Talking Buffalo

On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Identity Ink, Patrick Moran interviews brand new ESPN.com Buffalo Bills beat reporter, Marcel Louis-Jacques on a wide variety of topics.

They talk about Louis-Jacques growing up in Sacramento a big Kings fan and discuss some of those early 2000s teams that were on the cusp of a NBA title but never got over the hump.  Marcel was a four sport athlete in high school and recalls the point he realized his path to a future in sports was through covering rather than playing them.  He chose to go to Arizona State for college and it was the start of a journey that led him to Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina and now ultimately Buffalo.

Life’s about breaks and Marcel sheds light on how the opportunities to cover Clemson athletics, Carolina Panthers and now the Bills came about.

He also has initial impressions of Buffalo, the winter weather he’s not used to but will learn to deal with it, chicken wings, Bills fans, his thoughts on social media interaction and much more. It’s an opportunity to get know the guy who’s replacing Mike Rodak in covering the Bills beat for ESPN.

You can follow Marcel on Twitter at @Marcel_LJ and of course check out his work at ESPN.com starting July 1.

After that is a movie review of “Child’s Play”, a remake/reboot of the classic 1989 film about a demonic doll that comes to life to terrorize a family. The review comes courtesy of Sean Chandler of the Sean Chandler Talks About YouTube channel.  Sean has become one of the most respected and popular movie and TV reviewers on YouTube with over 113,000 subscribers. Subscribe to his channel!

Also, you can have a change to win a FREE T-Shirt Prize Pack, sponsored by Identity Ink. Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets  and see his pinned Tweet for more details.

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On this packed episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Identity Ink, Patrick Moran interviews Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic in addition to an installment of the “Big Boyd Theory” with Jeff Boyd.

Fairburn was on the podcast a little more than a year ago and they talk about how things have changed during that time.  For starters, Fairburn was at NYUp.com at the time and not long after that podcast aired joined the newly formed Buffalo division of The Athletic.  He talks about the decision not being a particularly hard one to make with having the opportunity to remain living in Western New York at least playing a small role in the decision. He talks about the success of The Athletic Buffalo since launching and the professional and personal satisfaction he gets from covering the Buffalo Bills there.

Speaking of personal, Fairburn talks about his upcoming wedding later this week, including answering if the final days leading up have him nervous and what wedding song was chosen for their first dance.

Of course they also spend a little time talking about the Bills and Fairburn offers his analysis on their busy offseason, how the offensive line will help shape this team, the lack of leadership he’s seen from Lesean McCoy and offers a few Bills positional predictions before the season starts.

You can follow Matt on Twitter at @MatthewFairburn and of course check out The Athletic, where you can currently get a subscription for 40% off.

After that Moran is joined by Boyd for their recurring “The Big Boyd Theory” segment. Today the guys are discussing the Buffalo Sabres first few draft picks from this weekend, with Boyd giving his take on how long before fans can expect Dylan Cozens to be playing in Buffalo and if Ryan Johnson will unfairly be forced to carry a Ryan O’Reilly tag on him the same Tage Thompson does. They also discuss the Sabres roster and how much better it could possibly be because of incoming head coach Ralph Kruger, even with limited personnel changes and weigh in on if former Sabre great Alexander Mogilny should be included in this year’s Hall of Fame class.

They wrap up by talking Seinfeld because Moran is nearly three seasons into a binge of the show, never having watched it when originally on in the 90s.  Jeff talks about what made him a big fan of the show and the two pick their Mt. Rushmore’s of television shows.

You can follow Jeff on Twitter @JeffBoyd716 and listen to his work as part of the 716 Sports Podcast.

Also, you can have a change to win a FREE T-Shirt Prize Pack, sponsored by Identity Ink. Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets  and see his pinned Tweet for more details.

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran offers a break from sports talk by having an extended chat with Matthew Schuler, former finalist on The Voice that spans his life and career to this point.

Matthew was on Season five of NBC’s Emmy award winning show and his audition resulted in the fastest four judge chair turn in the history of The Voice.  It resulted in all four coaches battling for him with Schuler ultimately choosing Christina Aguilera over Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and CeeLo Green.

They go all the way back to Schuler’s humble beginnings, growing up in Pennsylvania with singing and church the dominant factors in his life.  Matthew talks about learning to sing, his mother being a super soprano and having artists like Michael Jackson influence him as a kid.  He eventually went to college determined to study the business side of things, including music. His life changed in 2013 when auditioning for The Voice.

He talks about the lengthy process it takes from first auditioning to performing in front of the judges on television, the overwhelming nerves he often had to shake off, why he chose Aguilera as his coach over the other three contenders, how much time the contestants actually spent with the coaches, the weekly schedule of being on The Voice and who was responsible for several of his song choices.

Matthew also recalls what it felt like to see his stunning performance of “Hallelujah” not only reach number-one on iTunes, but end up as a Billboard Top 40 hit.

They also discuss why Moran thinks Schuler didn’t win the show, what Matt’s been up to post-Voice before finishing by offering sound advice for aspiring singers out there hoping to chase their dreams on a show like The Voice.

You can follow Matthew on Twitter @MatthewSchuler_ and visit OfficialMatthewSchuler.com for news, bookings, contact information and more.

Also, you can have a change to win a FREE T-Shirt Prize Pack, sponsored by Identity Ink. Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets  and see his pinned Tweet for more details. 

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran interviews Jenna Callari, sports reporter and anchor at WKBW-TV Buffalo on her life and career to this point.

Callari was born and raised in Western New York (Cheektowaga) until she was 10 years old, when her family moved to Michigan.  Callari recalls the anger she and her sister felt at the time towards her parents for leaving but ultimately considers the move the best thing that ever happened to her.  She went to Michigan State for college and began pursuit of a sports broadcast journalism career.

The journey took her to Maine and Georgia before ultimately ending up back in Buffalo.  Callari discusses her previous jobs and the process that culminated in her return to Western New York, including a reveal that she still doesn’t remember applying for the WKBW job.

She also spends time talking about her WKBW colleagues Matt Bove and Joe Buscaglia, her brutally honest feelings about living in Western New York again, the “thank you” folder she keeps for hard times, her thoughts on women in sports media and feelings about social media before finishing with the traditional Mini-Lightning round, where we learn tons of fun facts about Jenna.

You can follow Jenna on Twitter at @JennaCallari and be sure to check out her work at WKBW-TV.

Immediately after the Callari interview Moran’s joined by his buddy Tone Pucks (@TonePucks) for a “Pat with Pucks” segment.  Today the guys are talking about the crazy NBA finals and big Anthony Davis trade before turning their attention to Ryan O’Reilly winning the Conn Smythe trophy for St. Louis, leading to a Mt. Rushmore of all-time terrible Buffalo sports decisions. Tone ends the segment with a take on Buffalo Sabres needing to refrain from knee jerk reactions to personnel moves coming soon.

Also, you can have a change to win a FREE T-Shirt Prize Pack, sponsored by Identity Ink. Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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On today’s episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran has a fun chat with WROC-TV in Rochester sports director Thad Brown spanning his life and career.

They go all the way back to Brown’s beginnings in Rochester, growing up an admitted stat nerd and a fan of the most unlikely combination of sports teams you’ll ever hear.  Brown played football and lacrosse in high school before coming to grips that his path to professional sports would be covering rather than playing them.

He went to Hofstra for college, ultimately got his job at WROC in the late 90’s and never looked back.  The two discuss several sports media topics, including the mostly tight knit relationship a lot of the Western New York contingent of Buffalo Bills media enjoys, the competition among each other that’s fun but doesn’t cross the line, the biggest pros and cons of being a sports reporter, what being a sports director means to him and his take on social media, particularly Twitter.

They also spend time talking about the Buffalo Bills as Brown elaborates on why he thinks Lesean McCoy still has one more big season left in him in Buffalo.  He also has a take on Josh Allen working hard to become the leader of the team, offers a bold prediction that someone projected to be a starter won’t be in Week one, and reveals his realistic expectation of what it will take from the Bills to keep fans and ownership happy.

As is traditional on this podcast, they end with Moran’s “Mini Lightning Round” and we learn among other things what Brown’s go-to karaoke song would be, what game should he would dominate, his favorite city to visit, his first celebrity crush and three guys he’d most love to share a beer and meal with.

You can follow Thad on Twitter at @ThadBrown7 and check out some of his work at RochesterFirst.com.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran chats with WGRZ-TV Buffalo “Daybreak” co-anchor and reporter Melissa Holmes on a wide variety of topics.

Born and raised in Western New York, Holmes talks about growing up in Amherst and being into musicals and dancing as a child, once dreaming of becoming a Rockette before coming to the realization she’d grow to be too tall.  From there she remembers the exact moment where she decided that she could see herself becoming a news journalist and hits on many of the steps that she took to get there.

They also talk about the unorthodox sleep (or lack thereof) schedule Holmes became accustomed to with being on the air so early as well as the favorite part of her job.  Melissa reveals the emotional connection that comes with getting to know some of the people she does stories on and how it can be difficult but also help put her own life into perspective.

Melissa also shares stories of how her and her husband, Buffalo News sports reporter Jay Skurski first met and  their son Elliott’s impressive golf swing before finishing with the traditional mini-lightning round, where we learn among other things her first celebrity crush, most re-watched movie, favorite city to visit, what TV game show she could dominate and much more.

You can follow Melissa on Twitter @2MelissaHolmes, be sure to check out some of her work at WGRZ.com and of course, tune into Channel 2 weekday mornings from 4:30-7:00am for Daybreak.

Immediately following that interview, Moran is joined by Jeff Boyd (@JeffBoyd716) for the debut of a new recurring segment called “The Big Boyd Theory.”  Jeff is one of the guys from the 716 Sports Podcast crew as well as a play by play announcer for several teams and will bring takes on several sports topics to the segment, particularly hockey.  Today Moran introduces Boyd to his audience and spend a few minutes getting to know him before gaging Boyd’s reaction to the Buffalo Sabres re-signing Jeff Skinner to a whopping nine-year, $81 million deal a couple of days ago.  We get Jeff’s personal perspective on if the Sabres did the right thing while examining how the deal is being perceived around the league.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast presented by Pulse Celluar, Patrick Moran is joined by Zach Sheldon AKA Maniac from Trainwreck Sports as they chat about a ton of topics.

It’s Maniac’s second-ever appearance on the podcast and the two discuss the growing success of Trainwreck Sports and Maniac’s growing comfort with being behind a camera with a microphone.

After landing former Buffalo Sabre Brian Gionta’s in studio for a recent Trainwreck Tonight, Moran asks Maniac to power rank his top five guests ever on their show and his answer, as you’d expect is wildly entertaining.

They also talk New York Yankees baseball, Mike Rodak leaving his Buffalo Bills reporter post at ESPN after six years and Maniac being faced with a difficult decision over if he would trade the Buffalo Sabres, Bisons and Bandits for just one franchise.

Sean McDermott, Rachel Bush, La’Adrian (and Shelby) Waddle are also topics before finishing up frustrated over the state of WWE as Moran charges Maniac with making the product better.

You can follow Maniac on Twitter at @ZachSheldon and be sure to check out Trainwreck Sports for all their content.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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On this brand new episode of the Moran-Altyics Podcast presented by Pulse Cellular, Patrick Moran returns from a one week break to interview WKBW-TV sports anchor and imminent sports director Matt Bove on a variety of topics.

This is Bove’s second time doing the podcast, having first appeared back in late September of last year.  Today they spend time talking about Bove’s pending promotion, his friendships with colleague Joe Buscaglia and Paul Hamilton,  Buffalo Bills and Sabres talk, thoughts on Roger Goodell’s comments while in Western New York on Monday and plenty more.

Follow Matthew on Twitter @Matt_Bove and check out his work at WKBW.com.

After the chat with Bove the podcast turns to a movie review of Rocketman, the new Elton John biopic.  It comes courtesy of Sean Chandler from the Sean Chandler Talks About YouTube channel.  Be one of more than 110k strong that subscribe to Sean’s channel on Youtube, which provides informative, entertaining and insightful content on movies and television shows on a near daily basis.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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This is a special “Best of” episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Volume Two.  Podcast host Patrick Moran is in the process of moving so in lieu of new episodes on Tuesday and Friday of this week we’re presenting full length replays of some of his favorite interviews over the first 122 episodes.

Today we’re re-airing not one but two interviews that rank among not only Moran’s favorites but also the most important to date.  First up is an interview with arguably the best known NFL insider in the world, ESPN’s Adam Schefter from back on Episode No. 23 last May.  We learn of Schefter’s entire life story and journey and how a series of “no’s” would ultimately lead him to becoming one of the biggest names and brands in all of sports media.

After that is Moran’s interview with the all-time king of sports agents, Leigh Steinberg.  That interview took place on Episode No. 52 last September. Steinberg, the real-life inspiration for the Hollywood blockbuster Jerry McGuire tells his life story, including how he became a sports agent in the first place.

Both interviews with these legends of the sports world are presented in their entirety.

We’ll be back with brand new episodes of the Moran-Alytics Podcast starting next Tuesday.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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This is a special “Best of” episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Volume One.  Podcast host Patrick Moran is in the process of moving so in lieu of new episodes on Tuesday and Friday of this week we’re presenting full length replays of some of his favorite interviews over the first 122 episodes.

Today we’re re-airing not one but two interviews with the late Ezra Castro, AKA Pancho Billa, a two-time featured guest of the podcast.  The first interview from Episode No. 43 first aired on August 3, 2018 and the second, from Episode No. 63 aired on October 19, 2018.

Hearing Pancho tell stories about growing up, becoming a Buffalo Bills fan, his life and how he approached fighting cancer with support from family, friends and fans will stand the test of time.  He was a man filled with love, honor and integrity and while  no longer physically here, his indomitable spirit will live on.

Give these Moran-Alytics Podcast vintage interviews a listen and re-live Castro’s life, in his own words.

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets 

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