Back When There Was Baseball

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 an interesting take to this podcast. Balboni was introduced to America during the MLB strike of 1981. ESPN started to cover minor league baseball and Steve played for the Columbus Clippers as he was featured during the strike. He had a pretty good career as a power hitter back when the ballparks were more spacious. Steve talks about the 1985 World Series when he played for the Kansas City Royals. Starting out with the New York Yankees adds some color to this interview as well. Let's take a look Back When There Was Baseball with a legendary power hitter in Steve "Bye Bye" Balboni!

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 won the last Yankees victory in "Old Yankee Stadium" on September 29, 1973, before the Yankees moved to Shea Stadium for the 1974-1975 seasons. Doc Medich is an incredible story of a very good baseball pitcher who also went to medical school during spring training until 1973. Listen in as "Doc" tells stories about those years with the Yankees along with coming home to Pittsburgh in 1976 and finishing out his career in Texas and finally in Milwaukee. He had a 124-105 career record, mostly as a starting pitcher, with an ERA of 3.78, Back When There Was Baseball.

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 Cubs, Giants, Cardinals and Orioles. In this era of baseball, the backup catcher was vitally important. Ken talks about what it was like to play sparingly, keep in shape not only defensively, but also at the plate with the bat. He also talks about some of the managers he played for Back When There Was Baseball, which includes Leo Durocher.

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 organization in 1968 as an outfielder competing with Carl Yastrzemski, Reggie Smith and Ken Harrelson for playing time. He was traded to and played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1972-1973, then was shipped to the California Angels. Joe had arguably his best year in the Majors in 1974 with the Angels, but his old Red Sox manager, Dick Williams, resurfaced to replace Bobby Winkles and Joe's playing time was reduced. We hope you enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball to relive the career of Joe Lahoud.

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 not a long one due to arm injuries, but he has some great stories surrounding his playing days. An interesting tidbit was that he was traded from the New York Mets to the Washington Senators in 1967 for manager Gil Hodges. Bill played for some interesting managers which included Wes Westrum, Jim Lemon, Ted Williams and Billy Martin. After his playing career was over, Bill coached in the Minor Leagues and in college. Reminisce with us as we look Back When There Was Baseball at the career of Bill Denehy.

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 he was a 3-sport athlete. Name me 3-sport athletes that made it to the Major Leagues. The list is short. Lynn started out with the Cincinnati Reds organization but was traded to Detroit where he made the Major League club. He was a member of the Pine Brothers and was nicknamed "El Capitan". Lynn was traded to the Kansas City Royals and won a World Series ring in 1985. We hope you enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball with our guest Lynn Jones.

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 great college career at USC before being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1st round of the 1976 January Draft. Steve was up in the Majors for good with the Tigers in 1977 and it didn't take long for him to start hitting. His best year in the big leagues was 1979 when he made the All-Star team. Join us as we go Back When There Was Baseball with Steve Kemp.

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 Alaska. Rusty was drafted in the 12th round in 1972 of the June Amateur Draft by the San Diego Padres. He only played one year in the Big Leagues for the Padres in 1974, but Rusty talks about his journey to the Majors as he was called up in his 3rd year. He played an additional five years in the Minors attempting to recover from arm problems. Rusty also shares his time in baseball after he retired as a coach and scout.

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 managers. Enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball with John Boccabella.

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. His best year was 1973 with Milwaukee and he was an All-Star that year. He also had a solid year in 1977 with the Royals, but did not appear in the ALCS. Join us Back When There Was Baseball with Jim Colborn.

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 franchise. Bob also played in the 1960 World Series and appeared in games 4 and 5 in Yankee Stadium catching in the latter innings. He finished his career in Philadelphia playing for Gene Mauch in 1963. He stayed on the Phillies staff as a coach for the infamous 1964 collapse. Bob is still involved in baseball as a scout for the Marlins at age 97.

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 the Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately, Uncle Sam called, and Jack had to delay his baseball career until 1970. Jack's career lasted through the 1979 season with his one year in St. Louis (1974) being his most productive. We look Back When There Was Baseball this week in an era where military service took precedence to baseball.

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 exhibition against the New York Yankees. Ron started out with the Pirates before Houston selected him in the Rule 5 draft. He also played for the Montreal Expos who acquired him in the expansion draft. We venture Back When There Was Baseball as Ron discusses playing with Willie Stargell, playing in the Houston Astrodome and also playing in Jarry Park with the Expos.

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 the Big Leagues from 1971-1979 with 3 teams: Montreal, Detroit and California. When he joined the California Angels in 1976, he quickly became the catcher for Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana upon their request. His best season was 1977 where he appeared in 123 games. Terry talks about his role as a great defensive catcher when we go Back When There Was Baseball.

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 Cardinals' Dick Hughes. The Red Sox won Game 6, but Bob Gibson won Game 7 to give the St. Louis Cardinals the Series. Gary was one of the toughest luck pitchers of all-time. He had a record of 11-26, but a respectable 3.44 ERA while playing for the Red Sox, Cardinals, Expos, Yankees and Oakland A's. Listen to some great stories as we go Back When There Was Baseball.

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 and ended the season with the rookie record for appearances by a pitcher with 76. Larry posted a 9-4 record that year with an ERA of 4.69. He bounced up and down from the Minor Leagues to the Majors for the remainder of his career and coached for several years after his playing days. Larry was a coach for the Republican team in 2017 when the mass shooting occurred that injured Rep. Steve Scalise. Enjoy these insightful stories when we go Back When There Was Baseball.

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 play for several managers including Johnny Pesky, Alvin Dark, Gil Hodges, Gene Mauch and Yogi Berra. Take this trip Back When There Was Baseball as Jim shares many memories and funny stories from his days in the Big Leagues.

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.

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 of Back When There Was Baseball as Jack talks about playing with the likes of Willie McCovey, Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Juan Marichal and many others.

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 Rod Gaspar tell it like it was 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 through the mid-1990s with our guest, Greg Harris.

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 record in their farm system. He was never invited to spring training with the Tigers. Jack shares some great stories as we go Back When There Was Baseball in the late 1960s through the early 1970s.

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 pitching. Join us as we go Back When There Was Baseball to the cities of Cincinnati and Philadelphia with our guest, Tom Hume.

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 6 postseasons. We hope you enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball with Ron Reed.

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 pitcher the night Lou Brock got his 3,000th hit, and also surrendered Pete Rose's 3,631st hit, which set the National League record. He averaged 11 strikeouts per nine innings in 1978, which is a Cardinals record. Mark Littell had 4 outstanding seasons in a row: 1976/1977 (K.C. Royals) and 1978/1979 (St. Louis Cardinals). Mark shares some funny stories about his career as we look 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 1970s through the early 1980s.

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. Let's go Back When There Was Baseball and listen to one of the best umpires the game has known.

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 Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers. He was signed out of Florida State University and got to the Big Leagues in his 2nd season. Johnny hit .311 in his first full season with the Padres (1973). He was a solid player who could hit and also field. His career batting average is .278 and he was around that average each season which is a measure of his consistency. Johnny finally got a chance to play in the postseason in 1984 with Detroit and he talks about his experiences in the ALCS and World Series.

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 had a career batting average of .264 with 102 home runs and 383 RBIs. Eric was a solid player at 3rd base for every team he played for. He had to sit out the 1976 season with a knee injury which led him to be a Designated Hitter in the latter part of his career. A freak knee injury ended his Major League career after he hit .287 with the Yankees in 1980. Eric shares some great stories Back When There Was Baseball.

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 drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers but played most of his career with the Baltimore Orioles. He was instrumental in the 1983 regular season which led to the Orioles World Series win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Lenn could play multiple positions in the infield and even caught in a game that went extra innings. He started out in the Brewers organization and had to compete with the likes of Jim Gantner, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. In the Orioles organization, he competed with Rich Dauer and Cal Ripken, Jr. We take the time machine back to the late 1970s through the late 1980s, Back When There Was Baseball, with our guest Lenn Sakata.

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 at Southern Cal where they won the National Championship in 1968 and from 1970-1974. Eric was drafted 1st overall in the 1972 MLB January Draft by the Cleveland Indians. He was a big pitcher standing at 6'4" and weighing between 240-250 lbs. Eric worked his way through the Minor Leagues quickly and was at the Major League level in 1975. He had a solid year in 1975, but arm problems hampered him throughout the rest of his career. One must think, what would Eric have done had he been healthy. Join us Back When There Was Baseball and listen to Eric Raich share his Major and Minor League experiences with us.

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 2 World Series championships (1980 and 2008). The Phillies have only appeared in 7 World Series and Chris was a part of 5 of those events. Wheels shares a lot of great stories from his time with the Phillies, which started in 1977, and includes some surprises Back When There Was Baseball.

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 manager Billy Martin, up against the home Cleveland Indians. Our guests are Steve Foucault and Tom Grieve who played for the Rangers, and Jack Brohamer and Dick Bosman who played with Cleveland. This was a promotion that went wrong. Streaking, women bearing their bare breasts and other raucous behavior occurred, which culminated in the fans storming the field and the game being forfeited to the Rangers. We go Back When There Was Baseball this week to revisit one of the craziest games in MLB history.

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 out of the University of Iowa and was told by a scout that he was not very good. That "insult" propelled Jim to become the best catcher he could be, and what a successful adventure that was. Jim played 16 seasons in the Majors (1974-1989) with the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals and Chicago Cubs. He won 6 consecutive Gold Gloves (1976-1981) which is unreal considering he caught in the heat of Texas during those seasons. Jim is also famous for his great slide in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. We hope you enjoy this look Back When There Was Baseball at one of the best catchers in that time-period, Jim Sundberg.

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 was a right-handed stopper coming out of the bullpen during those years with outstanding numbers. He had an ERA under 2.00 in 1969 and 1971. He also was 15-10 during those 3 years (1969-1971) which is outstanding for a relief pitcher. Eddie shares some great stories about those years and his career Back When There Was Baseball.

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 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.

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 (1988-1989). His career took off when he was dealt to the Chicago Cubs (1984-1987) where he was their leadoff man/center fielder. He led off the bottom of the 1st inning of Game 1 in the NL Playoffs (1984) with a home run against the San Diego Padres, to propel the Cubs to victory. As a Phillies fan, Bob was one of my favorite players. I loved his speed, hustle and defensive ability in center field. He also had some years where he flirted with .300 at the plate. Enjoy this interview as Bob shares some great stories Back When There Was Baseball.

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 playing for Gene Mauch while being the Expos starting catcher from 1974-1976. Barry was traded to the Phillies and was part of their NLCS run in 1977-1978. He then became a starter with the Cubs and later played with the Yankees during their post-season run in 1981. Barry discusses his trade to Philadelphia which took him from a starter in Montreal to a back-up-catcher who didn't play much. His career was rejuvenated in Chicago and he started that infamous game against the Phillies in 1979 (a 23-22 loss). He left baseball and started scouting and coaching, which led to his being named Manager of the Year in the Florida State League with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees. Sit back and enjoy this interview with one of my favorite Phillies during that NLCS run in the late 1970s.

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 teams and some great pitching staffs. He was part of the great staff in Cleveland in 1967, Cincinnati in 1968/1969 and the Astros in the early 1970s. George had a no-hitter in 1968 against the Phillies when he was with Cincinnati. Take a look Back When There Was Baseball this week with George Culver.

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 with the California Angels before being traded to the Houston Astros. He thrived in Houston before he was hit in the head with a pitch by Mike Torrez on April 8, 1984. Dickie played the rest of his career with impaired vision, which is unreal seeing that he was still very competitive for many years after the injury. Dickie was one of Rex's favorite players to watch and he did not disappoint in this interview.

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 Leagues but hadn't pitched since his Little League days. Steve also never started a game in his minor or major league career. He played in the Big Leagues from 1973-1978 with the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals. Steve has a solid 35-36 career record with a very good 3.21 ERA. We go Back When There Was Baseball this week into the 1970s to review the career of Steve Foucault.

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 record of 68-66 with a 4.35 ERA. Bill has a unique story as to how he started his MLB career after playing both basketball and baseball for the University of Portland. Bill went into broadcasting after his MLB career and covers the Seattle Mariners in the studio. Enjoy this look Back When There Was Baseball at the career of Bill Krueger.

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 started against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Three Rivers Stadium. Randy not only picked up the win on the mound, but he hit two home runs to lead the Phillies to clinching the N.L. East. He talks about that game along with his trials and tribulations in a career which spanned from 1975-1986. Randy also wrote a book entitled God in the Bullpen which not only reviews his MLB career, but also talks about his alcoholism and overcoming that disease. Sit back and enjoy Randy Lerch Back When There Was Baseball.

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 his career (The Astrodome in Houston and The Kingdome in Seattle). Leon talks about hitting in those stadiums and how he overcame an eye injury to have a career batting average of .267. He finished 6th in batting in 1978 with the Mariners, hitting .301 with 22 Home Runs and 92 RBIs. Join us Back When There Was Baseball and enjoy Leon Roberts talk about his career.

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 wind was blowing out at 17-18 miles/hour. Both starting pitchers (Phillies - Randy Lerch, Cubs - Dennis Lamp) only last 1/3 of an inning and the score was 7-6 after the 1st inning was completed. The teams combined for 50 hits of which 11 were home runs. Our guests are Rawly Eastwick (the game's winning pitcher) and Chris Wheeler (broadcast team) to represent the Phillies, along with Barry Foote (catcher) and Mike Vail (RF) to represent the Cubs. We hope you enjoy this inside look back 45 years ago at this wild and crazy game.

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 no-hitter on that Wednesday evening in Cincinnati while also hitting 2 home runs. Later in that same season, he recorded 32 consecutive outs in a game vs. the Chicago Cubs (September 18, 1971). We were fortunate to have Rick talk about that no-hitter along with his career, which spanned 18 years in the Big Leagues.

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. He won two Gold Glove Awards (1970 and 1972) and was an All-Star in 1967. You have to wonder why he wasn't awarded more Gold Gloves when you look at his statistics. Ken played his entire career in the American League with the Chicago White Sox, California Angels, Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Indians. Enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball and listen to Ken Berry share stories about his career and baseball in the 1960s-1970s.

Lou Klimchock is our guest on the podcast this week. Lou played in the Majors from 1958-1970 with the Kansas City A's, Milwaukee Braves, Washington Senators, New York Mets and Cleveland Indians. He was a good utility infielder during most of his career and finally got a chance to play regularly with Cleveland in 1969. Lou talks about getting labeled back in the day and how it affected his career. He played with some of the greats of the game, especially during his stint with Milwaukee (Warren Spahn, Henry Aaron and Eddie Matthews to name a few). Enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball as Lou not only expounds upon his career but shares his thoughts on the game played today.

We are going back into the mid-1960s through the 1970s this week with our guest. You should remember Jim Rooker as a Pittsburgh Pirate, but he actually started in the Detroit Tigers organization as an outfielder, then converted to a pitcher. Jim shares some great stories during his career with the Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was pivotal in the 1979 World Series by pitching five crucial innings in his only start in Game 5. With the Pirates down 3 games to 1, Jim stepped up and sparked the Pirates who would go on to win game 5 by a score of 7-1. The Pirates then won Games 6 and 7 in Baltimore to take the World Series. We hope you enjoy this look Back When There Was Baseball at one of the best left-handed pitchers in Pittsburgh Pirates history.

Our guest this week is one of the best switch-hitting power hitters of his time period. Ken Singleton joins us this week to talk about his illustrious career. Ken's MLB career spans from 1967-1984 with 3 teams: New York Mets, Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles. Ken hit 246 HRs and had over 1,000 RBIs (1,065). He also hit .282 during his career with 4 seasons over the .300 mark. Ken Singleton is one of those players that impacted the time period he played in and is mentioned among the best players of his era. We go Back When There Was Baseball this week with Ken Singleton.