Ballpark Hunter

Bill Lockwood is my guest tonight and he is the owner and janitor of Stadium Mustard. He talks about the Cleveland favorite's history and how he was able to gain its rights to the company. We talk a little about baseball as well and what ballparks you can find the mustard at during your travels.

Dr. Joe Squillace is my guest this week and we talk about the Jacksonville Lunatics, a baseball club that has not played since 1910. The team earned its nickname from playing in the same town as the Jacksonville Developmental Center that opened in 1851. However, were there concerns over this name, how did the team react to it, and why was chosen as its nickname? Squillace describes all that from his extensive research on the club.

Texas Ranger fan Jeff Bates is my guest tonight to talk about his love of the team and its ballpark. He also shares information about his YouTube page called Texas Clubhouse. This is a great conversation between two baseball-loving guys.

Chuck Heeman, the Western Nebraska Pioneers owner, returns as my guest with some big news. The Pioneers and five other clubs have announced the formation of the Front Range League which will be based in the I-25 corridor of Colorado. He explains the reasoning of forming the new league, along with what fans and players can expect at the ballparks next summer.

Mark Firkins is my guest this week and we talk about the ballparks he has been from the major leagues down to the summer collegiate leagues. There are some great small ballparks and equally impressive town support in his area of Western New York. We end the show with a talk about his baseball glove restoration called "This Old Glove"

With the Paris Olympics completed, we move away from the ballpark and onto the courts with Ohio State University handball head coach JD Orr and assistant coach Max Littman. We discuss why the sport is an afterthought in the United States, but hugely popular in Europe where fans pack arenas by the thousands and Germany has 7 divisions for its women's league.

Orr and Littman talk about how they became involved with the sport and, whether, the men's and women's teams can become competitive in international competition. They also share how they have seen the world based on their involvement in the sport.

Chris Dorsey has spent his life in baseball from catching balls at Columbia Mets games, playing minor league ball in the NY Penn and Appy League, to coaching American Legion ball. He is a lifer with one goal: to save Capital City Stadium which has been in ruins for the past decade. He wants to use it for his baseball team and other events that hopes to benefit the area. We see what his plans are to resurrect this historic piece of property in Columbus, South Carolina,

My guest this week is Craig Smith who discusses some of the great ballparks in his area, including US Bank Stadium. He discusses his recent trip to the Cape Cod League and everything else he saw along his route.

Greg Sullivan of the Carolina Disco Turkeys joins me on the podcast again to talk about his team's latest season and disappointing playoff loss. However, the off-season is here, and it is time to reflect and look forward to the future.

My guest today is Rich Billings, head coach and general manager of the Leesburg Lightning. The Lightning are members of the Florida Collegiate Summer League and were founded in 2007. He talks about what makes the team click with its community and what it's like attending a game.