Every other Tuesday at 9 AM a new podcast will be released.
March 31, 2020 …
Edd Roush was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. A star for the Cincinnati Reds of the 19-teens and the 1920s, Roush also played in one of the most famous World Series of all time, the 1919 Series between the White Sox and the Reds. While so many players from Chicago have been written about and are well-known, especially Joe Jackson, Buck Weaver, Kid Gleason and Eddie Cicotte; so few know about the stars of the 1919 Reds, such as Roush. A .323 career hitter, Roush spent 12 years with Cincinnati batting .325 with 199 stolen bases, 260 doubles, 152 triples and he hit 47 homeruns too! Edd’s granddaughter, Susan Dellinger, wrote a terrific book about the 1919 series and included a great deal of background on her grandfather. Susan also dives into the 1919 scandal from the Reds perspective. Titled, “Red Legs and Black Sox,” Dellinger joins the podcast to talk about the career of Edd, his few years in the rival Federal League, the 1919 series – from the standpoint of the Reds, and so much more including: how “shady” characters were hanging around the team, how Hal Chase tried to fix games in 1918 and 1919, and Edd’s hitting lessons from the great Ty Cobb … lessons that turned him from an average hitter into one of the game’s best. In fact, if not for a two protests, Roush would have won three-straight batting titles.
March 17, 2020 … The name Drazen Petrovic might not be familiar to many of today’s NBA fans. But for those who recall the early 1990s and the sudden rise of the then New Jersey Nets, Drazen Petrovic is a name that brings up memories of a sharpshooting guard, a star on the rise, and man whose life was tragically cut short in a head-on collision along the famed autobahn. Petrovic, born in Croatia, had a passion for basketball matched by few. Every waking second, every chance he had, he was practicing the game. Gym rat? That was Drazen Petrovic. And he didn’t just practice shooting. He practiced and drilled virtually every aspect of the game as often as possible from the time he was a young schoolboy. Drazen had a goal, he wanted to play in the NBA. And he worked hard. He played for his local Sibenik, Croatia team. He also played for Cibona and Rea Madrid. He olayed on the international stage. He caught the eye of Notre Dame’s Digger Phelps. He caught the eye of the Portland Trailblazers too and they made him a 3rd round selection in the 1986 NBA Draft. After legal battles, jumping through hurdles, and gaining his release from Real Madrid, Drazen finally made it to the NBA. At first, though it was quite disappointing. Drazen saw little playing time as the Blazers were a title contender. In fact, in Drazen’s first year, Portland made it to the NBA Finals against the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons. Drazen’s second year was even more disappointing as he slid further down the bench and he demanded a trade. Portland obliged and sent Drazen to the Nets. Drazen adapted to the Nets style of play, worked hard and ultimately became the team’s leader. Drazen had an electric personality and knew how to get a rise out of the crowd, could shoot the ball from virtually anywhere on the court, and gained the respects of his fellow players and coaches. He led the Nets to the playoffs. But that’s when tragedy struck. Author Todd Spehr, who wrote the book, “The Mozart of Basketball; The Remarkable Life and Legacy of Drazen Petrovic,” joins the podcast from Australia to talk about the man voted by his fellow players as the greatest European Basketball Player in history.
March 3, 2020 … The name Oscar Charleston is not familiar to many. An absolute star in baseball’s Negro Leagues, Charleston’s best years came before there was much structure in the Negro Leagues. His prodigious power, spectacular defense and winning ways came before the more popular names of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Buck O’Neill took the field. Oscar played for the likes of the Indianapolis ABC’s, Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords and even though he never played in Major League Baseball, he still drew comparisons to such legends as Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker. So, who was Oscar Charleston? Jeremy Beer recently released an incredible biography on Oscar titled, “Oscar Charleston, The Life and Legend of Baseball’s Greatest Forgotten Hero.” This bio, which won the Seymour Medal, which is awarded by the Society for American Baseball Research – SABR – for the best baseball history or biography published in the preceding year, covers so much of Oscar’s life, from his childhood, through his stints in the military, and of course his career. Jeremy shares much of Oscar’s life on this episode of SFH. We discuss such topics as the early days of the Negro Leagues, who the movers and shakers were in the Negro Leagues, Oscar’s forays to the Cuban League, the Hotel League, and how he fared on the diamond when he did get the chance to face Major League pitching. And, by the way, no matter who Oscar faced, he took them deep. The stories of Oscar’s power are legendary, his ability to track down balls and leap over walls to haul them back in are still celebrated today and the stories of his uncanny ability to come up with clutch hits will make you wonder why such a fabulous ball player is so unknown. After listening to Jeremy on this episode of SFH will certainly help you discover one of the greatest ball players ever and help you to understand why, in 1976, Oscar Charleston was elected into baseball’s Hall of Fame and leave you scratching your head as to why it took so long.