Adam Cheek's Sports Week

The second of two "from the archives" episodes this summer -- a throwback interview I did back in 2022 with actor Forrest Vickery, who played Billy "Coma" Johnson in the 2016 Richard Linklater baseball film Everybody Wants Some!!.

This was part of a series I wanted to do with actors from the cast, sort of an oral history of the movie, but never got around to publishing. I also interviewed Temple Baker in 2022, which I posted last month; I also talked with Will Brittain more recently in the spring about making the film.

Forrest takes me behind the scenes about getting the role as Coma and how the production unfolded, including his background in baseball; working with a cast that included Glen Powell, Zoey Deutch and Wyatt Russell; how Linklater brought a 1980s Texas college town to life; and some of his favorite memories from the production.

EWS!! is one of my favorite baseball movies, so I continue to hope putting this together in the coming months!

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Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco 

NASCAR visited Richmond Raceway for its lone race weekend in 2026, and I was on the ground (42,000 steps' worth) covering all the Cup and Truck Series action for Richmond Magazine. My Frontstretch compatriot Michael Massie was there for the website, so we talk about everything that went down as the track celebrated its 80th anniversary.

Kaden Honeycutt dominated a truck race that featured seven Virginia drivers in the field, including veteran Elliott Sadler, trailblazer Dystany Spurlock and -- making his first-ever start -- Tristan McKee. On the Cup side, Joey Logano won and kept racking up points as Ryan Blaney faded late and Chase Briscoe couldn't close a dominant evening.

We also talk about the points outlook as both series near their respective Chase cutoffs, and who we expect to contend as we get closer to the postseason.

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Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

With the VCU basketball season -- and Gold Rush auditions -- rapidly approaching, I sat down with Yvahn Karp, the new co-director of the dance team, to talk about everything that goes into a season for them and her new role coaching the entire squad.

Yvhan -- who is a VCU grad, Gold Rush alum, owner of Reya Beauty and former Richmond Roughriders dancer -- takes me through her time at VCU as a student/Gold Rush member and eventually an assistant coach with the team. We then talk about longtime coach Vicki Wells' retirement from the Gold Rush and how she passed the torch to Yvahn and Christian Robb last season; both will serve as co-directors for the 2026-27 campaign.

Dancers are athletes as much as the guys on the court at these games, so Yvahn also discusses how the art form has evolved since her time on the sidelines and how the Siegel Center atmosphere continues to get even better over time. She also talks about her memories from Rams basketball games, the audition process, choreographing routines and more!

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Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco 

For the to-the-day 20th anniversary of the film, I sit down with my buddy Alex Soderstrom to reflect on Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. The Will Ferrell comedy was part of a big summer for NASCAR on the big screen, along with Cars a couple months prior, in 2006.

We talk about how Talladega Nights approaches satirizing NASCAR and how it's aged over the two decades since its release, along with the racing action (including involvement from tons of actual drivers and people involved with the sport) and how it represents that 2000s era of NASCAR.

Alex and I also go over the sequence of Ferrell-McKay and Ferrell-John C. Reilly team-ups during the 2000s, along with Ferrell's run of sports comedies from 2005-2008. It's also one of the most quotable comedies of its era; the cast is complemented by a great supporting group including Sacha Baron Cohen, Leslie Bibb and Michael Clarke Duncan; and has a lasting legacy of references and schemes in NASCAR.

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Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco 

I caught up with one of my favorite recurring guests, Richmond Flying Squirrels manager Dennis Pelfrey, in the home dugout at CarMax Park this summer. Pelf led the Squirrels to a first-half championship in the Eastern League Southwest Division, clinching a playoff spot thanks to a 40-20 record (and a franchise-record 10-game win streak in April).

Pelf also talks about what it meant to be invited back as manager for another year, along with some of the biggest differences between managing at The Diamond and CarMax Park. He also talks about the team's "controllers of chaos" approach to the season, some memorable 2026 moments and his favorite spots in RVA.

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Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

Jason Boleman returns for another edition of the Sports Movie Showcase, this time for another racing-themed feature: Ferrari, directed by Michael Mann and released in 2023. This comes on the heels of marathoning all of Mann's films this summer -- Ferrari is the most recent film from the director of Heat, Thief, Manhunter, Collateral and much more.

We talk about Mann's style of filming and how the film depicts both Enzo Ferrari's personal and professional lives, with the latter centered around the 1957 Mille Miglia and the horrific crash that ended the event as it existed around that time. Jason and I also discuss the cast, which includes Adam Driver as Enzo and a phenomenal performance from Penelope Cruz as his wife Laura, and how the racing scenes are beautifully staged along the Italian countryside.

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Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco

The first of two episodes "from the archives" this summer -- a throwback interview I did way back in 2022 with actor Temple Baker, who played Tyrone "Plum" Plummer in the 2016 Richard Linklater baseball film Everybody Wants Some!!.

This was part of a series I wanted to do with actors from the cast, sort of an oral history of the movie, but never got around to publishing. I also interviewed Forrest Vickery in 2022, which I'll post next month; I talked with Will Brittain more recently in the spring about making the film.

Temple talks about how getting the role as Plum came about in the movie and takes us behind the scenes of the production: from how much baseball the guys played on set and working with the cast to how Linklater brought a 1980s college town to life and some of his favorite memories from the film.

EWS!! is one of my favorite baseball movies, so I continue to hope putting this together in the coming months!

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Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco 

I caught up with Sam Hunt, who runs the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series team Sam Hunt Racing, for the latest episode. Sam is a VCU graduate who raced in the K&N East Series before starting SHR in 2019, and the team has blossomed into a contender for wins and now fields two cars in NOAPS competition.

Sam breaks down his early interest in racing, how the VCU School of Business helped prepare him for this project, coming close to wins and expanding to two full-time cars in 2026 with Harrison Burton and Dean Thompson.

He also talks about the team's improvement through its Toyota partnership and drivers like Corey Heim, John Hunter Nemechek, Kaz Grala and Ryan Truex; how important the ties to Richmond are for him and SHR; and just how stressful the team's first-ever qualifying lap was at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2019.

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Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco 

Alex Soderstrom returns to the podcast for another sports movie episode, and this time we take on one of our favorite baseball movies with 1989's Major League since it's MLB All-Star Game month.

We dive into the well-rounded cast, ranging from Charlie Sheen and Wesley Snipes to Tom Berenger and the standout, James Gammon, as well as how the casting made a group of ragtag baseball players coming together feel genuine.

It's also one of the better-acted movies when it comes to actual baseball being played, and comes from a time when there were tons of sports movies being made (and made like few are now, with thousands of extras in the stands). And, of course, we highlight the great Bob Uecker's performance in the booth.

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Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco 

VCU baseball legend Tyler Locklear is back on the podcast! I got to sit down with the now-MLB veteran to talk about the trade that sent him to the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Seattle Mariners last summer, what that process was like and playing with guys like Corbin Carroll, Zac Gallen and Ketel Marte in the desert.

Tyler suffered an injury late last season that he's been rehabbing in Reno this year with the Aces. I also talked with him about that whole process, what he's had to do to get back to 100% and about platooning with Pavin Smith at first base last year with the Diamondbacks.

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Original intro/outro music created by Christina von Claparede-Crola and Justin Paciocco