Baseball And Bbq

Episode 118 features two amazing guests, Sunny Moody, winner of the World Steak Championship at the World Food Championship and Elizabeth Muratore, editorial producer for MLB.com.  Sunny Moody is a competitor.  Whether it is winning the World Steak Championship at the World Food Championship or transforming her body after a  dreaded medical diagnosis and then competing on stage in a physical fitness competition, Sunny is a strong force.   She discusses her disastrous first time experience lighting a pellet grill which lead her on a journey where she now competes with her husband and four daughters as a member of the Moodswing BBQ team.  Sometimes she competes against her husband and she gives us all the details as well as her future plans and how she has gotten this far.  Sunny is personable and extremely inspirational and we are glad that she is willing to share as we can all learn from her adventure.  We wish her good luck in the World Food Championship finals.    Elizabeth Muratore is an excellent writer w

Episode #117 features two incredibly entertaining, returning guests, Bobby Valentine and Emily Detwiler. Bobby Valentine or as most people call him, Bobby V is one of the most loved, well known, respected, colorful, and celebrated ambassadors of the game.  His life has been an incredible journey filled with wonderful stories which he shares in astonishing detail in the book, Valentine's Way: My Adventurous Life and Times, coauthored with Peter Golenbock.  Bobby V is a former Major League Baseball player and manager, managing teams in both the United States and Japan.  Many people know him for one game in which he was ejected for speaking his mind and then sitting in the dugout wearing a disguise, but that is a mere drop in a very large bucket of a life filled with special people and events.  He has worked for a future United States President, been a restaurateur, a champion ballroom dancer, an ESPN baseball analyst, and managed the New York Mets in the 2000 Subway Series against the crosstown rival New York Y

There is no better way to ring in the New Year than with a very special 116th episode of Baseball and BBQ.Jeff Cohen and Leonard Aberman are going it alone this episode.  Without guests they get to talk about what the New Year will hopefully bring to the podcast as well as bringing back two popular segments. In the first segment called, Lesser Known Hall of Famers, Jeff and Leonard talk about Hugh Duffy who, in 1894 set the MLB single-season record for batting average, .440, a batting record that has stood for 127 years. The other segent is called, Hall of Fame Years in Ordinary Carrers.  They discuss former Cy Young winner, Randy Jones, who, in 1976 as a starting pitcher for the San Diego Padres had a won-loss record  of 22-14 with a  2.74 ERA.  Barbecue talk includes a discussion about Barbecual Hall of Fame inductees, Henry Ford and Speed Herrig.We wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year.We recommend you go to Fifth & Cherry, https://fifthandcherry.com for wonderful cutting boards and http://www

Merry Christmas as we present the gift of episode 115 which features Joe Posnanski, author of The Baseball 100 and award-winning pitmaster and restaurateur, Chris Schafer. Joe Posnanski is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of six books.  He has written for The Athletic, Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and The Kansas City Star and currently writes at JoePosnanski.com. He has been named National Sportswriter of the Year by five different organizations and is the winner of two Emmy Awards. His latest project is The Baseball 100 which is a comprehensive list of the players, who, in Joe's opinion, are the 100 greatest to have ever played.  The stories that Joe includes with each player makes every one of the 830 pages an absolutely fantastic reading experience.   The book is one you will want to refer to over and over again.  Leonard gives Joe a standing ovation, and you will too.  This was an interview that could have gone on forever and that would still have not been enough time.Chris Schafer is a World Cham

 Celebrate our 4 year anniversary as we are joined by Howard Johnson and Doug Scheiding with great baseball and excellent barbecue talk and Leonard and Jeff reminiscence about the last year.Howard Johnson aka HoJo as millions of baseball fans affectionately call him is back and helping us celebrate our anniversary.  We have a great time discussing baseball and barbecue with this outstanding player on two World Series winning teams, a three-time member of the 30-30 club, and a two-time All-Star. He must be very fond of us, because he agreed to join us on his birthday.  He agreed to join us, but not to sit still as he ran around the house and then quickly got into a car which whisked him away to a birthday celebration while still talking to us.  We got to sing him happy birthday, ask some baseball questions, and Doug gives him some barbecue tips.Doug Scheiding first came onto the show almost two years ago and we said some of the following.  That he was a true renaissance man.  That he is the first rocket scient

Episode #113 features Ted Giannoulas, AKA World Famous Sports Mascot, The San Diego Chicken and Randall Thompson, President and Founder of Dugout Mugs, and BBQ Gift IdeasTed Giannoulas dressed in his first chicken costume in 1974 when he was a 20-year-old college journalism major and from those humble beginnings he became one of the world's most famous sports mascots, known as the San Diego Chicken.  Since then has made more than 5,000 appearances in over 900 different facilities, 50 states, and eight countries while wearing out more than 100 chicken suits.  The San Diego Chicken has been featured on magazine covers, music video's, movies, television shows and commercials, and even made an appearance with President Ronald Reagan.  In 1981 the San Diego Chicken co-starred on the Saturday morning children's television series, The Baseball Bunch with his fellow co-stars, Johnny Bench and Tommy Lasorda.  The hit show ran for five seasons and featured tons of exceptional MLB players offering their baseball advice

Episode #112 features John Vampatella, author of The Forgotten Game and award winning pitmaster, Vic Clevenger. John Vampatella is an outstanding author whose latest project is The Forgotten Game which details one of the greatest games in baseball history between the two most bitter rivals in the sport, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.  In the 2004 American League Championship Series the two teams faced off and it looked as if the Yankees who had taken the first three games in the best of seven series were about to win and advance to yet another World Series appearance until Boston miraculously won game 4.  Most fans remember Curt Schilling’s sutured ankle in game 6, but game 5 was a do-or-die moment for the Red Sox, and they delivered in epic fashion. Yet, despite being the pivotal game in the series, it hasn’t drawn the attention the others have.  The Forgotten Game breaks down game 5 on a virtual pitch-by-pitch basis, from the battle between Pedro Martinez and Mike Mussina, to the clutch perfor

Episode #111 features another spectacular visit from Ryan Cooper and Sean Ludwig, creators of The Smoke Sheet and NYC BBQ as well as an interview with author, Lawrence Baldassaro who has written an outstanding book on a New York Yankees legend, Tony Lazzeri.  Ryan Cooper and Sean Ludwig are back and better than ever.  Ryan is the founder of the BBQ Tourist website, https://bbqtourist.com which is dedicated to celebrating the best barbecue in America.  Sean is the founder of NYC BBQ, http://www.nycbbq.com which is a website and newsletter with news and information on all things barbecue in the NYC metro area.  Together they are co-founders of The Smoke Sheet, https://www.bbqnewsletter.com which is a weekly newsletter that curates the latest national barbecue news, upcoming events, books to read, podcasts to list to, videos to watch, recipes, and so much more.  We are thrilled every time they come on and look forward to having them back again.Lawrence Baldassaro is a prolific author.  Books and articles too num

Episode #110 features Andy Husbands talking barbecue, Larry Olmsted explaining how being a sports fan enhances your life, and our very own Jeff Cohen telling about his incredible New York Mets Fantasy Camp experience including interviews with Duffy Dyer and Joel Youngblood.Andy Husbands is a chef, restaurateur, author, and television personality.  An award winning pitmaster, he currently is the owner of five Smoke Shop BBQ restaurants located throughout Boston, MA and is the three-time winner of Boston Magazine's "Best Barbecue" in 2018, 2019, and 2021.  He also works to bring awareness to the charity, Share Our Strength, the nation's leading childhood hunger relief organization.  He may not have won season six of the television show, Hell's Kitchen, but he has a lot to say about the experience and  so many other things which he has accomplished on his culinary journey.Larry Olmsted tries to follow the best career advice he ever received and that is, "Do what you love."  For the past 25 years he has been doin

Episode 109 features an outstanding author and an incredible maker of sauces.  Luke Epplin is an author whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, GQ, Slate, Salon, The Daily Beast, and The Paris Review Daily.  His latest project is the book, Our Team:  The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball.  The book traces the fascinating stories of four men, Bill Veeck, Larry Doby, Bob Feller, and Satchel Paige and their significant importance in coming together to help the Cleveland Indians win the 1948 World Series.  Epplin has written an incredible book in which he provides exciting details on individuals who are woven into the fabric of baseball history.  All these years later and we still have a fascination with their careers, and Epplin has provided us with a great baseball book.Brie Blackford is making her second Baseball and BBQ appearance.  In episode 97 she revealed that we were the first podcast she was on and apparently she enjoyed herself enough to come back.  T

Continuing our attempt to right a long-time wrong, episode 108 features Irene Hodges and Gary Mack as they provide compelling arguments for finally inducting Gil Hodges into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.Irene Hodges is the oldest daughter of Gil Hodges.  She was only 20 years old when Gil Hodges passed away, but has many wonderful memories and stories regarding her father.  She would like to see her father enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but she feels especially awful for the many fans who push to get him in and are continuously met with disappointment.  Irene is a delightful person to speak with, and she gave great insight into Gil Hodges which goes beyond the player and manager that most fans are familiar with.Gary Mack is the long-time host of the Mets Musings podcast, as well as hosting the golf related podcast, Chip Shots, and serving as co-host on The Baseball Talk Radio Show along with Rich Baxter.  He has loved the New York Mets since their 1962 inception and has many reasons as

Episode 107 features the second halves of fascinating conversations with Ron Blomberg, the 1st official MLB designated hitter and Greg Rempe, host of The BBQ Central Show. Ron Blomberg was only getting started in episode 105.  In the 2nd part of our conversation he discusses the many ways' baseball has changed and his feelings toward those changes.  He talks about his love for the New York fans as well as his love of food and being banned from an all-you-can-eat restaurant.  Ron was the New York Yankees first overall pick in the 1967 amateur draft and on April 6, 1973, he became the first major-leaguer to bat as a designated hitter in a regular season game.  He is also an author and his latest book, The Captain & Me:  On and Off the Field with Thurman Munson provides great information on Ron's career, but more importantly provides an in-depth look into the special relationship he had with Thurman Munson whom he refers to as his "brother."  Ron and Thurman shared many wonderful times together and hearing h

It's time to right a long-time wrong and episode 106 is our attempt at doing that by featuring Ed Kranepool, Kevin Kernan, Mike Lecolant, and Sam Maxwell as they provide compelling arguments for finally inducting Gil Hodges Into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.Ed Kranepool was only 17 years old in 1962 when the expansion team, New York Mets were formed and then spent the next 18 years wearing blue and orange.  Kranepool was an important member  of the 1969 Miracle Mets and when he retired after the 1979 season at the age of 34, he was the all-time Mets leader in eight offensive categories.  He both played with Gil Hodges and played for Gil Hodges as Hodges effectively used player platoons to manage the Mets to their first-ever World Series Championship.  Kranepool uses that experience to give his rather convincing opinions on why Gil Hodges belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.Kevin Kernan spent 44 years writing sports for major newspapers, 23 years of them as a columnist at the New York Post and

Episode 105 features The BBQ Central Show host, Greg Rempe and the 1st official MLB designated hitter, Ron Blomberg.  Greg Rempe is the creator and host of the longest running, most listened to, and extremely entertaining show dealing with live fire cooking, The BBQ Central Show.  He joined us back on episode 56 and since then he has been a show supporter while offering numerous helpful tips which we have implemented as we strive to improve and for which we are very grateful.  His show can be heard live every Tuesday night from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm and is released in podcast format; the first hour on Wednesday and the second hour on Thursday.  Then on Fridays you can catch up on parts of past episodes listening to The Best Moments of The BBQ Central Show in 10 Minutes or Less.  Not only is he well versed in barbecue, but he can talk baseball too.  Part one is mainly barbecue talk, but it is so much more as Greg is extremely candid and willing to discuss everything.  You can find out more about his show by goin

Episode 104 features Part 2 with author, Erik Sherman and a visit with pitmaster extraordinaire, Lee Ann Whippen.  Erik Sherman writes baseball books and he does that exceptionally well.  Whether the books are about one specific player or one specific team, Erik provides wonderful and unique perspectives which baseball fans will thoroughly enjoy.  His latest project will be a welcome addition to any baseball fans library.  In Two Sides of Glory:  The 1986 Boston Red Sox In Their Own Words, Erik provides a glimpse into something rarely seen.  Frequently, books are written about the winning teams, but how often does one have the chance to read about the losing team and learn of their feelings as well as finding out about things happening with their lives.  All of that and so much more is in Two Sides of Glory.  The 1986 Boston Red Sox lost game six to the New York Mets in an unforgettable and devastating fashion and then proceeded to lose game seven and had to watch as the New York Mets celebrated and prevented

Episode 103 features an outstanding author of numerous baseball themed books and a visit with two wonderful restaurateurs and cookbook authors from across the pond. Erik Sherman writes exceptional baseball books.  Whether the books are about a specific player or a specific team, Erik provides wonderfully unique perspectives which baseball fans will enjoy.  His latest project will be a fine addition to your library.  In Two Sides of Glory:  The 1986 Boston Red Sox In Their Own Words, Erik provides a glimpse into something rarely seen.  Frequently, books are written about the winning teams, but how often does one have the chance to read about the losing team and learn of the individual players feelings as well as finding out about things happening with their lives.  All that and much more is in Two Sides of Glory.  The 1986 Boston Red Sox lost game six to the New York Mets in an unforgettable and devastating fashion and then proceeded to lose game seven and had to watch as the New York Mets celebrated and preve

Episode 102 is filled with baseball, barbecue, and a contest for the greatest podcast audience ever.Joey Machado is a marketing guru and the barbecue community is lucky he is a part of it.  In part two of our interview we learn more about Blues Hog BBQ and Gateway Drum Smokers, but it humorously begins with a Seinfeld TV show reference.  From there we learn why Tim Scheer is a genius and has Joey's, as well as the barbecue industry's ultimate respect.  Joey provides exceptional information, but more importantly he is a prime example of how barbecue people are some of the friendliest you will ever meet.Tim Neverett spent last year like most of America, unsure of what each day would bring during a pandemic.  The difference though is that most of America does not work as a television and radio play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  In 2020, the major league baseball season, usually a 162 game marathon became a 60 game sprint played in front of empty/cardboard cutout filled stands.  Each day Tim chr

 Episode 101 is overloaded with incredible guests and wonderful discussions.MLB at Field of Dreams Game was a huge success and we were fortunate to speak with three extremely dedicated baseball fans who made the trek to Dyersville, Iowa to witness this highly anticipated game.  Join us as we welcome previous show guest, Brian LoPinto, as well as first timers to the show, Dan Malley and Aaron Nelsen.  They give us their first-hand impressions and experiences.  Find out what it was like to be at the game, the types of food served, and even how much these three fans paid for this unique experience which all of them said was well worth it. Andrea Williams admits that prior to getting a job in marketing and development at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri she knew nothing regarding Effa Manley, the subject of her wonderful book, Baseball's Leading Lady:  Effa Manley and the Rise and Fall of the Negro Leagues.  However, once she heard about this wonderful woman who is the only woman inducte

It's episode 100!  Time to celebrate as we speak with two great guests and are joined by a special guest co-host.Adrian Miller is a James Beard Foundation book award-winning author, an American culinary historian, lawyer, public policy advisor, and certified barbecue judge. He was also a consultant on the Netflix show, Chef's Table BBQ.  His latest book is Black Smoke:  African Americans and the United States of Barbecue.  The book is a true masterpiece, filled with fascinating history and tasty recipes.  We were fortunate to be joined by special guest host, Doug Scheiding who brings his own special perspective to the show.  Barbecue has an incredible history and our conversation with Adrian will help bring that history to life as well as make you want to purchase this book. Mackey Sasser is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played from 1987 through 1995 for the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, and Seattle Mariners.  On July 8th, 1990 while playing for the Mets he was severely

In memory of a very special person who will be sorely missed.Not long ago we had the privilege of speaking with Marjorie Adams who we referred to as baseball royalty.  She found this to be funny, but we really did feel honored to speak with the great-granddaughter of a man who made major contributions to the game of baseball and whom Marjorie was determined to have elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame where he rightfully deserved to be.On July 7, 2021, Marjorie Adams passed away. We wanted to honor her by replaying our conversation while asking Jeff "Pinetar" Kornhaas to share some of his special thoughts and memories on their wonderful relationship and the many ways she touched the lives of so many people.The following is from the show notes of episode 87.  When we released the episode we thought we would have the chance to speak with Marjorie many more times as well as to meet her in person.  Unfortunately, neither of those would come to be and we are grateful for the small amount of time we got to talk.