TBTL #4686: "Doodle, Where’s My Car" (March 18, 2026)

Hosts: Luke Burbank & Andrew Walsh
Main Theme: Navigating the world’s big and small issues—from the history of doodles (the dog kind) and pet ownership anxieties, to the social hierarchy at dog parks, Little League drama, and deep dives into baseball’s cultural meaning.

Episode Overview

This fun and thoughtful Wednesday edition takes listeners on a meandering yet engaging journey with Luke and Andrew. The duo riff on “designer” doodle dogs, pet-parent neuroses, dog park politics, and the new Oxford word “gigil” (cute aggression). The show’s latter half is a rich tapestry of baseball talk: from fantasy teams (hello, Junior Sluggers!) to serious reflection on representation in baseball, local Mariners lore, behind-the-scenes announcer trivia, and even thoughts on the impact of protest signs on freeway overpasses. As ever, it's all delivered with their trademark wit, warmth, and some delightfully unfiltered asides.

Key Segments & Takeaways

1. Opening Banter: Retail Skits, Membership Clubs, and 80s Music

• [00:00–01:30] The episode opens with a classic, loosely-scripted bit at a fictional check-out counter, poking fun at upcharges, commitments, and email sign-ups.
  • Memorable quote:
    A (Luke): “I won’t be talked into any extended warranty ... nor will I be punching in my email address.” [00:11]
• Quick riff on Columbia House Music Club (“various artists of the 80s”—not so much a club, more a business model).

2. Weather Talk & TBTL Little League Update

• [01:45–03:50] Luke gives a hyperlocal update (Madrona Hill, mighty Columbia, weather whiplash). Spring means the return of the TBTL Junior Sluggers Little League, and the latest “Junior Sluggers report” from Coach Ben.
• [03:50–04:50] Introduction of Andrew in “quiet mode” to avoid scaring Bingo the cat, leading to a brief, comic exchange about “arousing” vs. “saltpeter” (potassium nitrate) and how childhood misunderstandings shape adult vocabularies.
  • Quote:
    A (Luke): “It’s oddly conspiratorial and arousing ... I need to go into the anti-arousal zone.” [04:15] B (Andrew): “You thought you were actually salting your Peter?” [06:29]

3. The Social/Genetic Drama of Doodles

• [07:15–15:46] Luke recaps a New Yorker article on the “rise of the doodle” (designer crossbreeds, like labradoodles and goldendoodles), describing how these poodle-mixes went from “unwanted mutts” to white-hot commodity and ultimately, social pariahs in the AKC world.
  • Branding genius: “Let’s just put out a press release that says, we’ve invented a new dog and we’ll call it the Labradoodle.” [08:27]
• The purebred dog world’s animosity toward doodles (“just say no to doodles” signs at shows, protests from poodle purists).
• Explains F1 doodles (first-generation, less predictable hybrids) vs. later, more standardized generations.
• Dog Park Hierarchy:
  The most-respected owners are those who adopt “problem” dogs or those with visible issues (e.g., three-legged rescues), while doodle owners are at the bottom: “...the lowest status people at the dog park are the doodle people.” [15:40]

4. Pet Ownership and Anxieties

• [15:46–19:05] Andrew’s detailed, pre-dog worries: glow-in-the-dark collars, high-viz vests, logistics of pet boarding after a late-night return ("...I don't even have a dog, and I'm already sad about this."). [18:02]
• Luke’s response: "All the more reason to never leave your house." [18:51]
• [19:05–22:56] Talk of local dog park geography (North Acres, Magnuson, Bitter Lake). Bitter Lake is “where I was baptized... in those very waters.” [21:28]
• The mutual anxieties about animal personality mirroring owner’s nature, with Andrew voicing real concern that his anxiety is contagious.

5. The New Word: “Gigil” (Cute Aggression)

• [23:53–26:03] Luke introduces “gigil,” a new addition to the OED—an “intense urge to squeeze something due to overwhelming cuteness." [25:13]
  • Quote:
    A (Luke): “I gigil when I see these labradoodle puppies.”
• Andrew riffs: “It sounds like a giggling eagle, to be honest with you.” [25:26]
• Both discuss the universality (and weirdness) of feeling cuteness so intensely it becomes aggression.

6. Dazzling Donors & Listener Shoutouts

• [27:02–56:09] Time to thank the supporters! Each donor gets a moment:
  • Ryan Hoenick: Moved from D.C. to Seattle. “I turned 40 this year, which feels like something.” [32:12] Looking to meet other TBTL fans (“tens”). [32:34]
  • Aaron Nelson: Celebrated “ambush nuptials” atop Smith Tower—an epic, 8-minute, surprise wedding.
  • Listeners are integrated into the community—recommendations for local meetups, supporting each others’ projects (Magpie Mouse earrings), sharing drops and soundbites.
• [35:40–38:48] Segue into public recognition stories and the fine line between being “famous” and “familiar” in Seattle.

7. Little League Update – TBTL Junior Sluggers

• [58:13–72:33] Full rundown from Coach Ben:
  • Returning players:
    • Fox (“Danger Fox,” aiming for a home run + backflip)
    • Tommy (“T-bone,” improvement arc)
    • Nico, Armani (lightning fast leadoff hitter), Atlas (“Slappy,” “elite dugout vibes”), Ollie
  • New recruits: Crosby (“Shohei Ohtani style two-way threat”), Amos (solid pop, slick glove), Victor (mystery wild card), Nehemiah (“Nemo,” veteran), Zaya (pitcher/hitter/first baseman).
  • Coach Ben’s conclusion: “Will these Junior Sluggers develop into a finely tuned baseball machine or will the first few practices mostly consist of kids throwing their gloves in the air, running the bases in the wrong direction, and asking if it’s snack time yet? Only time and my coaching abilities will tell.” [69:46]
• Considering a TBTL Day At The Ballpark for the community.

8. Mariners Broadcasting & Baseball Deep Dive

• [72:57–101:11] Discussion of Rick Rizzs’ swan song season, local Mariners broadcasting history, speculation about the new TV/radio lineup.
  • Andrew, on Rick Rizzs: “[He’ll] tell a story like this... I said, ‘are you nervous out there?’ He said, ‘no.’ Oh, and that’s a third strike and we close out the second inning.”
• Laughs about the quirks of local sports personalities, Jay Buhner’s “chaos agent” vibe, and the cultural institution that is Seattle baseball.
• [81:23–88:11] Race & Representation in Baseball
  • Andrew nervously, thoughtfully explores an online conversation (retweeted by ex-Mariners announcer Dave Sims) about African American representation in baseball—as distinct from other “players of color” often hailing from outside the U.S. (e.g., Dominican Republic).
  • Luke: “When a lot of the players... are sort of playing for teams from the countries where they were born, you realize that baseball has a lot of white guys... and not a ton of American black players.” [84:56]

9. Political and Social Observations

• [43:05–51:16] Praise for the older folks displaying political protest signs atop I-5 overpasses as a sort of “community wind in the sails,” whether or not it changes minds.
  • Luke: “I always feel slightly better about the world... for me, that’s kind of important—because I go through... sometimes I feel like all is lost and then sometimes I feel like all is not lost.” [48:34]
• Conversation about why sometimes activism is for encouragement/community vs. literal persuasion.

10. Miscellany & Memorable Quotes

• [104:28–106:36] Seattle Times headlines (“Legendary folk singer-songwriter books Chateau Ste. Michelle”—with a giant pic of Bob Dylan—cueing clickbaity journalism debate and a shoutout to the Pope's real-life condemnation of clickbait.
• [27:16] Podcast financial model: “We have just had this amazing luck of the listeners... deciding voluntarily to send money in so this thing can keep going. It’s an amazing little system.” – Luke

Memorable Quotes

• Andrew (pet anxiety): “What if we fly in from vacation and it’s 10:30 at night and we can’t say hello to the dog until the morning? How depressing will that be? ...I don’t even have a dog, and I’m already sad about this.” [18:02]
• Luke (on ‘gigil’): “It’s the intense urge to squeeze something due to overwhelming cuteness... like when I see my niece Gemma, I fully gigil.” [25:13]
• Luke (on protest signs): “It puts some wind in my sails... I always feel slightly better about the world...” [48:34]
• Andrew (reflecting on baseball & race): “That conversation about specifically African American representation in baseball finally clicked for me after having a little seed of a question mark in the back of my brain for a long time.” [84:30]
• Coach Ben (on Little League): “Will these Junior Sluggers develop into a finely tuned baseball machine, or will the first few practices mostly consist of kids throwing their gloves in the air, running the bases in the wrong direction, and asking if it’s snack time yet?” [69:46]

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• Intro/Early Banter: 00:00–01:30
• Weather & Little League Update: 01:45–03:50
• Saltpeter, Childhood Misconceptions: 04:15–06:36
• Doodle Dog History: 07:15–15:46
• Dog Park Hierarchies: 15:46–22:10
• “Gigil” (Cute Aggression): 23:53–26:03
• Dazzling Donor Segment: 27:02–56:09
• Pet Anxiety/Boarding: 15:46–19:05
• Mariners Radio & Baseball Deep Dive: 72:57–101:11
• Race and Baseball Authenticity: 81:23–88:11

Episode Tone & Flow

As always, TBTL walks the line between self-deprecating comedy and insightful cultural commentary. The rapport between Luke and Andrew is warm, nerdy, and humane; they freely blend bits, heartfelt honesty, and the day’s meaningful digressions into a tapestry that’s as inviting for longtime “tens” as new listeners. The tone is candid and, at times, hilariously winding, but always rooted in curiosity and community.

Power out.