Transcript of The Big Suey: Aghast and Agog (feat. Nick Wright)

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Welcome to the Big Sui, presented by DraftKings. 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 if they're just there. If that hasn't happened to you guys? I've done it. And now, here's the marching man to Nowhere, Fatface, and the Habitual Liar.

This episode of the Dan Lebitard show is presented by DraftKings. Draftkings, the Crown is yours.

Zazlo has just returned from South Bend. I want to get some of his reporting. He says he was overtaken a bit, was surprised by the number of young people who are fans of the show in South Bend. Oh, so cool. That he bused in first class, bused in three hours. That was Yes, first class.

I was telling people about that all afternoon yesterday. Everyone loved that story yesterday. I'm glad no one thought it was a bit or it was fake. People were shocked by the story, and it's completely real.

Well, let's include nick Wright on this conversation. The story is that Zazlo, who's gotten first-class amenities as he deserves as part of college football coverage at the highest levels of ESPN, is expecting to fly into South Bend first-class. He gets there, and it's a connecting flight because Chicago is not that close to South Bend. The second half of his first First-class flight is a bus that is going three hours to South Bend, and he did not know that. So he's looking around, Where's my first-class seat? And he's on a bus.

Well, I'd love to feel badly for him, Dan, but I'm in a bad way.

I'm in a bad way. Well, here-Sorry, Zane. Okay, so Nick's feeling a bit self-I didn't really come.

I didn't come on to hear about your stupid bus trip, to be totally honest. I came on. What happened to nick?

No, what happened to nick? So thank you, nick, for correcting this. Nick Eric had a big bet he made on behalf of the shipping container, and he wasn't able to cash it. He's an honorable gambler.

It's so much worse than that, Dano. It's really a lot worse. So here's the deal. It's important, I think, from a journalistic and public responsibility standpoint, that if I'm going to come on this wildly popular show, as to your point, that young impressionable Notre Dame students are listening to and talk about swaggerering big bets with you, all these things that they see the other side of it, too. Because I imagine folks think, right now, I'm happy as a clam. Chiefs are back where they should be, the favorites across the board. Mahomes is favorite to win MVP. The now iconic play known as the tackle that turned the tide flipped the entire NFL season. So why am I bordering on insolvency? Just follow me on a journey, if you would, Dan, because I do feel badly for the shipping container, because I really wanted them to win that $5,000 I won from you.

It's such a gangster move by you in what you believe in, spiritually, to be able to just dump five grand cash here and there as you win big in public with big bets. I was proud of you for trying to give them a roll of gangster money.

Yeah, well, you know what? We We might have to drop the stakes. Again, I'm going to try to get through this. So here's the full setting. Here's the full scenario. I am sitting on a futures ticket that the expiration of is today. That is a stone winner that was purchased at 28 to one, that I have cashed that money in my mind. And it's a big enough winner that I am then giving myself the grace to take some bigger shots. We're going to try to run this up. One of the shots was the poker game right after I won the Lion's Bet with You. And that poker game was bigger than I can play in. I told you it was at a billionaire's penthouse. That was not a lie. I told you I thought I had an edge in the game. That was not a lie. But it was bordering on irresponsible to play. But I have this piece of equity in this futures ticket that even if I lose, we'll cover almost all of that night. And I did lose. And because of that, I wasn't able to give the shipping container $5,000. But crushes you.

For people who think-It crushes me.

Oh, my God. It crushes me even more when I knew it could have been Billy's goodbye present. I'm watching you cry, talk about Billy Gill. I'm getting emotional. And I almost, and thank God I didn't, I almost texted you after I saw that. Just give the whole thing to Billy. I'll be fine anyway. He's fine. He got paid. Yeah, he can go to hell. Okay. All right. But wait, guys. And I'm going to try to get there, but I want to do this story justice. But again, I'm okay. And then this weekend, I do as I do often, not always, but often, because I'm a reverse hedger. I don't emotional hedge. I don't hedge bets. I actually just go max pleasure, max pain. So I made a perfect Chief's Weekend parlay, which that is the chargers losing, check, the chiefs winning, check. And what's the last piece of that to put them in first place in the AFC West? The Broncos losing. The Broncos losing.

Oh, had I mentally spent that money?

Maybe. Was I agaced and a gog at so many things down the stretch of that game?

You've got to be shitting me, nick. You are a gog.

I'm not shitting you. And here's the other piece of it that you need to understand. I take screenshots of the cash out options and send them to my gambling consortium because I'll never cash out. Never. I ever under any circumstances because it's not EV and I'm not going to do it. But I'm texting my buddies. I'm texting your friend Adam Lefko, my friend Danny Parkins. Look at these guys thinking I'm going to let them off the hook. But I lose. But again, it's okay. That was more what I could win than what I lost because I have this ticket that, again, is supposed to pay out- Tony wants more information.

Tony wants more information on this ticket that you can catch- Well, that's what I'm about to explain.

That's what I'm about to explain, Dan. Because, listen, I know this is a DraftKings show, and I love DraftKings. I've done great stuff with them. I do stuff with Hard Rock. But there are certain types of wagers you can make that DraftKings and the traditional gambling outfits don't offer, which places like Calshe and Polymarket have started to do, which is futures contracts. You can basically be like, Hey, will Joe Bucks say safety on Monday night football? And whatever it is. So I dabbled dabbled in that about nine months ago, and I hit a nice, nice win on a few things to where that was a real amount of money. And there's a sports media piece of it that there's It's not a very vibrant market, but for instance, I smashed the over on Pablo Tori Peabody Award mentions, post him losing it because the marketplace thought, Well, he won't keep mentioning this. He didn't win the award. So that was over under five and a half in 2025. That cashed by August. So I've got a real amount of money in that account. And I bet no on a bet that I will tell you what it is in just a moment.

And no was trading it when I bet it at seven cents a share. If you guys don't know how it works, a winning bet pays 100 cents, a losing bet pays zero. So it trades like a stock market. So they were saying basically you had a seven % chance of happening. And as of two days ago, that was at around 91 %. And this was how I was going to pay off the poker debt. And that bet was prior to the start of the 2025-2026 NBA season, will Steven A. Smith do another media tour about how LeBron bullied him? He couldn't wait a day. Another. And tour means more than one appearance. Can't just be said in passing. And the day before the start of the season, I got to watch this guy go on and say, They didn't have the right camera angle. I got to watch. I got to see the pivot. And then all of a sudden, 7: 00 PM in Brooklyn and realize my The fire is crumbling because of one man's inability to take an L. And I just, Dano, I'm in a bad way.

That's all. So he suffers these things, Chris. If you think that nick Wright is fooling around, he is looking for market inefficiencies unemotionally throughout sports. This is a clinical- Made a chiefs parlay. No, but it's a clinical business to him. It's not because he believes just that the chiefs are that great. He thinks that he's exploiting an easy advantage.

The chief's bet is an emotional one. That's not analytical. I'll be honest, most of the other bets are pretty analytical. The chief's parlay wasn't... Again, guys- No, the chiefs will slaughter a team and then be kneeling victory formation with four minutes left in the game, and they'll pull Mahomes out in the third quarter because everyone agrees, even Pete Carroll.

Yep, let's wrap this all up. They're a great deal better than we are. Yeah, you had all that coming, and I was loud wrong for three weeks in doubting that it would be back at all.

Yeah, but on the bright side of that, Dan, you're not broke. Listen, we have to rebuild.

This is how it is. You're going to chase it now because you're in- Well, you can't not.

I mean, you can't not, man. I mean, I mean, was. Here's a question. I'm going to text this to Chris Cody, and he won't even understand it. Cody, don't put this on screen, but I just want you to see it. Let me to see if the phone is, if the time is even on there. Because when I'm texting Chris Cody is a picture from 1: 30 in the morning of me playing a game called Deuce to 7 Drama Ha in a Crypto Poker Casino. Okay, I'm looking. Yeah. I mean, that, by the way, I mean-Are you sending him an amount of money, a screenshot? No, I'm sending him a screenshot of a winning hand. Listen, this is the life we have chosen. And I just felt it was important for me to apologize to the shipping container for not coming through for them. And then also important to let the audience know, don't ever consider a ticket a winning ticket until it has won, even if all you need for it to be a winning ticket is the biggest name in sports media to his utter shame and embarrassment that he got, in his mind, I guess, punked on national TV nine months ago for one more day.

Nick, just to put it in From a human perspective, did you lose out on more or less than the cost of a human heart on the black market? Well, I don't know what that cost. That seems- Well, Tony told us it's $500,000. $500, okay. Oh, under. Did I, though, Yeah, definitely under. I mean, it's not...

But- You live in a dirtier world than Tony. The human heart is more expensive to Tony. Look, I think, Tony, you might think you're more gangster than nick Wright. Nick Wright is traveling. He might be. Nick Wright nick Wright is traveling through some regions where he could find out what a human heart cost because that's how desperate the people who are gambling against him. No, Dan.

I lay my sword at the feet of nick Wright. I lay my sword at the feet of nick Wright in dirtier places than I've ever been or I can even fathom of going.

It's not just dirtier places. It's a dirty off. It's not just dirtier places. It's that nick Wright, in order to bet an amount of money that hurts, like these stakes, he is caring deeply. He wants to be able to win so he can say, like Helms youth, I can roll off five grand and just give it to my buddies because I took these suckers over here. It's the whole spirit of who nick is.

Yeah, it's all true. Again, I can't tell this story publicly. I can tell it, but this watch, I won in a card game. Really? That's a presidential day date, by the way. For those watching, day date, which means it's even more money. Yeah, with the Onyx face and the baguettes. Yeah, I won this in a card game. Are those factory or those not factory? Are they aftermarket? No, no, no. This is this factory. All your favorite NBA players are back. In DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports bet and partner of the NBA is D placed to bet on NBA stars this season. New customers, download the DraftKings Sportsbook app now and use code Dan, that's code D-A-N, to bet five bucks and get three months of NBA League pass, plus get $300 in bonus bets if your bet wins. In partnership with DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gambleing problem? Call 1-800 Gambler. In New York, call 877-8 Hope & Y or text Hope & Y 467-369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.

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Howdy, listeners. It's Mike Ryan and Chris Cody. Hey, everyone. Hey, Chris. We love hanging out so much. You were at my birthday the other day. You're old. You know what I saw in your hand? What? A can of Miller light. Whether it's a can, whether it's a bottle, a draft pour of Miller light, the draft pour. You see that beautiful iconic color right away.

The cold. The ice coldness, dude.

Yes, Chris. The ice coldness to it. Whether you're hanging out with me on my birthday because I'm old or you're at a game, you know that Miller light just makes every special time a Miller time. That's how you make the special times by making a Miller time. Game day just hits different with Miller light in your hand.

Hitting different.

From jaw-dropping touch downs to fantasy heartbreak, it's a beer that has been there for every moment. Fifty years of great taste, simple ingredients, and that iconic golden color. That coldness, Chris. That icy coldness. That icy coldness. The original light beer since 1975 and still hitting different five decades later. Miller Light. Great taste, 96 calories. Go to millerlight. Com/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. I see coldness.

Dan Levatard.

I've never stepped foot on that campus. If you told me right now, your life depends on it, go to Santa Fe University and just take a picture.

Stugatz. I would die.

I don't know where it is. This is the Dan Levatard show with the Stugatz.

I'd love a top five list of Nick's top five. Things he's wanted a poker. No, Most Valuable jewels, Babel's Symbolic jewels.

This is number one. This is number one by a lot. And I'm glad I got to show it and tell that story because I'm about another 10-day downswing away from having to... You know what they say about fancy watches? What they say. They only You're costing yourself money by not getting one because they only go up in value. I'm about 10 days away from having to test that theory, Dan. Find out. Find out. Tony, I don't know. You clocked it right there. I When you can on or offline make me an offer, we can see.

It's more than I can offer you.

I know what it's going for right now. It's somebody who would buy it for, not the money I have.

You saw him clock it. You saw him say 70 grand, 75 grand. Did he read it on your face or did you say it?

Well, no, just the way he... I mean, the way he snapped knew exactly what watch it was. A man that can do that knows about what the going market rate is for it. Yeah, that's about 70, 75. If you go to a dealer, it'll probably low-cut you, tell you 50, but you don't want to do that. Clock that watch. No. I didn't even turn off phrase. How was your bus trip, Zaz?

I mean, Zaz, it'll just be quiet for a second. The story that nick Wright brings us.

Just ask Zazel a question.

Just be quiet.

No, I'd rather do what Dan's doing. Dan's right because he might have He might have... Dan's a genius for a lot of reasons. He might have... He might figure out the only way for me to feel a little bit better in this whole situation.

Well, let's do that. That's what I wish to do. I thank you for revealing your vulnerability. Also, because I don't think... I think that they think that you casually lost five grand the other day. When I'm guessing, I don't know if I have this right, but the stakes where nick Gamble with his heart, like where he actually cares about stuff, I'm guessing the fact that he couldn't call or make a video in the middle of the night that says, Here's the five grand I won. That was a great shame to him, a bit of a disgrace because he thought he was going to leave.

It was a great shame and disgrace. And it also was only because I had lost a mini multiple of that. Yeah, of course it was, especially because I'm supposed to be this great card player. I believe I actually am. And I'm losing to a bunch of finance dorks. Come on, man. It was covered in shame. There is no question about it. And then the real question is, did I, as the game ended, say, Hey, same time next month, right? And the answer to that is, of course, yes.

Well, so this is where we have-I got to spin this back up. But this is where we have to figure out what the stakes need to be, because before we were going to do white Corvette, I don't know what happened with that. But now we've got to start putting... If you're going to chase it, and we're going to... So basically-Yeah. All right. Yeah. All right.

Of course. Nick, what if this show, and by that, I mean, Dan, puts you in the game and we do a little 50/50?

We stake you.

We stake you. So here's the deal. I got, and then all... Again, I hope the audience likes this. I don't know. I got invited. There's a poker stream out in LA called Hustler, that they play varying size games, and anywhere from a $5,000 buying game to they have a game where everyone at the table sits with over a million dollars, like insane wealth. I got invited to a game that basically you would have to have a quarter of a million dollars to play and to feel comfortable. And I had folks, once they saw who the lineup was, offer that exact thing to buy pieces of my action, to stake me. So I put up 50, they put up 200, and then the split goes 80/20 money their way. I don't like doing that because I don't feel like I play cards. If I feel accountable to someone else, I don't think I play my best. I feel like I don't make a move that I think is a smart move because if I'm wrong and it looks bad, will the person think I dusted off their money? So I really only play with my own money, and I really wish that wasn't the case last week.

I wish it was all Dan's money. I'd have been sick. Not my problem anymore. This guy's trying to bet white Corvettes for a lark. I don't know. I mean, I guess Dan's been rich for a long time.

He's serious about it. Yeah, he's serious about this. Let's figure out how to do this. I want to continue to raise the stakes. I will no longer bet against Kansas City, though. That would seem to be foolhardy at this point.

Well, I mean, there is that. And listen, there is some solace. There's double solace. One is for my child's heart of my hometown team, the only sports team I've ever truly lived and died with being back to greatness that makes me feel good and pure and awesome. There is also the spiteful piece of me that wants there to be some form of accountability. And I'm not talking about you, Dan, per se, but you might be lumped in with this for All the alleged experts across every form of media that staring at a team that had been to seven straight conference Championship Games, five of the last six Super Bowl, three straight, and one, two of the last three Super Bowl. And because they started 0-2, They were like, Well, that's over. Clearly, they're broken. People I really respect. Steven Ruiz of the Ringer writes an article, The Slow, Boring Demise of the Decay of the Chief's dynasty. Bill Barnwell, three weeks ago, who I think is the single smartest person covering football, did, Hey, let's look at these trades from years ago and regrade them, and graded the Tyree Kill Chief's Trade, a win for Miami and a loss for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs have been to every Super Bowl since then. The dolphins are imploding. And then the Piez de Resistances, the king of the We actually get football mountain, pro football focus at Sunday, Dan, I don't know if you know this. I swear this is true. Sunday gave Gino Smith a higher passing grade for that game than Patrick Mahomes. And we're supposed to act like that's That can't be.

That happened. You're lying to me. That did not happen. I swear to God, go to Pro Football Focus. You are lying to me. That is incorrect.

On Sunday, they gave Geno Smith a 67. 2 passing grade, and they gave Patrick Mahomes is 62. 2 passing grade. That is a fact. Look it up. To which I would say a logical company would say, Boys, we have to shut it all down and pause. Click on passing grade, scroll down. Just for week seven. You didn't complete a pass for two quarters. For week seven, is that on week seven? You're lying. You're a liar. I swear to God, it's true.

They took Mahomes out.

The video just said, Give me a second.

They took Mahomes out in the third quarter. They were in victory formation with Minchou with four minutes left in the game.

And the smartest people covering football allegedly said, Well, when you actually look at the tape, Gino Smith played slightly better. That's true. So the At some point, all the football commentary is that stupid IQ meme, where the total morons and the geniuses, and by geniuses, I mean me, have the exact same take, which is, I don't know, the team with Mahomes and Reid that always wins will probably win. And in the very middle is the people who think they're smart. They're like, Well, when you look at the DVOA, the Ravens have actually been better, and it's the Lion's era. And Dan, I'm sorry, in this instance, you're the guy in the middle. I got to go.

I love you guys. All right. See you later. Thank you, nick.

I feel a little better after that. I feel a little better. A Chief's Colts in a month. Wow, that's a big one.

I don't know if he's back tomorrow or not, but we'll figure out what the stakes of this need to be.

Can I ask him one question before he goes real quick? You gave us the vine at the start of this. I think he's gone. Oh, damn it. Dan Levatard.

World Rar 3.

Stugatz.

We're going to get that off the ground.

World Rar 3, colon, And the group chat has a pretty good feeling about this one. This is the Dan Levatard show with the Stugatz.

I mean, he We're not going to share Steven A.

Smith opinions because Steven A. Had a day yesterday.

Yeah, well, I suppose that we should have this because, man, oh, man, there are a lot of people mad at him, and the Black community is feeling he's running off toward where Whitlock is without realizing it. And so some shit is happening.

Wait, can you speak for the Black community and not Dan? Yeah. You're good, Dan. There you go. You're good.

I mean, well, For the last... Look, Stephen A. Smith has parlayed an amazing, really amazing career from being fired at ESPN to getting all the power at ESPN. And then negotiating a really ground-breaking deal where at ESPN, they only pay him millions and millions to do first take, and now he's going to do the same thing in politics with his own radio show and his own empire. The political depths, and we're We're in a divisive time right now, and obviously, we're in a divisive time right now. If you have the depth and stomach for politics, it can't just be Fame as the currency, and you're going to be seen as well. You're going to get to the other parts of his day. But in betraying the Black community in some spaces where you're kow-towing to Donald Trump because he's in power in a way that can't be abided in the modern age, no matter how central you are. This has to be fought what is presently happening, and you can't turn on your own people publicly while feeding your political ambition.

I was talking about his LeBron takes and the Kyrie one, too. He was right about that one.

So this article- I don't know why we're towing cows. This article that you've handed me here that writes about a Hollywood ending, The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers.

Oh, there's some good stuff in there. I had forgotten Russell Westbrook was a Laker with LeBron James. I had put that out of my mind.

Makes sense now. You saw that video the other day where Russell Westbrook wouldn't sign the autograph for the kid holding a Westbrook Laker jersey.

All right. So I think, look, people can call Russell Westbrook a lot of things. I don't think fake is one of them. Russell Westbrook gives off he's real.

I think Westbrook looks good in this whole situation.

He does. And he's playing to a long-standing theory, which is as real as Russell Westbrook appears, LeBron, be it his revisionist history, his constant cappen, as Jalen Ramsey Westbrook is saying all the things I think that a lot of players are thinking. Lebron is perceived as a phony. You ain't reading these books. Well, that's part of it. The Ringer put out- You can't give me a single line from The Godfather, your favorite movie?

You can't give me Frato, I knew it was you.

If you like the juicy NBA locker room gossip stuff, and if you like stories about LeBron being a phony, The Ringer just gave you a catnip with this incredible story that apparently all came to a head revolving around this speaker series that the Lakers had put together. They had Kendrick Lamar show up, and they had Dwyane the Rock Johnson show up. And six months after the Academy Awards controversial slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock, they brought in Will Smith to speak to the team. And Dan, I've done you the service to highlight some of these incredible exchanges. The writer did such a great job with this article in The Ringer that I think we should let him paint the picture here. So can you please turn to the part where they get to this genius series that Rob Polinka had organized for the Lakers leadership, their players, as a galvanizing moment for the team as it got off to a slow start that season.

Okay, you're going to have to help me, Mike, because You guys handed this to me. I did help you.

I highlighted it. Okay, but- I'll turn to that page, Dan. I thought it was helping you by giving you a bridge.

The impetus, I don't know where we are in the reading materials, but The impetus appeared to be recent rumors involving Kyrie Irving. Lebron's former co-star was entering the final season of his contract with the Nets, a $36. 9 million player option.

You're hitting the right spot. Keep turning the pages and reading only the highlighted portions.

With multiple outlets reporting that the Lakers were one of Irving's preferred destinations and that LeBron wanted a reunion. Negotiations between the Lakers and the Nets went nowhere, and the Nets had no desire to take Westbrook back. For the Lakers to acquire Irving would have been by dealing Westbrook. Westbrook knew this, and he knew that LeBron did as well, meaning that no matter what LeBron said in public, the reality was clear. He was pushing for the Lakers to ship Westbrook out.

That's right. I remember that now. Now, all of a sudden, our minds are back at this point in time. Please keep reading.

Westbrook knew LeBron's reputation. He'd seen all the examples of LeBron seemingly misrepresenting himself. There was the time LeBron claimed that The Godfather was his favorite movie, but then he failed to recall a single line when asked during a press conference to name one. There was the time he carried the autobiography of Malcolm X into a media session but stumbled when asked to name his biggest takeaway. Look what they did to my boy. They massacred my boy. Palinka informed the players a special guest would be coming through. He'd created a program called the genius series, as you mentioned. Will Smith arrived right after, months removed from the Chris Rock slap. When Palinka and Ham left to fetch him, LeBron, seated in a middle row, stood up. You all got this, he said. He stormed out a back door Shit, man, Davis said. He stood and followed LeBron out. Stun, the rest of the players sat there looking at each other, unsure what to do. Westbrook rose next. So are we all leaving, he asked. Nah, Russ, said Patrick Beverly, a brash veteran, point guard the Lakers had acquired. We got to stay. Leave the gun.

Grab the canole.

Them two guys can do whatever the they want, Beverly said. They want a championship. Westbrook was thinking as a nine-time All-Star and former MVP in future Hall of Fame, or why would there be a difference between him and them? Palink Polenca came back in. Are we ready, he asked. We're not ready, Beverly said. We need five minutes.

Look at Bronson, he sleeps with the fishes.

Polenca left. Minutes later, I'm sorry, he says, I wasn't quite ready to have you do Godfather while Mike Ryan ordered me to read my own show.

Good stuff coming.

Ham reentered and sat silently at the front of the room as Westbrook and Beverly continued arguing.

That's good leadership right there.

He then stood up and exited through the same LeBron and Davis had used. Soon after, he returned with both stars. Next, Ham went to get Palenque and Smith. When they all returned, Smith was greeted with smiles and daps. He opened the floor for questions. Lebron was first. He had a question, he said. Smith answered. Then LeBron had another question and another after that and another after that and another after that. On and on he went, stretching what was supposed to be a 30 minutes session into nearly an hour. The same guy who was trying to leave is now quoting back movie lines and going through the guy's whole life story. One attendee recalled thinking, seating it in the third row, picking at a bowl of fruit. Westbrook watched in disbelief, shaking his head and rolling his eyes every time LeBron spoke. I hate that fake shit, Westbrook said to a teammate afterwards as the Lakers gathered for a team photo. I just can't do it. The next afternoon, the Lakers posted the picture on social media. There, standing a few feet to Smith's right was Westbrook. His face twisted in a team picture in to a scow.

Quoting movie lines of Will Smith after leaving the meeting. Incredible. All while, Will Smith just hanging out in the offices as the Lakers cleared this thing up.

Come to me on the day of my daughter's death.

Video team, can you put that picture back up for me really quick?

Because there's somebody really important standing to LeBron's right. Asking me for a favor.

That's Cole Swider.

Swider, what?

I thought that was Rob Lowe, honestly. Every time I see Palinka, I think the same thing. I can't help but see that it's a great Hollywood actor that's leading the bogus Lakers.

Everyone's so happy except Westbrook.

It's the most human thing in the world, though, for Russell Westbrook to not feel like LeBron's much of a bigger star than him. Then that Russell Westbrook, at the end of his career, wouldn't like being powerless in a room where LeBron can trade him.

I think it's also like Anthony Davis getting up and following him.

Anthony Davis. What a follower. Lebron gets hard.

I got to get up, too, now.

Dork. Roy did the same thing the first time we had Tim Kirkshin in studio.

Roy was just so overly eager to talk to Tim Kirkshin.

I'm like, This is fake, Roy.

Wow, you turned a 30-minute meeting into a 60-minute meeting. Yeah.

Where are you? Jay's his All-Star Weekend, Roy. You remember that.

I think Roy was genuinely excited to meet and talk to Tim Kirkshin.

No, he stole all the questions. He did a Q&A. Roy got all the questions.

Roy hogged the Tim Kurchin time. I still think about this.

I had gotten up early and said, You all got this? What's your favorite ball Park.

Seven questions in. Let me get a question next time, Roy.

Roy, what do you remember? How would you defend yourself on this front? Did you hog all the Tim Kurchin questions? I can't defend myself. Wow.

Indefensible. There's a picture out there of me, Roy, Billy, and Kurchin together.

That was the day. I got up. Tony followed me.

So you all got this, right?

Bimel was like, I'll get them.

How human is all of that? Lebron didn't want to an extra hour at the facility to be with Will Smith. The intimacy of that is cutting on both counts because I think most people... Lebron has spent eight years with the Lakers. It's longer than any other team he's been with. Westbrook toiled in his shadows while winning an MVP and being a great player. At the end, LeBron got eight years in LA, and Westbrook bounces around on the fringes of the league when that was an MVP. I get how the human dynamics of all of that would make Westbrook feel like LeBron had gone full Hollywood.

A scowling, angry as if there's any other kind, Russell Westbrook picking at a bowl of fruit because he is now in a meeting that has gone into 60 minutes when it was supposed to be a short thing, while LeBron is rose in front of him after threatening to leave, saying, Welcome to Earth.

I'm Mo Green. I made my bones when you're going out with cheerleaders.

That's a great point in the movie.

How will this stick to LeBron on- Just adds to the or Hollywood phoniness at the end.

He needs to lean in. He needs to lean in. I think LeBron's biggest issue, even dating back to wanting to wear the black hat because everybody hated him, was he obviously cares a lot what people think. You're at the age now. You're north of 40. Aren't we supposed to let some of that stuff go? I'm not saying stop being phony. I'm saying embrace your phoniness. Make it part of your character. Work with it. Be someone that That laughs at the joke, too.

There's this photo. That's the day. Roy, I think this is advice. That's the day. This is advice for you that Mike is giving. Wisdoms from the back row. Be the one who laughs at the joke as well. I am told that you hogged all of the Tim Kerkshan time. Desperate Billy still resents it to this day. Might have cited as one of the reasons that he left. Look at Chris Cody right in the middle there.

Tony and Mike, not pictured. And Lorenzo could talk, boy.

Lorenzo, I didn't let talk. Tony and Mike went out at out of the side door, like LeBron.

We worked at the Clevelander. I went for a happy hour. Got one of those umbrella drinks.

Chris, when did you- I just wanted to ask one question. When did you switch from the backwards hat to the forwards hat?

Good question. When you became ERP. Yeah, that day.

That is really what you did. That is what- Hat goes this way.

We need that hat to go this direction.

I guess it's time to grow up.

Colin Cauer would be proud. Yeah.

That's the last time I remember the Dolphins feeling this way was Cam, Cameron, We need the sumss to go in this direction. Well, that'll fix it, coach.

This is your version of corporate Chris? It is.

That is how Chris rose into the position. He took his backwards cap and put it forward. Zazla's on the climb. Zazla's vying for the same position.

He is a rising star.

He just came back from South Bend, and all he came back with, you will not believe how many people listened to your show in South Bend. It's true.

A lot of people passing by the Airstream studio is yelling Thai food.

It's your signature phrase. Be careful what you say. There's Corporate Chris. That's how he rose up the ranks here when he followed Corporate Mike into the abyss. For six straight months, he decided he was going to be someone who wore his cap in this direction.

Best I ever looked. Right there. I use that photo often.

I miss Christmas. What do you mean often?

Anyone needs a headshot or something? Hey, we need a photo for something? I'm like, Here it is. No way. There it is.

The LeBron thing, soap opera, welcomes in the NBA tonight with a double header where the same stars are the stars that they have always been. They've got the stage themselves at a crowded time because I really am ashamed. Again, for the second straight day, I am publicly ashamed that I am taking this long to talk about the baseball because it is flat amazing. Mike Ryan Baten switched me by text last night. He's like, Best two words in sports tonight. I'm like, They better not pitch to Vlad. They better not pitch to Vlad. He's like, Baker Mayfield. The best two words in sports. Walked right into that one. I did. I felt ashamed of myself.

I responded, Yes, I tricked you.

Best two words in sports, and I immediately want to talk to Ron. My analysis is they better not pitch to last. He's supposed to be a Mariner's fan.

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