Backwards K Pod podcast

1:22:01

San Francisco Giants right-handed ace Juan Marichal was among the elite pitchers during the "The Golden Age Of Pitching" of the 1960's, but he always seemed to live in the shadows of Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson during that era. He was the winningest pitcher of the decade, and his 2.57 era during that span is third best behind only Koufax and his 2.37 and closer Hoyt Wilhelm's 2.16. This week we will cover the baseball journey of the kid who from humble beginnings as the poor farmer's kid from the Dominican Republic, would change his stars, becoming the first Dominican superstar player and a baseball immortal, changing the face of baseball forever. #JuanMarichal #SanFranciscoGiants #RamfisTrujillo #SandyKoufax #BobGibson #JohnnyRoseboro #LagunaVerde #JesusAlou #MattyAlou #FelipeAlou #AlmaCaravajal #AndyGilbert #AlDark #WarrenSpahn #BostonRedSox #LosAngelesDodgers…

1
Ferguson Jenkins; Fergie 1:20:29

há 9 dias1:20:29

1:20:29

This week's focus is on the legendary pitching icon Ferguson Jenkins, who is arguably the greatest ballplayer that Canada has ever produced (with all apologies to Larry Walker) and indeed one of the country's finest all-around athletes ever. During a time that many consider "The Golden Age Of Pitching", Fergie stood shoulder to shouler with the era's greats, and he towered above the rest. He is the only (and most likely the last, considering the evolution of the bullpen in the modern game) pitcher in the last 50 years to win at least 20 games a year, for six consecutive seasons, and along with Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling, they are the only four pitchers in the game's long history with 3,000 strikeouts to their credit, and less than 1,000 walks surrendered. From Chatham, Ontario to Cooperstown, NY, I give you the life and baseball journey of this pitching great. #FergusonArthurJenkins #Fergie #DeloresJenkins #ChathamOntario #ChathamVocationalHighSchool #TerrysCoalYard #GerryMcCaffery #DaveDziadura #PhiladelphiaPhillies #ChicagoCubs #TexasRangers #BostonRedSox #JimBunning #BobGibson #HarlemGlobetrotters #GaryTempleton…

1
Frank Robinson 1:33:53

há 18 dias1:33:53

1:33:53

Frank Robinson accomplished as much in the game of baseball, as anyone ever has; National League Rookie Of The Year, An MVP in both leagues, MVP of a World Series. MVP of an All-Star game, a Gold Glove Winner, American League Manager Of The Year, a Triple Crown winner, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal Of Freedom. His accomplishments on the diamond, led to his Hall Of Fame induction in 1982, in recognition of being one of the finest players in the history of the game. In 1975, he becomes the first black manager in the history of Major League Baseball, fulfilling Jackie Robinson's dream, and cementing his own legacy as a racial pioneer. But Frank wouldn't want to be remembered as a racial pioneer. He would prefer to be immortalized as a baseball player who perfected his craft, and a leader of men, to do things they never thought possible. This is the great Frank Robinson. #FrankRobinson #McCleymondsHighSchool #VadaPinson #CurtFlood #BillRussel #GeorgePowels #BobbyMattick #CincinnatiReds #BaltimoreOrioles #LosAngelesDodgers #CaliforniaAngels #ClevelandIndians #SanFranciscoGiants #MontrealExpos #WashingtonNationals #JimPalmer #BrooksRobinson #EarlWeaver…

1
The History Of Baseball In Oakland 1:24:14

há 25 dias1:24:14

1:24:14

The game of baseball is introduced to the East Bay region as far back as the 1840's when entrepreneurial, risk-takers from the east move to Neuva Claifornia in search of gold, and bring the game with them, in their westward expansion of the young country. By 1866, the city is gripped with baseball fever, and Oakland semi-pro teams begin to compete with teams in neighboring San Francisco for regional baseball supremacy. This week we do a deep-depth profile on the History Of Baseball In Oakland from 1866-2024. From the game's infancy, the vaunted Pacific Coast League run as the Oaks, The rich and vibrant Negro League Teams such as the Marysville Colored Giants, the Athens Colored Elite and the Oakland Larks, as well as the third leg of the A's MLB journey by way of Philadelphia and Kansas City. 56 years of Oaland Athletics baseball; from the colorful and successful Charlie Finley era of three consecutive World Championships during the early 1970's, the Bash Brothers era of the late eighties, the Billy Beane Moneyball Era of the 2000's, to their planned departure for the Mojave Desert Of Nevada. This week we say good-bye to one of the brightest stars in the baseball universe being snuffed out of existence, and study the region it called home for all those summers. #NuevaCalifornia #AlexanderCartwright #ColonelTomRobinson #OaklandColonels #PacificCoastLeague #MarysvilleColoredGiants #AthensColoredElite #OaklandLarks #OaklandOaks #Acorns #OaksStadium #Emeryville #OaklandAthletics #CharlesOFinley #EdwardHassJr #BillyBeane #BashBrothers #Moneyball #SutterHealthStadium #LasVegasNevada…

1
Willie Stargell; Pops 1:17:53

há 5 weeks1:17:53

1:17:53

This week we profile the baseball life of the iconic Willie Stargell. Willie, the feared power-hitting slugger and clubhouse leader on and off the diamond, signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1958, and will forever be associated with the franchise. The seemingly larger than life Stargell, after his retirement in 1982 would leave a legacy of winning, leadership, focus and fun in his wide wake, During the magical " We Are Family" season of 1979, he won the National League MVP, as well as the NLCS and World Series MVP, the only player in the history of the game to sweep all three MVP honors durinng a season. His 25 total bases in the 1979 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles stood as the seven game series benchmark until Astros outfielder George Springer bested the output in the 2019 World Series. Manager Chuck Tanner once said that having Willie on your roster is like walking around with a priceless diamond ring on your finger. #WilverDornellStargell #WillieStargell #Pops #BobZuk #PittsburghPirates ##DannyMurtaugh #RobertoClemente #SteveBlass #ChuckTanner #DaveParker #DeloresStargell…

1
Mickey Mantle; The Commerce Comet 1:12:21

há 6 weeks1:12:21

1:12:21

Yankees former Hall Of Fame Manager once said of Mickey Mantle. " He has more speed than any slugger, I've ever seen, and more slug than any other speedster. Nobody has ever had more of both of them together. This kid aint logical. He's too good and it's very confusing. This week we profile the the MLB journey of the "Commerce Comet", the great Mickey Mantle, who would define the 1950's and 60's era with his stellar play. #MickeyMantle #MuttMantle #SpavinawOklahoma #CommerceOklahoma #CaseyStengal #RogerMaris #WhiteyFord #JoeDiMaggio #GeorgeWeiss #ChuckStobbs #StuMiller #DennyMcLain…

1
Sadaharu Oh 1:27:06

há 7 weeks1:27:06

1:27:06

This week I profile the Japanese slugger who rewrote the Japanese and international baseball record books in his image, during his 22 year Nippon Baseball League career. No player outside of the great Babe Ruth ever dominated the game for so long, in any of the game's top professional leagues around the world. His 868 career home-runs is over 100 more than MLB Home Run King Barry Bonds. And if baseball is ultimately a game of numbers, then no single batter in any of the world's top baseball leagues, has left behind a more enduring statistical legacy. I dig into his journey from his humble beginnings as the son of a Chinese immigrant father, stigmatized by his foreign ancestry, digging their way out of the rubble of a war-torn Tokyo after World War II, to a career that would utlimately define the rise of the Japanese superstars, we see today on the MLB stage. #SadahauOh #ShifukuOh #TetsuhiroOh #WasedaCommercialHighSchool #Koshien #FlamingoStance #HiroshiArakawa #ShigeoNagashima #TheEmporersGame #BabeRuth #HankAaron #YomiuriGiants #KyokoKoyae #SadaharuOhMuseum…

1
Roberto Alomar 1:15:15

há 8 weeks1:15:15

1:15:15

At the height of his powers, Roberto Alomar could beat you in a myriad of ways. The five-tooled freak could beat you with a timely bunt. He had the ambidextrous power to yank a home-run from both sides of the dish. He could hit an opposite field double seemingly at will, and he had the speed to swipe a bag, and the base-running instincts to take the extra base on a bloop single by a teammate. And oh yeah, his dazzling defense was second to none at the second basemen position. This week i detail his major league journey from Salinas, Puerto Rico to the National Baseball Hall Of Fame in New York. #RobertoAlomar #SandyAlomar #SandyAlomarJr #SanDiegoPadres #TorontoBlueJays #BaltimoreOrioles #ClevelandIndians #NewYorkMets #ChicagoWhiteSox #ArizonaDiamondbacks #JimSkaaland #CitoGaston #PatHentgen #BJSurhoff #JoeCarter #FredMcGriff #TonyFernandez #LarryBowa #PatGillick #CalRipkenJr #OmarVizquel…

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Bob Feller; The Heater From Van Meter 1:36:24

há 9 weeks1:36:24

1:36:24

This week I do an introspective dive into the life and baseball journey of Bob Feller. A major league journey that begins at the age of 17, as Feller is the youngest pitcher in big-league history to both win and lose a game. From humble beginnings, the Iowa farm boy and his Heater From Van Meter would see him become the game's second great power arm, after Walter Johnson. #BobFeller #RapidRobert #TheHeaterFromVanMeter #CySlapnicka #ClevelandIndians #USSAlabamaba #SatchelPaige #HalNewhouser #AlLopez #BillVeeck #OscarVitt #HankGreenberg…

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The History Of Baseball In Washington D.C. 1:53:23

há 10 weeks1:53:23

1:53:23

This week I examine the city of Washington D.C., and it's connection with the national pastime. A connection with the game, that goes back to the first game in the District's recorded history of July 2, 1860. It was the shared home of one of the most legendary Negro National League teams, as well as owning a complicated history with Major League Baseball, that features three different franchises and five stadiums, in their over 100 year relationship with one another. Also I will profile four of the stadiums that have dominated the baseball landscape in the city; Swampoodle Grounds, American League Park, RFK Stadium and their current home Nationals Park #WashingtonNationals #WashingtonSenators #SwampoodleGrounds #GriffithStadium #AmericanLeaguePark #RFKStadium #NationalsPark #WashingtonDC #ArtGorman #ColonelJones #WilliamHowardTaft #JohnKennedy #WashingtonPotomacs #WalterJohnson #BaltimorePastimes ##TheGreatWesternTour…

1
Rickey Henderson; Run Rickey Run 1:21:14

há 11 weeks1:21:14

1:21:14

Rickey Henderson used the ultimate combination of power and speed to break numerous Major League records during his career. But what solidifies his place in baseball history was his unbridled passion to his craft and the game. He is the all-time stolen base king in the history of baseball. The greatest lead-off hitter the game has known and the most prolific run scorer to ever grace the diamond. There is only one Rickey Henderson, and this week I profile his life and baseball journey. #RickeyHenderson #OaklandTechnicalHighSchool #TomTreblehorn #BillyMartin #DaveHenderson #RonnieLott #CarneyLandsford #OaklandAthletics #NewYorkYankees #NewYorkMets #SanDiegoPadres #AnaheimAngels #BostonRedsox #SeattleMariners #BostonRedSox #LosAngelesDodgers #BobbieHenderson…

1
Curt Schilling 1:32:27

há 12 weeks1:32:27

1:32:27

This week we profile the baseball journey of right-handed power pitcher Curt Schilling who's 3,116 career strikeouts is the 17th most ever in baseball history. He is the only pitcher to ever win a World Series game for three different teams. His 11-2 postseason win/loss record is the highest winning percentage, for pitchers in the game's history, for any pitcher with more than 10 appearances in the post. His 5-0 record and 1.37 ERA in elimination games, and his 3-0 record and 1.12 ERA in series clinching games, establishes him as one of the most clutch performers to ever lace them up. Even with all these aclompishments, Schilling finds himself on the outside looking in, on a Hall Of Fame induction. A casualty of the " cancel culture wars" being fought in a polarized America. #CurtSchilling #BaltimoreOrioles #HoustonAstros #PhiladelphiaPhillies #ArizonaDiamondbacks #BostonRedSox #BloodySockGame…

1
The Rocket; Roger Clemens 1:41:58

há 13 weeks1:41:58

1:41:58

Our profile this week will be on Roger Clemens. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner, and eleven-time All Star, who would rewrite the modern age record books, by establishing himself as the preeminant power arm of his generation. Only to find himself exiled from the very game he dominated, as whispers and suspicions of steroid-use cloud his impressive resume and all of his accomplishments. #RogerClemens #Rocket #DaytonOhio #SugarlandTexas #SpringWoodsHighSchool #SanJacintoJUniorCollege #UniversityOfTexasAustin #BostonRedSox #GregKosc #TorontoBlueJays #NewYorkYankees #HoustonAstros #RandyClemens #BrianMcNamee #WayneGrahm #CliffGustafason #JohnMcNamera #CitoGaston #TerryCooney…

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Barry Bonds 1:31:31

há 16 weeks1:31:31

1:31:31

This week. Notorius November rolls on, as I take this month to focus on some of baseball's more controversial players, when I detail the life and career of baseball's home run king Barry Bonds. He had a stellar career, made a mountain of money, and holds many records in baseball, but his own actions and words have made him a pariah in the game, perhaps never to attain the Hall of Fame status that he craves and that his career numbers suggest he has earned. He was the most feared hitter since Babe Ruth and he is far and away, the best speed/power combo player to ever live. His connection to the PED era of baseball in the 1990's and early 2000's have stained his legacy, while many other of his contemporaries, with similar suspicions have gone on to be inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. A sad ending for a career that promised so much, and that promise was delivered. #BarryBonds #BobbyBonds #PatriciaBonds #WillieMays #SanFranciscoGiants #PittsburghPirates #ArizonaStateUniversity #JuniperroSerraHighSchool #JimLeyland #AndyVanSlyke #BobbyBonilla #JeffKent #MarkMcGwire #SammySosa #GregAnderson #BALCO #VictorConte #BackwardsKPod #JakeRobinson #LetsTalkBaseballPodcastNetwork #BKP…

1
Charlie Hustle; Pete Rose 1:18:10

há 17 weeks1:18:10