Episode 54 (July 12, 2021): Andy Katz, College Hoops Analyst and Reporter and Host of March Madness

BEERS: Maine Brewing Company is always a favorite of ours, and this week, Will reviews Lunch...you can have it for lunch OR dinner (or breakfast) and it’ll hit different regardless. Will also tells us why Peroni on draft is an elite beer.  Jake reviews Affluente, a beer we received courtesy of our friends at Blackstone Valley Brewing Supplies in Woonsocket.  This Italian pilsner from Tributary Brewing Company (Maine) is a nice summer selection that will have you craving more.

BUSINESS: Where did Richard Branson come from?! The billionaire CEO of Virgin Galactic embarked on a trip that sent him more than 50 miles above the Earth’s surface in a test-run before commercial flights to space launch in the US.  What does this mean for Virgin’s stock ($SPCE) and how does it fit in to a now-crowded space market?  If you thought that was the most bizarre news you’ll see this week, how about “The Mooch” coming back!  Anthony Scaramucci, a former White House Chief of Staff for about a week, announced on a podcast that he launched an ethereum fund and has filed for an ETF.  He also received a “mystery investment” for $6 million; who could possibly be joining forces with The Mooch?!

BALLS: (18:46) Andy Katz has done it all in his long career; from highs of filling out 8 March Madness brackets with Barack Obama, to lows of being a victim of the 2017 ESPN layoffs, it’s safe to say Andy is one of the most well-traveled college basketball experts of our generation. Andy discusses his entry into the college basketball world, idolizing Peter Gammons and other Boston-area sports journalists, and some of the relationships he made to get to ESPN.  With name, image, and likeness regulations being eased in the college sports world, we discuss how college basketball could be affected, and what challenges present in its wake.  The guys talk Shaq, the best spots to eat in Rhode Island, and his tennis career. Will & Jake finish with a quick rapid-fire on a jam-packed week in sports.

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