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Halloween brings out everybody’s strongest opinions, so we pulled up with a full panel and let it fly. I’m Mike Bono, and Rusty, JJ, and Mister join me for our annual Halloween roundtable, starting with the kind of ridiculous warm-up questions that instantly turn into real debate. Then we get into costumes, including Rusty’s full Guy Fieri setup, vampire-era throwbacks, and my plan to go Doctor Strange for a work costume contest because I’m not shaving my beard for anybody. 

From there, we go deep on Halloween food and...

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A Brewers vs Rays World Series for a first-time championship sounds like a baseball purist’s dream, but it also raises a real question: how do teams without constant hype keep ending up on the biggest stage? We sit down with TJ Lett and Tony Bogan for a fast, opinionated World Series preview that mixes hard baseball takes with the kind of fan debates you only have with people who actually watch the sport.

We start with our series picks and why all roads keep pointing to Brewers in six, then ge...

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The NBA season is almost here, and we’re not easing into it. We’re going straight to the arguments that every fan ends up having anyway: who are the best three NBA players right now, what “face of the league” really means, and which teams are actually built to survive a playoff series when everything tightens up.

I’m joined by TJ, Mister Askew and Coach Mike for our annual NBA preview roundtable. We hit the East hard, starting with how far the Knicks can realistically go and why big-man play and d...

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John Rambo doesn’t just survive movies, he survives arguments. We sit down for a loud, honest roundtable on the full Rambo film series and get into the questions action fans actually care about: which movie is the best, which sequel is the weakest, and what moments still hit after all these years. Fiddy is joined by D Frank, Mister Askew and Lando, and we waste no time turning personal nostalgia into hot takes.

We run through the five films from First Blood all the way to Rambo: Last Blood, then di...

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Theme parks bring out the best opinions because everyone remembers their first big coaster, their worst line, and the one food bill that made them pause. We sit down with Wendy, TJ, and Rudy to talk amusement parks the way people actually experience them: what’s worth the money, what’s secretly overrated, and what you should do differently next time you plan a trip.

We start with a quick round of favorites, then jump into a real theme park roll call spanning Cedar Point, Kennywood, Kings Island, Waldameer, Disney parks, and...

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Fall brings out everyone’s strongest opinions, and we lean all the way into it. We start with the important questions that somehow reveal everything about a person: pens or pencils, and beer from a bottle or a can. Then we get to the real mission, settling the annual debate about where fall belongs in the season rankings and why that first run of crisp mornings, flannels, boots, and 55 degree air feels like a reset for your brain.

From there, we go practical. We talk family-friendly fall activities that actually work wi...

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You can learn a lot about higher education by listening to the people who live the college admissions grind every week. I sit down with Madison Federman, an undergraduate admissions counselor at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, to talk about what the job really looks like when “every day is different” isn’t a slogan, it’s the schedule. We get into travel season planning, visiting high schools, working college fairs, running info sessions, and how admissions teams balance recruiting, student support, and nonstop logistics. 

Madison also shares what it takes to...

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The NFL season is back, and we’re doing what fans actually do best: making bold predictions and daring each other to call them ridiculous. I’m joined by our yearly roundtable Mike, Tony Bogan, Bill Stoy, and legendary coach Hal Mumme for a fast-moving NFL season preview built around real questions: who wins the AFC North, who takes home MVP, and which teams are about to flip the league on its head.

We start in the AFC North where coaching changes and roster volatility make the division feel like a coin...

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MySpace made you pick a top eight and live with the consequences, AIM away messages were basically therapy, and if you missed one turn on your MapQuest printout your whole night was over. We’re throwing it back to the early 2000s with a full nostalgia panel: me, Mike Bono, with Tony, D Frank, and Mister, digging into the decade that flipped the world from analog to digital in real time.

We talk about where we were when the 2000s started, what it felt like to remember pre 9/11 and then adjust to...

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County fairs are supposed to be simple, so why do they spark such strong opinions? We jump into a fast, funny roundtable on everything that makes a county fair worth the heat, the crowds, and the inevitable hit to your wallet. Joined by Mister (the vampire coach) and TJ, we trade personal fair memories from Ohio and beyond, plus the tiny details that instantly tell you whether a fair is going to feel chill or chaotic.

The conversation goes straight to the real main event: county fair food. We argue the...

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One question can instantly time-travel any wrestling fan: WWF or WCW? We sit down with a full panel and let the memories fly, from Hulk Hogan’s era-defining run to Stone Cold’s anti-hero peak, Rey Mysterio’s impossible longevity, and the never-ending debate about The Rock’s place in wrestling history. If you grew up on the Attitude Era, Nitro, SmackDown, or late-night highlight replays, the energy here feels like arguing with your friends during a commercial break.

We also get into the part of pro wrestling that outsiders miss: the athl...

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Boxing arguments never stay polite for long, and that’s exactly what makes this roundtable so fun. We sit down and go straight from laughs to legacy: who we grew up watching, why certain fighters still feel untouchable, and how the sport shaped our idea of toughness, discipline, and greatness.

We debate favorite fighters and the greatest heavyweight of all time, with names like Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, and Rocky Marciano at the center of the storm. From there, we zoom out into boxing history and the weight-class eras that made fa...

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Road trips sound romantic until you’re 18.5 hours deep, your exit disappears behind construction, and the weather turns on you. We sit down and trade the kinds of travel stories you only earn with miles: a nonstop Cincinnati to Winnipeg run, a late-night Carolina scramble with dark winding roads, Cleveland to Omaha bonding time, and the comedian truth of driving nearly 19 hours just to do 20 minutes on stage and barely break even on gas.

We also get into the moments that make a drive unforgettable for the wrong reasons: heavy rain wh...

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Friday nights are almost here, and we wanted a real high school football season preview from people who live it. I’m joined by a roundtable of coaches and media to talk through what actually shapes a season in Ohio high school football and neighboring Pennsylvania high school football: building culture, keeping kids bought in, and handling the constant pull of other sports, school, work, and distractions.

We dig into the hardest parts of coaching right now, from sports specialization and scheduling chaos to the unglamorous stuff like grades, behavior, and th...

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Family Guy has been called “too much” for more than two decades and somehow that’s part of the point. We sit down with a full panel to talk through why Seth MacFarlane’s animated chaos machine is still running after 24 years, and why the show’s brand of dark humor keeps pulling people back even when it crosses lines. If you’ve ever quoted “giggity,” replayed a cutaway in your head, or wondered how a cartoon can survive in a world that’s always ready to be outraged, you’ll feel right at home here.

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Shaving can be the fastest way to look put together or the fastest way to wreck your skin. We sit down with Brandon Wiley and JJ Phillips to talk beards, bald head maintenance, and the small grooming decisions that add up to a clean lineup instead of razor bumps and irritation. From the jump we compare how much we actually hate shaving, why some of us put it off for weeks, and what it takes to keep a beard looking sharp without living in the bathroom.

We get practical about sensitive...

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200 mph sounds fun until you remember it can be 140 degrees inside the car, your cool suit might fail, and you have to stay laser-focused for four straight hours with zero timeouts. That’s where our NASCAR roundtable starts: are race car drivers athletes, or is the word “athlete” getting stretched too far? I’m joined by Tony Bogan, Mike Worrell, and Dave Frank to argue it out with real examples, from heat exhaustion and mental fatigue to the steering load and G-forces that add up lap after lap.

From there we give the...

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A baseball season can feel like a coin flip until you hear how a veteran coach prepares for the moments when the game gets weird. I sit down with Brian Harrison, the longtime head coach at Baldwin Wallace University baseball, fresh off another NCAA Division III World Series run, to talk about what actually travels in the postseason: confidence, toughness, and a team culture that holds up when the bounces stop going your way.

Brian walks me through his path from being “in the portal before it was cool” to playing inde...

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A quarterback journey rarely goes the way you draw it up, and Andrew Zimmerman proves it. We sit down and trace his path from growing up in Chesterton, Indiana to chasing college football opportunities, choosing Baldwin Wallace University, and learning what Division III football really demands when you’re fighting for reps at the hardest position on the field.

From there, the conversation turns into the part most people never see: the grind of becoming a graduate assistant coach. Andrew breaks down how a shoulder injury reshaped his playing career, how fr...

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You can learn a lot about someone from the way they talk about family, food, and the job they chose when nobody was watching. I’m joined by Dom Baglier, an admissions counselor at Baldwin Wallace University, and we start where every serious life conversation should start: mustache loyalty, loud Italian households, and the kind of family stories that never die at Thanksgiving.

Then we shift into the real substance behind Dom’s work in higher education. He breaks down what college admissions counseling actually looks like, from covering a huge recr...

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You can learn a lot about leadership from someone who once graduated with a 2.0, started at junior college, and still fought his way to a master’s degree and a long head coaching career. We’re talking with Baldwin Wallace University head wrestling coach Jamie Gibbs, a Division III wrestling staple in Northeast Ohio who’s built his program the hard way: by betting on people, setting a standard, and staying consistent long after the hype fades.

We trace his path from rural Iowa and Western Dubuque High School to college wrestl...

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The Spurs and the Knicks meeting in the NBA Finals sounds like a history book… until you remember the center of it all is a 7’3 force who blocks shots, hits threes, and makes every game plan feel incomplete. We bring the full Ride Home Rants panel back for our yearly Finals preview, starting with some rapid-fire fun and then getting straight into the real question: who controls this series, Victor Wembanyama or Jalen Brunson? We debate which star is truly more important to his team, and why Wemby’s defensive gravity might matter even m...

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You ever have a week where the smallest thing feels like a full-contact sport? We’re back to an old school, just-me rant, starting at home where my wife is recovering from surgery and the real challenge is convincing a “go-go-go” person to actually rest. Recovery isn’t just about healing, it’s about patience, boundaries, and trying not to lose your mind when the whole house is out of rhythm.

Then my 17-year-old walks in and asks for “belly medicine.” Not acid reflux medicine. Not Prilosec. “Belly medicine.” What follows is a 7 a.m. spiral...

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College gets expensive fast, and most families are forced to make big decisions with only half the story. We sit down with Rudy Kuntz, a financial aid counselor at Baldwin Wallace University, to talk through what the financial aid process actually looks like from the inside and why it’s rarely just “here’s your number, good luck.” 

We dig into Rudy’s path from Cleveland to BW, how commuting can help students save money, and what it’s like to work in an office that has to balance real human conversations...

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Fast food opinions get personal fast, and we lean all the way into it. We start with the big four chains and rank Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Arby’s based on what actually keeps people coming back: breakfast consistency, app deals, coupons that save your wallet, and whether the food matches the hype. If you care about McDonald’s breakfast, Wendy’s hit-or-miss streaks, or why Burger King “isn’t hitting like it used to,” you’ll feel seen.

Then we widen the lane into the best fast food burgers conve...

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The draft is over, the highlight reels are everywhere, and now comes the part that actually matters: figuring out who got better and who just talked themselves into it. We sit down as a panel and break down the biggest NFL Draft storylines coming out of Pittsburgh, starting with the teams everyone is arguing about most. Are the Giants truly set up for a fast turnaround? Did the Browns quietly stack another strong class? And why do the Jets always feel like they are one move away while also being ten moves away?<...

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Being “the guy” in high school feels great until you land in a gym where you’re suddenly the third shortest player and everyone is faster, stronger, and more polished. That’s where this conversation with Kyle Mars, the men’s volleyball coach at Baldwin Wallace University and a former Penn State D1 player, gets real fast.

We talk about Kyle’s path from Rochester, New York to the Big Ten, why he chose Penn State, and what it’s like to embrace a program knowing you may not start right away. The bigg...

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A college decision can change your life, but a good campus visit can change your mind even faster. We sit down with Blair Suttles, assistant director for first-year admission at Baldwin Wallace University, to talk about what admissions work actually looks like when it’s done with care. Blair explains how BW coordinates personalized visits that go beyond a standard walking tour, helping prospective students meet professors, connect with coaches, and see the parts of campus that match their goals.

We also dig into what makes Baldwin Wallace University feel like “the...

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A season can swing on one awkward landing, one freak play, one practice rep you never see coming and Brad Johnson has lived that reality. Brad joins us from Cleveland as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Baldwin Wallace University, and we get into what it’s like to return to your alma mater with big standards, a young roster, and a year that gets hit early by injuries. We talk through how a staff keeps players focused, how culture shows up when the rotation disappears, and why the Ohio Athletic Conference is a...

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A holiday can be loud, crowded, and still feel like rest if you’re with the right people. We sit down for an Easter roundtable and talk about what the day really looks like for us, from staying local around Cleveland to making the trip back to West Virginia to see grandparents, siblings, and the full extended family. Between coaching schedules, school calendars, and work, we dig into the simple truth about Easter traditions: most plans are built around who you can realistically be with, not what looks best on paper.

Fr...

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The Final Four is stacked, the storylines are loud, and the arguments are even louder. We sit down with our “Excellent Eight” roundtable to preview the 2026 NCAA Final Four on Easter weekend and we don’t just pick winners, we dig into why these matchups feel like a collision of eras: UConn vs Illinois and Arizona vs Michigan, with the title game waiting on Easter Monday.

We start with the question everyone keeps dodging: where does Danny Hurley actually belong in college basketball history right now? We compare today’s coaching job to t...

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College doesn’t feel like a community by accident. It takes people behind the scenes who obsess over the details, fight for student leadership opportunities, and turn “a campus” into a place students actually belong.

We sit down with Heather Willis, Assistant Director for Engagement at Case Western Reserve University, to talk about the real work of student affairs and student engagement. Heather walks us through how student organizations are supported, how big traditions like homecoming get built, and why school spirit is especially tricky at a high-achieving research university where studen...

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The MLB 2026 season is almost here, and we’re not waiting for the standings to tell us what to think. We kick things off with a real fan question that turns into a bigger debate: is 162 games still the right length when the MLB playoff format keeps expanding and October weather starts changing how the sport looks on TV and in the ballpark? From freezing April nights to the idea of starting closer to May, we get honest about what makes the baseball experience better for players and fans.

Then we go...

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St. Patrick’s Day hits different depending on where you live, who you’re with, and whether you’re celebrating on a Tuesday or turning the whole weekend into a mission. We bring in our “big three” roundtable crew Mister Askew, Collin Pope, and Dave Frank to talk all things green, all things Irish, and all the little choices that make the day legendary (or just messy).

We start with the debate nobody agrees on: should St. Patrick’s Day be a federal holiday? From there it turns into a practical guide for ho...

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Ever wonder which sponsors are worth your time—and which ones we actually use? We open the garage and pull every tool off the shelf: the golf gloves that came from a college teammate’s hustle, the beard oil a touring comic perfected, the veteran-built shirts with a purpose, the cheeky golf gear that keeps rounds fun, and a ranch-born hat brand preaching the art of being a straight shooter. This is a behind-the-scenes tour of small businesses with big missions and the real ways they support our show and our listeners.

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A shoulder injury changed the plan, but not the passion. We sit down with Baldwin Wallace defensive coordinator Ethan Nichol to unpack how a would-be sports broadcaster became a college coach, why a cross-country move to Wyoming collided with COVID, and how a family-first choice brought him back to Ohio—and into a program built on grit and continuity.

Ethan shares the apprenticeship years at Heidelberg, where doing everything from DB drills to administrative grind taught him how a program works under real pressure. He opens up about that eerie pandemic ro...

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The kind of football that makes Pittsburgh feel like Pittsburgh isn’t an accident—it’s a choice. We open the playbook on what defines the Steelers now: the city’s unmatched stadium atmosphere on the North Shore, the legends who set the bar, and the decisions that could turn a short window into a serious run. From the animated Mount Rushmore debate to reliving Polamalu’s chaos and Hines Ward’s grin-through-the-hit toughness, we map the DNA that still drives this team.

Then we get current and honest. Mike McCarthy’s hire lands w...

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What if the Browns’ next era starts with a new address and a new attitude? We dive into the looming stadium move to Brook Park and unpack why an indoor, multi-use venue could transform Cleveland’s sports economy—Super Bowls, Final Fours, mega concerts—while weighing the real impact on downtown businesses and fan traditions.

From there, we turn to the sideline. Todd Monken may not be the splashy headline, but we make the case for why an organized, veteran play-caller could be the right pivot after years of offensive churn. We revis...

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Big game energy meets blunt analysis as we bring a full panel to break down Seahawks vs Patriots through the lens that matters most: defense, coaching, and quarterback poise under pressure. We open with why New England’s run under a first-year head coach surprised almost everyone, then look at how a favorable schedule met a smart, disciplined defense at the right time. Seattle’s physicality and speed on defense set the tone the other way, pushing this matchup toward a lower total where red zone calls, hidden yards on special teams, and one...

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The cart says more about us than the receipt. We pulled together our Fab Five to map the real world of shopping right now: where we go, what actually feels good, and why some stores become habits you can’t quit. From Dollar General’s convenience to Dollar Tree’s unbeatable card aisle, we compare the dollar store trifecta with honest logic you can use on your next errand run.

Then we zoom out: one grocery store we trust, the best place to buy a new TV, and the unexpectedly strategic role o...