The Bob McCown Podcast

EP 178 - DOUG SMITH on the Olympic Qualifiers and the Toronto Raptors.

DOUG SMITH, joins the podcast from Victoria, British Colombia to talk about team Canada and the Olympic Qualifying tournament as well as update us on the Toronto Raptors. 

We discuss the competition that team Canada has faced so far and will play further down the line - Who is Canada's biggest obstacle between them and the Tokyo Olympics?

We move on to the Toronto Raptors and discuss the recent trade rumours surrounding Pascal Siakam, what the Raptors will be up to this offseason and the Masai Ujiri contract conundrum.

EP 179 - FRIDAY ROUNDTABLE ft. JOE MICHELETTI & JIM HUGHSON on the Stanley Cup Final.

Just two games into the Stanley Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning and Bob has already decided the series is over - Do hockey broadcasters JIM HUGHSON and JOE MICHELETTI agree?

The four discuss the first two games of the 2021 SCF and wonder if anyone should be surprised to see the Montreal Canadiens go down 2-0 to the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

We talk about whether or not experience is overrated in these situations, the goalie matchup between Carey Price and and Andrei Vasilevskiy and whether or not the Lightning will be just the second team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup IN Montreal.

Win or lose, is this Tampa Bay team a dynasty? All that and more on todays edition of our Friday roundtable talk. 

EP 177 - JON MOROSI on the Toronto Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and their new additions to the roster.

Reacquiring guest and friend of the show, JON MOROSI, joins John and Bob from Buffalo today to talk about the Toronto Blue Jays, their recent trades and their uptick in offensive production.

As Jon gets ready for the broadcast tonight, the three talk about the impact playing on natural grass and how the team could be affected once they come back to Canada and the Rogers Centre's artificial turf. 

We talk about the new additions to the team in Adam Cimber & Corey Dickerson and what exactly fans can expect from these fresh faces and the hot play from the AL Player of the Week, Vladimir Guerrero Jr as he continues his impressive season - which begs the question - Would you trade Vlad for Fernando Tatis Jr. at this point in their career?

We also talk about the affects the recent crackdown on banned substances has had on the offensive output in Major League Baseball.

To end the show, it wouldn't be fair if we didn't let Mr.Morosi talk hockey - the three discuss Jon's experience covering the Canadiens vs Vegas series and whether or not Montreal can pull off an upset.

EP 176 - BRIAN COOPER on Basketball Canada and the impact the pandemic has had on the business of sports.

Chair of Canada Basketball Board of Directors, BRIAN COOPER, joins the podcast as the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament begins tonight in Victoria BC.

With more NBA players on the team than ever before the Canadians must win the tournament in order to secure a birth to the Tokyo Olympics - The gentlemen discuss the likelihood of that happening as well as going over the teams in Canada's way to reach their goal.

After basketball talk, Bob and John take advantage of Brian's business acumen and pick his brain about how the pandemic has impacted the world of Sports business. The three talk about what we should expect as the world slowly returns to normalcy and what specifically has changed indefinitely.

EP 175 - DARREN PANG & MIKE ZEISBERGER on the Stanley Cup Final.

DARREN PANG & MIKE ZEISBERGER join the podcast to break down the Stanley Cup Final Matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning & the Montreal Canadiens.

The four discuss every aspect of the team, from their regular season performance, team chemistry, goalie matchup and their path to the Stanley Cup Final in preparation for game one in Tampa Bay tonight.

EP 174 - FRIDAY ROUNDTABLE W/ DAVE HODGE & DAVE PERKINS

In a multi sport edition of our friday roundtable, DAVE HODGE and DAVE PERKINS join bob and john to talk some NHL and Major League Baseball.

The gentlemen start the show chatting about the Montreal Canadians unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Finals and what to expect out of them as they wait for their opponents.

They also bring the Blue Jays into the discussion - after a solid 5 game win streak we wonder if the Jays are capable of making the playoffs. 

MLB's trade deadline is also brought up as the gentleman discuss potential moves the organization can make to strengthen their team.

EP 173 - DAN SHULMAN on the Toronto Blue Jays, MLB's officiating issues and the electronic strike zone.

The voice of the Toronto Blue Jays on Sportsnet, DAN SHULMAN, joins the podcast to talk some Toronto Blue Jays and Major League Baseball.

The three discuss the "Ebbs & Flows" of the Jays tumultuous season, and wonder how much of their issues can be attributed to their schedule. The gentleman also discuss the possibility of Torontonians being able to see the Blue Jays play at the Rogers centre this summer.

We also get into the inconsistent relief pitching from Toronto this year, Alek Monoah's impact and progression as a player and the return of George Springer.

The three also discuss the prospect of an electronic strike zone and Major League Baseball's recent problems with banned substances - it needs to be fixed... but how?

EP 172 - MIKE O'SHEA on the return of the CFL and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers

2019 Grey Cup Championship winning Coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, MIKE O'SHEA, joins the podcast to discuss the start of the CFL season nearly 2 years after it was forced to shut down.

The three discuss the reality of the situation for the players in the CFL, with many having to work different jobs during the stoppage of play to support their families - how ready will they be to play come August?

The gentlemen also get into the teams turnover - how different will not only the Bombers look next year but the rest of the league as well?

And finally, we talk about their new kicker from Western University and how the game translates differently to the pro's depending on what position you play.

 

 

EP 171 - ROD BRIND'AMOUR on winning the Jack Adams Award, his contract extension, the Carolina Hurricanes and hockey in Raleigh.

ROD BRIND'AMOUR of the Carolina Hurricanes, last Thursday won the Jack Adams Award for NHL coach of the year as voted by members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association.

Today, he is a guest on The Bob McCown Podcast.

The three cover a wide range of topics with the former player and current head coach, including his award, his contract extension and his relationship with the teams owner, Tom Dundon. 

We learn a little bit more about his coaching style and his struggle to compete with all of the other "Coaches" players these days and how much coaching is actually needed once you hit the NHL. 

The gentleman also discuss the Hurricanes season this year, getting Rod to grade his teams performance. 

To end the show we talk about the growing hockey market in Raleigh and how Rod thinks the future is bright for the sport in North Carolina.

EP 170 - JOHN GIBBONS, former manager of the Toronto Blue Jays

A familiar face to Blue Jays fans everywhere, JOHN GIBBONS, joins Bob and John on the podcast to discuss some of Bob's favourite topics surrounding Major League Baseball.

We learn about John's role with the Braves, the players John is scouting and who is easier to evaluate, Pitchers or position players?

As today's show is about baseball, it is only natural that the gentleman spend some time on the pitching problem that is plaguing the league. Does the former manager think it's as much of a problem as the other two do? If so, how do we change it.

Also in the show, the three cover the analytic side of the game, cheating, player management and is Mike Trout still the best in the game?

EP 169 - SHI DAVIDI on the Toronto Blue Jays and Major League Baseball's Pitching Problem.

Sportsnet's SHI DAVIDI hops on the podcast today to discuss the Blue Jays and some of Major League Baseball's glaring issues surrounding their starting Pitchers. 

With an increase in injured pitchers, not only on the Blue Jays, but across MLB the gentleman wonder if the way Pitchers - especially the starters - are being trained is the issue. 

With pitchers throwing less balls and player less inners than ever before, why do they keep getting hurt? is the commitment to velocity ruining the sport?

The three also discuss the overuse of analytics and how the "Win every matchup" mentality using statistics can actually have a negative effect on a teams future.

To end the show the three shift their talk to the Blue Jays, their future and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s potential to be a star. 

They also question Nate Pearson's future with the club - is it too early to say he's a bust?

 

EP 168 - STEVE SIMMONS & BRUCE ARTHUR on the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games

STEVE SIMMONS, columnist for the Toronto Sun & BRUCE ARTHER from the Toronto star join the podcast for an Olympic themed roundtable talk with Bob and John.

Despite losing thousands of volunteers, vaccination complications and the fact that there is still a global pandemic - The Tokyo Olympics are still scheduled to begin in just over a month... today the gentleman discuss if this is still a good idea... or ever was.

With all four having worked countless Olympic events over the years we discuss how different the games will look this year due to the virus and the complications that comes with it. 

Many questions remain unanswered with threats of potential outbreaks and lack of a vaccination rollout plan - are we setting up for failure?

To end the show, the gentleman discuss the IOC's bidding process over the years, noting the games negative economic effect for the majority of host countries has deterred many from even wanting to host the games.

EP 165 - ALLAN WALSH on the Player Safety Hearing Process & the NHL's inconsistent Player Punishment.

NHL Agent, ALLAN WALSH, joins the podcast to give Bob and John a better idea of what the Player Safety hearing process is like.

The three discuss the steps the league takes as well as the player when a hearing is set up and what the process looks like on a day to day basis.

We also talk about the NHL's inconsistency when it comes to dishing out punishments for the players with the belief that the only way the NHL can measure intent is with strict liability. 

Analytics is also brought up as Allan doesn't discredit the practice but believes it is relied on too heavily in all sports, not just hockey.

EP 167 - JAMES HINCHCLIFFE gives us an inside look into the world of IndyCar racing,

Canadian IndyCar racer, JAMES HINCHCLIFFE joins Bob and John to talk about his return to Andretti Autosport and his upcoming races.

James also gives us an idea of what the training process of a racer is like as well the difference between various engine manufacturers. 

We  also discuss how his mindset changed after his injury and what it feels like to drive in a car made to hit speeds upwards of 200MPH.

EP 166 - CAMMI GRANATO & RAY FERRARO.

One of Hockey's living legends, Hall of Fame Inductee and Scout for the Seattle Kraken, CAMMI GRANATO, joins the podcast with her husband, RAY FERRARO, in the couples first appearance together on a podcast. 

We learn about what life is like balancing the busy life of being a hockey broadcaster AND raising a family... and then multiply it by two. 

Not only do we get an inside look at the careers of both Ray and Cammi, the couple gives us some behind the scenes stories about their time between the benches calling games and their interactions with the players. 

As Cammi transitions into a scout for the Seattle Kraken, we learn how she watches the game differently in preparation for her new role.

And to end the show, with Cammi being one of the greatest American Hockey players of all time... and Ray being Canadian... Bob and John find out what side of the border the Granato/Ferraro household cheers for on the ice.