Our guests in this special episode are Sarah Hodges and Kelly Rowland from the Martinsville-Henry County (VA) Economic Development Corporation.

We're speaking to Sarah and Kelly in advance of Event No. 9 of ⁠Around the World in 80 Sportings Events⁠, the ⁠Xfinity 500 NASCAR Semifinal Race⁠ at historic Martinsville Speedway.

During our time with Sarah and Kelly we get a good overview on what this part of the Commonwealth has to offer. You'll find the following links helpful:

• ⁠Visit Martinsville⁠
• ⁠Rooster Walk Music and Arts Festival⁠
• ⁠Virginia Museum of Natural History⁠
• ⁠Philpott Lake⁠
• ⁠Dick & Willie Passage Rail Trail⁠
• ⁠Piedmont Arts⁠

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We're joined in this episode by Fr. Burke Masters from St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Hinsdale, IL. In addition to his responsibilities at St. Isaac's, Fr. Burke also serves as the nearby Chicago Cubs' Catholic Chaplain.

Fr. Burke's work with the Cubs is, shall we say, on brand for him. A highly recruited high school baseball player out of Joliet, IL, Fr. Burke wound up in Starkville, MS, playing four seasons at Mississippi State University's legendary Coach Ron Polk. Fr. Burke even blasted a grand slam homer during the Regional Final Series against top-ranked Florida State University in 1990 to help the Bulldogs qualify for the Men's College World Series.

He's chronicled his path from baseball player to the priesthood in his autobiography, A Grand Slam for God: A Journey from Baseball Star to Catholic Priest. You're able to find much of Fr. Burke's latter-day works on his blog and his YouTube Channel.

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In this episode we're joined by Colin Prater, a high school science teacher and golf coach from Colorado Springs, CO.

Also an avid sports fan, those reasons alone are enough to engage in a Conversation, but wait until you check out the past six months Colin's enjoyed:

• Played in the ⁠U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship⁠ at Philadelphia Cricket Club in Flourtown, PA
• Placed second in his ⁠U.S. Open Qualifier⁠ at Pronghorn Resort in Bend, OR, to qualify
• Played in the ⁠124th U.S. Open Championship⁠ at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, NC
• He and his wife welcomed their second daughter, Logan
• Played in the ⁠U.S. Amateur Championship⁠ at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, MN
• Played in the ⁠U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship⁠ at Kinloch Golf Club in Manakin-Sabot, VA
• The Cheyenne Mountain HS Boys Golf Team (the one he coaches) won the ⁠Colorado 4A State Championship⁠

Suffice to say, we cover quite a lot of territory and even find a bit time to talk Denver Broncos Super Bowls.

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Del Reid, one of the co-founders of the #BillsMafia movement joins us in this episode.

Along the way we discover a bit about Del's early years as a sports fan, how the #BillsMafia came to be, and how its grown in the 13-plus years since.

We also learn about the philanthropic arm of the Bills Mafia and how Del's enterprise, 26 Shirts, plays a role in that arena.

Links:

• Bills' Receiver Stevie Johnson's dropped overtime touchdown pass that served as an impetus for #BillsMafia movement
• Buffalo FAMBase Linktree
• Adam Schefter's X/Twitter Handle (if you're interested;-)
• 26 Shirts
• Bills Mafia story from a 2023 episode of the Today Show

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Host Doug Hill is joined in this bonus episode by friends Rob Byrd (previously hear on S:1, E:5) and Macker Wilson, both of whom joined him for a portion of Event No. 8 of Around the World in 80 Sporting Events: the Texas Football Trifecta.

Doug recently attended a Friday Night Lights game in Odessa's historic Ratliff Stadium (Permian 50, Odessa 26), Saturday afternoon's Red River Rivalry (Texas 34, Oklahoma 3), and Sunday's Lions-Cowboys game (Detroit 47, Dallas 9).

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We've taken the show on the road for this episode, all the way to Abilene, TX, where we're joined by Al Pickett, Chairman of the Big Country (TX) Athletic Hall of Fame.

In addition to his role with the Hall, Al has served in various media capacities during the past 50 years covering high school and college athletics. He's the former sports editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and is currently the play-by-play voice of Hardin-Simmons University's football and basketball teams. And if his voice sounds comfortable talking that's thanks to his 20 years hosting "Let's Talk Sports" a daily call-in sports show.

Al's also authored or co-authored five books focusing primarily on Texas football:

• Wishbone Wisdom: Emory Bellard Texas Football Visionary
• Team of the Century
• The Greatest Texas Sports Stories You've Never Heard
• Brother's Keeper: The Story of the 2009 Abilene High State Championship
• Mighty, Mighty Matadors

Who better then to discuss host Doug Hill's current trip to Texas for Event 8 of Around the World in 80 Sporting Events (the Texas Football Trifecta: Friday Night Lights, the Red River Showdown, and Lions-Cowboys).

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In this special bonus episode, host Doug Hill reflects on his brief but enjoyable time at the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club as part of his Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project.

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In this episode we're joined by the John Creasey, the Mayor of Grand Blanc, MI. Why is that significant you ask? Well, Grand Blanc is the home of double Paris Olympic Bronze Medalist, Grant Fisher. Fisher took third in the 10K (video here) and 5K (video here).

***Update: Following the recording and scheduling of this episode, Mayor Creasey informed us that September 27 was named Grant Fisher Day in the City of Grand Blanc and the indoor track at the Genesys Fitness Center was renamed in his honor. In neighboring Grand Blanc Township, August 2 was named Grant Fisher Day and he was presented a bronze of his running shoe. He also served as Grand Marshal of the Grand Blanc High School Homecoming Parade and was awarded as a distinguished alumni. Beyond discussing possible keys to the city and such, we also talk about John's roots as a sports fan which trace back to Kentucky. He's a supporter of the Wildcats and, in fact, attended the university for a couple of years. He's also been in the Flint, MI, area most of his adult life so there's discussion about some of that area's athletic royalty such as basketball's Terry Furlow, football's Brad Van Pelt, and baseball's Rick Leach.

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