The Best of The Dan Patrick Show

Summary

The Dan Patrick Show – Best of Episode Summary

Date: August 3, 2026
Host: Dan Patrick (DP)
Notable Guests: Tim Kurkjian (ESPN), Larry Fitzgerald (NFL All-Pro WR & Hall of Fame Inductee)
Episode Theme:
A sports-packed episode digging deep into MLB's trade deadline (with a focus on the Dodgers acquiring Tarek Skubal), the wider issues of parity and payroll in baseball, looming labor concerns, and a heartfelt interview with Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald ahead of his induction.

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Quick Overview

This episode centers on the Los Angeles Dodgers' big trade for ace pitcher Tarek Skubal, the implications for competitive balance in baseball, and the ongoing debate about salary caps and salary floors. The tensions leading up to Major League Baseball’s next collective bargaining agreement and the potential of a lockout are addressed with ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian, who offers expert analysis. The show closes with a candid, wide-ranging conversation with NFL legend Larry Fitzgerald, reflecting on his career, relationships, Hall of Fame speech prep, and personal memories.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dodgers Land Tarek Skubal — Is MLB Parity Doomed?

Timestamps: 02:20–10:10, 17:30–23:37

• DP opens with reaction to Dodgers’ acquisition of Tarek Skubal. The main takeaway: the Dodgers’ premium organizational strength—“great minor league system, free agent spending, smart trades”—lets them stay ahead in the MLB arms race.
  • “The Dodgers know how to do this. Organizationally, that's what separates them… They found a way to circumvent the salary cap and the rest of the baseball hierarchy here.” (Dan Patrick, 04:50)
  • DP wonders if Shohei Ohtani’s injuries drove the move: “I wonder if Shohei Ohtani's injuries may have led to the Dodgers saying, 'We have to have Tarek Scubal.'” (05:33)
• World Series Odds: Dodgers (+150), Yankees (+600), Brewers & Braves (+1000). Dan and the crew debate, “Dodgers or the field?”.
  • “I’ll take the field. I’m not fully committed to that, but for content purposes only, I would take the field.” (Dan Patrick, 07:20)

Parity & Payroll

• Discussion of potential MLB salary cap and floor. The consensus is a salary cap might foster more parity—like the NFL or recent NBA seasons—but MLB’s system is out of whack.
  • “I think as a sports fan, if you look at the NBA and you’ve had eight different winners the last eight years, if that’s what you want...” (Dan Patrick, 08:30)
• The Dodgers’ luxury tax ($180m) exceeds the entire payroll of 12 MLB teams—stat emphasizing the growing gap. (09:21)

2. Gambling & Preseason Sports

Timestamps: 10:20–12:02

• Lighthearted segment on betting preseason NFL (“Hall of Fame” game), with the crew joking about the depths of their betting history.
  • “How low did you have to go? Preseason football?” (Dan Patrick, 10:45)
  • Paulie: “Which is worse, betting on the Hall of Fame game or being excited your team wins the Hall of Fame game?”

3. Sean McVay & Aaron Donald Watch

Timestamps: 12:11–13:40

• Sean McVay hints at optimism for Aaron Donald’s return—Dan reads between the lines and feels it signals Donald will play in 2026.
  • “If there’s an arrow, it’s trending upwards...I think Aaron Donald will play.” (Dan Patrick, 12:31–12:56)
  • Paulie: “The deadline for Aaron Donald should be during the National Anthem in Week One. If he walks on the field shirtless, I'd put him in the game.” (13:27)

4. Dodgers Trade Analysis with Tim Kurkjian (ESPN)

Timestamps: 18:13–25:52

• Is Dodgers’ dominance healthy for MLB? Tim Kurkjian: “No, it’s not healthy, but that’s not the Dodgers’ fault...The Dodgers are an exceptionally run organization. They draft and develop better than most teams. They teach better than most teams.” (Tim Kurkjian, 18:45)
• Asserts the Dodgers could rest Ohtani from pitching: “They want him to pitch, but now...this indeed gives them the opportunity to say, we need him as a great offensive player. And if pitching...gets in the way, we don’t have to pitch him because we just acquired the best pitcher in the American League.” (Kurkjian, 19:50)
• “How do the Dodgers not win?”: Kurkjian highlights baseball’s unpredictability: “Anything can happen in baseball...Shohei's only going to bat four or five times a game and...might not pitch.” (20:39)
• CBA and labor tensions: Kurkjian foresees trouble—“the two sides are really far apart...I am worried like everyone else that there will be a lockout, there will be games lost next year. We might lose the whole season...I don’t think the players will ever agree to a salary cap.” (21:35, 22:34)
• Debates the value of a salary floor vs. a cap: Kurkjian doubts a floor alone fixes the gap—“the problems are too big to solve just by a salary floor.” (22:51)

5. The Wild Side of Baseball

Timestamps: 23:37–25:52

• DP brings up the 1960s manager-for-manager trade and the infamous 1970s Yankees pitcher-wife swap (Mike Kekich & Fritz Peterson).
  • Kurkjian: “Children to be named later!” (25:14)
    “I’m shocked that more wasn’t made out of that at the time. Imagine, Dan, if something like that were to happen today...it would be total bedlam.” (25:24)

6. Larry Fitzgerald—NFL Legend on Life, Football, and Hall of Fame Induction

Timestamps: 29:57–42:44

• DP welcomes Larry Fitzgerald ahead of his Hall of Fame induction, reflecting on career, family, and formative football influences.

• Retirement and the Aaron Donald Question: “That ship has sailed. There’s no coming back for me.” (Fitzgerald, 30:35)

  • He expects Donald to return: “He’s one of those guys who loves the game and he’s going back to a team who legitimately has a great chance...” (31:06)

• Path to Pitt (College): A rain delay led him, almost by accident, to University of Pittsburgh—a lucky twist that changed his journey.

  • “If you don’t have that rainstorm, you might not have ended up at Pittsburgh.” (Dan Patrick, 32:40) “There’s no chance I would have been there...” (Fitzgerald, 32:44)

• Early Confidence and “Welcome to the NFL” Moment:

  • Knew he was good “even at seven years old,” but doubted himself until college.
  • Describes rookie year hit by Willie McGinest: “rearranged my whole facemask...I learned that at 20 very quickly.” (Fitzgerald, 34:56)

• Evolution of NFL Safety: “I think it’s much better. Guys can play a lot longer...It’s not as nearly as violent going across that middle.” (36:21)

• Hall of Fame Speech – Sentiment and Preparation:

  • “Tears are never in the script, you know that, but you never know how you’re going to respond.” (37:10)
  • On his son Devin inducting him, after losing his father: “To have my son do it, it’s a tremendous honor.” (37:36)
  • Emotional advice: “It should be emotional, it should mean something to you...if you’re prepared...you’ll get back to the message.” (Fitzgerald, 38:58)
  • Reflects on father’s legacy: “Pops played a big role...His presence and fingerprints are all over my life.” (39:29)

• Personal Memories & Humor:

  • Reminisces about Randy Moss lending him a BMW for prom: “One small detail: I didn’t tell him I didn’t have my driver’s license yet!” (Fitzgerald, 39:58)
  • DP jokes: “Can you thank your hands during your Hall of Fame speech? ...just a little comic relief up there.” (41:03)
  • Fitzgerald insists he was “just as big of a diva” as other WRs, “but I never did it in public...I wanted it just as bad as anybody.” (41:51)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Dan Patrick (on Dodgers’ roster-building):
  “You can spend money stupidly, like the Mets did...The Dodgers know how to do this. Organizationally, that's what separates them.” (04:50)
• Tim Kurkjian (on baseball’s unpredictability):
  “Baseball is so great, it’s so unpredictable. I never know what’s going to be around the corner this year.” (24:10)
• Larry Fitzgerald (on his Hall of Fame speech):
  “Tears are never in the script, you know that, but you never know how you’re going to respond.” (37:10)
• Larry Fitzgerald (about father’s role):
  “Pops played a big role...his presence and fingerprints are all over my life.” (39:29)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:20–10:10: Dodgers get Tarek Skubal, parity/salary cap debate
• 12:11–13:40: Aaron Donald comeback speculation via Sean McVay
• 18:13–25:52: Tim Kurkjian on the Dodgers, baseball’s future, and wild stories
• 29:57–42:44: Larry Fitzgerald on career reflections, Hall of Fame, and family

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Tone and Style

• Classic Dan Patrick blend of sharp sports analysis, wry humor, nostalgia, and honest emotional moments.
• Banter with crew adds levity; interviews are probing but conversational and respectful.

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Summary Takeaway

This episode is essential for baseball fans concerned about MLB’s competitive balance, labor negotiations, and the ripple effects of big-money trades like the Dodgers-Skubal deal. The expert insights from Tim Kurkjian clarify why the Dodgers’ dominance is both an organizational triumph and a league-wide concern. Meanwhile, Larry Fitzgerald’s segment delivers heartfelt sports storytelling—mixing candid career wisdom, family gratitude, and Hall of Fame anticipation—with the kind of authenticity rarely found outside the best sports radio.

Transcript

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legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more.

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Kyle is going for it. Here you fully improvise, not just words, but a song. Well, I thought you were all going to write a song. I remember you thinking that. Listen to Podlandia AO rewatch on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You are listening to the Dan Patrick show on Fox Sports Radio. To no one's surprise, the Dodgers get Tarek Scubal. I think the surprise might have been, are you giving up big time talent to get him? And I think the general consensus was, could other teams have done this? Probably. But here's the problem with that. Terry Skubal had the leverage by saying he wanted to go to the Dodgers, wanted to go to the West Coast. Therefore, you took away a lot of the leverage that maybe the Tigers would have had of what they got in return. The key will be moving forward the kind of contract Derek Skubal is going to want. And of course, looming large is, is there going to be a lockout at some point? Do we lose a baseball season? Do we look back on Tarek Skubal and go, that's when we finally decided we had to do something, get a salary cap. I'm okay if you want to do a salary cap. If you're going to have a floor that's raised as well, I think you got to be fair to the amount of money that the owners are making. The players association is going to be, if you're having a salary cap, you got to at least raise the floor. So we know that you're going to have salaries that are at least commensurate to other teams in the league. Now you can spend money stupidly like the Mets did. It's not. The Dodgers know how to do this. Organizationally, that's what separates them. You can have a really good minor league system. You can also go out and spend for free agents. You, you know, trades. They've done everything. And you got a brilliant front office who found a way to circumvent the salary cap and the rest of the baseball hierarchy here. So I applaud them for what they did. If I'm a Dodger fan, that's what I want my ownership to do. Now, am I worried about the rest of baseball? I guess if you said, hey, you know what, because of this, the way your team is, this is what's going to happen in the meantime, hey, I'm riding the merry go round. This is great. Um, I wonder if Shohei Ohtani's injuries may have led to the Dodgers saying, we have to have Tarek Scubal. It's not a situation of, hey, this would be a luxury item. It might be something that they truly need. And keep this in mind for all the spending the Dodgers Had. How close did the Blue Jays come to winning the World Series last year? When you are in a seven game series and all it takes is one pitcher or two pitchers to get hot or one bat or two bats to get hot and all of a sudden things change. So, yes, the Dodgers prohibitive favorites even before the trade deadline. By the way, later today is the trade deadline. But if you're looking at World Series odds, yes, the Dodgers are prohibitive favorites at plus 150, the Yankees at plus 600. That's really it. Then it goes down to the brewers at plus 1000, the Braves plus 1000, the Rays plus 1400. So yes, is it top heavy with the Yankees and the Dodgers? Yes, it is. But I thought the brewers going to try to jump in. And if you put Tarik school with Misorowski, look out because then you can take on anybody if you have two hammers like that. I always go back to Randy Johnson and Kurt Schilling. When the Diamondbacks had them, they had hammers and you had to deal with them. But back then, pitchers were going seven, eight, maybe even nine innings. Obviously, the game has changed. And the Dodgers. The Dodgers did what I thought they were going to do. I'm wondering if they're done at the trade deadline, but we'll talk to Tim Kirchen. He'll join us coming up. All right, Dylan, poll question for the first hour is going to be what? Well, if you had to bet on the World Series winner today, are you taking the Dodgers or the field? I'll take the field. I'll take the field. I'm not fully committed to that, but I, for content purposes only, I would take the field. I just, I've, I've been around this too long where you just see something and you go, I didn't think that was going to happen. Now, do I expect the Dodgers to win? Yes. But can you see where something happens? Yes. Yeah. Paulie, the fact that you had to pause before picking the field, it's like the field should be the pick. But the Dodgers are that threatening. They're, they're removing any possibility for an injury that messes them up. They could afford them. Yeah. And I think that's really the key, that if, if Shohei Ohtani can't pitch again or they're not going to pitch him. Okay, problem solved. I bring in Tarek Skubal. They already got the lineup there. They're outscoring the opposition by. What's the number now, Paulie? The Dodgers have outscored their opponents by 150 runs this year. There's only two teams that are over 105 of. They're always one of them. Stat of the Day is always brought to you by Panini America. The official trading cards of the program. You got a big project coming up. Chat GPT has a new agent for larger projects. Chat GPT work. You give it a goal. Help turn scattered material into finished work. Get started@chat GPT.com selecting work mode available on plus and Pro plans. What else do you have there, Dylan? Possible poll questions for hour one.

[C]

A simple one.

[A]

Are you in favor of a salary cap in baseball?

[C]

Yes or no.

[A]

And does this change the school to the Dodgers thing influence you in that way? I would think that everybody is going to be in favor unless you're a Dodger fan for the salary cap. The players association wouldn't be in favor of it. But I think as a sports fan, if you look at the NBA and you've had eight different winners the last eight years, if that's what you want. Instead of when I was growing up, you always had that team. You had to beat that team. There was always the dynasty, whether it was the UCLA Bruins or, you know, I grew up with the Big Red machine. You know, there was the Steel Curtain. You had that team you set your sights on and say, we got to be better than them. You might be kind of parody. Everybody has a chance. The NFL gives you that every single year. So I would say most people outside of the player association and Dodger fans would be in favor of a salary cap. Yeah, Paulie, you know, like you said that the salary floor has got to be more important because if you're a Pirates fan. I just looked up the Pirates history. They made the postseason three times in the past 33 years.

[C]

That's.

[A]

That's less than 10%. You're going to get a chance to have a chance. Well, the Dodgers, they are now paying $180 million in luxury tax. That's more than 12 total teams, entire payroll. So there is a problem with that. It sounded like a stat of the day. Maybe you were just letting it breathe. Is that what you were doing? The anticipation there?

[B]

I didn't know if you were still going or not, but I was ready.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

All right.

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I made eye contact with you. I was, you know, like laser focus.

[B]

I looked right into those blue eyes.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Alrighty. So we'll come up with a poll question. Phone calls, as always, with best and worst of the weekend. I do have updated odds, by the way. Dylan will be betting on the hall of Fame game on the next gambling podcast, right?

[C]

Yes, sir.

[A]

Okay. The Panthers are favored by one and a half over the Cardinals and the over unders, 36 and a half. Just letting you know. And yes, I used to bet on preseason football. I used to bet on the hall of Fame game. Oh, I was. That was sad. That. Very sad. Yes. Marvin,

[C]

how.

[A]

How low did you have to go? Preseason football? I know, but you're so. You're. You're so energized for football. You're waiting for it, and you're like, all right, preseason football. And, you know, I've got depth charts. I'm thinking, who's playing, how long they're playing, starters aren't playing, how good's their second string, you know, quarterback, running back, all of that stuff. No, sad. Really sad. Yes, Dylan, you could argue that that's the sharp play, like the mo. The best run I ever went on betting was. I had a time where I was all over the preseason hockey point totals.

[C]

Sad.

[A]

They worked, man. All of a sudden, Brendan Swordsby doesn't look that bad. Yes, Paulie, which is worse, Betting on the hall of Fame game or being cited that your team wins the hall of Fame game? Like, a fan base goes, like, if I'm a Cardinal fan, you know, we won that game. 14, 13. You know, I'm just saying, if I'm a Cardinal fan, I'll take any victory I. Like a scrimmage. Hey, you know what? We beat the Commanders.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Yes. Mark. No, don't do that. Because the Lions won all four of

[B]

their preseason games, and they went oh and 16. So I'm not sure if they want to do that.

[A]

Speaking of football, Sean McVeigh at his press conference was talking about the possibility of Aaron Donald returning.

[C]

Here's what I would tell you. There won't be any news on that

[A]

front until we get back to Woodland Hills. You know, we have some different things, which, you know, I totally understand. What I don't want to do is put a. There's some conversations that we've had. We've loosely had some different timelines that

[C]

are kind of temporary.

[A]

I want to keep those between us.

[C]

Just, you know, if something unforeseen happens

[A]

out of respect for him and the situation. But I know this. You know, things are going in the right direction, and if there's an arrow, it's trending upwards. You know, I'm even surprised that he's talking that much about this, because it feels like now I do. I think something's going to happen. Yes, I do. I think that Aaron Donald will play because he's saying it's trending upward. I think you have an idea, a sense of this. If I'm Aaron Donald, I don't want to go to camp any sooner than I have to. But if I'm Sean McVay, I would probably take the approach of, hey, I want to talk about the players who were here instead of the hypothetical because then people will, you know, you're going to write down his words, record his words and then play the words back to him and what happened. So I think staying off the topic, even though he's excited about the possibility, I would probably remove myself from the hypothetical of Aaron Donald. Just say, you know, I got to set a deadline at some point. I think when they go back from training camp, then he's going to have something to say. And I think that it probably will be that Aaron Donald is going to come back. Yeah, Paulie, the deadline for Aaron Donald should be during the national anthem in week one. If he walks on the field shirtless, I'd put him in the game. Yeah, I think he's going to play. It feels like there's, I haven't heard any setbacks. I haven't heard anything of, you know what, there's a chance that maybe he's not coming back. But I do think that when, when you can hear it in his voice, you can hear it in his voice that he's having some fun with this. He's excited about this and rightfully so. Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at 9am Eastern, 6am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio in the iHeartRadio app. Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio.

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[A]

Allow eight weeks. We have our play of the day coming up. We'll settle on our poll question your phone calls Always welcome. Best and worst of the weekend. Here's Dodger manager Dave Roberts on criticism regarding the trade for Tarek Scubal. There's it just seems like there's always blowback with us. People are passionate, we feel good about it there's nothing that we did that

[B]

no one else couldn't have done. You know, I just laud our front office.

[A]

Our, you know, we have to have the players to be able to pull something like this off. And, you know, we still got, you

[B]

know, arguably one of the top two

[A]

or three or one or two or three farm systems in baseball, you know, a day later. So it's a credit to a lot

[B]

of people in this organization.

[A]

He's right about that with the farm system to have the, you know, pieces that you can trade away to get Tarek Skubal, Tim Kirkjin. Tim Kirkjin, ESPN Baseball trade deadline. They have a special on the mothership from 4 to 6 Eastern. Tim will be there with Jeff Pass and Buster. Only Eduardo Perez and Kevin Connors. The trade deadline, 6pm Eastern. All right, Timmy, where do you stand on what the Dodgers pulled off here with Tarik Scubal.

[C]

A problem with this? I mean, is it healthy, Dan, that the payroll disparity is what it is in the major leagues right now? No, it's not healthy, but that's not the Dodgers fault. A lot of other teams are spending a lot of money and people don't like to hear this, but the Dodgers are an exceptionally run organization. They draft and develop better than most teams. They teach better than most teams. So they were in a position to do this and a lot. And Dave Roberts is right. A lot of other teams could have gone out and gotten Tarek Scubal with the understanding, of course, they have the resources and the money that other teams. But when it comes to the resources, they built that organization so well. That's how they have a really, really good farm system. Are able to make a deal like this.

[A]

Does getting Scubal now give the Dodgers a luxury of not having to pitch Ohtani at any time over the next month or so?

[C]

Yes, I think it does. And I think they want him. I know they want him to pitch in October. But when you get Blake Snell back and you have Snell and Yamamoto and Scubal, and when they get Tyler Glass now back and they have roki Suzaki throws 100 miles an hour with a great split, that's already five guys right there without Ohtani. Now they want Ohtani to pitch. I think Ohtani will pitch before the end of the season. But this indeed gives them the opportunity to say we need him as a great offensive player and if pitching is in any way going to get in the way of that, we don't have to pitch him because we just acquired the best pitcher in The American League.

[A]

How did the Dodgers not win the World Series?

[C]

Well, Dan, you played both sports and you recognize that anything can happen in baseball. When you have the best players on a basketball team and they work really well together and Michael and Larry touch it on every possession, that's different than in baseball because Shohei is only going to bat four or five times a game and they might not pitch to him. But I think the Dodgers are the clear favorites to win the World Series again in part because their roster is just so ridiculously deep and now their pitching staff is equally deep.

[A]

Let's get to the expensive elephant in the room about what this is going to mean for baseball as we move forward and the CBA and Players association and all that mess that we know is looming here. Tim?

[C]

Yeah, mess is a good word for it, Dan. And I am worried like everyone else that there will be a lockout, there will be games lost next year. We might lose the whole season. Let's hope none of that is true. But this, you know, this is where we are right now. The two sides are really far apart. Wasn't that long ago some someone who would know told me never seen sides this far apart with a deadline looming this close. So let's just hope that everyone recognizes there is so much money to be lost in this game if we don't play by the players and by the owners and maybe somehow someone will find a way to put this together. But if the owners think they're going to get a salary cap from the players, I just don't think that's going to happen. And that's why I think we're going to have a work stoppage at this point.

[A]

But if you look at 70% of teams reinvest less than 50% of their revenue back into their own teams. Recent study had that. So is it a salary floor that we need more than we need a salary cap?

[C]

I'm not even sure a floor fixes, fixes the situation either, Dan. Let's just say you have a 90 million dollar payroll and you're not very good and you're gonna lose, you know, you're gonna win 68 games and then they make you spend 150 million and then you win 72 games and you only finish, you know, four games higher and you still don't make the playoffs. Just because you have a floor doesn't mean you're going to solve the problem. Is it worth a try? Yes, it's worth a try. Am I in favor of it? Yes, I am. But it's not going to solve all the problems. The problems are too big to be solved just by a salary floor.

[A]

I thought about this. I saw this, the anniversary 1960, and I thought of you. The Tigers traded their manager, Jimmy Dykes to the Indians for their manager Joe Gordon. I figured you would have a story, something to add to this. Knowing you,

[C]

I'm not sure I have a manager for manager story. I was only three years old at the time, Dan. But it just goes to show you how beautiful this game is that just when you think you've seen everything, something else happens. It's just. It's just the craziest, stupidest, best game ever. And it's going to be proven again today because something's going to happen at the trade deadline. It's just going to make our slap our foreheads like we do all the time. But that's why baseball is so great, is it's so unpredictable. And I never know what's going to be around the corner this year. I've been wrong, Dan, so many times about so many things, so many teams, and I'm not apologizing to anybody for it because it just proves again, the game is so beautiful. It's too good to be predicted. And Dan, it troubles me a little bit that we're trying to predict what a player is going to look like five years from now or a team is going to look like five years from now and we don't even know what going to look like five minutes from now. That's just how the game operates.

[A]

Are you surprised like I am that the Mike Kekich Fritz Peterson swapping wives, they were teammates hasn't been made into a movie yet.

[C]

And they swapped the children too, dad. Imagine doing that. I mean, I just. Yes, I think they were children to

[A]

be named children be named later.

[C]

I think for a fifth grader to be named later. No, I'm. I'm shocked that more wasn't made out of that at the time. Imagine, Dan, if something like that were to happen today with Twitter X whatever it's called, the Internet, all that stuff, it would be total bedlam. Yes. I think at some point someone needs to make a movie about that because it actually happened between Major League Baseball players.

[A]

Thanks for squeezing us in. I know you're busy. Safe travels. Thank you, Tim.

[C]

All right, Dan. See it.

[A]

That's Tim Kirkjin of the mothership. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our [e-mail] and within the iHeartRadio app search FSR to listen live this summer there are 250 reasons to join T Mobile Girls trip booked and switching to T mobile help make it happen with experience beyond switch and get $100 back plus $650 in value in built in plan benefits. That's $750 in your first year guaranteed. And honestly, that hundred dollars back I'm putting it towards the zipline now. That's how you do summer. Exactly. Best switch I ever made. This is just one reason to join T Mobile this summer. There are 250 reasons find yours

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Allow eight weeks hi, I'm Bob Pippman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia. I also led the team that created MTV and my co founders and I are celebrating MTV's 45th anniversary this month on my podcast, Math and Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. You'll hear the untold origin story of from the people who built MTV from the ground up.

[C]

I want my mtv.

[A]

Those are powerful words. My something for me that felt like mine and want what a powerful word. Listen to Math and Magic stories from the frontiers of Marketing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers.

[B]

Hey, what's up, y'? All? It's your girl, Sam J.

[A]

And we're the hosts of Everyone Watches Women's Sports, a new podcast from Together and I Heart Women's Sport. Because, let's be real, women's sports is giving us way too much to talk about these days. So Kelsey Findler. She became the first female solo rower to go from California to Hawaii. My first thought is like, what's up with the snacks? Like, what are we eating? The highlights, the rivalries, the breakout stars, the moments that take over your entire timeline and the conversations that start during the game and somehow keep going all week. Every week, we're breaking down the biggest stories across women's sports. Naomi Osaka showing out. She beat Sabalenka. Shout out to you, Naomi, you get the Palm. Naomi, you get the Palm for that. Because we're not just interested in what happened, we're interested in why everyone's talking about it. Because everyone watches women's sports. Listen to everyone watches women's sports on

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the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever

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you get your podcast. Hey, Portlandia fans, Kerry Brownstein and Fred Armisen here, you know us, or rather you know them.

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Tony and Candace, Nina and Lance, Spike

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and yes, the chicken. We've played a lot of iconic characters over the years, but today we're showing up as ourselves to tell you about Podlandia AO rewatch our brand new podcast. Each week we'll revisit an episode of

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life, guest stars, collaborators and friends, including

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Listen to Podlandia AO rewatch on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

Larry Fitzgerald in the on deck circle for the Pro Football hall of Fame. Coming up this Saturday, 17 seasons as the Cardinals wide receiver, 11 time Pro Bowler and second NFL receiving touchdown leader and part of the all decade team. First ballot hall of Fame. Running down the list. Oh, you pretty good resume there, Larry. Congratulations on, on the honor. How long would it take for you to get ready? If, you know, like we're waiting for Aaron Donald, how long would it take for you to get ready for this season?

[B]

Yeah, I think that ship is sold. There's no, there's no coming back for me. You know, I, you know, thinking about what Aaron's, you know, he's one of those guys, he's a fitness freak though. You know, he's a pit guy and you know, he just constantly stays in shape. That's kind of part of his ritual. So I think his bounce back will be a lot quicker. But to be out of the game for a few years and get back into that, the trenches, the double teams and all of the things that he's got to deal with, you know, it's, that's quite impressive.

[A]

You think he's coming back?

[B]

I think so. He's one of those guys who loves the game and he's going back to a team who legitimately has a great chance to be able to win a championship with the addition of Miles Garrett. You put those two and, you know, Young and a couple other guys in that defensive front, you know, they, they, they present a form challenge for any offensive line and scheme that they would play against. And obviously, you know, with Puka, Devonte Adams and, you know, Kerwin William, you know, Kerwin and, I mean, they're loaded over there.

[A]

What is about pit guys? How did you end up at pit, Dan?

[B]

It was actually a crazy story. My opponent coordinator, God rest his soul, his name was Ed Cole, he was taking me and a couple of my teammates on unofficial visits. So we went to University of Illinois, we went to Notre Dame, Ohio State, and we were on our way to Penn State. It was a really, really bad, you know, rainstorm on the turnpike, so they actually shut the turnpike down based on visibility, and so the state trooper shut it down. My coach said, hey, we can't get up there. We called Penn State, let them know what happened. They said, can we, can we reschedule it for the following day? So we had a full day in Pittsburgh, and Coach Cole said, hey, we're here in town. Why don't we just go visit University of Pittsburgh? You know, Dan Marino's Tony Dursek, Curtis Martin, he started naming off all the great players. And I was like, yeah, let's, let's just go by. Literally, we, we go over, we meet Walt Harris, J.D. brookhart, you know, all the coaching staff there. They had no idea who I was. We end up leaving the next day. We're driving to Penn State. They called my coach's cell phone. They offered me a scholarship, and it just kind of started from there.

[A]

So if you don't have that rainstorm, you might not have ended up at Pittsburgh.

[B]

There's no chance I would have been there because they didn't really. They don't, they don't recruit Minnesota. That's not some place they actually go. And so there's.00% chance I would have gone there.

[A]

When did you know you were good?

[B]

I would say when I was, When I was young. I mean, I, I was always better than everybody I played against, even at seven years old. But everybody used to always say, you're from Minnesota. You know, you, you play. You know, you play three eight three A high school football. Your. Your. Your competition's H. So I had that seed of doubt in my mind a little bit that the competition was just that bad. And then I got to college. And about week two, I realized that I had what it took to not only just be there, but to actually be a good player. And if I continue to stay on that trajectory, I might have a chance.

[A]

And of course, your dad was a longtime sports writer. You're up there in Minnesota covering the Vikings. You get to be a ball boy. You've talked about that experience many times. But the fact that Randy Moss is not knocks on your door to tell you you're going into the hall of Fame. Take us back to the first time you met Randy Moss.

[B]

So my first memory of Randy is pretty vivid. I was a ball boy, and me and a couple of ball boys were actually in the gym at Mankato State and it was. They could walk through the gym to head to the practice field and we were in there playing basketball, shooting horse. And Randy had a walkthrough out there, so they were getting ready to walk through. And it was his first day. I think he held out camp for, you know, a day or two or so. I can't remember, but it was his first day. So it was a huge anticipation. And obviously, you know, we had all followed his journey at Marshall and he wanted to see him. And I remember him like, throw us the ball and he hit like two, three pointers from like about two feet behind the three point line. And then before he, before he comes and he dunks it outside, you know, it's like, you know, the, the circle there and he. And he dunks it and he walks out. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is so unbelievable. I'm. I'm 14 years old at the time, just so enamored. And like, that was my first experience of Moss.

[A]

What was your welcome to the NFL moment?

[B]

I think week two, we, in my, my rookie year, we played the New England Patriots. And I never forget, I was, I was going to. Running a crossing route and Willie McGinnis like rearranged my whole face mask. This is back when they used to really like collision you. And he was, he was, he was dropping out in the coverage and I wasn't paying attention and he decapitated me. I got up and then my coach was like, you gotta be more physical. You gotta be more physical. So there's quarters. I come up and I hit Rodney here as hard as I can, drop him on the ground. And the look in his eyes, he's chasing me back to the huddle. And I get back to the sideline like, coach, why did you have me do that? This man is absolutely crazy. And he Proceeded to chase me around the rest of the game. I could not wait till that game was over. And I realized, like, why the Patriots defense, you know, they had Teddy Brusky and Mike Brabel and TE Ted Johnson, and I mean, like, these dudes were Vince Wilfort. I mean, these dudes were massive, physical, mean, aggressive, angry men. And. And I learned that at 20 years old, very quickly.

[A]

I could imagine Rodney Harrison was going to get you back because Rodney. Rodney got everybody. I remember he told me that he got fined or got suspended. He. He had a shot on Jerry Rice. Cross the middle, he said. I took him out. That's what you're supposed to do. Game's changed a little bit since that, Larry.

[B]

It has, it has. I. I think it's much better. Guys can play a lot longer, and, you know, I think we need. We needed to. To make the game a little bit safer. It's. It's not as nearly as violent going across that middle. You know, the Steve Atwaters and the Joey Browners and the Jack Tatums of the world, you know, will be very disappointed in the way we play game. Now

[A]

we're talking to Larry Fitzgerald. Got the big speech coming up. How many times you practiced it?

[B]

I practice it a ton of times, actually. Working very closely with a former colleague of yours, Jerry Madeline, you know, helping me kind of get. Trying to get prepared for it, so, you know, five or six times a day, so to make sure I have it. Have it down pat on Saturday.

[A]

Okay. Are tears in the script?

[B]

Tears are never in the script. You know. You know that, but you never know how you're going to respond. You know, you see family and friends and people who have really played a massive role in your life sitting in the front and, you know, I. I just don't know how I'm going to respond to. To them. You know, if they're emotional or one of my kids is emotional. You know, those things, you can't really practice that.

[A]

And your son is going to induct you?

[B]

Yes, sir. My oldest son, Devin, he's going to come out and do it. I'm really, really happy. I was going to originally have my father do it before he. He passed away a couple months ago. But, you know, to be able to have my son do it, it's a tremendous honor, and I'm so privileged to. To have that.

[A]

It's going to be tough when you see your son out there and he starts talking about dad.

[B]

Yeah, it is.

[A]

I got my daughter's wedding coming up in two weeks, and I got to give a speech, and I. I practice it every single day, and I'm. I'm a mess when nobody's there listening to me. So I can't imagine what that's going to be like. You're going to. You're going to see your life in front of you with all teammate, former teammates and people from college and high school, and you'll probably be a mess. And that's okay.

[B]

Yeah, I definitely will be. Dan, let me ask you this. Are you going to be crying because of the speech and emotions, or are you going to be thinking about how much it costs you for your daughter's wedding? What will be.

[A]

Oh, I already cried. I already cried about that. Yeah. Yeah. As I. I told people, it takes a village to put on a wedding. It takes a bank account as well to put on. On a wedding. But, yeah, I'm. I'm gonna be a mess, and I don't know how to prevent myself from crying. Has anybody told you if you do this, you might not cry, or this the best thing to do to not be too emotional?

[B]

No, I. I think that it will. It will draw emotions, and people have told me it's going to be one of the most emotional things you've ever done. You know, you. You have. You've been planned for 30 years, and, you know, this is the culmination of that, the greatest honor you could ever have. And so it should. It should be emotional. It shouldn't mean something to you, but I think the more you practice and the more you're. You're prepared, you know, when you do have those emotions, you can be able to work through it and get back to. To the message that you're trying to

[A]

deliver and acknowledging your father as well.

[B]

Absolutely.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Pops played a big role. There's. None of it would even be possible it wasn't for his sacrifices. You know, he put me in these positions around people that I could learn from and have some wonderful mentors. And so, you know, his presence and. And his just breath of knowledge and. And fingerprints are all over my life.

[A]

Go back to the Randy Moss loaning you his car when you went to prom. But what kind of car was it that Randy Moss lent you?

[B]

It was a. It was a blue 745LI. I still remember, like, it was yesterday. It was. It was in immaculate shape. And, you know, one small detail I left out when I asked him about it was, you know, I. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't tell him that I didn't have my driver's license yet. And so, you know, and I don't know how. I don't know how your dad was, but my dad, when he was home, because he was always traveling, covering the TW in the summertime, he was in Kansas City or Detroit or Cleveland or Chicago, coming to White Sox. So when he got home, he really didn't want to. He was trying to be home. And so he would throw me the keys to the Pontiac, and I would just get to drive up to the park and go practice and work out. And so he would always just tell me to take the back street so I felt like I could drive. I never went on the freeway or anything like that. Took the side street, so I felt like I was pretty. I was pretty solid with the car, but I never really had anybody else in the car with me, you know, so it was a. It was a memory. I got it back to him. No issues. I didn't. I didn't tell my dates, mom and daddy, that I didn't have a license either. We kept all those things to ourselves.

[A]

That's pretty cool. Can you. Can you thank your hands during your hall of Fame speech? For me, just a little comic relief up there. Was it. Was. Was it Freddie Mitchell who thanked his hands? Remember the Eagles wide receiver? I think he thanked his hands.

[B]

Yeah. That was hilarious. Is.

[A]

Yeah. Well, you're not. You're not somebody who is.

[B]

No, that's not really my. That's not really my jam. And, you know, I feel like I did. I did have good hands, but I worked at it. You know, it was thousands and thousands of hours of, you know, catching. Catching balls consistently to try to get them to where they were.

[A]

Yeah, but see, you didn't fall in line with the diva wide receivers.

[B]

That's not true. I was just as big.

[A]

Oh, you were a diva.

[B]

I was just as big of a diva as everyone else. But I. I never. I never did it in public. You know, I'd always keep it to myself or, you know, if I had a question about targets, things of that nature, I would do it in a way where, you know, it wasn't showing up anybody or didn't put me in a position where I would, you know, seem to be more. More worried about my own personal, you know, asking and. And accomplishments than it was for my team. And so, you know, I. I wanted it just as bad as anybod, but I. I knew there was a way to do it and a way not to do it, in my opinion.

[A]

Congrats. Been fun watching and you know, this is. This is your moment. You've earned it. First ballot, hall of Famer. Good luck this weekend.

[B]

Thank you. Thank you. Great seeing you out in Tahoe. And congratulations to you and your family on your daughter's wedding. I hope you have an amazing time.

[A]

Thank you, Larry.

[B]

All right, have a great day.

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.