Back When There Was Baseball: "Sudden" Sam McDowell
Back When There Was Baseball
We are privileged to speak with "Sudden" Sam McDowell this week on Back When There Was Baseball. Sam had a storied career, pitching from 1961-1975 in both the American and National Leagues. He was part of one of the greatest pitching staffs in the history of the game, the 1968 Cleveland Indians. All four starters had ERAs under 3, but Sam and Luis Tiant were under 2. Sam has a second story to tell, which took place after his playing career was over. Enjoy this outstanding interview with one of the best pitchers in the 1960s through the early 1970s.
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Back When There Was Baseball: Jack Hiatt
Back When There Was Baseball
This week's guest is Jack Hiatt. Jack was a Major League catcher for 9 seasons, mainly with the San Francisco Giants. He broke into the Majors for the Los Angeles Angels in 1964. The Angels were in their 3rd season as an expansion franchise that year and they finished with a record of 82-80, which was unheard of for an expansion team during that time-period. Jack was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Jose Cardenal in November of 1964. He played for the Giants through the 1969 season where the Giants finished in 2nd place each season. Enjoy this episode...
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Back When There Was Baseball: Rod Gaspar
Back When There Was Baseball
We look back at the 1969 "Miracle Mets" this week with our guest Rod Gaspar. Rod was the starting right fielder at the beginning of the season replacing Art Shamsky who was injured. The Mets were 5 games behind the NL East leading Chicago Cubs on September 1 and made a furious run for the NL East crown down the stretch. This was the first year of Divisional Playoffs and the Mets had to face the NL West champion Atlanta Braves. The Mets swept the Braves in 3 games, then went on to beat the Baltimore Orioles in 5 games to win the World Series. Listen to...
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Back When There Was Baseball: Greg Harris
Back When There Was Baseball
Greg Harris is our guest this week and is noted for pitching ambidextrously, which he accomplished in 1995 with the Montreal Expos. He pitched in the Majors from 1981-1995. Greg was not only a "jack of all trades" as a pitcher but was a decent hitter as well. Greg pitched for many ball clubs and was very effective. In 1995 he got his chance to pitch from "both sides of the mound". Greg created a 6-finger glove and was ready at all times to pitch from both sides. He finally got that opportunity in Montreal on September 28, 1995. We go Back When There Was Baseball to the 1980s...
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Back When There Was Baseball: Jack DiLauro
Back When There Was Baseball
Jack DiLauro passed away on December 7, 2024. We re-air this podcast in honor of him: Who has the New York Mets' 3rd best ERA with over 50 innings pitched with the club? His name is Jack DiLauro and he joins us this week. Jack was a part of the 1969 "Miracle Mets" pitching staff. He did not pitch in the postseason that year, however his 2.40 ERA helped the Mets get there. Jack only played 2 years in the Majors and was part of an unfortunate situation of being in the Detroit Tigers organization behind their great pitching staff even though he had a great...
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Back When There Was Baseball: Tom Hume
Back When There Was Baseball
There was a commercial in the 1970s for Rolaids (antacid relief) which went viral: How do you spell relief? R-O-L-A-I-D-S. In 1976, Rolaids sponsored the Rolaids Relief Man awarded to the best relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. Our guest this week altered the commercial slogan which went, How do you spell relief: T-O-M-H-U-M-E. Tom Hume pitched in the Majors from 1977-1987. In the late 1970s through the early 1980s, Tom was one of the best closers in the game. He wasn't the hardest throwing relief pitcher, but he knew how to get guys out, which is the most essential part of...
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Back When There Was Baseball: Ron Reed
Back When There Was Baseball
Our guest this week is Ron Reed. Ron is one of only 13 athletes to play in the NBA and also Major League Baseball. He played for the Detroit Pistons for 3 years, coming out of Notre Dame, before deciding to focus on baseball. Ron was a starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves from 1966-1975. After finishing up the 1975 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, he was traded to the Philadelphia Philles. Starting in 1976 and lasting for the duration of his career (1984) he was an outstanding relief pitcher. In his 8 years with the Phillies, he appeared in...
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Back When There Was Baseball: Mark Littell
Back When There Was Baseball
Mark Littell passed away on September 5, 2022. We re-air this podcast in honor of him: Our guest this week is Mark Littell, relief pitcher with the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals from the mid-1970s through the early 1980s. Mark was involved in several great moments in baseball history. He is unfortunately recognized as the pitcher who gave up the home run to Chris Chambliss in Game 5 of the 1976 ALCS which allowed the Yankees to advance to the World Series. However, Mark was the winning pitcher in both ends of a doubleheader, was the winning...
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Back When There Was Baseball: Jon Matlack
Back When There Was Baseball
Our guest this week on Back When There Was Baseball is the 1972 National League Rookie of the Year, pitcher Jon Matlack. Jon was a member of the 1973 New York Mets which made it to the World Series. He started four games in the 1973 postseason with an outstanding ERA. He pitched in both the National and American Leagues during his career. Jon Matlack is one of those pitchers who will surprise you when you look at his stats. He has a career record of 125-126, but an ERA of 3.18 for his 13 year MLB career. Enjoy this conversation with one of the best left-handed pitchers of the...
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Back When There Was Baseball: Larry Barnett
Back When There Was Baseball
The 1975 World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox was voted as the best World Series in history. There is only one umpire remaining from that series and he is our guest this week on Back When There Was Baseball. Larry Barnett joins us and he talks about his storied career. Larry umpired from 1969-1999 which totaled 4,281 games. He umpired 4 All-Star games, 7 ALCS and 4 World Series. We discuss the Ed Armbrister non-interference call in Game 3 of the 1975 World Series along with his umpiring behind-the-plate when Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's record....
info_outlineWe take a look back this week into the mid-1970s through the late 1980s with one of the best relief pitchers of that era. Kent "Teke" Tekulve joins us to discuss his career which spanned from 1974-1989. He talks about how he was signed by the Pirates on a somewhat fluke situation. Teke had 3 years where he appeared in 90 games or more, with the final one happening when he was 40 years old as the setup man for Steve Bedrosian which helped Bedrock win the NL Cy Young Award. He was one of the first "submarine" pitchers and you will be hard pressed to find one who pitched better, especially over the length of his career. Enjoy this look Back When There Was Baseball with Kent Tekulve.