Conversations with Sports Fans

We're joined in Conversation in this episode by Shamit Desai, a native of India who's also lived in the Houston, Detroit, London, Hong Kong, and Washington, DC, areas. Currently back in India, Shamit's an active cricket player (he's a bowler) so we naturally chat him up about cricket attempting to build our knowledge of this sport. More over, we discuss how his fandom for the NBA a...

In this special bonus episode, listen in as host Doug Hill and his traveling mates, Carol, Tim, and Tracey, share their thoughts about the past week in Milano as part of the 2026 Winter Olympics which is Event No. 42 of Doug's Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project. The quartet also sums up their first-ever Olympics experience. If you're enjoying Conversations with Sports Fans plea...

We're joined in this bonus Conversation by Susan Schwartz, a Fairbanks, AK, resident and mother of of first-time Olympian, Kendall Kramer . Kendall was a dual sport standout at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, achieving All-America Status eight times in her four years competing in both cross-country running and cross-country skiing. She was the 2024 NCAA Division II runner up while running...

We continue our seasonal theme in this episode featuring Richard Dalley , former Olympic ice dancer and current Chair of the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame . Richard and partner, Carol Fox , found the podium for seven consecutive years at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships from 1977-84. The final year saw the duo skate at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics where it placed fifth. Today, Richard...

The traveling party along for the ride in Italy with host Doug Hill for Event No. 42 of his Around the World in 80 Sporting Events Project reflect on their time spent in Cortina d'Ampezzo for a pair of events during the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics . Doug's wife, Carol, his friend Tim, and Tim's wife, Tracey, reflect on what time was like among the Dolomites before heading to Mi...

We're delighted to be joined in his episode by Eric and Nancy Bates, the very proud parents of the 7-time U.S. National Ice Dancing Champion, Evan Bates. Evan his longtime partner, Madison Chock, head to the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics following last month's U.S. National championship in St. Louis. The duo is also the reigning World Champions in the event for the past three years. (Read...

In the first of several bonus episodes in conjunction with host Doug Hill's trip to the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics as part of his Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project, he's joined by Tiffany Assman Pope, the founder of the House Party Blog , which highlights and maps the myriad Olympic Hospitality Houses. A Vancouver, British Coumbia-area resident, Tiffany also happens to be...

( Note: This is the first of what we hope will be an ongoing series focusing on fans of the so-called college non-revenue generating sports.) We're joined in this episode by Perry Nigro, an ardent supporter of the 2-time defending NCAA Champion Northwestern University women's field hockey team . Perry, who works in Northwestern's Charles Deering Library , stumbled upon field hockey qui...

Longtime Canadian sports media personality Mark Hebscher is this episode of Conversations' guest. A native of Toronto, "Hebsy" as most Canadians' know him, has been a part of the sports media landscape north of the U.S. border for the better part of 45 years. The longtime co-anchor of Sportsline on Canada's Global Television Network , Mark interviewed and worked with some of...

The athletic directors from Calvin University , Dr. Jim Timmer Jr. , and Hope College , Tim Schoonveld , join the Conversation in this bonus episode to discuss the longstanding rivalry between these two NCAA Division III schools located a mere 35 miles apart on the west side of Michigan. Known simply as, "The Rivalry," Saturday's men's basketball game will the 217th meeting datin...

A self-proclaimed cricket tragic, Nikhil Kulkarni , joins this episode. What's a cricket tragic, you ask? Well, the short answer is "an extremely passionate, almost obsessive fan of (the sport of)cricket." Nikhil fits the bill! Born in India and currently living and working in Australia, Nikhil spent the better part of three weeks during December 2024 and January 2025 attending three...

In this episode we're rejoined by Al Pickett, a well-traveled and long-time sports journalist who's been a fixture on the West Texas sports scene in Abilene for decades. Al first joined Conversations during a special bonus episode ( S:3, E:54 ) in conjunction with host Doug Hill's Around the World in 80 Sporting Events visit to Texas to experience football at all three levels in one ep...

We're joined in this episode by Tim Thrasher, the immediate past-Superintendent of Washington's Cedar Creek Corrections Cente r in Little Rock, WA. (Since this recording, Tim has started his new role as lead investigator at the Oregon Youth Authority.) In addition to discussing Tim's sports fandom, which includes not only Washington's professional sports teams but also some lingering fondness for...

( Note: This is an archived episode of Conversations with Sports Fans that was originally published as Season 3, Episode 71 on December 26, 2024. Yes, we know we need to acknowledge the fact that the Indiana Hoosiers are playing in the Rose Bowl against the Alabama Crimson Tide; there, we just did!) As we're now inside a week from the playing of the 2025 Rose Bowl between Oregon and Ohio State...

As Season 4 of Conversations with Sports Fans comes to a close, we decided to invite some of our long-time supporters to join us in a special year end episode. Unsure what to name it, we're going with the longest titles we could think of: The End of the Year Cavalcade of Stars Special The premise was straightforward, we contacted all of our supporters (see this link for how to support for as littl...

( Note: This is an archived episode of Conversations with Sports Fans that was originally published as Season 3, Episode 70 on December 19, 2024.) We're delighted to be joined in this episode by ⁠ Savannah Bananas ⁠ co-founder and co-owner, Emily Cole. The sibling of three athletic brothers in a sports-minded family during her childhood in upstate New York, Emily's involvement in professio...

Our guests in this episode are Jill Jaracz and Alison Brown, the founders of the website and podcast, "Keep the Flame Alive." As the title alludes to, Jill and Alison aim to keep the Olympic spirit alive and well in as many people as possible between those pair of fortnights when the cauldron is lit during an Olympic and Paralympic Games. Former co-workers who happened upon their mutual...

We're joined in this bonus episode by North Dakota State University's Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations and Strategic Revenue, Troy Goergen . We spoke with Troy in advance of Event No. 31 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project that took host Doug Hill to Fargo for a NDSU football game in the Fargodome against the University of Northern Iowa . During...

With Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings in full swing, a new member of the Baseball Hall of Fame recently elected ( Jeff Kent ), and a fresh blanket of snow covering our front lawn here at Conversations HQ, it seemed a perfect time to talk baseball with Andrew Good , a 9-year professional and 3-year MLB veteran. A native of Rochester Hills, MI, Andrew helped lead Rochester High School to...

Our guest in this episode is Detroit-area broadcaster, Neal Ruhl . A graduate of Oakland University, Neal got his start in broadcasting working as a student with then-lead play-by-play man, Mario Impemba . Since 2014, Neal's been the voice for all Golden Grizzlies ' sports since 2014. A year later he picked up the television play-by-play responsibilities for Detroit City Football Club of t...

Our guest for this episode is author Will Bardenwerper . In the spring, Will's latest book-length work, Homestand: Smalltown Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America , was published in March 2025. In Homestand , Will examines the impact of Major League Baseball's decision to contract 25% of its affiliated Minor League franchises following the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, Will ex...

What would you do if you happened upon a trading card collection that numbered in the tens of millions of items? If you were Tim Banazek and the opportunity presented itself by sheer happenstance ... you'd buy it. And that's what he did over three years ago when he discovered a hobbyist's treasure trove of artifacts practically around the block from where he lived in Virginia thanks to...

It's not every episode we're joined by someone who's won over 600 college basketball games (or has their name on a Division I basketball court!), but that's what we have with our guest this episode, Ben Braun . A men's head coach for 37 season (1977-2014), Braun compiled a 615-517 record during stints at Siena Heights University (nee College), Eastern Michigan University, Unive...

( Full Disclosure: This episode was supposed to be a Special Bonus Episode in conjunction with a visit to Toronto to visit the Hockey Hall of Fame and Scotiabank Arena for the Maple Leafs-Canadiens NHL season-opener as part of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project. Then our Conversation with Liam Maguire began and it became apparent this was a special episode just not a Special Bonus...

Did you ever wonder how those cleats worn by many NFL and MLB players get to look so snazzy? Matt Speck, our guest in this episode, knows all about the process ... he does the cleat customizations for many players across the two leagues. You're able to see plenty of his handiwork at his website, Speckcustoms.com . A muralist, Matt happened upon the craft of customizing footwear quite by accide...