The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - The Big Suey: Taking Dan's Breath Away

Episode Date: December 6, 2023

Is the evolution of NFL player empowerment going to be certain players just...not playing until the playoffs? Then, Jeremy desperately wants to get a George Santos podcast off the ground, Tony continues to be a volume shooter on QB evaluation, Mike discusses FSU Football spiraling out of control, and and Stugotz, the snake, hangs around Dan's neck. Plus, Stu has gained weight, and a debate breaks out over the relevance of the NBA In-Season Tournament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. Welcome to the big, sweet, presented by Giraffe King. Why are you listening to this show? The podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan Levitard podcast. I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging. I have been tempted in restaurants, just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries

that if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys. I've done it. And now, here's the marching man to nowhere, that face and the habitual liar. Good work, Tony. You were right on it. I appreciate that the job has been made more difficult for you today. It is unwieldy.

That thing also looks heavy on your head. Is it also heavy? I'm reminded of the movie pop star, the DJ having the difficulties with the head because it was too heavy. So it's not that it's heavy. It's that the neck hole is kind of like going around. So the problem is it doesn't have a place

for your chin to sit. So inside of my teeth right here, that obviously you can't see, there's like a steel grate. And the problem is my chin rubs against a steel grate part and it kind of hurts. Put it on the pole, please, because the comedy has kind of died a little bit here. Is pop star one of the great comedies

of the last 10 years? Yes or no, because I don't know whether it's regarded that way, but I think it would be. I think it better come in at 100% yes. I think it has to be. Like I think it's so well done that I do believe that it's something that should endure, but I don't think it's gonna be remembered

as one of the great comedies. No, number one is House of Gucci. I swear to God, I thought it was the lighthouse. Now that one's a laugh right too. It is great. All right, one and two. I want to talk to God about what is happening in the NFL that I think is smart. And the if the player empowerment is somehow going to leak into football, where the bodies are really disposable, and they can make from one year to the next running backs,

disposable according to money. If it's going to be like that, then of course, the powerful player, the star player in that sport, who has value, will also manipulate the system in order to get where he wants to get to and do the work the way that he wants to do the work. So I've told you how much I enjoy that you're Davian Clowny every year just skips training camp, just negotiate so that he doesn't have to go through all those practices and says,

hey, I'll get there when I get there and I'll get to the quarterback in 2.4 seconds. I'll seize him because I want to do it my way and I don't want to get hurt. And my body is my economy and I need to protect it. But I just saw this happen with Shaq Leonard. I'm like, why doesn't he get with a team? What, like, first of all, the coldness of how Shaq Leonard left the cold.

He's given out turkeys in the community as a multi-time pro-boulder there. And they wave him while he's giving out the turkeys. He's hurt by it and the reason they're waving him is because his body's hurt. His body's not as explosive as it was because football's done that to him. That's a bad time to wave someone though. You can't have him go out in the community, hand out turkeys to people in need and then cut him while he's doing its terrible job. Um, Stugat, you came up with the single most obvious point anyone could have i just wanted to point it out and even a terrible job of the cult that someone had to and it's true also what else it's the reason i brought up because yes it's

terrible and everyone can agree with it like that's truly terrible time i just want to hammer on the point and uh... you know what let me do it differently did you give you another chance so it can be even better you're not going to believe this to got but shackle entered while he was in the delivery room. The birth of his child, he is cradling his baby and the cults called him and told him he was cut. You know what? That is such a terrible job by Jim Erse and the cults. I mean, you are about to give birth, give life to someone and you kill someone's career, you can't do that. What a terrible job by the cult. They should be ashamed of them.

Well, they didn't kill his career because what he did is the cowboys and eagles wanted him. And so he spent two weeks not playing and negotiating with them so he could get the best deal. And the eagles are now the expendables. They have eight defensive linemen to God's that they've been rotating for a few seasons. And that past rush is so good At least because they can bring the fresh not broken guys or the less broken guys in with the Fletcher cox's who have been there for

180 some odd game. They also have this great strategy where they draft guys from Georgia That also helps that is that's why their GM is considered a genius that helps as well But the latest the latest player that they're talking about joining them is endemic and so, who hasn't played all season, played for them last year. And basically, at this point in his career, I mean, he won a championship with Tom Brady. At this point in his career, endemic and so is going to decide where and when he wrecks his body for how many games at what time of the season, how hard he practices. And you really have

with the Eagles and throughout football, the bodies are gonna be that disposable, the guys who have some remaining power left are gonna say, okay, I'll sell you my body at this price, but it's only gonna be for six weeks. I'm not gonna do it. I'm not buying in on everything you guys are doing. I'll be a mercenary and only that.

Frank Zappa. Ooh, not bad. Is that better than Jean Charlotte? Alright, put it on the pole. Put it on the which one? The coin guy. Oh, it's Jeff and Gundy. Willie Lopez. I would like juju for you to put photographs of all these people on a poll and ask them who I look most like please at Lebitard show because my vote is for Jean Charlotte, but

you're doing well, are you engaging the YouTube community on this because I would like this to be slightly more interactive with our community. If they have any, any nominees, someone should be monitoring the YouTube. In fact, Tony, I would love if you were like our social media coordinator who monitored the YouTube while wearing that ridiculous mouse head and told me what the good stuff was on the YouTube comment.

Like sift through it and find the 2% that's not poisonous acid. Dan, I was trying to actually look up the shack Leonard deal. And I realized I had to sit this close to the screen because I can't really see. So right now, he's in a one year, 1.08 million dollar deal. That'll make you perfect.

The best part is that Tony's not taking it off during the breaks. And I just saw him responding to a text last break. It was just funny watching him like, I have to hold it really close to my face. Like right around here is good. Yeah, that a 2% huh? It's not even that good, probably.

No internet. OK, put that on the poll as well, Judeo at Lebitard show. Can you find even 2% of positive commentary on the internet? Car power, helpful. Not even positive. Don't you? It doesn't look.

I know you're going to say no to positive. How about just a helpful commentary? Should I go with Tankzappa considering that he's more slender could I add Joseph Stalin to the mix whoa why you bringing politics into this i'm not bringing a mustache no this is luck Jeremy might be more political than anyone around here he wants to do a show with George Santos him and micro arguing off air about we need to get George Santos for a podcast and Mike that liberal snowflake and Jeremy

This this also a liberal snow also a liberal snowflake who apparently likes George Santos because the lies are so transparent That he's morphing into stoo goth right in front of our eyes. That's exactly it George Santos is the funniest person in America Maybe in the world. I think that these lies, he lied about being Jewish for no reason. He, I believe in his statement for Diane Feinstein's passing is how he announced that he had a husband, like he is straight up the funniest person in the world. And I don't understand why we wouldn't give him a giant platform to continue to spew lies. We already have Stu Gats. He's on Cameo.

Yeah. I'm, and he said he was Jewish to please the Jews in that room. Correct, he changes based on what room he's in. Yes, correct, it's amazing. I'll concede that it is funny, but I think the greater problem that I have with us all laughing at George Santos now is,

it's indicative of the big plague of American politics right now in which you can be shameless. You're not governed by shame. And I think if you double down on how funny George Santos is or you fund his legal defense team by getting a cameo, you continue to normalize people that represented a party and a party line because not all Republicans are January 6th insurrectionists,

but a lot of them are, and a lot of them end up on dancing with the stars, or running for president again, and it's all so normalized. These people should be ostracized from normal society. We shouldn't be funding their legal defense. This is shameful behavior that we reward, and after the fact, make a punchline. It's pretty serious what's happening in November and I'm just not down with all laughing at it.

However, it is funny with George Santos, I'm willing to make that one exception, but please let it stop there. Dan, somebody in the chat says he look like Gallagher. Also, yes, Gallagher, thank you, Tony. Gallagher's brother. Gallagher's brother did. I think Gallalegger's brother

did become Galegger too. I think once Galegger's career was over, his brother just took over the act as Galegger's, pretending to, that's a good question, Chris, because I believe he was touring the world as Galegger, but not because he was his brother. He wasn't actually Galegger, but in a place where politics, Tony, but not because he was his brother. He wasn't actually Gallagher, but in a place where politics, Tony, I can't tell from your face. Did you want to talk again?

I was going to say, I like the prestige. Yeah, I wish you hadn't said it. Me and file. Great film. You went to. Stugats, I know, because it looked like he wanted to go, but he's been raising his hand, but now the computer is in his hand and the eyes were red. So I was confused by the mixed messaging. I have in front of me, Stugots, though, speaking of politics, a series of details about Chris Christie's niece. Okay. And since we're already here, Shannon Epstein was charged. I was reading the details and they kept getting better and they kept getting worse. Shannon Epstein, 26, was charged with one felony

resisting police by force and two misdemeanor counts of disturbing the peace by public intoxication and connection with an incident on Thanksgiving November 24th, 2022 on an airplane. The saga began aboard a spirit airlines plane as it taxied to the runway at New Orleans International Airport, according to NOLA.com. Now that sentence right there is to got is per square foot where you find more drunkenness than anywhere in America. Spirit airlines headed in and out of New Orleans.

Anything could happen anything anything anything And then when Epstein allegedly asked the Hispanic family seated nearby if they were smuggling cocaine After being booted off the aircraft Epstein allegedly screamed at airline employees and refused to leave the jet bridge The Jefferson Parish Airiffs office said it eventually took seven deputies to restrain Epstein who had to be strapped to a wheelchair. She allegedly bit spat at and kicked the deputies and she ranted about knowing Donald Trump threatening the deputies jobs and saying, do you know who I am? I'm Chris Christie's daughter and you're so bleeped. And the lead deputy in that case, George Santos. Go sit in the penalty box. Oh, wow.

Deserved it. He's polluting everybody around here with his desire to get Santos on the air, even though it's dangerous. You will do anything for clicks, Tasha. It's why you're an Emmy winner. He is not dangerous. He didn't have any real power. He's just funny.

We can't find the funny. Please, it's all f'd anyway. The ship has sailed, Captain Hook. hook okay but which part of get out of here did you not understand that felt a little bit like a mutiny and you do not want this hook in your ass what's hell yeah maybe you do what's up I don't know man go look at the internet at things that no no you say this but let's not play that man go look at the internet at things that No, no you say this but let's not play that game go look at the What just happened Tony broke it see Tony what did you break?

I know my my water bottle fell my ear hit the water bottle I was trying to look at something on the YouTube chat, but then I realized that might, you know, there's a lot of space up here, so as I tried to lean in, you know. All right, you stay on this. Even though we're not even, I want you to keep, this is what I want you to do, okay? Because we're not going to be live anymore in a second. So the YouTube chat's not going to be live, but I want you to stay in there looking for nuggets throughout, even though no one's there.

As we wrap up our live. Let me tease something We've got a huge secret announcement coming out later in this Don Lebertard God doesn't even know what this list is. He was ahead of Tom Brady who also won a playoff game A couple yeah, that was literally the most confusing list. We've ever done But he's got a better shot of come back the most confusing list we've ever done. But she's got a better shot of coming back. I'm a man. She's got a good leader.

I'm a man. I'm angry. I would have leaned. Still gots. This would have been your day. This should be, you should own the sports media landscape right now. I am. I am top seven guys.

I would not want the child. No. Oh, no. No. No. I'm not allowing it. That's okay. No. No, I'm not allowing it. Give me that quote, okay. Let me run.

No, no, no, no, I'm not giving him a chance. Give him 20 years. It's a horrible thing. I've given him my prize. This is the Don Lebertar Show with a Stugat. Stugat still has a smile on his face because he is made happier when others serve their punishments. He's not great at serving his. What do you mean? But he enjoys when the segment is about to start and all of

us are putting our headsets on and Tony is fumbling around with his head, his mouse head. And it just so I can explain this to the audience because I don't know because I'm an old person dead mouse five or whatever that did. Oh boy. You're so old. It's just dead man. I know. Okay. He plays it. You can understand the confusion. The five instead of an ass. He DJs that live. I look, I'm this part of it. I'm I'm I'm done trying to conceal. Okay. I don't know why it is that that person is popular beyond being a DJ who wears, do people know what he actually looks like? Yeah, yeah, yeah. So the celebrity is just, it's not always costume. It's not like, you know, unmasked more often than he's masked and put it on the mask is now more of a nostalgic bit. Sounds like Aaron

Rogers. Tony is trying to do the show this way and there are legitimate difficulties with it. Stu Gotch, you'd think would be mad because he can't see Tony's beautiful face, but he's not mad because he gets to laugh at Tony. But Tony, I now want to make fun of you underneath that head because you, I believe that all of us can accuse you of being simply a volume shooter

when it comes to quarterbacks you love, that your evaluation of quarterbacks, and he might be ahead of the game here, Sturgat. Five years from now, teams might just draft all six quarterbacks because it's such a valuable position. And what the bear should do. And they're going to get injured, such as draft six of them and see if you figure it out one time. But Tony every time a quarterback plays on Sunday and doesn't look like Tim Boyle. Tony falls head over heels in love. It's like the guy who goes to the strip club and leaves every time falling in love. On Sundays, Tony finds any quarterback that throws that completes nine passes and he's like, I'm in love. I Sundays, Tony finds any quarterback that throws, that completes nine passes and he's like, I'm in love, I can't help it.

It's time it's different. It's that, it's that you see something, right? And I'll get you guys to understand this point one time. All you need to see is a flicker of light. That's it. For there to be a spark. She really likes me. Okay. I told everybody in week two of Tony's top five, watch, take a look at Sam Howell, there's something there, through a very special pass to Brian Robinson, side arm, Dan, I know you remember that pass, it's because you were watching and you agreed with me.

She told me her real name. Side arm, across his body, fit through two wind, through a window through two defenders, and I was like, keep an eye on Sam Howell. All of a sudden, commander said, you know what, this is our guy, we're gonna sell everybody, Sam Howell's our quarterback.

And last week, on Monday, I told you, when I gave you my all-squint team, hey, take a look at Jake Brownie. If you squint, he kind of looks like Gerbero. And then all of a sudden, Mike, I have video evidence of Mike saying, yeah, the only thing that they're similar is that they're white.

All of a sudden, Mike likes Jake Brownie. She's dangerous. She's just her shift. And the initials. I don't think it's the initials. Browning. It is something they have in common. Yeah.

What you also said that he had the same a similar swag. I don't think anyone has a swag like Joe Burr. I didn't say that. The announcer during the game said he had the same vibe. Yeah. Thank you for the correction. Browning look good in college at Washington. His first NFL start was against a pretty good defense, but yeah,

I hope that Tony's game, as we all know, wreck league basketball player. I certainly hope that his basketball game is more efficient than his QB e-vals, because yeah, he is a volume shooter when it comes to that. Say, everybody is good. And then in the event that one of them actually catch on, he gets to be, I was right guy about that. So do you guys want content or not? I can tell you one guy for the rest of the season and then just be boring.

I'm not. I want a new guy. I want a new week. Tony, you don't bore me. I don't want you to change. In fact, I'd like you to sink in deeper to this character. But I also don't want to ignore the fact that you're a volume shooter when it comes to this.

Everybody's a volume shooter in the contact game, Mike. Nobody puts out just one thing and then lives for it the rest of their lives. I do every single week. We make something happen on Tony's top five. We prop up a quarterback that needs propping up. And I'm, you know, I think I, looking at back in 2012,

Washington picked who, Robert Griffin and Kirk Cousins. So we're gonna take both. We'll figure it out later, right? Great coaching staff that said that. I'm just telling you now, 2023, keep an eye on a lot of quarterbacks because in the next two to three years, Aiden will call on my pop of somewhere.

We took these a volume shooter. I'm just telling you, keep an eye on all the quarterbacks. I can't wait for Tony's top five later today where you're still stuck wearing that mask. But Tony's right, San Fran did the same thing. They took Trey Lance, it took Brock Birdie, they figured it out. I mean, that's what you do, just take quarterbacks, man, but saying it for years.

You have been. Yeah. At the end, Stugatz is going to win. And it's all going to be what Spencer Hall says that America has always done the dumbest thing and then does something slightly less dumb. Football is that football is we won't go for it on four down. And now even Mike McCarthy is a renegade. Yeah. It's so strange to see Mike McCarthy on fourth and two. Back on Browning. He looked. Oh, we're going for it. That is fun. I'm so with Dan, that is of all the coaches,

the one where it's like he's faking it. Yeah, he doesn't want to be going for it. Well, trust me, we'll all find out together when the games get more important. Yeah, it's easy to be in fourth and five on my own 40 against the commanders. Let's go. This weekend against the Eagles. Let me see you do it.

I will get tight on the road in the playoffs. He will when they're already saying that if he doesn't make a deep run, they say he's going to get fired. Like that is and and that's what it's that's how your coach is going to have to play in the playoffs to got my hat fell off again. Let me go get it. What is a deep run? What is that deep run?

What is that constitute? Is that championship game? Is that super ball because for every team? I know you win the division. You have to win one home game to get to the championship game. Check the snake vibes now from Dan. It's a pretty good one too. I think that's just hair though.

Jake, the snake. And the stash. And the fact that you're next to a snake hey or that I'm wandering around through life with a snake draped around my neck yeah can we get stagots like draped around you can you replicate this photo can you take the hat off again ban and and and so guys can you pretend to be the pretend to be this is you're pretty method when it comes to the snake what do I have to carry him on my shoulders? That's right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Torture rack.

Like sluggers, torture rack. Red Cody could do it. So I'd have to get up. How much do you do a sitting? No, you can. No, well, I don't think that chair can barely hold stand. You want me to stand up with Stu Gotts on my shoulders and then stay down. Already standing, he has to try to climb on your back.

It's on your table to your left. He stands on the table kind of and drapes over you. That table's a little flimsy. Yeah. I'm 155 right now. No shots. Yeah. All right.

You're brawl. All right. All right. Let me do this then while I am trying to do this because this is going to take some sort of physical exertion. Chris, go in there and help him. But while we're doing this, I wish for you and Jeremy please to help me because I want to very badly

Embrace FSU as this shows team as a champion because FSU is really going through it right now and I want to support what's happening in FSU in a way that's prolonged and over the next couple of weeks that we make a show of happening in FSU in a way that's prolonged. And over the next couple of weeks that we make a show of FSU has been wronged here and the Miami show is gonna weirdly defend FSU. Well, it is an eventful week for FSU, for obvious reasons and not so obvious reasons. I don't know how deep into portal season

our audience is or all the rumor in the new window surrounding recruiting. But let's begin with the threatening of lawsuits and how their week is going just from a CFP perspective. They're calls to ban the to to boycott the orange ball. The orange ball. You are why you did it. Oh my god. All right, I'll do the show like this for a while. You can? Yeah. A while. All right, so let me let me talk about the latest developments. 155. Going on with FSU. How many cigarettes did you smoke this morning?

155. So Patrick Payton is an edge rusher for FSU, a real good player. He posted on social media that he is entering the portal. And this is a type of player that you'd want to keep with your FSU, especially a team that is losing so much talent in the next year. There's all sorts of rumors that it's an NIL problem that the bag that he was expecting to be there wasn't there.

This is a very dangerous and precarious situation to be in. For all the talk about John Ruiz and Miami and all that, they haven't given this ammunition to the masses. You don't have kids saying they're not getting paid. So Jeremy, as you probably already know me, you see a football fan, this is a really dangerous slippery slope and they can go from CFP contenders to it all unraveling. Well, that's the thing with FSU is Mike Norvel.

Obviously built something pretty special with this team this season But so much of what's going on with the portal not only allows teams to get into the game of trying to get to the playoff whenever they're you know Building up a team through the transfer portal But you also have the opportunity for teams to completely fall out of contention when say a quarterback graduates or moves on and The rest of your team is leaving via the portal. One of the funniest things and it's not funny, but one of the funniest things that I saw in response to two, four, seven tweeting out the Patrick Payton was heading into the portal was an FSU fan responding and saying this week has been like a hundred September

11th. That's the right perspective. I'm not even talking about that. I'm talking about Stu Gotts' breath. We need a band. You smell good. I mean, come on, though. It's breakfast time. I know. You smell like an ash tray. 155 heaters for breakfast.

What is that, Mike? 191, like, what are we doing? Well, FSU fans are an emotional bunch, and I have to say they were wrong. I'm on, they were wronged by the CFP. I think that they should be in the college football playoffs. I'm also hilarious. It's also it's the fan base that would be the funniest for this thing to happen to considering how vocal they are in social media. Laying all the cards out on the table, you know, my ties to the University of Miami

and how that rivalry is with Florida State. I want to give as many qualifiers as I possibly can. I rate Mike Norvel. He proved a lot of people wrong. He developed Jordan Travis into a Heisman worthy contender to the CFP told you how important he is. Jordan Travis, notwithstanding, this is a team that was sort of built on a house of cards. Very heavy through the portal. Now in this day in Asia, there's nothing wrong with that. You saw how you can microwave a national contender.

However, when they all leave, you need to hit home runs right away. And you're off to a real bad start if Patrick Payton is leaving. Because in recruiting and in portal season, perception is reality. It is a momentum game. And if they cannot come through and retain their players, players will see that and just totally cross them off a list. So this can turn real ugly real quick for Mike Norvel who again, I rate as a coach that staff has proven in game adjust adjustments are great. They can develop the quarterback, but the rest of the roster all portal guys pretty much very few roster development outside of a few exceptions. So this could go away

real quickly. And that's unfortunate considering they don't even have the CFP to hold up as a reward for it. I'm tired of FSU fans, I really am. Like enough of FSU fans complaining, bitching, moaning about what's going on or what just happened to their team in their school. Get over it. Your quarterback got hurt. Then your backup quarterback got hurt. Now you're down to your third string quarterback.

The committee sat there and watched you score three points and against a Louisville team in the ACC tournament. You know what? I want the ACC final. I want more committees. I want a committee to decide who makes it to the NFL playoffs. I thought I'd do. Thank God Dan picked his head up because I thought he just got choked up. Yeah, he looks like he's dead. I mean, I do. He's saying he's tired of FSU. I am physically and awfully tired right now because I will tell you, Stugots during the pandemic has gained 70 pounds. Don Lebertard.

It's just a largely performance for we may be established on the soft, reasonable, loud. Yes, it happens. I'm so tired. Please stop. I'm so tired. Everyone, with the least I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat!

Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat!

Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat!

Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so fat! Hold on, I'm so already my getting a whole lot of people who are criticizing me because I'm breathing too heavily into the microphone. Yeah, and occasionally if you listen real close, your body will make a sound like an anaconda digesting food. Yes. I don't know if that's stress. No, I've been seeing doctors or sadness gurgling. This is what I imagine you look like after sex right now.

You look like. Have you been doing a lot of imagining of that? Not until now, but now I am only with the costumes. Winded and, yes, crazed. I'm just kidding. You know when you see it, yeah. An animal in the frame. I have, yes, everything Mike said is so.

It's funny because I'm trying badly to avoid a surgery. I don't want to have a surgery. And so... Toughen it out, gutsy. Yeah, like Tony. And what's happened is that I'm making some sounds that are unpleasant every once in a while. But this, how I feel now,

and the breathlessness of this particular segment only happens because in Chris Cody, I'm gonna need your help here because you're the one who puts to gots on my shoulders. I hear my back. That was hard. Like he is not liked anymore.

He used to be, we could throw him around the studio and treat him like a stuffed animal. He is not a person who is like any more. What you just threw on my back. This is the Seth, the Steph Curry backpack dream on green fight. Like what? It's what my life has felt like for 20 years, but never has it made me that winded to have it just happen that overtly on, on having the snake constrict.

My breathing is not something we've ever done quite like that, even though we've built the entire company around that. I've lifted two guts before and you are right. There was a, it felt like there was two of them. How much weight do you think I've gained? Like 50? I'm not throwing stones, because I'm right there with you,

but it's been a rough goal for all of us. You don't have to throw stones, but I just felt that what I'm telling you is that what I felt on my neck was a good deal heavier. If my eyes had been closed, if I could squint to see it, and you asked me who was on my shoulders, I would have said that's with lock. Like if I had to guess. I'll take it.

I've got to be honest. It's not a compliment. I don't know. I feel like I've been more shaped than he is right. Like if I had to guess I'll take it I gotta be honest not a compliment. I don't know. I feel like I've been more shaped than he is right now. I do He's skinny. He lost some weight. I saw him recently. What? I did check it out. Are we gonna do it? Turned your on that algorithm. Are we gonna do it to cathode? We've done so Stugas we've done so much damn work to make this an echo chamber Get out of the algorithm the cat on we've done so still got so much damn work to make this an echo chamber

Get out of the algorithm. I'm afraid to even Google him right now to find out because I don't want him in my algorithm I know how I got on to his algorithm He had a great video taking out Dion Sanders on not knowing his backup center's name I was like whoa this is making a lot of points and then I'm like damn I hate my ally Beat of him. I wanted to ask you because I don't want to get too far from this because I don't know. The way that we cover sports now is so poisonous and judgmental that LeBron and KD played yesterday in a marketing game that the NBA invented that is a huge amount of fun. And it's just great and amazing and artistic

to see the Pacers care about beating the Celtics like the thing that's artistic. And the Celtics not caring, I mean. Well, but Celtics care. You're not watching. Bigger fish to fry. You're not. Please admit to me, you're not watching.

I'm not. There you go. The artist tell who's not watching by their takes on it. It is fun, indisputably fun, and one of the fun things about it, and also funny Jeremy, because this part is funny. You see how much the guys care in a way that you don't usually see during the regular season,

and you see that it's at least in part because they can get the other guys on the bench. Some money that is real money and all of a sudden all you've added to the NBA is by throwing more money at the bench players. And by the way, if we talk about the collective bargaining agreement and where it is, the players have gotten screwed here. It's largely because a lot of times in these meetings where Chris Paul is doing the arguing on behalf of his players, the decisions that get made instead of being made for the value of the superstars end up getting made for some of the guys, the guys on the bench who have not as much power but can use the money a little bit more than the Chris Paul's and that's where the owners

take advantage of shit on these players because because their human beings at the end of the bench. The idea that the in-season tournament is something that matters because they're playing for money in the fringes for the little guy in that sport, the little guy. And that at the top of it, LeBron and KD would still stoo gots be fighting near the top of that sport still got to be fighting near the top of that sport. After carrying us for 20 years through this sport, I do think we need to appreciate for a second what these human beings are doing. I know we've poised in Kevin Durand. I know he is now bitter because of whatever the internet

has done with him. And I know that LeBron is still corny dad, but he's also a science experiment unlike any we've ever seen. The idea that he's still doing stuff at the basket that outfisicles people 15 years younger than him is totally nuts, but I wanna ask you within this, I wanna play some Kevin Durant sound

while we appreciate the fact that LeBron and Katie are still great at this, and now we're having the discussion that they deserve where Kendrick Perkins is saying Kevin Durin is the greatest scorer ever we're putting these people in the context we spent 20 years saying this one's not as good as this one Kevin Durin is not as good as this one but they're two all-timers to gods and we haven't you've given Kevin Durin no rings Lebron James has four of them and somehow has viewed as an under

achiever like somewhere you can see I'm trying to change the math he did it it no rings. LeBron James has four of them and somehow has viewed as an underachiever. Like somewhere. And you can see him trying to change the math. He did it with one title in Cleveland and if he gets this new trophy that's invented, you kind of see that. Manifests itself on the screen in a game that feels way more important than a early December game should ever feel. So kudos to the mba for this wonderful idea

i'll give you that you had a great game last night at five steals like he's into it and certainly this is helped okay it's helped guys be more into regular season games than they normally would but we're playing for christian wood who's making five million dollars a year that's that's the whole that's the thing behind it no there are a lot of guys want you as a sportsman to say that they're playing for a trophy which which should matter, and it doesn't have any kind of value or social currency right now, but through performances like LeBron's and Halle Burton's and seeing the emotion at the end of the bench,

then this trophy will start mattering when you can attach emotional moments to them. But it doesn't matter now. So winning an IST does not bring LeBron closer in terms of resume to Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan doesn't have one of those. You can't wait for that to age into two or three in season tournaments, turning into rings. But the cool part has really been like last night LeBron James has this huge performance in a game that matters. And he says, I'm trying to defeat father time. Like you get to have

these type of moments and these type of quotes that only come from that playoff type atmosphere. And what you saw the other night in Indiana was a playoff atmosphere. It was spectacular to see how the end of that game went. Well, we saw Sugots didn't have to. I didn't see it, but I'm not gonna allow you guys

to give a win in game 20 of the regular season and make it like some sort of meaningful win. Indiana patients have to have guys who make less than three million. They have three two way contracts on a team. You saw the excitement from that bench. I can understand why you're arguing that it's not the playoffs. It's not headed toward a championship ring. But to act like these games don't matter at all.

When there's clearly an extra motivation behind them and the fan bases are leaning into it where you're getting playoff type basketball at this point. I think the reason why this is so exciting is normally because November and December don't matter in this way. People are only paying attention to the NFL. People are only paying attention to college football and these games in the regular season aren't as relevant. Now these games matter in a way that has been so much fun to watch. Phoenix is out, the Lakers are still in, and Stugatts, I am surprised. Okay, I'm not surprised that you're not watching,

but I am surprised that we can't get you interested in the idea of these guys are pretty overtly playing for money. We're playing for extra money. I would think that if I put a TV show on, hosted by any celebrity and people get to play for money, and I tell Stugats that he could have an emotional interest involved in somebody winning more money and because the contestants care a little bit extra,

I would think that that would be a game show that you would wanna watch, or in general any game show like that, that gives away money. This is your wheelhouse. Here you have it in sports except it is offensive to the hardened sports fan. Really I've got to give them more money to get the emotion out of them. I have to give them more money to get them to not load manage and not care.

Like not look like they don't care. But it may be bigger than that. I might have to give them more money in this trophy to keep my superstars by giving them moment. Look at how Halliburton's bursting onto the scene. Look at the Pelicans who are a play and team presently that since a moment he was drafted, felt like they were fighting for their life

to keep Zion Williamson. They're in this final four now, and they'll actually have something at the end of the road to a mark of progress, a piece of hardware to show Zion. It's working, please buy in. I think it's a wonderful thing, and I hope that the NHL learns from it.

There's a lot of NHLB writers that are taking up this cause, make the winner classic, the big culmination of an in-season tournament. These are exciting things over in Europe, to have your little fledgling club be alive in something that actually matters. And I think you're seeing it in stories with Indiana and New Orleans. I feel like we're turning stu gots a little bit. You're not big the playoffs do it there. I saw your face. I was like, I think we broke a little little. But they can't, they can't like in in all reality. It's going to be hard for

Zion and the Pelicans to do something meaningful on the playoffs. I mean, really meaningful outside of the first round. Some of these teams can't do it in the playoffs, but they can do it here in these one game samples. And I think that's going to be cool going forward. And Tyree's Halliburton, he's the perfect example of this. He has become an NBA superstar in the last couple of weeks where people have been like, what have happened anyway? Really? No, it would have happened anyway.

No one would have been watching the Indiana Pacers if not for these nationally televised games where they take down the Boston Celtics at the end of the game. He is playing spectacular basketball, but you know what? You would have just said, do it in the playoffs. Everybody would have just said,

do it in the playoffs, nobody pays attention to the regular season. And now, in these couple of weeks, you've given him this platform to turn into the superstar that he rightfully deserves to be, and that is spectacular. Has this expanded the audience? Are more people watching these games?

Because I've got to be honest. They've got to be honest. They've got to be honest. They've got to be honest. Indiana boss and got over a million viewers going up against Monday night football, which is a good story to tell. Imagine if there weren't IST stakes on it, it would be a much lower number. already. Indiana boss and got over a million viewers going up against Monday night football, which is a good story to tell.

Imagine if there weren't IST stakes on it. It would be a much lower number. And you would have only had local broadcasts for it, right? Like I obviously I work on a local broadcast. I'm grateful for the numbers that we get. But when you look at nationally televised games to build up the narratives for players that you're looking to establish all year long, Bamada Bio is where we're talking about right he's gonna be a defense of player the air candidate he doesn't get that love until there's a nationally

televised game where he shuts somebody down tyrie's haliburton has taken advantage of this stage he now gets to do it against the box in yannis i mean this this is everything that we want at this time of the year and to get it in the middle of the regular season this is been a huge success Tony why are you laughing? Are you playing to the camera? Yeah, I was playing to the camera to ask.

It was looking at me. So Chris had been talking to my ear like, hey, you're on camera, nod. So when Mike was making a point, I would go like this. Tell us how the sauce was. Give away the bit. But then I looked up and I was like, I know, but you distracted me.

Oh, sorry. You know what cares about that? Oh, sorry. You don't want to care about that.