Pretty Big News

On episode 25 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Ken Karl. Ken is a talented sports artist, based in Missouri. Matt asked Ken about attending The National, coaching his kids in sports and the youth sports industrial complex, starting his art business, completing his first NFT project (81.Gallery), working with Topps, and much more! Check out Ken's website: https://www.kenkarlsportsart.com/ Follow Ken on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kenkarl01 And on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ken_karl_sports_art/ Support this podcast

On episode 24 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Donovan Lopez a.k.a. Donny B. Donny is a card artist, comedian and podcaster, and one of the best ambassadors for card art in the hobby. Matt asked Donny about the National and his experience in Chicago, the podcast that he started - Outside the Wax - with Kard Killer and Peter Packman, his first time doing standup, his collection of comedy cards, how collecting has helped his sobriety, card art, and much more! Follow Donny on IG: https://www.instagram.com/donnybcollectibles/ Listen to and follow Outside the Wax here: https://open.spotify.com/show/758QaLM0sw4GDFXaHsVQr1 And follow Donny on FB: https://www.facebook.com/DonnyB-Exclusives-235830947369019 Support this podcast

On episode 23 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Andrea Williams. Andrea is a journalist and the author of Baseball's Leading Lady: Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues. Matt asked Andrea about working at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Branch Rickey not compensating the Kansas City Monarchs for Jackie Robinson's contract, what Effa might have thought about MLB's decision to recognize stats from the Negro Leagues, the writing process, and much more! Follow Andrea on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndreaWillWrite Buy Baseball's Leading Lady here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250623737 Support this podcast

On episode 22 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Ruppert Jones. Ruppert played in Major League baseball for 12 years, made two All-Star teams, and won a World Series with the Tigers in 1984. In 1980, while playing for the Yankees, Ruppert suffered a traumatic brain injury that went undiagnosed for 30 years. Ruppert recently wrote a book, #NeverGiveUp: A Memoir of Baseball and Traumatic Brain Injury, which is available exclusively on Amazon.com. Matt and Ruppert discussed Ruppert's book, his childhood, his baseball career, dealing with a TBI, and more! Follow Ruppert on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JonesRuppert And buy his book here: https://www.amazon.com/NeverGiveUp-Memoir-Baseball-Traumatic-Injury/dp/B093B6J8SR Support this podcast

On episode 21 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Bill Conlin. Bill is a director at SABR, has authored and edited dozens of books about baseball, and was one of the co-founders of Rounder Records. Matt and Bill talked about a ton of topics, including two books, Baseball's Biggest Blowout Games and Working a "Perfect Game", some upcoming projects Bill has in the works at SABR, his passion for the Red Sox, some of the artists he worked with at Rounder Records, including Alison Krauss and Steve Martin, and much more! To learn more about SABR, go here: https://sabr.org/ Check out Bill's Amazon author page, here: https://www.amazon.com/Bill-Nowlin/e/B001JRZ7VK%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Support this podcast

On episode 20, Matt Castello interviews Slade Heathcott. The Yankees drafted Slade in the first round of the 2009 draft and he made his MLB debut in 2015. He currently works as director of operations for More Than Baseball, a nonprofit, which he cofounded. Matt and Slade talked about a bunch of things, including More Than Baseball, Slade's career, what inspires Slade to do the work he does, Slade's favorite MLB teammate, and more. Follow Slade on Twitter: https://twitter.com/heathcott_slade To learn more about More Than Baseball: https://www.morethanbaseball.org/the-team Support this podcast

On episode 19 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Larry Lester. Larry is an author, historian, and speaker. He was co-founder of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, and served as its Research Director and Treasurer for five years. Matt asked Larry about his work looking for and discovering box scores from Negro Leagues games, what is stopping MLB from recognizing stats from the Negro Leagues among the official major leagues, his greatest accomplishments, the legendary Sam Lacy, whom from the Negro Leagues should be in the Hall of Fame, and much more! To learn more about Larry Lester, visit his website: https://www.larrylester42.com/ To buy his books, go here: https://www.larrylester42.com/shopping-cart.html Or visit his Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Larry-Lester/e/B001KHM44C%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share Support this podcast

On episode 18 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Kelsey Caine. Kelsey is a NYC-based comedian and writer, who is working on a book of essays. Matt asked Kelsey about a ton of topics, including: entering a Beauty Pageant (and writing about it for the New York Times), the comedy scene in Austin and New York, how dyslexia affects her comedy and writing, going viral for her Louie parody video, her Penis CK character, her favorite comedians, and much more! Content warning: There is discussion of sexual assault in this episode. See time codes below for specifics. 2:30 - Kelsey on the Pretty Big News intro song 5:00- Kelsey on entering a Beauty Pageant and being a Miss New York State finalist 14:00 - Kelsey on life in Austin and the comedy scene there 24:00 - Kelsey on moving to New York City 27:00 - Kelsey on how dyslexia affects her comedy and writing 32:00 - Kelsey on her book of essays and sexual assault in comedy 46:23 - Kelsey on her viral Louie CK video and creating her Penis CK character 1:05:00 - Kelsey on people reaching out to her about sexual assault 1:09:21 - Kelsey on her favorite comics 1:16:22 - Kelsey is on Rizzle (see below!) Follow Kelsey on Rizzle: https://rizzle.tv/u/kelseycaine And Twitter: https://twitter.com/kelsey_caine And IG: https://www.instagram.com/kelseylcaine/ Support this podcast

On episode 17 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Mike Rosenbaum. Mike is a writer for MLB.com and MLB Pipeline and Matt and Mike previously worked together at MLB Pipeline. Matt asked Mike about him and his wife, Julia, having their first child during a pandemic and the challenges there, his journey from playing baseball at Grinnell College to writing about professionally, some of baseball's top prospects and his thoughts on them, what this year has been like for a prospects writer without Minor League Baseball, his baseball card collection, and much more! Follow Mike on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoldenSombrero And check out Mike's work here: https://www.mlb.com/pipeline Support this podcast

On episode 16 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Efdot. Efdot is an artist, muralist, and illustrator, and also hosts a podcast called Extra Paint. Matt and Efdot spoke on Monday night (Nov. 2nd) and talked about how they were feeling with election results looming, Efdot's optimism and where it comes from, his Griffey Jr. card, how his Patreon has changed over the past few months, his Project 2020 "Blob" companion cards, his favorite Project 2020 Easter Egg, and much more! Follow Efdot on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EfdotStudio Check out his website: https://www.efdotstudio.com/ Check out his Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/efdot/posts And check out Extra Paint: https://extrapaint.simplecast.com/ Support this podcast

On episode 15 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Sydney Battle. Sydney is an actor, writer, and comedian. Matt asked Sydney about writing for the 2020 Emmy Awards (while moving across the country), going viral on Twitter and what comes with it, if she prefers standup or improv, some of her favorite comedians today, her favorite movies of all-time, what advice she would give to her younger self, and more! Follow Sydney on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SydneyBattle And on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sydbattle/ Support this podcast

On the second Bonus episode of Pretty Big News, Matt and Blake talk about a bunch of different things, including the Topps event at the MLB store in NY, meeting Gregory Siff in person, and much more. To listen to the full episode, join PBN's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PrettyBigNews Support this podcast

On episode 14 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Sean Gibson. Sean is the executive director of The Josh Gibson Foundation. Matt asked Sean spoke about a host of subjects, including if he was surprised that Kenesaw Landis' name was removed from the MVP trophy and why Sean feels that baseball's MVP award should be named after his great-grandfather, the work that The Josh Gibson Foundation does, his grandfather and great-grandfather, what baseball can do to make the sport a more equitable one, and much more! Follow Sean on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoshGibson_1911 And check out the Josh Gibson Foundation website: https://www.joshgibson.org/ Here's Sean's piece about why the MVP should be named after Josh Gibson: https://theundefeated.com/features/why-the-mvp-award-should-be-renamed-after-negro-leagues-great-josh-gibson/ Support this podcast

On episode 13 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Jason Belmonte, the world's top-ranked bowler. Matt and Jason spoke about a bunch of topics, including how professional bowling differs from throwing at your neighborhood bowling alley, the mental side of the game, Jason getting fired by his dad, the most memorable shot of his career, his goals in the sport, the greatest risk he's taken, and more! Follow Jason on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JBelmo To learn more about Jason, check out his website: https://www.jasonbelmonte.com/ Support this podcast

On episode 12 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello talks to Bleacher Report's Mirin Fader. Mirin, an exceptionally talented journalist, has written some incredible (and award-winning) sports feature stories and is currently working on her first book. Matt asks Mirin about her favorite lede, what is was like to travel to Lithuania alone to profile LaMelo Ball, the best advice she's received from Jeff Pearlman, finding joy in her work, the most difficult story she has reported, what it's like to profile someone at the same time as another writer, and much more! Follow Mirin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MirinFader And check out Mirin's website: https://mirinfader.com/ Support this podcast

On episode 11 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Adam Lefkoe of Bleacher Report and Turner Sports. Adam is the host of Inside the NBA on Tuesdays on TNT and hosts The Lefkoe Show on Bleacher Report. Matt and Adam spoke about a number of topics, including: speaking out about what's going on in the world, Adam's career, how Adam is able to build chemistry with co-hosts and guests so quickly, the NBA playoffs, cards, and much more. Follow Adam on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamLefkoe Follow The Lefkoe Show on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LefkoeShow Follow Adam on IG: https://www.instagram.com/adamlefkoe/ And follow Adam's card account on IG: https://www.instagram.com/lefkoecards/ Support this podcast

On episode 10 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews author and journalist Jeff Pearlman. Jeff is the New York Times best-selling author of nine books. His most recent book is Three-Ring Circus: How Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty. Jeff also hosts a podcast called Two Writers Slinging Yang, which features conversations with different writers. Matt and Jeff spoke about Jeff's new book and how it differed from his first Lakers book, Showtime, what it's like promoting the book in the wake of Kobe's death, interviewing Shaq, his writing process, some of his previous books, using anonymous sources, and more! Follow Jeff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeffpearlman Check out Jeff's personal site: https://jeffpearlman.com/ Buy Three-Ring Circus here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/three-ring-circus-jeff-pearlman/1136487819;jsessionid=95E1657660925ABED4BA55AEB05A65A2.prodny_store01-atgap14?ean=9781328530004 And check out Jeff's podcast, Two Writers Slinging Yang: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/two-writers-slinging-yang/id1252080948?mt=2 Support this podcast

On episode 9 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews Mark Simon. Mark joined Sports Info Solutions after working for ESPN for nearly 16 years in a number of different positions. Matt and Mark spoke about Mark's journalism career, including how he landed at ESPN (shout-out to Jayson Stark), the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast, a podcast he recently started called The Journalism Salute, the book he wrote, "The Yankees Index: Every Number Tells A Story", and more! Follow Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkASimonSays Check out the Sports Info Solutions Baseball Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sports-info-solutions-baseball-podcast/id1461705002 And subscribe to The Journalism Salute: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-journalism-salute/id1526063503 Support this podcast

On the the very first Bonus episode of Pretty Big News, Matt and Blake talk about a bunch of different things, including the fundraiser for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Project 2020, the greatest risk Blake has ever taken, and much more. The first few minutes of the bonus episode are publicly available. To listen to the rest of the episode - when Matt throws Blake some curveballs - join the Patreon for PBN. Link to the Pretty Big News Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PrettyBigNews Link to Negro Leagues Baseball Museum: https://nlbm.com/ Link to Blake's Ernie Banks painting (all proceeds go to the Negro League Baseball Museum fundraiser: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ernie-Banks-1-1-Original-Painting-by-Blake-Jamieson-Fundraider-for-NLBM/274520608714?hash=item3feab40fca:g:Q8kAAOSwvndfeg4p Support this podcast

On episode 8 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello interviews journalist Matt Ellentuck. Matt previously covered basketball for SB Nation, has written about the WNBA for The New York Times, and is currently writing about women's basketball on a fantastic newsletter called Here's Basketball, which you should definitely subscribe to. Matt and Matt spoke about a number of WNBA-related topics, including: the greatest Terp of all time, Alyssa Thomas, Game 5 of the Sun vs. the Aces, the WNBA finals and if Sami Whitcomb's absence will hurt the Storm, Candace Parker and her all-defensive team snub, writing for the NYT, and more! Follow Matt Ellentuck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mellentuck And subscribe to Matt's newsletter here: https://mellentuck.substack.com/ Support this podcast

On episode 7 of Pretty Big News, Matt interviews journalist Jen Ramos. Jen does research and development for Baseball Prospectus and also writes about prospects. Check out their work for BP here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/author/jen_mac-ramos/ Matt and Jen spoke about a number of different topics, including how they became a baseball fan, their experience working as the first openly non-binary executive in pro sports, covering the game as a non-binary person, how MLB treats the LGBTQ community, Thom Brennaman using a homophobic slur, the Padres going for it at the trade deadline, Joey Bart, a prospect who is a bit under the radar, and more! Lastly, today is Jen’s birthday and they asked - instead of gifts - to consider donating to Youth Leadership Institute, an organization they work at. The organization works with marginalized youth across California and it would be awesome if you donated, if you can. There's a link below. Follow Jen on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/jenmacramos And check out BP here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/ And if you want to donate money to Youth Leadership Institute, you can do that here: https://yli.org/donate/ Support this podcast

On episode 6 of Pretty Big News, Matt interviews comedian Scott Rogowsky. Scott was the host of HQ Trivia and the baseball show, ChangeUp, which was on DAZN, and is currently helping Homage and Topps promote their Wax Pack Wednesday t-shirts. In addition, Scott has been selling vintage clothes and sports gear and donating the money to various charities. Matt and Scott spoke about 9/11 (they recorded the episode on Sept. 11, 2020), comedy, how HQ changed Scott's life, working at DAZN, sports cards (Scott used to work at Topps), and much more. Follow Scott on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/ScottRogowsky And follow him on IG at: https://www.instagram.com/quizdaddyscloset/ Again, all of the money Scott makes from Quiz Daddy's Closet goes to charity! And check out the Homage x Topps Wax Pack Wednesday collaboration here: https://www.homage.com/pages/wax-pack-wednesday Support this podcast

On episode 5 of Pretty Big News, Matt and Blake talk to artist Tyson Beck. Tyson is one of the 20 artists working on Topps' Project 2020 and he is coming out with his own line of cards, which is truly a game changer for the hobby. His first two cards, "F*CK THE BOTS" and a collaboration with Jayson Tatum, sold out extremely quickly, and his third card in the series, a card featuring Kyle Kuzma, comes out later today. We talked Project 2020, his line of cards and how much he poured into them, what Kobe Bryant meant to him, and much more on this episode of PBN. Check out Tyson's website, including his Kuzma card, here: https://shop.tysonbeck.com/ Check out Tyson on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/tysonbeckdesign And on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/tysonbeck/ Support this podcast

On this episode of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello talks to artist Lauren Taylor, an artist who is licensed with MLB, MLBPA, and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Lauren and Matt talk about baseball, art, and they delve into the details concerning an injury Lauren suffered while playing softball and the effect its had on her life. Matt and Lauren also discuss mental health and their own personal experiences with depression. Check out Lauren's work here: https://laurentaylorillustrations.com/ And here is the link to the GoFundMe for Lauren: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-lauren039s-noggin Support this podcast

On this episode of Pretty Big News, Matt and Blake talk to former MLB player Micah Johnson about his transition from professional athlete to artist, how he rediscovered his passion for art, the toughest pitcher he faced in the big leagues, and much more! Check out Micah's art here: https://www.artangels.net/ And follow Micah on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Micah_Johnson3 Support this podcast

On episode 2 of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello talks to Jim Callis. Jim, a senior writer at MLB Pipeline and MLB.com, is one of the most knowledgeable baseball reporters in the business. Matt asks Jim about his favorite event to cover, his path from college at the University of Georgia to Baseball America to MLB.com, his biggest prospect crush ever, some of the best young players in baseball, the time he nailed the first 18 picks of a mock draft, and much more. Support this podcast

In the first episode of Pretty Big News, Matt Castello talks to artist Blake Jamieson about a host of topics, including: CardArt, Project 2020, a "party-throwing" business he started in college, the power of positive thinking, and more. Support this podcast