The Dan Patrick Show: Hour 2 – ABS Improvements, Pat Forde (Feb 25, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Dan Patrick Show dives into multiple hot-button sports topics with Dan and the Danettes' signature blend of insight and humor. Highlights include a lively debate on annoying sounds in sports, deep analysis of Major League Baseball’s proposed Automated Balls and Strikes (ABS) system, and an engaging interview with Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde, fresh back from the Olympics in Italy. Additional discussions touch on college football's shifting power dynamics, NCAA scandals, and pending playoff expansion in both basketball and football.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Annoying Sports Sounds: Tinny Rims & Metal Bats (02:01–06:00)

• Dan opens with a personal gripe: He turned off the Texas Tech vs. Cincinnati basketball game due to the “sound of the rim” every time a shot was missed, likening the noise to fingernails on a chalkboard.
• Investigation into the Rims: Dan’s “I-Team” reached out to Texas Tech. The Deputy AD reported the rims were fine; blame lay with microphone amplification, not the hardware.
• Poll Question: Listeners weigh in on which is more annoying: the tinny rim in basketball or the sound of a metal bat in baseball—results are neck and neck.
• Quote: "If I was a big-time recruit...I wouldn't go there because of the sound of the rim." – Dan Patrick (03:00)
• Discussion of watching games muted and prepping for March Madness bracketology.

2. ABS (Automated Balls and Strikes) Debate (06:00–16:00)

• MLB's Tech Transformation: Dan explains the push to automate balls and strikes, emphasizing accuracy over tradition.
• Tech, Not Robots: Dan clarifies, “It's not a robot. It’s a system, just like tennis has.” (08:30)
• Fan Experience: Even with automation, umpires would remain for fair/foul and plays at the plate, but the “robot” only determines balls and strikes.
• Challenge System: Each MLB team would start with two challenges per game for balls and strikes—if successful, the challenge doesn’t count against them.
  • “If you get it right when you challenge, you keep your two challenges and you keep going forward with two challenges.” – Dan Patrick (11:05)
• Concerns: Dan wants consistency in the technology across stadiums, referencing the NFL's camera inconsistencies.
• Comic Relief: Todd and Dan riff on the future of managers arguing with an “electronic” umpire and grown men in uniforms kicking dirt ("It's sad. First of all, you got a grown man in a baseball uniform.") (13:03)
• Potential for lost drama: Todd raises the issue of crucial moments being interrupted by challenges. (16:36)

3. Memorable Sports Sounds (16:00–19:20)

• Listeners and Danettes discuss: The tension and visceral noises in sports, from pucks hitting the post in hockey to fists connecting in UFC fights during the COVID era.
• Notable Moment: “...the best sound in sports...COVID MMA, like UFC, where you're hearing...everything...no crowds and you can just hear everything.” – Stephen in New York (17:35)
• Brutality up close: Talk of the risks fighters face, referencing a Paul brother getting his jaw broken. "He got punched…that will affect him the rest of his life." – Dan Patrick (18:33)

4. Interview: Pat Forde on Olympics, NCAA, and More (23:19–38:55)

a) Rimgate at Texas Tech…Again (24:00)

• Pat admits Lubbock is the only Power Conference campus he hasn’t visited, and can’t confirm rim sound in person.
• March Madness brings various rim “tones” due to different arenas and temporary equipment. “You get all kinds of a variety, I guess, of rimtones, if you will.” – Pat Forde (24:48)

b) Milan Olympics Recap (25:03–28:26)

• Key Memories: USA men’s hockey team is the obvious headline, but Pat emphasizes the USA women’s team’s dominance and dramatic Olympics climax.
• Cinematic Hockey: Dan and Pat discuss how the men’s final played out like a movie—"100% cinematic, that's for sure.” – Pat Forde (26:51)
  • Johnny Gaudreau’s family honored post-game; emotional anthem scenes.
  • "It was hard for them to be there...but the pride that they had..." – Pat Forde (27:13)

c) College Football – Combine & Quarterback Depth (28:26–31:10)

• Draft Prospects: Pat raves about Jeremiah Love, Fernando Mendoza, and Reuben Bain as NFL-ready talents.
• Quarterback Depth: Discussion of Ty Simpson—big toolset, some concerns about confidence and situational readiness for the NFL.
  • “There's a very low supply of good quarterbacks this year and so he becomes more valuable.” – Pat Forde (29:57)

d) The Big Ten vs. SEC Money War (31:13–32:49)

• The Big Ten has won three straight championships with three different teams, and the SEC must now counter Big Ten’s "deep alumni pockets."
• SEC's new selling point: “We’re going to get you to the NFL where you’re going to make a great living.” – Pat Forde (32:09)
• “Oversimplifications” of the new NIL/transfer landscape: everyone was paying players before, not just the SEC.

e) NCAA Scandals & Penalties (32:49–34:18)

• Pat calls out past cheating at USC, Miami, Clemson but argues the NCAA overpunished USC for the Reggie Bush case.
  • “The penalty was oversized...history of the NCAA has been...inefficient punishment punctuated with over-enforcement.” – Pat Forde (33:34)

f) State of College Basketball (34:23–38:55)

• Storylines: The incredible freshman class and whether they can overcome experienced teams like Michigan and Arizona.
• Darren Peterson: Might be the most talented, but his commitment is in question. “Do you really love basketball?” – Dan Patrick (35:14)
• Tournament Expansion: NCAA possibly expanding to 76 teams by 2027; Pat: "It'll be terrible." (36:10)
• College Football Playoff will likely expand to 16 or even 24 teams, possibly concurrently with basketball's increase.
• “Never listen to the coaches...They only think of themselves.” – Pat Forde, on Jim Boeheim’s pitch for 96-team March Madness (38:17)

5. Miscellaneous: Young MLB Talent & NBA Rants (41:23–48:00)

• Connor Griffin Watch: Dan shouts out 19-year-old Pirates prospect Connor Griffin, possibly the first teen on an opening day MLB roster since Ken Griffey Jr.
• NBA Talk: Callers weigh in on “bad sounds in sports” like LeBron missing game-winners; banter about Luka Doncic’s penchant for complaining and its effect on defense.

“It's just after a while, it's kind of embarrassing for that player that not every call is going to go your way.” – Dan Patrick (45:59)

Timestamped Highlights & Quotes

• [03:00] – Dan: “If I was a big-time recruit...I wouldn't go there because of the sound of the rim.”
• [08:30] – Dan: “It's not a robot. It’s a system, just like tennis has.”
• [11:05] – Dan: “If you get it right when you challenge, you keep your two challenges and you keep going forward with two challenges.”
• [13:03] – Dan (on manager-umpire arguments): “It's sad. First of all, you got a grown man in a baseball uniform...”
• [16:36] – Todd: “In the playoffs or World Series...strike. Oh, wait, he tapped his head. You just ruined the whole moment.”
• [17:35] – Stephen in NY: “…the best sound in sports...COVID MMA, like UFC, where you're hearing...everything...no crowds and you can just hear everything.”
• [26:51] – Pat Forde: “100% cinematic…It was incredible. Not just...the storylines, but the way the game played out.”
• [35:14] – Dan: “Darren Peterson...I would not be drafting him until I got further explanation into. Do you really love basketball?”
• [36:10] – Pat: “They're still pushing [expansion] for 2027. I expect it'll probably happen then, and it'll be terrible.”
• [38:17] – Pat: “Never listen to the coaches...They only think of themselves.”

Notable Quotes

• Dan Patrick: “I don't want your strike zone, I want our strike zone. Everybody's strike zone.” (10:14)
• Pat Forde: “The penalty was, was oversized…history of the NCAA has been incredibly inefficient punishment punctuated with over enforcement.” (33:34)
• Dan Patrick: “...It's about money, Pat. I mean, all these years it was one versus two, and then we went to four...now you go to 12...but they're looking at all the money here.” (37:25)
• Pat Forde: “Never listen to the coaches...They only think of themselves.” (38:17)

Engaging & Memorable Moments

• Rimgate: Dan’s irrational hatred of the Texas Tech rim sound set the playful tone for the episode.
• “Sad” grown-man manager debate: A classic Dan-and-Todd riff on the absurd image of managers in uniforms arguing with umps (13:03–13:55).
• Pat Forde’s vivid Olympics storytelling: The cinematic USA-Canada hockey clash, including emotional family moments (26:26–27:37).
• Debate on technology in baseball: Animated, opinionated back-and-forth on preserving “charm” versus prioritizing accuracy and fairness (6:00–16:00).

Segment Timestamps

• Annoying Sounds/Poll/ABS conversation: 02:01–16:00
• Listener calls on sounds: 16:00–19:20
• Pat Forde Interview: 23:19–38:55
  • Rimgate: 24:00–24:48
  • Milan Olympics: 25:03–28:26
  • NCAA/NIL/Scandals: 31:13–34:18
  • College basketball, expansion: 34:23–38:55
• MLB Spring Training/Ken Griffey Jr./NBA talk: 41:23–48:00

Conclusion

Hour 2 of The Dan Patrick Show delivers a trademark mix of sports news, opinion, and banter as only Dan and the Danettes can. From the hyper-specific complaints about rim acoustics to broad questions about tech in baseball and the future of college sports, the episode is an entertaining and insightful listen for any sports fan.