Sports Spectrum Podcast

Katie Lentz is currently an administrator for MLB's Baseball Assistance Team, a charitable organization that assists members of the baseball family in need of financial, medical or psychological assistance. But this story isn't about baseball, it's about survival.  In this episode of the podcast, Katie shares the incredible story of her survival after being hit by a drunk driver. She suffered multiple fractures including two broken femurs, a broken tibia and fibia, a broken left wrist, nine broken ribs, a lacerated liver, ruptured spleen and bruised lung.  It's a miracle she is alive.  But the story doesn't end there.  There's a mysterious priest, a will to press on, and a courageous act of forgiveness.  For more on Katie's story, follow her on twitter  -- http://twitter.com/katielentz   To learn more about Sports Spectrum, check us out on the web at http://sportsspectrum.com 

Our guest on Episode 17 of the podcast is James Brown from CBS Sports. Since February 2006, JB has served as host for the CBS Television Network's NFL pre-game show, THE NFL TODAY, and had served as play-by-play announcer for the Network's coverage of college basketball, including the NCAA Tournament. He has also hosted the Network's Super Bowl pre-game show for its coverage of Super Bowl XLIV (2010) and for Super Bowl XLI (2007) in Miami. In this episode of the podcast, James Brown talks about his journey to faith, how he got into the broadcasting field, his 70 pound weight loss, and how he shares his faith in Christ in the workplace. His first book, "Role of a Lifetime: Reflections on Faith, Family and Significant Living," hit bookstores across the country in September 2009. In his memoir, Brown relayed how he found the role he was meant to play, highlighting both the good and bad decisions he made along the way, teaching readers how to discover life's purpose for themselves. Brown served as host of "FOX NFL Sunday" for 12 years prior to returning to CBS Sports. He joined FOX Sports in June 1994 after a decade with CBS Sports. Brown first joined CBS Sports in 1984, where he was part of the network's broadcast team for its NFL coverage and college basketball coverage as well as a reporter for the NBA Finals. He also was host of an afternoon show, the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. JB is a three-time Emmy Award winner and was honored with the 2009 Dick Schaap Memorial Award for Media Excellence. In 2010, he was named "Best Studio Host of the Decade" by Sports Illustrated. A graduate of Harvard University, Brown was selected as a fourth-round draft pick by the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and a seventh-round pick by the Denver Nuggets. In 1996, Brown was inducted into the Harvard Hall of Fame. JB resides with his wife Dorothy in Maryland. Brown's daughter, Katrina, and her husband, John, have three daughters and a son.

Benjamin Watson has played 14 NFL seasons as a tight end with the Patriots, Browns, Saints and Ravens.  Watson attended Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, South Carolina and was a letterman in football. In football, as a senior, he caught 31 passes for 515 yards. The two-time All-Region selection and Northwestern HS Student of the Year led his team to the state championship in his junior season. He was also a member of his high school chapter of The Fellowship of Christian Athletes. After attending Duke University as a freshman, he transferred to the University of Georgia where he majored in finance. After an all-SEC senior campaign, he was drafted in the 1st round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. As a Patriot, Benjamin was blessed to receive a Super Bowl ring in his rookie season as well as appear in another in 2007. Off the field, Benjamin stays busy with his foundation One More, his growing family, and the NFL Players Association, where he serves on the Executive Committee.  He is also an NFL Spokesman for the All Pro Dad Campaign. In 2015, Watson published his first book, “Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race- And Getting Free From The Fears and Frustrations That Divide Us”. This book stemmed from a facebook post that went viral following a football game in November of 2014.  On May 2, 2017 Watson released  “The New Dad’s Playbook: Gearing Up for the Biggest Game of Your Life."  In this episode, Benjamin talks about parenthood, why he wrote his latest book, the epidemic of absent fathers, his injury rehab, how much longer he wants to play, catching touchdowns from Drew Brees and Tom Brady and his viral Facebook post that changed his life.  To become a member of the Sports Spectrum family and subscribe to our magazine, go to http://SportsSpectrum.com   

In August of 2008, Brian and Kathy Haugen experienced the worst tragedy any parent could ever go through, the loss of their son. 15-year-old Taylor died on the football field playing the game he loved.  In his short 15 ½ years, Taylor Reid Haugen left an indelible mark on the community though his living faith and compassion for his friends, team, community, organizations and church. “T”, as he was known, was well-respected by his peers, teachers, congregation and family as an upbeat, positive, selfless yet self-confident young man whose, two passions were Jesus and football. T was a natural leader among his friends and teammates, a mentor to the young and a positive influence and inspiration to all who knew him and of him. Brian and Kathy are the parents of Taylor. Kathy is the Executive Director of the Taylor Haugen Foundation. It's mission is to "build and recognize youth leaders and promote youth sports safety to honor the legacy of Taylor Haugen." You can listen to their story on the podcast below.  In this episode of the podcast, Jason Romano talks with Brian and Kathy about the legacy of their son, going through the tragedy of losing a child, and how they turned the pain of Taylor's death, into purpose.  To read the piece that compliments this podcast, please check out http://SportsSpectrum.com 

Adam Wainwright is a starting pitcher for the St Louis Cardinals. He's been a mainstay with the organization now for 13 seasons. He's a 2-time World Series Champion (2006, 2011), a 3-time All Star and a 2-time Gold Glove winner.  Adam isn't just an elite Major League Baseball player, he's also a man of faith and has taken his love for Jesus into the mission field to start Big League Impact, a non-profit designed to serve and help those in need both in the U.S.A and overseas.  In this episode of the podcast, Adam shares why he believes pitchers are the best athletes, his love for hitting, how often he's asked about the Carlos Beltran pitch, how he stays grounded in his faith during a long MLB season, and why he started Big League Impact.  For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com

Episode 13 Jon Gordon is the author of 17 books, including 5 best-sellers: The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, Training Camp, You Win in the Locker Room First and The Power of Positive Leadership. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC, The Golf Channel, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Los Angeles Dodgers, The Atlanta Falcons, LA Clippers, Miami Heat, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Clemson Football. In this episode of the podcast, Jon shares about his decision to quit the corporate world and follow God's call to speak and write books. Jon shares about his story of faith and why he chose to follow Jesus. He also talks about his relationships with sports teams and how he got involved with some of the biggest teams and the most well-known coaches in football and baseball.  Jon's book "The Carpenter" has been an inspiration to host Jason Romano and Jason and Jon talk about the principles in that book that have gone on to shape the way Romano thinks and lives.  For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com.   

Episode 12 Jared Dudley is a forward on the Phoenix Suns. He just finished his 10th NBA season and has averaged 8.3 points over his career. A second-team All-American for Boston College, Jared was the 2007 ACC player of the year and the 22nd overall selection by the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) in the 2007 NBA Draft. Dudley's career has spanned 5 NBA teams including stints with the Bobcats, Suns, Clippers, Bucks, and Wizards. In July of 2016, Jared signed a 3-year deal to return to Phoenix and supply veteran leadership for a very young team. On this episode of the podcast, Jared Dudley talks with Jason Romano about his NBA journey, mentoring young players, being a Christian in the NBA, returning to Phoenix, and his 2017 NBA Finals prediction. For more info on all that we're doing with the podcast, or to partner with us, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com

Episode 11 David Nelson won 2 National Championships at the University of Florida and caught passes from Tim Tebow. He was undrafted in 2010 and signed a free agent contract with Buffalo. His NFL career lasted 5 seasons with the Bills, Browns and Jets.  During the 2012 NFL offseason, David took a trip to Haiti that would change his life. Seeing the conditions, the children, the poverty, Nelson felt called to do more and began a ministry called ImMe to bring the sustaining and empowering structure of family to the orphans of the world through care, prevention, and stewardship. On this episode of the podcast, David Nelson talks with Jason Romano about his faith, the moment where a stranger helped make an encounter with Christ become real, his early struggles in college at Florida under Urban Meyer, and how his teammate Tim Tebow, helped show him what it really meant to be a man of God. 

Episode 10 Scott Lehman is the founder of In His Grip Golf  and the author of More Than A Game: Finding Life’s Answers Through Golf.   On this episode of the podcast, Scott takes us through his journey as a fan of golf, how God grabbed a hold of him 20 years ago in 1997 in the midst of his marriage falling apart and how he was able to repair that marriage and start a ministry to help spread the gospel of Jesus through the game of golf. Recently, Scott has introduced the In His Grip Golf Show on YouTube that tells the stories of faith and golf. For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com

Episode 9 Hunter Renfrow is a wide receiver for the Clemson Tigers. On January 9, 2017, the Clemson Tigers won College Football's National Championship game, beating Alabama 35-31. With just :01 left on the clock, Tigers QB Deshaun Watson found Renfrow for the 2-yard touchdown pass and a trip to college football immortality.  In this episode of the podcast, we talk to Hunter Renfrow about that moment where he scores the winning touchdown and wins college football's national title. We also ask him about the faith of his coach Dabo Swinney and the impact he has had on Hunter's life both on and off the field.  For more, you can check us out on the web at http://SportsSpectrum.com