Hooks & Runs

This week on Hooks & Runs, the theatrical doom metal quartet Castle Rat gets a major article in Spin, Craig wanders into more Astro sign stealing controversy on social media, the truth about (Babe) Ruth (in 1922), Portland vs Salt Lake City as an expansion candidate, and remembering René-Robert La Salle's vacation to our home county. Source: Steve Appleford, " Castle Rat Brings to Li...

Randall Sullivan, former contributing editor to Rolling Stone and author of The Price of Experience , and Untouchable , joins Hooks & Runs this week to discuss his latest book, The First All-Star Game: Babe Ruth, FDR and America at the Crossroads (Grove Atlantic, June 2026). The First All-Star Game chronicles a defining moment for both baseball and the nation, weaving together the sport's...

Between players jumping contracts and entangling themselves in gambling scandals; the lack of a clear, consistent enforcement authority and conference (league) realignments, one could easily confuse current state of the NCAA with the chaotic state of 19th Century baseball. This week, John A. Fortunato joins us to make sense of college sports today. Fortunato is a professor of communications and me...

Chapter 1 - Paul Hofmann, Ph. D., Associate Provost for International Affairs at the University of Louisville and Society for American Baseball Research member, joins us this week to discuss Charlie Ferguson, a forgotten 19th Century baseball star. Ferguson played four seasons in his early 20s with the Philadelphia Quakers (now, Phillies) in the National League and by 1887, Ferguson's final s...

Author Perry T. Cooper is our guest this week. Cooper's new book, "The 1890 Louisville Cyclones: Major League Baseball's Original Worst-to-First Team" (McFarland, March 2026). Louisville finished the 1889 American Association season with 27 wins, 111 losses, the first Major League team to lose 100 games during a campaign. Under new manager Jack Chapman, Louisville rebounded in...

This week it's Rex and Craig musing over baseball and music news of the day including: Wander Franco's legal troubles are not over; Shohei Ohtani's amazing year; Fernando Tatis, Jr.'s power outage; NL Central excellence; the Tampa Bay Rays are at it again; the trouble with Minor League Baseball The age of Avatar Ozzy; and Favorite first quarter 2026 albums. Sources: Sha Be Alla...

David Faflik, a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Rhode Island has a new book titled "Segregation Games: Boston, Busing, and the Making of Red Sox Nation" (Univ. of Massachusetts Press 2026).  The book examines the "surprising ties in 1970s Boston between the racial segregation of the city’s schools and the racial controversies expressed on and off the fiel...

Our guest for Chapter 1 is John McMurray, chair of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)'s Deadball Era Research Committee. His essay, " September 1, 1906: A Pivotal Game Early in the Deadball Era ," appeared in the Committee's newsletter, "The Inside Game," earlier this year.  The game between the Philadelphia A's and the home team Boston Americans (...

Author and historian Kevin J. Abing is our guest this week to talk about the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals, on the 100th Anniversary of the team's first World Series championships.  Abing is author of "Baseball Magic and Mayhem in St. Louis: The 1926 Cardinals, World Series Champions" (McFarland Press, 2026). Abing's meticulously researched book tells the story of the Cardinal'...

Hooks & Runs returns to weekly episodes with this continuation of our series "Texans in the Hall." This entry examines the career of Tris Speaker, who played 22 years in the Majors hitting .345 with over 3,500 hits and a record 792 career doubles. He also re-wrote the book on how to play center field. Speaker was born and is buried in Hubbard, Texas in Hill County. In part 2, another...

Mike Czerniewski, host of This Podcast Is ... Uncalled For, joins us this week to talk about Kansas City baseball history - the Monarchs, the A's and the Royals, along with Kansas City BBQ and new digs for the Royals. Check out our episodes 280, "Texans in the Hall: Joe Williams, Andy Cooper and Hilton Smith w/ Thomas Kern," and 262, "Rube and Bill Foster: Texans in the Hall,&q...

Seth S. Tannenbaum, Ph. D. is assistant professor of sports studies at Manhattanville University and author of Bleacher Seats and Luxury Suites: Democracy and Division at the Twentieth-Century Ballpark  (University of Illinois Press 2026).  The book speaks to the fan experience at Major League Baseball games in the twentieth century and examines changing understandings of urban space, inclusion, a...

Our guest this episode is Thomas W. Gilbert. His new book, "Death in the Strike Zone: The Mystery of America's First Baseball Hero" (David R. Godine, 2026), is the story of James Creighton, a young pitcher who pitched for amateur clubs in Brooklyn and is credited for inventing modern pitching.  Gilbert's book is not only about Creighton's exploits on the field, but about t...

On July 10, 1932, after playing 3 double headers in 3 days, Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's faced the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland's League Park. Craziness ensued. The game and players set records that have never been, and are unlikely to be, broken or even approached.  This is the story of that game. We discuss our sources after the outro music. Errata: The opening game at Clevela...

Pennsylvania native Thomas Kern has been a Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) member for over 40 years and has several biographical essays about Negro League stars during that time. Thomas joins us this episode to resume our series, "Texans in the Hall" to talk about three great Texas-born pitchers - Joe Williams, Andy Cooper and Hilton Smith. Kern introduces us to all three T...

Dr. Stephen V. Rice joins us in the first chapter to talk about his recent article in the Baseball Research Journal, "The 1915 Army Baseball Team at West Point: Five Future Generals and an 18–3 Record." In the second chapter, a look at two-time American League batting champion Ferris Fain and his tragic post-career fall. We close the episode with a short concert review. Links: The Societ...

Craig and Rex marvel over things that have happened only once in MLB history, plus comments about the recent Grammy Awards and a baseball card pull. Errata - Pat Kelly never managed in the Major Leagues. There was only one José Vizcaíno in the Majors. Notes - Khaby Lame sold his likeness for $975 Million https://tappedinculture.substack.com/p/khaby-lame-sold-his-likeness-for Consider supporting Ho...

Justin Klugh is author of the new book, "Summer of the Cheap Wieners: What the 1941 Phillies Were Up To While Joe DiMaggio Was Making History," (Brookline Books, 2026).  There are not too many books about teams that lose 111 out of 154 games, but here's one and it's a good one. Justin joins us this episode to discuss how the second division looks. Justin Klugh at Baseball Prosp...

 In this episode, we talk with Rob Miller , co-founder of Bloodshot Records and author of The Hours Were Long, but the Pay Was Low  (3 Fields Books, 2025). Rob shares stories from the early days of building an influential indie label, the realities of DIY music culture, and what it really took to survive on passion, community, and very little money. It’s an honest, funny look at the long hours beh...

What's going on with Michigan football? Craig and Rex look at random baseball news. Also, the Hooks & Runs year-end music review, featuring our favorite albums of 2025. Please consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if any were), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link . https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns  Hoo...

Joseph Natalicchio is the author of " Baseball's Most Outrageous Promotions: From Wedlock and Headlock Day to Disco Demolition Night " (McFarland 2025), released earlier in December. This is a wonderful book - we discuss everything from Disco Demolition Night to the night fans tore apart a ballpark while game played on to why baseball promotions have gotten so boring!  Joseph was a...

Big news about the podcast, a look at some early baseball moves and Guns & Roses is going on tour.  Errata: The Houston Astros missed the playoffs twice since 2015 - in 2016 and in 2025 - not once. Nacagdoches is a town in East Texas, home of Stephen F. Austin University. Guns & Roses' record label was Geffen, not Sony. Please consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books,...

Dave South was the radio voice of Texas A&M Athletics from 1985 to his retirement in 2018. He is the author of "You Saw Me on the Radio: Recollections and Favorite Calls as the Voice of Aggie Athletics" (Texas A&M Univ. Press 2019), which was released in paperback in August.  " You Saw Me on the Radio " at Texas A&M Univ. Press 50s and 60s Rock & Roll with Dave...

This week on the podcast - a bizarre ending to a high school football game, the soon to be expired Collective Bargaining Agreement has baseball fans scrambling to learn about salary caps, and we open another set of baseball cards. Errata: Greg Maddux finished his career with 355 wins. The pitchers named plus Warren Spahn and Kid Nichols had more. Tom Prince's "short career" lasted 1...

Trenidad Hubbard played 10 Major League seasons in a 19-year professional baseball career. A Chicago native, Hubbard played college ball at Southern University, was drafted by Houston in the 12th round in 1986, and climbed through the ranks to make his Major League debut in 1993 with Colorado. We had a lot of laughs looking back on his career and were inspired by Trenidad's positive attitude...