Baseball Discourse

Baseball Discourse

By Dan LovalloSportsBaseball
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Baseball Discourse episodes

  • Baseball is fine

    A funny thing happened on the Los Angeles Dodgers' trip to the World Series.  They got derailed by the Washington Nationals in the deciding game of the NLDS.  But fear not, despite critics who might paint a doom-and-gloom scenario of a Washington-Tampa Bay World Series.  Baseball, believe it or not, has a lot going for it, as Sportscaster Dan explains in this podcast.

    11 min
  • Time to change extra inning rule?
    With major league baseball games taking longer to play - just check out the times of the post season games - how long will it take, if a game goes extra innings?  Is it time for the majors to adopt the extra inning rule invoked at the minor league level?

    During the Hartford Yard Goats baseball season, as part of the pregame show, I surveyed a contingent






    Lovallo, Kenner, Cohen, Dooley, LaNave, Rodriguez



    in the press box on this very topic, after the LA Angels and Baltimore Orioles played a 16-inning game that ended at 4:30 in the morning Eastern time.  Our guests agreed to turn the interview into a podcast, so here it is.  Participants in addition to yours truly:

    Jim Keener- official scorer
    Alan Cohen- Game Day operator
    Danny Rodriguez- Yard Goats broadcaster on Spanish speaking radio
    Jeff Dooley- Yard Goats broadcaster
    Marco LaNave- Akron RubberDucks broadcaster
    11 min
  • Time to adopt extra inning rule?

    With major league baseball games taking longer to play - just check out the post season time of games - is it time for the sport to adopt the minor league rule for extra innings?  In a round table discussion with members of the Hartford Yard Goats press box, host Dan Lovallo took up that very subject.

    11 min
  • Nothing Minor about Showalter opinion and oh mercy
    Former major league manager Buck Showalter brought a lot to the broadcast booth, when he joined New York Yankees TV voice Michael Kay for the regular season-ending series in Texas.  I thought Buck offered interesting opinions and anecdotes.  Plus, he was not shy about giving his opinion on how the Rangers "contrived" to get pitcher Mike Minor his 200th strike out of the season.  I talk about this in the podcast. Plus, what about a mercy rule in major league baseball?  In August, when New York Yankees Kay, Showalter/YT grab manager Aaron Boone suggested a mercy rule be adopted, it led to a round table discussion in the Hartford Yard Goats press box.  And yours truly served as the moderator.  We recorded the forum for a presentation in between games of a doubleheader and we offer the replay as part of the podcast. I would love to get your opinion on both topics in the podcast, so feel free to join the discussion with your comments below this piece.
    15 min
  • Showalter has Minor opinion and what of the mercy rule

    Former major league manager Buck Showalter was not shy about his opinion on how Texas Rangers pitcher Mike Minor snagged his 200th strike out of the season.  And in this edition of the Baseball Beat, host Dan Lovallo discusses what Showalter had to say.

    Plus, when Yankees manager Aaron Boone suggested a while back that maybe MLB ought to adopt a "mercy rule," it set off a round table discussion in the Hartford Yard Goats press box.  And Dan was the moderator.

    15 min
  • Jim Clark writes book about 1974 Cleveland Indians
    As a New York Yankees fan, I recall the 1974 baseball season very well.  It was one of the few times, since I started rooting for the once perennial champions, that they were in a pennant race.  And among the combatants they were battling were the 1974 Cleveland Indians.  Therefore, I was delighted when I found out that Eastern League broadcast colleague Jim Clark, the "Voice of the Akron RubberDucks," wrote a book about that 1974 season, "Rally 'Round Cleveland: The Story of the 1974 Franchise-Saving Cleveland Indians."






    Jim Clark



    I watched many a Yankees game from Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, but when I started to follow the Bombers, they seemed to regularly lose to the Indians.  First baseman Fred Whitfield was especially a Yankees' killer, hitting numerous home runs in key spots for Cleveland in those Yankees-Indians match ups of the mid to late 1960s.  Heck, even the "Voice of the Yankees," Mel Allen, broadcast Indians games on television for a season (1968), after being dumped by the Yankees after the 1964 season.  And didn't George Steinbrenner come from Cleveland?  In other words, there was this symbiotic relationship between the Yankees and the Indians.


    What I also remember about Municipal Stadium was how vast and empty it was.  The Indians did not draw many fans and there was chatter the franchise would leave Cleveland.  Then the 1974 season came along.  In the book, Jim makes a compelling case why that Indians' team probably saved the franchise for the city and in the process he illuminates a period that had slid into the dark recesses of my mind.  We talk about all of this in the interview.

    Coincidentally, as I upload the podcast, it is the birthday of Ken Aspromonte, who turned 88 on Sept. 22.  "Aspro" was the manager of those 1974 Indians.  As it turned out, the Indians would be the only major league club he managed.
    10 min
  • Clark pens book about Cleveland Indians

    Jim Clark is the long time "Voice of the Akron RubberDucks."  In this edition of The Baseball Beat, host Dan Lovallo interviews Jim about his book, "Rally 'Round Cleveland: The Story of the 1974 Franchise-Saving Cleveland Indians."  Dan and Jim discuss why Jim wrote the book and he offers some snippets that are in the book.

    10 min
  • Paul Hensler discusses Bob Steele book

    Growing up in Connecticut, most people had their radio tuned to one station, WTIC 1080.  And the reason 'TIC was so popular was because of morning show host, Bob Steele.  Steele, who died in 2002, is the subject of a new book by Paul Hensler: "Bob Steele On The Radio: The Life of Connecticut's Beloved Broadcaster."  Dan Lovallo talks to Paul about his book and about Steele's love for sports.

    31 min
  • Paul Hensler authors book about Connecticut radio icon Bob Steele
    Dan with author Paul Hensler Growing up in Connecticut, most people had their radios tuned in the morning to WTIC 1080, and for good reason.  The station's morning show was hosted by radio icon Bob Steele.  No one in the country garnered ratings like Steele.  No one will ever approach or dominate a market the way Steele did.  To say his ratings were off the charts would be an understatement. Steele, who died in 2002, is the subject of a new book written by Paul Hensler: "Bob Steele On The Radio: The Life Of Connecticut's Beloved Broadcaster."  Those who were ardent Steele listeners knew of his love of sports, especially baseball and boxing.  It's one of the reasons I wanted Paul to be a guest.  After all, who could forget Steele's many zany sports predictions? Before a Hartford Yard Goats game, I had the chance to interview Paul.  He provides some insight about the book, while also revealing information about Steele that should make this a very good read. LINK TO PAUL'S WEBSITE AND BOOK
    31 min

About Baseball Discourse

From the publisher's feed

Dan Lovallo talks about the latest baseball news, interviews guests and replays long ago interviews from his extensive archives.