The Dan Patrick Show – Best of March 18, 2026

Podcast: The Dan Patrick Show

Date: March 18, 2026

Host: Dan Patrick (w/ Fritzi Seaton, Marv Paulie, Paulie, Todd)

Notable Guest: Nick Wright (Fox Sports 1)

Episode Overview

This “Best Of” episode blends humorous, insightful takes on the latest in sports, with Dan Patrick and his crew discussing recent major events in baseball, including Venezuela's upset win over the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), and key storylines from college basketball and the NFL off-season. Special guest Nick Wright joins for lively debate on retirement of jerseys and roster-building strategies in pro football, sharing candid stories and laughs with the team.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

[04:55] World Baseball Classic Recap & Reflections

• Venezuela stuns Team USA in the WBC, winning the championship in dramatic fashion.
  • Audio highlight: “Swing and a miss. Venezuela wins the WBC. Nine players fall to their knees. They can’t believe it.” —Dan Patrick, [05:26]
• The U.S. team’s passion is contrasted with Venezuela’s evident emotional investment.
  • Dan questions, "I don’t know how much it meant to Team USA...but Venezuela, it meant everything to them." [05:55]
• Hot topic: Should the WBC stay in preseason, or move to All-Star break? [10:16]
  • Dan disagrees with John Smoltz’s idea of holding Final Four at the All-Star Game, preferring to keep WBC in preseason: “Let my players play in spring training than in the middle of the season.” [06:54]

[09:00] Forgotten Big Moments in Sports

• Dan laments that some epic moments, like Bryce Harper’s 2-run homer in the WBC, get forgotten if they aren't part of a bigger team victory.
  • Examples: Jermaine Kearse catch in Super Bowl 49, Julio Jones catch in Super Bowl 51, Rajai Davis’ Game 7 HR for Cleveland. [09:09]
• On Aaron Judge’s struggles in big games: “I’ll take him...certainly in the regular season. But stepping up in the moment...” [09:47]

[12:37] WBC Roster Politics and Storylines

• The unique player-sharing arrangements between MLB teams and national teams fuel debate:
  • Pitcher restrictions—e.g., Mason Miller can only come in for a save: “You gotta negotiate. Hey, he can only come in in a save situation. How long you gonna be able to pitch?” —Dan, [11:27]
  • International players like Daniel Palencia for Venezuela display more willingness to take risks than U.S. players under club control.
  • Marv: “When you have Venezuela winning and Japan, United States and Dominican Republic underperforming, those are built-in storylines heading into that next one that are really great.” [13:51]

[15:23] The Culture of Celebration in Baseball

• The panel extols WBC’s international flare: passion, bat flips, and emotional celebrations.
  • “I love passion. Now, if you’re down 9-1 and you hit a home run and you do a bat flip, then you should be smacked, but I love the passion.” —Dan Patrick, [15:01]
  • Legends returning as coaches: “You saw Miguel Cabrera...Ken Griffey Jr. was there last night.” —Fritzi, [15:34]

[16:26] Bryce Harper: Hall of Fame Debate

• Harper’s legacy and Hall of Fame prospects are dissected:
  • “He was the chosen one...Not exactly the LeBron of Major League Baseball, but...a very good career.” —Dan Patrick, [17:28]
  • “He’s had three great seasons. He’s had about ten good seasons...not when you’re expected to be one of the greats of the game.” —Paulie, [18:08]
  • “Two MVPs and they were six years apart, that’s pretty good. That’s Hall of Famey.” —Marv, [18:26]

[27:36] Nick Wright Joins: Jersey Retirement & College Basketball G.O.A.T.s

Jersey Retirement Debate

• Matt Leinart story: USC asked if he would unretire his #11 for a five-star recruit. He refused—would only allow his son to wear it.
  • “Absolutely not...I am never going to unretire my jersey for some random dude who now could wear #11 and transfer after a year. The only person...would be Cole [his son].” —Matt Leinart, [26:07]
• Nick Wright defends the tradition: “Retiring jerseys is awesome. Oh, the Yankees retired 22 numbers? Luckily we’re not running out of numbers...There should be gravity to retiring a number, and then you can't retroactively go ask the guy to unretire it.” [27:47]
• On the absurdity of running out of numbers: “Who's to say that world doesn’t exist where all of a sudden someone’s number 154?” —Nick, [29:13]
• Amusing anecdote: Nick runs into Leinart and is awed by his looks: “That might be the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen...and then I realized, oh, that’s Matt Leinart.” [30:35]

Nick Wright’s Top Five All-Time College Basketball Players

• Nick attempts a list (“must-includes”):
  • Kareem (Lew Alcindor)
  • Bill Walton
  • Pete Maravich ("Pistol Pete")
  • Oscar Robertson over Magic Johnson at point
  • Larry Bird at the three, though open to debate: “I lean Larry Bird...the youngest guy on my team is Larry Bird. That does seem a little odd.” [31:21]
• On recent players: “Tim Duncan’s the greatest college basketball player that I watched start to finish...Melo had the best [one-year] season. Durant probably was the most dominant, if you don’t care about the winning portion.” [33:28]

[34:23] NFL Roster Moves & Rebuilding

Miami Dolphins Rebuild

• Nick: “Just taking your medicine...We made aggressive moves thinking we were championship contenders. We weren’t...So we are ripping it down...They're going to be the worst team in the league by a lot next year.” [34:23]

All-in Strategies: Rams vs. Broncos

• “The Rams recognize we have the oldest excellent quarterback in the league. So let’s not treat 2029 as valuable as 2026. I think it’s super smart.” —Nick, [36:20]
• “There’s more talented receivers [in the NFL] than any other time in history, but there are two divisions [AFC West & AFC East] that don’t have any of them.” —Nick, [37:10]

Chiefs’ Surprising Offseason: Justin Fields & Travis Kelce

• On signing Fields: “I really like the Fields addition...Price-wise, very cheap for a backup...If you were to tell me Patrick [Mahomes] is going to miss the first month, I’d rather have Kirk Cousins. If Patrick’s there, I’d rather have Justin Fields, ‘cause he can get on the field even once Patrick is back.” —Nick, [39:00]
• On Travis Kelce’s return: “There was a 0% chance he was going to play for anybody else and I think everybody knew that.” [38:08]

[40:52] Candid Nick: Charles Barkley & Gambling Stories

• Nick asks Dan, “Next time you see [Charles Barkley], can you ask him: Does he still like the NBA?” [40:52]
  • Dan: “I think, Charles and Shaq...I don’t know if they really care. They’re jaded...With Charles on March Madness, I’m like, don’t put him on March Madness.” [42:03]
• Nick’s memorable gambling loss: “The 2008 NCAA final, Memphis-Kansas. I was fresh off winning $50k on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' and gambling all the time...I bet literally net worth—$14k to win $10k. Memphis choked, Chalmers hit the shot, and I went from being the only person in the world who was going to bet Memphis, to back at zero. But I felt alive, Dan!” [44:40]

[51:21] Listener Calls & Final Thoughts

• Dan explains he values the totality of a player's career when considering greatness: “You can have a couple of years where somebody is sensational, but...I’m looking at the Totality of somebody’s career.” —Dan, [51:50]
• Revisiting the Leinart jersey story: “Why numerous times? Why not just once?...Unless they say, ‘Hey, we’re going to miss out on this five-star recruit if he wants to wear number 11,’ but to ask him, numerous times?” —Dan, [53:00]
• Todd's take: “And you’re not all in on playing for that school if it’s so much about the number. Where’s the passion and desire?” [54:48]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dan on WBC emotion: “You had those guys sobbing, they’re singing their country’s anthem, they’re getting their medals. Although...Kyle Schwarber and Mason Miller, I think, they got their silver medal and they're like, no, we're not.” [08:15]
• Marv on sports events’ energy: “Sometimes it’s harder when you have something great on your hands. The bigger problem is knowing what to do with it.” [11:09]
• Nick Wright on gambling: “Sometimes it’s not even about winning...sometimes you need the loss. You need to feel a loss.” [44:22]
• Nick Wright on retired numbers: “There should be gravity to retiring a number, and you can't then retroactive...go ask the guy to unretire it.” [27:47]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:55] – WBC Recap: Atmosphere & U.S. vs. Venezuela
• [09:00] – Big Moments that Fade from Memory
• [12:37] – Roster Mechanics & Political Intrigue in WBC
• [15:23] – Passion & Culture in International Baseball
• [16:26] – Bryce Harper, Hall of Fame Debate
• [27:36] – Nick Wright: Jersey Retirement Controversy
• [31:05] – Nick’s Top 5 College Basketball Players
• [34:23] – Miami Dolphins’ Rebuild, Rams/Broncos Strategies
• [39:00] – Chiefs, Fields, and Kelce
• [40:52] – Charles Barkley & NBA Media Critique; Gambling Stories
• [51:21] – Listener Q&A: Greatness in Sports, Jersey Retirement

Episode Tone

• Conversational, irreverent, witty. Playful debates and anecdotes mixed with sharp sports analysis and real fan perspectives.
• Plenty of banter among regulars, particularly around group polling, inside jokes, and jabs at guest Nick Wright.