Pointless Exercise - A Desipio Podcast: Recent Episodes
Pointless Exercise
The only podcast you'll ever need... Cubs podcast with Andy from Pointless Exercise, Sam Fels from Deadspin and Kyle Reichert. Bears podcast and Movie Deep Dive Podcast with Andy and actor/comedian Mike Pusateri. And, "Mike and Andy Reminisce About Some Crap" features Andy and Mike Donahue remembering Bears and Cubs greats...and not so greats.
A Cubs' season that started with such promise but basically flamed out at the All-Star Break met its ultimate demise at the hands of the Brewers in the first real round of the playoffs? Oleg and Praz are here for a supersized edition of the RECRAP brought to you by R. Bernard Funeral Services and the Pat Benkowski Sports Spectacular. We look back a frustrating game five, say goodbye to one outfielder and wish we could say goodbye to another, and we keep saying we aren't going to talk about the offseason, and then talk about the offseason.
The Cubs are back up off the mat and have forced a game five in the NLDS. Oleg and Praz are on hand to talk about Ian Happ, who apparently did something, Matt Boyd and the boys who showed a lot of spunk in giving Milwaukee a chance for an epic playoff choke. It's the RECRAP brought to you by Empire Carpet and the Pat Benkowski Sports Spectacular.
The Cubs staved off elimination and broke a historic streak of postseason run scoring futility (though they may have immediately started a new one) with a 4-3 win over the Brewers in game three of the 2025 NLDS. Oleg and Praz are on the scene to talk about the game, look forward to game four and if you didn' t get overly excited about the win, they have decided you will if they win again in game four.
The Cubs jumped out to a 3-0 first inning lead on the Brewers and spent the rest of the game in the fetal position waiting for Milwaukee to stop kicking them. Andy and Oleg handle the postgame duties and try to imagine a scenario where the Cubs finally start putting up a fight.
Sponsored by Murph's Union 76 and the Pat Benkowski Sports Spectacular, the RECAP tackles the Cubs wet turd of a performance in Milwaukee to open the NLDS. But, just like you'd do with a real one, you just flush it and move on. Oleg and Praz are here to wonder why the Cubs started Matt Boyd on short rest, instead of saving him for game two on extra rest which would also have allowed them to pitch Shōta with an extra day in game three. Hey, at the least the game was lopsided enough for Ian Happ to actually homer.
The podcast gets off to the same kind of shaky start that Brad Keller had in the ninth, but both ended strong with the Cubs finally winning an elimination game against the San Diego Padres. Join Andy, Oleg and Praz as they break down the game and series winner, on the RECRAP brought to you buy Binny's in 2016 somehow, and of course, the Pat Benkowski Sports Spectacular.
The Cubs became the first time in Wild Card round history to win the first game of a series at home and not sweep by winning the second. Well, at least no team that won the first game has ever lost the series. Yet. Gulp. Oleg and Praz are here to handle a very special RECRAP postgame.
The Cubs did a lot of unique things in game one of their Wild Card series with the Padres. They won for the first time in the postseason in eight years, they scored a run for the first time in 18 postseason innings, and they scored more than one run in an inning for the first time in 55 playoff innings. Oleg and I hopped on to do a instant reaction RECRAP podcast and somebody joined us from right in front of Wrigley Field. No, not a pantless bear. Well, not that we know of.
The Cubs and Padres have met in the playoffs before, and while Mike and Andy covered it in their epic three hour Remember This Crap on the 1984 Cubs, how about a chance to prep for this year's matchup by listening to just the portion about the NLCS? And if you haven't heard the full version, pack a lunch and check it out sometime.
The playoffs start on Tuesday, and Oleg and Praz are here to help preview the whole thing. Including the upcoming day playoff games at Wrigley, which should be really cool. Especially if they end like every day playoff game against the Padres at Wrigley Field have in the past. Who will pitch which game for the Cubs, what will the bench look like, Billy Hamilton can't really be a thing, right? Why Moises Ballesteros has to be on the roster, why Kyle Tucker can't be asked to sprint, and why the Cubs would win the World Series without breaking Ian Happ's losing playoff game streak. The guys discuss the other matchups and make their picks all the way to the World Series.
On this episode of your favorite short-form Bears podcast sponsored by a dead auto dealer and Pat Benkowski's Sports Spectacular, we discuss the Bears incredible (and often frustrating) win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bears showed a lot of grit, and an ceaseless commitment to committing penalties, missing blocks, missing tackles and doing dumb things. But they also busted their asses and won a game that it felt for most of the day they were going to lose.
The playoffs are a week away and David Brown is here to try to help us figure out if any of these teams is any damned good? We also discuss why a team would allow a player to have a day off in the middle of a playoff run to go to...well, you know where he went. They answer some questions the Cubs are facing about their playoff roster, uncover a new telekinetic power that Matt Shaw may very well possess, dredge up Terrance Gore memories while discussing Billy Hamilton, explain the three way tiebreaker for the Mets, Reds and D'bags, and try to figure out how the hell Houston is still in the hunt in the AL. We talk playoff TV assignments, and say good riddance to Clayton Kershaw. All that, and more.
It's time again for the ReKrap the instant reaction podcast about the Bears brought to you as always by the Bob Rohrman Auto Group and the Benkowski Sports Spectacular. The Bears got their first win of the season in dominating fashion, and it was fun to be on the good side of a Matt Eberflus defense versus Ben Johnson offense matchup for once. Caleb Williams had a big game, the defense created four turnovers and the Bears went on a scoring drive so long that Jeff Joniak even remembered to give a down and distance, once during it. All that, and more.
The Cubs magic number is dwindling, and while Marquee and the Score couldn't figure out how to calculate it properly, our podcast does. It's the Cubs pod with Oleg and Praz and Mike has done the math. And while the Brewers wait to win the division to celebrate, the Cubs should just go ahead. No need to wait for those losers to have a party. There's a lot to talk about, like Marquee's coverage of Ian Happ's retirement...we mean, Anthony Rizzo's retirement co-starring Ian Happ, and what were the odds of Moises Ballesteros hitting a homer right to Rizzo in the bleachers? Well, if you think that was cool, we have a Richie Ashburn story that will blow your mind. We talk about what other players would get a celebration like Rizzo did, why Boog can't pronounce Horwitz and why he kept saying Owen Caissie hit his face on some ivy when we're pretty sure the brick wall behind it did the damage. We talk about the return of injured Cubs, most notably Kyle Tucker and where Moises fits if Kyle comes back. Is Cade or Shōta the game one starter? Plus, why can't anyone who wears number one for the Cubs actually hit? All that, and much more.
The ReKrap is back with instant reaction and analysis to the Bears narrow 31 point defeat in Detroit. As always, the ReKrap is brought to you by Celozzi-Ettleson Chevrolet and the Benkowski Sports Spectacular. Sure, the Bears are 0-2, but the greatest coach of our lifetimes also started 0-2 and one of those was an embarrassing loss to Detroit. So, it's all part of the process.
The season is in it's final weeks and it's time for David Brown to help us decide what races are real and who still has a chance to force their way into the playoffs. They look at the closest races and the remaining schedules to see who might have a chance (Giants?) and who's already screwed (Texas?) Then they take a look a the incredible second half of Cade Horton and how he's clearly the best rookie pitcher (and player) and not that skinny giraffe in Milwaukee. They break down the list of guys with numbers retired by more than one team (thanks, Ian Happ for the idea!) They also ponder Anthony Rizzo's retirement, what a baseball ambassador does, and why the Cubs keep burying their Utility Tunnel of Fame induction during football's first big Sunday. All that, and more.
Your favorite overreaction podcast is back, it's the REKRAP, not to be confused with that other one of a similar name. We've got big time sponsors, and we're ready to tell it like it is, even if it makes you terribly uncomfortable! The Bears played their first game on Monday night and we'll break it down as loudly as possible!
With the Cubs tumbling towards the playoffs and the Bears ready to kick off it's a perfect time to catch up with The Athletic's Jon Greenberg. We talk about Boog skipping out on the Yeti Yard, Jed signing old guys to make up for whatever that was at the trade deadline, Carter looking forward to 2032, and whether the Cubs are more or less likely to sign Kyle Tucker now that his asking price is bound to come down. We also talk Petecrow's lack of rest, Tucker's calf and the glorious return of Billy Hamilton. And, Jon says Ben Johnson is "pretty normal for a football coach," and a redass with a heart of gold, realistic expectations for Caleb, and how much less awkward every press conference is. Is Ryan Poles the weak link, and we joke about Kevin Warren doing...anything. All that, and more.
With Praz off the continent it's up to Andy and Oleg to man the Cubs podcast and they really hit everything you want to know about your favorite team. Topic include: Ozzie Albies Hall of Fame numbers against the Cubs and at Wrigley, Carlos Santana's role on the team and his three Grammys, how Aaron Civale saved the season, when not to warn your sons that one of the women in the receiving line at a funeral has a beard, how to prep for your Bar Mitzvah readings, throwing up on a tree before your wedding, why teams need to get back to hiring more scouts, moving the trade deadline back. why Ryan Poles should have pulled a Ricky Renteria on Matt Eberflus, what to expect from the Bears this year but the media won't let you. All that, and more. More? Yes, more!
The baseball podcast is back with David Brown and we take a look around the league to see what races have been run and there's really anything left to decide. Are the Dodgers more or less vulnerable the longer they go through the playoffs? Why are the Brewers not a real rival, and will they ever be one? Can anybody in the American League realistically win the World Series. Would radical realignment make things better, or would we all just get even more tired of Cubs-White Sox matchups? All that, and more.
The Cubs Podcast returns with the suddenly red hot Cubs (they've won four of five!) taking on those pesky Brewers. Praz fills us in on getting tossed from the bleachers for (get this) being too negative about the team. If that was really a thing, nobody would have been allowed out there for most of the 90s. Should the team take the players' oven mitts away? Why are they bunting? Ever? Is giving Kyle Tucker a timeout really going to help. Is Owen Caissie the greatest player ever? What playoff seed should the Cubs be shooting for with the division seemingly out of reach? They even take a break in the middle of the podcast to watch an old "You Make The Call" which takes an unexpected twist, and you'll never guess what Johnny Bench could do with the entire Cubs starting rotation. I mean, you really can't guess it. All that, and more.
Things are pretty bad for the Cubs these days. They've lost 17 straight games when they have trailed at any point, they have lost seven games to the Brewers in the standings since August 1 and haven't gained a single game on them on any day since July 30. Kyle Tucker's so desperate to turn his awful slump around that he's (gasp!) taking batting practice? Petecrow's struggling. Ian Happ just sucks. Michael Busch is only good ten games a year. It's a pretty sad situation. So let's take a look at how they got there, what two fallacies Jed Hoyer keeps hiding behind (they don't have to be stacked very high to hide him), and why it's risky to bring Owen Caissie up, and not just because he probably blows. All that, and more.
The longest running franchise in the history of crap podcasting returns with Andy and Mike D. breaking down 150 years of great, good, and awful Cubs' second basemen. Do you know who Ross Barnes is? Of course you don't, but you are about to. From Ryne Sandberg to Mike Tyson, from Glenn Beckert to Jiggs Parrott, from Rogers Hornsby to Rey Sanchez and so many others, enjoy a century and a half of Cubs second sackers. You know, they've had some pretty damned good ones.
Jed Hoyer make a few solid moves at the deadline but botched any chance of fixing the Cubs biggest pitching problem, and so his Cubs find themselves staring up at the Brewers and their pocket pancake loving manager Mat Purphy...or Pat Murphy, whatever. Oleg and Praz are here to talk about it, and we provide a much better name than "pocket pancake." We discuss if there are any Brewers position players who would start on the Cubs, and give Praz some bad news about Justin Turner. We also learn that Turner and Petecrow did a very nice thing for some Japanese newlyweds they met in Tokyo back in March. We make fun of Thumbo and complain about how Marquee fails to cover key moments in games, and how the Cubs came so close to flawlessly pulling off their weekend of tributes to Ryne Sandberg only to completely fuck up the thing they promoted the most. All that, and more.
With the trade deadline mere tens of hours away (is that a thing?) David Brown and Andy discuss the risks of showcasing players you are trying to trade in the final games before the deadline, the costs of trading for rental players, trying to win and sell at the same time, and the varied personalities of GMs and how that affects trades. They also discuss Jed Hoyer's new contract, the chicken and egg of sports betting scandals and the passing of Cubs icon Ryne Sandberg.
The Cubs fell out of first place for the first time since April and who was there to catch them? Not us. Oleg and Praz join the podcast to talk about possible Cubs trade targets, why Rich Hill sucks, Andy feeling bad about agreeing with Adam Wainwright, why the DH rule changed so MLB could kiss Shohei's ass, lemonade stand scams, Tom House, towel drills, trading the Carjacker, MLB TV rights, James Acaster on Taskmaster and much, much more.
We keep talking about who the Cubs should trade for, but what kind of trade currency do they actually have? Plus, how Nico and Happ make an imperfect leadoff platoon. A brief history lesson on the real curse of the Bears, and a few bobblehead stories. Really. All that, and more.
The Home Run Derby included a homer robbery, a dad hitting his son and measurement controversies, so David Brown is here to break it all down. The guys also discuss Pat McAfee completely botching the pitchers and starters press conference when a reporter dared to ask a real question. They also talk about the first round of the MLB Draft and how the son of a former big leaguer went first overall but it wasn't the one everybody thought would, plus the Cubs drafted a kid with his throwing arm in a sling. Plus, MLB's TV plans and much more.
The podcast finally concedes to the video age and not only can you see Andy, Oleg and Praz, but did you know the open and close have video? Well, now you do. They take a look at how the Cubs rank on offense and get some pretty good clues as to why they're so good. They lament Seiya and Busch not making the All-Star Game, but one of them has a brilliant idea about how to get Seiya there. They discuss possible trades, British comedies and much, more.
Check out this not all AI created rundown of episode.
00:00Holy crap, look at that open!
02:11Discussion on MLB Trades and Player Movement
04:53Cubs' Performance and Statistics
07:41Analysis of Cubs' Offensive Strategies
10:25Cubs' Defensive Strengths and Pitching Staff
13:26All-Star Selections and Player Snubs
16:22Closing Thoughts and Future Predictions
43:28The All-Star Game Anecdote
45:39Catcher Performance Analysis
48:28The Catcher Position Dynamics
52:23Trade Deadline Speculations
57:08Pitching Strategies and Future Prospects
01:03:04British Comedy and Cultural References
It's time to take a look around baseball and tell the cold, hard, truth about whose season is already irredeemably in the crapper. David Brown joins the podcast to help decide what teams can be crossed off and can toss their players into the for sale bin. You might be surprised at the two teams who survived the axe, for now. They also go through Jim Bowden's handy list of players who are most likely to be traded (the Cubs can use them all!), some of which makes sense. Maybe. Dave gives a few first-hand observations about the Dodgers, what Mookie says is wrong with Mookie's swing, Shohei's cute little on deck stool and more. Then they try to take Rob Manfred's sad little outreacharound to the lowest paid players, seriously. All that, and more.
The trade deadline is still five weeks away, but Oleg and Praz join the podcast to helpfully give Jed Hoyer a shopping list of players he should trade for. They also wonder just what the hell Nate Pearson's purpose is, recoil in horror at the stats from Porter Hodge's way too brief (and way too bad) rehab assignment. They say nasty things about the Cardinals, St. Louis and their awful stadium, and somehow get derailed to talking the old St. Louis football Cardinals for a few minutes. It's another typically tightly focused podcast. So tune in for all that, and more.
With Dave Brown day to day, it's up to Andy to entertain you, but thankfully Jim Bowden and an insane trade proposal helps pass the time. What does Jimbo think Sandy Alcantara is worth? And how much more would it be if Sandy's ERA wasn't nearly a touchdown? Take a look at the rest of the NL Central and how well positioned the Cubs are, and then enjoy Rafael Devers completely sticking it to the Red Sox on his way out of town. All that, and more.
It's early June, the Cubs are in first place by five games and so naturally, Andy asks Praz and Oleg if they have enough to win anything important. All of the hot topics are covered like Evan Longoria's connection to the World Series Cubs, Rey Ordonez crying in the dugout, Bob Brenly's hot takes on grand slams and diving for the bag at first, Andy's dog's Brant Brown moment, and OK, some things that actually concern the current Cubs. Like, Ian Happ finally showing up, misleading Marquee Sport Network statistics, Michael Busch getting all of his stats in two hot streaks, and much, much, more.
Remember This Crap's tour around the diamond has reached shortstop. Huey is back to help talk about the greatest (and Larry Bowa) Cubs shortstops in history. As always, the guys go all the way back to the 19th century and work their way up to the modern day. The Cubs, of course, have one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history to their credit, and they have another Hall of Famer who owes most of it a poem. The Cubs have had some really good shortstops and long stretches of bad. Recent years have been pretty good. Let's dive and remember some shortstop crap.
After pondering when a new century actually starts, Andy and David Brown discuss the Cubs' All-Quarter Century team, and Andy explains his reasoning for so much Javy. They also wonder if the Corbin Burnes injury will turn the D'bags into sellers and if Zach Gallen is struggling or cooked. Where's Jac Caglianone going to play for the Royals? Why is cement falling on Dodgers fans? What's up with a drunk, overseas gambler hassling Lance McCullers? Seattke gets a prospect promotion video right. Somebody looks like the Tall Man. And baseball goes softball. All that, and more.
Oleg, Praz and Andy discuss all of the hot topics, like: can you bat Petecrow and Busch back to back, is Seiya a star, does Jed already have a contract extension, why doesn't Tommy Hottovy get more crap, and would you rather have the Dodgers' offense or the Cubs'? Plus they assign a new nickname to Reese McGuire, make fun of Ian Happ, blame one team for the lack of pitching trade candidates, mock a Mark DeRosa hot take and tell you which Michael Mann movie character Brad Keller looks like. All that, and more.
Matt Shaw is back and playing well, Cade Horton is looking good, Petecrow's on an MVP pace, Kyle Tucker is even better than we thought and Tom Loxas is here to talk about all of it. What could go wrong? Plus more announcer talk (groan, I know), what's up with the Bears these days and so much more.
The Cubs had a very thoughtful plan to fix Matt Shaw's leg kick. They apparently forgot to tell him about it until last Saturday. David Brown is here to talk about the Cubs third base situation, the Orioles firing Brandon Hyde and hiring Doug Mansolino's kid, Kyle Schwarber hitting bombs at an incredible rate, the Dodgers finding the guy with the perfect name for their pitching staff, Earl Weaver's smoke pouch, John Lowenstein's stretcher prank, Jose Alvarado testing positive for not wanting to be fat, the many reasons to shun Pete Rose, the White Sox still being terrible, and more.
It's the 400th Pointless Exercise Podcast! Either it's a huge hit, or we can't take a hint.
What should the Cubs do with Cade Horton and Moises Ballesteros when Ian Happ and Shōta come back? Why was Pat treating Ron Coomer like a meterologist the other night? Do we need to chip in for Boog's healthcare? Will either paper do the hack All-Chicago team before this weekend's series and would any White Sock actually be on it? Wouldn't it be great if George McCasey started dating a 24 year old beauty pageant sixth runner up? And did we know that George went to college at a party school? Are we really supposed to be surprised that Caleb and his dad weren't all that thrilled about being drafted by the Bears with the Flus at the helm? And don't get too excited about the McCaskey's selling some shares in the team to pay their inheritance tax. All that, and more.
Oleg and Praz join the podcast to discuss the arrivals of Cade Horton and Moises Ballesteros on the Cubs roster and discuss other great 22s and 25s in Cubs history. They talk about Cade's impressive debut against the Mets and try to figure out how to keep Moises on the roster long-term--before he even gets his first big league hit. I mean, how hard could it be for Michael Busch to relearn third base? They make fun of Vidal Brujan's oven mitts, take a look at some disturbing Baseball Savant profiles, where they even find somebody worse than Ryan Pressly. Andy celebrates the reinstatement of a baseball great from the suspended list, and it's not Pete Rose. And, they discuss Curb Your Enthusiasm and how it kept a guy off death row once. All that, and more.
It's time again to talk baseball with David Brown, and in this scintillating episode we discuss how the D'bags won the Paul Goldschmidt seven years after the fact! (Kind of.) Why math and common sense tells you that if the Cubs don't call Cade Horton up to make some Shōta replacement starts right now they might miss their window for the whole season. Is the Javier Baez rejuvenation a real thing? How do his current metrics stack up against his best year as a Cub? Could he recast the final years of his career as the greatest utility man of all-time? Are the Tigers actually really good? Let's make fun of a bunch of way too early Jim Bowden trade proposals and much more.
An intrepid reader searched for Neifi Perez the other day and was horrified and amused at what they found. They shared the results with Andy and in this podcast you'll get a dramatic retelling of the events surrounding Neifi and the rosin bag. Plus, Dansby's fixed! Well, at least his offense. A prospect pervert has the completely wrong take on Alex Cohen's "talents," we look at the Cubs' upcoming schedule, discuss why it's too early to scoreboard watch, and enjoy the return to form of one of our favorite Cubs of all-time. All that, and more.
Craig Counsell clearly read the newsletter and listened to the podcast and came to the conclusion that dropping Dansby Swanson in the order was a good idea. Oleg, Praz and Andy discuss reordering things, Shōta dodging a major injury (though with the Cubs you never know), how this hot start is different than last year's hot start and more fun with Petecrow Armstrong. Praz talks about the Cubs trying to disrobe him. They ponder the veracity of Dave Kaplan's report that the Cubs are willing to spend what it takes to keep Kyle Tucker. All that, and much, much more.
With the NFL Draft going on, Andy and Dave look back at when the Kansas City Royals just kept drafting Hall of Fame football players. Plus, fun with official scoring, when is a save a win, what happens when you try to send your Rule V "star" to the minors, why was it legal for a double-A player to hit the ball twice with one swing, gender reveals do not belong in the batter's box, who do the Yankees have to blame for dinky foul poles, backup catchers are the best hitters in the world right now, and what to expect from Drew Pomeranz (other than a need for Metamucil?)
The Cubs are trying to bolster their bullpen with Drew Pomeranz? Hey, nobody's gotten a hit off of him in four years! Bruce Levine says that Jed's out looking for a starter and a "lock down" reliever and that would be great if this was November of last year when he should have been trying to the same damned thing. We look back at the crazy Friday win over the D'bags and two equally nutty games in Cubs history. The Cubs are almost finally done with the Dodgers and almost done with the toughest part of their schedule. And, an explanation for the Cubs awful backup TV announcer as to why Ryan Pressly got the win and not the save on Friday. All that, and more.
Matt Shaw is taking his leg kick on the road to Iowa, the great Vidal Brujan has returned, the Cubs are going to have to find a way without Justin Steele for a while and half the lineup is struggling. And yet, the Cubs are in first place. Oleg and Praz are on hand to talk about all of it. What's the future hold for Tater Workman, is it in Chicago or Detroit or Erie, Pennslvania and do we have to watch it? Do the Cubs have enough to swing a trade for a big pitcher, and do they have to re-sign Kyle Tucker first? Plus, why Shaw shouldn't let Nate Pearson drive. All that, and more.
You get teased with a big celebrity guest, but it falls through, so instead you'll have to settle for Andy talking about upcoming books on the 2003 and 2016 Cubs, a pathetic plea for more paid newsletter subscribers and then actual sports talk about Justin Steele's elbow, Kyle Tucker cooling off and only leading the NL in six statistical categories, Petecrow being productive without really hitting yet, Matt Shaw's f'd up batting stance, just how bad the old guys in the Cubs' bullpen have been, and why do the Cubs have to play so many west coast night games? Will baseball try to ram a salary cap down the players' throats, more fun with Thumbo, shopping tips for the new power/baby blue jerseys, and why Crane sucks so much. All that and more.
David Brown joins the pod to talk about a really weird early season baseball stat, jump to conclusions based on small sample sizes and run differentials, Vlad Guerrero Jr's big new deal, the Cubs chances of keeping Kyle Tucker, why torpedo bats aren't for everyone and the Pirates stepping in a big pile of iced tea and vodka. All that, and more.
As the Cubs prepare for opening day 3.0 let's take a look at how things are going through the season's first nine games. The bullpen stinks, Big Jimmy Taillon's no great shakes, but most everything else is pretty good. Kyle Tucker's awesome, the catchers are playing out of their minds, Dansby and Petecrow are catching everything in sight and Shōta's still great. Seiya had to waddle through the field to go take an interpreter-assisted poop and he's been hitting ever since. Justin Steele will figure it out, Ryan Pressly can't be this bad (right?) and the schedule softens up...in a month. So things are going pretty well all things considered.
Carson Kelly has joined an elite group of Cubs hitters...OK, well, he's certainly joined a group of Cubs hitters...who have hit for a cycle. Oleg and Praz are here to talk about every Cubs cycle in history, why the bullpen still blows, how the Garbage Family That Owns The Cubs™ suck this time, why Kikè Hernandez is apparently more popular than every Cubs player and how MLB can fix their TV problem. Then they get distracted, talk about the Desipio archives and Dave Kaplan living in a van, fun TV shows to binge and get ready for Opening Day 3.0. All that, and more.
It's opening day 2.0 and the Cubs still aren't playing when the sun's out. Oh well, everything can't be perfect. Let's take a look at some big keys to the season like Matt Shaw being good, Petecrow taking the next step and Michael Busch hopefully proving he's more than just a guy. Let's discuss what Jed said to our good friend Jon Greenberg about his future and Kyle Tucker's, what the Cubs had to do to make room for Tater and for Brad Keller's huge dome and how phantom injuries helped keep all the guys they wanted to. We'll make fun of CHSN for still not being anywhere were anybody can see them and revisit Andy's sure to be perfect baseball predictions. And then a little bonus, some TV shows you should be watching and a book or two. All that, and more.
Opening Day part deux is on the way and David Brown is on hand to discuss all of the important things you need to hear before the season restarts anew. Did the Cubs feel any shame losing two games in Tokyo to a third of the Dodgers' best players? Why did the Dodgers make Mookie Betts fly halfway around the world twice when things were spewing out of him at both ends? Did anybody have to try to use the airplane bathroom after him? Who is your fourth favorite Seattke Mariner of all-time? Andy walks us through his incredibly well thought out baseball draft process that has resulted in him having zero active players at one position. Will the West Sacramento A's actually have a very cool home atmosphere? What happens if the A's and Rays make the ALCS and an entire round of playoffs is played in minor league stadiums? Who's gonna be the NEXT Elly de la Cruz? Listen and find out. Follow the train of thought that goes from Zack Wheeler being traded to the Mets many years ago to an MLB inspector looking at a bare wall with an empty TV mounting bracket on it. And fun with teams that can't find anybody to hit 30 homers. All that, and more.
Worlds collide as both Pointless Exercise baseball podcasts join forces to preview the 2025 season. David Brown, Oleg, Praz and Andy sit around and yak about who's going to the playoffs, who's going to be MVP, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young and Manager of the Year. No tangent is too wild to stray off on and somehow amidst all the serious baseball talk they discuss choosing one award by firing the leading candidates out of a cannon, they wonder why all the good Japanese players have names that start with s, and whether or not you can bet on one MVP candidate to get hit in the nuts with a pitch to lead off the season. There is gambling advice that you really don't want to take and a good time is had by all. The world may suck, but baseball's back, so that's something. Right?
Sure, the Dodgers might have the best player of his generation and two other Japanese fireballers, but there's no dispute that the Cubs' Japanese players returning home to play in next week's games are more fun. Seiya's hitting baseballs with a samurai sword, Shōta's making fun of his manager's batting stance. That has to be worth something, right? Tom Loxas is on hand to discuss this, why the Cubs are bothering with Lance Lynn, PCA's emergence, what do the Cubs see in Brad Keller, and the future of Tater Workman. Plus, the Bears moves make a lot more sense than we're used to. All that, and more
Baseball's hat designers learned the hard way that there are many, many words for breasts all over the world. David Brown is on hand to talk about that, about his upcoming train ride to spring training, the Cubs departure for Japan, dumb things said on sports radio, Mo Vaughn's interesting PED routine, where Yadi lives now, is Dave Roberts really a good manager, injured pitchers and much, much more.
The Remember This Crap tour around the diamond remembering the greatest (and other) Cubs players at each position has reached the hot corner. Andy and Huey are on hand to tell you more than you'd ever like to know about every regular third baseman (and some irregular ones) from the Hall of Famer who first played the position in 1876 all the way to the current day including a theory as to why Matt Shaw wears his number. The Cubs have had some legitimately great players including two World Series heroes (one we actually were alive to see play), several Utility Tunnel of Famers, some real Hall of Famers and Leo Gomez! You'll hear us opine as to why our generation grew up with the myth that Ron Santo was the last great third sacker and why that was nothing more than propaganda. Third base has been a shockingly good position for this club with some really fun guys.
Oleg is back from a whirlwind trip to Cubs spring training, Innings Festival and his first look at Toilet Flapper Field and he has stories to tell. Praz tries to guess who Gary Clark Jr's favorite Cub is, and Andy is relieved that Petecrow's leg is in one piece and that Matt Shaw's batting stance seems to be in working order. They discuss Cole Wright's play by play efforts, a juicy rumor about Boog and Japan and celebrate the return of everybody's favorite Cubs legend, Yency Almonte. Plus, for some reason they briefly talk about the upcoming F1 season, Nico Hoerner's token IL visit and fall down a Damon Buford sized hole remembering some crap about the 2000 Cubs team that went to Japan. All that, and more.
Spring Training is in full swing and enough of it has passed that Sammy Sosa showed up, so Tom Loxas is here to talk about it. Sammy's there passing along his wisdom to the young players ("Don't take $80,000 to a hotel lobby in a towel") and a guy only slightly younger than him is taking grounders at third base. But Matt Shaw is nearing his return while Nico Hoerner has already been ruled out of the games in Japan. Marquee got some expected bad news from Comcast, and their right-wing broadcast partner is trying to sue them to get out of their deal, how will this impact the Cubs cash flow? Meanwhile, ESPN and MLB have broken up, which means this is the last year of Sunday Night Baseball. Thank God. The guys also talk about the SNL 50th special and underrated cast members. And they finish up talking Bears free agency and the always exciting NFL Combine. All that and more.
Thankfully ABS stands for Automated Balls and Strikes and not what Andy thought it did. David Brown joins the podcast to talk about the early days of testing the system and if there's a chance it could come to a big league ballpark near you this year. They also discuss bearded Yankees, the passing of Andy's pretend grandfather, how Justin Ishbia bailing on the Twins to buy more Sox shares will impact the AL Central, but also how it might force the Cubs to actually spend real money. They also chat about Petecrow's number change, where the middle class of baseball players has gone and why Anthony Rizzo is screwed and the Cubs relying on Matt Shaw at third base. All that and more.
The Cubs are banking on some marked improvements from some of their young players (and Michael Busch) but how realistic is that? Justin Turner's contract terms show the Cubs will spare no length to save a buck. A deep dive into the psychology that makes the Garbage Family That Owns The Cubs™ the way that they are--the kids at least. Is the local blog media finally catching on to the fact that the Cubs don't really know what they're doing? Should the Cubs trade for Vlad Guerrero Jr.? Of course, but the Jays aren't going to trade him. ESPN and MLB sever their relationship while it's discussed on this very podcast. Plus, why the Bears don't have to worry about raising their ticket prices. All that, and more.
The Cubs have a new right handed hitter and the guys try to not confuse Justin Turner with NFL massage enthusiast Justin Tucker, and they remember the time Justin Turner tried to kill everybody during the Dodgers 2020 World Series celebration. Oleg, Praz and Andy discuss whether Jed was being passive aggressive in thanking Tom and the rest of The Garbage Family That Owns The Cubs™ for giving him almost enough money to sign Alex Bregman, the national media being tired of the Cubs being so cheap, what Turner's role should be with his new team, how the bench is shaping up, who's going to pitch opening day in Japan and why Bruce Levine keeps making Craig Counsell's press conferences so weird. They also discuss if Nolan Arenado makes any sense for the Cubs and if the Cardinals would even trade him to them if they wanted him. All that and more.
The longest running half-assed historical podcast on the Cubs (probably) is back, and this time Andy and Huey are taking a look at the long, distinguished history of Cubs' right fielders. And we don't just mean Nate Schierholtz. Who were the best ever? Who were the worst? The Cubs have a storied history at the position dating back to a Hall of Famer who played in the '80s. The 1880s. Check it out.
Alex Bregman took the higher offer and picked the Red Sox over the Cubs. Tom Loxas is on hand to discuss whether that's a blessing in disguise for the Cubs, and the guys try to figure out why Jed was thanking the Omaha Hillbillies for letting him make an offer but also seemingly decrying the fact he couldn't go even higher. They discuss if the Cubs have another move in them, especially for a pitcher. And then it's uniform talk! All that and more.
Is Alex Bregman worth signing even in the short term? Would it even make sense if the Cubs signed him and traded Nico Hoerner to save a few bucks? Who was a bigger prick, Jim Edmonds, Curt Schilling or Troy Glaus? The answer of course is Trevor Bauer. Does Shohei count as a pitcher on the Dodgers' roster? Why would anybody trade for Nolan Arenado and not have him play third? Does Justin Turner have anything left...and we don't only mean hair. Does Jed really think he can't talk about free agents? Why did the Cardinals fall apart and why is it so fun to watch? David Brown is here to answer all these questions, hear the best Charles Barkley story and more.
When a 102-year-old matriarch of an NFL team dies you have to do an emergency podcast to help people through their shock. Or maybe you just do a regularly scheduled solo pod to talk about that, the Cubs still kind of pursuing Alex Bregman, their commitment to mediocre TV announcers, Super Bowl props, the Bulls staggering in place and more.
There's plenty of Cubs intrigue to talk about with the team apparently involved in trade discussions with the Padres for a top of the rotation starter and/or a closer, so Praz and Oleg are on hand to discuss it all. But it's a podcast done with heavy hearts as the guys have to bid adieu to the great Nick Madrigal. How will they ever cope? They also discuss how much PECOTA likes the Cubs, and then take some odd detours. Check it out.
The Cubs roster might smell like it's pretty well done (or it might smell like something you have to bag up at the dog park), but they are still being linked to a number of moves, including a trade for a former hot shot prospect of their own and a very old reliever that they had just a couple of years ago. Tom Loxas is on hand to discuss whether the Cubs are really serious about trading for Dylan Case (or his rotation mate Michael King), or signing David Robertson. Plus, the Alex Bregman thing still won't go away. Andy complains about the Cubs bench, which turns into a discussion about the best pinch hitters in Cubs history. Then they break down the Bears' new coordinators, and talk about how one expert thinks the offensive line rebuild is not as complicated as we might all think. All that, and much more.
Spring is just around the corner so it's time to bring in David Brown to talk about the Cubs and Alex Bregman, owners disingenuity about free agency, going to Japan, fun with the automated ball and strike appeal system, the evil Dodgers, Rob Manfred's reign after 10 years, the pitch clock, pitcher injuries and much, much more.
In a wide-ranging discussion, Kelly Dwyer and I discuss an inexpensive way to get ice off your driveway, why the Bulls aren't bright enough to have a lottery pick next year, why Arturas doesn't like to fill out trade paperwork, if Lonzo Ball will get a cadaver surgery named after him, Barron Hilton, Randal Grichuk, who was going to play Diane on Cheers before Shelly Long, how Woody Harrelson is involved in the two most gruesome bowling injuries in movie/TV history, why Bon Jovi's drummer wore a South Beloit football jersey in a video, Ted Danson and Macauley Culkin's cinematic masterpiece, Eddie Bird's "house", basketball shoes we wore in high school, my terror of playing third base at NIU, John Wooden's high school coaching days, Paul Goldschmidt's terrible decision to play for the Yankees and much, much more.
The Cubs Convention came and went and Praz got to rub elbows with famous Cubs. The guys talk about the weekend, try to make sense of Tom Ricketts financial theories and tell you why you shouldn't be mad at the Dodgers, especially since the Cubs could do all of that if they actually wanted to. They discuss Matt Shaw's readiness at third, Nico's totally real injury and why it's a good thing baseball players wear hats. Then, they discuss the Bears' hiring of Ben Johnson and why comparing it to Matt Nagy or Matt Eberflus (or any of that Matts, really) is lazy and dumb. All that and more.
The Cubs Convention is looming, Kyle Tucker has a new (short) contract, and is Alex Bregman on the way? The Bears are talking in person to Mike "The Beav" McCarthy and is Tom Brady tampering with Ben Johnson? Bob Uecker's gone. And the Sun-Times has its list of the 20 best and five worst (only five?) sports media folks in Chicago. Tom Loxas joins Andy to discuss all of this and more.
The Bears have whittled their list of coaching candidates down to a cool 15, and Tom Loxas drops by to give his thoughts on who they should hire. Mike Vrabel has already done his interview and Ben Johnson is up this weekend, what the hell are the other 13 guys there for? The guys look at some of the intriguing candidates farther down the list, and wonder why the hell some of the other guys are even on it. They do a proof of life check on Marv Levy, take a look back at the Lovie firing and what's happened since and what, if anything could be learned from Tuesday's troika of press conferences. Plus, a theory about why the Cubs might be better positioned to sign Roki Sasaki than the Dodgers. All that, and more.
The Cubs are bringing Sammy Sosa back so it's time for the podcast to bring back it's favorite guest, Jon Greenberg to make fun of them for the tortured reunion, whether they have any intention of keeping Kyle Tucker and to get everybody's convention plans made. They also talk about how the Bears are actually worse without The Flus, and much more.
The Ricketts bullied Sammy Sosa into apologizing for something, though he wouldn't say what it was, and they're all proud of themselves for some reason. Tom Loxas is on hand to discuss it, talk about the trade/giveaway of Cody Bellinger to the Yankees, and what comes next. Andy has a better idea of how to fix third than he did on the last podcast and they head over to Obvious Shirts to shop for Sammy merch, including one of the most embarrassing items that place has ever sold. All that, and more.
You have to give little Jed Hoyer credit, the Cubs needed a big trade and he actually pulled one off. Oleg and Praz are on hand to discuss the Kyle Tucker trade, make fun of a weird sound from the press conference, discuss the Cubs giving away Cody Bellinger, signing Carson Kelly and the end of the fabulous Matt Tice or These or wharever his name is, era. All that, and more.
The Cubs are trying to trade for Astros star Kyle Tucker and Tom Loxas joins the podcast as the guys try to figure out why Seiya would need to be in that deal. And, if the Cubs aren't hell bent on keeping Tucker beyond 2025, does it even make the Cubs better if they trade Seiya to the Astros and Cody Bellinger to anywhere? They also discuss why this is exactly the kind of move the Cubs need to make, what prospects might be involved and how Houston has had the hots for Isaac Paredes for a while. They also wonder if the Bears awful performance in San Francisco puts Ryan Poles' job in jeopardy and includes clues on who the new head coach might end up being. All that and more.
The offseason is a good time to remember when the Cubs used to actually spend money on free agents...and to realize just how bad they've been at it. The Remember This Crap gang assembles to wax nostalgic on the worst free agent signings in team history. You'll be shocked to know that they sat out the first several years of free agency and then when they did finally deign to try it they were bad. The list includes guys who ended up in prison, guys who disgraced their family name, guys who seemed like good dudes but couldn't play, guys who used to be good, guys who were never good, guys who killed the Cubs both as an opponent and a teammate and much, much more.
The Bears fired their overmatched head coach and are already thinking about which dud to hire next, while the Cubs are just hoping somebody will take Cody Bellinger's cash off their hands. Tom Loxas is here to discuss the coaching change, the candidates for the real job and whether Kevin Warren's involvement is good, bad or hilarious. We also preview the winter meetings, talk about the Cubs chances to get Garrett Crochet, and need reassurance that a Nico Hoerner trade won't result in Jed just bringing back Nick Madrigal since nobody else will sign him. All that and more.
T/he Bears finally mercy fired The Flus and Kevin Warren wants you all to know that Ryan Poles is totally going to make the decision on the new head coach (sure he is). But first we need to listen to the Jeff Joniak call of the final 38 seconds of Matt Eberflus' head coaching career (it's just as amazing as you'd expect). Then it's time to break down how the firing went down, how the press conference was handled and to meet the new guy, Thomas Brown, the first interim coach in Bears history. He's an impressive guy. And no, he should not become the real coach. All that, and more.
The wait is over. Remember This Crap is back and it's a doozy. How about nearly three hours of the worst losses in (recent) Bears history? Relive all the moments you wanted to forget with Andy and Mike D., as Chester Marcol scampers wildly into the end zone, Jim Harbaugh audibles his way into disaster, Kevin Butler misses a field goal that Pat McAfee would pay a college kid $200K to make these days, Wanny draws up a game winning pass for a defensive tackle, Jeff George outduels Jim Miller, Marion Barber III happens, Trestman kicks on second down, Chris Conte is the only one playing man to man defense on fourth and eight, Eddy Piniero shows off his leg and we saved the worst for last and yes, it's the one you think it is. All that, and more.
Could the Cubs trade Cody Bellinger even after he declined his option to become a free agent? Well, sure, they could. The question is what his trade value actually is. Luckily, Tom Loxas is on hand to discuss that, why the Cubs aren't well positioned for Roki Sasaki, and who could they actually trade for to give their offense a boost? They also discuss Ian Happ getting yet another Gold Glove and how he really doesn't belong in the category of Cubs 3x winners. And, then it's on to the Cubs to discuss Shane Waldron getting fired, how this affects Caleb Williams, who's gonna replace The Flus, and why this was all so avoidable. Then, why all the cool kids are heading to Blue Sky.
The Bears are changing offensive coordinators again, and The Athletic's Jon Greenberg is here to talk about it, the future of The Flus, who's going to be the next head coach (Andy knows), and just how bad things are. They discuss the lunacy of the idea that Caleb Williams could be benched, and they do a quick Grey Cup preview. They also discuss the Cubs offensive plans, make fun of CHSN's distribution "efforts," discuss a historic college football moment remiscent of July 4, 1826 and much, much more.
This podcast includes tales of handing out beers on Halloween, the most indelible moments of the World Series including ESPN's national baseball nitwit helping make celebrities out of the creepy right field Yankees fans. What the Cubs have to trade, why The Athletic is trying to gaslight us on a key part of the Cubs roster and why we should think twice about ESPN promoting Boog. The most head scratching parts of the Bears' frustrating loss to Lionel Richie and the Washington Commodores, why spending hours talking about the Bears firing The Flus are boring and pointless but also an incredibly smart plan to replace him if it actually happened. And, details about a brand new section on the Pointless Exercise newsletter and app. All that and more.
The World Series started off with a bang, but now the Yankees are holding on for dear life. At least they have seen evidence that a team can erase a 3-0 deficit. David Brown is here to talk about the series, the weird apparatus that Shohei is wearing, why some writers are referring to Kiké
Hernandez by his given name, Aaron Judge's struggles, and what happens to Juan Soto after all of this. We also make fun of the historic ineptness of the White Sox and Phillies, and discuss why Phil Nevin would be a hilariously terrible choice for White Sox manager. All that, and more.
Nico Hoerner decided to kill all of his trade rumors by having surgery to make himself untradeable. Tom Loxas joins the pod to talk about that savvy move, the Cubs maybe hiring a bullpen coach, unsourced rumors that Cody Bellinger is opting out, Fernando Valenzuela, the World Series, the legacy of Sweaty Joe Borowski, Bears-Commanders and much more.
Did you know that the Yankees and Dodgers have not only played in the World Series before but that they used to be from the same city? People should talk about this more. David Brown joins to the podcast to ponder the controversial idea that it might be good for baseball to have two iconic franchises and four of the best players in the game facing each other in its biggest event. They also discuss Andy's hatred for a former Dodgers' centerfielder and listen to him forget Chris Coghlan's name for an uncomfortable amount of time. They also discuss the Hall of Fame chances of Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Zobrist (it'll make sense when you hear it), how the Dodgers' success is only to make bullpen games even more of a thing and much, much more.
The LCS' are underway, but it's never too late to preview them, right? David Brown is on hand to talk about the plucky Mets, the Dodgers winning without starting pitchers, seeing the Yankees up close and the Guardians surviving the AL Central Playoff Invitational. They also try to figure out what's going on with Bob Costas, and why TBS thinks they keep having to hire former Barves. Andy goes YouTube spelunking and wonders why Vance Law doesn't get more shit for what happened on Jerry Dybzinski's wild run around the bases in '83 and how Tito Landrum made Tony Kubek look immediately foolish later in the game. And, the Cubs finally found Willie Harris and told him to hit the skids. And some baseless rumors about who the White Sox might hire as their manager, and how that guy suddenly has hair again. All that, and more.
Tom Loxas joins the podcast to talk about how Jed Hoyer's display of a lack of ambition during his season post mortem might get challenged by the fact that the Cubs are having a hard time selling season tickets and ads on Marquee and really, much of anything these days. They discuss how a boring product can't sustain the current payroll and that the answer, whether Jed or Tom want to believe it might need to be sucking it up, acting like big boys and adding a big time player or two. They talk about how Marquee Sports Network hasn't delivered the precious revenues that Crane Kenney promised and helpfully suggest some new improvements to the pre and postgame, an alternative broadcast and mostly getting everybody drunk to get things more interesting. Then talk shifts to the Bears, Andy's love of early morning sports and daytime movie going, and how strange it is to see how games are actually supposed to be quarterbacked in professional football.
Since Jed Hoyer has organizationally positioned himself into a corner if the Cubs are going to make any kind of impactful move somebody good has to get traded and much to Praz's chagrin, Andy and Oleg agree that the most likely guy to get sent packing is Nico Hoerner. The guys discuss Jed's vague pronouncements after the season, make fun of Isaac Paredes' Wrigley slugging, look at the arbitration decisions, ponder the future of Miguel Amaya, make fun of the White Sox and much more. Then they talk some Bears, bask in the glory of Caleb Williams carving up the Panthers, discuss how all good football coaches have lots of hair, and look ahead to the breakfast game in London. All that and much more.
Two playoff previews in a week? Well, nothing is too good for our listeners. David Brown is back to talk about the Brewers gagging away a rare chance to advance, the Orioles have resumed squandering, and the three best teams in baseball are all in the NLCS. They talk about tipping pitches, wonder if a thumb is worth two fingers, feel bad for Bob Uecker, try to figure out how baseball can let local announcers work the playoffs and talk about the return of Tito, the Cardinals weird succession plan and why the Giants think the Buster Posey thing can work. And, Jed Hoyer sat down for his yearly excuse session and boy did he say a lot of dumb stuff. All that, and more.
The Wild Card playoffs start on Tuesday and the Cubs are golfing, so David Brown helps take a look at the good teams (and the Tigers) and what they're up to. Andy continues to get Francisco Lindor's name wrong, but he knows he's really good and they look back at a crazy final (extra) day of the season. They discuss Craig Counsell firing some coaches and wonder if there's a better way to build an 83 win team if you don't have the stones to try to build a better one. They also discuss Pete Rose and are both stupefied by people holding Pete in high regard after all we know about him. All that and more.
Tom Loxas joins the podcast for his new regular spot and the guys discuss Andy's new theory on whether Cody Bellinger is going to stay, what the Cubs need to do to fix their mess versus what they're likely to actually try to to, and how the power in the organization is Craig Counsell's for now, and he really needs to use it. They discuss the Cubs appetite for meaningful change, what they should do with Ian Happ and why one of the team's needs is still a top of the rotation starter. They also talk Bears and try to make sense of the offense, discuss Caleb Williams' progress through three games and why Marcedes Lewis was encouraging Shane Waldron to start yelling at guys. All that, and more.
The playoffs are looming and the Cubs are busy packing up to go home, but David Brown is here to talk about the tight wild card races in both leagues, and other important stuff like how the Cubs could pacify their fanbase simply by fixing three of their four uniforms. The home pinstripes are great, but the rest of them kind of suck. We have ideas. As for the wild card race, the tiebreakers are stupid and unnecessary, and you'll be amazed by how much the White Sox ineptitude has impacted not just the American League wild card race (there's a reason three AL Central teams are still in it) but even the NL wild card. Plus, we look ahead at what kind of changes Craig Counsell is likely to demand and how Jed has painted himself into a corner with his roster. All that, and more.
It's two pods in one as Praz and Oleg join Andy to talk about the Cubs and the Bears. In the first half of the podcast they discuss the Cubs dreams of winning the NL Central come crashing down with a loss to the A's (I mean, it's only been over since May), and they look ahead to who might get traded in the offseason to bring in some fresh meat? And who will be making those trades? We all assume it will be Jed, but what if the Cubs go bold and just promote somebody (not you, Carter). Then in the second half they try to pull the Caleb doubters back off the ledge. Andy has some advice for Shane Waldron, and wonders if Chris Morgan is all he's cracked up to be. They bask in the glow of another great defensive effort and look ahead to the Bears getting right with a home game this Sunday in Indianapolis. All that, and more.
A weird week at Pointless Exercise leads to a guest free podcast that touches on the Cubs pretending to still be playing for something, the team botching a celebration of two of their most beloved players, dissension in the front office but Jed's coming back and TV broadcasts best viewed with the sound down. The Bears reenacted just about every win in the Love Smith era, the defense looks awesome, and they have at least one too many kickers. You'll get a tease about what's coming to the site and much more.
Bears Hard Knocks is over and it was mostly fun. The finale had it all, guys getting cut (and most of them coming back to the practice squad), gumbo talk, bees, Ian Wheeler's book club, two very large nerds talking about whose country invented football, a guy who could barely get out of his SUV, genuine emotion, bare feet, profundities encased in lucite, the long awaited return of Rambo Biles-Owens, DJ Moore's daughter's interesting suggestion for where to put the pool, a not-at-all-shoehorned-in Kevin Warren scene, and just enough Austin Reed. Mike Pustateri and Mike Praznowski join me to discuss it all, and I hope you stuck around for the deleted scenes at the end of the episode, but if you didn't, I break them all down at the end of this one.
It's all hands on deck for the 2024 Super Mega Football Preview with Andy and all three Mikes, plus Oleg and David Brown. The guys are just full of football hot takery. They'll give you season over unders to bet or run away from, some bold predictions on the Bears, all 14 playoff teams and the Super Bowl winners and in a segment sure to enthrall, engage and educate you, they go over some batshit crazy DraftKings props about the Bears and give you the historical perspective on just how pathetic the Bears have been on offense forever. All that, and more.
The gang is back together to take a look back at the surprisingly emotional fourth episode of the Bears Hard Knocks. We learn why Rome Odounze was so far out of bounds against the Bengals, spend a lot of time with running back Ian Wheeler and running backs coaches Chad Morton and Jennifer King, get a glimpse of the only fight in training camp, see Rome go candy shopping at Woodman's, learn about a disturbing Theo Benedet mistake and see Wheeler make it rain. The backup quarterbacks go on a death defying trip to the lower atmosphere, we see Travis Bagent in action, and then his son, both in Kansas City. There's a terrible break for one player and a very long hug from his mom, Velus Jones goes on a couple of long runs which lead to a funny crack from The Flus, Reed steals the show in the final half of the final preseason game and Ryan Poles proves to be a pretty cool guy. All that, and more.
Week three of Hard Knocks gave us some stuff we had expected all along. Mike Praznowski joins me as we talk about a Flus nickname montage, Kevin Warren finally getting to talk about his beloved ill-fated lakefront stadium and punting! The Flus is coming off pretty well this season, which was clearly the point, and we also got a cool behind the scenes look at the Bears trying to trade for Matthew Judon and a flashback to their draft day trade for Austin Booker. Khalil Herbert gets a bad nickname and Velus tells a truly funny story about picking up his ferret. Caleb's helmet wasn't working but his right arm was, and Andy makes some pretty bold declarations about him and Rome Odunze. Now, if we could just get Simone Biles a new jacket.
Unsure which week it was, whether it was supposed to be the baseball podcast with David Brown or the Cubs podcast with Oleg and Praz the guys just all got together and had a four-way. A four-way podcast. Get your mind out of the gutter. Although they do spend a fair amount of time talking about how Yankees pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich once traded families, pets and homes, so I guess you can get your sick kicks from that. But, real baseball was also discussed like the Cubs waiving Hector Neris, the folly of trying to fix your offense with a catcher, the wild card races in each league and is Dean (Vernon) Kremer's ERA in wins and losses really that out of line? All that, and more.
Week two of the Bears on Hard Knocks gives us a a very small girl using a word that will make George McCaskey blush, Velus Jones regaling people with tales of his deceased ferret, Rome Odunze being awesome, Jonathan Owens getting his ass kicked by his wife in a rope climbing contest, dudes being dudes and talking about Love Island, the knowledge that there is an Ice Cream Museum (great) and something called Hot Dog Ice Cream (no bueno.) Plus, Caleb Williams actually played his first kinda real football as a Bear. All that, and more.
The Bears are finally on Hard Knocks and who better to come help us break it down than two of our Bears guys, including one who is an actual TV star. Praz and Mike Pusateri are here to watch The Flus get a haircut, be charmed by the ladies in his life, adore Rambo Owens-Biles, look in horror at Jaylon Johnson's new "car", hear Ray Clay finally get a gig again, and hear some sage words from Nick Saban. Caleb can't sing, Theo Benedet and Austin Reed can't catch a break but Kiran Amegadjie can play some mean tiny cymbals. All that, and more.
The guys are back and all over the place. They discuss whether the Cubs are playing for anything, how to binge watch TV shows, what's up with Isaac Paredes, and how Pete Crow-Armstrong fixed his swing by imitating who? They also wonder if the Cubs are playing with fire by letting Hector Neris get close to guaranteeing his option, and then the unthinkable...are we sure we want Cody Bellinger to come back? It's complicated and mostly because of the rest of the roster, not Cody himself. Andy compares him to Frank Sinatra via Bob Newhart, and then Andy gets confused and miscasts a great Stevie Wonder commercial spoof by forgetting that Stevie was in it! All that, and more.
The movie deep dives are back and Mike Pusateri joins to the podcast as the guys break down Albert Brooks' 1991 classic "Defending Your Life." You'll hear stories about how Meryl Streep ended up in the movie, the Rip Torn renaissance, the incredible story about Albert's dad's death, growing up with Rob Reiner as his best friend and much more. You'll even hear Albert do a (probably) unintentional impression of his brother Super Dave Osborne, in the movie.
The guys take a look at what the Cubs actually got at the trade deadline. They ponder whether Christopher Morel or Isaac Paredes will have the better career, ponder Nico Hoerner's future, compare Nate Pearson to Calvin Schiraldi, and laud Jed for his incredible ability to trade guys to teams where they homer in their debuts. They also look at the other trades around the league, make fun of the White Sox, and then Andy has some sort of stroke and confuses Daniel Descalso and Doug Dascenzo. Never mind, just roll with it.
The trade deadline is looming and somebody's going to do something really stupid, so David Brown joined us to try to help make sense of it all. Why are teams so afraid of trading top prospects when the last time a number one overall was dealt it worked out great for the team who traded him? Why would the Tigers consider trading Tarik Skubal? Will the Cubs find a taker for Jameson Taillon and why the hell are they dangling Justin Steele? What's Jazz Chisholm's real name? Will the O's hold their Mayo? Should Nico Hoerner actually be on a good team? The Dodgers get a former star back, Andy grouses about Ian Happ's no-trade clause AGAIN, and Christian Yelich's weak back from more than a week back has the Brewers in need of a bat. All that and more.
The gang is all here to talk about Shōta enjoying the All-Star Game, Jed's first big trade of the season, great catchers on the waiver wire and strip clubs where Praz can the lead the guys to at the bachelor party he's attending. Like all of our podcasts it somehow derails from announcer rankings to terrible crimes committed by athletes back to Chip Caray and Jim Edmonds. The guys discuss the Cubs surge before the All-Star Break and if it means anything, propose a couple of win-win trades that both have Nick Madrigal in them, and then they try to figure out what Easter and the Trade Deadline have in common. They also talk about which of the Ricketts family subscribe to the Pointless Exercise newsletter. All that, and much more.
The All-Star rosters are set and the game is next week, so David Brown joins Andy to discuss why discussions of snubs are pointless, changes to the Home Run Derby again, and a brilliant idea for a fan participation event for pitchers that could be held right before the Derby each year. They talk about the kinds of trades that should please buyers and sellers alike and which of the Cubs is most likely to be shipped off. They run down a big list of "will this guy get traded" and finish up with a critique of Colten Brewer's wall punch technique. All that, and more.
What are the Cubs more of, boring or bad? That's the big issue that Andy and Praz confront, while Oleg is out running around in his birthday suit. Should the Cubs buy, sell, neither or both? Who would want any of them? Would Jed even trade any of them if he could? Why are these all questions? Why not write some of the description in declarative sentences like, wow, the Cubs really suck. Anyway, the guys take a clearheaded look at the roster, at the folly of building a team around defense and then having players learn new positions on the fly. All that, and more.
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Andy has some things about the Cubs to get off his chest and so he sprints to the spacious Pointless Exercise podcast studio to discuss the possibility of the Cubs trading Seiya or Happ, why the trade deadline is still really important, why they should bring back an old friend to GM for the next month, and how David Ross is still screwing up a Cubs' season even without a job. He also drops a few movie, TV and book recommendations for you.
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On this edition of the baseball podcast David Brown is on hand to discuss a sticky situation with Edwin Diaz and his interesting offer (not taken up) as to what the umpires should smell. They also talk about the game at Rickwood Field, more interesting Willie Mays stats, fun stuff from the Ryne Sandberg statue unveiling, how the Cubs and Cardinals did with their long stretch of games against crap teams, and why don't teams make more big league player for big league player trades? All that, and more.
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The Cubs are wallowing in last place, but thanks to the woeful National League they're not that far behind anybody (but the Dodgers and Phillies), so Oleg and Praz join the podcast to talk about what's wrong with the Cubs and what, if anything, can be done about it. They also discuss the death of one of baseball's all-time greats, and the death of Willie Mays. Andy tells the guys about a special gift he got them so they can go see a real podcast being made. They discuss ;weird movie double features, who replaces Mike Tauchman, do the Cubs buy, sell or neither, how bad is Dansby's contract, Justin Steele's love of unearned runs and what the hell are they going to do with catcher? They ponder the return of David Ross, they wax nostalgic about Cubs heroes Miguel Montero and Kyle Schwarber, They have fun with Willie Mays' Baseball-Reference page and draw a parallel between Willie and Ryne Sandberg who is getting a big erection on Sunday, and they wonder what former Cubs announcer they could have invited to the ceremony instead of Bob Costas. They also question the dedication of one of the actors in Moneyball.
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The trade deadline is approaching but with everybody (not the White Sox) still in the race, how active will it be? How does the Phillies losing a catcher screw the Cubs? David Brown drops by to show off the Wifi in his car and discuss all of this, plus whether the Angels will finally trade Mike Trout, what's Luis Robert worth and does it even make sense for the Sox to trade him, will the Jays trade Vlad Guerrero or Bo Bichette and how much of an upgrade is Pete Alonso? They also talk Twins' City Connects, pants rippling, a doctor breeching patient confidentiality to give a scoop to a radio show and Mariners' announcer Dave Sims missing a walk-off grand slam. All that, and more.
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The gang is back together to discuss why the Cubs aren't more fun (though spotting the Sox five run leads turned out to be pretty amusing), the end of our long national nightmare and the return of all-time Cubs great David Bote. They discuss the weird name of Bote's kid and why it's named that. Andy gives you second hand kinesiology advice of how to run to first base. They discuss how Comcast is about to screw the Cubs, what the Cubs will do at the trade deadline. There's so much Crane talk that Kevin Warren will love the podcast. That leads them to discuss why the Bears were so afraid to be on Hard Knocks for so long, Todd Heap's wife and Christian Yelich's mom, and much more.
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The Cubs can't hit and the Bears are finally going to be on Hard Knocks, and Tom Loxas has left his own podcast to become a regular here at Pointless Exercise and so we talk all about it. Do the Cubs need a catcher? I guess if you don't want every pitch to just roll to the backstop they do. How do they work Petecrow into the lineup on a regular basis? Is Dansby Swanson ever going to hit again? Why is Nick Madrigal still around and Ian Happ still batting right handed? Then, on a happier note the guys discuss what the first shots of the Bears first ever appearance on Hard Knocks will be, how Matt Eberflus can either bolster his reputation or doom his career on the show, and why the Bears need to force the NFL Films guys to focus on players beyond Caleb Williams. They also discuss if the Chicago sports media is equipped to actually cover this Bears team. All that, and more.
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Angel Hernandez has been put out to pasture, Ben Brown was yanked with a no-hitter going, and the Cubs hitters aren't really into the whole line-drive thing. David Brown joins Andy to discuss all of this, plus whether or not Andy cursed Ronald Acuna Jr to the injured list, whether they guys agree with Bob Costas and Chris Russo's thoughts on whether Shohei should just bag pitching altogether and a young friend takes a break from breaking up sex trafficking rings in Thailand to pitch a defunct university into the College World Series. Is MLB counting Negro League stats like MLB stats really doing those stats a disservice by attempting to paper over why those players weren't in the big leagues to begin with? Plus, are the Phillies the best team in baseball?
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Oleg and Andy call to the bullpen and Mike D. steps over Kyle Hendricks to fill in for the birthday boy, Praz. The guys discuss whether the Cubs have demoted Kyle to the bullpen or is being put out to pasture, and they (or at least Andy) thinks with a little "growth" it might just work. They also try to make sense of the Cubs sending down Petecrow and not Nick Madrigal and just how long Nick's Roster Spot Hostage Crisis can go on. They also discuss what to do with Ian Happ, whether Cody Bellinger is playing his way back to free agency again, and most crucially, how can the third largest market in the nation foist Zach Zaidman and Matt Spiegel on us as our only play-by-play options. All that, and more.
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Why are some of the best young pitchers limited to short stints in the minors instead of contributing what they can to the big league team? David Brown and Andy discuss that hot topic, plus can you fix your bullpen in May, why is that Paul Skenes mustache a thing, when are they finally going to get around to updating the requirements to get a win, create the team error and figure out how to make a safety base that isn't too weird looking for a big league diamond? Andy demands the Cubs bring up Cade Horton. They also discuss catchers creeping too close to hitters, which of the automated strike zone ideas is most likely to work and when can they start using it. They also discuss Boog Sciambi's appearance on Pablo Torres' podcast and why the things he claims the Cubs value in a player do not mesh with the current roster. All that, and more.
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The guys kick around all of the important issues this week like, how long has Dansby Swanson's offensive slump been going on (a long time), who should be the Cubs fourth outfielder when Seiya Suzuki returns and why should it be Ian Happ, and what to do with Petecrow when Seiya's return happens. They also ponder just how well Nick Madrigal would need to hit to actually be worth a big league roster spot and what current big leaguer can be used as the minimum threshold for that? They kick around ideas for Cubs' closer and make the case why Cade Horton's pitch and innings limit are fine but they should be occurring in Chicago, not Des Moines. They also make fun of how bad the Cardinals are, check out the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and talk about the time the Chicago Blitz traded themselves to Arizona. All that, and more, like the intro music to The Fall Guy, Gil Thorp comics and other stuff.
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The Athletic's Jon Greenberg comes on the pod to talk about the Bears ill-fated stadium press conference, his role in helping the Bears finally put their tortured quarterback history to the side, why Kevin Warren and George McCaskey would end up being the stars of Hard Knocks. They discuss how cool Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze are. Why it's savvy for Ryan Poles to become The Pat McAfee Show's favorite general manager. How the Flus' glow up actually makes you more confident in his ability to coach. What's going to dictate when Major League Baseball fixes the player name lettering on jerseys and much more.
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Is the Twins new rally celebration an ecoLOGical diaster just waiting to happen? David Brown weighs on that meaty matter and other hot topics like Mike Trout's meniscus, revenge games, Jose Abreu's trip to Del Boca Vista, how are the Cubs surviving (mostly) their injuries and the Astros aren't, fun with batter's interference and why baseball's uniforms likely won't really be fixed anytime soon. And don't miss Andy's important news from his recent doctor's appointment! All that, and more.
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Andy, Praz and Oleg discuss all the pertinent issues with the Cubs like the return of Matt Mervis, Nicky Two Strikes, Ian Happ's return to the lineup, Kyle Hendricks' phantom back injury and Boog's fascination with Mike Tauchman. But then they put their big throbbing brains together and come up with a series of initiatives that will toughen the Cubs up and forge them into a true championship contender. The ideas are brilliant and the Cubs can easily monetize them, which is all they care about. Then the podcast becomes probiotic talk as Andy discusses the very liquid reason why there was only one newsletter and no podcast last week, and if the good folks at Bucee's or Kefir are listening, there's a sponsorship opportunity in the offing, with the kind of appreciative testimonial that money just can't buy.
Oh, and the name they couldn't remember at the end? Barkevious Mingo. Don't Google him.
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While the Cubs bullpen might be awful, Andy, Praz and Oleg decide to talk about what isn't...Seiya Suzuki. They do discuss the state of the Cubs bullpen, what's going on with the vaunted pitching infrastructure these days, how taking Christopher Morel out for defense all the time finally bit the Cubs in the ass, and they try to figure out what it is that Nick Madrigal is doing that supposedly helps a team. They bask in the afterglow of another fine Shōta Imanaga start and try to figure out what happened to that 8-0 lead on Monday night. Andy comes up with an inappropriate, but affectionate, nickname for Shōta. All that and more.
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The gang moves into a fancy new studio and David Brown stops by to talk baseball. How are the Cubs ever going to know if Christopher Morel can get better at third if they keep yanking him out of games late, and when is it going to cost them to lose his bat in the process? What's life going to be like for the A's in Sacramento and what's the only way to make that move a positive? Joe Maddon talked about who else to blame in the Shohei mess, which got Andy talking about Shōgun and how everything he ever needed to know about translators he learned by watching that show. They also give some rash overreactions to the first week of the season and you'll get a truly terrible eclipse joke. But as a bonus, there's a great Bill Raftery story. All that, and more.
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The whole Pointless Exercise team has assembled to do a mega preview of the upcoming baseball season. Join Andy, David Brown, both the Mike P's (Praz and Pusateri), Remember this Crap's Mike Donohue and the new guy, Oleg, as they make way too many predictions. They break down each division, use their big baseball brains to tell you who's going to the World Series and winning all the big awards. If you have a gambling problem like Shohei's former pal, Ippei, you're in luck, they also share their favorite prop bets.
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Ready or not, baseball seasons starts in the wee hours of Wednesday morning so David Brown is here to talk about how Blake Snell signing with the Giants makes the wild card path tougher in the NL and what's up with Jordan Montgomery. They discuss the Dodgers just forgetting to find a shortstop and how Mookie Betts solves everything. How many other players would be willing to try switching positions on the fly. They talk about great moments in David Ross losing the DH, and the height of Joe Torre's pants. Were the Spring Breakout games anything but baseball's attempt to charge a full big league gate for a minor league spring game (which are usually free), and why was it impossible for the Cubs and White Sox to play it on a different day. They make fun of Jim Bowden's list of players due to break out, talk about old friend Yu Darvish who is making the opening day start for the Padres and much, much more.
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Less than two weeks to opening day and it's time for Andy and Praz to do the hard work for Craiggy and Jed and make the Cubs final cuts for them. Who's got options, who would get through waivers and who might actually be useful to round out the bench and the bullpen. Oh, and then they take a look at how best to order the batters. Talk about being helpful.
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With one move the Cubs went from fourth best to best in the very flawed NL Central and David Brown is back to discuss it and to take a look at the contracts that Scott Boras got for Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman and what the market might look like next year. Andy calls Blake Snell "Ian" about a dozen times and they talk about what the prospects for Snell and Jordan Montgomery signing before the deadline are. Is JD Davis an actually valuable trade piece for the Giants and would the Cubs be interested? How would that impract Christopher Morel at third? They discuss the Royals bucking the bad uniform trend and Joe Maddon and Terry Francona discussing the greatest game ever played. All that, and more.
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Looking for a non-meatball take on the Bears' QB situation we reach out to The Guardian's Senior Writer Andrew Lawrence and he delivers. Though he lives in Atlanta now, so he wouldn't mind seeing Justin Fields play there. We talk about Netflix's Drive to Survive, the many interesting things going on with the F1 season upon us, and Drew just wrote a piece about Fanatics and Nike screwing up baseball's uniforms. Plus, he talks about his time at Monday Morning Quarterback with the recently "retired" Peter King.
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It's the 300th Pointless Exercise podcast (and you said it wouldn't last) and Andy and Mike Praznowski are giddy about the Cubs re-signing Cody Bellinger, but fearful that a sponsorship deal gone awry might have him in traction on opening day. They also lament the loss of the great Bailey Horn, or somebody they aren't really sure, are excited that the manager seems to grasp the obvious and they make a compelling case for Matt Shaw to make the opening day roster (even though he won't.) Praz learns more about Bob Horner than he ever wanted to, they talk about what Cubs should be most excited that Cody's back, what Cubs should have pretended to be mad about it, and much, much, more.
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The Cubs have been playing somebody in left field every game for more than 125 seasons and in a few of those games the left fielder was actually good. The guys take a look back at the good, the bad and the Zuleta of guys who have played left. You will learn how Wildfire Schulte got his nickname, who the second best left fielder in franchise history is, why Billy Williams is the coolest, why Dave Kingman isn't, and just how many guys have tried and failed to nail down the job over the last 50 years.
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National baseball writer David Brown joins the podcast to discuss all the hot topics like Nico Hoerner giving the longest "no" in recorded history, why baseball fans habitually side with teams over players and their agents, when will the 'Boras Four' sign, why the Cubs haven't improved their roster more, who would win the NL Central if rosters were frozen right now, did the Corbin Burnes trade signal the Orioles are going to spend, what would happen if the Reds ever spent, why Kap called Andy seconds after a Tweet, the reasons Rob Manfred is retiring with five years notice and what the hell is going on with the A's. All that, and more.
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Tom Loxas joins the podcast to talk about what it would take for the Cubs to resign Cody Bellinger, what happens if they don't, and how Michael Busch and Petecrow Armstrong fit into all of this. They talk about the Cubs PECOTA projections and how close the Cubs are to actually building a good bullpen. Then, they talk about what the Bears are going to do with the number one overall pick, what Justin Fields' trade market looks like and much, much more.
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It's a solo pod and all the hot topics are hit on, when do the Cubs get to hug Carter Hawkins and could the Cubs turn that into a fundraiser? Why haven't they signed Cody Bellinger yet? What do they do if they don't sign Cody? Do they know their current roster is bad? How could they make getting a big payroll a game for Todd? And then why can't Chicago media adequately cover the Bears? And why would anybody try to rank the top 20 Chicago media people? All that, and more.
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The guys discuss the eerie quiet from Halas Hall as everyone awaits announcement on changes big or small or not at all. Andy goes on an unhinged rant about the future of the Bears' quarterback position and the Mikes take a more reasoned approach to what the smartest option would be. They discuss how even if Jim Harbaugh were the right move for the franchise just how much they don't want to have to put with that weirdo, and they discuss just how close the Bears really are after a season of improvement, considering the low bar they had to clear to be better than last year. All that and more.
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All of your favorite Pointless Exercise podcasters have assembled to kiss off 2023 and look ahead to 2024. David Brown, Mike Donohue, Mike Pusateri and Mike Praznowski join Andy as they discuss what shocked them last year in all of Chicago sports and what crazy stuff lies ahead.
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All hands are on deck for this week's Bears podcast and the guys discuss the win over the Falcons, Justin Fields and DJ Moore's perfect half, the Panthers handing them the number one overall pick and how a return to CBS is just the thing the Bears will need to slap around the Packers and knock them out of the playoffs. You'll learn the five things that will determine Justin Fields' Bears future, why it's not so bad, maybe, that The Flus is going to return and what the first sign of their intentions will be when the season ends on Sunday. And, how to scout quarterbacks like a pro using ESPN's Skycam feed of college football playoff games. All that, and more.
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If you haven't noticed, and judging by interest in the team, you haven't, the Bears have won FOUR straight home games. Really. Only one of the Mike P's was available for this week's podcast to revel in the Bears continued home dominance. Andy and Praz look back at a game you probably only saw parts of because it was on in the middle of the afternoon on Christmas Eve, and don't worry, if you missed the second half, you missed nothing. They talk about how the number one pick can be wrapped up this weekend and how that will impact the futures of several prominent Bears. They also wonder why anyone thinks Kevin Warren has any decisions to actually make. All this and more.
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The guys are back to, incredibly, break down a THIRD Bears fourth quarter collapse, and they look ahead to the many different permutations this offseason could take. The Flus gone and Fields back, both gone, both back, what have you. Is Ryan Poles any good at this job? Was The Flus hired to be the Bears' Ricky Renteria? They talk about the Brown games' two Fail Marys, the defense's fourth down struggles, why Cairo wasn't asked to kick those long field goals, and what Darnell Mooney should have been sorry for. All that and more.
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In part one (ep. 288) we brought in a young to help us look back on more recent Cubs collapses, but for this one we needed an old, so Forklift is here to discuss the Durocher, Franks, Frey and Riggleman editions of Cubs choke jobs, and they were plentiful. We ponder why the '69 era Cubs are so beloved considering they not only didn't win anything important they only won 90 games once. We take another look back at 1977 and watch in horror as the '84 Cubs completely fall apart in 1985. And then are collapses you might not even know happened like in 1996 and 1999. (Oh, and Fork's mic struggles for a little bit in the first 15 minutes, but is rectified for the remainder of the podcast.)
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One thing we know for sure is that the Bears are better than the Lions. They kicked the LIons asses for 117 of the 120 minutes the two teams played against each other that year. But as the guys will tell you, that and two bucks will get you a cup of soup. The podcast meanders from the Bears impressive home win over the Lions, the resurgent defense continuing it's fine play, Mitch Trubisky coming up big for the Bears finally (in absentia), the possibility of the Bears having the number one pick two years in a row and not using it either time, Shohei Ohtani's contract (really), the worst passing games in Bears history (as bad as the Bears last visit to Cleveland was--they've been worse) and much, much more.
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David Ross' final season as Cubs manager resulted in one of the biggest end of season collapses in team history, but where does it rank? Remember This Crap becomes Remember This Collapse as the guys are joined by Mike Praznowski for a look at years the Cubs choked away the postseason from 2001 to the present. How does 2023 compare to collapses under the watches of Don Baylor, Dusty Baker, Lou Piniella and Joe Maddon? As always, the guys unearth some unexpected stuff.
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Baseball expert and first time Hall of Fame voter David Brown is on the pod to talk about the Winter Meetings, the joys of the Opryland Hotel, guys falling into fountains and whether or not Shohei can hold up the entire the market. They make the case for why Shohei should get out and see more of the country, wonder how close the Cubs actually came to getting him last time, something Joe Maddon doesn't get enough credit for, what Cody Bellinger's real value is, why the Cardinals settled for bad, old pitchers to replace their bad, old pitchers and if the Cubs really signalled they're ready to pay when they hired Craig Counsell. They also talk about the Hall of Fame, and why off the field stuff other than steroids is and should be keeping some guys out. And, why it took Andre Dawson 12 years to realize he had an Expos logo on his plaque. All that, and more.
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The guys celebrate another aesthetically satisfying Bears win by wondering how you can get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for having someone try to rip your face mask off. They congratulate Matt Eberflus on finally winning a division game and wonder if he'd accept a demotion in lieu of getting fired after the season, and if he'd even notice if nobody told him. They try to make sense of the Bears offensive game plan, laud the defense for their continued good play and bask in the wonder of the greatest kicker of all time. All that, and more.
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The guys recap the Bears stunning yet inevitable (there has to be a German word for that) last second loss to the Lions and blame it all on the shifty Lions' timekeeper. They compare when in the game they realized the Bears were going to lose, they ponder what the mood in George's Camry was on the long ride from Detroit to Sycamore and, as one does, they Google whether or not Martha Firestone Ford is still alive. (No spoilers.) They also talk about the Bears upcoming visit to US Bank Stadium to face the Vikings, and Crane Kenney for some reason, and Andy makes fun of a certain Cubs' blog for their relucantce to "get their hopes up" because they can't handle the disappointment. Man, they picked the wrong team to root for.
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With Mike Praznowski on the injured list it was up to Mike Pusateri and Andy to soldier on with a podcast focused intently on the Chicago Bears and their thrilling victory over the Panthers and upcoming tilt in Detroit. And on the actor's strike, and Chicken By George, and Craig Counsell's press conference and how to make an audio transcript online for free in just 15 easy steps. You'll get the recipe for The Flus' drink of choice, and more about the Cubs and some hilarious takes from other podcasts about the Bears not going for two and how close Eddy Piniero actually came to making that 59 yard field goal and much, much, more.
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The Bears take on the Panthers in one of the least anticipated Thursday Night Football games of all time, but it actually is a pretty important game for them. Not only could Justin Fields return, but since they own both their pick and the Panthers first rounder they win even if they lose. As every podcast should these days, it starts with the guys talking about the Cubs hiring Craig Counsell and firing David Ross, but then they get into important football topics like did Tyson Bagent play well even while turning the ball over four times, can any of the guys make a 29 yard field goal, what would benefit the Bears more a win, a loss or a tie, what would it take for The Flus to get Ross'd after the game, and much more.
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The way the rumor mill churns it's a rare thing to be completely shocked by sports news, but the Cubs pulled it off by stunning us by firing David Ross and replacing him with baseball's best manager, Craig Counsell. Did that really happen? Tom Loxas and Andy went on each other podcasts (at the same time--don't overthink it) to discuss the news, to give Jed Hoyer credit for it, and ponder what this means for free agency, possible trades, Ian Happ's hold on the three spot in the lineup, and so much more.
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The guys have another riveting Bears loss to discuss, but there's also the trade deadline where the team spent another second round pick on a player at a position of need and dangled another young veteran defender for a possible deal. Why does Montez Sweat make sense for the Bears? Why would the Bears let Jaylon Johnson's agent investigate trade possibilities? What the hell is wrong with Cris Collinsworth? What can fans do to keep networks from picking the Bears to ruin prime time games? All that and more.
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The Bears and Chargers face off on Sunday night, so it's time to give the LA/SD/LA Chargers the Remember This Crap treatment. Where else are you going to get in-depth conversations about whether John Hadl went to Notre Dame, when was Sid Luckman the Bears' offensive coordinator, the best way to use Rolf Benirschke on a fake field goal, Chuck Woolery and Pat Sajak, Rico McDonald giving Junior Seau CTE, Bobby Duckworth dropping the ball at the three yard line, Jim Harbaugh's illustrious Chargers career, the last time (maybe) that Don Meredith sang "Turn Out The Lights" on Monday Night Football, the Rusty Lisch/Ed Luther Game, Jay Cutler breaking his thumb and Matt Nagy, Mitch Trubisky and Eddy Piniero conspiring to kill the 2019 season? And much, much more.
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The guys bask in the glow of the Bears' first home win in nearly 400 days and who better than longtime Bears fans to discuss the play of a backup quarterback. After all, no fanbase knows what bad backup quarterbacking looks like better than the Bears, and Tyson Bagent was far from bad. They talk about whether it's a good idea for Justin Fields to hurry back to face the Chargers, why this might not be a revenge game for Khalil Mack, why the 'Flus isn't so good at counting words and what the Bears will do with their embarrassment of riches at running back. They talk about the improved defense and if Ryan Poles really has a reputation for trading young talent. All that and, for some reason, how the Cubs could improve their road jerseys.
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The Athletic's Jon Greenberg discusses the interviews he did for the 20th anniversary oral history he wrote on the 2003 Cubs. Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Dusty Baker, E-ramis Ramirez, Jim Hendry, Gabor Bako, Eric Karros, Shawn Estes and more (all the stars) talked about their fond and not so fond memories of that season that was really great until it wasn't. Find out which ex-Cubs dodged his calls, and how he ended up with enough stuff for three columns with a fourth yet to come. Find out how he sleuthed an email address for one of the most in-demand characters in the entire saga. Jon theorizes that Steve Bartman was, and probably still is, a loyal reader of Desipio/Pointless Exercise. They also talk about an event earlier that season that foreshadowed the way it all ended. All that and much more.
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The Bears just cannot have nice things. After Justin Fields put his best nine quarters of football together, he face planted figuratively in the first half and then literally as his facemask made his thumb bend in the wrong direction. The guys talk about Tyson Bagent's debut, the health prognosis on Fields (and what clues we can take from the Bears signing Trace McSorley and that likely means the IR is inevitable for Josh), and whether this is the worst QB room in Bears' history. They look back at whether the Bears would have won if Fields hadn't gotten hurt (probably), a solid performance by the defense for once, and who Matt Eberflus looks like when he's "concentrating." They also look ahead to this week's matchup with the Raiders and their backup QB.
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David Brown is back to talk about the baseball playoffs and the guys discuss the overwrought narrative around the first round byes, and how it's really OK that the playoffs are unpredictable. They also talk about the Phillies home field advantage and what made that possible (there's a direct connection to the current mental state of Cubs fans believe it or not), Bryce Harper's base running, Yordan Alvarez going from the commode to the batter's box to homer...twice. Are the Rangers and Phillies already on their way or can Dusty's Astros and the plucky D'bags fight them off? They talk about the return of Ken Griffey Jr. as a pitchman, Evan Carter coming out of nowhere, and much, much, more.
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The guys have a spirited discussion in this one, which starts with Andy talking about paying to go see somebody else's podcast live, but then turns into a discussion of what happens to Justin Fields if the Bears end up with the number one overall pick, but it's not their pick. Then they, like the Bears, get back on track and revel in the Bears kicking the Commanders' asses, make fun of "Riverboat" Ron's nickname, wonder who is going to run the ball with everybody hurt, discuss great 35s in recent history and then look ahead to a Vikings' game where the opponent will not have their best player.
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The guys ponder the future of Bears overmatched head coach Matt Eberflus, and whether or not the mini-bye that comes from playing a Thursday night game is the worst possible timing for him if he's trying to keep his job. Look back and the Bears' historic stubborn refusal to fire a coach in-season. They look back at key moments (gambling and otherwise) in the mind-numbing loss to the Broncos. They talk about the Toy Story broadcast of last Sunday's ESPN+ game (seriously), and then they look ahead to the week five matchup with Washington and why "Riverboat" Ron needs to surrender that nickname.
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Despite the Cubs falling down and crapping on themselves, the baseball playoffs will start on schedule without them. David Brown joins the pod and after Andy gives the most awkward intro ever, the guys start and end the podcast with deep thoughts on the recent past and near future of the Cubs, and they zip around the playoff bracket to talk about the actual good teams. Wait until you hear the big idea about how to fix the tiebreaker system and no, it does not involve run differential.
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The Bears and Broncos matchups go back more than 50 years and there have been some infamous heroes (Devin Hester, Eddy Piniero, Tim Tebow) and hapless goats (Marion Barber III, Dave Wannstedt, Jim Flanigan). Some Bears greats played for both teams like Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, Brandon Marshall, Todd Sauerbrun and Eddie Royal. Guys like Vic Fangio, Vance Joseph and John Fox have coached for both teams. Sean Payton is the Broncos coach now and was a scab Bear in 1987. The Broncos had no answer for Bob Avellini's incredible 2-for-17 passing in one game and Brock Osweiler began his legacy of Bears' torment in another. Plus, the guys talk about Johnny Bench, Terry Bradshaw's acting career, why everyone should watch "Hooper" instead of Bears games and much, much more.
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Against their better judgement the guys relive the week that was at Halas Hall and Arrowhead Stadium. At least the Bears made Taylor Swift happy, so that should be worth something, right? They dig into the Peanut Tillman raid, Justin Fields yelling at reporters for...reporting what he told them, $100,000 worth of stolen lawn mowers and the joys of playing with a concussion. They discuss the possibility of the Bears having their first-ever interim head coach, and whether George or Virginia would do a better job in the role. Then, they look ahead to the game this week with the Broncos, which is so big that CBS is sending THREE mediocre announcers to cover it, and the Bears are so bad that they are underdogs at home against a team that just lost by 50 points last week.
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Remember This Crap is back and it's a two-fer? Who better than these guys to recall the most embarrassing days in Bears history, and to regale you with tales of Bears-Chiefs history? It's the only Bears podcast you'll hear this week with discussions about Jeremiah Ratliff, Sam Hurd, Alonso Spellman, gun range punchings, the Johnson Twins Tank and Todd, Joe Delaney, Mirro Roder, Frank Gansz, Terry Shea, Christian Okoye, Gary Crowton, John Roveto and Abe Gibron.
The Bears and Chiefs haven't met that often over the years and most of the matchups haven't meant a whole lot, but the matchups have had a few great moments, including one of the greatest and most iconic runs of all time.
And no, it wasn't by Tim Worley.
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You things are going well when the podcast starts with a discussion about an HBO show that just got cancelled, but two weeks in, this is where we are. Mike Pusateri and Mike Praznowski are back to break down the Bears breakdown in Tampa, and the guys try to figure out when this might actually get a win. Who is to blame, and why is it multiple people? They talk about the elusive Baker Mayfield (guh), a determined but futile defensive effort, Justin Fields teasing us with the kind of throw that it seems he should be trying a lot, the Chase Claypool mini-redemption and why a screen pass from your own end zone should get you banned from calling plays at any level.
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The Bears loss to the Packers might not have been a shock to smart fans like you, but the totality of the butt whupping was unexpected and the guys are there to tell you who to blame. There's plenty of it to go around. Odd playcalling, poor design, the inability to pull the trigger and let's not forget a defense that didn't come within an area code of the Packers backfield on most plays. But there's still reason for hope, and we can look ahead to better times in the upcoming game in Tampa.
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The Bears podcast returns with a new addition. One Mike P. wasn't enough, so joining Andy and Mike Pusateri on the pod is Mike Praznowski. The guys will take potential corporate sponsorship from anybody so they devote an entire segment to providing increasingly spicy takes from every level of the Taco Bell sauce lineup from Mild to Diablo. Which Bears are going to break long held records? Who's getting fired? Who's getting traded. You won't know until you listen. No Bears podcast would be complete without going through the schedule week by week and predicting whether they'll win or lose and then, they break out the DraftKings Sportsbook over/unders and pick out the most intriguing ones to bet on.
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Tom Loxas is back to talk about the Cubs and whether or not David Ross can avoid sabotaging the playoff run. They discuss Ross' moves and his perceived leadership qualities, Jed's take on how close they came to selling and how Dansby Swanson shamed him into trying to win. They talk about rebuilds in general and how the Cardinals missed a golden opportunity this year. They have thoughts on what huge part of the Cubs organization is handicapping the excitement level with fans and they talk about Cody Bellinger and Shohei Ohtani's upcoming free agentness. All that and more.
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Bally Senior MLB Writer David Brown is back on the podcast as the guys look at the playoff races and try to figure out who the odd teams out in each league are going to be. And, about eight minutes in, Christopher Morel interrupts the proceedings by hitting a walk-off homer, taking off all his clothes and helping save the Cubs season. They discuss how baseball should redeploy Shohei Ohtani now that the Angels have completely crapped the bed, and suggest a whole bunch of new rules that would make the playoffs more fun, even if the rules themselves would be an abomination of the game we all love.
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The trade deadline came and went and the Cubs came out pretty big winners. Let's look at the their big move(s), and how they stack up against the other 'contenders' in the NL Central and Wild Card. Who's a sleeper to come from even farther back than the Cubs to get a Wild Card spot, how long are the Reds going to fake it and a look at everybody else in the mix in the NL.
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The Cubs and White Sox have met in a World Series, in exhibitions and for the last 26 years regularly in interleague play. Lots of guys have played for both teams, they've made the occasional trade and now they battle for a sponsored "cup" that nobody gives a damn about. The guys look back at the history between the teams, why it means so much more to Sox fans than it ever will to Cubs fans and how much more successful one franchise has been than the other. They also remember key games and players and kinds of other nonsense.
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Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same.
The trade deadline is less than two weeks away and teams need to figure their crap out post haste. David Brown joins the baseball podcast to discuss why teams like the Orioles and Reds should have already done more than they have, what's up with the Cardinals lame attempt to get good pitching by trading bad pitching for it, why the Cubs should try to avoid opening more holes instead of filling them and what's the deal with Shohei.
They also discuss the proposed legends home run derby and bad All-Star Game uniforms. And much, much more!
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The second half of the season is upon us and the Cubs are just as meh as we all suspected they would be, which means little Jeddy has to make a big decision. What are the arguments for selling or buying and honestly, why do you have to do either? Would it be that crazy to trade based on need instead of contract status and controllable years? Probably. Also, a look at simple things the Cubs could do to increase their on field competence, why it's great that MLB keeps stiffing them when they ask for an All-Star Game, and other stuff.
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Just in time for Independence Day the guys are doing a deep dive of a movie made just...FIFTY years ago? It's the movie version of the musical 1776, starring KITT from Knight Rider, the White Shadow, the governor from Benson and Gwyneth Paltrow's mom. But, if you've seen it, you know it's a really good movie and if you haven't...well, we dare you to listen to this podcast and not race to your TV to watch it. It's the story of the second Continental Congress featuring all of the old dead guys in wigs that you remember from history class. And just like the podcast, it's funny and poignant and riveting.
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The Cubs have been a professional baseball for (most of) their 148 years of existence and you'd think that over that time they would have a long history of excellence in center field. You'd be wrong. The guys are back to Remember This Crap about Cubs centerfielders over the years, with a special focus on the guys who've tried to play there the last 50 years. Some are better than you remember (Rick Monday, Brian McRae), some are even worse than you feared (Corey Patterson, Felix Pie) and some you hardly remember at all (Marlon Byrd, Emilio Bonifacio, Carlos Lezcano). They make the case that even though we grew up being told third base was the problem it hardly ever was, especially compared to center.
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The A's are off to Vegas and all Andy and David want to know is what does that do to the blackouts. The new stadium is going to be built on the strip, but did MLB get Moe Green's permission? The Cardinals are bad and getting worse and somebody's going to pay for it, but who? Just how bad has Willson Contreras been since he moved back to catcher? Hint: Baaaad. Andy breaks out his Suzyn Waldman impression and a few John Sterling stories. The Reds are young and fun, but are they really any good? The Cubs just swept the Pirates, but how much longer do they have before they need to pick a lane for the rest of the season? Why won't they at least negotiate with Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger? All that, and more.
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The Cubs are oozing back to the bottom, and some people are shocked by this. Let's look back at how the free agent signings have worked out, what we can expect to get out of Matt Mervis and Christopher Morel, and why having three catchers is a complete waste of time. We'll discuss why there's no reason to call the tiny little infielder back up from Iowa, why Mike Tauchman should be rooting for Cody Bellinger to return ASAP, and why the Cubs should create a fake ainjury for Tucker Barnhart like they did Edwin Rios. Also, why won't the Cubs play Morel in the field, or make a sensible and obvious change to their batting order. And, a case for why they shouldn't be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, but they should be active. Then, a quick look at what's really going on with the Bears' stadium stuff, and the return of HBO's secretly greatest show.
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The Athletic's Jon Greenberg is back again and there's plenty to discuss. Did new Bears president Kevin Warren really botch the Big Ten's TV contracts or is it just impossible to try to work for 14 university presidents at the wrong time? And what does it mean when a guy would voluntarily decide he wants to work for the McCaskeys?
Are the Bears as good as the NFL is counting on them to be given the TV schedule they gave them? Why did George vote against allowing Amazon to flex Thursday Night Football games, and why wasn't he savvy enough to trade what could have been the pivotal vote for something he (not we) really wants?
What does Otis Spunkmeyer have to do with the Soldier(s) Field press box? And why do the Bears insist on making it so weird with the media all the time? And there's an impeccable Mike North impression.
Then, there's a 27 second in-depth discussion of the White Sox before a much longer chat about the Cubs.
What would it take for David Ross to ever actually be on the "hot seat?"
Why are games on Marquee even weirder than normal this season, even if you (like we) kind of like the occasional Joe Girardi third man in stuff? Is there any good reason to ever have a dugout reporter? Why is Boog talking so much? And has anybody ever seen the postgame show?
Then they talk about what it would take for the Cubs to actually be a seller at the trade deadline.
All that, and more.
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After all of the weirdness, Willson Contreras' exile from the squat lasted one week. David Brown is here to talk about that and all kinds of stuff like why baseball team's can't figure out how to use the injured list, Shohei's flirtation with another ridiculously cool achievement, good old Yankees sticky fingers, big hats and sore arms in Texas, Dr. Strangeglove and how we stopped worrying and learned to love stealing signs, and how much do managers really manage these days and how people paying attention is bad for David Ross.
All that, and more.
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It's only been a month but Andy and David are ready to start crossing teams off from playoff contention, and it includes an erstwhile rival of the Cubs---though maybe not the one you want it to be. But first, they talk about how two thirds of the San Francisco Giants reportedly got diarrhea during their two day trip to Mexico City over the weekend. Andy gives you a life hack given to him by an executive at Harley-Davidson about how to avoid food poisoning.
Then the guys get to the work of making cases to eliminate teams already and put a few more on notice. They discuss the Cubs overrating their own MLB roster and why they are frustrating their fans by refusing to make a couple of very obvious roster moves. And, Wander Franco did something really cool which will make a lot of old, grumpy fans really mad.
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Three weeks into the season is enough time to project playoff series and make all kinds of lasting judgements about teams and players, right? Even if it's not David Brown joins Andy to help do it. They talk about the team with the biggest run differential in the NL (the Cubs), the worst in both leagues (the A's) and others who are off to good and bad starts. They talk about Cardinals fans already turning on Willson Contreras, David Ross giving out charity replay challenges, misapplication of the pitch clock rules awkward in-game interviews and how ESPN is actually paying players to do them now. They discuss Rick Sutliffe's Rosé colored glasses for mundane fundamental baseball things, rally possums, the Cubs new magic lightbulbs, even more potential new rules and much more.
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Baseball season is here and who better to preview it with than David Brown, who has spent his spring galavanting through the Cacti and Grapefruit Leagues. They talk about the Cubs chances in 2023, a fun conversation Dave had with Billy Williams, Nico Hoerner's "extension", why the Cubs need three catchers and a Nick Madrigal, Freddie Freeman's love for Dansby Swanson and more, including how Ian Happ can just draft behind Shohei during free agency next winter and sucker some owner who missed out on the real prize to give him a third of the money they were going to give Shohei. They also have some fun with team total over/unders as they work their way around the big leagues.
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Over the past couple of years we have recounted every Cubs season from 1980 through 2011 on Remember This Crap, and here is the culmination of those efforts. We saved the 1984 season for last. Were our efforts to remember 32 painful season of Cubs baseball pathetic and futile? Probably. But we did save a great one for last.
The 1984 Cubs shaped an entire generation of Cubs fandom. They crawled out of the abyss and berthed a superstar second baseman and a Cy Young pitcher and mostly were a lot of fun. They did very un-Cublike things like go into first place and stay there. They beat up the Mets, which is always fun, but they also just plain beat them. They swept the Cardinals twice and handed them more than a few humiliating defeats.
They started the playoffs with a bang and ended it with a whimper, something we got used to until a recent team finally saved us from that fate.
For many of us, these are the Cubs of our youth. Ryne Sandberg. Rick Sutcliffe. Sarge. Bull Durham. Bob Dernier. Lee Arthur Smith. Keith Moreland. Steve Trout. Jody, Jody, Jody. For better or worse they are why we care so damned much about this team.
So kick back and enjoy our look back at the 1984 Cubs.
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Andy completes the home and home with Tom Loxas who had him on his podcast a few weeks ago and Tom stops by to talk about the Cubs, including who is going to fill the big Seiya sized hole in right field to start the season, what are the Cubs going to do with David Bote, what's the smartest way to set up the opening day roster, and do the Cubs need a second lefty in the bullpen if the options are all bad? What does a nine-game spring training winning streak really mean, and do we really have to go through the motions of letting Adrian Sampson start the season in the bullpen? They talk about TV blackouts, Andy compares Pete Crow-Armstrong to one of his dogs (in a good way), they try to figure out the Cubs lineup and worry about one of the unintended consequences of the pitch clock. All that and more.
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Bally Sports Senior MLB Writer David Brown is on location in Arizona checking out the Cacti League, and provides an up close look at spring training, including an up close look at Shohei Ohtani, the pitch clock and why we don't need to see it on TV, the bigger bases, the Mariners' clubhouse dog Tucker, guys playing long toss and spotty hotel WiFi. They also discuss Seiya's oblique and if players being in the best shape of their lives is good or bad. All that and more.
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Andrew Lawrence, columnist at The Guardian, is back on the podcast. He writes about important issues like culture, politics, the NFL, NBA and F1, but he's up for the regular nonsense of the Pointless Exercise Podcast. They discuss how the Bears could botch the number one pick, whether they'd actually trade Justin Fields, what makes Fields so exciting and how top draft prospect Jalen Carter's sad legal problems might impact his draft status. Then they discuss the Bulls' struggles and how much they miss Lonzo Ball, and how a team with good players and a good coach isn't very good because somehow the pieces just don't fit together. They ponder whether the Jordan Era Bulls should even be considered part of the same franchise as this recurring mess. Then, they talk about the upcoming F1 season and why it's the best, most fun auto racing that there is. They talk about the drivers, the team "principals", controversies, and the Netflix "Drive to Survive" docuseries. Andy makes the case that F1 is an easy sport to add to your current rooting interests because there are only 10 teams, 20 drivers, the races are time limited and fun to watch on TV, and everything about it is really cool. That and much, much, more.
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The baseball podcast is back with David Brown from Bally Sports and they start by talking Super Bowl prop bets? Well, it makes sense because David's a Kansas City resident. Then the baseball talk starts with a look at the World Baseball Classic rosters and the pools, and what Cubs and former Cubs are sure to help their native lands the most. Like Eric Sogard on Team Czechoslovakia. Huh? They discuss Trey Mancini's new/old name, and how baseball's new rules are going to impact the game. All that and more.
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An old favorite Cubs has retired and Marquee Sports Network has snapped him up. No, it's still not Miguel Montero, but Dexter Fowler should be good at this, let's hope they actually use him. The Cubs have signed even more white guys since we last checked in. Spring Training starts in two weeks but guys are already out there hitting practice bombs. Luke Getsy is wearing the big headset this weekend at the Senior Bowl. Thoughts on why Tony Romo sucks now, and some of it is Jim Nantz's fault. And, cool stuff to watch on TV. All that, and more.
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Kelly Dwyer returns to the podcast to discuss just how excited he is or isn't about the Cardinals hiring Chip Caray to be their new TV play by play guy. You can probably guess which way he feels about this. They even wax nostalgic about the guys who filled in for Chip at random intervals when he was doing Fox studio stuff during the early part of his Cubs career. The guys also discuss fun times at Substack staff meetings, former Cubs greats Luis Salazar, Marvell Wynne, Dave Martinez and Rafael Palmeiro, helmets without flaps, what's going on with the Chicago Bulls, and much, much, more.
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The Cubs had a convention (you may have heard something about it) and the Bears have a new president and the number one pick and Jon Greenberg of the The Athletic drops by to talk about that and more. They talk about Marquee's coverage of the convention, Ryan Dempster's awful fake talk show, Ian Happ putting people to sleep with his "live" podcast, and Tom Ricketts consistently making it weird with regards to Sammy Sosa. What's new with the Utility Tunnel of Fame? Was it a bad sign that Kevin Warren was out wandering around 300 acres of undeveloped Arlington Park before he applied for the job? Why does Ryan Poles report to him? Do we have to listen to fake debates for four more months about whether the Bears should trade the number one pick or use it for a QB and trade Justin Fields? Sadly, yes. All that, and more.
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The guys wrap up another fine Bears' season by breaking down the season ending Ryan Poles-Matt Eberflus press conference, arguing over whether Poles would actually draft a quarterback first overall and making fun of Aaron Rodgers weird, awkward, romantic stroll off the field with Randall Cobb. They talk about the Bears only "blue chipper", who they can trade the number one pick to, what is realistic to expect in free agency, where the Texans shocker in Indy ranks on Lovie's all-time Bears wins list, what players the Bears should actually keep for next year and much, much more.
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The calendar year is ending and we're just about six weeks from the start of spring training, so it's time to look at the Cubs' roster and see how it stacks up and...oof. Half the infield is set and the other half is just bad, the outfield is fully stocked with questions, the rotation looks deep but lacks a top of the rotation stud, the bench is non-existent and the bullpen has a lot of guys who wear their gloves on their left hands. So with work left to be done, what are the Cubs options to improve it? That's an excellent question without an excellent answer. So dive into the roster discussion. Oh, and there are a few minutes at the beginning about the Bears most important remaining role. Losing to help keep the Packers out of the playoffs.
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For the first time ever, all of your favorite Pointless Exercise Podcast hosts are in one place at the same time as David Brown, Mike Pusateri, Mike Donohue and Andy Dolan sit down to discuss the year in sports and veer off into all kinds of related and unrelated topics. They discuss timely things like Abe Gibron slow roasting a pig, how Lonzo Ball killed the entire year in Chicago sports, Nick Madrigal's exciting future, the Cubs awkward flirtation with the luxury tax, and guys kicking the ball from the outfield to the infield. How baseball's defensive rules might introduce blitzing to the game...finally! The parallels between Dansby Swanson and other great Chicago shortstops. You'll see how every podcast with Mike D. eventually becomes a Remember This Crap. What stage of spring training will the Dodgers cut Jason Heyward? Captain America. Rick Monday. Faulty sports memories and what role Al Toon and Mitch Williams play in them. Is MPH on throws during games any kind of way to evaluate defensive players? The return of Hub Arkush. All that and much, much, more.
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The Bears finally have a new opponent, so Remember This Crap returns from hiatus to look back at all of the great games in the history of Bears-Eagles. And, after some digging they actually found a few. They have a storied playoff history and the Bears actually won one of them...but nobody could see it. Great QB matchups abound like Mike Tomczak v. Bubby Brister, Jonathan Quinn's greatest NFL game, and Randall Cunningham throwing a ridiculous amount of passes in two matchups against the mighty Vince Tobin defense. Of course there's Mike Ditka v. Buddy Ryan, Dick Vermeil crying, and jokes about Donovan McNabb barfing on the field during a Super Bowl. A failed senate candidate played running back in two of the matchups, Marc Trestman's lost 50-burger occurred in this series and who could ever forget Wendell Davis leaving his kneecaps at the Vet and Cade McNown losing his throwing shoulder on the sidelines? All that, plus Greasey Neale and much, much more.
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The 2022 Winter Meetings were eventful, so David Brown of Bally Sports helps break things down. Why does it make sense for the Cubs to sign Cody Bellinger? Can Jameson Taillon set the all-time Tommy John Disease record? Why wouldn't the Cubs just pay Carlos Correa whatever it takes? There's a hilarious Brandon Nimmo pun. They try to figure out if there's anybody else the Padres can give $300 million to, what are the Giants going to do with their pile of unspent cash? Did the White Sox know the Winter Meetings were this week? Does Scott Boras actually think his puns are funny? (Not as funny as the Brandon Nimmo one, for sure.) What else can teams do between now and spring training? And, the guys review A Christmas Story Christmas and Dave tells you where you can find the world's largest leg lamp!
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The Bears have lost eight straight games to the Packers and Sunday's was certainly one of them. The guys return to the podcast studio to discuss whether or not Justin Fields should have played (hint: yes) and whether the Bears limited his rushing attempts to protect his bad shoulder. They also try to decide whether or not the Bears can set the franchise record for losses, if a QB room of Trevor Siemian, Nathan Peterman and Tim Boyle would that much worse than most of the ones we've already lived through and if Jack Sanborn is actually kind of good. Should the Bears have Fields start the remaining four games, should they re-sign David Montgomery, and when will Chase Claypool learn how to run a route that actually goes forward? That, and much, much more including an odd detour to baseball rule penalties.
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The winter meetings are coming and who better to talk to about them than somebody who will fly to San Diego to stand in a lobby, The Athletic's Cubs writer Patrick Mooney. Patrick tells all about the Cubs vaunted pitch lab (or at least a sign that points to it), whether or not the Cubs really tried to sign Jose Abreu, which of the big shortstops the Cubs will sign and why Kodai Senga's first name might or might not have a 'u' in it. The guys discuss where Nico will go if they get a new shortstop, why Ian Happ might not even want to sign a contract extension, what's up with Kyle Hendricks, and would Willson Contreras really go to Houston to not catch? And, Andy suggests a new catchphrase for the Cubs to use every time they miss out on a free agent that they "totally" were close to signing. All that, plus what fun stuff is planned for the Cubs little winter wonderland thing, why the Cubs never became what the Dodgers did and much, much, more.
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On this episode of the pod we have our favorite guest of all-time. You'll want to check it out as he is less than thrilled by possible Ian Happ contract extension talks, gives you an update on the Cubs quest for a new shortstop, how will they live without the stars they've non-tendered and how the possibility of adding Cody Bellinger feels like a short-term duplication of their worst long-term move in a generation. He also makes fun of Bruce Levine's Jose Abreu to the Cubs talk and the Cubs Convention. And that's not all. He diagnoses Justin Fields' shoulder injury, explains what they'll do with their high draft pick and why the McCaskeys are fine with Jeff Joniak being awful at his job. There's also some brief Bulls' talk and some book and TV recommendations.
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The guys took extra time to grade film and crunch the numbers to figure out how the Bears lost to the Lions and if they did it on purpose. It's not like Cairo Santos is going to ever miss an extra point unless he tries to. And Justin Fields played an amazing game, so how could he possibly have thrown a pick six unless it was his plan all along. They discuss why the NFL is suddenly so run heavy and if for once the Bears are actually equipped to be ahead of the curve in something good. Why isn't everything reviewable? And how do you get called for hands to the face when you hit a guy in the chest and knock him over? They argue about whether Luke Getsy is doing enough for Justin Fields and Andy wins because he writes the podcast summaries. And, they look ahead to the Falcons game which Vegas thinks will be another shootout and is a revenge game for like nine Falcons players and most of the front office.
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On a very special edition of the podcast, Mike Pusateri, David Brown and Andy interview actor and author Michael Kostroff. Even if you don't know you know him, you do. He played the lawyer Maury Levy on "The Wire" and has appeared in "Billions," "The West Wing," "Damages," "Show Me A Hero," "The Deuce," "The Plot Against America," Molly's Game" and a lot more. He talks about sharing scenes in "The Wizard of Lies" with Robert DeNiro, talking about impostor syndrome with Meryl Streep, filming one of the most iconic scenes in TV history with Michael K. Williams, whether or not he gets free HBOMax, what props he's taken from sets (he even stops recording for a minute to go find one to show the guys), and he talks about his brand new book "The Stage Actor's Handbook" available online and in fancy bookstores near you.
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The Bears are moving up the dial, the Cubs are poised to attempt some "intelligent spending," the Cubs annual ode to sweatpants is returning and Jon Greenberg of The Athletic drops by to talk about all of it and more. They talk about if the suddenly entertaining (but still bad) Bears will earn a promotion out of any of their noon Sunday kickoffs or at least better announcer pairings, why the Bears thought they'd probably never work out a deal with Roquan Smith, is Luke Getsy back in play as a head coaching candidate, what players the Cubs will be in on and should be in on. The Cubs have fired another hitting coach, and does it make any sense to steal an old first baseman from other other side of town. Why doesn't Ryne Sandberg take more crap for quitting in the middle of a season. If Twitter really implodes how does that effect sports reporting and sports fandom. What happens to the White Sox when Jerry Reinsdorf shuffles off this mortal coil, why did Ozzie Guillen really get an interview, and Jon has read "The Book of Joe" and the guys discuss that, too.
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David Brown is back to talk about the World Series (it's a lot easier to preview things after they happen), Dusty Baker's awkward celebrity friendship, and to look ahead at baseball's hot stove. The guys talk about Scott Boras' annual pun fest at the GM meetings, the concept of being "baseball funny", and what does "intelligent spending actually mean?" They break down the top free agents, talk about which ones speak four languages and have been knighted, why cool names matter, and they try to figure out where the players best fit, and if the Cubs are going to be in on them or not. Plus, HBO's new Willie Mays documentary and much, much, more.
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It was a perfect day for the rebuilding Bears against the Dolphins. Justin Fields continues to look like a star, they scored a ton of points, they lost and we got to boo the refs. The guys break it down, try to decide which Fields play was more awesome than the last, tout Cole Kmet's Hall of Fame candidacy and try to figure out what the hell are the rules these days, anyway? Oh, and they enjoy the continuing demise of the Packers and try to figure out how many of their remaining games the Bears could win. Plus, you can pay $85 bucks to watch Christmas Vacation and have Chevy Chase yell at you afterwards. How could you pass that up? All that, plus a deal from our new pals at Obvious Shirts (seriously) and more.
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The history between the Bears and Dolphins isn't all that long and isn't all that storied, in fact, you probably only remember one game with any kind of clarity. But the guys dive in and dig up all kinds of info on the Bears connections of the Dolphins first-ever head coach, who won their last playoff game, and if any of the '72 Dolphins are still alive (sadly, some are). They make fun of Bob Griese's facemask, get jealous over the number of interim coaches Miami has had and play a very funny game of "Guess who the Dolphins' original co-owners" were. Then they get into breaking down the matchups over the years. The teams have only played 13 times in 52 years and the Bears have only won four of them. Re-live the times Nat Moore caught a touchdown off Dan Hampton's helmet, Jim Harbaugh almost outdueled Dan Marino, Rex Grossman threw three interceptions, and Cody Parkey kicked a 53 yard field goal attempt about 30 yards. Andy amuses himself with the list of Bears' all-time leading receivers, again, and you'll learn what Bear is last in receiving yardage all-time. And for some reason they start talking '80s cable movies, the Spice Channel and early satellite dish technology.
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Usually the guys breakdown the previous week's game and then look ahead to the Bears' next opponent, but this week they not only do that, but they talk about the Roquan Smith to the Ravens and the Bears subsequent trade for Chase Claypool. They talk about how Roquan serving as his own agent contributed to this as well as Ryan Poles realizing there wasn't a deal to be done to keep Roquan in town. Did the Bears get enough, though? The Claypool trade was unexpected but necessary. How much does this help Justin Fields and Darnell Mooney and basically everybody on the offense? Are there are any other 2019 Notre Dame offensive players they can trade for now? Andy has spent way too much time figuring out what number Chase is going to wear. Then they actually talk about the Cowboys game and look ahead to the Dolphins, who were going to be hard enough to stop with Roquan. Now? Yikes.
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The Bears and Cowboys haven't played as many times as you would think over the years, but there have been some memorable games. The most vivid is the Bears' 44-0 domination in 1985, and the two playoff losses. Maybe less memorable are the lone wins for Gina Carano's dad and Tom Brady's old Michigan platoon-mate on Thanksgivings many years apart. But the guys break a bunch of them down, including some memorable Bob Thomas and Jon Roveto shanked extra points, a Doug Flutie sighting, and a Mitch Trubisky win in their last matchup. Andy misremembers this crap about what year a dropped snap by Tony Romo cost Dallas a trip to Chicago in the playoffs and sent Seattke instead. They talk about Josh McCown's finest hour as a Bear, and much, much, more.
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The guys are still buzzing about the pantsing the Bears put on the once proud Patriots on Monday night. The sheer amount of competence was startling. An offensive scheme that fit the players, another touchdownless second half by the defense and a successfully returned punt! They talk about the Bears taking advantage of an 11-game break after the mind-numbing loss to the Washington Commodes to make significant changes to the offense, Mac Jones kicking dudes, whether a ball hit the weird cable camera thing and what would it matter if it did, and the Bears successfully running a productive play after Cole Kmet caught a pass and kept his butt cheek in bounds. They wonder if Fields can rush for 1,000 yards this year, and they observe a moment of silence for the end of the Big Play Bob era. Roquan wept. All that, and more.
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The long, illustrious list of teams the Bears have beaten in the Super Bowl begins and ends with the mighty New England Patriots. But there's so much more to know about them. For instance, why did Matt Millen punch out their general manager on the field after a playoff game? How did the Sullivan family go bankrupt just a year after Super Bowl XX? They sold the team to a guy who sold it in disgrace just three years later, but what savvy guy bought their stadium out from under them in bankruptcy court? Who was James Ornstein and why did he only own the team for two years? What does Bob Kraft like to do to unwind before big playoff games--wait, let's not talk about that. Who almost drafted Tom Brady before the Patriots could get him? Why did Bill Parcells quit after taking them to a Super Bowl and why didn't Bill Belichick take over then? Why am I typing in all questions?
We unearth a rare Bears win this series and neither of us could remember that it ever happened. We also re-live the first of two humiliating defeats in the final days of the Marc Trestman era that bookended a bye week. Yikes. We talk about Belichick tying Papa Bear George Halas' all-time wins mark, and Bill nerding out with Ed Reed about what Belichick insists is the greatest play he's ever seen a free safety make. And, we come to the definitive answer on who was more instrumental in the Patriots' dynasty, Belichick or Tom Brady. Plus, why Michigan could never just make Tom their starting quarterback. All that, and more.
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Lodged in between a game against the Commanders last week and a Patriots game that's not until Monday the guys do the obvious thing and talk about Strother Martin for a while on the Bears podcast. The look back at the mind-numbing loss to Washington and at how hard the Bears had to work to not accidentally win the game. They take opposite sides on how much the Bears GM and coach are really invested in making this situation work out for Justin Fields. They look at the troubling (though in at least one case highly enjoyable) struggles of all three teams currently trying to run the Packers version of the Kyle Shanahan offense and wonder if maybe the real problem is that none of them have Davante Adams on their team. They look ahead to Monday in Foxborough and give two reasons why George McCaskey is going to give a rip roaring pregame speech to fire up the troops. And, they try to figure out why Yu Darvish's leg is bleeding in a baseball game going on in the background. Oh, and you'll learn more about the actual follow up to A Christmas Story than you never wanted to know. It's Bears related. Really.
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The Washington NFL franchise has been in existence nearly as long as the Bears but they've won more Super Bowls (though fewer total championships) and been much more racist. Their first owner was forced to integrate his team or be denied access to his new stadium, and they had a coach who likely was only pretending to be Native American (no, not Joe Gibbs). The guys look back at the glory days of both franchises (they were both good in the '40s and '80s) and long stretches of bad. The two have shared coaches over the years for better or worse. The Bears have had surprisingly bad recent luck against Washington, and by recent we mean the last SIXTEEN games going back three decades. The Redskins kicked off the Bears dominant era in the mid-80s and then ended it...twice. So kick back and enjoy a breezy look at 90 years of matchups between the two franchises.
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The Bears rallied to make Sunday's loss to the Vikings fun and if Ihmir Smith-Marsette didn't do a reverse Marion Barber III they might have actually won. The guys discuss the Bears sudden more aggressive approach and if it will endure, how well Justin Fields played, and they rank Darnell Mooney's one handed catch among the many, many great catches in Bears history. Well, that's kind of a short list. They discuss how the Bears should balance playing to win (especially if they have to be ultra conservative to stay in games) against actually letting their greatest asset develop by playing in an offense that doesn't turtle on every third down. Then, they look ahead to Thursday night's DotCom streaming matchup against the Washington Commodes. All that, and more.
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The first round of the 2022 playoffs is in the books and the home team lost three of the four "series." The second round is upon us and Andy and David take a look at what happened in the best two of threes over the weekend and ahead to three underwhelming divison rematches plus Guardians-Yankees. Is Oliver Marmol still standing motionless in the Cardinals' dugout watching his closer throw balls at the backstop? Yadi and Albert are done and good riddance. Has Adam Wainwright barged into the Fox broadcast booth yet? Have the Rays scored? Do any umpires have their thumbs in Joe Musgrove's ears? Does Julio Rodriguez have a Copper Fit endorsement yet? Why do they call that guy The Big Dumper? And, Jed Hoyer met the media in Chicago and detailed a new way for the team to screw over Willson Contreras.
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The baseball playoffs start on Friday, and apparently the Cubs aren't in them, but there's still fun stuff to talk about. The guys have some fun with the top 20 home run seasons in the history of both leagues. They ponder how many teams that actually tried to make the playoffs this year didn't. (It's not many.) They look at the playoff brackets and identify the division champion who might get bounced first (sorry, Cardinals fans). They ponder whether the Mets actually choked, how top players returning from injury will impact both AL Wild Card series. They tell you what ESPN/ABC teams are going to announcing each series. And then, what will the White Sox managerial search look like, will either 21st century Chicago World Series winning manager get considered for the job, and they discuss whether David Ross is any damned good at his job.
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The Bears went to New Jersey and muddled around for a few hours and came home no longer tied for first place in the NFC North. Was this a blow to their Super Bowl hopes? The guys discuss that, and how you can fall for the same play over and over and over. Did Justin Fields play better or did everybody else just play worse? Why did the Giants have a hobbled quarterback lining up at wide receiver late in the game? Did anybody in the Bears game need to ride the poop cart like DK Metcalf did in Detroit. How many field goals would the Bears have kicked if Cairo Santos had been available? How much did they miss Jaylon Johnson again? And, why are Bears fans so emotionally fragile about...everything?
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It's hard to express just how hyped the season opener for the Bears was in 1987. It was on Monday Night Football, it was against the defending Super Bowl Champion Giants, both teams had been 14-2 in the 1986, they had met in the 1985 NFC Championship Game and the Bears dominated them...and, Mike Tomczak was playing QB for the Bears! OK, maybe that part wasn't all that hyped. So join us as we break down the game with footage curated by two dudes in England who look like they were hosting the 20th century version of a Chuggo podcast. The Giants were the best team in football, allegedly, and the Bears beat the crap out of them. Phil Simms gets knocked out of the game and dares to return. Tomczak has the quarter of his life. Ron Morris makes a ridiculous touchdown catch, Dennis McKinnon returns from a knee injury that cost him all of 1986 and makes one of the greatest punt returns ever.
It was a great game, and a reminder that the 1985 Bears didn't stop being dominant right after the Super Bowl.
And wait until you "see" (hear about) the greatest player of all time sneaking painkillers on the bench. No, not the linebacker on the Giants.
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The first place, 2-1 Bears are doing it the old fashioned way with an opportunistic defense, a rugged running game and a passing game that looks like came straight out of the 1920s. Is it too early to give up on Justin Fields? Yes. Is it too early to worry about him? Maybe? The guys discuss what's wrong with the passing game, why the Bears are running the ball so well, how nice it was to see thatversion of Roquan Smith again, and what Cairo Santos was (probably) talking about when the Bears asked him which hashmark he wanted the ball on for the inevitable game winner. They look ahead to the Giants, talk about Andy's fool-proof strategy for winning NFL picks pools and give DraftKings a gratuitous free plug.
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David Brown is back to talk baseball and the guys talk about whether anyone can have a good enough season to be more valuable than Shohei Ohtani. They talk about Aaron Judge's run at the American League triple crown (and he homers right in the middle of the podcast) and about whether Paul Goldschmidt has a chance to get a triple crown in the NL. Thankfully, no. Andy compares a current fill-in shortstop for the White Sox to one of the most immortal Cubs of all time. Need a hint? This guy "saved a season" for Dusty back in the oughts. Yes, it's that bad. They look at what's left of the playoff races, tell exciting (and timely) Bob Feller stories and much, much more.
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For some reason the NFL insists on foisting the Bears and Packers in Lambeau at night, on national TV on us. They should know better. The Bears were overmatched, again, and while they kept the score superficially close, the outcome was really never in doubt. The Bears ran the ball well at the beginning and near the end, but did nothing in between. The guys try to figure out what what any of it means, and why Trevis Gipson is going to be in trouble if the league makes him pee in the cup this week. They discuss why a team would possibly be in the shotgun at the goal line, why the Bears only threw 11 passes and what present George Halas once left Mike Ditka after a similar loss. And, they look ahead to the return of Lovie and hope he still hasn't figured out when to use his timeouts.
He hasn't.
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It is probably the most infuriating season in Cubs history (and that's saying something with this bunch). The Cubs patched almost all of their holes from the year before when they gagged away a pennant, and the fans were manic from the first game on. Greggie came home, the Cubs stole Derrek Lee, added Todd Walker for some reason and traded for the dumbest catcher they could find. Mark Prior and Kerry Wood got hurt, again, Big Z was still just a kid and tried to drag them to the finish line. Sweaty Joe broke, Ryan Dempster's Tommy John Disease went into remission and he showed up late in the season to make things worse. Kent Mercker and Steve Stone got in three different verbal slap fights. The Cubs did do a trade and got Nomar! Sammy sneezed his back off, Todd Hollandsworth crippled himself with a foul ball, Andy Pratt threw very few strikes, LaTroy melted down repeatedly, Corey Patterson kept getting put back into the leadoff spot, and wait until you hear how much Jose Macias played down the stretch. Just so much...Dusty. You think you remember all of the bad stuff from the 2004 Cubs, but, you don't.
Buckle up for two and a half hours of catharsis. It's a helluva lot easier to handle now thanks to 2016.
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Was the Bears win over the Niners a sign that they're better than people thought, or just that they're good mudders? What were the good signs to take away from game one and the bad ones that invariably get washed away in the glow of victory? Did the Bears really have the advantage in the rain, or is it a good sign that a 49ers team built to dominate games on the ground couldn't score more than one touchdown against the scrappy Bears' defense? The guys discuss what all of this means, and what kind of outcome in Green Bay in week two would be continued promise and what might happen up there to for us to abandon all hope. And then they talk about the Emmys and what a terrible broadcast crew NBC has assigned to Notre Dame games this year.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/LA/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXTSTEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit http://ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA(selectparishes)/MI/NH/NJ/ NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. New customer offer void in NH/OR/ONT-CA. $200 in Free bets: New customers only. Valid 1 per new customer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 wager. $200 issued as eight (8) $25 free bets. Ends 9/19/22 @ 8pm. Early Win: 1 Early WinToken issued per eligible game. Opt in req. Token expires at start of eligible game. Min moneyline bet $1. Wagering limits apply. Wagersplaced on both sides of moneyline will void bet. Ends 1/8/23 @ 8pm ET. See terms at sportsbook dot draftkings dot com slash football terms.
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The Bears had put the NFL on notice with a big win over the (then) Redskins a couple of weeks prior, but they had a big score to settle when they went to San Francisco in week six in a rematch of the 1984 NFC Championship game. The Bears punched the Niners in the face early and often, Jim McMahon made some great throws (and one absolutely horrible one) and when it was time to finish things off, they did what they did best on offense, they gave the ball to Walter Payton, a lot. The defense harassed Joe Montana from the very start and the Niners were so overwhelmed they committed a lot of penalties. Some rookie wide receiver for the Niners made his first-ever start. Let's just say there are a LOT of Hall of Famers in this game. Dick Stockton and the immortal Wayne Walker were on the call for CBS. And wait until you hear the breakdown of Wayne's NFL career. It's really something. All that, and much more.
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The Bears podcast is back and so is Mike Pusateri for his third season. They take a look at the roster and try to figure out who the hell these guys are. What are reasonable expectations for the Bears with a first year head coach, a second year quarterback and the greatest kicker in football history? If the Bears improved their secondary so much why is Kindle Vildor still in it? Is it a bad sign that a bunch of waived players were much better than the ones the Bears already had? They'll tell you who will score the first touchdown of the season. They go through game by game and give you the Bears final record. Is the Robbie Gould revenge game still a thing? They bid adieu to Soldier(s) Field and Sweaty Teddy Phillips and come up with the greatest improvement to field goal kicking since soccer style. All that and more.
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The Cubs had two Hall of Famers on their pitching staff, they literally got to write in any salary they wanted to pay another Hall of Famer to join their outfield, and they won 75 games. The year was 1987, Wrigley Field's last without lights, Harry Caray had suffered a stroke and a raft of "celebrities" filled in for the first couple of months on the TV broadcasts. Gene Michael was the manager for some unknown reason, and he didn't survive the season, which would also be Dallas Green's last. Jerry Mumphrey had a shockingly good season, and Brian Dayett wowed the nation with his incredible all-around play. The Cubs were lousy with quality centerfielders for once, Ryne Sandberg and Shawon Dunston went missing for long stretches of the season. They've had non last place teams that were far worse than this bunch. They just happened to play in a loaded NL East that season.
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David Brown is back from vacation (and he wasn't robbed) and the guys take the bold stance that darnit, the Cubs SHOULD find a way to trade for Shohei Ohtani. They really went out there on a limb for that one. The talk about how much a team will have to give up to get Shohei and how much they'll have to pay him. They also discuss how long it would take Cubs players to realize that Willie Harris was gone if he went to manage the White Sox. They pick a new team to root for late in the season, and wonder if an announcer got his old toupee photos expunged from the Internet. How will the weird first round of the playoffs work and is home field advantage even a thing in baseball these days? All that, and more.
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The Dusty Baker era ended with a big wet thud as a promising start ended abruptly when Rafael Furcal careened into Derrek Lee and broke his wrist. Mark Prior pitched his final games for the Cubs. Kerry Wood's career as a starting pitcher ended. Phil Nevin traded himself. Greg Maddux got Scott Boras to trade him. Michael Barrett punched AJ Pierzynski in the face. Key relievers on the division championship teams the next two seasons were wallowing in the rotation. The Cubs somehow thought adding Juan Pierre and Jock Jones was a good idea. The team was a mess, lost 96 games and Dusty reminded us all that he didn't get fired, dude. But he also didn't come back. All that, and much more.
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Longtime baseball beat writer Mark Gonzales stops by the podcast to talk about the Cubs (and a little White Sox--mostly so Andy can make fun of Eloy trying to catch a flyball). They discuss the Franmil Reyes era, what the Cubs should do with shortstop next season, why they didn't trade Willson Contreras or Ian Happ and if they'll trade Happ this offseason. Why did Frank Schwindel get to hang around so long, how great is it that we don't have to watch David Bote and what is it that Nick Madrigal actually does? They talk about Joe Girardi's role on Marquee. And, Andy has a great plan for how the Cubs can actually use two designated hitters at the same time. All that, and much more.
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The 1993 Cubs did something rare at the time, they had a winning record. Even more rare for the Cubs they had a winning record and didn't make the playoffs. Oh, and they rewarded their manager by firing him. Probably because they were tired of trying to remember how to spell Lefebvre. They let Greag Maddux go and acted like it was a genius move to use his money to sign four guys...only one of whom was worth a damn. We relive Maddux's return to Wrigley and Jose Guzman's near no-hitter--and those were just the first two games! Sammy Sosa went 30-30 and made Ron Santo mad (which was worth it.) Rick Wilkins had one of the greatest offensive seasons by a Cubs catcher ever and we debunk the idea that it was his fault he only drove in 73 runs on 30 homers. Fans threw Randy Myers' posters on the field, Shawon Dunston made a triumphant late season return and Ryne Sandberg got paid and then broke his wrist. All that and much more.
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The Cubs are headed to the Field of Dreams Game and Frank Schwindel will not be going with. Unless he can hurry up and drive some nails into his car tires again. Frank's been replaced on the roster by the very large Franmil Reyes, and David Brown has high hopes for Franmil. The guys discuss a lot of interesting things like what Cubs player is strangely referenced on Hulu's "The Bear," what Sayid from "Lost" is up to these days, and whether or not the Field of Dreams uniforms are cool and how both teams will need to be on the lookout for corn sweat. They give their thoughts on players being interviewed during games, what the White Sox are going to do without Tim Anderson and Andy has a suggestion that Sox fans probably won't like, but it just might happen. And, they talk about unusual injuries to baseball players, snot rockets, and how Madison Bumgarner once dated himself. All that and much, much, more.
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Before the Cubs and Reds can ruin your memory of the film, we give Field of Dreams the full Movie Deep Dive treatment. We settle the really important questions like, "How much money would plowing under farmland to build a baseball field cost a farmer in 1988?" or "Is it have a catch or play catch?" How did they convince Kevin Costner to make a second baseball movie in two years? Who had a better 1989 than Gabby Hoffman? What job did Amy Madigan get offered in a bar in Dubuque during filming? What convinced James Earl Jones to join the cast and why the hell couldn't anybody pronounce Gandil or Cicotte? And why did they let Ray Liotta bat right handed and not have a southern accent? What other sports movie do you know Annie Kinsella's mom from? All this and much, much, more.
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The Cubs followed up a division title in 1989 by hosting the worst Home Run Derby of all time, and a rain delayed, mostly boring All-Star Game. Ryne Sandberg and Andre Dawson had good years, Mark Grace was pretty good and that was about it. They didn't sign any free agents, the only veteran they added was Dave Clark and amazingly just running back the same team from a year before didn't quite work out. They rushed their first round pick to the big leagues just weeks after the draft and he was never heard from again. The season started late because of a lockout (sound familiar), Mitch Williams walked everybody, Rick Sutcliffe got hurt again, and the opening day crowd was hilarious (wait until you hear the money.) Oh, and for no apparent reason there are a few minutes of Bears at the beginning and end of the podcast.
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As David Brown and I wrapped up our discussion of this year's trade deadline and the winners and losers (mostly the Cubs), we found out that Vin Scully died. So the podcast actually starts with a few minutes of us remembering Vin, including his great open to game one of the the 1989 NLCS. Then we get to the deadline talk and try to figure out just what the hell the Cubs were doing, how it makes any sense for them to not trade Willson Contreras and how the Juan Soto trade to the Padres might have screwed up the Cubs plans. We also talk about why Jed couldn't come up with more than plan in the first place. We also try to figure out why the White Sox didn't do anything, what the Brewers and Cardinals were trying to accomplish and we invent a new pre-game routine for Tony LaRussa and Andrew Vaughn. All that, and more.
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The Cubs had a new manager, a new (very old) closer, a new GM who used to be an old manager, six All-Stars and they could play home games after sunset for once! It's time to Remember This Crap about the 1988 Cubs. Greg Maddux was great for a half, Mark Grace debuted in an unfamiliar number and should have been the Rookie of the Year, Andre Dawson followed up his MVP season with a less than MVP season and Dave Martinez got traded for Mitch Webster for some unknown reason (well, let's say we know now-wink-wink-corncob-dress-wink-wink). It was a fun year as new, young guys came in to replace the last vestiges of the 1984 team and for once it actually built to something. Even though Jim Frey was already hell bent on screwing it all up.
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All-Star "week" (it's only three days) was chock-full o' stuff with the draft, the Home Run Derby and the weird uniforms in the actual game. David Brown is here to talk about all of that, potential trades, another new idea for the Derby which somehow results in Tom Cruise delivering the balls to an aircraft carrier and much more. They give their thoughts on Fox's new Joe, when does mic'ing players on the field actually work and Andy's two brushes with greatness at the 2002 Home Run Derby in Milwaukee.
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There is no wheel spinning in this edition of Remember This Crap because the guys decide to bring in a guest with a love of '80s baseball and, inexplicably, the podcast. NBA writer Kelly Dwyer joins the fray as they discuss the 1985 Cubs who were riding high in early June only to ruin the season and the basketball camp experiences of Andy and Mike during a 13 game losing streak. There are a lot of injuries, and shockingly, deaths in this one. Find out which Padre and Cub one of the guys' former coworkers had an affair with. Learn how many hits the Cubs got against John Tudor that year. Be shocked and saddened by the Cubs development of Shawon Dunston. Re-live the horror (or joy, depending on your rooting interests) of the sixth game of the '85 World Series. And, get a detailed explainer of Larry Bowa's final Wrigley Field hit. The at bat took even longer than this podcast.
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Bally Sports National MLB writer David Brown is back on the show and the guys talk about the Cubs recent resurgence and why Yan Gomes is ever allowed to designated hit. Seiya's back and Andy has big plans for him but he's going to need his pal Rob Manfred to use his powers to make it happen. Pete Crow-Armstrong is in the Futures Game which everybody thinks is great, and so is Darren Baker which pretty much only Dusty thinks is great. Andy comes up with a much better idea for All-Star Week than the amateur draft and once you hear it, you'll be disappointed that it's not already a thing. David has a solution to the lack of pennant races, and both guys have had it with the Manfred Mann in extra innings. They talk about better things to put on the back of uniforms than last names and relive the greatest World Series MVP presentation of all-time.
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It was a season so bad that the manager made up an excuse to go to Florida to take care of his mother to get out of it early. The last vestiges of the 2008 Cubs were either leaving after or during the season. Opening Day was a bad omen for the rest of the season and a Barves rookie had a big day and has been stealing money from the Cubs ever since. Starlin Castro had a huge first game and a really good first season. One of the catchers nearly killed one of the outfielders by plunging a bat shard right into his chest. Jim Hendry made his worst ever first round pick (and that's saying something) and then after Lou Piniella quit he hired a hairless person to manage the team. A late surge under Mike Quade doomed the 2011 team because they brought him back to manage it. The guys somehow also talk about the Kane County Cougars bogus Midwest League attendance record, a Rockford TV announcer taking ball three right on the field, A League of Their Own and so, so much more including famous pinch hitters and what's Bobby Scales up to these days?
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You asked and we answered. The baseball podcast this week is Cubs intensive, as Andy and Mike Praznowski take this awful team out to the woodshed. You'll hear scintillating answers to questions like: Why is Jason Heyward still on the team? Do they not realize they have nobody to replace Willson Contreras when they trade him? Would Willson even want to stay if they miraculously offered him a new deal? Are any of their starting pitchers going to be back in time to trade? How many fingers does Seiya Suzuki currently have? Do Prospect Perverts realize how few prospects actually turn out to be good? Can we pinpoint the exact moment when we should have known the "dynasty" would never be a thing? (The answer is yes.) Then they get to the really important stuff like how the Cubs should put the names on the backs of Seiya's jersey and on Pete Crow-Armstrong's. You know, important stuff. And then finally, the guys redesign the Marquee graphics for the better.
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Sandwiched in between the 88 win near-miss 2001 Cubs and the 88 win heartbreaking 2003 Cubs were the gawdawful 2002 Cubs. They got a manager fired, which got Ron Santo's number unofficially unretired before it could be retired. Moises Alou showed up and immediately got hurt. Fred McGriff was still around putting up completely hollow stats. They traded a Rookie of the Year for two pitchers, one of whom had 24 digits, and two prized rookies made their big league debuts. You'll learn the truth about Jon Lieber's rain delay gem, how Mark Prior allowed his first career hit to a teammate and just how much Don Baylor loved to bunt. Andy MacPhail showed himself the door, finally, and Sammy Sosa was still around smashing dingers and blowing kisses. Oh, and you'll also find about the dinner where somebody died rather than continue dining with Chip Caray.
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The Movie Deep Dive Podcast with actor/comedian Mike Pusateri returns with the long promised, much anticipated Young Frankenstein episode. It's one of the funniest movies ever made and toes the line between smart and stupid better than almost any other film ever has. Gene Wilder said it was his favorite movie and Mel Brooks said it's his best. So kick back, and enjoy this loving look back the movie, it's casting decisions, how it almost wasn't in black in white (in Peru, anyway) and how Gene Hackman ended up in it. If nothing else, you'll get to hear a lot of really funny clips.
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The other 15 percent take center stage as the wheel of crap lands on 1983. Lee Elia stood up for his team said a lot of really profane but accurate things and ended up getting fired a few months later, Leon Durham was the only All-Star on the club, Chuck Rainey almost threw a no-hitter, Fergie forgot how to throw the ball to first base, the Cubs played a five game series in Pissburgh and lost them all, and their interim manager had first managed in 1947. The guys play six degrees of Craig Lefferts, find out who wrote the opening theme to This Week in Baseball (you won't believe the tie-in on that one) and they talk about Ted Williams hitting ropes off a pre-teen kid.
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Bally Sports' David Brown is back from field trips to St. Louis and Washington and he has important food-related things to report. The guys talk about a fantasy football league that doesn't seem like that fun to be in and and they take a look at every team and with well more than 100 games left to go just how many still have realistic playoff chances. Not so fast, White Sox. How has the extra playoff spot affected how teams will treat the trade deadline? Why do players on bad teams still do rehab appearances in the minors? All that and more on this week's Pointless Exercise baseball podcast.
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The Athletic's Jon Greenberg swings by to talk about Marquee's fiasco with The Reporters and the guys talk about all of the other things Marquee needs to do to fix things, including giving Cole Wright hazard pay for doing an hour pre and postgame for all of these awful Cubs games. How's Jed Hoyer's don't-call-it-a-rebuild going? When is Jason Benetti going to go national full-time and then what happens to our old pal Len Kasper? What is Marquee Plus and why is it a thing? Where has Ryan Dempster been and why did he have to come back? What does Pat Hughes really do during the fifth inning? And much, much, more.
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The Cubs are ready to unveil the Fergie Jenkins statue, and the guys get so distracted by the fact the new "statue row" has two empty podiums that they spend the hour trying to figure out which players the Cubs are going to immortalize next. They're pretty sure the next one is guaranteed to be Ryne Sandberg, but then who gets the other spot? Many players are considered from several eras and a lot of time is spent on a guy the Garbage Family That Owns The Cubs™ has spent a lot of time ostracizing. So kick back and enjoy as they discuss what criteria the Cubs are likely to use, what they should use and how they can both this whole thing.
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The baseball podcast with David Brown is back and this week the guys discuss important baseball topics like why does Rick Sutcliffe think the Cubs are good enough to add players? Should the Cubs trade Willson Contreras? Why is it so much better when the Cubs bring up guys like Brandon Hughes and Christopher Morel instead of 30 year old non-prospects? Why do teams wait so long to sell? If the Nationals are really going to trade Juan Soto first, why would they do that? And second, why would they do that? When is it appropriate to interview players parents during games? Why is Max Scherzer so mean to ceremonial first pitch throwers? Is the Pacific Coast League really a thing again? You get your weekly Honus Wagner anecdote and more.
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Some platforms had technical difficulties with the original post of this podcast. So here it is again. Not everyone had problems with the original, so that one also remains posted.
The Cubs went back to the playoffs for a second straight year, and won just as many postseason games as they did the year before. But this was a 97 win team with a Japanese star in right field, a Cardinals retread in center, and a rookie of the year catcher. It was the 2008 Cubs and until their Canadian prop comic game one playoff starter walked seven Dodgers, things were going pretty good. The guys take a look back at a season where the Cubs had a lot of All-Stars, made a huge trade that included a future MVP, and a guy who fell into a dumpster, and should be more fondly remembered than they are.
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The Cubs went back to the playoffs for a second straight year, and won just as many postseason games as they did the year before. But this was a 97 win team with a Japanese star in right field, a Cardinals retread in center, and a rookie of the year catcher. It was the 2008 Cubs and until their Canadian prop comic game one playoff starter walked seven Dodgers, things were going pretty good. The guys take a look back at a season where the Cubs had a lot of All-Stars, made a huge trade that included a future MVP, and a guy who fell into a dumpster, and should be more fondly remembered than they are.
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The red-hot Cubs won their second series of the season and fifth game in 20 attempts (yikes). Andy and Dave talk about Ildemaro Vargas' wild day in the field, Frank Schwindel's fortuitous flat tire, and some unfortunate (and a few convenient) injuries. They also talk about the crazy Angels-Rays game that featured lots of trophies, an outfielder pitching, a guy homering from the wrong side of the plate and oh yeah, a no-hitter. They discuss unwritten rules, why they exist, why they are so dumb and who thought of them in the first place, and they suggest a few of their own. They give their thoughts on Brunch with Benetti on Peacock, writers who celebrate players earning their pensions, and in his role as official Cubs ambassador to the White Sox, one of the guys makes a very benevolent trade offer to help fill the Sox gaping void at second base.
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The Bears drafted some players and so it's time for a spring edition of the Bears Podcast with Mike Pusateri. The guys take a look at the Bears picks, their strategy of not doing much to fix the offense, but how they did draft Velvet Jones. They also talk about the free agents the team has signed and discussed if the Bears really seem invested in Justin Fields. And then, it's time to talk TV. So they dig into Better Call Saul (and recommend a great podcast), Bob Odenkirk's book, Robert Evans' audiobook and the Paramount Plus series The Offer, Brian Cox's book, WeCrashed, The Dropout, The Staircase, Severance, Central Park, We Own This Town, F1 Drive to Survive, The Great Pottery Throwdown and more.
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The season is nearing the tenth pole (that's not a thing) and so it's a good time to check in on the Cubs insistence on hitting everything on the ground, what's going on with the ball, what's the sticky stuff in the rosin bags these days, why are people still freaking out about Joe Maddon like he hasn't been doing this stuff forever, Javy's giant thumb, Aaron Boone intentionally walking a guy with 2,999 hits, April trades, guys getting struck by lightning and crushed by satellite dishes, great moments in Beloit Snappers history, quirky uniform stuff and former Bears receiver Roy Williams.
Now, THAT's a podcast.
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The 1981 Cubs season was so bad that fans were relieved when baseball took two months off right in the middle of the season. The Cubs record was so lousy that they ended up with the first pick in the 1982 draft, but they didn't have the worst record in the league and they only finished in last place in one of the two halves! They somehow had an interim manager for an entire season, the Wrigley family sold the team, the neighborhood was crap, the park was falling apart and one of our hosts went to his first game and liked it all so much he's never considered rooting for anybody else. Oh, and Bill Buckner was really good and Rick Reuschel got traded so he could pitch in a World Series for the Yankees and instead he got hurt.
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The 1984 Cubs were mostly still around in 1986 only they were older and mostly injured and pretty bad. The Cubs got off to a hot start, if 2-8 is hot, Lee Smith pitched a lot, like a lot a lot, nobody won 10 games, Jim Frey got fired. The Cubs fielded a dream twosome of Shawon Dunston and Brian Dayett. A dream I guess if you were Andy and you were 13. Things were just as bad on other side of town, so actually that was fun. Jerry Mumphrey was pretty good, so there's that. A few of the 1989 Cubs started showing up, so that was fun. Anyway, sit back and enjoy as we tell you everything you ever wanted to know (and a lot more) about the '86 Cubs. On, and Ed Lynch got what he deserved.
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Baseball games have been played, the Cubs are the greatest team in the land, Seiya Suzuki can't be stopped and MLB is putting games on at weird times on weird channels, and blackouts are dumb. Andy and David take a look at the first week of games. They hand out the Jitterbug Call of the Week (and a Cubs' announcer gets nominated twice), they figure out why the center field camera at Kauffman Stadium is always wet, why nobody can figure out what to do with Katie Nolan, why Jim Belushi should never be allowed to sign the stretch again, and other very important baseball things.
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The Cubs were "Building A New Tradition" in 1982 with a new general manager in Dallas Green and a new manager in Lee Elia (no, it's not THAT Lee Elia season). If there were Prospect Perverts forty years ago they were excited about a trade that brought some kid named Ryne Sandberg over from the Phillies. Fergie Jenkins was back, the draft would yield the number one overall pick in Shawon Dunston and Eric Gregg would blunder his way into one of the longest games in franchise history. Some of the bones of the 1984 Cubs were showing, but these guys still had a lot of work to do.
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It's time for the 2022 Baseball Preview Podcast and Andy finally gets his co-host's name right. David Brown, National Baseball Writer for Bally Sports is back and after they get done making fun of the Marquee Sports Network Cubs Season Preview, they break down every division and all of the major awards. David makes a couple of very disturbing predictions along the way.
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It was the dawn of a new era for the Cubs with Andy MacPhail, Ed Lynch and Jim Riggleman wandering into town. They traded for Brian McRae, grabbed Howard Johnson off the scrapheap, and once they found out what a juggernaut they had they traded in-season for Todd Zeile, Luis Gonzalez and Scott Servais. Frank Castillo almost threw a no hitter, Randy Myers almost killed a guy, Shawon Dunston, Scott Bullett and Mark Parent came up big down the stretch (no, really), and when faced with elimination they refused to lose until almost the very end. Join us as we relive the 1995 Cubs.
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Against his better judgement Bally Sports National MLB writer Dave Brown returns for another week and the guys discuss the Cubs signing Seiya Suzuki, great commercials in Mariners history (it's a thing), the new DH rule and what Joe and Shohei can do with it, will pitchers ever learn to hit ever again, why the Cubs are still wasting time with Jason Heyward, how good is Bobby Witt Jr., players to be named later, what's left of the 2016 Cubs and where it all went wrong, and more.
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The wheel of crap lands on the earliest possible season and we break down the 1980 Cubs. Preston Gomez. Tim Blackwell. Lenny Randle. Dave Kingman. Dennis Lamp. Two Hall of Fame closers, two Cy Young Award winners in the bullpen, Bill Buckner won the batting title and the Cubs won 64 games. Ouch. You want stories about Steve Howe, Jay Johnstone pranking Bill Russell, the TV show Makin' It with Nick Offerman and Amy Poehler, Dave Kingman being a jerk in junior high, and the ten pitchers who have won the Cy Young and MVP in the same season? You're in luck.
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The lockout's over, and not only is baseball back, but the award-winning* baseball podcast is back with special guest Dave Brown, National MLB Writer for Bally Sports. The guys discuss where the promised flurry of signings and trades went, how Jed's dinner with Japanese star Seiya Suzuki was going, probably, what's the deal with Carlos Correa and Joe Maddon finding himself in a familiar predicament. They also discuss Joe's lack of communication with the best player of our generation and his attempts to get the DH rule reinterpreted. Where are our favorite old Cubs going to end up, what is with Clint Frazier's weird beard, why is Andrelton Simmons a Cub and so much more.
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It's time to spin the wheel of Cubs crap again, but this time the pod starts with the guys talking about the end to the MLB lockout. Then the wheel lands on one of the most inauspicious years in Cubs' history the Mike Quade-led disaster that was the 2011 Cubs. The Cubs traded for Matt Garza, brought in Carlos Pena and brought back Kerry Wood and surprisingly none of that worked. It was the final season for Carlos Zambrano, E-ramis Ramirez and Kosuke Fukudome and we wished it had been the last year for Carlos Marmol and Ryan Dempster. We even dare to re-live the horrible late season ninth-inning collapse that helped the Cardinals squeak into the playoffs.
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Not one but two interviews in this podcast, starting with Kevin Kaduk the head of content for the brand new CHGO Sports. Kevin talks about the new venture, how it came about, where it's going, how there's going to be a bar and he pretends to not be bothered by the fact I keep referring to it as Chuggo. Then Jon Greenberg of The Athletic comes by and we talk about Chuggo and the the lockout and how much he misses me writing for The Athletic (I thought the crying was a little bit much), and we discuss the difference between Cubs fans pre and post Theo, the lockout, Matt Nagy's house, Marquee and much, much more.
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The Bears have had quite a few job searches since George Halas hired Mike Ditka over pudding and a wet nap in 1982, and the guys look at every candidate from all of them. Some of them you won't believe they bothered to talk to, others you'll be mad that they didn't offer the job and there are stories for all of them. From Ditka to Wanny to McGin--oops--Jauron to Lovie to Trestman to Foxy to Nagy with all of the better and yes, even worse candidates, we cover them all.
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The guys break down the first Ryan Poles-Matt Eberflus press conference by playing it back and making fun of it. They find the whys, they try to follow Matt's weird, overly complicated acronyms for everything, they relive the emotional moment when Ryan first laid eyes on Matt and fell in coaching love, and mostly they make fun of the media for their inane questions. The new regime is in place and they're full of promises, but are interestingly quick to avoid talking about any players not named Justin Fields or Roquan Smith.
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The Second Arrangement's Kelly Dwyer returns to the podcast to talk about pertinent, timely things like how the Bulls can fill their power forward void, why it's weird that George McCaskey wears a Bears' letterman jacket, Easy Ed Macauley, Larry Bowa, Bill Russell trades, Fred Hoiberg's neckwear, Paul Mokeski, how many times Grayson Allen has been punched in real life, Phil Plantier, DeMar DeRozan, Stacey King nicknames, the Larry Nances, the Opti-Grab, and much, much more.
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George McCaskey drops by to join the guys on the podcast as they discuss the firings of Bears' GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. George explains why hiring an 80 year old consultant who seems to be just trying to sell a book is the key to finally finding a good coach and GM. We learn that Ted Phillips isn't going to oversee football anymore because he'll be too busy in Arlington Heights pretending he's an architect, and that the GM will report to George and that George will get his football guidance from...Ted? Oh, it was all just so Bears. Join us as we chime in on George's ponderous press conference and look ahead to what candidates are out there for the Bears for both jobs. Oh, and there's a guy named Soup on the search committee.
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Something funky's been happening to the Apple version of this Remember This Crap podcast on the Jim McMahon Game in the Metrodome in 1985. So here's the most stripped down version we can upload. Hope it works for everyone. It's a good one.
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With the Bears and Vikings playing another meaningless season finale on Sunday, we look back to a more important game, one of the coolest in Bears' history. It's Monday Night Football on Thursday early in the 1985 season and the illustrious crew of Frank Gifford, Joe Namath and Orenthal James Simpson are in the Metrodome for a game that Jim McMahon was too injured to start. But not too injured to finish.
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The Bears dominated a really terrible Giants team and the guys discuss whether or not the McCaskeys learned any of the right lessons from it. They also wonder if the inept play of an opposing QB has ever gotten a general manager fired. (Fingers crossed.) They bask in the glow of Robert Quinn breaking a prestigious record that we only learned even existed two weeks ago. They look ahead a week and wonder what the timing will be with the firings and hirings. And they are super excited about week 18. Maybe.
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If you didn't hear it last year, or you have a less than great memory all of this stuff is new to you. There's a lot of crap to remember about two of the oldest and most similar franchises in NFL history, the New York Giants and our beloved Bears. From Tom Coughlin's beet red face to Bill Parcells pulling his pants up to his breasts and everything in between. The guys get into the long ago history of the teams and the more recent stuff, and for some reason they spend a good amount of time talking about Uwe Von Schamann, Rolf Benirschke, Fuad Reveiz, Ken Anderson, John Jefferson and much, much more.
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It was a Christmas (day after) miracle! Nick Foles led the Bears to a win in snowy Seattke and the guys are here to bask in the glow of a hard fought victory and wonder why the Bears haven't fired head coach Matt Nagy yet. They discuss what the delay might mean, why it's the right thing to do, who they should hire and what a new front office structure should look like. Then, there's exciting breaking news during the podcast (with a breaking news theme, and everything!) They also look ahead to this week's game with the Giants and ponder whether the Giants should even want to win.
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The Bears and Seahawks have played more times than you think in the relatively short (compared to the Bears) history of football in Seattke, but there have been some really memorable games. Hey, if it wasn't for them Lovie might not have ever won a playoff game! The guys look back at some of those matchups, paying particular attention to the 2006 and 2010 playoff wins, Lovie's nearly castastrophic f-up, Jay Cutler's one great playoff performance, and how could they miss the Jimmy Clausen game or the home swan songs of Walter Payton and...Johnny Knox?
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The Bears played a spirited but incompetent game at home against the Vikings and lost. Matt Nagy kept losing his mind--or what's left of it--on the sidelines. Teven Jenkins decided somebody had to finally stand up for their quarterback. A sixth round draft pick looks like their second best cornerback and he didn't play for FOURTEEN weeks for no apparent reason. It's time to talk some more about firing Nagy and about how dumb it is that people want to convince themselves that Justin Fields isn't good. The guys discuss all of that and more. Merry Christmas one and all.
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With the Bears and Vikings ready to see if anybody's healthy enough to play on Monday, the guys look back at a classic matchup of the two teams from 1979. Seriously. It's a CBS production with a young Bob Costas teaming with current Bears' all-time leading receiver Johnny Morris. (Man, this franchise...) You'll hear the call of the game and then our guys making fun of Bob and Johnny, Mike Phipps, Vince Evans, Brian Baschnagel and the game, and marveling at Walter Payton and Alan Page. You'll learn more than ever wanted to know about Ahmad Rashad's wedding, too.
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The Bears went up to Lambeau Field to humiliate themselves and us and they managed to not do it for an entire half! Heady times. Andy and Mike P. break down the fluky first half and the predictable fiasco that was the second half. They try to figure out what kind of idiot would want to take the Bears job if Ryan Pace stays, they complain about Cris Collinsworth, fear for Justin Fields' safety, marvel at just how little the coaches did to give Teven Jenkins any kind of chance to succeed and much, much, more.
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You might not be old enough to remember that it used to be the Bears who handed out the repeated thumpings in Packers games, but Mike D. and Andy do, and they are taking a look back at one of the most humiliating nights in Packers' history. It was a Monday night clash in 1985 with the Bears and a dainty little 300 pound defensive tackle named after a household appliance who handed out a very thorough and very entertaining beating. Frank Gifford, OJ Simpson and Joe Namath were on the call, and here's your chance to relive it.
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The Bears and Cardinals played what technically met the minimum qualifications for an NFL football game on Sunday and Andy and Mike P. are ready to break it all down, tell you what they saw on the all-22 footage and..., well, mostly they're just going to make fun of just how unwatchable that crap was. The Bears gave the game away before the first quarter was half over and you have them credit for not leaving before the game ended, unlike the fans. They also look ahead to the upcoming nationally televised unavoidable debacle with the Packers and they try to figure out just how bad it will have to be for the Bears to fire everybody right after or even during the game. They also urge Justin Fields to sit this one out for his own good, while desperately hoping he plays just to give us all something to actually watch.
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The Bears and the Cardinals go back to even before they both played in Chicago, and yet, there aren't that many memorable games in the 121 year history of the "rivalry." The guys take a look back at how the rivalry got started, the many moves of the Cardinals, and yes, it turns out there were more important games between the two other than the time Devin Hester tore Dennis Green's heart out on Monday Night Football. Plus, they talk about the weird stadiums the Cardinals have played in, the Kurt Warner movie, and the shortest Cubs of all-time. Yes, shortest Cubs.
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The Bears and Lions put America through an unwatchable slog in the early game on Thanksgiving and Mike P. and Andy are here to talk about it, about the weird week that preceded it (even by Bears' standards), and about where the Bears go from here. They have theories on whether the McCaskeys were really going to fire Nagy, about who leaked the news and about the new feud between Hub and Nagy. They also try to figure out just how much this week of public disfunction is going to scare off the few competent coaches who might be interested in the job in the first place.
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Few teams have ruined more Thanksgivings for their fans than our Bears, and Mike D. and I felt it necessary to Remember This Crap about the many times the Bears have caused us indigestion on Turkey Day. They've been better on that day than you might think, then again, the fact that the Lions have been terrible so long has helped. We unearthed some gems, and were reminded of a recent Thanksgiving night game that we had forgotten was on Thanksgiving. You're also going to learn some incredible info about what Drew Henson and the father of a former star of The Mandalorian have in common.
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The Bears played a wet turd of a game on Sunday against the Ravens, the only reason to watch them got hurt, Matt Nagy blew all three second half timeouts in spectacular fashion, and on Tuesday morning we thought it all finally got him fired. Until he wasn't. Yet. Maybe. Andy and Mike P. discuss all of that, plus a look ahead to a completely perfunctory Thanksgiving game in Detroit (are there any other kind?) And, they discuss high school heckling etiquette.
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The Bears and Ravens don't have a long, illustrious history but the Bears have gotten the better of Baltimore in the series, even if the Ravens have been a more consistently good team than the Bears during the last quarter century. Andy and Mike D. recall Ravens who have gone to prison and those who should have, too many Michigan quarterbacks, Dave Wannstedt refusing to put James Allen in the Hall of Fame, John Fox's last hurrah, Brian Billick in a hammock, Browns fans maturely reacting to their team leaving town and much more. Do you think former Colts QB Art Schlichter made it into the pod? We'll give you 4:1 odds.
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It's the one you've been waiting for. Mike D. and Andy Remember This Crap about the Bears and Packers. From the glory days when the Bears never lost to the Packers to whatever things are now, the guys remember Packers cheap shots, Chester Marcol's mad dash and the Bears revenge later that season, Bryan Robinson's jump, Devin Hester's debut, Lovie's "we are gonna beat Green Bay" proclamation, Shea McClellin, Jay Cutler's knee, the pitiful number of times the teams have made the playoffs in the same year, and Mossy Cade, James Lofton, Mark Chmura's hot tub and Najeh Davenport's hamper.
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Matt Nagy was back on the sidelines and so was all of the dumb stuff that makes his coaching so special in the Bears 29-27 loss to the Steelers. The good news was that Justin Fields looked great, the bad news was that the Bears and the officials combined for so much dumb that even that wasn't enough for a win. The Bears head into the bye on a four game losing streak and even that might not be enough to force the changes we all know that they need. Join Andy and Mike P. as they talk about all of this important stuff and more.
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The Bears and Steelers square off on Monday Night and since there's no Manning Brothers Jamboree on ESPN2, you might as well just play this podcast while you watch the game with the sound down. Andy and Mike D. look back at the long history of the Steelers (a lot of it is surprisingly bad) and some key matchups between the two teams. They look back at the only Bears win of the 1969 season and how it screwed them out of a franchise quarterback, and they look back at that guy's sterling movie career. You'll hear about Coach Ditka's final home game, the peak of the Wanny era, a Jay Cutler comeback, a rare Mike Glennon/John Fox win and of course, Otis Wilson hitting Louis Lipps in the lips?
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The Bears played without Matt Nagy on Sunday, something we'd all like to get used to. Justin Fields looked really good, something we'd also like to get used to. And yet, the Bears suffered a pretty dispiriting loss with a terrible defensive effort, and even progress for their offense leaves them at the bottom of the NFL. Andy and Mike P. ponder the job statuses of Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace again, marvel at how one Chicago sports team turned things around quickly by changing the top of the org chart and they look ahead to a game in Pissburgh that will be bad, but might not actually be bad enough to force the McCaskeys to do something.
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The biggest stars of Substack join forces as internationally renowned NBA scribe Kelly Dwyer joins Andy to talk about all of the really important stuff you want to hear them discuss. They talk 80s baseball, Andy's trip to St. Louis as a small boy, Premier League Darts, the Mandrell sisters, the most egregious snubs from the NBA's top 76* list, Continental Basketball Association legend Mauro Panaggio, Battle of the Network Stars, what really got Mike Shildt fired in St. Louis, great Liev Schreiber movies, Pat Riley and Willie Geist autographed books and much more.
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It's time for some fresh crap so Andy and Mike D. take a tour through the surprisingly long history of Bears-49ers matchups. They spend most of their time in the Super Bowl era and look at three pretty awful playoff games, the demise of "Bear Weather", the birth of The Refrigerator, Mike Ditka driving while gloating, Mike Brown's walk-off, great QB duos in the matchup's history, the Bears and Terrell Owens ruining Jerry Rice Day, and much, much more.
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Just when you thought things couldn't get any more surreal for the Bears, the head visor, Matt Nagy has tested positive for COVID-19. Will he miss Sunday's game against the Niners? Would anybody notice if he did? Andy and Mike P. hold their noses and look back at the demolition the Bears endured at the hands of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. They ponder how losing Elijah Wilkinson could possibly have affected the game, how the offense seemingly regressed back to the Browns' game plan for no reason and how dopes who think it would somehow help Justin Fields to NOT play just don't get it.
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We harken back to one of the best Bears editions of Remember this Crap with clips from last year's Tampa Bay Buccaneers podcast. If this episode were just us reading old John McKay quotes it would be worth your time, but wait, there's more, including Vinny Testaverde's color blindness, great matchups in the (mostly lopsided) history of this rivalry, and enough Donald Igwebuike references to keep you happy for months.
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Andy and Mike P. look back at a perfunctory Packers win over the Bears and they ponder the horrifying idea that maybe it's not just Aaron Rodgers that makes them better than the Bears. They appreciate that Matt Nagy is still finding new ways to waste timeouts. They wonder if Allen Robinson is really that good, if Eddie Jackson has any understanding of how good Lance Briggs was, and how much better Justin Fields can really get with this offensive staff. Hey, Khalil Herbert is good! And they look ahead to the Bucs game with they might just have to watch between their fingers with their hands over their faces.
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It's time to remember Remember This Crap, Bears-Packers. We remind everyone that the Bears used to beat the Packers repeatedly, compare the Packers rivalry to the Cubs and Cardinals, explain Jay Cutler's biggest mistake in the NFC Championship game, we come up with the incredible observations about how few times the Bears and Packers have made the playoffs in the same year. (Though they did do it last year.) We identify the one think Mike Ditka enjoys more than getting paid for terrible commercials. The birth of The Refrigerator and our condolences to George Cumby's family, I hope they remember to dig his body out of the north end zone before they move to Arlington Heights. The Chester Marcol Game, and the dark turn his life took. You'll learn why Mossy Cade's nickname is the "Aunteater," plus James Lofton in the stairwell, Mark Chmura's hot tub and Najeh Davenport in the closet. Bob Thomas' futile contributions to the 61-7 Bears win in 1980. Chester Marcol's revenge against Bart Starr, and why not to drink "The Chester Marcol," ever. Each team ruined the other's jersey retirement ceremony. And, a great George Halas-Vince Lombardi story.
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The Bears went to Las Vegas and came back with a hangover, a lighter wallet, some sort of social disease and a win over the Raiders. The guys break down the Bears continued commitment to the run, Andy Dalton only wearing half his uniform on the bench, the NFL's decommitment to concussion protocols, whether or not the Bears are building a foundation to build on offense on or just playing the only card they can think of, and pantsless mascots. Of course. Oh, and the Packers are up next, so they talk about Aaron Rodgers' final regular season game for that crap franchise at Soldier Field.
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The 16th meeting of the Bears and Raiders is coming up Sunday so it's time to Remember This Crap about the history between the teams. From the early days of Bob Thomas missing important extra points, to a big game from Vince Evans, to Jim McMahon's lacerated kidney and Marc Wilson's broken thumb to lots of Richard Dent sacks, to the Jeff Jaeger revenge game, Rex off the bench, John Fox's first Bears' win, Jon Gruden outcoaching The Visor and everything in between. Plus they look the eerie coincidences of the personal style of Al Davis and Virginia McCaskey.
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Justin Fields was impressive on Sunday against the Lions. So impressive that Matt Nagy can't wait to not play him anymore. Andy and Mike P. harken back to the Bears second win of the season, wonder why Nagy won't let anybody else take credit for what they clearly did, and they wonder how the Bears are supposed to beat anybody in the upcoming string of games against good teams without a healthy running back. But, as a full service podcast they volunteer a couple of currently out of work Cubs to fill in key roles on the Bears. They also reflect on how the Bears defense looked like they had a great day, even though they gave up waaaaay too many yards.
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It's the always exciting Bears-Lions matchup, and we look back at some of our favorite segments including, the time Andy asked for Walter Payton to be decorated onto his birthday cake, the first Bears QB the guys remember as kids, their first Bears jersey they ever owned (this one's a classic) and then we revisit one of the weird things the Bears and Lions have in common (hint: it's distressing for both teams, but especially humiliating for Detroit) and we finish with a look at all of former Lions' GM Matt Millen's draft picks. This is quality crap remembrance.
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Bears fans have hardly ever been as excited as they were for a game as we were on Sunday and within minutes we knew it was going bad and that nobody had a clue what they were doing. Andy and Mike P.similarly don't waste any time trying to figure out how Matt Nagy still has a job, whether he sabotaged the game plan on purpose or if he's just that stupid and inept (you can probably guess what the answer is) and where the Bears go from here. You know things are going great when you're discussing interim coaching candidates after week three. They also end up doing a mini movie deep dive about a movie musical that's nearly 50 olds old. It ties in, we promise.
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The Bears head to the Factory of Sadness this week to continue their infrequent and somewhat memorable rivalry with an AFC team that they have waaaaaay too much in common with. We look back at the two greatest running backs in NFL history, an assortment of lousy quarterbacks, a few memorable games and again we are envious of a franchise that knows how to fire a coaching during the season. It's time to Remember This Crap about the Cleveland Browns.
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The Bears won and Justin Fields is taking over and everything's great! Well, many things are great. Some things are still being Nagyed and Paced. Mike P. and Andy break down the win over the Bengals, look ahead to the game with the Browns and especially the dawn of the Justin Fields era. Like most things with the Bears, there are concerns over how they're handling this, but that's what we're here for.
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A fresh opponent for the Bears this week means a fresh crap! Andy and Mike D. harken back to classic Bears-Bengals games of yore, and what they find is a rivalry so tightly contested you can hardly believe it. The Bears on Sunday will be trying to set the longest winning streak in the history of this rivalry. So that's...something. They try to figure out why Ken Anderson didn't play more against the Bears, they remember the defending Super Bowl champs pounding the Bengals at Riverfront Stadium, the dawn of Trestmania, and the time Chad Johnson's touchdown dance cut a little too close to home for Brian Urlacher.
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The Bears weren't good on Sunday, and it didn't just look that way on TV as Mike P. was there to see it live, in person, in the Rams' new $5 billion stadium. He joins Andy to talk about what the Bears offensive game plan could possibly have been, and what has happened to the defense. How did Eddie Jackson get this bad this fast? Does Matt Nagy have any idea what a "package" actually is? Why is Andy Dalton playing? Why can't they let Justin Fields play more than a few disconnected snaps? They look ahead to the Dalton revenge game with the Bengals, and they discuss the Manning Brothers Monday Night Jamboree.
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It's time to return to the Bears for Remember This Crap, but what to do when they open with a team we did last year? Let's revisit one of the finest Remember This Craps. A crummy re-run? No, there's nothing crummy about this one. This featured one of the greatest stories in 1985 Bears history (seriously) featuring Mike Singletary and Eric Dickerson. We unearthed a long lost Bears' Danish kicker (he didn't kick pastries), some great John Madden-John Robinson yarns, some interesting history about how non-unique the Fearsome Foursome were, and the ugliest coach in NFL history.
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A new season means another year of the award-winning Bears Podcast with Andy and Mike P. They look ahead to the Bears 2021 and try to figure out what Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace would have to do to get canned, why Andy Dalton is starting, when Justin Fields will start, and they go game by game through the season so you know exactly what's going to happen all year long. They also take a look at over unders and some prop bets. Basically, it's the only season preview you're ever going to need. Oh and did we mention Mike's going to the Rams' game?
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The wheel of crap finally landed on one of the most infamous seasons in Cubs history. It's time for Andy and Mike D. to remember the 2003 Cubs. It was a season that was incredible until it wasn't. Hindsight (and an actual World Series title) have made it easier to look back and enjoy the truly great parts of a season that crushed us all in the end. It's time to remember Hee Seop's concussion, the Aramis and Kenny trade, Mark Prior's dominance, Kerry Wood's dominant NLDS, Sarah Wood going "Wheeeeee!", Sweaty Joe, Dusty grinding pitchers' arms off, Eric Karros' big hair, Gabor Bako, that awful bullpen, Randall Simon, that super fun playoff run that ended with a kick in the balls, beating the Cardinals when it really mattered, and so much more.
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The Cubs unveiled a haphazard afterthought of a Hall of Fame, using mostly work done by other people that nobody even knew had been done, and that seemed right up our alley. So Andy and Mike D. decided to break down the 56 inductees, and surely we put more effort into this process than any of them did. From King Kelly to Lee Smith and everybody in between, join us for a look at former Cubs' great, plus Don Kessinger and Glen Beckert. We try to figure out what the process they used to pick the Hall of Famers, predict the next class and try to figure out if they'll do the obvious with Sammy Sosa or just make things worse, like always.
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He was the face of the Cubs during the most successful run in more than a century, and even if it makes some business sense to move on from him it doesn't make it any easier for the fans. Kyle and Andy discuss the Cubs trade of Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees, whether it's in effect a third of a season loan or if he's really gone, how bad it is that one of the prospects in the deal from the Yankees is immediately the Cubs second-best prospect, and what the future holds as we careen towards the deadline with Kris Bryant and Craig Kimbrel yet to be dealt.
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How can you poke holes in one of the greatest movies ever made? Well, you don't, mostly. Andy and Mike P. revisit the 1990 Martin Scorcese classic, "GoodFellas" and marvel at what a great, well made, incredibly paced movie it is, while taking issue with just a couple of the plot points. They draw Sopranos parallels, play your favorite clips, give some casting choice info and all the times Joe Pesci ad libbed. It's a pretty great insight into what Roger Ebert called the greatest movie ever made about organized crime.
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The Olympics are here whether anybody's ready or not and Drew Lawrence of The Guardian (and several other publications) stops by to talk about them. Why are they happening? Why are they playing softball on a toxic waste site? The guys try to come up with a better way to pick the men's basketball team, wonder what Mary Carrillo is going to get to make fun of, and a couple of athletes and events you should be paying attention to. Andy suggests moving Hockey to the Summer Games. Drew has an incredible story about the ludicrous 1904 Olympics in St. Louis that you have to hear to believe. And then, they talk about the Bears, because the Bears finally have a quarterback and it's impossible to talk about that too much.
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A year after the Cubs' inexplicable playoff run and Sammy Sosa 66 homer season, the Cubs were without Kerry Wood (because of Tommy John Disease), but decided the keys to returning to the playoffs were bringing back 40-year old Gary Gaetti and signing Benito Santiago and Scott Sanders. Fool proof. Just one game out of first in June the Cubs plummeted hard and fast, and we're here to relive most of it.
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It's time for a Cubs podcast and Kyle joins Andy with Sam out on assignment, and the guys have breaking news to discuss with Joc Pederson traded to the Barves for an enormous prospect (literally.) They play a fun game of "Is he gonna be traded," they try to figure out who to assign blame to for the demise of the Cubs the last few years, and they pick the team they'd most like to be traded to. Oh, and wait until you hear Andy's theory about why the rednecks on the roster won't let Willson be the team leader.
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The Dusty era had ended, Sam Zell was in town screwing up the Tribune and trying to pump up the value of the Cubs so he could sell them to some unsuspecting dopes in Omaha, Alfonso Soriano, Theodore Roosevelt Lilly, Jason Marquis, Mark DeRosa and Cliff Lee were new to town and the Cubs struggled to start the season. Then Carlos Zambrano punched Michael Barrett, Lou Piniella kicked his hat and some dirt and the Cubs took off. Soriano spent September starting every game with a homer and the Cubs held off the Brewers to win the division. The playoffs? Well, how can you stop Augie Ojeda? It's the 2007 Cubs.
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Former Daily Herald Cubs' reporter Bruce Miles is back to discuss his new blog at brucemiles.net, his new book, "The Phenom" and to talk a lot about the Cubs current and past. Has the Cubs' six-game losing streak given the team permission to sell, and do they have anybody to sell if it did? The Cubs' schedule gets easier and the Brewers' gets harder but can the Cubs catch anybody without starting pitching? What should they do with Jake Arrieta? What kind of a market is there for Javy or Rizzo? All that and more. Plus, Bruce gives a sneak peak at his next blog entry, an interview with your favorite TV soccer announcer.
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All Cubs seasons are fun to re-live (well, most of them) but some are more fun than others and this time the wheel of crap has gifted us the incredible, ridiculous, insane 1998 Cubs. Sammy Sosa homered every day, Kerry Wood struck out everybody, Terry Mulholland and/or Rod Beck were always pitching and Chip Caray was there to narrate most of it--well, it can't all be good. The Cubs roared through most of September then limped down the stretch until Neifi hit his biggest homer and saved their bacon. It was a great year, so let's remember it!
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The season opened in the land of the rising sun and sunk pretty quickly afterwards. Don Baylor was the new Groove in town and he brought back a mediocre former Cubs catcher and an actual lead off man. Kerry Wood didn't debut until May after surviving his bout with Tommy John Disease but he did it in memorable fashion. The Cubs kept trading for Barves pitching prospects (never a good idea), Ed Lynch got fired and the Cubs occasionally used a linebacker sized outfield of Sammy Sosa, Glenallen Hill and Henry Rodriguez. It's time to remember some crap about the 2000 Cubs.
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Chevy Chase says it's his best movie and who are we to argue? We give Fletchthe Movie Deep Dive treatment. We discuss the long tortured road it took to the screen in the first place, the differences between the book the movie, the stuff Chevy just made up, and we even mention the godforsaken sequel. We also look at why it's been so hard for Hollywood to reboot the franchise even though they have badly wanted to. But mostly, we're just here to enjoy one of the best comedies of the '80s, if not all-time, and to play our favorite clips. And, we love your body, Larry.
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It's time once again to spin the wheel of crap and this time it lands on 1996. Jim Riggleman's fighting Cubs tanked down the stretch (surprise), Sammy was bad at the start then great and then got hurt, Ryne Sandberg came back, Doug Jones hit the road, Steve Trachsel was an All-Star. Jim Hendry arrived to start stocking the system with his guys and we look at his Marlins minor league managerial career, and Ozzie and Ryno woke up the echoes one last time late in the season.
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When the 2021 Cubs tied the 1977 team for best record in May, it made us wonder what the hell happened to those 1977 Cubs. They had an 8.5 game lead and finished 20 games out of first, somehow. So, Mike D. and I brought in old friend Frank Nova (we needed somebody old enough to remember), and here's your chance to learn more than you ever wanted to about Jerry Morales, Bobby Murcer, Ray Burris, Manny Trillo, Rick Reuschel, Bruce Sutter and the the '77 Cubs. Hear disturbing anecdotes about Herman Franks, Mick Kelleher and George Mitterwald, and so much more.
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A Cubs season so bad that all of baseball decided to just end the season in August...it's 1994 and that's this week's season to savor on Remember This Crap? Andy and Mike D. look back at Tuffy Rhodes' three homers on opening day, the Cubs not winning a home game until after tax day, Harry Caray falling down in Miami, Ryne Sandberg's first wife's press conference dress, the great Anthony Young, Randy Myers poster day and much, much more.
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Sam joins Andy for the Cubs podcast and they discuss the strange sensation of seeing a team totally turn things around right before your eyes. The Cubs smacked the Padres around pretty good and started what's supposed to be a make or break June schedule gauntlet with three convincing wins. The guys discuss how much of the preseason "sell off the free agents" plan is already out the window and whether or not the Cubs will find themselves actually buying short term pieces at the deadline instead of selling. They discuss Patrick Wisdom's Hall of Fame chances, who the "other" six guys are that won't get the vaccine, and what the plan for Adbert Alzolay is since he clearly is on an innings limit. The Cubs are fun again and it has the added benefit of making their own ownership queasy.
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After some fond remembrances of Andy's time as an official scorer in the Midwest League, he and Mike D. spin the wheel of crap and it lands on...well, a year they can't do because of their only rule, so they spin again and get the Don Zimmer/Jim Essian juggernaut 1991 Cubs. Re-live Dave Smith's season crippling early blowouts, a wild game against the Reds that featured two iconic moments, two Andre Dawson lead changing grand slams in three days, more Erik Pappas talk than you ever wanted and a look at Essian's bullpen usage one day in St. Louis that still doesn't make any sense 30 years later.
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Neifi saved the season! At least that's what Dusty Baker insisted. We spin the wheel of crap and it lands on 2005 so we re-live Nomar's groin injury, Kerry Wood disappearing early and often between innings of starts, Derrek Lee's should have been MVP season, and a glorious assortment of Cubs bums. It's a very fun look at a team that was only occasionally entertaining.
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It's time for a deep dive into the 1998 Coen Brothers' classic, "The Big Lebowski", and at over two hours it's perfect if you're not into that whole brevity thing. Andy and Mike P. discuss the seemingly disjointed plot that all comes together, the perfect performances, iconic lines, casting decisions, how many times The Dude says "man", how many White Russians he drinks and how the Eagles and Metallica reacted to being dissed. "Smokey, this is not Vietnam, this is a podcast. There are rules."
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Andy, Sam and Kyle have reassembled to discuss the Cubs season to date. Everybody's hurt, but it's not serious, you know the same thing that the Cubs training staff has said every time anybody has gotten hurt, ever. They play a fun game of "whose fault is it?" They make fun of Jesse Rogers' math. But they also wonder if the Cubs have actually accidentally developed some young pitching, which would be nice. They also opine on Kyle Hendricks' struggles and wonder if Jason Heyward is just all-around bad now. Plus, why can't this team develop a single outfielder?
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Andy and Mike D. spin the wheel of the crap and land on one of the most fun seasons in our lifetimes, the Boys of Zimmer, the 1989 Cubs. They dispel some myths about Mitch Williams' opening day tightrope walk, revel in a big moment from a backup catcher, the greatest double play Andy's ever seen and the Luis Salazar Game. They also break down the Mark Grace-Will Clark stats from the NLCS. It was a great season full of colorful characters and inexplicable wins, and it didn't meet it's match until Joe Maddon's 2015 Cubs arrived on the scene.
Remember This Crap - 1989 Cubs is presented by Manscaped™. For 20 percent off your brand new Lawnmower 4.0 use the promo code REMEMBER20.
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It's a special edition of the Movie Deep Dive Podcast and Andy and Mike Pusateri are joined by a man with an inexplicable love of the 2014 Kevin Costner-Jennifer Garner classic "Draft Day." It's ESPN 1000 Chicago and NBC Sports Net Chicago's David Kaplan. The guys break down the movie, try to figure out why everyone in the movie seems to have been blindsided by the fact there is a draft, evaluate Sonny Weaver Jr's trade offers, Bo Callahan's birthday party guest list, Vontae Mack's measurables and Brian Drew's office ransacking ability. They even do the math on just how long it would have really taken Anthony Molina (the owner, not the other guy) to get from Radio City Music Hall to the Browns practice facility. Kick back and enjoy the podcast you "pancake eating m'fer!"
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Andy and Kyle are on hand to do the first in-season edition of this year's Cubs podcast. They take a tour around the roster wondering if Javy is ever going to shorten his swing (he's not), feigning shock at Joc Pederson's early season struggles, enjoying the renaissance of Kris Bryant and (for now, at least) Jake Arrieta. They try to make a fireable offense out of David Ross using bona fide trade chip Craig Kimbrel for more than one inning, try to figure out what the Cubs could get right now for Rex Brothers and Sam's not around to defend Dillon Maples. They also take stock of Marquee's season so far and a look at the competition in the NL Central.
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Andy and Mike D. spin the big wheel of crap and it lands on the Lou Piniella's final full season with the Cubs, 2009. You probably remember it best for Milton Bradley just being a complete psychopath, or for Kevin Gregg kicking his own team in the balls in a must-win game in Miami. It was the year we saw breakout stars like Jake Fox, Micah Hoffpauir and Randy Wells. And the Cubs made one of their greatest free agent signings ever with...Aaron Miles? Woof. The Cubs were in the pennant race, sort of, all season. Enjoy.
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It's time for another Movie Deep Dive Podcast and this time Andy and Mike P. are breaking down the Matt Damon/Ed Norton/John Malkovich/Gretchen Mol/John Turturro classic Rounders.What's with everybody's hair? Does the math in the movie make any sense? Why is that casino such a dump--oh, that'swhy. We talk about the cast, the backstories, our favorite moments and Ed Norton's constant ad libs. Nobody can explain Malkovich's accent, but somehow it all works. Kick back, drink some cheap gin with Bela Lugosi and see if you flop a nut straight.
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Once again, our heroes Andy and Mike D. spin the big wheel of crap to see where it will land what Cubs season they will discuss and this time it lands on a gem. Re-live Sammy Sosa's greatest season, a fun but bad Cubs team that spent most of the summer inexplicably in first place, three gut wrenching bullpen losses, one of the wildest nights in Cubs history where an umpire ejected a Chicago Bears lineman from the broadcast booth (and that wasn't even the craziest thing that happened). It's the 2001 Chicago Cubs. It was a wildly enjoyable season that ended with a big wet thud. But a memorable big wet thud.
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It's time once again to spin the big wheel and see what crap we have to remember and this time the wheel commands Andy and Mike D. to remember Jim Lefebvre's exciting 1992 squad. It was Greg Maddux's last year in his first stint with the team, Ryne Sandberg's last really good season, and some guy named Sammy Sosa showed up from the White Sox. Relive the glory days of Hector Villanueva, Gary Scott and the day Jim Bullinger made history in a good way! The Cubs had a huge win against Pissburgh in July and then Mike Royko (rightly) took a big dump all over it in the Tribune the next day. We look back through Larry Himes' first draft (spoiler alert: it was bad) and huge trades of George Bell, Danny Jackson and Ced Landrum. You never know what crap we'll unearth.
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Baseball season is nigh and man are we excited for the Cubs upcoming season! The baseball crew is back together with Andy, Kyle and Sam and they try to gin up some enthusiasm for what sure looks like the final promise of a Cubs run of dominance landing with a big, wet, thud. If the Cubs can't even pretend to want to keep Anthony Rizzo, what are we supposed to get fired up about? But they look ahead to the Cubs slugging it out with like minded and like talented teams in the NL Central where contention seems to be a foregone conclusion because nobody seems to really want to win all that badly. How many wins can we expect? Why are Eric Sogard and Matt Duffy even around? Where is Joc's platoon partner? There are a lot of questions and not as many answers.
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Remember This Crap is back, and if you thought we remembered a bunch of random stuff about the Bears you will be amazed what we can remember about the Cubs. We spin the wheel of death and it lands on...1997. It was a very memorable season for the Cubs, for all the wrong reasons. Relive their horrible start, Mel Rojas sucking what little life they had out of them in June, a waiver trade for the ages, Frank Castillo winning a car and sixty percent of that rotation is currently dead. It was also the last season for Hall of Famers Harry Caray, Ryne Sandberg and Dave Schwartzbaugh.
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Andy and Mike P. give the 1989 classic movie Major League the Movie Deep Dive treatment. Relive the best moments of your favorite baseball movie, learn scintillating facts about the cast and the shooting, and wait until you hear about how they used to figure out how fast pitchers were throwing. Seriously, it's insane. You'll learn fascinating stuff like: why was everybody wearing shorts and tank tops in Cleveland in October? Why aren't there any libraries in Milwaukee? How did Willie know not to run on the first bunt attempt? Did Dusty Baker learn his bullpen management form Lou Brown? And did Cleveland not know Toledo was their triple-A affiliate?So gird up your loins for a look back at the Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernsen, James Gammon, President David Palmer, the "guy gets naked and runs out in the snow and barks at the moon, and the guy does the same thing in your living room" guy from Hoosiers, Nico Brown, Rene Russo and Bob Uecker tour de force. It's a long one. So pace yourself.
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Andy and Mike Pusateri are back with another deep dive into a great movie. This time it's Moneyball, with Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and...uh, Royce Clayton? You'll find out why Art Howe was so happy with the movie (he wasn't), how different the movie almost was, interesting facts about the cast and how it very nearly had a Billy Beane sex scene. Really. Andy picks the three most "Sorkin" scenes in the movie and tells you which Cubs game the big one in this movie reminded him of. And stick around to the end when they make the dramatic announcement about the next movie to get the deep dive treatment.
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Our Bears pod is shuttered (at least until the Bears trade two number ones for Rick Mirer again) but that doesn't mean Mike Pusateri and Andy are done with their podcast. This abbreviated episode is the announcement of the next movie in our Movie Deep Dive series.
Enjoy.
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You all remember Cap Boso's turf face. You might remember Jim Harbaugh throwing the game tying touchdown to Neal Anderson's feet. But Blair Thomas will never forget Steve McMichael stealing a sure win out of his hands. It's time to remember a Monday Night Football classic from 1991 when the Mike Ditka Bears took on Bruce Coslet's Jets. Al, Frank and Dan were on the call and Dan really wanted to say nice things about fellow Michigan man Harbaugh and that got really old really fast. We watched all four hours of game (three without commercials) so you don't have to. It was a great game...for the last 20 minutes or so.
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You thought you were done with the Bears for the season and so did we, but the mind-numbingly tone deaf and just plain bad press conference last week with George, Ted, Ryan, Matt and Ringo deserved a breakdown so Andy and Mike P. are here to do it. They try to figure out just what it is that George does, why Ted is still around and really why was he at the press conference, and they try to figure out why Ryan Pace is so afraid to answer how much longer he has on his contract. Mitch is clearly gone so why are these dopes the ones picking the new quarterback and what's the best case scenario for next season without any changes?
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The 1984 Bears playoff upset of the Washington Footballers in DC is remembered for a lot of things: the Bears broke a 21 year playoff win drought, they did it with their fifth quarterback of the season, the old school Washington team had a straight ahead kicker, a quarterback with a one bar facemask and male fans who wore dresses and pig noses. But mainly, the game is remembered for a second quarter play when Bears safety Todd Bell killed Joe Washington. Since the current Bears seem as far from playoff success as the Bears did just months before this game, it's time for us to Remember This Crap bout the 1984 NFC Divisional round matchup Bears at Redskins. (Hey, they were still called that then.)
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Word leaked out after Andy and Mike P. recorded the podcast that Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace are coming back, but it's not like the guys didn't expect it. They look back at an uninspiring playoff effort, try to figure out why their Parler passwords don't work, what Nickelodeon was going for with their broadcast, Andy thinks Alabama's quarterback Mac Jones is named Matt, and they try to figure out how the Bears expect to rebuild with the same stooges inevitably making the same decisions. They also bid adieu to Mitch Trubisky, Allen Robinson and Chuck Pagano.
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Sunday's game will be the third time the Bears and Saints have met in the playoffs and the Bears have won the first two. You remember the 2007 NFC Championship game and Andy and Mike D. talk about that, but you probably don't remember much about the 1991 Mike Tomczak-Steve Walsh-John Fourcade barage a tois, so we go deep into that one. It's the leftover players from the Super Bowl XX champions mixed with the lovable duds that we rooted for in the '90s against an up and coming Saints team. The game is a little rough, but CBS' broadcast was amazingly entertaining, Mike Ditka wore an awesome jacket, Neal Anderson threw a pass, Bears fans threw snowballs at Saints fans.
It was the final Bears home games for Jim Covert, Dan Hampton and Tomczak and fans actually missed two of them when they were gone.
We also talk a little bit about our plans for this podcast starting next week when either the Bears season is over or it's Packers Week Three and we've already done them to death. So stay tuned.
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The Bears reward for losing to the Packers again is, inexplicably, a playoff spot. Andy and Mike P. look back at the Bears showing improvement against Green Bay and still losing by nearly three touchdowns, try to figure out what kind of defense that was supposed to be, why the Bears refuse to hire running backs, what Mitch looked like against a real defense and what their reward would be if they somehow won a playoff game. They also look ahead to just what in the hell Nickelodeon is doing broadcasting a playoff game, what happens to the fans rage at ownership after Vags is gone and why a real team would clean house AND go to the playoffs off back to back 8-8 seasons.
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It's Packers week part deux and Andy and Mike D. are ready to look back at important Bears-Packers games in recent history (there really have been some) they also talk about the Jerry Lewis telethon, Tom Dreesen, Caleb Hanie, Chris Conte, Eddie Jackson returning an interception and hurting his knee, great high school football plays, great (and terrible) Hall of Fame busts, Gary Kubiak's migraines, Mark Grace strikeouts, when you can advance a fumble, how to use timeouts, Doug Flutie doing a dropkick, and when you should attempt a free kick and how it works.
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The Cubs traded their best pitcher to the Padres for four bags of teenage beans and whatever the hell Zach Davies is supposed to be and that called for an emergency podcast with Andy and Sam Fels. What the trade says about the Ricketts desire to win is all bad, and while there are defensible reasons to trade a 34-year old pitcher who has had two serious arm injuries the "haul" the Cubs got in return for Darvish isn't any of them. Sam threatens to disavow the Cubs, Andy says mean things about the garbage family that owns the Cubs and neither can feign surprise that this is happening, because honestly we all saw it coming. And, since they haven't done this in a while they also kick around Len Kasper's defection and Kyle Schwarber being released into the wild.
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The Bears have inexplicably staggered back into playoff contention and Andy and Mike P. get you ready for Sunday's sure-to-be-memorable tilt with the hated Packers. They go through all of the scenarios, look back at the Jags rousing halftime speech that convinced their team to stop trying, break down how averaging 35 points per game the last four weeks is basically just barely above average, look at Roquan's unusual attempt to get named retroactively to the Pro Bowl, and give you key scouring reports on both John Wolford and Chris Streveler (they are likely more important to the Bears playoff chances than Mitch Trubisky or Aaron Rodgers. Andy explains how he got various Twitter bans for posting naked photos of Steve Stone, impersonating Chip Caray and announcing Pederast Day for the Cubs, and how he never liked or disliked Ryne Sandberg. It'll all make sense. The guys also rank who they think the Bears can beat in week one of the playoffs.
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The history of the Bears and Jaguars is neither long nor storied, but we'll always have Keith Traylor and the crowning moment of Dick Jauron's 2001 Bears juggernaut. Andy and Mike D. look back on all seven contests between the teams, try to figure out why Jacksonville even has a team, re-live great moments for the A-Train, Peanut Tillman, Chad Hutchinson, Cameron Meredith, Brandon Marshall, Paul Edinger, former Bear Keenan McCardell, Adam Podlesh and many more. They also talk about spending too much time in Vegas, the flaws and benefits of "new" Soldier(s) Field and a bunch of other stuff.
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Andy and Mike P. talk about the Bears win over the Vikings and how everything on Sunday broke against the best interests of the team long-term. Will the Bears still be motivated to change the GM or coach? Will Ted Phillips be given a big Publisher's Clearinghouse check to leave and if so, Andy thinks he knows who they'll replace him with. Let's just say the interns should go out and buy ties. They discuss the different playoff scenarios and how likely it is that the Bears will be playing a disinterested Packers team in the final week. They also tell tales of why they're not likely to go to a Bears game in the near (or far) future, and DirecTV.
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It's Vikings week part deux and Andy and Mike are Remembering This Crap about the Bears and Vikings which includes one of the rarest of all things in Bears history--a road playoff win, by Dave Wannstedt, no less--and tales of famous Vikings like Ted Brown, Jarvis Redwine, Joe Senser, Fuad Reveiz, Amp Lee and Steve Dils. The '94 playoff win at the Metrodome was the absolute peak of the Wanny era, and the guys talk about the desperation of Mike McCaskey to land him to replace Mike Ditka and the biggest mistake they made along the way. And, they even throw in some bonus indignity for the Vikings, this one is Bear adjacent, as Josh McCown did something very mean to them when he was with the Cardinals.
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The guys look back at a the Bears first win in nearly two months and hope that it didn't save anybody's job--but it probably did. The talk about Mitch's big day against a terrible, depleted Texans team, about whether they'd rather have the Texans future or the Bears, who Andy thinks should be the Bears QB next year and who probably will be. They also talk about the cinematic classic, Porky's, and compare the McCaskeys to the Royal Family--there are many disturbing similarities. They wonder who will be the fall guy if Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy stay for another year and look ahead to the rematch with the Vikings and hope the roof doesn't collapse again.
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The Bears, a charter franchise of the NFL have played the Texans four times in the 19 year history fo the Texans and dumped them all. The Texans have prevented the Bears from making the playoffs, contributed to Paul Edinger's only career pass, and ruined a Bears season by scrambling Jay Cutler's brain. The guys also discuss why Bears should try an interim coach, how Ted Phillips got his job, Mugs Halas, the prospects of the McCaskeys selling, and Andy proposes the Bears employ the Vags wagon for the final couple games of the season. And then it somehow devolves into a discussion of the Donald Driver statue in Green Bay and the ill-fated Anthony Thomas bobblehead. It'll make sense if you stick around to the end.
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Another week another undignified Bears loss and Andy and Mike P. are begrudgingly ready to talk about it. They break down the epic Bears' collapse, try to figure out what anybody was thinking and where defense has gone. They talk about Ted Phillips' rumored retirement, why Ryan Pace can't pick the next QB and the advantages of firing everybody in-season. Andy gives a detailed (half-assed) scouting report on BYU's Zach Wilson and they Google Trey Lance. As they try to figure out the barber shop logistics of firing Pace, they provide you more than you ever wanted to know about the Flobee.
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It's time to remember even more crap about the Lions as they come to town to take on the Bears Sunday. The Lions had the courtesy to fire their idiot head coach named Matt, unlike the Bears. Andy and Mike D. look back the long, illustrious history of Lions coaches, the youngest players in Hall of Fame history (and how that reflects pretty poorly on Detroit.) They also delve into Matt Millen's first round draft history just to make themselves feel better about Bears drafts. They also look into Gary Moeller's history of screaming at people in bars and his love of ties. And, Mike tries to make a case for Marty Mornhinweg kicking off in overtime.
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The Bears made fools of themselves, again, on national TV at Lambeau Field on Sunday night and Andy and Mike P. are on hand to wallow in the misery the Bears are shedding as the NFL's latest superspreader of suck. The guys tell you what the Bears need to do, and why the McCaskey family is too dumb to do any of it. Mitch Trubisky came back to remind us why he was on the bench in the first place. Matt Nagy insisted his team has no quit in them. (They do. We saw it.) And they plea for the NFL to step in and take care of this mess because, well, they don't really have a well thought out reason, but it'd be nice.
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With the Bears off fighting their Week 11 bye to a draw, the Pointless Exercise podcast takes advantage of having an actual professional actor, Mike Pusateri, on it to go into a deep dive into one of Mike and Andy's favorite movies, Phillip Kaufman's 1983 classic The Right Stuff.
Why should you listen to a two hour podcast about a three and a half hour movie? Because it's a great movie, and the guys lovingly and thoroughly get to the root of what makes so thrilling, heroic and yes, funny.
You'll learn stuff about who actually wrote it, who should have been in it, who died, what liberties they took and why Lance Hendrickson, Wally Schirra and Virgil I. Grissom all have a right to be pissed. And, why making it without Chuck Yeager as an important character would have been very, very dumb.
It's the only The Right Stuff podcast you'll ever need.
Light this candle!
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The pod starts with a new sponsor and ends with extensive talk about Theo Epstein leaving the Cubs, but in between Andy and Mike P. do their contractual duty and talk about another Bears loss. How the offensive coordinator search saved the season, the best thing about the game was how quickly it was played, the saddest kind of quarterback controversy, a dark turn in our Noah Jackson discussion, how bad things have to get for the Bears to make actual changes and what they should do. And then at the 50 minute mark they talk about leaving the Cubs. Yes, you can jump right to that if you want.
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It's time to Remember This Crap, and Mike D. and Andy look back on the glorious Bears-Vikings rivalry. It's mostly marked by Bud Grant pissing and moaning about the early '80s Bears not respecting the national anthem, field goals from the one yard line (that used to be a thing), Wanny winning a road playoff game, the glorious chokes of Gary Anderson and Brett Fah-vuh-ruh, and the worst Monday Night Football crew of all-time calling the most unlikely Thursday Night game of all time.
Andy does the thing where he reads stats out loud again, but you're going to want to hear these, trust us. Lamar Hunt's in-stadium shag pad comes up for no apparent reason, and multiple roof collapses.
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Andy and Mike P. try to figure out what landscape company Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy can hold their farewell press conference at as they harken back to the last time Nagy's offense was any damned good (it's a long trip.) They go all Steve Kornacki over the Bears chances to either make the playoffs or finish last, wonder if the backup fat guys the Bears had to use Sunday are really worse than the regular fat guys. They marvel at the team's ability to make an outside linebacker their only real running threat and the need to call timeout after their own fake punt worked. And, they look ahead to the Vikings game Monday, where Mike Zimmer is due.
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We avoided all attempts at any Remember The Titans jokes, and instead started with a few minutes of talk about Mike D. nearly needing to crack some heads during his election judge stint on Tuesday. But then it was time to remember the Houston Oilers, a coach with a perfect record (for a while), Jeff Fisher's incredible ability to go 7-9 or 8-8, the Liberty Bowl, Bud Adams' toupee, NFL fight songs, Dan Pastorini, an OT game that ended with a safety, Buddy Ryan punching guys, and why it's probably not cool that kids pick the teams they're going to root for when they're...kids.
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Andy and Mike P. look back at another stunning Bears game. They ponder the magnificence of the long awaited Mitch Package, wonder what good a visorless Matt Nagy is, scoff at the the idiocy of thinking switching back to Trubisky would do any good, marvel at a punt returner that actually returns punts, and try to figure out how an NFL team can be completely befuddled by a malfunctioning quarterback helmet receiver. They also look ahead to the game with the Titans and make fun of Dan Pompei.
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It's Saints week and man do Andy and Mike D. have crap to remember. There's the 2006 NFC Championship Game, which is easily the greatest moment in Bears history since Super Bowl XX (well, that or the time they ruined the Brett Favre jersey retirement by beating the Packers in Lambeau), and there are many more. What do you remember about Leon Johnson? Yes, THAT. They also talk about the Reuschel Brothers and George Brett and Bo Jackson. It fits, you'll see. And, do you remember how involved in the Ricky Williams for the entire Saints draft in 1999 the Bears were? You don't do you? Well, you'll just have to listen.
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Mike P. and Andy try to process the Bears ill-fated trip to LA. They try to do the kick return math for Cordarrelle Patterson, try to figure out what it is that Ted Ginn Jr. does and what Matt Nagy's fascination with Demetrius Harris is. How many of Nagy's 25 career wins are against winning teams? He probably would rather you don't know. Did former Bears great Brian Griese cause some QB room tension on Monday night? And what did he say was experiencing leakage? They also have some Netflix recommendations for you and a Michael Keaton joke.
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A famous Eric Dickerson-Mike Singletary collision, a long-lost Bears Danish kicker, two football teams from Cleveland, John Robinson and John Madden sitting in a parked RV in Madden's driveway drinking Vodka and Ensure and much more highlight this week's installment of Remember This Crap? with Andy and Mike D. You're going to learn that the Fearsome Foursome was not a unique nickname and that it was all BS anyway, who will play former Rams coach Ray Malavasi in the long overdue movie of his life and Mike helps out with a very important ethical dilemma.
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The Bears are 5-1 and Mike P. and Andy try to focus on the positive since that's a hell of a lot better than we expected at this point. Are they the worst 5-1 team in NFL history? They have stats that prove they aren't! The guys go over some of Matt Nagy's finest moments on Sunday, talk about the dominant Bears defense, and how the Zoom meetings with all nine offensive coordinators must go. They also discuss the current state of the entertainment industry in LA (seriously) look ahead to Bears-Rams in the Kroenkedome on Monday night and much more.
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The Panthers are next up for the Bears, so Andy and Mike D. kick things off this week with great moments in that rivalry's history (there aren't many), but one of the guys got thrown off an airplane during their playoff game. Dom Capers hair, Steve Smith emasculating the 2005 Bears, Jerry Richardson's Saddam-esque statue and Eddie Berlin all get some run in this week's episode. Then, it's on to two of our all-time favorite baseball idiots. Tony LaRussa's back in the news, and so is Andy's former co-"worker" Joe Morgan.
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The Bears beat the Bucs (really) and Andy and Mike P. break it down. They prove they can count to three which is at least as many as Tom Brady can. They discuss the kicker clown car, Andy's terrible movie depth perception, how every team should have a coach whose only duty is to tell the head coach what the other team doesn't want you to do. Kyle Fuller's spleen removal of Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Khalil Mack throwing a 340 lineman in the air with one arm, Nick Foles going from terrible to good in a blink, and they compare the quality of Tom Brady's hairplugs to Ryne Sandberg's. They discuss just what the hell Rob Gronkowski is doing. Matt Nagy demanding occasional precision. They look ahead to the Carolina Panthers next week and stick around for The Right Stuff talk at the end.
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Mike D. and Andy are back to Remember This Crap, and this week they kick it off with the Bears next opponent, the illustrious Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Andy gets his kickers confused and calls John McKay Jim, and Mike thinks Sean McVay is related to him. But then things get good and they recall great moments in Bears-Bucs history (if there are any), Don Criqui's on-air blunder, Brett Musberger giving secret point spreads, and a long list of truly funny McKay quotes. Vinny Testaverde's color blindness and Garanimals are discussed. Then, they revisit the Bears long history of non-success against some guy named Tom Brady.
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The Bears somehow managed to get their ass kicked in every way and only lose by eight points on Sunday. Andy and Mike Pusateri are concerned how the short week before Thursday night's game with Tampa will affect...the podcast. If you give Matt Nagy an excuse to not run the ball, he'll take it. They discuss how not even Ryan Nall could save the Bears, wonder if anybody on the team knows that touchbacks go to the 25 these days, wonder what might have been if Khalil Mack had caught his interception and if Roquan Smith hadn't stepped out of bounds before his, and how humiliating it must be to get G-rated trash talked by Phillip Rivers. They look ahead to Thursday night's game and ponder the chances of actually winning it.
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It's time for Andy and Mike D. to Remember This Crap. With the Colts coming to town Andy harkens back to a charming little story about destroying a lamp as a young lad on the day of the Bears last visit to Baltimore. They guys try to figure out why Walter Payton only rushed three yards in a game, and why any team would draft a punter in the top half of the first round. Mike tries to explain why his brother wouldn't dress in drag to pick up some Super Bowl tickets. Andy laments his lost literary classics written by Jay Johnstone and Jim McMahon. And since the Cubs are opening the playoffs on Wednesday they remember some game one starters.
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Baseball's playoffs are going to be in your face Tuesday and Wednesday, and after wandering through the pandemic wilderness for many fraught months, Sam and Andy are here to let you know it's OK to be excited about it, and (gasp!) about the Cubs' chances. Will Kris Bryant's heel turn, Adbert Alzolay's new slider, and Yu just being Yu be enough to subdue the mostly anonymous Marlins? You'll have to listen to find out. They also talk about what the hell the Cubs were doing with Brailyn Marquez on Sunday, talk about the vagaries of three game series to kick off the playoffs, and just what chance the Cubs really have.
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Another week another ridiculous win by the Bears, and we'll gladly take it. This time, the Bears broke the glass on the Emergency Quarterback case and out came Nick Foles. Is this the end for Mitch? If the move makes the Bears more competent does it raise their ceiling at all? Andy and Mike Pusateri answer these questions and more, including why are opposing coaches giving games to the Bears, where's the defense, why did the Falcons stop running the ball, is holding still a penalty, and what the hell was Jerome Boger talking about?
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Andy and Kyle try to make sense of the Cubs disappearing offense, and especially what has to happen for them to lose the division with three games to go. There's even a rare in-podcast edit/correction from Andy because he completely butchered the tiebreaker scenario on the first try. Go figure. Basically, if the Cardinals go to Detroit on Monday it's a bad thing for the Cubs. They also try to figure out which teams the Cubs might still draw in the wild card round of the playoffs. Spoiler alert, it could be one of many, still. Kyle talks about the Cubs selling playoff tickets. Is this a season where "everybody starts over in the playoffs" might actually be true?
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It's time to Remember This Crap. Andy and Mike Donohue go over the long, distinguished history of the Atlanta Falcons, and mercifully do not mention Deion Sanders once. They do go through the strange history of Falcons' coaches committing career suicide, their impressive recent run of quarterbacks, a horrific day (for them) at Soldier(s) Field in 1985, why would any one name their kid Dick Shiner or June Sheldon Jones III? We relive a great Bears win over the Falcons in 2001 and a horrific loss to them in 2008, and that somehow detours in to a brief history of the Marc Trestman era. But, you'll want to stay for the end, when we talk NFL helmet cars!
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Andy and Mike Pusateri didn't even wait for the win over the Giants to fully digest before they jumped in and talked about reverse Mitch, Saquon's knee, the Ropers, Larry Dallas, Bobby Massie's new contract demands, new rules suggestions, curious fourth down decisions, how much it would have sucked to get beat on a final drive orchestrated by Jason Garrett, and they look ahead to a matchup with a psychologically ruined Falcons team.
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Andy is joined by Sam to talk about a week of walk offs, stunning comebacks and a no-hitter, and for once, all the good stuff was in the Cubs' favor. We could get used to this. The playoffs are a lock now, and the Cubs will start their Bubble Boy prep next week. Has the back end of the rotation basically injured and underperformed itself back into the Cubs' plans for 2021? Is Craig Kimbrel good? Why is Rex Brothers anything? Javy is doing Javy Things. Why is Tob Manford* intent on forever screwing up the playoffs?
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The critically-acclaimed podcast where Andy and Mike Donohue remember some crap is back! Well, some of our friends really like it. The conceit is the same, we start on one topic (we start this on on this week's Bears opponent, the New York Giants) and we see where we end up. From Tom Coughlin's frozen vaseline face to the Dan Fouts Chargers to Lynn Dickey to Rolf Benirschke to Augustana great Ken Anderson to Brett Favre's last play and lots of stuff in between. Buy the ticket (it's free) and take the ride.
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We got our first look at the new and improved Mitch Trubisky and honestly, it looked an awful like the same old...stuff. Thankfully, Mitch's inexplicable domination of the LIons continued with a whirlwind fourth quarter comeback. Andy and Mike Pusateri break down the win, discuss whatever it was Dick Stockton was looking at, Mitch Patricia's largesse and terrible decision making, the rumored Bears defense, what it's like when the Bears actually run the ball, DirecTV and look ahead to the Giants in week two.
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Sam and Andy take a look at the Cubs remaining schedule and try to find the few wins they'll need to nail down a playoff spot. Sam asks if we should just get used to Kris Bryant being injured forever and how that increases or decreases his odds of being a Cub long-term. They revisit the exciting Steven Souza era, wonder what the hell goes on in South Bend and why Brailyn Marquez is trapped there. What's an Ildemaro Vargas, anyway and why are he and Billy Hamilton suddenly holding down the end of the Cubs bench? Does Javy really need to watch video? Is Ryan Dempster really going to replace Jim Deshaies at Marquee and why is it the fault of Crane Kenney not having any friends? And, bonus Bears talk! (Not a lot, but some.)
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In the best idea for a podcast ever, Mike Donohue joins Andy as they follow a simple premise. They talk about some random Bears stuff and see where it goes. Well, the question, "Who is the first Bears' quarterback you really remember" turns into Andy telling a story about a baker who didn't know Walter Payton was black, the USFL trading teams between Arizona and Chicago, Tim Spencer, Trumaine Johnson, Dodgers reliever Steve Howe, a Bears' jersey with a first name on it, Mike Sharperson, and much, much more. Come along for the ride, you never know where you'll end up.
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It's a new season and a new lineup for the Pointless Exercise Bears Podcast. Actor/comedian Mike Pusateri joins Andy to talk about being in a Super Bowl commercial with Deion Sanders and preview the Bears 2020 season. With no preseason do we even know who's on the roster? How many tight ends did they finally cut down to, do they have any running backs? Will they need a kicker? How many wins will it take to get into the expanded playoffs and do the Bears have a chance to get there? Kaiser Wilhelm II gets a shout out. But mostly, Mitch, again? Really?
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It's the MLB trade deadline and people actually got traded, and the Cubs tried to cram human people into human sized holes on their roster. Andy, Sam and Kyle break down the Cubs moves and what the rest of the NL Central did. Whether the player was deeply flawed, just plain bad or currently injured they still amount to upgrades in three areas the Cubs badly needed upgrading in.
Then, they try to figure out what the hell the Cubs were doing with their bullpen over the weekend, they say goodbye to Albert Almora, wonder if the Cubs actually have medical doctors on the staff or if they all got laid off, ponder the return of Kris Bryant, what the hell is wrong with Javy Baez, where's Bruce Levine, what is Len Kasper's obsession with Trevor Bauer and did Marquee forget that the trade deadline was Monday?
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The guys are Kyle-less for this one, but Andy and Sam soldier on and try to make sense of winning three games in three days against the Cardinals and somehow losing two. They discuss if Javy has forgotten right field exists, wonder if the Cubs have installed a sign-up calendar for slumps so they don't overlap and bemoan yet another season where the team tries to get Kris Bryant to play through an injury that would likely just heal if they'd let it. Andy pitches his ideas to improve Marquee's graphics (again), they wonder if perhaps Taylor McGregor has an outstanding warrant in Missouri. They throw cold water on the Sox series because a) it's not a rivalry and never will be, and b) both teams are going to make the playoffs no matter what happens in any of these games. They also list all the things Eloy can't do, and it's long. And just when they think they're done, they bring up Adbert and why the hell he's been wasting away in South Bend, and then, is Craig Kimbrel...good again?
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Andy, Sam and Kyle discuss the Cubs' 10-2 start (while in the background they get smoked by the hapless Royals) and play a fun game that will soon be sweeping the nation titled, "Good Sht or Bull Sht." They look at the starts of many of the Cubs and try to figure out if that performance, good or bad is the real thing or an illusion. They try to figure out where Jose Quintana should go when he returns from injury, if this is the end of the road for Albert Almora and just what the hell was that thing with Mark Grace this week?
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Andy, Sam and Kyle have actual Cubs games to discuss and they dig into the soggy underbelly of the team--it's bullpen. What's more amazing, a decade plus and still no arms produced from the farm system, or the ponderous but historic efforts last week by both Craig Kimbrel and Dillon Maples? Andy debuts a new segment, "Is this joke too mean?" They rehash a full week of Marquee programming, try to figure out just who Ryan Dempster is supposed to amuse and why Taylor McGregor is at the games. Then they discuss Josh Phegley's inability to crouch, Kris Bryant's annual Cincinnati injury and look at what should be a pretty easy schedule this week.
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Andy, Kyle and Sam are back to talk about the 2020 baseball season, why the playoffs were expanded at the last second, why Dillon Maples is still around, and how hard it will be for the Cubs to miss the playoffs. Andy dispels three annoying myths about baseball roster constructiona, Kyle has been watching Marquee and he has thoughts, Sam has thoughts about pretty much everything. They discuss what new rules are unlikely to ever go away and who the real victims are in the Blue Jays homelessness. Basically, they all have reservations about playing sports in a pandemic but are going to enjoy whatever they get. As long as the Cardinals don't win anything.
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Baseball season's back (sorta) and so are Andy, Sam and Kyle to talk about the re-start, whether it's a good idea (you can probably guess) what would make this weird, short, season worth watching, how the Cubs should approach it and Andy describes what the Marquee Sports Network has actually been like so far to two guys who can't get it. And, Andy and Sam tell stories about saying and writing things that got them or people close to them in trouble. It's great to be back!
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Kelly Dwyer joins Andy to put a bow on The Last Dance. Among the topics they flog are why Michael Jordan really hates Scott Burrell, why Reggie Miller is wrong about everything, who the biggest omission from the documentary is, what's up with Toni's camera angle, why Dan Majerle belonged in Phoenix, how "close" did the Bulls ever really come to losing, 1.8 seconds, "the Mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays," Cedric Ceballos' jet ski, why Jerry Krause deserved it, but why does Jerry Reinsdorf always get off so easy, and Tim Floyd.
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Bruce joins Andy to talk about the different return to play scenarios for baseball, the "unintended" consequences of a short season that baseball will inevitably use to change the game permanently (for good and bad), who the biggest redass on the Cubs is and why it's a good thing, the next Cub to get a statue, why Bruce has never won an Emmy, the Sosa-McGwire documentary, what the Rickettses deal with Sosa is and other Cubs' self-inflicted PR disasters, and fun with the 1995 Cubs.
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You know you're watching The Last Dance, and who better to have on to talk about it than Kelly Dwyer? Andy and Kelly get to the really important stuff in this one like what Michael Jordan should have worn for the interviews, why can't Doug Collins chew gum correctly, why is Jerry Reinsdorf the worst, why was Jerry Krause using the home locker room bathroom before games at the United Center, and why Isiah Thomas the way he still is? Andy gives you useful advice as to how to get kicked out of a CD club, and his dad will let you know who made the most pressure packed free throws in history. Then Kelly tries to explain how the NBA season might end, and they are stumped as to what a general manager is these days.
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Andy's back, because let's face it, you've suffered enough. He talks about baseball's many plans to return, and when they do rules they try out will never go away (basically, get used to the DH), how the Cubs can lure Kris Bryant back for quarantine, and there's so much new stuff to make fun of on Marquee. Then, he talks about the NFL Draft, and college football's absurd plan to play in the winter and spring. What's up with the NBA's return? How crazy is the mayor of Vegas? There's talk about The Last Dance and a really solid streaming recommendation that you can knock out in a couple of days. It's good to be back.
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Baseball writer Dave Brown joins Andy to talk about how excited they are to talk to each other, baseball, Mark Grace, the programming on the Marquee Network, the '98 Cubs, why the Cubs have an off day in Milwaukee on the second day of the season, rules changes, the detestable Astros and how they've handled their cheating mess, should the Cubs have won the Kris Bryant grievance, is their relationship with him unrepairable and why isn't Joe Maddon still managing them?
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Andy and Kyle talk about the debut of Marquee (as if anybody could see it) why they've picked the wrong Harry Caray game to start their 'classic games series with', who forgot to record any Ernie Banks highlights, Kris Bryant actually saying things, David Ross having the guts to actually try batting his hitters from best to worst and Harold Reynolds being predictably dumb about it, Brandon Morrow's latest injury, the ominous portent of Craig Kimbrel being on a 'Morrow-type pitching plan', why Albert Almora changing his swing is irrelevant, how hard it is to watch Tyler Chatwood pitch, Jim Bowden's 'Cub to watch', Trevor Bauer being an ass and the second base "battle."
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It's a full house as Andy, Sam and Kyle are all together to talk about the start of spring training. They mock the Astros press conference, the proposed new MLB playoff format, baseball's new rules for 2020 and what happens if you break them? They also talk what the Mookie Betts deal means for the Cubs and if it's time to pause the panic that Kris Bryant will be traded. If Bryant's traded when that might be and the worst case scenario for the Cubs if they plan on dumping guys at the trade deadline. Are the Nolan Arenado things real, and can anybody watch Marquee when it launches NEXT week?
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Andy flies solo this week and hits on a whole host of topics from the Ricketts' obsession with doing everything like the Red Sox to why they might be afraid to hold onto Kris Bryant until the trade deadline, some scary (and amusing) Cubs ZIPS comps, why the Bears might trade for Nick Foles, the Bulls sleeping through another trade deadline, a detailed scouting report on Zion, and some handy streaming recommendations.
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Sportswriter Kevin Kaduk, formerly of the Kansas City Star and Yahoo! Sports joins Andy to talk about the Kris Bryant grievance decision, Nolan Arenado, Super Bowl LIV, Super Bowl prop bets including the Puppy Bowl, the origin of players' nicknames, Kobe Bryant's legacy and what if it had been Michael Jordan and being the dad of girls.
Check out Kevin's piece on the "gift of being a girldad" at kevinkaduk.substack.com.
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A few weeks ago Andy amazed Chicago-born comedian-actor-writer-producer Mike Pusateri by recognizing him on an episode of the ABC show Fresh Off The Boat, and now Mike's on the podcast to talk about his career, but mostly to talk about the Cubs. They talk about Mike's 20 years as a season ticket holder, critique Ryan Dempster's "performance" on his fake Cubs Convention talk show, play a game of "not self aware or don't care" as it pertains to the Ricketts family, try to figure out why Crane Kenney has a job, and why anyone would actually call Comcast to demand they carry the Cubs' new TV network. And they wrap it up with some Bears' talk and making fun of the Packers' disastrous NFC Championship game effort.
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Sam and Andy waited for the Cubs to do something this offseason, and they got tired of waiting so they're back. They talk about how dumb the idea of trading Kris Bryant is, how the financial "issues" the Cubs have are fictitious at best and downright insulting. They try to make sense of a roster that has been largely ignored this offseason, are amazed that people cared that they traded Tony Kemp, and Sam has a theory about Theo's attempts to trade Bryant.
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Longtime Cubs' writer Bruce Miles joins Andy to talk about the uneventful offseason, the aftermath of baseball's twin sign stealing scandals, great moments in Carlos Zambrano history, how the third baseman market is impacting the Cubs' confusing desire to trade their best player, how the Ricketts managed to blow through their championship goodwill, the tough task ahead of David Ross, the Hall of Fame ballot, the misfiring launch of the Marquee Sports Network and much more.
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The new year is here and your favorite podcast is back (and so is this one). We've got a new name. The Desipio Podcast is now Pointless Exercise, because that just sounds more official. Andy is here for an abbreviate pod to start things off and he talks about the plans for a regular Cubs edition of this podcast and more 1-on-1 interview podcasts for you to enjoy. He talks about the Cubs' nonsensical attempts to trade Kris Bryant, about the Ricketts' dodging the fans at the Cubs Convention, the predictably ham-fisted launch of the Marquee Sports Network and even a little about the report that the Bulls' are finally, really, maybe going to blow it up this time. Sure. Then he finishes up with some stuff you should be watching.
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Grab the Kleenex, it's the final Desipio Bears Podcast of the season as Andy, Kyle and Mike sift through the wreckage of an incredibly disappointing season. You'll learn more than you ever wanted to about Jesper Horsted, Jake Kumerow's family ties, and just what an overrated bunch of frauds the somehow 11-3 Packers are. The guys run down an impressively unimpressive list that Jameis Winston has already joined and might just exceed, and they try to figure out who's going to take the symbolic fall for the Bears' season, and who the token "competition" quarterback for the Bears might be.
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The Bears have won three in a row and that inspires Mike and Andy to make fun of Iowa, talk about Vince Lombardi's basement, discuss the real origins of the famous "those aren't pillows" scene in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, actually talk about the Bears win over the Cowboys and look ahead to the Packers, and then Andy tells a story about the time Jim Harbaugh forced him and two of his friends to drink 90 beers in one night. No, Wade Boggs and a cross country flight were not involved. Oh, and beer nuggets!
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The gang's all here as the guys talk about the red hot Bears, Kyle entertains the idea that Mitch is having a better year than Tom Brady, they discuss what, if anything, Mitch's relative competence last week means, and whether Mitch is better than David Blough. They take a look at a key stat that does not portend greatness for Mitch or Daniel Jones, and it takes them down a wormhole where they start waxing nostalgic about the 1999 Bears' offense. Then, they look ahead to the big Cowboys matchup, and compare all of the quality win(s) the two 6-6 playoff contenders have so far this season. Then, Andy gives you some NFL dating gossip, and a Tim Ryan blobsledding story.
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Andy gives everybody else the holiday week off and decides to do a quick solo podcast, and an hour and 15 later, he's talked about the Bears and Lions, the Harvard-Yale game, Calvin and Hobbes, Law and Order, the Bulls, the stupid NBA mid-season tournament, the TD Ameritrade sale, Pat Hughes, Hawk Harrelson, Mike Shannon, Hank White Equivalent Batting Average, who's getting traded, advocates for the Disney-plus bundle (they should give him a free subscription for it), and what you should be streaming.
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The guys hold their noses and relive the Bears wet turd of a performance in Los Angeles. They try to decide if Mitch Trubisky was really hurt, what exactly Matt Nagy is good at, why anybody thinks Chicago sports fans want to hear what Dave Wannstedt has to say about anything, who Anthony Miller reminds Kyle of (it's not nice), and why Eddy Pineiro gets to keep doing whatever it is that he's doing. And, they look ahead to Sunday's tilt with the Giants and try to find the will to live.
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The Bears won an actual NFL game, even if it was against the LIons it still counts, and the guys look back at that. They pore over the Tribune article this week about the "thought process" that led the Bears to taking the worst quarterback in the 2017 first round. Andy equates Ernie Accorsi to Ned Colletti in multiple ways. The guys look ahead to the Sunday night game against the Rams. And, you all missed Andy and Kyle raving about The Mandalorian before the recording started with Mike making disgusted noises at the nerds.
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A sick child has the podcast manned by just Andy and Mike this week, but they are more than up to the task of putting the awfulness of the Eagles' loss into current and historical context. Hold your nose as you hear how the exploits of the nine yard first half matches up to performances by former Bears' great quarterbacks. Then, they talk about Mike's dad being honored by the Bears, a dubious Lake Forest fire a few decades ago and much, much more.
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The boys are back in their trips podcast formation and after talking Halloween in Iowa and Kansas, they try to make sense of another mind-numbing Bears loss by breaking down the inept red zone play calling, wondering how badly Mitch is flunking Bears Offense 202. Did Nagy actually think Mitch was good or was he just desperate to get head coaching job, will Marcus Mariota be on the roster next year to prove he's just "Hawaiian Mitch" and just how dumb does a team have to be to run a play just to put the ball on the wrong hash mark for its kicker?
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It's just Mike and Andy this week as they try to figure out what the hell Matt Nagy is doing, how far in over his head he is, what exactly it is that Mitch does around here, and along the way they talk about Kevin Loughery, Granville Waiters and Dave Corzine. You know, just like every other football podcast does. They look ahead to the Chargers this week, where Andy ponders what a team made up just of Phillip Rivers and his family would do to the Bears, and they run down the remaining Bears' schedule looking for wins.
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Andy lights up the Sam Signal™ and they do an emergency podcast to talk about the news that the Cubs have settled on a new manager and, to no one's surprise it's David Ross. What did Ross say in his mock Spring Training speech that won the front office over? Why do we always say "Theo and Jed" when nobody knows what Jed even does? Was the Joe Espada love real or just a way for the Cubs to make it look like they didn't decide on Ross three years ago?
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Andy, Mike and Kyle look back with trepidation at the Bears' loss to the Raiders, look ahead to the return of Mitch Trubisky, ponder the future of Kyle Long (not for long), tell the Mike Murphy "pro bowler" story, look back at Chicago Sports Webio, try to figure out who the Bears are, try not to think about the last time the Bears played a game after a bye, wonder if Matt Nagy still knows that David Montgomery is on his team, make their predictions for the Saints game, consider Drew Brees' legacy, and spend a lot of time talking about Mike Tomczak.
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Andy is joined by his favorite NBA writer, Kelly Dwyer of The Second Arrangement, and the longtime pals wax nostalgic about their early days at On Hoops, Indiana wildlife preserves, Jim Boylen’s spirit, being able to actually root for Bulls’ wins again, why Zach LaVine’s defense is oddly impressive, the time Kris Dunn landed on his face, Denzel Valentine’s vertical, Jimmy Butler and the “Wahl method”, player empowerment and which teams’ inevitably benefit, can Paul George put his arms up, Oklahoma City dog food, Bob Feller (as any good NBA podcast has a story about), why Andy roots against the Celtics, Kyrie and KD, Barry Manilow, and what MJ learned from Jerry Krause.
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Andy, Kyle and Mike are back to talk about the Bears win over the Vikings, whether there’s a “quarterback controversy,” what we should know about Roquan’s absence, how Vag McCaskey thinks the team is traveling to London, former Bills’ safety Mark Kelso’s helmet, Rusty Lisch, Greg Landry, the Chicago Blitz, how George Allen died, how the Raiders have already won two games, great Oregon quarterbacks, Mike Leach’s offense, Cade McNown’s mom, and how Khalil Mack should avoid being hit by a falling girder in Tottenham’s crap new stadium.
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Joe Maddon is out, but Andy and Sam are in to talk about it, about Theo Espstein's annual post mortem press conference, the Cubs most likely to be traded, what to do with the bullpen, rotation and bench. They wonder what Theo thinks is wrong with the offense, why David Ross is the presumptive lead candidate for the managerial job and they have the definitive answer for Cardinals fans as to why Mike Trout is better than Yadi.
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Andy, Mike and Kyle enjoy an actual Bears' winning streak and the Bears' defense doing very mean things to the Redskins. Andy complains (again) about how impossible it is to follow even part of a game if you have to listen to the Bears' radio call of it. They marvel at pretty much everything Khalil Mack does, Danny Trevathan's pass rush deke, and how Ha Ha Clinton-Dix had somehow not scored a touchdown since "little league." They wonder how a kicker gets hurt in the weight room, fall down a Hard Knocks rabbit hole, dare to re-live the Ernie Accorsi GM and coach search and have a slightly more optimistic take on Mitch Trubisky--well, Andy and Mike do. Then they look ahead to the upcoming Vikings game and complain about the start time of the game against the Raiders in London.
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Andy and Sam hold a wake for the Cubs' season, ponder the future of Joe Maddon and the core of the team. Andy digs his tortured roof/payroll analogy again and they wonder just how much money there really is going to be in the offseason. They come up with a creative way for the Cubs to entice Theo Epstein to stay beyond 2021 (it involves Todd being in jail), solve the Cubs leadoff 'problem' and lament the Cubs are going to finish third in their division behind two teams that just aren't that good. Oh, and they talk Mitch Trubisky for two minutes for no apparent reason.
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Andy, Kyle and Mike revel in the Bears first win of the season and not only wonder if that was the worst quarterbacking performance in team history in a win, they actually look it up! You'll find out what a "Rusty Trubisky" is, if Eddy Pineiro has settled the kicking conundrum for the season, tell you if it really takes three days to acclimate to altitude and why Vic Fangio should have been less aggressive and kicked the extra point. Previewing the Bears-Redskins Monday night game, you'll learn about the Bears' sad recent history against the 'Skins, and pull up a chair as Mike tells you about the most famous punt in Washington history.
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It's a podcast "talent" lineup that we've never seen before, and in this pod you get a breakdown of the big Cubs-Cardinals four game series coming up at Wrigley, a look at the most and least likely scenarios for how the division and wild cards are likely to shake out, a look back at the greatest regular season Cubs-Cardinals' series in history, and a detailed look at the schedules remaining for the teams still in the race for the final three National League playoff spots.
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A week clear of the Bears sad little offensive showing against the Packers, Andy, Kyle and Mike are back on the case trying to sift through the wreckage. Did Matt Nagy abandon his gameplan or never really have one? Can Mitch read? Did Anthony Miller miss his ride to the stadium? The Packers offense was equally throttled by the Bears' defense, except for one brief moment of hurry-up-offensive-competence. They look ahead to Denver where old friend Vic Fangio gets a shot at the offense he saw every week last year, but it could all come down to the immortal question, who plays worse, Joe Flacco or Mitch?
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It's a three-man pod as Andy, Sam and Kyle bask in the glory of Nico Hoerner's debut, try to figure out if anybody's going to actually claim the second wild card spot in the National League, try to figure out if this is the real Kyle Schwarber (given the three guys doing the figuring, you probably know how that ends up), wonder if Theo and Jed will sabotage the roster before they leave after 2021, try to make sense of anything Joe Maddon did in Milwaukee and they wish bad things upon the Cardinals.
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In an emotional Cubs' podcast, Andy and Sam announce that Mike’s been suspended from the pod, Andy tells a story about not saving money on dog food at Costco, and Sam equates the Mariners to a friend of his playing a lot of Football Manager. They wonder if it’s possible to be a poor man’s Ben Gamel, give tips on how to deal with Cubs-induced rage, welcome back Ben Zobrist’s walk-up music, reminisce about Welington Castillo nearly killing Tyler Colvin and Cubs’ coaches mixing drinks in the dugout, and why Mike Shildt has to sit at all times in the Cardinals’ dugout. Then, they preview the Cubs road trip that somehow goes from Milwaukee to San Diego.
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You asked for it and you got it--ok, maybe YOU didn't ask for it, but somebody did--it's the first-ever Desipio Bears Podcast. Join Andy from Desipio.com, Kyle from StartKyleOrton.com and Mike D. for the first of what promises to be an exciting season's worth of podcasts. In just this very first one alone you'll learn about how the Bears price preseason tickets, how nobody knows nothin' about Mitch Trubisky's progress, why Aaron Rodgers is more like Jay Cutler than people want to admit, why it's humiliating that Johnny Morris is still the all-time leading Bears' receiver and much more. The guys take you through a bunch of over/unders, make their fearless picks for the season opener against Green Bay and find a way to cram in jokes about John Shoop, Marc Trestman, Terry Schmidt, Todd Collins, and...somehow...Nathan Enderle.
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Andy and Sam are on the case to tackle the big issues of the week, like how the Cardinals somehow have a schedule that's just Pirates and Brewers for three months and was the Cubs' torturous sweep by the Nats a harbinger of things to come or just baseball? They debate if losing the wild card game counts as "making the playoffs," (it does), and give in to the stupids and defend the Gleyber Torres trade...again. Andy wonders if Kyle Hendricks is really as smart as everybody says he is.
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Seventy-five percent of the crew is on hand as Andy, Sam and Kyle rejoice in the Cubs' current win streak, admire Yu Darvish dunking on the team's pre-and-post game TV host, bemoan the dreaded three-man bench, speculate on Nicholas Castellanos' future, and seem unimpressed by Albert Almora 'hustling' to Iowa. They try to figure out how the hell the Marquee Network is going to fill all those hours and worry about its distribution. And Andy's so confident the NL Central race is already over that he wants Joe to set up the rotation so his choice for game on NLDS starter is on the proper rest.
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Recorded during a game in which the Cubs were down 10-0 in the fourth really has our heroes, Sam and Andy in a great mood. They try to make sense of many things like are the Cubs enjoying any of it, why does a new guy have to bring 'hunger' with him, will Cole Hamels ever get another hitter out, why did the Cubs bring Joe Maddon back if they want him to manage like he's not him? Andy breaks down a lifetime of Dan Bernstein's great Cubs' scoops. Why do national networks insist on not announcing their games like they're games? And Sam tells you a story about his sink that'll make you question humanity.
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Andy, Sam and Kyle talk about the Cubs 5-1 homestand where everybody got hurt, aren't worried about Jon Lester, wonder why the new guys don't wear shirts under their jerseys, talk about Ian Happ's MVP chances, wonder if Jonathan Lucroy is really any better than Taylor Davis and try to figure out why they don't play the Sunday night game in Williamsport on the little league diamond. And Andy gives some handy tips about how to handle electric clothes dryers. Don't try this at home.
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Andy and Sam talk about the Cubs moves at the deadline, including, "What the hell was the purpose of Martin Maldonado?", Tony Kempana, who gets the hayride to Iowa to make room for Nicholas Castellanos, the return of Zobrist?, and what was the point of the call-up of Happ. They also ponder why nobody can tell us how much money the Cubs actually have, if our large adult son is about to be bolted to the bench, and why the Cubs depth has become little more than a myth.
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Andy and Sam discuss the weird Addison Russell saga, what to expect from Ian Happ if he comes up, how terrible it would be if the Cubs manage to lose to the Central to just, plain, bad teams like the Brewers or Cardinals, and what trade options are out there. They also try to figure out how Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer so successfully deflect blame that they never seem to catch any shit, even when the current roster is a weird assortment of a few really good players and a lot of bad ones.
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This week it's Andy, Mike and Kyle as they talk about the Mike Montgomery trade, what the Cubs are up to with another catcher and can any of it be good, the Cubs fanbase's unrealistic view of Victor Caratini's value, where did Ad*bert go, and what the hell is up with Albert's hat? They also come up with an exit strategy for Daniel Descalso. They also get an expert opinion on Todd Ricketts' property tax shenanigans (seriously), and Andy spends waaaaay too much time talking about Cubs' uniforms through history. Sam will return next week.
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Sam and Andy are on hand to help you usher in America's birthday by trying to figure out just how Theo Epstein is going to make the bold roster moves he's promised. They run the down the trade values of the guys on the current roster and...well, don't get your hopes up. Is there a big trade to be made, or are they going to be left tinkering around the edges?
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It's just Andy and the new guy, Sam Fels, but really who else do you need? They revisit the now infamous Eloy Jimenez trade, try to figure out how the Ricketts; went from World Series heroes to ballpark witness protection in two seasons, ponder how often Theo puts something on and ponders leaving it all behind, revisit Cubs-Sox series horror stories from years past and agree that no one should ever be forced to go to St. Louis for anything.
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Your favorite podcast gets even better (yes, we mean this one) with the new addition of Sam Fels, and the guys waste no time getting into the most pressing issues of the day, including their disdain for whatever the bastardized version of baseball is that gets played in Colorado, Kyle Schwarber's newfound--yet long awaited--awesomeness, the absurdity of bean brawls and why does it take so long for guys like Craig Kimbrel to actually get ready to play. They also ponder what it means to have 16 inch fingers, if anybody really works in Denver and the part of Joe Maddon's act that Sam's not a fan of.
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It's just Mike and Andy this week, and they rename and then review a book they haven't read, run through the long and undistinguished history of recent Cubs pitcher draft picks, try to figure out if Carlos Gonzalez is the next Jim Edmonds (in a good way), and they talk about the Wisconsin Udder Tuggers. Oh, and the podcast is interrupted twice by Andy's wife, who is learning how to miter baseboards.
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The guys debate if Major League or Moneyball is the best baseball movie ever (and throw out a few other possibilities). They break down Kyle Schwarber round lead-off man. What, if anything, Carlos Gonzalez has left. Why Carl Edwards Jr. should never be trusted with a runner at third. And, they have some thoughts about baseball extending the protective netting at games. Spoiler alert, they don't have much sympathy for the tough guys who claim to be against it.
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How different was the world the last time the Brewers were on Sunday Night Baseball previous to last Sunday's loss to the Cubs? What's up with that lawsuit by the former Desipio lurker who claims Conan O'Brien stole five of his precious jokes? What's up with the shift? If those crazy kids Ben and Julianna can't make it work, what chance to do any of us have? And, much, much, more.
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The full cast is on hand for this one and they break down why Addison Russell still doesn't get it, are amazed that there's an actual thing called a "Cubs Fan Code of Conduct" and suggest other things that should get fans banned for life, try to figure out what the hell is going on with Yu Darvish, and then after forgetting to talk about it, they make great effort to figure out what a description of Kris Bryant's batting grip actually means.
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It's just Andy and Mike this week, though they spend some time trying to guess what Kyle's job is. They also have actual segments! First, they try to make sense of a Phil Rogers Tweet, then they debate just how Kyle Schwarber could possibly be stunting Albert Almora's development. Third, they talk about Dave Kaplan's new/old job, and finally, just how big can any series be in May?
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All three of the dopes are back and they talk about the Cubs actually winning some games, Kris Bryant's slump, the general awesomeness of Javy Baez, the Kap - Gordo Twitter beef, and the Conan O'Brien joke stealing trial. Seriously. There's a Desipio connection to it. Finally, they talk about Cubs blogs past and present and Mike tells the story about getting banned from the old Wrigleyville Taco Bell.
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Andy and Mike jump on just as a Cubs rain delay is ending, so maybe it's a pre-postgame pod? They discuss what if the Cubs aren't just off to a slow start, but are actually kind of bad? They play a scintillating game of "Who's the longest tenured player on every MLB team?" They try to figure out why the Cubs can't develop pitchers...ever, and wonder if the team inadvertently created a weird stigma around sending their young hitters to the minors to work on their game.
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This week it's Andy and Mike without Kyle. Mike tells thrilling tales of his trip to Texas, Andy breaks news about the postgame after the postgame following Cubs games on NBC Sports Chicago, they try to make sense of Carl Edwards Jr's ill-fated stop action pitching motion, the podcast has a sponsor, and much, much more.
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Andy and Kyle kick off the new Desipio Cubs Podcast season by previewing the start of the 2019 campaign. With Mike AWOL they make fun of the other teams in the NL Central, try to figure out why the Brewers insist on playing a 270 pound man at second base, and make their predictions for the new year.
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The guys are back to preview game 163 between the Cubs and Brewers to determine who wins the NL Central and who ends up the dreaded wild card.
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Andy, Kyle and Mike break down the incredible, stress-inducing NLDS win over Dusty's Nationals and look ahead to the Cubs-Dodgers NLCS preview as the Cubs try to go back to the World Series for a second straight year. A lot of people forget that they won it last year.
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The Cubs are back in the playoffs and so Andy and Mike are back for another podcast. This time they are joined by Kyle Reichert--who was set to replace Mike, but then Mike showed up anyway. The guys preview the Cubs and Nats, and work their way through every playoff matchup. You'll never guess who they pick.
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Our heroes break down the Cubs World Series win, the parade, the rally, Kyle Schwarber on Live with Kelly and Arod(huh?) and a lot more. They also plan a road trip to St. Louis next year to see the Cubs open the season, and mostly to annoy Cardinals fans.
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The Chicago Cubs have advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1945 and so Desipio.com and Hire Jim Essian.com threw together a hastily organized podcast to recap the Cubs NLCS win over the LA Dodgers and preview the World Series v. the Cleveland Indians.
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The Cubs are on to the NLCS again, and the guys from Desipio and Hire Jim Essian are back to preview it. They did the podcast live and took questions and comments from viewers. This is a long one, and to be honest, you can probably bail after the first hour.
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The idiots are back after nearly a year off to preview the playoffs, talk about the Cubs and to try to name who hit every Cubs playoff homer ever. No, really.
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Our heroes return with their third podcast in three weeks. This time they review the Cubs win over the hated Cardinals in the NLCS and preview the team's first appearance in the National League Championship Series since 2003.
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Two podcasts in three days for our heroes. The Cubs wild card win over the Pirates gets dissected in full and then they turn their attention to the first-ever Cubs-Cardinals playoff series.
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The guys are back after four month off...seriously, and they preview the Cubs-Pirates wild card game. To say they are both nervous is...accurate.
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They're back, and Kermit's not really all the thrilled with the podcast's name. Andy tries to explain something he doesn't really understand, and the guys get to the bottom of who really sucks on the Cubs.
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Andy and Kermit are back and better than...well, let's just say they're back.
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