The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - So... No One Is Here? | Local Hour

Episode Date: September 17, 2026

"My phone's been on silent for five years." Traffic was a disaster this morning, so no one who knows how to run this show is actually here. So, we're off to a rip-roaring start! Has Inter Miami ownership bought Dan? Did LeBron James' latest endorsement deal influence where he landed in Free Agency? Is Lane Kiffin still hanging out with hot women? Is Joe Buck as good as anyone in football? Today's cast: Dan, Zaslow, Trysta, Roy, Amin, Chris, and Jeremy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My favorite part of the football season is the confidence everybody has before it kickoff. Zaslo already knows how the game is going to end. Tony has studied every possible matchup and Chris Cody is convinced his fantasy team is unbeatable. Then the game starts, everything immediately goes off the rails, and suddenly nobody remembers making any of those predictions. That's why a legendary game day starts with an ice cold Miller light. Whether I'm at a tailgate, watching with friends, or settling in for a full Saturday of college football, Miller Light is the beer I can depend on.

It's crisp, refreshing, and has a clean finish that hits perfectly during a hot South Florida game day. Miller Light is the original light beer with great taste, and beer lovers have trusted it for more than 50 years. Make game day legendary. Go to Miller Lite.com slash Dan to find delivery options near you, or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Game time is Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 96 caps. calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

Let me give you a true story. I was at my favorite bar. Guy working behind the bar, a good friend of mine, huge Bills fan. I opened up the game time map and a spur in the moment decision, let's go to Bill's Lions, home opener at the brand new stadium.

And game time delivered, as it always does for me. It makes finding tickets incredibly easy, even when I decide at the last minute that I need to be at a game, even if it's not even in the state I'm in. I can see a panoramic seed view before I buy. The price shown includes all fees. What you see is what you pay, period.

Game Time also has zone deals. You choose a section, they choose the seats, and you save money. Plus, every purchase is backed by the Game Time Guarantee, including on-time ticket delivery and their lowest price guarantee. Get your friends together, get your tickets, and tell them, it's Game Time. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code Dan for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and use code D-A-N for $20 off. Can you guys walk me through something here? Because I just got done yelling and cursing on nothing personal. And then I got into a discussion with Koka and Samson

about whether or not I had ruined their show. And as I come out of the studio to come in here and do this one, Jeff, who's been here for three weeks with ultimate calm, no panic at all in his voice, comes up to me as I'm walking out of the room where Samson and Coker yelling at me. And he just looks at me and just says with like, whiter than he even already is. Okay.

Like just all the blood rushing from his face. He just looks at me and says, no one is here. And I look around the room and I see Tristan and Jeremy and I see Amin and I see Zaz. And I'm like, what do you mean? No one's here. I see a bunch of people here.

We employ a great many people. They seem to be here. And he's like, no. none of the people who run the show can get here because of traffic and so it's you guys but you guys without the ability to

technically do a show are just going to fall on your face and so he's in charge of it as the show runner this new guy Jeff and why would he say when a mean has flown in across the country is a Pulitzer Prize winner why would he say no one is here none of the important people Dan

yeah like I don't know what any of those buttons mean you know I do but it doesn't matter Well, Jeremy was in the seat. Panicking. Were you also panicking? Yeah, that's like break glass in case of emergency. Right now, Jeremy looked like, is like, you know, in the movies where the plane is about to crash, like, does anyone fly a plane?

And Jeremy's like, I flew a propeller one time in my aunt's farm. And then he's sitting there like, okay, this is throttle, right? And that's what he looked like. He was going to crash his plane. Trista, did you feel anything in the way of fear? Jeff gave me, can you guys go get Jeff? Put him, I want to talk. I want him to explain. Oh, boy. He gave me nothing in the way of comfort because I'm coming out. Again, I'm being yelled at by Koka and Samson. And I come in here and Jeff, who is trying to help us with the piloting of the airplane, gave me no comfort in his leadership when he just yelled at me.

No one's here. Like, why do I have you around here when the solution for everything is hire more people? Why do I have you around here if you're just going to look me in the face and say no one is here when I need a pilot? I'm not your pilot. Okay. Get out of here. Get out of here. I thought you were here to pilot the thing when no one knows how to pilot the thing. So it's not just me and Trist in the back drinking cocktails and the rest of these clowns saying who can get into the cockpit. Don't let Jeremy have it. It's just going to die on a mountain of bad jokes. Well, look, don't let Trista for you either because right.

before Jeff went in there and told you that no one's here. Trista decided to announce everybody. We're about to start, and I don't know what we're doing today. I said we haven't really had a meeting. Jeremy just got here. Haven't seen Chris. A meeting hasn't given us topics. We've talked about really nothing.

I don't have access to see what's in the rundown. So no one knows how to run a meeting around here if I'm not there to make you all fear? I do, but I'm not paid to do that. Don't worry. I brought up Sandy Alcantra. We can get to that to start the show. Why are they using him in relief when you? He started more games.

He was awesome. But what? To save one? Baseball game? Their season's over though. Technically, Dan, they're still alive. And the Diamondbacks, Dan, that game mattered to them. Some cool stuff.

Matter tremendously. Two and a half games out of the walk. I'm following the story. I'm like, why the Marlins playing hard? See? You don't believe the Marlins are done? You don't believe it would be a miracle of the highest order if the Marlins playing the way that they are somehow catch the Padres?

Oh, it would be a miracle of. the highest order, but it's available to them. Got to try. Do you? When your pitcher has been bad the last six weeks because he's tired because he throws more innings than anyone else, like I was ready for that to explode in their face, weren't you? Damn, they're called a fight and fish for a reason. You imagine Jesus being like, do I have to try when there's old lepers around him and stuff?

No, man, he's like, I got some miracles. I got some miracles. I was watching wrestling. Didn't they pay Fairbanks so that he would do that? Oh, that guy. This is the Dan Levitar show with the Stucats podcast. So Roy and Chris have made it through traffic. What happened?

Is that as bad as it's ever been? You guys have never gotten here this late. What happened? Was it one accident that took you all out? Yeah. And then, well, it was one of those things where when I finally got up to it, it was like not an accident anymore. It's one of those things where if I hear there's a big accident

that's going to make me an hour late to work, it better be good. And I get up there. And it's just a, like, you want blood on the cement. Standing next to the car. I'm like, why did I have to wait an hour? And this is what I get? Want a car that looks like an accordion. Just crunched up.

All right, there was one lane in the express lane that was blocked before 1.35th. The entrance to the express lane before 1.35th was blocked. And then there was a three lanes blocked before 95th Street. It was terrible. That's always the danger of the express lane. I always use the express lane, right? How did you get here? How did you know?

How did you not get here? Well, he comes here earlier than the rest of you. He comes from the same sorts of places in Broward that all of you live. Northwest. This is easy. It's because he hates his family. He's trying to get out as early as possible, get away from them. I was late one time early on when I first started coming here because of traffic.

And I was mortified. And as a result, I make sure that I leave early enough. They don't seem to care. They don't. They're sitting here saying that it's traffic's fault. and Zaz was here perfectly on time. Regardless, we will move on to other subjects. I will tell you about something delightful that I did last night

because we have something in Miami that I believe doesn't have almost any precedent in the time I've been down here in sports, okay? And I really have to give credit to the people of Inner Miami on how it is that this thing blossomed and now is a defending champion. and has a vibrancy over by the airport that is the rarest thing in sports where I'm watching, okay, in all of the traffic and the cluster bleep that is putting a stadium near an airport that's still under construction. Like it is a disaster zone around trying to get over there because we're just not built correctly to, and we've got too many people in the city and it's a bad time of day to get over there.

And so it becomes a real cluster bleep to get to that beautiful stadium they have built, or they're still building by the airport. But what you see in the streets as the cars are in traffic are so many people in messy jerseys running because they do not want to miss watching one minute of that person in a Miami uniform at the center of our city. none of them leave early, even though the game is over when it's 2-0. And Luis Suarez and Messi scores on a header, his 100th goal, no one leaves early. In a stadium that is packed to beat the traffic that is terrible getting out of that stadium

because they want to savor every second of that man being on the court, people left the Ray Allen game. Like the Ray Island game, people left. No one's leaving because they know they're in presence of a god. And I know, I mean, you've got your complaints about this, but to see that vibrantly in the middle of our city with a stadium full of people when I know how shitty at business our sports town is. And that right nearby you've got the Marlins who are in a playoff hunt, and their stadium's going to forever be cavernous,

no matter how much they win, because that team isn't cared about that way. I really was impressed at how the dream. has come true in Miami and inner Miami. I got to say beyond anybody's wildest expectations in terms of how it's worked. What made you go last night? Oh, they just invited me and a friend

wanted to go and I just you know, I've been, what happened? What are you pointing at? They bought your support. Yeah, we're just noticing that, yeah. All of a sudden, Dan, big inner Miami guy. They need your support. Me and Chris had a little bit of a journalist over here. And Chris won. So, I'll you. Can I bend you? You think that they bought me?

me by inviting me to the game. They've been inviting me for three years. I've been talking about the team for three years around here, and I've been talking about Messi grabbing this town for three years around here. What did, what did they buy? You think that they purchased me talking about going to the game? I mean, yeah, you know, like you get, give them the red carpet treatment, like, hey, here, look at our sweets. Yeah, look at our beautiful new arena or whatever. Nice thing they got going on over there. Yeah, and then you come in the next, first thing you do. The first story of the day, you got to start talking about it. Well, no one was here when started you didn't have a meeting you didn't have anything to talk about like I got

I had Sandy Dan I come in here and a bunch of puppets are sitting around on the floor all broken and stuff and Jeff looks at me and says we got nothing why are you doing this I mean like he Dan was in a good mood when we started the Shadow Show why are you doing this you're dancing a good mood you're so Dan talking to her money because they bought him what do you do well that's what he does now him and Pablo they get rewarded with the Pulitzer it's validating now he comes around everyone's bought everyone's bought except me Amino Hasson who hates Messi And the Edward R. Murrow Award, please don't forget about that one.

What is in the latest PTFO? Because I saw you guys did yet another Kauai episode. What's the best stuff in it? Speed through it, please, because a whole lot of people would like a Cliff Notes version of the hours you guys are doing. Very easy. We're going to save the juicy stuff for when David Samson's on in a little bit. But the gist of it is how do we play this thing forward, which is the legal drama that is now surrounding the clippers. It's not legal from an NBA salary cap standpoint, but legal as in the law, as in the Justice Department.

And so there's the inquiry that's starting here about a criminal probe. We talk about what are the possible outcomes of that. I wanted to talk with all of you because of the way you are seeing. If you're watching both David Sampson's show Nothing Personal and Pablo Tori finds out, you are seeing the innards of business in sports in a way that's a little. little too close to be something that feels not dirty. And when you see LeBron James now, I think one of the biggest stories of the day to day is, wait a minute, LeBron makes how much beyond his salary, just sort of on the side in his career now because they've opened up the gambling oil wells. And of course,

if Kauai Leonard and Uncle Dennis think they're worth that from Balmer, what do you think LeBron thinks he's worth on the side when he's, you know, every city he goes to, he improves the city's economy. I think there's a difference because LeBron, and if you don't know, front office sports came out with a story. Ryan Glasspego wrote about this, about Polly Market, which is a prediction market app, is paying LeBron $15 million a year. There's a big ad that just came out. It's got him. It's got Eli Manning. It's got John Ligua Zamo.

It's got Alexander Adaria. I love very much. Oh, I like her. There you go. And so you've got all these people in there. And it's like, hey, what is this? And it's announcing basically the LeBron arrival to Polly Market. And he's making 50 million a year off of this.

But I think the big difference is, number one, LeBron could have signed for a gazillion dollars in L.A. or the minimum in Philly or here or Cleveland. That deal was always going to be available for him. There's no way, you know, a brand would say, I don't know, LeBron for 15, no, I'm not sure, right? That's number one. And number two, he starred in an ad. And every time anyone says anything about any player getting paid on the side by a company or a brand, oh, what about that one?

You can't say that because A, Quiet Leonard is not the level named stars LeBron, but B, he didn't do anything. And that was the end-all-be-all. My point as it regards some of this stuff is, I did not know. before you guys did the reporting on Pablo Torre finds out that Steve Balmer could be such a booster for college sports that he would get run around by Uncle Dennis on, hey, let's not pretend that any of these rules in sports are real. Like, let's not pretend that any of these rich people, that salary cap actually happens to matter to Steve Balmer who'll just go through sports like, hey, I'll just kick this golf ball, right? I don't have to play golf real. what do you think LeBron at the end of his age of player empowerment is going to do with all of the money he can make on the side in all of these ways that he earns the money because he's worth it,

but you've got these spouts of oil turning up everywhere that would allow these billionaires to say, wait a minute, can I get LeBron and maybe I can make a deal over here that's totally legal, but doesn't have really anything to do with the salary cap because I can figure out how to link up, whatever. People were making fun of me because I was saying, hey, the fanatics thing, and LeBron and Philadelphia and Michael Rubin being a former minority owner, what's happening there with these powerful people getting together? When LeBron signs this deal, it's worth so much more than his contract, when it used to be just sneakers,

and now LeBron can just make money putting his name anywhere, explain to me, I mean, as you've seen what these owners do with this money, how LeBron's taking control of the money quite literally at the end of his career, and he's going to be paid the way that more actually, accurately expresses what his market value is, and it doesn't matter what your salary cap is. He's going to get his money. Right. I mean, like, LeBron's got a cue rating as high as anyone in the world, really, right?

Like any athlete, any celebrity. So the part where I push back on this when it comes to LeBron is this deal is available to him. It being more than what he's making represents him making a decision to take less. If the Lakers had come correct with a deal, I believe LeBron would have stayed. Well, on top of that, like, there's no connection between Polly Market and the 76ers. So to me, that's the part that if it was something like Fanatics, if he was doing a deal with Fanatics book for $15 million and was rolling it out that way, then there's a more obvious connection or a more head-scratching decision.

But on top of that, it doesn't really make sense to me where these betting companies keep using these big names in sports. It does not draw. Sidney Sweeney will not drive people to that app. LeBron will not drive people to that app. These margins in betting are so much smaller than people realize, and you're seeing that as other betting companies start laying people off, stop doing ambassador deals.

And they still think that Tom Brady or LeBron James or Kevin Hart is going to move the needle for them, and it just simply does not. The thing that becomes the question with this one in particular is that Rich Paul was out there all offseason seemingly influencing the prediction market, I mean, like we saw him out there swaying which way people

thought LeBron was going to go over the course of time. And it feels like they were never leaning toward Philly. No. That was the one team that it was there the entire time, but almost never. It was just Tyrese Maxi's name circled. And remember things really ramped up with Miami in the week leading up.

When I tweeted. It was Golden State. It was every buddy that was in it except for Philadelphia. And then in the end, you have him go to Philadelphia. The question that I've seen a lot of people asking online is more surrounding that element of it, which is him influencing that market before LeBron gets this deal. I wouldn't agree with that either because I feel like Philly was as in the race as anyone was, as anyone in basketball.

And so if you look at, for example, Bob Myers going on Rich Paul's podcast and literally giving the pitch of like, hey, if you come to Philly, this is. what we would do and why we would love to have you and all that. Like, I feel like every... But why were the numbers for Philly always so low? Because I think people were not drawn by the narrative, right? Where the narrative for Cleveland was like, come home, ended it home, right? And the narrative for Golden State, play with your best friends, Steph Curry.

Their narrative here is like, make good with Pat Wright, who let the key under the mat and all that. But you could obviously see where a conflict can arise or people can think there's a conflict when you have the agent talking about he could go to this team or go to this team or go to this team. Not, wait a minute. Not can you see? Look, man, it wasn't that long ago that sports would not go to Vegas because all of this stuff couldn't creep in this way to everything it is that you're watching. Yannis already had one of these because these guys have so much power and money that they can now get into something that feels like the ownership game where I want to play with the money because why shouldn't I get basketball's gambling money? Why is there a salary cap on me? We agreed to it in collective bargaining, but why are you capping my salary?

I'm worth more than this in the open market. My favorite part of the football season is the confidence everybody has before a kickoff. Zaslo already knows how the game is going to end. Tony has studied every possible matchup, and Chris Cody is convinced his fantasy team is unbeatable. Then the game starts, everything immediately goes off the rails, and suddenly nobody remembers making any of those predictions. That's why a legendary game day starts with an ice-cold Miller Light,

whether I'm at a tailgate, watching with friends, or settling in for a full Saturday of college football. Miller Light is the beer I can depend on. It's crisp, refreshing, and has a clean finish that hits perfectly during a hot South Florida game day. Miller Light is the original light beer with great taste, and beer lovers have trusted it for more than 50 years. Make Game Day legendary.

Go to Millerlight.com slash Dan to find delivery options, near you, or you can pick up some Miller light pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Game time is Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly, Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Dan Levitar. What is the worst part of the life? Jonathan Sassel. The worst part of the life of what?

This is the Dan Levitar show. What Trista was saying, though, is that empirically accurate what she's saying, that Sidney Sweeney and LeBron James will not draw more people to those commercials. That the conversation is just talked, because I'm always having this conversation around advertising. None of that stuff sticks with me. I remember ads all the time without knowing what they're selling. I thought I was unusual that way.

That's the Super Bowl every year. Is she correct, though, on what she's saying, that why would you pay for all of these people if what she's saying is factually so? They're not getting you attention, but they're not making customers move over to what it is that you sell. So there's a couple of things. Number one is the element of you making purchases, making purchasing decisions and not knowing why you made that particular decision

when in reality marketing has done a number on your brain. You're like, no, I just like Heinz ketchup. But it's like, no, they have embedded themselves in ways in your brain that you can't even tell. That's one. Number two, for Sidney Sweeney and that particular brand, which I had never heard of before. That's a big deal right there,

which is the same reason why companies do naming right deals with stadiums. Because a lot of times, like, I've never heard of Kasea. What is Kasea? But it's like, you do that. Now they have to say my company name every single time. It brings awareness. You're right, Trista, maybe Coca-Cola doesn't need it, but whatever small brand that was does.

Well, what I'll say about this is, if you look at what the name of the platform is that name is specific to a betting term, right? A Vig is the amount that a book takes to make money on either side. The vigorous. Yeah. So if something's 50-50, right, a bet has a 50-50 probability, they still take 10%. That's why it's minus 110 on both sides.

So when the name is no Vig, the implication is that you're not going to pay that. And then you have the whole, well, this is a prediction market app, but we only do sports. This is designed to go after degenerate gamblers that are price shopping. The idea that, oh, we're just going to get the casual person to use this app is nonsense to me because the idea that you're going to get somebody who's never bet before to go on this very niche market like a kouchy or any of these other ones that are out there is, it doesn't make. any sense. They're going to go to the biggest, easiest ones, which are the big names that we all know like draft kings. It's his first career saving. He's the he's the first guy to lead Major League Baseball and

innings pitched and get a save since Phil Necro in 1978. We don't care about this. So hold on since Phil who? What'd you call him? Roy, is this a knuckle ball on or no? Play on. Why Roy? Why do you keep at, what are you doing? Roy's the authority. Amin's also here. I mean, do you concur? I concur. He's the first pitcher to throw 100 pitches and then throw two days later after a nine-in-in-a-game since Randy Johnson. Randy Johnson, in the ALC, or not the ALC, the Wild Card against the Yankees, when he pissed like 700 times, and I'm like, why is he still pitching? Why is he pitching? It's like a three-game series. How is he pitching every single inning?

It's insane. I hate Randy Johnson to this day because of that. It's like, what are they doing? Same thing. Wait, hold on, by the way, what are the Marlins doing? The Diamondbacks have something to live for. for. That's why you do it. Competition, baby. That's a fine over there. Get me some photographs, please. Yeah, I think that was my phone. I'm not sure. Was it anybody else's? I think I'm

no. My phone's been on silent for five years. Okay. So I want to get back here to, we've got some lame kiffin, a lame kiffin story. This guy. What a shister. I love this guy. What a shister. I love him. Here's the opening to the story from Mark Schlebeck of ESPN. I don't know if I'm pronoun. Schlaibaw. Schleybaugh, thank you. This is the opener. As LSU and the SEC found themselves locked in an unprecedented game of legal chicken over Coach Lane Kiffin's plan to roster two former NFL players this season,

Kiffin routinely reached out to his friend, attorney Tom Mars, for legal advice. When Marge Kiffin to back down, the LSU coach texted him screenshots of legal opinions from an unlikely source. chat GPT quote usually when I would express an opinion about what LSU was doing Lane would reply with a screenshot from chat GBT that supported

LSU's position which was almost always wrong Mars said Lane ignored most of my unsolicited advice but I don't think he'll be using chat GBT anymore for legal advice I've used it for legal advice

yeah I'll have it look at contracts and then I'll run it by a real lawyer with those points Like, hey, what do you think about this? And usually, usually it's about the same, honestly. This is another detail in that story. When Lane Kifton texted his agent, Tom Marsh, about the new book that came out, the one that we talked to John Talty about, quote,

I can save you $33, Kiffin said, and lots of reading time by summing up the book this way, he said in a text message, which was shared with ESPN. Old unnamed sources say Lane used to argue with save and drink alcohol and hang out. out with hot women. New one-name sources say Lane got along with Sabin, doesn't drink alcohol, but still hangs out with hot women. Consistent? This Old Miss game against, I shouldn't call it the Old Miss game, I guess, the Lane

Kiffin game, are you going again to college football whereabouts in the weekend? Yeah, I'm not going to Oxford, though. I'm going to Louisville, actually, for Louisville SMU. everyone's like, oh, you're not going to Oxford. I get it. Like, that is the big one. But the game I'm going to is pretty damn big as well. Big game?

Well, maybe. Well, wait a minute. Is it a big game or Zaz? Zaz. Maybe. You think I'm bought? You think there's any chance if we play big game, not big game with Zaz right now. You know what we're going to do it.

No, no, we're not. No, we're not, actually. Because you'll be happy to know, big game or not a big game. That's a very big sponsored segment now. Wow. Coming up that later in the show. You know about that sponsor? That's right.

It's a big sponsored segment coming up. But what are the chances that he says it's not a big game? No chance. When it's the one he's attended. Hold on a second. Hold on a second. That's why you're going to listen, okay? No, but you're not going to. It's called a tease, Dan.

Well, didn't he start off by saying it's a big game? Maybe, no, I said the game that I'm going to is pretty damn big as well. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Well, we'll see. Maybe I cheated. Who knows what? First of all, I don't like how you box me in. Second of all, I might get.

get some new information between now and then. You never know. Have you guys never done radio before? It's called a tease. It's not a good tease. It's a great tease. This Hall of Fame player is making more money off of an endorsement deal than his actual salary.

We'll tell you who and what when we come back. Can't wait to hear. Can't wait to hear. Except I know what you're going to say. No, you don't. Bot and pay for. So what are the consequences if I've got this wrong? I believe that he is teasing something that is going to end with him saying simply what he's already said,

which is the game that he's going to is also a big game, even though I think you heard the hurt in his voice when he realized it's not the biggest game. And he's got to admit that Zaslo's not going to the biggest game. He knows he's not going to the biggest game. It's a wild bet for you to make, though, because he controls what he says. That's right. That's how convinced I am that he's bought and paid for. That is how convinced I am that it's going to be a big game.

I love money, whatever. So we'll see. But we will see what happens. We will find out together. I want to get back to the LeBron James conversation in a second. But I also wanted to ask you guys about just initial opinions when the Joe Buck thing happened, where Joe Buck is getting an amount of money that signs him long term. And, you know, I don't know if it's going to be a million.

a game for 17 games plus the Super Bowl or whether it's going to be that he does a bunch of other stuff for the network as well. But did you guys have any thoughts on just the amount of money involved? They didn't have to give him an extension. It's right before the Super Bowl and I think they're signaling to everybody, we've got the best. The best is ours and we want everyone to know that the year that we're doing the Super Bowl, we've got the best guy as the voice for the Super Bowl, football as ESPN now owns, or the NFL now owns 10% of ESPN, everyone in the big rooms agrees, we want that guy on our biggest game and everything else, Monday nights included, matters less than this year when ESPN has the Super Bowl.

Joe Buck is going to be the voice and he's the very best at what he does. Yeah, like I would start there. He is clearly the top guy in the business right now. But I think also what ESPN is really happy with right now is think about for how many years it was a turnstile in that Monday Night Football booth. And now, not only do they have the best crew, Buck and Aikman, but they're making sure they don't have to go through this turnstile again for a very long time. Top guy is debatable. Yeah? Jim Nance would like a word.

Oh, I don't know. Also, top crew is debatable. What they did is the same thing they did with insubstile. inside the NBA. What you described about this revolving door is because ESPN inherently, and this is true of all TV executives, not even sports TV, TV executives. Go on. They don't know what's good. That's my gimmick. They don't know what's good. They just know when other people like something else.

So for years, ESPN was like, we'll put Michelle Beatle and Chauncey Billups and Tracy McGrady. Let's do Malika Andrews. They have no idea what's good or what's not, but they're like, everyone loves inside the NBA. So what do they do? They just buy inside the NBA. And then I don't have to do any work. I don't have to wait for any chemistry to build or anything like that. It's already bought and paid for, right? Same thing here.

It's like, hey, let's get Dennis Miller. No, no, no. Let's get Tony Cornheiser. Like, oh, wait, why don't we just buy something that people know from somewhere else? That's what I think is happening. And that's all we have to do. It's not about them being the best. It's about something established that was built.

That they walk in, it's turnkey. I don't have to do anything. Just let them go. No, that part I think is more important than my. first point. Because I'll tell you the real, could have paid George Sedano a quarter of that. And it had the same impact. Tony, you know that moment at a party or a tailgate where everything just sort of clicks? I know it well. It's usually when I show up. Everybody goes crazy.

Yeah, you usually take all the credit for it. But it's because Tony usually walks in with Quervo. Walking like this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Quervo is a thing that turns hanging out into this is the night. It has that effect on people. It does. You usually take the credit for it. But again, it's the Cuervo effect. It's like that moment in a big game where everyone in the crowd just starts standing up, hooting and hollering. Keep it quervo. Keep it quervo, baby.

Dan Levatar. I got a Slater scoop. Chris Cody. He f***ed us. This is the Dan Levatar show. Well, and then on top of that, you look at just that exact point that you made a mean is most networks don't know how to identify and develop talent. I think probably this place is better at identifiable.

and developing talent. And that's something that you're seeing more and more. Like, that's why places, even like Barstool, went out and got Gillian Wallow, then finding their own people to build up. Well, they're good at finding talent and developing it as long as they're not black. If it's black, you've got to give you someone

that's already established. Gilly and. Well, I want to talk a little more about that later in the show, but I need to be wearing a costume when I do it because it's going to get some attention. And so I want to have Trista or somebody. go to the back and pick whatever is the most ridiculous costume that I need to be wearing whenever it is that I say what I have to say about this particular subject. Is there a grit of punishment that you have to pay off?

No. This is a freebie? First of all, did I lose last week or did I win last week? When are we starting the costumes? So Zaslow lost last week. He is the only loser from last week's festivities and his costume will be worn next week. Okay. So what I'm asking for, and maybe I can negotiate this with the group, I will use this.

is a future penalty to be paid because I wish on this subject. No. You want to, hey, you want to indulge your proclivities. You do that on your own. You can't then apply that as a future credit, like store credit here. Well, do you want me to give the opinion wearing something ridiculous chosen by Trister? Or do you not want me to give the opinion? No, but no, no, I'm at, look, we don't have to do it,

but it's also not going to be good for whatever it is, the funny is in this, that I say, whatever the controversial thing is that gets aggregated and you're now denying the funny and people will be looking at it. I'll be talking about something and they'll be like, why is that guy wearing that costume? If you don't want to do it that way, we don't have to. I would love to do it that way. I think it's an excellent idea, Dan. My problem is all of a sudden you are now marrying this with the grit of punishment.

It's like, and this counts order. No, no, no, no, no. These are two separate things. Well, no, then I won't do it. But you're actively making what we're doing less good with your choices because now you want to adhere to the grid of punishment when I'm the only one who every year actually adheres to the grid of punishment and the rest of you have a bunch of outstanding penalties. Whoa, Dan, breaking news.

Breaking news out of Chapel Hill. Steve Belichick resigns. Oh, health reasons? Belichick has been on medical leave and he is now officially resigned. Can we talk about Bill Belichick's rack? What? That was something. I noticed it yesterday.

I'm with you on this. His name is Robert Paulson. His name is Robert Paulson. His name is Robert Paulson. His name is Robert Paulson. His name is Robert Paulson. His name is Robert Paulson. His name is Robert Paulson.

The Bill Belichick story now has two resignations in it, and I am left to assume based on the breaking news nature of this that once the TV station is investigating and asking questions about whether Steve Belichick was giving drugs to players or had a drug problem himself, that resignation is meant to avoid whatever comes out next. But the idea that Bill Belichick now has lost Mike Lombardi and his own son, Mike Lombardi, the highest paid GM in college football, and his own son, Is this a calamity of the highest order? Like, I don't know who's running the clippers right now,

so I guess that's the calamity of the highest order. But in terms of Belichick losing the people around him, one of whom had a job only because he was Belichick's sperm 70 years ago. It's a, definitely not a vote. Yeah, 70s a long time ago. It's a vote of no confidence, right? When all of your lieutenants start to go down, it's not like, oh, the general is going to have a long career.

It's like, okay, what's happening here? What's happening here is chaos that is terrible optics, right? When the breaking news is the Belichick name is stepping down, and the only reason we care in any way is because of what his last name is. It's not because he's got an accomplished career of any sort. And the head coach is the guy who for decades was, you don't say anything, you don't talk, you don't create your distractions. And like you said, Michael Lombardi, who would not have been employed

anywhere else but UNC under Bill Belichick and his son who would not be, I don't want to say not be employed, but definitely would have been a defensive coordinator anywhere else. Debatable. Other than under his father is the source of every distraction for one plus seasons now. I had to look up the other day whether he was still there. I thought Bill Belichick had already been fired. I was like in the wake of everybody changing teams. I was like, oh, no, he's still there.

You didn't think you would have heard about that? Like, you don't think. Could have been under the radar. Could have been under the radar. To be fair, she didn't hear about his rack either, so. I didn't hear about the rack. I want to go back to something you guys were talking about before that I disagree with. What are you pointing at, I mean?

I'm pointing at the picture on the screen right now of Bill Belich's rack. Look at that, man. Damn. They look inflated. He's probably doing, what is that? A lot of, what's happening there? P90X? That's where I end up if I don't really take care of myself.

I'm barrel-chested and I see this. Like when I'm 70, if I don't keep it together, this is me. Sidney's need to watch out because there's a new rack in town and this one doesn't take any prisoners. Play on. The Joe Buck conversation that we were having, you guys said a couple of things that I disagree with. Okay. First of all, Chris, when you say that Joe Buck, that Jim Nance or anybody else would like a word.

Joe Buck has been doing the World Series since he was in his 20s. He's the original prodigy. He works hard. I assume that ESPN will try and get baseball rights and have him do the World Series again. When it comes to,

you're not wrong when you say that everyone's going to watch the football and it doesn't much matter who the announcer is, but when it comes to how hard that job actually is to make sound that easy, he is the very,

the very best, and that is not the best broadcast team. Joe Buck would make a Troy Aikman out of any human being you put next to him, and people don't understand the artistry of that. Troy Aikman is just another Hall of Fame quarterback, and he's got opinions, but if I let somebody work next to Joe Buck for 25 years who can learn, anybody who knows how to learn, Joe Buck would make them into what Troy Aikman is, and I mean that as no insult to Troy Aikman. I really, I really don't. He's just another Dallas quarterback. Nance did it with Romo. Like, I can take a Dallas quarterback,

put him next to Joe Buck, and people don't understand how easy it is to make an athlete get good at that if he cares about getting good at it if the person you're sitting next to is the very best. You say very best. Like, I, there's Kevin Harlan, I an eagle.

I'm not saying he's not great. I think they would tell you. I think they would tell you No, Joe, yeah, Joe, we learned from Joe on this. Maybe I've got this wrong. Like maybe somebody would concede, but Boog Shambi's the best I've ever seen at this business. And he would tell you that Joe Buck's ability to go between the sports and do baseball and football and just make it look that easy is much harder than anyone knows. That's what I was about to ask you is, how much better do you think Joe Buck is than Mike Tariko?

Because Mike Tariko's versatility to do Olympics, to do NBA, to do NFL, to me is like, on that same level. Guys, I don't think you've ever heard George Sedano do a summer league game with no-name players and then go do a no-name college football game and then go do his own radio show in ESPNLA. One of the biggest radio markets in the nation. George Sedano deserves to be named among these names. Stop buying brand names. He believes that.

He's biased. He's bought. He's bought. Like he's obviously bought. Who? George. Andy derailed a very, like, I thought a good question.

You derailed. Mike Tarrico, great point by you. Thank you. I mean, I'm serious. He's in the conversation. Okay, but so look, I don't get to be right about these things. It's subjective. But perhaps you would allow me just a little bit,

a little bit of wider birth on the idea of the people who do the craftsmanship of presenting this to the American public, they care very deeply about doing it. Well, it is no surprise that Ian Eagle's kid is doing what Joe Buck did in his 20s as well. as well. But Joe Buck is the OG here on what he learned from his father in doing those games. And the others who are showing the greatest of craftsmanship marvel at the way that he does it in a way that they don't with Tariko. And I don't mean that as an insult to Tariko either. Because I think all of these people are really good at what they do. But Tariko is not Joe Buck. He's just not. And I don't know whether Tariko would acknowledge that. I don't know.

Maybe Tariko would get offended by that in some way. But don't you guys think that the greatest sometimes know who's a little bit greater than them? For sure. Yeah. I mean, look, I think all of them would probably give it up for Al Michaels. But Al Michaels, you know, isn't what he was. It's another one. Isn't what he was, you know.

And for me, for my money, like, I think Al Michaels is the all-time greatest, all right? But right now, Joe Buck, I think Joe Buck is the top guy for sure. I didn't know what to make of the fact that they signed him and not Aikman after 25 years. I just didn't know what to make of it. I'm not even thinking it was a conspiracy theory. Maybe Akeman has signed a recent deal. Oh, but I think that Buck had signed a recent deal. Like, this is an extension.

They didn't have to do this. Aikman remains unsigned according to the athletic. I thought it was just, look, this team has been together for 25 years. And it sounds, I think, like I'm insulting Aikman when I say that Joe Buck would have done that with just. about anyone. I really don't mean it that way. But 25 years of reps next to that guy, you'll get good at it if you're a learner. Do you think there's a possibility that this segment and the segment that you've already done earlier this week, trashing Aikman for all of his hyperbole, is going to keep him from getting signed from ESPN? I got a text yesterday that just was from an unknown number that just

said clown on it, and I wondered if it was from Aikman. Was it a Dallas phone number? This Denver team, I still think they're a really good football team. They're as talented as anyone in the game. I think this roster in general is as as deep as any and all of football. I'm not sure as anybody. This is as good as secondary as there is in all of football. They play as much man as anyone in football. He's as good a person as anyone.

Corlin Sutton, he's as good as there is in all of football. I think they're as well-coached as any team. in football. I've never been thrown to hyperbole. Trent McDuffie, he's as good as any in the game and he understands as much as anybody. I understand

as well as anyone, as talented as anybody in the NFL. Banged up last year, but had as good a camp as anybody for the Broncos playing against one of the most accomplished players in football and Patrick Sertan. I'm curious as anybody. I've never been

prone to hyperbole.