Ford Frick's name may be familiar to baseball fans, but his story — and his impact on the game — have largely faded from view. Yet for more than four decades, Frick occupied a front-row seat to some of the most transformative moments in baseball history, first as a journalist and publicist, then as National League president and ultimately as Major League Baseball's third commissioner.

This week, we're joined by author Dave Bohmer, whose new book, "Ford Frick: Baseball's Third Commissioner and His Four Decades of Shaping the Game," offers a fresh and compelling reassessment of one of the sport's most misunderstood executives. Drawing on extensive archival research, Bohmer argues that Frick was far more than a caretaker commissioner, emerging instead as a pivotal figure whose influence can be found throughout the development of the modern game.

Together, we explore Frick's unlikely rise from newspaper reporter to one of baseball's most powerful figures, his leadership during the Great Depression and World War II, his involvement in the creation of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and his stewardship during an era that saw Jackie Robinson break baseball's color barrier, franchises move west, television reshape the business of sports, and expansion transform the major leagues.

We also examine the controversies that continue to define Frick's legacy — from the Roger Maris home run debate to longstanding perceptions that he served owners more than the game itself—and discuss why Bohmer believes history has understated his influence on the sport he helped shape.

+ + + SUPPORT THE SHOW:

• Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable
• The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY

BUY THE BOOK:

• "Ford Frick: Baseball's Third Commissioner and His Four Decades of Shaping the Game": https://amzn.to/4yKveQq

SPONSOR THANKS:

• Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.royalretros.com/?ref=SEATS
• Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats

FIND AND FOLLOW:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable
• Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

For generations, the city of Memphis chased something bigger than a winning football team. It chased major league status.

When the USFL arrived in 1984, the Memphis Showboats became far more than a spring football franchise. For one unforgettable moment, they embodied a city's belief that it belonged on the biggest stage in professional sports.

This week, Memphis sports historian and author Keith Wood returns to the show — this time to explore the remarkable story behind his new book "The Memphis Showboats: The USFL Team & the City's Fight for Major League Status." Together, we trace the city's decades-long pursuit of professional football—from the World Football League's Memphis Southmen to the arrival of the USFL — and examine why the Showboats resonated so deeply with fans despite surviving only two unforgettable seasons.

Along the way, we revisit the vision of David Dixon, the influence of John Bassett, the recruiting coup that landed Reggie White, the innovative football mind of Pepper Rodgers, the overlooked brilliance of quarterback Walter Lewis, and the leadership of Steve Ehrhart that transformed the Showboats into legitimate championship contenders.

The Showboats lasted just two seasons. Their legend has lasted four decades. Join us as we celebrate one of the USFL's most beloved franchises — and the city that embraced it.

+ + +

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

• Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable
• The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY

BUY THE BOOK:

• "The Memphis Showboats: The USFL Team and the City's Fight for Major League Status": https://amzn.to/4pfjaSV

SPONSOR THANKS:

• Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.royalretros.com/?ref=SEATS
• Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats

FIND AND FOLLOW:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable
• Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

The original USFL produced its share of unforgettable franchises. None was more entertaining — or more unbelievable — than the San Antonio Gunslingers.

On the field, they were gritty, competitive and remarkably resilient. Off the field? Pure chaos.

Bounced paychecks. A front office operating out of a double-wide trailer. Players racing across South Texas to cash payroll checks before the money disappeared. Coaches juggling multiple jobs. Ownership lurching from one financial crisis to the next. And somehow . . . they kept playing football.

This week, we welcome former Gunslingers public relations director Greg Singleton, author of Gunnin' for Glory, for an insider's look at one of professional football's most delightfully dysfunctional organizations.

Singleton takes us beyond the incredulity, introducing the coaches, players and front-office personalities who somehow turned daily dysfunction into lifelong friendships. Along the way come unforgettable tales featuring penny-pinching owner Clint Manges, coaches Gil Steinke and Jim Bates, star quarterback Rick Neuheisel, and a supporting cast so colorful they almost defy belief.

+ + + SUPPORT THE SHOW:

• Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable
• The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY

BUY THE BOOK:

• "Gunnin' for Glory: The Wild, Weird, Wonderful Stories of the USFL's San Antonio Gunslingers": https://amzn.to/3QCOcY3

SPONSOR THANKS:

• Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats
• Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2

FIND AND FOLLOW:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable
• Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

[While Tim runs up and down the East Coast this week to take in some World Cup knockout matches in person, please enjoy this ARCHIVE RE-RELEASE of our tribute to pro sports' most innovative decade - with award-winning sports history chronicler Michael MacCambridge - from 2023.]

+ + +

After an absence of over six years and more than 300+ episodes, sportswriter extraordinaire Michael MacCambridge ("Lamar Hunt: A Life in Sports"; "America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation"; "Chuck Noll: His Life's Work") makes his triumphant return to the podcast - this time to celebrate the release of his brand new, instant sports history classic, "The Big Time: How the 1970s Transformed Sports in America."

It's just about everything you'd expect from the author of what is arguably the most definitive look yet at the decade that undeniably shaped the modern trajectory of sports in America - including (of course) a bevy of challenger leagues, defunct teams, one-of-a-kind events that only the Seventies could produce!

+ + +

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

• Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable
• The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY

BUY THE BOOK:

• "The Big Time: How the 1970s Transformed Sports in America": https://amzn.to/4f93VHv

SPONSOR THANKS:

• Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats
• Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2

FIND AND FOLLOW:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable
• Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

Baseball history is often told through championships, statistics and the tales of legendary players. Todd Radom sees it differently.

One of sports' foremost designers, branding experts and visual historians, Radom has spent decades exploring the artifacts that tell baseball's deeper story: logos, uniforms, ballparks, scorecards, mascots and the countless details that connect generations of fans to the game they love.

In this episode, we discuss Radom's fascinating career and his latest book, "The Ballpark and Beyond," a richly illustrated celebration of baseball's people, places and enduring culture. Along the way, we explore forgotten franchises, legendary ballparks, Negro League dynasties, baseball's ties to American history, and the surprising stories hidden in plain sight throughout the sport.

Through Radom's unique lens, baseball becomes more than a sport — it becomes a living archive of American culture. The result is a wide-ranging exploration of the people, places and forgotten connections that continue to give the national pastime its remarkable depth and texture.

+ + + SUPPORT THE SHOW:

• Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable
• The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY

BUY THE BOOK:

• "The Ballpark and Beyond: An Illustrated Celebration of Baseball's Rich History": https://amzn.to/43SZdHB

SPONSOR THANKS:

• Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats
• Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2

FIND AND FOLLOW:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable
• Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

From Red Byron's pioneering 1949 title to the modern playoff era, NASCAR's Cup Series championship history is really the story of the sport itself: its birth on the dirt tracks of the South, its rise through the Petty, Earnhardt, Gordon and Johnson dynasties, and its continuing evolution into today's faster, tighter, more unpredictable championship battles.

This week, we dig into that legacy with a conversation centered on "NASCAR Champions: Every Cup Series Champion from 1949 to Today," the new illustrated book by H.A. Branham and Holly Cain. Built as a chapter-by-chapter tour through every Cup champion, the book blends vivid photography, historical sidebars and insider commentary to show how each title, whether won by a legend or a one-time champion, helped shape the sport's identity.

Along the way, we talk about what separates the truly great champions from the merely memorable, how the championship format has changed the meaning of "best driver," and why the Cup title has always carried a weight that extends far beyond the trophy itself.

+ + + SUPPORT THE SHOW:

• Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable
• The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY

BUY THE BOOK:

• "NASCAR Champions: Every Cup Series Champion from 1949 to Today": https://amzn.to/4fM6Kza

SPONSOR THANKS:

• Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats
• Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2

FIND AND FOLLOW:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable
• Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

For billions of people around the globe, the FIFA World Cup is the ultimate sporting event. But what does the tournament reveal about the world beyond the pitch?

This week, we welcome Financial Times journalist and New York Times bestselling author Simon Kuper to discuss his latest book, "World Cup Fever: A Soccer Journey in Nine Tournaments." Drawing on more than three decades of firsthand reporting from World Cups spanning Italy 1990 to Qatar 2022, Kuper reflects on how football's greatest spectacle has evolved — and what that evolution says about politics, culture, globalization, nationalism, media, money, and power.

Far more than memorable matches and legendary players, we explore the World Cup as a unique lens through which to view modern history itself. Kuper recounts his experiences covering tournaments staged amid political upheaval, examines FIFA's transformation from a relatively modest governing body into a global commercial powerhouse, and reflects on the growing tensions between football's grassroots appeal and the immense corporate and geopolitical forces that now surround the game.

Along the way, we discuss how World Cups have served as stages for dictators and democracies alike, why the tournament remains one of the few truly shared global cultural experiences, and whether the event has become more accessible — or more distant — from the ordinary fans whose passion fuels it.

+ + +

SUPPORT THE SHOW:

• Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable
• The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY

BUY THE BOOK:

• "World Cup Fever: A Soccer Journey in Nine Tournaments": https://amzn.to/4dV2SKN

SPONSOR THANKS:

• Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats
• Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2

FIND AND FOLLOW:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable
• Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

For more than four decades, Tom Durkin's voice was synonymous with the biggest moments in horse racing. From the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes to the Breeders' Cup and Saratoga, his soaring calls helped transform great races into unforgettable theater. But as Durkin reveals in his new memoir, "A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races," the story behind the microphone is every bit as compelling as the action on the track.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Durkin reflects on an extraordinary journey that began as a horse-racing-obsessed kid riding Chicago's "L" train to Arlington Park and eventually led him to become the most recognizable race caller of his generation. Along the way, he recounts the unlikely lie that launched his career, the grind of the minor-league fair circuit, and the national breakthrough that put him on racing's biggest stages.

But this episode goes beyond just racing history. Durkin offers a fascinating look inside the craft of live sports broadcasting, discussing the college theater training that shaped his style, the famous "Mayor Daley" notebook where he collected thousands of descriptive phrases, and the relentless preparation that fueled his success. He also speaks candidly about the fear of failure, self-doubt, and anxiety that shadowed his career — even at its highest peaks — and how those challenges ultimately became part of what drove him.

Replete with stories about iconic races, vanished racetracks, broadcasting innovation, and a lifetime spent pursuing excellence, this conversation is both a celebration of one of sports' great voices and a revealing examination of the work, passion, and perseverance required to become one.

+ + + SUPPORT THE SHOW:

• Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable
• The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY

BUY THE BOOK:

• "A Life's Calling: The Voice Behind the World's Greatest Horse Races,": https://amzn.to/435AJus

SPONSOR THANKS:

• Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2
• Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats

FIND AND FOLLOW:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable
• Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

We dive deep into the strange, fragmented, often unbelievable history of American men's soccer with acclaimed journalist and author Leander Schaerlaeckens, whose new book, "The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts," chronicles the U.S. Men's National Team's long, improbable march from global irrelevance to the doorstep of the 2026 World Cup.

For generations, men's soccer in America existed as a sporting afterthought: half-forgotten World Cup appearances, unstable leagues, empty stadiums, and a federation that often seemed to be inventing itself on the fly. Schaerlaeckens traces the USMNT's bizarre and deeply American journey from the collapse of the old North American Soccer League and the ill-fated "Team America" experiment, through the make-or-break 1994 World Cup, to today's globally connected generation starring players like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie.

Along the way, we discuss the structural challenges that long held American soccer back — from pay-to-play youth systems to cultural indifference — and why the sport's growth in the United States has been anything but linear. The conversation also dives into iconic personalities, locker-room dysfunction, the rise of MLS academies, and the looming tension surrounding the hyper-commercialized 2026 World Cup.

+ + + SUPPORT THE SHOW:

• Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable
• The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY

BUY THE BOOK:

• "The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts": https://amzn.to/4tSAJIS

SPONSOR THANKS:

• Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2
• Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats

FIND AND FOLLOW:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable
• Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/

For more than six decades, baseball's New York Mets have occupied a singular place in American sports culture: eternally overshadowed, perpetually chaotic, strangely lovable, and deeply woven into the identity of New York itself. Born in the aftermath of the departures of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants, the Mets quickly became something far more complicated than an expansion baseball team. They became a vessel for outer-borough pride, working-class frustration, inherited heartbreak, and the emotional DNA of National League baseball in New York City.

In this episode, we dive deep into that history through an expansive conversation with author A.M. (Andy) Gittlitz about his widely acclaimed new book, "Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People's Team."

Rather than telling a conventional franchise history, Gittlitz explores the Mets as a social, political, and cultural institution — one shaped by class struggle, labor history, media narratives, urban change, and the shifting identity of New York itself.

From the lingering ghosts of the Dodgers to the miracle of 1969, from Shea Stadium dysfunction to the strange mythology of Mets fandom, this conversation explores why the franchise has inspired such fierce loyalty despite decades of collapse, disappointment, and absurdity. We also examine the Mets' complicated relationship with the Yankees, the meaning of "the people's team," and whether the franchise's identity can survive the billionaire-era ambitions of owner Steve Cohen.

+ + + SUPPORT THE SHOW:

• Buy Us a Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/goodseatsstillavailable
• The "Good Seats" Store: http://tee.pub/lic/RdiDZzQeHSY

BUY THE BOOK:

• "Metropolitans: New York Baseball, Class Struggle, and the People's Team": https://amzn.to/42BQSHI

SPONSOR THANKS:

• Old School Shirts.com (10% off promo code: GOODSEATS): https://oldschoolshirts.com/goodseats
• Royal Retros (10% off promo code: SEATS): https://www.503-sports.com?aff=2

FIND AND FOLLOW:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/GoodSeatsStillAvailable
• Web: https://goodseatsstillavailable.com/
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/goodseatsstillavailable.com
• X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodSeatsStill
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goodseatsstillavailable
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodseatsstillavailable/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodSeatsStillAvailable/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/good-seats-still-available/