Scorecard Scribblings

Ken Rudulph admittedly was not a fan of horse racing when he took a job with the-then fledgling TVG Horse Racing Network. Fast forward more than two decades, and he has forged a career in, around and beyond the world of horse racing that makes him one of the truly coolest guys I've known in the business. We talk about raising a kid in the biz, landing the long shot on live TV, playing music with his bands including Mama's Gravy and why you need to be careful when feeding a thoroughbred cookies. Even if you're not a racing nut, I think you'll enjoy this one. And you can catches podcast Bleav in Horse Racing on iTunes, and the Bleav Podcast Network. And check out www.scorecardscribblings.com for more. 

Mike Benton has the polish of an NHL broadcaster, but just like the players whose games he calls, he has to earn his time on the ice at the top. These days - and since 2015 - he has been calling the play-by-play for one of the elite teams in the Canadian Hockey League's Junior tier, the Western Hockey League, the Everett (Washington) Silvertips. Every year a player or two gets drafted to the show from that team, and its just a matter of time before Mike gets his shot. For now, he's passing on what he's learned about the business to others, as he has developed into a great storyteller as well as live broadcaster. He touches on the sacrifices needed to make it as a pro broadcaster and shares new ways he is trying to reach out during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

For two decades he's been the man with the inside stuff in the Bay Area, and has authored books on both the Giants and 49ers. The Athletic is his primary place of biz, and even during the pandemic he's doing essential work - cranking out great sports stories in mid-season form.  He talks Jimmy G., baseball cards and why he loves Roger Craig. Shockingly, we have the same favorite baseball movies, although his story is better.

Steve Physioc is a pro's pro... and it turns out he can handle some prose, too. I got to know him when I was in SoCal covering the Angels and he was their TV play-by-play guy. His career has been impressive - and he's been at it for a long, long time. His smooth voice and positive storytelling are among Physioc's hallmarks of craftsmanship. And his story of how a dream inspired him to write his first novel, The Walls of Lucci, is terrific. This is a guy you need to get to know and hopefully get some inspiration from during the Covid-19 hiatus form sports. 

I've known Ben since he was a little bear cub, and frankly, the guy remains the nicest, most relatable pro in sports talk radio. He has brought fun to overnight sports talk radio for a long time with Fox Sports Radio on the Ben Maller Show, and you can also find his podcasts and live streams out there, too. Ben talks about growing up in SoCal, and eventually building his audience one late night listener at a time. We talk about the biz, his weird shift, Kobe, Tommy Lasorda, and a whole lot more. He's one of the world's most listened to radio hosts and is a down right great dude! 

This one is from the archives - recorded in July 2019 just as his book was published and his story gained national prominence.

Ryan O’Callaghan had a longer than average career in the NFL, but almost didn’t survive the experience. He has a new book, My Life on the Line – and much of it deals with being a big macho offensive lineman who happens to be gay, and what that was like for him as a man and as a player and what he’s doing now to help others in his retirement. 

This filmmaker loves baseball and storytelling maybe even more than the host of Scorecard Scribblings. Jon's collection of min-baseball docs and long-form baseball pieces can be found on Vimeo on Demand and Amazon Prime. Just look for The Sweet Spot! 

This one was recorded in November of 2019, and these women are a blast. Roller Derby is making a cool comeback all across the U-S and northern California won't be left behind. Props to Jim Croce and the movie Whip It! 

In this Scorecard Scribblings interview originally recorded before Christmas in 2019, former Big Red Machine catcher Bill Plummer, a lifelong resident of northern California, talks with Brent Weber about the Hall of Fame additions of Edgar Martinez and Marvin Miller.  Brent also shares with him a “scouting report” found on young Plummer back in the 1960s.