382: The ABA Players' "Waiting Game" - With Michael Husain
Release Date: 02/17/2025
Good Seats Still Available
In this special episode, we sit down with King David Haynes, son of American Football League legend and civil rights trailblazer Abner Haynes, to discuss his newly released biography "." Abner Haynes was far more than just a football star — he was a barrier-breaking athlete, community leader, and a courageous voice for racial justice. From integrating Texas college football in the 1950s to becoming the league's first MVP in 1960 to standing at the forefront of athlete activism during the 1965 AFL All-Star Game boycott, his story is as American as it is heroic. King David shares deeply...
info_outlineGood Seats Still Available
It's our 400th, so we’re going big with a guest who’s called it all, seen it all, and somehow lived to laugh about it. Steve Albert ("") -- Hall of Fame broadcaster and proud member of the legendary Albert sportscasting family (including nephew/t Kenny) -- joins us for a deep dive into his one-of-a-kind, 45-year ride through the wilds of professional sports. From vanished leagues to unforgettable fights, from Brooklyn bedrooms-turned-broadcast-booths to center stage at Showtime Championship Boxing, Albert's stories are equal parts history and hilarity. In this special...
info_outlineGood Seats Still Available
What do you get when you mix Gen X slacker spirit, a startup sports league on wheels, and a 25-year-old Deadhead-turned-front office exec? Welcome to the wild world of Roller Hockey International (RHI) — and the improbable story of the San Jose Rhinos. Brad Porteus, former GM of the Rhinos and author of the rollicking new memoir "," joins us to unpack one of the most absurd, glorious, and ultimately short-lived chapters in modern American pro sports history. RHI burst onto the scene in the early 1990s during the inline skating craze, promising a legit summer hockey league full of...
info_outlineGood Seats Still Available
Before the Kraken. Before the Canucks. Before the NHL crossed the 49th parallel, there was the Seattle Metropolitans -- the first American team ever to win the Stanley Cup, in 1917. This week, we uncover the forgotten saga of the Metropolitans, a team built on innovation, grit, and West Coast ambition. They played fast, they played smart -- and led by brilliant young coach Pete Muldoon, they made hockey history in a city barely known for winter sports. But as author/guest Kevin Ticen chronicles in his acclaimed book " ," their Stanley Cup story wasn’t just about sports -- it...
info_outlineGood Seats Still Available
We use up our remaining MTA MetroCard credit this week for a sit-down with baseball author/historian Chris Donnelly — whose new book "" represents the final installment of his intriguing trilogy charting the divergent, yet intertwined sagas of the Mets and Yankees from the mid-1980s through 2000's historic “Subway Series.” Donnelly’s previous works — "" and "" — set the stage. But now, with “,” he delivers the most in-depth look ever at how the late-1990s Yankees rose to dynasty status while the Mets clawed their way back from...
info_outlineGood Seats Still Available
We welcome to our microphones award-winning author, cultural critic and Washington University in St. Louis professor Gerald Early, whose new book is a sweeping chronicle of Black Americans’ extraordinary influence on the game of baseball — from the sport’s formative days in the wake of the Civil War, through the heyday of the Negro Leagues, to the modern era. A leading voice in the conversation about race, sports, and American identity, Early also served as an advisor to the ’s landmark new exhibit, . Together, the book and exhibit offer a timely and powerful retelling of...
info_outlineGood Seats Still Available
Lacrosse is more than just a sport; it’s a mirror — one that reflects the history, tensions, and contradictions of America itself. So posits acclaimed sports journalist/renowned Sports Illustrated Senior Writer S.L. Price on this week's episode, as we explore his impressive new book "" — a sweeping chronicle of the Indigenous origins, elite entrenchment, and modern upheaval of America's truest "oldest sport.” From its sacred beginnings among the Native American (and First Nations) Haudenosaune — where the “Creator’s Game” served as both spiritual expression and a form of...
info_outlineGood Seats Still Available
Though it seems like only yesterday, this season marks the 40th anniversary of one of baseball's most misunderstood and overshadowed Fall Classics - the surprisingly competitive seven-game 1985 World Series. While most remember the all-Missouri "Show-Me Series" for umpire Don Denkinger's blown call at first base in Game 6, baseball historian Marshall Garvey joins us to discuss why that single moment, while a significant turning point, shouldn't define what was otherwise a colorfully spirited battle between two well-matched in-state rivals. In his new book, "," Garvey peels back...
info_outlineGood Seats Still Available
In a surprise move that instantly reshapes the league’s historical narrative, the National Football League last month announced it will now officially incorporate statistics from the upstart All-America Football Conference (AAFC), the short-lived but impactful rival professional football league that operated from 1946 to 1949. The brings long-overdue recognition to the achievements of several prominent players from the mid-20th century and results in the revision of several long-standing records in the NFL’s official record books. Renowned early pro football historian Ken...
info_outlineGood Seats Still Available
This week, we're thrilled to welcome a true legend of grit and perseverance — former NFL quarterback Dan Pastorini (). Born and raised in the Bay Area, Pastorini made his mark early at Bellarmine College Prep before starring at nearby Santa Clara University, where he etched his name into the school’s record books and shined as the Most Outstanding Player of the 1971 East-West Shrine Game. Drafted third overall by the Houston Oilers during the famed "Year of the Quarterback" in 1971, Pastorini became a symbol of toughness and innovation — famously pioneering the use of the flak...
info_outlineAfter a decidedly meh NBA All-Star Weekend, we rewind back to one of the league's most influential historical tributaries - the American Basketball Association (1967-76) - and the criminally little-known story of how its demise left a generation of pioneering pro players out in the cold.
Michael Husain is the writer, director, and co-producer of the groundbreaking documentary The Waiting Game - which spotlights the relentless efforts of the determined non-profit Dropping Dimes, as it fights to help reclaim the overdue benefits and back pay the forgotten star athletes of the ABA were promised as part of their absorption into the NBA in 1976.
It's a story of players who helped shape the style, pace and culture of modern basketball, but now struggle to afford life-saving medications, avoid eviction, and secure basic financial stability - even as the NBA rakes in over $10 billion annually.
Husain shares exclusive insights into the making of the film, the enduring legacy of the ABA, and the still-ongoing battle for justice and recognition for its players, and their contributions to the evolution of the game.
+ + +
- Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS) https://
oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats - Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?
aff=2 - Yinzylvania (20% off promo code: GOODSEATSSTILLAVAILABLE): https://yinzylvania.com/
GOODSEATSSTILLAVAILABLE
- "The Waiting Game": https://www.thewaitinggamemovie.com/
- Dropping Dimes Foundation: https://droppingdimes.org/
- Website: https://
goodseatsstillavailable.com/ - Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/
goodseatsstillavailable.com - X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/
GoodSeatsStill - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@
goodseatsstillavailable - Threads: https://www.threads.net/@
goodseatsstillavailable - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
goodseatsstillavailable/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
GoodSeatsStillAvailable/