The Sports-casters

On the twenty-fifth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters, hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Chris Burke (Sports Illustrated), and Molly Knight (Author). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don discuss Geno Smith having his jaw broken, the ugly Pat Kane news, and the red hot Toronto Blue Jays. The book club announces a new book about Alice in Chains, and the show ends with Steve and Don discussing NFL teams that cheat (all of them). -Chris Burke is making his twelfth appearance (0:32:05) on the podcast. Burke talks about the start of the NFL pre-season, the quarterback situations in Buffalo and Cleveland, and looks at the chances that a few unemployed running backs find work. Also, Chris talks about the Ameer Abdullah hype, the development of rookie wide receivers, and the start of Hard Knocks. -Molly Knight is making her first appearance (01:10:37) on the podcast. Molly joins us to talk about her book, "The Best Team Money Can Buy." Molly explains how she left New York a few years

On the twenty-fourth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters, hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Bryan Alvarez (Wrestling Observer, Author), and Blake J. Harris (Author). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don discuss Arian Foster's injury and how it effects his fantasy value, baseball buzz in Toronto, and the NHL's deal with MLBAM. The book club update features two new books and the announcement of the book club book of the year. The show ends with Steve and Don discussing the death of Rowdy Roddy Piper. -Bryan Alvarez is making his second appearance (00:23:39) on the podcast to talk the death of Roddy Piper, his impact on the business of professional wrestling, and explains why his role at Wrestlemania I was so critical to its success. Alvarez talks about Roddy's work in Oregon, his promos, and his uncanny ability to work everyone. Alvarez also looks ahead to SummerSlam, talks about John Cena, and The Rock. -Blake J. Harris is making his second appearance (1:02:26) on the podcast to

On the twenty-third episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters, hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Joe Posnanski (NBC Sports, Author), and Michael Fabiano (NFL Network, NFL.com). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don discuss the big news about Tom Brady's suspension, the Saints releasing Junior Galette, the potentially incredible MLB trade deadline, and ESPN dumping Colin Cowherd. The book club update features two new books and the show ends with Steve and Don discussing the fall of Hulk Hogan. -Joe Posnanski is making his third appearance (00:18:40) on the podcast. Joe talks about writing his book "The Secret of Golf" and compares it to the unique experiences he encountered while writing his previous book, "Paterno". Posnanski also talks about the unique way that he set up the book, the relationship between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, and how their career paths reminds him of the players of today. Posnanski also talks about his relationship with the city of Kansas City, the MLB trade

On the twenty-second episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters, hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Jeff Passan (Yahoo! Sports), and Jon Pessah (Author). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don discuss Jordan Spieth falling short at the British Open, the NFL turing heel on fantasy football, and the death of a Buffalo sports legend. The book club update features a new book and the show ends with Steve and Don discussing lonelyvirgil.net. -Jeff Passan is making his tenth appearance (0:17:56) on the podcast. Jeff explains why he likes the home run derby, why Barry Bonds will never be in the Hall of Fame, and why he isn't ready to make a new World Series prediction. Passan also talks about the success of the Royals, the dominance of the Cardinals, and what to expect at the trade deadline. -Jon Pessah is making his first appearance (0:48:40) on the podcast. Jon is on the podcast to talk about his book, "The Game: Inside the Secret World of Major League Baseball's Power Brokers." Jon talks abou

On the twenty-first episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters, hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Katie Baker (Grantland), Brett Martin (Author, GQ) and Kevin Lieber (VSauce2, YouTube). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don discuss the United States winning the World Cup, Florida State dismissing their quarterback for punching a woman in the face, and Don tries to guess what team the Major League Baseball all-stars play for. The book club update still features "Console Wars" and "The Game". The Show ends with Steve and Don discussing God's decision to chat with Russell Wilson. -Katie Baker is making her sixth appearance (0:18:18) on the podcast to give a first hand account of the USWNT victory over Japan in the World Cup Final. Baker talks about the atmosphere in the stadiums and in Canada during the tournament, marching down the street with thousands of USWNT fans into the stadium before the final, and the hysteria in the stands after each of the four goals in the fist half. Katie also

On the twentieth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters, hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Lina Cohn (ESPN, SportsCenter) and Mark Simon (ESPN, Stats and Info). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don discuss the the NHL Draft and Buffalo's reaction to Jack Eichel, the Women's World Cup, and Brett Favre in a Packers jersey. The book club update still features "Console Wars" and "The Game". The Show ends with Steve and Don debating the pros and cons of the new format for the Home Run Derby. -Mark Simon is making his first appearance (0:37:42) on the podcast to discuss his role at ESPN and his incredible ability to recall the last out of the last 60 World Series. Simon talks about the origin of his viral video, the difference between tweeting to his 28K followers and the 1million followers on the @espnstatsinfo account. Mark also talks about why the Royals have been successful, who will win the A.L. East, and the development of Gerrit Cole. -Linda Cohn is making her first appearance (0

On the nineteenth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters, hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Lee Jenkins (Sports Illustrated) and Greg Wyshynski (Yahoo! Puck Daddy). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don discuss the the NHL and NBA drafts, the U.S. Open, and P. Diddy fighting in the UCLA weight room. The book club update still features "Console Wars" and "The Game". The Show ends with Steve complaining about Junior Galette and Don wondering what is the best Sabres jersey to buy. -Lee Jenkins is making his twentieth appearance (0:30:10) on the podcast to discuss the start of the end of the NBA season. Jenkins explains why he thinks it will be tough for the Warriors to repeat, why he doesn't necessarily think the Cavs would have won with Love and Irving, and why he thought LeBron was the finals MVP. Jenkins also talks about Stephen Curry, the game evolving away from big men, and looks ahead to the NBA Draft. -Greg Wyshynski is making his eleventh appearance (01:05:44) on the podcast.

On the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Ed Sherman (Chicago Tribune, Sherman Report) and Mike Johnson (PwInsider). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don discuss the the NHL and NBA Finals before Don plays a game called "Who's in First?". The book club update still features "Console Wars" and "The Game". The Show ends with Steve reviewing the Rush concert. -Ed Sherman is making his sixth appearance (00:23:23) on the podcast. Sherman stops by to chat about the Blackhawks winning their first Stanley Cup in Chicago since 1938. Ed talks about spending time on the ice with the players and their families, the massive rating that the game scored in Chicago, and refuses to return Patrick Kane to Buffalo. Mr. Sherman also talks about Bill Simmons leaving ESPN, Fox Sports preparing for their first U.S. Open, and the odd dismissal of Jason Whitlock from his website The Undefeated. -Mike Johnson is making his second appearance (00:57:19) on the

On the seventeenth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Jon Wertheim (Sports Illustrated) and Blake J. Harris (Author). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don discuss the first Triple Crown in 37 years, the NHL and NBA Finals, and the start of the Women's World Cup. The book club returns with two new books, and the show ends with One Last Thing. -Jon Wertheim is making his thirteenth appearance (0:29:36) on the podcast to discuss the French Open. Jon talks about Serena's claim as the greatest of all time, the upset in the Men's final, and the health of tennis in France. Jon also talks about podcasts at Sports Illustrated, his piece on Ronda Rousey, and plans for the magazine this summer. -Blake J. Harris is making his second appearance (1:07:41) on the podcast to promote his book, "Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation." Blake talks about the success of the book (now available in paperback), the upcoming documentar

On the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Steve Rushin (Sports Illustrated) and Tas Melas (NBA Network, The Starters). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don look ahead to the NHL and NBA Finals, chat about the FIFA scandal, and discuss what a Triple Crown champion would mean for horse racing. The book club returns with two new books, and the show ends with One Last Thing. -Steve Rushin is making his second appearance (00:29:19) on the podcast to talk about poetry that is overtime in the NHL Playoffs. Rushin talks about the grind of a multi-overtime game on the players, coaches, and even broadcasters. Rushin tells us why Al Michaels says he will never call hockey again, praises Doc Emrick, and explains the interesting dynamic of a postgame interview with the OT goal scorer. Rushin also explains why he picks stories to write, looks ahead to the NHL and NBA finals, and reminisces about the article he wrote for Sports Illustrated's 60th an

On the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Trey Wingo (ESPN) and Michael Woods (theSweetScience.com). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don look back at the NFL Draft, chat about the second round of the NHL and NBA playoffs, and of course spend a few seconds on the fight of the century. The book club returns with some uncertainty, and the show ends with One Last Thing. -Trey Wingo is making his third appearance (0:30:29) on the podcast. Trey about hosting the NFL Draft in Chicago, explains why the extra space to spread the draft out offered something Manhattan couldn't and says why he thinks the NFL should take the show out west next year. Wingo also explains why he passed on Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, gives his take on fans having to decide between cheering for villains or walking away, and looks ahead to the rest of the NFL offseason. -Michael Woods is making his third appearance (1:10:27) on the podcast. Woods talks about the Floyd Ma

On the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Chris Burke (Sports Illustrated, SI.com) and Jenny Vrentas (theMMQB, Sports Illustrated). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve (solo today) quickly looks at first round of the NHL playoffs and NBA playoffs, and looks ahead to the fight of the century. The show ends with One Last Thing. -Chris Burke is making his eleventh appearance (0:12:17) on the podcast. Burke talks about the upcoming NFL Draft and his work on it for Sports Illustrated. Chris talks about why he thinks the quarterbacks will go first and second, explains why he thinks the Saints will take a WR and a pass rusher in round one, and names Jacksonville as the team that has the most leverage to swing the first round in one direction or another. Burke also talks about guys in the draft with red flags, the depth at receiver an explains that the draft is deep but doesn't have the top end talent that last year's draft did. -Jenny Vrentas is

On the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Jeff Passan (Yahoo! Sportsl) and Will Leitch (Sports on Earth). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don look at the first round of the NHL playoffs and NBA playoffs, and cover a few small NFL stories. Steve looks at the just released NFL schedule, and the show ends with One Last Thing. -Jeff Passan is making his ninth appearance (0:33:28) on the podcast. Jeff talks the start of the baseball season, the Yankees not having a home grown star, and the value of recent 1.1 draft picks. Passan also talks about writing his book on the pitching arm for his son, wrestling in the mainstream media, and talking to Jane Leavy. -Will Leitch is making his eighth appearance (1:25:34) on the podcast. Will talks about writing for Sports on Earth, writing about politics, and the challenges of doing a podcast. Will also talks about the Mets and Cubs, being annoyed with twitter, and improvements at ESPN.

On the twelfth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Damon Hack (Golf Channel) and Mike Halford (Pro Hockey Talk). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don look at the first round of the NHL playoffs, the start of the NBA playoffs,vand talk about the fall of Aaron Hernandez and the future of Adrian Peterson. The book club takes one last look at Eleventh Heaven by Rob Miech, and the show ends with One Last Thing. -Damon Hack is making his ninth appearance (0:33:55) on the podcast. Damon looks back on Jordan Spieth's dominate performance at the Masters. Hack compares Spieth's performance this year to Tiger's domination in 1997. Damon wonders if the Spieth/Mcilroy rivalry can lead golf into the post-Tiger era without a massive drop-off Hack also talks about the future of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and what their performances this weekend might mean for their 2015 seasons. -Mike Halford is making his second appearance (1:06:21) on the podcast. Mike s

On the eleventh episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Andrew Bucholtz (Yahoo!, Awful Announcing) and Rob Miech (Author). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don look at Duke's fifth national championship, look ahead to the NHL playoffs, and talk about a few odds and ends from the NFL. The book club takes a look at Eleventh Heaven by Rob Miech, and the show ends with One Last Thing. -Andrew Bucholtz is making his first appearance (00:29:51) on the podcast. Bucholtz joins us to talk about breaking into sports journalism, moving to California, and playing board games. Bucholtz also talks about women in sports media, Katie Nolan, and the recent scandal in Chicago. -Rob Miech is making his third appearance (01:12:26) on the podcast. Miech joins us to talk about his book, Eleventh Heaven. Rob explains that he almost wrote this book back in 1995 and tells us why he didn't. He also talks about his relationship with Ed O'Bannon, traveling all over the world

On the tenth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Luke Winn (Sports Illustrated, SI.Com) and David Shoemaker (Grantland). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don look ahead to the Final Four, the Frozen Four, and look back at Wrestlemania XXXI. The book club takes a look at Eleventh Heaven by Rob Miech, and the show ends with One Last Thing. -Luke Winn is making his eighth appearance (00:32:17) on the podcast. Winn joins the podcast to look back on the first two weeks of the NCAA Tournament and to look ahead to the Final Four. Luke talks about covering the classic game between Notre Dame and Kentucky, speculates on the remaining team with the best chance to beat Kentucky, and explains why anything short of a National Championship would be a total bust. Winn also talks about Duke, the value of fewer early round upsets, and the players to keep an eye on this weekend. -David Shoemaker is making his fourth appearance (0:52:41) on the podcast to talk ab

On the ninth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Stewart Mandel (Fox Sports), Ryan Lambert (Puck Daddy, College Hockey News) and Mike Johnson (Pro Wrestling Insider). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don talk about the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the overhaul of the Saints and Bills, and look ahead to Wrestlemania XXXI. The book club takes a first look at Eleventh Heaven by Rob Miech, and Steve has a quick chat with Yale hockey players Anthony Day and Mike Doherty. The show ends with One Last Thing. -Stewart Mandel is making his seventh appearance (00:25:46) on the podcast. Stewart joins us to talk about the first weekend of the NCAA basketball tournament and to look ahead to the rest of the tournament. Mandel talks about a wild first day and why he thinks so many favorites won the rest of the weekend. Mandel speculates about who could give Kentucky the best game, talks about the players he is most excited to see on the grand stage, an

On the eighth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Greg Wyshynski (Puck Daddy, Yahoo! Sports) and Jonah Keri (Grantland). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don talk about the NHL trade deadline, the start of NFL free agency (recorded before the Bills trade for LeSean McCoy), and discuss what might be next for Ronda Rousey. The book club takes one last look at the Red Army documentary, and the show ends with One Last Thing. -Greg Wyshynski is making his tenth appearance (0:38:27) on the podcast. Puck Daddy joins us to recap the NHL trade deadline. Greg tries to explain the outrage over the Sabres moves, explains the difference between their deadline and the Coyotes, and goes over other winners and losers. Wyshynski also talks about who he thinks should with the Hart Trophy, handicaps the race for the last few playoff spots, and brags about Maryland basketball. -Jonah Keri is making his ninth appearance (01:52:26) on the podcast. Jonah talks about

On the seventh episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Anthony Cumia (The Anthony Cumia Show) and Gabe Polsky (Director). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don talk about injuries to Pat Kane and Derrick Rose, the latest in the Adrian Peterson saga, and Josh Hamilton's relapse. The book club changes course and focuses on a sports documentary, and the show ends with One Last Thing. -Anthony Cumia is making his first appearance (00:28:19) on the podcast. Cumia talks about starting his own program, why he doesn't like to call it a podcast, and explains the difficulties of leaving a team to be a solo act. Anthony also talks about battling with Howard Stern, moving his show to New York City, and almost getting fired after a beach party in Angola, NY. -Gabe Polsky is making his first appearance (01:15:54) on the podcast. Polsky explains why he decided to make a documentary about the Soviet National hockey team, talks about using the film as a character in

On the sixth episode of the fifth season of The Sports-Casters hosts Steve Bennett and Don Russ welcome Chris Ballard (Sports Illustrated), Kenny Alebert (Fox Sports, New York Rangers), and Pete Weber (PBP Nashville Predators). Starting the show with 3Things, Steve and Don talk about the Sabres blockbuster trade with the Winnipeg Jets, the Yankees decision to retire three more numbers, and the SNL 40 special. The book club changes course and focuses on a sports documentary, and the show ends with One Last Thing. -Chris Ballard is making his fourth appearance (0:48:14) on the podcast. Chris joins us to talk about his reporting on the Golden State Warriors. Ballard talks about the job that Steve Kerr has done as head coach, his interest in the team beyond Stephen Curry, and the teams that could give the Warriors the most trouble in the playoffs. -Kenny Albert is making his thirteenth appearance (01:09:59) on the podcast. Kenny talks about the New York Rangers. Albert is the radio play by play man for the team