The Golden Ruhl – April 2, 2024

As the voice of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, Neal Ruhl had a front row seat for one of the best stories to come out of March Madness. He tells Marc and ML what it was like to travel with Cinderella while Cinder-Fella Shawn waits to zoom in.

STRAIGHT DOPE

Last week, we had the Beauty: Reporter extraordinaire Erika Erickson. This week, we were expecting the Beast … but Shawn cheated us. Again!

They call him the Golden Ruhl. Or at least ML thinks they should. Either way, play-by-play man Neal Ruhl was at the center of the college basketball world when the Oakland Golden Grizzlies upset the legendary Kentucky Wildcats and coach John Calipari in March Madness. Neal takes us behind the scenes on what it was like for that wild ride.

Marc asks Neal whether he believed Oakland could beat mighty Kentucky. Listen and learn which one of these broadcast veterans made the right call.

Neal wears a lot of hats. In addition to his work for Oakland University, he calls games for Detroit City Football Club and hosts a show on Woodward Sports with former Detroit Red Wing Darren McCarty. Catch their show Big D Energy here.

Oakland coach Greg Kampe was a man in demand after his team pulled off an epic upset. Neal tells us how Kamp juggled all of the requests for his time – and prepared his team for N.C. State, a team they took to overtime. No other team in the tourney has played N.C. State so tough. The Wolfpack just beat Duke to advance to the Final Four.

Jack Gohlke went from nobody to overnight sensation by drilling 3-pointers for Oakland University. So when the NIL offers came pouring in, he didn’t have professional help to deal with them. Instead, he turned to some unlikely advisers. Neal tells us all about it.

Al Michaels became a broadcasting legend after his “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” call at the 1980 Olympics when the U.S. men’s hockey team beat the Soviets. ML asks Neal how he prepared for the biggest moment of his broadcasting career.

Oakland’s season is done, but Neal never stops. He’s calling Detroit City Football Club games. He tells us where to watch DCFC for free and on cable.

For once, Shawn is not packing his bag to watch one of our local sports teams. So ML and Marc ask him where he’s headed next. Shawn says Vegas, but will he tell us what he expects to happen in Vegas?

Shawn asks who is the biggest star still playing college basketball during March Madness. His answer will surprise anyone … anyone who doesn’t know Shawn, that is.

Shawn doesn’t like the word “bum” — especially when it applies to the Detroit Pistons’ draft options. Find out why,

Marc asks Shawn to weigh in on ML’s response to a troll who dragged ML into an X battle after Marc’s Michigan Wolverines defeated ML’s Michigan State Spartans in the NCAA college hockey tournament. Shawn says ML was “factually correct,” but then sides with the forces of evil in the never-ending effort to take a good man down!

ML asks a pertinent question: Who is the little brother – the one who lets his accomplishments speak for themselves, or the one who has to tell everyone “Look at what I did, Daddy?” whenever something goes his way.

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