Sports With Friends

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427. Roy Firestone Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

Roy Firestone is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning and seven-time cable ACE Award-winning host, interviewer, narrator, writer, and producer. As the ground-breaking, original host of ESPN's legendary Up Close, Up Close Classic, and Up Close Primetime, Firestone has interviewed more than 5,000 athletes, musicians, actors, and political figures, as well as scores of writers and filmmakers. As an actor, Firestone was featured in the Academy Award-winning film, Jerry Maguire, where he played himself in an unforgettable (and often repeated) scene with Academy Award-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. His numerous television credits include Everybody Loves Raymond and Married with Children. Fans of The Simpsons remember him as the voice of ‘Bart Starr.' No stranger to talk shows, Firestone's appearances include Late Night with David Letterman, Later with Bob Costas, Larry King Live, and The Tonight Show. Firestone is also an accomplished musical vocalist. In this episode, Firestone tells many stories from his over 6,000 shows. Included gems are stories about Dean Smith, Elton John, and Muhammad Ali.

426. Rockies Announcer, Plane Crash Survivor Jerry Schemmel Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

Jerry Schemmel is currently a radio play-by-play announcer for the Colorado Rockies. He is also the Radio Voice of the University of Northern Colorado Basketball. Before the Rockies, Schemmel spent 20 seasons broadcasting radio and television in the NBA, two years for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the last 18 with the Denver Nuggets. Schemmel is a survivor of United Airlines Flight 232 which crashed in Sioux City, IA on July 19, 1989. The crash took the lives of 112 people. In this episode, Jerry talks about covering the Rockies and their manager, Bud Black. He also reminisces about the days with the Nuggets. He also is very transparent about his faith, and how his Christianity became a part of his life after the plane crash. Schemmel is an inspirational person and a motivational speaker.

425. Lacrosse Player and Coach Connor McKemey Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

Connor McKemey played lacrosse during both high school and Division 1 at High Point University. When Connor was 13 years old, he survived a propane tank explosion in his backyard and was given a 1% chance of survival. After his college graduation, he became a coach at High Point. His story is incredibly inspirational. Knowing that he had the potential to inspire student-athletes and burn victims alike, Connor recorded his journey and published it in his book “Life Ignited: A Hopeful Journey Sparked by Fire.” In this episode, McKemey explains the story of the accident, and how his recovery was enhanced by friends and family. He explained why he stayed connected to sports. There are stories about his parents showing him sports he missed while he was in a coma after the explosion. He is now a motivational speaker. His journey is inspiring other athletes who are facing adversity. Connor played football, basketball, lacrosse, golf, and more while growing up. His story speaks to professional and aspiring athletes everywhere. For more information on Connor and the book, visit https://macmentality.com/. He can also be found on Instagram @mac_mentality.

424. HOF Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim with Bob Costas Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

This episode was recorded on October 1, 2023, at Syracuse University's Goldstein Auditorium. Legendary broadcaster and Syracuse alum Bob Costas interviewed recently retired Hall of Fame Syracuse Basketball Coach Jim Boeheim. The event was a part of an alumni weekend entitled Orange Central. Boeheim guided the Orange to ten Big East Conference regular season championships, five Big East tournament championships, and 34 NCAA tournament appearances, including five Final Four appearances and three appearances in the national title game, culminating with the 2003 National Championship. In those games, the Orangemen lost to Indiana in 1987, and to Kentucky in 1996, before defeating Kansas in 2003 with All-American Carmelo Anthony. Costas was a broadcaster for NBC Sports from 1980 through 2019. He has received 28 Emmy awards for his work and was the prime-time host of 12 Olympic Games from 1988 until 2016. He currently is calling the MLB Playoffs for TBS and works occasionally for MLB Network. Costas was on Sports with Friends on Episode 82. This conversation will continue across the country. On November 10th, Boeheim will sit down with Adam Schein the night before Syracuse football plays Pittsburgh at Yankee Stadium. For more information on that event and that weekend go to http://bit.ly/OrangeCity2023. Costas will continue his conversation with the head coach on November 15, 2023, in San Francisco and November 18 in Los Angeles. That same link will have info for those events.

423. Denver Radio Host Darren “DMac” McKee Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

For 15 years, Darren McKee was the voice of afternoon drive for 15 years on 104.3FM The FAN in Denver, Colorado. He was recently let go by that radio station and joined the podcast to discuss his next steps and reflect on his great years in Denver. Three other personalities — ex-Denver Broncos Orlando Franklin and Nate Jackson, plus Chad Brown, a University of Colorado Boulder legend who played in the NFL, were also let go. McKee is a graduate of Syracuse University and explained in the episode just how that set the bar for McKee's entire career. He tells great stories about Denver sports, including Nikola Jokic, Russell Wilson, and Deion Sanders. All four Denver pro sports teams, namely the Colorado Rockies, Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Avalanche were all covered. DMac has been sharing everything he can with his social media following since being taken off the radio. Follow Darren McKee on social media @DMacRadio.

422. Michael Phelps, Naomi Osaka on Sports and Mental Health Sep 27, 2023

Show notes

This podcast was recorded on September 6, 2023, at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Center as part of the 2023 US Open Championship. The U.S. Open conducted a mental health forum, "Mental Health and Sport: Why It Matters." It featured Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps, former WTA #1 Tennis Player Naomi Osaka, and the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. Phelps is the world's most decorated Olympic champion, with a total of 28 medals, and 23 gold, both world records. Osaka is a 4-time major tennis champion, having won the Australian Open twice and the U.S. Open twice. Murthy has served as the 19th and 21st surgeon general of the United States under Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden. The wide-ranging discussion addressed topics ranging from changing social norms, mental toughness vs. mental wellness, social media, and its impact on mental well-being, among other issues. This appearance is courtesy of the U.S. Open and the United States Tennis Association.

421. Sports Biz (Sept. '23) w/Front Office Sports' Eric Fisher Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

This episode focuses on several topics involving the business of sports. Eric Fisher is a newsletter co-author at Front Office Sports. Fisher is a nearly three-decade veteran of the news business, having previously covered sports business in editing and reporting roles with SportBusiness, Sports Business Journal, and The Washington Times, and he started his career with the Easton (Md.) Star Democrat. This episode covers the Tampa Bay Rays' new Stadium plan, the latest with the NBA's new TV contract, the future of the two remaining Pac-12 schools, Saudi influence on sports, streaming service's impact on future rights deals, and if team values indicate the health of a particular sport. Check out Eric Fisher and the Front Office Sports newsletter at https://frontofficesports.com/newsletters/.

420. Winning Time Season 2 with Basketball Producer Idan Ravin Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

The second season of the HBO series about the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty is currently airing Season 2. Series basketball producer Idan Ravin joined the show to discuss his role in the creation of the new season. Ravin was charged with transforming the Lakers cast and other notable players into the silhouette of their characters, including casting, choreography, interpreting, and advising on basketball-related matters in the scripts. An integral part of bringing the basketball gameplay within the series to life, Ravin spoke about how he worked with the series producers, cast, and more. Ravin has worked as a basketball trainer with some NBA stars such as Lebron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, former Sports with Friends guest Blake Griffin (Episode 170), and countless other players including the late Kobe Bryant. In this episode, Ravin talks about his role on the show, as well as how he began working with such NBA greats. Follow Idan on social media @IdanWan.

419. Pro Baseball Player/Country Music Artist Bryan Ruby Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

Bryan Ruby is a career minor-league baseball player. Many of those seasons have been in the Independent Leagues, most recently with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. In September of 2021, he became the only active professional baseball player to come out as gay, and his story was featured in USA Today as well as 100+ other media outlets around the world including CBS, Yahoo, Bleacher Report, and Teen Vogue, among others. Ruby is also a country music songwriter, having written chart-topping music for other artists. He recently began releasing his own music. The Nashville-based country artist recently released a cover version of the John Fogerty classic baseball anthem, “Centerfield.” It is currently available on Spotify and other streaming services. In this episode, Ruby discusses coming out publicly during his playing career. He also gets into a frank, open discussion about LGBTQ+ in all sports, and how so many are still in the closet. He explained the reaction his teammates had when they became aware. He also talked about recent controversies including the 2022-2023 NHL Pride Nights and the players who refused to wear themed warm-up jerseys. He also tackled the controversial discussion of transgender athletes playing sports. Ruby is the founder of a first-of-its-kind charity, Proud To Be In Baseball, which supports and encourages LGBTQ+ youth in the sport. Proud To Be In Baseball, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating, educating, and creating opportunities for the next generation of LGBTQ baseball players. Follow Bryan Ruby on all forms of social media @bryanrubyofficial.

418. Live at the 2023 US Open: Gauff, Djokovic, Alcarez, Tiafoe Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

This episode features 9 of the top tennis players in the world. Recorded live on Media Day before the 2023 US Open Tennis Tournament, Coco Gauff, Frances Tiafoe, Carlos Alcarez, Iga Swiatek, Novak Djokovic, Jessica Pegula, Taylor Fritz, Ons Jabeur, and Caroline Wozniacki all appear on this podcast. The US Open this year is bringing in record-breaking crowds, and no shortage of storylines. Russ Thaler, who works for Tennis Channel and is calling matches for ESPN and ESPN+, is back on the podcast. He was profiled during the 2022 US Open on Episode 366. This time, he breaks down the field for the 2023 Open, and all the great storylines in tennis, a sport that is continually growing in popularity.

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