The Big Suey: Capturing The Real Moments (feat. Tony Reali)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Big Suey: Capturing The Real Moments (feat. Tony Reali)
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Release Date: April 14, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, titled "The Big Suey: Capturing The Real Moments", hosts Dan Le Batard and Stugotz delve deep into the intersection of sports and genuine human emotion. Featuring special guest Tony Reali, the conversation navigates through contemporary sports narratives, with a particular focus on capturing authentic moments that resonate with fans beyond mere statistics and outcomes.

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1. Basketball Analysis: Chris Paul and the Knicks' Struggles

The episode kicks off with a robust discussion on the NBA landscape, highlighting Chris Paul's remarkable Ironman streak. At [01:35], Stugotz remarks on Paul's perseverance:
"Chris Paul yesterday at the age of 39 years old, finished playing all 82 in a regular season when we all thought that he was done three, four, five years ago."

Dan Le Batard adds context about the evolving nature of athlete longevity:
"A testament to all of the science and different things being done by nutritionists and bodyworkers to allow the aging process to play out differently." [02:35]

The conversation shifts to the Miami Heat and their performance, with emphasis on the Knicks' declining results:
"The Knicks are in trouble because they're 0-8 against the Cavs and Celtics this season... and that's why they're in trouble." [03:07]
Stugotz further elaborates on the Knicks' struggles against top-tier teams, highlighting their challenges in securing victories against league powerhouses.

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2. NBA Playoffs and Coaching Dynamics

Tony Reali introduces insights into the Denver Nuggets' coaching situation under Michael Malone:
"The tough part is when you have a fiery coach like that is super emotional... it's sometimes to win you a championship and then it kind of flames out." [06:09]

Stugotz reflects on the human aspect of professional sports, emphasizing the emotional toll on players when dealing with management styles:
"Do you realize how oppressive an environment has to feel... to say bleep this boss, I'm going to stop playing well." [06:53]

Dan Le Batard furthers the discussion by examining player-coach relationships and the broader implications on team performance.

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3. Capturing Emotional Moments in Sports: Rory McIlroy's PGA Highlight

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to Rory McIlroy's emotional moment during the Masters. Stugotz praises the authenticity captured during the event:
"You are seeing a person who is as happy as he can be and as grateful as he can be... it captures the intimacy of that up his nostrils." [39:52]

Tony Reali echoes this sentiment, highlighting the impact of raw, unscripted emotions in sports broadcasting:
"We have taken so much of what's real and made it just routine... that's real." [23:40]

The hosts discuss how such moments transcend typical sports narratives, offering fans a deeper connection and appreciation for the athletes' human side.

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4. Personal Stories and the Balance of Emotion in Professionalism

Tony Reali shares personal anecdotes about his journey towards emotional availability, both professionally and as a parent:
"This is a conversation that I want to have going forward... because there will be those dark angels on your head when you want to yell at a referee." [32:27]

Stugotz playfully critiques Reali's emotional openness, yet acknowledges the importance of such vulnerability:
"But that schmaltz, it's exactly what will get you points on around the Horn. Just do something syrupy and schmaltzy that America eats up." [32:03]

The dialogue underscores the delicate balance athletes and media personalities must maintain between professionalism and genuine emotion, fostering relatable and impactful storytelling.

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5. Future Directions: Expanding the Conversation on Emotions in Sports

Tony Reali proposes innovative ideas to further explore emotional narratives within sports media:
"I'm thinking about... a series that I want to make that's called Tony Baloney Macaroni... navigating all the ways of life." [34:07]
He envisions creating platforms where parents and fans can share and discuss their emotional experiences, enhancing community engagement and support.

Stugotz encourages these initiatives while maintaining the show's signature humor and candidness:
"But how about children, books, ideas?" [26:18]

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with reflections on the significance of capturing real moments in sports, celebrating the unfiltered human emotions that define memorable athletic achievements. Tony Reali’s contributions provide a thoughtful perspective on balancing emotional expression with professional demands, enriching the show's exploration of sports beyond the game.

Notable Quotes:

• Stugotz:
  "Chris Paul yesterday at the age of 39 years old, finished playing all 82 in a regular season when we all thought that he was done three, four, five years ago." [01:35]

• Dan Le Batard:
  "A testament to all of the science and different things being done by nutritionists and bodyworkers to allow the aging process to play out differently." [02:35]

• Stugotz:
  "The Knicks are in trouble because they're 0-8 against the Cavs and Celtics this season... and that's why they're in trouble." [03:07]

• Tony Reali:
  "We have taken so much of what's real and made it just routine... that's real." [23:40]

• Stugotz:
  "Do you realize how oppressive an environment has to feel... to say bleep this boss, I'm going to stop playing well." [06:53]

• Tony Reali:
  "This is a conversation that I want to have going forward... because there will be those dark angels on your head when you want to yell at a referee." [32:27]

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This episode serves as a profound reminder of the power of authentic storytelling in sports, celebrating both the athletes' resilience and their raw emotional moments that captivate and inspire fans worldwide.

Transcript

[Mike Ryan]

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[Dan LeBatard]

Now's a good time to remember where Tequila's story truly began. In 1795, Cuervo invented tequila. Cuervo, what are you doing here? Cuervo?

[Stugotz]

Anytime someone says Cuervo, I show up.

[Dan LeBatard]

Well, I do know that to be true. But even during ad reads like Cuervo, I think he could lay out especially for one of our great partners.

[Stugotz]

Sweet, delicious Cuervo.

[Dan LeBatard]

Since then, Cuervo has stayed true to its roots. The same family, the same land, the same passion.

[Stugotz]

Cuervo.

[Dan LeBatard]

So enjoy the tequila that started it all.

[Tony Reali]

Cuervo.

[Stugotz]

Cuervo.

[Dan LeBatard]

The tequila that invented tequila. Proximo Cuervo.com please drink responsibly.

[Stugotz]

Cuervo welcome to the Big Sui presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show?

[Mike Ryan]

The podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan LeBatard podcast?

[Tony Reali]

I'm sorry, I'm not gonna apologize for that.

[Mike Ryan]

In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging.

[Stugotz]

I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fr. If they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys.

[Tony Reali]

I've done it.

[Mike Ryan]

And now here's the marching man to nowhere, Fat face and the habitual liar.

[Stugotz]

There were a handful of interesting things from basketball yesterday. Very quietly and surprisingly given that I'm gonna say four or five years ago, nobody in Miami with the Heat or otherwise wanted Chris Paul. And Chris Paul yesterday at the age of 39 years old, finished playing all 82 in a regular season when we all thought that he was done three, four, five years ago. A testament to all of the science and different different things being done by nutritionists and bodyworkers to allow the aging process to play out differently. Also interesting as it regards playing time. Mikhail Bridges of the Knicks playing for six seconds and just committing a foul so he can Continue His Ironman streak. 550 plus games. Asinine to do it how you live, Dan. Just asinine do it that way. That is not an ironman. That is just an accounting. That is an accounting.

[Dan LeBatard]

No, I think the Asinine part is that they're just holding him out. So like they're going to end his streak because of load management. I think that's a bigger issue than him like just trying to use whatever he can to keep it going and just foul somebody and be cute about it. The fact that we're just all resigned to load management is just a thing that comes with that sport.

[Amin Elhassan]

I'm going to say it here first. Knicks are in trouble. I'm going to put that out there. Just kind of push that boat.

[Billy Corben]

You're not the first one to say that.

[Amin Elhassan]

You're Pistons guy on this show. Nobody said the Knicks are in trouble. Yes, Stu hasn't been here in six years.

[Billy Corben]

Amin said it four days ago.

[Amin Elhassan]

That's not true.

[Stugotz]

The Knicks are in trouble.

[Billy Corben]

I'll let you be the second.

[Stugotz]

The Knicks are in trouble because they're 08 against the Cavs and Celtics this season. And those are the two teams they got to be better than. And they're not better than either one of those teams and that's why they're in trouble. That's a good Knicks team. That's a. That Knicks team is one of the best eight, seven or eight teams in the league. It's a good team, but oh, and eight against the Celtics and Cavs this year.

[Billy Corben]

Take it or leave it, Tony.

[Amin Elhassan]

You want the second the playoffs started? You cannot be the first the playoffs started. The lineups are set. Everything is set. I'm the first one to say it. Knicks in trouble.

[Billy Corben]

You're the second. That's all I'm going to give you.

[Stugotz]

The Knicks also finish, oh and 10 against the top three teams in the league because they lost both both times.

[Dan LeBatard]

To OKC and Jaime Hawk scored 41 points.

[Stugotz]

Well, let's talk about that one for a second. Hold on. Pull out that. Bob, that box score for a second.

[Billy Corben]

This last Sunday of the NBA season is the greatest day. Pat Connaughton 43 points. Landry Shamut 29 points. It is just. Oh my God.

[Stugotz]

I think I've got better for you. I want to look this up. You guys help me because I have not looked it up. Okay. The last day of the regular season is wonderful because the Miami Heat can conclude the worst season in recent memory by losing at the buzzer to a 19 year old bub. That is, I'm gonna guess, the first time that a game winner has ever been hit by a 19 year old. Although Kobe may have done it. I'm just guessing there. And the reason I'm gonna Guess there is because it's the first time a 19 year old has ever been allowed to take the game winner. That's not something that we do in that sport, bub Carrington. Let's look at that box score because we're going off into the fringes of the NBA. The best stuff in the NBA yesterday was twofold. A bunch of 30 year olds playing for a week off. Like playing as hard as they can so they could get. I don't want to do any playing games. And then Denver doing that to Houston because we know Denver's going to do that to Houston if they see him in the playoffs. Like Houston doesn't have anything for Denver that way. And the quote I'm looking at on Malone from an anonymous source quote, I cannot say any player was vouching for Malone at the end. Not a player was vouching because. And in the story that I read, he's very emotional, he gets very intense with the bad. He gets, he cries with the good. And one of the things that was happening is Michael Porter and Aaron Gordon are like, I got real world issues that aren't as important as this back to back. Like I got real profound sadness in my life that is much harder than what you're doing to me when I get to work. And the disconnect evidently is some something that made him get fired. And the Nuggets remind you yesterday how it is that they won a championship a couple of years ago.

[Amin Elhassan]

I think the tough part is when you have a fiery coach like that is super emotional, super like screaming that that coaching style only has such a shelf life and it's usually to win you a championship and then it kind of flames out. Like people have been talking about this earlier. Smart basketball people have been talking about earlier, hey, the Mike Malone situation in Denver, there's something up there you saying.

[Stugotz]

That I believe is common perception and common knowledge. But in all of the coverage that we do of sports, when we make these people not human and we just file something under tuning him out, tuning a boss out. Do you realize how oppressive a an environment has to feel in order for a bunch of people paid millions of dollars to play a game to say bleep this boss, I'm going to stop playing well. I'm going to stop playing my hardest because of how unhappy I am with the person who's in charge here? Do you realize how human that is? Any of us can understand it, but to be professional is to not be that. You do understand, right? That to be professional is to you get in there and you give everything you've got every single time. But to be professional is often not to be human.

[Dan LeBatard]

Still looking for a more comprehensive list, but I found at least four 19 year olds that have hit game winning baskets at the buzzer. A.J. griffin of the Atlanta Hawks, LaMelo Ball did it. You were right to invoke Kobe. LeBron James also did that. Rare when you're trusted with that responsibility at nine, but certainly something that happened in the NBA after the turn of the century more often.

[Amin Elhassan]

And it goes to show you when your star players kind of tune you out and don't really care about what's going on. Jokic's last Games with Michael Malone. 61, 33, 41.

[Stugotz]

You mentioned ball and I wanted to ask you something that I saw in a YouTube ad the other day, but I didn't really recognize what it was. So help me, because I'm offering you information on something that I saw that I have partial information on. So it's Alonzo Ball commercial and they're talking about his big hands and they, they say something about blue balls and they say something about bust balls. And I didn't know what it was a commercial for. It was gone very quickly and it was obviously Alonzo Ball commercial for something that involved the word ball.

[Dan LeBatard]

Was it Lamelo or Lonzo?

[Stugotz]

I thought it was Lonzo. I didn't think it was. I thought it was a lot. I thought it was a Lonzo Ball commercial. And he's, he's back, by the way. And he's not, he's not as brother, obviously, but I just simply didn't know what it was for and I didn't look it up and I was confused after seeing it. But I did want to talk about that Clippers Nuggets game and I'm positing, I'm putting in front of all of you the idea that as the Mavs last year were a surprising team to have in the Finals. Them beating OKC and Luca getting there established Luka as a better player than a lot of people knew he was, even though everybody knows that he's plenty good because of how far he advanced in the playoffs and how surprising it was that he advanced in the playoffs. I saw all of you wince a little bit when I said that the Clippers would be the most surprising champion in NBA history after trading Paul George if they are able to stay healthy enough to to do damage in the postseason. But as the warriors are now in the play in okay and Draymond Green is saying don't worry about them, that they, that we're not senior citizens, he says. We're high level basketball players. We'll be fined. No disrespect to senior citizens, which I love that he threw in at the end. Draymond learning no disrespect to senior citizens, all of whom are on inside the NBA critiquing the games. The warriors now have a much harder path because they've got to go through Memphis, they've got to go through the play in and then they're going to, they're going to play top seeds. A fascinating series in the first round is Lakers, Minnesota. Like that's just I didn't know who the Lakers were going to get, but I was going to be interested in whoever it is that the Lakers got. But I want to talk about the Clippers because do you understand how rare it is to get to the postseason with a team that nobody's been talking about and to be like, oh, they're good enough that that team is absolutely good enough. Like that's exactly the team that takes out an OKC where it's like, oh, they got all the 30 year olds and they got a post presence who is going to. It's just, it's just crazy to watch what it is they're getting from their center, Zubot in alongside Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi Leonard, by the way, give me a stat of the day here. I've got a good stat of the day for you guys as we have obsessed around here about Jimmy Butler.

[Unknown]

Start of the day, Start of the day it is the start of the day. Start of the day Start of the day it is the start of the day Start of the day Start of the day it is the start of the day. Start of the day. Start of the day it is the start of the day.

[Stugotz]

I am really, really rooting for Kawhi Leonard to remain healthy this postseason because of this stat I'm about to give you. And I'm just going to remind you of what the last eight years have brought in basketball and how long ago it seems that Kawhi Leonard won a championship by himself in Toronto. Jimmy Butler has not beaten Kawhi Leonard and this is a bit of a trick here because obviously load management makes it so that Kawhi Leonard misses a lot of games. But Jimmy Butler has not beaten Kawhi Leonard in a regular season game since 2016 because Kawhi Leonard is better at the Jimmy Butler things than Jimmy Butler is and has been for eight years. He's just never healthy. So Jimmy Butler gave you 48 minutes yesterday. They went maximum playoff Jimmy to try and get that week off. They. And he's hurt now because he got. He got hit in the thigh. They put everything into. We're gonna beat the Clippers at home and avoid this hard road because we need to get a week off. We're going to go Jimmy Butler All 48 minutes. Jimmy Butler, please play like Jimmy Butler does in the playoffs. And he did and they lost at home anyway.

[Amin Elhassan]

The issue is too like Jimmy now being hurt with a contusion in the thigh after colliding with Kawhi midair. You got Steph, whose thumb is hurt, right, Had a lot of Turnovers again, had 18 points in the fourth quarter. Looked incredible. Draymond is Draymond. He had that neck. I don't know if you saw that play, Dan, where he kind of went in for a steal or something and then got hit in the neck. Had a stinger or something. So like they're banged up as it is and they already don't have a good track record in the play in as that goes. So it's like there's a lot of things happening right now where they could get bounce possibly.

[Stugotz]

Age is super interesting this time of year and the perspective I have from Miami where I'm watching for 13 games of press the gas on a 35 year old. Oh, they never lose. They never lose. They never lose. To all lose. 3 out of the last 5 try as hard as they can at the end and not. Not as. Not good enough to beat the Clippers because the Clippers can beat anybody.

[Dan LeBatard]

By the way, to close the loop. It's a lamelo ball commercial. Puma.

[Stugotz]

The one about four sneakers, not balls.

[Dan LeBatard]

Well, it's a sneaker commercial. Yeah, but they make a bunch of puns on balls and that is a fine. So the Miami Heat. It was pointed out to me by a hater friend of mine. We're one season away. The Miami Heat flirting with the plane again for that stretch. The Miami Heat playing the Chicago Bulls in the play in tournament and not fully punching their ticket to the playoffs without having to play more games for the same amount of time that they had the big three in town.

[Amin Elhassan]

Oh, damn.

[Dan LeBatard]

Four years. Like they went one seed. Playing, playing, playing. One more season of this and it's as long as LeBron James and Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were all teamed together down here chasing championships.

[Amin Elhassan]

Mike, I feel like I'm gonna lock you in here for a second okay, now go back to a couple of seasons ago when we said, hey, there's a percentage chance that all of a sudden there could be somebody very interesting in town if you, if you tank the playing game. The Heat need to tank the playing game. There's a 2% chance for Cooper.

[Tony Reali]

Flag.

[Amin Elhassan]

2% chance.

[Billy Corben]

Oh, I thought we were talking about Wemby again. Because I was. Mike doesn't like Wemby so well.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, well, they should have tanked for him.

[Amin Elhassan]

Thank you.

[Dan LeBatard]

Yeah, no, they should tank again because this is a nowhere team.

[Amin Elhassan]

2% chance.

[Dan LeBatard]

I would prefer them lose. So that's where I'm at. Because it's not even like before where you had proof of concept at least that they can go on a crazy run from the play into the NBA Finals. Like, I think we all know this team is toast. So I'd rather, I'd rather them just lose and bow out. Grace.

[Stugotz]

But people are pretty tired of you speaking for the Heat fan base when you haven't watched most of their games this year and you don't actually care about what happens with the team because of all the things you've been saying for four years, which is they're not good enough. But people understood.

[Dan LeBatard]

I'm also tired of their bullshit. The people and the team.

[Unknown]

What are we doing here? Masters Monday. This is ridiculous. By the way, if you won the Masters and Tiger wasn't in the field, you didn't win the Masters.

[Stugotz]

Put it on the poll at LeBatard show. If you won the Masters and Tiger wasn't in the field, did you win the Masters?

[Unknown]

In my personal record, Stuart.

[Tony Reali]

I'm.

[Stugotz]

I. I like this character. I want you to keep working on this character. Stubbot as golf analyst. I don't know how more I'm going to reach out to Scott Van Pelt, see if he wants to come on with us. Tony Realy is going to be on with us in a second because I do want to talk more about the celebration of sport, which is not something that we get to do all that often. It feels like around the athlete giving you the emotional vulnerability of. I was hugely nervous. I conquered doubt, you know, while watching this that this feels good to me. For reasons that can be identified by what is the customer athlete relationship? The following of an athlete around, you know, the story that's walking down at the end with that camera in his face and you're reading the story, he's not saying anything. Rory McIlroy is walking. And the visuals are so striking because it's not merely the emotion you see on his face, it's the entirety of the story. Like you, if there's. You could watch this, watching something for the very first time and not knowing anything about golf. And you can see what a majestic moment that is for a human being who is filled with such gratitude that it can't be kept inside. It leaks out of his eyes. And it leaks out of his eyes not in the way that normally does with a producer on the morning show getting fed up. And that's the way the emotion leaks out. That is pure undistilled joy and relief. And it's not just his face and the emotions that are telling you that you have more access as a sports fan to the average viewer than the average viewer because you know what this story is. You know what he was carrying and what the relief of that is as he's walking. And anyone can identify with the superhuman people, human.

[Dan LeBatard]

And for it to line up somehow the stars were aligned for this to be a part of Jim Nance's 11 year farewell tour. You know that after they delivered that broadcast. Oh yeah, Jim Nance. And he looked the same way.

[Stugotz]

No, he looked the same way.

[Dan LeBatard]

He walked into the post broadcast cocktail hour reception for producers, directors, technicians alike. Walked in the very same way and told that group of people, we just reported the news.

[Stugotz]

You know, he pointed to somebody and said, get me an Arnold Palmer and let's put some lighter fluid in there. Like, let's. And just whispered his every conversation of how great was this? How great am I?

[Tony Reali]

Yes.

[Dan LeBatard]

And you're great at all those things. You are as great as you think, Jim. I know you're. You don't lack for confidence. Do you think he maybe loosened the tie just a little bit?

[Stugotz]

I believe, yeah, I believe that Jim Nance over the last 10 years has slowly, by very small fractions, loosened the tie giving way to. I'm going to be looser in retirement while I retire for 11 years.

[Dan LeBatard]

Hey, folks, it's Mike Ryan. And if you're watching our show, you probably know and your boy has undergone a little bit of a body transformation. And I got to tell you, Peloton has helped me on my fitness journey. It got the ball rolling for me because I watched my wife on the Peloton. She takes all these great classes. She has her favorite instructors. I listen to the music, I'm a big music guy. Gets me fired up, makes me want to take part in this fitness phenomenon known as Peloton. Peloton offers a variety of challenging classes from four week strength Building classes to running, cycling and everything in between. Peloton will help you achieve your goals and maybe you'll have some fun along the way. I know I have. It's backed by thousands of members whose lives have been changed. Be part of that group. Telling you I'm better for it. Have it in my office. Sometimes I can put on the baseball game. Sometimes I can put on a soccer match. Some other times I'm totally locked in on an emo playlist. Find your push, find your power with [e-mail] Howdy Ho listeners. It's Mike Ryan and look, sports is about to pick up. We got playoff time locally. We got F1 in Miami. We got play in games for the Miami Heat. We got the NHL playoffs. There's nothing better than the NHL playoffs. This is a hockey town. A lot of in demand tickets. And let me borrow from my experience last year during the NHL playoffs, all sold out games. Wanted to be there to watch my team win the Stanley Cups. What did I do? I went to Game Time. That's right. And guess what? Gametime made it so easy because of this brand new feature that they got called gametime Picks. It makes getting tickets to see your favorite teams play even easier. Here, GameTime picks filters out the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats so you don't have to waste time scanning through thousands of tickets. Get all in pricing, folks. There's a little option that you touch so there's no surprise at checkout. What if you're going on the road? You want to see your team play on the road. You've never been in this arena before. You want to make sure you're getting good seats. Guess what? Panoramic seat views. It helps inform your decision and it really makes all the difference in the world. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime Picks. Download a GameTime app, create an account and use code DAN for $20 off your first purchase Terms apply again, create an account and redeem Code d and for $20 off download game Time today. What time is it? Game Time.

[Unknown]

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[Tony Reali]

I had.

[Stugotz]

Rachel and Emma both home, and I.

[Tony Reali]

Was in a fight with Rachel, and.

[Stugotz]

I said, if you roll your eyes.

[Tony Reali]

One more time, there's going to be a problem, a big problem. And she said, really?

[Stugotz]

What are you going to do?

[Tony Reali]

Stugats.

[Stugotz]

Oh, God damn. I mean, that's where I didn't have an answer.

[Unknown]

This is the Dan Levatar show with the stugats.

[Stugotz]

I thought of Tony Reali yesterday while watching Rory because he was emotionally available. And I believe that Tony Reali in the media is one of the rare people who's perpetually emotionally available. The people who watch around the horn have this connection with him over many years. He's proud of being emotionally available. I'm a little bit ashamed of how emotionally available he is. I'm like, be a little bit less. Be less emotionally available. And I say that as somebody who's weeping.

[Tony Reali]

Yeah. I mean, I have a child screaming in the background. Very emotionally available at the moment. Antonella. So you sent me a note and you said, rory's crying. And it made me think of you. Thank you for that. So when people cry now publicly and share their emotions in a public space, you think of me. This is. I thought it was amazing, and I know that's a haymaker of a joke from Mike there. I have to give the CBS team all the credit in the world. They nailed that. That was pitch perfect the whole way. Jim Manson talked for three minutes. I'm going to put the stopwatch on it. But Nance and Immelman did not talk for three minutes while the cameras followed Rory the whole way. And this is a moment in sports. I'm not the biggest golf fan in the world. I don't think you are either, Dan. You know, I don't know if you've ever covered a gust than before. This is one of those moments that it hits you so quickly. This is real, but this is unpredictable for me because I didn't see this coming, you know, I didn't see this much emotion coming from a guy like that. And I loved it. I loved every second of it. Every second of it. I was. I was in awe of how you can get the heaving weeping in real time like that. Because so much of what we do now is routine. I think about this on the TV show all the time, right? We use the word. This is a surreal moment, right? What we saw with Rory was a surreal moment. I go the other way. That's a real moment. That's not surreal. We have taken so much of what's real and made it just routine and just this is the way we do things. This is the way it goes, that it ceases to be what. What we just saw yesterday. So that's not surreal yesterday. That's real.

[Stugotz]

You mentioned that I'm not much of a golf fan. I can say with honesty now that the statute of limitations is up, that my least favor thing to do anywhere in the empire you exist in with Ryholm and Kelleher was the Masters Thursday PTI that I had to do when everyone was out and no one wanted me in. And all of a sudden I'm talking about Vijay Singh is up by a stroke after nine holes. And I don't really want to be talking about it for 90 seconds.

[Tony Reali]

I remember this giving you a research packet that was four pages thick of what the. I'm also not that. But I knew I had a bone up for. And I knew we had to talk about it because golf's different. Golf fans are different. Right. It's a sport. And this is why I think it was so readily available for viewers yesterday. Right. It's a sport that the viewer is still playing. A viewer may have played that course, not specifically Augusta. That's a hard one to get into. But when you talk about the other golf tournaments. So they may have played that course. They may have a. They have a tangible feel for what this is what they're seeing right in front of a. I mean, we can't say that you never kicked a 30 yard field goal in the super bowl, but you swung that club at 11 at your local golf course before. So people love that too. But you're right. I mean, this was. This is not everybody was prepared for the conversations, but you're prepared for that emotion.

[Stugotz]

Do you guys have does the group have any nominee for what has to happen in golf outside of Tiger doing something that closes a chapter for you the way that. That this does? Like give me somebody in golf that you're looking for something from that?

[Tony Reali]

Well, no, let's not. I mean, this would. This had all the elements that you would want because of the LIV vs PGA battle. So that's something. You could not be a golf fan or know nothing about golf. And you'd like, these two guys are sworn enemies. You know, DeChambeau and McElroy. They're not talking that. So that it serves sports fans who want to view sports in that way as well. I mean, that's what's great about it. And then you have another guy, Justin Rose is on the course and he's everybody's good guy. And then you have Rory, and then you have Rory's family. I mean, so it works on all the notes of it. So that's why I could be in this moment last night and feel almost like I'm ready to start crying watching Rory McIlroy. And I know other fans had that feeling and I wasn't sure you were expecting it when it happened. That's why live sports is still the best thing out there.

[Stugotz]

Last time you were on with us, it was in our history, the single worst backdrop and hair situation we've ever had. You seem like you gave me a.

[Tony Reali]

Minute before I was on air. Now you gave me a 10 minute notice and now I don't know. What do I have behind me here?

[Stugotz]

What is this? It's a lot of children's stuff. You are tell me that you are going to do something after around the horn in the parenting space.

[Tony Reali]

I'm most definitely going to do that. Yes. You know this about me. So I spend my weekends, much like Stu now, traveling the world and watching our young people play sports. And that is an incredible thing. You know a little bit about my sports history, Dan. Right. Bring it up. You want to do it? Go ahead. When I was 23 years old, you heard stories about, pardon the turnover, the basketball team we had and how I would attack referees verbally engaged.

[Stugotz]

Yes. I don't know if they do. They have. We told that story here. We've told everybody here that you were. You are an out of control menace as a young, early 20s person that isn't the person that he is today. And you would.

[Tony Reali]

Oh, no, I was just high energy, I think. But I was run our test in a lot of ways.

[Stugotz]

Okay.

[Tony Reali]

And our dearest friends, Matt Keller, Shannon.

[Stugotz]

Wait, Tony, Why are you like Tony?

[Amin Elhassan]

What do you run our test?

[Tony Reali]

That's.

[Amin Elhassan]

I mean, that's a grading scale that goes really high.

[Stugotz]

Well, what do you imagine? Reality. Let's examine this for a second. As Reali wants to tell the story or is willing to tell the story. Yeah, Reali was bad to referees, and I told him he needed to stop being bad to referees. What do you imagine him saying? He was Ron Artest looked like.

[Amin Elhassan]

I imagine there was more than a few times where there was a bad foul call and Tony and the ref were nose to nose. That's what I think of.

[Unknown]

He mutes the ref.

[Stugotz]

You're muted.

[Tony Reali]

Yeah. The ref gives a tee and then I give a mute button underneath. No, no, no, no, my fuck friend. I was a big believer in this exchange. That's not your call. That's not your call.

[Amin Elhassan]

That's also true.

[Tony Reali]

It's his call. It's his call over there. There was always another referee that had a better view of it that. That. So I was a big believer in that. I.

[Stugotz]

And so.

[Tony Reali]

And then after I had done that for 10 consecutive games and got on everybody's last nerve with just the energy and the, you know, all that, I did have a fluke incidence that changed my life. Right. This is a baseline that has about one foot worth of space before you're at a wall. You can't move on the baseline. And I'm trying to inbound a ball and the referee's on the baseline with me, and I whip a pass and it clips the whistle in the referee's mouth. Now this starts gushing blood like it was all faithful. It's ridiculous. And this young referee had to go to the hospital from a pass that I threw. And this was it. This was it that changed everything for me. Went to the hospital with them. It was, you know, maybe. Maybe nothing. It was a chip tooth. It really wasn't anything.

[Stugotz]

You held his hand with guilt, remorse, compassion?

[Tony Reali]

Absolutely. So I had that come to God moment right there. Like I was having fun. I was playing. I was enjoying the give and take with referees. They were not enjoying it as much. And then a fluke accident happens. And now you. To get this moment where it's just like. Did you do that on purpose? Of course not. But here I am. And that changed everything for me. This is a long way to tell you now that I'm a parent at games, I'm the exact opposite of that. I'm in. It's all enjoyment for me. I love it. There's nothing in the world like it. I love talking to the other parents and seeing how they're navigating it. And now it strikes me that this is a conversation that I want to have going forward. I want to form for the parents of their young athletes as we all watch our kids play and the emotions that come with it, because you can ask any parent and it's more stressful for them. I love these shots at the Olympics where they are now tracking the beats per minute of the parents watching their child compete in their event. That's an amazing thing. I love to. I'm going to do a show on this. I'm going to have a space for this, this. And I do think I have a core belief here. I was telling my daughter this yesterday when we came back from a game. You know, parents at games, you're going to be stressed, you're going to want your kids to succeed, you're going to be nervous, you're going to be all these things. The real thread here that I want to underline for parents is it's not that game. That's the thing. You're going to forget that game. You're going to forget who won, who lost. Your child is definitely going to forget that game, who won or lost. It's that 90 minute car ride to and from wherever you're going for that game. That's when parenting happens. That's when the connection with your child happens. So I want to have those conversations with parents because that, that ride to the game, that ride from the game, that's what you remember, those moments. Yeah, give me some points for that.

[Stugotz]

That schmaltz, it's exactly what will get you points on around the Horn. Just do something syrupy and schmaltzy that America eat up. It's just all sugar.

[Amin Elhassan]

And by the way, Tony, I mean, I get it. You know, watching the kids play, it's more of a cathartic experience. It reminds you of when your dad, your parents would watch you play and all that good stuff. But deep down inside, when you know that ref shouldn't have made that call, was the other ref's call and then.

[Tony Reali]

He made that call. That's not their.

[Amin Elhassan]

Or how about. Or how about when it is your call and the other guy calls it, it's your call.

[Tony Reali]

How are you not calling it? That's that guy calling it from back.

[Stugotz]

There from half court.

[Tony Reali]

I don't, I record these games for on my phone and I sent him to the other parents who aren't there. That's my focus. You Know, I want to make sure those parents feel the love of the game, of their child playing. So that's where my focus is. But my daughter has a nickname on the team. She's the Honey Badger. Just the honey.

[Stugotz]

It's not the Honey Badger. I'm telling him to stop. It's that every time you say that something that is a great point. That is sweet. He gives you points for it, and it just. It feels like pandering.

[Dan LeBatard]

Oh, my gosh.

[Tony Reali]

She's filming the games on my phone right now. I think you send the videos to.

[Unknown]

The parents that can't make it no.

[Tony Reali]

Fewer than 90,000 favorites, because you really got to pare that down. And then I have no fewer than 70,000 videos on my phone, and I send them to the parents that aren't there or we, you know, long story short, you know, I think there's. There needs to be a more open forum and. Or a TV show where parents learn how to parent and talk about. I'm not teaching them at a parent, but we talk about how to live life with our young athletes to the best of all of our abilities. Because there will be those dark angels on your head when you want to yell at a referee that it's not their call.

[Stugotz]

Give me a number of titles or ideas that you have in a Google Doc somewhere because you finally.

[Tony Reali]

Well, I'm doing this now. You know, I'm thinking about. There's 14 show ideas, for sure. You know, the first 10 you can just throw out. I get that.

[Stugotz]

But how about children, books, ideas?

[Tony Reali]

You know, this about me, too. See, this is not an interview at this point. I mean, it's just like I have a series that I want to make that's called Tony Baloney Macaroni. My hair is literally macaroni. It's fusilli. But it's about navigating all the ways of life. It's these stories that have happened in my life. The girl that won the New York City Marathon. I'm going out to brunch with Ryholm, one of his famous brunches. And at this moment, it's the weekend of the New York City Marathon, and they're blocking the road, and I can't get to this famed brunch with our friend, and I have to hop over the fence or the little gate they have. And while I'm doing this, Dan, I pull my hamstring. I mean, this is an absurd thing. This is a reality thing. And who comes out and helps me in that moment but my daughter. And then she Winds up crossing the finish line before everything else. I just gave you the. I just gave me the whole story. Maybe I should have held on.

[Stugotz]

Yeah, I should have. No, no, you can't give him points for giving away his children points for anything.

[Tony Reali]

I love the. I love. I love the idea. Learn from the best of. Of. Of writing to children. I'm going to. I'm going to be doing that, too. So maybe parent. But. But, you know, this is. I think there's an underserved part of sports media right now where we're reaching the community of people. Right? And I think there's more places to do that now on your own website, on your own podcast, on your own YouTube. Why aren't we doing around the horn with. With normal fans? You know, why aren't I doing Judge Judy but for sports debate, you know, and we have normal fans. And I'll even wear, you know, the old English judge wig or something like that Uber. Having those. I like the emotion of. Of those. Those videos that. That are on. On TikTok and YouTube just as much as I like the TV shows that I watch, you know, So I might. I might. I might dabble in that space, too. But it would be, you know, pointed at. At the community that we have of. Of sports fans and. And the people who want to just live in that sports emotion moment for as long as possible.

[Unknown]

I mean, what are we doing here? Master Sunday? Talking about guys book hiring around the horn Reality. Rory, talk more about it.

[Tony Reali]

Go Big voice. I was a big. I love Stubbots.

[Unknown]

Stupots.

[Stugotz]

He wants you to talk more, Rory. That's the story of the day. That's the people.

[Tony Reali]

Today's Rory, I just.

[Unknown]

Or this show you're pitching. You got a roll for me? 80, 20 my way.

[Tony Reali]

I'd have to work on that one. That's good. Yeah. You know, I've been accused by one of our friends here of emotional terrorism. Right. You guys ever watch this show, Relative Race?

[Stugotz]

No.

[Tony Reali]

No? Okay. It may be on BYUtv. It's about these people who are finding their family for the first time. They have gone through adoption or foster homes, and they have met. It is literally. We can make you cry in 15 seconds. I'm not doing that, Chris. Don't accuse me of that. I go to this and in this show, so. Have you ever watched Love on the Spectrum?

[Stugotz]

Yes.

[Tony Reali]

What do you. Yes, you have, Dan. All right. What are you guys doing with your time if you're not watching these shows? Oh, my goodness. Zero to cry in 15 seconds. Unbelievable. Madison, Georgie and Connor. So this is to me what I was feeling when I was watching Rory yesterday.

[Stugotz]

All right, the bot wants you to talk. Want you to talk. Rory and only Rory. He wants you to give. I know you've given us the syrupy best stuff that you've got already. I know that you don't have a lot more than this, but the bot wants more. Rory.

[Unknown]

Alligator fears.

[Tony Reali]

Oh, that shot on 17. Now, this is not what I'm in here for golf with. I'm here for the. For the feeling and everything. I'm here for. For what? Rory Gibbs. I'm here for Jim Nance's 10 year retirement tour. But those three minutes that he took when the mic was off, that was glorious. That was really the best that. That they can do.

[Stugotz]

Chris, he doesn't have any more. Rory is the problem. Like he's gave us the goods he gave you.

[Unknown]

Look, I'm alligator tears.

[Stugotz]

I am familiar. This is one of the things that I don't think people understand about television. The conf. The confinement of television. Make it so that I believe that Tony Reali has spent about 23 years in front of you. And you actually haven't seen the range that he has because his role on that show, and you may have seen it outside of that show and some inside of that show, but the role he has on that show is to set everyone else up. Like it's the. The whole job. And there's a skill to being a point guard that isn't shooting the ball. And so he is getting in. In very small places, spaces. But I would say based on this Rory conversation, he didn't have more. He didn't have. It was good. It was good that he was in the space where. Go ahead, Plasky. You write the poems about what Rory was yesterday.

[Billy Corben]

I'll listen to you now, Dan, I'll give you something. On Sunday at the Masters, you know when they're cutting in the final round to Xander Shafly on a long putt that's going in. They're going to give you a random Schoffley on a master Sunday. You know that thing's going in.

[Stugotz]

I was talking before you came on here, Tone, about the camera work, because yeah, you can say that they nailed it, but there just isn't another sport that has the time, space and setting to be able to put the camera. Cameraman closer to the emotion than any other human being is, than the caddy is, than the people keeping. Like this shot doesn't exist anywhere else in sport.

[Tony Reali]

Yeah, that's true, too. And. And again, I mean, the mics are everywhere, too. You know, when the mic cuts out and. And, you know, somebody's cursing in the background, you're like, oh, I wanted to hear that. I wanted the raw feed of that. That there. There is. This is just an incredible shot of. Of the masses of humanity. And you're like, does he know them? Does he know them? And he was perfect for the role. I'm gonna go get. I gotta go get fetted for a green jacket. That's a great out. That's an incredible out. Oh, guys, gotta go see. Gotta go see a guy about a green jacket. Yeah, he played it perfectly. There's a cinema to this. And live tv, you're not guaranteed that. So to get it like that, just give them the Emmy right now.

[Unknown]

Just beautiful.

[Stugotz]

One of the reasons that it is so majestic, though, because, like, this is so hard to capture around all the cynicisms that we have around sports and all the ways that we're ready to pounce on him with blame, about choking. The idea that you could be close enough to see the humanity in his relief, because it's joy. It's joy, but it's also relief. It's like what that man is doing when he says, this is the greatest moment of my golf life is. You're seeing in that moment a person who is as happy as he can be and as grateful as he can be. And you're capturing the intimacy of that up his nostrils. You are.

[Tony Reali]

Right. So where else do you get to do that? Where else do you see somebody's greatest moment captured on video? I mean, that's. So that's. For me, again, that was. Got me to the point of tears. I know you guys are jaded or you've covered enough sporting events. Golf is still fresh enough for me. I don't like it in that way. That this was. Just took me over. It just took me over.

[Stugotz]

Is your wife tired of your crying?

[Tony Reali]

I mean, very aware of it. I had a moment where Francesca was born, and I started crying a little bit early because I thought it was her first cry, and it was one of the suction vacuums that may have been used in the process here below. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, that was a little bit much when you're crying over the noises that the doctors are tools. Yeah. Yeah. That doesn't deserve that one. So that one's a little bit too much. But she knew what I was in from the start. I mean, she knew from the start that this is what she was getting she doesn't do that. She goes the opposite way. She's the strongest person in the world, so that's why that works.

[Amin Elhassan]

Tony, I'm a new dad. My daughter was born January 1st, and I find myself crying. Thank you. I find myself crying a lot more than usual. I've only cried, like, three times in my life, and I've cried, like, four, 14 times a month. Is there any new, like, advice you can give a dad? Three months. She's starting to, like, turn over now. The problem is she can't turn back right now. She gets on her stomach, she can't go the opposite way. Any advice for you, dad?

[Tony Reali]

Yeah, lead it to all of it. Embrace that. Embrace the crying. I mean, Mike and I have been through this, too. We were talking as our kids were born, in near proximity to each other. The sheer number of times you get hit in the balls, I mean, that's going to make you cry too. You got to walk into that. The number of times your kid will actually hurt you. I was sending Mike photos from my vacation last month, and there's a photo of me actually getting injured on camera. And just know that's what parenting is. It's being able to smile through the tears of pain that you're going to have.

[Stugotz]

I believe I've seen a couple videos from you where I believe you're intentionally making. Making the T ball baseball hit you somewhere near the crowd.

[Tony Reali]

Happened 10 times already. So I'm gonna do it one more time on camera. That. The other thing is you're gonna chase your kids. Laughter. Oh, absolutely. You're gonna. You're gonna inflict pain on yourself just so they cry.

[Stugotz]

When you coming down here, it's gonna.

[Tony Reali]

Have to be after this next spring break. So there's three spring breaks. I had no idea. One child was off for a week. Another child was off for a week. It's gonna have to be maybe in two or three more weeks, maybe into May. It keeps on getting pushed back. I want to go there, and I want to. I want to hit, hit, hit the ground running. Make some music with Jeremy. I want to no one before you guys are making your operas. Dan, you'll remember this. So we had Perez Prado as your highly questionable theme song, Right. Which we couldn't use because we weren't going to clear Perez Prado. And then we made what highly questionable had afterwards, which was our knockoff, but that was one of the first original parodies of a song that. That the Lebatard family was writing, and I was involved in that. That's what I wanted. I want to go to you guys and make music.

[Stugotz]

Well, hurry up. Get down here. Good seeing you, friend. Always good.

[Tony Reali]

Thanks for calling me and thanking me. Whenever anybody cries, I'm there.

[Stugotz]

Thank you sir. Nice seeing you.

[Dan LeBatard]

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