Pointless Exercise - A Desipio Podcast

All Cubs seasons are fun to re-live (well, most of them) but some are more fun than others and this time the wheel of crap has gifted us the incredible, ridiculous, insane 1998 Cubs. Sammy Sosa homered every day, Kerry Wood struck out everybody, Terry Mulholland and/or Rod Beck were always pitching and Chip Caray was there to narrate most of it--well, it can't all be good. The Cubs roared through most of September then limped down the stretch until Neifi hit his biggest homer and saved their bacon. It was a great year, so let's remember it! 

The wheel of crap finally landed on one of the most infamous seasons in Cubs history. It's time for Andy and Mike D. to remember the 2003 Cubs. It was a season that was incredible until it wasn't. Hindsight (and an actual World Series title) have made it easier to look back and enjoy the truly great parts of a season that crushed us all in the end. It's time to remember Hee Seop's concussion, the Aramis and Kenny trade, Mark Prior's dominance, Kerry Wood's dominant NLDS, Sarah Wood going "Wheeeeee!", Sweaty Joe, Dusty grinding pitchers' arms off, Eric Karros' big hair, Gabor Bako, that awful bullpen, Randall Simon, that super fun playoff run that ended with a kick in the balls, beating the Cardinals when it really mattered, and so much more.

He was the face of the Cubs during the most successful run in more than a century, and even if it makes some business sense to move on from him it doesn't make it any easier for the fans. Kyle and Andy discuss the Cubs trade of Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees, whether it's in effect a third of a season loan or if he's really gone, how bad it is that one of the prospects in the deal from the Yankees is immediately the Cubs second-best prospect, and what the future holds as we careen towards the deadline with Kris Bryant and Craig Kimbrel yet to be dealt.

How can you poke holes in one of the greatest movies ever made? Well, you don't, mostly. Andy and Mike P. revisit the 1990 Martin Scorcese classic, "GoodFellas" and marvel at what a great, well made, incredibly paced movie it is, while taking issue with just a couple of the plot points. They draw Sopranos parallels, play your favorite clips, give some casting choice info and all the times Joe Pesci ad libbed. It's a pretty great insight into what Roger Ebert called the greatest movie ever made about organized crime.

The Olympics are here whether anybody's ready or not and Drew Lawrence of The Guardian (and several other publications) stops by to talk about them. Why are they happening? Why are they playing softball on a toxic waste site? The guys try to come up with a better way to pick the men's basketball team, wonder what Mary Carrillo is going to get to make fun of, and a couple of athletes and events you should be paying attention to. Andy suggests moving Hockey to the Summer Games. Drew has an incredible story about the ludicrous 1904 Olympics in St. Louis that you have to hear to believe. And then, they talk about the Bears, because the Bears finally have a quarterback and it's impossible to talk about that too much.