Baseball Happenings Podcast

Greg Larson wanted to live the big league dream, but after batting .091 during his senior season, he knew his only way he was getting into a pro clubhouse was if he worked there. Fresh out of college, Larson searched for any opportunity to get his foot in the door. When a spot opened up at baseball's lowest rung with the Baltimore Orioles short season Class-A Aberdeen Ironbirds, Larson jumped at the opportunity. The ensuing two years completely flipped his perception of a professional baseball player's life. Minor league life was filled with squalor and despair, with salaries that hugged the poverty line. He decided to chronicle his wild two year ride with Aberdeen in his new book, Clubbie: A Minor League Baseball Memoir. Larson joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast for a candid talk about the ups and downs he experienced while working in the clubhouse and how it forced him to grow up quickly. Click here to listen to the Greg Larson interview or stream below.

Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and 2019 National League MVP joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss his new partnership with Flonase and why the move was in alignment with his personal branding, as he has suffered from allergies his entire career. He also explained what it was like to play through the pandemic, including winning the 2020 World Series and what the Dodgers are looking forward to in defending the title in 2021. Click here to listen to the Cody Bellinger interview and subscribe to the podcast.

Cassidy Lichtman, an outside hitter for the newly minted Athletes Unlimited Volleyball league, joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss all of the exciting developments the league has planned going into its debut season. The former Stanford star explains how significant it is to be part of this pioneering group, the feelings behind having her own official Topps trading card, and the work she's doing to move the game forward with her organization, Progress Through Athletics (P/ATH). Click here to listen to the interview with Lichtman on the Baseball Happenings Podcast.

Emily Kless, Topps Communications Manager, joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss the 2021 Topps Series 1 Baseball release, as well as the ensuing Virtual Rip Party on February 9, 2021, which features Hall of Famers, celebrities, and the top breakers celebrating Topps' 70th anniversary. Click here to listen to the interview with Kless on the Baseball Happenings Podcast.

With the announcement that breakdancing will be an official event in the 2024 Olympics, we sat down with world renown Rocksteady Crew DJ, Skeme Richards to discuss how the news will affect the tightly knit community. As one of the foremost experts on the musical backbone of breakdancing culture, Richards is in high demand to spin at breaking events and competition across the globe. He offers his insight on what the greater public can expect during the Olympics, and why he hopes the IOC will consult with those deep rooted in the artform to preserve its culture while on full display for the masses. Click here to listen to Richards' interview on the Baseball Happenings Podcast.

Gary Vaynerchuk joins Nick Diunte (@Examinebaseball) for the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss the growing sports card industry, what he would do if he were in charge of Topps, his new VaynerBaseball sports agency, and why he thinks MLB has stunted its own long-term growth. If you enjoyed this interview, we would love if you subscribed to the Baseball Happenings Podcast and leave a comment on this video. We welcome you to join us below on your favorite platform. Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/examinebaseball Podcast: https://podfollow.com/baseballhappeningspodcast/view TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@examinebaseball Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/examinebaseball Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fromthestretch Website: http://www.baseballhappenings.net Subscribe to our newsletter for updates. http://eepurl.com/gaDn9T

Lauren Taylor, MLB / MLBPA / Baseball Hall of Fame artist joins the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss her emerging art career while recovering from a traumatic brain injury and the ensuing depression. Check out her designs at - https://laurentaylorillustrations.com/ Click this link to listen on your favorite platform, or use the player below to stream the interview.

Rob Friedman, better known to his 240,000-plus Twitter followers as the PitchingNinja, fulfilled every kid's dream when Topps asked him to be a part of their 2020 Allen and Ginter baseball card set. The lawyer-turned-analyst, who created one of the most popular baseball accounts in the Twittersphere, joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to tell how Topps' rigorous standards for being a part of the set made him feel like a major leaguer. Click here to listen to Friedman on the Baseball Happenings Podcast on your favorite platform, or use the embedded player below to directly stream the interview.

Blake Jamieson, Topps Project 2020 artist joins the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss how being involved in Project 2020 has allowed him to expand his brand and business faster than he ever imagined. During the 20-minute interview, Jamieson explains how he has seized the opportunity to start multiple businesses, including a new podcast, and establish his CardArt.com website. Use this link, or click the stream below to listen.

Greg Modica thought his six-year minor league career was over when he tore his rotator cuff in 2006 while pitching for the Long Island Ducks. He spent the next 14 years molding New York City ballplayers to follow his lead on the mound, putting away any dreams he had of returning to the mound. Fast forward to March 2020, with COVID-19 shutting down both New York City and Modica's successful pitching business, he had nothing else to do but train. Two months shy of turning 40, he made a promise to throw 90 MPH by his May birthday. What happened next wass a Hollywood-esque story where an innocent bet on one's fortitude turned into an opportunity to play professional baseball after a 14-year hiatus. During the latest Baseball Happenings Podcast, Modica explains how a 40-year-old with a surgically repaired right arm defied all odds to return to a professional mound for the first time since 2006. Click here to listen on your favorite podcast platform, or use the player below to share in Modica's incredible journey.

Rally, the collectibles investment platform, has developed an unique partnership with Topps to produce ten "1st edition" 2020 Topps complete sets to be sold in shares exclusively through Rally's app. Rally's co-founder, Rob Petrozzo, joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss the details of their partnership, as well as explain exactly how Rally's platform works.

Three-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Misty May-Treanor is back with the AVP; however, this time, she's not scooping up shots on the sand, but rather she's calling them from their broadcast booth. May-Treanor joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss how she's exploring her new role as a commentator for their broadcasts and what she can bring to the table with her decades of experience in the sport.

Gary Vaynerchuk made another power move in the sports agency world by announcing a partnership with Greg Genske to lead VaynerSports' newly formed VaynerBaseball division. Genske joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss how he linked up with Gary Vee to bring his talents to VaynerSports to expand their agency's reach into Major League Baseball.

Bartolo Colón still has hopes of returning to the majors leagues. At 47, and with labor negotiations at a stand still, his chances are as good as Vegas bookmakers trying to set the odds to win the World Series. According to SBD, "The second-tier favorites have generally gotten longer with the MLB planning to play a shortened, 80-game season with an expanded playoff field. Fewer games means greater likelihood for unexpected outcomes." Despite the uncertainty surrounding Colón's return to the field or if the season will take place, fans will rejoice reading Colón's journey in his new autobiography, "Big Sexy: Bartolo Colón In His Own Words". The 21-year MLB veteran partnered with Stahl through a series of interviews at his New Jersey home to tell how he achieved major league stardom from his humble Dominican Republic beginnings. In the latest Baseball Happenings Podcast episode, Stahl discussed how the rookie author was able to link up with Colón for his "big league" publishing debut. During the 18-minute interview, he tells some of his favorite stories from the book, while also explaining how this venture has validated his transition from a New York City high school English teacher to author during an unprecedented pandemic.

Jeff Frye was a fan favorite during his eight major league seasons with the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, and Toronto Blue Jays, but little did he expect to gain massive social media fame almost 20 years after he last put on the uniform. After a series of videos where he is spoofing hitting instruction methods he's seen online, including the one below which has received 1.4 million views as of this writing, Frye's "She gone!" has become a cult cry among his fans and retired MLB peers. Frye joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss how he's handled the unexpected attention, and how he hopes his videos will help young baseball players and their families become better informed consumers when selecting a hitting coach. @examinebaseballWhat to do if your ##hitting coach hands you a PVC pipe. ##baseball ##mlb ##tips ##shegone ##baseballcards ##batting ♬ original sound - examinebaseball

Brad Balukjian, author of The Wax Pack: On The Open Road In Search of Baseball's Afterlife, joined the Baseball Happenings Podcast for a special Q&A interview where readers submitted questions for Balukjian to answer live on-air about his 11,341 mile journey across the country to uncover the afterlives of 14 retired Major League Baseball players. In 2015, I met with Balukjian in Brooklyn while he was in New York to meet with Lee Mazzilli and Doc Gooden for the book. After being rejected by multiple publishers, his book is currently the best-selling baseball book on Amazon at the time of this writing. During the 45-minute Q&A, Balukjian explained his crazy travels trying to track down Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk, getting batting lessons from World Series champ Rance Mulliniks, and his conflict peeling away layers from his baseball hero, Don Carman.

Bobby Valentine joints the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss playing for Bobby Winkles with the California Angels. Winkles, who also managed the Oakland Athletics and won three College World Series championships at Arizona State University, died April 17, 2020 at age 90. Winkles managed the Angels in 1973, when Valentine suffered his career-altering injury while playing the outfield. Valentine explains how the injury changed both of their career trajectories.

Queens based artist Sophia Chang joins the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss her work on Topps Project 2020. In the interview, she explains what inspired her debut 1992 Bowman Mariano Rivera design, her foray into the baseball card collecting world, and how she's putting a Queens touch on the new cards. - Website - www.esymai.com - Instagram - @esymai

Mike Sommer of Wax Pack Hero joins the Baseball Happenings Podcast to discuss how collectors are adapting their purchasing habits due to the coronavirus pandemic. We also take a dive into how the card companies like Topps are reacting with their production plants temporarily shutting down to due to forced work stoppages.

On the latest Baseball Happenings Podcast, we present an interview with New York Yankees and Team USA catcher Erik Kratz. The 39-year-old MLB veteran discussed how he is dealing with the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics Games postponement as just another speed bump in his well-traveled career.