Bill and Mike are both still recovering from holiday colds that their adorable nephew and niece shared with them, respectively. So this week's episode is a re-run of the second in our Idiot Brothers series to get you ready for next week, when your intrepid hosts will return with Part III. Until then:

It remains hard, at times to be brothers. We covered that back in January, 2023 with a set of siblings who fell well short of their illustrious kin. But there are still so many bad (or just mediocre) brothers out there! So Mike and Bill go back to the well to find more stories of those who just never could measure up. On the anniversary of Larry Yount not actually throwing a pitch in his one and only game, get ready for Cansecos, Boyers, Torres, O'Connors, Delahantys and, yes, Younts.

Plus, happy birthday to Stan Lopata and Ted Kluszewski!

Mike and Bill are back home for the Holidays and, as every year, are confronted with the reality that they're the idiot brothers of some very talented and impressive people. So, in honor of that, we present this re-run of Episode 279:

Sometimes it's hard being brothers. It's even harder being brothers when you're the black sheep of the family. The guy who has to watch his sibling, who shares so much of your DNA, exceeds all your wildest hopes and dreams while you're left behind. Not that we're speaking from experience or anything. But, after he signed with the Giants 116 years ago this week, Henry Mathewson could probably tell us all what it felt like. Taking inspiration from Christy's kid brother, Mike and Bill look back at six siblings who failed to live up to their family name.

Plus, happy birthday to Steve Balboni and Mike Lieberthal!

Aside from "The Babe," there's probably no more recognizable nickname in baseball than "Catfish." But Jim Hunter proved easy to catch and hard to keep for Athletics owner Charlie Finley 51 years ago this week, when Finley's negligence led to an arbitration decision that freed Hunter from his contract with Oakland. As baseball's first modern free agent, Hunter served as an excellent test case for ballplayers who were eager to see what their prices were on the open market, and the answer to that was: a lot! Mike and Bill look back at Hunter's career and the mistake that was an important mile marker on the road to the modern free agent era.

Plus, happy birthday to John Anderson and Adolfo Phillips!

And farewell to Carlos Lezcano, Terry Ley, Brian Dayett and Jim Marshall.

After accidentally excising Bill's memorial segment last week, Mike sheepishly presents it here, on the life and career of Gary Gray.

One of the greatest Cubs of all time, Ron Santo was almost traded out of his beloved adopted home 46 years ago this week, but turned the tables on his team, becoming the first player to invoke his 10-and-5 rights and forced a trade to the other side of town. Mike and Bill recount the life and career of the self-professed biggest Cubs fan in the world, even when his team and fans weren't always his biggest fans. Plus, happy birthday to Clyde Kluttz and Jay Bell!

Life is hard. Life with a mental illness is harder. Life as a celebrity with a known mental illness is harder still, as Jim Piersall discovered. But Piersall's illness was also hard for others, including the Boston Red Sox, who decided life was simpler without him 67 years ago this week and traded him to Cleveland. On this anniversary, Mike and Bill look back at the first ballplayer to speak openly about his mental health struggles, how they affected his life and career positively and negatively, and how he both succeeded and failed to stay on top of them in a time where there was little support or understanding available.

Plus, happy birthday to Marty Marion and Ray Durham!

And farewell to Gary Gray and Randy Moffitt.

One of the most feared sluggers in history, Jim Thome is universally regarded as possibly the nicest. On the 20th anniversary of his trade from the Phillies back to the American League Central, Mike and Bill look back at career of the gentlest giant in baseball history and come away with exactly the same picture that hoped to.

Plus, happy birthday to Clint Thomas and Jimmy Sheckard.

And farewell to Darryl Patterson and Mike White.

After nearly hitting .400, you'd think that George Brett would be an easy choice for AL MVP in 1980. And, while he'd snag the award 45 years ago this week, it was over some pretty hilarious objections by Yankees writers. Mike and Bill look back at Brett's incredible career that defined more than a decade of Royals baseball and come away with an incredible appreciation not just for his abilities, but his flair for the dramatic.

Plus, happy birthday to Cristóbal Torriente and Everett Scott!

And farewell to Phil Meeler and Marc Hill.

It's impossible to talk about the American League's early years without talking about Clark Griffith, the former pitcher and manager who, this week 106 years ago, finally completed his quest to become a big league owner. Griffith's Senators would eventually become a laughingstock, and his legacy complicated by his complicity in perpetuating the color line, but his early years were filled with success. Mike and Bill look back on one of the longest baseball lives, a 75 year span in which Griffith was an integral part of the game, for better and for worse.

Plus, happy birthday to Pat Hentgen and Jack Crooks!

And farewell to Félix Torres and Bill Hepler.

Darryl Strawberry looked to be on a Hall of Fame path when he signed the second biggest contract in big league history with the Dodgers. But his homecoming to Los Angeles would prove to be bitter fruit, as injuries, legal, and personal problems short circuited his career. Strawberry's story is a complicated one, full of condemnable behavior and moments of what seemed like hard-earned redemption. But, ultimately, it's a cautionary tale of how not to treat a sensitive person and how that sensitive person should not treat others, and how that sensitive person eventually learned those lessons. Mike and Bill look back at one of the most talented and most controversial players of the 1980s and '90s and find a man not easily categorized.

Plus, happy birthday to Jesse Flores and Willie McGee!

And farewell to Bill Hepler and Jim Clancy.