scott spinelli

This week’s guest is Mark Medina, beat writer covering the Los Angeles Lakers for the L.A. Daily News. Here’s some of the stuff we talked about: dealing with annoying/hating/trolling/critiquing fans (1:57), what it’s been like to go from living in Pennsylvania and Syracuse to Manhattan Beach (3:02), why neither of us really miss Syracuse–the place, not the university (5:17), how soon Mark got into the journalism extra-curricular scene at Syracuse (8:46), why he majored in broadcast journalism despite only wanting to really work in print journalism (11:28), the timing we both had in graduating in 2008, right at the true turn of social media as it related to journalism (15:00), the risk he took with two internships, as opposed to jobs, immediately after school in Virginia and Los Angeles (20:30), how/why he spent around $400 sending out nearly 100 resumes while looking for a job and how he got his L.A. Times gig from a cold-call application (22:05), a brief discussion about the WNBA and the Sparks (26:42), the good timing of getting let go from his internship right as the Times’ Lakers bloggers were leaving to go elsewhere (28:29), how he handled being the new guy on such an established beat and what’s been his biggest area of improvement since being that new guy (33:56), the balance between being a reporter and keeping your voice/personality involved without overwhelming your work (38:41), covering the D’Angelo Russell/Nick Young fiasco and the misreporting of it as a “bro-code” violation (41:52), covering something as serious, challenging and personal as the Lamar Odom overdose (43:42), the game-day routine of the beat writer (50:35), how he basically starts writing his post-game stories in the pre-game and have we seen the end of the game-story? (53:17), does he ever get to relax, not worry about breaking news or covering the team? (59:14), using an interaction I had with a snide Jim Boeheim as an example, Mark shares some of his best interactions with Kobe Bryant (1:06:52), a “Smush Parker is terrible”reference (1:11:04), and Mark takes his chance to ask me two questions, both regarding advice and preparation for those entering this industry (1:15:12).

The guest this week is Sarina Morales of ESPN’s SportsCenter: AM. Here’s some of the stuff we talked about: her absolutely bonkers sleep/life schedule now that she’s on a national TV show from 7 to 10 AM every day (1:47), Sarina and I debate why ANYONE uses SnapChat—hint, she’s in favor of it (4:29), what were her first “Holy Shit!” moments about being on SportsCenter (8:29), how she’s been able to remind herself that despite being new, she belongs (12:57), what it’s been like to learn on the fly on a national television show after coming from a non-on-air job (16:54), we debate the uselessness of small talk, cliches like “neither here nor there” and relationships (19:23), how one video she wasn’t even supposed to make for Nat Geo helped get her discovered, a la Justin Bieber, by a sleepless senior VP at ESPN (25:29), her continual habit of expanding her job way past what she was hired for (28:27), the balancing act of pushing social media content further without going over-the-top or out of her comfort zone (32:22), Sarina goes in detail about just how much work goes into getting SportsCenter ready for 7 AM (39:01), dealing with the stigma that “Women don’t know about sports!” (44:35),  dealing with men commenting more on her looks more than what she says (47:29), the double standard that the good-looking man gets fewer nasty comments than the good-looking woman, but that the man can respond sarcastically without being labeled a bitch (50:54), our new app idea, “Whelmed”, where you can leave mildly content/satisfied reviews (55:00), what it’s like to be recognized in person and the slow evaporation of her private life (57:50), Sarina joined Twitter in 2007, back when you had to text to tweet… why? (1:03:40), and Sarina takes her turn to ask me a question, which leads to a somewhat depressing but honest chat about the Spurs, why we take sports so (too?) seriously and why sports are important (1:07:33).

Jordan Bernfield, ESPN play-by-play guy and host/anchor at 670 The Score in Chicago, is the guest this week. Here’s some of the stuff we talked about: the weirdest part of being an engaged couple (1:53), the many name-related stages of a relationship (4:47), how the industry nowadays is such that you basically have to do a lot of things (7:05), the fear of the jack of all trades, master of none label that could come from wearing as many hats as he does professionally (10:09), dealing with fan expectations of you when you switch on-air jobs (12:46), the difficulty of being both a reporter and a talk show host (16:17), if he could only pick one job, it would be…and why? (19:55), one of the really fun benefits of being a network play-by-play guy—inside access (22:39), the interestingly personal relationship with coaches as a play-by-play guy (26:16), how an internship in the promotions department wound up being a blessing in disguise (34:08), how he was able to turn an internship with David Kaplan–someone who he had no relationship with prior to–into a friendship, and not just a generic networking contact (36:04), the seemingly awful production jobs he was offered as a product of his internships and how that was an incredible foot in the door (38:09), how he was able to work as a producer at WGN, while also doing all sorts of on-air jobs simultaneously to help stay in a big market like Chicago (39:57), why networking should be reciprocal, not just a one-sided relationship (42:40), how being a lunch-getting, sort-of-errand-running intern was beneficial to his career (44:45), developing his own style as a play-by-play guy, avoiding ripping off the people you grew up listening to and why he doesn’t pre-write any of his calls (52:20), how much prep goes into each game he does for ESPN (56:20), how he can tell what sort of a game it was based on how much of his prep he had to use (1:01:09), the one thing that young broadcasters do incorrectly (1:03:20), why young broadcasters need to be more than just sports fans, but be sports media fans (1:05:06) and Jordan takes his turn to ask me (2) question(s)… gets a bit real (1:10:01).

Jon Rothstein, College Basketball Insider for CBS Sports, is the guest this week. Here’s some of the stuff we talked about: where does that “Stay Humble, Stay Hungry” tweet come from? (1:26), how studying leaders from history has helped shape him into the worker/person he is today (2:26), how and why his job became an all-day, every-day grind (4:17), the importance of creating and having a niche when starting out in this industry (5:54), the career path that took him from Ithaca to ESPN Radio’s Dream Job competition to real estate to the current day, including the failures along the way (7:52), why/how he paid for air time at a local radio station as an up-and-comer (10:44), how being uncomfortable and envious of other people with connections drove him to work even harder (11:40), did doubt ever creep in about his career choice or after rejections piled up early on? (13:43), how he was able to build respect for himself as the new guy that had just won the competition (15:38), the interview with Billy Donovan that finally made him think he was “getting close” (19:04), why you can’t just do one thing in this industry (20:31), the importance of focusing on excelling just one day at a time (26:36), how his personal life–relationships with family, friends, women–has been impacted by his commitment to his job (28:10), the great advice he got from Bo Ryan (32:17), why he doesn’t see this everyday grind coming to a halt any time soon and his thoughts on vacations (35:40), how he turned a wedding invitation in San Francisco to a way to build relationships with three different schools (39:30), the approach you take when you’re not looking just for one story, but to do the job for the next 45 years (41:12) and Jon takes his turn to ask me a question–we discuss my favorite Rocky movie (47:15).

Meredith Goldstein, author of “The Singles” and entertainment writer and Love Letters advice columnist for the Boston Globe, is the guest this week. Here’s some of the stuff we talked about: how being an advice columnist intersects with her real life (2:08), why being married or “in love” isn’t necessary to give love advice (4:42), how she treats Love Letters like group therapy in a way (7:28), details on her new Love Letters book (8:27), how her bladder impacts her decision not to write at Starbucks (11:04), her writing process, including naps and English muffins (12:01), the people she seeks advice/critiques from as she writes fiction and knowing how/when to weigh their opinions best (18:49), gaining the confidence she needed to write her first novel (25:04), the value of the ‘slow-build’ of a career arc (28:28), dealing with other writers’ material being similar to yours (32:06), in a career filled with potential rejection, when (or ever) is there a time to give it up? (35:54), the right way to pronounce Syracuse (42:39), the craziness that is working at the Syracuse student newspaper, the Daily Orange, and how that more than prepared her for the real newspaper world (43:58), the rode to her Boston Globe career (48:48), the future of the newspaper industry and the importance of making a paper essential to its readers, as the Marty Baron character—in real life, the editor who hired her—said in Spotlight (51:36), the logistics of the Love Letters column–how many submissions she gets, the male/female breakdown, etc. (54:52), the importance of having a quality, well-written blog for young writers looking to get that first big job (58:56), the ‘Holy Shit’ moments she’s had with regard to when “The Singles” came out (1:03:15) and Meredith takes her turn to ask me a question (1:04:50). Oh, and why you should always sign your book if you ever see it at a bookstore (1:06:19).

Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com is the guest this week. Here’s some of the stuff we talked about: why my niece will never understand Seinfeld (2:27), how Mike began his writing career in college with a “terrible resume” (9:35), how a sports management major at Drexel became the writer he is today (13:06), the challenge/value of having to cover things you literally have no idea about (16:35, 19:03), his mom’s incredible advice prior to his first ESPN appearance (22:08), the tightrope walk that is developing relationships with the players/coaches he covers (29:07), how he cultivates and trusts sources (34:57), the difficulty/opportunity covering a bad team presents (39:25), the strategy of handling yourself in a post-game scrum (49:23), what he’d love to do as a writer down the road (54:03), how I basically (sort of) came up with ESPNNewYork.com about two years before it was launched (56:00) and Mike takes his turn to ask me a (few) questions (1:04:21).

Mike Meltser of Sports Radio 610 in Houston, Texas is the guest this week. Mike hosts MaD Radio weekdays from 10 AM to 2 PM. Here are some of the things we talked about: what it’s like to have a former NFL player as a co-host (3:41), the hardest part of his job (7:23), how starting as primarily an update anchor in Houston helped him learn the local sports landscape (11:33), his tip for out-of-town sportscasters looking to learn their new home teams (15:11), switching between his on and off-air personas (19:12), the balancing act that is your personal and public life and when it’s best to have the two cross over (20:45), when dealing with Twitter reaction becomes exhausting and it might be best to hold it for his show (26:40), how covering losing teams can affect you personally (29:36), why it’s easier to build a winner in baseball than basketball (33:11), his strategy of contacting program directors to help build relationships and get feedback (37:37), the value of getting reps in to hone your voice as a broadcaster (40:06), if you’re looking to be on-air talent, should you take a producer job at the bigger station or on-air spot at a smaller station? (43:15), the role luck and talent play in getting a job (51:19), can Syracuse beat Gonzaga and will the Astros go to the World Series (56:20) and Mike’s turn at asking me a question (1:00:20).

Danny Parkins, co-host of “The Drive with Danny and CDot” on 610 Sports Radio in Kansas is the guest this week. Here’s some of the stuff we talked about: The difference between Paul Harris, former Syracuse forward, and Bo Jackson (1:51), developing on-air chemistry with someone you don’t know well (10:03), the only two things you should say when you don’t know something in your job and how to handle learning and/or becoming an authority about a new city’s sports scene (19:39), what exactly talk show hosts do to prepare both before and after shows (28:07), when it’s worth saving your sports opinions for your show as opposed to your Twitter feed (39:11), his incredible/almost unbelievable start in radio—at his weirdly famous high school (42:55) and the transition from living off gambling post-college to barely making enough to afford a room in his first radio job (50:05). He also gives his thoughts on the name of this podcast (55:09), Syracuse basketball in the NCAA tournament (1:00:08), the 2016 Royals (1:02:11), dreams of a Chicago-based future (1:04:28) and gladly takes his chance to ask me a question (1:08:20).