Baseball And Bbq

Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and Malcom Reed from the How To BBQ Right YouTube Channel and Podcast   The quote, "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life." fits both our guests perfectly. Josh Rawitch has taken his love of baseball and made it his career.  In 1995 Rawitch joined the Los Angeles Dodgers and worked his way from the marketing department, taking a break to serve as a beat reporter for Major League Baseball Advanced Media from 2001-02, and then returning to the Dodgers and eventually rising to the position of Vice President of Communications.  Before assuming his role as National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum President in 2021 Rawitch spent a decade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, serving as the team’s Senior Vice President of Content and Communications.  Josh fully understands his role which is to oversee the daily operation of the non-profit, educational institution, whose mission is to preserve history, honor excellen

Former MLB Player, Jim Leyritz and Megan Day from Burnt Finger BBQ Provide Exceptional Baseball and BBQ Talk Jim Leyritz was a professional baseball catcher and infielder.  In his 11-year Major League Baseball career, Leyritz played for the New York Yankees, Anaheim Angels, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Dodgers.  With the Yankees, Jim was a member of the 1996 and 1999 World Series championships.  Nicknamed "The King," Jim's playing days were highlighted by a pair of memorable postseason home runs he hit with the Yankees in 1995 and 1996 in comeback wins.  Jim is a fantastic storyteller and shares many, including stories of his life prior to, during, and after baseball.  How did a refusal to give Jim a $5,000 signing bonus change baseball history?  Who was the future Baseball Hall of Fame player Jim met when he was 14 that made Jim choose to become a catcher?  Jim bares his soul to us, and we are truly grateful for his extreme candor.     Megan Day is our guest, but

Spanning the globe to bring smoking hot BBQ talk with Ben Arnot from Smoking Hot Confessions and exceptional baseball talk with Joe Ceraulo, host of Ceraulo Sports Talk  Ben Arnot believes in the power of barbecue.  What exactly does that mean?  To Ben and his Smoking Hot Confessions team, "It is a power that is unique and mystifying.  It is the power to not only deliver delicious foods, but to bring people together and bind them in a way that little else can.  Family and friends come together whenever there is meat over a flame.  Old arguments are forgotten and fractured relationships are repaired.  At Smoking Hot Confessions, we truly believe that BBQ has the power to heal the world."  Beautiful thoughts from someone who has fallen in love with a style of cooking whose breadth is expanding worldwide and, in his native Australia, Ben is helping lead that growth.  Ben hosts the Smoking Hot Confessions Podcast, writes a blog as well as the eBooks, The Bacon Manifesto and 27 Lessons Learned From Compe

Tom Hammond from Vintage Baseball Reflections and Chad Humphrey from Humphrey's BBQ Tom Hammond has loved baseball since he was "knee-high to a grasshopper."  His father, who was a Boston Braves fan, introduced him to baseball, and Tom has been a fan ever since.  It has taken his love of the game and countless hours to create the website, https://www.vintagebaseballreflections.com/.  On this website, there is enough content, some free and some for a fee, to keep a baseball fan entertained for hours, days, weeks, and perhaps even years.  Everything from 900+ recorded radio broadcasts of games, interviews with hall-of-fame players, and old-time commercials can be found on the website.  If this was not enough to keep Tom busy, he also has a podcast called, This Day in Baseball - The Daily Rewind which is a must-listen for all baseball history buffs. Chad Humphrey saw a need, filled that need, and has become a major part of the barbecue smoker manufacturing community.  In the Southwestern foothills of M

Multi Award-Winning Pitmaster, Heath Riles and Martin's Baseball Museum Curator, Tracy Martin Heath Riles is a 75-time Grand Champion.  He has been grilling since he was 18 years old and participated on his first competition BBQ team in Ashland, Mississippi.  Since then his name has become synonymous with high-quality barbecue products which include an award-winning line of barbecue rubs, sauces, marinades, and injections.  Barbecue is not just a mere hobby for Heath, but rather the career path he has chosen and the cooking style on which he is building a rich legacy.  We are joined by our guest co-host, Doug Scheiding, also a renowned pitmaster, as we talk about barbecue with a bit of baseball talk.  Heath discusses another surprise project he is starting.  More information on Heath Riles can be found at https://www.heathrilesbbq.com/   Tracy Martin has a basement baseball fans adore and collectors envy.  For nearly 50 years Tracy has collected items from the game he loves, including baseballs, gloves, bats,

Turbo Trusser Inventors and Shark Tank Contestants, Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust and Barry Sparks, Author of The Search for the Next Mickey Mantle Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust have a passion for inventing.  They see a problem and create a solution.  Their latest invention turns the difficult process of trussing a chicken into a fun and quick alternative.  Trussing a chicken allows it to cook evenly and neatly, but until now it was a very difficult endeavor which called for butcher twine and an advanced degree.  Their invention, Turbo Trusser is such a good one that they were chosen to appear on TV's Shark Tank and managed to obtain a deal from one of the sharks.  Brian and Kirk take us inside the inventing process and behind the scenes of the hit television show.  They currently have one Turbo Trusser for chicken and one for turkey, but as we learned there is much more on the horizon. Barry Sparks has been writing about baseball for more than 50 years.  His first article was published in the July 1970 B

Episode #172: Former MLB Pitcher, Andy Benes, Guest Co-host, Bill Chuck, and Old Grunt BBQ's Galen Powell Make This a Can't-Miss Episode Andy Benes is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1989 to 2002. Most prominently as a member of the San Diego Padres where he was named to the National League All-Star team in 1993 and led the league in strikeouts in 1994.  He also played for the Seattle Mariners, the St.Louis Cardinals, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He provides many stories about his 16 years in the Majors, as well as the opportunity to play on the same team as his brother, Alan Benes.  Author and newspaper columnist, Bill Chuck steps in quite admirably as co-host, filling in for Leonard who is "out of town on assignment."  Andy ended his career with 155 wins, a 3.97 ERA, and 2000 strikeouts; a career worthy of discussion. Galen Powell is not, yet, a huge name in barbecue, but that may soon change.  This former member of the United States Military and founder of the Old Grunt BB

Episode 171: It's a triple play with Doug Scheiding and Jennifer Talley of Rogue Cookers, Marc Gold, condiments and bobblehead aficionado, and Scott Umscheid, pitmaster and restaurateur Doug Scheiding pulls double duty as he and his wife, Jennifer Talley discuss their amazing weekend cooking at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo BBQ Cook-off.  This dynamic duo forms the team, Rogue Cookers and they had an excellent weekend with top ten finishes in chicken and dessert.  Doug and Jen explain why the chicken finish almost did not happen.  We also learn more about Doug as we beg Jennifer for a little-known fact.  Go to www.roguecookers.com for more information on this great team. Marc Gold is the former owner of Gold's Horseradish and a long-time avid New York Mets fan. We are joined by Gary Mack of the Mets Musings podcast and together, Marc and Gary reminisce about the original Mets and numerous times spent at Shea Stadium.  Marc showed his love for the Mets with their 1962 inception, when as a 14-year-old

Episode #170: Former MLB Pitcher, Turk Wendell and an Encore of Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, Restaurateurs and the Authors of Chasing Smoke Turk Wendell is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for 11 seasons.  His career kept him in the National League, playing for four teams, the Chicago Cubs, the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Colorado Rockies.  Turk is known for some special behaviors (jumping over the foul line on his way to and from the mound, brushing his teeth between innings, slamming the rosin bag into the mound, waving at his center fielder, and a few others) which he gladly discusses and offers explanations for.  He is unique, has great stories to tell, and during his playing days he was not afraid to speak his mind regarding other players suspected of using steroids.  This angered some ballplayers, but Turk did not back down.  Turk loved playing the game and even offered to play his final year for free.  Bill Chuck, baseball writer, and researcher, who

Episode 169: Champion Pitmaster, Danielle Bennett aka Diva Q and Author, Alan Hirsch Danielle Bennett aka Diva Q says, "BBQ is a never-ending learning process."  A pioneer in BBQ and a champion with over 400 awards to her name. Diva Q was the host of BBQ Crawl for three seasons on The Travel Channel. Danielle has a best-selling cookbook called Diva Q's Barbecue: 195 Recipes for Cooking with Family, Friends and Fire. Danielle is also an ambassador for Traeger as is our co-host for this interview Doug Scheiding of Rogue Cookers who is a good friend of Danielle's.  Check out her website at https://www.divaq.ca Alan Hirsch is the author of Baseball's Most Bizarre Plays:  A roster of the Odd, the Improbable, and the Downright Confounding in Major League History.  This is a fun book to read as Alan counts down the most Bizarre plays from 150 to number 1.  Some you will remember, some you will read about for the first time, but all are quite enjoyable. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Br

Baseball and BBQ Episode #168: Champion Pitmaster, Harry Soo of Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ and Author, Dan Good Harry Soo says he became a champion pitmaster purely by chance.  It was on his "bucket list" to enter a barbecue competition and with the nudging of a fellow co-worker he did and the rest, as they say, is history.  Harry is a strong believer in spreading BBQ love and he is doing just that.  Harry has more than 100 first-place finishes, 30 Grand Championships, is a television personality (Food Network, Chopped, Smoked, BBQ Pitmasters), and makes and posts videos on YouTube.  His incredibly positive attitude is a pleasure and something we all wish we had.  We are joined by our beloved guest co-host, Doug Scheiding, who knows Harry from their previous meetings, including their time together at The Houston Rodeo.  More information on Harry Soo can be found at https://www.slapyodaddybbq.com/       Dan Good is an accomplished book writer, ghostwriter, journalist, and editor.  He's held leadership roles

Episode #167:  Rene LeRoux, Executive Director of the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame, and Steve Brown, Founder of Uncle Steve's Shake Rene LeRoux is an exceptional storyteller and has many to tell.  He is the founder and executive director of three New York State Hall of Fame's, baseball, basketball, and hockey.  We had the pleasure of attending the 2022 New York State Baseball Hall of Fame Dinner in Troy, New York, which Rene orchestrated.  Rene gives us a look behind the scenes at how the Hall of Fame operates, how its members are chosen, and many other things which make it so special.  Rene's Rolodex must be overflowing with the names of people with whom he has developed relationships and has special stories which as we mentioned he generously shares.  Go to http://www.nysbhof.com/home.html for more information on the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame.          Steve Brown aka Uncle Steve is the inventor, creative force, and face of Uncle's Steve's Shake.  Uncle Steve is a true artist and spices a

Baseball and BBQ Episode #166:  Actor, writer, and comedian, Robert Wuhl was our guest on episode 78 and the interview deserves an encore along with a new listener rant, and we learn about Arky Vaughan, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame Robert Wuhl is an actor, comedian, and writer.  He is the creator and star of the television series, Arliss in which he played sports agent, Arliss Michaels.  He has had roles in some incredibly iconic movies, including Good Morning Vietnam, Bull Durham, Batman, and The Bodyguard.  Other movies in which he has appeared include The Hollywood Knights, Flashdance, Blaze, Missing Pieces, Mistress, Blue Chips, and Cobb.  He has appeared on The Dating Game and The $10,0000 Pyramid and has had several other writing credits and television roles, including his one-man-show, Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl and Assume the Position 201 with Mr. Wuhl.  Robert is an extremely knowledgeable baseball fan who also has enjoyed his share of barbecue so you know he was a great guest.  On De

Episode #165: Champion Pitmaster Mike Davis of Lotta Bull BBQ and the Authors of Red Barber: The Life and Legacy of a Broadcasting Legend, Judith Hiltner and James Walker Mike Davis has won over 1,300 BBQ competition awards, which includes 92 Grand Championships and 62 Reserve Grand Championships. He and his wife Debbie have competed for over 30 years. Mike has been on some of the more popular BBQ programs including Smoked, Chopped: Grill Masters, and The All-Star BBQ Showdown. Coincidently, Mike and our co-host for this interview, Doug Scheiding met years ago on the set of Smoked.  Mike is retired from competitive cooking and now enjoys serving food from his food truck several days a week.runs a food truck.  He even has his own line of rubs and sauces.  More information on Mike can be found at https://www.lottabullbbq.com Dr. Judith Hiltner and Dr. James Walker are the authors of Red Barber:  The Life and Legacy of a Broadcasting Legend, an extensive biography on one of the pioneers of broadcasting.  From hi

Baseball and BBQ Episode #164: Year 6 Kicks Off with Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Membership Ambassador, Bruce McClure, and Angry BBQ's Mike Haas and Eric Campbell   Bruce McClure is the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Membership Ambassador and Chair of the Northern New England Chapter of SABR.  His passion for baseball comes through loud and clear, as does his feelings on why SABR is the perfect organization for baseball fans.  Bruce started out in professional hockey, working in the front offices of the NHL's Hartford Whalers and the AHL's Springfield Indians.  While working for yet another sports organization, Bruce obtained specialized degrees in elementary and special education, eventually teaching in Connecticut and Massachusetts for over a decade prior to transitioning to a career in interior design and high-end furniture showroom management.  His career path has been varied, but his love of baseball has never wavered, and he loves all that SABR has to offer and wants oth

Baseball and BBQ Episode #163:  We Celebrate the Show's 5 Year Anniversary with Baseball Writer and Researcher, Bill Chuck and Award-Winning Pitmaster, Doug Scheiding as we Discuss the 2023 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot and a Smattering of Barbecue Talk   Bill Chuck is a baseball writer and researcher and writes a weekly column in the Chicago Sun-Times.  He first joined us on episode 139 to discuss his book, In Scoring Position: 40 Years Of A Baseball Love Affair, which he co-authored with Bob Ryan.  We knew instantly we had found a friend and guest we would want to keep coming back and Bill joined us again on episode 143, along with Bob Ryan, and Steve Trachsel as we brought to life a page from their aforementioned book and discussed the day Trachsel outpitched Pedro Martinez and Bob Ryan was there keeping a perfect scorecard.  Bill gives plenty of insight into the players on the ballot and why he would or would not vote for them. Doug Scheiding was a first-time guest on episode 69.  At that time we only knew

Baseball and BBQ Episode #162: Seattle Mariners TV Play-By-Play Announcer, Dave Sims and Dan Bosworth from Big Dan's Barbecue Plus We Debut a New Song From the Musician, Dave Dresser and the Poet, Shel Krakofsky Dave Sims has been the voice of the Seattle Mariners as their television play-by-play announcer since 2007.  In a long and illustrious career that began as a sportswriter for the New York Daily News, Dave has been involved with many different media forms.  We fondly remember Dave from his time at 66 WFAN, an all-sports radio station in New York.  Dave was paired with Ed Coleman for the midday show called The Coleman and the Soul Man, and it was incredible radio five days a week for almost four years.  As a baseball announcer, Dave called two perfect games in one year, becoming the first broadcaster to perform that feat in the same Major League Baseball season.         Dan Bosworth aka Big Dan has taken his love of cooking barbecue and turned it into a career as the pitmaster and owner of Big Dan's Bar

Baseball and BBQ Episode 161:  Brett Mandell from Baseball BBQ and Brian LoPinto from The Friends of Hinchliffe Stadium Brett Mandel from the company, Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com/ is back to apprise us on the great things the company is doing and all their terrific products available for holiday shopping.  Anyone who loves baseball and barbecue will thoroughly enjoy the wide range of merchandise they offer.  It's an extensive list, but some of the popular items include spatula's, forks, and tongs which are all made using baseball bat handles and which can be personally engraved.  They also have cutting boards shaped liked home plate or baseball jerseys which also can be engraved.  Brett tells us about the various projects they are involved with and we do some talking about the surprising season his beloved Philadelphia Phillies had as they narrowly lost to the Houston Astros in the 2022 World Series. Brian LoPinto is a lover of baseball history as well as his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey.  He ha

Baseball and BBQ Episode #160:  Author Extraordinaire, Erik Sherman and Foodies Extraordinaire, Amaris Pollock and Gene Blum   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.  We last had Eric on the show approximately one year ago to promote his book, Two Sides of Glory:  The 1986 Boston Red Sox In Their Own Words.  We are glad to welcome him back to discuss his latest venture into the podcasting arena with the extremely entertaining, The Eric Sherman Show.  Erik tells us about his connection to actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, his first professional writing experience, and the honor of being selected as a member of the 2023 New York State Baseball Hall of Fame.  For more information on Eric, including his podcast and books, go to https://www.erikshermanbaseball.com/ Amaris Pollock and Gene Blum are very entertaining foodies who ha

Baseball and BBQ Episode #159:   Go The Distance Authors, Tom Tunison and Gary Kaschak and the Father-Son Team Behind Mantis BBQ, Andy and Spencer Mantis   Tom Tunison and Gary Kaschak have joined forces to create the extremely moving and motivational book, Go The Distance.  The inspirational story is that of Tom Tunison, Thurman Munson, and a lifelong quest for baseball immortality.  Who is Tom Tunison, and why does his life story warrant a book?  We answer that and a lot more in this wonderful discussion.  Tom's story is not to be missed, and he writes it with assistance from his friend Gary Kaschak who you might recall co-authored the book with Cleon Jones, Coming Home:  My Amazing' Life With The New York Mets.  "Go the distance" is a term that can be used as a great source of motivation and was one of the things which Ray Kinsella secretly heard in the movie, Field of Dreams.  With an homage to that movie, the book even has a foreword written by Dwier Brown, the veteran actor who played John Kin