Takin' it to the Streets

The New York Jets have made a splash that Daryl Hannah as “Madison” would be envious of. After years living in the NFL desert, the Jets looked themselves in the mirror and took the brave step of rebuilding their franchise with new personnel. It won’t be tomorrow, it won’t be next season but Crosby, Stills and Nash said it best, “Daylight Again.” 

Mike is having an excellent season at 62% against the spread and Andy has shown lif...

This week, Andy and Mike dive headfirst into the chaos of modern sports, starting with the NBA’s latest gambling scandal. Is it addiction, stupidity or just the new normal? From prop bets that got way out of hand to Vegas lines that practically run the games, they break down the dark side of professional sports before turning to NFL Week 9.

With Mike riding high at 15-9 and Andy close behind, they dig into Vegas over/under predictio...

This episode reminisces over the making and inspiration of the movie, “Breaking Away.” Andy tells of the screenplay writer’s story, Steve Tesich. Tesich was a student at Indiana University in the 60’s. He began his career working in Brooklyn as a case worker in the welfare department before writing a few off-Broadway plays (Olympia Dukakis, Vincent Gardenia and Eileen Brennan were among some of the actors featured). Tesich was on a...

A third of the way through with the NFL season and Andy and Mike are battling with their “head on” against the spread competition. Overall, Mike is ahead at 10-8 while Andy trails at 8-10. Are the Falcons the NFL’s version of Costco’s Kirkland brand? Do they seemingly have all the intrinsics that Detroit has minus the brand name trust? Both share thoughts from Week 6 before making their 3 selections for Week 7. 

Pour yourself an...

The Streets felt like the Dave Mason classic, “We Just Disagree.” Andy and Mike come with opposing opinions of the current NFL and handicapping in general. The Streets has always been a home for dissenting view and this week was no different. 

Andy continues to question Buffalo and Detroit while Mike believes the Shedeur Sanders Cleveland saga is noisy and a bit of a non-story. 

Is Josh Allen’s career taking on the same traits of Dan...

25% into the NFL season some things are starting to represent themselves as fact. 

1. Baltimore is struggling and loaded with injury, is there a way to save this season? 

2. Is the Bears blocking a field goal at the gun in Las Vegas a precursor to a playoff season in the make? Did they “get away with one” on the road? 

3. Is Buffalo a bad 4-0 team? Hosting both sides of a “mini bye” and scraping by with wins over Miami and New Orleans ...

Beemer comes back to the Streets with a New York City edge of a man primed and ready for the 2025 Ryder Cup to be held on Long Island at Bethpage Black. While Andy and Beemer share New York City stories of their first in-person meeting, the anecdotes range from Andy visiting Memorial Park (home of the 911 memorial) to the upcoming Ryder Cup and what it means to both sides. 

• Is the European motivation toward glory enough to t...

Andy is 4-5 and Mike 5-4 ATS. The “Street” is a long and taxing one that is filled with highs and lows but as this street has always taught us, “Never too high, never too low.” 

• Are there problems in Baltimore? 

• Are there problems in Kansas City or are there problems in both? 

• Do “key” numbers matter in sports handicapping? 

Chicago and Carolina are attached at the hip due to the big trade they made a couple of years a...

The NFL has always been governed by its rules which are enforced by the officials. There have been many changes to the rule book, over the years, but of the past decade the impetus has been on scoring. Andy and Mike discuss the status of NFL officiating and the ferocity of the “fraternity” that is the NFL referee community. They don’t bend, they don’t break and seemingly they are “Teflon” in not being subjugated to the ridicule and...

Did the Bears choke or was it Minnesota’s greatness as a team that paved the way to victory at Soldier Field? How many things had to break an unlikely way for Buffalo to beat Baltimore? 

Mike and Andy break down the past week’s games and both pick 3 games for Week Two. “The House” continues its carnage on the public after a terrible 2024 season. Mike discusses the “lessons he learned” this week while Andy puts his 3-0 ATS mark o...

On a train bound for nowhere, Takin’ it to the Streets began unassumingly at the end of season 2023 “Breaking Down the Thanksgiving Games.” The show hadn’t made it to the bright lights and glamour of YouTube, the Rich Beem era, just grinding it out and livin’ on a prayer. That first show’s guest was Mike McLaughlin who appears in this week’s NFL week one episode. 

Lots on the table..  Is it the year of the Jaguar and Liam Coen? ...

The PGA season winds to its finish with 30 of its members still standing having withstood the grind of the long season and ready to play for the Fed Ex Championship. What was the story this season? Rory’s completion of the career grand slam at Augusta? J.J.’s putt at Oakmont? Gotterup’s arrival (on the scene) in Europe? Scottie’s dominance? Tommy’s inability to close out a 54-hole lead multiple times? Who is John Galt?? Perhaps the...

It was one year ago at the BMW Championship that “Beemer” first appeared on “Takin’ to the Streets”. Since then, Andy and “Beemer” have collaborated on many podcasts merging the disparate and synergistic views of the PGA. While Andy stays true to the roots of the “Streets” by challenging Beemer on reverse line movement and Vegas opinion, Beemer holds the views one would expect of a major winner and one that’s triumphed multiple tim...

Was it a meltdown or was it a choke? Tommy Fleetwood’s Travelers was golf tragedy with a Ryder Cup feel. Should Keegan Bradley, “Captain America,” be a playing captain on the Ryder Cup as Arnold Palmer last was in ’63? How good is Patrick Cantlay? Is he urgent, cold as ice and why will him winning on the Tour feel like the first time? 

Andy and Beemer explore the depth to the upcoming Rocket Mortgage as Ryder Cup invitations awa...

Beemer and Andy recap the dramatic U.S. Open. Was Oakmont too difficult? Should the officials have allowed Sam Burns “relief” from the temporary water on the 15th fairway? Was the champion the course or the players? The Tour moves to Connecticut this week for the Travelers and many of the “big” names will be there as it is an elevated event. A new era also begins as Brian Rolapp (formerly from the NFL) replaces Jay Monahan as the P...

No United States course has hosted this legendary event as many times as Oakmont; this will be number 10. Tommy Armour won at Oakmont’s first hosting in 1927 and since then it’s been an extensive cabaret of golf greats that have attempted to beat one of the great beasts in all of American golf. Hogan (1953), Nicklaus (1962), Miller (1973), Els (1994), Cabrera (2007) and Johnson (2016) have all stood tallest after the 72-hole test, ...

Andy reminisces about Baltimore Orioles legend and Hall of Fame manager, Earl Weaver, with his biographer John W. Miller. The author now resides in Pittsburgh after a childhood spent abroad (mostly in Belgium) and recently wrote the ultimate Weaver in full book. 

From the early years in St. Louis to the spring training in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1952 with Eddie Stanky as manager, hoping to earn a roster spot with the big club in ...

In this episode of Takin’ it to the Streets, Andy harkens back to his college days at Mizzou and goes “straight from the heart” with an old friend, Pete Jones. Since college, Jones has gone on to become an “Indie” filmmaker and is most recognized as the first winner of the Ben Affleck/Matt Damon sponsored “Project Greenlight.” 

Since Greenlight, Jones has gone on to write/direct/act in numerous films. His upcoming screenplay is abou...

Andy and Beemer break down the year’s second MAJOR of the season, The PGA, coming up this weekend at Quail Hollow in Charlotte. Rain and length of the course will provide a brutal test for the world’s top players. 

For the second half of the show, author Kevin Cook drops by and chats about his 2011 book about “Titanic” Thompson - one of the most influential characters of his era. Damon Runyon is said to have based Sky Masterson ...