THIS WEEK ON SSDL, June 8-12
ALL PROGRAMMING on YouTube.com/SportsStorieswithDennyLennon
SSDL5 Mon: Author Dan Coonan, “Presidential Spirits”.
SSDL5 Tue: ’88 VBC Champ Kevin Lennon produces “Men of the VBC” calendar review.
SSDL5 Wed: BVCA Update from Jeff Smith, “Vault” series with Jake Downey.
SSDL Podcast Thu: 1960’s Pro Sports Pioneer Norm Bass, Part 2.
SSDL5 Fri: Bucks assistant coach Sidney Dobner and “30 fo 30” producer Will Lennon.
June 7, 2020
90045 - This week, Sports Stories with Denny Lennon (SSDL) returns with a full week of programming. We follow up with author Dan Coonan, Kevin Lennon produces VBC Show #7, Jeff Smith of the BVCA provides an update, Jake Downey presents more from the “Vault”, we continue with the remarkable story of Norm Bass, score on an interview with Sidney Dobner of the Milwaukee Bucks and present producer Will Lennon of an upcoming ESPN 30 for 30 documentary.
On June 8th, SSDL5 Monday “Sports Storytellers” welcomes back author Dan Coonan of the book “Presidential Spirits”. Coonan, an accomplished athletic administrator, will get a chance to discuss the book in the long form interview. “Presidential Spirits”, describes as a “political field of dreams”, does include baseball as a through line but it primarily serves as a relevant and important work for our country at just the right time.
SSDL5 Tuesday brings on “The VBC Show” for the re-telling of the Venice Backyard Championships (VBC), a legendary volleyball tournament played in the backyards of Venice, CA from 1983-1996. Show #7 will be produced by 1988 VBC Champ Kevin Lennon, who has, in Joe Namath fashion, guaranteed that this episode will win a coveted “YouTube Graphite Award” . Kevin, a highly sought after designer, will re-live one of his master works, the 1996 “Men of the VBC Calendar”. This episode promises to be one to remember.
SSDL5 Wednesday, which puts the focus on “Preps to Olympians”, will bring on Jeff Smith of the Beach Volleyball Clubs of America (BVCA), a national youth beach volleyball program that runs one of the largest junior tournaments in the country in Hermosa Beach, CA each July. Smith, a former pro beach player, will provide an update on the likelihood of the BVCA tournament being conducted this summer. Also coming on the show will be broadcaster “Big Game” Jake Downey of the JD Media Group, with another episode of the “Vault Series”. SSDL goes deep into the catacombs that lay beneath the Centinela Adobe and pulls out vintage footage from famous professional athletes when they were in high school. Downey, who interviewed each of these athletes, will present thoughts on NBA stars Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic (Archbishop Mitty HS, San Jose) and Stanley Johnson of the Toronto Raptors (Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana). We also get a look at a rare behind the scenes interview with a young Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers and Lower Merion HS, PA). Finally, we will see a report on an up and coming baseball star Jaden Agassi, whose parents are Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.
On Thursday, June 4th, we drop the flagship SSDL Podcast, the critically acclaimed “Top Video Podcast in the Centinela Adobe Corridor”, and bring on part 2 of 4 with the first post WW2 Black-American professional baseball and football player, Norm Bass. After being forced into retirement with severe rheumatoid arthritis, Bass resurfaced later in life as a Paralympic tennis table athlete, winning the bronze medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. SSDL is proud to tell this incredible story. The interview, presented in four parts, was recorded on February 27th at The Coffee Company in Westchester, CA. Watch the episode on the SSDL YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Links are available on the SSDL website.
Finally, June 5th at 5pm (PST) brings SSDL5 Friday, the “Happy Hour Show of Record”. This week we welcome Sidney Dobner, the first ever woman to join the coaching staff of the Milwaukee Bucks. Also dropping in will be Will Lennon, one of the producers of the upcoming ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “Long Gone Summer”, which tells the story of the Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa home run race during the 1998 season. Lennon will continue the Friday conversation the following Monday on the SSDL “Sports Storytellers” show.
YouTube Live Shows at 5:00pm PT (SSDL5):
YouTube.com/SportsStorieswithDennyLennon
SSDL Video/Audio Podcast #36 drops June 11th:
Guest: Norm Bass, 1960’s Professional Baseball and Football, 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games Bronze Medalist, Table Tennis (Part 2).
SSDL Website: https://www.sportsstoriespodcast.com/
Denny Lennon is the Host of the Video Podcast, “Sports Stories with Denny Lennon”