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"Field of Dreams" Game, Ideas For Future MLB Showcase Games, Braves On Fire, Justin Fields' Debut + More

Jack welcomes back Joey Ricotta, host of the podcast Stuffing the Stat Sheet and blogger at On Tap Sports Net and Prime Time Sports Talk, back to the show. After Jack attended the Bears' first preseason game on Saturday, he and Joey share their takeaways from the Dolphins-Bears game, mostly concentrated on the play of young quarterbacks Tua Taglovailoa and Justin Fields.
 
Joey argues that Fields should be the Bears' week 1 starter; Jack disagrees (0:00 - 38:50). Later, they return to baseball talk, recapping the latest news and stories from the past week from around the league. The Field of Dreams game was a huge success; it was baseball's highest-rated regular season game in 16 years. Jack and Joey discuss the game itself, the appeal of it, and share ideas for future MLB showcase games that could reach out to more fans in the future. They also talk Tyler Gilbert's rookie debut no-hitter, the Braves' hot stretch that has them in first place, the Padres' recent struggles (and the return of Fernando Tatis Jr., now playing center field), as well as the American League and National League playoff landscapes. All this, and plenty more from the wide world of baseball! Vote for the Greatest Sports Movie of All-Time at jackvita.com, and on Jack's Facebook (facebook.com/jackvitashow), Twitter (@jackvitashow) and Instagram (@jackvitashow)

8.9.21 NL East Race Heats Up: Phillies in First Place, Mets Slump, Braves Above .500; the Impact of Managers + More

Jack Vita is joined by diehard Phillies fan Jake Paliga, who is riding high as the Phillies currently have an 8-game win-streak and counting. Jack and Jake provide an update on the Best Sports Movie of All-Time Bracket, then assess the infrastructure of the NL East after the Phillies swept the Mets over the weekend and moved into first place, and the Braves have finally gotten above .500 for the first time this season. How worried is Jack about the Braves surpassing the Phillies in the NL East? Jake and Jack discuss the impact managers have on teams (including Joe Girardi and Tony La Russa), the NL MVP race (and Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman's place in the race), other division races (AL West, AL East, NL Central and NL West), the collapse of the Mets and Red Sox, the red hot Reds, and news from around the league.

Survivor: South Pacific's Albert Destrade Talks Sports Movie Bracket, MLB Trade Deadline Winners and Losers, Injuries, Labor Negotiations, NL MVP Race and More

Former Survivor: South Pacific contestant and host of the podcast, It's Not Polite to Ask with Albert Destrade, Albert Destrade returns to the Jack Vita Show for his fourth appearance to talk sports movies and baseball.
 
Albert and Jack discuss the latest surrounding the Cubs' rebuilding process, including some negative feelings from Anthony Rizzo and positive feelings from Kris Bryant, as well as an assessment of the return the Cubs received from their trades. Albert's a diehard Atlanta Braves fan; he and Jack get to talking about the Braves' flurry of moves prior to last week's deadline, and what the club's chances are now just 2.5 games out of first place in the NL East. Can the Braves heat up at the right time and steal their fourth-straight division title? Albert and Jack also take a look at the AL East, after the Rays swept the Red Sox over the weekend; the BoSox have now lost five straight. Which club, aside from the Rays would Albert and Jack buy stock in? Later, they talk NL MVP race, the sport's biggest stars getting injured, and what this winter's labor talks might entail. Should MLB expand the postseason field, or keep it as is, and how does that topic connect to last week's exciting trade deadline? All this, and plenty more!

2021 MLB Trade Deadline Recap: Cubs Sell Everything, Dodgers-Nationals Super-Trade, NL West Arms Race

Jack welcomes Ryan Pacatte to the show for a full recap of the 2021 MLB trade deadline. Sit back, relax, and let Jack and Ryan catch you up on every trade that happened this week, just before the deadline, including a full rundown of what may have been the most action-packed and exciting trade deadline of all-time. Find out how each of these trades impact the MLB playoff picture. Jack shares his thoughts on the Cubs' fire sale - what exactly is going on in Wrigleyville? *No tears were shed in the making of this podcast!

Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC: How it Will Impact College Football, College Sports as a Whole

A bombshell of a college football story dropped over the past few days. Oklahoma and Texas will be leaving the Big 12 and joining the SEC. Jack and Andrew Stem discuss what it means for both programs, schools, conferences, and college sports as a whole. Why are Texas and Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 and joining the SEC? What will happen to the Big 12 as a result? Will the Big 12 teams band together and add new schools, or will the remaining Big 12 teams jump ship for greener pastures? Is this the tipping point for massive conference realignment; what could we see next? How smooth will the transition from Big 12 to SEC be for Oklahoma and Texas? How will impact not only college football, but college basketball, and other college sports? Is this a good thing for college sports, or a bad thing? Jack and Andrew attempt to answer all of these questions and more.

MLB Ballparks Ranked, Cleveland Guardians, Cubs' Rebuild, MLB Trade Market, Pinpointing Trade Deadline Buyers and Sellers

Jack Vita and Andrew Stem are reunited once again upon Jack's return from his weekend ballpark road trip, where he went to three baseball games in three days. Jack shares his thoughts on the new MLB ballparks he visited (Cleveland and Cincinnati) and ranks the 11 ballparks he's been to (0:00 - 26:45). He also collected a good amount of feedback on the Cleveland Indians' new team name, the "Guardians" from Cleveland fans while he was at Sunday's Indians game; he reveals what the fans had to say (26:45 - 36:20). Last week, Jack wrote a piece on jackvita.com where he chronicled the Cubs' fall from grace, why the team is gearing up for a rebuild, and why the Cubs' owner Tom Ricketts isn't the one to blame for the club's shortcomings. Jack and Andrew discuss the piece, and what they think the Cubs will do this week with the approaching trade deadline (36:20 - 59:10). Then, they recap the most recent trades from the weekend and take a look at the league's standings, as well as assess which teams will be looking to add, and which teams will be looking to subtract over the next few days (59:10 - END). This is part one of a two-part podcast episode with Andrew. Part two, where Jack and Andrew talk Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC and what it means for college sports, will be available for listening soon. Subscribe to the Jack Vita Show, so you don't miss it.

NBA Finals, MLB trade deadline approaching, Bucks, Brewers, Cubs; Sports Movie Bracket Preview

Jack welcomes back Paul Oren (@nwioren on Twitter) from the Northwest Indiana Times to the show to talk NBA Finals (0:00 - 18:15), MLB (18:15 - 37:45) and the Jack Vita Show "Best Sports Movie of All-Time" bracket (37:45 - END). Paul grew up in Milwaukee and is a lifelong Bucks fan. He weighs in on the NBA Finals, following the Bucks' epic game 5 win. Jack shares why the Phoenix Suns peaked his interest in the NBA Finals, as game 5 was the first NBA game he had watched of the 2021 season, and discusses what he believes would be an incredible story of Monty Williams and Chris Paul winning an NBA title. Then, Jack and Paul break down the latest from the world of Major League Baseball, as Paul's Brewers have a commanding 7-game lead in the NL Central and the Cubs have started selling, trading Joc Pederson to the Braves for a first base prospect by the name of Bryce Ball Thursday night. Paul and Jack assess the status of the National League at the midway point, and look ahead to the second half, pinpointing the league's true contenders and trade deadline sellers. Who will come out of the NL East? Jack and Paul feel that the Phillies have a very strong chance of doing so. Finally, Paul and Jack kick off the "Best Sports Movie of All-Time Bracket", running on jackvita.com and on Jack's social media handles (Facebook.com/jackvitashow, @jackvitashow on Twitter and Instagram), featuring 128 sports movies that our audience has a chance to vote on over the coming weeks. Paul and Jack preview the first round of matchups, and share some of their picks and favorite sports films, including movie recommendations for listeners that haven't seen all 128 films. Bracket begins Monday, July 17th! Don't forget to vote daily and share the bracket with your friends! Subscribe to the Jack Vita Show wherever podcasts are found, and log onto jackvita.com and join our email list, so you don't miss out on a minute of bracket action! 

MLB All-Star Break: ASG, HR Derby, Midseason Awards + More

Midway through the 2021 MLB season, Anthony Franze visits the Jack Vita Show for a midseason check-up. Jack and Anthony talk MLB draft and the ascension of Shohei Ohtani (0:00 - 18:15), then share their midseason awards picks for AL and NL Cy Young, Manager of the Year, Rookie of the Year and MVP (18:15 - 33:10). They also run through the MLB All-Star rosters and share their own selections for All-Star starters. Jack shares his idea to spice up the All-Star Game and they talk all-stars skipping the Summer Classic (33:10 - 1:06:10). Later, they preview the Home Run Derby and run a HR Derby draft (1:06:10 - 1:17:55), revisit Jack's "5 Bold Predictions for the 2021 MLB Season" and talk about the season's biggest surprises and disappointments, with a look at where teams sit in the standings at the season's halfway point (1:17:55 - END).