The Padres came to Wrigley Field undefeated through their first seven games of the season. Their starter Randy Vásquez had pitched six scoreless innings in his only start of the season. None of this mattered on this chilly Chicago afternoon because of patience and Shota Imanaga, who led the Cubbies to a 3-1 victory.
I listened again on th...
2025-04-04 22:18:42 +0000 UTC View Post
A day after watching a game with no volume, I listened to the Cubs sweep the A’s via the MLB app at work. Nothing makes the workday go by quicker than catching a few hours of a pounding (in sports, relax!). Cubs scored 35 runs in their three-game sweep and capped it off with another Suzuki showcase. He hit two more home runs after hitting one ...
2025-04-03 15:33:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Interesting experience last night with this one. Watched the first seven innings on mute and in the background while I caught up with m’lady about life and liberty and what not. I looked up to see Tucker hit a home run, thinking it was a replay from last night, and, no, it’s another home run. Fourth straight game with a homer for th...
2025-04-02 12:37:17 +0000 UTC View Post
In April, the Losers' content is seeing a resurrection!
--In our main feed, we're going to introduce a new feature called The Stacks in which your Losers share other books they're reading and discuss new developments in the literary world; they're also re-running their If It Bleeds from 2020 to keep to the chronological timeline, celebrati...
2025-04-01 17:26:34 +0000 UTC View Post
Nothing more satisfying than drubbing a new opponent a day after choking away a game. 21 hits and 10 walks led to an 18-3 cakewalk victory over the homeless A’s (promise this will get explained). Another insane offensive effort by Tuck Temporary (no way the cheap Cub owners sign him this offseason) was only outshone by the Cubs backup catcher....
2025-04-01 10:24:39 +0000 UTC View Post
According to the reliable gregstoll.com, when a visiting team is up four runs in the bottom of the eighth and the team batting has one out and runners on 1st and 2nd, the chances of victory for the visiting team is 93.54%. The Cubs were that very visiting team yesterday…and lost.
These are the ones that sting. Getting shellacked on Frida...
2025-03-31 13:46:30 +0000 UTC View Post
A note on names of things for things: “Faithful, Too” is obviously a play on being associated in its own way (unofficially, of course) with O’Nan and King’s Faithful, but do you know what the true source of inspiration is? You guessed it: Teen Wolf, Too starring a young Jason Bateman as the boxing cousin of Michael J. F...
2025-03-30 12:27:14 +0000 UTC View Post
You can have the same offensive lineup the day after you win in convincing fashion, and somehow get blown out. The magic of different starting pitchers. Taillon had a good year for us last year, and while this was a true stinker I remain optimistic about the rest of his season.
PCA has been on base four times in these two Dback games, scor...
2025-03-29 10:45:43 +0000 UTC View Post
It was an early night for me since I'm leaving early for the east this weekend, but I managed to catch the first four innings of the Cubs' (second) Opening Day before bedtime. This will be a recurring theme with games played out the west. While baseball games are considerably shorter than they used to be, sadly my waking life is, as well. Most o...
2025-03-28 12:34:17 +0000 UTC View Post
The MLB season kicks off on Opening Day and today is Opening Day, even though the Cubs also had Opening Day last Wednesday, will have another Opening Day next Monday, and a final Opening Day next Friday.
I promised I wouldn’t complicate things for the baseball neophytes, and I know I’ve failed already. Let me make good.
The Cubs ...
2025-03-27 21:07:49 +0000 UTC View Post
“Baseball is a good thing. Always was, always will be.” – Stephen King, “Blockade Billy”
It’s impossible not to get nostalgic about the game I’ve loved since I was eight, and especially difficult when it comes to a certain team and their pinstripe blues: the Chicago Cubs.
My first heartbreak wasn...
2025-03-27 00:34:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Oops! All Tangents is a free-flowin' conversation based on a topic either topical or submitted by our patrons. This month, Randall, Mac, Jenn, and Pfleegor start out discussing the late David Lynch, only to digress on experimental films, the stuff that profoundly disturbed them as kids, and which of them would be most like...
2025-03-12 20:15:50 +0000 UTC View Post
We're doing another chaotic Oops All Tangents session in March, but we need some topics you want us to digress on. Let us know what you've got in mind, and get wild with it.
2025-03-02 21:55:41 +0000 UTC View Post
It's March Madness as kids reign supreme over King's Dominion!
--In our main feed, we're going to talk about the baddest boys King has put to paper, head to Hollywood King to catch up on news, enter The Institute, and celebrate our (penultimate) Kingies?
--Our patrons will choose what we want to discuss on Oops All Tangents ...
2025-03-01 19:01:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Constant Listeners, there is an archives to the Derry Private Library. Thanks to our Losers' Club historian Bryant Burnette, we have unearthed an entire vault of Stephen King material. From unpublished short stories to long-forgotten interviews, dusty manuscripts to alternate versions of your favorite tales, there is much to discuss...<...
2025-02-27 00:18:20 +0000 UTC View Post
Sometimes They Come Back for More is a new feature of The Barrens that allows the Losers to expand upon recent or prior topics. This week? The gang has more to say about Osgood Perkins' The Monkey, particularly how it relates (or doesn't) to Stephen King's original short story.
2025-02-25 17:55:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Constant Listeners, there is an archives to the Derry Private Library. Thanks to our Losers' Club historian Bryant Burnette, we have unearthed an entire vault of Stephen King material. From unpublished short stories to long-forgotten interviews, dusty manuscripts to alternate versions of your favorite tales, there is much to discuss...<...
2025-02-06 17:21:03 +0000 UTC View Post
In February, our hearts are elevated...
--In our main feed, we're going to share our crushes in King's Dominion, finally discuss that Langoliers re-edit dubbed The Timekeepers of Eternity, check out Osgood Perkins' The Monkey, and enjoy a slim read in Elevation.
--Our patrons will continue their journey thr...
2025-02-03 17:20:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Oops! All Tangents is a free-flowin' conversation based on a topic either topical or submitted by our patrons. This month, Rockin' Randall is kicking off the new year with Justin Gerber and Dan Caffrey as they share all the pop culture they're looking forward to in 2025.
Stay tuned for the next Oops!...
2025-01-15 21:22:09 +0000 UTC View Post
In 2025, we reach the end of the beam... and then wait for it to expand.
--In our main feed, we're going to preview our exciting final lap of Stephen King books to cover (before he writes more); head to Hollywood King to catch up on a few headlines; and start our coverage of The Outsider. And yes, we'll be re-reviewing the HBO se...
2025-01-02 21:18:47 +0000 UTC View Post
Oops! All Tangents is a free-flowin' conversation based on a topic either topical or submitted by our patrons. This month, Rockin' Randall is keepin' things warm and cozy with a holiday-wrapped edition featuring Justin Gerber, Dan Caffrey, and Dan Pfleegor.
Stay tuned for the next Oops! down the...
2024-12-27 19:23:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Constant Listeners, there is an archives to the Derry Private Library. Thanks to our Losers' Club historian Bryant Burnette, we have unearthed an entire vault of Stephen King material. From unpublished short stories to long-forgotten interviews, dusty manuscripts to alternate versions of your favorite tales, there is much to discuss...<...
2024-12-17 23:25:58 +0000 UTC View Post
We're doing a Happy Holidays special version of Oops All Tangents this month, but we need some topics you want us to unwrap. Let us know what you've got in mind, and get saccharine with it.
2024-12-15 20:41:12 +0000 UTC View Post
This December, we’re feeling nostalgic...
--In our main feed, we've got two unlocks! We're celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Shawshank Redemption by unlocking our commentary track and sharing some Christmas horrors through a dusty Soul's Midnight from a couple years back. We're also ringing in the year with another Ki...
2024-11-30 20:28:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Right as you're about to fill your gullet with all sort of tasty treats and starch-stamped delicacies, we're here to revisit the foulest and most disgusting moments in King's Dominion. Grab a barf bag, folks.
2024-11-27 19:39:11 +0000 UTC View Post
We're giving our patrons a week-long jump on our next book episode: Stephen and Owen King's Sleeping Beauties.
2024-11-23 22:20:26 +0000 UTC View Post
Randall, Mel, Justo, and Caffrey are back for part 2 of Halloween Hell 2024. In the second of two episodes, the fearsome foursome breaks down the back half of their spooky movie binge, which includes a visit with the Garbage Pail Kids, a Fortean streak, and some thoughts about YouTube's encroaching influence on cinema.
They also discuss se...
2024-11-13 03:12:50 +0000 UTC View Post
This November, we’re eating nasty and sleeping beautifully…
--In our regular feed, we've got two episodes kicking off the month: our three-hour Long Watch on 1983’s Cujo and our interview with Dee Wallace. From there, we’ll be answering your questions with a new Bag of Bones mailbag episode, heading to Hollywood King to ca...
2024-11-02 17:52:55 +0000 UTC View Post
With The Soul’s Midnight, a Patreon exclusive series hosted by Ashley Casseday, the Losers put down Stephen King for a moment and talk about some real-life spooky tales. This time, Ashley, Randall, and Pfleegor offer their necks to various Creatures of the Night. It's not all vampires, though — they also unpack eerie real-life tales about th...
2024-10-18 22:35:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Halloween Hell returns for its fourth installment!
Randall, Mel, Dan, and Justo have been mainlining a horror movie a day this month, and in the first of two episodes they unpack their best, worst, and weirdest watches so far.
All in all, they discuss roughly 60 movies in this episode, including a handful of 2024 releases like