Tag: Antonio Thomas

Left My Wallet: Garrett Gonzales on San Francisco sports, HBO’s ‘Winning Time’

Posted on by Antonio Thomas

Left My Wallet returns with our very own Double G: Garrett Gonzales!

GG is here to talk his San Francisco Giants outlook for this new baseball season, if they can return to the playoffs, Buster Posey’s chances of making the Hall of Fame, and his Thompson 2 Clark podcast where he talks all things Giants.

We then flip to his other Bay Area love: the 49ers and their QB situation. Will Jimmy G get released or traded? Is Trey Lance ready to step up? Is Kyle Shanahan overrated? Find out Garrett’s thoughts on this upcoming season. 

Finally, we talk the HBO series Winning Time based on the LA Lakers dynasty in the 1980s. We discuss our thoughts on the show and what we love — based on a great book that all sports fans must read.

Garrett seems to be everywhere and he’s joining us today to talk his Bay Area favorites. Take a listen and enjoy!

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Left My Wallet: Vince Verhei on the Russell Wilson trade, more NFL news

Posted on by Antonio Thomas

Left My Wallet is back with our resident football expert: Vince Verhei aka Big Vinny V of the Bryan & Vinny Show!

Vinny is also an assistant editor at Football Outsiders and is here to talk about his hometown Seattle Seahawks trading their beloved star quarterback Russell Wilson. He explains why he hates this trade for Seattle, predicts their near future outlook, and what he thinks this does for Denver.

We also talk the loaded West divisions, Khalil Mack, Carson Wentz, and more! 

It’s a fun and enjoyable 25 minute show with a plethora of football knowledge from our very own Vinny. Enjoy!

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Left My Wallet: Scotty 2 Hotty on leaving WWE, why he wanted to get back out on the indies

Posted on by Antonio Thomas

Left My Wallet is back with former WWE superstar and NXT coach and trainer Scotty 2 Hotty.

Scott Garland is a fellow New Englander and we talk about our love for our Boston Red Sox growing up, the heartache we went through as fans before 2004, meeting Bill Buckner, and becoming spoiled with four World Series wins.

We then talk about his time coming up through the New England independent scene and some of the workers who helped him throughout his early career. We go into his first match, setting up the ring at WWF house shows in Maine, starting as a “backyarder” and how he was pretty much trained during matches.

We then talk about his philosophy about getting back out on the indies, why he chose to do so, marketing himself, what he will and won’t do, and finding a new love for wrestling.

We then finish up with some talk about the in-ring working aspects of the business (including some long-lost keys) and who the greatest worker he ever stepped in the ring with was. 

The former Too Cool member is the definition of fun and to no surprise, this was a very fun episode! Whether you know him as Scotty 2 Hotty, S2H, Scott Taylor, Scott Garland or just Scotty, hear his takes on feeling reinvigorated and the exciting things he has coming up.

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Left My Wallet: Jim Valley’s Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame candidates

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Image: Oregon Encyclopedia

Left My Wallet returns with our annual Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame talk with Jim Valley.

Before that, we talk superheroes and what Jim is watching from both the Marvel and DC Universe, the remake of The Facts of Life and Diff’rent Strokes, 80’s sitcoms, television theme songs, and a great story from the Cauliflower Alley Club.

Then, in our main event, Jim and I discuss who he voted for in this year’s Observer HOF and other curious candidates. He breaks down the case for Don Owen and we delve into some families and factions that should get consideration to be on the ballot.

We discuss the Steiner Brothers, CM Punk, Paul Orndorff, Morris Sigel, Ole Anderson, George Kidd and why Jim voted for…Nikki Bella? He makes a compelling case for the former WWE star and why he feels she should be in.

It’s always fun to talk to Jim, so enjoy this fun, hour-long conversation with some great Hall of Fame debate.

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Left My Wallet: Invictus Khash on AEW Dark experience, Iran upbringing

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Image: Invictus Khash

Left My Wallet is back with AEW Dark regular Invictus Khash who is training with QT Marshall at the Nightmare Factory and is an underrated worker that more fans should be talking about.

The Buddy Wayne trainee joins the show to talk about coming to America from Iran at age 10, soccer in Iran, stealing cable, and being introduced to wrestling when he first got here.

He then talks about his time learning and training under Wayne, having some of his first matches against Darby Allin, training with Rip Rogers and Negro Navarro, wrestling and training for Zero-One, and some fun stories from the road traveling and working with yours truly.

Khash is an amazing in-ring technician as evidenced by his matches on Dark against Bobby Fish, Allin, Shawn Spears, and this week’s match with Angelico. He has a fascinating story and journey that you’re going to want to hear about.

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Left My Wallet: Johnny Jeter on why he’s starting a wrestling school

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Image: Facebook

Left My Wallet returns with my former WWE and OVW colleague Johnny Jeter.

The former WWE Tag Team champion joins me in talking a little fantasy football, our upcoming matchup in our OVW league and his new wrestling school: the Manticore Wrestling Academy.

He talks about what spurred him on to start the school, promoting it, his philosophy on training, our training coming up in OVW, recruiting students, and more.

Jeter was one of the most popular OVW originals from its heyday in 2000 through 2005 and one of the favorites among diehard fans who remember the glory days of OVW. Hear him talk about the Manticore Wrestling Academy and spread the word if you, or someone you know, is interested in training in the Northern California area.

Enjoy a little fantasy football talk and a whole lot of talking shop on wrestling with Johnny Jeter.

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Left My Wallet: Tyson Dux on how he’s giving back to pro wrestling

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Left My Wallet returns with former TNA talent and WWE Cruiserweight Classic competitor Tyson Dux, a 24-year veteran that is a fountain of knowledge for young and experienced workers alike on both his YouTube channel and Twitter.

On this podcast, Tyson and I talk about our time working for All-Japan Pro Wrestling, things that he sees that young workers could improve on, bringing wrestling back to the mat by utilizing hooks, holds, grappling and amateur wrestling and his philosophy on teaching and training young workers.

This is a very informative show for any young worker as Tyson and I talk psychology and philosophy when it comes to using logic and realism in wrestling today. 

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Left My Wallet: Josh Nason on the MLB season, indie wrestling scene

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Left My Wallet returns with our very own Josh Nason.

The contributing editor and host of Josh Nason’s Punch Out joins me to talk about a myriad of baseball topics like the overachieving Boston Red Sox and some possible trades they can make before the trade deadline, changes to bring more fans to the game, surprising and disappointing fantasy players, and a debate on the merits of a number of Hall of Fame candidates, both current and retired players.

We then talk the current state of independent wrestling and who are some local New England names who could be the next to break out on the national scene.

Finally, we get Josh’s answer to see if he’ll be back to defend his Observer Fantasy Football League Championship!

It’s our annual (almost) midseason baseball show, sprinkled in with a little bit of wrestling. Enjoy!

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Left My Wallet: Wrestling Weekly’s Victor Sosa

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Left My Wallet returns with the co-host of our very own Wrestling Weekly — Vic Sosa!

Vic, along with Les Thatcher, can be heard every Friday on our site talking the week’s happenings in wrestling, but on this show, he’s here to talk about current happenings in sports.

Even though he was born and raised in the Bronx, he is a huge New York Mets fan. he discusses being a young Mets fans during the lonely days, how there’s more and more New York fans who root for both the Mets and Yankees, the ’86 World Series-winning team, Jacob Degrom’s dominance, and if the NL-East leading team are a legitimate World Series contender.

We then talk about the NBA playoffs, debate LeBron James’ greatness, the Jordan vs. LeBron GOAT debate, and just how bad of a man Larry Bird was.

Finally, we wrap up with some wrestling talk and comparisons between modern day wrestling and modern day baseball.

It’s a full hour of sports and wrestling talk with one of the smoothest voices on the radio in our very own Victor Sosa. Enjoy!

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Left My Wallet: Levi Cooper/Tucker Knight on wrestling, Pacific Northwest sports

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Left My Wallet returns with former WWE star Levi Cooper on a podcast that will show you he is much more than what we all saw on TV as Tucker Knight.

We start with Pacific Northwest sports as the Oregon native talks about his hometown Portland Trail Blazers and what they need to do to become a championship contender. We then discuss his beloved Seattle Seahawks and whether he thinks they should trade or keep Russell Wilson and what they need to get back to the Super Bowl.

The former Arizona State All-American wrestler then talks about amateur wrestling and his philosophy on both training and drilling the basics. He talks about what youth wrestlers need to focus on to get to an elite level and how he made the NCAA championships in 2011.

We also talk about his transition to pro wrestling and how those instincts from the mats directly carried over to the squared circle. Finally, we discuss training with Chad Gable, learning under Nick Dinsmore, Robbie Brookside and Norman Smiley and finish talking about Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport and how the competitive format would be perfect for him.

Levi is both a very talented athlete and worker who has yet to see the best days of his career. Join us for this fun talk about sports and get an insight into his plans for the future.

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Left My Wallet: Wrestling Weekly’s Les Thatcher talks sports, Roop vs. Kernodle

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Left My Wallet returns with our very own co-host of Wrestling Weekly, the legendary Les Thatcher.

Les and I go back many years and is someone I consider a friend as he has been both a trainer and mentor to me. We talk a myriad of current sports issues such as why he’s appalled Justin Fields fell in this years NFL Draft, what he thinks about Patrick Mahomes, his love of Tom Brady, his thoughts on his Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow, and the NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Les played against in little league.

He also talks about whether he thinks Michael Jordan or LeBron James is the basketball GOAT, his memories of baseball in the 50’s and his beloved Dodgers, whom he considers the best player ever, and why he thinks MLB players are getting injured more than ever.

We wrap up with some wrestling psychology, a famous in-ring drill Les created, what he sees and doesn’t see in training today, and what exactly was told to Don Kernodle the night he challenged Bob Roop in Mid-Atlantic.

Les is a treasure trove of wrestling and sports knowledge and is someone who has dedicated years of his life to this business we love. Very few are as honest and informative as he is. Enjoy this fun and honest talk about sports, wrestling, and training with our very own Les Thatcher.

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Left My Wallet: Lance Storm on OVW, wrestling pet peeves, working with young Brock

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Image: WWE

Left My Wallet returns with our very own Lance Storm. This is a free show, so just click the red button below to listen.

You usually get to hear Lance on Fridays on Figure Four Daily, but now, my former trainer in OVW joined me to talk about his athletic career, fitness and nutrition, and wrestling training.

He discusses why he never liked hockey as a youth growing up in Canada and gravitated towards volleyball, basketball and track and field, his athletic accomplishments during high school and college, and the reason for his insane vertical leap.

Lance then talks about his diet and training regimen when he was in the best shape of his life, how his diet and workouts have changed over the years and what he does now to stay in shape.

Finally, we talk about him being an OVW trainer in 200405 when I was in one of his first training classes. We talk about how he formulated his original curriculum, training people of different levels all at once, working with a young Brock Lesnar, and drills vs. wrestling when it comes to getting in shape. We also discuss some pet peeves that he sees today and small subtleties of in-ring working that often get overlooked.

Finally, he tells who is hands down the best worker he’s ever been in the ring with and why.

Enjoy this talk with Lance Storm that touches on sports, fitness, nutrition, in-ring psychology and technique.

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Left My Wallet: Daniel Garcia on his AEW & NXT matches, the Buffalo scene

Posted on by Antonio Garza

This show is free. Just click below on the red button to listen.

Left My Wallet returns with one of the brightest up-and-coming standouts on the independent scene today: Daniel Garcia.

The Buffalo, NY, native worked for AEW on numerous occasions last year as well as an appearance on NXT as Dante Rios. The 22-year-old champion for several organizations is a huge NBA fan so we talked about the old Buffalo Braves (now the L.A. Clippers), his love of James Harden and Jimmy Butler, and who he thinks is going to the NBA Finals.

We then talked about Buffalo hip-hop as it’s been one of the hottest around the last few years with such acts as Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, and more. Daniel also talked about what he’s listening to from the current day as well as from before he was born.

Finally, we talk about being able to work with his trainer The Blade (aka Pepper Parks) appearing on AEW Dark, and getting the chance to wrestle multiple times on NXT TV.

Joining other previous guests like Anthony Greene (August Grey), Marko Stunt, Curt Stallion and Priscilla Kelly to name a few, Daniel is the latest in a long line of young talents to come on the show before they make it big.

He might not be a name that everyone is familiar with yet, but in time, you soon will be.

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Left My Wallet: John Arezzi on being a baseball fan in New York

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Image: John Arezzi

Left My Wallet is back talking baseball with former New York Mets executive and wrestling historian John Arezzi.

John’s new book Mat Memories comes out soon, chronicling his life in wrestling, country music, and baseball. We talk about him being a baseball fan growing up, his first game, memories of his beloved Mets when he was young, and their miracle 1969 World Series win.

John shares stories of how he got into baseball, drinking with Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin, getting to know Hank Aaron, meeting George Steinbrenner, and the future MLB stars, managers, and executives he befriended when working for the Mets minor league system. 

John, unfortunately, also talks about the ’86 Mets and his outlook for the new look Francisco Lindor-led Mets for this season. 

You might have heard John on his own podcast as well as numerous other shows like Wrestling Observer Radio, but join us for a fun talk discussing only baseball on this opening day weekend.

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Left My Wallet: Baseball, beer & strange sandwiches with The Athletic’s Eno Sarris

Posted on by Antonio Garza

Note: This is a free edition of the podcast. Just click below to listen!

Image: Daniel Bryan and Hunter Pence | SF Giants

Left my Wallet returns with a special free show with one of the best baseball writers in the business: Eno Sarris from The Athletic.

Eno might be the foremost fantasy baseball expert and is known for his amazing work at both analyzing pitchers and pitching analytics. We delve into what players will break out this year and gives some fantasy sleepers for you still drafting the next few days.

We also talk about his memories of a strange sandwich he would make while watching wrestling as a kid, his confrontations with NBA champion and ESPN basketball analyst Richard Jefferson while Eno was at Stanford and Jefferson played at Arizona; and his collaborative effort on a new beer called Eephus which will soon be available at Chicago’s Old Irving Brewing.

Spring is here and that means baseball, so enjoy this quick and fun conversation with one of the best analysts in the game.

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