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. Then, in The Sandlot, he was the former baseball great, now blind, who helps the kids deal with their issue regarding a signed Babe Ruth ball. And, in Field of Dreams, as reclusive author, Terence Mann, he helps Kevin Costner's character realize he had to build the ball diamond in the middle of his corn field. Field of Dreams has been such an important film in the minds and lives of so many baseball fans and Shawn and Howie discuss Jones' career and a lot about his roles in the aforementioned movies.

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 mean? The boys also discuss the passing of soccer manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

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 team's all-time leader in special teams tackles and, when he retired, was the fourth all-time in league history. Pat Stoqua was a slot receiver for the Ottawa Rough Riders in the late 1970s and early '80s. He played in the 1981 Grey Cup. The Riders were 22.5 point underdogs and came within an eyelash and a double-interference penalty away from one of the greatest upsets in league history. The vaunted Esks had to get a last-second Dave Cutler field goal to give themselves victory. Stoqua was also the MVP in the East Final upset win over the Hamilton Ti-Cats. Three great conversations and some amazing stories from each of them.

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 celebrates the voices that made sports history. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to the world of sports broadcasting, this episode is sure to entertain and enlighten.

Don’t miss out on this nostalgic trip down memory lane! Listen to The Sports Lunatics Show on your favorite podcast platform today.

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 Lafleur after The Flower's passing in 2022. Enjoy the show. Share it with your sports-loving friends and tell them what The Sports Lunatics are all about.

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? What did it mean to the future of sports broadcasting? What did it herald for the future of reality TV? What did it say about the television viewing audience? The boys look at all this in this very special episode rebroadcast of The Sports Lunatics Show.