Podcasts about major league baseball all star

Alex Rodriguez shares why in sports and business, striking out is just a part of the game.From the baseball field to the boardroom, great communication is critical for success. But as Alex Rodriguez knows, we don't always hit it out of the park. For this sports superstar turned entrepreneur, striking out is never the end of the story.“I'm fifth all-time in the history of strikeouts,” says Rodriguez. “That means there's only four people in the history of mankind that have failed more than me.” For the 14-time Major League Baseball All-Star and World Series champion, failures aren't endings, but opportunities to learn and grow. "The key is how you get back up with the same energy and enthusiasm," explains Rodriguez, who is now chairman and CEO of A-Rod Corp, leading a team of experts in building high-growth businesses.In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, co-hosted by Matt Abrahams and Stanford GSB colleague Jeffrey Pfeffer, Rodriguez shares lessons on resilience, authenticity, and effective communication. From maintaining a "slow heartbeat" in high-pressure moments to his approach of "intentional listening," he offers insights on leadership, giving feedback, and viewing communication as "an unselfish act." Whether you're stepping up to the plate or stepping up to present, these strategies can help you turn strikeouts into home runs.Episode Reference Links:Alex RodriguezJeffrey Pfeffer  Ep.166 Why Relying on Talent Alone Will Fail YouEp.153 Listen Up, Leaders: A Record-Setting Coach's Guide to Communication  Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (02:53) - Teaching at Stanford: Strategic Pivoting (04:28) - Preparing for Life After Baseball (06:51) - Performing Under Pressure (08:16) - Finding Balance Post-Pandemic (09:14) - Building a Media Presence (11:05) - Creating Great Teams (12:15) - The Role of Ego and Intentional Listening (14:26) - Giving and Receiving Feedback (17:06) - Setbacks, Resilience, and Redemption (20:09) - Developing Authenticity (21:39) - The Final Three Questions (25:31) - Conclusion    *****This episode is brought to you by Babbel. Think Fast Talk Smart listeners can get started on your language learning journey today- visit Babbel.com/Thinkfast and get up to 55% off your Babbel subscription.Support Think Fast Talk Smart by joining TFTS Premium.       

Private Clients partner Theresa Balducci and corporate associate Adam Unger are joined by Matt Joyce, 14-year veteran of Major League Baseball and one-time Major League Baseball All-Star, to discuss issues faced by professional athletes in managing their personal finances. Matt shares his personal experiences, both during and after his tenure as a professional athlete. The podcast discusses how to engage in strategic financial planning and have a long-term mindset if you are in a position of coming into a significant amount of money. The podcast further discusses the importance of retaining and engaging reputable professionals, including a lawyer, investment manager and an accountant, particularly when considering potential investment opportunities. Theresa, Matt and Adam highlight that professional athletes, for whom risk-taking is the norm, need to consult with seasoned professionals to minimize potential risks in new investment opportunities and to draft documents critical for asset protection including a will, power of attorney, health care proxy and a pre-nuptial agreement. Theresa elaborates on how professional athletes can achieve their financial goals, including asset growth and protection and tax planning, at different life stages.Music by Michelangelo Sosnowitz

Major League Baseball All-Star and Omaha native, Alec Bohm, will be inducted into the first-ever Omaha Roncalli Hall of Fame on Friday.

Join us as Dr. George S. Maurer, Ed.D., shares his remarkable journey from Toms River, New Jersey, to his current home near Temecula, California.   A retired Air Force Master Sergeant who served in Iraq during the Global War on Terrorism, Dr. Maurer is also an award-winning broadcast journalist with over 35 years of experience.   His distinguished career includes interviewing high-profile guests such as Sammy Hagar, Pat Benatar, Dan Aykroyd, and top Defense officials like Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen.   He has covered major events, including Super Bowl XLII and two Major League Baseball All-Star games.   Dr. Maurer's academic pursuits include a Doctor of Education degree from Liberty University, with a Capstone Project focused on Critical Race Theory.   In his personal life, he enjoys RV travel with his fiancé, Adriana, and indulges in his passions for pizza, cheese steaks, sub sandwiches, and California's wine culture. A die-hard fan of the New York Giants, Dr. Maurer blends his diverse interests with his professional achievements.   Tune in to gain insights from Dr. Maurer's extensive career and personal experiences.   Don't miss this opportunity to hear from a distinguished journalist and military veteran with a unique perspective on both professional and personal pursuits.   Visit his website here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558416817877

A Major League Baseball All Star for the Milwaukee Brewers, this week's guest LARY SORENSEN is one of those guys whose life is made up of amazing stories. His self deprecating humor is charming and he never acts like a guy who made the climb to being a Major League All Star. Talk about ups and downs in life, Lary has experiences them all and is more than happy to open the book that is his life on this week's episode of The Approach Shot.

The 2024 edition of the Major League Baseball All-Star game is a little over a month away which means that it's time for fans to start sending in their picks for who they want to see represent the American and National League squads.Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman do their best to put together the most fun and deserving teams for the mid-summer classic, set to take place in Arlington, Texas this July. While there are a few obvious selections like Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Kyle Tucker in the AL outfield, other position battles, like the AL shortstop crop, will create some fun races to watch as the votes come in.Also on this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, the guys talk about Juan Soto's forearm tightness and why New York Yankees fans shouldn't be overly concerned about the injury just yet, the ascension of Gunnar Henderson despite his draft status and the epic match-up between Paul Skenes and Shohei Otahni earlier this week in Pittsburgh.Jake & Jordan then give their picks for this weeks' The Good, The Bad and The Uggla and highlight a couple weekend matchups including the London series between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.(2:30) - All Star game voting process(8:17) - Infield(28:30) - Outfield(34:36) - Designated hitter(41:22) - Juan Soto's forearm injury(45:21) - Gunnar Henderson's ascension(53:21) - Paul Skenes vs. Shohei Ohtani(54:58) - The Good(59:15) - The Bad(1:02:13) - The Uggla(1:07:04) - Weekend previewFollow the show on X at @CespedesBBQFollow Jake @Jake_MintzFollow Jordan @J_Shusterman_

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 18, 2024Georgia Omnibus Voter Suppression Law Banning Line Warming, Curtailing Drop Boxes & Restricting Mail-In Voting Goes on TrialAfter the Georgia legislature passed its omnibus voter suppression bill SB 202 in 2021, a firestorm of criticism erupted, including the moving of that year's Major League Baseball All-Star game out of the state.  April 15th, a trial began in federal court to throw out a small part of the law, one of eight active lawsuits. Today's LinksArticles & Resources:Fair Fight -  FIFTY REASONS WHY SB 202 IS A BAD BILL  ACLU - Here's How Georgia's New Voting Law Harms Voters With DisabilitiesNAACP Legal Defense Fund - LDF's Lawsuit Challenging Georgia's Voter Suppression LawLeague of Women Voters - GA State Conference of the NAACP v. Raffensperger (consolidated as In re: Georgia Senate Bill 202)Campaign Legal Center - Challenge to Georgia Law That Would Make Voting Harder Heads to TrialDemocracy Docket - Georgia's Infamous Voter Suppression Law Heads to Trial for the First TimeACLU - Here's How Georgia's New Voting Law Harms Voters With DisabilitiesNAACP Legal Defense Fund - LDF's Lawsuit Challenging Georgia's Voter Suppression LawLeague of Women Voters - GA State Conference of the NAACP v. Raffensperger (consolidated as In re: Georgia Senate Bill 202)Groups Taking Action:Voter Participation Center, Center for Voter InformationPlease follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.orgWant ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network's Audioport and PRX#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #VotingRights #VoterSuppression #Georgia

In today's episode of Building Texas Business, join us for a fascinating discussion with our guest David Fletcher, General Manager of Lone Star Sports and Entertainment. David gives us exclusive insights into the sports business industry, highlighting the economic impact of major sporting events on Houston. We learn about LSSE's role in the city's sports landscape and the excitement for the upcoming Tax Act Texas Bowl. David also enlightens us on why Houston is a major sports hub, touching on upcoming events like the college football championship and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Tune in for a thrilling exploration of the fast-paced world of sports business. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Chris talks with David Fletcher, the General Manager of Longstar Sports and Entertainment, about the intricacies and realities of the sports business world. David describes the significant economic impact of major sporting events on the business community, highlighting their ability to draw in substantial revenue and tourism. We discuss the role of LSSE in the Houston sports scene and its involvement in exciting upcoming events like the Tax Act Texas Bowl. David addresses some common misconceptions about the sports industry, revealing the hard work, long hours, and sacrifices behind the scenes. We delve into what it means to be a good teammate in the sports industry, focusing on traits such as being coachable, ready, and positive. David shares insights on why Houston has become a hotspot for sports business, citing its prime location, diverse population, and robust infrastructure. We discuss the upcoming national college football playoff championship and the anticipation it's generating in Houston. David gives a preview of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expressing his enthusiasm for the global event to be hosted in Houston. I explore personal topics with David, such as his first job experience, his preference for Tex-Mex over barbecue, and his dream 30-day sabbatical destination. David shares his passion for skiing in Park City, Utah, expressing gratitude for the support and involvement of the Houston community in their work. LINKSShow Notes Previous Episodes About BoyarMiller GUESTS David Fletcher About David TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Chris: In this episode you will meet David Fletcher, general manager of Longstar Sports and Entertainment. David shares his insights into the business of sports, as well as the economic impact major sporting events can have on the business community. David, I wanna welcome you to Building Texas Business. Thanks for coming today. David: It's great to be here, Chris. Appreciate the opportunity. Chris: So let everybody know, you're the general manager of what's called Longstar Sports and Entertainment here at Houston. Tell the audience a little bit about what that company is and kind of how it fits into the sports landscape here in Houston. David: Yeah, longstar Sports and Entertainment, or LSSE, as we try to call it with such a long name, is really the events production and management company at Houston, texans. So we are a primary outlet for event production, promotion and really a focus to our efforts to date around filling event dates at NRG Stadium. Most of what we do, chris, is in the sports space, although we have certainly done fair share of shows in the entertainment side, but college football, international soccer, rugby are all really big parts of what we do and inside of that we can do anything and everything that we need to do to make an event successful. We've promoted and negotiated and done our own events. We work with partners like ESPN or the Major League Soccer to host events at our building for them. We work with global brands like Manchester United, real Madrid or even Taylor Swift to bring events to our place in a variety of different ways. So really our focus is on bringing people together in Houston and we've done some other things over the years some investments and some events outside of NRG Stadium. But at our core we are a major part of making NRG Stadium one of the world class destinations for events and we're very proud of what we've been able to do over the last 21 years. Chris: That's what I love about kind of the focus at LSSC and the Texans for that matter is really a focus on doing things for the benefit and betterment of Houstonians. It seems to be kind of maybe a core focus. David: No question. I mean, look, at the end of the day, our organization is only focus on three things it's creating experiences, it's delivering incredible vowed partners and it's about doing great things for Houston. So, in that core capacity, major events, whether it be bringing Leon O Messi to play at NRG Stadium in an event like Copa America a few years ago I mentioned Taylor Swift we had a chance to host her in 2018, or Keddie Chesney or George Straits or Tim McGraw done shows with all of them over the years to the big time college football, like the Tax Act Texas Bowl that we host each and every year. Our focus is on really those three initiatives and I think they play into exactly what you said, which our organization has been all about, and the family the McNair family has been all about since day one. Chris: So, speaking of the Tax Act Texas Bowl, where we've got a match up right around the corner with Oklahoma State and Texas A&M excited about that and I would think that there is some excitement from those fan bases about being here at Houston. David: No question, our 18th year of hosting that college football postseason spectacular that happens each and every year at NRG Stadium. Last 10 years we've had the Big 12 in SEC and you mentioned it Texas A&M, who's obviously one of, if not, the biggest collegiate brand in this part of the world, going and taking on Oklahoma State, an old rival there from the Big 12 days and 20th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, I might add, who made it all the way to the Big 12 championship game this year and have the nation's best running back in Oli Gordon. A lot of things to be excited about on both fan bases. Texas A&M obviously a great brand, but had their struggles on the field relative to their expectations this year. A lot of transition, including bringing in a really exciting new coach and Mike Elko, and this is an opportunity for both of these teams, but particularly Texas A&M, to start their 2024 March to the championship this December 27th. Chris: Very good. So let's talk a little bit just about you and kind of how you got into the sports industry and you've been general manager now at LSE like 10 years. That's crazy because I can remember when you first took over the role. So 10 years goes by fast. David: It goes by real fast, chris. Look, for me sports has been an incredible part of my life, like many, since my early days of youth, I know as a kid. For me there wasn't a day that didn't go by literally a day that I didn't have to go to some practice or didn't get to go to some practice of some kind, played a lot of sports really important to my family growing up and ultimately developed a very strong passion for sport itself. As I got a little older I was in school at the University of Texas I realized that you could make a business out of it. You could create a life around the, not just playing on the field, and for me my playing days they definitely ended in high school, which is okay. I still get to this day, get to go out there and try and hack it with the best of them every once in a while, but I do it vicariously most of the time in working with my kids and coaching them and watching them grow. So for me, like I said, I knew sport was a big part of what I had a passion for when I graduated from UT. I had an opportunity to be to work for an NFL team in my hometown right here in Houston Texas. They didn't even have a name until a few weeks into my job, but that was the Houston Texans, and so coming out of UT and having the opportunity to be a part of building a professional team no less an NFL team from the ground up was something that I thought was really cool and I thought would be something that would help fuel that passion further, and it has. There's no question, of course, as a graduate coming out of college, many of us, myself included had bills to pay, and working as an intern at any sports team is not a great way to pay off those bills very quickly. But you know, I knew I had. I knew I had a goal in mind. I knew that I could make a business out of this if I really focused on making the most of the opportunities I had about keeping a positive attitude and really just taking every opportunity I could to grow, and I did that. I worked at the Texans during that first season, had an opportunity after that to get into a sales side where I did start making money working in media sales after leaving the team, spent a few years doing that for the University of Texas Athletics and then with the Houston Rockets, but I had a chance to return back to the team in 2010 and have been with the Texans in some way or shape or form ever since and that's been a lot of fun to really get to be in my hometown to work for the NFL team ups and downs included along the way, right, as we've had some great years and some not so great years. But going back to what I talked about earlier about being able to make an impact, particularly in my hometown, it's been an amazing opportunity for me and I still wake up every day and I know this is gonna sound really silly and I've grown a lot in my career, but we office at NRG Stadium and there are a lot of days where I walk in I'll hear the voice guy, david Brady, in my head going welcome to NRG Stadium. Chris: And it's just for me as I walk in the office. David: You know, it's a subtle reminder in my head that you know what. This is something pretty cool and this is something really special and been fortunate enough to be a part of a lot of things that have helped grow this community as a sports destination and then hopefully a lot more going forward. Chris: That's great. I mean it's a very unique position, unique opportunity. It relates to working for an NFL franchise. Right, there's only 32 franchises that you can work for, so let's talk again. So you work your way up and then you get this opportunity to move into leadership and I like to talk to guests, entrepreneurs, about leadership. So let's talk about that with you, kind of give us a little idea of your journey. Who were some of your mentors that you kind of molded your leadership style after? David: Well, I think mentors are so important, chris. They're so important to provide you you know reality, to provide you guidance, to provide you you know somebody who can ultimately be a resource, good and bad, in any situation. You know, for me it started with a good friend of ours and I still think about him all the time as Jamie Roots, you know, arguably one of the best in the business, president of the Texans for 20 plus years and spent spent really so much time, energy and effort in creating and ultimately growing the Texans brand, and so getting a chance to watch him and be a part of his team for almost a decade myself was something that you know, I've taken so much from. You know, the things that we focused on were about relationships, and that's really where it starts in any of these businesses is, you know, whether you're working with clients, teammates or employees and just trying to find ways to connect. You've got to be able to connect at all levels and build relationships with people, no matter what role they're playing in your business. So it's starting with relationships first. You know, I think, looking at how Lone Star has been approached I talked to Jamie about this a lot over the years Texans, so important and ingrained in the business of, or the fabric of, the Houston community. But what Lone Star has really helped do is expand the reach beyond just football and reach into what is already arguably the most diverse community in the country and bring them in to a place that they could celebrate, that the passions they have can create memories that last a lifetime and ultimately, yes, do business. You know, and so you know, lone Star helps us reach in. We've done, you know, 21 Mexican national team soccer events at our stadium. We've hosted Beyonce. We've had, you know, lsu take on Wisconsin or, you know, coming up, the national championship game for college football. Yes, there's some core elements that are consistent across every sport, every entertainment property, every football event that I just mentioned, but each of those tie people back to our business, they tie people into, or they bring people into, our community and they ultimately, you know, give us an opportunity to create even more momentum for the team and for Houston going forward. So, when I look at how we've approached that from a leadership perspective, you know it's really been thinking about how our business, my business, can impact people outside of what we do in the Texans. And with that, you know, like I said from the beginning, it starts with relationships. Chris: Hey, you hit the nail on the head because I think that's true. No matter what business you're in, if you're a one man shop or you're growing it to be bigger, it's all about relationships, like you said, with your external partners but more importantly with your internal teammates. So, talking on that subject a little bit, let's talk a little bit. I know you know you've built a team around you at LSSC to help put on and promote these events. What are some of the things you look for when you're going through that process? One maybe identify whether it's through the recruiting process or onboarding or, as they're there, in kind of the training to make sure you're making the best decision you can in building that team. And then maybe we'll talk about the other side is when you know maybe this wasn't the right fit, the harder decisions to make. David: Well, I think it starts. You know I mentioned it earlier, but to me there's really three core elements of being a good teammate, and I think these matter whether you're the intern or you're the leader of the organization. One be coachable right. Nobody that I have ever met, even the best in the business, know everything right, so be able to take advice, take criticism, learn from your mistakes, and that's something I think's really important. Two be ready, right. Be when opportunities exist, don't be afraid to raise your hand, don't be afraid to speak up, don't be afraid to go all in. You never know when an opportunity could be the best opportunity for you if you don't ask. So be coachable, be ready and then, from my perspective, just be positive, right. The attitude is the only thing that any of us can control, and my experience and my life has taught me that if you focus on the good, you have a lot better chance of getting there than if you focus on the bad. And that speaks to communication internally. That speaks to the way you approach how you position your business. It speaks to how you approach your competition right. Ultimately, at the end of the day, if you focus on the good, there's a better chance you're gonna get good. Chris: Like I couldn't agree more on that positive mindset, kind of staying positive, focus on the positive, learn from the bad and the negative maybe, but your primary focus has got to be on improvement in a positive way. Yeah, again, there's books written about it all over, but mindset makes a big difference. David: No question, no question. Ultimately, if you're a teammate for us and you've got those qualities, we feel like that's a great start to being a positive contributor to our group. Chris: Well, no just from being around the organization as much as I have. Y'all are known the Texans and LSSE. You're known within the sports industry of training people to be great and I guess that's a blessing and a curse. You get really good people but then people come and take them. David: Well, I've always had the mentality, chris. I know it's one that may fly in the face of common thought, but look, if anybody's being approached or anybody's being seen as having an opportunity coming from where we have brought them to, then we've done our jobs the other day and so we wanna keep as many of those on our team as we can, no question, but many times, for a variety of reasons, you have to accept that maybe reality, and so do the best of what you've got, be ready for the next opportunity, keep moving forward. Chris: So, working in the world of sports, what's one of the things you think is maybe the biggest misperception that most have about what you do? Cause it sounds pretty glamorous. David: Well, that's probably the biggest misperception. I think that, and that I have access to every ticket for every event all the time. My wife still sometimes even has that misperception, but I love her for it. No, look, I think the reality is that. I think that people do think that. Well, let me back up. I think there can be a perception that it is all glamorous all the time. Right, there's a lot of very visible and very talented people that are in the media all the time, that are compensated well, that are creating brands of their own. There certainly is an element to that, but I think that more often than not, it's a job that, if you don't have a passion for what you're doing, what you're doing, it's gonna be hard, because the hours are long, holidays are not really holidays. The players have negotiated a very significant salary, and that's not always the case for everybody else. And on the business side, and there are so many facets of what working in sports can be, and I think that's also, at the same time, an opportunity A lot of people look at. Well, you work for a team so that you're working in sports. Working in sports can be working for an agency that's working with a brand that is creating a partnership with a team. It could be working on the media side, bringing the events to life through social, digital and television content. It could be being a lawyer that negotiates contracts. It could be taking tickets and welcoming people to NRG Stadium, and so there's just so many different ways. There are over 7,000 people that work on a major event day at NRG Stadium. Just on the day, just on the day itself, right Between part-time staff, texans, employees, police fire, you name it. That's crazy. So it's such a big it becomes its own little city. So ultimately, there's a lot of different ways that sports can touch somebody. Most often, people just think of the players and what happens on the field. Chris: Well, it's nothing. You said when you started that, and I think it's true and it transcends all industries Passion To be really good at what you do, you have to have a passion for it, because it's long hours and putting in real hard time to learn and advance and grow your expertise at whatever it is, and so it has to start and stop a passion. David: No question, and if I look towards my life personally, it's been the fuel that's put me on the path to the successes that I've had. I mentioned it from the beginning. I mean, I started out as an intern with the Texans. I'm very proud of the fact that I'm the only intern or the only member of the executive team at Texans that actually started out as an intern with the team itself and that wasn't by accident. I mean, certainly there's a lot of good fortune along the way and I was able to produce results when needed. But I look at that as a testament to. Without the passion that I had, I wouldn't have been able to go through the 120 hour weeks as an intern, making minimum wage, I might add. You know working on, you know lifting heavy equipment or organizing, you know volunteer groups or you know putting together hours of copy that may not even be used, right. I mean, it's just those things that are just little steps along the way that, personally, I had to do, but I think they apply to anybody who has felt success in their business is that it starts with that passion. Chris: Yeah. So let's turn the conversation a little bit and talk about something that I don't think gets talked about enough, certainly at least here in Houston. We, when you step back and look at it, we, being Houston, which means you and others have done an amazing job of making Houston a true, like sports event destination. So we can talk about that a little bit, but what I want to do is connect that to how that the impact that has on the business community in Houston, because it's significant. David: It's massive, you know. So I'll start with a couple of things. One, you know, I think Houston's success as a destination for sport really points to. You can point to a lot of things that have been contributing factors, and they all have been geography center of the country, center of the continent, certainly a very, a very easy to get to market with all the infrastructure here from the great airports, obviously our traffic and our freeways. But the port you know, the infrastructure itself is fantastic, have served us well over the last 20 plus years with this latest renaissance, and we'll going forward. You've got a Some may need some tweaking, right? Chris: No question about it. David: I mean NRG is certainly, you know, a fantastic, world-class facility throughout its history. But that definition certainly has changed over the years and there's opportunities to continue to be the biggest and the best that we're working towards getting in the future. But the market seven plus million people in the DMA it's the most diverse market in the United States. All of that creates a lot of reasons why Houston has been a major destination. But I think the most important element is the leadership and the people and when I say people I mean the people at all levels that help contribute to the experience that's created when major events. Stakeholders are looking for a place to go and they come into Houston and they get to see it. We've got a number of groups that have worked together very successfully over the years the Texans and Lone Star, nrg Park, houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, all the major professional teams, harris County, houston Sports Authority, houston First Mayor's Office, city and Fire, the Texas Medical Center. All of those groups and many others have created a winning formula with how we approach the event experience, whether it's a festival, a conference or the Super Bowl. You throw in the hospitality community, which Houston First is certainly a driver of, but the thousands of unbelievable hotels, restaurants and entertainment options that are here in this community and how they collaborate and work together around these major events. And you see, no other market in the country can offer what we have as a collective package, and that's why you've seen Houston be awarded more major sporting events than any other market in the country over the last 15 years. That's impressive. Chris: I mean, people don't know that. They don't, it doesn't get talked about. David: They don't, they don't. There's certainly a lot of energy around. You get the first one right and then it just kind of dominos and we've been very aggressive as a community in pursuing those options. We've been very successful and when we get those options here to put our best foot forward, there are great resources at state level that certainly help with that and a spirit of collaboration with the governor's office to try and generate as many major events in the state of Texas as possible. So those are all winning points in the formula for success. But it really starts with the people and as we look at the future of the sporting event business, the major event business in Houston, there's a reason why we keep going after this and a big part of it is what you talked about the economic impact. Pick any number of these. These events Final four, college football, playoff, national championship game, fifa World Cup, super Bowl, taksac, texas Bowl, copa America I'm missing thousands of events that happen and are the Major League Baseball All-Star game, nba All-Star game, mls Cup. All these events that you see have really generated billions of dollars collectively for our community and economic impact. That's people coming to Houston and staying in our hotels. They're going and having a great time down in Galveston. They are eating at some of the world's best restaurants and that fuels our economy. We don't have the typical transient business that a vacation destination like a Miami or New Orleans may have, where entertainment in the community can spark a lot of travel. We are very much focused on conference events and entertainment opportunities and we do it better than just about anybody else out there. Chris: So let's kind of try to, you know, put some context around that. You mentioned, and obviously I'm well aware of the Texas Bowl, Taksac, Texas Bowl economic impact of that event to the greater Houston area. David: Annual basis over the last 10 years has been over $30 million on average. Every single year, we'll have anywhere between 25 and 30,000 people traveling in, staying in our hotels, restaurants, for three or four days ahead of the event. You've got people they're even driving in, too right, people that are coming in from the outer areas getting to celebrate that event. So that's meaningful, especially when that event specifically happens every year. It's right, it's a re-accuracy. End of the year, end of the year, when a lot of people are traveling for the holidays or maybe not doing as much, we've got an event that brings people into our community. That brings people here that may not be from a drivable distance. They may be coming from, you know, south Carolina, or Louisiana, or Florida, or Colorado Now that the Big 12 has expanded or Arizona, so you know, it really is something that fuels those businesses and gives our community as a whole an opportunity to celebrate around a major event, and we're proud of what that particular event has done, as well as, obviously, many others. Chris: Then we've got a couple of big events on the horizon. I want to talk about some of that. So let's talk about the first one, and that's the national title football college football playoff championship on January 8. It's a huge deal. It's the last one, I guess, of the 14 format, but you know what can we look forward to as Houstonians, with that game right around the corner? David: Well, it's a true celebration of college football, a week-long celebration. So you know, from a community perspective, you know the impact has already started. The Houston Love Teachers campaign that the Harris County, houston Sports Authority and the College Football Playoff local organizing committee has put together is has already generated millions of dollars in support for and recognition of teachers in our community, excuse me and that's an impact that will obviously pay dividends well beyond the game itself on January 8. When you look to event week itself, got four teams and four big brands that are hoping to descend upon Houston right after the New Year's. Chris: Yeah, yeah, so we've got what I mean. I think, any way you slice it, there's four or two teams that show up here are going to have big followings. David: Well, they are, and so you know what that means. It's not just about the 70,000 people that will fill up NRG Stadium. You know, again, the week long of activities, with free concerts every night during the weekend leading up fan fest down at Georgia Brown, which will have all kinds of interactive opportunities for fans to celebrate and enjoy the game of college football. You've got a number of initiatives around the industry itself that you know just further fuel Houston as a destination for business around the sport conferences and events and media opportunities, literally billions, if not trillions, of impressions showcasing our city. Chris: So you're gonna have the eyes of the world really on Houston for that kind of that weekend leading up and, I think, encourage the Houstonians right to get out and enjoy it yeah, no question, I mean it is. David: Houston is one of the best college football markets in the country the, the tax act, texas Bowl and many other events that we hosted. Our place and throughout the city. You've age rice, you know hcu tsu, prairie view. There's so much around college football that really Houston should be part of this destination, going forward on a consistent basis, and I think we'll show that as we bring everybody together here next month very good, yeah, david. Chris: So I think there's a lot to be excited about having the national title game be in our backyard, and I hope Houstonians will show up and take advantage of all the the events that are being planned yeah, it's gonna be an incredible week. David: We've earned the opportunity and I know, just like we did with Super Bowl a few years ago, with Final Four earlier this year, sonians love their sport. They will be out and enjoying another great celebration, and that's something that we should be excited about, and it's not the only one. You look down the road. We've got the world's biggest event coming just two years from now. Chris: As well, and that's the World Cup that's right. David: Yeah, fifa World Cup returns to Houston in 2020, or returns to Houston, comes to Houston in 2026. Houston, one of the venues in North America that was selected and you know just when you think about the opportunity to host five, six, seven, eight events in NRG Stadium with an average audience of a billion people and names like Messi and Neymar and Mbappe, who probably mean a lot to many people in this community but are treated as icons around the globe, and for Houston to have its name among the great markets of the world, at a truly global market which we know from a business perspective and from a from a population perspective. It is but to have that that verification on that type of stage is something that you know. As a community we also be very proud of and Chris Canetti in the World Cup office and Janice Burke and everybody over at NRG Park that ourselves included that helped to be part of making that a reality. We know we got a lot of work ahead to live up those expectations that's great. Chris: Well, david, I appreciate you, you know coming on and sharing some of these specifics. I want to ask you just a few more questions about you personally. What was your first job before days? You know the years before you were the intern of Houston Texas so I my first job I'm gonna go with. David: I've got a 1, 1a, all right. So my first job really was I worked at a Kroger in Kingwood as a checker or, sorry, as a bagger. But my my first quote real job I didn't have that one very long was I. I ended up being a server at Kingwood Country Club and the reason I say that was my first real job is that I worked in the service industry throughout my career. I mean, I still do today, obviously, but I worked in the service industry for 10 years, all the way through my time in Austin, going to school at UT, and I will tell you that nothing will teach you more about the world good and bad, than working in the service industry and I am so appreciative of the opportunities that I got to again. Start with something simple as that. But as a funny story, chris, I will say my crowning achievement as a server is I did serve as Don Johnson, the actor, don Johnson's waiter for the 10 cup rap party, because Tim Cup was hosting. That's right and so I do have that up by resume. Chris: So there you go see one of the benefits of living in Kingwood that's right. Yeah, one of the many I'll add okay, so since you work so much in, I guess, service hospitality, this will be easy for you. All right, you prefer Tex-Mex or barbecue? Tex-mex all day long all right, and this one's gonna be hard for you to answer okay maybe not. If you could do a 30-day sabbatical, where would you go? What? David: would you do? That is a great question. I don't think it's very. I don't think it's very hard for me at all. I am an avid skier and my family and I have been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time in Park City, utah, and I try and get the 30 days even now it's not possible to do in our work, but I love Park City probably more than any place else in this planet, and so I'd love to be able to go up my family for three days and just ski our behinds off got you. Chris: Well, that's great. That's a good one. David, thanks again for taking the time. Congratulations to you and the rest of the team back at Energy Park, the Texans LSSE, for all you do for Houston well. David: Thank you, chris, and we appreciate your support and involvement as well. Special Guest: David Fletcher.

LISTEN: On the Thursday, Nov. 16 edition of Georgia Today: The drought in Georgia is expanding; officials have determined the cause of the fire that destroyed the largest historic home at Stone Mountain State Park; and Atlanta is getting another shot at the Major League Baseball All-Star game.

A month full of events in Seattle resulted in over one million people using light rail, King County Metro buses and the water taxi during three notable days in July. Sound Transit saw record-breaking ridership numbers thanks in large part to the Major League Baseball All-Star game, multiple Taylor Swift concerts, the Capitol Hill Block Party music festival and a Seattle Mariners home series against the Toronto Blue Jays.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/washington-in-focus/support

It was a vacation week for one of the co-hosts, but one that had Hollywood ties far outside of California. Terry Lipshetz talks about his family vacation to South Dakota, which included stops at Badlands National Park and Wall Drug, locations of the 2020 Oscar-winning film "Nomadland," as well as Deadwood, which, of course, was the location for the HBO series of the same name. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are set to open this week as "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" continues to underperform at the box office. "Wham!" is a documentary on the group featuring pop icons George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley that you won't want to miss. And the fifth season of "What We do in the Shadows" premieres July 13. Co-host Bruce Miller has interviews with Kirsten Schaal (The Guide), Harvey Guillén (Guillermo de la Cruz), Mark Proksch (Colin Robinson), Kayvan Novak (Nandor the Relentless) and Natasia Demetriou (Nadja of Antipaxos). Finally, aside from the big blockbusters of the summer, there is a smaller movie gaining traction — "Sound of Freedom" starring Jim Caviezel as a special agent who tries to stop child sex trafficking. Where to watch "Nomadland" on Hulu "Deadwood" on Max "Deadwood: The Movie" on Max "Barbie" in theaters "Oppenheimer" in theaters "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" in theaters "Wham!" on Netflix "What We Do in the Shadows" on FX and Hulu "Sound of Freedom" in theaters About the show Streamed & Screened is a podcast about movies and TV hosted by Bruce Miller, a longtime entertainment reporter who is now the editor of the Sioux City Journal in Iowa and Terry Lipshetz, a senior producer for Lee Enterprises based in Madison, Wisconsin. Episode transcript Note: The following transcript was created by Adobe Premiere and may contain misspellings and other inaccuracies as it was generated automatically: Welcome everyone to another episode of streamed and screened and entertainment podcasts about movies and TV from Lee Enterprises. I'm Terry Lipschitz is senior producer Lee and co-host of the program with Bruce Miller, editor of the Sioux City Journal and longtime entertainment reporter who has been working a heck of a lot harder than I have in the last week because I am back from vacation. What is this deal? You get a vacation and you take a vacation from watching movies. Come on. I have yeah, I have watched the fall. Movies are a vacation. That's right. But when that's part of your job description, I have to. Stop. I am watching around the clock things that you haven't even thought of yet. I've seen. That's how. How intense it is. And they don't take a break. There really should be a week where they go nap. No new movies this week. Nothing happening? No, no TV shows. Just sit still. Do whatever you want to do at home. You know, that is that sort of exists in sports because that's actually the the genesis of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue started coming out in February because it was it was that time of the year when there was nothing. It was it was after the NFL's season. It was before spring training. Yeah, there's hockey and basketball still going on, but it's like, you know, you can only tell so many stories there. So we're going to do a swimsuit issue. So that's what that is. And even in sports right now, it's a little bit of a dead time because we're at the Major League Baseball All-Star break. So there's the Home Run Derby, there's the All-Star Game, but there's really not a lot of sports. But yeah, you're right. There's not a not a true break in the movie entertainment world. A swimsuit edition. Yeah. Yeah. Great for us. And then we just look at the pictures and that's all we care about. But my my vacation, though, I didn't get away from the movies completely because we went. We packed up the minivan, we got the kids inside, and we headed west and we headed west. And we started seeing signs for see the the costumes and sets for Dances with Wolves and stop in, said Larry. What's that? It's just. Prairie. Do you just drag through it? I've seen it. It's good. Yeah, but we all drug. We stopped it while drug. Yeah, because we stopped at the Badlands, which of course was a major plot point for the movie. Nomadland. So you said, Would you please tell Frances McDormand that I want a double egg fried on wheat toast? Right. I had a donut. That's all. I had it while drug. I had. Free water. Fabulous. I did not get any free water. No. Oh, darn. Darn. Did you see the jackalope? Yes, I did. Okay. And they have like a mini Mount Rushmore in the back that you could always with. And I think you can get on. You can like I think there's a dinosaur there, too. If I remember right. Yeah. At the exit. I know there was one dinosaur at the exit to get off and yeah, it's a pretty neat little place. Well, can I give you a little spoiler alert? Okay. The spoiler alert in the new movie Joy Ride. One of the things they talk about is going to South Dakota or a second vacation. Oh, so if there's a sequel to Joy Ride, they're going to South Dakota. Interesting. Interesting. And we ended up also in Deadwood, which was the location of or the setting, rather, one of my favorite HBO series of all time. Also called Deadwood. And it was it was fascinating to me because everything was named after, you know, a real life person who I also recognize recognized. Yeah, right, exactly. We did see the like the saloon where he was killed. Was the virgin. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Calamity Jane, did you see anything with her? We went up to the cemetery where Jane is buried right next to Bill. So we saw that. We saw some place. I don't even know it was like a deli or something. It. It was called Mr. Woo's from that character from the show. We saw the Gem Saloon. We saw a former brothel. They're doing tours there now, but you have to be at least 16 to enter. So we could go in there, but it was open for the canteen. So yeah, we it was open from 1876 to 1980 until it was shut down by federal agents. Oh, no, that's not the Ronald Reagan probably did it, right? No, right, exactly. And said, we can't have this. We can't. No. So it was a fun little trip. And, you know, we saw the saw the sights and Mount Rushmore. And did you were you in that kind of entry area where we we saw north by northwest, they redid the visitor's center. So it is did we the same But if you go now if you continued West and gone to Los Angeles the Academy museum for the Academy Awards has the backdoor out that they used in north by northwest of Mount Rushmore. And did you not? I took a picture in front of that thing and I posted on social media and friend said, Weber, you had South Dakota? Well, I wasn't in South Dakota. I was at the backdrop of Mount Rushmore. So now my goal is, is to go there this year and actually take the picture so that it's angled just as much as it is or that backdrop. And you can see but it is really weird because North by Northwest has been on TCM recently and when you watch, you go, Wow, this does look like a sad it looks real sad like. But I remember many years we'd hear stories about people who were extras in North by Northwest because they did shoot a part of it there. And they talk about, you know, all I remember when Cary Grant came out and you think, boy, does that ever leave an impression? People people hang on this step a long time. So if you ever have a movie made in your town just know people will be talking about it 30 years from now. I do want to go back though, now and watch Nomadland. It's been a couple of years and that movie, I don't know what you thought of it, but for me, that's probably one of my favorite award season kind of movies from the last decade. It was I thought it was just horribly depressing, but in some ways just a beautifully done movie too. I never knew that there were people like that who were traveling around and just kind of living on the edge and that I thought, What could I do that? Could I be one of those nomads and then I talked to one of the people who are featured in the movie. She said, You could do it, you could do it. It's a matter of getting rid of stuff. That's the big problem We hold on to way too much. And if you get it down to what you absolutely, positively need, you could go anywhere and do that and have that life. Now they don't get that choice. You know, a lot of times it's just there is no money there to to own a house or to rent a place or something like that. So they they live on this on this edge and then go where, you know, the sun is. Because if you're in some cold place like here, it ain't easy being, you know, nomadic in the Midwest, right? So you just need to get rid of all the crap in your basement. And there's so much of it. I've been adding more because we're moving. Get the office by bringing in more crab haul because they don't want to throw it right away. I bet I'll look at it. Yeah. Oh, my God. It's the archives of the movie industry for the last 50 years. That's what it. Is. That's what it is. It's too much crap. And now new stuff coming. You know, yesterday in Los Angeles, they premiered Barbie and Barbie. Sounds like it's going to be huge. And I kid you not. It's going to be huge because it's getting good reviews. It has the backing of Mattel. So, you know, they're going to look for every dime they can find out of this. And it's going to be kind of snarky and funny. And they say that can play by Ryan Gosling steals the movie. I'm looking forward to this one. I mean, my daughters have been talking about it. And I think my wife was just going to be like, we'll leave dad at home for this one. I'll take the girls. Yeah, I'm like, No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I want to see this one. Well, and you know, have you seen the the Oppenheimer Barbie mash ups? Because they both open on the same day and they've been doing goofy posters for the two together. It's very cute. Check out Social media. You'll find the Barbie Oppenheimer Duo. Oh, I've got to I have to check that one out. Now, there's another film, which I am trying to get to see it, but it is not doing so hot right now at the theater, is it open number one? And then it this this past week it got knocked down to two by Insidious And it's like I mean, is this thing even going to recoup its money? Indiana Jones in the dial Destiny. I think it will. No, I think it will. I don't worry about it. You haven't seen it yet. So let me tell you that it holds up. It's too long. And they do this de-aging thing with Harrison Ford, where there's a big, huge action sequence at the beginning that I think because they wanted to make you maybe remind you of what Indiana Jones was like, but either it's a stunt man with his face superimposed on it, and then De-Aged it looks good. It really I didn't feel like I was being duped or anything. It wasn't like it was the Polar Express, but it moves. It kind of borrows from the other ones. So you'll say, Well, this is kind of a plot point I've seen before, but it does have a number of return visits from friends. So you'll meet those people and there's an ending that makes you feel like, Yeah, I think Harrison can bow out now. I think he's okay. But I enjoyed it. I thought it was, you know, he was too long. But I always say that about every movie. And yeah, I was fine with it. I did not. It was this. This. Oh, God, we can't go to that. I think they always get the first big week because they don't put anything big up against it. But the second week, if you're going up against a horror film, come on. A horror film. The kid, the place is packed. When I went to see Joy right now, well, I'm not going to have to worry about Joy Ride because they're not going to see that. It was insidious. They were lined up. The kids are all over the place to see this thing, and it's horror films. That's what they love. Yeah. I think the other thing too, that you pointed out, the kids are lined up, right? The kids were not lined up to go see Indiana Jones. That one I had read had really skewed Gen-X and older. And it's rare because because moviegoer kids today are predominantly younger. So that one was it was almost like two thirds were 4045 and are going to see Indiana Jones and I looked at Rotten tomatoes the tomatometer on it from critics 69%. So it's not terrible. It's not it's not like completely panned by the critics. The audience score 88%. So it's it's getting a solid reception from the people that are going to see it. It's just the audience that you would normally expect, like the last one, because I think the Last Crusade, which was the third movie and probably one of my favorite in the franchise was Sean Connery in it that won top Batman the year it came out. You know, you couldn't expect this to be huge because it's too late. It should have been a lot sooner. I don't know that there is all that kind of interest in Indiana, even at Disney, where they have like a stunt show and then they've got a ride at Disneyland and they're not that popular. And so I don't know that, you know, I think it's more of a button that they want to put a button on the end of this thing. And they could easily reboot the series if they wanted to in a different way. But they're not giving up anything that could be potential money. And so they probably spend too much on it. I would have made it 90 minutes because I think it would seem more like a serial, and I think it could have been just as good. But hey, you know, Spielberg wasn't in on it. Lucas wasn't directing, you know, So that is what it is. But I enjoyed it. And maybe that's probably why The Rotten Tomatoes was up a little bit. That was my vote. I probably skewed it. It's not bad. It is not one of those ones where you go, Oh, will grandma like it? We'll send grandma to this one. It isn't. It isn't one of those Clint Eastwood kind of things where you go, Yeah, this is just exactly like the kind of movie somebody who goes once a year should see. It's it's a way, for those of you who have seen Indiana Jones like Indiana Jones, to kind of finish it off. Okay, You can't watch Lord of the Rings without seeing the third one. We're introducing our kids to Indiana Jones right now. We got through Raiders of the Lost Ark. We got through Temple of Doom. Between the vacation and the fact that I want my kids to understand what Indiana Jones is before we take them is just kind of what's been slowing us down a little bit there, too. So where were. Yes, they absolutely loved it. And even though it's a little bit more intense, a little bit more in some scenes, scary, they kind of equate it with national treasure in a sense, because it's got that similar history looking for relics kind of thing. So they they really love the national Treasure movies. So I can't explain to them. It's like it's a little bit like that to a degree, but, you know, a little bit more violent. Love, though, how they always get the right clue, you know? Are they always able to? Yeah. Okay. This is the one that. What about a false clue where it sends them off on a real goose chase and they can't figure out what's going on. They don't do those in those kind of movies. They don't do that in this one either. But, you know, yeah, I, I think they'll like it. But just now, two and a half hours. Two and a half large beverage. Yep. Well, we got the bucket. The bucket of was ready to go. That's all. You need. All we need a big bucket of popcorn. So we're also middle of the summer. We are getting a steady stream of new TV shows popping out here and there. And there's another one and you've got some interviews with that. So can you talk a little bit about what's coming up? Sure. Well, I just give you one little quick one to watch on Netflix. Sure. I think this will fit in your wheelhouse since you've been away from these things. It's a documentary on Wham and it is really fascinating because you tend to cut Andrew Ridgeley short and you don't think that he did that much. And you realize that it never could have happened without him. It's a remarkable quick documentary that you don't see them now. You don't see them. They just you just hear them talking over footage from that time and what was going on and the things that they were worried about and how they. Yeah, one of the my favorite things was they had this last Christmas said they were going to have four number one hits in one year and they were all excited that they were going to have the number one Christmas song that year. And then there was the be like USA for Africa British version. That was a Christmas song. And George sang on it, but it didn't they didn't get the number one hit and they realized that that was not necessary. We didn't see that. What the big thing was is that we were giving money to a cause that helped. But it's fascinating and how they all evolved from this because it was like they were 19 and 20 years old and they were thrust in the middle of all of it. But that's it's wham, it's on Netflix as one you want to see. Is it a just a single movie or multi-episode? It's just one. It's a documentary one. Okay. Not even 2 hours. I think it's 90 when you Yeah, when you look at it on the thing, it looks like, oh, is this some kind of teeny bop thing that they're trying to do? It's not. It's a very well-done documentary, but don't expect to see interviews with them looking like, you know, all their old you don't see the old versions of either of them. But they both do talk throughout the whole thing. And. Well, and unfortunately, George Michael passed away in 2016. So but I guess, you know, they could have even brought some some more modern footage into it. But know what, I, I think there's a whole other documentary that could be done about George Michael Post Wham! Mm. And you'll see how he was huge with that. But what was remarkable is that he never really got that the street cred from the business. I looked at 1 to 2 Grammys in his whole career. Come on. You know, this is one they're going to be doing a Bohemian Rhapsody about. At some point there's going to be a good George Michael movie that some actor is going to want to make because there's just so much there to uncover. But yeah, that's one that you you should put in your list. And also starting this week is the BFI season what we do in the shadows about the vampires from your homeland? My homeland of Staten Island, New York. Yeah. Not Transylvania. No, but yes. And you've never watched this? I have it. No, no. Some of those shows I'll catch like half of them. And then the other half just kind of completely elude me. Like I'm into shows. Like. Like Dave. Because that's an artifact show, right? And there's a few others that pop out there, like Fargo. I think that was an F show, right When that one's right on TV. Did you watch Dave this year? Yes. Yes, I did. You see the Brad Pitt episode? Yes. Yes. That is some of the funniest TV ever. They're talking Brad Pitt for best. That's the former performer for that role. And I thought he was great. Oh, my goodness. Yeah, that was I it was just a a bet. You know what? Crazy, right? The episode with Ray Stalker and what was his name? He like? He's like, no, no call. You can actually call me. And I can't remember what it was. Yes. My real name and then I had to Google is like, is that really his name? It it is a. No, no, no, no, no, no. Did you watch the the bear? I have not quite started the bear yet. That is that is like waiting for me now that I'm back from vacation to start diving into it. Okay. Well when you get to the Jamie Lee Curtis episode, you will see the winner of next year's Emmy for best guest performance. Jamie has never been better. She plays the mother and she is unbelievable in that. And it's about I think it's episode six. But you want to ask now back to my what we do in the shadows, because you must see this if you haven't gotten involved. You know, it's odd that something like Dave and something like the Bear the Bear can be considered comedies. Right. When this is out. Now, comedy, this is just unreal. Well, it's about these vampires living in Staten Island, and they have a familiar Guillermo who helps one of them and then really, in exchange wants to become a vampire and they kind of, you know, dangle the carrot before him and like, yeah, yeah, we'll get to that. We'll get to that. Well, this season, he doesn't want to wait anymore. He doesn't want to have to hold on to, you know, whatever. So he becomes a little more independent and that forces them to be a little more independent, too. They go to the mall for the first time, which is interesting. Last year, Colin Robinson, who was the the energy vampire, and you have these at work, I'm sure, Right. Well, you suck all the energy out of you. And, you know, they stand around your desk. You say, oh, please, go away. Please, please, please do not stand here. Don't ask me anything. Well, last year he had died the year before, and then last year came back as a baby. Colin Robinson. Then, then adolescence and Colin Robinson, then teenage Colin Robinson. Well, now he's back to being himself and he's kind of as surly energy vampire at this point. And he works at a restaurant. And if you've ever had a surly waiter, this is Colin Robinson, you'll enjoy that. So he's back. But then the other one's Nadia. Last year had a restaurant of her own where people like Sofia Coppola traffic there and everything. It all kind of went to hell. And so she's trying to pick up the pieces after the restaurant or the nightclub has closed. And Nandor, who is the boss of Guillermo, had Trouble with Love last year and is kind of searching this year, looking for where he might fit in at what will be his place, what will he be able to do. And the guide, played by Kristen Schaal, is in this as a regular this year, and she is she becomes friendly with odd, different people. So there's a very big mix of characters and you'll get a chance to kind of see them in different settings. There is no one, I think one plotline that kind of carries through you just every time just go and you're going to enjoy politics becomes part of it. So if you know anything about politics in Staten Island, it might be worth your while to watch that. But I had a chance to talk to five of the actors. Well, yeah, and you'll hear a little bit about what they have to say about this season and what prompted some, because I had quite longstanding questions that I wanted to know the answers to. Nadia Neistat, Natasha, who plays Nadia, has this little doll that's kind of a doppelganger for her, and the doll is a ghost. It's as this is so complicated, you must watch it from the beginning. But the ghost kind of comes through that doll. And I asked her about playing with the doll, and I asked Harvey about the changes that he has as Guillermo and then the energy vampire and what that really means to everybody. So there's a lot there to to unpack. Hopefully we'll be able to and hopefully you'll be able to tell who's talking at what time. Okay, so let's set this up. So we I know with the interviews you had one set of interviews with three of them and then and then so who we want to go to first. We'll start with Kristen Schaal and Harvey Guillén and who are Guillermo and The Guide. And they talk about the really the trick to being successful in a series like this and also what secret they've learned about being character actors. You are you have such a life where you're able to pop in and do whatever you want and it's like, what is I mean, right, Harvey Isn't. That the way she is? I was ecstatic when we were lucky enough to get this. And like, I said this before, but I'm such a fan and I fanboy over her and quoted I met her at a party first beforehand and was already like an on then found out at the party that she's friends with Germain and stuff and and they had worked together obviously before and we got lucky enough that we were able to have her come play with us and then to have to come back again and to be recurring on this show and be such an addition, we're just lucky enough to have her. And and I'm still a fanboy. And say, Harvey, what is your Venmo handle. That. That is how it is done. It is done. So so please do it. Is it fun to be with them because they are. I have never seen a show that seems like it's this exciting. It is the most exciting thing in the world. I mean, it every every episode is having something dumb, a spectacle, something that's never been done before, something that you'll come to work and you know you're going to be doing something you've never done before and you'll never do again penance. So rather you're going to be being with Richards, you're going to be watching, you're going to be staying irreverent things and and you're going to be doing it with some of the best people in comedy. So my one of my most favorite jobs that ever had and I'm really proud of the show, too. Like I sometimes I'm proud of myself, but I get a little shy around some of them, but this one, because it's such a beast of hilarity every time someone they love the show, I go crazy too. But does the guide have a name? Well, so the guide had a name, but she forgot it. So. We can call her. And what's the deal with Familiars? Why doesn't everybody have a familiar? Hmm. I think a lot of people do have familiars. I think that, you know, we look at the workforce and a lot of people are familiars in a way. They are longing to be promoted, they are overlooked, they are underpaid, underappreciated and kind of slave to labor to get that big promotion, to break that, you know, door open. And sometimes it is come and sometimes you, you know, build a life around the career that you think will be a big payoff at the end. And it doesn't work that way. So I think gear represents a lot of us in that way where we see ourselves in Guillermo because, yeah, we've all been there. We've all been in love with someone maybe from afar, that we can express, having been real with our, you know, our honest, our feelings about something or our sexuality, our, you know, our overlooked for something at work, hate our boss or upset or our coworkers or I hate having roommates. Like it's very relatable just because it's all human storylines with the I. Just you covered all of us in him, right? He is. Like, Yeah, this is it. But you know, the strange thing is this was a real big break for you, right? How has your life changed after this? Because this is unbelievable. I remember when we first met you and it was like you couldn't believe that you were getting the job, and now you're on everything. I still can't believe I am getting the check. Yeah, it's been an amazing, you know, launch pad, I guess you could say, with the show. And I didn't really think about the longevity of the show when I first started. I, you know, we got past the pilot because I really love the show so much. And to go back on season one and then season two and find out last season that we got picked up our season three to be up at ten for six seasons or two seasons out next, which is incredible. And it's just such a gift, especially in this day and age. I feel like that's incredible. And, and yeah, I, you know, it's basically, you know, the show that I get recognition for other projects that in voiceover or live action or theatrical or whatever it is it's like I'm such a fan and would you love we would love for you to play this role. And lucky enough that I've been playing different things a year or more, which is really nice because it would be easy to just kind of get stuck on one thing. But I'm very fortunate, very grateful to this show and and loved doing it. What was success. Where you thought it would. Be? I mean, what is success? You know, I feel like in my head I always wanted to act and and make a living off of that. And I think as long as you're happy doing it, even if it's a room of 99 seater or 2 million people and through a movie screen or a television screen, then you're giving it your best. I always pride myself in doing the work that I would do regardless of the budget or the popularity of the project. As long as I can walk away from the project saying I gave that my best and I can say that I did my best, that's all I can do. Yeah, well, Henry, I think you always been ready to be a star. This is my mom. You see, Kristin, Rosalie, this. This going to ask. You how much money you don't know, right? Yeah. My Venmo is going to go through the roof that. It's at orange it. But, Kristen, you are always busy, you're always working. And I don't know. What I can say is the reason other than you're really good at it. But is there something is there a secret to this that, you know, everybody wants to work with you? What is that? She's amazing and everybody wants to work with you. So it's it's an easier thing to do when you work with someone as talented like Kristen at five in the morning after working 12 hours or 14, 15 hour days on set and you never want to bump into someone in the hallway that you want to be like, gosh. And every time you move into Kristen, her energy is so positive they can go another 12 hours if you need to, because that's the kind of energy and talent you want to be surrounded with. So it's easy for me anyways. Anyways, I took. A lot to pay out. Okay, lot the back. But what is it? Is it because you bring a different sensibility to these roles or what is it? Well, you know, I'm I li one of the things that I that is really exciting is yeah, like my friend Jemaine wrote the World Apart for me to be on his show and and remembered me from way back when. And and I find that when I get invited to play on different shows, it's usually to, to play roles that are going to be different and a little bit weird. I like to think that I am really brave when I act and I'll just do whatever people say. Maybe that'll go down well, but well, if you have that much, I can't. I couldn't tell you what it is without saying that I'm the best actress in the world. No, I don't know. I. You know, what? Can I tell you what I think the key was, both of you, is that you really love character parts. And too often I think people get into the business where they think I need to be the leading man. I need to be the the, you know, the debutante, whatever it might be. And you guys just find these characters that are so good that you can sink your teeth in, pardon the pun, and really enjoy. And I think that's the trick, is that when these kids come out of these acting schools, they don't realize it. The best parts are not the leading man or the leading woman. Bruce, don't print that. Now you do that. You did that. I, I think you and Mark Blackwood's approach could have stayed the same thing. Like, oh, being a character actor is the best gig in the business because the characters are always going to be different and unique and fun then, as opposed to the leading man or woman has to start to relate to a bigger audience. But we get to play like very offbeat when we get to do the weirdest things. And we also don't have to see our faces on screen the whole time, and that feels good to get to. All right, Bruce, thanks for that interview. Now, you also have an interview with three more actors. Can you set that game? Tires? Come on, you don't tires. Oh, I'm sorry. All the time. So a three vampire kind of thing is is, I think, a trifecta. You get that there. So this time you're going to hear Mark Proksch, who plays Colin Robinson, and then you'll hear Kayvan Novak, who plays Nandor, and then Natasia Demetriou, who plays Nadja. And they are they interplay a lot on the show. So you'll see them interacting a lot on the series this season. But here they are together, so good luck for me, right? You know, trying to sort all this out. But it's what we do in the shadows. And this is another set of vampires. Yeah. I'm Bruce Miller from the Sioux City Journal. You know, I looked at all of the the episodes they let us see. And I realize that this season is a lot about change. Do you see that, too, that there's a lot of change in all of your characters? So yeah, why not? I think, you know, our characters are always evolving, devolving and, you know, that's part of what makes the show appealing, I guess. Change like, well, why does Nandor always go back to the the health club to find his changes? You'd have to ask Nando that. I think you know he's it goes back to that was you know because he likes. Doing weights man he likes being around other dudes. And getting sweaty and like, you know, flexing his muscle. That's the secret. That's easy. But Mark, you had the biggest the biggest shift from last year. How was that that season even? Were you even around that much or how was that how did that play out? No, I wasn't around all that much. I filmed almost all of the the child sequences back in Los Angeles. And it wasn't until I hit well, Colin. Hits puberty, I guess. That I was on set and back. It was that was really exciting. I mean, it breathes some fresh air into the character for me, just like being. Back this year was a breath of fresh. Air for me and getting to be back with, you know, my friends and and acting against. Them. You also a big change, though, in terms of potential career. There is an episode where you consider something else, and I don't want to say anything for fear of being killed, but you know, talk about vampires. There you are. Yeah. And you know, what better place than politics for an energy vampire to cast its web? Yeah. I mean, this year was that there is a lot of change, and Colin is still trying to get his feet back underneath him and kind of get his groove back, I guess you would say. And, you know, there is some love interest there for him. You know, at the beginning of the season, he's a waiter. Then he goes into politics and then there's another little shift at the end of the season. So it's it's a fun season. I think, for all actors. I missed the nightclub, I got to say, not just was just wonderful. Do you miss it as much. As I do? Yeah, I was. I did similarly love it as a like, just as like, I guess as an actor, just there are certain sets that are really like, comfortable and fun to hang out on and fell. And that set was, was definitely one of those, unlike the attention to detail, maybe a little bit the fact that my name was in lights wherever I looked really, really lapping and being in that space. So. And did you make. Did you take anything from that set? I did know to take a lot of napkins. Well, they basically like they properly, as always on this show, the set designers and props people like went above and beyond and all the not like napkins, bar mat straws like covered with my name. So I did take a few all those things and I still have my eye on one of the like big signs and lights. But I also you've got to check yourself with this stuff. What you going to do, put off in your own house? Yeah, of course you do. Too, I think. I think my friends and family would disown me if I started, you know, one too many portraits of yourself in your own house. You know what I mean? I've already got about 15, so. You know, And there's never too many. There's never too many. Why does Nandor add the only familiar? Why doesn't everybody else have a familiar. I think, Laszlo, in that you did have a family. I think we had a series of families, but they kept dying, right? Yeah, that was it. Kind of left off. Do you just kind of let them go or decant You applied for new ones? I mean, I think we probably heard, but we kept having a really hard time. They kept dying and really disgusting ways. And then we got so far who obviously, I think lips and they sort of a sweatshop underground and you're a slow they're kind of each other's Nadia in a weird way I think and they're also way less codependent than Nando and I think the reason why Nando still has a family and still has, you know him around is because it's Gamow. It's because of their very, very intense friendship passes relationship. But this could be the, you know, the end of that. So I'm just putting that out there. There there could be some trouble just saying. Right. And why is Nandor never happy? It's a good question. He's been a miserable as any for quite a few seasons now, um, which are quite like playing, I think playing miserable is easier than playing kind of incredibly happy all the time. Um, he's searching, man. He's lost, you know, He's a lost soul. He doesn't know what he wants. Is know where to get get it. You know? Yeah. Mo makes him happy. But now again, why makes him sad? Yeah, You want to hug him. And even though you think that'd be the person, you probably hug because he is kind of intimidating, right? Right there. The hug is there for you. I just know it's there right after this. Many years, though, do you guys say, how long can we do this show? No, really. I mean, I think it's you know, it's still super funny. I think this last season, that's the season about that's about to drop is one of our funniest seasons. And I there's some examples of shows that keep going and keep being hilarious Like always Sunny in Philadelphia has been on for three seasons and it's still funny and inventive. And as brilliant as it was day one, if not better. But when you started this, did you think it was going to be this long? No. No Day and age? No. Because, you know, all experience I'd had up until this was like, you do a pilot, does it even make it to television? Probably not. And then you're like, like at the end of season one, I was genuinely like, my cards was so sincere and like, it's been, you know, like because I was like, I'm never going to see these people again. This is it, you know, like, it's so generous with morale. And then and then like, Oh, we're coming back. And I honestly, I just don't have a point of reference to say, you know, like, yeah, there'll be a season two and three, you know, you know. So yeah, it's, it's, it, it's really like sometimes I can't believe it when I think about it. Yeah, well. I think it could keep on going forever because vampires last come on a show about vampires could last two. Thank you, Bruce, for those interviews. It sounds like a good season, and I think you're right. I got to go back and we got to start watching this. Yeah. Staten Island, baby. That's where I'm from. One of the five boroughs in New York City. More than anybody. You are going to love this thing. And there's a movie that started the whole works and then it led into this series. But you must watch it and then you'll be asking questions. Say, was the one playing that person. You know, it's it's it's very fascinating. And you think, where are they going to go with this? How could they keep going? But you could because everything is kind of a new a new world for that, even going out in the daylight. Another and it you know something I don't think I ever see. So we're good. But I want to mention one more thing before we before we log off for the week. Here's a movie that did not really have any kind of premium. Let's see. I mean, people talk about it as that. But is this going to be it's called the Sound of Freedom. And Jim Caviezel, if you don't know who that is, he starred in The Passion of the Christ as Jesus. And like his good friend Mel Gibson, he likes doing issue films. And this is about child sex trafficking. And it is getting huge audiences. Now, I don't know if there's like an underground of people saying, You must go see this film, but it's a hard watch because of the topic, and yet it does get you talking about the subject. So if you're looking for something and you haven't figured out where do I, what should I go see? I don't want to see Indiana Jones. It might be something that you're interested in. I went to Joy Ride and I was shocked at how funny it was. Joy Ride was incredibly funny, but so dirty. This is the hard hour show that I thought our feelings was going to be. There are things in that movie that my mouth is still dropped open, but fascinating. And it could be another one of those ones that cracks the the door for Asian actors because it's largely an all Asian cast. And they tell stories that are, you know, interesting. I've not heard it before and fun. And it's like watching The Hangover, but it's an Asian female hangover. Japanese shoe is in it. Yeah, Lee Park is in it. So, you know, they they're starting to get big names. I thought, oh God, they're going to have Michelle Yeoh be in here somewhere. Right. But she wasn't so they're, they're branching out and I think we're doing a better job of that. But it's fun. It's fun, but it is a hard, hard. R And you can tell it's a hard hour because the previews are all hard are previews and you go, They can't do that in a preview, can they? And they do. Is that the one where they give you that instead of the green. And the Red Band is the Red Band trailer. That's right. Okay. All right, Bruce, thanks again. Another great episode in the books. And we will be back again next week with another episode of Streamed and screened. Not suitable for all audiences.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the tension over RV homeless camps in Seattle heats up ahead of the All-Star game, there is an air of rebellion amidst the motorhome owners. The city, usually reeking of urban struggle and complications, is witnessing an unexpected twist. A self-proclaimed revolt by the RV owners is about to be in full swing. The rebellion intends to park their motorhomes by the stadium, in a defiant response to being pushed out of their usual haunt, the Soto area. As the city prepares for the big day, the question arises - will the city fold before the homeless and their mobile barricades or will it come out victorious, maintaining its much sought after, albeit fleeting, facade of cleanliness?In a city often portrayed as the 'Emerald City', the inhabitants have grown tired of being constantly pushed around. And now, they intend to make sure their voices are heard, or at least, seen. Despite the city's best efforts, there is little doubt that the city officials are worried about the impact this unanticipated and rather audacious act of rebellion might have on the Major League Baseball All-Star game. As the flyer for the rebellion reads, "Let's make sure their work was for nothing," it's clear that these RV dwellers intend to use the upcoming All-Star game to shed light on their plight. Whether the city manages to remain the 'Emerald City' or turns into the city of rebellious RVs, only time will tell.#UrbanStruggle #RVRebellion #SeattleAllStarGameSupport the show

Who needs the Major League Baseball All Star game when you have All-Star plays like that one -- in the Congressional Baseball Game ... This year, freshman Democratic Representative from California Kevin Mullin made that all-star catch playing left field. The big league All Star Game is approaching (July 11, Seattle) ... but you might not be interested ... you might want good, alternate, yet still baseball-themed programming -- Well, here's one idea ... listen to the latest episode of C-SPAN's "The Weekly" ... it's the top moments from C-SPAN's coverage of the Congressional Baseball Game … over the years -- both on and off the field…. Highlights, hits, and hugs … via the C-SPAN Video library. As the classic baseball song goes: Take Me Out To the Archives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Major League Baseball All-Star voting ballot update, Bobby Witt Jr. is not in the top-10 for shortstops, Mike Trout is or isn't a superstar, Derek Young of “On 3 Sports” joined to talk about how Jerome Tang is recruiting the best, how the Royals are missing something or someone, Sequon Barkley on the running backs franchise tag, and a new treat to eat at The K.

AJ Pierzynski chats with me about his fatherhood journey. We talk about the values he looks to instill into his kids. After that we talk about his time in the MLB and winning a World Series with the Chicago White Sox. In addition, we talk about what it is like to be in the zone when you are playing in the MLB. Next we talk about his transition from playing in the MLB to covering it for FOX Sports. Lastly, we finish the interview with the Fatherhood Quick Five.  About AJ Pierzynski World Series Champion and two-time Major League Baseball All-Star, AJ Pierzynski serves as a game and studio analyst for FOX Sports. Pierzynski officially joined FOX Sports in 2017 following his retirement from baseball. Prior to that, the catcher appeared in a guest analyst role for the network's postseason coverage from 2011-2013 and 2015. A career .280 hitter with more than 2,000 hits, Pierzynski began his major league career with the Minnesota Twins in 1998, also playing for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves. A two-time MLB All-Star (2002, 2006), the left-handed hitter won a World Series title with the White Sox in 2005 and garnered the Silver Slugger Award in 2012. Follow AJ on Twitter @aj_pierzynskiFT. In addition check out his show Foul Territory and watch him on FOX covering the MLB.   Fore Father's Is This Week's Sponsor From the boardroom to the back nine, barbecues to bath time, changing diapers to changing the oil, we offer beautifully designed, thoughtfully tailored, ultra-comfortable, and original polos for Dads of all shapes and sizes. Inspired by what it means to be a father, we celebrate the joys of this adventure with fun and friendly Dad apparel meant to be worn as a Dad badge of honor! Check out all of the Fore Father's gear at shopforefathers.com.  About The Art of Fatherhood Podcast  The Art of Fatherhood Podcast podcast follows the journey of fatherhood. Your host, Art Eddy talks with fantastic dads from all around the world where they share their thoughts on fatherhood. You get a unique perspective on fatherhood from guests like Joe Montana, Kevin Smith, Danny Trejo, Jerry Rice, Jeff Foxworthy, Patrick Warburton, Jeff Kinney, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Kyle Busch, Dennis Quaid, Dwight Freeney and many more.

On this Hacks & Wonks week-in-review, political consultant and host Crystal Fincher is joined by Seattle political reporter, editor of PubliCola, co-host of the Seattle Nice podcast and author of Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery, Erica Barnett!  During this Seattle-centric episode, they discuss Mayor Bruce Harrell's State of the City speech, the SDOT Vision Zero report about traffic safety, the passage of first in the nation caste legislation, what's next for social housing, questions from the oversight board for the scope of King County Regional Homelessness Authority's five-year plan, an increase in violence against unsheltered people, and the outlook for downtown Seattle. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Erica Barnett, at @ericacbarnett. Resources The State of the City is Vibes by Erica C. Barnett from Publicola  In State of the City, Seattle Mayor Harrell emphasizes crime, downtown by Sarah Grace Taylor from Seattle Times Vision Zero | Our top-to-bottom review provides a roadmap and new actions to reverse challenging trends in traffic safety by Seattle Department of Transportation Seattle must do more to prevent traffic deaths, report says by David Kroman from Seattle Times Councilmember Tammy Morales responds to the release of SDOT's vision zero review: "this report stops short of calling for dramatic or swift action to combat the unprecedented number of collisions, injuries, and fatalities on our streets, particularly in District 2.” by Tammy Morales on Twitter Seattle becomes the first city to ban caste discrimination by Lilly Ana Fowler from KNKX Opinion: Confessions of an American Caste Traitor by Prashant Nema from South Seattle Emerald What's next now that Seattle's Social Housing Developer initiative has passed by Capitol Hill Seattle Study: Human Service Wages Are Even Worse Than You Imagined by Erica C. Barnett from Publicola  Violence Against Unsheltered People Spikes, Social Housing Moves Into Startup Mode by Publicola Plan to Eliminate Visible Homelessness Downtown is “Clearly Behind Schedule,” but Backers Remain Optimistic by Erica C. Barnett from Publicola  Oversight Board Questions Price Tag, Exclusion of Tiny Houses from Homeless Agency's Five-Year Plan by Erica C. Barnett from Publicola  As Downtown recovers, Seattle reimagines what it could be by Josh Cohen from Crosscut  #ThePostman - D'Vonne Pickett Jr. Memorialized With Street Sign in the Central District by Cesar Canizales from Converge Media Qualified Immunity Bill Passes Key Hurdle as Other Criminal Justice Reforms Stall Out by Andrew Engelson from Publicola Transcript   [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, we are continuing our Friday almost-live shows where we review the news of the week with a co-host. Welcome back to the program, friend of the show, and today's co-host: Seattle political reporter, editor of PubliCola, co-host of the Seattle Nice podcast, and author of Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery, Erica Barnett. [00:01:11] Erica Barnett: Hi, Crystal. Great to be here. [00:01:13] Crystal Fincher: Great to have you back. I want to start off talking about an annual event that happens in the City of Seattle every year - the State of the City address by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. What did he say and what was your impression of his State of the City speech? [00:01:31] Erica Barnett: As I said in my headline and a story I wrote about this, the message that I got from it was vibes. What I mean by that is it was a lot of positive talk about the future of the city - everything's looking brighter - the future of the city is bright, optimism, innovation, Downtown that's going to be wonderful for everyone. But a lot of what he actually proposed or said he's going to do in the coming year, which is the point of the State of the City speech, was either stuff that he promised in his first State of the City speech last year or sort of small scale stuff - white papers, activation plans, executive orders, and a vision for the future of public safety - which is basically what he said last year as well. So not a lot of substance - quite a lot of fluff and good vibes talk - which resonated really well in the room, I have to say. It felt like a good speech, but when you read the words or paid attention to them at the time, there just wasn't a whole lot there. [00:02:37] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, absolutely. I think one thing - and you called this out also in your article, I think - is that especially on the heels of Mayor Jenny Durkan, who was not the most charismatic mayor that we've ever had and didn't particularly seem to enjoy the job, Bruce brings charisma to his speeches, to his interactions with people - and that goes a long way to building goodwill, at least in the reception of what he's saying. The vibes feel good, but as you said, it wasn't packed with substantive promises, goals, but there were a few that were included in there. What did those include? [00:03:17] Erica Barnett: Yeah. So he said - so I mentioned this "downtown activation plan" - so reading between the lines, he talked about how great it is that Amazon is forcing people to come back to work, essentially - which a lot of them are not very happy with - but saying that as everybody returns to work and downtown kind of returns somewhat to normal, we're going to activate it, there's going to be new small businesses and storefronts, art spaces, possibly - and again, this gets into kind of the vague part - he kept saying may, possibly, maybe we'll have an arts corridor, a 24/7 street, this kind of vision of downtown, but yeah, as far as concrete actions, he says there'll be a plan. He also said there's going to be a new executive order about fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. Again, executive order - I don't know what that - that can mean a range of things. It's not the same thing as legislation. And then he says that he's going to propose a suite of legislation to hire more officers and release a vision for the future of public safety, which again - I think that what that actually translates to, particularly on the recruitment side - is they're going to hire a marketing manager who's going to do some ads. He mentioned digital ads aimed at Gen Z trying to get more younger recruits, but yeah - again, really, I'm really reaching to find substance because there just wasn't a lot of it there. [00:04:44] Crystal Fincher: There was not - it doesn't appear - did he say anything about the planned public safety department that has been talked about for a year now? [00:04:55] Erica Barnett: Oh, yeah. So that was another thing that he talked about in his first State of the City speech. He said within the year, we'll have a plan for this department - and I don't remember the exact language or whether there's anything solid there - but this year, a year later, he's saying that pretty soon there's going to be a white paper that sort of lays out what this department might look like. I think that that's a really good example of something where - he does not deliver on that third department, which is supposed to be a kind of non-police public safety response department. It does have a name, which is the CARE Department, the Civilian Assisted Response and Engagement Department - so they've gotten that done. But if he doesn't deliver on that this year, I think there's going to be some pushback, maybe, for not actually accomplishing all these lofty goals. It's been more than a year and he hasn't delivered on it yet, but a white paper is, allegedly, coming. [00:05:57] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. I think a lot of people are definitely looking forward to the white paper as a precursor to further action. Hopefully, certainly people want to stand up responses that are appropriate to the type of call that are coming, and there seems to be a broad recognition - because of the creation of this department and certainly by the residents - that a variety of different types of responses are needed. Having a cop with a gun show up to every single circumstance doesn't make sense, and certainly with the staffing challenges that they say they have doesn't seem to be the wisest thing. So it looks like we're going to stay tuned for the white paper. How that translates to actual action and creating this department and getting this off of the ground, which they have been talking about, remains to be seen. [00:06:45] Erica Barnett: And I will say the white paper was supposed to be out last year. It was - the deadline was fourth quarter - the sort of loose deadline was fourth quarter of last year, so it's late. [00:06:54] Crystal Fincher: That seems to be a recurring theme, but we will continue to pay attention with eagerness and an open mind to see what actually happens. Another long-awaited report this week was the Vision Zero report that was just released yesterday. What is this and what did it say? [00:07:14] Erica Barnett: Yeah, speaking of things that are behind schedule - this was supposed to come out last year and got delayed. It was billed as a top-to-bottom review of Vision Zero, which is the plan to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030. It is titled the Top-to-Bottom Review of Vision Zero, which I find funny just because it's so literal. But what does it say? Basically it says the City has taken a lot of great actions to try to reduce traffic deaths and where it hasn't been able to take actions, it has tried really hard. It's a defensive report in a lot of ways - blaming other agencies, blaming the state and the fact that the state has control over a lot of our streets like Aurora, and then outlining a bunch of different steps that the City could take in the future to try to reduce deaths and serious injuries, most of which I should say are pretty underwhelming. There's a top five list that includes stuff like phasing in an unknown number of additional "No Turn on Red" signs downtown in time for tourist season - and I'm quoting here, "in time for tourist season and the Major League Baseball All-Star game." Another one is to accelerate leading pedestrian intervals, which is where if you approach an intersection, the light will turn for pedestrian first so you can start crossing before cars start coming. So we're going to do more of that. So it's a lot of - let's do a little more of the things that we're already doing and maybe that'll work. Nothing particularly bold in terms of things like street design that allows cars to drive, or for people to drive as fast as they do - mostly focused on individual behavior, automated traffic enforcement, that sort of stuff, but no real big bold vision here. [00:09:08] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, I was a little bit surprised by its billing as a top-to-bottom review, and that doesn't seem to be necessarily what we received. It seemed to be a review of things that they were doing - and I don't know if I want to say avoidance - but not necessarily on focusing on many things that as you said, weren't already planned. There was not an analysis, as Ryan Packer pointed out on Twitter, of what was the impact of reducing speed limits. Was that helpful? Was that not helpful? That was certainly done as part of the Vision Zero program. Also as you said, there seemed to be no focus on road design, which has so much to do with whether or not it's possible for drivers and cars to even get into those dangerous situations. I saw Councilmember Tammy Morales released a statement calling out the same thing that you did - Hey, this seems to lack design features. She said that she would be helping identify some of the missing money to finish going after grant money to implement projects that had already been planned, but that were in jeopardy or delayed because they did not have the funding. But also it seemed like there was a lack of recognition of just the severity of the problem. You just pointed out - Hey, we want to have this done basically for tourist attractions - while every day we are seeing people being killed and maimed by these pedestrian collisions. And so it just doesn't seem like there was the kind of urgency or thoroughness. And maybe this was something where - hey, they started this and there was a limited scope. They realized it was a problem later on and the report didn't quite get there? Seems like they should have realized this has been a problem for quite some time, given all of the discussion around it. But left a lot of people wanting, I think. What are you looking forward to seeing come out of this? [00:11:08] Erica Barnett: I hope that SDOT will listen to some of the feedback. Just looking through the summary report, which is the one with more graphics and stuff, it just feels like - and again, this was late, so they spent extra time on it, or waited to release it - but it just feels like a book report that somebody did at the last minute before it was due. There's data in here that goes all the way back to 2011 - the 25 mph issue that you were mentioning. So it says, Oh, it does, 25 mph is good and here's how we know - it's data from 2018. Data from 2018 is now almost five years old and that is before the City actually implemented more widespread 25 mph speed limits. So I don't know, did it do anything? Did we study that? Are we studying that? There's just so much missing information in here. And I'll just reiterate - in this 22 pages, a chart is repeated twice. I don't know if anybody copy edited it, if that was intentional. There are two pages that are just a graphic and a big - a blue field. It just, it feels like - and do those things matter? I don't know. It makes it feel like there's a lot of filler in here. And when you look at the content, it's just really like back patting - let's do more of the same and that'll maybe make things better, and blame for why they can't do certain things. [00:12:28] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. I don't think this is egregious in terms of the report and how it's put together, but I think people are feeling particularly frustrated because this is an emergency. This is a crisis. This is something impacting the health and wellbeing of so many residents, and so many others are at risk, by just the design of the roads and the community. And so it just feels like maybe it wasn't done, or it's not conveying the urgency of the situation, and really conveying that they are planning to do everything they can to reduce this for the residents that live here now, not the tourists coming into town. I know that SDOT and the City has plenty of people who care, who I'm sure are balancing issues of funding and staffing and prioritization. So what I don't want to do is imply that everybody involved with this is careless and doesn't - I think that a lot of people care very deeply about this. But it does come to prioritization - from the executive on down - and maybe there's a tension between what people know is helpful and right to do and what is actually being authorized and funded. And the people pushing for accountability have been pushing on those meaningful levers beyond rhetoric, saying - Okay, what is actually going to be done? What is being built, revised? Let's put this into action. So eager to see the issues that they identified get into practice and hopefully this is definitely a springboard for more. And I think the way they characterized it was also - these actions to build momentum towards further actions with the first five things that I think they identified. So we'll continue to pay attention. [00:14:14] Erica Barnett: One of the action plans in this, which I thought was an action plan - one of the actions is to create an action plan. And it's - Okay, wait, I thought that this was supposed to be the action plan. When is the action plan coming? So I don't know how long people are willing to wait for an action plan since this top-to-bottom review took all the way into February, more than a year into Harrell's term. So we'll see. [00:14:36] Crystal Fincher: It feels a lot like the infamous Seattle process, but we will see. One thing that happened that made national headlines this week was the passing of first-in-the-nation caste legislation led by Councilmember Sawant - what does this do and why did it happen? [00:14:56] Erica Barnett: Essentially, it adds a caste to the list of protected classes in the City's anti-discrimination laws. So those laws protect people from discrimination on the basis of gender, race, disability, etc - and so it adds caste to that list. And the concern as I understand it, and I did not cover this story myself, but is - there is in fact caste discrimination among, against people of South Asian descent, particularly in the tech sector. And that this is a problem that was brought to Councilmember Sawant - and she proposes legislation, which as you said, is getting national and international coverage because it's the first of its kind in the US. [00:15:37] Crystal Fincher: It is. And it didn't pass without some pushback and controversy. What were detractors of the legislation saying? [00:15:46] Erica Barnett: There was quite a bit of controversy. And again, I'm going to do this - I'm going to explain this at a very high level because I'm a little out of my depth and I don't want to misstate anything - but the controversy revolved around whether this was discriminatory against Hindus in America, because it calls out that caste discrimination among Hindu castes and against people in lower castes. And so there was opposition from a Hindu American saying that it'd create a discriminatory system. There was also opposition on the City Council itself from the one person who voted against it - Councilmember Sara Nelson, who said essentially that it was unnecessary, agreed with some of the arguments against it, and also said that it would open the City to litigation and she didn't want to take that risk. [00:16:29] Crystal Fincher: And she was notably the only councilmember to vote against that - all of the others present did. I will say - I appreciate the conversation that this legislation has opened up. Certainly I have done a lot of learning around this issue - was not up to speed and familiar, still not completely, but it does highlight how many things that can seem invisible and innocuous to people who are not familiar with this - just as covered in some of the articles and coverage about this, just questions like, Hey, do you eat meat? That may seem innocent and unproblematic to people who are listening to that - can be very impactful and discriminatory in this context. So I appreciate the opportunity to learn more. And this has been covered and lauded across the country, really, and covered in international papers. So certainly groundbreaking legislation led by Councilmember Sawant. Also this week, we saw continuing coverage of the winning social housing legislation, which I'm still personally excited about - the opportunities that this unlocks and also just starting to figure this whole thing out. I'm sure it's not going to happen without some bumps and bruises along the way, but that's how new legislation and new programs and implementations work. What is next in the implementation process for social housing? [00:17:56] Erica Barnett: So I talked to both of the proponents, Real Change and House Our Neighbors, as well as former House Speaker State Rep Frank Chopp, about this. And what's happening in the immediate term is Chopp - in the Legislature session that's going on now - is trying to get funding to basically pay for the agency's first 18 months or so of operations, the new public developer. The City of Seattle is obligated to provide in-kind assistance, but of course they have their own budget challenges and so this would essentially provide state funding through the budget to get them up and running and allow them to set up a taxing proposal, which then might have to go before the voters again - in yet another initiative - if it is a local tax. Chopp also said, when we talked, that there could be some state options - like there's an expansion that's being proposed of a real estate excise tax that would create sort of a new tier of taxing for property sales over $5 million. And there's a local option there that could be used for social housing, he said. There's a number of different possibilities that they're considering, but they've got 18 months to figure that out and potentially get something on the ballot and pass to actually pay for the housing. [00:19:11] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And there's also going to be a board established and some hires made. What will that process look like? [00:19:19] Erica Barnett: They're making a couple of hires. So that would be - that's something that $750,000-800,000 would pay for is - I believe it's an Executive Director and a Chief Operating Officer. And then the board is going to be made up of 13 people - 7 of them would be appointed by the City's Renters' Commission. And then it's - the other 6 are appointed by various folks - the mayor, the City Council, and some other local groups with housing expertise. And that board - Tammy Morales is spearheading getting that process rolling. And then the board starts meeting and starts discussing all these things that we're talking about - how to move forward. They're going to be the decision makers. And ultimately, that's a temporary board. Assuming housing does get built, there's going to be a new board that's going to be made up mostly of people who actually rent in the buildings. But that's a few steps down the line. [00:20:07] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. So we will continue to follow the implementation, follow what's happening with this. But that initiative is passing, will become official - I actually forget the day that the election is certified - but coming up here soon. [00:20:21] Erica Barnett: I think it's today, February 24th - if not, it's Monday. [00:20:23] Crystal Fincher: Okay. Yeah - excellent. Thank you - I'm like, it's around now, but so it will be officially official soon. Again, just bang up work to the people doing that and looking at how many of the volunteers are pivoting now to the Renton minimum wage initiative that is happening. I'm just excited about what organizers are doing in the region to try and help improve the everyday lives of folks. Also this week, we saw some King County Regional Homelessness Authority meetings - discussion about their scope and budget moving forward. What were those conversations? [00:21:05] Erica Barnett: Yeah. The regional authority has released its five-year plan and it's in a draft form - it's going to be finalized, I believe, in April. And it's a somewhat novel approach to doing an implementation plan for an agency. Basically what they've done is created a plan that would end unsheltered homelessness within five years and at huge cost. You've probably discussed this on Hacks & Wonks before, but the price tag is in the billions per year plus billions more for capital costs to set up shelters and other types of temporary housing. And there's been pushback from - everyone from Councilmember Andrew Lewis in Seattle, to regional leaders, to Claudia Balducci from the King County Council, to Mayor Bruce Harrell saying - This is a nice aspirational plan, but we can't even come close to actually doing this. Just one year's worth of funding for this plan is two City budgets. There's been pushback about whether this is realistic, can we start smaller? And it's almost like the opposite of the Vision Zero plan - it's too ambitious in some ways - some would argue. I think the agency would argue that it's not too ambitious, it's just realistic. But there is a gap between reality on the ground right now, in terms of the agency's funding and reality as they define it, which is we need to spend these billions of dollars to actually address the problem. [00:22:31] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, we actually have a conversation with the head of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, Marc Dones, coming up on this week's midweek show where we go into that in a little bit more detail and why that's necessary, what that's comprised of. But I think there is a big conversation to be had. They're saying that they need more federal dollars and support, that there needs to be a lot more financially. I think they're really saying - Hey, now that we have gotten staffed up, have started to implement the plan, and we're doing some targeted things that are working - it's time to scale this up. And the real conversation seems to be, can we afford to scale it up? And if not, where does that leave us and what do we do? So that'll be interesting - to see how this conversation unfolds, and how cities view their contribution to this regional solution, and their individual responsibilities within their city - how they balance that and what types of approaches they move forward with. But it does seem like there are some things that are working and that are positive that should be, hopefully will be expanded. Certainly I think most people agree that the job is not done, more needs to be done. And so what is enough is really going to be part of a conversation. And people who are elected are going to have to stand up for what they've advocated for and what they're saying to attempt to address the challenges here. But it'll be interesting to see. Also in related troubling news, we got more evidence and information about violence against unsheltered people. What did we learn? [00:24:10] Erica Barnett: This is really troubling. The issue of homelessness and the issue of public safety are often conflated, with people saying that having homeless encampments nearby is unsafe for nearby children, people living in houses nearby. But in reality, the people who are most vulnerable in living in encampments are the people in the encampments themselves. So a new crime report from SPD showed a 229% increase in hate crimes, specifically targeting homeless people because they're homeless. Police Chief Adrian Diaz told me that this is an example of people "taking things into their own hands" because they're frustrated with encampments existing in their presence and the associated litter and perceived just disorder that goes with that - they've been attacking more homeless people. Additionally, there's been more gun violence deaths involving people who are homeless. So it's incredibly dangerous to be homeless and it's becoming more dangerous. And I think this gets lost in conversations about whether violent crime is up or whether property crime is up. A lot of these victims are people experiencing homelessness themselves. And I really think that gets lost in narratives about homeless people being inherently dangerous or a threat to neighborhoods. [00:25:25] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. And it has been a chronic problem, has led to them specifically being targeted, dehumanizing language around them. And certainly regionally, we've seen a lot of direct attacks on their - I'm thinking of a couple in Tacoma right now where people went in there because of narratives about them being criminals, going in to find stolen property, and it winds up with violence - but without that stolen property. It's a challenge, and I hope we understand how vulnerable that population is and we follow the data and evidence about what seems to be effective in addressing those issues. Certainly we hear a lot about downtown Seattle. And there was an article this week, and continued conversations that we have in the region, in the wake of Amazon announcing that they are recalling people back to the office on at least a part-time basis and requiring people work from the office, which Mayor Bruce Harrell applauded and said was a good thing. But the state of downtown, the state of the central business district - should it be and remain and should we try and invest resources in keeping it predominantly a business district? Or are people really looking for something else? What was your take on that article and on the conversation about what we should be doing with downtown? [00:26:52] Erica Barnett: Yeah, it's been really interesting to see the backlash among Amazon employees themselves to this idea that they are - to not the idea - to the mandate that they go back to work three days a week. The City, of course, has a two day a week mandate that is observed by some and ignored by some, I would say. And I think that the State of the City speech actually highlighted this kind of dichotomy that you're talking about, because on the one hand, Harrell said, It's great that Amazon is coming back downtown and we're going to have this dynamic downtown that returns to normal again. And at the same time, he was saying - maybe, in that list of maybes that he had - Maybe what downtown looks like is going to be different, and we'll have housing in some of these office spaces and other types of businesses in the retail spaces. And so I think that we're still figuring that out. But I just do not believe that we're going to return to the way it was before, because I think a lot of people have realized that they're more productive at home, they've realized that not getting paid for a long commute that is essentially unnecessary to doing their job feels unfair. And there's a whole lot of reasons that people liked working from home during the pandemic - people who have caregiving responsibilities have had a lot more flexibility to do that stuff. And primarily, we're talking about women with those responsibilities. So I don't think it's going to work to just say - everybody has to come back to the way it used to be. We also have a tight labor market, so forcing workers who can leave and take other jobs to do something like come back to downtown Seattle is not going to work in the short term for sure. [00:28:30] Crystal Fincher: And this is being lauded because some people are saying, Great, this is going to be great for businesses downtown revitalizing, re-energizing downtown Seattle in this circumstance and situation - because foot traffic, as measured by downtown employees, has been down under 50% to what it was pre-pandemic levels. And although hotels have seen basically a return to pre-pandemic level activity from people traveling, visiting - they are not seeing that in terms, or coming from workers. And so it seems like there are a number of signals from the public saying, Okay, downtown should have another purpose besides just a place that people commute to and from to work. And that comes with its own challenges and that - it's long been a problem. Even in terms of just public safety and having safe activated spaces - meaning spaces where people are at - it's not like you're in a desolate, barren area after 7, 8 PM and people have left for the day. There's not that much going on in the core of downtown. Also more people live downtown now than have ever before - thousands more people than at the beginning of the pandemic. And just basic things like childcare and just some basic things to have and raise a family are missing in downtown and people need to go to other neighborhoods. And it seems like people are looking to downtown Seattle and a lot of other downtowns to fulfill desires for culture and community a lot more now, or to a much greater degree than they were before, where it was just business. And so re-imagining or reconstituting downtowns where maybe driving to the office every day is not the main draw - seems like that has to be a focus for the future or else downtown is going to get left behind. How do you see that? [00:30:29] Erica Barnett: Yeah. This is a conversation that has been going on for almost as long as I have lived here, or actually probably longer, about downtown. Especially - when I moved here more than 20 years ago - downtown really shut down at night. And I'm downtown at night a fair amount - I think that the sort of tumbleweeds idea that downtown just turns into, rolls up the blinds or whatever the saying is - it's not that - at 5 o'clock, it's not - that's exaggerated. There are people downtown now, especially Belltown bleeds into South Lake Union - there's stuff going on. But the thing is, we've been saying for decades now and more intensely lately, I think with the pandemic, that downtown needs to have a different focus and different reasons for people being there other than office work. And yet, we still have, again, a mayor saying maybe that's something that should happen. If you're the mayor, or you're a City leader, there are things you can actually do to make it affordable for childcare to be downtown. And I won't go into all the different mechanisms for stuff like that, because it's pretty boring. But the only thing the mayor mentioned was changing zoning codes to allow housing - and actually housing is already allowed everywhere downtown. What you need to do is provide incentives and money to make it possible to convert office buildings into housing, because that's not going to happen by just saying, Maybe it should. And so we just haven't seen action on these things. And it actually does take action and money and spending to make some of these things happen. Childcare is not going to materialize because we wish it into existence. Neither are art spaces, all these things - we have to take action, there have to be grant programs, there has to be actual legislation and priorities and spending - because we can't just wish it into existence. It hasn't worked so far. And it's not going to work now. [00:32:21] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, I agree with that. Lots of talk about activating spaces, vacant storefronts. I think he did say that there was going to be a pilot, or actually not even a pilot, a competition to kick off innovation for how to convert commercial spaces into residential spaces - which has its share of complications and isn't necessarily simple and straightforward, can be done. But it does seem like we're in the beginning stages and just dipping our toe in the water a little bit with a number of these things instead of taking concrete action, which I think a lot of people would be eager to see. So that's another thing we'll continue to stay on top of and see how that unfolds. We do thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks on this Friday, February 24th, 2023. Hacks & Wonks is co-produced by Shannon Cheng and Bryce Cannatelli. Our insightful co-host today was Seattle political reporter, editor of PubliCola, co-host of the Seattle Nice podcast, and author of Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery, Erica Barnett. You can find Erica on Twitter @ericacbarnett and on PubliCola.com. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks and you can find me there also @finchfrii, with two I's at the end. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get the full versions of our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get the full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

Two-time Major League Baseball All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger Ian Desmond joins the podcast to discuss his love for rodeo, his thoughts on how rodeo athletes could improve their situation, and tells the story of when he found a white cooler outside of 12 Gauge Ranch.

Two people are dead after a double-shooting overnight in Kanawha County. A court hearing is set for this afternoon challenging West Virginia's abortion law. State Lawmakers say communication with the Governor's office on a plan to lower personal income taxes has been almost nil. Some minor flooding overnight in parts of the state as severe pop storms produced heavy rain. In Sports, the Major League Baseball All-Star break is here and a West Virginia native is the 16th Overall Pick by Cleveland in the Major League Baseball draft. Kyle Wiggs is back from vacation and will have all of the day's sports. Those stories and more in today's MetroNews This Morning podcast.

Cedric Mullins is an All-Star Center Fielder in the Baltimore Orioles Organization. He started his collegiate playing career from 2013-2014 at Louisburg College, a Junior College in North Carolina. He then transferred and spent 2015 at Campbell University, a Division I college in North Carolina. In 2015, he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles Organization in the 13th round, only spending a few seasons in the Minor Leagues. On August 10th, 2019, he was officially called up to the Major Leagues. In the 2021 season Cedric was named an All-Star, awarded a Silver Slugger and became the first player in Baltimore Orioles history to have a 30 homerun/30 stolen bases season. In this podcast, we start off with a conversation about what life was like for Cedric coming into the 2021 season, diving into what he was thinking and expecting from himself. Also, discussing switch hitting and then his choice to stop switch hitting. We than dive into Cedric's reasons for going JUCO and when he believed playing professional baseball became a real option. Also, discussing why he decided to incorporate a leg kick into his swing, his optimal bat path and his adjustments to get there, and consistency through a consistent approach. We finish off this podcast talking about the League's adjustment to him and what his Big-League Debut entailed. Lock into this incredible podcast with Baltimore Orioles Center-Fielder and Major League Baseball All-Star, Cedric Mullins. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fiob/support

Monte Scheinblum joined Oli on the latest #RIRIHI podcast. WIKI: Monte Scheinblum (born May 15, 1967) is an American professional golfer, and the son of former Major League Baseball All Star outfielder Richie Scheinblum. While he competed on the Nike Tour, he became known especially for his long driving, where success is achieved by a golfer hitting a golf ball the farthest. In 1992 he won the National Long Driving Championship in the United States, and was the world long driving champion

Welcome to LLSPORTS 2!  A sports show for everyone!! – but for the ladies, we'll get an opportunity each show to teach you some of the fundamentals of baseball, basketball or football.  We promise to never answer your questions with "not right now, the game is on!" Is this their year!!! Atlanta wasn't able to host the Major League Baseball All-Star weekend this year, but it appears they have done MLB one better?! After 22 years, the Atlanta Braves are the NL hosts of the 2021 World Series!!! Dusty Baker (Astros) and Brian Snitker (Braves) are the two oldest managers in the World Series, either way history will be made! The cream is starting to rise to the top during this 2021 NFL season...week 7 re-cap, NBA action and much more! All of this plus the Wednesday Wikipedia, Lucinda's Lyrics, TJ's Motivational Moment, your phone calls, comments, questions and much more! Join TJ Wednesday @8p ET

We make it easy to learn  from the Story of Kevin Youkalis “Youk” . Our cliff notes.  Here is his street Cred:  3x Major League Baseball All-Star, 2x World Series Champion , Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer (a  wild card playoff win against the yankees), and Recipient of both Gold Glove Award and American League Hank Aaron Award (best hitter in the league). On top of that, he is well known for leaving it all on the field….every day. “Grit, grinder, scrappy and Johnny hustle” are just a few words that have been used to describe Kevin Youkalis. Connect with Kevin IG @kevinyoukilis_ggoh Twitter @greekgodofhopsAnd you can check out his restaurant Loma Brewing Company in Los Gatos, Ca if you are ever in the area and maybe you'll catch him while you're there! Let's connect!To get more info and updates on the podcast @iamachampionpodcastIGhttps://instagram.com/iamachampionpodcast?utm_medium=copy_linkTikTokhttps://vm.tiktok.com/ZMd4o13PS/Follow our personal instagram accounts@doctor.aprilmhttps://instagram.com/doctor.aprilm?utm_medium=copy_link@ro_glowhttps://www.instagram.com/ro_glow/?hl=enCheck out our youtube channel for videos and highlights from the episodes @iamachampionhttps://m.youtube.com/channel/UCdQxNDW9CIoosIlmes562jAShow Support:If you enjoy this podcast please Rate, Review, Subscribe and SHARE this outhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-am-a-champion/id1574745683Big shout out to our team that makes this show possible!If you are looking to start your own podcast hit up @upstarterpods on instagram! 

Learn from the Story of Kevin Youkalis “Youk”  Here is his street Cred:  3x Major League Baseball All-Star, 2x World Series Champion , Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer (a  wild card playoff win against the yankees), and Recipient of both Gold Glove Award and American League Hank Aaron Award (best hitter in the league). On top of that, he is well known for leaving it all on the field….every day. “Grit, grinder, scrappy and Johnny hustle” are just a few words that have been used to describe Kevin Youkalis.  Connect with Kevin IG @kevinyoukilis_ggoh Twitter @greekgodofhopsAnd you can check out his restaurant Loma Brewing Company in Los Gatos, Ca if you are ever in the area and maybe you'll catch him while you're there! Timestamps8:42 - Labels9:55 - AHA Moment15:00 - How to deal with negative thoughts19:40 - Failing in sports22:58 - Athletes and Entrepreneurs27:50 - Work on the little things34:24 - What does a champion mean to youLet's connect!To get more info and updates on the podcast @iamachampionpodcastIGhttps://instagram.com/iamachampionpodcast?utm_medium=copy_linkTikTokhttps://vm.tiktok.com/ZMd4o13PS/Follow our personal instagram accounts@doctor.aprilmhttps://instagram.com/doctor.aprilm?utm_medium=copy_link@ro_glowhttps://www.instagram.com/ro_glow/?hl=enCheck out our youtube channel for videos and highlights from the episodes @iamachampionhttps://m.youtube.com/channel/UCdQxNDW9CIoosIlmes562jAShow Support:If you enjoy this podcast please Rate, Review, Subscribe and SHARE this outhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-am-a-champion/id1574745683Big shout out to our team that makes this show possible!If you are looking to start your own podcast hit up @upstarterpods on instagram! 

Today's guest is a 4-time Major League Baseball All-Star and 2-time World Series champion with the San Francisco Giants. He was a key piece to the Giants championship teams and was viewed a true leader of the team. His work ethic, passion, energy and leadership led him to a successful 15-year professional career in baseball. Let's welcome to the Pack Leader Experience, Hunter Pence!

TV personality Telly Hughes is in for Chris, and he and Rob explain why the International takeover at Major League Baseball All-Star weekend highlighted by Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Vlad Guerrero Jr. is good for the sport, and tell us why ACL surgery wouldn't sway them from offering Kawhi Leonard a max contract extension this summer. Plus, former NBA veteran and FOX Sports Radio NBA analyst Olden Polynice checks in to explain why he likes the Phoenix Suns to win Game 4 over the Milwaukee Bucks. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

TV personality Telly Hughes is in for Chris, and he and Rob explain why the International takeover at Major League Baseball All-Star weekend highlighted by Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Vlad Guerrero Jr. is good for the sport, tell us why ACL surgery wouldn't sway them from offering Kawhi Leonard a max contract extension this summer, and explain why the scary situation involving Richard Sherman is yet another reminder why people shouldn't rush to judgment on serious matters before having all the facts. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

A week of Major League Baseball All-Star events are in the books and it was a successful series of productions from FOX Sports, ESPN, and MLB Network. The game on Tuesday was broadcast in 4K HDR for the first time, the Home Run Derby was loaded with advanced graphics, and the MLB Draft made its first appearance at All-Star Weekend. SVG's Kristian Hernandez and Brandon Costa reflect on the All-Star festivities and we briefly chat with Fox Sports Director, Field Operations, Francisco Contreras and Lead Tech Producer Tom Lynch and ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Phil Orlins and Project Manager Cindy Pennington. The SVG Podcast is for the sports-video–production professional looking to keep up with the latest in sports-video–production operations and technology. The program features interviews with some of the biggest, most influential names in the sports-video business talking trends and topics that are making an impact on the industry.

Bill & Mike Got Your Tech Tuesday Connected With MLB All Star Week - Pete Alonso Wins Home Run Derby - Game Is Tonight - Terry Pluto Talked Tribe & ASG - Tech Tuesday From Agent Meister-Geek Squad On How to get Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant to understand commands better - NBC News Radio's Michael Bower & Rory O'Neil Talked Cubans are taking to the streets in a rare protest movement - The Major-League Baseball All-Star game is this week. What are Republicans doing to remind viewers that the game was originally scheduled to be held in Atlanta? - Jordan Goodman From Moneyanswers.com Talked Americans are borrowing again, in some cases at levels not seen in more than a decade.

WIOD Senior National Correspondent, Michael Bower *Follow him on Twitter: @TheBowerShow. The Major-League Baseball All-Star game is this week.

Three men and a woman were arrested at a hotel in Denver with rifles, ammunition, and body armor. Major League Baseball All-Star festivities are in full swing, and authorities think the suspects may have been planning a Las Vegas-style shooting from their 8th-floor room.

Three men and a woman were arrested at a hotel in Denver with rifles, ammunition, and body armor. Major League Baseball All-Star festivities are in full swing, and authorities think the suspects may have been planning a Las Vegas-style shooting from their 8th-floor room.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A judge says a planned homeless camp in Park Hill can move forward and Gov. Polis wants to give the unemployed a $1600 check IF they GET A JOB.  Peter ponders the efficacy of giving people money to go back to work and what is the city going to do about the homeless as the Major League Baseball All-Star game approaches.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a day when the Vancouver Canucks extend Tanner Pearson for the next three years, Rob Fai just happens to have a special edition of The Nation scheduled.  Both Jeff Paterson (VANcast & The Athletic) and Samantha Chang (The Broadscast & Yahoo Sports) chime in on the recent Canucks musings before former Major League Baseball All-Star and World Series Champion Ryan Dempster peeks in to talk Blue Jays, James Paxton and his favourite baseball memories.  A must listen from Season One of The Nation with Rob Fai, presented by Chamber of Commerce Group Insurance Plan.

The 39th edition of Whe're They At features 6-time Major League Baseball All-Star and 6-time World Series champion, Willie Randolph. He was born in South Carolina but raised in the tough area of Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York City. After starring at Tilden High School, he made his major league debut at age 21 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The next year, he was traded to the New York Yankees, starting at 2nd Baseman and winning two World Series titles with them in the late 1970's. After 18 decorated years as a player, he went to become the 3rd base coach for the Yankees winning 4 more titles in late-1990's and the year 2000. He managed the New York Mets to relevance from 2005-08 and is now part of the coaching staff for the USA Baseball team looking to win Gold in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Host Nabaté Isles had the honor to speak with Willie on a multitude of topics including:                  02:10-On the process of writing his autobiography, 'The Yankee Way: Playing, Coaching, and My Life in Baseball' (released in 2014).                      04:47-How are he and his family staying safe during this pandemic?                       06:22-His take on Major League Baseball seeking more racial inclusion and diversity.                 07:47-Remembers the late, iconic Henry 'Hank' Aaron.                     13:54-Discusses the declining amount of Black American players in Major League Baseball.               17:33-His suggestion on how there can be more Black leadership in MLB clubhouses and front offices.                     20:31-On his involvement with the coaching staff of Team USA for the World Baseball Classic and the upcoming Olympics.                     22:08-Reflects on the late, former American League Most Valuable Player, Dick Allen.                    25:02-The rhythm of music influenced him as an athlete.                  25:57-Reminisces on his noble parents and his approach to discipline as he was growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn (NYC).                           30:46-On his baseball mentor in Brooklyn, Galileo 'Gally' Gonzalez.                   31:55-Willie went to Tilden High School with Reverend Al Sharpton.                   32:57-Remembers other eventual professional athletes from Tilden H.S.               34:07-Tells a tense story that took place when he and wife Gretchen were driving to Pittsburgh from West Virginia to make his Major League debut in 1975.                       38:36-On his first mentor in Major League Baseball, the late, Hall of Famer Willie 'Pops' Stargell.                   39:37-Joining the memorable cast of characters of the New York Yankees of the late-1970's, led by the unique Billy Martin.                    47:22-The reason why he enjoys managing and coaching.                   48:24-On not winning a Gold Glove during his career.                     50:56-What happened to the Yankees of the 1980's with all of that talent?                  54:34-Didn't get the opportunity to win a World Series title with his second team (w/1990 Oakland A's).                   57:17-On the influence the late Yankees GM Gene Michael and former Yanks manager Buck Showalter had on the imminent dynasty AND Willie's eventual coaching/managing career.                   1:00:32-On his years as part of Joe Torre's coaching staff, winning four World Series titles.                  1:01:17-Reflects on vouching for a budding legend, Derek Jeter to start at Shortstop going into the 1996 season.                         1:02:52-Willie's music jam sessions with other Yankees as he was playing the drums.                   1:05:58-Reflects on the ups and downs while managing the New York Mets.                                    1:14:00-Names the players that he enjoyed coaching and managing.                     1:16:51-How can the current Yankees finally get back to their 1st World Series since 2009?                  1:22:10-There are certain elements missing in today's game.                  1:24:46-HIT AND RUN 1:39:49-The current status of his Willie Randolph Foundation.                     Follow Whe're They At on www.twitter.com/whe_retheyat, www.instagram.com/whe.retheyat  and www.facebook.com/whe.retheyatpodcast/                Musical selections are from Nabaté Isles' album, 'Eclectic Excursions', available on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, Tidal, etc. Check out his website as well: www.nabateisles.com as well as https://nsiuniversal.bandcamp.com/

Welcome to the 23rd episode of The CEO Story Podcast! With weekly podcasts releasing, "The CEO Story" takes a deep dive into the success (and sometimes pitfalls) of being your own boss! We encourage each and every individual to candidly share their stories to help other entrepreneurs understand the highs and lows that come with the journey.As always be sure to check out more of our podcast episodes:Podcast Website - https://ceostory.buzzsprout.comYoutube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCasaMQttGpdFnIMeWXER1SQWebsite - https://www.togethercfo.com/Give us a Like on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TogetherCFO/Like our LinkedIn Page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/together-cfoGive us a Follow on Instagram - @TogethercfoIn this episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brandon Leopoldus. Brandon Leopoldus is a California-based attorney for people and companies in the public eye.Mr. Leopoldus' sports practice has included representing more than three-dozen individuals working in high level, Olympic, and professional sports including Olympians, professional/retired athletes, and sports officials.  Some of his highlights have included representing a two-time NFL All-Pro with his off-field endeavors, protecting and enforcing the intellectual property rights of an 8-year NBA veteran, negotiating a purchase of sports officiating assigning business, developing the structure of a  training facility for a Major League Baseball All-Star, and advising numerous top-tier collegiate athletes entering the draft. As a recognized leader in sports law, Mr. Leopoldus is a featured speaker and panelist across the country, including video Continuing Legal Education presentations, guest lectures at numerous law schools, and panels at the Sports Lawyers Association's (SLA) Annual Conference.  Mr. Leopoldus is a featured contributor to Referee Magazine and Legal Ink Magazine, and has been featured in Sellebrity Magazine and Ready Magazine and has been widely acclaimed for his LinkedIn Video Series focused on sports law and business topics.  In 2014, Mr. Leopoldus was recognized as the SLA's Regional Captain of the Year, and in 2015 and 2016 he was named the SLA's Co-Regional Captain of the Year.Mr. Leopoldus is a member of the California Bar Association; the Sports Lawyers Association; the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association;  Partner, Sports, and Entertainment Society; and the co-founder of FUEL – an invite-only networking and mastermind community for those working with athlete, celebrity, high-net-worth, and ultra-high-net-worth clients.Before becoming an attorney, Mr. Leopoldus spent many years in Minor League Baseball as an umpire.  In his spare time, Leopoldus enjoys spending time with his friends and family, including his incredibly smart dog, Harvey – named after Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey.Stay up to date with Brandon:Website - https://leopoldus.com/LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonleopoldus/Twitter -https://twitter.com/leopoldusesqLeopoldus Law LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/leopoldus-law/

On this episode Craig talks with former Major League Baseball All-Star and World Series Champion Ryan Klesko. They discuss opening day and how COVID-19 has affected the upcoming season. 

The 22nd edition of Whe're They At features sports trivia television star, Howard 'Howie' Schwab. Howie was the star and guru of the ESPN hit sports trivia TV show, Stump The Schwab. His impeccable career at ESPN spanned 26 years as a lead researcher, coordinating producer for studio shows and live events as well as other significant roles. Also, he was a consultant and writer for Sony Television's Sports Jeopardy and an on-air personality for FOX Sports. Howie has started a new venture with the ClickStream Corporation as a host and consultant for a new sports trivia app called WinQuik. The WinQuik app will debut sometime this coming summer. Host Nabaté Isles had the honor to speak with Howie on a multitude of topics including:               03:39-On his new endeavor spearheading content for a new app called WinQuik, being created by the ClickStream Corp.                         05:02-Howie asks Nabaté a couple of practice trivia questions.                         07:29-On his trivia contest with athletic coaches and alumni from Florida Atlantic University.                    10:33-The sports figures and moments that are most memorable for him.                       18:01-On his rise in becoming an elite sports researcher and coordinating producer at ESPN.                     23:35-How was Howie and his ESPN research department able to acquire intricate stats at a rapid rate for games BEFORE the internet?                         27:08-On the masses of great historical sports information available today, but the younger generation don't seek it.                   29:09-Nabaté shares a story about the late Major League Baseball All-Star and General Manager, Bob Watson.                  30:05-On what the main assumption of Stump The Schwab was?                      32:40-What was his favorite segment on Stump The Schwab?                       33:48-Howie and Nabaté's memories competing on Stump The Schwab.                36:07-Howie breaks down an All-Time underrated player in team sports history.               38:02-Discuss about a new book that he collaborated with Dick Vitale and Dick Weiss about what would happen if the 2020 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament happened.                    38:51-On his longtime friendship and work with Dick Vitale.                      42:20-Will we see a 2020 MLB season since the players and owners have their differences?                      46:36-Should the NBA follow the NHL's plan for resuming the season?                        51:21-Names more underrated athletes through the history of sports.                     1:04:31-Named some sports franchises' Mount Rushmores (4 top players for each).              Musical selections are from Nabaté Isles' album, 'Eclectic Excursions', available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon, Tidal, etc. Check out his website as well: www.nabateisles.com     

Exuding the bohemian irreverence of its Ocean Beach roots, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey comes with its own warning: “a night with Skrewball is bound to get a little nutty.” The same could be said for the legal battle being waged over ownership of the locally crafted spirit. Created by husband-and-wife team Steve and Brittany Yeng, Skrewball is based on a signature peanut butter-and-whiskey shot that Steve concocted after opening his first restaurant, OB Noodle House. The shot was so popular that the couple decided to bottle it. But three people — including former Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher David “Boomer” Wells and local television host Noah Tafolla — have filed lawsuits in San Diego Superior Court alleging they were all promised a stake in the venture. The Yengs, in turn, have filed a cross-complaint of their own against Tafolla, calling him a “parasitic individual” who exploited his relationship with the couple to enrich himself. Story: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/story/2019-10-06/skrewball-whiskey-lawsuits-yeng-wells-tafolla

Fred and Caesar welcome their first ever guest host, William Wolkoff, to talk about sports and to help look back on the week of Major League Baseball All-Star game activities in the City of Cleveland. Sometimes serious and often ridiculous, the Cleveland Podcast is a mix of humorous and informational content.

It was not the biggest news of the week, but prominent Cleveland defense attorney Roger Synenberg’s self-destructive decision to send an anonymous letter labeling a witness in his criminal case as a snitch sure had people talking. That’s the first story we discuss on the latest episode of This Week in the CLE, the cleveland.com podcast discussion of the news in Northeast Ohio. Justice Center reporter Cory Shaffer offers his insights into why Synenberg took such a dangerous step, one that imperils his law license and his freedom. The podcast offers many other insights, such as data reporter Rich Exner’s analysis of the impact on the state budget of sales taxes collected by Amazon.com. And cleveland.com Politics Editor Jane Kahoun handicaps the chances of passage of a proposal to make it easier for Ohioans to skip vaccinations, even as measles cases across the county rise to levels not seen in decades. Kahoun also discusses Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder’s fears about drag queens and a move to ban something you likely never knew existed, artificial urine. Special projects editor and RocktheLake.com coordinator Laura Johnston explains -- with Lake Erie at an all time record level -- how long it would take to drain the surplus gallons if we could double the capacity of Niagara Falls. Columnist Mark Naymik talks about the significance of our recent special episode, a 2017 recording of a meeting with County Executive Armond Budish’s cabinet, in which nearly all of the defenses the Budish team offered for its recent actions proved to be wrong. Criminal Justice reporter Adam Ferrise explains the significance of two videos from inside the Cuyahoga County jail, videos that depict horrendous behavior by jail guards. He also discusses Samaria Rice’s efforts to make sure the man who killed her 12-year-old son on a city playground never again works as a Cleveland police officer. Cuyahoga County beat reporter Courtney Astolfi tells why Budish called a candidate for interim county auditor a “gotcha guy,” and why that’s probably not a good idea. She also talks about how the RTA’s decision to provide free wi-fi on buses and trains will be a boon to people on limited incomes. Cleveland City Hall reporter Bob Higgs details the ground-breaking legislation proposed to combat lead poisoning and what happens next. Bob also explains how new city rules will allow the rental of motorized scooters in some city neighborhoods. He also gets into why Mayor Frank Jackson is returning to a proposal to build a dirt bike track in the city and the huge challenges the mayor faces. And Naymik explains why a key figure in the last bid to build a track, who goes by the nickname Streetgod, is not around this time to help the mayor. Reporter Emily Bamforth analyzes the United Way of Greater Cleveland’s big pivot as it seeks new streams of money for fighting poverty and a new philosophy of identifying the agencies that get United Way grants. And the cleveland.com entertainment and pop culture team closes the podcast with a preview of the many events happening in connection with the Major League Baseball All-Star game in Cleveland next month, including two major free concerts by the Killers and Twenty One Pilots downtown. They also talk about the final round of the Warped Tour, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as the thriving Laurelive music festival, featuring Sheryl Crow. New episodes are published Thursday evenings, so you can listen on your Friday morning commute. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Digmi Discussion Interview #18 introduces you to former Major League Baseball All-Star and World Series Champion, Howard Johnson. "HoJo" was part of the iconic 1986 New York Mets World Series Championship, developing into one of the games best switch hitters. "HoJo" went on to play 13 big league seasons where he became a 2X All-Star, 2X World Series Champion and 3X member of the 30/30 Club (30 Home Runs & 30 Stolen Bases). Listen to him share his experiences playing with the likes of superstars Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden and Gary Carter; and what it was like winning in the Big Apple. Currently, he is the Triple-A hitting coach for the Texas Rangers, where he challenges his players to be 1% better every day. More importantly than being a ballplayer, "HoJo" is husband, father, and grandfather, who continues to stay to true to who he is and gives his best effort in all he does each and every day. An incredible interview for anyone who loves baseball, roots for the New York Mets or just needs some words of encouragement as they go about their own journey!

Jim Beaver has former Major League Baseball All Star pitcher CJ Wilson on Project Action this week talking about his career on the field, his racing team, and competing at the legendary Pike's Peak Hill Climb in a Porsche. Be sure and follow @JimBeaver15 on social media and subscribe to Project Action and the Down & Dirty Radio Show on iTunes.

Major League Baseball All-Star and Southern Miss alumnus Brian Dozier shares his Southern Miss story. Originally aired August 2017.

Take sports car legend Hurley Haywood, open-wheel legend Dario Franchitti, the incredible Stefan Johansson, and Major League Baseball All Star-turned-IMSA driver/owner CJ Wilson, put them together for more than an hour at the 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona, and all kinds of interesting topics spring to life about motor racing.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/MarshallPruettPodcast for our full podcast archives. Subscribe: Apple (https://tinyurl.com/yaafkvch)  Android (https://tinyurl.com/yconvyl3)  Google (https://tinyurl.com/y8qtcuax)  Spotify (https://tinyurl.com/yby3lzr2)

Astros Manager A.J. Hinch praises his young relief pitcher, Chris Devenski, for being named to his first Major League Baseball All-Star team. With the addition of of Devenski, the Astros now have six All-Stars, the most in a single-season in franchise history. The man himself, Devenski, then shares his thoughts on becoming an All-Star and talks about what it's like playing for his first place Astros

This week's guest is Cal State Fullerton Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Chad Cordero.  Cordero was an All-American pitcher at Cal State Fullerton and was the 20th overall pick in the 2003 draft.   He was the 1st player to make the Major Leagues from that draft, spending less than 2 months in the minor leagues and breaking through with the Montreal Expos on August 30, 2003. In 2005 he achieved an MLB record of 15 saves in one month and led the MLB with 47 saves that season.  Cordero has 128 Major League saves, 20 wins and 300 strikeouts.  He was a Major League Baseball All-Star in 2005 with the Washington Nationals and was named Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year.  From 2005-2007 he had 113 saves, 2nd only to future MLB Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman.  A master of the mental game, Cordero is now assisting with the Cal State Fullerton program and mentoring players on the mental game. In this podcast he shares insight into his mental game and how he would “flip the switch” to go from one of the nicest people you will ever meet to one of the fiercest competitors. You can follow Chad “The Chief” Cordero on Twitter @ChadCordero32 and Cal State Fullerton Baseball @BaseballTitans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Sports Team Histories podcast, we look at the history of this year's Major League Baseball All-Star game host team, the San Diego Padres.

David George Surdham is the author of The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989 (University of Illinois Press, 2015). Surdham is Associate Professor of Economics at Northern Iowa University. Just back from the Major League Baseball All-Star break, Surdham has written a book for sports lovers. Why do major league sports receive such preferential treatment from Congress? And what does this have to do with labor and economic development policy? Surdham examines Congressional hearings held over decades to figure out how Washington's role in professional sports has changed over since the 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David George Surdham is the author of The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989 (University of Illinois Press, 2015). Surdham is Associate Professor of Economics at Northern Iowa University. Just back from the Major League Baseball All-Star break, Surdham has written a book for sports lovers. Why do major league sports receive such preferential treatment from Congress? And what does this have to do with labor and economic development policy? Surdham examines Congressional hearings held over decades to figure out how Washington’s role in professional sports has changed over since the 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David George Surdham is the author of The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989 (University of Illinois Press, 2015). Surdham is Associate Professor of Economics at Northern Iowa University. Just back from the Major League Baseball All-Star break, Surdham has written a book for sports lovers. Why do major league sports receive such preferential treatment from Congress? And what does this have to do with labor and economic development policy? Surdham examines Congressional hearings held over decades to figure out how Washington's role in professional sports has changed over since the 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

David George Surdham is the author of The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989 (University of Illinois Press, 2015). Surdham is Associate Professor of Economics at Northern Iowa University. Just back from the Major League Baseball All-Star break, Surdham has written a book for sports lovers. Why do major league sports receive such preferential treatment from Congress? And what does this have to do with labor and economic development policy? Surdham examines Congressional hearings held over decades to figure out how Washington’s role in professional sports has changed over since the 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David George Surdham is the author of The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989 (University of Illinois Press, 2015). Surdham is Associate Professor of Economics at Northern Iowa University. Just back from the Major League Baseball All-Star break, Surdham has written a book for sports lovers. Why do major league sports receive such preferential treatment from Congress? And what does this have to do with labor and economic development policy? Surdham examines Congressional hearings held over decades to figure out how Washington’s role in professional sports has changed over since the 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David George Surdham is the author of The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989 (University of Illinois Press, 2015). Surdham is Associate Professor of Economics at Northern Iowa University. Just back from the Major League Baseball All-Star break, Surdham has written a book for sports lovers. Why do major league sports receive such preferential treatment from Congress? And what does this have to do with labor and economic development policy? Surdham examines Congressional hearings held over decades to figure out how Washington’s role in professional sports has changed over since the 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David George Surdham is the author of The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989 (University of Illinois Press, 2015). Surdham is Associate Professor of Economics at Northern Iowa University. Just back from the Major League Baseball All-Star break, Surdham has written a book for sports lovers.... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David George Surdham is the author of The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989 (University of Illinois Press, 2015). Surdham is Associate Professor of Economics at Northern Iowa University. Just back from the Major League Baseball All-Star break, Surdham has written a book for sports lovers. Why do major league sports receive such preferential treatment from Congress? And what does this have to do with labor and economic development policy? Surdham examines Congressional hearings held over decades to figure out how Washington’s role in professional sports has changed over since the 1950s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron and Josh discuss "Deflategate" and create a Major League Baseball All-Star ballot. Music: John Tesh - Roundball Rock Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side

Hour 1: Second timer to the show, and a host of one of my favorite online cooking/talk show, Sam The Cooking Guy joins me. Sam will talk about the most important tools to have in your kitchen, a few recipes he has done on his show recently and what it's like to do a cooking segment on TV. Sam has a live show called The Sam Livecast which airs every Monday, Wdnesday and Thursday at 6pm PST. Scott Holmes from Little Miss BBQ joins me to talk about their recent string of wins and BBQ success. I will see how Scott got in to BBQ and what they have in store for the rest of the season. Hour 2: Mitch Benjamin, creator of the "Meat Mitch" BBQ brand will join me to talk about how he broke in to the industry, his bbq sauce venture and how he got hooked up to be the BBQ Ambassador for the Major League Baseball All-Star game this year. Mitch has a great personality and brings a lot of energy to the industry. Canadian BBQ expert and Pitmaster of Diva Q BBQ Team, Danielle Dimovski, joins me to chat a bit about BBQ Pitmasters season 3. Danielle won her segment and heads to the finals. I will get her take on this season vs. season 2 as well as some other BBQ/Grilling items.                              

Welcome to the "Batchelor Pad" Show where we discuss VARIOUS TOPICS from a social, economical and racial stand point. Sponsored by www.blackathlete.com , thebatchelorpad.ning.com Join me along with my co-host Michael Louis Ingram and Tony “TEE-MAC” McClean as we discuss the following topics: · Woods' ex-wife breaks silence · Goodell: 2012 is target for 18-game year · Sources: Dodgers place Ramirez on waivers · Harvin back to practice · Holdout Revis not in latest 'Knocks' episode · Kroenke's bid to buy Rams approved by NFL · Source: Bradley, U.S. Soccer meeting this week · New Notre Dame offense gets shorter TV break · LPGA golfer Blasberg's death ruled a suicide Plus breaking news, scores, updates and music in between! Guest Tonight: 6:30pm-Dave Zirin of the Edgeofsports.com-Topics: His columns on the movement to move the 2011 Major League Baseball All Star game from Arizona and Roger Clemens indictment by Federal Prosecutors. 7:30pm-Lou Pickney of Draftking.com-Topics: NFL/College football news and notes. Remember you can always listen to the show at www.blackathlete.com right on the home page. The show airs every Monday thru Friday 6pm to 8pm eastern standard time. You can listen online or call in and express your thoughts, ask a question or make comments at 646-929-0130. We also have a live chat going on during the broadcast and you can instant message me at alwaysf2001 at yahoo so feel free to log in and be apart of the discussion. You can also listen to the podcast at our new website WWW.THEBATCHELORPAD.NING.COM. You can Sign up to become a friend of the program at our website and here at blog talk so you can get on the e-mail list for updates and show info and if you're interested in sponsoring the show, please send me an e-mail at either alwaysf2001@yahoo.com or labatchelor@blackathlete.com