The Sports Virus

Steve Lenox from ESPN Radio gives his thoughts on MLB banning the shift and picking up the pace of play. We touch on Jeff Saturday getting the Colts head coaching job and what's happened to the New Jersey Nets. We also learn about Steve's career and how he ended up in Bristol. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal dat...

The 49ers are off to a 3-4 start and former KNBR talk show host Ray Woodson gives us his assessment of the season so far. We also chat about the Warriors ' depth and how Steve Kerr will go about setting his rotation early in the season. How did Golden State get past the Draymond Green/Jordan Poole incident? What makes new Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy a great manager? It's all here on this addition...

Whether it was the NFL, college sports, golf or the Olympics, Verne Lundquist was on the microphone for amazing historical moments. We reminisce about those calls and special events including "The Catch," the Christian Laettner shot and the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan Olympic figure skating saga. We talk about his analysts and even his long-time statistician during this fun-filled conve...

Cross talks about what it takes for a quarterback to survive in the NFL these days and why Trey Lance has the tools to succeed. He also tells some stories about Joe Montana, The Catch, The Drive and other great memories from his time in San Francisco. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ray Woodson and Joe Castellano do a thorough examination of the Niners quarterback situation now that Jimmy G remains with the team as the backup to Trey Lance. Can it work out without being a distraction or will it be a full blown soap opera? Also, what happened to the San Francisco Giants and what can they do to improve in 2023? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for i...

Scott Reiss is an Emmy Award-winning sportscaster who served as the radio play-by-play voice of the Stanford Cardinal. He was also an anchor/reporter for KTVU in San Francisco as well as a host for Comcast SportsNet. Scott gives us his thoughts on the Bay Area teams, USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 Conference and he explains why he's moving on to his next opportunity in Kansas City. Hosted by Simp...

Vin Scully spent a lifetime in the broadcast booth with the Dodgers (67 seasons) and on network broadcasts including the World Series. Joe and Ray take a look back at some of the great moments as they reflect on a Hall of Fame career and discuss what made Scully so great. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for...

Will Clark has been a guest of TheSportsVirus  over the years and has discussed several interesting topics including: the pressure of being a first round draft pick, hitters dealing with shifts in recent years, rule changes to protect players and what it takes to be a clutch player. Today we revisit those chats with the man of the hour in San Francisco. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. Se...

Bob Miller talks about his long career with the Kings from beginning (1973) to end (2017). We get to hear stories about the Triple Crown Line,  the  Miracle on Manchester , Wayne Gretzky and the team finally winning its first Stanley Cup championship in 2012. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What's working and not working for the Giants as they head to the All-Star break? Ray Woodson helps us dissect their season and what they might need to do as the trade deadline approaches. We also discuss a possible Kevin Durant reunion with the Warriors and touch on Trey Lance's readiness to be the quarterback the 49ers need now. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for i...

Mark Purdy might be retired, but he still has plenty of opinions about sports. We chat about an unhappy 4th of July outside of sports, then dive into the state of the Giants and issues with the A's stadium project. Mark gives his thoughts about new Sharks GM Mike Grier and the future of the team. Plus, we discuss USC and UCLA moving to the Big Ten Conference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz compa...

Roy Firestone joins  TheSportsVirus Podcast to talk about his recent enshrinement into the California Sports Hall of Fame. We chat about his love of baseball which goes back to being a bat boy at Orioles spring training and developing a relationship with Hall of Famers like Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer. Roy gives his thoughts on some new baseball rules and expresses his concern for the state of...

Ray Woodson details why the Warriors took a 3-2 lead over the Celtics in the NBA Finals on Monday night. We discuss the spectacular play of Andrew Wiggins and talk about how Steve Kerr has handled Draymond Green. An NBA Finals MVP evaluation is also on the docket, as Steph Curry went from a 43-point Game 4 to an 0-9 three-point shooting performance in Game 5. Plus, Ray gives Farhan Zaidi credit fo...

Tim Flannery spent 36 years in the major leagues as a player for the Padres and coach for San Diego and the San Francisco Giants.  Following retirement, does he miss being in uniform? How does he feel about the way analytics are controlling the way front offices evaluate players? And, what made Buster Posey and Joe Panik great before they decided to hang 'em up in 2022. The answers are all found h...

Tim Kawakami gives his thoughts on why the Warriors took care of business on Wednesday in a very different way than how they beat the Grizzlies in the second round of the playoffs. We discuss the value of Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney to the Dubs and take a guess at what adjustments Jason Kidd and the Mavericks might make the rest of the series. Tim also explains why The Athletic has been succes...

Joe Salvatore joins Joe Castellano to break down game four of the Warriors/Grizzlies series that saw Golden State take a 3-1 lead. They discuss the "code" that has been the talk of the series and how social media has impacted some of the players. The A's struggles, the Giants' recent rebound and Buster Posey's retirement are also topics of conversation. And, we learn more about Salvatore...

Kerith Burke and Joe Castellano discuss the Draymond Green flagrant 2 foul and the consequences for the Warriors as they try to beat the Grizzlies in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Series storylines are covered as well as a trip down memory lane back to Kerith's time with SNY covering the UConn women's basketball team. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inform...

Bob Fishman had a dramatic final show at the 2022 Final Four in New Orleans. He describes his emotions directing his last game and reminisces about his 50-year career at CBS Sports. We discuss his relationship with producers and the technical crew as well as announcers. And, Bob gives us a personal Coach K story. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about o...

Kevin Kugler just finished calling first and second round NCAA tournament games in Fort Worth, Texas and he joins  TheSportsVirus Podcast  to chat about his broadcasts and what goes into calling four games in one day. He also discusses the challenges of doing radio vs. television (he also does NFL games on FOX) and explains how he got started as an announcer. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz compa...

TheSportsVirus Podcast gets great insight about the new Major League Baseball labor deal from former big league pitcher Josh Towers . We discuss how it works for young players vs. veteran players. Josh also gives his thoughts about how starting pitchers are being developed and we go down memory lane and hear great stories from when he played. Towers has strong opinions about baseball's steroids er...

Larry Krueger has plenty of opinions that we have enjoyed listening to on KNBR in all of his different roles at the station for many years. Now he is excited about moving on to a new chapter in his career and he gives us a little insight into his future endeavors. Larry also shares his thoughts about the 49ers' situation as they get ready to trade Jimmy Garoppolo and sign free agents, the state of...

Former KNBR talk show host Ray Woodson has a lot to say about MLB's contract squabble on this week's podcast. He also sizes up why the Warriors are in a slump and tells us what he thinks of Trey Lance taking over as the 49ers' starting quarterback. Plus, after two firings at his former employer last week, we discuss the moves by KNBR and what makes the radio talk show business so unstable. Hosted...

Larry Stewart details some of the stories in his book as we go behind the scenes to hear about national and local sportscasters. We discuss the challenges of writing a column about big-time announcers who can sometimes be sensitive to criticism. Larry tells us about his dealings with many high-profile figures like Vin Scully, Bob Costas, Keith Jackson and OJ Simpson. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWi...

Long-time San Francisco columnist Scott Ostler helps us review the Rams win over the Bengals in the Super Bowl. We also go in-depth to discuss the 49ers' QB situation and the Warriors season. When it comes to baseball, Scott explains why he likes the DH coming to the National League and why he voted for Barry Bonds to be a Hall of Famer. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.co...

Rich Gannon gives his thoughts on the Rams/Bengals Super Bowl matchup with complete analysis of both teams. He takes us back 20 years to his own Super Bowl playing experience with the Raiders and lets us know about a few regrets regarding the loss to the Buccaneers. Gannon has special insights into the quarterback position and what it takes to persevere in the NFL. He served as a long-time CBS Spo...