SCRAMBLE: Holiday party etiquette, when your youngest gets their drivers license, and who is monitoring kids at sporting events??

Summary

Podcast Summary: Garage Logic – Weekly Scramble

Episode: SCRAMBLE: Holiday party etiquette, when your youngest gets their drivers license, and who is monitoring kids at sporting events??
Date: December 10, 2025
Hosts: Chris Reivers & Mike Fratelloni
Network: Gamut Podcast Network

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Overview

This lively episode of the Weekly Scramble centers around three main themes: the bittersweet milestone of a child earning their driver’s license, the evolving etiquette (and questionable happenings) at holiday parties, and a revealing discussion about youth behavior and adult supervision at sporting events. Hosts Chris Reivers and Mike Fratelloni mix personal anecdotes with candid social commentary, all in their classic conversational and humorous Garage Logic tone. Fans of the show will recognize the blend of Gumption County common sense, digressions, and heartfelt moments that define the “Seat of Gumption.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shoutout to Olivia King: A Broadcaster on the Rise

[02:06–06:46]

• The show kicks off with reminiscences about former guest Olivia King, a standout new broadcaster and former collegiate goalie.
  • Chris and Mike agree she’s poised for stardom:

    “You know how you just get a sense about someone that they kind of know what they're doing?... I was severely impressed.” —Chris (02:42)

  • Olivia now has a regular sports spot on the Paul Allen Show.
  • Mike recalls how savvy she is with social media engagement—her store promotion earned over 140,000 views.
  • Both hosts reflect on how different the “influencer path” is from their own upbringings.

2. A Rite of Passage: Daughter Gets Her Driver’s License

[06:46–11:00]

• Mike narrates his daughter’s journey to getting her license in Hastings, MN, with classic Dad confusion about stop sign rules.
  • Comedic moment: Mike mistakenly tells his daughter she can ignore a certain stop sign. Another parent soon finds out this is a failing offense!
  • Relief as his daughter passes, highlighting both the anxiety parents feel and the joy of letting kids spread their wings.
  • Heartwarming and relatable:

    “It’s just different the moment they get their driver's license… She said, ‘Dad, I’m going to go to Target.’ That was going to be her first drive by herself…” —Mike (09:10)

• Chris reminisces about his own first drive and sense of independence.

3. Why Don’t Kids Want to Drive Anymore?

[13:20–15:20]

• The hosts question why many teenagers today aren’t eager to get a driver’s license, compared with their own experiences.
  • Mike speculates:

    “Maybe home is too comfortable. You got your video games, your TV, your cell phone…” (13:58)

  • Chris and Mike both bemoan the decline in teenage wanderlust and social adventure compared to past generations.

4. Holiday Party Etiquette and Memories

[19:33–31:39]

• The “Frat Pack” gathering is previewed—an informal holiday get-together for podcast listeners and Facebook group members.
  • Mike: “This is not for the frat pack to see us, Reivers. It’s for frat packers to hang out with other frat packers…” (21:04)
  • The spirit is about forging new friendships—not just meeting the hosts.
• Chris shares throwback stories about the energy and chaos of past Hubbard Broadcasting holiday parties, with one memorable incident where he may have been “overserved” as the MC.
  • Light-hearted ribbing about being left off invite lists and the lack of social media presence among “the 60- and 70-year-old guys that run Garage Logic.”

5. Small-Town Observations & Minnesota Local Color

[32:46–34:51]

• The hosts reflect on Hastings’ charm, local landmarks, and minor culture clashes (such as seeing a nine-year-old with a “foot-long rat tail” hairstyle).
  • Mike: “I said to my daughter... we're a little bit further from the center of society where the tallest buildings are.” (32:54)

6. Chaos (and Lax Supervision) at Youth Sporting Events

[35:01–42:47]

• Mike and Chris express exasperation at what they see as poor supervision and broken etiquette at youth games—especially kids running onto the court during timeouts or even causing basketball games to be called off due to fights in crowds.
  • Chris, passionate:

    “Anytime there's a timeout during the game, when kids run onto the court and start shooting hoops...you would see my blood boil...” (36:48)

  • They decry the lack of respect and structure, attributing it to broader social trends (over-involved parents, distracted adults, and social media’s “look at me” mentality).
  • Mike reads reports about fights in the stands at Hopkins and Tartan basketball games, even with police present.
  • Chris recounts stepping up as an “authority figure”—it’s as if some kids have never been told ‘no.’
  • They note that earlier generations were better at simply sitting and watching, laying blame on both adults and kids.
  • On today’s youth sports atmosphere:

    “It’s a lack of common sense. It’s a lack of decency. It’s a lack of respect… That’s why it drives me nuts to the degree it does.” —Chris (37:40)

7. Classic Weekly Scramble Banter

Notable Digressions & Jokes

• Joking about social media, aging out of holiday parties, and area codes for favorite Coburn’s supermarkets.
• Mike delivers two “Fratpacker-approved” holiday puns:
  • “Kenny Loggins has a new Christmas album and they named it December. I thought, man, they should have named it Highway to the Manger Zone.” (43:21)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the new generation:

  “If these 18 year old boys don't get out and start having some sex, something's wrong.... If they're not chasing chicks at 18, your testosterone's not getting any higher.” —Mike (14:10)

• On sporting event chaos:

  “I don't care. You're still on the team. You got to go sit there.” —Mike on parenting, when his son can’t play due to injury (36:07)

• On the power of in-person, local community:

  “Maybe, just maybe, just maybe, there's other Frat Packers who say, I too want more friends.” —Mike (21:33)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:06–06:46 – Discussion of Olivia King and media up-and-comers
• 06:46–11:00 – Mike’s daughter’s road test and emotional first solo drive
• 13:20–15:20 – Why fewer kids want driver’s licenses
• 19:33–31:39 – Holiday parties, “Frat Pack” gathering, and company Christmas party tales
• 32:46–34:51 – Musings on Hastings, MN and small-town quirks
• 35:01–42:47 – Growing concerns about youth sports event discipline, on-court chaos, and crowd fights

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Tone & Takeaways

The episode is equal parts nostalgic, humorous, and pointed in its commentary. Chris and Mike’s rapport is relaxed and jocular, frequently riffing off of each other’s stories, sometimes letting tangents roll but always circling back to the “logic” at the heart of Garage Logic—a funny, sensible look at real-life culture from the garage, not the newsroom.

Whether you’re a long-timer in Gumption County or just tuning in, this Scramble offers laughs and food for thought—whether about giving kids freedom, surviving (and enjoying?) the holidays, or the sometimes-chaotic state of our institutions and traditions.

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Highlights for New Listeners:

• Insight into generational shifts, both in driving and sportsmanship
• Heartfelt dad stories, delivered with self-effacing honesty
• Midwest humor and observations about “how things ought to be”
• Practical suggestions for building community—one Frat Pack beer at a time

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Next Week: Don’t miss the Frat Pack holiday gathering at Summit Brewing, for camaraderie, beers, and more story-swapping!

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Transcript

[A]

Hey Garage Logic fans, Mishke here slipping in ever so briefly to mention that I have a podcast that comes out every Wednesday and every Friday, twice a week now. The show is pretty much about everything you care about and are interested in and need in your life and want to know more about. I tailored the darn thing specifically to your liking. I tailored it to your loves, to your true passions. That took a long time. I'm spent, you know what I'm saying? Absolutely wasted. What can 160 years of experience teach you about the future when it comes to protecting what matters? Pacific Life provides life insurance, retirement income and employee benefits for people and businesses building a more confident tomorrow. Strategies rooted in strength and backed by experience. Ask a financial professional how Pacific Life can help you today. Pacific Life Insurance Company Omaha, Nebraska and in New York, Pacific Life and Annuity, Phoenix, Arizona the wait is over. Dive into Audible's most anticipated collection, the Best of 2025. Featuring top audiobooks, podcasts and originals across all genres. Our editors have carefully curated this year's must listens. From brilliant hidden gems to the buzziest new releases, every title in this collection has earned its spot. This is your go to for the absolute best in 2025 audio entertainment. Whether you love thrillers, romance or non, your next favorite listen awaits. Discover why there's more to imagine when you [e-mail] BestOfTheYear.

[B]

And here we go.

[A]

This is the Weekly Scramble. A place where we chat about life over a cold one or two. It's time to belly up to the pod with Mike Fratelloni and your host, Chris Reivers.

[B]

That's right, it's time for the Weekly Scramble podcast. My name is Chris Reivers. With me as always. His name is Mike Fratelloni. Hello Michael.

[A]

How you doing, Reivers?

[B]

I'm doing great. I did forget to mention this to you. As I'm just remembering right now, before the show, I got a lot of great emails about Olivia's appearance on our show last week. Did you? She was so great. And I got to tell you, not that I have any say in anything to do with anything whatsoever. I mentioned the powers that be. You better grab onto this gal. Really, she is okay. I had said this to her when she was on our show last Thursday. You know how you just get a sense about someone that they kind of know what they're doing? And.

I said this to her on our show. She reminds me so much of Jamie Erdahl in that she's greater than the mic. She knows how to handle a question she knows how to formulate an opinion and a response to that. And it's not a lot of like, yeah, well. But she was really. I was severely impressed with her last week.

[A]

So if you didn't watch it, our last show. Her name is Olivia King, and she's a former Golden Gopher in St. Thomas. Goalie. Yep. Collegiate athlete for six years, but she's now a broadcaster. And one thing that I found really interesting about her. Right. I think we got her before she was anything. Right.

[B]

Oh, she's gonna be a star.

[A]

I think she might just be a star. In fact, I found out that earlier in that day, before we interviewed her, she was on the Paul Allen Show. Oh, I didn't know that.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Then I find out she gets a deal after that to be on Paul Allen's show every Wednesday.

[B]

Well, good for her.

[A]

So she got a deal out of that.

[B]

Well, and Pa's good.

[A]

And Pa is good. Right. And he's a sports guy, and she's a sports girl. Right. And she's good and she's pretty, and there's a whole bunch of positive things about her. I really think we'll someday be able to say, remember when we had Olivia.

[B]

King on for sure?

[A]

Now she makes 13 million bucks. I'll be like, what the frick is wrong with your intern?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, how do we work for you?

[B]

I'm glad to hear that. I really am. I'm really glad to hear that. Because, like I said, I was really impressed by just her presence and the way that she can. Because the thing is, you know, I'll get emails from people all the time. And granted. Are we roofing a house? No. Are we digging a ditch?

[A]

No.

[B]

Are we prosecuting crime? No. Well, no one is in Minnesota. That's a good point. But I guess my overriding point is it's. You either have a comfort level with doing this or you don't. Right. How many times have we had guests on our show, and it's like pulling teeth just trying to get anything out of them.

[A]

Speaking of that, you had made a comment during our show. You're like, oh, you're one of the first in studio guests. And I was like, I thought you might have had a stroke. I was like, what about all the other guests we've had in studio? That scared me a little bit. Well, okay, your brain must not have been working because we had as a podcast. Yeah, but we've had a lot of people in this studio.

[B]

That's true.

[A]

But I mean, not 100, but 10.

[B]

Let's go through the Rolodex. Bartley doesn't count Brian from the restaurants.

[A]

He doesn't count Brian, the guy who talked to us about his restaurants closing in St. Paul.

[B]

Oh, that's true. I'm sorry, I thought you were talking about somebody else.

[A]

I feel like we interview people all the time. We don't. We should.

[B]

But here's. We don't interview. We have conversations.

[A]

That's true.

[B]

Okay, so like Bartley, our buddies from Elevated. They're our friends. They don't count as, like, Nick Alter. Oh, that's true. I forgot about, like.

[A]

We've definitely had some. I just don't have.

[B]

By the way, we have to have him on.

[A]

Yeah, he's bright.

[B]

He was really good.

[A]

He was real good. Okay, so to wrap it up with Olivia, Olivia came to my store and we did a find it at frat's the next day. I hide something. So first of all, she knows how to do social media. I was watching her, the way she filmed it. I thought, oh, how do you. What do you use for that? Like, I'm doing it all on like my camera and then I'm gluing things together, like, I don't know how to do it. And she's like, oh, you use this. That's adorable. That. You have no idea. You're so stupid and old. Right? All that stuff. She didn't say any of that. And our little Find it f rats that we do. If you're not familiar with Find it f rats, we hide something in the store. We post on social media. This time it was 100 bucks and $100 gift card. So a couple hundred dollar gift. Well, it has like 140,000 views already.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. So she knows how to pull in the views.

[B]

Good for.

[A]

Go ahead and say that. Right?

[B]

That's fantastic.

[A]

So that was pretty cool. So, hey, very excited to see where she goes. She's got a thing going with the University of Minnesota thing going with Paul Allen. She's going to be a constant guest. If we can ever get her again on this, she's probably going to want. I'll totally do it. For 11 grand. It'll be some crazy moment or she.

[B]

Just won't have time to do it.

[A]

Which probably is totally fine.

[B]

But she was an absolute delight. I mean, I hope she becomes the next superstar.

[A]

When I met her, I thought my kids should do this. But my kids weren't athletes. They're not broadcasters. But that whole influencer thing, there's something to it, right? There is something to it in Today's world. And I don't know if my kids. But my youngest kid reverse got a driver's license yesterday.

[B]

Oh, boy.

[A]

And I gotta tell you this little story. You got a minute?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

All right, good. You're not going anywhere.

[B]

No.

[A]

Good. So we go down to dreaded Hastings, Minnesota.

[B]

Oh, I've been there.

[A]

For sure. You've been there. Okay. So we didn't pick Hastings out of any reason other than the fact that Hastings was open when we wanted to do this.

[B]

And isn't it generally viewed as one of the most easy accessible areas or places to bring a kid maybe?

[A]

Right.

[B]

I only say that because I know Rook raves about taking his kids. All his kids got their driver's license there as well.

[A]

Okay, well, maybe that's true. So we go there and we're driving around. Cause we're. Our appointment's at 1 o'. Clock. My brain says, oh, we get there by noon, we'll be okay. So then we get there by noon. And the DMV's closed from noon to one. Cause they want to eat. I'm like, well, that makes a lot of sense. And I turn to my daughter, I'm like, do you just want to sit here for an hour? And she's like, no, no, let's drive around. So we get around and we start driving around. And it's in a shopping center, a strip mall, right? And my daughter, right before they're going to come out and give her the test, she says, there's a stop sign down there at the end of this, in this parking lot. Do I have to pay attention to that stop sign? And I said, I think. Are you referring to the one that's way up on the building? I think that's for trucks coming out of the lot. I'm like, you don't really have to worry about that one. I just let that go. So I'm waiting, and then I'm sitting next to this woman whose son's taking the test, and a guy comes in. Kid stays out in the. The guy comes in and says, you, son is a great, great driver. He failed the test because he didn't stop at the stop sign.

[B]

Oh, no.

[A]

I had just told my daughter four.

[B]

Minutes earlier, don't worry about it.

[A]

That one that's mounted on the wall, you don't have to worry about that one. That's like for trucks pulling out of the ramp or something. It's like a smaller stop sign. It's on the left side, first of all, because normally you go, so is.

[B]

It on one of the main highways that's there in Hastings?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I think so. But it's just in a strip mall. Like the DMV's in a strip mall.

[B]

Okay, okay.

[A]

And so I'm now thinking to myself, she is going to murder me if she passes the whole test. And then the lady says, sorry, you went through this stop sign. And she's going to say, my dad told me I could. And she's going to say, no, he didn't. Or, that was dumb. You failed, Right? I guaranteed she was going to fail. Well, sure as crap. She does not fail, right? She comes in, she's happy as can be. I said, how did it go? And she goes, it was just great. The person was just great. This woman was super great, just super kind and super nice and was not making me stressful. And she talked to me about other subjects while we were driving and it was really, really nice. And I said, oh, were you excited when you found out you passed? She goes, I was so excited. I asked her if I could give her a hug. She never really replied, but I leaned over and gave her a hug, so it was really cute. And then last night she did the sweetest thing, right? Just turned 16 a couple of days ago and she's the youngest of my three daughters. And she said, dad, I'm going to go to Target. That was going to be her first drive by herself, right? Oh, ye. So I'm tracking her. So she goes to Target, calls me up, says, what do you need, dad? I'll pick you up, whatever. Let me know what you need. So she's shopping around Target like an adult. She gets back in the car and I can see her almost close to home. And she's like, dad, you know what? I think I'm just going to go to Starbucks too. So she finds a spot to turn around and drives right back to where the target is basically to get Starbucks. She was just practicing driving by herself. I thought, that's it. She's now she's in my control, right? She's driving my car, right. I mean, a lot of things are mind to control, but it's just different the moment they get their driver's license. I remember when I got my driver's.

[B]

License, I was just about to ask.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, I just didn't see. I mean, I came home, right? I was a good kid, but I mean, I was gone. And we lived in a neighborhood that I didn't have any kids living around me. Like we lived outside of my school district. So I had to drive 15 miles to get to my friends and I was just gone. I just don't remember sitting at home anymore. And I'm waiting to just say I really regret the fact that they all have their license and they're all driving around. It was a really cute story. I thought I killed her. Not killed her, but I thought I ruined it for her by telling her she didn't have to stop at that stop sign. And thank God, she must have done it right.

[B]

See, I remember when. So when I was growing up in Faribault, Minnesota, and we had moved out to the country because we were living in town and I was probably in 8, 8th grade, I believe, when we moved out to the country, right? Because my. Both my parents were born and raised on farms and we had, we had lived in the city from the time I was born to. Like I said, I think, I think it was eighth grade. And I remember I was so mad that we moved out to the country for this only reason. Like all of my buddies all lived in the city. I could ride my bike to anybody's house, right? I was, you know, two blocks from my elementary school and I would eventually have been five blocks from the high school, right? I could have rode, I could have taken my bike and done anything. So moved to the country and all I cared about was getting my driver's license. And I remember the first day I passed the test. And I remember getting home and I was super excited. And my mom said, okay, well, I said, I'm going to go pick up Pizza Hut for the family. Here I am.

[A]

Yeah, I'm a big guy, I can do it all.

[B]

I'm now in charge of this endeavor. And my brother Nick wanted to come with me because all he wanted to do was rip me for every potential violation that I was going to be guilty of. And I remember driving in and again, this is because my birthday is early November. So this is mid November, the rain's kind of coming down. And I remember sitting at the stop sign trying to make a left hand turn onto Highway 60, which is the highway that separates Mankato between Faribault and Mankato. And being petrified, like, I think I see headlights, I can't turn yet.

[A]

Four blocks down there.

[B]

Exactly. And so I remember taking a left. And my brother, that son of a bitch, screamed out, screamed, oh, no. Oh my God. And I slammed on the brakes. He goes, nothing. I knew you could have killed him. I was. But again, because that's what brothers do. And so we ended up going to Pizza Hut to pick up the whatever takeout order we had placed. And then coming back, I said, you say one word and you're walking the rest of the way home, Right? So drive around Cannon Lake and then get back home. And it is, though, it's true about that soul feeling of independence. Oh, it's totally different. It's just. It's life changing.

[A]

Why don't boys want that now?

[B]

It's so funny you say that. Because I ran into a young man over this past weekend. He's the older brother of someone that plays sports with my kid because my kid's in 8th grade, my oldest boy, and he doesn't have his driver's license. I think he is a. I think he's a junior. He might be a senior in high school. In high school.

[A]

So he's 17 or 18.

[B]

And I just said, oh, so you don't have your. He goes, nah, I don't want. I don't care.

[A]

I honestly, I do not get it.

[B]

I don't get it either. And he's not alone, by the way. Sure, there's a ton of kids.

[A]

There's an epidemic of kids. Not.

[B]

Why is that?

[A]

You know, I think maybe home is too comfortable, right? You got your video games, you got your tv, you got your cell phone.

[B]

Mom and dad take me wherever I want to go. Anyway, you can get food.

[A]

You can Uber. If you really have to get somewhere, right? If something happens, you could Uber.

[B]

Interesting.

[A]

I just don't get it. I wanted that freedom. I wanted to get out. I wanted to drive by chicks. I mean, you know when people say we're dying as a creature, like humans are just not going to exist? They're right. We are gonna fade away. If these 18 year old boys don't get out and start having some sex, something's wrong.

[B]

Okay, hang tight there, cowboy.

[A]

I know, I really do. Like, if they're not chasing chicks at 18, your testosterone's not getting any higher. It's gonna diminish down and you're gonna have a gynoid. Remember? Female robot gynoid. That's a dirty word. You're gonna just. Someone, Elon Musk is gonna invent the best gynoid and they're gonna be making love to their stupid robots playing video games. And we're done. So Elon Musk maybe is the Antichrist. Full circle. Did you see where I went all the way? Cause kids don't want to drive. Elon Musk must be the Antichrist.

[B]

But you love Elon Musk.

[A]

I do, but he's Inventing gynoid robots that young kids will sleep with and then no one will have babies. And then if we don't have babies as an existence, we're gone. All right, you see where I'm going with that?

[B]

Let me hang tight there for a second and talk about our friends. That we are nuts. And we are nuts. Mn.com. that's right. A family owned Minnesota made an app. Absolutely obsessed with roasting small batch nuts to perfection. Since 1987, they've been making famous toffee nuts with big bold flavors that are perfect for parties, road trips and stuffing into that Christmas stocking. That's right. Now, hey, here's the deal. I love the maple bourbon toffee almonds. They might be my favorite. My kids love the cinnamon toffee peanuts. But get this right now at your Coburn's locations, I love Coburns. It's my. The Bell Plain Coburns. Actually, I should rephrase this. The Bell Plain Coburns is like my wife and the New Prague Coburns is like my mistress.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Because the Bell Plain one is just easier to get to. Right? It's super easy. I can pull with this analogy. I get gas. I can.

[A]

I know where everything is.

[B]

I got my liquor store right there. I never have to go. You can park after the gas pump and you can knock down three different locations in one stop. This is actually an ad for we are nuts, not Coburn's. But that's how much I love my Coburns and Bell Plain. But once in a while, I gotta go to the new preg location, which is fine.

[A]

Just to check it out.

[B]

It's fine.

[A]

You're not touching it.

[B]

But the Bell Plain is my jam. The Bell Plain location is my jam.

[A]

They have the Maple. Where did you say Maple? Berman All.

[B]

No, there. They're gonna take care of you with the Hokey Pokey popcorn. And. Oh, that's delicious. By the way. I got this yesterday. This right here, ladies and gentlemen.

[A]

Which new one is that?

[B]

The caramel apple. Hokey Pokey. Caramel corn. Yeah, I know it's already like a third halfway gone, but that's okay. It's phenomenal.

[A]

Can I tell you a little story about them? This is inside stuff.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

They've been so busy. How busy have they been? How busy that they've been out of maple. What is it? Maple.

[B]

Maple Bourbon toffee almonds.

[A]

Yes. They've been out of them. And people are freaking out at Fradolones.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And I said, you'll have to Blame the Weekly Scramble. We are just too many Weekly Scramblers listening to this.

[B]

I did get an email. I got an email that said, hey, I stopped and I think it might have been. Was it your grand.

[A]

It was in one of our stores.

[B]

It was one of your stores.

[A]

Everywhere. Out, everywhere.

[B]

But it's wonderful snacks. And if. You know what, if you're not able to make it to my Coburn's, my.

[A]

Coburn's location or your mistress Cockburn's or.

[B]

My mistress Coburn's or Cub Foods, Kwik Trip Kowalski's, Lunds and Barley's Fratelloni's hardware and garden stores. All of them carry the We Are Nuts brand, but go to their [e-mail] there. You can also place your order, please. When you do so, make sure you mention the weekly Scramble podcast and we will be right back.

[A]

At Hinge, we found Gen Z daters want deeper conversations, but they're 36% more hesitant than millennials to start them. I'm Logan Urie, Hinge's lead relationship scientist. We call this the communication gap. The space between wanting connection and actually starting the conversation. But here's the good news. It doesn't have to be way. Ask one better question or share something honest and watch the connection grow. Find more in Hinge's 2025 Gen Z Day report. Now live at Hinge Co. All right.

[B]

We kind of got off the, got off the rails here with my We Are Nuts ad. I'm not joking. I'm a man of convenience. Okay. If you can tell me, hey, while you're getting gas, you can run inside and grab a 20 pound ham and come back and the gas is. Then I'm good.

[A]

It's like putting a subway in a gas station, right?

[B]

Yeah, 100%.

[A]

Where you go there and you're like, hold on, I need a quick footlong.

[B]

When I was informed by the sales guy that Coburn's was now going to be carrying we are Nuts, which I'm going to take personal, that I had something to do with it. Because if you look at my checking account, Coburn's, Coburn's, Coburn's, Cockburn's. That's my spot.

[A]

I'm kind of excited about we are Nuts because I'm not going to say the Weekly Scramble and Garage Logic is the reason because they have a great company, but boy, they got real big real quick all of a sudden.

[B]

You're welcome. That's right. That's all awesome.

[A]

Can you hear me patting myself on the back.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

They're great guys, by the way, too.

[B]

I have a question because next week, a week from tomorrow, we are going to have a frat pack gathering. This is kind of a. Not a trial and error. We're going to just say, hey, it's the holiday season. We're gathering. We want to hang out with everybody. It's a gathering.

[A]

It's a gathering.

[B]

It's not an official, like a company related social outing. This is just us saying we want to hang out with everybody.

[A]

You don't have to sign a release or anything like that.

[B]

We just want to hang out with everybody.

[A]

You know, Reivers, when we started the frat pack, the genesis of the frat pack for listeners you're going to hear me say this again, is I had to get 10 buddies for a charity event at a table of 10 seats. So my wife took one. So we had eight seats left to fill. I could not do it. I did not have enough buddies to do it right. I have acquaintances and I have some great friends. And I thought, okay, I need 5,000 more friends. So we put it out there. I said, if you follow me on Facebook, Michael Fratelloni, I'll get you a number. We'll be part of this FratPak 5000. Because I want to have 5000 friends.

[B]

And it took on a life of its own.

[A]

It took on a life of its own. So we have this fratpak Facebook group, the FratPak 5000. If you go to the Frat Pack 5000, you can join and I'll bring you into it. And then you befriend me on Facebook so I can give you a number. And I'd like to get the. We have a couple thousand people, 2,800 people or something in the frat pack now. I don't know how many people will want to come out to Summit Brewing in St. Paul next Wednesday. Wednesday the 17th, a week from tomorrow. A week from tomorrow?

[B]

Yep.

[A]

From five. I'm going to get there about five to 7:30 or whatever. You can stay as long as you want. It's not for me to say, but this is not for the frat pack to see us Reavers. It's for the frat pack to hang out with other frat packers to have Bob meet Joe and Joe meet you, and I meet. I literally want. I think I'm a guy who knows a lot of people, but I don't have that many friends. And maybe, just maybe, just maybe, there's other frat packers who say, I too want more Friends.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And when you go onto the frat pack 5000, there's genuine kind people that are kind of in the same thought pattern as we are, because they're Garage Logicians or weekly scramblers. Right. And many of them are frat packers now. So I'll send out later on tonight an invitation. Is it gonna be you, me and one other guy?

[B]

Maybe.

[A]

Or it's gonna be you, me and 10 other guys. Who knows? It doesn't matter how many show up. I just wanna get together. If you've never been to Summit Brewing, it's a very nice hall. They have some great beer.

[B]

The Ratskeller.

[A]

The Ratskeller. I mean, it's just really cool. There's a lot of heritage there and it's not terribly busy, so we'll be able to kinda hang out and have our space and chit chat.

[B]

In fact, that was the location of the very first gar I remember, broadcast as a podcast. And it was around this time of the year. It would. In fact, I think it was. You know how there's always. Whatever that last Friday is of a full week before Christmas? Because it was, I think Friday, I want to say the 20th or something like that, but it was that last Friday. Christmas was next week. So it was, you know, we did it at 3 or 4 o' clock in the afternoon. It was packed. It was packed. It was festive. We sang Baby, it's cold outside because of.

Whatever it is, the hubbub that came up with that song, the rape innuendo. And it was so much fun to the point where I'll never forget this. Mark Stutterwood. Been a guest on the show many, many times. A friend of the show, a friend of the station here.

[A]

Frat pack member, by the way.

[B]

Frat pack member, one of the most genuinely cool human beings on the planet. Super cool. And he was giving out, I'm not joking, just cases of beers.

[A]

Oh, really?

[B]

To everyone. Like he said, hey, everybody grab a six pack. And they're almost like there's six different beers for you to bring home. And I remember, cause I was standing there talking to him and he looked at this one guy, he said, well, you only grabbed one. He said, well, yeah. He said, no, no, no, no. He grabbed an entire tray, handed it to this guy and said, no, you need to take this whole thing. And they go, what? And I said, that's Mark in a nutshell right there. It was such a fun day again. It's just that festive, fun time of the year.

[A]

I Came to that. And I remember it being so busy. I was like, I'm gonna just step outside. That's probably why I don't have any friends. I don't love crowds.

[B]

The socialization.

[A]

Exactly. I was like, oh, this is making me nervous. I did go just the other day to check out the rat Skiller again because I thought, okay, is this gonna be appropriate? Is it gonna be super busy? Do they have something weird going on? And I read one of the letters on the wall, and it was a letter from, if I'm not mistaken, 1984, where Mark Studrude is asking the beer distributors of America for his beer number.

[B]

Give me a chance.

[A]

Give me a chance. And he wrote this letter saying, hey, I plan to do this. And it was the response letter. And the guy said, hey, thank you for sending your interest in the American Beer Society or whatever it is. I strongly suggest that you do not try to open a brewery because it's fraught with financial danger. I mean, it was. The guy wrote as hard as he could, don't do this, Mark. Don't do it. But here's your number if you're gonna do it. Wow. And I thought, oh, isn't that kind of cool? Because he was an absolute OG in brewing.

[B]

And we have said this a million times, and it's worth bringing up again, but when everyone talked about the real craft beer boom, what would you say? 2009? Eight? Something like that? Yeah.

[A]

Right when we started.

[B]

And then when we started doing the Show in about 2011, 2012, you know, all of these microbrews, these craft breweries were just exploding onto the scene. And people forget. Summit was on the forefront of this. 1986.

[A]

I want to say 84, but it.

[B]

Could have been 84. 84. But again, mid-80s, right. Where this guy had said, well, I just want to make a different kind of beer. In fact, we had the Hubbard Broadcasting Christmas party Friday night. It was at Town and Country, a place, I think, that you're familiar with. And I ran into our guy Mishke. What was he drinking? Summit. Epa.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

Right. And he said, keep these coming. I'm having Reavers, too.

[A]

How weird is that that I didn't get invited to that party? How do I not get invited? I've been on Hubbard broadcasting for 12 years, and I still didn't get invited. Oh, were you supposed to invite me?

[B]

I think you might have been my plus one.

[A]

Oh, okay. But I didn't go.

[B]

Honestly, I didn't know. I will say this case, talking about.

[A]

What If I would have been there, because, FYI, I belong to town and country. Yay for me. I might have been there eating. And then if I would have realized that a station that I'd been on for 12 years was having a party. That's why I have no friends. People don't like me. Reverse. I'm hurt.

[B]

I will say this.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I did not RSVP to the party.

[A]

You just showed up.

[B]

I was not planning on going. Can I tell you what I did? You showed up, okay?

[A]

You had to get dressed up. You had to go.

[B]

No, no, no. It was. It was very business casual.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Cause usually I was wearing reverse attire. What? Basically what I'm wearing now. And including a baseball cap.

[A]

No, you weren't.

[B]

Oh, yeah. And I thought I got, I don't know, halfway home, and I thought, you know what? I should turn around and go to the Hubbard party just to say hi. That's one of the times that I rarely get to see people that work here. Right? And I thought, all right. So I got, I think maybe to Lakeville, and I turned around.

[A]

Are you kidding?

[B]

I'm not kidding.

[A]

You had some FOMO there. Fear of missing out.

[B]

Well, it wasn't even that. It was because I have such a tremendous amount of respect for the people that a. I work for, but also that make it an effort to put this together. Like, you know what? The least I can do is show up, right? And so I walked in, and God bless Kim Stewart. Everyone in this building knows who Kim Stewart is. She's like, she. If you need something done, you go to Kim. She handles everything. And she looked at me, she said, reivers. You did an rsvp. I said, I don't need anything. Because normally they give you drink tickets or whatever, and they were just doing hors d' oeuvres and things like that. And I said, I don't need anything. I'll pay for my own. And I wasn't even gonna drink anyway. And so she's like, no, no, no. You need to hear it. Whatever. But I'm so glad I did that, because I got to see people that I haven't seen for a while. And you get to bring up the old stories about this thing that happened in 2010.

[A]

How many times did that come up? If you don't know what's happening about 2010? I had gone to that Christmas party as a plus one of somebody who worked here before. I was with my pick now. Right. I was with someone else. And Reavers was the emcee of that.

[B]

Event I sure was.

[A]

And Reavers might have been overserved.

[B]

So that was back in the days where we used to have parties. Were parties at the downtown Minneapolis.

[A]

Was it the Radisson?

[B]

The Radisson? No.

[A]

You had a room there.

[B]

Was it the Hilton or the Radisson?

[A]

Either one. Right away from each other. Right?

[B]

Doesn't matter. So they always used to have this just gorgeous ballroom, and everyone would get rooms there. And so that way no one had to worry about getting home. Right. And it was spectacular. So myself and Des, morning show for KS95. Back then, I believe Des was doing middays at KS95. So we were tasked with doing the stage announcements at the end of the night.

At the end of the night.

[A]

Emphasis on the end of the night.

[B]

Mike wasn't lying when yours truly may have been. And again, nothing profane. No, nothing. I would never use profanity or anything like that in the company of others. But I was getting a little loose with the lips and maybe. And then Chris Carlson, who does not work here anymore, one of the best human beings on the planet, looked up at the stage and said, reivers, honey, I think you should come down from there right now. And I went, that is a really good idea.

[A]

I think your speech started out with Mr. Hubbard.

[B]

No, it was not bad.

[A]

I love you so much.

[B]

You're my best friend, Mr. Hubbard. But I said, you know what if Chris is saying that? Because Chris also likes to have a good time. If Chris was saying that to me, she was probably right.

[A]

She was probably like, I'm gonna take the advice. So you really enjoyed yourself. I feel bad that I missed another one. I'm one for 15 or whatever.

[B]

Next year, you will absolutely be my plus one.

[A]

Okay, that sounds good. Especially if it's at TNC. I literally could have been there. I could have been in the other room having dinner, and I would have seen you. I would have seen you across the room. You know how hurt I would have been?

[B]

I know.

[A]

I would have removed your frat pack status.

[B]

One of the main reasons I did go is because I wanted to wear. I was the only guy there with a baseball cap on. And I did that solely because I wanted to find Joe, because he would have killed you and sit down next to him and the cp, and that way I had my baseball cap on so I could say, so do they. Is this like a nine hole?

[A]

If I bring a bag of balls and a Ziploc, will they let me play?

[B]

Like, I like to play golf with the balls that have the Stripe on them, a nice range ball.

It was about an hour and a half of that.

[A]

You know what's really funny about that is I noticed that KSTP had their Christmas party. Cause I must follow them online.

[B]

Oh sure.

[A]

And pictures. And I was like, oh, they're at tnc. How funny. I didn't know that was happening. How cool. I didn't know it was Hubbard's Christmas party. What I do notice is that 60 and 70 year old guys that run Garage Logic and the Weekly Scramble, you guys don't have much of a social media empire. So no one had a photo of Jellers there or any of this podcast juggernaut that we have. Right. I didn't notice any. There was no pictures of Joe and his plus one is.

What does he call it? The CP. It didn't have that. But KS95 had everybody. Everybody from TV and everybody from the radio and KSTP at it. Yeah, they know how to market themselves on social media.

[B]

Let's talk about North American Banking company. They were also not at the Hubbard Christmas party last Friday night. But they might have been. They might have been. And I wasn't even aware. But it's banking done differently. And they've been taking care of all of those needs since 1998. Way back when, when they made a promise to deliver a better banking experience for you, your family and your business. Locally owned and operated. Here's why that's important. That means loan decisions are made right here in the Twin Cities. They are not sent out of state. So this helps all of you business owners solve problems quickly and also expand your business with confidence. They deal with numbers every single day, but you are never going to be one of them. You can see that for yourself at any one of their six Twin Cities locations. Whether it's Roseville, 50th in France, Woodbury, Hastings, Hastings, Shoreview and also Maple Grove. But again, check them out online today. It's nabankco.com to learn more. It's banking done differently. North American Banking Company member FDIC is an equal housing lender. The Weekly Scramble. We will be right back.

I'm sorry I didn't invite you to the Christmas party.

[A]

Do you know where that North American bank is in Hastings?

[B]

Yeah. Do you?

[A]

Okay. Because Hastings, I realized it's a gorgeous town. Is it?

[B]

I Love it.

[A]

From St. Paul is 25 minutes. And I said to my daughter, look at. We are out in the middle of nowhere in 25 minutes from St. Paul. That was kind of amazing. When we get to this DMV I'm extending the DMV story. A little kid walks by, he's like nine years old, and what does he have? He has like a foot long rat tail. And I said to my daughter, like under my breath, because I'm a sly prick, I said, we're a little bit further from the center of society where the tallest buildings are. And she goes, what the rat tail? So she even noticed this little kid. And I thought the kid looked cool as can be. I said, I want to grow a rat tail.

[B]

And she said, no, no, I think I've told you this story, but maybe I haven't. Maybe I only said this on gl. I was leaving here one day and I needed to make a payment at North American Banking company And so I pulled up the deal and I don't want to go north to Roseville. When I got to go south to go home, you got to go that way. So I thought, okay, it was gonna take me longer because of traffic and construction to get from here to go to 50th in France. It was gonna be shorter for me to go from here to the Hastings location.

[A]

Oh, really?

[B]

Because it was just smooth sailing. And so when you guys went to Hastings, did you happen to go to that main intersection where the football stadium is?

[A]

No, I think right when you get to hastings, there's a McDonald's. Yes, right. It was that strip mall right by the McDonald's.

[B]

So do you. But you know, did you see where the football stad? Maybe. Okay, you know who the public address announcer is for the Hastings Hawks football team?

[A]

Let me guess.

[B]

No clue.

[A]

Who the Hastings. Who is it?

[B]

Manny Hill.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Our guy, Manny Hill?

[A]

He does the live out in Hastings?

[B]

No, but he's a South.

[A]

Well, I thought he lived in Minneapolis.

[B]

South. Minneapolis, South St. Paul.

[A]

Good for him.

[B]

He does the PA work for the Hastings Hawks football games.

[A]

I did not know that. That's pretty cool. Good. He's got that great voice.

[B]

He's. What's up, ladies and gentlemen?

[A]

It's like Barry White doing your high school football game.

[B]

But he's really, really good. Because I got an email from someone when I mentioned that, you know, years ago. It said, man, he's great.

[A]

He should go do that. What's the next tartan basketball game where they can't get through a full basketball game because kids lose their mind? What basketball game? Did we just have a high school basketball game?

[B]

I'm unaware.

[A]

I'll look it up in just a moment. But it was a tartan. Someone else basketball game and Three quarters into it, they said, done, we're done. Shut it. Like fighting, fighting, screaming, people going nuts. I'm like, oh, man. He could have chilled everybody out with.

[B]

Can I tell you something about that? I was. Do I want to out to high school? Yeah, I'm going to. My oldest son had a tournament and he's been out of action because he. How weird is this? So you saw William a couple weeks ago. He grew so fast. He grew up like five and a five inches in the last 16 months. Right. He has a growth plate issue in his right knee. Right. So. And it's not that he can't, like, he's fine, but athletically, he can't really do anything. So they've got him on crutches right now. So he's been out of action. So this past weekend. Because my rule is, I don't care. You're still on the team.

[A]

You got to go sit there.

[B]

So he and I drove him to his team's tournament this past weekend at Eden Prairie High School. And it's been a minute since I've been to Eden Prairie High School. Right.

[A]

It's got to be a nice high school.

[B]

Well, it is. But what I. Here's the thing I cannot stand about. I guess he's still youth. High school. Youth basketball tournaments, and some organized tournaments do a really good job of this. And some have absolutely no idea what they're doing in this regard. And it's something very specific. Anytime there's a timeout during the game, when kids run onto the court and start shooting hoops.

Mike, if you saw me, you would see my blood boil to the point where I need to walk away.

[A]

And these are little kids.

[B]

No, these are high school kids on down. And I'm thinking, get off the court.

[A]

Yeah, we're in the middle of a game.

[B]

The game is still. Even if it's halftime, I don't care. And a lot of tournaments, there's signs everywhere. Do not run on the court. You know, but again, you're bringing your dirty ass feet with your slop filled boots. And then now they. Okay, I'm getting worked up. And I didn't. I was gonna say, I'm not gonna get worked up. The point is, the misbehavior of those types of situations is such.

A glimpse into why we're in such a mess right now. From a societal standpoint. It really is.

[A]

Well, let me.

[B]

It's a lack of common sense. It's a lack of decency. It's a lack of respect. It's all of those things. And that's why it drives me nuts to the degree that it does.

[A]

Lack of control and discipline. Sit down. You don't need to get up and play basketball.

[B]

I'm here to watch my kids, not watch you try to go half court with your buddies. Get off the court.

[A]

So second time since August, a basketball showcase at Hopkins High School was disrupted by fighting in the crowd. So it was a tartan Hopkins High game that they had with nine minutes left. And they called it because there was so much fighting in the crowd.

[B]

I don't. I don't doubt it for a second.

[A]

It's Hopkins and tartan. That seems weird to me.

[B]

One of the teams that I'm referring to.

Is one of the teams you just mentioned that we happened to be playing.

[A]

Really?

[B]

And they were the ones that just kept running onto the court. And there was a dad. And you know me, hey, I don't want to make a scene.

[A]

You don't want to get. You don't want to get. Doing verbal alterations.

[B]

I don't need to show up on social media. I don't need to lose my job. I walked up to the one dad. I said, why are you letting your kids do this? Because I could tell.

[A]

Are they free range children?

[B]

He had some role as either not just dad, but coach or some regard. You can just tell. I got the bag. I got the clipboard. I said, why are you letting your kids do this? And he kind of looked at me like, why are you even bringing this up? It was foreign to him that I would have. That people would have a problem with this. But the other thing is when you're shooting the ball, guess what? Oftentimes you're gonna miss. So now the ball's gonna hit grandma bounce in sitting in the front row. That's not really. She's not there to watch you shoot.

[A]

Yeah. She's not engaged in the game at that point.

[B]

I didn't think I was gonna get this worked up.

[A]

We have to have a thing of things Reavers doesn't like.

[B]

Like Royce.

[A]

Like Royce's. And that can add into that.

[B]

That's just. Honest to God, I've played basketball since I was five. Right. I never remember that being a thing. You know, when we would go to tournaments here or whatever, they're like, that never was a thing.

[A]

I think people used to be comfortable with sitting down. Right? Sit down, watch the game.

[B]

You're right.

[A]

Don't get in a fight.

[B]

You know what else it is? It's the look at me. Instagram, TikTok that's what it is.

[A]

Social media.

[B]

There's that part of it as well, where, oh, everyone's gonna wanna watch me. No, I don't wanna watch you shoot.

[A]

Yeah, I'm here to watch my kids game, not you.

[B]

I'm here to watch my kid's team lose by 45, not watch you guys shoot half court shots. I don't watch you.

[A]

I'm surprised you didn't see that this broke out. No, that's right up your alley.

[B]

Because this happened.

[A]

The police department had come in.

[B]

Didn't this happen a year ago as well?

[A]

It happened in August. It happened in August and right now it happened again. And they had 20 police officers there for the game.

[B]

You're kidding me.

[A]

And fights still broke out.

[B]

This was at Hopkins High School, you said?

[A]

I think it was at Hopkins, yeah. What are they doing? You know what I would do? What? If your kid went to Hopkins and you said, oh, we can't even have a basketball game at Hopkins because our kids are so feral, I'd say, no, thank you, I'm not sending my kid to Hopkins anymore.

[B]

I will say this. My youngest son was in a tournament, a Hopkins tournament. It wasn't at Hopkins High School. It was at, you know, whether it was the middle school or whatever. And this same thing kept happening where kids just would flood the court during the game to the point where one of the referees walked up to the tournament director and said, if you do not put a stop to this, I'm done, I'm going home. Because I was not. What would you call it? I was the. The scoreboard operator. Yes. For that game. And he brought the tournament and said, stop, stop this.

[A]

Yeah, get these kids off here.

[B]

Like make an announcement, do something.

[A]

How's ridiculous. Because that's your side of town. I don't know much about Hopkins.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Hopkins is a nice town, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean it's right next to Minnetonka. It's really.

[B]

But again, you have to set the expectation immediately. Like, I'll give my city of Jordan the utmost credit because we always hope one of the first youth basketball tournaments of the year. There are signs everywhere. If you are not a player in the game, you are not to set foot on the court. And they're everywhere and no one does it. And if someone attempts to do it, get off the court, it's immediate. Right. So there's that inherent expectation that is set forth right away. And you are not getting away with that.

[A]

And that yelling at a kid who's not yours saying, get off the court. It's not the same thing as saying, get off my yard, my lawn. No, it's saying, we're not doing that. This is a respectful game with people that paid to be here.

[B]

Well, and even Mike, if I say that to someone like I. Like I did Sunday.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Because I said, get off the court. And they're like, oh, it's an authority figure. Yes. I gotta.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But it's. It's almost as if that's the first time.

[A]

I think they're talking about little kids. Like little.

[B]

No, I'm talking about 15 year olds.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

No, I said get off the court.

[A]

Yeah. This is not the time to play ball.

[B]

None of us are here to watch you. Yeah, you know, it's all right. Sorry.

[A]

You know, we are wound up. I'm mad cause I didn't get invited to a Christmas party. You're mad cause some kids went and played basketball.

[B]

Get off my car.

[A]

All I want to do is have some beer with the frat pack people. You know, Reivers, I do know one thing.

[B]

What's that one?

[A]

And I don't know, you might not have heard this, but NASA launched a space satellite to say sorry to aliens. Did you hear about this?

[B]

I did not.

[A]

Yeah, it's called the Apollo G. The Apollo G. I don't know if you. I'm so in the Christmas mood. Reavers. I'm so in the Christmas mood. I was mood that I was super disappointed to hear that Kenny Loggins has a new Christmas album and they named it December. I thought, man, they should have named it highway to the Manger Zone.

I got both of those jokes from Fratpackers. So if you don't think you're gonna come and meet and hang out with the Frat packers to do our get together, that's the kind of golden that.

[B]

You'Re gonna sell it up.

[A]

If you don't show up, you're gonna miss out on on highway to the Manger Zone. Reivers, you, sir, are the best.

[B]

Thank you, Michael. Please do us a favor. Rate and review the show wherever you happen to be listening to the weekly Scramble Podcast. It helps other people find the show. It helps us out as well. And we appreciate each and every single one of you. His name is Mike Frattoloni. My name is Chris Reivers. Thank you so much for listening to the weekly Scramble Podcast. We'll talk to you again next time. Until then, cheers.