No Holden Back

Great catching up and chatting with Lehigh Lacrosse Head Coach Kevin Cassese today! Kevin has been at Lehigh for 13 seasons as their head coach and he's built a solid, competitive program in the Lehigh Valley. The Mountain Hawks were off to a great start this season, 5-1, before COVID 19 hit the U.S., we talked with Kevin about some important updates, he learned of shortly before joining us today that affect the coming school year at Lehigh, we also discussed what it was like for his players when the season came to an end in March, plus, Kevin offered some great perspectives on lacrosse and sports moving forward in the climate we are living in. Kevin was a 2 time captain in his playing days at Duke, he was also part of 3 U.S. National Teams in his playing days, he discussed his best memories of wearing the Red, White and Blue, great stories and memories! Plus, we talked with Kevin about Mike Pressler, the coach he played for and later worked under as an Assistant Coach at Duke, great stuff and insight from Kevin. We also discussed some of his former Lehigh players, now playing in the pro ranks in the PLL and MLL. We also talked with Kevin about his Dad, Tom,  one of the most successful H.S. football coaches in NY state history, being on his staff at Lehigh! Bottom line, if you like lacrosse, you will love this show with Kevin Cassese, one of the great people in the great sport of lacrosse, enjoy!!

In this episode, I catch up with a woman who had a lasting impact and impression on me and several other of my former coworkers at WILX TV - NBC 10 in Lansing, Mi! Meymo Lyons, or "Mem", as all of us knew her by, joined me to talk about the great times and group we had in the late 90's, early 2000's at WILX. Those were some great times, many of us in that newsroom were in our first jobs at the time in the broadcast field, and we could always count on Mem to steer us, and to set us straight on whatever the task at hand was! She is a news veteran, who prior to joining WILX, worked for 8 years at former Lansing, MI powerhouse radio station, WITL, she was an anchor, reporter and a great news mind in their news department, she's also done several high profile voiceovers in her career! Mem now lives in Austin, TX where she is a very proud mom and she's still telling us like it is, like she always did in Lansing!! Be prepared to be entertained and enlightened in this episode!!

Hello all! We hope you are doing well and staying safe and of course, enjoying our podcast. On this episode of the No Holden Back podcast we talk about Formula 1, MotoGP, NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL, and college football. Giving you updates and what we think of what's going on in the world of sports! We also get into the age old debate, What is and what isn't a sport. A fun segment that we hope you enjoy! Thank you as always for listening/watching. Stay safe and stay healthy!

So much fun in this episode with Steve Coon, longtime Chief Photographer, and now Operations Manager at WILX NBC 10 in Lansing, MI!! We had some great times in the 6 years i worked at the station, this is a very entertaining episode, the stories are endless!! Steve started as a photographer at the station 2 years before i arrived, he started in 1996, while working in retail sales, and he's still going strong today!! He's one of the most talented photog's i've ever worked with in all my stops in my career, he's got a knack for knowing when to shoot and when to shoot!! Steve has covered several Final Fours, Super Bowls, Bowl Games, World Series, the Stanley Cup playoffs, and years of MSU hoops, football, baseball and hockey and much more!! We reminisced about so many tales of our travels, some better than others, LOL! Bottom line, Steve has been, and continues to be an incredible asset to the station, whether it's doing his job, or helping develop others, he's the best!! Enjoy a very funny and entertaining episode with a true pro and a great man and pro at what he does!!

Excellent time catching up and chatting with former WILX NBC 10 (Lansing, MI), coworker, Aaron Baskerville in this episode!! Aaron and I met late in 2001, he joined the news department as a general assignment reporter. Lansing was his 1st stop in what has become an award winning career as a news reporter, who knows works in the city he was born in, Philadelphia! Our time in Lansing was significant to both us, and for Aaron, he learned the ropes of becoming a talented pro in his field! In 2004, he left Lansing for Buffalo, NY where he spent 2 and 1/2 years as a reporter, from there he moved on to Chicago, IL, where he grew up, his dad Steve was a meterologist for 30 years, he retired in 2017 after 4 decades in the TV business. Aaron spent 2 and 1/2 years at CLTV, before the news network ceased operations. From Chicago, Aaron moved back to Michigan and 6 years in Kalamazoo as an anchor and reporter. When he left Kalamazoo, Aaron made the move to a top 5 market when he landed back home in Philly!! Great time catching up and hearing Aaron's story, including what it's been like for him covering news in the climate of COVID 19 and protests in our country, great conversation with a true pro & a reporter who lives for covering breaking news!!

Starting to do some shows/podcasts with several of my former co-workers at WILX TV in Lansing, Michigan. First up is WZZM News Anchor Nick LaFave, we spent a good part of 2004 working together on weekends. Nick has done great things in his career since then and continues to do them today!! He hails from Marquette, MI, he's a Yooper through and through. He began his broadcasting/journalism career in Montana, from there he moved on to Lansing, we had a great time working together, he held down the news anchor spot, i was the sports anchor. After several years in Lansing, Nick moved on to Duluth, MN, a job that was very instrumental in his career, he also met his wife in that stop in his career. He shared 2 outstanding stories with me about his time in Duluth, very good stories!! After Duluth, Nick moved on to Shreveport, LA for a stint in their news department. After the stop on the bayou, Nick was hired in Grand Rapids, MI at WZZM and he's done great things as their main news anchor. We discussed his role there, life in the times of COVID, his conversations with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. We also discussed the possiblity of schools reopening here in Michigan and many other topical items regarding the year that is 2020. Last but not least, there is some hockey talk in this episode, Nick has been a hockey referee for several years, great time catching up with Nick!!!

In this episode, I talk with Jason Zone Fisher, longtime TV Host, Reporter, Emcee. Jason is a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio and at a young age, he got his start in show business. At just 9 years old, Jason was cast in "Conversations With My Father", a show that played at the Cleveland Playhouse. In his high school years, Jason was a 2 time Emmy nominated host of "Browns Blitz", a show on that aired on the local NBC affiliate in Cleveland. From there he attended Syracuse University and the top notch, Newhouse School of Broadcasting. He did a variety of different things while attending Syracuse before graduating and entering the professional world. His father was a longtime lawyer and eventually became LT. Governor of Ohio, so Jason had grown up around law and politics. His first project after Syracuse was a documentary on living and growing up in a political family, that documentary did very well and Jason was off and running in his career! He has been a spokesman for several big companies, including Gillette, Butterfinger, PIzza Hut, just to name a few! His story of meeting and developing a relationship with Current NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver is awesome, its a must listen part of this podcast!! Jason is also a longtime, and often suffering, Cleveland sports fan, and he shares his story of being at the 2016 NBA Finals when Lebron James led the Cavaliers to the City of Cleveland's first pro championship in 52 years, another great story!! He's also worked on "Coaster Quest", a show on rollercoasters all over the country and he's also been involved with "Chopped" on Food Network as well as many other shows and networks. Jason and I have worked together the last 2 years on the WAL, World Armwrestling League, shows for Bleacher Report/Turner, Jason is our Pit Reporter! All in all, Jason Zone Fisher is always in the "zone", great guy, who has worked hard in the business and continues to have great success!!! Enjoy!! 

Today on episode 49 of the No Holden Back podcast we talk about Monster Energy Supercross and the championship battle between 450 title contenders Eli Tomac and Cooper Webb, what's new in American sports, and the WAL. Of course, we also talk Father's Day and some of the great memories and things we've learned over the years from our Father's! Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!

Stay Safe and Stay Healthy!

Ben and Luke