Daddy Unscripted Podcast

Episode 021: Giving Thanks Here’s a little brief episode I created this week. With Thanksgiving coming on Thursday and my birthday happening the following day, it felt like it was time to finally sit down and get some things recorded that have been weighing on my heart for a while now. 2016 has been a unique year, to say the least. I ended up in the hospital E.R. on two different occasions this year, for differing reasons. All of this led to some needed and serious time for introspection on my part. Some of this episode speaks about that and the responsibility all of us parents have to care for ourselves on behalf of our family.

I am so thankful for so many people and so many aspects of my life. This podcast is definitely one of them. Thank you one and all for your listening, participation, feedback and a huge thank you goes out to all my guests: those who’ve already taken the time to record with me and those of you who will soon.

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

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In this second episode with Ross Newhan, we focus almost entirely on what he spent his life and career covering as a renowned writer: baseball. Again, for those of you who didn’t catch this from his 1st epsiode, Ross covered the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Angels starting in the early 60’s until he retired in the early 2000’s as a national baseball columnist for the LA Times. It wasn’t much longer before he was honored with prestigious awards that brought him into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

We discussed his time with the Angels and the Dodgers, and the company of players and people that brought him into. Ross is one of the best people to talk to for the history of both of those teams, from their starts in Southern California. We uncovered a good deal of those histories, we thoroughly discussed the current hardship the Angels organization both find themselves in and have put themselves in. We talked a little about some of the controversial players still being withheld from induction into the Hall of Fame.

We spoke a little about the Cleveland Indians actually more than the now World Champion Chicago Cubs, oddly. This, unfortunately for me, led to the reminder of Bobby Valentine’s stint as manager of my favorite Boston Red Sox. Completely coincidentally, that about ended our conversation.

These episodes, recordings of a good long sit down with Ross, was something I had looked forward to for a long time. I am beyond excited that the podcast is here to have made this finally happen. I hope even a handful of you can enjoy the listen as much as I enjoyed the conversation.

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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Ross Newhan The 1st of 2 episodes with Ross Newhan, we get to take a very introspective look at the life of one of Major League Baseball’s best beat writers. For those of you who are not familiar with Ross and his work, here’s a little of what you’ll be able to hear during these episodes. Ross started writing for Long Beach newspapers before the Angels had even become a team. He eventually started covering the Angels and the Dodgers, before moving on to the Los Angeles Time and eventually becoming their National Baseball Columnist. Ross was awarded the J.G. Taylor Spink Award in the year 2000 by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. So, he’s a pretty big deal.

Ross’ family life in Southern California is documented herein, leading up to his meeting and marrying his lovely wife, Connie, who is as big a fan of the sport of baseball as Ross is. He tells of the difficulty to be very present as his two children grew up, while spending time on the road during the seasons to cover both the Angels and the Dodgers for so long.

I know there seems to be a baseball theme going on with this podcast. I will admit, it’s an obvious gravitational pull for me, due to my passion for the game. However, this runs a lot deeper than just the sport of baseball… yet, on the same hand, really goes to show how powerful sports can be to tie two people, and, eventually a family together.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

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In this second episode with Ryan Stasik (bassist for the band Umphrey’s McGee), we tap into a lot of things left untapped from our 1st episode. We start off with his time in school at Notre Dame, his hard work at school, if nothing else, to put together a band.

We spent a good deal of time talking about sports: both actual real life sports and the very addicting life of fantasy sports. He lays out what the guys in the band (and some of the crew) are into, regarding sports and teams. We break down how we feel about the Wild Card situation in the MLB. We go through our own (possibly outlandish) ideas for how to “Make Baseball Fun Again”.

Before we circled back to the world of sports, we spent a good deal discussing his musical background and what he grew up listening to. He tells a story about how he decided he needed to get into playing guitar instead of piano in the early 90’s. We get to hear about his transition to the bass guitar and some key decisions that took place between Brendan Bayliss and himself. We share stories about the Grateful Dead, Phish and the communities of fans that surround both bands.

Ryan credits Jake Cinninger with bringing a huge variance of music to the bandmates to expand the things they’ve been musically marinated with. Ryan goes into a little of what he is listening to these days, what bands or kinds of music speak to him.

After some of his wild predictions about Pittsburgh teams, we finish up with talking about some of the dangers in sports and fights in hockey.

A great time was had talking with Ryan and I hope you enjoy the listen as much as I enjoyed the chat.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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www.daddyunscripted.com

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At long last, the 1st episode with Ryan Stasik has arrived. Ryan is the bassist for the band Umphrey’s McGee, a band I have been listening to since some time in 2001. I don’t think my friendship with Ryan depends on the fact that I was able to meet him and other band members back during those earlier years. I think he is still very much that same easy-going and very approachable guy, regardless of how much bigger the band has gotten since then. I think that will come through to you loud and clear in this and the next episode with Ryan and myself.

Ryan became a Dad a little over 3 years ago. I actually saw him a few months before his daughter was born and I remember giving him my usual advice about how many parents love to give advice. I was very excited for him and his wife and as soon as Daddy Unscripted became a podcast, he was one of the first Dads I thought of for being a guest. I was a little relieved and extremely grateful when he agreed to sit for a couple hours to talk with me about a few of his favorite things: being a Dad, sports and music.

Ryan’s history on this Daddy episode is a very insightful view into the man who represents one-third of the backbeat rhythm section to UM. We talked about his own family history, how his life’s road brought him into the band in the first place and what effect getting married, and later having a child, had on his life as a rockstar. We shared a thoughtful dialogue on the merits and dangers of allowing people into your life via social media.

I think you’re bound to enjoy this episode. At times, a little crass. At other times, extremely poignant and thoughtful. You absolutely do not have to be a fan of Umphrey’s McGee to enjoy this. Having a good sense of humor will definitely help, though. The first of two episodes with Ryan, this will give you one of the most direct visions of what has made him into the man and father that he is today.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

www.daddyunscripted.com

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this second episode with Bob Ruff, we delve into a little bit of why either of us does this: podcasting. If you want to remind yourself what exactly one of the “Fork in the Road” episodes mean, click here.

Bob and I discuss how we both took a very keen interest in the 1st season of the Serial podcast and what that meant to us. For those of you who already listen to Bob’s Truth & Justice podcast, you know the direct result of listening to Serial for Bob. We dug into his methodology, what it takes for him to put together his investigation as well as the actual podcast. Bob talked a lot about the struggles he faces with “the establishment” with the cases he is currently working on.

I got a lot deeper in this episode than I could have foreseen. That’s why it’s called Daddy Unscripted, folks! You may be able to tell during the episodes, but I hold tightly to that…there is no script. I got into, what I felt was the backside of the coin, if you will, as to why Bob does what he does: human-kindness, caring about others and, maybe, even just plain and simple: love. Because, even if he is having to kick some doors down and even use a figurative axe, much like his days in the fire department, he is doing it out of his care for the people who have been wrongly accused and/or imprisoned, as well as in a search for justice for the victims. Leave it to the tree-hugging hippy side of me to find that in all of this, right?

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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www.daddyunscripted.com

All music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode with Bob was very exciting for me to record. If you don’t already know the name Bob Ruff, I give a sizable introduction to him at the beginning of this episode. Nutshell: Bob has two podcasts of his own, one that is much more popular and familiar, known as “Truth & Justice”, that originally stemmed off of the widely-known and award-winning 1st season of the Serial podcast. Bob has since dedicated his professional life to advocating for wrongly convicted individuals that are imprisoned, as well as finding the truth behind who has been walking free since that person’s conviction.

Bob’s story on this Daddy episode is very unique and extremely interesting. We delved into the background of his own family and parents before learning a lot about his immediate little family unit: consisting of 4 kids that he and his wife brought together into their successfully “mixed family”.

I gained even more respect for a man that was able to acknowledge when large life decisions weren’t necessarily working, and having the bravery to turn his life upside down in hopes of a more fulfilling outcome.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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www.daddyunscripted.com

Incidental music provided by Roman Bell.

All other music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey’s McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Austin and I discuss the most obvious common subject between us. Which, you’ll hear right off the bat, was not actually the sport of Jai Alai. No, it’s the Boston Red Sox. We talk about how both of us came to be fans of this Boston team, even though neither of us live in Boston, let alone Massachusetts…let alone, New England, for that matter.

This isn’t just about the Red Sox and our extreme fanaticism of the team that makes Fenway Park their home, we chat about how sports influenced our childhoods and the extra oomph it gave to our relationships with our fathers, as well.

This isn’t an episode only for other Red Sox fans, but that definitely won’t at all hurt your ability to really enjoy this Fork in the Road.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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www.daddyunscripted.com

Incidental music provided by Roman Bell.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode with Austin is unique for a number of reasons. First: Austin and I know each other through Twitter. Second: Austin is my first SAHD as a guest. Third: This was my first foray into recording remotely. All of that worked out to make a pretty fun episode, that brings out a very interesting story of Austin’s life and family’s background. As someone who spent close to the first 18 months of my daughter’s young life at home with her, I have the utmost respect for a stay-at-home dad (I have insane respect for SAHM’s too… don’t anyone get all uppity with me).

I learned a lot about someone I felt like I knew a decent amount about “through the interwebs” during our conversation in this episode. I hope you all get some good nuggets of wisdom out of it, too.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

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In this episode, which I joked should be subtitled: “The Episode Where Jason Tries to Talk Me Into Being a Lakers Fan”, you can guess what some of the episode is about. We talk a lot of NBA, including the time I was actually a huge basketball fan back in the 80’s. We touch a bit on why I’ve always been a Celtics fan and slightly scratch the surface on why I’ve rooted for non-home teams almost my entire life.

Since Jason is a huge Rams (football) fan, we talk about his elation that the team is returning to LA. Being the huge Patriots fan that I am, we also talked about Deflategate, commissioners and the hole that Roger Goodell has dug for himself.

Daddy Unscripted can also be found at:

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Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

www.daddyunscripted.com

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to our podcast/blog website at www.daddyunscripted.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.