Showing results by narrator "Ron Barr" in All Categories

Michael Lewis talks about his books Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game and Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life. Moneyball looks at A's General Manager Billy Beane and the strategies he uses to compete in MLB as a small market team GM. Coach is a book talking about Lewis' high school baseball coach and the lessons that he learned from him.

Ben Braun, 37-year college basketball coach of the University of California, Rice, and Eastern Michigan, talks in depth about the recent outbreaks of college basketball scandals being investigated by the FBI involving corruption and bribery. Braun talks about how the corruption has shifted from point shaving and gambling to bribery and taking advantage of players and their families.

David West, a power forward who played 15 years in the NBA with the Warriors, Spurs, Pacers and the Hornets/Pelicans, and won an NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors, talks about his influential coach, playing college ball for Xavier, and the two instrumental coaches he’s played for in the NBA, Gregg Popovich of the Spurs and Steve Kerr of the Warriors. West touches on how he uses basketball as a medium to reach and influence young people.

Jerome Williams, former NBA forward who played for Detroit, Toronto, Chicago, and the New York Knicks talks about the importance of academics for kids in sports, and the weight that was placed on basketball as a kid growing up in the Washington D.C. area. Williams talks about starting his college basketball career at Georgetown, what it was like to play at Madison Square Garden, and touches on the Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons rivalry.

All-Pro linebacker Otis Wilson of the Chicago Bears talks about his 9 NFL seasons, 8 with the Chicago Bears, and the successes - and pranks - of the famous 1985 Super Bowl-winning Bears team, including the filming of the "Super Bowl Shuffle". Wilson is the author of the autobiography If These Walls Could Talk: Chicago Bears.

David Vobora, a former NFL linebacker who played four seasons with the Rams and Seahawks, talks about drawing motivation from being the last pick of the 2008 draft and forming the Adaptive Training Foundation for physically impaired athletes and veterans. Vobora discusses how he overcame his struggles with opioid addiction and found a new purpose after the NFL helping others restore their confidence and find hope.

Buz McKim, NASCAR Hall of Fame historian, NASCAR sign painter, and author, talks about growing up in racing culture and how he ended up designing the paint jobs of two Daytona 500 winners. McKim explains the process of finding interesting pieces for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and some of the exhibits he’s worked on.

Erik Malinowski, author of the insightful book about how the Golden State Warriors utilize technology and analytics in basketball, Betaball: How Silicon Valley and Science Built One of the Greatest Basketball Teams in History, talks about what it takes to compete in the modern NBA.

Morten Andersen, a Pro Football Hall of Fame placekicker, played for 25 seasons with the Saints, Falcons, Giants, Chiefs, and Vikings. He talks about what it takes to be a great athlete over a long period of time. Andersen, who was born in Denmark, tells how he had never kicked a football until age 17 when he came to America as an exchange student and how it felt to hear he was being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In this episode of Sports Byline, Ron Barr talks to the directors of the film Battle of the Sexes, a film based on the historic tennis match of 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, starring Steve Carell and Emma Stone. Directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton discuss the technical difficulties of making a great sports movie and the lesser known backstories of King and Riggs.

Carli Lloyd is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the United States women’s national soccer team. She was awarded the 2015 and 2016 FIFA Player of the Year awards and played in three FIFA women’s World Cups for the United States. She discusses her start in soccer; her book, When Nobody was Watching: My Hard-fought Journey to the Top of the Soccer World; and her career.

Eric Lindros played 13 seasons in the NHL, where he was a Hart Memorial Trophy winner and a seven-time all-star. Lindros is a member of the 2016 Hockey Hall of Fame class, and his #88 jersey is retired by the Philadelphia Flyers. Lindros discusses his NHL career and how the game style is different today.

Curt Menefee is the host of FOX NFL Sunday. He began calling NFL games in the late '90s and before that hosted a show on Texas Sports Radio. Menefee also offered commentary for boxing and MMA. He discusses his broadcast journey and his book, Losing Isn't Everything: The Untold Stories and Hidden Lessons Behind the Toughest Losses in Sports History.

2005 NFL MVP Shaun Alexander played nine years in the NFL including eight with the Seahawks. He set the single-season NFL rushing record with 27 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times in his career and was named to the 2000s All-Decade Team. In this interview, he discusses his upbringing in Florence, Kentucky, his college career at Alabama, and his pro career in Seattle.

Armen Keteyian is an 11-time Emmy Award winning journalist and is a correspondent on 60 Minutes. Keteyian worked for CBS Sports as a NFL sideline reporter, as a featured correspondent for HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, and with ABC News. Here, he discusses how he got his start in sports journalism, his transition from writing to TV, and his book, Money Players: Days and Nights Inside the New NBA.

Mike Freeman is an NFL writer who has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and many more. Freeman currently writes for Bleacher Report and has written multiple books, including biographies of Bobby Bowden and Jim Brown. In this Sports Byline interview, he discusses his book Snake: The Legendary Life of Ken Stabler and how the NFL has changed over the years.

Tommy Heinsohn is Boston Celtics’ royalty as a player, coach, and broadcaster. He has the distinction of being part of all 17 of the Celtics’ championships, including eight as a player and two as a coach. He’s a member of the NBA Hall of Fame, and his #15 jersey is retired. He does color commentary for the Celtics TV coverage. He discusses his college career, NBA draft changes, and his career as a coach, player,and commentator.

WNBA President Lisa Borders is a former vice president of global community affairs at The Coca-Cola Company and was president of the Atlanta City Council. In this Sports Byline, she discusses how the WNBA operates as a business and her experiences in the game.

Mark Price is a 12-year NBA veteran, most noted for his shooting. A member of the Cleveland Cavaliers for nine years, he was a four-time All-Star and two-time 3 Point Shootout Challenge winner. His #25 jersey is retired by both the Cavs and Georgia Tech, his alma mater. Price discusses how the recruiting process has evolved over the years and how style of play has changed the game.

Author Erica Westly’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Slate, the New Republic and many more. She wrote Fastpitch: The Untold History of Softball and Women Who Made the Game, which was a finalist for the 2017 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports. She discusses the rise of women’s softball and the key figures that elevated the game.