Unplugged with Brandon Steiner

Brandon Steiner chats with author and freelance sportswriter Jason Turbow, set to release his third book "They Bled Blue" about the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers. About Jason: Jason Turbow is the author of They Bled Blue (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, June 2019); Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017); and The Baseball Codes (Pantheon, 2010). He's written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated, among other publications. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. About They Bled Blue: In the Halberstam tradition of capturing a season through its unforgettable figures, They Bled Blue is a sprawling, mad tale of excess and exuberance, the likes of which could only have occurred in that place, at that time. That it culminated in an unlikely World Series win—during a campaign split by the longest player strike in baseball history—is not even the most interesting thing about this team. The Dodgers were led by the garrulous Tommy Lasorda—part manager, part cheerleader—who unyieldingly proclaimed devotion to the franchise through monologues about bleeding Dodger blue and worshiping the “Big Dodger in the Sky,” and whose office hosted a regular stream of Hollywood celebrities. Steve Garvey, the All-American, All-Star first baseman, had anchored the most durable infield in major league history, and, along with Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey, was glaringly aware that 1981 would represent the end of their run together. The season’s real story, however, was one that nobody expected at the outset: a chubby lefthander nearly straight out of Mexico, twenty years old with a wild delivery and a screwball as his flippin’ out pitch. The Dodgers had been trying for decades to find a Hispanic star to activate the local Mexican population; Fernando Valenzuela was the first to succeed, and it didn’t take long for Fernandomania to sweep far beyond the boundaries of Chavez Ravine. They Bled Blue is the rollicking yarn of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ crazy 1981 season. Purchase a copy today: https://www.amazon.com/They-Bled-Blue-Fernandomania-Strike-Season/dp/1328715531

Brandon Steiner is joined by sports marketing pioneer Rick Horrow, author of "The Sport Business Handbook". About Rick: Rick Horrow, JD, is a leading expert in the business of sport and has orchestrated over 100 deals worth more than $20 billion. The CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures (HSV), he has served as a sport business analyst for Fox Sports, Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Businessweek, Reuters, NBC, National Public Broadcasting, and the BBC. As the leading commentator on sport business and as a well-connected entrepreneur, he has access to many of the top names in sport, including commissioners, owners, general managers, coaches, and athletes. His clients have included some of the biggest organizations and companies in the world of sport and business: NFL, NHL, MLB, NASCAR, PGA, Great White Shark Enterprises, Cisco Systems, Golden Bear International, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, LPGA, and MLS. He has also been managing editor of sports business for the U.S. Library of Congress. Horrow is nicknamed the Sports Professor, thanks to his time spent as a visiting expert on sport law at Harvard Law School, where he earned his degree. About 'The Sport Business Handbook': If you love sports and are fascinated by business dealings in this trillion-dollar global industry, then this is the anthology you've been waiting for. The Sport Business Handbook: Insights From 100+ Leaders Who Shaped 50 Years of the Industry provides insider perspectives from more than 100 of the biggest names in the sport business industry. Plentiful examples and stories, including insiders' views of major sports deals, make this book a bible of information for those looking to begin or advance a career in the field or for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes intricacies of sport business. Purchase a copy today: https://stnr.co/2Er9eR4

Bill Pennington is a reporter for the New York Times and has been writing about sports for twenty-five years. A former syndicated sports columnist, Pennington is a ten-time finalist and five-time winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors' national writing contest. He lives with his wife, Joyce, and three children in Warwick, New York. Bill joined the show to discuss his new book "Chumps to Champs", which explains how the worst teams in Yankees history led to the '90's dynasty. Purchase a copy here of "Chumps to Champs": https://stnr.co/2DYkkfW

Ron Karr is a speaker, marketing consultant and author based in New Jersey. For 36+ years, Karr has excelled at sales and leadership positions, for which he is recognized as the leading "Sales Success Expert" and has appeared as a guest on national TV including FOX , Bloomberg, C-Suite Network and others. He is an in-Demand Global Keynote Speaker, and Highly Acclaimed Author of Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way. He was elected as the president of National Speakers Association for 2013-14 and he is the president of Karr Associates, Inc. Karr is a National Board Member of the NSA and a past president of the New York City Chapter of NSA. In 1995, the New York Tri-State Chapter presented him with the Golden Mike Award.

Bob Klapisch has covered baseball for the New York Post, New York Daily News, and Bergen Record as well as ESPN, FOX Sports and USA Today. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone and Men’s Journal. Klapisch has won several Top-5 awards in the prestigious Associated Press Sports Editors contest and appears regularly on MLB Network. A graduate of Columbia University, where he played varsity baseball, Klapisch continues to pitch in the semi-professional Metropolitan League in Bergen County. He and his family live in Westwood, NJ. Klapisch joined the show to discuss his new book, "Inside the Empire: The True Power Behind the New York Yankees ," which he wrote with Paul Solotaroff. It's a riveting look at what is really said and done behind closed doors with the New York Yankees, the most famous and wealthiest sports franchise in the world