11-26-25 - Entertainment Drill - WED - w/Dale Hellestrae - What To Expect For This Year's Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

Summary

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Holmberg’s Morning Sickness Podcast Summary

Episode: Entertainment Drill - WED - w/Dale Hellestrae – What To Expect For This Year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
Air Date: November 26, 2025
Guests/Panel: John Holmberg (Host), Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo, Dale Hellestrae

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Episode Overview

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness brings humor, sports nostalgia, pop culture banter, and a preview of the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The crew is joined by former NFL lineman turned broadcaster Dale Hellestrae for their signature mix of playful ribbing, sports memories, and entertainment news, all delivered in their irreverent, conversational style.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NFL Thanksgiving Memories with Dale Hellestrae

• The team dives straight into Hellestrae’s Thanksgiving Day football memories, notably his time with the Dallas Cowboys, discussing classic games, legendary blunders, and career stats.
• Dale and the crew reminisce about memorable matchups:
  • The “Leon Lett Game” Blunder (Miami vs. Cowboys 1993):
    • “That was a goof and that was snowing.” – John Holmberg [01:48]
  • Dale lists his own record: “You were 7 and 4 [on Thanksgiving as a player]...” – Holmberg [01:32]
  • Randy Moss’s dominant rookie performance is fondly (and ruefully) recalled:
    • “He caught three passes for about 210 yards and three touchdowns...” – Dale Hellestrae [02:08]

2. Entertainment Drill: Embarrassing Sports Moments

• The crew discusses an awkward free throw attempt at a Phoenix Suns game by sports broadcaster Kevin Ray (a friend of the show).
• Relentless Teasing: They roast Ray’s embarrassing performance and debate natural athleticism versus “looking like an athlete.”
  • “Why kick the man when he’s down?” – Holmberg [03:46]
  • “I haven’t shot a basketball for years but that’s not true because he was at my house playing...” – Holmberg [04:19]
  • “Had he thrown it [the basketball at me], would have plugged me. I would have dropped like a bat.” – Holmberg [06:13]
• The discussion devolves into playful jabs at Kevin’s “awkward” form, comparing him to stick-figure video game boxers.

3. Pop Culture and Odd News

• Guy Fieri’s Injury:
  • “Guy Fieri blew out his quad. He fell down the stairs in mid-shoot.” – Brady [06:40]
  • They riff on the irony of a celebrity chef needing to be “in shape” just to taste food and film TV.
• AMC Popcorn Pass:
  • “Cyber Monday, you get half off a large popcorn every day of the week plus a refill of soda every day for 29.99.” – Brady [07:52]
  • Holmberg brands it a rip-off, mocking the profit margins on theater snacks.

4. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Preview

• The big segment covers what to expect from this year’s parade.
  • Notable Balloons Mentioned: Labubu (“They’re like Beanie Bears...”), Super Mario, Foreigner (the band), Beagle Scout Snoopy, Bluey, Minnie Mouse, SpongeBob SquarePants, Spider-Man, Sesame Street, Camp Snoopy.
    • “The band Foreigner’s a balloon. Okay. I thought they made balloons out of Lou Graham.” – Holmberg [09:52]
    • “Do you know any of these? Yeah, this is... I don’t know.” – Holmberg [10:08]
  • Performers Previewed: Cynthia Erivo, Lil Jon, and K-Pop group Huntrix.
    • “Lil Jon? ...I’ve heard that name.” – Dale [10:29]
    • “I think she’s K-Pop.” – Holmberg [10:34]
• The segment has everyone gently ribbing each other’s cultural awareness (or lack thereof) and age.

5. Holiday Traditions & Closing Thoughts

• Dale reveals he doesn’t cook for Thanksgiving and prefers to hit the golf course: “Do you get up early on Thanksgiving and help out? ...No, I stay out of the way.” – Dale [10:46]
• Holmberg shares family plans, with typically dry humor about stepmoms, hunting dads, and lunch arrangements.
• Listener Shout-Out:
  • John reads an email from a listener who had to put down his dog, encouraging everyone to give extra love to their pets.
    • “Please give some love to your pups... That’s a tough time to lose one...” – Holmberg [11:12]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On NFL nostalgia:
  “He caught three passes for about 210 yards and three touchdowns. Yeah, oh, that’s right.” – Dale Hellestrae [02:08]

• On embarrassing free throws:
  “He didn’t even hit the rim or back. Johnny.” – Brady [03:55]
  “Had he thrown it would have plugged me. I would have dropped like a bat.” – Holmberg [06:13]

• On Guy Fieri’s injury:
  “Guy Fieri blew out his quad. He fell down the stairs and did a mid shoot.” – Brady [06:42]
  “You have to wheel around for grocery games.” – Holmberg [06:55]

• On Macy’s parade balloons:
  “The band Foreigner’s a balloon. Okay. I thought they made balloons out of Lou Graham.” – Holmberg [09:52]
  “Labubu ... They’re like Beanie Bears.” – Holmberg [09:40]

• Holiday wisdom:
  “Do you get up early on Thanksgiving and help out? ...No, I stay out of the way.” – Dale Hellestrae [10:46]

• Pet loss empathy:
  “Please give some love to your pups... That’s a tough time to lose one...” – Holmberg [11:12]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Cowboys & Thanksgiving NFL Memories: 01:27 – 02:38
• Kevin Ray’s Free Throw Disaster: 03:36 – 06:33
• Guy Fieri’s Injury / Pop Culture Bites: 06:35 – 07:41
• AMC Popcorn Pass Discussion: 07:52 – 08:34
• Macy’s Parade Preview: 08:34 – 10:45
• Thanksgiving Traditions & Sign-off: 10:46 – 11:33

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Tone & Style Notes

• Banter is fast, sarcastic, playful, and distinctly irreverent.
• The crew thrives on self-deprecation and potshots at each other's pop culture knowledge, athletic prowess (or lack thereof), and age.

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Summary

This episode captures Holmberg and his crew at their best: blending local flavor, sports nostalgia, and entertainment news with relentless roasting and laughter. Dale Hellestrae’s anecdotes add a sports insider’s touch, while the Macy’s Parade preview and pop culture jabs keep things light for the holiday season. The heartfelt listener email at the end brings a genuine moment of humanity to the show’s raucous energy.

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Best for listeners who:

• Relish sharp sports talk mixed with goofy, good-natured banter.
• Want a humorous prelude to their Thanksgiving Day.
• Appreciate a head’s up on the Macy’s parade lineup (with a side of snark).

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

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[C]

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[D]

Still streaming Homburg's Morning Sickness online at 98kupd.com no, no, no, Foo Fighters, we're not. We're not dealing with you right now.

[E]

Come on, we got Dale Hulls right here.

[D]

We gotta. We can't waste this.

[E]

No.

[D]

Oh, what's the matter? Oh, here's more. Cowboys are 34, 22 and 1 on Thanksgiving. Cardinals are 6, 15 and 2. That many times on Thanksgiving, you were 7 and 4. As a player, I think we probably.

[E]

Lost from about 90. 97, 98, 99.

[D]

The Leon let game to Miami, which everybody remembers. That was a goof and that was snowing.

[E]

That's actually a Super bowl year. So that's 90. 93.

[D]

93.

[E]

Yep.

[D]

97. You lost to the Tennessee Oilers the only year they were called that.98 to Minnesota in 2000.

[E]

Yeah, Minnesota. That was a. Randy Moss was a rookie.

[D]

They were 15 and one that year.

[E]

And he caught three passes for about 210 yards and three touchdowns. Yeah, oh, that's right.

[D]

He just. Everything was a touchdown and they were deep cruise ship week two, which I don't know. I don't know if that was it. They went to the. They were. That's the Ms. Field goal. And Atlanta got into the super bowl. That was that.

[E]

Yes. Oh, the guy was perfect though. Was perfect all year long. I can see his face. But he's perfect all year long.

[D]

And he missed Gary Anderson.

[F]

Yeah.

[D]

It was okay.

[E]

Yeah. Yes. God, you are so smart and things that don't matter.

[D]

It's so true. I can't even argue that. It is time now for Brady to give you all the entertaining news that he knows. We call it the entertainment drill. Brought to bear, friends. Reactdefense.com the home of tactical black self defense training. They are celebrating 25 years of being the best in the world at what they do. You don't last in this business for 25 years unless you're really good at it. Look around. Every place that does self defense has a new name or a new person or somebody or a new store. Usually it's a cookie store within like a year of it being a self defense place. 25 years and counting for react defense because they know what they're doing and they will teach you all sorts of great stuff for $89 for a month of training. That's an unbelievable deal. Just give you a little taste of what they've got. All the classes that they have are available to you for that month for 89 bucks. That is their 25th anniversary special and it's yours right [e-mail] the home of tactical black Brady entertainment.

[E]

Before Brady goes real quick. We did not address the elephant in the room. You and that's your best friend Kevin Ray's freestyle.

[D]

Why kick the man when he's down?

[E]

I mean, did you see his left shoulder was dipped down. He didn't even hit the rim.

[A]

Why?

[D]

Are you kidding?

[E]

He didn't even hit the rim or back. Johnny.

[D]

He didn't. He hit the backboard.

[E]

Yes.

[D]

On the side. He was shooting a free throw. And I talked to Kevin, it was before the game on Sunday night, he was distracted that the Bidwills were there at all. He said, I can't believe Michael Bidwell was staring at me. They told him about an hour before the game, when you're done with the pre game, get out there, you're gonna shoot the free throw so you can.

[E]

Stretch out a little bit.

[D]

He said, I haven't shot a basketball for years but that's not true because he was at my house playing, Right. And he goes, oh, other than that, I'm like, yeah, so you have. And then I didn't really. You guys were giving him so much on the text thread. You guys were killing the players and it was eating him up. The worst part about it was he missed his first free throw really badly and all he's supposed to get is one. And he's blaming Yeezy, that guy that. The puffy haired guy that he's yelling in my face the whole time I'm trying to shoot. His form was terrible. Chambers gave him nothing but heat.

[E]

Oh.

[D]

And then the ball bounced right back to him. Because when you throw a ball off a wall, hurry. It comes down to you. That's what he said.

[E]

That's what he did.

[D]

And he shot another one and missed again.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

Which was really.

[E]

Well, it just kind of dawned on me because when you say tactical black, you say he fights awkward. We all. We've all seen him swing a golf.

[D]

We're not sure that's golfing.

[E]

And he looks like such an athlete.

[D]

He looks Good.

[E]

Yeah. For 60 years old, he looks really good.

[D]

He looks good for 40 years old.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

Kevin's in great shape. The hair's incredible. I'm still not convinced that's his.

[E]

But athleticism is not his strong suit.

[D]

I don't want to fight you on this. He's strong. He's strong because I've done trained with him up at react defense.

[E]

Well, you said he's awkward, though, and.

[D]

There'S a lot of guys who throw awkward angles. He's one of them.

[E]

Which can be to your advantage. Right.

[D]

You know what he looks like when he fights Kevin Ray? You know those old video games when it was just a stick with a circle in the end? And that was boxing. The way the punches came in, like, weird. Yeah, he does. He hits hard, though.

[E]

Okay.

[F]

Like a Rockham socket.

[E]

Yeah.

[D]

Sort of. Like the hands just kind of shoot out of him like they were. They're not like. There's no like, it's. But it comes at you from a weird. And they're angular, like 45 degrees. I was like, okay, this is a little awkward, but it's, it's. Yeah, he's an interesting read.

[E]

He punches hard. He shoots hard.

[D]

Oh, he shoots basketballs harder than he punches.

[E]

Yeah. And he hits golf balls hard. They just don't go where you want.

[D]

Look, let's just say this. He's thrown a lot of punches at me and none of them have hit that Basketball. Had he thrown it would have plugged me. I would have dropped like a bat. He throws those hard and accurately at walls. He hits something hard with a basketball, it's very rarely a net. Oh, Kevin. Yeah, I didn't want to bash him. Why did you do this?

[E]

Well, I just brought it up.

[D]

Okay, Ray, it was. It was terribly embarrassing.

[E]

All right. Entertain us.

[D]

All right, go ahead, race.

[F]

I just. This is going to make your giddy for the Thanksgiving weekend.

[D]

Okay?

[F]

Guy Fury blew out his quad.

[D]

He fell down the stairs and did a mid shoot.

[F]

Yeah, he was filming and he stumbled on some steps and tore his quad. Out for eight weeks in a wheelchair.

[D]

Out for eight weeks. You have to taste people's food. You have to be in shape.

[F]

You have to wheel around for grocery games.

[D]

That's a show that fat people like other people shopping because you're normal.

[F]

Twice out at that. That bash is parked.

[D]

People got excited for it. Like Gilbert got excited that Guy Fieri was going to go grocery shopping with cameras.

[F]

I don't know.

[D]

Did you go to one of them? You showed up at one, didn't you?

[F]

I was there all day.

[D]

You went to a guy ferry going to the grocery store?

[F]

No, I went by and I saw him set up there and I. Not shopping today.

[D]

Yeah, but you're watching shopping.

[F]

If Guy was there.

[D]

Guy Fury's a fraud. Go ahead.

[F]

Dale's got a great story.

[D]

All right.

[F]

Well, exciting.

[E]

You got a bunch of stories there, Brady. Well, you're gonna shuffle through.

[D]

Go ahead, let him. This is your thing.

[E]

Yeah.

[F]

AMC is selling in AMC Popcorn Press. It's a pass, basically. Cyber Monday, you get half off a large popcorn every day of the week, plus a refill of soda every day for 29.99.

[D]

On Cyber Monday?

[F]

Yeah.

[D]

$30. You get popcorn forever because popcorn costs a penny.

[E]

Isn't amazing.

[D]

It's only for a year, not forever.

[E]

And it's freaking. What, $9 for a medium?

[D]

29 for popcorn. If you go to 29 movies, they still made money. It costs like 5 cents for a bucket of popcorn.

[F]

It'll start on Cyber Monday, but you could still get in on it after.

[D]

That too, because it's a scam.

[E]

All right, well, I got this thing that Brady gave me. Have no idea. Tomorrow's Thanksgiving Day parade. John, do you celebrate Thanksgiving?

[D]

I know it exists.

[E]

Yeah. I mean, do you wake up early in the morning?

[D]

I try not to do anything.

[E]

Is your dad, mom coming in?

[D]

I'm having lunch with my mother today. Mother and my father. And the lady has sex with are going to be here next week.

[E]

That's your stepmom.

[D]

All right, if you want to tell her stepmom, that's as close as you're going to get, okay? Not my mom, Dale.

[E]

And he's. Your dad's a hunter.

[D]

I'll show you the picture. Yeah, he clobbered something.

[E]

I had a buddy at SMU's, my roommate who would kill a deer every Christmas break. Yeah, and that was his entire food for the second semester.

[D]

Oh, no kidding.

[E]

I mean, make it into sausage and make it into burgers and make it into whatever, but wow. Anyway, Thanksgiving, Brady. You enjoy it, right?

[F]

Macy's Day parade.

[E]

Okay, Macy's Day parades coming up. And it includes Labubu.

[D]

The Labubus? They're a prize. That's a gift. Kids like you don't have a Labubu.

[E]

I've never heard of a Labubu.

[D]

Oh, they're going for thousands, right? No, they're like Beanie Bears.

[E]

How do you know that?

[D]

I know everything, Dale.

[E]

Super Mario and Foreigner. There's a total of 34 balloons in the lineup.

[D]

The band Foreigners. A balloon. Okay. I thought they made balloons out of Lou Graham.

[F]

Foreigners Gonna float by.

[D]

Lou Graham already made himself a Balloo.

[E]

Beagle Scout, Snoopy, Bluey, Minnie Mouse, SpongeBob SquarePants, Spider Man.

[A]

Told you a two day week would have been great.

[D]

Do you know any of these? Yeah, this is. Yeah. I don't know.

[E]

Include Sesame Street, Camp Snoopy.

[D]

These are old men naming balloons.

[E]

Laura. Don't tell me you haven't watched.

[A]

I'm leaving with Frank and they're leaving right now. I'm walking out the door.

[E]

And then performers include Cynthia Arivio.

[D]

You don't know anything. Wow.

[E]

Little John.

[D]

You don't know Lil John?

[E]

I. I've heard that name. The singing voices of Huntrix.

[D]

I don't know that one. I think she's K Pop. Did you call it Kapop? That's where we end today. Let's go.

[F]

Great coverage, Dale.

[D]

Do you get up early on Thanksgiving and help out?

[E]

No, I stay out of the way.

[D]

Yeah, smart.

[E]

I might go hit some golf balls.

[D]

That's even smarter. Good thinking, Dale. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

[E]

You too.

[D]

I'll try. All you boys do the same. John G, you enjoy yours. Keep tuning up for next Tuesday because you're in the money. No whammies. Yeah, and that screw up our bets and have a lovely time. Everybody out there, happy Thanksgiving as well. And I got an email from a guy right before named Thomas Gower. Says give your listeners and animals extra love and cookies today. We had to put down our boxer this morning, two massive seizures. So we had to do what the hardest thing in the world to do. So please give some love to your pups. Absolutely. By all means. A couple cookies to your dog Evendale for Thomas Gower and his dog. And this is a. That's a tough time to lose one. I've done that before on Thanksgiving. It sucks. We're done. Larry's next. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. See you Monday.

[E]

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[D]

He said fully erect 98 hey, it's Larry McFeely.

[C]

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[D]

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