The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Best of DLS: A Stocking Stuffer of Baseball Mangers

Episode Date: December 24, 2025

Nothing says Christmas Eve quite like baseball! We get you ready for a night of milk and cookies with three interviews from the past with some legendary baseball managers. First up, Stan Van Gundy joins us to talk to Joe Torre all the way back in 2006, before we speak to Joe Maddon and Jim Leyland. And yes, the Maddon interview did occur before Stugotz started ripping him. It also shows us just how far ahead of everyone else Maddon was in the new era of baseball. So sit back and grab a glass of hot cocoa because this is the perfect way to start your Christmas Eve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coming off of losing fantasy week, that means you're one week closer to losing your league. That's stressful, which can lead to nighttime teeth grinding. Dentech wants to prevent teeth grinding and has raised the fantasy stakes with a once-in-a-lifetime punishment. Keep an eye out for the ultimate fantasy football punishment reveal at the NFL Pro Bowl. Or on Dentec.com slash ultimate punishment. If you're still feeling fantasy stress, Try a Dentech nighttime dental guard to protect your teeth. Available at all major retailers.

All right, kicking things off with Smearnoff, the official vodka sponsor of the NFL and the number of vodka in the world. Chris Cody, you're here. Smearned off. Wow, you're on the money with Smeerrrrr-off. Chris, you know what goes great with Smyr-N-Off? Yes, but I'm really talking about game-day fit. The style's got to match the vibe.

Smear-in-off. All right, here's the deal. Game day is everything. And that's exactly why your fit has to match the occasion. Starting this December, Smyranoff is giving fans 21 and over the chance to score limited edition Smyranoff commission. Merchandise from some of today's top creators, including Kayla Jones, Gavin Matthew, and Ailely May. Smirnoff! Here's the kicker.

One lucky fan will take home the grand prize. A trip to the biggest game of the off season. Plus, one fan will win Aelie Mae's one-of-one game day jacket. Wow. The merch will be dropped on select dates from December to January, 21, and it's all courtesy of what brand? Mernoff! That's right, Chris. Fans 21 and over can head to Smyranoff Socialists to learn how to sign up.

And don't forget to grab a bottle of Smyrnav vodka, number 21 at your local retail. Please drink responsibly. Smyranov. Number 21 vodka distilled from grain, 40% alcohol by volume, the Smyranoff Company, New York, New York. Please do not share with anybody under legal drinking aid. Smyrnawere no purchase necessary must be legal U.S. resident 21 or older. Sweep steak starts 1215, 2025 at 12 a.m. Eastern and ends 1.23, 2026 at 11.59 p.m. Eastern. See official rules at program website.

Mike, you know I have one rule to live by, right? Don't place parleyes on multiple long shots. Don't say a game is one when it hasn't hit triple zero. Always drink your Yeagermeister ice cold. That's the rule. Everything else is merely a suggestion. Everything else? Everything else.

Wearing clean underwear every day. Well, that's just a personal decision. Brushing your teeth? Obviously smart, but not a rule. Never pee pee on an electric fence. Okay, maybe there are two rules. But the one that is 100% that I insist on completely, Yeagermeister, must be drank ice cold.

Or don't drink it at all. Damn, that's cold. Exactly. You're finally starting to get it. Drink responsibly. Yeagermeister liqueur, 35% alcohol by volume, imported by mass Yeagermeister U.S., White Plains, New York. This is the Dan Levator show with the Stugats podcast. Christmas Eve, Chris.

Happy Merry Christmas Eve. Jeremy, I'm so happy. Every holiday, as I've gotten into marriage and kids, it's just running around like a madman. And I get to be planted this holiday. Christmas Eve at the in-laws, Christmas at my parents. I'm so excited to just be at one place per day. I'm excited for you. Christmas Eve is always really fun with my in-laws. Obviously, I celebrate Hanukkah. My wife is not Jewish. And so in turn, we get to celebrate Christmas with her family. It rocks. It's the best. I love Christmas. Yeah, it's a nice life. And Christmas Eve

games with the family. Should have married a Jewish girl. Yeah, tell Christy. You let her know. Should have married a Jewish lady. I heard it. That was great. Anyway, so here's where we're at. We have a Christmas Eve episode for you guys. I really hope that you're excited for this.

And I decided there's nothing better on Christmas Eve than listening to Stan Van Gundy talk to former baseball managers. it. Right? I mean, there's no one more passionate that I know, not Tim Kirchian, not either of us. Hey, listen to the pitch clock. But Stan Van Gundy, so we have an interview here from 2006 with Joe Torrey. We also have interviews from 2013 with Joe Madden and Jim Leland. And I'll tell you, Chris, like, in this Joe Madden interview, it made me realize this dude was transcendent. This guy predicted, everything that he says in this interview about like what they do differently is everything that everyone does in baseball now it's kind of insane this interview was i assume before stu got started ripping him yeah i got to think so late in later in the career he would rip the glasses yeah he turned on yeah he turned on him maybe he declined to come on uh and do another interview but either way this first hour of your show today is going to be three interviews stan van gundy with the show with Joe Torrey, Joe Madden, and Jim Leland,

some pretty simple names for baseball managers. Been wanting to talk to this guy for a long time, very difficult job in sports manager of the New York Yankees, and he handled it with uncommon daily grace. Joe Tori with us on the ticket. Thank you for joining us, Joe. As you look around all of sports, is there a guy, a leader whose style you looked at?

if I made you pick just one and you said, man, I love the way that guy handles himself. Well, I guess it's someone who just, I mean, Gil Hodges to me years ago was a nice role model because, you know, it wasn't about him, it was about his players. And any of us coaches or managers who dilute themselves to think that they're the reason that these teams win, you know, I feel sorry for those guys because, you know, it's about the players. and trying to make sense to the players, I think, is important for us to do, and sort of point them in the right direction. But, you know, there are a lot of, I admire a lot.

I mean, I love the way Tom Copland does what he does in New York. You know, that wasn't easy for him starting out, and all of a sudden two Super Bowls under his belt. And I think he certainly has withstood the storm over there for a long time. Are you like Stan Van Gundy, who is with us here on Wednesdays, Joe, where if there's a guy who takes himself very seriously in a leadership position and feels like he's the reason for the winning, will that be met with your disdain? Well, I know better than that.

I've watched them coach. Trust me. I mean, you know, both he and Jeff to me did their job with great class and effectiveness. and, you know, and sometimes it's time to move on. I felt that three times, trust me. The worst part of the job, New York Yankees manager, was? Oh, I guess it was, you know, the best part was the worst part. You know, you win four World Series in the first five years,

and then when you go to game seven and losing the ninth inning, they say, oh, you failed. So, you know, expectation, I guess, and, of course, the media, which I think Stan can vouch for that, you know, it's always looking for the dark side of it a lot of times. So it's just the things you have to deal with aside from being in the dugout or being on court's side, you know, is probably the toughest job. You know, at least you know what you're doing when you're sitting there on the bench. How did you help your players deal with the pressure that comes with those expectations and the media challenges in New York? Well, I'll tell you what I said to them.

They only have to satisfy the guys in the lockers next to them. You know, the fans are important. There's no question. Media, you know, they are necessary. But, you know, the guy in a locker next to them are the only ones that know how hard it is to do what they do. And, you know, and I always judge players. not on results, but on their effort and their preparation and their desire to play the game. So even though my boss, George Steinbrenner, was disappointed at a time or two,

it was hard for me to swallow knowing how hard these players worked. So, you know, to me, I always tried to make these players accountable to each other, and the only thing that satisfied me is a good effort in preparation. know, it sort of simplified things. I tried to keep the distractions out of the clubhouse. Joe Torrey with us here on AM 790, now FM 104.3, the ticket. Joe, when you were hired as the Yankees manager, you were greeted with headlines from the tabloids, such as Clueless Joe and Loser Joe, and I'm wondering, did you save any of those headlines?

Well, they think popping up sooner or later, you know, but you know what? I was, it didn't bother me a bit because I was so thrilled to get this opportunity. I know even my brother, Frank, said, are you nuts? You realize how many managers, George Steinbrenner, is hired and fired, and I just felt there was an opportunity to manage for an organization that was going to be out there trying to win, try to give you players. I was going to find out if I could manage or not. And, you know, again, I was blessed with some pretty special players.

I mean, Jeter being, and when you think about the core of this group that came down the pike for me, had Jeter and Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill, and of course, Tino came over the same year I did, and then you had Pettit and David Cohn and Mariano Rivera. That's a pretty good core group. And as I say, I was lucky, and these guys were very serious about what they did, and they never admired what they had just accomplished. You know, it was a great scenario for me. The owner of your team, George Steinbrenner, late owner, did he ever call you in the dugout?

No. No, I think I got George on the back nine. I mean, I really do. You know, he had Billy. I think he and Billy were very contentious with each other. And, you know, I think the one thing Billy never recognized is that George was the boss. I recognized George was the boss, and he was allowed to do what he did. But he never – in fact, I called him more than he called me.

I don't know if it was disarming him in any way. But, you know, I used to call him. We were struggling. And I said, George, what am I doing wrong, you know, and sort of caught him off guard a time or two? But he never, never, I mean, he made suggestions to me, and we were sitting in a room and stuff like that. But he never called me during a game. What was the most odd or speechless you were ever left, Joe, by a celebrity or someone famous, important, or that you admired being impressed by you? you mean someone else who was who was famous impressed by me yeah or someone you really

respected where you were sort of left awed by it i'll tell you there there were a few of them the one that struck struck me was was henry kissinger i mean i he invited my wife allie and i to his his apartment had uh you know we had dinner he was about 40 people there and and Barbara Walters was there and Mayor Bloomberg and, you know, he split up all the couples and I'm sitting at a table with the President of Czech Republic. Trust me, that'll get your attention on the heartbeat. You were sitting at a table with it, but you felt small, right?

You felt like you didn't belong there. No, until Henry Kissinger got up and start talking about my being in the room. Trust me, it was a little uneasy for me, but I realized what a great baseball fan he was. Was the President of the Czech Republic? Are you big Yankees fan? I don't know. We couldn't understand each other.

I've had players like that, by the way. I couldn't understand. Well, sometimes that works, too. You know that. Joe Tori with us on the ticket. Of all the perks that came with cameos, you were in Analyze that, all the perks that came with your cameos. Joe Tori's favorite cameo was?

Oh, no, it was no question. I analyzed that. I mean, I've been a big De Niro fan, and of course, Billy Crystal has been a friend of mine. And to have that cameo at Gallagher's Steakhouse in New York, I took a train in from Baltimore. We had a game that night, and it was a lot of fun. And that had to be the best experience for me.

Joe, thank you. We appreciate all you did and all you do. And so does Henry Kissinger. Thanks a lot, guys. It's a holiday season and the 50th anniversary of Miller Light. The holiday is all about spending time with friends and family, want you to sit back and toast a few Miller Lights. Make your holiday time, Tis Miller Time.

And with the 50th anniversary of Miller Light, you get to remember and reflect on all the good times that you had with your trusty buddy by your side, Miller Light. Brood for flavor with simple ingredients like multiple. melted barley, rich, balanced toffee notes, and that iconic golden color. And at 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces, it lets you enjoy the season without weighing you down. The original light beer since 1975 and still hitting different 50 years later.

The best holiday beers are the ones you don't expect. Miller Light, great taste, 96 calories. Go to Miller Lite.com slash Dan to find delivery options near you, or you can pick up some Miller Light pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Tis Miller Time! Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 96 calories, and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

Critics are calling Marty Supreme a full-throttle masterpiece and the best movie of the year. I couldn't be more excited to see this one. That's got my boy, Timothy Shalame, from 824 and starring Timothy Shalomey alongside Powerhouse cast, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa Ozion, and Tyler Accoma. Marty Supreme, now playing only in theaters. Quick break to talk to you about the official ticketing partner of the Dan Lebitard show, Game Time. The NFL regular season is already winding down, and this is when the games get really good, and tickets are in high demand.

Some of them really difficult to find, so why don't you take the guesswork out of buying NFL tickets with the game time map? I use it all the time because it gives me the advantage. That's right. Sports fans, take the power. we're back. It's the hack for grabbing amazing tickets in just a couple of taps. Super easy, super reliable. And with a game time guarantee, you're getting 100% authentic tickets on time and at the best price. Plus, fees are included. What you see is what you pay. Do yourself a favor. Open up the Game Time app right now. You'll see tons of seats available, lower bowl,

midfield, upper deck, and NFL tickets starting at around 100 bucks. Pick what you want. Tap, tap, done. Take the guesswork at a buying NFL tickets with Game Time. Download the GameTime app, Create an account and use code Dan for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply again. Create an account and redeem code D-A-N for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. Download the game time app today. Don Lebertard.

Punctuate this segment with what is your strike three call. Strike one would be strike! And then you stand up and you give a good point to the right. Stugats. That's same for strike two. But strike three, you get down low. You got your hands behind the catcher. All right, the right arm goes up into the air.

And then you finish it with the punch. The right arm flings way up into the air. Ha! Yeah! I wish I could see that. It's terrible. Audio's great. This is the Dan Lebatar show with the Stugats.

He is fun. He is interesting. He's super smart. He's also different, which I imagine, Joe, gets you called a weirdo in the world. of baseball, because you are different, and I imagine that that doesn't exactly fit. Stan Van Gundy is here with us today, and he'll be talking to you, too. He loves baseball. But that gets you called a weirdo, right?

Well, if that's the case, I love it, actually. You know, I don't want to be one of those normal, considered old-school kind of baseball people. It's just the fact that we're willing to try new things, and a lot of it has to do with just data and information. Although Penguins in the club, I also understand, is a little bit different. The different theme trips are different. But when it comes down to the everyday operation, we're probably as old schools it gets when it comes to playing the game of baseball. Well, how about unconventional thinking? Like, what are you, what is something you believe that runs contrary or counterintuitive to what most old school baseball people believe?

Oh, my God. Where do you begin? There's something really, the one thing that jumps out is that you can't make the first or third out at third base as an example. And from my perspective, I want our guys to get the third base with less than two outs as often as possible. One of the other things, just like hitting lead-off hitters, power hitters in the lead-off spot, the number two-hole for me is no longer a traditional spot in the batting order. I really pay attention to reverse splits.

In other words, right, he gets a left-y-out better, and a left-e-gets a right-eat better, and not be afraid to utilize that in-game strategy. You just don't necessarily go by the way to be able to, drawn up the way back in the day. There's a lot more information. If you really pay attention, there's a lot of anomaly moments in the game and just don't run away from them.

You have to have the courage with your conviction. You have to have the support of the people above. So all those things, actually, to me, I'm really surprised more people don't do it. And I'm seeing now that more people are actually trying to do different things. How about shifts? There's another one. Yeah, I was just going to ask you about that one, actually, you shift more than anybody. I think everyone knows that.

What will determine whether or not you shift on guys? Because you shift on some guys that other people don't. Well, with us, we have a percentage that we go by when it reaches a certain level. We feel as though it's safe to shift. I guess that's the best way to put it. And beyond all that, I mean, there's times when guys will hit the ball contrary to where you're playing. But that doesn't mean all of a sudden you blow up that thought process and move back because it happens one out of 100 times.

And furthermore, I want certain hitters to try. to do that. When Jose Batista wants it a ground ball to the right side for BASIT, I'll take it as an example. I think there's a lot of mental strategy involved. It's really hard to evaluate or determine exactly how much it is. But there is that element

also where you cause the other player to do something he doesn't necessarily want to do, and I think that in some ways is a success. I got to imagine Joe Madden, the raise manager with us, and this is a progressive organization. They're considered the new money ball. We've talked to you about the Jonah Carey book.

extra 2%. They're a very smart organization. And I'm just wondering, Joe, if you have with you the conviction of your data and your knowledge, my guess is no matter how unconventional the move, you couldn't give a bleep, whether it's being criticized or not. You are totally relaxed when making what others would assume are hugely gutsy moves. Quite frankly, you're right. You know, it really doesn't matter with a talk radio person. might think, or somebody in a newspaper, or anybody outside the organization, what matters is the people within the organization, the support of their ownership and front office matters,

and then beyond that, that your player is buying, and when it comes to the player buying, that has to be discussed in advance, because when you're trying to do some things that are a little bit different, you just don't want to spring it on them at the last moment. A lot of the stuff that we do, I will talk to the players in advance of that moment, and our coaches do a great job with the prep work, too. But at the end of the day, for an organization to be deterred by outside voices or noise, based on, it goes against their internal philosophies, I think that's kind of on the organization making a mistake right there.

How do you feel about conflict with your players? I try to avoid it, in a sense, by being proactive and staying ahead of it. I mean, you always want to stay ahead of your potential problems. I mean, there's quality control and there's quality insurance, quality control, meaning that you can react to a negative moment and try to fix it, quality assurance, you try to stay ahead of your problems. I think, again, our coaches do a great job of stepping in front of our players and trying to avoid that.

And I'm not saying we're perfect. We're going to make mistakes. We're going to have different things pop up at different moments. But you want to put out the fire as quickly as possible. You can front it head on. You don't let it faster. Don't ever let anything faster, man. When you start doing that, it really can get ugly.

But the point is to try to stay ahead of your problems or your mistakes. Can you give us a real-world example? Well, you know, just you look at certain players that we've had this year. And UNL Escobar came into our camp as an example with a lot of different thoughts from the general public and people that had them before. So for me, it was very important to get ahead of all of that conversationally, dealing with common friends that I have and that maybe UNL had. And beyond that, setting kind of a philosophy among the group in regards to how we're going to deal with and cohabitate with UNL on a daily basis. So you don't necessarily listen to what everybody else said. You have to make up your own opinion, and you have to fit them into your culture the way you see is the right way to do it.

And the best way to do that is just communication. Communication and listening and don't dictate. One of the things that I think one of our strong points here is that we provide a lot of freedom for our players to work with it. And when you do that, I think you get more respect and discipline in return. So all those things are factors, but everybody's got a little bit of a game plan here. And, for example, a guy like you know, you don't want to wait to spring training to try to put. that game plan in action. You've got to start way before that. How often will Joe Madden apologize to a player?

I've done it twice, I think, in the last, or maybe three times in the last year and a half. Again, I won't be specific, but with one player, I really thought I overreacted, and I said something I shouldn't have. And the next day, I called them in and said, you know what? I stand by being upset about what I was upset about. But do I handle that it that was inappropriate and wrong, and it's totally counter to it. even in what we do here. So I definitely made sure that the player knew that, but nobody else did. I mean, nobody else has to know about that.

When you want to air your laundry out, whether it's publicly in a paper or you want to be confrontational in front of a group, that's not going to get it done. It's praised publicly and criticized privately. When you do that, you can get everybody on the same page. You mentioned your theme road trips earlier, and they're great. They become legendary, actually. We've had your team dress up like nerd, Seattle. They have the grunge look going.

What's been your favorite one, Joe, and why do you do them? Favorite one's difficult. I mean, last year was motivated by my granddaughter, Tyler, in Arizona. Then it turned into the Ken Rosenthal nerd road trip. And then we combined that with the Honey Jones with the bow ties. That one was pretty good because the guys really did get into that. And it was kind of fun. It's always fun walking into the Boston Hotel dressed up like a bunch of nerds

and having people react the way they did. So that's among my favorites. The grunge trip, too, was pretty solid to Seattle. adult. Why do I do it? For several reasons. One of the reasons I'm just poking fun in general at dress codes, which I totally don't believe in. I don't understand why you would think that I'm going to gain discipline from you by forcing you to work $2,000 soon and how that translates to wins. I have no idea. So I've always felt that way. So part of it's poking fun. The other part is risk-taking and team building. Again, to walk into crowded hotels in

middle of big cities dressed awkwardly for you, something that you're really not accustomed to. There's a little bit of risk involved in that in regards to how you feel about yourself. And in the team building, when you all walk in, that way it's okay. So there's a lot of different reasons, but primarily it was motivated by just poking fun a little bit at dress coats in general, which I totally disagree with. Stan, I am swooning right now with man-crush delight, Stan. I don't know if this is happening to you over there, but I am. I mean, I haven't felt this way since I was a teenager, Stan. Are you dressed in all white right now, Madden?

Well, I did. I did, and I actually were a tie on this trip just because I normally wouldn't. I bought a white suit a couple years ago because we started this tradition of all white into Miami. It's just the Miami Vice motivation back in the day. It was a solid show, and so we're just trying to pay tribute to that. And the guys really get into it.

We've had some great photographs with the all-wide. We've had the urban cowboy trip to Colorado that we turned into the midnight. outway trip from Colorado to New York City. There's all kinds of different, and the guys totally do dig it. At first, I was a little concerned people jumping on board. The first one was the Ed Hardy road trip with T-shirts. And Don Zimmer, Don Zimmer

in Excel, it really didn't help him a whole lot. I mean, but to see Zim and the XL bulging in his seat and on your charter play was definitely worth all of that. So all these little things that we do, again, I think it helps morale. And it's a lot of, it's just a lot of fun, man. I mean, listen, you've got to have fun doing this. You don't have fun doing this.

Do something else. Who was the guy on your team that was most comfortable with that whole Ed Hardy scenario? It wasn't a costume. He just went home and grabbed something. Oh, geez, that's a couple years ago. Actually, I might have been. I mean, I was into all that stuff, period. You were?

You were? Of course. I mean, you know. Of course? Yeah, it's all about, you know, you just, whatever's, whatever you, here's, here's the guidelines for our road trip. If you think you look hot, wear it. That's it. That, when I have my preseason meeting, and we go over all the rules and regulations, which I don't have any,

the one question you have to answer to yourself prior to dressing for a road trip is if you think you look hot or not. The answer is yes, then you wear it. I mean, Longoria, to me, because it's got to be Longoria. Oh, yeah, Longo's totally in all that stuff. Absolutely. Longo's kind of, he's definitely West Coast. You know, they got the kids from the middle part of the country, some from down south, and they have different ideas of what looks hot or not,

and it's always fun to see. And then, of course, we have our land contingency, which I love. I love checking out the way the guys. Yesterday, I think you know Escobar is up, but if we had a photograph, you would understand why. He might have won Best Rest all white yesterday. It was a little bit different. And when was the last time you were hammered with a player, Joe?

Oh, geez. Poof, there was some legendary moments. You know, playoff games, absolutely. After you win a playoff series, a couple years ago in the World Series, even the playoffs more recently. But back in the day as a bench coach, I felt part of my duties was to go out with the guys at night to listen to them. And I did. And there was some guys that you had to start rather late with to listen to them all the way through.

So it's been a while, but primarily, you know, post-the-post-playoff wins or like we went to the World Series a couple years ago, those are some pretty severely heavy moments that you really want to get involved with your players. And we do and I do. And it was just a lot of fun, man. Go ahead, Stan. You ever get any of those guys to go bike riding with you? I did one year, and that was several years ago in Minnesota. Paul Bird and Buddy Black went with me in Minnesota.

They have a great trail around Minneapolis. The city of Minneapolis has got a great bike trail around the entire city. It's fabulous. So I got Bertie and Peppy Buddy Black to go with me at that time. But you know what? I'm kind of a loner with that. I like to get out there by myself. That's really a good moment just to think.

I like to do a little exercise. I listen to my music. You know, down in the Tampa Bay Area, we live in Tampa now, and there's a lot of dolphin in the water. There are some stingrays sometimes you get to check all that stuff out. It's a great way to start your day intellectually before you go to the ballpark. Joe Madden with us on the ticket. Do you have any problems, Joe, sort of marking the line between being really friendly and human with your players and being their boss, because it sounds from the way that you talk, like that might not be the easiest thing in the world.

honestly I don't really have that problem I don't think I've been doing this for a while even before being a manager in the major leagues back in the day I started rather young as a minor league manager and coach so there's a lot of you you build up that ability I think over time and you get I need to understand what the line is first and then the players will definitely follow so again I've been instructional leagues I've been in charge of minor league systems I've been managing I've been a lot of different things so I think I think as you covert with the player and get to know the player better, that they, you know, I know what the line is, and I think that they figure it out also.

And then furthermore, as a major league manager, the office itself represents something. So I think we all know how far we can go regarding the relationship and how casual it can be, but we do have a lot of fun. What's the angriest you've ever been with the player? Well, it's happened. A couple years, I'll tell you, in 2008, we were playing in Kansas. Kansas City, and we were playing pretty well, and this is our year we went to the World Series, and we won a game in Kansas City but played poorly and did some things that

I really did not like. So I kind of blew up with the whole group, and I did some screaming in the locker room in Kansas City, and also I really thought two things regarding that were perfect. The fact that the meeting would be on the road and a visiting clubhouse where we hardly ever go there, so you leave it behind, and the other thing is after a win. I mean, it's so easy to pile on after a loss. I'd much rather prefer. I'd rather not do that.

So a foreign town, a foreign clubhouse, after a win, I thought it was the perfect time to get it done. What's the key to a successful marriage? Well, it was... I want to knock you off balance a little bit. You're too good at these other questions. Well, I tell you, Jay and I, we've been married since 2008. It's been by coastal up to this year during the season. So distance.

Distance. Distance is always good. But, no, Jay's in Tampa right now. We're having a great time. For me, honestly, again, it's no different than what we do. Listening is really important, man. And if you choose to not to listen to the other person, then it can get a little bit ratty. I just think listening skills are among the most important things we could do as a human being.

Joe, it was a pleasure catching up with you. The audience found you exceptionally refreshing. Thank you for being on with us. My pleasure. Mike, you know I have one rule to live by, right? Don't place parlays on multiple long shots. Don't say a game is one when it hasn't hit, triple zero. Always drink your Yeagermeister ice cold.

That's the rule. Everything else is merely a suggestion. Everything else? Everything else. Wearing clean underwear every day? Well, that's just a personal decision. Brushing your teeth? Obviously smart, but not a rule.

Never pee-pee on an electric fence. Okay, maybe there are two rules. But the one that is 100% that I insist on completely, Yeagermeister must be drank ice cold. Or don't drink it at all. Damn, that's cold. Exactly. You're finally starting to get it.

Drink responsibly. Igermeister liqueur 35% alcohol by volume imported by Mass Yeagermeister U.S. White Plains, New York. Those jingle bells remind me that holiday basketball is here. And when stars like Kobe White, Jalen Williams, and Tyler Hero start cooking, Brad King's Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA is where you want to be. I'll keep singing that song when I do this read. I can't help it. But don't forget, Drap Kings has your back with early exit. If your player goes down in the first half, you still get paid in cash.

Is this true? This can't be really? Oh my God. It's absolutely true. It's absolutely real. If your player goes down in the first half, you still get paid in cash. Download the Drag King Sportsbook app and use code Dan. That's code Dan.

New customers can bet five bucks and get $200 in bonus bets if your bet wins. In partnership with Drag Kings, the crown is yours. Hell yeah. gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler. In New York, call 8778-8-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hope-N-Y 4667-369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling called 888-7-7 or visit ccpg. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casinoin Resort in Kansas, pass-through of per-wager tax may apply in Illinois. 21 and over. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Restrictions apply. Bet must win to receive bonus bets which expire in seven days. Minimum odds required. Four additional terms and responsible gaming resource. See dkng.co slash audio. Limited time offer. Dan Lebatard. Can I tell you something?

I don't know, it was maybe like a month ago. And I decided to watch pitch clock. And I told Jeremy. Stugats. This is a good show you're doing. This is the Dan Lebatar show with the Stugats. Jim Leland, not a lot of people know. Jim Leland is an emotional, softening, and yet he scares the hell out of people.

You just, Jim, you just scared the poor producer, Mike Ryan, who was impressed by your aura, your champion aura, and your gruffiness, and he got scared. Can you explain to him? He doesn't need to be scared to you? No, I don't really think that's me at all, but, you know, I guess that's the way for some people perceive me, so that's okay. But, no, I'm just looking forward to talking to you guys today. You're cuddly and emotional. You're sensitive. You're a sensitive man.

I've seen Jim Leland cry on a number of occasions because of how much he loves baseball and how much he loves his players. When was the last time Jim Leland got super emotional? It's just been a while, really. Probably at the All-Star game, I guess. I thought that there was a whole lot of people besides me that were pretty emotional during the Mariano Rivera

showcase at the All-Star game. I thought it was absolutely tremendous. And I thought there was a lot of players that, you know, honored him and came out to the warning track from the other bullpen and guys in our dugout. I wasn't the only one. I think I wasn't the only one in the dugout with a little emotion. I think there was a lot of people that night. So that was probably the last time. You did good there, Jim.

Jim, you did good on that moment. Well, we did okay. I mean, you know, we really wanted to win that game. Obviously, there is a little more to it than there has been in the past, but the fact that it was, you know, in New York, which is a big scene, obviously, and then the Marion situation, and, you know, we just wanted our guys to compete, and they did, and I was an awful proud of them. Everybody from every team really competed, and, you know,

one common denominator was the fact that somebody in that clubhouse is going to go to the World Series. Jim, you've been in organized baseball almost 50 years. How many hitters have you seen as good? good or better than Miguel Cabrera? Well, I don't think I've seen any better. I guess Fons comes to mind. Cabrera is one of those guys that he kind of hits like a little guy with big guy results.

And, you know, he doesn't really overswing. It doesn't try to do too much. You know, he's very capable of taking a single right field with a man on second, two-outs, pick up an RBI. He's just a terrific hitter, but like I said, it's almost effortless. You know, a lot of people see him see a big guy. I think he's just a muscle guy that overpowers the ball. it's really not true. He's really got kind of a simple swing.

And like I say, it kind of hits like a small guy, but he gets results of a big guy. Jim Leland with us on the ticket. This is a difficult question. I want to reminisce with you a little bit about 1997, but did you have a favorite, Marlon? I know you loved all those guys, and you appreciate the memories that you made with them. I know it's not Greg Zahn, but who was your favorite? Well, because he had a couple of great quotes. Stan, you're going to love the couple of great quotes that he had for Greg Zon. And one time Greg Zahn stole a base and wanted to know when he could steal a base in the future. And Jim Leland says, I'll give you the sign.

I'll give you the sign in the dugout. When I jump up and don't come down, that's a – Who was your favorite Marlon, Jim? Well, this sounds kind of crazy, but I really like Kurt Abbott. I thought he was – he was just a fun-loving guy, and he really probably – never got as much out of his ability, should have, because he just didn't have the confidence that he probably should have, but he was such

a great guy. In fact, I think he's a police officer down there now. But he had such a great personality, and he didn't play every day, but he was one of those guys that I just kind of had a soft spot for. I really, really liked him a lot. And, of course, there was a lot of guys on that team, you know, that I was

actually pretty close to her as close as you can get, you know, manager-player relationship. You know, you have to divide that a little bit, obviously. But that was just a great bunch. And, of course, you know, I'm sorry to say this now because I'm sorry to say it. But, you know, my good friend Darren Dalton, who I thought made a huge difference, has just gone under some very, very serious surgery for brain tumors. And I thought when Dutch came over there, that probably made the difference. I can remember when we were trying to get Dutch and Wayne Izinga called me. And he said, well, if we get Darndall

when we win the World Series, and I said, well, I'll answer that this way. I don't know if we get him if we'll win the World Series, but if we don't get him, I know we won't win the World Series. And he really proved to be a huge difference down that stretch. In your career, Jim, who would you say when you say you try and manage players and also you develop affinities for them as well? Who's the player that you would point to and say, that's the guy that I was closest to, that I was his boss, but he was also my friend?

Oh, boy, I'd have to think about that. You know, I like to think that I've had a lot of them, but, you know, I think the secret is to be able to separate the two. I think you can have a friendship and still, you know, be the boss. I mean, that's a very, it's a very touchy situation. I mean, when I say that, I mean, I didn't hang around with the players and things like that. I don't do that. But at the same time, I liked them.

I saw what they were going through, and you see how tough it is to play this game and what those guys goes through on a daily basis and the emotional ups and downs of it. But I, you know, I just had a soft spot for all of them. like I said, I'm proud to say after managing 30-some years that I could count on one hand the guys I just didn't really care for. But I don't know. I guess, I mean, I've always had a soft spot for Bob Walk who pitched for me in Pittsburgh and just took the ball at any time.

And, you know, there was just something about him. He was such a competitor. But over the years, I've had so many guys that I put in that same class. I don't know that I really had one favorite. But, you know, like I said, I've had a lot of respect for anybody that can do what these guys do. and, you know, if you have an extra special friendship with him, that's something Sean Casey comes to mine right away.

I mean, he was one of the nicest guys that I've ever managed. But, you know, all of them have made their mark on my life and somewhere or another, and fortunately, most of it positive. Jim, Leeland with us on the ticket. Jim, understanding that you like your job, what do you hate most about your job, or what is the hardest thing about your job? I think probably the most difficult part is dealing with the media twice a day

and I don't mean that disrespectfully I mean there's you know a lot of times they have to fill the newspaper and there's some silly questions and that's aggravating and I also think that you know I'll get blasted for this but I think that one time somebody told me they thought it'd be a good idea if somebody would have to cover a certain amount of games before they were allowed in the clubhouse you know, to ask questions that. I thought that was kind of a good idea.

That will never work. But, you know, when you get the postseason play, you get so many people that you haven't seen all year. You know, it's not just the beat writers anymore. It's everybody that's in there in media, you know, asking silly questions like, you know, where do you eat breakfasters or if you want to eat breakfast or no. I mean, a lot of silly stuff.

So, you know, I think that I try to use the media to my advantage. I try to use them in the sense that I think my responsibility is to tell the media everything I can. and everything that's true about our club because I try to use them to get the word of our team out to our fans. I think that's very important. So I have a great deal of respect for the media. And on the other side of that coin, a lot of times you get quite truthfully

some media that don't really know much about baseball. So you get some silly questions that can be aggravated after a tough loss. Oh, Stan, he's speaking your language, this nonsense of needing to meet the media twice a day. That's Jim Leland and you are kindred spirits. And I'm one of those guys now that's asking Jim Leland. questions who knows nothing about baseball. That's right. You're a media guy now. And now I've got a couple of ridiculous

questions for Jim Leeland that don't have anything to do with baseball. I'd like, if you don't mind, Jim, because you've always been very kind about tolerating my nonsense. The number of cigarettes, if you had to give it a number, number of cigarettes Jim Leeland has smoked in the dugout in the course of his career.

Oh, boy. I, well, I don't smoke him in a dugout anymore. I have finally learned my lesson that. I was wrong for doing that over the years. I used to cup it, try to hide it. But things were different in those days a little bit, too. So, you know, now I go underneath if I want to have a cigarette where I'm out of sight. But, seriously, you know, I go down after everything and light a cigarette,

but you don't really smoke if you have a couple busts and you put it out. So it's not, you know, that's more habit than anything else. And but to answer your question, I've smoked a lot of them. I'm not proud of that. But I also think that, you know, I guess there's a lot worse things than that. So how did you learn the lesson, though? I didn't realize there was a lesson to be learned there. Well, I think that, you know, like when I was on the bench

and some people would pick up on it. And, of course, the cameras always want to pick you up on something like that. It probably wasn't the best example of young kids. And, you know, I certainly apologize for that. But I'm a smoker. I don't apologize for that. I enjoy smoking cigarettes. And I just don't, I think we're kind of penalized, to be honest with you.

We really can't go anywhere anymore and smoke a cigarette. I've never had to figure it out how they worry. so much about somebody smoke a cigarette, but you go to a ballgame, and I'll get in trouble with all the owners now. They can't drink 10 beers and get in their car and drive home, but you can't smoke a cigarette. That doesn't make a lot of sense. That's not fair. You're absolutely right. You're like an outsider. You can't why. You should be able to walk through an airport smoking a cigarette, not stuck in that leprosy cage that they put the smokers in. Well, like I said, I, you know, I try to be respectful to all people, and

I'm a smoker. I'm not proud of it, but, you know, it is what it is. And, you know, like I say, years ago, that was, you know, that was a way of life. Everybody smoked. Not everybody, but a lot of people smoked. And now it's become such a hot topic and a no-no. But I think we've got other things in this country that we should be worrying about a little bit more than Jim Leland having a cigarette. Yes, that's true. Jim Leland, champion, 1997 Marlins champion, Jim Leland.

Is there anything you miss about Miami or not so much? Well, I really enjoyed it there. Of course, we had a great time. I actually enjoyed it both years. I took a personal hit, but obviously on my record, but that's okay. I really enjoyed that second year because a lot of those kids became great players. We just weren't good enough to win a game. We got beat up so bad.

But, you know, to go down there with Wayne Hzingen and win the World Series, and it was such a – it was kind of an odd place, to be honest with you, because we played a lot of games where actually half the crowd was to the other team, you know, Philadelphia, Yankees, Baltimore, Atlanta, and it was Chicago Cubs. It was kind of a strange place, really, because a lot of nights, like I said, half the crowd was to the other team. You know, we accomplished our goal, and I thought we had one of the greatest World Series of all time.

And I still say to this day that we really got cheated because had that World Series that we played between the Marlins and Cleveland, been between the Yankees and the Dodgers, it might have gone down as the greatest World Series of all time. Do you have any that you remember your favorite Gregs-on line? Because I love the way that you used to ride poor Gregs-on into the ground in a loving and hostile fact. Do you have a favorite from memory or too many to count? Well, I can remember, yeah, I do. I can remember Greg Zahn, who I love. I absolutely loved him.

And I was just really trying to teach him a lesson. I think I helped him a little bit because one year they were talking about interleague play and all this other stuff. And Greg Zon came out and was kind of blasted the owners about him. And I said, you know, I called him and I told him, I said, you know, you're a backup catcher here. You're a switch hit and catcher. It's got a chance to stay in a big league.

for a long time. But it's not a good idea. You know, for you, if you're the number one catcher and a star, maybe you should make some comments like that. But when you're a backup catcher at this time and you've got a chance to play for a long time, you need to just keep your mouth shut and just be thrilled to death that you're in the big leagues. And he went on to really have a nice career. And I'm actually kind of proud of that because I think, in some way, I think it helped him. So it wasn't that I was picking on him or anything like that. I was just trying to teach him a good lesson, you know. I mean, superstars can get the way. Let's face it, whether it's right or wrong, superstars

get away with comments that the 25th player can't get away with. That's just as simple as it is. It might not be right, but that's the way it is. Well, you also told him that he wasn't allowed to steal another base until you grew a second ass. No, I told him. I said, if I jump up in here and never come down, you go.

That's the greatest line, it is such a great line. Jim Leland, Champion Marlin. And just the last question, tolerate one more silly question. How often after a loss will Jim Leland wander over and blow off steam by playing the slots over there in the Detroit Casino? Just blow off some steam. Well, it's not really blown off steam. It's a lot of times it's, I don't go so much anymore because I moved out of the city.

So I kind of sit around and sometimes watch the late meetings in my office and then I just go home. But a lot of times it's a really a peaceful relaxation for me to go over and just go somewhere up in a corner over there and sit and, you know, it's kind of a no-brainer. People say, You know, you're not used any brainpower. Well, I don't really want to use brainpower at that time. I just like to relax and have a cup of coffee or a Coke and sit there and, you know, mind my own business, and you're kind of just relieved of everything, and I really enjoy it. But I don't get over there as quite as much as I used to, but I can't tell a lot.

I've really enjoyed it. And it's been kind of a buddy for me, to be honest with you. I know it's probably not the best buddy to have, I guess, at times. There's some times when I leave with, they rob me all they get to experience. I ain't got nothing, but that's okay. You can smoke at the casino. Yes, you can. There, you're not an outsider. Some of them, but in Ohio you can't, but in some of them you can.

Jim, always good catching up with you. Congratulations on all your success. We really do miss you down here. Well, I appreciate you guys having me on. Thank you very, very much. Quick break to talk to you about the official ticketing partner of the Dan Levitard show. Game time. The NFL regular season is already winding down, and this is when the games get really good.

and tickets are in high demand. Some of them really difficult to find, so why don't you take the guesswork out of buying NFL tickets with the game time map? I use it all the time because it gives me the advantage. That's right. Sports fans, take the power back.

It's the hack for grabbing amazing tickets in just a couple of taps. Super easy, super reliable. And with the game time guarantee, you're getting 100% authentic tickets on time and at the best price. Plus, fees are included. What you see is what you pay.

Do yourself a favor. Open up the game and time. app right now. You'll see tons of seats available, lower bowl, midfield, upper deck, and NFL tickets starting at around 100 bucks. Pick what you want. Tap, tap, done. Take the guesswork at a buying NFL tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code Dan for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply again. Create an account and redeem code D-A-N for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go. Download the Game Time app today.