Hooks & Runs

Three players in big league history have more than one career home run but no other hits. Two were players that got only a cup of coffee or two in the big leagues; the third, believe it or not, was a pitcher. We have their stories. Plus - the Rafael Devers trade, reflecting on Sly Stone and Brian Wilson, and some 1989 baseball cards.Errata: Nolan Fontana was claimed off waivers by the Angels, not the Dodgers. Andy van Slyke won 5 Gold Glove Awards, not 3. Houston replaced Bill Virdon with Bob Lillis in 1982, not Hal Lanier. On June 28, 1997, David Wells wore Babe Ruth's cap, valued then at $35,000, for one inning during a pitching performance - the Yankees fined Wells $2,500. In September 1988, Dave Dravecky was diagnosed with a desmoid tumor in his left arm. He attempted a return in 1989. In his second appearance during a pitch in the fifth inning his humerus bone snapped. Doctors amputated his left arm in 1991 after discovering the tumor had returned.Episodes mentioned:Ep. 72 - Seeing the World Through Baseball w/ Cousin Wolf (Matt Halvorson). Wolf's album, "Nine Innings," is available here (https://cousinwolf.bandcamp.com/album/nine-innings).You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com/ Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.   

In April 1950, Jim Martin, a catcher for the West Texas New Mexico League's Pampa Oilers, was violently struck by lightning during a game in Abilene, Texas. He not only survived the strike but he played the next game, going two for five. This week, Martin's daughter, Beverly Winter-Donaho, joins us to discuss Martin and his time in the minors during the 40s and 50s. In part two, Craig visits PNC Park and what's left of Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.Errata: Joe Nuxhall made his Major League debut, pitching for the Cincinnati Reds, on June 10, 1944. He was 15 years, 316 days old. You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com/ Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.  

In this episode, we talk with Doug Wilson, author of Let's Play Two: The Legend of Mr. Cub, the Life of Ernie Banks (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), to explore the life and legacy of one of baseball's most beloved figures. Doug shares insights into his research process, the hidden layers of Ernie Banks' personality, and what makes this Hall of Famer's story still resonate today.From growing up in segregated Dallas, Texas, to becoming a two-time MVP and a beacon of positivity on and off the field, Ernie Banks' journey is not only a baseball story—it's a human story. Doug discusses the complexities behind the cheerful "Let's play two!" slogan and the cultural and personal weight Banks carried with grace.In Part Two of this episode, we dive into two very different but equally fascinating conversations. First, in a decision that warms Rex's heart, the league has finally removed several long-deceased  (and one not so long deceased) players from its permanently ineligible list. Second, Craig shares his experience seeing Deafheaven, one of his favorite artists, at a recent Austin concert.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com/ Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.   

Craig and Rex are taking a break in May giving them a change to feature some favorite episodes from the archives and you an chance to catch up on other episodes you may have missed or wish to revisit. This episode from the vault features our interview with Tamara Saviano, author, journalist, publicist and Grammy-nominated record producer, and writer and co-director of the documentary "Without Getting Killed or Caught." The documentary tells the story about the life and career of Guy and Susanna Clark, the larger-than-life Texas songwriters who were so deeply influenced Texas music from the 1970s to today.Also in the episode, the co-hosts talk about the then recent passing of Henry Aaron and reflect on his chase for the career home run mark in 1973 and 1974.The show note for Episode 47 are here:https://www.buzzsprout.com/875794/episodes/7495681Hooks & Runs will return with a new episode on June 5.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this or past episodes through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link.https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandrunsHooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com/Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.comCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)    This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2021, 2025.

Craig and Rex are taking a break in May giving them a change to feature some favorite episodes from the archives and you an chance to catch up on other episodes you may have missed or wish to revisit. This episode from early 2023 is our interview with Roger Metzger, the Houston Astros' Gold Glove winning shortstop in the 1970s.Hooks & Runs will resume with new episodes on June 5. The show notes for Episode 133 are here:https://www.buzzsprout.com/875794/episodes/11991967Hooks & Runs will return with its next episode on June 5.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this or past episodes through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com/ Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.

Rogers Hornsby won seven batting titles, hit .358 in his 23-year Major League career and remains the all-time batting average leader both among right handed hitters and in the National League. He managed the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals to franchise's first World Series title only to be traded two months later in a salary dispute. Hornsby's career and personal life were marked by conflict, antagonism, lawsuits, acrimony and bitterness. But the man could hit. This week we return to our series, Texans in the Hall to discuss the life and time of the enigmatic Rogers Hornsby.Also this week, our favorite albums from the first quarter 2025.Craig - Lonely People With Power, by Deafheaven (Roadrunner)Rex - Year of the Four Emperors by Ex Deo (Reigning Phoenix Music)Episodes referenced this week: No. 172, "They Were Two People Desperate to Stay in the Game w/ Bob LeMoine." (https://tinyurl.com/hooks172)Errata: Two of the top 13 career batting average leaders were right handed hitters. Hornsby hit .424 in 1924, not .427. Alienation of affections is a gender-neutral offense.Sources:Alexander, Charles C., "Rogers Hornsby: A Biography" (Henry Holt & Co. 1995).Fimrite, Ron, "The Raging Rajah Rogers Hornsby, One of This Century's Best Ballplayers, Was Also One of its Biggest Boors," Sports Illustrated (October 2, 1995) (accessed online April 2025).Rogers III, C. Paul , "Rogers Hornsby," www.sabr.org, accessed March, April 2025."Rogers Hornsby" at www.baseball-reference.com, accessed March, April 2025.Dozens of contemporary newspapers articles from around the country.Hooks & Runs will return with its next episode on June 5.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com/ Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.  

Ed Wheatley, president of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society, joins us this week to discuss the Browns, an American League team from 1902 to 1953. Wheatley is the co-author of "St. Louis Browns: The Story of a Beloved Team" (Reedy Press 2017), which was  selected best book published on baseball in 2017 by Sports Collectors Digest and nominated for the Larry Ritter Award as the best book on baseball published in 2017 by Society for American Baseball Research.Wheatley was also technical advisor for the award winning PBS documentary " The St. Louis Browns - The Team Baseball Forgot" (2018) and was executive producer of the award winning sequel  "A Baseball Legacy - Fans Remember the St. Louis Browns" (2019).Ed Wheatley on Facebook, at Reedy Presshttps://www.facebook.com/edward.wheatley.56/https://reedypress.com/author/wheatley/ed-wheatley/The St. Louis Browns Historical Society webpagehttps://www.thestlbrowns.com/Stream "The St. Louis Browns - The Team Baseball Forgot" https://tinyurl.com/baseballforgotStream "A Baseball Legacy - Fans Remember the St. Louis Browns"https://tinyurl.com/fansrememberHooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com/ Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.  

David Krell is author of "1978: Baseball and America in the Disco Era," (University of Nebraska Press, 2025). His book explores the wild 1978 major league season with features on the American League East race that went to a 163rd game, iconic players from the era like Pete Rose and Dave Kingman and cultural flashpoints from film, TV and music. In this interview, Krell gives us a glimpse into this tumultuous, pivotal year in American history and culture.SPOILER ALERT: This episode contains a spoiler if you have not seen "Saturday Night Fever."David Krell's website, Twitter/X. (https://davidkrell.com/)  (https://x.com/davidkrell) Errata: Burt Convy was not in the Made for TV movie "Murder at the World Series." "Catfish" Hunter is credited with saying, "When you open a Reggie bar it tells you how good it is."You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com/ Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.   

This week, Craig and Rex take a deep dive into the 1979 Houston Astros, the only team since 1947 to hit fewer than 50 home runs while posting a winning record and also the last team to hit more triples than home runs in a single season. Also, The Sex Pistols are back on the road, without Johnny Rotten. Even punks get nostalgic.Errata: The Cardinals in 2024 went 8 straight games without a home run, not 18. A&M defeated Yale by 6 points in the NCAA first round, not whatever it was Craig said. The object crash near Roswell NM was in 1947. Cliff Williams is still AC/DC's bassist.Past episodes mentioned: The Sam Rice episode is No. 228. The Bill Virdon episode with David Jerome and Shirley Virdon is No. 144. The Old Ballparks episodes were Nos. 127, 184, and 186.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.  

Maybe we spoke too soon. Dr. Elizabeth Strom, a professor of urban politics and policy at The University of South Florida and an editor at DRays Bay, a Tampa Bay Rays blog on SB Nation, returns to our podcast this week. Two years ago, Episode 143 to be exact, Dr. Strom appeared to discuss what then looked like a solid deal for a new ballpark in St. Petersburg. A lot has happened since - most of it not good for Rays fans, at least Rays fans that want the team to stay in the Tampa/St. Pete area. Dr. Strom spills the tea and brings us up to date in this episode.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.    

This week, Disturbed declares war on the Bulls' championship banners during a show at United Center, plus Motley Crue at MinuteMaid (Daiken) and the greatest Journey concert ever. Craig makes his 2025 MLB predictions - try not to laugh. The podcast concludes with the boys reviewing "Tommy," the 1975 Ken Russell film based on The Who's 1969 album of the same name. The film stars Roger Daltry, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed and other many actors (Jack Nicholson) and rock stars (Tina Turner). The review includes Craig and Rex musing about their favorite rock star performances in film.Errata: Arnel Pineda is still the lead singer for Journey. Tommy's father died in the war?  Jim Jarmusch directed "Down by Law." He did not produce it. Frank Sinatra was not in "The Longest Day," You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.    

Since 1901, in the American and National Leagues, 11 pitchers have thrown 9+ inning, complete game 1-hitters and lost. These include a pitcher that pitched both games of a double-header on the day, a pitcher that took a perfect game into the 13th inning only to lose and a pitcher that gave up an extra-inning, walk-off home run to lose. This week, a tale of the hard luck pitchers who pitched their best game only to come up short.Errata: In 1988, 46.5% of starting pitchers threw 100 or more pitches in their start - by 2014, that number had dropped to 13.1%. Rocky Nelson hit a single to move Bill Virdon to third base, not a fly ball. Lyn Lary's bunt that scored the first run in Bobo Newsom's loss was scored a fielder's choice, not a single as it appears from the description. The Deadball Era was the era from 1901-19 - Craig flubbed that somehow.Episodes mentioned:212 - Ken Johnson has a secretYou can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.   

This week Craig and Rex continue their series on native Texans in the Baseball of Fame with 355-game winner Greg Maddux. Also, the Nolan Arenado trade talks will not go away, Pete Rose's family petitions the Commission to lift the all-time hits leader's lifetime ban now that his life is over, the Golden State Warriors own a record label and what do you know - some baseball players lie about their height.Notes on the show: The Travis Stern episode about baseball and theater in the deadball era is No. 225. Here is the link to the Sports Illustrated story mentioned in the episode. Gaylord Perry did indeed win 300 games -- he won 314 to be exact.No 225 - https://tinyurl.com/stern225SI article - https://tinyurl.com/hooksheightYou can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.  

Author Chris Haft's new book, Willie McCovey: A Giant Among Giants (University of Nebraska Press, 2025) adds to the baseball literature by examining the life and baseball times of perhaps the most forgotten member of the 500-home run club. Haft's look at this great Giant superstar is long overdue. He joins us this week to discuss the great and powerful Willie Mac.In Chapter 2, Craig and Rex consider what impact Alex Bregman signing with Boston will have on both teams. In Chapter 3, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees are released and you know what that means.Chris Haft's Twitter/X = @goodforballAll Chris Haft's books are available through his Amazon author pagehttps://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00539Y0POChris Haft's book at Univ. of Neb. Press: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496241962/a-giant-among-giants/Errata: There have been 24 perfect games in baseball history, not 18. Craig mispronounced Kristian Campbell's first name. Mike Ivie was the first overall draft pick in 1970 by the San Diego Padres -- Ivie hit .269 with 81 home runs in his career.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.   

Author and journalist Michael Doyle's new book, Nightmare in the Pacific: The World War II Saga of Artie Shaw and His Navy Band (Univ. of North Texas Press, 2025) is an adventurous tale and a must read. Shaw, a leading big band leader into the early 1940s, joined the Navy a few months after Pearl Harbor. He formed a Navy big band of accomplished and to varying degrees roguish musicians and led them across the Pacific during the war, entertaining troops, finding trouble and dealing with grueling hardships. Michael Doyle joins us this week to give a preview of this book and musicians at war.Michael Doyle's website: www.doyleauthor.comYou can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.  

Bugs Raymond battled alcoholism while pitching for the Tigers, Cardinals and Giants as well as several minor league teams during the early Deadball Era -- this week we discuss Raymond's difficult and tragic life in baseball and afterwards. In Chapter 2, Craig and Rex have six players they believe ought to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame but are not. They'll tell you who those players are. They also have some thoughts on Kendrick Lamar's halftime show and Beyonce's Best Country Album GRAMMY Award (like everyone else, apparently).Bugs Raymond SourcesBaseball-Reference.comSociety for American Baseball Research (www.sabr.com) ("Looking Back at the End of Bugs Raymond's Career" and "Bugs Raymond")Newspaper articles accessed via newspaper.comCenterfieldMaz.com ("The Wild Story Of the Heavy Drinking New York Giants Pitcher: Bugs Raymond (1908-1910)")You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.   

Stephen W. Dittmore's book, "Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger," (August Publications, 2025) hit bookstores this week and it's a good one. Dittmore joins us this week to talk about the man who won the 1953 National League's Rookie of the Year Award and who played key roles on four World Series championship teams for the Dodgers.  Gilliam later coached the Dodgers on Managers Walter Alston's and Tommy Lasorda's staffs until he passed away in 1978. You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.  

Journalist and author David King joins us in part 1 to talk about Ross Youngs, who was born in Shiner, Texas, in 1897, and later played 10 seasons for John McGraw's New York Giants. In that time he was a key player on four National League pennant and two World Series title teams. A career .322 hitter, Youngs fell ill during the 1926 season and later died at age 30 from kidney disease. The Veterans' Committee elected Youngs to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.King is author of Ross Youngs: In Search of a San Antonio Baseball Legend (History Press 2013).In part two, Craig and Rex talks about some musical artists that are not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but should be (or so they think).You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025. 

This week concludes our two-part series about the Miracle Braves of 1914 and concludes with Rex and Craig discussing Billy Wagner and the recent Hall of Fame balloting results.Episodes mentioned:157 - R.E.M.'s Murmur at 40 w/ Tony Fletcher.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025.  

This week Craig and Rex begin a two-part series on the Miracle Braves of 1914.The early 20th Century was not kind to the Boston Braves (previously, the Beaneaters, the Doves and the Rustlers). Mired in the second division for years with frequent ownership changes, an outdated ballpark and few prospects, Boston entered the 1914 season with second year manager George Stallings, some promising new ballplayers and faint hopes to crack the National League's first division. However, after being swept in July 4th double header, the Braves were back in familiar territory - deep in last place, 15 games behind the mighty New York Giants.What happened next resulted in baseball's greatest come from behind story ever. The Braves caught fire and made a mockery of the National League West, wining by 10 games over the Giants, the league's three-time defending champions. Part One of this two-part series looks at the Braves remarkable season and sets the stage for the World Series against the American League powerhouse Philadelphia Athletics.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025. 

Rex and I are taking two weeks to recover from the holidays and holiday travel and will be back January 16 with the first episode of Season Six. Here are the show notes from our Episode 106:-------------------------------------------This week Professor Peter Dreier (Occidental College) joins Hooks & Runs to discuss his new book, "Baseball Rebels: The Players, People and Social Movements That Shook Up the Game and Changed America" (Univ. Nebraska Press, 2022), co-authored with Prof. Robert Elias. The conversation covers not only well known names in baseball history like Bill Veeck and Larry Doby but also little known players almost forgotten by history. You'll hear amazing stories about people like Octavius Catto, Sam Nahem, Jackie Mitchell and more. This is a highly recommended book.Dreier and Elias, incidentally, also released a companion book, "Major League Rebels: Baseball Battles Over Workers' Rights and American Empire" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022)."Previously on Hooks & Runs" - Professor Jeremi Duru on Curt Flood (Ep. 104).Check It Out:Prof. Dreier  recommends The History Channel's documentary, "After Jackie"Rex recommends the new single from Megadeth, "We'll Be Back."Andrew recommends "Operation Mincemeat," starring Colin Firth and available on Netflix.Craig recommends the new album from a reunited Porcupine Tree, "Closure/Continuation." This is "Of the New Day." You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew on Tik TokEric on Facebook Opening and closing music, "Caroline" by Craig Estlinbaum. All rights reserved.  This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2022, 2025, all rights reserved. 

Craig and Rex are taking two weeks off so we reached into the vault this week to present two segments from shows past.The first segment is our January 2021 interview with Larry Lester, baseball historian and co-founder of the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. This interview took place just a few short weeks after MLB officially recognized seven leading Negro Leagues from 1920 to 1948 as Major League Baseball. We talked about the process for researching and certifying Negro League statistics and snapshots of Negro League stars like Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell. In the second segment, Eric and Craig presented their favorite and least favorite Super Bowl half-time performances. This segment ran in February 2021, just after The Weeknd's performance at Super Bowl LV in Tampa. You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2025. 

Len Ferman's new book, The 1973 Mets - You've Got to Believe, is a day to day saga about a Mets team that that rallied from last place with a 61-71 record on August 31 to win the National League East with an 82-79 record. The Eastern Division race that year saw five teams still in the hunt for the title in the season's final week. In the end, the Mets won the title outright on the season's final day with just 5 games separating the champs from the fifth place Chicago Cubs. The Mets shocked the 99-win Cincinnati Reds in the five-game NL Championship series then stretched the Oakland A's, the defending World Series champs, to seven games before coming up short. The team featured the great Willie Mays in his final season and future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver, the 1973 NL Cy Young Award winner. Len Ferman's The Sports Time TravelerTM website has links to his Substack, podcast, where to buy the book and other resources.thesportstimetraveler.comErrata: The Atlanta Braves finished the 1973 season against the Houston Astros for a two-game series in Atlanta. Henry Aaron hit home run No. 713 against Houston's Jerry Reuss in the series opener, but did not homer in the season's final game the next day against Houston's Dave Roberts and Don Wilson. Atlanta's manager in 1973 and for much of 1974 was Aaron's former Atlanta teammate and former Houston Astro, Eddie Matthews. The Pirates lost the final game of the 1973 season to the San Diego Padres 5-3You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.   

Craig & Rex review their favorite albums of 2024 while Craig mourns Kyle Tucker being traded by Houston to the Cubs.Errata: The MJ Lenderman lyric on "Wristwatch" is " a wristwatch that tells me I'm on my own," not "I'm all alone." Col. Mandrake is a character in Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Bob Hunter, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, first referred to the Cincinnati Reds as "the Big Red Machine" on July 4, 1969. The moniker stuck as the Reds began the 1970 season 70-30 on their way to the National League pennant.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.  

This week Craig and Rex look at Lou Gehrig's lone Hollywood film, "Rawhide" (1938), filmed in January 1938. The film stars Gehrig (playing himself) and Texas native Smith Ballew (Palestine), Hollywood's first singing cowboy as the film's protagonists. Evalyn Knapp plays Gehrig's sister (part protagonist) and Ballew's love interest in the film.  Errata: There is a car shown in the very first scene in Rawhide after all.This movie is available to view on YouTube at no charge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RsQEYIBE9w  You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.     

Dr. Bob Luke, author of "Willie Wells: 'El Diablo' of the Negro Leagues," joins us this week as Hooks & Runs begins a new series featuring native Texans that have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. We begin with Willie Wells, "El Diablo," an all-time great shortstop born in Austin in 1905, give or take, and who played and managed in the Negro Leagues, in Cuba, in Canada and in Mexico for over 20 years. In part 2, Craig and Rex talk about Blake Snell's and Yusei Kikuchi's new contracts, Kyle Finnegan's non-tender, the horrific "Golden At-Bat" gimmick Rob Manfred has proposed, and whether the NCAA needs to get involved to prohibit "planting the flag" and the inevitable scuffles that ensue.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.    

Outfielder Sam Rice played 20 seasons in the Major Leagues - all but one with the Washington Nationals (later, the Senators). Rice retired from the game with 2,987 hits, 13 shy of the coveted mark of 3,000, making him the player that came the closest to reaching that milestone. In this episode, we look at Rice's sometimes tragic, often triumphant life.Selected Sources:Stephen Able, "Sam Rice," Society for American Baseball Research (sabr.org).Stanley Milliken, "White Sox Win 6-2," Washington Post, August 8, 1915,C. Norman Willis, "Washington Senators: All-Time Greats," (Xlibris 2003).Gregory H. Wolf, "October 10, 1925: Senators Sam Rice makes dazzling catch to preserve victory in Game 3 - or did he?" Society for American Baseball Research (sabr.org).You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.    

Rick Reiff is our guest this week to discuss his essay in the Fall 2024 Baseball Research Journal, "Gavy Cravath's Hall-Worthy 200 Home Runs."  Cravath, a late arrival, played 11 seasons in the Major Leagues and led the National League in home runs in six of those seasons, from 1913 to 1919. Cravath also led the Senior Circuit in RBI twice, in on base percentage twice and slugging percentage three times. Despite being the preeminent home run hitter in the Deadball Era, Cravath remains on the outside looking in for Hall of Fame induction. Reiff makes the case to remedy this.In part 2, Craig and Rex talk about the Rays playing their 2025 regular season at the Yankees' spring training home, the latest billion-dollar boondoggle to return the Houston Astrodome, an aging eyesore, to usefulness and how to turn a juice box to an ice box.Errata: Craig, its the Donner Party, not the Bonner Party.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig at Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.   

This episode was recorded on November 5.Craig and Rex analyze some of baseball's rarest achievements, ranging from Johnny Vander Meer's back to back no-hitters, Fernando Tatis belting two grand slams in the same inning off the same pitcher. Of course we mention Guy Hecker's 7 runs scored in a 9 innings game, a singular feat that has stood for 138 years. Also this episode, Gerrit Cole's $144 million dance with free agency after the World Series came to an end plus the Hall of Fame's Classic Era Committee's nominees.You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig at Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.  

Dr. Travis Stern's new book, "Ballplayers on Stage: Baseball, Melodrama, and Theatrical Celebrity in the Deadball Era" (Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2024) explores the relationship between professional baseball and professional theater in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Stern joins us in this episode to talk about his book and the how baseball and the theater contributed to the rise of the American culture, culminating with Babe Ruth's emergence as a national hero in the early 1920s. Stern is an Associate Professor of Theater Arts at Bradley University.Travis Stern on Bluesky (@travisstern.bsky.social)Travis Stern at Bradley UniversityIn Part Two, Craig went to a Duster show and talks about Duster, the show and the unusual opening act, Dirty Art Club.Errata: At one point Stern mentions seeing the "Yankees and Mets." We believe he meant to say "Yankees and Dodgers" as the Mets were not a team in the Deadball Era.Episodes mentioned or discussed:205 - Baseball at War: Working and Playing Ball in the Bethlehem Steel League w/ William Ecenbarger (https://tinyurl.com/hooks2051114)82 - Rube Waddell Would Make A Hell of a Movie w/ Prof. Alan H. Levy (https://tinyurl.com/Hooks821114) You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig at Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.  

Craig and Rex contemplate the end of the 2024 baseball season as the Dodgers took the first three World Series games from the Yankees. They then turn their attention to the 1949 film "It Happens Every Spring," starring Ray Milland, Jean Peters and Paul Douglas. It's a screwball comedy with a baseball-related plot. Thumb's up all around. Finally, a few words about a North Carolina man that combined artificial intelligence with internet bots to try to take on the online music business. The man is innocent until proven guilty, of course.Justice Dep't press release in the AI, music bot case. You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig at BlueskyRex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeriti:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.  

Five players in MLB history have driven in 2,000 run in their career. Barry Bonds concluded his amazing 22-year career 4 RBI short of 2,000. This week we examine Bonds' career and try to find out how he came up short.Also this week, Craig and Rex with their favorite new albums released the third quarter of 2024.Errata: The reports are Bonds' head circumference grew by 1 to 1.5 inches, not that his hat size grew by 1.5 sizes. The book, "Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero," by Jeff Pearlman, released in 2006, not 2007. The book is available through our affiliate link below or wherever you buy books.-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig at BlueskyRex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.   

This week Craig and Rex review Craig's sketchy pre-season predictions and ruminate about the on-gong MLB playoffs.Errata: Met closer Edwin Diaz has one year left on his contract, not three.-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig at BlueskyRex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.  

After beating the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium 3-2 to wrap up a 6-4 road trip, the Phillies cam home leading the National League by 6.5 games with 12 games to play. What followed remains the most dramatic late-season collapse in Major League history. The Phillies lost 10 straight games, including all seven on the following home stand, and finished one game behind St. Louis. In this episode, Craig and Rex review the Phillies 1964 season, trying to answer the question:  Who is to blame for the Great Philadelphia Phillies Collapse of 1964?Errata: After Philadelphia's 6-4 loss to Milwaukee on September 26, the Phillies had lost six in a row and eight of their last nine. After beating St. Louis 1-0 on October 2, the Mets' record was 52 wins, 108 losses.-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig at BlueskyRex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.   

Author Scott H. Longert joins the show this week to talk about his latest book, "Love and Loss: The Short Life of Ray Chapman" (Ohio Univ. Press 2024). Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman was hit by a pitched ball in the temple during a ballgame against the Yankees at the Polo Grounds on August 16, 1920. He succumbed to his injuries the next morning. He is the only player in Major League history to die from injuries sustained during an MLB ballgame. Longert's book examines Chapman's idyllic life and his sudden, tragic death, combining detailed research with compassion for the ballplayer and his family, friends and teammates. Scott Longert's website - https://scottlongert.com/ Scott Longert on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/scott.longertOhio Univ. Press - https://www.ohioswallow.com/9780821425664/love-and-loss/Errata - Shohei Ohtani hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases this season. -->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig at BlueskyRex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.  

In the great John Ford western, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," a reporter says, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Few 19th Century players muddled the waters between fact and legend as did the great Louisville slugger, Pete Browning. Author Tim Newby's new book "The Original Louisville Slugger: The Life and Times of Forgotten Baseball Legend Pete Browning" ( University Press of Kentucky, 2024) dives into Pete's wild story head first, separating legend from fact and delivering an engaging and rewarding book. Newby is our guest this week to talk about myths, legends, Pete Browning and baseball in the wild and untamed 19th Century.Tim Newby's The Original Louisville Slugger is available through the publisher, through the Hooks & Runs affiliate site (see the link below) or wherever you buy your books.Tim Newby on Twitter/X (@Tim_Newby9)Tim Newby on Instagram (@tim_newby9)-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig at BlueskyRex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024. 

Our guest this week is Arthur D. Hittner, author of "Honus Wagner, The Life of Baseball's Flying Dutchman," Revised Edition (McFarland, 2024). Originally published in 1996, Hittner's book won the prestigious Seymour Medal for best  baseball historical or biographical book in 1997. Wagner led the National League in batting 8 times and hit .324 in his storied career and still over 100 years after hi last Major League game, The Flying Dutchman is still considered by many to be the greatest shortstop who ever played. Hittner's revised edition brings Wagner to life for a new generation of fans.Arthur D. Hittner's Website: www.hittnerbooks.com/-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Email: hooksandruns@protonmail.com Hooks & Runs on TwitterCraig on BlueskyRex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokEric on FacebookMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024.      

Justin Verlander is struggling in his latest return from the injury list. Roger Maris would have celebrated his 90th birthday in the 10th -- he died in 1985. We noticed a lot of pretty famous people were born or grew up Maris's home town of Hibbing, Minnesota (pop. 16,000), including a couple of Hall of Famers (Maris is not one). Finally, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and the Chicago White Sox are chasing milestones, for better or worse, and Matt Chapman bet big on himself -- and it paid off!Errata: Matt Chapman and Alex Bregman are not so far apart in age after all.-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericEmail us: hooksandruns@protonmail.comMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum.      

Timothy Malcolm wrote the newly revised and updated, "Moon Baseball Road Trips: The Complete Guide to All the Ballparks, with Beer, Bites, and Sights Nearby" (Moon Travel, 2024) being released September 10. He joins us this week to talk about baseball road trips, favorite ballparks and how baseball contributed to revivals in many large American cities. In part 2, Rex and Craig talk about why pitchers are pitching fewer and fewer complete games and how the long ball threat from the line-up's top to bottom has impacted how teams manage pitching staffs.Timothy Malcolm on BlueskyThe book at Moon TravelErrata: The 1930 Philadelphia Phillies lost 102 games, not however many Craig said (unless he said 102). The designated first sullied America's Pastime in 1973, not 1971. Episodes Mentioned:143 - The Rays Are Getting Their New Stadium w/ Dr. Elizabeth Strom (OK, not specifically mentioned, but relevant) (https://www.buzzsprout.com/875794/12443077).133 - We Weren't Rained Out, We Were Rained In w/ Roger Metzger (https://www.buzzsprout.com/875794/11991967)127 - The Old Ballparks Project, Part I (our discussion of the Baker Bowl and Shibe Park (Connie Mack Stadium) in Philadelphia (https://www.buzzsprout.com/875794/11755593) -->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericEmail us: hooksandruns@protonmail.comMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum.      

Bobby Mathews pitched in three major leagues from 1871 to 1887 and ended his career with 297 career wins. Why did he stop playing when he was so close to 300? This episode looks into Mathews' career as well as wins as a statistical category and 300 wins as a significant career milestone to kick off this series about players who came very close, but did not quite reach landmark career totals.Errata: Justin Verlander made one start for Houston before going on the injured list in 2020.Episodes Referenced:213 - Talking 1890 Players League Blues w/ Robert Ross Major Sources:Brian McKenna, "Bobby Mathews," Society for American Baseball Research website, www.sabr.org.Frank Vaccaro, "Origins of the Modern Pitching Win," 2013 Baseball Research Journal.The source for all player statistics is baseball-reference.com.Too many contemporary newspapers accounts to list here.Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericEmail us: hooksandruns@protonmail.comMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat Lic.)    Music: Title: "Inscencer (1 hour)"; Artist: P C III; Link: Free Music Archive; License: CC By 4.0 (https://tinyurl.com/ccby4hooks) This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum.    

On August 6, 2024, the dreadful Chicago White Sox beat the Oakland A's 5-1 at the Coliseum. This win snapped a 21-game losing streak, the longest losing streak in the Majors in 36 years. The Philadelphia Phillies own the modern record losing streak, 23 games, set in 1961. This episode, Craig and Rex will look back on that record losing streak.Episodes Referenced:212 - Ken Johnson Has a Secret-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericEmail us: hooksandruns@protonmail.comMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum.      Errata: Babe Ruth made one pinch hitting appearance in the 1915 World Series. 

Professor Robert Ross, author of The Great Baseball Revolt: The Rise and Fall of the 1890 Players League (2016) joins us this week to discuss the first attempt at unionization by Major League players -- the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players which had formed in the mid 1880s. The Brotherhood joined forces with supportive capitalists to for the Players League in 1890, but the league lasted just one season before folding. The Players League though included many top players from that time including future Hall of Famers Hugh Duffy, John Montgomery Ward and pitcher "Old Hoss" Radbourn. In part two, Craig and Rex talk about mispronouncing names, whether betting is allowed on a baseball podcast, and more speculation on baseball in the 2028 Olympics.Robert Ross's Point Park Univ. page, on Twitter/XBuy The Great Baseball Revolt from the publisher, from our bookshop.org affiliate link below, or wherever you buy books.Errata: If the season ended on the day Craig and Rex recorded this episode, the AL wild card teams would be New York, Kansas City and Minnesota, not Boston. South African native Gift Ngoepe, an infielder, played for Pittsburgh in 2017 and Toronto in 2018, totaling 54 at bats and hitting .222 over the two seasons.Episodes Mentioned:211 - The Money Went Dry, The Liquor Went Wet: The Life & Times of Bob Caruthers w/ Dave Heller 205 - Baseball at War: Working and Playing Ball in the Bethlehem Steel League w/ William Ecenbarger (segment on the real life "Natural")104 - When Sport Defeated Law: The Curt Flood Case w/ Prof. Jeremi Duru -->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericEmail us: hooksandruns@protonmail.comMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum.    

This week Craig and Rex take a deep dive into Houston's Jose Abreu and Rafael Montero contract fiascos and come away glad we're not the Angels. In Part 2, Ken Johnson did something on an April week night in 1964 that had never been done before in a Major League game - and hasn't been done since.Errata: Mike Trout, if healthy, could have played a possible 648 games since 2020.-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandrunsHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum.   

Journalist, author Dave Heller joins us this week to discuss his new book, "Parisian Bob Caruthers: Baseball's First Two-Way Star" (McFarland 2024). Caruthers played in the American Association and National League from 1884 to 1893 where he led the AA in wins twice and played with distinction in the outfield when he was not pitching. In this interview, Heller takes us back to a time and place when baseball, baseball players and America itself were wild and untamed.In part 2, Craig and Rex briefly discuss a controversial Astro trade and speculate on baseball in the Olympic Games come 2028.Dave Heller on TwitterDave's book at McFarlandBooks.com Source:Scott Louder, "Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge endorse MLB players in the 2028 Olympics, an idea that might be gaining steam," Philadelphia Inquirer at msn.com.-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandrunsHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum.  

Craig reports on his short getaway to Cleveland, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Progressive Field. The hosts speculate on stadium drama in Oakland, Tampa and Anaheim. The Mariners blew a 10-game lead in the American League West over a 24-game period, but will anyone remember in October if Seattle hangs on to win the division anyway? Craig and Rex glance at famous late-season collapses in baseball history.  We want All-Stars in their team uniforms and the national anthem performance at Monday's home run derby is a microcosm on what's wrong with the modern music business in 2024.Links:Jason Burke, "Interesting Wrinkle to Oakland A's Relocation Saga" Oakland A's on SI, July 19, 2024.Neal deMause, "Rays owner Stu Sternberg set to win approval of $1B+ stadium subsidy after giving free tickets to city councilmember" Field of Schemes, July 18, 2024.Noah Biesiada, "Angels Get Millions for Cancellation of Stadium Sale After FBI Investigation," voiceofoc.com, July 15, 2024.Episodes Referenced:205 - Baseball at War: Working and Playing Ball in the Bethlehem Steel League w/ William Ecenbarger 189 - Baseball, Chemical Warfare and The Great War w/ Jim Leeke 172 - They Were Two People Desperate to Stay in the Game w/ Bob LeMoine 163 - A Journey Through Mallparks w/ Prof. Michael T. Friedman143 - The Rays Are Getting Their New Stadium w/ Dr. Elizabeth Strom 88 - Please Do Not Burn Down the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 45A - Shavermetrics w/ Scott Russell and Bill "Spaceman" Lee (Radio Edit)  -->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandrunsHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum. 

Rex attended his first in-person Major League game this week - his Rangers beat Craig's Astros and Rex did an okay job suppressing the urge to be a sore winner. Also this week, a look at standings going into the All-Star Break, Wander Franco may be in big trouble, Randy Hennis had a short, brilliant career for Houston and Rex has a few things to say about Globe Life's robot bartenders.For the record, in Texas' 4-2 win over Houston Sunday, Josh Sborz got out of the bases loaded, none out jam in 7 pitches in the Astros fifth. Jacob Latz needed 7 pitches to get out of a one-out, two men on jam in the 7th innings and in the frame, Kirby Yates got three outs with two men on 4 pitches.Errata: Whit Merrifield was not a Rookie of the Year, but he has been a 3-time All-Star. Five players have been suspended for prohibited gambling this season - one for life. The Astros were 65-97 in 1991. Sources - Information about the seedy Wander Franco case in Dominican Republic is here. The story on robot bartenders at Globe Life is here. -->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandrunsHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum.

Hurricane Beryl dealt a blow to our hometown but 36 hours after it passed Hooks & Runs is on schedule against all odds. This week, Craig and Rex riffing on the upcoming Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, Jim Leyland and Joe Mauer (with an obligatory dig along the way on Journey and Bon Jovi from Craig), speculating about Ichiro's chances for unanimous induction, Billy Wagner's chance for induction at all in 2025, updating plans for the podcast's College Football Preview episode and looking over our best of second quarter album selections. Errata: Craig guessed right - the HOF induction is July 21. Adrián Beltré also played for the Dodgers and Red Sox. Mark Grace slashed .303/.383/.442 for his career; Will Clark slashed .303/.384/.497. On the road, Todd Helton slashed .287/.386/.469. The Marlins won their second World Series title in 2003, not 2001. Jim Leyland's record in Detroit was 700-597 in eight seasons. Saul Zaentz owned Fantasy Records and produced "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Rex meant to say "Nurse Ratchet." We bleeped the player Craig called "the baseball equivalent of Journey" because Craig thinks he's actually a better player than that. Craig meant to say "ERA plus" not "OPS."Best of Second QuarterCraig's PicksHonorable Mention - Outlander, "Acts of Harm"Selection - DIIV, "Frog in Boiling Water"Rex's pickKerry King - "From Hell I Rise"Episodes Mentioned:189 - Baseball, Chemical Warfare and The Great War w/ Jim Leeke 167 - College Football Preview: It's All an Arms Race w/ Gabey Lucas 115 - On College Football's Changing Landscape w/ Grant McGalliard (Purple Theory) -->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandrunsHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 

In part one, Craig and Rex recall some memorable Fourth of July baseball fireworks featuring the ubiquitous Guy Hecker, the irrepressible Boom Boom Beck and the simply legendary Rick Camp. In part two, they discuss the three Expansion Era (1961-2024) pitchers who made an All-Star team then went on to lose 20 games in the season. Also, Bobby Bonilla Day and what may have brought an end to  teenagers playing in the Major Leagues.The three pitchers, by the way, are Turk Farrell, 1962 Colt-.45s; Mel Stottlemyre, 1966 New York Yankees; and Steve Rogers, 1974 Montreal Expos. This is notable only because in the Rick Camp Game, the New York Met pitching coach who made a 3:20 a.m. visit to the mound prior to Rick Camp coming to the plate was none other than Mel Stottlemyre. Here is the Rick Camp Game video on YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcZIs1tIGlgErrata: Boom Boom Beck was 12-20 in 1933, not 1934. Nate Andrews was 14-20 with a 2.57 ERA in 1943, not 1942. The Yankees first African American player was Elston Howard in 1955 -- only the Phillies (1957), Tigers (1958) and Red Sox (1959) among pre-expansion teams took longer to sign African American players. The Texas Rangers drafted David Clyde in 1973, not 1974 or 75.Episodes Mentioned:195 - Looking Back at Houston's 1963 All-Rookie Lineup 183 - Len Koenecke's Sad and Tragic Trip Home w/ Bill Lamb (32:10, Delahanty) 149 - You Gotta Be Smart to Play This Game w/ Bill Bonham 127 - The Old Ballparks Project, Part I (42:00, neighborhood bars)75 - If It's Something That Happens, It's Going to Be a Sad Day In Baltimore (27:00, Guy Hecker's record day) -->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandrunsHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Hosts Emeritus:Andrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest Eric on FacebookLink: https://www.facebook.com/ichabodericMusic: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum,

Timothy Zarley has written a wonderful new book, "1901: The War of the Baseball Magnates." (Yelraz Publishing 2024) about the chaotic birth of what we now call baseball's modern era. We talked about some of the franchise movements, contract battles (and lawsuits) with players and the backroom dealings that brought competition to the National League, opened new markets for American's pasttime, and triggered a series of events that led to the first AL/NL World Series in 1903.The episode opens with a tribute to the great Willie Mays and Craig accepts blame for the Aggies' disappointing loss in the College World Series final round. Zarley's interview begins around the 10 minute mark.Timothy Zarley website: https://www.timothyzarley.comErrata: When Mays caught Vic Wertz long fly in the 1954 World Series, Larry Doby was on second base, not third. Doby likely could have scored had he tagged -- but he didn't. Doby only got as far as third base.-->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandrunsHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsAndrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffestRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024, all rights reserved.     

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author William "Bill" Ecenbarger is our guess this week to discuss his latest book, "Work, Fight, or Play Ball: How Bethlehem Steel Helped Baseball's Stars Avoid World War I" (Temple University Press 2024). The book chronicles how Bethlehem Steel's "safe shelter" industrial league in 1917 and 1918 helped Major League players like "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Dutch Leonard and a young Babe Ruth avoid the draft and military service during World War I. In part two, Craig and Rex discuss the possible real-life "Natural."William Ecenbarger's websiteSources, Part Two: Rob Edelman, "Eddie Waitkus and “The Natural”: What is Assumption? What is Fact?" (sabr.com accessed June 17, 2024)Jack Bales, "The Show Girl and the Shortstop: The Strange Saga of Violet Popovich and Her Shooting of Cub Billy Jurges" (sabr.com accessed June 17, 2024)Errata: Homestead Gray Luke Easter hit the first home run into the center field bleachers at the Polo Grounds in 1948. Easter went on to play for Cleveland in the American League. Leon Cadore (Brooklyn) and Joe Oeschger (Boston) battled 26 innings to a 1-1 tie on May 1, 1920. Game time: 3 hours, 50 minutes.Episodes Mentioned:189 - Baseball, Chemical Warfare and The Great War w/ Jim Leeke 186 - "I've Got Babe Ruth" The Old Ballparks Project, Part 3 184 - Class Warfare in Detroit!: The Old Ballparks Project, Part 2 148 - Baseball Is the Story of America w/ Derick McDuff 127 - The Old Ballparks Project, Part I -->Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN-->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including the books featured in this episode, through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandrunsHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsAndrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffestRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024, all rights reserved.    

Darryl Rhoades has been entertaining audiences with his music and comedy for over half-a-century. As founder and leader of Hahavishnu Orchestra and later as a solo artist, Rhoades recorded several albums and toured across the United States. Rhoades once even opened for The Sex Pistols! He has been featured in Rolling Stone, Village Voice and High Times. Kurt Loder (Rolling Stone, MTV) described Rhoades as,  ”one of the most savagely gifted writer/performers in the country today.”  Rhoades' new biography, "The Road to Almost: The Lean Years, 1950-2024," is a funny and fascinating read - a witty tour de force recounting Rhoades' time with characters like Frank Zappa, Leon Redbone, the Sex Pistols, Jan Hooks and Negro League Hall of Famer Buck Leonard. If laughter is the best medicine, Rex and Craig were fit as fiddles after this interview.Darryl Rhoades official site:  https://music-comedy.com/See below for our bookshop.org affiliate link or by the book from Rhoades' website or any major bookseller.Errata: Felix Mantilla reached on an error, Eddie Matthews sacrificed Mantilla to second, Henry Aaron drew an intentional walk and Joe Adcock his a three-run home run off Harvey Haddix in the bottom of the 13th, or so it seemed. Lew Burdette was the winning pitcher for Milwaukee - a 13-inning, 12-hit shutout. Enos Slaughter's score from first on a single (officially, and probably incorectly, a double)  during the 1946 World Series was called the "Mad Dash."Episodes Referenced:198 - Johnny Mize: Born to Hit w/ Jerry Grillo  Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.comHooks & Runs on TikTok -  https://www.tiktok.com/@hooksandrunsHooks & Runs on Twitter - https://twitter.com/thehooksandrunsAndrew Eckhoff on Tik TokLink: https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffestRex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/ Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (Premium Beat)     This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2024, all rights reserved.