Episode Overview

Title: 09-29-25 - We Try To Get Mercury Mania Going w/John Offering $100k To A Random Person We Call For An Impossible Question But Our Phones Don't Work
Podcast: Holmberg's Morning Sickness (HMS), 98KUPD Arizona
Date: September 29, 2025
Hosts and Cast: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Brett Vesely, Dick Toledo, plus assorted station voices

Main Theme:
The hosts attempt to stoke excitement around the Phoenix Mercury’s WNBA playoff run ("Merc Mania") by offering a massive cash prize to a randomly dialed listener—$100,000 (eventually raised to $250,000)—if they can answer an "impossible question" about the team. However, their technical woes with the studio phones both derail and provide comedic fodder for most of the segment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Minnie Mouse Walk of Fame Star & Women’s Recognition (00:21–01:15)

• Brady reads a text questioning why Minnie Mouse got a Hollywood Walk of Fame star given she’s always a supporting character to Mickey.
• He riffs: “It’s like giving Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife a star. She made all her money off him. … Who cares?”
• The hosts joke about the practice of giving stars for association rather than individual merit, drawing parallels with famous ex-wives.

2. Holmberg’s Sports Bets and WNBAs’ Phoenix Mercury Involvement (01:15–04:13)

• Holmberg recounts a previous on-air bet: if the Diamondbacks made the World Series, he’d quit being a Cubs fan—and followed through.
• Another bet: “I said I’d get a tattoo of Brady naked on my chest if [the Cubs] won the World Series. That can’t happen.”
• Attention shifts to the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury; Holmberg offhand promised a tattoo if they won the championship, not realizing their playoff position.
• Brady/hosts riff on little-known facts about the Mercury playoffs, poking fun at low interest and players’ off-season priorities: “Some of the other girls had cruises…” (03:40).

3. Launching “Merc Mania” and the $100,000 Phone Challenge (04:13–06:06)

• The hosts try to whip up “Merc Mania”: “The city is just clamoring for more Merc ball. … Jersey sales through the moon, Brady!” (04:21)
• Holmberg: “I’m gonna put Hubbard’s money on the line… $100,000!” (04:47)
  • Brett: “Tripp is gonna roll over in his grave.”
  • Brady, comically: “He’s not even dead. Yeah, he can fire me, that’d be fine.”
• The show plans to randomly call a local number; if answered and the recipient can answer a WNBA Mercury question, they earn the prize.

4. Epic Technical Fail – The Phones Don’t Work (06:06–15:16)

• Attempts to call out fail repeatedly. “If the phones would work. They don’t.” (05:34)
• Multiple hosts joke and try repairs: “Alexander Graham Bell had a better setup.” — Brady (09:42)
• In-jokes about 1980s phone reliability vs. today and “Fonzie” magic-fix attempts.
  • Brady: “I’ve got a reputation for hitting stuff that’s broken and it goes right back to working again.” (11:28)
  • Brett: “Come on, Fonzie.” (11:33)

5. Escalating the Challenge: From $100K to $250K (10:01–13:46)

• Frustrated, Holmberg ups the ante: “I’m going to boost it up a little bit while we’re waiting. $250,000. I have that much confidence that not a soul will know the answer.” (10:01)
• Hosts discuss how the show would be national news if a rando claimed the giant prize.
  • Mabel: “You’re out of your mind. What if they get it?”
  • Brady: “Great news stories. … We’ll be like Mr. Beast.” (13:37)

6. Jokes on Merc Mania’s “Popularity” and Phoenix Sports (13:58–16:05)

• Comedic riff about the lack of “Merc Mania” in Phoenix: “You see all the people walking around in their merc jerseys… People have the flags on their houses…” (14:13)
• Brady quips: “If you’ve seen a merc flag on anybody, just move. That’s akin to having one of those Palestinian flames. You just got terrorists in your hood.” (14:19)
• Ongoing phone jokes, including a mock switchboard operator routine ("Mabel," an old-timey operator).

7. Stubbornness to Make It Happen & The Bet Rolls On (16:05–18:38)

• Holmberg: “For every day we can’t get the phones to work, it’s another 50 grand to whoever answers my question.” (17:59)
• The group plans to continue the stunt the next day if tech issues persist, with the jackpot rising.

8. Hopes for a Classic Winner (“Merc Mania” Character Bit) (18:38–19:25)

• The hosts imagine the “ideal” winner: “My big dream is that a woman answers, and she’s a little bit rough. … Even still, she won’t know. … I’m hitting right in the center of the planet Mercury.” (18:38)
• Funny impressions of what a true Merc Mania fan would sound like (18:53).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Brady on Minnie Mouse’s stardom:
  “Minnie Mouse—name one Minnie Mouse feature thing. They’re all Mickey movies!” (00:27)

• Holmberg, talking about Mercury fandom:
  “The city is just clamoring for more Merc ball… Jersey sales through the moon, Brady!” (04:21)

• Holmberg, on the $250K confidence:
  “I’m that confident not a soul will know… Quarter of a million dollars of mine and Hubbard’s money.” (10:01)

• Brady, mocking the phone system:
  “Alexander Graham Bell had a better setup. Two people with string and cans has a better setup than this.” (09:42)

• Brady, on Merc Mania ‘hysteria’:
  “If you’ve seen a merc flag on anybody… that’s akin to having one of them Palestinian flames. You just got terrorists in your hood.” (14:19)

• Brett, describing escalating stakes:
  “For every day we can’t get the phones to work, it’s another 50 grand to whoever answers my question correctly. … Tomorrow, $300,000.” (17:59)

• Holmberg’s “ideal” winner:
  “And I hope a lady answers. … She won’t know. … I’m hitting right in the center of the planet Mercury.” (18:38)

Important Segments & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |---|---| | 00:21–01:15 | Minnie Mouse, Bill/Melinda Gates riff; women getting credit by association | | 01:15–04:13 | Holmberg’s sports bets history; Phoenix Mercury playoff situation revealed | | 04:13–06:06 | Launching “Merc Mania” and the $100,000 challenge | | 06:06–15:16 | Multiple failed attempts to place the random phone call; technical and phone jokes | | 10:01–13:46 | Increasing the prize to $250,000; internal debate and comedic tension | | 13:58–16:05 | Joking about Phoenix’s Mercury fever; mock old-timey switchboard bit | | 16:05–18:38 | Stubborn escalation: bet will return and grow daily until successful | | 18:38–19:25 | Imagining the classic “Merc Mania” winner; segment closes with laughs |

Recap for Non-Listeners

The HMS crew’s attempt to capitalize on (and lampoon) the Phoenix Mercury’s playoff run turns into an improv-heavy, self-aware bit about sports fandom, underdog leagues, and radio stunts gone awry. The group riffs on walk-of-fame culture, reflects on their overly bold betting history, and doubles down on giving an “impossible” Mercury question to a random phone number in Arizona for an eye-popping cash prize—only to be foiled again and again by dysfunctional phone lines. The technical disaster becomes the segment’s punchline, with escalating prize money, jokes about the obscurity of the Mercury’s fanbase, and a running gag about the show making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Tone:
Irreverent, quick-witted, heavy on sports sarcasm and inside radio banter. The team embraces the chaos, turning a failed live stunt into a showcase for their chemistry and comedic instincts.