Garage Logic: Weekly Scramble — "Doomsday Clock Is Now 85 Seconds to Midnight"

Host: Chris Reivers (with Mike Fratelloni)
Date: January 28, 2026

Overview

This episode of Garage Logic’s “Weekly Scramble” is a lively, heartfelt, and often comic exploration of youth sports culture in Minnesota, big winter shows in Minneapolis, the rise of automation, and the existential anxiety surrounding the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock, now set at a nail-biting 85 seconds to midnight. Chris and Mike bounce between nostalgic stories, local observations, cultural commentary, and tangents involving everything from Anthony Edwards sightings to the economics of sports tournaments, all delivered in the show’s signature blend of wit, camaraderie, and Midwestern common sense.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Youth Sports, Community, and Nostalgia

• The Value of Team Sports Beyond Winning

  • Chris and Mike reflect on what kids (and parents) really get out of youth athletics: it’s not about trophies, but camaraderie, memories, and shared experience.
  • [02:10] “You’re not going to remember the game you won and lost on a random Wednesday night... you’re gonna remember taking that long ass bus ride in the snow...” – Mike
  • They bemoan the grind of tournament weekends – long days, volunteer hours, and parents quietly hoping their teams lose to avoid late-night drives home ([05:25–05:58]).

• Tournament Economics

  • Chris breaks down the costs and profits of a major youth basketball tourney:
    • 144 teams x $515 each = ~$74k in entry fees
    • Free venues, concessions, likely profit margins of $100k+ ([06:00–09:00]).
  • Debate about spectator fees: Is it right to charge grandma $5 for fifth grade hoops? “Do you need to charge grandma five bucks to watch a fifth grader play basketball?” – Mike ([08:48])
  • Concession stands as a better bet than attendance upcharges: “You're probably more likely to make five bucks off them at the concession stand” – Chris ([09:53])

• Celebrity Encounter: Anthony Edwards

  • Chris recounts Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards dropping in at the Edina High basketball tourney, handling swarms of star-struck kids with genuine grace.
  • [13:34] “He couldn’t have been cooler... Gave knuckles to every kid... and snuck out the back exit.” – Chris

2. Minneapolis Boat Show & Downtown Concerns

• The Boat Show and Urban Anxiety

  • Mike laments missing his annual tradition at the Minneapolis Boat Show, citing recent Minneapolis unrest and violence as a factor ([18:22–21:09]).
  • On the local tradition of looking at boats you’ll never buy, fantasizing about water even in subzero temps, and the “catch-22” of bad weather boosting sales but hurting attendance.

• Convention Center Lore

  • Shout-outs to the small but mighty Convention Center bar (“Jim the bartender does a great job, the pizza’s weirdly fantastic...an oasis” [15:37]).
  • Hilarious aside on overpriced acai bowls, $18 rainbow snow cones, and the special solace of a hidden gin and tonic ([21:44–22:18]).

• “Never Own, Always Borrow” Philosophy

  • The wisdom of enjoying friends’ boats rather than owning one.
  • Mike: “Find a really good friend that owns a boat.” ([23:13])
  • On resisting the siren song of boat ownership despite the allure and a couple of drinks:
    • “Do not let me buy a boat… And she didn’t slap me back. I almost suckered myself into putting $50,000 down...” – Mike ([24:54])

3. Existential Jokes: The Doomsday Clock and Disruptive Technology

• Doomsday Clock Hits 85 Seconds

  • The hosts riff on the symbolic countdown of the Doomsday Clock and the growing anxieties it represents—nuclear war, climate change, disruptions from technology ([30:04–31:51]).
  • Mike outlines key historical moments:
    • 1953: 2 minutes after hydrogen bomb testing
    • 1991: 17 minutes post–Cold War
    • 2019–2026: steadily worsening, now just 85 seconds to midnight
  • “The risks we face from nuclear weapons, climate change and disruptive technologies are all growing. Every second counts...” – Quoting Alexandra Bell, Bulletin of Atomic Scientists ([31:36])

• What They’re Really Worried About: Automation & AI

  • Both hosts argue disruptive tech, not nukes, may doom us:
    • “I think it’s disruptive technologies… The whole world is going to change in the next couple of years when the grid goes down...” – Mike ([33:03])
    • On the not-so-remote future of household robots and the existential weirdness of replacement by automation.
  • Y2K reminiscence: Chris built generators in summer 1999 for the anticipated apocalypse (that never came) ([33:36–34:59]).
  • Meta-commentary (“Remember this in 8 months. And 18 months when you start having robots at your house that make your dinner…” [35:31])

4. Local Viral Moments: Bananas and Rice Girl

• Sweet Minnesota Accents and Internet Culture
  • Mike and Chris discuss the viral video of a Somali American teen talking about her heritage, finding a shared humanity and charm in her awkwardness ([36:28–39:06]):
  • Mike: “She endeared herself to me… just a kid… if I turned to any of the kids at my daughter’s school…they’d do that exact same thing.”
  • Chris, ever the skeptic: “I'm so jaded. I just don't trust anything anymore.”
  • Notion of opening a restaurant called “Bananas and Rice” as a playful, unifying gesture.

5. Signature Humor & Running Gags

• Dad Jokes Galore
  • The final section sees Mike breaking out a parade of groaners:
    • “My girlfriend attempted to cut off my ding-a-ling… She missed and hit me in the thigh. She’s being charged with a misde-wiener.” ([39:28])
    • “A man swallows several Scrabble tiles… doctors warn his next bathroom visit could spell disaster.” ([39:48])
  • Reivers: “Those are the best jokes I’ve ever had. And you are the best, Reivers.” ([40:03])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nostalgia & Parenting:

  • "What if this is the best time? What if right now is the best time?" – Mike ([03:34])
  • “You’re probably more likely to make five bucks off of them at the concession stand.” – Chris ([09:53])

• On the Doomsday Clock:

  • “The risks we face from nuclear weapons, climate change and disruptive technologies are all growing. Every second counts and we are running out of time.” (Quoting Alexandra Bell at [31:36])

• Automation Anxiety:

  • “Remember this in 8 months. And in 18 months when you start having robots at your house that make your dinner… It’s gonna be game-changing in an atomic clock, doomsday, we’re done kind of way.” – Mike ([35:31])

• On Humanity’s Cultural Quirks:

  • “If I turned to any of the kids that go to my daughter’s school and said, tell me what it’s like to be an Irish American, they’d be like, Well, it’s not all tattoo, Guinness and Jameson.” – Mike ([38:06])

• Dad Joke Finale:

  • “Doctors warn his next bathroom visit could spell disaster.” – Mike ([39:48])

Timeline / Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 01:25–06:00 | Youth sports, memories, importance of camaraderie | | 06:00–09:53 | Tournament finances and parent perspectives | | 12:03–14:51 | Anthony Edwards sighting at local tourney | | 15:37–22:18 | Boat show traditions and Convention Center bar | | 23:13–24:59 | Escalating costs and madness of boat ownership | | 30:04–31:51 | Doomsday Clock context and scientific warnings | | 33:03–36:13 | Automation, robots, steel nerves, Y2K jobs | | 36:28–39:06 | Somali-American viral video, reflections on youth | | 39:17–40:03 | Dad jokes, closing banter, gratitude to listeners |

Tone & Style

Garage Logic’s Weekly Scramble is defined by irreverent banter, community pride, and a self-aware blend of skepticism and sentimentality. The language is colloquial, conversational, frequently comedic, sometimes sharp. The hosts, both longtime Minnesota media personalities, play off each other’s quirks and local references, keeping the tone lively but never mean-spirited or crass.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This show is a great mix of nostalgia, local color, earnest musings about modern anxieties, and the eternal search for common sense amid goofy gags. Even the heaviest topics are handled with a light touch. If you want a sense of Midwestern life—and humor—in 2026, this is the spot.

“These are the good old days. Right. Or how do you know that these aren’t the good old days?”
— Garage Logic, [04:14]