The Rangers are Christmas shopping like the rest of us: broke, stressed, and pretending everything’s fine. Norm breaks down how Texas tries to rebuild a contender on a budget that shrank faster than your paycheck after holiday gifts… and spoiler: it’s not pretty.

Then we pivot into college football, where 61% of teams get bowl bids now—because apparently eligibility is just a cute suggestion. Coaches are fleeing, players are portal-hopping for NIL checks, bowl games are being declined like a bad Tinder date, and conferences are fining their own teams for saying “nah, we’re good.”

It’s festive chaos. And Norm is wondering—loudly—if the “good old days” are starting to look a lot better in the rearview mirror.

CHAPTERS

0:00 – Norm Wonders About Rangers Christmas Shopping & CFB Chaos

0:22 – Sponsor: Fluent Financial

1:26 – The Rangers’ Annual Holiday Tradition: Not Enough Money

2:01 – A Team Full of Holes & a Wallet Full of Nothing

2:22 – Budget Reality Check (Except for the Dodgers, of course)

3:25 – Attendance Drop = Big Ouch for Ray Davis

4:08 – $25 Million Gone… Like Hot Dogs at a Doubleheader

4:20 – The TV Revenue Problem That Keeps Revenuing Nothing

5:06 – The Rangers’ Budget Math: It’s Giving ‘Spreadsheet Panic’

5:54 – Shopping for a Catcher: Please Be Cheap

6:30 – Searching for a Quality Starter on a Clearance Rack

7:01 – Evan Carter’s Back & The Outfield Problem

7:47 – The Bullpen Needs… More of Everything

8:59 – Closers Cost HOW MUCH?!?

9:27 – Can You Cobble Together a Bullpen Twice?

9:51 – Rangers’ Christmas Shopping Deadline: Yesterday

10:32 – Sponsor: Bob’s Steak & Chop House

10:54 – Sponsor: Full Moon Healing Balm

11:47 – College Football: 84 Teams in Bowl Games (Yes… 84)

12:16 – 61% of Teams Make Bowls… Participation Trophy Season

12:51 – Some Bowl Games Are Absolutely Junk

13:00 – Five-Win Teams Are Bowl Teams Now. Sure. Why Not.

13:21 – Kansas State & Iowa State Say “No Thanks” to Bowls

13:39 – Why Coaches Leaving = Bowl Game Bailouts

14:11 – Transfer Portal Chaos & NIL Checks Everywhere

15:10 – Players Skipping Bowls: Protect the Bag

15:38 – Big 12 Fines Two Teams $500K for Saying No

16:25 – College Football’s Dysfunction in Full Holiday Bloom

17:38 – Notre Dame vs ACC Drama (Because Why Not?)

18:21 – Longing for the ‘Good Ol’ Days’ (Yes, Even the Cheating)

18:56 – Final Sponsor Message

19:18 – Norm’s Closing Thoughts

19:49 – Mary Signs Off

19:59 – Stolen Water Media Production

Norm wakes up on a Monday and immediately chooses violence… toward the College Football Playoff Committee. In today’s episode, he tries to make sense of a ranking system that apparently pulls names out of a decorative bowl, rewards three-loss teams, and somehow decided James Madison is the belle of the postseason ball while Notre Dame and BYU get left standing outside holding the corsage.

If you thought the BCS was bad, congratulations — we’ve upgraded to BCS: Reloaded, now with bonus nonsense. Norm breaks down the committee’s “logic,” why head-to-head apparently matters only when it's convenient, and how a game played in AUGUST somehow shaped December rankings.

Spoiler: Norm is unimpressed. Mary is unimpressed. You will be unimpressed.

Grab your coffee. Or a helmet.

⭐ CHAPTERS

0:00 — What Was the Committee Thinking?

0:23 — Sponsor Message

1:28 — ESPN and the Praise Parade

2:10 — Remembering the BCS

2:37 — How the Playoff Is Supposed to Work

3:14 — Notre Dame, BYU, Utah, Vandy, Texas… OUT

4:06 — James Madison… IN

5:36 — The Clause That Broke the System

6:16 — Reviewing the Rankings

6:29 — Miami Jumps Notre Dame

7:53 — Early-Season Wins Suddenly Matter

8:36 — Body of Work Ignored

9:29 — BYU Gets Snubbed

10:14 — Alabama the Three-Loss Darling

11:08 — Comparing ‘Bama and Texas

12:11 — Playoff Matchups Begin

12:30 — Ducks vs. James Madison

13:37 — Sponsor Message

14:52 — Full Moon Healing Balm Plug

15:14 — Closing Thoughts

Check us out: patreon.com/sunsetloungedfw

Instagram: sunsetloungedfw

Tiktok: sunsetloungedfw

X: SunsetLoungeDFW

FB: Sunset Lounge DFW

Norm tries to make sense of the Cowboys’ Thursday night meltdown — a performance so bad it should come with a warning label. Between the defense taking the night off, the offensive line playing like they were on strike, Pickens running routes like he’s jogging a 5K, and penalties that felt like performance art, Dallas somehow turned a winnable game into a flaming 44–30 disaster. Playoff chances? Yeah… those packed up and moved out.

But don’t worry — Brandon Aubrey kicked really far, so everything’s fine. Totally fine.

CHAPTERS:

0:00 – Cowboys Faceplant Against the Lions

0:22 – Sponsor: Fluent Financial

1:24 – Aubrey Kicks While Everyone Else Crumbles

1:50 – Calling the Performance “Junk” Is Generous

2:07 – Defense? Nowhere to Be Found

3:01 – Secondary Gets Cooked

3:36 – Coverage Assignments From the Twilight Zone

4:03 – Detroit Runs Wild

4:32 – Offense Settles for Field Goals… Repeatedly

4:59 – Offensive Line Disaster Class

5:22 – Run Game Goes Missing

5:43 – Pickens Has a Night to Forget

5:58 – Penalties: The Gift That Keeps Ruining Everything

6:16 – Turnovers for Dallas, None for Detroit

6:42 – Playoff Picture? Crushed.

6:55 – Must-Win Scenario Fantasy Land

7:47 – The NFC East Dream Dies Again

8:07 – Fans Suffering, Players Should Be Too

8:27 – The Tape They’ll Watch Through Their Fingers

8:48 – Sponsor: Bob’s Steak & Chop House

9:29 – Full Moon Healing Balm Ad

10:43 – Sponsor Wrap-Up

11:05 – Follow the Show

11:36 – Norm & Mary Sign Off

Check us out: patreon.com/sunsetloungedfw

Instagram: sunsetloungedfw

Tiktok: sunsetloungedfw

X: SunsetLoungeDFW

FB: Sunset Lounge DFW

It’s Wednesday, December 3rd, and Norm is just wondering why the NFL insists on giving us a Thursday night matchup between two teams clinging to the playoff picture like a wet paper towel on a ceiling fan. Cowboys vs. Lions: one has momentum, the other has medical bills. One’s getting healthier, the other’s putting half their offense on IR. And yes—both somehow still have a shot at the postseason.

Norm breaks down just how desperate this “Survival Bowl” really is, why Detroit looks like a MASH unit, and why Dallas might accidentally stumble into relevance again. Then he pivots to the SEC, where Lane Kiffin is doing what Lane Kiffin always does: saying his “heart” is in Oxford while packing his bags for Baton Rouge and taking half the campus with him. Prayer? Please. Kiffin made his mind up before the postgame Gatorade dried.

It’s snark, it’s football, it’s Norm not buying a single ounce of coach-speak. Enjoy.

Chapters

00:00 - Norm Sets the Table for the “Survival Bowl”

01:24 - Cowboys & Lions: The Playoff Picture No One Wants

02:09 - Win and You’re Alive, Lose and You’re Compost

02:48 - Momentum: Dallas Is Hot, Detroit Is… Whatever the Opposite Of That Is

03:30 - Lions Go From “Contenders” to “Yikes” in Record Time

04:15 - Detroit’s Injury Report Looks Like a Hospital Directory

04:59 - Cowboys’ Injury Report: Basically No One Important

05:44 - Sponsor: Bob’s Steak & Chop House (Because Football Stress Requires Meat)

06:29 - Sponsor: Full Moon Healing Balm (Norm’s Battle with Blotches)

07:50 - Lane Kiffin: “My Heart Is at Ole Miss… Unless LSU Pays Me More”

08:35 - Why Kiffin Totally Lied About “Praying on It”

09:13 - Assistants Leaving Faster Than Fans After a Blowout

10:04 - The $12M Wink-Wink Nudge-Nudge Decision

10:47 - Norm Calls Kiffin’s Drama Exactly What It Is: Poppycock

11:19 - Sponsor Break #2

11:41 - Norm’s Sign-Off: Follow, Share, and Join Him for More Wondering

Check us out: patreon.com/sunsetloungedfw

Instagram: sunsetloungedfw

Tiktok: sunsetloungedfw

X: SunsetLoungeDFW

FB: Sunset Lounge DFW

Welcome back to Just Wondering with Norm Hitzges, where reality, logic, and actual numbers take a back seat to Cowboys optimism and ESPN’s interpretive math.

In today's episode, Norm dives head-first into the financial fever dream that is the Dallas Cowboys' upcoming offseason—specifically how they plan to keep newly beloved star wide receiver George Pickens, who has played so well that Jerry Jones is already drooling enough to short-circuit a microphone.

But wait—there’s more:

➡️ ESPN claims you can be both the underdog and the favorite in the same football game.

➡️ A college playoff graphic boasts 108% probability, suggesting someone at ESPN is using wishful thinking instead of a calculator.

➡️ Meanwhile, the Cowboys salary cap situation looks like someone tried to pay their rent, car payment, and a yacht out of a checking account with $47 in it.

If you love football, chaos, questionable math, or just enjoy watching reality slowly unravel—this episode is for you.

Chapters:

0:00 Good Morning, It’s Time to Panic About the Salary Cap

0:30 Mary Reads the Ad That Pays the Bills Jerry Jones Can’t

1:34 Meet George Pickens: Talented, Difficult, Worth the Drama

2:19 The Steelers Said ‘Good Luck’ and Dallas Said ‘We’ll Fix Him’

3:13 Pickens vs. Lamb? Yes. Yes He Is.

4:13 So… How Do We Pay Him? Asking for a Friend Named Jerry.

5:12 Salary Cap: Also Known as Fantasy Land Accounting

6:04 The Franchise Tag: AKA The Fastest Way to Make Pickens Furious

7:26 What Does a Happy Pickens Cost? (Hint: A Kidney)

8:21 Meanwhile: Dak, Lamb, and the Entire Roster Already Cost a Fortune

9:15 Add It Up: Ten Players. 272 Million. No, That’s Not a Typo.

10:58 Free Agents? Oh… Right. Them.

13:57 College Football and the ESPN Math Olympics

14:49 Wait—How Is a Team Both a Favorite AND the Underdog?

15:55 108% Chances… Because Apparently Numbers Are Feelings

16:53 Sponsors, Sanity, and Signing Off

17:45 Follow, Share, and Wonder With Us (Preferably With Correct Math)

Check us out: patreon.com/sunsetloungedfw

Instagram: sunsetloungedfw

Tiktok: sunsetloungedfw

X: SunsetLoungeDFW

FB: Sunset Lounge DFW

It’s the Friday after Thanksgiving, and Norm is full of turkey, family time, and—for the first time in a while—something that resembles Cowboys optimism. After an electric win over Kansas City, Norm breaks down why Dallas suddenly looks like a postseason threat… if they can claw their way into the playoffs. From third-down brilliance and wide-receiver chaos to a surprisingly clean game from Dak and a breakout performance from late-round and undrafted players, Norm digs into what made this win different. He also highlights the “no-name Cowboys” stepping up in a big way and why personnel man Will McClay deserves a thank-you note and maybe a medal. With the Lions, Seahawks, 49ers and Packers still looming, Dallas needs help—but for now, fans can allow themselves just a little hope.

Chapters:

00:00 – Wondering if the Cowboys are actually playoff dangerous

00:18 – Sponsor Break: Fluent Financial

01:21 – Thanksgiving, family, and a wild football game

01:58 – Why that win felt different

02:36 – Third-down efficiency: the hidden game-winner

03:25 – Pickens + Lamb: coverage nightmare

04:12 – Penalties, penalties, penalties (looking at you, Kansas City)

04:58 – Offensive line dominance & zero sacks on Dak

05:58 – Mahomes threw four touchdowns and still lost

06:48 – The playoff picture: hope… but math

07:36 – Can Dallas close the gap on Detroit, Seattle, San Francisco, and Green Bay?

08:00 – Sponsor Break: Bob’s Steak & Chop House

08:43 – Full Moon Healing Bombs

09:18 – Trade deadline difference makers

09:59 – The unsung heroes: overlooked players making real contributions

10:46 – Nate Thomas steps up at left tackle

11:36 – Ryan Flournoy, Rodney Stewart, and Malik Davis proving their value

12:19 – Developing a two-back system

13:09 – Special teams standouts & blocking tight ends

13:54 – Hidden roster wins and the Will McClay effect

14:54 – Sponsor Break

15:16 – Subscribe, share, repeat

15:30 – Norm (and Mary) sign off—and keep wondering

15:57 – Production credit: Stolen Water Media

It’s Thanksgiving week, which means football, family, and pretending you’re not silently judging everyone at the table. On today’s episode of Just Wondering, Norm asks the big seasonal question: What on earth is going on with the Kansas City Chiefs? Are they collapsing? Are the Cowboys suddenly good? Are we all sleep-deprived and delusional? Quite possibly yes on all counts.

Norm breaks down playoff math that somehow feels like advanced calculus, compares two teams desperately trying to look competent, and politely implies that both could either make a run or implode gloriously. From Patrick Mahomes’ accuracy crisis to the Cowboys’ “maybe-sort-of-kinda-fixed” defense, we’re sorting through the chaos so you don't have to.

Grab a plate and a pie slice big enough to emotionally support you — it’s football season.

⏱️ Chapters

00:00:00 – Thanksgiving, Football & Existential Fear

00:01:21 – The Cowboys: Fixed? Or Just Lucky?

00:03:00 – Playoff Math Nobody Asked For

00:04:38 – A Totally Reasonable Plan (Maybe)

00:06:02 – Norm’s Skin Cream Story (Still More Stable Than the NFC)

00:06:38 – So… The Chiefs Might Be a Dumpster Fire

00:08:30 – Stats: The Lies We Tell Ourselves

00:10:45 – Missing Players & Mild Panic

00:11:39 – Did Kansas City Figure It Out? (Uh-oh.)

00:12:22 – The Big Question: Who Implodes First?

00:13:03 – Sponsors, Steak, and Stress

00:13:25 – Subscribe Before the Playoffs Get Worse

Check us out: patreon.com/sunsetloungedfw

Instagram: sunsetloungedfw

Tiktok: sunsetloungedfw

X: SunsetLoungeDFW

FB: Sunset Lounge DFW

It’s Monday, November 24th, and today Norm is just wondering: when was the last time the Dallas Cowboys delivered a win that made fans scream, throw things, swear they were done, and then pretend they believed all along?

Because after falling behind 21–0 — complete with a failed fourth-down attempt, a fumbled punt, multiple drops, and enough self-inflicted pain to qualify as performance art — somehow, someway, the Cowboys decided to be a football team again.

From there? Dallas chipped, clawed, and lucked its way back into what turned into one of their most meaningful wins in years — a 24–21 comeback over the defending Super Bowl champs, the division rival Eagles, and the team that’s made the NFC East feel like a one-team league.

So… what does it mean?

A turning point?

A false alarm?

A setup for heartbreak on Thanksgiving?

Well, buckle up — because Norm breaks down the chaos, the odds, and exactly what a path to the playoffs looks like now that this team has decided losing isn’t as fun as we all feared.

For now? We savor it.

For exactly three days.

CHAPTERS

00:00 — The Question: Was That the Biggest Cowboys Win in Years?

00:00:25 — Sponsored Calm Before the Football Trauma

00:01:29 — The First Quarter: A Live Tutorial on How Not to Play Football

00:03:05 — 21–0 and Still Pretending Everything’s Fine

00:03:55 — The Shift: Philly Trips, Dallas Sort of Wakes Up

00:04:38 — Finally, a Touchdown (And Hope… The Dangerous Emotion)

00:05:45 — The Second Half: Drops, Chaos, and One Beautiful Explosive Play

00:06:39 — Fielding a Punt at the Two: Bold Strategy, Cotton.

00:07:37 — Fourth Down, No Field Goal, Because Drama

00:08:21 — So… How Big Was That Win?

00:09:04 — Steak. Wagyu. Sponsor Time.

00:09:41 — Full Moon Healing Balm (Football Stress Not Included)

00:10:24 — Beating the Champs, Not Folding, and Actually Looking Alive

00:11:12 — Dak in God Mode: 19 Straight NFC East Home Wins

00:12:03 — The Playoff Math: Hope, Delusion, Same Thing

00:12:21 — Final Thoughts, Thanks, and Deep Breaths Before the Chiefs

00:13:13 — Mary Signs Off with Reason and Sanity

00:13:24 — Stolen Water Media Production (And Therapy Reminder)