Back in May, we welcomed bowling journalist--and David's cousin--Don Smale to the podcast (link in the comments).
They talked family, sports and more family. Sadly, Don passed away the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
In honor of what would have been Don's 54th birthday, Don's son Teagan Smale, joins David to celebrate and remember special moments about his father.
Many professional athletes go to the broadcast booth following their playing careers, providing an “insider’s” viewpoint of the game.
Few do it better than Jeff Montgomery, the Kansas City Royals’ all-time leader in saves. Monty is part of the pre- and post-game broadcasts, where he talks about the culture inside the locker room as well as the mechanics of pitching. He joins us to talk about the transition from the field to the booth.
We’ll also welcome College Football Hall of Fame coach Mel Tjeerdsma this week. Coach Tjeerdsma took a woeful college program that went 0-11 in his first year and turned them into national champions with a 15-0 record in five years. He won three national championships and established the program as one of the best in the country in Division II.
You won’t want to miss this week’s episodes.
We’ll start the week with Minnesota United’s play-by-play voice Callum Williams. He joins us to talk about soccer, both MLS soccer and the Premier League in his native England. One of the most energetic and enthusiastic broadcasters in MLS, Williams talks about how he developed his unique style.
We’ll also be joined by Daniel Wawrzyniak from Zakosciele, Mazowiecki, Poland, where he is one of the leaders of summer-long sports camps for Proem Ministries. The ministry uses camps as a cultural barrier-breaker, including a camp that brings Jewish and Palestinian children to the same camp where they learn that they’re more similar than different. Dzien dobry!
The hits just keep coming from all of America’s favorite sports.
This week we’ll feature soccer and baseball. Sporting Kansas City’s exciting and creative striker Johnny Russell joins us.
A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Russell has made Kansas City his home, and he has been embraced by the city and the team, now wearing the captain’s armband. He joins us to talk about adapting to a new culture when coming to the U.S.
And who hasn’t thrown a Frisbee around a family picnic or a day at the park. We’ll also be joined by Steve Hall, the Commissioner of the American Ultimate Disc League.
It’s the official name of the 22-team league of teams playing Frisbee football. They can’t call it that, because Frisbee is a brand name, and not the “official disc” of the league, but Steve talks about the strong possibility that Ultimate will soon become an Olympic sport. Let it fly!
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We’re in the “dog days” of baseball season, and on Monday we’ll chat with one of the Kansas City Royals from their heyday. John Wathan, who debuted in 1976, the year of the Royals’ first postseason appearance. He finished his career in 1985, when the Royals won the World Series, their last postseason appearance for nearly 30 years. Wathan will join us to talk about how he “carried” teammates like George Brett, Hal McRae and Frank White.
On Wednesday, we’ll take a look at a new Olympic sport—karate. US Olympian Ariel Torres joins us to talk about how excited he is to represent his country in a sport he’s pursued since early childhood.
On Friday, we’ll go back to soccer with Sporting Kansas City's exciting and creative striker Johnny Russell. A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Russell has made Kansas City his home, and he has been embraced by the city and the team, now wearing the captain’s armband. He joins us to talk about adapting to a new culture when coming to the U.S.
It’s going to be a great week on Sports Connections!
On Monday we’ll be joined by one of the most recognized names in soccer in the past 30-plus years, as Alexi Lalas joins us. Alexi played for U.S. Soccer in the World Cup—held in America—in 1994.
He also helped kick-start Major League Soccer (MLS) when he was part of the league for its first seven years, winning a championship with the LA Galaxy. He joins us to talk all things soccer.
On Wednesday, we’ll be joined by Jeff Miner, who has made a career of helping athletes achieve their potential by focusing on the mental side of the game, whatever that game might be. He’ll join us to talk about Yogi Berra’s famous quote about 90 percent of the game being half mental.
On Friday, US Men’s National Team midfielder Jackson Yueill will join us to talk about the future of U.S. soccer. He’ll share the importance of remaining calm in critical moments for a midfielder.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
We’ll have a focus on baseball for two episodes this week on “Sports Connections.”
On Monday, we’ll be joined by Fred Lynn, the first player to be named MVP and Rookie of the Year in MLB. Fred won three straight College World Series championships at University of Southern California, so he was used to success. He was not surprised by his quick rise to fame.
On Wednesday, up-and-coming soccer commentator Aly Trost joins us. She’s the sideline reporter for Sporting Kansas City and the analyst for the women’s professional soccer team in Kansas City. She’ll talk about growing up with three competitive brothers and a competitive dad playing hockey in the family’s basement.
On Friday, former Major League Baseball player Ron Jackson joins us. Known throughout baseball as “Papa Jack,” he’ll talk about taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to us.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
We have a lot of soccer fans who listen, so we’ll start next week focusing the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the US Men’s National Team on “Sports Connections.”
On Monday, we’ll be joined midfielder Gianluca Busio, who will make his national team debut. He’ll discuss his lifetime goal of playing at the highest level in Europe.
On Wednesday, we’ll be joined by fitness instructor Janelle Paulson, who grew up on a farm in South Dakota. She will talk about the most important step on the road to fitness.
On Friday, NBA broadcaster Chuck Swirsky talks about his 40 plus years behind the microphone, including when he decided that he wanted to be the one to tell the stories.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
We’ll venture away from the “big three” sports this week on “Sports Connections”—well, sort of. On Monday, we’ll be joined by Tim Melia, Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper and provisional member of the USMNT, who will discuss his ability to block penalty kicks.
On Wednesday, former professional volleyball player Allison Mayfield will share where the hotbeds are for women’s volleyball.
On Friday, we’ll be joined by former women’s professional football player Dani Welniak, who will discuss the physicality of the game in the women’s game.
Okay, so football is part of the “big three,” but with a twist.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
It’s going to be a Royal-ly good week on “Sports Connections” as we focus on some history with the Kansas City Royals.
On Monday, we’ll be joined by former ace Dennis Leonard, who talks about the time he hit a batter at Royals Fantasy Camp for mouthing off after getting a hit.
On Wednesday, veteran PR man Mike Swanson, who has been in the game for 43 years, talks about some of his favorite memories of his life in the MLB.
On Friday, 15-year veteran Jim Eisenreich, who made his comeback after missing two full seasons due to the effects of Tourette syndrome talks about how he learned to deal with the affliction and how he’s set his life on helping kids going through it now.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
It’s going to be a special week on “Sports Connections” as we pay tribute to fathers leading up to Father’s Day.
On Monday, we’ll be joined by Cliff McCrath, Hall of Fame soccer coach, who talks about a lifetime spent in a sport he took up to stay in shape for hockey.
We’ll also feature Cliff’s son Steve, who has had his own successful coaching career, and his own sense of humor, as he talks about his relationship with his father had on him.
On Wednesday, bodybuilder and fitness instructor Brian Cooper talks about what changed him from an obese middle-aged man into a chiseled specimen willing to help others reach their fitness goals, and how his father has inspired him.
On Friday, Kansas City Star sports columnist Vahe Gregorian talks about the impact on his life and his career of his father, Vartan Gregorian, a philanthropist and educator, who served as president of the New York Public Library, Brown University and the Carnegie Corporation.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
It’s going to be an interesting week on “Sports Connections.” On Monday, we’ll be joined by Dima Rachkovskiy, who took his childhood of dysfunctional experiences with coaches in his native Ukraine and turned it around to a program of teaching coaches how to coach with joy and encouragement.
On Wednesday, Sporting Kansas City forward Daniel Salloi talks about how confidence has helped him turn a two-year slump into a successful start to the 2021 season.
On Friday, Paul Mills, men’s basketball coach at Oral Roberts University, talks about his team’s run to the 2021 Sweet 16.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
Sports Connections will have episodes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday this week as we take Memorial Day off to honor and remember those who served their country.
This Tuesday we’re going to start a college basketball recharge week on “Sports Connections.” Legendary college basketball coach Bob Huggins joins us with his deadpanned humor as he tells us how much it bothers him to not already be in the Hall of Fame.
On Wednesday, Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle talks about how his team out-performed outsiders’ expectations in this year’s NCAA tournament.
On Friday, Seth Davis, CBS studio analyst, talks about what he’d be doing if he weren’t covering college basketball.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
It’s “Sooner Week” this week on “Sports Connections” as three representatives of The University of Oklahoma join the podcast. On Monday, Lon Kruger, the first coach to take five different schools to the NCAA tournament talks about why he decided to get into coaching.
On Wednesday, Kenny Mossman, the senior associate athletics director for external operations talks about why OU has such a great sports legacy.
On Friday, Sherri Coale, who went from being a successful high school coach to the top spot at a Power-5 conference school, skipping lots of usual steps in between.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
With the PGA Championship coming at the end of the week, golf takes a prime seat this week on “Sports Connections.”
On Monday, Dan Wood, a former collegiate golfer and now the executive director of the National Christian College Athletic Association talks about playing for a different prize.
On Wednesday, Dottie Pepper, former LPGA star and current golf analyst for CBS and ESPN tells us how she would have described David’s best hole ever, followed by a triple bogey on a par-3 on the next hole.
Of course, The Stanley Cup playoffs begin soon, so Mike “Doc” Emrich joins us on Friday to talk about his love of the sport.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
Tune in to “Sports Connections” next week as we welcome the “Voice of America,” Kevin Harlan. Kevin will talk about his career in broadcasting, including his extraordinary ability to turn “distractions” during a game into a classic audio clip.
On Wednesday, we’ll welcome Tom Waggoner, who will tell us how Kansas City became known as the sports architecture capital of the world.
On Friday, we’ll meet Bob Herzog, who spent 42 years at Newsday, one of America’s largest daily newspapers. Bob will discuss how social media has changed the newspaper industry.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
Join Sports Connections With David Smale for Three Episodes This Week!
Tune in to “Sports Connections” this week as we have our first week of three episodes.
Up first is one of the nicest people in sports, who happens to be one of the most influential as well. Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff talks about the inherent conflict that comes with selecting a limited number of teams for a postseason tournament.
On Wednesday, we’ll jump in our “way back” machine and chat with former MLB pitcher Dave LaRoche. LaRoche had an excellent career, but is best remembered for a trick pitch that confounded batters no matter how much they prepared. His curveball resembled a slow-pitch softball pitch that had batters flailing away, often corkscrewing themselves into the ground.
On Friday, one of the best sportswriters in America, Joe Posnanski joins us to talk about his affection for sports and how he incorporates his sense of humor so flawlessly into his writing.
Join us for an entertaining and informative look at the people of sports, on “Sports Connections.”
