Beers, Business, and Balls

An impromptu solo episode with Will and a 3x Guest of Beers, Business, and Balls - Brendan O'Donnell! The CEO of Newport Craft joins the podcast live from the completely renovated Brewstillery. After four and a half years, Newport Craft has expanded its Brewing and Distilling operations with state-of-the-art facilities capable of producing 100,000 beer barrels annually. Their modern microbiology l...

Get the spreadsheets ready! We are joined for our third annual NFL Mock Draft, where we make our selections for the 2024 NFL Draft.  In a random draw, we each are assigned teams in chunks of five and make our picks acting as if we were the GMs of those teams.  We start with the quarterbacks; how chalky is Caleb Williams, who goes immediately after him, and which quarterback do the Patriots take at...

We're joined by our own House of College Hoops contributors, Sam Basel and Michael DeRosa!  As we get into the stretch of March Madness, it's time for a preview of the Final Four in both the men's and women's brackets.  We first discuss the College Basketball Crown, a new tournament that aims to offer an alternative to the NIT - is this good or bad for the game?  We break down the...

Dylan Laube’s dream was to become an NFL player, and now that dream appears to be more of a reality. Dylan joins our show to take us on his journey from a depth piece to one of the most coveted running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft.  We discuss his jump to becoming one of the CAA’s leading rushers in 2022, modeling his game off of Adrian Peterson, and making the decision to ditch lacrosse for footba...

Chris Tkach and his founding team faced plenty of struggles early in the inception of their brewery, like being evicted from their original location to make way for the new Encore Casino in Everett, Massachusetts.  But years later, Idle Hands Craft Ales remains a big player in the Greater Boston craft beer scene.  Chris joins the show to discuss the founding of Idle Hands, which stemmed from both...

When Mikey Henninger was 11 years old, he'd write game recaps after his Madden games and twist pencils with NFL logos on them to determine the winner of the week's NFL contests - he fell in love with football from a young age.  Fast forward to 26 years old: Mikey was tired of questioning his start/sit decisions and took matters into his own hands by making a resource to help him de-risk it...

When Megan Lanham was wrapping up her MBA at MIT, she was pulling double-duty as the Chief Executive Officer of a pharmaceutical recruiting company. Drowning in one of her dreaded data science courses, she couldn't help but think of a real-world example: how could AI and data play into sports betting? After meeting a data scientist at a bar, Rithmm was born - and just a few years later, it&#39...

It's the grand return of BBB! Thanks for bearing with us during our hiatus. We come hot out the gates in 2024 with Hall of Fame Guest Con Spiracy in this live show from the US Rubber Lofts in Providence.  We also introduce our new third voice, a name that's familiar to all in the House community - Clubfoot Jim!  An episode-long in the making, Connor comes with the most morbid stories from...

Phil Martelli Jr. was born to be a basketball coach. From being raised by one of the most well-known names in the D1 coaching world and a three-time women's basketball national champion, to grinding it out as an assistant at schools up the Eastern seaboard, Martelli Jr. finally got his break in November 2023, being promoted to Bryant's head basketball coach.  Coach Martelli joins the show...

It's December, which means Bowl Season is underway! In this special edition of BBB, we bring in our resident college football expert Cole Hughes for our  The Football House  segment, which airs every week on X @TheHouse_Ent.  We first break down some of the big games from last week: Washington knocked off Oregon to solidify their spot as the #2 seed, while Alabama marked its massive upset agai...

While Matt Batten aspired to be a pro baseball player, many were still shocked to see him make his MLB debut in the summer of 2022.  Now two years in to his MLB service, Batten put together a strong finish to his 2023 campaign as a utility infielder for the San Diego Padres.  Matt joins the show to take us through his journey of youth baseball to the pros - from repping Shelton, Connecticut in the...

From 'Coach in the Car' to recurring guest, we bring back friend of the program, Pat Skerry! Coach gives us an update from Towson, and we discuss the front loaded non-conference schedule that the Tigers have. We chat about some key players, and a matchup upcoming against our Bryant Bulldogs that will take place at UBS. We close out with Skerry's philanthropic efforts. This episode is b...

From Ivy Leagues to the Big Leagues, we're joined by MLB Veteran, World Series Champion, and Team Israel Catcher - Ryan Lavarnway! We discuss his career from college through the majors. His time in Boston, bouncing around, representing Israel in the WBC's, and the lessons he learned along the way. And finally, we dive into his broadcasting, public speaking, and writing career.  This episod...

You know it's that time of year again when the House Crew gets together at Madison Square Garden to kick off the season of College Hoops. We're just under two weeks away, and we made the venture to the Big Apple to chat with players and coaches from the Big East. Catch our conversations with Villanova's Kyle Neptune and Justin Moore, new Friar head coach Kim English, and many more! Thi...

Not many guests have been bestowed the BBB Pod's highest honor, but this week Con Spiracy joins the show to claim his rightfully-earned Hall of Fame plaque.  We're in the thick of spooky season, and 2023 was one of the spookiest to date.  With UFO sightings and aliens abound, there was plenty that we had our eyes on this year.  We discuss the congressional hearings over the summer relating...

The founder of the brewery that coined the regionally-renowned Captain’s Daughter, Alan Brinton of Grey Sail Brewing joins the show this week!  Alan takes us through his journeys as one of the founders of a top-tier Rhode Island brewery, located in Westerly near Misquamicut Beach.  Alan and his wife always wanted to start a brewery, but life got in the way - he takes us through the moment they dec...

The coveted Crushie Collab pod is here!  We bring on other winners in the Best Craft Beer-Related Podcast category to chat about all-things beer in this special episode. First, it's Mark DeNote, whose love for craft beer not only inspired him to become the host of the BeerWise podcast, but also a two-time author of books on Florida Craft Beer.  Mark shares his stories of getting into craft bee...

You may have seen him getting praised by America's Got Talent judges on cable TV, or comparing the lyrics of "W.A.P." to "Baby It's Cold Outside" on TikTok, or donning a Providence or URI shirt on stage at a New York City comedy club.  Either way, you definitely know Tom Cotter.  In an exclusive interview with BBB's first ever comedian guest, Tom Cotter has us laugh...

It’s time for our season kickoff edition of Writer’s Room! We get the football guys back on for one of our favorite segments, but this time it’s during our annual Fantasy Draft.  To kick things off, an A-Lister guest selects our draft order - Chris Hansen from To Catch A Predator lays down the law and gives us our draft order.  We discuss a bunch of the NFL’s storylines this year - do the Chiefs h...

BEERS: Will had a classic two-beer-festival weekend in Rhode Island, hitting the Ocean State Brewers Festival and "Brew at the Zoo."  He ran into BBB guest Nichole Pelletier, founder at Crooked Current Brewing Company in Pawtucket, who is slinging out some of Rhode Island's finest beer!  Will tried Banana Split Brown Ale, a perfect complement to the rest of the Crooked Current portfolio.  Meanwhil...

BEERS: This week, it's two renowned breweries with locations that couldn't be farther apart from each other - Boston, MA and San Francisco, CA.  Will heads to Long Live Roxbury, one of Rhode Island's best breweries' latest project to expand further into the New England area. Will defies all odds and orders a sour, Hola Fantasma, and immediately declares it "the best sour he&#3...

BEERS: The boys are back after a two-week hiatus!  We've been traveling all across the country and can't wait to share the great beer we've had along the way. First up, Jake takes us to Baltimore, where the beer was abundant at Camden Yards.  Duckpin Pale Ale, one of Baltimore's original craft beer selections, was one of the best beers of Jake's trip - perfect to slam a few bac...

BEERS: The boys are on the move again! Will is back from his southern excursion of Charleston and rates Maser, a New England IPA that held its own despite its southern geography.  We debate how NEIPA's from the south should be treated - should they be held in the same regard we hold them from our home states?  Jake, fresh off trips to St. Louis and Louisville, had a fair share of beer this pas...

BEERS: If you are a grape soda lover, you'll love what Will just had at The Patio on Broadway in Providence.  Grape by Evil Twin Brewing is a "soda-style" sour ale with milk sugar, grape syrup, and a fizzy texture...basically, a grape soda in beer form.  Jake reviews a solid light pilsner, T-Shirt Weather, from Trustworthy Brewing Company's taproom location at The Venetian in Las...

Ernest Cantillion is one of Cork County, Ireland's most-respected entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry, and his latest endeavor is no stranger to the spotlight.  Ernest joins the show to discuss the founding of Kinsale Spirit Company and its evolution into a well-recognized brand throughout the world. We discuss Ernest's beginnings in the hospitality industry, his presidency of the Co...