The Sports-casters

Steve interviews Tyler Dunne (00:07:42) from GoLongTD.com to preview the NFL Season. Tyler plays Dr. Z in a digital recreation of the iconic Sports Illustrated NFL preview editions. Tyler makes a Super Bowl Prediction, talks about the hype for the New York Jets and the Detroit Lions, and explains why he likes some teams more and some teams less than the computers. Tyler also talks about GoLongTD and much, much more. Also, Mark Dent and Rustin Dodd (01:01:21) debut to talk about their book, Kingdom Quarterback. Mark and Rustin have written a wonderful book about the re-birth of Kansas City and the role that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have played in it. Steve interviews both authors about the city, the players, and the book. Steve starts the show with First Things First covering the NFL, the Braves, the Azzurri, and the fist full week of college football season. The book club has books coming and going. The show ends with one last thing is Steve's NFL predictions. For more information follow the podca

Steve interviews Michele Tafoya (00:13:05) after spending almost three decades in sports media. Michele is making her debut on the program and explains how the famous, "the band is on the field," game changed her path in life. Michele also talks about how her MBA helped her when she started her sports media career in Minnesota. Michele also talks about her relationship with Al Micheals, working on Sunday Night and Monday Night Football, and being there when Steve Gleason blocked the punt. Michele also explains interviewing Aaron Donald just after he won the Super Bowl and her decision to leave sports media. Also, Stewart Mandel (01:04:46) returns to preview the college football season. Stewart has been coming on the podcast every single year for over a decade to preview the season. Stewart talks about the latest realignment news, the powers of the conference president, and who used the transfer portal to get better since last season. Stewart also talks about the teams he expects to see in the playoff and wh

On the 41st episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands call an audible to honor the late, great Terry Funk. We look back at episode 26 of the show, when we went back to the January 4, 1986 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event. On this night, Hulk Hogan put his title on the line against the legend, Terry Funk. This podcast is a mix of old and new. First some new, Steve and Dave are joined by Paula and the three share memories about the career of Terry Funk. After the break, the guys give a bio of the legend, Terry Funk. Also, Steve and Dave talk about the long history of the USF Sun Dome. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in late December of 1985 into early January of 1986. Steve reads the news from January of 1986 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with gossip, Steve's first Super Bowl, and one of the most infamous and tragic moments of the 1980's. Steve and Dave break down the entire card from SNME including all of the fun antics in-betw

Steve interviews Jackie Martling (00:09:25) the former head writer of of The Howard Stern Show and the subject of a new documentary called, The Joke Man. Steve and Jackie spend a delightful hour together talking about the incredible documentary, his time on the Stern Show, and his life today. Jackie tells stories about quitting gymnastics at Michigan State, writing song parodies for famous artists to sing on the Stern Show, and the day the Jackie Puppet destroyed Conan O'Brien. Also, Joe Posnanski (01:12:04) returns to promote his new book, Why We Love Baseball. Joe talks about this book being a sequel to the wildly successful, Baseball 100. Joe explains how he picked the moments in the book and explains why the order is so important. Also, Joe tells us why Francisco Cabrera's NLCS walk-off is unique, why Mr. November is special, and why he loves the ball bouncing off Jose Canseco's head. Joe also remembers promoting his previous books on The Sports-Casters, talks about taking his daughters to Taylor Swift

Steve interviews Field Yates (00:15:48) from ESPN and ESPN Fantasy to talk about the evolution of fantasy football and the upcoming season. Steve and Field discuss the way fantasy football is changing, what it means to play in a standard league and what Field thinks it will mean five years from now. Field discusses the different ways you can play fantasy football and they ways he enjoys most. Finally, Field talks about the Fantasy Focus podcast after Matthew Berry, ranks the rookie quarterbacks, and assesses the impact of the Alvin Kamara suspension. Also, Aaron Schatz (00:59:26) returns to discuss the annual FTN Football Almanac. Aaron starts the interview explaining his departure from the company he created, Football Outsiders. Then, Aaron explains how FTN saved the 2023 Almanac and how it is different his year. Steve and Aaron go over the simulations based on DVOA and get into why the simulations love Dallas and Cleveland but despise Minnesota and Chicago. Last, Aaron makes the Chris Berman Super Bowl pi

Steve interviews Fred Mangione(00:09:22) the former COO of the Brooklyn Nets and the SVP/Commercial Ticketing, Premium Partnerships & Marketing for the New York Jets. Fred talks about growing up in New Jersey listening to the Howard Stern Show and later becoming friends with Gary Dell'Abate. Fred talks about starting in professional roller hockey and working his way up to COO of the Nets. Fred tells stories about Jay-Z, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen and opening the Barclay's Center. Fred also chats about selling out the 1999 Women's World Cup, almost working for the Boston Red Sox, and dealing with David Stern. Also, Adam Lazarus (01:21:42) returns to preview his new book about John Glenn and Ted Williams. Adam tells us how the city of Atlanta is responding to the 2023 Braves and how the community has fallen in love with their new stadium. Adam also talks about being a Steelers fan, talking at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and being a father. Steve starts the show with first things first. Max Fried is back, A

On the 40th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands with Paula Bennett take a deep dive into 1994's Bash at the Beach. On this epic night, Hulk Hogan faces Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. At the top, Steve and Paula and Dave are all together together again enjoying their summer vacations. Dave has spent most of his time since the last episode at the Jersey Shore and Steve and Paula have been enjoying the summer festival scene in Buffalo. They three also talk about some wrestling they have watched since the last episode. After the break, Steve and Dave get to work on this weeks bios. First, Steve reads the bio of Scary Sherri and Dave adds information and context. Next, they guys look at the history of the Orlando Arena. Last, Dave tells us what led to this epic showdown between Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. Steve reads the news from July of 1994 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with news from the OJ Simpson trial, the premature end

Steve interviews Andy Greene(00:09:22) from Rolling Stone magazine. Andy returns for the first time since his mid-March 2020 pandemic debut. Andy has been reporting about the Motley Crue breakup and fallout for months and joins us to explain it. Andy and Steve also talk about touring in 2023, the Sphere in Vegas, and Andy's summer concert lineup. Also, Dan Robson(00:49:31) from The Athletic makes his debut. Dan joins us to talk about Connor Bedard, his personality, his ability on the ice, and the expectations awaiting him in Chicago. Dan also talks about The Athletic's relationship with the New York Times and explains how his experience has been the same or different since the Times bought The Athletic. Steve and Dan close things out with a four round snake draft of Canadians. All people born in Canada, alive or dead, are eligible. Who drafted the better team? Steve starts the show explaining complaining about himself. Also, first thing first on the 64-34 Atlanta Braves, the MLB trade deadline, and the open

Steve interviews Bryan Hoch(00:12:00) from the YES Network. Bryan joins us to talk about his new book on Aaron Judge's home run chase called, 62. Bryan explains when he knew what he was witnessing every night last season could be a book and what Judge had to say when he told him about it. Bryan also helps put Judge's season into historical perspective, talks about legends like Ruth, Maris, and Gehrig and gives a prediction about the 2023 Yankees. Also, Tim Brown(00:49:40) the author of a new book called, The Tao of the Backup Catcher, debuts to promote the book. First, Tim talks about the decisions at the New York Times and the Los Angelas Times to close or at least cripple their sports coverage. Tim also talks about his time in Cincinnati and explains why he is excited about the Reds hot start. Finally, Tim and Steve talk about the book. Why backup catchers? Why Erik Kratz? Why are catchers managers? Tim breaks it all down in his impressive Sports-Casters debut. Steve starts the show explaining his recen

On the 39th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the 09-11-1988 card at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On this epic night, Hulk Hogan faces Bad News Brown. At the top, Steve and Paula and Dave are all together for the first time in forever. School is out for Paula and summer concert season is underway for Dave. All three talk about what they are looking forward to this summer before discussing the first several episodes of the latest season of Dark Side of the Ring. After the break, Steve brings on Dave and Paula are together in the B block for maybe the first time ever. Next, the boys read the bio of the Meadowlands Arena before moving on to the bio of Bad News Brown. Last, Dave tells us where Hulk appears in September of 1988. Steve reads the news from September of 1988 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled high-jinx from Mike Tyson, the Olympics is Seoul, South Korea, and the MTV Video Music Awards. Ste

Steve interviews Joshua Robinson(00:12:20) from the Wall Street Journal. Joshua joins us to preview the Champions League Final and the other European competitions and leagues. Joshua gives all of the reasons that Manchester City will win and Steve pushes back and explains why Inter Milan are dangerous. The guys also talk about Messi's future, the rise (or not) of calcio, and the treble. Also, Michael Thomsen(00:34:35) the author of a new book called, Cage Kings, debuts to promote the book. Michael remembers the first time he watched UFC, gets into detail about the brilliance of Dana White, and compares some of the UFC stars to former WWE stars. Micheal also remembers a cars that almost got Baba Booey arrested, the polarizing nature of Ariel Helwani, and the future of UFC. Steve starts the show with first things first and some thoughts his worst nightmare coming true, the return of Michael Thomas, and the disappointing return of Michael Soroka. The show ends with one last thing about the Oklahoma Sooners d

On the 38th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the 11-30-1991 card at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. On this epic night, Hulk Hogan faces Ric Flair for the first time in the WWF. At the top, Steve and Paula are together to kick off the show with some chatter about Paula's upcoming dance recital, getting stung by a bee, and having her first play date with friends from school. After the break, Steve brings on Dave and welcomes him to the show. Dave tells us about his busy weekend being Hollywood and then the guys break down the new season of Dark Side of the Ring. Next, the boys read the bio of Ric Flair. Last, Dave tells us where Hulk appears after in late November and early December of 1991. Steve reads the news from November of 1991 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with a bombshell from Magic Johnson, a sad death in the world of rock n roll, and a huge night for the King of Pop. Steve and Dave break do

Steve interviews Nick Underhill and Mike Triplett(00:20:51) from New Orleans.Football. Nick starts by explaining the back story behind the launch of New Orleans.Football and then tells us about bringing Mike onboard. Mike talks about leaving ESPN to join Nick and talks about working so closely with the most competitive person he knows. The guys talk about beating the national media on stories, providing context, and the future of the website. We also talk a little bit about the signing of David Carr, bringing back Dennis Allen, and play a round of Name that Saint. Also, Jeff Benedict (01:01:54) the author of a new book called, Lebron, returns to talk about his latest project. Jeff talks about writing a book on Lebron without Lebron, compares his experience to the one he had writing about Tiger Woods, and explains why now was the right time to right the book. Jeff compares Lebron to Michael Jordon both on and off the court, looks back at Lebron's time in high school, and talks about his role off the court as

On the 37th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into one of the greatest shows of all-time, WrestleMania 6 from the SkyDome on 4-1-1990. On this epic night, Hulk Hogan faces the ultimate challenge in the Ultimate Warrior. At the top, Steve and Paula are together to kick off the show with some chatter about Paula's upcoming dance recital, a review of the new season of WWE Hidden Treasures, and emails from Hasbro's, a ballon. and Paula's bunny. After the break, Steve brings on Dave and welcomes him to the show. Dave gives us a full report and review from 80's WrestleCon. After our update on all things Hollywood, the guys give the bio of the SkyDome in Toronto and the Ultimate Warrior. Last, Dave tells us where Hulk appears after WrestleMania. Steve reads the news from April of 1990 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with music news on and off the stage, television debuts and finales, and sports. Steve and Dave break down the entire

Steve interviews Jack Curry(00:23:01) from the Yes Network. Jack is also the author of a new book called, The 1998 New York Yankees. Jack joins us to talk about the origins of the book and explains why he picked to write about the 1998 team specifically. Jack also talks about being the writer many players from those Yankee teams trust. We talk about the relentlessness of the 1998 Yankees, the weird 1999 team, and try to explain why the difference (between the Yankees and other teams) was always Mariano Rivera. Also, Kirk McKnight (00:51:18) the author of a new book called, The Voices of Baseball, makes his debut. Kirk and Steve geek out on play by play guys. That is basically the whole interview. More specifically, the guys talk about the greatness of Vin Scully, the professionalism of Joe Buck, and the poise of Joe Davis. Steve starts the show with first things first and some thoughts on the NHL draft lottery, the NFL draft, and Napoli winning their first Scudetto since 1990. The show ends with one last t

On the 36th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the show that started it all, WrestleMania I from Madison Square Garden on 3-31-1985. On this episode night, Hulk Hogan teams with Mr T to wrestles Rowdy Roddy Piper and Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff. At the top, Steve and Paula are together to kick off the show with some news about Steve's new Crohn's medicine, a review of the Super Mario Brothers movie, and a report on their trip to Columbus to shop at the American Girl Doll store. After the break, Steve brings on Dave and welcomes him to the show. Dave, like usual, has mayhem to report. After our update on all things Hollywood, the guys give the bio of Mr. T. Also, Steve and Dave talk about the many celebrities at WMI. Then, Dave explains the timeline that led us to WresteMania. Steve reads the news from March of 1985 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with Hollywood award shows, sports milestones, and more nuclear bomb tests.

Steve interviews Richard Deitsch(00:20:56) from The Athletic. Richard first appeared on the third episode of The Sports-Casters way back in 2011 and is making another appearance on the podcast today. Richard and Steve talk about the latest sports media news including topics like the NFL Draft, NBA rights deals, and the price of the Sunday Ticket. Steve and Richard also talk about when they went viral together in 2013 and wonder if it would even be possible today. Also, Kenny Agostino, Andrew Miller and Jesse Root (01:18:46) the top line of the 2013 National Champion Yale Bulldogs appear for the first time together. The boys break down the 2013 season and look back at significant moments like their trip to Colorado over thanksgiving, beating Colgate at the last second, and losing Jeff Malcolm to an injury in February. Kenny, Andrew, and Jesse also talk about the goal that Jesse scored in overtime to win the regional semi-final. The guys then break down Andrew's overtime goal against Mass-Lowell to send them

Steve interviews Joe Davis(00:15:29) the voice of the Los Angelas Dodgers and baseball for Fox Sports. Joe stops by to help celebrate the tenth anniversary of Yale's National Championship in hockey. Joe called their regional in 2013 and those games were two of the six hockey games Joe has called in his life. Steve gets hung up on when a Saints vs. Titans game was that Joe called before moving on to talk about the World Baseball Classic, replacing Joe Buck, and a few other topics from Joe's rise to the top at Fox Sports. Also, Jim Florentine (00:45:17) returns to promote his upcoming gig in Buffalo. Jim also talks about being a Dolphins fan and what he thinks the Dolphins need to do to keep up with the Buffalo Bills. Jim hints at new for That Metal Show fans and reminisces about being on the Howard Stern Show. Steve starts the show with thoughts on the 2022-23 Buffalo Sabres, the Champions League, the Atlanta Braves (they are really good) and the NHL playoffs. The book club has a few going and a few coming

Steve interviews Phil McNulty and Jim White (00:08:71) who appear to promote their new book, Red on Red. Phil and Jim talk about the historic rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United that inspired their book. The lads explain why now was the time to write the book, how they came together to do it, and detail the history of the rivalry better Liverpool and United. Phil and Jim also talk about their favorite clubs, time spent in Italy, and the business of English football. Grab a pint and sit back and enjoy Phil and Jim's debut on The Sports-Casters. Also, Justin Bourne (01:01:26) joins the show to discuss his new book about his life in hockey and his struggles with alcoholism. Justin talks openly about his struggles with his dad, his brother's health, and alcohol abuse. Justin also talks about his success on the ice, his rise to stardom in sports media, and his wonderful family. Justin kept true to the tone of his book and was honest no matter what I asked him. Steve starts the show in a bit of a r

Steve interviews Kenny Albert (00:13:27) from Fox Sports and the NHL on TNT. Kenny joins us to talk about his experience calling the World Baseball Classic. Kenny tells us where Trea Turner's grand slam ranks among his best calls of his career. Kenny also updated us on the NHL on TNT and explained why Wayne Gretzky is so important to what they are doing. Kenny also mentioned he has a new book coming out, updated us on Marv Albert, and briefly looked ahead to what will be his 30th year calling football games on FOX. Also, Evan Drellich (00:53:41) from The Athletic, makes his debut to talk about his new book, "Winning Fixes Everything." Evan talks about his long journey reporting to write this book and explains how it spanned over two different jobs he has had. Evan explains the culture within the Houston Astros origination, their approach towards winning, and how their philosophies led to their infamous cheating scandal. Steve kicks off the show talking about the Azzurri's first two games of 2023, his thou