It's Pretty OK

This week, the SPORTS BOIS are talking about a quality that was on abundant display during the first round of the NBA playoffs (this episode was recorded when most of the first-round series were still going, and Patrick Beverley hadn't yet chucked a ball at a fan's face): goonery! Is this another opportunity for Sean to clown on Joel Embiid, who is really way too good at basketball to act the way he does? You better believe it is. But that's not all it is; the gang has the smoke for a number of other playoff heels.MUSIC: "Someone Else's Dream" – Restorations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang (minus Sean) gets together to talk about a thing that's been a key part of so many moments in our lives and friendship together: beer. But it seems that everyone's relationship with a frosty-cold oat soda has maybe changed in the past decade or so, so it's time to unpack that!MUSIC: "Dan Marino (Live)" – M.J. Lenderman and the Wind Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the SPORTS BOIS are here to talk about the NBA playoffs and how things have changed in the Play-in Tournament era. Are we punishing the #1 seeds somehow? And do the Celtics have anything to fear but fear itself?NOTE: This episode was recorded before the play-in games, which means any mention of the Heat and Pelicans does not account for the injuries to Jimmy Butler and Zion Williamson.MUSIC: "Glitz" – Cindy Lee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang talks a little bit about their March Madness trip to Los Angeles, and the sushi spot that maybe ruined all other sushi spots for Kevin. What did YOU experience one time and know you would never match that level again?MUSIC: "A World Without Pain" – Spiral Heads Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Pierce's experience both reading and watching L.A. Confidential has the gang pondering a classic conundrum: How are you supposed to evaluate movies based on books?MUSIC: "Grifter's Grief" – Yard Act Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang talks about setting goals for self-improvement, and ponders Pierce's theory that you can't really evaluate any goal like that on a timeline shorter than a year.MUSIC: "Playing Favorites" – Sheer Mag Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the SPORTS BOIS are talking about why the last minute or two of sporting events get treated so differently than all of the preceding minutes, especially by the referees.MUSIC: "I Got Heaven" – Mannequin Pussy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang talks about why it feels like something's missing from the grocery store experience — vanished to make way for dumb stuff like palm scanners.MUSIC: "Clubs" – Myra Keyes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang gets together to draft their favorite moments in sports. Some of them will make perfect sense. Others — hell, maybe most of them — will make whatever the literal opposite of perfect sense is. Check it out!MUSIC: "Make a Joke" – Mama Zu Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang talks about how some companies are going about trying to bring their employees back to the office from time to time with perks like an occasional free lunch — and why that strategy seems doomed to fail. Will one of these four fully remote workers argue that companies should just institute a policy and deal with whatever consequences come of it? You'll have to listen to find out!MUSIC: "Horses" – Maggie Rogers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week is a bit of a throwback, with Sean and Pierce doing a little reminiscing on the past 400 episodes before shifting gears and talking a bit about how friggin' old they feel when it comes to going to concerts — but why it may be important to grit their teeth and do it anyway.MUSIC: "Shade" – Office Dog Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Kevin asks the gang: Does anyone still care about album art?MUSIC: "Blast Off" – CZARFACEADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Bud vs. Miller vs. Coors - Pro Brewer picks a favorite! (Tree House Brewing Company on YouTube) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, some spicy words for Drake by Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def) sparked some discussion online about whether or not Drake's music reminds you of shopping at Target. That points the gang toward a conversation about "selling out" and how cultural fandom has become about our identity as fans rather than engagement with and consideration of an artist's work.MUSIC: "Wizard Buys a Hat" – the Mountain GoatsADDITIONAL MATERIAL: "On Smarm" (Gawker via the Wayback Machine) and "The Future Of The Culture Wars Is Here, And It's Gamergate" (Deadspin) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was there enough time between when we recorded this podcast and when it's finally coming out that Bill Belichick hadn't actually lost his job yet and Alabama hadn't hired a successor to Nick Saban? Yes! Does that make this podcast about what feels like the end of a coaching era kind of useless? You'll have to decide that for yourself.MUSIC: "Can't Get Enough of It" – SPRINTS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang returns for a new year with a discussion of Max's BBQ travels over the holidays, and what makes a place like Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas, so different from a place like Dreamland Bar-B-Que, the Tuscaloosa, Alabama rib shack that has expanded to several locations across Alabama, Georgia and Florida.MUSIC: "Salad" – Blondshell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang closes out 2023 by discussing the firehose of "breaking news" notifications that Sean and Pierce get on their phones, why it's so frustrating that we spend so much time on national political news, and why it's still important to get information about the world around you. Does Sean put on his "I'm a former local reporter" hat and deliver a nearly 7-minute monologue? You better believe it!MUSIC: "Stone Window" – Metric Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang gets together post-Thanksgiving to talk about Sean's experience with a simplified Turkey Day menu brought on by necessity. But it's not really a conversation about menus so much as a chat about finding ways to give yourself a break and not weigh the holidays down with expectations.MUSIC: "Transformer" – Marnie Stern Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all — Sean, Pierce, and Kevin got together before going home for the holidays to talk about the 7 remaining undefeated FBS teams and what would be the best (or funniest) outcomes for each.Of course, that was before any of the games were played. So tune in to see how many of the things they said are already outdated!MUSIC: "All AKA Ciao" – Homeboy SandmanADDITIONAL MATERIAL: The World's Most Popular Painter Sent His Followers After Me Because He Didn't Like a Review of His Work. Here's What I Learned (Artnet) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're almost back to a normal recording/release schedule, I swear. But in the meantime, the gang is discussing reviews. What are we looking at so many reviews for, and are we actually getting anything out of it? Also, Max brings an excellent trivia question.MUSIC: "Fresh Tattoo" – The Mountain GoatsADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Who are the Premier League's true Rolls-Royces? (The Athletic) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apologies for the irregular recording schedule — someone is busy exploring the world. In the meantime, the SPORTS BOIS gather to discuss something they've been thinking about for a while now: how to rearrange the ACC's football setup now that Cal, SMU and Stanford are joining. They compete to see who's got the most chaotic vision, whether it's an odd number of divisions or forced transfers of engineering students. Okay, it's probably the one that involves forcing engineering students to transfer.MUSIC: "Armageddon Now" – Teenage Halloween Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the SPORTS BOIS celebrate the return of the NBA! They head back to the hardwood by picking some teams that they're excited about for the upcoming season.MUSIC: "Different Than" – A Giant DogADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Revealed: What Jordan Poole Told Draymond Green Before the Punch Seen Around the World (Pablo Torre Finds Out on YouTube) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang becomes your favorite tech podcast in order to talk about generative AI and how it will affect the process of learning that your half-baked ideas are, in fact, half-baked.MUSIC: "Going to Die" – FiddleheadADDITIONAL MATERIAL: "Why Gen X Dads Can Appreciate Olivia Rodrigo" (The New Yorker) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, on the heels of the Miami Dolphins putting a historic beatdown on the Denver Broncos, the gang has a question...are blowouts good?MUSIC: "Doubt" – Slow Pulp Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang gets together to talk about the act of giving yourself a gift. Is it something that should put a pit in your stomach? What's the right frequency with which to self-gift? Hell, for that matter, what even constitutes a gift to yourself in the first place?MUSIC: "Megalodon" – Eldridge Rodriguez Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a conversation about a cooler — specifically, the Oyster Tempo "performance cooler." But it's not actually a conversation about a cooler. The gang is talking about why it is that we feel like we need to be upgrading stuff all the time.MUSIC: "Birthmark" – Dizzy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang is talking about a story Pierce read in The New Yorker about what happens to products after consumers return them — a pretty important question, considering that the value of returned products is believed to be close to $1 trillion.MUSIC: "Through the Sewer" – C.O.F.F.I.NADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Listening to Taylor Swift in Prison (The New Yorker) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Football season is back, and believe it or not, the gang has very different relationships with the NFL. Nobody's particularly happy about the way that teams are kicking star players (especially running backs) to the curb — and in a surprising turn that will shock you all, Sean gets extremely agitated about the way that professional sports owners do their business.MUSIC: "Liked U Better" – Jeff RosenstockADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Bomani Jones and Michael Smith on Touré Show (Apple Podcasts // YouTube) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang is doing something that is definitely not a blatant rip-off of any other podcasts or anything like that...they're drafting restaurants! Each participant is picking 5 real-life restaurants to build a town around.MUSIC: "Pleasure Seeker" – Be Your Own PetADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Hearing Songs for the First Time (playlist by Drumeo on YouTube) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the full gang is back together for the first time in quite a while, and with Kevin back from a long trip, they're talking about the kinds of souvenirs and other little gifts/collections that you amass when you travel.MUSIC: "It's Alive!" – Ratboys Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Sean and Pierce are talking about the soccer transfer window — with its many twists, turns and sagas — and wondering how we got to the point where as fans, we're spending more time focusing on signings and trades and such than worrying about the actual games themselves.MUSIC: "All We Ever" – Chris FarrenADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Hanif Abdurraqib (MTV) and Steven Hyden (Uproxx) on The Last Waltz Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THIS PODCAST IS ABOUT MUSTARD SKITTLES. THAT'S A REAL THING. THERE'S REALLY NOT ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY ABOUT IT. JUST LISTEN!MUSIC: "Knockin'" – MJ Lenderman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No, it's not a podcast about the MTV competition show. This week, the gang (minus Kevin, who's on a jaunt around the west coast and Canada for a while) gets together to talk about summer reading and the concept of challenging yourself as an adult. Is it just a way to motivate yourself to do something you don't want to do, or can it be about reinforcing something that you already enjoy?MUSIC: "Eye on the Bat" – Palehound Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it's the show you didn't even know you were waiting for...because you probably weren't actually waiting for it. Pierce and Sean finally do their long-rumored watch-along of the 2011 UEFA Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United. (You can find the game on Dailymotion just like they did if you want to be a sicko and watch it yourself.) Somewhat unsurprisingly, the discussion heads off into tangents about philosophy and...baseball? Wait, that doesn't seem right.MUSIC: None, because we didn't want this to be the first episode to break the hour markADDITIONAL MATERIAL: "American Ivy Episode 1" (Articles of Interest on Apple Podcasts) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang is talking about game shows and why we love them the way we do.MUSIC: "Be Careful" – bdrmmADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Juvenile's Tiny Desk Concert (NPR Music on YouTube) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang is talking about the wonderful world of bar food. Wings and fries and all that jazz.MUSIC: "Pressure Cooker" – DAZY and Militarie GunADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Daniel Ellsberg's Life Beyond the Pentagon Papers (The New Yorker) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang talks about work benefits. Per diems on company trips, parental leave, health care, vacation time — the whole nine yards.MUSIC: "Carlos Is Crying" – The Hold Steady Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the SPORTS BOIS talk about the Denver Nuggets' NBA championship victory. Well, they actually talk about Nikola Jokic's unexpectedly muted reaction to reaching his sport's highest pinnacle, and whether we would all do well to learn something from the big Serbian's perspective on work and competitiveness.MUSIC: "On My Knees" – Middle KidsADDITIONAL MATERIAL: How Will ‘Succession' Be Remembered? (The Ringer) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dive on in for some hot sardine-on-mackerel action! This week, the gang is talking about the Futurama episode "A Bicyclops Built for Two," which is both eerily prescient about the internet of the 2000s and 2010s...and also somehow a parody of Married...with Children?MUSIC: "Freak" - Feeble Little Girl Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang talks about "townie summer" — the phenomenon in which all of the students in a college town (or the tourists, depending on the town) vanish for a season, leaving the locals behind to do their thing for once.MUSIC: "Checks" – Dead Billionaires Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang gets together (hell, Max and Pierce literally get together!) to discuss what's going on with gym memberships. Max talks about his experience with ClassPass, and Sean suggests that the new wave of fancy "fitness experiences" like Equinox are the new-age replacement for a stuffy old-money status symbol.MUSIC: "Chosen to Deserve" – WednesdayADDITIONAL MATERIAL: Reign of Error (Apple Podcasts) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang is talking about the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad process of buying a car, so strap in.MUSIC: "Orion" – Rodrigo y Gabriela Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No puns or misdirection or anything in the title — this week, the gang is talking about coffee table books. Well, I guess they start talking about coffee table books as a way to get into a larger discussion of something that they refer to as "situational reading" and how it's changed in the smartphone era.MUSIC: "Kill Your Television" – Ned's Atomic Dustbin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang is back at it to discuss CSA. No, not some horrifying dystopian hybrid of the CIA and the NSA — community-supported agriculture, in which you pay a local farm/producer up front for a season's worth of produce, to be collected on a periodic basis. Basically everyone on the pod has at least considered it, but only Pierce has taken the plunge. Plus, Sean has a totally unreasonable reaction to this week's trivia question, so stick around for that.MUSIC: "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" – My Chemical RomanceADDITIONAL MATERIAL: The Eternal March of the Black Parade (The Ringer) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Sean, Max and Pierce are talking about the phenomenon of "content creep" — the way that as podcasters, video creators, and other creative folks get more popular, the demand for them to constantly be creating more and different kinds of output just grows and grows.MUSIC: "JOY (God Only Knows)" – Joy Anonymous Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Sean is getting older and finding that his beer tastes are becoming, as he put it, "maybe not like MY dad's, but definitely like A dad's." Are there other things where we're changing in this sort of way as we get older? And how does the "27 Club" factor in?MUSIC: "Watching the Credits" – The Beths Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang is talking about the news that Pierce's favorite brewery in Atlanta is shutting down its local taproom and moving its production operations out of state. How do you deal with the loss of something like that that has become a fixture in your life?MUSIC: "Training Montage" – The Mountain Goats Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the SPORTS BOIS talk (in a very timely manner) about Purdue's first-round exit from the men's NCAA Tournament at the hands of 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson, the smallest team in the bracket. It seems to be part of an ongoing trend over the last decade or so in which the value of dominant centers is rapidly shrinking. And the gang finds a way to sneak in a "fond" farewell to Jim Boeheim along the way.MUSIC: "Sole Obsession" – Nation of Language Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang gets together to talk about the hype around kitchen "multitaskers" like the Instant Pot as well as single-use implements like garlic presses. What's the argument for each, and how is Sean going to connect the Instant Pot to his iPhone?MUSIC: "Not Strong Enough" – boygenius Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang (minus Kevin) convenes to talk about movies — more specifically, the Academy Awards. What role do the Oscars play in the modern world of fragmented streaming services?MUSIC: "Futures Bet" – U.S. Girls Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang is talking about $2 bills. Why do they feel like such a novelty, and should that maybe change going forward?MUSIC: "A Long December" – Oceanator Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the gang is talking about what "luxury" means in a time when things that were once the sole domain of the rich and powerful — like having someone drive you around in a car that is not a taxi — are so attainable that they almost feel mundane.MUSIC: "Welcome to My Island" – Caroline Polachek Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.