The Baseball Bucket List Podcast

Jon Ryan is an owner of several sports teams, including the Portland Pickles and the Cleburne Railroaders. He is also a punter in the Canadian Football League and spent more than a decade playing in the NFL, primarily for the Seattle Seahawks. We discuss what it's like to own multiple baseball teams, his favorite baseball memories involving Philip Humber and Jon Lester, how he fell in love wi...

Billy Hinton is a life long White Sox fan who shares how he got started traveling to baseball games when he won a four game ballpark tour from a shopping mall raffle. He also shares how his love of the game led him to meet his wife, Jenna, and tells their baseball proposal story.  The couple are on their way to seeing all 30 ballparks, and Billy gives us their best tips for baseball travel on a bu...

Deborah Dando shares how her father had absolutely everything to do with her love of baseball, and how she has been able to continue sharing that love with her son and husband on their own journey to 30 ballparks. She also shares some great memories she made with her dad, a hilarious story about her son Ryan at the Field of Dreams, and what her husband Joe recommended the family do each summer to...

Craig Smith  lives in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area. He's been to over 200 ballparks including a handful overseas and seems to have an uncanny knack for running into ballplayers outside of the ballpark. We talk about some of those run-ins, as well as what it’s like to see a player hit 4 home runs in a single game. We also cover the time Craig saw a major league perfect game and a  AAA one-h...

On this episode of the Baseball Bucket List podcast we speak with Gar Ryness who most will know as Batting Stance Guy. Gar is a master of imitating player’s batting stances and has been using his talent to make people laugh for  years. He’s been invited into locker rooms, been a guest on Letterman, and hosted team events for several teams throughout the league. We chat about his favorite baseball...

Shane Barclay owns and operates JapanBall, offering international baseball tours to Japan, the Dominican Republic, and other countries. We discuss some of his favorite trips, run-ins with players, best memories, and where he'll be headed next. We also chat about how Shane wrote his college admissions essay on Moneyball, what it was like to learn from Sandy Alderson, and some of the best ways...

Craig Calcaterra has been a full time baseball writer for more than 10 years and currently publishes a daily baseball newsletter called Cup of Coffee. We talk about pivoting from a career in law to sports journalism, the best baseball moments he’s covered in person, and a little bit about what the lockout means for the game. Craig also has an upcoming book called Rethinking Fandom where he argues...

Johnny Bowlin is a Miami Marlins fan and the official Mississippi Ambassador for the Appalachian League's Danville Otterbots. We cover how the Marlins bought his allegiance with a once in a lifetime experience, his duties as a baseball ambassador, and what it's like to meet a player who was part of baseball's most historic moment. Johnny also shares stories about Rickwood Field - th...

Justin Moser is an owner and current GM of the Dub Sea Fish Sticks summer collegiate  league team in the West Seattle area. A life-time Mariner's fan, Justin shares his favorite baseball memories, how he developed a love for the game, and what's left on his baseball bucket list. We also speak about the business of baseball, what it takes to start a new team, and the process of working wi...

Glen & Emily Wieger are a husband and wife duo joining us from Jacksonville, Florida. We talk about Emily’s internship at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, their individual baseball stories, our thoughts behind a few of the recent minor league rebrands, and what it’s like to travel to different minor league ballparks as a family. They've been to 43 minor league parks and tell us their favo...

Erik Mertens is the longest tenured employee and on-field host for the Tri-City Dust Devils. We talk about his favorite memories in his 20+ years with the organization. We also chat baseball road trips, how baseball is a lot like life, and what it's like to have a larger than life-sized bobblehead version of yourself outside of a minor league ballpark. Find Erik Online: Twitter: @ ItsErikMert...

Mark Firkins lives in Rochester, NY, but became a Cleveland baseball fan as a young boy. We chat about the slew of amazing players to come from Rochester minor league teams, how the Cleveland fanbase is reacting to the name change, and all about his glove restoration business. Be sure to check out the show notes on the website to see before and after photos of some of Mark's glove restoration...

Jason Moragas is a Mets fan from New Jersey. He spent several years umpiring youth baseball, completed an internship with the New Jersey Jackals, and is currently the Commissioner for his Fantasy Baseball League. In addition to those topics, we cover the differences between Shea Stadium and Citi Field, Jason's favorite baseball trips, and what's left on his baseball bucket list. Find Jas...

Eric Proffitt is a lifelong Wichitan who has loved baseball since childhood. He shares some of Wichita's history with baseball, how the Wind Surge ended up with one of the best AA ballparks in the entire country, and what the experience of being a radio color commentator for a one-hitter was like. He also explains Round the Clock Baseball, a tournament held at the National Baseball Congress W...

Michael Harris has been to over 400 ballparks, including several in Japan and Mexico. He is a lifelong Red Sox fan living in Southern Maine. We cover his international experiences, trip planning, favorite ballparks, future travel plans, what he loves about Fenway, and what's left on his baseball bucket list. Make sure to check out the show notes page on the website for videos he's shared...

Tom Thrash is a life-long Yankees fan who has visited all thirty ballparks, and recently just re-completed that feat with a visit to Globe Life Field in Texas.   We cover his favorite and least favorite ballparks, his journey to see all 30 MLB parks and 30 AAA affiliates, how he recommends planning baseball travel, what’s left on his bucket list, and which ballparks have the best outfield views. F...

Dr. Shane Hunt is a marketing professor and Dean of the College of Business at Idaho State University. He's also a member of Top Tier Sports, the organization that recently purchased the Cleburne Railroaders — an American Association of Professional Baseball team located in North Texas. We talk about Dr. Hunt's favorite baseball memories, visiting all 30 parks, attending the 2021 All-Sta...

Steven Ericson is a geographer and independent travel writer who recently moved to Lincoln, Nebraska after living in Japan for three years. He explains how Japanese baseball and its fans differ from the game in America. Steven also recalls his experiences at each of the three Atlanta Braves ballparks.  And, we discuss "The Geography of Sports" — a college course taught by Steven covering...

Virgil Brooks is a Trash Pandas season ticket holder who has been keeping score at ballgames for several years. He reflects on Rocket City's inaugural season, how his love for baseball developed, and  his experience at the Bowling Green Hot Rods Solar Eclipse game in 2017. Find Virgil Online: Twitter: @ thelostgumbel Mentioned in this episode: Rocket City Trash Pandas Frisco RoughRiders Danvi...

On this episode of The Baseball Bucket List Podcast, we chat with Mike Sellers from Cincinnati, Ohio. Mike has thrown three first pitches at MiLB games, developed his own ballpark ranking system, and even managed to organize some personal ballpark tours in 2020. He describes some of the things he's already checked off his 162 item baseball bucket list and some of the things he'd still li...

This week on The Baseball Bucket List Podcast, we speak with Suzie Hunter about her summer road trip to all 30 MLB ballparks. Not only is she living out every baseball fan's dream, she's also utilizing the trip to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America . We cover how she came up with the idea, her best road trip stories, favorite parks and ballpark food along the way, and wh...

On this episode of the Baseball Bucket List Podcast, Anna interviews Randall Thompson, Founder and President of Dugout Mugs. We cover Randall's college and minor league career, his favorite baseball memories, what's left on his Baseball Bucket List, and of course — the origin story and success of Dugout Mugs. We also chat about Randall's favorite mug,  favorite ballpark, and the com...

In this week's episode of the Baseball Bucket List Podcast, we're joined by Elizabeth Kroll. Elizabeth is an Omaha native and former meteorologist who shares her love of Nebraska college and minor league baseball. She also explains what it's like to have the College World Series in your backyard.  We cover favorite baseball memories, what made the CWS a little different in 2021, her...

This week we're joined by Kelly Robinson, a Chicago resident and long-time fan of the Chicago White Sox. He and his wife are ballpark chasers who go on an extended road trip each year to visit minor league and independent ballparks. Kelly has been present for THREE no-hitters, several triple plays, historic moments, and even a few baseball oddities.  We also commiserate on the difficulties of...

In this episode of the Baseball Bucket List Podcast we speak with Dr. Paul Semendinger. Paul is an author of several books and runs the New York Yankees blog Start Spreading the News . We talk about how his love for baseball came to be, his upcoming book The Least Among Them , and his experience of playing catch with his dad at the Field of Dreams. He also discusses what it's like to have an...