Hooks & Runs

 Bill Bonham pitched 10 seasons for the Cubs and the Reds from 1971-80, appearing in 300 games, winning 75 and pitching almost 1,500 innings. In this episode we learn about Bonham's journey from undrafted free agent out of UCLA to his life as a Major League pitcher in the 1970s. Bill Bonham at baseballreference.com : https://tinyurl.com/bonham041923 The Rick Monday incident https://tinyurl.co...

Film critic and writer Derick McDuff (Underrated podcast) joins us this week to discuss baseball in film. We talked about whether baseball and time travel would mix, subject ideas for baseball films we'd like to see and why baseball is such fertile ground for filmmakers. We also each revealed our Top 5 baseball-related films. Check out Underrated podcast on Apple (https://tinyurl.com/ep148B)...

In this special Easter weekend episode, recorded March 21, we look back at the Houston Astros' pre-season top ten prospects, according to John Sickels Minor League Ball blog. There are some familiar names (Carlos Correa, Lance McCullers, Jr.) and some unfamiliar (Jarred Cosart, Rio Ruiz) along with some forgotten (Domingo Santana) and one Astro fans wish they could forget. On the whole, a sol...

 Baseball writer and cultural historian Lee Lowenfish joins us this week to discuss his new book, " Baseball's Endangered Species: Inside the Craft of Scouting By Those Who Lived It ." Lowenfish's book begins with Branch Rickey and the birth of the Major League Baseball farm system through the beginnings of the MLB amateur draft in 1965 to the present day with challenges brough...

This week, Craig's busted bracket, the World Baseball Classic and our fearless predictions for the 2023 MLB season. --> Join our Discord : https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN -->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link . https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Hooks & Runs on TikTok...

Dr. David Jerome's new book, " Bill Virdon: A Life in Baseball " is about Bill Virdon, the National League Rookie of the Year in 1955 and a fixture as the Pittsburgh Pirate outfield for a decade. Later, Virdon served as a coach and manager in the big leagues. From 1975 until 1982, Virdon managed the Houston Astros, leading the team to its first divisional title in 1980.  We're...

Dr. Elizabeth Strom joins us this episode to talk about the Tampa Bay Rays' new stadium project announced in late January. She has a unique insight - first, she has covered the Rays' years-long quest for a stadium upgrade for DRaysBay.com , the Rays blog on SBNation since 2016. She is also an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of South Florida in Tampa....

Jacob Pomrenke (jacobpomrenke.com), editor of "Scandal on the South Side: the 1919 Chicago White Sox" and current Director of Editorial Content for the Society of American Baseball Research ( SABR ). He joins us this week to talk about the 1919 Black Sox and the culture of gambling in sports, then and now. Please consider ordering "Scandal on the South Side" through our Booksho...

With Citrus and Cactus League games underway, Craig and Rex check in on baseball's top ten off-season stories. --> Join our Discord : https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN -->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link . https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns Hooks & Runs - www.hooksandruns.com Hooks & Runs on TikTok -  ht...

Rich Engler has promoted rock concerts in and around Pittsburgh PA for over 50 years - at everything from small clubs to major stadiums such as Three Rivers Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers' former home stadium.  Engler joins Hooks & Runs this week to talk about highlights from his career in the music business, including being the first person to promote the infamous fake Fleetwood Mac to...

With pitchers and catchers reporting on the 16th for Houston and by the weekend for all teams, we look at the unsigned 2023 free agents and their prospects, particularly regarding any possible Astro interest. The unsigned include Trevor Bauer, Yuli Gurriel and some utility options for the Astros. Also this week, The Astros sign Christian Javier to a 5-year deal, Roger Waters is re-recording "...

Jesús Granados is the Director of Operations for Sultanes de Monterrey, a Mexican League baseball team. Granados talked about creating the Monterrey game day experience and bringing Major League Baseball to Monterrey and Mexico for the first time in 19 years in 2018. Along the way, no-hitters, Guns & Roses and Monster Dogs. Monterrey pre-game . Laurita la Cartera on Facebook Guns & Roses i...

Ozzy retires from touring, Fleetwood Mac's "Silver Springs" is flooding Craig's Tik Tok For You page, a minimalist Grammy Awards show preview and is Shohei Ohtani worth $50 million per year? Larry Mestel, Primal Wave CEO, interview --> Join our Discord : https://discord.gg/tT8d3pVUsN -->You can support Hooks & Runs by purchasing books through our store at Bookshop.org...

Author Andy McCue joins Craig and Rex this week to talk about his 2022 book, "Stumbling around the Bases: The American League’s Mismanagement in the Expansion Eras," and his recent article from the Fall 2022 SABR Baseball Research Journal, "The Doomed Pilots of 1969: The Results of Advice Ignored." McCue takes us on a whirlwind journey through the expansion era's first dec...

The promised Part 2 to the Ballparks Project is still in the works, we promise. In the meantime, Craig and Andrew riff on the Hall of Fame ballot, Pink Floyd experiences the Dark Side of "Woke" and the Houston Rodeo, a big deal around these parts, will be here before we know it. This is the link to the Hall of Fame Tracker . This is a link to Aaron Williams' Upoxx article about the...

Ana Cubas has been program director at WNYU, the student-run radio station at New York University - she joins Hooks & Runs this week to give us an inside look at the business. Oh, she drops some cool new music recommendations too. Andrew joins in the second have as we catch up on the amazing Carlos Correa saga which apparently ended earlier this week with Correa making full circle back to the...

Roger Metzger, a native Texan, was the Astros' starting shortstop for the Houston Astros from 1971 to 1977. During that time, Metzger won a Gold Glove, led the Majors in triples twice and made many good friends and wonderful memories . Metzger joins up this episode to kick-off Season 4 sharing some of these memories about Houston Astro baseball in the 1970s. We talked about the night a baseba...

Hooks & Runs closes Season 3 with its annual best of 2022 music review. Artists featured are, in order of appearance, Riot Act, Saxon, Tygers of Pan Tang, Tokyo Blade, Michael Schenker Group, Post Malone, Joji, Frank Turner, The Front Bottoms, Nothing More, Amanda Shires, Just Mustard, Spoon, Wilco, Gregor Barnett, Skid Row, Grim Reaper, Jimi Hendrix Experience, My Chemical Romance, Duster, Th...

Award-winning author and college football guru Amy Daughters returns to Hooks & Runs for our annual bowl preview and predictions episode. Daughters writes for fbschedules.com , a must-bookmark website for information about college football. Her latest book, "Dear Dana: That Time I Went Crazy and Wrote all 580 of My Facebook Friends a Handwritten Letter," won a Bronze Medal in the Wor...

 Alex Boyajian ( Chaotically Intolerant , Gridiron Chaos) returns to discuss whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie, our thoughs on Mike Leach, the post-Xander Bogaerts Red Sox, free agency's ebb and flow, an article from Rolling Stone magazine and the pros and cons of getting mixed up with the Kardashian family. Alex was our guest in Episode 122 and we were happy he agreed to return to talk b...

Baseball players have found creative ways to sustain injuries through the years, from turning off the alarm clock to buttering a roll to taking a bite from a microwaved donut to playing Guitar Hero. The week, the Hooks & Runs crew examines these and other injuries and asks why baseball players are so susceptible to such bizarre mishaps. When, for example, is the last time you heard about a pro...

Danny Cohen's debut feature film, "Anonymous Club" is a documentary about Australian musican, singer and songwriter Courtney Barnett, a Hooks & Runs (well, Craig) favorite. Cohen joins us this episode to discuss Barnett, the film and the unique process employed to achieve the final result. Anonymous Club debuted in the US at SXSW in March 2022 and is currently available on strea...

The Old Ballpark Project, Part I: Next Thing You Know You're in Baltimore. This week features part one in the three-part old ballpark project. The parks featured this week ranked 11-15. If you cannot access the links on your platform, go here: https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com/ 15. The Baker Bowl, Philadelphia Photo : Shibe Park in the foreground, The Baker Bowl in the background Yahoo : Ba...

Matt Harlan is a "troubadour of the first degree," and a guiding light in the Houston folk and Americana scene for over a decade. Harlan has released five studio albums and has earned a devoted following in the American Southwest and in Europe. He has won several songwriting awards and appeared in the film "For the Sake of the Song: The Anderson Fair Story." He joins us this ep...

Rex and Craig this week dive into the Astros stirring three game run to clinch the 2022 World Series and review how many players started their professional careers with meager signing bonuses, were low round draft picks or were acquired by Houston for a song. Meanwhile, Houston as seen over $600 million in guaranteed player contracts walk out their door - and they keep finding replacements and kee...