The Dan Patrick Show: Covino & Rich — "Blowout & Chill vs. Close & Torture"

Date: October 3, 2025
Podcast: The Dan Patrick Show (via iHeartPodcasts and Dan Patrick Podcast Network)
Summary by: Podcast Summarizer

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Covino & Rich (Steve Covino and Rich Davis) dive deep into the eternal sports fan debate: Is it better when your team wins in a stress-free blowout, or do close, nail-biting games bring more excitement—even if they’re “torture”? Broadcasting live from the Fox Sports Radio studios, they banter alongside Danny G., Iowa Sam, and Dan Byer, mixing humor with heartfelt sports takes and plenty of personal anecdotes.

Throughout the episode, the team discusses recent MLB postseason action and NFL matchups, while also exploring how fandom affects stress, enjoyment, and even household cleanliness. The panel draws on their own experiences as invested fans, with Covino and Rich embodying opposite perspectives on the joy and agony of close games versus relaxed dominance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Blowout Wins vs. Close Games: Which Is Better?

• Covino’s Take: Strongly prefers blowouts for his team—wants to relax and "moonwalk in [his] socks" while enjoying a stress-free win.
  • Quote: “I want the Yankees to blow them out tonight so I can enjoy, relax and have fun.” (04:09)
  • For Covino, close games cause palpable stress: “Did I really enjoy that? I felt relief afterward, but I’m like, I don’t even know if that was fun. That was so stressful.” (27:37)
• Rich’s Take: Loves “the torture”—the thrill, anxiety, and soaring relief (if his team wins) of a close game. He argues the best sports memories come from the nerve-wracking moments:
  • Quote: “All the best games, all the best sports memories you have are always a close game. No one’s like, you know what I loved? When my team won 12–2.” (04:51)
  • Rich even admits, “I love, I love a little torture.” (15:13)
• Danny G. & Iowa Sam: Weigh in on the personal toll: Danny stress-cleans during games, Iowa Sam notices that “after a close, stressful win you remember it fondly, but only after the fact.” (05:07–05:13, 29:54)
• Fan Call-ins: James from Orlando sides with Covino: “I want a blowout so I can relax, watch them kick ass.” (30:28)

2. Does “Fun” for a Fan Mean “Stress-Free”?

• Covino argues “feeling alive” is not the same as enjoying oneself.
  • Quote: “Are you really having fun where you’re so nervous the whole time?” (03:54)
  • “The answer’s in the body language. If you’re pacing around like a maniac… your body language would imply you’re not really having fun. You’re kind of stressed.” (14:17)
• Rich insists the joy is in the anxiety and the payoff: “It’s good stress. It’s fun stress. Those are the moments you live for as a sports fan.” (14:16–14:43)

3. Memorable Moments: Reliving Past Close Games and Blowouts

• Rich recounts his childhood as a 49ers fan: the elation after Joe Montana’s famous drive vs. the Bengals, contrasting it with the comparatively emotionless 55–10 Super Bowl blowout of the Broncos. (05:48–06:26)
• Dan Byer joins, confirming that the close Seahawks–Packers playoff win was meaningful in a way the Super Bowl blowout win wasn’t: “There were absolutely different feels.” (13:09–13:22)

4. Different Types of Fans, Different Reactions

• Some fans (like Covino and James from Orlando) physically wear out their socks or stress-clean the house; others (Rich’s wife) can’t even watch the big moment, choosing to wander into the kitchen instead. (06:47, 31:00, 32:14)
• Discussion of generational/parental stress, where blowouts are strongly preferred when it comes to watching their kids compete. (19:23)

5. Impact on Watching Habits

• Rich admits he sometimes tunes out a blowout win if the outcome is certain: “If the Mets are up big, I turn it off. I’m like, hey, they got this one.” (15:19)
• Covino, on the other hand, watches every moment: “I want them to build their confidence… Pile it on, and then take away the stress. Enjoy the victory.” (16:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Rich: “I like the game being… you also like being stomped on with women in high heels.”
  — (10:14) — Covino throws some playful shade about Rich’s love for “torture.”
• Iowa Sam: “What is Rich — a long snapper, a whipple snapper?”
  — (05:41) — Joking about Rich’s potential positions if he were to suit up for the 49ers.
• Dan Byer: “As soon as Percy Harvin ran the kickback, you’re like, ‘All right, let’s get this over [with].’”
  — (13:32)
• Danny G.: “Sports is kind of like our version of a soap opera. We don’t want to miss anything.”
  — (16:05)
• Covino: “If your team’s not in it, then all you want… you want to see a close game.”
  — (17:28)
• Covino: “I got a hat on today, man.”
  — (19:23) — Joking about losing hair from the stress of nail-biter games.

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Approx. Time Range | Notes | |---------|-------------------|-------| | Opening banter, baseball and football overview | 01:10–02:37 | Setting the table; postseason excitement | | Dodgers vs. Reds comments; nail-biter debate introduction | 02:36–04:00 | “Congrats on your Dodgers…” | | Main debate: blowout or nail-biter? | 03:40–11:16 | Includes fan body language, stories, stress | | Childhood memories, stress reactions | 05:48–07:13 | Rich’s 49ers memories | | Danny G. and Rich’s stress habits | 06:47–07:13 | Stress cleaning, pacing | | Rich explains stress/fun contradiction | 10:19–10:46 | Prefers close games for “good, healthy stress” | | Dan Byer’s perspective | 13:09–13:22 | Seahawks games: close wins vs. blowouts | | Parenting angle (Mike in Cincinnati email) | 19:23–19:44 | Extra stress when your kids play | | Short series vs. long series MLB discussion | 19:44–20:46 | Rich, Dan Byer, Covino | | Watching habits (Covino vs. Rich) | 15:45–16:14 | Covino watches every moment, Rich tunes out | | Humor & banter about stress, adrenaline, and risk | 28:01–29:45 | Rollercoaster vs. teacup metaphor | | Fan call-in (James in Orlando) | 30:01–30:28 | Fan sides with Covino on wanting blowouts | | Spouses' stress-watching habits | 32:14–32:43 | “My wife… covers her eyes and dips in the kitchen” | | Reflection on clutch players vs. nervous fans | 32:49–33:37 | “That’s why they’re in the big leagues…” | | Attendance/viewership boom MLB stats | 42:45–43:23 | Rich, Covino discuss baseball popularity | | Transition to MLB highlights/tire rack play of the day | 38:14 onward | Key Yankees playoff moment replayed |

Tone and Style Notes

• The show maintains a conversational, comedic, and occasionally irreverent tone.
• Frequent inside jokes, playful jabs, and nostalgia.
• Listeners are invited to call in and share opinions; fan perspective is foregrounded.
• Covino and Rich clearly love sports and each value different types of fandom; their debate never gets mean-spirited.

Takeaways

• No single way to enjoy being a sports fan: The joy and torment of fandom depend as much on personal temperament as on outcomes.
• Blowouts bring relaxation and easy joy—but perhaps fewer lifelong memories.
• Close games are “torture,” but if you survive with a win, they become legendary.
• How you watch (and stress about) games affects everything from your sock durability to your home’s cleanliness.
• Sports, by design, are shared, dramatic stories—win or lose, the emotions run deep.

If you’ve ever found yourself pacing the room, cleaning obsessively, or nervously checking your phone during a game, this episode is for you.

For more Covino & Rich: Catch their podcast, follow them on Fox Sports Radio, and join in the debate on social!