I have a cousin like that.
Everytime he starts up with his babble...
I say,
"Hey, those Yankees are gonna be something this year, eh!"
or something similar...
And everyone at the table lets out their collective breath and we start a different subject.
Samples could include...
"what do you think of the NHL Strike?"
"who made the potatoes"
"More pie?"
Has anyone noticed there's a hockey strike? LOL