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Freshman Grades @ W.H.U. Jan 25, 2022

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Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week your hosts put on their professorial hats with a critical assessment of President Joseph R. Biden’s freshman year at White House University. That’s right, letter grades from the Collective faculty for long-time Senator, two-term Vice President, and incumbent frosh President Biden as we enter the second year of his administration. Biden inherited a nation embroiled in a pandemic and fresh off the heels of the most divisive and polarizing figure the White House has ever hosted. Curve or no curve, what say we on Biden: immigration, foreign policy, COVID and more. Do underwhelming returns rest at the feet of perhaps Delaware’s greatest son or at those of his disgraced yet still viable and widely visible predecessor? Father and son go hard at one another and it is great. But first, there will be rants, as Ed examines the latest premature playoff departure of presumptive MVP and noted COVID truther Aaron Rodgers through the lens of yet another self-serving media exit interview; Zak juxtaposes Ed’s QB critique with a profile in acclaim of Collective favorite and all-around righteous dude Ryan Fitzpatrick; and finally Andrew calls foul on retired basketball great John Stockton for disgracing his alma mater by way of failure to comply with Gonzaga’s indoor mask mandate.

A Mob is After Our Democracy Jan 18, 2022

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Welcome again to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week your hosts tackle the January 6th, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol one year later. Not just what happened that day, where a group of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. in the interest of overturning his defeat in the previous November’s election, but everything that has happened since. We assess the efforts of Congress in attempting to bring the parties responsible for stoking the fire of the Trump mob that day to justice. A January 6 commission was proposed and then shut down by Senate Republicans, giving way to a House Select Committee that remains active in investigating the events of that fateful day. What we expect the committee to ultimately uncover, what kind of consequences may await some of the star witnesses, and just what the future holds for democracy as a result rounds out the conversation. But first we rant, as Ed takes aim at another in a long line of proposed bills, this one in Virginia, intended to further suppress the teaching of critical race theory in social studies curriculum; Andrew examines Novak Djokovic’s dogged refusal to get vaccinated and his resulting banishment from the first major of the tennis season; and finally Zak confronts the Biden White House over alterations to the federal collection of COVID data from hospitals nation-wide.

Renee Montgomery #woman #huskie #champion #dream Jan 11, 2022

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Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week we present our much anticipated season six premier with a profile of women’s basketball great, broadcaster, business executive and philanthropist Renee Montgomery. This season is centered around women in sports, and there is perhaps no better subject when taking into account off-court purpose and achievement than Montgomery. A standout at the University of Connecticut and a multi-time WNBA champion, her on-court career is outdone by a second act that is virtually unprecedented for an athlete. Amidst the wave of racial unrest that enveloped the country during the summer of 2020, Montgomery pressed pause on her basketball career and later retired in deference to social and racial justice initiatives. Join us as we discuss everything Renee Montgomery has achieved in her post-basketball career: from her role in the Atlanta Dream’s support of Raphael Warnock’s successful Senate bid, being the catalyst behind the downfall of sworn Collective enemy Kelly Loeffler, contributions to the Black Lives Matter movement and her Atlanta community, and to eventually being one of three owners of the aforementioned Dream, those are just a few of the boxes Montgomery has checked in her brief retirement from the court. In a space where the content can often be dour and downbeat particularly in light of some recent episodes, the story of Renee Montgomery is every bit as inspiring and encouraging. A model athlete, activist, and executive, Montgomery is as impressive as public figures come, and makes for a true high note with which to kick off our examination of women in sports, this season on the Bill Bradley Collective.

Cobb: Baseball’s Labor Bellwether? Jan 04, 2022

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textWelcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week we present something of a bittersweet Dollop-style bonus in lieu of our regularly scheduled season premier. COVID reared its ugly head into the Collective game plan, but fear not, we will be raising the curtain on season six very soon and for the time being Ed has a thing or two to say on the life, career and legacy of Tyrus Raymond “Ty” Cobb. Conventional wisdom might suggest the focus be placed on Cobb’s standing amongst the greats of baseball’s dead-ball era, or perhaps his reputation for being among the game’s foremost assholes (rightly or wrongly), but no, because in true Collective fashion the focal point of this week’s episode is Ty Cobb as one of sport’s earliest and most prominent labor figures. Join us for the latest in Ed’s continued documentation of baseball in the early part of the 20th century, and stick around for a story that takes a surprising turn in the favor for one of the sport’s otherwise more polarizing greats. Stay tuned next week, as barring a prolonged or new set of COVID circumstances, we will be kicking off season number six with a profile of one of the most distinguished women in all of sports. As far as our next live remote show, be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page for updates. We hope to see you all soon and as always we thank you for pressing play and joining us here on the Bill Bradley Collective.

2021 - Worst People in Sports Draft Dec 28, 2021

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Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week we present the epilogue to season number five, also known as the results of our annual draft of the worst people in sports. That’s right, because six months ago your hosts drafted their respective choices of the absolute worst the world of sports had to offer and here we are six months later to appraise, debate and litigate all of the choices. If you are new to this space, here is how we roll: fantasy/snake-style Zak, Ed and Andrew drafted a curated and researched collection of their believed most-deficient characters occupying the sporting landscape. Athletes, coaches, administrators, owners and media personas, alike; with a nod to who they were that 4th of July weekend and a consideration of how they may age for the worse throughout the duration of 2021. The selector announces their pick and stumps for their choice, and the other Collective members reckon each pick on a 10-point scale. At the end we tally the totals of each drafter’s selection valuations and crown a winner for he who drafted the most esteemed collection of the worst sporting figures of 2021. Want an insider tip? Join us live and on location this Sunday, January 2nd at the official sports bar of the Bill Bradley Collective, New London’s own the Draft Choice. We will be launching season number *six* with a seasonal profile we cannot wait to unveil, but also, our annual draft of the worst people in politics. It’s like Marty McFly with the Sports Almanac, knowing your beloved hosts’ choices six months in advance of your fellow but non-live participatory listeners AND with the added bonus of craft beer, craft cocktails, delicious food and taking in a football Sunday with real-time takes from the Bill Bradley Collective family. While we hope to see you all next weekend, to every listener out there that may not be able to trek to New London, we wish you nothing short of the healthiest and happiest of New Years. Stay positive, test negative, join us and stay tuned for more great content from the Bill Bradley Collective in 2022.

Rantapalooza III Dec 21, 2021

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Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week the panel bids farewell to season five with another installment of Rantapalooza. That’s right, our biannual extravaganza devoted entirely to the extended musings, gripes and observations from the members of the Collective troika. This season’s edition totals nine rants, three from each host: one focused on the political side, one sport-centric dispatch, and one final wild-card harangue of the host’s choosing. Zak gets the ball rolling from the political end with a broadside aimed at House Speaker and Collective favorite Nancy Pelosi and her stance on Congressional stock trading; Ed drives the final nail in the coffin of Urban Meyer’s NFL coaching tenure with a closing takedown of the newly terminated but forever disgraced pariah to highlight our sports portion; and finally Andrew concludes with one from down memory lane: a look back at Miguel Cotto’s career-defining performance against Antonio Margarito to commemorate the fight’s tenth anniversary. The Collective looks forward to seeing you all live and in person Sunday, January 2nd at New London’s own Draft Choice, as we will be raising the curtain on season six with both a seasonal profile and our annual draft of the worst people in politics. Until then, from all of us at the Bill Bradley Collective, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season.

We’ve got 🎁 🎁 Dec 14, 2021

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Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where the holiday season is upon us, and to celebrate your hosts unpack a sleigh load of gifts for the naughty and nice, alike, across the sporting and political landscapes. In addition to that, this is a long overdue stop on the Collective road show, as we come to you live from the lovely Ledyard, Connecticut home of two great friends and supporters of the podcast, Shannon and Byron. If you came to this summary to snoop for presents you are out of luck, as you’ll have to hit play to unwrap what’s under the Collective Christmas tree. But our select recipients include many of the names oft-critiqued in this space, including the worst of our elected congresspersons, a pair of disgraced cable news anchors, the Collective’s favorite coach/punching bag, and golf’s most iconic figure. It all starts with some rants, as Zak outlines the abject callousness behind an online entrepreneur’s move to lay off 900 employees via teleconference on the eve of the holidays; Ed details the inane and dangerous fight being waged by appointed officials in Missouri and elsewhere over imposed mask mandates; finally Andrew examines coach Mario Cristobal’s move to Miami and the unseemly source affording his contract and the buyouts of both he and his predecessor.

Running from Himself: The Lawrence Phillips Tragedy Dec 07, 2021

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Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where this week in the last of our season-wide profiles through the lens of criminal justice we discuss the life and times and crimes of Lawrence Phillips. Phillips’ story is not one for the faint of heart, but one that incapsulates everything this Collective attempts to capture from a sporting, moral, judicial and human perspective. Phillips is best remembered as a prodigious yet highly-troubled collegiate running back at the University of Nebraska and a controversial early first round pick of the then-St. Louis Rams, but the narrative of this man goes far deeper. Join us for a chronological narrative of a simultaneous football phenom and serial criminal. From an adolescence marked by abuse and neglect at the hands of parents and the foster-care system both, to being allegedly “saved” by the so-called constructs of football and almost endless opportunities at salvation granted by coaching greats the likes of Osbourne, Vermeil and others, and to when said chances run dry and incarceration for violent crimes becomes inevitable, the Collective does their best to cover every angle of Phillips’ life. Lawrence Phillips as victim of a broken foster care system, a compromised collegiate and pro football infrastructure and a victim of racial criminal justice inequity: yes. But with serious consideration given to the undue justice given his many victims, namely one Kate EcEwen, and for others whom seem grossly neglected and almost forgotten, we also attempt to bring light to, this week on the Bill Bradley Collective.

Thanks & No Thanks Nov 30, 2021

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Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where it is Thanksgiving week and in observance your hosts share what they are thankful and not thankful for as we begin to wind down season five. Some of the highlights include an opus on the twin brothers patrolling the front court in Kingston, R.I.; reconciling another lost Jets season with some hope reserved for next year’s draft possibilities; and a critique of the continuing trend of star fighters retaining their fathers as chief seconds, often to the detriment of career prospects. It is a cognitive Thanksgiving spread with all the Collective trimmings, and we get it started with rants, as Zak considers the latest iteration of golf’s The Match and the head-scratching decision to play two-thirds of a round; Ed lambastes the Mount Rushmore of GOP treachery and their influence over the party’s rhetoric; finally Andrew examines the big picture of coach Lincoln Riley’s move from Oklahoma for the sunnier and greener($$$) pastures of USC.

Requiem for our Justice System Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where today we wrap our collective heads around a week that provided us with both the very best that boxing has to offer while showing us the absolute worst our broken criminal justice system has to offer. We lead with dispatches following the Terence Crawford/Shawn Porter championship fight, covering the high caliber performances of both, the victorious Crawford’s legacy both present and historical, and what to expect next from Omaha’s favorite native son. We are forced, unexpectedly, to turn to Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal of all charges following the shooting deaths of two protestors in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer. Where are we, as a country, when a white man armed with an assault weapon can cross state lines, arrive at a protest, take two lives and wound a third, and be faced with not only zero consequences but celebration from many prominent names on the right? The trial of Ahmaud Arbery’s killers in Glynn County, Georgia is also underway, and if the verdict delivered in Rittenhouse’s favor is any indication, we may soon be witness to yet another atrocity by the hands of our broken legal and justice system. In between we carve out a few rants, as Zak examines the entrance of a new rival for his beloved URI Rams following Loyola-Chicago’s departure from the Missouri Valley Conference for the greener pastures of the Atlantic 10; Andrew considers pundit and ex-Jets’ coach Rex Ryan’s bewildering change of heart on the the coaching acumen of present Jets’ head Robert Saleh; and Ed rounds us out with takeaways from the inane ramblings our esteemed House Minority Leader provided us during his marathon 8-hour turn on the House floor this week.

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