B1G OTE MAILBAG RESPONSES WITH SOME THOUGHT!

Good afternoon! I hope you’ve all been having a great week, and I’m really excited to remind you that we’re only a day away from B1G Football! I cannot contain my excitement for the fact that I get to spend my Saturday doing yardwork and being cantankerous at home instead of at TCF Bank Stadium following what will surely be a monkey wrench fight of epic proportions (Please note that if you never got to see a monkey wrench fight you may be out of luck, since the establishment in Tiajuana has long since closed, and the B1G no longer has a tie-in with the Sun Bowl. It’s your loss, and a great one at that.). Anyway, I want to thank everyone for the exceptional questions this week. You really got some of us thinking, insofar as we’re capable of thought. We really appreciate your contributions, and I hope you enjoy our responses. Thank you.

Should we start building a statue of Jeff Brohm now or wait until the end of the season? - Andrew Michael H

Thumpasaurus: The only reason I’m saying this is because I’m the first one to answer in here and I want the pleasure of being able to make this joke before everyone else does.

Why exactly should we be building statues at Louisville?

WSR: DAMN YOU! (Also, I was thinking about making a joke about a Brohm statue at Ohio State.)

BRT: Oh, I don’t know if it matters much. The important thing is that building a statue of a coach is never, ever a bad idea, so you really can’t go wrong here.

Creighton: Maybe the...statue.....Knoxville.........DAMN YOU, THUMP!

Boilerman31: Just pump the damn brakes. It was a great win. Now to see if the momentum can be sustained.

LPW: Damn, this is premature. Great win, but hold your horses.

Stew: Don’t build statues of someone still living. But go ahead and shovel $$$$$ and lifetime contracts.

Near as I can tell, Urban Meyer has made a career out of breaking NCAA rules and avoiding consequences. So…would this be considered Harboring a fugitive? - JimboSlice7

WSR: I’m not sure if I know how to respond to this. I just know I laughed pretty hard.

Creighton: Nah, Urban keeps getting away with issuing some boilerplate apology that makes the media forget he did anything wrong.

LPW: Alright, listen up, ladies and gentlemen, our fugitive has been on the run for ninety minutes. Average foot speed over uneven ground barring injuries is 4 miles-per-hour. That gives us a radius of six miles. What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area. Checkpoints go up at fifteen miles. Your fugitive’s name is Urban Meyer. Go get him.

Will IU upset anyone of note (Top 15 or better and/or one of OSU, UM, PSU) within the next three millennia? Or will we just keep getting kinda close, forever and ever, amen, without ever pulling one off? - Hoosiers47

Thumpasaurus: Hey now. I would consider IU fans a subset of “anyone of note”

WSR: I don’t know what IU fans are complaining about. Their football team beat Michigan this year.

BRT: You guys really do seem to have kind of a sisyphean thing going on, don’t you?

Creighton: Don’t worry, soon enough it will be time for you to be miserable about basketball.

Candystripes: I hope we beat Minnesota by 60 just for this, WSR.

LPW: Yes, for the sake of the livers of Indiana fans, I think they will.

Stew: As long as IU football fans are IU basketball fans, I will remain uncaring about their football blue balls.

With the Pac-12 all but eliminated, and Notre Dame still unbeaten, what are the chances each of the one loss teams in the B1G makes the playoff if they were to win out? - Badgers & Bruins

Thumpasaurus: I think the “you’re not allowed to lose by four scores to Iowa” clause in the CFP rules applies to Purdue as well.

Creighton: Hornibrook vs Alabama’s defense? I thought one of the OTE rules was “no porn”.

Boilerman31: The chances are still very good. There’s a lot of chaos that can still happen. Clearly the Alabama Death Machine and Clemson are holding the top spots, but after that, its going to be a whole lot of shenanigans.

Stew:

Now that Purdue holds the college football championship belt, who is holding it at the end of the season? Does OSU get it back in two weeks from MSU? Does Iowa take it to the B1G CCG? - Stormy Dragon

Candystripes: I’m going to go for the biggest shocker: IU will claim the belt and all of Purdue’s land from the Imperialism map in the Bucket game, just in time to lose all of it to some MAC team in Detroit.

LPW: I’d love to see that map. Purdue is also the holder of The Traveling The after beating Ohio State.

Stew: End of the season? Bama. Iowa gets it until the CCG, OSU beats Iowa, and gets destroyed by ‘Bama in the CCG. Bama consolidates power.

Read any good books lately? Microwaveable pizza instructions is not a book - AlltheIowanamesaretaken

WSR: Hooboy. Yes. So I’ve finally read Pride and Prejudice this year (recommended by BRT), and it was exceptional. I’m also a ways into A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (recommended by BRT), which has been really good, but a bit dark. He’s become one of my favorite authors based on the parts of 3 of his books I’ve read, but man can they be tough at times. And then right now I’m also reading Dr. Socrates (strongly recommend for the subject, although it feels a little dry at times) and I’m also wrapping up The Good Divorce, which I’d recommend for people who need a bit of confidence in tough times. And being yet another of the history fans here, I’ve started and paused Barbara Tuchman’s The Proud Tower twice so far this year before having stupid things get in the way. It’s just as great as the rest of her works, and I’m going to make time to finish it this year.

BRT: It’s the mailbag question I’ve dreamed of all my life! I’ve read 40 books so far this year, though almost all of them were before my new job started in late August, and now I’m so tired, I read like two pages at night before I fall asleep and it’s slowed my progress considerably. I’m a big fan of audiobooks, but I kind of go in spurts with those. I’ll also note that my favorite books tend to be ones that excel at character development rather than plot excellence, though the best books have both (what up, Jane Eyre)--so I often find books that have more of a slow burn high on my list.

With that, here’s my Top Eight-ish for 2018 so far (in no particular order, because that’s hard):

1. Beartown by Frederik Backman--The story revolves around a failing (think Rust Belt) town in Sweden that has put all its hopes into its youth sports team--but then the star of the team does something terrible that divides the whole town. (Bonus pick: I also read “A Man Called Ove” this year by the same author, and also loved it! I laughed a lot and cried a lot. Great characters, heartwarming book.)
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer--Dumb title aside, this is possibly my favorite book of the year. Set in Guernsey, England in 1946, the story delves into a group of characters and how they survived the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands for most of WWII. Timely themes of the importance of community and kindness.
3. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi--A graphic novel that tells the story of a girlhood during the Iranian Revolution. I learned a ton, and thanks to the format, it’s a super fast read. Surprisingly humorous too.
4. Dead Wake by Erik Larsen--A story about the sinking of the Lusitania, it’s told so well I was still on the edge of my seat, even knowing the ending. This one was really good as an audiobook.
5. Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner--A very B1G book, as much of it is set at the University of Wisconsin. This is for sure a slow-burner, as it focuses on a quartet of friends, and how their friendships and marriages evolve over decades of friendship. It’s just beautifully written.
6. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson--Also kind of B1G, as it’s set entirely in small-town Iowa. Almost nothing happens in this book, it’s nearly completely a character study, so bear in mind if that’s not your thing. If it is though, it’s gorgeous and sadly sweet.
7. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles--This was one of the really buzzy books early in the year, and I enjoyed it. A nobleman in Russia is sentenced to house arrest for life in a swank hotel in Moscow following the Communist Revolution.
8. The Book of Essie by Meghan Maclean Weir--Very obviously inspired by the Duggar family, the youngest daughter of an evangelical TV superstar family hatches a plan to escape her unhealthy and hypocritical environment. It’s not as highbrow as some of my other picks, but I enjoyed it.
9. Louise Penny--I binged on some of these mysteries set in Quebec earlier this year, and am looking forward to reading more this winter. Winter = mysteries, right? I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan, and while Christie is better, this has been a fun series (recommend other mysteries to me, by the way! But I don’t like gore…)

What I’m reading next: “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier--I’ve been saving this one for awhile, because I think I’ll really like it (Do you ever do that? Hoard what you think you’ll love?) October seems like the perfect time to read it. Also a crap ton of Civil War books for course planning purposes for next semester.

That was long, I don’t care. I’m looking forward to the inevitable long-winded book discussion that is sure to break out in this comment section. Nerds!

Creighton: I just started Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer and it’s excellent. The last book I finished was Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, and I can’t recommend his Mars trilogy enough.

Candystripes: My major book project for this year was to read the Dresden Files series. I highly recommend it, though it does take a few books to really get going.

Boilerman31: No.

LPW: Bad Blood by John Carreyrou. Theranos was a fraud perpretated by a delusional couple. You can’t just run unauthorized medical experiments, folks!

Stew: After getting caught up on all things Brandon Sanderson, I re-read the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, and am planning on going back through the Vonnegut library to catch anything I haven’t read, and re-read some of my favorites.

babaoreally: The Bosch series of books by Michael Connelly are all great page turners. He’s an LA cop that plays by his own rules. Some are better than others; you can’t go wrong starting with The Black Echo.

Other than the campus/city of your team What is the best place to visit in your state? If your state lacks any good places to visit where should travelers go instead? - BoilerUp89

BRT: Nebraska is not the most geographically impressive state in the union; nevertheless, it does have its gems, particularly in the western part of the state. The Sandhills take up about a quarter of the state’s land, and are a beautiful area of rolling hills (yes! In Nebraska. It’s not as flat as you think.), wide-open skies, and almost no people. If you get all the way out to the Panhandle, there are even more geographic oddities you wouldn’t expect, like Toadstool Park, which is an odd moonscape of a place, in a region filled with rocky bluffs. You can read about a camping trip I took to the west a little over a year ago here: https://www.offtackleempire.com/2017/7/6/15911576/go-west-young-ish-wo-man-a-tour-of-western-nebraska Personally, I love the wide-open areas of the state--I enjoy mountains and trees, but Nebraska’s skies are something to behold, as they are about as vast as it gets. People zip through on I-80, which yes, is really boring, because it runs through the flattest part of the state (the Platte River Valley). If you’re willing to take a byway, there’s some pretty cool stuff to see.

If you’re more city-inclined, Omaha is pretty fun. They’ve developed a pretty fair foodie scene, and the Henry Doorley Zoo is world class.

Creighton: There’s some touristy stuff you can do in Iowa like visit the Field of Dreams, the Bridges of Madison County, or the Amana Colonies, but I would have to recommend a few of Iowa’s state parks. Backbone State Park has great camping, natural springs, and hiking trails that take you past some really cool rock formations. Maquoketa Caves State Park has, as the name implies, a bunch of caves you can go explore and learn about geology. Pikes Peak State Park is on a bluff that overlooks the Mississippi River, and it’s very close to a bunch of preserved Native American effigy mounds.

LPW: I had a lovely time visiting Galena, Illinois last year

Stew: Decorah, Iowa is where I went went to college, and is about my favorite place to go in the state. It has two world class breweries (Toppling Goliath and Pulpit Rock), an amazing pizza place (Mabe’s). An old school, upscale hotel right downtown (Hotel Winneshiek). Some great little restaurants. It’s also part of the driftless region, so it’s gorgeous country with some really good hiking. And there’s some great canoeing and trout fishing opportunities, as well.

WSR: Any time between now and April is a wonderful time to get a cabin up on the north shore around Lake Superior. Between the leaves, the serene beauty in the winter, and the opportunities to do so many things outside (skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, ice fishing) or grabbing a good book next to a fire and a view of the waves crashing in, it’s a great time to go up and brave the upcoming elements.

babaoreally: Evansville is nice. They have a few good pizza places and some parks and stuff. You can look at the river if you go downtown. I’ve never been physically assaulted in Evansville.

Which random team will Ohio State get blown out by next year? - Andy Davis

BRT: Minnesota, and Fleck gets a contract for life.

Creighton: Maryland doesn’t have Texas to inexplicably beat up on next year, so show me them Terps!

Candystripes: I’m taking the game on November 16th. Not because I think it’ll happen, but because that particular sign of the apocalypse is far more likely than IU doing it.

WSR: As much as I’d love for Minnesota to be the team that stuns tOSU, I don’t know if that’s possible since the only way we’d play them would be in the B1GCG. Nebraska, on the other hand, has the Buckeyes coming to Lincoln on 9/28. I think that’d be far and away the most surprising and random one. I mean, because we all know that Minnesota is going to do it in the B1GCG so it’s not random or unexpected.

BRT: I’m glad we’ve highlighted the fact that I am far too lazy to bother checking a 2019 Buckeye schedule to answer this question. Also, it feels like we’ve played OSU every stinking year since we’ve joined. How in the hell are they on the schedule AGAIN next year? FFS.

What is more pointless: UofM and MSU fans arguing the moral high ground or Buttgers having a football program? - Yostradamus

Creighton: At least rutger entertains the rest of us like the king’s prized fool.

Boilerman31: What is this ‘rutger’ you speak of?

LPW: Yes

WSR: I personally like the moral high ground slapfight. Michigan employs the most childish clown in the conference (YES, A MINNESOTA FAN SAID THAT!) and Sparty is...you know, Sparty. I may get suspended for a quarter for that assault against their honor, but I stand by it.

My question is...Is the East really that much better than the West this year? I don’t think so. I think Wisconsin, Iowa, Purdue and Northwestern are all solid teams prone to a hiccup. The same can be said about the top four teams in the East. - ShenzhenCornhusker

BRT: I think Michigan looks better than anyone in the West, and OSU would still probably beat most of the west too. Still, with OSU looking a bit more mortal, and MSU and PSU doing whatever the hell it is they’re doing, I think the gap is smaller than it typically is.

LPW: Nope

Stew: Pst, it’s not just this year. The East just isn’t that much better, period.

WSR: I mean, it’s still better. The best couple teams in the East are better than the best couple teams in the West, and I don’t have high hopes for anyone from the good side of the conference winning the B1GCG. Hiccups and harborings happen, but I still think we could line up UM, PSU, tOSU, and MSU in a round robin against Iowa, Purdue, Northwestern, and wisconsin and have the East come out with a rather decent-sized margin of victory.

babaoreally: East? More like least. West? More like best.

Football, Beer, Dogs, Art

Which of your fellow writers would you pick to:

Football – Act as your team’s coach

Beer – Only drink their favorite beer going forward

Dogs – Be your best friend for 7-15 years

Art – Draw a tastefully nude portrait of yourself - Lions_Tigers_Wings_oh_MI

BRT: Oooh, fun question!

Football: MNW or GF3--they’re probably the smartest, and I know MNW is capable of teaching. I think GF3 would be as well.

Beer: Stew. We don’t always get along, but that bastard can pick a beer. Plus, he really likes sours, and so do I, so I’d be happy to drink his choices.

Dogs: Beez. He’s hilarious and chill. He’d be a great dog, er, friend.

Art: They should all be so lucky. :) It would need to be a mural though.

Creighton: Football: DJ has coached his kid’s peewee (flag football I think?) team and they were pretty good, so as the one with the most experience I’d hire him first.

Beer: I’d choose Thump because I agree with his tastes and Michigan has some of my favorite breweries.

Dogs: Damn you’re making me choose? I’ll take Andrew K because odds are I’ll need the free legal counsel at some point.

Art: WSR, you’re up, buddy. Draw me like one of your French girls.

Boilerman31:

Football: I’m going with GF3 on this one. I was thinking beez, but he has professed a hate of flea flickers, so he’s out.

Beer: DJ and I have commisserated work trips in Cleveland over a beer or two.

Dogs: Woof, this one’s tough. I’ve changed my answer too many times.

Art: No one deserves that punishment. So Candystripes gets the nod.

LPW:

Football: MNW, natch

Beer: Thump

Dogs: Thump’s dog is cute!

Art: hard pass

Stew:

Football: WSR, don’t let him fool you, dude might actually know football.

Beer: Oh man, this is the tough one. There are some quality beer snobs amongst us. MNW, Thump, or Creighton would all be excellent choices. I’ll go with MNW, but there isn’t a wrong choice.

Dogs: Again, not a lot of wrongness here. How’s about Creighton.

Art: Hmm...I think I’d want someone versed in Surrealism. Let’s go Thump.

WSR:

Football: I think Creighton would probably be my pick here. Nothing but love for the former fat kids.

Beer: Stew. Christ, this isn’t even tough. Stew. MNW would be my 2nd choice just so I could keep drinking all the great Minnesota beers, and BRT would get the bronze for all the amazing local stuff from Nebraska she brought to my attention last weekend.

Dog: Thump. Look at him! He’s as loyal as can be, and you can beat the hell out of him and he’ll still come trotting on back. WHO’S A GOOD BOY? You are, Thump. You are.

Art: Don’t let the gruff exterior fool you. GF3 is a big old softie, and I think he would be far and away the best choice to bring out my true beauty on the canvas.

Is Michigan’s success the definitive confirmation the B1G is way down this year? If yes, how will Harbaugh fail to capitalize on his good fortune? - Nittygritty

WSR: Outside of wisconsin winning the conference, I cannot think of a single more obvious proof that we’re down than a Jim Harbaugh-led team playing against wisconsin for a B1G title. And as for how Harbz will fail to capitalize, I think that losing to a 3-loss wisconsin that he previously beat to death by 25 in a rematch in the B1GCG would be pretty disgusting.

Creighton: Yeah, it does not make us look great, but at least we’ll get to see them blown out in another bowl game that confirms all our suspicions about them.

LPW: I simply think Michigan is finally having a good year.

Why not Rondale Moore for Heisman? - C.E. Bell

Thumpasaurus: Is he an Alabama runningback or the quarterback of a team with any kind of shot at the national title? Didn’t think so.

LPW: Chad, give him another year or so to build up his resume.

WSR: I mean, if we want to be fair he should easily win the B1G POTY and should be our representative to NYC if the conference has to send one, right?

Creighton: He might be the best offensive player in the conference, but also the Heisman voters will never show serious love to a Purdue player, Joe Tiller-era quarterbacks excluded.

Candystripes: If Tevin Coleman rushing for 2000 yards for Indiana couldn’t sniff the Heisman, no one on Purdue’s team this year has a prayer.

Given MSU’s bubonic rate of injuries, what other teams do people remember having absolute havoc wreaked by Angry College Position Hating Gods to absurd levels that I should know of? - KetteringLex

Thumpasaurus: The healthiest Illini receiving corps since I joined this blog was probably last year’s, where the quarterback play was so inept it didn’t matter. Our 3rd string quarterback completed a pass to our 7th WR to beat Michigan State back in 2016.

BRT: Bubonic means “causing or characterized by swollen, inflamed lymph nodes in the armpit or groin,” so I guess my question is… WHAT is going on at MSU, now?

Creighton: The 2004 Iowa team won a Big Ten championship and beat LSU in the Capital One Bowl with their fifth string running back. That was the year the dreaded Angry Iowa Running Back Hating God was born.

Boilerman31: /sobs /Tears ACL was a Purdue meme first.

MGoBlog

Stew: Sam Brownlee led Iowa Iowa in rushing in 2004 with 227 yards and 2.7 yards per carry. He was, I believe, the 6th string RB.

WSR: Good grief. Stop whining about injuries. We haven’t had a healthy OL for a full season since I was young and foolishly optimistic (as opposed to my current state of being old and foolishly optimistic).

It seems Fleck is taking Kill’s/Claey’s formula (lackluster O, good D) and flipping it (improving, soon-to-be-good O, miserable D)

Unless you’re Iowa, where Special teams is the answer, which one-sided football approach would you prefer if your favorite squad decided to abandon the whole “good O, good D” mix? Are you old school, stop ’em and hope to get a fluke score to win? Or shoot it out with everyone, let the chips fall where they may? - StewartRL

Thumpasaurus: Basically, you’re asking me what I like more: 2013, or virtually every other losing season. We don’t have a good offense this year, it’s just not among the worst in the country. I’ve cheered for plenty of Illini squads with serviceable-to-great defenses and no offense, such as the latter half of 2011, the entirety of 2012 and 2015, and I can tell you that it’s way more fun when you have an offense and no defense. When you have a good defense and the opposing team scores on it, now your strength has failed and you have to give the ball to your offense and hope for the impossible. When it’s the other way around, the other team scoring was inevitable and now it’s up to the best unit on your team to respond. Just think about the things you say during these games. Would you rather be saying “damn, at this rate we’re going to have to score at least six more touchdowns!” or “shit, there it is, it’s 7-0. Good game boys, see you next week.” I had way more fun watching Nate Scheelhaase sling his way back from a 28-0 deficit to Ohio State and bring it to within two scores with the ball than I did watching us stop the Buckeyes over and over again two years later only to get three points from five trips inside the 30.

BRT: Defense-strong must be more effective, or at least I conclude so, since our offense isn’t terrible and we’re still 1-6.

Candystripes: Give me a defensive struggle fest. I’ve seen the shoot-out version of Indiana, and it just does not win games.

Stew: Penentry time! Iowa has the fewest punts in the conference, and the 9th fewest in all of FBS. So few, in fact, that Iowa doesn’t actually qualify for punting stats. But Iowa’s defense has been pretty stellar for the entirety of Ferentz’s tenure. As for the question here, though. Most all stats show that having a better offense has a higher correlation with winning than the opposite.

WSR: Having lived through the Kill/Claeys era of trying to strangle the life out of the opponents and then winning 10-7 every week, give me that offense. While last weekend was a goddamn nightmare in giving up just short of 700 yards (COME ON, NEBRASKA! WHY DID YOU FAIL?!), I was thoroughly entertained by the game. Gimme yards and points and silliness. If we’re not going to win a National Title, let me be entertained.

Can you recommend any interesting podcasts? I have a long commute and read news and listen to podcasts so I’m always looking for new and interesting ones. Note I already subscribe to the Andrew, Thump & Hound Dog Analyst Show. - HoustonBoiler

BRT: I’m not a huge podcast person, so the main two I listen to regularly are both book-related, and they’re “What Should I Read Next?” and “From the Front Porch.” I also was into for various periods of time “By the Book” (two women read advice books and try to live by them for two weeks, driving their husbands and selves crazy in the process), and “The Babysitters Club Club” wherein two 30-something men read and review every Babysitters’ Club book to hilarious effect. I dunno. I’m not in the podcasts for edification. :)

Creighton: If you’re a soccer fan the Men In Blazers is a must, but for a road trip or a long commute I love Hardcore History. WTF with Marc Maron is also very good.

Boilerman31: What’s a podcast?

WSR: YEAH! A QUESTION FOR ME! So with about an hour drive each way and then a job strangling numbers all day long, I’ve got plenty of time for podcasts and not as much for keeping up on sports. First and foremost every damn week is my guy and OTE Minnesota writer emeritus JDMill’s Taken All Wrong podcast, which is #1 in Gopher podcasts based on instances of hearing ice clink in a glass and people I tailgate with every weekend appearing as guests. And then I’ve got all my other sports: for soccer I’ll listen to The Totally Football Show with James Richardson (who I think is the best sports podcast host there is, and it’s not even close) and Men In Blazers, 31 Thoughts with the exceptional Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman, Puck Soup with Greg Whyshynski and Dave Lozo, and Dimitri Filipovic’s Hockey PDOcast for for the puckstick sport, Podcast Ain’t Played Nobody and Shutdown Fullcast for college football, Effectively Wild and Gleeman & The Geek for baseball, and the simulcast of David Feherty’s Golf Channel show because I’ve been a fan of his since I started reading his article in Golf Magazine about 20 years ago.

Sports aside, I also have a few other favorites either that are currently running or from the past. Aside from Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History, I’m also a fan of Mike Duncan’s History of Rome (which I re-started last week before my Nebraska trip and will be finishing the 179-episode slog next week) as well as his Revolutions show that has featured a number of great uprisings from the past (55 glorious episodes on the French Revolution, yet none on how to build your own guillotine). A pair I used to listen to more were Daniele Bolelli’s History on Fire and Stuff You Missed In History Class, but they each have their own drawbacks (difficult accent, overabundance of ads). The last few in the mix are the You Can Bet On That gambling podcast, Behind The Smoke show on the perils of running a BBQ joint, The Parts Unknown wrestling podcast, and What Should I Read Next for when I pretend I have enough time to read all the books I want to get through.

Stew: Welcome To Nightvale is fantastic, as is most everything on that network. Throwbacks to old timey radio shows, but weird. Really weird. I also get a lot of my news via podcasts, and NPR has a bevy of great stuff there, one of my favorites is On Point. Oh No Ross and Carrie is fun for those interested in some of the far out wacky stuff out there. They’ve taken on Scientology, Flat Earther stuff, essential oils, and various other pseudo sciencey, religious, and claims of the paranormal. Judge John Hodgeman is also pretty great. Also really enjoy the 538 Politics Podcast.

babaoreally: Hollywood Handbook and Meet My Friends the Friends.