The Baseball Bucket List Podcast

John Herbert and Josh Gentry are Texas Rangers fans who have been friends for two decades and are in the midst of visiting all of the MLB ballparks. We chat about their travels, some of the hilarious scenarios they've found themselves in, and their thoughts on the new Globe Life Field. John and Josh also give their best advice on how to get the most out of traveling for baseball, and explain...

John Racanelli is a Cubs fan living in La Grange, Illinois. He is actively involved in the Chicago chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), and is also the chair of the SABR Landmarks Research Committee. John shares some great baseball memories, including how he once got to enjoy a beer with Larry Biittner and reminisce about the walk-off homer Biittner hit at John's firs...

Tarri Haina is a Yankees Fan currently living in Lake George, New York. His World Baseball Classic jersey filled with collectible baseball pins earned him the nickname Stadiumman, which was given to him from none other than Met's superfan, Pinman.  We discuss how he got started with his collection, his favorite pins, and  what it's like to go through security wearing the jersey. We also...

Dave Hyett is a 4th grade teacher in the Philadelphia area. He has been a life-long Phillies fan and collector of outdoor adventures. We discuss his love for the Phillies,  Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, what makes minor league baseball great, and why everyone should pay a visit to the Reading Fightin' Phils.  We also reminisce over baseball cards of the 80s and 90s, and about the best chil...

Believe it or not, this week's episode marks one year of The Baseball Bucket List Podcast! This week, instead of a regularly structured episode, I'm sharing 3 lessons I've learned through baseball over the last year.  Each lesson includes supporting clips from interviews. We'll be back to our regular format next week. A huge thank you to all of the listeners and guests who have...

Jake Schneider is a life-long Twins fan from Sartell, Minnesota. We hear stories about his boyhood hero, Kirby Puckett, and other interactions with Rocco Baldelli and Harmon Killebrew. We also get into Jake's hobby of woodworking while listening to baseball games, and the the time Bert Blyleven complimented him on one of his pieces. Check out the show notes page for a photo of the Blyleven ca...

Matt Graifer, also known as The Young Professor, is the in-game host of the Daytona Tortugas and the Bananannouncer for the Savannah Bananas.  Matt shares how he got started in the sports entertainment industry and what he considers to be the best parts of minor league baseball. We also discuss how different teams craft their in-park and on-field entertainment as well as the varying levels of free...

Tim Flattery lives in West Des Moines, Iowa and is the host of The Moonlight Graham Show. We touch on his love for the game and the Minnesota Twins, his playing career, and why baseball may just be better on the radio. Tim also gives a detailed first hand account of last summer's Field of Dreams game and explains what it meant to native Iowans. Plus, we get the story of how and why he started...

Phil Stokoe lives in Tampa, Florida and is a big minor league baseball fan. His dog Panda Bear is also know as The Baseball Poodle, and together they have visited 14 ballparks and crossed off some big time bucket list items. Phil shares how he got started with baseball as a kid, what lead to a long hiatus from following the sport, and how he and Panda Bear have become the face of Bark in the Parks...

Kelly G. Park is a Cardinals fan from Western Kentucky, and the author of a two volume book set Just Like Me: When the Pros Played on the Sandlot . We chat favorite baseball memories, bucket list items, and what it's like to sit down and talk with greatness. Kelly also shares some of his favorite stories from  dozens of interviews with former MLB, Negro Leagues, and AAGPBL players about their...

Joey Nigro is a Dodgers fan from Northeast Ohio. He shares how his mom contributed to his love of sports, but that it was a Scholastic Book Fair that made him a life-long Dodgers fan. We talk about his wife's journey to becoming a fan of the game, his bachelor trip to Cooperstown, and about a viral Tiktok video that earned his son a custom jersey from the LA Dodgers. Watch Sarah's Tiktok...

Scott Mackay lives in Kent County, England and is the starting centerfielder for the Kent Mariners. We chat about how baseball is growing in the UK, and how players are using it as a means to stay fit both physically and mentally. Scott shares how a Twitter video of Tatis Jr.  reignited his love for the game, and how he hasn't looked back since. We also get insight into the most popular MLB t...

Jaden & Javier Solis are a father and son duo from Gridley, California. They are big time  fans of the Braves and Cristian Pache. Listen as they tell us the story of how, with help from Twitter, Jaden was able to meet Pache on the field of the Oakland Colosseum. We talk about why they each love baseball, and some of their favorite baseball memories including the time Javier had dinner with Aus...

Derek Malinowski is a life-long Cubs fan from the Chicagoland area. He shares how the 1998 home run race got him hooked on baseball as a kid, and what it was like to watch the 2016 Cubs bring home a World Series title. We also discuss the journey he and his wife, Jackie, are on to complete their Cactus League Bucket List, and see the Cubs play at all 30 MLB ballparks.   Check out the show notes pa...

John Scukanec is a Mariners fan from Washougal, WA. He is currently in the middle of a #Catch365 challenge and is a huge Ken Griffey Jr. fan. We hear stories about his Field of Dreams Quest, the time Griffey Jr. played a practical joke on him, and when he and his friends rented out the entire Salem-Keizer Volcanoes stadium for an overnight stay. We also get into his bucket list retirement plan and...

Laura Agnew and Dylan Dobert are a couple currently living in the Capitol Region of New York. They have plans to attend games not only at every MLB, MiLB, and independent baseball league ballpark, but also all of the MLS, College Football, NHL, AHL, ECHL, and SPCHL stadiums and arenas. We discuss how their love of sports came to be, what makes them Rays fans, and how they got involved with the Ado...

Ethan Bryan is a life-long Royals fan from Springfield, Missouri, whose epic first ballgame got him hooked at an early age (thanks George Brett!). His book A Year of Playing Catch: What a Simple Daily Experiment Taught Me about Life highlights his journey of playing catch every day for an entire year. We get into the life lessons learned over that year, who some of his amazing catch partners have...

Phil Selig prides himself on being Canada's top expert on Cuban baseball. In 2012, he was halfway through his goal of visiting all 30 MLB parks when a friend invited him on a trip to Cuba. His time on the island quickly pivoted his baseball focus from MLB ballparks to Cuban baseball, and he has since visited many times over the last decade. Phil runs CubaDugout.com where he focuses on Cuban b...

Erik Rico and Oscar Llarena are life-long friends who grew up playing baseball together in the Miami, FL area. Erik went on to play college ball at Cornell University and spent four years in the Blue Jays minor league system. We touch on their respective baseball histories, their love for the Marlins, favorite baseball memories, and what's left on their baseball bucket lists. We also discuss...

Don Miller is a Yankees fan who lives in Upstate New York.  He has an incredible jersey collection featuring 136 game-used or team issued MLB jerseys from players who played for his local minor league team, the Tri-City ValleyCats. We talk about the yearly tradition he and his son Jacob have of attending the Hall of Fame Classic in Cooperstown, and some of the interactions with ballplayers they&ap...

Mark Jent is a long-time Dodgers fan who shares what it was like to watch his team clinch the World Series in person. We also talk about “Chasing Brooklyn” which is his quest to meet the remaining Brooklyn Dodgers,  as well as his company Simply a Fan. Simply a Fan gives baseball fans a place to share their love of the game. The company also organizes and leads baseball trips around the country. W...

Mary Moore is a former player of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. She spent time with two teams: The Springfield Sallies and the Battle Creek Belles, including a stellar season in 1950 where she lead the Sallies in games played, hits, RBIs, total bases, and walks. Mary shares her favorite baseball memories, like the time she played a game at Yankee Stadium and met the team. As...

Jason Love is a baseball historian and lecturer who lives in New Jersey. He is also the author of the book Slices of Americana: A Road Trip Through American Baseball History, which covers a 2020 road trip he took to historic baseball sites including the Hall of Fame, the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum in Baltimore, and the former home of the Negro League Player Judy Johnson. Jason also shares som...

Jeremy Mitchell is the founder of Mitchell Bat Company, which paints beautiful heritage inspired wooden baseball bats in Nashville, TN. We talk about what it was like to paint player bats for the likes of Yelich, Seager, Harper, and Schwarber. As well as Jeremy's best baseball memories, and his plan to attend every single game of a World Series from start to finish one day. Baseball Bucket Li...

Michael Rusignuolo is a baseball traveler who has seen ballgames in Japan, Korea, Taiwan,  Australia, the Netherlands, and more. He's currently visited over 195 ballparks, and shares those experiences on his blogspot. On the show, Michael shares a little bit about how baseball cultures differ around the world, his game day routine, and of course, his favorite baseball memories. Find Michael O...