On Wednesday’s edition of the South Beach Sessions podcast, Dan Le Batard had a painfully awkward exchange with new Meadowlark Media colleague Tom Haberstroh.

At around the 30 minute mark, Le Batard brings up Haberstroh’s mother Patty, her battle with ALS, and how she inspires him. Only Le Batard discusses Haberstroh’s mother as if she had passed away…which she has not. That led to this incredibly/awkward exchange.

Haberstroh: We should stop here and say she hasn’t died yet.
Le Batard: Oh dear God.
Haberstroh: (awkward chuckle)
Ryan: NO. NO.
Le Batard: $50 fine?
Ryan: $50 fine.
Le Batard: Okay, very good.
Ryan: How could you?
Le Batard: Okay, let’s leave that in there. That’s fine. That deserves to be in there. $50. Tom, your first thing here, I thought he had lost his mom. Jesus Christ. That’s terrible. $50 fine.
Ryan: $100!
Le Batard: Wait a minute…
Ryan: Paid directly to Tom Haberstroh, and match it to another charity.
Le Batard: I…this is horrific, what just happened here. Publicly, I am sinking into it, deeply ashamed. I am giving you a $50 bonus…
Ryan: How does one person do this so often? I’m confused by it.
Le Batard: Tom, I’m deeply sorry…
Haberstroh: I’m grieving now about my mother’s death, and you inform me I have a job, and you also inform me my mother just passed.
Le Batard: Tom, I’m deeply sorry I killed your mother. I’m sorry about that.
Ryan: How do you make this mistake more than once? Most people live an entire life without making this mistake. You’ve done it two dozen times.
Le Batard: I am so sorry, Mama Haberstroh.
Haberstroh: I just spent two days, three days, with her in Westport. I haven’t seen her in months. And it’s all a farce! That didn’t happen just then. She’s passed away, apparently.

Haberstroh then goes on to discuss his mother, her diagnosis with ALS, and the ALS Pepper Challenge. This could have had a terrible outcome, but Le Batard seemed appropriately mortified, Haberstroh accepted his genuine apology, and the conversation eventually got back on track.

After the show went live, Haberstroh’s mother produced a video, showing proof of life and upping Le Batard’s fine to $500 to be donated to ALS research (and even throwing in a mention that she got the show for good measure).

If this happened on an ESPN platform, the network probably would have done their damnedest to ensure this exchange never saw the light of day.

About Joe Lucia

I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.