The Black Baseball Mixtape

Brooklyn's Own Joshua Palacios is my guest on this episode of the BBM podcast. P-Lo played over 90 games with the Pirates this year — batting 239 with 10 HR, 40 RBIs, and 5 SB. More importantly, this was the year the 28-year-old Brooklyn native got his fill of The Show.

I was able to visit with Josh and dig into his journey from growing up in a baseball-crazed house to the MLB. His path is one of hard work and resilience. We also have a lot of fun talking about the music in his playlist, the pizza he eats, and the sneakers he rocks. The conversation is very diverse.

Growing the game is critical to Josh, and we talk about ways he is growing the game through giving back (Players Alliance) and his company, Built Different.

This is another BBM episode you don't want to miss.

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Special thanks to Steelo Sports - our media partner. Big things coming soon.

The World Series is set. Flobo is elated about the DBacks. Cheats (and Commissioner Manfred) is crying (even though I'm sure the Commish will say he's happy about this result). We discuss the fall of the Astros and the Phillies and predict the World Series Champs. You don't want to miss this.

Cheats sat down with the legendary Ken Griffey Sr. at the Players Alliance Game Changer Gala in Seattle (July 2023).

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Another amazing live playoff check-in with the BBM crew. Troy Justice, April, and Flobo join Cheats to discuss the playoffs to the minute. We discuss the Dodgers' exit, the Astros' dominance, Bryce Harper's staredown, and whether the Rangers can move the rating needle.

It's a hot mess.

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The homies Clinton Yates and Alex Hyacinthe join the BBM podcast for a live recap of all things playoffs and Black baseball.

Cheats and Flobo are joined by our resident Dodgers fan April to talk about where we are in the playoffs. The Birds are down 0-2 to the Rangers. The Braves are down 0-1 to the Phils, and the Dodgers are down 0-1 to the D-Backs (Flobo is pumped).

Here us talk about what's going right and what's going wrong.

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The MLB Wild Card rounds are in the books, and we had four sweeps. Congrats to the Phils, Twins, Rangers, and D-Backs. Let's face it — there was not a competitive series in the bunch, so that begs the question that I asked the BBM crew: Flobo and TC: Were the MLB Wild Card rounds a complete bust?

We also played a little game of: Who would you rather be about the upcoming Divisional round, which starts tomorrow.

Keep it locked in all playoffs to the Black Baseball Mixtape.

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There was a bit of an audio issue with TC's mic....we'll get it squared away next time.

Cheats and Flobo are talking MLB playoffs live and in full effect. On this premier BBM live look-in, we're joined by Malik Chamber (@Buttamanecane) from the BBM group chat.

The Rays looked and felt pathetic (we have to call it like it was), and their attendance was the worst in an MLB playoff game since 1919. The Rangers, while not a juggernaut, took care of business. The Twins broke their 18-game playoff losing streak in Game One and then took care of the Jays in Game 2 to end the series. It was not my prediction, but it was entertaining.

So, the Twins and the Rangers advance to take on the Astros and the O's — respectfully.

We talk about potential playoff breakout stars like Corbin Carroll and Adley Rutcshman.

Flobo discusses his love for the Snakes (A-Dbacks), and Malik gives gems about the Stros and the comeback of Carlos Correa. It's a lot in 30 minutes (ha).

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Is travel ball the best route for Black kids to play baseball? It's clearly a very important part of elite youth baseball in 2023. So, what does that really mean? We know travel ball is expensive. Not every working-class family can afford the equipment, the uniforms, the tournament entry fees, the club monthly fees, and the add-on expenses for travel. Travel ball is an expensive and difficult grind for the adults, let alone the kids. But what if there was a way for kids to participate in travel ball differently? What if we can include more Black families and communities in the mix? That's what Coach Huey Hackett and the LA Crawfords are doing. Don't get it twisted; they are a travel ball team, and that includes a lot of things that come with the travel ball experience (including the travel and additional cost), but Coach Hackett is trying his best to make the experience affordable (no monthly fees) and inclusive (kids from ever walk of life). The Crawfords, located in South LA, offers year-round training, professional coaching and mentorship, and top-level baseball experience.

Flobo and I (Cheats) welcomed Coach Hacket on our IG live last week to talk about his journey in leading the Crawfords and the state of youth travel ball today. It's a great conversation. Please follow the Crawfords on IG and, as always, subscribe to the Black Baseball Mixtape everywhere podcasts are available (especially Apple Podcast).

Baseball absolutely needs a Coach Prime. It needs a Deion Sanders to shoot energy directly into its veins. There is no denying the impact that Coach Prime AKA Prime Time AKA Neon Deion has had on the American sports landscape this year at the University of Colorado. It's huge! It's not only the talk of sports, but it's the top of pop culture and the top of traditional news media (AKA 60 Minutes led with a Coach Prime story last week).

Baseball needs a Coach Prime — but who could it be?

We discuss this topic in this week's podcast short.