Honus Wagner: The Flying Dutchman

This week, Backwards K Pod says good bye to former MLB catcher and Hall Of Fame Broadcaster Tim McCarver, who died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 16, 2023, at the age of 81.As durable a catcher as you will ever find, McCarver's playing career spanned over 4 decades. During his unsung baseball career, the two time All Star, two time world champion, was the trusted batterymate of some of the finest pitchers in baseball history, including two of the best in Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton. He would then transcend baseball time, by transistioning to broadcasting when his career was over. Armed with his high baseball acumen and witty command of articulating the intracacies of the sport, McCarver became one of the most respected color analysist in baseball broadcasting, winng the Ford C Frick Award in 2001 for his induction into the National Baseball Hall Of Fame. Afterwards, we dig into the life and times of the first MLB superstar; The Flying Dutchman, Honus Wagner. Honus would become the embdoiment of the American Dream, at the turn of the century, in a young country, still finding her way in a quickly changing world. The son of German immigrants, from meager roots, in the coal country of west Pennsylvania. Honus would discover the still young sport of baseball, and dominate the game like no one before him and very few have done since.