Hour 1: Dan Le Batard Is An Insane Person

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1:00We're leaving today and entering a world of Mickey Mouse waving, princess meeting and greetings. Lightsaber clashing. The toilet's on tower of terror dropping. Banshee flying. Space mountain launching. Galaxy rewinding. What's the one that look galaxy rewinding? Bioworks igniting. World of other worlds. For whatever you love. Infinite worlds away at the most magical place on earth. Walt Disney World Resort. This is the Dunlabor tour show with this Tougat's podcast. He could become the MVP. We should all anticipate this, because he's got precision.

2:01Break this echoing throughout eternity. Safer throws a frozen rope in, and it puts his hands in a ruffin. It's a touchdown for you and me. Everybody do the fool, go fool, go. His quarterback is nothing tongue up a low wall. So come along, now rise and shout. Come along, I'm about to knock you off for you and me. That is the Puka Polka, I would like to never hear it again. Do you guys have an explanation for how it is that the Rams do that, like where they can just replace Cooper Cup at 2,000 yards for a season no-look passes in the Super Bowl? And then I don't think anyone had Puka Nakua being this. In his last game, it's a surprise that Puka Nakua only has four catches. I gave the stat earlier in the show that the Seahawks haven't allowed a 20 yard play on defense in more than a month.

3:05But when they last allowed it, it's because you cannot stop Puka Nakua. They will target him 18 times a game. They will get the ball to him 10 to 12 times a game. And I think it's pretty rare to have a player like that that nobody thought would be unstoppable coming out of college, being totally unstoppable. Do you guys feel like that's just the combination of McVeigh having the Hall of Fame quarterback and that he'll figure out a way to do that with whoever his number one wide receiver is? Yeah, I think it's equal McVeigh and Stafford. I think you got out the quarterback. He did it with golf. Yeah. He did it with golf when golf, he rescued. Golf's career made it to a Super Bowl with golf. There's just incredible alignment between the head coach, the quarterback who's an extension of the head coach, and also the front office that does a really good job of not just scouting, but scouting specific to their team, their identity, and for what their coach needs. He puts a value on wide receivers that can block down field. Speed isn't so much like something that they value.

4:08They like it. They have two to at well, who's obviously super fast, but they scout specific to what the coach wants, and they go out and find these gems that fit perfectly. Like, you don't believe that Nacua would do this with another team, right? Well, I just find that part fascinating, right? The I part, I find fascinating the idea that they can just turn Cooper Cup into something that's never been seen in the history of the league, where they're playing in a Super Bowl and they're literally winning the Super Bowl when all of us in the Bengals know, oh, look, all their receivers are hurt. Clearly, Stafford is gonna go to Cooper Cup here. Look at this, Stafford is doing no look passes in a Super Bowl to Cooper Cup, even though everyone in the stadium knows that the only healthy thing the Rams have left is Cooper Cup, and I don't understand how it is that one coach can do that, and none of the others can. None of the others can do that. I can understand it in every walk of life. There are people that are better at their jobs than other people, and it makes sense

5:08that football, Sean McVeigh, for my money, is the best. Like, Cup and Nacou are not similarly built, right? Cooper Cups significantly big. Well, they're both very physical receivers and what Mike says is true about they get receivers who can block, like many of the things that they do everywhere on the field are helped by the fact that their receivers can block. Pukinacou, as said, because of the style of play that he's gonna be done before he's 30 years old, because that is a very difficult way to play football. The way, I mean, they've got three tight ends, and I don't know, Higby to me is just somebody who's an assortment of junkyard parts, where you just put, I'm expecting sort of a carburetor to be somewhere in the temple of his head, because he's just, the way they play is unusually physical, but now they're going and running into a team. This is funny to me, right? That I've got Jared Stidham playing in a championship conference game, and the thing that I think is most untrustworthy this week,

6:10and is that Sam Darnal's gonna screw that up, right? And I don't think I'm alone in sort of having the doubt that everything that Seattle is is gonna get undermined by the fact that the Rams have a quarterback who is better, and in fact, the C-Hox are eight-no in their last eight games. The Rams are five and three, and have a lot of weird losses, but that spread is two and a half in favor of the C-Hox when normally if the teams are even, the spread would just be three, and I believe Sam Darnal is the reason for that half point, just a general distrust of Sam Darnal. I mean, I felt that way last week too. I thought the 49ers were gonna win that game. See, I didn't think that just because every year for many years I was fooled, always by the fact that the Wildcard team looks good during Wildcard Weekend, and then goes and plays a team with a buy, and that buy is, to me, the biggest advantage that there is anywhere in the playoffs. Like anywhere in the playoffs, the buy of a better team

7:14is good enough to get an extra week of rest, and the 49ers expend themselves that way to get past Philadelphia. I'm generally going to assume that the following week, the team with the buy is going to drag the lesser team, but I had to learn that the hard way. It's only because I was wrong for several years and always getting infatuated with, oh, look at what Josh Allen does in Jacksonville. That's gonna carry over, and then it doesn't carry over because I don't think that there's a greater advantage that the Patriots took advantage of in 25 years of Bella, or 20 years of Bella Check and Brady, then get the buy, make sure you have the home game, and make sure that whatever's coming into your stadium for the first playoff game of only two, you have to play to get to the Super Bowl is a broken team that had to play the week before. Yeah, it's high that the Broncos are perceived to be the broken team here, but yeah, the war of attrition. We know how physical playoff games can be. You're usually picking the bones off an opponent that's pretty soft.

8:14I think that the only thing keeping me from picking the Seahawks in this game is the distrust of Darnold because it's usually too much to ask about any football team, no matter how good what you're asking of the Rams, which is go win three road playoff games. Like that's just a giant ask, and it's a giant ask because Stafford's fingers were hurt in the first of those games. Just the amount of damage done to the human body makes it hard for me to look at this game and analyze it accurately because I've got such a pervasive mistrust of Sam Darnold. The last time I had this mistrust of Sam Darnold, the Minnesota Vikings who were 14 and three went on the road and lost 27 to 9 because the announcers were screaming at Sam Darnold because he was seeing ghosts. He's holding it too long, he's brought it man. So let me get this right. The only reason that gives you pause

9:16to pick the Seahawks straight up is throw it man Sam Darnold. What about Oz the Mentalist picking the Rams versus the Broncos before the season started? Glad he brought that guy. No. What's up with that guy? We've had him on before, he goes everywhere, he impresses everyone, he's one of two things, the biggest fraud ever or a warlock. I think it's a second one. Yeah. This is one of those two. All right, I've seen that. There's no middle ground here. All right, as someone that is traditionally watched a lot of AFC football on CBS, I've seen the promos for the mentalist. All right, I know that there is a thing there, really perceptive people that ask you a bunch of questions. But how did you nail the Broncos? It's cool to go inside the Rams training staff ask questions and yeah, you took a real reach there. This Rams staff and players, they're good. But how did you get Rams Broncos? If Stidem does this, guys, the government needs to call this guy in

10:18and make him a part of some special force that's not that hard these days. But he needs to be like protecting us. What a piece. As the mentalist would be picking the Broncos and so too would Greg Cody of the Miami Herald. Greg Cody has put in print that the Broncos will indeed beat the Patriots and as the mentalist is somebody and you can find many videos of this and I'm sorry if the algorithm grabs you after you've done it. But as the mentalist shocking people is something that is all over the internet. Shocking credible people with things that they don't understand how he gets right. And I believe most people would point to Warlock before they pointed to fraud because there are so many, there's so much evidence, quote unquote, evidence on the internet of credible people being stunned by what as the mentalist is doing. You would think somebody eventually would come out and be like, all right, before he did ask me, you know, nobody has like afterwards been like, oh, he asked me this though and that's how he knew.

11:20Like there's none of that. He's being too nice, which actually leads me to believe that he might be a Warlock of some sort because if you're a Warlock, you don't want people to know that you're a Warlock. He's causing himself a lot of money by downplaying how powerful he actually is. Publicly, he's very humble. He's like, no, no, no, I just pay attention. If you actually lean hard into Warlock, you actually might become a cult leader. There is no end to the power you could accrue. I'm saying global domination. We've already ushered in a new world order. Oz, you could be an evil leader if you choose to. Could run the cults. Let's advertise the cults or the cults. The Wizard of Oz. Let's tell all very worthy interruptions. Let's tell people about what it is that Tony is doing this weekend with the MMA hangout. He is hustling at all times. And I don't know if you guys have noticed.

12:22There are a whole lot of people who care about MMA, who are complaining vigorously about how Dana White has checked out that his indifference about going to press conference and selling things is obvious to everyone. I actually don't know the minutiae and the details and what goes on when you're making all of these changes. I don't know how much paramount needs him. I don't know how self-sufficient that thing is or how bored he is by the fact that he's been at this several years. And I could see why he would lose stamina for the press conferences. But a whole lot of people are noticing that Dana White has just almost completely checked out on the governing of that stuff. But patty the baddie is fighting this weekend. And he's one of the few signature draws that they have. So make sure the dead flamingo, which is always very good to our show, is something that you check in on this weekend. The MMA hangout UFC 324.

13:23You can watch it with us live. That's something that Tony has built out of nothing and it has become very popular. You start time nine PM Eastern, they will be getting going. And you Dana might have lost enthusiasm, but Tony and Lewis have not. So check them out live on our YouTube channel. Go watch it, baby. That is correct. First, UFC fight on Paramount Plus, by the way. Hey, it's Mike Ryan. And I want to talk to you about the random midweek hang that you have with your friends. Maybe it's an NBA game. You get a text, hey, come over, you want to watch the game and maybe you're like, ah, I don't know. I kind of just wanted to stay home and then you think about it after your buddy hits you up. And you know just the thing that'll make that regular hang, that regular midweek hang around the basketball game into a special time, into a Miller time. That's right, this happened to me just last week. I grabbed a six pack of Miller light, said I was on my way. And next thing you know, we're arguing about rotations like we're on the coaching staff, yelling about a miss call. And the games coming down in the final possession is one of those nights that you look around, you take a sip and you think, yeah, this was the right call. And my friendship's stronger for it.

14:24Cheers to legendary moments with Miller light. Great taste, 96 calories, 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. It's Miller time, celebrate responsibly, Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Love the night, reach for Zen after dark, a limited cocktail inspired series for those who get up when the sun goes down. Try Zen's Mojito, Spiced Cider, and espresso martini nicotine pouches. Find them at select retailers, available while supplies last. Zen after dark, bring on the night. Morning, this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. People always talk about New Year's resolutions, you know, eat better, work out more, et cetera, et cetera. We might still be early in 2026, but I'm sure most of you have already broken your resolutions.

15:25Me, I'm still going. My resolutions are simple, be comfortable, especially at the ring. If you know me, you know that hockey isn't just something I watch is something I live. Late nights, cold arenas, long playoff runs, you're on your feet a lot. And if your socks aren't right, you feel it badly. That's why I've been rocking Bombard's sports socks, the cushioned exactly where you needed, sweat wicking, supportive, basically built for movement. Whether I'm at the game skating a little myself or pacing around during overtime, like I somehow affect the outcome, they keep me locked in uncomfortable. And when I finally get home to break down everything that happened on the ice, Bombard's has the everyday stuff too. Slippers, teas, underwear, all ridiculously soft. It's the kind of comfort you don't think about because you don't have to. Hit the Bombard's.com slash stand and use code D-A-N for 20% off your first purchase. As B-O-M-B-A-S.com slash D-A-N. Code D-A-N. Don Lebatard.

16:25It sounds to me like everybody could use a hug because a hug is always the right size. Stugats. All I have put in my body today is three cups of coffee and an entire cup of hot water, the pound of vodka. Don't let him fool you. He said in the break that he's jittery. This is the Don Lebatard show with a Stugats. Speaking of watching things, we've been telling you for a while and everyone around here knows that when the University of Miami is relevant, college football is better for it. Monster numbers, just giant numbers for that championship between the University of Miami and Indiana. Not since the Cubs were winning the World Series as a sporting event, non-professional football division done the kind of numbers that Miami did. Chris Cody, do you have the sound for me of the Spanish call of Fernando Mendoza's miracle run

17:28through the Hurricane Secondary on 4th and 5th? The signature call by a coach in this game and Spanish is better as a language in terms of fun and funny than English is. Ay, ay, ay, mandó Fernando Mendoza. No face, he doesn't understand the campo. It's K-Lom Black and Corredor. This is a run that's going to say Creme Dosa. Creme Dosa, Creme Dosa. Creme Dosa, Creme Dosa, Creme Dosa, Creme Dosa. Creme Dosa, Creme Dosa. Ay, ay, ay, is exactly what everybody in the Miami fan base was feeling all men. Ay, ay, ay, fourth and five as. The best part about it is that's just as they're getting the play set up. So that is just his pure panic before we get going. Ay, ay, ay, ay, I want to always say this is a stadium full of Ay, ay, ay, before that ball snapped. And the Hurricanes knew what was coming and they couldn't stop it anyway.

18:29Like they knew what was coming. Yeah, they just got the call in too late, according to Cory Heatherman. It's an all-time play in the history of college football. When they put out a montage of national championship game moments, that's up there. I saw him talking Fernando after the game and that he's like, if it was zone, I'm running. If it was man, I was going to pass. But the Hurricanes disguised it. So he wasn't sure. So he just was like, I had to trust myself and go for it. Let's do what Mike is saying there, though, and take the context and the inventory of the moment. When Mike Ryan says correctly that what Mendoza did on that play, given the stakes, given the circumstance, fourth and five, again, I will remind you, and this is just unbelievable to say and the hangover is still felt in Miami. The win probability of Indiana given all of the things that you throw into the machine after having seen the game was 14% because I think many of us could argue. It's a losing argument because of the scoreboard,

19:29but we can argue that Miami is the better team. It's a nowhere argument because they lost scoreboard decides measurement systems and perfect is imperfect forever. Indiana had two touchdown drives in the game. One of them aided by multiple third down penalties. The other made possible by two, fourth and five conversions. When Mike Ryan says, it's a play for all time. He's got it right. But what are the others that go in that discussion when you think of plays for all time? Vince Young. Yeah, Vince Young's run in the penalty flag on Miami in the festival in terms of like championship game moments. Do you think other people think about that? I'm not sure. How can you not throw a throw? To a pass. To a throw. But average college football fan remembers Ohio State flag. The only reason that I would say that you have to remember that is because you never have the situation of fireworks in the sky. I think one team is the champion.

20:31Oh, there's a flag on the field. Never mind. The other team now gets to win the championship. It's just not something that has a precedent. But you're right. When you say that doesn't have a name attached to it, locally it has Terry Porter referee attached to it. But that doesn't have a name attached to it as a play. And usually when you talk about plays for all time, it can never be a penalty flag. And it's usually a play that has an accomplishment on it. It is a success as a game as a play. It's not something that you're just weirded out because you don't understand how a referee just decided a game. So Sean to Sean Watson for Clemson. But it's rare that the moment is not happening at the very end because I do think there was a huge pump lock and that's going to have its own set of lore. But I think you have a Heisman winner surrounded by a big brand logo on players collapsing on him scrappy Indiana guy displaying world class balance

21:31and strength literally willing his team over the line. Yeah, James with the touchdown drive for FSU at the very end of the game. Do you guys know what's funny about the Mendoza thing? I actually believe everything about Mendoza is both sincere and sweet. And yet when he jumped into the end zone there and extended the ball, I'm like wildly unnecessary. He could have just run in. And he did that because he knew the size of the moment. Yes, I didn't think it was necessary. I'm not sure you knew in the moment. Yes, he knew, oh, this is dramatic. I've got it. Back to that. That's great. I'm not exactly sure he knew where other players were. That is right. He's like kind of blinded and like putting all of my say you would have that frame into this. Yeah, I understand why because it was like extra dramatic. But he got spun around like a couple of times. That guy, you think that guy is like, ah, flair for the dramatic. I've got to extend. Not only Jeremy, do I believe that? Because I believe he knew he was going to get in

22:33but the other way looks more theatrical and wonderful. I'm not even criticizing him for it. I'm simply saying that that part he was giving you a little extra, it was not necessary because he knew the size of the moment. Man, I think it's kind of like the build up to him. I've got nothing left. I've just fought through hell and I'm just spinning around just diving in. I'm just going to javelin myself into this end zone. I am telling you that I believe, look, he got it by more than the length of his body. He didn't need to do that. Yeah, but that's going to be the sad shoe. Correct. To put his body in the first place for this. I'm not criticizing. I'm really not criticizing him. It's just very critical. How is it critical? What's critical about it? What's critical? It's just insane. This is the diary of an insane person. No, I don't believe it's the diary of an insane person. I'm going to watch this part. Watch this play again. Because I think you're way off. I think it's a little bit of bow. This is crazy. I can understand why I didn't with it. It was like he put a little flare on that. But I also think it's just like josh in and like I did it.

23:33He knew he was going to get in either way. So he did it that way. And it's the better way to do it. But he knew he was going to get in. He was there. He was already there. He was safe. And he was fine. You're making it seem like he's breaking down the sideline and had it the whole way. No, what I'm saying to you is get the illustrator out. Like six guys around this is nuts. Can we get that play on the illustrator? I don't believe we're allowed. I believe we can all we can do the still. Maybe Dan will recreate it. We can do the still if you guys want. But I believe he put a little extra mustard on it. What's wrong with that? A little extra sauce on it. A little extra theater on it. You guys are all disagreeing with me on this. Everyone, I am alone in this opinion of thinking that Mendoza put an extra little spice on it because he could because it's wonderful to be him. And he had his moment and he was in the center of everything and he knew exactly what it is that he was doing. And it was theatrical. I'm alone, OK? Yeah.

24:33Just because you're associating him with me doesn't mean he's doing something theatrical. I'm not associating him with you, although your narcissism is amazing and thinking any time I'm thinking of the theater, I'm thinking of you. Well, every time the theater comes up, you call me a theater case. Every single time. Which by the way, the New York Times says he's a derogatory insult theater kid. A new political insult. The numbers on these ratings says. You delivered that theatrically. Nothing on that way. I put a little mustard on it. The numbers on these ratings to have this be the biggest sporting event and non-football division. I know this is kind of cheating, right? Because every year, the top 100 things watched in America, 94 of them are football-related, professional football-related. And then the other six is like some royal family interview or something that Oprah did. But to have this game produce, this still doesn't help me. Damn, no, but no, you're not going to help you. You're saying you're looking for something that doesn't exist. Let's throw up a still image that Dan is looking at.

25:34Please, the still image that doesn't help me here. He didn't need a dive. Look at that. It's full extension. Yes, the still image has a club to handle. He's looking at you. Moan has a, I'm assuming it's a punch, yes. It looks like if he didn't jump, he'd be dead. Yes, that's what it looks like in the still. The still does not help me. I will concede the still, the still buries me. But in real talk, into the end zone as Dan described. I did not, you said he had it. He did have it. He clearly had it and he did it for the flair of the dramatic for a theatrical decision. They probably lose the game if he doesn't do that. You're an insane person. You lost your mind. He did not, if this does not help me to destroy him. I will grant you that this one does not favor me. This in terms of circumstantial evidence, this particular photo does not help me. But still not helping. He's getting hit from the side. He could have just run right in. Come run right in between all of them.

26:34Could have made it standing. Could have made it standing. You're without big shot dwindling. You think this is like the guy who dives into first base for the flair of the dramatic rather than running through the bag? That's what you have this as. He knew he was going to get there and he was going to get there whether he dived or not. The numbers though on the game. Why do you think that is? Because this number is insane. Miami has a brand that we've been told for 20 years is nationally relevant. I guess the Miami U Helmet does mean something. A lot of people have suggested the Indiana story has gone there. I think it's a combination of everything. These were two great stories. And obviously the most important component is the game was good. I think you're just counting the bump that it got from Domingo. The second half was good. The first half was a little bit hard to watch. The second half anytime you have drama of that kind close game, Miami ends up scoring three touchdowns

27:35in the second half and it's not enough. The second half of that game was wonderful. I also think that Miami in particular played like four really interesting games in this college football so even people who are like passive sports fans or casual observers. Yeah, my dad got into it because of the Cuban thing but the games that Miami were in were edgy or seed type of game so people were more familiar with this story. The balance of the entire postseason as a whole set the table so brilliantly for a final that really captured a nation. It looks like we got some breaking news as far as the college football playoff goes next year. They are not expanding. It's going to remain a 12. The top four, the four power four conference champions are guaranteed a spot in the top 12. Duke of course was not guaranteed a spot this year. They're going to be guaranteed a spot this year. The group of six champions guaranteed a spot and of course Notre Dame with the bullshit if they're top 12.

28:35They should keep it a 12 because there were six teams that were worthy of winning a championship among the 12 and we allowed to 12 in. But there weren't 12 teams playing extra games at the end of this season that could have won the championship. There were a bunch of teams in there half the teams that couldn't win the championship. Alabama, Oklahoma among them. But I'm not just doing this with James Madison and Tulane. I think hopefully the lasting legacy from this outside of what it's done to the sport because the sport is in scene juice right now is it did I think firmly chip away at this SEC narrative so that the next time you could certainly argue Notre Dame deserve to be in over Oklahoma and Alabama. I mean, the next time this happens, people are going to remember that. In sports championships aren't won alone. The one with the right people around you. That's exactly what into a topo tax brings to taxes. With topo tax expert full service, match with a dedicated tax expert who handles your taxes from start to finish.

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31:36providing smooth, efficient performance for both city streets and longer journeys. Enjoy the legendary reliability Toyota is known for in the all new 2026 RAV4. Learn and shop more at toyota.com. Toyota, let's go places. Don Libertard. Can I tell you something? I don't know, maybe like a month ago. And I decided to watch pitch clock. And I told Jeremy, Stu gots. This is a good show you're doing. This is the Don Libertard show with this Stu gots. I don't think this is like really crazy though, as a backlash, right? That Duke should have been in a team that lost what, five games and not James Madison who scored 34 points against Oregon more than most of the teams that they played.

32:37Okay, but still more than most of the teams that they played. And by the way, Indiana is basically James Madison. All of their difference makers, all of their coaches came from James Madison two years earlier. And yet we're just gonna say, oh, nope, because we don't like the uniform. Those are the teams that shouldn't be in. It's gone. All of you are calling me crazy. Look at this still now. If you're gonna use bias stills that favor or support arguments only, you tell me this is where Mendoza and I saw this is what I saw. Look, he's looking at the end zone out of the corner of his eye. And he's like, how do I do this? Do I run in or do I just dive? Let me get my husband moment here. His legs, his hips are turned the other way. Yes, but look at his head. Look at where his head is. This doesn't know. I'm sorry to exclude the audio audience this way, but look at his head. He sees it and he's like, right there, he's doing the calculation. I could go in normally or I can do this. Dives that make that makes everyone remember me for all time. Look, I love how Dan has him. Like he could just like look at him. Look at him. He's looking out of the corner of his eye.

33:39As if he could just like his show that he's tangled. He could go anyway. He could get in his by jumping. He could docey doe if he wanted to. Oh, not docey doe. He could docey doe. He could spin around. Yes, he could do. I thought I saw Dan side. I'm off that. His body's turned the other way. I want you to look at what you're seeing as a threat at his feet is a hurricane who has been pancakeed. What you are seeing at his feet as a threat is as a hurricane who's on his back with no ability to make that attack. He has hands. He could trip him up. He's sending the other way. Full head of steam. There is that. He has and his legs are actually pointed towards the end. So we're Mendoza. He could have done jazz hands on the way. Hello, my baby. Hello, my darling. I decided to dive in theatrically. I'm coming back. Hello. Good for him. Good for us. Let's play. No, no, I wasn't saying that Moten coming back is good for you. I was saying that Fernando Mendoza

34:40is good for him that he chose to go theatrical. Yeah, because that was certainly not good for me. It's a play for all time, at least in part, because he chose to go theatrical. It's a less impressive play if he runs in standing up. Are you remembering it the same way? The answer's no to that. Yeah, he broke like four tackles. Yeah, but you're not remembering the play the same way if it doesn't conclude with the punctuation of a dive. It's why I think Mendoza's going to be a great pro because might kind of turned him into Cal Mendoza in that game. He's not playing his best football at that time. And the pros is all about overcoming those little moments of adversity. And still putting the team on your back when you don't have your best. I came away from this entire season as as impressive as I could possibly be with Mendoza. And I think even though we didn't have the game that you'd expect, he's still delivered for his teams in the crucial moments. I think he's going to be an awesome pro unless the Raiders ruin him like everybody else. Let's play some sound here. I don't know how you guys feel about this.

35:40Many people have been in my circle texting me saying that Tom Brady has gotten a lot better. And I believe what's happening there, even though he probably has gotten a lot better, at least in part, because he couldn't have gotten a lot worse, is that he's now being compared to Roma who has gotten a lot worse. And here's Tony Romo talking about Josh Allen. Here he is calling a play and calling a game involving Josh Allen. Go ahead and watch. Mom's right here. He's going to go ahead and get back and look. What the hell? Tony Romo, have you guys noticed the slippage? Because there were the reports about 18 months ago that CBS had to stage an intervention that Roma was golfing too much and not concentrating on the broadcasting enough and that he was being less than workmen like when it comes to the things that are required, the discipline that's required from these announcers. You can't just go in there and wing it. You have to work at it. All right, we're on these devices that have a hell of a lot of influence. So I can't tell if I'm being swayed

36:43by other people noticing that someone's gotten good and bad because it's kind of timed out the same way. Is this confirmation bias? But yeah, I'm finding myself being annoyed by Tony Romo during these broadcast and longing for the dude that was there before. Also, while that's happening, I am noticing Tom Brady's not talking as much. And I'm liking the stories that he's given me and I think that the perspective that he's given me in these games is starting to get better and now I'm starting to associate his voice with bigger games which was also kind of foreign to me. But I don't know if I'm just like reading awful announcing and being like, they're making good points. For me, it's just proving how good bake a buck in Eggman R. Like, they are just the best. Well, you wanna talk about that. Have you seen the numbers for the Manning Cast? Down. Huge. Down, huge. You could always count on a million and a half more people watching. Now I was watching the Manning Cast even while I was on the air saying, I don't think this is as good as everybody's making it out

37:43but everybody was heaping praise on it in part because ESPN's Monday night football booth was bad. You get Eggman and Buck in there. It's 600,000 people watching the Manning Cast. Like, it's cratered. I've never actually watched Manning Cast. Like, I've seen clips, you know, but I don't watch games. Like, I have to watch the actual game. I don't watch games like that. I watch the regular broadcasts and I would also add none of this stuff bothers me. Like, people, you know, they don't like Romo. They don't like Brady. They complain about Collins' worth. None of this stuff ever bothers me. I'm never watching the game like, oh my God, this guy against on the call. I can't stand it. Okay, but that's you because I would say that in my history covering sports, there's very little that is more consensus unpopular than whoever is doing the broadcast on the game. I don't understand the distaste for Collins' worth but I will not say that there is not a distaste for Collins' worth. The thing though that I find interesting about this

38:43is that the broadcast is so sacred that people don't want anything that's new and I do. Like, I like that Netflix is trying to talk to Emmett Smith or Clinton Portis during the game because they're trying to give you something that's different. I like the manning cast attempts just like I like Dennis Miller and Tony Cornheiser in the booth but I am in the minority. As I am with the theatrical Mendoza diving at the goal line, I'm in the minority because people do believe that the broadcast needs to be sacred. They just want big and epic. They want Joe Buck and Troy Ackman to do it. That's not what I want. I don't want Joe Buck and just Troy Ackman. I want my sporting broadcast to evolve beyond the way it's always been done. But it is not, I am not with a popular viewpoint there because the sports fan just is like, give me meat and potatoes.

39:45I just, I just want the game. Just give me that and don't take any chances. Well, if you remember in the 80s, I think it was an NBC game. I think it was Jet Stoffens when they had no commentators. It was just game footage and game sound. Do you want that? No. I want you to take risks and to entertain me. I thought this is one of the things that's confusing about it to me, right? We live in an age where we all have a bit of ADD. We need extra stimuli. We need to be watching this and have a phone and have our computer and have four screens on. We want more, more, more. But not when it comes to the football broadcast. It's not true when it comes to the football broadcast. Somehow, 11 minutes of action, which is all that a football game gives you. 11 minutes of game action. Three hours and all you're getting is 11 minutes. People want less. People do not want anything other than give it to me the way that I've always gotten it. And to me, it's super weird

40:45because it doesn't run parallel to anything else in entertainment. Everywhere else in entertainment, you want more. You want more things, you want, you can't get enough of more things. The manning cast is an example. Now, I don't think that's done all that well because Eli and Patner are only so interesting. Like I do think that people underestimate the fact that performers on television have a skill set that former athletes might not have. Like content makers who have made content all their life are gonna be better at the making of content than athlete X who's been doing something else the rest of his life. I like side cast as a concept. I think they largely exist for social media traction. They live for moments. Big reactions to big moments because when your team's playing in that game, you've searched that stuff out. I do like all 22 and stat cast as a second screen experience. I'm with Dan and that I want more chances being taken but I want them being taken by voices

41:47that I associate with big time moments because watching broadcasts are nostalgia. And it took a minute for Fowler to get there. I wasn't the biggest fan of Fowler calling the games but he was doing it from a place in which his voice was still always associated with big time college football. So it wasn't that hard and he's also improved at that sport. I love knowing that when Toreco and Collinsworth are on a game it's going to sound big and people are gonna have their opinions but Chris Collinsworth laughing, there's a nostalgia to it. It's something you miss just like John Matt and I don't know how it would work today. I mean the guy's making crazy noises. He's an older guy like I'm not even sure how that would land but people love the character of John Mattin. The thing is though what's super unusual about football is that outside of what it is that you're presently saying that people are now rejecting the manning cast. Usually football is so enough that it does not matter

42:48who is broadcasting it or what's happening around it because Seattle Rams is something that people are going to watch and it really doesn't matter if we do it the way Roy is saying of make the broadcast totally silent. People will complain about it but they'll stay there and that game will do monster numbers. I don't understand that take. I really don't, I hear you. The manning cast is proof positive as to why the broadcast matters because they had more than twice the audience for that manning cast and I was one of those curious people because I hated the EESBM money and I put it. You're missing my point though. It's because you've got multiple options so people will select the one they're used to if the manning cast is all I gave them that would be doing the monster numbers. If the football is always enough the football doesn't need anything else. But money and football's ratings have gone up since Buck and Ackman have been there. I do think that there is something to a certain quality and editorial overlook on how good the game broadcasts are

43:49whether it's perceptible. I understand we're going to be there no matter what. I'll do that weird thing where there's no sound at all. I'll be there no matter what. Except for the AFC Championship game. I'm not watching that shit. EESBM's pre-game and post has improved. So I feel like that's for sure. It's not for all Ackman. No, and it's games have improved. Look, this has more to do with Mike McQuade than anybody at EESBM because what they produced on Saturday a playoff football was so much bigger than the bad Texans games that I've been watching for, I don't know how many years of Saturday football, wild card football, Saturday. How does that franchise always do it? They always play playoff games that I don't want to see. It's crazy. 17 different quarterbacks, dumb matter. And you and I are both liars. We're going to end up having to watch Bronco's Seahawks and it's not just because we have to talk about it the next day. It's because football's game. Feel the rush. Live thoroughbred racing is happening now at Laurel Park. The players track. Every Friday through Sunday, the gates open at 11 a.m.

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