The Hall of Very Good Podcast

Longtime “Hoarders” host Matt Paxton joins the boys to talk about how he turned personal tragedy into a career, some of the coolest finds from his new show “Filthy Fortunes”, unearthing a stockpile of authentic Muhammad Ali boxing gloves, stumbling upon a John Wilkes Booth “rookie” card, the obvious reason his employee uniforms don't have pockets and…is there really a market out there for historical hair? This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Doc Martin joins the boys to talk about his massive collection, how his friendship with “The Genius” Lanny Poffo led to him owning (among plenty of other things) a “Macho Man” Randy Savage minor league baseball jersey, who he blames for getting him into collecting true crime murderabilia, whether or not we'll ever see a Doc Martin Museum and the one item he owns that is absolutely NOT allowed in the house. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Sean Hanish and Kelly Kahl, the team behind “Just a Bit Outside” join the boys to talk about their love letter to the Milwaukee Brewers, getting to interview their favorite players of all-time, hanging out in Cooperstown with “Fat Waldo”, which member of Harvey's Wallbangers would have made a great “Survivor” castaway and, naturally…brat pizza! This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Former Boston Red Sox Director of Grounds David Mellor returns to talk to the boys about dogs (his and theirs!), what he's been up to since he retired following the 2024 baseball season, where he keeps his four World Series rings, whether or not he was worried about the field at Fenway Park following a big concert and, of course, “blow flowers”. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Party Animals slugger (and former Texas Rangers first round draft pick) Jake Skole joins the boys to talk about adapting to Banana Ball after an extensive minor league baseball and ACC college football career, whether or not he gets nervous dancing shirtless in front of 81,000 fans, the first thing he would implement if he was MLB commissioner for a day and how he spends his off seasons. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Baseball road tripper Matt Burns joins the boys to talk about his upcoming Midwest adventure with his dad, the extensive planning that goes into Mapping the Path, how he prepares for the unexpected, his favorite ballpark food and how a random game in 2019 got the whole thing started. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Ramone Russell, one of the creative minds behind MLB The Show, joins the boys to talk about his lengthy job title (technically, he's the Director of Product Development, Communications, and Brand Strategy for San Diego Studio), his lifelong love of video games, the importance of getting the inclusion of The Negro Leagues as accurate as possible, his go-to player and, yeah, exploding birds. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Baseball painter Dick Perez and director Marq Evans join the boys to talk about Dick's legendary career, re-working one of his pieces for Ichiro, beefing with Joe DiMaggio, who was his favorite Diamond King, whether or not he is the world's most reproduced artists (he very well might be!) and, of course, Marq's new documentary “The Diamond King”. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Women's baseball pioneer Laura Hirai joins the boys to talk about growing up an Ichiro fan in Japan, how she ended up as the first ever ball girl for the New York Yankees, being on the field for the 2019 London Series, wearing Brett Gardner's pants, hanging out with CC Sabathia (along with some royals?) and her current gig as a pitching coach. Donate to the Great Britain's Women's National Baseball Team This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Roy Wood Jr., host of “Have I Got News for You” on CNN, returns to talk to the boys about working with Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, whether or not he's still basking in the glow of last year's Rickwood Classic, the storylines he's following so far this baseball season, the return of Sammy Sosa to the Cubs and, for some reason, that time Colonel Sanders found himself in a gunfight. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Legendary umpire Perry Barber returns to talk to the boys about breaking glass ceilings and blazing trails...but this time with a twist. One of the boys is replaced by his daughter. Gasp! This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Troma founder Lloyd Kaufman returns to drop a lot of names and talk to the boys about his new book (kinda), Hands Across Tromerica, whether or not that really is him in the trailer for the new “Superman” movie, the“Toxic Avenger” re-make and, for some reason, the tragic death of Jayne Mansfield. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Dr. Kat Williams, author of All the Way, joins the boys to talk about the movie that changed her life, how she discovered the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, befriending Maybelle Blair (and ultimately penning her biography) and her quest to have Rockford, Illinois, finally recognized as “the cradle of baseball”. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

New York Times bestselling author Jeff Pearlman returns to talk to the boys about why he loves TikTok, his new YouTube series, the countdown to his upcoming Tupac biography, whether or not he and Academy Award winner Adrien Brody have beef and to answer the question everyone is curious about…where is Jodi Cohen? This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

The legendary Perry Barber returns to talk to the boys about her four decades behind the plate, whether or not we're getting closer to a female umpire in the Major Leagues, her friendship with Chicago folk singer Steve Goodman, hanging out with Hillary Clinton and that crazy summer fifty years ago that put her front and center with Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase and the “Not Ready for Primetime Players”. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Author William Brashler joins the boys to talk about how basketball and a random phone call to James “Cool Papa” Bell provided inspiration for The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings, the biggest difference between his book and the movie (thanks Billy Dee Williams!), being on set with Richard Pryor and hanging out in Chicago with James Earl Ray,er…Jones. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Hall of Fame DNA founder Vanessa Ivy Rose returns to talk to the boys about her most recent business venture, her friendship with Negro Leagues legend Ron “Schoolboy” Teasley, the recent shelving of Netflix's proposed Prince documentary, her (and Lou's) phenomenal taste in shoes and, for some reason, Shawn's horrific fit game. This week's podcast was brought to you by  Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

POP QUIZ. What do you get when you combine a handful of professional athletes, copious amounts of alcohol and one crazy night at a SuperBowl party? Kevin Millar and Josh Booty join the boys to talk about that time one of them borrowed the other's World Series ring to impress some fellow revelers. To listen to the entire interview with Josh Booty, CLICK HERE. To listen to the entire interview with Kevin Millar, CLICK HERE. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Ken Griffey Junior supercollector Jason Vass joins the boys to talk about the staggering number of different Griffey cards he has in his collection, whether or not he collects Senior the rest of the family, shares the story behind the biggest item in his Griffey collection, that time he was offered a pair of Junior's pants and how a personal connection with the Hall of Famer saved his life.

Baseball Hall of Fame guru Jay Jaffe joins the boys for the seventh time to break down his 2025 (and 2026!) ballot, explain his issues with the Era Committee, introduce the world to the Hall of Broken Pitchers, crack the code of “what's the deal with A-Rod” and share that one player that he'd really, really like to see in Cooperstown. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

Jimmy Parker, the heart and soul of Beauty of a Game, joins the boys to talk about the role Dale Murphy played in making him love baseball, working behind-the-scenes alongside the Greenville Drive, his appreciation of the art of Jack Davis, movie posters and some of the best (and worst) baseball players on the big screen. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel, Old Fort Baseball Co and Patrick's Custom Painting.

To celebrate being the most listened to episode of 2024, longtime (and now former) Oakland A's beer vendor Ice Cold Kenny joins the boys to talk about following his dad and uncle into the family business, the demise of his beloved franchise, whether or not he will be following them to Sacramento and (ultimately) Las Vegas, what that final game at the Coliseum was like, did he take anything home with him and, finally…who is Tom Alfredo? Episode originally aired October 1, 2024. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel and Old Fort Baseball Co.

Just in time for Christmas, Lou's best friend in the world, Don Pitsch, joins the boys to talk about New Year's Resolutions, getting married at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the inevitability of Ichiro Suzuki entering the Hall of Fame unanimously, bringing back The PsyPhy Original Podcast and spending time with Rickey Henderson at the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa. As a bonus, the fellas reveal the top ten most-downloaded episodes from 2024.

Jon Shestakofsky, the Vice President of Communications and Education at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, returns to talk to the boys to talk about how (and if) the Hall can plan additions to the collection, some of the oddball items that have recently crossed his proverbial desk, the museum's latest exhibit, Souls of the Game, whether or not any more “Honey Boy” Evans trophies have materialized and will he really be sending the cops after Lou…and, if so, why? This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel and Old Fort Baseball Co.

Brandon Steiner, founder of Steiner Sports and CollectibleXchange, returns to talk to the boys about what's hot in the collectible world right, give an update on the sports card industry, reveals which slugger has his attention (HINT: it's NOT Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani) and not wanting to “re-heat the same old soup”. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel and Old Fort Baseball Co.

Pop culture specialist and longtime appraiser Simeon Lipman returns to talk to the boys about the unique connection between baseball and historical memorabilia, the amazing foresight of Hall of Fame catcher Ray Schalk, that time he hung out with a certain former U.S. president, the recent grail piece he picked up for his personal collection and remembers the excellence of Fernando Valenzuela. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel and Old Fort Baseball Co.

Baseball glove repair specialist Jimmy Lonetti joins the boys to talk about when he got his start and, most importantly, the moment he realized he was good at what he was doing, moving D&J Glove Repair from the garage to the nation's only brick and mortar location of its kind, what prompted the recent uptick in interest, the worst thing you can do to your mitt and if he misses his old gig delivering mail. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel and Old Fort Baseball Co.

Award-winning documentarian Colin Barnicle joins the boys to talk about “The Comeback”, splitting producing duties with his brother Nick, the 2004 Boston Red Sox breaking The Barnicle Curse (true story), working for the team during their 2007 World Series run, being tormented by Tim Wakefield and whether or not the world was a better place with Alex Rodriguez NOT in BeanTown. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel and Old Fort Baseball Co.

Award-winning writer and actor Robert Wuhl returns (again!) to talk to the boys about his role in the movie “Saturday Night”, whether or not there were bigger plans for Alexander Knox in “Batman”, re-caps his 2024 Major League Baseball season predictions, shares what he would do if he was commissioner for a day and, because he's polite, listens to Shawn's horrific take on Mike Trout.

Longtime (and now former) Oakland A's beer vendor Ice Cold Kenny joins the boys to talk about following his dad and uncle into the family business, the demise of his beloved franchise, whether or not he will be following them to Sacramento and (ultimately) Las Vegas, what that final game at the Coliseum was like, did he take anything home with him and, finally…who is Tom Alfredo?

Former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher and author Don August returns to talk to the boys about turning his international baseball career into the book, Pitching to the Corners, what countries had the best (and the most interesting) food, whether or not he's surprised by what his former big league is doing this season and how he'd pitch to Shohei Ohtani. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel and Old Fort Baseball Co.

Longtime Major League catcher (and man Mother Nature fears) Ron Hassey joins the boys to talk about being the only player to catch two perfect games, where he was for one of the most iconic home runs of all-time (spoiler alert: it was behind the plate), the earthquake that interrupted the 1989 World Series, whether or not brushback pitchers need to return and inadvertently appearing in two movies. This week's podcast was brought to you by Teambrown Apparel and Old Fort Baseball Co.

“Mad TV” original and voice actor extraordinaire Phil LaMarr joins the boys to talk about the role(s) he is most remembered for, how he ended up as Marvin in “Pulp Fiction”, acting alongside Samuel L. Jackson and George Carlin, being a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan and whether or not he should watch “Mr. 3000”.

Comedian and Guinness World Record holder Eitan Levine joins the boys to talk about his 50 First Pitches Project the best (and worst) ballparks he's visited during his journey, hanging out with Benny Agbayani, why you should donate your Cybertruck, Bobby Bonilla Day and the importance of avoiding the “Reverse Grimace”.

To finish off the unprecedented back-to-back, Graig Kreindler joins the boys to answer questions from the Twittersphere (and relationship website, The Knot!), help establish The Jennifer Connelly Appreciation Society, speculate about what a third Tim Burton “Batman” movie could have been and learns who Lou's least favorite actors are.

For the sixth-time, renowned baseball artist Graig Kreindler joins the boys to talk about hanging out with Johnny Bench, going “behind the curtain” at The National, recap The Olympics, dispense some painting advice and, for reasons, take a stab at answering the #FridayFive.

Iowa state representative J.D. Scholten joins the boys to talk about growing up the Hawkeye State's only Brad Radke fan, getting back on the mound for the Sioux City Explorers (and how he has a gigantic plush Minion to thank), sending his cap to Cooperstown, working with Major League Baseball to end blackouts and, yeah, that bus fire.

America's favorite former mayor and Cooperstown correspondent Jeff Katz joins the boys (for the eleventh time!) for entirely way too much Pete Rose chatter and to re-cap Hall of Fame Induction Weekend 2024, talk about the overall vibe of the event, previews next year's ballot and predicts how insanely packed it will be. Also…does Tim Salmon travel alongside former teammate Vladimir Guerrero? Discuss.

Managing partner of Renaissance Associates (and self-proclaimed “problem solver”) Kevin Barrows joins the boys to talk about being a sports detective, his television show of the same name, tracking down some of the sportsworld's biggest lost treasures, what he collects, the challenges of being a New York sports fan and why he compares his time with the FBI to Forrest Gump.

To celebrate Women in Baseball Week, former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League pitcher Maybelle Blair returns to talk to the boys about “A League of Their Own” on Amazon Prime, shares her thoughts on the show's cast, reveals what prompted her to come out and gives an update on the IWBC's efforts to turn Rockford, Illinois, the “cradle of women's baseball”. This episode originally aired September 20, 2022.

To celebrate Women in Baseball Week, Baltimore Orioles head groundskeeper Nicole Sherry joins the boys to talk about how she almost quit baseball to work at a golf course in Hawaii, gets into the specifics of creating grass patterns in the outfield, recalls shagging flies for and getting lost in the dreamy blue eyes of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. and, yeah, brags a little (wouldn't you?) about how great her view is from her office window at Camden Yards. This episode originally aired July 23, 2018.

To celebrate Women in Baseball Week, legendary organist Nancy Faust joins the boys to talk about how she got her start with the Chicago White Sox and whether or not she ever imagined spending 41 years on the southside, shares her excitement over finding an old reel-to-reel recording of her first game, recalls the team's infamous “Disco Demolition Night” and, naturally, picks walk up music for Shawn and Lou. This episode originally aired April 23, 2020.

To celebrate Women in Baseball Week, renowned ballpark architect Janet Marie Smith joins the boys to talk about being rejected by and then designing Camden Yards for the Baltimore Orioles, her current gig with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the difference between building a stadium from the ground up and renovating one that's been standing for almost a century and what baseball fans can expect when they return to Chavez Ravine. This episode originally aired June 9, 2020.

To celebrate Women in Baseball Week, 2017 J.G. Taylor Spink Award recipient Claire Smith joins the boys to talk about how she got her start in journalism, shares the story she was most proud to cover, reveals the one story all baseball fans should be following and, lastly, advocates for Billy Williams to join the podcast. This episode originally aired September 24, 2019.

For the sixth time, Phil Hecken, the newly-minted lead dog at Uni Watch Blog, joins the boys to talk about his new gig, when he first got interested in watching unis (get it?), previews the 2024 MLB All-Star Game jerseys, breaks down what makes a good City Connect cap, gives an update on his Monday night curling league and introduces the world to the word “bonspiel”.

Award-winning sculptor Lou Cella joins the boys to talk about how he got his start in art (including the biggest influence on his career), the hardest part of the human body to sculpt, why the Ryne Sandberg statue outside Wrigley Field might be his most personal piece so far, his special connection to the family of former Seattle Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus and that time someone's cremains ended up on one of his statues.

Competitive eater Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti is back to talk to the boys about returning to Surf and Stillwell for the annual Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating contest and preparing for no Joey Chestnut, whether or not he actually likes hot dogs, his least favorite food to eat (looking your way, Uranus Fudge Factory), what he'd eat to help get the Chicago Cubs back to the World Series and, for some reasons, log flumes.

The Famous San Diego Chicken, Ted Giannoulas, re-joins the boys to talk to the boys about his memories of headlining at historic Rickwood Field, the Major League ballpark he (surprisingly) never had a chance to perform at, the night no one laughed at his antics, how many chicken heads he travels with, Lady Gaga stealing his gimmick and goes back 45 years to June 29, 1979 and shares the one story from “The Grand Hatching” that you have to hear to believe.

Longtime journalist Chris Cillizza joins the boys to talk about the newfound joy he finds in covering whatever he wants on a daily basis, playing basketball against Allen Iverson at Georgetown, whether or not there will be another 300-game winner in Major League Baseball, shares his favorite baseball movie, where he was the night of June 17, 1994 (if you know you know) and explaining the O.J. Simpson trial to his kids.

A half-century after surviving Ten Cent Beer Night, lifelong Cleveland resident Ken Kowalski joins the boys to talk about what went down on June 4, 1974, shares his memories of Municipal Stadium, his connection to seven-time All-Star Ken Keltner and realizes that he and Lou have something in common.

Mark Malkoff returns to talk to the boys about his new podcast, Inside Late Night, the history of sports and the late night shows, talk show hosts that probably should have gotten more of a chance behind the desk, the legacy of Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Caray and the art of baseball nicknames.