Baseball, Barbecue, and Music with Sterling Ball and International Baseball with Shane Boettcher   Sterling Ball is a true renaissance man.  He can speak eloquently about the music world, where he is a perfectly played note as a legendary and award-winning bass designer and musician who has performed with many music industry greats.  Saucy, spicy, and exceptional barbecue talk is also something Sterling offers as a world-champion pitmaster with over 30 years of cooking experience and the founder of Big Poppa Smokers, an industry leader for high-quality grills, smokers, rubs, sauces, fuels, and accessories.  Doing those two things exceedingly well might be enough, but Sterling is a baseball lover too, and that love along with his passion and ability to discuss the sport make him a "five-tool guest."  Add Doug Scheiding to this conversation and this becomes not to be missed listening. Shane Boettcher demonstrated his baseball passion the moment he joined us from Israel, where it was 2:30 am and Shane was eager to talk.  In high school, Shane threw a nearly untouchable split-finger fastball which was clocked at 87 mph.  Shane may have had a chance at playing Major League Baseball, but in 1999 while working in a furniture store and loading a mattress into a truck, a helium tank was knocked over and crushed multiple bones in his foot. Playing Major Leagues Baseball was no longer an option, so Shane began his coaching career in 2015 and continues to this day coaching youth baseball in Israel and the United States.  Shane gives his perspective on the international game's future in Israel and what happens once those young players come to the United States. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Baseball Broadcaster and Author, Tim Hagerty and Several of the Jeff Michner Foundation / Pig Beach BBQ 2023 Participants Tim Hagerty is the broadcaster for the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres Triple-A affiliate) and an award-winning writer and author. Tim was voted El Paso Sportscaster of the Year in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Baseball America named him an MLB broadcast prospect in its Best of the Minors feature.  He has written hundreds of baseball history articles for Baseball Digest, Sporting News, The Hardball Times, and other publications.  Tim's work has been honored with the national Edward R. Murrow Awards and by the Alabama Associated Press, Idaho State Broadcasters Association, Vermont Associated Press, the Society for American Baseball Research, and the Society of Professional Journalists. He joins us to discuss his wonderful career and his very funny book, Tales from the Dugout:  1,001 Humorous Inspirational & Wild Anecdotes from Minor League Baseball.  In the off-season, Tim has provided national on-air updates from football and basketball games for Fox Sports Radio. Go to http://timhagerty.com/home to learn more about Tim. The 3rd Annual Jeff Michner Foundation BBQ Benefit held at Pig Beach BBQ was a huge success, and we had the opportunity to speak with some of the participants.  The conversations were brief, but we enjoyed our talks with Gloria Chabot from Bakergoog, Harrison Sapp from Southern Soul BBQ, Kelly Dallas from Hogapalooza, Phil Wingo from Pork Mafia, and Mike Johnson from Sugarfire Smokehouse.  We are looking forward to having many of the preceding guests back to speak more in-depth. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Prolific Baseball Author, Erik Sherman and Willow Seasonings & Blends, David Slade Erik Sherman returns for another triumphant appearance to discuss his latest book, Daybreak at Chavez Ravine: Fernandomania and the Remaking of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Erik is a prolific baseball book author and his latest work is exceptional.  The book "retells Valenzuela’s arrival and permanent influence on Dodgers history, while bringing redemption to the organization’s controversial beginnings in LA. Through new interviews with players, coaches, broadcasters, and media, Erik Sherman reveals a new side of this intensely private man and brings fresh insight into the ways he transformed the Dodgers and started a phenomenon that radically altered the country’s cultural and sporting landscape."  Eric is being honored in 2023 with his induction into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame.  For more information on Eric, go to https://www.erikshermanbaseball.com/ David Slade is a US Navy Veteran and the creator of Willow Seasonings & Blends, a small business from the metropolitan area of Denver, Colorado.  "They strive to find the perfect balance of the ingredients that make up their products, as they do not want any single ingredient to dominate and want every ingredient working and dancing in unison to achieve a flavor experience that their customers will never forget.  Their products are made with all-natural ingredients.  Giving their customers the best product possible and never sacrificing quality in order to save money is how they do things."  David takes us on his journey from home-based rubs and sauces maker to starting a business in a very competitive market.  For more information, go to https://willowseasonings.com/ We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Baseball and BBQ are well represented with World Series Champion, Jeremy Affeldt and Barbecue Enthusiast, Jon Solberg Jeremy Affeldt is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants.  His teams have played in four World Series; one on the losing side with the Colorado Rockies and three winning efforts with the San Francisco Giants.  He thrives under pressure and with ice in his veins was more suited to pitching out of the bullpen in high pressure situations. Jeremy shares lots of stories, many baseball related, such as the honesty he demonstrated when he gave back a significant sum of money to San Francisco Giants ownership which legally he could have kept due to a clerical contract error.  However, other stories involve his life outside of baseball including saving his dog's life, his multiple philanthropic endeavors and his newest project, Free Roam Brewing Company, a brewery with a significant buffalo related theme.  We are joined by Doug Scheiding who truly knows baseball and adds his own special flare.  For more information on Jeremy go to https://www.jeremyaffeldt.com/ Jon Solberg enjoys cooking outdoors and has been studying the art of live fire cooking for the last 30 years.  "Both low and slow, hot and fast, charcoal, wood, gas; it doesn't matter."  He loves to restore grills and smokers of all kinds.  He even makes his own charcoal.  We first learned of Jon from listening to the Embedded Correspondents segment on The BBQ Central Show.  Jon serves on the show as the Michigan Embedded Correspondent as well as the show's historian who assembles the weekly podcast, The Best Moments of the BBQ Central Show in 10 Minutes or Less.  One of the many things you notice when speaking to John is how humble he is.  He loves what he does, has his hands in all things barbecue, but is all about helping others.  Go to https://jonsolberg.com/ for more information on Jon and the paid services he is able to provide regarding barbecue, internet content, and voice over and post production work. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home from the musician, Dave Dresser and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories,  Magnechef https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high quality firewood and cooking wood, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you. Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.com Twitter:  @baseballandbbq Instagram:  baseballandbarbecue YouTube:  baseball and bbq Website:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

It's a Tale of Two Robs with Baseball Writer, Rob Neyer and Rob Rainford, Cookbook Author and Host of the TV Show, License to Grill Rob Neyer is a baseball writer known for his use of statistical analysis or sabermetrics.  He started his career working for Bill James and joined ESPN.com as a columnist and blogger from 1996 to 2011.  He was National Baseball Editor for SB Nation from 2011 to 2014 and Senior Baseball Editor for FoxSports.com in 2015 and 2016.  He has written freelance stories for Yahoo Sports, FiveThirtyEight, and The New York Times.  He is an accomplished  author or co-author of several books, including The Umpire Is Out:  Calling the Game and Living My True Self which he wrote with our episode 137 guest, former Major League Baseball umpire, Dale Scott. In 2018 his book, Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game won the prestigious Casey Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year.  Rob is also the host of the extremely entertaining podcast, SABRcast.  You can find more information on Rob at https://robneyer.com/ Rob Rainford is a trained chef, author of the cookbook, Rob Rainford's Born to Grill and host of the television show License to Grill.  Over five seasons and 104 episodes, Rob hosted the series, License to Grill, which involves backyard cooking and entertaining.  Rob's Born to Grill cookbook includes more than 100 recipes and 20 complete menus that are specifically tailored for backyard cooking.  The book introduces the "Rainford Method," a series of techniques to help improve your cooking skills.  Rob did not just wake up one day as a sucessful chef, author and TV show host and he shares stories of his journey and talks about his love of teaching which he continues doing.  Go to https://gustotv.com/hosts/rob-rainford/ for more information on Chef Rob. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home from the musician, Dave Dresser and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high quality firewood and cooking wood, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.com Twitter:  @baseballandbbq Instagram:  baseballandbarbecue YouTube:  baseball and bbq Website:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Barbecue connoisseur, Meathead, Yogi Berra's son, Larry Berra, and Guest Co-host, Doug Scheiding make this a Hall of Fame episode. Meathead is the founder and publisher of the immensely popular BBQ and grilling website AmazingRibs.com.  He is a member of the Barbecue Hall of Fame and the author of Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling, a New York Times Best Seller, and named one of the “100 Best Cookbooks of All Time” by Southern Living.  He first joined us on episode 55, and we have been eager to have him back.  The first person to call him Meathead was his dad after watching the groundbreaking television show, All in the Family.  Now he is known to millions as Meathead, and his knowledge and advice on food is highly sought after.  We are joined by Doug Scheiding as we talk about baseball, hot dogs, and of course, barbecue.  Go to https://amazingribs.com/ and prepare to be amazed. Larry Berra was an attendee at the 2022 New York State Baseball Hall of Fame Dinner sporting a tie with his dad, National Baseball Hall of Fame member, Yogi Berra's number eight proudly displayed.  We quickly hit it off and fast-forward a few months to when we are meeting Larry at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls, New Jersey.  We spent the day talking about Larry's baseball career which featured him catching many of the New York Mets' exceptional pitchers and the wonderfully exciting life he has enjoyed being the son of the great Yogi Berra.  Everything you read and hear about Yogi Berra includes his treating all people equally which Larry confirmed as well as sharing many wonderful stories.  We thank Larry for a wonderful day.  For more information on Yogi Berra and the museum go to https://yogiberramuseum.org We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Do You Believe In Magic?  Author, David Krell and BBQ Connoisseurs, Sean Ludwig, and Ryan Cooper Make Us All Believe In Magic David Krell is an author and baseball historian.  His latest work is, Do You Believe In Magic?:  Baseball and America In the Groundbreaking Year of 1966.  We were fortunate to be asked to preview the book and offer a blurb and this is what we said, "David Krell weaves a magnificent tapestry of the year 1966; using baseball as the central thread, he magnificently combines the year's biggest events to make us all feel we are front and center and experiencing every moment."  David first joined us on episode 129 to discuss his book,1962:  Baseball and America in the Time of JFK which is a fascinating look at a year when two new baseball franchises, the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s had their first seasons and NASA was launching men into space.  In Do You Believe In Magic? David once makes history exciting. Ryan Cooper and Sean Ludwig are back and providing information on future barbecue events, the latest products, and additional scintillating barbecue conversation.  Ryan is the founder of the BBQ Tourist website https://bbqtourist.com which is dedicated to celebrating the best barbecue in America.  Sean is the founder of NYC BBQ, http://www.nycbbq.com which is a website and newsletter with news and information on all things barbecue in the NYC metro area.  Together they are co-founders of The Smoke Sheet, https://www.bbqnewsletter.com which is a weekly newsletter that curates the latest national barbecue news, upcoming events, books to read, podcasts to listen to, videos to watch, recipes, and so much more.  We are thrilled every time they come on and look forward to having them back again. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

We have a baseball guest, Dr. Paul Semendinger, a barbecue guest, Christie Vanover, and a rant from Jeff.  Those three things make for a very entertaining episode. Dr. Paul Semendinger was leading a double life, one as an educator with a career that culminated in his last position as a middle school principal, from which he recently retired.  The other is as an author of several books and as the Editor-in-Chief and writer for his New York Yankees news and opinion blog, Start Spreading the News https://www.startspreadingthenews.blog/   His latest project is Roy White: From Compton to the Bronx which he co-authored with Roy White.  The stories from Roy White, former New York Yankees left fielder, are wonderful and Paul was the perfect person to help get them on paper and into a book.  Even the story of how Paul got the opportunity to assist Roy with telling these stories is an entertaining classic.  Dr. Semendinger is a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA).  Go to https://drpaulsem.com/appearances/ for more information on Dr. Paul Semindinger. Christie Vanover is the head cook and award-winning competitive pitmaster for the Girls Can Grill team.  She has won multiple grand championships and has dozens of top-ten category finishes.  Since 2015 Christie is also the editor and publisher of Girls Can Grill, https://girlscangrill.com/ an online magazine dedicated to sharing grilling tips and recipes to encourage more people to get outside and grill.  She has traveled across the globe learning grilling techniques in Asia, Europe, Central America, and throughout the United States.  Christie has worked in the public relations and the news industry for more than 20 years for the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and NBC. She was also a park ranger for the National Park Service.  In 2020, she launched three award-winning spice blends for brisket, chicken, and pork.  Go to https://girlscangrill.com/christie-vanover/ for more information on Christie. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

2023 is the year that the Barbecue Hall of Fame should induct Greg Rempe and give him the honor he deserves.  Do not just take our word for that, but listen to what our ten guests, Malcom Reed, Ben Arnot, Christie Vanover, Ryan Cooper, Sean Ludwig, Michael Savino, Rusty Monson, Jon Solberg, Meathead, and Doug Scheiding have to say about Greg and his contributions to barbecue. Greg Rempe is the creator and host of the longest-running, most listened to, and extremely entertaining shows dealing with live fire cooking, The BBQ Central Show.  He has been extremely supportive of our show with advice, support, and encouragement.  His presence and what he provides to the barbecue community are immeasurable.  His show can be heard live every Tuesday night from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm and is released in podcast format; the first hour on Wednesday and the second hour on Thursday.  Then on Fridays you can catch up on parts of past episodes, listening to The Best Moments of The BBQ Central Show in 10 Minutes or Less.  You can find out more about his show by going to http://thebbqcentralshow.com/ According to the Barbecue Hall of Fame website https://www.americanroyal.com/bbq/barbecue-hall-of-fame/ each year, the Barbecue Hall of Fame honors three individuals who, by extraordinary achievement and service, have made outstanding and significant contributions to barbecue. Their mission is to identify and honor the evolving history and traditions of barbecue while recognizing, documenting, and preserving the heritage of barbecue in our world. Induction into the Barbecue Hall of Fame is barbecue’s top honor and recognizes the substantial influence on the advancement of barbecue. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories,  Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.     Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Baseball and BBQ Episode #179: Celebrating baseball's opening week with a rare triple play from Loserville author, Clayton Trutor, The Grillin' Fools, Scott Thomas, and Spring Training Correspondent, Gary Looney Clayton Trutor joins us to discuss his latest book, Loserville:  How Professional Sports Remade Atlanta-and How Atlanta Remade Professional Sports.  It is a fascinating look at Atlanta, Georgia and the four professional sports teams it brought in to try and make them a "Major League Town."  Trutor holds a PhD in U.S. history from Boston College.  He writes about college football and basketball for SB Nation.  Trutor is the Vermont state chairman of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and is a regular contributor to the SABR Biography Project.  Loserville is a 10 year project for Trutor, and it was a decade well spent as it is truly fascinating.   Scott Thomas is the originator of the Grillin' Fools.  After thousands of failures, and quite a few successes, more than two decades later he started a website to show step by step, picture by picture, foolproof grilling instructions so that others don’t have to repeat the mistakes he’s made on the grill. Continually challenging the traditional “rules” and “standards” of BBQ, Scott will grill anything from lettuce and leeks to brisket and bread.  He has written feature articles for both St. Louis and Feast Magazines, been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, and appeared in countless television and radio spots in his hometown of St. Louis as well as nationally televised tailgating commercials for Coca-Cola during NASCAR races on NBC and in an episode of Steven Raichlen's, Project Fire.  More information on Scott and the Grillin' Fools can be found at https://grillinfools.com/   Gary Looney makes his long awaited return.  Jeff first met Gary in 2020 at the Los Angeles Angels spring training camp complex in Arizona, and a friendship quickly developed.  Gary appeared with us on episodes 125, 56, and 87.  He once again offers great insight into spring training, the just-started baseball season, and how it is to see Shohei Ohtani in person.  Having him on has become an annual tradition, and his baseball knowledge is a great addition to any episode.   We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, , Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.     Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Josh Rawitch, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and Malcom Reed from the How To BBQ Right YouTube Channel and Podcast   The quote, "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life." fits both our guests perfectly. Josh Rawitch has taken his love of baseball and made it his career.  In 1995 Rawitch joined the Los Angeles Dodgers and worked his way from the marketing department, taking a break to serve as a beat reporter for Major League Baseball Advanced Media from 2001-02, and then returning to the Dodgers and eventually rising to the position of Vice President of Communications.  Before assuming his role as National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum President in 2021 Rawitch spent a decade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, serving as the team’s Senior Vice President of Content and Communications.  Josh fully understands his role which is to oversee the daily operation of the non-profit, educational institution, whose mission is to preserve history, honor excellence and connect generations.  For more information on Josh and the Baseball Hall of Fame go to https://baseballhall.org/ Malcom Reed has taken his love of cooking barbecue and his skill as a pitmaster and made it his career.  Competitively cooking with his Killer Hogs BBQ team and selling highly rated Killer Hogs BBQ rubs and sauces are just two of the barbecue activities which are helping to build his cooking empire.  With over 1.5 million subscribers on his How To BBQ Right YouTube channel, he produces informative and entertaining weekly videos which serve to make all of us better cooks.  As if all the preceding was not enough, Malcom, along with his wife Rachelle are the hosts of the How To BBQ Right Podcast on which they talk about their weekly YouTube recipes, what they are grilling at the house, tips and tricks for grilling and their competition BBQ contests.  Even TikTok now has Malcom Reed videos.  For more information on Malcom and How To BBQ Right, go to https://howtobbqright.com/ We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Former MLB Player, Jim Leyritz and Megan Day from Burnt Finger BBQ Provide Exceptional Baseball and BBQ Talk Jim Leyritz was a professional baseball catcher and infielder.  In his 11-year Major League Baseball career, Leyritz played for the New York Yankees, Anaheim Angels, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Dodgers.  With the Yankees, Jim was a member of the 1996 and 1999 World Series championships.  Nicknamed "The King," Jim's playing days were highlighted by a pair of memorable postseason home runs he hit with the Yankees in 1995 and 1996 in comeback wins.  Jim is a fantastic storyteller and shares many, including stories of his life prior to, during, and after baseball.  How did a refusal to give Jim a $5,000 signing bonus change baseball history?  Who was the future Baseball Hall of Fame player Jim met when he was 14 that made Jim choose to become a catcher?  Jim bares his soul to us, and we are truly grateful for his extreme candor.     Megan Day is our guest, but we are pleasantly surprised when her husband Jason Day also joins us. Megan and Jason are the husband and wife pitmasters behind the professional barbecue team, Burnt Finger BBQ.  They are educators, authors, product designers, and BBQ ambassadors.  They have collected top finishes at many prestigious cooking competitions.  Megan was named on Southern Living's, "Most Influential Women in Southern Barbecue."  She is a Chopped Grill Masters Champion and is regularly seen promoting barbecue on the Today Show and various Food Network shows.  Jason's signature recipe, Bacon Explosion, went viral after it was featured in a New York Times front-page story.  They are prominently featured in the film "Smoke and Ribbons: A DocQmentary" streaming on Amazon Prime.  Go to https://www.burntfingerbbq.com/ for more information on Megan and Jason as well as a chance to purchase their barbecue sauces and rubs. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home from the musician, Dave Dresser and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high quality firewood and cooking wood, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.     Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Spanning the globe to bring smoking hot BBQ talk with Ben Arnot from Smoking Hot Confessions and exceptional baseball talk with Joe Ceraulo, host of Ceraulo Sports Talk  Ben Arnot believes in the power of barbecue.  What exactly does that mean?  To Ben and his Smoking Hot Confessions team, "It is a power that is unique and mystifying.  It is the power to not only deliver delicious foods, but to bring people together and bind them in a way that little else can.  Family and friends come together whenever there is meat over a flame.  Old arguments are forgotten and fractured relationships are repaired.  At Smoking Hot Confessions, we truly believe that BBQ has the power to heal the world."  Beautiful thoughts from someone who has fallen in love with a style of cooking whose breadth is expanding worldwide and, in his native Australia, Ben is helping lead that growth.  Ben hosts the Smoking Hot Confessions Podcast, writes a blog as well as the eBooks, The Bacon Manifesto and 27 Lessons Learned From Competition BBQ, makes numerous guest appearances, writes for the Barbecue News Magazine, and is active on many social media platforms.  More information on Ben Arnot and Smoking Hot Confessions can be found at https://smokinghotconfessions.com/    Joe Ceraulo knows sports and conveys this knowledge in an extremely entertaining and professional manner.  As host of the podcast, Ceraulo Sports Talk as well as the podcast, Bleav In Queens he gets to convey his knowledge and opinions with sports fanatics everywhere.  He starts by telling us that baseball and BBQ are two of his favorite things, which immediately ingratiates himself with his hosts.  He has known from an early age that he was either going to make his living playing sports or talking about them.  He was a good athlete, but a much better talker, and we are the fortunate recipient.  Joe is a tremendous New York Mets fan, as his father has worked in the Mets organization for many years and Joe had the opportunity to work for them as well.  He is excited about the World Baseball Classic, but even more excited about the upcoming Major League Baseball season.  Working his way up in the sports talk industry has included an internship at SiriusXM where he had the opportunity to learn from one of sports talk radio's pioneers, Chris "Mad Dog" Russo.  Lots of exceptional baseball discussion and a smattering of barbecue talk. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high quality firewood and cooking wood, Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project, and for exceptional sauces, Elda's Kitchen https://eldaskitchen.com/ We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.     Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Tom Hammond from Vintage Baseball Reflections and Chad Humphrey from Humphrey's BBQ Tom Hammond has loved baseball since he was "knee-high to a grasshopper."  His father, who was a Boston Braves fan, introduced him to baseball, and Tom has been a fan ever since.  It has taken his love of the game and countless hours to create the website, https://www.vintagebaseballreflections.com/.  On this website, there is enough content, some free and some for a fee, to keep a baseball fan entertained for hours, days, weeks, and perhaps even years.  Everything from 900+ recorded radio broadcasts of games, interviews with hall-of-fame players, and old-time commercials can be found on the website.  If this was not enough to keep Tom busy, he also has a podcast called, This Day in Baseball - The Daily Rewind which is a must-listen for all baseball history buffs. Chad Humphrey saw a need, filled that need, and has become a major part of the barbecue smoker manufacturing community.  In the Southwestern foothills of Maine is where you will find Chad and his wife Nicole and their team of craftsmen custom-building Humphrey's Smoker line of barbecue smokers and accessories.  They have been repairing, enhancing, and producing BBQ and various other cooking products for the last 14 years.  Their love for food, family, and friends, and knowing others share that same feeling, led them to build their line of BBQ smokers, so customers could cook enough food in almost any weather and with ease to bring family and friends together year-round.  We often say that everyone has a story, and Chad's is a story of hard work and ingenuity.  More information on Chad and Humphrey's BBQ can be found at https://www.humphreysbbq.com/ We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high-quality firewood and cooking wood, and Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project. We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Multi Award-Winning Pitmaster, Heath Riles and Martin's Baseball Museum Curator, Tracy Martin Heath Riles is a 75-time Grand Champion.  He has been grilling since he was 18 years old and participated on his first competition BBQ team in Ashland, Mississippi.  Since then his name has become synonymous with high-quality barbecue products which include an award-winning line of barbecue rubs, sauces, marinades, and injections.  Barbecue is not just a mere hobby for Heath, but rather the career path he has chosen and the cooking style on which he is building a rich legacy.  We are joined by our guest co-host, Doug Scheiding, also a renowned pitmaster, as we talk about barbecue with a bit of baseball talk.  Heath discusses another surprise project he is starting.  More information on Heath Riles can be found at https://www.heathrilesbbq.com/   Tracy Martin has a basement baseball fans adore and collectors envy.  For nearly 50 years Tracy has collected items from the game he loves, including baseballs, gloves, bats, uniforms, memorabilia, bobbleheads, equipment, newspaper clippings, and many unique, one-of-a-kind items. Martin is a lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan and as a kid growing up his favorite player was Johnny Bench. He has a Facebook page that shows off his collection and would like to have a storefront museum someday, but for now is content to have guests view the collection at his home and to occasionally bring items to local events for the public to enjoy.  Tracy has things that even the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York has borrowed to display.  Just as we say good-bye and stop recording Tracy tells us about his love of BBQ and we start recording again and talk about it.  More information on Tracy Martin's museum can be found at https://www.facebook.com/martinsbaseballmuseum We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high-quality firewood and cooking wood, and Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project. We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Turbo Trusser Inventors and Shark Tank Contestants, Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust and Barry Sparks, Author of The Search for the Next Mickey Mantle Brian Halasinski and Kirk Hyust have a passion for inventing.  They see a problem and create a solution.  Their latest invention turns the difficult process of trussing a chicken into a fun and quick alternative.  Trussing a chicken allows it to cook evenly and neatly, but until now it was a very difficult endeavor which called for butcher twine and an advanced degree.  Their invention, Turbo Trusser is such a good one that they were chosen to appear on TV's Shark Tank and managed to obtain a deal from one of the sharks.  Brian and Kirk take us inside the inventing process and behind the scenes of the hit television show.  They currently have one Turbo Trusser for chicken and one for turkey, but as we learned there is much more on the horizon. Barry Sparks has been writing about baseball for more than 50 years.  His first article was published in the July 1970 Baseball Digest.  He has written for more than 70 national and regional publications, including the Baltimore Sun, Philadelphia Inquirer, Wall Street Journal, National Pastime, Sports Collectors Digest, Sports Parade, Phillies Report, 50 Plus Life, and many others. His latest endeavor is the book, The Search for the Next Mantle:  From Tom Tresh to Bryce Harper.  Barry takes us on a search which has mostly proven fruitless with the exception of two current players, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper.  Some of the players tagged with the daunting task of being the next Mickey Mantle are household names and some are not, but Barry's research provides us with intriguing facts. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home from the musician, Dave Dresser and the poet, Shel Krakofsky.   We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, the Pandemic Baseball Book Club, https://www.pbbclub.com  to find many of the wonderful books we have featured as well as some additional swag, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high quality firewood and cooking wood, and Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project. We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Episode #172: Former MLB Pitcher, Andy Benes, Guest Co-host, Bill Chuck, and Old Grunt BBQ's Galen Powell Make This a Can't-Miss Episode Andy Benes is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1989 to 2002. Most prominently as a member of the San Diego Padres where he was named to the National League All-Star team in 1993 and led the league in strikeouts in 1994.  He also played for the Seattle Mariners, the St.Louis Cardinals, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. He provides many stories about his 16 years in the Majors, as well as the opportunity to play on the same team as his brother, Alan Benes.  Author and newspaper columnist, Bill Chuck steps in quite admirably as co-host, filling in for Leonard who is "out of town on assignment."  Andy ended his career with 155 wins, a 3.97 ERA, and 2000 strikeouts; a career worthy of discussion. Galen Powell is not, yet, a huge name in barbecue, but that may soon change.  This former member of the United States Military and founder of the Old Grunt BBQ competition team is making his mark on the competition circuit, mastering his catering business, and is soon to release his lineup of barbecue products, including sauces and rubs.  He joins us to discuss his love of BBQ and why he wants to turn his passion into a career.  Jeff discovered Galen while searching the internet for new and exciting guests, and we are so thankful he did as we learn all about this Arkansas pitmaster. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky.   We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, the Pandemic Baseball Book Club, https://www.pbbclub.com  to find many of the wonderful books we have featured as well as some additional swag, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high quality firewood and cooking wood, and Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project. We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Episode 171: It's a triple play with Doug Scheiding and Jennifer Talley of Rogue Cookers, Marc Gold, condiments and bobblehead aficionado, and Scott Umscheid, pitmaster and restaurateur Doug Scheiding pulls double duty as he and his wife, Jennifer Talley discuss their amazing weekend cooking at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo BBQ Cook-off.  This dynamic duo forms the team, Rogue Cookers and they had an excellent weekend with top ten finishes in chicken and dessert.  Doug and Jen explain why the chicken finish almost did not happen.  We also learn more about Doug as we beg Jennifer for a little-known fact.  Go to www.roguecookers.com for more information on this great team. Marc Gold is the former owner of Gold's Horseradish and a long-time avid New York Mets fan. We are joined by Gary Mack of the Mets Musings podcast and together, Marc and Gary reminisce about the original Mets and numerous times spent at Shea Stadium.  Marc showed his love for the Mets with their 1962 inception, when as a 14-year-old he started a newsletter called, Mets Maze.  Gold's Horseradish, started by Marc's grandparents in 1932, was a long-time sponsor of New York Mets bobblehead giveaways and Marc shares many stories, including the legend of the bobblehead curse. Scott Umscheid stands out in a city where your barbecue has to be amazing to be recognized.  As the restaurateur of Scott's Kitchen and Catering at Hangar 29 in Kansas City, MO, he has catapulted onto and upward on almost every meaningful food list.  Doug Scheiding joins us as the two pitmasters delight in talking barbecue.  Go to https://www.scottskitchenandcatering.com for more information on Scott and the restaurant. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, the Pandemic Baseball Book Club, https://www.pbbclub.com  to find many of the wonderful books we have featured as well as some additional swag, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High-Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high-quality firewood and cooking wood, and Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project. We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you. Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Episode #170: Former MLB Pitcher, Turk Wendell and an Encore of Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, Restaurateurs and the Authors of Chasing Smoke Turk Wendell is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who played for 11 seasons.  His career kept him in the National League, playing for four teams, the Chicago Cubs, the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Colorado Rockies.  Turk is known for some special behaviors (jumping over the foul line on his way to and from the mound, brushing his teeth between innings, slamming the rosin bag into the mound, waving at his center fielder, and a few others) which he gladly discusses and offers explanations for.  He is unique, has great stories to tell, and during his playing days he was not afraid to speak his mind regarding other players suspected of using steroids.  This angered some ballplayers, but Turk did not back down.  Turk loved playing the game and even offered to play his final year for free.  Bill Chuck, baseball writer, and researcher, who has a weekly column in the Chicago Sun-Times joins us again and adds his vast knowledge and unique insights to this wonderful discussion.         Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich are a wife and husband team who opened their first Middle Eastern-themed restaurant, Honey & Co in London, England in 2012.  Additionally, they are the authors of three cookbooks.  Their newest London restaurant is Honey & Smoke and their latest cookbook, filled with incredible recipes and beautiful photos is Chasing Smoke:  Cooking Over Fire Around The Levant.  Leonard ate at Honey and Smoke during his recent London trip and it was exceptional, making this a good time to repeat this segment.  We learn what is meant by the Levant and discuss their lives which began in Israel and eventually brought them to London where they own two restaurants and one specialty grocery store.  The book takes the reader on a journey which includes their favorite cities as they collected recipes, stories, and the best of culinary culture along the way.  If you have been wondering what else is possible to make over a live fire then this is the cookbook for you.  Despite the five-hour time difference, Sarit and Itamar managed to find the time to charm us as we spoke of everything, including their special relationship, which works well for them. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home from the musician, Dave Dresser and the poet, Shel Krakofsky.   We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, the Pandemic Baseball Book Club, https://www.pbbclub.com  to find many of the wonderful books we have featured as well as some additional swag, Magnechef, https://magnechef.com/ for excellent and unique barbecue gloves, Cutting Edge Firewood High Quality Kiln Dried Firewood - Cutting Edge Firewood in Atlanta for high quality firewood and cooking wood, and Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project. We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you.   Call the show:  (516) 855-8214 Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.comTwitter:  @baseballandbbqInstagram:  baseballandbarbecueYouTube:  baseball and bbqWebsite:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq

Episode 169: Champion Pitmaster, Danielle Bennett aka Diva Q and Author, Alan Hirsch Danielle Bennett aka Diva Q says, "BBQ is a never-ending learning process."  A pioneer in BBQ and a champion with over 400 awards to her name. Diva Q was the host of BBQ Crawl for three seasons on The Travel Channel. Danielle has a best-selling cookbook called Diva Q's Barbecue: 195 Recipes for Cooking with Family, Friends and Fire. Danielle is also an ambassador for Traeger as is our co-host for this interview Doug Scheiding of Rogue Cookers who is a good friend of Danielle's.  Check out her website at https://www.divaq.ca Alan Hirsch is the author of Baseball's Most Bizarre Plays:  A roster of the Odd, the Improbable, and the Downright Confounding in Major League History.  This is a fun book to read as Alan counts down the most Bizarre plays from 150 to number 1.  Some you will remember, some you will read about for the first time, but all are quite enjoyable. We conclude the show with the song, Baseball Always Brings You Home by the musician, Dave Dresser, and the poet, Shel Krakofsky. We recommend you go to Baseball BBQ, https://baseballbbq.com for special grilling tools and accessories, the Pandemic Baseball Book Club, https://www.pbbclub.com to find many of the wonderful books we have featured as well as some additional swag, and Mantis BBQ, https://mantisbbq.com/ to purchase their outstanding sauces with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Kidney Project. We truly appreciate our listeners and hope that all of you are staying safe. If you would like to contact the show, we would love to hear from you. Call the show:  (516) 855-8214Email:  baseballandbbq@gmail.com Twitter:  @baseballandbbq Instagram:  baseballandbarbecue YouTube:  baseball and bbq Website:  https://baseballandbbq.weebly.com Facebook:  baseball and bbq