Executive Vice President of MSG Sports & President of Team Business Operations, Dave Hopkinson, joins the podcast to talk with Bob and John. From working with The Toronto Raptors and MLSE for over two decades to serving as Global Head of Partnerships for Real Madrid Club de Futbol to now leading the commercial strategy for Madison Square Garden Spo…

Meena Kandasamy is an Indian born poet, novelist, rebel and activist who's been threatened and harassed for her writing. From the Byron Writers Festival she explains why she keeps going despite the threats. She is also celebrated for her innovative approach to storytelling. Her debut novel The Gypsy Goddess (2015) was about the 1968 massacre of Dal…

Doug Armstrong certainly made some waves after sending offer sheets to not one, but two Edmonton Oiler RFA’s - now, with the dust settled and the NHL season right around the corner, Doug talks to Bob and John about those “controversial” sheets and his team, but not before addressing some tragic news that has left the hockey world shaken. In a post …

As NBA training camp approaches, the Toronto Raptors are looking to bounce back from last season, but opinions are divided on how well they’ll perform. With few roster changes, the team is banking on player development under Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster. Doug Smith and Paul Jones join the show to share their thoughts on the Raptors’ strategy, disc…

It’s all about Canadian Football as Bob and John welcome Jim Barker to the show to dive into the CFL's biggest storylines. They start with the B.C. Lions, who are spiraling down the standings, and discuss the challenges posed by Nathan Rourke’s underwhelming return and the impending comeback of Vernon Adams Jr. After addressing the Lions' dilemma, …

It’s been a tough year for the Toronto Blue Jays, falling short of high expectations. While most guests have shared their concerns, former Jays President Paul Beeston isn’t ready to hit the panic button. Joining Bob and John, Paul discusses the latest drama surrounding Joey Votto's retirement and dives into a broader conversation about the team. Wi…

We are staying close to home today as Bob, John, and Richard focus on Toronto’s two active professional sports teams this time of the year: the Blue Jays and the Argonauts. It’s been a tough year for baseball fans, but are there any positives that can be taken from the Blue Jays' season? The three try their best to do exactly that, discussing the f…

Award-winning author Evie Wyld on her new book The Echoes, and why there are so many sharks in her fiction. Plus, Catherine McKinnon's epic war novel To Sing of War and Jordan Prosser's band road trip novel, Big Time. Evie Wyld is one of the few Australian writers to win both the Miles Franklin and the Stella Prizes (the Miles for All the Birds, Si…

Not much has happened this offseason for the Toronto Maple Leafs - yes they got a new coach, named a new captain, re-signed a few players and made some minor additions - But many thought a big trade was coming… a trade that did not happen. Now, with roughly a month to go before the start of the NHL’s training camp, major changes do not seem likely.…

Have the Toronto Blue Jays gotten anything right this year? As we near the end of a disappointing season, on a night that should have been a bright spot in an otherwise dark year, the Jays have once again dropped the ball. Joey Votto, one of the best baseball players this country has ever produced, has decided to call it a career. With the Cincinna…

There are plenty of things to talk about when it comes to the Toronto Blue Jays, none of which involve the playoffs. Dave Hodge joins Bob and the returning John Shannon today as the three discuss the rather awkward case that is the Toronto Blue Jays. Do you trade Bo Bichette this offseason? How much are you willing to pay Vladimir Guerrero Jr.? Is …

The Toronto Raptors are betting on themselves heading into the 2024/25 NBA season. With virtually no significant upgrades to their roster, it will be up to Immanuel Quickley, Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett & co. to improve on their performance from last year, and at least one member of the podcast doesn’t think it can happen. Jack Armstrong joins Bob a…

Is it too early to bring Shohei Ohtani into the conversation of the greatest baseball players of all time? The LA Times’ own Bill Shaikin doesn’t think so. On track to win his third MVP award in four years, Shohei Ohtani is putting up another historic season—doing half of what he usually does. Bob, Richard, and Bill talk about the greatness that is…

Booker Prize shortlisted Nigerian author Chigozie Obioma joined Claire Nichols at Byron Writers Festival to discuss his latest novel The Road to the Country about civil war in Nigeria. Now based in the US, Chigozie Obioma's first two novels The Fishermen (2015) and An Orchestra of Minorities (2019) were shortlisted for The Booker Prize. His third n…

We’re starting to get a picture of what NFL teams will look like as we approach the start of the 2024 regular season. Joe Buscaglia, writer for The Athletic covering the Buffalo Bills, joins Bob and Richard Deitsch today to assess the Bills’ offseason and set expectations for the team’s success this year while fitting in some more general NFL talk …

With it looking like no team will hit 100 wins in Major League Baseball this year, that begs the question: Where have all the great teams gone? Adnan Virk joins Bob and Richard Deitsch to talk about it today as the three try to figure out why the competition in baseball looks to be as tight as ever.

Mike Futa, a man who knows a thing or two about the intricacies of Offer sheets AND captaincy changes joins the show today to talk about exactly that. With Auston Matthews replacing John Tavares as the Captain Of The Toronto Maple Leafs, we talk to Mike about his experience dealing with a very similar matter in LA with Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar…

With the Toronto Blue Jays struggling to bring any positive news, Bob and John welcome Sports Broadcasting Extraordinaire, Kenny Albert, to discuss some of the tightest playoff races in MLB. But Kenny’s expertise isn’t limited to baseball. In the latter half of the show, the conversation shifts to football, covering key topics like Aaron Rodgers’ r…

Bob and John start the week with Richard Deitsch as the three focus on the Toronto Blue Jays and the team’s grocery list of problems before ending the show with an Olympic wrap-up now that the Games are officially over.

For Science Week, The Book Show goes intergalactic in a star themed episode. Ceridwen Dovey, Alicia Sometimes, Nardi Simpson, Max Barry and Emily St John Mandel explore how celestial tales reveal deep truths about our lives on earth. From the fabulously weird stories about space junk in Only the Astronauts (Ceridwen Dovey) to the star dust fuelled …

Paul Jones checks back into the show a little earlier than expected, as he, Bob, and John react to the disappointing loss to France in men’s Olympic basketball action. With expectations of at least competing for a medal, what does this loss mean for Canada Basketball and its future? Bob, John, and Paul try to answer that question and more on today’…

Mary Ormsby, sports journalist and frequent guest on Prime Time Sports, is on the show, and there are plenty of things to talk about. With the 2024 Summer Olympic Games wrapping up in a few days, many storylines have arisen, some of them not too good for Canada. From the disappointment on the basketball court to the drama surrounding our women’s so…

Last time Bob and John spoke with Mike, the Stanley Cup-winning coach was getting ready to take over the Italian Men’s Hockey Program, but sometimes life gets in the way. With open-heart surgery and other health issues in his rearview mirror, Mike Keenan is ready to get back into the thick of things. He joins Bob and John today as the three talk ab…

The Toronto Blue Jays have not lived up to expectations. The “movie” promised to fans by their players has been a dud, and the patience upper management has benefited from is running out. With a farm system full of question marks and a front office with years of experience but not much to show for it, the Toronto Blue Jays are in a hole that might …

It is just over a week into the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France, with just under a week to go as we bring Richard Deitsch to recap much of what has happened and more of what is to come. With Richard covering the Games for the United States through the eyes of NBC & Peacock, Bob and John start the conversation by comparing Canada’s Olympi…

Hollywood star Keanu Reeves and British science fiction author China Miéville reveal how they collaborated to to write the novel The Book of Elsewhere. Plus, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, author of Fleishman Is In Trouble and Indigenous Australian author, Anita Heiss. The Book of Elsehwere (Del Rey) is based on a comic book series that Keanu Reeves develo…

With boots on the ground in France, Paul Jones joins the show after Canada’s win over Spain, and the gentlemen end the week with an Olympic basketball update. Paul shares his thoughts after 3 games and 3 wins from the Canadians as the three look at what is to come and debate where they think the team could finish now that they have entered the knoc…

There are many things the Toronto Blue Jays need, so where do they start? Gregor Chisholm joins Bob and Jay for some Jays talk. The three set expectations for the rest of the year and assess all of the moves made by Toronto at MLB’s trade deadline a few days ago. It is becoming more and more clear: the Toronto Blue Jays are entering a rebuild.…

Alexis Wright is the 2024 winner of the Miles Franklin Literary Award for her novel Praiseworthy. She makes history as the only writer to have won both the Stella and Miles Franklin awards twice each. Alexis first won the Miles Franklin in 2007 for her epic novel Carpentaria. Like that novel, Praiseworthy (Giramondo) - which also won the 2024 Stell…

One of the busiest general managers in the NHL is on the show today as Barry Trotz joins Bob and John for some hockey talk as he and the Nashville Predators get ready for the 2024/25 NHL season. With many new faces added to the organization over the summer, the two talked to Barry about the moves and his expectations for the team after a surprising…

A good friend and voice of Canada Basketball on TSN Radio, Rod Black, joins the show today. Having been a part of his fair share of Olympic broadcasts, we get to hear Rod’s unique perspective on the games themselves before shifting focus to some basketball talk as our Canadian men’s basketball team looks to medal for the first time ever in the Olym…

Leading up to the Canadian Women’s Olympic opening game against New Zealand in the 2024 Paris Olympics, fans and players alike were focused on one thing - defending their gold medal won in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Unfortunately, a fast-developing investigation into Canada Soccer’s use of a drone to spy on opponents’ closed practices, and the p…

Samantha Shannon has such power as a bestselling writer that she's reissued her fantasy Bone Season series with new edits. In a revealing conversation she tells Claire Nichols what it takes to reach such heights. Samantha Shannon was just 20 when she won a six-figure publishing deal for this series. She also has another series on the go called Root…

On Wednesday’s episode with Warren Sawkiw, it was decided that we have officially entered “Rock Bottom” when it comes to the Toronto Blue Jays. Now, just two days later, Dave Hodge & Dave Perkins are on the show as the foursome entertain the idea that the future for the Toronto Blue Jays is a lot bleaker than originally thought. 10…15, even 20 year…

Not too long ago, Canada and Olympic basketball did not mix. Twenty-four years after their last appearance at the Games, the same cannot be said about our hoopers north of the border. Now, with all exhibition games complete and a game against Greece scheduled on Saturday to kick off their Olympic competition, Canada finds itself as a favorite to me…

A common theme lately is that the Toronto Blue Jays are in trouble. With seemingly no present or future to look forward to, Warren Sawkiw joins the show today to give his opinion on the mess that is the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

Jim Rutherford returns to the podcast for a conversation with Bob and John. The three discuss the surprising success the Vancouver Canucks had last season and hear Jim’s thoughts on their second-round playoff loss to the Edmonton Oilers. After the break, Bob and John learn more about the role a President plays within a hockey organization and get i…

Richard Deitsch is back on the podcast today, this time as a guest as he joins Bob and John to discuss some of the more relevant stories during an otherwise slow time for sports. The three start with The Open Championship and share their thoughts on the tournament before previewing the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. To end the show, it’s Blue Jay…

'Flabbergasted' and 'surprised' — ahead of the winner announcement, the Miles Franklin shortlisted writers tell you about their books and what it means to be on the shortlist. The Miles Franklin is the most prestigious writing prize in Australia and is awarded to a novel of "the highest literary merit that presents Australian life in any of its pha…

With the MLB Playoffs out of the question for the Toronto Blue Jays, what should they do now? Richard Griffin joins Bob and Richard Deitsch to try to answer that question as they wrap up the week with some Jays talk. Rich, Richard, and Bob pull no punches today as they take a deep dive into what Toronto needs to do to improve for next year. They ex…

The NFL season is fast approaching, with its first pre-season game scheduled to kick off on August 1st. With Richard Deitsch filling in for John, and Trey Wingo joining him and Bob, the three start to set expectations for what is to come. Bob, Richard, and Trey discuss the seemingly bad idea of adding yet another game to the regular season schedule…

The major season concludes this week in Scotland with the start of the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. Richard Zokol and Ian Leggatt joined Bob and John today to preview the tournament. The gentlemen assess the field of play, course conditions, and more with an in-depth look into all the golf we will see over the weekend.…

With a year under his belt as the CEO of the Edmonton Oilers, Jeff Jackson returns to the show to chat with Bob and John. The three discuss the near Stanley Cup win against the Florida Panthers, the team's search for a new General Manager, and how his relationship with the players he represented as an agent has changed with his new role.…

When describing Paul Godfrey's career, it’s easier to ask the question - what hasn’t he done? A prominent Canadian businessman and former politician, Paul became the publisher and CEO of the Toronto Sun in 1984 and played a pivotal role in the development of Toronto's SkyDome, which opened in 1989. Throughout his career, Godfrey has been influentia…

American author R.O. Kwon's novel, Exhibit, explores the taboo topic of female desire; Jenny Ackland exacts feminist revenge in Hurdy Gurdy and Jessie Tu's Honeyeater is a story of translation and miscommunication. Korean-born, American author R.O. Kwon is not afraid of topic topics. She's behind the bestselling 2018 novel The Incendiaries and is c…

For a long time, it was a win for a Canadian Athlete to even qualify for the Summer Olympics… now as we approach the Games in Paris, expectations are much higher for the Canadian competitors. Scott Russel joins the show today to preview the games with Bob and John & to share with them all the info they need to know regarding our country’s medal fav…

One of Bob’s favourite CFL guys from back in the day joins the podcast today, as Jim Barker shares his thoughts on the Canadian Football League. From how to get more fans in the stands to how to keep players in the country, the three go over it all today as they take a look at everything they think needs to be changed if we are going to see some re…

With the playoffs becoming more and more realistic for the Blue Jays, what’s next? JP Morosi joins Bob and John today, sharing his insight on what he thinks Toronto should do before season’s end. With question marks surrounding the future of pretty much every member of the organization, the three try to determine the best course of action for this …

Daren Millard is filling in for Bob today as he and John welcome Dave Hodge and James Sharman for a two-for-one podcast special. The two speak with Hodge first, digging into the Toronto Blue Jays and the overall state of professional sports in Toronto, followed by a preview of Team Canada’s semi-final match against Argentina tonight in the Copa Ame…

Best known for his tenure as the general manager and coach of the Edmonton Oilers, Glen Sather led the team to five Stanley Cup championships in the 1980s. He later served as the president and general manager of the New York Rangers, significantly impacting the team's development and success while cementing himself as one of the NHL’s greatest cont…