THE MARLINS PULLED THEIR PITCHER WITH A PERFECT GAME? | Local Hour

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show — Local Hour

Episode: "THE MARLINS PULLED THEIR PITCHER WITH A PERFECT GAME?"

Date: July 6, 2026

Live from the Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami

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Overview

This episode dives deep into a controversial baseball moment where the Miami Marlins’ manager pulled pitcher Yuri Perez after seven perfect innings—a move that angered fans and reignited debates about analytics vs. gut-feeling in modern sports management. The crew also takes a spirited look at the wildest World Cup matches in Miami, the heatwaves during summer sports, Miami Hurricanes football recruiting dominance, and a peculiar U.S. soccer red-card scandal. Throughout, the show keeps its signature blend of local color, irreverent debate, and humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Marlins’ Manager Pulls Perez During Perfect Game (01:27 – 11:18)

• Debate over the Decision:

  • Dan Le Batard opens by remarking on the outrage:

    "What a joy today to step into the time machine and be greeted by Zsasz being sports radio mad at a baseball manager." (01:27)

  • Zaza is incensed, calling out the lack of “gut” decisions:

    "Grow a pair. I mean, Marlins won a World Series because he had a guy who went with his gut… Josh Beckett went out there in Game six… and won your World Series with a shutout because the manager went with his gut." (02:04)

  • Dan points out the context:

    "This is a young arm coming off of injury… it doesn’t matter to you that he’s making like his third start off of injury." (02:27)

  • Zaza: skeptical that any manager would have let Perez finish, injury or not.

• Shift in Baseball Culture:

  • Dan highlights the evolution:

    "Baseball’s different now. And you either accept it or you howl at the moon… this is how they do things now in July. They're protecting precious arms." (02:38)

• Fan Outrage and Local Sports Culture:

  • Discussion acknowledges that it’s rare for the Marlins to capture such sports radio attention.
  • Jeremy: The group chat debate is less about Perez and more about “sports diehards” vs. “bandwagon outrage.” (04:22)
  • Dan: "Do you know how many perfect games there have been in the history of baseball?... 24." (05:14)
  • Greg Cody: Marlins relievers "got their nipples on fire and ran to the dugout scared while A's fans chanted shame at them like if it was Salem in the 1700s." (10:49)

2. Manager’s Explanation & Further Outrage (06:11 – 11:20)

• Sound from Marlins Manager Clayton McCullough:

  "It was 90 pitches plus a batter… coming back off the time on the IL… us looking to play beyond the regular season. Uri’s gonna be an important part of that… made it more of a calculated decision." (07:11)

• Zaza’s Frustration:

  • Argues this isn’t "putting the player first" and points out the irony that after Perez was pulled, the Marlins’ bullpen collapsed and almost lost a game they had under control.

  • "If you're actually going to think about Yuri Perez, you would have left him in." (07:51)

  • "If the Marlins only scored seven runs, you lose a game that you were perfect through seven innings. So it was not the right move." (11:07)

• Dan’s Perspective:

  "The lowest payroll in baseball is that team is playing out of its minds as they've lost six times since the beginning of June." (09:02)

  • They reflect on the unlikelihood the Marlins will later say: "Thank God Yuri Perez didn't go into the eighth inning." (09:10)

3. World Cup: The Cabo Verde vs. Argentina Spectacle (11:20 – 15:35)

• Tony & Crew Gush Over World Cup Magic:
  • Mike Ryan is obsessed:

    "I would have traded all four matches… to have said I was in that building for that second goal that Cabo Verde scored an absolute worldy." (14:03)

  • Tony highlights the David vs. Goliath story:

    "Messi had to score a goal and get an assist. The best player in the world had to be the best player to beat a bunch of electricians." (27:12)

  • Dan describes the wild scene:

    "A two and a half goal underdog with a 40 year old goalie in Virginia… started the tournament with how many followers? 40 something thousand and now has nearly 20 million followers." (13:31)

  • The A’s fans chanting "shame," likened to Salem witch trials, is a recurring image.

4. Miami Sports Venue Debate: All-Time Top 5 Games List (20:22 – 29:28)

• Zaza’s Top Five “Miami Stadium” Games:

  • 2003 World Series Marlins vs. Yankees, Game 5
  • 2023 Miami Open (Women’s tennis, Kvitova v. Rybakina)
  • 2024 Copa America Final: Argentina vs. Colombia
  • Super Bowl 23, 1989: 49ers vs. Bengals
  • 2000: Dolphins’ last playoff win (Lamar Smith game)
  • Honorable mentions and omitting Game 7 of Marlins’ World Series become running gags.

• Mocking, Bickering, and Digressions:

  • On WrestleMania 28, John Cena, and “classically trained penis” (“Is it uncircumcised? Would it wear a tuxedo?”) (25:48 – 26:03)

5. Miami Hurricanes Football Recruiting Frenzy (32:45 – 37:51)

• Dan Le Batard:

  “On average… they’ve got the best recruiting class. It’s technically number three overall, but… getting better recruits than everyone else. They’re taking Georgia’s recruits and LSU’s recruits…” (32:45)

• Zaza:

  “Shouldn’t this be how it always is? ...This is what it should be forever with Cristobal as the coach.” (33:58)

• Tony:

  “Now you have proof of concept. You were literally in the national championship game, a drive away from winning.” (35:46)

• Guessing Miami’s Famous Football Numbers:

  • Segment devolves into absurd attempts to guess the five all-time famous Hurricanes jersey numbers. (A recurring number: 47.)
  • Dan: “You’ve gotten two right and one hundred and seventy wrong.” (38:51)

6. US Soccer, Red Card Reversal, and Presidential Intervention (42:19 – 47:08)

• Dan on Unprecedented Suspension Drama:

  “The president of the United States getting involved to overturn reportedly a red card suspension that now makes it so that Bulligan is in a situation where he has had his ban suspended for a period, a probationary period of one year… Belgium is mad and they are appealing it…” (42:19)

• Tony Adds:

  “Biggest game in 20 years for the United States. It’s incredibly huge and... the odds have reflected this. The market price... has certainly reflected Balogun, who’s been really huge for the US…” (45:48)

• Summary Judgment:

  “The United States having its best goal scorer… reinstated because the most corrupt government administration teams with the most corrupt organization in the history of sports to do something that is flagrantly corrupt and also correct.” (46:42)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Zaza: “Grow a pair.” (02:04)
• Greg Cody: “Every reliever that got brought in got his nipples on fire and ran to the dugout while A’s fans chanted shame…” (10:49)
• Tony: “Messi had to score a goal and get an assist…to beat a bunch of electricians.” (27:12)
• Dan: "You’ve gotten two right and one hundred and seventy wrong." (38:51) about Zaza's guesses.
• Dan: "Classically trained penis… would it wear a tuxedo?" (25:48)
• Tony: "Biggest game in 20 years for the United States." (45:48)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:27 — Show opens: Outrage over Marlins' perfect game pitching change
• 02:38 — Modern baseball culture, analytics, and fan frustration
• 06:11 — Marlins manager McCullough’s statement & staff reaction
• 10:49 — Bullpen collapse & Salem witches analogy
• 11:07 — Zaza on why the move to pull Perez was wrong in hindsight
• 11:20 – 15:35 — World Cup: Argentina vs. Cabo Verde & Messi mania
• 20:22 – 29:28 — Top 5 games at “Miami Stadium” & arguments
• 32:45 – 37:51 — Hurricanes football recruiting hype
• 38:51 — Miami jersey number guessing disaster
• 42:19 – 47:08 — US Soccer’s red card reversal, presidential influence

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Recurring Humor/Running Gags

• Obsessive “47” references in jersey number guessing
• Digression into heartstrings, “classically trained penis,” etc.
• Zaza forgetting-to-include Game 7 of the World Series
• Sassy pushback on ranking or “snubs”
• Banter over whether moments/events should be on “the list”

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Tone & Style

• Fast-paced, full of local Miami energy, laughter, and inside references
• Bounces between serious sports debate and off-the-rails comedy
• The panel’s camaraderie and insider knowledge make even arcane topics compelling

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For listeners:
If you missed this one, you missed a passionate debate about both old-school and new-school baseball, a breathless embrace of underdog soccer drama, some truly Miami-centric sports nostalgia, and a reminder that, in sports and in this show, nothing is too small or too silly to become a passionate cause.

Transcript

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[Dan Levitar]

What a joy today to step into the time machine and be greeted by Zsasz being sports radio mad at a baseball manager.

[Zaza]

Yeah, that's right.

[Dan Levitar]

Felt like I was going back into the 80s and 90s when people got pissed off at a manager when I'm pretty sure he just has to come out and be the face. Clayton McCullough has to be the face of an organizational decision. Like he's a total middle manager who gets all of the heat and hate for pulling a starter with a perfect game after seven innings because he's thrown a few over 90 pitches.

[Zaza]

Grow a pair. I mean, Marlins won a World Series because he had a guy who went with his gut. And Josh Beckett went out there in Game six on short rest and won your World Series with a shutout because the manager went with his gut.

[Dan Levitar]

Yeah, but playing the A's in July isn't quite a World Series. And this is a young arm coming

[Zaza]

off of 92 pitches.

[Dan Levitar]

Injury.

[Zaza]

It's not 192, but it's a young

[Dan Levitar]

arm coming off of injury. It doesn't matter to you that he's making like his third start off of injury.

[Zaza]

You say that as if you believe if it was his 10th start coming off injury, they wouldn't have done the same thing.

[Dan Levitar]

Well, baseball's different now. And you either accept it or you howl at the moon because it's not gonna change. This is how they do things now in July. They're protecting precious arms. I don't know why they're protecting. I'm watching the Rays got Drew Rasmussen. He had two Tommy John surgeries while he was in college. Like, I don't know why they're protect any of the arms, but they are protecting the arms. And it seems like Udi Perez has learned how to pitch because he's no longer walking people. Like, the guy's got filthy stuff, but he just walked everybody. Now he's throwing in the zone. But you find yourself what level of mad. Because for you to summon outrage when the Marlins are the best team in baseball since the beginning of June and for this to be what gets on your radar, because it's hard to get on the sports radar this month it's been a. It's been a little bit crazy with everything happening, hockey and baseball, deciding championships, the World Cup. We have not talked about the fact that the Marlins since the beginning of June have the best team in baseball. They just ransacked the A's.

[Zaza]

You're right about that part. But in a 162 game season, give me a few things throughout the course this summer that I can get excited about. And when I see through five innings that Yuri Perez. Because I don't have the Marlins on every day, but when I see through five innings that Yuri Perez is perfect. And then I put it on one of the TVs, not the big one. Dan, let's get serious here. I put it on the small tv.

[Dan Levitar]

What was on the big one?

[Zaza]

I was watching House of the Dragon. And I mean, this new season, it's off to a really good start. Dan, like, do you do. I don't want to give up any spoilers, but holy shit, the queen is back.

[Jeremy]

Zaz just touched on the real tension in all of this. This has nothing to do with the actual McCullough taking out the picture. You know what happened yesterday? It's the people that have been paying attention to the Marlins getting mad at all the people who aren't paying attention to Martin swooping in and being outraged at Clayton McCullough. So that's what it was in the group chat. It was.

[Greg Cody]

You haven't been.

[Jeremy]

This is B. Creek. He should fire.

[Greg Cody]

Well, you haven't watched two games this year.

[Jeremy]

I've been watching all year. That was the tension Yesterday, one of

[Dan Levitar]

those people was Billy Gill, who immediately fired that guy. Fired Clayton? Fired Clayton McCullough.

[Jeremy]

That is his lane in his defense. He's been on that beat for a while.

[Dan Levitar]

Just fired Clayton McCullough yesterday for like, for taking him out in after the seven. Seven perfect endings. Do you know how many perfect games there have been in the history of baseball? Yes, because I. In the 90s, it was 15. What's the number now?

[Zaza]

24.

[Jeremy]

Every Marlin fan knows this morning.

[Dan Levitar]

That's just brutal. Oakland is almost totally dead as a baseball. A's fans haven't been heard from in decades. But yesterday they were disgusted with the Marlins.

[Zaza]

Well, they're saying shame right now.

[Greg Cody]

Yes. So what they used to do to the Salem Witches, like just, they're. They're just dispensing shame. Not on Ori Perez, but on Clayton McCullough.

[Dan Levitar]

I've got this right, right. Jeremy, you're around the team all the time. That's not a Clayton McCullough decision. He's got to take it on the chin. But he' just the middle manager executing what the front office wants there, correct?

[Host/Producer]

Yeah. These are discussions that happen between the front office and the manager and the rest of their coaching staff. Going into the game, it's however many ups, it's however many pitches.

[Jeremy]

And we have sound of McCullough where he says, I had to plan today. It was. It was 90 pitches plus a batter. And it just seems like, all right, you made that exact decision. You can't adjust slightly. I feel like you could adjust slightly,

[Dan Levitar]

but I have said before, and you've heard me said it say before. I don't understand the point of having judges if all they're going to do is follow the letter of the law. I want my judges to show judgment. I want them to be arbiters who decide difficult things outside of the letter of the rule. But let's hear from McCullough here explaining why he pulled Yuri Perez, who was on his way to possibly the 25th perfect game of all time. Keep in mind, the perfect game is rarer than the World cup in the history of baseball. Like it doesn't. On average, it happens less than once every four years. Here's McCullough explaining why he took Perez out after 90 plus pitches.

[Tony]

Clayton, obviously a wild win will start with with Yuri today. After seven perfect. Just what went into the decision to take him out?

[Clayton McCullough]

I mean, that was going into this game like 90 plus a batter was a pitch count that I felt comfortable with him coming back off the time on the IL and, you know, us looking to. To play beyond the regular season. You know, Uri's gonna be an important part of that. So. Yeah, I mean, he had, you know, he had it really going today, and I totally get it. And there was a part of my heartstrings pulling at, you know, his opportunity to keep on going. But I think I have to think about Yuri one and our organization, our team, and what's, you know, best moving forward to give us a chance to continue to win games. So, you know, made it more of a calculated decision with where he was with the pitch count to, you know, to take him out.

[Zaza]

All right. If you're actually going to think about Yuri Perez, you would have left him in. All right, Because Yuri Perez definitely want. Yuri Press definitely wants to have a perfect game and definitely feels like I can throw a few more pitches than 92 at the very least. Dan, throw him out there in the eighth thing. How do you know you don't have an immaculate inning? Maybe it's. Maybe it's three pitches. Three pitches, he gets out, and now he's just three outs away. Let him go out there, see what can happen at the start of the eighth inning. And instead. No, no, no. I mean, my heartstrings, my heart strings really want me to do it, but instead I'm not.

[Dan Levitar]

I've got a couple of things here. First, an immaculate inning, I believe, is nine pitches. You strike out people with nine ever.

[Greg Cody]

What? You called it the immaculate.

[Dan Levitar]

Not put it on the poll at Lebiton show. Should the immaculate inning be 3 pitches instead of 9 pitches? The other thing I wanted to mention, heartstrings. What are those arteries? Like, what are heartstrings? Can someone tell me what heartstrings are? And then this. This is the most amazing part, and

[Greg Cody]

we're just skipping past it. That dude just mentioned playoffs like that. That dude just talked about his number two starter in the playoffs. And it's not asinine. Like, it's not. What he is saying is not asinine

[Dan Levitar]

because the lowest payroll in baseball is that team is playing out of its minds as they've lost six times since

[Greg Cody]

the beginning of June.

[Zaza]

No, but it is asinine because we're going to look back if the Marlins make the playoffs. And again, Hugh, if. I know they're tied for the final spot right now, they're like 23 and 9 since the beginning of June. But you're telling me we're going to look back at the Marlins qualifying for the post. He's like, thank God Yuri Perez didn't go into the eighth inning. You know, that game that he could have had. Perfect.

[Dan Levitar]

You know, thank goodness the Marlins have had some live arms. Like, they're allowing Ryan Weathers to figure out whether or not he's going to grow into a power arm, top of the rotation guy somewhere else, because he never figured out here how not to walk people. But it seems like Perez has figured this part out. It's a small sample, but he's, he's just throws such a heavy baseball in the zone. Like, it, it reminds me of Kevin Brown, like six or seven miles an hour faster. Like, because he's just throwing such. He's throwing a shot put up there that is really hard to hit hard when, when it's in the zone. And all he's got to do is keep it in the zone. He's, he's a really strong, armed, live armed pitcher.

[Zaza]

And by the way, you know, it's frustrating, too. Like, I don't want to hear, I don't want to hear people say, oh, but it was the right move. It was the right move because the Marlins not only trying to save Yuri Perez, but they're trying, they're trying to win the game. Well, if you try win the game, it was not the right move because through seven innings, the Marlins didn't allow a baserunner, and then the next two innings they gave up eight runs. So it was, it was actually not the right.

[Greg Cody]

I need to point that part out, too. Okay?

[Dan Levitar]

As absurd as the manager of the

[Greg Cody]

Marlins sitting here in July saying, yeah, I got to save him for the postseason. As absurd as this, the conversation today

[Dan Levitar]

about the Marlins is, how could you

[Greg Cody]

take out a pitcher who had a perfect game in a 9 to 8 game like that game like that game ended 9 to 8 because as soon as they took him out, every reliever that got brought in and got his nipples on fire and ran to the dugout scared while A's fans chanted shame at them like if it was salem in the 1700s.

[Zaza]

So stop telling me it was the right move. Because if the Marlins only scored seven runs, you lose a game that you were perfect through seven innings. So it was not the right move.

[Dan Levitar]

Meanwhile, I've got Mike Ryan has gone totally off of the deep end here. He's going to Atlanta. He's immersed in World cup in a way that I don't believe is totally healthy for him because it, it's not to skew his perspective. He's about to go to Atlanta upset that he's getting Messi in the game.

[Greg Cody]

He wanted Cabo Verde instead of Messi. He's.

[Dan Levitar]

He's bothered that he's going to Atlanta tomorrow to see Lionel Messi play soccer.

[Greg Cody]

It's not the person he wanted in that game.

[Tony]

I'm glad we're finally getting round to what was one of the biggest spectacles in the history of sport. And I'm not even talking about what happened last night. It would have been the biggest upset ever. Cabo Verde played so friggin well against the world champions. For my money, when you apply the context of where they are in FIFA world rankings, their nation's footballing history, the best player in the world against guys who are literally unemployed right now. Presently this was. I'm still swept away in what I saw Friday at Hard Rock Stadium between Cabo Verde and Argentina. That was such a great story. Everybody, even if you openly had disdain for soccer, stopped by the television and understood what was on the line, what the story was, and everybody was rooting for Cabo Verde.

[Dan Levitar]

It's hard to explain to people you've got not just the defending World cup champions, you've got Messi, who's still playing the best soccer in the world in a tournament that still has most of its stars outside of the folks who play for Brazil. And, and it's really struggling against a team that was a two and a half goal underdog, which you rarely see this late in the tournament. A two and a half goal underdog with a 40 year old goalie in Virginia who is being given by his country which is smaller than the population of Wyoming, a home, a Rolls Royce worth half a million dollars, a statue and also, and I don't know what this means exactly because once you've given him the home lifetime free accommodations, does that mean that he can go in any house in the country and just

[Greg Cody]

sleep on a bed in there?

[Dan Levitar]

If like not, it's not just hotels

[Tony]

he's going to be sleeping in. Plenty strangers beds.

[Dan Levitar]

How does this work though? Your 40 year old goalie who has just become a sensation, started the tournament with how many followers? 40 something thousand and now has nearly 20 million followers. Because this game is amazing and the world is interested.

[Zaza]

As of this morning, by the way, it's up to 27.

[Dan Levitar]

So the 40 year old goalie gets

[Greg Cody]

fallen in love with in a way

[Dan Levitar]

that makes Mike regret that Messi's playing in the game that he's flying to Atlanta to see tomorrow.

[Tony]

I would have traded all four matches that I've either attended or I'M going to attend in this World cup to have said I was in that building for that second goal that Cabo Verde scored an absolute worldy. And Cabo Verde played so well down the stretch, too. They made so many pushes, they came so close. Everyone, like I said, understood the storylines going into that. Argentina looking so relieved at the end because they barely got across the line against a bunch of people that no one knows. It was just, dude, this is why we do it. This is why we do it. Anybody can understand that storyline was incredible. Outside of the final between France and Argentina, when you apply all the context and the drama, that's the second best World cup match I think I've ever seen.

[Dan Levitar]

Well, let's talk for a second about the way that you have thrown perspective aside by saying it might have been the biggest sporting event of any kind played in South Florida. World cup tickets all over the place are going for an average cost of $4,400. The experience in what is being called Miami Stadium. I had a funny incident, I'm going to call it an incident the other day where some people who were in town for the World cup game went up to some people I know with their tickets and they're like, where's Miami Stadium? And the answer to that was, you've got fake tickets. There is no Miami Stadium. Miami Stadium is something we had as a minor league part in the 1970s because FIFA won't allow it to be called Hard Rock Stadium.

[Greg Cody]

So they've just named it Miami Stadium.

[Dan Levitar]

But there's no such thing as Miami Stadium except for this tournament. It has to be an unpleasant experience there just because those players were all cramping at the end. This is unreasonable weather to be playing this intensity of games late. It's a crazy thickness, a soup of humidity that is. You had players cramping all over the place late in that game.

[Tony]

And it was cooler than it was in Philadelphia. I was in Philadelphia for France Padawai. Second hottest I've ever been at a sporting event in my entire life. Behind at Gainesville to open up the season a couple of seasons ago. That was insane. It was 140 degrees on the field. I was there with a six year old. It was sweltering.

[Jeremy]

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[Host/Producer]

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[Jeremy]

minutes, I was watching everyone just like, nope, not letting you in. Not letting you in. So when I got up there, I had to say something and I said it. Cheaters never prosper. Chris Cody, my buddy was saying, not today.

[Dan Levitar]

Yeah, but you're not today.

[Jeremy]

I think that was what he was adding.

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Jeremy]

I'm telling you, the response I got from this guy, what I said was amazing.

[Zaza]

He got him.

[Jeremy]

Cheaters never prospered. This guy yelled as angry as he could.

[Tony]

I ain't cheating.

[Zaza]

This is the Dan Levata show.

[Dan Levitar]

Where are you on Mike saying, Because I don't believe that this will stand the test of time because Cabo Verde didn't win the game, I don't believe it will go down historically as one of the best things to ever happen in South Florida sports history. But Mike is making the argument on behalf of this being one of the biggest things to ever happen in South Florida when I thought Colombia, Portugal was supposed to be that a week earlier. And here you are with just a really unknown soccer team challenging the defending champions right until the end of that game.

[Zaza]

It's funny that you mentioned that. I have a top five games ever having taken place at Miami Stadium.

[Tony]

Wow.

[Dan Levitar]

So it's just that stadium. It's not all of South Florida. It's just in that stadium just there. Okay, so what do we have to choose from? We have some Marlins baseball to choose from, we have some University of Miami football to choose from, and we have some dolphins to choose from.

[Zaza]

Not a lot of great stuff here to choose choose from. But this, a top five list only has five. Okay. So, yes, there's a lot of things. Some things I had to not include. All right, you ready? Yes, I got. Oi.

[Dan Levitar]

All right, let's go. What is it? Sounded like there was no L in there. Oh, I. It sounded like that you just sort

[Zaza]

of swallowed the L. All right, keep up, dan. All I. First Marlins, Yankees. Game 5, 2003 World Series. A 6, 4 Marlins extra inning win. Alex Gonzalez with the walk off home run.

[Dan Levitar]

Braden Looper getting out of a bases loaded, no out jam against the Yankees.

[Zaza]

What a night.

[Tony]

The Cabrera home run against Clemens.

[Zaza]

Make your own list.

[Tony]

It's a part of your list.

[Zaza]

Another Oli that's in your list.

[Greg Cody]

Literally that game, he's giving you details from that game. Why can't he give. Why does he have to make his own list? Why can't he give you details from that game?

[Host/Producer]

Oh, wait, that was game four.

[Zaza]

I forgot about that. All right, all eye. 2023 Miami Open. That's right. 2023 Miami Open, women's final. You know about that. Petra Kitova versus Elena Rabakina. That's right. 766 2. Katova won. Very long. The tie break was 16 to 14. Longest in Miami Open history. That's Almanata and Rybakina came in on a 13 match win streak. Huge upset. Huge upset, Dan. All right, more. I got a couple more. Oli. 2024 Copa America Final, Argentina 1, Colombia 0. You know about that? Fans sneaking in and climbing it through the air vents like John McClane and Die Hard.

[Dan Levitar]

That can't be in your list.

[Tony]

Oh, I. I got an email to join a class action lawsuit about that match.

[Zaza]

Considering it.

[Tony]

Well, my experience was fine, I'm not joining it.

[Zaza]

I got one more. Oli. Super Bowl 23. That was in 1989. For those of you keeping track. 49ers beat the Bengals 20 to 16. You may remember, infamously, Dan, that's where Joe Montana got in the huddle on the eight yard line under two minutes and said, hey, there's John Candy. Before calling the play in the huddle.

[Dan Levitar]

That is a true story. He looked into the stands.

[Greg Cody]

They were on the eight yard line. They needed a game winning drive.

[Dan Levitar]

And he was so relaxed. Cool Joe was so relaxed that he pointed out that John Candy was in the stands.

[Zaza]

Number five, top five games at Miami Stadium.

[Dan Levitar]

I should have said Joe Cool, not Cool Joe. I was dyslexic about his nickname.

[Zaza]

In 2000, the last time the Miami Dolphins won a playoff game, the lamar Smith game, 23 to 17 win in overtime.

[Tony]

You had to be there over the course, literally. You had to be there was. The only way that you could watch was blacked out locally because it wasn't a sellout.

[Dan Levitar]

It's the last time that the Miami Dolphins won a playoff game.

[Zaza]

Well, what a game it was.

[Greg Cody]

That's crazy to say. That was 2001.

[Zaza]

What? 2000. What a game it was. Number four, Marlins, Giants. Game four. 2003, NLDS. Pudge Rodriguez, he holds on to the ball for a 76 win. First time ever in baseball history that a series ended with a play at the plate. And Pudge Rodriguez, he's holding up the ball to the crown. Says, I got the effing ball right here. That's right. Jeremy, I don't know what you're doing. You weren't even alive. All right?

[Host/Producer]

I was there.

[Zaza]

2003. That's number four. Number three. WrestleMania 28. Once in a lifetime. Rock versus Cena. The Rock. He won. And the crowd went wild.

[Dan Levitar]

I heard Eric Andre talking the other day about the new show on Netflix that he's doing with Cena. This can't be true. Is he joking when he says that John Cena learned Mandarin just for fun and is a classically trained pianist? Is he just doing comedy there, or is that true?

[Zaza]

I don't know about the penis part, but the Mandarin part is definitely true because he's told the story before WWE and, like, their benefits package for their wrestlers, they will sponsor you to go learn a language. And he did it.

[Dan Levitar]

So you think John Cena has a classically trained penis? That's what you think that I just said? How would that work? Would it wear a tuxedo? Like, what would be a penis?

[Tony]

That was definitely uncircumcised?

[Dan Levitar]

Classically true bow tie. Put it on the pole. Is a classically trained penis definitely uncircumcised? Yes or no. And, Jeremy, get to me on heart strings, please. I want to know why they're called heartstrings that are being pulled on.

[Zaza]

Nope.

[Host/Producer]

I've been looking for it.

[Miller Lite Advertiser]

Hold on.

[Host/Producer]

Heartstrings. There's no. The origin is in the 1500s, but there doesn't seem to be a real reason outside of tying it to, like, the hamstring or. They used to call the heel string the Achilles, but it's not a real thing.

[Dan Levitar]

It's possible that they didn't know how to name arteries back then, so they just called them strings.

[Zaza]

Number two.

[Dan Levitar]

I thought that was number two.

[Zaza]

No, that. Keep up, man. Number two. Argentina survives. Cape. What do you mean, no?

[Tony]

Did you know you sound like a fool.

[Zaza]

Did you Watch the game. It was one of the greatest sporting events I've ever seen.

[Greg Cody]

Better than Pudge holding on to the paper.

[Tony]

Yeah. Yet goofs easily the second goal.

[Greg Cody]

What are we doing?

[Zaza]

Cape Verde had an entire nation scared. They were scared.

[Tony]

Messi had to score a goal and get an assist. The game winner. He the best player in the world. Had to be the best player to beat a bunch of electricians.

[Zaza]

It's unbelievable. Like while you're watching the game, I was on ESPN at the time, like watching it live on the air, giving updates and I'm like, like there's something. Something's happening here. Even when the game was just one one, it's like we're watching something. Something's going on.

[Dan Levitar]

Well, that is accurate. Something was happening and it's just something that ended up not happening.

[Tony]

Dan, your. Your take on this is garbage. I can't wait to see where Stephen A has it on his A list.

[Zaza]

And finally, number one, the greatest match that ever took place at Miami Stadium. The end of an era. Dan, you know about that. End of an era. WrestleMania 28, hell in a cell. Triple H versus Undertaker. You know about that False finish.

[Tony]

You know who the referee was for

[Zaza]

that one heartbreak kid.

[Dan Levitar]

Did you forget about game seven of the World Series and extra innings?

[Tony]

No, it wasn't good enough. Just like the national championship game that just recently happened. Just not good enough to crack. Oli told it's great list.

[Zaza]

Make your own list.

[Host/Producer]

So two things from WrestleMania 28.

[Clayton McCullough]

Yeah.

[Host/Producer]

Separately make the list.

[Tony]

Yeah, it was an incredible card. Did you watch the end of an Era? Well, we got a whole bunch of people weighing in on this that didn't watch. End of an era.

[Host/Producer]

Jeff Konine had to reach home plate from left field.

[Zaza]

It's a miracle.

[Tony]

Triple H had the sledgehammer in his hand as his triangle choke is going.

[Jeremy]

I think Jeremy's point here is WrestleMania 28 should have just been.

[Zaza]

Just been one thing.

[Tony]

No, no. It had two great all time matches.

[Botox Advertiser]

No.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah.

[Zaza]

It's not top five greatest cards at Miami State. It's top five matches.

[Tony]

Daniel Bryan losing inside of four seconds didn't even make the cut.

[Zaza]

Nope, not even close.

[Dan Levitar]

Game 7 of the World Series decided in extra innings. Can't go behind two WrestleMania matches.

[Tony]

Did you watch the matches? No, no, no. Did you watch the matches? Because for many. Triple H versus Undertaker, End of an era inside Hell in a Cell refereed by Shawn Michaels is the greatest WrestleMania match ever.

[Zaza]

Dan. What? Should I have knocked off the top five? Don't do the thing where it's like, oh, so and so got snubbed. He should have been an All Star. Tell me, who should not have been an all Star.

[Dan Levitar]

You could have just said WrestleMania, put it in there as one event, and then made room for Gabe Seven of the World Series.

[Zaza]

Well, WrestleMania was at Madison Square Garden in 1985. I'm talking about Wrestling 28. That was in Miami Stadium.

[Dan Levitar]

Thank you for the clarifications.

[Miller Lite Advertiser]

For 22 years on this show, we've debated the greatest athletes of all time. Who's the goat in football? Who's the goat in soccer? Who's the goat in hoops? One thing that we all know is Dan's the goat of finding the worst possible take. But there's another kind of MVP goat that doesn't get enough credit. The friend who knows to show up with enough Miller Lights plus extra ice because they just know the one who

[Tony]

already has seats at the bar when you walk up.

[Miller Lite Advertiser]

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[Tony]

Tony, you know that moment at a party or at a tailgate where everything just sort of clicks?

[Miller Lite Advertiser]

I know it well.

[Host/Producer]

It's usually when I show up, everybody goes crazy.

[Tony]

Yeah, you usually take all the credit for it, but it's because Tony usually walks in with Cuervo. Walking like this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cuervo is a thing that turns hanging out into this is the night. It has that effect on people.

[Duracell Advertiser]

It does.

[Tony]

You usually take the credit for it, but again, it's the Cuervo effect. It's like that moment in a big game where everyone in the crowd just starts standing up, hootin and hollerin'. Keep it, Cuervo.

[Dan Levitar]

Keep it, Cuervo, baby.

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[State Farm Advertiser]

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[Zaza]

Down Levitar I've never stepped foot on that campus. If you told me right now your life depends on it. Go to Santa Fe University and just take a picture. Jonathan Saslow I would die. I don't know where it is. This is the Dan Levatar Show.

[Dan Levitar]

Before we go any further, this is something I wanted to mention last week and we never got to it because just sports are going crazy right now. But but for those of you who are not paying attention to college football in the off season, everyone is noticing what Miami is doing in recruiting. On average, according to rivals, they've got the best recruiting class. It's technically number three overall, but on average they are getting better recruits than everyone else. They're taking Georgia's recruits and LSU's recruits and Oregon's recruits. Their top. Their receiving room was considered top 10 just because Malachi Tony is in it. And they're only they're the only top 10 receiving group that has improved from what it is that they were. The way people are talking about who Miami's gettings as is top of the class. Top of the class. It's the Alabama recruits back when Nick Saban was dominating college football. Everyone is noticing that the thing has not merely been turned around. What you're getting now is the best of the best. Nobody's out recruiting Miami me so two things.

[Zaza]

Number one, shouldn't this be how shouldn't this be how it always is? Moving forward like we should always be in this conversation and number two. What why should like this is what it should be forever with crystal ball as the coach.

[Dan Levitar]

It sounds like number two was exactly like number one.

[Jeremy]

Pretty similar.

[Dan Levitar]

It seems like you forgot what number

[Greg Cody]

two was after you said number one.

[Zaza]

If I could be perfectly honest here, I'm a little bit bit, I'm a little bit shook because I, I, I regret not having the game 7 number

[Tony]

7 top 5 just add it to the ola or do like Greg and put it at number two and just

[Zaza]

I'm a little bit, I don't normally get like this. I'm a little bit embarrassed. Normally I'm very comfortable.

[Greg Cody]

What was your second point going to be? Cuz you said number one and then you said number two and number two

[Jeremy]

was be like this number one is with crystal ball. He should do this more.

[Greg Cody]

No, he said exactly the same thing. He just threw in crystal ball. It was the same thing because he forgot what number two was. Have you now remembered what number two was? You still don't remember number two was.

[Zaza]

No, I think, I think they were, I think they were the same but because I said them differently in my head it made me think they were different.

[Greg Cody]

Everyone forgot we said cool Joe.

[Tony]

Hey, that's me.

[Miller Lite Advertiser]

Hey.

[Zaza]

I just ambar.

[Greg Cody]

So you forgot. You're admitting now publicly that you simply forgot. An extra, an extra inning. Game seven of the World Series. There's only been one of those played Miami ever.

[Zaza]

The first championship I ever saw in my life.

[Tony]

First.

[Zaza]

Well not you know, professional level.

[Tony]

Either way says I agree with both your points.

[Dan Levitar]

So Mike, you have noticed, right? The, the people who are talking about college football will not shut up about the recruits that Miami is getting.

[Tony]

Now you have proof of concept. You were literally in the national championship game, a drive away from winning. Mario Cristobal has done a lot of good recruiting, especially in the portal and doesn't get enough credit for his evaluations because he's and his development because our best player right now was a three star. Ruben Bane was a four star. Famously didn't because of the measurables and make it to five stars. So they've developed guys, guys that have come in. Markel Bell makes an NFL career out of himself. Coincidentally with the new NCAA rules that give you all five years no matter what you get it in. No more medical red shirts. Markel Bell would have come back back to Miami had this ruling happened beforehand. Now we're rolling. Or as Greg Cody would say we're rolling now.

[Zaza]

Huh?

[Miller Lite Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Tony]

You have A good team, which was the only thing that was really keeping Mario Cristobal out of the game. For the elite talents, now they want to matter. You want to be featured on the game of the week. Hell, if Miami and Notre Dame handle their business, that's going to be dubbed game of the century type of hype. Now you come to Miami to play the big games. A huge advantage for Mario Cristobal. Now he doesn't have to sell people on a vision. He sells people on the present.

[Dan Levitar]

Malachi Toney was not a five star recruit. Malachi. He was considered somebody who was undersized. I saw that ESPN came out with its list of most famous college football uniform numbers of all time. And there were five Hurricanes on the list. You guys want to take.

[Blinds.com Advertiser]

Yep.

[Dan Levitar]

Some guesses on the five all time uniform numbers. 47 worn by Miami. That's one. Michael Irvin was one of the five. Go ahead. How many more do you think you can get?

[Zaza]

I think we can get them all.

[Dan Levitar]

You think you can get them all?

[Zaza]

47.

[Dan Levitar]

Yeah. Yeah. You can't count that one twice, right?

[Miller Lite Advertiser]

Twice.

[Greg Cody]

That is.

[Dan Levitar]

That is also correct.

[Greg Cody]

The same way it was the first

[Dan Levitar]

time that you said it. Do you want to guess another?

[Greg Cody]

Are you just going to keep guessing 47 five times?

[Zaza]

I'll try some others.

[Greg Cody]

All right.

[Dan Levitar]

What else you got?

[Zaza]

11.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

15.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

18.

[BetterHelp Advertiser]

No.

[Jeremy]

26.

[Tony]

No, wait, 26. No. 26.

[Zaza]

No.

[Dan Levitar]

Sean Taylor's a no.

[Zaza]

22.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Tony]

Number one. Supposed to be special in Miami. Is number one on there?

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Jeremy]

8.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

5.

[Tony]

52.

[Dan Levitar]

Yes. 52 is on there for Ray Lewis. You've got. You're doing very poorly here, Zaza. Someone who thought he was going to get all five.

[Greg Cody]

You've now got.

[Dan Levitar]

Well, you've gotten more than five wrong already. Already.

[Zaza]

No, but I'll get all five. 87.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

86.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

85.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

84.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

83.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

82.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Host/Producer]

81.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Miller Lite Advertiser]

80.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Clayton McCullough]

89.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

90. No. 91.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

92.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Clayton McCullough]

93.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

94.

[Tony]

No, not 94. That was Dwayne Johnson.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

96.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

97.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

98.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

99.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

100.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

47.

[Greg Cody]

Yeah. Yes, 47. We've established you've gotten three so far. You've gotten two right and one hundred and seventy wrong.

[Dan Levitar]

Do you want to keep trying or do you want to give up?

[Tony]

26 is nuts. Am I too close to that? Because I think Sean Taylor is one of those stories that transcends even Miami.

[Dan Levitar]

I believe that Sean Taylor obviously had the reputation where Miami people knew who he was while he was in college. But he wasn't even the best. Best safety the University of Miami has had while in college. That was Ed Reed, who was the best safety while in college. And that number is not retired. That is not one of the all time numbers. You are still missing three. I will give you the clue of. They are all interior linemen on the offensive and defensive line.

[Home Depot Announcer]

All

[Dan Levitar]

two of them are even.

[Greg Cody]

One of them is odd.

[Dan Levitar]

All interior linemen. So who do you have?

[Zaza]

60.

[Clayton McCullough]

No.

[Zaza]

61.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

62.

[Tony]

No.

[Clayton McCullough]

63.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

64.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

65.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[BetterHelp Advertiser]

66.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

67.

[Greg Cody]

Yes.

[Zaza]

Nice.

[Dan Levitar]

Do you know who that is?

[Blinds.com Advertiser]

The guy.

[Greg Cody]

It is the guy. It is indeed the guy. It is somebody. Who is the guy? Number 66.

[Dan Levitar]

Russell, Maryland. That's the tough one to get on the list. Do you want to keep going?

[Zaza]

Yes.

[Greg Cody]

Go ahead.

[Zaza]

68.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

69.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

70.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

71.

[Dan Levitar]

No.

[Zaza]

72.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

73.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

74.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

75.

[Greg Cody]

No.

[Zaza]

76.

[Dan Levitar]

Yes.

[Zaza]

Nice.

[Dan Levitar]

Do you know who 76 is?

[Zaza]

Yes.

[Dan Levitar]

You gonna tell us?

[Zaza]

Joaquin Gonzalez.

[Dan Levitar]

It's Warren Sachs. You got one more on the list.

[Zaza]

78.

[Greg Cody]

Correct. You skipped over 77. Bravely told you I knew. So who is 78? Do you remember who 78 is?

[Zaza]

Martin Bible.

[Dan Levitar]

It's Bryant McKinney. Who still one of the most amazing stats ever given in the history of sport. Never allowed a sack in college. In a game or in practice.

[Greg Cody]

Practice.

[Dan Levitar]

Like that.

[Greg Cody]

That part. Never allowed a sack in practice. I simply don't believe it's true. They keep Saying it's true. McKinney swears it's true. I don't believe it's true.

[Dan Levitar]

I don't believe that he didn't have

[Greg Cody]

one bad day at practice where he allowed a sack by mistake.

[Jeremy]

Picturing like his senior year. One gets by and he's just like. Nobody saw that.

[Greg Cody]

It can't be true. Kenneth, do you. Do you think it's possible like that Jonathan Ogden or one of these guys who is just so much bigger than everybody else that that. Do you.

[Dan Levitar]

Do you actually think it's within feasible logic that somebody never allowed a sack ever in practice? How high? Brian McKinney was taken middle of the first round. Correct. He was. Was Brian. Brian McKinney was higher than that. He was.

[Greg Cody]

Was he?

[Dan Levitar]

I think top 10 pick.

[Tony]

Gotta be.

[Zaza]

Yeah, I think so. I think it was top 10.

[Tony]

Regardless.

[Dan Levitar]

You want me to guess the number that is that?

[Greg Cody]

Yeah. You can. Sure you can. You can guess.

[Zaza]

47.

[Greg Cody]

Seven. Yeah. It's the middle of the second round.

[Dan Levitar]

Where was Brian McKinney taken?

[Host/Producer]

Seven.

[Dan Levitar]

Okay. So nothing yet on heartstrings though it's strange that.

[Host/Producer]

No, I've been looking and looking and looking and I cannot find anything else.

[Tony]

There are. There are no butterflies in the stomach either. Just really getting out in front of that one.

[Dan Levitar]

When you talk about. There are some stuff in the World cup and around the World cup that I do want to get to. Especially considering the rare instance of everything that is surrounding the United States team and the game that they play tonight.

[Zaza]

Biggest game in 20 years.

[Dan Levitar]

The president of the United States getting involved to overturn reportedly a red card suspension that now makes it so that Bulligan is in a situation where he has had his ban suspended for a period, a probationary period of one year. Okay. Which is funny, right? Cuz there's just a month left of games and so the. His he was banned and suspended and then they lifted the ban. But Belgium is mad. That Belgium is mad and they are appealing it. But it is the rarest of things that has happened here. Two wrongs make it right. It has happened. I haven't seen it happen before where.

[Greg Cody]

2 wrong.

[Dan Levitar]

He shouldn't have been suspended. You cannot suspend somebody for games that are once every four years.

[Greg Cody]

Unless you.

[Dan Levitar]

Unless it's super egregious. Unless someone's got a hatchet and has dismembered somebody like you cannot. The games are too important. It's gotta be really egregious and sort of above argument. So he never should have been suspended. And obviously the president of a country shouldn't get involved. Host country shouldn't get involved to overturn something like this. Because now everyone's rooting against the United States. Not that they weren't rooting before against the United States, but now they're really rooting against the United States States because this, this is indecent in terms of fair play. But two wrongs end up making it right because he should play in the game. Like he should not be out of the game.

[Tony]

But for it to come down about 24 hours away from the match is really unfair to sportsmanship. And it's. I understand why Belgium and UEFA are fighting this tooth and nail. They can still appeal something and they have a deadline that. I think it expires at 8:00am well, just.

[Dan Levitar]

I thought it was 5:00am today that.

[Tony]

Yeah, Pacific time.

[Zaza]

So you know, time zones work.

[Tony]

I think Baligan's got to play, which is, I mean great for the United States. And yeah, when you get down to the heart of it, he shouldn't have been out in the first place, especially to miss the following match. The probationary thing means that if he gets another straight red at any point during that probationary period, he'll get suspended double the amount. So two game suspension there, which again, again, FIFA is making the rules up as they go. Because I was talking to a lot of plugged in people. The impression was at first that the United States could appeal it and then they couldn't appeal it because it wasn't given an initial two game suspension. And then they point out Article 27, which if interpreted a certain way, gives them the power to do this. Meanwhile, New York Times has confirmed the White House did reach out to FIFA. FIFA pushed back on that. Said, it was all done through an independent council. No one believes them. All in Europe agrees that this isn't the way that you go about it. I do think optics matter. But the funniest optic we can all agree out of all of this is Donald Trump was acting on behalf of a birthright citizen.

[Zaza]

Biggest game in 20 years.

[Jeremy]

Let me just make sure I'm following. So he was suspended, the suspension was suspended. And now Belgium has the opportunity to suspend the suspended suspension.

[Dan Levitar]

Correct.

[Tony]

Biggest game in 20 years for the United States. It's incredibly huge and I think the odds have reflected this. The market price on the DK Sports app has certainly reflected Baligan, who's been really huge for the United States of America, gets into threatening positions, been really good with the ball at his feet, puts the ball on frame. It is a huge upgrade just based on form from what we've seen from Ricardo Pepe. This is immense for the United States.

[Zaza]

I hope we win 7 nothing tonight. Everyone talk about, oh, the United States. They shouldn't be allowed this. Everybody's rooting for Belgium now. Hope Belgium crushes you. I hope the US wins 7 nothing. And then the entire Belgian team, they have to come into the locker room after where they have to make everybody a waffle. Biggest game in 20 years.

[Dan Levitar]

I thought you were gonna go 47 nothing, Dan.

[Zaza]

That's not even reasonable.

[Dan Levitar]

The United States having its best goal scorer because I think we can call him that. Its best goal scorer reinstated because the most corrupt government administration teams with the most corrupt organization in the history of sports to do something that is flagrantly corrupt and also correct. Gotcha.

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