The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 1: Big Holiday Or Not A Big Holiday

Episode Date: June 16, 2025

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This is the Don LeBattor Show with the Stugats Podcast. This episode is presented by Smirnoff. We do game days. Please drink responsibly to Smirnoff Company, New York, New York. I should tell people because I do know Stz, that we've gotten to such rarified air with the trades that Kevin Durant, still in play with suitors, is something that will garner a lot of attention beyond where we talk about Devers and Bane. Devers and Bane are players with a future. Kevin Durant is a player with a past. However, playing for a one-year contract and extension at his age, I know everyone has looked at what happened in Phoenix and because we were even talking about the last Embers

of Steph and Jimmy and LeBron last year, Kevin Durant didn't even make the playoffs and so people are doing something now to Kevin Durant that they ought not do because Kevin Durant will be able to hit that jumper until he is 60. Kevin Durant still is a player even at his age, 15 time all-star. When you talk about 26 points a game, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and this stat, over 40% from 3, over 50 fifty percent from two that's just him in yokich only two players in the league can do that where it's like i will give you efficient scoring still you can say what you want about his age you could say what you want about his defense don't tell me that somebody can't use

that for a year well someone can use it for a year or two years for that matter he's a great scorer no No one has ever ever said otherwise. You have to factor in the age. He's 37 years old. What makes it strange is why a team if he wants to win NBA championships, why the Heat would remain on the list. I understand the Rockets, the Spurs. That's the team I would choose.

If you could take Wemba and Yama and go win him a title, that's going to change a lot of people's opinions about you moving forward. So I'm just confused as to why the heat are so high on his list. Durant would be telling you, I'm guessing, that that's previous flirtations with them. I've told you the story before of Eric Spolstra explaining, Pat Riley explaining to Kevin Durant before he chose to go to Golden State. If you come here, we think Oklahoma City's been using you inefficiently, we think that you can, with some support,

be better than you are right now. If we stretch the floor and get positionless basketball and have guys shooting threes, and Kevin Durant was like, great idea, I'll do that in golden state and that's where they lost in the first time they've liked each other back and forth for a long time he has respect for the organization whether you believe it or not this would be durant signaling to

everyone that he knows it's toward the end of his career and he thinks he could win here he can't he thinks he could win here with bam that's what he's not signaling i just want one one last contract with the teams he's choosing, because New York wanted to be in the game for Durant, and Durant was like, eh, or no, it went the other way there, didn't it?

No, no, no, they made an offer. The Shams reported that the Knicks made an offer to acquire Kevin Durant at the deadline. Also, would it be foolish to say that, I think we're all assuming, all right, it's this heat roster, we trade picks for Kevin Durant and we're done. That can't just be the plan. I think they're a little further away

from just adding Kevin Durant and being seriously considered in the Eastern Conference conversation. One would assume there's a plan, would there not? I mean, usually, I don't think it's just that. Miami needs to do something. We know what the ceiling is, and I don't think it's a sustainable business model

to be like, let's get in as a 10 seed and find our way through the play and get hot at the right time. I think that's proven to maybe be a mistake. I think there's a few things here. Kevin Durant probably has a relationship with Eric Spolstra for their time at Team USA. That stuff's important. Durant and Bam, from what I understand, they are close friends as well. There's that. And we don't know a ton about Kevin Durant personally. He's been in this's that. And we don't know a ton about Kevin Durant personally, he's been in this league forever. And we don't know anything about him personally other than basketball is his whole life.

And that person with that personality, that aligns with what the Miami Heat are about. So he probably looks at that and says, yeah, that works for me. And the fact that the Heat Stugots are even in This when you look at the other teams who are a better right now and B have a ton more assets to offer that to me signals To Rantz first choice is the Heat the fact that they don't even in the mix here to me must mean that his first choice is Miami Markstein reported this morning by the way that the Suns are not committed to necessarily sending him to one of those teams so like they could

consider it that's nice that's where you want to go but if it doesn't make sense for us you're not going there. Well this is where the Lillard thing was the crossroads on player empowerment where the Ishbe'as of the world guys go please go listen to what Pablo Torre finds out did did on Ishbia, and just do a little reading about what now runs the Phoenix Suns, how impetuous it is, how meddlesome in basketball matters it is, and how big a swing and a miss

the whole Kevin Durant thing was in Phoenix, where they're now stuck with Bradley Beal as well. Is there audio, or do I really need to read? You can do both. There is audio on Pablo Torre finds out finds out though he's not reading anything that's a quick download on just the company competition between him and dan gilbert in the mortgage industry and in basketball but ish bea ish bea is rich guy toy embarrassed came out to did the stevie cohen thing of don't care about taxes or or whether I'm gonna make any friends here

I'm here to win and the there was no bigger calamity in the sport than that one last year and that it happened to Kevin Durant's Feet Probably not the way he wants to end his career With the with the added disgrace of whatever was happening in the shadows there that he wasn't being informed of one fifteen time all-star not unlike three time all-star Devers or Devers tomato tomato Billy I've been I've been remiss and I'm sorry welcome back from vacation but I've been remiss because I've gone here for a couple of hours whenever you come back from vacation, you always come resplendent with sort of a bag

full of vacation stories, observations from vacation. You had time to think, you weren't on the treadmill all the time, you went places, you discovered things, and so you usually come back with something. I haven't gone to you for two hours on any of your vacation meanderings. That's fine, you don't need to go to me. There's a lot of people in today.

Tony Realities, spreading positivity, Zazz is here. The Panthers are doing their thing. Breaking news moments ago, Darren Revelle puts out, after a year absence, Joey Chestnut will be back to Nathan's famous Hot Dog Eating Contest this year. Wow! I mean, things are happening in the world right now. Joey Chestnut is back!

Who would have thought? We thought it was impossible. We thought we'd never see him again, Dan. After last year, he signed that deal with the vegan dogs or whatever it was, and they banned him from the competition. And then what happened? We all tuned in on July 4th, and we saw the Hot Dog Eating Contest,

and honestly, it was kind of a joke, if we're gonna be honest with you. They didn't come anywhere near Joey Chestnut's record. Joey Chestnut then did something on Netflix with Kobayashi that no one watched, and they said, you know what? We gotta bring him back, Jack. And now, guess what, he's back.

God bless America. Well, but the last part that you said, did something on Netflix no one watched, that was where Hot Dog Eating is a competition was about to soar into the sky with the brands, the individual brands of Joey Chestnut and Kobayashi and then the whole sport fell apart because nobody wanted to watch

unless it was on 4th of July It was either yeah at a specific time There's nothing else in sports going on if you want to gorge yourself on hot dogs in the middle of the day None of us are working. Okay, but we don't want to watch this at any other time I think if I I'm probably misremembering this but I was watching the hot dog eating contest on the 4th of July and it Felt like they were like 10 short of the record or 20 short like it wasn't even close to what Chestnut was doing. And then the Netflix thing happened against Kobayashi

and I think everyone just didn't know it was on or forgot. Like it was a whole thing when the news came out, it was like wow, this is huge. And then the day of, I remember looking for it, I'm like is that today? And I couldn't find it and then the next day I was like yeah, it was yesterday but we didn't know what time.

It was like on Labor Day or something. It was just like no't care about Labor Day for to be honest right dad's you care about Labor Day Haven't given it a lot of thought yeah back in a few minutes I'll think July you care about the fourth July on the pole at Leviton I don't know how we got to do you care about Labor Day from me asking you about your vacation me and drinks But I am assuming we're gonna get there at some point Well, I'm just you know breaking news you have to address the news as it comes out. Yeah, we can get to them. I'm ready. I've thought about it by the way. Yeah? Big holiday?

You care? Or not a big holiday? Or not a big holiday. Which one? Wait a minute. Hold on a minute. Imaging? Hold on a minute. We don't have imaging for this yet. We should. Right now he's a judge. He's a doctor. Big holiday? Not a big holiday. Journalist. He's a journalist. Well, a doctor with prejudice?

No, no. You never want to be prejudiced when you're a doctor. So what are the job titles you now have along with producer for our little production here? Judge, doctor, journalist. I don't think it's ever dressed up. The imaging is provided by Zads with the suspense being whether something is... Correct. So what's the question again? Labor Day, big holiday or not the question again? Labor Day.

Big holiday or not a big holiday? Labor Day. Falls on a Monday. September. Yeah. Football season. Please. Please.

Not a big day. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh uh that's it. We are labor. There's no arguing with you guys. Listen, he's saying you take the day off, enjoy your day, but it's not a big holiday. Hold on a second, hold on. I've been told that we now have video from Tony Reale.

These are the remains of his career post ESPN. He was a Titan, 25 years entertaining people, and now he's in the parking garage wearing some sort of costume entering the studio Tony We go live to Tony reality now. What do you have? Yes, then? Positivity is what I have then feels like there's not enough positivity in this control room right now You don't even respect Labor Day. All right, so what we're bringing in here is a Bounce house Dan

Up in your space right now. No what is this? Okay where is he going right now? Is this a good idea? This seems like a bad idea. I love a good bounce house. This doesn't seem like a good idea. Why do we own a bounce house? This is Realli's entrance here. I saw one of those fighting guys I saw in stories. Some bit with Tony that we have positivity. Oh, it's nice to see you. I haven't seen you, come over here. Okay, this is the big entrance for Realli. Did the guy dunk on you or did he not dunk on you? He did dunk on me, we have video.

Okay, we will, okay, all right, so you have your own private video because the video here didn't work. Yeah, yeah, we made it work, all right. Okay, but that was. He has the video, he's sending it to our video team. What are you doing, you're gonna plug to our video team. What are you doing? You're gonna plug it in right here.

What are we doing here? A bouncy house, by definition, must bounce, Dan. Okay, so you're just gonna come in here and bouncy house it. That is positivity. Put it on the poll at Levitard Show. Does a bounce house make you feel more positive? Yes or no? Roy, why are you looking around as if you're not in control of your own show i'm not because they can find an

electrical outlet on the office the edu goes out of studio to play it up uh... it's because reality is actively trying to play to make a mess the way that billy makes uh... likes to make a massive thing so he's brought about about to who where'd you get about why we have one the bounce house papers fans out in the street but but I could have found a guy that was giving me a bouncy house for rental. A true Miami experience.

50 bucks an hour. So you bought a bounce house out there, you rented it, while trying to find, while trying to find Panther fans out there, and only finding Big Mac from the carport. Okay, this is very loud, right? We had no idea who Marsham was. Yeah.

Ha ha ha ha ha. The Rodmar John is spectacular! Man, what'd he say? Okay, this is not respectful enough. This seems like something Tony Reale is doing because he's hopeful that the bounce house will press against me and it doesn't work if it just inflates behind me.

And that one looks like it has like a rock wall on the back of it or something, a slide. That's a good one. That's good, helpful, thank you. Oh, that's a water one, Dan. I'm looking at that. That is a water cannon on it. I don't know why, Tony. That's a good one.

Did you just use Metalarc expense account money to rent a bounce house? Oh no. Oh no, don't break things. Oh, now you've got Rose with you. Careful, there's a pen up there that might fall at any point in time. Oh, no. Yeah. Oh, no, don't break things. That's oh now you've got rose careful There's a pen up there that might fall at any point. Oh, yeah a pen Yeah, if you look above you as a pen that's lodged into the ceiling crate the mystery crate. Yeah, we were celebrating something We were I think we were ranking our top 10 podcast There's a blue pen that's just sticking out of the ceiling look over look over to your right a little bit Dan

It's just sticking down a little bit. Yeah, It got lodged up in the ceiling above your head. We're worried that it's gonna fall on you one day mid-show and you're gonna wonder where it came from. I'm glad that I now have the story. Now we'll fall in the bounce house. It was because we were doing blind ranking as podcast hosts and Mad Dog came out but I had already given away my number one, yeah.

So he had to go down to number six. It is for positivity. We need this, in these difficult times, I would say that Realli bringing fun and positivity to the proceedings, even though this seems dangerous, like at this point. Worried about the lights. Well, I don't think the bounce house is going to be,

like I think Realli's gonna actually break things here. Be positive, right? Okay, but yeah, be positive. It's working out fine. Okay, but why did you decide to put a bounce house in here reality? I don't understand how that doesn't like about yes. Yeah Would you like about the house that your party put it on the pole at Levitard show? Does your party get made better by a bounce house does every party get made better by a bounce house?

Billy in your in your travels did you have any hotel room observations? every party get made better by a bounce house. Billy, in your travels, did you have any hotel room observations? Was there anything in the hotel rooms or outside of the hotel rooms that you happened upon? No, I found out, I didn't know this, it was probably dumb of me. I found out you couldn't just stream things wherever you want, whenever you want.

Like, there's different Netflix in different countries and there's different, like I wanted, and I know they're I think a partner of ours, Peacock. I had a show I wanted to watch on Peacock. I found out unavailable outside of the United States which really threw a wrench in my plans. I mean my evening viewing habits after the children went to sleep I couldn't.

Reali, sit here. Wait, wait, wait, sit here. I brought this in for a reason. I'm sitting here. Okay, but it's not inflated. You didn't succeed. What happened? Why did you stop?

There's no bounce there. Why did you stop? And why does a bounce house only works if it stays inflated? I think our company has bounce houses but not extension cords is the issue. Welcome. I wanna hear the story of how, that is an entrance.

It is an entrance, but it I mean we ran a fancy apartment. I mean I'm not running out of air for you guys. I'm here all week, baby He is all week. We are excited to have him Mike though. I will say at the beginning I was sort of disappointed you came in here you hugged Roy. He told you he was tired Mike soon after you left Said that your positivity and your pepiness was a little too much for him on a Monday morning.

And Stu Gotz also said that's a lot for a Monday. I did not say that, Mike said that. I said if there was a master class to be given in small talk, Tony would teach the master class. He did say that, he did say that, but Mike grew tired of the small talk, hearing it for the third time with the master class. He did say that. He did say that, but Mike grew tired of the small talk, hearing it for the third time with the third person. It was a lot.

You just spreading compliments. They were calling you phony, but Tony. So you didn't feel it was genuine, is what you're telling me. I just couldn't match that energy on him on the morning. Okay, you'll get there though. I hope you. You're hell bent on making sure.

It's a marathon, not a sprint, although it always is a sprint for me. When I did long races, always try to take the lead those First hundred two hundred course. Yes, it's the best thing in the world. It's a turkey trot five miles. I know everything's giving Yeah, but nobody remembers really where you finish if you don't win it But if you're in the lead those first hundred two hundred me everybody notices. Yeah, great. Yeah, it's good stuff. You're right Why are you agreeing with the turkey trot as if you're a turkey trot expert?

You've never done a turkey trot as if you're a turkey trot expert? You've never done a turkey trot. Nobody hold on a second. No, hold on a second. Yo, kickin' thot. That's all right, I do it every year. Turkey, turkey trot. That's not what you do. Yo, turkey trot.

Get it out of my ear. Get it out of my ear. Get it out of my ear. Get it out of my ear. Nobody believes you. Get it out of my ear. Get it out of my ear. Get it out of my ear.

Get it out of my ear. Get it out of my ear. Get it out of my ear. What have I done to my career? What am I career. What are you doing in my career? Perhaps every year was a stretch, okay? But the last time I did it, Tony is right, I sprinted. I was the leader after like 100 yards. It's a great challenge. Yeah, I recommend it to everybody. I like your monitors here.

I feel like I'm an NHL coach looking up at that. Reali's a runner. Reali, did you run in South Florida? It's too hot to run here. I just got in. I was surfing in Malibu. I went to Zeros. You ever see Point Break? Five foot walls at Zeros? No, we've never seen it.

I've seen three foot walls at Zeros. What's this movie you speak of? Yes, of course. So I just got back. So I didn't get a run in yet, but I'm sure they got a workout in. The wheelhouse of Mike Ryan and Stugats who have been waiting for a guest to sit down.

So we want a guest to sit down and do Point Break and others. You know what, guys? I mean, we're here all week. Let's get it. Let's get around the? I mean, we're here all week. Let's get it. Let's get around the popcorn. Let's go.

Let's go. We'll do movies. We'll have a game segment around the popcorn. All right, we got parents here. Let's go around the baby-bjorn. This is going to be good for Dan. Around the baby-bjorn. Around the bjorn.

We got Ron McGillenhouse. Dan, you got a guy who's been hosting shows. Around the horns. Yeah, I know. This is what he told me. This is what he told me. He said, this is not your show. Sit back, man. The Dan Leventar Show with Stu Gotz is sponsored by Liquid IV. Alright so I'm getting ready for another beach weekend with the boys. The finals game on the TV, sun, maybe even some grilling if my brother doesn't burn the hot dogs again.

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brands, something I definitely appreciate. Double down on comfort with Tommy John and get 25% off your first order right now at TommyJohn.com slash Dan with promo code Dan. Save 25% at TommyJohn.com slash Dan. Don LeBretard. Our Panther group chat, we're confident against the lighting. This is a different team your panther group chat No, I think no, but dude you're you're so wrong on that We've been terrified of this team forever, and I think there's a different energy where the Panthers they want the lightning Stugats I want t-shirts made for this panther run what could be this panther run our panther group chat

We're not afraid of the lightning that's a tagline for world three this is the done libertar show with these two guys it says Tony's takeover nobody told me they were doing Tony's takeover that explains why there's a bad I like that. That's a great pose. Okay, but why why why was there a bounce house? We buy a bounce house just for that. I don't know what that was no one ever rental. It's okay Yeah, no one that's beautiful. I like it. I take that home. I saw on David Samson show He's got scrolling across the bottom an infomercial number that makes it look like a graphically It works number. It's so great the whole thing looks like QVC David Samson giving you sports opinions

With a QVC font, but this is what's happening here Mike I can't wrangle the giant personality of 23 years a star daily on ESPN. He has his own show He's not a team player. I got nothing to do, guys. I got nothing to do. I don't think he can listen to us even. Oh, I hear every word you're saying. It's active listening though. It's, you know, I have Woody Page on one side

and Bill Plashke on this side, doinks and dinks and binks. I take it all in. David Cohn to the J's was a great deadline acquisition. That is a good one. He's so good. That is a good one. That is a good one. That is a good one. It was a good one. That's an all.

Are we doing that? I missed a conversation. CC Sabathia. Yes, we were talking about. Randy Johnson to the Astros. Great one. 10 and 1. We didn't do Randy Johnson, but we were talking about how they're all in baseball. We're talking about how, so when you get one in hockey, or you get Rashid Wallace, we did Rashid Wallace

in basketball. How many others are there in basketball? Somebody, God almighty, there are many of those, right? You guys tell me every year, Drexler! George Hill and it's never George Hill. Drexler! It's been George Hill, relax. It has never been George Hill.

Baseball was the one that had trade dead. Anifel didn't have trades for 50 years, it felt like. They insist on making it George Hill. George Hill, did he win a championship somewhere? Did he win one? Did he get one somewhere in there? You are locked to lose these finals with George Hill. George Hill, did he win a championship somewhere? Did he win one? Did he get one somewhere in there? You were locked to lose these finals with George Hill. Easter conference, yeah.

You say of course, I don't think he did. Did George Hill just want a title? Did he get the San Antonio, the last San Antonio, the last quiet San Antonio year? I don't know if George Hill's got a title or not, but Mike and Stugats were telling me every year at the trade deadline that George Hill was the missing piece.

But that is a great logo you got. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. I had a little too much color in the outfit, but everything else we're working with. I loved Henri Alli's website. His glam shots are so good. No, they're so good. Where are we going to find your live stream with Izzy Goudier?

I was hoping you were going to help with that. I don't know. But where are we going to find it? Our studio and our people are going to do an Around the horn live stream with you and I had this idea guys You know, I like this movie, you know this boyhood by Richard Link letter Okay, and it's the passage of time in a man and to see it to me was very emotional, right? You know what I'm talking about? Yes. Yes. Yes. So you saw Time it shot it over 20 years and you saw somebody grow over 20 years.

I want to be able to sit and watch. Why am I looking at pictures of myself doing beefcake things? Because the glam shots are great. Thank you, Video, for being so quick with this. You had to be self-conscious taking these pictures. Yeah, you notice I don't look at the camera often. I don't, that's not my... No, but I've, look, you've been good at this since I've known you.

Stugatz, Tony as a lifetime television person, when I saw him at the very beginning of his career. I was just explaining this to Rosie, yeah. That he fell very naturally into, this might not be a natural thing to pose for the camera this way, but I will do it exceptionally well. He did it from a very young age.

Prodigy. Well, we don't, we don't, but appearance and give people the laughter so that they can get just the right shade on your face so that you look, so that you ring eternal for kids and people of all ages. George Hill has never won a title. Oh, big L. Damn, damn, man. But you feel like he has because every trade deadline he's a missing piece who's never a missing piece. Well Dennis Schroeder is that guy now.

He's been on half the teams in the NBA. Am I about to put Brad Marshawn in the all-time category here? Because 10 goals, 10 assists in 22 games. Well now he's continuing in the final too. I mean that's everything, right? I think we found an answer for greatest deadline acquisition ever.

Cone? No, it was 11 days before the deadline and it was in the NFL and people forget it, but Christian McCaffrey. Oh wow, that's a good one. That is a good one. Did he get the W though? Do you see what's happening behind you? Mike Jason can't be controlled anymore and now he has made this a medium Mike Monday

even though I wanted to go to all of Billy's thoughts on his vacation travel. Here's the question with Marshawn, Are the Panthers still in the Stanley Cup if they don't have Marshawn? Yes. How big of a deal is it? Doesn't matter. I love your take on that one. That's not how those things get remembered.

I don't know. I'm not willing to just shout out yes immediately. Yeah. I'm not willing to do that. We had a seven game series earlier. There's nothing sadder than a bouncy house without air. I mean, really. And this is the place you sometimes occupy in my life. But what happened? You are the literal bouncy house without air. I mean really you and and and this is the place you sometimes occupy in my life. You are the literal bouncy house without air.

Why didn't it stay up? What happened? Well I was worried about blowing out your lights here. That's I mean I made a tactical decision there that rather than take down the whole I wanted a couple hits in your face and I wanted to jump but I didn't want to take down the studio. That would have been funny for five minutes. Yeah it would have been funny right up would have been funny for five minutes, yeah. It would have been funny. Right up until Glass Star Shards started breaking down. Exactly. And we couldn't then broadcast on a Medium Mike Monday.

Mike, what is happening behind you there with Jason, the director, who is going off script and doing whatever he wants with the imaging because you were jealous of Billy's Wild Willy Wednesday. This is how you're framing it and it's not true. I don't like it. It's not how I'm framing it, it's how Jason's framing it. Jay Ajayi was a good one.

Really helping. Oh in Philadelphia, that was a good one. Oh my goodness. Jay Ajayi was a good one. That was eight good touchdowns and we thought he would run that way forever and it was just those eight games. So is Zazzle gonna have to pick

which one of his kids he likes the most to go to this game? How do we do this? Tony, what about this? Help us with the game show that we're gonna create here. Billy is, no this is not around the Bjorn but it kind of is around the Bjorn. Billy, what is your idea for how we raise the stakes around Zaslow and put him to a test for one of his children, but also allow him to get tickets to a majestic game for all time. Okay, how about this?

How about a guarantee that you will go to game six or seven? Now here are the options. Game six, you have to choose, hold on. Game six, you can go, but you have to choose which of your children you love more, and you only get to choose one, and you will scar the other one for life. Game seven, you get to take both children,

so you don't have to admit which one you love more. However, you have to get on a plane and fly internationally as far as you possibly could for a game, and you will be surrounded by people who hate you. Yeah, I'm not into going to game seven, man. You'd rather tell your child which one you love more than go to a game seven with both children?

Yeah. Yeah, I'd rather have to choose. I'd rather have to do Sophie's Choice with my kids for game six. That's how you create serial killers. My boys wouldn't even want to go to Edmonton. They're not interested in that. Not real Panthers fans.

No, I don't like the idea of being around 20,000 people at one time who are rooting for me to be devastated. I don't like the idea of being around 20,000 people at one time who are rooting for me to be devastated. I don't like the concept of that. I don't wanna go to Edmonton. That's a $5 fine for Tony Reale. What is the sound on your phone? That was the Weather Channel. Somehow it just started popping up.

You're a tasseling heavy phone. Hello. Rape Yoda from Goodfellas. Yeah, so that children? 16 and 13. Love the Panthers. Love the Panthers. It'd be hard. Dad, you might have to sit this one out. It'd be bad. No, I'm saying you don't go. Right, you drop them off. That's what you do. That's a drop off. My dad did that for me and my brother. He did it. I wrote about it really yes I hadn't even yes what's going on 91 but scoring yeah how about this how about a day yesterday two tickets one for you one for your

favorite child or three tickets one for each of your child and one for your wife you stay home. You're out now, you're completely checked out. Both your kids get to go but you don't. You had your day yesterday, hope you enjoyed it. You got the house to yourself. You can't go. So all you're asking me is,

do I want my boys to go to the game or do I want everyone in my family except me to go to the game? Yeah, yeah I think we've decided. What kind of proposition is that? I think we've decided. A great one. You haven't been able to decide, it seems.

The tribunal has decided. I a proposition is that? I think we've decided. A great one. You haven't been able to decide, it seems. The tribunal has decided. I would like to more examine the idea that you just readily, the day after Father's Day, slid so easily into the position of not even considering giving both tickets to your boys. Like it wasn't anywhere on your purview. 16 and 13. No.

Doesn't everyone know what I did for this team? I ended my vacation in North Carolina early. I came home, I put the family in the Zaslow mobile and we drove straight through. Okay, Zaslow has wanted echoing eternal praise for his sacrifice here and he's not, he doesn't feel like he's getting it. He fired the coach. Okay, he fired the coach. Two years ago. Get over it. Zaslow, what praise have we not given you enough for what you believe to be a legendary enduring sacrifice on behalf of your team? It's not about giving me praise.

I just did what any of us would do. We're doing our part for the team. It's not about me. It's about the collective. I did my part. That's what it's about. He called Paul Maurice the murderer of fun. Two years ago, I apologized already.

There's fun, he murdered it. He's allowed to apologize for you to acknowledge that. You know, some people, they dig their feet in and they still think Brad Marchand doesn't belong on the team. No, I'm telling you, I was wrong. And I'm fine with it. Don't misrepresent me.

What would be your ruling as an around the horn veteran host of people's, judging people's opinions? How egregious is it that Mike Ryan, before the playoff started, when the Panthers acquired Brad Marshand, called him a bad player that he did not want on the team? He preferred him to be a healthy scratch in every game. Rotational winger. And in my defense, you have no idea how good Mackie or Jesper would

be playing in terms of all-time bad takes on around the horn how how would that one hold up again? Yeah yeah that'd be in the minus 50s it wouldn't be Pablo Torre territory. I've walked that one back. I apologize for that. It's not a flip-flop it's just a you know a renaissance of opinion everyone is like so new thoughts so insistent that I could that I turn around the other way and say okay I like this guy now I'm never gonna like him he's a bad person I'm not wrong about that take he's a bad person but this is so this guy but this part to me is always super interesting and I know it's personal I don't have to like him you know how you are with Crosby and we're all just supposed to lay out and say well, this is rational

That's how I am with Brad Marsh and even play for the Panthers. I'm in touch. I'm entitled to this look You may not know what loyalty is I care about the name on the front not the one on the back I know you're not telling me that right Mike Monday. Let's ask Roy that a medium Roy How would you feel about the Panthers getting Sidney Crosby? How would you feel about that? I would not be happy, but I would have to swallow it. There you go. That's what's happening.

I'm swallowing my medicine. Everyone now all of a sudden loves Jason Taylor's over there banging the drum even though everyone forgets he signed with the Jets and he was welcome with open arms because everyone there is wearing a Brad Marshawn jersey. So yeah, come here, you traitor. You're more than welcome here. Okay, so this one's interesting though because I will say for all the virtue signaling that we and others get accused of in sports Mike

actually gave up his allegiance to the Cleveland Browns because he thought Deshaun Watson was a bad person and literally stopped watching the Browns stopped caring about the Browns stopped talking about the Browns. Marshand was just a Bruin. Marshand was a Bruin, but also someone who Mike hates, and it made me think as he said this, I wonder who it's been most difficult in the history of sports for a fan base to come to grips with,

oh, the guy who won me the championship, and maybe the MVP, I don't like him so much, never liked him, and now have to separate all this feel good from it feels slightly less good because this guy's doing the winning for me I don't have a lot of us it's not bad that's probably the best one Brett Favre going to Minnesota getting him a game from the Super Bowl yeah but two years with the Jets right so they played against him for 15 Green Bay Minnesota it's not a lot of times that something like this happens where a fan, what he's articulating, Zazz swallows easily.

Mike, you heard Roy say, Sidney Crosby, who he hates, I'll swallow it. Mike's swallowing it reluctantly. I think Rodman with Chicago's probably a good one from those years against the Pistons. You had a good one that we were workshopping here. You also said Araldis Chapman. Right, when he's on the mound in the World Series had a good one that we were workshopping here. You also said a Raldish Chapman. Right, when he's on the mound in the World Series

with the Cubs, they win the World Series. And you did some bad things. Ben Roethlisberger too. That one was a difficult one for Pittsburgh fans and now they miss that they haven't had as good a quarterback since. And they miss the days of all of Ben Roethlisberger's seven yard slants at the end, running out of the pocket

like a skyscraper with legs. They yearn for those days. Yes, and longing desperately for that refrigerator with legs to roll out of the pocket and not to hurt himself. Not sports, but I did, I'm reluctant to admit this. Go on. Miss OJ Simpson's Twitter contributions. Hmm.

Put it on the poll at Levitard Show. Do you miss OJ Simpson's Twitter contributions? Huh? Yes or no? Strange. Do we have any thoughts as a group about Stephen A. Smith getting caught playing solitaire during game four of the final? Tony the floor is yours.

I'm going to step away from the mic. I've been playing my own form of solitaire for a few weeks so that's enough for me. If anyone has shown us they can spin multiple plates over the last few months, it's been Steven A. He's a man of many hats. I will say this. You can go ahead and do that and play solitaire and multitask during the game, especially when you're someone

who knows what's going to happen already so you don't have to pay attention. But you can't lie about it afterward and say you were just doing it during timeouts. If you're gonna be the journalist, you gotta be honest about that part, I think. Does he? I think he's primed for politics, actually.

This was also hours removed from first take where Molly was trying to help him. Hey, the cameras can see your screen, and he wasn't having it there, and then hours later, we see his screen to reveal he's playing solitaire. Okay but I want to you've got game five tonight and the thing that I wanted to talk to you guys about because I did think it's been interesting strategically right Sturgats you don't often hear me say ever around here that someone was out coached because I don't have what

I believe to be the working knowledge of the intricacies of what goes into a game plan often to know what adjustments were made in the third quarter that I missed because all of their scouting reports said that they had to do something defensively different on rotations and I wasn't paying close enough attention

to watch that way. Yeah. Carlisle is out coaching Oklahoma City. Well, it's 2-2. But let me just explain to you what's happening in the game that can't happen, right? Oklahoma City just won a game that no team ever wins playing that way.

Having that many turnovers that few assists and having that shooting percentage from three every time that team has been played that game has been played in playoff history every time that team loses okc just won it and the reason I say that Indiana is doing a better job here it's because I know okc is better but okc has played three games in this series unlike any games they have played this season where they can't get any assists they're turning the ball over more than they're getting assists and they played three of their worst four games it's happening to them and the only reason they lost game four is

because they went all for eight from three in the fourth quarter otherwise they would have beaten okc that wasn't done to them they went all for eight from three not because okc is great at defense at the end though they are but because they just missed a threes in the fourth quarter but the reason i say what i say about carlisle a chemist lead and i was specifically because when you get the other team to do what you want and they're better than you and you're even in the series you might out coach the other team and still lose

because it's what happened in game four. Mark Dagonal. Thank you. That's a great one. It's the spelling that tricks me. I was trying to help you. Is it Dagnalt? It should be Dagnalt. My larger point though in that series two two guys, did you see how close Indiana was to being up 3-1? They should be up 3-1. They were outscored 31-17 in the fourth quarter and I understand what you're saying about this is not their style, lack of assist, lack of distributing the basketball. You have to do what you have to do against the opponent once you make it to the NBA finals. If you change your game a little bit, you change to do what you have to do against the opponent once you make it to the NBA finals. If you change

your game a little bit, you change your game a little bit and that's what happened. You know what was happy to see Dan? SGA in a big spot down 2-1, his team facing a 3-1 deficit to the Basers. He stepped up in that fourth quarter like one of the all-time greats. I needed to see that from him. Took four steps. One point in the last three minutes from Indiana, one field goal in the last five minutes from Indiana. OKC does some of that. They don't do all of that. Also a terrible

job by the NBA last night. How do we have Father's Day? We have that fantastic finish to the US Open and then you don't have an NBA game. It's Father's Day. How am I not sitting down Sunday night, seven o'clock, seven thirty Eastern watching a little NBA finals game? Father's Day. How am I not sitting down Sunday night, seven o'clock, seven thirty Eastern, watching a little NBA finals game? Father's Day, terrible job by the NBA, terrible. Should be ashamed of themselves. Drop the ball. Yep.

A grieges error. Zadzlo, holiday, big holiday or not a big holiday? Father's Day. It's a holiday, it's a Sunday, I mean. Father's Day, the day for fathers. That's a big day. Yeah, let's go. That's a big one. That's a big day. Yeah, let's go. Give me some hope.

So big, you don't need to go to a hockey game the next day. You just allow your children to go and you're playing. Are we doing this? What are the stakes? What has to happen? The stakes should be tonight's game, shouldn't it not? For the basketball? Well, just because you want to go to game six, right? We've got to make a game.

I'm all in on OKC tonight. Yeah, but that's. Well, what am I supposed to do? You don't like my pick? You've got to give them an alternate spread. You have to, yes. Series is 2-2. SGA is over-under for points.

It's 34 and 1