Adam Cheek's Sports Week

In a generally non-sports edition of the podcast, I'm joined by Billy Bacci -- who has played music with some of my friends in Richmond, works on solo projects and has been in the scene for more than a decade -- to talk about a bunch of topics.

We discuss his band Paint On It's new album "Sunshine Trash," as well as the interconnectedness of the RVA music scene, all the projects he's been working on and much more. We also get into sports a little bit and talk about his Mets fandom.

This episode is separate from my article on Billy for Richmond Magazine.

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

I sat down with Richmond Flying Squirrels manager Dennis Pelfrey -- who was on the first-ever episode of the podcast -- in the dugout of the Diamond to talk about the team's 2025 season.

Pelf and I talked about the team's 2025 campaign, including his becoming the Squirrels' all-time winningest manager earlier in the year and how he approached the team's rebound in the second half.

We also talk about the final homestand at the Diamond, which has been Pelf's managing home for the past four years, and what it's been like for him to helm a team making a push for the Eastern League playoffs.

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

Alex Soderstrom returns to the podcast -- and the Sports Movie Showcase -- for another film (after Remember the Titans), choosing The Blind Side this time around.

It'd been ages since I'd seen it, so it was interesting to see how (mostly badly) it's aged over the past decade and a half, especially given Michael Oher disputing a lot of what was portrayed in the film.

We discuss how safe this movie is, the performances (which are mostly good, despite everything), the actual weird lack of football in a movie about football and much more ... and Alex will return for our next movie episode -- also about a football film -- in a few weeks 🏈

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Follow me on Instagram: @adamcheek3

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

In this special, extended episode, former VCU, Red Sox, Padres and Orioles pitcher Cla Meredith sat down with me for nearly two hours to talk about his career in Major League Baseball -- the good, the bad, the ugly and plenty of incredible stories from his time in the pros.

I've talked with Cla before in various capacities, but this was the most in-depth chat with him yet. From being drafted by the Red Sox, his first baseball card being wrong and an interaction with Prince Fielder, to his time in San Diego, playing with the Roberts-Markakis-Jones core in Baltimore and deciding to go back to school and eventually became a firefighter in Henrico ... Cla had some awesome stories and went in-depth about his journey as a relief pitcher in this uncensored, no-holds-barred conversation.

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

James Taubl -- you know him as Jimmy Strings from Banana Ball's Texas Tailgaters -- sat down with me a few weeks after his team played in a showcase at the Diamond.

We talked about his time playing college ball at Sacred Heart and his subsequent time working for MLB Network, and also discuss what led him to Banana Ball. He plays the fiddle and pitches for the Tailgaters, so he breaks down how he works the fiddle into his on-field persona and much more ⚾

Follow me on X: @adamncheek
Follow me on Instagram: @adamcheek3

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

When Banana Ball returned to Virginia in Norfolk, I sat down with VCU alum, former Texas Rangers MiLB pitcher & current Firefighters pitcher Bradford Webb to break down his career. We also realized that I broadcasted one of his starts for VCU's WVCW Radio during the A-10 Championship in 2021.

He talked about what brought him to Richmond to pitch for the Rams during his graduate year; getting signed by the Rangers and his time in their organization; and how he found his way to Banana Ball after that time. He also talks about how he decided on his mullet-mustache combo, what baseball means to him and much more. ⚾

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Follow Bradford on socials: @b_webb_9

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

During our Sunday (Aug. 3) drive home from MLB's Speedway Classic at Bristol Motor Speedway, myself and my friends Adam, Jason and Alex (all past podcast guests) talk about our experience at the unique Braves-Reds matchup at NASCAR's iconic short track.

Was it truly the baseball version of "Fyre Fest" like some were saying? Definitely not, but we do give our takes on how it could've been improved, talk about the positives and more. We did get a hotel overnight and made the decision to go back for the rest of the game before heading back to Richmond, so we did get to experience the entire event.

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Follow me on Instagram: @adamcheek3

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

Can't believe I hadn't had Parney on the podcast before now, but here we are -- Todd Parnell, the man himself, former CEO of the Flying Squirrels and Richmond icon, joins to talk about how his role with the team has changed the last two years, what he's up to and looking ahead to CarMax Park.

Parney also gives some really in-depth perspective about his life in baseball, the relationships he's built within the sport and how those connections have transcended time. He also discusses celebrating both the Diamond's 40th anniversary and the Squirrels' 15th season, the community support in RVA, tells some stories and so much more.

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Check out the Parney Time Podcast on Spotify and Apple

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

After Banana Ball visited Richmond for the first time in late June, I sat down with Tyler Rigot -- former University of Richmond pitcher and current Firefighters pitcher in Banana Ball -- to talk about his career and much more.

We discuss the adjustment from regular baseball to Banana Ball, some of the personal touches he adds to the game, how he found his way from the college diamond to the national Banana Ball stage and what the Firefighters have coming up on their schedule ⚾

Follow me on X: @adamncheek
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Follow Tyler on Instagram: @bigrig_29
Follow Tyler on TikTok: @tyler.rigot

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

Christian Robb, who was part of the VCU Gold Rush Dance Team from 2004-08, sits down with me to talk about her time as an athlete on the sidelines of VCU basketball games, serving as a lieutenant for the team and eventually returning in an assistant coaching role. She also talks about working with head coach Vicki Wells, as well as past podcast guests like Naome Mesfin and Kayla Brazil!

We also talk about the evolution of music for the team and get into what was popular when she was on the team, and also break down some of her favorite moments that she was on the sidelines for. Christian also discusses how her career path led her back to the Black and Gold sidelines and much more -- including trying out for the Bucs in Tampa Bay 

Follow me on X: @adamncheek
Follow me on Instagram: @adamcheek3

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