Sports Connections with David Smale

Episode 124: Matt DiBenedetto - Racing for a Higher Calling

The NASCAR season is now complete, but “Silly Season” is well underway. Matt DiBenedetto just completed a two-year contract driving the iconic No. 21 for Wood Brothers Racing, and he’s looking for a new team. He wants a team with a similar “family” approach as the Wood Brothers. He joins us to talk about how the racing community is one big family. They might “duke it out” going 190 miles per hour on the track, but that doesn’t keep them from caring deeply about each other off the track.

Episode 123: Ron Polk - A Coach‘s Coach

College baseball has no better champion than College Baseball Hall of Fame coach Ron Polk. The “Father of Southeastern Conference Baseball” compiled a 1373-702-2 record, making him the ninth winningest baseball coach in Division I history. He has fought for the cause of more scholarships in college baseball for years, and he has no plans to quit now. Join us to hear what makes Ron Polk the legend that he is.

Episode 122: Dennis Dodd - Insider’s View

Dennis Dodd has been covering college sports for more than 40 years. He was there back in the “good ol’ days” when the only thing that mattered was who defeated whom. He was there for the original conference realignment 10 years ago, and he was there for the recent shakeups. And knowing Dennis for most of those 40 years, I can guarantee that he’ll be there for the next round of changes. He joins us today to talk about what’s happened and what he expects to happen next.

Episode 121: Jacie Hoyt - Rising Star

Jacie Hoyt learned how to win at an early age, as her mother is one of the all-time winningest basketball coaches in Kansas high school history. Jacie played for her mom, then played at Wichita State. She now heads the women’s basketball program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she took the team to its first ever conference regular-season title in 2019-20. She just signed a contract extension, so Kansas City will be her home for many more years. She joins us to talk about where she sees her program going in the coming years.

Episode 120: Danny Duffy - Forever One of Ours

Danny Duffy will forever be a part of Kansas City Royals lore with his contributions to the 2014 American League champions and 2015 World Series champions. The Southern California native became a Kansas Citian, to the point where, when rumors swirled that he might be traded one off-season, said, “Bury me a Royal.” He stayed with the franchise several more years before finally being traded at the 2021 trade deadline. But wherever his career takes him from here, he says that Kansas City will always hold a special place in his heart. The feeling is mutual.

Episode 119: Paul and Chase Coffman - Fondness for Football and Family

Chase Coffman grew up with a famous father, as his dad was a former pro football player who eventually became a member of the Packers Hall of Fame. Paul never forced Chase or his brothers to pursue football, but he was there for guidance and inspiration as they all chose to do so. Chase became a three-time all-state performer and consensus All-American as a senior at Missouri. They both played tight end in college and in the pros, but the similarities don’t stop there. They both have a fondness for each other that comes through loud and clear as they join Sports Connections.

Episode 118: Mike Matheny - A Softening of the Heart

There’s no question that Mike Matheny hit the ground running as a Major League Baseball manager. With no managerial experience, Matheny led the St. Louis Cardinals to the postseason in each of his first four seasons at the helm, including three straight National League Central titles. But after starting the 2018 season at 47-46—he never had a losing season in seven seasons—he was fired. Much of the criticism was his handling of the clubhouse culture and lack of acceptance of analytics. But two seasons into his Royals tenure, Matheny has fully embraced the role of analytics in the game, and his players love him. He joins us to talk about how he’s changed.

Episode 117: Rob Lofthouse - Paying Tribute to a Real-Life Hero

The term “hero” is thrown around so loosely. Anyone who can throw a ball, run fast or jump high is called a hero. But how do you define a real hero in this sports-crazed world? How about someone who volunteers to join the military before graduating from high school, knowing that combat is almost guaranteed? How about someone who leads men many years his senior into said battles, many times putting himself in harm’s way? How about someone who spends more than 20 years in service to his country and becomes one of the most-decorated soldiers in American Army history? Today, we’ll find out about one such hero from author Rob Lofthouse, who wrote a book about a man who fit all those descriptions.

Episode 116: Dick Vermeil - Heading to the Hall of Fame

Dick Vermeil said he always hoped his career was good enough to be considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he didn’t know if it would happen. So when he got a call this fall telling him that he had been selected by the coaches committee, he was taken back. He believes there are several other coaches who belong in the Hall before him, but he’ll gladly accept the honor once the whole committee votes him in—a foregone conclusion. He was one of the most entertaining coaches in NFL history and his team always entertained. You’ll be entertained by our conversation.

Episode 115: Billy Mauldin - Finding the Silver Lining in a Sky Filled With Clouds

They say that baseball is a game of failure, where even the best fail seven out of 10 times. How about a sport where only one of 40 competitors is successful? Welcome to the world of auto racing, specifically NASCAR. The public persona of a race car driver is a tough, self-sufficient dude, focused only on winning the next weekend’s race. But that’s not necessarily true. Drivers, crew members, team owners and everyone involved in the sport have lives away from the track, including family issues and questions about their own mortality like every other human being. Billy Mauldin leads Motor Racing Outreach, an organization solely intent on helping those people cope with the pressures of life in sports’ most-difficult arena for achieving success.