Hooks & Runs

This episode marks the end of not just the Texans in the Hall series but also the podcast, at least for now, says Rex. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

Nolan Ryan is a living legend with 324 career wins, 5,714 career strikeouts, 7 career no-hitters and enough stories to fill volumes. He closes the series.

The podcast will remain archived at a minimum through the end of 2027, so you have time to go back and listen to episodes you missed. And by all means, stay subscribed because against, as Rex says, you never know.

The Texans in the Hall series:
298 - Texans in the Hall: Louis Santop and Biz Mackey w/ Thomas Kern
285 - Texans in the Hall: Tris Speaker
280 - Texans in the Hall: Joe Williams, Andy Cooper and Hilton Smith w/ Thomas Kern
264 - Texans in the Hall: Joe Morgan
262 - Rube and Bill Foster: Texans in the Hall
259 - Texans in the Hall: Eddie Mathews
254 - Frank Robinson is Underrated (Texans in the Hall)
248 - Ernie Banks: Absurdly Simple & Impossibly Complex (Texans in the Hall) w/ Doug Wilson
247 - "A Stranger Among His Own Kind:" Rogers Hornsby (Texans in the Hall)
240 - Texans in the Hall: Greg Maddux, plus, Arenado, Rose, Golden State Entertainment and Tales of the Tape
235 - Texans in the Hall: Ross Youngs w/ David King
229 - Texans in the Hall: Willie Wells, "El Diablo," Was Ahead of His Time w/ Dr. Bob Luke

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: [email protected]
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

Dr. Graley Herren is Professor of English at Xavier University and author of the new book, Dylan in Cincinnati (University Press of Mississippi, September 2026). He joins us this week to talk about the book and all things Bob Dylan.

Dr. Herren at Xavier: https://tinyurl.com/herrenxavier
Dr. Herren's Substack, Shadow Chasing: https://substack.com/@shadowchasing
Dr. Herren is on the editorial board of The Dylan Review: https://thedylanreview.org/
Dylan in Cincinnati at the University Press of Cincinnati: https://tinyurl.com/upressdylan

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: [email protected]
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

Rex and Craig discuss the Grammy Award winning rock band Turnstile, released "Never Enough: Versions," remaking their most recent album "Never Enough" in collaboration with artists as diverse as Angel Du$t, Hayley Williams, and Shabaka. 

Also, a look at the MLB team owners unserious proposal for the new collective bargaining agreement plus revisiting the first ever immaculate inning.

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: [email protected]
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

It's all in the title.

Errata: This episode is late arriving - since recording and through September 5, Baez is 13-74 (.176) with 4 home runs and 27 strikeouts in 74 innings since hitting the historic three home runs. Kyle Tucker slashed .195/.293/,310 in August and in 5 game is slashing .133/.333/.333 in September.

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: [email protected]
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

Craig and Rex take on the big issues of the day for episode number 300 - Joshua Baez's historic debut, Ritchie Blackmore's return to Deep Purple (for one song), Tommy John's passing causes reassessment of his Hall of Fame Credentials, and John Paycheck (Johnny's son) is a nepo-baby we can support.

Errata: Yes, we know Roger Clemens (354 career wins) is not in the Hall of Fame, but unlike Tommy John, Clemens' exclusion is not on the merits.

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: [email protected]
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

This week Craig and Rex take a look at players that led their league in home runs after 1920 but hit less than 200 career home runs. The list includes one Hall of Famer (George Kelly), some that came close (Jake Daubert) and some that leave all but the most fervent fans scrambling to Baseball Reference (Nick Etten). 

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: [email protected]
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

This week we resume our series Texans in the Hall by looking at the lives and careers of two great Texan ballplayers - Louis Santop and Biz Mackey. Santop and Mackey were both born in the Texas in the late 19th Century and represent two of the four former Negro League catchers inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

Our guest is Thomas Kern, a contributor to ¡Arriba!: The Heroic Life of Roberto Clemente (SABR 2022), and co-editor to The Negro Leagues’ 1931 Homestead Grays: The Color of Greatness (SABR 2026).  He is also a frequent contributor to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) biography project. Kern's expertise in Negro League history brings a unique perspective and depth to the discussion.

Episodes Discussed: 280 - Texans in the Hall: Joe Williams, Andy Cooper and Hilton Smith w/ Thomas Kern; 107 - Bert Shepard, Lou Brissie & Baseball During World War II; 106 - Baseball Rebels w/ Professor Peter Dreier.

Texans in the Hall Series:
285 - Texans in the Hall: Tris Speaker
280 - Texans in the Hall: Joe Williams, Andy Cooper and Hilton Smith w/ Thomas Kern
264 - Texans in the Hall: Joe Morgan
262 - Rube and Bill Foster: Texans in the Hall
259 - Texans in the Hall: Eddie Mathews
254 - Frank Robinson is Underrated (Texans in the Hall)
248 - Ernie Banks: Absurdly Simple & Impossibly Complex (Texans in the Hall) w/ Doug Wilson
247 - "A Stranger Among His Own Kind:" Rogers Hornsby (Texans in the Hall)
240 - Texans in the Hall: Greg Maddux, plus, Arenado, Rose, Golden State Entertainment and Tales of the Tape
235 - Texans in the Hall: Ross Youngs w/ David King
229 - Texans in the Hall: Willie Wells, "El Diablo," Was Ahead of His Time w/ Dr. Bob Luke

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: [email protected]
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

Bruce S. Allardice joins us this week to discuss the Chicago White Sox in the years immediately after the Black Sox scandal that tainted the 1919 World Series. Allardice is the author of After the Black Sox: The Chicago White Sox in Transition, 1920-1926 (McFarland Press 2026). The discussion covers the World Series scandal, the players involved, the "Clean Sox" - players like Dickie Kerr and Eddie Collins that were not involved in the fix, and the White Sox in the years that follow the team being decimated by the lifetime suspensions.

Bruce S. Allardice's web page: http://civilwarbruce.com/
After the Black Sox at McFarland Press: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/after-the-black-sox/

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: [email protected]
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

Professor Willie Steele (Lipscomb) joins us this week to discuss the forthcoming 9-Online Virtual Baseball Conference. Steele is a conference co-director and past editor of NINE: A Journal of Baseball History & Culture. Steele is also an expert on the works of W. P. Kinsella ("Shoeless Joe") so naturally, the conversation veered that direction.

Also this episode, some thoughts on AI music and the return of vinyl.

Willie Steele at Lipscomb: https://lipscomb.edu/directory/steele-willie
Willie Steele on Bluesky: https://tinyurl.com/wsteele071926
The 9-Online Conference: https://nine-baseball.com/9-online/
NINE Journal: https://tinyurl.com/nine071926

Chapter Two sources: Rowan Davies, "Deezer says nearly half of all new music uploaded to its site is AI generated - and it's calling on Spotify and other streaming giants to do more about it," (techradar.com/April 20, 2026); Colin Toh, "The CD Comeback Story Crashes While Vinyl Hits $1B Because of One Brutal Reality Check," (headphonesty.com/March 19, 2026).

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: [email protected]
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.

Professor John Ferling (University of West Georgia) joins the podcast this week to talk about his new book, Baseball As It Was: Building Champions Before Free Agency Changed Everything (Tatra Press, May 2026). The book examines the period 1946-1957, the years after World War II, with particular focus on the Cleveland Indians and the Boston, and later the Milwaukee Braves.

John Ferling, Ph.D. - http://johnferling.com/
Baseball As It Was at Tatra Press - https://tinyurl.com/asitwas071226

Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https://bookshop.org/shop/hooksandruns.

Hooks & Runs - https://hooksandruns.buzzsprout.com
Email: [email protected]
Craig on Bluesky (@craigest.bsky.social)
Rex (Krazy Karl's Music Emporium) on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/people/Krazy-Karlz-Music-Emporium/100063801500293/
Hosts Emeriti:
Andrew Eckhoff on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hofffest
Eric on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ichaboderic/
Music: "Warrior of Light" by ikolics (via Premium Beat)   
www.premiumbeat.com/artist/ikoliks
This podcast and this episode are copyright Craig Estlinbaum, 2026.