Ken Griffey's Grotesquely Swollen Jaw

Stuart Levy (podcast host!) was mistakenly tagged in a tweet last week congratulating him on his baseball career! A quick search found the other Stuart Levy, who agreed to join the podcast to discuss all aspects of his career! Stuart tells Stuart all about high school, the draft, Spring Training, life in the independent leagues and much, much more! https://twitter.com/TheBmoreBattery/status/1688622719036690432?s=20 https://youtu.be/PkWfuZ3s64g https://www.instagram.com/stuart_levy/ https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod https://twitter.com/BaseballChaz

Chad Morrissey has experienced it all as a Royals fan! From being a kid as his parents went out to watch the Royals in the World Series, to being a long-suffering fan in one of the one of the longest postseason droughts during baseball's current wild-card era, Chad has seen it all! Hear him describe his joy as that play-off drought finally ended in the hot-streak of 2014, to his jubilation at being crowned World Champions the following year - and how he is still having plenty of fun taking his kids now and his enthusiasm and optimisim for the current team. https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

John has had an interest in baseball through his dad since before he could walk - in his first baseball game, he fell asleep in his puschair at an Angels game! Eventually, through playing games and fortunate business trips, the Cubs became his team, and he has experienced the very highs and the very lows of the sport! His love of baseball led him into a great career in sport, and his curiosity into why that might be - and if others have the same thought - has inspired his masters dissertation idea. If you also watch baseball at least once per week, on either side of the Atlantic, give him an email! j.a.dickinson@northumbria.ac.uk https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Alan and his friends have always been fans of groundhopping - making frequent trips around the world watching their favourite sports! Here he share his baseball story, how he became a Tigers fan, his memories of the sport and more! highlandbullpen.podbean.com https://twitter.com/HighlandBullpen https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Jo Lenton - not to be confused with Joelinton! - is a long-suffering Newcastle United fan who has found her sporting home at Citi Field! https://twitter.com/pidgeos https://twitter.com/MetsInTheUK https://twitter.com/birdswithballs https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

In part 2 of the All-Star Week episode, Charlie introduces Stuart to new concepts such as the All-Star Futures Game, a Celebrity Softball quiz, Home Run Derbies and score predictions. Can YOU beat Stuart's score in naming the celebrities? https://twitter.com/BaseballChaz https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Charlie Baldwin returns to the podcast to tell Stuart all about the All-Star Game. From the first edition in 1933, through the records and scandals, up until today's voting process, it's a full journey into this special date in the calendar of all baseball fans! https://twitter.com/BaseballChaz https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Iain McArthur is sport and travel mad - he's watched 27 different sports in 12 different countries! - and was the obvious choice to write The Baseball Stadium Guide. He joins the podcast to chat about his experiences writing the book, his adventures in attending some of these stadiums (and many, many others), as well as sharing his favourite moments as a Rays fan! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baseball-Stadium-Guide-Aspen-Collection/dp/1914536711/ref=sr_1_1?crid=YDTNK2MWGOH&keywords=The+Baseball+Stadium+Guide&qid=1688212890&sprefix=the+baseball+stadium+guide%2Caps%2C86&sr=8-1 https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Host Stuart already had plans for this weekend so missed the 2023 London Series - Al Galpin, a volunteer at the event, tries to convince him to ditch the stag do he has on the dates of the 2024 Series and to make sure he's there! From getting high 5s from fans of all 30 teams, to walking 25km and getting to his seat just as Cardinal get their only run on the Saturday, Al had a great weekend! He also shares his baseball journey, from missing out on the chance to see Roger Clemens' 20-strikeout performance to playing for the New Forest Thunder Knights, https://www.mixcloud.com/Secondhandsongs/ https://twitter.com/AlBearUK https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Tommy Canale knows his sport! After a career coaching basketball and golf at college level, he now works for RecruitLook, scouting the next talent for college level baseball. He is also a prolific podcaster, interview many distinguished baseball guests such as Aaron Rowand, Rollie Fingers, Chuck Garfien and more on his Before The Lights show! https://www.beforethelightspod.com/ https://recruitlook.com/ https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Dave Shaw runs the UK's number 1 team fan account! He recounts the story of how he first got into the sport, his early years following the team and how his network enables him to crash on couches when he returns every year! https://twitter.com/UKPhillies https://twitter.com/daveshaw25 https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Braves fan Gaurav supports the entire organization - including (and even, some years, especially) the minors! He shares his baseball story, including time spent as a blogger and podcaster, where he was able to witness the likes of Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuña Jr. in their very early days, before they became the world champions that they are today. Gaurav even seems pretty confident the team will be winning pennants and challenging for the world title for years to come. https://twitter.com/gvedak https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Jeremy Feador knows his baseball - he does, after all, work as a Team Historian and Comms Coordinator for the Guardians! However, in recent years, he's found himself following more soccer, and in this podcast episode, he tells Stuart about how his passion for baseball has helped him understand the quirks, trials and tribulations of Everton FC. This episode was recorded before the final day of the Premier League season - luckily for Jeremy, Everton stayed up! https://twitter.com/jfeador https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Stuart's old friend Jason Mahoney joins to give further insights on the true Canadian baseball experience! Wherever you are in Canada, it just isn't summer without the Jays! https://www.instagram.com/jaymahoney360/ https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Matt Casbolt joins to talk about why he runs the British Orioles Twitter page - and what this involves! He also tells the story of how he ended up interviewed by MLB.com - and looks forward to his visit to Camden Yards next month, which he says is one of the most beautiful in the sport! https://www.mlb.com/news/anthony-santander-uk-baseball-fans?fbclid=IwAR3vYHxneF7e9PS0dUdoxo3Zl-7SKYCygLsHZlKAGJGEkGw01unG5ciBWn0 https://twitter.com/BritishOrioles https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Ross Marnie is pretty lucky that he has family in Toronto! His first trip visiting them in 1992 coincided with them winning the 1992 World Series, and when he visited them again in 1993, they won the Series again! Ross watched the win on a screen in the Skydome, and he has since visited countless times - as well as following them on the road all across the USA! In Scotland meanwhile, he is a key player for the Tayport Breakers and tells us all about the progress of the sport north of the border. https://www.facebook.com/Tayport.Breakers.2020 https://www.facebook.com/BaseballScotland https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

The pod's 2nd Dodgers fan, Tom O'Gorman joins to share how he follows the team and the sport from Sweden. He talks about the highs and lows of his 10 years of following the sport, and gives Stuart some crucial advice on how best to manage fandom when there is so much going on! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1422457771180502 https://youtu.be/wcz3ozTyKEk https://youtu.be/j5EZq54bwWg https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

MLB.com Senior Writer Anthony Castrovince joins the pod to tell us all about his journey in the sport - from growing up watching his team, to working as a beat reporter for Cleveland, Anthony is now working for MLB.com and shares his fascinating insights and expertise on the sport. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/A-Fans-Guide-to-Baseball-Analytics/Anthony-Castrovince/9781683583448 https://www.mlb.com/video/anthony-castrovince-on-standings?t=mlb-network https://twitter.com/castrovince https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Harry Shirt is a baseball fan who happens to own a travel agency! Here he shares his story on how he got into the sport, and to how that fandom developed to visiting ballparks, playing the sport, and even running a company aiming to share his passion with other UK-based fans! https://twitter.com/HomeRun_Travel https://www.facebook.com/groups/1488893241323529 https://www.baseball-roadtrip.com/ https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

When answering Stuart's email to appear on the podcast, Brian Beeler's response was "if you're looking to speak to a depressed Reds fan, I'm your guy!" However, when talking about the history, food, radio culture, and atmosphere of the city, Brian realises that it's great to be a Reds fan after all! https://twitter.com/BMBeeler https://twitter.com/storagereview https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Elisabeth has a very cool job! Working for Sportsnet 590 The FAN, she gets behind the scenes access to her favourite sports teams when preparing radio links for them. The job is a 9-5, meaning she can spend her summers at the Rogers Centre, selling raffle tickets for the Jays Care Foundation! https://jayscare5050.com/ https://twitter.com/EHartTweets https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Ian Carlson is an established fan of American sport, having followed the NFL's Vikings since the early 80s, so getting a ball team made sense! Wanting to persuade his family to take a holiday to his team of choice, he made sure to follow one based in a great city to visit! https://twitter.com/DodgersInTheUK https://twitter.com/IanJCarlson https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Charlie Baldwin has supported San Francisco Giants ever since a family trip there in the late 90s - hear his story on how the MLB on 5 TV coverage, his love of history, and eventually a winning team helped his fandom to grow! Now the only British admin of Giants Chatter, Charlie is dedicated to helping fans in the UK and further afield learn more about his passion. https://twitter.com/GiantsChatter https://twitter.com/BaseballChaz https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

With a fascinating shared history, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers are 2 of the most famous names in the sport! Ahead of episodes coming later in the week from both sides of the rivalry, here Charlie Baldwin's thoughts on Tommy Lasorda - a villain for Giants fans, but a hero for Dodgers fans such as Ian Carlson! Charlie's full episode to be publish on 13.04, with Ian's to follow on 14.04 - the day before Jackie Robinson Day! https://twitter.com/DodgersInTheUK https://twitter.com/IanJCarlson https://twitter.com/GiantsChatter https://twitter.com/BaseballChaz https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

When on a family trip to Anaheim in 2002, Nick quickly found that Disneyland was not the only show in town! Over the past 20 years, he has found a unique sporting community that has created many more trips and memories - including a week last year that found its' way into USA Today! Nick joins to tell us all about his adventures as an Angels fan - a road that, unfortuantely, hasn't yet seen much success on the field! https://twitter.com/LAAngelsUK https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Baseball is actually a British sport! After a typical Bostonian childhood, following the Red Sox and playing the sport up to college level, Chris Knoblock is now on a mission to grow the game organically in the UK. Chris shares his story of his background in baseball and his new job working for the National Development Agency for baseball and softball in the United Kingdom - what was the impact of Team GB's recent performance in the World Baseball Classic, how will the MLB London Series help to grow the game and what are his predictions for the future? https://twitter.com/bsuk https://twitter.com/cknoblock17 https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

When visiting his brother in St. Louis in 2014, Peter Pratt took in a Cardinals game and was intrigued, but not yet hooked. A further visit to the USA 2 years later saw him visit Miami, and this time the Marlins caught his baseball heart. From watching games through the night with his young son, to launching a podcast with fellow British fans of the Marlins, Peter's immersion in the Marlins world reached his peak during the pandemic when he was invited to join Zoom press conferences for the team! Now the host of Locked On Marlins, Peter is proof that the Atlantic Ocean is no obstacle to follow this great game! https://twitter.com/MiamiMarlins_UK https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Spence Siegel has been to every Major League Baseball stadium! This week, the White Sox fan joins the pod to tell Stuart what makes a ballpark a fan favourite, and shares some insights into his time working in the minor leagues. https://www.spenceronair.com/ https://twitter.com/SpenceSiegel https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

The New York Yankees are one of the most famous names in world sport - how do they stay at the top? EJ Fagan from the Bronx Beat Podcast tells us the story of his time supporting the team. Despite seeing the Yankees win the Series 5 times in his childhood - more than most fans will ever see in a lifetime - EJ wants even more from his team and their owners! https://twitter.com/ejfagan https://twitter.com/bronxbeatbp https://ejfagan.substack.com/p/why-im-okay-with-giving-aaron-judge https://www.youtube.com/@northeaststreamingsports1949 https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

In the early 2010s, the Houston Astros were in a slump - shown on a TV station most of their fans couldn't access, they were tanking and losing over half their games each year. Rob Fontenot, host of Astros Baseball, joins Stuart this week to explain how this was (kind of) intentional, and how with a clever usage of draft picks and the farm system, the Astros were able to win the World Series in both 2017, and again in 2022 with an almost entirely different team! Listen as Rob explains how unusual this in baseball, and also hear about the origins of the team, and the cool things to do in Houston! https://twitter.com/RobFontenot https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod

Joining Stuart in the first episode of his deep-dive journey into Baseball is Eric Sanford - staff writer at Seattle Mariners community website Lookout Landing. Growing up in England, pretty much the only Baseball players Stuart had heard of were those who featured in the inconic episode of The Simpsons "Homer at the Bat". Eric helps Stuart to answer the important questions such as: why was Ken Griffey Jr chosen to feature in that episode? What else did he do in his career? What was his best moment in the Mariners uniform - and how does that link to his refusal to play for one of Baseball's most famous teams? What started off as a look into why Griffey Jr was chosen to appear in the Simpsons, quickly becomes a fascinating adventure into one of Baseball's greatest ever players! https://www.lookoutlanding.com/ https://twitter.com/sanford_and_son https://twitter.com/LookoutLanding https://twitter.com/stuart_levy https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod https://www.peteobriensglasses.com/blog/2016/7/26/dues-paid-in-full-junior-and-seattle-get-their-day-in-the-sun Eric's experience of Ken Griffey Jr being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame https://youtu.be/jReh-ibeClU the famous end of the first playoff series vs the Yankees: "the most iconic moment in Mariners history" https://youtu.be/TIgK56cAjfY View here for a detailed history of the Mariners https://youtu.be/jXZTw-GtQcY Ken Griffey Jr's best catches ever https://theathletic.com/1698812/2020/04/02/solving-the-mystery-within-ken-griffey-jr-presents-major-league-baseball/?source=twitterpcads&ad_id=40700840&twclid=258ele3ec0x66jc1xfcieqd8ca Cool story from the Ken Griffey Jr video game Gift pass for The Athletic https://theathletic.com/gp/ychterwdm2

Ken Griffey's Grotesquely Swollen Jaw is the new podcast from Stuart Levy (21 For 21 - 21 Lessons about Sport and Media in the 21st Century). A lifelong soccer fan, Stuart wants to get into Baseball, and to do so, he's going to need the help of each MLB team to learn a cool story, myth, legend, or something super important in the fandom. Beginning with the Seattle Mariners, Stuart finally finds out the story of one of the players featured in his favourite episode of The Simpsons - Homer at the Bat! https://twitter.com/SwollenJawPod https://twitter.com/stuart_levy