Telich Talks

This is encore presentation of podcast dropped Feb, 27, 2023. Dr. Schlenk is a neurosurgeon at the Cleveland Clinic. He is also an ultra marathoner and puts of races with a charitable bent to them. His most fascinating work could be the custom guitars he constructs in his wood shop . All from scratch and all guitars are given away with the only edict being “ do something for someone else”. You can see his work on his Instagram page @custom_charity_guitars

Rob Pope, a veterinarian and marathon runner from Liverpool, England became the first person to replicate the epic run across America by Forrest Gump in the popular movie starring Tom Hanks. Pope, ran 15,621 miles during several cross country runs, hitting all the famous spots depicted. The run started during the US presidential election in 2016. Since the amazing run, Pope wrote a fun and reflective book on the entire experience, called Becoming Forrest. The book was published in 2022, and Pope did the audio version of it as well. He also hosted two seasons of a Red Bull sponsored show called “How to become SuperHuman”. Rob was a fantastic interview guest. We really clicked. I share his strong sense of adventure but I’ll limit my escapades to ultra marathons, not cross country jaunts.

Shawn Spencer is the successful head basketball coach of the Rhodes high school team in Cleveland Ohio. His Rams won the city championship last season.Much of this podcast centers around his ability to emerge from the Hough projects and how he has been able to become a bright light to influence others. It’s a interview about Being exposed to how successful people go about their business and it’s a testimony to the individuals who were there for him as a kid and why he’s so adamant about being a bright light for young people nowadays. On Twitter/X he is @CoachSpencer1 as he says “ The struggle will not define you, so don’t let it blind you.”

Gabriella Kreuz is a former college track and field athlete, media personality, and advocate for non violence through her non profit “ Love Doesn’t Shove”. Kreuz endured a lengthy , abusive, toxic relationship with a high school boyfriend. His abuse followed her to college at John Carroll University. She takes us through the ordeal, and how she received help and how she established her non profit. Kreuz is an in stadium host for Cleveland Guardians games, and is a media personality at Big Play Network and other media outlets. She has a rambunctious dog, Blue

Friday Night Touchdown is a very popular weekly recap of high school football in northeast Ohio on Fox 8 tv. Our region is mad about football ( Pro Football began in Canton) and the show delivers the hilites every week. We take you along for a Friday night during playoff action and chat with Dan Coughlin, PJ Ziegler, Ken Carman and John Sabol. Nick Kovach, the producer and MVP is my final interview and rightly so. In someways, it’s my homage to high school football and our relationship to the game. Also, thanks to Glenville coach Ted Ginn, who was interviewed

Jack Mulhall of Euclid, Ohio is a retired gentleman, who, for a myriad of reasons, embarked on a spiritual journey on the famous Camino de Santiago, ( Way of St. James ) which is a 500+ mile walking route from France due west through northern Spain. ( There is actually a network of routes) It’s a spiritual journey, not necessarily religious in tone, although some people do find their peace on the journey. Jack’s adventure came about because of grief, insomnia, (a result of his grief over losing his wife of 42 years, ) real bad knees, and YouTube videos that just seem to speak to Jack. He met three gentleman from Northeast Ohio ;Michael Dolan, Andy Conrad, and Dennis Matson enroute. #camino #spiritual #grief #kneesurgery

Natalie Herbick is a morning show cohost, and a news anchor woman on Fox 8 television in Cleveland Ohio. She opened up about her early 2023 diagnosis of breast, cancer, and of undergoing a double mastectomy. Cancer has been a factor in her family history. Her mother passed away just a few short years ago due to cancer. Natalie is a Pittsburgh native and we spent some time chatting about how she got into the business. Thanks to an internship at KDKA in Pittsburgh, she worked on Steelers Saturday Night. Natalie just happens to be one of the most positive, outgoing, and down to earth people in the business. I wanted to make sure we chatted and made this episode especially with this being Breast Cancer awareness month.

Paul, a Navy veteran and anesthesiologist has competed in many triathlons , including the famous and very difficult Escape from Alcatraz. But starting in 2009, he endured a harrowing medical saga, that involved heart surgery’s, deadly bacteria, infections and more, which culminated in an above knee amputation in January, 2020. But Paul , with great encouragement from his wife Teresa, and family, still would not take things lying down. He would compete again. The Challenged Athletes Foundation played a big part in getting Paul back in the sport. Cover photo courtesy Triathlete Magazine

Dean Hall is a life coach based in Oregon. Roughly 10 years ago, Dean was still grieving the loss of his beautiful wife from 2 to 3 years previous. And Dean was suffering from lymphoma and leukemia. Frankly, he was dying. However, he discovered while going through some old artifacts at his home, something he had written as a little boy, a life goal. And, let’s just say that life goal sparked a quest to swim the 187 mile Willamette river in Oregon. That cold , foreboding body of water and his determination to swim it saved his life. I hope you enjoy your conversation.

Vince Cellini has enjoyed a more than 40 year career in television. It began at WJKW TV in Cleveland, Ohio in the early 80.s. He was a sports anchor at age 22 in the 9th largest tv market at the time. He went on to anchor sports for CNN, was the lead anchor for The Golf Channel, Turner Sports, NBA TV, The Learning Center and much, much more, including anchoring news for CNN. Recently he has been an Adjunct teacher for Full Sail University/ Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting based in Orlando, Florida. We worked at Channel 8 together from 1981 to 1989. This chat will be of interest to those pursuing careers in sportscasting/ journalism.

Ron Ross is a 65 year old ultramarathon man who started his distance running career while at West Point back in 1976. He’s run more than 180 marathons and he goes much further. Ross is close to ninety, 100 mile ultramarathons and has a goal to get one hundred , 100’s. This year he ran in the toughest race on earth, the Badwater 135 miler in Death Valley. His military and police background has certainly helped him be incredibly disciplined in his training and his preparation for races. Early in the interview you’ll hear one of the big reasons why he hardly ever breaks during a long competition. Mentally I’m speaking. I hope you enjoy the interview and share and subscribe. Hitting the subscribe button really helps this old guy grow the pod…

David Kahn designs golf courses all over America with his design company partner Tim Jackson of Jackson Kahn Design. In 2017 Kahn and his wife Karen found out their two daughters , Amelia and Makenzie had a rare disease .. Juvenile Batten Disease. It’s a fatal genetic disorder of the nervous system . David talks of golf course design and of dealing with the somewhat overwhelming situation with his daughters , all the while battling on behalf of families in this same dilemma through the Fore Batten Foundation, he and Karen started.

Tony Fisher played high school football as a Panther at Euclid High, college ball for Notre Dame, and played the bulk of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. Tony is coming full circle returning to Euclid high school as the Athletic Director. In our chat, Tony talked about playing with Brett Favre in Green Bay, about being recruited to Notre Dame by Urban Meyer, and spent a good chunk speaking about the necessity of being smart financially. I joked that he prefers pensions to a Porsche. And it’s very true. Allow this to be podcast advice for young athletes who think making a lot of money is a great excuse for squandering it all. Fisher has been smart with his money and spoke a lot about that. He also talked about the current state of the running back position in the NFL.

How do you measure or define success? With part of Joe Thomas’s Hall of Fame speech in Canton leading it off, I chatted with some Cleveland sports greats, Austin Carr, Greg Pruitt, Felix Wright, Reggie Langhorne and Carol Russo about ingredients for success in sports and life. Wright and Langhorne both played for Marty Schottenheimer, one of the best Browns coaches in history. Also, a shout out to the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame, as Pruitt, Russo, and Carr are past inductees.

David Gilbert is the president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland sports commission and Destination Cleveland. He has helped spearhead the process of bringing dozens of big time sporting events to the city. NBA All-Star game, MLB All-Star game, the Women’s Final Four back in 2007 and coming up in 2024. …. the Pan-American Masters games in 2024….the NFL Draft and the Republican national convention in 2016. Gilbert is an unabashed promoter of the city and has a knack for bringing people together to get things done and put our city in a positive light.

Akron, native and former Fox 8 broadcaster Mike Dipasquale is covering the Lionel Messi Miami invasion for WSVN TV in Miami. He has a solid professional relationship with owner David Beckham. ( see episode cover art). Mike has insight as to what it’s been like as the iconic athlete comes to the MLS. Dipasquale, himself, is an accomplished athlete, having represented the United States in Masters Olympic, lifting, and also in the sport of bobsled. He has held the American Olympic Master record in the 89K class. We are former colleagues

Daryl Ruiter has covered the day-to-day operations of the Cleveland Browns for the last 16 years. He has been in the Cleveland media for several decades. On top of his Browns duties,He also covers the Cleveland Guardians and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ruiter is a member of the Pro Football Writers Association of America and hosts a Browns related podcast on Audacy with Andy Baskin called “It’s Always Game Day In Cleveland.”

Legendary sportswriter Bob Randazzo (Roberts) “ The Railbird” has had a storied career writing sports, mostly of horse racing . He covered every Kentucky Derby from Secretariat forward. Add to that several World Cups and more. And now, he’s a podcaster, teaming up with his daughter Maria Randazzo, who is a writer for Jon Stewart and does standup and improv. Listen to their pod “ Hey Dad, with Maria and Bob Randazzo on all your favorite platforms. And…this is my 100th episode of Telich Talks

Pam Rickard is a marathoner and ultra marathoner who serves as an inspiration to many through her work with the Herren Project. Rickard spoke to me May of 2019 on episode 16 of my podcast. She details how she had 3 dui’s and wound up in jail before she got sober. As director of active engagement, she has grown Team Herren Project in a vibrant community of more than 1,000 teammates nationwide. ( cover photo via Boston Marathon)

Chet Mason is the head basketball coach at Brush High school in Northeast Ohio. Recently, he was on the coaching staff for Team USA under 16 squad that won the Americas competition down in Mexico. Mason has an extensive international background as a professional player and began his basketball career as a star at South high school, and then Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is a former Mr. Basketball in the state of Ohio. A good number of his Brush star players have gone on to play at the next level. This is his second appearance on the pod. Episode 40, in October, 2019 was the first.

Camryn Justice is a tv sports reporter at WEWS TV in Cleveland, Ohio. From her early years playing football with the boys , she’s always pushed the envelope. How did she work her way onto the air? Her story is one of determination and hustle . You can find her on social media at @camijustice

Sandy Alomar, Junior is one of the greatest players in Cleveland Indians baseball history. A six-time all-star, who helped fuel the baseball Renaissance in Cleveland in the early 90s remains with the organization as first base coach. We discussed the origins of his career, the great times in the 90s And how Cleveland baseball can move forward with Jose Ramirez and this year‘s team.

Babe Kwasniak is a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army. He was youngest named when appointed . CASA appointees support soldiers for life. He is also the basketball coach at Cornerstone Christian Academy. Kwasniak spoke of his battles with depression and of the dark moment when he tried to take his own life .He said that 60% of service members who take their own lives, don’t even deploy. It’s not just those who saw combat. We covered many topics including the heartbreaking times two of his best friends took their own lives. He is married to Laura, a West Point Grad and doctor. They have 3 sons, the oldest who is at West Point. Mature subjects discussion.

Mitch Hewitt is a two time state champion football coach at Chardon high school in Ohio. Mitch was a stand out player at Chardon and led his team to the state finals his senior year. We talked about Mitch playing for a young Urban Meyer at Bowling Green State University, and how their relationship continues to this day, we talked of the coaching fraternity, about the influence of the cell phone and social media, and its affects on today’s youth. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy the episode.

I ran 70 miles in the Outrun 24 hour Trail Race at Chapin Forest in Kirtland, Ohio. I met my goal which was to run my age (69) plus one year since I would turn 70 in mid June. I have done endurance sports, marathons, triathlons, and ultra marathons every year since age 23. It’s a lifelong dedication to striving to see what I am made of. Competing mostly with myself keeps me coming back for more. I haven’t always been successful in running 100 mile races, but I learn so much from my experiences. It’s not often the prize you get after that is important. It’s the quest, the striving that is fulfilling. I hope this episode nudges someone to venture out and begin exercising, or makes one attempt a race that they might have been reluctant to try. Other episodes of Telich Talks have dealt with fitness and exploration. I hope you give those a try. As always I urge you to subscribe and pass this along. Twitter @JohnTelich8 Instagram @johntelich

Anthony Lima is co host of the morning drive show on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland with Ken Carman. He is a Cleveland area native who studied media and political science in college. He got his start in media by call into radio sports shows at age 12 and used the name Sportsboy Tony. Lima also has anchored tv sports in various markets, including Cleveland. WOIO. He does college football commentary on ESPN. He is married and is father of a baby girl

Virgil Dominic was a tv anchorman, national radio newsman early in his career, but gained the most notoriety by taking 3rd place tv station news operations to the top in two markets. Atlanta ( WAGA) and Cleveland ( WJKW, now WJW, Fox 8) Dominic built the Newscenter 8 brand to big heights and touted “ Cleveland’s Own”, news anchors and reporters who had histories of being Clevelanders ( with some exceptions ,of course) Dominic is in 5 Broadcast Halls of Fame. Not bad for an Oklahoma kid who got his first break of being on the radio at age 16. Dominic hired me to do sports in 1980 and largely shaped my career. I hope you enjoy our interview.

Mark Godale was an ultra marathon legend and national record holder from Akron , Ohio who died in June of 2022 at age 51. He and his brother Steve had a streak of 29 straight Boston Marathons through April of 2022. This year, Steve will hit #30, bittersweet no doubt. Episode 11, April 2019 I ran with Mark,and then recorded this interview. Just trying to keep the legacy alive. RIP Mark.

Dale Davison, a Collinwood railroader, and Navy veteran, had a drive and a passion to get on the air to talk sports……….To pursue the dream, the father of three has had to work countless, partime jobs to make ends meet and to grind behind the scenes to wait for a break. His entree into the business came on a phone call, to talk show host Tony Rizzo on ESPN Cleveland . Next thing you know he was getting more and more airtime . We talk about how he came to enlist in the Navy, and how, as the father of Damarion Witten, a Glenville Tarblooder and highly sought after recruit, Dale has learned to navigate the recruiting process #recruiting #radio #ESPNCleveland #Navy @tarblooders

Golfer Julian Lewis recorded the rarest of golf feats. A double Eagle, followed the next hole by a hole in one at Quail Hollow in Ohio. He talked about how his late brother may have been guiding the ball and why it’s amazing he even played golf that day, October, 1, 2002. #golf #holeinone #doubleEagle

Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees won their 20th straight state title in gymnastics recently..That’s a national record. Maria Schneider is the head coach and she grew up in the program that was started and led by her mom Joan Ganim, and her late father Ron. In all, the Bees have won 23 state titles. Gym World in Broadview Heights is where hundreds and hundreds of young, aspiring gymnasts have trained under the Ganims

Wayne Dawson, began his tv career ,back in the late seventies at the station he has always been at. Channel 8…. Fox 8 here in Cleveland Ohio . Dawson wasn’t supposed to be on tv.. he wanted to be a sportswriter.. We talk about his teenage years when he strayed from a purposeful path, to his Kent State days and recall when he was given a big break by Virgil Dominic. Wayne was in a reporter training program in 79, beginning a run of 43 years that is still going strong…….the next year, I walked into the building after spending more than 4 years working smaller tv markets… Dawson is not only giving the news, he’s the pastor of Grace Tabernacle Church in Lyndhurst, Ohio. He’s an 11 time Emmy winner and NATAS Silver Circle Award Winner

Rob Ostrom knows what it’s like to carry around, what is in essence, a replica of himself. The 46, year old St. Edward high and Boston U product is more than a year into a very successful weight loss. A weight loss that sparked thunderous reaction on social media. Since bariatric surgery, done at the former St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland, Ostrom, who works in the Financial Service industry, has taken his weight from 473 pounds…. To now, just south of 250 pounds. For Rob, it was his second huge weight loss. How did he get to such a large weight in the first place, and why has bariatric surgery been such a godsend?? And what spurred him on to start the process. I’ll give you a hint. He, and wife Jamie have two children. Son Adam, and daughter Emily. #bariatric

Dr. Richard Schlenk is a neurosurgeon at the world renowned Cleveland Clinic and is also a guitar builder with a charitable angle. He began making custom guitars close to 4 years ago. He had never done anything connected to the construction of a guitar before. It’s all self taught with much help from lots of videos. In his wood shop at his home in Shaker Heights, Ohio he shapes, and puts together beautiful creations that , once constructed….are simply, given away. He only asks that the recipient does something positive for someone else in return. Schlenk is also a ultra endurance athlete, having run 100 mile ultras and he has also tackled grueling Obstacle Course races and more. The organization, Running Forward, Giving Back, founded along with local ultra running legend, Wild Bill Wagner puts on races with a charitable bent. Schlenk was named the OCR Humanitarian of the Year award winner in 2020 for his selfless commitment to others.

I have been taking 3 minute long cold showers for two months..and haven’t missed a day..first thing in the am. In this episode, which I can attest, began IN THE SHOWER, I talk of the benefits I have derived and hear from the ICEMAN, legendary extreme athlete Wim Hof, courtesy JRE. Also, thanks to Dr. Andrew Huberman , and Dr. Susanna Soberg for expertise #coldexposure Covert art photo courtesy IMDB

Marla Ridenour became the first woman beat reporter , covering the Cleveland Browns for the Dayton Daily News in 1981. Prior to that, she was the first woman editor of the Eastern Kentucky University student newspaper in 1975. In recent months, she retired as sports columnist from the Akron Beacon Journalist. She has won numerous honors from the Associated Press, the PFWA, and the Golf Writers Association. We spoke of the difficulties in breaking down barriers and about some iconic figures she covered, from Brian Sipe, Bernie Kosar, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Jack Nicklaus and more. Who was Jim Tressel’s pen pal and stories about athletes thrust into difficult situations. Finally, a very dark incident that happened to her in college was brought to light by the Browns signing of DeShaun Watson. Marla spoke openly about a column she thought of writing for decades,and how that signing brought it to light.

Dave Lee Morgan is a Stow High teacher who in his previous career as a sportswriter, wrote of the Rise to fame by LeBron James. He has written 8 books. The latest is about trailblazing NFL Hall of Fame legend Marion Motley. Morgan worked on a Emmy winning documentary on Motley, and helped the city of Canton erect a statue in Motleys honor. He has also written extensively about Jim Tressel and Youngstown State. Morgan knew the bright lights as a kid watching his mother , Gwen Morgan sing with the famed gospel group, The Caravans.

Kahari Hicks is a teach and Cleveland Heights High assistant football coach . He started a program, with head coach Mac Stephens, blessing called Build the Bridge in the summer of 2020. It sought to engage schools with players of distinctively different backgrounds so that they could better understand each other. In three years, the program has grown, with the Cleveland Browns becoming a strong partner. Hicks, has been inspired a great deal by his parents. His father, William was a freedom rider in the 60’s who went into a segregated diner in Mississippi and was beat up and thrown in jail. Kahari has helped Cleveland Heights get to the point where 80 student athletes in 9 years have earned scholarships. He has written a book on navigating the recruiting process. The Kelce brothers, Travis and Jason are giving the school notoriety by squaring up in Super Bowl 57, but the work to preparing young people for life has been ongoing and Hicks is a vital ingredient in the success of the program.

Rob Powers is the nightly news co anchor for Channel 5, WEWS, here in Cleveland Ohio. The Holy Name high school grad’s career began in Binghamton New York, where the money was so lean he was close to taking a job selling women’s shoes. Through it all he has also anchored sports in Toledo, Ohio, Indianapolis , Indiana, and a seven year stint anchoring sports in New York City, while also handling Good Morning America weekend duties. What you might not know is Powers has been a top flight obstacle racer. Think Spartan races. He’s raced in the World Championships. Navigating the big city New York, as a reporter, and the feeling now, working in front of family in friends.

Lecharles Bentley starred at st. Ignatius high, was all American at Ohio state and was a multiple time Pro Bowl lineman with the saints. After signing a free agent contract with his home team, the Cleveland browns , Bentleys career was cut short when he tore his patellar tendon on the first play of training camp in 2006. . Subsequent surgeries and a staph infection sabotaged a comeback and Bentley never got the chance to play for his hometown team.
So, he established O-line Performance. The facility was the worlds first invitation only training club designed for NFL Offensive linemen. Bentley has established a Player representation agency, and media company. On top of that he was named an NFL senior advisor on player performance and safety. Now, he’s come full circle. He joined the football staff at Ignatius and will coach offensive linemen, and serve as director of football development on Ryan Franzingers staff in the post chuck Kyle era. We spoke of many issues, from his high school days to his nfl departure, which he contends was instrumental in him leading the kind of “ take charge” life he leads today.

Corwyn Collier was on military duty in Iraq, in May of 2009, when a bomb exploded, severely injuring his right leg and hand. The former track star at Southern Mississippi was devastated. Dark Thoughts haunted him. But he persevered. Today, Collier is a teacher and a coach at his Maple Heights, Ohio alma mater. He has written a book and ,looks to use his so called notoriety to inspire others. As usual, please subscribe, rate and review. Thank you .

Bo Marchionte of Niles, Ohio is a ultra marathoner who began a streak of running at least 3 miles, every day since early 1998. That’s 25 years. Half his life. More than 9,000 days straight. No breaks. Nothing has stopped him. And, even after a celebration for him on Jan 7, 2023, he will keep on running. Yours truly is also an ultra marathoner and thus, we had a great conversation, but only after we got a run in at one of the gems of our country, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Dr. Teague is a former. Mount Union football player who founded Code Chiro in Mayfield Hts. Ohio. He is a Chiropractor and treats numerous pro athletes like the Cleveland Browns Denzel Ward, David Njoku, former Brown Jarvis Landry, and the Dolphins Raheem Mostert. We talked about how the discipline applies to athletes and many other so called weekend warriors who pursue fitness.

Vince Guerrieri pens a hilarious book about the insane happenings in Cleveland Sports history. We have had basketball players shoot at the wrong basket, MORE THAN ONCE. Players climb through ceilings to steal corked bats, and have seen home runs happen as a result of the hardness of an outfielders noggin. Vince captures a lot of the stories . It was a fun interview and the book is a quick, and chuckle inducing account of the wacky nature of sports in our town.