Backwards K Pod

Jim Abbott

At every level of baseball, Jim Abbott had doubters and skeptics. They doubted him in grade school little-league, high school, college, and the major leagues. He had model size, and a 95 MPH fastball. By any standard, he would be considered great. What made Abbott stand out during his amateur and pro career, were the challenges he overcame to compete at the highest level. Jim was born with a deformed right arm, and ostensibly played the game one-handed. This week we dive into his inspirational story. #JimAbbott #1998Olympics #MichiganWolverines #FlintMichigan #CaliforniaAngels #NewYorkYankees #ChicagoWhiteSox #MilwaukeeBrewers

The Baker Bowl; From Sugar To Sh*t

This week we dive into the history of the Baker Bowl, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1887-1938. There were two versions of the ballpark. While both were considered state of the art engineering marvels of their day, both would be beset by tragedy, and both would devolve from sugar to shit. #BakerBowl #NationalLeaguePark #PhiladelphiaPhillies #AlfredReach #ColonelRogers #WilliamBaker #ReadingRailroad #PhiladelphiaAthletics #ShibePark #TheHump #EdDelahanty #GroverClevelandAlexander #GeraldNugent #ConnieMack

Lou Gehrig; The Iron Horse

This week we do a deep dive into the legend of the Iron Horse, Lou Gehrig.
While the roaring 20's was the perfect age, for the larger than life, overindulgent, and bombastic Babe Ruth. The 1930's saw the country headed for dark times, and economic collapse. Baseball now needed a hero who was solid, dependable and dignified. The baseball universe would find that hero in Lou Gehrig. #LouGehrig #NewYorkYankees #EleanorGraceTwitchell #HeinrichGehrig #ChristinaGehrig #CommerceHighSchool #ColumbiaUniversity #JohnMcgraw #AndyCoakley #MillerHuggins #BabeRuth #PeeWeeWanniger #WallyPipp #JoeMcCarthy #ALS

The History Of Baseball In Milwaukee

Milwaukee has a rich baseball tradition, and a legacy that goes back to the 1870's. Granted, it's never been the center of the mid-west baseball universe, and never will, considering Chicago's close proximity. But the last quarter of the 19th century, and the first half of the 20th century, often found the city of Milwaukee, in the thick of major league baseball, but never quite able to sustain a big-league club, for the long term. All that changes in 1953, when the Boston Braves came to town. Milwaukee is a baseball town. From the dedicated fandom for their World Series Champion Milwaukee Braves of 1957, to the way a small market Brewers team, stands among the ten best attendance totals year after year. This week we do a deep dive into the history of baseball in the region, and the three stadiums that have been home to the city's teams; Borchert Field, County Stadium and American Family Field. #Milwaukee #MilwaukeeCreams #MilwaukeeBrewers #LloydStreetGrounds #WrightStreetGrounds #MilwaukeeBraves #MilwaukeeBrewers #OttoBorchert #BorchertFields #CountyStadium #BudSelig #MillerPark #AmericanFamilyField

Cy Young

Denton True "Cyclone" Young left a baseball legacy behind that is ulikely to ever be matched. He won 511 games, which is almost 100 more than Walter Johnson. His resume of records also include, most starts, complete games, innings pitched, hits surrendered, earned runs allowed, losses and batters faced, as statistically speaking, he stands head and shoulders, above any pitcher who has ever played the game. This is the story of the kid, from the humble beginnings, who would go onto astound the young baseball world with his powerful right arm, and set the standard for all hurlers of the future to aspire for. Cy Young is a name familiar to all but the most casual fan, all these years later, and his name is synonomous with pitching excellence. We all know the numbers, now hear his story. #DentonTrueYoung #CyYoung #GilmoreOhio #PeoliOhio #ClevelandSpiders #BostonAmericans #ClevelandNaps #StLouisPerfectos #BostonRustlers #RobbaYoung #CapAnson #ChicagoColts #FrankRobison

Jim Palmer

In 1966, a fresh-faced. twenty year old kid arrives on the baseball scene, and puts the immortal Sandy Koufax on the shelf, when he beats the icon, in his last baseball appearance; Game three of the World Series, 17 years later, he's beating Hall Of Famer, Steve Carlton in game three of the 1983 World Series. In between those amazing book ends, Jim Palmer became the most consistent, and dominant pitcher, in the American League, during the 1970's. Beset by arm injuries early in his career, his career seemed stalled to the point, where he contemplated giving up the whole pitching thing, and becoming a position player. However, through the coaxing and prodding, of an adversarial manager, with whom he incessantly and publicly feuds with, he becomes one of the all-time greats. #JimPalmer #Cakes #MoeWiesen #PollyKIger #MaxPalmer #HarryDalton #CalRipkenSr #JimBouton #SandyKoufax #EarlWeaver #DaveMcNally #MikeCuellar #PaulBlair #JockeyUnderwear

Cool Papa Bell

According to legendary Negro Leagues pitcher Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Belll was so fast, he once hit a line drive up the middle, that hit him in the ass, when he was sliding into second base.
This week we do a case study on the great speedster. Just the mere mention of his name, would conjur up, many fantastical stories, by teammates and opponents alike, about his blazing speed. Some true, some no doubt exagerated. This week we examine the man, the myth, the legend, and try to distinguish between reality and the apocryphal. #JameNichols #StarkvilleMississippi #StLouis #StLouisStars #HomesteadGrays #PittsburghCrawfords #JudyJohnson #JoshGibson #OscarCharleston #BuckLeonard #SatchelPaige #ComptonHillsCubs #BillGatewood #MulesSuttles #CienfuegoElefantes #BirminghamBlackBarons #GusGreenlee #SamBankhead EastWestAllStarGame #ClaraBell #RafaelTrujillo #WendellSmith #MonteIrvin

The History Of Baseball In San Francisco

Even though the San Francisco Giants have won three chips in the past 14 years, the fan base has seen it's share of cold days and hard times. There were the windy, foggy days, out at Candlestick Park. The happless teams of the1980's and 90's. Being seductively wooed by Toronto in the 1970's, and by the city of Tampa in the 1990's. As well as the two years of watching Armando Benitez as their closer. This week we examine the baseball history of the venerable city by the bay. Even though the Giants have been residents of the Northern California city for a mere 66 years, the history of the game reaches far back to 1860, when spectators would sit in the stands and fire off their six-shooter pistols in the air. From the San Francisco Seals, to the Giants, being the most successful baseball team of the 21st century, I gotcha hook up. Holler If Ya Hear Me. #SealsStadium #CandlestickPark #OraclePark #RecreationPark #DansOysterSaloon #CincinnatiRedStockings #LeftyODoul #JoeDiMaggio #IkeBoone #WillieMays #OrlandoCepeda #BoozeCage #SanFranciscoChronicle #CaseyStengal #BillyMartin #MissionReds #HoraceStoneham #BobLurie #PeterMagowan