Hall Call Podcast

The state of Virginia’s preeminent rivalry takes to the gridiron for the 101st time as the University of Virginia host Virginia Tech battle for the Commonwealth Cup. While recent history has favored the Hokies in this battle for annual in-state bragging rights, the level of competition between the programs and their fans is at an all-time high. The 101st matchup has added incentive, as the winner will take home the Coastal Division Championship in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Joining us on the Hall Call Podcast to provide some insight, perspective, and history into the rivalry is 2014 Hall of Fame inductee, David Teel. Teel is a 12 time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year recipient, and has covered this rivalry since joining the Daily Press in 1984. On this edition of the Hall Call Podcast, we talk about the tradition and significance of the game, as well as about some of the former players and coaches that have turned the Commonwealth Cup into a must-see event.

20 years ago, the Commonwealth was witness to one of the greatest teams in its storied sports history. The 1999 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, led by Hall of Fame coach Frank Beamer, and an array of talent in all phases of the game stormed through a perfect regular season and BIG East Championship to play for the BCS National Title against Florida State. While the Hokies came up short in their quest to bring a national championship to Blacksburg, the team’s legacy and impact on the Hokie program lives on two decades later.

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame media inductee, Bill Roth, had as good a seat as anyone for that 1999 season. The former voice of the Hokies, Roth called every game that year and brings his unique perspective from that season to the Hall Call Podcast. How that team was built, what made them so special, and how they have been remembered, are just some of the topics we discuss on this edition of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame’s Hall Call Podcast.

2018 Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Michael Cuddyer, has a unique perspective of the game of baseball. Cuddyer not only played the game for 30+ years, including 15 in Major League Baseball, but he now works in the front office of his former club, the Minnesota Twins, as a Special Assistant to the Baseball Operations Department. Having played at the highest level, Cuddyer’s current role can be anything from on field instruction to offering input on player transactions.

With the Twins completing one of their most successful regular seasons ever, registering 101 wins on their way to the American League Central pennant, the team became the poster child for the modern day “all or nothing approach” in baseball, setting a new MLB record for team homeruns with 307. On this edition of the Hall Call Podcast we catch up with Michael to talk about the team, its potential in the upcoming playoffs, and the shifting focus traditional statistics to advanced analytics, a shift that began during his 15 year MLB career.

Since the 1994 World Cup, soccer has seen an unprecedented level of growth here in the United States. One of the longest continuously run professional soccer franchises in the country, happens to pre-date that ’94 World Cup, while also calling the Commonwealth home.

The Richmond Kickers founded in 1993 have undergone many changes over the last 26 years, but the most recent one may be the most important. 2016 Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductee and Richmond Kickers alum, Rob Ukrop, spearheaded an effort in 2018 to take ownership of the franchise with his group 22 Holdings LLC. Ukrop and 22 Holdings were approved as the new owners in December of 2018 with the goal of restoring a winning tradition to the Kickers.

Ukrop, a Richmond native, joined the Hall Call Podcast to talk about his transition from player to executive, the role the Kickers will play in Richmond’s sports identity, and how all levels of professional soccer can help the U.S. build towards the 2026 North American World Cup.

Throughout the history of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, 334 individuals have gained induction representing 22 different sports. Sports that have not been represented to this point include ice hockey, figure skating, and indoor skydiving. In the coming years however, that could change due to the work being done by Virginia resident Bob Pizzini.

Pizzini is the current CEO of IFLY: Indoor Skydiving in Virginia Beach, and is spearheading a fundraising effort to build a brand new, state of the art ice facility in the resort city as well. Pizzini, a Wisconsin native, has always had a love for sports at his core. After serving in the military for 26 years, Pizzini settled in Virginia Beach and opened the IFLY facility, transforming it into a premier indoor skydiving event venue, hosting the last 3 U.S. Opens. In addition to that he has also led efforts in creating a national governing body for the sport to increase its profile internationally, with the goal of inclusion in future Olympic Games.

A hockey fan at heart, Pizzini is now working with a Boston Bruins Alumni group on the Warrior Ice Center project, hoping to increase hockey play and development here in the Commonwealth. Pizzini joined us on the Hall Call Podcast to discuss these initiatives and the evolution of the Virginia sports landscape.

Sports have often been used to help raise money for worthy causes. Whether it’s a golf tournament, or a 5k run, or marathon, most people have participated in one way or another in a charitable sports initiative. In 2008, Ken Lees wanted to find another sport through which to give back, and the Table Tennis Charitable Foundation was born.

From humble beginnings in 2008, the Table Tennis Charitable Foundation has grown its annual Ping Pong for Charity events from 12 “scratch and dent tables” to 30 professional grade tables and over 200 players. In the process, the events have increased their charitable donations from $5,000 in year one, to over $70,000 dollars last year which was then donated to five charitable organizations. The sport of Ping Pong itself has been scientifically proven to improve mental health and brain fitness for all ages, and the Ping Pong for Charity events focus on giving back to organizations that support similar initiatives.

Over the course of 12 years, the Table Tennis Charitable Foundation has enlisted the support of celebrities from the sports and entertainment world to help with their cause. Celebs such as former Duke and NBA basketball stars, Christian Laettner and Kenney Dennard, and former Miss Greece and Greek National Table Tennis Champion, Ionna Papadimitriou, have all participated in past events and plan to attend this year as well.

On this episode of the Hall Call Podcast we talk to the founder of the Table Tennis Charitable Foundation, Ken Lees, and former Duke Basketball star Kenny Dennard, as they tell the story of Ping Pong for Charity.

For over a half century, the Charity Bowl has been played in Southeastern Virginia, with the goal of helping those in need. Recognized as the oldest charitable football game in the United States, the game itself and its support for local charities almost came to an end around 2010.

Originally used as a fundraiser for the Joy Fund, an organization that purchased Christmas presents for under privileged children, the Charity Bowl’s fundraising had reached a level where it was no longer sustainable. With the help of two Charity Bowl alums, Ray Potter and Orlando Goodhope, and the support of local businessman Dennis Ellmer, the Charity Bowl received new life and in 2019 alone donated over $400,000 to 35 local charities. On this edition of the Hall Call Podcast, we present the story of the Priority Toyota Charity Bowl.

Football has staked out a claim as “America’s Game”, and the popularity the NFL has gained is due in large part to the growth of fantasy football. Fans still have their home teams to root for, but now they have their own teams made up of players from across the league to pull for as well. Fantasy football gives owners an interest in almost every NFL game played throughout the course of a weekend.

Here in Virginia, we are lucky to have a rising star in the coverage of fantasy football calling the Commonwealth home. Jake Ciely, a native of Virginia Beach and an award winning senior fantasy writer for The Athletic, brings his knowledge, rankings, and insight to the Hall Call Podcast. For his career, Jake is No. 1 in fantasy baseball ranking accuracy, and top-5 in football, including first overall in 2017. His research and perspective on the fantasy game takes you well beyond the projected box score and into your draft war room.

With the bulk of fantasy drafts happening the weekend prior to NFL kickoff, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Jake Ciely are setting you up for success! For future insight on waiver claims, trades, rising stars, and falling stocks follow Jake on Twitter @allinkid, and read his regular posts on The Athletic.

Baseball, like many sports, is a global game and over the past two decades Major League Baseball in particular has taken the game to Sydney, Beijing, Havana, and most recently London, among other destinations. Each of these games and the venues created to host them however, have a connection back to Southwest Virginia.

Murray Cook, a native of Salem, and Major League Baseball’s Field and Stadium Consultant, has been helping MLB take the game to far-away places for the better part of 30-years. He has shown the ability to convert existing stadiums into baseball fields, such as with the recent London Series, as well as develop stadiums out of nothing, much like he did at Fort Bragg in 2012.

Whether it’s an existing field, a cricket pitch, soccer stadium, or even an abandoned golf course, Cook has converted it to a baseball diamond fit for the best players in the world. Cook joined the Hall Call podcast to talk about his experience, growing the game, and the next frontier for MLB.

1992 Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Nancy Lieberman, is what you would call a basketball lifer, and a successful one at that. A native of New York, Lieberman was a 3-time All-American, and 2-time National Champion with Old Dominion University Women’s Basketball, represented her country for USA Basketball, played in the WNBA, and has served numerous roles as a coach and commentator.

Currently however, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer is setting a new standard in the BIG3 Basketball League. Now in her second season as head coach of Team Power, Lieberman made history when she was hired last year as the first female head coach in a men’s professional sports league.

Beginning with her time at ODU in the late 1970’s, Lieberman has been an advocate for opportunity and equality in sports. Having won the BIG3 Championship with Team Power in 2018, Lieberman’s goal is to continue to influence and inspire in whatever role comes her way.

Lieberman joined the Hall Call Podcast to talk about her basketball journey, and her role in highlighting equality, opportunity, and inclusion in sports.