Clear the Field Podcast

In 1961, a Detroit Tigers’ star went into the stands at Yankee Stadium to fight somebody and became the hero of the hour.

Episode Highlights

- The Colavito family reunion

- The case of the odd, old-fashioned hat

- Rip Collins, conscience for the Tigers

- Thrown out for a most unexpected reason

- The Yankee Killer strikes (it’s not who you think)

- Baseball Ethics 101

- A father’s tough love

Support Us

You can support Clear the Field by following the show on your favorite platform:

Apple Podcasts Spotify RSS

Give a Rating, Like, or Restack

If you enjoyed an episode on a platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, can you give it a quick rating and let folks know? A 5-Star rating helps our podcast appear as suggested and helps people find us.

Here on Substack, restacking an episode is one click that really helps us, so if you had fun, please click that button up there on the far right of the episode that has two circling arrows on it.

Email

If you have comments or details that add to our stories or ideas for future installments, send us an email at [email protected]. Gentle corrections are also welcome.

Warning: If a comment is particularly enlightening and/or funny, we might read it during a future episode.

This week’s lineup:

- A teaspoon of loose bodies

- Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania is going to the Squonks: https://www.milb.com/lehigh-valley/team/theme-nights

- Ted’s idea for saving baseball

- A baseball Pokemon mystery

- Pittsburgh hosts the world’s most famous marmot

What’s This?

Every few weeks in “Slap Hits,” Ted and I cover whatever has delighted us from present-day baseball (or sometimes things even further afield) in a lightning round.

There will be news (of a kind), opinion, banter when we agree, and arguing when we don’t. We’re looking at items big and small, obscure or viral, we’re going quick, and we’re not stopping to fact-check.

Got a Slap Hit?

Send us an amusing, baseball adjacent item (interpretation is up to you) you’d like us to mention, bonus points for weird and obscure. Listen to a few episodes of “Slap Hits” and you’ll get the sense of what we like to cover, and it’s often things that don’t get covered elsewhere that delight us the most. If we use it, we’ll credit you for the submission during the show!

Email tips and suggestions to [email protected] or leave a comment here on the episode.

In 1925, one of the largest crowds in Comiskey Park’s history evaded some of the most sophisticated crowd control instruments then known to man.

Highlights

- An overflow crowd and the one rope to wrangle them all

- The seat cushion falls into the wrong hands once again (”the boys from the stockyards”)

- Joe Sewell singlehandedly finishes the baseball game

- Translating 1920s baseball idioms

- Ray Knode’s big moment in history

- The fans on the field party their way into a forfeit

Support Us

You can support Clear the Field by following the show on your favorite platform:

Apple Podcasts Spotify RSS

Give a Rating, Like, or Restack

If you enjoyed an episode on a platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, can you give it a quick rating and let folks know? A 5-Star rating helps our podcast appear as suggested and helps people find us.

Here on Substack, restacking an episode is one click that really helps us, so if you had fun, please click that button up there on the far right of the episode that has two circling arrows on it.

This week Ted and I make the big leap from audio to video! Lots of great stuff in this episode that manages to hit Pokemon and philosophy with a shoutout to the Etruscan civilization, but for me the highlight is the opening graphic I layered in. Check out that fading effect!

This week’s lineup:

- A Minute of Actual Baseball Information (and why we’ll never discuss the Astros again)

- Ted Reports from an Out-of-Print Baseball Book Paradise

- Brad Lidge’s Second Act:

- Enjoying the Origin of the Immaculate Grid on My Baseball History

- Pokemon Gloves:

- Appreciating the Home-Run Fakeout:

- Alva Noë and the Philosophy of the Strike Zone

- ABS Update: Itchy Heads and Accidental Challenges

What’s This?

Every few weeks in “Slap Hits,” Ted and I cover whatever has delighted us from present-day baseball (or sometimes things even further afield) in a lightning round.

There will be news (of a kind), opinion, banter when we agree, and arguing when we don’t. We’re looking at items big and small, obscure or viral, we’re going quick, and we’re not stopping to fact-check.

Got a Slap Hit?

Send us an amusing, baseball adjacent item (interpretation is up to you) you’d like us to mention, bonus points for weird and obscure. Listen to a few episodes of “Slap Hits” and you’ll get the sense of what we like to cover, and it’s often things that don’t get covered elsewhere that delight us the most. If we use it, we’ll credit you for the submission during the show!

Email tips and suggestions to [email protected] or leave a comment here on the episode.

In 1900, hi-tech cheating involved a board, a telegraph, and a very long length of wire.

Episode Highlights:

- Christy Mathewson explains sign-stealing

- Morgan Murphy and Pearce Chiles, baseball’s Butch and Sundance

- An anonymous informant reveals a hi-tech operation

- A puddle, a board, and a telegraph buzzer

- The only King Ralph reference you’ll hear this week

- Schemes proliferate throughout the “noble” National League

Support Us

You can support Clear the Field by following the show on your favorite platform:

Apple Podcasts Spotify RSS

Give a Rating, Like, or Restack

If you enjoyed an episode on a platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, can you give it a quick rating and let folks know? A 5-Star rating helps our podcast appear as suggested and helps people find us.

Here on Substack, restacking an episode is one click that really helps us, so if you had fun, please click that button up there on the far right of the episode that has two circling arrows on it.

Email

If you have comments or details that add to our stories or ideas for future installments, send us an email at [email protected]. Gentle corrections are also welcome.

Warning: If a comment is particularly enlightening and/or funny, we might read it during a future episode.

This Week’s Lineup:

- A Minute of Actual Baseball Information

- Tatsuya Imai’s “Wrong-Way” Slider

- Ketel Marte and Freddie Freeman Hug It Out

- Nelson Cruz’ Very Fine Display

- The Brewers’ Clubhouse “Turtle”

- A Home Run Call Legacy

- Pittsburgh’s Blue-Collar Home Run Celebration

What’s This?

Every few weeks in “Slap Hits,” Ted and I cover whatever has delighted us from present-day baseball (or sometimes things even further afield) in a lightning round.

There will be news (of a kind), opinion, banter when we agree, and arguing when we don’t. We’re looking at items big and small, obscure or viral, we’re going quick, and we’re not stopping to fact-check.

Got a Slap Hit?

Send us an amusing, baseball adjacent item (interpretation is up to you) you’d like us to mention, bonus points for weird and obscure. Listen to a few episodes of “Slap Hits” and you’ll get the sense of what we like to cover, and it’s often things that don’t get covered elsewhere that delight us the most. If we use it, we’ll credit you for the submission during the show!

Email tips and suggestions to [email protected] or leave a comment here on the episode.

In 1977, a new-fangled technology had the umpires hunkered down.

Highlights

- A game for Luddites

- Ted Turner’s wonderful toys

- Ask for permission or forgiveness?

- Why we didn’t replay balls and strikes for 50 years

- The fallible machine and the "busher" in the box

Support Us

You can support Clear the Field by following the show on your favorite platform:

Apple Podcasts Spotify RSS

Give a Rating, Like, or Restack

If you enjoyed an episode on a platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, can you give it a quick rating and let folks know? A 5-Star rating helps our podcast appear as suggested and helps people find us.

Here on Substack, restacking an episode is one click that really helps us, so if you had fun, please click that button up there on the far right of the episode that has two circling arrows on it.

This Week’s Lineup:

- A Listener Introduces Us to New York’s Panfluencer

- Baseball and the Quiet Mind

- Checking in on Ballpark Stunt Food

- Remembering Fantasy Baseball’s Good Old Days

- Candy Bar WAR

- ABS Update: Don’t Flinch

What’s This?

Every few weeks in “Slap Hits,” Ted and I cover whatever has delighted us from present-day baseball (or sometimes things even further afield) in a lightning round.

There will be news (of a kind), opinion, banter when we agree, and arguing when we don’t. We’re looking at items big and small, obscure or viral, we’re going quick, and we’re not stopping to fact-check.

Got a Slap Hit?

Send us an amusing, baseball adjacent item (interpretation is up to you) you’d like us to mention, bonus points for weird and obscure. Listen to a few episodes of “Slap Hits” and you’ll get the sense of what we like to cover, and it’s often things that don’t get covered elsewhere that delight us the most. If we use it, we’ll credit you for the submission during the show!

Email tips and suggestions to [email protected] or leave a comment here on the episode.

In 1979, Pat Santarone, the groundskeeper at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, battled Earl Weaver in a produce showdown for the ages.

Highlights

- Pat Santarone, a feared and fighting groundskeeper

- Two competitors find each other in the minor leagues

- The ballpark as a nursery: more light, more water, and more beer

- The Tomato Wars claim Boog Powell and Billy Martin

- A Spectacular secret ingredient for growing tomatoes

Support Us

You can support Clear the Field by following the show on your favorite platform:

Apple Podcasts Spotify RSS

Give a Rating, Like, or Restack

If you enjoyed an episode on a platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, can you give it a quick rating and let folks know? A 5-Star rating helps our podcast appear as suggested and helps people find us.

This Week’s Lineup:

- Team Randy or Team Cal?

- Daikin Park Name That Guitar Instrumental

- Hall-of-Fame Photographers

- Ballpark Thin Lizzy

- Reviewing the World Baseball Classic Policy on Musical Instruments

What’s This?

Ted Walker and I decided we couldn’t do a baseball podcast without discussing present-day baseball, so we’re mixing in a new format. We’ll still have our “A format,” where we tell a sideways story from baseball history, but every few weeks in “Slap Hits,” Ted and I will share whatever has delighted us from present-day baseball (or sometimes things even further afield) in a lightning round.

There will be news (of a kind), opinion, banter when we agree, and arguing when we don’t. We’re looking at items big and small, obscure or viral, we’re going quick, and we’re not stopping to fact-check. The first one was a lot of fun to make, and we hope you enjoy listening.

Got a Slap Hit?

We’d also love it if some of you listening out there send us an amusing, baseball adjacent item (interpretation is up to you) you’d like to see us cover, bonus points for weird and obscure. Listen to a few episodes of “Slap Hits” and you’ll get the sense of what we like to cover, and it’s often things that don’t get covered elsewhere that delight us the most. If we use it, we’ll credit you for the submission during the show!

Email tips and suggestions to [email protected].