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
223 - Close But No Cigar II: Barry Bonds, 1,996 RBI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:30
Five players in MLB history have driven in 2,000 run in their career. Barry Bonds concluded his amazing 22-year career 4 RBI short of 2,000. This week we examine Bonds' career and try to find out how he came up short. Al…
221 - The 1964 Philadelphia Phillies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:43
After beating the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium 3-2 to wrap up a 6-4 road trip, the Phillies cam home leading the National League by 6.5 games with 12 games to play. What followed remains the most dramatic late-s…
218 - The Flying Dutchman, Honus Wagner w/ Arthur D. Hittner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:33
Our guest this week is Arthur D. Hittner, author of "Honus Wagner, The Life of Baseball's Flying Dutchman," Revised Edition (McFarland, 2024). Originally published in 1996, Hittner's book won the prestigious Seymour Meda…
217 - We are Getting Worried About Justin Verlander [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:15
Justin Verlander is struggling in his latest return from the injury list. Roger Maris would have celebrated his 90th birthday in the 10th -- he died in 1985. We noticed a lot of pretty famous people were born or grew up…
216 - Celebrating the Baseball Road Trip w/ Timothy Malcolm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:48
Timothy Malcolm wrote the newly revised and updated, "Moon Baseball Road Trips: The Complete Guide to All the Ballparks, with Beer, Bites, and Sights Nearby" (Moon Travel, 2024) being released September 10. He joins us t…
215 - Close But No Cigar I: Bobby Mathews, 297 Career Wins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:01
Bobby Mathews pitched in three major leagues from 1871 to 1887 and ended his career with 297 career wins. Why did he stop playing when he was so close to 300? This episode looks into Mathews' career as well as wins as a…
214 - The 1961 Phillies: A Cavalcade of Losses [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:16
On August 6, 2024, the dreadful Chicago White Sox beat the Oakland A's 5-1 at the Coliseum. This win snapped a 21-game losing streak, the longest losing streak in the Majors in 36 years. The Philadelphia Phillies own the…