The LNBE Podcast
Mike Rispoli presents: The LNBE Podcast. "LNBE" stands for "Literally Nothing, But Everything" and the goal is to touch on what his thoughts and opinions are…just like every other podcast...
The LNBE Podcast
Episode 32 - Nothing but Labor Day Laughs, Fall Flavors, and Fantasy Football
What if you woke up in a panic thinking it was a workday, only to remember it’s a holiday? Join me, Mike Rispoli, as I recount my own humorous Labor Day mishap and explore the rich history behind this significant holiday. Discover the intriguing origins of Labor Day, learn about the roles of the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, and hear my thoughts on the Haymarket Affair and the persistence of child labor—longer than alcohol prohibition, believe it or not! With my candid reflections and signature humor, this chapter sets the stage for a fascinating journey through time.
Ever wondered how accurate at-home COVID-19 tests really are? I share my recent struggle with the virus and urge you to seek medical testing to ensure you’re on the safe side. As the leaves turn and the air crisps, I delve into my love for fall flavors—celebrating pumpkin over apple—and the challenge of finding a good, sugar-free pumpkin-flavored coffee. This chapter also marks a personal milestone: my year-long sobriety. Yet, I still relish the memories of fall-themed alcoholic drinks and now seek equally satisfying non-alcoholic alternatives.
Football fans, get ready! This episode features my insights on fantasy football strategies, key NFL players, and my skepticism about the Buffalo Bills. From Justin Jefferson and Jamar Chase to sleeper picks like James Cook, I cover it all. I also share my Super Bowl predictions and my excitement for underdog teams like the Lions and Texans. Whether you're here for the seasonal musings, personal reflections, or football enthusiasm, this episode offers something for everyone. Tune in for a rollercoaster of humor, history, and heartfelt moments.
If you would like to share your opinion, send an email to lnbemedia@gmail.com
hey, what's going on, everybody, and thanks for tuning into another episode of the lmbe podcast, where lmbe stands for literally nothing but everything. I'm mike rispoli and let's get into this bitch. So, speaking of bitch, we are now in September, which means the Dog Days of Summer are officially coming to a close and on the day I'm recording this, it's Labor Day here in the US. So hopefully you aren't like me and you just randomly woke up in a panic, thinking that they forgot to set their alarm because they had to go to work or school, just to find out that we had a free day off. And then they went from well, fuck everything. To it's a beautiful morning. And then they went from well, fuck everything to it's a beautiful morning.
Speaker 1:But I realized that in my 28 years of life and for as long as I've been going to school or work, I obviously always knew that Labor Day was a thing, but I never understood, like, where it came from. Like I always thought it was just a day that companies gave the workers like hey, we know we don't pay you high enough wages to counteract the rising interest rates and inflation, but while you work, your asses off so we can continue to live the good life. We just want to throw you a pizza party, but the government actually told us that we had to give you a day off. So here you go. You know what? It's a little bit more than that and, according to my Wikipedia research, it actually celebrated to recognize the American labor movement and the works of the contributions of laborers to the development and achievements in the United States. So, all right, I don't know if you guys are going to find this interesting, but I actually did decide to kind of like look up some stuff to actually know what Labor Day is celebrated for, because, if you're like me, me you actually didn't know why we even had the day off. So I mean, feel free to fast forward if you're going to find this boring, but according to what I found, beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. Like quote unquote, labor day was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City In 1887, oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday by the time it became an official federal holiday. In 1894, 30 states in the US officially celebrated Labor Day. Apparently, canada has a Labor Day too, and it celebrated the first Monday of September also, which is the same day. The US celebrates it, and more than 150 other countries celebrate International Workers' Day on May 1st, the European holiday of May Day, which was chosen by the Second International of Socialist and Communist Parties to commemorate the general labor strike in the United States and events leading to the Haymarket Affair. So actually that's interesting. So that means that America actually started this trend of Labor Day in other countries. So look at us. Look at us being the trendsetters of the world.
Speaker 1:And actually I actually do know a little bit about what the Haymarket Affair was. I think it happened in like 1886. And it was initially meant to be a peaceful protest because people were tired of working like such strenuous hours. Sounds familiar, right? I mean, that's pretty much all of us nowadays. So back then people were tired of the same shit that we're tired of now. But back then it was actually a way to ensure that there was an eight hour workday. So I don't know how long the typical workday was back in the 1800s, but they were working way more than 40 hour weeks. I could tell you that. But here we are all bitching about a 40 hour work week, or at least I do. But then some person in the protest was like, hey, let's actually fuck some shit up, and they threw a bomb, which then led to police like having gunfire and all this stuff. I think like 20 people ended up dying. I think 15 people were arrested, but yeah, so I guess that's why there's an area of chicago that's considered a landmark, because it's due to this event that happened back in the 1880s.
Speaker 1:But this is also really interesting because I would have thought that Labor Day would have come out of the Muckraker movement, which was from the 1890s to the early 1920s. And if you guys don't know what the Muckraker movement was, essentially it was a bunch of people, or journalists rather, who were taking it upon themselves to disclose all of the horrific shit that was going on within, like the factories and the corporations and all this stuff. Like there's a book called the Jungle by Upton Sinclair and this book just completely exposed all the horrific working conditions that people were under, like working in factories or like certain corporations. All this shit, and a lot of it, actually came from the meat processing plants where people's food were just being contaminated and all this stuff. And apparently nobody fucking takes that into account, because look at all the fucking E coli and listeria outbreaks that we got going on nowadays. So if that ain't proof that history just repeats itself, I don't know what is.
Speaker 1:But what's even more insane is that the muckraker movement actually led to the disbandment of like child labor, and I don't think child labor in the uS officially stopped until like the late 1930s. Oh my God, think about it this way Fucking alcohol was illegalized before child labor was, so you had alcohol being the fucking biggest problem in the 1930s or the 1920s whenever it became illegalized, but children could still crawl into like conveyor belts and machines and you had kids in coal mines and that was all fine, but alcohol was a massive problem and honestly it's crazy because the prohibition was actually started by women If it wasn't for the Women's Christian Temperance Union back in 1874. Now I actually understand why they would have created this union, because a lot of men they were coming home from like the saloon or whatever it was, and they were just coming home drunk as fuck and beating the shit out of their wives. So women were just like hey, hey, alcohol is like the devil's work. It's causing our husbands to be abusive and it's fucking up our family lives. So if we promote abstinence, maybe all of these domestic issues will go away. So what they used to do was they used to set up like I guess you could call it protests, but they really weren't protests, it was just like a group of women, and what they would do is they would just go in front of saloons and just sit down in prayer.
Speaker 1:But what's crazy is a lot of this actually ended up leading to the women's suffrage movement, and women like Margaret Sanger and, I think, susan B Anthony came out of this, and if it wasn't for Margaret Sanger, the contraceptive pill would never exist, and arguably, without Susan B Anthony, women wouldn't have the right to vote of this, and if it wasn't for margaret sanger, the contraceptive pill would never exist, and arguably without susan b anthony, women wouldn't have the right to vote. So a lot of good did end up coming out of this movement. However, I just think it's so fucked up that the maternal instincts were just not there, like they were fighting for their own rights. But then it was also just like but fuck our kids, our kids can still go die in the factories and whatever. I don't know. There's some sort of a discrepancy there. There's some sort of a disconnect, I don't know. But do with that information with what you will, alright, I think I gave you guys enough of a little history lesson there, but I can't be the only one that thinks that's actually kind of crazy. So if you guys do find it interesting, if you want to reach out, you can email me at lmbemedia at gmailcom.
Speaker 1:But if you guys can't tell, my voice is back, so I'm officially no longer sick. Thank God it turns out that I actually had COVID, and the only reason I know because I actually did take an at-home test and it came back negative. But I was talking to my sister and my aunt who were sick, and they both said that they had the same symptoms as me. My aunt took an at-home test. She came back negative. My sister, I think, went to urgent care or something. She got a test done and hers came back as positive. So I do not know how accurate these at-home tests are anymore, just due to whatever variant of COVID we're on now.
Speaker 1:But if you guys are sick, just do your due diligence, maybe actually go to a doctor and get a test done, because you just can't really tell anymore and I just think it's wild that I essentially went three years without getting COVID and now all of a sudden, in 2024, I got it twice. So if you're feeling any sort of a cold or a flu, you may as well just go get tested for covid, because you really just can't tell anymore. But I just feel bad because I initially got a negative test so I didn't think I actually had covid and thank god nothing actually happened. But I ended up going to work with covid and god forbid if I had given it to somebody with a pre-existing condition or someone who wouldn't fare too well. If they got COVID and they got it from me, I would have felt so fucking bad. Thank God that was not the case. But you just really got to do your due diligence and just be careful out there.
Speaker 1:But okay, we are in September, so we've officially reached peak white girl season, where the oversized sweatshirts and the Ugg boots come in. And it's funny because dudes make fun of women wearing that shit. Meanwhile they act like their attire is untouchable. Meanwhile their version of basic fall attire is a quarter zip sweater and Timbs. So you're essentially just wearing the male version of an oversized sweatshirt and Uggs you stupid fuck. But who am I to say anything? I actually don't even own a quarter zip. So I'm allowed to say this and I can make fun of you. I do own a flannel, though I will admit that.
Speaker 1:But the big debate, I think, during the fall is apple or pumpkin. But I personally got to go pumpkin because you can get apple flavored shit year round. I mean, you're not going to make a pumpkin pie on 4th of July, but you will make an apple pie. So just for, like the limited edition aspect of it, I gotta go pumpkin during the fall and honestly, I don't give a fuck. My basic white bitch is definitely coming out and I'm here for it because I fucking love pumpkin. I think I've said this before, but even if I didn't, I'll say it again I'm a bitch for pumpkin and I'll whore out and I'll tie my flannel in a front knot to get its attention.
Speaker 1:Pumpkin spice got me acting like tracy morgan in the longest yard. But you know, having said that, I really don't think I would do very well in prison, if I'm being honest. Sorry, all right, but I don't know about you guys, but my problem is I'm actually too much of a health nut to be drinking fraps and lattes and all that shit, because I just don't want the added calories with the sugars or all the diddy sauce. No. But I drink my coffee black because I also live in a state of self-loathing and I can only get pumpkin flavored grounds at the store because I feel like all the pumpkin flavored coffees you get at any shop it's just due to like whatever syrups or creamers that you get. So I feel like I'm kind of limited. So if anybody has any other ideas on how I can get my fix man, so I can also indulge in coffee-type drinks, then you got to let me know. But what I'm truly waiting for is for these non-alcoholic beer companies to come out with fall flavors, like that would be the shit. Like I've been over a year like no alcohol now. That would be the shit. Like I've been over a year Like no alcohol now.
Speaker 1:And the hardest time that I actually have not drinking Is actually during the fall, because it's late at night or in, like the October months, you're sitting by a fire. There's nothing better than just like having like a glass of whiskey or something with you or maybe like an October fest or something like along the nature of just like Something that's going to have a little bit of bite to it. Oh man, I actually saw one recipe on Instagram or something where somebody was using hard cider mixed with some sort of like a cinnamon whiskey. I don't know if it was Jack fire or fireball or something, but they used cider with the, with those cinnamon whiskey, and then they top that off with like cinnamon sticks, apples and pears and they made some sort of like a sangria out of it and I'm like that sounds fucking bomb. So like that's the shit that I'm into.
Speaker 1:I don't really give a fuck about lemon like for the summer. I don't even like what what's winter? Like peppermint? Like peppermint can go fuck itself. I like mint-flavored shit, but it's not something that I'm gonna avidly seek out like. As much as I like a thin mint Girl Scout cookie, I would much rather have a gingerbread cookie. Come at me, haters. I don't give a fuck, that's just my preference. You do what you want. I just prefer the warm spices of fall. So if a fucking non-alcoholic beer company could just come out with a non-alcoholic fall flavored beer that would be lit and with fall, that means that for the next six months, my Sundays are booked because it's finally football season, t-minus six days from when I'm recording this thing and, honestly, I would like to also indulge in having a beer with my boys while I'm watching a fucking game. Can we fucking do that, please?
Speaker 1:Oh, but speaking of football season, I gotta be honest, I'm going hard in the paint with it this year. I mean, tell me you aren't getting any pussy without telling me you aren't getting any pussy without telling me you aren't getting any pussy. Well, I'm in three fantasy football leagues and I'm also doing a survivor pool. So if that doesn't explain my fucking life, I mean, at this rate, the only box I'm going to be filling is a Super Bowl box, but I digress. Some might call it a gambling problem, but like Michael Jordan, I actually call it a competitive problem. I mean, in one of my fantasy leagues I've come in third place in like the past three years, and last year I did the survivor pool and I came in second. So this is what I'm hoping is more of like my redemption year.
Speaker 1:But for any NFL fans out there who listens to this podcast, I think this is one of the weirdest years, and I'm actually having some real trouble figuring out on who to take from my fantasy leagues, because when it comes to players like I know he's ranked high, but I don't know if I would want to take him. And that's Justin Jefferson, because, as a wide receiver, who the fuck is actually throwing him the ball? Is JJ McCarthy out for the season? And then I saw that they signed some guy named Brett Whatisnuts who's pretty much like a nobody. I don't even know who the fuck this guy is. So if that's the case, then Sam Darnold's gonna get the start, and that means that half of the targets that Jefferson's gonna get is gonna end up in an interception. So is Jefferson really worth having on your fantasy team this year?
Speaker 1:And then another wide receiver that I'm not sure if I want to choose is Jamar Chase, because I don't know if he's still holding out, like what's the deal with his contract negotiations? Is he going to be playing for the Bengals? Is he going to be leaving? Like what's the deal with him? And I'm also like trying to figure out what the running back situation is. I think if anybody's going to have like a bounce back year, it's going to be Saquon. I think Barkley's probably your best pick, because even though Kelsey's no longer on the Eagles, that offensive line is stellar.
Speaker 1:I think James Cook on the Bills might be a sleeper pick, because who the fuck does Josh Allen have to throw to now besides Kincaid and Knox? So if you're looking for a guy who's probably going to get a lot of touches this year, it's probably going to be James Cook. I don't know if I would want to choose Derrick Henry, because I feel like there's just so many mouths to feed on that Baltimore team and with Lamar's running ability and, let's be real, henry's kind of getting up there in age, I don't know how many touches he's actually going to get now. He's still like the top power back in the league. So the upside is he's probably going to get a like couple touchdowns. But I just don't know. I don't know. I don't know what the dynamics of this team is. So I think a lot of the guys who did really well last year probably aren't going to do as well this year. But I also think that this year is going to provide a lot of sleepers. So I have no idea what to expect this year. I think it's going to be an exciting season.
Speaker 1:Although one thing's for sure I'm done trying to root for the fucking Bills. They can never seem to get it done. Now Josh Allen has nobody to fucking throw to Because Diggs went to Houston and I think Gabe Davis went to Jacksonville. So it's like what the fuck? I don't think the Bills are going to be the top in the AFC East. I think the order actually might go depending on how well Miami can fucking play in the cold, because we saw what happened last year in the playoffs. But I think it actually might go Miami Jets-Bills-Pats for the AFC East this year. That's going to be my prediction and it's funny because everybody's asking me who I think is my early picks for the Super Bowl this year. I really don't know.
Speaker 1:I think it's obvious that the clear favorites are the Kansas City Swifties. I think the Lions have a real shot. I think the Bengals if Jamar Chase can stay on the team and if Joe Burrow can fucking stay healthy they're the only ones that have proven to beat the Chiefs in the past. So I think the Bengals have a good shot. I think the Texans could probably be a sleeper pick. Cj Stroud has shown that he's more than capable. If I had my choice. I would want to see like maybe the texans and the lions in the super bowl. I'm I really like that lions team. I really like dan campbell. If dan campbell can just learn to take the fucking points instead of going for it on fourth down, I think the lions have a real chance. I think jared goff continues to be one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the league. I don't think people really give him his props. He's already been to the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1:The problem is they lost a game that was just a dogfight of a Super Bowl against the Patriots. I mean, that game ultimately ended up just being which defense was going to come out on top, and it ended up being the Patriots. Thank God for my case. But oh, oh, oh no, I'm changing my mind. I changed my mind. I want to see the Lions and the Chargers. The Chargers only have one Super Bowl appearance in their franchise history and the Lions have never even been to a Super Bowl.
Speaker 1:Everybody's thinking like, oh, if the Chiefs three-peat, that could be really good for the league, because the Chiefs are the moneymaker in the league and people want to see the winning. No, no, no. I am honestly so sick and fucking tired of the Kansas City Swifties. And you can argue that I'm just a salty Pats fan, because as a Pats fan, if I couldn't see the Pats three-peat then I don't want to see the Swifties three-peat. But that's actually not the case. I actually would rather see some good teams who are nobodies. I mean, think about it. The Patriots were essentially nobodies until they started winning in the 2000s. Now, arguably you could also make the same case for the Chiefs, because I don't know if they've won a Super Bowl since before Patrick Mahomes Actually, wait, no, I'm wrong. I actually think they won a Super Bowl back in 1970. So, unlike the Pats, they did have prior success.
Speaker 1:And you know what?
Speaker 1:Fuck it. I'm gonna come out and say it. I honestly think Justin Herbert is way more likable than Patrick Mahomes. I don't give a fuck how good Mahomes is. Now, before all of you come at me, re-listen to what I said. I said likable, I didn't say more talented. Mahomes is easily the best quarterback in the league. Arguably, he's probably going to be the greatest of all time if he can beat Brady's success. I don't necessarily see that happening because of Andy Reid's age, but and also Travis Kelsey's kind of getting up there. So who the fuck is Mahomes going to throw to in the next like five years? So'll see what happens.
Speaker 1:But I think herbert is just way more likable because he's just way more humble. Like I watched that fucking quarterback documentary netflix put out and mahomes is just such an arrogant son of a bitch. Holy shit like he's good, but he also knows he's fucking good and I think I said this in the past which is what made brady a little bit more likable. You might have only hated him just for the fact that he just won so much, but the dude was humble. The dude always had the fucking work. How many years did people say, oh, brady's too old, or brady can't really throw the ball deep, or all this fucking bullshit? Meanwhile, right from the moment that mahomes stepped on a field, everybody was jizzing all over his fucking talent, which explains all the glaze that people give him.
Speaker 1:But do you know who Mahomes could never beat when it mattered? And that was Mr Tom Brady. Tom Brady beat Mahomes in the AFC Championship in Arrowhead in 2018. And then in 2020, he also beat, also beat. Now, granted, that was technically a home game, but he also beat my homes in the fucking super bowl. So I want to hear it. I'm gonna just come out and say how could you claim to be the best when you couldn't also beat the best when the best player of the time was also 20 years older than you? Make it make sense? Oh well, you know. By that logic, then, eli Manning is technically the GOAT because he beat Brady twice in the Super Bowl too Well, you know what?
Speaker 1:Fuck that argument? Because, asante Samuel, if you were to make that interception and, oh wait, the Pats probably win that game. Also, the fact that they missed that sack on Eli for him to throw up that Hail Mary pass to Tyree for that famous helmet catch, go fuck yourselves. And before the throw got off, he should have been sacked Also in 2012,. If Wes Walker makes that fucking catch in the end zone, the Pats win that game. And again another defensive breakdown In that 2012 game. That's when that game. And again another defensive breakdown in that 2012 game. How the fuck Manning was able to make a pass in that sort of a window to Manningham? Go back and look at that fucking catch. There's no way you get two defenders on Manningham. How the fuck does nobody at least deflect the ball? Like both games were defensive breakdowns. It was not on Brady, and you know what.
Speaker 1:Call me a hypocrite for not saying this about the Patriots, but you know what? The Patriots are also my team, so of course I want to see them win, but I really just want to see somebody other than fucking Mahomes in the fucking Super Bowl, like my God, all right, going back. Let's go back to talking about the Chargers for a second. Let's go back to talking about the Chargers for a second. The problem is because the Chargers are just so mid as an organization. People kind of sleep on Justin Herbert because it's crazy. You look at his stats. I think he's literally at 500 for his career since he started. But now the Chargers actually have a competent coach in Jim Harbaugh. So I think the Chargers could possibly be like a sleeper pick too.
Speaker 1:So I don't know, I just want to see a team, anybody, anybody who could potentially beat the Chiefs, and if it's not the Bengals who's proven to do it in the past, then I think it could be the Chargers. I think the Texans just still need a little bit more time to develop a bit. Cj Stroud is a great talent, but he might have his sophomore slump, which also tends to happen with a lot of these NFL players. So you just never know. Another sleeper pick who I think maybe makes the playoffs but probably doesn't get farther than that is probably the Jets. Now it's funny, I know I'm talking a lot about AFC teams pick who I think maybe makes the playoffs but probably doesn't get farther than that is probably the Jets. Now it's funny, I know I'm talking a lot about AFC teams, but honestly I'm thinking of AFC teams because I just want to see somebody in the AFC beat the fucking Chiefs.
Speaker 1:But I mean, aaron Ayahuasca Rodgers is still Aaron fucking Rodgers. The dude can still play at an elite level. If you don't think he can, come at me. I mean the dude was almost ready to play with an Achilles tendon tear at the end of the season. I mean that's freaking crazy. That is unreal. Nobody's ever fucking done that before. I don't even when Kobe tore his Achilles tendon. I don't even think he came back in that same season and the football season is significantly less time than a basketball season. So Aaron Rodgers is on some other level shit. But I just think.
Speaker 1:Um, I think the problem with the, with the Jets, is I think I think Garrett Wilson's a dog, but I I just I think Brees Hall is a is a dog, but I think they just need a few more weapons. Obviously, they probably need some help in O-line, considering the fact that in two plays Aaron got fucking demolished and then he was out for a season. So I think that's going to be their downfall. But yeah, those are my picks. My early picks for the Super Bowl are the Chargers and the Lions. I think those are the two teams that probably want it the most. The Lions definitely want it the most. I think Dan Campbell probably gets coach of the year. Um, as for comeback player of the year, it's probably going to be Aaron Rodgers, if he can stay healthy, or maybe it's even Joe Burrow, because Burrow was pretty much out for the season as well. So I don't know, I think it's going to be a really interesting year and I just cannot wait to sit my ass down on Sunday and just start watching some of these games.
Speaker 1:I got to think about who I'm going to pick for my survivor pool this week. I'm thinking Tampa Bay, not really sure If you guys have any ideas on who I should maybe pick for my survivor pool this week. Actually, maybe that's something we could do, where I tell you who I'm thinking about choosing. Then you guys could tell me if I'm an idiot or not. So maybe that's something that you guys could write in about. But I think that does it for me this week. So if you guys like what you hear, please share it with a friend, write up a review, give me that five star rating. Don't forget to like, subscribe and follow me on whatever podcast platform you're listening to this on, and also feel free to check out my socials. You can find me on Instagram and TikTok at the LNBEPod. And with that, I hope you all have a great week. Thank you for listening and I'll catch up with you next time. Thank you.
