...And We're Back

Yes, you read that correctly. Brady nearly had to postpone his wedding because of a softball injury to his fiancee Ann. Good news though, as everyone is OK and the festivities can commence uninterrupted!

The NFL Regular Season kicks off this week! Bears and Packers on the Lakefront to get things started for the Monsters of the Midway. Is there more pressure on Justin Fields or Jordan Love?

The Cubs and White Sox are definitely headed in different directions. The Cubs look like they're going to be playing October baseball, while the White Sox might not have hit rock bottom quite yet.

It had been awhile since we've recorded an episode...Brady is really busy with softball this summer and hasn't been able to find time to record.

Since the weather is finally cooperating, we thought it would be a good time for a porch podcast and Kelsey agreed! Canadian Wildfires and lingering smoke had different ideas, but we made the most of it.

The Cubs and Sox are at the halfway point, the Blackhawks made a franchise-changing draft pick this week, and the Bears are a month away from training camp!

The First Saturday in May means one thing: The Kentucky Derby. About 20,000 thoroughbreds are born every spring, 20 of them make the Derby starting gate three years later, meaning there's a less than 1% chance of Running for the Roses. Churchill Downs Lead Racing Analyst Joe Kristufek joins Brady to talk about his top ten contenders, including 2 year old champ Forte, his top ranked horse Kingsbarns, and many others that could factor in by the end of it.

Will we have another longshot like Rich Strike last year, or will the morning line favorite Forte rule the day? Tune in on Saturday for the most exciting two minutes in sports!

Chicago Bears fans haven't had much to look forward to on the field in recent years, which leaves NFL Draft season as the most exciting thing on the football calendar. While the Bears traded away the #1 overall pick awhile back, they have plenty of draft capital this weekend. Will Ryan Poles select an OL to help protect Justin Fields or will he take an edge rusher to help the defense get after the quarterback? Mark Carman of CHGO joins the show to talk about their Top 100 list and what he thinks Ryan Poles will do holding the #9 overall selection.

Jon Rahm won The Masters last weekend on a gorgeous Sunday at Augusta. The rest of the weekend wasn't totally gorgeous, but it was a Spring golf tournament after all. What can we make of LIV vs the PGA Tour?

Baseball season has finally arrived! There are lots of questions about what the Cubs and White Sox will do this season, plus how will the new rules affect the game?

If anyone tells you they had predicted the Final Four correctly, they're lying to you. It's going to be an interesting Saturday evening in Houston as America will get to know some new players and teams on the game's biggest stage.

The Chicago Bears sat atop the NFL Draft, a pick they didn't necessarily need to hold on to with so many QB-hungry teams out there. On Friday they did what many thought they would, trading that pick to the Carolina Panthers for a haul of draft assets and WR DJ Moore. They also reportedly made several free agent signings on Monday, to be made official later in the week.

It's also NCAA Tournament time, which means brackets are out and pools are won! What upsets are lurking, who's the Cinderella, and who's cutting down the nets in Houston?

Joining Brady to talk about all of the above this week is Jordan Bernfield of ESPN and WGN Radio. He's had a chance to see a lot of the mid-major teams who could wreak havoc on the blue-bloods projected to go far.

We've reached one of those points on the sports calendar where it seems like there's everything going on. I'll just bullet point it...

• College Basketball Conference Tournaments and NCAA Tournament
• Spring Training and World Baseball Classic
• Kentucky Derby Trail
• NFL Free Agency and Draft
• Golf--Player's Championship and The Masters
• Stretch run of NBA and NHL

We talk about all this and more this week! Was there really more than this? I don't know, it just felt like a lot.

Anytime we've talked Blackhawks this season, it hasn't been so much what's happening on the ice, but more what they will do with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews ahead of this week's trade deadline. We know now that Toews won't be moved because of illness, but what will GM Kyle Davidson do with Patrick Kane. Perhaps the better question is, what will Kane allow the Blackhawks to do? They've certainly not neglected other parts of their roster, making a big trade on Monday and acquiring future draft picks in return. 

Our guest for this episode is Joe Brand, pre and postgame host for Blackhawks broadcasts on WGN Radio and he talks about what the already-completed trades mean for the club, as well as what could potentially come back from a Patrick Kane trade. We also shift gears and talk baseball, specifically the new rules that have been on display early on in Spring Training. Are they good for baseball or does it ruin the game for you?

The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl 57 over the Eagles, in a classic game and an incredibly lucky Sunday for Brady and his family. Now that the season is over, the spotlight turns to the Chicago Bears and the NFL Draft. We continue the debate about what they'll do, while Brady takes one option off the table. We also talk Aaron Rodgers, Tiger's return, strange Olympic events, and a quick look ahead to the World Baseball Classic.

After 17 weeks plus the postseason, Super Bowl 57 is set! Will it be the Eagles or the Chiefs hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Arizona on Sunday? We give a little preview and take a look at some prop bets we'll be considering. How effective will Patrick Mahomes be? Which Kelce brother will have a bigger impact? We'll find out...

We're down to the Conference Championship games now in the NFL, with the Chiefs and Bengals in an AFC rematch, and the Eagles hosting the (surprising?) 49ers. How will Patrick Mahomes be affected by his ankle injury? We can actually answer that this week, as our former researcher and Brady's brother Owen returns to the show to explain what exactly Mahomes is dealing with.

We also get Owen's thoughts on Damar Hamlin, what happened that night in Cincinnati, as well as his recovery and return to play prospects. All that and much more on this week's show!

The Bears made the hire of Kevin Warren official this week as he held his introductory press conference. Dave Ross of VSIN joins the show to talk about what the hire means and what the Bears might do with their #1 overall draft pick.

We also talk about the Super Wild Card Weekend that was, what the future holds for Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, and who he's betting on for the Divisional Round (hint: think underdogs). 

The Bears' season finished with a predictable loss to the Minnesota Vikings with Justin Fields on the sideline. They now find themselves with the #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, thanks to some help from an old friend. What will they do with it? Draft a lineman, receiver, or pass rusher? Trade the pick to get more picks? Draft a QB and trade Justin Fields? 

We also react to what happened with Damar Hamlin of the Bills, as well as the Packers missing the playoffs at the hand of the Lions.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from us at ...And We're Back! Brady had quite the eventful Christmas as he finally popped the question to his longtime girlfriend Ann...who just happens to be our guest for this episode! We talk about how it all went down and the early (emphasis on early) stages of wedding planning.

Was this Bears season a success? Will they land the #1 overall pick and what would they do with it? We discuss...

The Bears finally got their Bye Week with a matchup against the Eagles coming up on Sunday. Will they get blown out? Or will Justin Fields work his magic and keep it close? We'll talk about that next week.

In the meantime, Brady thought it was a good time to re-visit with Galen Clavio, host of Crimson Cast, to talk all things IU Athletics. The soccer team lost the National Championship in heartbreaking fashion on Monday of this week. The Women's Basketball team is undefeated and the Men's team is 8-2 with a marquee matchup with Kansas on the horizon. The Football team is...well...typical Indiana Football. Give a listen and catch up with the Hoosiers!

The Bears lost again to the Packers, this time at Soldier Field. They haven't won since beating the Patriots on Monday Night Football what seems like forever ago.  They now head into the bye week on a long losing streak and staring at a formidable schedule when they return. Should Justin Fields play another down this season? What should the Bears address with their first round pick? Plus, baseball's Hot Stove is in full force...what more will the Cubs and White Sox do?

The day we've been dreading has finally arrived: Justin Fields is injured. While the Bears keep losing (and that's a good thing in the big picture), the one thing you didn't want to see happen was QB1 go down. While we don't know just how serious the injury is or if he can play through it, just the fact that he's injured at all shouldn't sit well with Bears fans. 

Kelsey's three year old son Adam makes his first appearance on the show, we talk about Thanksgiving traditions, and Brady talks about the start of his high school basketball officiating season.

In the Bears' most recent game, it might have been the perfect storm. Justin Fields does Justin Fields things, the Bears give us an entertaining afternoon, and yet they still lose to keep the semi-tank on track. Fields' record setting performance might eventually come with a cost, though, as we've been talking about all season. Breeders Cup has come and gone, and how about Flightline! We may never see another horse like that for decades. How much do you think that horse is worth in the breeding shed? Some quick math might help out...

Plus, the White Sox hire a manager, and the Astros win the World Series

It's one of the best weekends of the year for horse racing fans! The best horses, trainers, and jockeys from all over the world converge on Keeneland to contest 14 races and see who will be crowned a Breeders Cup Champion. Brady welcomes back Joe Kristufek back to the show to talk about the main contenders in each race and who might help you cash some tickets!

After the Bears' loss to the Commanders, we lamented the embarrassing nature of how they lost. Now they deserve credit for their performance against New England coming off of 11 days rest (and time to game plan). Justin Fields was awesome, the defense forced several turnovers and a Patriots' quarterback to the bench. What will they do against Dallas this Sunday on a short week? Plus, the World Series is set, and it's the Houston Astros against the World (represented by the Phillies).

Our guest this week is childhood friend Anthony Abbate. Aside from being an avid Bears fan, he created the YouTube channel Anthony's Outdoors with his passion for fishing, hiking, hunting, and more. We talk with him about the inspiration for the channel and how he's learned to produce quality content.

The Bears sit at 2-4 after a rather embarrassing Thursday Night loss to the Commanders in which they scored just 7 points. We knew this was coming, but what can we expect this offseason and beyond? Plus, will the Bulls find their way out of basketball hell? What will the Blackhawks do with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane? Who's going to manage the White Sox? Will the Cubs be in contention next season? 

Jordan Bernfield of WGN Radio joins Brady to try and answer all of those questions!

The Bears sit at 2-3 after losing to the Vikings last weekend in somewhat heartbreaking fashion. Did we see improvement from Justin Fields and the offense? Brady thinks we did. Now it's a quick turnaround to Thursday Night Football against the Commanders...what can we expect against Carson Wentz and Co.? Also, has the NFL gone too far in protecting their quarterbacks? Who will be the next White Sox manager? A snafu in the Bears' move to Arlington Heights?

After beating the Texans at Soldier Field, the Bears sit at 2-1 heading into their meeting with the New York Football Giants. What will we see from Justin Fields and the offense, especially if David Montgomery doesn't play? The White Sox won't be playing October baseball after a long losing streak put them out of contention. Who might be Tony La Russa's replacement?

The Bulls are in the news ahead of their season with Lonzo Ball having another knee surgery. We shall see how that affects their season early on.

The Bears are 1-1 on the young season after yet another primetime loss to the Green Bay Packers. Ben Heisler of BetSided joins Brady to talk Justin Fields and the Bears. Also, Ben's home state of Kansas just legalized mobile sports betting, what's that been like? Indiana Football is off to a 3-0 start...can the Hoosiers sustain? Wrapping up with baseball, who does Ben think will win the World Series, and who offers the most value at the betting window?

The Bears were able to shock the football world last Sunday and defeat the San Francisco 49ers 19-10 amid a downpour to start the season 1-0. Is it too early to be excited? Will Aaron Rodgers and Co. bring us back down to earth? We'll find out Sunday night in Green Bay. 

Before we talked any bit of football we had to react to the news of the day, that being the passing of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96. Kelsey nerds out talking about the British Monarchy as we approach a tumultuous time for the UK. The Bears open their season on Sunday against the 49ers, and Brady gives his on-the-record predictions for the season and for the rest of the league as well. Plus, we get an idea of what the Arlington Park property could look like when the Bears finally take it over.

Mark Carman of CHGO is our guest this week, and he talks Justin Fields, Matt Eberflus and the new defense, attending Serena's final match, and whether or not the White Sox will make the playoffs

We're just a couple of weeks away from the Chicago Bears opening the 2022 season on the Lakefront against the San Francisco 49ers, and Brady and Kelsey talk a little bit about the preseason so far and the return of Roquan Smith. What does it say about Ryan Poles that Smith is not going to be traded? Plus, more on the Arlington Park auction, a top NBA draft pick is out all season, and where has Tom Brady been?

We woke up Tuesday to news out of Bears camp that All Pro linebacker Roquan Smith has requested a trade because the team has not offered him a long term extension that he likes. Will he see the field this year? Also, to our surprise, Willson Contreras and Ian Happ remained on the North Side through the trade deadline last week. Also, Serena Williams will call it a career after this year's US Open. How great has she been??

We're nearing the end of July, which means Trade Deadline time in Major League Baseball. We know the Cubs will likely move Willson Contreras and Ian Happ, but what will the White Sox do? The Bears opened training camp this week, which means it's football season!

Kelsey and her family are in their new house! Speaking of moving, it looks like the City of Chicago's efforts to keep the Bears from moving to the suburbs will be too little too late. Can Chicago support a second NFL franchise? We definitely agree on the answer to that one...

It was GREAT to record the show in-person for the very first time! Kelsey and Brady sat outside on the deck, shared a drink, and discussed the current state of the Chicago White Sox. Why aren't they playing as well as we thought they would be? Is it Tony LaRussa? Injuries? Bad luck?

Kelsey bought a house! Recapping 4th of July, and much more!

The second jewel of the Triple Crown is in the books! Epicenter plays second fiddle again as Early Voting got the job done in the stretch to win the Preakness. We also talk about our Bucket Lists...sports or otherwise.

It's been a tough week for Americans after yet another school shooting, this one coming at an elementary school in south Texas. 21 people were murdered by an 18 year old who walked into the school with a couple of rifles. We give our reaction and talk about whether or not we're past the point of no return.

In a seemingly impossible result, Rich Strike and jockey Sonny Leon pulled off the second biggest upset in Kentucky Derby history! What will he do in the Preakness? Also, what's a ballplayer got to do to play with a consistent baseball?

A shorter episode this week as Kelsey had to miss this week's episode with an illness. We still wanted to bring on one of our favorite guests, though, as the Kentucky Derby is fast approaching! Joe Kristufek is the Lead Racing Analyst and a horse racing ambassador, not to mention an old friend from Arlington Park. He was able to join us for a little while during the busiest week of his year and break down the Kentucky Derby!

Grab the form and a mint julep and give this a listen!

The NFL is back in the spotlight this week as teams and prospects converge on Las Vegas for the 2022 NFL Draft! Who will the Bears take with their second round selection? Will they look to bolster the offensive line or try to give Justin Fields more weapons to utilize? There seem to be varying opinions out there...

The Bulls did win a game in their series with Milwaukee, something not everyone thought they would do. Will it be a quick exit from the Playoffs or will the Bulls push the Bucks to the limit?

We kick off this week's episode hearing about Kelsey's experience selling a house for the first time!

Scottie Scheffler is your 2022 Masters Champion after dominating on Sunday at Augusta to win the green jacket. We talk about the rather anti-climactic finish as well as a couple other notable performances...namely Tiger Woods. It was great to see Tiger back out there!

Baseball has begun, and both Chicago teams got off to a great start! We chat about the opening weekend and the early part of the season. The Bulls know their playoff opponent, an early look at top Kentucky Derby contenders, and This Week in History!

The Kansas Jayhawks won a thriller on Monday night against the North Carolina Tar Heels to win the NCAA Tournament. We talk about that as well as some of our favorite play by play calls of all time. Thanks to MLB's lockout, we have the privilege of getting MLB's Opening Day and the 1st Round of the Masters on the SAME DAY!! Seems like Tiger is going to play at Augusta...can he win? We talk about the Tiger Effect and the draw of The Masters.

Our guest this week is Rory Spears of Golfers on Golf Radio, and we discuss The Masters, Tiger, Phil, and Cubs and White Sox.

From 68 down to 4, college basketball will crown a champion on Monday night in New Orleans. Will Coach K go out on top or will the archrival Tar Heels start the retirement party early? The Kansas Jayhawks are the only #1 seed in the Final Four, but can a short-handed Villanova squad send KU packing?

We had some drama at the Oscars on Sunday night! Was the Will Smith confrontation with Chris Rock real? We may never know. The music world suffered the loss of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, and we mention our favorite Foo Fighters songs.

Hopefully you missed us during our week off. We certainly enjoyed the weekend in college basketball...some games more than others. We talk about the NCAA Tournament, Kelsey's Lenten sacrifice, and the replacement. While we were away, baseball came back so we discuss a couple of rule changes coming to MLB. 

Our guest this week is Ben Heisler, talking all things NCAA Tournament, Hoosier Basketball, and gambling. Enjoy!

MLB and its Players have yet to reach an agreement, and now more games have been cancelled. Calvin Ridley was suspended for an entire season after being caught gambling on NFL games while he was away from the Falcons. There's a new spin on This Week in History

Our guest this week is Dave Ross of VSIN in Las Vegas. We talk about college hoops heating up, the MLB lockout, Russia vs Ukraine, and more!

Sad news came down Tuesday as MLB and its Players failed to reach an agreement and Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that some regular season games have been cancelled. We talk about the effects of losing games and what it might mean for baseball going forward. Kelsey and Brady also talk about the Russia-Ukraine war and how surreal it all is to watch, as well as how it's starting to affect the sports world.

Our guest this week is Brian Bedo. We talk with him about MLB, and how the Chicago Bulls are playing with house money this season.

February is a bit of a dead month once we get past the Super Bowl, but we did have a few newsworthy things pop up. Medina Spirit was finally stripped of his 2021 Kentucky Derby victory due to a positive drug test, making Mandaloun your official winner. There were postgame fireworks in Madison over the weekend as Michigan Head Coach Juwan Howard took exception to something at the end of their game with the Badgers.

We also talk NBA All Star Weekend, Wordle, and This Week in History

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Rams for winning Super Bowl LVI, 23-20 over the Cincinnati Bengals! Kelsey explains why she watched exactly none of the game as it happened, and Brady talks about his experience watching the game at a bar, rather than at the normal house party setting. We also discuss the halftime show (Spoiler: Loved it) and the gambling that went with the game itself.

The Bengals and the Rams will meet on Sunday in LA for Super Bowl 56! We talk about our expectations for the game, as well as an Olympics twist on This Week in History. We also catch up with Fansided's Mark Carman and get his thoughts on the Bears' recent hires, and his pick for Super Bowl 56

Welcome to Chicago, Matt Eberflus! The Bears have hired their new Head Coach and the new direction of the franchise is starting to take shape. Kelsey and Brady give their initial reactions to the hire, and discuss why there seems to be only cautious optimism...for now. Tom Brady finally officially announced his retirement from the NFL, ending an era of dominance that might never be seen again. 

The horse racing community is feeling the loss of the man affectionately known as "Mr. D". We touch on the impact he had on us and Arlington Park. Plus, This Week in History, and Kelsey learns about Wordle.

The Bears made news on Tuesday by announcing the hiring of Ryan Poles as their new General Manager! We talk about our initial impressions of the hire, and we fully expect to have a new head coach in place by next week's episode. We also covered the EPIC NFL Divisional Round over the weekend, Greyson Allen being a dick, the Baseball Hall of Fame announcement, and horse racing's Pegasus World Cup.

It's our first opportunity to react to the Bears recent firing of both Head Coach Matt Nagy AND GM Ryan Pace. Where do the Bears go from here? Will they get it right? We explore what's next for the Bears, as well as why it might get worse before it gets better, with Jordan Bernfield of WGN Radio and ESPN.

Also, Kelsey caught COVID (...probably from Brady), This Week in History, and more!

We're back from our Holiday Break! We're assuming that Sunday's game in Minnesota will be Matt Nagy's last as Bears head coach, right? What will happen on Monday? Will Ryan Pace stick around? We dive into that, plus the Antonio Brown incident, the College Football Playoff, Brady's experience with COVID, and much more!

We're glad Matt Nagy had fun during the first half of Sunday night's loss to Green Bay. We're also pretty sure the second half wasn't very much fun. Could sweeping changes be coming to the organization? Also, Stephen Curry became the NBA's all-time leading 3-point shooter on Tuesday night. Brady explains why the record isn't that big a deal.

Christmas fun was had, and as always, This Week in History.

We're back after Brady accidentally deleted our recording from Thanksgiving Week.....whoops....

Turns out the Bears still suck! We talk about the most recent loss to the Cardinals and look ahead to Sunday Night Football against Green Bay. Plus, Christmas excitement and traditions, as well as This Week in History.

Our guest this week is Brady's softball teammate Drew Petersen. We get another fan's perspective on the Bears, as well as the MLB Lockout and how we would improve the game if given the chance.