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Being “the guy” in high school feels great until you land in a gym where you’re suddenly the third shortest player and everyone is faster, stronger, and more polished. That’s where this conversation with Kyle Mars, the men’s volleyball coach at Baldwin Wallace University and a former Penn State D1 player, gets real fast.

We talk about Kyle’s path from Rochester, New York to the Big Ten, why he chose Penn State, and what it’s like to embrace a program knowing you may not start right away. The bigger theme is the mindset shift every athlete faces at the next level: learning humility, earning reps, and letting great teammates and coaches push you instead of protecting your ego. If you care about college athletics, athlete development, or the recruiting process for men’s volleyball, you’ll hear practical advice on outreach emails, highlight tapes, and why coaches notice far more than raw talent.

The conversation also takes a fun turn into stand-up comedy and performance, connecting open mics to practice reps, “bombing” to learning, and the overlooked business side of building a career. We close with a surprisingly deep breakdown of indoor vs beach volleyball, plus what it takes to balance coaching travel with marriage and real life.

Kyle also shares how to catch men’s volleyball, including a simple invite to come watch BW play and a nudge to check out the NCAA men’s Final Four on ESPN+. If you like the show, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. What’s a moment that humbled you and made you better?

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A college decision can change your life, but a good campus visit can change your mind even faster. We sit down with Blair Suttles, assistant director for first-year admission at Baldwin Wallace University, to talk about what admissions work actually looks like when it’s done with care. Blair explains how BW coordinates personalized visits that go beyond a standard walking tour, helping prospective students meet professors, connect with coaches, and see the parts of campus that match their goals.

We also dig into what makes Baldwin Wallace University feel like “the best of both worlds”: a smaller campus where you’re known by name, paired with the kind of internship and career connections students often expect from a bigger school. If you’re comparing colleges in Ohio, looking at private universities near Cleveland, or trying to understand how student support and faculty access affect outcomes, this conversation gives you a clear lens for what to ask and what to look for.

Then we keep it real. Blair shares her Cleveland picks like Playhouse Square, the Great Lakes Science Center, and the West Side Market, plus thoughts on the East Side vs West Side debate that locals take very seriously. We even talk DoorDash as a side hustle, what it’s like when gas prices climb, and why flexibility matters. We wrap with a simple message that hits hard: be yourself, embrace your weird, and stop policing other people’s harmless joy.

If you like honest conversations about college admissions, campus culture, Cleveland life, and figuring things out as you go, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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A season can swing on one awkward landing, one freak play, one practice rep you never see coming and Brad Johnson has lived that reality. Brad joins us from Cleveland as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Baldwin Wallace University, and we get into what it’s like to return to your alma mater with big standards, a young roster, and a year that gets hit early by injuries. We talk through how a staff keeps players focused, how culture shows up when the rotation disappears, and why the Ohio Athletic Conference is a weekly grind in Division III basketball.

We also go beyond the box score into the human side of the job. Brad and his wife Alyssa are both college coaches, which means recruiting travel, late nights, and seasons that collide at the worst times. We share what actually helps a coaching marriage work, why the offseason matters, and how support looks when you can’t always be in the stands. If you care about work life balance in coaching, athlete development, or what it takes to stay steady when results swing fast, you’ll hear plenty that feels real.

Along the way we hit college hoops fandom, the impact of NIL on the college basketball landscape, and the kind of community you get at smaller schools where people still know your name years later. Then we lighten it up with the Fast Fiddy Five, a Cleveland East Side vs West Side check-in, and a spirited sidebar on whether NASCAR drivers are athletes.

If you enjoy honest sports stories and the behind-the-scenes reality of college coaching, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find it. What part of Brad’s story hit closest to home for you?

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A holiday can be loud, crowded, and still feel like rest if you’re with the right people. We sit down for an Easter roundtable and talk about what the day really looks like for us, from staying local around Cleveland to making the trip back to West Virginia to see grandparents, siblings, and the full extended family. Between coaching schedules, school calendars, and work, we dig into the simple truth about Easter traditions: most plans are built around who you can realistically be with, not what looks best on paper.

From there, we get into the important stuff: Easter candy. Reese’s eggs, Cadbury creme eggs, flavored Tootsie Roll egg candies, Mally’s chocolates, buckeyes, and a strong opinion on Peeps all make an appearance. If you love Easter treats, you’ll feel seen, and if you don’t, you’ll still enjoy the debate because it’s really about nostalgia and the tiny rituals that turn a random Sunday into a memory.

We also talk spring weather in Ohio, the dream 65 to 70 degree Easter day, and whether going to an MLB game on Easter is worth the risk when the forecast can change in an hour. The conversation rounds out with Easter food, comfort sides, signature family desserts, and why sometimes the best holiday “activity” is sitting on the couch, watching a game or an old movie, and letting family time be the whole point.

Subscribe for more roundtables, share this with a friend who takes candy opinions seriously, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. What’s your non-negotiable Easter tradition?

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The Final Four is stacked, the storylines are loud, and the arguments are even louder. We sit down with our “Excellent Eight” roundtable to preview the 2026 NCAA Final Four on Easter weekend and we don’t just pick winners, we dig into why these matchups feel like a collision of eras: UConn vs Illinois and Arizona vs Michigan, with the title game waiting on Easter Monday.

We start with the question everyone keeps dodging: where does Danny Hurley actually belong in college basketball history right now? We compare today’s coaching job to the old world of recruiting and long-term roster building, because the transfer portal and NIL have turned coaches into public-facing GMs. From there, we talk surprise teams, who looks built to get back next season, and what “fate” means when one shot can rewrite a legacy.

Then we get practical. We debate tipoff times, why the Monday night championship frustrates fans, and whether the Final Four should live in a football stadium or return to true basketball arenas where sightlines and shooting backdrops feel normal. We also tackle the bigger development topic: is modern college basketball producing NBA-ready players, or are international systems winning because they teach fundamentals and decision-making earlier?

If you’re looking for a smart 2026 Final Four preview with NCAA tournament predictions, coaching talk, and what to watch when the pressure hits, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share it with your group chat, leave a review, and tell us: who cuts down the nets this year?

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College doesn’t feel like a community by accident. It takes people behind the scenes who obsess over the details, fight for student leadership opportunities, and turn “a campus” into a place students actually belong.

We sit down with Heather Willis, Assistant Director for Engagement at Case Western Reserve University, to talk about the real work of student affairs and student engagement. Heather walks us through how student organizations are supported, how big traditions like homecoming get built, and why school spirit is especially tricky at a high-achieving research university where students are laser-focused on academics. If you’ve ever wondered what student activities and leadership staff do all day, she makes it practical and human.

We also go off-script in the best way: Cleveland life, Playhouse Square, trying “younger people” activities and feeling it the next day, plus hobbies that keep you sane like board games, fantasy reading, and learning pickleball. Heather shares what it was like working with Johnny “Fitty” Falcone on the university spirit committee, what makes collaboration click with campus partners, and why throwback weekends can teach students the history of where they are.

Before we wrap, Heather plugs LEAP (Linking Employment Abilities and Potential), an organization supporting adults with disabilities across Cleveland through advocacy, independent living skills, and community activities. Listen, share it with someone who cares about higher education, student leadership, or campus culture, and if you enjoy the show, subscribe, leave a review, and send this to a friend.

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The MLB 2026 season is almost here, and we’re not waiting for the standings to tell us what to think. We kick things off with a real fan question that turns into a bigger debate: is 162 games still the right length when the MLB playoff format keeps expanding and October weather starts changing how the sport looks on TV and in the ballpark? From freezing April nights to the idea of starting closer to May, we get honest about what makes the baseball experience better for players and fans.

Then we go full season preview mode with a panel and a pile of predictions. I’m joined by TJ, Tony, Bob Gavalier, and Fiddy as we pick World Series matchups, wrestle with the “Dodgers problem,” and try to sort out a wild American League that could send a lot of good teams home early. We talk Red Sox, Royals, Tigers, Yankees, Mariners, Mets, Brewers, and the ripple effects of pitching depth, health, and deadline moves. If you’re looking for 2026 MLB predictions that sound like what you’d hear at the bar after a game, this is that conversation.

We also hit the fun debates that always matter more than they should: which teams will surprise everyone, which contenders could face-plant, whether afternoon games beat night games, and who really has the better managerial resume between Terry Francona and Dave Roberts. Finally, we break down the pitch clock, the ghost runner in extra innings, and why rule changes can improve pace while still leaving fans divided on tradition. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us your 2026 World Series pick: who’s your matchup?

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St. Patrick’s Day hits different depending on where you live, who you’re with, and whether you’re celebrating on a Tuesday or turning the whole weekend into a mission. We bring in our “big three” roundtable crew Mister Askew, Collin Pope, and Dave Frank to talk all things green, all things Irish, and all the little choices that make the day legendary (or just messy).

We start with the debate nobody agrees on: should St. Patrick’s Day be a federal holiday? From there it turns into a practical guide for how people actually celebrate, from local brewery parties to parades and hometown bar crawls. We get into the food side too: corned beef and cabbage, Reubens on rye, pastrami cravings, and a sleeper old-school condiment you can put on everything. If you’re planning a St. Patrick’s Day menu, you’ll leave with ideas that work whether you’re going out or staying in.

Then we talk drinks the way real people do: Guinness preferences, Irish whiskey staples like Jameson and Bushmills, Bailey’s Irish Cream in coffee, and the seasonal chaos of the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. We also swap St. Patrick’s Day travel recommendations, from Erie and Youngstown to bigger bucket-list picks like Chicago and Ireland, and we wrap with Irish-themed movie favorites and a rapid-fire finish.

If you’re building your St. Patrick’s Day plans right now, hit play, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What city does St. Patrick’s Day best in your opinion?

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