287: An Historic 24 Innings in Boston w/ John McMurray plus Blue Dot Fever Hits the Music World

287: An Historic 24 Innings in Boston w/ John McMurray plus Blue Dot Fever Hits the Music World

Author: A podcast about baseball, music and culture. May 18, 2026 Duration: 56:16
Our guest for Chapter 1 is John McMurray, chair of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR)'s Deadball Era Research Committee. His essay, "September 1, 1906: A Pivotal Game Early in the Deadball Era," appeared in the Committee's newsletter, "The Inside Game," earlier this year. The game between the Philadelphia A's and the home team Boston Americans (now Red Sox) lasted 24 innings with the A's winning 4-1. The game featured many deadball era baseball features including speed, d...

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: 50

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…