The Sports-Casters

Sal Licata (00:16:03) debuts to discuss his new podcast, The Sal Licata Show. Sal joins the show and talks about the value of his time, working with Jimmy Traina, and creating a new podcast after leaving WFAN. Sal looks back at the Knicks winning the NBA Finals, the Juan Soto contract, and working at SNY. Steve starts the show with First things First and discusses another tough week for the Braves...

Kenny Albert (00:30:43) returns to review the incredible start to 2026 that he has had. Kenny looks back to the Olympics and recaps his time in Milan, the men's and women's gold medal games, and his historic call of the Jack Hughes golden goal. Kenny also talks about returning to the NFL booth this fall with Jonathan Vilma, his Dad's reaction to Knicks winning the NBA championship, and the 2025-26...

Ken Davidoff (00:25:22) makes his debut on the podcast to promote his new book (with Harley A. Rotbart), 101 Lessons from the Dugout. Ken is a Michigan graduate and he and Steve talk a tad bit of college hockey while Ken mentions appearing on The Rich Eisen Show. Ken looks back on his time covering the Yankees and remembers the ACLS home run by David Justice, the wild moments during the 2001 World...

Steve interviews Tim Brown (00:25:30) who returns to the podcast to promote his new book about Nolan Ryan. Tim discusses why he decided to write a book on Nolan Ryan and explains why Ryan's principles made his such a good subject. Tim and Steve talk about Ryan's unbreakable records, his relationship with Texas, and his failures in the playoffs as a player and as an executive. Tim also looks ahead...

Steve interviews Jay Mariotti (00:30:02) who returns to the podcast with a list of topics that he is anxious to sound off on. Jay talks about the end of the LeBron James era, watching sports in Paris, and Pablo Torre winning a Pulitzer Prize. Jay also rants on sports writers that are holding back, weak sports commissioners, and the Russini/Vrabel scandal. Jay also shares his memories of Roger Eber...

Steve interviews Chad Bishop (00:25:34) from the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Chad a few weeks into his rookie season as a Atlanta Braves beat-writer and is making his Sports-Casters debut. Chad and discuss a good start for the Braves, the incredible bullpen, and quality starting pitching. Chad also looks at a blazing start for Drake Baldwin, the struggles of Austin Riley, and the consistency of...

For the second time in podcast history, this episode doesn't have a guest. Steve returns alone to do the hardest podcast he has ever had to do. Italy has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time. What went wrong? Who is to blame? Now what? Steve tries to answer all of these questions, tells us why he's more sad than mad, and explains why he still believes in the blue shir...

Steve interviews Mike Vaccaro (00:25:31) the author of a new book about Yankees ownership called, Bosses of the Bronx. Mike is making his debut on the show and talks about writing a book with more modern subjects as opposed to those in his book about the 1912 World Series. Mike and Steve go back and forth about Joe DIMaggio, Aaron Judge, classic Yankee Stadium moments, and David Justice's home run...

Steve interviews Jimmy Traina (00:22:47) from the SI Sports Media Podcast and author of the Traina Thoughts column. Jimmy and Steve talk about booking podcast guests, the crowded sports media space, and the future of podcasts. The guys talk about the Howard Stern Show, podcasts on Netflix, and streaming apps. Also, the origins of Jimmy's weekly segment with Sal Licata, their unique chemistry, and...

Steve interviews Adrian Dater (00:29:30) the long time Colorado Avalanche beat writer and former co-host of The Lonely End of the Rink podcast. Steve and Adrian go into great detail about the gold medal game between the USA and Canada. Adrian has insight on Nate MacKinnon and his 3-on-3 woes, voting for MVP awards, and the roster construction of USA and Canada. The guys discuss Connor McDavid's le...

Steve interviews Greg Wyshynski (00:22:40) senior NHL writer for ESPN. Greg first appeared on the second ever episode of the podcast and is back on the third episode of our 15th year. Greg and Steve talk about sports media in 2011 and the deep bench at Yahoo! Sports. Greg and Steve analyze the USA roster for the Olympics and talk for a minute about the new documentary on Netflix about the 1980 tea...

Steve interviews Aaron Schatz (00:26:28) from FTNFantasy to discuss the NFL's Championship Games and the upcoming Super Bowl. Steve and Aaron discuss some of the decisions made by coaches during the NFL Playoffs. What does "analytics" really mean? When should you kick? Is, "take the points," making a comeback? Also, who will win the Super Bowl? Why? Should Bill Belichick be a first ballot Hall of...

Steve interviews Jeff Passan (00:10:55) to start the celebration just as Jeff appeared first on the debut episode of the podcast. Steve and Jeff listen back to Jeff's introduction on the first podcast and Steve's first ever question. The guys reminisce on their experiences together the last 15 years, discuss a great offseason by the Atlanta Braves, and look ahead to the 2026 MLB season. Also, Joe...

For the first time in podcast history, this episode doesn't have a guest. Steve had a stack of topics burning a hole in his pocket quicker than $25 in a 10- year old's pocket after Christmas. Steve releases the first mini-episode ever to talk about the New Orleans Saints winning 4 in a row and the Buffalo Sabres winning 8 in a row. Steve also talks about the emergence of Tyler Shough, the World Jr...

Steve interviews Jon Wertheim (00:24:10) from Sports Illustrated and 60 Minutes returns to the show for the first time in three years. Mr Wertheim returns to discuss making pieces for 60 Minutes, profiling Lamine Yamal, and working on stories that don't involve sports. Jon also talks about Sports Illustrated's biggest comeback, covering tennis, and doing a podcast with Andy Roddick. Jon and Steve...

Steve interviews Andrew Bucholtz (00:28:17) who returns to the podcast for the first time in years as the proud owner of AndrewBucholtz.com. Andrew joins us to discuss his new venture and to talk about his project for Awful Announcing that ranks the best broadcaster booths in a variety of categories. Andrew and I discuss the best NFL booths, how scarcity of voice can make games feel bigger, and va...

Steve interviews James Horncastle (00:29:53) from The Athletic and the author of a new book called, The Soccer 100. James is making his debut on the podcast and he is there to plug a new book about the 100 best players in soccer history. Before we get to that, Steve and James have a long discussion about Italian football. Why are Italy struggling to qualify? How can young Italian players get playi...

Steve interviews Mark Hebscher (00:34:37) the author of a new book called, "Madness: The Rise and Ruin of Sports Media." Mark is making his debut on the podcast and he starts off with a bang. Mark and Steve disagree with the outlook of Blue Jay's fans after a devastating World Series. Mark proclaims he knows more about baseball than anyone else to appear on the podcast. Mark talks about the state...

Steve interviews Jay Mariotti (00:37:26) who returns to the podcast with a list of topics that he is anxious to sound off on. Jay talks about the phenomenal World Series, the dominance of the Dodgers and the momentum that baseball has. Jay also gives his opinions on the Heisman Trophy, the rest of the NFL season, and the Winter Olympics in Milan. Steve starts the show with a visit from the beautif...

Steve interviews Ken Belson (00:23:23) the author of a new book about the business of the NFL called, "Everyday is Sunday." Ken is making his debut on the podcast and explains what its like working a sports beat for the New York Times but not working for The Athletic. Ken talks about the Buffalo Bills getting a new stadium, PSLs, and the NFL's desire to keep a football team in Western New York. Ke...

Steve interviews Adrian Dater (00:36:20) his friend and a longtime beat writer for the Colorado Avalanche. The former co-host of the Lonely End of the Rink podcast returns to the podcast to talk about the Colorado Avalanche, the Buffalo Sabres, rock concerts, and Adrian's trip to England. Steve and Adrian talk about the individual brilliance of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the return of Gabrie...

Steve interviews Rich Podolsky (00:24:22) the author of a new book about one of the greatest broadcasting booths in football history, "Madden & Summerall." Rich returns with a new book about football broadcasting. RIch explains why he wrote a book about Madden and Summerall, how they revolutionized sports broadcasting, and what their legacy is today. Rich and Steve discuss Madden and Summerall's o...

Steve interviews Marshall Garvey (00:22:44) the author of a new book about the 1985 World Series called, "Interstate '85." Marshall debuts to discuss the 1985 World Series and explains why, despite living in Sacramento, he decided to write a book about two teams from Missouri. Marshall talks about Jack Buck and Denny Matthews and explains why Al Michaels called the series and not Howard Cosell. Ma...

Steve interviews Seth Wickersham (00:28:26) the author of a new book about quarterbacks called, "American Kings." Seth is making his debut on the podcast and immediately faces some hazing for not featuring Drew Brees more in the book. Seth explains how the news he broke from the book about Caleb Williams and his father exploring their options before the draft has helped the book and affected how s...

Steve interviews Andrew Marchand (00:28:43) from The Athletic and Marchand Sports Media. Marchand returns (without, Meterparel) to discuss the first year of Marchand Sports Media. Marchand discusses booking podcasts, trying to get people to subscribe and pay for it, and the challenges he has stumbled upon during the first year. Marchand also talks about several sports media issues. What will baseb...