Throughout the 1980's, the Cleveland Indians and their fan base, were eager to flee from the antiquated, concrete, multi-purpose monstrosity that was Municipal Stadium.

For almost a decade, civic leaders and the Cuyahoga County citizens of Ohio, could not agree on the funding for a new domed baseball/football stadium.

By 1992, a sin-tax is proposed, voted on and passed with the slimmest of margins, for a brand new crib for the Tribe. The responsibilities for the new Gateway site creation. was eventually handed over to famed baseball stadium architecture firm, HOK Sports, who is coming off of the raving success of their recent ground-breaking creations in Baltimore and South Chicago.

In a nod to Cleveland's blue-collar work ethic culture, HOK was able to deliver a modern day, retro, baseball cathedral, that would revitalize and re-energize a slowly dying city and a beleagured fan base.

The result was a rousing success, as the fans and team, developed a symbiotic relationship, with the now 10th oldest baseball stadium in the majors.

#ClevelandIndians #ClevelandGuardians #JacobsField #ProgressiveField #MannyRamierez #JimThome #EddieMurray #KennyLofton #CharlesNagy #DennisMartinez #BillClinton #GradySizemore #JobaChamberlain #ClevelandCavaliers

In today's modern era of the game, the baseball universe has been rightfully amazed by the versatile brilliance of Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani.

However many decades ago, there was a ballplayer that was even more versatile, doing things the great Ohtani could only dream of accomplishing.

This week I dive into the shrouded mystery that is Martin Dihigo. The most decorated baseball player to ever play the game, as he is housed in FOUR Baseball Hall Of Fames around the world.

He played all nine positions on the field at a high level. In 1938, he out-duels Negro League legend Satchel Paige, for the Mexican League Pennant, and hits the game-winning walk-off dong.

He finishes that year with a 18-2 record with a .92 ERA and wins the batting title with a .387 batting average... at all NINE positions. He is the greatest Cuban player to ever live, and arguably the greatest player ever, even though segregation would victimize him probably worse than any other player of his era. To this day his greatness has been lost in the shadows of many of his own Negro League contemporaries due to awful stat keeping and the Cuban Socialist Revolution.

#MartinDihigo #ElInmortal #TheMaestro #SatchelPaige #SchoolboyTaylor #WillieWells #OscarCharleston #JohnHenryLloyd #NYCubanGiants #FidelCastro #CubanRevolution

In 2003, Sports Illustrated compared Morganna Roberts' female measurements, to that of a first-place hockey team record, 60-24-39.

In 1969, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, Ohio, she would begin one of the most endearing baseball traditions throughout the 70's, 80's and 90's, when she hopped the railing and ran out to Center Fielder Pete Rose, to give him a kiss on a $5 dare with her friends. The next day, a writer for the Cincinnati Enquirer, dubbed her Morganna The Kissing Bandit, and a legend was born.

From her meager, horriffic beginnings and being homeless in Baltimore City, eating out of trashcans. To becoming one of the biggest baseball spectacles of the era and running a multi-million dollar business. This is the amazing story, of the gift that was the Kissing Bandit.

#MorgannaCottrellRoberts #MorgannaTheKissingBandit #PeteRose #GeorgeBrett #SteveGarvey #CalRipkenJr #LenBarker #DonMattingly #NolanRyan #DickieThon

For three decades, George Brett was the standard by which other hitters of his era were measured, as he seemingly mastered the art of barreling up line drive shots to the outfield gaps.

He was the youngest of four brothers, who all played professional baseball, including his brother Ken, who pitched in the Major Leagues.

Very few players, especially in the current free agency era, are synonymous with one team, the way George is with the Kansas City Royals.

He was a throwback classic, who was amiable, self-deprecating and at times volatile and combative.

This is his srory.

#GeorgeBrett #KenBrett #KansasCityRoyals #ScottMcGregor #WillieWilson #HalMcRae #JackMcKeon #WhiteyHerzog #JimFrey #DickHowser #NewYorkYankees #GooseGossage #BillyMartin #GraigNettles #CatfishHunter #ULWashington #PineTarGame

If Babe Ruth was the first rockstar of baseball, then Giants icon Willie Mays, was surely the second.

It was Willie who is responsible for the term "five tool player", when his manager Leo "The Lip" coined him so, as baseball's first.

Willie could hit, run, hit for power, field and throw. As Leo would say that is God Given

This week BKP salutes the greatest living ballplayer on the planet, and his amazing journey, from the sandlots of Birmingham, Alabama, to the show.

We also say our solemn good-bye to former southpaw, pitching great Vida Blue, who died a few days ago at the age of 73

#VidaBlue #WillieMays #BirminghamBlackBarons #CatMays #PiperDavis #SatchelPaige #BuckLeonard #LeoDurocher #NewYorkGiants #SanFranciscoGiants #BobbyThomson #VicWertz #TheCatch #JackieRobinson #LarryDoby #HoraceStoneham #PoloGrounds

The New York Mets were the laughingstocks of baseball for most of the 1960's.

By the end of the decade, a wave of talented prospects make the show, and perform an AMAZIN turnaround, that captures the hearts and imagination of the baseball universe, culminating with an eye-popping World Series performance against the mighty Baltimore Orioles.

#NewYorkMets #CaseyStengal #GilHodges #TomSeaver #JerryKoosman #CleonJones #TommyAgee #RonSwaboda #TugMcGraw #NolanRyan #EarlWeaver #BaltimoreOrioles

This week, Backwards K Pod takes a look at "Baseball's First Palace", the unforgettable Comiskey Park.

In 1910. the throwback crib would change the evolutionary history of the game, with her cavernous playing field, symmetrical walls and history of light hitting White Sox teams, built on speed and pitching. It would be the site of the first All-Star Game in MLB history. The home of over 20 Negro League All-Star Games, an exploding scoreboard, heavyweight boxing matches, rock concerts and crazy promotional ideas like Disco Demolitian Night. This is the history of South Chicago and their rabid baseball fanbase, that would live in synergy with their communal baseball monument.

#ChicagoWhiteSox #CharlesComiskey #EdWalsh #ZacharyTaylorDavis #ComiskeyPark #BillVeek #DiscoDemolitianNight #CarltonFisk #OzzieGuillen #FrankLane #FrankThomas #EddieGaedel

This week, we spotlight the life and times, of the Braves legend, the immortal, Chipper Jones.

Chipper was the premier position player, for a dynastic Braves team, that was more or less. defined by their stellar pitching. But Chipper would make sure those Braves teams had a potent offense. One that would result in 11 straight NL East pennants under his stewardship, and a career that would place him in the Pantheon, amongst the holy trinity, of power-bat switch-hitters.

This is his story.

#ChipperJones #AtlantaBraves #LarryJonesSr #JavyLopez #BobbyCox #ToddVanPoppel #GregMaddux #DavidJustice #TomGlavine #Mets #SheaStadium #HideoNomo #JohnSmoltz

How in the world does a 5"10', 180 pound guy, with a fastball that couldn't break a pane of glass, dominate the numerous enhanced sluggers of the 1990's era?

Apparently, it isn't that hard, as long as you have a baseball-savant mind, pinpoint fastball command, and a filthy two-seamer, that dances outside of the strike zone and at the last milli-second, it paints the black. All you need is those three things, and you too can beat the best hitters on the planet. You can be the Mad Dog.

This week, at BKP, we take a look uner the hood, at the career, and life, of the great Greg Maddux, who is celebrating his 57th birthday on Friday.

#AtlantaBraves #ChicagoCubs #SanDiegoPadres #LosAngelesDodgers #TomGlavine #JohnSmoltz #SteveAvery #EddieMurray #ClevelandIndians #NewYorkYankees #OrelHershiser #KennyLofton #JimThome #MadDog #TheProfessor #PedroMartinez #RyneSandberg