The Moonlight Graham Show

Matt Wagner pitched for the Seattle Mariners on Lou Piniella's team in 1996. He was drafted by the Mariners in the 3rd round of the 1994 amateur draft after playing college ball at Arkansas and Iowa State.  Are you a proud supporter of the Moonlight Graham Show? Buy the "Moonlighter Tee" - https://www.moonlightgrahamshow.com/buy-swag/moonlighter-tee-1

Nate Loenser was born without his left hand. However, that never slowed him down, let alone stopped him, from pursuing his dreams on the field. Loenser was a multisport varsity athlete, and an all-state baseball player, for NU High in Cedar Falls. After committing to serve as a basketball manager for Tim Floyd at Iowa State, Nate ended up walking on to the Iowa State baseball team. Loenser was cut...

Baseballism was founded by four former baseball players who  started a youth camp to grow interest in their community. The friends had to go their separate ways after two years of hosting their camp. A few years later, they revived their brand to try to sell a few shirts. The success of that t shirt turned into a company that was rooted in their love of the game and a commitment to supporting yout...

Matt Thomas grew up in Onalaska, Wisconsin where he made a name for himself as one of the best shooters in his recruiting class. Thomas had several Division I offers but had a connection to Cyclone basketball. His ability to shoot matched perfectly with Fred Hoiberg's system at Iowa State University. As a Cyclone, Matt Thomas was part of four straight Cyclone teams that won more than 20 games and...

To continue UNI week, a current Panther football player steps into the studio. This Moonlighter has found an interesting role for Coach Mark Farley and the Panthers. The defensive back has found his way onto the field as a punter. Zac Kibby grew up as a multisport athlete and has used that athleticism to help the Panthers by averaging almost 40 yards per punt. In fact, Kibby's 39.3 yard average wa...

This week's Moonlighter is one of the best Panthers to ever lace 'em up for UNI. Seth Tuttle was a multi-sport star for West Fork High School who went on to be a 4 year starter for the Panthers. Tuttle was a fan favorite for the purple and gold during his career and finished in the top 10 in several statistical categories. Now, Tuttle is back in Cedar Falls as a coach for the men's basketball team...

Sports are the best. And sports are the worst. There are so many things about sports that bring us together and give us something to celebrate and create communities. However, certain things just grind on you. The announcer that makes you put the game on mute, TV timeouts before and after kickoffs, and so much more. This week, Moonlight Graham takes hot takes to a new level as we take it to the sa...

Danan Hughes chose Iowa and coach Hayden Fry because of the promise to let him play both baseball and football, including a deal that he didn't have to participate in football workouts if he was playing for the baseball team. Hughes only played spring football for one season in college, but even doubling up sports didn't slow him down. After 4 catches for over 100 yards in the Hawkeye spring game,...

If you are looking for a guy that knows baseball, then look no further than this retired Marine with and a degree in Econ. Seriously. Ryan Spaeder has a little bit of an unusual resume, but he was born for modern baseball. He has a passion for statistics and baseball nuggets that has led to his book Incredible Baseball Stats, two podcasts, The Best Baseball Podcast and The Walkoff and his website,...

There are three kinds of guys hooping at old man pick-up games over a lunch hour. First, you have the young bucks who still have gas in the tank from their high school and college days. The other obvious group are the old dogs. The ones with the knee braces, ankle braces, maybe even a back brace here and there. Throw in a pair of rec specs and you've got a guy who is deadly from within ten feet bu...

Justin Brayton was born to ride. He was riding a two-wheel bike at 2 years old and got his first dirt bike at 3. He was making his own jumps and showing no fear as part of the motocross culture in and around Fort Dodge. In middle school, his stepdad and mom were driving Justin around the country to find the best competition. His parents would take a motorhome to Texas, or wherever the top race was...

For a podcast that tries to shine a light on the underdog, this week has us over the moon. Our guest has perhaps the most iconic underdog story in NFL history and one of the best athletes in Iowa history. Of course, we are talking about one of the best passers in NFL history, Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. All sports fans know the story of Warner going from stocking shelves at Hy Vee to quarterbacking...

Paul Emerick grew up in Pella and was a talented football player and wrestler. After a first-team All-State senior campaign, he took his talents across town to play for the Central College Dutch. As a freshman, college football was more about meetings and workouts than time on the field, and so Emerick decided to transfer to the University of Northern Iowa for his sophomore year. An invite to chec...

Lights, camera, action! This week, Tim sits down with an up and coming lead on the screen and stage from Fort Dodge, IA. Ben Ahlers is a star of a new Quibi show When the Streetlights Go On. At 23 years old, Ahlers has already played many different roles including on the NBC series The Villiage and some upcoming shows that will be released. Tim and Ben talk about how preparing for roles is like co...

Social media is filling up with harrowing tales of working from home with children, homeschooling kids who were not taught to 'carry the one', and only being able to eat at your favorite restaurants by (gasp) carrying out! There are many real challenges to our current social-distancing lifestyles, but this week's Moonlighter maintained social distance from everyone except for wild animals for days...

With the Coronavirus changing the world of sports, we have had to look in new directions to get our fix. We need the unpredictable nature of sports. We need teams and names to cheer for. We need something to gamble on. And with over 50 million views and 750,000 subscribers, we have a winner. Jelle's Marble Runs on YouTube give you everything you want from sports: underdogs, fan favorites, and unpr...

Every sports fan knows the pinstripes. The New York Yankees is among the most historic franchise in professional sports. Names like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle built the legacy that modern stars like Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge have built upon. This week's Moonlighter got to play a part in the saga of Yankees during the 2000 season when they went on to win their 26th World Series. www...

Lucas O'Rear grew up in a baseball family and had to make a choice after high school. Should he play baseball, following in his dad, brother, and mom's footsteps or does he play basketball? The deciding factor ended up being the opportunity to get a full-ride to play basketball and being given the chance to also play baseball for UNI. However, UNI dropped the baseball program after the 2009 season...

Matt Macri was a standout football and baseball player at Dowling Catholic. On the gridiron, Macri led the Maroons to a state championship and was being recruited by Big 10 and Big 12 schools to play quarterback, but baseball was his first love. And after a stellar high school career as a shortstop and pitcher, Macri was first drafted out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the 17th round of...

"Who was banging on the trash can?!" With everything going on in Major League Baseball right now, the Moonlight Graham Show had to dig out the mics in-between seasons to put together an emergency podcast. And who better to be our Moonlighter than Des Moines Register's baseball insider, Tommy Birch. This week, Tim and Tommy ignore the snowfall and focus on a heated issue; the Houston Astros cheatin...

With the recent release of the documentary "Killer Inside| The Mind of Aaron Hernandez" we thought it was worthwhile to run back this old favorite with Aaron's brother, Jonathan Hernandez. Originally released 11/27/18

Season 7 wraps up with the Moonlight Graham Show getting back to what it is all about - flat out great stories. This week, Tim takes a recorder into the Ducktail Lounge to bring together Moonlighters of all stripes to share stories.  If you've never been, the Ducktail Lounge is the perfect spot for the Moonlight Happy Hour. With cheap, cold beers and a style that is best defined as the opposite of...

Tim and Dan Jennings first crossed in 2007 in the Northwoods League when they both played for the Waterloo Bucks. Jennings came to the Bucks from the University of Nebraska where he walked on to the program. In spite of being on two state title teams at Valley High School, Jennings didn't get a lot of exposure and wasn't really recruited. With some help from his dad and a few VHS tapes, Nebraska w...

Fr. John Riccardo is a nationally recognized speaker and radio host. He joins the podcast this week to discuss his family owning the Detroit Lions, Jim Harbaugh and the role of sports in our society.

The Moonlight Graham Show has always had an affinity for the ultimate underdog sports scene; junior college. This week takes us to the Iowa Central Community College baseball alumni golf outing. The Moonlight Graham Show sponsored the 9th hole for the alumni outing and placed a recording device with a sign that said: "Tell your best story". And these former Tritons delivered. Playing a sport at th...