Riding The Bench with Evan and Izzy

Jonas Never has become L.A.'s unofficial sports muralist with his unforgettable work displayed across the city. From the Kobe Bryant tribute in Grand Central Market, to his most recent Joe Kelly pouty face mural, Never's art has had fans lined up for blocks just to take a photo. We spoke with Never about his inspiration for his iconic murals From Kobe's, Kelly's, the infamous LeBron James "King James" mural and more. Never details what the Dodgers' Kelly mural meant for the city in a time when a pandemic needed a ray of light to shine through, fans reception and even Kelly's reception himself. ----- Thank you for listening, we love vibing with our L.A. Weekly listeners and L.A. sports fans. Keep supporting and make sure to follow @laweekly on Instagram and Twitter. If you love the show, please make sure to show us some love on the Apple Podcasts store. ----- Your Guest: Jonas Never (@never1959) Your Hosts: Evan Lancaster (@thatsthatfuego) Isai "Izzy" Rocha (@izzy_serious) Mixed & Mastered by: Isai Rocha Publisher: Brian Calle (@briancalle)

On this week's episode, we recap the Dodger winning ways and Clayton Kershaw coming one step closer to being the team's all-time strikeout leader. We speak with Austin Donley, whose cardboard cutout was decapitated by Dodger catcher Will Smith, he tells us the story of why he got a cardboard cutout at the stadium, and how Will Smith reached out to him to apologize.

Former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb is no longer giving defenses headaches, but is passing on his athletic wisdom down as he works with his kids and even trains other youths. In this episode McNabb reminisced on his dear friend Kobe Bryant and how they were both girl dads, coaching their daughters to be the next basketball icons. The Philadelphia ties linked McNabb and Kobe all the way into the Laker locker room, as McNabb talks about Bryant having to defend his Eagles against other teammates. Donovan also gives insight on how the pandemic can affect the future of sports, from the youth level, all the way up to the pros, the stereotypes he had to overcome with the "black quarterback" label, and even takes a look back at the 2004 season where he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in a heartbreaking loss to the Patriots. 1:00- Meeting Barrack Obama 5:25- Being on the Madden Cover 7:50- Remembering Kobe 12:00- How the Pandemic will Affect School Sports 19:10- The "Black Quarterback" Label 24:05- Why is Donovan not in the HOF 28:25- 2004 Super Bowl Run 29:50- The T.O. Fiasco 31:40- Will there be an NFL Season? ----- Thank you for listening, we love vibing with our L.A. Weekly listeners and L.A. sports fans. Keep supporting and make sure to follow @laweekly on Instagram and Twitter. If you love the show, please make sure to show us some love on the Apple Podcasts store. ----- Your Guest: Donovan McNabb (@super_5ive) Your Hosts: Evan Lancaster (@thatsthatfuego) Isai "Izzy" Rocha (@izzy_serious) Mixed & Mastered by: Isai Rocha Publisher: Brian Calle (@briancalle)

The Chargers new Pro Bowl Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. joins the L.A. Weekly Riding the Bench podcast. After signing a 2-year deal with Los Angeles, Chris gives us insight on his training in the midst of a pandemic, navigating through the unknown going into the season and what it will take for the Chargers to hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy, as he did in 2016. ----- Thank you for listening, we love vibing with our L.A. Weekly listeners and L.A. sports fans. Keep supporting and make sure to follow @laweekly on Instagram and Twitter. ----- Your Hosts: Evan Lancaster (@thatsthatfuego) Isai "Izzy" Rocha (@izzy_serious) Mixed & Mastered by: Isai Rocha Publisher: Brian Calle (@briancalle)

The sports world came to a screeching halt when the pandemic hit, but slowly we are seeing leagues try new things to get back out there. The Dodgers are playing real preseason games against the Diamondbacks and the regular season gets underway this week. The Lakers' JaVale McGee gives fans an inside look at the NBA campus, showing how testing is done, team workouts and a bit of dry hotel food. California is officially delaying high school sports, LAFC trounce the Galaxy and Evan gives a bold prediction for the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger. ----- Thank you for listening, we love vibing with our L.A. Weekly listeners and L.A. sports fans. Keep supporting and make sure to follow @laweekly on Instagram and Twitter. ----- Your Hosts: Evan Lancaster (@thatsthatfuego) Isai "Izzy" Rocha (@izzy_serious) Mixed & Mastered by: Isai Rocha Publisher: Brian Calle (@briancalle)