Talking Kansas City: Baseball, BBQ and Ballparks w/ Mike Czerniewski

Talking Kansas City: Baseball, BBQ and Ballparks w/ Mike Czerniewski

Author: A podcast about baseball, music and culture. April 29, 2026 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. Check out our episodes 280, "Texans in the Hall: Joe Williams, Andy Cooper and Hilton Smith w/ Thomas Kern," and 262, "Rube and Bill Foster: Texans in the Hall," for stories about players that played for and against the Kansas City Monarchs. This Podcast Is... Uncalled For on Ap...

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
213 - Talking 1890 Players League Blues w/ Robert Ross [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:37
Professor Robert Ross, author of The Great Baseball Revolt: The Rise and Fall of the 1890 Players League (2016) joins us this week to discuss the first attempt at unionization by Major League players -- the Brotherhood o…
212 - Ken Johnson Has a Secret [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:53
This week Craig and Rex take a deep dive into Houston's Jose Abreu and Rafael Montero contract fiascos and come away glad we're not the Angels. In Part 2, Ken Johnson did something on an April week night in 1964 that had…
210 - Craig Goes to Cleveland. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:14
Craig reports on his short getaway to Cleveland, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Progressive Field. The hosts speculate on stadium drama in Oakland, Tampa and Anaheim. The Mariners blew a 10-game lead in the American Le…
209 - Rex Goes to Minute Maid [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:18
Rex attended his first in-person Major League game this week - his Rangers beat Craig's Astros and Rex did an okay job suppressing the urge to be a sore winner. Also this week, a look at standings going into the All-Star…
208 - We Are Not Miracle Workers: The Post-Beryl Episode [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:32
Hurricane Beryl dealt a blow to our hometown but 36 hours after it passed Hooks & Runs is on schedule against all odds. This week, Craig and Rex riffing on the upcoming Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, Adrián Beltré, Tod…
207 - Fourth of July Fireworks and 20-Game Losing All-Stars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:30
In part one, Craig and Rex recall some memorable Fourth of July baseball fireworks featuring the ubiquitous Guy Hecker, the irrepressible Boom Boom Beck and the simply legendary Rick Camp. In part two, they discuss the t…
204 - Sid Needed Floppy Shoes: The Road to Almost w/ Darryl Rhoades [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:48
Darryl Rhoades has been entertaining audiences with his music and comedy for over half-a-century. As founder and leader of Hahavishnu Orchestra and later as a solo artist, Rhoades recorded several albums and toured acros…