The Speech Guys

(Most of) the Speech Guys take a break this episode. They lend their platform to Biking for Babies--a mission-oriented bicycled ride that Mike Schaefer and Jimmy Becker started with John Paul Deddens as students at the University of Illinois in 2009.

Sarah Wiese, Biking for Babies' Director of Operations & Marketing, and support crew extraordinaire and Alabama-native interviews them on their memories of the early years, what inspired them to take on the project, and what's affected them along the way.

Learn more at https://www.bikingforbabies.com/.

Sign up for the Alumni Retreat & Reunion-Ride here: https://bikingforbabies-forms.formstack.com/forms/2025_alumni_ride

Sister Blandina Segale (1850 - 1941) was a missionary Sister of Charity who built the first school district in Colorado, served such legends of the West as Billy the Kid (really!), Native Americans, and the Hispanic population of the Southwest.

The Speech Guys read and discuss one of many letters she wrote to her sister, Sister Justina (yep... a real life sister Sister act!), describing the adventures her vocation took her own. This and others are available in the book, "At the End of the Santa Fe Trail".

Thumbnail source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254030/wild-west-nun-sister-blandina-is-focus-of-planned-tv-series-trinidad

It's Landon and Mike discussing Jesus' entry onto the Christianity scene when he reads the prophet Isaiah, as described in Luke 4, and portrayed by Jonathon Roumie in season 3, episode 3 of The Chosen.

Audio from this clip comes from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyHp0TovnUQ&t=560s

Thumbnail comes from here: https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-chosen-angel-studios-ruling-dallas-jenkins-neal-harmon-1236020555/

The Speech Guys went camping one week earlier. I guess that's why Mike is a little tired.

Thumbnail image comes from https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2017/article/history-of-child-labor-in-the-united-states-part-1.htm.

In the 1970s, Steve Prefontaine lit a fire under the bellies of runners that has never gone out through his American distance track records--largely formed by the coaching and spiritual ethos of University of Oregon cross country and track coach and Nike co-founder, Bill Bowerman. The Speech Guys consider Bill's insights through two speeches, as portrayed in the 1998 film, "Without Limits".

A link explaining Alberto Salazar's ban from coaching: www.espn.com/olympics/trackandf…-arbitration-sport.

John Zegar introduces the podcast episode. Matt, Mike, Landon, and Ross discuss the 2014 speech from the University of Texas-Austin commencement ceremony presented by Admiral McRaven. Thumbnail image comes from laviolettefoundation.org/news/2022/11…ovember-30th.

It's the final episode of the fourth season of the SGs and they discuss the dialogues performed by John Steinbeck's characters from the 1952 novel, "East of Eden", along with the Genesis story of Cain and Abel that informs them.

Primary content comes from chapters 22 and 24 of the book.

This episode is rated PG-13 for a "graphic" clip from the film Calvary (2014) which contains one bleeped out instance of f**k, gun violence, and reference to clerical sexual abuse. The clip is approximately four minutes and begins at approximately the 50 minute mark.

Landon, Ross, Matt, and Mike discuss Father Mike's 2019 SEEK Conference talk entitled "Share" and how his recognition of his own indifference challenges us to rise above our own.

The thumbnail comes from bulldogcatholic.org/about-contact-u…r-mike-schmitz/.

The speech audio comes from youtu.be/9CF7GpW8rNQ?si=u6czK3DWt0J3Wyee.

Doug Johnson introduces the cast and recalls, with Ross, the (micro)speech he gave to his son before his first football game in the twilight of the 20th century in Springfield, Illinois. Ross and Doug might not remember if he scored, but they remember the speech. And now, you will too.

Thumbnail image comes from www.pinterest.com/pin/father-son-p…604192944860833/.

Landon, Mike, Ross, and Matt close out the "Speeches That Got Someone Killed" quad. Some political candidates might be a threat to America's democracy, but this episode isn't--unless you think a Speech Guys oligarchy could make American great again.

Full text of speeches discussed can be accessed here:

alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution…ary-terror-1794/

AND here:

alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution…tue-terror-1794/

Our country's national debt was discussed. Review current value here: fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-fina…ational-debt/

The episode thumbnail comes from here: www.historyskills.com/classroom/year…ution-reading/