Desipio Cubs Podcast

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.