Sandlot Social Club

This special offseason episode of Sandlot Social Club features Jonathan Williams and Steven Lefebvre of the Nashville Blue Jean Baseball Club sharing the origins of the team and their respective approaches to running a sandlot ballclub. Show notes: Dense with sage advice for ballplayers of all ages and persuasions A full(er) season of Sandlot Social Club is in the works for 2024, featuring new voices from sandlot cities across the United States. Follow here to get notified when it's released or look me up on instagram @sandlotsocialclubpodcast for updates from the road. Until then, see you out on the diamond. - Adam

In the season finale, Adam sits down with teammate Callie Collins during the Cobras' last home game of 2022 to reflect on the podcast and talk about his relationship to baseball. Show Notes: The Green Fields of the Mind

Adam travels to New Orleans to talk with Nick Schmidt, the commissioner of the People's Baseball League, about what it means to say baseball is for human beings. Show Notes: People's Baseball League Ian Mackaye on water NY Times parenting newsletter (subscription-only, unfortunately): Why Have We Allowed Money to Ruin Youth Sports?

Adam and Cap City Cobras teammate Thomas Slanker post up at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to recap the 2nd Annual Sandlot Bash at Field of Dreams and reflect on their first experiences playing sandlot ball with the Cobras.

Adam chats with Jack Sanders, founder of the Texas Playboys and creator of The Long Time, a baseball field and event space on the outskirts of Austin, about some of his influences in the areas of design and architecture, what he loves about the game of baseball, and his approach to captaining the Playboys and taking the field himself. Show Notes: Newbern Baseball Club

Adam chats with the mysterious creative duo behind Northwoods Baseball Sleep Radio, a podcast of full-length fake baseball games from a dreamy league where the players, teams, and surrounding businesses have been completely invented, and the sonic mood has been crafted to produce a calming vibe conducive to relaxation.

Adam and Bret Marshall Spears, of the Tulsa Rumblers, take in games at Govalle Park and The Long Time while talking about why they play baseball.

Jackie Monical and Jennifer Sherburn, of the East Austin Ramblers, meet up with Adam at Gourmands to talk about how their team got started, why "rambly" matters, and a sandlot phenomenon they call desert confusion.

Adam has a conversation with Luke Epplin, the author of Our Team, a book that transports you to baseball stadiums and sandlots in the 1930s and 40s to tell the story of how Larry Doby, Bob Veeck, Satchel Paige, and Bob Feller came together in the era of integration to propel the Cleveland Indians to the 1948 World Series. Grab a copy of the book and dive into the full story: https://bit.ly/ourteambook

Adam chats with Dr. Matt Bowers of the Cap City Cobras. Dr. Bowers, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas, shares how he developed an interest in studying sports and what draws him to playing sandlot baseball.

J.W. Galloway, of the Austin Senators, meets up with Adam at King Bee to chat about his team's story, getting back to playing baseball, and why he loves the game so much.

Tamara Deike introduces Adam to the Lockhart Hawks. They talk about the team's origins, what it feels like to return to sports as an adult, and battling the heat to play baseball. This episode was recorded at Soundwaves, a gallery and foundation in Lockhart that collaborates with musicians to create one of a kind works of art out of sound waves, with 100% of the proceeds going to charitable causes. Show notes: Soundwaves: https://bit.ly/sandlotsocialsoundwaves Lockhart Hawks: https://www.lockharthawks.com/ Chaparral Coffee: https://chaparralcoffee.com/ Old Pal: https://oldpalbartx.com/ Sunflower and Friends: https://www.sunflowerandfriends.com/ Little Trouble: https://www.littletroublelockhart.com/

Adam has a conversation with Greg Larson, the author of Clubbie, a minor league baseball memoir, about the sometimes tragic, sometimes funny dynamics of minor league baseball teams. Check out Greg's website to learn more about the book, grab a copy, and download free deleted scenes from the clubhouse: https://bit.ly/clubbiebook

Keith Hyndshaw of the Austin Drag shares stories about playing baseball growing up and rediscovering his joy for the game through sandlot. This episode was recorded at Patterson Park in Austin, TX and features the music of Brand New Key.

Adam and Ben Montalbano, of the Nashville Dollys, take in a game between the T Town Y'all Stars and the East Nashville Misfits at the Nashville Sandlot Jamboree.

Adam and Nic Fowler of the South Austin Parakeets meet up at King Bee in Austin, TX to talk about some of the lessons Nic's learned from starting a sandlot baseball team.

Happy Mother's Day! Adam tells a story about a memorable New York Mets game his mom took him to, then guest host Sofia ruins it by talking about the Philadelphia Phillies and trash.

Adam meets up with Cap City Cobras teammate Grace Coronado at Givens Park in Austin, TX, to talk about game day rituals, growing up in a baseball city, and how she first started playing sandlot baseball. 

Adam talks with Jesse Mandell-McClinton (plus a surprise special guest) about bay area baseball, managing the Oakland Beers, and relearning the game after a long time off.

Adam meets up with Thi Van Ausdal at Govalle Neighborhood Park to talk about playing for the East Austin Jardineros and finding fields across Texas.

Welcome to Sandlot Social Club, a podcast spotlighting the people of sandlot baseball in conversation about the game they play and love. In this episode, Adam meets up with Seth "Skip" Kessler, longtime manager of the Cap City Cobras for a conversation about the podcast, being a manager, and life in Sandlot.

Welcome to the birth of the Sandlot Social Club! Hosted by Adam Lefton, we explore all of the awesome things that make Sandlot baseball, Sandlot. One of the best aspects of this world is that the Sandlot universe consists of so many unique people with so many unique backgrounds, and the beautiful game of baseball ties us all together. This podcast was created with the goal of celebrating each of those unique individuals who make up the cocktail that is sandlot baseball, and celebrating those stories that every Sandlotter deserves to hear. If you'd like to get in touch with us, please reach out to us via any of the mediums below, and let's talk about how we can celebrate your slice of Sandlot. We'll start our first official season when baseball does around spring training, but until then, let's all dream about baseball. Email: sandlotsocialclubpodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @SandlotSocialClubPodcast Twitter: @Sandlot_Social Facebook: @sandlotsocialclubpodcast