Our final two broadcasts from Iraq went well. We did lose the satellite for a short while in our second of three broadcasts, but everyone in that part of the world lost the bird too. I'm still amazed that you can broadcast from halfway around the world using only a suitcase size device, and it sounds like I'm right in our home studios in San Francisco.
Perhaps one of the most overlooked and underrated fighters in boxing sat down with Marc Lichtenfeld, the host of Sports Byline's Through the Ropes show. Tune in as boxing champion Andre Ward discusses his preparation for the Super Six Boxing Classic Ward-Dirrell fight on September 25, 2010.
I've been to one Formula 1 race and that was 6 years ago at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was a freakin' thrill. A game changer for me. I was seeing the best of the best. And, even the best a--hole to grace this plutonic series. Ralf Schumacher.
Sports Byline Classic offers select interviews with some of the sports legends we've interviewed over the past 20 years. Click a story or photo to read, listen, and comment on this week's Classic interviews.
 Pele!Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Remember that name. The spelling varies in different parts of the globe when it comes to that name. So let’s just go with one word: Pele. Whether you say "PAY-lay" like [ ... ] |
 Willie Mays: The Say Hey KidWhat do you say when you’re Willie Mays reflecting on a game you helped build? His credentials are impeccable: 660 home runs, 24-time MLB All-Star selection, 12-time Gold Glove Winner, and one of o [ ... ] |
- War is Hell
- It's Showtime
- The Military's New Mission
- Sleep Is Hard To Come By
- There's Still A Job To Be Done
BY RON BARR
I'm heading back to the Middle East. This will be my sixth trip to Afghanistan and/or Iraq, and I hope my last. Not that I wouldn't go again to broadcast Sports Byline USA to any place we have our servicemen and women deployed, but with our combat troops pulling out of Iraq by the end of the month, and President Obama saying all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq and also disengaging in Afghanistan by the end of 2011, it appears my combat broadcast deployments will end. Continue story...
It's Showtime!
When you're halfway around the world and broadcasting Sports Byline away from the security and comfort of your home studio, it always feels like a space walk. The first show is always the and producer Jon Bullock and I are most concerned about. Will we get the signal to the satellite? Will all our sports guests call in for the show and for the soldiers to talk with? Our broadcast location is the DFAC (mess hall) Sports Oasis. A perfect location for us as it gives a lot of soldiers a chance to hear the show and to see their fellow soldiers co-host a national sports talk show. Even though I've been doing this for 22 years, with the American Forces Network (AFN) carrying Sports Byline USA for 21 of those years, I'm still amazed at how many soldiers come up to me and say they've listened to me in Korea, Japan, Germany, Italy or on a Navy ship in the Indian Ocean. It makes me smile each time I hear it. Continue story...
BY RON BARR
August 26, 2010-- In my previous broadcast visits to Iraq the military effort was primarily combat. Their mission was to go after al-Qaida and to control the sectarian violence that erupted after the fall of Saddam. Neither was easy and nearly 4,500 soldiers have lost their lives and countless others have been injured trying to accomplish that mission. This is the first time in my four visits to Iraq that I don't feel like we're in a day to day active war. The fight has changed from being an American one to now being up to the Iraqis. Continue story...
BY RON BARR
August 25, 2010-- Traveling halfway around the world, dealing with extreme weather and then add to that full days moving around Iraq to meet and greet the troops, your body takes a beating and you look forward to laying your head on the pillow at night. For four out of the five in our group we fear the night time. That's when former quarterback Jim Miller goes to work cutting heavy duty zzzzzzzs. Miller will never make Canton, but he's a lock for the Snoring Hall of Fame. Continue story...
BY RON BARR
August 24, 2010-- Each one of these trips I've taken has had a pace and a feel of its own. This one has started out more frenetic because of the unique traveling we did to get here. Now that we're in Baghdad, this one too is beginning to set its own tempo and feel. However, the one constant is it's still about the soldiers. Continue story...
Water Exercises: Not into hard physical workouts? Water exercises can provide the support of buoyancy and allow you to exercise at your own intensity by adjusting your movement size and speed.
Featured Book & Video Game Reviews
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EA's 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA
Reviewed by Rick Tittle
The Beautiful Game has been tried for decades in video game format with a hit-or-miss history for the most part. Sometimes we get perennial titles such as the FIFA brand that EA brings out freshly every year, and every two years we get a special edition from this franchise to coincide with either a European Championship or a World Cup. -
NCAA BASKETBALL '10
Reviewed by Rick Tittle, host of the Video Game Review
rick@ricktittle.com
In the NBA you’ll often see players not hustling. You’ll notice the lethargy that comes with the guarantee of millions of dollars. You will also see some lovely tattoos. Ahem.
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