The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Dan and Dan: How to w/Dan Patrick

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

In the first part of a new conversation series, Dan sits down with his friend Dan Patrick to discuss how much he still enjoys what he does towards the back end of his career, his relationship with his... family, and what each learned from their lives after ESPN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:01:38 and every step forward feels like progress. Not another wrong turn. Visit camh.ca to help us forge a better path for mental health care. This is the Dan Levator show with the Stucat's podcast. Something that I've been eager to be. to do here for a while and I wanted to start it with someone who's become a good friend in adulthood. I don't have a lot of friends who have become friends when I've gotten later in life. I wanted to talk to people are real good with their standards and with craftsmanship
Starting point is 00:02:12 about how to stuff, how they do what they do, how they care, why they care. And Dan Patrick has been very caring about what he makes for a long time. He's a maximum professional. Nobody he has anything bad to say about Dan Patrick. He's a pillar of integrity and what he does here in the, I'm going to say the last incarnation of his professional life is very different from the other things that he did before. And it's the most similar to the thing that we do. I've told you before that Dan Patrick is an inspiration and has granted us permission to have producers talk and do what we do the way that we do. So by way of introduction, Dan, thank you for being on with us and thank you for doing this. I know you don't like to talk about
Starting point is 00:02:58 some of this stuff, but your standard is something that has been very impressive to me for a long time. And it seems like it's an unforgiving one. It seems like joy might get lost somewhere in the way that you try to get to better all the time. And I don't know how often you achieve what you want to achieve. So let's start there. How often do you leave? your show, what percentage of time, do you leave your show feeling like your best was good enough? No, never. Never. No, I can't do it. It just feels like I'm giving in. And I was reminded of this. I had Dan Hurley, the Yukon basketball coach on. And he said, I'm just going to go as hard as I can for as long as I can. And basically, I hope I don't die. And,
Starting point is 00:03:52 While I don't take it to that degree, it's, I got to go as fast as I can, as best I can for as long as I can, and then I'll be done. It took me a long time to savor some of this stuff that I've done. And I just worried that if I stopped or slowed down, you know, Satchel Page always said, don't, you know, slow down, somebody will catch you or don't look over your shoulder. Don't look back. Yeah, don't look back to someone might be gaining on you. And I, in this business,
Starting point is 00:04:22 This is a tough, you eat them in the process of going up the ladder and it eats you coming down the ladder. I just never wanted to stop and go, that was pretty good. I've learned a lot from you, though, but I think that I can learn from you here by not doing what you're doing because it seems like that would get in the way of savoring. You just said that you just recently got to some more savering. How did you get there? My wife. she's the one that keeps reminding me that you got it there's small victories i said but there's a bigger war at stake you know it's not you win a battle you win a battle you win a battle enjoy that and i don't
Starting point is 00:05:04 see that i i just see that this is this is daily this is hand-to-heck hand combat but it but it served me it's i don't recommend this i don't recommend this at all and i passed it on to one of my children and I can see it, and I have to tell her, to remind her, hey, slow down, enjoy, save her. Like, I get to do this. I don't have to do this. I get to do this. And even today, I never sit still during commercials. Like, I have to walk all the way around the building. Like, I'm outside. I mean, I just have to keep moving. I just worry about just staying stationary. And I walked outside. And, you know, It was about 10, 16 in the morning. And it's raining.
Starting point is 00:05:54 And I just, like it's one of those moments where you go, I'm still, I get to do this. For the most part, trying to appreciate the next two and a half years of doing this live radio and TV show. For those of you who don't know, he will be retiring in two and a half years allegedly. I'll believe it when I see it. I believe he will have a need to do something somewhere because if you get this much of your identity, from something. It's pretty hard to put it down. Can you explain to me where all that comes from? Like, have you done the introspection on why it is you are that way? I really don't. I really don't know other than middle child. I mean, my mom to her deathbed
Starting point is 00:06:37 thought I was just lucky. She wouldn't say that I would, you know, was great. She would just say, you're lucky. You're lucky. And so in your mind, you're like, God, am I? Which it's not true, but I think I was always trying to impress my mom. Sometimes you try to impress the people who don't matter to you. But my mom, of course, did. And then I realized no matter what I did, I'm handing out the Super Bowl trophy. And I called home, call and talk to her. She said, who picked out your tie?
Starting point is 00:07:13 And I went, damn, I just handed out Super Bowl trophy. So, but that's the kind of family that I, grew up in in a lot of ways they kept me grounded nobody was put on a pedestal even now i i was always looking for some kind of acknowledgement recognition and you know damn it i'm going to get it until i realized that i i didn't need it or i didn't really want it but it it allowed me to have that carrot that i'm chasing and i'm going to continue to do it i thought your dad was the one that was hard to please. No, no.
Starting point is 00:07:52 I mean, my dad died when I was 25, so he never got to see any of this. He took great pride and love in anything we do. My sisters were cheerleaders, two brothers who were football players, and then myself and my other brother, basketball players, and he tried to be there for all of our events, but he
Starting point is 00:08:12 was not hypercritical. My mom was. She was tough, but that's who raised us from, you know, time I was 25 on, when your dad dies at a young age and your mom doesn't have any money, there's no retirement, there's no insurance, all of a sudden it's, you know, Amber alert here. Every, all hands on deck. Now all of a sudden, the, the dynamic has changed and everything was about a job and holding on to the job and savoring a job, working hard at the job. And so it kind of got ingrained in my head of don't take it for granted,
Starting point is 00:08:51 anything for granted, and keep going. Do you realize, though, that you don't give any of that off? You're such a polished television person. I don't know how much anxiety there is there, but no one would ever see it unless they were in your home. Oh, yeah, it's all internalized. I mean, I'll be around my guys and I'll, like I'll say, we can't let these small things.
Starting point is 00:09:16 I mean, they can't fall through the cracks. I mean, we have to do this. It's little things. But I want them to understand those little things because we focus on the big things and in this business, the little things can really trip you up. But other than that, I mean,
Starting point is 00:09:30 they know that I want it to be great. I think I'm difficult to give a compliment to. And therefore, I don't know if they, like they'll say, hey, that was really a good interview. I'll go, I mean, I'm already on to the next thing. And so maybe we don't, we don't even go through the machinations of doing that. Are you good at giving compliments? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:09:52 Yes, because I know what it can feel like. But you're not receiving them, right? Or you're not showing people who are, you're not doing very much in the way of receiving. Yes. But it's, I got to the point where it didn't matter. Like you're looking for it. you're waiting for it, and it wasn't coming, and therefore you just become kind of numb to it.
Starting point is 00:10:17 This goes back to being a middle child. I was just kind of in the, then nobody cared. I mean, there's six kids. Nobody cares. You know, it's like, where's Dan? I don't know, he'll be home. So I think that's kind of how I see myself in the sea of broadcasters or radio shows.
Starting point is 00:10:38 Like, we're in it. So what happens to you as you look at your daughter and see that she has this particular chromosome? The Dan Patrick, I care too much chromosome. I just see how tense it makes her or the inability to relax with something or savor something. She's a perfectionist. And I just know what that is. I know that feeling. And my wife can't relate to that, even though I say you should be able to relate to it.
Starting point is 00:11:10 because that's how I am every single day. And then, you know, my one daughter is just, she's maniacal at work ethic. I mean, but there's nothing you can do. I have turned it down, you know, the volume is down to around a seven. It was at an 11 for a long time. At the mothership, I never stopped. I volunteered for everything. Miss birthdays or anniversary.
Starting point is 00:11:35 I mean, it didn't matter. I was going to do it. And part of that is imposter syndrome. It's like, God, they're going to figure out one day. I'm not very good. But I'm going to build up so much house credit that they can't get rid of me. You don't still have imposter syndrome, do you? Oh, I think there are times when I have.
Starting point is 00:11:59 I've turned down a couple of things recently. It just happened the last week where, you know, one was a TV show and one was a TV show and one was a sporting event. And I said, I don't think so. I appreciate it. I don't think so. And it was doubt?
Starting point is 00:12:14 It was doubt in your ability at this age to meet your standard, which you never meet anyway. So. Yes. Yes. Yes. And my wife says,
Starting point is 00:12:25 why don't you take a risk? And I said, no, no, no. I'm good. I'm good. Like other people, give it to younger people to do it. I don't know if I can do it great.
Starting point is 00:12:36 I don't know. And so my doubt comes in with being great. Is that great? Because, you know, your standard is high. Whether it's received that way or perceived that way, it's high. You want to be great. Every time. You know, you have somebody on and get done with the baseball commissioner or Dan Hurley.
Starting point is 00:12:59 And you go, how did we do something? All right, good. Okay. Boom. Then we move on. You know, I go back to COVID. We did so many great shows during COVID because we had to. Creativity, workmanship, camaraderie.
Starting point is 00:13:15 And I've never been prouder of the show because we had to create stuff out of thin air for three hours and it's live. 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 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 malted barley,
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Starting point is 00:15:39 Day, and it's going to be watching Marty Supreme because I didn't even need to know that critics were calling Marty Supreme a full-throttle masterpiece and the best movie of the year. I already knew that was going to be the case. From A-24 and starring Timothy Shalameh, alongside Powerhouse cast, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa Ozion, and Tyler Akoma, Marty Supreme, Christmas Day. in theaters. Don Levatard. What is the worst part of the life?
Starting point is 00:16:11 Stugats. The worst part of the life of what? This is the Dan Lebatar show with the Stugats. But what are you aiming for, though? Because I'm aiming for laughing, thinking, moving. I'm aiming for connection with the audience in those places. What are you aiming for? I don't know. It's probably those. I love to laugh.
Starting point is 00:16:41 Have fun with it. I have maybe a different sense of humor, but I want you to think. I want you to have some kind of reaction. I want you to remember something from an interview, from a segment. When you think of perfectionism, because it's a blessing and a curse, I imagine you think you've arrived at the place that you have because of that perfectionism. But it is also a curse. how is it a curse and what else does it give you other than the feeling that it's responsible for your success your standard is the reason that you have had the success you have your standard is the reason why you are an unusual talent even if you may not always know you're an unusual talent i just know each day i come in and i have the same feeling i have the same butterflies
Starting point is 00:17:29 you know when the theme music comes on get out of the gate set the tone have some thoughts don't be afraid to take a left turn be well researched have a start, a middle of finish incorporate everybody when you've dried out
Starting point is 00:17:49 a topic move on know when it's time to move on so it's a variety of things every single day you make it look easy tell the people how prepared you actually are oh boy I'm over
Starting point is 00:18:04 I'm overly prepared. But, you know, Pauley, my producer, is great when I say, what do you think? And then he'll give me two or three things. I'll always ask research. Give me some things that you guys are interested in. I have younger guys who work in the back. What are you interested with this guest? And they might go, we don't know who Tim Robbins is.
Starting point is 00:18:30 I said, well, he is Andy Dufrain in Shawshank Redemption, and then they'll offer up something. And sometimes they don't, but I love a democracy. It's a dictatorship when I turn on the microphone, but it's a democracy when we prepare, and we'll vet out. Does that guy make sense? Does that guess make sense? Is that topic worthy? And that's the fun part of it, is I've got a dartboard.
Starting point is 00:19:00 and it doesn't matter where I'm throwing the dart. We're going to have a topic, a guest, and that's every single day. And there's a great freedom. The best thing I have when I left ESPN is the freedom to do what I'm doing. I'm in partnership with IHeart Radio, and I'm in partnership with Peacock and NBC, but it's really just us. There's 12 people that work on this show. I don't have somebody over my shoulder.
Starting point is 00:19:29 I don't have somebody who is, you know, calling me into an office. And, you know, that's the reward, I think, for everything that I went through prior to this. What's it like working for you? I would like to think I'm a great boss. I around everybody, talk to everybody, on the air, off the air. Want to make sure that you're good. I want to make sure that your son's doing well playing soccer. your daughter's at Wake Forest,
Starting point is 00:20:00 your daughter's playing high school basketball, your son just started playing basketball. You know, I mean, that's what I should be, is I'm the boss, I'm HR, I'm a friend, I'm the host of the show, and to build those friends, because building those friendships builds the camaraderie that you hear and see on the air.
Starting point is 00:20:20 Oh, but I imagine that you're demanding and I imagine that it would be pretty crushing to disappoint you. Yes. Yes. And if those things are so, that might make you a personal boss, an accessible boss, but that would be a boss that would often create something that if it's not fear, that fear of disappointing you, I don't know how else to describe it, right? Like if your standard is so high that you rarely meet it,
Starting point is 00:20:50 I imagine it would be very hard for your employees to meet it as well. No, I don't hold them to the same standard. I just want them to be as great as they can be. I want you to have a high standard. I want you to be somebody who's hard to satisfy with the show that we had. I move on quickly from these things because I have to.
Starting point is 00:21:14 I just want them to enjoy what we're doing. They'll never have an opportunity like this. They'll never have a boss like me. They just won't. And I tell them that, because this business is chew you up, spit you out business. Loyalty is optional. And I just want them to come in and want it to be the funniest, the, you know, the most serious, the most important, the most, the most research, the most, the most, the most, do the best you can. I haven't struggled with
Starting point is 00:21:46 imposter's syndrome, but now that we talk about this, I would say that the only place that I've ever had in my career where I know I'm meeting my standard and if I'm meeting my standard, then I feel like I'm meeting just about anybody's standard. It's in writing. It's when I write. When do you feel that? Because I imagine when you were doing SportsCenter, it was the biggest show in America, it was pioneering. You were doing it with Oberman. I would imagine you might feel that, but you were doing it with somebody who I'm guessing you thought was more naturally gifted at television, uh, than you were. And now you're being a grinding carpenter next to somebody who's, who's just an obviously very talented off-the-cuff artist in Keith
Starting point is 00:22:34 Oberman. Yeah, I thought I was kind of a bricklayer. And meanwhile, you know, he's carving out statues. But in my mind, I'm like that. Um, I, I just never took it for granted. I always wanted to be better. And there were certain things that I did better than Keith and vice versa. But I also knew I had to find a way to compliment him. How do I, you know, if he's Lenin, I'm McCartney. Now, once again, that's just an analogy, not our place in history. I'm just saying that there's opposites, but opposites work when they're together. May not work when they're not on the air, but on the air. He was such a great teammate. And so my goal every night was how do we make this great, must see TV? It felt like there were two people. It was just Keith and myself, and we were doing
Starting point is 00:23:31 something on an island that management didn't fully embrace, appreciate, but we knew we were doing something that was different and changing the business. And we knew that it was resonating. That was an exciting time. But then you get to that point where you're being acknowledged. Now the game begins. It's like the first time you become an all-star. Well, the pressure now is the second time you become an all-star, not the first time. And just that first time where you get recognized and it's like, okay, it's on. But when you would leave those shows, would you also not have met your standard? Was it different than the radio show is? I watched every single sports center I did right after I did Sports Center.
Starting point is 00:24:21 And I was looking for the things I didn't do well or didn't do right. I was looking for subtle nuance. How did I look? How did I sound? Timing. Timing of, you know, with a home run, not getting in the way of a high line. You know, all this stuff. All this stuff.
Starting point is 00:24:42 So no, I did not appreciate it because I was maniacal. and I didn't want somebody to take my job. And Keith had the great line one time. I mean, I'm really grinding after every, right after the show. I walk right into the control room. I get the big tape. I go upstairs and I go through the entire show. And Keith walks by at one point.
Starting point is 00:25:07 And he says, you got the fucking job. And then he kept walking. And it helped me relax. I would time it out if Greg Maddox threw a pitch and Bonds was going to hit a home run, I wanted that ball to get to the bat. It had to get to the bat. Then I'd go, gone. I wanted to have the timing of it.
Starting point is 00:25:33 And it was down like crazy, down to a split millisecond. You know, Maddox with the pitch, gone. Bons is 47th, 122 RBIs, Giants lead 4 to 2. Like the cadence was what I wanted. I wanted it melodic. And, you know, I got way, I was way in under the covers with this. But that's the only way I knew how to do it. I had no other way other than do it great.
Starting point is 00:26:03 Do it the best you can. And then, because you don't cheat yourself. You've got this opportunity. Five years prior to being on Sports Center in Dayton, Ohio. Don't have a job in TV. And I'm thinking about, I'm going to stay in radio, didn't get the weekend job in Dayton, Ohio. Go to CNN's girlfriend in Atlanta. Hey, bring a resume tape, CNN's hiring.
Starting point is 00:26:26 I couldn't get hired in Dayton. Now I'm going to get hired at CNN. And then I did. And then six months later, I replaced Oberman in New York as the New York Bureau reporter. Five years later, I'm sitting next to Bob Leon Sports Center. Maybe my mom was right. I am lucky. Well, she was right about that.
Starting point is 00:26:45 tie was shit uh you uh you what you're describing sounds like a plague though you understand that right you what the way that you're describing this even though it results in great success uh and probably fulfillment but not necessarily joy it sounds like a bit of a plague the way that you're describing it because if you're doing sports center with that kind of timing you're doing the best show it's a pioneering show uh and yet you're noticing all of the mistakes and every night you're noticing all the mistakes and you're never going to be perfect and you're never going to meet your standard. That sounds like not good enough is going to be the undercurrent on just about everything you're doing. We didn't get good feedback from management. That didn't help.
Starting point is 00:27:31 I mean, now, many, many years later, they all take credit for it. But back then, they didn't want us to be successful. It was weird. And I've said this before, a member of a member of management said, we don't want another Berman. And that meant they didn't want somebody to be successful who they couldn't control. And I thought, why wouldn't you want
Starting point is 00:27:56 somebody? Chris Berman is the founding father, VSPN. Yes, Bob Lee and Tom Meets, but without Chris, there's no ESPN. And I thought, that guy has put in the time and the sweat equity. And I mean, to make this place
Starting point is 00:28:13 stand out and not be, oh, that little network, you know, it became more than that. And Keith and I were able to ride, you know, those coattails, inhale some of those fumes. But management, they wanted everybody to be the same. The four letters are more important. And I realized that. Now, that was another problem. You know, you're looking for acknowledgement that was never going to be there. Don Libetard. While there's nothing official and conversations are still ongoing, Was that a fake Schefter? It was pretty good.
Starting point is 00:28:48 It was excellent. I feel like there's legs. I tried at the beginning and then I lost confidence in it. Why? It was good. Yeah, you got this. There's nothing official. Yeah, it's so good.
Starting point is 00:28:57 Conversations are still ongoing. Stugats. It is trending towards Nick Siriani, remaining the head coach of the Eagles. This is the Dan Levitar show with the Stugats. That was one of the most stunning things to me about being there, realizing that it was a production company run by producers who weren't actually very good at producing the things that would stand out in protection of the four letters, the brand. The first conversations I had with an ESPN executive of any kind were about brand protection. And I just kept saying to that person, like, I don't care. care about that stuff. Like, that's just not, it's, why would I care about that stuff? That's not,
Starting point is 00:29:51 that's not interesting. And I, I really was stunned that as a production company run by producers, they weren't better at arming their talent with, you know, with things that would make them produce better things. It was weird. Well, I had a couple of really good producers. Mike McQuaid, who's now running ESPN. He's great. He's great. Mike McQuaid is, it took too long for him to get to where he got at ESPN. And he worked in the mailroom. Norby Williamson. Less great.
Starting point is 00:30:22 Mailroom. But they were great at producing the 11 o'clock Sports Center. Great. My favorite McQuade story, I don't know if I ever told you this, where he's going to pick up. He would pick up people at the airport. You know, he's starting out as a runner, basically.
Starting point is 00:30:39 And he's told to go pick up John Walsh at the Radisson Hotel. John Walsh, you know, the genius behind Sports Center, he's albino. So McQuaid, you know, they're like, you can't miss him. He's an albino. Well, Mike goes over to the Radisson Hotel and goes into the lobby. There's an albino convention going on. He goes, they're all albinos when he called back.
Starting point is 00:31:13 I just love that story. But, I mean, we were in the middle of nowhere, Bristol, Connecticut. You got a McDonald's, a friendlies that closed down. But you're kind of running a good portion of the sports world, you know, every single night. And it was exciting. It was fun. It was, we're making it up as we go along. Management wasn't well-versed.
Starting point is 00:31:36 We weren't well-versed. You know, we're just figuring it out all along. I mean, I was with Oberman for five years. I mean, we never had arguments, never had fights, nothing, a total team effort. But I knew it was going to end. And I was really disappointed because I'd never get that again. Didn't matter if I was, you know, with Kenny Main or Bob Lee. It just wasn't going to happen.
Starting point is 00:32:03 And they were all really good anchors, co-anchors. And it was sad. It was first time where I was like, God, I'll never get that back. But Keith, Keith was done. Keith had other things that he wanted to accomplish. And I just remember one day, I thought, oh, God, I'm going to be the old guy on Sports Center. Like, I looked around, and I was the old guy on Sports Center. And then I started doing the 6 o'clock, and I go, that's where they put the old guys.
Starting point is 00:32:33 And that's when I realized I'd stayed too long. And I was 50. I'd stayed too long. And I'm ever coming home and telling my wife, I said, I've got to get my ass kicked. She goes, by who? I said, me. Either I've outgrown ESPN or ESPN's outgrown me, but I got to do something. And that kind of set in motion, like a myriad of things where you're going, I got four kids.
Starting point is 00:33:05 Like, what am I going to? I got to challenge myself. What am I going to do? And I remember I was leaving And I wanted to do the Olympics Dick Ebersoll had always wanted me to work with NBC And I
Starting point is 00:33:21 So I'm leaving ESPN And then they said You can't do TV for six months They wouldn't let me do the Olympics And I was like, oh boy, game on Game on So I started doing some radio We were doing it in my attic
Starting point is 00:33:38 out of my house for three years. But it was maybe the best three years I've had in the business because it brought us all together, literally, in my attic every single morning. My wife's getting kids out to school and her bathrobe. And I got Fritzie and Seton and Pauly going up the back stairs. And you're doing a national radio show. And forever indebted that those guys took a chance. Because they were, you know, Fritzie was established at the
Starting point is 00:34:08 mothership. And Seton was, Pauley was working for Tony Stewart as a producer on his radio show, but I'm asking them to take a leap of faith. And I wouldn't have done that if I was in their situation. But they, you know, they did it. And I mean,
Starting point is 00:34:26 that's the true, I'm going to take, you know, Butch Cassidy's Sundance kid, I'm going to jump off the cliff. And they did it. And they're still with me all these years. what a magical transition you made into something that ultimately you end up being prouder of than even the biggest sports television highlight show that there has ever been and you mentioned figuring out figuring it out as you went along i've told you this story before and i've told others this story before of being stunned just shocked i'm walking through the bowels of the miami heats arena i don't know you very well i know who you are but i don't know you at all and you look at me who is just sort of starting his radio career and you say I can't do what you do I couldn't do what you do which of course you could but what was happening there was it a
Starting point is 00:35:22 matter of opinion giving of being the person who's a taker who has to be a hot taker who has to be interesting every day for three hours without a script like what was happening there that you would say such a thing because I remember looking at you and being just like what the fuck is he talking about like how can he possibly think that i have great admiration for writers great writers uh on deadline writers columnist uh guys who are writing after a game an event and i i guess i could i mean i write columns every day live on radio i mean we we we do columns every single day um but i it was my way of complains implementing you that you can have an idea, have a start, middle, and an end.
Starting point is 00:36:13 You can take a stand. You weren't afraid. And I think it was just me with great appreciation. I read so much. I read so many newspapers when I was at CNN and ESPN, a constant, constant. You know, all the great writers and columnists, I just wanted to consume it and understand it and appreciate it. the written word. And I think it was just my way of saying, I can't do what you do. That doesn't mean I couldn't learn to do it or you can do what I do. It was just my way of sort of a drive-by
Starting point is 00:36:48 compliment, you know, where you're passing the collection plate at church and you put money in it. That's all it was. I've just put money in the collection plate and, you know, moving on. That's what a compliment sounds like from Dan Patrick. No wonder I missed it. I didn't even realized it was a compliment. I assume that what you were saying is having to be someone who's interesting for three hours, what I assumed you were saying at the time, that you would have some difficulty as, you know, you're doing an hour show at the time on television. It's polished and it's great, but you don't have to have three hours of thoughts on things that are different from everyone else's thoughts on things. But I'm complimenting you on being a columnist, not a radio show
Starting point is 00:37:39 host. I didn't even know that because at the time I, because at the time I was already transitioning in my career. You were, you were already doing some of what it is. I think you were doing that. How long have you been doing your show? You've been doing your show longer than I've been doing this one, right? You've been doing it. You've been at it more than 20 years, correct? Well, I did it at the mothership for quite a few years. And I've been out on my own, I think now. 18 years. It's what you're proudest of, right? The thing that you built after leaving ESPN
Starting point is 00:38:10 is your greatest professional pride, right? Well, because it wasn't based on four letters. You can hide behind, you can lean on those four letters ESPN. I didn't have that luxury. I just knew I wanted to do it in a way that reflected my personality. At ESPN, you're kind of yelling down the rabbit hole. Let's bring in this analyst from ESPN to talk about this show on ESPN and then this analyst to talk about this game.
Starting point is 00:38:44 So it wasn't what I love doing. And that is it could be a variety of topics and a variety of guests. I remember when I started at ESPN Radio, they wouldn't let you have anybody on who wasn't ESPN. because I wanted to have Peter Gammon's on and I wanted to have Rick Riley on and then they didn't want that. I'm like, why not? We keep sending the same message to the same people in our audience. Let's expand this. And they fought me on that. They didn't want you to take phone calls. Fought me on that as well. And I always vowed if I got out and I started to do it again, I was going to do it in the way that
Starting point is 00:39:23 I wanted to. I was going to have fun. It was going to be reflective of my personality. But I would say that in my broadcasting school. Broadcasting school might be the most important thing I've ever done because you're truly changing lives. At Full Sail University, we have 240 grads in a little over five years who are in the biz in sportscasting, broadcasting. They're either on the air behind the scene. So 240 graduates. That is changing somebody's life. And I always wanted to do it. I just thought that, you know, my name attached to this, getting the right people, the right faculty, the right person on the ground, Gus Ramsey, worked with me at ESPN, and teaching you, it's, you're preparing for the SAT. Well, you're going to get 1,500 on the SAT. I'll guarantee
Starting point is 00:40:14 you that. It's the other hundred. That's up to you. But that's probably the proudest that I've ever been. I'll let you go on this note. When you think of the things about your show that make you proudest, the 20 years you're retiring in two and a half years, what is it about your show that gives you the most personal pride when you allow yourself the moment to feel personal pride? I wanted to create a voyeuristic TV show on radio. I didn't, I kind of in my mind conceptualized, okay, what if I have cameras all over the place? I don't know what that's going to cost. But you get to watch us during the show.
Starting point is 00:40:59 You get to watch us during commercials. It is on TV, but we don't acknowledge the cameras because it's a radio show. It has to stay a radio show. And I just thought, you know, I can do a cooking section. I can do something on the golf simulator. We can throw footballs. We can shoot basketball.
Starting point is 00:41:21 We played pickleball on the show. All of these things that I could incorporate product and still have fun. I don't want you just sitting. You do a radio show, you just kind of sit. I want you moving. And having integration, you know, it's live. So that part of it, I'm very proud. I see a lot of these other shows.
Starting point is 00:41:50 and I know they're trying and I take some pride in that but that's what I really wanted to do is I wanted to create something visually stimulating everything you see on the show is mine things that I've collected for 42 years in this business I have press passes from covering the Celtics against the rockets in the NBA championship with Larry Bird
Starting point is 00:42:16 I kept everything And I thought, now I can put it on display. And I think I'm an interior decorator or set designer in another universe, because I love it. Like I have police patches that are right in front of me. I change them up all the time. I got all kinds of chotchkes here. But I love it. If you notice things, great.
Starting point is 00:42:44 If you don't notice it, that's fine. But I love that. but I think at the core, I always wanted to have a great sounding radio show. And I tell, you know, the Danettes, it has to sound great. It's not look great. It's sound great. And then it'll look great. That's the way you care. He changed the game multiple times and multiple ways.
Starting point is 00:43:07 Thank you for spending this time with us. Love you, buddy. Love you too, Dan. Thank you, man. Thank you.

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