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Bobby Bandelow is the coordinator of advance scouting for the world champion Texas Rangers. During his decade-long career, he’s worked with the Astros, the then-Indians and the Rangers, in roles ranging from video intern to major-league analyst. In this conversation, Bobby talks about… - Winning the 2023 World Series - What an advance scout does for an MLB team - How he presents data to Bruce Bochy and the Rangers staff - Adapting to MLB rule changes - Dealing with small sample sizes - His career path with three MLB teams - Advice for aspiring sports analysts Show Links - Follow Bobby on Twitter - Bruce Bochy doesn’t miss a thing - How the Rangers improved their defense - The Patriotic Pig

Wes Johnson was named Head Baseball Coach for the University of Georgia on June 5th. Prior to taking the job in Athens, Wes served as the Pitching Coach for LSU, where he won a national championship earlier this year. He also has MLB experience, having served as the Pitching Coach for the Minnesota Twins from 2019-2022. His previous stops at Mississippi State and Arkansas add on to his SEC experience, in addition to his past as a high school baseball coach, among other stops. In this conversation, Wes talks about… Balancing his responsibilities of being LSU’s pitching coach in the midst of a national championship run with his duties as Georgia’s head coach. His career path and how he got into coaching in the first place. An SEC school’s resources from a data perspective. Coaching in MLB vs coaching at the collegiate level, including the different levels of preparation. How stats factor in his approach to the transfer portal. Communicating information to players vs a staff member. Players to watch at Georgia and around the SEC next year. Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Wes. Show Links To check Wes’ biography, click here. To read Wes’ interview with On3 about his MLB experience, click here. Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Brandon Ally is the Co-Founder of S2 Cognition, a performance evaluation company that is revolutionizing the way professional teams asses prospective players. He is also S2 Cognition’s Chief Business Development Officer and Director of Football. His educational background stands up again the brightest minds in sports. He has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Tennessee, a PhD in Neuropsychology from Southern Miss, and worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University & Boston University, working in the Geriatric Neuropsychology Laboratory and Alzheimer’s Disease Center, respectively. He also has a background in academia, having served as Assistant Professor of Neurology at Boston University and Vanderbilt University. In addition to his roles at S2 Cognition, he currently serves as Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Louisville. In this conversation, Brandon talks about… His academic background and what a PhD in Neuropsychology encompasses. His athletic background at the University of Tennessee. S2 Cognition’s origin story & what S2 Cognition does. What they used to develop the primary S2 test and what the exam provides NFL teams. How things in an athlete’s past influence how well they perform on the S2 test. Misconceptions between the S2 test and the Wonderlic exam. How his professional knowledge influences his coaching. His favorite John Wick movie, and shaming Paul for not having seen it. Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Brandon. Show Links Follow Brandon on Twitter: @brandonally3 Follow S2 Cognition on Twitter: @S2Cognition To check out S2 Cognition’s website, click here. To check out what the S2 Cognition test said about the 2023 NFL Draft QB class, click here. To read The Athletic’s piece on the S2 Cognition test, click here. To read The Athletic’s piece on how the S2 Cognition test pointed to Brock Purdy’s NFL success, click here. Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Alison Lukan is an On-Air Analyst & Writer for the Seattle Kraken. In her role, she provides analysis for the Seattle Kraken’s local broadcasts on Root Sports Northwest, with her team winning a Regional Sports Emmy for their coverage this season. She holds a degree in Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond and has previously worked as a consultant in Washington D.C. and has a background in journalism, where she is one of the faces of the hockey analytics revolution. She has also written for The Athletic. In this conversation, Alison talks about… Her academic and career path to get to where she is now. How she caught the hockey bug and why she dove into hockey analytics. What data is available at the NHL level, and her access to hockey data. Her preparation and in-game process as an On-Air Analyst. The challenges of communicating data on TV and the key to doing it clearly. How her corporate background informs what she does now. What an NHL team’s analytics staff looks like. Where to get started if someone is looking to get into hockey analytics. Her time as Spidey, the University of Richmond’s mascot. Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Alison. Show Links Follow Alison on Twitter: @AlisonL To read Darren Brown’s piece on Alison’s first season with the Kraken, click here. To read Alison’s piece in The Athletic’s piece on her time as Spidey, click here. To read Alison’s piece on NHL players’ relationship with their sticks, click here. To read Alison’s piece in The Athletic on the “Hockey Analytics Conference” (HAC), click here. To read Bill West’s piece on Alison and hockey analytics, click here. Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

John Taormina is TruMedia’s Director of Football Strategy, overseeing TruMedia’s football related business. Prior to joining us at TruMedia, John spent time with the Atlanta Falcons. He started as a Football Analyst before becoming Manager of Football Analytics. His final role with the Falcons was Director of Football Data & Analytics. He holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Penn State, along with a Master of Science in Analytics from Villanova. In this conversation, John talks about… His academic path and what led him to pursue a career in sports analytics. His time with the Atlanta Falcons and how his responsibilities changed with each role. What a typical NFL analytics department looks like from the inside. How an NFL analytics department works with the coaching staff. A first-hand perspective of what it’s like to be inside the war room during the NFL Draft. Working with cap specialists and what the analytics department does during the off-season. How he aided the Falcons decision makers with a massive trade. Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with John. Show Links Follow John on Twitter: @TheRealPapaJohn To check out Championship Analytics, click here. Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Amelia Probst is a Data Scientist & Writer for Pro Football Focus (PFF). Despite being just 22 years old, the Cornell graduate has already worked in football, baseball, and lacrosse, including internships with the New York Mets and the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). In this conversation, Amelia talks about… How she became interested in sports analytics. How she applies what she learned at Cornell to working in sports analytics. Her time with Cornell’s Sports Analytics club. Interning with the Mets & the PLL. What’s being done in collegiate lacrosse from a data perspective. Joining PFF, what PFF does, and her role at the company. What she has learned about football analytics while at PFF. The difference between working in football, baseball, and lacrosse. Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Amelia. Show Links Follow Amelia on Twitter: @ameliaprobst. To check out Amelia’s writing at PFF, click here. To check out Amelia’s PFF piece on Offensive Linemen Volatility, click here. Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Paul Hembekides, aka Hembo, is a Content Producer for ESPN and got his start in the Stats & Information department, working with Expected Value host Paul Carr in the ESPN research room. Currently, Hembo works on Get Up and #Greeny, Mike Greenberg’s daily ESPN Radio show. He also partnered with Greenberg to co-author “Got Your Number”, a New York Times Bestseller that explores sports history through the lens of who “owns” each number in sports. In this conversation, Hembo talks about… The origin of “Got Your Number” and he and Greenberg’s process for choosing the numbers. How he put together the stats and facts for each athlete. How he balances stats and words in the book. Biggest surprise when researching and writing the book. His path and how he got to his current ESPN role. What he had to learn to adapt his sports passion and knowledge to TV & Radio. A look inside a researchers mindset & how he approaches the “give me the best stat” question. Tips & advice for getting into sports research. Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Hembo. Show Links To purchase “Got Your Number”, click here. Follow Hembo on Twitter: @PaulHembo. Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Cory Jez is the Founder of Tour IQ, a golf analytics platform dedicated to providing PGA Tour players an the resources they need for the first time in golf history. He also has a unique resume, having worked for FanDuel, the Utah Jazz, Austin FC, and an an on-air analyst for the Portland Trailblazers. In this conversation, Cory talks about… His time as an Analytics Manager with FanDuel. His role as Director of Basketball Analytics with the Utah Jazz. His time with Austin FC as the Director of Sport Science and Analytics. The differences of coming into a job vs building a department from scratch. His role as an On-Air Analytics Insider with the Portland TrailBlazers. What Tour IQ is and how it can help golfers improve their game. Transactional vs Transformational in the analytics process. Building trust with “non-data” types. Keys to communicating analytics concepts to athletes, front-office personnel, and a TV audience. Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Cory. Show Links Follow Cory on Twitter: @JezData Follow TourIQ on Twitter: @tour_IQ To check out Cory on LinkedIn, click here. To check out Cory’s website, click here. To check out TourIQ’s website, click here. To read Sports Illustrated’s feature on TourIQ, click here. To read UpRoxx’s feature on the Blazers’ analytics integration on their broadcasts, click here. For more on the Tobacco Road golf course, click here. Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Tegan Ashby is the Assistant Director of Software Engineering for the Philadelphia Phillies. Before that, she worked in the NBA as a Senior Developer of Basketball Systems for the Brooklyn Nets, and as a Developer of Research & Development for the Philadelphia 76ers.. She holds a BA in Linguistics from Penn, and took classes at Cal Berkeley’s Ancient Neat Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Graduate Studies program. In this conversation, Tegan talks about… What a software engineer does and how it applies to a baseball team. What kinds and volumes of data MLB teams deal with. The difference between a development job with an NBA team compared to an MLB team. What NBA engineering looks like. Her background in Linguistics and how it helps her in her profession. Advice on sports-specific tools for someone learning software engineering. Co-founding the Women In Sports Data and how people can support the initiative. Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Tegan. Show Links Follow Tegan on Twitter: @bunsushi Follow Women in Sports Data on Twitter: @WinSportsData For more on Women in Sports Data, click here. For more on SportsDataVerse, click here. To check out Tegan’s website, click here. To check out Tegan on LinkedIn, click here. Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Carlos Muñoz is a former bullpen catcher who spent nine years with the Houston Astros (2009-2017) and, most recently, served as a bullpen catcher and coach for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. He has also spent time as a scout and instructor throughout his career. In this conversation, Carlos talks about… His Team USA & World Baseball Classic experience. His path from Venezuela to where he is today. What a bullpen catcher does. Framing metrics and what goes into a being a good framer. Robot umpires, and how they would affect catchers. How Latino players use data differently than American players. Why baseball is so big in Venezuela compared to other South American countries. The recent MLB rule changes. Our ‘Playing Favorites’ segment, including Carlos’ love for Venezuelan arepas. Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Carlos. Show Links Follow Carlos on Twitter: @Carlos96munoz Follow Carlos on Instagram: @carlos96munoz Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Hassan Inayatali is a rising senior at the University of Toronto and part of the 2023 Big Data Bowl winning team, along with his partners Aaron White and Daniel Hocevar. Their project, “Between the Lines: How Do We Measure Pressure?” bested over 300 submissions to win the competition. In this conversation, Hassan talks about… What data they had access to. How they attacked their topic, where the data took them, and what idea had in mind. What to say when pitching a coach on their model. What they would do if they had more time and access to more data. How he got into sports analytics. Advice for anyone looking to get into sports analytics. Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Hassan. Show Links To check out Hassan & his team’s project on how to measure pressure, click here. To read the Toronto Sun article about Hassan & his team, click here. To read the University of Toronto Engineering News piece on Hassan & his team, click here. For more on the NFL’s Big Data Bowl Finalists, click here. Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.

Matt Doyle is a Senior Writer for MLSsoccer.com and has been covering the league for over a decade. His ‘Armchair Analyst’ column is considered required reading for MLS fans around the globe. He also appears on ‘Extratime’, an MLSsoccer.com podcast that covers the league in depth twice a week. In this conversation, Matt talks about… The 2023 MLS season MLS’s new Apple TV deal and what his role will look like How he got into soccer & soccer writing How he uses data in his writing and analysis What to do when the numbers don’t match the ‘eye test’ Soccer stats he’s not fond of Advice for using numbers in writing His favorite episode of ‘Firefly’ Then, TruMedia’s Sergio De La Espriella joins the show to discuss Paul’s conversation with Matt. Show Links Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattDoyle76 To check out ‘Armchair Analyst’ and the rest of Matt’s writing, click here. To check out ‘Extratime’, click here. Follow ‘Extratime’ on Twitter: @Extratime Follow @TruMediaSports on Twitter. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, TuneIn.