The Sports-casters

On the 35th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the house show at the Madison Square Garden from 12-28-1984. On this episode night, Hulk Hogan wrestles The Iron Sheik in a match for the WWF Heavyweight Championship. At the top, Steve and Paula are together to kick off the show with some news about Steve's father, her cheerleading for the Buffalo Bandits, and colors in wrestling. After the break, Steve brings on Dave and welcome him to the show. Dave, like usual, has mayhem to report. After our update on all things Hollywood, the guys give the bio of The Iron Sheik. Also, Steve and Dave talk about the long history of Madison Square Garden. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in December of 1984. Steve reads the news from December of 1984 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with nuclear bomb tests, a huge movie release, and a big month for Wayne Gretzky. Steve and Dave break down the entire card from the 12-28-84 e

On the 34th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the Saturday Night's Main Event from 11-25-1989. On this episode of SNME, Hulk Hogan wrestles The Genius in a match for the WWF Heavyweight Championship. At the top, Steve and Paula are together to kick off the show with some talk about school, missing Leaping Lanny Poffo, and cheerleading for the Buffalo Bandits. After the break, Steve brings on Dave and welcome him to the show. Dave, like usual, has mayhem to report. After our update on all things Hollywood, the guys give the bio of Lanny Poffo. Also, Steve and Dave talk about the long history of the Expocentre in Topeka, Kansas. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in November of 1989. Steve reads the news from October of 1989 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with sports, a shocking earthquake, and a new album from George Harrison. Steve and Dave break down the entire card from the 11-25-89 episode of Saturday N

Steve interviews Eamonn Brennan (00:10:53) college basketball writer for The Athletic. Eamonn joins us to let us know what has been happening in college basketball while we were watching football. Eammon talks about Duke. North Carolina and Kentucky and explains why each of them are on the bubble this year. Brennan also talks about Houston, UCLA, and Purdue and explains why they are all going to popular picks to win it all when we do brackets next month. The guys also talk about college basketball's best players, a potential scandal in Alabama, and the powerful Big XII. Also, Kevin Snow (00:56:29) makes his debut to talk about his new book, "The Science of Hockey." Kevin shares stories from his long career on the PR team of the Sabres including finding out Jay McKee was out for Game 7 and where he was when Chris Drury and Danny Briere left on July 1, 2007. Kevin also talks about his love for the Toronto Blue Jays, working for the WWE, and his time with NHL.com. Finally, Steve and Kevin break down the book a

Steve interviews Alex Faust(00:10:34) the voice of the Los Angelas Kings. Alex joins us to talk about his rise from PBP man for the Northeastern Huskies of the NCAA's Hockey East to the PBP man for the NHL's Los Angelas Kings. Alex talks about college hockey, the Kings in Los Angelas, and his ambitions. Alex also talks about his name being dropped as Alex Trebek's replacement by Alex Trebek. Also, Al Strachan (01:00:49) returns to the show to tell stories about his career as the hockey writer that Wayne Gretzky trusted the most. Al talks about Wayne being traded to St. Louis, his reaction to not being chosen for the shootout at the 1998 Olympics, and how he found out Wayne was being traded to Los Angeles. Al also talks about the 1987 Canada Cup, the leadership dynamic in the Edmonton Oilers locker room, and tells us if he thinks the current hockey writers love hockey. Steve kicks off the show talking about the Super Bowl, a missed hand ball in the Juventus game, and the highly rated match between Barcelon

On the 33th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the Superstars of Wrestling from 3-10-1990. On this episode of Superstars, Hulk Hogan wrestles Dino Bravo in a non-title match. At the top, Steve and Paula are together to kick off the show with some talk about the 100th day of school, and a tribute to the death of Leaping Lanny Poffo. After the break, Steve brings on Dave and welcome him to the show. Dave, like usual, has mayhem to report. After our update on all things Hollywood, the guys give the bio of Dino Bravo. Also, Steve and Dave talk about the long history of the Tucson Convention Center. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in February/March of 1990. Steve reads the news from March of 1990 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with award shows, the NCAA Tournament, and a subway tragedy in Philadelphia. Steve and Dave break down the entire card from the 3-10-90 episode of Superstars, including the debut of Greg

Steve interviews Mike Harrington (00:06:02) from The Buffalo News. Mike talks about the Buffalo Sabres making the jump to playoff contender and what he thinks they need to do to make them. Mike talks about the growth of Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, and the many wins of Kevyn Adams. Mike also explains why he voted for Scott Rolen and predicts the Sabres playoff fate. Also, Gabriele Marcotti (01:01:34) joins us to talk about the Juventus capital gains scandal and what it means for the club and the future of Italian soccer. Also, Gabe talks about the dream season for Napoli and explains why he thinks the future is bright for the Italian National team. Steve kicks off the show quickly talking about NFL officiating and the effect it had on Championship Weekend.. The book club kicks off 2023 with a book about the science of hockey. OLT is a story about Steve picking up Paula from school. For more information follow the podcast on twitter @sports_casters Email: thesportscasters@gmail.com

Steve interviews Christopher Parker and Mike Schopp (00:09:57) of the Schopp and the Bulldog radio program on WGR 550 in Buffalo, NY. Chris and Mike explain the origin of the program and explain that neither of them really wanted to do the show initially. Mike talks about what he brings to the show that Chris doesn't, his love of fantasy football, and his dislike of being served garbage. Chris talks about what he brings to the show that Mike doesn't, his love of music, and love of hockey. The guys talk about what it would be like if a championship was won by the Sabres and Bills and explain who they would like the team to be that breaks the drought. Also, Pete Weber (01:13:01) joins us to talk about a health scare the kept him out of the booth calling Nashville Predators hockey games and the treatments that returned him. Pete also talks about the current state of the Predators, the health of hockey in Nashville, and shares a story or three about his incredible career in hockey. Steve kicks off the season

On the 32nd episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the 1989 Royal Rumble. On this night, Hulk Hogan is by himself taking on 29 of the roughest and toughest wrestlers in the World. At the top, Steve and Dave kick off the third season of the podcast by looking back at a challenging second season and looking forward to a much better third season. After the break, the guys give a brief history of the Royal Rumble. Also, Steve and Dave talk about the long history of the Summit in Houston and explain how it became the Country's biggest church. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in January of 1989. Steve reads the news from January of 1989 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with sports, tragedy, an increase in subway fare, and presidential history. Steve and Dave break down the entire card from the 1989 Royal Rumble including a tag match contested under European rules, the legendary pose down, and a grizzly Women's match

On the 31th episode and Season 2 finale of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into an episode of Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling cartoon. At the top, Steve and Paula are joined by Dave to kick off the finale. The team talk about their Christmas, the blizzard in Buffalo, Mr Rowlands getting buzz on social media, and celebrating the New Year. After the break, Steve brings on Dave give the history of the Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling cartoon before bringing Paula back in to break down the episode. Also on this episode, Steve and Paula team with Dave to read listener emails and comments from our facebook page, text message and email account. The team also discusses a scary moment is "real" sports that happened as we were recording. Last, Steve and Dave announce the plan for the first episode of the third season. We will see you in, 2023. For more information follow us on twitter @24InchPodcast Email us: 24InchPodcast@gmail.com Instagram: 24_inch_podcast

Steve interviews Jon Wertheim (00:07:45) from Sports Illustrated and 60 Minutes. Steve and Jon are back for their annual look back on the year that was for Sports Illustrated and Jon personally. Jon talks about the future of Spots Illustrated, his future at the magazine and 60 Minutes, and other projects on the horizon. Jon also talks about the SI Person of the Year, gives his thoughts on UFC and their lack of stars, and promises that writing about me wasn't the worst decision of his career. Also, Chris Ballard(00:54:58) from Sports Illustrated joins us to talk about the new book he compiled called, Sports Illustrated, The Basketball Vault. Chris talks about trying to picks 45 articles from over 75 years of content. Chris also talks about the great people who have authored basketball pieces for SI, LeBron James, Bill Russell, and pays tribute to the late, great Grant Wahl. Steve and Paula start the show and talk about the Blizzard of 2022. Paula says that the Saints stink, Italy was cheated, and that Messi

On the 30th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the holiday episode of Prime Time Wrestling from 11-23-1986. On this episode of Prime Time, Hulk Hogan's match against Hercules from Saturday Night's Main Event is shown. At the top, Steve and Paula are together to kick off the show with some talk about Paula scratching her eye, the Christmas season, and Paula's cheerleading award. After the break, Steve brings on Dave and welcome him to the show. Dave, like usual, has mayhem to report. After our update on all things Hollywood, the guys give the bio of Hercules. Also, Steve and Dave talk about the long history of the Los Angelas Sports Arena. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in December of 1986. Steve reads the news from December of 1986 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with Michael Jackson's sleazy business practices, sports news, and holiday cheer. Steve and Dave break down the entire card from the 11-23-86 epi

Steve interviews Andrew Marchand (00:13:26) from the New York Post and the Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast. At the top, Steve and Andrew talk about the World Cup. Is it as good as the last World Cup? Who will win it? How had Fox done covering the event? Also, the guys talk about Messi, the USA's failures, and more. After the soccer, Andrew and Steve get into the sports media. Who was sports media's person of the year? How would Andrew rank the top NFL announce booths? What was the sports media story of the year and what will it be next year? Also, Andrew talks about streaming services, podcasts, and other sports media issues. Also, Stewart Mandel(01:11:30) joins the show to discuss the college football season that was and what lies ahead for bowl season and the playoffs. Stewart gives his favorite teams and players from the college football season, talks about the teams chosen for the playoff, and digs into the collapse at Oklahoma that he predicted. Also, Stewart talks about the transfer portal,

Steve interviews Greg Wyshynski (00:07:44) from ESPN to talk about the first few months of the NHL season. Greg gives his take on the young Buffalo Sabres, the emerging New Jersey Devils, and that snake Jack Eichel. Greg also talks about the demise of the Boston Bruins (it didn't happen) and the brilliance of their medical team and training staff. Greg also looks ahead to the rest of the season, talks about iPhones, and makes another strong appearance on a podcast he has been appearing on since January of 2011. Also, Christopher Price(00:47:46) joins the show to discuss his new book about the history of the Hartford Whalers. Christopher explains why he wanted to write a book about the Whalers and how the pandemic helped make that happen. Christopher talks about former Whalers players like Andrew Cassels and Adam Burt and explains the rise and fall of the NHL in Connecticut. Christopher explains why he doesn't think the NHL will return to Connecticut, gives his wish for college hockey in the state, and gets

On the 29th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into SummerSlam 1990. On this night, Hulk Hogan returned to the ring to get revenge against the Earthquake. At the top, Steve, Paula and Dave are together to kick off the show with some talk about Dave and Paula's rough time since the last show. After the break, Steve and Dave return and the guys give the bio of Earthquake. Also, Steve and Dave talk about the long history of the Philadelphia Spectrum. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in August of 1990. Steve reads the news from August of 1990 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with turmoil in the Middle East, sports facts that Dave doesn't know and Garth Brooks. Steve and Dave break down the entire card from SummerSlam including the incredible match for the tag titles and a strong performance from Power and Glory. The guys also talk about Mr. Perfect's title defense, the Brother Love Show, and the Ultimate Idiot putting

Steve interviews Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg (00:07:29) who appear to promote their new book. Jonathan and Joshua appear together and are welcomed by a loud Steve victim of apparent gain knob sabotage. Josh and Jonathan talk about how Messi and Ronaldo have changed soccer including but not limited to the business, economics, and culture of. The guys also talk about the emergence of the Champions League and what it means for the prestige of the World Cup. Joshua and Jonathan deal politely with Steve's Italy questions and perspective and have an impressive debut on the show. Also, John Shannon (00:46:18) joins the show to discuss his new book about his life in the world of hockey media. John doesn't have much time but talks about Hockey Night in Canada, Don Cherry, and the impact his work had on the Canadian culture. John also reassures us on the effect the new dasher ads being run during hockey games will have. Steve starts the show explaining the unexpected absence and rushes through an intro at t

On the 28th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the May 23, 1987 episode of Superstars of Wrestling. On this night, Hulk Hogan put his title on the line against, Cowboy Bob Orton. At the top, Steve and Paula kick off the show with some spooky banter and some emails from the brain of Paulamania. Back by popular demand, Paula does a cheer for the listeners. After the break, Steve and Dave return and the guys give the bio of Cowboy Bob Orton Jr. Also, Steve and Dave talk about the long history of the Anaheim Convention Center. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in May of 1987. Steve reads the news from May of 1987 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with hockey playoffs, comedy awards, and the Pope. Steve and Dave break down the entire card from Superstars including a few squash matches featuring Macho Man, One Man Gang, and a weird tag team. The guys also talk about Bobby Heenan's new tag team and the Heenan Family'

Steve interviews Joe Maddon (00:18:47) the former manager of the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs who appears to promote his new book. Joe explains the origins of the project and why he chose to work with Tom Verducci. Joe also talks about the last day of the 2011 MLB season, breaking the curse of the Billy Goat, and his relationship with Eddie Vedder. Joe also talks about his relationship with analytics, his desire to manage in the big leagues again, and who he thinks will win the World Series this year. Also, Tyler Dunne (00:57:10) joins the show to discuss his new book about tight ends. Tyler talks about growing up in Western New York, explains why he wrote a book about tight ends and why he left Bleacher Report to go out on his own. Tyler also talks about Ben Coates, Mike Ditka, Dallas Clark, and Jimmy Graham. Steve starts the show talking about the Saints, the Sabres, and the Champions League. The book club has has a new book about hockey and the soccer book announced last week. The show ends with one

Steve interviews Pablo Torre (00:12:43) from ESPN's Around the Horn and the ESPN Daily podcast. Pablo is on the show for the first time in a few years and he and Steve look back at their long history together. Pablo talks about transitioning from being a writer to working on Around the Horn and explains why he thinks the show has survived for 20 years. Pablo talks about his podcast, his show on ESPN digital, and admits that Yale is superior to Harvard in hockey. Pablo also talks about Aaron Judge, the MLB Playoffs, and the upcoming World Cup. Also, Steven Hyden (01:00:53) joins the show to discuss his new book about Pearl Jam. Hyden explains why he wrote the book and what he was trying to say about Pearl Jam. Steven talks about returning to the band after a while to see their show at Wrigley Field in 2013 and attending the famous "Yield" show in 2014. Steven also talks about his love for the Phoenix show in 2000, Footsteps, and his desire to see the band play Falling Down. The guys also talk about Pearl Jam

On the 27th and return episode of the 24 Inch Podcast, Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the October 3, 1987 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event. On this night, Hulk Hogan put his title on the line against, Sika. At the top, Steve and Paula kick off the long overdue return of the podcast by explaining our hiatus and new format. Paula leads the way and does a cheer for the listeners. After the break, Steve and Dave return and the guys give the bio of Sika. Also, Steve and Dave talk about the long history of the Hershey Arena. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in September of 1987. Steve reads the news from October of 1987 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with baseball, nuclear testing, and of course a play opening at a theater no one has heard of. Steve and Dave break down the entire card from SNME including the legendary match between the Honky Tonk Man and Randy Savage. The guys also talk about the huge angle shot on this night and add

Steve interviews Jay Mariotti (00:16:18)who became a star in sports media thanks to incredible columns he wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times and his many appearances on ESPN's Around the Horn. Jay is making his second appearance on the podcast and isn't holding any punches. Jay talks about the end of Serena William's career, the start of the NFL season, and much more. Jay also sounds off on writing, looks ahead to a busy fall, and gives his opinion on some of the topics dominating the sports world. Also on the show is, SL Price (1:05:11) formerly of Sports Illustrated and one of the greatest sports writers of all time. Mr. Price joins us to talk about why he left SI and what he has been doing since he left. SL explains why the time was right and looks back at his incredible career there. Steve and Scott also talk about the 1990 World Cup, lacrosse, and many other topics. Pull up a bar stool and hang out as these two good friends talk about whatever the conversation dictates. Steve starts the show chatting ab