Hour 1: Tony's Dad Purchases
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can we review a movie that i hope some of you watched because one of our brethren is in it and this is when i really wanted mike schur's phone number because forget the greg cody party invitation i would trade that which i never got and i am on air yeah you're on air you're on air i'm on air i'm on air and i'm on air the fact that i'm not invited to the 70th is just obviously more proof of where i stand and that's fine but i would trade it

With a player to be named later for Mike's cell phone number to talk about the documentary called Sorry, Not Sorry. I saw that. Hold on a second, though. Before we get to that, Chris Cody's got some news for you here you might like. Zaslo might not like it, but you might like it. David, I've seen the master list. And you're on it, my man. Hell yeah. Hey, good for you. You're on air. I've got news, too. You're invited to Danny GQ's wedding if you want to attend. I'll send a gift for sure.

Ooh. Zaslow. It depends when it is. I'm not saying no. It's sort of like, would you attend their funeral? I mean, would you attend their wedding? The answer is sometimes we send out invites that are fishing for a gift. I totally get that. And frankly, sometimes people invite you and they don't want you to come to the wedding. I love Danny. I can't imagine that he wants me to share his nuptials with him.

Put it on the poll, please, at Levitard Show. Have you ever sent out an invite just to get a gift? Oh, yeah. Yes or no? It can't be no. That's got to be an 84-16. Yep. Yep. I'm doing it with my son's bar mitzvah in a couple months. 100%. Dano.

Is Zaslow invited to your father's birthday? Is Zaslow invited to that? Honestly, he hadn't come up because he's like fill-in, so he's not here as often. No, that's true, but it doesn't matter. Fill-in's on air, right? No, I think you make a good point. David, let me ask you something. If Greg Cody, direct quote, if Greg Cody says, screw it, everyone who is on air is invited, do you think I'm invited?

No, because he didn't mean all the guests that appear. He's talking about the core people. Take a look behind you at all those great tiles. Are you anywhere on those tiles?

Wow. This is awkward. He's pulling tile rank. I don't think so. Is Samson on one of the tiles? Nope. Samson's not on the tiles either? No, but a bunch of discontinued shows are. I saw Louis C.K. I saw the documentary. I thought it could have been better. I didn't feel like they talked to enough people. I wanted them to talk to more of a range of people. But I did think it was a well-done documentary.

I think that the story is incredible. And I think what Mike Schur said, and I'm in no way trying to blow smoke up his keister. He had a line at the end where he talked about how the line keeps moving and how difficult it is to make decisions about who you work with. It's the art artist talk that Mike Ryan and I spoke about so many times from COVID on till today.

And he had a very interesting point about Louis C.K. And the documentary talks about what he did, which the story is just unbelievable. It's not as crazy as Harvey, but it's right up there. Really? And because I never view Louis C.K. in the light and having the power that Harvey had. But he did some just sick, disgusting, ridiculous stuff. And then he doubled down on it when he made his return only eight or nine months after being canceled by saying, hey, that's my thing.

I do that thing. And my view when I was watching is, well, wait a minute, you're not allowed to do that thing. We can all do a bunch of things. You can have your own thing, but your thing better not interrupt or be offensive to other people's ability to function or live or ruin their lives.

And his thing did that. And that bothers me. But if you're trying to just salvage your career, isn't I thought that if anyone was equipped to sort of try and figure out how to manage, however it is that you manage the public space of trying to get back in the game cleverly, that he could do it. And I didn't think he did it particularly well by just dismissing it as his kink when it when it affects other people. And you sort of need consent if you're going to be, you know,

masturbating in front of people without and you have the power over them like that. And what struck me, what Dave Chappelle did, and obviously he likes to touch the third rail from time to time. But for him, the way he did the victim blaming, saying, just hang up the phone if you don't like what somebody's saying, just walk out of the room. So many comedians came to Louis C.K.'s defense during this occurrence. It just made me crazy that how can it

anyone actually think that way because comedy is when you tell the truth and when you make people laugh or think about things they otherwise wouldn't think of and then they say, wow, that's funny. That makes sense. There is no world where it's funny to call someone on the phone and start yurking your yerk.

It's just it's hard to imagine. What is it that you found interesting about it? Well done, poorly done. Would you recommend it? The documentary? I would. I would recommend it if you're not if you haven't read the articles. I didn't know enough about the story. So for documentaries, my criteria is that did I learn something that I didn't know? Could it have been presented better with more guests, with more interviews? Of course. But I just learned a lot more and then did some more reading after. And that to me makes a documentary worthwhile. So I would suggest watching it.

And it will inform you as you decide about artists versus art. And that's a subject that really comes up a lot these days. I feel a bit flimsy in lobbying the criticism that I wish they had talked to more people because what,

becomes evident in both that documentary and the one on Spacey is you're already a victim and then once you start talking about it happened with Weinstein as well once you start talking about it you become all the more of a victim because of the way you end up getting attacked and

I know that people know that in theory to watch human beings under the duress of it when they become defined by this thing Louis CK did to them without their consent when it becomes something that becomes a stain on who their identity is and then on top of that they get attacked because people

really like Louis C.K. and they don't want to believe some of this stuff. When victims become all the more victims is one of the things that I get most uncomfortable around this. The lack of support from people who don't even have a dog in the actual intimacy of what it is that's happening, but they have a fandom here. And God knows what else men have when it comes to loneliness and hangups with women that makes them attack women when they've already been victims.

And I also found it tough to watch that the women who were the victims, they were painted as though their lives were not good anymore, that their careers were ended. And that may be true. And that's part of the story. But we put it in a way that Louis C.K. comes out like, hey, everything's great. I'm rich. Getting richer is still good. Everyone loves me. And these women who had the

really the guts to go forward to the New York Times and then to again relive it in this documentary. They're painted in a way and it was filmed in places that made it feel as though that they had not in any way been allowed to recover, notwithstanding even the documentary before the documentary. And that's sad, too. No, had their lives ruined by this, like had their lives, have their had their lives ruined by being Louis C.K. adjacent. That's what happened.

And I give credit to Mike Schur as well for him to relive his decision making process with Parks and Rec and having to examine the decisions that he makes as someone who is in charge of fame. That's when you're a great writer and producer. You you are a star maker and you've got to be careful which star you make. And sometimes you're going to get it wrong. And his desire to go back on film is.

Because I hadn't really seen him in a documentary before. To go back on film and discuss this, I thought, was a brave choice. Well, because he felt like he was part of the problem because it was an open secret. Everyone knew it and no one did anything about it. Everyone knew it and expected someone else to do something about it. On the Spacey documentary, Samson, one of the things that I thought was most interesting because they had on-camera footage.

just a straight Marine who had some difficulty getting on camera to talk about the Spacey stuff because other Marines were telling this Marine who had been subject to assault from Spacey, they were saying, I would have done this, I would have done that. And he's like, no, you wouldn't have.

You wouldn't have done any of what it is that you say you would have done. And then he had to leave the interview and he was cursing himself because of how powerless he felt in the face of being subject to someone else's power and not feeling like he could do anything about it. If you watch a documentary, if this guy didn't say anything in that spot...

you can't really armchair quarterback that one. I thought it was super interesting the way all of that was framed. They take a Marine who is, you know, he's even sitting in a way that says to you, I'm on the cusp of Green Beret masculinity, however it is that you define masculinity. And that guy was having all sorts of trouble and felt the need to talk

about how powerless he felt and had to walk off of camera and start cursing himself because he couldn't keep under control how it is that he felt powerless in the face of tiny Kevin Spacey. I gotta tell you, I don't want to watch either of these films. It makes me feel so awful just hearing you talk about it. Like, it's so morbid. I'm sure it's really well done. I

I don't want to sit there and watch this, and then I want to sit in a corner in a ball and just cry. I don't want to watch either of these films. I didn't continue watching it because I asked myself at a certain point, why am I going to continue watching this? Because I kind of know Spacey's side of things, and now I'm just kind of rubbernecking someone else's assault, which I felt bad about. But I thought about it today because it's the 26th anniversary of Saving Private Ryan.

Now, Kevin Spacey says there's an allegation from this individual that Kevin Spacey was pleasuring himself when they went to the movie theaters to watch Saving Private Ryan during that scene, which is kind of a Mandela effect because it's not the opening scene, but it's kind of considered the opening scene. And Spacey's defense was, I've never seen Saving Private Ryan.

I don't think that ostrich head in the sand defense is one that we should use here, Zaz. I think that just because you don't want something to exist, you can't turn away and make it not exist. I think it's important for these stories to be told. And the documentary you're talking about is Spacey Unmasked, and it got a lot of criticism. And Kevin Spacey has been on...

PR 101 as he's been fighting that documentary and trying to get his life back, claiming poverty and that he wants another chance and that he was never convicted and he was actually acquitted in England. And it is worth watching because it will just broaden your horizons. Well, I don't feel like it's head in the sand as if, you know, hear no evil, see no evil.

I know these stories. I watched the news. I know what went on with Louis CK. I know what went on with Kevin Spacey. But here, by watching these films, it's like, here, you know how terrible it was. You know these are bad people. Find out more morbid details and feel even worse. Like, isn't that what that's what it is? He's had to have watched Saving Private Ryan. Everyone's seen it.

Thank you, David Sampson, for being on with us. I can't believe the idea of pleasuring yourself to saving Private Ryan. What you're saying is not unique. You are not alone in not wanting more information about this. I do wonder, though, the murder podcast industry is doing great, so it seems like some people want more information on the morbid stuff.

A lot has changed over the years, audience. As you've been so kind in pointing out, my shirt size has changed over the years. Look, I started this show as a 19-year-old boy, and now I'm a 38-year-old dad. But

But along the way, one staple of my life has been Miller Lite. And those of you that have been listening to us know this. I've been a Miller Lite guy since day one. I've been pretty honest about that. So let's get down to the nitty gritty. What is the best thing about the original Light Beer Miller Lite? It sparked this debate way back in 1975, and we still haven't settled it. For me, it's the undebatable quality. It's great taste. And...

It's less filling. Whether you're out with your friends, at a game, at a bar, in the shower, Miller Lite delivers Miller time every time. You don't have to choose what's best about Miller Lite. It has great taste and is less filling. Tastes like Miller time. To get Miller Lite delivered right to your door, visit MillerLite.com slash Dan, or you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells beer. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories per 12 ounces. Fewer cows and carbs than premium regular beer.

This is the Don Levitard Show with the Stugats.

Tony, you are in the midst of graduating from a selfish toddler of a child into an adult who raises a child. Someone else is undercutting, Tony. You know how you've changed, Billy, since you've become a dad. You've become somebody, even though you brag about your BMI index, you've become a dad. Just BMI, BMI index if you're a dad.

My bad. I'm sorry. It's like an ATM machine. That's my fault. I'll put my BMI against anyone in this room. But Tony, you are now on the precipice of becoming a father and making dad purchases. Dan, I'm glad you brought that up. I am five months away from becoming a dad to a baby girl, which is crazy, just to say. I'm just in shock.

But I made my first dad purchase over the weekend, and I am glad to report to the boys and the dads in this room, the boy bought a grill. My first dad purchase, I bought a grill. Yep. It's not a preparation for a baby, though. First off, I didn't say it was a preparation for a baby purchase. No, I got the impression you were giving us a baby purchase. Yeah, I thought you were like, oh, I found a stroller. I've been looking at car seats. You bought a grill? Yeah, I bought a grill.

Since the dawn of mankind, man has debated what is the best way to grill. Some go charcoal, some go propane. Some people just celebrate a Wednesday, BBQ Texas style. No matter what you do, just make sure there's a Miller Lite in your hand. Trust me, there will be many Miller Lites. I got a Blackstone. You guys heard of the Blackstone before? It's a flat top griddle.

That's like a hibachi grill, but you could do a bunch of stuff on it. But it's not a dad purchase. Yes, Billy. Anything I purchase. It has nothing to do with your wife being pregnant. You could just have bought this beforehand. Anything I purchase is a dad purchase. Don't you live in a condo?

I did, but I'm moving. All right. Congratulations on that because that's weird to have on your balcony. Oh, you moved? Correct. Those things are awesome, but the upkeep on those, you got to clean those things because you got to deal with rust and stuff. He's talking about kids. No, I'm talking about his blackstone. No, the blackstone. It's like a cast iron grill. A lot of upkeep. You got to oil that thing down afterwards so it doesn't get all rusty. Hell yeah. I do love those things, but it's a lot of work. It's going to show me in the future of...

how to take care of a kid. Taking care of the Blackstone. Gotta clean it. Gotta do the right thing to it. Equivalent, yeah. I'll have to clean the grill more, honestly. Similar. You don't have to watch kids that much.

I'm at a real loss here. I didn't realize there was a debate between propane and charcoal. I thought charcoal was the correct way to grill. No, I got propane, but people like dudes who like to grill a lot, they give me the side eye because I have propane. Well, but I thought... I think I'm afraid of propane. I had a neighbor years ago where all of a sudden you just heard a big boom and it was their propane tank like exploding. Listen, I think we can all agree on whether it's propane or charcoal, whatever.

Miller Lite is the perfect beer. For a light beer that tastes as good as your barbecue. That's what everybody's been saying. Make your barbecue time a Miller time. I do want to just, you say it's been an age-old debate since the invention of the grill. Since the dawn of mankind. I was under the impression that it's always better to grill with charcoal. That charcoal was the way. It just takes forever.

It gets super hot. Hey, don't use it. It's too hot now. You got to let it come down a little. Tony's a dad now. What's the best way to barbecue? I got a Blackstone. Yeah. So I don't need to worry about charcoal. I got the flat top grill. I got the propane. Let that thing go. I got to be honest. Who cares about charcoal and propane? You're telling me you could pass the Pepsi challenge. You make a hamburger on each of them. You're going to know which is which. There's no way.

I mean, you could with the grill. You absolutely can. Certainly with a hibachi. With the charcoal, you taste like the smoke. That's what I think. The smash burger on a hibachi grill where you put the little onions on them. I think I can pass the Pepsi challenge. It's kind of snobbish.

I believe that you guys are unfamiliar with how fulfillment works, where if things take longer, sometimes you appreciate them more because they are better made because they have taken longer. I eat everything out of the fridge cold because I can't wait for it in the microwave. I eat it cold right out of the fridge.

Because the microwave takes too much time. Yes, it is. I need to have it right away. The microwave. I can't wait. What does Big Microwave have to say about that criticism? I can't wait. I'll take it right out of the fridge. I eat it right out of the Tupperware. I eat it cold. Like what? Anything.

Certainly pasta. Any kind of pasta. Love it cold. Obviously pizza for sure. Cold pizza works. I'll take chicken parm right out of the fridge. I'll eat it cold. I don't care. I don't have time for that microwave. I don't have time. Put it on the poll, please. Do you prefer your pasta cold? Lasagna for sure. Lasagna cold is awesome. Pizza cold is awesome. You prefer it this way? Yeah, yeah. What about meats?

Well, I just told you, like, chicken parm. I'll eat chicken. I'll eat the chicken. I feel like a chicken breast just cold, just like rip it up. No, no. Chicken parm. Chicken parm. You eat only chicken parm? You don't eat any other chicken ever? Well, yeah. No, no. If it's like grilled chicken, I'm not going to eat that cold. That's a little bit gross the next day. But a hamburger? No.

I'll take a hamburger right out of the fridge cold, like I barbecued it on my propane gas tank the day before. I'll take it out of the fridge. I'll even throw it on a bun. I'll eat it cold. I don't care. I think you're really wrong when you think you can't tell the difference in taste between a propane burger and a charcoal burger. I think you've got this really wrong.

I agree. And also, another thing that is usually up for debate is, where's the best place that I can get my tickets? And let me tell you something, that is now undebatable. That's how I see it, because I downloaded the GameTime app, I created an account, and I used the code DAN, and I got 20%.

What?

110%. That's the type of effort that I like to see from my secondary ticket marketplace. Last minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. That is promo code D-A-N. So I've heard a lot of the guys here talk about securing the perimeter. Yeah.

That's been something that's been brought up in my dad class, where you got to make sure that the perimeter is secure. Every night, just go out back, check out. This is when I learned that Chris, Billy, and Mike were all getting to a different age and responsibility when they started wandering around their lawn at night, securing the perimeter of their house. Like making sure you're safe? Yeah, I secured it yesterday. Pool guy left the gate open.

I got a dog that's celebrating her 12-year birthday today. God bless you, Roma. You've let so much light into my life. But I almost lost her yesterday. But thank heavens I secured that perimeter.

So with securing the perimeter, obviously we're moving into a new house. We're moving from a condo to a house. So now I have more responsibilities. There's a sliding glass door. There's a front door. There's a lot of doors, Dan. I got to make sure that all of them are secured. So I bought specific locks, new locks for the doors. Another dad purchase. He got that piece of wood for the sliding glass door. What do you got? Yeah, it's actually a metal steel pole. Yeah, that's the move. You can't mess with perfection. Unpennetrable. What? What?

They've never been able to top it. They can provide third locks for it. I'm still putting that wood plank down. Why couldn't you get into that back door? Yeah, the pole. The steel pole. I couldn't do it. Put it on the pole at Levitard Show. Is a grill a dad purchase? Because it seems to be something that is... It's a food purchase.

What does my kid need in a couple months? How about this? An adult purchase. If you feed your kid in a couple months hamburgers, the child should be taken away from you. It's an adult purchase. You're going to grill a steak and give it to your infant? Eventually.

We're going to have Pete Rose on here eventually at some point. Charlie Hustle. Also, I think we found the kid driving the boat, and we're going to ask him if he was going back to save or getting away. That's the question. We're efforting. 1115, Matt Sullivan has found him, we think. Wow. Okay, so the capsized boat, the boat that was capsized by a whale, and we accused that kid of fleeing the premises immediately. He was dipping.

We have secured the kid who discovered this, and we're going to find out whether he was circling back around to help the capsized boat or whether he was just getting out of there because the whales were attacking. Now, we're going to get a hold of that kid. Pete Rose, though, I was also told Bill Lawrence was supposed to show up at some point today, and he was going to bring an actor. Roy informed me of this. What? Roy.

Roy out of nowhere said that Bill Lawrence was coming and I've said an actor and he's like, yeah, maybe Vince Vaughn because the bad monkey is coming out on Apple. Vince Vaughn may show up. This is what broke the home. In the studio or just like in the Zoom? No, in studio. That Bill Lawrence was around here. I'll text Roy. Wait, Vince Vaughn? Vince Vaughn is coming here? I'll text Bill if you want, Dan. I watched Anchorman last night. Dorothy Mantith is a saint. Hey, hey.

I saw for the first time Anchorman 2. I had never seen Anchorman 2. The way that that news fight scene escalates in Anchorman 2, that's the most star power I've ever seen on a movie screen at one time. It is pretty crazy. I'm watching them in succession now because I'm enjoying my experience with Anchorman so much. It'd been a good

decades since I'd seen it. It was 20 years ahead of its time, making fun of the news and everything. Yeah, I mean, some of it you're like, okay, well, that's not as funny. Comedy is so difficult to age with grace, but, you know, like the timing of it, pitch-perfect performances are great, and I'm excited to see Anchorman 2 to see if I come out on the other side because it was such a difficult act to follow that most people kind of had the same opinion of Anchorman 2 is that it's not as good, but I wonder if that aged well. The way that Ace Ventura when Nature calls aged...

Because no one liked it when it came out. And now you watch it, that's the funniest one. Did anyone give them a window on what time to get here? Because it's very us for Vince Vaughn to show up here at 2.15 and no one's here. It was very strange for Roy to say out of nowhere that this was what was happening with our guest list. It's not something Look, I've been told that Pete Rose was going to be here for like four different shows. So I don't know if any of this is actually going to happen, but

Pete Rose is supposed to happen today. How do you feel about an 83-year-old Pete Rose joining us? The hit king, Charlie Hustle. Well, I hope he doesn't take this the wrong way, but now I can't take my mind off of the fact that Vince Vaughn might be here. Like, you've...

You've really put Pete Rose behind it. This ends with him on the hockey show, right? Bill Lawrence, Vince Vaughn, and the boat kid. I mean, Pete Rose. Will Vince Vaughn need any prep for questions for Pete Rose? Like, Vince Vaughn may accidentally crash because Miami, and then he's going to be talking to, like, a local Miami comptroller about corruption. Foot girls.

Can I ask all of you guys about whether or not you're interested in what some people are saying is going to be the movie event, must be the movie event of the summer. You're combining Deadpool and Wolverine. I have told you before that the Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool are the first times that I've been interested in this kind of movie because of how extraordinary I think the writing is. Yes.

for the Deadpool character and Guardians of the Galaxy. Wolverine is bringing, combining these two elements isn't something I would have thought to do. But this week, that movie opens, and it opens with a great deal of expectation. And hope.

I think most people are kind of like me in that there's Marvel fatigue. These movies are not as good as they once were. And I think a lot of that can be explained. We're outside the spoiler region in that a lot of the characters that you've grown to love are no longer a part of the universe. So it's going to be curious to see how Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman kind of save this whole concept because it is in desperate need of saving. I'm very excited. I got my tickets already. I bought my tickets a couple weeks ago. I'm going tomorrow. I have to see it as soon as it comes out.

I can't wait. Does anyone else here, though, think it's an unusual pairing the way that I think it's an unusual pairing? Well, no, it's part of the story. It's been the story the whole franchise. It's canon within the comic book. In fact, Deadpool, this is not the first time Deadpool and Wolverine have been in a movie together. Ryan Reynolds had a failed attempt, what is considered a failed attempt in a poorly reviewed solo. That's not a good movie. No, it's a bad one. But they have been flirting with this concept of bringing the characters together for a long time, and it was thought that after Hugh Jackman died,

the character with Logan, which was well-received, which is a rarity for a Fox Marvel movie, that we'd never see this. But then the multiverse thing happened, and it opened up this possibility to which this Wolverine that you're seeing portrayed by Hugh Jackman isn't the one from that whole universe. Oh, you know that for sure? Well, yeah, because in the trailer, they're like, this Wolverine let down his whole world.

We'll see. This is an acknowledgement that it needs fixing. It's also putting a ribbon on the whole Fox...

Marvel movies that don't actually mesh with the MCU. And there's a lot of breaking the fourth wall in one of the trailers. There's a dead enlarged skeleton of Ant-Man and Ryan Reynolds says, wow, Paul Rudd finally aged. So there's a lot of things that are going to be unique to the Disney versions of Marvel movies in this one. I'm into it. I have a Bill Lawrence update from Roy. I texted Roy after everything you guys said. Is Bill Lawrence coming here?

His response, yes, he is planning on bringing a guest sometime in the next couple of weeks. Don't have a date yet.

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Don Libetard. How do people always go missing in the mountains? Don't go to the mountains. And by the way, I don't want to bring racism. This is the most white people thing ever. Going missing in the middle of the mountains. It's the strangest thing. You go by yourself. You don't take a radio. You don't take a phone. You're missing for four days and they find you like 10 years later covered in snow. And it's like.

Don't go by yourself. If you're going to go on a trail, don't go by yourself. Stugatz. Put it on the poll. Is it the whitest person thing ever? I believe is what you called it. Going into the woods by yourself. Is going into the woods by yourself. I can't disagree with that, man. I mean, so black people don't camp? Yeah, black people don't hike. They don't camp. They don't go out into the woods. This is the Dan Levitas show with the Stugatz.

Before we get to not Vince Vaughn and not Bill Lawrence, but the captain of a nearby boat on a video that we showed of a whale knocking another boat out of the water, that captain will join us in about 10 minutes. Before we do that, though, because we have this collection of people here today, Zaslow, an old-timey sports radio host,

Tony, whose father invented old-timey sports radio. Stu Gotts right now isn't here with us because his love of sports radio is so large that he misses what WFAN does. I wanted to have a conversation with you guys about what happened...

And has happened most recently with the disappearance of Max Kellerman.

Max Kellerman, who has vanished as the sports media debate ecosystem, has shaken enough that Zaslow pointed at his television up here earlier and just said that guy when pointing at Skip Bayless and watching the 50,000 people left of whatever that following is. Right before football season, Skip Bayless is going to be gone.

Max Kellerman at the center of those wars was collateral damage on something. And if you were watching what was happening with us at ESPN, they tried to kill Max Kellerman after we left by giving him the morning sports radio show. And the reason I bring you into this, Aslo, is because I believe ESPN's strategy of figuring out that most people are disposable, including, they're saying, Stephen A. Smith, when...

And Burt Magnus talks about, well, we'll go on without Stephen A. Smith publicly. You are the beneficiary of what it is has changed at ESPN, where they've realized they can get a person who is a professional radio host, and they don't have to give the Max Kellermans of the world the morning radio slot. Max Kellerman was a prodigy in this business. Max Kellerman...

is exhibit a on how you have to be careful about how disposable the pieces can be because before around the horn he hosted imax on espn before pti he hosted imax and the way he got replaced was i'm more valuable than this and they said no you're not tony reali was an intern on pardon the interruption they went physically down a hallway got the guy who happened to

be there and he's hosted that show for 20 years since because he hosted around the horn he said imax which is where he went to when he went on fox sports net yeah uh forgive me uh yes you're correct that the original incarnation of around the horn was with max kellerman as host he thought he was more valuable than that he was a prodigy he was a prodigy in sports television and sports radio greatest hoarder since maureen luther king right according to him yes and uh

He has, I will tell this story, I don't think, well, I don't think you guys know this story either. I can give you an answer on what's happened to him, by the way. I have an answer, and I know what's happened to him, because it's what they tried to do to us. I don't believe when we were negotiating at the end with ESPN over our intellectual property, I don't.

don't believe they know that the amount of value that they were giving us in those negotiations. When I was in those negotiations, I was coming to realize, oh, they don't know that these feeds are this valuable. But the most scared I was during those negotiations was

was when they were suggesting doing to us what they did do to Max Kellerman, which is just, we'll pay you for the end of the contract. You can get the money and not have to work, but we're going to put you on the shelf for 18 months. And then you can see after the pandemic, how all of that goes as you try to reinvent it after 18 months. That's a long time. Kellerman, after being on everything ESPN was doing,

Kellerman has disappeared. Kellerman, a friend. Kellerman, whose talents I value, and I don't know how many people have noticed. Well, they're hoping not many, because that's the whole intention behind that stuff. It's also, depending on, I don't think Max is like this, but depending on the character of the individual, sweet!

Amazing. I don't have to really do anything. No, Max is like that. Because they were trying to kill him, Max is relieved from not having to avoid being killed anymore. Because the schedule he was keeping, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and then a show at 2 p.m. as well on television? Impossible. Yeah, there are worse situations at than being paid the entirety of your contract for the term and just being asked not to work.

Has something happened recently with Kellerman where you said, I found out what has happened to him recently? I only found out because Dan was wondering aloud and I saw a clip that he should be re-emerging soon because the term is about to lapse. Gotcha.

And I was just sort of throwing in front of the audience the idea of here was a person, unquestionably a star at ESPN, unquestionably, I would say, a star since he was like 15 or 16 years old on New York Access Television doing boxing expertise, somebody who had sophisticated knowledge on a variety of different subjects, and how quickly someone of even that

name value in a changing industry can be replaced. And the reason I bring it up to you, Zaslow, is because I believe what ESPN has done in general with radio while trying to profit off of the remaining embers that there are in this economy is...

Find a person who is a professional radio host and you don't have to go pay the person. You don't even have to make them an employee. Just make them a contract appearance-based person and do it in a way that is maximum professional, but you don't need name value. We will roll through here people who are good radio hosts. I think I've gotten lucky in that regard. I've been with ESPN Radio for almost a year now and

And I think what's going on now is probably different than what was going on before where – and I started doing stuff with them when they changed the lineup to the most recent lineup. It feels like they hired radio people all across their day part, all across their lineup. I'm a fan of what they're doing because –

And I got my shtick, but I feel like I've been doing it long enough now that everyone's kind of in on the joke. But I don't know if I'd have been able to do what I'm doing right now with ESPN Radio if it was two years ago. I feel like it's in a really good place where I have gotten lucky with the time. Yeah, and I'm going to try to be careful to navigate this because you do work on ESPN. But ever since they went on that licensing deal, when we were at ESPN –

We stuck out, I think in large part due to them realizing with Mike and Mike, "Oh, we can put two talents together that we're not really sure where they fit in. Let's put them on radio and magic will happen." Well, those guys were unique. Those guys were ultra talented and they had a really good chemistry.

What they got away from was usually you have proving grounds locally and then you get the network gig and you have refined your chemistry through years and years. What it became all too often, and many of our friends were stuck in this situation, is, all right, well, you have this new talent deal over at ESPN.

There's some language there about audio. We'll figure out what to do. And they'll just pair strangers together all too often, and they have to work out the chemistry. And that takes a really long time. Remember about the first year of our show, Dan. If we were in a high-pressure situation on an ESPN radio marquee, I don't know if our show survives if they just put you in a room with another talent and say, hey, figure this out, and you were ultra-talented.

Given, I would not describe myself that way. You're one of the goats when it comes to audio, dude. Don't sell yourself short. Well, this is where it is that I think some of these things are interchangeable. The thing that we have that is unusual is an audience stickiness that I don't believe will go where Bayless goes, for example. The allegiances that

you need, uh, the intimacy that makes sports radio, something that is different. Uh, you have to be careful with that. Even when you're Colin cow herd, somebody who's got allegiances because you need the allegiances to be so strong that you feel like, you know, this person and you're spending three hours a day with them. And if they're replaced by someone else, you don't want someone else. But the thing that I wanted to present to you guys, if we'd gotten stuck with, uh,

what you're saying is a desirable scenario, which is, hey, pay me for 18 months to not work. And I had to, like Anchorman, appear from the bar disheveled and blow into a conch shell to assemble my news team again because all of us had gone in our different directions for 18 months and I now had

to go get Billy and Roy and Mike and Chris from whatever they were doing over those 18 months. What other jobs do you think you guys would have gotten into? It would have to be unrelated. So like Longshoreman is back in play for Roy. Just hemorrhaging money in poker. Yeah. It's not like I'd pop up at Jefferson Pilot Sports. It would be express language that I couldn't be doing that.

So maybe super follows, cameos. Cameo would be back. Only fans. Billy, if I'm blowing into the conch shell, Billy, news team assemble, where is it that I would have been pulling you out of? I mean, I think I'd still be working in the industry.

But you couldn't, like language says, like throughout the term. I didn't have a contract. I would have just moved. Yeah, that's true. He could have just gone. Yeah. So you would have moved out of Florida? If I had to for work. Where is the industry right now? Can the industry outside of, I'm talking about sports radio. A lot of it resides in South Florida, given the ESPN lineup in terms of the talents that they're using.

But again, it's more of a licensing deal. The industry, Sugatsu is exploring what the industry looks like right now in a market where radio is still strong, which is kind of like it's always going to matter in New York. There's such an identity tied to their local radio. It's a bit different over there. But yeah.

We're all trying to figure it out. Look, we thought the industry was headed a certain place, and then we quickly learned that while we have our audio feeds, we also have to transition a little bit more and lean into video and build that out robustly. There was a strategy. We did have that offer, but we felt it imperative to continue the momentum of the show because in a free open market, it's harder to argue, hey, we're going to be a success idea.

outside of ESPN if you haven't already shown it. And thankfully, we grew our audio audience after we left ESPN and that was the bet that we made. I would have done a little this, a little that. A little import-export. My man. Tony was at ESPN for a great deal after we had left.

I would have just been blowing into a conch shell and Chris would have been wandering in from the Dania Highlight Poker Tournament. When you put it that way, there might be some regret.

Because there is a certain like Defo type of romanticization of that. I will tell you that Kellerman is relieved to not be sprinting on a treadmill anymore the way that he was. Can you imagine? We all saw Zaslow age about 18 years and 18 months. I've slowed down the process over the last couple of years. But morning radio. Wait.

Wait till you see how the shape Stugatz comes. Agree with me. When you see Stugatz come in here on Monday, he's going to be broken from three days of not having the stamina for morning radio. Are we sure he's going to be here Monday? Because I keep getting asked for planning purposes, and I'm like,

I didn't know he wasn't going to be here this week. There is one time, and this is like if you're a fan of us, a legacy listener, you might know who Brandon Guzio is. Brandon Guzio told me one time he did go to Defo's house. I was thinking about him the other day. I was thinking about him too. And I'm thinking about him right now because he told me like one time he went to Defo's apartment and there was a, his TV was a small TV. It was on a racing TV channel and it was on top of a mini fridge. The time? Yeah.

And there is a multiverse version of me where that's my life and I'm not upset with it. I don't think Depot's got any problem. No, he figured it out, man. He's at a car dealership doing trivia, saying the time he divorced himself from every relationship and society so that he could sit in front of a television that was televising Pimlico. Uh,

third race of Pimlico. There are aspects of that that to people that aren't in it seems sad. No. But there is a large part of me that's like, dude, if something goes wrong with my marriage, that's going to be me. That's going to be me.

I fantasize about being a 97-year-old with a heroin addiction who grabs the Chinese food that's left over from the night before, the honey chicken. Gotta be cold. Cold. Sits in front of the third rate at Santa Anita. That Chris Felica told me he's got a good feeling about. Felica still around? Dude, Felica is good for those tips in the group chat. What do you mean, is he still around?

No, in your heaven where you're 97, Felica's still around. It's not heaven if Felica's not there. What are you talking about? My heaven is much, much to bear, B-A-R-E, if it doesn't have the bear in the middle of it giving off gambling advice.

A lot has changed over the years, audience. As you've been so kind in pointing out, my shirt size has changed over the years. Look, I started this show as a 19-year-old boy, and now I'm a 38-year-old dad. But along the way, one staple of my life has been Miller Lite, and those of you that have been listening to us know this. I've been a Miller Lite guy since day one. I have been pretty honest about that. So let's get down to the nitty-gritty. What is the best thing about the original Lightbeer Miller Lite?

It sparked this debate way back in 1975, and we still haven't settled it. For me, it's the undebatable quality.

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