The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - Local Hour: Is Stugotz Leaving the Show?

Episode Date: April 11, 2024

Today's cast: Dan, Stugotz, Roy, Jeremy, Jessica, JuJu, and Lucy. So... Stugotz almost left for WFAN. No, seriously. Stugotz explains how the contract negotiations went with WFAN for his dream job as Program Director of the station and why he ultimately decided to stay here with the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and Meadowlark Media. Dan explains the impact Stugotz has made on sports media and the way he built radio here in South Florida. That said, Stu immediately leaves during the break to go do an interview with WFAN, so we potentially break the law in order to eavesdrop on his conversation. Also, the origins of "a hole in the head," and JuJu debuts a new social media segment! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. Yeah, Alexa, change station to 99.2. See? Purchase a 2024 Escape ST line all-wheel drive with tech pack at 3.49% APR for 72 months with down payment. That's just $267 bi-weekly, cash value of $40,294. Plus, eligible Ford owners get $1,000 bonus. For details, visit your local Ford store or Ford.ca. This is the Don LeBattor Show with the StuGuts Podcast. Today's episode is sponsored by DraftKings. Stay tuned because you'll hear more about DraftKings and all it has to offer throughout

the show. DraftKings, the crown is yours. I not only want to start by sharing a bit of information with the shipping container. I also want to ask the shipping container some follow-up questions about how I'm supposed to feel about the last couple of weeks that result in the information I'm about to put in front of you, which is that Stu Gotz was very close to going to WFAN, like super close. And so so not an April Fool's joke by the way. Right so when this came across Amin mentioned this to me when I came back from

Texas and I had been talking to you privately about some of this stuff but I didn't know what was public and so Amin explained to me that our audience was getting rattled and stuff because of an April Fool's Day joke that I knew to be kind of true. Like it wasn't a joke. When it was reported, it was reported as, haha, I've got sources, Stugatz going to WFAN. And what do you want the people to know or what do you want to tell them about everything that happened with you here because it's kind of a dream job for Stugatz I would say that he was offered. WFAN, I've said this a number of times, is the reason I got into this industry. Listening

to that station as a kid growing up on Long Island in New York, that's the reason I decided, listening to Mike and Chris, Mike and the Mad Dog, that's the reason I decided, listening to Mike and Chris, Mike and the Mad Dog, that's the reason I decided to get into this industry. Simply by listening to that radio station and wanting to do what it is those guys were doing as I was listening. And so a few weeks ago, now I always imagined if I ever went there at this stage of my career, I would go there as a host. That

was not the position that was offered to me. The position that was offered to me that I have turned down, by the way, was to run the entire station, was to be the program director. They've had to I would have been the third to be the program director at WFAM. You and I spoke about it, I would have been the third, to be the program director at WFAM. You and I spoke about it, I gave it a lot of thought. Times have changed in our industry, that job paid a lot more than it does today. And at the end of the day, I decided to stay in large part because of two things.

One, Boomer Esiason refused to take a pay cut. I mean, that's number one. And number two is- You've gotten awfully used to me taking the pay cuts. You can't expect people, you can't expect in the other places- Listen, when Boomer said, no, I was going to go to you and ask you to take another one here and just pay me to be the PD at WFAN. That didn't work out. We never got there. But Boomer did take a pay cut,

and then as I'm sitting there, and I gotta tell you, the people at WFAN were great, they were patient, there was enthusiasm on both sides, they were very professional. I pat myself on the back. You were very professional?

Was also very professional. Oh, get outta here. I covered all my bases. I told Dan, man. Well, hold on the back. You were very professional? Was also very professional. Oh, get outta here. I covered all my bases. I told Dan, man. Well, hold on a second. Hold on a second. I told Skipper. Hold on a second, yes.

That's the limit to your profession. Yes, but wait. Yes! But wait, wait, wait, wait. I need to. I'm not done, okay. No, no, I want to hear everything you have to say here, as does the crew, I'm sure.

I'm just gonna tell people that when you say you handled it with maximum professionalism, the text I got from you saying, the text I got from you, well, but I don't think you cleared the low bar because of what I'm about to say. You tripped on the bar? I'm pretty sure the bar hit him in the face because of what I'm about to say.

You tell me if this is handling it with maximum professionalism. Oh boy He texted me saying hey, Dan Just wanted you to know first didn't want you to hear it from anyone else. I'm talking to FAN After I'd already gotten dozens of calls because that morning on FAN they were already talking about it Geo, I mean that guy I I mean seriously. I was on vacation. You were on vacation. He blew up my vacation.

It was ridiculous. Suddenly, you know, Neil Best is calling me and Ryan Glasspiegel. I mean enough. I was on vacation and you were on vacation. So I didn't want to call you. I didn't want to bother you. The other reason I didn't take it is I sat down. I'm thinking about this. I'm going over the positives, the negatives. My wife loves it down down here she loves the life that we have down here but Dan it really got down to this boomer not taking a pay cut and I didn't trust myself to not fire the people whose job I wanted at WFAN and state

income tax we should clarify for the audience this is not a bit right? No it's not. No this is real. I think this is as close as Dugats has ever come to leaving here. This is a dream job for him and he would have, look I've seen his work in this area, I saw it 30 years ago, he would have absolutely installed himself in one of the positions and replaced a host. There's no way he was gonna be walking around the sports radio station and not talking into the microphones. Like, that was going to happen.

It is so weird to continuously find out important information about the two of you on our live show. Huh. We should probably talk about professionals. That's how we do it though. It is a weird place to work. That's not weird, we're being real.

We keep it real. Being real, man. We put our heart on our sleeve. My boy said he almost left and he chose to stay. That's a win for us. Oh no, that's great news. We're greating ourselves. Well chose to stay, I don't know if that's, you know.

It's Stu Gotson and Dan's defense. I had also heard about this. This was not a very well kept secret. No, no. Listen, it wasn't. Gio, I mean that guy. And that April Fool's joke regardless. I shouldn't have done that. The idea of Stu Guys.

I was so mad at you. I know. Being in a position to try and save sports radio. Because there are very few markets where any of this stuff is going to be able to stand up now that people can get their own programming whenever they want at their own time and it doesn't have to be when you're driving around in the car with a station dictating the terms on how you get your entertainment.

Now that all of this is changing, New York is one of the few places, and I don't know the sports radio will ever die in New York, but it's one of the few places. But correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't WFAN's lead ownership group in all sorts of financial trouble? Is it Odyssey? I don't know. Odyssey owns it, used to be Entercom, they filed for bankruptcy not too long ago. So yeah, but WFAM will be fine.

I think the industry is in disrepair and is an antiquated model and it's still, I've said this before, the way that it works, I don't know how much it's changed over the last couple of years, I imagine a great deal, but when we left the ESPN, some of the calculations that we were doing is that radio and advertising still had 75% of the market and podcasts still had much lower than that, obviously. I don't know if it was 25% or a little bit less than that, but that all of that is going to flip, obviously, over the next 10 years as consumption habits change. It's a great station.

It will continue forever, that station. It's a part of New York, it really is. It's a massive brand in New York, and it is the closest I've come to leaving this show. And Dan knows this, and Dan was actually great. He was happy for me, and I appreciate that, because he knows how much that position and that station means to me, and that market means to me.

And so, to have the opportunity, it didn't work out and perhaps we'll work something out down the road because I do think for me, a perfect ending to my career would be at WFAN. But there were some things that I had to factor it. The 20th anniversary, our 20th anniversary is coming up in September. That means a lot to you. It means a lot to me. People are, I could feel the shipping container

rolling their eyes. But it's- I'm not rolling my eyes at all, brother. That's beautiful. Brother, we all have dreams and hopes. You grew up knowing that station. You grew up with that on your mind and for that to be an option for you, brother,

that's such a big blessing. So I'll commend you and I congratulate you for you for even having that option bro. I love you Juju. Why would I roll my eyes I've been here for 18 or 20. I don't know. I don't know that there is another job there isn't really. That Stugatz would take that would be reasonably like obviously there are jobs in the media but jobs that he could actually get at that I don't know that there's another one that would be more interesting. It was really flattering it felt good to be offered that job to the jobs that he could actually get at that I don't know that there's another one that would be more interesting to you.

It was really flattering. It felt good to be offered that job, to have them trust me, potentially trust me as someone who would run that station. And really the intriguing part about it was to be able to put my imprint on the next 20 years of WFAN, having listened to that station. And again, that station being the driving force

to getting me into this business. That would have been fun. That would have been nice to put my imprint on it for the next 20 years. It didn't work out. I'm good with it. Chris Oliveira was great at Odyssey and WFAN. He was fantastic. He is very loyal to his staff because lord knows I tried to get all their jobs. Oh well yeah. Oh did I talk? Is that the guy I talked to? Yeah, Chris Oliveira. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. This is how professional I was. I mean, I called Dan. We had conversations.

And then I badgered him to call this guy Chris. Right. And then I called him. This is another part that was slightly less than professional. What? I called that guy and he then said, because all that was needed at that point was sort of the blessing of like, yes, I'd be thrilled for Stugatz. It would not be a messy ending at all. I would be very happy that he would have the job of his dreams. But while I was talking to that person, it dawned on me that the call I'm making is asking for him to fire somebody else who's under contract. And so I'm like really mortified, right?

Because I'm like, yes, I'll make that call, but I can't have you, I can't, no, I'm like really mortified, right? Because I'm like, yes, I'll make that call, but I can't have you, no, I'm not gonna make a hit. I'm not gonna put a hit out on a New York, New York sports radio person. I just wanted you to call. I wasn't going for an on-air position. This was the position. Communication is not a strong suit for me.

But all I- But Sal Acotta, your ass is on the line if Steve Goddard gets the program, Director John. Well, no, no, no, no, because Chris Oliveira was very loyal to his staff. All those shows are doing great. They're all top three, meant 25, 54. The morning show has the highest ratings that that station has ever seen, and that includes shows with Don Imus. So they're doing great. They're doing fine. Wow. It would have been fun. It didn't work out. Again, there were things here that were important to both me and Dan and to Metal Arc and to

DraftKings. The 20th anniversary is a big deal to me and Dan. It really is. I want to get back to this in a second. With that said, if they came up about another $500,000, I would have taken it. I assume that they didn't come through with the money. I did assume that that was the chief negotiating force there. The Dan Libetard Show with Stu Gotts is sponsored by BetterHelp.

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switched therapist at any time for no additional charge. Find your social sweet spot with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash D L B today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H E Lp dot com slash DLB. Don Lebatards. Stugots, if you give him the choice, Stugots, you can have the very same thing one of two ways. You could get it honestly or you could steal it.

He'll always choose stealing it. Stugots. Well, it's the quicker path. I mean, it's just, you know. This is the Don Lebatards Show with the Stugats! Well, it's the quicker path. I mean, it's just, you know. This is the Don LeBattar Show with the Stugats! LUCY, DO YOU KNOW WHO DON IMAS IS? No. Wow!

Okay, I would love to introduce you to Don Imas because we love women's sports. He called a group of basketball-playing women nappy- H word. And that will never stand. Don Imus is a piece of crap for that. I will never forgive him for that. It was the Rutgers women's basketball team.

Exactly, bro. Boy. That's right. Doesn't seem like my type of guy, so I'm okay that I didn't know him. I'd like to keep it that way. He's also dead. Yes.

Oh, okay. He was also, Spoiler alert. In New York, the biggest thing outside of Howard Stern at the time that radio was growing into the monster thing that it is. When Stu Gott says that they have bigger ratings now than even in the days of Don Imus,

it's because Don Imus was one of the original shock jocks who did that. I think that story, Juju, might be to a great many people in our audience and elsewhere the introduction to women's basketball where that scandal and that controversy is Don Imus. Don Imus was talking about Rutgers women's basketball, which isn't something that was being discussed very much, and that might have been the introduction. A guy who looks like Don Imus, here, wait here wait a minute video since Lucy hasn't seen this I just want to see her face when we put on the camera can you get the least

flattering possible photo towards the end of the late Don I miss please fine yes no no no no no no no all right rest in protest that's it we're wishing him it you know I don't know whether Juju roots for eternal damnation. After death, I'm not sure. I wish his family health, wealth, and strength. I do not mean any disrespect to the dead. Cannolis is.

That was just a terrible move by a very popular radio host. That is correct, it ended his career, and it is, man, this is the worst. That man is dead, and it's the only thing some people remember about him when he did have a career before that that was pioneering. But Lucy, there he is, the late, great, Tanimus. I could have guessed he said that.

If he showed me the picture, I'd be like, yeah, he probably said that. America, why are you so stupid that you're surprised by what's happening in 2024 with people who look like that? Why are you surprised? Pioneer. I don't know if I should say this, but does he kind of look like Paul McCartney?

Yes. A little bit. Wow. Oh, not in that picture. I think it was the hair. Yeah. The cowboy hat helps regardless. You're right, Juju, that that was the starting point

on everything we've seen that moves you to tears in 2024 when Lucy's Iowa Hawkeyes get crushed. You seem better today, Lucy. They didn't get crushed. I don't like that. Well, your heart got crushed. Oh yeah, my heart got crushed, yeah. Your feelings, your emotions, your life.

Yeah, yeah, pretty much. Yep, I'm feeling really good. But Stu's staying so everything's on the mend. Yeah. That's the news she needed this week to keep her going. I am told we have a video from you four days after the championship that is ready to be unleashed on the American people.

But I believe it was done two days ago, but we're going to get to that later. That's what they call in the industry a tease. Stu, you would need to know that for your new job. Professional. I turned it down. Yes, he did turn it down. I won't believe it until I see it.

We did the math and Lucy was nine years old when the Don Imus controversy happened, so, you know. Man, we was zero when Harriet Tubman was out here, but she's just as important, so it don't matter what age you are. Let's get over this age stuff, man. Come on. I did not have a Harriet Tubman reference here. no matter what age you are. Let's get over this age stuff, man. Come on.

I did not have a Harriet Tubman reference here. In relation to Don Imas. 15 minutes of the show. But just to put a bow on this, Stu Gotts, what is it that you would like the people to know without yes? Let's put it to the pole. Who's more important, Don Imas or Harriet Tubman?

That's a good one. No, you're asking a question attache was in my here and i could hear what the question was that's that that was the problem so please ask again i want to suggest i was asking you to please uh... tell the audience or whomever else without repeating the stuff you said about you know how classy f a n was just what you would want them to know about what I believe to be in 20 years the most that you've ever considered leaving what we're doing here for something there are not many things they're not I will tell the audience that the media is shaking like the entire industry and much of it is being kept alive by the gambling that the media is shaking.

Like the entire industry, and much of it is being kept alive by the gambling industry. When you've got Disney trying to figure out how to just put podcasts on ESPN2, because, and you've got everybody letting people go, the media is shifting. There are not a lot of jobs that have stability.

When Stugatz talks about this job and this station i'm telling him yeah but isn't everything above them shaky because everything shaking everywhere in media for you to have what i believe to be a chance at one of the few jobs that would give you the ending you wanted to be that the stability you'd want the geography You'd want as someone who grew up there and now has you know kids who are traveling all over the place. Yes, I I Understood completely that that would be a job that would make you happy But I also understood something else and I didn't ask that you this I'll ask you just publicly

It also seemed like a job that would be a whole hell of a lot of work, it doesn't seem like you're interested in doing at this point in your career. It's a nine to fiveer, Dan. Monday through Friday. Wearing a tie and meeting salespeople, like I'm not sure, like it's a lot, it's a full time job.

I will tell you, I spoke to Spike Eskitt, who is the current program director at WFAN. What does he work, 60 hour weeks, 80 hour weeks? Yeah, and is the current program director at WFAN. What does he work? 60 hour weeks? 80 hour weeks? Yeah, and he's leaving to go to WIP as a host, and I spoke to him because he wanted to give me the day in the life of the program director at WFAN. And Spike's job was to sell me, Dan. It was to sell me on trying to take the job. I can tell you, when I hung up with Spike Eskitt, I wanted the job less.

I mean, he sound like he had been through one. Like he had ran a marathon. He was out of breath. He was stuck in traffic in the Holland Tunnel. I'm like, Spike, you're supposed to be selling me on this thing. I mean, there are like five program directors in America right now trying to keep the industry alive.

Time to check my social media. We have a new segment that no where the fans of the show can chime in right now and give their opinions of what's going on. Right now. Right now. Benjamin Rose on YouTube says Stu got showing up to a time and a place and on time is already unbelievable. So the fans don't believe you have this opportunity brother.

They're not, they think he's lying. They think he's lying. They don't believe that he was offered this job for real and that somebody in the year 2024 of our Lord has decided during election year, one of the craziest of our lifetime to give Stu gots power at one of the big stations in the United States that has the biggest, that legitimately gets heard

in one of the many cities in America that's totally falling apart while everyone moves here to my gun-doting state. New York is not falling apart. New York had more people leave than any place in the United States in the last year. A lot of people leave Florida too. I read a story about it the other day.

Okay, the most left New York, the most, according to the US Census, in the entire country. Everyone's scared and running away, and the most, they came here, Jessica, where it's higher. That was a COVID thing, and free and loose state. They're here, like look, our Bejeweled Dumpster, that is a spring break town, is overrun with New York. Our highways can't handle it, our schools can't handle it.

They've bought up all the property, and now no one can afford to live in Miami anymore, because they're fleeing New York at record numbers. I'm not making that up. That's the US Census. And I'm not making this up. WFAN offered me the program director's job and I turned it down not because, listen, I wanted to do it. Why would I make this up to that listener? Why would I make something like this up and put myself in an uncomfortable position with both Dan and John Skipper, which I did over the last two weeks. Because you made everything else up.

Well, that's true. Do you guys realize, let's think about this for a second, okay, let's think about what Stugatz has done with his career, because I do want to marvel at the Daft King, sponsored by Draft Kings. He did this very successfully in Miami 20 years before New York. He built something here that conquered the incumbent and ruled. That job if he had it he would crush it if he actually wanted to work like that because he did

it already 20 years ago Miami was doing better sports talk with his lineup than anywhere in the country it was the strongest thing everyone will tell you that the lineup that Stugats put together in Miami was changing sports radio and young people flocked to it it was barstool then I had people from WFAN calling me about our lineup I had people from WFAN calling wanted to leave WFAN to come to seven ninety the ticket because our station uh... seem like a lot of fun from a four w f a and would have been lucky to have stood out engaged doing his dream job trying as hard as he can in sales they would have been

fortunate to have had that they should feel flattered that he actually considered it because i don't think you'd consider it from another radio station anywhere in the country. Well, I told WFAN that, I told Chris Oliveiro that. This is the only reason, because they were confused as to why I would want to leave a hosting position with VIEW, one of the biggest shows in the history of sports radio, to go up to WFAN, a more expensive city in New York,

and work five days a week. Like he asked me a dozen times, are you sure this is something you want to do? And my response always was, the only reason I am entertaining this is because it's WFAN. That's it. WEI, no. WIP, I don't care about those markets, don't care about those stations, I only care about this one radio station. Stugatz did this when he was 30 when he was 30 he created the radio station that FAN now has and he did it in a market where it was harder to do with what was going on in sports and he toppled the incumbent and that is the hardest thing

that was all old white dudes up and down the line. Just old white dudes castigating black dudes on the radio and it made for great numbers and Stugatz came in and took it away from them. So that was emotional here in our 20th year anniversary year where to go through that with Stugatz because these things don't last that long Like that we've been very fortunate unlike it's unbelievable. It's honestly unbelievable It makes no sense to me that all the other things in my career that I cared about I would cast aside in the pursuit of this thing for it to last for 20 years is crazy

Yeah partnerships don't last 20 years like it's a miracle that we made it this long. And so, to have him come back into our bosom, lazy as ever, still smelling like heaters, sloppy and wearing the same clothes on most days. Three days a week, man. Not having to work as hard as he would as a program director, 60 and 80 hours a week. We are thrilled and grateful that Stugatz flattered even, that Stugatz wouldattered even, that Stugatz would continue

working with us. Right, it's bruh, this is a beautiful, beautiful arrangement y'all have had this whole time bruh. Like, friendships don't last this long, let alone partnerships. Y'all ain't never had a shootout, I don't know if you shot at him before or not. It's so amazing and beautiful, bruh. You ain't never had no women dramas. It's a miracle that I haven't killed him.

It really is. Don Lebatard. Earlier in the show, the question was asked, what would Stugatz do with one invisible day? Stugatz. One day where he could be invisible, we decided that during banking hours, he would choose a weekday.

He would rob all the banks in the universe from eight to five, and then at night, he would alter sporting event results by being an invisible man in games he had bet on. This is the Don Lebatar show with Stu Gatz. I can't believe this. I honestly can't believe this. Stu Gatz isn't here. He just took a call. We're in the middle of doing this. And he took a call and he's like, WFAN is calling, buddy, they gotta interview me.

What? Yes, he left the room and he's now not working for us. He is working for them while being paid for us and not being paid for them. And the thing that was unstated in everything that he just did, the thing that didn't get said, is those jobs simply can't pay very much these days.

Yeah, I mean, his radio. His radio was dying. But I believe everything Stugatsch just said, if it were one dollar more that it paid to run the New York radio station, I think he might go out in a blaze of glory, like just start. That was my takeaway too.

It's just that they didn't offer him enough money. It was not like a loyalty factor involved at all. He's always about money. Did he take the hometown discount? But him painting it as a loyalty discount and allegiance to audience and our 20th anniversary, which we can't trust him to show up to. He's actually in another room right now.

Do we have microphones in that room? Can we overhear him with sausage fingers? He's in mid-interview. He is talking to their morning show right now. Can we overhear what's happening in that room? That sounds like a HIPAA violation in my opinion. It does sound like a violation. No, it's not a violation.

This is being broadcast in New York. It's brought, we're not overhearing his conversation without his knowledge. Yeah, we are. But he's doing, I just want the content that I'm paying him for. If he's doing it in New York, can we get it here? Yes or no?

No, we can't do that right now. We don't have the engineering for that right now. I have a television studio. Why can't I do that? Can you do that, please? Roy, you're in charge today. Go do that. I want to be able to hear the interview that he is doing.

We are currently efforting to get that for you right now. I just looked it up. it is illegal to record a conversation in Florida unless all parties give legal say. You want the Santa's to get us. No, yes. We're breaking the law. You're breaking the law. I have no say over anything.

I'm just a girl. I want. Lucy, I'm gonna have to get, you're gonna have to get stronger there. Get stronger? I'm just a girl. That's everything I've been through. That was a great time.

We got it, Dan. Where is that? Okay, let's listen, let's listen, hold on. Oh geez, boom. So this is WFAM currently asking questions. He is. Thank you. I think we're breaking the law here.

He's giving them. 72 degrees on a cloud in the sky today, boobs. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Listen, there's a gravitas that comes with being the program director of WFAN. And to be able... Like, if you told me when I got started...

Thank you, Boomer. If you told me when I got started, hey, one day you will end up being the program director of WFAN. I think the third in the station's history. I would have laughed you out of the room. But it was offered to me. Chris Olivera was great. You should all take some solace in this

Okay, that guy has all of your backs because lord knows I tried to get every one of your jobs Okay, that guy he has your back, but seriously I would have loved to do it The staff is great. I've been up there. I've hung out with Al I had it You know, I went out to the street corner with Eddie's because area I had a cigarette He watched me smoking cigarettes. I really We just couldn't we just couldn't work it there were too many there were too many hurdles to clear we just couldn't clear them all You feel gross juju. Yes. This is disgusting and illegal Come get it to Santa's dare you yeah

Come get it, DeSantis. I dare you. Yeah. He was in reruns a little bit on that material. He sharpened it up over here and then he took it to them. It was, you know, now we might get to the good stuff. Right. Or he could just laugh the whole time. He's given them all the good food.

Boomer, I'll tell you this, like Gio was telling me the first day Spike was there and he didn't show up at 5am and you said in the microphone, well, Chernoff would have been here like listen Boomer I gotta be honest with you had I taken the job I am lazy and had I taken the job there's no way I would show it up at 5 a.m. to meet with you guys before your show I mean you got 12 shares what do you need my input? I need that. Yeah, yeah. Oh.

At least he gave it to us first. He seems happy. He does seem way happier on the phone with them. I'm looking at him. The smile on his face. It's his dream job. He got so close to his dream job. Imagine being passed over for a job by a stooge.

And hearing about it on the radio. Whoever they name the program director is gonna be like, oh, come on. I wasn't your first choice? Him? He basically called them poor. Oh, man. You know, I don't care.

I mean, if they do, they do. If they don't, they don't. Like, listen, I just did, you know, a half hour with Leviton, I told them all about it. So he is well aware of it. And then as we go to break, I said, Dan, I gotta go. We said, what do you mean, we're doing a show? I said, I got more important things to do. Fuller and Gio asked me to call it. Incredible.

That's how it happened. Listen, I promised Olivero, who called me 17 times a day to see if I was leveraging the situation I promised I was not the great thing is I got to know Chris very well. He loves that station. He loves you guys He loves everyone in the lineup and he's great. He and I have a great relationship and our hope is that one day down the road we'll be able to clear some hurdles and figure something out. What? Wait, what? Hold on a second. Maybe down the road because for me that would be the perfect ending to my career.

I'm not going to do this into my 60s. And here's another funny part. Boomer, you'll love this. Gio, who blew up my vacation on a Friday, okay? I'm on vacation and all of a sudden I'm getting call after call text after text from Neil best and Ryan Glasspiegel I mean I needed that like I need a hole in my head Yeah, I was ranting about it Then I got a friend calling me and he but this is the best and he doesn't ask me about what Gio said about me As the program director he said why is Gio so upset at Peter Alonso for going to a concert? It was it was uh it was super flattering and hopefully Allah I'll get there at some point so

Listen, I just wanted to hang out with Eddie Scazzaria. Let's get right down to it. All right, all right, let's cut out of this here. We've just broken a law here without Stugatz knowing we were listening in on that conversation. We'll see how he comes back. We will review that conversation with him. I need it like I need a hole in the head.

That is an expression only said by someone over 50, correct? Absolutely. Yeah, that is. Like, I don't understand that expression. Like, none of us obviously need a hole in our heads, but he was going to come and do WFAN, and he was going to ransack the place. And what I wanted to ask you, Juju, is, is

it strange that after I'm 55 years old, I'm an adult, I'm formed, I have enjoyed my career, I am wounded, emotional, hurt right now, in front of everybody, in front of America, ashamed, watching my partner, faith, laugh with another man. Yeah, it's never standing. Bre, you forming, bre? How formed are you? Are you fully formed or are you half formed?

I'm formed. I'm like 55 years old. You are who you are. Like at 55 years old. You're not changing. No, I'm not gonna say formed. I'm even 55 years old. You are who you are. Like at 55 years old. You're not changing. I know, I'm not gonna say that. I'm gonna try to grow. I'm gonna continue to attempt to grow,

but I'm just saying that most people, wouldn't you agree that most people at 55 are largely formed? Time to check my social media, y'all. We got another one. The South on YouTube says, does Dan dress like Jeremy, or does Jeremy dress like Dan? That's a great question.

Oh, no. Oh, that's a good point. We don't know the answer. I've been dressing this way for years. Honest to God, I think everyone, yes, my wife has been very flattered by everyone who says that I have a new stylist. My wife simply bought me like 10 of these, and shirts and told me to wear them together and that's my new style.

So it's my style. It looks great on you as well. Salute. Just a simple change. It's it. Just for Christmas and our anniversary, I got 10 shirts and I got a couple of pairs of pants and that's it. Everything was different. Much better than them A&1 shorts you used to wear up here every day. I disagree. I preferred that for comfort,

but this looks slightly more professional. You said you couldn't change, but at 55 you started dressing different. Yes. Not formed. You know what? All it took was you getting married. Okay, I will tell you that I am not actually formed,

but I would assume that most people I will tell you that I am not actually formed, but I would assume that most people, by the time they arrive at 55, they are resigned to, I'm only going to change so much from here. I'm only willing to do so much. I am who I am. I figured out after, in adulthood, I figured out what I want, who I wanna be, I like what I like, I don't like what I don't like and that's it. I mean I can't get my father to not drive at 80. I can't

pull it away from him. I am now the age my father was when he was raising me and I took all of the imprints on from my father. I'm now older than he was when he was raising me and he stopped growing at 55. My father stopped. You know who didn't stop growing at 55? Pat Riley. And the heat went down last night to the Mavericks. Somebody in here told you,

somebody said Daniel Gaffer, who's hitting 100 shots in a row right now. But I think the heat preparing for this play-in tournament, they still scare me as a Celtics fan, dawg, because I do not wanna see Jimmy Butler and them boys finally healthy in the first round. You feel me? I feel like we should be able to choose.

Let us play the magic. You know what I mean? Let's get some new rules. I like the play and turn the match. Juju, I can't believe that you're voicing Celtic fan fear still of this Heat team with as good as Boston's been and how obviously Miami, if Duncan Robinson isn't perfect and they don't have the exact perfect spacing, they're gonna score 92 points a game

and Boston can throttle a team like that. I don't know why Boston would be fearing this version of the Miami Heat that hasn't been healthy all year and now they try to get Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier healthy for playing games because the whole season has been played at a pace to get Miami to the playoffs so that they can get 20 games out of Jimmy Butler at maximum Jimmy Butler but you fear it because it was last year an unprecedented run look

at why would you fear the probability of that happening again? It's so very unlikely for it to happen again. It is unlikely, and yet the path is potentially setting up that if the Heat can go on the road and beat either Orlando or Philadelphia in that first play-in game and end up the seven seed, to have the exact same path through the Eastern Conference. Of Milwaukee as a two seed, the Knicks as a three seed, and then Boston in the Eastern Conference of Milwaukee is a two seed, the Knicks is a three seed and then Boston in the Eastern Conference finals. Not that it's going to happen, but if they can get healthy and win those games, I get it. That would be best for the league, right? To reinstate all those storylines. You want Boston to fear somebody, because if I ranked them all now in the entire league, everything

after Boston would come out of the West.