Sports Connections with David Smale

Episode 114: Michael McDowell - Overnight Sensation…After All These Years

Michael McDowell is a 20-year veteran race-car driver who has been competing in some aspect of racing for 33 of his 36 years on Earth. But he pushed himself to the top of racing with his career at the 2021 Daytona 500, the Super Bowl of racing. He became the eighth driver in NASCAR history to win his first race at the circuit’s biggest race. But that win didn’t change him. He joins us to talk about what keeps him focused and humble as he seeks to build on that career-changing victory.

Episode 113: Steve DeBerg - Fun-Loving Quarterback

Steve DeBerg spent more than 20 years around professional football. Not bad for an undrafted free agent who didn’t think he would ever play in the NFL. He laid the groundwork for three future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, always with an Alfred E. Newman “What, Me Worry?” approach. He joins us to talk about some of his favorite memories with the eight different teams he played for, including shattering his finger in a game and coming back to play later in the game.

Episode 112: Frank White - Native Son

Frank White grew up in the shadows of Kansas City’s old Municipal Stadium, the original home of the Royals. An outstanding athlete at KC’s Lincoln Prep, he was on the construction crew of the Royals’ new stadium in the Truman Sports Complex. He also was an integral part of the growth of the Royals from an expansion team in 1969 to World Series champions in 1985. He is one of 180 Major League Baseball players to spend at least 10 years in the game and play for just one club, as he spent his entire 18-year career with the Royals.

Episode 111: Dick Kaegel - Lifelong Love of the Game

Dick Kaegel began his career as a sportswriter while he was still a senior in high school in Belleville, Ill. After getting his degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, he worked at three different newspapers, covering his first World Series in 1964. He was the editor-in-chief of The Sporting News from 1979-85. He went back to “beat writing,” where he stayed until his retirement at the end of the 2014 season. One of the most respected baseball writers around, he joins us to talk about his illustrious career.

Episode 110: Tom Verducci - Field of His Dreams

Anyone who has watched baseball on a national telecast knows about Tom Verducci, the sideline reporter for Fox Sports’ baseball coverage. He’s been immersed in the sport since his youth, and he’s made a successful career of writing and talking about The National Pastime, from his days at Newsday through Sports Illustrated and even in the booth with Fox. He joins us to talk about his love for the game, and some special memories of being at the Field of Dreams game.

Episode 109: Erik Boland - ‘That New York Media’

We’ve all heard the expression, usually in derision, “that New York media.” It implies a mean-spirited group of journalists trying to get an inside scoop in the crowded world of New York sports. While some of the public impression may be true, most of it is merely a factor of the sheer numbers of media covering the multiple sporting events in the largest city in America. Erik Boland has been covering the New York Yankees for more than a dozen years, and he’s experienced it from the inside. He joins us to talk about the fact and fiction of his profession in “the city that never sleeps.”

Episode 108: Fran Fraschilla - A Career Choice With Family in Mind

Fran Fraschilla was a successful basketball coach at the NCAA Division I level. But in his early 40s, with two pre-teen boys, he made a career move and he's never looked back. He decided to join ESPN as a broadcaster and analyst, and he's approaching 20 years with the network. He loves what he's doing. He's stayed involved with the game he's loved since he was a teenager, but he still gets to focus on his family first! He joins us to talk about priorities and the great game of college basketball.

Episode 107: Curt Nelson - Living Out History

Curt Nelson grew up in Oklahoma, but the Kansas City Royals were always his favorite team. He liked other sports, but baseball was his favorite, and he followed the team fervently. He cried, as a 12-year-old in 1980 when the Royals lost in six games in the World Series. He cried (tears of joy) when they won the 1985 World Series. He’s been the director of the Royals Hall of Fame since a formal structure was opened, and he’s a walking encyclopedia of Royals history. He reminds all of us that what is a current event today will be tomorrow’s history.

Episode 106: Bill James - Analyze This

Bill James has changed the game of baseball, though his work is better known than he is. Analytics are as much a part of baseball as peanuts and Cracker Jacks. Launch angles, spin rates, wins above replacement and defensive shifts have made how the game is played and viewed totally different from the game you fell in love with as a kid. He joins us to talk about the good—and bad—results of his impact on the game.

Episode 105: Robert Streb - Making a Living Playing a Game

Robert Streb has rarely been at the top of the leader board at the end of a professional golf event, winning twice on the PGA Tour and six times overall in his 13-year professional career. But he’s carved out a very handsome living. He also understands, and is willing to discuss, how hard it is to make the PGA Tour and stay there. His two career PGA wins came eight years apart, and he knows that hard work will pay off.