Episodes
Reading the feed…
Reading the feed…
That’s the question that this podcast answers. Virtually non-existent before the MLB baseball strike of 1994, the walk-up song was ubiquitous by the end of the 1990s. Yet, its origins can be traced to the woman who accepted the job as the organist for the Chicago White Sox in 1970. Listen in as we explore the evolution of the walk-up song from a happy accident to part of the design of an MLB game experience. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin
Admittedly, there are many good (read: power) hitters in MLB who strike out too much, and at rates significantly higher than 20 years ago. This episode of All About Baseball looks at this phenomenon and offers some basic, fundamental observations as to how these elite hitters could minimize their strike outs and, as a result, generate more runs for their teams. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin
What do I mean by this? A post on X featured 30 “young” fans — one from each MLB team — who, in my opinion, lack a fundamental understanding of what it takes to play in the major leagues for decades. Each of them selects a player who, in their opinion, is “overrated” and the vast majority of them they name are among the best who ever played the game. The players that they name, in fact, deserve to be remembered for their greatness — and that they would be as good or better today than they were yesterday. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin
General Manager Matt Millward and Director of Facilities Operations Tim Siegel of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, the Single A team of the Chicago White Sox, deliver a captivating story about the unique value that the Cannon Ballers provide to the residents of Kannapolis, North Carolina, and beyond. This comprehensive conversation covers a wide variety of subjects that are all related to a single theme: making life better. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin
As the trade deadline (August 3) looms, I wonder why the Tigers haven’t already traded Tarik Skubal. Perhaps they have no intention of doing so. I consider that a mistake. That he was the scheduled starter on Wednesday, July 29, indicates to me that the Tigers intend on keeping him. Or it could be a substantial lapse in judgement given that, should Skubal get injured in any way, his value would plummet. This episode offers a case for trading Skubal along with the ironclad conditions for doing so. And by the time that this episode drops on Thursday, July 30, everything may have changed. bcpodca
This episode of All About Baseball is one of rude discovery. When I remembered that I had only a handful of recollections from my little-league baseball season of 1969 — when I was 12 years old — my curiosity led me to delve into the archives of the local newspaper to uncover the results of that 18-game season. I was unprepared for the surprise, dismay, and disappointment that I experienced, having learned that our team had one of the worst records in our league that year. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin
I need to take this week off to address an oral-surgery procedure that is ongoing, and that affects the quality of my voice and diction. Given that this is All-Star week, I thought it appropriate to replay an episode that was originally posted on July 13, 2024, which offers a personal account of my experience of attending the All-Star Game at Tiger Stadium on July 13, 1971. Thank you as always for your interest and support. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: “Field Grass,” by Sergei Pavkin Reggie Jackson’s Home Run 7/13/1971
Having completed a distinguished 11-year career in 2021 as a catcher for the San Francisco Giants, Buster Posey, an immensely popular Bay Area figure, purchased an undisclosed percentage of the team and joined the Giants’ board of directors in 2022. Then, in a move that surprised many, Posey, at his own request, was appointed President of Baseball Operations in September, 2024. His tenure as President of Baseball Operations, unfortunately, has not mirrored that of his stellar career as a player. This episode of All About Baseball amplifies a listener request to “tell me more” about why members
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred is proposing changes to the MLB Amateur Draft. In my opinion, these changes will adversely affect the quality of play and deny thousands of aspiring young men the opportunity to develop into a Major League ballplayers. Manfred wants to cut the draft from 20 rounds to 12 rounds, eliminating approximately 250 players from the existing draft pool and cancelling their dream of attempting to become an MLB player. Be very surprised in this episode to discover only a small sample of men who would not have been drafted if the draft was 12 rounds from 1965 to the prese
I am off this week. As the one-year anniversary of our son Stuart’s death approaches and passes, I thought it appropriate to replay the episode that I recorded in July, 2025, a few days after his funeral. After a brief preamble that I recorded in advance, you’ll hear that episode. Thank you for your prayers and support, and please continue praying for the peaceful repose of Stuart’s soul.
I am honored to welcome Pulitzer Prize finalist, journalist, author, and accomplished historian Edward Achorn to All About Baseball. Edward's two books about baseball in the 19th Century, Fifty Nine in '84 and The Summer of Beer and Whiskey, place the reader "at the shoulder" (Ed's words) of Old Hoss Radbourn and Chris Von Der Ahe respectively. And as Radbourn carried the 1884 Providence Grays on his shoulders, Von Der Ahe carried the future of professional baseball on his. Achorn, in this episode, details the personas of both men, the process of writing these two books, and adds significant b
Recently, a game between the Orioles and Blue Jays sparked controversy over a Blue Jays' runner who veered well out of the baseline to avoid being tagged. The policy of MLB, which prohibits the league to "publicly address the umpires’ decisions," only serves to amplify mistrust and minimize the credibility of MLB umpires and the league itself. This episode offers an explanation to umpire Nic Lentz's non-call on Blue Jays' runner Ernie Clements that you won't find anywhere else. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin
On May 28, the San Francisco Giants relieved Hector Borg of his responsibilities as third-base coach. I think that this decision was as hastily made as the one to hire him in the 2025 off season to handle the most difficult job on the field. In fact, I believe that the Giants should have retained Borg as third-base coach and mentored him into improvement, rather than demoting him to his familiar role of "player development." This episode of All About Baseball explains why I think so, in the face of overwhelming "public opinion" that called for his removal. bcbaseballpodcast@gmail.com Music: "F
In this episode, I ruminate over the lost art of pitching that was prevalent in MLB as recently as 2010 or so. Now, since the "Velocity Virus" has infected the minds of baseball executives, scouts, coaches, and players at all levels, multiplied by the "schools" and "academies" that promote this fallacy, it seems that the nuance and complexity of baseball has given way to a more primal version -- where the players are grist for a mill that feeds the thrill-seeking fan rather than the informed one. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Link to Real Voices of the Game Podcast, featuring Jim Rooney Music: "
Since May 4 to May 20, 2026, the Tigers are 2-13. Is this simply a slump? I think not. The episode of All About Baseball delves into the sad statistics that indicate a bigger problem: the Tigers have too many role-playing players playing main roles, especially offensively, and they are not going to miraculously transform into reliable and ready hitters -- or defenders. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin
Periodically, I recommend good books about baseball. The Summer of Beer and Whiskey, by Edward Achorn, is a great book about baseball. This is my unbridled endorsement of a book that, in great detail, captures the ethos of professional baseball in the 1880s as a time of flux, fanaticism, and fury. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin
My first PSA episode of All About Baseball. It's brief by design, but, if you take the action that I suggest, you could directly impact the lives of the people that Kirk Gibson has himself in the long-term. Do me a favor and listen to the end. Thank you. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin Link to Kirk Gibson Foundation for Parkinson's
In this episode of All About Baseball, I introduce you to Cormac Terry, who pitched for Catholic University, in Washington, D.C.,from 2020 to 2024. His story ranges from the challenges of playing in the "Covid Era," to how he reinvented himself as a pitcher after an arm injury, to the virtues and lessons he learned because he played baseball at Catholic University. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin
It is a privilege to have Jeff Frye make a guest appearance on All About Baseball. Our 45-minute discussion covers a wide variety of topics. I am ever grateful to Jeff for agreeing to relate his story of the advent and the conclusion of his nine-year MLB career as well as his opinions on the present state of the game, which he considers to be lacking in the fundamentals that he mastered and that helped him succeed in the Major Leagues. Most of all, his compelling story reinforces the importance of believing in oneself. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin
In this episode of all All About Baseball, I interview Coach Samuel Skinner, Varsity baseball coach at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. He offers a unique and universal account of his experience as a coach, mentor, and student of the game. I think anyone who loves the game of baseball will appreciate Coach Skinner's observations and opinions on a variety of baseball-related topics -- from how to set up a hitter to the challenges of moving players to the college level. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: "FIeld Grass," by Sergei Pavkin
On April 8, 1974, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record on national television. Because today, April 8, 2026, is the 52nd anniversary of that event, I thought that I would replay one of the earliest episodes of All About Baseball that recounts my personal experience of that moment when Aaron's bat made contact with the ball. It was one of extreme disappointment, which transitioned into one of personal growth. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com
Major League Baseball, unlike the other professional sports in the United States, has been exempt from the Sherman Anti-Trust Act since 1922, meaning that no competitive professional baseball league can be established to directly compete with MLB for its players, fans, or markets. Still, that hasn't prevented a few United States legislators from threatening to introduce legislation that would repeal that exemption because -- well -- listen to this episode that focuses on one Stuart Symington, a senator from Missouri, who strong-armed American League president Joe Cronin in 1967 to replace the
That's the question that this episode of All About Baseball answers. A listener requested an episode on nicknames, and I tried to place a larger context around the topic and opine that nicknames no longer, "augment a given name and provide a richer and more explicit denotation." But that's only part of this story. Listen in to hear the rest of it. https://sabr.org/journal/article/an-analysis-of-baseball-nicknames/ bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin
In this episode, I, unfortunately, rant somewhat on yet another tinkering of the rules of baseball, using technology to yet again supplant the human factor, which, once ensconced in the game, is "progressively" taking a back seat to machines. "Hey, IT says so!" Controversy resolved, right? As we ignore the larger controversy of handing the judgement and management of the game over to things. I think this is a bad idea, and so does Charles Dickens. bcpodcastbaseball@gmail.com Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin
Baseball has numerous interesting and quirky rules. Perhaps none more so than the "Fourth Out Situation," where an extra out can be made and applied to replace the third out made in an inning. This episode offers a hypothetical example that is a literal game-changer, and it also recounts two specific incidents in Major League baseball that demonstrate the importance of the rule as well as its rarity in application. With instant replay now a fixture in MLB, however, the Fourth Out has gained significance, and teams need to recognize that any play "isn't over until it's over," to quote Yankees'
