The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Hour 1: One of Those Sessions Where We Sit and Talk

Episode Date: April 9, 2024

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You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. This is the Don LeBattor Show with the StuGuts Podcast. I'm getting berated by Homer, Jeremy Tashay during the break because he had a bit of news on Skip Schumacher and the Marlins and I was supposed to I was supposed to get to it during the local hour and now the Miami Herald has reported the news that Jeremy Tashay had that would have been a scoop exclusive to our show. He gave it to me yesterday I was supposed to tell you we were supposed to bring it up now he's

mad at me he's mad at you We've been at Craig Mish We are the show that has the news and forgets to break it So a skip Schumacher it was reported a couple of days ago That the Marlins declined his mutual option for next season but without the the context of the fact that that conversation happened between the but without the context of the fact that that conversation happened between the Marlins and Schumacher. And so Skip asked for the Marlins to climb their end of the option. He was upset with the fact that Kim Aang was no longer in charge, but it wasn't a slight against Peter Bendix in the front office.

It was more of, hey, we need to see what the approach is together. I'm a hot commodity. I'm coming off manager of the year, I wanna see where this is going. And so that was a sort of mutual decision that was made to not exercise that option, as opposed to the Marlins simply being incompetent and looking at Schumacher and saying, well, we don't want you going forward.

So now, Skip will be a quasi free agent at the end of the year, but there is a conversation that was happening there beforehand. They agree that this is not a place for him to be worth being. I don't know about that. They agree that in a year he might not wanna be here

and everyone acknowledges the most humane thing. That's not quite what I said. They already said. Respectfully, I mean, turn it around or you may not be here by the end of the season. They, their promotional campaign, one of the worst i've ever seen uh... for opening day was skip it you know we were saying a part of that alias we were invited by the end of the week at that

repair the skip that invitation that we tried yeah i tried skips decision look a lot better eleven games ago i mean you're one in ten now and all of a sudden nobody remembers that you were the manager of the year last year. You know if he continues on this path I don't know how sought after he's going to be as a free agent. The timing of that news was certainly interesting right? So if he's 12 and 150 this path of going one in 10. Not many people are seeking out the one in 10 manager Dan. Well that does make the timing interesting, right?

Because if that had been a little more thoroughly reported in the off season, you're having a different conversation. So get out ahead of it while the team's one in 10 and the roster looks terrible. Oh hey, by the way, they declined me. I'm not gonna be here and it's all their fault. And look, that's not that Skip isn't taking accountability. Of course he is, but it's more of a interesting timing

on the report. Is there anything that he's actually doing wrong that he could be doing better in terms of what Marlins fans' gripes are? He's losing, he could be winning. Yeah, no, I understand that, but in terms of like... Yeah, he's playing some guy named Birch Smith five times this season already. Birch Smith. You know what Skip should be doing?

He should be having a healthier starting rotation and an owner who spends money. That's what Skip should be doing? He should be having a healthier starting rotation and an owner who spends money. That's what he should be doing. You know what we should be doing? Not signing Rays. Bad Rays at that. If they're available, there's a reason they're not on the Rays anymore.

And I'm here to give everybody time and I'm not gonna go after Peter Bendix, but Peter, there's 29 other teams that you can sign players from. I guess 28, because you're not gonna sign your own players apparently, but there's 28 other teams that you can sign players from. I guess 28, because you're not gonna sign your own players apparently. But there's 28 other teams out there you can sign before. They don't all have to be former Rays.

You don't have to keep calling your friends. These are the bad friends, because if not they'd still be on the Rays. I'm gonna, but there's time. I'd like to get ahead and say there's still time to turn it around. We're only 11 games into the season. We're not gonna overreact.

Long season, 162. We have 151 to go here, Dan-o. Don't freak out yet, but Birch Smith, and he's not even the worst person in the bullpen. Not even the worst. I'm not gonna start on this. You're not gonna rile me up. I know that you're trying.

I know you were doing it before. You saw me in the commissary drinking some water. You're trying to rile me up little pokies here and there to get me to kind of freak out and do these things on air It's not gonna happen. Who's that guy in the bullpen? Is that that puck guy that you keep complaining about? No, he's a starter now Yeah, cuz he just great job last second half of the season. They said you know what you'd be great at One innings a little rough. How about if you why don't we try nine? Do nine, but if you can do nine. How about if you destroy the game even earlier than you usually?

Well, I don't want to go after the Rays again. I don't want to go after Peter Bendix again. But they have this whole thing over there in Tampa where they get these relievers to start games. And it works out for them because they only last one inning. And then they take them out of there because they know, you know what? This guy can't hang for five, six innings.

He's not going to give us a QS. Hey, puck, get outta here. The puck outta the game after one inning. Unless you blow it in one inning, which seems to be a thing. How does this keep happening? How does this keep happening with this team that they'll score six runs in the first inning

and still manage to lose the game while the bullpen is terrible and overused? You know who's in the bullpen? Berkshmith. Who's Jonah Bride? Listen to me. I'm seeing a September roster and it's April and it's concerning me.

It's early. Is Nick Fortes any good? He's fine. I think the Marlins catchers are hitting a combined 083 going into yesterday, so less than ideal. What the hell is Vidal Brujjan? The Marlins going after Peter Bendix is the least surprising thing in all of baseball because the entire time Bruce Sherman has been the owner, all they do is use the Tampa Bay Rays example as an example of why they

aren't spending more. That's been their eternal excuse. Oh, you don't have to spend, you just have to be smart. You know what? You can be smart and spend, like most winning teams do. Okay, it all starts, I'm a broken record on this, but it all starts with the fact that they have an owner who's not spending. And that's, I guarantee you, that's one of the reason why Schumacher didn't want necessarily, you know an option to stay When are we gonna stop getting mad at Marlins ownership for not spending money? They've made it pretty clear over a couple of decades They're not spending money. Well, and we're still surprised by it. We get angry at okay, but they make the playoffs last year They they shouldn't have I mean it was a total fluke

Exactly, they had the worst run run differential of any playoff team ever. So that was lucky they made the playoffs. But what did they do during this past off season? Instead of building on that momentum and actually bringing in a few bats, they do nothing. And their payroll this year is worse, lower than it was last year. The one thing I would say as a bit of a counter

is their opening day lineup. Now part of that is because of the acquisitions made by Kim Ang at the Denline, but their opening day starting lineup was better to start this season than it was last season and they're just handicapped by that Aveseo Garcia contract. That part is horrendous and to be in the position where you are one of the quote-unquote small market teams that doesn't spend the same way, to have one of those contracts on the books is a disaster. But it is, number one, those injuries

to the starting rotation. Yeah, they lost their top two pitchers. Not only their top two pitchers, they also haven't been with Braxton Garrett, who was arguably their best pitcher last year, and Edward Cabrera, who has not been great, but would not be what AJ Puck and Ryan Weathers have been. So when you're without four of your five starters,

you're in a bit of a rough position, but this team did not capitalize off the playoff momentum of last year, that's for sure. They tried to do it sort of within the margins, but you're basically going through a second run around of, hey, we need to build the farm system and build the team, and I think they anticipated this year being sort of a moderate in-between season

of expecting or hoping to compete for that last wild card spot and hoping to do it while sort of minorly retooling the roster. But when you get off to this start, that's when you end up in a full cell. Stop being a homo, bro. Aw, come on.

It could be worse. That was good info. You could be the Mets in a full cellar. It could be worse. That was good info. You could be the Mets in a rebuilding season that's spending $340 million on your payroll. Starting to play well with the Metropolitan's now. Like spending always works. Spending doesn't always work, but there tends to be a correlation. You look at the teams that made the playoffs last year. It's a baseball problem.

And compare that with the top payrolls in baseball, there's pretty strong correlations. But that's a baseball problem, not necessarily a Miami specific problem, no? I will speak to a larger problem that baseball has than that one. And it's that human beings and human bodies are not meant to throw a baseball at that rate of speed. You have anything else in American commerce that was breaking bodies at that rate of speed. You have anything else in American commerce

that was breaking bodies at that rate, we'd stop doing it. I mean, the Tommy John epidemic is a nightmare. Or make it the actual national pass Simon football, where we don't give a shit whatsoever and people die. Or UFC. It's early still. we don't give a shit whatsoever and people die or UFC. The act of throwing a baseball at 100 miles an hour is not something that the body is clearly meant to do.

Baseball has a problem with the fact that the spin rate and the torque and everything that's happening to elbows make it so that Tommy John surgery is almost a certainty for your power pitcher. You want him to have it earlier in his career so that he can repair his arm. And one of the funny things about the surgery named after Tommy John, because we have three people in this room who actually saw Tommy John pitch, is that he threw 87 miles per hour the entirety of his career. Junk ball. He was never threw 87 miles per hour the entirety of his career. Junk ball.

He was never throwing 103 miles per hour. I liked Ozzy Giehan's solution of just, you know, everyone should be fat. Because like, I never had the fat players get hurt. They just built muscle and they were fat and they never injured themselves. Everyone should just be fat again. I agree that 100 mile an hour fastballs equate with arm trouble. But what baseball is doing is the complete game is dead. You rarely see starting pitchers go more than six innings

anymore. The bullpens are overworked. The Marlins routinely use five, six players out of the bullpen in a game, which is why the game slows down, which is why you need these artificial rules. And now they're saying the pitch clock is also contributing to pitcher injuries. So you gotta do something somewhere. I don't know what baseball's doing, but whatever they're doing, it ain't worth it. Stop throwing baseball.

Well, Dan, the game is boring, the season is too long, the numbers don't matter anymore because they were all tainted during the steroid era, so no one cares about the home run chase, no one cares about 61 home runs, no one cares about the home run chase. No one cares about 61 home runs. No one cares about a no hitter. I don't think the game is more. No one mentioned a no hitter.

I don't think the people that care should debate this then. Agreed. I don't like that Stugatsi's take on so many things is he stopped paying attention, and so therefore no one cares. But I also stopped paying attention. And this year, I'm giving it a college try. And the games are flying compared to what it used to be It's fun to watch but that's also all the I think the the rule changes have actually benefited the sport and

It's not nearly as boring to me as it was in previous seasons How much is also the strain though of like athletes being prolific pitchers from the age of like nine until? Late into their 30ss. I don't know the answer obviously, but there's so many theories and I don't know how to figure out what's real. No, that is the issue. So one of the biggest issues is also showcase baseball because from such a young age now, you have scouts of 14 and 15 year old kids and even younger looking at spin rate and velocity and that's all they care about. So you go out to these showcase

tournaments, you throw an inning or two at a time and you throw it as hard as you can over and over and over all year long, not playing other sports. Guys like Greg Maddux, Tom Glavin, known for playing other sports and not putting max efficiency on every single pitch. So the combination of that,

getting rid of some of the sticky stuff that doesn't make you have to choke the ball the same way that you do to throw with that type of spin rate and pitch clocks It really puts these pitchers in a bad position and it's an epidemic in the league right now That's the problem is these kids are wasting their good innings when they're young call them up early Hey, it's Mike Ryan now We've been doing this show for close to 20 years and throughout all those 20 years

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Let me get some golf ASMR. Stugatz. Oh, f*** me. This is the Dan Lebatard Show with the StuGats. He looks good on the rain, Scott. He typically does. On the putting green, not so much though, bending over to get the ball. That's good analysis from StuGats.

Tiger Woods standing over a tee looks pretty good. Yeah, but everyone's worried about his health and I'm telling you, he looks as healthy as he could look at this point of his career. It seems like for the last several years, it's nice to see you, Scott. It seems like for the last several years, Stugatz wants to talk himself into,

Tiger can do it on this course, because I've seen him do it on this course. This is the one course that he would do it on. Five times, man. Can we please get old Tiger, not just an old Tiger, but the used to be Tiger. The answer's no, right? The answer's no, right, Scott?

It's so hard to say it's no because I've known him forever and it was always don't bet against me. But I mean, then he can't can't finish rounds, man. Like it's it we haven't seen him complete rounds because his body has betrayed him to the point that he can't finish rounds. So finishing four rounds and being lower than everyone else out here feels like it's a bridge too far. So maybe that's a nicer way of saying he can't but I don't I don't know how he can Scott I have talked to you guys who know about this stuff better than me for for a long

long time and you've always told me that the reason Tiger was unlikely to ever catch Jack Nicklaus is because the body's going to break down on him. The idea that he would have the longevity, we're just talking about this with Major League pitchers, the body is not meant to do that that often without breaking down. The number of golfers who have back problems because that's not a natural thing to do that often without your body breaking down. You would have been on the record as saying it's unlikely that Tiger's going to catch him for this reason, for what's exactly has happened minus, you know, the wife taking the golf club to the automobile.

And the car accident. Well, the back is fused together and he won it after his back was fused together, which seemed, that seemed unlikely, if not impossible, and then it turned out it wasn't. But the car accident that Stu Goss mentions as well, I mean, it could have killed him. And so you have a combination of a man with a fused back who's going through a myriad of surgeries as well

on his knees and then an accident. And as we've often said, and anyone that's ever been here could tell you that just the top topography of this of this particular place Which yes, he knows so well and has played so well here the hills are it's hard to walk it Just let alone play it So I don't know man like you come here and you talk yourself into it for sure and all it would take is one birdie On the par 5 second hole to go. Here we go, but it's just it's a lot to ask man But he's not having sex, Scott, I mean.

There you go. That's a personal choice, you know? A personal choice. But, yeah, I guess he's locked in. Laser focus, no sex. Neither am I, and it hasn't helped my game at all. I got to... I thought about that, that felt like

really low hanginghanging fruit. Second straight day. He's made that joke. It's it's one of his go-to jokes for me. It's not a personal choice though It's the most wonderful time of the year for Scott van Pelt and Stu got to ESPN is broadcasting the Masters for its 17th year It live play airs on Thursday Friday from 3 to 7 30 Eastern SVP will be at the desk at Augusta He'll be calling the 17th and 18th holes He'll also be anchoring Sports Center as he does better than anybody your friend Ernie Johnson likes to talk about having a get-to job not a got-to job Yep, this week more than any other time of year for you is a get-to job without question without question.

And I've told this story a lot since I had kids. They often say, Dad, you have to go to work. And I always say, I get to go to work. And I just want them to understand the distinction and understand that I'm lucky to do something I'm grateful to do this week more than any other without question. It's a place, Dan, where I've come for a long, long time. And I have friends here at the club that I see every year. And there's a gentleman named Tony who's been working at the club for years.

I saw him and he introduced me to his nephew who plays football at Augusta State. It's like, look, I knew your dad before his hair was gray and when I had some. And there's something about it. And I get that if you haven't been here, you can roll your eyes at it. But it's just that everyone's sort of in a good mood. Everyone's on their best behavior.

All the players love it. They revere the place. I've been grateful to call it, I owe my career to it largely having met tiger and having him do what he did in 97 and Have the opportunity to talk to him about it afterwards and maybe get on the radar VSPN or whatever So, I don't know I it invites me to be reflective. It invites me to be nostalgic and I'm Gratitude is something I try to put out in the universe all the time I don't always do a great job of it, but it's really easy to do that this week.

Do you appreciate it even more with age than you did five or 10 years ago? No question, Dan. I think, you know, look, when they say perspective, something you either have or you get, and over time, I just, I told somebody not long ago when they asked me about doing this, you know, at some point you wake

up and you realize you're on the back nine of your life and certainly on the back nine of a career. And I don't mean that this is over tomorrow. I mean, I hope to continue to do this for some period of time. But undoubtedly, you think back and you go, I mean, 97, I was, you know, what was it? 30 years old, 31 years old. Well, now I'm in my late 50s. And I don't know, I don't know if you feel this way, Dan. I don't know how the hell I got here, but here I am. And the end of the runway doesn't feel like it's immediate, but you're getting there.

And so undoubtedly coming here and thinking, how long do you get to do this, this get-to job? I don't know, but I'm here right now. And so you just try to be present in that and be grateful in that because at some point I won't. And I try not to think a ton about that, but absolutely age makes you more aware of and present in the present. Do you think you'll still be doing this when the next eclipse comes around in 2045, I believe? If it happens, I got these cool little glasses that they gave us, so I am well equipped for that.

Hell no, I just hope I'm alive, man. It was wild, like literally, you got people all across the country, and here are little master's goggles looking up at the eclipse. No, Jess, I'll be long gone by then you'll probably be able to sell those though even if you know you aren't around in 20 like those I'll buy them something I'll buy the bid I'll buy what's the bid 25 right what 200 that's about what I paid for the taste of the Masters on gold belly yeah 201 do I hear

202 are you familiar with it? So I've never had the privilege of going to Augusta for this. I make the mistake of putting in my last name on the lottery and I think that always just comes back to bite me. But I'm doing the taste of the Masters. They finally licensed the Masters name to Goldbelly and it allows you to partake in some of the fare that everyone raves about and instead of doing this on my own and trying to rig a Masters menu, I can actually have the legitimate Augusta egg salad that everyone raves about. So I got 24 ounces

of egg salad, 24 ounces of pimento cheese, the pork barbecue, the chips. I have these pecan caramel popcorn things that I've heard people rave about. of the Augusta menu when you when you partake in the fair What is your favorite thing? It's not on the menu. I hate to say I hate to say it's it you didn't get it It's the there's a well, there's a chicken. I don't it seems like maybe it wouldn't travel it's a it's just a chicken sandwich and it's just a piece of fried chicken on a bun and it's I Haven't had one yet. It's only Tuesday, but by the end of the week, we're double digits for sure.

I'd say what the pecan caramel popcorn is six, what is that, six bags of that? What's six what? What's that? Yeah, six different bags. That's what caught my eye. When I saw this list, I saw, ooh, I'm like pecan caramel. That has to be really good.

It's delicious. It's, look, I'm not,can caramel that has to be really good. It's delicious it's I'm not and this is sacrilege I get but I'm allowed to say as an adult that I'm not a fan of the pimento cheese it's I'm allowed to say that. Jessica Jessica is he allowed to say that? No you're not allowed to say that. He said it, he said it. He said it, he said it. What, how, I'm not, I have no agency over what I eat. No, no, no, I know. Oh, they're delish, they're just fantastic. I don't, it's not my thing. Crunch, put some potato chips on it next time.

Andy North takes the chicken, puts it in the middle of pimento cheese. He just goes, he goes hybrid. That's his collab is the chicken pimento cheese, which he's a fan of, I'm not, it's not my thing. Master's week, he goes hybrid. That's his collab is the chicken pimento cheese, which he's a fan of. I'm not, I think. Masters week, Dan-o. Well, he's got some content.

Pimento sandwiches. I don't know what his most controversial food take is, but you posted a photo on Twitter last week of a grocery store checkout aisle. You had nine family size bags of nerds candy. This seems deeply unhealthy. And it looked like three bags at least three of Sour Patch Kids nerds are a controversial candy is this your

favorite? No I'm a sweet tart guy for life but this this nerd this nerd cluster I don't know my my guy Stanford Steve just threw him in front of me one day and just said don't do it and that's so naturally like I'm one of those cavemen guys that all you have to do to get me to do something is say, you won't do it, right? And so I open up the nerds, handful of them, chew, chew, chew, oh, this is a problem. It's a combination, it's a textured thing, it's a crunch thing, it's a sour, sweet thing.

The nerds, just to be clear, that picture, I wasn't buying that. That was the, that right there is the, like, at the point of sale deal, right where you're walking at the checkout. I didn't buy all those nerds. I'm not- Is there a bigger nerd cluster than Stanford?

Hey. No. No. That's a good point. That's a good call. But I didn't buy all that. I had just one little, I was walking through the grocery store

and it was like a siren song. I saw them and I walked over to them like, don't buy all the nerds. And I didn't. I was proud of myself. I am, I don't mean for this to sound too paternal, but I am proud of you in general, even though I'm younger than you,

just seeing you carve out your own thing and your own way at ESPN at a time that it can be difficult to do such a thing. He didn't carve out the master just so we're clear. That's correct but he carved out a great gig that allows him to spend this week doing something that he loves to do and being paid for it. Your first big national gig was the Golf Channel you still I'm reading here it's reported that you've got a post-it note on your desk from the end of your time at the Golf Channel which reads quote I'll never work at ESPN end quote why is that there and why did you have the feeling that you would

never work at ESPN so I worked with this producer at the Golf Channel who had come from ESPN. He was sort of this legendary curmudgeon named Lee Rosenblatt. Everyone called him Nate. I don't know why everyone called him Nate, but they called him Nate. And Nate said to me, I just realized as I said that, why the hell they call him Nate?

I have no effing idea. His name was Lee. Nope, nickname Nate. Wow. How's that work? Anyway, Nate told me, exactly, what is the correct question? I have no idea.

Nate, Nate anyway, he says to me pretty early on at the golf change, he said, you're gonna go work at ESPN someday. And I'm like, I'm not gonna work at ESPN. He's like, I'll bet you a hundred bucks. And so I wrote, I'll never work at ESPN someday and I'm like, I'm not going to work at ESPN. He's like, I'll bet you 100 bucks. And so I wrote I'll never work at ESPN, signed it. And I obviously lost that bet. And I keep it, Dan, as a reminder to myself,

don't say the thing you won't do. I've done it for 20 some odd years now. And and the and I've explained this. And here's the truth it was it was imposter syndrome that I had at the Golf Channel I didn't go to journalism school I just snuck through this back door I met Tiger Woods and they put me on TV and I just kept thinking ESPN would never want me well so saying I would never do it was like this preemptive thing like right like right? Like, oh, I wouldn't date this beautiful woman as if that was my choice,

right? It was me saying I wouldn't do this thing. And I keep it just as this reminder to myself, well, actually I have, and I hope I've done it well enough that I'm here at Augusta to do my job. And don't say the thing you won't do in life, whatever it might be. And literally, I keep it on my desk and it sits there staring at me. It's old, it's dated, it's from 1996. But it's good, it's good to have that sort of rudder for yourself.

And I think of it often. And I've changed some of the things I've done. I've taken on different challenges throughout time. And I try to remind myself not to just get stuck in a lane, which I think can happen to all of us if we're not willing to do the thing we think we aren't good enough to do. Scott, it's gambling time.

Give us some flyers because it's hard to bet against Scotty Scheffler. He's had a two year run. He's won this event. It's hard to bet against him. He's the favorite, but give us some guysers because it's hard to bet against Scotty Scheffler. He's had a two-year run. He's won this event It's hard to bet against him. He's the favorite But give us some guys that a lot of people really are talking about headed into Thursday. I like my guy Keith Mitchell He's a dog. He's a Georgia guy. He can he can he could go low here and Wouldn't surprise me a little bit

My colleague Curtis strange on our media call the other day said, I like that Aubert guy. I'm like, you like the ninth ranked player in the world as a dark horse? Hey, keep an eye on UConn and the tournament. They might be onto something. I'm trying to think of other people, like, look, I'm not gonna hit you with it with a Curtis, but like, Spieth hasn't played well. I'd be shocked if he doesn't play well here this week

Cory Connors is a guy that last year had a chance to break through and win a major championship again I'm not talking about somebody outside of the top 100 in the world But you might not hear his name mentioned and I think Connors is a guy that could absolutely play well here Are you talking like top 20s here? You talking when he just wants money. He just I'm looking for value 10,000 he just wants gambling money that you have advice throw him somebody who might Mitchell Mitch Mitchell Connors are names that you're just you're not gonna hear him on our show I'm sure maybe on the golf channel

But these are guys that wait like two guys that wouldn't surprise me at all if they played well. But the Scotty thing is this, like we get asked every time we come here, who's gonna, who do you like and why? And I just said Scotty because when he's winning on Sunday and I didn't pick him, I'm gonna say, what kind of idiot wouldn't pick the best player in the world when he's just destined

to be on that first page? I'm certain, I would never use that word That's that's far too definitive I'd be shocked if he weren't on the first page on Sunday just because he's just too he's playing too Well to not be in the mix, but there is no value there's two gods as you know, yes Scott I got a circle back for a second because it's important when you joined ESPN. Did you ever pay Nate the hundred dollars? I did I did. I did. Nate, and this is great, like Nate's a ball buster in this way. Like he, I didn't, he had, he literally, I think I might have moved to Connecticut and he was harassing me like a bill

collector. No, I'm not joking. He's like, you owe me me a hundred bucks like, you know, like what's that scene in? And oh what with a warrior where Hardy gets in the ring? He's like you owe me 200 bucks after he knocks the guy out like Nate was that guy and and I'm like you know what I do and and it was a it's the best check I ever wrote because I owed him the hundred and in Cody oh no joke like here's a guy that saw some of me that I didn't see him myself So it was like it was he was like my Tony Robbins, but I don't know if Nate has ever been compared to like a self-help guy, but I think maybe he was. But I'm square with Nate and then I'm square with the universe in that way. Scott, the live PGA dynamic has been around Augusta before, but the

PGA is very much so at an inflection point. No one really knows what the PGA might look like the next go round. What's the dynamic this year with so much uncertainty surrounding both of these leagues? I know there's a big format discussion with Liv. The reigning champion is a Liv guy. How is that permeating throughout this event? I feel like it's a non-topic.

It's amazing how that has changed in the sense that there was this very clear line in the sand, it was us against them. John Rahm pledged his fealty, which is not a word that is used often, but he pledged it and then apparently his fealty costs $400 million. Mine does not cost that much. I'd have certainly not required that to abandon my fealty. And now, when the PGA Tours commissioner went on CNBC last year, in just a random day in June, I think, he's like, yeah, we're gonna team up with Liv and all the players in the PGA Tour

that didn't take the money are like, come again? It just feels like the entire us versus them fight is no more. It seems that we're headed towards some conglomerate of sorts, they just have to figure out the money. So I just don't think Liv versus PGA Tour exists. When Rory, who was the Jon Snow drawing his sword ready to fight all comers, was like, you know, we probably ought to figure this out.

Like your most staunch advocate for the fight laid down his sword. So I just don't think it's even a topic of conversation. And mostly, am I allowed to cuss? Yep, sure. It's encouraged. People don't give a shit. I just don't think they give a shit. All they want is to see the best players

playing the same event. They get that starting Thursday. So it just doesn't feel like a topic. I mean, I have no appetite for it because once the PGA tour is like, yeah, we're going to do this, like, it's over. It's not, but that fight feels over to me.

Stugatsch just turned his computer to me where there's a big picture of Tiger Woods and the quote from Tiger Woods is, if everything comes together, I think I can get one more. Masters week, Dan O.Hara. Fire on it Stewart Gotts you won't bet it you won't do it. I'm gonna predict it right now Tiger plays four rounds finishes in the top five. Let's go. How about that? You know what? I'm taking it one step further Scotty he's gonna win the Masters. And that there it is words mean nothing ladies and gentlemen. Words mean nothing. Scott, it's always good seeing you. Thank you sir.

I want to just, I don't want to put you in the spot, but like there's been conversations about one of those sessions where we sit and talk. If we can ever figure out set schedules, I'd love to do it. I have appreciation for you as a human. Thank you. I appreciate your kindness to me the name of the shots I'm not not talking to you I'd love I'd love to sit with you and chat sometime about all of it about life about gratitude about you all of it man it's uh what you're doing I appreciate you buddy Cody's in thank you like wise we're gonna change the name of it to one of those sessions where we sit around and talk about life.

Well, that's kind of what it is. It is, it is what it is. It's way too cumbersome for a title though, I'm sorry. See you buddy, thank you. Be well. Thanks, guys. Don Lebatard. Billy's got a conundrum here.

He's got a dog now and he doesn't know how to socialize with other dog owners. Stugats. Dogs, Dan. I don't know if you're aware of dogs. Dogs like to smell each other and kind of like to be a little bit of a dog now and he doesn't know how to socialize with other dog owners. Stugats! Dogs, Dan, I don't know if you're aware of dogs. Dogs like to smell each other and kind of like socialize and all that stuff.

So then I'm holding onto a leash with my dog on it while another owner is doing the same thing and I don't know how to interact with this owner in this case. Like hey, you know, my dog likes your dog's butt smell. As you guys know, I'm not good at small talk, so like this is a nightmare for me because what do I talk to these other dog owners about? I experienced this exact same thing with my kid at a park. It's the same thing, kids and dogs are basically the same.

It's the same exact thing. Put it on the poll, that Lebatard show, are kids and dogs basically the same? Because my two year old wants to run over and play with other kids and all of a sudden I'm standing there and our two kids are kind of chasing each other and we're like, hey, yeah, there's our kids. How about that? This is the Dan LeBattar Show with the Stugarts.

I really don't know if this happens to you guys, but whether it's a Dan Hurley where Jessica is saying he's got a rancid vibe these dictator type general coaches I don't know what it is that you expect for them to have at home in terms of pets but the first time I was surprised in any way by this is when Jimmy Johnson the former dictator coach of the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes a man known for really rabid rage a volcano of intensity had a really small teacup Maltese named Buttercup and he was goofy with her and the reason I bring this up is because yesterday when the John Calipari News broke, evidently in Kentucky, they found him out in the streets walking his dog. And

the way that he was walking his dog was a surprise to me in almost every manner. The size of the dog, the fact that he's got a stroller for the dog when the dog doesn't want to necessarily Walk, let's see some of this video here Paul Come on my dog my dog is walking me come on The name of the dog is Paul like it creative. I love human names for animals Put her on the pole juju. Do you love human names for animals? That's why I call my dog Earl and I regret not calling him Larry I think the dog in Gilmore Girls was named Paul Anka if I recall so maybe that's his dog's full name

Did you guys get surprised by anything in there? Do you make any sort of judgment about a coach? Well, yes, I make judgments about a small dog stroller. That, obviously, I didn't have Calipari walking his dog, and that dog being a tiny dog, that he then will move to a stroller. I don't even understand the stroller for the dog. Can someone, unless the dog is not healthy,

what's the point of the stroller for the dog? I really don't understand it because the dog is not in the stroller as they're going for the walk. Maybe this is a long walk and it's like you're not in the stroller now but you might get tired. Maybe they have to go somewhere indoors and so he doesn't want the dog to walk around indoors. I have a friend with a healthy dog who is a stroller dog.

And she, I saw her when I was in New York last week, and she takes her dog all the way from New Haven to her job in like lower Manhattan every day, and has to like go through all the train stations and stuff. So it's easier for her to just put her dog in the stroller, and then she can like dump all her bags and stuff on it. But that makes sense. Calipari's taking his dog for a walk down the block.

You know, it's a fair distinction. Big block. I thought it was really cute. It's very funny. I feel like I would never push my dog around unless, I had a dog growing up that was very sick so we'd put him in a stroller and walk him around and stuff but it was the end of his life

and it was like we wanted him to get some fresh air. But this dog, so we'd put him in a stroller and walk him around and stuff, but it was like the end of his life, and it was like, we wanted him to get some fresh air. But this dog, she just strolls him around. It's so cute, but it's so funny. Maybe he intends to kidnap a child. Huh. Why would you? That's a good point, Billy. That is a good point.

That's a valid point. You don't know him. I mean, you don't know him. Yeah, that's a valid point. No one thought he was gonna switch schools. You never know. Go on. Very valid point by Billy.

Time to throw away all journalistic credibility and get reckless. Here is something we like to call reckless speculation. You're good. I said maybe. We don't know, we're trying to figure this out together. When solving a crime, you need to kinda toss out all, you know. How would this work?

So is the baby in the stroller with the dog, or there's no dog, it's just a baby that he's kidnapped? Well, I mean, so you go out for the walk with the dog. The dog, Paul, correct? Paul's walking with him. Paul. It's an important detail in an abduction. Well, no, you need to have,

if you're gonna commit the perfect crime, you need to have all things accounted for. That's how the garbage bag person got away with it, right? Because the garbage bag person thought of everything, except the slides. We're still trying to figure out that situation. That goes back to yesterday's show for anyone catching up. So you take Paul out for a walk, you see this stroller,

you assume, oh my God, this stroller's for a dog. What kind of crazy person walks a dog in a stroller and it's like an abductor, clearly. But when you head back down with Paul, Paul clearly can walk, then all of a sudden, hey, there's a child in there. But no one thinks it's weird to have a child in a stroller. I just see a headline here.

I think it just broke Kalapari's suspect and infant kidnapping. That is so weird. It's not true. That Billy was on top of that. I only wish we had played the clip sooner. Could have prevented it. We're all picturing like an early 20th century

heist of kidnapping, right? I don't think anybody was picturing any of that. Yes, exactly. I think we're all... The Lindbergh baby. Thank you, Greg. That's, I was trying, I was like, was it a hearst? I can't remember.

Me personally, I was thinking, where does Kentucky go from here? Yeah. A Hearst? Hearst, Patty Hearst, I believe was kidnapped, but she was an adult. I couldn't remember the name of the baby. Yeah, she was kidnapped and an adult.

The Symbionese army, I think. She was brainwashed for several years. But that's got nothing to do with the Lindbergh baby. I think he's right. And you guys are giving him a look, but yeah, no, Greg, you're right. Nothing to do. this was in this, Patty Hearst was in the 70s.

Yeah. We're 70 years apart. Right. Billy Donovan's got a lot of traction. Dawn Staley, that's where Kentucky goes. Wow, that's inspired. How great would that be? That's an inspired take.

She's a lifer at South Carolina. And it is the kind of basic cable television take that I thought we would have heard yesterday. I'm new dawn. We heard it on this show yesterday. If I'm Dan Hurley, I stay. I think he's already said he would. They all say that.

For now, right. True. Dusty May, whatever his name is. Whatever his name is. Probably making that, probably whatever his name is, probably regretting that Michigan quick bye. Hurley did say no way. He did say an immediate no way to the idea

that he might become the highest paid college coach in history by going to Kentucky. You don't say you're going to Kentucky right after you win a second national championship with UConn. Give it a couple of days. You've talked about this some, but you can just add Calipari into the names of like

Harbaugh and Saban, people that have had success one certain way and then the sport changes. They're also all at an age where it's understandable. There have been whispers surrounding Calipari for several years that he was angling his way to get to the pros. That doesn't necessarily seem like it's a real shot for him anymore. He had his success a certain way and it just so happened to be pre-NIL before the talent evened out, before the way that they were doing things had all of a sudden a huge sudden shock to the system. These are Mount Rushmore type of coaches, Sabin and Calipari in their specific sports, deciding rather abruptly when everyone

says that they had they could do this for several more years and I'm not feeling this anymore. I do believe though that it's while it's lazy it's also super efficient if you're a billionaire. What do you mean? It's just going to cost me 40 million dollars to make my program instantaneously more hopeful than it was yesterday why not you're you're a magnate and you can just put a name that will immediately sell tickets and get you just an offseason of hope just an offseason of hope because you've gotten a name you've been able to replace muscleman with someone who's got a bigger name than that it's not just an offseason of hope it's you know you're going to be relevant and good for as long

as Kalapari is there. He's going to get first round NBA picks. He's going to get lottery picks. It's whether or not he can win with those picks. I don't know that part. Maybe, maybe in the end of his whole career. But he's done it at Kentucky where Tubby Smith also did it and everyone has also done it.

He also did it at UMass. But again, he did things a certain way in the success. Once NIL came around, there's not necessarily comparable. So I do think, even though he's not walking away from the sport that Saban did, I do think that this is a timeline reset, because the flames were getting pretty high around him in Kentucky. Now he gets, oh, let's give him time, let's have him build Arkansas up. But also Arkansas is a really advantageous program to get into. They're very competitive in the transfer portal market. Both last year it didn't result in wins, but they got a lot of names with Musselman there. They just didn't end up being good. In football they're super active,

they were super active with this transfer portal before Musselman left and now they hit reset. But they have a special unique setup over there in the state of Arkansas where they can directly fund their NIL programs. And other states don't necessarily have that. And Calipari is seeing where he can maybe replicate some of the success in this new NIL age and has decided maybe Arkansas is a better fit for me and the way that I get talent. The basketball program has been to two elite eights in the last three years. I mean there is a there's a history there and it seems like it's a fairly easy place to recruit if you're John Calabari. It's a good job. How many other states Missouri

has that as well right where you have baked into the NIL a systemic government help. Yeah Tennessee also has where the institutions can kind of broker have baked into the NIL a systemic government help law. Tennessee also has where the institutions can kind of broker themselves. It's different for every state and why I'm on board with some organization, maybe not the NCAA, but some organization templating this because it's different rules for different programs and Calipari may be seizing an opportunity here to make the most of their setup in Arkansas. There should be a level playing field on stuff like that.

This is a new and improved and levatar show with the Stugarts. Gamble on by DraftKings. Hey it's Mike Ryan. Now we've been doing this show for close to 20 years and throughout all those 20 years many things have changed. But one thing that hasn't, the one constant in my life, the great taste of Miller Lite. The best one. Miller Lite has more of the taste that you want and less of the stuff that you don't. Just the other weekend I was out grilling in the back, taking dips in the pool.

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