The Sports Virus

Tim Flannery spent 36 years in the major leagues as a player for the Padres and coach for San Diego and the San Francisco Giants.  Following retirement, does he miss being in uniform? How does he feel about the way analytics are controlling the way front offices evaluate players? And, what made Buster Posey and Joe Panik great before they decided to hang 'em up in 2022. The answers are all found here on this week's TheSportsVirus Podcast!

Tim Kawakami gives his thoughts on why the Warriors took care of business on Wednesday in a very different way than how they beat the Grizzlies in the second round of the playoffs. We discuss the value of Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney to the Dubs and take a guess at what adjustments Jason Kidd and the Mavericks might make the rest of the series. Tim also explains why The Athletic has been successful and details some of his philosophies on covering sports in the Bay Area.

Joe Salvatore joins Joe Castellano to break down game four of the Warriors/Grizzlies series that saw Golden State take a 3-1 lead. They discuss the "code" that has been the talk of the series and how social media has impacted some of the players. The A's struggles, the Giants' recent rebound and Buster Posey's retirement are also topics of conversation. And, we learn more about Salvatore's lengthy career.

Kerith Burke and Joe Castellano discuss the Draymond Green flagrant 2 foul and the consequences for the Warriors as they try to beat the Grizzlies in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Series storylines are covered as well as a trip down memory lane back to Kerith's time with SNY covering the UConn women's basketball team.

Bob Fishman had a dramatic final show at the 2022 Final Four in New Orleans. He describes his emotions directing his last game and reminisces about his 50-year career at CBS Sports. We discuss his relationship with producers and the technical crew as well as announcers. And, Bob gives us a personal Coach K story.

Kevin Kugler just finished calling first and second round NCAA tournament games in Fort Worth, Texas and he joins TheSportsVirus Podcast to chat about his broadcasts and what goes into calling four games in one day. He also discusses the challenges of doing radio vs. television (he also does NFL games on FOX) and explains how he got started as an announcer.

TheSportsVirus Podcast gets great insight about the new Major League Baseball labor deal from former big league pitcher Josh Towers. We discuss how it works for young players vs. veteran players. Josh also gives his thoughts about how starting pitchers are being developed and we go down memory lane and hear great stories from when he played. Towers has strong opinions about baseball's steroids era too. Plus, we learn about a wiffle ball league he is involved with that is gaining popularity.

Larry Krueger has plenty of opinions that we have enjoyed listening to on KNBR in all of his different roles at the station for many years. Now he is excited about moving on to a new chapter in his career and he gives us a little insight into his future endeavors. Larry also shares his thoughts about the 49ers' situation as they get ready to trade Jimmy Garoppolo and sign free agents, the state of a Warriors team that has struggled lately and the Major League Baseball lockout. Although a baseball agreement was reached shortly after this podcast was recorded, Krueger lays out several reasons why the sport is in trouble.

Former KNBR talk show host Ray Woodson has a lot to say about MLB's contract squabble on this week's podcast. He also sizes up why the Warriors are in a slump and tells us what he thinks of Trey Lance taking over as the 49ers' starting quarterback. Plus, after two firings at his former employer last week, we discuss the moves by KNBR and what makes the radio talk show business so unstable.

Larry Stewart details some of the stories in his book as we go behind the scenes to hear about national and local sportscasters. We discuss the challenges of writing a column about big-time announcers who can sometimes be sensitive to criticism. Larry tells us about his dealings with many high-profile figures like Vin Scully, Bob Costas, Keith Jackson and OJ Simpson.

Long-time San Francisco columnist Scott Ostler helps us review the Rams win over the Bengals in the Super Bowl. We also go in-depth to discuss the 49ers' QB situation and the Warriors season. When it comes to baseball, Scott explains why he likes the DH coming to the National League and why he voted for Barry Bonds to be a Hall of Famer.

Rich Gannon gives his thoughts on the Rams/Bengals Super Bowl matchup with complete analysis of both teams. He takes us back 20 years to his own Super Bowl playing experience with the Raiders and lets us know about a few regrets regarding the loss to the Buccaneers. Gannon has special insights into the quarterback position and what it takes to persevere in the NFL. He served as a long-time CBS Sports analyst and still can be seen on the network's Monday QB show.

Network statisticians Ethan Cooperson (CBS) and Ed Sfida (FOX) have the best seat in the house every Sunday as they provide NFL stats and information for Jim Nantz and Joe Buck. After the AFC and NFC Championship games they both joined us for detailed conversations about why the Rams and Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl.

Jared Greenberg tells us why the Warriors are fun to watch and will still be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time, despite their recent struggles and the absence of Draymond Green. He gives his analysis of what's going on with the "Splash Brothers" and remarks on other key players on the roster. With the trade deadline approaching, Greenberg sizes up a few rumors and talks about his early MVP front runners. He also tells us how he made it to network television (he first started with NBA-TV over 15 years ago) from humble beginnings that included a stint with an independent minor league baseball team.

After graduating from Duke University Jonathan Segal set out to have a career at CBS Sports. That has turned into 22 years covering the highest profile events on the network including the Super Bowl and the NCAA basketball Final Four. On this podcast, Segal discusses all of the production positions he has filled and tells stories about his television teammates, many of whom are legends in the sports broadcasting business. He also talks about being at the forefront of CBS' expanding soccer coverage.

Amy Lawrence can talk sports all day long and she does it overnight as well on her "After Hours" show on CBS Sports Radio. What makes Amy great is her infectious, enthusiastic personality and sports knowledge and that is on full display in this podcast. She offers entertaining and informative insights into the upcoming 49ers/Cowboys playoff game, the return of Klay Thompson to the Warriors and Major League Baseball's lockout/upcoming Hall of Fame announcement. We take a deep dive into Amy's career which included a stint at ESPN radio and always involves the pursuit of play-by-play opportunities. During her two decades as a sports talk show host, she has persevered through all of the challenges that you would expect from a true pioneer for women covering sports.

Host Joe Castellano first met Paul Vercammen in the 1980's when they worked together at the USC school newspaper The Daily Trojan. 40-years later, they reminisce about those days and chat about Paul's long career as a CNN reporter and producer. Vercammen has plenty of entertaining stories to tell about his experiences covering sports news. He also discusses modern-day journalism and gives some advice to aspiring broadcasters.

Mario Impemba discusses his new book, Major League Mindset, which outlines keys to being a good baseball announcer. We chat about the details in his blogs on his website baseballbroadcasting.com and reminisce about his 33-year career (including minor league stops). Mario describes the joy of reaching the Major Leagues and calling games for his hometown team, the Detroit Tigers. He also explains how he was able to move on after an unfortunate incident led to the end of his 17-year tenure with Detroit.

Kate Rooney tells us why the 49ers are playing so well ahead of the Thursday night game in Nashville. She also gives us an update on Klay Thompson and the Warriors. Plus, we get into all of the details of Kate's career which included a stint covering high school sports and minor league baseball.

Dr. Mike Bhatt explains why it's important for professional athletes and "Weekend Warriors" to have a strong back and good posture. He gives us tips on how to prevent back injuries and relates his experiences working with golfers on the PGA Tour.