We're joined in this episode by Bill Pepicello, a sports fan for over six decades who grew up in Erie, PA, and eventually found his way to cities from coast-to-coast.

Pepicello grew up a Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Browns fan. He was a long-time admirerer of Hall of Fame running back and otherworldly athlete, Jim Brown. Oddly enough, his favorite baseball player growing up was not an Indian, but rather a Red: Ted Kluszewski.

In 1970 he became a fan of the Oakland Raiders, thanks to a wide receiver named Fred Biletnikoff whom he played against in high school.

During our time with Pepicello, we learn about a silent auction bidding war for a signed Jim Brown helmet he unknowingly found himself in against longtime Arizona Cardinals' receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, and the close relationship he forged with former Arizona Diamondback and current St. Louis Cardinal, Paul Goldschmidt.

A past-president of the University of Phoenix, Pepicello now resides in The Valley of the Sun, where enjoys the occasional Diamondbacks' game and traveling with his wife.

We're coming to you a few hours early this week, and for good reason!

Later today, about 10 p.m. Alaska Daylight Saving Time, the annual Midnight Sun Game will be played in Fairbanks. Just as it has every year since 1906 (the result of a bar bet, go figure:-) baseball will be played on the Summer Solstice in Fairbanks without the aid of artificial lighting. This year, the Alaska Goldpanners host the Michigan Monarchs.

In this episode we speak with a pair of long-time observers of the Midnight Sun Game and all things Alaska Baseball League: Bob Eley, former sports writer and sports editor at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and Lew Freedman, former sports writer and sports editor at the Anchorage Daily News. Freedman is also the author of Diamonds in the Rough: Baseball Stories from Alaska.

During our time with Bob and Lew learn a bit about their history as sports fans (Bob saw the L.A. Dodgers play in the L.A. Coliseum as a youngster and Lew, a Bostonian, was an unabashed Ted Williams fan) and the myriad things witnessed on the baseball diamonds in Alaska:

Here's a YouTube of a wobbly recording of the "Alaska Flag" song at the 2007 Midnight Sun Game.

And no game at Growden Park would be complete without a playing of the Beat Farmers' "Happy Boy" which really needs to be heard to be appreciated.

If you're interested in checking out the action, most games are posted on the Goldpanners YouTube channel here a day or two after completion.

After a touch more than a year of having these Conversations, one thing's pretty clear: Sports fandom tends to get passed from generation to generation and, in most cases, it moves from fathers to children. In this special Father's Day episode, we talk with a father, Brandon, and his 13-year-old son, Griffin, about their lives as sports fans.

Unsurprisingly there are similar rooting interests for this pair from Adams County, IN. They both favor the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts, and the Indiana Hoosiers. Their paths diverge, however, when it comes to favorite NBA teams. Brandon sticks with the homestate Pacers while Griffin is partial to the Boston Celtics - and his rationale has nothing to do with Indiana native son and Celtics' legend, Larry Bird.

Along the way we learn about their first experiences viewing major sports events in person and learn about the impact of cable TV (for Brandon) and video games and YouTube (for Griffin) on how they consume sports and who they follow and root for. Jazz Chisholm Jr. anyone???

We also learn about an epic sports viewing weekend March 23-24, 2019 when the pair watched the Hoosiers beat Arkansas, 63-60, in an NIT game, a few innings of the Hoosier baseball team's 13-1 rout of Iowa, a pair of Indiana State High School Basketball Championship games in Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Classes 3A and 4A), and then a Pacers-Nuggets game the next day; a 124-88 Pacers' rout of the not-yet-NBA Champion Nuggets.

Mercifully, the second take with our guest, Detroit Free Press high school sports writer, Mick McCabe, is better than the first. We were chatting Mick up in Season 1, Episode 18 when technology troubles scuttled the remainder of that episode. Like the sweetheart we know Mick to be, he offered up a do over and that's what you find here today.

Along the way we learn about one of Mick's early jobs working as a soda pop cup filler for Sportservice (the long ago concession vendor at the old Tiger Stadium) and how it afforded him the opportunities to see some of his childhood heroes such as Rocky Colavito and Al Kaline. He even drops knowledge on us about Detroit product and dual sport star, Dave Debusschere (baseball and basketball), and how the Chicago White Sox decision to sign him ultimately led to Denny McLain becoming available for Detroit to claim off waivers a year later.

We also learn about how Mick discovered sportswriting, how the Monsignor at Allen Park Cabrini HS was not an early fan, but then found (salvation?) in helping get Mick admitted to then-Mercy College. He also shares stories about his high school sports writing mentor, Hal "The Swami" Schram.

And as someone who's been on the prep beat for 53 years, Mick's seen a few things. He discusses early sightings of Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jim Abbott, Tyrone Wheatley, Dena Head, Tonya Edwards, and twins Pamela and Paula McGee.

Among the memorable events he's witnessed up close:

Somewhat reluctantly, Mick, even tipped his cap to a Detroit-area high school concession stand.

You're able to order Mick's Golden Yearbook here.

On this, our first anniversary of Conversations with Sports Fans, we thought it would be fun to turn the tables on our regular host, Doug Hill, and have him discuss his journey as a sports fan. Handling the hosting duties in this episode is Mike McClary (heard here in S:1, E:9). Mike's no stranger to podcasting, having previously hosted a Detroit Tiger-centric podcast, The Daily Fungo, during the early 2010s.

Please enjoy these long-time friends discussing Doug's journey as a sports fan and do take a moment to listen to episode(s) that started Conversations a year ago: S:1, E:1 - The Overview and Doug's first conversation, with his father, S:1, E:2 - Jerry Hill.

Among the items referenced in this episode:

We're joined in this episode by Mike Jaissle, an educator from the Cleveland, OH, area, who was born and raised in metro-Detroit. During out time visiting with Mike we learnabout his formative years as a fan (the 1987 Detroit Tigers season finale series vs. the Toronto Blue Jays is his first memory), the impact his father had on his fandom (Michigan Wolverines football and men's basketball for the win), a fortuitous moment when a friend who worked in the clubhouse at Tiger Stadium needed someone to fill in for a couple of games during the 1998 season. (Mike got chatted up by future Hall of Famer Joe Carter, bumped into Derek Jeter and Tino Martinez, and learned about the pitching sign system from Tigers' starting pitcher, Justin Thompson).

A college athlete himself at Adrian College (football and track), Mike also waxes poetic about the 2002 Detroit Red Wings' super team.

He recollects about his time living behind enemy lines in Columbus, OH, (married to a Buckeye, no less!) and his latter years in Cleveland, including a memorable 8-0 victory by the Browns over the Buffalo Bills in blizzard conditions. (Check it out here.) For the record, Mike acknowledges he's only had bragging rights in the UM-OSU football rivalry three times in 19 years of marriage, but he's quick to point out he has won two in a row.

We're joined in this episode by Sports Reference Product Director Adam Darowski. From the Providence, RI, area, Adam grew up relatively sports agnostic until an older brother introduced him to baseball cards. It was not the images on the front of the junk wax-era that captured Adam's attention, however, it was the stories and statistics on the back that fascinated him.

Statistics, it seems have been a constant through line for Adam ever since. In addition to his work at Sports Reference, Adam has been a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) since 2013 and serves as co-chair of its 19th Century Overlooked Legends Committee. He also created the Hall of Stats website in 2012 that makes the case for baseball players' Hall of Fame credentials from a purely statistical point of view. He has hosts a pair of baseball-centric podcasts: Building the Ballot (about the HoF's Era Committees) and The Outsider Baseball Notebook (about baseball outside of MLB before integration).

During our time with Adam we learn why he's pro-Lou Whitaker and Dr. Frank Jobe for a spot in Cooperstown and about some of the under-the-radar pre-integration baseball players: Bullet Rogan (a HoFer), Tetelo Vargas, and Lazaro Salazar.

Finally, Adam shares how he went from relatively ambivalent about sports to setting his schedule around Borussia Dortmund FC fixtures from the Bundesliga.

You can find Adam on Twitter at @baseballtwit. Trust us when we say he's a good follow. You'll learn more about early baseball players than you thought possible.

In this episode, we're joined by longtime Rochester, NY-area, journalist and podcaster, James Brown. Brown's published work has appeared in the USA Today, NPR, PBS, and WXXI. He can currently be found online at jamesbrowntv.substack.com and on Twitter @jamesbrowntv.

Brown cut his teeth as a sports fan during the early-1990s Michael Jordan era and, unsurprisingly, also became fascinated with broadcasting during that time. It was the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and watching - and listening to! - NBC's on-air talent such as Bob Costas, Marv Albert, Dan Hicks, Dick Enberg, and Tom Hammond who Brown notes "turned up the drama."

Brown also recollects how he became a Buffalo Bills fan, what that experience is like, and how the Bills Mafia is very real and very passionate.

We also learn what it's like to be a sports fan in upstate New York and where the lines of demarcation are as they relate to being a Bills fan or being a Giants or Jets fan (think Syracuse). Brown also touches on his fan interest in mixed martial arts and an increasing curiosity in the Buffalo Sabres.

Brown was extended an invitation for "Conversations" host, Doug Hill, to join him on his podcast, "All of the Above with James Brown." You're able to listen to that episode here.

In this special Mothers' Day Episode of Conversations we sit down with four moms and discuss what their lives have been like raising children who've competed. Some in athletics the moms were familiar with and others unfamiliar in nearly every way. We hope you enjoy this discussion with Jean Hellman, Carol Hill, Kathy Ryan, and Tammy Westlake, who have - between them - raised seven children and along the way spent plenty of time at everything from baseball and softball games to swimming meets to all-day cheer, dance, and wrestling competitions. During our time together we learn about the importance of ride sharing and portable meals, how they went about learning the sports, what it was like when they realized the days cheering on their children were coming to close, and even what it was like to see your child on the field during a Super Bowl. (Yep, one of these mom's has a child who was part of the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl LVI championship.)

(Note: As this was recorded at the kitchen table our recording levels are a bit lower than normal so listeners may have to pump up the volume. Oh yeah, family dog Ellie, though not a mother, decided she wanted to be part of the discussion at one point.)

We're honored to be joined in this episode by one of hockey's all-time great broadcasters, Mike "Doc" Emrick. Growing up in smalltown, LaFontaine, IN, early on Emrick dreamed of calling the baseball games he listened to as a youngster. Doc takes us through his journey from childhood baseball fan to his initial exposure to hockey in Fort Wayne's Allen County Memorial Coliseum seeing the hometown Komets play through his decision to pursue academia as a hedge against a broadcasting career (and, thus, the Doc nickname). You'll never guess who is non-academic advisor was during his PhD work while at Bowling Green (OH) State University! All the while, Emrick was a sports fan first and a budding broadcaster second. He even shares a few of his "pinch me" moments witnessed during his time in the booth: those include the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, when women's ice hockey first competed for medals, Sidney Crosby's overtime Olympic Gold Medal-winning goal against the USA in the 2010 Vancouver Games, and T.J. Oshie's shootout prowess against Russia in the 2014 Sochi Games.

Doc Emrick Honors: