Holmberg’s Morning Sickness – Entertainment Drill & Week 14 NFL Picks

Date: December 4, 2025
Hosted by: John Holmberg, with Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo, and special guest Dale Hellestrae
Main Topics: NFL Week 14 Picks, Podcast Updates, Entertainment News, Chuck E. Cheese Christmas Special

Episode Overview

This episode seamlessly blends NFL Week 14 discussions and picks, candid banter among the hosts, and entertainment headlines, all delivered in the signature irreverent Holmberg style. Guest Dale Hellestrae joins the crew for football talk and shares in podcaster in-jokes and light-hearted nostalgia. The show closes with details about a Chuck E. Cheese Christmas special and tongue-in-cheek commentary about pizza places for kids.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NFL Week 14 Picks & Betting Frustrations

Start: 01:47 | Main Picks Segment: 01:47 – 06:04

• The hosts openly reflect on last week’s poor betting performance and line up their hopes (or lack thereof) for this week.

• John’s Steelers disappointment sets a self-deprecating tone:

  “My Steelers were horrible... this team either shows some pride or they disappear.” (John, 01:47–03:14)

• Picks this week are:

  • Larry: Bears over Packers – “Sticking with my boys.”
  • Larry: Cowboys (against the Lions, who are “pretty banged up”)

    “I’ll take the Cowboys with the no points.” (Larry, 02:35)

  • John: Steelers over Ravens
  • Dale: Bills over Bengals – “The win’s more important for the Bills.” (Dale, 03:54)

• A running gag on “manly” bets versus point spreads, with John referencing email backlash:

  “You started bitching about sissy bets. The guy emailed in... I got beat twice because of you pricks. No points.” (John, 02:43–02:53)

• They visualize the payout:

  “So it’s a $3,780 if we hit this.” (John, 04:31)
  “That would be really good. That would be absolutely no chance.” (Larry, 04:40)

• The interplay is flavorfully skeptical, full of ribbing about “heart” picks, past missteps, and how little faith they really have in their hopeful parlay.

2. Football Nostalgia & Family Tech Tangents

Timestamps: 05:15 – 06:04

• Larry and John joke about being unable to get Apple Pay winnings “out” and delegating tech tasks to grandchildren:

  “Even they looked at it. I don’t know how to do this.” (Larry, 05:30) “He’ll figure it out. He’s smarter than you with the phone, I guarantee it.” (John, 05:42)

3. Sports Podcast Update: “That Sports Thing”

Timestamps: 06:24 – 08:26

• John plugs his own spinoff podcast, banters about creative control, and playfully jabs at his co-hosts’ chemistry:

  “Dale joins me later for that sports thing... it’s the Holmberg Sportscast podcast. It’s a podcast for sports...” (John, 06:24–06:45) “I knew I’d make it tick. But having you two in there was like, let’s see if this works. Is there chemistry? It’s going very well.” (John, 07:16–07:25)

• References confusion about the podcast name and where to find it:

  “That sports thing. That’s a tomato thing. That sports thing... you can Google it. Apple, Amazon podcasts, SoundCloud. That’s the one. It’s everywhere.” (John, 07:54–08:11)

4. Entertainment Drill – News & Notable Pop Culture

Timestamps: 09:53 – 12:04

a. Martin Scorsese Developing New Vegas Series

“Martin Scorsese... executive produce a new series on Netflix that’s taking place in Las Vegas.” (Dale, 09:53)
“Scorsese’s gonna do Casino 2025. Yup.” (John, 10:06)

b. Bad Bunny Dominates Spotify Again

“Bad Bunny is Spotify’s most streamed artist in the world for a record-setting fourth year.” (Dale, 10:41)
“Two languages. It’s a big deal... He’s got them by the balls.” (John, 10:51)

• The crew admits generational disconnect from Spotify’s top charts:

  “You don’t know who any of it is. You know how to work Spotify?” (John, 11:03)
  “Fast forward. Fast forward.” (Larry, 11:07)

c. US Podcast Rankings

“US Podcasts on Spotify: Rogan, Womberg, This Past Weekend with Theo Von, Call Her Daddy, Crime Junk.” (Dale, 11:19–11:31)
“It’s a John humble Spike Lee joint... I should have called... it’s a Holmberg joint.” (John, 11:31–11:39)

5. Chuck E. Cheese Christmas Special on YouTube

Timestamps: 12:03 – 13:23

• Surprise talk about the “random Christmas special” not on TV/streaming but YouTube:

  “There’s an animated Chuck E. Cheese Christmas special on YouTube.” (Larry, 12:03)
  “It stars Chuck E. Cheese and his bandmates... who throw Santa Claus a surprise birthday party to lift his Christmas spirit.” (Larry, 12:43)

• Nostalgia:

  “I was there when it was authentic. The animatronic band, that showbiz pizza... now... everything’s digitized.” (John, 12:25–12:34)
  “Why do kids like the most basic pizza?... They’re going for the tour.” (John, 13:03; Larry, 13:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On betting with the heart vs. logic:

  “Three of us voting with our heart. One of us is voting smartly. Probably wise.” (John, 04:14)

• On podcast chemistry:

  “I knew I’d make it tick. But having you two in there was like, let’s see if this works... Is there chemistry? It’s going very well. I’m doing very well with limited resources.” (John, 07:16–07:28)

• On generational divide with music tech:

  “You don’t know who any of it is. You know how to work Spotify?”
  “Fast forward. Fast forward.” (John and Larry, 11:03–11:07)

• On Chuck E. Cheese nostalgia:

  “I was there when it was authentic... the animatronic band... now everything’s digitized.” (John, 12:25–12:34)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• NFL Week 14 Bets & Banter: 01:47–06:04
• Sports Podcast Plug (“That Sports Thing”): 06:24–08:26
• Entertainment Drill (Scorsese, Bad Bunny, Podcasts): 09:53–12:04
• Chuck E. Cheese Christmas Special & Pizza Places: 12:03–13:23

Tone & Style

The episode is typical “Morning Sickness”: sarcastic, quick-witted, and deeply self-referential. Jokes and inside ribbing are constant, but there’s a solid flow from sports to entertainment, always sprinkled with the hosts’ personal quirks and Arizona flavor.

Summary Usefulness:
Listeners get both sports betting context (and the hosts’ humble humor about losing), updates on new entertainment content, and a sense of the warm, teasing camaraderie that defines this show. You’ll catch the sports picks, new Scorsese project, why Bad Bunny still rules Spotify, and where to find a Chuck E. Cheese Christmas special—all with that trademark Holmberg edge.