The Irrational Fan Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jesse McGowan and Jensen McGowan
Competitive Athletic Endeavors? We're probably watching, and talking about it. Come along for the ride!
After a long layoff, we have a lot of catch up on! between the Cubs struggles, and the Bears being selected for Hard Knocks. We do eventually get to a NBA Finals conversation at the (31:20) mark.
Thanks for listening!
The day, the hour is finally drawing upon us; and it feels like a national holiday for Bears fans. We spill all our emotions leading up to the draft and talk through dream scenarios and nightmare outcomes.
Thanks for listening!
NBA Reg season is over and we look back at all our predictions as well as looking ahead at the playoff matchups.
In the second half. we talk about The Masters and the rise of Scottie Scheffler and discuss just how far he can take it this year.
Thanks for listening!
We bring in recurring guest Codi Wasion for his final Fields thoughts before getting into a preview of a big year for the Cubs! Also, Baseball is suddenly in a weird spot with their biggest star.
Thanks for listening!
The Fields trade we all thought was coming has come. But its not the trade we thought it would be, and it makes the goodbye a little harder.
Its March Madness time! And as we are not what anyone would consider particularly informed, we brought in our in house expert Jeremiah to let us know what to watch for and the upset picks he's got locked in!
Thanks for listening!
Our takeaways from the NFL Combine and a run through Free Agency as well as our first Mock Draft of the top 10!
Thanks for listening!
As golf approaches its first Major, more upheaval continues to be rumored, and its just the fan that continues to lose.
Next we introduce a new segment with a NBA game of the week breakdown!
Thanks for listening!
Manual transmissions, A 2018 NBA Redraft and the biggest surprises of the NBA season coming out of the All Star Break.
Thanks for listening!
The Big Game is come and gone and what else is there to say? Mahomes has done it again and the Chiefs rip the heart out of the 49ers in OT.
Thanks for listening!
Its an Irrational Fan Podcast first, theres a guest host for the pod! wagering aficionado Jamison McGowan joins up with Jesse to bring you all the sharp bets and improbable parlays for the big game!
Thanks for listening!
Of Verve and Men!
Decisions were made, games were won and lost.
We take it all in and try to decide if the right teams won.
Thanks for listening!
Out podcast pace might be lessened but our enthusiasm is by no means dampened!
The NFL Playoffs are in full swing, so obviously we have to start with a 10 min book report from my recent reading fo the Lord of the Rings series!
Skip to the 13:00 mark if you just want to stick to sports.
Thanks for listening!
Its that time of year! We are looking back and nominating our winners (and losers) of the 2023 sporting calendar.
We will be handing out awards for:
Breakout of the Year, Bust of the Year, Team of the Year, and Player of the Year!
Its been a while since we've gotten to talk, so it takes a minute to get to the sports content. feel free to jump to 20:30 if you get sick of us talking about which Star Wars movie is best!.
Thanks for listening and Merry Christmas!
In this season of giving thanks, Chicago fans have little to be grateful for. Which franchise is our beacon of hope?!
We also discuss the NBA In Season tournament, Tigers Back! and a quick go-around the NFL.
Thanks for listening!
We discuss our early NBA regrets and good calls before checking in at the midpoint of the NFL Season.
Thanks for listening!
Its Part 2 of our NBA season preview megapod!
Check out part 1 for our preview of the Eastern Conference.
Thanks for listening!
Its the one year anniversary of The Irrational Fan Podcast! Which also means its time to run it back with the 2nd rendition of our NBA season preview over/under podcast!
Part 1 covers the Eastern Conference and Part 2 will be the Western Conference.
Thanks for Listening!
This episode has it all! Taylor Swift takes, Ryder Cup recaps, NBA trade reviews and NFL Quick Hits.
Thanks for listening!
Jensen says farewell to the Bears, for now, maybe, its unclear.
Quick Hits on the NFL, Formula 1, and Baseball before a dive into a preview of one of Jesse's favorite events, the Ryder Cup!
2 weeks of the NFL are in the books. Early Winners and Losers, RB value, and trying to understand the Bears real problem
Thanks for listening!
Week 1 is here and Gone and we're already completely wrong about everything.
Jump to the (15:00) mark to get right into the NFL reactions. I promise we don't complain about the Bears the entire time.
Thanks for listening!
You love it, you hate it, but fantasy football is a part of our lives. we bring on a special first time guest to give our fantasy predictions for the NFL Season.
Thanks for listening!
September is here, which means we are back and we are ready for the beginning of the 2023 NFL season!
Come along for a preview show where we predict division winners, individual awards and the Super Bowl itself!
Thanks for listening!
The US Womens Team exited the world cup on a low note, but we are riding the highs of a Cubs resurgance and the blissful optimism that accompanies the new NFL season!
Thanks for listening!
Football is back!
Among the many other things discussed on todays podcast, NFL Training camps have kicked off.
But before we get into our first look into the NFL season, we have lots of banter, a recap of the MLB trade deadline and a debate about New York vs Chicago. and a quick check-in on the USWMNT
Jump to (19:10) if you just want to get into the sports content!
Thanks for listening!
We start off with a brief discussion of Jensens cavalier dress code, before a Cubs and MLB check in as the trade deadline approaches.
Then we discuss the U.S. Women's National Team making a historic run in the World Cup.
Finishing up with our game for the week, we draft the teams we think are the biggest locks to win their respective titles in the next year.
Thanks for Listening!
Theres a little bit of everything is this one, and no NBA! (Mostly)
Lots of banter before we go into our highly informed breakdown of the 2023 Wimbledon Final and then a preview of the upcoming "Open" in golf by way of a recap of last weeks golf.
Finished off with a new game that we really aren't sure translates to a podcast!
Thanks for Listening!
Our final thoughts as the NBA finally heads into a summer break (in theory) As well as a mix of quick hits on Formula 1, Humidity, the Blackhawks, and Team building philosophies.
It wasn't an organized conversation, but it was fun!
Thanks for listening!
In a technically delayed episode, we talk about the NBA draft, as well as why the NBA draft has so few rounds. and then have fun putting together our all time teams of 3rd overall draft picks!
Thanks for listening!
We only missed one week but it seems like we're already a month behind! Join us for a look-back on the Finals and if we loved it or left feeling cold. We also have a quick convo at the end about this years US Open and LA County Club.
Thanks for Listening!
It's all happening this week. the Nuggets took back control of the finals with a game 3 road win, is there still a path for the Heat? Then we talk about two huge international moves in sports with Messi coming to the MLS and the huge shakeup in the global structure of the golf world.
Thanks for listening!
Its Finals time! the NBA and NHL have arrived at their ultimate series, but lets be honest. you aren't here for our hockey opinions. Instead, we talk all things NBA Finals, the recently defeated Boston Celtics, Jesse's best BBQ tips, and NBA/PGA player Comps?!
It's a fun one.
Thanks for listening!
The Celtics stave off history by fighting back and forcing a game 5, but do they actually have a chance. And the Nuggets are the team to beat no matter who makes it out of the East! And there might be a Michael Block rant at the end…Thanks for listening!
It was a busy week in the sports world with the NBA Draft Lottery, Conference Finals in full swing and the PGA Championship literally swinging away!
Come catch up with us on everything thats been happening all week and looking ahead to the weekend!
Thanks for listening!
We are midway through the NBA Conference Semi Finals! All 4 series have reached " Win or go home" status, so we check in with our predictions and whats stood out so far!
Thanks for listening!
Who did we love, who did we hate. Did your team toy with your heart as much as the Bears did ours? We break down all our favorite picks as well as the most confusing picks for the Bears and other teams.
Thanks for listening!
It's the biggest offseason for the Bears in a decade (or 4) and we preview what we hope and dream the Bears might do in the draft.
Then, we talk about the suddenly fun-again Chicago Cubs and why you should probably start caring again about Baseball!
Joined throughout by guest Codi Wasion.
Thanks for Listening!
After a week off, the boys are back to look at the NBA season predictions and talk about the most interesting Round 1 playoff matchups.
We also start the pod with some exciting personal news and quick look back at the Masters!
Thanks for Listening!
Its one of our favorite weeks of the year! Masters week! Come along for our favorite storylines, who were watching, and our winners picks.
Thanks for listening!
As the NBA regular season nears its conclusion, we look back and discuss our All NBA awards, MVP as well as a few other podcast specific awards!
Thanks for listening!
After our typical banter and general musings, we do our first pod on Formula 1! How we got into it, why we love it, and how you can get in on the fun too! Thanks for listening!
Hello Friends! It's been a big week in Chicago sports and we cover all our thoughts and reactions to the very active Bears as the NFL offseason is in full swing.
Jump to (15:15) if you don't want to hear about how much we dislike mosquitoes and social media.
Thanks for listening!
We take a break from the regularly scheduled programing to introduce The Ultimate GM! Aka, The All City Trade Podcast! With Special Guests Braylon and Spencer, we take the 20 of the top sports cities and start trading anyone and everyone to bring our fans what they want!
Come along for the chaotic ride.
Thanks for listening!
We are post all star break and the last quarter of the NBA season is here. We discus the new expectations for the busy trade deadline teams and what we're watching for as the NBA battles for playoff seeding and draft position.
Just ahead to (15:46) if you don't want to hear about Jesse's golf game or Jensens favorite food!
Thanks for Listening!
Super Bowl 57 is in the books! Jensen calls in from Mexico and we break it all down after discussing Jensens curious drink choices and our Question of the Day!
Jump to (14:20) if you want to get straight to the action.
Thanks for Listening!
Buckle up for a big one! Starting out with Super Bowl breakdowns, then making our way over to the NBA Trade Deadline (49:15) All the while, watching the NBA All time scoring record be broken. we cover it all in a big sports week!
Thanks for listening!
Here to break down the two conference championship games from the NFL weekend!
Thanks for listening!
Opening banter about re-watching TV shows and the Question of the Day! Then we break down our thoughts from the NFL Divisional weekend (16:14) before we make our selections for the NBA All Star teams (44:53)
Thanks for listening!
After a prolonger intro in which we cover everything from dog ownership to humidifiers, we talk about the NFL "SUPER wild card weekend" (11:02) and the upcoming divisional round.
Then, we have a good natured debate about what "easy plays" in sports are actually way harder than they look. (47:50)
Enjoy!
Starting off with a Bears discussion after they improbably land the #1 overall pick in the 2023 Draft, talking through what we think we want them to do, and what they could do, and how we are completely terrified of all the options.
Then we get into a draft of the 14 Playoff teams and our Superbowl Picks!
Thanks for listening!
Its the end of 2022! which means the inaugural Year End Awards Show!
Before we bring our nominees for the year end awards, we give our final thoughts on the 2022 World Cup and a brief discussion about the US mens team controversies that have come up in the last week.
We then dive into our end of year awards nominations! Categories include :Breakout of the year, Bust of the Year, Team of the Year and Player of the Year.
Listen in to see if your favorite players and moments match ours!
Thanks for listening!
Talking through our biggest misses in the NBA so far and if theres any chance they turn around. Then we go head to head drafting the Greatest of the Greatest! Thanks for listening!
We talk a bit about the USMNT loss in the World Cup, and what might be next for them. Then we start looking at the real Contenders in the NFL and who we think has been the MVP of this season!
Thanks for listening!
Special Shoutout to Owen Woltjer for the updated show artwork! Love you!
As the group stage concludes we take a look at the first 2 weeks of the World Cup, we talk about the chances that USA has to keep advancing as well as the surprises of the Cup thus far.
We finish with a draft of the remaining teams, because, who doesn't like a good draft!
Thanks for listening!
We take a in depth look at the US Mens National Team with guest Braylon Oliver ahead of the first match vs Wales. How was this team built, what are the strengths, weakness' and expectations for the USMNT in the 2022 World Cup. Tune in to get excited and prepared for the USA's run through the Cup!
We have our first guest, Codi Wasion take us through a preview of the 2022 World Cup!
We talk about Codi's journey into becoming soccer obsessed (7:50) and then he talks us through some keys facts and figures for the World Cup (21:20). If you're like Jesse and only really check in on soccer every 4 years for the largest sporting event in the world, this is the show for you!
Thanks for listening!
We accidentally spend the first 10 minutes talking about our mediocre golf abilities, and then dive into a draft of the 12 players we would most want to start a NBA franchise with.
Talking through the major points of the trade deadline, the most impactful moves and how we’re feeling about the direction of the Bears
We dive into the state of the NFL at the mid-point of the season. Who's good, who's bad, who makes no sense at all (Shoutout Giants)
We also take the obligatory dive into the not so good but not completely bad Bears.
We take in the first week of the NBA Season and talk through our best calls and biggest regrets from the season preview pod.
We continue breaking down the 2022-2023 NBA Season with the Western Conference Over/Under predictions and evaluations.
We kick off the conference with a NBA season preview in the time honored tradition of the over/under podcast (Shoutout BS)
Beginning with the eastern conference, we evaluate the upside and downside of each team headed into the 2022-2023 season.