Sports Connections with David Smale
Join David Smale, author and sports journalist, as he sits down with fascinating guests that make up the world of sports. For more than 40 years, he has interviewed people in sports and helped to tell their stories. The show brings a fun and intimate look into those sports connections.
Episodes
Andy Katz is one of college basketball's finest reporters. On this episode of Sports Connections, Andy and David discuss college basketball on a national level. The two talk about their favorite locations in the sport. Andy also goes in-depth on his friendship with former President Barack Obama.
Mark Neely has been a broadcaster for many years, including some of the biggest games in College Football, Major League Baseball and other sports. In this episode of Sports Connections with David Smale, Mark and David look back on their careers and discuss their favorite moments in sports.
Rich Gannon played 18 seasons in the NFL and now he works as an ambassador for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Rich and David discuss how being a leader is important in today's society and how the skills he learned during his time on the gridiron apply to his life today.
Rece Davis is one of the premier broadcasters in the sports industry. In this interview, David talks with Rece about his background, the sports world, and his faith.
If you’re a sports fan—and you wouldn’t be listening to this podcast if you weren’t—and you have a bucket list, you need to add the College World Series to your list. While you’re at it, you might put it at or near the top of that list. Kathryn Morrissey heads up the College World Series of Omaha, Inc., the host committee of college baseball’s biggest event. She’s been part of the event for more than 30 years, and she’s retiring wh...
Whit Merrifield might be the best-kept secret in Major League baseball today. He’s led the American League in at least one offensive category—many times multiple categories—every full season he’s played. Yet few outside of Kansas City can tell you much about him. He’s one of the leaders of the youthful Kansas City Royals, and he’s very candid about his desire to bring a winner back to the Heartland.
It sounds strange to say that Collin Klien is the face of the Kansas State football program since he’s neither a current player nor the head coach. But there are few who will disagree. Klien played quarterback for the Wildcats from 2009-12. He was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2012. He has risen through the coaching ranks to offensive coordinator, and no doubt will be the head coach at som...
Roger Espinoza has been with the Sporting Kansas City franchise for so long, he was drafted by the Kansas City Wizards. His time as a player began before Peter Vermes became the manager of the club. Yes, he’s been around for a long time. He’s one of the most popular players on the roster because he always gives every ounce of effort. What you may not know is that Espinoza also has a great sense of humor, which he displays in today’...
John Mangini is like many men his age. He grew up collecting baseball cards. But unlike many of his contemporaries, he still has much of that collection—and a lot more. He now has more than 100,000 cards, plus a museum-worthy assortment of other baseball memorabilia in his collection. The native of the Pittsburgh area has spent a lifetime enjoying the game of baseball through collectibles.
Adam Wainwright recently became the first pitcher older than 40 to pitch seven scoreless innings and allow one hit since 2009. Yeah, he’s still got it. But “Uncle Charlie,” the nickname he earned for his outstanding curveball, is more than just a great competitor; he’s also a great guy. He was the 2020 Roberto Clemente Award winner, given to the MLB player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvem...
How does it feel to have your name announced at the NFL Draft? Tim Grunhard, who was a second-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1990, joins us to talk about how he felt. He also shares what it felt like the first time he walked into Arrowhead Stadium. Grunny helps us analyze the Chiefs draft and how those pieces might fit into the six-time defending AFC West champs!
The Draft is behind us and now NFL teams are filling their rosters with undrafted free agents and cuts from other teams. It wasn’t that long ago that the short-lived Plan B free agency was a part of roster-building, and no one did it better than the Kansas City Chiefs. One of the best examples was Dan Saleaumua, who came to the Chiefs after two years with the Detroit Lions. He had great success with the Chiefs, helping them to a ru...
The new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rule has created a seismic shift in college athletics. Now, student-athletes can make money by using their name or face to promote products and services. It might be the biggest off-field change since colleges started offering athletic scholarships. Curry Sexton, a former K-State receiver, has helped create a collective that helps K-State student-athletes connect with revenue sources, and he j...
When Carl Peterson took the role of Chiefs President/CEO/General Manager, the franchise was in disarray. They had not won a playoff game—they had lost the only two they played in—since winning the Super Bowl almost 20 years before. Worse yet, they were an afterthought in the league and even in their own community. No one wanted to go to Arrowhead Stadium for a Chiefs game. More than 30 years later, the Chiefs are a model NFL franch...
Chris Klieman had the unenviable task of following College Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder as the head coach at Kansas State following the 2018 season. Klieman has taken the Wildcats to bowl games in two of his first three seasons, with the crazy season of 2020 as the outlier. He’s established his program as one of the best in the Big 12, one that won’t back down to anybody (the Wildcats are 2-1 against Oklahoma). And he’s ...
“USA! USA!” The loud chant reverberates in our minds as American sports fans. Did you know that chant began at the “Miracle on Ice” during the 1980 Olympics? Our guest, Ken Morrow, was part of the USA team that won the game against the Russians, the heavily favored four-time defending Gold Medal winners who defeated the American team 10-3 in an exhibition game days before the Olympics began. But on that perfect night in Lake Placid...
We all have barriers to get through to accomplish things in our lives. But what if you passion carried a built-in obstacle that was impossible to ignore? Bryce Weiler is a sports broadcaster who can’t see the action he’s describing. Blind since birth, Weiler doesn’t let that slow him down, as he “listens” to the game and describes why and how what just happened came about. He’s also taking the attention he’s been receiving to help ...
Have you ever played “Can you top this?” with your friends? That’s where you’re comparing who you know, and each person tries to one-up the previous person. Our guest today, Charlie Mechem would win that every time, and he joins us to talk about his upcoming book “Arnie and Jack: Stories of My Long Friendship With Two Remarkable Men, the story of his relationships with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Can you top that?
A year ago tonight, Homer Drew was in the stands watching his son Scott coach the Baylor Bears to the national championship in Division I men’s basketball. Another son, Bryce, helped get Homer on the national stage 24 years ago during the tournament when he hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to help Valparaiso—coached by Homer—defeat Mississippi in a first-round game. Homer joins us today to talk about basketball…and life.
A generation of basketball fans may only know Charles Barkley only as a wisecracking studio analyst for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and NBA television broadcasts. But the self-deprecating Barkley was one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Shorter than the average power forward at just 6-4, he used strength, quickness and hustle to be selected as one of the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History.
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