Two Strike Noise - A Baseball History Podcast

We couldn’t forgive ourselves if we didn’t start the new year off without paying tribute to the one and only Betty White (ofcourse related to baseball). Then we do what we do best, talk about Rickey Henderson and Nolan Ryan. One fateful day in May, two of the greatest players to ever put on a uniform did something that might not ever be equaled again in a single day in baseball. In our first Wax P...

We close out the year with some great stories about Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy, Eddie Gaedel, Jamie Moyer and ofcourse we put a bow tie on the year with another new Rickey Henderson story (that is 100% not true), straight from the man himself. Plus a Holiday movie review(?) and some rules changes the NPB incorporated into the game during WWII. Finally, a couple of packs of Donruss to close o...

Everybody’s had a horrible boss before, but George Steinbrenner was the king. Despite paying Dave Winfield a record contract, he hated the man! He had him benched, refused to pay his charity the money he owed them & even payed a known mob associate $40k for dirt on him. Winfield got the last laugh though, he made the Hall of Fame while George was (temporarily) banned for life. Hear all about the t...

December 7th was an infamous day in history for both the USA and baseball. We remember both this week as well as take a moment to think about a trade for Bobby Bonilla, this year. In our main segment we remember the career of John Kruk as well as all the crazy late night talk show visits. Finally we rip a couple of packs of 1996 Donruss in Wax Pack Heroes.  Two Strike Noise TWIB Rewatch - https://...

This week former player & manager Bobby Valentine joins us to talk about his career. We talk about his infamous disguise in the dugout (we also find out it was not the first time he had gone undercover),  managing & playing with our all-time favorite players, how many times he deserved to be tossed and George Steinbrenner did WHAT to the visiting clubhouse at Shea Stadium during the 2000 World Ser...

This week we talk about the first player to win 2 World Series rings in 2 years AND have a string of pearls in the Hall of Fame, an MLB pitcher giving a clown what he deserves and Carlos Correa continues his heel act with a spicy (but true) take on a first ballot Hall of Famer.  In the main segment of the show we ponder if Brett Butler is the best bunter in MLB history and learn about the art of h...

This episode of Tales form the Dugout focuses on some of the strangest and weirdest first basemen. We discuss a stone-gloved slugger, a bat-hungry slugger and a stinky slugger. We always thought left handed relievers were supposed to be the weird ones. Plus we discuss the new Big Boss inn Japan, Buster Posey and the Hall and the World Series celebration in Atlanta. In this week’s Wax Pack Heroes w...

This weeks episode is brought to you by PETA. One tweet set the baseball social media world crazy, so we got in on it a well. Alot of pitcher talk, a former MLB closer skippered a NPB team to a pennant, pitcher’s with food names and the main attraction, the entire, complete history of the term “bullpen” as it relates to baseball.  Wax Pack Heroes takes on a couple of packs of 1997 Donruss.  Twitte...

Dutch Leonard is not a very common name, except for in Major League Baseball. There have been two of them, both pitchers and both with some crazy stories. One tended to trend toward the good, the other a bit more mischievous. Whether it was feuding with Ty Cobb, claiming Tris Speak was throwing games or just getting suspended, alot, the Dutch Leonard’s are fun to talk about. Plus, we discuss how T...

Of all the crazy, weird and strange 80’s Wax Pack baseball cards, there are a handful that stand out. This week we tell the story of one of the oddest of the bunch. Glenn Hubbard loved snakes, so when he saw one on-field before a game in Philadelphia. Little did he know that picture would go from being a personal keep-sake to one of the most memorable Fleer cards ever. We also talk stolen base suc...

With the risk of becoming a Red Sox history podcast, we revisit another crazy Boston playoff series/game. Timely home runs and clutch hitting helped take the Sox from the brink of elimination to baseball’s biggest stage for one of the most memorable World Series in history. Plus, we review some historic performances from this year’s playoffs so far, we ask an important question regarding a million...

Author John Vampatella joins us to talk about his new book, The Forgotten Game, which chronicles Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS. Sandwiched between Big Papi’s 12th inning walk to keep the Red Sox in the Series and the infamous Bloody Sock Game, Game 5 was a marathon with two Hall of Fame pitchers on the mound (Mussina v Martinez). John was a blast to talk to about 80’s, 90’s & 2000’s MLB. Ofcourse there’...

Big show this week with a bunch of crazy stories! An epic new Rickey Henderson saga that almost got him thrown at, we besmirch a couple of Hall of Famers, we praise the Astros (wait,what!), wonder what’s up with Lars Nootbaar, stick up for Deon Sanders, remember a game where the team won by half a run and extol the toughness of Bob Gibson yet again. Plus another custom pack of baseball cards for W...

Baseball is full of traditions, good or bad, that as a fan, you’ve got to take in stride if you go to a ballgame. There’s singing (the anthem, Take Me Out to the Ballgame), there’s strange people in costumes (the Chicken, the Phanatic), there is trickery (keep a decoy ball to throw back if you catch an opponent’s HR), and there’s more singing if you’re team wins. Why do we do these crazy things du...

This week we get started with some of the crazy baseball history that was made in the past week, we rank players who have been nicknamed Bull, we remember a wild game at Wrigley from 2001 in which the 7th inning stretch singer got tossed form the game (by Angel Hernandez surprise, surprise) but that wasn’t even the weirdest thing to happen in that game and ofcourse we review the week in Lars Nootb...

Part two of our outstanding interview with former Padres & Giants pitcher, Dave Dravecky. He tells some crazy stories about the always off the wall Gaylord Perry, his most memorable mound visit and pitching at the icebox that was Candlestick Park. Dave was nice enough to stick around and play a round of Wax Pack Heroes with us as well, opening some 1986 Topps and telling some great stories about s...

Episode 131 - Padres & Giants Pitcher Dave Dravecky Some players have stories that are so compelling & great you remember them off the field more than on. Dave Dravecky had a great career on the mound, but what happened to him after a cancer diagnosis and gruesome injury during his comeback are even a better story. In part one of our time with Dave, we talk about playing baseball in Hawaii, his lo...

Back in the studio after two weeks & we catch up on some of the crazy records that have been broken since we last recorded. No hitters, strike outs, blown saves and some really big Lars Nootbaar news! Our main story this week focuses on a relief pitcher with some of the best hair, best fashion sense and the best sense of humor. Don Stanhouse was known to lull batters to sleep while on the mound, b...

Lots of talk about stolen bases, team names and a really big debut anniversary. We do a deeper dive on Joey Votto and his recent HR streak and find one of the names he was chasing already had a special place in our show. We also relive a crazy game with a Hall of Fame umpire, a Hall of Fame shortstop and a pitcher named Togie. Plus some 1986 Fleer packs keep us occupied in another edition of Wax P...

This week we review the worst trades ever made in baseball history. Some of the biggest names in MLB history were the result of really bad trades, atleast for one team. Babe Ruth, Pee Wee Reese, Lou Brock and David Ortiz (or Arias as it was) were acquired for next to nothing and went on to have Hall of Fame careers. We try to figure out who has made the most one-sided trades, the Red Sox or the Ma...

This week we talk about how Joe DiMaggio dominated the PCL before donning the pinstripes. He suited up for his hometown San Francisco Seals for an odd reason and soon caught the eye of MLB teams back east with his bat. Plus we talk Guardians baseball, the rangers futility, Lars Nootbaar (ofcourse), partake in some listener trivia and remember Charlie Kerfeld’s outstanding pranks in our debuts segm...

This week we find out some minor league teams just never learn when it comes to beer promotions, we look back at a truly historical Padres-Nats game and ofcourse Lars Nootbaar. Our main story this week is the larger than life former MLB umpire (not Eric Gregg) Ron Luciano. From shooting out players on the bases to chatting them up at homeplate, Luciano probably had more fun than anybody else on th...

It’s All Star week and we are all about it. We talk history of the Mid-Summer Classic, the Home Run Derby, streaks, records and Lars Nootbar. How well can you score on these All-Star level questions? Trust us, they are not easy but there are some great names to discuss in the answers. Plus Wax Pack Heroes comes down to the wire with some special All Star rules in play.  Twitter - @twostrikenoise I...

It’s been a couple of weeks so it’s time to empty out the strange but true baseball stories that have piled up since the last one. We sample some “unique” music form the Diamondbacks stadium, highlight some players other than Bobby Bonilla that are still getting paid, take a look at what Lars Nootbaar is up to this week as well as relive some classic baseball car pranks, Bo Jackson doing Bo Jackso...

Longtime radio voice of the Seattle Mariners, Rick Rizzs joins us this week. If it’s happened in baseball, Rick has seen it. Probably twice. We cover alot of topics with Rick including a never before heard follow up on Jello-Gate (which we covered in episode 89), Ken Griffey Jr. Getting grounded and just how many times Lou Pinella could kick his cap after getting tossed for arguing a bad call on t...