Back When There Was Baseball

We have a Pennsylvania player today, but not one who played for the Philadelphia Phillies or Pittsburgh Pirates. Paul Hartzell played high school baseball for Central Columbia High School near Bloomsburg, PA, then went on to Lehigh University. Paul made it to the Big Leagues for the 1976 season with the California Angels. He was part of that pitching staff which included Nolan Ryan and Frank Tanana. Paul was a starter and reliever with the Angels from 1976-1978. He then went to the Minnesota Twins for the 1979 season. Paul developed arm problems, so his career was short, but the stories are fantastic and Paul was a part of those up-and-coming Angels teams in the mid-to-late 1970s. Enjoy the ride down memory lane Back When There Was Baseball.

Balor Moore is our guest this week. Balor started his career on fire with an ERA under 1.00 in his first season in A ball in 1969. He got his first opportunity in the Big Leagues with the Montreal Expos in 1970 and had a really good season in 1972. Unfortunately, Balor gave up Mike Schmidt's (1972) and Mike Tyson's (1973) first home runs. Balor had a thrill of a lifetime when he threw a perfect game in November of 1973 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Balor is a fascinating story and he is fantastic at recalling his career. We take a step Back When There Was Baseball this week to remember Balor Moore and his career.

Buzz Capra joins us this week on the podcast. Buzz was drafted by the New York Mets in 1969 while leading Illinois State to a Division II National Championship. His career lasted from 1969-1977 and he had a part in some great seasons. Buzz was a member of the New York Mets roster that made it to the 1973 World Series, losing to the Oakland A's in 7 games. He was sold to the Atlanta Braves in March of 1974 and the Braves cashed in as Buzz led MLB with a 2.28 ERA. He started 27 games, finishing 11 of them while compiling a 16-8 record. Arm problems developed and his career ended in 1977. Enjoy this interview with Buzz Capra as we go Back When There Was Baseball.

If you are a long-time Phillies fan, you will remember our guest this week. Len Matuszek joins us to discuss his career. Rex remembered Len's contributions in the last month of the 1983 season which culminated in a World Series appearance for the Phils. Len also had a solid 1984 season before being shipped to Toronto. He was a rare 2-sport athlete in college (Toledo) and came to the Phillies with high promise, but never was given much of an opportunity. Len discusses his career and how he ended up with the Dodger organization involved in the 1985 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. Sit back Phillies/Dodgers fans and enjoy this interview Back When There Was Baseball.

Our guest this week was headed for a stellar career as a pitcher until a torn rotator cuff cost him his career. Do you remember Steve Busby, Kansas City Royals pitcher 1972-1980? Steve talks about his career from high school into his stint at USC during their great days in the late 1960s/early 1970s. He had three very good years in the Majors from 1973-1975, which included two no-hitters. Let's go Back When There Was Baseball this week and let Steve Busby talk about his MLB career and how those Kansas City Royals teams became A.L. West perennial winners in the late 1970s.

It is rare that a player who played in every year during the decade of the 1970s is not recognized by either Rex or Steve, but our guest this week fits into that category. Tom Griffin joins us this week as we delve into his "mysterious" career. When we looked at Tom's stats, we were left scratching our heads as to how a player with this much impact on the game went unrecognized by us. Tom had a career record of 77-94 with an ERA of 4.07. He played for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, California Angels, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates in a career that spanned 1969-1982. One very important statistic to note about Tom's career is that once he made the Houston Astros as a roster player out of spring training (1972), he never went back to the Minor Leagues. Join us as we go Back When There Was Baseball with our guest Tom Griffin.

Our guest this week is pitcher Andy McGaffigan. Andy played in the Majors from 1981 through 1991. He has a career record of 38-33 with a respectable ERA of 3.38. Listen in as Andy discusses playing in the Division II World Series, how tough it was to play baseball in Montreal, along with what it was like being a relief pitcher and spot-starter Back When There Was Baseball.

Today's guest is Ken Tatum, relief pitcher 1969-1974. Ken played college baseball at Mississippi State and signed with the California Angels after college. The Angels brought him up to the big leagues in 1969 and he responded with a great season. He appeared in 45 games, saving 22 of them with an ERA of 1.36. Ken also finished 4th in the 1969 AL Rookie of the Year balloting. He was having another good season in 1970, when he hit Paul Blair with a pitch that broke Blair's nose and sidelined him for several games. Listen to Ken discuss this incident along with the rest of his career in a fun interview.

Phil Roof joins us on the podcast this week. Phil started his baseball career in 1959 signed by the Milwaukee Braves and lasted through the 1977 season. He played for the Milwaukee Braves, Los Angeles and California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City and Oakland A's, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. Phil caught one of the best pitching staffs in the game's history with Cleveland (Sam McDowell, Luis Tiant and Sonny Siebert to name a few). He also caught Warren Spahn in spring training, along with Catfish Hunter, Bert Blyleven, Jim Kaat and Jim Perry. Phil is full of knowledge about the game and its history. Sit back and enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball.

This week's guest is Gary Neibauer. Gary pitched in the Majors from 1969-1973 for both the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. Listen in as Gary discusses his career and playing with greats such as Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Phil Niekro and Steve Carlton. Gary also discusses that he was touted to be the Phillies second starter in 1972 before he suffered an injury that essentially ended his career. Neibauer is also one of the group of pre-1980 players who had less than four years of credited service and therefore not eligible for a pension.