Saucetown Stories

Week 13

Week 12

Week 11

Week 10

Week 9

Week 7 pod

Relegation special. J tells us who he does and does not want to get relegated.

Week 5 LOD

Week 4

Week 4

Week 2 pod

We’re back!

The newest LOD member

We discuss: sharing 12/13 bdays but not being in the T-Swift army, the trials and tribulations (as well as the opportunities) of getting into modeling at age 13, acting being her first love (S/O to Chris Farley, the first three months of motherhood, leaving NYC and buying a fixer home, and a rapid fire round

We discuss: studying abroad in Australia, working with legendary Oregon St baseball coach Pat Casey, the minor league baseball lifestyle coaching in the Twins organization, where he got his work ethic from, what he’s doing today at the University of Clemson, cheap southern real estate, and a rapid fire round

We discuss: a tough upbringing in the Sauce, Hoop Dances, breaking South Salems Mayors Cup streak, his love for death metal, mosh pit etiquette, his struggles with mental health, how therapy has helped him immensely, his recent move to LA with a shout out to Colin Casad, a rapid fire round

We discuss: batting leadoff in baseball and often getting the first pitch of the game thrown at his chin, playing three sports in not just high school but also college, being a body guard to the stars including Bob Hope, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan; the best athletes he’s coached in his 30 years, and pouring his blood sweat, tears and finances into Saxon Iron Works to build the weightlifting Mecca of Oregon

We discuss: his time as the rapper “The Kid Espi” and getting to open for hip hop legends E40 and Twista, founding a hip hop magazine, born leaders v “created” leaders, what holds people back from reaching their potential in business or life, why Salem is so special to him, and a rapid fire round

We discuss: growing up on Mercer Island, a crazy story about attending high school with a serial killer, playing D1 tennis at Udub, a grueling summer working in the fishing industry in Alaska, meeting John Cox at a historic college football game, tennis always being part of her life, and the life changing experience of seeing the gorillas in Rwanda

Mark is back as the first two time guest in the history of the podcast. We catch him fresh off of his (accepted) proposal to his brand new fiancé. Last we spoke to Mark over a year he was in the middle of a complex/difficult situation with his business. Today we find out what came of it and where he is today.

Two weeks off being drafted by the Seattle Storm, Evina joins us to discuss: growing up with 4 brothers in the Sauce, staying humble and valuing relationships through all the success, managing the recruiting process when EVERYONE is recruiting you, her time at Tennessee and why she transferred to UConn, the “Mama E” nickname she earned, a funny Geno Auriemma anecdote, the excitement of draft day and going to a team so close to Salem/home, the whirlwind of playing in the national title game to being drafted a week later, her sports broadcasting future, some shoutouts to people and places in the Sauce

We discuss: how football is his favorite despite going pro in baseball, the story of meeting his wife Sari as a freshmen at South, shout outs to some of the toughest pitchers he faced in Salem, a Tim Lincecum story, how baseball changed for him when he was drafted, the “relief” of being done with baseball, trying to find the team sports culture in the business world, being a dad and his favorite Pixar/Disney movies, and some final shout outs to coaches who helped mold who he is today

Saucetown Stories is joined by a political candidate for the first time. We discuss the specifics of Chane’s campaign platform on topics such as: affordable housing, homelessness, climate change, and transportation. We also learn a bit about Chane’s upbringing, her move to Salem, and some of her favorites in a rapid fire round.

We discuss: Kam’s multi generational ties to the Sauce, how April Hersh first got him into PT, how Nancy Cox helped set his career in the right direction, the true definition of “U-Backs”, PT taking him to Vegas and now Boston, an epic story from a Tenacious D concert (your host was there), name association with Sauce legends Corey Bickler, Brian Porter, and Dom David; from not being much of a sports fan to going all in on the Red Sox, and a rapid fire round

Ken was born and raised in Salem, OR. Today he is the CEO of multiple real estate companies with over 24 billion dollars in assets under management. We discuss: growing up in Salem and the iconic mud bowl football game, how much Salem means to him, becoming CEO in the middle of the Great Recession, the type of people he looks to work with as a CEO, balancing finding opportunity in real estate with managing risk, how to find a mentor/ask for help in any industry, and a rapid fire round

We discuss: how getting cut from a team jump started her incredible track career, the transition from SSHS to a national track powerhouse at U of O, a non profit she started working with straight out of college that is still near and dear to her, building a business/philanthropy in Rwanda, what she learned in Africa (and turned into her 60 page thesis), coming back to Oregon and helping turn a down and out Eastern Oregon track team into a powerhouse, moving to her new (and current) challenge coaching at University of Utah, and a rapid fire round

We discuss: Brad punking me in a wrestling match at South, being inspired to join the coast guard but then going to the Navy instead, his triathlon career, the transition from triathlons to adventure sports and learning to enjoy the ride instead of always being focused on the competition, a story about a crazy close encounter with the 2020 wildfires, his all time favorite climb, and an important message to all existing or aspiring outdoorsmen/women

We discuss: old time little league rivalries, going through the college athletics recruiting process, the Saucetown/Neskowin connection, the moment he decided he wanted to be a dentist, how much he loves fatherhood, how he met his wife Alex, a brand new segment called “name association” (Tyler Bolton, Josh Kay, Kam Jacobsen 👀), and a rapid fire round where we learn about a very unique/healthy hobby Bick has gotten into

This episode gets a little emotional, we discuss: growing up in TINY town Connecticut, transitioning to the old south for college, all the places her 4 decade teaching career has taken her, what’s next when she’s done at South, and what she will cherish most about her career, (oh and a unique Salem restaurant she loves 😂)

Pro Hoops is coming to Salem! And we got an interview with the man behind the movement! We discuss: taking a very unique approach to this team and building a full entertainment experience around the game as opposed to just the game itself (think 21+ club section, player autographs for the kids post game, etc), the logistics (when, where, and how you can watch and the high level of talent that will be on the floor), building something awesome for the Salem community, his illustrious career playing professionally both in the US and all over the world, his love for art and an incredible after school art program he built while playing in Yakima, the transition from player to front office to owner, a rapid fire round

We discuss: why being a creative and going to state school don’t always mesh, transferring to beauty/fashion school and getting in trouble with her friend Haley, her love for colorful hair and body paint, getting her big break into the body paint event space at “What the Festival”, how quitting alcohol changed her life, moving to LA and living with 11 girls in a 2 bedroom house, special moments she got to spend with her grandma in her final days back in Oregon, and a rapid fire round

We discuss: his not so warm welcome to Sprague football as a freshmen by future nfl player Bill Swancutt, becoming an all American at Whitworth, personal struggles he went through and how he worked with a counselor himself to become a better person, playing tee ball with his future wife, becoming a counselor instead of a youth pastor, moving from a 4k square foot house to living in a tiny bedroom with his wife and newborn daughter + 2 pets, a couple incredible stories of students he’s worked with, a plea for Lehrbaum to rejoin the group chat, and a rapid fire round

This week, we bring you a special investigative report brought you by Saucetown Stories. Events depicted in this episode occurred between 2008-2011 in Saucetown. And yes, THAT event at Nick Rhoten’s farm property is covered. We also get a special episode introduction from a Saucetown inside source. NOTE: The Saucetown Stories podcast does not condone all events that are reminisced upon in this episode.

To say Chris went through a near death experience is not hyperbole. Many of you may know bits and pieces of the story, but this episode gives you the full thing. We discuss: the night of the accident, the next two months in the hospital, the long recovery, what happened next, and the gift he was given 13 years later to the day after the accident

We discuss: Jordans ties to the Sauce going all the way back to his great grandpa writing the original “Song of Oregon”, his life of music being a blessing and a curse, playing in a band with three Wurgler brothers (and a near brotherly brawl in the studio), finding balance between music and life, scoring a film and winning “Best Original Score”, a shout out to Doug Fir Lounge, and where you can follow him and listen to his music

We discuss: Leonard’s ties to the Sauce, starting a fraternity at U of O, why everyone hates being a financial advisor, dropping everything to move to Europe and teach English, the move to LA and life in the tech world, nearly getting on the Bachelor, a cool story about meeting his gf, why he loves traveling with his pops, and a rapid fire round

Erica Puopolo guest hosts and interviews the host of show Matt Cox. Erica was on as a guest a few weeks ago and proposed this idea, and she absolutely crushed it as a host. We discuss many things but perhaps most importantly, the origins of the term “Saucetown” are unveiled 👀

We discuss: her upbringing in The Sauce, working in the hospital as Covid hit last March, how she met her husband at CrossFit, executing 50 different bungee jumps, running marathons, becoming a jiu jitsu blue belt, traveling to dozens of countries (and naming a few favorites), getting into cosplay, the story behind a charity near and dear to her heart, what drives her to do “everything”, and a rapid fire round

We discuss: how Dave used his athleticism early on to get into trouble and run from cops, how he transitioned to using his gifts to do positive things, the iconic “Dan and Dave” Reebok ad campaign, what its like to suddenly have everyone know who you are, an incredible story about medaling with a broken foot, his ties to Caitlin Jenner and how much he respects her, the most rewarding thing in his life (it’s not winning a medal), and how he has impacted kids the last 20+ years

Today you know Travis as the voice of the Blazers, but what you don’t know is how he got here. We discuss: moving cross country to small town Oregon to chase his dream for $50 a game on the radio, the grab bag of different jobs he worked, how you make your own luck, why he treated preparation for 2A football games the same way he treats NBA games, the sacrifices he made over a decade plus to get here, a funny story from my time calling games with Travis, and a few of his favorite things in a rapid fire round

We discuss why air service is important to a community, what happened back in 2007-2009 when Delta flew to Salem, some clarifications on pushback to the movement, where we currently stand in the process, where we may have flights to, and where you can follow along/help if you want to

We discuss: growing up in the Sauce with 6 brothers, meeting her husband Joey at age 14, playing professional Softball, transitioning from competitive athlete to working professional, how sports analytics has evolved and how it can help keep coaches from “overcoaching”, motherhood/her first born being a daughter after always thinking she’d be a boy mom, mental health and how anyone can struggle, how “Toy Story” transcends generations, and how a theoretical all Jenkins 2 on 2 hoops game might play out

We discuss: the wide range of experiences he had as a kid living in huge cities overseas as well as going to high school in small town Oregon, his love for history, his path to Stanford, his experience with NFL Hall of Famer John Elway as his fraternity brother, learning to coach football compared to playing football, his wife’s huge role both in life and as a part of the football program, how the high school game has changed, what matters most to him about his career, and what’s next whenever he decides to stop coaching

We discuss: the transition from Eugene to Nashville at 19 years old, chasing the music dream in Music City USA, the dark side of the Nashville music scene, coming to Seattle and reconnecting with her creative process, what’s really important to her when it comes to making music, Tantric Philosophy, and some of her favorite things during a rapid fire round

We discuss: why college wasn’t for him and how he followed his passion for cutting hair, how he’s ended up being the barber for multiple athletes/celebrities, a key piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, why consistency is the most valuable currency in the world today, the importance of social media in what he’s accomplished, and a shout out to the former Blazer (and now one of his best friends) who he credits with helping his career take off

We discuss: everything she loved about South High, the disappointment of not getting to go to the Olympics followed by the thrill of getting an invite later on, the whirlwind of arriving to freshmen year of college then suddenly hopping on a plane to Tokyo, her teams path to gold, a rapid fire round, and a big shoutout to her role models as well as an organization near and dear to her heart

We discuss: her time at UT-Austin post high school, a scary moment that changed her life and drove her toward a music career, her move to LA and the support team that helped her, stage fright and how to cope with it, her biggest musical influences, and a rapid fire round where she gives you an album you need to be listening to as well as some other takes/facts about herself

We discuss: the origins of the nickname “K-Flex”, the state of his Baltimore Orioles and Oregon legend Adley Ruschman, living in Omaha: has he hung out with Warren Buffett?, the mental space you have to be in as a criminal defense attorney, a particularly interesting courtroom victory of his, and a possible return to the PNW 👀

As we all know, the city of Portland has been in the news and in many ways under fire the past year. Tia is able to offer an insider perspective on what is happening with the city, where the issues exist and what is being done to improve as she has worked in various public sector jobs in Portland including Ted Wheeler’s office, the legislature, city of Portland, Multnomah County, and now ODOT. We also discuss an awesome solo trip that Tia got to take to Europe right before Covid. She offers some awesome insight on the virtues of solo travel. Lastly, Tia shares a cause that she feels is very important to the future of this city.

We discuss: some southeastern US culture shock moments, how his time in Afghanistan provided clarity on what he wanted in life, playing college football at age 29, reflections on his rap career, what Seth “El Jefe” Tobias is up to, and a heartfelt shout out to the Sauce