All About Baseball with Byron Copley

Baseball testimonials and endorsements are as old as the game itself. What used to make the good ones valuable and relevant to me was that the ballplayers featured didn't have to act: they could just be themselves. In this podcast, I offer several examples of what I consider as authentic commercials that featured Detroit Tigers Jim Northrup, Al Kaline and Willie Horton, Los Angeles Dodger Don Drysdale, and San Francisco Giant Willie Mays.

However, Pete Rose comes off to me as insincere and one-dimensional in the several ads that featured him.

Below are links to the commercials I mentioned that I could source online.

Willie Mays Blasting Caps PSA

Don Drysdale Vitalis Commercial

Pete Rose Aqua Velva Commercial

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

Our precious son, Stuart, died on June 27, 2025. I thought it fitting to share this tragic event with this audience to offer tribute to Stuart and relate a few memorable experiences he had as a ballplayer during his youth, and to also share a few lessons learned because of this tragedy.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/charlotte-nc/stuart-copley-12439611

Ball Four, a diary-book by Jim Bouton, a major-league pitcher from 1962 to 1970, (and five pitching appearances in 1978) revealed the "secrets and scandals" of major-league baseball during the 1969 season. The book was heralded as "funny," honest," and "groundbreaking." I think, now, 55 years after I first read the book, that Ball Four did more harm than good for the game, and especially for the people Bouton exposes as drug users, sexual miscreants, and alcoholics -- all from the inner sanctum of the major-league locker room, with neither knowledge nor consent from the parties involved. In my opinion, this book is a betrayal of the game, Bouton's teammates, and even of their descendants. Bouton, in my opinion, abused the privilege of being a major-league player for his own personal gain. This podcast explains why.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

In my fall back topic -- umpiring -- I offer the unseen communication that umpires conduct without uttering a word. The next time you witness a baseball game in person, look for these signs of a good umpire.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass" by Sergei Pavkin

I had always intended to conduct interviews on All About Baseball, and I didn't have to look very far for my first subjects. Neighbors Kyle and Holly, husband and wife, who played D1 baseball and softball at North Carolina and Penn State respectively, join me to tell their unique stories about the ups and downs of being a D1 college athlete.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass," Sergei Pavkin

With all the sudden and substantial rule changes that have been enacted in Major League Baseball the past few years, this podcast episode proposes three specific changes to rule 6.02 "Pitcher Illegal Action" that would make enforcing balks more consistent, more just, and less arbitrary.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass" by Sergei Pavkin

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of All About Baseball, I remind myself and you, the listeners, the reason why I am doing this, suggest a few past episodes to listen to that best exemplify the purpose of this podcast, talk about how I would coach youth baseball today if I ever again took on the responsibility to mentor, and offer a measure of gratitude for your interest and loyalty. Thank you for that.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass" by Sergei Pavkin

On June 4, 1974, an actual riot took place on the field of Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, where more than 1,000 drunk and disorderly fans, intoxicated by drinking beers that cost a mere 10 cents, lost all inhibition and stormed the field DURING the 9th inning of a 5-5 game between the Indians and the Texas Rangers. This podcast focuses on the events of the week prior, amplified by the media and the respective team managers, which contributed to the crescendo of the riot.

www.byroncopley.com

You'd think that this was already the case, but it isn't, and it should be. With bloated rosters, defections, replacements at the last minute, mandatory representation of every team, starting pitchers opting out because of insufficient rest, and fan bias -- it's no wonder that interest and viewership has dwindled over the last 40-plus years. This podcast offers some needed reforms that would boost the competitiveness and relevance of the all-star game to the levels attained from 1933 to the 1980s. Since the late 1980s, the game has steadily devolved into a meaningless exhibition that garners the dwindling attention of fewer and fewer people.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin

Sign stealing is an ancient discipline and it perfectly legal when people directly involved in the game observe base coaches with the naked eye. At all levels, signs are a visual code that communicates plays like bunt, hit-and-run, steal, squeeze play -- and more. I learned a foolproof way to protect our signs from the third-base coach that the opposition never deciphered, and that our own player never had to remember. This podcast covers how MLB teams traditionally flash sign and the novel method we employed that, to my knowledge, has never been duplicated.

www.byroncopley.com

Music: "Field Grass," by Sergei Pavkin