Today marks the first anniversary show for

 "OPEN SEASON" on KCAA-AM/FM.

Special guest includeOlympic basketball star, Breanna Stewart, Rams' defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and Tim Brown (of Yahoo) joins the show to talk Major League Baseball.

Tune in at 3:05PM (pt) to KCAA-AM-1050/FM-106.5. 

Streaming at www.kcaaradio.com 

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IN YOUR FACE- NEW CATCHER'S MASK

We are running a feature on "Open Season" today at 3:05 PM (pt) about a revolutionary new catcher's mask 
that has shock absorbers built into it. 

Tyler Flowers of the Atlanta Braves,
 has been wearing it this season 

and several other MLB catchers and umpires
 are wearing the new gear which is supposed to 

cut down on "impact" by up to 50% over traditional masks.

I'll talk with the inventor of the "Force 3 Pro Gear Defender" mask, Jason Klein, and with Tyler Flowers on "Open Season" today. 
It is a fascinating concept, 
especially with all the current talk about concussions. 

This product just might keep catchers safer and, in the process, keep them on the field. If you have a catcher in your family, I highly recommend that you check out today's show.

Here is the link to to the Force 3 Defender site:

http://www.force3progear.com/masks

Tune in KCAA- AM-1050/FM-106.5 
for "Open Season." 
Streaming at www.kcaaradio.com
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ALI + ME!

I listened on the radio when he 

knocked out Sonny Liston, but

  I didn't meet Muhammad Ali until 1981 

when he was preparing to fight Trevor Berbick

 in the "DRAMA IN THE BAHAMS" in Nassau. 

It was Ali's comeback bout after losing to Larry Holmes.

We met a few times more. 

This picture from a charity event 

in Los Angeles in the early 1990's. 

The last time I saw Ali was in the mid 1990's

 at a reception for him at the LAX-Hilton. 

He was slowed by Parkinson's, 

but managed to "spar" for a few seconds

 when he entered the ballroom.

 The "champ" worked the room, met his fans.

He spent time talking with my wife and me and 

he graciously signed two pamphlets for my daughters 

and then floated towards the exit.

Ali stopped in the double-doorway 

and with his back turned to all of us, 

the champ stood there for a few moments 

and then "levitated." 

I know it was a trick, but I swear 

that I saw light between the floor and Ali's feet.

When he was convinced that we were all duly dazzled, 

the champ "descended" 

and walked down the hallway into the light.

He was always a showman, even with Parkinson's weighing him down and slowing him up. The disease could quiet his huge voice, and slow his incredible motor skills, but it could never steal his mind, his humor, or his compassion for others.

From a distance, 

I learned a lot of lessons from Muhammad Ali 

and none of them had anything to do with boxing.

You will be greatly missed, champ, 

and you will always be 

"THE GREATEST".

**

TRAYCE THOMPSON COMPARES " SALE & KERSHAW!

Dodgers' outfielder, Trayce Thompson, has yet to play a full season in the big leagues, but he has already played behind two of the best pitchers in MLB today. When Trayce played for the White Sox, he got to see Chris Sale, up close and personal. When he got traded to Los Angeles, Thompson suited up with Dodgers' ace, Clayton Kershaw. Both are lanky left-handers with hefty pitching portfolios and minuscule ERA's. I asked Trayce if he saw any comparisons between Sale and Kershaw.

Trayce Thompson–

"100%! 

Their talent is amazing but, at the same time,  they have two different mentalities. Chris is a lot more loose. When he is pitching, you probably wouldn’t know it. He is in the dugout and talking with everybody.  Clayton is really zoned in. He’s got this laser focus, but there are definitely two of the  most talented guys that I have ever seen. I’ll be able to tell my kids someday that I got to play with these guys. 

I think the thing that separates them is that they are both tremendous teammates,  amazing guys  and they don’t think that they are above the game in any way.  Two highly respected  guys within in the clubhouse.  It has been a lot of fun to watch them and  to play behind them.  They are not just the two best left-handers. They are probably the two best pitchers in baseball right now.

       It is crazy to see what they’ve been able to do.  Clayton is so “by the book.”  He is routine oriented  and a little more traditional in his approach.  Chris is more like a freak of nature who just goes up there. His mechanics are all over the place and he just wings the ball in there,  but they are two amazingly talented guys. It has been a lot of fun watching them."

 LB- So, you see two  pitchers with completely different approaches to the game and yet they both have some nasty stuff and get great results?

 TT– "Exactly.  For a right-handed batter, Kersh is probably the most uncomfortable at-bat  from a lefty pitcher. Chris against left-handed batters?  You don’t see a lot of lefthanders facing Chris Sales.  It is impossible.  It has been an extreme honor to play behind  both of them."

** 

CLYDE 'THE GLIDE" ON OPEN SEASON 4-21-16

Be sure to tune in "Open Season" today on KCAA.

Basketball Hall of Famer, Clyde Drexler, 

will join me to talk NBA, Rockets, 

Steph Curry, Dream Team, and Phi Slama Jama.

It all happens at 3:05 PM(pt) on 

KCAA- AM-1050/ FM- 106.5. 

"Open Season" streams at www.kcaaradio.com

FINAL 4- HOUSTON, TEXAS

Thanks to Hall of Famers, 

Jim Calhoun and Clyde Drexler, 

for appearing on my "Open Season" show, 

Thursday on KCAA- AM + FM.

In case you missed it, the former UConn basketball coach(who won 3 national titles) gave a slight edge to Villanova ( based on defense) over Oklahoma in the Final 4 and he expects North Carolina to beat Syracuse and advance to the NCAA championship game on Monday night.

Both Calhoun and Drexler felt that 

North Carolina was playing the best basketball 

coming into the weekend, but both felt that it

 was imperative that the Tar Heels hit their outside shots  (especially against zone defenses) 

to accentuate their strong inside game.

When it was all said and done, 

Jim Calhoun and Clyde Drexler, 

both picked Carolina to win the NCAA title, but both emphasized that it was definitely not a "lock."

Thanks to Jim and Clyde and thanks to Dove Men + Care for making the interviews possible.

Check out their "Bonds of Real Strength" campaign at dovemencare.com/ncaa.

My picks? I am reluctantly coming off of Oklahoma and going with that tenacious Nova defense in the Final Four. 

 am picking the Tar Heels to get past Syracuse

 and beat Villanova to give Roy Williams 

the national championship.

**

MARY NUTTER COLLEGE SOFTBALL CLASSIC

Scenes from the recent 

Mary Nutter Collegiate Softball Classic

 that I worked for flosoftball.com.

in Cathedral City, CA.

Excellent event!

Super venue!

 Lots of fun! 

Great to see nationally ranked teams such as

 Florida, Michigan,  LSU, Oregon, Washington, 

Georgia, UCLA and more.

Excellent competition 

and a ton of smiles!

This week, I'll be working like a dog

for flosoftball.com 

at the

 Judi Garman Softball Classic 

in Fullerton, CA. 

It starts Thursday and features

Michigan, ASU, CS-Fullerton, Baylor,

 Missouri,  Wisconsin, UNC, Cal, 

Long Beach State and more.

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