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Dan LeBatard
You're listening to Giraffe Kings Network.
Jon Weiner
Wow.
Roy Bellamy
What's up?
Dan LeBatard
I just bought and financed a car through Carvana in minutes.
Roy Bellamy
You, the person who agonized four weeks over whether to paint your walls eggshell.
Billy Corben
Or off white, bought and financed a car in minutes.
Dan LeBatard
They made it easy, transparent terms, customizable, down and monthly.
Roy Bellamy
Didn't even have to do any paperwork. Wow.
Dan LeBatard
Hey, have you checked out that spreadsheet I sent you for our dinner options? Finance your car with Carvana and experience total control financing subject to credit approval.
Jessica
Hey there travelers and dreamers. We all have that dream trip that we've been wishing we could go on. But too often life just gets in the way. Whether it's work, family, responsibilities, or in my case, and I'm sure many of yours, price. But your dreamtrip doesn't have to stay a dream any longer because Priceline is here to help you book it. With millions of deals on hotels, flights, cruises and rental cars. That bucket list destination? Yeah, it's a lot closer than you think. You know, I've been wanting to go see the Pittsburgh Pirates for a long time at PNC park in Pittsburgh. That's like at the top of my list of bucket list destinations of baseball parks around the country. And because I I now know about the type of deals that Priceline offers, I may pull the trigger this summer and go see those Pirates. Priceline makes it easy and stress free to book a flight and a hotel so I can go see my team play live. With millions of travel deals like up to 60% off hotels, I know I'll be able to find great options even when I need to book last minute. So don't just dream about that next trip. Book it with Priceline, download the Priceline app or visit priceline.com to go to your happy price. Actual prices may vary. Limited time offer terms apply.
Roy Bellamy
Welcome to the Big Sui presented by DraftKings.
Mike Ryan
Why are you listening to this show?
Roy Bellamy
The podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan LeBatard podcast. I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging.
Mike Ryan
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.
Roy Bellamy
I've done it. And now here's the marching man to nowhere, Fat Face and the Habitual Liar.
Chris Cote
This episode of the Dan Lebizard show with Stugatz is presented by Smirnoff. We do game days. Please drink responsibly The Smirnoff Company New York, New York.
Mike Ryan
I wanted to ask the fans of the champion Florida Panthers in the room a question. Four unanswered goals allowed against the Islanders. They've lost a few games. They allowed three goals in the third period to the Bruins. And I'm here to ask you if you believe Vibes and a Marchand haunting have arrived for the Florida Panthers because Mike Ryan has been worried that trading for this particular man. Roy, you're shaking your head no.
Billy Corben
The dumbest thing.
Jon Weiner
Vibes are fine with the Panthers in Pantherland. We're doing great, Dan.
Billy Corben
I don't think it's the dumbest thing. I think injecting Brad Marchand, but he's not really playing. So I don't think that's what's happening. I think what's happening here is Aaron Ekblad, because of performance enhancers, turned into a really good player for Florida. And we've seen these dips in form from Florida this season when Aaron Ekblad is not at his performance enhancing best. And right now they miss Aaron Ekblad and that's what's happening. Also. This is a natural dip in form after they, I mean, they set the world on fire. And yeah, they've lost three out of four in the middle of that. They beat Toronto in Toronto comeback victory in its own right against the team that's in the division right now that's presently chasing them. This is exactly where you want this dip to happen in the season.
Dan LeBatard
Yeah, they just need to cheat a little bit to get good.
Billy Corben
That's right. That's right. I do get a little angry in the group chat and this is me coming out anti homers like, well, yeah, shocking that Aaron Ekblad's out and we suffered. And this is all because Aaron Ekblad's out. But you have to kind of acknowledge that Aaron Ekblad was what you think he is because of clearly performance enhancers.
Jon Weiner
Could you theoretically schedule it so you only lose one guy on a line at a time with performance enhancing drug suspensions? So like you get like a system going where like okay, Ekblad is going to be out 20 and then when he comes back, hopefully we don't get caught. But if we get caught, this other guy will be out 20, but Ekblad will be back and he'll be juicing again and we'll be fine and just kind of like start scheduling the cycles. Possibly you never want any of you guys to get caught, but if they do, you make sure they're getting Caught at different times.
Billy Corben
So Marshawn will probably be back before the playoffs. That's the expectation. Tkachuk will return with the playoffs. Ekblad suspension carries him into two games into the postseason and then Ekblad is back. So during the postseason you're going to have those three talents essentially all coming into your lineup around the same time. And you would imagine that the form will be much better when the playoffs roll around for the Panthers. And added to that is the injury of Dmitry Kulikov who got hurt in the Islanders game last night. So they went down the defenseman. But I am shocking because the Panthers their whole thing is if they have a two goal lead, they never lose that game in regulation. And now we've seen it and you can understand the emotion of the Bruins one and Florida was just so hot there that it had to give out at a certain time. But the Islanders loss is pretty troubling. This is a pretty difficult road stretch, probably the most difficult stretch in their, in their calendar when it comes to travel, quick turnarounds and you certainly don't want to have a less deeper team for it. But I know I'm the guy that originated the Marchand take. It's something to keep an eye on. But I think this has more to do with Ekblad and the current congestion of their schedule. I mean this, yeah, this schedule sucks. I mean that was the first of five back to backs for the rest of the season for the Panthers. So yeah, it's not, it's not really good. There is a chance that Toronto catches in this division despite that that result that Florida had directly against Toronto and that'll make it interesting in the playoffs. Right now most people have their eye on the Chuck brothers potentially playing in the first round and may not get to that point if the, if the Cats don't win their division.
Mike Ryan
One of the interesting things about sports that I'm always sort of like how, how do we remain consistent on this one is a title gets vacated in college sports because of some cheating and it doesn't actually matter the title was won. We saw it won. Vacating it is not a thing. I don't know who has to cheat on your team in order to stain it in a way that actually stains the championship and makes anyone go back and take away the Marlins championship because Pudge Rodriguez, you know, lost 40 pounds one off season.
Billy Corben
I know what you're doing. We don't know when this happened with Eck.
Mike Ryan
I'm not. No, you don't know what I'm doing. I'm leading over to the Buffalo Bills who just now signed two free agents and the first thing that they're doing with those two free agents is announcing the apology of they're both out for six games for performance enhancers to start their Bills career. One of them on a one year deal, one of them on a three year deal. The three year deal, they were going to take the suspension no matter what and keep the guy. But if they had known the other player was a performance enhancer, they say publicly they never would have given him the contract. And so what I'm asking you is where the entanglements on all these moralities get. When do you start actually using any of this stuff to stain the team accomplishments? Or do you just when Jessica smears you with Ekblad's a cheater. So when the cheater gets back.
Billy Corben
All right, so you went exactly where I thought you were going to go. Ekblad was a different player in the postseason last year than he was this regular season. It was a pretty clear and obvious night and day. To the point that you're asking, man, was he just really, really hurt during the postseason? Last two postseasons, Aaron Ekblad hasn't been very good and he certainly wasn't the player that he was before. This season in particular. It was a revelation. I don't know when the sample was. There's that curious Islanders Reddit post that was circulating about someone just posting. I think there's a PED thing going on with the Panthers and it's going to end up reversing the championship. That's all people have right now. I don't know when their sample was for him to test positive for performance enhancers. But I will say this season he's looked the best he has in several seasons for Florida and it made all the sense in the world when that press release came through.
Jon Weiner
I think the simple answer is if you're a fan of the team, when your player gets caught cheating, it's like, oh my God, why did this happen and how did this happen the first time he ever tried to cheat? Like, that's so weird. And then if you're not a fan of the team, always dirty rotten cheaters and everyone else is cheating.
Dan LeBatard
I was gonna say, Dan, it depends on who you are and who the team is. I am completely writing off the Panthers Stanley cup because they're a bunch of cheaters and I think America's with me.
Billy Corben
What I don't like so much about it is you had those, those things happen at the same time you had the Panthers.
Dan LeBatard
I think Canada's with me too.
Billy Corben
Canada is definitely with you. You had the Panthers finally taking advantage of the long term IR that all the teams that they were chasing, Vegas beat them in a Stanley cup because of it. The Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated them because they took advantage of it. Now all of a sudden Florida's playing that game. Then you bring in Brad Marchand who leans into everything that they say about the Panthers and Sam Bennett and Can Chuck. And now you don't really have much of a defense because at least you could say, well, we're at least better than Boston now we're not. And then you add the Ekblad thing. All these things happen within a couple of days. And so it's kind of like, okay, we're just embracing the dark side here.
Jon Weiner
Real Panthers fans like me and Mike and Roy and Chris, we kind of look at him like, did Marshawn come down and see like a bad influence on Eckblad? Like, because all of a sudden these things just started happening once he got there. And like, it also makes you wonder, like, we did things the right way the last couple seasons. We overtook the Tampa Bay Lightning, we overtook the Bruins, we beat MC Overrated. We did all of that stuff the right clean way. Why did Aaron have to do this now? Like, is it just to show off for his buddy Brad? Like, what's going on here? You don't know? And it kind of makes it a sad story because again, all of this happened clean, legitimately, on the up and up, and it didn't need to happen this way.
Billy Corben
Well, I don't think you have the support of the timeline.
Jon Weiner
No.
Billy Corben
Yeah, I don't think that that's how that happened. I don't think he injected himself overnight.
Roy Bellamy
Steroids.
Billy Corben
The NHL was like, well, the thing is we got you.
Jon Weiner
Here's the thing that I'm thinking, just knowing the character of Aaron Ecklad and how he's a good boy and how again, we did this the right way, I think what happened is, is maybe this Brad came down here, bad boy Brad. And he wanted to impress bad boy Brad, so he did the steroids. And then he felt so guilty about it that he self reported to the NHL and he said, you know what? I did a thing. Commissioner Bettman, I'd like to come clean and I'd like to. I'm not going to contest this at all. I'm just going to serve my suspension. And that's where we're at right now. And you know what? I think we should all commend Aaron Ekblad for doing the. For doing the right thing. Thank you, Aaron, for coming clean after you did the wrong thing. Self reporting. Self reporting the suspension because you were peer pressured by Brad Marsh.
Chris Cote
But in this scenario, he didn't do it for the Stanley Cup. So the Stanley cup is not tainted.
Jon Weiner
Exactly. He just did it.
Dan LeBatard
He was like, it went off me, coach. Like in that one commercial.
Billy Corben
Self reported.
Mike Ryan
I think that if the Panthers keep losing, Mike Ryan is going to reinvent his history and claim that Marchant was a haunted spirit who came in and poisoned the vibes. I think he is. You keep shaking your head. No, Roy. But if.
Chris Cote
Look, I don't think this ends badly for the Panthers. Mike's gonna say this.
Billy Corben
Oh, I've pushed the groundwork.
Chris Cote
Oh, for sure.
Billy Corben
I don't like this one bit. I don't like it because, yeah, what Billy said outside of it taking a fairly ridiculous turn was actually true. They felt like the Panthers did this the right way. They didn't take advantage of the long term ir. They went through these evil, dastardly teams. And now it's just. It is a vibe reversal that I'm not necessarily comfortable with. I like the scrappy, underdog Florida Panthers that had to go through teams taking advantage of loopholes and now they've become one.
Mike Ryan
Yeah, Roy, why are you beaming? Why are you smiling? You're. You're smiling.
Roy Bellamy
Staring.
Billy Corben
Underdog.
Chris Cote
We haven't been an underdog in like four years.
Billy Corben
Look, they're the Florida Panthers. They're a, they're a historic underdog. They are a historic underdog.
Jon Weiner
Plus they had the misfortune of winning the Biden cup, which we know historically in hockey is a curse. When you have that, that cup, like you never go on to win the Stanley Cup. That's not the cup you want.
Dan LeBatard
That Mike likes as an underdog and also morally superior to every team everyone else likes.
Jon Weiner
And then if something bad happens, like, why did they have to do it? We've done things the right way.
Dan LeBatard
Something bad happens, Mike. And say, I knew this was bad thing was going to happen, which is why I jumped off this bandwagon. Like the Terry Rozier, Kyle Lowry Heat bandwagon years ago. I was right the whole time, right, Mike?
Billy Corben
I don't like this show today. I'm dying, man. Not with it so far. And we got a terrible playoff. It looked like I was playing golf in it.
Jon Weiner
Why are they sitting in a lake?
Billy Corben
They're not sitting.
Chris Cote
They're just in front of the Lake Billy.
Billy Corben
Billy self reported, I'm really trying.
Dan LeBatard
It's the island set.
Mike Ryan
You guys have been very disappointed by the golf. I don't have it on the televisions in here. So it's over.
Billy Corben
Rory won it. The playoff was plus three to plus one. It was just not good. It was just very disappointing. Like, we could have done this last night. We could have done this in the evening. This is stupid.
Dan LeBatard
They should do playoff golf at a putt putt golf course. That would be so much fun.
Billy Corben
There's no way Rory wins that way.
Dan LeBatard
Exactly.
Billy Corben
The only way that Rory could. I wanted the drama. Rory having a big.
Dan LeBatard
I like Rory.
Billy Corben
I like him too.
Dan LeBatard
But I like him now.
Billy Corben
I like him. But you wanted to see him, like make a big putt, given his reputation. And Spawn just made it so easy. He handed it so poorly that we didn't actually have to see Rory conquer demons at the players.
Chris Cote
Like the story won't be at all. Rory did it. It's just going to be like, this guy took a big shit in the playoff.
Billy Corben
He did that at 17. I didn't like it. I thought it was a bad omen that he took his pants off and took a shit at the tee box. That was not good juju.
Mike Ryan
Might as well put it on the poll, please. Juju at lebatard show. Should they do playoff golf at a putt putt course? Because that is very well said by you and me, Jessica, in not caring about golf that much. But I am assuming the purists are going to be infuriated by that. I I they want Rory to majestically rise up today and conquer all of his doubts and not just have the other guy fart away the game.
Billy Corben
Guys, have you seen what 17 looks like? That's essentially a mini golf. Like it's a ridiculous hole.
Dan LeBatard
All 18 to look like that, though. And then a little like, you know, a windmill. Maybe a fallen over windmill.
Jon Weiner
What if we do this maybe for one tournament year just because there's a new Happy Gilmore coming out instead of like a playoff at a putt putt. You have one natural disaster hole, right? Where you have a regular hole and then you have a collapsible set that just falls all over the green. And then you need to figure out how you play it a la Happy Gilmore.
Billy Corben
Are any of your takes gonna be rooted in reality soon?
Dan LeBatard
Every hole will be a natural take.
Billy Corben
Just like any of them. Just one of them rooted in reality.
Jon Weiner
What do you mean?
Billy Corben
Seth reported. I'm trying to get tethered here.
Jon Weiner
Same I'M trying to help out Dan. I'm seeing Dan and Dan's out there and he's looking for a lifeline and I'm tossing them to him all day.
Mike Ryan
You keep tossing me anchors is what you keep.
Jon Weiner
There's a line attached to that anchor, though. Just grab the other end.
Mike Ryan
I'm sitting there, I'm trying to flail around. I'm trying to grab on to something, and you just keep throwing heavy things at me.
Chris Cote
That was a fun ending, though. The Happy Gilmore. Remember, he, like, went off the thing.
Jessica
Yeah.
Jon Weiner
Imagine if that's how you settle the players.
Mike Ryan
But it's not serious golf.
Jon Weiner
Okay. Do it at the waste management.
Mike Ryan
But we've got sports happening right now in our face like we never have.
Jon Weiner
I just had a guy pooped on the green. That didn't happen either.
Mike Ryan
Okay, but metaphorically. Metaphorically, it happened.
Jon Weiner
Well, metaphorically, I'm throwing anchors. I didn't do that either.
Billy Corben
We were metaphorically.
Mike Ryan
You're pooping, you're throwing. You're throwing anchors covered in poop at me is what you're doing.
Jon Weiner
There's a lot of animals that live off of eating poop.
Mike Ryan
Okay.
Jon Weiner
You just need to know which poop to eat.
Mike Ryan
All right, Excellent.
Billy Corben
That was actually helpful.
Chris Cote
Did you know they drop retired subway carts in New York into the water to become, like, reefs? I learned that while I was in New York over the weekend. Interesting. That's fun.
Mike Ryan
Isn't there all sorts of stuff in the bottom of the ocean that's just thrown down there that becomes reefs?
Dan LeBatard
Well, this is on purpose. The rest of it is just. We're just going to get poisoned by it.
Jon Weiner
They just drove, like, like last week or two weeks ago, this giant ship like that they were intentionally sinking to make a giant artificial reef like, off the coast of something somewhere.
Roy Bellamy
Yeah.
Jon Weiner
Drove by right down the East Coast.
Chris Cote
I wonder if, like, do you think fish get in there? They're like, this is my room. I got this one. Like, that's essentially what they're doing.
Billy Corben
Yes.
Chris Cote
Like, dibs.
Billy Corben
Yes.
Chris Cote
And then a bigger fish comes. And then a bigger fish comes. It's like, no, now it's mine.
Mike Ryan
All right. Wow.
Billy Corben
Yesterday's show was so good. It was a top three show, according to Jason.
Mike Ryan
You guys, we announced at the very beginning of this that no one had any material left today.
Dan LeBatard
This is the truth is we all got home at like 10:00 last night. And then we immediately. At least me, I immediately went to bed and woke up seven hours later to come in. I have not, like, read anything. I have not watched anything all the we emptied it all out yesterday.
Jon Weiner
I think what could have happened yesterday for Jason also is Florida 1. Well, was Jason here or not? Because there was pizza here and Jason loves pizza because he does that weird pizza thing where he spins it into a taco and then he eats it as like a round thing.
Chris Cote
Jason doesn't just love pizza, Jason loves every single food we put in this place. No one makes a bigger plate of lunch than Jason, our director.
Jon Weiner
So if it's a good spread, Jason thinks it's a good show is the point.
Chris Cote
Also, he's a Florida fan and they're a one seed. I think that's why he liked yesterday's show.
Mike Ryan
Okay, regardless, we don't need to relitigate whether it was or wasn't good. What we can agree on is that so far today's has not been correct.
Billy Corben
So I'm having a good time buy in there.
Mike Ryan
We're going to get I've got consensus on that.
Billy Corben
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Jessica
Hey there travelers and dreamers. We all have that dream trip that we've been wishing we could go on. But too often life just gets in the way. Whether it's work, family, responsibilities, or in my case and I'm sure many of yours, price. But your dreamtrip doesn't have to stay a dream any longer because Priceline is here to help you book it with millions of deals on hotels, flights, cruises and rental cars. That bucket list destination? Yeah, it's a lot closer than you think. You know, I've been wanting to go see the Pittsburgh Pirates for a long time at PNC park in Pittsburgh. That's like at the top of my list of bucket list destinations of baseball parks around the country. And because I now know about the type of deals that Priceline offers, I may pull the trigger this summer and go see those Pirates. Priceline makes it easy and stress free to book a flight and a hotel so I can go see my team play live. With millions of travel deals like up to 60% off hotels, I know I'll be able to find great options even when I need to book last minute. So don't just dream about that next trip, book it with Priceline, download the Priceline app or visit priceline.com to go to your happy price. Actual prices may vary. Limited time offer terms apply. I for one am someone that can struggle with technology, even though I've been raised in the age of technology. Do you ever feel overwhelmed trying to manage your web hosting while juggling a million other tasks? Even if tech isn't your thing, Kinsta's managed WordPress hosting is a relief. Their expert team handles it all. They've bundled up all the essentials to make sites stress free with speeds that'll wow your visitors, security that never sleeps, and a dashboard so intu you'll wonder why everything isn't this easy. And when you hit a snag, you'll Talk to real humans 24, 7, 365 Actual people who get it. Not AI chatbots, which is a rarity these days. Seemingly, Kinsta will give you peace of mind and let you focus on your business rather than dealing with technical issues. For us, that means more time watching the games and getting you the best takes possible without having to worry about troubleshooting tech issues. Tired of being your own website support team? Switch your hosting to Kinsta and get your first month free. And don't worry about the move. They'll handle the whole transition for you. No tech expertise required. Just visit kinsta.com dan to get started. That's K I N-S-T A.com dan dan.
Roy Bellamy
Lebatard I'm just here to say one thing. The Knicks are back.
Mike Ryan
Stugats Tyree celebrating six points.
Roy Bellamy
Fraud. Everybody was like yo, he's better than Jalen Brunson. He's better Than Janik should attract him. Fraud.
Jon Weiner
This is the Don Levatar show with the Stugach.
Mike Ryan
We're going to get help here from a professional comedian who I'm imagining is feeling a little broken. Not just because the road is hard and the grind is hard, and he's probably been in 50 hotel rooms in 39 nights, but also because his Knicks aren't quite as lovable as they used to be. And I don't know if you guys saw over the weekend, they lose to the Warriors. The warriors are now 14 and one with Jimmy Butler. After the game, Carl Anthony Towns had been, you know, pumped by Draymond Green, who said that he hadn't played in the previous game against Jimmy Butler because he was afraid of him. He apologized for it because Karl Anthony Towns was attending a friend's funeral. And then what happens after the game, after the Knicks lose is a bunch of Knicks are dapping up Draymond Green. And now Knicks Nation is hurting because this team is more talented than the team of the last two years. But it's not quite as lovable, and it's not quite as underdog, either, even though I've gone from thinking they could win the championship to thinking they can't, and they won't. So Sam Morale is our senior Knicks correspondent that no one asked for. He's currently on the standup tour, the errors tour. He's got stops all over the place, US and Canada through May. Columbus, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Madison, Des Moines, Kansas city. Go to Samorrill.com for dates and tickets. Where are you now? Are you. Are you hurting from the night before? Is the road. Is the road beating you down, or is it the Knicks?
Roy Bellamy
A little bit of both. I've done, like 25 cities in the last month and a half or so, so I'm feeling it. But, yeah, that game pissed me off, man. That I. I was a. I was a 90s Knicks fan. That's what I grew up with. So that never would have happened with Mason Oak on the team. John Starks, that was a different type of vibe. I think the AAU ball has kind of changed how these guys are. But, yeah, I thought Draymond bothers me. And you said he apologized. He didn't apologize. He gave a Draymond apology. He bothers me. The podcast he has bothers me because he brought in Baron Davis to make himself more likable. He's not likable. He's terrible at broadcasting. He lacks charisma the way Shaq and Barkley ball bust Draymond he's not able to do that. He's like the kid who thinks he can ball bust, but then says, like, your mom has cancer, and you're like, that's not a joke, that she actually does have cancer. That's like, his sense of humor. He sucks. And he. You think a guy like this, like, is he a Hall of Famer? Of course. He's a great player. He's a great defender. He's mentally ill. If he was a football player, he'd be Antonio Brown by now. He's unhinged. He. He has, like, the ego of, like, it's like if Ringo Starr was the biggest dick in the Beatles, you know, like, it's weird that Paul, George and John are nice, and then Ringo's a dick.
Mike Ryan
I don't think you can just accuse him of being mentally ill. I think that's a bit irresponsible.
Roy Bellamy
Okay.
Billy Corben
He's.
Roy Bellamy
He's got all his marbles. You think he's not mentally ill?
Mike Ryan
I, I don't know. I just don't. I don't know that. I'm not comfortable just saying that about somebody. Certainly the resume has a lot of behavior that's unstable on it.
Roy Bellamy
Yeah. I mean, he's just upset that Rudy Gobert. Not Rudy Gobert's fault. He keeps winning defensive player of the years, and he just, like, puts him in a sleeper hold. I don't. That's not the behavior of someone who's got it all together. It bothered me that the Knicks dapped him up. I think if Jalen Brunson was there, it would have been a different vibe. I. I don' I didn't like that.
Mike Ryan
Well, where are you right now emotionally with the Knicks? You don't like them as much as you've liked the team of the last two years. Right.
Roy Bellamy
It's. It's tough, man. I. Yeah, I, I like the identity last year a little more of just. It's hard to root for a team that doesn't play defense as well. Yeah. I missed Dante and Hardenstein and Randall for sure. I mean, Randall would do stuff that would make me crazy, but he. You couldn't question his toughness, and I respected that. So. So now you're questioning this team's toughness.
Billy Corben
Sam, I have to speak out. There's been something that someone said, and, like a game of telephone, it has swept.
Mike Ryan
Right.
Billy Corben
The entire production studio.
Mike Ryan
This is not good.
Billy Corben
So I just can't unsee it. Now, some people have pointed out that your mustache presently looks like the Batman logo. And I Gotta say, it is so good. So dead on. I don't understand. How did you do this on purpose? How do you have the Batman logo on your face?
Roy Bellamy
I don't know, man. I've not heard this, but this is. I'm looking at my face, and I can kind of see it.
Mike Ryan
Sam, are you okay with us going straight up to your mouth here and just staying here as you give us your commentary with the Batman logo under your nose and above your top lips?
Roy Bellamy
As long as you're not doing this to interns in meetings, I guess this is okay.
Dan LeBatard
We're comedians operating in the margins, Sam. Can someone please, who maybe is watching, Photoshop this into the little spotlight, into the sky in Gotham for me, and please tweet it at me? Thank you.
Mike Ryan
So, Sam, you understand, and this part has to be hard for you as somebody who loves and cares about the Knicks the way you do.
Roy Bellamy
Yeah.
Mike Ryan
Scrappy, underdog gets very loud. Lovable team. Everybody was, go, New York. Go, New York. Because it felt scrappy. And Jalen Brunson was nice. As an underdog, you change everybody out. You bring this team in, it's less liked. And now Knicks fans have been very loud on behalf of their team, and now they've got one that's less likable than the previous incarnations. And allowed fan base goes from hopeful to what? Like, are you sitting here saying, well, now that Mitchell Robinson is back, we can get past Cleveland and Boston.
Roy Bellamy
Boston's tough, man. I mean, they just don't. Al Horford is like the ageless wonder. He's 38, and he's. He just seems like he could still guard anyone. It's crazy. And he hits the open threes. They just don't miss Boston, so they're. They're tough, man. And Derrick White is like that X factor who just. I mean, they have a ton of great players, but he just seems to be that guy who always hits the big three. And. And Cleveland got better, so. Yeah, right. As of now, no, I don't think we could beat them. But I do think we are in a place where we have more talent. I just think they have to make moves to make the team fit better. You know, like, the team doesn't seem like it really fits right now, but also, they haven't really had a lot of time to play with Mitch Jalen, like, the whole team healthy. So maybe. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know, Sam.
Mike Ryan
I don't like this. I don't like hearing you. Well, you just don't. You're lacking enthusiasm for your basketball team. You already sound broken. Like, you. For two years, you've been like, no, here we come. I'm hopeful. And now you sound like a different human being. Is our Knicks.
Billy Corben
Are you taking solace in what's happening with Philadelphia? What's happening with Miami? Are you. Are you riding some vibes? Because they're down bad.
Roy Bellamy
I'll tell you what hurts me about Philadelphia is that they got my guy, Quentin Grimes, and he's falling. That guy can play, and we knew he could play in New York, and that's a guy we could use right now. A little energy and three ball off the bench. Good defender, but, yeah, I mean, look, I don't. I don't like Philly. It's fun to see them fall apart, but, I mean, look, a core of Embiid and Paul George. That contract's, like, as bad as it gets. So that I take. Yeah, I do take some solace in them falling apart, but I don't think we're screwed. I think we have a good nucleus still, and I think Brunson is still that good that you could still build around him. But, yeah, you just need. You need to get back that defensive identity. That's what made us good last year, is that we beat you up. So I don't feel like we're a team that teams are scared of like they were last year. Last year, they were like, we got to play the Knicks. Like, it was that type of thing where you knew they were going to be physical.
Mike Ryan
Sam, you're basically acknowledging that the team's not good enough, which is not an acknowledgment you've made the last couple of years. You were hopeful at every turn that you could get past even Boston. You were not, at that point, afraid in any way of Boston.
Roy Bellamy
I never said they're not good enough. I said we're not. We don't look good enough right now. I mean, look, if we get healthy, yeah, maybe. Maybe we could figure something out. I love. I love Deuce off the Bench. I love a lot of the guys we have on the team. I mean, OG Is looking great right now. Bridges hit that big shot. The other. We have the talent. It's just not coming together right now, but we definitely have the talent.
Billy Corben
What did you make of Josh Hart and Tom Thibodeau mixing it up. And also, how do we stop the Riddler from poisoning Gotham's water supply?
Roy Bellamy
I can help you with the Rizzler, but I don't know much about the Riddler but what was the first question again? Sorry.
Billy Corben
Josh Harden. Thibodeau. I can understand how that.
Mike Ryan
The clash. The clash of Hart and Thibodeau. They're arguing on the sidelines.
Roy Bellamy
I don't care about that. That's like, they're two intense guys. It's like, you know, they're gonna be fine. It's like when a toxic couple gets together and they scream at each other in public, but then they go home and have hot sex. That's. That's. That's Josh and Tibbs, you know?
Dan LeBatard
Yeah. But then that couple usually breaks up, and it's very messy.
Roy Bellamy
Yeah, but they. But that's what always happened. Like, Josh's next. Like, five years are going to be rough. We just know. We know how it is. Like, it didn't end well for Noah or. Dang. Tibbs has his guys he loves and they give everything, and Josh will be a favorite Nick forever. But, like, I don't know how many years Josh can do this. I mean, he's playing, like, 46 minutes a night and doing everything. He's not. It's not like a 46 minutes where he's just, like, camping out in the corner. He's like. He's like the Energizer Bunny the whole night. So I get why he's angry every once in a while. He's doing a lot. And it came out. Bridges was like, you know, what the. With all these minutes. And then he's like, nah, we're fine. But they're still playing this many minutes, so I don't know.
Mike Ryan
What are your thoughts on Kendrick Perkins saying that if it were his locker room, he would have smoke with Josh Brunson and Hart. I'm sorry, Brun and Hart, for having their podcast together.
Roy Bellamy
If it was Kendrick Perkins locker room, he'd have smoked brisket in there. Because he's fat.
Billy Corben
Nothing wrong with that.
Roy Bellamy
He's a fat. It wouldn't be. It was his locker room. I mean, what is. I mean, this is a guy that, like, I feel like all his. I like Kendrick Perkins. He's fine. But, like, I feel like all his former teammates are like, shut up. You know the podcast. Yeah. Like, look, any podcast you do when it's not. When it's not going as well, you're going to get shit for. Right? I mean, I remember, like, Duncan Robinson's a buddy of mine, he stopped doing his podcast when he was on the bench. He's like, why am I podcasting if I'm getting benched? Makes sense, right? So When. When things aren't harmonious. It's weird, but at the same time, they have a self awareness. I heard them on their podcast talking about how they're not beating the good teams. And it's like, it's actually nice to hear that they're. They hear the Knicks fans and there is a weird connection that Josh and Jalen have to like Knicks, Twitter and the city. So I have no issue with it. It's not like they're not practicing and working hard. Those two are the guys I'm not.
Mike Ryan
Concerned about when you're analyzing the specifics of the changes in the team because you fell in love with Hartenstein as well. Are you mad at Bridges? Are you mad at Karl Anthony Towns? Like, how does this work in terms of where it is that your emotion is spent understanding positive about the team? And you don't want to be somebody who's negative, but you blame somebody here for this feeling less good to you, don't you?
Roy Bellamy
Yeah, it's hard to blame the guys who come in. I mean, I think Bridges and Towns are good players. Towns sometimes makes me crazy on defense. I don't. I don't always feel like he's playing defense and that. That's frustrating because he is a talent. Right now he looks like he's absolutely injured, so it's hard to get as mad at him right now. But yeah, there have been periods where you're like, it is weird that we have to sit Towns and Brunson on every last play defensively. I get it because Mitch and Deuce are great defenders, but it's weird. You don't usually see that. Right. And I think Bridges took a lot of the blame out of the gate because Towns was shooting the lights out and Towns first half was incredible. But, you know, we don't care who does that stuff in the regular season. I want to see you do that in the, in the playoffs and I want to see you hooping in the playoffs. So, yeah, Towns, when he's zesty and we're winning, it's funny. And then when he's zesty and we're losing, we're like this. Why is he so zesty?
Mike Ryan
You know, what are you enjoying the most these days creatively? I don't know if sharpening up the tour or your podcast or your script writing is where you're pouring your energies, but what's inspiring you these days?
Roy Bellamy
A lot of nicks. I'm on the road like crazy. So we've been on a tour bus and we're gonna Tour bus for like 20 cities. I almost died. And before we got the tour bus, because we were in a sprinter van at like 3am and our driver fell asleep at the wheel. And that inspired me to get a tour bus. So. Yeah, I don't want to die. I was watching that movie the Substance and I didn't like it and it kept me awake. And that's how it saved our life. Because I was like, wake up. Because I was awake.
Mike Ryan
It seems like you're grinding at a way that's a bit unreasonable. Do your loved ones tell you to slow it down?
Roy Bellamy
No, not really. That just is how I am, I guess.
Mike Ryan
Broken.
Billy Corben
I saw someone drew a big old dick on that tour bus, so congrats.
Roy Bellamy
Don't do a big dick. Yeah, that was in, I think, Buffalo. The Buffalo people, man.
Dan LeBatard
Ah, the scarecrow.
Roy Bellamy
I know it's. But I will say it is, damn you. I mean, yeah, I like Buffalo people. I went on Tinder there once and all the women look like Artie Lang. It was pretty intense. But still fucked one of them. But still.
Mike Ryan
You. That's my guy.
Dan LeBatard
Wait, no.
Roy Bellamy
I want to kill you.
Mike Ryan
You. You are going to do something different with the mustache. Do you think, self consciously or do you think you're going to just keep going and ride it into the sky?
Roy Bellamy
I'll ride it through the sky. I'll ride. I mean, there's worse things that could look like than a bad signal. I mean, I'll take that, you know.
Mike Ryan
Well, I think you should darken it to accentuate it even more because we have spent the entire conversation giggling or. Or smiling because all of the words are being belched out from the undercarriage of the bat. Signal.
Roy Bellamy
Yeah, I mean, yeah, I'm all right with it. I'm going to. I'm going to keep things as is, I think.
Mike Ryan
All right. Sam, you sound a bit defeated by the Knicks. I don't like to hear you this way.
Roy Bellamy
I'm still positive they have the talent, but I think, yeah, I think he's just. You need Brunson back. He's our. He's the whole. He's the engine man. He's everything. So hopefully he comes back healthy. That Lakers game was tough. I thought we'd get him. And then it turns into like, now, do we lose? But Jalen goes down. That was one where I was like, this is. I forgot what city we were in. But it was like not a good. It was. It was a finish the bottle of wine type of night. We're like this.
Mike Ryan
How do you Celebrate or how did you celebrate Stephen A's big contract with espn?
Roy Bellamy
I was so happy for him. I think he's been such a wonderful guy for years and doing it the right way. So it's nice. Hopefully he's our next president too. He seems really level headed. We'll make Draymond vp.
Mike Ryan
Good seeing you, Sam. Thank you again. A reminder, the Errors Tour upcoming dates, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, Madison, Des Moines and Kansas City. His is the bus with the penis drawn on the side. Thank you, sir. I wanted to give you guys here a Rick Patino station because I find it fairly stunning because we were just talking about the Belichick stuff. Right. Clearly there's something Pitino does, wherever it is that he goes, that is something that evolves into is gonna win everywhere. And he's back in the top 10 in the sport. And you have a stat for me with the stat of the day music. Long version, you think? Long version, short version.
Jon Weiner
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.
Billy Corben
Start of the day.
Roy Bellamy
Stat of the.
Chris Cote
Day Brought to you by NYX Professional makeup shop now@nyxcosmetics.com or a retailer near you. The stat of the day. Rick Pitino, the first coach to take six schools to the NCAA tournament.
Mike Ryan
It's not just that. It's six schools. Why is he being applauded there? Why is.
Billy Corben
I think it was a perfect read.
Dan LeBatard
He did a good job.
Mike Ryan
Okay.
Jon Weiner
So, yeah, we just make fun of people too much around here. Why can't we applaud when someone's successful?
Mike Ryan
I just wanted to know why? Because I wasn't used to it. I'm not.
Jon Weiner
Aaron Eckblad of the day doing the right thing.
Mike Ryan
I'm not used to the group embracing someone else's success.
Jon Weiner
I ain't cheating.
Mike Ryan
And Rick Patino, people rooting for him now, that can't be a thing, right? That's not. Can you turn that down, please? That can't be a thing, right? Where people are rooting for Rick Pitino.
Billy Corben
I think so. I think he's part of the nostalgia circuit, too. There's a lot of people that maybe, as the game evolved, have aged out of following the sport day to day. But Rick Pitino is like, I know that guy. Yeah. And he's doing it with a smaller program and people Just like to either root for brands at this time of year or one of the few recognizable faces. It's such a transient sport, but it's.
Mike Ryan
Not aged out though, of this time of year. It's that the sport has become something different when you have all of the changes to it that you have. And so college basketball becomes something that is focused on intensely in March, as it always has been, but then curates to its fan base the rest of the time. And then this one month is an insanity of gambling. And many people are tuning in just to watch their money run up and down the court.
Dan LeBatard
I think honestly, like, the casual fans need someone like a Patino, because all of the other coaches that we. Other than like maybe Tom Izzo, like all the other coaches that we grew up watching, have now left the sports. We're, like, desperate for, like, a familiar face for the casual fans. And also the fact that he's doing it at St. John. St. John's who has never been good in my lifetime. Like, the last time they made the tournament or the last time they won the Big East, I think was like 2000, 2001, right?
Billy Corben
Like Jarvis and them boys.
Mike Ryan
Well, but it's not. It's. What is crazy is not merely that Rick Patino is back and in the game as the vampire who never dies over 700 years. It's that he's brought back Big east basketball where we used to remember back when that was a thing, because all the coaches matter, whether it was George Thompson or. Or, you know, Carneseca, any of the Massimo, you know, Rolly Massimino, like, ridiculous names from the past. The idea that he's resurrecting that conference when the SEC is all anyone's talking about, crazy. And he'll have a shot at Florida. He'll have a shot if they both make it.
Billy Corben
College basketball is a very difficult sport to follow, even if you're a fan of it. And Rick Pitino does numbers. He is often aggregated the social channels. If you follow all the college basketball sites that you should, Rick Pitino is probably the person that's pushed out the most. So it's been a connection point for a lot of people throughout this season. One of the few storylines that you can get a grip on. Like I said, if you love college basketball and you have a team that you're following, it's easy to follow your own conference and the teams that you're playing. But there's so many games and so many legitimately good teams. It's not like college football. There's so much wealth distributed that to be locked in on everything this time of year, you have to be an absolute sicko.
Mike Ryan
Who are the coaches that we're talking about? Kelvin Sampson and them boys. Calipari and them boys. Where you're talking about just the coach is the program, the coach is the face because it's a famous coach. How many of those are left from the past? I just, I can't believe. Huggy Bears gone patino still one of them. Bill Self is still wandering around.
Dan LeBatard
Just a big year for vampires in general.
Jessica
Hey, friends, it's Jerbear here and I'm here to tell you all about Boost Mobile, which is now a legit nationwide 5G network. So I must take a break from the jokes here for a second and put on my serious voice because I would never ever do joke about a 5G network that has invested billions building 5G towers across the country. Not even once. Not even if Mr. Boost Mobile himself asked me to. There is nothing funny about it. Boost Mobile is now a legit nationwide 5G network and also provides coverage across 99% of America. Seriously? Visit boostmobile.com or your nearest Boost Mobile store location to learn more. The Boost Mobile network, together with our roaming partners, covers 99 of the US population 5G speeds not available in all areas.
Sam Morril
All right, I know I gotta do this ad read, but hold on, let me reapply. Did you hear that?
Billy Corben
Yep.
Sam Morril
That's my new favorite lip gloss from NYX Cosmetics. Now I'm ready to talk to you. I've been a huge fan of NYX Cosmetics for many years now. In fact, I use their Thick It Stick it brow gel every single day. So you can imagine my excitement when we recently received a special delivery to the Lebatard Studios from our friends over at NYX Cosmetics. And there it was when I opened the box. Glowing. I heard the angel sing. It's their latest lip gloss Fat Oil Lip Drip. It's Nyx Cosmetics first lip oil of its kind. This creamy lip oil will have your lips dripping with fat perks. You get all the shine of a lip gloss and none of the stickiness while experiencing 12 hour hydration. I'm usually a matte lip gloss kind of gal. My normal go to is Nyx Cosmetics Lip Gloss the Lingerie xxl. But after applying the status update shade, I have found my new Go to lip gloss. Fat Oil Lip Drip has high shine finish with comfortable wear and none of the sticky texture. A lip product that's hydrating, non sticky and only $9 now that's a win. Try Fat Oil Lip Drip from Nyx Professional makeup, available in 14 universally flattering shades. Find your perfect Fat Oil Lip drip. Shop now@nyxcosmetics.com or a retailer near.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz Episode: The Big Suey: The Batman Logo (feat. Sam Morril) Release Date: March 17, 2025
Discussion Highlights: The episode delves deep into the recent struggles of the Florida Panthers, attributing their downturn to the suspension of key player Aaron Ekblad for performance-enhancing drug use. The panel debates whether Ekblad's absence is the primary reason for the team's poor performance and explores the broader implications of PEDs in professional sports.
Notable Quotes:
Insights & Conclusions:
Discussion Highlights: The conversation shifts to the Buffalo Bills' recent signings of players with PED suspensions, raising questions about ethical standards in professional sports and the repercussions of such actions on team integrity and championship legitimacy.
Notable Quotes:
Insights & Conclusions:
Discussion Highlights: A substantial portion of the episode focuses on the New York Knicks' underwhelming performance, with Roy Bellamy expressing his disappointment and frustration. The panel analyzes player performances, coaching strategies, and the overall direction of the team.
Notable Quotes:
Insights & Conclusions:
Discussion Highlights: A lighter segment of the show features Roy Bellamy's mustache being humorously likened to the Batman logo. The panel engages in playful banter, speculating on the origins and implications of this resemblance.
Notable Quotes:
Insights & Conclusions:
Discussion Highlights: The panel discusses Rick Pitino's resurgence in college basketball, highlighting his achievements and the nostalgic value he brings to the sport. They reflect on his impact across multiple schools and his role in revitalizing the Big East Conference.
Notable Quotes:
Insights & Conclusions:
Discussion Highlights: The episode concludes with creative segments, including a playful "Stat of the Day" featuring Rick Pitino and a humorous reflection on tour bus experiences. The hosts also engage in light-hearted interactions, maintaining the show's signature blend of sports talk and comedy.
Notable Quotes:
Insights & Conclusions:
This episode of "The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz" offers a comprehensive and entertaining exploration of current sports topics, including the Florida Panthers' challenges, New York Knicks' season woes, and the nostalgic resurgence of Rick Pitino in college basketball. Through a mix of serious analysis and humor, the hosts provide insightful commentary while keeping the conversation lively and engaging for both dedicated fans and casual listeners.