In Episode 1 of Pine Tar Podcast, Jeff Ruprecht — graphic designer, lifelong baseball rat, and founder of Pine Tar Clothing — kicks things off by telling the story behind both his love for the game and the brand itself. He looks back on growing up in central Minnesota farm country, playing on an overgrown church field, riding buses with Legion teammates, and later grinding it out in Minnesota town ball, where he first saw a 90-mile-per-hour fastball and realized just how good local ball could be.
Jeff unpacks what “playing the game the right way” means to him: dirty jerseys, beat-up helmets, all-out effort, and a deep respect for teammates and the game’s history. He explains how coaching his sons, a late-night conversation about effort, and the gritty image of pine tar sparked the idea for Pine Tar Clothing as a metaphor for hustle, grit, and love for baseball.
From sketching the first emblem logo during the pandemic to launching the brand, working the College World Series in Omaha, and learning the hard realities of doing pop-ups for two weeks straight, Jeff shares the ups, downs, and lessons of building a baseball lifestyle company. He closes with a look ahead at where the show is headed — from conversations with Pine Tar college athletes to segments on vintage cards, design stories, and the rich history that keeps baseball America’s pastime.
If you’ve ever fallen in love with a dusty infield, a bus ride home after a big win, or a perfectly broken-in glove, this first episode sets the tone for a podcast that lives where baseball and real life meet.
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