Hooks & Runs

This week the gang gloats over an Astro hot streak, wonder if Joey Votto's days as a regular player in Cincinnati will be over sooner than we thought, reconsiders whether Eric Hosmer is a legitimate 3,000 hit candidate, weighs in on baseball players defecting from Cuba (and Cuba's response), dissects umpire Dan Bellino's bizarre um ... interaction with Madison Bumgarner last week (a...

This week Hooks & Runs revisits the 3,000 hit club discussion from last week and then dives into the Astros 2022 season after 23 games. The episode wraps with Andrew, Craig and Rex discussing their favorite "obscure" albums. Errata: The Astros used 32 pitchers in 2021. That Devo song is called "Jocko Homo." Rex's use of "NewWob" is actually "NWOBHM"...

The Yankees fought tooth and nail in court to keep "The Letter" sealed -- now it has been leaked and the MLB press uses it to remind everyone the Astros "cheated" to win the 2017 World Series. Or did they? Also this week -- Miguel Cabrera rapped his 3000th career this - who will be next? Did Hooks & Runs jinx Roki Sasaki? The Reds are awful, the A's home attendance is...

Since 1950, three teams have issued bases loaded intentional walks and in those games, the teams issuing the intentional RBI walk are undefeated. Of course, sample size matters. Nonetheless, Craig and Rex explore this and other amazing stories from the early games in the 2022 baseball season.  Hooks & Runs Website , Twitter , Buzzsprout Craig Estlinbaum on Twitter Andrew Eckhoff on Jaiku (dead...

Avery Hamel ( website ) writes at Over the Monster , Girl at the Game , Diamond Digest . She also hosts the Basically Baseball podcast. She joined us this week to discuss the first almost week of games. She also graded my fantasy draft and talked about her new favorite show on Disney + Check It Out: Avery: The new Disney+ series " Moon Knight ," starring Oscar Isaac and May .Calamawy Cra...

Bayleigh Von Schneider ( Twitter ) writes at SB Nation's Over the Monster and podcasts -- just about everywhere. She is a Red Sox fan living on the west coast. This week she joins Hooks & Runs for our American League preview. We discussed the Blue Jay's bandwagon effect, The Ray's endless bag of tricks that keep them competitive in the well-heeled east, the Tigers as a potential...

Sara Sanchez (on Twitter ) returns to Hooks & Runs this week for her 2022 National Preview. Sara writes at Bleed Cubbie Blue and co-hosts that site's podcast, Cuppa Cubbie Blue . Sara is bullish on the Brewers, Dodgers (who isn't), bearish on the Rockies and Pirates (who isn't) and warns not to sleep on the Miami Marlins. Sara is a font of knowledge so take advantage. Craig reve...

The first week post lockout led to free agent signings galore with now former Astros Carlos Correa and Zach Greinke going to Minnesota and Kansas City respectively. The big names are off the board with Trevor Story heading to Boston, so for Astro fans, all hopes rest with the talented but inexperienced Jeremy Peña. Beyond that, players moving all over, including Freddie Freeman, Kenley Jensen and...

Craig and Rex discuss the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Texas A&M's omission from the NCAA Tournament, and more Dolly Parton news. Errata: The MLB post-season expands under the new CBA to 12 teams, not 12 games. Dolly Parton's book, "Run Rose Run" is co-authored by James Patterson. Our Rock & Roll Hall of Fame episode is No. 88. Dolly Parton's recording of &...

This week we finally dove head first into the lockout's thorniest issues, including the salary cap, universal DH, expanded playoffs, international draft and the draft lottery. Naturally, and thankfully, the players and owners came to an agreement roughly 48 hours later to end the lockout meaning baseball is back! Opening Day has been pushed only to April 7, meaning an abbreviated Spring Train...

Mike Ethan Messick, quite frankly, is among the very best Texas singer-songwriters and that's saying something. He has quietly released three albums in the last decade plus - "Bootlegger's Turn," "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday ," and his latest, "How Close We Came." We were happy to have Mike join us this episode to discuss his latest project and his exper...

In 2016, Dave Bry wrote an article in The Guardian suggesting the best way to celebrate the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction that year was to go to Cleveland and burn the museum to the ground. Now, that's a little extreme, but let's be honest -- when it comes to the RRHOF there is a little something for everyone to hate. It's too exclusive . It's too inclusive . That&apos...

We did not know what we were getting into when we decided to do a segment on the least valuable careers for MLB Rookie of the Year winners. There are some interesting tales here involving players drafted in other sports, barroom brawlers, errant shaving cream pies, drunken horseplay, hit songs, indiscreet philandering and in some cases, really bad luck. But hey, no matter what happens after, winni...

Kahron Spearman   (on Twitter ) is a writer, journalist, radio show host and content creator in Austin, Texas. His recent essay, " Why Major League Baseball is Losing Black Players ," in The Daily Dot caught our attention and we knew we had to invite him to Hooks & Runs. We had an engaging conversation on this subject plus on the heels of ESPN's Top 100 players in baseball list,...

This week, Andrew, Rex and Craig examine the Hall of Fame baseball writers' vote that saw David Ortiz just over the 75% vote for induction with Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, to name three, falling short in in their final year for eligibility. We discuss that trio's possible path to induction as well as this year's six veteran's committee selections. Hooks & Run...

This weekend's Kansas City win over Buffalo has people in a fevered frenzy discussing the NFL's archaic overtime rules. In this episode, Andrew, Craig offer their solutions. Also, MLB may not be able to solve their labor woes, but the damn sure can put a stop to Tampa's crazy Sister City scheme with baseball-starved Montreal. Finally a look at team name changes in the American Leagu...

Texas Country artist Rich O'Toole joins Hooks & Runs again  for another episode talking "17 Wild Horses," chili recipes, life on the road and batting practice vs tailgating and more. O'Toole is engaging and informative as usual - you do not want to miss this episode. Rich O'Toole on his Website , Twitter , Instagram , Spotify . Hooks & Runs Website , Twitter Craig...

This week we discuss Hall of Fame southpaw, Rube Waddell with his biographer, Professor Alan Levy . Levy, a professor of history at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, published, " Rube Waddell: The Zany, Brilliant Life of a Strikeout Artist " in 2000. Waddell was not only one of baseball's most talented pitchers in the first decade of the last century -- he stands out as one...

This week, Craig and Rex score the 2021 Hooks & Runs Bowl Prediction and WAR Draft results and tackle other odds and ends in the sports world.  Hooks & Runs Website , Twitter Craig Estlinbaum on Twitter Andrew Eckhoff on MySpace (dead link) Rex von Pohl (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook Opening and closing music, "Caroline" by Craig Estlinbaum. Bumper music, "Sh...

This week Andrew and Craig (and Rex) revisit baseball's oldest records -- individual records that date to the 19th Century and are still standing. This week it's most stolen bases in a game, most consecutive at-bats reaching base safely, most career triples and most wild pitches in an inning. Plus, we inadvertently learn a little about Detroit's oldest suburb. In Chapter 2, the bowl...

Hooks and Runs presents their Best of 2021 Year-End Music Review, including our Top Ten albums of 2021, best song, best re-issue, best under-the-radar song, best cover and best video.  Artists Recognized: Rise Against, Deafheaven, Silk Sonic, Miko Marks & The Resurrectors, Lucero, Morgan Wade, Adele, The War on Drugs, Little Nas X, The Weather Station, KK's Priest, Bad Bunny, Austin Meade...

Author and college football writer ( fbschedules.com ) Amy Daughters (links below) joins Hooks & Runs this week for our annual bowl preview episode. We also discussed the realignment madness, Sam Houston State's move  to FBS and the busy coaching carousel. It goes without saying that the predictions are for entertainment purposes only, so wager at your own risk. Besides, basing your bowl...

In Chapter One this week, the Houston Rockets' unprecedented winning streak; a big loss by Oklahoma City; and which is more boring - a blowout basketball game or a blowout baseball game? In Chapter Two, Bridegrooms, Orphans and Perfectos, oh my! The gang takes a look at National League team name changes through the decades. In Chapter Three, our review of "Malfunction: The Dressing Down...

Lew Freedman is a journalist and prolific author whose latest book, " 1930: The Story of a Baseball Season When Hitters Reigned Supreme ," examines baseball's most offensive season. Teams hit over .310, an entire league hit .300 and pitchers ran for cover. Freedman, who covered sports for the Chicago Tribune and Philadelphia Inquirer, among others. This was a fun discussion about ba...

But really now, should Hooks & Runs be trolling the Orioles? In Chapter 1, Andrew and Craig explore Lady Antebellum's rebranding controversy , MLB's major award winners, and Justin Verlander's  deal with the Astros . In Chapter 2, they kick off a series on baseball records that are over 100 years old, and in Chapter 3, a nostalgic look back to Pearl Jam's "Ten" an...