Pointless Exercise - A Desipio Podcast

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 t...

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 comi...

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...

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 doe...

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 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 Firest...

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'l...

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 f...

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 pond...

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 C...

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 Juni...

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 m...

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 c...

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...

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 run...

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...

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 Bronco...

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...

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 tea...

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 possib...

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 G...

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...

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 play...

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&...

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...