Bandied Basics

Brett and Brad discuss the... situation? in Venezuela. In the second half of the show we play Released, Redacted, or Red Herring: a game about guessing what's been released in the Epstein Files. Finally, Brett leads us through the NFL coaches fired this season and whether they were deserved.

Brett and Brad go on a tour of Cleveland Christmas Beers (joined partway through by Tom Burke), and you're coming too! In this special Christmas Eve episode we travel across Cleveland to different breweries and review their Christmas ales right at the bar. We visit: Schnitz Ale, Noble Beast, Masthead, Black Frog, Butcher & The Brewer, Southern Tier, and Great Lakes, ending at Market Garden and their Festivus party.

Brett and Brad read Charles Dickens' The Story of the Goblins Who Stole a Sexton, a short story that predates A Christmas Carol. We mention the upcoming deadline for the release of the Epstein Files and end with the just reported discovery of the simple sugar ribose found on the asteroid Bennu, with commentary on the markers of life found in space.

Brett and Brad discuss the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) decision to alter the recommendation for newborns to get the Hep B vaccine (after spending some time lamenting about the weather). Brad then talks Frank Gehry and his local impact in the Cleveland before our song this week from The Doors. After the break, we talk Christmas Ales and their regional impact before Brett reviews the College Football Playoff bracket.

Brett and Brad discuss the U.S. missile strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean and their relation to Pete Hegseth recently being accused of war crimes, also touching on Trump's pardon of Ecuadorian ex-president Juan Hernandez. After the break, we talk the College Football Playoff picture and wrap up with some movie talk on Wicked: For Good and The Thing with Feathers, go see it!

Brett and Brad discuss the saga, and abrupt end, of Lindsey Halligan as District Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and her cases against James Comey and Letitia James. After the break, we talk a bit about Thanksgiving movies, and a bit more about the Jeffery Epstein emails, before Brett regales us of tales of MKUltra, the conspiracy theory that turned out to be true. Finally, go see "The Thing with Feathers" starring Benedict Cumberbatch in theaters this weekend to support friend of the show Tom Burke!

Brett and Brad discuss the Epstein Files Transparency Act and how it got through the House and (almost, at the time of recording) the Senate before touching on a court ruling that affects Texas' attempt to redistrict off-cycle. Then Brett discusses the MLB's Cy Young award winners for 2025 before waxing nostalgic about the before-times when professional athletes didn't bet on games and the Guardians still had their star closing pitcher and promising up-and-comer on the roster and not in jail (or soon to be jail). Finally, in a follow up to last week's show, Brad discusses Galileo and why his treatment was so different from Copernicus' when they both promoted a heliocentric view of the Universe.

Brett and Brad recap some favorite Halloween costumes this year before diving into a discussion on the 2025 election results that quickly turns into an impromptu discussion of property tax reform and specifically the effort to eliminate property taxes completely in Ohio. Brett recaps Steve Hackett's concert in Akron (or A-Kron?) before the break, and we come back with yet more property tax discussion because we just can't get enough! We end with a quick rundown of the government shutdown.