422. "He's pretty normal for a football coach" - Pointless Exercise Podcast with Jon Greenberg

·50 min·5 clips

A Kubota factory worker claims he's the real Devin Hester, not the Bears Hall of Famer.

Andy Dolan welcomes Jon Greenberg from The Athletic to the Pointless Exercise Podcast. Greenberg shares a strange story about interviewing a man claiming to be the real Devin Hester Jr., who works at a Kubota factory. He then recounts taking his daughter to a Cubs game, where she worked the scoreboard with Rick Fuchs, and the Cubs only scored during her shift. The hosts critique the Cubs' 'Yeti Yard' broadcast as an extended commercial for Yeti, speculating that broadcaster Boog Sciambi avoided it. Discussion shifts to Cubs player injuries, including Kyle Tucker's calf strain and Luis Robert's abrupt departure from a White Sox game. They analyze the Cubs' contract situations, with Greenberg predicting the team won't re-sign Tucker due to financial hesitance. The hosts evaluate the Cubs' roster construction as overly reliant on mid-tier free agents, citing examples like Jameson Taillon. They touch on Ian Happ's contract extension and no-trade clause, and mock Marquee Sports Network's coverage. Conversation turns to the Bears, with Greenberg describing new coach Ben Johnson as a 'normal, semi-normal person' and a 'red ass with a heart of gold.' They critique Bears GM Ryan Poles and president Kevin Warren's stadium planning fiasco. The hosts preview the Bears' season opener against the Vikings, discussing Caleb Williams' prospects and overreactions from fans. Greenberg shares anecdotes about covering the Bears' coaching search and Brian Flores. The episode closes with speculation on the Cubs' playoff chances and Ian Happ's winless postseason record.

As heard by us

Cubs talk that turns a Devin Hester name collision into a pointed argument about workload and club messaging.

Pointless Exercise turns a Cubs episode on the sort of name coincidence that somehow becomes real baseball conversation. John Greenberg of The Athletic joins while working on Devin Hester Jr., a kick returner who is not the son of Bears Hall of Fame returner Devin Hester, and…

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Why you'd press play

You get Cubs talk with John Greenberg, a Devin Hester Jr. mix-up, and a press-box detour before the Marquee crawl and center-field workload gripes take over.

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