Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Born and raised in Colorado Springs, I am very familiar with transplants from other states.  We didn’t like them.  We were proud to be from Colorado and upset that anyone had the gall to think they could just move to Colorado.  There were bumper stickers proclaiming “Native” just so that everyone driving around you knew that this traffic issue wasn’t your fault; they closely resembled the “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted For …” monstrosities (coming soon to devastated drivers/voters near you!)

I understand why I’ve been called a front-runner for the better part of 17 years.  Growing up 1600 miles away from Chapel Hill still causes people to question why I would be a Tar Heel fan, and how dare I cheer for basketball royalty so far away when the scrappy teams around me were playing in front of empty seats?!

Name the last time the University of Colorado had a captivating basketball team.  Or Colorado State University.  Or, how about my hometown squad, the Air Force Falcons. Answers: don’t know, don’t care, Jeff Bdzelik’s (!!!) squads.

The point being that there wasn’t much local basketball being played well or watched in droves.  If I wanted to watch good basketball, I gravitated towards the Saturday broadcasts on CBS and other nationally televised games, all culminating in what was becoming my favorite 3 weeks of my young life: March Madness.

I probably did start as a front runner.  All kids do.

Continue reading →

The title says it all. Today, Matt, Ben, and Shane chat about Rick Pitino’s contract extension, Shabazz Muhammad’s lingering eligibility issues at UCLA. We also discuss the sexiest and ugliest basketball players of all time, Halloween costumes, whether it’s okay for journalists to troll entire fan bases, and the last 34 of CBS’ 68 things to watch for the upcoming season. We’re now just a week away from the big games.

E-mail us at [email protected]

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

What’s up guys and gals-

The good folks at the North Carolina Writer’s Network have mistaken me for a writer and invited me to teach a humor workshop at their fall conference. It’s happening THIS SATURDAY, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm, at the Embassy Suites in Cary, NC. Check this link for details on registration, and please check out the NC Writers Network, a truly class outfit. Also see the details below.

Here’s the humor workshop description:

“Comedy is one of the most rewarding and inspiring forms of writing, but it’s also the most terrifying. An artist is never more exposed than when he or she tries to get laughs from a group of strangers, which is why most comedians are bosom buddies with fear and anxiety. Writing humor is a soul-wrenching challenge, but one that gets easier—and way more fun—with experience and confidence. In this workshop, Grantland’s Shane Ryan (That’s me! I’m writing this!) will help you find your inner reservoir of comedic genius and produce hilarious content. After a brief talk on how to approach comedy through the principles of agreement and positive risk-taking, and how to deal with the pitfalls, such as angry internet commenters trying to ruin your self-esteem, participants will have 20-30 minutes to fine-tune their own material. Examples of strong humor writing will be used to help us along, and we’ll spend the last 50 minutes talking about your work and laughing together. Afterward, you can ask me any question you want about comedy or my personal life or anyone else’s personal life—I’ll make up what I don’t already know. Participants are encouraged to bring a rough draft of a humor piece to work on during the writing portion, or at least a good idea, since it’s hard to be funny or even coherent in 20 minutes without a plan. Speaking of which, the end of this description garbled be a bit little may. See you there!”

The registration deal: Since this is a full-weekend conference, you can’t sign up for an individual course. What you can do is sign up for an entire weekend of awesome classes, panels, and networking opportunities, all of which can be seen at those links. It’s really an all-star cast, and well worth the price of admission ($400 for walk-in registration, which you can do on Friday).

So come by, say hello, and maybe we’ll all go watch college football after or something.

Today, the gang gets serious. After Matt talks about having a near-meltdown on the radio, accidentally revealing his age and his marital status in the process, and Shane shares a story of crossing a rec softball line that no man should ever cross, they tackle the first half of CBS’ “68 Things to Watch” article. This touches on usual topics like the ACC and Kentucky ball, but veers into the Big East, the A-10, the Pac-12 and elsewhere. Finally, the dudes are turning national! Also, Ben tells a triumphant story of Duke football. That’s not a typo.

E-mail us at [email protected]

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

Three weeks before the regular season begins, Matt, Ben, and Shane are chatting about Nerlens Noel, how the top 6 will fare in the ACC, and whether it’s true that Indiana is a team without weaknesses. We also take a short detour into the land of Bobby Knight and his curious position as an SEC commentator this year. The first ten minutes are a Matt-free zone, where Ben and Shane talk about him like we might talk about an absentee father. Later, Shane decides to take the difficult position of railing against “To Catch a Predator” while still being adamantly against the criminals involved. A short episode, by our standards, but incurably sweet.

E-mail us at [email protected]

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

In this episode, recorded in June and previously split into two parts for the Walk-Ons podcast, I speak with author John Feinstein about his fearless approach as a journalist and a subject, his approach to storytelling, how he handles potential problems with subjects like Bobby Knight, my perception of him as a doubt-free journalist who was always destined for the job, and the changing landscape of book publishing. We also touch on Duke basketball and Coach K’s wavering motivation, advice for young journalists, and his career as a writer. My supply of previously recorded interviews has now run out, so starting next week, new material!

Unreadable is on iTunes, and you can subscribe to the podcast here. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you like it, you could do me a huge solid and give us a 5-star rating, and maybe even write something nice in the comments.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

One

Two

NOTHING TO SEE HERE.

Today on the Walk-Ons we talk about the Harrison Twins, Jabari Parker, and the top 10 venues for the game we love. We also review CBS’ player of the year, coach of the year, and freshman of the year predictions, and get three more irate voicemails from Spike, the Pac-12 fan who feels disrespected by our show. At the end, we discuss the mechanics of kissing. Do guys always go top right? Plus, some uncouth behavior from me before Matt brings me back to earth.

Get in touch with us!

E-mail us at [email protected]

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

Today on the Walk-Ons, things begin with Matt telling us about a dream he had involving his friend Drew, the golfer Steve Stricker, and a Saudi Arabian prince who envisions a prostitution ring modeled structurally after Matt’s website. The rest of the episode is a blur, truthfully, but I think we hit on some Ryder Cup talk, Steve Spurrier being the latest coaching bully to attack a pure, defenseless reporter, and of course lots of basketball. Is Frank Martin a good guy? What about The Sporting News’ Top 25, and their preseason All-Americans? Who are the sleepers for the coming year? Who will be this year’s recipient of the Robbie Hummel Award for guy who seems like he’s played on the same team for 10-15 years. What’s the latest on the Mark Emmert’s threats to Duke and UNC? Ben also gets a couple experts on to talk Pac-12 and Big 12 basketball for a few minutes, and Matt tries to defend himself for the time he allegedly screamed at three angelic children in Rupp Arena.

Get in touch with us!

E-mail us at [email protected]

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #: 818-WalkOn1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!