Jack Vita Show: Sports | MLB | Baseball | NFL | College Football | NCAA Basketball | NBA | Faith

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).

NC State Eliminated by COVID, College World Series Championship Preview, MLB "Sticky Stuff", NBA and NHL Playoffs

Jack welcomes back Andrew Stem, who is a reporter at the Omaha World-Herald and has been at the College World Series all week. Andrew helps break down the shocking news that eliminated the North Carolina State Wolfpack from the College World Series, declaring Saturday's game a non-contest, and advancing the Vanderbilt Commodores to their second-straight  national championship. Andrew and Jack share their opinions on the whole ordeal (0:00 - 30:35). Then, they preview the College World Series championship and share some thoughts on the 2021 College World Series up to this point (30:35 - 44:15). Later, they talk about the other sports they're watching, including the Stanley Cup Playoffs and NBA playoffs; Jack shares why he hasn't been able to get into the NBA postseason (44:15 - 52:35). Finally, Jack and Andrew run through the latest Major League Baseball news, including MLB All-Star finalists, Home Run Derby candidates, Mike Soroka retearing his Achilles, and MLB's "sticky situation" (52:35 - END).

The Bachelorette's Garrett Powell Talks Golf, US Open, MLB, Faith and 'The Bachelor' Franchise

Former Bachelorette contestant and current golf pro Garrett Powell returns to the Jack Vita Show to recap the US Open and the latest from the worlds of golf and baseball. Later, he answers some questions from the listeners about life, his Christian faith, and his time on The Bachelor franchise.
 
Garrett and Jack discuss the 2021 US Open, Jon Rahm's first major win, and the wild story behind Jon Rahm's last tournament appearance, in which he was forced to withdraw due to testing positive for COVID-19. They also share their thoughts on Rory McIlroy's US Open performance, Rickie Fowler's recent struggles, the brewing Brooks Koepka-Bryson DeChambeau rivalry and Phil Mickelson winning the PGA Championship last month (0:00 - 34:15). Then, Garrett and Jack shift their attention to the College World Series, where Garrett's Mississippi State Bulldogs are one of the final eight teams competing in Omaha. After that, they talk Major League Baseball, which plans to implement a tight crackdown on pitchers' use of foreign substances on baseballs. They also take a look at the sport's latest injuries, news and scores, providing a recap of the weekend's series'. Garrett thinks his Braves are about to turn the corner (34:15 - 1:18:45)! Finally, Garrett gets to the listener's questions about his life, faith and time on and away from The Bachelorette. Find out if he still watches the show, if he advises others to go on the franchise, how the show cares (or doesn't) for its contestants mental health, and so much more (1:18:45 - END)!

The Challenge’s Dario Medrano Talks Baseball, College Football Playoff Expansion, and Reality TV

Dario Medrano, formerly a contestant on MTV's The Challenge and Are You The One? and a former Division I college baseball player, visits the Jack Vita Show to talk college baseball, MLB news, pitchers using foreign substances for spin rate and MLB's attempt to crack down on it, the College Football Playoff's proposed expansion and its implications, and Dario's time on The Challenge. Dario and Jack take a look at the weekend's scores and standings and discuss where each team stands in the middle of June. Headlines: The Cubs SWEEP the Cardinals at Wrigley, White Sox and Rays sweep their weekend series' and now face off in a battle of the AL's best, the Yankees and Braves continue to struggle, and three surprise teams that are making Jack rethink his MLB preseason predictions.
Subscribe to the Jack Vita Show (visit jackvita.com) wherever podcasts are found, and don't miss our upcoming episode with Garrett Powell, golf pro and former Bachelorette contestant, next week, talking US Open and MLB!

Rays' Broadcaster Orestes Destrade on ESPN's 'Baseball Tonight', MLB's Foreign Substance Crackdown, Rays and More!

Former MLB player and current Tampa Bay Rays broadcaster Orestes Destrade visits the Jack Vita Show. Orestes is in his 11th year with the Rays. Prior to joining the organization, he played four seasons in the bigs, along with several years playing professionally in Japan, where he won three straight home run titles. After his playing career ended, Orestes moved into the broadcasting booth, and worked at ESPN for five years, where he starred on 'Baseball Tonight' and called the Little League World Series and the World Baseball Classic. Jack talks with Orestes about his playing and broadcasting career and what it was like leaving Cuba to come to the United States (0:00 - 33:20), MLB's crackdown on pitchers using foreign substances to increase their spin rate, the impact it will have on the league, and how teams use analytics to manipulate arbitration numbers (33:20 - 50:40), Tony La Russa surpassing John McGraw as MLB's second winningest manager, the legacy of TLR and why he is a worthy candidate for 2021 AL Manager of the Year (50:40 - 1:06:20), the Rays' current hot stretch and the Blake Snell trade (1:06:20 - END). Orestes explains that Blake Snell was already going to be traded, prior to what happened in the World Series.Subscribe to the Jack Vita Show (visit jackvita.com) wherever podcasts are found, and don't miss our upcoming episode with Dario Medrano (from MTV's Are You The One? and The Challenge)!

Valparaiso University Needs a New Mascot!

With Valparaiso University ditching the "Crusaders" team name and mascot, Jack is joined LIVE by Valparaiso alumni Andrew Stem and Parker Gatewood for a brainstorming session, hoping to help Valpo find a new team and mascot! Tweet Jack (@JackVitaShow), vote in his Twitter poll and let us know what Valpo's new team name should be!

Outkick's Gary Sheffield Jr. on Tony La Russa/White Sox, Lefty's PGA Championship Win, Pujols, and the Latest MLB News

Jack is pleased to welcome rising sports media star and writer at Outkick.com, Gary Sheffield Jr., to the podcast, to help recap the weekend that was in the world of sports. Phil Mickelson has shocked the world and won the PGA Championship at the age of 50 (0:00 - 12:20); Gary and Jack share their thoughts. Then, they make way for a lengthy discussion centered around the Chicago White Sox and manager Tony La Russa, who received a lot of criticism over the last week following some comments he made after Yermin Mercedes swung through a take sign on a 3-0 count in the 9th inning of a blowout of the Twins. Jack feels that some of the media's coverage of the incident (and the ensuing takes that came shortly after) were overblown, and that the Sox are in a great spot. What does Gary think (12:20 - 40:35)? Up next, we had two no-hitters thrown last week, on back-to-back nights. What gives with all the no-no's, and how does the league's surplus of no-hitters reflect upon the state of the game of baseball (40:35 - 52:40)? The Tampa Bay Rays made a surprising deal on Friday, shipping shortstop Willy Adames to the Milwaukee Brewers; will we see baseball's no. 1 prospect Wander Franco at the major league level soon, as the Rays stretch their win-streak to 10 (52:40 - 57:55)? Then, Gary and Jack run through the weekend's scores from across the league, and recap some stories you may have missed, including Pujols' first week with the Dodgers, Scott Kazmir's first MLB appearance since 2016, Shohei Ohtani losing velocity on his fastball, and Christian Yelich's return to the Brewers' lineup. Along the way, they also chat about potential trade deadline buyers and sellers, the Mets' recent slide, the Braves' potential to turn the corner, and much, much more!Subscribe to the Jack Vita Show, log on to jackvita.com, and don't miss any of our upcoming content! Also check Gary's work at Outkick.com.