Director David Vyorst of The First Basket joins Mark and AJ to discuss this outstanding documentary .On November 1, 1946, in the opening game of the fledgling Basketball Association of America (BAA), Ossie Schectman scored the opening basket for the New York Knickerbockers against the Toronto Huskies. Schectman and his teammates Sonny Hertzberg, Stan Stutz, Hank Rosenstein, Ralph Kaplowitz, Jake Weber, and Leo "Ace" Gottlieb went on to win the opening game 68 – 66 and finish the season with a

33 – 27 record. In 1949, the BAA became the National Basketball Association (NBA), and Schectman’s shot is considered the first basket in the NBA In fact, several of the BAA and NBA teams had evolved out of the semi-pro teams, settlement houses, playgrounds, schoolyard and community center leagues, and college teams that sprung from the Jewish inner-city neighborhoods of the early 20th century. While the era of Jewish professional basketball players has passed, the story of these sports pioneers illustrates how the American 20th Century was shaped by the experiences of many immigrant groups.

The First Basket follows these Jewish basketball experiences, from ash cans placed on the stoops of brownstones, to the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

Andrew Sherburne the director of Forgotten Miracle joins Mark And AJ to discuss this great film and the 1960 USA Olympic Hockey Team

“Do you believe in miracles?”

Al Michaels’ famous call—maybe the most famous in all of sports—resonates beyond one hockey match. Do we believe in underdogs, freedom and the American way of life? Even watching replays today, we all join Michaels to answer a resounding, “Yes!”

For many Americans, the 1980 Miracle on Ice was the beginning of hockey’s history in the US. Youth leagues exploded, the NHL expanded,and indoor ice rinks spread to every corner of the country.

But 20 years earlier, the few Americans tuned in to the first-ever televised Olympic Games saw a remarkably similar sight. On February 27th, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, the underrated US hockey team stunned the defending Olympic champion Soviet sextet en route to an undefeated march for Olympic gold.

It’s a story that shares many connections with the 1980 Miracle team, but the 1960 team also had its own unique challenges. The team had never beaten the Soviets, the Canadians had dominated the sport for decades, and internal dissent threatened to rip the team apart from within.

By winning seven games in ten days, the 1960 team achieved something that has still never been matched by an American hockey team: an unblemished record in an Olympiad. But for all the greatness of the 1960 US Olympic team, they remain a footnote in the history books. It’s a triumph that could aptly be called a “Forgotten Miracle.”

Hockey legend and member of the 1960 Forgotten Miracle Team Bill Cleary joins Mark And AJ to discuss this great film and the 1960 USA Olympic Hockey Team.He was an All-American college hockey player at Harvard University, where he still holds several records, including most points in a single season (89). Taking a year away from college, he won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. ice hockey team at the 1956 Winter Olympics, after turning down a professional-contract offer from the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens. At the 1959 World Ice Hockey Championships, he won the IIHF directorate award for best forward. At the 1960 Winter Olympics, in Squaw Valley, California, he won a gold medal with the U.S. team that upset the heavily favored Soviet team.

He was named to the NCAA Ice Hockey 50th Anniversary team, chosen as the U.S. Hockey Player of the Decade (1956–66), and inducted into both the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. In 1996 he was selected as one of the "100 Golden Olympians" by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Sports Illustrated named him the 33rd best athlete of the 20th century in the state of Massachusetts.

Cleary went on to coach hockey at Harvard for over twenty years, leading them to the NCAA National Championship in 1989. At Harvard he coached three Hobey Baker Award winners (Scott Fusco, Mark Fusco and Lane MacDonald) as well as many NHL stars. He compiled a career 324–201–22 record, for a .612 winning percentage.

Cleary was the driving force behind the structure of the ECAC Hockey League and a mentor to several successful college coaches, including 1987 CCHA Coach of the Year Val Belmonte. The Cleary Cup, named in his honor, is awarded to the ECAC's regular-season champion.

After leaving coaching in 1990, Cleary became athletic director at Harvard, where he supervised a program comprising over forty varsity sports teams. He retired in 2000.

Basketball legend Nancy Lieberman joins Mark and Aj to talk about her amazing  career.  Her rise through the ranks of professional sports and her significant contributions to women’s basketball encompasses such a rich and elaborate history. Lieberman’s distinguished career is one of monumental strength and motivation in the pursuit of becoming the greatest women’s basketball player. Her refusal to accept anything less than the best, her devotion to the sport, her relentless time and energy to the advancement of women playing professional basketball are a source of inspiration.  Her quest for excellence is brilliantly diversified as a Hall of Famer, two-time Olympian, three-time All-American, WNBA coach & GM, acclaimed broadcaster for ESPN/ABC/NBA TV, motivational speaker, and esteemed writer. Nancy Lieberman represents the epitome of triumph and serves as a true pioneer for women in sports.