Hooks & Runs

Hooks & Runs

Author: A podcast about baseball, music and culture. Language: English Episodes: 100
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.
Episodes
262 - Rube and Bill Foster: Texans in the Hall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:39
Andrew "Rube" and William "Bill" Foster were half-brothers born in Calvert, Texas, 25 years apart. Rube (b. 1879) left home in the late 90s to pitch for barnstorming teams deep into the late teens. He established his nam…
261 - The Bill Bevens Story: As Close as you Can Get [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:48
Bill Bevens came within one out of throwing the first World Series no-hitter in Game 4. Also, a look at the pennant and wild card races plus some 1988 Topps baseball cards. Errata: The Giants were 14-14 in August, 9-15 i…
260 - Bo Belinsky: Everything Has a Price w/ David Krell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:10
David Krell is a returning guest and the author of "Bo Belinsky: The Rise, Fall and Rebound of a Playboy Pitcher," (McFarland & Co., 2025) the first full-length biography of Bo Belinsky. David Krell's official website (h…
259 - Texans in the Hall: Eddie Mathews [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:43
Eddie Mathews played 17 seasons in the big leagues and is the only player to play for the Braves in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta. He hit 512 home runs in his career and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1978. This week…
258 - "I Was a Kid Too Back Then" w/ Rick Wise [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:57
Rick Wise pitched 18 seasons in the big league, beginning with is rookie year for the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies. He won 188 games in that span and achieved some notable milestones, including becoming the only pitcher in…
257 - MLB's Microbet Investigation Snares an All-Star. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:51
Colorado of all teams highlights the week with a wild come-from-behind win at home against Pittsburgh. Hooks & Runs' favorite teams made big splashes at the trade deadline. MLB's microbets investigation snares Cleveland…
256 - Southwest Conference Baseball w/ Bo Carter [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:58
Bo Carter is the Executive Director for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and an inductee into the College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame. He was media relations director for the Southwest Conferenc…
255 - Major League Baseball Needs to Think Globally [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:27
Topics this week: Tampa Bay Rays sale; A Shoeless Joe's Hall of Fame promotion; The All-Star Game; The USA vs. The World; Late Night TV is in trouble; BananaBall may entertain some, but it isn't baseball; Manfred wants a…
254 - Frank Robinson is Underrated (Texans in the Hall) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:37
Frank Robinson was born in Beaumont, Texas, raised in Oakland, California, and established himself among baseball's most feared hitter and fierest competitors for over a decade. Robinson had over 2,900 hits, hit 586 home…