Philly Pressbox Radio

Lots of baseball talk this week as Phillies Nation founder Brian Michael joins Bill and Chet. There have been some irritatin losses lately, but ... with a more favorable schedule in June, will the Phils finally get back on the good side of .500? Also, this week ... more talk about the soon-to-be retired Ray Didinger, the Eagles' offseason and ... well, whatever else we can squeeze in! 

This week's Philly Pressbox Radio show is a special one ... live from Lincoln Financial Field! Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro stops by to talk about the Birds' draft picks and other offseason additions, we get a visit from Eagles great Troy Vincent (as he and wife Tommi are honored as Advocates of the Year at the Women Against Abuse "Dish It Up" event happening during the evening) and some other special guests. Jim "Chet" Chesko hosts this special 90-minute episode right at the Linc, Bill Furman joins the show from Florida, and we get on-site help from our Edge of Philly Sports pal "Big Al" Zaffiri. Although we're at a football stadium there's also Phillies and (ugh!) Sixers talk, too!

Not a lot podcasts have TWO Hall of Famers on one episode, but we do! Yes, Philly Pressbox Radio welcomes Pro Football Hall of Fame writer RAY DIDINGER and Baseball Hall of Fame J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner PAUL HAGEN. They join Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko to talk Eagles, Phillies and backs-against-the-wall Sixers! You can expect most of our conversation with Ray to be about his huge announcement made Sunday: After some 53 years covering the Eagles and Philly sports, Ray is calling it a career at the end of the month. We're honored to have these two Hall of Famers as good friends of Philly Pressbox Radio!

The Eagles' 2022 draft is getting very positive reviews for the most part. Does Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton agree? BGN joins Bill and Chet to discuss the guys the Birds selected in last week's draft, the big trade for receiver AJ Brown, and what lies ahead. We also discuss the Sixers-Heat playoff series: Do the 76ers have a shot given the Joel Embiid still-uncertain status for Game 3 and beyond? The latest on the up-and-down Phillies, too.

Are you worried, Sixers fans? Ugggh! On this week's show, Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko talk about the 76ers' bid to avoid making NBA history (you know the deal!), but there's also Phillies talk and -- front and center -- our NFL Draft preview! Guests are former long-time Eagles beat writer MARK ECKEL and former Comcast SportsNet Phillies reporter LESLIE GUDEL. Leslie tells us all about the 2nd Annual Kendall's Crusade One-Armed Golf Challenge happening May 31. Oh, by the way: It's Philly Pressbox Radio's 8th Anniversary this week!!!

Eagles, Sixers and Phillies talk on this week's Philly Pressbox Radio show! Guests are Eagles legend and NFL Executive VP in Charge of Football Operations TROY VINCENT, Women Against Abuse Executive Director JOANNA OTERO-CRUZ and WIP/High Hopes co-host JACK FRITZ. In addition to football talk, Troy and Joanna tell us about next month's "Dish It Up" event at Lincoln Financial Field that raises funds for survivors of domestic violence, while Jack helps us figure out why the Phillies have struggled early in the 2022 season. 

The Sixers are preparing for an opening-round playoff series against the Raptors and the Phillies are heading out on their first road trip of the new baseball season, hoping the bats will come alive. Joining Bill and Chet on Philly Pressbox Radio to talk about those topics and more are Inquirer.com Sixers beat writer KEITH POMPEY and former Inquirer Phillies and Eagles reporter BOB BROOKOVER.

So much to talk about this week! The Eagles pulled off a blockbuster draft-picks swap with the Saints, the NFL Draft is just three weeks away, the Phillies are set to open the 2022 baseball season, and the Sixers are down to their final few regular-season games and gearing up for the playoffs. Joining Bill and Chet to talk about all of that this week are football writer PAUL DOMOWITCH of The 33rd Team and TYRONE JOHNSON of 97.5 The Fanatic and Sixers Outsiders. You'll get our official 2022 Phillies predictions, too! (*NOTE: Tyrone was unable to join us.-- but we still provided lots of Sixers and Phillies talk!)

This week's Philly Pressbox Radio show focuses on the Phillies and Sixers, with two first-time guests visiting with Bill and Chet. We talk all-things Phillies with new beat writer ALEX COFFEY from the Inquirer. (Welcome to Philly, Alex!) Plus, you know that "1-2-3-4-5-Sixers" song that you hear after every victory? It's actually called "Here Come the Sixers," and we look forward to chatting with one of the guys who wrote and recorded it back in 1975, Newtown Square's FRANK McDONNELL. We get Frank's take on the current Sixers and the Final Four-bound Villanova Wildcats, too!  

So much to talk about on the Philadelphia sports scene! This week, we're joined by Flyers P.A. man extraordinaire LOU NOLAN as he celebrates his 50th year behind the mike to talk about all-things Orange & Black, including the recent trade of long-time captain Claude Giroux and what's needed to turn the team's fortunes around. Plus, KAYLA SANTIAGO, play-by-play voice and reporter for the Delmarva Sports Network, visits to talk about the that new venture ... and the state of the 76ers as the regular season rolls into its final three weeks. Plus, don't tell Bill, but there will be a "Random Chet" segment about ... movies!

Hey, we're gonna have a baseball season -- and Kyle Schwarber is a Phillie! We talk about the outlook for the 2022 Phillies as radio play-by-voice Scott Franzke and WIP producer and weekend host James Seltzer visit Philly Pressbox Radio. James also discusses the Sixers and Eagles (free-agent moves, etc.) with Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko and plays another game of "Seltzer Skelter."

WIP's Glen Macnow joins Bill and Chet to give us his take on the new-look 76ers and the rest of the Philly sports scene as well as the ongoing MLB lockout. Are the Sixers legitimate NBA title contenders? Will the "dead rot" Flyers (Glen's words!) ever be good again? What are the offseason needs of the Eagles? We also have a follow-up chat about last week's topic -- most-despised Philly athletes. Plus, Bill and Chet talk about this week's huge news regarding a couple of NFL quarterbacks ... and a Falcons wide receiver getting suspended for betting on games. Note: We also sneak in a fun "Random Chet" segment!  

The Sixers are the talk of the town right now and this week's Philly Pressbox Radio will devote plenty of time to the new-look 76ers, but there's also a visit from long-time Flyers reporter Sam Carchidi, who recently began writing for Philly Hockey Now. Perhaps Sam can figure out what the Flyers need to do to become relevant again! Plus, Bill and Chet discuss the Major League Baseball fiasco ... and the Philadelphia sports scene's most-despised athletes over the years!

A couple of great guests again this week! 76ers play-by-play broadcaster Kate Scott visits to talk all-things Sixers and tell us how she's enjoying her first season in Philadelphia. Plus, we get an update on the MLB lockout and how this year's Phils might look as Phillies Nation editor Tim Kelly joins us. (Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko have co-hosted Philly Pressbox Radio since 2014. Check out their YouTube channel!)

With James Harden officially a 76er, can the team truly compete for an NBA title this season and/or next? We discuss that and much more with long-time Sixers insider Dei Lynam. Plus, Bill and Chet reflect on Super Bowl LVI (congrats to the L.A. Rams) and Dick Vermeil officially being named a Pro Football Hall of Fame 2022 inductee. We also squeeze in some Flyers talk and -- yep -- a Random Chet segment!

It's Super Bowl Week and we have a super show for you ! We chat with legendary Eagles, Rams and Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil about the likelihood that he will get the call to the Hall of Fame, the outlook for Super Bowl LVI, and the Eagles' off-season needs. Plus, former Daily News writer Ed Barkowitz visits to discuss the Philly sports scene and some of the numerous Super Bowl bets you might want to consider. And ... Bill, Chet, Ed and "Boop" make their official predictions for the Bengals-Rams Super Bowl contest.

The Super Bowl 56 matchup is set - it'll be the Bengals and Rams meeting in L.A. on the 13th! Visiting Philly Pressbox Radio this week is Bill O'Connell, who happens to be the father of Rams Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell. A long-time Eagles fan, Bill now has a serious rooting interest in the Rams, of course. Expect a fun conversation with this Delco native! Also on the show, Bill Furman and Jim "Chet" Chesko discuss the red-hot Sixers, the winners of two-in-a-row Flyers, the MLB lockout and more. Bob Vetrone Jr., aka "Boop," stops by with a couple of his favorite Super Bowl prop bets!

We just witnessed what was probably the greatest weekend of NFL playoff action ever, with some incredible quarterback play; how does that make you feel about the Eagles and Jalen Hurts? The 76ers have played well of late -- Joel Embiid is again an MVP candidate -- but there's still that unresolved situation regarding you-know-who. Expect lots of Eagles and Sixers talk as Bucks County Courier Times sports columnist TOM MOORE visits the show. Plus, Bill, Chet and "Boop" give you their predictions for the NFL's conference championship games -- hopefully the guys will do better than they did this past weekend. And, we give our take on this year's Baseball Hall of Fame inductees.

On this week's show: What do the Eagles need to do this offseason after that very quick exit from the NFL postseason courtesy the Tampa Bay Bucs? Bill and Chet talk Eagles and much more with Inquirer.com award-winning sports columnist Mike Sielski. Mike's great new book, "The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality," is available now! Plus, some good discussion about the rest of the Philly sports scene -- it ain't overly pretty! -- and Chet reviews the movie "American Underdog: The Kurt Warner Story."

Can the Eagles beat Tom Brady again? Jalen Hurts & Co. will be in Tampa for wild-card weekend and Philly Pressbox Radio devotes a big chunk of this week's show to that Birds-Bucs contest ... with help from Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton. You'll also get wild-card weekend predictions from Bill, Chet and Boop ... and some Sixers, Flyers and College Football Championship talk, too. Oh ... there's also a "Random Chet" segment with you-know-who reflecting on the many great albums that came out in 1972 -- yeah, 50 years ago!