Stories with Street CRed

The Sixties still represents one of the most tumultuous times in American history, but 1969 in particular had its share of news events that spanned the entire spectrum, particularly the sports highs... that is, if you were a New York fan. That '69 year started with Joe Namath and the Jets winning Super Bowl III, and it culminated with the New York Mets winning the franchise's first World Series title. One of the key members of that Mets club, outfielder Ron Swoboda, joins the latest "Stories with Street CRed" to discuss his baseball career and beyond. Swoboda opines on playing for Hall of Famer Gil Hodges, and alongside Mets teammates like Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver. But Swoboda also reflects on the world events that unfolded during his Mets' tenure, ending his career in pinstripes with the Yankees, and his post-baseball life in New Orleans. 

Dick Vermeil compiled a career 120-109 (.524 W-L %) win-loss record as an NFL head coach with three franchises -- the Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs, a football resume that one football source says should be plenty to get Vermeil elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame without "much pushback for his selection." In the latest "Stories with Street CRed" podcast, Vermeil discusses his football arc -- which began in Calistoga, California -- that has taken him from the high school and collegiate coaching ranks all the way to the NFL, with three different head coaching stops. He took the Eagles to the big game, and lost, but later got the brass ring with the Rams, in one of the most memorable Super Bowl finishes ever. (photo credit: Marnie Schneider)

Chris Dickerson, 39, spent seven years total in the majors, playing for five different teams, including the Yankees. But it was during his time in the Cincinnati Reds' farm system, the start of his pro baseball career, when he started to ponder the amount of waste generated by one clubhouse. That was in 2008, the same year he launched Players for the Planet, a non-profit he still leads to this day, and which has the overriding goal of getting athletes involved with protecting earth. In this latest episode of "Stories with Street CRed," Dickerson takes time from his busy schedule to talk about then versus now, and how more than ever, sports and society need to do their part in advancing green efforts. 

Morgan Stickney was one of the country's top teenage distance swimmers before vascular problems led to the amputations of both of her legs -- the left in 2018, and the right in 2019. Undeterred, Stickney continued training and was able to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics after the pandemic postponed the Summer Games one year. Stickney won a gold medal in both the 400-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley relay. In this episode of "Stories with Street CRed" podcast, the 24-year-old Stickney discusses her past physical and mental challenges, winning gold and what lies ahead in her continuing inspirational journey.

It's been over two decades since Bobby Valentine helped guide the 2000 New York Mets to the Subway World Series against the Yankees, but his managing stint in Flushing is just one of many hats Valentine has worn during his professional life. His latest endeavor is a run for mayor in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. For this episode of "Stories with Street CRed," Valentine joins me to discuss the challenges of running a campaign for public office, while also looking back on his past professional life, including his baseball managing career, which had major league stops with the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox in addition to the Mets, and managing in Japan. The always engaging, opinionated and witty Valentine is now hoping to bring everything full circle, and add "Mayor Valentine" to his resume. 

Kat O'Brien was in the early stages of her sports journalism career when she was raped by a Major League Baseball player whom she had arranged to interview for a baseball feature for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The rape occurred in a Texas hotel room in 2002, but O'Brien kept the assault secret for almost 20 years, finally making public her story in a New York Times essay published in June of 2021. In the latest "Stories with Street CRed" podcast, O'Brien discusses the global response to her NYT piece, the evolution of sports media since she was part of that field, and changes that can be implemented to make the journalism workplace a safer one going forward. 

When ESPN baseball reporter Pedro Gomez died unexpectedly in February, his longtime friend and former Oakland A's beat-writing rival Steve Kettmann set out to develop a book project that would pay tribute to Gomez's life and sports media career. The result is, "Remember Who You Are," a beautiful, moving collection of 62 essays written by everyone from his two sons, Gomez's fellow baseball scribes, and numerous bold face names throughout the sport, players, managers, agents and executives alike. In the latest "Stories with Street CRed" podcast, Kettmann discusses his unique friendship with Gomez and the legacy that the husband and father of three leaves behind.  

Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal received top billing in the 1976 film classic, "The Bad News Bears," but director Michael Ritchie coaxed great performances out of the group of young unknowns who made up the majority of the rest of the cast, including Erin Blunt, who plays Bears right fielder Ahmad Abdul Rahim. Forty-five years after the movie's release, Blunt joins "Stories with Street CRed" and reflects upon his audition for the Ahmad role, working with Oscar winners Matthau and O'Neal, and why "The Bad News Bears" still resonates all these years later. 

Growing up in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Ernie Accorsi had an early, rich sports experience, when the Philadelphia Eagles held training camp there, and where the Wilt Chamberlain-led Philadelphia Warriors trained and played. Accorsi started out as a sportswriter, before being hired by the Baltimore Colts in 1970 as the public relations director, the start of Accorsi's long career in the NFL. In this latest "Stories with Street Cred" podcast, Accorsi discusses his distinguished NFL arc, his childhood memories in Hershey, and his sportswriting experiences, which included an interview with Moonlight Graham, and an exclusive scoop on Chamberlain's trade to the Lakers. Accorsi's last NFL executive post was general manager of the Giants, and perhaps his signature front office move was acquiring quarterback Eli Manning in a draft-day trade with San Diego. Manning, of course, went on to beat Tom Brady twice in the Super Bowl. 

In a career that has spanned more than 60 years, and which began in an era when film was still used by photographers, Neil Leifer has taken some of the most iconic sports images -- Muhammad Ali glowering over Sonny Liston; Ali and Joe Frazier with promoter Don King; an overhead shot at the Houston Astrodome of the 1966 Ali-Cleveland Williams fight after Williams was KO'd -- when he worked for Sports Illustrated and later Time magazine. In this latest "Stories with Street CRed" podcast, I talk with Leifer about his life and legendary career, and we discuss his latest book, "Leifer. Boxing. 60 years of Fights and Fighters," published by Taschen.