Awful Announcing Podcast

In today's podcast we welcome one of the top NFL Draft experts on the eve of the big event in Chicago. We're joined by Matt Miller of Bleacher Report to talk about the NFL's annual selection meeting as well as the site's evolution to a major mainstream force. Topics include...- His writing career and how it's coincided with the growth of Bleacher Report.- Evolution of b/r since he started writing till now with Turner's purchase of the site.- His year-round work as a draft analyst and what that entails.- What are the biggest challenges in analyzing the draft? How much time does he spend watching film and how does he slot players?- What defines success as a draft expert.- The strength of this year's draft class and who's his #3 QB.- Where Marcus Mariota will eventually fall.All that and much more on this week's AA Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WWE has made a lot of news in the sports world recently with Brock Lesnar announcing his re-signing with the company on ESPN, SportsCenter showing WrestleMania, and so many websites now covering the industry on a regular basis. With that in mind we welcome one of the best and funniest pro wrestling writers around, Brandon Stroud of With Spandex and Uproxx. Topics include...- His journey online and how crazy intense it is to write about pro wrestling on the internet.- Why Monday Nitro is Brandon's favorite show to review and some of its most lovable, ridiculous moments including The Giant surviving being thrown off a building by Hulk Hogan after a sumo monster truck match.- All the mainstream sports media coverage WWE has received around WrestleMania and throughout various sports websites and why that might be driven by Attitude Era fans.- The continued growth and future of WWE Network and what the best stuff is to watch on the network.- Why Brock Lesnar is the only important person in WWE right now and whet

It's NBA Playoffs time and we're joined once again by NBA on TNT analyst Chris Webber. The former All-Star has seen quite the rise in his broadcast career over the last 12 months as he's now the lead NBA game analyst for Turner Sports working this postseason with Marv Albert. We chat with Chris about his broadcast career and the NBA Playoffs. Topics include...- OKC's firing of Scott Brooks and why the franchise needs someone with NBA experience to keep Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.- The local media's souring relationship with Westbrook and Durant and why that might play a role in their future in OKC.- His growth as a broadcaster over the last three years and moving into a lead role.- His relationship and chemistry with Marv Albert.- Working the NCAA Tournament as a broadcaster for the first time.- The Celtics-Cavs series and why he's been so impressed with Boston. Really good thoughts from Chris on why he's so high on Danny Ainge's rebuilding project.- Why LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are really Cle

On today's podcast, we recap another Dos a Cero victory for the USMNT over arch-rival Mexico with ESPN lead soccer analyst Taylor Twellman. TT joins us to talk about the state of the national team as well as to get caught up on his new contract with ESPN and the new MLS labor contract. Topics include...- Staying with ESPN in spite of World Cup rights moving to Fox.- How he hopes to expand and grow in his broadcast career beyond soccer.- The MLS labor deal and why it maintains "status quo" for the league.- How the players and the owners could have got a better deal for MLS's future.- The good/bad side of the consistent Sunday evening broadcast windows.- Why Kaka will make the biggest impact for a new MLS superstar.- Reactions to the USMNT 2-0 victory over Mexico.- The state of US Soccer under Jurgen Klinsmann.All that and much more on the newest AA Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's AA Podcast we become fully immersed in March Madness and chat with Steve Smith of Turner Sports. The longtime NBA veteran and Michigan State alum is one of the NBA personalities covering the college game for CBS and Turner during the NCAA Tournament. Topics include...- Calling NCAA Tournament games from the broadcast booth for the first time.- His chemistry working with Brian Anderson and seeing so many great games in Pittsburgh during the first week of the tournament.- The challenges of shifting from covering the NBA to college basketball.- His Spartans making another Sweet 16 run and how Tom Izzo (whose first recruit was Smith as an assistant at Michigan State) keeps doing it year after year.- Notre Dame's great OT win over Butler and what makes them a threat to upset Kentucky.- NC State advancing past Villanova with one of the second round's big upsets.- Looking forward to working with Georgia State head coach Ron Hunter in the studio this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m

We shift gears (quite literally and figuratively) for this week's podcast by heading to the world of Formula One and open wheel racing. To do so we welcome NBC play by play man Leigh Diffey. In addition to his work calling F1, Leigh calls the network's IndyCar coverage and received acclaim for his announcing at the Sochi Olympics at the Sanki Sliding Center. Topics include...- His journey from Australia to the UK to the United States in his broadcast career.- His experience in Sochi and the challenges of calling a completely new sport.- Being able to go between calling F1 and IndyCar racing.- How controversy sells in F1 and the various issues presently facing the sport including top team Red Bull threatening to quit.- Lewis Hamliton's dominating win in Australia and why having teammate Nico Rosberg be his chief rival is good for the sport.- The struggles of McLaren and how teams can catch up to Mercedes.- 17 year old Max Verstappen and the young stars of F1.- Whether or not Mercedes can complete a perfect

In today's podcast, we get caught up on the free agency frenzy in the NFL with Fox NFL reporter/insider/draft guru/sideline reporter etc. Peter Schrager. Peter joins us from the University of Oregon pro day so we spend a bit of time on Marcus Mariota and his draft prospects before moving into all the major signings and trades of the last week. We also talk with Peter about breaking into the crazy world of NFL insiderdom. Topics include...- Marcus Mariota's draft prospects and whether or not Chip Kelly channels his inner Mike Ditka.- Kelly's "plan" in Philadelphia and whether it really does exist.- How difficult it is to break into the world of NFL insiders and compete with Schefter and Glazer.- How the reporting trail and player movement differs from the other hats he wears at Fox and why he felt like he needed to break more stories.- Just how many retweets do you get for breaking the signing of Isa Abdul-Quddus?- The very real pressure that exists for NFL reporters to break news around the clock, even the

In this week's podcast we're joined by the host of the new Fox Sports 1 show Garbage Time with Katie Nolan... Katie Nolan. (Obviously she's the host, the show's named after her.) Katie has been one of the breakout stars of the first 18 months of Fox Sports 1 being a part of the original Crowd Goes Wild and then moving into her own No Filter online video series. We talk about Katie's journey to FS1, her new show, and a lot more including...- Her transition from blogging and writing to doing video at Guyism and how she built her own studio from How-To YouTube videos.- The unique process of writing, editing, and producing video content and how a No Filter video comes together and what episodes Katie is most proud of putting together.- Thoughts on Curt Schilling and dealing with Twitter trolls on a daily basis. Do we have to accept "taking the good with the bad" in social media?- What exactly was Crowd Goes Wild? Could one even try to define it?- Working with Regis Philbin and her best Regis story.- How the sp

Our latest podcast features a man who has kept us pretty busy in the new year - ESPN college basketball analyst Dan Dakich. His outspoken analysis and straight-shooting style has led to dustups with everyone from Boston radio hosts to Big Ten coaches to midwestern mayors. In addition to his work at ESPN, Dan hosts a weekday radio show in Indianapolis where he talks about sports and society. In this podcast we talk with Dan about a wide-ranging number of topics that include...- HIs relationship with college basketball fans, especially on Twitter.- How he uses Twitter and how he deals with criticism.- His advocacy against chewing tobacco and how comfortable he is talking about societal issues on his radio show.- Battling depression while head coach at Bowling Green, how he's been committed to having fun as a broadcaster, and why he'd never go back to coaching.- The stress that coaches are under daily and how Urban Meyer taking a year off from coaching may have helped him most.- Why his mission in a game broadc

On today's podcast we look ahead to All-Star Weekend with NBA on TNT and NBATV analyst Brent Barry. In his lengthy career in the Association, Brent was a two-time champion with the San Antonio Spurs and a former NBA Slam Dunk champ. We chat with Brent about his family ties in broadcasting, the prep for All-Star weekend, and who the best shooter is in the NBA. Topics include...- Following in his dad (Rick) and brother's (Jon) footsteps into broadcasting.- His experience in the dunk contest and 3 point shootout and how players prepare for the individual showcase.- Criticism of the dunk contest and whether or not it can be saved. Also, why the 3 point shootout is the main attraction this year.- Who the best shooter is in the NBA and why it's both Steph Curry and Kyle Korver.- The evolution in the NBA game and the importance of the three.- Can Atlanta and Golden State's style survive in the postseason?- Gregg Popovich's 1000th win and the side the media and fans dont' see. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

For the latest edition of the AA Podcast we're pleased to be joined by the play by play voice of the Boston Celtics, Sean Grande. In addition to being the Celtics radio voice for more than a decade, Sean has experience working in a number of different capacities across the sports world including college football, the Frozen Four, and the Boston Red Sox. He also happens to be one of the biggest wrestling fans in sports along with friends Michelle Beadle and Bill Simmons. So of course you know we're going to dive into this Sunday's Royal Rumble and even the time Sean had dinner with The Iron Sheik and Fred Lynn. Other topics include...- The Celtics entering full-on rebuild mode and the strategy of gathering assets.- The astounding number of players that have passed in and out of Boston in the past month.- The challenges of calling an NBA team that's in a rebuild versus when the franchise has been to the mountain peak and winning a championship.- Which young players might be part of Boston's plan to get back

It's a special episode of the AA Podcast as we have a tripleheader of guests with a Columbus flavor. Our trio of guests join us to talk about Ohio State's victory over Oregon in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game from their varying perspectives covering the Buckeyes. First, Matt Barnes of NBC 4 in Columbus gives us his perspective on the trip to Dallas, following the team this season, and the win over the Ducks.Second, Dave Biddle from Bucknuts.com examines some of the national media storylines and the "Ohio Against the World" mindset of the team and the fanbase. We also take a deep dive into Urban Meyer's recruiting success and whether or not the Big Ten is really back.Finally, Beau Bishop of 97.1 The Fan and WBNS examines the remarkable storylines from this season and putting what we just witnessed into historical perspective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing our annual tradition at AA, we welcome Sports Illustrated media scribe Richard Deitsch for your special 2014 Year in Review podcast. We chat about the biggest sports and media stories of the year (including Darren Rovell blocking him on Twitter, naturally). Topics include...- How the media handled the massive NFL stories this year of Michael Sam's coming out and the domestic violence crisis.- ESPN's year in journalism for good (Don Van Natta/OTL) and bad (ESPN & Media Reports)- The Bill Simmons suspension and what might be in the future of The Sports Guy.- Did 2014 represent progress for women in sports media?- Did Twitter take a turn to the dark side in 2014? Richard and I are in agreement on this one.- Gus Johnson's soccer experiment coming to an end and Fox taking the World Cup baton from ESPN.- The current state of Fox Sports 1 and NBCSN.- A rundown of RD's Media Awards including Doc Emrick as his person of the year.All that and a lot more on our 2014 Year in Review special. Merry Christm

In today's episode we welcome ESPN's Sarah Spain. Sarah is a contributor to espnW, ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago, and appears on a number of television platforms. We talk about her increasing national exposure at ESPN, Chicago sports and a number of other topics including...- Her start in the industry in Chicago.- What has changed for her since becoming a national personality at ESPN.- Increased platforms for women in sports media (and how ESPN has led the way) and where there are still areas for growth.- The NFL seeing an increase in female fans this year.- Our hopes of bringing Talk Soup to the sports world.- Whether or not Jay Cutler is losing support in Chicago.- The Derrick Rose panic-meter and how Jimmy Butler suddenly became an All-Star.- Which team most defines the mood of the Chicago sports fan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's podcast we talk with one of the busiest announcers in sports - ESPN's Dave Pasch. We catch up with Dave in Houston in the middle of a four game stretch this week spanning the NBA, NFL, college football, and college basketball. We chat about the Arizona Cardinals being the best team in football and of course, his long, strange, trip with Bill Walton. Topics include...-What it's like to work 6 games in 8 days and the differences in calling each sport.-How he can loosen up and be a fan on radio broadcasts with the Arizona Cardinals.-Seeing the Lakers in person and what their season might be like.-Just how the Cardinals have got to 9-1 and the best team in the NFL.-Can Drew Stanton become a Super Bowl winning quarterback?-The prospects of Arizona hosting a home Super Bowl.-Seeing the growth of J.T. Barrett at Ohio State firsthand.-His partnership with Bill Walton and how he prepares for a telecast with the big redhead.-The experience of being in Bill Walton's backyard teepee. Hosted on Acast. Se

With the NASCAR season nearing the checkered flag, we welcome ESPN's lead play-by-play voice for the sport, Allen Bestwick, to the podcast. With the new Chase format and the Texas pit road brawl, the sport is at a fever pitch at the moment. Allen joins us to chat about...-His future at ESPN and moving on from NASCAR as the sport goes to Fox/NBC next year.-Being able to call the Indy 500, Wimbledon and the British Open and what led to his decision to stay at ESPN versus staying with NASCAR.-Whether or not NASCAR has finally found the right formula with their current Chase format being a true playoff.-The Brad Keselowski-Jeff Gordon fight at Texas and how Keselowski is received by fans and the garage area.-NASCAR's ratings and why finding an answer to growing the sport again is so complex.-Why Kevin Harvick is the favorite in Phoenix this weekend.-What to expect at Homestead for the first true championship race in NASCAR history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cleveland is the epicenter of the sports world tonight. To talk about LeBron's return to the Cavs and the opening of the NBA season we're joined by Dustin Fox of 92.3 FM The Fan. As a national champion with the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes, we also chat about this year's OSU team and the first year of the college football playoff. Topics include...-How LeBron's SI letter was the defining factor in winning people in Cleveland back.-The enthusiasm of the city when James announced his return and tonight for opening night.-How the excitement and optimism in the city surpasses even LBJ's first tenure with the Cavs.-How different of an environment it is in Cleveland sports talk radio than a year ago at this time.-The Browns as a possible playoff contender.-Why claims of ESPN's SEC bias are a cop-out and why Michigan is the key to the Big Ten's return to prominence.-This year's Ohio State team being a playoff contender.-Why Urban Meyer and LeBron James will both be defined by championships in Ohio. Hosted on Acast. Se

Hello, friends. For the centennial edition of the AA Podcast we welcome the one and only Jim Nantz of CBS Sports. As the longtime play by play man for the NFL on CBS, The Masters, and the Final Four, nobody in sports broadcasting has a better list of assignments. This year Nantz has added Thursday Night Football to his busy schedule to mark his 30th year at the network. In this wide-reaching podcast, Jim talks to AA about...- The new Thursday Night Football schedule and how he copes with non-competitive games.- The effort being put into the TNF franchise behind the scenes and the work he puts into calling 2 NFL games some weekends.- The current state of golf and the passing of the torch from Tiger to Rory. Why a duel at next year's Masters might be a historic occasion for the sport.- Tiger Woods and the '97 Masters as the transcendent athlete and event that he has covered in his 30 year career at CBS.- The surprising reason why his call of Devin Hester's opening kickoff return for a Super Bowl is his favo

Our last episode in double figures welcomes one of our favorite and most frequent guests back to the show - New York Times #1 bestselling author James Andrew Miller. As the co-author of Those Guys Have All The Fun, Jim has remained an authority on all things inside and outside Bristol, Connecticut. With so much happening around ESPN in recent weeks, we talked with Jim about the following...- The severity of the Bill Simmons suspension and the "civil war" within Bristol.- Simmons' roller coaster year at ESPN and whether or not he will stay with Bristol when his contract is up next year.- The comeback of Keith Olbermann and the big personalities that have returned in recent years... and why John Skipper's personality is instrumental in that.- The rash of suspensions this year at ESPN.- The new NBA TV deal and why it was "required" for ESPN to get it done.- How ESPN is further separating itself from its competitors and why Fox Sports 1 overshot expectations.- The big picture of John Skipper's tenure as ESPN pr

With the dawn of the 2014 MLB Postseason, we're joined by one of the best playoff pitchers of the last generation - John Smoltz. After an illustrious career with the Atlanta Braves, Smoltz moved to the broadcast booth and has been a consistent presence covering the sport. In today's podcast, we talk about John's TV career, his duel with Jack Morris, and which pitcher is most important this postseason. Topics include...- Starting in television right away after his playing days and the differences in preparation between his analyst and pitching jobs.- The differences in postseason pitching versus the regular season.- The state of the game and pace of play issues.- Why John is against the one game Wild Card round and why a Best of 3 series would be more fitting.- Memories of his postseason duel with Jack Morris in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series and whether that is his defining playoff moment even in defeat.- The pressure on Jon Lester against the Royals to justify Billy Beane's risky midseason trade.- Why Wa