Lunch With Legends

Angela Madsen was a true superhero. She grew up on a farm in Central Ohio in the 1960's. She was the youngest child in her family, and the only girl, besides her mother. Needless to say, she had to grow up tough and fast! Her father was a military veteran, and so were some of her brothers. Angela enlisted in the Marines, where she was stationed at the now closed El Toro Marine Base in Irvine, California. That is where Angela fell in love with the ocean, through surfing. Angela was also a world class athlete, and at six foot three inches, she a forward on the USMC Division 1 Women's Basketball team. An opponent fell on her lower back during a game, which lead to a failed disk replacement surgery, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. That surgery lead to her being dishonorably discharged and eventually homeless, until a veteran's group took her in, where she discovered the sport of rowing. Her team missed medaling in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. She switched her oars to ocean rowing, where she set nine Guiness Book of World Record records for ocean rowing. On July 18, 2014, Angela Madsen and Tara Remington became the first women to row from Long Beach, CA to Honolulu, HI. While attempting the same row solo, Angela died while untangling an anchor line, 1300 miles from Long Beach and, ironically, Honolulu. She told me back in a 2014 interview that if she had a choice of where she could die, it would be in the middle of the ocean. This music video is a small tribute to a bigger than life person, who was, and still is, my inspiration, along with many others, including her wife, Debra Bogen. My dear friend, John Matthew, was so inspired by Angela's story, he wrote and recorded this song for her.

Randy Jackson played with the likes of Hodges, Campanella and Jackie Robinson in an era that will never be duplicated.  Jackson penned these stories in his auto biography, "Handsome Ransom Jackson: Accidental Major Leaguer.  And, are we lucky he did!  Listen to this episode of Lunch With Legends to get to know one of the nicest, folksy people I've ever met.  Thanks, Ruth Ruiz!

John Cerasani went from the suburbs of Chicago to play D1 football as a tight end at Notre Dame and Northwestern in the mid-'90's.  With the great education he received from those two prestigious halls of education, John went from selling insurance from his kitchen table to one of the most sought after Venture Capitalists in the world.  Imagine; dreaming of a vacation on the beach, to owning one of the most exclusive hotel properties in Newport Beach!  His client list reads like a who's who, with Aaron Rogers, Kevin Garnett, Ashley Greene and Jaleel White.  One of John's latest projects is the exploding sports gambling market.

John's second book is, "2000 Percent Raise", where he shares about starting and growing your own business

Damon Hack, from Van Nuys High School and UCLA, talks with Lew Stowers about his journey from college radio intern at KMPC 710 in Los Angeles, to becoming a rising star anchoring NBC Sports live events and co-hosting events on the Golf Channel.  Damon also tells Lew what it's been like breaking the color ceiling, as a black man in Golf Broadcasting.

Bruce hosts Lew, talking about baseball and sports in So Cal

Dave Frost joins Lew from Glory Days in Lakewood, California to catch up on what Dave has been doing since his days in the bigs, as an important man in the pitching rotation that earned the California Angels their first American League West title.  Dave also shares what it was like being a two sport star at Stanford, something that seems unattainable these days, and talks about baseball and life.

Lew talks with two of the grand ladies of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, Maybelle Blair and Shirley Berkovich.  The AAGPBL was founded in 1943, by Cubs owner, Phillip Wrigley.  There weren't any professional baseball games during World War II.  All of the available men, including professional baseball players, were called to serve their country.  So, Wrigley filled the void with the best women baseball players that scouts could find!  Scouts found Maybelle in the then, far away town of Inglewood, California.  She quickly became a fan favorite, and never backed away from a challenge, or a good time!  Currently, Maybelle is raising funds for the International Woman's Baseball Center Museum in Rockford, Illinois.  Her goal was to raise $9,400 for her 94th birthday.  She has raised about $15,000!  Help Maybelle's dream come true by donating to 

http://www.internationalwomensbaseballcenter.org

Shirley came to the AAGPBL from a dairy town in Pennsylvania, in the latter years of the league, which folded in 1953.

MLB Lefthanded Pitcher, Broadcaster and Author of, "Bring In The Right-Hander!, My Twenty-Two Years in the Major Leagues", reminisces with Lew about the list of Major Leaguers that have passed away in 2020.  The list is long and full of greatness.  Want a personally signed copy of Jerry's book? Log onto; www.jerryreuss.com and buy one!

"We Are Family", the hit song by Sister Sledge, rocked Three Rivers Stadium with that song after every World Series win in 1979, where the Pittsburgh Pirates overcame a future Hall of Fame Baltimore Orioles pitching staff.

Mike Easler was one of the important members of that family, as a rookie, who spent ten years in the minors before getting his chance.  And, boy, did he ever make an impression that lasts to this day, 40 years later!

The Hitman runs numerous baseball and hitting clinics throughout the US, including The Vaughn Academy, founded by Mo Vaughn, in Boca Raton, Florida.  It's a place where kids can work hard, and play free.  https://vaughnsportsacademy.com/

The ripple effects of the passing of Tom Seaver has gone far and wide throughout the world of baseball, its players and fans.  Bobby Grich, who should be in the Hall of Fame along with Tom Terrific, has some great stories to share about his two most memorable at bats against one of the best pitchers who will ever climb the mound.