Wallace Matthews, long-time sports columnist for New York media, joins the show to discuss his writing career primarily covering boxing and baseball, the life of a columnist, some of his favorite things and more

Wallace Matthews

The Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers have made the World Series, the Eagles are good and the NBA is playing games. That was talking sports! This week, we’re back to talking sports media life with a long-time sports columnist, Wallace Matthews, who can tell more stories than he’s written in the past three decades.

Before we get into Episode 89, as a reminder, The Bridge is broadcast as a one-hour radio show every Wednesday night at 7 ET / 4 PT on Sports Radio America. A rerun is then aired the following hour as well. Once the dust settles from that live broadcast, the show is released as a podcast on iTunes and on this website the following day on Thursday. You can listen to the show every Wednesday on Sports Radio America here or through the TuneIn app, and find some bonus content, including a weekly gambling segment, when the show comes out in podcast form.

  • “Sports News Read Like Real News” told the tale of Marshawn Lynch’s longest run from Sunday coming while out of the game, to come to the aid of his good friend instead of his quarterback (2:17).
  • The Bridge Question of the Week is: Who will win the World Series, and why? Leave a voicemail or text in your answer to 929-BRIDGE7, that’s 929-274-3437, and you’ll make it on the next show.
  • This week’s guest is Wallace Matthews, a long-time sports columnist who you’ve read in the New York Post, ESPN New York, NY Sports Day, The Washington Post and The New York Times, just to name a few. Wally has been writing since the early 80s, covering boxing, then baseball, and seemingly everything in between, so it’s safe to say we had more than enough to talk about. We’ll chat about how he tried to become a professional boxer and how that helped him cover the sport, finding a voice as a sports columnist in New York, some tales from being a columnist and covering the New York Yankees, a few of his favorite things and more.
  • Follow Wally on Twitter -> @OysterBayBomber. The interview starts at the 10:45 mark.

– In the interview, we discuss:

Writing the epitaph for his boxing career and getting into writing (11:54), first jobs in sports media (13:10), how being a former boxer helped in covering the sport and what makes it unique (16:57), how long it took to find the confidence needed to be a columnist (20:20), if any player or coach has been unhappy with his writing and having to take a tone (22:00), writing in a “hot take” culture (25:21), what the lowest point has been (27:01), how he’s been able to evolve with social media and interacting on Twitter (28:08), what he misses about writing from when he started and the McGregor / Mayweather fight (30:00), what the next step might be in the future (32:02), favorite sports moment (34:25)

Eazy (or) Pass, featuring some quick-hitting questions (34:25)

*  Favorite sports moment (34:42)

* Biggest difference between “Core Four” Yankees and the 2017 group (35:26)

* What the Yankees need in 2018 (36:05)

* If anyone can convince him to vote for the Baseball Hall of Fame again (36:59)

* Best Halloween costume (39:07)

* Favorite children’s game (39:45)

* First album and first concert (40:24)

* Three people you’d like to have dinner with, dead or alive (40:57).

  • “The Toll Bridge with Donnie RightSide.” Donnie is a professional handicapper who knows a thing or two about the lines of the sports world and joins The Bridge for a weekly segment to help us get on the right side of those lines, based on his years of numbers, strategy and overall knowledge of the market. This week, Donnie offers up some of his best bets to correspond with The Bridge Fade of the Week, where listeners are urged to completely go in the opposite direction of the show. You can find Donnie at DonnieRightSide.com and SportsBookReview.com and follow him on Twitter @RightSideVP. And remember, this segment is for entertainment purposes only (42:26).
  • “Five Minutes in the Film Room” with Joe Baress, former star of the prestigious John and Joe Sports Show, breaks down “The Snowman,” which Rotten Tomatoes describes as: when an elite crime squad’s lead detective investigates the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit, the cop must connect decades-old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit this unthinkable evil before the next snowfall (47:57). You can follow Joe on Twitter @dukemich and read his movie reviews, previews and ratings at cupof-joe.com.

Call in or text the show 24/7 at 929-BRIDGE7, that’s (929) 274-3437. Contact the show with your questions, comments, stories or hot takes and you might be featured in the next installment of The Bridge.

Subscribe to The Bridge Sports Podcast on iTunes (please leave a positive rating and review if you enjoy the show as well) so you’ll immediately be notified when new episodes are posted. You can also find The Bridge Sports Podcast on Google PlaySoundcloudStitcher and live on TuneIn.

You can listen to the show live on Wednesday nights at 7 ET via Sports Radio America or the TuneIn app.

Visit www.lundinbridge.com/email to subscribe to The Bridge Sports Podcast newsletter, which will provide weekly updates and behind-the-scenes information about the next show and who the featured guest(s) might be.

Email the show at media [at] lundinbridge [dot] com and follow the host on Twitter @lundinbridge.

Show music: ‘Actionable’ and ‘Epic,’ courtesy of www.bensound.com.

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