DC’s Mike James and Mollie Ames discuss:

• Firefly hunting is damn good right now in the outer rim, but the population of these wonderful beetles is noticeably less than it was even a few years ago. (Part 1 of the Podcast only content)
• How come golf has "handicaps", and why is it okay for the PGA to talk politics but only if it doesn't have anything to do with Trump being a racist shitbag?
• This isn't that kind of sports talk show so just let me eat my hot wings in peace, please.
• Raddell's sausage is so good just be sure to not burn down your house when you're grilling that tasty stuff. (Part 2 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:02:00 mark)
• Lachlan MacKinnon’s Let Me Tell You A Story: “TV Party” (begins at the 1:13:00 mark)
• A public service announcement on what to watch out for in buying tix online that everyone needs to hear.
• 15 seasons later and we're still asking the same question, who the fuck is watching America's Got Talent?! (Part 3 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:49:00 mark)
• With camp set to open up it might be time to start worrying about how overly high the expectations are for Baker Mayfield and the Browns. Dial it back, just a little. A titch.
• Explaining that the Baseball Hall Of Fame is in too many unfortunate ways just like Bonnaroo Festival.
• Mollie’s Weekly Report: Other people's children generally suck, but nothing is worse than what's going on with Kalamazoo Growlers' Coach Drake contrived bullshit. (Part 4 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:30:00 mark)
• Being educated about advanced metrics while at a baseball game, and though it's two decades overdue it's still better late than never.
• The Tribe are somehow, against all odds are continuing to win, and as such it's time we bring back a segment we love to do...

All this and so much more on this episode of the Defend Cleveland Podcast. Enjoy~

Check out Lachlan MacKinnon’s best selling book, ‘Let Me Tell You A Story: Small Stories Of A Large Family’!

Thank you to KidForce Pinball for sponsoring the podcast, 91.1-FM WRUW Cleveland for being home to the show, engineer extraordinaire Mollie Ames, and to the city that inspires us, Cleveland, Ohio.

Your recommended listening for the week is Hum's masterpiece and final full length release, "Downward Is Heavenward" 

The intro and outro to Lachlan’s segment is the song “My Summer In Traction” by the band Ohio Civil War , and it’s used with permission.

DC’s Mike James and Mollie Ames discuss:

• Being competitive is normal even if you have no outlet for it. (Part 1 of the Podcast only content)
• It's summer country club sports time of the year, and the HR Derby proved again it's the single most consistently exciting must watch event of the entire baseball season.
• Some crazy things we'll do just because its story will be end up as a good bit for the show, and then there's other things that make a good bit by just saying there's no way we'd ever do them.
• Getting high, the when and where. (Part 2 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:09:00 mark)
• Finding out Oberlin is a pretty great place to spend a Saturday afternoon. #Wow
• The Atlantic League: The pro-baseball league whose sole purpose appears to be pissing off baseball purists. (Part 3 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:55:00 mark)
• Lil'er Italy Festival. 
• Mollie’s Weekly Report: The Akron Ducks are giving away a new-used car and "Janice" has all the details! (Part 4 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:38:00 mark)
• The best sandwich in Cleveland. No, it's not Slyman's!
• DC Summer Special – Let Me Tell You A Story (BEST OF!): Lachlan MacKinnon’s “TV Party” (begins at the 3:05:00 mark)
• Will a woman play in one of the major male pro leagues at some point in our lifetime?

All this and so much more on this episode of the Defend Cleveland Podcast. Enjoy~

Check out Lachlan MacKinnon’s best selling book, ‘Let Me Tell You A Story: Small Stories Of A Large Family’!

Thank you to KidForce Pinball for sponsoring the podcast, 91.1-FM WRUW Cleveland for being home to the show, engineer extraordinaire Mollie Ames, and to the city that inspires us, Cleveland, Ohio.

Your recommended listening for the week is the new album by Jesca Hoop, "Stonechild"

The intro and outro to Lachlan’s segment is the song “My Summer In Traction” by the band Ohio Civil War , and it’s used with permission.

DC’s Mike James and Mollie Ames discuss:

• Be careful handling your "P.P.", aka, Poop Purse. Who knew? (Part 1 of the Podcast only content)
• 2019: The best sports "Dog Days" of summer of all time!
• "Pay Them!", a historically great team making history in more ways than just winning.
• The MLB All-Star "Play-Ball Park" activities are clearly marketed for a particular kind of crowd, and National Anthem options you didn't even know existed.
• Stealing for the sake of having memorable memories. (Part 2 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:09:00 mark)
• The historical reason why fireworks are illegal in Ohio of course is because of something that happened in Cleveland.
• I may act like a dickhole but you look like a dickhole. I can always stop acting like a dickhole if I want but you're still going to look like a dickhole. (Part 3 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:43:00 mark)
• The irony of the MLB Future Games not understanding how they can properly invest in the future with this game.
• Mollie’s Weekly Report: "Brand-iose" motherfuckers. (Part 4 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:13:00 mark)
• Who's that "celebrity"...?
• DC Summer Special – Let Me Tell You A Story (BEST OF!): Lachlan MacKinnon’s “Bologna Summer” (begins at the 3:17:00 mark)
• When is it okay to wonder what athletes look like nude?

All this and so much more on this episode of the Defend Cleveland Podcast. Enjoy~

Check out Lachlan MacKinnon’s best selling book, ‘Let Me Tell You A Story: Small Stories Of A Large Family’!

Thank you to KidForce Pinball for sponsoring the podcast, 91.1-FM WRUW Cleveland for being home to the show, engineer extraordinaire Mollie Ames, and to the city that inspires us, Cleveland, Ohio.

Your recommended listening for the week is the new album by Captain Beefheart's "Safe As Milk" debut full length from 1966.

The intro and outro to Lachlan’s segment is the song “My Summer In Traction” by the band Ohio Civil War , and it’s used with permission.

DC’s Mike James and Mollie Ames discuss:

• Getting outplayed by Flailing Jennings (and everyone else) at The Amazing Race 4. (Part 1 of the Podcast only content)
• Columbus, Ohio... The city that white entitlement built.
• Let's face facts here, the jewel of the MLB All-Star weekend isn't the game anymore, it's the Home Run Derby.
• If you expect and demand a professionally produced experience of any kind, you should also make sure that the people who put it together and coordinate it are getting paid. (Part 2 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:08:00 mark)
• Let Me Tell You A Story: Lachlan MacKinnon’s “Snow Balls” (begins at the 1:26:00 mark)
• Spotify is a feedback loop of corporate label bullshit if you are like most everyone and don't know anything at all about music.
• Flipping through travel brochures at a hotel and flipping out about the utter bullshit Kentucky has to offer.
• Mollie is headed to her annual food and fucking vacation. (Part 3 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:05:00 mark)
• DC Summer Special – Let Me Tell You A Story (BEST OF!): Lachlan MacKinnon’s “The All-Star” (begins at the 2:22:00 mark)
• NBA free agency began and not even 24 hours into it's already the most historic free agency period of all-time.
• Mollie’s Weekly Report: Minor League Baseball All-Star Week and its YouTube celebrities. (Part 4 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:37:00 mark)
• No football means no football talk, and that definitely was not Baker Mayfield eating at a local deli on Sunday morning in Willbilly Land.
• Baseball in London was a pretty interesting experiment.
• 4th of July, Big Macs and fireworks, there's nothing more patriotic.

All this and so much more on this episode of the Defend Cleveland Podcast. Enjoy~

Check out Lachlan MacKinnon’s best selling book, ‘Let Me Tell You A Story: Small Stories Of A Large Family’!

Thank you to KidForce Pinball for sponsoring the podcast, 91.1-FM WRUW Cleveland for being home to the show, engineer extraordinaire Mollie Ames, and to the city that inspires us, Cleveland, Ohio.

Your recommended listening for the week is the new album by Bedouine "Birdsongs Of A Killjoy" available on Spacebomb Records

The intro and outro to Lachlan’s segment is the song “My Summer In Traction” by the band Ohio Civil War , and it’s used with permission.

DC’s Mike James and Mollie Ames discuss:

• Everyone has the thrill for the game, it's literally hardwired into our DNA. (Part 1 of the Podcast only content)
• How come most the best new shit never comes to Cleveland anymore?
• Happy Summer Solstice (aka, Day 172 Celebration)! Here's to no summer Swiss cheese brain!
• You wear a one piece bathing suit, or a two piece? ... No piece? (Part 2 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 53:00 mark)
• Let Me Tell You A Story: Lachlan MacKinnon’s “Drive On” (begins at the 58:00 mark)
• Celebrating Canadia: Recognizing the really talented Canadian musicians, and not Drake.
• The ongoing conundrum of belonging to (or identifying with) an outspoken group of idiots when you clearly don't see yourself as an idiot. (Part 3 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:25:00 mark)
• Gold Cup soccer in First Energy Stadium was no where near the same level of production there is for Browns games.
• Mollie’s Weekly Report: You know you're becoming desensitized to Minor League oddities when "The Crazy Hot Dog Vendor" doesn't sound all that crazy to you. (Part 4 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:07:00 mark)
• Old Leonard Cohen love letters just sold at auction for $860,000 dollars... Your old love letters worth anything?
• You think all the same tired classic rock songs played over and over again and baseball and football games are bad enough, what if instead they only played the same single song over and over again?
• The Cavs 2019 selection of Darius Garland is a no-brainer home run, but the tried and true system the Cavs seems to be interested in building here unfortunately has no track record of working even though many teams are doing it.
• DC Summer Special - Let Me Tell You A Story (BEST OF!): Lachlan MacKinnon’s “Collinwood's Wild World Of Sports” (begins at the 3:12:00 mark)
• The Tribe's playoff and Divisional hopes might not be totally lost after all.

All this and so much more on this episode of the Defend Cleveland Podcast. Enjoy~

Check out Lachlan MacKinnon’s best selling book, ‘Let Me Tell You A Story: Small Stories Of A Large Family’!

Thank you to KidForce Pinball for sponsoring the podcast, 91.1-FM WRUW Cleveland for being home to the show, engineer extraordinaire Mollie Ames, and to the city that inspires us, Cleveland, Ohio.

Your recommended listening for the week is the incredible debut album by Black Midi called "Schlagenheim" available via Rough Trade Records.

The intro and outro to Lachlan’s segment is the song “My Summer In Traction” by the band Ohio Civil War , and it’s used with permission.

DC’s Mike James and Mollie Ames discuss:

• Not every replay is created the same. (Part 1 of the Podcast only content)
• Don't look now but the Canada are world champs. And maybe even more shocking, Cleveland Baseball isn't near as bad as it was a month ago.
• Drake being happy is the only thing that sucks about the Raptors winning.
• Hand Day!
• Differentiating constructive criticism from bullshit is hard to do for an overly defensive person, and having time off and a lot of time on your hands... (Part 2 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:02:00 mark)
• Let Me Tell You A Story (BEST OF!): Lachlan MacKinnon’s “Local Legend” (begins at the 1:25:00 mark)
• Clam pie... It's probably not what you're thinking.
• The mostly white suburbs of Cleveland are what they are due to historical systemic racism. Fact. Process that the next time you see someone from Lakewood wearing a CLE civic pride shirt.
• Okay, the show The Wire isn't as good as The Sopranos, but it is pretty good once you get deep into it. Meanwhile, there's still something really stupid about it that no one ever mentions. (Part 3 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:26:00 mark)
• Mollie's Weekly Report: You know that mascots for Minor Leagues are even dumber than those in the Majors, but Mascot races in the Minors don't make any damn sense at all. (Part 4 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:37:00 mark)
• If you were married to Sarah McLachlan how would you tell her she has a shitty singing voice?
• How many soldiers have to kill themselves each day before the military starts talking about it being a problem?

All this and so much more on this episode of the Defend Cleveland Podcast. Enjoy~

Check out Lachlan MacKinnon’s best selling book, ‘Let Me Tell You A Story: Small Stories Of A Large Family’!

Thank you to KidForce Pinball for sponsoring the podcast, 91.1-FM WRUW Cleveland for being home to the show, engineer extraordinaire Mollie Ames, and to the city that inspires us, Cleveland, Ohio.

Your recommended listening for the week is the new album by Pixx called "Small Mercies" available via 4AD.

The intro and outro to Lachlan’s segment is the song “My Summer In Traction” by the band Ohio Civil War , and it’s used with permission.

DC’s Mike James and Mollie Ames discuss:

• This show, both terrestrial and podcast, is almost entirely about the Lottery League and The BIG SHOW MMXIX. The LOTTERY LEAGUE IS CLEVELAND! LOTTERY LEAGUE 2019! What an amazing thing. (Part 1 of the Podcast only content)
• Let Me Tell You A Story... About Lachlan MacKinnon! (Part 2 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 41:00 mark)
• If you squeeze Mollie and she's been on her feet for a while she might blow some air poop on you. (Part 3 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:20:00 mark)
• Even if an 8 year old is cool there's still certain things 8 year old's can't do that would make them a lot cooler if they could. (Part 4 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:02:00 mark)

All this and so much more on this episode of the Defend Cleveland Podcast. Enjoy~

Check out Lachlan MacKinnon’s best selling book, ‘Let Me Tell You A Story: Small Stories Of A Large Family’!

Thank you to KidForce Pinball for sponsoring the podcast, 91.1-FM WRUW Cleveland for being home to the show, engineer extraordinaire Mollie Ames, and to the city that inspires us, Cleveland, Ohio.

Your recommended listening for the week is the 2013 Light In The Attic reissue of Roky Erickson's 1981 album, "The Evil One". RIP Roky Erickson

The intro and outro to Lachlan’s segment is the song “My Summer In Traction” by the band Ohio Civil War , and it’s used with permission.

DC’s Mike James and Mollie Ames discuss:

• When it's time to clean the "sex towel", and the best available eats over Memorial Day weekend.  (Part 1 of the Podcast only content)
• Gyro is pronounced "Yeer-row" not "Juy-row", but I prefer saying (and eating) "FUUH!"
• It's not okay to wish someone harm or death, but for some people after that shit happens to them we're cool with it.
• Explaining Mollie's world ranking in pinball, and answering a question asking why something is the way it is by saying, "that's the always way it's been", not only doesn't answer the question, it's an otherwise totally lazy, bullshit response. (Part 2 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:04:00 mark)
• What are the DVD's you still own? And you know you live in a shitty part of the country when tourism commercials for your state advertise ziplining as one of the best things to do.
• "I remember having fucking with you"... How the spring is a fucked up season. (Part 3 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:54:00 mark)
• Toronto won because Kawhi Leonard was the best player on the floor, but can he be that again against the Golden State Warriors?
• Talking about fan hobo hopeful Drake and the state of popular music with our special guest, longtime WRUW programmer and friend of the show, Franklin Malemud.
•  Mollie’s Weekly Report: If you think the food specials in Major League Baseball is increasingly excessive and nonsensical, wait until you hear about the food specials in Minor League Baseball (Part 4 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:28:00 mark)
• The 2016 LeBron James led Champion Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Golden State Warriors is looking more and more like one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
• Let Me Tell You A Story: Lachlan MacKinnon’s “The Super Donut” (begins at the 3:11:00 mark)
• Just because the NFL Draft is an over-the-top ridiculous made for television event, the that it is coming to Cleveland is the biggest single sporting event that this city could ever currently hope for. And the crazy thing is the NFL mostly pays for it themselves.
• Over/Under Summer Blockbusters: Godzilla King Of Monsters is going to make a ton of money worldwide... But we're guessing the numbers domestically will not hit their projections.

All this and so much more on this episode of the Defend Cleveland Podcast. Enjoy~

Check out Lachlan MacKinnon’s best selling book, ‘Let Me Tell You A Story: Small Stories Of A Large Family’!

Thank you to KidForce Pinball for sponsoring the podcast, 91.1-FM WRUW Cleveland for being home to the show, engineer extraordinaire Mollie Ames, and to the city that inspires us, Cleveland, Ohio.

Your recommended listening for the week is the new album by Cate Le Bon called "Reward" available via Mexican Summer Records.

The intro and outro to Lachlan’s segment is the song “My Summer In Traction” by the band Ohio Civil War , and it’s used with permission.

DC’s Mike James and Mollie Ames discuss:

• The best (and most fun) way to improve your weak hand flipper technique. #ProTip  (Part 1 of the Podcast only content)
• There is no such thing as apply or lime flavor candy, that shit's just sugar (proving that summertime sports talk is even dumber than non-summertime sports talk).
• Cavs hire a 66 year old coach who has been successful at every level... Only thing is he's never coached at the pro level before.  Oh boy, here we go again.
• Apologizing in advance for praising the (unfortunate at is for CLE fans) utter greatness of Steph Curry. (Part 2 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:02:00 mark)
•  Let Me Tell You A Story (Best Of Edition!): Lachlan MacKinnon’s “Never Forget The Golden State Warriors Blew It” (begins at the 1:04:00 mark)
• Dan Gilbert simply doesn't deserve to win the rights to Zion Williamson, period. Meanwhile, it appears his former GM David Griffin very much did. How's that for karma.
• What the fuck is grease belly? And a story about throwing chicken bones out the car window.  (Part 3 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:49:00 mark)
• Steph Curry is so recognizably great, and yet he's somehow underrated. Which is fucking insane to consider but it's also very much true.
•  Mollie's Weekly Report: Minor League Grinders, and some of the real horrors of playing in minor-league baseball. (Part 4 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:39:00 mark)
• Over/Under Gaming: The Aladdin live action remake and all the reason's it's sure to be a total piece of shit.
• Weekly Tribe Playoff Probabilities: Week 9 – Going 5-1 this past week wasn't enough to improve things, apparently.
• Beiber K's 15 in a complete game shutout, and knowing at least in part just how he was so effective because of a new beater who's covering the team, and doing a much better job of it than the beat writers who are 2 and 3 times their senior.

All this and so much more on this episode of the Defend Cleveland Podcast. Enjoy~

Check out Lachlan MacKinnon’s best selling book, ‘Let Me Tell You A Story: Small Stories Of A Large Family’!

Thank you to KidForce Pinball for sponsoring the podcast, 91.1-FM WRUW Cleveland for being home to the show, engineer extraordinaire Mollie Ames, and to the city that inspires us, Cleveland, Ohio.

Your recommended listening for the week is the debut album by Fontaines D.C. entitled "Dogrel" and available via Partisan Records.

The intro and outro to Lachlan’s segment is the song “My Summer In Traction” by the band Ohio Civil War , and it’s used with permission.

DC’s Mike James and Mollie Ames discuss:

• The Cleveland pinball scene getting some quite deserved attention with a recent feature story on WKSU. (Part 1 of the Podcast only content)
• The new divide between Cleveland baseball fans and this team that ranges from such extremes as "serious World Series contenders" to "it's time to blow up the entire roster".
• Over-entitled people are capable or perceiving in the most fucked up of ways. (Part 2 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 1:10:00 mark)
•  Let Me Tell You A Story (Best Of Edition!): Lachlan MacKinnon’s “Hearing Impaired” (begins at the 1:33:00 mark)
• Baseball is having a real problem with attendance that's continuing to trend in wrong the direction, and what this will invariably mean for the cities with teams like Cleveland over the next decade.
• Mollie’s Weekly Report: Minor League Baseball's dumbest promotional ideas so far for 2019  (Part 3 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:08:00 mark)
• Loathing the very idea of what the Kentucky Derby represents as a whole, while readily admitting to loving it.
• Not all video replay decisions are ones that should follow the exact letter of the rule.
• Mollie gets Mike to admit to something he's never told anyone ever before. (Part 4 of the Podcast only content, begins at the 2:40:00 mark)
• This round of the NBA playoffs has been as anticipated... The very best thing on television!
• Weekly Tribe Playoff Probabilities: Week 7 - We might be facing some cold hard realities here.
• The Tribe might already be attempting a relatively new analytic approach to baseball that ol' school purists of the sport are going to hate, yet it's probably their best option at the moment.

All this and so much more on this episode of the Defend Cleveland Podcast. Enjoy~

Check out Lachlan MacKinnon’s best selling book, ‘Let Me Tell You A Story: Small Stories Of A Large Family’!

Thank you to KidForce Pinball for sponsoring the podcast, 91.1-FM WRUW Cleveland for being home to the show, engineer extraordinaire Mollie Ames, and to the city that inspires us, Cleveland, Ohio.

Your recommended listening for the week is the debut album by Protomartyr that was recently reissued, 2012's "No Passion All Technique".

The intro and outro to Lachlan’s segment is the song “My Summer In Traction” by the band Ohio Civil War , and it’s used with permission.