Elis James, Mike Bubbins, Steff Garrero and The Socially Distant Sports Bar are always in search of a legacy. And this week is no different.

Will it be literary? Perhaps the boys will be remembered for introducing new expressions into the English language, with "trudge state" surely destined to become part of the sporting vernacular.

Will it be social? Is the true legacy of Distant Pod the fact that you can walk into almost any pub in Wales and there's a reasonable chance you'll find a Patreon subscriber with his top off, proudly honouring the podcast?

And trust us, you probably don't want to know.

Somewhere amongst all this legacy building, there's actually some sport.

Mike brings us NHL goalkeeper Devin Cooley, Elis explores the increasingly blurred lines between rugby and football, and Steff has a reminder that sometimes the best thing you can do is just run anyway.

Clips

Mike: Devin Cooley

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DesbRZzCe-o/?psln=MTdmNzExdHlpdDgwZw==

Elis: Rugby/Football

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Degg1ywoDPd/?srtk=MXV1YXZ2MTV3NTJnOA==

Steff: Run Anyway

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DerMLJxlbuh/?dlrf=MXNhdWlkM3hxb25wbA==

Language. Legacy. Topless men in Welsh pubs.

The Socially Distant Sports Bar. Building a legacy, one ridiculous conversation at a time.

Part 2, Hang It In The Louvre, will be out on Friday, featuring a fascinating Netflix documentary about the world of chess and a book about the building of one of football's greatest dynasties.

And if you want the entire episode early and advert-free, including our exclusive Bonus Club episode, subscribe to Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts.

Thanks for listening.

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

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🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

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Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.

We've been back through our archive of episodes and we've selected our favourite stories, anecdotes and funny bits.

If you're new to the pod, then feel free to use these as a jump off point to find your way around our earlier episodes.

This clip is taken from "Episode 221: The Jackets of Paul Heaton with Elis & The Rock"

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the second half of this week's Socially Distant Sports Bar with Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero.

This week, Mike's documentary selection takes us back into the life of one of the podcast's most enduring figures.

Michael Owen.

Yes, that Michael Owen.

The man who has already inspired an entire Distant Pod spin-off is back in our lives, and this time we're getting to know him rather better.

Documentary of the Week

Mike: Meet The Owens

Mike has chosen Meet The Owens, the Prime Video documentary series following former England striker and Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen, his family and their horse racing business.

Away from football, the series gives us a look at Michael's home life, his ambitions in racing and the rather different world he's built since hanging up his boots.

And the big question for Elis, Mike and Steff is whether spending more time with the man himself might actually change their opinions.

After years of Michael Owen's Movie Club, are we finally starting to understand him?

Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?

And, most importantly, does the Movie Club now need a new name?

Almost certainly not.

https://link.amazon/B0d1l7kgQ

Book of the Week

Steff: Running Up That Hill by Vassos Alexander

Steff heads in an altogether more physically demanding direction with Running Up That Hill, Vassos Alexander's account of the extraordinary world of ultra-distance running.

From mountain races to the legendary Spartathlon, Alexander explores why otherwise sensible people voluntarily sign up to run distances that most of us wouldn't particularly fancy driving.

It's a book about endurance, obsession, adventure and the peculiar satisfaction of discovering just how far your body can go.

And, naturally, the sort of conversations that follow when someone who enjoys running ridiculous distances brings a book about other people running even more ridiculous distances to a podcast.

https://link.amazon/B03URJdSO

Michael Owen and ultramarathons. Two very different kinds of endurance.

That's it for the regular feed this week.

If you want Part 3, The Ronaldo of Pigeon Shooting, it's available exclusively to Distant Pod Bonus Club subscribers on Apple Podcasts, along with early and advert-free episodes every Tuesday.

Thanks for listening.

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero are back in their respective studios after their trip to Clapham, and there's still plenty to discuss from their adventures in London.

While Elis was bolting across the capital to get back for childcare, Steff was making an equally urgent dash for the toilet. Meanwhile, Mike was enjoying a period of sobriety that lasted right up until he spotted a pint of Madri.

Several pints later, he's holding court on a train and somehow managing to steal a job from Elis as Great Western Railway's Cymru Connector.

A remarkable career change, given that he was supposed to be having a quiet weekend.

There's also an extensive discussion about erotic fiction before the boys finally remember they're supposed to be making a sports podcast.

Finally, some sport!

Mike brings in some rugby referees who might benefit from reconsidering their approach to the job, Elis has NFL legend Jason Kelce trying his hand at rugby, and Steff finds former Premier League striker Papiss Cissé taking Sunday league football rather more seriously than anyone expected.

Clips

Mike: (Some) Rugby Referees

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeXEW7SirYX/?mdxt=OHIzbmI2ZjJ2NjZu

Elis: Jason Kelce Plays Rugby

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeXFVbKjYEf/?cplk=d3c4YjRseHZtZm0y

Steff: Papiss Cissé Takes Sunday League Too Seriously

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeZSoW2Jeu8/?rpxt=NG1lbHFmZHpob2gy

Trains. Toilets. Erotic fiction. Papiss Cissé.

Another perfectly normal week at The Socially Distant Sports Bar.

Part 2, That's My Sense of Humour, will be out on Friday, featuring a documentary about an old friend of the podcast and a book about running an extraordinarily long way.

And if you want the entire episode early and advert-free, including the exclusive Part 3, subscribe to Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts.

Thanks for listening.

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.

We've been back through our archive of episodes and we've selected our favourite stories, anecdotes and funny bits.

If you're new to the pod, then feel free to use these as a jump off point to find your way around our earlier episodes.

This clip is taken from "Episode 302: Piccalilli's Like Pegging"

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back at The Cheerful Earful Festival in Clapham for the second half of our live show, and this time we've brought in someone who actually knows what they're talking about.

Kate Mason is back!

The brilliant journalist, broadcaster, podcaster and previous Socially Distant Sports Bar guest joins Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero for more sporting clips, stories and the sort of conversations that are almost certainly better conducted in front of a paying audience.

Kate brings in the magnificent Shane Williams and a reminder of what happens when England football fans discover Oasis.

Meanwhile, Mike has uncovered some boxing involving Bailey and Judith.

If you haven't heard Part 1, go back and start there. You'll also discover why Mike might not be the most popular man in certain Edinburgh pubs.

Clips

Kate: Shane Williams

https://youtu.be/IRaTsrmzhPI?is=3lOFE_0uBltBptN1

Kate: England Wonderwall

https://youtube.com/shorts/VwM_jKnmqHU?is=5rkDEmo8BSBiiA1-

Mike: Bailey and Judith Boxing

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdmloGWxld1/?stkn=bzVpN2QwOGZvanQx

That's it for the regular feed this week.

But there's more!

We've kept back a bonus Q&A for our subscribers, including a quite remarkable number of questions about The Race.

You can hear it through Distant Pod Bonus Club on Apple Podcasts, or find more exclusive Distant Pod content at:

https://www.patreon.com/distantpod

Thanks to everyone who came to Clapham, to the Cheerful Earful team and, of course, to the brilliant Kate Mason.

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the first half of our live show from The Cheerful Earful Festival in Clapham, available early and advert-free for Apple subscribers.

Elis James, Mike Bubbins and Steff Garrero are back on stage, where Mike has a slightly awkward Edinburgh double-booking to explain.

Once that's dealt with, there's Mike Ditka, some questionable half-marathon preparation and the usual amount of nonsense.

Mike: Mike Ditka

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTrMqi7Di6m/?igsh=MWQ1dXJqaTA2MDlmag==

Elis: Half-Marathon, Half-Cut

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeL1cYwxBAb/?stkn=cnJ4ZDRyYXZlNm41

Part 2, featuring special guest Kate Mason, is also available on Friday, along with the exclusive Bonus Club Q&A on Apple

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.

We've been back through our archive of episodes and we've selected our favourite stories, anecdotes and funny bits.

If you're new to the pod, then feel free to use these as a jump off point to find your way around our earlier episodes.

This clip is taken from "Episode 152: A Circle Thank"

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the second half of this week's Socially Distant Sports Bar, where Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero turn their attention to the documentary and book of the week.

This time we're travelling back to 1988, when England's future football stars were being moulded at a residential school in Shropshire, before heading across the Atlantic to meet a man who helped create the only perfect season in modern NFL history.

Two very different approaches to sporting excellence. Both involving a considerable amount of shouting, presumably.

Documentary of the Week

Elis: 1988 — Life at the FA School of Excellence

Elis has uncovered a wonderful piece of BBC archive footage from 1988, following a group of 14-year-old footballers arriving at the FA's School of Excellence at Lilleshall.

More than 400 promising youngsters are offered trials, but just 16 are selected for two years of intensive football training, schooling and life away from home.

Under the watchful eye of FA Technical Director Dave Sexton, the boys are being prepared for careers in professional football at a time when the modern academy system was still a distant dream.

It's a fascinating glimpse into football development in the late 1980s, complete with the hairstyles, training gear, coaching methods and extraordinary confidence that only British television of that period could capture.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=viEnIRCR0hU&pp=ugUHEgVlbi1HQg%3D%3D&ra=m

Book of the Week

Mike: Head On by Larry Csonka

Mike heads to America with Head On, the autobiography of legendary Miami Dolphins fullback Larry Csonka.

A Hall of Famer, two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the toughest players of his generation, Csonka was at the heart of the Dolphins' extraordinary undefeated 1972 season.

But this is about considerably more than American football.

Csonka recounts his complicated relationship with legendary coach Don Shula, the personalities and excesses of the NFL in the 1970s, and a life away from sport that was frequently every bit as eventful as anything that happened on the field.

It's a story of toughness, ambition, larger-than-life characters and an era when professional athletes appeared to live by an entirely different set of rules.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Head-Memoir-Larry-Csonka/dp/1637743254

Sixteen teenage footballers in Shropshire. One enormous American footballer in Miami. And three middle-aged Welshmen discussing how it all went.

Thanks for listening.

For even more from The Socially Distant Sports Bar, including extra episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/distantpod

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another week at The Socially Distant Sports Bar, where Mike Bubbins, Elis James and Steff Garrero once again tackle the big sporting issues of the day. Or at least watch some clips and see where the conversation takes them.

This week we're heading across the Atlantic for a bit of ice hockey, digging out some tennis rackets that should probably have stayed in the garage, and bringing together two of football's greats.

Mike takes us to NHL opening night, where the Americans once again demonstrate that nobody does sporting spectacle quite like them.

Steff has found Andy and Jamie Murray attempting to play tennis with some decidedly old-fashioned rackets, proving just how much technology has changed the game — and how difficult it is to look like a world-class tennis player when your equipment belongs in a museum.

And Elis brings us Roy Keane and Zinedine Zidane. Two footballing legends.

Clips

Mike: NHL Opening Night

https://x.com/Buccigross/status/2105017215724798320

Steff: Andy and Jamie Murray Hitting With Old Rackets

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hVnyflisJN8

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oJdm7PL-GcI

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bd-bTgqOPHs

Elis: Keane and Zidane

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeJ9KWQsF7T/?hl=en-gb

Ice hockey. Wooden rackets. Roy Keane. Zinedine Zidane.

Blood and guts. And probably quite a lot of nonsense.

Thanks for listening.

For even more from The Socially Distant Sports Bar, including extra episodes, bonus content and everything else from the Distant Pod universe, join us on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/distantpod

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Pint-Sized Distant Pod.

We've been back through our archive of episodes and we've selected our favourite stories, anecdotes and funny bits.

If you're new to the pod, then feel free to use these as a jump off point to find your way around our earlier episodes.

This clip is taken from "Episode 293: George Lewis"

🛍️ NEW MERCH ALERT

We’ve launched a brand new merch store — mugs, hoodies, prints and more!

If you fancy supporting the pod that way, head here 👇

🛒 sdsb2025.myshopify.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.