HK's Athletics Beyond Coronavirus

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Journalist Hillel Kuttler hosts ABCs: Athletics Beyond Coronavirus. This podcast features discussions with people in the sports world about how they’re faring in these troubled times: athletes, coaches, executives, broadcasters and fans.

Hillel Kuttler


    • Apr 4, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 45m AVG DURATION
    • 60 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from HK's Athletics Beyond Coronavirus

    pandemic prompts a soccer ref to reassess

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2022 22:43


    Katja Koroleva is a world-class referee -- so good that she officiated in the 2019 Women's World Cup and could be selected again in 2023. Professionally, Koroleva works as a physician assistant. But she couldn't balance those two passions, and something had to give. The pandemic spurred her to change jobs in health care to better accommodate her soccer aspirations.

    remembering sportswriter JEFF SEIDEL

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2021 29:40


    JEFF SEIDEL passed away from colon cancer on Aug. 28 at age 59. He was a sportswriter who made his living in journalism's tundra, as a freelancer. Seidel covered Baltimore's Orioles and Ravens and all of Washington's pro teams, but he specialized in high school and collegiate sports -- and always did it with a smile. His daughter KARA SEIDEL, Ravens executive/consultant KEVIN BYRNE and recently-retired AP sportswriter DAVE GINSBURG remember a nice man and a solid professional.

    1996 Atlanta Olympics, 25 years later

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2021 37:20


    As the Tokyo Olympics begin, take a journey back a quarter-century. MATT LeCROY discusses his experiences on the U.S. baseball team that took the bronze medal at the '96 Olympics, a club stacked with future major leaguers like himself. At the Opening Ceremony, he happened to enter the field with the great track star Carl Lewis. Now managing the Washington Nationals' AAA team, LeCroy appreciates the preparation of the '96 club's manager and coaches. He also fondly recalls his manager in Washington, the late Frank Robinson.

    MANNY UPTON, Father's Day for the dad of two veteran major leaguers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2021 28:57


    Virginia mortgage broker MANNY UPTON has spent parts of the past 18 baseball seasons flying across North America to watch his sons Justin (now with the Angels) and B.J. (now retired) play in the major leagues. He evinces parental pride, especially when recalling them playing for the same clubs in Atlanta and San Diego. This Father's Day, he also discusses their ballplaying buddies from youth who, too, enjoyed long careers: David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman and Mark Reynolds.

    THE COOKIE LADY of the Texas Rangers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2021 35:41


    On May 13, coronavirus took Shirley Kost, 82, a Texas Rangers fan dubbed The Cookie Lady. For decades, Shirley also dispensed hugs and smiles and brought joy to the ballpark. She bonded with players in a way that today's lifestyle and rules, even pre-pandemic, don't allow. Ex-Rangers FERGUSON JENKINS and KEVIN MENCH and Shirley's husband CAL KOST and daughter DONNA VERNON discuss her legacy. (Photo shows Shirley, Jenkins and Mench.)

    lacrosse players go abroad, salvaging a pandemic-crossed year

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2021 30:47


    Lacrosse athletes REESE GITTELMAN of Smith College and RYAN FITZPATRICK of UMass discuss their creative way to stay sharp during their teams' coronavirus shutdown: playing in a "bubble" and teaching the sport to kids. Where? In far-off Israel, where lacrosse is barely known. (Reese and Ryan are shown in these photos.)

    MIKE "DOC" EMRICK sounds the horn

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2021 37:02


    The NHL playoffs have begun, but without one of sports' greatest broadcasters. The wonderful MIKE "DOC" EMRICK retired last October. He joins me to discuss the latter stage of his career, like broadcasting during the pandemic and deciding to hang up his mic -- far more compelling to me than the thrilling games he called or the superb players he witnessed. He's as enjoyable to listen to on a podcast as on TV.

    KELLY HRUDEY, on mental health

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2021 27:19


    Retired NHL goaltender KELLY HRUDEY is up-front about mental-health challenges and how therapy helps him. The popular Calgary Flames broadcaster says he's inspired by his daughter Kaitlin's dealing with anxiety and OECD starting in 2013. Kelly identifies with Kaitlin's phrase, "more good days than bad." (In this photo he's holding a shirt her husband designed.) ANTONIA BAUM, a psychiatrist specializing in treating athletes, joins us for an important talk.

    White Sox coach JERRY NARRON, on La Russa and getting vaccinated

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2021 26:04


    JERRY NARRON coaches for the Chicago White Sox, his third team in the past three seasons -- and 11th team in a more-than-40-year baseball career as a player, coach and manager. He discusses getting the coronavirus vaccine, working now for Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa and his excitement about having fans back attending games. It's quite a change from last April's podcast interview, when he spoke from home after the pandemic shuttered the game.

    Red Ruffing, a window into my late father

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2021 45:27


    Norman Kuttler occasionally mentioned N.Y. Yankees pitcher Red Ruffing's being his favorite player. I didn't ask him why or whether he'd seen him play. Dad would've turned 90 today, April 9, so I considered how learning about Ruffing beyond his Hall of Fame career might honor Dad's memory. CHARLES RUFFING JR. fills in some of the blanks, one man's son to another's.

    hi-tech tour of stadium ghosts

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2021 33:00


    Architect BRIAN POWERS has researched two long-razed fields, Chicago's Comiskey Park and Cleveland's League Park, and designed digital experiences for modern fans. QUINCY TROUPE discusses his late father, a catcher who also managed the League Park-era Cleveland Buckeyes to the Negro Leagues World Series title in 1945. Ex-Tigers o.f. IKE BLESSITT speaks of playing ball as a child at Detroit's Hamtramck Stadium; Powers's company is now renovating that field. The past's role in our contemporary lives is the sweet theme of our chat.

    teaching (and reciting) baseball

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2021 56:12


    Happy Opening Day, everyone. Baseball is back. SOL GITTLEMAN and PHIL WOOD discuss teaching college courses on baseball and baseball history, two of 400 courses taught about the sport. Librarian TIM WILES (who worked many years at the Baseball Hall of Fame) tells of baseball research done in his town. Tim sets the mood by reciting "Casey at the Bat," a poem he's performed for audiences for 25 years. Stay to the end for a farewell to a recently deceased ex-player and a follow-up -- far off in the Middle East -- to the recent episode on the 50th anniversary of Ali-Frazier I.

    ALI-FRAZIER, 50 years later

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2021 51:44


    JOE FRAZIER and MUHAMMAD ALI, two undefeated heavyweight champions, fought an epic championship bout at New York's Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. Frazier won in a unanimous decision. Boxing historian DON MAJESKI was there. He plots the men's paths to that fight and conveys the arena's electric atmosphere. "It was the best investment I ever made," he says of his $35 ticket. WEATTA FRAZIER COLLINS and JOE FRAZIER JR. speak lovingly of their late father and say that defeating Ali meant a lot to him. Their foundation aiding at-risk youth advances Frazier's legacy. "I believe," she says, "that our father is smiling down on us."

    BOB CARPENTER, Nationals broadcaster (part 2 of 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2021 38:18


    Washington Nationals broadcaster BOB CARPENTER looks back at his start in the business, working with Jack Buck (r., shown with Carpenter), devising a scorebook now used throughout the industry, attending his first game as a child and working for his hometown St. Louis Cardinals with his sister Judy. "Baseball," he says, "was always my first love."

    BOB CARPENTER, Nationals broadcaster (part 1 of 2)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2021 37:58


    Veteran broadcaster BOB CARPENTER remains in Tulsa, unsure when/if the Washington Nationals will summon him to spring training. Much remains unclear about the 2021 regular season due to the continued pandemic. Here, he discusses the challenges of broadcasting in 2020 (it was "comical, strange, weird," he says), the team's run to the 2019 World Series title and its '21 prospects.

    stadiums host coronavirus vaccinations

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2021 30:31


    Sports have become part of the solution to the U.S.' coronavirus-vaccination problems. NAOMI RODRIGUEZ (Dodgers), PETE NESBIT (Red Sox) and DR. DAVID HOLLAND (Fulton County, Ga.: Falcons) discuss the civic duty the teams are fulfilling. Says Rodriguez: "The Dodgers are part of the cultural fabric in Los Angeles, and with that comes some responsibility."

    suicide fatality DYLAN BUCKNER, a h.s. quarterback

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2021 53:24


    DYLAN BUCKNER, 18 -- a star athlete and a top student at his Chicago-area high school -- ended his life on Jan. 7. His parents attribute his suicide, indirectly, to coronavirus for ending in-person classes and cancelling the football season, because Dylan couldn't overcome the resulting social isolation and upheaval of his daily regimen. CHRIS and KAREN BUCKNER advise: Communicate with your children. Love them. Be there for them. They and Dylan's friend-teammate JACKSON CARSELLO share their insights. Says Chris: "It's important to me to talk about it and help others."

    the late, great HANK AARON

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2021 55:52


    Today would have been the 87th birthday of HANK AARON, a Hall of Fame outfielder who set the record for most career home runs. He died on Jan. 22. Atlanta Braves teammate RALPH GARR recalls a helpful man, someone who "was like a quiet Martin Luther King to me." MARK ANTHONY NEAL, a Duke University professor, calls Aaron a consequential figure in American history for his dignified pursuit of greatness in the face of racism and hate. Join us for insight on a national hero and a legendary ballplayer.

    coronavirus hits baseball, hockey ecosystems

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2021 37:15


    A baseball team's security director and a hockey fan are as vital to the sports landscape as players and coaches. SEAN DEAN worked for the N.Y. Mets for 16 years, and TRACIE LEVY rooted for the N.Y. Islanders for nearly as long. They were in their early 50s and didn't know one another. Both died of coronavirus. Mets executive JAY HORWITZ discusses his colleague, SCOTT LEVY recalls his wife ... and NHL Hall of Famer PAT LaFONTAINE surprises Scott to lend emotional support. Join us for a meaningful listen.

    football book (RON SNYDER, MIKE PRINGLE) and hockey film (LISA MELMED)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2021 34:44


    Unconventional sports stories told in 2020 are this episode's theme. LISA MELMED discusses "Little Rink," her short documentary about an annual table-hockey tournament and its passionate players. RON SNYDER speaks about "The Baltimore Stallions: The Brief, Brilliant History of the CFL Champion Franchise," his book about the short-lived Canadian Football League team that represented a U.S. city and won a championship. MIKE PRINGLE, the team's star running back, relates what that experience meant to him.

    HARVEY ARATON, FRED CLAIRE discuss their books

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2020 63:09


    Ex-N.Y. Times writer HARVEY ARATON and ex-L.A. Dodgers general manager FRED CLAIRE discuss their meaningful stories that are related in books published in 2020. Araton's book is about a N.Y. Knicks fan who became his friend, confidante and advisor, someone Araton was there for as she was dying of cancer. A book written by Tim Madigan tells of the cancer hospital treating Claire with a special blend of superb care and empathy. Both men say that these books can provide hope and direction as we deal with the coronavirus crisis.

    BOB LILLY, on Thanksgiving and football

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2020 65:51


    Hall of Fame defensive lineman BOB LILLY discusses his Dallas Cowboys playing nationally-televised games on Thanksgiving, celebrating the holiday as a child with his grandparents in rural Texas and scaling back this Thanksgiving due to coronavirus concerns. He also talks about the legendary 1967 Ice Bowl game in Green Bay, Tom Landry suspecting the Redskins of spying, his passion for photography, his caring third-grade teacher and his old team's contending for a division title despite a 3-7 record.

    STEVE LARGENT and TOM McMILLEN, on Election Day

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2020 40:46


    Ahead of Election Day, two superb athletes discuss having served in Congress: NFL Hall of Famer STEVE LARGENT, a Republican from Oklahoma, and NBA veteran TOM McMILLEN, a Democrat from Maryland. They speak about their close races for the House of Representatives, the lessons they brought from pro ball to Capitol Hill, being friends with political opponents and, above all, why Americans should vote.

    TOOTIE ROBBINS, coronavirus victim mourned by his teammates

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2020 33:25


    TOOTIE ROBBINS played 12 years in the NFL as an offensive lineman, almost all with the Cardinals. He died of coronavirus on Aug. 2 at age 62. Fellow lineman LUIS SHARPE and wide receiver KENNY THOMPSON recall a quiet teammate from rural North Carolina who enjoyed playing dominoes and listening to music and leaves behind his wife of 36 years. She was a Cardinals cheerleader. Like them, he met her through football.

    50 years since CONNIE MACK STADIUM's closing

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2020 34:18


    BYRON BROWNE played centerfield on Oct. 1, 1970, in the Philadelphia Phillies' last game at Connie Mack Stadium. History professor BRUCE KUKLICK wrote a book about the ballpark (it opened in 1909 and was razed in 1976) and its neighborhood. As a visitor, Browne says, fans pelted him with bricks and oranges. Once, he hit a long homer to leftfield. Kuklick recalls wiggling around posts to see the action on the field, witnessing Bobby Shantz's 20th win for the 1952 A's and being stunned when A's fans booed their own player who broke his leg chasing a fly ball.

    BRIAN TAYLOR, ex-ABA/NBA player and educator, on schools' reopening

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2020 39:47


    Not many star athletes work in education. BRIAN TAYLOR did, as a teacher, principal and administrator, before retiring recently. We discuss how he'd have prepared for the new school term to keep his schools and their sports safe from coronavirus. We speak, too, about his ABA and NBA career, including playing with the great Julius Erving, when their N.Y. Nets won two championships.

    TOM SEAVER's legacy, deep in his admirerers' souls

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2020 64:45


    Fans mourning TOM SEAVER's death last week at age 75 don't tout his glowing statistics, big games won or record Hall of Fame vote count. Rather: his consistent excellence, leadership of the rags-to-riches 1969 N.Y. Mets and hearty laugh in TV interviews. More so: how we felt discovering a hero, and how our later-in-life selves retain the warm feelings he inspired. The insights people express here are as sincere as any I've heard on a hero's impact.

    referee/umpire KENNY DICKERSON, on amateur sports' reopening under coronavirus guidelines

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2020 43:30


    North Carolina high school terms have begun. The schools' sports are back, too, under new restrictions. KENNY DICKERSON (in photo) discusses working his first event, a volleyball match, while two of his autumn sports, football and basketball, remain on hold. He talks, too, about his dedication to officiating and to performing sports-charity work in less-well-off countries.

    cancer, hernia, a wedding, coronavirus and baseball: father-in-law TOM GAMBOA and son-in-law TODD ZEILE

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2020 54:48


    What a year 2020 has been for retired baseball coach TOM GAMBOA. He underwent a hernia operation in February while recovering from cancer. In June, he married off his daughter, Kristin, to ex-major leaguer TODD ZEILE. Two weeks later, Gamboa contracted coronavirus. I speak with Gamboa and Zeile about their long-time acquaintance, their blended families and this challenging year.

    Toronto Blue Jays' CEO/president MARK SHAPIRO, on his vagabond club

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2020 25:30


    The Toronto Blue Jays are playing all of their home games in this abridged baseball season 100 miles and one country away: in Buffalo, N.Y. The franchise's top executive, MARK SHAPIRO, discusses this oddity within an already bizarre season. He also shares some of the skills he's called upon to create the team's new reality.

    my first game 50 years ago, and a guy who played that day: Cubs pitcher PHIL REGAN

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2020 52:39


    Today marks 50 years since my father's ideal birthday present: my first baseball game. Gift No. 2 was the N.Y. Mets' 4-0 win. PHIL REGAN, who pitched the last two innings for the Chicago Cubs, tells me of his early impressions of the Mets' starting pitcher that day, Nolan Ryan; his first game as a boy in Michigan; taking his children to their first games; and his long career in baseball, which continues at age 83.

    2020 HALL OF FAMERS' inductions delayed by the coronavirus crisis: BARBARA STEVENS, DONNIE SHELL and KEVIN LOWE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 31, 2020 48:53


    Before and during the coronavirus crisis, sports halls of fame announced their Class of 2020 honorees. The shutdown has delayed their induction ceremonies by up to a year, however. KEVIN LOWE (hockey), BARBARA STEVENS (basketball) and DONNIE SHELL (football) speak about being selected and the people they'll thank once the big day arrives.

    L.A. CLIPPERS: a view from inside the NBA's Orlando bubble

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2020 29:28


    The coronavirus pandemic is worsening, even as the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball are poised to reopen. Three members of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers (guard RODNEY McGRUDER, head trainer JASEN POWELL and strength-conditioning coach DANIEL SHAPIRO) speak from inside the Orlando, Fla., "bubble" about health-care precautions and returning to play

    RON ROSS, boxing chronicler and coronavirus fatality

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2020 33:07


    RON ROSS, a boxing author and authority, died of coronavirus in March at age 87. Four people close to Ross discuss his life: his daughter, LISA ROSS; boxing promoter LOU DiBELLA; retired boxer DMITRIY SALITA; and boxing historian MIKE SILVER.

    GERALD BOSTOCK: victor in a landmark Supreme Court case for LGBTQ rights, softball player and sports fan

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2020 25:00


    On June 15, the Supreme Court ruled, 6-3, that social worker GERALD BOSTOCK was wrongly fired for being gay. His employer had learned of Bostock's sexual orientation because he played in an LGBTQ softball league. Bostock discusses what he likes about the sport, including how it helped him in recovering from cancer. "It's a human thing to want to be social and be part of something," Bostock (standing, second from left, in this Havoc softball team photo) says of the camaraderie he enjoys in sports. He's a fan of the Atlanta Braves -- as a kid, he was a Junior Brave -- and the University of Georgia Bulldogs. He warmly speaks of taking children in foster care to games. Some, he says, had never been.

    PHIL CHENIER, on the late WES UNSELD, his Bullets teammate and an NBA Hall of Famer

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2020 61:59


    PHIL CHENIER and WES UNSELD were teammates and friends for nearly a half-century until Unseld's death on June 2 at age 74. Chenier shares his unique perspective on Unseld, calling him a leader, "the ultimate team player," well-respected, always "calm and confident" before critical games. He poignantly tells of Unseld's year-long hospitalization and his dying alone because of coronavirus restrictions. "I will miss his laugh," Chenier says. "I will miss his smile."

    Pirates pitcher STEVE BLASS, on a half-century since Pittsburgh's Forbes Field closed

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2020 26:01


    STEVE BLASS pitched 10 seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates and was there for Forbes Field's last game, on June 28, 1970. "It was my first major-league ballpark, and you never forget your first love," Blass says. He adds, as only a pitcher can: "I love the fact that it was 457 feet to centerfield and ... 365 feet down the leftfield line." Blass discusses his memorable games there: his debut in 1964, no-hitting the Dodgers for 6 2/3 innings in 1968 and (also in '68) playing leftfield for one batter. He worked for the team for SIXTY years, the last 34 coming as a broadcaster.

    Reds pitcher WAYNE GRANGER, who 50 years ago threw the final pitch at Cincinnati's Crosley Field

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2020 44:38


    Fifty years ago today, the Reds played their last game ever at Crosley Field. WAYNE GRANGER discusses the experience of being on the mound at the end; even a half-century later, it "brings tears to my eyes," he says. He speaks of the team at the dawn of the Big Red Machine era, including his pitching nine innings of scoreless relief (to earn a save and a win) in a Sept. 1969 doubleheader sweep of the Giants and mouthing off to manager Sparky Anderson in 1970. And he pokes fun at himself for yielding in 1970 the only grand-slam homer ever hit by a pitcher (Baltimore's Dave McNally) in the World Series.

    JOHN BROCKINGTON, Green Bay Packers runner and transplant recipient

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2020 78:04


    JOHN BROCKINGTON's greatest feat might not be setting an NFL record with three straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his career. How about living 18+ years after receiving a kidney transplant -- and his marrying the donor? We dive into that at length. On other topics, he criticizes the “heinous, cruel, nasty and disgusting” killing of George Floyd and calls out the rioting that followed. Brockington also tells me of his Brooklyn youth, his Ohio State coach Woody Hayes, life as a Packer and being ripped off by his financial advisor.

    1918 GEORGIA TECH FOOTBALL PHOTO, starkly relevant to today's pandemic

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2020 40:11


    Atlanta lawyer ANDY McNEIL and Athens, Ga., broadcaster JEFF DANTZLER discuss a photograph that McNeil's great-grandfather, Thomas Carter, snapped in 1918. The image shows fans at a Georgia Tech football game, all wearing face masks during the Spanish-flu pandemic that killed nearly 700,000 Americans among its global death toll of 50 million people.

    SHAUN CLANCY, forced by coronavirus to close Foley's, his baseball pub

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2020 78:02


    SHAUN CLANCY conceded to the coronavirus's devastation and closed Foley's on May 29. We speak about the pub's popularity among baseball-industry folks and fans, and also its fall, joined by some special guests: MLB executive TYRONE BROOKS; Tampa Bay Rays broadcaster DAVE WILLS; retired N.Y. Times columnist GEORGE VECSEY; and Daily News reporter KRISTIE ACKERT, Clancy's significant other.

    sports artist JEROME WHITE

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2020 56:08


    The ongoing marches haven't yet inspired JEROME WHITE on how best to memorialize George Floyd, but some White-designed coronavirus face masks, showing Muhammad Ali and ex-President Obama, were worn at a Cleveland march. (They can be purchased.) He painted a mural for the city's League Park project; has painted Ali, Joe Louis, Jack Johnson and Jim Brown; and now is painting the late John Mackey, a Hall of Fame tight end, for Mackey's daughter. He'd like to paint his former art student … Travis Kelce, star tight end for the Super Bowl champion K.C. Chiefs.

    OAKWOOD H.S. ATHLETES: making face masks ... and making a difference

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2020 27:52


    LILY McCLOSKEY (tennis and lacrosse) and BECKER KASH and CALEB DUNN (both cross-country) compete on their Ohio school's teams. This spring, they and several classmates were winners. Using 3-D printers, they produced face masks for hospitals, homeless shelters and dentistry practices, thereby helping to alleviate a national shortage during this coronavirus crisis.

    GARY THORNE, baseball and hockey broadcaster

    Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2020 57:25


    The renowned broadcaster discusses the coronavirus shutdown, how baseball might return ... and much more: the influence of his Mets broadcasting partner, the late Bob Murphy; his late father Gerald's WWII trauma after fighting in the Battle of the Bulge; his passion for reading, to the extent that book discussions are side broadcasts to the Baltimore Orioles games he calls; and his admiration for Jackie Robinson.

    CHRIS EPTING and TERRY CANNON, attuned to baseball's past

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2020 67:15


    CHRIS EPTING writes books on baseball history. TERRY CANNON runs two organizations devoted to preserving baseball's characters and quirks. These Southern Californians relate stories about themselves and others who love the sport. For example, Terry's Baseball Reliquary ceremonies open with cowbells ringing in tribute to legendary fan Hilda Chester (in photo). Chris speaks about recently-deceased actor Fred Willard and their bonding over a mutual passion for visiting sites of long-gone stadiums.

    BOBBY NYSTROM, N.Y. Islanders' Stanley Cup hero

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2020 32:30


    BOBBY NYSTROM relives what he calls the "magical moment" on May 24, 1980, when his goal in overtime won the Stanley Cup for his Islanders, the first of their four consecutive championships. On the 40th anniversary, Nystrom discusses the play and its aftermath, such as this: He has no idea what became of his stick and the puck from that famous goal. During the coronavirus crisis, Nystrom said, he and his wife Michelle have been very careful about cleaning all groceries and take-out food they bring into their house.

    U. of Vermont's CLODAGH FERRY and DADI HALLDORSSON

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2020 34:38


    CLODAGH FERRY, an Irish field hockey player, and DADI HALLDORSSON, an Icelandic soccer player, speak with me from Dublin and Rekjavik, respectively, about being far from the Burlington campus during society's coronavirus shutdown as they stay in shape and take classes on-line. Being near their hometown friends but unable to meet them “is so hard,” says Clodagh. For Dadi, “It's definitely been a struggle.”

    GEORGE McPHEE, Vegas Golden Knights president

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2020 77:16


    Saying, "I miss our team, I miss our guys, I miss the game," GEORGE McPHEE tells me how his team and the NHL are preparing for an eventual resumption. He also discusses the club's stunning run to the Stanley Cup final in its first year; a humbling bicycle ride with his Capitals' rookie star, Alexander Ovechkin; owning a Manhattan restaurant while playing; and attending law school.

    TIM MEAD, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's president

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2020 50:17


    TIM MEAD tells me that cancelling this summer's induction weekend was difficult but sensible, and promises to host "a very special ceremony" in 2021. He speaks of attending the 2019 ceremony, his first as the Hall's president; being punked, early in his long career with the Angels, by Rod Carew; octogenarian/nonagenarian coach Jimmie Reese's mastery of the fungo bat; absorbing the moment of the Angels' 2002 World Series title; and putting his championship ring on other people's fingers.

    BOB KENDRICK, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's president

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2020 71:20


    BOB KENDRICK's enthusiasm for the Negro Leagues' history will leap through your speakers and into your soul. Our conversation covers this year's centennial of the leagues, their founding by Rube Foster ("one of the most influential" people in U.S. baseball history, Bob says), the museum's exhibitions, the museum's coronavirus-caused closing and more.

    Minnesota Vikings owner MARK WILF

    Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2020 28:50


    MARK WILF discusses the NFL draft, conducted virtually; checking in on players and other employees during the shutdown ("It's like an extended family," he said); his and players' charitable efforts now; and how his mother, a Holocaust survivor, is faring.

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