Hello and welcome to episode five of the Baseball Backroads podcast.  Thanks to everyone who listened in to episode four and welcome to listeners from Canada, Sweden, and the Czech Republic, who just hosted the European Championships and from everything I could see did a phenomenal job.  Ostrava was one of the host sites, which is where I played in 2011.  Tracking it all on social media, it looked like they really created an amazing atmosphere for the event.  So, congratulations to the Ostrava Arrows organization and all of Czech baseball for hosting what I’m sure was an awesome European championship.  

As always if you enjoy the podcast please leave us a rating and review if you have a minute.  I’m told this helps make the podcast more discoverable to others.  You can also subscribe to the podcast and follow us on instagram @baseballbackroads.  

Today’s guest is Kathy Saso.  Kathy was an English as a New Language teacher for the Houston Astros A ball affiliate, the Tri City ValleyCats.  The ValleyCats are now a Frontier League team after some of the post-covid reorganization.  But, Kathy taught several player who went on to great success with the Astros including winning a couple World Series.  Kathy has an awesome story to tell about her experience teaching in professional baseball and her passion for teaching her students is readily apparent in our chat, so I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kathy Saso on the backroads.

Hello and welcome to episode four of the Baseball Backroads podcast.  Thanks to everyone who listened to episode three of the podcast and welcome to listeners from South Africa.  That puts the podcast on four of seven continents.  We’re just missing South America and Asia, which seems attainable.  Not sure how we’ll get Antarctica. Maybe there’s a researcher down there we can find who’s a baseball fan.  We’ll see.  

But, if you haven’t already please subscribe to the podcast so you can get that instant download when each episode is released.  If you have a free minute, we’d really appreciate it if you’d leave a rating and review.  And most of all, if you enjoy the podcast, please share it with a friend.  You can also follow us on Instagram @baseballbackroads.

Today’s guest is Benny Castillo.  Benny is kind of a quiet legend in baseball and he’s just about done it all.  He played in the College World Series before his pro career.  Benny refers to himself as a minor league lifer.  After college, he played pro ball all across America in affiliated and independent league ball.  He continued his baseball journey as a manager after his playing career and now runs a baseball academy in Florida.  Benny is a really awesome guy.  He’s got a big heart and is full of enthusiasm.  So please enjoy my conversation with Benny Castillo on the backroads.

Hello and welcome to episode three of the Baseball Backroads podcast.  Thank you to everyone who downloaded previous episodes and welcome to new listeners from Australia.  We’re now reaching three continents so that’s pretty cool.  We’re really excited about the amount of engagement we’re getting, but definitely want to keep growing our audience so if you haven’t already please subscribe to the podcast, and if you have some time leave us a rating and review.  And, if you enjoy the podcast, please share it with your friends.  Also follow us on instagram @baseball backroads where we’ll share podcast related content, some additional baseball content, and personal content from my baseball journey if that interests you.  If you already follow us on Instagram you may have seen I took a little road trip through Pennsylvania and saw three games in three days - the Harrisburg Senators, Altoona Curve, and Pittsburgh Pirates. It was a wonderful weekend of baseball and a lot of fun.

Today’s episode features Andy Berglund.  Most recently, Andy served as the manager for the South African team in the World Baseball Classic qualifier in Regensburg, Germany.  Andy has also coached in Europe serving as manager of the Prague Eagles in the Czech Republic, the Czech national team coach, and the Belgian national team coach.  Andy has spend a couple decades now playing and coaching in Europe and is probably the best person to listen to if you’re interested in learning about European baseball or international competition generally.  Andy is also an old friend, and it had been awhile since we spoke.  So, it was great catching up.  Hope you enjoy my conversation with Andy Berglund on the backroads.

Hello and welcome to episode two of the Baseball Backroads podcast.  First, a big thank you to everyone who downloaded the podcast since we launched.  We’ve exceeded 100 downloads in the first several weeks of operation.  We’ve had listeners in the United States, Germany, Finland, and the UK.  So, thank you so much to everyone who listened in.

Today’s guest is Alex Boshers.  Alex is currently the pitching coach for the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League.  But, Alex has also played all over the world.  He pitched for the Wichita Wingnuts in the American Association and also played winter ball in Australia and Nicaragua.  He goes in depth on those experiences and tells some unique stories about his playing days.  Please enjoy my conversation with Alex Boshers on the Backroads.

Stay tuned for episode three of the podcast, which may be of particular interest to our European listeners, featuring Andy Berglund where we really dive into European baseball.  Andy has spent a large portion of his life playing and coaching in Europe.  He’s coached the Prague Eagles in the Czech Republic, the Czech national team, the Belgium national team, and has coached and scouted at countless camps and showcases around Europe.  I think you’ll really enjoy our conversation and get a strong insight into European baseball and African baseball since Andy recently coached the South African team in the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Regensburg, Germany.  So stay tuned for that episode in a couple weeks.  As always, please subscribe to the podcast and follow us on Instagram @baseballbackroads.

Today’s guest on the podcast is Eric Ebers.  Eric was a left-handed pitcher for five teams over two years in the Frontier League and American Association in 2005 and 2006.  Eric is currently the pitching coach at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS and helped lead his squad to the NAIA World Series last season.  Eric and I have a wide ranging conversation about his life in baseball.  Hope you enjoy my conversation with Eric on the Backroads.

Welcome to Baseball Backroads!  We tell the stories of ballplayers (and others) who chased the dream in the minor leagues, independent leagues, and around the world.  Please follow us on instagram @baseballbackroads.  We hope you'll join us and we'll see ya on the backroads!