The Hall of Very Good Podcast

Former Chicago White Sox reliever (and the original “Lil Wanye”) Wayne Edwards joins the boys to talk about following in his dad’s musical footsteps by playing drums alongside teammate Jack McDowell in the band V.I.E.W, starting his first game against his idol, Nolan Ryan, sharing a clubhouse with Carlton Fisk and Bo Jackson and what he walked out of Old Comiskey with when it closed its doors in 1990.

Father and son memorabilia dealers Robbie Davis Sr. and Robbie Davis Jr. join the boys to talk about how they went from selling cars to collecting cards, why producers chose their store, Robbie’s First Base, as the location for the show “Ball Boys”, joining Ken Goldin on his Netflix series "King of Collectibles” and share what their ultimate grail items would be.

Just in time to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the San Francisco Gay Softball League, commissioner Vincent Fuqua joins the boys to talk about his SFGSL debut in 1989, playing against gay icon Glenn Burke, participating in the San Francisco Giants Pride Night and what Major League Baseball can do to be more inclusive. You can donate to the San Francisco Gay Softball League, by clicking HERE.

Author Michael Ortman joins the boys to talk about the fifty-year journey that led to his book, Opening Day: 50-for-50, what he remembers from his first Opening Day back in 1970 (and why his dad even took him), the fortuitous gig that required him to be at the ballpark, which of the five presidential first pitchers had the best arm and, of course, starting his streak over post-pandemic.

Jason Derr, co-host of the Tea and Topps and Ballcaps and Bagpipes podcasts, joins the boys to talk about how following the Chemical Brothers through Great Britain led to a love affair with Scotland, playing baseball in Edinburgh, the difficulties collecting cards overseas and, for some reason, that time Lou got a ticket is Glasgow.

In a (mostly) Yogi-ism-free episode, filmmaker Sean Mullin joins the boys to talk about how “It Ain’t Over” fell into his lap, what he knew about Yogi Berra prior to directing the documentary, why he thinks the legendary catcher is overlooked and his own personal connection to the Hall of Famer.

“Last Comiskey” director Matt Flesch joins the boys to talk about growing up a Chicago White Sox fan, spending his summers at 35 Street and Shields, what inspired him and his brother Mike to document the final season at the iconic ballpark, the interview they were most excited to nail down and, of course, the one that got away!

Jason “Heavy J” Schwartz, the Manny Mota of the podcast world, joins the boys to talk about his recent trip to Cooperstown, that grail item he found at a random card store (shout out Dave and Adam’s), shares some travel tips and tricks, proposes a new exhibit for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and makes a stunning offer to listeners of The Hall of Very Good Podcast!

ESPN’s Mike Greenberg joins the boys to talk about the “ultimate sports debate” that sparked his new book, Got Your Number: The Greatest Sports Legends and the Numbers They Own, how (and why) he chose the numbers he picked, his hope that the World Baseball Classic can grow the game internationally similar to how the 1992 Dream Team helped expand basketball’s reach and, yeah, whether or not he’s excited Aaron Rodgers is heading to his New York Jets.

Filmmaker Jeremy Newberger joins the boys to talk about his new documentary “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel”, details covering the World Baseball Classic and why he and his partners decided to follow the team, describes the fear of being in Israel during a terror attack and helps Shawn and Lou crack the code on what “Arrow”, “Lost” and “The Walking Dead” have in common. Episode originally aired February 9, 2018.

Renowned watercolorist (and fellow member of the Graig Kreindler Appreciation Society!) Kenneth Gatewood joins the boys to talk about getting his start painting Los Angeles storefronts and billboards, partying with Magic Johnson and Lawrence Taylor, impressing the legendary Muhammad Ali and, yeah, the elephant in the room…those iconic and precious Baby Sports.

Savannah Bananas catcher Bill LeRoy joins the boys to talk about his journey from Dublin, Georgia, to BananaLand, playing alongside and catching World Series champions (and Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer Bill Lee!), his excitement for the upcoming Banana Ball World Tour and reveals what he knows (and doesn’t know) about “the book”.

John Fitzgerald, founder of the Irish American Baseball Society, joins the boys to talk about how the organization came about, shares his vision for the IABS, provides an update on the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame and gives an overall education on baseball on the Emerald Isle.

2022 women’s cheese rolling world champion Abby Lampe joins the boys to talk about how she went from NC State to historic Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, England, for the annual Cheese Rolling Championship, how she got interested in the sport, her training regimen and whether or not she’d do it again. Buy the exclusive 2022 Abby Lampe Cheese Rolling Champion t-shirt!

Fresh on the heels of announcing the results of the 2023 BBWAA election, Hall of Fame president Josh Rawitch joins the boys to talk about the pending inductions of Fred McGriff and (fellow Hoosier!) Scott Rolen, details what day-to-day life in Cooperstown is like, shares some of the mail he receives and looks ahead to the Savannah Bananas coming to town.

Jay Jaffe, author of The Cooperstown Casebook and senior writer at FanGraphs, joins the boys (for the fifth time!) to break down the 2023 Hall of Fame ballot, explains why Scott Rolen WASN’T a no-brainer to be elected, discusses the (notso) curious case of Omar Vizquel, reveals his next “cause” and looks ahead to the Class of 2024 and beyond!

Award-winning reporter Tom Rinaldi joins the boys to talk about documenting the life (and death) of Lyman Bostock via his podcast “Wesley”, telling the crazy life story of wrestling legend Ric Flair and that insane ten-day stretch back in November when he covered the World Cup, NFL and college football’s biggest rivalry for FOX Sports.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the night (January 18, 1998) he showed up in the Royal Rumble THREE TIMES...hardcore wrestling legend and New York Times bestselling author Mick Foley joins the boys to talk about his lifelong love affair with the New York Yankees, that time he met his idol Thurman Munson, going from the WiffleBall diamond to becoming a professional wrestling Hall of Famer and picks which players from his childhood best mirror the iconic “Three Faces of Foley”. Episode originally aired September 20, 2020.

T. Sean Shannon, creator of Baseball Card Theater (and SNL’s Bear City!), joins the boys to talk about his lifelong obsession with bear suits and Boog Powell, hanging out with the legendary Fred Willard, one of the nicest hosts he worked with while with “Saturday Night Live” and that time he chatted up Neil Young.

Fred McGriff supercollector Kenny Hillyard joins the boys to talk about how a diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan, born and raised in Texas, amasses a collection of more than 47,000 items dedicated to the “Crime Dog” (and the time it was stolen), shares what “Mrs. McGriff Collector” thinks of his obsession and whether or not they’ll be in Cooperstown this July to see Fred get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.