Diamond Conversations

Today's Diamond Conversations welcomes former Major League Pitcher, Clayton Richard. Clayton pitched for the White Sox, Cubs, Padres and Blue Jays. In today's interview we discuss his new gig as Head Baseball Coach for Lafayette Jefferson High School and his expectations for the program he is taking over this season. We also discuss his playing days, being drafted by The White Sox in 2005, his memories of travelling in the minor leagues and his "hidden" power at the plate to include his 3 career home runs.

With an absolute flair for the dramatics and some of the most clutch home runs in the history of baseball, today's guest 1996 World Series hero, Jim Leyritz is the latest guest on Diamond Conversations. Giving us a deep dive into the biggest home runs of his career, Leyritz shares who gave him the mindset to be prepared in the tight spots of a game and how you get yourself ready to play hard, especially in October.

Today's Diamond Conversations welcomes former Major League pitcher, Bob Tewksbury. Tewksbury, a 1992 NL All Star has made quite the imprint on baseball following his playing career. He has worked as a mental skills coach for three of MLB's storied franchises and some of the game's best players including; Jon Lester, Rich Hill, Andrew Miller and Anthony Rizzo. In this interview we get a look at the success the coaching world has brought Tewks as well as hear stories from his days playing for the Yankees and Cardinals. IB-Exclusives LLC92 Main StreetSuite 201-6Warrenton, VA 20186www.ibexclusives.com

This week's Diamond Conversations welcomes "The Original Unit", former MLB infielder, Randy Johnson. Randy's 40+ year career in pro baseball started with being drafted by the New York Mets in 1978 and took him on a wild ride through the minor leagues ultimately landing him in the place he would get his big break, in Atlanta with the Braves in 1982. But that is not the end of the story, "Rags" as he is known would play ball in Atlanta as well as try his hand at playing in Japan for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp where he would have one of his best seasons ever playing baseball. Johnson also worked as a scout for the Rockies, A's and Tigers and he shares his insight on the changes made in baseball over the last ten years and if he likes the evolution of the game. --IB-Exclusives LLC92 Main StreetSuite 201-6Warrenton, VA 20186www.ibexclusives.com

This week's Diamond Conversations welcomes 2004 and 2007 World Series Champion, Doug Mirabelli. During the Red Sox remarkable "Reverse the Curse" era of the mid 2000s, Doug Mirabelli became a vital part of the Boston team by taking on the task of catching knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield. It was there that we would see how important Doug's skills would become to the Red Sox infrastructure. We also get to hear in this interview exactly what Doug felt when he was taken out of the comfort of being a Red Sox player and his triumphant journey back and remarkable return to beantown.

This week's Diamond Conversations welcomes 2x World Series Champion, 2x All-Star and 2x Silver Slugger, "HoJo" Howard Johnson. HoJo will be taking part in a virtual autograph signing presented by IB Exclusives and Music City Toys & Collectibles on August 21, 2021 at the BRAND NEW Music City Toys & Collectibles shop in Watertown, TN. In today's interview, "HoJo" discusses the recent "sticky" strip searches taking place as pitchers exit the ballgame, whether or not the pitchers have had this coming and how he would fare against the current crop of Major League arms. He also discusses the 1985 and 1987 New York Mets and which one of those teams could have gone all the way with expanded playoffs in the 1980s. Visit ibexclusives.com for more on this event and how to submit items to be signed or to get ready for the big night visit https://www.facebook.com/MusicCityToys to make your plans.

This week's Diamond Conversations picks up the chat where we left off with former NFL and MLB dual sport athlete, D.J. Dozier. D.J. finishes our discussion exploring the final stages of the minor leagues and getting ready for the elusive call up to the New York Mets roster in 1992 and the pressures that went with finally cracking the big league squad. --IB-ExclusivesP.O. Box 816Bealeton, VA 22712www.ibexclusives.com

This week's guest was a dual sport superstar and one of only seven professional athletes to play in both the NFL and MLB. In football, he was a 1986 Heisman Trophy finalist while at Penn State University and in baseball a former New York Mets prospect, D.J. Dozier.When D.J. decided to switch career paths from football to baseball it was a surprise to some but for D.J. it was merely following his heart. His story, broken up into a two part series, starts with the transition from the gridiron to the baseball diamond and the shell-shock that came with it. --IB-ExclusivesP.O. Box 816Bealeton, VA 22712www.ibexclusives.com

This week's Diamond Conversations welcomes former Major League Baseball superstar pitcher, Bret Saberhagen. A dominant pitcher throughout his career, Bret solidified his position as an Ace during the 1980s and 1990s with durability and pure dominance.Now, Bret and his wife Kandace are taking on a new challenge and lifting those in need with SabesWings. Kandace is a three time breast cancer survivor. SabesWings was developed to help those who are experiencing firsthand, the costs of caner treatments and the lack of opportunities presented to patients. From the SabesWings website: "The spirit of love, the gesture of kindness, the support of our wings lifting those in need when presented with fear. SabesWings was established to assist those suffering from financial medical toxicity because no patient should choose between treatment and everyday expenses." Learn more about SabesWings by visiting their website (https://www.sabeswings.com/). You can also find all of the information for their upcoming events this September that include a dinner, live auction, golf tournament and cooking with Celebrity Chef, Roshni Gurnani.

The latest Diamond Conversations welcomes former big league catcher, Danny Sheaffer. Playing in Boston, Colorado and St. Louis throughout his playing career, Sheaffer became a large presence behind the plate. Now he has the Firm Foundation catching program that helps young catchers learn the game through drills and exclusive instruction. As a manager in the minor leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals, Sheaffer managed future Hall of Famer, Yadier Molina who has given the Firm Foundation his stamp approval. Sheaffer also shares insight into catching a young Roger Clemens, playing under Joe Torre and Tony La Russa as well as being part of the inaugural Colorado Rockies team in 1993.

This week's Diamond Conversations features a fan favorite of the 2001 World Series Champion Arizona Diamondbacks, Tony Womack. 20 years after the miraculous championship in the desert, Womack relives the great collection of talent that the D-backs assembled and how the success of that team was built with a solid group of veteran players. Womack also touches on the 2005 New York Yankees and how the start of the 2021 Yankees season was compared to his Yankee tenure when he was very publicly moved to another position to make room for then rookie, Robinson Cano. Plus, find out what Tony is doing these days and how he is getting the next generation of ball-players ready to play.

Today's all new Diamond Conversations features former Texas Rangers and Oakland A's pitcher, Bobby Witt. Witt's son Bobby Witt Jr. was drafted by the KC Royals in 2019 and shares his thoughts on the 2021 MiLB season starting this week as well as relives the 2001 Arizona Diamondback World Series Championship and learning alongside Nolan Ryan during his years playing for the Rangers.

Today we welcome the first ever 1969 World Series "Miracle Mets" Champion to appear on Diamond Conversations as Art Shamsky sits down to discuss the impact of that 1969 team. In addition to some great insight into the '69 Mets, Art talks about the way the Mets of the late 1960s captured the hearts of New Yorkers and how that magical 1969-1970 sports season was possibly the greatest ever in NYC.

This week's Diamond Conversation is an uncut rebroadcast of my interview with legendary baseball historian and New York Times best selling author, Peter Golenbock. Mr. Golenbock discusses his long career writing about the history of many of the game's biggest stars and most legendary teams. He takes us on a walk back in time as he reveals how he got his start and why he still loves the game of baseball today.--IB-ExclusivesP.O. Box 816Bealeton, VA 22712www.ibexclusives.com

This week's Diamond Conversations welcomes the Head Coach of the Princeton Tigers, Scott Bradley. Scott's MLB career saw him arrive in New York playing for the Yankees in 1985 after a stellar 1984 AAA campaign where he led the International League in batting with a .335 average. Throughout his career, Scott was known as a super-utility player and used at multiple positions during each season. In 1990, Scott caught MLB Hall of Famer, Randy Johnson's first career no-hitter. Following his retirement, Scott has been the Head Coach at Princeton University since 1998 where he continues to see the Ivy League's best work on and off the field. In this interview, Bradley shares his thoughts on the cancelled IVY League baseball season and reflects on his past MLB Opening Day memories. Diamond Conversations is a baseball interview podcast hosted by Chad (Ian) of The TMPT Empire, Francine's Eyes Up Here and The Triple Threat Podcast w/ "The Franchise" Shane Douglas. The podcast is a product of IB Exclusives LLC and published by the Creative Control Network. For more information or to contact the show please visit www.ibexclusives.com or follow the podcast on Twitter @DiamondConvo and @ChadIanB

Season number 2 of Diamond Conversations officially launches on the Creative Control Network with a familiar face, and possibly (according to Barstool) "The Funniest Man in Baseball", Tim Dillard. Since our first chat in December 2019, Tim has had a major change rock the foundation of his career and as he continues to transition into his next phase, Tim gives the lowdown on what he plans to do in the future as well as prepare for whatever may happen next. Diamond Conversations is a baseball interview podcast hosted by Chad (Ian) of The TMPT Empire, Francine's Eyes Up Here and The Triple Threat Podcast w/ "The Franchise" Shane Douglas. The podcast is a product of IB Exclusives LLC and published by the Creative Control Network. For more information or to contact the show please visit www.ibexclusives.com or follow the podcast on Twitter @DiamondConvo and @ChadIanB

Before we launch the new season of Diamond Conversations on The Creative Control Network, we look back at one of the first episodes of this podcast series featuring former Texas Rangers and Miliwaukee Brewers pitcher, Tim Dillard. Known for his eccentric personality and his knack for lightening the mood, second generation Major League Baseball player Tim Dillard became a viral sensation with his around the field videos and his unique journey through baseball. This interview was recorded prior to the 2020 MLB season and puts next week's official debut on CCN into perspective.