Shows / Back When There Was Baseball
Back When There Was Baseball
Step into the golden era of America's Pastime with "Back When There Was Baseball." Uncover the untold stories, thrilling triumphs, and heart-wrenching trials of the sport's most iconic figures, spanning from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s - a transformative era when the baton was gracefully handed from titans like Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays to the new generation of legends like Johnny Bench, George Brett, Mike Schmidt, and Nolan Ryan. Each episode of "Back When…
Episodes
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Jerry Crawford
Our guest this week is former National League umpire Jerry Crawford. Jerry comes from a family of officials. His father Shag was a Major League umpire from…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Rick Wise
Rick Wise joins us this week to talk about his outstanding career. Rick's career was lengthy, 1963-1982, with only parts of 3 seasons in the Minor Leagues. He…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Zack Minasian
Zack Minasian joins us this week to talk about his book Lasorda University: A Recollection of My Summer of '68 with Tommy Lasorda and the Ogden Dodgers in our…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Steve Whitaker
Steve Whitaker joins us this week. Steve played from 1962-1972 with parts of 5 seasons in the Big Leagues. He started out in the Yankees organization and talks…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Greg Terlecky
Greg Terlecky joins us this week. We've had the privilege of hosting several pitchers that had great resumes, but for some reason or other, just didn't quite…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Gil Patterson
Some of you may never have heard about our guest this week, but you will come away impressed with what this gentleman brought to the game when he was healthy…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Tom Trebelhorn
Tom Trebelhorn joins us on the podcast this week. Tom played in the Minor Leagues in the early 1970s, starting with the Bend Rainbows (Hawaii). After his…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Claude Osteen Part 2 (Pitching Coach)
Claude Osteen joins us for Part 2 which focuses on his coaching career and quite a career it was. Claude had stints as a pitching coach with the St. Louis…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Claude Osteen Part 1 (Player)
This week we air Part 1 of a 2-part interview with Claude Osteen which focuses on his playing days. Claude played in the Majors from 1957-1975 as a left-handed…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Steve Busby
Our guest this week was headed for a stellar career as a pitcher until a torn rotator cuff cost him his career. Do you remember Steve Busby, Kansas City Royals…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Gary Lavelle
Our guest this week is Gary Lavelle. You should remember Gary as a left-handed relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants (1974-1984). When you look at Gary's…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Greg Pryor
Greg Pryor joins us this week. Greg is one of those guys we love to interview. He was a solid player during his day, but not necessarily a household name. Greg…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Gary Bell
We take the time machine back to the late 1950s through the late 1960s with our guest this week. Gary Bell joins us to talk about his great career. Gary was a…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Steve Balboni
Our guest this week is Steve "Bye Bye" Balboni. Our co-host, Steve Schaaf, played in the 1977 Division II College World Series with Steve Balboni, which adds…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: George "Doc" Medich
Who was the last New York Yankees pitcher to win a game in "Old Yankee Stadium" before the refurbishment? It is our guest this week, George "Doc" Medich. Doc…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Ken Rudolph
This week we take a look at another catcher from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. Ken Rudolph is our guest. Ken played in the Majors from 1969-1977 with the…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Joe Lahoud
We go Back When There Was Baseball this week to the late 1960s through the late 1970s with our guest Joe Lahoud. Joe broke into the Majors with the Red Sox…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Bill Denehy
We take the time machine Back When There Was Baseball this week to the late 1960s into the early 1970s with our guest, pitcher Bill Denehy. Bill's career was…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Lynn Jones
Lynn Jones joins us this week on the podcast. Lynn is a very interesting story and it starts at Thiel College in Erie, PA where in his last 2 years of college…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Steve Kemp
We are joined by Steve Kemp this week. Steve was on his way to a very good career in the Major Leagues until an unfortunate eye injury curtailed it. He had a…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Rusty Gerhardt
Rusty Gerhardt joins us on the podcast this week. Rusty was a left-handed pitcher that came out of Clemson University. He played in the Cape Cod League and in…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: John Boccabella
John Boccabella joins us this week. John played from 1963-1974 for the Cubs, Expos and Giants. He also played for Leo Durocher and Gene Mauch, legendary…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Jim Colborn
Jim Colborn is our guest this week. Jim played in the Majors from 1969-1978 with the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Bob Oldis
We are blessed to have Bob Oldis join us this week on the podcast. Bob signed his first Major League contract in 1949 with the old Washington Senators…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Jack Heidemann
Jack Heidemann joins us this week. Jack started his career at the age of 17 in the minor leagues and made his major league debut at the age of 19 in 1969 with…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Ron Brand
Who caught the first pitch in the Houston Astrodome? He is our guest this week and his name is Ron Brand. The infamous game was on April 9, 1965, and was an…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Terry Humphrey
We are joined this week with one of the best defensive catchers in the game during the decade of the 1970s. Terry Humphrey is that individual and he played in…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Gary Waslewski
Gary Waslewski joins us on the podcast this week. Gary was a World Series starting pitcher in 1967. He started Game 6 of the 1967 World Series against the…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Larry Hardy
Larry Hardy joins us on the podcast this week. Larry played from 1970-1979 with the Padres and Astros. He was called up to the Majors in 1974 with San Diego…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Jim Gosger
Jim Gosger joins us this week. Jim played from 1963-1974 with the Red Sox, Kansas City/Oakland A's, New York Mets and Montreal Expos. He had the privilege to…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: "Sudden" Sam McDowell
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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Jack Hiatt
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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Rod Gaspar
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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Greg Harris
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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Jack DiLauro
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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Tom Hume
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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Ron Reed
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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Mark Littell
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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Jon Matlack
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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Larry Barnett
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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Johnny Grubb
Join us as we go Back When There Was Baseball to the 1970s and 1980s with our guest, Johnny Grubb. Johnny played in the Majors from 1972-1987 with the San…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Eric Soderholm
Eric Soderholm joins us this week. Eric played in the Majors from 1971-1980 with the Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. He…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Lenn Sakata
Lenn Sakata joins us on the podcast this week. Lenn was the 2nd Asian American to play Major League Baseball and his career spanned from 1977-1987. He was…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Eric Raich
Eric Raich joins us this week. Eric played his college baseball at USC coming out of Compton, CA. He was involved in the middle of that great Rod Dedeaux run…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Chris Wheeler
Former long-time Phillies broadcaster Chris Wheeler joins us this week. "Wheels" was behind the mic for 37 years of Phillies baseball which included their only…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Ten Cent Beer Night (June 4, 1974)
We celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ten Cent Beer Night which occurred on June 4, 1974, in Cleveland. The game featured the visiting Texas Rangers, with…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Jim Sundberg
We are privileged to host one of the best catchers in MLB during the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s. Jim Sundberg joins us to talk about his career. He came…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Eddie Watt
We look back at the great Baltimore Orioles teams from 1969-1971 with our guest this week. Eddie Watt was a valuable member of the Orioles pitching staff. He…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Kent Tekulve
We 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…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Bob Dernier
We look back to the 1980s this week with our guest Bob Dernier. Bob started in the Phillies organization (1980-1983), then finished his career in Philadelphia…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Barry Foote
We have Barry Foote as our guest on the podcast this week. Barry was signed out of high school in North Carolina by the Montreal Expos. He had the privilege of…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: George Culver
We look back to the late 1960s to the early 1970s this week with former MLB pitcher George Culver. George pitched in the Big Leagues from 1966-1974 with many…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Dickie Thon
Our guest this week was headed for the MLB Hall of Fame before a tragic injury curtailed his career. Listen as Dickie Thon talks about coming into the Majors…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Steve Foucault
Our guest this week is former MLB relief pitcher Steve Foucault. Steve is a very interesting subject in the fact that he became a relief pitcher in the Major…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Bill Krueger
Former MLB pitcher Bill Krueger joins us this week on the podcast. Bill pitched from 1983-1995 with various ball clubs. This tall left-hander has a nice career…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Randy Lerch
We are pleased to have Randy Lerch as our guest this week on the podcast. It is an honor for Rex as he was in the stands on September 30, 1978, when Randy…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Leon Roberts
Former MLB outfielder Leon Roberts joins us this week. Leon played in the Big Leagues from 1974-1984. He played in two domed stadiums as his home field during…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: May 17, 1979: Philles 23, Cubs 22
1979 marks the 45th anniversary of the great game between the Cubs and Phillies. The date was May 17, 1979, the location was Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Rick Wise No-Hitter (June 23, 1971)
June 23, 2021 marked the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest achievements in not only Philadelphia Phillies, but also MLB history. Rick Wise pitched a…
Back When There Was BaseballBack When There Was Baseball: Ken Berry
Ken Berry joins us on the podcast this week. Ken played in the Majors from 1962-1975 and was considered one of the best defensive center fielders of that era…