Backwards K Pod

After a half decade of missed opportunities, political wrangling, financial issues and eventually watching Denver and Miami, recieve new baseball franchises; the NBA Suns owner, Jerry Colangelo, becomes the face of a group, trying to bring a team to the Phoenix metropolitan area, in the next round of expansions, set to begin in 1998.

This responsibility requires him to not only bring an MLB team to the Valley, but he also needs to garner support from the tax paying citizens of Maricopa County, for his $250M fundraising drive and public financing.

This is the story of how the National League Champion, Arizona Diamondbacks, found their baseball roots in the desert, and the tecnologically advanced stadium, that was built almost 30 years ago, to house the new ballclub. #ArizonaDiamondbacks #Phoenix #BillVeek #ArizonaStateUniversity #CactusLeague #ArizonaFallLeague #MaricopaCounty #JerryColangelo #JoeGaragiolaJr #BankOneBallpark #ChaseField #MartinStone #BillBidwell #RandyJohnson #CurtSchilling #TonyWomack #LuisGonzalez

This week we examine the life and career of one of baseballs most prodigous power htters that ever lived, Jimmy Foxx; The Beast. The powerful farm boy from Sudlersville, MD, who was signed by Connie Mack at the age of 16, and made his major league debut, before the end of his high school junior year. Even though, he is statistically, the most dominate major league hitter of the 1930's decade, Double X is often overshadowed, by the baseball deities of his era, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. #JimmyFoxx #SamFoxx #DorothyYard #ConnieMack #PhiladelphiaAthletics #BostonRedSox #LeftyGrove #TedWilliams #ShibePark #FenwayPark #ChicagoCubs #PhiladelphiaPhillies #MickeyCochrane #MaxBishop #TomYawkey #JoeCronin #MoeBerg

With Shibe Park, Crosley Field, the Polo Grounds, Forbes Field and Comiskey Park already in our BKP collection, this week we add the grand-daddy of all the throwback cribs; the iconic and majestic Ebbets Field of Flatbush, Brooklyn. The former home of dem bums, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Throughout sports, there are certain franchises, that have such a storied tradition, that their legacy never dies. The Brooklyn Dodgers fit this bill, as the team, and their ballpark, dominated the Brooklyn borough landscape for over 40 years. #BrooklynDodgers #Flatbush #Brooklyn #CharlesEbbets #Pigtown #CrownHeights #WashingtonPark #RedBarber #JohnnyVandermeer #LarryKing #RogerKuhn #OldGoldCigarettes #AbeStarKs #WalterOMalley #RobertMoses

The all-black baseball team, the Wichita Monrovians, existed in an era, where much of their historical record of team exploits, and stats have been lost in time. But their legacy endures after almost 100 years, because of their victory over the domestic terrorist organization, the Wichita Klu Klux Klan #6 baseball team in 1925. #JakeRobinson #WichitaMonrovians #KluKluxKlan #WesternColoredLeague #ThomasJeffersonYoung #NewtJoseph @AndyCooper #IslandPark #AckermanIsland #JosephAckerman #ArkansasRiver #WonderlandAmusementPark #GiantThriller

For a generation of American League baseball fans, Rod Carew was the definition of a batting champion. The owner of a career .328 batting average, and 3,053 hits, to go along with his seven batting titles, and 18 All-Star nods, Carew tormented American League hurlers, with a smooth swing, from a crouched stance, his lightning fast wrist and impeccible hand-eye coordination. From his birth on a segregated train, to his abusive childhood, his escape from his father to New York City, his rise through the major leagues, and the tragedy that has befallen Carew after his magnificent career had ended, I take you through every chapter of this amazing story. It is a tale of rising above abject poverty through will and incredible discipline. It is a story of hope, sorrow, immense sadness, resurrection and triumph. This is the story of Rod Carew. #BrooksRobinson #TimWakefield #RodCarew #MinnesotaTwins #CaliforniaAngels #ClarkGriffith #MonroeKatz #BillyMartin #GeneMauch #MichelleCarew #RhondaCarew #KonradReuland #MaryReuland

He led the National League in home runs eight times. He also led the league in in OPS and extra base hits five times, as well as RBI's four times. He was awarded six Silver Slugger Awards for offensive excellence, and 10 Gold Gloves for his defensive excellence, the most by any player in National League history who has manned the Hot Corner. He is Michael Jack Schmidt, the switch-hitting Short Stop kid, out of Dayton, Ohio, with two bad knees and a baseball dream. And arguably, the greatest all-around third basemen who ever lived. #MichaelJackSchmidt #PhiladelphiaPhillies #LoisSchmidt #JackSchmidt #PhillipsAquaticClub #JacksDriveIn #FairViewHighSchool #OhioBobcats #SteveYeager #TonyLucadella #BobWren #GeorgeBrett #PaulOwens #DallasGreen #DannyOzark #BobbyWine #PeteRose #JoeMorgan #TonyPerez #SteveCarlton #TugMcGraw #DaveKingman #HarryKalas

"Kid Natural" Ryne Sandberg let his glove, bat and legs, do his talking on the baseball diamond. By the time his 16 year career was completed, Sandberg's play had announced him as one of the greatest second basemen, to ever play the game of baseball. The Cubs' fans affectionately nicknamed him Ryno, and he quickly became their fan-favorite champion during the 1980's. A hard-working ballplayer, who could do no wrong on the field. The consumate gentleman baseball players for the ages. This week we examine the life and career, of the great Ryne Sandberg. #RyneSandberg #PhiladelphiaPhillies #ChicagoCubs #TerrapinStation #BruceSutter #HarryCarrey #BillHarper #WilburMooseJohnson #DallasGreen #RyneSandberg #IvanDeJesus #LarryBowa #JulioFranco #JuanSamuel #BillGiles #YoshKowano #ErnieBanks #RonSanto #LeeElia #JimFrey #GaryMatthews #AndreDawson #TomBrokaw #JoeMorgan

This week, BKP celebrates the 83rd birthday, of the living legend, and Detroit Tigers' fan-favorite pitcher, Mickey Lolich. Although he is most recognized for his 1968, World Series MVP heroics, that saw him out-duel Cardinals' Ace Bob Gibson for the championship prize, it is way too easy to forget that his 2,832 career strikeouts, are still the third most by a southpaw, behind only Steve Carlton and the "Big Unit" Randy Johnson. He was a durable Clysdale, that finished close to 40% of his starts, hurling195 Complete Games and 40 shutouts, in his 16 year career. This is the story of "Roly-Poly" Mickey Lolich.

#MickeyLolich #DetroitTigers #BillFreehan #SchoolboyRowe #WhiteyFord #PortlandBeavers #JohnnyPesky #JimCampbell #KnoxvilleSmokies #FrankCarswell #GerryStaley #BobScheffing #RickFerrell #CharlieDressen #JohnnySain #JoyceFeenor #GeorgeScott #DennyMcLain #BobGibson #StLouisCardinals #LouBrock #CurtFlood #AlKaline

This week, Jake is joined in the dojo, with Omar Gobby, as they critique the movie Chasing 3,000. An Independant film, released in 2007, about the journey of Mickey Sitka (played by Trevor Morgan), and his younger brother Roger Sitka (Rory Caulkin), who has muscular dystrophy, from California to Pittsburgh in 1972, to watch their baseball idol, Roberto Clemente chase the magical 3,000 hit benchmark. Told through the eyes of an older Mickey Sitka, played by Ray Liotta.

#ChasingThreeThousand #3000 #RobertoClemente #RayLiotta #RoryCaulkin #LaurenHolly #SeymourCassell #TrevorMorgan #MickeySitka #RogerSitka #ChuckIreland #MEmittWalsh

This week, we dig into the complex history of the 14th oldest ballpark in the Major Leagues, T-Mobile Park in Seattle Washington. With the deteriorating Kingdome literally falling apart, and after years of behind the scenes political wrangling by the King County Council, The Mariners ownership group, as well as the tax paying citizens of Seattle. The future health of the franchise, finally had stability with a great retro-throwback style crib of their own, with the modern amenities. The state of the art yard was opened in July of 1999, after five years of challenging and sometimes contentious planning and construction. Since then, it has become one of the premier facilities for the Major League Baseball brand.

#SeattleMariners #SeattlePilots #SicksField #KingDome #Ichiro #FelixHernandez #EdgarMartinez #KenGriffeyJr #RandyJohnson #KingCounty#GaryLocke #RefuseToLose #SlateGorton #NormRice #SafecoField TMobilePark #DaveNiehaus