The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

The Big Suey: Who Killed The Montreal Expos? (Starring David Samson)

Date: September 11, 2025

Overview

This episode, recorded at the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, delivers a raucous blend of sports and pop-culture, digging deep into the unraveling Kawhi Leonard/Clippers/Aspiration scandal—powered by Pablo Torre’s reporting and David Samson’s industry insights. The back half pivots into lighter territory: the in-studio Expos documentary drama, the fallout from an in-house soup competition, and another round of the show’s infamous banter.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Breaking Down the Aspiration/Kawhi Leonard Scandal

a. Reaction to Pablo Torre's Reporting

• Pablo Torre's journalism on the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard, and “Aspiration” is lauded by Dan and the crew for its depth and receipts.
• David Samson’s Perspective: Live on Torre’s podcast, he and Amin Elhassan were “actually reacting in real time” to the documents presented by Pablo, describing it as “the most damning of circumstantial evidence” against a wealthy, powerful entity (03:13).
• Insider Documents: Samson reveals his surprise at seeing detailed financial documents showing Dennis Wong (Clippers minority owner) investing $2M into Aspiration right before a $1.75M payment to Kawhi. "God, is [Adam Silver] getting bad advice?... It’s game, set, match to me when it comes to the investigation" (04:23).

“We didn’t know the payment that went to Kawhi quarterly for his $28 million, four-year no-show contract with Aspiration...you’re looking at something saying, ‘Adam Silver just met the media saying the burden of proof is on the NBA’...now we’ve got this information."
— David Samson (03:13)

b. Adam Silver’s Response

• Silver feigns ignorance: Claims to have never heard of Aspiration or any endorsement with Kawhi (05:43).
• Samson Calls BS: “They were on the seat backs of a Clippers game in 2022...for Adam to say he’s never heard of Aspiration, it just doesn’t make sense” (06:40).
• Discusses what the NBA typically does with $300M team sponsors, highlighting the implausibility of Silver’s claim.

"It would’ve been smarter of him to say nothing...but instead he kept going, and I don't understand why."
— David Samson (07:24)

c. Hard Evidence and “Podcast Court”

• Chain of Documents: Documents showing Dennis Wong’s $2M investment, and immediate payout to “Uncle Dennis” (Kawhi’s uncle/manager), as the company was collapsing.
• Public Record: These documents came through bankruptcy filings and sources. Samson compares this to MLB’s inability to unearth this level of paperwork in past investigations (09:33).
• On Podcast vs. Real Court: “There’s a lot different rules when you’re in real court vs. podcast court. But man, did we have fun in podcast court” (10:47).

d. Employee Source Testimony (Voice Modulation)

• Damning Testimony: Multiple sources inside Aspiration, via modulated voice, detail financial desperation at the firm—yet “Uncle Dennis gets paid” when staff are being laid off (11:46, 12:22).
• Dennis Wong Identified as 'Clippers': Internal company texts note Wong as “Ballmer partner”—his $2M investment is “beyond shocking” to insiders (13:33).

Notable Soundbites

"The payment to Uncle Dennis is critical."
— Chris Cody, on Pablo’s documents (12:25)

"It is very shocking to me that $2 million was made as an investment by Dennis Wong, who...is identified as the Clippers, Steve Ballmer’s partner, a week before $1.75M was paid to Kawhi."
— Modulated Source (13:33)

e. What Will the NBA Do?

• Possible Outcomes: Samson predicts league may push for Dennis Wong to take the fall, with offers of “suspending Dennis Wong for a year” or draft pick penalties, but notes Pablo could have “another episode ready to go” (20:18–21:26).
• PR Crisis Management: “If I’m crisis PR for the Clippers, I’m not letting Steve Ballmer do an interview...I’d start negotiating the punishment, once Steve Ballmer agrees to let Dennis Wong wear it” (20:18).

f. Meta Reporting & Minor Credibility Skirmishes

• Questions on minor Pablo Torre detail: Did Ballmer fly across the country for a Ramona Shelburne interview? Samson “happens to know” Ballmer was already in the Northeast (22:33). Resolved by Ramona Shelburne, confirming the location (23:34–23:47).
• Discussion admits this is minor, doesn’t hurt Pablo’s overall reporting (24:08).

2. Side Story: Expos Documentary and David Samson’s Reputation

• David Samson in 'Who Killed the Montreal Expos?' Doc: Hilarity ensues as Samson recounts his nine-hour interview for a Netflix Canada documentary—realization dawns too late he’s likely “the villain” (26:02–28:23):

“Spoiler alert: Who killed the Expos? This guy did. Like, spoiler. If they interviewed you for nine hours, they’re blaming you for it.”
— Chris Cody (28:03)

• Montreal Reaction: Greg Cody: “Whenever my family sees David here on screen, they text me vomit emojis.”
  Samson: “It’s 20 years ago. Tell them to get over it.” (27:41–28:00)

3. Soup Competition: In-House Drama

• Internal Fallout: Greg Cody’s pain at losing a soup competition on his birthday—show banter ensues as Dan Le Batard insists his victory was deserved (39:14–42:34).
• Allegations: Claims of unfair judging, use of HelloFresh recipes, and accusations of “voter suppression” (43:01–43:32).

“There’s nothing sinister at play here.”
— Dan Le Batard (44:08)

4. Movie Review Segment

• David Samson Reviews ‘Nobody Too’: Pans the sequel as lazy and unnecessary, to the dismay of the Rotten Tomatoes consensus (36:51–38:16):

“I was despondent that I had to watch the whole thing. I just saved you an hour and a half of your life, Dan.”
— David Samson (38:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Man, did we have fun in podcast court.” — David Samson (10:47)
• “The only way to stop this from happening is to have a punishment that satisfies Pablo. Is he satisfied today? No.” — David Samson (21:26)
• "They were on the seat backs of a Clippers game in 2022...for Adam to say he’s never heard of Aspiration, it just doesn’t make sense." — Samson (06:40)
• “Beyond shocking...it is not a rational investment.” — Modulated Source / Aspiration Employee (13:33)
• “Spoiler alert: Who killed the Expos? This guy did." — Chris Cody (28:03)
• "Whenever my family sees David here on screen, they text me vomit emojis." — Greg Cody (27:49)
• “There’s nothing sinister at play here.” — Dan Le Batard (44:08)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:13]–[09:33]: Pablo Torre’s investigation and the podcast court evidence reveal
• [11:46]–[14:12]: Modulated Aspiration employees corroborate details of the Wong/Kawhi payments
• [19:38]–[21:26]: Samson’s crisis PR speculation and what punishment might look like
• [22:33]–[24:08]: Minor reporting battle over the Ballmer/Shelburne interview location
• [26:02]–[28:23]: Expos documentary segment, Samson as probable villain
• [39:14]–[44:08]: The Soup Competition Debacle

Tone and Style

The episode is classic Le Batard: high-energy, irreverent, and insightful. The crew juggles serious analysis of NBA power politics, exposes murky backroom deals, and hams up their own in-studio competitive drama, all while maintaining banter and quick-witted repartee.

Useful for New Listeners

This summary captures the episode’s blend of hard-hitting sports investigative journalism, the show’s trademark comedic self-awareness, and its willingness to address both industry scandals and in-house squabbles in equal, entertaining measure.