Kennedy Saves the World – "Baseball On The Brain"

Episode Date: October 20, 2025
Host: Kennedy
Guest: Jimmy Faila

Episode Overview

In this lively, freewheeling episode, Kennedy and comedian Jimmy Faila delve into the chaotic joys and frustrations of playoff baseball and American sports culture. The conversation playfully unpacks current postseason drama, deep-seated rivalries, fan behavior, and the ever-present hope (and despair) that defines fandom—especially for long-suffering Yankees and Mariners fans. As humor and sports banter mix, they riff on everything from "hater" moments to questionable stadium heckling, ending with a philosophical pivot on the need for a societal "timeout."

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mariners vs. Blue Jays: Playoff Anxiety and Schadenfreude

• Setting the Stage (00:16–01:50):
  • Jimmy and Kennedy joke about the Mariners’ chances against the Blue Jays, referencing fan rivalries and the Canadian sports environment:
    • Jimmy: "When you lose to the Blue Jays, as a Yankee fan, there's a part of you that wants to grudge F them and just watch them lose... So I was invested in that for about four games." (00:31)
    • They discuss the surprising intensity of Canadian sports fans:
      Jimmy: “Canada's sports fans are the biggest in the world. Do you know how many people have been beaten up at their events?” (01:01)
  • Kennedy jokes about Seattle's more laid-back style and their sporting identity shift:
    Kennedy: "Seattle is now a soccer city. It's not... it was a baseball city for a long time." (01:50)

2. Football Fandom and College Rivalries

• Kennedy celebrates a dream weekend for a UCLA fan:
  • Kennedy: "This was a great sports weekend because UCLA won and... USC lost to Notre Dame... That was like the best Sunday morning ever." (02:15)
• Both riff on the unique satisfaction of rooting against rivals—the joys of being a “hater” in sports:
  Jimmy: "Sometimes sports gives you a perfect opportunity to be a hater. And you had that this week." (02:50)

3. Dodgers Dominance & The Ohtani Spectacle

• They marvel at Shohei Ohtani’s historic performance:
  • Kennedy: "Ohtani just had the great, greatest game in the history of baseball." (03:17)
  • Jimmy: "Ohtani hits three homers in a game, pitches and strikes out ten batters. It's the greatest game ever played." (03:39)

4. MVP Debates and Fandom Philosophy

• A brief, honest appraisal of what motivates both fans and athletes:
  • Jimmy: "If you're the Yankees, it's supposed to be, you know, if you ain't first, you're last. We've had a lot of last. So I don't think the MVP is a consolation prize." (04:19)
• Kennedy considers the bittersweetness of a Mariners possible win: “If they do, then Cal Raleigh gets the MVP.” (03:55)

5. Blue Jays Fatigue, Yankees Misery, and Heckler Tales

• Jimmy details disappointment in both the Yankees’ play and their out-of-control hecklers:
  • Jimmy: "The right field hecklers at Yankee Stadium have been so drunk this postseason... they're just so belligerent that someone was requesting a very specific love act from the right fielder." (05:12, 05:34)
  • He describes the comedic yet cringeworthy stadium environment, closing:
    Jimmy: "I'm down on the Yankee fans. I'm obviously not a Blue Jay fan. I'm kind of just... I'm a sports orphan right now." (06:30–07:02)

6. Finding Meaning: Gambling & Hopeless Fandom

• Jimmy admits that gambling is now his main source of rooting interest:
  • Jimmy: "Well, now there's gambling. Gambling will give you something to root for... In terms of caring about a team right now, there's just nothing." (07:06)

7. Pain of Being a New York Giants Fan

• After a dismal Giants loss:
  • Kennedy: “They were up by 19 points in the fourth quarter. How do you do it?” (07:43)
  • Jimmy: "That's why we can't have nice things." (08:02)

8. From Sports to World Affairs: A Need for "Ice Cream"

• The mood pivots to a deep, humorous analogy between the state of sports fans and world politics:
  • Jimmy: "Politics. I think we just need to... let's go get ice cream... we've been on the playground too long and social media is the playground. No one's listening to themselves anymore." (09:06, 09:09)
• Kennedy recalls a childhood story about misunderstanding gestures, tying it back to the absurdity of maturity and public life. (09:14)

Memorable Quotes

• Jimmy (on Canadian sports fans):
  "Canada's sports fans are the biggest in the world. Do you know how many people have been beaten up at their events?" (01:01)

• Kennedy (on the sports weekend):
  "Waking up with that realization that UCLA won and USC lost... my heart sings a triumphant song for the next few days." (02:28)

• Jimmy (on baseball heroics):
  "Ohtani hits three homers in a game, pitches and strikes out ten batters. It's the greatest game ever played. And all I keep thinking, how much money did he have bet on that game that he turned in that performance?" (03:39)

• Jimmy (describing Yankees fans):
  "Their hecklers are no longer giving them advantage because they're just so belligerent that someone was requesting a very specific love act from the right fielder." (05:34)

• Kennedy (philosophical summation):
  "We've been on the playground too long, and social media is the playground. No one's listening to themselves anymore." (09:09)

Notable Moments with Timestamps

• [01:01] – Jimmy's rant on Canadian sports fans’ surprising aggression.
• [02:15] – Kennedy’s glee at an ideal college football result.
• [03:17–03:39] – Ohtani's legendary game receives breathless praise.
• [05:12–06:30] – Wild tales of Yankees’ hecklers and fan culture gone off the rails.
• [07:43–08:04] – Comic despair over the Giants blowing a huge lead.
• [09:06–09:09] – Kennedy and Jimmy liken cultural exhaustion to kids needing ice cream after too long on the playground.

Closing Tone

With quick wit and salty banter, Kennedy and Faila capture the emotional rollercoaster of sports fandom while weaving in observations on society’s need for levity and perspective. The episode balances mock outrage, nostalgia, and social commentary, serving as a cathartic listen for anyone who's ever mourned a bad loss or just needed a laugh at the absurdity of it all.