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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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.   --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message

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.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/desipio/message