The Sports Refuge Podcast

You Make the Call with John Easterbrook

John Easterbrook’s interest in radio began with aspirations of being the play-by-play announcer for his beloved Pittsburgh Pirates.
 
Although he never fulfilled that dream, Easterbrook has carved out a pretty good niche of his own as a sports reporter at WTOP Radio in Washington D.C. and the play-by-play voice of Salisbury University Football.
 
In this episode, Easterbrook discusses his radio career with host Earl Holland as well as how he came up with his on-air name, J. Brooks.
 
Easterbrook also shares his experience working as a producer for the Ripken Baseball show at SiriusXM Radio; what it was like working the now obsolete radio role of the overnight shift and how he started a career in acting with appearances in shows such as “House of Cards” and “VEEP.”
 
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
 
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
 
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
 
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

Hot From Cleveland with Jean Goblinger

As a die-hard Cleveland sports fan, Jean Goblinger has experienced her share of ups and downs.
The gamut of emotions varies from seeing the championship victory of the Cavaliers, the disappointments of “The Drive,” “The Fumble," and the sadness and betrayal as a result of the departure of the first incarnation of the Browns in 1995.
In this episode, Goblinger shares with host Earl Holland her thoughts and optimism on the upcoming Cleveland Browns season.
She'll also give her opinion on whether quarterback Baker Mayfield is the long-term answer to the Browns' path to success.
Goblinger also discusses what it was like losing the first incarnation of the Browns to a move to Baltimore in 1995; what it's like being married to a Pittsburgh Steelers fan; how she fulfilled a childhood dream of becoming a teacher, and more.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

The S.P.E.N.S.E.R. System with Spenser Tilus

Show your charisma. Project to your audience. Evaluate results. Nose to the grindstone. Stay hustling. Execute. Repeat.
While these tenets are powerful on their own, combined they form the basis of success for Spenser Tilus, a sports broadcast journalist whose has had stints in Colorado, Salisbury, Maryland and currently, West Monroe, Louisiana at KTVE and KARD.
In this episode, Tilus talks with host Earl Holland about his time playing college basketball, his unique path into broadcast journalism and a unique presentation that involved nods to the show, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
Tilus also discusses what it was like playing a role in building a television news sports department from scratch, the importance of telling a good story as a broadcast journalist, and his chance meeting with a national sports personality.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are available.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

The Road Warrior with Mike Gordy

Mike Gordy’s career takes him up and down the highways frequently.
 
As a regional sales manager for Austin Eastciders, Gordy’s travels on the road not only provide interesting experiences but a lot of time listening to music, books and of course, podcasts.
 
As a guest on a podcast, Gordy joins host Earl Holland to talk about a variety of topics, including his travels, his favorite teams growing up – the San Francisco 49ers and San Francisco Giants - and his interest in combat sports such as mixed martial arts and boxing.
 
Gordy also shares his thoughts on performance-enhancing drugs, the length of games in football and baseball as well as a discussion his favorite pro wrestlers and much more.
 
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
 
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
 
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
 
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

Butler’s Done It with Paul Butler

When talking to Paul Butler, his smooth, booming delivery and laid-back demeanor are the first things you’ll notice.
Those dulcet tones, which Butler cultivated for more than a decade as an on-air radio personality before embarking on a nearly two-decade career as a TV news and sports anchor as well as a stint as the Carolina Panthers’ sideline reporter for the NFL on FOX.
In this episode, Butler, now the director of communications and community outreach for the Wicomico County Board of Education in Salisbury, Maryland, recounts his unique story about his career in radio and how he made his transition to television broadcasting with host Earl Holland.
Butler also discusses how the introduction of social media and the internet into the field of journalism mirrored the introduction of rap music in the format Top 40 radio and how the concepts were broached.
Butler will also share how a more competitive and passionate side of his personality comes out when he’s on the sidelines coaching basketball in addition to describing what it was like to have the opportunity to watch and coach his son, Paul III during his time playing basketball at the senior Butler’s alma mater, Wicomico High School.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

Baseball Movie Rundown with Ben Penserga

Baseball and movies share a bond in popular culture that spans more than a century.
They both draw crowds, are entertaining, and take the spotlight in the summer months.
And as shown in the past, when the two are combined, they make great and sometimes iconic memories.
In this episode, host Earl Holland and guest, Ben Penserga of the “Movies and a Meal Podcast,” discuss the 30th anniversary of the releases of “Field of Dreams,” and “Major League,” and the importance of those baseball movies on pop culture.
Penserga and Holland will discuss some of their favorite and least favorite baseball movies as well as the evolution of baseball movies from those released in theaters, to documentaries such as Ken Burns' “Baseball,” and up to ESPN’s 30-for-30 series and SB Nation’s Beef History and Collapse series.
Holland and Penserga also pitch their dream baseball-themed movies and projects.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

Reach and Teach with T.J. Bryant

At one time, T.J. Bryant used football as an outlet to calm his rambunctious nature as a youth.
Now, he uses that same game as a means of teaching life lessons on and off the field.
As the coach of the Salisbury Rhinos 12-and Under youth football team, Bryant imparts wisdom to his players, much of it based on his own past experiences.
In this episode, Bryant discusses with host Earl Holland how he fell in love with the game of football, how it changed his life as well as how he got interested in coaching the sport.
Bryant also shares some of the advice he gives to his players, the increased emphasis of proper football fundamentals and the importance of safety in youth football.
He also discusses who some of his early influences in football were, what it was like being a Miami Dolphins fan in the heyday of Dan Marino and much more.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

Odd Jobs with Jonathan Howard

Jonathan Howard is proof positive that there’s life after print journalism.
Howard, a former sportswriter, took an extremely different course in his career that led to him through Seattle, Washington; Baltimore, Maryland and New York City before earning his master’s degree from Morgan State University’s transportation and urban infrastructure program.
In this episode, Howard discusses with Earl Holland about his initial path and interest in writing and journalism and what led to his early departure from it at the age of 26.
Howard will also share how he became a fan of both the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets and how they each have a familial connection to him as well as comparing the differences between living in Seattle, Baltimore, and New York City.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

Grappling Hook with Terrence Blackwell

Terrence Blackwell and the sport of wrestling go hand in hand.
It was a pairing that was a natural fit as Blackwell became a star at his alma mater Snow Hill High School in Snow Hill, Maryland setting what was then a program record of 124 wins before ultimately becoming an assistant wrestling coach at Snow Hill.
For someone now completely hooked by the sport, Blackwell needed to be convinced in his early days to pursue wrestling as a freshman.
In this episode, Blackwell and host Earl Holland discuss what it was like wrestling at Snow Hill close to 20 years apart and the differences between their practice regimens.
Blackwell also elaborates on what it’s like making the transition from wrestling to becoming a coach and his philosophy on instructing his players.
Blackwell and Holland will also discuss the topic of boxing, mixed martial arts, and other combat sports as well as dream match-ups, the growth in interest in combat sports and the methods used in promoting those sports.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

The Many Faces of Mr Banks with Thomas Banks

There are many sides to Thomas Banks.
Banks is a fan of horror movies, performs stand-up comedy and recently became an avid bowler.
But there’s also a serious side to Banks as well.
He recently took part in a family reunion more than two decades in the making as he was able to connect with his late father’s family.
The homecoming allowed Banks to fill a major void in his life as he recently became a father himself.
In this episode, Banks discusses the reunion with host Earl Holland as well as how he got into performing stand-up comedy.
Thomas will also discuss his aspirations in becoming a professional bowler, what it’s like being a sports fan in South Florida and more.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

Solitary Sport with Ricky Pollitt

Each morning, Ricky Pollitt would start his day reading the sports section of The Daily Times newspaper.
Now, Pollitt’s work graces the very same pages of that same Salisbury, Maryland publication.
Pollitt’s career in sports journalism has been part of a lifelong connection to athletics that’s also included doing play-by-play at his alma mater, Salisbury University.
In this episode, Pollitt discusses with host Earl Holland about what it’s like working as a sports reporter during a time where newsrooms are decreasing in size as well as some of his sports role models and influences.
Pollitt also recounts his experience being the son of a public official, as his father Rick held various positions for more than two decades, including Wicomico County Executive for two terms.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.

Christmas Leftovers with Therran Dennis, Chaudre Johnson and Edward Holland

The holidays are the best time for families to get together.
And there’s no better holiday for a family reunion than Christmas. The Christmas holiday is also the time the NBA takes the spotlight.
In this episode, host Earl Holland guides listeners through segments recorded at his family home in Newark, Maryland on Christmas 2018 featuring appearances from various family members including his brother Edward Holland Sr., cousin Therran Dennis, and nephew Chaudre Johnson.
Among topics discussed are the NBA and the game’s evolution, and what past stars could thrive in this era of “the Association.” Other topics include NFL predictions, Major League Baseball and more.
For more on the Sports Refuge Podcast, follow @TheSportsRefuge on Twitter. You can also follow host Earl Holland @TheEarlHolland on Twitter.
Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio and wherever else podcasts are heard.
You can also visit the Sports Refuge on Facebook.
For previous episodes, go to the Sports Refuge Podcast landing page.