The Bob McCown Podcast

Doug Smith on the podcast today to talk some NBA basketball in the middle of the summer with Bob & John. We go over the teams roster as of right now, touching on Pascal Siakam's development into an elite player as well as questioning OG Anunoby's ceiling and ability to bring his game to the next level. We also talk about the significance Kyle Lowry has had on the franchise before moving on. The three talk about Doug's experience at Nick Nurse's charity golf tournament over the weekend. Doug lets us know who he saw and who he talked to at the event. With the passing of the great Bill Russell comes the conversation of whether the NBA should retire the number 6. Doug, Bob and John give their opinion on the tradition of retiring players numbers and debate on its relevance in not only the NBA but all pro leagues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The voice of the Toronto Blue Jays and longtime friend of the podcast, Buck Martinez, makes his welcomed return to the show to catch up with Bob and John. We get an update on Buck's recovery and talk about the overwhelming amount of support he has gotten from Canadians and Blue Jays fans around the world. The three transition into some baseball talk and give their first impressions of the Toronto Blue Jays post trade deadline roster. We talk about the Jays' wild card race and set expectations for the playoffs before analyzing some of the other moves made on deadline day throughout Major League Baseball. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darren Pang and Brian Lawton on todays NHL roundtable with Bob and John. The four talk about all of the moves that have happened during the NHL's off-season and debate on which team won the deal that sent Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames to the Florida Panthers. We also get into a heated discussion on the future of the Arizona Coyotes. The four go back and forth on the idea of the NHL keeping a team in Arizona and discuss the teams home ice accommodations for next year before moving on to Nazem Kadri as we wonder why the Stanley Cup Champion has yet to sign a contract with a team. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before we get into the baseball talk, Dave, Bob and John spend the first half of the show talking about the legendary broadcaster Vin Scully. A voice recognized by baseball fans everywhere, the three share some of their fondest memories of the late broadcasting icon in wake of his passing Tuesday evening. After the break, we get into some of the moves made throughout the league, focusing on the new additions to the Toronto Blue Jays roster. Did they get better? We talk about it on todays podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President of hockey operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins and friend of the podcast, Brian Burke takes some time out of his summer to talk with Bob and John. On todays show, the three discuss the Penguins off-season and the moves they have made so far. Bob and John pick Brian's brain about the salary cap and how to stay under it. We discuss the idea of teams "trading cap space" and how the hard cap influences trades and free agent signings, and Brian shares his opinion on handing out incentives during contract negotiations. We also get into the deal that brought Jeff Petry to Pittsburgh as Brian talks about the process it took to get him before moving on to his philosophy when it comes to building a team, his relationship with the Pens current GM Ron Hextall and the nuances of working with a former player in the front office. Before we go we talk to Brian about the shelf-life of NHL coaches and his time in Calgary, getting his opinion on the growing discourse aboutAmerican players not wanting to play for a Canadian organization. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Vice President, General Manager and Program Director of Sportsnet 590 The Fan, Nelson Millman joins the show to catch up with some of his former employees, Bob and John. Given Nelson's accomplishments and experience in the field, the three discuss the decline in quality sports talk radio and ask the question - Are we witnessing the end of sports radio? We talk about the differences we see in todays media compared to what it once was and look at the ways sport talk radio has changed for the worse. The three also compare talk radio to podcasting, exploring the similarities and the differences in structure and content the two forms of media have. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two former tour members, Ian Leggatt & Richard Zokol join the show today to talk some golf and discuss the ongoing saga that is the PGA vs. LIV tour with Bob and John. The foursome start the conversation with the upcoming FedEx Cup, questioning the amount of revisions the Tour has made for the tournament and debate on whether the new format has made it better or worse for both the golfers competing and the fans watching. We also discuss the never-ending drama in the golf world that started when the LIV Tour began earlier this year. The four talk at length about the future of golf as more and more PGA members switch over to the Saudi-backed league. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bill Shaikin from the LA Times hops on the podcast for a quick chat to catch Bob and John up on some Los Angeles Baseball. The three cover a lot in a little amount of time as Bill tells us what he knows about Mike Trout's injury and his potential return to the Angels lineup. We also discuss the LA Dodgers and their chances of landing Juan Soto from the Nationals. The three also discuss the value of trading for a player like soto, who is only 23 with 2 years left on his current contract. With Bill having to get out of here early, Bob and John finish the show by addressing the positive reception MLB's Allstar game got in the media & look into why they think the Tampa Bay Rays still have a Major League Baseball team. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Rutherford, the President of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks stops by to catch up with Bob and John. Jim talks to us about his team, the Vancouver Canucks, and gives us some insight on the organizations goals this offseason. Jim addresses the drama surrounding his head coach, Bruce Boudreau, and the potential of him signing a contract extension. The three also get into Vancouver's roster and find out if there is any merit to the trade rumours involving J.T. Miller. Before we go, we talk about Jim's philosophy on drafting and signing American players in a Canadian market - Does the nationality of a player influence the teams interest in bringing them to Vancouver? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Boston Globes very own Bob Ryan joins the show to catch up with Bob and John. From the POV of a man who saw it live, Mr.Ryan talks about the beatdown handed to the Boston Red Sox by the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend. The three talk about the issues Boston's baseball club is facing before shifting the conversation to Juan Soto and the Washington Nationals. We discuss potential trade destinations for the all star outfielder and wonder if the Blue Jays would be willing to make an offer for him. We also discuss the recent trade rumours swirling in the NBA but more specifically - Are the Boston Celtics now frontrunners to land Kevin Durant? The three talk about who the Celtics would have to give up to get KD and find out who Bob would be willing to part ways with to ensure that would happen. Before we go, we get Mr. Ryan's opinion on who he thinks the greatest athlete to play for a Boston team could be and find out why he can't simply choose just one. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.