The Oakland Raiders of the 1970s were a vibrant cast of characters whose freewheeling personalities were balanced out by their collective pursuit of excellence. Today on the podcast, Bernie welcomes perhaps the most colorful of those characters in four-time Pro Bowl linebacker and Super Bowl champion, Phil Villapiano. The conversation begins in Asbury Park, NJ, with Phil playing for his dad at Asbury Park High before moving on to Ocean Township, where he earned a scholarship to Bowling Green, winning MAC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. Next, the pair discusses the many highlights of Phil’s 13-year NFL career, including his friendship with his onetime idol, George Blanda, his role in the Immaculate Reception, the Raiders-Chiefs rivalry and his favorite penalty he never committed. Later, Phil recounts the harrowing plane ride he took with Russ Francis following their controversial 1976 AFC divisional round playoff game between the Patriots and Raiders, as well as the rest of the AFC playoff gauntlet of the 70s. Finally, Phil tells Bernie about his connection to fellow Jersey icon, Bruce Springsteen, and his ongoing pursuit of “the prefect tackle”, and more!

.

Before Tom Brady, and before Drew Bledsoe, the New England Patriots were a hard luck franchise personified by a tough, sometimes overachieving quarterback, whose tenacity and competitiveness endeared him to a beleaguered, but loyal fan base. Join Bernie in welcoming Patriots Hall of Famer, Steve Grogan, to the program to discuss his coming of age in a multi-sport environment in Ottawa, KS, the growing pains he experienced as a two-year starter at Kansas State and the circumstances that led to him grabbing the starting quarterback job as a rookie with the Patriots. You’ll hear Steve present the New England side of the controversial 1976 divisional round playoff loss in Oakland* as well as his memories of the team’s magical run to Super Bowl XX. Plus: the great John Hannah; underrated Stanley Morgan; the Snow Plow Game, and who Steve picks as the greatest quarterback of all-time. Finally, Steve reflects on the recent success of the Patriots and how it has trickled down to former players and the seemingly endless list of injuries he dealt with during his 16-year career.

*for the Oakland side, listen to Phil Villapiano in Episode 22 of GPP

Today on the Games People Play podcast, Bernie talks to a man whose contributions to the game of basketball go far beyond his sizeable on-court resume, which includes an NBA championship, an Olympic Gold Medal and an ABA Most Valuable Player Award. Please join us in welcoming four-time NBA All-Star, Spencer Haywood, to the program to chronicle his remarkable journey from the cotton fields of Mississippi to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. You’ll hear about the extraordinary collection of talent that surrounded Spencer at Pershing High School in Detroit before he became the youngest US Olympic basketball player in history and an instant sensation in the ABA and NBA. Bernie and Spencer also discuss the challenges and dark times Spencer faced, including legal battles over fraudulent contracts, an anti-trust suit against the NBA that went all the way to the Supreme Court and his long road back to sobriety following a crack cocaine addiction. Finally, Spencer talks about his new book The Spencer Haywood Rule and expresses gratitude at being recognized for all that he sacrificed for future generations of NBA players.

Few pitchers in Major League history can claim that they had a better season than today’s guest had for the Detroit Tigers in 1968. Join Bernie as he welcomes two-time Cy Young Award winner, American League MVP and World Series champion, Denny McLain, to the program to discuss his decision to choose a Big League career over a scholarship to Notre Dame, the legendary Year of the Pitcher and Denny’s thoughts on the 1970 Sports Illustrated article that tied him to an alleged gambling operation. You’ll hear why bowling became a part of Denny’s offseason training regimen, how he once helped Mickey Mantle move up on the all-time home run list and how the 1968 Tigers helped unite the city of Detroit. Later, Denny explains how the lowering of the pitcher’s mound in 1969 led to a rash of arm injuries and how his father-in-law, Lou Boudreau, popularized the infield shift. Finally, Denny reveals that he has made more money as a musician than he did as a ballplayer and lets listeners know where they can listen to his own podcast, No Filter Sports.

 #Gamespeopleplaypodcast # Classicsports #Baseball

Today on the Games People Play, we break from our usual format to bring you The Old Ballgame, a panel show where we discuss America’s Pastime, and wonder if its time has passed. Joining Bernie on the show are former California Angels GM and vice president of umpiring for MLB, Mike Port, former Major League pitcher and guest of the Games People Play, Norm Charlton, and longtime author and Boston sports journalist, Steve Buckley. With over 150 years combined experience in and around The Game, the group tackles many of the issues baseball faces as they attempt to expand their fan base without alienating longtime devotees. Topics covered include: pre and post expansion playoff formats; adding and subtracting Wild Cards; the future of the 162-game season; pace of play; start times of World Series games; balancing analytics, technology and traditional methods of evaluating players; the nature of baseball ownership and MLB’s failure to “grow the game”. Along with the spirited discourse, Bernie asks each guest to share his earliest World Series memory before looking to the future by offering some final solutions.

Today, the Games People Play podcast hosts its first luminary from the Sport Of Kings as Bernie welcomes US Racing Hall Of Fame Jockey Gary Stevens to the program to talk about a few of his 5,187 career thoroughbred wins, his family’s horse racing pedigree and how he came to play George Woolf in the motion picture Seabiscuit. You’ll hear how Gary went from high school wrestling star in Caldwell, ID, to full-time professional jockey at the age of 16, as well as the many starts and stops of his career that saw him overcome a myriad of serious injuries, including several joint replacements, a collapsed lung and a 16-hour stint in a coma after being thrown into a rail. Plus: highlights from Gary’s 19 combined Triple Crown and Breeder’s Cup race victories; receiving pre-race advice from Queen Elizabeth II; his major celebrity standing in Hong Kong; his favorite horses he ever rode, and the greatest race he ever competed in. Finally, Bernie and Gary talk about the fractured vertebrae that ended Gary’s career, his broadcasting career at FOX Sports and the challenges of managing and buying horses during the pandemic.

Charlie Ward is the only Heisman Trophy winner to play in the NBA, but that distinction is just a small

#gamespeopleplaypodcast #Classicsports