Podcast Summary: Holmberg's Morning Sickness (12-28-25)

Episode Title: John’s Worried About His Ping Pong Ball Size Testicles - July 2013 - Brady Rescued A Praying Mantis And Loves Roadkill - Oct 2021
Air Date: December 18, 2025
Hosts: John Holmberg, Brady Bogen, Bret Vesely, Dick Toledo

Episode Overview

This episode of Holmberg’s Morning Sickness on 98KUPD sees the crew diving deep into their trademark mix of crude humor and offbeat banter. The central themes include John’s concerns about his testicle size, Brady’s unusual relationship with wildlife (featuring the infamous praying mantis rescue), and a surprising confession regarding roadkill. Along the way, the hosts riff on male anxieties, animal rights (or lack thereof), and their own peculiar habits, all with irreverent energy and a few memorable punchlines.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Testicle Size Anxiety & Male Body Comparisons

Timestamps: 00:40 - 08:52

• John Holmberg kicks off with a thread about worrying over whether his testicles are abnormally large ("ping pong ball size") and the ensuing male anxiety about what’s "normal."
• The guys joke about comparing their own to various fruits and sports equipment, citing studies and Wikipedia for average size (2 inches in length mentioned at 02:08), and ribbing each other for worrying at all.
• Commentary is laced with self-deprecation (e.g., “I was cursed with a very average wiener and extra ball skin”; 05:40), and riffs about the lack of social stigma (06:14: “I don’t think that offends guys. If I said you have a little wiener, you’d be worried. But if I say you have little balls, it’s no big deal.” – Chuck).
• Extended visual gags and mental imagery: the “long bag” analogy (01:51 - 03:00), the need for a “ball lift,” and jokes about getting a Samsonite handle to manage saggy scrotal skin (07:00 - 07:23).

Notable Quotes

• Chuck (03:35): “Maybe Pileen was just worried that his sack was too… Hey guys, I read a story. The balls, they not supposed to be the size of small baseballs.”
• John (04:01): “Does anyone understand this chart? No.”
• Chuck (06:14): “I don’t think that offends guys. Like, if I said you have a little wiener, you’d be worried. But if I say you have little balls, it’s no big deal.”

2. Brady and the Praying Mantis: Animal Rescuer or Bug Warden?

Timestamps: 09:21 - 18:19

• Brady shares his story about catching a praying mantis and keeping it temporarily at his home, feeding it live crickets (09:42). The hosts mock him relentlessly for going out of his way to “save” bugs.
• Chuck presses Brady for details—where he captured the mantis (at Joe’s Farm Grill, 17:43), and the logistics of bringing it home in a cup—calling his behavior “bananas” and “insane” (18:08).
• The conversation shifts to ethical questions about keeping wildlife captive for “education,” and the crew prods Brady about being a “sociopath” for feeding live crickets to the mantis for Kirby (his daughter) to watch (14:12: "You're creating a sociopath.").

Notable Quotes

• Chuck (10:08): “Now you’re telling a story about a boring video. Nobody cares about a praying mantis eating a cricket ever. You know how mentally deranged you have to be?”
• Chuck (13:33): “He took something from where it wanted to be, stuck it in a well, fed it, made it put lotion on, and then said, it’s just for a couple days. I’ll just keep it. That’s what you are. You’re a bug Jame Gumb.”
• John (17:20): “Hey, Brady, you know why I don’t have a praying mantis in my garden anymore? Because jackasses like you keep pulling them off the stucco.”

3. Roadkill Rescue: Helpful or Weird?

Timestamps: 18:48 - 24:54

• Brady confesses to having once carried a shovel in his car to scoop roadkill (squirrels, raccoons, even cats and dogs) to the side of the road so other animals could eat them or to clear a mess for drivers (21:01).
• The rest of the crew is baffled and disturbed, insisting this is not normal behavior (“You’re going to get rabies! Go take a bath, I don’t want you in here with us.” – Chuck, 20:23).
• Chuck and John point out that even in rural Montana, no one does that—most just keep driving.
• The conversation ends with Brady sheepishly insisting he hasn’t done it in Arizona and probably won’t again (24:24: “Okay, good. So you’ve stopped this behavior. Society wins.”).

Notable Quotes

• Chuck (20:23): “You’re going to get rabies! Go take a bath, I don’t want you in here with us.”
• Chuck (24:08): “You guys don’t have a shovel in your car to scoop roadkill? No, I’m normal. And that’s detrimental to like a child too.”

4. Tangents: Oculus Gaming and Other Shenanigans

Timestamps: 15:54 - 17:20

• Quick detour as the hosts compare Oculus VR gaming experiences and default to jokes about VR pornography.
• Bret mentions “Roadhead: The Game” as a potential VR racing game/joke (16:38).
• The team connects this discussion back to Brady’s penchant for odd behavior, calling him a “weirdo” with “weird tendencies” (16:41).

Notable Quotes

• Chuck (16:41): “Roadhead. I’d play Roadhead, the game… That’s the second most insane thing you’re doing behind the praying mantis, which is actually playing games on the Oculus.”
• John (17:09): “If he comes [to my neighborhood] dressed as a chubby praying mantis for Halloween, I’m calling the cops, Brady.”

Memorable Moments & Running Gags

• Ping Pong Ball Testicles: The episode title’s core gag drives much of the early banter, with recurring anxiety about whether “ping pong ball” sized is normal, and how nobody really asks their doctor about this stuff.
• Praying Mantis as Prisoner: The crew paints Brady as a suburban Dr. Frankenstein—or Silence of the Lambs’ Buffalo Bill—giggling over the “bug well” keeping the mantis in captivity.
• Roadkill Shovel: Brady’s revelation that he’s handled roadkill is met with shock and disgust, and becomes a new yardstick for weirdness among the group.
• “You’re a weirdo”: At least half a dozen times, Chuck or John straightforwardly declare Brady “crazy,” “bananas,” or “a weirdo,” with Brady unflappably defending his choices.

Useful Timestamps

• Start of testicle size conversation: 00:39
• Wikipedia average testicle size: 02:04
• One-testicle trivia (Schwarzenegger/Hitler): 04:33
• Bag/sagging skin jokes: 06:33
• Praying mantis story begins: 09:21
• Harshest bug prison jokes: 13:33
• Oculus tangent: 15:54
• Brady’s roadkill confessions: 18:48
• “You guys don’t have a shovel in your car?”: 24:08

Final Tone

True to Holmberg’s Morning Sickness, the tone is uncensored, honest, and occasionally juvenile, with the conversation roaming freely across topics. The episode is a showcase for the group’s camaraderie: they roast each other’s quirks mercilessly, but ultimately, it’s all in good fun.

Who Should Listen & Why

Fans of irreverent, uncensored morning radio, or anyone who enjoys male panel comedy riffing on bodily anxieties and bizarre life choices, will find a lot to laugh at here. This episode particularly highlights the show’s signature ability to turn mundane worries or oddball habits into uproarious group therapy.