Episodes
In the latest episode of the show, Shawn and Howie talk about the Super Bowl, whether the Kansas City Chiefs are a dynasty or if they're finished, whether Patrick Mahomes is on his way to becoming the GOAT or not and Sequon Barkley's place in football history or as a Super Bowl performer. They also discuss the selections for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall as well. Who might deserve to be in the Football Hall that's not yet in? That's in there too.
It's that time of year, time to find out which NFL team will achieve supremacy. Will the Kansas City Chiefs establish themselves as a true dynasty? What about other teams that have proven themselves as a dynasty? Both today, or in the 2000s or 50 and 60 years ago. Shawn and Howie share a spirited conversation about teams that have held power over their sports over the last six decades and whether they are good or bad for their sports. It's worth the listen.
In this episode of The Sports Lunatics Show, Shawn and Howie discuss John Tortorella's career and highlights after he coached his 1,600th NHL game this past week. They also look at the career of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, especially punctuated by the ovation given him by the fans of the Canadiens in Montreal after his last game there. The boys also remember and pay tribute to Ottawa's Shawn Simpson, goalie for the 1987 Team Canada Junior team, member of the Washington Capitals' family and sports broadcaster after he passed away this week.
On January 16, 2025, Bob Uecker passed away. Shawn and Howie discuss the life of the catcher-turned-play-by-play man, pitchman, actor and personality. Howie's grandmother used to say that "It takes a brilliant man to play the clown." Uecker's ability to tell stories and make everyone laugh illustrated his brilliance. Uecker was 90 when he passed away.
In this episode, Shawn and Howie discuss how January 1 Bowl games seem different today from the way they used to be. They talk about their thoughts on the playoff system in college football today and their memories of some their first January Bowl games and some great college teams they've seen in their lives. They also discuss what Greg Gumbel meant to each of them after his passing after Christmas of 2024.
On December 21, 2024, Rickey Henderson passed away. He was a Hall of Famer who was one of the greatest baseball players of his generation. He had strength, speed and personality. He stole more bases and scored more runs than anyone else in the history of the game. Shawn and Howie remember the legend who passed away too soon.
In this episode, Shawn and Howie celebrate Festivus and in so doing, they have their Airing of Grievances. They talk about a bunch of things that bother them in sports today. Pricing at sports events, break dancing at the Olympics, bad owners of pro sports teams......there are a number of things that get skewered in this first of what may eventually become an annual thing.
After a long wait, Dick Allen and Dave Parker have selected by the Era Committee to enter Baseball's Hall of Fame. Shawn and Howie discuss the two men and their feelings about their selections. Shawn has mixed in some wonderful audio as well. Also, December 10, 2024 was the 40th anniversary of the day that the Montreal Expos dealt Gary Carter to the New York Mets for four players. The trade changed the fortunes of the two franchises as it sent the Mets to a World Series win a couple of seasons later.
Back when Shawn and Howie started The Sports Lunatics Show, one of their ideas for the show was to talk about things that had happened on that day in years past. In this episode, Howie talks about three different things that happened on December 8 in 1967, 1977 and 1987. He looks at the Oakland Seals, Earl Campbell and the first goalie to ever score a goal by shooting it down the ice into an empty net, Ron Hextall. We hope you like it.
This was a great conversation between Howie and the Ottawa Citizen's Ken Warren. Ken used to be a part of the sports department and now writes news. But as soon as the two men began talking they reverted back to the 1990s when they crossed paths at sports venues all over the city. The more they talked about the old barn in Gatineau, the more they laughed and, as Ken warns, if you listen to this, you may want to have a quart of Molson and Howie adds that you may also want back bacon on a bun. Make that quart a Laurentide! Enjoy, everyone!
In a multi-layered episode of The Sports Lunatics Show, Shawn and Howie discuss the efficiency and speed with which Connor McDavid was able to reach the 1,000-point mark. But, can he make it to 2,000 points? What will the major impediment be for the Oilers' star? Andrei Vasilevskiy has reached 300 wins incredibly quickly? What is his ceiling? The boys also talk about the special qualities of the Houston Astrodome. It's not being used as a sports venue right now, but what are some of the great memories of the old building that was once known as "The Eighth Wonder of the World"?
On Monday, November 11, the Hockey Hall of Fame held their induction night. Among the many speeches, one stood out. Jeremy Roenick gave a speech that had everyone, not just those in the venue itself, but all those watching on television and looking in on social media afterward as well, spellbound. He thanked people, apologized to people and told stories about his career. One poignant moment illustrated the moment when a player realizes that his career might be over before they want it to be. But, eventually, a call came from his 'angel', and he got to finish his career in northern Californi...
This was a great conversation between Howie and the host of Under Review on SiriusXM's NHL Network Channel about the 2024 World Series. Mick is NOT a fan of the Dodgers, but he felt the better team won. Both guys made some great points and the conversation was interesting and lively. At the end, they talked about what was wrong with the Boston Bruins. They also discussed the Habs and a little about the Senators as well. It was a fun conversation.
In this episode of The Sports Lunatics Show, Shawn and Howie talk about how the 2024 World Series unfolded, they discuss a conversation Howie had with SiriusXM host Mick Kern about that World Series and the futures of NHL coaches Jim Montgomery, Martin St. Louis and Mike Sullivan. It's a fun and spirited conversation and a great episode.
In this episode, Howie sits down with Shawn to talk about his latest book, The Consequences of Chance. It follows in the vein of his first two books, Crazy Days & Wild Nights and MORE Crazy Days & Wild Nights. This new book features stories on the exclusion of golfers of colour by the PGA and Augusta National, how the 1975 New York Islanders almost came back from two 0-3 deficits in consecutive series, how the Cincinnati Reds of the 1970s dynasty days ended, how 18-year-old Wayne Gretzky scored his first NHL goal, the story of the Montreal Expos' Dennis Martinez' 1991 perfect game and the e...
Dodger great Fernando Valenzuela passed away on October 22, 2024 at the age of 63. On this episode of The Sports Lunatics Show, Shawn and Howie recount the life, the career and the legacy of the great left-hander. From his amazing 1981 season, to his stellar 1986 campaign, to his 1990 no-hitter, to his post-baseball life as the color analyst on the Dodgers' Spanish broadcasts. He touched fans everywhere with his talent, his determination and his heart. In 1981, he was the only man ever to win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award. His brilliance was intensely evident between 1981 and 19...
On October 16, 2024, All-Star CFL receiver Whit Tucker passed away. He was 83. Howie was a kid but he has memories of watching Tucker play in the 1960s. Tucker was part of the Ottawa Rough Riders' three-headed monster of quarterback Russ Jackson, halfback Ron Stewart and Tucker. That Riders' team went to four Grey Cups in the decade of the '60s, winning three of them. That night also saw some great players hit NHL milestones. Sidney Crosby notched point number 1600 and his Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Evgeni Malkin scored the 500th career goal. Meanwhile, Alex Ovechkin was collecting his 70...
The morning that Pete Rose passed away, a giant in basketball also lost his life. Dikembe Mutombo was one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history. But as great as he was on the court, he was also great off the court in his philanthropic endeavours and just the way he carried himself with every person he met. Shawn and Howie discuss Mutombo's life and legacy as well as how the retirement of Vince Carter's jersey is going over in Toronto and also the passing of the great pitcher, Luis Tiant.
Pete Rose was one of the greatest players in baseball history. He collected more base hits than anyone else in the game's storied past. But he was a flawed individual. While manager of the Cincinnati Reds, and possibly while a player, he gambled on baseball. That's a stark contravention of Baseball's Rule 21, which states that Gambling on baseball is NOT allowed. In 1989, Rose, the game's 'Hit King' was banned from baseball and the Baseball Hall of Fame has kept his name off ballots ever since. In this edition of The Sports Lunatics, Shawn and Howie examine and discuss Pete's life and caree...
In this episode, Shawn and Howie discuss the Oakland Athletics' John Fisher leaving the city for a minor league park in Sacramento in the hopes of eventually moving to Las Vegas. Shawn did an amazing job in adding some great audio to the real raw emotion of this show. The relocation of a franchise is one of the saddest things that can happen to a city. The fans are the biggest victims in these situations.
In this episode of The Sports Lunatics Show, Shawn and Howie look at the night that Shohei Ohtani created the 50-50 club -- 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season. Was it the greatest night by a hitter in the history of baseball? Has Shohei become must-see TV? How likely was it that anyone could hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in the same season? The boys discuss that and a whole lot more, including Sidney Crosby signing an extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins for $8.7 million per season until the end of the 2026-2027 campaign. They also examine the longevity of the great Ja...
James Earl Jones passed away on September 9, 2024. He was the consummate actor, the pro's pro. His IMDb page is extensive when it comes to the sheer numbers of credits he amassed over a sixty year career. Yes, he provided the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars. But there are a few of his movies that have great significance to sports fans. In The Great White Hope, he portrayed the great Black boxing champion Jack Johnson and the racism that Johnson was forced to deal with in the early 20th century. In The Greatest he played civil rights icon Malcolm X in the movie about the great Muhammad Ali...
In this edition of The Sports Lunatics Show, Shawn and Howie discuss former NFL players that their listeners have named on their Facebook page as perhaps being forgotten. The list of names is wide-ranging and you might know them well. But others may not. Names like many from the 1960s Green Bay Packers to stars from the 1970s and '80s are thrown around here and the boys examine their lives and careers. We hope you enjoy this walk down memory lane.
On the evening of Thursday, August 29, the lives of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were taken when they were struck by a car as they were riding bicycles on a road in Oldman's Township, NJ. They had just attended the wedding rehearsal and dinner for their sister and her fiancee and were to be groomsmen at the ceremony the next day. Tributes began pouring in immediately upon the news being broken. The Sports Lunatics, Shawn and Howie, look at the night and the careers of the brothers, and discuss their own feelings about the events that unfolded in New Jersey that night.
Joey Votto's baseball career came to an end last week. Shawn and Howie look at how it went down, Votto's brilliant career and whether or not he'll be a Hall of Famer or not. Aaron Judge reached 300 homers faster than anyone in the history of the game. Can he break his own American League record for roundtrippers? Shohei Ohtani joined the 40/40 club -- that is the players who have hit 40 homers and stolen 40 bases in the season. Can he become the only member of the 50/50 club? Danny Jansen became the only man in baseball history to play for both teams in a single game. What does that even me...
In this episode of The Sports Lunatics Show, we've compiled a trio of interviews with some of our favourite guests. But really, anytime we can talk to CFL people, it's a good day. Canadian Football League people are always so nice. Howie got to speak to Jo-Anne Polak, the first woman to be the general manager of a North American professional sports team. She was the Ottawa Rough Riders' GM from 1989 to 1991 and her stories and experiences are incredible. Jed Roberts played thirteen seasons for the Edmonton Eskimos and played every position on the defensive front seven as well as being the t...
Are you a sports enthusiast with a passion for history? Tune in to The Sports Lunatics Show with Shawn Lavigne as he takes you on an exhilarating journey through the incredible history of sports play-by-play on the radio.In this special episode, Shawn delves into the golden era of radio broadcasting, highlighting the pioneers and trailblazers who brought the excitement of live sports to millions of listeners. From the early days of crackling AM signals to the crystal-clear FM broadcasts, these iconic voices have left an indelible mark on the world of sports.Join Shawn Lavigne as he celebrat...
As we approach our one-year anniversary of managing our own podcasts, Here's a small collection from past episodes to give you an example of what our show is all about. Shawn and Howie introduced or re-introduced themselves to the Ottawa market in their debut show on terrestrial radio on CKDJ-FM in Ottawa. Howie broke Mick Kern's heart by asking him about the 1981 Montreal Expos. Howie and Shawn discussed the demise of the Expos and the heyday of minor league baseball in Canada in the 1990s. And Howie talked with hockey historian Liam Maguire about the life and legacy of the great Guy Lafle...
The audio quality of this Sports Lunatics Show episode was not top notch, but the overall quality and importance of this date in history remains unquestionable. Shawn and Howie go through all the important points of the day, from the final US Open round of Arnold Palmer's career, the New York Rangers' Stanley Cup parade, the opening of the 1994 Soccer World Cup, Ken Griffey's chase for the fastest 30 home runs in baseball history, Game Five of the NBA finals, they were all overshadowed by the police chase through the streets of Los Angeles of O. J. Simpson. What did it mean at the time? Wha...
In this episode, Shawn and Howie discuss the Chicago White Sox after they had lost their 90th game of the season against just 28 wins. They discuss the possible motivations of Jerry Reinsdorf and the possible movement of the club to a location in downtown Chicago. They also talk about other long losing skids in baseball involving the 1969 Montreal Expos and the 1988 Baltimore Orioles. They also talked about the day in August of 1982 when the quick thinking of Boston great Jim Rice saved the life of a 4-year-old boy who was hit in the head by a line drive foul ball during a game at Fenway Pa...