Ten-year-old Jimmy Maley was explaining the size of the guest room in his basement where he and 11-year-old Henry Zotti do their podcast.
“It’s probably around the size of like – obviously, you have a refrigerator,” Jimmy said this week. “It’s about 10, 12 of those.”
Apparently, that’s how kids today measure space, by its equivalent in refrigerators.
“Actually, it’s 18 refrigerators,” Jimmy said.
“That’s what he said?” Jimmy’s father, Jim, said later. “It’s way smaller than that.”
Whatever its size, the room in their La Grange home fills with silliness and seriousness during the “Hen-Dawg & Jimmy V” show, which gained national attention in September when Henry and Jimmy appeared on the “Today” show after an NBC producer noticed them on social media.
It reached another level when “Today” surprised the boys with tickets to the Bears’ game last Sunday on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” Before the game, they were on the sideline meeting quarterback Caleb Williams, who already had been liking and reposting their videos.
“It was absolute cinema,” Henry said of their encounter.
The boys’ exposure had exploded even before Williams entered the picture. Many of their videos on Instagram and TikTok had been seen by millions. Their newfound fame helped them land interviews with Bears Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher and Cubs World Series hero Ben Zobrist – not to mention popularity in school.
“In the hallway, they’re like, ‘My, God, it’s the dynamic duo,’” Henry said.
“Yeah, they’re really nice. Always supportive,” Jimmy said.
In fact, the genesis of the show is all about support, specifically for Jim’s mental-health journey. Though the show elicits lots of laughs, its origin is deadly serious.
* * *
In 2003, Jim Maley was starting for Northwestern’s basketball team as a freshman forward. That’s an accomplishment in itself, but Maley wasn’t thinking that way.
“I was struggling bad with depression, but I didn’t know what it was,” he said. “And I just quit out of nowhere.”
Maley’s mother, Pat, convinced him to get help. When she died in 2018, Maley gave her eulogy and shared how Pat was his biggest supporter in his mental-health battle.
At the time, Jim and his wife, Katie, didn’t know anyone in their west-suburban community who struggled with mental health. After the funeral, which drew a packed house because of Pat’s popularity, Jim suddenly met many people who were struggling. They called, texted or approached him in public, thanking him for talking about it.
“That’s when I realized, I have to do this more,” said Maley, who had taken a leave of absence as the basketball coach at St. Laurence to tend to his struggle. “I was talking to individual students at the time, individual players when I saw them struggling. But that moment was when I knew, all right, I think I’ve got something here.”
Maley eventually began speaking publicly as a mental-health advocate. At Conant, where he now teaches part-time, school social workers were giving a presentation on mental health to each gym class. Maley asked if he could speak. Though they appeared hesitant at first, the social workers allowed it.
“I did it that first period, and they were like, ‘Can you do it the next seven periods?’ ” he said.
A couple of years ago, Maley began hosting his own podcast to discuss his mental-health experiences, which also included being hospitalized. Katie eventually joined to share her side of his struggles. Maley likened it to “an airing of grievances from ‘Seinfeld’ about marriage and parenting.”
One day, Henry approached Maley. He had struggled with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Henry’s mom had shown him some of Maley’s clips, and Henry told Maley that he had some of those same thoughts. Henry asked if he could do a podcast with Maley, and they did.
Another day, Henry and Jimmy were bugging Maley to do their own podcast. Maley was hanging out with a friend, and to keep the boys occupied, he relented and set up the makeshift studio in the basement. He had planned to erase the pod the next day, but he listened to it first.
“I was like, ‘Holy you-know-what, this is funny,’” Maley said. “They were talking about sports like they actually have some pretty good knowledge. I just posted it on my feed thinking it would be funny for my buddies, that type of thing. And then it exploded.”
* * *
The boys’ first show was in May.
“It was about sports and food,” Jimmy said. “And we were yelling at our friend William. He’s a Packers fan.”
Talking into a microphone for people to hear isn’t easy, even for adults. What gives these two the confidence to do it?
“After we were on a couple of shows, we really got used to it,” Jimmy said.
“We got on a hot streak,” Henry said.
Henry went to his first Bears game Sunday. What did he think of it?
“It was absolute cinema,” he said.
What do the boys think of Soldier Field?
“I think it’s a classic,” Jimmy said.
“So do I,” Henry said, “and I don’t think we should ever change it.”
What do they want to do when they grow up?
“If I can’t become a great sports player, I think broadcasting’s my way to go,” Jimmy said. “I mean, I’m really good at it.”
“I want to be an NFL player and an NFL coach,” Henry said. “But if I can’t do that, I’m going to be a broadcaster for ‘Sunday Night Football.’”
Until then, they have shows to do.
“It’s been super fun, like, the whole ride,” Jimmy said. “And I don’t think it’s going to stop anytime soon.”
Late Hicks was set to call BC-ND
The news of Dan Hicks’ death this week was stunning. He had been set to call Notre Dame’s game Saturday against Boston College in South Bend. That assignment now goes to Jason Benetti, who will join Jason Garrett in NBC’s booth.
But the broadcast will have solemn undertones in honor of Hicks, 64, who died of an “acute illness” Wednesday, according to Hannah Storm, his wife of 32 years. Hicks was a consummate professional known best for broadcasting golf, his favorite sport. He also called Olympic skiing and swimming and was on his second stint calling the Irish.
Hicks was in Chicago in September to call the Presidents Cup at Medinah and in October to support his daughter Riley, who ran the Chicago Marathon.
PA Sinclair talking a ton
It’s busy season for Tim Sinclair, the public-address voice seemingly for every team that Gene Honda isn’t. The Bulls’ game Wednesday capped Sinclair’s run of eight games in seven days.
He was in Champaign last Thursday for basketball and Friday for football. Last Saturday, he worked the Fire’s regular-season finale, and he had a Bulls-Bears doubleheader Sunday. On Tuesday, he worked the Champions Classic, a college hoops twinbill at the United Center.
Sinclair has become a fan favorite over the years for whomever he’s working. For the Bulls, he has continued the tradition of outstanding PAs, including Ray Clay and Tommy Edwards. Though he’s great for the Bears, many still have a fondness for Jim Riebandt.
Riebandt: “There’s a timeout … .” Fans: “Where?” Riebandt: “On the field.” Fans: “Oh.”
