Back When There Was Baseball

There were only three players in MLB history that started the year in the Minor Leagues and made the MLB All-Star game. Our guest his week, Bill Dawley, was one of them. Bill started in the Cincinnati Reds farm system in 1976 and finally got his shot in the Big Leagues when traded to the Houston Astros. He had a good 3-year stint with Houston from 1983-1985 compiling a 22-13 record with 21 saves all out of the bullpen. Bill shares some great stories when we travel back to the 1980s on Back When There Was Baseball.

Our guest this week is Tom Carroll, who played most of his career in the Cincinnati Reds system. Tom was a 6th-round draft choice in 1970 out of North Allegheny High School in Wexford, PA. He worked his way up the ladder as a pitcher and finally got his call up to the majors in 1974 at the age of 21. When Don Gullett fractured his thumb in 1975, Tom was called up and was a major part of the Reds' 1975 World Series-winning team. Unfortunately for Tom, injuries curtailed his career. Join us Back When There Was Baseball as Tom talks about those great years playing for the Reds.

Our guest this week in one of the 1976 National League Rookie of the Year winners. That is correct, there were two that year and Pat Zachry was one of them. Pat pitched for the Cincinnati Reds when they won the 1976 World Series. He pitched in the Majors for 10 years, with a long stint in the New York Mets organization and ended up his career with the L.A. Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. Pat also pitched in the Senior League (Florida) and threw a game or two with a broken leg. Listen in as Pat recalls his career and the game Back When There Was Baseball.

We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Oakland A's ball club this week with our guest Nancy Finley. The A's won the World Series 3 consecutive years (1972-1974), and Nancy was a part of these seasons. Nancy is the daughter of GM Carl Finley and the niece of owner Charlie Finley. She shares stories about those years, along with the rebuilding of the A's in the early 1980s. Nancy also wrote a book entitled Finley Ball, which focuses on the years starting with Kansas City, the move to Oakland, and culminating with the three world championships.

We travel Back When There Was Baseball this week to the early to mid-1980s with our guest Mike Stenhouse. Mike was one of the best hitters in Ivy League history coming out of Harvard before signing with the Montreal Expos in 1980. Mike was able to hit everywhere he played, but he struggled when he got to the Majors. We speak with Mike about having to break into the lineup playing behind Andre Dawson, Warren Cromartie, Tim Raines, Terry Francona, and Al Oliver, to name a few. He talks about not getting a chance to play on a regular basis, which he needed to become consistent as a hitter. Mike shares some great stories and also elaborates on the game being a "business" as we go Back When There Was Baseball.

Our guest this week is Mike Epstein. Mike played in the Majors from 1966-1974 with various clubs and was part of the 1972 Oakland A’s world championship team. Believe it or not, this is the 50th anniversary of that team.  He went to Cal-Berkeley on a football scholarship but ended up switching to baseball. Mike was nicknamed Superjew and played for quite a host of managers, which include Hank Bauer, Gil Hodges, Ted Williams, and Dick Williams. Mike has some great stories, so enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball.

We are blessed to have one of the greatest pitching coaches of all time with us this week. Leo Mazzone joins us to talk about his career as a pitching coach and how he was able to keep the Atlanta Braves in contention each year with his stable pitchers. In the 1990s, it was Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, along with a 4th pitcher throughout the decade. He talks about not only the top three but also how he was able to consistently have a 4th starter. Leo also talks about what he learned from Johnny Sain Back When There Was Baseball.

Ken Frailing is our guest this week. Ken pitched from 1966-1978 in the Minor Leagues and the Majors. Ken was very promising out of high school as he had a 13-0 record his senior season with an unbelievable 0.17 ERA. He played for the White Sox and Cubs organizations in his tenure and shares some fascinating stories about his career in Chi-Town. Ken was also a very good hitting pitcher, and unfortunately, an injury curtailed his career. We hope you enjoy this interview with Ken Frailing, Back When There Was Baseball.

John Morlan is our guest this week. He played in the Pittsburgh Pirate organization from 1971-1977, with stints in the Major Leagues in 1973 and 1974. John is our first guest that was drafted 4 times before signing with the Pirates out of Ohio University. John participated in the 1974 season, which included the Dock Ellis incident, where Dock attempted to hit every Cincinnati batter on May 1. The Pirates also won the National League East but lost to the L.A. Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. Enjoy this trip Back When There Was Baseball with John Morlan.

Jim Lyttle joins us on the podcast this week. Jim played in the Majors from 1969-1976. He then had a successful career in Japan from 1977-1983. Jim played with the Yankees during the CBS years (1969-1971), White Sox (1972), Expos (1973-1976), and Dodgers (1976). Jim discusses his career, what it was like fighting for playing time, and also playing for four teams, then playing in Japan. He was a solid outfielder during his career and played with many great players. Join us as we journey Back to When There Was Baseball with Jim Lyttle.