Longtime college football reporter Matt Baker has been with the Athletic since 2024. Before that, he was with the Tampa Bay Times, focusing on both the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles. In December 2025, the 12-team college football playoff was revealed. This episode comes out after the regular season and before the bowl season and subsequent playoff.

In this episode, Baker explains why Notre Dame was passed over for the playoff in favor of Alabama and Miami. He discusses the rise of Indiana as a national power and why college postseasons are determined by a committee rather than by all pro team sports. He also discusses the potential of a super league and whether the Big 10/SEC are on a level playing field as the ACC/Big 12.

He also engages our host and discusses Syracuse football and whether this season or last was an anomaly.

Aura Frames: Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/SWF Promo Code: SWF

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Carlos Alcaraz, the #1 men’s tennis player in the world, is playing in a tennis exhibition at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on December 7th, 2025. Alcaraz will face off in a three-set match against two-time US Open Semifinalist Frances Tiafoe. There is also a women’s tennis match between 2025 Wimbledon and US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova from Freehold, New Jersey, and 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula of Buffalo, New York.

Alcaraz won the 2025 US Open and Wimbledon, and at the time of this recording, had pulled out of the Davis Cup due to a hamstring injury.

This episode is part of a group media Zoom session, organized by the Prudential Center. It was recorded on November 18th, 2025.

In this episode, Alcaraz discusses his injury and assures fans that it is not serious. He discusses his friendship and rivalry with Tiafoe. He also discusses his epic finals matches with Jannik Sinner, whom he has faced in the last three majors, as well as countless other matches.

For ticket info: https://www.prucenter.com/events/a-racquet-at-the-rock

Aura Frames: Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/SWF Promo Code: SWF

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Kevin Ingram is a play-by-play announcer for Vanderbilt basketball, a sideline reporter for Vanderbilt football, and a play-by-play announcer for baseball on SEC+. He has been a sportscaster in the Nashville area for three decades.

From 2004 to 2020, Kevin was the host of the hugely successful morning show, “Wake-Up Zone” on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville. His co-host for all 16 years was acclaimed Nashville sportscaster Mark Howard. Former Titans player Frank Wycheck hosted the show from 2004 to 2017. Both Howard and Wycheck have passed away since the show ended.

In this episode, Ingram discusses the legacy of that Wake-Up Zone show and the special connections he had there, including longtime producer Paul Bible. He speaks about the evolution of Nashville as a tourist destination and as a sports town. He talks about his time at both Vanderbilt and Belmont before that. Finally, he explains why Nashville is not a good candidate for an MLB expansion team.

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Longtime sportscaster Marc Malusis was recently featured on WPIX Channel 11 in New York. Malusis is best known for his time on-air at Sports Radio 66 WFAN, also in New York. Malusis graduated from Syracuse University, interned for WFAN, became a producer for the iconic Mike and the Mad Dog radio program, and then got his opportunity on the air.

Moose, as he is known, is also an adjunct professor at Iona College and the Radio Pre/Postgame Host for Rutgers Football.

In this episode, Malusis discusses his fantastic career and how Syracuse helped him get started. He talks about the famous WFAN internship program and his decision to remain in New York as he ascended in the business.

He also comments on recent allegations involving gambling and two major league baseball pitchers. He talks about the state of radio, given the availability of podcasts and other streaming options.

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Lawrence Moten, the leading scorer in Syracuse basketball history, died unexpectedly on September 30, 2025. He was 53. This episode is a tribute to the legendary Syracuse basketball player.

Nicknamed “Poetry in Moten,” he who played for the Orange from 1991-95. Moten was born in Washington, D.C., helped Syracuse reach the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons, and was named a Second-Team All-American during his senior year. Moten later played two seasons with the Vancouver Grizzlies in the NBA before playing overseas in Spain and Venezuela, and several seasons in the Continental Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association. Moten finished his college career with 2,334 points, averaging 19.3 per game.

This episode begins with 6 minutes of audio when Lawrence Moten joined Sports with Friends in 2019 on Episode 224. Then, his former Syracuse teammate, Lazarus Sims, joins the show. Then, former Syracuse center Etan Thomas discussed Moten’s legacy. Finally, longtime Syracuse beat reporter Mike Waters of Syracuse.com joined to discuss what it was like to cover Moten both as a player and in the years following.

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The National Hockey League recently began its 2025-2026 regular season. Greg Wyshynski is an ESPN senior NHL writer, podcaster, and insider. He is also a New Jersey native and a New Jersey Devils fan. This is NOT a Devils podcast, but rather a look at the main issues facing the league.

Topics include: the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will involve NHL players; the competitive balance in the league; the recent income tax debate and its impact on teams; and where Quinn, Jack, and Luke Hughes will wind up. Not in that order.

Wyshynski first gained notoriety when he launched the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo Sports. He has been with ESPN since October 2017.

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Longtime sportswriter Gary Myers has written his seventh book. “Brady vs. Belichick: The Dynasty Debate” raises one of the great NFL debates among fans of both the New England Patriots and the entire NFL. Who meant more to the Patriots’ nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships? Myers discusses the origin of both coach and player, and makes a strong argument for both with insight, interviews, and analysis.

In this episode, Myers discusses how this became an idea for a book. He discusses the current situations for both Brady as a FOX commentator and minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Belichick, who is the new head coach at the University of North Carolina. He discusses controversies, Spygate, and Deflategate, and how they impact both Brady's and Belichick’s legacy.

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Art Shamsky is best known for being a member of the 1969 New York Mets, who won the World Series. Shamsky played Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1972 for the Cincinnati Reds, Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Oakland Athletics. In 1969, he hit .300 with 14 home runs, the second-highest total on the team. In the post-season, Shamsky hit .538 in both the newly created National League Championship Series and World Series vs. the Baltimore Orioles.

He recently released his third book, “Mets Stories I Only Tell My Friends.” The book offers a behind-the-scenes and first-hand account of that miracle 1969 Mets season. He discusses the leadership of Tom Seaver, the steady hand of manager Gil Hodges, and what it was like to share right field with charismatic Ron Swoboda.

In this episode, Shamsky explains why he wrote this third book. He details how not a day goes by that he isn’t reminded of that championship season. At the end of the episode, he explains why he has known Seth Everett for over twenty years.

Get “Mets Stories I Only Tell My Friends” here: https://tinyurl.com/3puhkrhc

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