered into the computer where you are added to the roster of that team, and that's when you start with all the CAP calculations, etc. What surprised me was DaCosta coming out and saying he was gutted. Well, guess what? It was your decision. You failed him. I've had plenty of guys who come in and their shoulders are, you know, torn up and their elbows look like crap and they've got arthritis in their hips and you just do the trade anyway. What's the difference? He was in charge of that. And so you can't both be gutted and deny the trade. You could say that they were embarrassed, maybe they realized they gave up too much and they once they lost their center and they lost two first round picks, they were like, well, maybe we can pivot to Hendrickson. They chose to do that. But then don't say you're gutted. And if he failed his physical, then don't say you're gutted. Just say, hey, we've moved on and we couldn't be happier with Trey Hendrickson. Life happens for a reason. So I thought that his his take on it was supposed to make us feel badly for him And I certainly don't.

[Dan LeBatard]

Well, let's. Let's play that Eric DaCosta sound, the Ravens general manager for the audience.

[David Sampson]

We don't have that sound. I'm getting it right here.

[Dan LeBatard]

Okay. I was told that we had that sound.

[Adnan Virk]

I do want to ask, though, David. I know, look, it's bush league. What Eric DaCosta and the Ravens did. I understand that perspective of it, and it looks bad, but isn't this literally what the two day, illegal legal tampering period from Monday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon when the league year officially begins? Like, isn't this what that 48 hour period is? Forwards, hey, we just came up with an agreement and as long as everything checks out, we'll make it official on Wednesday. Like, did the Ravens really do anything wrong?

[David Sampson]

Yeah, no, you get that 48 hour period. You can get that whenever you want. Whenever you make a deal, you sign what's called an loi, a letter of intent. And in that loi, it's not binding because there are outs for physical. Sometimes you can do an LOI with an out for an owner approval. Those are not as popular. But if you sneak that into a trade agreement, like, hey, we agree to this trade, but we got to get final sign off by the owner. That's always funny. But you have sign off by the commissioner's office is required, and then you have a physical and either you pass or you fail. Either you accept the LOI and make it into a binding agreement, or the trade just goes away. And in this case, the trade just went away. I don't blame either side of it, but if you're the Raiders, it stinks. Because clearly they've got to come out and they've got to tell the other 30 teams that they're dealing with, not counting themselves and the Ravens, and they've got to build Crosby's value back. Because we love to call on players who we know had an loi, but then a trade didn't go down. We would call and say, hey, we'll take them, but by the way, we're offering 10 cents on the dollar, but you obviously need to move them for a roster spot or for money or for whatever. We'll take them. So I assume they're a bunch of snipers trying to get Crosby right now, and that's a bad thing.

[Dan LeBatard]

I wouldn't assume that. I think they've told everybody in the league he's damaged. I don't. I would not assume that. That's an awful lot of stuff to give up for a guy who has declined the last two years at least in part because his body doesn't work right.

[David Sampson]

That's what a sniper is. That means you don't, you get let you offer less. There's no two first round picks out there right now for cr comes and says, I'll give you a fourth rounder and a conditional second rounder because if you got to move them, you got to move them. And then that could be the makings of a deal. At which point the Raiders are like, this is ridiculous. I'm not going to trade him at his low like this. That's the risk you take when you enter into a trade agreement pending a physical, is that that the quality and the value of your asset will decrease.

[Adnan Virk]

So the Raiders apparently have told all of their free agents who they've come to agreed to terms with. They've told all of them we're still honoring these deals. We do have the money. So apparently they are going to be able to afford them. But like David Max Crosby late last night put out a tweet saying everything happens for a reason. Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. I'm a Raider, I'm back. Run that shit. And it's a gif of the undertaker being born again coming out of a casket. Like, does that mean, like, did the Raiders then tell him, okay, we're definitely not trading you? Like, why would he put that out?

[David Sampson]

Well, I would hope they wouldn't say that to him because that's probably not true. So you would never tell a player that you're not going to trade him because everybody's likely to get traded. Or certainly possible there could be if someone else. Let me say this. If another team pulls up with two first rounders, you can bet that Crosby is gone immediately. So I would assume the Raiders wouldn't be that stupid. But again, it's the. You just never know. But for Crosby, it's a tough position. You don't want to feel as though you're. You're not valued by a team, which is. He went to Baltimore, folks. He was like introduced by them. He did a whole thing publicly about how much he enjoyed the Raiders, but now he's all about Baltimore, bringing a championship to Baltimore. And now he's gotta, you know, sit on it and get back to Vegas. It's just a sucky situation for players, but it's part of the business.

[Mike]

Dave, in that situation where he obviously had a knee surgery in January, so it's pretty recent. The doctors know kind of what the deal is. It Wasn't a major structural damage. It was repairing a meniscus like that's kind of an everyday situation. But when they fail the physical like that, don't you figure there's got to be something else in that they saw? I know the Raiders at the end of last year wanted him to be out of games and he would show like him shooting a basketball, being like, I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me. And they got in trouble with kind of circumventing what the rules are a little bit. But like the doctors know what's going on, right?

[David Sampson]

Yeah. There's a possibility that there was a trial balloon of this trade and all of a sudden the press was so negative that they lost their center and two first round picks that the Ravens decided, forget it, I'm going to back off this trade because I overpaid. That's possible. The other possibility is that they looked at Crosby's films and saw something worse than his knee that maybe the Raiders had not focused on. That's possible. But what's more likely is that he was exactly as advertised. There was one set of medicals that got exchanged. They look at the films, I think they knew. Let me say this. There's not a player we ever acquired, even Henderson Alvarez, who, when we got him from Toronto, we looked at him, we were like, oh, that's worse than we thought, damn it. What are we going to do with him so that you see that once in a while. But I wouldn't say that there's a. There's an MRI that you get and you look and you say, oh my God, his elbow ligament is. Is totally off the frickin bone. And it was never talked about within. Between the trainers. That really doesn't happen.

[Dan LeBatard]

Can you guys put up on the poll for me, please? Juju, do you circumvent anything other than rules? Like when you use the verb circumvent, is it used for anything other than rules? I also want you guys to put on the screen before we play the entirety of the video, the look of a very scared Eric dacosta. You guys tell me whether the Ravens general manager here looks frightened to you. As you see, he's got to answer questions about doing business poorly with the Raiders. Go ahead and cue that sound.

[David Sampson]

I mean, I understand it, you know, I understand it. We live in that age of skepticism and people question, especially people that don't really know me or know the Ravens culture and the Ravens organization. So I understand it. As I said at the beginning, we've got A responsibility. I've got a responsibility to the Ravens, to this community, to our fans, and to Steve Bachotti to do what we think is best for the club. And that's what we always try to do. Every decision we make is based on this idea. Is this the best thing for the Ravens? It's very, very challenging. Again, I understand how people might, maybe from afar would feel that way, but nobody is more upset about this than me. Gutted by it, actually. And so I regret, a big regret for me. But we will move on as a football team and I think there's many, many opportunities for us to grow as a team, to become a better team, to build a roster.

[Adnan Virk]

I don't know. I think the Raiders are more upset.

[David Sampson]

Me too.

[Dan LeBatard]

Is he upset, though, because he looks like a dirty businessman in public? Because the Raiders, what the Raiders sent out might as well have said, hey, Ravens, go bleep yourself. We'll have no further comment like, hey, the Ravens did us dirty. That was unbelievably dirty. That guy's an asshole. We have no further comment like that. That's what the comment read like, even though it was, you know, sanitized.

[David Sampson]

It's why I believe, Dan, that there could be something else going on, that it could have been from a PR standpoint that they just, the owner may have called up DaCosta and said, dude, two first rounders and now we lost our center. It looks like that's the worst trade in the history of trades. So there is a possibility that that is the reason. And then you can always blame it on medical concerns because. Because that's like saying your back hurts. No one can prove that it doesn't. And you can just get away with having a bad back even when your back is fine. So you can get away with saying no trade because of medical concerns. And the truth is it was no trade because you were getting your ass kicked in pr.

[Chris Roy]

David, weren't you part of one of these trades where someone was sent back Colin Ray with the Padres? Like, what. What was the deal when that happened? There was an injury when he was pitching couple times. Right. Wasn't Mike Hampton something similar or.

[David Sampson]

Well, no. Mike Hampton just wouldn't be a Marlin. He just want to. He didn't want to come to the

[Dan LeBatard]

Marlins school systems in Colorado.

[David Sampson]

That's why he signed with Colorado. But when we wanted to trade for him, he wouldn't come here because he wanted to win a championship. And to do that, he had to go to Atlanta. And the irony is we won the championship Atlanta didn't. He and I had a funny talk about that recently. But yeah, Colin Ray. That's a crazy one. That would be the equivalent of Max Crosby coming to the Ravens. Playing a game with the Ravens in week one and then all of a sudden getting hurt and then the league steps in and says, hold on a second, something weird happened. And Max Crosby gets sent back to the Raiders after playing a game with the Ravens. Only a few of you may remember Colin Ray pitched a game for the Marlins.

[Dan LeBatard]

You guys think you can get a Crosby Ravens jersey? Because I imagine that would have some worth if we were able to get a red. Like if I were a Ravens, if I was stavi, I would go to the games in a Crosby ra Ravens jersey because of how close that was to happening. Do you think you can actually get one?

[David Sampson]

I bet juju will have one on today.

[Dan LeBatard]

You can get one made, but do you think the Ravens had any made? I guess is what I do. You think you could get it through the Ravens?

[David Sampson]

No. You don't need to make up during an off season. Unless they were doing a press conference jersey avail where they. They unveil the jersey. Like when you shake hands and hold up the jersey. Unless that had been planned, there'd be no reason for the clubby to make up the official jersey because they're off season.

[Dan LeBatard]

Something that I cannot help but notice. David, the World Baseball Classic is so wonderfully, colorfully Hispanic that Juan Soto is doing home run shots that I've never seen him do in Washington and New York because he's surrounded by such a Dominican. He's surrounded by such a frenzy in the stands yesterday here locally. And it's as good as the stadium that you built. David has ever felt in terms of press box shaking and just overrun by Latin people. Listen to just some of the ambient sound and watch Soto run the bases here where he's pointing at the sky and just really enjoying the flourish of all this. Tony was there and he'll have some, some stuff for you tomorrow on that because he says the whole place was shaking. Listen to the ambient sound on Fernando Tatis hitting a home run. Not the first base yet, not the first base yet.

[David Sampson]

And now he's.

[Chris Roy]

At first, he never got there. Actually.

[Mike]

He's still, he's still walking around. It was some of the most incredible baseball. The, the, the vibes were so high and every time that somebody would come up to bat and you'd hear the crack of the bat, the place would explode. You couldn't even hear after a certain Point. And you would watch the guys bat flip 45ft in the air. Soto threw his bat basically to the dugout. Tatis was incredible. Soto was incredible. Vladdy was incredible. Like everybody was so, so hyped.

[Chris Roy]

Tony and I were at the bar out in left field watching from there

[Mike]

during the inning where Katel Marte and

[Chris Roy]

then later on, Vlad Guerrero Jr. Ends up hitting a home run.

[Mike]

And when Guerrero Jr. Hit the homer,

[Chris Roy]

not only is the entire area exploding, people throwing their hats, dancing with each other, but also as Vladdy crosses home plate and I couldn't see exactly which two players it was from where we were. One player hops on another player's back and he sprints down the first baseline with the piggyback going on. It was insane.

[Adnan Virk]

The.

[Chris Roy]

The energy level and the noise was amazing.

[David Sampson]

David, I'm so happy that you guys enjoyed that.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oof.

[David Sampson]

That's. But a couple things, guys. Number one one, we've had World Baseball classics with Dominican and Venezuela before that were also loud. It's amazing. Number two, Dan, it's not a Latino thing. If you went to the Tokyo Dome, that place was so loud when Ohtani hit the grand slam that you could not believe the noise that goes on. So there are other fan bases in addition to the Latin fan bases that are loud and excited. And number three, Mike, is that I don't ever want to hear from you again. Ever. Not one time that you're upset about Marlins Park. Because just that one game by itself makes Marlins Park a deal worth doing and what it does for Miami. So for me, I am. I'm very happy. I really am.

[Chris Roy]

Have to worry about that because I just lost all respect for you. You won't be hearing from me.

[Dan LeBatard]

How does that one game not watch

[Chris Roy]

Devin Hester's kickoff return, pal.

[Dan LeBatard]

How does that one game make that stadium worth it? Jeremy couldn't get home because he couldn't get an Uber in. Oh, in what that neighborhood is after games because you promised us an economy would build around that stadium and all there is is that one stupid Wendy's.

[David Sampson]

Wait. I'm very sorry. It's totally easy. The ingress and egress out of Dolphin Stadium. That is a piece of cake. And oh, the Triple A after a game. Don't worry. Biscayne moves like Jello through the river. Give me a break now.

[Adnan Virk]

Do Ammon Bake arena on Sunrise.

[David Sampson]

I know. I love that one. There's so many exits for that one. There's 360 degrees worth of exits, but you're in the Everglades. So there's that.

[Chris Roy]

Just as someone that's taken ride shares from all of these sporting venues locally, I went to the Winter Classic at that ballpark. Easily the worst experience of them all. Like by triple.

[David Sampson]

I'm sorry.

[Mike]

This episode is sponsored by Better Help. March is one of those months where we talk about celebrating women. And it's very, very deserved. Because when you actually look around, a lot of women in our lives are carrying a ton. Work, family, relationships, expectations nobody notices or sees. I start thinking about the women around me. My wife, my mom, my sister, my friends, my co workers, people who somehow take care of everybody else while still trying to hold it together themselves. And it's a ton to carry. Therapy can be a place to put some of that weight down. It can help you figure out what's yours, what isn't, and how to set better boundaries so you're not running on empty all the time. BetterHelp works with fully licensed therapists in the US and they handle the matching process for you. You fill out a short questionnaire and if your therapist isn't the right fit, you can switch at any time. With more than 30,000 therapists and over 6 million people served, it's the world's largest online therapy platform with an average of 4.9 out of 5 session ratings. Your emotional well being matters. Find support and feel lighter in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com DLB that's betterhelp H-E-L-P.com DLB DraftKings Sportsbook the number one sportsbook for live betting is built for March. The tournament is unpredictable, but the rewards are guaranteed, baby. And DraftKings is delivering some of the most generous rewards in the market. New to DraftKings, bet just five bucks and get 200 bucks in bonus bets instantly. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app and use code DAN. That's code DAN to turn five bucks into 200 bucks in bonus bets instantly in partnership with DraftKings. The crown is yours.

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[Dan LeBatard]

Spring is here and there's a whole

[Chris Roy]

new way to chai at Starbucks that's

[David Sampson]

made perfect for you.

[Chris Roy]

Choose your sweetness.

[David Sampson]

Dial it up or keep things light.

[Chris Roy]

Add a touch of pistachio, a hint of strawberry or vanilla, or make it

[David Sampson]

a spring classic with lavender.

[Chris Roy]

Because this season there's endless ways to chai at Starbucks.

[David Sampson]

Dan LeBatard.

[Dan LeBatard]

Go peefee stugats.

[David Sampson]

Go Pee pee. This is the Dan LeBatard show with the Stugats.

[Mike]

There were more people there last night

[Chris Roy]

than the World Baseball Crowd classic final in 2023 and the winter Classic. It was electric.

[Dan LeBatard]

Why did David just say to us, I'm glad you guys enjoyed all of that? It sounded like there was an undercurrent of sarcasm in there, as if you didn't enjoy it.

[David Sampson]

No, I, I, no, because he built the stadium. He's saying you're welcome for our joy.

[Dan LeBatard]

Okay, that was the arrogance. Yeah, okay. I didn't, I couldn't.

[Chris Roy]

You were right to read the arrogance. You just misread what the arrogance was.

[Dan LeBatard]

Thank you for that. Thank you.

[David Sampson]

The inner voice there, Mike.

[Dan LeBatard]

I thought, I thought that David would have some commentary on Mark DeRosa. The Italians bailed out the United States. Where I wanted to get with you guys on what you regard we did a little bit of this yesterday as the worst mistake you've ever seen someone in the position of Mark derosa make. Because I believe that if Mexico had beaten Italy to knock the United States out of that, that this would have been an all time mistake that people would have remembered and associated with Mark deros name for the rest of time, even above his Major League baseball career. But because Italy beat Mexico, it's going to be a footnote and an afterthought and it's not going to go down as an all time mental error from a manager thinking the United States had already advanced before they actually advanced.

[Chris Roy]

I mean these are the rules of the tournament. Maybe Dave has some, some good examples like previously I would say Nathaniel Hackett managing the clock to the point to settle for a 64 yard field goal. It basically like he got fired before Eber flutes.

[Dan LeBatard]

Eber Fluss at the end of that Thanksgiving game.

[Chris Roy]

Yeah, there was a, there was another. Was it another Thanksgiving game? Steelers Lions in the old Silver Dome overtime coin flip controversy as to what was said. But yeah, we're going to kick. This is when the first score would win in overtime and it cost them the game.

[Dan LeBatard]

Wasn't that Seahawks, Green Bay or.

[Chris Roy]

No, no, that's Matt Hasselback saying We want the ball and we're going to win.

[Dan LeBatard]

That's different. That is. Right. That's that morning.

[Chris Roy]

Marty Morinweg. Yeah, I think so.

[Dan LeBatard]

David, your thoughts on that as a blunder? Because I was saying yesterday that's a fireable offense. Like if they simply fired him, they wouldn't. Because you wouldn't do that. Turmoil in the middle of a tournament. But if they'd fired him, I would have understood.

[David Sampson]

Yeah. In a regular season, in a, in an organization that wasn't the wbc, that would be a favorable offense. What? Not just that, but saying that, you know, the players may have been dragging. We wanted to get the players off their feet. Just everything he did with the media was wrong. But you're not going to do a firing, you know, right before the quarterfinals. It's just not going to happen. Mark Derosa will not be back to manage the WBC in 2030. I can promise you that. That, and this is not because of that only, you know, that's what he did. You know, mistakes happen. You can, you can misspeak. But the way he did it and then doubled down with how he managed, even though he managed the game exactly as he was supposed to manage the game, he didn't do the lineup. That's one of the funniest things here. Oh, he sat Bryce Harper. He sat Cal Raleigh. No, that's not really how it works. Worked. It was a decision that was made for him about who was going to play. Because when players are in the classic, their teams are told your guy's going to get a certain number of at bats, a certain number of starts, certain number of innings pitched. It is all pre planned. Kershaw up in the bullpen. Yes, because that's exactly what was told when Kershaw would be pitching in a blowout situation. And he needs the extra five minutes to prepare. So all the talk of him mismanaging the game is not accurate. But mismanaging the media around the game was a big, big problem.

[Adnan Virk]

All right, David, so you're telling me they can get to the final of the WBC and the game is going to be managed based on what the players clubs told them they're allowed to do?

[David Sampson]

100. It's all preordained. 100% and they'll tell you otherwise. But if you speak to the people doing it or you speak to someone who's run team, who's given players to the wbc, see, you know exactly how many at bats your guys are going to get in exactly which games. Let Me tell you the pitching for the final game, it is Nolan McLean who's starting. It doesn't matter whether it's against Japan, whether it's against anybody else. Nolan McLean is starting and he's going four innings, 65 pitches at most. I don't think he'll go that many. But whatever it is, the Mets have been in agreement with the commissioner's office and Michael Hill about what his usage will be.

[Dan LeBatard]

What year in music classifies as making a song an oldie?

[David Sampson]

The forties?

[Dan LeBatard]

Well, Jay Z was made oldies earlier this week and you're doing big band songs. That's not how you play the game. The 1940s makes it oldies, but they're telling me around here that the 90s and even 2005's gold digger is an oldie. What do you shaking your head know about that? That they're oldies and there are moldies now, that Sinatra and all of that are moldies. That we have a new category of oldies.

[David Sampson]

So if you do the math, that's like when we're listening to the 80s, that songs from the 60s would we consider them oldies? And the answer is yes. If you're in the 2000s listening to the 2000s, that's 20 years ago. I guess that's an oldie. God, that makes me ancient. But I'm going to change my answer. And 2000s are now considered oldies.

[Chris Roy]

That's the line of demarcation I came up with the Marlins world series. Oh, three.

[David Sampson]

That's a long time ago already. Listen, it's 23 years. There's no qu. There's a whole generation. My son was born, went to college and is in the working world and he had didn't see a Dolphin playoff win or a Marlins playoff win while he was before high school graduation. So yeah, that is a. But he got the heat, so he certainly got to live better than a lot of people. But it's not easy to do it the way you guys think.

[Dan LeBatard]

I'm going to speed David up here to get through everything that he might want to have opinions about here because we're running out of time. So all your thoughts on the Bam Adebayo 83 point situation, go as quickly as you can.

[David Sampson]

In 16 months, no one remember anything about what he did other than he scored 83 and to not do it because Kobe has 81. Give me a break. If you can do it, do it. If he could have gotten 101, I would have loved it. I'm so happy that he did it. It was ugly for sure, but loved it.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oscars week is a upon us. We're hoping to have a watch party with you and Adnan on Sunday that combines that and Selection Sunday. Your thoughts quick as you can be on the Oscars. I know you have a lot of them.

[David Sampson]

People are going to make it a race issue if Sinners doesn't win best picture or cooler as a win best Director. And that's not really what it is. Michael B. Jordan has a really good chance, if not a definite chance, to win best Actor. There's going to be some locks, but also some surprises come the show show Sunday night.

[Dan LeBatard]

What's the movie that you're reviewing for us this week?

[David Sampson]

I needed more time for this one. I did it, Dan. I watched Melania. I don't. Did you?

[Dan LeBatard]

I saw five times. I couldn't. I could not believe when I saw the trailer for it, how stupid it was. And I can't believe how empty her relationship is with Donald Trump.

[Mike]

Empty.

[Dan LeBatard]

Even knowing as people mock it.

[Chris Roy]

Believe it.

[Dan LeBatard]

I know. I can't. I. That they showed video. Video proof. David, you speak. I haven't seen the movie. But you tell me whether it reflected or not how totally empty their relationship is where he's been elected president of landslide. She hasn't watched it. Like, she hasn't watched his speech. She has like it's nothing wrong with that. It's unbelievable to think that you would be this distant from your. From your husband.

[David Sampson]

Well, does Valerie watch every show you do?

[Dan LeBatard]

She would if I was named president of the United States. She'd be watching.

[Mike]

Good point there.

[Dan LeBatard]

She'd be watching. Watching that night.

[David Sampson]

I don't think so.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's got an 11 on Rotten Tomatoes, but a 98. 11 from the critics.

[Adnan Virk]

Audiences love it.

[Dan LeBatard]

A 98 from the audience.

[David Sampson]

It is the worst documentary I've ever seen.

[Chris Roy]

Where'd you come from?

[David Sampson]

It doesn't teach anything. But B, it's embarrassing. All I kept thinking about is I cannot believe that anyone put their name to this only to be that close to power and to be a part of it the way Amazon was. I was just shocked by it. There's no way that a film executive watched this and said, oh, that's a really good edit. This is a good 104 minutes. I'm just not buying it because no one could watch that and say it's interesting. You don't learn one thing. You don't get any insight into anything. All the things that have to happen for a documentary, not one of them happened in this one. But it's I was staggered by it. It was sad, but I had to watch it.

[Mike]

Watch it. That's my giving.

[David Sampson]

That's the point.

[Adnan Virk]

I got caught up in the excitement.

[Dan LeBatard]

I would love a bunch of Zagakis to argue against each other at some point because you guys were just stunned by something that works. Get it to fight. You guys were that stunned by Zaslow breaking out of Zagaki. None of us had ever heard before. David, I don't. I don't know if you have seen this story, but it's a bit magical. Okay, obviously, turn that music down. Thank you. Obviously, you find that at present moment, even MAGA is turning against Trump. And what it takes is war and pedophilia to finally make that happen. The most extreme of the things.

[Chris Roy]

It's not a war.

[Dan LeBatard]

But also, even though it is, and

[Chris Roy]

we keep saying it is, it's not.

[Mike]

Critical Strike Mission.

[Chris Roy]

Epic Fury.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's Epic Fury, but it's not.

[Chris Roy]

He told the story of how it was named Epic Fury. And this is like a direct quote. I was kind of falling asleep. That had a bunch of names. And then I saw Epic Fury.

[David Sampson]

Yeah, that's about.

[Chris Roy]

That's about how we thought it went, Mr. President.

[Dan LeBatard]

And so there is some stuff here that is hugely serious, but something funny that has happened here. And I have seen the late night shows. Have fun with this. And I couldn't stop. Stop watching the absurdity of what I'm about to show you. The backstory on this is that Donald Trump has taken to giving dress shoes to some of the people in his totally incompetent and corrupt cabinet. And he gives them dress shoes, but he guesses their shoe size. He does not ask them their shoe size.

[Adnan Virk]

So he really.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yes. Well, watch this, because this was stunning to see this, even though it shouldn't be. And so his lackeys and the incompetence are afraid to not wear the shoes that he has given them. So this is what happens to Marco Rubio. He looks like you did when you were six and you put on your dad's shoes. Like when you tried to go into your dad's closet. And it looks like these are uncomfortable to walk in because there's so much space behind the heel. It's remarkably stupid and totally on break.

[Chris Roy]

So everyone in his cabinet, Donald Trump, apparently lost, loves this brand of shoe. And it's an affordable shoe.

[Dan LeBatard]

It's like it's $145 from Floor Shine.

[Chris Roy]

Yeah. And I think it. I actually think something else is at play here. I don't think he just guesses their sizes. I think it's very difficult for Donald Trump to fit his gout foot into a dress shoe. And that shoe is very wide at the ankle. And he's like, this shoe is amazing. And normal ankles look like that in the shoe. He hasn't pieced together that he loves his shoe so much because it's the only dress shoe that doesn't cut off circulation to his gout foot.

[Mike]

Zazzy. Nope.

[Adnan Virk]

With that gout foot, I had gout.

[Dan LeBatard]

You're surprised by what we're showing you here, David.

[David Sampson]

I'm just laughing because don't all NBA coaches on the bench wear the same shoes? I'd have to go back and look at a bench. I know they dress the same, but I think they may wear the same shoes. And it's possible that you buy shoes that have a little more space when you wear thicker socks. Socks versus thin socks. Out of all the things that we should be criticizing about the administration, and there's so many that I can't list

[Dan LeBatard]

them all, I wanted a funny David. I wanted a light, funny one. I didn't want to do war and pedophilia again.

[Chris Roy]

I guess core inflation, although 5 year low core inflation when you take out, like, the things that everybody uses. But he's kind of like a Batman villain, not just because he's evil, but because he makes people dress like him. Like Mar? A Lago face is basically Joker cosmetics from Batman, 1989.

[David Sampson]

I love the thought of someone's narcissism requiring other people to look like them. Because my narcissism is the other way I would. I'm happy if people do not look like me or dress like me. I don't want that sort of comparator.

[Chris Roy]

I don't think you got to worry about that one.

[Mike]

Pal business on the top, party on the bottom.

[Chris Roy]

Yeah.

[Dan LeBatard]

See you later, David. Ooh, a pal off. We had a pal off there. Yeah.

[Chris Roy]

Let me get the sequence. Blade. Try to ignore the shirt that Cam wore on Modern Family.

[Dan LeBatard]

Try to ignore that when Inter Miami was at the White House, they were saying that Donald Trump smelled bad.

[Chris Roy]

Shot clocks, big shots, upsets, aces. TGL playoffs are here. First Atlanta Drive starts their repeat run against Los Angeles Golf Club. Then Rory's Boston Common Golf and Tigers Jupiter Links face off in their playoff debuts. Who will advance? Keep up its playoffs. Tune in Tuesday, March 17 at 6:30pm and 9pm only on ESPN and the ESPN app.