The Sports-Casters Steve Bennett

On the 51st episode of the 24 Inch Podcast (Season 4 Episode 6), Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into the WWF house show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia from 08-04-1984. On this night, Hulk Hogan defends the WWF title against Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.

At the top, Paula joins us to get the show moving. Paula discusses her upcoming birthday, the end of school and he upcoming dance recital. Before she goes, her and I play a round of blind rankings.

After the break, Steve brings on Dave and welcomes him to the show. Dave, like usual, has mayhem to report. After our update on all things Hollywood, the guys give the bio of Greg Valentine. Next, a brief recap of the history of the Philadelphia Spectrum. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in July/August of 1984.

Steve reads the news from August of 1984 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with news from the 1984 Olympics, the Republican National Convention, and of course, a play ends its run on Broadway.

Steve and Dave break down the entire card from the Spectrum on August 4 1986, including a match featuring Andre the Giant against Big John Studd, the Haiti Kid in action, and the last match for Bob Backlund in the WWF for 8 years.

Finally, Steve and Dave break down the huge main event of Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Heavyweight Championship.

Also on this episode, Steve and Dave read listener emails and comments from our facebook page and announce the topic for the 52nd episode of the podcast.

Intro: 00:04:30
History of: 00:15:40
The News/Matches: 00:54:06
Plugs/Emails: 01:39:46

For more information follow us on twitter @24InchPodcast
Email us: 24InchPodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: 24_inch_podcast

On the 50th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast (Season 4 Episode 5), Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into Saturday Night's Main Event from 11-28-1986. On this night, Hulk Hogan defends the WWF title against Hercules.

At the top, Paula is back. Paula explains why she missed the last show, talks about her dance recital, and has a few emails she would like to read (one is just her trying to say she fell off a zip-line without saying it).

After the break, Steve brings on Dave and welcomes him to the show. Dave, like usual, has mayhem to report. After our update on all things Hollywood, the guys give the bio of Hercules. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in November of 1986.

Steve reads the news from November of 1986 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled sports news, awards shows, and a song neither of us had ever heard of.

Steve and Dave break down the entire card from SNME VIII, including a heel vs. heel match, the Killer Bees vs. The Hart Foundation, and a showcase match for Koko B. Ware.

Finally, Steve and Dave break down the huge main event of Hercules vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Heavyweight Championship.

Also on this episode, Steve and Dave read listener emails and comments from our facebook page and announce the topic for the 51st episode of the podcast.

Intro: 00:02:25
History of: 00:12:27
The News/Matches: 00:50:06
Plugs/Emails: 01:38:00

For more information follow us on twitter @24InchPodcast
Email us: 24InchPodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: 24_inch_podcast

Steve interviews Field Yates (00:11:52) from ESPN. Field is fresh off covering the draft in Detroit and has opinions on the Atlanta Falcons strange pick, the Buffalo Bills trading with the Kansas City Chiefs, and the New Orleans Saints pick of Spencer Rattler. Also, Field talks about how the first round of the draft was chalky and void of surprises and how the first round of rookie drafts might play out.

Also, Jay Mariotti returns (00:34:14) to chat about some of the things going on in the world of sports. Jay has strong opinions on Lebron James and the Los Angelas Lakers, the future of the NBA, and the rise of basketball's new stars. Jay also dishes opinions on the NFL draft, Roger Goodell being a clown, and the struggles Major League Baseball is having. Jay and Steve also debate if Ohtani is the biggest heel in sports.

Steve starts the show with First Things First and covers the first Atlanta Braves vs. Dodgers series of the season. Steve also talks about Max Fried, the NHL playoffs, and a potential new stadium in Cleveland. The book club has one book. The show ends with one last thing about an idea to take a last minute trip to Las Vegas for Pearl Jam.

For more information follow the podcast on twitter @sports_casters
Email: thesportscasters@gmail.com

Steve interviews Brad Balukjian (00:16:38) the author of a new book called, The Six Pack. Brad joins us and talks about the origins of his new book and his time working with The Iron Sheik. Brad talks about the Sheik on Howard Stern, discusses his demons, and explains why his book with Sheik was never finished. Brad also talks about his life as a wrestling fan, discusses the challenges of writing a book about wrestling, and gives his thoughts on why some huge acts from the golden era haven't been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Also, Al Strachan (01:02:09) returns to the show to tell stories about his career as the hockey writer that Wayne Gretzky trusted the most. Al talks about Wayne being traded to St. Louis, his reaction to not being chosen for the shootout at the 1998 Olympics, and how he found out Wayne was being traded to Los Angeles. Al also talks about the 1987 Canada Cup, the leadership dynamic in the Edmonton Oilers locker room, and tells us if he thinks the current hockey writers love hockey. (This interview was recorded in February of 2023).

Steve starts the show with first things first and discusses the Sabres hiring Lindy Ruff, the Braves hot start, and the Saints successful draft. The book club is off this week so Steve can go track by track on the new Pearl Jam album. The show ends with one last thing about Steve's experience in New Jersey seeing the Italian National Team in person.

For more information follow the podcast on twitter @sports_casters
Email: thesportscasters@gmail.com

On the 49th episode of the 24 Inch Podcast (Season 4 Episode 4), Steve Bennett and Dave Rowlands take a deep dive into WrestleMania VII. On this night, Hulk Hogan challenges SGT. Slaughter for the WWF Heavyweight Championship.

At the top, Steve explains he was sick and is late putting this up.

After the break, Steve brings on Dave and welcomes him to the show. Dave, like usual, has mayhem to report. After our update on all things Hollywood, the guys give the bio of Sgt. Slaughter and the LA Sports Arena. Then, Dave tells us what the Hulkster was up to in March of 1991.

Steve reads the news from March of 1991 while Dave cracks wise and adds his thoughts on a month filled with turmoil in the middle east, award shows, and March Madness.

Steve and Dave break down the entire card from WrestleMania VII, including a career match between Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior, a blind fold match, and the tag title changes hands.

Finally, Steve and Dave break down the huge main event of Hulk Hogan vs. SGT Slaughter for the WWF Heavyweight Championship.

Also on this episode, Steve and Dave read listener emails and comments from our facebook page and announce the topic for the 50th episode of the podcast.

Intro: 00:04:05
History of: 00:06:39
The News/Matches: 00:40:17
Plugs/Emails: 02:01:26

For more information follow us on twitter @24InchPodcast
Email us: 24InchPodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: 24_inch_podcast

Steve interviews Stephen J. Nesbitt (00:11:48) from The Athletic. Stephen is making his debut on the podcast, joining us to preview the Major League Baseball Season. Stephen explains his recent column that ranks all of the baseball teams from 1995-2023 and his column that details each fan base's optimism for the upcoming season. Stephen also talks about Ohtani (before the scandal), makes his pick for AL/NL MVP and explains why he thinks the (redacted) will win the World Series this year.

Also, Keith O'Brien debuts (01:00:50) to discuss his new book, Charlie Hustle. Keith explains why he decided to write a book about Pete Rose, tells us that Pete cooperated until he didn't, and goes over some of the ups and downs of Pete's surreal life. Keith also talks about gambling, the Hall of Fame, and autographs.

Last, Kevin Baker debuts (01:31:32) to talk about his new book, The New York Game. Kevin explains how baseball was influenced by New York City as the game developed in it's early stages. Kevin tells us why he decided to end the book after World War II and announces that a second book will be released next year to finish the story. Kevin also talks about Joe DiMaggio, Italian-Americans, and remembers some of his favorite moments from the old Yankees Stadium.

Steve starts the show with first things first and discusses the Azzurri's first game of 2024, the NCAA tournament, and the Ohtani scandal. The book club says goodbye to two books and shifts it's attention to one book (and how to say the author's last name. The show ends with one last thing about Steve and his family traveling to NY/NY for the Italian soccer match, why its so important, and what Steve will be thinking about during the match.

For more information follow the podcast on twitter @sports_casters
Email: thesportscasters@gmail.com