Current Major League closer, Pete Fairbanks, is our guest this week not only because of his arm, but also because of his mind. Friday, September 6th is National Read A Book Day and boy does this guy love to read! He also loves the NYT crossword puzzle, Legos and video games, we cover it all. 

Plus, you get a look inside some of the best baseball players that also played college football. Rich Hill is 44 years old, still pitching in the bigs. We dive into more about the hope for the Washington Nationals and a football Kurkjian Quandary that will probably have you limping.

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We took time to recap the incredible Little League World Series finish because we think the Major Leaguers could learn a thing or two from those kids. Tim and Jeff, with the help of our friends at Strat-O-Matic, answer the age old question, what would you rather have, all-contact or all-power?

Dan Shaughnessy is a Hall of Famer writer who has relentlessly covered Boston sports throughout his incredible career. Tim and Dan go way back their relationship shines through during their interview together. Also, Tim talked to Danny Jansen about the incredible feat he accomplished, playing for two teams in one game, very impressive!

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Need we say more? We were at the Little League World Series with our friends at GameChanger, for this entire episode. We booked the biggest 12-year-old of all time, the one and only Todd Frazier. If you didn't know, he and his Toms River, New Jersey team won it all when he was a kid. He was a really good MLB player, won an Olympic medalist and now has turned to broadcasting.

This episode is dedicated to all things Little League. We talk about the Little League Classic game between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. Tim came up with the best MLB of players who played at the LLWS and then Jeff surprised him with something bit from our friends at Strat-O-Matic. 

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It can’t be understated the amount of fun we had with Jeff Francoeur. We discussed his new venture, “Pure Athlete,” that is so focused on the importance of correctly navigating youth sports. He added stories of being on the golf course with John Smoltz and Tiger Woods. Or the time Bobby Cox had him fake an injury! This conversation is one of our favorites to date. 

Stat-O-Matic, the market leader in sports simulations, helped us figure out if there was a way that the Cubs curse could’ve been broken sooner. Tim goes off the rails with his new “Best Of All-Tim,” a bit of a stretch even to his standards. Finally, our Kurkjian Quandary is all about a recent NFL Hall of Fame inductee and we are certain you will agree with our decision on this one. 

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Former Major League Player and Manager, Mike Scioscia, lends us his time to discuss his incredible career. Two World Series rings as a player and one as a manager and a silver Olympic medal to top it all off. He managed the team that represented the United States at the 2020 Olympics. He shares his thoughts on Shohei and Trout (both of whom he managed) and even weighed in on this week's Kurkjian Quandary. 

It's good to be back together in person after quite a few weeks away from Jeff's basement studio. "It's In the Cards" returns finally and Tim outlines his "All-Romance" team inspired by one player in the game today. Get quirky with this week's Quirkjian's and cry over the White Sox season thus far. 

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We are joined by Eddy Alvarez who has two Olympic medals; one in baseball and one in speed skating! Yes, you read that correctly. Trade deadline big moments and a new segment with our friends at Strat-O-Matic. 

A new pitcher inspired this week's Best Of All-Tim plus we find out why Jeff and Tim won medals over the weekend. Our Quirkjians cover cycles and Grand Slams, and a Kurkjian Quandary that will make you debate even your best friend.

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Johnny Bench joins us while we were at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A big thanks to the Otesaga Hotel for allowing us to record in their hallowed home. We hear stories from Johnny that will make you laugh and cry. His love for his dad is so perfect for this podcast.

Tim lays out his best All-HOF Team in spirit of being at Cooperstown over the weekend. We also take you to Cooperstown revisiting some of the most amazing stories of people we met while there. The Kurkjian Quandary is bound to break up friendships and cause some controversy so look out Yankee fans. 

And finally, we hear about the Cooperstown moment that made Jeff fall in love with broadcasting. 

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Tim Kurkjian tells his best stories about each of the 2024 National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees. Congrats to Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer and Jim Leyland for their amazing accomplishments. 

Tim was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022 as a baseball writer. Cooperstown is a special place to the entire Kurkjian family and to so many other baseball families. Releasing on July 23rd, you can hear our next episode featuring Hall of Famer Johnny Bench. 

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It's hard to believe that Cal Ripken Jr. is joining us for this week's podcast. It really is a dream come true! Tim Kurkjian and Cal go way back, even playing basketball on Ripken's home court quite a few times. We get into that including the dig other players use to make about Tim on the court. 

God intervenes for our Kurkjian Quandary that has our father-son duo at odds. Tim reveals the most historical and his personal favorite All-Star Game moments including a meeting between Ted Williams and Pedro Martinez that will give you chills. This episode is one of our favorites to date, Cal dazzles us with laughter and stories you can only hear on "Is This A Great Game, Or What?"

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Today’s shOw (there’s a reason for that capital O) is loaded with Scott Van Pelt’s hilarious Baltimore accent that has been making Tim laugh for years. Jeff also wants to know SVP’s favorite “This Is SportsCenter” commercial. Plus we dive into his love of golf. 

Tim is shocked by the All Star selections for this season. We also find out what he decided is his new favorite alcoholic beverage (uh oh). Yankee fans will be very excited to hear something special about their first baseman’s incredible feat, and if the Twins are your team, you’re in for something we bet you didn’t know. We appreciate you always listening, make sure to share the show with someone who you think will love to listen as well!

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