The Baseball Bucket List Podcast

In this episode of Extra Innings, we catch up with Kelly and Christina Robinson, a husband-and-wife duo whose passion for baseball has taken them on countless road trips and adventures over the years. Together, they’ve visited over 182 ballparks, collected unique memorabilia like plush mascots and team caps, and shared their love for the game through the creation of CBM's newest platform—the...

Marc and Nate Wolpoff are a father-son duo from San Diego. Together, they’ve visited all 30 MLB ballparks, attended multiple All-Star Games, and created lifelong memories centered around the sport. Marc and Nate share stories of their favorite baseball experiences, including catching an autographed ball during a Home Run Derby and watching future stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Pete Alonso in...

Jason Massopust is a life-long Brewers fan from Wisconsin who spent over two decades in a sales role for the team. We chat about his favorite memories from his 23 years with the Brewers, including the excitement of the 2008 playoff clinch, the wild final days of County Stadium (think Office Space), and what it’s like to run into local legends. We also dive into his love for baseball road trips and...

Eddie Browning is a life-long baseball fan who has turned his passion into an extraordinary collection of memorabilia housed in his very own private museum. Eddie’s love for the game started as a kid watching Yankees games on black-and-white TV with his mom, and it has taken him on incredible journeys, from visiting all 30 MLB ballparks to collecting unique pieces like 832 autographed baseballs an...

Neil Solondz is one half of the radio play-by-play team for the Tampa Bay Rays. He shares his journey from growing up as a sports-loving kid in New Jersey to calling games for one of the most exciting teams in baseball. We dive into his unique approach to broadcasting, some of his favorite Rays memories, and the importance of creating memorable moments on the air. Neil also reflects on his experie...

Solario is a life-long Giants fan originally from the San Francisco area, who now calls Honolulu, Hawaii home. He shares stories of growing up attending games at Candlestick Park, where freezing summer winds couldn’t keep him away from his beloved Giants. Now, a professional illustrator, Solario talks about how his love for baseball logos and uniforms played a big part in shaping his passion for d...

Crystal McKenzie is a life-long Cardinals fan from St. Louis. Even though she grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, she remained loyal to St. Louis thanks to her family’s roots. Crystal shares how watching Nolan Ryan pitch in person ignited her passion for baseball and how the 1998 home run chase pulled her deeper into the game. Now, as a mom, Crystal is on a mission to visit all 30 MLB ballparks...

George Falkowski is a Yankee fan from New Jersey who spent a big part of his life in sports broadcasting, including ten years with NESN covering Boston sports. Despite growing up in a household that didn’t root for the Yankees, George found his way to baseball and never looked back. In this episode, we discuss what George calls “Ballpark Therapy” and why going to a ballpark feels like a much-neede...

Spencer Schwartz joins the show for his third appearance. Spencer, who has been a life-long Yankees fan and season ticket holder, shares his recent battle with a rare autoimmune disorder that led to the sudden loss of his eyesight. In this episode, Spencer recounts his journey and shares how his life and love for baseball have been profoundly affected. From the initial diagnosis to the overwhelmin...

Terry McCutchen recently found his love of lower-level baseball reignited by the newly minted Abilene Flying Bison. Anna and Terry chat about growing up in a baseball focused Texas town, the best parts of having a collegiate wood bat team in your backyard, and his favorite baseball memories.  Terry also recently started his own #catch365 journey and touches on his favorite experiences and biggest...

Eytan Saenger is a Red Sox fan currently living in the Bronx, NY. Originally from Boston, his family moved to Yankee country when he was 10 years old. Anna and Eytan discuss what it's like to be a Sox fan in the middle of Yankeeville, the Jewish connection to baseball, and how the younger generation feels about the game. They also chat about the role of music and ambient sound at the ballpark...

Stan Cole is a life-long baseball fan from Buies Creek, NC who fell in love with the game as a kid thanks to AM radio broadcasts and NBC’s Game of The Week.  He’s also the associate athletic director for community and alumni engagement at Anna’s school, Campbell University.  Stan and Anna discuss the history of baseball at Campbell, including the surprising number of major leaguers who have come t...

Rohn Brown is a Washington Nationals fan from Mechanicsville, VA, whose love of baseball got started in the 1970s thanks to the Valley League. In the mid 80s he interned for the Richmond Braves, a team that featured a few names you may have heard of, including Tom Glavine. Rohn and Anna chat about the charming differences between collegiate wood bat leagues and minors leagues as compared to the po...

Join Anna on the concourse of Globe Life Field for the 2024 MLB All-Star Week in Arlington, Texas. In this special episode Anna interviews passionate fans from all over the country, capturing their unforgettable stories and experiences at the midsummer classic. You'll also hear from ballpark personnel about what makes the Rangers' home park unique, and hear the most famous words in Texas...

Richard Sullivan is a Braves fan living in Louisville, Kentucky. From a young age, he had two loves in life: art and baseball. Throughout his life, he found ways to combine the two, culminating in a baseball career at one of the preeminent art schools in the country, Savannah College of Art and Design.  Richard was drafted by the Atlanta Braves while at SCAD and would go on to spend five years in...

Mike Ritz is a Pirates fan living in New York City. Though he was born and raised on Long Island, he became a fan of the Pirates thanks to seeing Roberto Clemente play in a game at Shea Stadium back when Mike was a kid. We chat about how a marketing job once forced him to visit each ballpark several times over, what the adult softball scene is like in New York City, and which baseball adventure Mi...

Eugene McMahon is a Milwaukee Brewers fan from London, England. He found his love for baseball a little differently than many fans do, through a love of literature, thanks to a particularly captivating description of Bobby Thompson’s “Shot Heard Round the World” in a novel he was reading. As he continued to delve deeper into baseball journalism and non-fiction, he wanted to understand the game he...

Andrew Iden is an Orioles fan living in Atlanta, GA. Originally from the Washington, DC area, Andrew became an O’s fan at a young age, and has stayed a fan of the team even after moving out of the area. We discuss the shifting of the local fandom that took place when the Nationals came to town, Andrew’s ballpark travel, and what he finds appealing about the minor leagues. We also touch on why expe...

In this episode of Extra Innings, we welcome back father-son duo Matt and Tom Burns. We primarily discuss their 2023 summer baseball trip through the Mid Atlantic, where they saw 20 games in 21 days. You’ll hear from Matt and Tom how the pair makes sure to hit the cultural hot spots and local institutions of every town they pass through. They also share their advice for how to make your own baseba...

Gio Fraraccio is a Rays fan from the Tampa Bay area. He got started with baseball as a kid, thanks to the 1980s Cardinal broadcast team of Jack Buck and Mike Shannon. After moving to Florida in the early 2000s, Gio became a Rays fan thanks to his kids falling in love with the local team. Gio recently completed his journey to 30 ballparks, wrapping things up at Coors Field earlier this year. We cha...

Katie Woods is a life-long Dodgers fan currently living in Wichita, Kansas. She has worked in baseball her entire career and is currently the tournament director of the National Baseball Congress World Series. The NBC World Series is a national amateur baseball tournament for summer collegiate baseball, where champions of their respective leagues duke it out for a national title.  The 2024 NBC Wor...

Ken Smoller is a Chicago White Sox fan who now lives in the Boston area. His love for baseball started as a kid thanks to fond memories at Comiskey Park, like attending the team’s photo day with his Kodak camera. Ken has now photographed over 2,300 stadiums and ballparks and shares his photos and sports travel experiences on his website, Stadium Vagabond.  He also recently released Last Comiskey,...

Scott Yelle is a life-long Red Sox fan living in Cape Cod, MA who discovered his love for baseball early thanks to Little League. Scott is also the Secretary and Treasurer of the Jackson Yelle Family Foundation, which is a non-profit foundation started to honor the legacy of his son Jackson, who was tragically killed by a hit-and-run driver while in Myrtle Beach with his club baseball team. Jackso...

John Southard is a life-long Rangers fan living in Fort Worth, Texas. He works as a Brand Historian for an archival company called Heritage Werks, and works closely with the Rangers to curate exhibits and displays that highlight the team’s history. We chat about how he found what many people would consider to be a dream job, what the process of working with a new team is like, and some favorite ar...

Eric Vickrey is a Cardinals fan living in Seattle who has also developed a soft spot for the Mariners. He fell in love with the game thanks to growing up in the St. Louis area and developing a penchant for collecting baseball cards as a kid. Eric is also the author of two baseball books, including his latest about post World War II baseball and the tragic 1946 Spokane Indians bus crash.  Eric chat...