Former NFL quarterback and broadcaster Joe Theismann returns to the podcast for the third time. His previous appearances were Episodes 306 & 461. In 306, he spoke about his incredible football career and the catastrophic leg injury that ended it. In 461, he discussed helping Alex Smith recover from his own terrible, similar injury. This appearance references those moments but tells different stories.

Theismann is competing in the upcoming American Century Championship, an annual celebrity golf tournament held in Lake Tahoe. Among the 80-plus participants in the field are: Travis Kelce, Jason Kelce, Charles Barkley, Josh Allen, Colin Jost, Annika Sorenstam, and actor Miles Teller. This year marks the 36th year of celebrity golf and will be televised with coverage on GOLF Channel, Peacock, and NBC from July 11th through the 13th, 2025.

In this episode, Theismann discusses the Tua Tagovailoa concussions and if he had advice for the Dolphins’ quarterback. He also discussed the lasting effects of his injury in his day-to-day life and the medical challenges that such an injury created both then and now. He also discussed a fantasy option for the golf classic, where fans can engage to win trips to the event in Lake Tahoe. He also had an interesting perspective on all the international games and a potential 18th game for the NFL.

For more info on the American Century Championship, https://americancenturychampionship.com/.

For more info on the Fantasy Golf opportunity, https://www.accfantasygolf.com/.

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Anish Shroff is a play-by-play commentator for various sports on ESPN and its partner networks, including college football, college basketball, college baseball, and lacrosse. He is also a proud alumnus of Syracuse University. Shroff is the current radio play-by-play announcer for the Carolina Panthers NFL team, joining in March 2022. Shroff also worked the NFL preseason in the summer of 2021. 

Shroff has covered several bowl games and FCS championship games, as well as matchups across the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12. Since 2017, Shroff has been ESPN’s lead voice for men’s college lacrosse.

In this episode, Anish discusses his incredible career path, especially how his play-by-play roles evolved. He also explains how he became the 3rd ever radio voice of the Carolina Panthers. He also explains the inner workings of the Syracuse experience and how it helped mold him into the broadcaster he is today.

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Ethan Cooperman has worked for over 25 years doing stats for various sports television broadcasts. He rose to fame in the industry when he paired with the late Greg Gumbel on CBS NFL broadcasts.  Since 2004, he has worked on the #1 CBS team with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo. He also does college football for FOX and Monday Night Football on the radio for Westwood One. There isn’t a network that Ethan hasn’t worked on. Part of his success is clearly due to his incredible sports knowledge and research capabilities. He’s also a master networker and literally knows everyone.

In this episode, Ethan explains his various roles and how he acquired them. He tells amazing stories about the late Greg Gumbel. He also details the intricacies of working with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo. He answers the question, Do Romo’s predictions often come true or is that a myth?

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In 2000, New York City was at the center of the baseball world as the New York Mets faced off against the New York Yankees in the 2000 World Series. Author Chris Donnelly has penned a new book that chronicles both the Mets and Yankees in the late 90s, leading up to that Fall Classic. “Get Your Tokens Ready: The Late 1990s Road to the Subway Series” chronicles both teams from 1997, the dawn of interleague play, to the end of the 2000 Subway Series.

The Yankees were amid a dynasty, while the Mets were up and coming.  This era chronicled the Roger Clemens/Mike Piazza bat incident and the Bobby Valentine fake mustache.

In this episode, Donnelly explains this pivotal time for both the teams and their passionate fan bases. He explains how this book does not have a Met or Yankee slant and how it covers both teams objectively. There is also a lot of conversation about the stadiums that they played in during this time, the original Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium… 

“Get Your Tokens Ready” is available here: https://bit.ly/3Z2bYxs.

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Pat Kirwan is currently co-host of SiriusXM NFL Radio's Movin' the Chains with Jim Miller. His broadcast career followed a successful career in the NFL coaching and front office ranks. He also works on the CBS NFL pregame show “The NFL Today,” and has for decades.

Pat started his career in coaching at the high school and college levels. After stints with the Phoenix Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he spent eight years with the New York Jets in various positions. He started broadcasting for CNNSI and eventually moved to Sirius/XM NFL Radio.

In this episode, Kirwan describes his journey into pro football. He also tackles issues of the day, including Brock Purdy, Kirk Cousins, Shadeur Sanders, and Saquon Barkley. He also discusses his issues with international NFL games and his love for minor league hockey.

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Longtime baseball writer Scott Miller returns to the show to discuss his new book, “Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter and Always Will.” Miller’s book is a deep dive into the ongoing struggle for control that often takes place behind the scenes between Major League Baseball managers and the ownership groups, and now, their data analysts. Through stories about managers past and present, Miller explains what managers used to be and what they are in today’s baseball.

Scott Miller is an award-winning veteran national MLB writer who has been a contributor to the New York Times, the national baseball columnist at Bleacher Report and CBSSports.com, and covered baseball extensively for the Los Angeles Times and St. Paul Pioneer Press before that. He has been honored several times as one of the top baseball writers in the nation by the Associated Press Sports Editors.

Managers mentioned in this episode include but are not limited to Sparky Anderson, Dave Roberts, Lou Piniella, Jim Leyland, Dusty Baker, Earl Weaver, Bruce Bochy, Aaron Boone, Ned Yost, Bud Black, and countless others.

Buy Skipper here: https://amzn.to/3Zji9gC

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On May 3rd, 2025, the city of Denver, Colorado, saw two of their teams play Game 7 of their respective first-round playoff series… at the same time. The Denver Nuggets hosted the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA playoffs while the Colorado Avalanche (who share a home arena with the Nuggets) visited the Dallas Stars in Game 7 of their Stanley Cup Playoff first-round series. While the Nuggets were blowing out the Clippers to advance to the second round, the Avalanche were leading the Stars in the 3rd period. Then, the Avalanche stunningly blew the lead and fell to Dallas, ending their season.

Mike Evans has been a talk show host on Denver Sports, 104.3 The Fan in Denver since 1998. He joins the show to discuss both games, but also his viewing plan, and how he managed to follow both games. He currently hosts the morning show on the Fan with former Broncos Brandon Stokely and Marc Schlereth.

In this episode, Evans also discusses the four pro sports teams in Denver and ranks them in popularity. While the Denver Broncos are clearly the biggest team in town, the rest of the list may surprise you.

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Longtime football coach Jay Paterno joined the show. Originally, he was part of a pitch to discuss recent political implications of Title IX on college sports. He is the author of multiple books, including his most recent release titled “Blitzed! The All-Out Pressure of College Football’s New Era.”

Paterno is the son of the longtime Penn State coach Joe Paterno. The elder Paterno was the coach of Penn State during the scandal that ultimately led to his firing, in which Jerry Sandusky abused young boys. This episode addresses that scandal.

Jay agreed to come on the show with no restrictions on questioning.

The Penn State discussion begins at the 24:52 mark of this podcast.

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Sports with Friends has reached its 500th episode. Iconic play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough is our special guest. Sean is currently the voice of the NHL on ESPN and college football. He was the voice of Monday Night Football, the Big East Tournament, MLB on CBS, and countless others. He’s a 1984 Newhouse School at Syracuse University graduate and a WAER Radio Hall-of-Famer. 

In this special episode, McDonough recounts his incredible career path. He talks about the unique set-up in the NHL broadcast where his partner Ray Ferraro calls the game from rink side. He also discusses the role of the national broadcast versus the local rights holder. He pontificates on how the political overtones of the Four Nations Face-Off don’t mean that politics and social issues should have a role in sports broadcasts.

Special thank you to Chris Horwedel of Underdog Podcasts for his continued support of this show through its first 500 episodes.

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Tim Kurkjian was the 2022 recipient of the BBWAA Career Excellence Award presented annually by the Baseball Writers Association of America and is part of the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. His tenure at ESPN began in 1998 after stints at the Dallas Morning News, Baltimore Sun, and Sports Illustrated. He is a regular contributor to Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight as well as game coverage. He hosts a baseball podcast with his son Jeff entitled “Is This a Great Game, Or What?” In 2025, he was inducted into the Strat-O-Matic Hall of Fame.

In this episode, Kurkjian discusses how baseball has evolved throughout his illustrious career. He addresses recent rule changes as well as marketing challenges the sports faces. He also offers explains the stadium issues facing the A’s and Tampa Bay Rays.

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