Baseball by the Book

Episode 335: "Baseball: The Turbulent Midcentury Years"

Author Steve Gietschier joins us to discuss his new book chronicling baseball history from the 1930s to the 1950s. We discuss how MLB survived the Depression, the rise of

Episode 334: "Why We Love Baseball"

Award-winning author Joe Posnanski returns to the podcast to talk about 50 moments (and more) that tell the story of baseball history and why the sport means so much to s

Episode 333: "The One Hundred Most Important Players in Baseball History"

Nobody doubts Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente are among the most important baseball players ever. But Dorothy Kamanshek? Dolf Luque? Masanori Murakami? 

Episode 332: "Tales from the Dugout"

Tim Hagety, broadcaster for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, takes us on a journey through 1,001 of the zaniest moments in minor league baseball history. Along the way, w

Episode 331: "Suds Series"

Rickey Henderson stole 130 bases. Cal Ripken Jr.'s legendary streak began, although no one knew it at the time. The Big Red Machine broke down as the Cincinnati Reds hit

Episode 330: "Welcome to the Circus of Baseball"

Ryan McGee spent the summer of 1994 working as a $100-a-week intern for the Class-A Asheville Tourists of the South Atlantic League. Three decades later, McGee —now a sen

Episode 329: "Major League Baseball Players of the 1970s"

Let's remember some guys. Author Bill Ballew joins us to discuss his new biographical dictionary of every MLB player who debuted in the 1970s — all 1,312 of them, from

Episode 328: "Baseball's Brief Lives"

Steven Goldman joins us to discuss his collection of essays inspired by his podcast The Infinite Inning. From Pete Rose and Henry Aaron to Ski Melillo and Pee-Wee Wanning

Episode 327: "Beauty at Short"

Author Tom Alecia joins us to discuss the remarkable life and career of Dave "Beauty" Bancroft, one of baseball's most unlikely Hall of Famers. 

Episode 326: "Stumbling Around the Bases"

Author Andy McCue joins us to discuss how the American League mismanaged integration and expansion, allowing the National League to forge ahead in attendance and prestige

Episode 325: "Intentional Balk"

Mark Armour joins us to discuss the history of cheating in baseball, from the 19th century to current issues like electronic sign stealing and Spider Tack.

Episode 324: "Stolen Dreams"

In 1955, a group of Black Little Leaguers in South Carolina was denied a chance to play for the chamlpionship because of the color of their skin. Author Chris Lamb joins

Episode 323: "Not an Easy Tale to Tell"

Raph Carhart joins us to discuss a new SABR collection that looks at how Jackie Robinson's legacy has been reflected and shaped by pop culture and literature. He gives hi

Episode 322: "Whispers of the Gods"

Author Peter Golenbock joins us to discuss his new oral history collection, which includes more than a dozen interviews with former baseball players conducted over the co

Episode 321: "Red Barber"

We're in the catbird seat as author James R. Walker joins us to discuss his biography of legendary baseball broadcaster Red Barber. 

From the Patreon archives: "Baseball's Great Experiment"

For Jackie Robinson Day, we make this classic bonus episode from our Patreon page available to everyone. Adrian Burgos, Mark Armour and Lisa Alexander join us to take a d

Episode 320: "Charlie Murphy"

In the early 20th century, Charlie Murphy was the most successful — and controverisal — owner in the major leagues. Author Jason Cannon joins us to discuss the iconoclast

Episode 319: "Ted Sullivan, Barnacle of Baseball"

Ted Sullivan, once known as "the Daddy of Baseball," is almost entirely forgotten today. Author Pat O'Neill joins us to discuss the life of the Irish immigrant who discov

Episode 318: "Max Gordon"

We're back! Author Jacob Kornhauser joins us to discuss the remarkable and inspiring story of former Oregon State outfielder Max Gordon. 

Episode 317: "The Baseball 100"

Where does Pete Rose rank on the list of baseball's all-time best players? Was Barry Bonds better than Henry Aaron? Where do players like Sadaharu Oh and Josh Gibson belo