Awful Announcing Podcast

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 to the top of the Eastern Conference.- The Hawks as maybe being the story of the year in the Association.- What's the latest with Grande's good friend Bill Simmons and his uncertain future.- The differences in working in the studio and the broadcast booth.- Sean's picks for most underrated in sports media.- His friendship with Jim Ross and having JR call NBA games with him.- How he got into wrestling as a Bob Backlund guy and his hilarious silent protest at Summerslam '88 against Hulk Hogan.- Why Daniel Bryan should be the guy to win this year's Rumble and not Roman Reigns.Grande also brags about being the only guy to achieve the triple crown of appearing on the AA Podcast, The BS Report, and The Ross Report. I don't know why we're mentioned in the same breath as those other two, but I'll take it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Christmas and Happy Holidays. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 favorite call of all-time. - The influence of great broadcasters of yesteryear like Jack Whitaker, Chris Schenkel, and Pat Summerall on his broadcasting career and living up to their legacies.- His broadcast style, the current state of broadcasting, and what resonates with fans. Does he ever get caught up in what's written about the industry and his place at CBS?- His goal to work 50 years at CBS and why he'd choose The Masters as his favorite event.- His trademark game-ending or tournament-ending calls and why we might be seeing less of them in the future.- His work with Alzheimer's research and the Nantz National Alzheimer Center. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 president.- Details on the re-release of "Live from New York" the oral history of Saturday Night Live. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Washington is the favorite and best positioned team to win the World Series.- Why Adam Wainwright is the most important pitcher this postseason.John will be part of MLB Network’s Postseason coverage, which includes Game Two of the NLDS between the Nationals and Dodgers this Saturday at 930pm & Game Three of the NLDS between the Nationals and the winner of the Pirates/Giants game on Monday, October 6. He'll also appear throughout the postseason on Fox Sports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.