Sports Spectrum Podcast

Episode 173 Rich Donnelly coached and played professional baseball for 48 seasons. He was signed as a catcher by the Minnesota Twins in 1967 and played for the late, great baseball legend, Ted Williams. He has spent 25 years as a MLB coach with the Rangers, Pirates, Marlins, Rockies, Brewers, Dodgers and Mariners. In 2018, he spent time as a coach with the New York Mets minor league affiliate in Brooklyn. Rich was a member of the 1997 Florida Marlins team that won the World Series. A book on the life of Rich titled "The Chicken Runs at Midnight"released on October 2, 2018 with Zondervan Publishers. In part 1 of our two-part podcast, Rich Donnelly shares where his baseball journey began, how the story of his daughter Amy and her battle with cancer birthed the phrase "The Chicken Runs at Midnight," and why his faith was incredibly impacted by the circumstances surrounding his daughter's death. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 172 At the age of 15, high school freshman and basketball player avid David Cooks experienced a spinal aneurism, leaving him a T-6 paraplegic. Refusing to let the wheelchair determine the man, he made the decision to persevere from the very beginning - and he never let go of his passion for the game of basketball.  On this episode of the podcast, author and speaker David Cooks shares shares his inspiring story of becoming a paraplegic, trusting God in the difficult times, overcoming and persevering, meeting legendary hall of fame coach Mike Krzyzewski from Duke and why he decided to tell his story in his new book "Getting Undressed: From Paralysis to Purpose." For more, log on to https://sportsspectrum.com/category/sports-spectrum-podcast/ 

Episode 171 Matt Forte played 10 seasons with the Bears and Jets from 2008-2017 and was selected to 2 Pro Bowls. He rushed for 1,000 yards 5 times in his career and is second on Chicago's list of all-time leading rushers behind the great Walter Payton.  In March of 2017, Forte announced his retirement from football with Sports Spectrum. He's currently working as an NFL analyst covering the Bears for NBC Sports Chicago and spending more time with his wife Danielle and his children. On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Matt about life after football, transitioning to the next phase of life, thoughts on Vontae Davis' abrupt halftime retirement, why it's important to be ready to preach God's word wherever you go, and the importance of making time for your wife in sustaining a healthy marriage.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 170 Will Startup was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 5th round of the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft. He played his college ball at the University of Georgia where he pitched in the 2004 College World Series. He was a minor league pitcher for 10 season from 2005-2014 with the Braves, Padres, Orioles and Tigers organizations. In 2006, Startup quickly moved through the minor league system and made it all the way to Triple A in Richmond. He did pitch in a Major League spring training, but never made it to the big leagues and finished his pro career in 2014, pitching in one game for Triple-A Toledo (Detroit Tigers organization). In part 2 of this two-part episode of the podcast, Will continues to share the emotional and powerful story of his son Copeland. He also takes us to the moment in 2018 when he was finally able to make his Major League Baseball debut, but not in the way you think.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 169 Will Startup was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 5th round of the 2005 MLB Amateur Draft. He played his college ball at the University of Georgia where he pitched in the 2004 College World Series. He was a minor league pitcher for 10 season from 2005-2014 with the Braves, Padres, Orioles and Tigers organizations. In 2006, Startup quickly moved through the minor league system and made it all the way to Triple A in Richmond. He did pitch in a Major League spring training, but never made it to the big leagues and finished his pro career in 2014, pitching in one game for Triple-A Toledo (Detroit Tigers organization). But the trials Startup faced on the field paled in comparison to the adversity he and his wife, Lauren, went through off the field with their son, Copeland. In part 1 of this two-part episode of the podcast, Will shares his roller coaster baseball journey, being selected by the Braves, why being traded devastated him, how he lived out his faith as a pro pitcher, and the day that his world changed forever while he was walking around a Houston mall in 2012. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 168 Chris Guccione is an umpire for Major League Baseball. He made his MLB debut on April 25, 2000 and has been a full-time umpire in the Big Leagues since 2009.  He has umpired many postseason series including the Division Series 6 times, the LCS twice and his first World Series in 2016 (Cubs/Indians). He was also a part of the crew that umpired the 2011 MLB All-Star game.  On this episode of the podcast, we hear Chris' incredible journey to Christ, why he finally made the decision to walk with the Lord, what its like to be a part of the umpiring crew at the World Series, and the difference between umpiring a regular season game as opposed to the postseason.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Beginning today, we will be featuring a Throwback Thursday segment from a previous podcast. Today, we throw it back to Episode 2 of the podcast and feature the testimony of Pastor Matt Chandler of the Village Church.  You can listen to the entire interview of the podcast here.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 167 Giyasi Zardes plays soccer in the MLS for the Columbus Crew and is also a member of the United States National team.  He began his pro soccer career signing with the Los Angeles Galaxy as a homegrown player in 2012. He made his MLS debut on April 15, 2013.  After a breakout 2014 season in which he scored 16 goals to go with a pair of assists, Zardes has experienced tough times in the production department thanks in part to injury (2016) and the worst Galaxy season ever (2017). In January 2018, the former MLS All-Star was traded to the Columbus Crew and did not disappoint scoring 16 goals through 30 games and is currently 4th in the league in scoring.  On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Gyasi about his resurgent 2018 season, transitioning to life in Columbus, Ohio, preparing for Team USA matches against Columbia and Peru, what faith looks like in the MLS and how sharing a hashtag on his Instagram page has helped him be more intentional about his faith in Christ.  For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 166 London Fletcher played 16 seasons in the NFL with the Rams, Bills and Redskins from 1998-2013. He is a 4-time Pro Bowler who was a member of the 1999 Rams team that won Super Bowl XXXIV. He played his college football at Division III John Carroll where he was an All-American. He was undrafted in 1998 and signed with the Rams as a free agent. He would make the team out of training camp and never miss a game in his entire 16 year career. He’s one of only 5 players in the history of the NFL to play in over 250 consecutive games. (256) London is currently working at CBS Sports as an NFL analyst and just recently was named a nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2019. In part 2 of our two-part podcast, we talk with London about making it to the NFL after playing Division III college football, playing in 256 consecutive games and if there was ever a time that he almost missed a game due to an injury. We also hear his testimony of coming to faith in Jesus Christ during his time in the NFL with the Bills. For more, log on to http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Episode 165 London Fletcher played 16 seasons in the NFL with the Rams, Bills and Redskins from 1998-2013. He is a 4-time Pro Bowler who was a member of the 1999 Rams team that won Super Bowl XXXIV. He played his college football at Division III John Carroll where he was an All-American. He was undrafted in 1998 and signed with the Rams as a free agent. He would make the team out of training camp and never miss a game in his entire 16 year career. He's one of only 5 players in the history of the NFL to play in over 250 consecutive games. (256) London is currently working at CBS Sports as an NFL analyst and just recently was named a nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2019. In part 1 of a two-part podcast, we talk with London about being nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, growing up in a very tough environment in Cleveland, Ohio, how he overcame family tragedy to pursue a football career.