Avner’s Sports Throw Down

In this episode of Avner’s Sports Throw Down , I sit down with a true New Orleans legend—Mark Romig, the stadium announcer for the New Orleans Saints and a prominent leader in the city’s tourism community. Mark shares what it means to not just live in a city, but to actively contribute to its culture and spirit. We begin by exploring Mark's deep connection to New Orleans and what drives his passio...

In this episode, we sit down with a 2-Time All-Star and World Series Champion Denny Neagle to explore the highs and lows of his illustrious career. We start with where his love for baseball came from, uncovering the moment he knew he had what it took to go pro. Then we delve into the pivotal year 2000, Denny shares his experiences bouncing between three teams before landing with the Yankees, ultim...

In this amazing episode featuring Ricardo Hallman, who is a cornerback for the University of Wisconsin, we discuss many interesting topics pertaining to his athletic career as a collegiate football player. We first talk about how coming out of high school he had a lot of D1 football scholarships but his reasoning for ultimately choosing Wisconsin. Then we delve into his first collegiate intercepti...

In this amazing episode featuring Jeff Pearlman, a New York Times Best Selling Author and creator of the book Showtime, which chronicles the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty in the 80s, and the book adapted into the popular docudrama Winning Time, we discuss many interesting topics pertaining to his career as an author and sports journalist. We first talk about when his love for writing first revealed i...

In this fantastic episode with Connie Carberg, who is the first female scout in NFL history we discuss many interesting topics pertaining to her career as a scout. We first talk about how she was exposed to football and the interesting story behind why she was drawn to the sport. Then we go into how she broke into the NFL as a female, which was a very male-dominated industry. After that, we talk a...

In this great episode with former NFL Quarterback and Super Bowl Champion Drew Stanton, we discuss a lot of interesting topics pertaining to his football career. We first talk about how he fell in love with the sport and what made him want to pursue it. Then we go into his college career at Michigan State and talk about his unconventional but successful tenure there. After that we delve into his S...

In this great episode with former NFL cornerback Reggie Stephens, we discuss a lot of interesting topics pertaining to the NFL and his producing career. We first talk about how he fell in love with the game of football and when he first knew he wanted to go pro. Then we delve into the journey behind how he worked his way up from being a JUCO player to making his NFL dreams come true. After that, w...

In this great episode with Harlem Globetrotters guard and Four-Time Guinness World Record Holder, Lucius Winston, we discuss a lot of interesting topics pertaining to the world of basketball and the New York community. We talk about how he set a total of four Guinness World Records, what it’s like being a Harlem Globetrotter, and how he’s used his platform as a professional athlete to better his c...

In this great episode with New York Mets beat reporter and author, Anthony DiComo, we discuss a lot of interesting topics pertaining to the world of baseball and journalism. We talk about the creative process that went into his book called, “The Captain”, which he co-wrote with David Wright. Then we talk about some of the interviews he’s done with various players and people in the Mets organizatio...

In this amazing episode with special guest Maurice Ager: who is a former Michigan State basketball star, NBA player, and producer we have a very interesting conversation about his basketball career. We discuss how he first fell in love with the game, what it was like hitting multiple clutch shots in March Madness, what his NBA draft experience was like, his thoughts on his basketball era versus to...

In this amazing interview with special guest Endy Chavez who is a former MLB player that played for the New York Mets we have a very interesting conversation about his MLB career and his world renowned catch. We discuss his signature moment in Shea Stadium during game 7 of the 2006 NLCS to help the Mets move onto the World Series, he gives us a “day in the life” of being an Outfeilder for the New...

In this amazing episode with special guest Jaden Harris, who is a Cornerback for the University of Miami we have a very interesting conversation about college football and his journey to get there. We discussed how going to Riverwood high school helped shape him as a player, why he decided to take his talent to the University of Miami and what stood out to him about their football program, and we...

In this amazing episode with special guest Montrell Washington, who was drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Denver Broncos we have a very interesting conversation about his draft experience. We talk about what happened when he got the call from the Broncos, what he’s most looking forward to going into the NFL, how he’s exited to have players like Russel Wilson, Jerry Jeudy, Patrick Surtain, and m...

In this amazing episode with special guest Marc Edwards, who is a former 9 year NFL veteran, Super Bowl Champ, and former teammate of the great Tom Brady we have a very interesting conversation about his NFL and more! We talk about all the success he found at the high school level, including when he was named “Mr. Ohio” after a phenomenal high school career. Then we talk about his magical moments...

In this amazing episode with special guests: McCabe Millon who is the number 1 lacrosse player ranked in the class of 2023 and has committed to Duke University, then I talk to AJ Larkin who is the number 6 lacrosse player ranked in the graduating class of 2022 and has committed to Maryland, then you get to hear from James Matan who is the 20th lacrosse player ranked in the graduating class of 2022...

In this amazing episode with special guest Kendall Ellis, who is a sprinter and an accomplished Olympic Gold Medalist we have a very interesting discussion about her experience at the Tokyo Olympics. We talk about what it was like to be an Olympian, how it was competing without fans, and her overall experience at the Olympics. We also talk about how she calms her nerves before a big race, the mome...

In this great episode with NBA Sportswriter Sherrod Blakely we discuss a lot of interesting topics pertaining to the current NBA season and his journalism career. We talk about how he had front row seats to the Malice at the Palace, how he got to be a sportswriter for Bleacher Report, and the current NBA season. Then we segue into taking about the Celtics, how the new talent is slowly pushing the...

In this great episode with NFL Cornerback Ike Brown we discuss a lot of interesting topics pertaining to football and his personal life. We talk about his decision to retire from the NFL at age 22, his college career at FIU, how he embraced a position switch so late in his career. Then we segue into the mental and physical side of football, his views on the recent rule changes in the NCAA, which a...

In this amazing episode with former NFL offensive tackle and best selling author Marques Ogden we discuss a lot of interesting topics surrounding football and business. We talk about his very interesting path to the NFL, how his brother and him helped push each other to reach their goal of becoming an NFL player, his scouting/draft process, how he worked his way up on an NFL depth chart. Then we s...

In this amazing episode with former NFL player, Super Bowl Champ, and Pro Bowler we discuss a lot of interesting topics relating to football and his career. We talk about his unforgettable Super Bowl experience, one of the most famous plays in history performed by him (Passing to himself for a touchdown), what he did to get to the NFL, and his collegiate career. Then we move into what he is doing...

In this great interview with Brandon Robinson or you might know him as “Scoop B” we cover a lot of interesting topics. We talk about many of his celebrity sports interviews including (Allen Iverson, Pete Sampras, Charles Barkley, and many more), some of his all-time favorite sporting events that he has covered, some of his thoughts and predictions on the upcoming NBA season. Then he moves into how...

In this great interview with special guest Joe Williams, who is professional Rugby player turned Boxer we cover a lot of interesting topics and get to hear and learn about his career. We talk about his transition from professional rugby to boxing, we talk about his successful rugby career, the difference between sports in America and sports in Australia, what training he did to get the success he...

In this great interview with Carl Banks, who is a former NFL Linebacker for the New York Giants and a 2 time Super Bowl Champ we cover a lot of interesting topics and dive deep into his career. We talk about the 1986 New York Giants Super Bowl winning team, the best advice he got from legendary coaches Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells, we talk about his defensive line and how they would preform ag...

In this great episode with special guest Jared Diamond, who is a sportswriter for the Wall Street Journal and author of the book Swing Kings we cover a lot of interesting topics. We talk about some of his favorite sporting events that he has covered throughout his career, the current MLB season along with his views on the pitching cheating scandal and his World Series predictions, we also talk abo...

In this incredible and inspiring episode with special guest Trevor Ailey, who is a former Cornerback for Oklahoma State University and is currently in the transfer portal awaiting his comeback. We talk about a ton of interesting topics and cover his inspiring football career in depth. We talk about how he reached his dream of playing D1 football, we talk about how he was a small town kid with zero...