Pointless Exercise - A Desipio Podcast

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...

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...

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 wh...

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...

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 relationsh...

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'...

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 wh...

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 stream...

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 ke...

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 "n...

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,...

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 F...

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' nonsensic...

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 al...

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 <em>Planes, Trains and Automobiles, </em>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 for...

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 sta...

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 t...

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....

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. &nbsp...

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 dubiou...

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 nex...

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...

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...

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 Dav...