The Let's Talk Ball Podcast

Love and hate go hand in hand. If you love a sport, there are inevitably a team or teams that you hate. In this episode Big B reveals his list of the major sports' most dubious organizations. Who's on yours? There are many many reasons to hate these teams. What's yours? Let's embrace the hate. ...Let's Talk Ball!!!

Can't we all just get along? Short answer, no! lol. Sports won't allow for it but in the case of King James, why do so many basketball fans and talking heads love to hate LeBron? Is it envy or is it genuine disgust? We all know why some fans couldn't STAND Kobe. Mostly because he torched our teams over and over again over the span of his 20 year HOF career. Is the reasoning the same for LeBron? Let's find out. ....Let's Talk Ball!!!

Allow Big B to add his two cents into this debate. For many, this argument is over who is the greatest basketball player ever to lace up. For THIS discussion, it's solely about who was/is better between the two. MJ vs LBJ. The cold blooded killer vs the walking triple double. His Airness vs The King. Buckle up and ...Let's Talk Ball!!!

What area of life can you think of that does not have it's share of scandalous moments? Personally, I cannot. Sports are no different. The motivation may be money, ego, pleasure, greed, or simple ignorance. Nonetheless, when exposed, and without exception they are ALL eventually exposed, they are dramatic and jaw-dropping. Take a ride with Big B through a few of these trappings. Let's Talk Ball!!!

Sex and sports. Two things that I'm sure most of our listeners enjoy, but rarely do these topics live within the same conversations. More and more, though, we are hearing stories involving the gay community in sports. Does it matter what ones' sexual preference is? If so, should it? Why is it more accepted in some sports more than others? Join us as we dig for these answers and more...Let's Talk Ball!!!

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more polarizing topic than whether collegiate athletes should be paid. While it's nowhere close to being a new discussion, it seems to be popping up more and more as universities continue to generate more and more money. If this were to happen, what should the pay scale look like? How do we make it fair? Is it fair? This and more on this episode of…..Let's Talk Ball!!!

Colin Kaepernick. Malcolm Jenkins. Eric Reid. Jay-Z.  Players. Fans. Owners. Presidents. NFL. Military. America. Kneeling. The most cajun cajuns couldn't have made a spicier gumbo. For this recipe has divided families, torn apart life-long friendships, severed communities, raised blood pressures and tensions in sync. Who's at fault and who/what really matters? Can any clarity be salvaged after the core vision has been heavily filtered through narratives, expectations, name-calling, agendas, perspectives, dilution, hate, faux love-of, ego, and pride. Truth is, we are further away from that core than when San Francisco's #7 took a knee. This discussion is happening around the country, people leaning out of their front windows, where yelling is the only way to communicate. Rather than at a table, listening. Talking. So.....let's do that. LET'S TALK BALL!!! 

In the world of competitive sports, usually, superior are the faster, the stronger, and the healthier. The lengths that some of these top tier athletes take to gain an edge border on insanity. The immediate risks (fines, suspension, banishment) are substantial but so are the long term risks. Risks that many an athlete are willing to take without question. What goes into the decision making process? Is there any hesitation or doubt? Do the fans care? All this and more on this week's episode of....Let's Talk Ball!!!

Professional athletes have been honing their skills long before they become professionals. Sometimes it is inexplicable that these players' ability to produce at their particular sport goes down the drain. Busts have a devastating impact on franchises and fanbases alike. How does this happen? Why does this happen. Big B has the dish. Let's Talk Ball!!!

We're not telling you anything that you don't already know by telling you that there is a TON of cash being thrown around in professional sports. But who is getting the lion's share and is that lion deserving. Is the income of a franchise pushed along by the athletes...or the owner's and their staff pulling the strings behind the curtains? Are you pro-player or pro-team....or even pro-owner?! All this and more in this week's episode of....Let's Talk Ball!!!

Like peanut butter and jelly, like salt and pepper, like thunder and lightening, like kool-aid and sugar....sports and gambling go hand and hand. Whether you like it or loath it, gambling is as much a part of sports as the balls, bats, and pucks. In this episode, Big B tackles why this is so and whether it's good or bad thing. Tune in! Let's Talk Ball!!!

What many see as simple fun, others see as a way to make some extra coin. Still, others see it as the brilliant marketing ploy it is. In one swoop these sports up their viewership, increase involvement, and broaden their already broad wingspan across the human landscape. Click in to see what Big B thinks about the inner realities...of these fantasies. Let's Talk Ball!!!

Where would sports be without our wild, misguided, loud, visceral, highly delusional fan bases? We love these crazies almost as much as we love the sports themselves. You can drop a pin anywhere in the world; different countries, different languages, different cultures....same crazy fans! Big B takes a swing at trying to decipher the root from the fruit in the world fanatics in this episode of....Let's Talk Ball!!!

One of the questions that we as fans will never get a definitive answer for is, "could players from the past compete with today's athletes?" While there undoubtedly has been a shift in all major sports, would today's athletes, minus the benefit of technology advances, still leave our beloved legends in the dust? Are we simply bigger, faster, and stronger versions of our former selves or is there something else at play here? Click in and listen as Big B gives his take on which era is superior....if any. Let's Talk Ball!!!

Would sports be so tantalizing if it weren't for rivalries? Two teams/individuals pitted against one another in a battle to maintain their side's dominance. Whether it's proximity, prize, or pure hatred...these forces come together and, more often than not, produce fireworks! Tune in to hear Big B's take on these titanic clashes of will. Let's Talk Ball!!!

Some of the biggest games still talked about were those of high school lore. Few things have the lasting power of local kids at local schools doing big things under the lights of Friday night. In this episode Big B discusses his take on the absolute MADNESS that ensues over super skilled 14-18 year olds and the arenas they play in! Buckle up! Let's Talk Ball!!! 

Why is officiating been sooooo bad? Why aren't they held PUBLICLY accountable? How can we hold referees more accountable for ruining games, seasons, and altering careers. With players getting bigger, stronger, and faster...why do our refs appear to be getting older? In this, episode we will attempt to tackle theses questions and more. Have a seat...Let's Talk Ball!

With so many sports to choose from, who will gain Big B's nod as the person or team to lay claim to being the dynasty of all dynasties? Football, basketball, soccer, tennis....which team or person has left the most destruction in their wake? Join us as we travel through time (limited to this century) in search of sports' greatest dynasties. Let's Talk Ball!!!

There's a lot of back and forth on which of these gladiator sports bests the other. With boxing being the OG and MMA being the new kid on the block, is it inevitable that MMA takes the fight crown? Well, we all know Brien has his own take. When doesn't he? Click into the discussion, agree, disagree, argue, fight....no holds barred in this week's episode. Let's Talk Ball!!!

Who do we consider the GOATs of each major sport? How do we decide? What are the metrics? Are the answers to these questions objective or subjective. Well, Big B has an opinion on all of the above. In our debut episode we dive into one of the more divisive topics in all sports. Who, indeed, is the GOAT?!

Most sports are fair game. Big B will take us through some of the more controversial, confusing, and thought-provoking topics in sports today and of yesteryear. We leave current events to major networks and dive deep into the history of sports. Having experience as a D1 athlete in two sports and a member of Hall of Fames in each, Brien has the credentials to lay down the law of the land. This is his podcast, his views, his opinions, and his truth. Welcome. Now, Let's Talk Ball!!!