Second chances come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes they have four legs. This week, Mike Bazzano sits down with Lori, founder and director of Paws for Recovery, a donation-based, 501(c)(3) dog rescue on a 20-acre farm in Indiantown, Florida.

Lori shares how a volunteer gig at a local shelter grew into a rescue of her own, and how her own recovery from drugs and alcohol, anxiety, and depression inspired the name. A former mental health and addiction therapist, she now brings rescue dogs into rehab centers to help people work through change. It's a win for both ends of the leash.

In this conversation:

Then it's on to the sports segment. Mike checks in on the Yankees and the American League East race, counts down his top 10 center fielders in Major League Baseball, and serves up the Sweet Seventh Inning flavor of the week: triple chocolate from Joy's Ice Cream.

Support your local shelter, and your local ice cream shop.

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Mike Bazzano is back with another episode of Second Base Second Chances, talking Yankees baseball, Major League Baseball, dog adoption, and the stories that make sports about more than just the scoreboard.

Mike takes a close look at the Yankees up the middle, including the ongoing questions at catcher and shortstop. He discusses Anthony Volpe, top prospect George Lombard Jr., and what the Yankees' future could look like as they balance developing young talent with adding proven players. He also highlights Yankees prospect Yostin Peña and why he is a player to keep an eye on.

This week's MLB story focuses on Boston Red Sox pitcher Peyton Tolle, whose journey from a two-way college player at Wichita State to a promising pitcher at TCU and eventually a major league opportunity is a perfect example of a second chance. Mike breaks down Tolle's development, his impressive performances against the Yankees, and the competitive mindset that helped him turn a setback into an opportunity.

The episode also features two dogs looking for their forever homes through Dogs and Cats Forever: Libby, a sweet terrier mix who loves people and walks, and Moe, a playful Shih Tzu mix who needs a patient home where he can build trust.

And of course, Mike brings back the "Sweet Second Chances" segment, reviewing his latest ice cream experience and sharing a funny story from his first job at Carvel.

Baseball, dogs, ice cream, Yankees prospects, and plenty of second chances — it's all here on Second Base Second Chances.

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Play ball! On this episode of Second Base(s), Second Chances, host Michael Bazzano connects with Nancy from Dogs and Cats Forever, a no-kill shelter that's been finding forever homes for dogs and cats on the Treasure Coast since 1988.

Nancy breaks down the "three days, three weeks, three months" timeline every newly adopted pet goes through, busts some of the biggest misconceptions about shelter dogs, and shares the story of Paisley — a blind and deaf rescue pulled from a hoarding situation up in North Florida who's now looking for the home she deserves. They also get into why senior dogs get overlooked, what it really takes to be ready for a puppy, and what shelters need most right now (spoiler: funding, space, and volunteers).

From there, Michael rounds third into the baseball segment: Giancarlo Stanton's season-ending calf injury, Ryan Weathers' forearm setback, and a countdown of the Top 10 MLB pitchers of 2026. Of course, no episode is complete without the Seventh Inning flavor of the week from Joy's Ice Cream Plus — Cookie Monster and Churro both make the cut.

🐾 Learn more and adopt at dogsandcatsforever.com

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Play ball! On this episode of Second Base(s), Second Chances, host Michael Bazzano welcomes author and lifelong baseball fan Clark for a nostalgic, wide-ranging conversation about the game we love — then and now.

The guys kick things off talking modern rule changes (the ABS challenge system, the pitch clock) and whether they've actually changed the soul of the game. From there, the conversation turns to Yankees legend Thurman Munson — the first team captain since Lou Gehrig, a three-time Gold Glove winner, and the emotional heartbeat of those iconic late-'70s championship teams, including the unforgettable 1978 comeback against Boston. They dig into his career numbers, his tragic death in 1979, and why the Yankees haven't had a true field general behind the plate since.

From there, Mike and Clark tackle one of baseball's most heated debates: the Hall of Fame. Is it about stats, dominance, postseason heroics, or something harder to define? They make the case for Tommy John (288 wins and a medical procedure that changed the sport forever), question inconsistencies around players like Omar Vizquel and Bill Mazeroski, and wonder aloud what "Hall of Fame worthy" really means.

Of course, no episode is complete without Second Chances — this week featuring two adoptable rescue dogs, Nala and Wyatt, from Dogs and Cats Forever — and a Sweet Seventh Inning ice cream taste test to close things out.

🐾 Learn more about Nala and Wyatt at dogsandcatsforever.com

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Host Mike Bazzano kicks off Season 1 of Second Base, Second Chances with a full-throttle breakdown of the New York Yankees' most glaring roster problem: the catcher position. Since Jorge Posada retired, the Yankees have been unable to lock down a franchise backstop — and Mike explains why that void, combined with a shaky shortstop rotation and underwhelming center field production, is crushing New York's strength up the middle. With Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton battling injuries, Mike digs into how the front office has leaned on prospects like George Lombard Jr. to fill the gap, and lays out a roster fix once Cody Bellinger and Judge return to health.

From there, the episode widens out to the rest of Major League Baseball. Mike covers the red-hot Boston Red Sox and their blockbuster catcher trade for Adley Rutschman, then ranks his Top 10 MLB Catchers of 2026 — featuring William Contreras, Cal Raleigh, Adley Rutschman, Shea Langeliers, Drake Baldwin, Gabriel Moreno, Yainer Diaz, Ivan Herrera, Alejandro Kirk, and Sean Murphy. He follows it up with his Top 5 "Up the Middle" Teams in Baseball, spotlighting the Dodgers, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Mariners, and Cubs — the clubs built strongest at catcher, second base, shortstop, and center field.

Then it's time for the Sweet Seventh Inning, Mike's weekly ice cream flavor review from Joy's Ice Cream Plus in Fort Pierce, Florida (this week's pick: Chocolate Lasagna, rated 9.0/10).

The episode closes with the show's signature Second Chances segment, where Mike visits Dogs and Cats Forever in Fort Pierce to introduce two adoptable shelter dogs — Taylor, a sweet terrier mix, and Princess, a friendly, easygoing pit bull — both searching for their forever homes.

In this episode:

Topics: New York Yankees, MLB catchers, Boston Red Sox, Adley Rutschman, William Contreras, Cal Raleigh, up the middle baseball strategy, Fort Pierce Florida, shelter dog adoption, pet rescue podcast, baseball podcast 2026

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A sneak peek at what's ahead on Second Bases, Second Chances

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