Podcast Summary

Holmberg's Morning Sickness – Arizona
Episode Title: Making Toledo Face the Music After His Mariners Lost Game 7 to Toronto And Discussing Why We Do This To Ourselves w/Our Favorite Sports Teams
Date: October 21, 2025
Host & Regulars: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

Overview

This episode is a classic “group therapy” session for sports fans—centered on Dick Toledo’s heartbreak after his beloved Seattle Mariners lost Game 7 of the ALCS to the Toronto Blue Jays. The crew dives deep into the pain and rituals of sports fandom, dissecting why people attach so much of their emotional wellbeing to teams that so often let them down. The show is a mix of commiseration, comic analogies, and candid reflections on the madness of sports devotion.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Toledo’s Mariners Heartbreak: Reliving the Loss

• The crew mercilessly recaps Toledo’s pain, repeatedly replaying the broadcast clip of the Blue Jays’ series-winning home run ([02:59], [17:07], [37:05]).
• “The Toronto Blue Jays beat the only team in base that has never been to the World Series in game seven with a three-run homer… It was so pathetically hard to watch knowing you've got a friend who is all in.” – John ([01:56])

2. Superstition and ‘Jinxing’ in Sports Fans

• The hosts joke that Toledo “jinxed” the Mariners by buying World Series tickets when they went up 2-0 in the series and changing his usual viewing clothes ([06:29], [24:14]), highlighting common sports superstitions.
• "You did that? I was kidding... you actually exclamation pointed that thing." – John to Richard ([24:14])
• The group confesses to their own game-day rituals (lucky clothes, necklaces), knowing it’s irrational but impossible to stop ([25:25] – [26:54]).

3. Why Do We Torture Ourselves With Sports?

• John launches into an extended analogy comparing sports fandom to a toxic romantic relationship:
  • “It's a bipolar girlfriend. You won't leave her... It's the most love and loyalty you can feel for anything in your life. And then it does this to you and ghosts you until next March. It's brutal.” ([05:51])
  • “We would abandon a human being much faster than we will ever abandon a sports franchise. Anybody that makes us feel like this... we’d leave. But sports, we keep coming back.” ([09:02])
• The panelists agree men are irrationally loyal to teams—often more so than to people—and recount how quickly they’ll ditch an emotionally draining person but not a losing team.

4. Rituals, Clothes, and the False Sense of Control

• The guys debate what clothes Toledo wore for the winning games and how his breaking the habit “caused” the loss ([25:41]).
• John recounts his own abandoned Chicago Cubs fandom, exploring the bittersweet act of walking away—and how the draw never completely fades ([11:25]).

5. The Paradox of Sports Happiness

• The hosts discuss how even the joy of winning a title barely makes up for the years of pain, and for most, it’s more relief than euphoria when it finally happens ([23:28]):
  • “When your team does win it all, it's not that euphoric. It just feels nice that it's over and you got one... When they lose, it's just this massive fall off a cliff.” – John ([23:28])

6. Women and Sports Fandom: Observations and Analogies

• A running comparison emerges—men with sports, women with relationships. The hosts posit women would never tolerate being treated like sports fans routinely are by their teams ([20:27], [21:05]).
  • “If they had that sports drive on top of what they're already bringing with menopause... psychosis!” – John ([21:05])

7. Peer Support, Community, and Schadenfreude

• The group admits starting a text thread excluding Toledo the night of the loss, to avoid “telling Suicide Boy jokes” ([24:06]).

8. Mental Health and Fandom

• The team wonders what a therapist (who knows nothing about sports) would make of such masochistic loyalty:
  • “If you saw a therapist... the first thing you do is, 'We got to get you out of here. This is not safe.'” – John ([22:21])

Memorable Quotes and Moments

On the agony of sports heartbreak:

• “Oh, it's just awful... but it's miserable.” – John ([03:11])
• “And then she just absolutely blows everything up, breaks Brady's heart, and disappears for like, five months… and then he's just as involved and even more excited now that that ain't gonna happen again.” – John ([07:37])

On irrational rituals:

• “I have a cheap Steeler's necklace... I wear that on game day and I couldn't find it... Thursday after the game go, ‘Well, we all know why this happened.’ I can't find that necklace.” – John ([26:34])

On the never-ending cycle:

• “You're never going to have that text like, hey, we need to talk. No, you don't get that chance. They show up in their new uniforms, their new cool hats. She expects you to buy those.” – John ([13:00])

On loyalty:

• "Men are idiots when it comes to sports. Last night, I'm sitting there thinking, women have this figured out." – John ([10:26])
• “We're more critical of this woman (the team) than anybody else in the world.” – Richard ([15:34])

On priorities:

• “Which would you rather: Mariners win the World Series, or your kid gets a master’s?" — John
  Richard pauses
  – “Bring on the World Series, come on.” – Richard ([37:44])

Important Timestamps

• [01:40] – Show begins Toledo’s agony tour
• [02:59], [17:07], [37:05] – Key replay of the home run that did in the Mariners
• [05:51] – John’s “bipolar girlfriend” analogy about being a sports fan
• [11:25] – John discusses leaving the Cubs
• [24:14] – Jinx jokes & why buying tickets early doomed the team
• [25:25] – Deep dive into game day clothing superstitions
• [23:28] – Discussion on how winning a title is more relief than joy
• [37:44] – Mariners vs. Master’s degree moment

Tone and Style

• Conversational, irreverent, sarcastic, supportive, and raw—a group of friends processing shared trauma and poking fun.
• Self-deprecating; heavy on analogies (especially romantic and sexual ones) to describe the highs and lows of fandom.

Answering the Central Question

The hosts never fully solve why sports fans keep coming back—but through humor, commiseration, and self-mockery, they show it's part addiction, part tradition, and part longing for that fleeting moment of ecstasy or relief when it all works out.

For Listeners New and Old

Whether you’re a diehard sports fan or just someone who’s watched friends crumble and soar over their teams, this episode perfectly captures the catharsis (and comedy) that comes with unpacking all the emotional baggage—and letting a friend have it when his team breaks his heart.