May 18th Podcast

May 18th Podcast

Shannon’s Blue Yeti and a toast for Mother’s Day.  The idiocy of Titus Young – the downward spiral, hanging with Jimmy Smith, and doing it the wrong way (9.29).  The Andrew Wiggins saga (16.53).  The Kentucky Wildcats and the tease of off-season championship hopes.  D-Stat’s Duke fan interjection. Wiggins and the unconference (23.44).  Looking at the Kentucky Wildcats incoming class plus the motivation of the bitter end (31.23).  Projecting Wiggins and the Jayhawks (35.10).  Appreciating the quality of character and the ability to handle the pressure of expectations.  Andrew Wiggins and fan hate – when the Twitterverse attacks (39.55).  The classic case of the Internet tough guy.  Building athletes up and then tearing them down – attacking a young man that seems to be doing it the right way (46.17).  Racist tones and extreme fandom gone awry – crossing the lines into Internet A-hole status.  The social media disconnect – objects of sports love and hate (54.01).  The power of positive sports stories – New Hampshire’s Cameron Lyle donating blood marrow to save a life.

The Jason Collins story – providing context and a contrast for the pressures of hatred (1.07.36).  Respecting the person, respecting the athlete, and respecting the sport.  The Bill Belichick mantra – show up and do your job.  Carrying the burden, the pressure of fear, and surprising wisdom from Ron Artest (1.13.04).  Martina Navratilova, Brittney Griner, and the generational shift in tolerance.  The lessons of Vince Lombardi – When Pride Still Mattered (1.21.07).  Embracing the fabric of community through the brotherhood of sports.  Media attention and fitting in to the conventions of society (1.27.30).  Being true to yourself – context through the precedent of Jackie Robinson (1.34.26).  Going beyond the box score – sports as a catalyst for social dialogue and change.  Wrap up and a special announcement – the Sports Brew joins the http://www.livesportscaster.com network (1.40.20).   MP3 Format, 5-18-2013.

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May 4th Catch up Podcast

May 4th Podcast

Round two of the Sports Brew catch-up podcast.  The Cinco de Mayo D-Stat dumpster fire.  Jamaica me strong dinks and a fun Jack Daniel’s southern wedding tradition (5.30).  The cocktail power hour, the Captain’s keys to a successful wedding, plus the Sports Brew dry Wedding PSA (9.30).  The Michigan – Shaka Smart Story (14.49)!  The VCU Rams, Havoc, and the Richmond – DMV sports scene.  The highway HAVOC wolfpack and the city of Richmond rocking VCU love.  Beware the mooseknuckle and the Michigan Man rocks the bar (22.14).  A bad Michigan – VCU flash back.  The Michigan Man, Michigan Basketball, and a pursuit of Shaka Smart (30.18).  Big school advantages – big alumni bases and stacks of cash (38.54).  Fail horns, Shannon’s wrap up, and a bear face palm shout out.  Rick Pitino gets tatted up – fun with the Louisville Cardinals (47.32).  The tramp stamp Arnold meltdown.  Remembering Denny Crum, Dean Smith, and the birth of Mount Coachmore.  The Factory of Sadness, Brandon Weedon, and Nate Newton (54.20).  The Pitino career arc – climbing out the hole (56.58). Missing Tim Duncan and Kentucky Wildcat memories.  Tubby goes Will Smith (1.05.59).  Pitino’s redemption story and the brotherhood of the 2013 Louisville Cardinals (1.08.36).  The Kentucky Derby goes Harlem Shake (1.11.38).  The Click Click Pull redux.  $50 mint juleps and Shannon’s Kentucky Derby memories (18.38).  Drunk bus musical shenanigans plus the Family Guy vasectomy song (1.22.03).  A Kriss Koss Sports Brew tribute with a bonus Deftones cover (1.29.19).  5-4-13, MP3 Format.

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May 1st, 2013 podcast

May 1, 2013 Podcast

The Sports Brew has a ball with Shannon as he recovers from a vasectomy.  A new job opportunity for the Twitter Terminator with the Richmond Flying Squirrels.  Shannon on the DL, world peas, and musical fun that feels like the first time  (4.15).  Sports Brew hazing, the non-PSA pain killer enhancement, and Shane Battier’s Bud Light party (9.23).  Crotch coozy inspired brew plugs, the Hardywood Sports Brew run, and more musical meltdowns (16.00).  Having a ball with some classic AC/DC as the Sports Brew strokes up some NBA discussions.  Breaking down the first round of the NBA Playoffs (22.59).  The fail of the LA Lakers and being a loyal spurts fan.  Shannon’s missed TWSS set up (27.26).  Kobe Bryant and the achilles injury.  First round impressions, the Miamia Heat, the Chicago Bulls, and the D-Rose mystery tour (33.40).  Golden State Warriors – Denver Nuggets (36.49).   D-Stat’s Stephen Curry man crush and the stank of the Clippers’ defense.  The Chicago Bulls triple OT thriller, the Nate Robinson show, and projecting a match up with the Miami Heat (40.41).  Calling shots for the remainder of the first round (50.21).  Russell Westbrook, the Oaklahoma City Thunder, and Durant’s new challenge. The Stephen Curry spoon incident, Run TMC memories, and Golden State relevance  (58.01).  The NBA’s late season coast and the playoff push – flipping the switch to separate out the good from the great.  The fugly Indiana – Atlanta series and the aggravation that is Josh Smith.  Playoff projections and D-Stat’s Stephen Curry man crush restraining order (1.06.42).  East coast time bias and late night playoff schedule irritation (1.11.04).  The NY Jets and an accidental Tim Tebow segment (1.14.07).  Going old school with PFT.  Understanding the page hit generators.  Testaverde, Tebow’s footwork, and the Omaha Beef.  The new hope of the NFL off-season and wrap up (1.23.52).

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4/18/13 Podcast

April 18th podcast

The Boston Marathon – marred by tragedy, but the spirit of the marathoner lives.  The Sports Brew’s discussion about the significance of the Boston Marathon with a special guest, Dr. Matt Schultheis, a dedicated marathoner that has run the Boston Marathon (2.10).  The Boston Marathon as the pinnacle for marathoners, testing runners both mentally and physically.  The unique qualities of the Boston Marathon (5.31).  Processing the bombing and the fabric of connection weaved by the marathon (7.44).  The marathon as a unifying event, the human element, and a purity lost (10.42).  Working through a tragedy with the spirit of unity and resilience (16.10).  Resilience as a parallel for both the marathoner and the Boston Marathon community.  The spirit of the marathoner embodied in the city of Boston.  4-18-2013, MP3 Format.

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April 11th podcast

April 11th podcast

The Captain is back!  The return of the Sports Brew drinking game and props to the VCU Pep Band – the Peppas (6.02).  The NCAA Championship: Louisville - Michigan (8.48).  Frustrating officiating, but a tremendously entertaining game.  The VCU – Louisville parallel.  Failhorning the refs, the Trey Burke block turned foul, and Karl Hess shafts Wichita State (15.16).  The missing Jamaican Buffalo Wild Wings, the Bobsled Cafe, and Cool Runnings.  Bob Marley overload.  Betting fails and the Luke Hancock woo train (20.39).  The Spike Albrecht show, the Hancock sucker foul on Burke, and Louisville storms the end of the first half.  Spike Albrecht gives Kate Upton a shout out (29.41).  Kate Upton and the Bachelor Party Biscuit breakdown.  Kroger, the keg shafting, and creating a biscuit rallying cry (38.20).  The D-Stat Hot Tub incident and the full deck (46.49).  Randy and the epic Chumbawamba keg stand faceplant (51.03).  Captain Snarky attacks.  Randy, the TMNT break out, and Sam Jackson pops in.

Back to Louisville – Michigan (59.58).  The Cardinal HAVOC, the speed of Siva, and questionable officiating.  Rick Pitino’s fantastic week, out coaching John Beilein, and the second half Michigan slop.  Fun with Pitino and the meat balls turnaround.  Peyton Siva and the Twitter skank – the Jenna Shea PSA (1.05.59).  A Sports Brew Shining Moment in the making (1.11.21).  Coughpocalypse.  The Captain’s off to the Next Great Voice Talent Contest Finals (1.17.20).  The Cardinals’ blood and guts, Michigan running out of gas, and the perils of getting outcoached (1.21.36).  Saucy Shannon, vomit balls, and respect.  Wrap up, the Captain’s wedding tips, and a big thanks to all of Sports Brew Nation! 4-11-2013, MP3 Format.

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Shaka Smart is a Wanted Man…Again

Shaka Smart wife his wife and daughter

After the loss to Michigan on Saturday, the first thought that popped into my head is that’s the type of loss that could make a head coach want to look elsewhere. A loss where a team had no issues breaking your vaunted press (Havoc) and made it look too easy. A loss that showed how far a program has come in the last decade, but how far it still has to go. A loss that would make a coach think “Well, I gave it my best shot but I’m not going to win a Championship at this university.” Fortunately for Virginia Commonwealth University, Shaka Smart is a different breed of head coach. 

Ever since his 2011 team made it from the First Four to the Final Four, VCU Head Coach Shaka Smart has been in high demand. Universities looking to fill a vacancy have tried to lure him away like N.C. State in 2011 and Illinois in 2012. Both tried, but were unsuccessful in their attempts to offer Smart a significant pay raise. Now, after the loss on Saturday to Michigan we are now in the “Who will try to hire Shaka Smart away from VCU” game yet again. The participants (so far) this year are Minnesota and UCLA.

Minnesota is intriguing because of the connection between former VCU Athletic Director Norwood Teague and Smart. Teague, who is the current A.D. for Minnesota hired Smart and gave him his first head coaching job in 2009 at VCU. Also, Teague just fired head coach Tubby Smith. In his six seasons as Minnesota’s head coach Smith went 124-81 and won 20 games five of the six seasons. He took the Gophers to the NCAA tournament three times and to the title game of the NIT once. The win Friday vs UCLA in the 2nd round was the program’s first since the 1997 tournament.

UCLA has the most national championships (11) of any program in the history of college basketball. The legendary John Wooden won 10 of those Championships from 1964-75 and the other in 1995 by Jim Harrick. Ben Howland, recently fired as head coach at UCLA with a career 230-105 record over ten seasons as UCLA lead the Bruins to three consecutive Final Fours (2006-08) including a championship game loss in 2006. UCLA is a top ten (many will argue top five) program in the history of college basketball. The Bruins can offer a nicer location, more money, better recruits/recruiting budget and more.

However, Shaka Smart is a humble coach that doesn’t believe that the grass is always greener on the other side. He knows what he has at VCU. A fan base that loves its Havoc, as evidenced by the current 35 game consecutive sellout streak at the Siegel Center. His wife, Maya Smart, loves the Richmond, VA community and what may be the most important factor, Shaka loves VCU. Ram fans realize that he is building something special here in Richmond and are “all in” for the journey, not the destination. If Smart goes to a bigger school, anything less than a national championship and some of those fans may consider him a failure.  Which begs a couple of questions I have for any college coach;

(1) Do you want to make more money at a bigger school with less job security or would you rather have great job security while making pretty good money at a smaller school?  A couple examples of the first part of that question are Jeff Capel and Anthony Grant. Both are former VCU head coaches that went on to higher paying jobs but haven’t been quite as successful. Capel was fired in 2011 after five seasons as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners. Grant is in his 4th year at Alabama and has seen minimal success.

(2)Why be the next coach attempting to rebuild a program’s legacy when you can build your own?  In other words, why be the next John Wooden or Bob Knight when you can become the first Shaka Smart or Brad Stevens.

With all that being said, I believe Shaka Smart stays at VCU .  There are rumors going around now that Smart and VCU are working to restructure his contract.  Every time a university has come calling, VCU has worked with Smart to ensure he stays put. That is tremendous job security and when a community loves a coach and his family as much as VCU loves the Smarts, well, that’s just icing on the cake.

The One Year Anniversary Podcast

March 11th podcast

Setting up March Madness with the Sports Brew’s havoc fueled one year anniversary podcast on Podbean.

Rocking the Sports Brew’s one year anniversary on Podbean with a shine on Sunday.  Shannon goes dual threat, dropping bombs, and a celebratory toast.  A Sports Brew thank you and the bachelor party set up (8.23).  The episodial Entourage tangent, bean bags, and Mark’s Redskins blanket.  A review of the VCU Rams, the Butler beatdown, and Shannon storms the Stu for the Rams – Spiders game (17.14).  VCU – Temple, the critical nature of turnovers for VCU, the burst factor, weathering the storm (23.09).  Knocking the clocks up with the Duggars and the Jake O’Brien show.  A tale of two halves, Khalif Wyatt goes YMCA, and Shaka Smart’s pep talks (34.37).  The challenge of preparing for VCU’s Havoc in the NCAA tournament.

Duke basketball and the Minnesota Timberwolves Harlem Shake-down (43.33).  Looking at the #1 seeds, questioning Miami, and the return of Ryan Kelly.  Duke shuts the door on UNC and the satisfaction of rivalry game wins.  Coach K, the importance of penetration, the return of the fail horn fatties, and Sports Brew personal fouls (59.06).  Basketball overload continues, Lakers fandamonium, and Eva Longoria pops up.  The Kentucky Wildcats, Coach Cal working the media, and Willie Cauley-Stein – the seven foot wide receiver (1.03.55).  SEC tournament match-ups and banishing the NIT.  Dropping hate on Maryland basketball and the whats-his-nuts name challenge (1.10.56).  The premature Jim Boeheim retirement fail.  Getting a Duke – Kentucky home and home, the Cameron Indoor Stadium press hot-box (1.17.41).  The Haloti Ngata Case Race Challenge is reborn, Sports Brew press passes, and a Chris Cooley mini-helmet.  Herm Edwards and contrasting winning streaks – the Miami Heat and the Chicago Blackhawks (1.22.40).  A walk down Sports Brew shenanigans memory lane.  Wrapping up, musical antics, Billy Joel fails, and bachelor party debauchery in the works (1.30.39).  Matt’s plug for DSE - DynastySportsEmpire.com (1.36.25).  3-11-2013, MP3 format.

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