280 - Texans in the Hall: Joe Williams, Andy Cooper and Hilton Smith w/ Thomas Kern

280 - Texans in the Hall: Joe Williams, Andy Cooper and Hilton Smith w/ Thomas Kern

Author: A podcast about baseball, music and culture. March 9, 2026 Duration: 1:04:07
Pennsylvania native Thomas Kern has been a Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) member for over 40 years and has several biographical essays about Negro League stars during that time. Thomas joins us this episode to resume our series, "Texans in the Hall" to talk about three great Texas-born pitchers - Joe Williams, Andy Cooper and Hilton Smith. Kern introduces us to all three Texans, from their beginnings in rural Texas to the Texas amateur circuit to the Major Leagues in the Negro ...

You might find yourself wondering how a perfect double play and a classic guitar riff are connected, or what a stadium anthem says about the year it topped the charts. That’s the kind of territory explored on Hooks & Runs. This isn't just a series of interviews, though you’ll hear conversations with fascinating figures from the sports and music industries. It’s also a place for thoughtful commentary, where the co-hosts draw lines between the crack of a bat and a cultural moment, between a legendary concert and a legendary season. They dig into both current headlines and forgotten history, finding the stories where pop culture and the national pastime intersect. Each episode feels like a relaxed, insightful conversation that could start with a baseball statistic and end with a music theory debate. New installments of this podcast arrive roughly every Thursday, offering a consistent dose of their unique blend. If you’ve ever felt that the narratives of baseball and the rhythms of music speak a similar language, this podcast provides the commentary to translate.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Hooks & Runs
Podcast Episodes
282 - On Baseball's First Superstar w/ Thomas W. Gilbert [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:33
Our guest this episode is Thomas W. Gilbert. His new book, "Death in the Strike Zone: The Mystery of America's First Baseball Hero" (David R. Godine, 2026), is the story of James Creighton, a young pitcher who pitched fo…
281 - "A Most Dramatic Diamond Struggle" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:17
On July 10, 1932, after playing 3 double headers in 3 days, Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's faced the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland's League Park. Craziness ensued. The game and players set records that have never been,…
273 - Podcast News, Baseball Moves, Guns & Roses [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:30
Big news about the podcast, a look at some early baseball moves and Guns & Roses is going on tour. Errata: The Houston Astros missed the playoffs twice since 2015 - in 2016 and in 2025 - not once. Nacagdoches is a town i…