Backwards K Pod

Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium

In 1908, Philadelphia was a two baseball team city. It was not only home to the established Phillies, it was also where the upstart American League team, the Athletics played under the watchful eye of club owner Ben Shibe and his right hand man, Connie Mack. The A's quickly became the team of choice as they almost immediatly found success and pennants in the City of Brotherly Love. Because of the team's accomplishments on the field and at the gate, the club began construction on the first all concrete and steel baseball stadium, they would eventually name Shibe Park. The ballpark would revolutionize baseball from the all wood tinder boxes to a state of the art baseball palace. And their incredible feats of engineering would serve as a template for baseball stadiums in the future. The A's were the hottest ticket in Philly... that is until Jack Shibe did something that altered the relationship between ballclub and the surrounding neighborhood.
#ShibePark #BenShibe #ConnieMack #PhiladelphiaAthletics #ConnieMackStadium #PhiladelphiaPhillies #NegroLeagues #PhiladelphiaStars

Ichiro

Before 2001, there had never been a Japanesse position player make it to Major League Baseball. This is the story about one of the greatest pure hitters the game has ever seen. His rise to and through the majors, is unlike any other story in baseball. The player shrouded in mystique, would open the door for his countrymen proving once and for all, that Japanese players could not only play in Major League Baseball, they can excell and shatter records. A true game changer in the history of the game.

Disco Demolition Night 1979

Of all the wacky promotions baseball has used in their storied history to bring fans to the ballpark, Disco Demolition Night will forever live in infamy. The brainchild of Mike Veeck from the White Sox front office and a local Chicago rock and roll disc jockey, would declare war on the popular genre of disco music. For 98 cents and a disco album, fans could get a ticket to watch both games of a Tigers/White Sox double header. Between games, the plan was to take all the records collected at the turnstiles, and blow them up in centerfield with dynamite. What could possibly go wrong? #SteveDahl #GerreMeier #WDAI #WLUP #MikeVeeck #BillVeeck #ComiskeyPark #RonLeflore #KenKravic #JimmyPiersall #HarryCarey #DiscoDemolitionNight

Wrigley Field

This week, I dig into the fascinating history of Wrigley Field. From it's birth in 1914, and all of her renovations through the years. One of only two jewel box stadiums left in the major leagues, Wrigley still stands as a testament to the way baseball used to be played. After 108 years of incredible baseball stories, Wrigley in all her magnificence, is poised to shine for yet another century.

The Sandlot Movie Review

**** Spoiler Alert**** This week, we will try something we have never done before at Backwards K Pod, and give a reveiw and the backstory of the 1993 baseball comedy classic. The Sandlot. The coming of age story of young teenage boys in 1962, who together would learn the valuable lessions in life such as S'mores, friendship, kissing a girl and baseball. A podcast chock full of unforgettable scenes, whatever happen to that actor as well as behind the scene nuggets of info. The movie is just shy of 30 years old. But does it still hold? #ScottieSmalls #BennyTheJet #JamesEarlJones #TheBeast #Sandlot #HamPorter #YeahYeah #JakeRobinson #LetsTalkBaseballPodcastNetwork #BackwardsKPod

This Week In Baseball With Mel Allen

Before the internet age and 24 hour sports programming, This Week In Baseball was able to bring video, of all the teams in the major leagues, into your local market and on your living room TV. A concept unheard of until then. The creatively, innovative show would also breath life, and ressurect the career of broadcast legend Mel Allen, who was living a sad nomadic baseball life, after his iconic Yankees career ended abrubtly and without cause. Before this show could get greenlit, it had many daunting challenges to overcome. This is the story of must see 1980's television, if you were a baseball fan. This is the story of This Week In Baseball with Mel Allen. #ThisWeekInBaseball #GeoffBelinfante #JohnScott #GatheringCrowds #OzzieSmith #NBC #NewYorkYankees #RedBarber #MelAllen #JakeRobinson #LetsTalkBaseballPodcast Network #BackwardsKPod

The Pittsburgh Drug Trials Of 1985

This week, we take a look at the biggest baseball scandal at the time, since the 1919 World Series fix. Seven of some of the biggest names in baseball, took the stand before a federal grand jury, to expose the incredible network of players using cocaine, as well as the local Pennsylvania baseball fans who would ultimately pay the price, for servicing the player's insatiable appetite for the drug. An enterprise so expansive, that even the Pirates' mascot, the Parrot, was conducting deals in the Pittsburgh clubhouse during games. #PeterUeberroth #JoaquinAndujar #DaleBerra #EnosCabbell #KeithHernandez #JeffLeonard #DaveParker #LonnieSmith #RodScurry #KevinKoch #CurtisStrong #DaleShiffman #JAAllen #AdamORenfro

The Mutt And Jeff Bandits SHORT Stop POD

This is probably, the craziest baseball stories you have never heard. It's so crazy, that Adam Sandler actually considered doing a movie about it. Former MLB catcher Rick Dempsey, once told a group of us in a bar, the story of how his little league California travel team coach, was robbing banks, to fund the team. All the way to the Pony League World Series in Washington, Pa. Thank the baseball gods, I have a platform to tell this incredible story. Backwards K Pod Where We Collect Ballplayers And Their Stories The Mutt And Jeff Bandits.... This is their story #MuttAndJeffBandits #RickDempsey #RobinYount #LarryYount #JohnJennings #PaulRosenbluth #BruceDavis #RandyCohen #TerryHankins #AugieMurillo #LetsTalkBaseballPodcastNetwork #JakeRobinson #BackwardsKPod