We talk a lot about the World Cup final, which saw Spain defeate the Netherlands in, let’s face it, a dreadful match. But it was a pretty fantastic tournament.

There were some highlights, but the Dutch had a gameplan that included fouling Spain as often as they could. It did not make for great soccer.

We then talk about LeBron’s continued PR disaster and get off on about six or seven rants. It’s a ranty show.

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This is the 400th episode of our little show. In that time we’ve probably done…carry the one…close to 200 interviews, including conversations with some really big names. But for a show that considers itself a sports media show, there are very few people in our industry who garner the universal respect and esteem as Bob Ley.

Considering Ley is anchoring ESPN’s fantastic coverage of the World Cup that culminates in the finale this weekend, it is my incredible pleasure to have the opportunity to talk with him, especially for one of the episodes that ends in 00. Those do feel more like milestone moments, even if it is just one more show than yesterday.

We discuss, at great length, the World Cup to this point and spend a lot of time focusing on the production by ESPN. Ley shares some insight to the interaction between those on the set — and the fortune of having analysts from USA, England and South Africa along with Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.

We discuss some of the World Cup storylines, including the importance of Landon Donovan’s goal for the 2022 World Cup bid as well as Ley’s time in Africa what it’s been like being away from the United States for so long, yet (on TV at least) feeling no different than being in Bristol. He makes certain to point out that they are very aware of being in Africa, not Bristol.

Beyond the World Cup, I asked Ley who his favorite interviews have been, and he tells some fantastic stories about his opportunity to sit and chat with several American Presidents. He then tells a wonderful story about his time with Desmond Tutu, which is seriously a must listen.

Click to listen…

This is the second of two shows today, featuring a conversation with Jon Tannenwald of Philly.com’s The Goalkeeper.

The episode, obviously, focuses all on the semifinal win by Spain over Germany, the Dutch win over Uruguay, and a set up for the World Cup final. Who will be the star? Who has been underrated so far? Who, in our minds, will win. Lots of soccer talk to preview the title match this weekend.

We’ll have another dose of soccer tomorrow when our 400th show features an interview with Bob Ley of ESPN, from South Africa. Thanks for listening.

Thanks to the folks at ESPN, I was able to talk with Ian Darke about his call of Landon Donovan’s amazing goal. For a transcription of this conversation, please visit The Sporting Blog. In addition to the call, we talk about John Harkes’ reaction in the booth, the importance for American soccer and a bit about the situations in England, Italy and France.

Thanks to the folks at ESPN, I was able to talk with Ian Darke about his call of Landon Donovan’s amazing goal. For a transcription of this conversation, please visit . In addition to the call, we talk about John Harkes’ reaction in the booth, the importance for American soccer and a bit about the situations in England, Italy and France.

And since Darke is now officially part of the fabric of American sports with this call, would he ever want to branch out and do some college football?

Again, go to TSB to read, or listen above. Thanks and Go Go USA!
And since Darke is now officially part of the fabric of American sports with this call, would he ever want to branch out and do some college football?

Again, go to TSB to read, or listen above. Thanks and Go Go USA!

We talk about the USMNT win, the tennis marathon — and how ESPN handled the event — and the NBA draft, including the Washington Post story on John Wall. But really, this is about soccer. I don’t usually do this, but here’s my post from The Sporting Blog. I’d like to have it here as [...]

Rather than listen to us talk about Landon Donovan’s goal in stoppage time to get the United States into the second round of the World Cup, we thought we could do that tomorrow. Today, listen to the incredible call by ESPN’s Ian Darke. Darke had a wonderful play-by-play call and, with John Harkes too choked [...]

It’s a soccerific show. We talk about the USMNT match against Algeria, discuss if Mexico should play for the tie against Uruguay just to advance — and be forced to play Argentina – or if they should play to win, even if trying to win may open themselves up for a loss. We also talk [...]

We talk about three things today. First, a rundown of the U.S. Open, focusing a lot on NBC’s coverage but a good amount on the actual tournament itself. Second we talk about the World Cup. I’ll admit I had hoped to talk more about England and France than we did. I’m still really worked up [...]

Three amazing items to discuss today. First, the game seven tonight. Then, Nick and I give a detailed breakdown of the US Open with a good combination of stats and conjecture to help you pick a winner. Note, we both think Phil might just win this one. Then, Jon Tannenwald of The Goalkeeper joins the [...]

We start with, well, vuvuzelas. I didn’t want to. Nick just surprised me with it. I honestly don’t have a problem with them. It’s fun to make fun of them, but at some point they just become part of the background. Now if I was there I’m sure I’d hate it. On TV it’s not as off-putting as some.

We talk about the savior of the Big 12, for now. It’s more wondering what the fallout will be. There still has to be fallout, right? Oh, and there was an EARTHQUAKE during a baseball game? This, clearly, far less devastating than in the past.

WORLD CUP:

I was on a conference call with ESPN’s John Skipper yesterday and asked him what the network’s plan is for discussing non-soccer stories with regard to each country in the World Cup. For example, North Korea plays today, so is there any thought of a feature on their political unrest? Perhaps something about the Greek financial crisis (perhaps how that pertains to the soccer team). We’ve been told that ESPN has a lot of stories planned for South Africa, but what about the rest of the world, as, let’s face it, the World Cup is a political event as much as a sporting event.

Skipper’s reply is inside the show, and is very well reasoned and smart. If there’s a story that breaks during the World Cup, they’ll cover it. They will extensively cover South Africa, but unless it pertains to the team on the field, they will probably steer clear of the story.

Having said that, play-by-play man Ian Darke has made several references to the economic status of the countries for matches he is calling, most notably the comment about Paraguay’s poverty rate and the civil and political unrest in Ivory Coast. So there is, somewhere, a balance.

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