Conversations with Sports Fans

In this special Bonus Episode of Conversations we go on campus to Ann Arbor with University of Michigan senior, Andrew Livingston, to get the vibe of what's happening in town in advance of this week's UM-MSU game. Livingston, a molecular biology major (yes, you read that right!), carved a bit of time out of his busy schedule to share how he found his way onto the Michigan State University campus i...

In today's episode we try to dispel the myth that we have some sort of Midwest bias here at Conversations by speaking with longtime friend and native New Yorker, Martin Frank. Martin currently serves as the Philadelphia Eagles' beat writer for Delaware Online and, before that, worked at newspapers in Waterbury, CT, and Bradenton, FL.  We cover everything from Martin's long-standing love of Ne...

As the NBA season gets underway we're delighted to be joined in this episode by 15-year NBA player and current Bally Sports Detroit's Pistons' and NBA analyst, Grant Long , who spoke to us from the Little Caesars Arena's Champions Lounge during a recent preseason game. Your host and Grant go back 35 years, but it's been nearly that long since we last caught up so this episode features plenty...

Just in time for the start of the NHL season we're joined in this episode by the radio voice of the Detroit Red Wings, Ken Kal. Ken's been doing Red Wings' play-by-play since succeeding Bruce Martyn to begin the 1995-96 season. During his 27 seasons on the microphone, Ken's called four Detroit Stanley Cup Championships and a veritable who's who of Hockey Hall of Famers.  References made durin...

In this episode we're joined by an Indiana Sportswriters' and Sportcasters' Association Hall of Famer, Fred Inniger . A retired math teacher and school guidance counselor, Fred has been calling East Noble High School football games for 53 years and hosts a weekly sports show on Kendallville, IN, WAWK 95.5 FM . A native of Berne, IN, Fred was also a classmate of our first-ever guest here at "Conver...

In recognition of today being National Daughter's Day we've changed the title for today's bonus episode with my daughter, Helena Hill. We're calling today's "Conversation with the Daughter of a Sports Fan."  We discuss some of Helena's memories of various events we've attended as a family (including a chance encounter with her favorite Detroit Tiger, Magglio Ordonez , at a Baltimore Cheesecak...

Thanks to some wonky connectivity issues during the recording of this episode, we have an amouse-bouche with longtime Detroit Free Press writer, Mick McCabe . Mick has been covering high school sports for the Free Press since 1970 save a 40-week retirement try out back in 2016. ( As noted, we experienced some tempermental Internet issues on our end and, thus, a much-abbreviated episode with Mick....

In this week's conversation we speak with, quite likely, our only guest whose name adorns a college arena, Garth Pleasant. Garth has been a member of the faculty at Rochester (MI) University for 51 years, spent 38 years as the program's head basketball coach, and now - against his wishes - has an arena bearing his name. During his coaching career he amassed 772 wins without a home gym, is a member...

We remain in Washtenaw County, MI, for a second consecutive week as we're joined by Ann Arbor native, Geoff Larcom. Now retired, Geoff spent the largest portion of his professional life working in newspapers in Florida, Detroit, and, utlimately, Ann Arbor. While at the now-shuttered Ann Arbor News , Geoff spent over a decade as the Sports Editor and shares many terrific stories about being at the...

In this episode we enjoy a conversation with Kelly Sippell a Saline, MI, native, who's spent 36 years working in the publishing industry; including over two decades at the University of Michigan Press. During our time together we touch on plenty of University of Michigan football, women in sports and their impact (on Kelly and other girls) during the era of Title IX, her love of watching tennis (i...

Just in time for back-to-school season, we're joined in this episode by our youngest guest to date. Mason is a 16-year-old rising junior at L'anse Creuse North HS in suburban Detroit. Mason's also an avid sports fan who favors baseball (the hometown Tigers and the Atlanta Braves are his favorites) and college football (the University of Michigan).  Events referenced in this episode: The Tampa...

In today's conversation we chat with Ian Casselberry, an Ann Arbor, MI, native who now lives and works as a freelance writer, editor, and podcaster in Asheville, NC. You can find Ian's work at Barrett Sports Media and his own website, Bowls Media . His podcast, cleverly named The Podcass, is set to return this fall to whereever you find your podcasts.  Items referenced in this episode: Ian's...

The 2022 Little League Baseball World Series begins Wednesday in South Williamsport, PA. Today's guest, John Pakledinaz, and his son, J.D., will be there - as they have been most of the past 15 years - serving as volunteers. In today's bonus episode, Paklidenaz shares what took his family to South Williamsport in the first place and the strong relationships with the community of volunteers...

Today we experience an enjoyable conversation with Don Drooker who began his life in Boston, moved with his family to Los Angeles as a teenager, and now calls Surprise, AZ, home. Don was at Fenway Park for Ted Williams' first game back in uniform following his tour of duty during the Korean War, saw Bill Russell play in Boston Garden shortly after the 1956 Olympics, enjoyed Vin Scully for the bett...

In today's episode with converse with Jim Livingston, a lifelong metro-Detroit resident and avid sports fan for all things Detroit and the University of Michigan. Jim is a proud member of the Teamsters and drives for Tri-County Beverages in the Detroit area. ( Note: We apologize for some technical issues throughout this recording, most notably near the end of this episode. ) Detroit Lions Thanksgi...

Today we converse with Mike McClary, a longtime friend of mine dating back to our high school days. Mike easily wins the award for most prepared guest we've had on Conversations coming equipped with a list of his first events attended as well as boxscores where available. Mike, who is self-employed, lives and works in Cave Creek, AZ.  Items referenced in this episode: Colorado Rockies franchi...

Today we converse with Tom Varcie, a former co-worker at the Eastern Michigan University student newspaper, the Eastern Echo . Tom and I received our Bachelors' Degrees in succession on the stage in EMU's Bowen Field House in December 1989 and I famously photo-bombed his university-produced photo. Tom's a long-time hockey player and fan of the Red Wings, Tigers, and - gulp - the Lions. A Garden Ci...

Host, Doug Hill, shares his recollections and interactions from a day spent on The Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, as part of the just-completed 150th Open Championship week. 

Today we converse with Laura Dennis, a 1-time college roommate of my far better half, Carol. Laura was born and raised in Chelsea, MI, which is about 15 miles west of Ann Arbor and currently resides in Chicago. Her nearly 20 years in Chicago have her smitten with the Chicago Cubs but her hockey loyalties remain with the Detroit Red Wings. Try as we might, Laura was not able to lock in a future Con...

In this episode we converse with calculus teacher and die-in-the-wool Detroit Lions' fan, Rob Byrd. Rob is a Livonia, MI, lifer who is unashamed to admit he suffers from fear of missing out (FOMO). His personal quest is to see the Lions play in every opposing stadium.  Events referenced in this episode: The 2008 Detroit Lions winless season. See all the season highlights(?) here . The Lions a...

In this episode we converse with Jack Hellmann, a 20-something sports fanatic who's childhood friends with my son. Jack is an ardent supporter of the Michigan State Spartans and the Boston Celtics. How he came to be fans of each is intriguing. Events referenced in this episode: The MSU "Little Giants" fake field goal in 2010 to beat Notre Dame in overtime. The MSU-Wisconsin 2011 Kirk Cousins to Ke...

In this episode we converse with recently retired high school English teacher, Tim Parker, who was born and raised in suburban Seattle but now calls Fairbanks, AK, home. He's an avid fan of Seattle's pro sports teams and we learn during our conversation that, as a 12-year-old, Tim utilized public transit to attend the Seattle Supersonics' NBA Championship Parade with friends (note the lack of adul...

In Episode 2 we converse with patient zero for my sports fanaticism, my father. He reflects on how he first became a Chicago Cubs fan and what it's been like to follow them through decades of disappointment before they finally won the World Series in 2016.  Events referenced in this episode: Ken Holtzman's no-hitter on August 19, 1969. Here is the boxscore. Six future Hall of Famers in the li...

An overview of what Conversations with Sports Fans will be about. Unsurprisingly, as the name suggests, it'll be conversations with sports fans. We'll delve into some of their earliest memories of sports fanaticism as well as memorable events they've attended and some they still hope to attend. Please visit our website at The Sports Fan Project to discover more sports fan-related content.&nbs...