Finding Community, Craft, And Joy In The Work You Choose

A college choice can change everything. Martell Prayear takes us from Glenville to Baldwin Wallace, breaking down why a small-school environment—where people learn your name and invest in your growth—can become the foundation for a career, a community, and a life you actually want to live.

We dig into the real work of admissions through Martell’s lens: fit over flash, personal attention over volume. He shares how he left healthcare staffing to reclaim balance, added officiating as a flexible second lane, and built a rhythm that protects family time. A simple shared calendar becomes a secret weapon; date nights stay on the schedule; and a five-year-old’s activities slot around a purpose-driven job that still leaves room to breathe.

Then the whistle blows. Martell contrasts football’s Friday night rush with the claustrophobic thrill of a rivalry gym, walking us inside high school playoffs, semipro snaps, and the judgment calls that keep games honest. He’s firm on hecklers and crystal clear about respect: athletes deserve the spotlight, and officials enforce it. We also celebrate leadership done right with BW athletic director Steve Thompson—present, down-to-earth, forward-thinking—and highlight a major move on campus: the launch of women’s flag football, expanding opportunities for women’s varsity sports.

There’s laughter, too. We trade stories about play-by-play booths, the electricity of a hot crowd, and why comedy and officiating share the same core skill: read the room, set the tone, protect the moment. Martell leaves us with a compass we can use anywhere—find something that makes you happy and find someone who makes you happy—and a reminder that the right environment multiplies your effort.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Sponsor And Guest Introduction
• 9:02 Choosing BW And Small-School Fit
• 16:13 Working With AD Steve Thompson
• 23:21 Family, Balance, And Flexible Careers
• 32:46 Officiating Football Vs Basketball
• 41:36 Play-By-Play Memories And Comedy
• 50:51 Handling Hecklers On Courts And Stages
• 59:31 Fast Fiddy Five Q&A

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 4:32

Welcome, everybody, to another episode of the Ride Home Rants podcast. This is, as always, your host, Mike Bono. I have a great guest for us today, but first and foremost, we did just land a new sponsor for the show in this upcoming season six uh year of the podcast, and that is Web Western, a clothing company designed for those who aren't afraid of hard work, anybody who likes to live off the land, work the land, hunt fish, um, and even some golfers out there now, too, is uh as well with them. Webwestern, a company that is a no BS company. I am all for that. Anyone who isn't afraid of hard work, go to webwestern.com. Use the promo code Mike Bono and save yourself 10%. Once again, that's webwestern.com. Promo code Mike Bono to save yourself 10%. That being said, my guest today comes to us from the Cleveland area. He currently is working at Baldon Wallace University. Uh, we're gonna talk to him about that too. But uh Martel Prayere joins the show. Martel, thank you for joining, man.

SPEAKER_02: 5:39

Thanks for having me. Uh uh uh hello to all the listeners um as well. Uh Mike, uh I just want to thank you guys for giving me a chance to uh join you guys today. So um excited about the uh opportunity and just uh thank you for I'm also being uh very flexible with my uh busy schedule. I know uh I I spend time officiating um as my uh like one of as my side gig that I sounded like my my my second best friend that I have, you know, my my girlfriend and my my my son are my first, but uh officiating became my second best friend.

SPEAKER_00: 6:18

Absolutely no problem. Uh we're nothing if not flexible on this show for sure. Um my schedule's pretty busy too, as well. So uh I get it with the with the busy schedules. Yeah, you're you're preaching to the choir on that one. But um, you were actually a proud uh 2016 graduate of Baldwallace University, and now you're also uh an assistant director of admissions there as well. You know, what made you want to attend it as a student and then why come back there uh to work?

SPEAKER_02: 6:48

Um for me, it was so uh for me, a little bit of my origin. Um, born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Uh I attended uh Glenville High School. Um I was a student athlete when I was in high school. But um for me, I knew I may have still wanted to play football. So there was a bit of a recruitment process with uh football at that time, but I also knew I was kind of one foot in, one foot out. Um I got you. And then I also had the privilege of being a part of uh the trio up and bound program uh when I was in high school. So I spent a lot of time at BW during my high school career. Um so you could kind of see something boiling um in the sense of BW being an opportunity and an option for me. Um I knew I wanted to do a small school, um, but I originally wanted to go as far as far as way as possible. Uh originally. You know, like uh a lot of kids when they're younger, um, you know, hey, I want to I want to leave. Then as I started getting closer to uh graduation, I was like, I don't know if I want to go too far. I actually started visiting some of the universities that you know I had uh dreams of going to and aspirations, and I was like, you know what, I kind of want something smaller and not too far away from home. So um I started visiting. Um I, you know, had an overnight, you know, had a few visits where you know met with football, met with you know, faculty and everything. And I was like, you know, this is a place. I always said BW was a little weird for me. So I was like, these people are like really nice. And I was like, I'm trying to figure out what the catch is. You know, being a uh being a kid from the uh inner city of Cleveland, I was like, okay, they want something from you. I don't know what it is, but I know they want something. Um, but the uh great part about it was um it was uh it was more personable. Um and I felt like it wasn't just hey, come to BW. It was hey, let's see if this is the right fit for you. And now I look up, you know, uh being an alumni, uh making that decision was we know one of one of the best decisions of my life.

SPEAKER_00: 9:10

Yeah, absolutely. I I get it with the small school. Um graduate of Bethany College in uh Bethany, West Virginia, you know, very, very small school. Um, but I I had these aspirations of going to these big schools. I mean, if anybody can see me from the waist down, like at watching on the Patreon, I am WVU'd out completely, like all the way down to my hey dudes today. Uh, but like that's that's where I was going. Um, I had a I had a scholarship to uh swim at a couple of D1 schools. Um, and then senior year, uh unfortunately decided, yeah, I'm gonna stick it out one more year in football. Um and uh hurt my shoulder, uh, my senior year, and it cost me my senior year of swimming, and everybody but Bethany College pulled their scholarship. Uh, you know, you get you get a swimmer with with the bum shoulder, and that that's just the kiss of death for swimmers. Um and I I I was upset. I'm going to a smaller school. You know, I didn't this isn't this wasn't the the plan that I had in place. And once I got there and professors knew me not only by my name, but by my nickname that people called me. Um for those of you out there, Mike Bono isn't my real name. Haha um that is uh it's it's a shortened version of my name, but everyone just called me Bono. And the professors knew me by that. That really stuck with me in that okay, they want to get to know me on more than okay, he's here, let's just teach him and move on about our day. And you know, I I like that. Uh after after a while, it it took a little bit for me to to buy into the Bethany uh small school culture, but I I loved it at the end, you know, the the personality and just being able to meet with your professors whenever they needed to, and they they didn't know you as oh, your student 1467892. You know what I mean? Like at most big schools, like I have a bunch of buddies that went to went to WVU and they were like, Yeah, for for the longest time I was known by my student number. I was like, that's that, yeah, I wouldn't be able to handle that. Like I have a name, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02: 11:23

Like, yeah, no, it's it's it's big and it's a it's a part of the small school feel. So I I definitely understand that being that I uh you know now work there. I I definitely understand uh that big uh jump from you know large school, even some of our medium-sized schools as well to a small school.

SPEAKER_00: 11:41

Yeah, absolutely. And um, you actually know uh former guest of the show, big supporter of the show, uh, and the current director of athletics at BW, Steve Thompson. Uh, what has it been like uh to get to know Steve and to work with him?

SPEAKER_02: 11:55

Um so Steve is uh a great guy. I thought um, you know, when we were going through the process of you know hiring somebody, you know, um having you know Northeast Ohio um roots, uh being a you know a uh College of Worcester um graduate um and alumni. I thought that was uh something great, you know, bring somebody that's familiar with the area. Um, you know, I know he spent time coaching as well. Um so that was something that was great that you know we got a strong uh background in in the athletic space. But then second, you know, hitting the ground running to implement, you know, new plans and new things to not only improve our current athletics, but you know, continuing the tradition of you know winning at BW, but also growing. You know, uh one of the nice things about Steve I like is that um, you know, when I was a student, you know, our athletic director, you know, you've seen him. And you know, he does he did great jobs in the uh in the past. Uh, but you know, now being as I'm staff and getting a chance to where I can actually, at any given time, I can go hang out with Steve, no matter if it's during, you know, one of the games, he, you know, he makes sure that you know all of the staff gets um kind of, I will say firsthand treatment where, hey, you guys want to come to the game? You have anybody that's visiting that want to come to the game, you know, just let us know and we take care of it. Um, if you have, you know, friends and family in town and you know want to um enjoy one of the uh events on campus, just let us know. Um and that's one of the things that I've enjoyed, uh, where um it's not just uh we we work together. So I also get a chance as you know, our athletic liaison in our office, uh, where you know not only do I, you know, work directly with our coaches, um, I also work, you know, uh I'm able to actually have that point of contact where you know I can actually reach out to Steve directly. Um so you know, um meeting Steve and learn a little bit about you know some of the things and him being down to earth. Um I think is one of those uh cool things where um not saying that everyone that is, you know, in a position of power or that oversees, you know, departments around, you know, different universities or different organizations. Um, but what's cool about Steve is you have a conversation, it's like he happens to be the athletic director of B Dub. So it's it's kind of like uh one of the one of the guys, like um, and I think that's I think that's great. Um that kind of goes into a little bit of, you know, um it was kind of a puzzle piece that BW, I think, uh really needed. Um where um, you know, a lot of the you know smaller university vibes that we have at BW and bring and Steve kind of just adds to that. Um and I also, you know, like you know, a lot of the new moves that we've made, you know, to grow our um our varsity sports and also some of our um some of our other uh club sports that we have on our campus as well.

SPEAKER_00: 15:13

Yeah, Steve was just uh I I don't want to say a brush of fret air to to talk to when he was on the show, but like I never really personally met him. I I met him through uh Johnny, uh the manager of the podcast who gets most of the guests for the show and everything like that. So I didn't really know too much about Steve uh when he came on the show. But once we got to talking, it was just like, man, I'm just like it's like I'm sitting at a bar shooting the shit with somebody. You know what I mean? Like having just and it was it was a great conversation, and like to the point where I had to look at the time I was like, oh, we're out of time. Like, oh my god, you know what I mean? Like it was I was that invested in what Steve had to say. Like, do you get that all the time with him, like being able to work with him and just like knowing, like, okay, now it's just like talking to one of my buddies who just happens to be the athletic director.

SPEAKER_02: 16:08

And I I always have this thing where um where you know you step into the room and you want to learn and meet people. Uh, I'm I'm real observant. So I when I when I step into a room that I'm not familiar with, I just sit back and you know, meet, introduce myself, but I don't talk a lot when I first um get around. One thing about Steve, he kind of he kind of uh kind of eliminates that when he's in the room for you. Uh you you kind of have to talk. Yeah. Uh because he wants to, he's like, hey, open up a little bit. Like for me, I'm I'm um a lot of people want to get when they see me, and they're like, you're you're an extrovert. And I was like, Yes, it seems that way, but I I'm very introverted because I love my personal time. Um and I'm I'm I was big, uh, I was I was raised as, you know, you you you speak when spoken to. Yeah, um, you talk when you know um when when it's needed, you know, you don't overstep and things of that sort. So uh for me, that was one of those cool things, like you said, where you step in and now you have one of the funniest guys. Um, and he he's actually still a pretty good athlete as well. Um, you know, um if you if you have some time to go do some pickup, you know, I don't I know he used to uh do a lot when he was out at Bethany.

SPEAKER_00: 17:30

Oh, the noon hoops, he was a big noon hooper.

SPEAKER_02: 17:35

You know, his I'll say modest trash talking as well. My my modest trash talking. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 17:41

You kind of have to. Like you have to have that guy on there that's just gonna, you know, it's not meant to be hurtful, but we're gonna talk some trash when we're playing ball. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02: 17:51

Yeah, but he but he fun, like I said, great guy, and I feel like um we definitely at BW, we definitely have somebody that is that has been a great part of the community, um, and someone that is forward thinking, um and always uh thinking about you know the next plan to not only you know continue to evolve himself, but also uh BW in the athletic department. And um, you know, just speaking with a lot of the um um folks that have worked in the department that have been there, and you know, you know, Steve's been great for them as well. So I think uh um it was uh something that has been uh amazing for us at BW.

SPEAKER_00: 18:32

Yeah, and I I follow everybody that comes on the show, and I mean it it's getting tougher at we're at episode 274 now, you know what I mean? And you know, I I I follow everybody and I've been following Steve's career since he's been on, and I see the good things that he's doing there, and I'm just so proud for him. Like it it it makes it makes me feel good that I was able to to talk to him and that. But um, you are uh switching gears a little bit. You're also you know, you mentioned it there a little bit in the beginning, a proud dad uh to a son, and you have been with your significant other for about 15 years or so, I believe, if uh I'm checking Feddy's stats on this one for uh everything like that. So, how do you balance everything? Because I know like we talked about busy schedules, you know, you have everything else going on. I'm busy too, proud dad, proud husband. And you know, I know what it's like for me to balance a busy schedule, but how do you how do you have that work of life balance for you?

SPEAKER_02: 19:25

Um for me, one of the the shifts for me was when I came back to BW. Um, so uh I originally when I graduated, I worked uh for a healthcare company and I used to do uh um staff. It was to kind of uh shorten it. It was staffing. Um but it was uh uh was able to make great money, um, but it was uh medical coding for the insurance side. Um and I had a chance to work with actually some uh very uh great uh best friends of mine and also Proud BW alums, uh which was uh a way that I happened to uh gain my first career and job out outside of uh gr after graduating because of the great job that they've done. Um but what happened was the sales, if if anybody's been in sales, you um you could do a great job, but if you get burned out too early, you start thinking about okay, what's my next move? And that was one thing that um that happened a little early where I was like, hey, I enjoyed it, uh the money's great. Um but um I wanted to do something additional. Um and then shortly after that started officiating. Um so what happened there was I was a commission job and I was like, if I could potentially, you know, just make some extra cash, you know, doing, you know, officiating, uh, then hence that can be my commission there. And I control when I work uh for officiating. And that's what kind of led me to um you know applying to come back to BW. Um and the flexibility in our schedule uh really helps me out uh with family life and then also, you know, free time and personal. Um so you know, with with a five-year-old, you know, he's in kindergarten now. Um so that has been a uh it's been a process. Um he enjoys it. Um he doesn't enjoy waking up, which I don't think anybody does.

SPEAKER_00: 21:33

I don't know any kid that does.

SPEAKER_02: 21:35

But what's funny is um it's like I don't want to go to school today. So I'm like, all right, well, let's get up, let's eat. And I'm like, you ready to go to school? Yes. So after I feed him, um since we um since we our schedules kind of work hand in hand in the morning, so I do drop off, she she does pick up. Um and um now that she's she's uh finished up with school, um, so I would say my son is uh he's five, and um he was uh our uh he we had him in 2020, so in the heart of the shutdown and everything. Um and actually mom was getting ready to graduate uh right before she had him. But um, you know, I always say I'll take the blame for that. Um uh you know, um it was a um it was a little bit of a tougher uh um pregnancy and things. So took some time away from work and school. Um, but um, you know, after you know, she took some time off, she started working, and then now she finished school this past um summer. So um I have a uh uh Kent State alumni, you know, under my roof um now. Um well under our roof now. So I I'm supportive. Uh so I won't I don't give her too much flack. I always told her she was a small school girl, though. She should have she should have gone to school.

SPEAKER_00: 23:05

You kind of got to, though. I mean that that makes a uh a healthy household, in my opinion. I mean, you you're talking to a comedian too. So like I there's nothing. I I always say if you can't find the joke of something, it's probably wrong. There you go. You know, you you gotta find that time to to make with family. Like, I still have a day job. I'm not uh one of these comedians that you know that's all I do, which that is the end goal. Uh, but you know, so I have that I'm balancing uh 55 to 60 hour a week work week and then talking with uh bookers and promoters and trying to line shows up that fit around that schedule too as well, and then carving out time for my wife and son. A little easier now. My son's 16, he's gonna be 17 in May. So I mean, he's older, he's more he's more self-sufficient, you know. I mean, like I always make the joke to him. It's like uh he when I see him, it's like, oh, it must be feeding time, because that's like the only time I I see you anymore of a man like you're always up in your room on your games with your your buddies in your free time more now that you're driving, you're out with them, you know what I mean? So um I don't I always make that joke, but you know, it's it we we find things to laugh about, and it I wouldn't have it any of the way. And my wife, God bless her soul, uh wouldn't either, you know, it took it. Some convincing when we first got together. We've been together about 10 years now, uh, legally married for four. Um, you know, so it's it's to the point now where at first she was just like, You make everything a joke? Like, is is everything a joke to you? It's like, not everything, but but most things, most things are funny. And it it come to find out, um, I don't talk about this a lot too as well, but my wife's a heart patient. Uh, she said uh four heart surgery since she was 16 years old. Um, and she has what's called uh it's Potts or Grinch syndrome. Um, and her heart was basically too small. Um, so once we got together about a year, year and a half in, we were going to one of her her checkups, and her doctor was looking at her, and he she was like, What? Is something wrong? He goes, Yes, but in a good way. Your numbers and your blood pressure's coming up, which I've never seen happen before. He's like, Are you doing anything different? Um, other than there's a new face in here with us, with with uh with your fiance here. Uh, what what what seems to be what what's kind of going on? She's like, I don't know, but I mean he cracks jokes all the damn time. I married a I'm marrying a comedian and like I'm forever laughing. And he goes, do not get rid of him. So when when I heard that, I was like, laughter's the laughter's the best medicine. You know what I mean? So that's a win. And I was just like, hey, doctor's orders, you can't get rid of me. Like, you know what I mean? You're you're stuck with me now. You know what I mean? So uh it's a bad point, but like you know, seeing that, and yeah, I I will I will take it to my grave that laughter is the best medicine.

SPEAKER_02: 26:12

No, it's I I give I give the my girlfriend a hard time, um, because she's like, I'm funny and I make you laugh. And I always tell her, you're not funny, she's hilarious. Because then she's like when she hears this, then like she'll be like, I knew I was funny, but I can't tell her to her face because then she's always gonna have that one up on me. Um, like, you know, a goal of ours is always making each other laugh. And our son, our son is a bit of a comedian himself, so we kind of have a um, and then what's funny is now since we've been off our you know our two-week break, you know, this uh I sat back and these have been some of the best times um because I haven't this is the first time in probably a while where I took off from officiating for an extended period of time where normally it's like, all right, gotta, you know, because there's still games going on. And this is the heart of this is the middle of the uh basketball season. So um that's definitely stuff I couldn't be doing, but I was I I decided this um this year because she's ready to go back to work as well. Um, you know, as she you know continues to, you know, search for you know employment and everything. Um I'm like I can officiate less because that's something that I can draw. Um and you know, to free up more time for you know for us. Um and like I said, it's been something that I've enjoyed. So the uh kind of uh finish up with that question of you know work-life balance and family. Um, you know, you find your pockets when you can because we all have our busy seasons. Like I do football and basketball. So uh these are things that you can kind of do all year round for the most part. Um, like I have the football season that starts, you know, early August, and that goes until late November if you have if you're privileged enough to do playoffs. Um, I was last year, and that was one of the best experiences I've had in football this previous year. Um, I had a good season this year, but last year it was uh great because I was able to go uh deep into the playoffs as an official. Um and then, you know, end of November, basketball season rolls in too. Um and uh last year I was lucky enough as well to be selected for the playoffs, where I also went uh very deep into the uh um playoffs as an official uh for football and basketball. Um so what happens a lot of times, you use your breaks, you use your um times during the week where you know he's five, so he's doing his activities, whether it's um junior calves basketball, swimming. He loves swimming. Um try T ball. Um he he wants to he wants to do boxing, he wants to do martial arts. So I'm like, okay, these are all things that we are planning to try. We're gonna try soccer, flag football this upcoming, um, this upcoming year as well. So there's a there's a lot there, but you know, the the important thing for us is also we still we still have to make time to date each other as well. Yeah. Um so um, hey son, you're gonna be going over to grandma's house. Uh you're gonna be going over to your cousin's house because um haven't been on a date in a while. And you know, this is my time. Yes, we love you, and it's fun when you go on dates with us too. Um, but you know, this is a time where you know we have to, you know, still create time for ourselves. I'll tell you the best thing that has happened to me was uh creating a shared schedule on on our uh on our um calendar.

SPEAKER_00: 30:14

Yeah, I I never thought I was gonna be that guy. My wife and I have have a calendar on our iPhones that we can put something in there, boom, we know who's got what's going on when. Yeah, uh, because there'd be times I'd forget that I'm talking to bookers and I'm booking a show. And my wife in 10 years has missed three shows, three shows total. And one she had COVID, it was right in the middle, right after the pandemic was winding down. Obviously, couldn't uh go anywhere with that. Uh the other one, she had food poisoning, so uh couldn't do that. And the third one, it was to no fault of her own. It was a show that I had with a company in Columbus, and they were booking prison shows, and nobody but the comedians and then in the production crew could come because we were performing for the inmates. It was just a safety thing. So in 10 years, she has missed three shows. So, like, I've been talking to these bookers, and I'm like, Yeah, sure, I'm available. Cool, let's lock it in, I'll be on the show. And then, like, a couple days before the show, she sees me really with my note joke notebook out, and I'm I'm really crushing down and it condensing my set and everything like that. She's like, What are you doing? I was like, I got a show in like three days. She's like, When were you gonna tell me we had it? You had a show, and I was like, Oh shit, yeah. Oh, by the way, I'm performing in this place. So we we created the shared calendar, and now I can just put it right in there, and she knows as soon as I get it booked, and it's been a huge help.

SPEAKER_02: 31:38

Yes, again, and I definitely understand. She's like, You you didn't tell me you had a game today. I was like, you know what? Something changed. Yeah, you know, now stuff has happened. Um, now with the uh, because you know, sometimes we get the day off. Like there was an opportunity to do a game today. Um, they were like, hey, we have an emergency. Can someone go to this high school at 1230? And I was like, Well, one, I have an interview today, but then also um I told her I wasn't working today, so I kind of have to stay true to my word.

SPEAKER_00: 32:14

I gotta I gotta go. I gotta own that one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 32:17

So I'm like, you know what? Um, yeah, I'm not available. Not available. So um, but like you said, it it is it is it has freed things up and has made our um because we'll even you know do our we do our family planning, we do our his planning, um, and you know, like doctor's appointments, even like you know, doctor's appointments is a big one, you know.

SPEAKER_00: 32:39

She would forget to tell me, she, oh well, I have a doctor's appointment, I need you to take me to it. I can't drive home afterwards. Okay, I mean I will, but like I uh a little heads up is nice, you know. So yeah, it it's yeah, I never thought I'd be the shared calendar guy, and I'm an advocate for it now. If you're in a relationship, get that shared calendar.

SPEAKER_02: 33:02

I look, I I I swear by it now. Look, I swear by it. Yeah, I still mess up sometimes, but at least at least I'm like, hey, 80% of the time I'm on top of this. Yep, 80, 90, 80, 90 of the time I'm on top of this.

SPEAKER_00: 33:17

Yeah. I told my wife at the beginning, I was like, look, I I'm I'm a C student at best. You don't get into stand-up comedy because you're book smart. You know what I mean? Like, so uh just keep that in mind. I will I will be around that 80. You know what I mean? And if you're okay with that, this is gonna work out beautifully. You know, if you're cool with me messing up about 20 of the time, we're gonna get along wonderfully. Uh, but you mentioned it there. You you've done football, you've done uh basketball, coaching. Which sport do you like the best to officiate?

SPEAKER_02: 33:51

Um, it's so it was tough because there's nothing like a Friday night. Right. Um, so but the the caveat and the catch to that is there's nothing like a Friday night between August and mid-October. Um, because once mid-October gets here and it starts getting cold, I am like, you know what? I think I'm I think I'm ready for basketball season. Um so um I will I will tell you I've had an opportunity to uh officiate some of the uh best athletes in in both sports. Um I even uh have done um um in the spring and then in the summer, I do a semi-pro league as well uh for for football. Um if you if you happen to see some of the videos, uh what do they call it? 35U. Um I I'm one of the 35U officials. Nice. Uh so um it depends because I will tell you when you're in a packed gym and you got two rivals and both schools really hate each other, oh yeah, and you know, the game comes down to the wire, it's it's like nothing else. Um but to be, I had uh uh one of my most memorable football games, and I think this is like the top, like if I never officiated again, this I will remember this to the for the rest of my life. I had uh a Glenville Avon uh football game uh now three years ago. Um and I kid you not, there had to be there had to be probably three, four thousand people there. Yeah, like there were probably the sidelines looked like we were at, we were at one of the uh D1 uh college universities, and there were probably, let's see, each football team probably had a hundred plus kids on their team, and then their sidelines probably had an extra 100 people on the sidelines, and all the stands were full. And I was just like, I couldn't imagine doing this at like the shoe or uh going, you know, to another uh stadium within, you know, at any level. And I'm like, like I'm at a small level, and this is kind of like my heart is pumping, and I'm excited. So that that was probably one of my best experiences. Uh so I would say football probably gets the edge. Um but the caveat is weather. Depending on the weather, uh we'll definitely uh I I definitely get that.

SPEAKER_00: 36:33

Uh in college, um having a uh journalism and broadcast degree, I worked for the radio station uh at college, and I got to announce every home football, basketball, baseball. Like I did all the sports there. And there's nothing like uh a football game. I mean, even on a Saturday afternoon, you know, and like you said, you got those two rivals that are there, you know, kind of gotta pull the mic back a little bit away because you can hear the stands, you know what I mean for me. And you know, you get that in there, but it there was nothing like that. But being in that gym when basketball season started and being able to announce those games and the pace of the game, I I liked it a little bit better than than football. And I'm I mean, I'm a football guy through and through. Uh, I like college basketball. Um, the NBA is kind of not doing it for me anymore. Um, but you know, just seeing the amount of people that come to the and we're talking about Bethany College with the with the total uh enrollment of like 900 people, like that. That's you know what I mean? And it's packed. Yeah, and people are cheering, and I'm up in the booth trying to keep my heart rate down so that I can talk and make words and enunciate and be able to articulate on the radio what what people are here to sing, and it's just there's nothing like it. But yeah, I get that, you know. But those football games, we're getting into October, and and I'm I'm having to be more bundled up up there in the in in the booth and trying to talk. Yeah, I'm not about that life anymore.

SPEAKER_02: 38:13

I guess I remember that. Uh that was my um that was my first pivot um away from uh away from playing. Uh became our play-by-play for uh um at BW uh for football and I did basketball as well. Um I did a little announcing for wrestling, so I I definitely understand. Um I definitely understand the uh the play-by-play, and I also did a little color uh commentating uh when I was at BW as well.

SPEAKER_00: 38:44

It's it's fun. Like I did I I loved every minute of it. Um and you know, I it helped that uh in football. I had a I had a great uh that's I will say co-host. You know, he we we went back and forth as to who was play by play and who was color. We we split the games right down the middle um to make it fair for for both of us. Uh honestly, I liked color a little bit more. I'm a I'm an animated guy. Um, I'll tell you this: the the quarterback for for Bethany did not like that I was the color guy at one point in time. I gave him a nickname and it still sticks today. Um, our quarterback was 6'7, 250 pounds, and he could run it. And I called him, and he was a lefty, and I called him hefty lefty one time on the air. And like my man was slinging the ball all over the all over the field, and it just came out of my mouth. And I saw him about three years ago. Just happened to be uh on a date night. My wife and I, we were just out at sitting at a bar, and we were just kind of enjoying each other's company and then having a night out with each other. And I I looked over and I said, Grimard? And he was just like, Oh, and then he was like, You know, people still freaking call me hefty lefty, and if we that's my bad, my bad. And this uh we I graduated from Bethany in 2012, so it's been a while that people are still calling him that. I was like, you know, when you're good at something, man, you know, it just kind of sticks like oh that's that's great, man. Even that, and like according to me, like I I've been doing comedy now uh 14 years, and my very first show. Uh the host came up after my set, and I'd go on these long field rants on stage and that. And he was like, Man, we just had the angry white comic up on stage, and 14 years later, people are still calling me the angry white comic, and I've rolled with it for 14 years, so I've learned to roll with the punches. That's what I told him. Like, just keep sticking it out, man. It's cool.

SPEAKER_02: 40:49

Like, you gotta appreciate the small things, you have to appreciate the small things, just own it. It's funny. Um I am a uh I love uh comedy, that's one of the things, and I am a I'm a tough cookie too, though. So my goal is going then to okay, that was funny. Okay, I like that. And when I get when I get something that's really funny and you really hear me crack up, I'm like, you know what? I like that. But um, that's one of the things that I do, and my goal is when I'm like looking for new comics and things, I just like to I like all different versions of comedy because I feel like if you can grab a new audience member or someone new to follow you and joke telling. Um, because you're creating a you're creating a scene and you're creating a picture. You're giving somebody a piece of a piece of your brain. Um, it's your art. Um, but I I enjoy I really enjoy comedy. I do.

SPEAKER_00: 41:53

Yeah, I yeah, I I never thought I'd be able to get on a stage and do this. Um crippling stage fright. I had crippling stage fright when I first started doing comedy. Like I'd have to be half-lit to even be up on stage with a big spotlight on me and a microphone and a room full of people that I didn't know. Yeah, were staring at me. And now I can't wait to get on stage. And it it's such a I heard all these uh big time comics talking about like, man, after a show, you know, you're jacked up, you know, you're all excited, you know. After that, it's like, I mean, I don't understand how you can be that excited. I mean, essentially, you just work, you put in weeks of work into writing jokes and practicing them at open mics, and you know, making sure it fits into the lot of the time that you have to not mess the promoters up and get them fired up at you. Uh like that sounds like mentally exhausting. And like after a couple of shows where you know you're on and people are just laughing, and you know, it's it's a rush. And like there were times like my wife would look at me after the show, she's like, How are you still awake? It's like four in the morning right now.

SPEAKER_03: 43:05

You're normally up right now.

SPEAKER_00: 43:06

I was like, honey, I can't sleep. I'm so jacked from this show. Like, just the people cheering and clapping and heckling me back. I love hecklers, uh, like I love doing crowd work. I oh if you're gonna heckle me at a show, I will throw every joke I have out the window. And now you were my show. And then I'm going in on you, and that's it.

SPEAKER_02: 43:29

And you know what is oh, I'm sorry about that. No, you're good. I was gonna say what I always find interesting about a heckler is no one paid to see you, and no one paid to ask you to uh like you're ruining the show right now, but to always have this belief that uh at the end of the day, we all have our own traits of things that you know we have to be selfish in certain areas. Yeah, we're about in the world. This is the one point in time where you're not always allowed to be selfish at private events.

SPEAKER_00: 44:00

Like oh, I I had that one time at a show, and um I'm sitting there, I'm on stage, I'm about five or ten, five, five or six minutes into my set of a 30 minute set that I had to do. And I had it planned out to a T. Like I I should get an applause break and a laugh break here. I can be, you know, and I had it timed out to it was 30 minutes on the dot. And these people were, I mean, they were at the bar and they were just trying to talk over time. Top of the microphone to the point where I completely stopped talking. And I sat back on the stool and I just stared at them until they realized they get quieter in here. And they turned around and they saw me. I was like, I'm sorry, was I talking while you guys were over there? You know, I I didn't I didn't mean to, you know, comedy show, lights, microphone. Hell with me. What are we talking about? Let's it's what's more important than we're big, my name's up on the marquee. Is your name up on the marquee? No, it's not cool. Okay. Uh, you know, and everybody else was just in on it at that point in time because there were three people that were ruining the show for everyone that came, paid their money to sit there and hear a comedy show. And that's what I love about handling hecklers is you now got a room of people that just now are so mad and hate one person. It's just and it's just everybody buys into that because they just like, yeah, I paid good money to come and and hear these comics tell their jokes. And for some, you know, like we were talking about, it's a date night. You know, we're we're we're out. This is our one night get away, uh, a week, a month to get away and enjoy something, and we're trying to, and you're ruining it right now. And oh, I love I love heckler. I preference every show telling people, hey, I love hecklers. I'll I'm just letting you guys know this now. Uh, I have a microphone. You were all in proximity to this speaker system, and I'm gonna ruin your night if you try to row this for other people, just so you know, you know, you know what I mean. So, like that's just I preference every show that way now.

SPEAKER_02: 46:07

It it's it's an interesting time, and one of the things that uh I get a kick out of um for you know, because as an official, you you get you do get your hecklers and everything. Yeah, and the the one rule on the fishing, especially at our level, because uh for what they pay college refs and what they pay uh professional refs, honestly, you could say whatever you want to me for the amount of money that they're paying. But I'm gonna tell you here, for you know, some of us high school officials or great officials that do middle school and then youth, uh, I'm like, look, they're not paying me enough to listen to you tell me how you feel that this game should be officiated.

SPEAKER_03: 46:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_02: 46:58

Um, so sometimes I'm I'm a person that if if you become disrespectful or say something, I'm like, oh, okay, so you want me to start the show now. All right. So I'm gonna give you one time. If you keep going, that nice person over there is gonna ask you to leave. They're like, I say, don't worry about it. I say that nice person over there is gonna ask you to leave. And when I tell them you have to leave, guess what they're gonna do? Oh, they're not. I say, okay, well, remember this. If you don't leave and they leave, there's a police department that's not too far away that's gonna make you leave. And then after that, everybody gets quiet. Yep. This guy isn't playing. I'm like, hey, the kids are just trying to play and you're ruining this event right now.

SPEAKER_00: 47:42

Yeah, absolutely. Like, yeah, that's what it blows my mind, especially at the high school, you know, level and lower. Like, we got kids that enjoy to play the game and are wanting to go out there and perform for their family and friends that are coming there to watch them. Uh, some God willing will go on to the next level and be able to do that. And but let them have fun and play the game that they love to play. That that's yeah. I mean, now don't get me wrong, when my son was playing high school football, I was the loudest critic on the on the face of the planet, you know. Um it just I I get too invested in what he was doing, and you know, it's it's it's it's tough. My wife would like I I I'm pretty sure I'm calloused on the right side of my body from my wife, just constantly like, just let him like, just shut up. Like, I was like, nah, he missed that block. Like, I'm gonna let him know he missed that block, and you know, so like it's just I'm I'm that parent. I I get invested and I just want to see him succeed, and that's that's what it amounts to.

SPEAKER_02: 48:49

I always leave I always think about this with um the the one piece, and I get it, we want the best for our kids. And my theory, my brief theory about uh officiated, um, because this goes to coaches and parents sometimes. I I realize that this is the one time, especially for a coach. This is the one time um as a coach where you're not in control.

SPEAKER_03: 49:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02: 49:14

As a player as well. Um, there's one person that has control over the game. Um, and I think that's the the one piece sometimes that um I think sometimes, and I say in um in your case, but in some people's case, they're like, I don't like the way they're doing it. And I'm like, I I get it. It's like any job. There's gonna be people that do an amazing job, and there's gonna be people that um do an okay job or they do the bare minimal. But every job in the world, you're gonna have your rock stars, and then you're gonna have your people that are, you're gonna have your glue people, and then you're gonna have your people that, hey, they show up, they're they're here to get paid. And it's unfortunate. Um, but I think sometimes we we miss that. Uh I and I think we miss it in um a lot of cases, not only officiating, but just you know, real world day-to-day things. Um, so that's you know, that's that's one uh piece that I always look at.

SPEAKER_00: 50:09

Yeah, you're you're not wrong. Um, and that being said, kind of like what happened with Steve, uh, we're running out of time here. It was a pleasure. Uh dude, uh, I gotta get this one last segment in here um before we end the show. And for the old listeners out there, you know what's coming for the new listeners out there. Uh, it is the Fast Fitty Five. Five random questions from the wonderful manager of the podcast, Johnny Fittipalconi. And uh Martell, these have nothing to do with what we've been talking about for about pretty much the entirety of the show. They're kind of rapid fire, but you can elaborate if you need to. So if you're already, we'll go ahead and get rolling. Okay. Alrighty. Uh, question number one: where does Shaq rank on your all-time NBA players?

SPEAKER_02: 50:53

Shaq, well, seeing that Shaq is my number one center, he would be five.

SPEAKER_00: 50:59

All right, he would be in top five. I like that. I'm not mad at that at all. Uh, question number two better football movie, the longest yard or the replacements?

SPEAKER_02: 51:11

Okay, so are we going original longest yard or ooh, he didn't specify on that one. Uh because I've seen both, and um uh I probably go with the replacements because it's it that's replacement's just hilarious, but yeah, I'd probably go with the remake of the longest yards as well.

SPEAKER_00: 51:34

Yeah, that Adam Sandler version. I I gotta give give that over the original just on the comedic aspect of it, too, as well. Uh, but question number three Who is the best football player you have ever played against in high school or college?

SPEAKER_02: 51:50

Played against?

SPEAKER_00: 51:51

Played against. Oh man. Yeah, he he he brought the the thunder with that question.

SPEAKER_02: 52:00

I was gonna get I was gonna tell you, I had a few guys that I I played with that actually uh in the NFL, but that I played against.

SPEAKER_01: 52:10

Oh man.

SPEAKER_02: 52:16

Well the guy that comes to mind, he was one of the strongest kids. There was this kid named um Eddie Cleveland, uh, my senior year, and he was a nose guard. I was a center. Hey, I knew I wasn't going, I knew I wasn't going D1. Uh, but uh I would just say this was one of the oh, actually, ah, I got somebody. Um he played uh for the Buffalo Bills, um tight end. Oh crap, I can't even remember his name. He went to oh, he was from Florida. Oh I'll go with Andy Cleveland right now because I can remember his name. Gotcha local guy from the uh Cleveland area.

SPEAKER_00: 53:00

Okay. Uh, question number four are cucumbers overrated or underrated?

SPEAKER_02: 53:05

Underrated because you can do so many things with them.

SPEAKER_00: 53:08

Okay, all right, and last but not least, your best suburb on both the east side of Cleveland and the west side of Cleveland are well.

SPEAKER_02: 53:18

I'm not gonna tell you that Willoughby is the best suburb on the east side. I would never tell you that. Uh, and that's definitely for the person that uh asked the question. Um best east side suburb, um, best east side suburb. Um man.

SPEAKER_01: 53:42

Actually, that's a really good question. I would probably say you know what?

SPEAKER_02: 53:52

So I got so so I I got two that I'm thinking of because I'm thinking of either Minor, if we're gonna go uh 90 east or Route 2 East, or you have yeah, I'll probably say Minor. Minor's good.

SPEAKER_00: 54:06

I'll say Minor's up there for the other.

SPEAKER_02: 54:08

Minor has, if not almost everything, probably everything you can almost want um there. Um and then if we go west, it's funny. Uh Minor, uh what I call West Side of uh Minor West is uh Strongsville. Strongsville is Minor West. Um because Strongsville, I mean it has everything you you probably could could need. Uh and probably every restaurant you could probably think of. Um, so I would say those are those are two uh I'm not a big party guy, so Lakewood doesn't do it for me. And uh I know our our our friend really loves Willoughby. Yeah, he is all about Willoughby. That's for sure. Willoughby is uh uh I would say that's probably his maybe third best friend. Yeah, maybe his third best friend is probably one of them.

SPEAKER_00: 55:09

For sure. Absolutely talking. No, yeah, I I give him crap about it all the time. It's it's cool. Uh so that was the fast spinning five. He kind of took it a little easy on you, Martel. I gotta tell you. Couple of questions into the three and five were like were wow. Uh questions.

SPEAKER_02: 55:27

I thought he was gonna give me some problems, but uh, I thought there was gonna be something about uh uh because he he hates my team, so uh so uh yeah, I thought I was gonna get some uh flack about my uh I'm a I'm a Steelers fan.

SPEAKER_00: 55:41

My man, I I knew we were getting along for a reason. So I knew it. I I'm a Steelers guy. I grew up about an hour outside of the stadium in West Virginia. I'm a Pittsburgh sports fan through and through. Uh I get it. Uh well that was the Fast 55. Uh and uh Martel, like I said, we are running down near the end of the episode here. Uh, I do give every guest this opportunity at the end of every show. There's anything you want to get out there, uh, whether it's uh for BW or you're officiating, or even if it's just a good message that you have for the folks, I'm gonna give you about a minute, and the floor is yours.

SPEAKER_02: 56:17

Um, so BW related, uh, we actually will be introducing um a brand new women's flag football team uh that's gonna be coming. So that's gonna be something that uh will be uh great to recruit for, and something that we will be bringing to our campus um and our varsity level sports uh this upcoming year. Um and then um another thing, uh find something that makes you happy and find someone that makes you happy if you if you inspire to do so. So if you can find something that makes you happy and find someone that makes you happy, that's like the most important part of life.

SPEAKER_00: 56:57

I gotta tell you, Martel, I love it. I love helping people uh promote uh anything they got going on. Uh, but I love it when people have a good message that to end the show. That that that that really gets me uh fired up again for it. But um, that is actually going to do it for this week's episode of the Ride Home Rants podcast. I want to thank my guest again, Martel, for joining the show. A lot of fun to get to talk to you, a lot of fun to get to talking about BW and just your story in general. It was amazing to have you on. We're so appreciative that we can make this work for you. And as always, if you enjoyed the show, be a friend. Tell a friend. If you didn't, tell them anyways, they might like it just because you didn't. That's gonna do it for me, and I will see y'all next week.