Mike Goodpaster
Mike Goodpaster is the founder and owner of The Grueling Truth Sports Network. Mike has been a football coach for 27 years, the last 5 as a Professional Indoor Coach including the head coach the with the Evansville Rage, Owensboro Rage, and the Northern Kentucky River Monsters, compiling a record of 26 wins 8 losses as a Head Football Coach. As a head coach at the Pro level and High School levels combined he has compiled a win-loss record of 176-41. He has been named the coach of the year in different leagues on 8 separate occasions.
Mike has also been the # 1 ranked private football coach in the Midwest by coachup.com for the past 4 years. 26 players he has privately coached have earned Division 1 scholarships in the last 4 years and. Mike enjoys coaching his own kids in Football, Basketball, and Baseball. His own athletic career took him to Indiana State as a Division One Basketball Player.
When he is not coaching, he continues to stay engaged in sports. He has recently written for sports rants and has published his own book The Rage Within – an autobiography about being a head coach in the world of Indoor Football.
Matt Andruscavage
Director of Personnel and co-Host of the NFL Legends and NFL Pick’em shows, Matt is a longtime NFL/NBA/MLB fan who enjoys discussing and writing about both the current game and that of any era.
Matt is also the 49ers Beatwriter for the Grueling Truth and hosts The 49ers Weekly Show with former 49ers Running Back Dexter Carter.
During baseball season, watch for Matt’s MLB Power Rankings every Monday morning.
Matt also is a contributing writer 49erswebzone.com.
When not writing or podcasting, Matt lives in Wisconsin with his wife and daughter and enjoys retro gaming, biking, and travel.
Read Matt’s articles HERE
Jeremiah Preisser
A boxing fan of 10+ years, the Denver-based Jeremiah J. Preisser is a former contributor to ringsidereport.com and trueschoolboxing.com. Now he is a member of the prestigious International Boxing Research Organization, a staff writer for ringnews24.com, and an editor, recruiter, staff writer, and co-host for The Grueling Truth’s boxing division.
James Ernest
Marketing Director James Ernest is also our Senior staff photographer. He is responsible for building the brand and visually reporting on the day’s top news stories. Other duties include writing articles for the website, conducting interviews, and hosting shows.
Mark Fightmaster
Mark Fightmaster is a lifelong Bengal fan. Mark parlayed a short Division III college career into a 15-year football coaching career spanning junior and senior high football. During this time, he became an avid film study advocate and continues to use that skill while watching football today (sometimes driving those watching the games with him nuts). After college, Mark got into the financial writing world – having been quoted by The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and Entertainment Magazine. Mark continues to coach football, now on the youth level, currently coaching two of his three sons.
Chris Cooke
Chris Cooke is a native of Evansville, Indiana and a graduate of Wabash College. He is a 2016 inductee of the Greater Evansville Football Hall of Fame. While at Wabash in the late 90’s, he was a part of 91.3 FM WNDY as a DJ and Producer. In 2009 he returned to radio as his Adult Armature Football playing career winded down via broadcasting High School Football and Basketball. During that time he worked play by play locally for 1540 AM WBNL with Allen Buck. During the 2011 High School Football season, he made several guest appearances on 102.3 FM WBTO, ESPN Radio 106.7 FM WYFX, and 91.5 FM WUEV. Cooke was one half of the Evansville Rage broadcast team with Jared Revlett on ESPN Radio 106.7 FM WYFX and their “Sister” station, 102.3 FM WBTO. In 2013, he was also one half of the Owensboro Rage broadcast team with Allen Buck on ESPN Radio 102.7 FM WLME THE GAME and 100.5 FM/AM 1420 WVJS. Cooke once again teamed up with Buck to bring the 2014 home season of Kentucky River Monsters football on MRSN SPORTS RADIO-THE HOME OF CHAMPIONS.
More recently, he covered North Posey High School Football and Basketball on 90.1 FM WSDM during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. In 2015, he moved to 106.7 WYFX and currently does play by play for Mater Dei High School Football and Basketball. Cooke has made several guest appearances for Media Five sports over the 2015 and 2016 seasons broadcasting high school basketball games of past state champion Princeton Lady Tigers. In 2016, Cooke became the Co-Host and founder of Gameday I.Q. a weekly sports show heard at thegruelingtruth.net. Additionally, Cooke currently guest hosts “Leadership Connection”, a one hour show focused on local leadership in the Evansville, Indiana area heard on both 98.5 FM and 1400 AM.
Allen Buck
Allen Buck was born in Southern Indiana, the product of a high school principal and a stay-at-home mom who later taught math, English, and whatever else was needed to help adults to attain their GED. His coaches were firm taskmasters and the principles he learned from his parents and coaches serve as the basis for his approach to coaching.
He has two adult sons. When they were three and seven, he and their mother divorced. She moved several states away so he gained custody and raised his sons. He recognized very early that these were not quiet, mild-mannered children so he channeled their ample energies into athletics. Naturally he followed and that was the beginning of his love affair with coaching.
He has coached football, basketball, and baseball for over twenty years, with players ranging in age from 6 to 18 year old seniors in high school. He also provides radio commentary in football, basketball, baseball, and softball. Game knowledge and the ability to communicate it serve him very well in coaching and broadcasting.
He was lucky to have coaches whose messages beyond the sport dovetailed nicely with the principles he learned at home. He has passed these along to many players over the years but he has seen too many coaches who did not grasp the concept. That is the reason for the book, “Be the Ultimate Sports Coach: The Definitive Practical Guide to Coaching Youth Sports. The How, The Why, and What to Avoid”. He wrote that book with the hope that it would benefit kids by helping coaches everywhere to understand that the best coaching involves more than just the “X”s and “O”s.
Buck began broadcasting high school sports in 2009 teaming with Chris Cooke in football and basketball for WBNL 1540 AM. That led to guest appearances with ESPN radio 106.7 FM WYFX and 102.3 FM WBTO. In 2013, the pair broadcast the Owensboro Rage professional indoor football games for ESPN Radio 102.7 FM WLME THE GAME and WVJS 100.5 FM/AM 1420.
In 2014, the team of Allen Buck and Chris Cooke were called upon to travel to Cincinnati to broadcast the Kentucky River Monsters indoor professional football games via MRSN SPORTS. More recently, he covered North Posey High School Football and Basketball on 90.1 FM WSDM during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
In 2015, he moved to 106.7 WYFX and currently does color commentary for Mater Dei High School Football and Basketball. Buck has made several guest appearances for Media Five sports over the 2015 and 2016 seasons broadcasting high school basketball games of past state champion Princeton Lady Tigers. In 2016, he became the Co-Host and founder of Gameday I.Q. a weekly sports show heard at thegruelingtruth.net.
Jim Reaker
Jim Reaker grew up in Northern Indiana earning 6 Varsity letters in football and baseball while attending LaVille High School in Lakeville. The 1980 graduate then attended Ball State University receiving a Bachelor’s degree in social studies education. After graduation he moved to the Cincinnati area to begin teaching and coaching at New Richmond High School. From 1984 until 1996 he coached football, baseball, and fast pitch softball, becoming the head softball coach in 1989. He led the Lady Lions to their first league and sectional championships in softball. Also during this time he earned his Master’s degree in educational counseling at Xavier University.
In 1996 he left the classroom to become a guidance counselor at NRHS and left the coaching ranks to spend more time with his two sons. It was his sons youth sports teams that drew him back into coaching. He coached in the Forest Hills Youth Football organization and the Cincinnati Patriots select baseball organization. Also during this time he became an avid Xavier basketball fan, becoming a season ticket holder and traveling around the country to watch the Musketeers.
After his youngest son finished his high school athletic career in 2013, he returned to the helm of the NRHS softball program, a position he continues to this day. After retiring from the guidance office in 2014, he volunteered to broadcast basketball games for NRHS boys and girls games. In the fall of 2016 he became the voice of the NRHS football Lions on the internet broadcasts and hosts the Roll Pride Coaches’ show every Monday night.
Jeff Zink
Jeff Zink is a retired educator who has had the pleasure of coaching amateur sports on 4 continents and viewing professional ones on 6.
Currently he works as an Ambassador for the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum while also volunteering as a broadcaster for football, basketball, soccer, and softball for New Richmond High School near his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
His favorite sports memory is sitting in a public house in Gibraltar that was shared by local football clubs who supported Spain and England while the two countries competed during the 2000 European Soccer Cup.
Josh Benjamin
John Einreinhofer
John Einreinhofer is a native of Newfoundland, New Jersey. He is a graduate of Ithaca College with B.S. in Television/Radio with an emphasis in Sports Communications and a graduate of the West Virginia University College of Law. He is an attorney who has practiced law for over twenty-six years. He wrote for newspapers and broadcasted sports while in high school and college, as well as participated. He played football and ran track while at West Milford Township (N.J.) High School and at Ithaca College. He has been a life-long follower and historian of boxing and fights he attended live include but are not limited to: Morales-Barrera I, Holyfield-Lewis I and De La Hoya-Vargas. Other fighters he has seen fight live include but are not limited to: George Foreman, Mike Tyson, Arturo Gatti, Tim Witherspoon, Ray Mercer, Bobby Czyz, Tony Ayala, Jr., Frank Fletcher, Miguel Cotto, Michael Grant, Andrew Golota, David Tua, and Roy Jones, Jr. He takes a special interest in analyzing and attempting to forecast the performance of boxers in fights. He intensely follows football, baseball, basketball, hockey and MMA, as well as boxing. He regularly attends West Virginia University football and basketball games. He has coached youth sports including hockey, football, baseball and basketball. His law practice is primarily based in Charleston, West Virginia and he splits his time between that area and his hometown of Newfoundland, New Jersey.
Malik Zorrok
My name is Malik Zorrok, a college student majoring in journalism, currently living in Boston. Have been a sports fan, particularly a Boston sports fan, ever since I was young. Currently covering the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox.
Graham McGowan
Graham McGowan was born in Orlando, Florida, graduating from Winter Springs High School in 2005. After attending the University of North Georgia, Graham enlisted in the United States Army where he and Out of Left Field co-host Chris Furry met at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.
CJ DeSimone and Carlos Sardinas
We are the “Comic Relief” of the NY Jets family of podcasts! We like to have fun and enjoy ourselves while cheering and debating about our beloved NY Jets. Give a listen and tell us what you think.
Dave Siderski
Dave Siderski is a passionate student of boxing and NFL history and also an avid all around sports fan. He is a resident of Boston’s North Shore and grew up as a New England Patriots fan, even when it was not fashionable, along with watching the likes of all-time great boxers such as Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns, and Roberto Duran.
Dave has written for other boxing websites and currently manages two groups on Facebook: “Mythical Boxing” which focuses on “dream”, “what if” boxing scenarios and “Mythical Sports” which focuses on more general sports related content. A Data Analyst by day, Dave combines a creative and analytical approach, while occasionally adding his twisted sense of humor, to produce content that is entertaining and thought provoking.
Troy Otradovec
Troy Otradovec (AKA Troy Robert) joins The Grueling Truth as the co-host of Go B1G or Go Home and The Red Light Sports Ramble. He was born and raised in the Frozen Tundra of Green Bay, WI. Therefore, he was forced to know about the game of football before he could talk. His Big Ten knowledge comes from following the Wisconsin Badgers and being a Big Ten fan, when the conference actually had 10 teams.
Outside of co-hosting Go B1G or Go Home and The Red Light Sports Ramble, Troy also hosts two radio shows. “Talking Sports with Troy Robert” can be heard every Saturday morning on WFSN 96.7, in Union City, PA. The show streams on http://radio.ucfsc.org/ at 11am ET. “The Black and Gold Championship Hour” airs every Saturday morning on WXED 107.3, in Ellwood City, PA. You can listen to the stream on http://www.wxedfm.com/ at 11am ET. His love of hockey can be heard every week on https://www.youtube.com/user/johnstowntomahawks when he hosts “Hawkey Central” with Johnstown Tomahawk coach Mike Letizia.
Troy graduated from Full Sail University; in 2015, with a Masters Degree in New Media Journalism. When he is not following sports he is most likely watching a weather channel because of his fascination with the weather. Also, he spends one weekend a month volunteering for the American Red Cross, in their public relations department.
You can find him on the following social media outlets:
Jonathan
Jonathan is a small town Wisconsin boy. Jonathan completed an undergraduate degree in history with a minor in economics before embarking on a career as an attorney. He uses this background in research and writing to engage in his first true love, sports. Primarily a football fan, he writes about whatever issues come to mind. Jonathan writes for several online sites and is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA). Jonathan is also a twice deployed veteran and a retired Army officer. He lives in Central Wisconsin with his wife and four children.
Christopher Benedict
Christopher Benedict resides in Huntington, New York which is the
birthplace of Walt Whitman and Gerry Cooney. Taking into consideration
Benedict’s passion for both writing and prizefighting, this admittedly
odd pairing makes perfect sense. Although a native Long Islander, his
longtime devotion to the Boston Red Sox, UConn Huskies, and Marvelous
Marvin Hagler conspire to make him an absentee New Englander at heart.
He enjoys weaving together his complex love of boxing, storytelling,
and history embellished by a commitment to find the devil in the
details.
Matt Minich
Matt Minich is a proud South Dakota State University alumnus who coached college football at multiple levels for over a decade. He is an old school guy who believes in playing sound defense and running the ball on offense.
Sheila Oviedo
Sheila Oviedo works in research by day and is an avid boxing fan by night. She learned to box in Boston six years ago, and now lives in New York. Most Saturday mornings, she trains at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn. Sheila advocates for equal opportunity for women boxers.
Paul Cupitt
Paul Cupitt is a member of the International Boxing Research Organisation and has more than 12 years involvement in the boxing industry in Australia as a fighter, trainer and official. Paul was the State and National Amateur Boxing League champion in 2012 and has also fought as a professional. He has trained state champions at both amateur and professional levels and worked as a second in the corner in a number of Australian title fights as well as having experience as a judge and referee in amateur contests.
thepaulcupitt@gmail.com
Bryce Fields
Logan Whaley
My name is Logan Whaley. I am a 27-year-old currently working on my Master’s in Teaching at the University of Southern California as well as working towards becoming a sports writer. I am passionate about most sports, the main being baseball and football (both college and professional) and am a die-hard Cubs fan.
Andrew Diaz
Josh Raymond-Castro
Sports Writer for The Mace & Crown and Contributing Writer for The Home Run Daily. Previously an editor at American Military News, The Sports Forward, Vafighting.com and many others. Follow him on Instagram @Castro734.
Patrick Green
Patrick Green is the founder and owner of Red Sox Unfiltered and the Red Sox Unfiltered podcast.
He has been a freelance baseball writer for many years, which includes stops at Fansided, Yawkey Way Report and the Niner Times. In addition, he has worked for Radio Free Charlotte, as the co-host of Homeruns and Hail Marys. Lastly, he is a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, which is way too far away from Fenway Park.
David Latham
David Latham is one of the co-hosts for the Red Sox Unfiltered Podcast.
He is a Civil Engineer living just outside of Portland, Maine. His hobbies include playing racketball, reading, and of course, supporting the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots. David graduated from the University of New Hampshire in May 2016 and has always considered the New England area to be his home. He currently lives with his fiance and their cat.
Anthony Cervino
Anthony Cervino is a senior-writer and on-air voice at Gridiron Experts, the co-founder, producer and co-host of the FFfaceoff and a lifelong NFL enthusiast, especially of the Dallas Cowboys.
You can hear The FFfaceoff and also his other podcast, The Pro Wrestling Review, right here at The Grueling Truth.
He has been infatuated with the game since childhood and was introduced to fantasy football as a young teen. Back then, the league commissioner typed out the weekly newsletter and used the Daily News to tally scores. In a statistic-driven game of fantasy football, Anthony believes that sometimes you have to rely on that good old gut instinct.
Anthony resides in New Jersey where he lives with his wife, son and a pomeranian that is named Roman (after Tony Romo). When Anthony is not immersed in the NFL or fantasy football related activities, he enjoys bodybuilding and spending time with his family. Anthony is committed to giving you his best analysis and most accurate statistics to help you win championships. Don’t hesitate to tweet Anthony @therealnflguru about anything NFL or fantasy-related topics. He will always respond in a timely fashion.
Riley Pollock
Riley is a CFL diehard. As graduate of Broadcasting Communications at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta it has always been his dream to talk and write about everything sports. Born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan so you can guess who his favorite CFL team is.
Braydan Luce
Braydan Luce played the big three sports at Avon High School before focusing on baseball at Hanover College where he finished school as a Biology major in the Business Scholars Program. Although he plays baseball, focusing on Indiana University’s football and basketball teams has always been his true love dating back to his season ticket holder days growing up. As an Indiana native, he also loves his hometown Indiana Pacers and follows the Chicago Cubs very closely. Analyzing the Big Ten is his passion while always incredibly overestimating the potential success an Indiana team could have.
Bobby Sheridan
Bobby Sheridan was a 3rd round draft selection as a RHP by the SD Padres in June 1987 out of Upland High School, Upland, CA. During his brief 3 year professional career, Bobby played on two minor league clubs managed by future Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy. Other prominent coaches he played for included the late Rob Picciolo, Nate Colbert, Jon Matlack, and the late Kevin Towers before he went into the front office and later became the well-known GM of the Padres and Dbacks. Bobby’s pitching career was cut short by 2 Tommy John surgeries. He went on to become a very successful HS baseball coach in Southern California guiding his team Damien High School (alma mater of Mark McGwire) to the prestigious CIF championship in 1997. Bobby served as a coach and/or teacher at 4 different high schools over 23 years. He has 3 adult children and currently works in sports and media covering the Pac 12 conference for the Grueling Truth Sports Network. You can find him on twitter @SheridanReport, and of course hear him on The Grueling Truth with Mike Goodpaster
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