Radio Baseball Cards

Smarter Podcasts

Amazing and amusing short stories shared by the greatest Major League Baseball players of the 20th Century with host Don Drysdale (RIP). Created by Fred Greene (Golf Smarter) Radio Baseball Cards was a nationally syndicated radio pre-game show that aired across the USA in 1987. Radio Baseball Cards episodes focused on Jackie Robinson are listed in the Baseball Hall of Fame & Library. read less
SportsSports

Episodes

Rickey Henderson on Breaking Stolen Base Record
Oct 1 2021
Rickey Henderson on Breaking Stolen Base Record
Rickey Henderson was left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed the "Man of Steal", he is widely regarded as baseball's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner. He holds the major league records for career stolen bases, runs, unintentional walks and leadoff home runs. At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in walks. In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot appearance.Henderson holds the single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982) and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times. His 1,406 career steals is 50% higher than the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock. Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland Athletics and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988 to 2011. He was among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.Henderson was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1990, and he was the lead-off hitter for two World Series champions: the 1989 Oakland A's and the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. A 12-time stolen base champion, Henderson led the league in runs five times. His 25-year career elevated Henderson to the top ten in several other categories, including career at-bats, games, and outfield putouts and total chances. His high on-base percentage, power hitting, and stolen base and run totals made him one of the most dynamic players of his era. He was further known for his unquenchable passion for playing baseball and a buoyant, eccentric, and quotable personality that both perplexed and entertained fans. Once asked if he thought Henderson was a future Hall of Famer, statistician Bill James replied, "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers."
Rookie Mark McGwire on Keeping the Game Fun
Sep 3 2021
Rookie Mark McGwire on Keeping the Game Fun
Mark McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed Big Mac, MLB playing career spanned from 1986 to 2001 while playing for the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals, winning one World Series championship each, with Oakland as a player in 1989 and with St. Louis as a coach in 2011. One of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history, McGwire holds the major league career record for at bats per home run ratio (10.6), and is the former record holder for both home runs in a single season (70 in 1998) and home runs hit by a rookie (49 in 1987).He ranks 11th all time in home runs with 583, and led the major leagues in home runs in five different seasons, while establishing the major league record for home runs hit in a four-season period from 1996 to 1999 with 245. Further, he demonstrated exemplary patience as a batter, producing a career .394 on-base percentage and twice leading the major leagues in bases on balls. Injuries cut short the manifestation of even greater potential as he reached 140 games played in just eight of 16 total seasons. A right-handed batter and thrower, McGwire stood 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 245 pounds during his playing career.A part of the 1998 Major League Baseball home run record chase of Roger Maris' 61 with the Cardinals, McGwire set the major league single-season home run record with 70, which Barry Bonds broke three years later with 73. McGwire also led the league in runs batted in, twice in bases on balls and on-base percentage, and four times in slugging percentage. Injuries significantly cut into his playing time in 2000 and 2001 before factoring into his retirement. He finished with 583 home runs, which was fifth all-time when he retired.
Andre Dawson Shares His Pain of Losing Family Members
Aug 27 2021
Andre Dawson Shares His Pain of Losing Family Members
Andre Dawson (born July 10, 1954), nicknamed "The Hawk" and "Awesome Dawson", is a Hall of Famer who played for four different teams as a center and right fielder during his 21 year career. He spent most of his career with the Montreal Expos (1976–1986) and Chicago Cubs (1987–1992).An 8-time NL All-Star, he was named the league's Rookie of the Year in 1977 after batting .282 with 19 home runs and 65 RBI, and won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1987 after leading the league with 49 homers and 137 RBI; he had been runner-up for the award in both 1981 and 1983. He batted .300 five times, drove in 100 runs four times and had 13 seasons of 20 home runs. A strong base-runner early in his career, he also stole 30 bases three times. He is one of eight MLB players with at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases during his career.Dawson was a center fielder until knee problems – worsened by the artificial surface at Olympic Stadium – forced his shift to right field, followed by his move to a team which played on grass. He led the NL in outfield putouts three consecutive years (1981–1983), and won eight Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence. Dawson was known for his incredible work ethic and study of the game. He was often seen in the dugout with a clipboard in-hand documenting pitches and pitcher tendencies. This was long before such practices were common-place and such information was readily available. Upon his retirement, his NL totals of 409 home runs and 962 extra base hits both ranked tenth in league history; he also ranked seventh in NL history in games as an outfielder (2,303), and sixth in both outfield putouts (5,116) and total chances (5,366). He set Expos franchise records for career games, at bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, runs batted in, extra base hits, total bases and steals, all of which have since been broken variously by Tim Raines, Tim Wallach and Vladimir Guerrero. Dawson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010
Brooks Robinson on His Hall of Fame Induction
Aug 6 2021
Brooks Robinson on His Hall of Fame Induction
Brooks Robinson Jr. (born May 18, 1937) played 23 seasons for the Baltimore Orioles (1955–1977), the longest career spent with a single team in MLB history (tied with Carl Yastrzemski). Robinson batted and threw right-handed. Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner" or "Mr. Hoover", he is considered the greatest defensive third baseman in major league history.Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Robinson attracted the notice of MLB scouts while playing American Legion Baseball. Signed by the Orioles in 1955, he debuted with them that same year. He was Baltimore's Opening Day third baseman in 1957, and became the team's full-time third baseman in the second half of the 1959 season. In 1960, he was selected to the first of 18 straight All-Star Games. That year, he won the first of 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards, tied with Jim Kaat for the second-most for any player at any position (behind Greg Maddux's 18).Starting in 1960, Robinson helped the Orioles contend for their first American League pennant since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954, and they remained in contention until late in the 1960, 1961, and 1964 seasons. Third in MVP voting in 1960, Robinson won the award in 1964, one of his finest seasons. In 1966, he finished second in MVP voting to teammate Frank Robinson as the Orioles won the AL pennant, then swept the Los Angeles Dodgers for their first ever World Series title. With his 193rd home run in 1969, Robinson broke Al Rosen's record for AL third basemen. In the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, Robinson drew the attention of baseball fans around the United States with his strong defensive play against the Reds, time after time robbing the Cincinnati players of base hits. His performance won him the World Series MVP Award as Baltimore defeated the Reds in five games. He became one of just 12 players to earn over $100,000 annually in 1971, and played until retiring during the 1977 season.Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983 in his first year of eligibility. Following his career, he served as a broadcaster for the Orioles and also joined Opening Day Partners, which owns several minor league teams. Robinson was popular with the Oriole fans for his kindness and patience with them. "Never has a player meant more to a franchise and more to a city than Brooks has meant to the Orioles and the city of Baltimore," said Oriole historian Ted Patterson.
Ernie Banks Gives Us a 1960s History Lesson
Jul 30 2021
Ernie Banks Gives Us a 1960s History Lesson
Ernest Banks (January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015), nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", was a Hall of Fame baseball player who starred in the Majors (MLB) as a shortstop and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs between 1953 and 1971. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.Banks is regarded by some as one of the greatest players of all time. He began playing professional baseball in 1950 with the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro leagues. He served in the U.S. military for two years, played for the Monarchs again, and began his major league career in September 1953. The following year, Banks was the National League Rookie of the Year runner-up. Beginning in 1955, Banks was a NL All-Star for 11 seasons, playing in 13 of the 15 All-Star Games held during those years. Banks was the Cubs' main attraction in the late 1950s, the National League Most Valuable Player in 1958 and 1959, and the Cubs' first Gold Glove winner in 1960.In 1962, Banks became a regular first baseman for the Cubs. Between 1967 and 1971, he was a player-coach. In 1969, through a Chicago Sun-Times fan poll, Cubs fans voted him the greatest Cub ever. In 1970, Banks hit his 500th career home run at Wrigley Field. He retired from playing in 1971, was a coach for the Cubs in 1972, and in 1982 was the team's first player to have his uniform number retired.Banks was active in the Chicago community during and after his tenure with the Cubs. He founded a charitable organization, became the first black Ford Motor Company dealer in the United States, and made an unsuccessful bid for a local political office. In 2013, Banks was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contribution to sports. Banks lived in the Los Angeles and Chicago areas.
Dennis Rassmussen's Godfather Played in The Pros Too!
Jul 10 2021
Dennis Rassmussen's Godfather Played in The Pros Too!
Dennis Rasmussen was a left-handed pitcher for the San Diego Padres (1983 and 1988–91), New York Yankees (1984–87), Cincinnati Reds (1987–88), Chicago Cubs (1992), and Kansas City Royals (1992–93 and 1995). Rasmussen was born in Los Angeles and grew up in San Clemente, California. He nearly lost his left foot at the age of 14, when a speeding car knocked him off of his bicycle on Labor Day in 1973, and the fall severed his foot, which was hanging by the Achilles tendon. An emergency room doctor said they would need to amputate, but an orthopedic surgeon was able to save the foot. As a result, he has no cartilage in his left ankle.Rasmussen attended San Clemente High School. Six months after the injury, he recovered sufficiently to play in the final two games of the season for the junior varsity basketball team. After one year at San Clemente High School, his family moved to Boise, Idaho, and he attended Meridian High School in Meridian, Idaho, for two years. His family moved to Denver, Colorado, and he went to Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, Colorado, for his senior year. He was named All-State in baseball and basketball, and was a member of the doubles team that won the state championship in tennis.The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Rasmussen in the 18th round of the 1977 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign with the Pirates. As he wanted to play college basketball, he enrolled at Creighton University, which offered him a scholarship to play for the Creighton Bluejays men's basketball team. The arrangement with Creighton also allowed him to play college baseball for the Creighton Bluejays baseball team. For the basketball team, he was a forward who played as the sixth man off the bench. For the baseball team, he had a 3–6 win–loss record and a 3.38 earned run average (ERA) with Creighton in his junior year, with 84 strikeouts, a school record, in 61+2⁄3 innings pitched. He was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference's First Team.