Ghost
Appearances
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
I thought he was going to hand me my son.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
The idea that that would be a complaint. A complaint maybe at the time, his first time coming back with Oklahoma City, back to Indiana, say, hey, I did a lot for this franchise. You say, hey, man, I think I deserved it. I earned it. It's all right. That's okay.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
He forced his way out. Okay, so then at that point, you just have to basically say, you know what? We've got to wait until the end of my career, and then I'll come back and I'll have a hero's welcome. You don't have his jersey retired, right? I believe so. I think he did a lot for that organization, and especially an organization that's got a rich history of championships outside of the ABA. So...
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
He definitely deserves to be honored, but to bring it up midway through his career as he's actively playing is just such an odd thing. But then again, he has a podcast. Sometimes you need the fill, right?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
pretty much. He was our Josh Allen. Our shining prince of a Josh Allen. Good, but not good enough.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
He's now three teams removed. I think the bigger thing for me is... like he'll get whatever honoring. It's just not gonna happen while you're active, my man. Like Mike said, those active memorials that we get is typically beloved player who finally moves on gracefully to another place. Not get me the hell out of here, this place isn't good enough.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
That guy doesn't get the memorial service or the remembering fondly while they're still actively playing.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Because when we play the video at the Hall of Fame, they want the video to be complete. What if you have an amazing, like think of a Kobe Bryant. He had that 60-point game at the last game of his career. You don't want to have a Hall of Fame enshrinement for him and then leave off amazing things that happen after the enshrinement. The idea is that this is supposed to encapsulate your entire career.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
I forgot all about that catfishing thing.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
It's kind of crazy. Think about it like at the height of their careers. Would you rather have Paul George at his best or Sabonis and Oladipo? I think I'd rather have Sabonis and Oladipo.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
That's what happens when every shot you take is a three-pointer.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Oh, yeah, of course.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Yeah, like I think that's the thing. Unlike baseball, a sport that's very married to certain numbers, basketball is just basketball. Like Mike just pointed out, a great example is three-point shooting. Another one that I bring up is offensive rating. Did you know that like 45 of the top 50 best offenses of all time have happened since COVID? Like that's insane.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Where average teams in these last few years are among the top 50 of greatest all time.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
I think when you're 6'9", you can play however you want to play. Like, you're a 6'9 point guard, you can play any way you want to play, but yes, it is harder... it would be harder for a smaller player.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
So the example a lot of people bring up a lot is Isaiah Thomas, the original Isaiah Thomas, that like, hey, this is a guy who shot, what is it, 29% from three for his career, never shot higher than 31%, and that was like, oh, excuse me, 33.8%, which is awful by modern standards. He attempted less than a three-pointer a game for much of his career. Yes.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
And no, because empirically, I can look at Isaiah Thomas and say, this is a guy who has all of the characteristics of someone who can shoot, right? The only reason he couldn't shoot threes was A, part of it is he didn't shoot threes. So many of those attempts that you're seeing are heaves and end of shot clock and not like true, I lined up and took this shot.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
And B, you gotta understand, players like Magic, like Isaiah Thomas, that whole era, They didn't see a three-point line until they got to the NBA. There was no three-point line in high school. There was no three-point line in college. They got to the NBA, like, here's this line, and then every coach tells you, ah, don't worry about it. That's only in special situations.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
So I don't use it as kind of a judgment. I'm like, oh, you're garbage. You could never play like that. I think Maddie Johnson in the modern era would be a better three-point shooter, as would Isaiah Thomas, as would all these guys. because it would be emphasized to them.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
And again, that's mid-90s? That's late 80s. Oh, late 80s. But that's still not a widespread kind of adoption of this, right? You think about even the 90s, the first time we get a spike is when they move the three-point line in. And then there's a bunch of guys who are like, oh, I already shoot this shot, but now it's a three-pointer. Let me go ahead and take a three. But...
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
That's why, you know, Dan, you texted me the other day about, what do you think of Jokic versus Jordan? And I said, I don't like these conversations because they're kind of inherently flawed in that we're trying to compare, you know, things that are not of the same time. In the same way that I was saying, who's smarter, Chris Cody or Isaac Newton? Isaac Newton could work an iPad.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Isaac Newton could work a soundboard. Like, he could do all those things. So clearly, is Chris Cody smarter than Isaac Newton? I don't think so.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Tony, let me ask a question. Is it possible, because I didn't catch the feeling that he's just awkward saying the cool lingo. I caught the feeling that right moments before the press conference, you want me to say it loud? Okay, got it. Like he learned about it.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
moments before coming on stage he's repeating something that he was told to say or or maybe even he incorporated in his research for the press conference not anything he's never heard of it before that day for sure like when he was in tampa he had never heard that call i i have a different appraisal of this this is what i think happened the head coach and especially the first time head coach in a press conference has to be some version that is him but repressed
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Duval. There's pride in those eyebrows. What are you talking about?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
I'm about to get him with this one. They're not ready. First eyebrow is like, oh, yeah, I'm going there. Second eyebrow is like, went there. You came with me.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
How do we do this together? I guarantee you, not only is it confidence. Tony, he didn't even know he messed up until after he got off the press conference podium. He was like, I killed it. Let me see what Twitter says. Oh, my God.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
And you made it right in that you said multiple A's, one L. If there's one letter that's going to get sacrificed here, it's going to be the L at the end.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
It's easy when it's at the end, right? Like, I don't need this. I'm the Danny Glover. I'm too old for this shit. It's not an indictment on the new rules of engagement. It's just who has the patience and what stage of career are they at where they're going to tolerate learning a new language, right? Like, hey, your job just moved you to Russia, right?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
I'm really gonna learn Russian at like 62 years old? Nah, it's all right, we're good. I retire, right? Number two, I think the, I keep saying this, I don't think NIL is the thing that has ruined the game. Because again, most of these big programs, we're offering incentives, let's put it that way.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
I think it's a transfer portal that a guy can be like, I don't want to be here, I'm leaving, and I'm going to play somewhere else tomorrow or next season or whatever. That's the part that I think made it harder for many of these older coaches to kind of come to grips with that.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
It makes sense, though. Glenn Howerton, method actor.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Do you believe the term asterisk man to be a pejorative? I think an asterisk is neutral. I don't think I didn't say negative. I'm saying that the calling of you as Dan Levitard is an asterisk man. Is that a pejorative?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Alright, so then number two is, prior to Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds, who was the all-time home run leader in a single season? It was Roger Maris, right? Was it? Was it? Because he did it in more games than Babe Ruth did. So 61 asterisk was how they had it.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Yeah. But the point being is there was, you know, Roger Maris broke this record that no one thought would be broken. And for the longest time, They would not allow Roger Maris, who they thought was beneath the honor of holding this record that the great Bambino held, right? So they had an asterisk on that for the longest time.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Baseball came to its senses like, look, this is the record. The seasons are this. We don't need an asterisk. We don't need a footnote. And then, obviously, other people came along and hit more than 61, and we don't put any asterisks on that. Barry Bonds, he did it. With performance enhancers, as did McGuire, as did Sosa. Do we put asterisks to them for their accomplishments? We don't.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
So Saquon Barkley merely, they said, hey, this is a season. Go out and rush however many yards or whatever. Obviously, he didn't break it, so it's kind of a moot point right now. But the point is, had he done it, he does not deserve an asterisk or I don't think or whatever because these are the rules of engagement.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Eurocentrism strikes again.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
He's royalty then. Yeah. I don't know if you know this. He is.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Local Hour: Asterisk Man's Thoughts On The Tribute Video
Yeah, he is.