The Hall of Very Good Podcast

Former Major Leaguer Kurt Bevacqua joins the boys to talk about the eclectic and mustachioed cast of characters (including the late-Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn!) he played with on the 1984 National League champion San Diego Padres, fondly remembers, for some reason, his favorite boot shop in Texas, dishes on Bruce Bochy's hat size and, lastly, shares his thoughts on what effect baseball current work...

Entrepreneur and owner of multiple minor league teams Gary Green joins the boys to talk about his recent donation of more than 45,000 medical masks to the Omaha community, whether or not he thinks Major League Baseball's plan to contract 42 minor league teams will actually happen, that time he flew cross country just to meet Warren Buffett (and ended up buying a baseball team!) and some of his fav...

April Matthis, the star of the off-Broadway play "Toni Stone" joins the boys to talk about how she prepared to take on the role of one of the legendary Negro Leagues player and what it meant to her and her family personally, shares what it was like hanging out with Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president (and good friend of the podcast) Bob Kendrick in Kansas City, offers up what she knows about w...

Outspoken former minor league player-turned-advocate Eric Sim joins the boys to talk about how he is staying active and in shape during the coronavirus pandemic, what he's doing to help minor leaguers (and what you can do to help!) and shares his thoughts on the current state of baseball and commissioner Rob Manfred.

Former three-sport collegiate athlete and 1997-98 NBA World Champion Rusty LaRue joins the boys to talk about making ACC history and how that might've earned him some points with a fellow baseball player-turned-basketball player, how he withstood the hoopla of playing with the eventual six-time champion Chicago Bulls and that time he scored some of Michael Jordan's tickets for some friends.

Legendary organist Nancy Faust joins the boys to talk about how she got her start with the Chicago White Sox and whether or not she ever imagined spending 41 years on the southside, shares her excitement over finding an old reel-to-reel recording of her first game, recalls the team's infamous "Disco Demolition Night" and, naturally, picks walk up music for Shawn and Lou.

The host of the Starting 9 Podcast (and former Oakland A's pitcher), Dallas Braden joins the boys to talk about how he's been passing the time without baseball and why this work stoppage is the game's "Coyote Ugly" moment, reveals the reason behind Major League Baseball's marketing problem, remembers how cool it was to share his Mother's Day perfect game with his grandmother and, most importantly,...

New Cleveland Indians outfielder Delino DeShields returns to talk to the boys about what he's doing to pass the time during baseball's work stoppage, reviews the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie (and talks about the screening he hosted), shares his thoughts about fitting in with his new team, answers Lou's question about whether or not Terry Francona is cool and reveals if he thinks Ohio is big enough t...

Duane Rieder, the Curator and Executive Director of The Clemente Museum, joins the boys to talk about how a chance encounter with Roberto Clemente as a kid in 1971 helped shape his life and paved the way for him to devote his life to preserving the memory of the Pittsburgh Pirates legend and, of course, all the cool things he has going on with Engine House 25 Wines .

New New York Yankees hitting coach Rachel Balkovec joins the boys to talk about what she's been up to since she was first on the podcast (SPOILER ALERT: she's been up to a lot), lays out her new gig, shares what she is doing to help people out during the current pandemic and, for some reason, wonders what a travel show with her and 2 Chainz would look like.

Actor, writer and director D.B. Sweeney joins the boys to talk about preparing to play "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in "Eight Men Out", how he hoped starring in "Fire in the Sky" would lead to a role as Spiderman for James Cameron, the best advice he's ever gotten if confronted by two alligators, when to use a stunt double (and when not to) and, of course, working alongside Sean Astin in his new short f...

1991 Hall of Fame inductee Fergie Jenkins joins the boys to talk about his time playing for the Harlem Globetrotters (and his relationship with one of their legends…the late-Curly Neal), shares his excitement over another Canadian joining him in Cooperstown in July and recalls that time he gave Madison Bumgarner a lesson in autograph etiquette.

Author Brendan Donley, the dude behind the 2020 Astros Shame Tour , joins the boys to talk about how broke social media by creating Houston's least-favorite Twitter account, breaks down commissioner Rob Manfred's punishment of the 2017 World Series champs and re-visits Bob Gibson's 1968 dominance.

Jared Orton, president of the Savannah Bananas, joins the boys to talk about how he went from being a headless mascot to heading up one of minor league baseball's most fan-friendly teams, why his team opted to go ad-free at historic Grayson Stadium, how he managed to get the team to play wearing kilts and explains the beef between his team and the Macon Bacon.

Matt Iseman, host of "American Ninja Warrior" and winner of "The Celebrity Apprentice", joins the boys to talk about when he was first bitten by the showbiz bug, that no-hitter he threw while at Princeton and the work he's doing for The Arthritis Foundation.

Anika Orrock, author of The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League , joins the boys to talk about what inspired her to write her new book, shares her favorite story and, most importantly, teams up with Lou to plan a "Golden Girls" re-boot.

Mike Oz, host of the Yahoo! series "Old Baseball Cards", joins the boys to talk about how his grandma got him into collecting (and their quest to find that elusive Jose Canseco Rated Rookie card), lists the top guys he'd like to have on his show and goes full-on "Inside the Actors Studio" and answers some James Lipton-inspired questions.

Painter Graig Kreindler joins the boys to talk about hanging out at the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City and the 228 paintings he did to help commemorate the 100th anniversary of the league, shares his favorite story he learned along the way and, for some reason, the Kenneth Gatewood references return. And, yeah, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred still hates baseball.

Actor Adrian Zmed joins the boys to talk about his lifelong love of the Chicago Cubs, returning to The Windy City stage alongside Don Most and Sandy Duncan, his short-lived TV series "Flatbush" and spills the beans on the acting secrets of his "T.J. Hooker" co-star, William Shatner.

Gary Sheffield Jr. joins the boys to talk about his dad's chances of ending up in Cooperstown and reveals why he was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers, painfully recalls some of the worst fans he's encountered and rightfully coins the term "Full Django".

Author and baseball historian Phil S. Dixon joins the boys to talk about co-founding the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Rube Foster, Buck O'Neil's chances at making the Hall of Fame in 2021 and, of course, his latest book about the Dean Brothers and their role in helping integrate baseball.

Kevin Malone, the former general manager for the Montréal Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers, joins the boys to talk about Larry Walker's Hall of Fame induction, how he ended up with the Expos and that time he drafted a catcher named Tom Brady out of Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California, who just so happened to grow up to be the greatest quarterback of all-time. Also, Kevin's successor i...

Jay Jaffe, author of The Cooperstown Casebook , joins the boys to talk about the 2020 Hall of Fame class, breaks down whether or not Derek Jeter goes in unanimously (and if Larry Walker goes in at all), looks ahead to future classes and what Curt Schilling's chances are moving forward.

Baseball historian and author Ralph Carhart joins the boys to talk about the incredible journey of The Hall Ball (and how that turned into book deal), what prompted his new website Bent Knees and Raised Fists , shares his plans for the upcoming 100th anniversary of The Negro Leagues and, for some reason, the extraordinary luck of The Baseball Brit, Joey Mellows.

Tim Mead, the newly-minted president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, joins the boys to talk about his forty years with the Anaheim Angels organization and his favorite memories while working for the team, how he got the gig in Cooperstown, his favorite piece in the museum and whether or not he'll try and get Albert Pujols to wear an Angels cap on his HOF plaque.