Bub’s Pub Podcast

Pull up a chair at Bub’s Pub! Guest John O’Donnell joins Dan Drews and Brennen Roberts for an episode with a distinctly Boston flavor—and plenty of Chicago football on the menu. The lineup pairs a look back at the Bears–Falcons game with a Bears–Patriots preview, tapping John’s Boston sports perspective for a little cross-town conversation. There’s also the ultimate armchair-GM question: Caleb Williams or Drake Maye? No actual front-office experience required.

Beyond the NFL, the notes tee up college football surprises, and Illinois high school playoff talk. John’s guest spot gets another showcase in the “Best of Boston” draft: three people, three rounds, and nine picks celebrating the city’s things, people, places, and teams. With only nine slots available, somebody’s favorite is bound to be left on the draft board.

The agenda also includes John’s perspective on Illinois government and the approaching November elections, alongside local-government questions and other news follow-ups. Add a catch-up on Brennen’s college-visit weekend and a shout-out to Jim Melton’s half-marathon fundraising for Compassion International, and you’ve got a full table of topics. Come for guest John O’Donnell, stay for the football talk, Boston draft, and a little of everything else at Bub’s Pub.

Dan and Brennen gather at Bub’s Pub to process a weekend that gave Chicago sports fans plenty to grumble about—and everyone else plenty to discuss. They salute Mike Ditka, unpack the Bears’ rough outing against Green Bay, survey college football’s overtime drama and Mizzou’s momentum, and check in on baseball, hockey, and a marathoner who apparently treats the treadmill and Planet Fitness like a second home. The conversation then takes a scenic detour through Alberta politics, the enduring Amelia Earhart mystery, and other wonderfully unexpected headlines...like Kacey Musgraves' "crystal balls". It’s a lively mix of sports analysis, friendly debate, curious stories, and the kind of laughs that make even a tough weekend feel a little easier.

Bub’s Pub returns with Brennen Roberts for a wide-ranging sports lap that starts with the Bears steamrolling the Jets and quickly turns toward the main event: Packer Week. The crew revisits last week’s Red Rooster stop and an all-time Illini basketball draft, marvels at Chicago’s ball-control clinic, surveys a lively college-football slate, checks in on Chicago baseball, and still finds room for a quarterback-bust quiz and the usual collection of wonderfully unexpected detours. In short: plenty of stats, plenty of opinions, and absolutely no shortage of material for friendly arguments.

Josh Bartzen delivers the episode’s clearest reality check: Green Bay may be 2–2, but the record is wearing a much nicer outfit than the team’s play. Even after a 17–14 win over Tampa Bay, the Packers look less like a smooth-running machine and more like one that keeps flashing a warning light.

Greenland: The Greenland pact gets the “quiet story, enormous implications” treatment. The discussion focuses on an expanded U.S. defense footprint, broader access, and oversight of certain foreign-backed investments—a reminder that major geopolitical moves do not always arrive with major headlines.

AI summit: The Washington gathering brings together an all-star roster of technology leaders and a big policy question: how much should AI companies regulate themselves? With talk of a White House accord and a coordinating task force, it sounds a little like a superhero team-up—only with more computing power and considerably more paperwork.

On this episode of Bub’s Pub, Bryan Orr joins the fun as Dan welcomes Andy Wright—a big thinker who traded Silicon Valley for Hillsboro, IL and a seriously ambitious local adventure. Andy shares the story behind his renovation of the historic Red Rooster Inn, from taking on a well-worn building with plenty of residents and even more history to restoring it for a new chapter. Then the conversation heads downstairs—and into the brewhouse—as Andy talks about opening Red Rooster Brewing and Distillery, the equipment that can help produce both beer and whiskey, locally sourced ingredients, the science and art of brewing, and the patience required when the whiskey needs years before it is ready. Along the way, the crew keeps things lively with sports, local color, and the kind of friendly banter that pairs nicely with a fresh pour. It is a cheerful mix of old buildings, old friends, new brews, and proof that one bold renovation can give a landmark—and a community gathering place—something worth raising a glass to.

Jim Melton joins the Pub for an episode that starts in the sports world and travels well beyond it. We celebrate a rare double dose of Chicago baseball excitement as both the Cubs and White Sox punch playoff tickets, check the temperature on the Bears after a soggy loss and Caleb Williams’ hamstring setback, and bounce through NFL surprises, college football showdowns, Bulls chatter, and a draft of delightfully unusual high-school team nicknames. Then the conversation turns to Jim’s mission trips, what it means to turn good intentions into genuinely helpful action, and the work of Compassion International—including child sponsorship, local church partnerships, and supporting communities with dignity. It’s a thoughtful, encouraging conversation with plenty of laughs, a little perspective, and proof that making a difference doesn’t require a superhero cape—just a willing heart, a good pair of travel shoes, and maybe a strong fantasy-football waiver claim.

This week on Bub’s Pub, Dan and Brennen welcome a very special guest: Matt Scalzo, the famous host of Hold My Beer Sports and freshly celebrated member of the 100-episode club. Matt brings the energy, the sports takes, and just enough chaos to help steer the Pub through a packed slate of football, baseball, bold opinions, and one extremely unfortunate endurance-racing incident.

The crew kicks things off with Matt’s origin story and a shoutout to his big Hold My Beer Sports milestone before diving into college football heartbreakers, comebacks, and rivalry drama. From Duke stunning Illinois to Texas stealing one from Ohio State, there is plenty of room for celebration, second-guessing, and wondering how many times a fan can say, “I thought this game was over!” before it becomes a lifestyle.

Then it is on to the Bears, who opened the season by casually dropping 59 points like they were trying to break the scoreboard and the internet at the same time. Caleb Williams gets the early MVP-candidate treatment, D’Andre Swift gets paid, Tory Taylor gets his banana ball moment, and the rookies get their flowers. Matt also helps break down the Vikings after their comeback win over Green Bay, including quarterback questions, Brian Flores’ blitz-heavy defense, coaching, and what Minnesota fans should realistically expect next.

The episode keeps rolling with Cubs and Sox talk, a Texas high school football score that looks like someone leaned on the keyboard, and a spirited debate over whether private and Catholic schools should have their own playoff system. The gang also takes a quick detour into AI doomsday headlines before closing with a funny story of the week from the world of HYROX—proof that sports can inspire, horrify, and make everyone in the room very grateful they are sitting down.

This week on Bub’s Pub, Dan and Brennen ease into the football season with the kind of friendly chaos listeners have come to expect: college football reactions, a Michigan Hail Mary that needed every last second—and maybe one extra one—and a quick tour through sports stories ranging from Illinois football to high school stat monsters, tennis drama, beer heists, robotaxis, and the deeply questionable rise of “pheromone-maxxing.”

The main event, though, is the visit from special guest Tom Moriarty, who brings Detroit Lions super-fan energy to the NFC North breakdown. Tom helps steer a fun, Honolulu-blue conversation through the Lions’ offense, defense, and divisional outlook, giving the segment the feel of a spirited tailgate debate with just enough optimism to make every other NFC North fan nervous. With the Lions looking to rebound from a 9-8 season and several previews framing them as a serious NFC North contender, Tom’s guest spot gives the episode a timely dose of Detroit confidence, schedule talk, and “is this the year?” energy.

Along the way, the show still leaves room for classic pub banter: Bears predictions, a nod to Honolulu Blues by Joel Walkowski, and enough oddball headlines to keep things from getting too serious. In short: it’s football talk with jokes on tap, and Tom Moriarty’s Lions preview is the frothy pour at the center of the episode.

On this episode of Bub’s Pub, Dan is joined by Brennen Roberts and special guest Josh Bartzen for a wide-ranging ride through sports, pop culture, tech drama, and just enough chaos to keep everyone honest. The crew kicks things off by catching up with Josh, talking college send-offs and party-school rankings, before sliding into Bears preseason takeaways, roster moves, and the always-dangerous question of how optimistic Chicago fans are allowed to be before Week 1.

From there, it’s time for a Packers deep dive with resident Green Bay superfan Josh, including Josh Jacobs, Parsons, the draft class, Tucker Kraft’s return, trade rumors, and predicted NFC North standings—because nothing says friendly podcast banter like Bears and Packers fans politely pretending this won’t get personal.

The episode also checks in on Aaron Donald’s return, ESPN’s top NFL players list, Cubs-Brewers drama, college football weirdness, and the looming question of whether NFL players returning to college football is genius, ridiculous, or both. Along the way, the guys detour through social media fakers, AI feuds, NVIDIA’s monster numbers, Meta’s legal headaches, and a few stories that prove the internet remains undefeated.

To wrap it all up, the Pub finds room for a little inspiration, including Donna Mills making headlines at 85 and Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders reclaiming an Appalachian Trail record at 91. In short: this episode covers football, baseball, college sports, scams, tech drama, TV nostalgia, and proof that it is apparently never too late to start a comeback—or an OnlyFans.

Dan and Brennen are back behind the mics for another Bub’s Pub grab-bag of sports, oddball headlines, and “wait, that happened?” moments. The guys kick things off with fantasy football draft talk—complete with AI assistance and the threat of a beer mile punishment—before sliding into Chicago sports radio shakeups, Bears left tackle uncertainty, and the increasingly strange world of NFL players trying to return to college. From there, it’s a full pub menu: Cubs walk-off whiplash, a sketchy finance story with major sports-owner implications, courtside WNBA drama, a heartfelt tip of the cap to Dolly Parton, national debt math that somehow gets even scarier when divided per taxpayer, robots outrunning humans, royal tax maneuvers, crypto banking, giant Texas chip factories, a recovered SpaceX rocket, and one very dark “funny story of the week.” In other words: pour something cold, settle in, and let Dan and Brennen guide you through the news like two buddies trying to make sense of the world one tangent at a time.

This week on Bub's Pub, Dan and Brennen are still riding the high of the Cubs' back-to-back walk-off wins over the White Sox (Pete Crow-Armstrong doing things only 13 players have done since 1900) while nursing a grudge against a Cardinals rookie who homered three times in his first three at-bats against them, plus a rundown of the Bears' preseason blowout of the Browns and a newly-discovered depth player with NFL bloodlines. With respect to the White Sox, they draft their favorite Sox players of all time. The guys also wade into some spicy "kids these days" territory — Michigan hiding freshman grades and Gen Z moving back home while still jet-setting to Costa Rica — take a detour through a genuinely petty Jayden Daniels/LSU jersey feud and a Little League disqualification that ended up in actual court, and debate whether prediction markets are just gambling in disguise. It's all capped off with a delightfully random guinea pig sanctuary story that Dan probably shouldn't have brought up in front of his wife. Grab a drink and settle in!