299 - The Al Rosen Phenomenon: That One Glorious Season (or Two)

299 - The Al Rosen Phenomenon: That One Glorious Season (or Two)

Author: A podcast about baseball, music and culture. August 17, 2026 Duration: 59:20
This week Craig and Rex take a look at players that led their league in home runs after 1920 but hit less than 200 career home runs. The list includes one Hall of Famer (George Kelly), some that came close (Jake Daubert) and some that leave all but the most fervent fans scrambling to Baseball Reference (Nick Etten). Consider supporting Hooks & Runs by purchasing books, including those featured in this episode (if available), through our store at Bookshop.org. Here's the link. https:...

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
288 - Baseball and Busing in 1970s Boston w/ David Faflik [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:57
David Faflik, a Professor in the Department of English at the University of Rhode Island has a new book titled "Segregation Games: Boston, Busing, and the Making of Red Sox Nation" (Univ. of Massachusetts Press 2026). Th…
286 - The Magical 1926 St. Louis Cardinals w/ Kevin J. Abing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:48
Author and historian Kevin J. Abing is our guest this week to talk about the 1926 St. Louis Cardinals, on the 100th Anniversary of the team's first World Series championships. Abing is author of "Baseball Magic and Mayhe…
285 - Texans in the Hall: Tris Speaker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:36
Hooks & Runs returns to weekly episodes with this continuation of our series "Texans in the Hall." This entry examines the career of Tris Speaker, who played 22 years in the Majors hitting .345 with over 3,500 hits and a…
Talking Kansas City: Baseball, BBQ and Ballparks w/ Mike Czerniewski [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:10
Mike Czerniewski, host of This Podcast Is ... Uncalled For, joins us this week to talk about Kansas City baseball history - the Monarchs, the A's and the Royals, along with Kansas City BBQ and new digs for the Royals. Ch…