The Dan Patrick Show (C&R): Dodger Haters & the Old-School Way

Date: February 26, 2026
Podcast: The Dan Patrick Show (Covino & Rich segment)
Hosts: Covino and Rich (C&R), with Dan Byer, Danny G, Iowa Sam

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the growing animosity towards the Los Angeles Dodgers and the shifting mentality in sports and media about loyalty versus the desire to win or succeed. Covino & Rich use recent player comments and sports culture trends to discuss how old-school values like building a winning team from scratch are being replaced with the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” philosophy—both celebrated and lamented. The hosts also relate this to experiences in broadcasting, pop culture, and life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Do People Hate the Los Angeles Dodgers?

• Numerous stories in sports media “poo pooing on Los Angeles” and framing the Dodgers as baseball’s “evil empire.”
• Covino: “They're officially the evil empire… I'll start with my boy first… Jazz Chisholm.” [05:27]
• Several prominent players express reluctance to join the Dodgers because of their powerhouse status, favoring the idea of becoming a hero elsewhere (e.g., Jazz Chisholm preferring the Angels over the Dodgers).

2. Jazz Chisholm’s Old-School Mindset

• Jazz Chisholm Jr. implies he'd rather “build the roof” with another team than join an already successful Dodgers squad:

  “I'd rather build my roof than go to the Dodgers." (Jazz Chisholm, relayed by Covino) [05:48]

• The attitude surfaces classic sports values (“Be the star that changes a franchise”) vs. the modern preference for joining strong teams for a title run.

3. Big Fish, Small Pond or Small Fish, Big Pond?

• Covino: "Would you rather be the big fish in the small pond, or the small fish in the big pond?" [07:48]
• Rich: Relates to personal experience in rec sports, debating whether it's more satisfying to be the star on a lesser team or a role player on a powerhouse.
• The conversation translates to career and life: Is it better to stand out in a smaller setting or blend into greatness with others?

4. Changing Attitudes: ‘If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them’

• This was once viewed as “loser mentality”—now widely accepted as the smart, winning move:

  “If you can't beat them, join them… what we used to frown upon… has become accepted.” (Covino) [13:24] “That used to be a loser mentality, and now we're kind of telling you what used to be a loser mentality is the winning mentality.” (Covino) [14:58]

• Discussion of “old heads” frowning on new school thinking, referencing NBA stars and free agency trends.

5. Regional Fan Differences: LA vs. NY

• PCA (Cubs) sparks controversy by labeling Dodgers fans as casual, more focused on selfies than the game:

  “Dodgers fans are sort of, you know, show up when they want, casual fans.” (Rich, relaying PCA) [16:47]

• East Coast vs. West Coast fan dynamics:
  • Danny G: "There's also some fans that are true baseball fans." [17:20]
  • Rich: Notes that LA crowds may appear less invested until playoff time due to more entertainment options and lifestyle differences.
• Covino: “It's all about them and less about the game. It's all about, look at me and look where I'm at.” [19:03]

6. Sports Loyalty vs. Convenience: A Cultural Shift

• Parallels drawn between sports, broadcasting, music, and late-night TV.
• Rich: “Late night TV… Letterman, Leno hated each other. Now… Fallon and Kimmel and Colbert… they're like buddies… All-Star games, Pete Rose would like slide cleats up… now people are laughing and bro hugging.” [29:28]
  • Similar trends in music collaborations, radio rivalry, and even wrestling promotions.
• Old school: Fierce, sometimes petty, competition.
• New school: Collaborations, cross-promotion, shared successes.

7. Adapting or Becoming Obsolete

• Hosts reflect on their own careers:

  “If you don't adjust your mindset, you become a dinosaur… You have to be willing to play the game the way it's played today.” (Covino) [38:24]

• New mentality: Build audience by appearing on each other’s podcasts, share audiences, network with “competition.”
• Old mentality: Refuse to acknowledge competition; strive to be the fiercest and best in isolation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Covino (on Dodgers): “They're officially the evil empire.” [05:27]
• Rich (on team choice): “Would you want to be on, like, the Bunk Sports Radio network and Covino and Rich are like, the only show they have that's good?” [10:09]
• Covino (the shift): “If you can't beat them, join them… That used to be a loser mentality, and now we're kind of telling you what used to be a loser mentality is the winning mentality.” [14:58]
• Covino (on loyalty): “You don't play for the enemy… And all of a sudden it's, hey, you know what I realized? If you can't beat them, join them. It's not so bad. But you realize that it's a winning formula and it kind of works and we've accepted it.” [28:11]
• Rich (broadcasting rivalry): "I remember radio stations would pull stunts to F with other radio stations like Sabotage… They had a couple of promo guys stall out their cars in front of the gas station and ruin their whole promotion.” [31:51]
• Danny G (radio management): “Our general manager had a staff meeting with all of us and he wore a hard army helmet and he was ranting about how we were going to kill the competition.” [31:23]
• Dan Byer (news): “If you're listening to Fox Sports Radio, you don't have to listen to the competitor because we're going to tell you everything that you need to know, whether it comes from ESPN or CBS Sports.” [36:26]

Important Segment Timestamps

• [05:27] – “Dodgers as the Evil Empire” intro and Jazz Chisholm’s comments
• [07:48] – “Big fish, small pond” debate
• [13:24]-[14:58] – “If you can’t beat them, join them” mindset shift
• [16:47] – PCA’s claim about LA fans (vs. Cubs fans)
• [19:03] – “All about them and less about the game” (casual fandom in LA)
• [29:28] – Music, pop culture, and media analogies for rivalry vs. collaboration
• [31:23] – “Old school radio wars” story
• [36:26] – On sports media and acknowledging competitors
• [38:24] – Adapting or becoming obsolete in the new sports/media world

Conclusion: A New Era of Sports and Media Mindset

• The perception of LA and the Dodgers as "villains" is a product of both their dominance and the changing attitude toward sports loyalty.
• Old guard (Jazz Chisholm’s sentiment): Be a hero by building from nothing, beat the best rather than joining.
• New reality (C&R’s acceptance): Survival and success often mean teaming up, even with rivals; collaboration is celebrated.
• This shift permeates not only sports but entertainment, media, and everyday life—a recurring "if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em" ethos.

Listeners will take away an entertaining, honest discussion of how competition, ambition, and loyalty have evolved for both athletes and regular folks, with rich personal stories and classic sports talk humor.