Backwards K Pod

The Complex history of the Polo Grounds, is not only a story about the various incarnations of this quirky baseball cathedral from yesteryear. It is also the story about the rise of pro sports in New York City.
From !884 to 1962, five versions of the Polo Grounds, housed not only the New York Giants, but also the New York Metropolitans, one of the earliest American League teams. She would also be the home at some point for the New York Yankees. the New York Football Giants, the Mets and the Jets.
A ballpark where a lazy fly ball down the line was a home runs, and 450 foot blasts to to Center Field were run down by the great Willie Mays.
The rise and fall of an iconic American ballpark.
#PoloGrounds #JohnDay #RobertMutrie #CoogansBluff #BobbyThompson #BabeRuth #NewYorkGiants #NewYorkYankees #JimBrush #NewYorkMets #JohnMcGraw

This week we examine the life and times of Earl Weaver, who frequently preached his baseball gospel of pitching, defense and the three run home run, as his stated formula for winning baseball games. The Hall of famer brought a tenacious fighting spirit and pragmatism to the Orioles dugout, and led the team to five !00 win seasons. Four American League Pennants, and a 1970 World Championship, all the while tormenting a whole generation of umpires along the way.
The vertically challenged Earl with his hair trigger temperment, was one of the most influential managers in modern baseball history, and among the most combative. His dictorial nature as a leader made battles with his players as frequent as those with umpires. This is his story.
#EarlWeaver #BaltimoreOrioles #HarryDalton #HankBauer #JimPalmer #BoogPowell #DaveMcNally #MikeCuellar #RickDempsey #KenSingleton #EddieMurray #BillHaller #RonLuciano

This week we will be cekebrating the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers.
Going into the 1982 season, the Brewers had high hopes and and World Series aspirations, as their team of mostly homegrown talent, was showing signs of becoming an offensive juggernaut.
However, a rough start to the season saw the Brew Crew sitting in sixth place in the American League East with a 23-24 record, 7 games behind the first place Tigers. General Manager Harry Dalton, would fire manager Buck Rogers, and replace him by elevating team batting coach Harvey Kuenn to the manager's helm. From day one, the talented, young team rallied around their manager and his hard hitting baseball pilosophy, earning them the team moniker Harvey's Wallbangers.
The team would go on to overcome adversity and the challenges of a long season, by simply bashing their way, to the 1982 World Series.
#HarveyKuenn #MilwaukeeBrewers #RobinYount #PaulMolitor #CecilCooper #BenOglive #MikeCaldwell #DonSutton #RollieFingers #StLouisCardinals #OzzieSmith #DarrellPorter #BackwardsKPod #LetsTalkBaseballPodcastNetwork #JakeRobinson

As long as Ted Williams could remember, his goal in life was to have people point at him one day and say, " There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived."
And while the the debate over the greatest hitter of all time will forever be vociferously argued by baseball fans as long as the sport is alive, One thing is for sure, The Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame, The Kid, deserves inclusion in any discussion on the topic.
From the multiple batting titles, MVP's, and Triple Crowns that he won, to missing his prime years defending the country in World War II and the Korean Conflict, This is the complex story of a complex man. Both loved and loathed, but ultimately respected for being a true American hero as well as a damn fine baseball player.

The 1920 AL Pennant race was tighter than a bullfrog's ass. The Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox were in a virtual tie, while the New York Yankees are breathing down their neck a mere half game back in the standings. This would set the stage for the start of a pivitol three game series; Tribe vs the Yankees, at the Polo Grounds.
Game one, August 16th, 1920, saw Indians Shortstop Ray Chapman take a Carl Mays fastball to his head in the fifth inning. He would die 12 hours later, becoming the first and only MLB player to die as a direct result of an injury suffered in a major league game. This is the gruesome detailed account of that fateful day. How it changed lives? How it changed the game?
#RayChapman #CarlMays #ClevelandIndians #NewYorkYankees #PoloGrounds

This week, Backwards K Pod will be examining the history of The Big A; Angels Stadium of Anaheim.
From her humble beginnings of rural farmland, that once produced oranges, corn and alfalfa sprouts, to the home of a major league franchise that now produces Salmon and Trout. The 56 year old structure is now the fourth oldest stadium in the majors and has a checkered past that includes two major facelifts, country and western crooner Gene Autry, the NFL Rams and Disney.
THe Magic Kingdom may be the place where all the tourist go, but for the locals, the Magic Kingdom will always be the Big A.
#CaliforniaAngels #AnaheimAngels #GeneAutry #DelWebb #RexCoons #DodgersStadium #TheBigA #LongBeachAngels #NolanRyan #LARams

New York Yankees teammates and best friends, Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson would confide in one another that they were in love with each other's wives.
In one of the most bizarre baseball press conferences ever, The two players would announce that their wives had officially agreed in principle, to trading them AND their dogs to one another to live as their significant other.
This week's SHORT Stop POD, we examine the swapping of lives. What went right? What went wrong?
Backwards K Pod
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#FritzPeterson #MikeKekich #NewYorkYankees #MarilynKekich #SusannePeterson #RalphHouk #GeorgeSteinbrenner #Indians #Rangers #Mariners #MauryAllen

When most people think of the Netherlands, they think Amsterdam, the Red Light District. the Devil's Lettuce and windmills. And while soccer is by far the number one sport in the country, the Dutch have become a powerful European baseball force.
As more and more quality players arrive from the Kingdom every year to the majors, I take a historical look at the oldest baseball league outside of the Americas, as well as the bright future of Dutch baseball.