The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

"The Big Suey: David Keeps Talking" (feat. David Samson, Survivor Contestant)
Date: January 29, 2026

Episode Overview

Broadcast from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, and company dive into sports, pop culture, and their signature brand of satirical, chaotic banter. This “Big Suey” episode is headlined by David Samson, former Marlins executive and Survivor contestant, who brings his signature cynicism and verbosity—so much so that the show’s running joke is simply trying to get him to stop talking. The group debates LeBron James’ recent emotional reaction returning to Cleveland, the NFL Hall of Fame voting controversy surrounding Bill Belichick, the absurdities of sports media cynicism, and a sprawling, comedic discussion on crying, movie tears, and a Chevy Chase documentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. LeBron James' Tears in Cleveland – Sincere or Performative?

• Cynicism vs. Sincerity
  The show dives into LeBron’s evident emotion during his Cleveland return, and whether it represented a genuine “end of era” moment or calculated optics.

  • Stugotz and Zas (Mike Ryan) express deep cynicism:
    • “Crocodile tears.” (01:25, Stugotz)
    • “Thank goodness there just so happened to be a box of tissues under his seat on the bench.” (01:37, Mike)
  • Dan pushes back on cynicism:
    • “You guys love to be cynical about vulnerability. You guys love to criticize when people cry.” (02:28, Dan)
    • On why people are emotional at the end of a career: “He’s about to bury the person that he’s been for the last 20 some odd years.” (03:06, Dan)
  • David Samson’s take defies expectations:
    • “Oh, I think they were actual. I think when it's the end of an era, you know it, he knows it…he knows that he is no longer where he was. And that, of course, is when the tears come.” (04:35, Samson)

• Memorable Quote:

  • Dan: “After having what was a sincere moment, you guys are deconstructing whether the tissues are real or not? …You guys have been talking about everything I do for 20 years, living vicariously through me, criticizing everything I do, and I’m still better at what I do than any of you are at anything you’ve ever done.” (06:36)

• Tier of Tears:

  • The hosts riff on different kinds of crying—ranging from “crocodile tears” to “nose running sobs,” ranking the relative intensity and causes of each (32:31).

2. Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame ‘Snub’ and NFL Politics

• Controversy over Not Being First Ballot HOF:
  • Dan questions if the “snub” was an innocent quirk of ballot mathematics rather than pettiness or conspiracy (11:23).
    • David Samson explains ‘ballot planning’:
      • “It's really called ballot planning…you understand where the person is in terms of needing 5% in baseball to stay on the ballot for the next year…and you don’t want someone to fall off.” (11:55)
  • Accusations, Conspiracies, and Fall Guys:
    • Bill Polian is falsely blamed as the ringleader; Samson thinks Robert Kraft likely had influence:
      • “Robert Kraft is maniacal, as many owners are, because you need to be…” (18:13)
      • “Thinking that he controlled or attempted to control and succeeded in controlling a Hall of Fame vote, that’s not a far reach. This kind of stuff goes on in every sport.” (18:45)
  • Jimmy Johnson's Outrage:
    • “Just because of 10 or 11 or 12 ignorant, jealous assholes who did not vote for him.” (20:08, Jimmy Johnson audio clip)
    • Samson is unimpressed:
      • “When you resort to calling a writer an [asshole] because they have a certain vote a certain way, it’s just wrong. He could be impugning other Hall of Famers. …So I found it to be performative and very much in line with what that show particularly enjoys and what causes them to smile, which is the lowest common denominator of humor.” (21:16)
  • Dan on Belichick’s “bad years”:
    • “...fighting with Bob Kraft in public. I’m talking about your professional identity being covered in cow shit.” (26:30)
    • David (Cynically): “Yet now that he didn’t get in on the first ballot, all of a sudden he gets this entire cycle of ‘greatest of all time’... Recency bias… it’s a little much to me, that’s all.” (26:41)

3. David Samson’s Cynicism, Survivor References, and the Podcast’s ‘Interruptions’

• Clarification on Jimmy Johnson as ‘fellow Survivor’:
  • Dan: “He’s not saying of a disease. He’s saying of the television show Survivor.” (22:19)
• Recurring Meta-Joke: David Won’t Stop Talking:
  • Multiple times, Dan and crew try to “get Samson to stop”—building into comedic bits about interrupting and never letting the host finish, even using mock instructions to “let the segment end.”
    • Dan (42:25): “Feel free to use those things on the side of your head as listening devices as opposed to just waiting for…”
    • Samson: “I promise I will talk. Yes. I will not interrupt anymore.”
    • Dan (42:33): “Please stop talking. I’m trying to say goodbye. I need you to just… be quiet so that I could get to the end of this…”

4. Giannis Trade Rumors and NBA Media Narratives

• Samson Gripes about Reporting:
  • “Shams comes out and says, now it’s… the Bucks are willing to listen… that doesn’t change. Teams always listen on everybody. There’s never been a time where you call on a player and say, ‘no, I don’t even want to hear what you have to say.’… There is always a reason to listen.” (30:48)
  • Dismisses “tell, not ask” in NBA trade demands:
    • “It doesn't actually work where the player walks in your office: I demand a trade. …You just sort of know by being in the clubhouse…” (31:34)
• Quick aside/joke:
  • Linking wild trade rumors to the Miami Heat’s penchant for star hunting (32:09).

5. Tier of Tears – The Science and Sociology of Crying

• Ranking Types of Weeping:
  • Entire panel builds a long “escalating tier,” e.g.: “Frog in the throat” → “sniveling” → “shedding a tear” → “whimpering” → “waterworks” → “crying a river” → “crocodile tears” → “blubbering” → “the car cry,” “the shower cry,” “the Noshon Moreno tear” (32:31–33:30).
• Terms of Endearment and Generational Gaps:
  • Samson tries to reference “Terms of Endearment” as a classic tearjerker; Dan wants to know if anyone under 40 gets the reference.
    • Samson: “You can talk about ‘We’ll always have Paris.’ There’s certain things that transcend generations.” (34:37)
    • Tony, Jeremy (producers): Unaware, which leads to Dan lampooning the gap between old and young staff (34:48–35:19).

6. Chevy Chase Documentary Review and The Value of Entertainers

• Why Did Chevy Chase Agree to the Documentary?
  • Samson: “I assume he was paid. These guys do not have the money that you think they do.” (38:17)
  • Drew contrast between Chase’s legendary status and notorious reputation for being difficult.
    • “I don’t need him to be liked by his fellow castmates… I want him to entertain me, and he has done nothing but entertain me my entire life. …I’m just glad he didn’t die.” (37:00–38:14)
• Dan argues it’s not a “sad” film:
  • “I don’t think it was a sad movie. I think it was a complete picture of somebody who has been represented for 50 years as a bit of an asshole… just human is all it is.” (39:16)
• Meta humor as Dan and Samson spar over “French” idioms:
  • Dan: “He made it a French hat. He decided to not just tip his hat… he tipped his chapeau…” (41:35)
  • Samson: “That’s the word [for hat]… why do you go Spanish, Dan?” (41:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Sports Cynicism:
  • “You guys love to criticize when people cry.” (02:28, Dan)
  • “He's about to bury the person he’s been for the last 20 some odd years.” (03:06, Dan)
• On Hall of Fame Snub:
  • “When you resort to calling a writer an asshole because they have a certain vote a certain way, it’s just wrong.” (21:16, Samson)
• On Seniors and Survivor:
  • “I know that David comes on here… assuming everyone listening knows he was on Survivor, and Jimmy Johnson was on Survivor.” (22:19, Dan)
• On Old Personalities:
  • “There’s this guy named Chevy Chase… and I tip my chapeau to Chevy Chase and thank him.” (37:00–38:14, Samson)
• On Interruptions and Running Jokes:
  • “Please stop talking. I’m trying to say goodbye… Just stop. Just stop.” (42:29–42:33, Dan)
• On the Value of Entertainment:
  • “I don’t need him to be liked by his fellow castmates… I want him to entertain me” (37:50, Samson)

Important Timestamps

• LeBron’s Tears & Sincerity Debate – 01:06–07:53
• Tier of Tears Ranking – 32:31–33:56
• Belichick Hall of Fame Voting Drama – 10:54–28:36
• Jimmy Johnson’s Outrage (first audio) – 20:08
• ‘Survivor’ Clarification – 22:19
• Chevy Chase Doc Review – 36:56–40:49
• 'Stop Talking, David!' Bit – 42:25–42:52

Tone and Style

• The episode is high-energy, irreverent, deeply self-referential, with ongoing bits about sports cynicism, generational divides, and their own inability to stick to “standard” sports talk or even properly end a segment.

Summary:
This episode offers both belly laughs and genuine insights into the modern athlete’s experience with media cynicism, the pettiness and politics of Hall of Fame voting, and lifelong emotional moments in sports—and in movies. David Samson, the day’s primary guest, embodies the show's intersecting themes of expertise, performative ego, and lovable exasperation, all while being the guy “who just keeps talking.”