After a 5-month hiatus, the guys are back with a lot to catch up on, from misguided narratives about OBJ’s exit from Cleveland hanging over Super Bowl Sunday to the arrival of a new era for the Cavaliers franchise starring Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Plus: NBA All-Star Weekend is here, the Winter Olympics are on, and pro wrestling has had a drama-filled week behind the scenes with Cody Rhodes walking away from AEW to possibly set up a once-unthinkable return to WWE.
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Strikeouts are at a record high, batting averages are at a record low, and MLB is at a crossroads as teams continue to swing for the fences even as the ball has been tweaked to cut down on home runs. Three teams—yes, including the Indians—have been no-hit twice this season, and it’s still only mid-May. The guys discuss how teams’ analytics-driven pursuit of success is at odds with putting on an entertaining product for fans, and how it’s not just a problem for baseball.
Plus: The NBA’s play-in games are a literal overnight success, the NFL schedule makers believe in the Browns, and the Columbus Crew does a fast U-turn on an ill-fated rebrand.
Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin
An NFL game between Baltimore and Pittsburgh that was supposed to be played on Thanksgiving night is now scheduled for a Wednesday afternoon in December so as not to conflict with the lighting of a Christmas tree in New York. The Ohio State Buckeyes have played four games and are currently in position to make the College Football Playoff, but are also on the verge of not qualifying for the Big Ten championship game. And yet it’s the NBA, which earned praise for the safety of its bubble over the summer, that is now getting ready for what might be the riskiest plan of all for its new season. Welcome to winter sports in the pandemic!
The guys discuss the COVID chaos engulfing the NFL and college football, the Browns somehow being in position to finally make the playoffs, the Cavs’ iffy Rock Hall-inspired City edition uniforms, Cleveland’s regional sports networks still not being available on many Northeast Ohio TVs and more.
WFNY co-founder and editor Andrew Schnitkey was at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday to watch the Browns move to 4-1, their best start since 1994. He joins The Nail to talk about his experience among the 12,000 fans at the game, the magic that Kevin Stefanski has worked to completely turn around the franchise, Myles Garrett’s dominating start to the season, the ups and downs of Baker Mayfield, and the big test that looms on Sunday at Pittsburgh.
Plus: LeBron James clinched his fourth title on Sunday night, leading the Lakers back to the top of the mountain and ending an NBA bubble experience that was short on fans, but filled with memorable performances.
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The major sports leagues in the U.S. are throwing out a lot of radical ideas to drive up interest these days. MLB is proposing a new postseason with seven teams per league and the top clubs choosing their first-round opponents. The NBA wants to let four teams fight it out for the final two playoff berths in each conference. Meanwhile, as the NFL keeps trying to figure out ways to make flex scheduling possible for Monday Night Football and also get a 17th game on the schedule, a new spring league with an old name has launched with some intriguing innovations that could someday show up on Sundays in the fall.
This week, the guys discuss the surprisingly entertaining debut for the reborn XFL and the aforementioned wild proposals trending in pro sports. Plus: Being out of the country during the Super Bowl, and how the legacy of David Stern has shaped the way national NBA media cover non-glamour market teams like the Cavs.
Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek Photo from USA Today Sports | Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin
You remember the dunks and the signature calls. Now learn how one of the most beloved arcade games of all time came together. Columbus-based journalist Reyan Ali joins The Nail to discuss his new book, appropriately titled “NBA Jam,” which chronicles the billion-dollar blockbuster basketball game and the happenings in the arcade industry that helped make it happen. Ali shares stories from his interviews with NBA Jam’s creators, its legendary announcer, and former NBA players Shaquille O’Neal and Glen Rice.
Plus, the guys get into the nostalgia fueling the big business of retro gaming, from “barcades” stocked with all the classics to Nintendo’s mini consoles and Arcade1Up’s home cabinets.
Follow us on Twitter: @TheNailPodcast Email us: thenailpodcast [at] gmail.com Intro/outro music: "The 3rd" by Anitek Photo illustration by The Nail in the Coffin
Carter Rodriguez, co-host of The Chase Down podcast and a contributor for FearTheSword.com, joins the show to preview the Cavs season, which tips off on Wednesday night. The guys discuss recalibrating their expectations with title contention off the table for the foreseeable future, continuing to cover the team after the bandwagon clears out, the potential for Cavs Twitter's favorite son Cedi Osman and rookie point guard Collin Sexton, and the franchise's search for a feel-good identity in a post-LeBron world.
Written off as a potential trade asset since nearly the day he arrived, Kevin Love is still in Cleveland. And with the four-year contract extension he signed this week, it looks like the Cavs are planning to count on him for a long time. Love is well-liked, but his new deal was a polarizing move around town. Are the Cavs making the right call by trying to push forward toward a playoff spot, even if it means losing their first-round draft pick in 2019, or should they be fully embracing the tank to improve their lottery odds?
Scott Sargent, of Waiting For Next Year and Bleacher Report, was on hand when the team announced Love’s contract extension. He joins The Nail to discuss that deal, the course the Cavs are charting in their second post-LeBron era, and the question the vast majority of teams around the league face, now including the Cavs: How do you approach the season when you aren’t one of the precious few franchises with a shot at an NBA title?
*** Don't forget: Travis is once again riding in Pelotonia to raise money for cancer research. You can help by donating at: pelotonia.org/travisulle
From the final numbers on the scoreboard at Quicken Loans Arena on Monday night to the grim anonymous quotes from players in stories published in early Tuesday morning, the consensus is clear: The Cavs, as presently constructed, won’t beat the Warriors. Friend of the show and longtime Cavs fan Nick Carrabine is back on The Nail as the guys discuss what has happened to J.R. Smith, Isaiah Thomas’ fit and whether he’s playable against Golden State, and whether Ty Lue is getting the most out of this Cavs roster. Plus: The Cavs have assets, but in the face of what looks like increasingly long championship odds, is there a deal out there worth gambling on with a summer of uncertainty for the franchise ahead?
As you may have heard, The Nail is joining up with Waiting For Next Year. The guys welcome Craig Lyndall of WFNY to discuss that news, the NFL and Craig's #SellTheBrowns mantra, and the state of the Cavs one month into the NBA season. Are the Celtics an actual threat in the East or another in a long line of media creations stemming from LeBron fatigue? What in God’s name possesses fans to defend Derrick Rose? Plus: Thoughts on Jae Crowder, Jeff Green, Dwyane Wade and the almighty Brooklyn pick.
It's a new season in the NBA, and the Cavs have a lot of new faces as they look to make a run at a fourth straight Finals. The guys discuss the good, bad and ugly from the team's opening night win over Boston, dealing with the growing pains that come from replacing half your rotation, and ignoring the endless noise that will be sure to surround the team with LeBron in the final year of his contract. ... Plus: A few minutes on uniforms (Ohio State, what are you doing?), and a quick peek ahead to OSU-Penn State next week.
The guys are back to talk about all the big matchups from the opening weekend of March Madness, including Villanova vs. Wisconsin, Duke vs. South Carolina, and AT&T Uverse vs. Raycom Media. (Come back, CBS!) … Plus, the NBA's problem of resting stars and how ESPN, the network that invented “Embrace Debate,” blew a chance to have a discussion of actual back-and-forth substance about it during Cavs-Clippers on Saturday night.
Regardless of your geographic beliefs, the Cavs remain high atop the mountain in the Eastern Conference after the NBA trade deadline, and they could have more reinforcements on the way in the form of Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut. The guys discuss whether the Celtics did the right thing by passing on a proposed trade for Paul George and how the Cavs’ and Warriors’ dominance has deterred teams from making deadline deals. Plus: A look at the Cavs’ surprisingly effective super-sized second unit and some proposed rules changes for Major League Baseball.
Beers on the beach in Mexico, cab rides in Austin and a surprisingly eventful first half of the season for the Cavs. There’s a little something for everyone on this week’s episode, as Travis returns to the States and Tom takes his turn traveling. With the Cavs hitting the All-Star break, the guys get into the highs and lows of the season, the storylines (legitimate and contrived) making headlines, and the joys (or, for some, agony) of listening to Bill Walton and Dick Vitale call an NBA game.
With last week’s announcement that Cleveland will host the 2019 MLB All-Star Game, the guys talk about what getting the game means for the future of Wahoo and the Cavs’ hopes for following the Tribe's lead by renovating The Q and landing the NBA All-Star Game, as well as their memories of Cleveland’s all-star doubleheader in 1997. … Plus, as Brent Musburger becomes the latest big name in sports broadcasting to move on, a look at what has suddenly become a very different landscape in the world of play-by-play.
With 2017 upon us, the guys were ready to throw out some predictions for the new year as well as a few resolutions for Cleveland’s teams. But 90 minutes before it was time to press record on Thursday night, Cavs GM David Griffin went ahead and crossed item No. 1 off the list in a big way by
acquiring Kyle Korver from the Hawks. The guys discuss Griff’s latest bit of roster resourcefulness and what other moves could be in the works, as well as their 2017 outlooks for the Indians, Browns and college football.
With the Cavs and Warriors set to deliver the latest installment of the best rivalry in the NBA on Christmas Day, David Zavac, editor of FearTheSword.com, joins the show to set the stage. After adding Kevin Durant and turning over half their roster, the Warriors haven’t missed a beat this season. The Cavs, meanwhile, have some holes to address, but continue to dominate the East. David sizes up both teams heading into Sunday and dives into some of the big storylines around the NBA thus far, including trade targets for the Cavs, as well as teams and players to keep an eye on.
With the Cavs and Warriors about to meet for the first time since the NBA Finals, the guys welcome their first guest, Mark Meszoros, News-Herald assistant managing editor/features and a Cavs diehard, for an all-NBA edition of the pod. Topics covered include: memories of past Cavs games on Christmas Day, storylines from the first 25 games of the season, and how the Cavs match up with the reigning champs. (At the end, we made sure to get a few movie recommendations from Meszoros, too.)
