The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Local Hour: Aaron Judge Is a Disappointment

Episode Date: October 8, 2025

"I'm honest to a fault." Hockey is back, Jack, but so is Playoff Baseball. Aaron Judge had a potentially career-defining moment, but according to Billy? Not a moment. Overrated? Underwhelming? A footnote? Wild Billy Wednesday is here. Today's cast: Dan, Greg, Chris, Billy, Jeremy, and Mike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you're with Amex Platinum, you get access to exclusive dining experiences and an annual travel credit. So the best tapas in town might be in a new town altogether. That's the powerful backing of Amex. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more at Amex.ca. Chris, I can't believe the conversation I just walked in on with Greg Cody. He's here on time today, and I just heard him complaining, no lie. Your father, who I'm pretty sure from the look of him, hasn't showered this morning.

It's rare to see someone in here who looks like they may not have showered this morning. Wow, why do you say that? I'm just curious. Well, did you? Because there's something, do I have this wrong? I don't often feel that I ever come in here, even though people come in with sweats and whatnot. You felt like a disheveled old man this morning. And when I walked in here, an unbathed, disheveled old man.

Unbathed. Your father was legitimately complaining about your mother once gifting him a Corvette. Isn't that your 40th? I'm not sure. You were complaining about it. You were complaining about getting the gift of a Corvette for your birthday. from your wife, a man who has not showered. Okay, let me take

these in order. Okay, I'm going to admit, see, I'm an honest man to a fault. Others don't admit this, but I do. I don't shower every day. Okay, sometimes occasionally I skip a day. I took a shower last night

before going to the Panthers game, so it has been less than 20 hours since I showered. The Panthers battered you. I decided to sleep in an extra half hour today. I'm sorry. You've been late lately. The Panthers ransacked you last night and you came in smelling like hungover from two defending titles. You're a journalist, but you're on the fringes of something South Florida has never seen and you don't have time to shower. Yeah. And you

were complaining about your wife getting you a Corvette. Well, this needs explanation because I'm going to hear about this from her later. Okay, the conversation was about colors of cars that we like and don't like. And I was like, if you're driving a bright yellow car, you're like, wow, you're trying to make a statement that nobody wants to hear and nobody likes. I don't particularly like a white car. It shows dirt. I just don't like a white car. As a surprise for a birthday of mine years ago, my wife gifts me with a brand new Corvette in the driveway. And an amazing gift. It's amazing gift. And I was thrilled. I was thrilled. I kept it a few years until I traded it in because it was a lease, I believe.

But I don't like a white car. So what do you do in that case? You act thrilled at first, but eventually you got to say... You complain about it 30 years later. I mean, eventually you've got to say, so, honey, not that I ever call her, honey. Was white like the only color they had? Should we ask her? I think this should be legislated on air.

I do. Because I can't believe you're complaining about this. She would find it offensive. It's a great gift. I'm only complaining about it because the color of cars came up in a conversation and that's what made me think of it that kind of thing i mean you know like i say i'm honest to a fault what year was this this would have been probably 30 years ago did she like the white car um you know i don't know the origin a friend of hers a friend of ours helped

her pick it up and actually drove it into the driveway and i don't know how it went or whether they had a choice of other colors and settled on a white car but never would i pick a white car um of my own volition. It's a perfect crime for her, you know. I'll admit, I've done this. Sometimes you get for like a spouse or whoever, a friend, family, a gift that maybe you like.

And then if they don't necessarily like it, well, it's kind of the one that I like. So this works. Right. You know, I'm sure maybe she was thinking you know what Greg's going to hate this white car. The result of this will be, I will now have a white corvette. Oh, my wife has not been in any

of my corvettes. She hates the car. She thinks it's too low to the ground. She's like getting in an adult go-kart. I literally can't get her to drive in my car. Never have. But the white car, am I alone in this? I just don't like a white car. You know, it's better than the brown car.

You didn't like the gift from your wife. I want to get her lean on. Maybe we'll have some other things to talk about, too. Place a look at you change and you're going to fly Hit checks, head tricks, you're gonna make them cheer But the balls turn to chirp and chirp and bright in eye Now it's on for action tonight's gonna burn this born right up Slapshot will write the map so nice Let's go for a break the way on the chase to raise the cup.

We'll be standing on our heads till we need them at center ice. Hockey is back jack. Hockey is back jack. Hockey is back jack. Maybe it will be at center ice. Because hockey winning is such a common thing down here that yesterday I'm looking up at the television and they're asking, Mike Greenberg is asking Gary Bettman, hey, is the Panthers dynasty good for hockey? And I feel like it's a fever dream. To have them get their rings celebrate another emotional night at 5 o'clock with an early game beating Chicago.

as everyone gets to be drunk all over again, to have that be the way the season starts, and also this part is the biggest part that's my favorite part of it. Have the Panthers still is the betting favorite in that league because the respect is so great that they could lose their two best players for the whole season and the money still rides on. Now, those guys are better and deeper than everyone else, and McDavid is not good enough to topple them,

and I know it's one game, and I know it's Chicago, but the fact that the money's coming in on the Panthers still is the favorite with Toronto, that the money would go around there. Carolina is a favorite, but Carolina's been the betting favorite in the Eastern Conference a handful of times over this entire run. Okay, good luck, Carolina, with your history with this franchise, being the team that has the tough medal to be more hockey than that team. I do think it's a little bit of an exaggeration to say there's still the favorite in general.

I'm just saying betting, in terms of betting money, depending on the sports book you check, with, and the only one you should be checking with, is Draft Kings. The Panthers are still being bet upon as if their top two players aren't hurt. The way the money is respecting the championship is at the highest end of, no, we understand hockey, and we still think this thing might be deep enough because all those guys took discount. They're one of the favorites. You can obviously get them out of value right now. I don't think in recorded hockey history, a team can lose its two best players and be positioned where they are right now. But still, if you look at the title odds, it is pretty nuts that a three-time finalist back-to-back reigning champion is

kind of considered a dark horse to win its third cup right now. There's a lot of value there, and smart bettors are seeing that. It's crazy. Barcov got his ring, and he put his crutches aside. Guy had surgery two weeks ago. He was on the bench yesterday next to Matthew Kachuk as the banner was going up. No crutches in sight. He's going to do this thing that he told Eric Spolstra he's going to do. He's going to try and come back in five. months or six months. European doctors, man. All right. So I want to talk about that, but I was genuinely and legitimately excited by the baseball last night because this is such the rarest of swings, okay? The New York Yankees had allowed more runs in two games than any team in baseball history.

They got this weird dynamic where Boone is in trouble every inning, but the GM of the team is golden for 25 years and doesn't matter if he ever wins again. He's a cash man, and it doesn't matter. They're all middle management on the field. They get all the contracts. Stanton's in the middle of their lineup, and they don't hit home runs in the postseason. And it goes flat in the postseason. Same way it does for Philadelphia with Harper and Schwabes, because you need your biggest bats to do the biggest things.

And Judge was hitting 500 in the series. Like, oh, not enough, not enough, not enough. It can't be singles and doubles, Judge. You got to hit a big one. So they go down 6-2. They go down 6-1. No, 6-2. And then all of a sudden, they feel like,

Their season's over. Jazz Chisholm is yawning. Giant yawns on the field. That was going to be the tabloid photo was going to be jazz chisholm, giant yawn. Yankees don't care. The Blue Jays clubbed their heads in. Never in the history of the sport had the first two games like that. The Blue Jays scored 20 unanswered. You got Aaron Judge. He's hitting 500. Again, managers always in trouble. GM's never in trouble. They didn't have an arm at the start of that game. Vladimir Guerrero hates the Yankees. Like his daddy did, because it's on principle. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. now is the second player in MLB history with a homer and multiple RBIs in each of his first three games of a postseason. The other was Hank Aaron in 1969. He's been ridiculous. Oh, but so Aaron Judge, though, it is so funny and great, the position that Aaron Judge is in.

Because he's hitting 500 in the series. He's two for two in the game, and they're like, oh, where are the homers, Judge, it doesn't work unless you hit the three-run homers. I didn't like that. I saw people saying that was his moment. He finally had his moment. I don't know about that. You got to win the series.

Well, I mean, first of all, it was to tie the game, first of all. I mean, it was a foot away from being foul. It almost hooked that one, which we're not going to hold that against him. Obviously, it was still a three-run homer to get them back in a game where they were trailing a lot. But again, you just tied it and then jacked it. gave them the lead. That picture that we're showing right now on video is cool. All I can do is look at Marlins Man. And the fact that he has that giant orange jersey on and he has his visor on sideways. So bad. Which is just like... Is that a rally cap maybe? I mean, I can't

believe that we're honestly still here when this started what in like 2000 and what year was it even? Like 2000. He's let himself go. The last embers of fame that he has as the most famous fan South Florida has ever had. So at one point he was together for you. When he was grabbing at fame and getting these tickets, using his riches the way every sports playboy would to get himself mascot fame. Just be famous on television. The fact that pan back on that photo for a second, it makes me mad and delighted that that's what Billy noticed.

Look at the picture. No, no, you guys in the... Look at the picture. He knows what he's done. No, but it's a sideways hat for me, because you can even see, like, if you zoom in, he has, like, the entradas because it's a visor that he's wearing, so you can see his hair line on the thing.

It's, like, weird, and I honestly can't. believe that we're still here when this started with the giants like first world series or second world series like almost 20 years ago at this point or 15 years ago whatever was but i mean you're you're defining moment in your career cannot be in the ALDS to tie a game that merely keeps you alive not if you're going to be jeter that's what i'm saying like there's already a mr october like what is we're not vying for mr first week of october here you know like we need to have larger moments a cool moment none the less, but we need larger moments in Yankee lore, if that's what we're looking for.

You're crushing him if he strikes out last night, and that at bat. Oh, dude, if he pulls that, I'm telling you, if he pulls that, like, one foot over and it's a foul ball, and the next one is simply like a line drive up the middle, like, no one's going to be like, oh, Aaron Judge did it again. You realize we're criticizing the AL most valuable player who's batting 500 in the postseason. Yes. That's what we're doing right now. Yes.

Because he did it in the wrong series. ALDS. And he merely tied the game. Where's the praise for jazz? Put it on the poll. Does Aaron Judge need to hit home runs in the next series during this series? But if he gets to that series. No, no. I say right now the pressure on Judge needs to be this. Does Aaron Judge need to hit home runs in the next series during this series? You know what Reggie and you know what the captain would have been doing? And that's a whole other thing. Calling Aaron Judge the captain is such disrespect to Mr. Jeter. who you know I've had my disagreements with over the years, and we're not necessarily aligned and thought on certain things. But Derek Jeter's the captain, okay? I can see past my hatred towards him and what he did to my franchise.

Derek Jeter's the captain. So we're not going to refer to Aaron Judge's the captain. That's absurd. But you know what Mr. October? You know what the captain, Mr. November, would have done yesterday? You know what they would have done yesterday? You know what they would have done yesterday? I don't.

They would have ended the series because they wouldn't have gone down two games to the Blue Jays. Yesterday would have been a series clinching game for them. That's what would have happened. The Blue Jays are running amok on the Yankees because Aaron Judge hasn't done enough. Okay, Billy, I want to get this straight. So nobody but Jeter can be the captain. So is Aaron Judges... And Adnan.

Is Aaron Judge's title the lieutenant? Like, what are we calling all future Yankee captains? It's a great question. I mean, I've been doing some thinking on this front because I noticed also, and I've done a little bit of research on... the University of Colorado's football program, because I remember last year, there were some guys running around with some Ds on their uniforms because they were dogs. And I don't think that, I don't know that leaders and dogs have carried over to this present Colorado team. I was looking

it up. I was saying, who's the D on this Colorado team now? Who's the L in this Colorado team now? And I was struggling to find it. I'm not saying that they're not there, but when I looked, I couldn't find the L's and the Ds on this year's Colorado football team. So I think we going to have to do, kind of like Colorado did, is maybe you retire the C. I think what you do next to Jeter in Monument Park out there where they retired all the numbers, you retire the letter C also for captain. And then maybe you name someone else. Can't be commander because that's also a C and we retired the C. We're going to have to find some other words. Admiral is, Admiral isn't bad, Greg. Aaron Judge now has six home runs when facing elimination, tying David Ortiz for the most in

postseason history. Yeah, correct. But again, Mr. October, Mr. November never faced elimination. So I would say the fact that he's even in that position is really a sign of his lack of leadership ability. So, David, do you feel the same way about David Ortiz, who is the guy he tied? David Ortiz. Famously, he was down three nothing to those Yankees in the ALCS and then came back for one of the most iconic moments ever. He didn't come back. Dave Roberts, who again, I also don't like is the reason that they came back in that series with that stolen base. Dave Roberts, me and him also, have issues, but that's fine. We're looking past that. Do you care that the Blue Jays were 39 and 0 this year

when they led by five or more runs until last night? Do you care at all? I don't. In baseball history, that game never happens. The Yankees were finished and Aaron Judge tied the game with a three-run home. They're the first team ever. Literally, per Optosatz, first team in MOB postseason history to be down by five plus runs

in danger of being swept and come back to win the game. Jeter's never been down by five runs. See, this is it, he's so right. Thank you. This is the evolution of the Jeter argument. Billy, this, you are doing this magically right now because it is correct. Unless Aaron Judge hits three home runs in a World Series game in game four against the Blue Jays, in the elimination game against the Blue Jays today, he's got to hit three home runs in the

World Series to be Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, who's not the captain. The captain forevermore is Derek Jeter. Aaron Judge can hit 900 in this series with all triples. And if he does not hit three home runs in the World Series during this series to make them advance, Aaron Judge will have failed and the MVP will go to Seattle, which advances past the Yankees, Chokers in October. That's correct. And two of those three home runs have to be grand slams. And he should invent the five-run homer, Aaron Judge, because if he doesn't do something like that to really stand out, you know, really what's his legacy?

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Everyone is said everything. Everything you're saying, it's all been said. Everything you're saying, it's all been said. Okay, you've got to understand one thing. Stugats. Me, maximum. That's right. Until I say it, it hasn't been said.

Boom. Okay, understand that. You're the mayor. Until I say it hasn't been said. Me maximum. Me maximum. This is the Dan Lebatar show with the Stugats. There is a legitimate and pretty easy argument to be made that that was the most impressive piece of hitting.

Oh, come on. In baseball history. Oh, shut. This season, guys, guys, that pitch was so in time. Nobody hits that pitch that way. Can I give you the statistics here? Yeah, but this season, there have been 528 pitches on 02 counts out of the zone at 99 miles an hour above. That's the first home run.

And not only that, this pitch was 99.7 miles an hour. It was 1.2 feet inside. It's the first time in pitch tracking history since 2008, regular season, postseason, that a hitter is homered off a pitch that fast, that inside. Ever. In the history of baseball, in that spot to tie the game. Not ever. Ever since 2008.

We're missing about 108 years plus of history before that, that you weren't just tracking. Not because a ton of guys. We're throwing 99 miles an hour. Listen to me, Jeremy. I'm going to give you a quick quiz here. Remember last year when you said Pete Alonzo hit the biggest home run in the history of baseball?

And the history of the Mets? And it was a week after you said someone else hit the biggest home run in the history of the Mets. Who was that someone else? And what was that scenario? It's a really great question. All I know is that this, in terms of being a piece of hitting, a piece of hitting, that pitch in that spot to hit that home run.

The call from Joe Davis, if it's fair, it's his moment. It was cool. It was unbelievable cinema. He didn't answer your question. I have no idea who hit the homer you're talking about, and I don't even know that it's true. Evasive, by the way, evasive. No, it was the week before, last week we went on a run where within a span of like five days, we're like, this was the biggest home run in the history of the Metro.

What are we talking about right now? And we don't even remember what it was. And I will also say this about his moment. if they lose this series the next game this moment will be irrelevant and be like wow remember that big moment oh yeah oh that was the year

that they went on to win the world series like no it's not they actually lost a series in four games a best of five but now they're getting to a bullpen game against Toronto today and they've got Schlittler on the mound I mean they're never allowed bullpen games and if there was bullpen games

was Mariano coming and pitching nine that's the thing and to enter Sandman and no one will ever do it like that The judge needs to be the closer in all of these games as well in the World Series. Don't look into Mariano post-Yankies, but in Yankee time when he came out, look, this is the best. The Yankees mattering, looking like they're getting slaughtered, unreasonable standards. And Aaron Judge, you're playing a bandbox.

You're a superhero. You're an action hero. You're hitting 500 in the series, yes, but you have to hit them out of the stadium fool. What is his body built like that for? It's not singles. Like, if he's that size, you've got to be hitting home runs, and you've got to be keeping it in between the fair and foul balls. Cool moment, but, like, it's a $1,300 this postseason.

Great God. How many games has he started? How many innings has he pitched? Because there's another baseball player who's been a lot more impressive than he's been so far. Okay, so there are two of them, right? One of them plays for Seattle, right? It's going to win the MVP. There's a former fat guy that now seems a little bit more Schfeld that's in Philadelphia,

who's also having an incredible season. I mean, Aaron Judge, honestly, at this point is kind of like a footnote in the history. books, if anything, I would say. Overrated. Yeah, somewhat, yeah. I don't want to say flat out disappointment, but like, when he came on the scene in that home run derby in what year was it, 2017, we were like, wow, this man is about to take over baseball. He's going to change the way that this game is played. Look at him. He's hitting the roof, the inside of the roof of Marlins Park, these mammoth home runs. And like, what have we done since then?

Hit six runs in elimination games? I, David Ortiz, for the most ever. Judge and Connor McDavid should do a duet. Honestly, they really should. I mean, if anything, I'd reach out to Connor and be like, what do we do in this situation, which would be bad advice because Conner's never overcome this situation. But I'd reach out to him and be like, what do we do guys that are out here somewhat overrated,

somewhat disappointments, you know, God's in the regular season, but come, you know, playoff time, what can we do? We'll have a moment per series, but then after that, largely forgotten. What are we, we're bending over backwards, forcing ourselves into pretzels to celebrate this man saying, look at him. He set the American League record for intentional walks in a season with 36,

90 behind Barry Bonds' major league record. Look at him. He set the AL record for home runs. A feat that seven National League players or so have already done. Like, get out of here with Aaron. So Billy, so Billy's not wrong in that this is the team of Garrig and DiMaggio and champions and captains. before him

and the expectations on Aaron Judge is he's got to leap over skyscrapers. However, I just want to stop everyone. In a game, he wins. That's correct. Do it in a game you lose. I don't care how high you jump. Well, that's the thing, though. It's not even that. Not even do it in a game that you lose because they won the game.

Do it in a series you win. Because if they lose the next... And not the ALDS. If they lose one, no, it's the great standards of the cheater. That's what it was. Either win the championship or fall on your face and we won't say you're Mr. October. He will never, what a curse for Aaron Judge

that it doesn't matter what he does. He'll never be Jeter. He'll never be Mariano because your grandparents don't care that the pitch was a foot and a half inside by metrics and they don't care that it's 99 miles an hour and they don't care that he just hit a pitch that no baseball player ever,

not even your beloved Ruth of the Yankees, would have hit for a home run. You don't care about enter velocity. You don't care about excellence. velocity. There is literally nothing Aaron Judge can do short of winning all the next two games today. He's got to win both of them today to shut this up. Right. TMI has only been around for however many years. Exactly. Very dangerous to say greatest play ever when it happened last night because baseball, keep in mind, goes back to the late 19th century. TMI. What is TMI?

TMI. Too much information. That's right. In the late 1800s, baseball umpires, home plate umpires, sat rocking chairs 20 feet behind home plate. So the game has changed. But who's to say Babe Ruth wasn't pitching and hitting a hundred miles an hour back? Everyone. Who's to say? We don't know that. I would also say. I would also say this. I don't know. Who's to say we don't know.

We don't have the same modern technology. Greg's absolutely right. And in terms of distances, the umpire in the rocking chair used to say, ah, that felt like 502. Like that's how we used to measure. And we keep saying 99 as though 99 99 is this impressive thing. It was 100. 99. Okay, 100. A hundred is

is the new 92, if we're going to be honest. It's not. 99 is the new 92. No, it's not. 99 is the new 92. Back in the day when you dialed it up and you used to hit 97 on that radar and you're like, holy crap,

how is this a human being? Now we have guys throwing 105, so like miss me with 99 miles per hour, like if I give a crap about that. 99 is 91.92. It's basically Maddox out there. 99. Get out of here. A hundred miles an hour.

now is like running a 10.0 in the 100 meter dash. If you're not throwing, the first guy to throw 110 will earn my attention. Thank you. So you're saying, I just want to be clear on what you're saying, is today's 99, 91 in 91? In 1991, what was someone throwing 91? That's today's 99? No, today's 99 is 92 and 97. 91 and 91 is probably closer to 94 today, I would say. Yeah. Nailed it. Yeah. It's like Jamie Moyer 99 today. Yeah, basically. Oh, it must be so frustrating. Phil Necro would be throwing 100 today. To pitch clock. Again, we're going to talk about the necrows. Yes. I'm going to have an aneurism. So...

A planned aneurysm... I... Can I just stop? Planarism. Yeah! Paramo... Check out the big stars, big series, and blockbuster movies. Streaming on Paramount Plus.

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That was awesome. Now that's a mountain of entertainment. Don Lebertard. You don't remember the idea for a home run? I was probably like, that kind of thing. Something? Okay, no. The home run call was that kind of swing, that kind of thing.

Stugats. Oh, it's a good call. Thank you. And plus, it doesn't matter who's hitting it. Like, you're not tailing it to a particular name. You know, all that jazz. You know, you don't got to do that. You're just a generic call.

That kind of swing, that kind of thing. This is the Dan Levitar show with the Stugats. I don't want to get two in the weeds on baseball because there are other things to talk about. But I am going to go in the weeds on just one thing because I want to talk about what's happening in Philadelphia right now because they're playing the Dodgers. Dodgers are kind of great.

It's crazy. Glass now coming out of the bullpen. You know, Blake Snell is a totally unhittable person. Like, that's not. The Dodgers are unbelievably stacked, and the Phillies had them on the ropes in the bottom of the ninth in Philadelphia, and we had some of the sweetest sounds in that sport a few years ago when Philadelphia thought its baseball team was better than the Dodgers. A baseball town thought that they, and they fell in love with Harper and Schwartz is the best, and Trey Turner's an unbelievable player, and the Dodgers are really good. And they had them on the ropes, and if not for Freddie Freeman scooping out a ball, that's a one-one series, and the conversation's

totally different in Philadelphia, but I wanted to talk about one play in that game that we skipped over yesterday because we don't talk about baseball this way. And I just love this about baseball because Philadelphia season went to die. Castellanos is on second base. The slide is amazing. Do you have to be safe by this much? And his base running error and how he treated the bunt on a wheelplay when no one's bunting anymore because no, everyone's striking out and they can't even trust anyone to get a fly ball. It's all home runs and their lineup has Schwarber and Harper and they cannot hit. As Luzardo and Snell are going back and forth,

they can't do what Judge is doing. Multiple post seasons now, great players, great core. But Trey Turner is giving you a single, there's not enough. So in that inning, Castiano gets to second base by his teeth, and they do a wheelplay, the Dodgers. They show it on the first pitch. So now you know Philadelphia, it's wheelplay. It's going to be, Mookie Betts is going to try to beat Castellanos to third,

and second baseman is going to go cover first. There's going to be no one near Castiano's in second. base, he's got to get a big jump because there's no one near him. The second baseman's running the first base. Both guys are coming in for the Bunt. They're showing Bunt. The whole infield's open to you. You need a run. These margins are this big. Everyone's fighting with $200 million contracts. They do wheel play. Castellanos isn't fast enough. He gets a bad jump. He gets thrown out at third base. That's the difference between Otani's the greatest and the Dodgers are the best and they have all the money and it's one-one. And Philadelphia is not in an elimination game.

But now it all falls on Philadelphia and for seasons because Harper, Schwartz, great seasons, guys. But you can't get past the Dodgers. And it's because of a base running play. And it's because the Dodgers executed expertly. Mookie Betts, who's like their third best player, ridiculously. He's beating Castiano's as the second baseman to third base for the tag by many feet. And they execute with discipline the ending of Philadelphia season because now you've got to beat the Dodgers too many times. And they're too good.

They're not going to lose three games in a row because Freddie Freeman. their third best player if it's not Mooky Betts. There was such a brilliance behind that play defensively, as Mooky, by the way, is now playing shortstop. Like, he's played so many different positions over the course of his career, playing shortstop because it helps their team. Cheaters position.

And the brilliance of that play on defense for everyone to execute, for Freeman to know as the bunt is laid down, I've got to sprint to second base now, that it's laid down the third baseline to make sure that the runner from first doesn't get over. For Muncie to take a peek as the pitch is going in and realize, okay, Mookie's got the jump on Castellanos. So if I pick up this ball, I can throw it a third and know that he's out.

It was like watching a military drill from the future is baseball with these just unbelievable professionals. You've got to pay $300 million a year. And Mookie Betz knows how to beat Castellos by a foot to third the way that Miguel Rojas knew how to beat Trey Turner, one of the fastest players in the league on a tag at third where the runs are that hard to come by. I love this time of year. It frustrates me that I can only.

talked to Jeremy about it. What are you talking about? Greg was engaged. I was engaged. I love a weird. Everyone's in. Love a wheel play. Real play. It's Costalanos, though. He pronounces it with the hard L's. Come on. Get in the game. Talk about knowing baseball. Mike corrected me on this yesterday. It's not Nick Castellanos. The L always has to be rolled. We get that. We get that. Come on. Give us to give that to Hispanics. He wants to. Canseanos does Yanos, doesn't he? Yeah. Nick wants to be called Cassiano's. Tommy, though, wants to be called Tommy Costalanos, and you have to respect people's wishes. Portillo's. I don't have to respect it. No, I would say that that's where you meet my boundaries. You have to allow Latin people. You got everything else. You call it Los Angeles.

Let us roll the ELs. They're ours. What if the guy who owns the ELs isn't rolling them? That's what you keep saying to me. You keep telling me that Nick gets to decide. You keep telling me that Anyone other than you just always rolls your L's gets to decide. What if I started calling you Dan Labattered? Or Daniel. Labattered. I mean, you call it Los Angeles, Dan. I don't want to hear you going.

I was really, I really condescended from up there on that. He really did. I did. I felt bad about that. No, you didn't. I love baseball this time of year, but it really is hockey time, right? Like I've aired. Is it?

Is it not? Yes, it is. Absolutely not. Did you see what happened last night? A team surprised us with uniforms. The L.A. Kings came out in warm-ups in their traditional home uniforms. Then, when it's time to drop the puck, unveiled secret third uniforms with chrome helmets. It was crazy.

4-1 the final there. How about the Pittsburgh Penguins? Blanking the New York Rangers, it's their 100th season, beautiful sweaters, blanked at home. And defending champs, Mackie, two assist. Jester. These are the wingers you need to step up. Yes. Man, Florida looks to be in that playoff conversation.

And A.J. Greer with the first goal. I mean, the Panthers got exactly the kind of win that is the recipe for this season. They just need guys on the second and third line to step up, as they did last year. And that's the reason why they can abide the terrible loss of Barkoff and the loss for at least two months of Kachuk. Spencer Knight was exceptional for Chicago last night. That was the one time we're allowing the night thing to happen. That's it. You get one night.

more. Literally and figuratively. No more nights. You can hear the murmuring in the crowd. It is such an annoying thing. Night! And then you hear people being like, what are we doing? Murmuring's not good during an anthem. Why does that still happen? Because like you'd have to be like a big Panthers fan to do that. But you'd know if you were a big Panthers fan to not do that. Thank you. I was literally last night. Who are these people? Crisis actors. Who's the person that's like, you know what? I'm still going to yell night. Everyone when he's gone. And it's almost worse that there's still. They're yelling Knight louder than ever when that's the opposing goalie. Last night, I'll give it to you.

Last night, I'll give it to you because he was in net. It was his first game back. He tried to, by the way, in the first period, the Panthers do their video. Anytime a player comes back first time, Spencer Knight was doing the thing where I'm focused on this game. He gave like, he barely gave a wave. He was trying to do the thing of, I will not be distracted during this first period. This is nothing against Spencer Knight personally. And I know he's gone through off field or off ice.

stuff personally that, you know, good for him. Yeah, rip him. But, but he doesn't deserve a tribute. Thank you. He was the backup goalie for a season and a half. I was wondering about that. He's a champion. What were we doing? Aaron highlights from four years ago when he was the answer. They were trying to kick Bob out of town and get out of here. It's a hockey thing. If someone's last thing was glare, they'd scream it. Yeah, but they also did that at the Stanley Cup final like three years ago when they were playing the Knights, which was like, what are we doing here? And that's their thing.

it's bad bad lose it lose it you guys have ruled on this and i have to side with you guys if you are a real fan and you're not a Juan come lately to hockey down here you should respect that people have come and gone and you are an educated fan and you should respect your champion team by chanting the correct things at the correct players as you get a rat stenciled on your on your ring and the ring reminds everyone we apologize for nothing you guys were swaggering last night You guys felt last night emotionally, did you not? Yeah, I mean, it's shocking. Another banner going up there.

I will say for them maybe missing the mark, and again, we've allowed them to do the night thing one last time. And night was good last night between the pipes. That was all good. But the fans did get something right. They had a moment of woo. The moment of woo for the fake Rick Flair passed away. And in that section that he used to sit in, there were signs. That was nice.

Pictures. That was a real class act. the franchise put out a tribute video upon learning about his passing class act this franchise He got a bigger pop than Knight. I was just going to ask, who deserves a better tribute, him or Knight, according to you, Greg? The Wu-W-W-W-Man. Yeah, the Wu-Man. How did he pass away?

Do we know? I'm just curious. I don't. Tragically, sadly. Pablo's on it. What did you guys do with your championship coins that they handed out? Oh, I got mine. Right in my bag there. Well, why? You're a journalist. How'd you get one?

They hand them out, I take them. You know, they hit me. I'll show it. You're literally taking coins from the Panthers now. Hold on a second. You brought it in to show us? Like a currency bribe. That's right up there with banging the drone. It's an ethical violation. He is not allowed to accept anything worth more than $25.

Well, that's not. Is that a pog? You didn't go? You didn't get one? You didn't get a championship coin? Yeah, I got one. It's at my house. Nice. I have to say that honestly, I want to ask you guys the question as a matter of hygiene before we get into the journalism of Greg literally taking coins and proudly showing them while dismissing Zaslo is not a journalist. You banged a drum. That's true.

Okay. And wore a jersey with your name on. I mean, that's more than $25. La Battered. Caught. Fair enough. Yes. I am also compromised on this front, clearly.

Why would you sell yourself out for the Panthers? because it's the joyous bandwagon and we'll never have anything like this again in Miami unless it's the football team in college, which it might be. I don't know. Bendix has got his finger on the pulse. Maybe, yes, the Marlins also have gotten smarter. But yes, this is me selling my soul to get aboard the bandwagon in a very easy time to get on the bandwagon. Yeah, journalism totally died.

Yes. But Greg, taking a literal coin, bringing. it in proudly and also being a human being that I want to check America's temperature on the hygiene of this, I would say that if you go to a hockey game, you have to shower before coming in to work the next day as a matter of principle just because of the things that happen at a hockey game, you cannot go to bed that unclean and then come into work the next morning. I wasn't playing.

Not having showered after going to the arena, an arena filled with all sorts of bile coming off of a game in the preseason where they fought the lightning at the top of the sport with 7,000 minutes in penalties because the Panthers want the championship again and they need their dirty journalists. I saw no bile, by the way. I was in the arena. Did you go in the dressing room, Greg? I did.

You did. That's where that was my concern. That's where you got to shower up. If you're just in the arena and there's all the air conditioning, in fact, it's colder than usual. Maybe you don't break a sweat. Locker room's a little small. But that locker room is one of the grossest smells that exists in society. How would you describe this smell in there?

Locker roomish. I mean, it smells. Forgive me because I don't actually know if in the last 20 years they've done much in the way of upgrades here. But that locker room, if it's got 20 years of hockey stink in it, you must fumigate upon leaving that room. You can't, you must shower after that. That room is disgusting. That room smells like sweat takes form and becomes small. I don't know how to respond to that.

I didn't see any smoke. You came home filthy from hockey to watch. I'm not Phil. I wasn't playing in the game. You go into that locker room and it's like you have. There's a mist around these men. That smell is 20 years of hockey funk. It's an awful room. No matter their riches, no matter their royalty.

They cannot fumigate it. It's got 20 years of sweat in it. It's a sports smell. We got to smell them. I'll smell. Yeah, someone smells, Greg. Get in there, like. I don't care.

I mean, it smells like two Stanley Cup final championships. smell me smell me oh yeah no we don't need to smell them i'm just saying it's a matter of principle i'm just asking the audience don't you have to shower there i showered i went to the game last night and i shower you didn't go to the locker room did you i showered before the game after that locker room i wanted to defend you but good lord that like what are you thinking he puts on old spice i'm guessing in the morning so he might be he might be hiding it there is a masking agent No, for sure. He'll put on deodorant after not taking a shower just

to treat it. I'm wearing masking tape on my armpits. Yeah. Him having a deodorant and scent is not him coming in clean. I'm the cleanest man in this building. I believe it. He looks it. Thank you, Billy. You're welcome. Yeah, I mean,

Chris, where you made emotional last night. I do not want to get spoiled by the idea. Okay, there's plenty to talk about it today. I really could get into the nuances of baseball in a way that would bore the tired of the audience for four hours. Your dad has come in with what is obviously hockey funk. And I've identified it.

And I asked the rest of you, do you often look at your teammates when they come into work and say, that person has not showered today? Do you ever, do you ever feel like you, that that's ever happening here? It's probably happening with people looking at me, if anything, I would say. Yeah, I just can't believe we're already here. Maybe this off season seemed extra short because we played it at 5 p.m. Billy, this is the plight of a champion. Imagine.

The offseason used to feel so long when we were five points out of the final playoffs, but now too short. I kind of get what it was, and Pat Riley said that he believed that, you know, LeBron intentionally threw that last finals there, that LeBron just kind of wanted some time off. Like, that's what I think it was. Because you get exactly, it's like a week and a half sometimes. if it goes seven, you get extra break. Like, I get the accusation now. What do you have Pat Riley saying?

That LeBron threw it at the end that he tried to lose that finals on his way out. As I remember it, it was something like that. He told you that, didn't deny it in one of our three questions. Surprise that didn't become a news story. Wasn't that a thing? Wasn't that an accusation that was out there by many people? And then it was like, oh, he was also just playing video games when we met. Like, that was, I think that was a thing. Do you think that's why Aaron Judge lets the Yankees lose?

The media blew that. It's not Aaron Judge's fault that the Yankees are losing. Quote, I don't know how he hit the pitch. There's one person on the planet that can do it, and it's Aaron Judge. That's your boy Derek Jeter. Anything on that? He's somewhat of a cheerleader for the Yankee. That's exactly right.

He needs to kind of go out there. He knows that his role now is captain. Once you're a Yankee captain, you're a Yankee captain forever. So he knows his role is to prop up the Yankees in this situation, whether he believes or not. Yeah, but now him and Ortiz are doing comedy because it's time for Schlittler to save the season. Everything one of you pronounce is last name. You kept first.

Slittler. Oh, well, he's the master. Schlittler. Schlittler. You now, now your turn. It's not like Hitler. Oh, my. Ha, comedy.

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