Philly Pressbox Radio

With the Phillies set to open their 2018 season and the Flyers continuing their playoff push, we have a couple of terrific guests on this Philly Pressbox Radio Roundtable: Phils play-by-play man Tom McCarthy and HockeyBuzz.com blogger Bill Meltzer. Also on the show, Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko discuss Final Four-bound Villanova, the playoff-bound Sixers and the busy offseason for the Super Bowl LII champion Eagles. Plus, Bill is back on the hotseat for Week 5 of "Random Q2."

Sure, there are all of those Eagles moves that will be discussed, but ... with the baseball season and hockey playoffs right around the corner, we have two timely guests on this episode of the Philly Pressbox Radio Roundtable: long-time Phillies P.A. announcer Dan Baker and Flyers two-time Stanley Cup champion Bob "Hound" Kelly. We talk to Dan about his amazing career and the outlook for the 2018 Phils under new manager Gabe Kapler, while Hound gives us his views on how the Flyers will do in the postseason. And how 'bout those Sixers and the NCAA Tourney! An action-packed episode!

We'll cover the entire Philadelphia sports scene on this episode of the Philly Pressbox Radio Roundtable, with a big dose of college basketball talk on tap ahead of the NCAA's Selection Sunday. Joining us to cover that and more is former Philadelphia Daily News scoreboard editor Bob "Boop" Vetrone Jr.  In addition, Phillies Director of Fun & Games John Brazer joins Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko to talk Phils baseball and the numerous promotions for the 2018 season. Plus, Chet puts Bill back on the hot seat for Week 3 of Random Q2.

We have lots of 76ers and Phillies talk on this week's Philly Pressbox Radio Roundtable, as we're joined by two first-time visitors to the show. Long-time Sixers play-by-play voice Marc Zumoff gives us his take on how far Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Co. can go in the NBA playoffs, and author Steve Potter ("A Fan's View: 2nd Annual Phillies Minor League Digest") assesses the Phils' young talent on the major-league club as well as what we can expect from the organization's prospects still in the minors. Co-hosts Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko will also discuss the streaking Flyers, and Bill goes back on the hot seat for Week 2 of "Random Q2."

Fun show this week! With spring training under way, Philly Pressbox Radio welcomes Phils radio broadcaster Larry Andersen to discuss the outlook for the 2018 Phils, his take on new manager Gabe Kapler, new first baseman Carlos Santana and the unorthodox Odubel Herrera,plus Larry's decision to scale back on travel this season. In addition, longtime 76ers reporter Dei Lynam joins Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko to talk about the Sixers as they return to play following the All-Star break. Also, it's the season 2 premiere of "Random Q2."

Two great guests help Philly Pressbox Radio put a bow on the Eagles' magical 2017-18 season: Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton and WMMR's "Casey Boy" Foster. Brandon joins Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko to talk about how the Birds earned their first-ever Super Bowl crown and whether they can win a few more, how the loss of coaches Frank Reich and John DeFilippo will impact the Birds, and to discuss potential free-agent losses this offseason. Meanwhile, lifelong Eagles fan Casey Boy stops by to talk about what the Birds' championship means to him and to tell us some of the things happening this year in connection with MMR's 50th anniversary.

You're not dreaming: The Eagles are Super Bowl champions! Joining Philly Pressbox Radio to discuss the Birds' memorable victory and much more are a couple of great guests, long-time Philadelphia radio host and author Bill Werndl and his co-author for the terrific book, "No Curveballs: My Greatest Sports Stories Never Told," Joe Vallee. Bill and Joe join Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko to talk about the impact of the Eagles' Super Bowl LII win on the city and the team's fans, Nick Foles's remarkable postseason, the news that Brian Dawkins and Terrell Owens are now Pro Football Hall of Famers and more. You know this will be a fun episode!

They don't kick off til Sunday, but we have plenty to discuss ahead of the Super Bowl LII battle between the Eagles and Patriots in Minneapolis. Sports columnist Tom Moore from the Bucks County Courier Times joins Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko to discuss the keys to a Birds victory and whether Nick Foles has another gem in him. We all make our predictions for the game, too, and review some of those wild prop bets related to the game! In addition, we talk with Boston Herald columnist Bill Speros, better known as "Obnoxious Boston Fan," to get the Patriots' side of things and whether they're tired of this whole Super Bowl stuff up there yet. Some 76ers talk also.

Hey, did you hear? The Eagles are heading to the Super Bowl! With that in mind, we have two lifelong Birds fans visiting Philly Pressbox Radio this week: former Birds special-teamer (the "Invincible" one himself) Vince Papale ... plus long-time season-ticket holder and executive director of the Barkann Family Healing Hearts Foundation, Mike Barnes. Vince and Mike talk with Jim "Chet" Chesko about the Eagles' amazing 2017 season, the blowout of the Vikings in the NFC Championship game, the stellar play of backup quarterback Nick Foles, and - oh yeah - what it will take for the Birds to beat Brady, Belichick & Co. in Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4. We squeeze in a little Sixers and Flyers talk, too! Get well, Bill Furman!!!

The Eagles are playing for the NFC Championship this Sunday, and we'll have plenty to say about it on this week's Philly Pressbox Radio Roundtable! Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski joins Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko to preview the Birds-Vikings battle and to talk about the rest of the Philly sports scene. Plus, Brothers MC Podcast co-host Matt McClure stops by for some 76ers talk, and Chet recaps Monday night's Philadelphia Sports Writers Association banquet.

With the Eagles hosting an NFC Divisional playoff game on Saturday, there's no one better to join us on Philly Pressbox Radio than Hall of Fame sports writer Ray Didinger. Bill Furman, Jim "Chet" Chesko and Ray will cover all aspects of the postseason matchup at the Linc, and will also discuss the outlook for the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame honorees; Brian Dawkins and Terrell Owens are among the 15 finalists. Plus, listen for a new segment:"Ray, Tell Us a Story." In addition, we talk with former Falcons (and Eagles) wide receiver Brian Finneran (now with Atlanta's 680 The Fan) about this weekend's Battle of the Birds!  There will be some Sixers and college-football title-game talk, too, of course.

The Eagles are the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but there are some definite concerns as we head into the postseason. How far can they go with Nick Foles at quarterback in place of the injured Carson Wentz? We'll discuss that and much more on this week's Philly Pressbox Radio Roundtable, when former Eagles beat writer Mark Eckel takes a break from his retirement to make a return visit to the show with Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko. Sixers and Flyers talk, plus the college football playoffs, are also on the agenda.

On our final Philly Pressbox Radio episode of 2017, legendary Philadelphia Inquirer sports columnist Frank Fitzpatrick makes his annual stop to discuss the state of the Philly sports scene (including the Eagles' playoff outlook), and Penn State Football radio play-by-play man Steve Jones joins Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko to preview the PSU-Washington Fiesta Bowl and the college football playoffs. Plus, Bill, Chet and Fred Hugo make their predictions for some of the key Week 17 NFL battles.

We welcome a couple of first-time visitors to Philly Pressbox Radio this week! Philly.com pro football writer and columnist Paul Domowitch joins us to talk all-things Eagles and the outlook for the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, and personal-fitness trainer Ashley Blake Greenblatt (who writes a weekly column for Philly.com) stops by to offer tips on getting in shape in the new year. Also joining Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko is Fred Hugo; the guys give their picks for several key Week 16 NFL games and talk a little Sixers, Flyers and Phillies, too!

The Eagles and Flyers take center stage on this week's Philly Pressbox Radio Roundtable as Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko are joined by guests Kevin Reilly and Sam Carchidi. Kevin, a former Birds linebacker and special-teams captain, will talk about the 11-2 Eagles' prospects in the wake of the season-ending knee injury to Carson Wentz, plus Kevin's new book, "Tackling Life: How Faith, Family, Friends and Fortitude Kept a Linebacker in the Game.” Meanwhile, Sam will discuss all-things Flyers including the book he co-authored with longtime P.A. announcer Lou Nolan: "If These Walls Could Talk: Philadelphia Flyers."  Also, Fred Hugo joins Bill and Chet for their Week 15 NFC East predictions and to debate the Sixers' "load management" of Joel Embiid.

Between the Eagles and 76ers, there's lots of great stuff to talk about on the Philly sports scene these days and Philly Pressbox Radio this week welcomes Sixers beat writer Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer back to the show. Keith joins Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko to give his views on the Sixers' impressive start to the season, the dynamic duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and the outlook for a postseason run. Also on the show, the guys preview the important Week 14 Eagles-Rams battle, and Fred Hugo gets you set for your Fantasy Football playoff.

As we move closer to playoff time, we welcome Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton back to Philly Pressbox Radio (Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko) to talk about the flying-high Eagles, the upcoming West Coast trip for important battles with the Seahawks and Rams, and the outlook for potential post-season matchups. We'll sneak in some Sixers and Flyers talk, too, and maybe even mention good ol' Chip Kelly. Plus, Fred Hugo gives you his Week 13 Fantasy tips.

Making his first visit to Philly Pressbox Radio, longtime Philadelphia Flyers public-address announcer Lou Nolan joins Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko for some hockey talk and a discussion about Lou's brand new book, "If These Walls Could Talk: Philadelphia Flyers." Also on this week's show: lots of Eagles talk after the Birds' rout of the Cowboys, and Fred Hugo stops by with his Week 12 Fantasy tips.

Joining us to talk about the Philly sports scene this week: Daily News sports writer Mike Kern and WMMR's Nick McIlwain. Mike helps Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko preview the Week 11 Eagles-Cowboys battle and gives his take on the improving Sixers and the local college basketball scene, while Nick talks about "The Preston & Steve Show's" relationship with Philly sports personalities, his love of the Flyers, and a couple huge radio-station events coming up this month including the Camp Out for Hunger. Also on the show: Fred Hugo gives his weekly Fantasy Football tips.

Lots of Eagles talk on this episode of the Philly Pressbox Radio Roundtable, as we welcome a popular ex-Bird back to the show. Fred Barnett joins Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko to talk about the Eagles' rout of the Broncos and how far Fred expects the Birds to go this season. "Arkansas Fred" caught 308 passes during his six seasons with the Eagles, which is fourth all-time among Birds wide receivers. In addition, former Phillies reporter Leslie Gudel and sports promoter Adam Poppel stop by to talk about pitcher Roy Halladay in the wake of his tragic passing. Plus, Fred Hugo offers his Week 10 Fantasy Football tips, and how 'bout those surging Sixers?