Get Home Safe

In this special edition of the Get Home Safe Podcast, I reflect back on September 11th as we remember the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks from that day. I share my memories from that Tuesday and the details of the events that transpired. September 11th was a such a tragic day for so many of us that we will always remember where we were and what we were doing. Today we honor all of those...

Pete Clark has spent a significant amount of time in China as an English teacher to young children. He also has coached countless kids in Kare Youth League over the years. His passion has always been the concept of educating on both athletic fields and in classrooms. Pete recently suffered a heart attack and has come a long way on his road to recovery. The past few months for him can only be summe...

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-In #74. Bill Barnes and I kickoff the month of September with some conversation about umpires setting screens after ejections, winners in breakups, the government rewarding those who don't work, the fun holiday weekend, and disliking bad people. We also chat about the full crowds in stadiums across the country for college football and the California Recall Election being one...

Rio Hondo Prep improved to 2-0 last week with a 44-12 win on the road at Verdugo Hills High School. The Kares needed to find a replacement game after their originally scheduled opponent, Linfield Christian, had to postpone. We are joined again by Head Coach Mark Carson to talk about adjusting on the fly and how the first road trip of the season transpired. He and I break down a few plays from the...

John Lee Jr returns to the podcast after his first appearance back on May 18, 2020. He is a father of three and leading the charge for parents against controversial policies by school boards in Oregon. John informs me about his plans to fight back and the different ways that families can contribute to the cause. Additionally, we chat about leadership and purpose. He and I also have a theological d...

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-In #73. Bill Barnes joins me remotely from somewhere in the middle of the desert. We discuss the potential vaccine mandates related to the timing of the California Recall Election. Bill also offers up his thoughts on the shooting by the Capitol Police Officer on January 6th. We run through some of the equipment that the US left behind in Afghanistan and look at a top 10 list...

Rio Hondo Prep is coming off of a season opening 49-0 win over their rival Pasadena Poly. Head Coach Mark Carson joins us again to recap the victory and look forward to this week's game against Linfield Christian of Temecula. Coach Carson and I break down a few plays from last Friday and will continue to do so every week moving forward. In the second half of the show, Head Coach DeChon Burns of Li...

Rod Besuzzi has been a Police Officer in Huntington Beach, CA for 22 years. He shares a few stories from his career as both a patrolman and also a Narcotics Detective. Rod graduated from Rio Hondo Prep back in 1992 and played alongside some memorable teammates. He talks about his calling into law enforcement and how some of the experiences growing up paved the way for his success in a very dangero...

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-In #72. Bill Barnes and I discuss some current events which include vaccination mandates, the California governor recall election, and more sadness in Afghanistan. Bill has been burning the midnight oil with his work schedule and is sleep deprived. We answer a question from a listener about collisions in baseball and Bill makes a slight adjustment to his prediction about the...

Rio Hondo Prep opens their 2021 football season on Friday against their longtime rival Pasadena Poly. Today we are joined by the head coaches of both schools. Mark Carson of RHP breaks down the schedule and offers his thoughts on their new roster. Chris Schmoke of Poly talks about how special the rivalry is and why it brings out the best in each team. This episode will have you ready to kickoff th...

Brandon Hayashi is the Head Coach of the Citrus College football program in Glendora, CA. He has quickly risen through the coaching ranks at a young age after a successful playing career at Los Altos HS and Montana State. Brandon and I crossed paths years ago when he was playing and I was officiating. We are also connected through a few common friends. Brandon and I discuss his playing days, his c...

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-In #71. Bill Barnes returns after a few weeks away from the podcast. He and I ramble about the hypocrisies in the media, the disaster in Afghanistan, and the Cuomo resignation. Bill also answers some questions from listeners regarding how police used to approach homelessness and some memories about pranks amongst those in law enforcement. Billy-B returned with authority toda...

Valerie Byrnes returns to the podcast to talk about our recent move from Eastvale to Covina. She and I officially celebrate accomplishing something we planned to do many months ago. We chat about some of the obstacles we faced and how we each dealt with them in our own way. Val and I also talk about attending the retirement party for Coach Ken Drain on Saturday night and her reaction to meeting so...

Tracy McFate fills in for Bill Barnes this week. Tracy has been on the podcast a few times and is a loyal listener. He and I chat about a variety of topics which include Andrew Cuomo's resignation, the California recall election, the Field of Dreams MLB game, and football of all levels being right around the corner. You know Bill Barnes has made it to the big time when he has someone who steps in...

Andy Angelo has contributed to youth and high school sports over the years as a football official and baseball umpire. He was also one of the first coaches of the well-known West Covina Dukes. Andy has officiated many games at Rio Hondo Prep for the junior high teams and has great respect for the entire RHP program. He is also the middle generation of a proud Army heritage. His father was among th...

After a full week off to recharge the batteries, the podcast returns to its normal schedule. We give a preview of what to expect for upcoming episodes this month with some slight changes to Mondays and a great guest list for Fridays. Coffee Or Die Magazine provides a story for this week's Suds With Studs segment. Other topics today include recapping the Olympics, reactions to the NFL Hall of Fame...

My girlfriend Valerie Byrnes makes a return appearance to the podcast after seven months. Her and I are celebrating a big milestone and have some news to share about an upcoming move. We reflect on our five years together and look forward to some big things ahead. Some random topics include open bars at weddings, guys/girls settling down, and adapting to changes as you age. We are very happy after...

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-In #70. On Tuesday, Bill Barnes had his 62nd birthday. He and I chatted about his fear of little people, previous birthday memories, and the mentally weak modern day athlete. Bill tells a few cop stories, and we also answer some questions from listeners. Additionally we discuss those who want to live in the past and Bill's contempt for inconsistent politicians. Next week the...

I start the week off with my thoughts on Texas/Oklahoma heading to the SEC, NFL vaccination policies, and the Cleveland Indians name change. I also share a story of propaganda that tried to spread a false narrative regarding police misconduct. Other topics include the birthday of Bill Barnes on Tuesday 7/27 and my girlfriend Valerie Byrnes returning to the podcast on Friday to celebrate our 5 year...

Matt Brown has been a Professional Photographer for 35 years. He has a great deal of experience in the world of sports having worked at Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine. As a resident of Southern California, Matt has had a front row seat to countless games for the Lakers, Angels, local colleges, and just about every other athletic contest. He also is the host of a podcast called Just A Goo...

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-In #69. Bill Barnes and I have a spirited debate on the vaccine policies across the United States. Bill is tired of being held captive by the unvaccinated while I believe it is the government who is holding us all back. Sometimes good friends disagree and this is one of those days. We definitely want your feedback from this episode so please email or contact us with your tho...

We start off a new week of shows with a pair of guests. Both Sam Heersema and Todd Carson zoom in for separate segments. Sam and I discuss his popular podcast episode from last week, ungrateful people in America, and possibly his recurring appearance a few times a month. The connection with Todd was difficult at times but we chat about his good friend Dave Joe being on the show recently as well as...

John Heid recently retired from the Defense Logistics Agency after working for 37 years as a Fuel Specialist. His career has taken him to over 50 countries and he shares some memories from his travels. John grew up in Ohio and now resides in North Carolina, but he was a proud member of the Foothill Citrus Football Officials Association while he lived in California. He discusses the details of his...

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-In #68. Bill Barnes and I are grateful today for our new West Point t-shirts courtesy of Captain Mainor Bojorquez from the United States Army. We love the gear that fans continue to send us! Bill and I are also happy to endorse a new candidate to be the next Governor of California. Some topics today include the common thread of messy cities, the protests in Cuba, door-to-doo...

My brother Sam Heersema makes a return appearance to the podcast after a long layoff. We react to the wild results from UFC 264 on Saturday night and list random things people do that make them untrustworthy. Sam also talks about his favorite whiskeys and a few podcasts that he is a big fan of. Additionally, we argue about soccer as we watch the Euro Cup Final while recording. I want to try to get...