Pointless Exercise - A Desipio Podcast
The only podcast you'll ever need... Hosted by Andy Dolan of Pointless Exercise and formerly of The Athletic. Regular podcasts on the Cubs with Praz and Oleg, Major League Baseball with David Brown, the Bears and Cubs with Tom Loxas and Remember This Crap with Mike Donohue. Regular guests include Jon Greenberg, Andrew Lawrence, and Kelly Dwyer.
Episodes
You'd think that with the Cubs playing this poorly for this long that the sweet relief of elimination would be on the way, but the third Wild Card means nobody is ever out of it, no matter how bad they are. Oleg and Praz are on the case to discuss what's not working with the Cubs, how Petecrow the leadoff man inexplicably is, and why Ian Happ's 1,000th hit turned into yet another embarrassment for the draft record of this hapless f...
The Cubs have sunk to yet another low, now losers of 10 in a row, and Oleg and Praz are here to discuss what there is to be done. They wonder why the Cubs called up Kevin Alcantara if they don't bother to ever play him, worry about Ian Happ's inability to hit one of his patented eighth-inning homers when down by eight runs, and debate what's up with Alex Bregman. They also discuss how their inability to find pitching like the Brewe...
David Brown joins the pod for a hard hitting expose into why calling them "little league homers" are offensive to little leaguers, why the Cubs being this streaky isn't a shock, nor is their rash of pitching injuries. They also discuss Shohei's out of context use of the word "contextual," players with high homer and low RBI totals, a misnomer about the Brewers' success, and more.
The Cubs offense has gone MIA for a few days, but the bigger issue going forward is making sure they don't run out of pitchers. Praz and Oleg are here to discuss trade targets, what the Cubs have to offer other teams, and what would happen if (god forbid) Ian Happ broke his leg. They take a look at the very low bar the Brewers have for their Wall of Honor, and Andy solves the Bears' problem of having so many retired numbers that th...
Thirty-ish games into the season David Brown is here to talk about how things are going in baseball. Ted Turner's dead, the Reds' record makes no sense, the Cardinals are pretending to be good (they're not), the Giants are terrible, and nobody can beat the Cubs at Wrigley. The guys discuss Jason Benetti's rain delay variety show, just how bad the City Connects in Kansas City and Milwaukee are, and much, much more.
The Cubs got bad news on Justin Steele's rehab, and their relief pitching is so decimated that they have a Yacksel in the bullpen these days. But there's nothing wrong with the team that a heaping dose of Moises Ballesteros can't fix. Oleg and Praz are here to talk Cubs and MLB managerial changes, and the White Sox's Japanese version of Rob Deer, and other important stuff like Eddie Milner breaking up no hitters, and why Chan Ho Pa...
It's a Recrap of sorts, as the Bears drafting a white defensive back necessitated an emergency podcast to break down the Dillon Thieneman pick. Let's go through The Beast to get a better idea of what the Bears are getting, even if some of it is kind of weird, overly personal, not important minutia. Plus, the Cubs have won nine in a row and they brought back another former Cubs great in a trade! And finally, some quick thoughts on t...
Matt Shaw has proven unable to play any of the new positions the Cubs seem to want to make him play, so Oleg and Praz join the pod to come up with some options for him. They also solve the mystery of Steak DeBurgo, eventually find one really good comp for Cade Horton's recovery from a double dose of Tommy John Disease, figure out the real story of Ethan Roberts' "air vent" injury, we even find out here Brewers' pitcher Quinn Priest...
The Cubs are off to an uneven start, could it be because all their guys are batting in the wrong spots? Apparently, there's no way to tell. Oleg and Praz join me to talk about the start to the season, the Cubs newly extended contracts and what comes next. They talk about how the lineup will change when Seiya comes back. Why Miguel Amaya should play more than carson Kelly. Andy's early take on the Anthony Rizzo - David Ross podcast,...
The Recrap is back, this time breaking down the Cubs opening day loss to the vaunted Nationals, and Sam Fels is back! We talk about the Cubs' weird batting order, another season of pretending that Ian Happ deserves to try hitting third, and ponder where Matt Boyd really slots into the rotation. In the middle of the pod, the Cubs break news with a six-year extension for Nico Hoerner.
The gang's all here as David Brown, Mike Donohue, Oleg and Praz join the podcast to preview the 2026 MLB season. We pick the playoff teams, tell you who is going to win the pennants and the World Series, and who is going to win all of the major awards. And because it's us, you know it's all going to come true. Except for all the stuff Andy said about the Mets.
The guys talk all things World Baseball Classic on the Cubs podcast this week, including why Petecrow deserved more fun teammates, why the biggest redasses on a team full of them might have been the USA coaching staff, and how awesome Daniel Palencia was in the entire tournament. They also discuss such pertinent topics as Seiya Suzuki's knee injury, great personal moments in orthodonture and little league (really), and how much the...
The Americans survived a World Baseball Classic indignity, and David Brown is here to discuss what Mark DeRosa didn't know and when he didn't know it, why every other team seems to have more fun than the US does, why the tournament is getting better and more fun, but Fox does their best to hide it. Plus, what goes into determining when the best time to call up rookies, what happened to Adley Rutschman. Why Randy Arozarena is right ...
The Cubs pod with Oleg and Praz returns with a discussion of just what Michael Conforto says he does around here, discussion of the one or two spots on the roster that the Cubs have open. Then they take a look at all of the former Cubs bums on the Angels non roster invite list just for fun. But the bulk of the episode is a breezy look at the rosters for all of the teams in the World Baseball Classic. The funny names, a lot of "holy...
We left Andy alone in the podcast studio and he apparently has some thoughts, and he's going to make sure you get to hear them whether you want to or not. After giving a local radio host some begrudging credit on another pod, that guy proved unworthy with a panicked take on Petecrow, so now he must be mocked. A Cub pulled off a great scam by forcing the team to pay him while he recovers from a knee surgery they also have to pay for...
The MLBPA lost a really dumb president for a really dumb reason, it seems only fitting that Matt Shaw is practicing in right field, the Cubs could use a real bench bat still and the Cubs are obsessed with Alex Bregman's intangibles. Oleg and Praz are on hand to talk it all over, as well as the Cubs newest bad promotional campaign, some great and some really odd ballpark giveaways. They give former Cubs great Ron Mahay some love, an...
For a team that is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year the Cubs haven't had that many regular first basemen in their history, and that's a very good thing. First base has been manned mostly by real Hall of Famers or Utility Tunnel of Famers for much of the team's existence. Andy and Mike D. are here to break them all down from Cap Anson to Frank Chance to Jolly Cholly Grimm to modern day heroes like Mark Grace, Derrek Lee, ...
Oleg and Praz are here to discuss how good the current Cubs really are, and then get into a long discussion about their favorite Cubs. Derrek Lee was on MLB Network's morning show last week to list his favorites, and he did such a terrible job that the guys are here to set things straight.
The Cubs have done nice work since our last podcast, adding Edward Cabrera and Alex Bregman, but Oleg and Praz are here to discuss what else the Cubs should do. Praz has some first-hand accounts from Cubs Convention. Tyler Austin might not want to rent a place in town just yet. Kyle Tucker is a Dodger and owners are so upset they're going to demand a salary cap...for the 32nd year in a row. The Cubs had a 2016 reunion and have more...
The Bears mounted another crazy comeback, highlighted by the most ridiculous Caleb pass of a season full of them, but they lost in OT to the Rams 20-17. Oleg joins Andy on the podcast to sift through the aftermath of the game and the season and look forward to a Bears future is actually really bright. They somehow get sidetracked into also talking about Timothy Busfield, The Andy Griffith Show, an Aunt Bea-Opie love grandchild, the...
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