Bears vs. Jets: 10-28-2018

Des: Welcome to another edition of the Chicago Bears football pre-game show. The Bears continue their campaign against the AFC East after a tough overtime loss against the New England Patriots. Will the Bears be able to defeat the Jets with a couple of minor adjustments? Or will the Bears need yet another changeover of managerial staff and philosophy, somehow revolving around Ishikawa fishbone diagrams, quality control circles, and layer upon layer of Myers-Briggs surveys?

To answer these and similar questions is our panel of experts: Concord Wainwright Peabody, Captain Silas Charles “idea shower” Red-beard, Modre- the trans-logical guru, the Prissy Minion, Sally McChesty, and special guest tailgater, Drunky McDumbAss.

Redbeard: ARRRH, mateys! Me idea showers are always showers of pure gold! And, if that joke be not blunt enough for ye, mateys, consider this joke: Bears special teams! The Patriots scored two special teams touchdowns, leaving Chicago’s dreams of victory naught but a smoldering pile of ashes not unlike the end result of me every engagement against the British Navy. Curse ye to the darkest depths of Davey Jones Locker, Admiral Nelson!

Des: Thank you, Captain. I’ll pick dirty Beret del Mundo to block.

dirty Beret: Over the rivers of molten cobalt and through the woods that surround a Chinese labor camp to Grandmother’s hovel of unending alienation we go. The horse knows not the way to guide the once proud matriarch to a nightmarish cylinder of ersatz interaction with one’s abandoned spawn. Thus singeth the tuneless overlapping denizens of Charlie Brown’s parents’ station wagon as they hurtle, unrestrained by flimsy seat belts and the three to four panel sense of foreboding that permeates every 1950 to 1970 Peanuts comic strip, to the You Tube studios of this horrific dystopian alternate universe remake entitled For What Should We Be Thankful, Please Tell Me, Charlie Brown? And, yet, be this truly an alternate universe, or merely an uncovered layer of this world we wish we had never made?

Des: At last, dirty Beret, you have accomplished what no one asked for, or wanted: A bridge between the overt horror of Halloween and the covert horror of Thanksgiving. Concord Peabody. You have some grumpy advice for Bears viewers?

Concord: Look on the bright side, Bears fans: If the Bears suffer a mid-season slump, we can entertain ourselves with mindless mumblings of some random White Stripes song, like Dodger fans do.

Des: Circle gets the square. I’ll choose Drunky McDumbAss for the win.

Drunky: Irish Mist enfoggens my noggin!

Des: Isn’t Irish Mist a little pricey for you, Drunky?

Drunky: Not if it’s homemade Irish Mist from Ellie Mae McGillicutty, which I’m led to believe is actually Early Times Whiskey with crushed Honey Comb cereal stirred in.

Des: As you would expect, the Prissy Minion inhabits the center square.

Prissy: Des, you’ll always be my secret square. Or the Secret Squirrel to my Morocco Mole.

Des: Now I remember why you were banned from the show

Prissy: Oh, Des, just because I can’t shower you with praise the way Joe Buck does when he talks about Clayton Kershaw doesn’t mean I can’t recognize the enduring genius of a cultural icon who once wrote, “There’s no other place like the world/There’s no other place I’d rather be/There’s no other place like the world/So sit right back and take it away from me.” You can run from your cultural legacy, like Trubisky, or you can stand in the pocket and throw it for a touchdown.

Des: Or, like most Bears quarterbacks, I can throw it into the end zone, only to have it intercepted. Prissy, this may be the only time you have ever referred to football in this football pre-game show. Congratulations! Doctor Sally McChesty. What are your thoughts?

Sally: Apparently, I’m supposed to be the angry feminist stereotype on this show, and I’m going to rant about how Rose Byrne started as a feminist icon on Damages, but has now been reduced to a beleaguered wife in a series of cookie cutter comedies. How is that supposed to be funny?

Des: It’s not. It’s supposed to fulfill the third part of our show’s charter: “It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, but, most important… it’ll make you think.”

Sally: Uh, actually, that’s the slogan for Archie Andrews at Riverdale High, the Archie title that desperately tried to tackle the social issues facing the troubled teens of the 1970s and 1980s. It kept me from drag racing. End transmission.

Credits: the “Drunky McDumbAss” character was created by my cousin Jeff, whom I wish were here to make his creation funnier. And a million other way more important things.

Bears vs. Dolphins: 10-14-2018

Des: Welcome to another edition of the Chicago Bears football pre-game show. The Bears face off against the Dolphins, another surprisingly strong team. Will the Bears maintain their winning formula of dominant defense, competent quarterbacking, and capitalizing on their opponents errors? Or will they fail to drown out that annoying sound in the background of Donald Trump giving a slew of pointless incoherent rage tirades about the NFL not seen since the days of the Fabulous Sports Babe or Jay Mariotti?

To answer these and similar questions is our panel of experts: Concord Wainwright Peabody, Captain Silas Charles “Eternal Sunshine” Red-beard, Modre- the trans-Western guru, the Prissy Minion, Doctor Sally McChesty, Ellie Mae MacGillicutty, Drunky McDumbAss, and joining our panel for the first time, the non-linear poetry of dirty Beret del Mundo.

Redbeard: ARRRH, mateys! No one would have believed that the Bears would start the season with a 3-0 record. And by “no-one”, I mean “me”, who predicted that the Bears would go 1-15 this season, beating only the Giants. ‘Twill require a fortnight of floggings, keel haulings, and plank walking to salve my shame. And, by “fortnight”, I mean a two week period of time, not the Tamaguchi of this misbegotten generation.

Sally: Captain, are you referring to Tamagotchi, the digital pet, or Kristi Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist in figure skating?

Redbeard: Which answer would earn your respect, me beauteous sea maiden?

Sally: dirty Beret del Mundo. Would you cleanse the palette of the conversation that just took place?

dirty Beret del Mundo: When the loaded drunken base 10 stealers of yester-morrow’s Ice 9 gender thieves have unraveled the final tapestry of angrily barbed Interwebs, who will gurgle the final blood filled oxygen tents of mankind’s desperate failed relationships of the rust-covered, rust-hued iguana tears of a pale faced masonry that a nation of racially insulting sports mascots dance shame-faced upon the Astro-terrific graves of Bourbon American spirits in a material world?

Sally: I don’t know. Joe Buck? Our so-called leader speaks: Drunky McDumbAss. What’s happening in tailgate land?

Drunky: In my case, they use more than words to try to jail me.

Sally: Concord Peabody. Are you still giving pointlessly ritualistic coaching strategies?

Concord: Justin Verlander did that for me this week with his Supercuts commercial in which he counts off everything he does by threes. I didn’t need to know that he has to use the third bathroom stall. What does he do at home?

Sally: The same thing I do: Keep building additions on my palatial mansion. End transmission.

Bears vs. Cardinals: September 23, 2018

Des: Welcome to another edition of the Chicago Bears football pre-game show. The Bears face off against the Cardinals after a hard fought win against the Seahawks, a hollow, depleted husk of its once-mighty self. Will the Bears take advantage of a yet another lackluster team? And will anyone watch the Bears when you could watch the Cubs play the White Sox for the last game featuring legendary Sox broadcaster Hawk Harrelson?

To answer these and similar questions is our panel of experts: Concord Wainwright Peabody, Captain Silas Charles “Sweet Release” Red-beard, Modre, the trans-logical guru, the Prissy Minion, Doctor Sally McChesty, Ellie Mae McGillicutty, former Bears Coach Marc Trestman, and the technicolor shamblings of Drunky McDumbAss.

Redbeard: ARRRH, mateys! Once again, it be time for me to reveal my predictions for today’s game. So, after consuming a cocktail called “Bilge Swill” and crashing through the hollow hull of my pirate ship, only to be rescued by the watery hand of the Lady of the Lake, who inscribed today’s predictions with the mystic sword Excalibur, first upon my termite-infested peg leg, then when she ran out of room, on my sea water rusted hook for a hand, and then finally upon my pleated brow, which I will read using a shattered mirror broken upon the skull of many a foe, but mostly Aquaman. I have done many a team up with Black Manta, who still has the scariest voice ever heard on a late 1970s cartoon. Anyone who has watched the “Challenge of the Superfriends” knows what I’m talking about. Oh, yes: what will be the outcome of today’s game? The Bears will defeat the Cardinals 28-6, with the defense scoring all four touchdowns. Also, yrujni gnidne nosaes a evah lliw yksiburt.

Des: Concord Peabody. What are you bringing to the table today?

Concord: Des, even though nobody heeded my multiple quarterback strategy last week, I’m back again to provide another ritualistic coaching strategy you should follow even when it makes absolutely no sense to do so. And here it is: Starting pitchers should pitch exactly 100 pitches per game. No more, no less. I don’t care if the pitcher is working on a no-hitter, if he’s down by 20 runs, if both shoulders are dislocated, or if his clothes have been knocked off by a line drive a la Charlie Brown. 100 pitches.

Des: Thank you, Concord. Drunky, even though I pride myself on not asking a question unless I’m prepared to hear the answer, what, uh, what is happening?

Drunky McDumbAss: I was enjoying myself tailgating at a bar called “Slumpy’s.” Except it turned out to be a mattress store called “Sleepy’s.”

Des: Prissy Minion. Make me feel better about myself.

Prissy Minion: Oh, Des. You have the bubbly effervescence of an Alka Seltzer commercial sung by Sammy Davis, Jr.

Des: …which I have in my music collection somewhere, thanks to occasional friend of the blog Stronger Than Dirt Pete Moss.

Sally: Sit back and watch, sports fans, as the Bears do battle in a game that will mathematically eliminate one or both teams in the third week of the season.

Bears vs. Seahawks: September 17, 2018

Des: So, last year, we didn’t perform a ton of Bears episodes, aside from our three token presentations: the Bears season prediction episode, the treasure map to the Super Bowl outing, and our Chum Bucket of the NFL selection. With all of the controversies about concussions and protesting police brutality during the National Anthem and the Bears continuing to be mediocre at best, football was not a fertile field for comedy for us last year.

Sally: Along with destroying everything else that’s good about America, and humanity in general, Trump destroyed comedy by making it impossible to exaggerate anything for comedic effect.

Des: Trump far exceeded my standard New Year’s resolution to single handedly bring down America’s Gross National Product. And I deliberately use “National” instead of “Domestic.” I’m no globalist!

Sally: However, given the comedy maxim “tragedy plus time equals comedy”… even while the tragedy is still ongoing… we thought it was time to try to pick up where we left off.

Des: Too soon?

Sally: Always.

Des: Excellent! So let’s give this a shot… of Jack Daniels… Honey Whiskey. Welcome to another edition of the Chicago Bears football pre-game show. The Bears face off against the Seahawks after a heartbreaking loss to the Green Bay Packers. Or it would be heartbreaking if I were not already numbed after numerous losses to our hated Lumbermen of the North. Will the Bears defeat one other team besides the New York Giants? Or will Chicago fans have naught to look forward to after the Cubs emerge triumphant against the Red Sox in this year’s World Series?

To answer these, and similar questions, is our panel of experts: Concord Wainwright Peabody. Captain Silas Charles “Wandy” Redbeard. Modre, the trans-Western Guru. Drunky McDumb-Ass. Dr. Sally McChesty.

Redbeard: ARRRH, mateys! Last year, I had forsaken all of my aquatic deities when I unrolled the Treasure Map to the Super Bowl after tracing it on butcher paper from an overhead projector I used during a Ted Talk on Piracy in the 21^st Century. I mostly just staggered around on stage mumbling random things about unfurling your inner Jolly Roger and don’t be afraid to falsely cry “Land Ho!” from your metaphorical crow’s nest after burning the ladder. After various homemade anti-psychotic medications deprived me of my prophetic visions, only two of my picks went on to the playoffs: the Patriots and the Falcons. This year, I have returned to the celestial well filled to bursting with the tears of Poseidon, Tethys, Neptune, Aquaman, and various Kraken to carve this year’s Treasure Map to the Super Bowl on the walls of the National Archives. Or maybe it was a closed down Sears. Anyway:

Gazing upon the broken wreck that is the AFC, I foresee the Bills, Ravens, Titans, and Chargers dominating their divisions in the sense that they won by one or two games, with the Patriots and Steelers sneaking into the playoffs like a thief in the night as Wild Card Winners.

Meanwhile, in the NFC, I envision the Cowboys, Lions, Panthers, and Seahawks conquering their division by winning more games than the others, with the Eagles and Vikings conniving their way into the Wild Card Round with the style and finesse of a used car salesman.

And now for the outcome that is more predictable than every John Hughes movie: the Patriots will defeat the Panthers in a rematch of one of at least ten Super Bowls in the previous decade.

Des: Captain, you’ve picked the Patriots to win every Super Bowl in the 21^st Century.

Redbeard: Aye! And I’ve been right 90% of the time. Given how often and predictably the Patriots win the Super Bowl, I wonder why anyone bothers to watch. It can’t be the halftime show, and the last Super Bowl commercial to pierce my rum induced haze was Bud Bowl V, when a case of Falstaff beer annihilated a hapless team of Bud Bock scab players. At least that’s how I remember the 1990s.

Des: Thank you, Captain. Let’s check in with Concord Wainwright Peabody.

Concord: I have reimagined my character as providing weirdly inappropriately mechanistic coaching strategies.

Des: Why don’t you just say “obsessive compulsive” coaching strategies?

Concord: That is deeply offensive! This week’s strategy for the Bears is to overcome the single dimensionality of Bears quarterbacks by using three quarterbacks: One for the first three quarters, a relief quarterback for the fourth quarter, or sooner, once the opposing defense has completely figured out Trubisky, then they should use a third quarterback that specializes in high speed two minute offense. It works in baseball.

Sally: Thank you, Concord. End transmission.

Bears vs. Packers: September 9, 2018

Redbeard: ARRRRHHHH... mateys! This entry be naught but a placeholder or, mayhap, the fulfillment of Des's unquenchable need to scratch an itch that be enflamed, enflambe, as it were, by a mosquito of compulsive prediction generated a data set that exists from naught but visitations from various aquatic deities and imagined physical ailments. Des, be ye familiar with a recent radio ad in which the spokesperson informed us all that "Life is nothing but the accumulation of chronic conditions?"

Des: No, but I would immediately and eternally boycott the product in question, if I ever heard that ad on the radio. Or ever listened to the radio. Which I don't.

Redbeard: That be truly, richly ironic, Des, given that the existence of my pirate character, nay, this very blog, stems from your overnight radio show on WKDI in DeKalb, Illinois, from January to April of 1988.

Des: Yeah, the number of regular readers of this blog, which is 14, exceeded our entire radio audience. Although 12 of them are Russian bots. I think the data they mined from our website somehow enabled Putin to capture Wisconsin's Electoral College votes for Trump.

Redbeard: Aye, the anti-Clinton attack ads the Trump campaign derived from this blog were truly frightening. But I digress. Behold my prediction for the Bears this season: The Bears will defeat the Giants. That is all.