PODCAST

Conversations with Sports Fans

Doug Hill

A podcast for sports fans by a sports fan all about being a sports fan.

sports

All Episodes

01:03:40

Season 4, Episode 62 - Matt Speck

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/10/30

Did you ever wonder how those cleats worn by many NFL and MLB players get to look so snazzy? Matt Speck, our guest in this episode, knows all about the process ... he does the cleat customizations for many players across the two leagues. You're able to see plenty of his handiwork at his website, Speckcustoms.com.A muralist, Matt happened upon the craft of customizing footwear quite by accident. In the process of working on the "Solidarity for Change" mural on Pittsburgh's Penn

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00:25:25

Season 4, Episode 61 - Craig Muder from the Baseball...

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/10/26

In advance of host Doug Hill's Around the World in 80 Sporting Events visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, his guest in this bonus episode is the Hall of Fame's Communications' Director, Craig Muder.A Pittsburgh Pirates fan as a child, Muder briefly discusses what the 2025 induction of Pittsburgh legend Dave Parker (who died prior to enshrinement day) was like for him before sharing the story about how this baseball Shangri-La found its way to a tiny village in

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00:48:23

Season 4, Episode 60 - Benjamin Hill

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/10/23

Our guest in this episode is Benjamin Hill, a Philadelphia Phillies fan almost from birth and currently the go-to resource for just about anything relating to Minor League Baseball.MiLB has been Benjamin's primary focus for 20 years, beginning with working the night shift writing recaps about games to the weekly newsletter he's now writing, The Baseball Traveler. Along the way, he's written a detailed guide for all 120-affiliated Minor League stadium and is already looking forward to

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01:25:23

Season 4, Episode 59 - Tim Walker

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/10/16

Our guest in this episode is Tim Walker, a native of England, who's been living stateside for over 20 years now. Along the way, Tim's experienced, well, a lot! He's sort of like the character in the classic joke about the person who says he knows everyone and, when the bluff is called by a friend, he showcases those relationships by traveling around to meet all the people - including the Pope. The punchline finds a stranger asking the buddy at the Vatican: "I know that's Tim on the balcony (at the

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00:46:24

Season 4, Episode 58 - Mike Farrell

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/10/09

ESPN Senior Feature Producer Mike Farrell joins the Conversation in this episode to discuss his career in filmmaking, his sports documentary work in particular.Most-recently, Mike directed the E:60 film, Southpaw: The Life and Legacy of Jim Abbott. Other full-length features from E:60 that Mike's worked on include Unrivaled: Red Wings v. Avalanche and Fistful of Steel: The Rise of Bubba Wallace. Mike shares how he got started in the business, what makes a compelling documentary, and what the

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00:24:05

Season 4, Episode 57 - Ken Hanscom

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/10/02

Believe it or not, we're just about five months away from the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina in northern Italy.To help us get in the spirit and - perhaps - make some travel plans to attend the Games, we're rejoined by Olympic superfan, Ken Hanscom.Ken, who's attended every Olympics allowing full fan participation since the 2012 London Games, first joined Conversations shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 Paris Summer Games (S:3, E:44). In this episode he shares

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00:56:54

Season 4, Episode 56 - Adam Farrell & Joe Welton

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/09/25

Our guests in this episode are two-thirds of a trio of midwestern friends who spent 44 hours in the Bethpage (NY) State Park earlier this summer for an opportunity to play its famed Bethpage Black Golf Course, site of the 2025 Ryder Cup.We learn about how the trip came to be, the devastation when they realized what was supposed to be one night in the parking lot was going to be two, and what the feeling of finally playing the course was like.The adventure was made all the more memorable was when

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00:33:40

Season 4, Episode 55 - Tyler Leipprandt

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/09/18

Tyler Leipprandt is the creative force behind Michigan Sky Media which utilizes drones and chartered aircraft to shoot images of iconic landmarks (both natural and manmade) from high above. Tyler's also recently published the stunning coffee table book MIconic: Stunning Photos and Stories from Iconic Michigan Landmarks. During our dicsussion with Tyler we learn about how this former NAIA basketball player turned teacher happened upon this newfound passion. (Hint: As is so often the case, it was

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00:48:36

Season 4, Episode 54 - John Yandle

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/09/11

Our guest this episode is septuagenarian John Yandle.By day, John works in the commericial real estate business.It's John's side-gig that we find way cool.A 1-time Stanford Cardinal pitcher and minor league hurler, John's been serving as a San Francisco Giants' left-handed batting practice pitcher for 41-years.Yes, you read that correctly.John's been tossing BP to the Giants since the days of Candlestick Park, a home the team vacated 25 years ago and a spot that was razed a

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00:18:05

Season 4, Episode 53 - Argentinian Futbol Reflections

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/09/06

Fresh off a nearly 2-plus mile walk back to their flat from the CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying match between host Argentina and Venezuela, host Doug Hill and frequent Around the World in 80 Sporting Events traveling partner, Tim Parker, discuss what it was like to be at Estadio Mas Monumental on what might have been Lionel Messi's final competitive match for the national team on home soil.The pair also compare and contrast the differences between this qualifier and the Argentine Primera Division

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00:50:48

Season 4, Episode 52 - Matthew Barry

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/09/04

We're joined this week by a fellow fan of sports fans, Matthew Barry.Matthew hosts and produces the website, newsletter, and podcast entitled "Heart of the Fan." An outgrowth of his graduate work at Northwestern University, Matthew's goal with Heart of the Fan is - as it states on the website is to "... spotlight the people who shape fan culture from the ground up - because the stories of sports fans deserve to be told, remembered, and celebrated."During our Conversation with Matthew, we discuss how

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00:44:16

Season 4, Episode 51 - Sam Kelly

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/09/01

Our guest in this special bonus episode in conjunction with Event No. 24 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project (South American soccer matches), is Sam Kelly, host of the first and, he believes, still only English-language Argentinian soccer (er, futbol) podcast, Hand of Pod. We chat with Sam, a native of southwest England, about his early affinity for Manchester United in the English Premier League and how and when he discovered the international game, Argentina in particular.Sam,

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00:41:39

Season 4, Episode 50 - Nick Schroeck

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/08/28

Our guest this week is Nick Schroeck, a Detroit-area native who just happens to be the current Dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.Sure, we talk plenty of Detroit-area sports with Nick (think Detroit Lions), but this fellas well-traveled, having studied outside Chicago as well as Edinburgh, Scotland, so there's some Windy City sports chatter as well a moment or two of Six Nations Rugby talk. But, as Nick's areas of expertise include Environmental Law and Environmental Justice, we

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00:53:02

Season 4, Episode 49 - Robert Boudwin

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/08/21

Our guest this week, Robert Boudwin, spent 21 NBA seasons in the "Clutch the Bear" costume serving as the Houston Rockets' mascot. It took us about the length of an NBA TV timeout to discover why Boudwin was perfect for that role. With a mind that is constantly in motion and a gift for engaging with people, this is easily one of our favorite Conversations to date.Beyond discussing his time as "Clutch the Bear" we also learn about how he helped launch the University of Delaware mascot "YoU Dee" the

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00:44:22

Season 4, Episode 48 - Josh Harrellson

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/08/14

Our guest this episode is Josh Harrellson who's about to embark on his 15th season of professional basketball. Later this month he'll report to training camp in Saga, Japan, to play for the third consecutive season with the Saga Ballooners in Japan's B.League. Josh grew up outside St. Louis, MO, and during our Conversation we learn about his dream of following in the footsteps of childhood hero, Mark McGwire. Once he reached high school, however, an unwise decision by the football coach led Josh

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00:38:32

Season 4, Episode 47 - Carl Meyer

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/08/07

Our guest is Wisconsin native, Carl Meyer, who - since 2007 - has played at least 100 holes of golf each July 4 as a fundraiser for organization, Hire Heroes USA, an organization that assists in placing U.S. military veterans and their spouses in civilian jobs once their military duties have ended. To date, Meyer has raised $1.9 million since beginning his annual July 4 golf-a-palooza.During our time with Carl we learn about his sports fan interests (unsurprisingly, he's a Green Bay Packers

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00:50:16

Season 4, Episode 46 - Neal Rubin

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/07/31

(A quick note about this episode featuring Detroit Free Press columnist Neal Rubin: This Conversation was recorded in late April and then, for a variety of reasons, it's been on the shelf waiting to air. We apologize for the delay and any of the dated references that may be made.) In addition to working at the Free Press, Neal has also written for the Detroit News, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and the Las Vegas Sun. And, much like his writing, listeners are about to discover what a gifted

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00:45:36

Season 4, Episode 45 - Len Berman

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/07/24

Our guest in this episode is a member of New York City broadcasting royalty: Len Berman. Len was the lead sports anchor for NYC's WNBC for 27 years and won mulitple Emmy Awards and New York Sportscaster of the Year honors on six occasions. Those of us from outside New York became familiar with Len through is regular appearances on the Today Show when he'd share the always popular "Spanning the World" compilation of sports bloopers that were also a staple of sportscasts.A product of Syracuse

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00:07:44

Season 4, Episode 44 - Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo...

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/07/23

We're live on tape from the front seat of our car again in this episode which features guests Carol and Helena Hill - host Doug's spouse and daughter - who collectively discuss what their first rodeo experience was like during their day at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, Event No. 22 from the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project. If you're enjoying Conversations with Sports Fans please consider supporting our

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00:22:11

Season 4, Episode 43 - Jim Walter from Visit Cheyenne

Conversations with Sports Fans ·

2025/07/19

In advance of host Doug Hill's attendance at the 129th annual Cheyenne (WY) Frontier Days to take in rodeo, Event No. 22 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project, we're joined by Jim Walter, Vice President of Visit Cheyenne as well as Rodeo Program Manager. Jim provides us a terrific overview on the history of Frontier Days, its impact to the community, and why Cheyenne's a terrific place to visit any time of year but especially during these 10 days in mid-July. For more information

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