Coach Tim Neiman welcomes Kevin Burrell to Straight Lines — brought to you by Bluebook Sports, the game's trusted directory since 1909, connecting businesses directly with players, parents, and coaches. Download the app today.

Kevin was a first-round pick of the Boston Red Sox out of high school in 1981, spending eleven seasons in professional baseball before transitioning into scouting in 1992 — a career that's now spanned nearly four decades and included a hand in signing talents like Gordon Beckham and Justin Green. He reflects on what he didn't understand as an eighteen-year-old pro — the demands of managing his own time — and how baseball taught him patience and how to endure failure as a path to progress, not perfection. Kevin shares his simple framework for evaluating players and people, "F.A.T." — faithful, available, teachable — and speaks candidly about two of the hardest leadership lessons to learn with age: saying no to good things to make room for the best things, and truly listening to understand rather than just to respond. He closes with a powerful reflection on legacy, sharing that his deepest hope isn't to be remembered as a great scout, but as someone who cared more about the people he coached and scouted — their character and their soul — than their stats.

A must-listen for young players learning to manage the demands of pro ball, coaches and scouts evaluating character over talent, and anyone thinking seriously about the legacy they want to leave behind.

On this episode of Straight Lines Eastern Pennsylvania, presented by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, host Tim Neiman welcomes Chad Bruckner — Army combat veteran, fifteen-year police officer currently serving at Lehigh University, author, screenwriter, and filmmaker.

Chad traces his path from a childhood shaped by financial instability and a drive to care for others, to enlisting in the Army at seventeen, to leading an infantry squad in Iraq at just twenty-four — an experience he says exposed and amplified everything about his values, work ethic, and character. He opens up about the emotional weight of watching 9/11 unfold from his barracks in Fort Lewis and how it reignited his commitment to serve, ultimately shaping his transition into law enforcement. Chad speaks candidly about the politicization of policing today, the importance of listening to understand rather than simply responding, and the staggering fact that less than one percent of Americans work across police, fire, EMS, and corrections combined to keep society running. He closes with practical advice for anyone looking to break into law enforcement or criminal justice: there's no single pipeline, so be your own advocate, find a mentor, and put yourself in front of real people rather than waiting on an email.

A must-listen for veterans navigating a transition into civilian service careers, young people considering law enforcement or criminal justice, and anyone who wants a first-person account of what it really takes to serve, in and out of uniform.

Coach Tim Neiman welcomes former big leaguer Erik Kratz to Straight Lines — brought to you by Bluebook Sports, the game's trusted directory since 1909, connecting businesses directly with players, parents, and coaches. Download the app today.

A Christopher Dock High School and Eastern Mennonite University product, Erik didn't reach the majors until age 30 after grinding through the minors for a decade, ultimately suiting up for ten different big league organizations across an eleven-year MLB career that included a 2014 All-Star nod and a World Series run with the Royals. He opens up about the faith and partnership with his wife that carried him through years of uncertainty, the toll constant relocation took on his family — including the surreal night he learned mid-shower he'd been traded from the Blue Jays to Kansas City with just hours to pack up his household — and why family stability, not talent, ultimately ended his playing career.

Erik also shares behind-the-scenes stories from the clubhouse, including watching a struggling Christian Yelich turn in one of the greatest second-half stretches he's ever seen, and makes the case for chronically underrated catcher Carlos Ruiz, who caught three no-hitters and a perfect game without ever making an All-Star team. He closes with a powerful message on patience for young players chasing instant results: every day is one step forward, even when it doesn't feel like it.

A must-listen for players and parents navigating the grind of player development, anyone who's faced a sudden career upheaval, and fans who want the real story behind a decade-plus of bouncing between big league clubhouses.

On this episode of Straight Lines Eastern Pennsylvania, presented by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, host Tim Neiman sits down with veteran sports journalist Tom Housenick, senior writer for The Morning Call covering the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Phillies prospects, and regional high school sports for nearly two decades. Tom traces his own anything-but-straight path — a false start as a pre-pharmacy major, a switch to communications, and a career built almost entirely on being in the right place at the right time rather than chasing opportunities. He shares a formative childhood memory of inventing homemade dice-and-cards baseball games with a neighbor, a chance meeting as a teenager with a Lakers beat writer that shaped his approach to journalism, and the hard lesson of finding his own voice instead of imitating other writers' styles.

Tom opens up about his unlikely rise to sports editor, how his wife Mandy finally pushed him to speak up for himself at The Morning Call — leading to his current beat covering IronPigs and Phillies prospects — and shares behind-the-scenes stories of watching young players like Mark Appel and Andrew Painter navigate the mental grind of professional baseball with maturity and professionalism, win or lose.

A must-listen for aspiring journalists learning to find their authentic voice, baseball fans curious what really goes on behind the scenes with prospects, and anyone who's ever needed a reminder that the best opportunities rarely arrive on a straight path.

Coach Tim Neiman welcomes Brian Sackinsky to Straight Lines — brought to you by Bluebook Sports, the game's trusted directory since 1909, connecting businesses directly with players, parents, and coaches. Download the app today.

Brian's path is anything but a straight line: a standout pitcher at Stanford under the legendary Mark Marquess, a second-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles who pitched in the big leagues, and later a sales and marketing executive at Nike, Foot Locker, Mizuno, and U.S. Sports Camps. He opens up about the lowest point of his playing career — a brutally honest phone call with his father after a demotion to rookie ball — and how redefining success on his own terms turned everything around. Brian shares hard-won lessons on resilience, short-term memory, and treating mistakes as part of the process, both on the mound and in the boardroom. He also talks about his newest venture, Pulse Check, a parent-coaching platform he built with his daughter to help sports parents navigate pressure, identity, and the car ride home.

A wide-ranging conversation on leadership, reinvention, and what it really means to build trust — with your team, your customers, and your kids.

Host Coach Tim Neiman welcomes Matt Provence — Chief Operating Officer of the Lehigh Valley Zoo, former voice of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs for twelve seasons, and one of the most recognizable personalities in Lehigh Valley sports — to this episode of Straight Lines Eastern Pennsylvania, brought to you by Bluebook Sports and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce — visit lehighvalleychamber.org to discover the power of connection and community on every main street.

Matt's story is one of the most unexpected and entertaining career pivots the show has ever featured — from dreaming of a Major League broadcasting chair, to calling games at spring training with the Phillies, to chasing a startup football league all the way to San Diego, to stumbling across a zoo COO job posting on Indeed and never looking back. He and Coach Neiman dig into what running a world-class zoo actually looks like behind the scenes — the Lunar Light Spectacular, the daily operational chaos, the septic systems, the ladders, and the hammers — and why Matt's two non-negotiable hiring standards are loyalty and work ethic, full stop, degree or no degree.

Matt also shares the broadcasting memory that made him realize he was good enough, why the Iron Pigs taught him everything he knows about entertaining families, and what he hopes people say about the mark he left when his time at the zoo is done. His straight lines definition — stay focused on the most important ball you're juggling, tackle what you keep putting off, and stack good days one at a time — is as practical and grounded as it gets.

A must-listen for leaders, career changers, and anyone in the Lehigh Valley who has ever wondered what goes on behind the gates at lbzoo.org.

Coach Tim Neiman sits down with Mike Sarbaugh, a true baseball lifer with 40 years in the professional game. A former All-Southland Conference shortstop at Lamar University, Sarbaugh spent six seasons in Cleveland's minor league system before becoming one of the winningest managers in the organization's history — five league championships, seven playoff appearances in nine seasons, and back-to-back Manager of the Year honors. From there he moved into the big leagues, coaching first base, then third base and infield for a decade with the Indians/Guardians, stepping in as bench coach during Terry Francona's health absence, and later coaching third for the New York Mets. Today he's the minor league infield coordinator for the San Francisco Giants.

Mike opens up about the leadership lessons that carried him from the dugout to the front office: staying consistent no matter the score, checking in on the guy who had a rough night instead of the one riding high, and teaching young players to walk in with a plan instead of getting swallowed by clubhouse distractions. He shares two pivotal conversations from his own playing days — one from a coach, one from a pitching coach — that changed his mindset and, ultimately, his career. Plus a fun rapid-fire round covering the best and worst ballparks he's coached in, rowdiest fans, and unforgettable moments like Rajai Davis's Game 7 home run and Pete Alonso's walk-off blast.

A must-listen for anyone chasing longevity in a tough business, coaches looking to sharpen how they communicate with their teams, and baseball fans who want the inside story from a guy who's seen it all — from A-ball to the World Series.

Host Coach Tim Neiman welcomes his friend and chiropractor Dr. Kurt Schichtl, co-owner of First Choice Chiropractic and Neurology in the Lehigh Valley, to this episode of Straight Lines Eastern Pennsylvania, brought to you by Bluebook Sports and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce — visit lehighvalleychamber.org to discover the power of connection and community on every main street.

Dr. Schichtl and his wife Dr. Karen Carpenter built one of the region's most trusted chiropractic practices from the ground up, and he joins Coach Neiman for a candid and eye-opening conversation about what chiropractic care actually is, what it isn't, and why so many people are missing out on one of the most effective tools for long-term health and performance. He breaks down the biggest misconceptions — from the myth that once you start you can never stop, to the unfounded fears about neck adjustments — and explains how adding a neurological certification opened doors to helping patients no other chiropractor in the region could reach.

Dr. Schichtl also shares the business lessons that took the longest to learn, why communication is the skill that separates good practices from great ones, and why the best piece of advice he ever received came not from a colleague or a textbook, but from his father on a broken foot the night before his senior basketball season. He closes with a straight lines definition built around big dreams, daily disciplines, accountability, and the one thing that supersedes all of it — faith.

A must-listen for anyone in the Lehigh Valley curious about chiropractic care, and for any leader who believes the path to success is built one disciplined day at a time.

Host Coach Tim Neiman welcomes Brian Barren, President of Business Operations for the Cleveland Guardians, to this exceptional episode of Straight Lines, brought to you by Bluebook Sports — download the Bluebook Sports app today on Apple or Google Play to connect directly with players, parents, and coaches.

Brian's path to one of the most respected front offices in Major League Baseball runs through Princeton football, an Army ROTC scholarship, a tour as a U.S. Army tank commander, and twenty-four years at Procter & Gamble — where he eventually helped broker one of the most unusual knowledge-sharing partnerships in sports business history between P&G and the Cleveland organization. He and Coach Neiman dig into the three leadership principles that translate from corporate America to the baseball world: embracing constant change, figuring out a way forward under any resource constraint, and always betting on people. Brian also breaks down his framework for the three types of people inside every organization — the leaders who make things happen, the followers who execute with excellence, and the laggards who pitch tents and chirp from the sidelines — and why identifying and removing toxic people is one of the most important things any leader can do.

Brian shares what it was really like to navigate a franchise name change, a ballpark renovation, and sustained on-field success all at once, and closes with one of the sharpest straight lines definitions the show has heard — built around the hard ninety, touching the line when no one is looking, and doing the right things the right way, all the time.

A must-listen for coaches, business leaders, and anyone who believes that winning culture is built in the moments nobody sees.

Host Coach Tim Neiman welcomes Lina Barbieri, Vice President of Communications and Chief Philanthropy Officer at Miller Keystone Blood Center, to this life-affirming episode of Straight Lines Eastern Pennsylvania, brought to you by Bluebook Sports and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce — visit lehighvalleychamber.org to discover the power of connection and community on every main street.

Miller Keystone is the only community blood center serving the region — supplying over 100,000 blood products annually to hospitals across 21 counties in Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey — and Lina is one of its most passionate storytellers. She shares the deeply personal journey that brought her to Miller Keystone, including watching her father receive life-saving blood transfusions during his final years, and why that experience confirmed what she already knew: that blood donation is one of the most direct and powerful ways a person can impact the life of someone they will never meet.

Lina and Coach Neiman also dig into what it takes to sustain a half-century-old brand built entirely on community trust, how Miller Keystone is working to bring younger donors into the fold, and why walking out with that blue band around your arm carries more street cred than most people realize. Lina closes with a challenge to every listener: visit giveapint.org, learn what you need to do to prepare, and make your appointment today.

A must-listen for anyone in Eastern Pennsylvania who wants to do something meaningful — and discovers it only takes about an hour.