Explore every episode of the podcast Once Upon A Game: True Sports Bedtime Stories

Tonight's story is about a baseball game played 25 years ago, but it ended up being about much more than who won or lost.

The game was played in late October 2001, just weeks after the United States had been shaken by the attacks of September 11. New York City was still grieving. Families were still searching for ways to move forward, and many people were still trying to understand how life could ever feel normal again.

 In the weeks after September 11, New Yorkers had shown remarkable unity, resilience, and determination. They had faced unimaginable sadness, yet they continued to support one another, return to their communities, and look for ways to move forward.

Then On that cool October night, more than 55,000 fans gathered inside Yankee Stadium. They came to watch the New York Yankees battle the Arizona Diamondbacks. But even before the game began, there was an emotional victory of sorts for the people of New York. For a few moments, an entire stadium—and a country—stood together united.

As this game unfolds, the final score will become only part of the story. This night would remind people that sports can be more than games and championships. They can bring people together, give people something positive to believe in, and provide moments of joy, hope, and connection—even during some of life’s most difficult times.

This is the story of Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, tonight on Once Upon a Game… 

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Every basketball player dreams of playing in the NBA Finals.

It’s the last series of the season. The brightest lights. The loudest crowds. The time when the pressure is most intense, and the place where legends are born.

For some, this pressure is too much. They get stressed or nervous and play poorly, knowing their teammates and fans are depending on them.

But for others, these pressure-packed moments bring out their very best. You are calm. You are confident. You play your very best.

Being able to do this in a game’s most critical moments is called being clutch.

Tonight, you will hear the story of a player and captain of the New York Knicks basketball team who had done this so much that he had earned the nickname “Captain Clutch.”

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Right now the US Open tennis tournament is being played in New York City. Known as a major championship, it is one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world. 

There are four total major championships: The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, the US Open. Together they are known as the Grand Slam Tournaments. 

Year after year tennis pros travel to these events. Each played in a different country at a different time of year. 

 Their skills are tested on different types of courts against the best players in the world.  

winning just one of these events would be a dream come true for any tennis player… imagine trying to win all four… in the same year! 

This is the story about a Queen of the Court and her quest to capture all four of tennis’s Crown Jewels.

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There are baseball players who can hit.

There are baseball players who can pitch.

And then there is Shohei Ohtani.

Part 2 of our two part story tells the story of Shohei and his Samurai Japan teammates as they advance through the knockout round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, eventually to a championship game when the entire baseball world seemed to stop and watch.

The game would come down to the final at bat. 

Where one pitcher and one hitter who were professional teammates took the field as international rivals carrying the hopes of two baseball loving countries with them. 

For the full story of Shohei Ohtani's rise to stardom be sure to listen to part 1 of this story found here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2630057/episodes/19685066

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There are baseball players who can hit.

There are baseball players who can pitch.

And then there is Shohei Ohtani.

For more than a 100 years, young baseball players had been told that if they wanted to become truly great they would need to choose a path. A player could become a great pitcher, or a great hitter. But they could not do both. 

But Ohtani never seemed interested in choosing.

He believed he could do both.

And his journey would take him from a small town in Japan to the brightest stadiums in America—and eventually to one unforgettable tournament and a championship game when the entire baseball world seemed to stop and watch.

This is the first part of a two part story about Shohei Ohtani and the 2023 World baseball Classic.   

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A football team has 53 players. Each player has to master unique sets of skills depending on their position: Throwing, running, blocking, catching, tackling. 

Players move up and down the field showing these skills over and over again. 

But perhaps the most unique skill on this 53 man team is the kicker.

He may only step on the field for a few seconds each game. Yet it is often in the game's tensest moments. 

And each time the kicker is expected to be perfect. 

All eyes are on him as he tries to blast the ball high in the air and between two  goal posts. 

A kick can often be the difference between a win and a loss. 

Sometimes kickers become known more for a kick they miss rather than the kicks they make. 

But not tonight. Tonight you will hear a story about one of the greatest kickers in NFL history. One of only three who have been elected to the hall of fame.  And the game when he made perhaps the most difficult kick in nfl history.

This is the story of Adam Vinatieri and his winter wonderland kicks in what became one of the most famous, and controversial, playoff games in NFL history!

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Every fairy tale has a hero.

But the greatest heroes rarely begin their journeys as favorites.

Sometimes they're overlooked… Sometimes they're underestimated…And sometimes, just when their dream seems to be slipping away… A new door opens.

This is one of those stories. It is a story about a football quarterback, and a proud city that united to lift each other up to heights that neither could hardly imagine. 

Its the story of the New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees, tonight on Once Upon A Game. 

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Tonight you will hear about the greatest swimmer ever and his mission to do something no swimmer had done before. 

Every four years, the greatest athletes in the world gather for one incredible competition.

The Olympic Games.

For more than one hundred years, runners have raced, gymnasts have flipped, swimmers have splashed, and athletes from every corner of the globe have come together with the same hope:  

To win a gold medal.

Just winning one gold would be a dream come true for most athletes. 

But in the summer of 2008, one swimmer arrived at the Olympics in Beijing, China, hoping to make sports history. 

His name was Michael Phelps. And he was trying to win 8 golds during  the Olympic Games. 🏊‍♂️🏅✨

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When your team is down it can be easy to lose hope. As a player or a fan sometimes you may feel victory is too far out of reach. But it is important to always remember to believe.  

Tonight we will hear the story of a baseball team and a city that refused to give up against their biggest rivals. With hard work, speed, and strength they began to overcome 86 years of history that had felt like a nightmarish curse for their fans. 

This is the story of Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.  ⚾ ✨

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Every athlete wants to be the best. No matter what level you play at, being the star of your team, and playing every minute of every game is what every player wants.  

But what if all of a sudden, after years of success  you can’t even make it on the team you want?  Would you keep trying or would you give up? What if you made that team, but were not given the chance to play and show your skills? 

Would you get frustrated, lazy, or distracted? Or would you stay focused and be ready when your moment came to step up and help your team when they needed it most. 

Tonight you will hear the story of Brandon Bussi, a hockey goalie who found himself in just this situation while his teammates were playing the biggest games of their lives!

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We all know what it's like to be sick. Aches, fevers, chills, dizziness, throwing up. Everyone knows that being sick is no fun. A sickness can come on without warning and all you want to do is curl up in bed until you feel better. 

But what if a sickness like that hit right before the biggest game of your season? Would you be able to perform? Would you play at a high level knowing that all your teammates and fans were depending on you? 

In Game 5 of the 1997 NBA finals, one of the greatest basketball players of all time was faced with this exact challenge.

Tonight you will hear the story of Michael Jordan and what has become known as “the Flu Game” 

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As the world prepares for the World Cup Final this weekend, it seems fitting that our first episode tell the story of the last World Cup Final. Hear the tale of how two professional teammates took to field as rivals competing for soccer's greatest prize in what became one of the legendary World Cup Finals ever! Lionel Messi leads Argentina against Kylian Mbappe and France on this episode of Once Upon A Game.

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